Sorry, this chap took so long.

Nevertheless, R and R! Enjoy!!

~Ino Ishii


"It takes thirteen averaged-size steps to go from one side to the other," Chouji commented from the doorway of the headquarters' conference room. "But then you probably already figured that out since all you've done is pace for the past fifteen minutes." He continued.

Ino heaved out a sigh and dropped down into one of the burgundy leather chairs that encircled a massive oval table.

She and Chouji glanced at Naruto, who was in the adjoining room. He'd kept the door open, and the glass panel allowed them both to see that Naruto was still talking on the phone.

Too bad she couldn't hear what he was saying.

"You have an update on the wounded couple yet?" Chouji asked her.

"Their names are Mikoto Mari and Sawada Youichi. They're alive," she gulped before she continued. "At least they were when they arrived at the hospital a couple of hours ago, but they're both in surgery."

"I heard that the shooting happened not to far from the Municipal Auditorium?" Chouji asked.

Ino nodded. "They were getting married in a late night ceremony on one of those tour boats. Just the couple, a minister, and two others who were witnessing the wedding."

That in itself posed some serious questions as to how the sniper had learned about the ceremony. It wasn't exactly a well-publicized event.

If she could somehow pick up the information trail, it might lead her to the person responsible. And in this case, the person responsible had shot the bride and groom within seconds after they said "I do."

Just the thought of that made her stomach churn.

What was supposed to be the happiest night of their life turned into a nightmare.

Ino shook her head, and her fingers curled into a fist.

"I should have stopped the sniper, Chouji. This shouldn't have happened."

"You know, in some cultures that remark would be considered heresy. You're not a god. Heck you're not even in the angel category!"

And though it sounds sarcastic, the platinum blonde knew very well that Chouji's just trying to cheer her up.

"Are you close to collaring this shooter?" he asked.

"He struck twice in the same night so at least we know we're pushing the right buttons." She glanced in Naruto's direction, but he was still on the phone.

"Or in the light of the wounded couple, maybe it was the wrong buttons." She continued.

"It's not wrong. I know you'll get him for sure," Chouji unwrapped two mints that he took from his pocket mouth and uncurled her fist so he could put the other one in hers.

"I heard the owner of the Perfect Match might be closing down the place for a couple of days, will that affect your follow-up plans?" he asked Ino as she gazed at the mint in her hand, thinking whether or not she would eat it or let it melt in her hand.

"I don't know yet. Naruto just got the news before the hospital called."

But it would definitely have an effect.

After all, they were supposed to go to Perfect Match that very afternoon and invite Sasori to the wedding.

Since that was a critical step in the plan, it meant they'd have to make other arrangements to see him.

Not an ideal contingency.

If they met Sasori elsewhere, it only increased problems for securing another location. But then, calling the coffee-brown eyed man and asking him to meet them at Perfect Match might make him even more suspicious than he already was.

Chouji took a chair, turned it backward and sat across from her so they were face-to-face. When she didn't make eye contact with him, he put his finger beneath her chin, lifted and forced they eye contact. He tipped his head toward Naruto.

"So how hard are you falling for that jerk?"

Ino frowned and tossed the mint into her mouth. She cracked it with her teeth. "He's not a jerk."

"Then, how hard are you falling for him?" Chouji flatly repeated.

The mint crunching didn't last nearly as long as Chouji's inquisitive, in-her-face expression.

"As hard as a massive crate of concrete," she admitted.

Chouji made a sound of disappointment, lifted her hand and studied the ring for her fake engagement to Naruto. "I thought you were better than that. The badge first. Family second. Lust and laundry, last."

"I'm scared it's more than just lust," Ino whispered.

"Hell."

"Yes." She considered some profanity of her own.

"What about all the other stuff going on?" Chouji asked. "You just plan to forget that Uzumaki's investigation could ultimately hurt Shika?"

"Don't give me that." Ino managed to keep her voice at a whisper. An angry whisper. But it was still hopefully low enough that Naruto wouldn't hear her.

"The chief ordered that investigation, not Naruto. And it could only ultimately hurt Shika if there were some truth to it. There isn't."

"You think he knows that?" Chouji asked as he tipped his head towards Naruto's direction once again.

"I think I'll trust him to figure it out. What the fuck, Chouji, he's not the bad guy in all of this. Heck, maybe the chief isn't, either. Maybe, he just wants to make sure he doesn't have a potential problem in the department that could affect morale."

But Ino groaned when she heard herself. "Good grief, I sound like Shika. And Naruto."

"Scary huh?" Chouji took her empty coffee cup, crushed it and launched it into the trash can. "Wanna know what else sounds scary? According to the rumor mill, Uzumaki will probably be promoted to lieutenant. If that happens, he'll most certainly be put in charge of Special Investigations, which means he'll be my boss."

Ino gave him a weary smile. "You've got nothing to worry about. Naruto's a good boss."

"Yeah, but there's no lust factor in this for me, just the concern that I might beat him to a pulp if he doesn't do right by Shikamaru."

"He'll do right by Shika." And Ino was surprised to realize that she believed that with all her heart.

She was soooo in trouble.

One fantastic orgasm, and she was falling head over heels for a man she certainly shouldn't be falling for.

Because she couldn't sit still and because she noted a renewed concern on the spiky-blonde's face, she got up and continued her pacing.

For crying out loud, how long will it take to get a status report on the patients?

"So the rumor mill is saying he'll be promoted?" Ino asked just to get her mind off that phone call.

"Apparently," Chouji replied.

"And what about my promotion?" came the platinum blonde's inquiry.

It was a gutsy question because she knew Chouji wouldn't lie to her. But there was a good chance he might try to sugarcoat it.

He lifted a shoulder. "It's just a rumor mill. What the heck does it matter?"

She groaned. Definitely sugarcoating.

In other words, the odds were against her.

However, it seemed a trivial worry with people's lives in limbo. Later when this was over, she'd spend some time worrying about that particular aspect of her life.

Naruto finally put down the phone and came out into the conference room. He nodded a greeting at Chouji before meeting the platinum blonde's gaze.

"They are out of the woods." He let her know. "Both required surgery though, but they're stable, so there's nothing to worry about. The doctors are hopeful they'll make a full recovery. Not only that, we should be able to get an officer in there by evening to ask them some questions."

Ino took a deep breath and said a prayer of thanks. Now if they'd just get one with stopping before he could do any more damage.

"That's my cue to get out of here." Chouji finally said. "Remember what I told you, Ino."

"No thanks," she fired back.

"A problem?" Naruto asked as he watched Chouji leave.

"No." She glared at Chouji until he was out of sight and then turned back to Naruto. "Is this one connected to Perfect Match?"

"Afraid so. According to the minister, the couple met there at an icebreaker about three months ago."

Ino had known he would say that. The sniper was back to the pattern. "Did anyone else see the shooter?"

Naruto shook his head. "No one's come forward, but it's still early so don't worry. We have an evidence response team checking the scene now. Lieutenant Nara is still rounding up Kabuto and Karin. We might have answers soon."

"What about Tomoyama and Sasori?" she asked.

"Supposedly they were at their residences, asleep. But three of the four suspects live alone so any of them could have sneaked out to commit the crime. Karin could have left the mental health facility, as well."

"Wait a minute – they weren't being watched?"

"They were, but it would have been easy enough to get out without being seen."

True. So no breaks in that particular area. "So, are the shots fairly accurate this time?" asked Ino who was quite nervous about the fact that the sniper's skills were being honed with every crime.

"Accurate enough to wound two people, but there were strays. At least a bit dozen. And the minister's leg was grazed with a bullet." Naruto scrubbed his fingers over his chin. "You're thinking about Kabuto and those two rifles he owns?"

"Yes. Maybe he's a lousy shot despite being a gun owner. Or maybe he just wants to make people believe the sniper has a bad aim so it'll take suspicion off him."

"Or maybe he's not the sniper." Naruto stopped, apparently gave that some thought, and then looked at her. "What's going on in your head?"

"I was just thinking about how the sniper broke his own rules when he fired shots at us 'cause we weren't a newlywed couple. And with this latest shooting, maybe he, or she, wants to remind everyone that he or she is really only after brides and grooms who meet at the agency. And if so, then it's obviously an important message to get across."

"That brings us back to motive." He flexed his eyebrows. "All four of our suspects have that in spades."

Ino might have dwelled on that a little longer if she hadn't noticed the paper in Naruto's hand.

"It's the details for tomorrow," he said, obviously aware of what had caught her attention.

With everything else going on, she hadn't even thought that far in advance. But, she did now.

A wedding.

A fake one.

With Uzumaki Naruto.

Tomorrow.

Maybe what'd happened in the bathroom was coloring her opinion but that suddenly sounded as nerve-wracking as facing a gunman.

"The ceremony's scheduled for noon." Naruto explained, handing her the paper. "The plan is for us to have officers and specialists stake out every building around the church. we're hoping to catch the sniper before either of us get near anything resembling an aisle."

"That's something worth hoping for," she mumbled, going over the mission summary.

"Of course, we'll be armed and wearing bulletproof vests just in case he manages to get through."

Of course. "Sounds like you've covered the primary bases. Well, except for maybe clothes. Do we need anything special to wear?" Ino asked. "A wedding dress, perhaps?" She thought.

"Shikamaru's taking care of that. He knew your size," Naruto clarified when she stared at him. The platinum blonde was quite surprised as to how quick the spiky-blonde male was when it comes to mind-reading.

"Better him than Chouji, I guess. I'd end up wearing pajamas to the church if you put him in charge of wardrobe."

He reached out and touched her cheek. A quick, nonsexual tap. "Are you okay?"

"Of course," she rubbed her arm in a 'see?' gesture. "It really is just a scratch.

"I wasn't talking about your arm." The spiky-blonde male replied as he gazed intently into her aqua-colored orbs.

"Oh that." It seemed a good time to stare at the floor. The ceiling. Or anything other than the man opposite her. "You know, that's the problem with the morning after. Things seem, well, awkward."

"Which is why I should have backed away." Came the response of the man in front of her.

Fuck. She hadn't meant to put this all on his shoulders.

"I heard recently that in some cultures a comment like that could be considered heresy. You're not a supreme being, Naruto, and don't worry – what happened between us wont affect the job." Ino told him as she secretly hoped it was true but she kept that inkling of doubt to herself.

"We're both consenting adults," she continued. "Besides, we didn't even fully sleep together. It was just…lust." There. That was the word she was looking for. "And now that we've taken the edge off, so to speak, everything should be fine."

Goodness. She was babbling.

And lying.

Really lying.

That episode hadn't taken the edge off anything. It'd just made her aware of how hot Naruto could get her and how masterfully he could satisfy that heat – all without fully having sex with her.

"Are you finished?" he asked her.

She nodded.

And Naruto stole her breath by leaning forward and kissing her.

It was nothing like the frenzied lip lock at the apartment. It was gentle. Comforting. Easy.

So easy.

It seemed as if her bones turned to liquid. But that only made it more memorable.

"Sergeant Uzumaki?" she heard someone say. "Sorry to interrupt."

Ino glanced at the door, fearing who might be there. Lucky for her, it was no other than a messenger from the department. Thankfully, the man looked away while Ino broke the kiss.

Well, not that it would diffuse much of anything. By afternoon, the rumor mill would have something savory to nibble on.

"Here's the information you requested." The messenger handed Naruto the folder and quickly excused himself.

The chief's request would have been alarming enough news without the "right away" part. It was probably about the investigation into the favoritism allegations.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

Despite the command from the highest ranking official in the building, Naruto didn't leave. He did, however, let her fully slip out of his embrace so he could open the folder.

"I asked the techs to tap into Perfect Match's files and give me the list of all of Karin's dream matches, plus the matches of the murdered couple." He handed her half the pages as he gestured her to look through the files.

"It was a good task to eliminate any residual effects of that kiss, and the events of the night before. They were Karin's files, and they were sizeable. Twelve of twenty-three pages. Of course, she was a frequent customer so the high volume wasn't that surprising.

Ino skimmed through the names to see if anything popped out at her. One did. Uchicha Sasuke. And he was very much dead.

"Wakaba Takeshi," Naruto announced. "The second groom. Karin's high on his list. Third, in fact."

Pleased that the pieces might be falling into place, Ino turned another page, and her attention immediately landed on a name near the middle.

"Bingo. She was a match for Sawada Youichi, our latest victim."

Finally!

But her 'finally' wasn't much of a celebration.

Naruto glanced at his watch.

"There was no answer when I called that number Karin gave me so I passed it on to the tech guys so they could check it out. If it holds, I'll try to set up a meeting with her this afternoon. Maybe we can finish this today so we wont even need the ceremony." He told her.

"Yes, maybe." And then she remembered Naruto's other appointment. "After your meeting with the chief, of course."

"Of course." He simply said.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and walked out leaving her with a thousand questions and not so many answers.

Too bad a lot of those questions centered around Naruto and the fact that he was setting a scenario to put himself in danger.

Which was his job, she reminded herself.

And hers.

A job she needed to focus on if she wanted them both to walk away from this alive. Suddenly, that focus seemed a lot more critical than it ever had.

Ino sat down, cleared her mind and began to study Karin's file. Maybe somewhere in all those names and information, there would be clues to bring down a killer.