Three updates in such a short time. Can you see how hard I'm trying for you all lol. Can you feel it! For those of you who haven't read it, the latest update was for my other story Freestyle. I left it on kind of a cliffie and there were 19 chapters so I figured I'd go ahead and make it 20. But this is my baby right now so I'll be trying to mostly update this one for you all. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.


Chapter Twelve

I was probably halfway down the steps, keys in hand before I realized that Ino wasn't following me.

A quick glance confirmed as much when I spotted her, firmly standing by the door as she nervously glanced between me and the front door. A sigh slipped from between my lips as I called, "What's the problem Ino? We gotta go or we're going to be late." I continued down the rest of the steps, opening her door only to discover that, yet again, she had not followed.

I dragged my fingers along my neck, a groan of frustration sounding as I shut the door and strode back up the steps, two at a time.

"We're going to be late," I mumbled, reaching out my hand expectantly.

Eyes reluctantly meeting my own, she whispered, "Can you do me a favor?"

I spared a quick glance at my watch, the numbers only making me that much more determined to leave now. "Can it wait?" I rushed out, a helpless feeling washing over me as I realized that any chance of making it on time was practically over. I turned back to see her shake her head no and with that, I knew there was no point in bothering to convince her otherwise.

"What is it then?"

"Can you...stay here today?" She asked me, dropping our eye contact the minute she said it.

I frowned, slipping my hands into my pockets as I replied dryly, "You can't go alone Ino. Either we both go or we both stay here and you need to be in class so that isn't an option." Tugging her bottom lip with her teeth, she mumbled, "I can get one of the other guards to take me. It'll just be for today."

"Why?"

"Because…" she began quietly, finally meeting my eyes before she continued, "Because it's my fault you didn't sleep last night. You look like you're on the verge of passing out and you can't protect me if you're that exhausted. Please, just stay here today and rest."

I wanted to argue. I really really did.

And yet, her look was far too sincere. Her words far too desperate.

She was genuinely bothered by the fact that I hadn't slept and while I wouldn't say she was the direct reason behind it, I wouldn't deny that she played a particular role.

But I had been training for this for years. What did that say about me if I didn't have enough discipline to at least make it through the school day. I had gone longer without sleep and I could always take a nap after. But Ino was adamant. The look on her face was a mixture between a very deep concern and the stern lecturing look of a parent reprimanding their child.

But there was another reason I was reluctant to go through with her suggestion. Unfortunately for me, I didn't manage to catch myself before I allowed it to slip out.

"I don't want anyone else taking you anywhere Ino. I don't know them and I don't trust them around you alone," I muttered, biting the inside of my cheek when I realized my mistake.

To my surprise, she agreed.

Slipping her fingers with mine, she whispered, "I know, me too. But...I need you to be in top shape and that means you need your rest. I promise, I won't ask this of you again so just for today, stay in. Please?" My eyes dropped to look at our intertwined fingers and despite already slipping up once, I found my thumb brushing against her knuckles smoothly.

Hesitantly, I nodded, "If that's what you want Ino."

She managed a weak smile, muttering a thank you as she pulled me into a soft embrace. I pulled back slowly, handing the keys to another guard standing by the door. I watched Ino's retreating figure as she headed down the stairs and before the guard could follow her, I gripped his shoulder.

"Don't you let anything happen to her. You better be prepared to die for her at anytime and if she's hurt and you come back without a scratch, I'll kill you myself. Am I understood," I said, noting the dangerously low drop in my voice.

Eyes wide, he nodded dumbly and bowed before me before rushing to get the door for Ino before scrambling to the driver's side door.

She waved at me as they pulled off and I could only find it in me to nod slowly as they disappeared down the street. Annoyed, I returned inside, locking the door as I made my way back to my bed. Aris was beside me in an instant, looking slightly bigger than before. He was growing incredibly fast and would probably be as high as my waist before the year was up.

Scratching behind his ear, I mumbled, "What the hell am I supposed to do all day?"

Aris cocked his head to the side, staring at me before hopping down and trotting out my room and across the hall to Ino's. He barked softly, scratching at the door anxiously. What had gotten into him all of a sudden?

"She's gone boy, she'll be home later," I assured him when the barking grew to be too much.

Unfortunately, he was having none of it. After a while, all the noise was starting to get to me and with a huff, I hopped up and propped open Ino's door. He ran in immediately, sniffing around before hopping up on her bed. He turned to me, head tilting to the side once more. Rolling my eyes, I sat at the foot of her bed and scratched at his head, "She's at school boy. She won't be back for a while."

I think it finally began to register, or as much as such a thing could register in a dog's mind, that she wasn't here. With a soft whine, he circled the foot of her bed and plopped down defeatedly.

I began to wonder if he was always like this when we left for class. He was left here alone for a few hours so it would be understandable for him to miss us. As of recently, he was taking a huge liking to Ino and wanted to be at her side more than he cared to be at my own. He was supposed to be a guard dog after all so I suppose that was the best place for him to be.

At least she had started warming up to him too. It made things that much easier on my end.

Kicking off my shoes, I leaned back against her sheets, finding them to be incredibly soft. They smelled like her, the faintest traces of lavender filling my senses. It wasn't long before exhaustion took over me and I found my mind darkening as sleep found me moments later.


Aris' frantic barking as he scrambled off the bed alerted me to Ino's return.

I could hear her playfully shush him as she made her way into her room. "Sakura?" she whispered, creeping over carefully. "Sorry," I mumbled groggily, already moving to push myself up, "He wanted to be in here and I just kind of knocked out myself."

"No...don't get up," she rushed out.

I didn't hesitate, collapsing back onto her bed already feeling like I could pass out once more. The bed dipped beside me as she crawled under her sheets. I rolled over to face her, watching the soft smile slip onto her lips, "Did you manage to sleep?"

"Yeah," I nodded slowly, yawn escaping my chest, "It did me some good, I suppose I should thank you for that."

She shook her head, licking her lips carefully as she gave me a light laugh that warmed my chest tremendously. "Don't thank me. It was my fault you didn't sleep in the first place. For what it's worth though...I missed you today," she said, the last bit barely reaching my ears. I bit the inside of my cheek, swallowing the lump in my throat as I tried to ignore the small spark in my chest at her confession.

She shifted closer at my silence, resting her head on my chest.

I threw my arm over her waist, thankful that she couldn't see the stinging red of a blush sliding up my neck. "How was class?" I asked, genuinely wanting to know if she fared alright without me there. "Boring. Sasuke met up with me around noon and we grabbed a bite and talked," she said, voice fading.

My fingers tightened at her waist at the mention of his name.

Immediately, I recalled Ino's admission of their conversation the other day. I didn't trust Sasuke in the slightest and I'm sure Ino was smart enough not to trust him either. Be it business or pleasure, whatever his motives were were definitely not in Ino's best interests. Despite her father's orders, I wouldn't allow any kind of deal to be made between them.

He was good looking, wealthy and highly intelligent. Surely he could manipulate someone else into his scheme.

But it was clear. He wanted Ino and he was determined to get her. Unfortunate for him, I was just as determined to make sure his plans failed.

A tiny squeak of a yawn pulled me back. "Sorry," she apologized, "Guess you weren't the only one who needed a nap." She moved over, assuring me I could leave if I wanted while she took a nap. I shook my head, watching her for a moment as she moved to press her back against me. She pulled my right hand that was hidden under the pillows to intertwine with her fingers while my left hand crept under her shirt to rest on the smooth skin of her stomach.

No further words were exchanged and it took her little to no time to fall asleep.

As we lie there together, my mind began to wander, wondering just how we'd ended up in this situation in the first place.


"Hey hey Princess!"

I rolled my eyes as Kiba rushed over, scooping up Ino in his arms as he spun her around. Her laugh was light but genuine all the same as she curled her arms around him. "It's good to see you too," she giggled, releasing him as he gently sat her on the ground.

"Haruno. You gotta work on the death stares. You'll wrinkle," a familiar voice sounded as a hand slammed onto my shoulder.

Shrugging it off, I mumbled, "What do you want Tayuya?"

Her laugh was smooth and her smile perfect as she nudged me. "You're always so hostile. What's up man?" Her enthusiasm was overwhelming and I wasn't in the mood to deal with it. I'm not sure what my problem was today. I didn't have any real reason to be so pissy but for some reason I just was. I had tried my best to make sure Ino wasn't on the receiving end of any of my temper but it seemed near uncontrollable today.

I ignored her question, watching Kiba like a hawk.

Thankfully, he wasn't nearly as bold as Sasuke. Or perhaps he just had better manners. He kept his hands to himself, playfully nudging her every now and again. At least she seemed comfortable around him enough. Though deep down, I wasn't so sure I liked that either.

Dismissing the irrational thoughts from my head, I turned to see Rin, Tenten, Shikamaru and Naruto strolling over to us along with Ayame, Temari, Choji and Sasuke. For some reason, Ayame said that she and Temari needed to speak with me and that she'd bring the others to help ease any suspicion. The venue for today was some other mall, this time indoors.

Immediately, Ayame strode over and engulfed me into a hug.

I returned it awkwardly, looking past her at Rin who purposely avoided my gaze. Taking my hand, she pulled me along, motioning the others to follow but to hang back as Kiba kept Ino occupied. Slowing to a reasonable pace, Ayame grinned and elbowed me playfully, "Thanks for meeting up. This is extremely important and I'm going to need your help."

"My help? With what?"

"Ino's party!"

"Could you be any louder," Temari hissed, snatching Ayame back by the arm. Ayame only grinned innocently, offering a sorry in return. "Right, it's a surprise!"

Slapping her hand over her mouth Temari snapped softly, "Then by all means sweetheart, shut up before you spoil it." I smirked inwardly, finding Temari's attitude to be far too entertaining. Shoving Ayame aside and ignoring her look of disbelief, Temari continued.

"What she was attempting to say, quietly, was that there's gonna be two parts. The actual party but we want to loosen her up first so we'll get her out for a bit then thrown down at a spot. The girl's birthday is next weekend and she needs a good time more than anyone," Temari concluded with a sigh, tossing her head in Ino's direction.

Hands in my pocket, I glanced in Ino's direction as well.

She and Kiba wandered into one store, laughing and joking about something the rest of us couldn't hear. Smoothly, he slipped his hand towards hers, taking it with no complaints from Ino. Bringing it to his lips, he kissed her hand gingerly, laughing at her good naturedly when she blushed and looked away. Still, they never let go of each other's hands.

Behind me, Sasuke's curse was impossible to ignore and before he could ruin things he was stopped by Temari.

"Easy Uchiha, she's not your property and she's not your girl," Temari warned.

Shrugging her off, he made another move before Tayuya placed a small blade at his throat. "I don't think so man," she said, not intimidated in the least by Sasuke's furious glare. She only chuckled and shoved him back, "You're not getting near my boy. You got a problem, you can take it up with me."

"I don't have a problem hitting girls," he growled, stepping to her challengingly.

"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing to you," she tossed, cooly.

Some of the others laughed softly, finding the ordeal amusing. Naruto quickly rushed over, slipping his hand between the two of them. "Hey come on," he nervously rushed out, "there's no need for any of that."

"Get your boy Uzumaki, he doesn't seem to know his place," Tayuya encouraged with a smug look as she tugged the cap from her head. Pulling it inwards towards her stomach, she gave him a slight bow before tugging it back over her head. "This was fun, let's do it again sometime Your Highness," she called over her shoulder, giving me a wink as she passed me and trailed after Kiba and Ino.

My scowl deepened as I watched her go, making a move to follow before Ayame's hand kept me back. "Don't," she advised with a knowing look, "I swear you two get worked up far too easily. We have to finish working on this plan which is far more important than Sasuke's shit attempts at trying to hook up with Ino."

"Fuck off," he snarled.

"Both of you fucking quit," Temari ordered, drawing silence from everyone there. No one dared to say anything else.

Turning back to me, Temari sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Look, Kiba actually plays a big part in this plan so we'll need him. He's trying to convince Ino to go to this dope club where they do karaoke and let bands play and stuff. Kiba's got a pretty sick band and the dude has pipes too. Ino hasn't sang in years and she's talented as all hell. She needs to do something with that, something that will make her happy."

Urging us to keep walking, Temari continued, "So the word on the street, she's pretty fond of you." My eyes widened and before I could defend myself, she held up her hands defensively, "Hey, I don't care what's going on between the two of you as long as you're not using her or trying to hurt her. She's dealt with enough shitty people as is."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, relaxing when I spotted Ino still with Kiba, examining a particular dress hanging up.

"Your role, in all of this, is to make sure you get her where we tell you and when we tell you. She needs to remain oblivious about all of this. You'll also be on guard duty the night of the party not that it'll be too many people we don't know so it's better to know now," she finished, pausing to give me a look.

I nodded, figuring the task was simple enough to handle on my own.

"Good kid," she said, squeezing my shoulder, "Ayame will take care of the decorations and the venue. I don't trust Sasuke to do shit by himself so he'll be helping me secure invitations for those we deem decent enough to come. Choji over there will be in charge of refreshments. Food, drinks, both legal and not and anything else to help as far as keeping everyone as happy as possible so they don't ruin her night. I'll hit you up if I need you for anything else but that should be it. Also, make sure doesn't know about any of this, hmm? She should be able to enjoy herself for one night without his interference."

"I got it," I assured her, bumping my fist with hers when she her held her own out towards me.

Before we all dispersed completely, I pulled Temari aside. "About Ino," I started, nodding in her direction, "Is she really that good?" Shoving her hands in her pockets she gave me a nod, "Very much so. She's talented and I wish like hell she'd pursue it but she's too afraid of her damned father to act on it. This is just an attempt to steer her in the right direction."

"I see…"

"Who knows Haruno? Maybe you'll be able to help her with that too when the time comes," she tossed out, slipping past me and nodding for Tenten to follow.

I watched her go only to be drawn to the other end of the store when Ino called for me. I quickly strolled over, relaxing at the way she smiled at me. "Is everything okay?" she voiced with concern, shifting her bag on her shoulder. Looking over top her head, I locked eyes with Kiba who only smirked and gave me a wink.

"Uh...yeah. I'm fine," I assured her, tensing at the way she looked as if she didn't believe me.

She frowned and for some reason, I found myself reaching my hand to her head, ruffling her hair slightly before pulling away. "I promise, I'm fine Ino," I told her, small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. She looked away, blush creeping onto her cheeks as she muttered something under her breath and tugged Kiba along with her to some other part of the store.

Once again, Tayuya magically appeared beside me.

"She sure is something...isn't she?"

"She's off limits," I warned, shooting her a glare from the corners of my eye. Unfazed, she folded her arms behind her head and laughed, "Well yeah...no shit. Still, you're human too. I'm sure you've thought about it. You're always staring at her like you want to ravage her anyway. Can't say I blame you. She's a pretty -"

"Watch yourself," I growled out.

Scowling, she stared me down before rolling her eyes. "You can't protect her from everything Haruno. Still, doesn't hurt to think about it. After all, we'll be dogs all our lives while we're here, might as well catch a few bones, ya know?"

Before I could snap again, she slapped me on the back and grinned as she passed me, "Lighten up Haruno, I'm fucking with you. I'm not trying to steal her from you."

Suddenly, another presence stood beside me, this time Rin.

Hands behind her back, she watched Tayuya's retreating form. "What was that about?" I didn't respond, my eyes narrowing at Tayuya from a distance. The light drag of nails against my neck snapped me out of my daze as I caught Rin's eyes sharply.

My eyes travelled back over to Ino who surprisingly had glanced back at me as well. A frown spread across her lips and beside her, Tayuya looked just as smug, tossing me a wink for good measure.

"Sakura?"

Carefully removing Rin's fingers from my neck, I sighed tiredly, "Nothing. Don't worry about it." The lie was slow to fall from my lips and I think she knew that this was definitely something to worry about.


Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I hope to have another one for you soon as you all have been so patient with me. Thank you so much for all the love in the last chapter and I'm glad to be back. Read, review and know that Kat loves and values you all. See you in the next update!