Underneath It All
By: Ane S. Thesia
Beta'd by: Irreverence
Dedicated to: Nextstephm
Chapter Two
:SPEAK:
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The lounge at Jounin headquarters was often one of Ino's favorite places to just sit and wait. Not for anything in particular, just to sit and think and wait for something to happen, people to pass by. She had better chances of getting her pick from new missions this way, which was also a perk, though at the moment she wasn't in the mood for work.
It had been a week since their tryst and she hadn't had the delight in running into him yet. Whether or not that was a good thing she couldn't really settle on, mainly because she hadn't decided exactly how she should act around him. It wasn't ever in her best graces to bring up such things in public anyhow, and she kept telling herself – trying to convince herself – that what happened wasn't a big deal… but…
Damnit, it was really eating her up, and that fact pissed her off to no end.
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"Oi, Ino."
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Even if he did know it was her he had slept with, perhaps it'd be taboo? She hadn't even gotten a full grasp on how the village viewed him now. And judging on Sakura's reaction to his homecoming, it was a lost cause trying to talk to her about it. Maybe she should talk to Kurenai…
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"Ino?"
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One thing was for sure, she needed to resolve this issue before it drove her insane. She'd been acting weird since it happened and if she didn't do something soon, people would start to notice.
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"EARTH TO INO?"
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She lifted her forehead from the table and slammed her fist down with resolve, jumping from her chair. "I don't care if it's taboo!"
Several pairs of eyes shifted her way and she settled back down in her chair with a nervous laugh.
The man standing in front of her shifted restlessly on his feet. "I've been saying your name for a couple minutes now, Ino, what's your deal? And what's taboo?"
"Uh…"
"Come to think of it, you've been acting strangely for the past couple days, are you feeling okay?"
Ino let her head fall forward and rested it on the table once again. "I don't even know anymore…"
Chouji took the seat next to her, throwing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her near. She nestling her head into his chest and smiled. Breathing in the scent of her shampoo and silently appreciating it, he rested his chin on the top of her head.
"I haven't seen you act like this in years, what's bothering you?"
A layer of guilt laced her gut as her self proclaimed brother tried to offer consolation. There was no way she could tell him what happened, even though she knew he'd never look down on her for it, there was just no way…
She reached up and patted his cheek, forcing a smile. "It's nothing, really, thanks though."
He hummed out his understanding to her even though he knew she was lying.
"Akamichi! Yamanaka! What're you doing here, this isn't exactly a romantic date spot… Unless Jounin HQ has something going on I don't know about yet?"
Shiranui Genma. Sexy, but a total smartass.
Ino leaned more heavily into a now furiously blushing Chouji, placing a manicured finger to her lips as if in thought. "Oh, Genma, wouldn't you like to know?" she purred, licking her fingertip.
"Heh-heh…" Chouji rubbed the back of his head nervously.
Genma rolled his senbon to the other side of his mouth, clenching it in his teeth and bobbing his eyebrows up and down suggestively. "You're a lucky man, Akamichi."
The Jounin glanced down at the blond tease leaning in his lap. "Er… not really. Haha!"
Which earned him a nasty punch to the thigh. "Gah—!"
Ino mock glared at him, trying not to laugh.
"Mm-hm, tough love," the caramel haired man teased as he continued his path to the stairwell. "Seeya around, kids."
Chouji pushed her off of him and rolled his eyes. "Why do you always act that way with him? I think he's a little old for you."
Ino pondered the idea for a moment, a wry smile appearing on her face. "Like I care, he's hot! Anyway…" She stood and stretched her arms above her head, sighing. "Let's go get lunch?"
As if she had to ask.
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The two childhood friends walked side by side down the busy streets of Konoha, steered by separate reasons.
Chouji wanted barbecue.
Ino wanted…
She wanted to stop thinking about Sasuke's hands on her, the way his calloused fingers made her skin tingle. The way they smiled at one another before passing out.
The sun warmed her face as she looked skyward, a sudden breeze making her feel lighter than she already did. She undid her now normal fair blond hair and let it float on the wind, whipping around her face and down her back. For a moment she could almost feel his hands sweeping through it again appraisingly.
Letting out a deep sigh, Ino fought with her daydreams.
When fingers brushed strands of hair away from her face suddenly she actually jumped. Her clouded eyes focused on the concerned face of her friend.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong?"
She simply smiled, shaking her head.
It was okay, she realized. It was okay if she wanted to daydream about her one night stand. There was absolutely nothing wrong.
Amazing how you can lie to yourself.
"Hey, you two!"
They turned to see a rather beat up looking Naruto waving and jogging towards them. Despite his age, he still acted and appeared as flamboyant as he had at fifteen. Though his appearance had definitely changed. He was much more handsome now, almost a total mirror image of the fourth Hokage, which was weird in of itself.
It was no wonder Sakura ended up falling for him. The moment Ino had mentioned how attractive he'd gotten, she had pretty much gone ape-shit and straight out admitted her feelings for him in the middle of a crowded restaurant. Oh, how she loved flirting with the oblivious man in front of her just for reaction's sake…
But, for some reason, seeing him right now just made Ino nervous… because things were different and, years ago, where there was Naruto there was…
"Sasuke." The words floated out on her breath.
And it never failed, even after all these years.
Her throat ran dry as her eyes followed that of the graceful Uchiha sauntering a few paces behind his jovial rival. He sported the same worked appearance as Naruto, and just as nonchalantly.
'Guess they're on good terms…'
Even after all the time that passed, it was amazing but not surprising to see that Naruto and Sasuke could come to terms so quickly with the help of a few fistfights. Of course, the Kyuubi container wasn't known for holding grudges. And even if he did, anyone that actually knew him had silently figured that he'd never actually hate Sasuke no matter what he did. Not that everyone knew it was because the equally secluded boy had been his first real bond, like a brother…
Chouji waved back and slapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder, almost throwing him off balance. "Good to see you, Naruto," he spoke, nodding at Sasuke, "Where's Sakura today?"
The fox simply grinned back, throwing his hands up behind his head and chuckling. "She's teaching medical jutsu at the academy today as a special favor to Iruka-sensei. Cool, huh?"
Sasuke stopped his pace next to the group, hands in pockets with a posture far too similar to that of his old sensei. Unwittingly, Ino's eyes were glued to his every move, studying his bored expression and body language. He glanced into her eyes for a second and she turned her head away, hoping to the gods that she wasn't blushing as the feeling of warmth spread over her face.
She wanted to smack herself so hard…
'Get it together!'
Naruto cocked his head to the side and Chouji placed a hand on her forehead, giving her a frustrated what-is-the-freaking-problem-already! inquisitive eyeballing.
"Uh… yeah… You okay, Ino? Didn't you know Uchiha was back?" Chouji asked her, trying to derive some sense from her odd behavior.
Ino nodded, finding her eyes meeting his again but this time not leaving. "Yes, I did…"
'Breath, breath, stop acting like a god-damned child!'
She straightened. "I'm just… Maybe I'm catching something? It's that time of the year again and everything."
Nervous laugh, eyes still not faltering, absorbing, searching for answers in his stare…
"Hn."
Sasuke turned his back to the group and made like he was leaving, which quite obviously pissed Naruto off.
"Hey! Where--"
"I have things to do."
And he walked away without so much as a second glance, leaving Ino in a state which she finally found the ability to hide this time.
'He really doesn't know.'
She couldn't tell if that was reassuring or hurtful in its knowledge. Should have been obvious, as she found herself ready to spring after him and simply spill the beans, but no…
Why in he hell did she care so much?!
"Chouji, I hate to do this, but I'm going to head home. I really am not feeling very well today…"
Hours later, Ino found she had been staring in the mirror behind her bathroom door for an unusually long time, wondering just when she had allowed herself to become some kind of fawning, adolescent girl again. And why she wanted to hunt Sasuke down and confess that it was her he had slept with, and that she couldn't stop thinking about him.
And underneath that unwanted need to make her identity known, she also wondered why she even cared what his reaction would turn out to be.
This level of total confusion was unfounded for her, and the more she dwelled on it, the angrier she got. Perhaps it was time to get some well-needed recreation…
Deciding to just go out in her active gear instead of changing, finding it nice to be able to blend in with a Jounin vest, she left as the sun started going down.
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The bar was as crowded as ever when Ino arrived. It looked like a couple different mission squads had returned on the same day, so the noise was a few decibels above the norm, and pitchers of stout littered almost every table. The sweet smell of clove cigarettes and sweat hung in the air, wafting out the door every time it opened, and this night it seemed all too comforting.
She smiled at the incoming greetings as she wove her way by occupied tables, through groups of ninja having loud conversations. It was all a reminder of why she hated being alone- this was her element. She could find a friendly face in this setting, or sit and observe if she wanted. Find comfort from any problem she felt in the company of her fellow ninja, in her community, surrounded by the people she lived for.
A hearty slap assailed her shoulder from behind, spinning her on her heels.
"What's with the dreamy face, sunshine?"
Ino grabbed the sides of the man's face, covering the red triangles there with her thumbs. "It's because I saw you, Kiba-kun." Licking her lips, she planted a disgustingly wet kiss/raspberry on his forehead, eliciting a loud growl.
The group standing next to them witnessing their exchange laughed openly at Kiba's sour face, one of them slapping him on the back.
Kiba twisted his face into a deviously toothy grin, grabbing her up into a hug that squeezed the air from her lungs. "Oh gods, Ino, I love you sooo much!" Giving her body one last wring, he dropped her back down to her feet.
"You're out of control," she spat at him jokingly, adjusting her vest. He shrugged in return, neither denouncing nor denying it. "So, who's here tonight? This place is packed."
Kiba pointed over her head towards the back window of the bar. "We have a table over there. Kurenai-sensei just got here… Um… Naruto, Sakura…" He gave her a gentle push in their direction. "Bah, just go over… nature calls!"
Ino couldn't decide, as Kiba turned and gave her a sly smirk before walking away, whether or not 'nature calling' was his need to urinate or if it was the tall brunette over by the emergency exit. For a moment she closed her eyes and shook her head in amusement. The Inuzuka was…
Crap. He said Naruto and Sakura were there…
She wanted to talk to Sakura, yeah, but Naruto… possible Sasuke…
'No,' she thought, 'There's no way Sasuke would expose himself to a group this large and loud…'
Besides, she couldn't just run away. These were her friends.
Her eyes connected with Kurenai's crimson ones before she even made it to the table. The woman and close confidant gave her a warm smile as she approached. She glanced at the table's other occupants, noting the way her friends seemed to always stand out so much even in the most crowded places. Bright white, bubblegum pink, canary yellow, brilliant auburn…
No black.
She could breathe.
Ino sat in the chair next to Kurenai and gave a wave to everyone. "Evenin' all…"
"I heard you weren't feeling well earlier, hon, you better now?" Kurenai asked her first before anyone else could.
She nodded meekly, reaching for a clean glass on the table and helping herself to the new pitcher frothing on the table. "Yeah, not sure what that was about before…"
Sakura reached across the table to rest an assuring hand on her friend's arm. "You're probably not eating well again? You need to take better care of yourself, Ino…"
They shared a warm smile. "I know… I know… Rough couple weeks, is all."
A gloved hand tapped an empty glass down before her and she filled it, chuckling.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Ino joked, winking at Kakashi.
He sighed and gave her a tortured look, which was understandable, considering the intimidating stack of papers before him on the table. He tapped his pencil against the papers for a moment, turning to look out the window with a lethargic expression.
Naruto gave him a smack on the shoulder, piping up with glittering eyes. "Kakashi-sensei is gonna oversee Sasuke's missions and stuff for a while."
"Ah…" Ino sipped her beer, trying to appear as apathetic as possible.
Though it was obvious that the older Jounin still looking out the window was enthralled in a mixture of different emotions over it all. And the shifty, uneasy glances Sakura was giving him sealed Ino's observation. The fourth member of Team Seven had come back, but that didn't mean the lingering betrayal didn't sting still. Which only added to her own personal guilt for what she'd done…
"I'm still surprised Tsunade-sama is allowing him to rejoin the ninja ranks, honestly," Kurenai said smoothly, eyes lingering on Kakashi as she spoke.
Naruto, as reminiscent of his younger days as he could be, jumped to the Uchiha heir's defense. "He's not like he used to be!" He planted his hand firmly on the table as he spoke, half standing and leaning on the table with fierceness. "I'm tired of everyone bad mouthing- everyone in Konoha avoids him!"
"Naruto! Stop it!" Sakura yanked him back down into his chair and glared at him with that 'get-out-of-line-again-and-I'll-give-you-a-reason' look she'd perfected over the years.
"So, where is Sasuke this evening?"
The moment the question slipped out, Ino inwardly blasted herself for the fact that she'd wanted to say those words ever since she left her apartment. She only hoped no one would find it odd that she cared to know.
"Not sure. He came in about an hour ago asking the oddest questions then left really quickly…"
Ino quirked an eyebrow at Sakura's soft reply, hoping more than she'd like to admit for some elaboration.
Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, it was weird. He was asking about a girl he'd met last week."
'Oh, gods, please don't say… er… please DO say…!'
"It seemed pretty urgent but he wouldn't tell us anything about it. Just said he was looking for a girl with… what was it again…"
Ino's mind started doing flips and she took to taking long gulps of her drink in order to hide her heated face.
Kakashi looked up from his papers. "Long, brown hair and ice blue eyes."
It was all she could do not to spit her drink out over the table. So he had ALSO been unable to forget the other night… Somewhere deep inside, Ino screamed with delight. She fought with a smile, glancing around the table to make sure no one noticed.
The growing bubbliness was prematurely squashed when she made eye contact with Kakashi. He was staring right at her with that one know-it-all droopy eye, planting a deep seeded paranoia in her gut.
'He knows. HE KNOWS. He saw me the day I returned, he saw how I looked… Will he say something?!'
She put on her most unreadable expression and kept her gaze on him. He was trying to read her, she decided. Studying her reaction. If he had the slightest inkling who the mystery woman was…
"Hmm… doesn't sound familiar to me."
'Damn that man and his indifference!' At that very moment, she wanted to just tip Kakashi backwards out of his smug chair.
That was all she heard about Sasuke after that. Luckily, Naruto had some ranting to do on other matters. Which she could only half-listen to, since her thoughts were already seized and held hostage by the prospect that somewhere Sasuke was maybe wondering about where she might be. It made her giddy. It made her ecstatic. And it also made her afraid.
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She was straddling him, breathing harshly and spent. But she didn't want to move, and neither did he. She leaned down over his face, letting her hair pool on either side, cocooning them both for a moment as she planted a kiss on the side of his jaw.
Ino would never forget the words his breath tickled into her ear at that moment, floating on a sigh and barely audible as if he hadn't meant for her to hear.
"I'm glad I found you."
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She stood up with conviction, successfully halting her friends' current conversation and drawing confused expressions.
There was no way she could live with daydreaming anymore. She needed those moments to happen again and again. She desperately needed to know if he felt the same way.
"I've got to go, guys. I'm sorry!"
Without staying another second to hear their goodbyes or possible questions, Ino was already gone, heading for the other side of town.