Authors' Note: I am back! I do not have any classes until after Thanksgiving break, so I have a little more time to breathe. After looking around and noticing that the sky is still blue and winter is on its way, I opened my laptop and started to put all of the thoughts I had for Chapter 9 on this page. With the upcoming holiday near all of you, who are reading this story, can think of this as a belated Thanksgiving present. I'm not sure it is as good as a nice piece of pumpkin pie or *insert your favorite Thanksgiving food here*, but it works. Thank you to *RosieWinterMoon*, *TheMissMalave*, *ShikaLuv*, and *Kaze Hanabi* for the reviewing on Chapter 8.

P.S.- I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. Nevertheless, I am just writing this story. =)

What a Life

'Click…click…click…click…click.' I impatiently tapped my pencil on the desk in front of me.

'When is this class supposed to start? I could be winning over Sasuke right now. How did Forehead get on the same team as him anyway? That was supposed to be me!' I ranted in my head. I could practically feel the steam shooting from my ears.

I heard the door slide open and pink clouded my peripheral vision. I stared at the board in the front of the room, hoping that if I stayed very still Sakura would not notice me.

The legs of a chair scraped the floor and the old chair creaked as weight was put on it.

I turned my head around and stared at the pink haired girl beside me. "Why so you have to sit beside me Forehead?" I asked in a toned that I knew would piss her off.

"Well Ino-pig, if there were any more seats available I would have taken one of them, but this is the last seat in the room, darn." She retorted back in an equally annoying manner. My eyes darted around the room, hoping to find an empty seat and prove her wrong. Unfortunately, all of the seats were, in fact, taken.

'Click…click…click…click…click.' I continued to tap my pencil on the desk, counting the seconds that went by. 'Where is the teacher? I mean if this class is mandatory and so early in the morning, can't the teacher at least be on time?' I asked myself.

"Ino-pig if you do not stop drumming your pencil on the table I am going to rip it out of you hand and stab you with it." Sakura said, venom seeped from her voice.

In one fluid motion, I stood up and pushed my chair back into the desk behind me, Sakura followed suit. We stood in the middle of the classroom, face-to-face, ready to tear each other's throats out. "Is that a threat Forehead?" I yelled. "No, Ino-pig, if I hear your pencil tap again it will be a promise!" She yelled back.

"Damn, both of you, get out of each other's faces, pull your seats up, sit your butts in them, and listen to me!" A demanding voice called from the front of the room. I dark haired women sat on the instructors desk. The tan coat she wore hung off the side of the desk and the bangs fell in front of her eyes. Quickly, she swiped a hand over her hair, removing it from her eyes, and opened her mouth to talk.

"My name is Anko Mitarashi, I will be your instructor for the day. As the hokage said in your scrolls, this will be a one-day course. Now that you have already graduated from the academy, you are expected to learn at a faster pace and apply what you learn in future missions." She paused, letting the previous information sink in.

"As ninja, all of you know that your duty is to the village. You go on missions to retrieve information and carry out assignments; but, you are always supposed to protect the village." She paused again, as if to think about what to say next.

"However, everyone in this room is not just a shinobi, but a konoichi as well. Today, you will learn that, as a female, your job is just as, if not more, difficult then a males' job. There are certain missions, called seduction missions, that you will be expected to carry out. Seduction missions are exactly what they sound like. You will be sent out of the village with a target, usually a man with a lot of power or information. Once you find this target, you will seduce him, get him to trust you, retrieve the information, and kill said target."

My breath hitched and clogged my throat. 'We will actually seduce men and kill them.' I tried to shout in rebellion, but my voice disappeared.

A different voice in the back of the room broke the silence, "Do the male shinobi know about these types of missions?"

Ankos' eyes followed the voice and answered, "Yes, some male shinobi know of these types of missions. Occasionally, they are even sent on the missions with konoichi. When a mission of this type is especially dangerous, a male shinobi will be placed on the mission for protection. Genin typically do not know about seduction missions; however, jonin and chunnin can be considered for protection. Since konoichi don't normally brag about being sent on these missions, the male shinobi will not be informed until the mission briefing."

Four awkward and upsetting hours later, I walked towards Team 10 training grounds. I was determined to let out some steam and try to forget about what I just learned. Skillfully, I pulled out three kunai. One after another, I launched them at a hanging target. The first two hit just outside the center, while the last hit a bulls eye.

A shadow formed beside mine and I looked to my left, startled.

"Ino you were supposed to be here 3 hours ago. I am not exactly the prize winner for perfect timing, but this is pushing it." Shikamaru frowned at me as he spoke.

I pushed him away from me, agitated that I could not tell him why I was late. Anko-senseis' words echoed in my head, 'Genin do not typically know about seduction missions.' I sat on the ground and pondered this.

'Does that mean that Shikamaru, Mr. Big Brained Lazy Know-It-All, does not know about them?' I asked myself.

I zoned out of my thoughts with Shikamaru standing over me, staring rudely. I pushed myself back off the ground and started to walk.

Moments later Shikamaru fell into pace with me as we walked towards my house. Silence took over until we made it back into town. As we passed older buildings, located on the outskirts of the town, Shikamaru finally spoke.

"Troublesome girl, where were you earlier? Choji and I searched everywhere. You were not at your house; you were not at the training fields. You were not with the Hokage or at any of our normal restaurants. You basically disappeared." He questioned.

I stopped, letting children pass and race down an alley to our right. 'How do I explain this without telling him about the class? Maybe if I am mean and insensitive he will go home.' I thought.

"Why does it matter Shikamaru? I did not show up for practice today. I show up every other day so get over it. Maybe I had better things to do today, like work in the shop or go on a date." I decided to go with the date, because it was safest. Shikamaru would not want to pry into the female mind when boys were the topic.

"Maybe I met some super-hot guy and talked with him today. Maybe I hung out with Sasuke!"

As soon as the name left my lips, I knew I was wrong. Fingers wrapped around my arms and I was pushed to the wall behind us. My back hit the wall first, followed immediately by my head. My skull hit the tough brick and a headache started to form.

"What is it that all of you girls see in that guy. He is arrogant, self-centered, obsessive, cocky, and anti-social. He does not notice any of you!" His fingers dug deeper into my arm as anger radiated from him.

I locked eyes with him and pushed strength into my hands. Quickly, I lifted my arms up and shoved him away from me. As his fingers left my skin, I could feel bruises start to form.

"There is that temper that you hide so well. It has been so long since I last saw it. Well Shikamaru, as I said before, why does it matter? No, I was not with Sasuke, but if I decide to pursue him, that is my choice."

I brought my hand up to my upper arm, where light purple blotches started to form. 'I cannot believe it, Shikamaru does not hurt me. Why in the hell would he do this?'

As the first tear slid down my cheek, I said, "You can think of Sasuke how you want, but I also want you to remember this. Sasuke may not notice me, but at least he has never left bruises on me and he will never be half of the lazy, insensitive, jerk that you are being!"

I turned and ran in the direction of my house. Once it came into view, I jumped up to a nearby roof. Then, I jumped from there until I could swing into my bedroom window.

I removed my shoes and crawled into bed. 'I know I started the whole thing by being mean in the first place, but he did not have to go that far. It's not like I could have told him where I actually was!'

I turned to my side and looked out the window from the cocoon of blankets. The day had passed by so fast. It was nearly dinnertime. Thinking of the bruises that now covered my arm, I decided against dinner.

'If I fall asleep mom will not bother me about dinner, which is probably my best bet. I would hate to have to explain the bruises to my parents. Dad would throw a fit.'

I looked back towards the window. The sun was beginning to set, leaving the sky in a whirlwind of colors. Yellow faded to orange, which faded to pink, red, purple, and blue.

Finally, I closed my eyes and block out the light.

The sun poured in through the window of my bedroom. When it hit my eyes, I squeezed my eyelids tighter together, hoping to sleep for a few more minutes. When the sun did not go away, I stretched out my arms and legs, letting my muscles prepare for the day ahead. Reaching to my side, I noticed that the body that was in bed when I fell asleep was no longer there.

The clang of metal made me snap my eyes open and squint against the intruding light. I pushed back the blankets and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Rushing to the window, I gazed out and sighed in relief.

'It is only Shikamaru and Shikaku sparing.'

I moved to the bathroom and stripped off my pajamas. Grabbing a towel and wash cloth I swiftly jumped into the shower. I squirted shampoo into my hand and worked it into my long hair. After washing and conditioning my blonde locks, I lathers suds onto the washcloth and scrubbed my skin.

I leaned against the shower wall, going over the day schedule in my head, letting the warm water rain down on me. I had to eat something substantial for breakfast, gather my mission scrolls and weapons, and eventually head towards the main gate before noon, for my mission.

I turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. After drying my wet skin, I walked out to the closet and dresses in my normal attire. Grabbing the bag I packed the previous night, I lifted it to my shoulder and left the room.

I set my bag on the floor near the outside door and turned it walk into the kitchen. 'I cannot believe that this whole house it for Shikamaru and I. The Naras' were so generous to build this for us.' I thought.

I grabbed a bowl and poured cereal into it, followed by milk. I took a spoon and ate my breakfast while admiring the kitchen.

Once I finished with breakfast, I grabbed my bag by the door, slipped on my shoes, and walked outside. The two men who were still sparing did not seem to notice me. Silently, I walked up to them and waited.

They stopped sparring almost instantly and Shikamaru turned to me.

"I am going to go now. I have to be at the gate in about an hour and I still need to stop by the hospital." I said to him and smiled.

Smiling back at me, he leaned in and touched his lips to mine. "Be careful Ino, I won't be there to have your back."

I kissed him again, silently promising to be careful, and turned to walk toward the main gate, waving to Shikaku as I left.

The walk to the hospital was peaceful. The light breeze moved the leaves that had fallen from the trees. Birds sang and chirped; small footsteps from the nearby park could be heard.

The hospital doors opened with a 'clank'. A couple sat in the waiting room, worried expressions covered their faces. A baby's wail echoed down the hall, along with the sound of a child screaming about 'no shots'.

I smiled inwardly and sighed in relief. 'At least it is a slow day, I would hate to leave Forehead with more work then she could handle.'

A moment later, the pink haired medic stepped out of a room and walked towards the main desk, patients' chart in hand. "Sakura, can you spare a minute?" I yelled out, a little louder then I intended. She looked up and smiled, closing the chart and setting it on the desk, she moved over to me and we walked out of the doors.

Sitting on a bench outside, I took a deep breath and prayed before I spoke. "Sakura, I am going to have to skip out on dinner tonight." I said more in one word then an actual sentence. "I know that you and have been planning this dinner party for weeks and everyone took off work to make it, but Lady Tsunade said that this mission was important and I can't miss it. Besides Shika should still be there, but I don't know if that helps. He will probably just find a corner and sleep through the entire event. Anyway, I leave in a few minutes and I didn't want to tell you, incase Tsunade canceled the mission, but she didn't. I am so so sorry!" I gulped in a breath.

Sakuras' face was blank. Then without warning, a smile spread across her lips and a laugh erupted for her. "Ino, I already knew about the mission, I see Tsunade everyday remember? You sat up last night and worried about this didn't you. Just go on your mission and stop worrying about anything else." The smile slowly dissipated and her expression was serious.

"Are you sure you will be okay Ino? Just say the word and I can have Tsunade send someone for protection. Of course, Shikamaru is out of the question, but what about Choji? Naruto would be happy to go, if he had the chance to protect someone. Lee would go, but he is taking me to the movies tomorrow, so he is not an option."

I cut her off with a hug. "Sakura, when were you going to tell me about this? You know what, never mind that for now. I will be fine without a protector. I don't need some guy getting in my way." I released her from the hug and jumped up. I giggled as I walked away, happy with the idea that Sakura was finally getting over him.

"Oh Sakura, don't think you are getting away with this that easily, I want a full report on the date when I get back!" I yelled over my shoulder.

Ten minutes later, I stepped out of the village. I went over the mission details in my head, did a quick check of my supplies, and started to run.

Within a day, I had made it to Kusagakure. This is where my target was located. I walked through the small town that was surrounded by a think forest of trees. 'This will not make for a fast escape if necessary.' Putting the thought to the side, I walked into the bar I would be working at.

As I moved through the doors, I noticed that the smell of sake perforated the room and a thin wall of smoke clogged the air. The bar was empty, except for a few workers scattered around it.

I very short round man started in my direction. According to the pictures in my file, this was Mr. Tasuba, the man who owned the bar. He told me to follow him and walk past me, out of the bar. I followed him and we entered a hotel, located a few buildings away. We moved away from the lobby and into a room.

Once inside the room, he finally spoke again. "You are here from Lady Tsunade? You are here to help me take care of him right?"

I smiled politely and replied, "Hello, my name is Mei. I am your new server at the bar. I have the uniform you sent here." I pulled the bag off my shoulders and reached into it, grabbing the uniform I was to wear. "I was informed that my shift begins at 5 o'clock, which gives me time to learn a little before I start working."

He signed and a layer of worry seemed to peel away. "The room is paid for, you may eat you meals at the bar if you would like; however, I do not let my servers drink while they are working. I can go over anything else you will need to know later. I am leaving now, please change and meet me as soon as possible." With that said, he left the room and closed the door behind him.

I looked at the outfit in my hand. Considering my normal attire, I was used to showing my stomach, but this was a bit more revealing. Trying not to be self-conscious, I changed into my new apparel and stood in front of the mirror.

The top showed more of my chest then I like and the shorts were entirely too short for my taste. 'Ino Yamanaka you cannot walk out in public like that!' I heard my mother shout from somewhere in the back of my head. 'Damn it, I am Ino Yamanaka, or Mei in this case, I do not get self-conscious. I will walk into that bar and make everyone wish they were me!'

After my pep talk, I threw on a coat and rushed out of the hotel and into the still uninhabited bar an hour before my shift started.

"Mr. Tasuba, I am here. What do I need to know?"

Eight hours later, I regretted that question. The night turned out to be a total bust. Not only had the target not attended the bar, but I had been hit on multiple times, and I had also been partially felt up by a few brave souls. I was not even aloud to hit the idiots!

I stripped off my clothes, once I returned to my room, and stood in the shower. As desperately as I tried to scrub, the feeling of fingers on my skin would not go away. I decided to give up, I was as clean as I was going to get, and dried my skin and hair before slipping my pajamas on.

I fell onto the bed from exhaustion. 'I am a ninja, who knew that both serving drinks and food and trying to dodge pervy hands was such a chore!' With that thought, my heavy eyes shut and I drifted to sleep.

The next two days went through the same pattern. I work up later in the day, went to work, and went back to the hotel disappointed because the target had not shown, washed off a layer of skin, and drifted to sleep.

"Hey sweetie, I want another bottle of sake!" I man's voice shouted from my side. The bar was packed tonight. I could hardly move, let alone breathe, and this person expected me to know which one he was. "Okay, one minute." I shouted and rushed through the crowded room. I grabbed a bottle of sake off the bar and shouted to the bar tender, "I'll be right back with a table number and name, and this is absolutely insane!" The bar tender laughed as I rushed back toward the table. Something shiny caught in my peripheral vision and I stopped mid stride to look.

My stomach whirled up to my throat and I cheered in my head. 'There he is, there is the target.' Karashi Fuuma, no relation to the Fuuma Clan in Sound Country, sat at a vacant table. He was watching the people in the bar, his eyes moved from once direction and landed on me.

Forgetting about the previous customer, I slowly made my way to the table he occupied. "Would you like some sake? I noticed you did not have any." Smiling he accepted and asked for another bottle when he finished that one.

Hours later, the crowd slowly started to disappear. I carried a bottle of sake to Mr. Fuumas' table.

"Thank you Mei" he said, folding his hands in his lap and I poured the sake into his glass. As I lifted the bottle, I looked up and saw a man at a table across the room, and stood paralyzed. While his dark eyes stared into mine, every muscle locked up. I felt the bottle leave my hands and distantly heard it shatter.

Quickly, I snapped back into reality. I looked over at my target, who was currently staring at my feet, and tried to play off what just happened. I sunk to my knees and carefully picked up pieced of the broken sake bottle. Fake tears flooded my eyes. "I am so sorry, I don't know what happened. I completely lost all feeling in my hands and dropped the bottle. You must think that I am a terrible person!"

Karashi lifted me from the floor and took the pieces of glass from my hands. "Not at all Mei, accidents happen. Come on, now that the bar is closing, let me walk you home." I nodded in agreement, quickly scanning the room for the man from earlier, but there was no sign of him.

A few minutes later, we walked through the town. He guided me with his hand on my back; I brought up a mental map of the town and found a route to escape.

We swerved left into a dark alley and I was pushed against the wall of a building. "Mei, if that it your real name, who do you work for. I was not completely convinced at first, you seemed so eager to serve me. But when you made eye contact with someone in the bar, probably who you are working with, I knew you were a fake."

I took out a hidden kunai and sliced his throat. Shock covered his face as he fell to the ground. Blood flowed from the gash and I jumped further into the alley to avoid it.

I felt a presence behind me and quickly turned my body around. As I turned, I found myself staring into those same dark eyes. My muscles locked again and my body refused to move, not from fear, but just from the look on his face.

"Hello Ino."

Authors' Note: Okay so I soooo wanted to have that out sooner than I did. I started typing and then… BAM! If school is not a problem, then it has to be something else. I ended up getting sick before Thanksgiving and did nothing but sleep for like three days. I couldn't even eat Thanksgiving dinner with my family! Anyway, I have felt a little better today, and since I spent the whole day lying around, I decided to type. I hope all of you loved the chapter, I think it turned out okay.

Please review! I love reviews! I also need to feel better before school resumes and reviews would be a great medicine…. =)

Until next chapter,

Blondegirl09