Author: Anney
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Character: Ino
A/N: First Naruto fanfic. Unbeta'd, if you see something wrong with it let me know and I'll fix it with the quickness. Why Ino? I have no idea. And is she IC? Probably not. I like the Ino I've come across in fandom, and I like the Ino I've seen so far in the manga. But, I do have a blond weakness. grins So, feel free to blast me about her IC/notIC-ness. ALSO! Inspired by a live journal contest type thing. ( http/users/farli/259205. html?view 699013 t699013 ) remove the spaces please.
Summary: You wonder why something so useless cost so much.
Word count: 703
Useless
They tell you that you'll have to kill. Which isn't a surprise. You didn't think that being a ninja meant picking flowers in the warmth of spring because that's just; well, not stupid but definitely not smart. And anyway, if you had wanted to be a florist you would have stayed at home with your mother.
Ninja's don't live very long. It's a fast rise to the peak of, maybe, forty and then an even quicker slide down into death or retirement, which in itself could be worse than death. You go out to fight and it's not a good fight, it's a down and dirty fight in mud and rain and sometimes in something worse than that. You aren't a hero, you aren't a good guy this is a job. You're paid to steal this, guard that, kill him, save her and in the end it all comes down to who has the money to pay the fee.
In the beginning it's easy. Pick up this trash, weed that garden, and you're bored. Young and immortal with energy and a body that is smooth satin white. There's training, or course; practice your throws, run laps, spar, and you, oh so slowly, get stronger. Your missions get harder, but still too easy, and you move one foot closer to your future.
You train and you grow and it's as slow as it is fast. You make friends and you lose some. There are moments of inaction and moments of just action. Hard work pays off and your vest is a perfect fit once you finally put it on. Missions go from easy to hard, in a quick jump that you can barely remember making. It amazes you that you've made it this far without having to kill someone.
They say you never forget who you lose your virginity to but his face is a blur of mistake and sly drinks on the side. You'll never forget it but he's not really a part of it. Mainly you recall a little blood, a bit of pain, how his hipbones slapped against you and the way he groaned noises that were and weren't words caught in his throat. You think he might have been a visitor from Sand but either way it doesn't matter. It was messy and quick and not really something you miss. You make it to fourteen with no kills and no virginity but the vest still has that new clothes smell when the wind blows just right.
This is your vests first mission and it starts out with rain. All you have to do is steal a necklace that's not even going to be guarded. Almost too easy really. Only the intelligence gathered was wrong and the guard you come across looks like he's the same age as your dad, who is safe at home suffering from forced retirement. The first thing you think of is how your own father's right knee gives him so much trouble in the rain and the cold. Which is a pointless thought but still stuck in your head and for a half second you wonder if this man has knee problems and if so, does he have a daughter to warm cloths to soothe it. Then he lunges for you, with no knee problem that you can see, and with a kunai in one hand you lunge for him because you never give up without a fight.
He's twice your size and has at least three times the experience you do so in the end you're thankful for the stubborn part of you that only stops for death or lost consciousness. Your blood is mixed with his in splatters of red on the ground at your feet. He's a loose pile of flesh behind you and all you think, as you finally get what you came for, is that you wish you had killed him for a prettier necklace.
You go home, mission successful, and when you heat up a cloth for your dad later that year after other missions that have run together in your memory you think of a necklace and a man and you wonder why something so useless cost so much.
(end)