"Hey, what's your name?"
Ginna said nothing.
"Come on!" Ino sighed, "I'm going out of my mind with boredom! Nobody else comes in here except that bastard Sasuke and I already know about him. So what's your name? Where are you from?
Still there was nothing.
"Since you don't seem to be in a talkative mood today…" Ino said, "I suppose there's no harm in asking, do you know where my friends are? The guys I was captured with? There's too of them. Choji's a big fat ass with light brown hair and little swirls on his cheeks. Shikamaru has black hair, pulled up into a little pony tail on top of his head. He's real lazy so you might have heard the guards complaining about him. Do you know who I mean?"
Nothing.
"Right, I forgot." Ino rolled her eyes, "You're not talkin' to me. Umm…if you know who I mean…keeping feeding me."
A spoonful of disgusting prison gruel found its way to her mouth. Ino swallowed quickly without tasting, she didn't want to know what she was eating, and sighed in relief.
"Are they alive? Keep feeding me if they're alive!"
Another spoonful and Ino could have cried with happiness, if she had not promised herself she would not.
Team Ten lives, Asuma-sensei! She hoped he could hear her, she hoped he would help them, They're alive! Thank you, God, they're alive!
"Will you tell me where they are? Please? If you will, keep feeding me."
The clink of the spoon against the bowl was her only answer.
"No more, hunh?" Ino sighed, "Well, thank you anyway. Really you have no idea…"
The door slammed shut and Ino smiled.
"See you tomorrow!"
Sasuke should be coming soon then. Ino thought, He always waits an hour or so after I eat. Bastard, I've got something on you now, don't I? I know they're alive. You can't hold that over my head anymore!
"Mmm… Shikamaru…" Her voice was low and happy, " Shikamaru, yeah! Yeah, don't stop, Shika! Shikamaru! SHIKAMARU!"
"Shikamaru, wake up!"
He groaned and let out a small sigh. His hands being tied affected more than his ninjetsu. Thinking about Ino while he masturbated was hard enough (no pun intended) awkward enough back in Konoha. In Kobe it was down right impossible and troublesome too. Never had Shikamaru felt more need to take matters into his own hands.
"What is it, Choji?" He sighed, " I was having a nice dream…for once."
"Chow time." Choji's voice was mixed with disgust and glee. The stuff Orochimaru provided for them could hardly be called edible but food was food and a starving Akimichi was not a picky one.
"Thank god!" Shikamaru rolled over and hopped down from the bed to a sting of pain in his abs, "Ah!"
"You okay?" Choji tore himself from his bowl of gruel with an expression of concern.
"Yeah…" Shikamaru sat down beside him, "It's just a little sore that's all. What are we eating today?"
"I'm pretending it's ham…possibly the entire pig."
"The entire thing?"
"A month of prison food, Shikamaru."
"Point taken." Shikamaru looked down at the bowl of slop in front of him. It certainly didn't look like the ham of Choji's imagination. It was mostly water, dusty white in unwashed bowls, with small clumps of what he prayed were potatoes. As Shika stared at the unholy concoction he blinked. One of the "potatoes" moved.
"Mmm." He smiled weakly, "Maggots for breakfast."
"Aw, Shut up!" Choji groaned, "Now I can't even carry on a fantasy!" He pushed his bowl away, "It's totally gone, exited from my mind! This crap'll probably make my Chakra worse!"
"Sorry to gross you out." He sighed, "Try and swallow it though. I need you as strong as possible. Just picture that ham and try not to taste it."
Shikamaru situated himself on the floor and began to slurp. Choji had tried to feed him in the beginning but he proven a lousy nurse, not remembering that patients had to breath every once in a while. It was a concept. Shikamaru didn't even mind drinking the soup up like a dog, it was one of the few things they did here. Wow, lazy man Shikamaru Nara missed doing things. Something new everyday.
He had started dreaming about Ino, off and on, about two weeks before they were captured. It was decidedly awkward having sex dreams about Ino, so much so that, on the first night, he'd woken up in a cold sweat. Having to train with her everyday, especially with Choji there as well, did not help matters.
It took Shikamaru quite sometime discern whether or not he was simply in lust with Ino. Certainly, she had a fantastic body. Long blonde hair that fairly drove him wild when she let it down…he was horny enough with it up. Clear blue eyes and a smirk constantly playing along her rose red lips. She was no petite little fairy like Sakura Haruno, Ino was a real woman with curving hips, an athletic figure from years of training and legs to die for. There was no denying she was hot, her breasts were like ripe peaches just waiting to be plucked, but she was also one of the most troublesome women he'd ever met. She was violent, petty, bitchy when she wanted to be, obviously still hung up on Sasuke, a drama queen, hyper, snotty, arrogant, narcissistic, critical and incredibly irritating at times. But after a week of watching her, weighing these faults against her many virtues (she was kind, caring, incredibly sexy, strong, funny, sensitive, wild, free, and unafraid) and dreams that left him more exhausted than when he went to bed, Shikamaru knew. He had finally accomplished what his father had wanted since the day he was born, he'd fallen in love with Ino Yamanaka.
'Course… He thought, That was before all this crap decided to happen.
It was a fairly routine mission when they were captured. Venture into the Sound and see what they could find out. Simple reconnaissance, back-in-one-day kind of shit. Shikamaru had made the promise to himself that, after the mission was over, he'd ask Ino for a date. Exactly what she would say to that Shikamaru wasn't sure. The worst she could do was say no…no, the worst she could do was laugh. Knowing Ino she probably would have, then looked guiltily at his face when she realized it wasn't some sort of joke.
"Sorry, Shikamaru." She would say, fighting to maintain a straight face while giggling madly on the inside, "You're just a teammate, okay? Just a friend."
"Yeah, Okay, Ino." He'd answer and politely make some excuse or other to leave. She'd let him get away and he would go smoke cigarettes on the roof of the academy. After that, things would be awkward for a day or two before going right back to normal. That was what he loved and hated about Ino Yamanaka, they would always be friends, no matter what.
Still, the troublesome idea would not get out of his mind. He had to try. The possibility, however slight, that Ino would agree to go out with him was to tantalizing to ignore. The three of them always went out for dinner after missions, a great incentive for Choji, he would do it then. He'd catch her alone at some point during the evening- Choji's presence would only make it more embarrassing- and ask her.
"Hey, Ino, if you're not doing anything on Saturday… I was wonderin'-"
He hadn't been expecting an ambush. He, Shikamaru Nara, genius of Konoha, with an I.Q of two fucking hundred, was caught completely off guard. They came out of nowhere, ten- twenty- no, thirty sound ninja! All armed to the teeth. No exceptionally strong bastards like the ones he and Choji had fought before but… there were so many of them and more and more kept coming. For every one Shikamaru killed, three more seemed to pop up its place. Choji fought admirably, crushing five with his multi-sized ninjetsu but more kept coming and stabbing at him with their kunai knives, like a swarm of locusts devoring an elephant. Choji had been the first to drop.
"Take care of my body, Shikamaru."
Watching Ino fight was…amazing. She was truly meant to be a ninja, not just because of her kekki gennai but her discipline. The way her body moved, as though she was no longer even thinking about what she needed to do. She was a bloody thirstly little creature, Ino was. She was never more beautiful than in heat of battle, beautiful, untamed, independent, the only time she ever needed anyone was when he trapt an enemy with in his shadow.
Making sure no one attacked Ino's body when her mind was else where usually feel to Shikamaru. His type of Jetsu didn't involve much moving. He was a strategist anyway. The only time Ino was helpless was when she used the mind body switch. The enemy had quickly realized this and attacked the body she'd taken. They were ruthless, these sound ninja. Within an hour, Ino had to release and she passed out in a broken and bruised body and he was alone.
I'm sorry, Ino. Shikamaru thought, You too, Choji. I didn't take care of you. Its my fault we're in here.
"Shikamaru…" Choji's voice was soft and scared, "Look at this."
Shikamaru sat up. Choji's face was white and he held out his hand. A red liquid rested on Choji's palm and Shikamaru felt sick. "What is it?" He asked, with the horrible feeling that he knew.
"It's blood."
"If it came out of me, I'm sorry." He sat back, "If it came out of the food, I'd rather not think about it."
"Don't joke, Shika." Choji sounded sick, "It came outta my mouth. You the one who knows everything, Shika What's it mean?"
"It's scurvy." Shikamaru wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. They'd been starving him, of course there would be side effects! Now that he looked closely at his friend, Shikamaru realized he had been missing all the signs. Choji was pale as hell, not just from free and stress but from hunger, there were small spot all over his arms and tounge.
"What the hell does that mean?" Choji's voice echoed with panic, "Stop looking at me like that and tell me what it means!"
"It's from lack of vitamen C." Shikamaru sighed, "You know, from citrus fruit like oranges. How much citrus do you get at home, Choji? How much fruit do you eat?"
"Not a lot. Only when my mom makes me."
"That explains why I don't have it yet."
"Stop looking at me like that!" He'd begun to hyperventilate, "What's gonna happen? I'm gonna be okay, right? Right? Shikamaru!"
"Calm down." Shikamaru snapped, "You'll be fine. You listen to me, Choji, you're gonna be just fine. Nobody dies from scurvy-"
Choji sighed.
"unless it remains untreated." Now it was Shika's turn to sigh, "Untreated…it's fatal."
"How do you treat it?"
"Up your vitamin C, eat more fruits, and you'll go back to normal." He groaned, "God but this is troublesome, how the hell are we saupposed to get fresh fruit in prison?!"
"It might be troublesome to you, Shikamaru, but it's my life!" Choji shouted, "I'm gonna die, man! I can't fucking believe it!"
"CALM DOWN!" He shouted right back, "You're not gonna die! You're gonna be just fine, okay?"
"Okay-"
"You're gonna be fine!" Shikamaru whispered, "You're gonna get help. I'll get you out of here, Choji."
"How?"
"I'll figure some way out. Don't worry." Shikamaru stood, "Try and get some sleep."
"Alright. Alright." Choji repeated the word over and over again, trying to comfort himself.
It was with an effort that Shikamaru pulled himself on to the top bunk but he didn't want to wake Choji
It's no good, Ino. Shikamaru thought sadly, He's dying. He's gonna die here if I can't get him out. Oh god, how the hell am I gonna get him out? Shit! Shit! Shit! Mennodusuke... I have to get him out of here.
"Nara's still not co-operating, Orochimaru?"
"No. All he does is ask where his teammate is."
"They're very close in Team 10." Sasuke said, "All Ino will say is "Where's Shikamaru? Where's Choji?"
"How sweet." Orochimaru licked his lips, "The Akimichi is useless. Akimichis always are but I have coveted the Nara clan kekki gennai for some time and the mind body switch is simply deliscious."
Sasuke tried to hide his contempt. One of the first things he'd learned after coming to Otogakure was that Orochimaru was a major pervert. Not a simple, staring at naked women in a bathhouse. Orochimaru was the empitome of all things seen as wrong. He loved nothing but himself and wanted to control everyone with in the planet. Sasuke sometimes thought that all the experiments with immortality and his body had made him obbcessed with other peoples. As such, the shadow control and the mind body switch were exceptionally exciting to him. Such control made him horny.
"Don't worry about Ino." He said, "I remember her from my academy days. She's an excellent ninja but in the end, she's just a stupid little bitch. Ridiculously easy to manipulate."
"Sasuke, I adore what you are becoming." Orochimaru leaned forward and licked his lips, "Ruthless, manipulative. It's enchanting."
"The question is…" Sasuke choose to ignore the last comment, "how long do you want to continue this? I realize that Shikamaru is an exceptional strategist but-"
"Oh, I can't let him go!" Orochimaru exclaimed, "You might be interested in his mind, Sasuke, but he's such fun to poke. I have to break him, he's resisted me far too long for it to be any other way."
"Very well." Sasuke stood up, "I'll take care of it."
"No!" Orochimaru leapt to his feet, "I forbid you to touch him! Shikamaru's my project! I want him to join us! After that, if he doesn't prove useful, you may kill him."
You child. Sasuke thought, "I only wish to kill one man, Orochimaru. I won't touch your prisoner but Shikamaru won't join you because you've broken every bone in his body. He's too lazy to do anything for his own sake. The only way you'll get him is through the other two which is-"
"Which is where you come in." Orochimaru nodded, "I understand. Carry on, Sasuke."
I intend to.
So what did you think? Please review. Big things are coming in Chapter 3