Hello out there. Yes, I decided to rewrite Innocent. Yes, I'm a fool, but that's not the point. On with the show!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 3: The Perfect Life
Ino came to with a groan in a very familiar cell. Unlike before, Naruto didn't come near her. He watched her from his corner. Shikamaru helped her up and steadied her. Ino broke away from her teammate to get over to Naruto. He instinctively backed away, but Ino caught him in a bone crushing hug. His eyes spoke of his shock while Shikamaru stood there with his mouth opened. He silently prepared to lock Naruto in place if the blonde dared to attack Ino.
"I'm glad that you're not dead," Ino whispered happily. Naruto pulled away and gave her a strange look. He didn't understand. Ino turned towards Shikamaru. "Shikamaru, we need to take Naruto with us to see Tsunade." Shikamaru didn't know what to say. He could tell Ino was different. He murmured his catchphrase and shook his head. "It's important! Something in his thoughts!" Ino was pleading because she was desperate.
"Ino, I'm sorry, but we just can't. Prisoners have to stay inside the prison until death, execution, or freedom," Shikamaru said. Ino pouted for a minute, but she decided to take things into her own hands. She was done with the nightmares and the memories. She grabbed Naruto's hand and began to lead him out. Shikamaru blocked the exit. "I'm not looking for trouble, Ino. As far as I know, Naruto is a traitor to the village. He killed Sasuke." Ino looked at the shadow user and thought back to what that man in the church said. Was Shikamaru one of those people? She feared he was. "If you take him out of here, you'll be a traitor too, and I'll be forced to capture both of you." Naruto came to life then with one punch to Shikamaru's face. The boy went down and was out. Naruto looked at Ino.
"We should probably get going," Naruto said. He scared Ino by picking her up bridal style and rushed out of the rooms. The guards weren't aware until he was already gone. Ino held on tight as the prison was left behind them. "I'm sorry, but Konoha is no longer an option of being home. Where do you think we should go?" Suna was off limits as well because of being allies with Konoha. They weren't after causing a war. Ino mumbled something into his neck, and Naruto laughed. It was so musical. "Thank you, Ino. You believed in me." They disappeared into the forest and away from Konoha.
INNOCENT
Shikamaru silently bowed to the Hokage as he gave his report of what happened. Ino and Naruto escaped the prison several hours ago and were probably long gone. Tsunade dismissed him and looked at the paper on her desk. It was her grandfather's notes on the developing village. He mentioned wanting a memorial for two of his greatest friends, a couple by the name Uzukami. It talked about how the husband, Naruto, was so devoted to his wife, Ino, that he would do anything she asked. The last line said that their love was so pure that he was sorry that they had been killed.
"Tsunade-sama," an ANBU captain said. He stood beside his giant dog. "What do you want us to do about Uzumaki and Yamanaka?" Tsunade stood up and looked out the window at the Hokage's Mountain. She had her hands behind her back, meaning she was thinking. "They're traitors now." Tsunade nodded and looked at the ANBU captain. She knew who exactly the captain was by the dog mask and the giant dog. She truly didn't care.
"Declare them dead," Tsunade said. She felt like a failure. "Look for them from time to time, but I won't assign any missions." She looked like she was long gone, in another time. "He never truly did belong to Konoha. He just stayed along for the ride." Something in her was breaking. The captain didn't know how to help her. Only Naruto did. "Tell Ino's family and their friends, please. This is the last order of the day, Kiba." Tsunade went back to her paperwork without any enthusiasm and waited until Kiba left to smile.
INNOCENT
Only Ino got a funeral because the council wouldn't allow Tsunade to lift the traitor status off of Naruto. The official story was that Ino had been kidnapped and killed by Naruto. The ANBU weren't able to recover the body because it had been burned. Everyone outside the group of friends came to the ceremony and curse Naruto to the grave, which he was. Tsunade made an honorable speech about how great of a shinobi Ino had been and looked at the people she just lied to. Many looked so heartbroken.
Almost an hour later, Inuzuka Kiba cried out as he slammed a big rock into the dirt. He sat down in his funeral clothes and looked at it. Just because they wouldn't allow Naruto to have a funeral didn't mean Kiba couldn't. He spoke softly to the stone as he wrote Naruto's name on it with a kunai. He talked about how Naruto should take great care of Ino and that he'd miss their fighting. Kiba didn't care about the shadows behind him as he cried. Konoha Eleven slowly gathered to pay their respects to a stone slab that Kiba placed. Nobody believed the official story. Naruto was hero with a stone and a crudely written name. Thus was the life of true heroes.
"Naruto, I'm sorry that this stone isn't next to Ino's," Kiba said, wiping away the tears with his sleeve. He would never forgive himself for this. "You loved her." The last words were barely a whisper. He stood up and walked away, feeling so much better. In two days, he would be leaving on a fake mission to pretend to be hunting missing ninja. It was more like a vacation because of what Kiba had to go through. Ino's parents didn't exactly take the news well. He had another mission to do in the morning first.
INNOCENT
Kiba looked at Ino's apartment with sad eyes. He could imagine the kind of life the blonde woman had in this place. He grunted as he lifted up the sofa with Shikamaru. They were told to put all the furniture on a cart for the Yamanaka clan to take. Kiba walked into the kitchen and saw the only piece left. It was a chair that belonged with the dining room table. On the back, resting silently, was an old orange and black jacket. Kiba just stood there and looked at it. Shikamaru walked back in too and saw what he was staring at. He sighed and looked too.
"He gave that jacket to her right before he left. She was in the rain at the cemetery," Shikamaru said. He knew every story this apartment had to give. All the memories locked away within its walls forever. "She loved him. That jacket gave her purpose to live when it got rough. Ino wore it to the interrogation, and I brought it back here after she dropped it. I hoped that she would come back and feel safe again." Shikamaru's face scrunched up as he began to cry. Kiba silently walked over to the jacket.
"I want to bury it with her. Her family would understand," Kiba said. He folded up the jacket and placed it on the counter to move the chair. He didn't want to do this anymore. He hated goodbyes, but to bury the jacket would be the last goodbye to Ino. Shikamaru took the chair as Kiba went to the cemetery. It didn't take long for the jacket to be buried because the dirt was still loose. He knew he had one more stop yet to make as he stood up. Inoichi put a hand on Kiba's shoulders. The dog shinobi looked at the dirt because he knew he was in for a scolding.
"Talk to me someday about Ino. It'll get the guilt off your mind," Inoichi said. He let Kiba go to mourn his daughter like his wife expected. What else could a father do? "Kiba, it's okay. Nobody hates you." Kiba frowned and stepped away. He was almost out when he heard Inoichi whisper apologies to a silent and deaf stone. There wasn't much left for Kiba to do. He went down the familiar path to a familiar apartment that belonged to Konoha's greatest hero.
INNOCENT
Konoha moved on from the blow to the shinobi ranks. Kakashi didn't. He would spend hours at the memorial stone for Obito, Rin, and Minato, but he would then travel to the stone with crudely cut name for Naruto. Konoha's Kyuubi festival was considered even better now that they included how the demon vessel died from the official story. Friends of Ino and Naruto couldn't bring themselves to join in on the festival anymore. It made them sick to their stomachs every time.
Kiba couldn't keep it to himself anymore. He was driven to madness, knowing he had to constantly lie to his friends. He confided in Inoichi, who never judged. Several months after his disappearance, Naruto sent Kiba a scroll on dog jutsu he had found. That day made Kiba regret being the captain of the team that destroyed Naruto's apartment. Their orders were to leave no evidence Uzumaki lived in that apartment at all.
The others had their own ways to remember Naruto and Ino. Shikamaru still hated Naruto for taking Ino away, but he never showed it anymore. The genius spent most of his time with Aki and Kurenai because he wanted to forget ever loving Ino. Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten would help Inoichi and his wife out in the flower shop on their days off and without pay. The boys would spend their time at the ramen stand, filling Naruto's place when it came to sales. Tsunade and Kakashi remembered just by talking about him. Sometimes, Inoichi joined them to remember his daughter. Nobody else remembered after several years. Someday, the names Naruto and Ino would be faint memories.
INNOCENT
"Kiba, do you think we'll ever see Naruto and Ino again?" Sakura asked. They were sitting at Naruto's stone. It was silent in the beginning. Kiba looked at Sakura with sad eyes. It was the one year anniversary. He was depressed because he admitted he lied. Sakura didn't care. He told only the Sasuke Retrieval team first, but he owed it to the others to tell them too. He just sighed and looked past the pink medic. Would they ever see Naruto again? What about Ino?
"No," Kiba said, softly. He looked at the stone with clenched fists. "They're dead, remember? Ino was killed by Naruto in a blind rage of being accused of murder." Kiba relaxed his hands to bury his face into them. His voice was quiet. "He was a crazy bastard." Kiba didn't want to lie anymore. Sakura knew the truth and also knew that this was Kiba trying to trick his own mind. "He killed himself out of shame." The voice was dead without any emotion to it. The next words had Sakura straining to hear. "Sakura, heaven doesn't exist." Sakura gave up on Kiba and got up to leave. She looked at him one last time. "I'm sorry the stone isn't next to Ino's." The dog ninja wasn't talking to her anymore, so Sakura walked away. Kiba would sit there all day and stare at the words on the stone. He wiped his eyes several times as he remembered his last mission. He saw Naruto alive and carrying some construction lumber with three other men. The blonde wore no shinobi gear, but Kiba could still recognize him. Naruto just gave him a smile before walking away. "Thank you, Naruto." Kiba got up off the ground at sunset and walked home with a feeling of relief. He was finally going to let Naruto and Ino go.
INNOCENT
There was a small village to the north of Iwa. It wasn't large enough to be noticed by any village, which was something they were after. Naruto and Ino ran to this village after several different once. Immediately, they were accepted and thought to be married. They decided to stick with it even though they had no rings or made no vows. A lot of women would make Ino blush scarlet whenever they would quiz her on Naruto. The blonde man would watch her from several feet away with soft eyes and a small smile. He didn't care that the other men laughed at him.
"Ino, aren't you ever afraid of Naruto leaving you? There's a new girl at the bakery that has taken a fancy to him," an older woman asked as they worked in the hospital. Ino took the job to use her medical experience again. Naruto was out hunting with the other men. He would be home in an hour or so. Ino looked at her friend and speaker, Ayame, and shrugged. "What? That's all you can say? He's your husband for heaven's sake!" Ino smiled at her friend.
"I know that Naruto isn't going to stray. We're connected on a strange level," Ino explained. She read over someone's charts and wondered about Naruto's safety. "He'll always love me, and I will always love him." Ino smirked. "Besides, Naruto is too stupid to pick up anyone's advances. Plus, he's terrified of my temper." Ayame burst out laughing. The laughter lasted several minutes before Naruto walked into the hospital. He was carrying one of the village boys with fearful eyes. "Naruto?" Ino took the child from him as Ayame got a stretcher. She put the kid on that and checked over the wounds. "It'll be okay." Ino and Ayame disappeared into the only operating room to stabilize the boy. Naruto slumped against the wall and looked at his hands. They were coated in the kid's blood. Silent tears fell from Naruto's face as he wanted to be in another place and time.
"It's my fault. I'm so stupid! I should've been watching over him and listening to the forest," Naruto mumbled. He pulled at his hair and wanted to scream. He was still the same failure from Konoha. When was his life going to turn around? Naruto cried as he waited. Ino walked out several minutes later and over to him. She sat next to him and pulled him close. Naruto rested his head on her shoulder. "It's my fault." Naruto only stared at his coated hands with sadness.
"Naruto, you're human. Only gods can stop everything bad from happening. Kyo is going to be okay. He'll recover and be back on his feet again. Just tell me what happened out there," Ino whispered. Naruto shifted so he could see her face and looked as if he had just realized she was there. His gaze returned to his hands as his thoughts went to back to the forest. "It'll help you, Naruto. I promise." With a gulp and a clench of his fists, Naruto knew he had to talk.
"You know I've been working with the hunting crew lately," Naruto said. He remembered the smell of the forest and feeling like he belonged there. "We were trailing this bear that we had spotted early this morning. Kyo is the only man in his house, and he wanted to prove to his mother that he was a man." Naruto wanted that blood to disappear. "He was attacked by the bear. Ino, I broke our promise to never use jutsu again. I had no choice." Naruto felt like crap. Ino kissed his temple and took his hand. She stood up and almost dragged him to a bathroom. It was there that she softly washed away all the blood from his arms. He didn't completely understand, but he knew it was her way to care for him.
"Naruto, stop your crying. I'm here for you, and you're no longer in the prison," Ino said. She found a pair of extra doctor scrubs for him to change into. His bloody clothes would be burned later. Naruto smiled and kissed her. She got him to rest with her on a spare bed. "You know how we talked about having a baby." Naruto looked at her and then smiled with joy. His hand touched her stomach as they curled up against each other on the bed. He was happy.
INNOCENT
A year had passed since Naruto ran away from Konoha with Ino in his arms. Now, the blonde man was awoken at two in the morning by wailing coming from the nursery. Sleepily, Naruto stumbled his way in the dark to his son's nursery. He yawned and reached the crib without failing on his face like usual. His crying son, Taro, was kicking and reaching up to him. Naruto couldn't help but smile as he gently lifted the baby out of the crib.
"Shh, little one. Daddy's got you," Naruto whispered into his son's hair. He quickly prepared a bottle in the kitchen and brought them back to the nursery. The blonde man figured it was another nightmare because they happened quite often. Ino would kick Naruto awake to deal with it too. Taro was Naruto's son from bedtime to wake up. He was Ino's the rest of the time. The infant reached up and grasped a piece of Naruto's longish hair as he sucked on his bottle. Naruto giggled and kissed his son's head. "Daddy would go to any length to save you." Naruto too had been suffering from nightmares about fire, but he would never let Taro die before him. "I'll rock you to sleep, okay?" Naruto sat down in the old rocking chair after the bottle and burping were finished. He positioned Taro so that the baby's head was resting on his shoulder. Tiny hands gripped his shirt. "Let's get you back to sleep." The rocking slowly began as Naruto hummed a soft lullaby. Taro fell into a quiet dream.
Ino woke up in the morning alone and sat up in surprise. Afraid, she got up and rushed to the nursery. She almost fainted from relief when she walked into the room. On the floor next to the rocking chair was Naruto asleep with his mouth hanging open and Taro on his chest. Naruto's hands were protectively shielding their son. Ino smiled softly as she walked out of the room. She would let her boys sleep as she made breakfast. She thought about her husband and child.
"Naruto's eyes will never lose that innocent glint for as long as we live," Ino muttered to herself. She walked into the kitchen, and her shoulders fell. "Taro is probably going to be the same way. He'll probably be hyperactive. Damn, I knew we should've had a girl." Ino sighed and laughed as she started breakfast. Back in the nursery, Naruto was smiling as he put Taro gently into the crib. He didn't want the infant to wake up. This life may not be perfect, but it was the one for Naruto, who went to ask his wife when they would be having another baby.
THE PERFECT LIFE
Better ending? Love it? Hate it? Don't flame. With love, Kyuubi no Kitsune0101