Author's Note (8/12/13) :
Okay, here's version 3.0 of this chapter - updated mostly for formatting issues. As far as content goes, this can be considered the first chapter of the second arc of this story, though it mostly serves the purpose of transition. Time for missions and, perhaps, some actual plot. Let me know what you think!


ooOoo

Your eyes are talking, but your lips are standing still.
Open your mouth, tell me how I'm supposed to feel
- Emery -

ooOoo

Wrapped up in a warm cocoon of fleece, Ino desperately tried to keep her focus on the romance flashing across the expanse of her television set. That was what normal women did on a lonely weeknight, right? She had all the prerequisites: ultra buttery popcorn, pocky, and a half-gallon of matcha-flavored ice cream, complete with a spoon to eat it straight out of the container. But regardless of what Sakura had told her, none of these seemed to be helping.

Chouji was away on a mission, again. In fact, it seemed like he was always being deployed. He easily got twice as many missions as her. In the three weeks that they'd been dating Chouji had gotten four, all of which were A ranked, while she had gotten one measly C ranked reconnaissance mission, leading a group of kunoichi posing as brothel girls. Ino used to laugh at those domesticated girls, the ones that waited faithfully at home, afraid to leave lest some word for better or worse came, on pins and needles until their guy returned from a mission. And now, without even trying, Chouji had gotten her to join their ranks.

Of course, she wasn't really on pins and needles.

That's what the blonde told herself as she looked at the clock for the tenth time in as many minutes. He was late. That was the only reason she was the state she was in. If only Chouji had come back at dawn yesterday like he was supposed to! She was perfectly calm then. It wasn't like she had set her alarm at 3:00 am so she could shower before he got there. She hadn't taken extra time on her hair and makeup. She hadn't worn his favorite dress. And she most definitely had not cried when it was apparent, at 10:00 pm, that he wasn't going to be coming in time to see all her efforts. And if there were tears starting to form in her eyes tonight, it was only because Jun Matsumoto could be so freaking romantic and Koyuki was utterly adorable.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it was almost midnight and he wasn't there.

Ino flicked the television off with disgust. The tears were coming faster now, hot streams of saline falling down her cheeks. If love was so sweet and wonderful, why had she cried more in the past month than in all the rest of her lifetime combined? She had to pull herself together. The blonde marched herself to the bathroom to splash some cool water, along with some sense, on her face.

Again.

And again.

And again, until her nose started to tingle as the cold water wicked away its natural warmth.

Twisting the knob to its off position, she looked up and forced some determination into her eyes. She could do this. She would go clean up the mess in the front room before the ice cream, what little was left of it, melted onto her pale, pristine carpet and she would go to sleep. No more waiting around like a puppy whose master had abandoned it.

Ino was her own woman, had been for years, and by heavens she was going to act like it.

The mess took very little time to take care of, much to Ino's chagrin, so she decided that it would be wise to do a more thorough version of her nightly beauty regime.

- Eyebrows waxed? Check.

- Legs and bikini waxed? Check.

- Full body moisturization? Check.

- Nighttime extra-emollient eye cream applied? Check.

- Anti-wrinkle face exercises? Check. Mini mani-pedi? Check.

- One thousand brush strokes through her golden locks? Check.

Even with all the stalling, she was finished far sooner than she would have liked. Looking at the clock on her nightstand, which read 12:47 am, Ino's heart fell again. He wasn't going to make tonight. She'd have to do this all over again tomorrow. With a dramatic flounce, Ino welcomed her bed.

Well, at least she would be well-groomed.

ooOoo

In spite of her worry, sleep came to Ino quickly, the soft lilac scent of the linens dulling her senses enough to let her stress-ridden mind finally come to rest. It was as if the fibers themselves had been woven by clever hands, infusing them with some unknown calming jutsu, causing her to become as dead to the world. Had her exhaustion been not so complete, her very ninja training failing her, she would have heard the dull thud of approaching footsteps and recognized a faint chakra signature headed her way. The soft rapping of the door went unanswered once, then twice. A soft sigh and a click, and the figure was now in her midst, moving stealthily towards her most private sanctuary.

"Ino?" Warmth traced the edges of her hairline in a gentle caress. "Come on, wake up."

"Huh?" Eyelids fluttered open slowly, revealing a large shadow that seemed to be kneeling beside her bed.

"Ino, wake up." The voice, the warmth was still gentle, but a bit of urgency was laced through their tones. "Ino, I need your help."

"Chouji?" The seas broke wide open in realization, propelling the kunoichi into the arms of her beloved with great force. "I thought I was dreaming again!"

"Ouch... Again?" A slight wince marred the moment for the freshly arrived shinobi. "So you've been dreaming about me, huh?"

"Chouji Akimichi, what in the world are you thinking?! You're hurt! You should be at the hospital!"

"It's only a couple cracked ribs... I think." He added the last bit under his breath while the prickly blonde hopped out of bed to light up the room. "Really, it's not serious. I would've gone to the hospital, but I knew that you could fix it." His brown eyes turned to face her, glossy with emotion. "I... I just wanted to see you."

"You're nothing but trouble, you know that?" The blonde kept up her admonishment, but her heart wasn't truly in it. In all honesty, she was excessively pleased that she was the one he sought out, that he needed to see her as much as she needed to see him.

"Come here. We need to get this armor off you if I'm going to be able to do anything."

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Deft, feminine fingers ran up and down his torso, unclipping straps and fasteners as they went.

Piece by piece, he was shed of his outer layers. The air conditioning unit was going in overdrive, the summer night making rest for the piece of machinery near impossible, and yet every article that was removed left him feeling warmer than before. Maybe he was running a fever?

That kind of thing happened when one got hurt, right?

It wasn't because Ino was slowly stripping him. No, it couldn't be. Because Ino was just doing her medical duty, preparing him so she would be able to properly assess the damage done to his physical body. That was all. Just the same as she always did. This was all just part of the routine that they'd had going on for years.

It was all completely normal.

It didn't matter that this was the first time she had to help him undress. And it wasn't like her fingers trailed seductively down his chest as she unbuttoned his undershirt or that she had that glint in her eye as she coyly looked up to see if he was watching. No, it had to be his imagination. running on overdrive because he'd been gone too long. Chouji could feel that his self-control was slipping.

He couldn't hold it anymore.

His hands wove themselves into her hair, bringing her even closer, and he went in for the kill.

Her lips responded favorably, eagerly, as she pressed herself flush against him. He groaned, the mixture of pleasure and pain the cause of it. Ino's actions flipped a switch inside him and suddenly aggressive instinct took over, hot adrenaline pushing him to boldness as he deepened the kiss. His hands left her hair to trail down her heavenly back and came to rest on the swell of her hips, pulling her closer and closer.

The kisses became more and more frantic.

The hormones running through his system helped to numb the pain enough to entertain thoughts of taking this session further. There was never enough of her, his blonde angel, not enough to satisfy. During those lonely nights out fighting the enemy, separated from her, he felt like he was going out of his mind. Need tugged at him causing him to tug at her. When Ino couldn't get any closer, his large hands cupped her backside, lifting her up with ease, returning her to the bed.

"Down boy." A sharp flick to the head accentuated Ino's breathy request. "Are you crazy? You're going to aggravate your injuries."

"Sorry." The large man looked down sheepishly, trying his embarrassment. His hand came up to hold his side. Now, back to his senses, Chouji could acutely feel his injuries throbbing.

"Yeah, yeah. Lie down and let me get to work already." The lady pointed to the bed and he secretly wished that it was some other kind of work she was referring to. "And when I get done, we are going to sleep, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." A heavy sigh crossed his lips as reclined obediently. A grimace rolled across his face as his ribcage tried to adjust to his new position, his breath coming out in choppy puffs.

"Good, because if you get handsy on me again, I'll send your butt back to your own apartment. I don't care how much you missed me. Your body needs rest." As the glow of her healing chakra bathed Ino's hands in pale green light, she turned her head to hide the blush on her cheeks from the man who was the cause of it. Chouji remained silent as she worked, closing his eyes as weariness took over. He had been right, of course. The damage was minor, just a little bruising and three cracked ribs. "Okay, Chouji, how's that feel?"

"Um, good." His reply was laced with sleepiness. "Let's get some shut-eye."

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"Yeah."

Ino climbed back into bed, her head once again too full to sleep. She could feel the traces of him on her lips, in her hair, on her skin. Her blood still rushed about in her body, too quick and forceful to be normal, causing her to feel flushed and excited.

Kissing was one thing. Kissing was familiar. She kissed people all the time. She had even developed a jutsu centered on the very act! But now, tonight, it became very clear that her lovely, innocent Chouji was awakening to other things, wanted other things.

This new development was one that Ino was in no way prepared for.

ooOoo

The dead of night watched over the hidden leaf, the barely-there moon hanging high above like the ever vigilant eye of a shinobi under the pretense of sleep. All was peaceful, nothing more than the gentle hum of forest insects could be heard. All shops, even those catering to the late night crowd, had been closed for hours now, leaving not a person on the streets. All were tucked snug in their beds, blissfully unaware of the torment of one woman.

"I don't know?! That's all you have to say?" Livid, amber eyes flared in exasperation, as a neatly manicured fist punched straight through a stack of conveniently placed bricks.

"You're the head of the Department of Strategy! It's been three weeks since you received Yamanaka's report, the best lead we've had in months, and all you have to say is 'I don't know'?"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

The honored leader walked slowly, purposely up to the jounin, a graying male in his forties, and stopped just inches from his face. Her hands curled into tight balls at her sides and the man braced himself for the beating of a lifetime. "You have until morning to bring me your intent to retire or I will demote you back to genin." The lady's voice was gravely quiet. "You are excused."

The man turned on his heel, head bowed with distress, and promptly exited the room.

"I'm so proud of you." The comment from her assistant came with a bite of sarcasm. "You didn't ruin the tower and you managed not to kill Itsugi. The bricks were a good idea after all, weren't they?"

"Can it, Shizune." The reprimand was far from intimidating and almost hysterical giggling, on the part of both women, soon followed. "Did you see the look on his face?"

"Yeah." The dark-haired kunoichi was the first to collect herself. "But what are you going to do now?"

"I'm not sure yet." A blanket of seriousness returned to the room. She'd had her fun and now it was time to get back to business. Too many people counted on her. The weight of it all, the newly acquired routine of skipping sleep adding greatly to it, had Tsunade feeling twice her age. "Is the suppression team back from their mission?"

"They just got in three hours ago. Why?"

"Give him till dawn, and then summon Shikamaru. Maybe he can find something that old geezer couldn't." The hokage sat down at her desk and started rummaging.

"It's in the bottom right drawer." Shizune gave her master a weak smile and walked through the door, giving the blonde some much-needed alone time.

ooOoo

The lady had two hours of peace, just enough for a couple of shots and a power nap, before the shadow-user arrived on her doorstep. After rubbing the sleep from her eyes and re-stashing her flask, she gave her permission for entrance. "Come in."

"You sent for me, Lady Tsunade." His eyes drooped with fatigue while he half-stifled a yawn. Most likely his sleeping patterns were little better than her own. Being sent on near continuous missions certainly couldn't be helping.

"Yes. I have a new mission for you starting immediately." The hokage paused to see how he would take the news. His discontent was clearly written across his brow, but he seemed too tired to voice it. "There is a box of files on that chair. It is all the information we have regarding this war. I need you to go through it and tell me what you see. I need some viable options for an offensive plan."

"What about Itsugi? Isn't that his job? He's got a whole department at his disposal." Sharp eyes looked at her in question.

"Well, he just handed in his resignation this morning. It's not surprising. He is of retirement age." Tsunade tried to go the diplomatic route. "I need someone I have confidence in for this. It's too important."

"So, you believe the whole Department of Strategy to be incompetent? Figures." Shikamaru grabbed the files with reluctance. "Do you have a room I can use? I don't figure you want me to spend the next few hours sitting on your floor."

ooOoo

Ino awoke that morning to the rhythmic hush of Chouji's breathing, the slight push and pull of his chest as his lungs kept up their ever important work, and the deep thump of his steady heart. Cradled in his arms as she was, she couldn't see his face, but the blonde was positive he was already awake. His fingers were playing with the scar on her hip, tracing the tiny lines over and over. She shifted just a bit, trying to loosen the bear hug she was trapped in enough so that her eyes could take in his face. It was to no avail. The blonde found herself pulled even closer while he nestled his head into the side of her neck. Her pulse instantly raced and she knew he could feel it.

The smirk she felt on his lips told her so.

"Chouji!"

Soft nibbles made her catch her breath. His mouth moved slowly up to her jaw line, kissing as it went. "Yes, Ino?"

"Shouldn't we get up and get breakfast?" Her question came out choppy, her lack of composure clearly coming to surface.

"I'd rather have you."

The man had moved up to her ear, taking the sensitive lobe completely in. His teeth caught the stud, the earring given by her sensei, and rolled it around with his nimble tongue. The sensation sent beautiful shivers down the length of her spine. A small sound escaped her throat, completely unbidden. It took them both by surprise, stopping Chouji's attack momentarily as looked at her in wonder. He recovered quickly though, and was soon paying most devoted attention to her lips, her mouth, her tongue. There was such urgency in his kiss, such passion and excitement, that it was overwhelming to the kunoichi. She was no longer in control.

Ino was always in control.

She was the one that instigated affairs and decided how far they would go. She was the one that pulled the strings of her partner's emotions, leading them whither she saw fit to take them. But not this time. No, somehow she had become the puppet here. She had become but putty in his hands. And that fact scared her like no other. Her mind screamed against what was happening.

She wasn't ready.

Ino Yamanaka, The Mistress, Konoha's best seductress, was afraid. And here she was, with a man she loved dearly, obviously most willing and ready to take her, her physical body begging for it, and all she wanted to do was cry. But that was not an option. He wouldn't understand. Chouji would think he'd done something wrong. Ino's conscience pricked at the very thought of it. She had to do something.

She had to take control.

"Hey, over here." There was a poof of smoke and suddenly Chouji lips came in contact with the rough bark of a small branch. Ino waved shyly from the bedroom doorway.

"A substitution jutsu? Ino-" His face was covered in disbelief and frustration. "What in the world?"

"Sorry." The blonde blushed fiercely. "I just remembered that I have to meet Kakashi in half an hour."

"Fine." Chouji got up to put on fresh clothes from his pack. To say he looked unhappy would be an understatement. "I promised I would go see Shika today anyway. He wanted to make sure you healed me properly."

"Okay. See you for dinner?" Ino asked shyly, but avoided looking him in the eye. She may be a good liar, but he had a knack of seeing through her. Chouji didn't answer, simply kissed her cheek, rough and chaste, and then was out the door.

Water started to well up, but Ino slapped herself, one hand for each cheek, before the tears could come to fruition. She had no time for moping.

Besides, she knew she had brought this on herself.

ooOoo

Chouji stormed out of Ino's apartment, his mood getting blacker with every step forward.

Frustration, in multiple forms, dogged his steps as he made his way home. That woman, that hateful, beautiful woman, was playing with him. She had to be! What other explanation was there? She was probably laughing at him right now, already meeting up with Sakura, explaining in vivid color the extent of his follies. By the time this day was over, he was sure to be the laughingstock of the village. It was exactly as the rumors had said.

She got her jollies from making men squirm and he was but the latest victim.

It was either that or...

The other option he didn't even want to entertain. It was so much easier to be angry than to be hurt and the other option hurt terribly.

What if?

What if Ino wasn't attracted to him? What if he repulsed her? Ino said she was in love with him. She seemed perfectly fine with kissing and cuddling, but every time he tried to take it the least bit farther he was shutdown. Chouji knew that physically he didn't match up to her 'type', not if her past beaus were any indication. But what if it was more than that? What if he disgusted her and she was holding it in for his sake? The thought took the wind from his sails, and depression swooped in as the wrath receded. His feet were heavy, as was his heart, when he finally made it to the Nara's front door and rang the buzzer.

"Hey, Chouji!" Temari opened the screen door wide, motioning for him to come inside. "Shika's not here. The hokage called him out early. But you're welcome to eat breakfast with me and wait."

"Yeah, thanks." Chouji sat down at the table and hung his head. "That would be nice."

The young wife grimaced as she served up a plate of eggs, bacon and biscuits to the large shinobi. "You okay? You look like death warmed over."

"No, not really." He pushed his food around with his fork. After a moment's hesitation, Chouji decided to speak his mind. "Do you think you could help me understand what goes on inside a girl's head?"

"Sure!" A knowing grin spread from ear to ear and Temari ruffled his hair as she sat down beside him. "Whatever's going on, I'm sure you're making it out to be more than it is."

"I hope so." Chouji paused. "Can I ask you something personal?"

"Shoot."

"How long were you guys going out before you and Shika... um, you know?" His voice got smaller and smaller as he spoke while his face got redder and redder.

"You know, I don't mind answering that. But it's not going to solve your problem." Temari placed a hand over his in friendly encouragement. "I think you need to tell me your story, from the beginning."

ooOoo

"Lady Tsunade?" A cheerful face, framed by a fringe of dark hair, attempted to get the blonde's attention, a single hand waving back and forth in front the leader's face. When the hokage's eyes finally left their glazed over state and locked on her own, Shizune continued. "Shikamaru wants to know if now is a good time to hear his preliminary report?"

"Huh, what?" The lady was shocked into complete alertness. "He's gone through those files already? It hasn't even been half a day." Shizune nodded in the affirmative, pleased that for once she had some good news to relay. Her master in turn gave her an impatient look, accompanied by a well-sharpened pencil aimed straight for her head. "Well, what are you waiting for? Send him in already!"

"Shikamaru, please come in." The assistant easily caught the projectile without so much as a slip of her smile; just the dark shine in her black eyes spoke of her displeasure. It would do nothing to help matters if she riled up her master more.

"So, Shizune tells me you already finished looking through what we have?" The leader turned a critical eye over the shadow-user. "Did you find anything?"

"Yeah. Well, maybe." The Nara spoke with exhaustion, the fatigue clearly showing on his person. "Do you have a map in here?" Shizune nodded to her leader and grabbed a large scroll from a bookcase on the far side of the room. The lady rearranged her desk, displacing mounds of paperwork, snack wrappers and broken pencils, to accommodate the new addition. Shikamaru continued. "Okay, the first thing I did was went through and wrote down the coordinates of all the known attacks. No one kept track of the initial attacks in the lands of Earth, Birds, Rain and Grass, so we're in the dark on that point. But we do have good records since the beginning of the joint task force. Let's start with the attacks in the Wind. There were eight altogether. Can I write on this?"

"Sure." Tsunade assented, quite curious as to where this was going.

"Okay, so these are the villages that were targeted." He carefully drew eight dots on the map, each signifying a destroyed village. "Do you see anything?"

"I see a bunch of dots, the same as I saw when I looked at the map hanging in the DOS." The hokage's hands came up to rub her temples. "Should I be seeing something else?"

The shinobi connected a few of the dots. "What about now?"

"Shikamaru, I do not have time for jokes!" Her fist pounded down upon the paper, the reverberation running through the whole of the desk.

"Just stick with me. Please." The sincerity in his passive face forced her to remain calm. "What do you see?"

"I see a smiley face with its tongue out." Disgust lined her words. "So?"

"So, we're obviously up against someone a bit unbalanced, someone who likes to play jokes. It gives us some clues as to who might be involved. Anyway, think of it as a taunt. It's their way of letting us know that we wasted our time looking for them in the Wind. But let's put that aside for now." The shinobi placed a few more dots. "Okay, we took the Land of Waterfalls and the neighboring wilderness under our protection shortly after the Earth shut down, right? We get regular correspondence from them because of that. They have had five of their villages attacked. If we include the attacks that have taken place here in the Fire, we have nine more for a total of fourteen villages destroyed. Do you see anything?"

"No." A heavy sigh tried to dispel the leader's frustration.

The shinobi again connected the dots. "What about now?"

"That's our symbol, the hidden leaf's symbol." Both women's eyes went wide. "What do you think it means?"

"Well, I can't be sure, but I think they're giving us clues as to what their next move is." Shikamaru pointed to the map again, emphasizing something they had missed. "Do you see here? The symbol isn't complete yet. The point is missing. But if you draw it in like this..."

"It points straight to Border town. Well, I'll be." Tsunade leaned back in her chair, contemplation taking over. "Is there anything else you want to share?"

"Actually, yeah." He waited for her to nod, giving him permission to go on. "I looked through all the testimonies and eye-witness reports and I think I found a pattern. It might be nothing, but something about it keeps nagging at me. No one in the villages attacked remembers anything at all. It's completely silent. But... But there are a handful accounts mixed in from nearby villages."

"And you find that strange?"

"Yes."

"How so?"

Shikamaru sat down in a chair, the lack of sleep making his legs give out on him a bit. "The people we interrogated from the nearby villages were only spoken to because they happened to show up while we were doing our initial investigations, so it was easy for their accounts to fall through the cracks. There were just a few in that stack, maybe one to every hundred from actual attack survivors. But the strange thing is that they all said the same thing."

"And what was that exactly?" The lady did not like being kept in suspense, the evidence of which was spoken through grit teeth.

"They had all been asked if they had seen anyone suspicious. Of course, they hadn't. But each one remembers meeting a pair of traveling men. The first sounds like someone we know, a nice young man claiming to be a distant relative of a local merchant from the intended village. They all described him as having light hair and glasses."

"You think it was Kabuto? I thought he was dead. He hasn't been seen since when Orochimaru's lair was destroyed." Tsunade rested her head upon one hand, tilting it in thought as a single finger tapped her cheek. "I suppose it's possible. His body was never recovered. Okay, so who was the other?"

"That I'm not sure of. The story is that he's making his rounds to the villages to sell his wares. He's been described as middle-aged lecher. Tall, dark hair with just a bit of gray at the temples, good-looking, with a penchant for not keeping his hands to himself." Shikamaru read the description from one of the witnesses, and then handed the paper to the Hokage.

"Are they traveling together? Or do they just happen to be in the same village at the same time?" She studied the paper, looking for some clue that perhaps Shikamaru had overlooked.

"None of the reports say. My hunch is that he is the one spreading the tainted goods, but there's no evidence to support it." He rubbed at a kink in his neck. "Do you have any idea who this man is?"

"No." Determination burned like fire. "But we will find out."

ooOoo

"I don't know, Temari." Chouji had long since finished his breakfast and was now pacing the Nara's living room, venting as he went. "It's like she takes me to the edge of the world and right back again. I can't keep up with her. One minute she's initiating and the next she's shutting me down. It's just so- I don't know!"

"The edge of the world, huh?"

"Yeah, you know, the edge of the world?" Temari shook her head in the negative. "The edge of the world is a mythical place, the realm of the all-powerful goddess of chaos. The goddess who whispers sweet nothings in your ear, promising you everything you want, but then it turns out to all be a facade. Never studied mythology, huh?" Again Temari shook her head. "It doesn't matter. It's not like it exists anyway."

"And that's what's bugging you, isn't it?" Temari spoke and Chouji finally stopped his pacing. "You're afraid you'll never get there, figuratively speaking."

"Umm-"

"You, Chouji Akimichi, are afraid that when comes right down to it, Ino's going to reject you and run off with some pretty boy from the bar down the street. Am I right?"

The man seemed suddenly interested in his shoes, his head bent down as far as it would go without moving the rest of his body. "I suppose."

"Then do you suppose that maybe, just maybe, Ino could be having similar thoughts?"

"But I would never do that to her! She's the only one for me and always has been. She should know..." Chouji trailed off when he noticed the amused way in which his blonde friend was looking at him. "What?"

"I seemed to have pushed one of your buttons. Sorry about that." The apology came, but it did nothing to wipe the smirk off her face. "You and I and all of Konoha know that, but does Ino know that? Most women I know in her line of work have a hard time believing that a good guy will still want them when the real truths of their exploits come out. She's probably just trying to protect herself."

"By turning me on, then taking off?" He sat down on the sofa, his body vibrating with frustration.

"Seriously, men." Temari tapped him in the side of the head. "Use your brain a little. Having sex is her job. Start making out with her and of course her body is going to respond, whether she wants it to or not. She's been conditioned that way. But when a girl is in love, she wants sex to be a beautiful, romantic thing. The first time with your soul mate is a big deal, even if you're not a virgin. Of course she's not going to just let you randomly jump her. I guarantee, for her, it's not just another roll in the hay. She wants it to be special."

"Temari, what if I can't deal with that? What if the jealousy turns me into someone I don't want to be?" He pleaded with his friend, begging her for some kind of knowledge, some sign, that would make his uneasiness go away. He wanted her to tell him it would be okay.

"Well, if your doubts are heavier than the weight of your love, you may want to get out now."

"No, they're not." It took awhile for the answer to come out, but when it did Chouji knew it was the right one. If he was anything, it was faithful, and he planned to grow old with that woman. "So what do I do?"

"Well, you can start by making sure Ino knows you're not going to leave her because of her job like some jealous jerk." Her head cocked in admonition, before leaning forward in excitement. "Then, you need to plan a romantic night for just the two of you."

ooOoo

The atmosphere in the Hokage's tower office finally resembled something like hope when Tsunade sent Shizune out to grab some lunch for herself and her newly appointed advisor. Shikamaru was dead on his feet, that much was clear, and looked like he hadn't had a real meal in months. Now that she knew he had at least some answers, ones that the village so desperately needed, Tsunade felt some of the burden slipping from her shoulders. Surely they could afford to take enough time for a quick bite to eat.

Shizune was swift, as per usual, arriving with a great smorgasbord of take out within a mere twenty minutes. The amount and variety of food she had gathered was astounding, leaving both kage and shinobi to wonder how the petite woman had managed to carry it all. Apparently, Shizune had noticed Shikamaru's slimming figure also.

"Eat up, the both of you. I've never seen such a skinny jounin, or a slovenly hokage." The last bit came under her breath and Tsunade had the good grace to ignore it in favor of digging into a bowl of piping hot udon.

"So, I think it's pretty safe to say that Sasuke, Kabuto and Tobi, or Madara if you will, are the ones working this plan." Shikamaru continued his analysis in between bites of his pork bun.

"We've got a confirmed sighting of Sasuke, several sighting of man fitting Kabuto's description, so I understand those. Where does Tobi come into this? He doesn't match the other man's description. And for all we know, he could be dead." The leader huffed a bit. "And if he really is Madara, he should be dead at least twice over."

"Well, Lady Tsunade, that's where the smiley face comes in." He paused to take a drink, washing down the last bit of bun. His wheels were still turning. "It's just a hunch, but Tobi, Madara's other personality, has a bit of a reputation as a joker."

"I've read the mission reports, Nara."

"Sorry. Anyway, before the Akatsuki's attack, it well-known that he had attached himself to Sasuke. And his body was never found either, so I think the probability that he's the one that sent us that little joke is pretty high. I also think he is the best candidate of the three to be their leader."

"So what do you suggest we do?" The hokage looked to him in earnest. "What should our plan of attack be?"

"Well, no matter what we do, it's going to be a trap. They know we're coming. At least that's what they're hoping for by leaving us these clues." Shikamaru closed his eyes in meditation, elbows on his knees to support his thinking hands. "It's hard to say without knowing their exact motives. If they wanted to hurt the village, there's easier ways to do so. It doesn't make sense."

"So you're advising that we do nothing?"

"No. I'm just saying that there's something we're missing." The meditating stopped. "If it were me, I'd send out a four man squad to Bordertown, undercover. One would need to be a merchant, preferably someone wealthy who deals in food commodities, since evidence seems to point towards them using food to disperse whatever drug is causing this. He would need a business partner or a second in command to help with believability, and for back up. The other two should be women. It'll be less conspicuous than a group of just men. One should be the wife of our head man, the other her maid servant. Their main objective would be to try to confirm the identities of any individuals involved through subversive means. We need to find the mystery guy so, if he is connected like we think he is, we are the ones chosen to disperse their goods. Once we've infiltrated their network and found out how extensive it is, we can send some black ops to take them out once and for all."

"Very good. I'll start putting together a team." The hokage looked very pleased. "Any recommendations?"

"Not anyone specific, but it wouldn't hurt if one of the females was special ops."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. You need to go old school on this one, no henge or anything like that. The guys we're dealing with will just see through them." The man closed his eyes, once again in thought. "You wouldn't happen to have anything that makes a person's chakra signature disappear, would you?"

ooOoo

The day was bright and hot, making her clothes feel extraordinarily heavy as the woman walked through Konoha's open air market. Ino perused the clothing district, trying to distract her distraught mind, but for once nothing held her interest. What was wrong with her? Shopping always made her feel better, with the pleasure she felt increasing with every dollar spent. But not today. No, today the blonde had bought several high dollar items, and she was still in agony. For probably the first time in her life, she had truly made Chouji angry with her. And Ino couldn't blame him. She'd been a spectacular tease.

In self-loathing, the kunoichi gave up on her endeavors and made haste for her air-conditioned apartment.

Upon arriving, Ino went straight for the bathroom, stripping her sweat-soaked garments along the way. The shower, set to a briskly cool setting, felt heavenly and the blonde took her time, washing away dirt and grime and guilt. She would make this better somehow. She would redeem herself. After all, when the Mistress made her mind up, nothing could stand in her way. She always got her man and this time would be no exception. So what if she wasn't ready? Chouji loved her, so he would wait. Right? She could make him understand, right? Ino pressed the crown of her head into the tiled wall of her shower. What if she couldn't? What if he found out what a sham she was? Would he leave her? Chouji was a good man, a loyal man. But what if all she was became too much even for him?

Kakashi had recommended that she just get over it and make love to her boyfriend. After all, Ino probably had more theoretical knowledge than anyone else he knew, except maybe Jiraiya. He thought she'd be happy to finally feel the euphoria of it all for herself. She was in love with Chouji, so what exactly was her hang up? His advice took little time to relate, it being along the lines of 'just do it already', and had her walking back out the door nearly as soon as she had entered.

Kakashi hadn't meant to, but he had Ino feeling like a spoiled child as she left his place.

"Ino?" A frantic man's voice shattered her inner monologue. "Ino! Where are you?!"

She was about to answer when the bathroom door flung open, Chouji's large frame filling the entryway. His wide, frightened eyes relaxed into relief at the sight of her and he rushed over to her, pulling her out of the tub and into a forceful hug.

"What in the world has gotten into you?" Ino struggled in his grasp. "You're getting all wet. Let me go."

"No!" The man just squeezed tighter. "I came back and your door was wide open and clothes were everywhere and your purse was knocked over, stuff was all over the ground. I kept calling you and you didn't answer. Do you know what I thought had happened?"

"I'm just fine. Jeez." She managed to wiggle her arms out from where they had been pinned against his chest and flicked his cheek. "I was just so hot I couldn't think straight. I dropped everything as soon as I got inside. I guess I forgot to close the door too."

"Why didn't you answer?" Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, a bit of gruffness infused his attitude. "I wouldn't have overreacted if you had spoken up."

A bright blush covered her face, but she defiantly looked him straight in the face. "I was in the shower. And I had things on my mind. I was distracted."

"Really? What had you so distracted that you couldn't hear me?" His irritation he was increasing and Ino could feel it in the pace of his heartbeat.

"What do you think?" The reply came out a bit saucier than she intended. Chouji's mood must have started to wear on her.

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking!" The exasperated man tugged at his own hair, releasing his girlfriend in the process.

"You! You big idiot!" The angry, naked kunoichi pushed past the man, stomping on his foot in the process, and high tailed it towards her room.

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"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get dressed!"

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"Ouch. What was that for?"

Chouji just watched for a moment in disbelief. Then the full implications of the situation hit him.

He'd had her! Ino had been in his arms without a lick of clothing on. He'd been trying for that very thing just this morning.

Now it was given to him on a silver platter and what did he do? He started a fight with her! And not just any fight. It was the first real disagreement the two of them had ever had, dating or otherwise. It was like he just couldn't do anything right today. This morning he was getting angry at Ino's reluctance and now he was getting angry at her when he was the one who had made incorrect assumptions. Without a conscious decision, his feet quickly followed in Ino's footsteps, overtaking her just as the woman reached the closet of clothes. Whirling her around in dramatic fashion, he caught her lips by surprise.

"I'm sorry. Heavens, Ino, I'm so sorry." His big hands came up to cradle her face. "I've been a jerk."

"Yes, you have." Her anger melted and her hands moved to mirror his own, palms pressed to his tattoos. "And I know. It's not easy, is it?"

"What's not easy, Ino?" Chouji closed his eyes, letting her soft breath wash over him.

"Being with me." Ino pulled him in close and tenderly kissed him. "I'm sorry too. You know, about this morning. I- I was afraid. Pretty silly, huh? Me, afraid of... that."

"It's not silly at all. Don't ever think that." Guilt pricked the man's gentle heart. "I didn't know you felt that way. I thought..."

"What? What did you think?" Oceans of blue filled his sight as the question fell from her lips.

"I thought- I thought you were repulsed by me. I know I'm not..."

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Chouji's sentence was left unfinished as Ino gave his mouth something else to be occupied with, distracting him as she slowly maneuvered them towards the bed.

"Don't ever say that again." Panting and breathless, the woman pushed Chouji back until the backs of his legs came in contact with the mattress, causing him to stumble back into a sitting position. Anger, directed at herself for letting her beloved feel such a pain, spurned Ino on, giving her the courage that only that morning she had lacked. Roughly, she removed his shirt and threw it on the floor. Leaning over him, Ino tugged his head back by a handful of hair and claimed his lips once again. Over and over, she took hold of his mouth and heart until both were breathless, all the while insinuating herself onto his lap. "Lay back. I want to show just how much you repulse me."

"I don't think so." And with a seductive smirk, he had their positions reversed, his body pressing into hers in a most masculine, arousing way. But rather than continuing the activity, Chouji paused and slowly let his hands roam her unveiled flesh, taking her in through the coarse pads of his fingertips. His expression went serious and for a moment there was vulnerability in his eyes that made Ino still completely. "My lady, I desperately want to make love to you. But... But I will wait for an eternity if you ask me to. I just wanted you to know that."

Her next kiss gave him the permission he wanted.

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And the sound of the doorbell stopped him in his tracks.

"Ino, please, please let me destroy that thing." Chouji sighed, resting his head on her bosom while she tried futilely to tame his wild hair.

A high-pitched giggle escaped her throat as she watched her beloved's torment. "Nope. Go answer the door."

"You're entirely too happy about this." Chouji snuggled even closer, trying to block the ringing sound from reaching his ears.

"Fine. I suppose I'll have to get it then." Another giggle accentuated her statement. "Whoever it is will be positively scandalized by my state of undress, don't you think?"

"I'm coming!" The large man yelled at the unwelcome visitor, before turning back to Ino. "Stay right there. I'll be right back."

"I thought you said you'd wait for an eternity."

"That doesn't mean I want to." The seriousness returned to his face as he quickly put on his shirt, inside-out, then he was gone. It was but a moment before he was back, now holding an official scroll with the Hokage's seal.

"Chouji, what's that? Who was at the door?"

"Anbu. Get dressed." Chouji looked at her wistfully before continuing. "Apparently we're being sent on a classified mission."