A/N: Welcome back, dear readers and lurkers. Another long one ahead. I pruned as much as I could, but you know me. Please forgive the word vomit.

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

Ino Does the Right Thing

After breakfast, Sai went down to the practice area. The rice-paper screens were ajar from their usual position; Ino had entered his house through the locked door, and he was relieved she'd gotten away before Miyazato or another of their squads captured her. Unfortunately, the door with its specialized Anbu coding presented a risk to their security. Should anyone with eyes and a brain cell search further into the pipelines beyond the nearest water station, the door would provoke an uncomfortable investigation. It had to go.

He took care of the door and explained to Ino what he'd done. They discussed how she should hide if anyone breached the house's security. By this time, he had to leave for work.

At the Office, Shikamaru had no further details to share from yesterday's inquiries. No squads or patrols had reported sightings of Ino. Miyazato had not appeared. Sai and Team 8 were ordered to canvas the neighborhood surrounding the water station where the spike had originated. For the rest of the day, they chatted with residents about any disturbances the night Ino escaped. The majority had slept undisturbed. None had witnessed anything of real importance. When the team returned empty-handed, Shikamaru dismissed them for the night with no further directives.

Thankful to have free time, Sai rushed home. He was in the entryway, securing the front door, when Ino greeted him with a welcome home kiss and helped him strip his gear. The light hit her tired face. Assuming she needed space, he left her alone, simmering for her.

"I'm glad you're here," she said. "I waited to start dinner as long as I could, but I was getting hungry and didn't want to leave it to chance when you'd be home. Did you have a long day?"

"Shikamaru had us comb the neighborhood for witnesses. It took the entire day," he said. They walked along the cool hallway, their arms linked, into the kitchen, where she'd set out pans and ingredients. The rice cooker was plugged in and had 15 minutes left. "My house is too far outside the area where the water jutsu originated, so we stopped before reaching my section of the neighborhood. However, Shikamaru might ask questions if he sees where my house is located."

"He could notice."

"Nothing indicates he has so far, but I wouldn't put it past him to suspect someone has helped you, especially since it looks like you disappeared off the map."

Ino hm-hm'd while she grabbed a kitchen knife. "He'll try to figure out who it is."

"Yes."

Shikamaru's genius depressed the conversation. They fell silent for a few minutes. As she chopped onions, carrots, and broccoli, Sai admired her delicate wrist bones and the tidy, oval nails, her elegant and proportioned hands. He reached into his hip pouch and withdrew a small sketchbook so he could draw the beauty in those feminine details.

"I thought you should know," he said, pencil deftly forming the perfect lines, "Kiba and Naruto were the ones who created the diversion for you."

The knife slowed. "I thought of Naruto, but I didn't think anyone would tell him what was going on. Kiba must've informed him and then persuaded him to lend a hand."

"I believe he did. They're lucky we had no physical proof, otherwise they'd be in jail. Although Kiba did an excellent job covering possible scenarios in his plan, anyone who knows him, and his history with you, had an idea he was to blame. I could tell Shino was displeased with his decision, but I think Hinata agreed with him."

Ino set aside the knife. Tears dripped over her chin. Angrily, she grabbed a paper towel. "These dumb onions," she said, wiping away the tears. "They make me cry every time I dice them." A few sniffles more before she gained composure. "So…are…they okay? They haven't been found out?"

Sai didn't think the onions were at fault, but to point it out might change her mind about cooking for him. Sketch complete, he returned the book to his pouch. "I'll admit their recklessness caused me anxiety, and yes, they're okay. Shikamaru's main focus was on you and your capture, so he dropped any further investigation in that direction."

His explanation calmed her. Chicken breast was next to be cut on the wooden board, which Ino completed with a few expert slices of the kitchen knife. She had him come around the counter to coat the chicken strips in flour while she got oil heated in one of the pans on the burner. The meal was finished the same time the rice cooker chimed.

Sai, like most of the Anbu crew, did not live in his house; he was a workaholic and he was never home. When he was home, he was in the bedroom asleep. The least used room of the entire house was the kitchen. Sai could count on one hand the number of times he got into his cabinet for spices. Takeout was simpler and didn't spoil like fruits, meats, and vegetables. Ino having fresh ingredients in his refrigerator was of itself a miracle. But, since his recent work was concentrated in the village, he'd gone grocery shopping to stock up. He was glad he did.

They sat across from each other at the table for four Sai had occupied just once since he bought it, and he'd not been seated to eat, but to draw in his sketchbook. Like with a romance or a sexual relationship, sharing his dinner table had been a fantasy, not an expectation. Inside his chest, his heart rolled oddly and sprang with energy.

"Thank you for the food," he said. "I've never had homemade teriyaki chicken before."

"I'm not surprised, seeing as you exclusively consume white rice for your meals," Ino said with a coy smile. A callback to Hinokoku. Very funny. "Please enjoy."

He took his first bite. And his second. And third. He ate without speaking as speaking meant he couldn't put more of the saucy chicken and vegetables in his mouth. When he'd finished the rice, he went back for seconds. Sai never had seconds. In the first place, Root trained him to eat little and eat quickly. In the second place, he viewed food as fuel for his body. Flavors and textures didn't matter to him as long as he energized his cells. He was sure he'd read somewhere home-cooked food tasted better because it was cooked with love. Had Ino put heart and soul into the food?

He glanced at her, wearing his clothes, her untamed tresses wild about her shoulders and elbows, and she smiled at him. Through dinner, she had watched him with a soft mist in her eyes. He could not identify her emotion. Lizard Brain reminded him she was bare under the thin t-shirt and his briefs, and the ache was strong, very strong. He tightened his grip on the chopsticks in a futile attempt to ignore the feelings.

"How did you occupy your time while I was away?" he asked. Anything to keep his mind off the ache for her.

"I read. Washed my clothes." As she spoke, the vocal cords flexed in her throat, emphasizing the hollow nestled within the tendons. His lips burned. "Cleaned the mud I tracked in. Tried to figure out what to do next. The usual."

Calm down, body. Stop reacting to her. "You were bored."

"So bored."

"You have plenty of time to decide what to do," he lied. She didn't have any time, but to pressure her would worsen her anxiety. He had expected to step inside the house this evening and find her paralyzed with fear or naked and sobbing in a corner. Ino's resilience continued to impress him. "My reputation is enough to frighten anyone away from the house. No one will find you unless we want them to."

"Let's hope not."

He felt the change in topic had upset her, so he directed the conversation to another question. "Did you need any medication?"

"I have the painkillers you handed me in the pocket dimension. They've lasted so far," she replied. She stood and bussed their dinner plates, the length of gorgeous pale blonde trailing behind her. "Hey, I baked a cake for dessert. You better have some room saved."

"You baked a cake? Why?"

Ino fished around inside the refrigerator and withdrew a covered platter with a diminutive cake on it. The white frosting was decorated with colorful sugar flowers. How very like you, Miss Beautiful, to bake a cake.

He felt like his heart was a bird battering at the cage with its wings. It would bleed for freedom, bleed for the wide-open skies and clouds and the emerald green of trees. He wanted to soar with her in their celestial skies: he, the moon; she, the sun. They'd be ageless together and never ending through the eons.

"Why?" She echoed his question as she cut a slice, putting it in the center of a small plate. When she offered it to him, he stared at it, a lump large in his throat. "Because it's for you, silly. A sort of thank-you for everything you've done."

He couldn't restrain the tides of his emotion for her. The cake was set aside. Ino had a look like she was about to ask questions or argue, but he didn't have the patience. Before she could speak, he tangled his hands in her hair as he kissed her with the fervor which had built since the blowjob this morning. He'd thought about kissing her while she gazed at him over the dinner table. She tasted good- -she'd licked a dab of frosting from her fingers, and the sugar left a sweetness on her lips- -smelled even better, and she reciprocated his deep kiss.

He dragged his mouth away for a moment. "I'm sorry to be rude, but I'm ready to thrust my penis inside you."

Laughter was not what he'd aimed for, but when Ino threw back her head and let ripe peals of merriment ring through the kitchen, he decided it was fine because she was happy. In fact, she laughed so hard she cried. A few minutes elapsed as she wiped away her happy tears. When she calmed, she took his hand. Her laughter had suffused her pale face with a pink flush.

"Oh, Sai. We'll practice your dirty talk, okay?"

"We don't have to if you're too sore," he said, following her into his bedroom. "I'd never intentionally cause you pain."

"I'm not as sore as I was yesterday. Besides, I've had romantic daydreams about you." She unzipped his shirt. "And those daydreams have caused a lot of pent up frustration. I guess I should ask, are you ready?"

Not much needed to be said. Not much could be said as Sai's mouth was filled with Ino's tongue. Clothes flew to the four corners of the bedroom. Under his skin felt like a furnace, and her body trembled as he caressed the smooth, fluid curves of her hips and breasts. His breathing was labored; hers was the same, and the rosy pink flushed her throat and decolletage. Ino's light hand stroked him with slow, long squeezes while he fastened his mouth to her neck. Between her legs, she was hot and slick and he rubbed her with massaging circles. Moaning, desperation in her eyes, Ino pushed him flat on the bed.

She crawled astride him, her hands on his shoulders, her mouth fastened to his. Her hair shimmered in the lamplight. Panting, Sai was ready, flesh tight and pulsing. Ino reached between their bodies to hold him steady. Her hips lifted; he was in, oh, he was in, buried in glorious wet heat, and she rocked violently. The groan exploded from his chest, so sudden was the pleasure, and her eyes were on him, hair draped around them as she clutched his shoulders. He, in turn, clutched her waist.

Tension increased too quickly; slowing down was not an option. Ino bucked on him, shifting back to reach behind her as her hips sped through concentric loops. His name echoed off the walls. He gritted her name through clenched teeth. He was there, oh, he was at the apex, the golden pinnacle of pleasure! His back arched; brain and body exploded. Ino wailed her pleasure to the ceiling. They grappled to survive the enormous orgasm tearing through them and after their bodies rode the waves, they stared at each other, breathless.

"Wow," she said.

"I agree."

Laughing, Ino unseated herself and snuggled to his side. Dreamily, she caressed his chest. "By the way, I'm still horny, so prepare for another round."

"Yes."

He contemplated the ceiling, his mind a comfortable blank, and Ino nipped gentle love bites along his shoulder. They lay, in quiet bliss, Sai threading his fingers through her hair. Ino had lost her floral scent in lieu of her washing with his scentless products. When everything was over, he'd buy her her favorite soap and shampoo. He'd visit her in the flower shop. Well, when the flower shop was rebuilt. But would it be rebuilt?

"Hey," Ino propped up her head on her hand. "You don't have to worry. Everything will work out."

No surprise she'd read his mind. Playfully, he sandwiched her head with his hands and gazed into her blue crystal eyes. "Can you predict the weather tomorrow, too?"

She laughed, but sobered as he kissed her smiling mouth. Their fast romp had only heightened their passion, not quelled it. She'd given him a mere drop of the liquid emotion, not the vast quantity he required, so he loosened the grip he had on his psyche. The lure worked like magic. Ino's eyes had a soft, unfocused quality as her astral presence seeped into the space he had prepared for her. Around him the bedroom blurred, the walls becoming more transparent until they faded entirely from view. A new scene spread before them. They were on a high cliff, overlooking a great many silvery waterfalls as mist gathered rainbows in the high sun. He recognized Yu.

Beneath them, the bed had sunk into soft loam which spread a green carpet on the otherwise slate gray of the Yu cliffs. The fresh scent of wet stone and pure water intoxicated him. Birds chirped from the trees, the crash of water muting noise. Ino was in everything, her beauty and her attention to detail, and this gift she gave him strengthened the strange, bold, shining emotion inside his chest. He'd forgotten the guilt of manipulating Naruto; he'd forgotten Inoichi's rage and Lord Danzo's chilly disappointment. He was with Ino and Ino alone.

They took their time. Sai explored her soft neck with his mouth, hands and fingers dipping along her silky skin. She touched him in return, relaxed and loose under his adoration. He felt he could be lost within her world, be content and happy to ease her anxieties, frustrations, stresses, and fears. Even as she flooded him with her feelings about the recent trouble with Miyazato and Kiba and Naruto, he sensed another level to her above the level she offered him. Whatever it was, he'd have to exercise patience. She did not yet trust him to accept all of her, but he believed she would, just as he believed she'd accept all of him. Skin to skin, they generated heat in the cool dew of the waterfalls. Ino locked her arms around him, nails dug into his back, her knees high and wide, as he united with her physically.

Pleasure pulled him out of his human shape. He hung his head inches from hers and could not break eye contact. The sky reflected in her eyes was a blue he had never painted before. The color fascinated him; the soul thriving in her captivated him. Within the cinch of his arms, Ino was free, gasping and straining as he brought her higher. When she whispered his name, he swallowed it as soon as it left her lips. They were both so close that the nerves and synapses between his legs fired the beginnings of the second orgasm along his spine. Heat punched his gut; Ino's head was tilted, her face a mask of intense pleasure, and as her body shimmied under his, he snagged the release offered to him.

As the Yu scenery eased away, the soothing gray paint of his bedroom walls erased waterfalls, cliffs, and sky. Snuggled with her, Sai sensed the burden on Ino had lightened. The idea he had helped soothe her gladdened him. They spent the rest of the evening together; bathing, teasing, laughing. With Ino curled into his side, they slept.

The next morning, he stood alone with Shikamaru in his office, the dimensions secured with the Ink Blot Barrier technique.

"I can't turn a blind eye anymore. Remove the seal suppressing Ino's scent," Shikamaru said after their general greetings. "With the Yamanaka clan in control of the Sensing Barrier, and Miyazato in control of them, we must balance the scales."

Sai withheld a reaction. He'd assumed Shikamaru knew of the Anbu seal for some time, but the two of them had never broached the topic until now. Sai believed Shikamaru had given Sai tacit permission to shield Ino. However, should Sai be caught outright aiding and abetting Ino (as he did currently), his choice to do so would carry a hefty penalty.

"Can we be sure the Inuzuka who tracks her is on our side?" Sai asked.

"The Inuzuka clan has had a resilient response to the Yamanaka clan's recent mind techniques and hypnosis. I can say with confidence the Inuzuka trackers on each squad are not influenced by either Miyazato or any Yamanaka." Shikamaru reclined in his desk chair. "Ino must lay low and avoid the use of her chakra. She's in someone's attic or basement or garden shed. She's exhausted, hungry, and out of options. Some time soon, she'll slip up and get cornered. We must be the ones who've cornered her."

"Yes, sir."

Meanwhile, Sai considered the consequences of a lie. What would it cost for him to simply say he'd removed the seal, but keep it active? No, he'd better not lie. Sai was top of the list as a prime suspect. He'd sealed Ino's scent and had both lied and stymied Shikamaru's search for Ino after their return from the Hinokoku mission. Shikamaru had played it cool then, but with pressure mounting, Sai was certain Shikamaru would figure out where Ino was hidden and who hid her.

Removing the Anbu seal wouldn't put her in untold danger when the barrier around the house would contain her scent. Later today, when he saw her again, he'd update her, but he worried she'd overreact to the loss of the seal. She might think he'd died. Please, Miss Beautiful. No impulsive decisions to leave safety.

Sai brought his hands together to concentrate on the many active techniques: the half-dozen or so alarm jutsu, the three Ink Blot Barrier jutsu, the surveillance jutsu, and others. For each active technique or seal, he had a matching tattoo. These were inscribed on his back, tucked neatly beneath the black zippered shirt among the handier seals for weapons and other offensive techniques to wield in battle. Most shinobi who used sealing jutsu had to be in close proximity to release the technique, but because he paired tattoos with the technique, Sai could do so at any distance. He released the scent seal; he felt the cool tingle where the icon evaporated.

"It's done," he said.

"Very good. I trust Ino's scent will be reported soon. I have squads sweeping the village in regular intervals." Shikamaru stood. "C'mon. Lord Hokage requested to see you in his office."

Together they left Shikamaru's office, crossed the space crammed with messy desks, as assistants and aides sallied to and fro with arms laden with scrolls and packets of other paperwork. They dodged these shinobi as runners exited and entered with messages from the aviary. Lord Hokage was not in his usual seat at his desk, but stood at one of the large windows. He gazed outside, the white Hokage's robe bunched in his hands, the hat hung on a hook nearby.

"Lord Hokage, if you're ready, I have Sai here," Shikamaru said.

Lord Kakashi stepped from the window. Sai noticed both he and Shikamaru had tired rings around their eyes. "Thank you. Shut the door, please."

Shikamaru complied as Sai paid his respects to Lord Kakashi. Lord Kakashi released the grip he had on his robes. The hems sagged to the floor. Wrinkles marred the fabric where he'd held them. A show of anxiety? Lord Kakashi was not an anxious person, but given the circumstances, Sai understood the feeling. The Hokage hovered at his desk, shuffling the sheaf of papers as he did so.

"I find I have to apologize," Lord Kakashi started. He sighed and stopped fiddling with the papers. "Shikamaru and I have held our cards close to the vest. We haven't included you in all the mission decisions. If you've felt left out of things, I apologize. The circumstances merit a degree of secrecy."

"No apology is needed, sir. I don't require justification for your choices."

Lord Kakashi tilted his head. "You don't get told this often enough, Sai, but I value you. You get sent on difficult, thankless missions. When you do, you complete your objectives as efficiently as possible. No complaints, little fuss, and you don't fail. Trusting you eases my mind."

Speechless, Sai studied Lord Kakashi. Why? Why the compliments? Especially when Sasuke fulfilled the exact same descriptions. "Oh. Thank you."

Lord Kakashi lifted a sheet from the stack on his desk. "You're welcome. Shikamaru, here's Ino's marriage annulment. Will you file it away for now? We'll destroy it first thing tomorrow morning."

And Sai went cold because he saw the filthy trick for what it was. Shikamaru took the annulment form and after slotting it into an innocuous blue file folder, dropped the folder into a file cabinet. They could have destroyed the annulment at any time, so why wait? Obviously the annulment was to tempt Ino out of hiding, a mistake which Shikamaru hoped to capitalize on. Shikamaru and Lord Kakashi must suspect he was involved with Ino. He was, of course, but the blatant trap alarmed him. They are desperate to find anyone connected to Ino.

"Was there anything else, Lord Kakashi?" he asked. "I should rejoin my team."

No, nothing else and Lord Kakashi soon dismissed him after some updates to his current mission objectives. While the compliments he'd received were positive and would give Sai an elated sense of accomplishment, the fact they'd been uttered under false pretenses soured their sweetness.

Later, Sai summarized the conversations with Shikamaru and Lord Kakashi for Ino. She had hugged and kissed him when he'd entered the door, relieved he was alive, and they had moved to the kitchen so Ino could get started on dinner.

"You're confident it's a trap?" she asked.

"Yes."

For a split second, his decided answer had struck her a blow, and her shoulders drooped, but Ino was Ino. It was not in her nature to be depressed for long. "And, in your opinion, the file absolutely can't be accessed?"

She still believed she could use the marriage annulment to her advantage. How best to convince her to let go of the annulment? "Shikamaru and Lord Kakashi have had a long time to think about their trap. They have a great multitude of shinobi at their command to lay down jutsu I'd be unable to overcome or detect. Even if I could, we don't have enough time to implement a coherent plan."

"What if the annulment is the only chance I have to escape Miyazato?" she asked. "I have to exhaust all my options. I can't let an opportunity like this pass by. I have to try everything," her eyes brimmed with tears, "so please understand."

"I sympathize with your position." He'd never understand the family dynamics at play or the construction of laws meant to eliminate choice, but he understood espionage. "However, Shikamaru is counting on your desperation to drive you to behave in an impulsive and emotional manner. Lord Kakashi and Shikamaru are convinced you are the key to essential information on Gold and Jangu. My guess is even if you have the annulment, it won't be accepted as authentic. Please also consider that I've acted before to protect you, and every time I have, Shikamaru has noticed it. Whatever trap is in effect, we can be sure it is designed to catch both of us."

She stared at him, her brain working hard to design an adequate response, but she couldn't and turned away from him. He hated to see her crestfallen. His instinct was to fling his arms around her; he didn't as she might feel restrained rather than comforted.

"Miss Beautiful, let me take you to your cousins. Say the word and I will transport you safely out of Konoha. Takahino and Hikarino are excellent allies. The three of you can plan together to rescue your clan from Miyazato."

She spun around to face him, her hair forward over her shoulder. As his words hung between them, he watched as she stoked the length of her ponytail. "What happens to you?"

"Nothing. I return to my duties as ordered. No one's the wiser."

She shook her head. "In the short run, yes. In the long run, my clan will run rampant with their mind techniques. You'll be at risk. You all will be at risk!"

"We're not completely helpless," he told her. "Lord Kakashi will never allow a complete takeover to happen. We have allies and resources at our disposal which could turn the tide against Miyazato."

"You're right. Instead, the Yamanaka clan will be the next Uchiha clan."

Her whispered statement was sinister, and shocking. While he had recognized a clan massacre as a potential outcome, he had believed Ino wouldn't entertain the idea of it. "Maybe not."

Lord Third, the most peaceful, erudite man in the history of their country, had resorted to a clan massacre to protect the village. He'd set the precedent, and because he employed an Uchiha to kill the Uchiha, one was left alive. Lord Sixth, however, would not spare a single clan member, including Ino. The Fourth Shinobi War had taught a hard lesson about sparing clan members from a massacre and also turning a blind eye to the vengeance a single clan member could wreak.

"I don't know. I don't know which is right." Her hands stroked the ponytail faster. "What do you think I should do?"

"It's not my place to decide for you."

"But...if our positions were reversed, you'd surrender. You wouldn't choose to be a selfish coward and put everyone in danger."

Sai frowned. He failed to see the comparison between them. Their upbringing, training, and motivations were too different. "A tactical retreat is not selfish or cowardly."

"Say it! Say you'd surrender!" Her vehement outburst took Sai off guard. She grabbed his shoulders, and he felt the desperation Shikamaru was so confident would spur her to her capture. "Say it!"

Between them the connection crackled to life. Images flashed across his mind, from her. She thought about her master, who'd walked straight into a disaster of a mission, for duty. She thought of her father, who'd accepted his death as it hurtled toward him, for duty. Duty to the village, not duty to the individual. He realized, then, why she struggled. She had already decided to surrender, but her heart thrashed and railed against what her mind said was the right choice. Sai hugged her, squeezing her as tight as he dared, while the volatile emotions whipped her into a frustrated froth.

"Whatever decision you make, I trust you'll have made for the right reasons," he said to the top of her head. "I'll support and help you however I can."

Dinner was a subdued affair, and Ino begged off with a headache. Sai left her alone. She wouldn't jeopardize Konoha's chances to negotiate with Miyazato with an attempt to acquire the marriage annulment. She'd surrender on her terms on her schedule.

Ino was not in bed.

When he woke at 2:36 in the morning, it was because he noticed the empty space beside him. Ino had appeared sound asleep when he slipped into bed last night, but perhaps a noise or a dream had stirred her. Where she'd lain was cold. Curious, he wandered the house...none of the seals had broken; he would've been woken had she released them, but he checked their integrity anyway, just in case.

She was not on the first floor. She had not left the premises.

Upstairs in his art studio, he detected a bundled shape outlined in the shadowed dark on the window nook across the floor. The weather had turned rainy overnight, and torrents struck the ceiling, skylights, and windows with a musical cadence. He approached, carefully, to avoid startling her. Ino had wrapped a blanket around her and her eyes were open and settled on the distance. Rain pelted the panes, running in rivulets along the glass.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

Ino shook her head. After a minute, he realized she wasn't inclined to speak.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Ten minutes. I can't believe you woke up."

He shrugged. "I feel your absence. May I join you?"

She shuffled around inside the folds of the blanket, finding the edge, and opened it like a cape to let him into her warmth. The space and the window were drafty enough for a pervading chill in the attic. More shuffling occurred for comfort. Sai somehow became Ino's pillow. She rested her back to his chest, his knees and legs outside hers. Her head lolled on his shoulder, and he kept the blanket closed to preserve their heat. They didn't speak for a while, the rain on the window enough to break their silence.

"You've decided to surrender," he said.

She was unresponsive long enough he thought she had ignored him. "I hate I didn't have to tell you." Her tone wasn't mean or offended. "How did you know what I'd choose before I had?"

"Because you were right," he told her. "I'd surrender, too."

"I knew you would. Thank you for saying it."

"Second-guessing a big decision is normal," he said. "The textbooks I've read suggest you should stick to your gut instinct...to your first choice."

Ino sighed. "I'm not second-guessing my decision."

"No?"

She wiggled in his loose embrace and turned completely around, butt on his thighs, chest to chest, and smashed her face into the crook of his neck. Sai was aware of the constant electrical bolts which flickered inside her. Agony. She shook like a leaf, and her heart throbbed through her back into the palm of his hand. When she took a sharp intake of breath, he heard the crying.

From far within the pain, she said, "Konoha's my home. I can't leave. I won't."

"I see how painful it is for you to think about being away from home. The mission will take you far away, but home'll be here for you when you come back. Once your mission is finished, you'll return. Nothing will have changed."

Her eyes and nose were still crammed into his neck, now wet with tears. "What happens…if I never make it back?"

"Miss Beautiful…" But he didn't have the right words and couldn't continue.

"I mean it," she said and shifted so she could look at him. "I might die! And let's say I don't bite it. How long will the mission last? Months? Years? They'll get married and have kids and move on! Nothing will be the same! I'll be forgotten." They, meaning the Rookie Nine.

Unaware of his own hands, he wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "Sasuke will step in should a life or death situation happen. And if I think the village is forgetting you, I'll infiltrate Gold myself and drag you home. You'll sass Lord Kakashi and Shikamaru, terrorize Sasuke and Sakura, argue with everyone else, and ensure no one attempts to forget you again."

"No!" Her quick refusal surprised him. "You can't! Promise me you'll stay far away from Gold." When he hesitated and didn't respond, she plucked his shirt. "Please promise me!"

Her eyes, the dark masking their sky-ness, were earnest and determined, almost aglow in the shadowed black of the night. He said, "I'll promise to stay out of Gold as long as you promise you'll come home."

"Sai!"

"Fair's fair."

She sighed; a weak, wet thing tinged with annoyance. "Fine. I promise to come home."

"And I promise to stay out of Gold."

They smiled, and at the same time, tilted their mouths together to seal the promise with a quiet kiss. His heart was on fire, his body full of light. They stayed curled together in the window seat, the blanket acting as a warm shield, protecting them from the former ills of the past and the coming ills of the future.

Outside, the morning heavens were spread with cobalt blue. There was no trace of the night's storm. Sai and Ino stood, looking at each other, in the washed green yard. Drops glistened on leaves and petals. The sun struck Ino's hair, setting it aglow with shimmery highlights.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," she said, but he saw her limbs quiver. "Go ahead."

Don't think about it. Moments later, he had finished the ink techniques to seal her chakra and bind her arms and hands. They had coordinated their story in case someone asked them. If they stalled, someone would see them or interfere with their plan. He helped her onto the Ink Beast hawk, and as they glided high in the endless morning sky, he steadied her with one hand. Around them, Ino's ponytail streamed and flipped, tangible gold in the sunlight. The gold and light in her hair matched what was inside his heart, screaming to get out, thrashing under his ribs.

He landed the hawk atop the Office of the Hokage and released it. They walked to the roof door. Each step they took crunched on gravel. On the other side of the door was a staircase which would take them to the Office. He did not want to pull the door, cross the threshold, or descend those stairs. Once inside the building, it was all over. He'd have no excuses left and no opportunity to turn around. Walking through the door was the same as entering the cage.

"Sai, it's okay." Ino's shoulders were stiff, but she stood straight. No tears showed in her eyes, but within her, her nerves jangled. "I'm ready."

Underneath the grim facade was a frightened girl, anxious about the future, but she had her Everything's Fine mask fitted in place. He would follow her lead and lift the mask to his face as well. But before he did and became an agent of the state, he had to gratify one final personal wish. As cool and collected as he was, the light begged to be recognized, to be given a chance to shine out to her.

Sai leaned forward, cupping her nape, the voluminous hair padding his palm. He hoped his nonverbal question was clear enough. He asked, "May I?"

"What a terrible idea," she said, laughing. The laugh was a trifle hysterical. "We can be seen from miles around! But sure. Go for it."

And so he did. He had thought to kiss her with a gentle touch of their lips, but the light, the burning ball of sun in the center of his chest, overcame him. It flowed in his veins, a tidal wave of raw passion and desire and protectiveness, and when he crushed his lips to hers, he unleashed it into Ino. Ino gasped in surprise, but didn't fight or struggle against his emotional surge. She understood what he couldn't put into words. Time, reality, lost meaning as they were devoted to the moment they shared, a moment for themselves and no one else.

But it was, in the end, just a moment.

They finished the kiss because the danger surrounded them and though they could exist in their own time and their reality, others did not share the sentiment. As emotionally charged as he was, Sai almost lost his nerve. He almost drew an Ink Beast hawk and he almost flew them away from Konoha to the safehouse in Earth. Her gaze pinned him to place; he did nothing of the sort. The calm blue eyes steadied him. She evened her breathing; he mirrored her. He felt her withdraw; he gained control of his heart's light and the heat cooled.

They had never talked about what was between them, had never defined the relationship as many books touted they should have. He'd meant to ask, but he was too late and he had to force away a squirmy panic which had risen in his throat. A cold shadow groped at him from his forgotten memories.

"Don't forget. You gave me your word to stay out of Gold," she said.

"And you promised to come home."

"I'll remember."

He said, "Put on your Everything's Fine mask."

"Yes. I'm fine." She had faded since after their kiss. "Everything is fine."

They fitted their masks into place. When he looked out of the mask, Ino had lost her beauty, her animation. Her face was smooth and neutral; her eyes distant. Sai watched his arm lift and extend, his hand pulling on the metal door handle. He did not feel the weight of the door. The door opened without a sound. He watched as Ino strode forward into the dim stairwell. He did not hear the wind, or the echo of their feet, or the scuffing footstep from behind them, as his heartbeat had stifled any other sound.

They descended.

A/N: So ends Part II of my monstrosity of a story. I am very much looking forward to Part III and exploring Miyazato, Gold, and Jangu. Thank you to those of you who have plugged along and are keeping up. You are incredible, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.