A/N: Crap. I don't know what's wrong with ffdotnet. I tried to put this chapter up a few days ago but it didn't work. Gomen for the delay. Blame this site, not me.

Chapter 11: Leap of Faith

Shikamaru slammed the nearly crumpled envelope against the white surface of Ino's kitchen counter angrily, finding the said blonde wasn't at home. The view of the empty apartment greeted his sight once he unlocked and spread the door open. There was no sign of human presence around except him.

The living room, bedroom, bathroom, balcony, the kitchen… It was all empty.

Dammit! Shikamaru hissed. Anger flared up inside him. Where the hell is she?!

He had to see her fast. He could not hold his proposal any longer, he needed to say it right, say it all to Ino at this damned second, before Ino could even see the handsome face of Shinkai Hajime, before Ino could even think of his proposal, before Ino could be persuaded by her mother to accept the said proposal. Ino had to say yes to him, she just had to marry him and become his wife.

But how could he drop on his knees and utter the troublesome question without her standing before him? He couldn't just say "Will you marry me?" to the wall, could he?

Shinkai Hajime's face came haunting him once again. Yes, the guy was undoubtedly good looking and almost perfect with his good qualities, too. Shikamaru was sure that Ino won't hesitate at all to marry him. Shikamaru recalled their younger days, where almost every time he saw Ino jumped and glomped her childhood crush, the famous and irresistible Uchiha Sasuke. That girl loved pretty boys like Sasuke, and Shinkai Hajime was pretty much the same kind.

Whatever. Shikamaru pushed his thoughts away. The longer the guy was in his mind, the anger he got. There was no point in thinking that issue now. The first and foremost thing he had to do was to find Ino and propose.

"Ah! Maybe you should go and ask Sakura. The old lady next door told me that the last time she saw Ino she was with her."

Sakura. Shikamaru decided to find that girl now. Maybe she had a clue to Ino's whereabouts or if he was lucky, Ino probably was with her.

With a renewed hope, Shikamaru stormed out of the apartment and hit the road, attempting to search for a certain bubblegum-haired kunoichi.

x

Maybe luck was really by his side or the heavens pitied him, because less in five minutes Shikamaru found the object of his searching.

Haruno Sakura, the medic-nin and also happened to be the Godaime Hokage apprentice just stepped out of the hospital alone when Shikamaru saw her. Ino obviously wasn't with her.

She almost jumped when suddenly a shadow hovered upon her without warning. Sakura didn't see Shikamaru coming, even didn't feel his presence. The shadow user looked so tensed, so worried. "Shikamaru…" She greeted the approaching colleague.

"Sakura," his voice was tight, his expression was cold, and his breathing was harsh. "Have you seen Ino?"

Slowly, Sakura nodded. "Yes. Some moments ago. Why?"

"Do you possibly know where she is right now? I have something really important to tell her."

The pink brows were raised in surprise. "You're asking me where is Ino? What? You didn't know?"

Now Shikamaru was the one who surprised. "What makes you think I knew?"

"Because Ino said that she – oh, crap." Sakura smacked her forehead, sighing heavily. "She didn't tell you, did she?"

"What?"

"Ino didn't come to see you before she left? If I remember correctly, she said she wanted to tell you, she had to tell you that she's leaving for a mission."

Shikamaru felt his blood vaporize hearing the word mission. "A mission?!"

"Yeah, Tsunade-shishou gave her a mission just a little while ago." Shikamaru's face turned a lot darker. Oh, he was mad.

"And she accept it?!"

"The mission requires Yamanaka clan special abilities, and since Ino's the only available Yamanaka around, she had no choice but to accept."

It must be the spying mission and the mission ranked at least B, Shikamaru thought. That's dangerous, dammit! His rage reached the highest level. It was easy to get hurt, she could've received fatal damage on her body or worse, she could've been killed. Ino's safety, their baby's safety… It was all in Shikamaru's head right now.

"Where is the mission takes place, Sakura?" Pursuing Ino might be a good idea.

"Suna." Sakura seemed to know what he was thinking. It was all reflected in his face. Surely she could've agreed if he tell her about his plan.

Or maybe not.

"But I'm sorry, Shikamaru. You cannot go after her."

"Why?"

"Because the mission is not Konoha's. It's Suna's. And it's Ino's solo mission. She was requested personally by Suna council. Once she arrives, she'll team up with the Suna shinobis and carry out the mission together. Suna needs her abilities to complete the mission. You cannot interfere with other ninja villages' mission, Shikamaru, you know that. Just forget about pursuing her, shishou won't allow you."

"Damn!" Shikamaru hissed, knowing it was true. It was not his place to meddle in Suna's business. They probably had everything taken care of for the mission. His presence might give them trouble. "But could I just request to be the back up? We've done that numerous times, being Suna's back up, that is."

"In open battle, yes." Sakura answered. "But in silent battle, no."

"What do you mean?"

"You should know by now that Ino's mission is a spying mission, Shikamaru. And spying mission didn't require many people to carry it out. The less is better. And there will be no fight, so any back ups are not needed."

"There will be no fight?" Shikamaru couldn't believe his ears. "That's ridiculous! Any mission, even walking a dog could involve a fight, Sakura! Ino's mission is a spying mission; it ranks at least B! Fights, battles, injuries, deaths… Those are common things in B-ranks missions and ups! And you assured me there will be no fight?"

"The mission will not involve a fight, Shikamaru." Sakura recalled the mission's briefing she heard back in the Hokage's office. "Believe me."

x

"Suna's higher ups suspect that there's a traitor in their council. They found out that recently some sealed documents and information had been exposed to their enemies. They've investigated a few suspicious people but they couldn't figure out who the traitor is because the result shows that everybody is clean. No evidences whatsoever, very strong alibis." Tsunade signaled Shizune to lay out the rest of the details.

"Suna suggests that they should observe the six suspects doing everyday lives and find out any crack or info or clue regarding who the traitor is. However, the observation must be carried out secretly. That's why Suna came to us, because they knew some of our ninjas have the suitable jutsus to carry out the plan." Shizune handed the commission sheet to Ino. "They need the Yamanaka clan's spying techniques, Shintenshin no Jutsu."

Ino read the formal words printed on the white sheet with Sakura peered over her shoulder and read along. "So all I need to do is become one of the suspect's family members and dig out as much information as I could?" The blonde asked once she finished reading the paper. "Meaning I have to find the mole by taking over their mind?"

"Exactly."

Seeing Ino stiffened, Tsunade spoke, "Don't worry. Suna will back you up in any way their can and your safety is their top priority. As long as your disguise goes smoothly, you'll have nothing to worry about. I know it's hard for you to carry this mission alone and there are six suspects you need to observe, but I believe you can do it and bring it to success. Suna will monitor your performance and if you do well, they can be your sponsor for the next jounin promotion. You'll be a proud asset to Konoha."

Ino slowly nodded, seeing the golden chance fell into her hands. This is it! Her heart screamed with joy. My chance of getting a promotion! If she take the mission, it would be easier for her to become a jounin. It was not like she didn't believe in herself, but it was known to every chuunin that the jounin exam was ten times harder than the chuunin exam. It was difficult to pass, that was the reason why there were very few jounin ninjas around.

With the whole Suna council as her sponsor, passing the jounin exam should be a piece of cake.

"Okay!" Ino gave her approval. "I take this mission."

"Good." Tsunade smiled.

"But how long this mission is going to take?" Sakura butted in. She was worried about her best friend. Staying long in Suna probably won't do any good to her. Ino's pregnancy was still unstable. She'll do a lot of throw-ups and judging from the high temperature in the desert village, it was not impossible for Ino to faint or experience some difficulties easily. She had to appear in perfect condition to Suna shinobis' eyes. Suspicion was the least Ino needed right now.

"Depends." Shizune answered. "Now you need to get ready because you are to leave soon, Yamanaka Ino. You'll go to Suna with an escort."

x

"Oh, gosh…" Sakura groaned, cursing herself silently. "I shouldn't tell you this…"

Shikamaru ignored her grunt. "So, what Ino have to do in the mission is just taking over some people's mind and find the mole?"

Sakura nodded. "That's correct."

"And you said that this mission isn't going to involve a fight?"

"Yeah. As long as Ino –" Sakura inhaled sharply. A sudden realization about the possible circumstances hit her. "As long as Ino…mask her disguise perfectly…"

His thin lips were tight with worry and anger. Shikamaru felt like he was going to go crazy. "If the suspects find out that they're being watched, surely Ino – damn, they probably won't hesitate at all to stab her with a kunai, family or not!"

"Let's just pray that it won't happen, Shikamaru." Sakura cut his words. "Ino mastered the jutsu well. And her acting skill is amazing. I'm sure you're well aware of that. She'll do great, for sure."

"But –"

"Don't worry. Have a little faith in her."

But Shikamaru's wariness hadn't lessened at all, not even a bit. He looked like he was about to explode. "Who is her escort to Suna?"

"I don't know." Sakura replied. "Probably some Suna shinobi goes back home. Why – hey, where are you going?"

"I need to talk to Godaime." Shikamaru answered gruffly, heading to the right direction.

"What?! Are you still with the idea of being the back up, Shikamaru?" Sakura quickly snatched his arm, putting his walk into a halt. The look Shikamaru threw at her answered her question. "I've told you shishou won't listen to you!"

"I should be in this mission, too, Sakura! Only I suits Ino's jutsu well. Suna shinobi doesn't know how to handle her once her mind leaves her body. Besides, Ino's unwell. I have to take care of her, I promised her that." Shikamaru yanked his arm away from her grasp. "Ino's safety, our baby's safety is my top priority. I hope you understand me, Sakura."

"And I hope you understand me, Shikamaru!" Sakura grabbed his arm once again. "This information about Ino's mission is supposed to be a secret. It's Suna's confidential business! I'll be dead if shishou finds out I spread the words around!"

"But I'm worried!"

"Stop being childish! Have you ever thought about the possible circumstances if you carry on with your careless act? Requesting to be a back up only will cause shishou's curiosity! She would want to know why the lazy you demands such request! She would want to know why you want to go after Ino! She wouldn't be fooled by any of your genius reasons." Sakura shot a dangerous look. "She would suspect that something's wrong with Ino."

"Godaime won't find out that Ino's pregnant." Shikamaru gritted his teeth, controlling the beginning outburst of his temper. "I'll make sure –"

"Or she would. Our Hokage is an intelligent woman." Sakura's grip on Shikamaru's arm was tight. "First, she'll question you how you get your ears on this. Second, she'll question me why I tell you all this. Third, she'll question you back why you want to know about this. You couldn't simply say that you're worried about Ino, and that you are her teammate and teammates should carry out the mission together. It's not like the first time you and Ino does mission separately. Shishou will question what it is about Ino that you're so worried about. And there'll be lots of why to come after that. Don't put our secret at stake, Shikamaru. As much as I want to tell shishou about this, sadly I can't because I promised Ino I'll keep my mouth shut until she gives her approval – along with yours."

"Sakura –"

"Just have a little faith in Ino. I'm sure she'll make it home alive."

Shikamaru breathed hard, slowly surrendering to Sakura's wise words. True, what she said all made sense. "Geez, I've told her to not take missions anymore…" His voice sounded like a whine. "Why can't she just listen to me?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh, like you don't know how stubborn Ino is. She won't listen to anybody once she gets her mind fixed on something, even someone superior to her like her dad."

"This is such a drag." Shikamaru paced back and forth furiously. "I couldn't take it if this situation happens again in the future. What should I do or say to make her listen to me, Sakura?"

The pink-haired kunoichi looked at him long. Her gaze was sharp and meaningful. "I don't know, Shikamaru…" She answered carefully. "Maybe you just have to be someone who has a full right on her."

Shikamaru mentally kicked himself. Of course by being Ino's husband, it was easy for him to blast his restriction, his strict control on her, to make her listen to his every word. Why was he so slow when it came to things like this? Damn, he should've thought of marrying her the moment she broke the news that she was pregnant with his child.

And now Ino wasn't in Konoha and there was a proposal from some rich guy – a competition to him. Shikamaru was trapped between the dilemmas; Ino's safety and Ino's answer.

It was just a matter of time for Shikamaru to finally breathe at ease and until then, all he needed to keep himself sane while Ino was away, out of his sight, was only a leap of faith.

How troublesome.

…to be continued.

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