You see what reviews get me. Something I overlooked. Thanks Kyllia Kakanto for pointing that out, and the answer is… well, I don't know what the answer is. I was on a roll with the story, and that's what I got. My mistake, and I appreciate it. And on to Chapter 13!!!

Ino had been walking slowly through the dark building for about ten minutes. Though, it had seemed like an eternity. She had a kunai in each hand and kept her guard up, not knowing what evil was lurking about within.

Ino had always been afraid of the dark. The moon was giving her little light, enough to see what were a few steps ahead of her. The building looked like any other abandoned place. The walls had cracks and holes, lined with broken furniture, covered with thick layers of dust and spiders webs. White sheets covered some chairs and tables. At one point, Ino saw a black, spotted snake crawl up on a table that was sitting in front of a broken window. She tried to stifle her scream, afraid that any noise she made would alarm anyone still in the dark place. The floors creaked with every step she took. Should've gone in when the sun was still up. But no, I had to rest a little bit, recovering energy and strength. Stupid Ino, why didn't you grab a flashlight, or a candle, or even matches! Stupid Sasuke. If it weren't for you, I could be at home with Shikamaru right now, enjoying a nice evening doing something he didn't want to do in the first place, like go shopping. And it would've been perfect. Ino cursed under her breath.

Ino continued walking through the endless hallways. The only sound she could hear, besides the floors, was the sound of her heart beating. Calm down. Breathe. Breathe. She took in deep breaths to calm her body and her mind.

A little while later, she stood in front of a door that was slightly opened. There was a faint yellow light, peeking through the cracks and edges of the door. I guess it would be kind of funny if there were another shortcut that led to here. I think this house is supposed to look empty and abandoned. Sure enough, as Ino looked around; there was a door on the other side of the room. The door had a broken window, and it was ajar. It led to the back of the house, facing a dense forest. No shit.

Ino turned back to the door that was in front of her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. With her foot, she pushed the door open. A rat ran out, and scurried across her foot and into the darkness. Shit. When she opened her eyes, it fell on a long winding stairwell that down in the earth. Lamps lined against the wall, were lighted faintly as it went down.

Fifteen minutes later, Ino reached the bottom of the stairs. Geez, that was a long trip. And that was a lot of rats. She brushed off the dust that collected on her clothes, and moved on. There were several different hallways, and Ino didn't know which way to go. She went one way and it lead her to a different set of hallways, either leading her to a dead end, or a locked door that couldn't be picked. She eventually ended up going right back to the beginning, in front of the stairs. This is taking way too long. How am I supposed to find him?

She went down another hallway. Another choice to make. She went down the hallway to the left. Like some of the others, there was a door. Unlocked. As she opened the door, she was met with a strong smell of blood and decay. She quickly closed the door, bent over and threw up. Oh Shikamaru, please still be alive. She ran back, and took the hallway to the right. Again, there was a door at the end. Ino grabbed the handle, and started to pull it open. The door was locked. She took out a hairpin from her hair. With the hairpin and the kunai, she was able to pick the lock. That was too easy.

Ino pulled the door open. The room inside was extremely too bright, and it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust. Ino looked around the room. One side of the wall was covered with television sets. Each screen had a portion of the house feeding through it. She realized she was in a security surveillance area. Something on the other side of the room stirred. "Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru was tied to the wall, his hands were above his head, and ankles tied together. There was blood soaking through his shirt and jacket on the side of his body, where he had been stabbed. His hair was a mess; the leather tie in hair was halfway falling out. There were scratches and cuts on his arms and his legs. There were also a few cuts on his face. Shikamaru looked so weary and weak, like he had been enduring countless hours of torture for the last few days.

Ino ran to the unconscious Jounin. She held his head up, trying to wake him. "Shikamaru, wake up. I'm here; we're going home now. Please, wake up." She saw that waking him up was useless; she tried to untie him. The rope was too thick, and the knots were too tight. She took out her kunai. As she reached for the rope, a large shadow cast over her.

"Well, well, well. Didn't expect to see a little girl here. I was hoping for Sasuke, maybe even Naruto, but never imagined something like you."

Ino turned around. Her eyes grew big as she saw the pale, overpowering figure that was standing less than fifteen feet from her.

Orochimaru.

Well, I hope this was good. Again, sorry for the last chapter. You know the drill. Read, enjoy, and review!! Chapter 14 coming soon!