Part VII
Author's note:
Well, it's the 31st of December, which means 2005 is just around the corner! But I digress, the story: things are moving much more smoothly with 'part VI' out of the way. This chapter and part VIII will probably see the end of this little stuffing endeavour.
I've read reviews and e-mails that have come in about the ending; I've enjoyed all of them and am still flip-flopping on a final ending, so there is still time to get your idea in.
All the best in the New Year!
Kiel.
The sun had finally set, yielding to the darkness of the night. In homes, lights grew dim as people began to rest for the next morning. The commercial district of Konoha, however, was full of life and excitement. Bars were open in full force, serving drinks to tired ninjas, back from a day of missions. Restaurants were bustling, feeding hungry patrons dinners and late night snacks. The district shown with soft light from paper lanterns and harsher, neon light from overhead signs.
Tsunade returned again to the small and quiet sake bar she had visited the night before, far away from the rowdiness of the busy commercial district. She sipped a small saucer of sweet sake, enjoying the tingle and warmth that spread down her chest as she swallowed.
Another person sat down beside her. He motioned to the bartender.
"A bottle of sake and some diced radishes, please" He said.
Tsunade didn't bother to turn to look at this person. She already knew who he was. "Aren't you up a bit late, Jiraiya?" She said coolly.
The old Sanin smiled as he was served his drink and appetiser. "You're no spring chicken yourself, you know. I'm also not the one running an entire village now, am I? Drinking late at night, very unbecoming of a Hokage".
Tsunade laughed.
"I work hard to keep this village safe. Excuse me if I feel I deserve a hard drink now and then".
"Here, here" he said. They both raised their saucers in a toast.
Silence took over, as the two Sanins sat and enjoyed the comforts of alcohol and pickled radish. It took a while, but Jiraiya finally broke the silence.
"Do you think it was wise?" He said in a low voice.
"Hmm?" Tsunade had just taken a dreg of her sake. "Do I think what was wise?"
Jiraiya looked darkly at Tsunade.
"Using the 'mamorai baika no jutsu' on that girl. Do you think that was a wise decision?"
Tsunade paused, her sake raised halfway to her lips. Her eyes turned to Jiraiya as she drained her glass.
"How did you come to know about Sakura?" She asked, her eyes closed.
"I took her to Naruto's place. She had a fight with the Yamanaka clan's girl. Seems she's the one competing with Sakura over Uchiha Sasuke".
"They fought?! What happened? Is she alright?"
"She's fine. Naruto's in worse shape though"
"Naruto? How did he get involved?"
"He tried to break them up. The idiot used the Fourth's technique"
Tsunade's eyes widened. Her mind went back to when Naruto used the Rasengan against Orochimaru's servant.
"What?! How badly was Sakura hurt? What about the Yamanaka girl?"
"They're both fine. Sakura suffered a few burns, but nothing serious. If she hadn't been as fat as she is though…" Jiraiya trailed off.
"Why did you use it on Sakura?" he said.
"I have my reasons" She said quietly.
"That's not a jutsu that should be used on someone so young"
"I was her age when I began to use it on myself"
"But you didn't use it to the extent that you've used it on her until you were almost sixteen," Jiraiya said. "It's not healthy for her".
"It's what she wants" Tsunade said.
"She may not know what she wants!" Jiraiya shot back. "Remember when you were her age? You tried to do the exact same thing as her. What if this Uchiha boy is the same as he was? What if she's just following a rumour?"
Tsunade sighed.
"That can't be, she told me she herd it from him from someone who spoke to him directly".
"That blonde babe?"
Tsunade choked on her sake. "Wh-where do you get off calling a young girl like that a babe?! You really are just a pervert".
Jiraiya smiled. "I just call 'em as I see 'em".
"I'm sure you do" Tsunade said irritably, she knocked back another glass of sake.
"You know, even if she does win over Sasuke, she won't be able to function properly as a shinobi with that little 'tummy' of hers. Neither will the Yamanaka girl if she keeps eating the way she does" he said.
Tsunade lowered her eyes. She knew this was true.
"I'm sure your intentions were good, but this sort of thing can't continue" Jiraiya continued.
"Well, I can't force Sakura to revert to her normal size. It's something she'd have to decide on her own".
Jiraiya leaned back on his stool.
"Well, we could sort of…nudge them along a bit"
Tsunade raised her eyebrows.
"What do you mean?"
Jiraiya grinned.
"I've got a plan that'll set those girls straight" He said smiling.
"Is it safe?"
"It's safe, and a little more creative than trying to trick them by pretending to be Sasuke and telling them otherwise".
Tsunade raised her head.
"Alright, I'm listening"
Shikamaru snuck along the side streets of the commercial district. His father had gone out drinking and, for some reason, brought Shikamaru along. He could never understand his father's need to get drunk and surly at the end of a long day. Were his father's troubles so bad that he had to get completely inebriated just to get over them?
That might not be a bad idea after today he thought.
Shikamaru remembered the fight between Ino and Sakura earlier. He was originally going to use 'henge no jutsu' to turn into Sasuke and see Ino again, whether it was for the prank or not, he felt like he needed to see her again.
Of course, those plans were dashed away the second he saw Haruno Sakura. Now she was a part of the prank too. If being slightly attracted to Ino didn't made things troublesome, this certainly did. Shikamaru remembered his father's words that 'there's nothing worse than a woman scorned'. Now he had two to deal with!
Shikamaru had slipped away from his father and his friends to go look for Ino. He had heard from TenTen earlier during the day that she had seen Ino eat at restaurants late during the night over the past few days. He hoped she was right as he slinked along looking for his chubby comrade.
"I'll just transform into Sasuke and let things go from there. No sense trying to plan out what I'm going to say to someone who'll be unpredictable" He said to himself. He'd just let things happen, let Ino make the first move. He wouldn't mind talking for a while, or getting glomped for that matter.
Shikamaru came to one of the larger, sit down restaurants in town. It had a large, pink neon sign displaying the restaurant's name, "Mealu Ichiban". It was the most popular place for couples to eat at. It also served some of the most generous portions of food. They served a variety of different kinds of food.
He hoped his hunch would pay off.
He glanced in the window, trying to see if he could find Ino. He saw many couples dining together, a few old men seated at a side bar section…
There!
Shikamaru glanced to the side of the restaurant, recognising Ino's purple clothes and platinum blonde hair. She was leaning back in her chair, a smug look on her face. She was talking to someone across from her.
Shikamaru stood on his tiptoes to get a better look.
His face paled, a worried look appeared.
Taking up two chairs across from Ino was Sakura.
The two of them were eating together?!
Shikamaru's heart fell. Sakura being there was an undesirable factor for his plan. There was no way he could be Sasuke with both of them there. That'd be far too troublesome.
Why not just go in anyway? Eavesdrop a bit; find out what's happening a voice in his head whispered.
Shikamaru weighed the consequences of that idea. It wasn't too risky, provided he could stay out of view of them and still listen in. He took a deep breath and entered the font door. A pretty young waitress met him upon his entrance. "Table for one, sir?" she asked politely.
"Uh, yeah, sure. Actually, could I have a table close to those two over there?" he said motioning towards the area where Ino and Sakura were sitting.
"Of course! Right this way" She said, leading him further into the restaurant.
So far, so good he thought.
Sakura sat down upon two chairs, forcing a smile as she faced her biggest rival. She came to this restaurant because she knew it was the best for when you wanted a lot of food, but she didn't expect Ino to be eating her as well. When Sakura had sat down, Ino walked over and insisted that she eat with her. She too, seemed to be wearing a fake smile.
"So, Sakura, how are you?" Ino said tersely. Her napkin held in a tight death grip.
"Just fine, thank you very much, you?" She replied, teeth gritted.
"Just peachy, I see you've put on quite a bit of weight"
"You too, you're filling out quite nicely".
Neither of them dared to break eye contact. It was a battle of wills, seeing how long they could continue small talk before their anger took over.
Their waitress, a pretty, young girl with black hair approached their table. "Good evening ladies, our specials tonight include a Lau mien dish, served with a peanut peanut sauce and mixed vegetables. We also have a wonderful salmon fillet sushi platter with wasabi and pickled ginger. May I take your orders?"
Ino was the first to order.
"I'll have the Lau main, a side of potatoes, a loaf of bread and a soup please!" She shouted, her eyes never leaving Sakura's.
"I'll have the same," Sakura said quickly "and add a large pitcher of iced green tea!"
The waitress smiled. "My, what big appetites we have tonight. Your order will be ready soon". With that, she left the two to stew.
Sakura and Ino continued to stare darkly at each other. Seconds later, their food arrived. The waitress began to pile plates of food in front of the two. The noodles glistened in its rich peanut sauce. The bread looked soft and freshly baked.
Instantly, Sakura felt herself salivate, the rich smells filled her nostrils, filling her with newfound hunger.
"Your Lau mien, ladies" She said sweetly. Both Ino and Sakura couldn't contain their surprise.
"That was so fast!" Sakura said.
"We just ordered seconds ago!" Ino gasped.
"Enjoy" She said, and wandered off elsewhere.
Ino and Sakura poured themselves large glasses of the tea and picked up their chopsticks.
"Itadakimasu!" The two girls said and began to dig in.
Sakura grabbed bowl closest to her. She swirled the noodles into a tight ball and shoved it into her eager mouth. The noodles tasted wonderful, a thick peanut flavour danced across her tongue before she swallowed. As tasty as the food was, Sakura felt that she couldn't take the time to properly savour it. She glanced across at Ino, who was shovelling potatoes into her mouth and swallowing as fast as she could.
It wasn't a meal, it was a race.
A test to see who was most devoted to Sasuke, by eating the most. A real food fight.
It wasn't long before their plates were empty. The pitcher drained. Not even the crust of the bread remained. Ino wiped her messy face, her napkin coming away with bits of noodle and baulk Choy.
Sakura felt tension in her stomach. She had eaten all that food in a very short amount of time. She felt indigestion beginning to sink in. She forced herself not to grimace, not to show weakness in front of Ino.
"Well, that was good for a first course, wouldn't you say?" Ino said breathlessly.
Sakura panted. "Not even close, I'm still starving". She saw Ino's face fall a bit.
"Alright then, waitress! Okawari! We'd like some more!" Ino shouted.
The same black haired waitress came trotting up to their table again. "All finished? Ready for a second course?" she asked.
"Yeah, this time we'll have barbequed pork with sauce and salad" Ino said.
"And some spaghetti, those noodles with tomato sauce" Sakura added.
"Another serving of bread too"
"And some French fries as well!"
"Alright, you'll have your food in a moment" The waitress said, her voice sickeningly cute. Less than five minutes later, there next helping of food arrived. Sakura felt herself grow hungry again.
"Enjoy!" The waitress said.
Ino and Sakura began to eat again. Sakura tore into her pork, sauce dripped down her face. Her stomach growled as she consumed the food with rabid abandon. She couldn't shovel it in fast enough. It was almost painful how her stomach pined for sustainment.
Within moments the pork was gone. Sakura began to slurp up the spaghetti next. The pasta was light and buttery, the tomato sauce adding a wonderful tang.
As Sakura ate, she glanced at Ino. Ino's pace seemed to slow; her chewing seemed more forced than before. She looked up to meet Sakura's stare, her eyes burned with new intensity. She started eating quickly again, shoving large handfuls of fries into her mouth.
Ino's still hungry as well. I wonder if I can keep up…
Sakura patted her stomach; she didn't feel the least bit full.
So they continued to eat.
Shikamaru watched from his small table in the corner. He watched as both girls polished off plate after plate of food. He swallowed, it was an interesting sight; both intriguing and disgusting at the same time. He glanced over at Ino, seeing that her pants were beginning to rip. His heart fluttered at the thought that he'd be able to see Ino's panties.
"Sir? Are you alright?"
Shikamaru jumped, the waitress's voice startling him. "Yeah, I'm fine, why?" he asked quickly.
"You haven't touched your soup. Is there something wrong with it?"
Shikamaru glanced down at the small bowl of miso broth he had ordered. He hadn't eaten it yet, having been far too distracted.
"Oh, its fine. Yeah, real good" He took a quick sip. "Um…could I get…sea…cucumber please?"
"Oh, excellent choice sir. I'll have it for you right away".
Shikamaru slapped his forehead as the waitress walked off. In his impatience, he had ordered the most expensive aperitif the restaurant offered.
"Eugh…what a pain" he said.
Two more courses of food passed by.
Plates stacked high with piping hot cuisine were emptied, rich foods were devoured, and litres of tea, juice and soda were guzzled. It seemed like there was no end in sight. Whenever Ino began to finish, Sakura was already ready for more. Nothing seemed to satisfy her.
Ino felt bloated. She had eaten almost twice what her body felt it could hold. The skin around her stomach felt taut, like an over inflated balloon. She unbuttoned her pants completely, her beltline too tight to accommodate her expanded belly.
Ino swallowed the last mouthful of food of their fourth course. She gazed over at Sakura, who smiled back at her. Ino forced a smile, cursing her. How could she still not be full? It's like she's a bottomless pit!
Then she noticed Sakura's eyes. They were beginning to glaze over, her eyelids began to droop.
Ino's smile suddenly became genuine.
Sakura's getting tired! Now's my chance!
"Oh, Sakura-chan. That was very good, don't you think?" She said sweetly.
Sakura slowly responded. "Yes, I think I've got a little more room left though".
"Fantastic! I was just thinking it was about time for some desert. How does ice cream sound?"
Sakura hiccupped, "Wonderful! Ice cream would really hit the spot right about now".
As if on cue, the waitress appeared to take their order once again. "Would either of you like anything off of our dessert menu?" Her sweet, cute voice chirped.
"We'd like some ice cream please" Ino said.
"Ah, we have a special tonight. Would you like to try our newest ice cream dish?"
"Is it big?" Sakura asked stupidly.
"Oh, it's fairly big, yes, how about it?"
"We'll have two please" Ino said.
The waitress walked away. "Oh, you'll only need one" She said, giggling as she went.
"What did she say?" Sakura asked.
Ino shrugged. She began to rub her tummy, trying to alleve the tightness and make more room. Her stomach gurgled, as if to say 'more food?! Are you crazy?! I'm about to burst!'.
It was now quite late in the evening. Most of the couples had left, as well as about half of the men at the bar. Ino hoped her parents wouldn't discover she'd left.
The waitress returned with two others, they were carrying a large dish the size of a small bathtub. Ino realized that the waitress had been right;
They really did only need just one.
The ice cream dessert was gigantic. It was a giant mass of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream, with mounds of toppings. It stood almost as tall as a young child. The three waitresses brought the heavy looking dish down on their table with a loud PLOP! They moved back, the two new ones began to giggle.
"This is our latest confectionary creation. It's three litres of different flavoured ice cream, topped with hot fudge, caramel, chopped nuts and lots of whipped topping made from the finest cream,"
"Bon appetite" the black haired one said as they turned and walked away.
They left two spoons behind along with the massive dessert.
Not to be outdone by her curvaceous adversary, Ino stared eating first. She snatched up her spoon and dug into the mountain of ice cream. She pulled away a heaping spoonful of vanilla with fudge and whipped cream, opening her mouth wide as it went in.
Ino no longer felt the pain in her stomach. In fact, she didn't feel much at all. Nothing but the delicious and sumptuous taste of ice cream and chocolate mattered now. It tasted better than she could have ever imagined! She ate another spoonful, then another, and then another. Soon nothing was stopping her. Beating Sakura at eating didn't seem to matter anymore. Even the thought of attracting Sasuke was pushed into the back of her mind. Nothing seemed to matter except eating more ice cream.
As she gorged herself on chocolate and caramel, she noticed that Sakura must be like minded, as she was scarfing down the ice cream with the same speed and intensity as she was. Sauce and bits of nuts flecked her cheeks as Sakura shovelled spoonful after spoonful into her mouth.
The mountain of ice cream slowly receded into a tidy hill, its whipped cream eaten, its sauce melted in with the surrounding plateau of strawberry ice cream, the chopped nuts gobbled (minus the ones that now took up residence on Sakura's face). The ice cream began to melt, becoming a dipping pile of utter sweetness.
"Mmph, ssso good" Ino managed to say, her mouth stuffed with chocolate. Sakura nodded in agreement, but then her expression changed. Sakura now looked slightly bewildered, her pace slowed. A cringe appeared as she moaned in protest.
"Uunnnhh…it hurts" She mumbled, ice cream dripping out her open mouth. Sakura leaned back; sounds of wood cracking could be heard. Sakura's two chairs broke under her immense weight. She hit the floor with a deafening THWUMP! She rolled over, her makeshift dress tearing as she went, revealing a distended stomach crying in protest. Ino could actually hear the gurgling of Sakura's belly.
Ino glanced over the giant dish to see Sakura moaning on the floor, clutching her tummy.
That's it! She's done!
Ino smiled wide. She leaned over the ice cream so that Sakura could see her face.
"Well, well. How the mighty have f-AUGHH-llen." Her sentence punctuated by a loud belch. "I guess that's your limit. You put in a good fight, but I can still eat. Sasuke will be mine!"
Ino laughed out loud. Her moment of victory had finally arrived!
She had beaten Sakura at an eating contest, meaning that she would be the biggest gainer. She spooned the ice cream gloop into her mouth, savouring its sweet taste. She began to imagine her next meeting with Sasuke…it seemed like a dream…
"My, Ino, You've become so big! Much larger than that Sakura"
Ino felt his arms wrap around her, her head spinning.
"Will you be mine?" Sasuke asked.
"YES! Oh yes! Of course I'll be yours!" Ino shouted. She moved to stand up.
As she rose, the chair she had sat on gave out from under her.
Everything moved in slow motion. Ino could feel the chair giving way, sending her tripping forward.
She could see Sakura doubled over on the floor,
She could see someone of in the distance at another table who kind of looked like Shikamaru,
She could see her own chubby reflection…
…in the glass of the ice cream bowl, which she landed in face first with a satisfying SPLAT! Ice cream flew everywhere.
Ino found her head submerged in the partially melted dessert. She tried to move, but her arms and legs felt too heavy. Her body wouldn't move!
"Mmmph!" Ino tried to scream, but her voice was smothered by the ice cream. She couldn't get out. She gasped for air, but the sticky, sweet fluid entered instead.
Ice cream,
She just couldn't get enough ice cream.
Ino gorged herself as she felt her consciousness slip away, the world fading in a haze of pink, brown and white.
Sasuke…kun…I
Ino thought nothing more.
Shikamaru felt himself frozen. He couldn't move. The sight of what was happening around him seemed too crazy to comprehend.
Ino's in trouble! Move…move!
MOVE!
Shikamaru finally found his legs in motion. He ran quickly and pulled Ino's head out of the sloppy mess. He brought her down onto the ground.
"Ino?! INO?!" He shouted, shaking her.
No response.
Shikamaru's mind raced. She's unconscious, what do I do?!
He thought back to his training in the academy. Ikura-sensei's voice rang out, singing the praises of medical ninjas and resuscitation.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation…CPR! Of course!
Shikamaru looked down at Ino, her face covered in melted ice cream. He tensed up at the thought of him doing something like that to Ino.
This is a life or death situation! Baka! Just concentrate!
Shikamaru pushed Ino's head back, clearing her airways. He took a deep breath…
Ino's mouth tasted sweet and sticky from the dessert. He pulled his mouth away from hers, preparing for the second step.
"One, two, three" He said, pumping Ino's chest. He breathed deep and exhaled into Ino once more, his mouth upon hers. "C'mon damnit! Breath!" he shouted, he pumped on her chest again.
Suddenly Ino spluttered, coughing up congealed ice cream mess onto Shikamaru's body. She wheezed and gasped for air.
Shikamaru cradled her head, "Ino, daijoubu?"
Her eyes opened slightly, she felt weak. Her mouth caked with slime, she tried to speak.
"Sa…suke…kun?" She spluttered.
Shikamaru's head spun.
Even after all that Sasuke had put her through, even when she undertook a stupid and impossible task of gaining weight, simply because Sasuke said he liked chubby girls, even after she endured a self induced form of torture by stuffing herself until she was ready to pop, she still hoped Sasuke would be there for her.
But Sasuke hadn't done this to her…I did.
Guilt overtook Shikamaru. His stupid prank had done something he felt couldn't happen: It put Ino in danger.
Even with his new feelings for her, he couldn't let it continue.
Not after this.
"Sasu…ke-kun?" Ino mumbled again.
Shikamaru rubbed his eyes.
"Yeah Ino…It's Sasuke…" He said pitifully. "Sasuke's here…"
Ino fell asleep in his arms shortly after. He then checked on Sakura. She had passed out as well, probably from exhaustion he thought. He slowly got up and went to look for someone to help him.
No one was around.
The restaurant was deserted.