Thank you everyone who has read this fic, even if you didn't like it. I love you guys!
Chapter 12: Solace
The gleaming white of the hospital room cleared Sakura's mind as she sat, disguised as Haruko, next to Ino, then events of last night floating softly through her mind.
Once the three had reached their hotel room, Naruto and Sasuke grabbed their things and left with Akari. They would take return her to her father while Sakura took care of their alibi and her prize money. "She had been knocked out by three strange mask-wearing villains in the bathroom." That was her story and she was sticking to it.
Sakura yawned. She had stayed up all night pulling splinters out of her arms and healing herself so she wouldn't look suspicious. She should've slept in, but her guilty at cracking three of Shikamaru's ribs and one of Chouji's vertebras overwhelmed her.
Shikamaru sat upright in his roll away bed, the blankets littered with junk: a newspaper, several cookies from the party buffet, the shuriken Naruto had thrown at him, Ino's blood laced kunai from when she sliced Sasuke, and several used poison-test swabs. Akari's plastic cup rotated in his hand as he penetrated deep thought.
"Sleeping agent." Shikamaru announced, concluding his test. "It was an inside job. Haruko, are you sure you didn't see anyone put anything in this cup?"
"Yes, but I was fighting with Ino, so I wasn't really looking."
Ino huddled in a visitor's chair, her face sullen; she looked like she hadn't slept either. Sakura put a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry; I'm sure she's alright."
Ino didn't look convinced.
"I can't do anything right. Everyone always disappears." She rubbed the memorial braid on her wrist.
Across the room, Chouji stopped munching his promised cake and gave Ino a sympathy look. Shikamaru looked at her softly (it was a small look but Sakura noticed and laughed to herself), smiled and threw the newspaper at Ino.
Ino caught it mechanically, and looked quizzically at Shikamaru.
"Read the headline."
Ino glance at the front page and gasped.
"'Usomaru Arrested for Pageant Fraud,' this is the guy who hired us!" Ino pointed to a picture of a tubby, balding man being carried away in handcuffs, "What's going on?"
"Keep reading, dummy." Shikamaru picked up a cookie, reclined lazily in his bed and stuck it nonchalantly in his mouth.
"'Business mogul Usomaru was arrested today for fraud involving the Young Teen Queen Pageant for Kunoichi (Presented by NinCola) which aired yesterday on Sea Breeze Island. Usomaru kidnapped the winner, Akari, prior to the competition from the Sorano Fuuka Post-Academy School of Seal Jutsu and blackmailed her into participating. Usomaru was taken into custody early this morning and refused to comment. Pageant Officials say that Akari will be allowed to keep her title as Young Teen Queen of Kunoichi and her prize money will be sent directly to her home in Biscuit Island. For more on this and the Pageant details and winners, see PAGEANT page A7.'" Ino looked up.
"Do you think those three knew about this?" She asked Shikamaru.
"I dunno." He wiggled the cookie back and forth in his teeth. "But wherever she is right now can't be all that worse than where she was. She's a public figure now, it's not like she's going to up and disappear. But I don't think they want to hurt her. The tallest attacker moved her out of the way of Chouji's attack. I'm sure she's fine."
Ino put the paper down and thought it over for a minute, then relaxed and smiled.
"Yeah..." She sighed. "Hey Shika, pass me a cookie."
Shikamaru looked offended.
"Why?"
"Well, I sure as hell won't be able to get any cake off Chouji. C'mon, just one?"
"I thought you were on a diet." Shikamaru bit his cookie.
"Why are you bringing that up?"
"You said it."
"Who cares? Now give me a damn cookie!"
"Why should I?"
"Idiot!"
"Man-woman."
Ino pounced and tackled Shikamaru into a headlock. He didn't resist, only looked annoyed as she strangled him.
"You bastard! I wish that girl would've just finished you off!"
"Ino... you're... hurting me."
"Yeah, that's the point!"
Chouji laughed as the two struggled and squabbled.
"It's good to see Ino back to her old self." He chuckled to Sakura. "It may not look like it but Shikamaru was really worried."
Sakura watched the two of them arguing and saw Shikamaru crack a rare smile.
"Yeah, I can tell." Sakura chuckled.
Good friends are the best medicine.
Shikamaru and Chouji were released later that day, with stern instructions from their nurse to not do anything drastic. Sakura sighed with relief; she didn't feel quite as guilty with them walking around again.
Together, the four of them walked back to the MegaDome to collect Ino and "Haruko"'s prizes.
"Haruko," Shikamaru began as the receptionist handed Sakura a large, velvet covered box and an envelope. "What happened to your bodyguards, Pakkun and Takkun?"
A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face as she rushed to make up a story.
"They... uh... had something they needed to take care of. They're going to pick me in a couple days, I think."
"You don't sound so sure..." He eyed her quizzically.
"I don't know much about them. They're new bodyguards" Sakura muttered realizing she was incriminating herself. "Um... Ino! What did you get?" She turned quickly to Ino as the pale blonde opened her box.
"Oh, it's just that tiara and a necklace. The envelope has a check in it. You've probably got the same stuff." Ino pulled out the necklace. The bronze pendant glimmered like a star in the florescent light of the reception hall.
"You're going to wear that?" Shikamaru cocked his head quizzically.
"Yeah, I may not have won, but it's still pretty. Besides, it's quite an honor to be second runner-up. Hundreds of girls auditioned and I was a winner."
Shikamaru turned his back on her.
"You still lost to Haruko." He muttered and Ino's velvet covered box ricocheted off his head.
"Ow..."
Sakura lifted her necklace out of her own box and looked at it. A diamond-cut chunk of glass sat in the middle of the sliver elliptical pendant. On the back, scrawled in tiny letters, was "Haruko, 1st Runner-Up. Young Teen Queen of Kunoichi." And the year. Sakura latched it firmly around her neck.
"Can we go now?" Shikamaru muttered as he moved through the automatic doors. "We're going to miss our boat."
-
"It's too bad that you guys are leaving so soon"
A half an hour later, the four of them stood at the dock, InoShikaCho preparing to board. The sun drifted slowly into an endless sea as it painted the sky day-glow pink and purple with brushes of salty sea breeze.
"Yeah, we have to file a report quickly and move on to our next mission." Chouji explained, "Konoha doesn't have many ninja anymore."
Ino stepped down from the platform and embraced Sakura.
"It was such a pleasure meeting you Haruko, thank you for everything."
"It was nothing, Ino-chan." The two pulled apart.
"We'll meet again, right?" Ino looked sad.
Sakura smiled and the boat bellowed loudly. Ino stepped backward onto the ship with her comrades.
"It was nice to meet you, Haruko." Chouji called as the boat began to pull away. Shikamaru merely smiled.
"Goodbye Ino, Shikamaru Chouji. You take care of yourselves!" Sakura hollered as the boat retreated out onto open water. They waved back at her as the boat got smaller and smaller.
When they were nothing but a speck in the brilliant, spectral dusk, Sakura reached into her pocket and pulled out Ino's kunai. She'd absent-mindedly brought it with her when they stole Akari. Sakura fingered the pink strap on the handle and noticed something painted on the cylindrical bead. She giggled to herself as she recognized the symbol. Drawn into the beads face was the picture of a pig.
Sakura stared out at the speck receding in the distance, grasped the top of her wig and yanked it off. The salty, coastal breeze tousled her black hair like grass in a meadow.
"Yes, Ino." she whispered into the fading light. "We will most defiantly meet again."
Sakura turned her back to the sunset, a greater issue pressing her mind: that influx of chakra Naruto emitted during the fight. Chakra didn't come from nowhere; and this wasn't even regular chakra. There was something sinister about it, almost... demonic. Was this the reason Akasuki wanted Naruto so badly? As the night melted into the atmosphere, Sakura mind began a decoding.
-
Sasuke put down his newspaper and watched Shinrimaru and Akari snuggle together.
"This is good news." Sasuke said nonchalantly to the others as they sat around the fire pit in Shinrimaru's hut.
"I'm just happy you're okay." Shinrimaru squeezed his daughter.
"And I'm happy you're okay, dad." Akari giggled.
Naruto smiled spitefully. All loving families made him feel a little sad.
"Thank you so much for bringing my little girl home to me!" Shinrimaru grabbed Naruto's hand and nearly yanked if off. "And... wasn't there three of you?"
"Akane is still on Sea Breeze Island." Sasuke answered.
"Here's your pay." Shinrimaru handed them a small feather-heavy packet.
"No problem." Sasuke accepted the package. "So what are you going to do now?"
"Well," Akari began, "I want to stay here with my father for a while. We can move into a better house with the money I won from the pageant."
"That's wonderful." Naruto smiled.
"What are you guys planning to do?" Akari asked.
Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other and then back at their audience.
"Honestly, we don't know. Maybe more missions." Sasuke shurgged.
"In that case, I have a request." Akari reached into her pocket and produced a piece of paper, upon which the name "Kouji" was scribbled.
"Can you give this to my boyfriend?"
Sasuke accepted the letter as Shinrimaru squealed, "No dating until after you're married!"
"You want us to go to Sorano Fuuka in Lightning Country?" Sasuke inquired further.
"Please." Akari threw off her father's grumbling, "I never got a chance to say goodbye to him. He's probably worried sick. I can pay you." She reached into her pocket.
"No need." Sasuke looked the letter over. "We'll do this one for free."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Naruto reclined against the driftwood wall of the hut. "We're not ninjas for cash."
"In return, we ask that you tell no one of our involvement here." Sasuke waved the letter around a bit.
Akari and Shinrimaru exchanged glances.
"You guys aren't... criminals, are you?" Shinrimaru asked cautiously.
Sasuke chuckled spitefully.
"No, just careful. So where can we find this guy?"
"He goes to the Sorano Fuuka, just like me. You can look him up in the registry; it's a public record."
"Ok, we'll get this letter to him." Sasuke stuck the letter in his vest pocket, and he and Naruto moved toward the door. They turned back as they stepped over the threshold.
"Thank you again so much." Akari shook their hands.
"Yes," Shinrimaru did the same before turning to his daughter, "Now tell me about this boyfriend of yours..."
Naruto and Sasuke tread along the beach, away from Shinrimaru's cabin, in silence. The sand mixed gently with their feet. Several minutes passed, neither of them spoke.
"Sasuke," Naruto began suddenly. Sasuke looked up. "Do you think Iruka-sensei misses me like Shinrimaru missed Akari?" Naruto looked at the sand beneath his toes. It sank under him as he put his feet on it. Sasuke eyed his friend and smirked.
"Of course not." He said boldly.
Naruto cringed and laughed a little.
"Yeah, who would miss me?" Naruto smiled, but his eyes didn't lie. Sasuke saw the pain reflected his cerulean pools.
"Iruka-sensei doesn't miss you like Shinrimaru missed Akari, but he probably still misses you. Shinrimaru knew Akari was alive, he knew she was out there. Iruka-sensei doesn't know that about you. (At least, I don't think he does) I'm sure he misses you more than you'll ever know. Now stop feeling sorry for yourself."
Naruto thought it over for a moment.
"Yeah, you're right." Naruto grinned sheepishly at Sasuke, "Thanks."
Sasuke only smiled as they made their way across the beach.
Author's "End-of-Arc" Notes: A slightly ShikaIno chapter, I hope no one minds. I needed some manner of comic relief in here, so I threw them together! (Of course, If you've been reading carefully, you'd have noticed the ShikaIno already. I don't think I hid it that well). I'd like to apologize to all the Chouji fans out there (I'm one too.) I really gave him the short end of the stick in this last arc. I was conflicted with the story line and trying to stay true to his character. I don't know all that much about how he speaks, or how he would react in certain situations. (This comes easiest for me with Sasuke and Sakura which is probably why they get so much spotlight. Naruto is difficult because he's changed so much since the beginning of the series, there are very few things that stay true to him,... hence all the ramen stuff.)
Ok, so the pageant thing was a little cheesy. Personally, I hate pageants, you can probably tell. ;) The next arc is a little more in depth. I've added a new element to the story, so it should get a little more interesting.
For those who are curious, this isn't a spontaneous fic. Most everything I add in this story will make an appearance later, and/or has a purpose. The last arc has been sorted out to the syllable, so if seems like I'm giving certain things too much detail, trust me, there's probably a reason.
Next Chapter: A new Arc begins! To Sorano Fuuka we go!!