To Be Strong

by Sayaka M

When Ino discovers Shikamaru doesn't think she is strong enough to rely on, she accepts a mission to leave Konoha and gain enough strength that he has to acknowledge her. But with that strength comes a cost, one that Ino may not be willing to pay. Ino-centric.

10. Chapter 10

The next chapter's finally ready to go! I've had a few rough weeks, which is why this wasn't out last week. Right after I posted the last chapter, my boyfriend of four years and I parted ways, but we were able to talk about things and are fine now. It still killed my ability to work on this in the time between, and it's also the reason why the review replies were so short, so I apologize for that. Then this past week I got grilled on things we learned in school once and never touched again, so I had to spend a lot of time brushing up on things. The same thing is looking me in the face for next week, but it should be over after that.

It seems I've worried one of the guest reviewers about whether or not this is Shikamaru/Ino or Shin/Ino. Don't worry, Flowers, you'll find your answer in this chapter, though I must say that it would be really mean to put this under the Romance genre and the two main characters as Shikamaru and Ino and then not put them together. As a reader, I'd be pretty upset to read a Shikamaru/Ino romance only to find out that the romance is with other characters. Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews, I always appreciate your feedback. Enjoy the chapter :)

Chapter 10

Now that Ino had a time limit, she started working harder at locating the targets, but the most elusive one proved to be Shikamaru. He was her main target, but he had gotten himself included on the team sent to "the spot" to look for incriminating evidence, which meant he wouldn't be in Konoha for some time. He just got back from the rescue mission, and he's already assigned to go on another one? What is Hokage-sama thinking? He hasn't been getting enough rest. If he collapses, then what will we do? She didn't want to think about the other reason he could have for going on the trip, but the small voice of her suppressed, suspicious side whispered, If he's thrown in with the other side, then he might have to do damage control and clean up the evidence before the other shinobi see it. Unfortunately, that made more sense than Hokage-sama assigning him to the task on her own. With the work Shikamaru was putting in, there was no way that Hokage-sama would send him out again unless he specifically asked to go. And why else would he go except for damage control? Trackers like Kiba and Shino were better for finding evidence, and they weren't so absent-minded that they would forget important details in the time it took to travel from the spot in question back to Konoha and report to Hokage-sama.

The older members of the troupe were becoming less happy about their forced stay in Konoha, and they were becoming more vocal about their displeasure, but the younger members and the newcomers adjusted to their new environment. Some of the children started taking lessons at the Academy, though the actual training in the ninja art was denied them. The parents were unhappy about their children not having the same experiences as the other children, but after Iruka-sensei told them that their children wouldn't be allowed to leave Konoha if they were shinobi-trained, they calmed down. After seeing the training with the sharp kunai and exploding tags, some of them went to thank Iruka-sensei personally for keeping their children away from such dangerous objects.

Somehow Misao had changed the schedule enough that Ino didn't have to perform at all in the next show, which left her with plenty of free time to do what she had to do. However, it had reached the point where only a few of her targets were in Konoha, so she spent much of her time with Mika and Sayo. Now that the woman was better, Ino took Sayo to see her mother whenever she could, and the two of them would talk. This was the Mika that Ino first met, though she seemed to still have a sad aura. It wasn't overpowering, but it never went away, even when she smiled. Someone other than Ino had told her what Shikamaru did for her and it concerned her. "I have no way of paying him back," she told Ino one morning. So wrapped up in her concern was Mika that she didn't realize that she was biting her thumbnail down to her finger. "And I was so rude to him. Why would he do this?"

Ino didn't have a good answer for her. "I asked around and they said you reminded him of someone in his past who isn't here anymore. My guess is he feels guilty about something and he thinks helping you will get rid of the guilt."

"That's a ridiculous reason," Mika scoffed. "There has to be more to it."

Thinking about Shikamaru was hard. It was hard not to think of him since he was the target she was aiming for, but thinking of him brought back the memories she had seen in other people's minds. The one that was especially hard to dwell on was Chouji's memory of him in the bar. She had never considered her teammates as potential romantic interests and she always thought that they never saw her that way, either. When they were Chuunin, she remembered hearing about Shikamaru and Temari and she hadn't felt anything other than surprise that the two were seeing each other. When things ended between the two, Shikamaru didn't seem all that upset that the Sand kunoichi had decided a long-distance relationship was not what she was looking for, but it was difficult to get him worked up about anything. She had never felt any hostility from him towards her boyfriends when they were all together; he had seemed as apathetic as ever. However, in those memories, he had lost control of himself, something he hadn't even done when Asuma died, and his actions now showed him to be obsessed with her. The implications weren't good no matter how she looked at it. The choices were Shikamaru was the informant, he had become mentally unbalanced with her death, or he was in love with her and she never realized it. The first two were terrible news for Konoha, but the last one was bad news for Ino. How would he react when he discovered that she was still alive? And how would this affect her relationship with him? What about her relationship with Shin?

Chouji told her when the team returned from "the spot". "Did they find anything?" she asked, picking up another head of snow lettuce and examining its leaves. Her heartbeat increased. Shikamaru's back. I need to try to get him before he leaves again. But what if he recognizes me? His mind defenses are almost as good as mine.

The big man next to her shrugged. "They should have just gotten back a few minutes ago. I saw them coming up the road before I came here. Shikamaru's probably reporting to Tsunade-sama right now."

"I see." She put the lettuce down and continued her perusal of the produce. On the other side of the wall she heard Naruto describing something with occasional interjections from Syaoran and his Sakura. Sai made a comment, and the younger people's laughter floated above Naruto's spluttering. The words were unintelligible, but the noise made for a good cover for her and Chouji's conversation. To their right she saw Shin and Kagura picking up a carrot bunch. Seeing Shin brought a warm glow to Ino's insides. "Do you think he'll head back to his apartment afterward?"

"Probably. He didn't get a chance to rest after the rescue mission, so Tsunade-sama should put him on mandatory leave if necessary. She doesn't want him to get back into that state he was in four years ago. Oh no."

Ino looked up at her friend as some epiphany dawned on him. "What's wrong, Chouji?" she asked. "You look like someone hit you from behind with a brick."

"I know what he's doing tonight."

"What?"

"It's the anniversary of your death. He's going to be at the bar again with everyone else."

"So he's going to get roaring drunk again? Chouji, this is it! This is the perfect opportunity to check him."

But Chouji shook his head. "All of us will be there, In– Hikari. Too many shinobi will be around him, and not all of them are lightweights like he is. Were you going to tell him you're alive?" She shook her head, and Chouji sighed. "Then please leave him alone tonight. I'll help you get him another time, but let him keep your memory in peace."

"I'll think about it," Ino replied, but she knew that she needed to take this opportunity, and if Chouji wouldn't help, then she would go in alone.

They parted ways, and Ino felt a pair of Genin eyes on her as she brought the groceries to the inn. Someone from Shikamaru's team or Chouji's team was always watching her any chance they had. She didn't blame them, and she wasn't too worried since she gave them the slip every time she locked onto a target. However, they were guarding Shikamaru like he was made of gold, and they were the main reason she wasn't able to check him before now when he was in Konoha. It was an annoyance, but as long as it was just those six, she could live with the inconvenience. She gave the groceries to one of the cooks and headed over to the hospital, her little shadow tailing her. Sayo was already there, and she squealed and ran to Ino when she appeared in the doorway. "Welcome back," called Mika from the bed.

"Have they let you out of that bed yet?" Ino asked as she sat down on the floor and moved the bunny for Sayo. "If you don't exercise your muscles, you'll have a hard time getting back into the swing of things in the troupe." For someone as active as Mika used to be, all this laying around made muscle atrophy a very real possibility.

"I know," sighed Mika, looking down at her sheet-covered legs. "I don't know if I can even stand up, much less walk."

"Then let's work on it." Putting Sayo and her toys near the chair against the room's wall, Ino stood up and held out her hands to Mika. No muscle atrophy was allowed on Ino's watch! "There's no time like the present."

The strong woman who had walked miles with the troupe while heavily pregnant couldn't even stand without grabbing onto Ino for balance. Her limbs were stick-like; they had lost a lot of the muscle she had built up, and her legs wouldn't support her weight. It took several tries to just stand by herself, and she was only able to take a few steps before her legs collapsed and Ino had to catch her. "You can do this," Ino encouraged her when the other woman wanted to give up. "It just takes practice. You'll be on your feet again in no time."

Asahi came in with her husband to visit with Mika, and Ino took the opportunity to excuse herself. "Bye bye, Hikari," Sayo said, waving a tiny hand and using her other hand to make the bunny wave too.

"Good bye, Sayo," responded Ino, kissing the top of the child's head. "Be good for Mommy, okay?"

The little girl giggled, and Ino let herself out. She hadn't realized that she stayed at the hospital so late. The setting sun caused an orange halo to form over the tops of the apartment complexes, and a chill breeze blew through Ino's thick coat. On the way back to the inn, she ran into Kurogane, who looked like he was in a black mood. "What's wrong, Kurogane?" she asked, falling into step with him. The direction he was walking would take him to the civilian parts of Konoha soon, but Ino couldn't think of a reason for him to be going into the civilian portion.

"That wizard wanted me to pick up some sake for him," the man grumbled. "That drunk always asks me to do the heavy labor. He's so irresponsible."

Ino giggled and kept walking with him. Even though Kurogane complained, she knew that he wasn't truly upset. She also had a sneaking suspicion that when she was talking with Chouji in the store earlier, Syaoran had somehow overheard them talking and made it known to the other two that Ino might need an excuse to go into the bar tonight. That boy continued to amaze Ino. Then again, it could just be coincidence that Fye wanted Kurogane to get him some sake. It was hard to tell with that group. After all, Fye was very fond of sake.

The sun had set by the time they reached the bar. On the inside, the civilian workers were carousing and making a large ruckus. The beer-stained floor and walls made this place a less-than-clean bar, but the patrons were usually too drunk to care. The dim lighting made the footing a little treacherous since fresh-spilled beer looked the same as already dried beer in the shadows, and Ino slipped several times and would have fallen if Kurogane's quick reflexes hadn't caught her. They made their way to the bar and while Kurogane gave the bartender the slip that Fye had given him, Ino surveyed the bar. Among the laughter and the rowdiness was an island of gloom. As she turned her eyes toward it, she saw Neji leading Hinata to the door with Tenten just behind them. The remaining people consisted of Kiba, Naruto's team and Lee, Chouji, and Shikamaru. None of them were smiling. Sakura had tears rolling down her face and her teammates and Lee were trying to offer her comfort. Kiba looked pensive, doing more holding of his cup than drinking its contents. Chouji wasn't drinking anything, just watching as Shikamaru took a swallow from his bottle every few minutes. From the look on Chouji's face, Ino could tell that he wanted to tell Shikamaru about her so his friend would stop hurting, but it conflicted with his promise to not say anything until after she checked the shadow-user. Seeing Shikamaru in that state, doing his best to drink away her memory, made Ino feel terrible and she knew it had to be worse for Chouji, but she couldn't have him knowing about her. Her first responsibility was to Konoha and she would not jeopardize that even for her teammate.

Chouji tried to take the bottle away from Shikamaru. "It won't help," he told his inebriated friend. "You've done this for four years now. You know it doesn't do anything."

Shikamaru moved the sake away from Chouji. "Leave it," he said, his words already running together. In front of them sat two empty bottles, and it didn't look like Chouji had touched either of them.

Looking up, Chouji locked eyes with Ino, and her resolve to corner Shikamaru fell away. She knew it had to be done, but Chouji's eyes held a pain that she hadn't seen in a while. It was like he knew why she was here and he was begging her to fix things. She still had her mission, though, and as much as she wanted to help, she could do nothing. Shaking her head slightly, she followed Kurogane out the door and into the frosty night. Chouji's accusing eyes followed her all the way back.

AAAAA

Thinking back on that night, Ino could have kicked herself. Not only was that the perfect opportunity to catch Shikamaru with his defenses down, it was the only opportunity she received. No matter what she did, she could never catch him alone after that. He was constantly meeting with Tsunade-sama, and on the rare occasions that she saw him in Konoha, he had his students with him. They would exchange greetings, but he had to leave to train his Genin or take them on a mission, so nothing beyond a hello and good bye was said. Chouji did his best to help her, but Shikamaru was too busy to meet with him, either.

News spread through Konoha like wildfire, and while it gave Ino a reason to remain in Konoha, many more of the troupe members became unhappy. The countries of Water and Earth were going to war, and Fire Country was going to be the battle-ground. The king of Fire Country was furious and didn't want to give credence to the rumors, but Shikamaru's team had located the place where Todou and Zhong Rong were headed and it had partial plans of moving Earth Country's soldiers to key sections of Fire Country and making it appear that Water Country had attacked the much larger country, so in retaliation Fire Country would decimate the island country. Due to the find, Konoha received the emissaries from Water Country and sided with them to fight Earth Country, which meant the troupe would be going nowhere until the war was over.

It was by luck that Ino happened to be walking past the Hokage's Tower and overheard Izumo and Kotetsu talking about plans with Water Country. "We have to make sure that the royal suites are cleaned when the retinue from Water Country visits Konoha," Kotetsu was saying. "Tsunade-sama will have our hides if there's a speck of dust to be found anywhere."

"Why the royal suites?" asked Izumo. "The ambassador doesn't have the same rank as royalty, and it's not like the king of Fire Country is coming."

A smack and a yelp followed that statement. "You weren't paying attention, were you?" reprimanded Kotetsu. "The king of Fire Country will be directing the troops from the capital, but the king of Water Country is coming here to coordinate his attacks with Konohagakure. He doesn't have enough troops to attack on his own, so he is working with Hokage-sama and the shinobi here."

Walking faster, Ino saw Izumo rubbing the side of his head and glaring at Kotetsu. "But that means he could be staying here for months, possibly."

"Yes it does, which is why we have to end the war quickly. His country is still unstable, so he can't afford to leave for that long. At least he's leaving his council to guide the country while he's here."

"Brave man, to leave the running of his country to someone else."

"I guess he trusts them. What I can't believe is his wife is coming here with him." Kotetsu shook his head. "She was raised in Lightning Country and she knows how to rule. Why didn't she stay in Water Country? It would be safer for her there also."

"It's not for the likes of us to understand why royalty acts the way they do," replied Izumo. "We just have to abide by their decisions as long as Hokage-sama tells us to."

Ino did not like what she just heard and she stopped following them so she could head back to the troupe's complex. This is terrible, she thought, holding her coat closer as a cold breeze blew by. The king of Water Country is Mika's husband. She's just getting better; what if she sees him? What if he sees her? The ending of each scenario brought about disaster in Ino's mind.

In the distance, she recognized Shin walking from the direction of the hospital, and as she hurried closer, she saw that he had Sayo with him. "Shin!" she called, waving to get his attention.

He noticed her and changed direction to meet her. "What's wrong?" he asked when she was close enough that he could see her face. She told him what she heard, and his face darkened. "She's just starting to recover," he muttered, echoing Ino's earlier thoughts. "This might send her back into that depression." They both glanced at Sayo, but she was happily occupied with her stuffed rabbit. "How can we keep this from her?"

Ino sighed. "I don't think we can. People will start talking about it soon if they haven't already. And his wife is coming with him. Short of having the troupe leave before he gets here, I think we're stuck."

Shin's worry translated to Sayo, who looked over at him and gave him a hug. "No sad, Shin," she said in her high voice.

Looking down at her, Shin smiled. "I'm okay, Sayo," he assured her. "Let's take you inside so you don't freeze."

"Freeze," agreed the child, drawing her rabbit close.

When they arrived at the inn, Ino spotted Fye and Kurogane sitting next to the roaring fireplace in the lobby of the inn. The two of them looked serious, and they discussed something in low voices, but Ino didn't worry. They didn't pry into her affairs and they even helped her with her jobs without her asking for help, so she didn't want to pry into their business unless they specifically told her about it on their own. From the brief glimpse into Fye's mind months ago, she was convinced that they weren't related to her mission or Earth Country at all. As she wiped snow from her shoes, she heard Sayo squeal, "Fye! Kuro-tan!"

The two men looked up, Fye with a grin on his face and Kurogane with a grimace. "It's Kurogane," the dark-haired man muttered.

Sayo was reaching for them, and Shin allowed Fye to take the child from him. "I don't mind watching her for a while," the blond man told them. "You two look like you could use a break."

Ino was about to say that she hadn't had Sayo at all today, but Shin cut her off before she could speak. "Thank you," he said. "We appreciate that." He grabbed Ino's wrist and led her over to his room, and Ino was surprised that none of his roommates were inside. He closed the door and started pacing like a caged animal. "Staying in one place like this isn't good," he said. Ino watched him from one of the chairs as he continued. "We've never stayed in a place this long; it makes me feel constricted. I can't stand being trapped in one spot like this. We need to be on the road. Then we won't have to worry about Mika running into him. It would solve all our problems. Why does the Hokage keep us here? Surely we've been here long enough that she doesn't think that we have anything to do with this war."

Ino felt bad for him, but as he spoke, her feelings for him were stopped short by his words. "So you could never live in one place?" she asked. She suspected this for a long time, but now she wanted and dreaded confirmation.

He looked at her, then continued his pacing. "My life is with the troupe," he answered. "I'll never be able to just stay in one place since the troupe's always on the move."

Even though he and Ino hadn't started a romantic relationship, his words cut like a knife. "I was thinking of staying here," she murmured, unable to look at him while she said this. His footfalls stopped, and she could feel his eyes on her. "I love the troupe, but I'm getting used to things here, and I was raised in a village. Being in one place without worrying about where I'll be the next day is a nice feeling for me."

He knelt by her so she would look at him, and she saw that all thoughts of Mika and Water Country had left his mind. He was shaking his head. "You don't mean that," he pleaded as he placed his hands on her knee to balance himself. "Please tell me you're not serious."

"I'm not like you." She covered the hands on her knee with one of her own. "I'm tired of getting used to new surroundings every few months, and we've been here long enough that I'm used to the layout of this area. It's not such a bad life, not being on the move all the time."

"Hikari, please don't do this."

"I'm sorry, Shin. I can't spend my whole life like this. I'm going to ask Sano to allow me to stay here when the troupe moves on. It's not like we'll be allowed to leave anytime soon, so it won't make a difference."

The man beside her looked at the ground and stayed silent for a while, two inner voices warring with each other inside him. When one side won over the other, he looked back up at her. Drawing in an unsteady breath, he said, "For you, I could try to live here."

Apparently his love for her won over his love of his life with the troupe, but Ino shook her head. "You wouldn't be happy here, and don't pretend that you know I'm wrong. But we can worry about that later. Right now we have to think about what to do about Mika."

In the end, neither of them could think of anything. Ino could tell that Shin only had part of his mind on the problem; the other part was focused on her decision to remain behind while he and the rest continued onward. On Ino's part, she felt bad about telling him this, but she needed to start the separation. It was becoming too hard to keep feelings for him at bay when he was constantly trying to win her over. With this decision, he would realize that they couldn't stay together and give up on her, she hoped. It hurt because she now reciprocated his feelings, and it got to the point where she was starting to think that maybe not becoming a Jounin would be fine if she could stay with Shin and maybe start a family. That's part of the reason why she decided she had to tell him she was moving out, and this way she would stop becoming so distracted. She hadn't realized that she made that decision until his talk earlier forced the words from her.

When she got up to leave, he grabbed her arm. "Hikari, I can stay here. You mean everything to me. Please don't put a barrier between us."

He wasn't making this easy for her, and she was running out of things to tell him. In desperation, she said the first thing that came to her mind. "I didn't want to hurt you, Shin, but I don't love you. There's someone else I'm interested in now."

One look at him made her want to take back her words, but she was frozen. "What?" he said. All the blood had drained from his face.

Straightening her back, she forced herself to look him in the eye and use body posture to give credence to her lie. "He's a shinobi here in Konoha and things are starting to get serious. I'm sorry." Her arm slipped through his unresisting hold, and, after she retrieved Sayo from Fye and Kurogane, she fled to her room.

That night Ino had a hard time sleeping due to a guilty conscience, and in the early hours of the morning she gave up and went for a walk to give herself something to do. The snow on the ground reflected the light from the streetlamps, but the fog made sure the air was translucent so Ino didn't have a clear view of her surroundings. However, she sensed that no one was nearby. Setting off in a random direction, she waded through wet snow and got the bottom of her dress wet. However, her thoughts were on Shin's disappointment. He tried to hide it, but her news devastated him. She knew what she did was for the best in the long run, but that didn't make the stabbing pangs go away. Focus on Mika, she told herself. She was afraid for her friend's sanity. It wasn't too long ago that she was unable to be near Sayo, and now there might be a repeat performance. The next time they might not be so lucky.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice someone coming the other way until she ran into him. "Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized as the unknown person steadied her.

"Well, if it isn't Hikari," Sano's voice said. "I didn't expect you to be up so early."

Taking the opportunity presented to her, she told Sano about her thoughts on staying in Konoha. He listened without comment until she finished, and then he responded. "If you've already made up your mind to stay here, we can't stop you." He ruffled her hair with his calloused hand, then started walking away. "I'm afraid that we can't do anything about that now, but some others have come to me and asked if they could move into some of the apartments they have here. Perhaps you would like to do this too?"

"Now?" asked Ino, jogging to catch up.

"There's no time like the present," he answered. "It would be a step in the right direction, don't you think? Others are tired of being crowded and want their own space. We can't set up our tents, but maybe the Hokage will rent us some apartments for the families."

"Do you know what time it is?" Ino remembered Sakura telling her horror stories about waking up Tsunade-sama for one reason or another. It wasn't something Ino wanted to experience firsthand.

"It's fine," the troupe leader assured her. Ino wished she felt half as confident as he sounded. The streetlights made it easy to keep up with Sano, though she was constantly playing catch up because he had a longer stride and she kept getting bogged down with the snow. It didn't seem real to Ino that Sano would just let her live in Konoha without a fight; after all, no shinobi was allowed to leave Konoha without the express permission of Hokage-sama, and it had to be a very good reason. The Hidden Villages guarded their shinobi jealously, and it surprised Ino that Hokage-sama had allowed Misao to leave Konoha. Even retired shinobi could be analyzed for bloodline traits, so retired shinobi either remained in their native villages or transferred to an allied Hidden Village.

No one stopped them as they ascended the steps of the Hokage Tower. She heard activity around her, but it didn't surprise her; Konoha was preparing for a war, and the ruling family of Water Country was coming for an extended visit. This isn't the time to ask about this, she thought as they entered the hallway to Hokage-sama's office. She's already busy trying to coordinate other, more important matters. She doesn't have time to do all the necessary paperwork to find us a place to stay. She'll say no, and that'll make the other petitioners mad, but she'll need to put the extra soldiers somewhere.

Stopping in front of Hokage-sama's door, Sano knocked. "Hokage-sama," he called.

The door opened, and Shizune stuck her head out. She had circles under her eyes, but she didn't look like Sano woke her up. "Tsunade-sama is in a meeting right now," she said. "She'll be done soon if you wish to wait."

"We will wait," responded Sano. Shizune stepped back and Sano walked in with Ino in his wake. The waiting room had comfortable chairs and the light green paint on the walls and wide windows comforted Ino. She remembered waiting in this room before a briefing for a mission and the feelings of nostalgia washed over her. She could imagine Asuma looking out the window in the direction of Kurenai-sensei's apartment, his back to his students. Chouji would have been sitting in a chair next to her, laughing with her about something. And Shikamaru would be standing close to the door leading to Hokage-sama's office and looking at Asuma's back…Wait, that's not right. Ino shook her head. Shikamaru would either have been sitting near her and Chouji or standing with Asuma; he wouldn't be standing by the door. Besides, that image of Shikamaru looked too old to be a Genin…

It took her a second to realize that it wasn't her imagination that summoned Shikamaru by the door; he was standing there in the flesh. The door closed behind him, and he sighed. "Troublesome," she heard him mutter. "Why couldn't they leave each other alone? They live on opposite sides of the world, for crying out loud."

She knew when he noticed her. He stopped, head still down, then turned to look at her. He didn't even spare a glance for Sano by the windows. He needs to rest! the medic-nin in Ino screamed. Why hasn't Hokage-sama put him on mandatory rest? Every time she saw him, he looked a little worse. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything; with a war going on and so few Jounin available in Konoha, every shinobi was needed, Shikamaru even more so since he was Konoha's head strategist. He blinked a few times as though trying to think of a reason for her presence at this time. His lips moved to form half-words, but no sound escaped. "I'm here with him," she answered his unspoken question and nodded at Sano.

The shinobi didn't even look at Sano. "Everywhere I go, I seem to run into you," he said, his voice barely carrying to where she sat. His gaze at her was narrow, like he was accusing her of something, but the dark circles around his eyes that matched Shizune's told her he could barely keep his eyes open.

"Are you okay?" she asked, standing and walking over to him. "You look like you're overworked." The war hasn't even officially started and he's already looking like this. He won't make it through without some care from Chouji. He hasn't been eating well. Her analytical side was already taking notes on what needed to be done to get the Nara back into proper shape.

"I'll be fine," he answered, taking a step towards the exit. However, he stumbled and ended up on his hands and knees on the floor.

"Nara-san!" cried Ino. "Here, just rest a minute before heading out again."

"I can't afford to rest," he mumbled as she led him over to one of the loveseats. Once he was sitting down, she pushed his chest down so that he was lying across it. "What are you doing?" he asked, one of his hands over his eyes.

"You aren't well," she bluntly told him. "You don't take care of yourself and your body is starting to shut down. Now lay here until you can get up without seeing stars."

He sighed, but he didn't try to get up. Satisfied that he would obey, Ino turned around to see Shizune and Sano watching her from the window and Tsunade-sama watching from the doorway Shikamaru had left ajar. The blond Hokage sighed and shook her head. "I told him he was overworking himself," the blond woman stated.

"Oh, Tsunade-sama, these people wish to speak with you," said Shizune. "They are from the performance troupe over near – "

"I know who they are," Tsunade-sama's voice floated from the open door. "Please come in."

Ino followed Sano into the office. Even that appeared the same. The same paint covered the walls of the Hokage's office, large stacks of papers stood in columns on the desk, a concealed stash of sake bottles lay in one of the desk drawers, though Ino could see part of the neck of one of the bottles behind one of the paper columns. The Hokage sat down behind her desk, and the unhidden bottle disappeared. Folding her hands so her chin rested on them, Tsunade-sama looked at the two of them. "What brings you to my office so early in the morning?" she inquired. Her brown eyes revealed nothing of her thoughts. She glanced at Ino and put her attention on Sano.

"I have a request, Hokage-sama," said Sano, his tone respectful. "We have been in Konoha for far longer than usual," he started, but Tsunade-sama was already shaking her head. "We have a war going on, and we can't let people just come in and leave," she said.

"I wasn't asking you to release us," he assured her. "Some of our members wish to rent some of your available apartment spaces."

Tsunade-sama frowned. "This request is coming at an inopportune time," she murmured, but Ino could see that she was considering the idea. Any extra income would be welcome at this time.

"Some of the families wish to enroll their children in your academy. I know that you are already pressed, but these people could contribute to your village," Sano continued. "I can vouch for all of them. They are all hard workers."

"You do realize that if they start training to become shinobi, they won't be able to leave Konoha without permission?"

"They understand. It was explained to them and they all have agreed to remain in Konoha after the war if you allow them to stay."

The Hokage came to a decision and stood up. "Shizune!" she called.

The Jounin stuck her head inside the office. "Tsunade-sama?"

"I need you to take down the names this man will give you and see if we can find apartment spaces near the inn where they're staying." She turned to Sano, who was smiling. "The families have a week to come here and sign the papers. Was there anything else?"

"No, Hokage-sama," Sano replied as he followed Shizune. "Thank you very much. I know this is a busy time for you."

"Busy doesn't begin to cover it," muttered Tsunade-sama, taking a swig from one of her sake bottles. "Did you need something too?" she asked Ino.

Sano answered for her. "She's one of the members requesting a new living space."

"I see. Shizune, how long will it take you to get those papers done?"

"Um, it'll be a while," was the woman's distracted reply. Ino heard Sano's deep voice dictating names and the frantic scratching of a pen as Shizune tried to keep up.

"Since this young woman is already here, do hers first. It'll be one less thing to worry about."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Ino bowed to the Hokage. "Thank you, Hokage-sama," she said. Hokage-sama just waved her away with a hand while she attacked one stack of papers. "So much paperwork," Ino heard her mutter as she walked out of the office. Shizune's had was a blur of movement as she copied the names of new Konoha citizens, and the look of concentration on her face made her scary enough that even the Akatsuki would have hesitated to attack her. Ino waited while Sano kept reciting, and she smiled when Shizune sighed with relief at the end of the list of names. "So, what is your name?" she asked Ino as she flexed her writing hand.

"Ishigawa Hikari," Ino responded.

"Okay, just give me a few minutes."

Shizune searched for the proper paperwork in her desk, and Ino walked back over to the sitting area. On the loveseats lay Shikamaru, an arm over his face. Kneeling down next to him, Ino was surprised to see that he had fallen sound asleep. His quiet breathing was too deep for him to be awake and he didn't react at all when she lightly shook his arm. Glancing around, Ino saw that Sano had left and Shizune was working on the papers to her apartment. Maybe it would even be her old one. No sound came from Tsunade-sama's office. Rubbing her hands together, she let out her breath and reached toward Shikamaru's temple. The only ones who were close enough to know what she was doing were the ones who assigned her this mission, and it was her golden opportunity.

The door slammed open, startling both Ino and Shizune. Shikamaru was too deeply asleep to even stir. Annoyed that once again her attempt to check the Nara was thwarted, she glared behind her and froze. Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku strode into the room and made for Hokage-sama's door. Her father walked into the office and Shikaku glanced over at the loveseat where Ino knelt by his comatose son. The scarred man sighed and walked over to the loveseat. "This boy," he said. He reached for Shikamaru's shoulder, but Ino's arm shot out on its own accord to stop him. "Please let him rest," she said. My arm moved on its own. I didn't mean to do that. "He needs sleep to get better."

"It's all right, miss," Shikaku chuckled. "My son can rest when I get him home. If he stays here, he'll be waking up as soon as the sun comes because that's when everyone will be visiting Hokage-sama." He reached down again, and this time Ino didn't stop him. "Hey, you know better than to be sleeping in a place like this," he admonished Shikamaru.

The younger man groaned and sat up slowly. "Where am I?" he mumbled.

"In Hokage-sama's tower, where you fell asleep. Come on, I'll get you home. Your mother's been worried about you." As Shikamaru stumbled to the door, his father turned around and said, "Thank you for worrying about my son." He nodded to Ino and followed Shikamaru.

Ino was very tempted to curse out loud. Why did they have to come in right now? she wondered angrily. Of all the times to make an entrance, their fathers chose the exact moment that she was going to check the shadow-user. It was better than them walking in after she had already entered his mind; her father would know what was going on, and there was a chance that they would have attacked first and asked questions later. Slowly rising to her feet, she almost walked out the door when Shizune called to her. "Ishigawa-san, I have you ready," the Jounin said, extending a paper towards her. "All you have to do is sign here," she said when Ino walked over. "This paper is your apartment number and complex, and these are your keys. Welcome to the village."

Ino saw the numbers on the paper and they looked familiar. This is my old apartment complex, she realized, though that was not her old apartment number. Thinking back, Shizune hadn't acted any differently towards her, but she must have known that Hikari was Ino. However, she and Tsunade-sama weren't supposed to know who Ino was so that they wouldn't accidently give it away. Or it could be just a coincidence. It was quite close to the inn, so the odds were pretty good that several other troupe members would end up as her new neighbors.

The sun was starting to creep up, and the shinobi who were training the new Genin were already up, their sleepy students trailing them. Ahead she saw Kakashi-sensei talking with Anko-san. The woman looked annoyed while Kakashi-sensei's eyes crinkled with amusement. Hinata's younger sister, Hyuuga Hanabi, walked with two Hyuuga retainers in the direction of the Hyuuga compound. Ahead, she saw Rock Lee marching down the road with his Genin in tow. The Genin looked tired and muddy, but Lee, even covered in mud, was declaring that they were in the blossom of their youth, and if they feel tired, then they need to train more to keep their youthful vigor. Ino didn't think the children registered anything the man was saying.

As she arrived in front of her apartment complex, she stopped and looked up at her door. Was she making the right decision to start distancing herself from the troupe? Would she be able to keep Mika from running into her husband, or worse, his wife? Would Shin ever forgive her for making the decision to stay? He was angry last night, and while he usually forgave easily, she had crushed more than four years' worth of hope and unrequited – for the most part – love. Her head knew it was for the best, but her heart still ached at his expression when she left him. Shaking her head, she mounted the stairs to her door and, sliding the key into the lock and turning, opened the door.

It looked like a normal apartment, devoid of all personal touches. A couch and a loveseat sat in the living room and a small table sat off to the side in the kitchen, but no pictures hung on the walls. Wandering over to the master bedroom, a small full bed stood in the corner where her queen had once been in her old apartment. No sheets or comforter covered the mattress. White blinds covered the windows where she was used to seeing lacy, purple curtains with dark purple tassels to hold them in place. Ino didn't want to think about what had happened to her things after she had "died".

She walked back out into the living room and sat down on the couch. "I'm home," she said aloud to the empty room. Something didn't feel right, but she couldn't place it. Back when she first joined the troupe, she had been disconcerted that there were always people everywhere. It was like the concept of being alone didn't even exist, and for a person who enjoyed taking a few moments to herself, it was quite the claustrophobic feeling. She couldn't go anywhere without seeing another person. Now, the silence and absence of another person felt oppressive and could only be banished with the presence of other people.

There wasn't much she could do here, so she wouldn't stay long. She didn't even have food in her refrigerator, but she could take care of that later. If she remembered correctly, she didn't have anything planned for today. Then she remembered her conversation with Shin and what had prompted it. "I need to see Mika," she murmured.

It didn't occur to her that Mika might not be awake yet until she was already at Mika's open door, but the woman was smiling and welcoming her in when she saw her. "I wasn't expecting you so early," she said as she practiced walking around the room. "The doctor told me that I should be okay to leave soon. I want to leave as soon as possible."

"I don't blame you," Ino commented. "You've been here for quite a while."

"And that man is paying the bill." The blond woman frowned. "I don't know how I can repay him. It's not a good feeling, being in someone's debt. But he just says not to worry about it whenever I try to address the issue."

"When have you seen him to address it?" asked Ino, surprised. He should have been too busy to do anything beyond jumping at Hokage-sama's command and falling over in his bed to catch a few hours of rest in between the jumps.

"He comes by a lot. I haven't seen him recently, but he would stop by and talk to me. He seems like a nice person, and other people have told me that he is a good man and won't take advantage of my indebtedness."

"Hm…He may not be visiting soon." She told her about her earlier encounter and her worries for him. "If he doesn't take care of himself, then he's not going to make it through the war, and I've heard that he is an important person to this village."

Mika smacked her fist against the palm of her other hand. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "I know it won't be enough, but I can help take care of him."

"How do you propose to do that?" asked Ino. "You're still in the hospital and you won't be up for much once you're out."

"That's true…but a debt is a debt, and I can at least make meals for him. He's done so much for me, and I've treated him terribly. I feel like I have to help him." Her eyes pleaded with Ino in a way that reminded Ino of herself.

"You can't do much; you're still recovering." Ino hesitated, then sighed as she reached a conclusion. "If it comes to it, I'll help you if I can." She explained her new living situation to Mika. As she talked, she realized that once Mika left the hospital, she would also need a place to stay. She could stay at the inn, but having her and Sayo live with her would give her a better alibi if she needed it. It would be easy to suspect her if she lived on her own, but with another woman and a small child…It would make her work harder, but she had been dealing with that for four years, and Mika was family. Ino would make it work. Besides, the obtaining of her apartment was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and she hadn't realized how lonely she would feel after living constantly surrounded by other people for four years.

"Are you sure?" asked Mika when Ino offered to share her apartment. "You're paying for it out of your own pocket, aren't you?"

"I am, but I have enough to make ends meet right now, and I'll be looking for a side job in Konoha," Ino assured her. Without the income from a show, the troupe would be hard-pressed for money soon, and the members would need to pick up odd jobs around Konoha.

"Thank you." Gratitude radiated from the woman in front of her. Ino was glad to see Mika this way again. It was such a contrast to the woman she had been after finding Toya's wedding news. It would be like when she, Mika, and Sayo all lived together in Ino's tent. Mika might have to find a job also, but Ino was sure that Shin and Kagura would still help look after Sayo. Even if Shin wanted nothing to do with her anymore, he would still want to help Mika. If they were busy, Sayo had gotten along well with Kurogane's group. They had their own agenda, but Sakura had always been willing to watch the child. Her bouts of narcolepsy had abated, so Ino wasn't concerned about leaving a small child in her care.

As Ino thought about how to go about helping Mika help Shikamaru, she smiled as she found the silver lining to the cloud of her own making. If he got used to her being around all the time, then he wouldn't always be on his guard, and she would be able to get him. She knew that his name wasn't the only one left on the list, but he had become almost an obsession, and she was focusing all her attention on him. It wasn't like she could check Sai or Sakura; they weren't even in Konoha at the moment. Besides, she doubted that it was either of them. Well, Sai was a maybe, but he had changed after befriending Naruto and Sakura. A few of the Hyuuga clan were listed, but all she had to do was go to the compound to locate them. Some of the remaining Jounin listed were off on missions, so the only challenge remaining and within reach was Shikamaru.

The two women chatted about what Ino had observed of Konoha so Mika would know something before she left the hospital, and a few hours after Ino had arrived, Shin brought Sayo to see her mother. Seeing him again caused Ino's heart to clench and she found it hard to breathe when he didn't even look at her. Ignoring Ino, he put Sayo in Mika's arms and asked how she felt. "I just remembered, I need to go," Ino said, standing. "I'll see you later."

She heard Mika ask Shin what was wrong as she left, but she hustled herself out of there before her heart burst. It wasn't right! She tried so hard not to fall for him, and now that she had already alienated him, these symptoms showed up. It wasn't supposed to be like this. You knew this wasn't going to be an easy mission, she tried to tell herself. But she wasn't supposed to form any attachments, by the First! Maybe now Kagura will have her persistence rewarded. The thought didn't make her feel better.

Not paying attention to where she was going, she found herself by the main gate, and activity up at the top caused her to look up. The sentries were shouting, and someone was sprinting for the Hokage Tower. Unless the Earth Country army had shown up, this should be the retinue from Water Country. Looking behind, she saw the shinobi start to form the welcoming committee. The very first ones there were Guy-sensei and Lee along with their Genin, all of them looking excited. In the distance she spotted Akamaru with small figures on his back. As a newcomer to Konoha and not even a citizen, Hikari should not be there, but she wanted to see this King Toya that she had heard so much about. Fading into the midst of the shinobi around her, she made herself look like she belonged there and waited for the appearance of the Water Country army.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Ino glanced down and saw Sou, Kureha, and Tohru by her side. Sou was the one who whispered the question, and they were all looking at her suspiciously. Smiling in an attempt to ease their minds, she answered, "I just found myself here. What are you doing?"

"We're here to welcome the Water Country army," Kureha replied. Tohru was moving around behind Ino, but she didn't sense any aggressiveness from him, only wariness. "You aren't a Konoha shinobi. You shouldn't be here."

"Am I not allowed to see a king in person?" she asked. "I promise not to do anything bad for Konoha here. I'm only observing."

A quick scan of their minds showed that the brown-haired boy wanted to ask about her mission, but Kureha cut him off. "Here they are!" she exclaimed. They turned their attention to the front, but the Aburame Genin remained behind her. It was a good thing Sou hadn't mentioned anything. They were surrounded by experienced shinobi, and she didn't know who would be listening.

The sea of shinobi split down the middle, and Tsunade-sama, flanked by Shizune and the elders of Konoha, walked forward to greet King Toya and Queen Lochia, who were walking through the gate with an escort of soldiers. "Welcome to Konoha," said Tsunade-sama, embracing King Toya, then his wife.

"Thank you for your support in this," Toya-dono replied. Lochia-dono nodded in agreement.

He did have Shikamaru's eyes. They even had the same dark hair, though the king's hair was cut much shorter than the shinobi's. He didn't have the same aura about him that Shikamaru did; this man was someone who would go out of his way for a person who needed his help. Maybe that was why his people called him back from exile to lead them. His eyes glanced around at the shinobi arranged in front of him, and while Ino could tell he was assessing Konoha's strength, he didn't have that shrewd intelligence that hid behind Shikamaru's façade of continuous boredom. So maybe Shikamaru resembled him physically slightly; she would never have confused the two as Mika seemed to when she first met Shikamaru.

The king and Hokage-sama had finished up their greeting while Ino had assessed the man, and they were walking towards the Hokage Tower, probably to discuss the first plans of action. Other shinobi were taking the soldiers to their assigned quarters, and the rest were drifting away. As Ino started walking back to her apartment, Chouji joined her with his Genin. "Did you see?" he asked. His Genin, along with Shikamaru's Genin who ran to catch up to her, kept an eye on her and their sensei.

"I did," she answered, pretending to ignore the small children. "It really drives home that there's going to be a war soon. I knew that it would happen since Hokage-sama wouldn't let Sano take the troupe somewhere else, but I didn't think much of it until just now."

"We'll need all our Jounin out in the field, and that means the Genin will be learning the hard way what it means to defend the village." He glanced at the children by them. "The hospital will fill up, and they'll need more hands than they have. You mentioned looking for a job a while ago, so there will be plenty of opportunity soon."

She remembered talking about it with Chouji, but she hadn't thought about going to the hospital for a job. It was the obvious choice and she could have kicked herself for not thinking of it. "Thank you for suggesting that. I will ask about that." She would have stopped, but her mouth asked, "Have you seen Nara-san today?"

Chouji shook his head. "No, why?" The Genin were watching her. They weren't subtle spies at all. She would need to mention that at a later time to Chouji and Shikamaru.

"I saw him early this morning and he looked terrible. I don't think he's getting enough rest or eating properly."

Her friend sighed. "He needs a keeper. If he doesn't look after himself, he won't make it through the war and we'll lose one of our best tacticians."

"Chouji-sensei, you shouldn't talk about those kinds of things in front of civilians," one of his Genin butted in. The boy's glasses magnified his eyes, making them disproportionate to the rest of his face.

"My friend is worried about him as well. The one in the hospital," Ino continued. "Do you think that Hokage-sama would allow him time to recover from his self-abuse? Mika, my friend, wants to help him in any way she can since he paid for her hospital stay. I, too, would help him for that. Maybe you could help us to help him?"

Chouji read through her words right to her motive. "I can help while I'm here," he agreed, though she could tell that he wasn't happy about what she had to do. He never had been at ease with trying to corner their friend so she could search through his mind. Chouji had complete faith that he wasn't the person Ino was looking for, but Ino wasn't as certain as he was; she was still straddling the fence about Shikamaru. "If he's as bad off as you say, then I'd better go look in on him."

"We'll go with you," volunteered Kureha. Her teammates nodded in agreement.

"Do you want to come?" he asked Ino.

She smiled and shook her head. "I should go to the hospital and ask about that job you mentioned." Hopefully Shin will be gone and I can see Mika and Sayo again.

Parting ways with the shinobi, she made her way back to the hospital, ignoring the pain going through her heart. On her way, Dr. Kyle rushed past, coming close enough that he brushed against her arm. Looking back at him, she noticed Syaoran and Kurogane standing off to the side and watching the doctor with dislike on their faces. They even had tinges of suspicion in their expressions, though why that would be she had no idea. Maybe it had to do with their mission, but as far as she knew, the doctor hadn't interacted with their group at all.

After arriving at the hospital, she talked to the head nurse, and to her surprise she was told to report for training the next morning. They must anticipate needing lots of experienced hands if they were already throwing her into the work force. No matter what the reason was, it worked to Ino's favor and she wasn't going to question it. She wouldn't be able to work with her chakra, but learning all aspects of being a medic wasn't a waste of time. There may come a time when her chakra was depleted and she would need to treat one of her teammates.

The only visitor Mika had in her room was Misao, to Ino's relief. "They told us that Mika can be discharged tomorrow afternoon," Misao informed Ino as she sat next to her "great-aunt". "Mika told me that she and Sayo will be moving in with you in your new living space." A raised eyebrow accompanied that statement. Misao didn't see why she was leaving the troupe, which gave her the anonymity she required for her mission. However, since Ino had come in with the troupe and lived with the troupe, the people of Konoha would still associate her with the troupe because she was moving out at the same time as some of the other families, and not all of them were planning on staying in Konoha; she had overheard Asahi and her husband as two of the names Sano had given to Shizune, and they both would be leaving when the troupe did, she was positive of that.

"I just found a job with the hospital," said Ino. "I know that since we aren't performing now, we'll need to find other ways to pay for our rooms, and staying at the inn for months on end will be a large drain on everyone. I think in the long run, staying in an apartment will be less expensive."

Mika looked horrified. "We're staying here for months more?" she asked.

Misao nodded. "We have to. With Konoha mobilizing for a war, no one will be allowed to leave except soldiers and shinobi. The troupe is stranded here until the fighting stops."

Looking down at her hands, Mika murmured, "I didn't know there was a war going on."

The two kunoichi looked at each other. "The fighting won't be close to us," Ino assured her. "They just don't want to run the chance of us running into the opposite army if we leave. That's all."

They turned the conversation to safer topics, and Ino and Misao left when the nurse told them that visiting hours were over. Misao continued walking with Ino, and the two of them headed to her apartment. "Are you sure that having her with you is good?" asked Misao. She kept her voice low so that the occasional passerby wouldn't hear their conversation. "You have to focus on your goal. If you keep getting tied down with other matters, you will lose your chance."

"People are less likely to suspect me if I have a roommate with a young child," responded Ino as she sidestepped a slushy spot in her path. "She's still recovering, so she won't notice if I'm out late at night. I can say that I'm looking in on Shikamaru."

"The tactician?"

"Mika feels like she owes him, so we're going to keep an eye on him to make sure that he gets healthier. He isn't doing well."

"No, he isn't," mused Misao. "It's early enough that Tsunade might give him some time to rest before putting him to work again. For now, she and Toya can work on the logistics of where to put people. If I remember correctly, that boy's father is also a good tactician and can fill in for a short amount of time."

"You know the Naras?"

Misao chuckled. "I remember Shikaku when he was a Genin. He would get into all sorts of trouble with Inoichi and Chouza. I think they were responsible for more white hairs on their sensei's head than any of the battles the man had seen before them. Shikamaru takes after his father, in more ways than one, though his apparent path of self-destruction was not something I ever witnessed in Shikaku."

"He just needs someone to watch him and take care of him until he can get by on his own again. Mika owes him, and I owe him, too, for everything he's done for her."

Misao clucked her tongue. "A noble thought, but it won't help you with what you have to do."

"He's part of it."

"Don't overlook every other possibility just because you are focused on one part; remember to look at the whole." They stopped in front of Ino's apartment. The older kunoichi put a hand on Ino's shoulder. "Good luck," she said and turned away to tramp back to the inn a couple blocks away.

The empty apartment welcomed her home the same way a medical secretary greeted a new patient, with a detached air. The room, while more extravagant than her tent on the road with the troupe, didn't feel as homey as those plain canvas walls of her tent. She groaned when she realized that she still hadn't gone grocery shopping, so she had no food in the house. Well, she could skip a meal and be fine. Besides, she had gained weight while being away from Konoha, and it was time to start slimming down. She would just get more food before Mika and Sayo came.