Disclaimer: Don't own the Naruto franchise or any of it's characters.
Rating: T
A look into the pairing of SaiXIno; enjoy.
A week later; early morning
Sai's apartment
Sai carefully changed the bandages on his left forearm, finding the wound had healed more today, but he still felt slightly weaker. This was to be expected, as the kunai had been poisoned - only being the shallowest scratch, and having nearby help to suck out the poison, had prevented it from spreading too far. He'd needed a little help afterward, two-handed activities were suddenly more difficult, and he was advised by healers not to exert himself. Ino had been all over this when he'd returned, insisting on healing his arm even after the healers work- rather than point this out, knowing she wouldn't want to hear it (along with do so anyway even if he had), Sai just appreciated/expressed the thought.
Even still, his injury remains the truth - he couldn't lift as much with his left arm, not yet, but ordinary tasks no longer bothered it. He finished the bandaging, satisfied, about to go outside and-
-hmm?
Hinata was at the door, about to knock until she saw him through his window, able to see his knowledge of her. Putting his previous bandages down, he went to the door and opened it. "Hinata" he greeted, trying for a little lip curve. "How are you today?"
The greeting had come more easily- that's good progress.
"I'm good, thank you" she replied, soft-spoken as per usual, before she dug into her pockets. "I came by to give you this, along with wanting to ask you something."
Curious, Sai took said 'this', which turned out to be a small letter addressed to him from Ino. The thought of reading this made him feel a little more 'good', but he still looked up, tilting his head, "What did you wish to ask?"
"Well, let's just say I've seen that drawing Naruto has" Hinata breathed, cheeks turning pink. "The one with the rings."
He blinked, trying to connect this information with her apparent question. "You wish to know why I drew it for Naruto?" he speculated, head tilted again. "Hinata, I am sorry to say that I don't know myself; Naruto wouldn't say why."
"That's not my question, Sai" she stated, but smiling, cheeks still pink. "And even if you don't know, you probably will soon; it should be any day now, because there's only one reason Naruto would have any interest in rings."
Sai quickly felt there's something obvious he wasn't getting, and it's imperative that he did get it, because clearly this may be an important matter. Okay, the pieces: Naruto and Hinata were dating, Naruto had asked him for a drawing of rings, while Hinata had just stated that 'it' would be 'any day now', perhaps soon... hmm...
When the idea came, it physically jolted him with sensations, even a small gasp- something he quickly noticed, including his heart was beating slightly faster. He looked at her, blinking, "You mean... that Naruto is going to-?"
"Yes" Hinata whispered, so warm and happy even he couldn't mistake it. "He's gonna ask me to marry him. And I'm gonna say yes the second he does."
Several moments passed...
He could feel himself smiling, and extended his hand - Hinata looked at this arrangement a moment, surprised, before back up.
"I cannot imagine anyone more deserving for Naruto" Sai stated, as sincere as possible. "If it's not too presumptuous, congratulations, Hinata."
Hinata slowly giggled, but grasped his hand in a firm grip. "It's not presumptuous, Sai" she assured, letting go after a bit. "And thank you. Normally this should've been a surprise to me too, but after defeating Toneri, we said a lot of things back in that cave. Among them, Naruto finally realized that it had always been me, and that he wanted to be with me, only me, forever. As far as I'm concerned, he proposed right then and there, and I accepted... this second time will just make it official."
He was quite surprised, not having heard about these details, but the affection in her voice made it clear how happy she is. He thought this must be their unique version of adjusting to the situation, as Hinata had loved Naruto for a long time, while Naruto had gotten this only a few months ago - perhaps Naruto's statements had been making up for lost time, as per their unique situation.
Not at all like the normal route, but acceptable all the same.
Sai smiled again. "I look forward to when it will be official" he stated, she nodding in agreement. "Though until then, what was your question?"
While surprised, Hinata didn't seem too much so - hmm, perhaps he'd gotten the force-and-tone angle right this time (or at least better). "Oh that" she breathed, before smiling again. "If it's not too much to ask, can you make sure this stays a secret, until Naruto does ask me?"
"To make sure it's a genuine surprise?" he asked, she nodding again. "I can do that easily, but Ino may be another matter."
"Why? It's not like you're gonna hint anything."
"True" Sai agreed. "However, she and I have recently begun an activity, by usage of her Mind Transfer Jutsu-"
Hinata was surprised.
"-it isn't what you may think" he quickly added. "Ino is doing so to help us both understand my emotions, determine what they feel like, how best to approach them, and other such things. It has been most helpful, to say the least."
"Oh" she breathed, blinking for a few moments. "That's an interesting way of dealing with your emotions. But when you put it like that, Ino may find out from your memories, as she's very good with that jutsu."
Sai inclined his head. "Indeed" he answered, curving his lip. "However, I believe that because you wish to keep it a secret, and I support this, Ino will be able to wait. And perhaps she won't even know about it, in case Naruto asks you, and word spreads before our next session."
Hinata just hummed a little, hands behind her back as she half-turned to go. "Either way, I just know she's gonna be supportive, as will all the others."
"Of course."
After that, Hinata gave him a little wave before leaving- he watched her go for a bit, then glanced up in thought.
Marriage, after only a few months of dating... officially anyway, as they'd known each for many years beforehand. Definitely unusual, but also quite acceptable to the both of them; very interesting.
/
Later
Ino's home
She hummed, trying to pick the right spot before she cut that section off with tiny shears- perfect!
Ino surveyed her work, proud of herself if she did say so... at the same time, she could hear mom greeting Sai downstairs. She was excited, as it meant more opportunities to potentially kiss, hold hands and be around him, yet aware he might ask for another Mind Transfer Jutsu lesson. They could do that, but this time she had a different idea, which could really put him through his emotional paces... or at least, let him know what normal intensities are like. It'd be a little hard for her too, but if it'd help Sai she'd give it a shot, even if it'd be weird to let someone share her mind/body rather than the other way around.
Barely had she finished the thought before footsteps came upstairs, Sai coming in through the door.
"Miss Beautiful" he greeted, before pausing a bit. "Hmm. Those are lovely flowers you're grooming."
Ino stifled a giggle; he's getting better at instinctively doing the greeting first, rather than get right to the point, but he had a long way to go to make it seem natural. "The word you're looking for is 'trimming', or 'pruning' works too" she teased, briefly glancing at his left forearm, which seemed freshly bandaged; good, he's keeping it up. "'Grooming' is actually more hair-related than plant-related. Still, thank you for saying they're lovely."
"Ah, I see" he answered, writing that tidbit down (as expected), lip curving slightly. "Thank you. But have you any plans for today?"
"Not really" she stated cheerfully, grinning. "I leave that up to you, Sai."
He jolted, quite surprised, looking at her- she could see he knew it's to ultimately help him, trying to think for himself and all that (did have to have some experience), but it was a bit sudden. Sai continued to blink, before realizing he's still holding his notebook, then quickly put it back before thinking... hmm, no doubt because it's a distraction.
Heh, whatever works for him.
"If it helps, focus on what you want, Sai" Ino breathed, more gentle now. "We've got time up here, even if we can't do anything too obvious or loud, because the door's still wide open and everything, particularly with mom downstairs."
The slightest quirk of an eyebrow as she turned around, but since she'd gone back to trimming, she waited for him to make up his mind. Seconds passed by, then slight scoffs on the carpet made it clear he's walking toward her - Ino decided to stay turned around; maybe he'll surprise her. The first touch came at her shoulders as expected, Sai working in gradual steps, slightly slower on account of his healing left arm... after a second, she glanced at him with a small smile, purely to show that she liked this + that he should continue. Just as she did so, Sai stepped much closer behind her, even as his hands remained- his lip curved slightly in response to her smile, which was a good sign.
Humming, she turned back to her little chore, pruning little bits of the next plant: this yellow rose that needed final approval.
As she worked, Sai tried for little motions, gradual but working through, 'rubbing' down her arms without being disruptive. Another glance showed he's intent on his concentration, not quite smiling but not 'just intent' either- he caught that glance after a moment, but seemed to interpret it as good, so his lip briefly curved again and kept going.
"That's certainly much better than his first attempts" Ino thought, a little warm and proud. "Back then, anytime I so much as twitched would stop him for seconds on end, and he'd usually need me to say it was fine before he took my word for it."
Not that there's anything wrong with this version; awhile to go before it's natural, before he feels experienced enough to do things faster, but definitely improving.
Ino continued her work, making the final adjustments to the yellow rose, looking over it critically before humming in satisfaction. She just began to move toward the next project, already looking over the plant with an experienced eye and where/how to cut-
"Oh!"
Despite her surprise, Sai's hands didn't withdraw - sure they hesitated, but chose to slowly go from the simple touch, to a crossed-over-her-stomach one. Behind her, Ino could feel Sai's chest lightly press against her back, while his chin slowly lowered itself on her left shoulder... his breath wasn't aimed at her neck, because he was too far over, yet still.
For her though, that small warmth soon became much bigger.
"You once said" he breathed, not exactly smooth, but hoping he's correct. "You once said these touches were situational, but if I did this, you would like it."
Several seconds passed for her, both enjoying this and making sure not to explode- she by no means wanted this to end just yet. So instead, Ino turned her head to the left, enough to see Sai, who looked at her in response...
"I think 'like' is too little a word to describe this" she whispered.
There was a moment where he blinked, but he soon smiled as well, the closed-eyes kind. "Then I believe I will have to enjoy your kiss without seeing both your eyes" he whispered back, his voice a little lighter.
Ino almost stalled at that, but soon giggled. "Trying to be playful again, I see" she teased, liking how close they were and wishing it wouldn't stop. "Usually you're supposed to answer my soft statement with an equal soft statement, but that works too."
A moment where Sai visibly filed that away, but his small smile returned. "It is still a good moment" he breathed, slightly coming forward. "I am glad that I succeeded."
After that, their lips were locked together, and she wouldn't have it any other way; she'd long forgotten that she dropped the pruning shears, or that her chore was as-yet uncompleted. But honestly, who cared anymore; Sai had just consciously initiated a small moment when they're alone, without any real prompting or hinting from her!
...
If Ino had her way, she'd probably have slipped Sai's shirt off by now, if not more.
She certainly had that urge when in a moment of instinct/passion, she'd placed her hands on his chest- Sai hadn't noticed until they stopped to catch their breath. She felt mixed, torn between wanting to go further and the fact that they couldn't... not only because while Sai had developed 'little' bursts of passion (mixed with genuine-yet-simple curiosity), she wasn't sure that's enough to start things off. And also because her bedroom door was open, Mom still being downstairs and herself having no desire to be walked in on, which even Sai wouldn't appreciate (hopefully). So quickly, against her own will, she pulled back... Sai appeared to get why after a moment, still catching his breath and filing that away.
"So, uh" Ino breathed, trying to change the subject before she got tempted again. "Sai, after this did you- did you want to try my jutsu again?"
That got his attention. "I was going to ask that in the next two days" Sai admitted, tilting his head. "Are you willing, Miss Beautiful?"
"I am, but I have something to add first."
"Hmm?"
In answer, Ino held up her fingers, forming her usual handsign while aimed at the wall- a brief glance from Sai showed he understood that much. However, she then turned the handsign upside-down - that hadn't exactly been her idea at 'creation', but it worked, so yeah.
Sai blinked, confused. "I am not familiar with this one" he stated-
-"No one outside of my clan does" she assured quickly. "It's recent, and hasn't been ordered a secret yet, but until they decide, best keep it that way. Seriously. Anyway, this is basically just my Mind Transfer Jutsu sign, but upside-down... which means it'll act in reverse to how it usually does."
"But how would that work?"
Ino sighed. "It means instead of flinging myself into your body, I'd force you out of your body and into mine!" she said quickly, to get it over with.
To her surprised confusion, there was no big reaction from Sai this time- he merely blinked twice, before glancing up in thought. Thrown, thinking maybe she's missing something, she looked at him more closely... hmm, clearly he's doing a lot of thought at the mental level, so maybe the 'explosion' reaction had been inside his head instead this time? Or maybe because the initial bombshell of this idea had been dropped already, the intensity was lesser, as she now realized he tended to do with post-adjusted-to reactions? Both? Neither?
Despite herself, Ino couldn't help but smile; he certainly made things challenging sometimes.
Sai looked at her then, blinking once more... while un-noticed by himself, a strand of effort-sweat slid down near his ear. "You mentioned before that you could- that you could possibly have me look at your emotions 'later', after our first session. Is this what you meant by it?"
Well uhhh... not exactly, but she had to admit, the Reverse version could conceivably do things a lot better than her original idea. Sure she could use the Sensory Transmission Jutsu to send her thoughts/feelings into Sai's head, and thus make him feel the intensity that she did... but it just seemed impersonal that way, and wouldn't have explained to him why she felt such + particulars on how, among other aspects. Sure, he'd feel the emotions, and she'd explain them later, but they'd be happening after each other rather than in a single uniform 'session'- it would work, but this 'Reverse' version was more effective. Plus, she really liked the intimacy of sharing their minds... it truly made her feel closer to him, no matter how long it takes him to return the favor...
Maybe she wouldn't use the new variation for much else - still determining it's usefulness in battle; thus far seems good for instantly rendering a target immobile, best in group attacks - but she liked the idea that way.
"More-or-less" Ino breathed sheepishly, going with it. "Though it's still an idea and everything - plus you'd have to contend with being in my body after all, and it'd be an experience outside your own; it can be pretty weird."
Something shifted slightly, because bits of excitement appeared. "If by that you mean fascinating, it could be a valuable learning experience" Sai said, his own brand of eager. "But besides that, it would also be 'fair'... you have shared my body in small measures, my thoughts and emotions in greater detail, so I would be willing to do the same, if you'll allow me."
The way he said that, having no issues with mind-sharing her body, brought up mixed emotions. Did she trust Sai? Yes, of course she did - given properly-explained rules and such, he was as trustworthy as Shikamaru and Choji. Was this going to be embarrassing, since while she'd done plenty of Mind Transfer Jutsu sessions (mostly interrogation or heat-of-battle), it'd be her first time being on the receiving end, kinda? Yes, it would be, a little. The latter wouldn't be enough to stop her though, since obviously she shouldn't be afraid or adamant to avoid getting a taste of her own medicine, and he's right in that it'd be fair.
Ino smiled, "I'll allow it, don't get me wrong" she whispered. "Though you have to keep certain guidelines in mind, Sai."
"Of course."
"Since it'll be your first time in a woman's body, you'll be allowed only limited control, like to move my hands and such. And of course you can't just touch me wherever, or else you're gonna be sorry!"
Sai had this brief dose of nervousness, or so it seemed. "So in essence... I don't touch any part of you that I wouldn't right now?" he asked, glancing up. "Where the bedroom door is open, and your mother may wake in on us, leading to awkwardness and misunderstandings if I did otherwise?"
"Exactly. And also, keep any comments or observations to yourself please... at least until we're fully done" she said with a touch of exasperation. "Even if you're mesmerized, don't even consciously think words on the subject!"
"Oh, of-of course."
...
Slightly later
Sai had to admit that, while he's somewhat fascinated by the reality of sharing Ino's body, and all that implied, he was far more interested in sharing her strength of emotions. On many, many occasions he'd seen her depth in that area, ranging from happy to angry and so forth, at intensities that seemed quite high to him but were normal for her caliber. His natural instincts said this would be of great benefit to himself, helping improve his emotions by seeing 'the bar' of normal ones, with a smaller benefit in understanding more of how women work. However, newer instincts supported what he'd said to Ino: that it'd be fair, that if he trusted her enough to go inside his head and not take advantage of him, then she should trust him to do the same, and this would only improve their bonds.
He very much wished for that, for her sake as well as his - he also thought that Ino still hadn't explained the 'incident' from before, but knew he shouldn't push her to reveal that until she's ready.
Just across from him: "Ready, Sai?"
Physically he was, as his body's 'laying down' in a pre-planned position, since his mind would be outside his body for a time. Mentally, Sai spent another second preparing himself... he was to be naturally still, because full freedom of movement/actions wouldn't be granted, and he'd be the guest this time...
"Yes, I'm ready."
Ino took in/let out a breath. "Okay... Reverse Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Just as explained, it was like something launched him outside his body, across some kind of 'space-time' (as she'd put it), then suddenly he was back to normal-
-except not.
Sai noticed the differences almost immediately, even with some idea what to expect: the weight of Ino's hair behind him, and parts of it covered significant portions of the right-side vision; a difference in general body shape, as he'd been broader in the shoulder per male standards, while here he felt smaller there, with the hips broader instead; the chest felt like there were weights attached, though clothing served to mitigate this. Even with all these simultaneous sensations though, Sai kept himself perfectly still at the mental + physical levels, as a single movement could go out-of-bounds. Sharing as he was though, he felt Ino's body breathe like normal, making small motions at his apparent entry, but otherwise working through it. Emotionally...
He wasn't sure he comprehended what he saw, or if he meant that literally or figuratively... he didn't 'exactly' see all this like normal vision, but the sensations gave him an overall impression...
According to Ino, minds could be any number of things, representative of their respective selves but able to be molded against intruders, yet usually layered around a core- that seemed to be the case here, and there's no 'defense' since he'd been given permission. Her core shone as brightly as the sun, flaring through intensities with alternating levels of strength and gentleness (separately and combined) - at the same time, each emotion she felt seemed to pulse through the entire area, moving quickly like lightning, but less random. The color was primarily yellow, but even as he 'watched', it changed in direct response to her emotions, again with alternating levels. Even as the outer layers responded to each emotion however, the core remained primarily yellow, with the brightness undiminished.
Sai felt that if anything was proof of her intensive emotions, this would be it.
This caused a reaction inside her mind; warmth, low-level yet spreading through her body for a moment, yet still causing a reaction from him.
"That's kind of you, Sai" Ino's voice spoke, from nowhere in particular - this helped him, for it's a familiar element given their previous experiences. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Miss Beautiful" Sai thought back, trying to keep himself 'still', not wishing to move Ino's body just yet - though even if he did, she could override control since he's the guest. "Even before we've started, I'm already a little overwhelmed by what I'm feeling from you."
"Mmh, believe it or not Sai, this is nothing" she breathed gently, her mind's light intensity changing to reflect it. "This is sorta low-level stuff, and kinda a leftover from our earlier moments."
If this was 'nothing', even figuratively speaking, then her intensities might just truly be incomprehensible...
"Do you want to feel what I normally feel around you, Sai? When I'm happy, I mean?"
Remembering that he'd agreed for just that, and no matter how overwhelming it could be, he's committed; Sai did his best to show this mentally.
Silence... then Ino's mind began to glow brighter, remaining bright yellow but with traces of rose-red appearing at spots, submerging almost as soon as they appeared... he wondered if that was her 'passion' side, the one that frequently urged her to do inappropriate-at-the-time things, such as taking advantage of him...
What seemed like a wave of warmth washed over, going through Ino's entire body but starting at the chest, intensive enough that Sai might've gasped had he not been caught up in the sensations. At first he thought it was burning, but he quickly remembered that this wasn't - and couldn't be - anger, as it lacked the distinctive behavior of such. Slowly, not aware his reactions were causing Ino's arms to shake slightly (her aware but not doing anything yet), he realized the sensation's a lot more like laying underneath blankets; warm, comforting, all-encompassing without but being restrictive. Yet even with this quality, he didn't believe the intensity, the strength, that he's experiencing... then he slowly became aware he's making Ino's arms shake.
Subconscously, he tried to make it stop, but it wouldn't... Ino made no attempt to stop this herself, feeling numerous things, but she was in essence telling him to explore this...
"What..." Sai thought, doing the mental equivalent of panting. "What was- was this a reaction to...?"
The warmth remained, yet Ino quickly responded... separate from the emotions, called by her, a memory came upon the mental scape...
Because it was from her point-of-view, he initially saw only himself, which despite everything brought a small interest. Then he heard the words:
"You want to experience more emotions, grow your own, learn to better identify the ones you know now, and all that right?"
"Implicitly."
Sai truly did make a sound, Memory-Ino continuing by giving the answer that she had before, while Memory-Sai breathed out in response - he reflected that, while accurate, it was unusually interesting to see his own reactions like this. Ino's memory-self was then surprised by this reaction, as well as enjoying it, while his memory-self started to say along the lines of 'That is-' before...
Oh... well... apparently he had actually grinned...
He did not have the slightest clue how he's supposed to react to that - technically it's a good step, and he knew that, but the sight of himself making that expression was- quite something. Because of this focus, Sai was similarly unaware of Ino's intent interest in this chain-of-reactions, or how the warmth was gradually being mixed with interest and happiness.
Well, initially anyway.
...
Ino felt a lot of things, most of them related to surprise or such.
First it'd been Sai's initial entry into her mind, which was about as she'd expected... Sai did well, but while he registered the sensations and such of her body, there'd been virtually zero follow-up on that route. Heck, even the bigger changes he'd outright ignored, and because of the lack of evidence she didn't even know why that was- though it could be his usual pragmatic self, or so she tried to assure herself, internally miffed that he seemingly had no interest there (she kept that carefully hidden). Then of course came his gradual 'feel' of her own mental state, how it was constructed and such - she hadn't needed to hide her reaction on that one, even as she secretly wondered if his lack of interest in her body 'feel' was because he didn't have permission. But the follow-up warmth of that memory had truly staggered Sai (could feel it and everything!), and he 'sat there' in stunned shock even now, having seen her viewpoint of his grin, not certain what to do.
Part of her just wanted to feel pleased, knowing she'd caused such a reaction in the generally-hard-to-crack Sai, but luckily the rest of her had other matters to focus on.
"Sai?" Ino asked, a little worried. "Are you okay? Do you want to stop, take a break or something?"
Silence for a bit... then he seemed to shift. "I- I believe I am okay, Miss Beautiful" his voice breathed, deep in thought, even on a mental scape. "I am just... very surprised."
"What did it feel like to you? My happiness?
"Like a... a blanket figuratively covered me all-around. I knew your happiness would feel stronger than any of my emotions, but I did not believe it could... feel that strong. It was almost overwhelming..."
Feeling like that's an unfinished statement, Ino tried to keep down any instinctive reactions, such as the potential heart-sinking; there could be more to what he's saying, so don't jump the gun.
"But-" Sai's voice breathed then, as if amazed. "It was a good version. I didn't realize it could be like that, Ino."
Even if she weren't trying to help Sai's emotional awareness, she couldn't have hid the rush of warmth and happiness that resulted - this caused a reaction in Sai, along with barely-visible flickers of other emotions. Ino wanted so much to dive deeper, explore what those flickers were, but knew she couldn't, if for no other reason than they're in her own mind, not his.
"Well you do now, Sai" Ino breathed, supporting all this. "Now that you've seen how strong my feelings are, you can understand the others better, and strive to achieve that same level yourself. I know you can do it too, no matter how long it takes!"
"Thank you" he answered, more flickers rising-and-submerging from her praise. "I will do my best. Though in my surprise, I also wondered; what did my mind look like to you?"
After a split-second, she realized what Sai meant, including that he's seeing her core from a distance- shame she can't exactly look inward at her own, and would need to scour his memory in their next session via Sai's mind, if/when she wanted to find out. Shortly afterward, Ino prepared herself in answer, mimicking taking in a deep breath and letting it out... she delved into that memory, focusing first on the images of his core, then slowly letting her emotions from that memory seep in.
Sai definitely reacted when the image showed up, and his emotions did so as well, to a smaller degree. "That is- that is strangely how I would describe it, if I were able to draw out my mental state" he said, feeling curiosity, but there were also traces of more bad elements. "Fascinating."
Ino wasn't surprised, just doing her best to hold the image - she felt his interest, and could imagine his following expressions, but kept her focus. Unconsciously, her mind seized upon the flickers she's seeing, theorizing based upon evidence... after all, that's why they're both doing this...
/
She never did arrive at an answer in the first few days that followed, partly because she's still thinking, still enjoying being around Sai... and also because of a surprise-news that quickly spread through the village like wildfire, regarding the future Hokage and the Byakugan Princess.
Heh, inventing a 'Reverse' style almost seems too easy, and yet in-canon or this fic, Ino probably would've jumped on the chance either way :P Sai meanwhile, is again being put through his paces, but still quite willing through the entire process.
As for the wedding, still a bit teasing regarding that being upcoming, but not much longer XD