It's a good day and Ino uses it to the fullest by deciding to walk to Sai's little shop after dropping out of the metro station. She checks her watch, its early enough that only early risers like her are out in the streets and Ino makes a small detour to get some muffin and coffee to go.
The walk calms her nerves as she carefully eats her breakfast without smudging her lipstick. Time passes away slowly; her clicking heels echoing in the empty sidewalk normally would freak her out but the stillness around her comes from the waking city and not creepy dark alleys from cliché horror movies. She can faintly make out the sound of traffic but the deeper she goes into the bad territory of Konoha, the calmer it gets. Her fur-lined coat keeps her warm enough but the cold morning wind bites her cheeks red, and she acutely feels the absence of her thick scarf this morning.
The scarf she gave to him yesterday.
Her hand reaches up to touch her unprotected neck and Ino heaves a deep sigh at the absent-minded touch. So much has changed that Ino feels like she's living the life of a complete stranger. It wouldn't be entirely correct to shove all the blame on Sai, but the young tattoo artist played a big role in the events that led Ino to feel different.
"No one should have to change who they are for the commodity of others. The secrets, the scars and that entire hot bipolar thing you're having. I'd rather have them all."
Thinking back… that sounded awfully like a confession. Ino cradles her face, feeling the heat of her cheeks warming her soft palms. So cheesy and cringe-worthy, this kind of declaration fits more Kiba than the level-headed Ino.
"You want more and sincerely, Ino, I don't know if I can give you that."
Her steps slowed down, her chin tilting up to look up at the clear sky above her. His coal-black eyes seemed so sad when he spoke those words, Ino wanted to reach out, brush away his messy hair and –
And what?
Inhaling deeply, the cold air chills her lung and Ino resumes her walking.
She's tired. Tired that the only guy she ever wanted, invited her to his bed but not to his heart. Tired that Sakura acts like a complete stranger. Tired that Kiba and Hinata are too busy walking around eggshells than talking face-to-face. Tired that she used up all her creativity and hit a road-block with her designs. Tired that her mother once again put her selfish desires before her family.
I want someone to be afraid of losing me. Can't I, for once, be the priority?
Was it too selfish of a wish? Did she attach herself to Sai just because he was conveniently there for her?
He responded when she sent him texts in odd hours. They went in not-date-but-feels-like-a-date dates; lunch, dinner, shopping, movie marathons… He listened to her when she spoke, like every single word she uttered was important to him. He brought with him an extra jacket whenever they had to go around his bike, the weather too cold for a pleasurable ride. He wasn't afraid to call out her bullshit and match her silver tongue with his own. Whenever they had Chinese take-out Sai would fight over the last spring roll but he'd always give it to her in the end. He enjoyed riling her up.
Would Sai care… enough to keep her?
She imagines her head on his shoulder when watching a movie, the ghost of a kiss, feather-soft, on her forehead. Reaching her hand across the table while eating and tentatively brushing his fingers like teenagers in love. The strong presence of his arm around her shoulders or waist when she stumbles, the knowledge that he will catch her no matter what.
She wants to cook together with him in her cozy little kitchen, bumping her hips to his playfully and make a mess that's remotely edible. Lazing on his comfortable couch at his classy apartment. Shopping together for sewing materials. Watching him work while he inks tattoos. Taking Yukiko out for walks. Sleeping cuddled in each other's arms. She wants to ride on his bike in spring and feel the wind in her hair, his strong body under her arms as they blaze through the cost.
Ino wants that. She wants to try and create this relationship, for the better or the worse. For that, first of all, she needs to get this stupid bet out of the way.
But will Sai be willing to keep contact after giving her a tattoo? Didn't this entire story start with her stubborn want of one? Once she had, can they start a new?
A strange feeling takes over her stomach and Ino does her best to ignore it as she fastens her steps, she's close, very close when her attention is called by a loud, obnoxious whistle.
A smoothly curved eyebrow twitches as Ino looks behind her shoulder, her frown cutting her graceful face. The owner of the whistle is a young, pale man in blue with a leering smile and messy, shoulder-length gray hair.
Shin is bored which is not a good thing like ever.
The mission he was sent earlier was like a joke for someone of his level. Obito must have passed him some rookie level mission as a warm-up, so he wouldn't push his healing body much and undo Rin's lovely handiwork.
Still. Playing messenger for weak gangster leaders is just plain insulting.
He rolls his shoulders, testing his condition and Shin deems it good enough to leave his bed. He's bored out of his skull anyway, nothing less than divine intervention could chain him to his bed. Or an eager and mature sultry red-head.
Maybe he should drop by at Terumi's… or not. Their last encounter hadn't been exactly stellar and he has scars to prove it. He loves the woman but she's a touch too extreme in the bedroom for Shin's young body.
Usually, he gets his nose into troublesome business just to pass the time or just annoys his friends until one of them snaps and goes for his throat with a dagger. The shortest, time-based, is Rin with only 57 seconds and Shin's rather proud of that achievement.
He hits the streets early, wandering around the neighborhood aimlessly. He still has one week of forced rest before he can pick his next mission and Shin counts the minutes eagerly, not that he particularly likes or agrees with his missions most of the time but, at least, they manage to distract him well enough and also giving him a reason. Most of the skills he cultivated through his life are also fit best to complete missions.
Thinking back, it's funny that Sai was the one who managed to semi-part and opens his little shop to do semi-legal business. Between the two, Shin is hands down the more human and the less damaged of the brothers. He was surprised when Sai, out of the blue, pulled back and more surprisingly Danzo let him.
Miracles do happen.
His paranoid self rears its ugly head, whispering ulterior motives of the old bandaged bastard. Danzo is an opportunistic bastard who also hates to waste precious talents. Sai is – had been – one of his best assassins so Shin chews on that particular subject, snooping around for pros and cons. Something he circled over since Danzo (seemingly) let Sai walk away.
Sai's little shop is used as a cover for some underground arms smuggling and stashing and his little brother is also responsible for tattooing the ranks and specialties of Root. But the thing is, any half-decent idiot could babysit a rundown tattoo shop and Sai's own skillset suits missions done on the field.
He wonders, like always, what's Danzo's gain from this charade.
Danzo trusts few people in the organization and Shin isn't very high up in the list. Kakashi along with Tenzo are two of the elite within Root, two individuals Shin felt close with both but they didn't have an answer to justify Danzo's motives. He'd try Obito but Danzo would sooner slit his throat then disclose information to an Uchiha. So, Shin's other option would be asking Orochimaru but damn that scientist was creepy beyond words, cooped up all day in his little nightmare lab making Frankenstein proud.
He's alerted immediately when he picks up rhythmic clicking. Sounds like thick heels of a tall woman confident on her steps with no hurry to reach her destination. Shin checks the time on his wrist. It's too early for a prostitute to be out and even if the time was right, they usually waited for clients a few blocks away.
Curiosity gets the better and Shin follows the echo of clicking heels, blending in with the shadows while keeping silent. Right at the corner, Shin stops stealthy peaks around and chipped yellow paint falls on his shoulders when he sticks close the mold covered wall.
It's a young woman in a fur-lined green coat her thick blonde braid bounces between her shoulder blades with every confident step. The clicking comes from her knee-height brown boots that hug her lovely legs. Shin greatly appreciates her swaying hips outlined by her thick coat.
Shin likes what he can see from behind but the quality of her outfit is a few steps up from the common escort. So, she's either an expensive one or she wandered into the wrong neighborhood. Either way, Shin makes his move.
"Hey pretty thing!" the young man hollers. His smile gets broader when the blonde jumps back, startled. She turns, her full lips pressed together and baby blue eyes flashing with a cold warning. Damn, she is even better from the front. "You got something on your behind."
The girl narrows her eyes. She has a good face and Shin's attention falls to her generous bust. He thinks that the girl will ignore him but somehow curiosity wins.
"What?"
Hook, line, and sinker. "My eyes." And for good measure, Shin winks.
"Eww." The babe on deadly heels responds. She has a look of mixed disgust and disbelief. Something tugs at Shin's memory, the more he looks at her the more familiar she gets… did he sleep with her already?
Nah. He would have remembered that chest-ass combo.
She crosses her hands under her generous chest, shoulders tense and jaw locked stubbornly. It's very distracting until the girl walks closer to him. Shin gives her a winning smile.
"Are you Shin?" she asks, brows lined together.
Shin's smile freezes on his face, no longer friendly. He's a man of different aliases, shedding skin like a snake; a different role in a different city with a different name. For a spy, discreet and unnoticed are the norm as well as numerous mask he switches on the drop of a hat. Inside Root, he is Kenshinnosuke, obviously fake but does the job well. His team knows him as Nobushine, which is just Shin honoring the best warlord of Japan Oda Nobunaga. In the streets, people call him Shinjiro, he isn't sure how the moniker came to be but someone made it up and people started to believe it. His neighbors greet him as Hoshinmaru, and lastly, his real birth certificate says Shingen. Among all these, only one person can refer to him as 'Shin'.
His brother.
And his little emo of a brother isn't the most social butterfly around, and even if he did have some basic human interactions he would never disclose sensitive information like his identity – not only his actual nickname but also his appearance. The woman recognized her in a blink, so his brother must have talked a lot about him or shown a photo of them to the blonde bombshell. Who could only be Ino, The Crush, with a capital T. The blonde in front of him is just as Sai's drawings.
Which brings back the argument, the woman knew about him and was dumb enough to say it to his face. How much more did she know!? Did Sai understate how much he shared with her? Or was the girl more observant than she let on?
A compromised spy is a dead spy. If Root catches a whiff of this girl… it's him or her and the choice is glaringly obvious. And to think he was also edging his brother for a relationship with her. Well, more like he wanted to protect him from a severe case of blue-balls, let him experience something.
"Ah, could you be Ino-chan?" he already knows the answer but Shin plays along with the game, fitting a leering smile on his lips. This is a mask he perfected over the years and it's easy to add sharper lines at his eyes, a touch of danger to intimidate.
"Don't call me that." She bristles against his intimidation tactic, like a little kitten with agitated fur. It's cute and Shin can guess how Sai finds it charming.
She's really gorgeous. Man would go to war for a woman like her. Shin doesn't want his brother to be a casualty.
He lets his eyes curve childishly while his fingers reach for a hidden dagger pressed close at his wrist. "I can call you whatever I want." He tells her cheekily, cold metal familiar at his palm. His heart clenches with regret and he's sure Sai will never forgive him for this one but… it's his job. "Not that you'll hav'ta worry bout that soon!"
The girl takes a step back, golden brows coming closer and blue eyes guarded. Shin can see step-by-step how the blonde analyses his words, his stance and behaviors – it's plain on her face. She should work on her poker face, Shin laments inside his head and he can see the exact moment she notices the dagger.
Not that Shin was particularly hiding it.
Blue eyes widen, bone-deep fear slacking her jaw. The arrogant alpha bitch of before is gone replaced by a scared little lamp. Shin stands, unmoving, and watches her. She's absolutely stunning and it's a shame he has to kill her and then the troublesome process of getting rid of the body and goddamn his brother was going to kill him back for this.
Sai-in-Root wouldn't have hesitated to kill a bystander, he'd go for the neck and twist it skillfully and mercifully. A quick death is the only mercy for the innocents that came close to the dirty truth. But. Sai-with-a-crush… would he understand?
Was that idiot even aware of how he made a target of her when he blew Shin's cover!? He was all about his brother having crushes – which meant feelings, something Root ripped them away from Sai – the girl was supposed to be a positive thing, not another body to remove to keep the secrecy of Root.
Either Sai was having deeper feelings than a crush or the girl was too stubborn and observing for her sake. Still, Sai had to know where to draw the fucking line!
And the poor blonde didn't even see below the gigantic iceberg, what she knew or guessed were probably half-baked truths with lots of tedious piecing together.
Her stance changes, she drops her center of gravity, planting her feet firmly on the ground. Shin tilts his head to the side, faintly interested that she'd choose to fight instead of flight.
Smart girl. Running meant turning your back and those heels would obstruct her speed and the ice on the ground could be slippery. She chose to fight him instead of backing down.
This was the woman Sai killed for. The two harassing drunkards he murdered slowly and painfully weeks ago. They were from an inner circle of a particularly tricky local yakuza and the last he heard the Oyabun – the freaking clan leader! – had sent word out. He wanted to bring in the person responsible for the death of his underlings.
Sai's good at covering his tracks but nothing stays hidden for long. Especially kills done hastily. The rainstorm had cleaned up any evidence left behind but the Oyabun only needed to suspect something.
Proofs were generally useless against revenge.
Shin sighs. What a mess.
Meeting the family of your-not-so-much-of-a-boyfriend-but-he-acts-like-one evidently must be nerve-wracking but Ino never imagined a dagger in the equation.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ino growls surprised that her voice comes out steady. The quick drumming of her heartbeat is apparent at the side of her neck. Shin's eyes are trained on that innocent vein connecting her whirlwind brain to her erratic heart. "What kind of retard pulls out a knife at strangers!?"
"Stranger? You're my cute little brother's girl, not a stranger. No wait, you guys don't sleep together. Are you even considered his girl?" Shin lets out a thoughtful sound and the statement stabs Ino's chest.
Really, heart? We have more pressing matters than taking offense here!
"Though, I admit, this makes it more complicated." Shin shrugs. He brings the sharp dagger up to his nose and light reflects from the silvery surface, foreboding in the worst possible ways. "I didn't want things to get out of hand, Ino-chan, believe me, but…"
"But what?"
She could scream for help, but, where she is at the moment puts her in a big disadvantage. Screams aren't unusual in these parts of Konoha and Ino isn't sure she wants to tempt fate and bring herself more trouble. She can handle one armed asshole. Maybe.
"You've seen him." Shin reminds, twirling the thin dagger expertly between his long fingers. "Sai, I mean. He's much more dangerous than he lets you believe, but you already suspect, don't you? I know he didn't give details but you should have wondered, Ino-chan, who exactly Sai is or what he's capable of." His sharp black eyes look at her face intently. Ino feels exposed, even if she forces a brave scowl on, Shin somehow manages to look past her mask and notice.
Her doubts. Her innermost thoughts. Shin can read every single one, Ino's sure of it.
"So what?" Ino braves on, her arms sneak around her middle. She's in the defensive and she hates it but the danger of that sharp dagger bristles her nerves in the worst way possible.
"So what, she says." The dagger stops spinning. "Curiosity is powerful as its troublesome. Ignorance will save your hide but I think you're too stubborn for your good Ino-chan." Black eyes flash and Shin takes a step closer. "I, at least, will make it fast. You won't feel a thing, pinky promise."
Ino's knees tremble but slowly she walks back. "Did you hear how messed up that sounded or am I the only one?"
It's strange how words fall from her lips so easily, practiced and controlled. "Who are you to decide who dies and who lives? Whatever Sai shares with me is between us, which means none of your business."
"Ain't that simple," he says. "There's more at stake here than you'd imagine. You were supposed to be a meaningless distraction for Sai to pass time but it seems like you're determined to stay. That's the problem, Ino-chan; you've poked your nose too deep."
A blink and he's right in front of her. Ino swallows the surprised scream lodged in her throat. "You shouldn't know about me. But you do. Makes me wonder what else you know but you aren't aware of. There are people out there that wouldn't think twice at extracting information from an innocent pretty girl like you."
The smile on Shin's face reminds Ino of a hungry shark.
"Painfully, of course."
You have no idea how dangerously oblivious you are to the world around you. Always doing whatever you want, heedlessly thinking about the consequences.
Sai had told her, that morning she woke up at his apartment, the one and only time. Right now, staring at the cold look and even colder dagger at Shin's hand, it reverberates in her head with the flat and deep voice of Sai's. Ino feels the heavy truth pierce her deeply. Was this what Sai warned her about? His own brother?
"Meaningless distraction? I'm a human being not some toy to pass time." Ino hisses. Faint against the danger lurking at Shin's eyes but the angry bite is there. "And what the hell? Who goes around interrogating people!?"
"Bad people, Ino-chan." Shin answers, politely but his smile is anything but. "And interrogation is for the police. Bad guys use torture."
Ino's hands tighten into shaking fists. Fear prickles her skin but Ino refuses to back down, she won't make it easy for Shin who also isn't in a hurry of killing her. She needs an opening, should she fail to convince him, then, she'll have to sprint to the shop. Sai won't let her be killed.
He won't.
That knowledge alone soothes her frayed nerves and Ino takes a deep breath, with a plan in mind everything is crystal clear.
"I'm not an idiot." She grits out. "I know how to keep a secret or two." Even if Sai is reluctant to share… She'll cross that bridge when the time comes.
Shin throws his head back and lets out a bark of a laugh. Ino fails to see what he finds so funny. "You're adorable Ino-chan." he wheezes out between giggles. "I'm sure you can keep a secret but I sincerely doubt your pain tolerance."
Ino can't win, so she changes tactics. "Sai will hate you." Her muscles tense, smoothly letting some distance between them. That dagger is too close for comfort.
"That's for me to worry about." He shakes his head. "Of course, you make him happy. He smiles around you which is unheard of," a sad little smile ghost over his thinned lips.
"This relationship is doomed to end in a tragedy, Ino-chan. You can't really blame me for wanting to protect him from the less stylish sister of Lucius Malfoy."
"Say what now!?"
That bastard! He dares!
A red gaze of anger veils her gaze and Ino feeds from the anger. How it fuels her blood and stops the trembling on her knees. Move over fear, the bitch is on control.
"I'd hate to threaten such a babe but what can I do? My baby bro takes precedence." Shin says, eyes sad but the hand gripping his dagger is firm, professional, at ease. A small grin, natural and undisturbed, curls his lips as he raises the dagger. The flat side of the cold metal settles under her eye and Ino refuses to twitch. "Everything would have been so much easier had you been a simple booty-call. Well, that's not completely on you though. Sai-chan can be difficult when he wants to be."
Ino snarls, "First, you called me a meaningless distraction and know I'm a booty-call? You asshole. I'll shove my heel up your ass if you think I'm just going to stand here, like a helpless damsel and let you walk over me!? Well then buddy, you're about to get a lesson on etiquette and respect!"
She. Isn't. Helpless.
Resolve in place, she swats the dagger away from her face and Ino suspects that Shin lets her. It's dramatic and almost in slow-motion as the weapon arcs in the air, then falls with a clank behind them. Shin's eyes are bright and amused as he looks down at the fallen dagger. "Cute," he states and grabs the slim wrist that knocked off the dagger.
Only idiots or untrained jerks would grab a wrist. It's a super easy grab to break off and also leaves lots of room to outmaneuver an opponent. Shin's either underestimating her or writing her off as harmless.
Ino's eye twitches her blood boiling and pissed off beyond belief. He's about to get the surprise of his life.
Bitch switch indeed.
Ino aggressively pulls her fist towards her while shifting her hips to add to her momentum. Shin, whose only surprise is a pair of arched brows, follows Ino's movement and the blonde readily drives her unoccupied fist into his unprotected stomach. His head falls down with a huff and Ino, taking advantage of the proximity head-butts him right on Shin's face.
She literally knocks away that stupid, amused, leering grin.
The contact of bone-on-bone is jarring and seems way easier in the movies but at least Shin frees her wrist so Ino can count it as a small victory. Ino gingerly tuck her abused arm close to her chest, it aches a bit but she doesn't think it will bruise.
"You sure know how to surprise people," Shin comments cradling his head. Ino isn't sure how much damage if she even managed to make any, she dealt on her attacker but his tone sounds semi-amused rather than pained.
Well, Ino's a determined woman. And he did threaten her with a knife, not to forget his comments about her.
Not feeling even an ounce of pity, Ino drives her thin heel between Shin's leg and she makes sure to add her whole weight behind the attack.
Shin squeaks and cups his abused parts, slouching his shoulders and trying to curl into a defensive, position that feeds Ino's inner alpha bitch with pride. There are actual tears clinging to his eyelashes and Ino lets her red lips twist into a fake smile that would make Sai proud.
"You might be Sai's brother but you can't decide in his place. Above that, you have no fucking right to threaten or verbally assault me." Ino says eyes flaming and determinate. "You flipped the bitch switch, so buckle up and enjoy the painful ride, jackass."
Shin whines in response and Ino cocks her head to the side, feeling that it isn't enough to satisfy her fully. She is still pissed and well, violence seems like a great way to sweat some steam.
Clenching her delicate hand into a fist like her daddy had thought her when she was a little girl, Ino swings with all her might a left hook Kiba would enthusiastically approve. Shin is still half bend but his sharp eyes watch her every move, her fist gets closer to his face and instead of dodging Shin stays still, and Ino's attack hits him squarely on his jaw. Ino's absolutely certain, Shin lets her bully him.
It makes her feel more like an aggressor instead of a victim. Ino clears her throat and adds some distance between them with hurried back-tracked steps.
"I admire your protectiveness for Sai, I really do, but if we are to be over it would be because we decided so, and not a third party."
Shin keeps looking at her like he's peeling away her layers and that gaze sends unsavory shivers along her spine. She doesn't want to be out here with him any longer and something tells her Shin won't let her have the upper hand again.
Ino turns her thick braid arching behind her with the wind. She forces her legs to be steady and moves forward. And sprints.
Shin blinks at her swiftly moving figure, wearing thin heels and on a half-iced sidewalk no less but Ino doesn't even sway let alone stumble.
Truly, girls that can run in heels should be feared.
48 seconds.
In 48 seconds Ino reaches the small graffiti-littered brick alley that leads to the familiar, rundown shop with brown window panes and thick, bold lines used as decorations on the dull glass. She can't see the inside because of the one-way mirror but she desperately hopes that Sai is in.
Her calves burn, thankfully untwisted in her heels but Ino has mastered the art of high-heel running ages ago and she's sucking up air like she had stayed underwater far too long. Ino doesn't turn to see if Shin is behind her and her adrenaline-filled heart is too loud for her to pick footsteps.
One last push and Ino all but throws herself at the sturdy door, her clammy hands push the dull glass forward and to her immense relief, it moves.
Tinkle.
The silver bell above her announces her sudden entrance as Ino slams the door back with the same urgency.
Her frantic eyes sweep over the empty leather chairs and up to the marble counter. A pale face with mussed black hair is visible from the top of the counter and Ino inhales, tension leaving her shoulders like ice in midsummer. He's here. The inside of the shop is unnecessarily warm and Ino's sweating under her heavy coat but Sai is right there.
Sai's gaze is trained on the heaving blonde and he gets up to his feet fast, his chair toppling back loud in the silence. "Ino-"
"Your brother pulled a knife on me!"
Way to go, Ino. Diplomatic to the core.
Black eyes like abyss lock into her baby blue and Ino focuses on inhaling and exhaling. Sai's gaze sweeps her shaking knees to her wide eyes and pale face and thick dark brows fall as Ino's urgent words sink in.
His jaw shifts and Sai opens his mouth to speak but no words come out. Pale hands rest on polished marble as Sai gracefully hops over the counter and with urgent strides of his long legs; he reaches the heavily breathing young woman.
"Are you hurt?" he asks, voice controlled but tight. His pale fingers gently slide over her cheeks as his blazing black eyes take her in, closer, looking for a single hair out of place. "Ino," he pleads. "Talk to me. Are you sure it was Shin?"
"Yes." She breathes out, briefly closing her eyes as Sai cradles her face between his cold hands. It feels good on her flaming cheeks and also familiar with the way it calms her. Slowly but surely her heartbeat slows and Sai lets her find her center while supporting her silently.
"I'm fine. Though, can't say the same for that asshole."
It's faint but Ino catches the soft smile playing at Sai's lips. It says a lot how just his presence is enough for Ino to feel better. She thinks she can face anyone with Sai at his back and his cold hands on her skin.
Tinkle.
Black conquers her vision. The strong muscular back of Sai's stands protectively in front of her and Ino feels the shifting bicep under her hand. Another time, Ino would have appreciated the raw power moving at her fingertips, corded muscle stretched over pale skin.
"Nice moves." Infuriating, childish and amused. "Lacking some power though. Build a bit of muscle mass and she'll be a force of nature."
"Shin." The way Sai pronounces his name is chilling and contains barely restrained something and a shiver racks Ino's spine. She takes a step closer, more instinctive than thought out and her forehead rests at that strong back.
It isn't exactly comfortable. Sai is tensed up, ready to act and the cold anger radiates off him in waves. But Ino isn't scared of Sai. This anger has a target, a really justified target if you ask Ino, and she can't see but knows that Shin's still childish and annoying instead of scared.
"Did you threaten her?"
Sai's voice remains eerily calm and detached as he asked his brother. Almost daring him to lie so he'd have a reason to unleash the pure, unbridled anger boiling inside of him.
Ino tries to look around the large frame but Sai moves with her, making sure no parts of her could be seen. Because of this, she can only imagine what their faces must look like and Shin must have taken too long for Sai's liking beacus-
"Shin." The name slips past clenched teeth like a hiss. "You were going to kill her."
It's not a question this time. Sai must suspect Shin's intention and he's demanding either a confirmation or denial.
"Yes," Shin admits with ease that comes only from small talk like comments about the weather. Like he didn't just admit he'd kill Ino.
Sai's hand snaps quickly, grabbing onto the front of Shin's coat and just as swiftly tugged him forward bringing both brothers nose to nose. From this angle Ino can watch narrowed black eyes staring down with barely restrained fury at a serious, yet, impassive face Shin has.
His lips are pressed together, ghostly white, as Sai grits his teeth. "You're not allowed to touch a single hair of hers." Shin's gaze is utterly empty against his brother's threat. The emotionless stare of an abandoned doll that creeps out Ino. "Brother or not, Ino is off limits. I won't hesitate, Shin."
Fierce protection colors Sai's tone and had been anyone else Ino would have flipped her hair off her shoulder with a sneer and demand them to tone down the cave-man tendencies. Coming from Sai, it brings forth a different kind of feeling that warms Ino from her toes to her fingertips.
Moments like these are the hardest. Ino perceives the protectiveness Sai usually hides behind unruffled or sarcastic remarks of his, but when the moment calls for it he's always there for her. To protect Ino or just be a stable rock for her to lean on to. How can he think that he's a danger to Ino when Sai, again and again proves to be the complete opposite!?
He's facing off his own blood for her!
Ino's heart does a very inappropriate flip. Not the time heart.
"Brave words." Ino can't determine if he's mocking or being sarcastic as her attention is drawn to the older sibling. The cold fire burning in his eyes pushes Ino to tighten her grip on Sai's shirt. "I wonder if you'll be able to protect her when old friends catch rumors 'bout her."
The way Shin spits out old friends makes it obvious they are anything but that. Sai bristles, like a dangerous feline, cornered and lets out an angry growl that bubbles at the back of his throat. Ino feels his shoulders shake with the strength of it.
Also, rumors? Who'd care about her consistent bickering/flirting with a gun carrying no-name tattooist with a psychopath older brother?
Okay, there are some serious pieces missing in the puzzle and Ino can't comprehend the whole picture with meteor-size holes littered in it.
It's like they are having a double-layered conversation, for her sake probably. There's more than Ino's missing and neither brother is eager to fill her in. She's burning with curiosity; however, self-preservation and survival instincts sew her lips together.
What kind of situation did she land in?
