Note: This is set in the 1950's world of my "Rain in Konoha" fic. It is a companion to the piece, as it expands on the relationship Ino mentions in it, but you can read it by itself.
Tonight brought a new player to the basement of the flower shop. A new player to try their luck at her table. It would mean more money on the table for her, and she always liked a new challenge. Another bonus, this one was good looking.
Ino had always had a thing for tall and dark haired men, but she'd gotten her heart broken by them often enough that she wasn't really looking for a relationship anymore… more just happily looking. She'd accepted that she would probably end up with Choji or Shikamaru if neither of them found someone else, or, in the worst case, alone. There was something to be said about marrying a friend, even if you couldn't see them as really attractive or if they often drove you insane… well, maybe alone wasn't the worst case.
"Who is this, Tsunade?" Ino smiled with a nod to the pale gent who stood gripping a book in a hand and standing next to the regular of their little illegal gambling establishment.
"This is Sai. He's a friend of Naruto. He's the one who called in a favor to have me bring this one along tonight." Ino watched Tsunada's face as she spoke. Tsunade didn't seem very excited about the whole thing, and after a brief pause the next sentence out of her mouth only confirmed Ino's suspicion. "Speak with him at your own expense."
With that, Tsunade headed straight to the wet bar, leaving a very confused Ino behind in her wake.
Ino quickly recovered her dazzling smile and turned to Sai. "Well, hello Sai. I'm Ino. And what brings you here tonight?"
Sai looked blankly at Ino before responding with an odd smile, "Tsunade."
Ino cringed internally at her stupid question and his response, but mostly at his smile that didn't reach his eyes. It appeared he was already hiding his emotions when the game hadn't even started yet. Guarding himself in the way she often hid herself behind the shining smiles she gave. Still she was confident that she could get into his head before they sat down to play.
One of the best ways to get into a guy's head was using her femine wiles. He wouldn't be the first guy to fall into a trap set by her charm. Ino gave a giggle behind her hand before lightly resting it on Sai's forearm. "Oh, aren't you clever? I do suppose I asked for that," she smiled coyly at him.
She watched Sai closely, but still his face remained blank and unaffected by her touch. "I don't really know what you are talking about."
Ino felt her own smile falter slightly as her ego took a blow. But she caught and corrected it quickly, and continued on, maybe a little too brightly, "How about we get a drink before the game starts?" She grabbed his arm and guided them both to the bar without giving Sai a chance to respond.
To say the game went poorly was an understatement. For the first time in gods know how long, she had not come out ahead. Sai had cleaned up. More frustratingly, she was no closer to understanding him than when he first arrived. She had pushed a drink into his hand prior to the game, but it didn't seem to have an effect. He had given away nothing, no tells or flickers of real emotion, and she caught nothing during the game. His playing was textbook. Somehow always folding when she had a great hand.
After Sai had cashed out (without the tells of excitement that usually came with a handful of bills from a winning night) he had proceeded to lean against the bar with his book open and a pencil gripped in his hand as he scribbled.
Probably recording his winnings or maybe even making notes about fellow players. Ino critically studied the mystery of a man. Tall, muscular, and lean. His black hair fell in front of his eyes as he bent his head, with his concentration on his paper in front of him. His suit was a well fitted item in black, but not memorable. His odd manner made him a puzzle. At least she liked puzzles.
Sai became more memorable as he continued to show up every week for the basement card games. His luck seemed to hold, and he often took home quite a bit of winnings. He was quiet and didn't talk a lot, which continued to make it hard for her to get a read on him.
At one point Ino mentioned that she had a way with names and, while he claimed he was her age and said he was from Konoha, she was sure she never heard or saw him in school as they grew up. He surprised her by sharing that he was schooled at home, and not allowed to socialize with other kids. Maybe it was true, as he often came off as socially awkward, but maybe it was a story he told to get into others' heads. How could she tell?
Another time she asked how he learned poker. He said he had recently read how in a book. It seemed preposterous that he could be so good if he only learned from a book, but if he was bluffing, she couldn't tell.
What Ino could say was that he was intriguing and different, and he remained a bit of a mystery. And he was always a challenge to understand.
Finally, after another night of losing to him, she approached him as he stood at the bar with his book and pencil. It was something he did every time, and she wouldn't usually bother him, but Ino couldn't take it any longer. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. She needed to know how he could read her so well and continue to beat her. He always caught her bluffs and folded when she had good hands. Even if he wouldn't say, she needed to ask.
"How do you do it?! I'm very careful when I'm playing. I know I don't have any tells." Maybe it wasn't the most professional thing or way to ask, but she had grown comfortable with him. A combination of his weekly presence, honest (seeming) yet often blunt answers, and his quiet demeanor.
"You do though." He answered with that odd fake smile.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and didn't bother to hide her indignation, "What?! Me?!"
"Your eyes. They dilate when you have a good hand."
Ino chewed at her bottom lip. She hadn't realized that he paid such close attention to her. No one had ever looked close enough to catch such a thing before. Not to mention that there wasn't a good way she could hide that. He had found a flaw in her playing. (A flaw in her?) She guarded her real self, but he had found it anyway.
"Does it bother you?"
Rather than answer she decided to change the subject. "What are you always writing in this book?" She grabbed it off the bar and started to flip through it. She quickly stopped to place it on the counter top and began to slowly turn the pages. Instead of notes and numbers as she had expected, it was filled with breathtaking drawings. Mostly nature with plants and animals.
"Sai, did you draw all these?" She paused to look up closely into his eyes.
"I did."
"They are beautiful…" Her voice trailed off as she admired his work.
"Do you think so?"
Ino looked up at Sai, her tone surprised and gentle. "I do."
Her reward was the first real smile she had seen from him. Soft and warm, she felt like she was just starting to truly see him. Something about it felt so intimate that she felt her cheeks heat and she quickly turned back to the book.
"Why do you draw so many flowers?"
"I like to draw beauty. To capture it in time, so I can remind myself of the beauty in the world."
Ino blinked. She hadn't expected that response, but it made sense. The world could be so ugly, finding any beauty in it was worth capturing and holding onto. It was one of the reasons that she enjoyed working in the flower shop, but the beauty of those flowers was always fleeting as they wilted and died. Her fingers slid down the side of the page, careful not to touch and smear the graphite sketches, as she tried to memorize each drawing. He had found a way to preserve their beauty.
Ino continued to turn pages as Sai watched her closely. Observing her reactions that she didn't bother hiding now. She was nearing the end when she saw it. Sketches of her. The last part of the book was almost exclusively sketches of her.
Her as she brushed her hair out of her face. Her holding cards in her hands. Her holding back her frustration from a losing night. Then, just her eyes, warm and unguarded. Her smile, carefree. He had seen her. Observed and captured all of her in his book.
The discovery made her hold her breath until she finally breathed out, "Sai, these are sketches of me."
"They are."
"But why did you draw me?"
"It's what I said, I like to draw beauty. You are always beautiful."
Ino felt heat overtake her face again and she quickly brought her hands up to hide her face, to hide her fluster. She was losing her composure. She hadn't expected that. Hell, she hadn't expected any of this. She didn't realize that she had ever let her guard down around him before, but he had been quietly patient and observant. She wasn't as careful as she thought, or maybe she had wanted him to see her.
Sai moved and pulled her hands away from her face. He looked her deeply in the eyes. "I'm so sorry. Did I say something wrong? I'm always saying the wrong thing." Then it happened. She could finally understand him. She could hear the confusion and concern betrayed by a slight change of his voice. It now spoke volumes to her. The way he looked at her. It wasn't blank but held a slight softness in his eyes. She knew that he had always told the truth. He didn't bluff.
"Oh no! Not at all…" She felt her skin tingle where he continued to lightly hold her hands. They stood in silence. Their hands still touching, she didn't want to pull away. She wanted to know more about him and she wanted him to know about her. She liked his quietness, his thoughtfulness, his vonrunablity, and his honesty. She liked him. Before thinking about it any longer, Ino blurted out, "Would you like to go out on a date tomorrow, Sai?"
A brief pause followed as he thought. She wouldn't be surprised if her heart pounded out of her chest. She had asked him without thinking. Never had she been the one to ask a guy out.
Confusion tinted his voice again, "I thought it was the guy who was supposed to ask the girl?"
Ino gaped in surprise. She was mortified. She had opened herself up for his rejection. Perhaps she had misread him after all? And now she had exposed her heart to him, something she swore she wouldn't do again. Would he cast her away for showing her hand? Being too eager. Too vulnerable.
Sai continued, oblivious to her panic, "I didn't know how to do it, though I've been wanting to. I think you've shown me the way now, though." He took a breath. "Would you like to go out on a date tomorrow, Ino?"
She giggled in relief and excitement. "Yes, of course, silly."
Then another genuine, gentle smile spread across his face. So wonderful that she felt it deserved to be captured in his sketchbook.
Author's Note: This is my first time attempting to write this pairing and I hope it went alright. Honestly, I'm not sure. Also fluff isn't usually in my comfort-zone. Reviews appreciated. :)