XII: Vicarious

"Shikamaru!" Ino screamed, stalking towards her old teammate and Temari. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Hello, Ino," Shikamaru replied, a genial smile on his face.

"Don't 'hello' me like we're running into each at the store!" the Yamanaka yelled back. "What. Are. You. Doing?!"

Shikamaru pointed at the birds trapped in his shadows. "Just wanted to confirm that these are yours."

"Huh?" Ino voiced. "Oh, I see, that was your aim all along. What's your purpose?"

"Simple," Shikamaru replied. "I want you and the others to stop shadowing our every step."

"But..." Ino began before the words left her.

Temari leaned over the birds in Shikamaru's shadowy grasp, studying them. "Were you really using your jutsu?"

"Oh, um, yeah," Ino answered nervously.

"You went that far just so you could spy on us?" Temari asked.

Ino's lips curled back as she hesitated in her response. "Yes," she finally answered.

"What's up with you, Ino?" Shikamaru asked. "I know you love your gossip, but you've been excessive with your tailing of us ever since we got together."

"I-I'm just happy for you guys," Ino stammered out. "I want to see you do well!"

Shikamaru frowned. "I think you're taking that a little too literally."

"Yeah," Temari echoed. "Is there something else going on with you?"

Ino turned away from the couple. "It's nothing, just..." She turned back to them. "Listen, I'll stop using my Jutsu to tail you guys, OK."

"Oh, um, thank you," Shikamaru replied. "But, are you sure that you're OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ino said as she walked away.

"That was...odd," Temari said once the Yamanaka was out of earshot.

Shikamaru nodded as he watched his old teammate. "Yeah. Something's eating at her. Her behavior, it's an outlet for something else she's feeling."

"You think so?" Temari asked.

"I do," Shikamaru answered.


It was late at night as Sakura walked through the streets of the village, a hooded cloak disguising her features. She was on a clandestine mission of a personal nature. Approaching a shuttered up shack, she knocked on the metal door covering its entrance three times. It opened in response and Sakura stepped into a warm, welcoming light.

"Welcome to Ichiraku!" Teuchi said with a smile on his face as Sakura stepped into the closed down food stall.

"Thank you," she replied before walking further in.

"Hey, Sakura!" Naruto called out, waving her over to where he and Sai were sitting.

"You don't need to point yourself out, Naruto," Sakura said as she approached. "You're the only people in the place."

"Oh, right, sorry," Naruto replied, a broad grin on his face. "I'm just so excited! We haven't been able to a team reunion like this without being interrupted is such a long time, you know what I mean?"

Sakura smiled herself. "Yeah, I do." She turned to Ayame, who was standing behind the counter, waiting to take their orders while her father started making preparations to cook. "Thank you for suggesting this. It was a great idea to let us in after closing."

"It's no problem," Ayame replied. "While we're grateful that Naruto's fame has rubbed off on our little shop, we understand how hard it is for you guys to come here and not be swamped by fans and admirers. This is the least we could do for our favorite customers."

With that Sakura took her seat next to her old teammates and together they enjoyed their first peaceful reunion dinner in a great long while. They ate good food, in Naruto's case copious amounts of it, laughed and reminisced about the old days, and talked about the goings on in their lives. Sakura spoke on work at the hospital, and her research and projects to advance the village's medical unit, while Naruto spoke of his new relationship with Hinata in glowing terms. In the midst of it all, it took a while for Sakura to notice that Sai was not as talkative.

"Is there something going on with you?" Sakura asked the former Root member. Sai had never been one to bare his soul to others, but even by his standards he was being withdrawn.

"Oh, sorry," Sai replied. "It's just...well, it's Ino."

"What about her?" Sakura asked, knowing the back of her mind that the Yamanaka had had her sights set on her old teammate for some time now.

Sai closed his eyes, clearly thinking his words through with care. "We've been spending more time together lately, but..."

"But what?" Sakura pressed.

"I'm not sure I have the vocabulary to explain it," Sai said. "It's like she wants to be around me, but there's something about it that's pulling her away too."

"I see," Sakura said, filing this away as a mystery to solve later.

"Don't worry about it, man!" Naruto said, putting his arm around Sai's shoulders. "Girls are weird and hard to understand! I'm telling you, I'm so glad that I figured things out with Hinata and don't have to worry about that anymore!"

"Is that so?" Sai asked.

As Naruto continued rambling on with his half formed thoughts on the nature of women, Sakura looked down at the bowl of ramen in front of her, wondering how she was going to approach this situation.


Shikamaru walked through the streets, staring at the ground with a folder full of documents under his arm. It was a pretty standard courier run, but Shikamaru's mind was occupied in a way that was not standard. He couldn't get Ino's strange behavior out of his head, and it was consuming him. He barely even registered the fact that he had just reached his destination: the hospital.

He stopped when a face framed by pink hair entered the top corner of his vision.

"Those for me, Shikamaru?" Sakura asked.

Having to take a moment to put his brain back on its proper task, Shikamaru took the folder from under his arm and handed it to the medical ninja. "Um, yeah."

"Is something up?" Sakura asked as she took the folder.

"Ah, it's nothing," Shikamaru answered reflexively. "Um, actually," he added once he thought better of it, "it's Ino. Something's up with her and I'm not sure what it is."

"What about her?" Sakura pressed, head dipping to the side.

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head as tried to think of the words. "She's been very...aggressive with how she's been keeping tabs on Temari and me. But when we confronted her about it yesterday she just...I'm not sure how to put it. It was very strange."

"I think I understand what you mean," Sakura commented. "I've joined her a few times to...um..."

"Spy," Skikamaru interjected. "You were spying on us."

"Yeah, you're right," Sakura admitted. "We were just so excited to see you guys do well, I guess we got carried away. Although, I think Ino might of had another motive."

Shikamaru gave the medical ninja a questioning look. "Another motive? What do you mean?"

"You know that Ino's had her eyes on Sai for a while now, right?" Sakura asked.

"Heard a thing or two about it," Shikamaru replied.

"Well, I had a team reunion dinner last night with Sai and Naruto," Sakura said. "Long story short, it sounds like Ino and Sai have been hitting some road blocks."

"I see," Shikamaru commented. "That makes sense, actually. Sai's always had a difficult time deciphering and expressing emotions, and Ino is such a romantic that she's probably frustrated that it's not happening like she imagined in her head."

Sakura nodded in agreement with the Nara's assessment. "That's probably correct. I'd bet you anything that with her own romance stalling, she started living vicariously through you and Temari."

"Sounds creepy when you put it like that," Shikamaru said. "But that's probably the truth of it, or close enough at least. What a drag."

"What is?" Sakura asked.

"I've got a figure out some kind of way to help her," Shikamaru replied. He turned and started making his way out of the hospital. "I owe it to her, after everything we've been through together."

"Wait," Sakura called out. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Thank you, but you've already done enough," Shikamaru replied. "From this point on, this is a mission for good old Team 10."


Temari knocked on the front door of Shikamaru's home. It had been some time since she had been there, a decision she and Shikamaru had made together. They both had felt uncomfortable of bring his mother into contact with the small army of onlookers that been following them, even if they were well meaning. But now that the ringleader in Ino had been dealt with, Temari supposed that those concerns were no longer warranted.

"Hey, Temari!" Yoshino Nara said with a great smile on her face when she opened the door. "I'm so glad you decided to come back!"

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Nara," Temari replied.

Yoshino took Temari's hands in her's. "Oh, you don't have to 'Mrs. Nara' me. You can call me Mom!"

"Um," Temari began, pulling away from the older woman. "I...don't think we're that far along yet."

"Yet, huh?" Yoshino questioned, leaning in towards the Sand kunoichi with a smirk on her face.

Temari blushed. "Um, yeah, I guess."

"Well that's good to hear, sweetie," Yoshino replied. "I'm sure you've figured it out already, but most Nara men have incredible potential but will only ever be as strong as the women in their lives make them. I'm glad he found someone as capable as you."

Temari smirked. "You don't have to tell me twice."

"I'm glad," Yoshino commented. "Oh, but enough chatter, the boys are waiting for you in the kitchen." The mother stood aside, gesturing for the Sand kunoichi to enter.

"Thank you," Temari said as she stepped into the Nara household.

Taking the familiar but not familiar enough turns through the house, Temari made her way to the kitchen, where Shikamaru and Choji sat across from each other at the table.

"Oh, good, you're here," the former said upon noticing her entrance.

"Yeah," Temari replied as she sat down next to her boyfriend. "What's this about?"

"It's Ino," Shikamaru answered.

"What about her?" Temari asked.

"We're playing matchmaker," Choji replied.

"Hm?" Temari voiced. "I'm sorry, but when you summoned me here I thought that this would be something serious."

"Oh, but it is," Choji said. "Ino's had her eyes set on Sai for a while and word lately is that their relationship has been stalling. It seems that it's been a great strain on her."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement with his best friend. "That's right. What's more, Sakura and I concluded that the reason that Ino was so...aggressive with following us was that she was living out her romanic fantasies through us."

"I see," Temari commented. "And you wish to help her through this."

"That goes without question," Shikamaru replied.

"We've been through so much together, there's really no other choice," Choji added.

Temari folded her fingers together and rested her chin on them as she contemplated. "Very well then. I shall join you. Ino helped me push through my problems, so it's only right I return the favor."

"What problems?" Shikamaru asked.

"Did I never tell you?" Temari returned. "Ah, well...let's just say that this fitting."

Choji stood from his seat, fist raised in the air. "Then everything's a go! Come on guys, let's go discuss the plans over BBQ!"

"Um," Temari began, "can't we just use the perfectly good table we're sitting at right now?"

Shikamaru stood up and began following his best friend out the kitchen. "Come on, this is an Ino-Shika-Cho problem. It's only proper that we solve it in an Ino-Shika-Cho way."

Temari made to say something in response, but thought better of it. Instead she smiled and stood, deciding that she might as well let herself be a part of their world now.