"Ino?"
"Shikamaru?"
Shikamaru instantly got to his feet; some wave of energy having found its way to him. Excitement perhaps? Maybe just relief? Either way, he was still amazed to find the blond standing before him, after what seemed to be such a long day. He held his hands out to her, resting them on her shoulders, then raising them to her face. It was really her.
"You're… you're okay!"
"Shikamaru!" Ino grinned and hugged him tightly. "You found me! Or rather, I found you. But still! We beat the Story Master!"
"Did we?" Shikamaru thought it over, and then smiled slightly, "I guess we did… but it seemed so uneventful. Doesn't the Story Master usually drive her victims insane?"
Ino let go of Shikamaru, leaving her hands on his shoulders, making a face that expressed her joy of victory, "Well I guess we beat her to it!" She patted his left shoulder, and then stepped away.
Shikamaru frowned, "We're only chuunin though. Well, I am that is. We could never beat a jounin like the Story Master like this. There has to be a catch."
Ino frowned back at him, "What, exactly, do you mean?"
"I'm just saying it's suspicious, is all."
"Suspicious, huh?" Ino crossed her arms, "In case you haven't noticed, Shikamaru, we're back in Konoha."
"Yeah, sure…" Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Konoha."
"And I'm telling you, everyone has been acting so weird since I got back!"
"Weird?"
"Yeah, you didn't notice?"
"Nah, I was sleeping up here ever since I got out."
"Ha, figures." Ino shook her head, "Anyway, they're pretty freaking weird. Choji wouldn't eat, Sakura forgot about Naruto and Sasuke! Imagine that, right!? She adores Sasuke! And… and they all won't shut up about you!"
"What?"
"Yeah! You! You're a big celebrity here, Shikamaru, especially when it comes down to me. They all think we're dating!"
"…what?"
"I know pretty outrageous, right?"
"No, I mean about everyone," Shikamaru tried to ignore that last statement she made about them dating. The idea made his heart flutter a bit, but he refused to comment on it, "They're… exactly the opposite of themselves."
"Maybe it's opposite day."
"We're not kids, Ino."
"Just making a joke, sheesh."
"But seriously," Shikamaru turned to the spot on the hill where he had a clear view of all of Konoha, "Choji not eating? Sakura forgetting Sasuke? Me a celebrity? This isn't Konoha, Ino."
"What do you mean?"
"We're still trapped in the tale. The Story Master must've created a new Konoha, and put us inside. The story's not over yet."
Ino froze, stunned, "You know, that makes sense. Everything she creates come straight from her surroundings, right? I ordered a smoothie today, and it was made of rock. Disgusting." Ino gagged.
"Ino," Shikamaru took a firm hold onto her shoulders, his eyes locking with hers, "You need to tell me everything that happened to you today. You could be walking into a trap."
Ino blinked, thinking over the day. All that stuck out to her were the constant questions about Shikamaru. You two are cute together! How's Shikamaru, Ino? You two are dating, right? And then Asuma's words, it'll only bring pain.
"Erm… nothing important."
"You're positive?"
"Yeah… I think so."
Shikamaru dropped his hands, but not his eyes, "Ino, you realize the danger we're in, right?"
"Of course!"
Shikamaru shrugged and turned around, "We best stick together. It'll probably lessen the chance of us being separated again," Shikamaru threw Ino an annoyed look; "I can't stress enough the work I had to do to find you."
Ino scoffed, "Glad to see you care."
"It was troublesome," He sighed, "A big drag, and when I heard you scream, I ran like hell to find you. And I had to beat up about a thousand monsters on my way. But you had disappeared."
Ino looked down, cringing as she remembered the terrible feeling of free-falling, "She pushed me off a cliff. When I landed, I was here."
"Explains the scream," he half-smiled at her, "But you're safe, that's what matters."
Ino blushed, "W-what?"
"Well, I wouldn't have wanted to go all that way to only find a dead girl, right? Not exactly a great aspect for a knight, not being able to save the… er… princess before she was harmed."
Ino didn't know what to say. Was he being sarcastic? Plenty of things that Shikamaru said were normally of the sarcastic sense, but she could never really tell. But what if he wasn't being sarcastic?
You two are cute together!
It'll only bring pain.
A tear came to her eye, what do I do?
"Ino?" A look of worry spread across Shikamaru's face, "You okay?"
"I… have to go." She turned and ran, crying silently.
"Ino!" Shikamaru cursed, "Troublesome woman! Did I just say to stick together?" He started to run after her, "What the hell could she have to do in a fantasy world, anyway!?"
What am I going to do!?
When Ino stopped running, she had ended up in front of the restaurant again, where it had all began. Their fight that led to the Story Master's challenge started here. The accusations from these… characters that she had created in this fake village of Konoha about her and Shikamaru started here.
And there was that terrible rock-shake. But who cares about that? The restaurant caused so many problems today…
Ino fell to her knees. There was no one here to comfort her anymore, the place was closed. She stuck her head between her hands, her eyes bulging from her sockets. The accusations were running through her head like mad now…
You're so cute together!
It'll only bring pain.
Don't listen to him; you two are destined for each other!
Inu shook her head furiously, what do I do? Her body began to shake, shivering in fear. Their words wouldn't go away. Her grip on her head tightened. She dug her fingers into her hair, ripping it from her purple rubber band's firm hold of a ponytail. She didn't even hear the band snap and fall to the floor. She didn't feel the long strands of her hair fall limply against her back. She didn't even see it fall in front of her face. Their words just wouldn't let her go! I… love Shikamaru! But I can't cause him pain! But what if something really could happen between us? But then that would only bring more trouble! We may not technically be a team anymore, so that's a plus, sort of, but then again we always train together, and we go on plenty of missions together still! And now… now everything is just haywire!
Ino gasped for air. The words still rang in her head, their noise having grown ten-fold. It was getting hard to breathe now. She didn't know what to do with herself. Was she going insane? Was this the final part of the Story Master's tale? Would she… die hear?
"Ino!"
She turned, having barely heard the source of the voice. Sakura stood before her… but… she wasn't worried at all.
"Ino! Get a grip! You and Shikamaru have a wonderful future!"
The noise grew. Ino gasped for air again. Her name was called in the other direction. When she turned her head, she was face-to-face with Asuma.
"Ino, don't get any ideas about Shikamaru! It's only going to cause trouble for your future as a ninja!"
The noise was unbearable. She kept gasping for air. Her vision blurred.
"Ino!"
"Ino!"
She couldn't see anyone anymore. She could only see the words floating before her. The accusations. To love or not to love, that was the question. But it wasn't a matter about simply being with him anymore. No, it was a matter of her life. His life.
She couldn't even see the Nara boy walk in front of her and try to snap her out of her trance.
She didn't see his contagiously worried look.
She couldn't hear him shout her name in fright.
She couldn't feel him shake her.
She couldn't feel him lift her up and run her to the hill.
She could only hear the words. She could only see the words. And she could only feel her heart beating faster and faster, until she thought it couldn't even go on anymore… to love him, or to keep her alive.
Shikamaru mentally cursed himself over and over as he ran Ino back to the hill. I shouldn't have taken that nap earlier! I should've gone straight ahead into finding Ino! Maybe if I had found her earlier, this wouldn't have happened! Now, she's the victim of the Story Master's tale…
"Oh Shika, Shika, Shika, you're such a silly boy."
Shikamaru abruptly stopped and looked around, "Who's there!?"
"It's just me!" The Story Master popped out from behind a tree, smiling like she always had, but not in that malicious way you would normally expect from a villain. No, it was just a simple smile, like something wonderful had happened. But nothing wonderful happened! Not in the least! Ino was going insane now, and the Story Master could only stand there and… and smile!
"Is it not enough for you to have driven Ino insane?" Shikamaru could barely ignore Ino's gasps for air or her constant shivering as he spoke. He could barely keep his voice steady, "Do you have to drive me too!?"
"Shikamaru Nara," she shook her head, "You know the story more than anyone, right? I always capture my enemy in a tale, and drive them insane during it." She sighed, but smiled again, "But this is a different case. I'm not really trying to… harm you, but teach you a lesson."
"I don't see how this is any lesson."
"You see, my enemies cannot be saved once they go insane." She continued to smile. Oh, how Shikamaru wanted to rip that smile off her face, "But Ino here, can be saved. It's a matter of whether you can do what's required of you."
"What would that be?" He demanded.
"You're a genius, figure it out." She grinned, disappearing behind the tree. "But you only have until midnight to do it."
Shikamaru cursed. What fairy tale did this remind him of? Something about a glass slipper. It didn't matter, he had to stop a curse, not live out a spell. He had someone to save.
But how the hell would he save her.
Ino's gasping and shivering wouldn't cease. Her hands still dug into her hair, and her eyes still looked distant. She still was unaware of her surroundings. She was still insane. Shikamaru hugged her to his body before he began running again. I'll save you Ino, count on it.
The Story Master's words still hung in the air, "The princess's new found illness has frightened the knight. Will he find the cure, or lose his love?"
Well that was fun. Join us next time, folks!
Oh, and REVIEW. I'LL LOVE YOU TONS IF YOU DO!
(BTW, I am AMAZED by the number of hits I've gotten with this. It's already beaten out two or three of my other stories. Heart you all!)