A/N: Welcome back, dear readers and lurkers. My apologies for the sporadic update schedule. Things in real life have calmed down, so I think I can post regularly again. Please enjoy!
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Ino Delays the Inevitable
"Ino? You've been silent for a while," Shikamaru said.
Her fingernails had dug into the armrest, peppering it with tiny crescents. "Yes."
Two sides of her struggled in opposition to the other. One side was the acceptance of her duty to both the village and her superiors, the mission Lord Kakashi and Shikamaru had implicated for her. The other side was her free will, her selfish desire to choose for herself the missions she took. Far in the distance of her mind, she could picture her father's sea-green eyes and Master Asuma's smirk when she did something he didn't expect. But her hands were empty. She had no moves left but to surrender to the machinations of Shikamaru's plan.
The storm had surrounded her. A wave of dizziness distorted her vision, and just then, the mindlink she shared with the clone was hijacked. The chakra barreled along the connection- -a heady rush in a thrashing river- -and Lady Inohime's soul pushed in on Ino's mindscape. Her grandmother's astral power buffeted her aside as if she were a mere paper boat dropped into rapids of a swollen river. The feeling lasted for a brief few seconds. Afterwards, Grandmother left, and the clone, which had in effect acted as a divining rod for her grandmother's remote mindlink, dispelled.
When Ino had stepped outside the pocket dimension, she had known the Barrier Team would pick up her chakra signature. While she was skilled enough to quickly scan chakra signatures within the Sensing Barrier's area, the scan required time and concentration. Furthermore, because she'd used Shintenshin and her chakra was diffused with Sakura's, Grandmother had had to track and pinpoint her location via her mindlink to the clone. So, the timing was good with Grandmother's discovery of her whereabouts. She was confident Shikamaru and the Office did not order the Sensing Team to track her because of her family's involvement with Miyazato, and Lord Kakashi must be unaware of the Sensing Team's unauthorized scans. Why Grandmother and the mostly Yamanaka Sensing Team hadn't acted to capture her when she'd run around Konoha without disguising her chakra signature for two weeks, she didn't know.
Senses overwhelmed with the rapid sequences of thought, Ino struggled to find her bearings. When her eyes unclouded, Shikamaru and Sai knelt beside her, both with concerned looks on their faces. A splitting headache cracked her skull.
"I'm fine. Nothing's wrong," she whispered. As she tried to sit, Sai applied a gentle hand to her shoulder to hold her still. She glanced down, concerned, but she hadn't lost the henge of her own body. "Really. It's nothing."
"You can't lie to me." Shikamaru's concern had hardened into sternness. "It wasn't nothing. You're pale and trembling."
"Lunch must've disagreed with me. Help a lady to her chair, geez." When they didn't lend assistance, she groped for purchase and opted for drama. "All this excitement gives me the vapors. Lord Kakashi, you ought to install a couch in your office. The dire news you share tends to have a weakening effect on faint-hearted little creatures such as myself."
Lord Kakashi answered from behind her. "I'll keep your suggestions in mind."
She had managed to hoist her torso upwards. Sai's black armchair, the ink marred with the heavy texture of his brushstrokes, was a sturdy object for her to cling to. Her face averted, she grimaced because the two sides clawed at her heart. The fight was an agony inside her chest, the force of Grandmother's technique left a huge headache, and she wished she could curl into a ball and cry out her anguish. Instead, she schooled her features and forced her body to settle into the armchair once more. Lady Inohime would share her location with Miayzato; he'd be in the building soon to secure his 'dearest pet'.
While she had maneuvered into the armchair, Sai and Shikamaru had stood. Sai was hesitant and less confident with her behavior than Shikamaru was; Sai was inexperienced with her range of deceptions and bluffs. Lord Kakashi also stood, but he remained at his desk, arms braced on the desktop. Stalling for time, Ino arranged her mussed ponytail and sleeked her bangs with her fingers. Her heart battered against her ribcage; sweat had sprung from her forehead and dampened under her armpits. Shit. Shikamaru was right- -she did tremble.
Everyone looked at her, and her nerves were keyed further into a frenzy. She glanced at Lord Kakashi. He asked, "May we continue our prior conversation?"
"Of course. My apologies, Lord Kakashi. Please continue."
"As we've mentioned, we can't risk an infiltration team into Gold, so we have a golden opportunity in your auspicious engagement with Mr. Miyazato. We'd be remiss not to seize it."
"Oh." Shikamaru's convinced Lord Kakashi of the one option.
Lord Kakashi continued, "Surrender to us, here and now. Once you do, your surrender serves two purposes. One, we can use you as leverage to release the many people Mr. Miyazato has under his control before we give you over to his care. Two, it gives us the chance to redirect his attention away from the village. We've already sent a contact to infiltrate Gold in preparation for your arrival."
"Sasuke."
A beat of surprise. "Yes. But, how did you…?"
She shrugged, casual in her knowledge of motives. "He's the best chance of maintaining a pipeline of information out of Gold." Also Sasuke was Lord Kakashi's darling student (other than Naruto), and Sakura had had his absence on her mind when Ino took possession of her.
"While I appreciate the situation we've placed you in, can we rely on you to surrender willingly?" asked Lord Kakashi. "Mr. Miyazato has been patient with your cat-and-mouse games, but I feel his patience may soon come to an abrupt end. He might feel a demonstration would be in order to prove his position, and I'd like to avoid any unnecessary political skulduggery."
Lord Kakashi meant that Miyazato would show off his power over the Yamanaka clan and others. Earlier, and it seemed like ages since the end of the Hinokoku mission, Miyazato had said he'd kill as many civilians in the hospital as he could before he was eliminated. She hadn't risked everyone's lives then, and she wouldn't now. Abruptly, her chakra sensory kicked in. What? How…? As she sat, stunned into a torpor, she explored the anomaly. The mindlink with Grandmother was not broken off like she had believed it had been. Whether Grandmother fed her the information or it was a by-product of Grandmother's chakra sensory, Ino did not know.
The advent of strong, terrible chakra at the very outer perimeter of her circumference struck her; the reason why Grandmother shared with Ino her sensory technique. Chakra like the short, glossy pelt of a jaguar's spotted hide. It advanced toward her at incredible speed. Ino had lost the shape and color and dimensions of the office, so she sensed rather than witnessed some vague activity from the three men in the office. Her vision was inwards, transfixed with the fast-approaching chakra signature of Miyazato Seiichi, he who had the jaguar entity alive inside him. He had come to claim his prize.
The war inside her heart raged.
No. She'd not be his prize. She wasn't out of the fight yet. I'll force them into forcing me. Each second, minute, hour she had left of her freedom, she'd struggle and search and cling to whatever slim hope remained. I must find another choice. With dry lips and heart whamming, Ino murmured, "Release," and fell limp. The henge to disguise Sakura's body poofed away.
There was a beat of silence in the Office. She slowed her breathing, slowed her heart rate, and relaxed.
"Dammit, I thought she'd be reckless enough to stay in her own body." Shikamaru's voice was above her, near her feet. "How'd she get in control of Sakura?"
She did not hear any boots scuffing around her, yet an ink-cool aura manifested at her side.
"She was frightened in the last moments." Sai. "Lord Kakashi, should I go investigate the hospital? I think it's likely Ino cornered and possessed Sakura there, as opposed to her house or somewhere on her way home."
"Wait," answered Lord Kakashi. "Let's revive Sakura and see what she remembers. Her memory may save valuable time."
"Yes, sir."
They bought the fake-out! She felt herself propped up. Sai called, softly, "Hag? Ugly hag, wake up."
Tch. He needed to work on his bedside manner. "Ugh, what happened?" As though groggy, Ino blinked her eyes and looked around, first at Sai, then at Shikamaru, and then at Lord Kakashi. She widened her eyes in surprise. "Hunh? How'd I get here?"
"You're not hurt?" asked Shikamaru. He pulled her to her feet and waited for her to gain her balance. While her legs took her weight, she prepared to give the performance of a lifetime. Sai crowded her; the ink-coolness opened an escape, but she couldn't take the offer yet. "Ino possessed you to gain an audience with Lord Kakashi."
"Ino…" Ino clenched a hand over her heart as Sakura always did when worried about someone she cared about. Though she was in an unformed type of sensory-mode, the link with Grandmother pumped information into her mind, so she could monitor the powerful pelt-smooth chakra as it narrowed the distance. Miyazato would arrive in mere minutes. "Oh. I see."
"What do you remember?"
"I finished my shift at the hospital. I went home, took off my shoes...and started pulling out stuff for dinner." Wasting Sai's time to investigate the house would give her more time to escape the hospital. The tears stinging her eyes weren't fake. "I had my back turned...I thought I heard a noise, like a footstep, but before I could go see what it was...I woke up here. I don't remember anything else."
"Okay, Sakura. It's okay," said Sai. Of the men in the Office, she didn't think he would be the one to comfort her, but he patted her back and looked sympathetic. "Ino is doing everything she can to escape the marriage to Mr. Miyazato. Her use of Shintenshin on you is nothing personal."
"No, I'm...not upset over that. How can someone shift the balance of power so suddenly?" She twisted towards Lord Kakashi. "Lord Kakashi, please. Isn't there anything we can do to help? Can't we give someone else to him?"
But Lord Kakashi had no opportunity to respond to her plea. The pelt-smooth chakra flowed into the confines of the Office, the strength of it enough to drown out the others' chakra signatures. Blood ran like ice through her veins. Her muscles rigid, she turned toward her enemy, and shrank within herself rapidly enough inner-Sakura took notice and stirred under Ino's iron control.
"Hello, everyone," said Miyazato. His smile was affable and cheerful, his long black hair a trifle mussed from his sprint across town, but he was calm and loose-limbed as he stepped into the Office. "My, my, haven't we worked late tonight? Witnessing the extreme efforts the Office of the Hokage has put forth just...warms the cockles of my heart. Now," he continued, and his tone dropped the false cheerfulness, "Ino. Where is she?"
"She used Shintenshin and released it. We don't know where her physical body is," said Shikamaru. Ino noticed the quick glance he shared with Lord Kakashi, as though they'd confirmed a suspicion about something.
"Hm. Is that so?" Miyazato's eyes scanned the room, pausing on her. Recognition glimmered across his features. "Haruno Sakura, Ino's 'bestie'. We meet again. I do appreciate your special care of Ino when she was last in the hospital. You have my eternal gratitude for bringing her back from the grave."
He shifted a few steps forward and bowed, but the bow had an air of sarcasm she didn't like. She glared at him with one second to calculate and mimic Sakura's authentic reaction. "Who do you think you are, chasing Ino around? She doesn't want to marry you!"
Miyazato straightened. The pleasant smile faded, replaced with serious consideration. "This chase is the most fun I've had in my whole life, Miss Haruno! Besides, she is promised to me. Don't shinobi in the village Konoha honor their promises? I was under the impression they did."
"I assure you we've worked around the clock to secure Ino's cooperation," said Shikamaru stiffly.
Miyazato paid Shikamaru no mind. He stared at her. Unblinking cat eyes penetrated Sakura's physical body like a steel blade and struck Ino where she hid inside Sakura's mind. Did he know? Panic cascaded cold tingles down her shoulders and back; she'd controlled the trembling, but with Miyazato inches away and the pelt-smooth chakra asphyxiating her, her control over Sakura's soul weakened. She tensed and clenched her hands into fists at her side. From everywhere at once, thick coolness soaked into her, shaped her strength and thoughts. Sai to the rescue.
Miyazato continued, his voice a whisper, "Anyone can see you love Ino to the bottom of your heart. I love her too. But the fact remains, her clan's head signed a legally binding contract and I expect everyone to honor the signature. There isn't a thing you can do except throw your lot in with these fellows," he inclined his head to indicate Sai and Shikamaru. Heavy gold earrings glinted under the black hair. "They've shown cold-hearted logic in their turn against Ino...for the express purpose of preserving their precious village."
Because she had followed the tilt of Miyazato's head, she witnessed the anguish which creased Shikamaru's face, a reaction only deep pain would merit. All along Ino had recognized why Shikamaru decided to force her to surrender, but she assumed he'd come to the decision without hesitation. Inside this single flinch was evidence he had borne a struggle as great as her own current one. The decision had been logical, but not cold-hearted. Some of the violent struggle against her fate quieted.
"Why Ino?" she asked. "You could have your pick of any other woman in any village. Someone else would save you time and energy and would be willing to marry you."
"True. However, no other woman fits the distinct parameters I require," he told her. "Ino is beautiful, but the kind of beautiful which strikes one dumb upon sight. Ino has excellent ancestry, which demonstrates a loyalty to familial ties as well as ties to the village. Finally, Ino's upbringing and training allow her to navigate through the upper and lower circles of society." She had not realized she was so valuable to him, but she felt those reasons did not explain the ridiculous lengths he'd taken to eliminate her choices and force a marriage on her. Miyazato's cat-like gaze intensified. "Where did Ino use Shintenshin on you?"
"I was home. She'll be long gone by now." She paused. "Those aren't reasons to love a person."
Perceptive eyes narrowed and she resisted an urge to fidget. "Maybe."
The interaction had been going on for minutes without interruption from the other men in the Office, which surprised her as she had asked impertinent questions. However, Lord Kakashi had not stirred a hair and in fact, watched the goings-on intently. Shikamaru and Sai both had their eyes trained on Miyazato's back, and they waited, breathless and motionless, for any sudden switch in attitude from their honored guest. Every second Miyazato paid her attention was another second he didn't notice the others.
"You're lying," she whispered.
Miyazato was taken aback as though he hadn't expected her accusation. "I'm a liar?" The generous lips slanted. "What lies have I told?"
"That you love Ino. You don't love her." Though it was reckless to bring up the illustrated bouquet, she did so anyway. "You're infatuated. Obsessed."
"I'm the one infatuated? Obsessed? No, no, no, no, it isn't me. It's you. You are infatuated and obsessed. I've heard quite a lot about you, Miss Haruno. Didn't you betray Ino, your quote-unquote best friend, for a brooding mysterious boy with a violent past?" Mockery laced his words. "Aren't you the girl who chased after her dark avenger, despite his vow to destroy the village of your birth? After the trials and tribulations of your young life, you continue to linger about the village, a jaded pink petal wilted for how starved you are for love and affection. You wait, and wait, and wait for your love to be reciprocated. I ask, which of us is more infatuated and obsessed in our current situations? At least when I chase after something, I eventually grab hold of it."
The casual dismissal of Sakura's fucking heartbreak angered Ino. She should smack Miyazato's stupid shit-eating grin off his face, but she couldn't. Sakura would load her hand with chakra and rip his fine jaw off his face. In constrast, everyone would witness Ino's weak-ass punch and know it wasn't Sakura. Instead, she hissed through clenched teeth and straightened her shoulders. An attack on Sakura had been a mistake.
"Sasuke does love me." Sessions of Saiko Denshin had revealed to her two clear, consistent emotions: Sasuke's passionate loyalty to Naruto, and the unquestionable love he had for Sakura. Sasuke was a knob mainly because he didn't know how to demonstrate his love.
"I have yet to hear of any assurances which will keep one warm on cold nights," he replied with a taunting laugh, "but everything you know about martyrdom you learned from Ino. She is a master of self-sacrifice, which is why nothing you do matters. No one can do a single thing to stop our marriage. She'll yield to my demands sooner or later because I have removed her avenues of escape. All of your current arguments have but the significance and ferocity of a furious kitten."
Miyazato paused to judge the effect of his words. And an effect they did have.
"A furious…kitten?"
The belittling insult put her over the edge; she strained against impulsive physical violence. Ino sank inward and visited Sakura in the confines of Sakura's mind. Sakura was calm under Ino's control- -calm which Ino had expected at any time to turn into a violent rebellion- - and stirred as Ino reached out to touch her. Their souls communicated their fury, two young women who'd matured as rivals and friends, who were as different as night and day in personality, strength, and skills, but they had the same Will of Fire. Enough is enough. Break every bone in his body, Forehead.
With pleasure.
Ino readied a release to switch Sakura into the control seat of her body, but a pelt-smooth rush of chakra washed over them, paralyzing them in place inside Sakura's mindscape. Not so fast, dearest pet!
The shout blared in Ino's ears, ramped up her heart rate, and she was jolted awake- -Miyazato's astral grip kept her within Sakura's body, the same as when Sai had seized her on the way to Yu. Shock and fear vibrated through her like a rung gong. She woke to reality. Miyazato's cruel fingers dug into her narrow shoulders, she panted with effort to escape him. Attempt after attempt was made to release Shintenshin, but her soul would not leave Sakura's body. Finally, she wrenched against the iron fingers, her hands clamped on his forearms to loosen them.
"Calm down, everyone! I haven't hurt her," Miyazato said over his shoulder. The three others in the room had stepped forward to intervene, but at his assurance, they hesitated and reassessed the situation. To commit an attack would destroy their delicate peace with Miyazato and his connections in Gold. Regardless, they remained milliseconds away from deadly action. "Ino pretended to release her technique the first time. It's her inside Miss Haruno. Don't be shy," he said to her. "Tell them the truth."
"Go to hell."
Miyazato laughed- -an amused roar from his belly. "Oh, really, my pet. Is that any way to speak to your bridegroom?" When she seethed at him in silence, he softened his tone. "Tell us where your body is."
"Bite me."
"A tempting offer, but we're not yet married. Where is your body?"
"In Yu."
"Yu? Liar," he said, "and not a believable lie, either. My guess is the Konoha hospital."
She managed a derisive laugh. Over Miyazato's shoulder, she and Shikamaru shared a meaningful eye-lock. His eyes said, What's the plan? She told him, Follow my lead. And you'd better sell it, lazy-ass.
"You think you know each and every one of my techniques? Everyone who knows our clan also knows the phrase, 'Never bet against a Yamanaka'." With a haughty toss of her head, she smirked wickedly at Miyazato. "The older generations of Yamanaka never perfected multiple body possessions. I have. They never perfected a projection around a curve. I have. They never perfected projection from one possessed body to another," she outright grinned, "but I have. So how much are you willing to bet?"
Miyazato scowled. Before he had the chance to gather his thoughts, she molded her fingers in the Shintenshin hand seal. Within his claustrophobic grip, his mind half inside hers, she let him feel the flare of chakra in her network. Ino scrunched her astral self further into Sakura's psyche. To do so was like holding her breath and diving deep underwater. Sound and light and shapes were distorted. She was in enough control of the physical body to let her knees buckle and fall lax. Sakura took the hint and with the presence of mind and the mental fortitude typical of a student of Lady Tsunade, returned to her throne. Confusion ensued, as Miyazato's pelt-smooth force washed against Sakura's soul, not finding Ino's soul in charge any longer.
"What?" Miyazato gasped.
Since she wasn't in full control of Sakura's physical body, she heard and felt everything from a distance. She was jarred- -he must've dropped her, and she thudded to the floor. Sakura's soul struggled against the dizziness of three souls occupying the same space. Shikamaru's voice murmured, but she was too deep inside Sakura's mind for any distinct words to filter through. Miyazato's odd containment over her soul dissipated, and this time, she did release Shintenshin.
As soon as she woke inside her true body, Grandmother would pinpoint her position again. Fine. She'd get outside the Sensing Barrier and use the tunnels to re-enter the village, suppressing her chakra to remain undetected and hiding behind a more clever disguise. While Anbu and other elite shinobi could pass in and out of the Sensing Barrier with a technique, she didn't have the required clearance to learn it. The Barrier Team, hell, the entire Detection Division, was familiar with her chakra signature, so escape without chakra was the most logical choice.
Ino settled into her body and felt a comfort like a homecoming. Once she awoke and confirmed her status, she suppressed her chakra to avoid any sensors. Despite her quick chakra suppression, she would assume they had seen her signature appear inside the Sensing Barrier. Early evening had transitioned to darkened night, and the hospital was no longer as busy or as lighted. Much of the day shift had gone home, so Ino shed her gauzy wrappings and carefully removed the saline drip. She wore the infantry flak jacket and slacks and black boots, not her usual purple, and would blend in with other on-duty shinobi. She slipped unseen out of the ward and through quiet, unmonitored halls, she sought the lost and found closet. There, she braided her hair and tucked the noticeable blonde under the collar of the flack jacket. A discarded shirt made a fantastic headscarf when she folded it the right way, and she found a pair of oversized yellow-tinted glasses. With a black pen, she dotted a beauty mark at the corner of her eye and with the same pen, she shaded in her light eyebrows. While she still looked vaguely like herself, a change in posture and voice would render her unrecognizable.
The trick, Daddy had told her, was acting as though you were a different person. As she exited the lost and found closet and turned into a side hall to walk out exit doors to the side of the hospital, she filled in the essential background of her character. I'll be from a family like Sakura's. Both parents are civilians, but I wanted to be in the Academy. And being the spoiled youngest sibling of three, she got what she begged for. The selfishness in a youngest sibling would coincide with Ino's actual selfishness in running away from surrender until something else could be planned. The alternative exits from the hospital were unguarded, but the moment she left, she heard a sweep of wings. In the dim lights cast from the hospital windows, one of Sai's ink hawks alighted on the front lawn. One figure rode the hawk.
Well, that accounted for Sai. Shikamaru and Lord Kakashi must've waylaid Miyazato. She walked at a brisk pace to the nearest gate, the North Gate, with her chakra suppressed. Her walk was not lonely, as many young lovers were out for an evening stroll to and from dinner and drinks. Patrols bounded from rooftop to rooftop. The night was warm with frequent cool breezes, and the fading May flowers perfumed the air with sweet scents. Ino's eyes welled with stinging tears because of the simple fact she couldn't enjoy her home for being chased within an inch of her life. She didn't dwell on those negative thoughts, and after calming breaths, she continued her determined strides towards the gates.
At the North Gate, she would have to use chakra to climb and pass over the Great Barrier Wall. Teams would be dispatched to investigate the last known location of her chakra signature. The Interception Team and the other patrol squads, who were more than likely connected with mass Mind Transmission, wouldn't arrive at the same time she crossed through the Sensing Barrier. This meant she'd have a few minutes to disappear into the foliage on the other side of the Great Barrier Wall, circle around to the manhole Sai showed her to enter Konoha under the Sensing Barrier.
The Great Barrier Wall towered above her. The solid earthen material had baked in the sun the entire day, radiating a rosy warmth she felt from several meters away. The gates had been closed and locked. A squad up top and a squad arranged below guarded any approach to the gate. To avoid them, she followed the wall on foot a good distance before she reactivated her chakra. With a motivational yell, she charged the wall and sprinted the entirety of the way, her thigh, calf, and butt muscles screaming with the force and speed she dashed. If only Rock Lee could see her, he'd be proud. She crested the walkway, where patrols ranged at intervals, overseeing the forests clustered against the outside of the wall. There were no lights up top, but as she took a position to descend the other side, shouts echoed into her ears. As she predicted, the Sensing Barrier had picked up her signature. Konoha shinobi would converge on her location soon.
Down, down, down the outside wall she descended, at times sliding, and when the treetops were eye-level, she sprang into their welcoming arms. Speed was essential. They couldn't smell her with the Anbu seal Sai applied to her, and outside the Sensing Barrier, they'd need a sensor with a wide range. Given the response time, Ino guessed most of her family was in the Inner Chamber in order to monitor the barrier and maintain Mind Transmission to the search teams, so none (or few) would accompany the patrol teams. Although she had her freedom within the cloaking darkness, she did not have great night vision. No moon shone rays of silver light into the dense forest.
Little wonder that she misjudged a branch and plummeted to the black forest floor with nothing but a gasp of surprise. In her fall, her head hit another limb. Stars flashed white across her vision.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed. It was a shorter chapter than usual as I split this chapter in half. See you next Saturday!