Chapter 12: Proposition
Warning: bad language and adult themes!
enjoy!
Ino rushed through the hallways of the hospital with Genma in hot pursuit.
Genma didn't think Ino was aware that when the medic nin had summoned her she'd immediately clasped his hand. He didn't think she was aware that she hadn't let go yet and was pulling him behind her as he tried not to stumble. Her mind was on her father, not him, but still her fingers curled tightly around his own and gripped him in such a way that only a shinobi could.
He could hear her breath thundering from her throat as she pushed them both on, dodging the trolleys and patients and medics that obstructed her path to her father.
"Ino!" The shout down the corridor was from Sakura and Ino sped up.
"Sakura," she gasped, breathing hard, "what happened? Is he okay?" Sakura was smiling, thank fuck, thought Genma.
"He's fine, Ino," Sakura said, "he woke up about an hour ago."
"Fuck," was all she could manage, her fingers tightening around Genma's hand. He reciprocated the gesture, trying to keep how much they probably did look like a couple to other people from his mind, now wasn't the time for distancing himself from her.
"He came around for about a minute and then was out again. But he's woken up a few times in the hour and he's getting more lucid each time."
"What about my Mum?"
"She was with him when he woke up first time," Sakura said, "he didn't do much, just smiled and squeezed her hand and went back to sleep again. I sent someone to get you ages ago; I thought he might need some daughterly encouragement to wake up."
Ino nodded.
"Sorry, I was just loosing myself for the day," Ino told her and Genma just caught the tiny motion of Sakura's green eyes darting from Ino to him; no doubt she thought that her best friend had spent her day lost in Konoha's easiest player, I wish Sakura-chan, he thought. Sakura smiled uneasily at them both and possibly because she couldn't think of anything positive to say of their supposed relationship she decided not to comment and turned professional.
"There were a few complications," she said, "because his organs were exposed for a short amount of time, we were worried about a bacterial infection in the exposed tissues but he'll be okay, he's on antibiotics. He's a tough guy, your dad," Sakura said, "he's got a few years left in him yet." Ino smiled and laughed; it was carefree and genuinely happy, Genma liked that sound. "You can go in and see him if you want," Sakura told her.
"Thank you so much," Ino cried, flinging her arms around the pink-haired medic, her hand sliding out of Genma's.
In the end Genma had sauntered home after being informally dismissed. He'd stayed for a while, hovering outside the room, just in case Inoichi woke up and wanted to know what had happened, he guessed he would be able to fill him in more than most others would but in the time he waited the blond did not wake up. Ino and her mother were sitting by his bedside, the air of tension seemingly gone since both were smiling and talking easily. Ino was fine now, she didn't need him there, so he'd left.
He supposed he'd used up his daily quota of her time anyway; the rest belonged to her family. It flitted across his mind briefly that it might be nice to have a bigger share of her time, but it was gone as soon as it had come because realistically why should he? He wasn't willing to go down that route with any one any time soon, despite the fact that he turned forty in a week and two days and felt like he should actually be settling down a bit, not necessarily with a girl, just changing stuff, becoming an adult at last.
Genma looked at his watch, it was four twenty six; on the way home he calculated that he was thirty nine years, eleven months, three weeks, four hours and twenty seven minutes old. Working it out to the minute didn't make him feel any better though. Tomorrow night he'd drown his sorrows, he decided; no women, no getting roped into any poker games, no fights, just a few hours of unadulterated drinking so he could forget that he was thirty nine years, eleven months, three weeks, four hours and twenty seven minutes old. Twenty eight minutes old now, he thought bitterly as he reached his apartment and caught the time from the clock on the wall through his apartment's windows.
He knew if he went back to the Jounin building now he'd only be made to do more admin work that was meant for someone much busier than he, but that could be sponged off on him. He couldn't be bothered. Genma loved being a Jounin and an ANBU but hated the admin that went with it. He was just deciding that he would gather some equipment then go looking for someone to fight (possibly Kaito, he mused) when he saw the note taped to his door, written in Raidou's scrawl.
'Come to ANBU building for Wave mission: part 2'
Brilliant. That meant more poring over maps, more cocky ANBU strategists, more paper work, more of everything he hated.
By the time Ino realised Genma had gone home it was about seven o' clock that evening. She began to feel a bit guilty about pulling her after him then forgetting about him as soon as her father came into view but then again it seemed sort of apt considering the state of their relationship. As she walked home, hands in pockets and body hunched against the cold a beautiful ANBU had flitted before her in an immaculate uniform with a brightly painted bird mask pulled down over their face.
"Yamanaka Ino," the ANBU stated.
"Yes?"
"You are wanted at ANBU headquarters."
"Now?" Ino was starving. The ANBU nodded once and said nothing more. "Why?" she asked, have I done something wrong? The ANBU gave no indication either way, tension mounted in Ino's chest, she hadn't done anything wrong, had she?
"Wanted by who?" she asked, wondering if this question would be answered.
"ANBU team 081." This meant nothing to Ino.
"Who?" At length and as the ANBU stood motionless and speechless Ino sighed. "Fine," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and watching as the ANBU turned quickly at her words and seemingly disappeared into thin air.
Ino took a deep breath. The elation of seeing her father alive and stirring to consciousness drained from her body as she considered going into the ANBU building; in working use the ANBU HQ was terrifying, especially to a little Chunin kunoichi who specialized in medical and mostly submissive jutsu; she could hold her own in a fight and was an asset to any team but still, she was hardly ANBU standard. The building didn't help either, being naturally imposing with its large, dark frontage and, inside, shadowy marble effect floor and heavy metal doors. Everything was plain but not boringly so, it was professional and severe, all angular corners and deep, dusky colours.
To make matters worse the building was deathly silent when she entered, a few Jounin dotted the monotony of darkness, milling around the place clad in their beige-grey uniform but with their masks pulled up so their identity was visible. They stared at Ino as she passed, stared as she shifted her eyes over them, stared as she angled her eyes self-consciously to the ground, and stared as she shuffled over to the main desk behind which a dark haired secretary sat.
"Uh – hello I was asked to come he-"
"Name." the brunette barked sharply.
"Ino – uh – Yamanaka Ino." The woman behind the desk took a long time scrutinising her, from her pretty blonde hair to her well worn shoes, then back up again, her mouth twisting down at the corners when she encountered her exposed midriff and legs; Ino tried unsuccessfully to pull her purple top down to her hips. The secretary next moved to a list of names she had written on a clip board next to her desk before tilting her piercing eyes back to Ino.
"Who asked you to come?"
"I – I don't know," Ino said, trying not to feel like a little girl being interrogated by a particularly nasty teacher. I'm not a school girl! Collecting herself she stood up straight realising she'd been shrinking back from the intimidating secretary, she's only a secretary, she told herself, not even a shinobi, you may not be an ANBU but at least you're a Chunin! "Actually...it was team 081 – I think." The woman paused for a second, one pencilled eyebrow raised. Ino was really beginning to dislike this woman. After the pause she sat forward in her chair, placing her arms delicately on the table in front of her.
"Well dear," she said, stressing the pet name in a most hideously condescending manner that made Ino bristle. She strongly suspected that was its intended reaction. "Well dear, I think you've wondered into the wrong building," she said, smiling a sickly sweet smile that crinkled her eyes annoyingly and looked altogether cruel in nature. Ino felt anger prickle up her spine.
"Then what? I just go? And disregard an order from an ANBU official?" Ino snapped, emboldened by the irritation this woman was stirring in her. And she was still starving hungry!
"I think you've been misinformed," the secretary stated firmly. Anger bubbled over into Ino's mouth, ready to depart some nastiness of her own.
"Well I think you've been – "
"Ino?" Ino turned, thankfully recognising the smiling face of her one time fellow medic, Akina.
"Akina!" Thank god, she thought, turning away fully from the stupid secretary and relieved to do so.
Ino and Akina had studied medicine together at one point before she decided it really wasn't for her and took up a job at ANBU admin. They'd got pretty close in the few months they both toiled to become medics but the two hardly ever had time to see each other now.
"It's team 081 that want you," Akina said brightly, sliding her arm through Ino's so they were linked, "they're in S11, I'll show you." Ino just had time to look over her shoulder an aim a smirk at the brunette at the front desk before being pulled away by Akina. "I told Tarou to get you but he was just coming off his shift and he was really reluctant," Akina was saying, "I should have known he'd only do half the job," she sighed. "So anyway a little birdie told me that you and Genma are going steady." Ino laughed.
"No," she said, "no way, can you imagine Genma going steady with anyone." Akina could actually, it had almost happened, but she'd never tell anyone that.
"So it's not true? That's a shame."
"A shame? Why?"
Akina shrugged.
"That man needs to be reigned in some time or one day he'll wake up old and alone and have a mid-life crisis. I've seen it happen to shinobi before, they think they're invincible, see?"
Ino nodded slowly.
"Do...do you think he ever would settle down? With one woman only?" she asked hesitantly.
Akina shrugged again.
"He may do, why? Feeling up to the task?"
Ino laughed.
"It sounds like a job for someone who has a lot of time and patience."
"And that isn't you?" Akina asked.
Ino felt her cheeks start to glow.
"Me?"
"Only I was talking to Suzu who did the night shifts at the hospital the other night and she said the two of you looked very cosy."
Ino stared at Akina, her eyes wide.
"It wasn't like that!" she exclaimed.
"Really?" Akina was smirking, "Then what was it like?"
"We're just friends," Ino insisted.
"We're just friends, but I don't jump into bed with you."
Ino could feel herself becoming flustered.
"He was comforting me because my dad was ill, that was all." Akina raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "Anyway," Ino huffed, "if you heard that rumour you'd also hear the one Kaito's been mouthing off about."
"I did," she said, pulling the large metal door in front of them open and ushering Ino through, "but I didn't believe it, Genma's good in bed." It was Ino's turn to turn her raised eyebrows on her friend.
"And you would know through first hand experience?" Akina smiled.
"Maybe," she said, they walked along in silence for a while. A nervous feeling began dancing in Ino's stomach as she read the name plates of the doors they were passing, S1, S2, S3, S4... Akina spoke again, "why? Jealous?"
Ino scoffed. "Why would I be?"
Akina shrugged.
"There's truth behind every rumour Ino," she said.
"I know there is, but what does that have to do with anything? We had sex, so what? Half the girls in Konoha have had sex with him, what's so extraordinary about me doing it?"
"Because, it just is. Yuugao thinks he really likes you, she says you're not disposable to him like the others."
"What?"
Akina stopped outside a door, a door that read 'S11', Ino felt her insides churn with apprehension, what did ANBU want her for?
"Listen Ino, Genma is a hard nut to crack, but he is crackable," she said, deadly serious.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean..." she looked directly at Ino, then sighed, "I just mean that...Yuugao knows a lot about Genma, she knows what's good for him and she thinks you're good for him."
"Maybe, but it's Genma that's got to be convinced, not Yuugao."
"So you mean you would like him to think you were good for him."
"I...I..." she was getting flustered again, and confused, she didn't like to think about this aspect of their relationship and it was confusing all the other things she felt about him. "I never said that!"
"Ino, I really think – " but Ino never got to know what she really thought because the door to S11 was opening and Ino was being pulled inside by an unfamiliar man in standard Jounin dress.
"Thanks Akina," he murmured as the door closed.
At first a chill of fear struck Ino as she looked around the room and saw five ANBU seated at a long, rectangular conference table. Then she noticed that it was only Raidou, Genma, Shikamaru, Shikaku and another shinobi who she knew to be Ito Daisuke, the only slightly injured ANBU from Genma's last mission, and relaxed somewhat. But still she had no idea what they wanted from her.
The five of them looked at Ino in silence before breaking out into a flurry of negative remarks.
Daisuke tilted his head as he studied Ino quizzically, "I don't get it."
"No, no way," Shikamaru had crossed his arms from his position at the head of the table and was shaking his head as he said this.
"This is your amazing plan? Ino?" Ino was slightly disgruntled at this comment and narrowed her eyes at Raidou, "sorry Ino," he amended, "but you know what I mean." She didn't actually, she didn't have a clue.
"Oh come on, guys," the unfamiliar Jounin said, "it's not like any of you have come up with any better ideas."
"This is an ANBU mission, she's a Chunin!"
"She's an adequate replacement for Inoichi, he wasn't an ANBU either."
"No, but he was a Jounin, he had experience and developed techniques and..."
"Alright, I know but it's the same principle, they're of the same clan, and besides, now we've got a medic."
Shikamaru shook his head again. "No." was all he said.
The defeated and still unknown Jounin turned to Genma, the only one sitting around the table who had, as of yet, remained silent.
"Genma?" he asked, a hint of pleading to his voice as he invited him to give his view on the situation.
Genma looked up at the Jounin then down to Ino, studying her, watching as her eyes sought his, shining a deep, crystal blue, and her perfectly unmarred skin, the way her lips quirked upwards slightly in a smile at the attention he was giving her. Then he imagined the dangers of the mission they would be undertaking together, how cold her eyes could turn in response to the violence she might witness and how bloodied and marked her skin would go if the worst came to the worst. She was important to him, and he didn't mind that she was. Could he do his job properly knowing what might happen to her? Could be fight properly knowing she was in the fray as well?
"No," he said, finally switching his gaze back to the Jounin, "she's not appropriate for the mission." At which point Ino had had enough of their cryptic messages to one another and spoke for the first time.
"Wait a minute," she said, cutting across what the unknown Jounin was about to say, "what mission?" She turned to the only person in the room who was enthusiastic about her possible role in the mission, "why me?" But it was Shikamaru who responded, sighing exaggeratedly.
"It doesn't matter," he told her, "because we've all decided-"
"Hang on!" she interjected, "don't I get a say in it?"
Shikamaru didn't answer her, just flopped back in his chair and glared at the Jounin.
"Now see what you've done," he muttered. Ino's glare was ten times worse than his had ever been.
"Alright, listen," Raidou said, sitting forwards in his chair and aiming his words towards Ino, "you know we fucked up the last mission?" Ino nodded, focusing on what he was saying, but she couldn't help her eyes from flickering sideways to Shikaku. You couldn't say 'fuck' in front of Shika's dad! You're being childish, she told herself. "Well this is us trying to sort it out," he said, gesturing between those sitting at the table, "Shikamaru's trying to give us a new strategy but really we need your dad to make it work."
"We need the mind transfer jutsu," Shikaku corrected.
"Right," Raidou nodded towards the elder Nara, "Shintenshin no Jutsu, we need it for everything to run smoothly, it has to this time."
Ino nodded.
"So you need me –"
"Or we could wait for Inoichi-san to recover," Shikamaru reminded, sounding very fed up of the whole situation.
"And wait how long?" the unknown man asked.
"As long as it takes," Genma told him.
"Or we could use Ino and tie it all up now." he rejoined.
"But she's a Chunin, she doesn't have the experience, she can't do it!"
"Hey," Ino exclaimed, eyes flashing at the speaker, Shikamaru, "I'm not an ANBU but I'm not useless! I might be able to."
"No, it's too dangerous," Genma said. She next turned her scowl on Genma.
"I'm a ninja! My life's meant to be dangerous."
"You've not got the qualifications for it."
"You said you needed the Mind Transfer Jutsu! I mastered that when I was ten!" Ino groused. Genma sighed, "I did!" she insisted, "didn't I Shika?" she exclaimed, turning on the young Nara at the head of the table.
"She did," Shikamaru murmured.
"And if things go wrong?" Genma pushed, "What then?"
"I'm not an idiot," Ino glowered, "I'll do what I have to, I'll fight if necessary."
"And end up like your dad?" Shikamaru asked lazily.
"Hey!" Ino exclaimed, but the exclamation had come from someone else as well. Ino glanced at Genma, the other who had spoken. "That was uncalled for," he told the young Nara, calmly. Shikamaru just shrugged.
"I can fight if I need to," Ino said, turning to the Jounin, "and I can perform the technique easily."
"We never said you couldn't," Raidou muttered, "but this mission will require nerves of steel, it could turn very ugly, very quickly."
"What is the mission?" Ino asked, she didn't even know if she wanted to do it yet, she just knew she didn't like how miniscule everyone's faith in her was, how little people she called friends thought of her as a kunoichi.
The men exchanged looks. ANBU missions were classified but then again it wasn't just ANBU who were in on it, her father for one hadn't been an ANBU and Genma was really only an oftentimes operative. Raidou was about the only full time one in the room as Daisuke was too young to have been one for very long and Shikaku preferred to stay in the Ino-Shika-Cho formation.
"It's an infiltration mission, in Wave country," Genma told her, apparently their looks had communicated it was alright to do so, "but it's more complicated than we thought, our target's got more informants and underlings that we expected. He's got some of the major companies working for him, ones that appear to be his competitors."
"Major companies? What kind of companies?" Ino asked, sliding into a chair as she spoke.
"Shipping and manufacturing," Shikaku picked up, "swords, kunai, forbidden jutsu, all kinds of weapons. He sells some on to honest companies and we get them in our shops but he's crooked too, sells to rogue ninja and rebel forces for easy money." Ino nodded, she could imagine the type. "His main base is in Wave, like Raidou said, in a small town called Kitakaku right in the North of the country, from there he can easily transport goods to the coast of Sound where there are lots of bored, unemployed ninja to pick them up and distribute them for quick money, he's got quite a successful scheme going on."
"So, he's a big time crook, why is ANBU involved?"
"Our target has decided to branch out into politics," Raidou told her, "he poses a threat to the stability of Wave Country."
"Stability?" Ino asked, raising an eyebrow, "how stable is Wave Country?" - from what she'd heard not very.
"Wave has no hidden village, most of the countries without one are vulnerable and that creates instability," Shikamaru drawled, "but at the moment it's got a sound economy and there are lots of jobs going around in the shipping industries since it imports all the produce from Water, our target's wanting to shake that up, trying to weaken the mainland countries by cutting off their supplies, it's a threat to Fire."
"And not only that," Raidou sighed leaning back in his chair, "he's got enough rogue ninja employed to make an army, he's up to something he won't declare to the hidden villages and given his shady dealings in the past its bound to be something bad. Which is why we'd like to strike now before he can gather any more support, Wave's people are impoverished so they're open to new leaders who promise to sort out their problems."
"Like your target?"
"Exactly, he's rich and he's powerful and his influence has obviously spread further than we thought because we weren't expecting him to have mercenaries travelling in from the South."
"And they're the ones that attacked you?"
"No, not exactly, but they were the ones that raised the alarm about Inoichi and Shikaku, they seemed to be more aware of the movements of other countries and hidden villages."
Ino nodded slowly.
"It makes sense since we have more connections with the south," Ino commented, thinking about how they sometimes imported the seeds and cuttings of exotic plants from the south of Wave. "So what would I have to do?" she asked, looking at Shikaku.
"Well you'd be the stand-in for Inoichi so you'd be pretty much in the thick of it."
"I'd be undercover?"
"Yes."
Ino thought hard for a moment, she'd been on undercover missions before but never one that everyone was taking so seriously, however she guessed a possible economic collapse was pretty serious, on top of whatever else this guy was planning.
"So what's the objective?"
"We want to get more information on what we're dealing with, and if it's necessary we'll have to take him down."
"Take him down? You mean like an assassination?"
"Yes," this was Genma answering, "is that a problem?" Wouldn't you just love it to be, Ino thought as she looked hard at the senbon chewer.
"No," she stated firmly, "it's not."
"So you'd do the mission?" the Jounin asked.
"No." Shikamaru asserted adamantly.
"Yes." Ino said, ignoring her team mate, "I'll do it."
"Hold on," Genma said, removing the senbon from his mouth and twirling it idly around his fingers as a means to counteract the cause of the stress lines forming on his brow, "don't we have to agree to it?"
"I've got to agree to it," said the Jounin, "and I agree whole heartedly, it'll be a learning curve for you all."
"It'll be a bloody suicide mission," Genma growled at him. Raidou sighed, stepping in before Genma's swiftly twirling senbon could accidentally slip from his fingers and imbed itself into the Jounin's chest.
"Genma it might be a good idea," he conceded.
"It's not." he declared.
"Well it might b-"
"It's not!"
"Just listen to me!"
"I've listened." Genma told him flatly, "And I'm not going to agree to it."
"Genma please," Ino murmured searching his eyes intently, "I can do this," she told him quietly. Ino had so much experience persuading men to see her point of view – her father, her teacher, her team mates – that she didn't even have to think about making her eyes big and wide and crystal blue, they did it automatically.
Oh fuck, Genma thought, she's doing that on purpose, but knowing it didn't make her any less successful in persuading him.
Genma said nothing, but sat back in his chair, defeated.
"Excellent," the Jounin said, "Shikaku?"
"I suppose it's alright with me."
The Jounin beamed, "Shikamaru isn't on the mission, he's just the strategist, you don't have a say, son." Shikamaru scowled.
"Thanks," he muttered dryly.
Now Ino was in on the mission and they could go with one of their original strategies including the Yanamaka's technique, they relocated to the bar Ino was meant to meet Kaito in a few nights ago. She felt ten times better to be finally walking into it with Genma...even if he was very moody and they were followed by Raidou and a surprisingly attentive Daisuke (Shikaku and Shikamaru had to hurry home so as not to be late for their tea or Shika's mother would get 'just too troublesome' – Shikamaru's words.)
It apparently wasn't just Ino who was noticing the enthusiasm Daisuke had for the enrolment of Ino to his team because Genma was skulking close to Ino and glowering at the young ANBU when, in Genma's opinion, he got too friendly. He was even so bold as to comment on it when their team mates had gone to get the drinks in.
"What are you doing that for?" Genma hissed once they were alone.
"What?"
"Flirting with Daisuke? He's eighteen!"
Ino scoffed.
"I'm not flirting with him! It's not my fault if he likes me. And what difference does it make if he's eighteen?"
"He's a kid!" Genma insisted. Ino rolled her eyes.
"I'm only two years older than him, what's the big deal? Besides I wasn't flirting with him anyway! You're just in a mood because you didn't get your way."
"I'm in a mood because you're biting off more than you can even fit in your mouth never mind chew!"
Ino glared at him.
"Firstly I'm going on this mission so you better get used to it! And secondly what I decide to do in my career is nothing to do with you!"
"You think I'm just going to sit back and watch you get killed?"
"It's none of your damn business!"
"Well it will be my business if you do end up like your dad."
"You've never even seen me fight! How the hell would you know anything about how I perform as a shinobi?" Genma didn't know how to answer his one, he didn't know how she performed as a shinobi, but what he did know was that if he could prevent her from being exposed to the up-coming mission he would, at all costs, which didn't register in his mind as quite the revelation it should have.
"I don't care," he decided on answering in a low hiss as a group of people walked past, listening interestedly to their conversation, then when they'd passed: "I'm not saying you can't do it!" he said, "I'm saying I don't want you to, I'm not comfortable being in that situation with you."
"Why?" she asked. Genma chose not to answer and looked away, "Is this because we fucked?" Genma scoffed.
"Why the hell would it be?"
"I don't know, maybe you just think I'm a dumb blonde like all the others? Maybe you'll think I'll fuck it all up because I'm obviously one of those idiots that only thinks about boys and dresses!" Genma sighed irritably, "Well, you won't tell me why you're not happy with me -"
"What if I won't be able to do my job properly if I think you're in danger?" he said, crumpling under the stress of her questioning and flopping back in his chair, he waited for her look of comprehension before continuing, "okay? It's not because I think you're a bad kunoichi and it's not because of anything we might have done together," well it kind of is, he thought as if they'd never got close he probably wouldn't be so vehement about not wanting her to be in danger, "It's because I care too much about you to put you in this kind of danger."
Ino was speechless for a while, staring her wide blue eyes at him, it unnerved him.
"W...you..." she couldn't decide whether to carry on being angry or feel flattered, maybe she should break out into that huge smile that was threatening at the corners of her mouth?
"I'm not comfortable with putting you right in the line of fire, I don't like to think about you being in that situation. You'll be on your own if things turn bad, I won't be able to save you if-" he stopped talking at the narrowing of her eyes, realising he'd probably said too much.
"I'm a ninja too," she groused, "I don't need to be saved, I need you to work with me like you do everyone else. Raidou's your friend too but you trust him to look after himself, why can't you trust me?"
Because it's different with you, he almost said but stopped himself knowing she'd ask 'different how?' which he didn't know the answer to, it just was.
"I know," he answered tiredly.
"I have to do this mission for me, so I know I can do it, and for my dad so I can kick the asses of whoever put him in hospital, can't you understand that?" He could so he just nodded. "I didn't chose to be a ninja to be wrapped in cotton wool, you just have to trust me, I'm not a damsel in distress, I don't need saving."
"I know that," he said, "doesn't stop me from wanting to though."
Ino didn't know how to answer, he was being unpredictable, or perhaps she just didn't trust herself to answer. Genma didn't say things like this to women he just slept with and he certainly wasn't meant say things like that to her. Her cheeks coloured slightly; what he'd said seemed so intimate and so out of character and it scared her that she absolutely loved it.
She slid up next to him in the booth and reached her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss for want of a better response. She didn't know if this was the right thing to do because she could feel her heart beating a mile a minute, she could feel herself fall deeper into Genma and that was something she hated. However as soon as he responded to her she knew it most definitely was the right thing to do.
"You're cute..." she murmured against him, deciding it was definitely time to pull away before what he said and what he was doing got to her head, "but I'm still going on the mission."
Genma sighed, falling back heavily against the back of the booth.
"Listen," he said seriously, "promise me you'll go home and think about it, if you still want to do it in the morning then that's fine but please think about what you're taking on."
"I have thought about it," Ino told him, "I've already decided."
"Please Ino, think about this-"
"I have thought about it! And I don't get why you're so against it!"
"I don't want you to get hurt!"
"Who says will? Maybe you'll get hurt!"
"It doesn't matter if I get hurt, it doesn't even matter if I get killed! There'll be others to replace me but you're not just a shinobi, you're a daughter and a best friend, you'll hurt others by getting yourself hurt."
"And you think you getting hurt doesn't affect anyone?" Ino exclaimed, "you think Yuugao didn't sit by your bed, holding your hand and pleading with whoever was listening for you to wake up? You think I didn't sit there crying and trying everything I knew as a medic to make you better again?"
"I didn't mean that," he said coolly.
"You make it sound like I needn't have bothered!"
"I didn't mean that either," Genma said in an exhale, "I meant you've got a lot to live for and I've got...well..." he stopped short of saying his life was full of meaningless human interactions, "If you are injured on this mission how am I going to tell your parents?"
Ino laughed a dry laugh.
"That's what you're worried about? My parents?"
Genma nodded, he was, it didn't sound funny from his point of view, he could imagine telling two people that their little girl had been stabbed by a giant sword was no laughing matter.
"Genma they know what I am, they allowed me to become a kunoichi to protect my village, to protect them! They'll understand."
"Or that's what the academy tell you anyway," Genma grumbled.
"What?"
"Nothing, I just want you to think it through."
"Fine!"
"Good."
They didn't speak together much after that. Raidou and Daisuke came back with the drinks and set up a meaningless conversation even though they were meant to be discussing the mission. Ino sat quietly in the corner of the booth brooding about how weak everyone thought she was. She needed to go on this mission just to prove to them she wasn't as useless as they made her out to be.
Genma's eyes flickered to Ino every now and then, wondering if she was silent because she actually was thinking things over or was she just considering all the different ways to inflict pain on him. It wasn't that he thought she was weak, it really wasn't but he knew there was little he could say to convince her otherwise. He couldn't help wanting to protect Ino. He couldn't help it. There were feelings and stuff that ran between them, 'feelings and stuff' being the phrase used in Genma's head, and it wasn't as if he had to delve very deeply into the 'feelings and stuff' to understand that she was important to him now; 'important' was just the right word to describe her, he was glad he'd found that word before he got everything mixed up in his head, like he believed he'd done with Akina. But Ino had saved his life...probably, so it didn't scare him to think he wanted to protect her, men always had the urge to protect stuff, right? It was natural. It was nature, that was all.
"You coming to the party tomorrow night?" Daisuke asked Ino casually. Genma sat up a bit straighter in his chair.
"Course!" Ino told him, smiling at him with just a hint of suggestion, not flirting my ass, Genma thought grumpily, "Are you?"
"If I can, my girlfriend comes back from her mission tomorrow so it depends what she wants."
"That's a sad sight," Raidou sighed, "whipped by the missus and so young, too."
Genma smirked and relaxed back again, Ino wasn't the type to go near a man - a boy - with a girlfriend.
"I'm not whipped!" Daisuke insisted.
"Whatever," Genma muttered,
"I'm not!"
"How old are you?" Genma asked.
"Eighteen."
"You should be playing the field not trailing after some girl."
Daisuke pulled a face. "Nah, I've never had the confidence for it."
"Sounds like an excuse to me."
"Genma!" Ino hissed.
"What?"
"Just back off!" she warned.
He was in a bad mood, but the source of that bad mood was her anyway so she'd just have to deal with it.
Raidou snickered at his friend behind his pint.
"You're such an asshole," Ino grumbled.
"And you're such a woman," Genma muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah? Well at least I'm not a sad old man, right Genma?" Ino said, anger dancing in her eyes. She knew she was being a bit cruel using his insecurities against him in such a public setting but now her hackles were up.
"Whatever Ino." Genma said tiredly, pretending not to rise to the bait. Ino was the first and only woman he'd ever known who could really get to him, really make him feel, and Raidou could see it by the darkening of his friends usually light brown eyes.
Tension descended upon their small group.
"Er – I've got to...go...home," Daisuke murmured, he was well used to the jibes from his team mates by now but even so he was beginning to feel the electricity sparking between his new team mate and the older Shinobi, beginning to think there may be more going on between them than he realised. He downed his drink and stood up quickly.
"Me too," Raidou said, hurrying out of the bar after Daisuke.
Genma stared at the head of his pint of beer, angry that he'd let Ino get to him. He gave himself a shake and snuck a look at her to find her scowling across the bar at the far wall, her fingers white where she was gripping her glass. It was time for a change of pace, he decided, they couldn't spend the whole of this mission sniping at each other and making the others uncomfortable. He opened his mouth to speak but Ino got in before him.
"Are you jealous?" Ino asked shrewdly. Genma's eyes flickered to her then back to the surface of his drink.
"So what if I am?" he replied lightly.
The blonde's eyes narrowed.
"You're not jealous," she told him flatly.
"No?"
"No, the almighty player Shiranui Gemna wouldn't get like that," Ino bit snidely.
"Maybe I just wanted you all to myself for the afternoon?" Again Ino gave Genma a sideways glance and saw he was smirking and to her horror it induced a slight twitch in her own mouth, she held back the smile.
"Now you're just sweet talking me," Ino huffed.
"Is it working?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"So if I asked you how Heaven was when you left you wouldn't crack a smile?"
"No."
"Or...what if I said you've got a great body? Would you hold it against me?" This time Ino couldn't help her lips broadening into a thin smile. "What if I said you were so sweet you were giving me tooth ache?" The thin smile spread into a grin.
"I'd say that's the most god-awful thing I've ever heard," she told him, trying to straighten her grin.
"You're smiling," he murmured in a sing song voice turning towards her to return the grin.
"I'm not," she insisted.
"You are," he said, propping his elbow against the back of the booth and resting his head on his hand, "you like the cheesy chat up lines."
"I don't!"
"You do!"
"You're a freak," she told him, smiling. Genma shrugged, noting how she unconsciously moved closer to him.
"You too," he breathed, his warm breath washing over her face and making her feel all warm and silly. Ino's smile faltered, lost in the unfocused gaze of his hazel eyes on her face, his eyes darting from her eyes to her lips. She didn't care that they were sitting in a public place, she probably should have but it was the furthest thing from her mind.
When he kissed her she felt all the negative feelings she'd had towards him leaking out of her head and she hated how he could manipulate her so easily. It was dangerous, it was exactly what she did not want but she couldn't help herself, she'd devour his attention like a girl starved.
"I have to go," Genma mumbled against her lips in the second he pulled away from them, "will I see you tomorrow?"
"You'll see me," Ino whispered, sealing their lips together again. Her hand slipped up his body, skimming over the faint outline of the muscles of his chest through his top then gliding over his cheek, supporting his face in her hands.
"But...will I have you...like this?" he asked, kisses punctuating his words, his greedy mouth swallowing her sounds. His vow of trying to grow up and stay away from women at Kiba's party completely forgotten.
She couldn't answer, her heart was pounding. She felt his hands sliding into her hair, pulling out the hair tie she'd tied it back with then raking his fingers through the soft, golden strands. Ino moaned.
"Is that a yes?"
Ino's hands grasped the collar of his jounin vest.
"Yes!"
This week exam results complicated stuff! So I'm sorry if this chapter is bad and there are many mistakes!
