disclaimer: I don't 'Naruto'.

Chapter Four

-Ode to the Sand-

(Ino)

Ino stood patiently, her hands on her hips as she watched the hinges of the great wooden gate peel back from the sand barrier, her eyes flickering closed as the dust from beneath shot out from the air, like steam from a wounded pipe.

She pressed her eyes into the crook of her elbow and coughed as the sand shot up her nostrils, causing her to get a mouthful of dirt. She scowled, her hands returning to her hips as she coughed the remainder of the grit out of her mouth, chewing impatiently on her tongue. She hurriedly pressed through the gates, her eyes resting on a familiarly lanky figure.

"I-Ino?"

"That'd be me."She hissed through gritted teeth, forcing herself to smile, or rather to look like a constipated llama.

Ino felt her blood start to boil, the warm feeling surging up her neck and into her face as she turned on her heel, and motioned for the wagons to enter.

She could feel him beside her, watching her as she backed up, still motioning for Karada to bring the wagon through the wide gateway. But she did not spare him a second glance, he could look at her all he wanted and not get a word from her.

Ino suddenly sprang back into mission mode, her eyes darting over the wagons in inspection, before she climbed onto the small ladder and started unloading her things. She handed Hinata her canteen, and Naruto his box filled with instant ramen, before jumping off the top wrung of the latter and starting for Kankurou, who sat on the railing of the stairs that lead up to the watching post.

"Hey Puppet man, come help unload our ambassador's things." She barked, tapping her foot impatiently as she looked up at the man, who only smirked under his painted face. She felt a scowl flutter across her features.

"What are you doing here, Blondie?" He asked, sliding down the banister and looking down his nose at her.

Ino scoffed,"What does it look like?I was sent here on a mission." She immediately turned on her heel, and stalked back over to Mr. Karada, her shoulder sliding against Shikamaru's a little more roughly than she had meant it too. She frowned, noting that he did not even look back at her as she passed, but he followed her to the wagon, and started to help unload.

"Mr. Karada," Ino said kindly, taking the large bag he had lugged all the way from Mist with a grunt. "Because I am a nice host, I will escort you to the Kazekage's building instead of that -"

Kankurou snatched the bag away from her with a smile. "If you will please follow me sir," He bowed slightly, his eyes still stuck on Ino's as he glared hatefully. "I am Kankurou, the Kazekage's brother, so if you have any needs at all feel free to ask me, and if they are reasonable I will be able to deliver."

He smirked as he returned to an upright position and turned on his heels, leaving Ino to huff and puff as she grabbed her own bags and threw them out the front of the wagon.

"You need help?" She heard his lazy voice drawl from behind her, but she merely threw a canteen in his direction. "Are you going to ignore me?" He asked, his hand suddenly on her shoulder as he bent down beside her and picked up the extra canvas, rolling it into a sloppy fold and tying it to the inside wicker bars that supported the wagons' canvas ceiling so that it would not blow away.

Ino did not answer him, but she did snatch her things off of the ground, and sling them over her shoulder.

She felt her chest tighten as she walked away from him.

How long would she have to put up with him before she could go home? Did she have to escort these men back to their land once they finished the arrangements? Or would their alliances with Suna, if they were made, bring them back? She did not know. All she knew was that she was mad as hell and she wasn't ready to play nice with Shikamaru. He was going to regret not bringing her along! Especially after that... Your skills are not needed, comment.

What kind of negotiation mission didn't require her skills? She could remember at least two she had been on that her skills were useful. But that wasn't the problem, Shikamaru had just not wanted her to be in his way. Well if he didn't want me in his way, She thought, looking back to see that he was walking behind her, with his head downcast, I wont get in it.

(Shikamaru)

Shikamaru sighed as she walked past him, his eyes on her back as she adjusted the packs she held. His eyes flickered up to her hair, where the purple flower glinted in the pale street lamp ahead. A small smile broke against his lips as he carefully strode forward, so that they were side to side, peering over at her from the corner of his eye.

Kami she was mad. He could feel the anger radiating off of her like waves, but she did not say anything, which was unusual for Ino, Who usually spoke her mind without fear of consequences. Maybe she had grown up slightly, He could not remember the last actual conversation he held with her, because he had been so busy during these last three months with missions and training and ANBU.

He sighed exasperatedly and pressed his empty hands deep into his pockets, where he played the coin between his fingers. He let his eyes meet hers briefly. "Thank you for the Birthday present." He mumbled as they started up the stairs, his hand immediately connecting with the wall.

Ino looked him over before nodding and shoving her way past him.

Shikamaru sighed again, how was he supposed to talk it out if she was going to be a mute the whole way through it? He shook his head, he would just have to wait until he got off of these damned stairs.

He let his eyes rest on the swinging blond mass of hair in front of him, as she gracefully ascended the stairs without so much as a grunt or deep breath.

Shikamaru on the other hand, was slightly warn out from exertion, noting that it was harder to breath as he neared the top, one hand clutched his side while the other clutched the wall, and suddenly Ino was upon him, scowling as she dropped her bags on the balcony, and grabbed his vest.

"You wouldn't be huffing like a cow if you didn't smoke like a chimney." She growled, her fingers suddenly digging in his front pocket and pulling his cigarettes from his pocket.

"Hey now, you don't see me taking your shit-" He started, before Ino whirled around, her hair striking him painfully across the face as she skipped to the door, waiting.

"Hey," Naruto said from behind him, Shikamaru merely glanced over his shoulder. "These bags are heavy...can we get going Shikamaru?" He whimpered, struggling with both his own bags and Hinata's.

"Naruto-kun, I-I said I could g-get my own t-things." She stuttered, her fingers twitching nervously by her side.

"Nonsense Hinata-chan," Naruto grinned, his face turning red as he struggled to stand. "I've made it this far...no going back now!"

"W-well if you insist," She sighed from behind.

Shikamaru merely glanced at them before striding over to the door with a scowl, and reluctantly holding it open.

He waited until Ino had walked through, not glancing back for Naruto as he side stepped in beside her, clutching her shoulder tightly.

"What is your problem lately, Ino?" He murmured, his voice so quiet he had to strain to hear them himself.

Ino shook her shoulder out of his death grip. "I should ask you the same, going out of your way to talk to me." She huffed, slinging her ponytail over her shoulder and walking off towards the Guest Wing.

"What is that supposed to mean, 'Go out of my way for you'?" He scowled as the feeling of dread swept over him, his legs moving a bit more quickly than he would have normally done to keep up with her.

Ino whirled upon him again, her finger darting out to prod him in the chest repeatedly as she spoke. "You never make the effort for anything, I was simply wondering why you would make the time to talk to me when you have no intentions of being- you know what? I don't even know why I am even talking to you, asshole." She growled through gritted teeth, as she once again turned away from him.

This time Shikamaru did not follow, he simply watched as she walked down the hall, and turned towards the Guest Rooms. He briefly wondered how she knew where they were, but then he remembered that they had been here before, on a different mission. Shikamaru scoffed, his blank expression sliding into one of indifference as he followed.

So she didn't want to talk, that was bearable. This just meant that his mission would be relatively quieter than usual. But still he frowned, he would rather have Ino screaming profanities at him than her not speaking to him at all. Suddenly, his stomach twisted into an anxious knot.

What exactly did she mean when she said, "You have not intention of being-?" Being what exactly? Shikamaru scowled and turned down the way Ino had gone, spotting her blond hair flipping around the corner towards Temari's room. Uh-oh. That was no where land, Shikamaru turned towards his door with a scowl, his hand jerking the knob far harder than he should have.

Shikamaru slammed his door angrily, his fist colliding with the wall repeatedly. Why was she being so infuriating? Shikamaru pealed his swollen knuckles from the sand wall, a deep growl emmiting from his throat as he kicked his sandals off. What made her get under his skin, he did not know, but she had always been able to do so. Always able to squirm her way against his nerves and lash out at them. She had the ability to piss him off, and that was no small feat.

Shikamaru considered himself a simple man, not to good looking, not to extraordinary, not easily angered, and could be very compatible if the person he was with wasn't completely incompetent. He found out that most people he had ever met fit into that category. Shikamaru clenched his swollen fist, his rump falling into the wicker chair that sat lonely in the corner. He put his head in his hands, his fingers curling into his hair as he glared down at the floor. Why was he so angry over Ino?

He shook his head. No, It can't just be about her.

Shikamaru released his hair slowly, his back sliding against the back rest as his head flopped back. He gritted his teeth, his tongue clicking against the top of his mouth.

"It must be something else that is bothering me...and she is just adding to it." He decided, his hands coming to rest behind his head as he examined the ceiling. "But I don't know what."

(Ino)

Ino pressed her back against the opposite wall, her hand still outstretched from knocking on the door before her.

She watched at the knob turned slowly, and a dark tuft of hair poked out, dripping wet. "Whadda ya want blondie?" Kankurou leered as he squeezed out of his door.

Ino raised a perfectly shaped brow, her head cocking to the side with a smirk. "Who you got in there puppet boy? Your boyfriend?"

Kankurou grinned back at her lecherously, his hand flashing up to cup her cheek. Ino flicked his wrist away without a second glance. "Maybe, would it get me any further to say yes?"

"No, fortunately, it would not." She said simply, readjusting the pack that hung from her shoulder. "I was wondering which room I would be staying in?"

Kankurou rolled his eyes and held his hand up, before sliding back into his room to retrieve a robe, and mutter something to the person inside.

"He said that your missing out."

Ino laughed. "So is it that female guard from last time I walked in on you..or is it some other woman?"

"Yeah, same one." He said absent mindedly, his feet hitting the floor loudly as he made his way down the hall.

Ino watched him carefully. The way he held his back straight, the way his shoulders leaned to each side as he took another way he limped. She frowned. "So it is a man." She said, walking slightly faster so that she could keep up with him. Kankurou merely sent her a toothy grin, before leaning over and tapping on a door. No answer, he opened it and waved at her to go inside.

"Ja ne." He murmered, brushing his finger tips over her cheek before making his way back down the hall. Ino shuddered in disgust as she slipped through the door.

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