Please Believe Me
Chapter 10
Still quite angry about the earlier conversation, Ino leaned her head up against the side of Tayuya's window, staring at the blur of the trees go by. Her feelings were hurt, and she felt like a complete disappointment. Her parents were both gone by the time Tayuya came to pick her up. Where they went? She didn't know, and in the heat of the moment, she really didn't care. She knew they were making very valid points about this. Hell, they were pretty much the same arguments she made when Tayuya asked her to come. But, the way they were coddling her, treating her like a child is what she couldn't stand.
She is going to this party, not because she wanted to or because her parents told her not to. She is going, because she has to prove to herself that she can. With maturity comes a level of responsibility that she will never gain from just sitting at home being afraid of everything. Not everything is out to get you in this world. Sure there were a few bad things that happened to her, but those were all situations that just sort of happened. Well, the mill was sort of her fault for even accepting something that sounded dangerous as it is.
But, the cabin was just a circumstantial situation. Something that no one could have seen coming. She wasn't to blame for that so why hold it against her or let it stop her from going back into the woods? People nearly die from animal attacks all the time, that doesn't mean they steer clear of the woods forever.
She was being very bias about this and she knew it. Of course she was afraid right now. She was downright terrified, but part of being an adult means growing up and facing fears, big or small. She's not a kid anymore and that's what her parents don't see. They think she's some hexed little girl that can't step foot in any situation without being put in danger somehow.
She understood that as well. She was possessed for three years. Three long years and to her it felt like a long nightmare so she knew it couldn't have been any easier on them. They missed her and that's understandable, but that does not change the fact that she is a grown woman who has quite frankly outgrown their care. She will always love them, but she was ready to leave when she was eighteen and just graduating high school. She's been ready for a long time, but it feels like she's being trapped within her childhood life.
"Dude, are you gonna be like this the whole time?" Tayuya asked as she glanced her way, trying to focus on the road.
Ino sighed and sat up straight. "No, I'm sorry… I'm just a little tired." She said, giving some kind of an excuse. She didn't tell her about the argument with her parents.
Tayuya shrugged. "Well, it looks like it may rain later on tonight so we may not even be there as long as we thought." Ino nodded, glad that was the case at least. "Oh, and my sisters friends backed out last minute so it's just gonna be us."
"Just us?" Ino asked.
"Well, you, me, my sister and her boyfriend. She wants to meet you. Give you some advice and what not."
She nodded again and looked out the window. At least it wasn't going to be a bombardment of new faces. She honestly was not looking forward to that in the slightest. She had wanted to meet Tayuya's sister though. She talked about her quite a bit. Not to an unnatural extent and Ino could never really pinpoint whether she liked her or not. There were times when she praised her for certain things such as her rising acting career, but other times she badgered her name with vulgar words that did not imply good things. It would definitely be quite an event if she were anything like Tayuya described her.
A few more minutes went by of relative silence between the two, the only sound coming from the blaring radio music Tayuya was loudly singing along to as Ino smiled and enjoyed the ride. Finally, they pulled up to a little circular clearing that looked fairly safe.
There was a blue mustang parked off to the side and towards the middle, a metal fire pit with flames already crackling within it. Surrounding the pit were four lawn chairs, two on each side. Occupying two of those seats were what Ino could guess was Tayuya's sister and her boyfriend. She was a beautiful red-headed girl with glasses and he wasn't half bad looking himself. He was sort of lanky with nice white hair that draped down the sides of his face. They looked as though they were in some sort of argument until they saw Tayuya's car pull up.
"Yeah, I expected them to be fighting." Tayuya told Ino with a chuckle. "Don't worry, they're dicks to each other and me, but all in all pretty nice."
Ino nodded and continued to look their way as she removed her seatbelt. The two of them climbed out of her car, shaking out the stiffness of the hour and a half long drive. "Tayu!" the voice of her sister came as the two of them were already walking up.
"Hey." Tayuya said, embracing the other red-head. When they parted, Ino was already rounding the car so Tayuya introduced everyone. "Ino, this is my sister Karin, Karin this is Ino."
"It's so great to meet you! I've heard great things." The spunkier looking redhead said as she wrapped Ino up in a sudden hug.
Ino smiled and accepted the gesture. "Ohoh, thanks. I've heard great things about you too." She said, leaving out the fact that she also heard a few bad things as well.
"Well, I definitely find that hard to believe." The silver haired man said, earning two annoyed looks from the redheaded sisters.
"Aaaand Ino, this jackass over here is Suigetsu. Her boyfriend. Don't ask why, because I don't know myself."
"Ah, Tayuya." He said with a mocking smirk. "As funny as ever. It's nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out and shook Ino's with a nod.
"So, how was the drive in?" Karin asked as they walked towards the fire pit.
Tayuya answered as she and Ino took the seats opposite her and Suigetsu. "It was fine. Just long as hell."
"I'm surprised you guys made it the way Tayuya drives." Suigetsu said, more so to Ino.
"Shut up you dick!" the younger of the redheads yelled loudly across the way.
"What?" he asked I defense. "I mean you're a shitty driver. That's just a fact."
"Stop babe." Karin said in an annoyed tone, knowing full well he was just trying to rile her up. "So, uh. Tayu tells me you're trying to be an actress as well?" She announced to Ino, quickly jumping subjects so things didn't get too out of hand.
Tayuya gave the man one more dirty look before she turned to the conversation with her sister and friend. Ino, being put on the spot, quickly answered. "u-Uh yeah. I'm not sure. It was just something I was thinking about when I was in high school and all.."
Karin nodded intently. "Yeah. Well, trust me it's a very tough profession to pursue. I'm twenty-seven and I'm just barely getting my name out there. I mean, if you don't really have a drive for it, then I'd doubt it'd be possible."
Ino nodded along to show that she was listening. "Yeah. I'm not sure if I really want it like that."
Karin gave her a curious look. "Well, what made you consider it in the first place?" She asked with a genuinely curious tone.
"Uh. Well, I was a big fan of Mei Terumi when I was younger. I uh… I sort of enjoyed her charity work more than anything." She admit.
"Really? Oh wow! I love her! She is my absolute idol!" Karin proclaimed loudly.
Suigetsu joined in with of course a snarky remark. "Heh, yeah if you would have seen her old dorm room, it wouldn't have been hard to tell."
"Tch. It was not that bad. I'm not like some kind of psycho fan or anything." She said to Ino as if reassuring her or something.
"Yeah fucking right!" Tayuya jumped in with an amused tone. "Dude, she was like the president of her fan club for like six years!"
"Shut up!" She defended herself with a chuckle. "I just think tha-.." She stopped when Ino's phone went off.
Ino pulled it from her pocket and saw that it was her mom. She slid the red phone over, declining the call as she put it away. "Sorry." she said.
"Did you need to take that?" Karin asked.
"No, it's fine. So you uh.. you made a fan club or something?"
"Right. No it wasn't a fan club. It was just an appreciation organization." She corrected, making them chuckle.
"Hah! Bullshit!" Tayuya bellowed out. "Dude she was fucking insane!" Ino chuckled as she watched the two playfully argue with each other. They seemed to really enjoy each other's company. Regardless of the negative things Tayuya said about her. It was a beautiful bond between siblings.
Standing in the attic of this frat house, Naruto flashed his light around until he spotted some loose floor boards. "Right there." He said to the two guys behind him. Both quite small and odd looking. This was an odd little frat house, more closely relating to a dorm full of computer nerds. He spoke with them for a few moments and found out they were trying to start their own organization and they needed a cheap place to set up base. This was the cheapest they could find and there were creaks and moans throughout the house that they didn't think were normal.
"What is it?" One of the two asked him, this one a young brown haired kid.
Naruto made his way around the boxes of junk and stepped on one of the boards. There was a creak followed immediately by a loud drawn out moan that seemed to ring throughout the house. "You have some faulty wood work up here. More than likely it's a raccoon or a mouse issue. When they step onto these boards, it causes them to creak."
"Well, what's that moaning sound?" the other one asked, this one a kid with very long black hair that ran down to the middle of his back.
Naruto looked up to the pipe running along the wall. He took the back of his knuckles and tapped it gently. That moaning sound came back anew. "It's just the vibration of this pipe here. Whatever you've got up here scurries across this from time to time, making it vibrate."
"s… so we don't need a priest?" the brown haired one asked.
Naruto chuckled lightly. "No. Animal control should do the trick." He said as he came back out. "That rancid smell is likely a loose cap on the drainage pipe beneath your patio. For that, you could get together with your neighbors and have someone from the city come to tighten it up."
"Ugh, thank god. Man, I thought we were haunted for real." The black haired kid said with a chuckle as they descended the stairs of the attic.
They made it to the living room. "Hauntings are rare, even in these old houses. You guys are good though. For the noises of the attic, I'm sure your landlord would take care of it for you."
"Hey thanks man. We really appreciate it." The brown haired kid said. "I uh… I'm sorry we made you come all this way. Do you take cash or something?"
Naruto shook his head. "No need. Just glad to help."
"Oh ok. Well, uh… really thanks. If there's anything you would need our help with… our door is always open."
"Sure. You take care." He said as he bid them a final goodbye. Walking back to the car, he pulled out his pack of cigarettes, glad his night was finally over with. Pulling his phone out, he stood at his car door for a moment as he made a call. All the windows were rolled down, giving Ghost some air so he wasn't baking in the heat of the midafternoon sun.
'Hello?' the voice on the other side said.
"Deidara. I'm pretty much finished here if you're ready to go."
'Sure thing boss. I'll head there now.'
"Alright, I'll meet you there." He said as he hung up and climbed in his car.
(One hour later)
Sitting back in his seat with Ghost's head laid across his lap, Naruto stared out the side of the jet window. They were still in the airport terminal. His pilot friend sitting across from him, having a quick drink. "I'm glad we're finally leaving honestly. My family is completely unbearable sometimes."
Naruto didn't respond at first. He just continued to stare out the window. "How's your mother?"
"Ah, she's fine." He said taking another sip of his liquor. "A lot better than she was a few years ago I'll tell you that."
Naruto nodded and looked down to Ghost. "That's good… And how are you doing on the exhibit?"
"Oh, I've actually got a showing in a few months. Didn't even tell you. It's uh, it's nothing major. I'm gonna working with some douchebag from Kumo. Apparently he's had some major sales to big name museums."
"Nice. Seems like a good way to get your foot in the door." Naruto offered, giving a bit of encouragement.
"Yeah. But, the dude is such a fuckin' snob. I've talked to him once or twice over the phone. Already the most dickish person I've met. Knowing that I know you, that's definitely saying something." He said taking a jab at the blonde.
Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, that's real funny." He said with a mocking nod of his head. "What's funnier is you're fired."
Deidara took the proclamation with a grain of salt. "Heh. Yeah sure. What? Are you gonna fly yourself?"
Naruto shrugged. "I definitely could. But, I'd rather not."
"Uhuh. Well in that case, I'd like a raise."
Naruto shook his head with a smile. "Maybe for Christmas." He said with an amused tone. Deidara chuckled as well but shook his head. They sat in silence for a few moments, both enjoying their drinks. A question rested heavily on Naruto's mind, stemming from a conversation he had a while back. He rubbed Ghost's head as if it would ease his own worries. Figuring he could use a second opinion, he decided to just ask it. "Deidara…" the blonde looked up to him curiously. "… Do I seem lonely to you?"
Deidara looked at him curiously for a moment. "Well, you do talk to your dog as if he can understand you. But, I'd just consider you psychotic." He said jokingly. Naruto flicked him off casually. Realizing it was a real question, he chuckled before giving a real answer. "Heh, no but… Uh… Honestly I'd say yeah… I mean, you only ever talk to me, Sasuke, and Bug. Even then, it's mainly pertaining to work… why?"
Naruto continued looking into the distance out the window. He shrugged and shook his head. "… Doctor Sasuke says it's a bad trait being this isolated… but… I know a lot of people."
"Tch. Yeah, knowing people and having friends are two very different things." Deidara remarked. "I mean, I travel as much as you and I've got friends all over. You don't really talk to people. You show up, kick a demons ass and leave. In all honesty, you'd have a shit ton of friends if you'd actually put in an effort to connect. Or at least, open yourself up to one person other than Sasuke… Maybe you should start dating again. What happened to that one chick? Uh… the uh the monk one or something."
"She's a friend." Naruto said casually. "Her duty to her people is sacred."
Deidara nodded in a mocking way. "Ok, well there was that uh… that priestess. Uh Shoni or something? What happened to her?"
"Same case." He said as he took another drink.
Deidara chuckled and shook his head. "Man, you just love to find the ones who can't leave their places huh? Well, still. Maybe you can meet a new girl. Oh! That chick from Konoha. The uh, the one from the asylum."
"No." Naruto said as he shook his head. "She was a client."
"Tch, so. Dude, you went over to her house for dinner. You've never gone to someone's house for dinner just randomly."
"They invited me." He said with a shrug.
Deidara wasn't buying that. "Heh, yeah. Like you've never been invited before. So, why'd you go that time?"
Naruto looked over at his accusingly amused smile, as if he knew something. "I was hungry."
"Bullshit." He argued with a chuckle as he leaned back. "Bull-fuckin'- shit. You're the most antisocial person I know. You'd have likely gone to a fuckin McDonald's or something before you stepped foot into someone else's house because you were 'hungry'."
Naruto shrugged and grabbed his beer from the table between them. "Whelp. That's what happened."
"Heh-yeah ok. Well, I still call bullshit. Take a chance on something for once. You may surprise yourself." He said in a rare moment of poetic advice.
Naruto looked down at Ghost again for a moment or two before he chuckled and shook his head. "In the meantime, why don't you do your job."
Deidara chuckled as she stood to his feet. "Anywhere specific captain? Or are we flying home? It's still pretty early."
Naruto thought it over for a second. "… Konoha… I've got to talk to someone." He said, quickly putting his mind to rest.
"Someone hot?" He asked as he headed for the cockpit.
"Sure." Naruto said casually.
"Say no more. We're off." He said sarcastically as he gulped down the rest of his drink and shut his door.
Naruto sat back, reclining in his seat until it was nearly laying down. Seeing the opportunity for a newer much more comfortable position, Ghost squirmed his way fully into Naruto's seat, laying his entire body along the length of Naruto's. Naruto chuckled and leaned his face away from his licking tongue. Eventually the pooch solidified his resting spot and fell asleep.
The group of four all bellowed out in laughter at the ridiculous story Karin was telling about Tayuya when they were younger. The sun nearly gone from the greying sky and they were blissfully unaware. All of them had a beer in hand and a stick with a white fluffy marshmallow jabbed onto its tip, held out above the blazing fire.
Ino smiled contently as the two sisters argued joyously over what really happened regarding the story. They had been here for a good two hours now. Her phone was left in her pocket on vibrate, but she could almost hear it ringing this entire time, no doubt her mother calling to demand her return. There was clearly no need. This experience has been absolutely perfect. Better than perfect, it's been amazing. For the first time in a long time she actually felt normal. That was something she was proud of.
"What-the-fuck ever dude." Karin said with a chuckle as she dropped the argument. "I bet she didn't tell you about that time she almost pushed her boyfr-.." Ino's phone rang again, the others just quiet enough for Karin to hear its hum and stop her story.
"Oh- gosh. I'm-I'm sorry. I'll put it on silent." She said as she scrambled it out of her pocket.
"Dude, if you need to take it it's cool." Tayuya said.
Ino just shook her head as she shoved it back into her pocket. "No, it's fine. It's just my parents. They uh… they didn't really want to let me come out here."
"Tch. You're like nineteen though." Suigetsu said.
"She's twenty-one jackass." Tayuya corrected.
He scowled and eyed her in annoyance. "Big fuckin deal. Still, you're grown. Why the short leash?"
"Uh… They're just super overprotective is all." She said in defense.
"Hah, that sounds like an understatement." He said as he shook his head. "I mean, damn it's like you're still a kid." He chuckle lightly. "'Make sure you're home before ten dear. You've got school tomorrow." For whatever reason, he chose her mother to mimic and he was left to chuckle awkwardly at his own bad joke as Tayuya and Karin gave him irritated looks. Ino just bit her lips, trying not to show the fact that she was actually embarrassed by how accurate that was.
"Shut up, you idiot!" Karin yelled, smacking the back of his head.
"Ah! Damn, it was a joke!" he defended as he nursed the spot on the back of his head.
Tayuya jumped into the fray. "Well stop with your stupid jokes! You're not funny you asshole!" Suigetsu flipped her off and took a drink of his beer.
Karin rolled her eyes. "Ignore him Ino. He's got the IQ of a lawn chair." He didn't even have the need to respond to that as he eyed the irritated Tayuya down with a mocking grin. "And uh, Ino honestly. Regarding the whole acting thing from earlier. Uh, if you're serious about trying it, I can definitely help you."
Ino smiled at her. "Oh, thanks Karin. I'm uh… I'm not too sure about it though."
"Whelp." Suigetsu said as he raised his beer to give a toast. Karin and Tayuya rolled their eyes, awaiting the next stupid comment he was no doubt about to make. Ino didn't outwardly show it, but she was honestly bracing herself for some kind of harsh proclamation. "As my father used to say. 'Do what you love, and you'll love what you do.' If it's not something you're sure about, then it's probably not what you're meant to do."
The three were all struck with surprise as they stared at him as if he suddenly grew a second head. Tayuya and Karin specifically. Ino was the first to break from her shock. "w-Wow. Uh.. That was actually kind of beautiful."
"Yeah, I've got my moments." He said in false arrogance. "But I'm uh. I'm serious. Karin's an actress because that's all she's ever wanted to do. I'm still working to find my place, but I know it's likely staring me in the face somehow. I just don't know what it is yet."
"Well, you are pretty stupid… maybe you're meant to hold signs outside of restaurants." Tayuya said, poking fun at what he actually does for work.
Suigetsu just chuckled sarcastically. "uhoh. Yeah maybe so. And you're a bitch. So, maybe prostitution will work out for you."
"Hey, fuck you, you fucking pervert!" She yelled as she flung her empty beer can at his head which he ducked.
"Stop you two." Karin said as if she were a mother breaking up a fight between her children. "Suigetsu is right though Ino. I mean, if you don't absolutely love it, then there won't be enough of a drive to seek it out." Ino nodded along, her demeanor dropping when she realized she really didn't have something like that. "What do you like to do?" Karin suddenly asked her.
She was surprised by the question, so she thought it over. "… Uh… I uh, I like helping people." She offered.
"Help people as in…?" Tayuya asked from her spot.
Ino wasn't sure about that either. "Umm… I don't know. Just… just help people in any way I can I guess.."
"Sooo like a doctor or something?" Suigetsu suggested.
"Mmm. No. We don't have the money for that." She said.
"Hey! How bout a cop!?" Tayuya exclaimed. "Dude, you'd make a badass policewoman!"
Ino chuckled and shook her head. "No. I don't like to fight."
"So. You like to help people… you don't have money for school… and you don't like fighting… hm. This is hard." Karin said as they all chuckled. "Uh, maybe you can… I don't know, become a teacher?"
"Hah! Probably not. She's awful at explaining things." Tayuya said. "She couldn't explain what kind of sandwich she had one time. It was the funniest thing ever."
Ino chuckled and shook her head. "Yeah. I don't think I'd like that either."
"Man, that sucks." Karin said as she thought it over. "You're as sweet as any teacher I've ever met…" Ino smiled at the compliment, but didn't speak on it. There was silence for a few moments until it was broken by a sudden rumble. They looked up to the graying sky, now fully aware of how late it was and the imminent storm coming. "Well, we should probably get out of here before it starts pouring."
They all stood up to give their goodbyes. "Thank you guys so much." Ino said to the couple. "It was really nice to meet you." She embraced Karin in a hug and shook Suigetsu's hand.
"Oh, it was great to meet you too. And hey I'm sure whatever you're meant to do in life is just staring you in the face. You'll know it when the time comes." Karin offered as some parting wisdom from a technical elder.
Suigetsu added on, speaking to her personally as the two sisters said their goodbyes. "And uh… as some parting advice, maybe you should drive home. Tayuya can't hold water properly. I wouldn't test it with beer."
"Shut up! God! You're such an idiot!" The redhead in question yelled as she hit him in the chest.
"Gah! I'm fuckin kidding! Damn!" he yelled, nursing the spot she hit. "Geez, take a joke!"
Tayuya rolled her eyes. "Whatever you asshole. Come on Ino." She said as they both waved back to Karin once more. From there, they got in their cars and headed out. Tayuya followed her sister out of the thickest of the woods until she knew where she was going. When they hit the main road that lead straight back to their little county of Konoha, they talked about the ordeal.
"So, whatcha think of my sister? Kind of bitchy right?" Tayuya asked, genuinely curious.
Ino shook her head. "No. She was actually really nice. I like her."
"Heh. She is a good actress. Believe me when her cycle comes around, earplugs and tampons aren't enough." She said with a chuckle. Ino chuckled as well and shook her head, having to take her word for it since she hasn't seen it "And what about her douchebag boyfriend? I told you he's a jackass."
"w-Well, he wasn't that bad." Ino said, not wanting to demonize someone when she just met them. Especially knowing Tayuya would likely bring it up in one of their future arguments. 'Even Ino thinks you're a dumbass!' or something along those lines. "It is a little surprising that they're together… Not to say they don't fit, it's just they're so… different."
"Hah! That's funny. Believe me on this one Ino. She was only happy-go-lucky preppy bitch because she's never met you. Wait a few months and you'll see. She's incredibly controlling and more of a bitch than me. Those two were made for each other." She explained much to Ino's confusion.
"Still. They just seem so… strange as a couple… how did they even get together?" she asked as she was curious.
"Oh. Well it's one of those stupid chick flick stories. He was the lifeguard at a pool and she was drowning yatta-yatta-yatta, he saved her life and now they're a couple. Six years strong." She explained briefly.
"Aw." Ino said with a smile as she imagined the way it probably played out from the short snippets she was given. "He saved her life. That's cute."
Tayuya rolled her eyes. "Tch. Yeah right dude. He saved her from drowning in a swimming pool that was only like five feet deep. MY future lover saved me from a haunted fucking mill… w-well from being stranded at a gas station after we escaped the haunted mill. That's a much better story than theirs! I should call lifetime right now!" she said with a chuckle. Ino chuckled lightly as well, feeling uncomfortable about the topic of the mill, or so she told herself.
"Heh… yeah…" She gazed out the side of her window, tree after tree passing by. Her brain lagged behind a bit and her mind went virtually blank. The sounds around her drowned out as if she were laying in water. Out her window, a little ways ahead of the car on her side, she could see smoke. It caught her attention and the closer they got, the more she could see the source. It was a two story house. A hollow sound of sirens caught her ears and she could see fire trucks and squad cars out front trying to fight the blaze. The closer they got the more she could see.
It was so much destruction. Pieces of the house were chipping off, but it was mostly still intact. The flames, although devastatingly vicious, were beautiful in color. They lit the greying sky like a beautiful painting, reminiscent of a sunset. They were nearly directly in front of it now, giving her a proper look into its windows. The bottom floor there was nothing she could see but fire and falling wooden beams. Now directly in front, she could hear horrifying screams. The most ghastly wails of pain she's ever heard. Her eyes drifted slowly up to the second floor and in the top window, a little girl in a white dress, staring right back at her. Not screaming, not trying to get out of the window, she was just staring right at her.
"Oh… my god…" She whispered lowly.
Tayuya glanced over to her. "w-… what?" She asked as she watched her cram her neck around. She looked into the rearview mirror, trying to see what she was looking at.
"That's awful…" she said lowly.
"What?" She asked a bit more irritated at not being answered.
Ino spun around to look at her in confusion. "That house… there was a little girl in there." She said. "I hope she's ok."
"What house?" Tayuya asked, ducking down to get a better look into the rearview mirror.
Ino cocked her head. "Are… a-Are you kidding?" She asked curiously. The look she received answered for her. "That house on f-…" she spun around in her seat to try and see if she could see the smoke from here. There was none. What the hell?
Tayuya glanced back and forth between the road and her blonde friend. "Uhm… you ok?" she asked as Ino spun back around. "… Ino?"
Snapping out of her momentary lapse, Ino shook her head. "Uh… yeah, I'm.. I'm fine. I jus…" She looked back once more just to make sure. Was she going crazy… again? Turning forward, she pulled her phone from her pocket. She opened it to see a shit ton of missed calls and unread messages from her parents. Ignoring those, she looked at the time. It was only seven. "Uh… do you… have to be somewhere?" She asked.
Tayuya glanced her way and shook her head. "Why? You got something in mind?" She asked.
Ino continued looking forward, confusion on her face. "Uh… yeah… actually…"
Walking up to the door of this moderately sized house, Ino looked around at the scenery of the neighborhood. It looked nice enough. Tayuya following close behind her confused about where they were. She was simply told they were going to meet a friend, not the name or the reason for the visit. As they walked, she received a piece of that information.
"This is uh… this is my friend Tenten's new house." She told her. "I just really didn't want to go home yet. I hope that's ok."
"Dude. It's no problem. You met my sister, so I'll meet your friend. Evens out and shit." She said as they drew closer. "Hey, if she's anything like you, she's probably cool."
Ino smiled. "Thanks. Actually, now that I think about it… she's sort of like both of us."
"Heh, really? Dude that's weird." She said. They stopped when the door opened and to the surprise of Ino, someone else came walking out.
"Kiba?" She asked curiously.
He froze with his hand on the door and stared down at the two girls awkwardly. When his brain finally caught up to him, he blinked and continued on. "Hey! Ino!" he said as he jogged down the steps. "You're uh… you're alive!" he said dramatically, implying about the last thing that happened to her that he knew about.
"Uh.. Yeah uh… this is my friend Tayuya." She said introducing the redhead.
Kiba turned to her and stuck his hand out. "Hey, it's great to meet you."
"I'mmm not shaking your hand." She said coldly as she kept her arms tucked over her chest. "I know who you are you tool." Ino told her the circumstances that lead to their near death experience in the woods. Safe to say, she remembered the name of the guy who put them in that situation.
He was confused but didn't voice it. "Uh-Ok well. I'm uh… I'm off to work then." He said as he scooted passed them. "I-… it was nice to see you.. Ino… and Yatuya." He said as he continued on much to their confusion.
Tayuya scowled at him the whole way until he got in his truck. When he was pulling out, she voiced her question. "Why the hell was he here?"
Ino turned back to the door, still glancing back every now and then to see his truck drive off. "I don't… I don't know." Finally they made it to the door and rang the doorbell. They waited for a few moments but nothing happened. Ringing it again, they waited a bit longer.
"Is she even here?" Tayuya asked.
Ino peered around, trying to peek into the little window next to the door. "The lights are on… She's here." She said when she noticed someone's silhouette going for the door. She stepped back next to Tayuya and waited.
When the door opened, they were struck with shock once again at what they saw. Well, Ino more so than Tayuya. There she was wearing a white tank top and basketball shorts. The most surprising thing was the quite noticeable bump of her belly that was not there the last time she saw her. They were stuck there in silence, just staring at each other.
Tayuya was the one to break the silence as she casually leaned over to Ino to whisper in her ear. "… Did you know she was pregnant?... I don't think you knew that." She was whispering loud enough for even Tenten to hear.
"Tenten… what the hell?" She asked more curious than anything.
Tenten sighed and turned around. "Come on in." They did as instructed and came in, Tayuya shutting the door behind her. Making their way to the scarcely set up living room, Tenten reclaimed her spot on the couch, covered in blankets and bags of chips. Ino sat on the other side of the same couch, leaving Tayuya on the love seat off to the side. Silence ensued once again as they just kind of sat there awkwardly. "Sssoooo… I'm pregnant." She said with a quip to her tone as if it were still a surprise.
"Yeah. I-I noticed." Ino said with a chuckle as she looked down to her stomach. "How far along are you?"
She thought it over for a moment. "Uh… two months or something like that." She said with a shrug.
"Holy shit! Is it that douchebag Kiba's!?" Tayuya yelled out before she realized.
Tenten answered before she thought about the question or who it came from "Fuckin' yes." She said in clear disappointment. "That stupid asshole… hey, wait. Who are you again?" she asked, finally realizing she didn't know this girl.
"Oh, uh. Tenten, this is Tayuya. Tayuya, Tenten." Ino said as Tayuya stood up and reached over shaking her hand.
"It's nice to meet you." Tayuya said. "And I'm sorry. I uh I didn't mean to offend yourrr… boyfriend?"
Tenten rolled her eyes, accepting the title given to him. "It's fine. It's nice to meet you too."
"So… wow… it's Kiba's huh?" Ino asked curiously. "That's…that's insane." There were no other words that came to mind. It was just a strange concept to understand. "That's why I haven't heard from you for a while."
"Yup." Tenten said with a bashful look on her face. "The shame of a pregnant girl who got kicked out of her house."
"Your parents kicked you out!?" Tayuya yelled incredulously. "Holy shit dude. That's cold."
Tenten shrugged. "They didn't technically kick me out, but they may as well have by how shitty they were treating me. I mean, trying to make me pay a bill and all that stupid shit. No! Me and Kiba just decided we might as well get a place for the mean time you know?" they nodded in understanding.
"So are you and Kiba like a thing now?" Ino asked curiously.
Tenten seemed unsure about it but ultimately nodded. "Yeah I guess. Honestly, I know he's an idiot, but he's actually been very supportive recently." She said. "He seems really excited to be a dad."
"Aw." Ino said at the thought of that. "So you guys are happy?"
Tenten smiled lightly. "Yeah I guess. When I first found out, I was more than a little upset. I mean, shit we both were. But, after we talked it over and got used to the idea, uh… we… it's gonna be alright."
Tayuya smiled at her as she watched her rub her stomach. In truth, she really loved babies. "Do you guys know the gender yet?" She asked curiously.
"We don't. I think it might be too early, but even if it's not we sort of want it to be a surprise." She said in reply.
A question rose in Ino's mind. "Have you told Sakura?"
"No dude." Tenten replied. "I haven't told anyone… no one knows except you and our parents… and Choji because Kiba told him." She said. "Besides she's been hung up with her boyfriend for like the past month or so. It's hard to even get a hold of her."
"Yeah I know." Ino replied.
"Geez that's kind of bitchy to forget your friends for a boyfriend." Tayuya commented.
Ino was about to respond in Sakura's defense, but Tenten beat her to it. "I know right! I mean shit. We've been friends forever. Least you can do is pick up the damn phone."
"Well, I think he lives in the city. So, maybe her phone doesn't always work up there." Ino said, trying to defend her although she knew it didn't make sense.
"Dude. That's the opposite of what happens." Tayuya said.
Tenten sat up a bit straighter. "It's just fucked up. She could at least call sometimes." She said. "…Maybe she's pregnant too!"
Ino and Tayuya looked at each other, both mentally agreeing it could definitely be a possibility. "n-… No I don't think so. She's probably just b-.." her phone vibrated in her pocket. Pulling it out, she sighed when she saw it was from her mother yet again. "I'm sorry Tenten. We've got to go. I just wanted to stop by and make sure you were ok." She said as she stood up.
Tayuya and Tenten both stood up as well, the latter leaning over and hugging Ino. "Well I'm fine. Thanks so much. And uh. It was really nice to meet you Tayuya." She said as she hugged her as well.
"You too. Surprisingly I like you." She said with a smile.
"Oh." Tenten said, confused by the surprising part. "Well, thanks. I like you too." The three of them walked towards the door, making plans to meet up sometime soon. When their final goodbyes were said, Ino and Tayuya headed out the door and back into her car.
"Well, I do say she's a very cool person." Tayuya said in a mimicking snobby tone, approving of Tenten yet again.
Ino smiled gently. "Yeah. She's great." She said as they zipped down the road, through this moderately quiet neighborhood. Checking the time on Tayuya's dashboard it was now ten. She thought back on the day she's had. It was fun. It was really fun. And nothing happened. She went into the woods and she emerged completely fine. That was something she could hold her head up about. So, when they pulled up to her house after a few minutes of driving, she got out with a bit of an extra pep in her step.
"Thanks Tayuya." She said before she shut the door. "Today was really fun. I know I was reluctant at first, but I really enjoyed myself today."
Tayuya smiled and tipped her imaginary hat. "Well, I do aim to please ma'am. Now shut my door! It's cold outside." Ino chuckled and did as instructed. She watched her drive off for a moment until she turned towards the house to unsurprisingly see her father's angry form standing at the door with his arms folder over his chest. She rolled her eyes and headed that way.
When she made it to the porch he stepped aside, allowing her to slip in. When she did, her mother stood there looking virtually the same. "What the hell happened to your phone young lady? We've been calling you all day." She said in a stern tone.
"It died." She lied with a shrug as she tried to head for the stairs.
"Ino." Her father called out just as she made it to the first step. She rolled her head back and stepped back down, looking his way. "We're going to talk… right now." He said gesturing towards the dining room.
"Dad. I'm really not in the m-.."
"Now Ino." Her mother said as she walked towards the table and claimed a seat. Ino grit her teeth and shook her head but followed her in. Taking a seat at the table, she stared across at her parents. Both of them clearly upset. "Ino, we understand that you're grown. Ok? We're not trying to take that away from you… but…"
Her father picked it up from there. "But you are not ready for the world yet."
She sighed. "Yes I am… I know you think that I'm not, but look at me." She said with a bit of a desperate quip to her voice. "I- I went to the woods and I'm back. Nothing happened to me, I'm completely fi-.."
"This is not about you going to the woods Ino." Her mother said, cutting her off. "It's about you disobeying us when we tell you something… We're only doing this to protect you."
She chuckled lightly. "But, I don't need to be protected. I'm not a kid anymore." She argued.
"Until you can provide for yourself, you are." Inoichi said with snap to his tone.
Ino was not backing down. "I can provide for myself."
"The diner is not enough Ino!" He yelled out in frustration. "What the hell are you gonna do with that kind of money!?"
"It's a start!" She yelled back. "What do you want me to do!? I can't find another job!"
Kiori placed her hand on the table. "Calm down. Look, nobody said you had to." She said trying to ease the tension. "Just make your job listening to us for a while."
"Mom, I ca-… I can't… I have to get out of here…" She said tears brimming in her eyes.
Kiori shook her head. "No you don't."
"I do!" Ino said, her voice growing meeker and meeker as she held down that lump in her throat. "I can't… I can't stay here the rest of my life."
"Well that's tough shit!" Inoichi said, still heated about the previous clash.
"Dear!" Kiori said, raising a hand to him as he got up to pace around. She turned back to Ino, her motherly instincts kicking in as she placed a hand over hers. "Ino… there is no rush for you to leave… you just got back five months ago… We just got you back fi- months ag-.." She said choking on her own words as she covered her mouth to suppress her own crying.
"Mom…" Ino said regaining some composer. "Mom, I… I see my friends and… and they're all… they're moving on with their lives… moving out of their parents houses… working towards careers and I'm just… I'm stuck.. here."
"They've had more time to adjust to the world than you have Ino." Inoichi said, calming down a bit as he rubbed the tiredness from his eyes. "… Alright, you were back for THREE MONTHS before we almost lost you again." He said as he rubbed his forehead in irritation. "Three months Ino… You're like a-a… a walking magnet for trouble or something."
"B-hut dad." She chuckled out. "I went back into the woods, and I ma-.."
"This is not about the goddamned woods!" He yelled out in frustration as he hit the table hard enough to rattle the center piece and silence whatever she was about to say. Kiori was also struck with silence. "You're so hung up on making it back! That's not the issue! What if something did go wrong?" he asked hypothetically.
Ino shook her head and was about to respond with an amused tone. "Dad, nothing went wr-.."
"What if it did!?" He said, raising his voice yet again.
She stopped and stared up into his daring eyes. "… Then I would have called the police." She said as if it were obvious.
"Yeah?" he asked with a condescending nod. "… What part of the woods were you in?"
"…"
"…What road did you take to get there?"
"…"
"… What kind of car does Tayuya drive?" She remained silent, quite honestly looking foolish for not being able to answer a single one of those questions. "And what if it were another case like that cult? You think the cops would have known how to find you if you were taken?"
"Then, I would have called Naruto!" she yelled out, as if she popped a huge hole in his balloon of logic.
"He's not gonna be around every time you're in trouble Ino!" He yelled again. He was honestly very upset at how simple minded she seemed in this moment. "You were lucky enough he was nearby that first time! He may not even be in Konoha right now!" Just as he said that, the doorbell rang.
They all looked towards the door which was visible from where they were sitting. Inoichi sighed and walked towards it. It was late, who could that be? Unlocking the door, he opened it and instantly was hit with a feeling of stupidity. For there he was, sporting a black leather jacket, a white t-shirt, some khaki pants and black boots. Ghost sitting next to him staring up at Inoichi with his tale waging.
Naruto could feel the heavy tension from where he was and he could deduce something was going on. The red stained face of Kiori was pretty easy to go by as well. "… is this a bad time?" he asked. "I saw your light on before I drove by. So I was wondering if you could take care of Ghost for a few hours." He explained.
Inoichi coughed to clear his voice, hoping they seemed as normal as possible. "Uh, yeah. Yeah no problem. I uh… yeah." He said awkwardly.
Naruto nodded and whistled Ghost inside. The black pooch ran inside, attacking the two women at the table with licks and excited paws of fury, unaware of their saddened state. Naruto nodded to them as he waved from the door way. Just before he turned to leave, Inoichi called out to him.
"Uh, actually if you're not too busy. Could I get a word with you?" he asked, gesturing into his office which was right next to the front door. Naruto checked his watch and shrugged.
"Sure, I've got a couple of minutes." He said as he followed him in, shutting the door as he entered. Now that he was in, he offered Kiori a small smile. "Nice to see you again Mrs. Yamanaka."
"t-Thanks, you too.. Naruto…" He waved at Ino briefly, also offering her a smile as he entered Inoichi's home office.
When he shut the door, it left Kiori and Ino at the table, Ghost resting between Ino's legs as she scratched his head. Kiori rubbed her eyes once more. "We'll talk about this in the morning Ino… just know your father and I love you very much… and we just want what's best for you." She walked around and gave her a kiss on the top of her head before she headed up stairs. Ino waited for a moment before she also headed upstairs, Ghost naturally following her as she was the last one he saw.
When he entered the room, Inoichi was pacing in front of his desk. "So. What can I do for you?" Naruto asked curiously as he shook Inoichi's hand. It was almost like this was his office.
Inoichi accepted the gesture and thought about it. "Uh. Well, I was uh… I was talking to our landlord… aaand he says you paid our late rents?" Inoichi asked curiously.
Naruto tilted his head from side to side. "Well, he's lying to you." He proclaimed casually. "I didn't pay him anything on your behalf."
"Oh… w-well, he just told me you took care of it somehow." Inoichi said in confusion, not knowing what that meant if he didn't pay their late fees.
"No, I bought the property." He said as if it were the most casual thing in the world to utter. Almost like he was telling him he bought a big of chips at the store.
Inoichi was stuck there, his brain unable to comprehend those words he just said. All he knew up to this point was that Naruto was able to extend their deadline. He had only recently spoken to their landlord a few days ago. "… y-you what?" He asked, not even sure he understood him there.
Naruto gave him a strange look. He was sure he said it clearly. "I uh… I bought the property… this property…" Inoichi still seemed confused. "Your house." He said as if to clear it up for him.
"You bo-… you bought our house?" He asked, still not sure that made any sense to him.
He nodded. "Yeah, I bought it. So, I'm just sort of… your new landlord I guess." He said with a shrugged. "I uh. I just scraped off those three months of none payment as uh… well payment from me to you to take care of Ghost while I'm down here."
"… Hold on-hold on wait… you bought… our house?" He asked, still in disbelief. "w-… Why?"
Naruto shrugged. "Uh… well when I was speaking to my friend about getting you guys an extension on your deadline, he first told me he couldn't do it. Said you guys weren't his only renter's not paying their rent so he was going to have to sell his least expensive home to the bank… that was you guys. For a house this size, you guys were really paying less than it's worth. He always underprices his places, but the bank would have likely doubled the rent, putting you into an even tighter spot, so I just figured I'd buy it from him same price and save you some trouble.
Even after that explanation, Inoichi just couldn't wrap his head around it. "… You bought our house…" he stated as he shook his head and stared him in the eye. "How?" he finally asked. "Seriously. I just kind of need to know exactly how you're getting your money… i-I'm not accusing you of being a world class thief or something. I just… I need to know."
Naruto looked at him for a few moments before he answered. "I uh… I own a few small businesses up in a little town in Kiri." He said with a shrug.
"A few small businesses? What like a corner store?" he asked.
Naruto hummed and tilted his head side to side. "Yeah, a shop or two." He said, being very vague about it.
"Sooo… you're rich?" he asked curiously.
Naruto shrugged. "sssome people would say that, I guess." He said.
"What uh… what kind of shops are they exactly?" He asked.
"Oh, just some uh… some local shops, a grocery mart stuff like that. Nothing big."
Inoichi nodded. "… you… you bought our house…" he said, still amazed by this. "So, I uh. I'm sending the rent to you now?" he asked, not sure how they were doing things.
"Uh, no. Not yet. You'll keep sending it to the same place for the next two months. A letter should be coming in within that time frame explaining the switch in homeowners and where the rent should be sent." He said with a nod of his head.
Inoichi sighed and shook his head. "Uh… thank you man… really thank you…" he said, truly grateful for his deed. "Before you go, could I… ask you why you did all this… for us?"
Naruto smiled and turned back to that picture on his wall of Inoichi, Kiori and Ino. "Because… you have a lovely family Inoichi… and you're a good man… You care for your family a lot and I admire that. Sometimes, even good people need a break now and then."
"Naruto… again, I could never repay you for all you've done for us." He said desperately.
Naruto just waved him off. "It's no big deal Inoichi. I was uh… planning on getting into real estate anyways."
"Beyond that." Inoichi said sternly. "You've done so much for us… I can't even tell you how thankful I am." He said almost desperately.
Naruto nodded to him and stuck his hand out. "… No need. I'm just glad I can help. I appreciate you guys looking after Ghost. I should only be a few hours. If uh… if you guys are going to be asleep, then it would be fine if you just leave him in the backyard. I can get him from there."
"There's no need. Uh.. One of us will be up. I'll make sure one of us is up." He said, shaking his hand yet again, still in clear incredulity from their previous conversation.
"Thank you again Inoichi. You have a nice night." He said as he headed out the door and out the house. Inoichi nodded and watched him leave until he climbed in his car. With a sigh, he shut the door and turned around. He smiled in absolute disbelief and jogged up the stairs to tell Kiori the news.
Author's Note: Pretty slow chapter, but this is the pivotal point in which things take action… well, next chapter is the pivotal point in which things take action. Read on readers. Stick with me in this. The set-up is the most grueling part of it all.