So here's the next part! Hope you like it and hope I am going on the right path, Chouji happens to be here, since I haven't wrote his second day of the trade I found it only fair for him to take part, and lets see what happens to the girls!
So go on, read and review if you feel like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
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Chouji was working with Lee and Sakura today, surprisingly the only group of two boys and a girl. So far it had only consisted on having a melting Lee over Sakura, who just scoffed all the time regretting her luck trying with all her might to be nice to him. Chouji, to say the least, was almost next to zero interested on this day match. Lee… Lee was just too much for him, he wanted to run, he wanted to jump, he wanted to train. Chouji made a face, Lee had just this energy that never ended and Chouji was beginning to get annoyed, Shikamaru never bothered him if he didn't want to run a lap around Konoha.
Sakura was trying her best to be nice to both of them at this task and so far she was succeeding, at least a little bit, only because Lee was always ready to do whatever she wanted, stars on his eyes all the time, or hearts, depending of what she said, he just nodded in agreement and helped here and there.
They were in the city helping the most busy and important street of Konoha full of stores, it had been six months since the street had a proper maintenance. Usually all the owners would come together and pay to the hokage a fair amount of money to get theirs street fixed with the extra little things the other streets didn't have. The hokage would take the money and send genins to do the repairs for the whole street- that could involve anything, fixing, painting, shattered glass, garbage, attending, the list can go on and on. So this time it was their time to do it, Sakura had done it before, Sasuke's ability with fire helped a lot at times when they needed to create glass (a technique he had developed over years of practice) something Sakura had told him it was amazing. And Naruto's amazing ability to create more Narutos was, without a doubt, the best jutsu ever. The kage bunshin no justu. Not that she would ever tell him that but she did thank him from time to time. So with a bunch of Narutos and a skillfull Sasuke this mission was always a long but easier one.
Sakura missed them both to no end right at the moment, even the annoying blond. Naruto would cheer her up and help her with almost anything she had trouble with, seriously, Naruto knew about everything and knew how to fix whatever at hand, Sasuke knew about some other things, like the theory part of things and he helped Naruto a lot too while fixing something they couldn't quite understand, and they both were amazing when it came to hard work and team things, helping Sakura all the time in whatever they saw she needed help, not that she called for it, but after years of being together they kind of knew when she needed help and she knew when they were lost without her.
Sakura was of great help too, she was amazing with costumers and owners! Sasuke was… well, the loved one on the city, but he just hated to talk and was pretty bad at it when he wanted to be, and Naruto would love to help but he was having a hard time with villagers, not all of them but sure a lot of people still hated him, each day he was more liked… but that didn't mean people on the street didn't stare at him. So Sakura made all the deals, the treats in the stores, she was the one who knows what to do and when to do it, she loved when they came to her asking for instructions, she didn't feel useless.
But, as has been told, right now nothing was working. Lee was enthusiastic to the point people couldn't finish a word of what they wanted before he going on full speed to do it just to realize he had done it wrong because of his impatience, so Sakura was always trying to catch him before he made a mess. Finally she had asked him for patience after giving a lecture. Chouji was amused at the whole thing and laughed, she was so like Ino at times and when Sakura turned to glare at him he decided that right now he wished she was not. Lee luckily listened to her! Kurenai, the sensei that was with them for the day, looked approvingly to her when Lee finally was doing things right.
A few hours later Sakura and Chouji were fixing a glass of a store that had broke, replacing it with a new one, Sakura concentrating on not letting the huge glass lean too much to one side otherwise the weight would be too much and the glass would break, Lee was running around the place asking the owners if they needed anything they wanted to get rid of along with Kurenai, who was great with annoying kids, Sakura thought, Kiba must be a hard kid to be with, as she was doing a great job at handling Lee. Things were looking good for them now.
She remembered how Kiba and Naruto were getting along and made a mental note to ask Naruto about that later on…
"Sakura-chan?" Chouji asked suddenly, Sakura looked over to him as they both placed the huge glass on the base of the window and started to see if it fit. "Do you know what happened to Naruto?"
Sakura glanced at him and then focused on the glass again.
"What about him?"
"He had a broken arm this morning, I couldn't ask Ino but Im sure you know"
She winced, she hadn't even asked him anything about his broken arm, even Sasuke had reached for him when the teachers weren't looking and asked if he was okay earlier that day.
Well, he said 'how a lame excuse for a ninja can you be for breaking your arm jumping from a roof?'
Naruto just scoffed and waved his arms a little, frustrated. 'Well I was helping a friend, idiot, just give me a week and I'll break yours.'
Sasuke smirked and had walked away. Sakura knew he had been worried, but hearing Naruto said he will 'kick his ass' in a week he got what he wanted. Yes Naruto was mad, he was injured, but he would be perfectly fine in a week he had said, and he did argue with him too, so problem solved, Naruto was alright.
Sakura hadn't even done that, she was a terrible teammate. She didn't spare him a look.
"Sakura-chan? Are you okay?" Chouji asked after he saw that the pink haired girl wasn't responding. She came back from her reverie.
"Yes, I was just worried… about him…" Sakura trailed off, lying, hoping to get off the hook.
"…So what happened to him?"
Sakura pretended to be immersed on the glass and how it was coming off, placing all her strength on not letting it lean away from the window, Chouji was having trouble too so he forgot. Besides, Chouji was a very intelligent guy, he knew when to drop topics, well, he had learned cause whenever he crossed lines Ino would hit him in the arm, he kind of imagined Ino doing that to him right now, so he shut up. He concentrated in not letting go for the glass, he looked around looking for the glue that would held the glass in place, he was wondering wherever Sakura would be able to reach it when suddenly they heard someone screaming, they both turned their heads in confusion.
"Wha—" Sakura started to say when Lee voice reached their ears, this time closer.
"What happened to her?!" It was Lee's voice and it was full with concern, they shared a look.
"Do you think is Kurenai?" Sakura asked Chouji her eyes fixed on the street. A second later they saw how Lee was running along with Hinata behind Kakashi sensei, someone on his arms, but Chouji wasn't looking at that, she was looking at Gai sensei run along with him with a girl he knew so well on his arms, what had happened?! He felt something tugging on his stomach, did ninjas attacked them?!
"Ino!" Chouji shouted to the air, cause the moment the words finally left his mouth the two jounins along with their genins had already disappeared down the street, far away towards the hospital disappearing in the mass of the people on the street.
Sakura in all the hassle and startled at Chouji's shout let go of the glass for a second, her wanting to go and run for Kakashi sensei clouded her mind a little. That little was all it took. The glass leaned too much and Chouji wasn't paying attention, he had let go of it first wanting to un after Ino too. So the glass started to fell at losing both supports, it all happened too fast, Sakura shouted and reached for the glass trying to stabilize it but it was too late, she lost the grasp of it due to the weight and gravity and she let it go, she could only hope that Chouji would do the same as her, as she jumped high and out of the reach of the glass calling for him as she did so.
Chouji was glued to the ground, thinking fast, unaware of everything. Tenten was surely the other girl on Kakashi's arms, seeing that Hinata was running with them too and going back to the trade, where those three had ended together. What happened to them? And why were they both of them unconscious? Were they hurt? Were they dead?
Chouji felt a huge weight on his back and he wondered what was happening before he felt it, he snapped back to reality a second later, the huge pain on his back left for a cold one to replace it, it fell on it hard and he fell to his knees, the huge weight had caught him unaware, in other circumstances he would have been able to stop whatever that was. The more he bended to get rid of the weight the more that thing on his back weighted, he thought his back would break in two any second and his knees yelled in pain trying to support him, his heart ached at the thought of Ino. His mind clicked a second later, his ninja reflexes kicked in.
Move this thing away. His mind and body told him throught the shock of it all.
Now.
The pain was just too much, his grief was just too much. Shikamaru would have said something along the lines of 'Always think for one more second before acting if given the chance' well, he threw that advice away.
And that's where he went wrong, with all his strength he pushed the thing away from him with a punch full of rage, turning and feeling the cold sensation in his hands, just a millisecond later he realized his mistake, too late to do something about it as his eyes grew wide… and the immensely huge glass broke into million pieces.
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Shikamaru was thinking of how this day had went by as he ate his food, laughing at Naruto's horrible habits. The smirk quickly faded away as he thought of Ino. He had acted horribly against her today at morning, but hell with it! How dare she go to a date with Kiba? Kiba for kami's sake! And without telling him! Cause he could bet she knew this yesterday, since yesterday she had been paired up with Naruto and Kiba, hence the date. Hence she knowing and accepting… and yesterday at night he had been at her house and decided to say nothing, playing fool! While they choose a dog for her to adopt!
Was she ashamed of telling him? He wondered, leaving the topic of the dog for later. She could have told him… they were friends, best friends. Then again why was he acting like this towards her? Was he over-protective? Chouji would had agreed he decided. Chouji was always telling him Ino was a big girl and that she could take care of herself. Yes, yes he knew that. But the 'What ifs' running aroud his head never ended.
What if Ino's jutsu goes wrong? What if Ino gets hurts? What if Ino freaks out? What if she forgets the plan? If she starts panicking and run away? What if she is captured? What then? What if what if what if… his mind played all the possible results in a second for him, so no one could actually blame him for always putting-or trying cause the girl was stubborn- to get her out of trouble.
He glanced at Naruto annoyed, coming back from his thoughts and sighed . That blond kid knew too much, for what he had told Shikamaru yesterday whatever his feelings he knew. Naruto of all people. Shikamaru sighed and looked down at his food, and with his earth beating fast he dared to wonder… was he jealous?
Shikamaru was at lost here, his heart made a single thud on his chest. Jealous? Could he be? Jealous… maybe, after all Ino was his best friend, it was normal, he told himself. Kinda like a brother leaving her sister on the first date. His mind blocked that thought the second it came to his mind, he never looked at her like a sister… he never could. Ugh, what was happening to him?
Asuma just shared a glance with him and Shikamaru smirked at seeing this, he had missed his sensei ability to understand him so well with just a look, since yesterday he had found that not being able to look into someones eyes bothered him. Shino and Kakashi for example.
"Are you okay, Shikamaru?" Asuma asked as Neji and Naruto rolled into a conversation over why and how he should ask Hinata on a training practice. Neji didn't want to talk about her cousin love affairs with the blond but the blond was actually asking out of curiosity and Neji started the complicated process of how to ask a girl to train without sounding condescending. Tentens fault of course.
"Fine… just a interesting day."
He remembered his day from the begging. He had left Hokage tower along with Naruto and Neji and retrieved the cat, then they had helped Asuma on creating the report for the Hokage for today's trade. He had been occupied with some 'issues' those issues being Kurenai he could bet, so they had to explain to him how they had worked and how they had managed to catch the damned cat so he could write the report. Explaining to him all the while that they wished to work in the future, none of them said it that enthusiastically, cause they were ninjas, men ninjas and they were supposed to act cool but it was clear to Asuma sensei that they were becoming friends, after that he invited the kids the meal, congratulating them on their team work. Shikamaru knew it was just because he didn't want Tsundae to know he had left half the day to tour the city with Kurenai and her team.
Asuma smiled at their faces when he announced the meal, though and Naruto made a happy dance again making out a song and Neji laughed at it, out loud, that was new. Shikamaru just made a face, all the while smiling slightly, Ino was usually the one dancing and beaming about going to eat after a long day and Chouji was always the one with the biggest smile on his face, god he needed to think of an apology, he decided, a good one.
"Just make sure Ino doesn't see you with me like this, she would never shut up."
Right now they were finishing lunch, Asuma was saying he needed to fix something with a few clients that he needed to take care of, none of them understood but nodded nonetheless, he was about to leave when a pink haired girl caught a glimpse of them and run to their table ignoring the people on her way and excusing herself when she almost ran into a little boy, she made it in seconds to where they were enjoying their meal. They all looked at her startled.
"Sakura, Wha—" Naruto started at seeing her face, it took him a second to realize something was wrong, very wrong. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"Fine…im fine" She said in a hurry, he saw him getting to his feet, worry painted in his face and she started for a second to his arm, she would ask about that later. She looked into his eyes.
"Sakura?" Shikamaru asked amused at the whole thing, Sakura snapped back to reality and acted.
"Its Ino, Ino and Tenten, they are in the hospital, I was sent to get you." She said as she made a move to leave, waiting for the team in the table to react. "Let's go!"
And thanks god they were ninjas cause in a second Neji, Shikamaru and Asuma were already running along her to the hospital leaving a very confused Naruto behind to pay. Worried faces in all of the three as they dodged the people having meal and finally ran down the street.
Naruto looked at this wallet and then at the waiter and smiled sheepishly. "I need to go to the bathroom…."
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"What do you mean they are in the hospital?!" Asuma asked Sakura the second they left the restaurant as they made their way around the village, jumping from rooftops at speed of lighting, Shikamaru was having a hard time concentrating on her words. Ino? Injured? Why and how?!
"They were on their misson." Sakura said as she jumped, clearly overwhelmed by the facts, she was silent, Shikamaru wanted to slap her, the girl wasn't answering fast enough. "They… I don't know what happened exactly… I was just send to retrieve you, the second we reach the hospital we will know."
"How long had they been there?" Neji asked all ninja prepared, Shikamaru decided that was the best thing to do.
"Yes, are the others okay? What about Kakashi?" He asked, Sakura sighed and looked at them, they were reaching the hospital, a minute or two now.
"Look, I dont know what I saw and I did what Kurenai told me to do, find you. I did. They were both unconscious, that much I know." She wasn't angry but she didn't like the tone all of them were talking to her, she wasn't there, she just received orders. Neji nodded. "Stop asking me cause I know just as much as you do, it couldn't be more than fifteen minutes what it took me to find you, it could have been less but Kiba refused to help… or listen, he just ran to the hospital."
"Sorry, Sakura." Asuma said as he stared at the hospital ahead. "Really, and thanks for informing us."
She nodded and smiled at the three of them, Shikamaru nodded in her direction she whispered to him, trying hard to containg her tears too thinking if the blond girl that was now injured. "Hey… I least I didn't yell."
Sakura finally jumped from the last rooftop not waiting for a reply, no that she expected one, Shikamaru along with his sensei, Tenten's teammate and the girl hit ground and rushed inside the hospital.
Shikamaru looked around the place, nurses and ninja medics were around the place talking to family or taking care of patients that just came for medicine, but they all knew that inside, passing those big glass doors was the big deal.
Asuma took care of it as the approached the reception, the students trailing behind.
"Im Asuma Sarutobi, Im the jounin in care of Ino Yamanaka. Where is she?" He said with hard stare to the girl behind the desk.
"Im sorry, I don't know."
"You don't know or you wont tell?" Asuma said with a long sigh, hands on the desk, Shikamaru hated Asuma's good kind heart at moments like this.
"That's what I've been told to do."
Neji looked like he wanted to tear apart the desk and just walk in Shikamaru was on his side this time, Neji used his byakugan trying to catch a glimpse of Tenten and aftera few seconds he shook his head.
"Way too many people inside, I dont know." He said in a low voice to the Nara boy who just kept glaring.
Sakura took a step forward, brave on her façade as she looked at her co-worked "Tahmi, where is she, I am asking like a medic nin here."
She just looked at her and apologized.
"Why are you apologizing?" Shikamarus eyes grew big ready to just rush past her. For a second he dared thinking of Chouji, wondering where was he if Sakura was here. He had to send someone to retrieve him.
"You can't enter… not with them anyway" He looked to the guys and smiled but the smile didn't reach her eyes, the boys just glared harder. "You are friends with them and—you know I can't let you enter Haruno, sorry, besides—"
The door of glass behind the nurse on the desk opened and out walked Kakashi, he sighed as he saw them, he looked relieved for a second to see Sakura on the group too before he spoke.
"Sakura, Tsundae is waiting for you, hurry." Was all he said before Sakura ran past him into the hospital ignoring the glare Thami had given him, the pink haired girl disappeared a second later from view.
"Kakashi where are the girls?" Asuma asked and Kakashi motioned them to go in and follow, all of the men ignored the nurse and her glares and protest as she said something like 'Freaking ninjas… they think they can outrun anyone' not that they cared at the moment.
"C'mon, lets go upstairs" Kakashi said tiredly as Asuma just nodded and followed, lost in thought, Neji behind them both noticed that Kakashi wasn't wearing his chunning vest, and that his back had been recently cured, his skin looked good as new but his black attire was ripped open and dried blood could be seen if you stared hard enough. He activated his blood trait… sure enough Kakashi still had a bunch of chakra but it was diminished and he could see that he had around his low torso a bandage covered by his shirt.
Shikamaru and Neji shared a glance, they both noticed with brain like theirs that Kakashi had been evading the question for a while now and that he had been injured too, not that bad but still... if he had been injured that much… what about Ino and Tenten?
Ino is alright… Shikamaru thought, surely… a million different scenarios played on his head, he just hoped Kakashi would start talking otherwise Ino being captured… Ino being injured… Ino being— he just couldn't, he was agonizing here, he knew it was wrong to yell on a hospital but he was close at doing so, anger cursing on his veins.
"It just one simple question! Where are they?" He said hissing to Kakashi trying to get his attention unable to hold it back any longer. Neji glared so hard at Kakashi's back that Shikamaru was lost at how he was still breathing with the killer intent.
Kakashi kept on walking as he made his way to the elevator, once in he just looked at the two kids who either in their strong and brave façade looked frightened even now and to Asuma who glared at Kakashi, he had had enough. Kakashi prepared himself.
"So? Where is Ino?"
"We need to talk."
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There! Again I was caught on writing! This was almost all written but decided to extend it and played with some thoughts on my head… so you'll just have to wait for the next chapter to know what happened to the girls and Chouji too. I just wanted to write a little bit from all the others point of view. Hope it didn't took me that long to update. For the record I never thought of going into so much trouble, this just was a funny story of a little thing I had in mind, somehow im liking this one much better... anyway.
Well, I am writing the next chapter as we speak so off I go! Review if you feel like it?
Thanks for the reviews again. Thanks Thanks thanks.
-Juliet'lovestory-
