A/N: At last, at last, we have reached Part III! A big shout-out to those of you who've stuck with it so far. I hope you've enjoyed!

~ PART III ~

CHAPTER FIFTY

Ino is Taught Her Place

"Somehow I'd thought you'd be happier to be reunited with your clan," Miyazato said. He stood beside her at the rail of a wooden houseboat, the stern rippling the murky canal water as they floated south to connect to Saichou River. On the horizon, she could see a smeared line of red- -the last sight of the Great Barrier Wall. "The least you could do is show some gratitude for my graciousness."

Show some gratitude? Is he serious? Ino flexed her grip on the polished wood. She had a brief moment when she entertained an escape, but her feet remained stuck to the deck. It's a mission unlike any I've completed before. You will do this. "I am happy I'm with my family. But I wish we didn't have to leave everything behind."

It seemed ages ago, but just yesterday Sai had marched her into the Office. When she'd walked toward Lord Kakashi's office, a stunned silence had pervaded the floor. All eyes shifted to watch her cross, and when she stopped at the office door, Sai had announced her surrender to Shikamaru and Lord Kakashi. Sai's mask had not slipped even once during the interrogation. Nor had hers. Throughout the rest of the day, Sai had stood guard over her, allowing her freedom only to eat and relieve herself. Hours elapsed while the Office and Miyazato negotiated their terms. Eventually, she was asked to use chakra sensory to check for any foreign chakra in squads of shinobi, and having cleared them, she was released to Miyazato's care.

Deep into the night, she wondered when she'd be married to him or if she was already. No one mentioned anything about a ceremony. She hadn't signed any kind of certificate.

Early this morning she and her clan boarded a trio of houseboats waiting for them on the Konoha Canal. They had the clothes on their back and nothing else; whether the clan had packed ahead of time, she didn't know and hadn't had an opportunity to ask. She hadn't gotten to say goodbye to anyone or to visit her father's grave one final time. The grief had strangled her, became real, the first step on the houseboat she took. A paltry few workers on the canal had witnessed their depressing departure. Ino had honestly assumed Miyazato would require more fanfare. He had not spoken to her until now.

"While I enjoyed the chase, I'm glad it has ended," Miyazato said. "We have a bigger, more complicated game to play, you and I. I would transport us directly to Jangugakure, but the journey will give you enough time to learn the ins and outs of our culture."

"How would you transport us more directly?"

"Trade secret."

Ino waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't so she dropped the subject. "Is your culture so different from mine?"

The smirk widened into a pearly smile. "Oh, everything is different, my dearest pet. For example, Jangu is dependent on the government for jobs. Although, the better connected a citizen is, the more likely their commission will be accepted. Jangu shinobi also function as a police force with squads assigned to provinces within the country. Of course, citizens pay taxes to be well protected against threats."

"Seems simple enough."

"Hm, yes, you'll pick it up easily. However, your current education will focus on social hierarchy and the short list of elite nobility and their connections. Our art, music, and literature are extremely different from yours, so you'll learn those, too. You will learn dance, fashion, and all those pesky unspoken rules ingrained in our women before marriage."

She balked. "Really, I don't think-"

"Yes, you can," he interrupted and when he turned his head, the gold earrings reflected the sun. They looked like glowing eyes against the black sheen of his hair. "I have utmost confidence in your fertile mind. The end goal is for you to blend effortlessly into the crowd. You will create no scandal, you will have impeccable manners, and you will be a paragon of wifely duty." He extended his hand and examined his manicured nails. "I, however, will dazzle and charm them and call their attention to such spectacles as they've never before seen. And when all eyes are on me, you, oh queen of my heart, will cut their throats from behind."

A panicked haze of dizziness swept through her. She had lost the Great Barrier Wall over the horizon. Mouth dry, she whispered, "Why?"

"Hm? Why you or why them? Or why the plan?"

"All."

He smirked, leaning his head, to gaze straight into her eyes. The sinister look worsened the claustrophobia of her panic. "Maybe I'll tell you as a future wedding gift."

"Are we...not married?" she asked because what Lord Kakashi and the Council had done behind closed doors with her grandmother and Miyazato was a mystery to her, and no one had bothered to inform her since. Once she was released from custody, Miyazato had slipped the heavy gold ring on the middle finger of her right hand- -the first outward appearance of a shackle. "I don't understand."

He laughed, and the menace in his eyes left. "No, we're not married. I can't very well marry you when no one's looking," he said. "I couldn't marry you in Konoha because I don't care who knows about it there. All the important people are in Jangu; therefore, the marriage must take place in Jangu."

The squeeze of her panic lessened. I have a little time left. "I see."

Miyazato had been patient with her questions, and she had a ton more to ask, but she felt he'd had enough. While she had access to her chakra network, she did not sense the potent pelt-smooth chakra though he stood close to her. Around them, the peaceful Konoha forest beat with life, shades of dark and light greens, the gaps where farmers tended patchwork fields. Out of the blue, Miyazato rested his hand atop hers. The touch reverberated up her arm. Gasping, she yanked her hand away as though a spider had crawled across her fingers.

"Now, now," he said, not in the least offended, "we're to be a perfect couple and a perfect couple shows affection. Try again."

He held out his hand to her which she ignored, clasping her hands behind her back. "I figured in your country it'd be fashionable for wives to despise their husbands."

"The hate brews under the surface, but is never outright displayed. Try again," he answered. Was he amused or annoyed? "Well?"

Ino was, to her foundations, defiant. To give in to an affectionate gesture would allow room for him to request more intimate gestures later. What would be next? A hug? A kiss? Sharing a bed? The idea nauseated her. She was on a mission, true, but she didn't have to acquiesce to him in private unless he forced her. While the defiance was reckless, it had purpose. Setting her strict boundaries would result in Miyazato accepting or rejecting them, and then she could understand how far she could push him before he retaliated.

Miyazato narrowed his eyes and dropped his hand. Bracing herself, she waited for him to explode into violence and possibly strike her. He didn't, but the pelt-smooth chakra slammed into her. Wincing, Ino clenched the railing as her network prickled with the sudden deluge of incompatible chakra. A breeze billowed the loose fabric of his haori and her overskirt, creating a mural of teal and purple; his black hair and her blonde streamed over their shoulders. In the breeze, Ino smelled smoke. A shadow blotted the sun. Goosebumps pimpled her skin as she glanced out over the river. From under their boat, clouds of black smoke spilled out over the glassy water, stirred and stoked by the breeze. It rose like a wrathful thunderhead into the blue sky and veiled the landscape around them. The other houseboats disappeared in the haze.

The smoke was everywhere, had crept onto the houseboat, thick and oily and densely black. Suffocated, Ino felt the heat of it on her skin, felt the weight of it around her ankles as it lapped at her calves. She choked, the air no longer easy to breathe, and coughing, tried to escape. Her efforts were futile. Smoke shackled her wrists and arms. It slid a long, silent tendril across her chest, coiled around her neck. He'd kill me? After the hassle he went through to get me?

Miyazato appeared feline- -eyes like yellow gems, black rosettes along his throat and face, fingers tipped with needles. Teeth displayed in a cruel leer. From apparent thin air, a gold headdress splaying long feathers of turquoise and purple crowned his head. As she struggled to breathe, to figure out a move, he shifted his attention to the side. The smoke held her, but aside from her discomfort, it hadn't tightened around her. She followed his gaze. The doors to the common room within the houseboat were flung wide, and slumped unconscious to the floor, lavender and purple kimonos in disarray, were her mother and grandmother. Black smoke had filled the room. A thin layer of clear air remained at the level where their heads lay.

He let her struggle to her heart's content before he lifted his hand. As the smoke had arrived, it left, dispersed in a quiet, steady wind. Ino coughed out the stink of ash, eyes watering and throat raw. She could smell nothing but the smoke. All throughout the attack, he stayed silent and watchful. When she staggered to Mom and Grandma to help them, Miyazato remained at the railing, stormy gray eyes on her and no longer yellow. His appearance had returned to normal.

Grandma was first to wake, and as she coughed and gagged, Ino ran her medical chakra into Mom. She groaned and began to cough as well. Shortness of breath, throat and lung irritation, and a slight headache, all symptoms alleviated with a careful application of Mystical Palm to heal the sensitive tissues. The smoke had been a jutsu, so had it been toxic? She concentrated on Grandma's lungs, found irritation but no real damage and no collection of toxic particles; Mom's were the same.

"Ino? What happened?" Mom asked, her voice raspy. "A fire?"

Ino reached for a pillow to rest her mother's head and brushed the strands of brown hair from her pale face. "No, don't worry. There isn't a fire. I made a mistake. Please rest a little. I've checked your lungs and they're clear."

"No fire? But, I swear…"

"Ino tested the waters," Grandma stated. She used her arms to keep upright, her white hair escaping in wisps from decorative hair pins. "And Lord Miyazato reacted to teach her a lesson."

Lord Miyazato. Worse than her grandmother's deference to him was her disapproval. Cut deeply, Ino forced the pain into a corner of her heart and fitted on her Everything's Fine mask. There was a bad moment when Sai's expressionless face peered out at her, but he quickly withdrew into her memories. She couldn't think about him and how she felt about him; it'd be too much. Miyazato still stood at the railing, still watched, with an amused quirk to his lips, the smirk she was familiar with. The lesson was straightforward.

Defy me, and everyone you love will die a slow, painful death while you'll watch and live.

"Yes. He taught me a lesson." In a gesture of obeisance, Ino dipped her head to the deck. Miyazato's gold ring shone on her finger. I'll escape you, and then I'll kill you. "Thank you for the lesson, Lord Miyazato. I apologize for my rude behavior."

She heard his footsteps traverse the wooden deck, and once more, the symmetrical and clean feet presented themselves to her. She remembered the night when he'd tracked her to the manhole, and she'd gotten away from him with a genjutsu. How had he tracked her? She'd had the ring in her pocket, folded in the bouquet illustration. Was it the ring or was it a jutsu?

Crouching like he'd done that night, Miyazato touched her chin. Lifting her eyes to him, she thought of the milk-white moon and thick ink, cool and black and viscous. She felt distant, detached. "Do you forgive me?"

"You're forgiven," he said. She couldn't tell if he meant it, but assumed he didn't. More punishment may be forthcoming. He stood and clapped his hands. "Well, that was rather unpleasant, wasn't it? Time for tea, I think."

Miyazato behaved as though nothing of consequence had happened for the rest of the day.

Shikamaru leaned on the metal balustrade which rimmed the roof of the Office. He chain-smoked while he contemplated the cloudless southern sky as the sun hovered over the eastern border of Konoha. In his pocket were two folded messages. One was from the guards at the South Gate. The South Gate monitored a road as well as functioned as the entry point for the Konoha Canal. As he expected, before dawn, Miyazato and the Yamanaka clan had boarded three outfitted houseboats and exited Konoha through the canal lock.

Around the same time Ino was thought to have infiltrated Leaf, the houseboats had arrived, empty of inhabitants except for the captains and crew. The boats were registered in Waves Country, and the crew showed authentic papers; when asked their business, they stated they were to stay at the ready for Miyazato and his new fiancee. Their swift departure had been expected.

Once in Waves Country, the clan and Miyazato would board a proper ship to sail across the Middle Sea, or so Shikamaru predicted. Wind bordered the Middle Sea on its western side, while Waves, River, and Fire bordered it north and east. Gold was located in the south, and though Wind, Fire, and Water touched Gold, the borders were fiercely guarded and protected. Hostile shinobi, jutsu, and landscape worked to keep invaders at bay. Great snow-capped mountains halted progress overland through Wind, and a foreboding wall plunked across the isthmus on the Fire/Gold side protected the border there. Though Suna, Konoha, and Kiri had circumvented these obstacles in previous generations, the villages had lost contact with their squads once the border had been crossed; none returned. Neutral diplomatic messengers were the sole exception, but they always returned with the same message: Gold remained isolationist and hostile to foreign countries.

The second message was from Sasuke, who awaited orders to attempt an illegal crossing into Gold. He'd discovered passage from Wind into Gold, but did not specify whether it was safe. Sasuke tended toward brevity rather than detail. They had maintained consistent communication, though the messages were delayed and the situation in Konoha had developed rapidly. Their original plans were in effect. Sasuke was to go ahead with his mission.

Behind him, Shikamaru heard the roof door open. He turned. Jinsoku poked his head out to call him. "Chief Shikamaru, sir? Captain Sai's in your office."

"Thank you. I'll be down in a moment." Shikamaru snubbed out the cigarette.

Up until yesterday when Sai had 'captured' Ino, Shikamaru had not really believed Sai was involved with Ino's remarkable evasions in the village. Throughout the mission to recover Ino, Sai had continued to behave as he normally would, according to his teammates, witnesses, and Shikamaru's own observations. The little trap with the marriage annulment (which Shikamaru considered a masterful set-up), was obvious enough any Intelligence officer would've seen it for what it was, but with Ino in the equation, the annulment was sure to tempt her regardless. If she didn't go for it, it was because she'd be convinced by an outside influence that the trap would implicate whoever helped her. And that had been the intention of the trap in the first place.

Sai had been the last officer of any real ranking Shikamaru had tested. Based on Sai's previous maneuvers to protect Ino, Shikamaru was unsurprised to see him drag Ino into the Office with some cockamamie story of her surrender the very next morning. Both of them had reiterated the same version of events down to the minor details. Both of them were calm and didn't fluster or fumble when pressed further. They were unshakable, which to be fair, was also expected.

Yes, in Shikamaru's mind, Sai had chosen to aid Ino in her efforts to escape the marriage, and furthermore, Shikamaru sensed Sai had something to do with the disappearances of Takahino and Hikarino. An order to undergo Saiko Denshin would uncover any connections between Sai and those Yamanaka, but Sai might reveal their location given the right circumstances and worse, the order might push Sai into a rash plan. Besides, Shikamaru wasn't as interested in what Sai had done than he was in why.

Once he knew the motives for Sai's actions, Shikamaru could foresee what Sai would do and plan around those future decisions.

Kiba's motives for interfering in Konoha's capture of Ino were easy: Kiba loved Ino and was loyal to her. While Naruto had been along for the ride, his feelings for Ino, while protective, were not the same depth as Kiba's, nor were his feelings as blatant. Naruto cared about Ino as a friend and teammate; Kiba loved her. Compared to the two of them, Sasuke would not suffer to inconvenience himself to support Ino without direct orders. Kiba and Sasuke represented two opposite ends of the spectrum. So where on that spectrum did Sai's feelings fall? In what way had Sai's bond with Ino been developed, if at all?

With a careless saunter, Shikamaru entered his office. "Good morning, Sai. Thank you for waiting."

"Good morning," said Sai. He was at the window, the familiar sketchbook in his hand. Before he faced Shikamaru, he tucked it into his hip pouch. "I didn't wait long."

"I'll get right to it. I received word from Sasuke, and he is in position to infiltrate Gold on our orders," Shikamaru said. "We'll go ahead with the mission as he is strictly on surveillance duty. Ino will convey the important facts to him and he will forward everything to us. We have a few loose ends to tie up, such as the whereabouts of Takahino and Hikarino and the missing Kiri shinobi."

"Understood."

Shikamaru slouched into his chair and kept his eyes on Sai. He was sorry to drop the bomb without any preliminary preparation, but he needed an authentic reaction. "This morning, Miyazato and the Yamanaka clan left Konoha aboard a few houseboats. They are traveling south on the Konoha Canal toward Waves as we speak."

A long, uninterrupted pause ensued. "She's...they're gone?"

"Yes."

As Shikamaru watched, something akin to a grimace rippled across Sai's placid face. Shikamaru felt Sai was no longer in the office, but at a distance, away from the present. Those liquid black eyes averted, dimming. The grimace subsided into blankness. In his effort to master his expression, Sai forgot about the rest of his body and a hand rose of its own accord, but before it got far, he relaxed it to his side. It all seemed forced except for the grimace.

"Are you feeling well?" Shikamaru asked. Sai's usual pale pallor was pasty, waxen. Sickly, even. Interesting. "Sai?"

"Fine. I'm fine." Sai sounded choked.

"You can step out if you need a moment."

"No." Swallowing, Sai returned Shikamaru's eye contact. "What are my orders?"

Whatever strong emotion had overcome Sai had passed, or, to be more accurate, had been controlled. Root training. The emotional turmoil merited investigation; however, Shikamaru was had neither the relationship with Sai nor the skill to monitor Sai's nuanced emotions about Ino. In fact, he could assign someone else the task of probing Sai for a clearer idea of Sai's feelings about her, someone who had an innate social-emotional awareness and excelled at evoking strong emotions. Inuzuka Kiba, looks like you're about to be reinstated to active duty.

"Report to Director Morino. We have a backlog of concerns we need to investigate," Shikamaru said. "A lot of red flags sprang up behind our backs with all our attention focused elsewhere. It's business as usual."

"Sasuke won't have any back-up."

Shikamaru paused to consider Sai's statement, which were unrelated to his orders. "Do you think he needs back-up?"

"In my opinion, it's odd no team has been assigned already. He's alone in a foreign country hostile to the Five Nations. Sasuke is a superior shinobi, but bad luck happens to everyone. He needs a point of contact for extraction and support."

"I expected you to worry more over Ino than Sasuke."

Sai flinched; it happened so fast Shikamaru thought he'd imagined it. "I do worry about Ino. However, Sasuke has dojutsu no other nation has. He is an asset worth protecting. Just as Naruto is."

Shikamaru didn't believe Sai cared one whit for Sasuke; rather, Sai probably used Sasuke as an excuse to push for a team to support Ino. Did Sai angle for an invitation to lead a support team? "Who would lead the team?"

"I would. I'm the most logical choice."

Hn. I knew it. Sai had never gone so far as to try changing his superior's mind about missions or team leadership. For Sai to question Shikamaru's decision was an extreme step. The relationship between Sai and Ino must've somehow evolved since Silence and Hinokoku. But to what extent? "Not Yamato or Anko?"

"My jutsu best supports a speedy exit from difficult extractions, as well as keeping detailed and frequent communication between Ino, the team, and Konoha. I have the most experience with infiltrating hostile organizations. As you know, infiltration is my specialty."

"True." He pretended to consider Sai's arguments. To outright address Sai's strong opposition to Sasuke's lone mission may signal to Sai that he, Shikamaru, suspected a change in Sai's feelings. While Shikamaru did need to pinpoint Sai's feelings in Ino's direction, he couldn't do it in an obvious way- -Sai was good at camouflaging his emotions and for what Shikamaru had in mind, Sai's honest feelings had to be considered. How annoying. "I won't authorize an entire team to infiltrate Gold."

Shikamaru rarely denied Sai anything, as Sai had a good handle on strategy and could make cool, logical decisions, so a flat-out refusal caused Sai to misstep. "Then let me go alone."

"No." How far will you go?

"Shikamaru, can you at least-"

"No," Shikamaru interrupted. Sai's expressive argument definitely clarified his position on Ino's mission, but it wasn't enough to prove anything. How close was Sai to Ino? "The decision is final. Sasuke will handle the mission. Alone."

Sai compressed his lips. "Yes, sir."

He left without a formal dismissal. A small act of rebellion, but a rebellious act nonetheless. Good grief. Sai was not supposed to be the problem child. Shikamaru put his fingertips together in his lap. Was he right to refuse Sai permission to assist Sasuke in Gold? Yes, of course he was. Sasuke and Naruto were twin powerhouses, and they were renowned for their battle prowess. Sasuke would be kept alive because of his rare eye jutsu. Sai's reputation was…less spectacular, but those who read the redacted files of his Root missions knew his ability. Should the mission in Gold go pear-shaped, Sai was their secret weapon to rescue Sasuke and Ino or both.

But Shikamaru very much doubted Sasuke would be the one to need a rescue mission.

Miss Beautiful is gone.

He was in the empty washroom, the door locked behind him, hands planted on a porcelain sink. Water poured from the faucet. He stared at the whirl as it drained, circling, circling, circling.

She's gone.

Why had the news blindsided him? He'd brought Ino to the Office to surrender her. Both had understood she'd be swept out of the village. He supposed he couldn't believe it had happened so suddenly. The day before yesterday they had cooked and eaten dinner together and slept together. He'd been kissed and hugged and cared for. He'd run his fingers through Ino's gold hair, caressed her neck, and she'd laughed and danced away. She was there. Then she was gone.

Shock had hit him like an unseen punch in the chest. A punch could be shrugged off, but this feeling, this…pain grew wider and deeper with each minute. He passed a hand over his heart, the epicenter of the growing hole. A gnawing, terrible monster with rows and rows of teeth.

I've felt this painful breaking before.

Yes, when Shin died. Shin. Sai covered his face with cold hands. Ino's alive. She's alive. She didn't die like Shin. Knowing she was alive did nothing to stem the collapsing edges of the jagged hole. She had sacrificed herself, not her life like Shin had, but her freedom. The hole expanded outwards, bits and pieces and entire chunks pulled into the void, the monster huge in size and gluttonous. He would be consumed if he didn't do something.

And why should he do anything? Falling to pieces seemed like an appropriate reaction.

Eliminate your emotions.

Panting, he cringed as his heart contracted with awful new agony. It was endless, and while he'd endured days of torture in his training, it had been physical torture, not emotional. A scream teased his throat, but he clamped a hand over his mouth and forced it down. The warmth, the light, he'd felt with Ino had shut off; he was in a freefall, grappling smooth walls as he plummeted to his demise. That was probably worse than anything. He would be swallowed...lost inside the pain, gone from this world forever.

What should he do? He had orders...missions to complete.

You have important work to do, work for the village, for the Hokage. You can't afford to lose yourself. Lord Danzo's chilly aura loomed from behind him. Sai froze in the sense that ice had penetrated to his bones. Paralyzed, he shivered in the tremendous cold. His hands had grasped the sides of the sink, and as he lifted his eyes to the mirror, Lord Danzo's grim visage was reflected there, white bandages keeping a transplanted Sharingan at bay, arm resting within the open front of his loose shirt. I can teach you, Sai. You will be the best of Root.

No. No, no, no. He'd changed. Root didn't exist anymore. Lord Danzo was dead. This Sai was human. This Sai had friends. He had a lover, a lover who had risked everything to rescue him from a fate worse than death in Silence. A lover who had saved the team in Hinokoku and Sunda Umi. A lover who…a lover who, like Shin, he'd been helpless to save from self-sacrifice.

Helpless because you chose to strengthen your bond with her. Helpless because you put your emotions above your responsibility to the village.

Sai's whole body rocked with a violent tremble. The Danzo-voice had a devastating point. Sai had chosen to strengthen his bond with Ino when he engaged in physical intimacy with her. Had he turned her over to Shikamaru immediately, he may have saved everyone from the pain, including himself. And now he was in a situation where he no longer had control over the feelings as they tore his insides to shreds. He couldn't move. I can't do anything like this.

Sai closed his eyes and though it was shaky, he inhaled slow and steady breaths. Some minutes elapsed as he controlled his breathing. The pain was everywhere, but he had relaxed his tense muscles. Pain was normal. He was used to it and could ignore it. Compacting the terrible feelings into a heavy stone in his hand wasn't easy. There was so much bad feeling that the stone was quite dense, and when he released it into the pool, the sinking stone caused ripples, but it sank nonetheless and he was in control again.

There. All better. Sai was in a comfortable state of numbness, mind clear and free of annoying thoughts. He shut off the water. His face was smooth and blank in the mirror. Eyes black and flat. Controlled. Emotionless. Sai unlocked the washroom and left to report to Director Morino.

Everything's fine.

A/N: Thanks for reading. I'm pretty excited about the various sub-plots coming up. See you next week!