The Virtuosic Fool
Chapter 4: Understanding the Already Understood
Shikamaru had broken a sweat, which was beyond irritating. Being the captain of the team, he expected his subordinates to listen to him, but alas, Ino served to be as stubborn as her name made her out to be. "Ino, I'm not in the mood for this. I'm tired."
Ino cast him a pissed off look, "You think you can talk to me like that and expect to go?" She scoffed and cocked her hip while crossing her arms. "As if, you can't order me around Shikamaru."
"Really?" Shikamaru asked, "Because the last I checked, I can. I'm the squad leader here, which you means you have to listen to me." Shikamaru watched her, irritated with her antics. Could she not ever do anything he asked without backtalk?
Kankuro stood behind Shikamaru, his hand pressed to his painted face. A sad frown pulling down on the corners of his mouth. Otherwise, his face completely amused, it was kind of like those moments when you were crying and someone made you laugh. Moments like this only served to piss him off.
"You don't have to rehash all the lessons from the Academy, I'm not stupid Shikamaru. You're just getting on my nerves." Ino said, her eyebrows were raised in an expression that said, 'I dare you to try something.'
Shikamaru, of course, had no choice. He had to get her in the gates somehow, and so with a resounding sigh he slipped into a shinobi mind frame.
Almost immediately Ino's demeanor changed. "Give me your best shot Shikamaru!" she said, a smirk crossing her face. Temari couldn't help but roll her eyes a few meters away from them "Stupid."
Ino turned to her immediately. She had already been in a bad mood, mix it together with the reoccurring bad history with the Sand Kunoichi and you got a very ruffled Leaf Kunoichi. "You want to say that to my face?"
Shikamaru sighed, he hated to get on Ino's bad side by pulling an underhanded move, but he needed to get her inside the gates. Forming the hand seals he quickly caught Ino in his kagemane no jutsu. He couldn't decide whether it was a 'success' or not.
It didn't take her five seconds to notice it, almost immediately she yelled to Shikamaru, "Lazy ass! That's cheating!" it seemed she had forgotten the multi-ponytailed girl standing off the side- who was now looking at Ino like she was utterly moronic.
"There're no rules in true combat Ino." Shikamaru said, stepping towards her. She stepped forward in time with him, kind of like a dance. Ino couldn't help but inwardly laugh at the grossly poetic situation, shadow dancing.
Shikamaru sighed heavily and reached for the bottom of Ino's ponytail, "See, I told you someone would use this against you."
"You suck." Ino said petulantly. In Kankuro's eyes her pout was adorable and playfull, in Shikamaru's it was annoying- a power he was unwilling to acknowledge.
Shikamaru released the jutsu, but kept a tight grip on her hair. He glanced down at her, only to find her glaring up at him unhappily. "What are you, five?" Shikamaru asked, pulling slightly harder on her hair.
She followed instinctively in the direction he'd led her. She couldn't much see with trying to keep her head down, but she knew where they were going anyway- she had been avoiding it for the past fifteen minutes.
After Ino noted that they had passed over the shadows of the gates doors, she glanced up at her captor and said, "Squad leader." respectively, before walking away. It wasn't fair, she never won against Shikamaru.
Shikamaru relaxed, his hands falling back into his pockets, leaning to his left side. "Glad to see were on the same page." he called to his teammate.
"Stubborn, smart, and beautiful, I think I might be in love." Kankuro said from behind Shikamaru. He smiled to himself, really, she was just too great.
Shikamaru half turned to him, "Be careful what you wish for." Shikamaru sighed heavily, "Doesn't matter if you set your sights on her, the only men she see's are one's that don't see her."
Kankuro looked at him, "Isn't that a bit anticlimactic?"
Shikamaru looked at him, "You're not the one she always comes running too, don't complain." he scratched at the back of his neck absently and set his hands in his pockets. "It's actually kind of sad."
Kankuro looked at him, surprised, "You don't seem like the type to console."
"I'm not." Shikamaru answered, "But I have a respect for women, especially one's who're crying."
Kankuro frowned, a crease forming between his brows, "She doesn't seem like the type to cry a lot."
Shikamaru looked over at him for a few moments before he decided to answer. A million thoughts were running through his head, all too annoying to linger on. "She doesn't, but that makes it all the worse when she does."
Kankuro's eyebrows shot sky high, "That makes enough sense."
Shikamaru sighed and turned towards the Sand nin, "Listen, Ino isn't the type to glance twice at guys like you. I'd just stay away from her if I were in your shoes. It'd be too bothersome if you didn't."
Kankuro gave him a stony stare, "You're not me, maybe that's why you're still in the position you're in."
Kankuro pushed passed him coldly, knocking him in the shoulder. "Deal with yourself before you get involved with my sister."
Ah, Shikamaru thought, that didn't come out the way I meant it to. How irritating, things were already off to a rough start. No thanks to Ino, Shikamaru thought, troublesome girl.
Ahead of him he could see Ino trying to gain Gaara's attention, Kankuro following after her. This is just ridiculous; I'm already not enjoying this. Why did I even invite Ino? He mentally slapped himself, because you're a coward.
He glanced to Temari who was talking happily with Choji, Dear Kami, please help me.
Choji looked over and waved in a way that signaled Shikamaru to join them, unsure Shikamaru started towards him. They met him halfway, "You want to go to dinner tonight?" Temari asked, her face as carefully blank as ever, with only a small twinkle in her eyes. Choji followed up after her, "She heard that Naruto wouldn't be arriving until tomorrow, Kakashi-Senpai held them up."
"Of course he did." Shikamaru shook his head tiredly, "Sure, dinner sounds fine. I'm taking a nap first though, it's a pity you all don't have any grass here."
Temari didn't ask what he meant, though she was fairly intrigued. "Where did your teammate go?" she asked, where did her brothers go as well?
Choji laughed, "Knowing Ino she's probably off trying to find her way to the inn were staying at." Choji turned to Shikamaru, "You want me to go find her?"
Ah, not quite Choji. Shikamaru thought, panicking. I just need a few more minutes to gather myself. "Ah, actually I'm fairly sure I know where she went."
Choji's eyebrows rose and he glanced at Temari. Shit, Shikamaru thought, Where is she going to go?
"I'm sure my brothers are with her, so I'll go with you." She said, sending him a small smile.
Please Choji, ple- "Great! I think I saw a food stall back a few feet- so I'm going to go and grab something. I'll catch up with you later!" Choji waved goodbye and winked at Shikamaru who merely stared blankly back.
Temari turned to him with a mega-watt smile, "Is there a reason your trying to avoid me?"
Shikamaru couldn't help but slump over, "That's why. Irritating woman."
Temari laughed at him, overjoyed with being reunited with him after what had seemed like decades. "You're such a coward!"
Shikamaru grunted, a small smile on his face. "Believe me, I know."
Later that night Ino prepared to go out to dinner with her team and the Sand Siblings. Thinking on it, she hated how they had a title like that. What did her team have? Team 10, how spectacular and totally original.
She mentally sighed, it wasn't fair. This day hadn't turned out at all like she had hoped. Shikamaru had been in a pissy mood, Gaara had ignored her, Kankuro had perversely hit on her, and her old - yet somehow subtle - rivalry with Temari had resurfaced. The latter of all those had been the most unsettling, she had sincerely hoped that this time meeting her would be different from all the other times. Yet, old habits die hard, and yet again she felt the need to prove herself.
Kankuro, however, served to be his own problem. She could not accept him having any interest in her. Gaara seemed the type that even if he did genuinely like someone, he would sacrifice his own feelings for his families happiness. She didn't want Gaara to have to make that decision.
It was difficult though because, admittedly, Ino liked the attention she had gotten from Kankuro earlier in the day. Though it was ridiculously disgusting and innuendous, she couldn't help but feel flattered. So due to her appreciation of Kankuro's feelings she didn't want to be to crude in letting him down, not to mention not wanting to set his siblings on her. Which made everything at least ten times harder than it already was.
She sighed, hoping that Shikamaru was back to himself. She felt out of place in Sand, like she didn't belong there. Which, she supposed was true, she didn't belong in Sunagakure. She'd be lying though if she said this wasn't the first time she had felt out of her element. Shikamaru was supposed to be the smart one who always knew how to get her out of a jam; he was supposed to be her friend. She was in a jam now; she had no friends other than he and Choji here. Yet, she couldn't help but feel that their friendship had been dragged to hell and back after today, and that he was in no way eager to help her out.
Pulling on a light purple dress, short of course, and letting her hair down, Ino left the room she was staying in to go meet everyone at the restaurant. She didn't bother with makeup, she didn't think she needed it and she wasn't in a particular hurry to impress anyone. Gaara seemed like he'd be the type to not care what you looked like.
In a moment of pure self consciousness, Ino wondered why she even bothered with love. It seemed like wherever she went, the boys she liked didn't like her back. Plus, being a Kunoichi and only keeping her eyes open to Shinobi left her with the possible outcome of losing a boyfriend in the field, something that was not too appealing.
Ino shook the thoughts from her head, she told herself love made everything better, even when nothing was wrong.
Shikamaru, who was on the other side of town waiting for his teammates to arrive, was thinking something along the same lines. Only coming to the conclusion that it was too troublesome to ponder such subjects without any real reason to. To Shikamaru, the only real reason to think of things like that, would be impending doom.
As a hand pressed to his face, his mind traveled to thoughts of Temari. He didn't understand why everyone thought they had something, Shikamaru didn't hate the girl but he certainly didn't like her. She wasn't like Ino, she was calm and steady and yet still managed to be utterly annoying. Shikamaru would be lying if he said he felt anything more than friendship for the other girl, but he wouldn't be lying if he said that their friendship was different from any friendship's he'd had with other girls. When he was with Temari, he felt that she actually understood his disposition- she could look at him in a moment and instantly see through the 'annoying' cover up. While Ino could be with him for hours and not understand at all what he meant when he said things. It was like he had his own language and Temari spoke it- unlike Ino, who would listen to him speak and just try to understand from the tone's his voice took on.
Irritating, He thought, the both of them. One saw too much and one saw too little, one was too calm and one was too energetic, Shikamaru sighed, thinking 'how troublesome, I think I'm getting old. I'm starting to think like Dad, all about women.
Choji was the first to arrive; he waved at Shikamaru excitedly and came to sit with him. "So, what did you and Temari do?"
Shikamaru shrugged, "Nothing much."
Choji gave him a deprived look, "Oh come on man! Don't lie to me, I know she did something."
Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed, "Well, she did say that she knew I was avoiding her."
Choji laughed and patted him on the back, "Can't say you weren't a bit obvious about it."
Shikamaru gave a shrug that kind of said 'Whatever' and Choji smiled while he flagged down the waitress.
The Sand Siblings entered not long after, Temari sat next to Shikamaru naturally- almost as if she belonged there. Kankuro sat next to Choji, awaiting his blond teammate who would presumably sit next to the round leaf nin, while Gaara sat on the other side of Temari.
About twenty minutes later, Ino still had not arrived. Choji was beginning to get worried and Shikamaru just kept waving it off as her being 'fashionably late'.
After about twenty more minutes, and when the meal was winding down Choji stood from his seat and announced he was going to go find Ino. Shikamaru just nodded his head absently and waved his hand, Temari smiled at him as he left, and Kankuro stood and said he would help him find her.
"You're not worried about her?" Temari asked Shikamaru after the two had left.
Shikamaru frowned and picked at his noodles, "Even if I were worried about her she wouldn't want to see me when we found her stuck in garbage can on the outskirts of the village. In fact, it's probably better for my health if I don't go."
Temari looked at him, one eyebrow raised "Are you sure?"
Shikamaru looked at her, a deliberate annoyed frown on his face. "The only people Ino wouldn't get irritated with if they rescued her would be the ones who would only do it out of the kindness of their hearts, not because they actually care for her."
Temari nodded as she slurped loudly at her noodles, Shikamaru sent her annoyed glance, "Well, I'd check up on her tonight. There has to be a reason she wasn't here, even if I don't like her, she doesn't seem like the type of girl who only wants to get invited to things to not show up."
Shikamaru let out a huff of air, "We'll just end up fighting, I'm not in the mood to deal with her and she doesn't know how to deal with me."
Temari let out a deep breath through her nose, "Whatever, I don't want to push you into things you don't want to do."
Shikamaru looked at her with his eyebrows raised, "Which means you do. Manipulation doesn't work to well with me." Most of the time.
"I just think that your teammate cares more about you than you realize." Temari said, pushing her steamed vegetables around the plate.
"I know that Ino cares about me, very deeply. The feeling is returned as well, but that doesn't stop us from getting on each other's nerves." Shikamaru said easily, it wasn't hard to admit that he and Ino had a bond. Just like it wasn't hard to admit that he and Choji did, though it was a bit different.
Temari watched him carefully, before setting her chopsticks down beside her plate. "Come on, let's go stargazing." She hopped off the stool and led him to the door.
Gaara sat silently, alone at the table. He sighed to himself, "Why is my sister so meddlesome? She's going to get herself hurt..."
Ino had gotten lost, it was that simple.
She looked around, the sun had set a long time ago and now she was wandering aimlessly around the streets of Sunagakure. The village had some seriously creepy alleys; though Ino was fairly sure they served to be just as romantic as they were scary.
On more than one occasion had she caught someone following her, but she had shaken them off easily enough. Now, she was just looking to get back to her hotel room so she could take a bath, go to sleep, and her ignore her neglectful teammates in the morning.
Ino didn't mind missing dinner; in fact she was rather glad she had. Still, she wouldn't have been too upset had Shikamaru and Choji come looking for her. Instead, she was fairly sure she would've been comforted by their presence alongside her in a foreign city. It hadn't been to awfully frightening, Ino was aware of how to take care of herself, but it didn't take the uneasiness out of her shoulders the way Shikamaru would have had he been there to scare potential rapists off with his intimidating expressions.
That had been earlier though, the later it got the more Ino felt unsteady in the environment. Suna got really dark, really fast, and though she could easily see all the stars in the sky and actually wanted to stop and stare for a few minutes, she knew that if she did someone could easily sneak up on her and take advantage of the situation. Never mind the fact that Ino had not been able to take a nap after entering the gated community and was now ready to collapse from exhaustion.
Her mind wanted to play tricks on her it seemed, out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a shadow dancing across the walls, epinephrine spiked her bloodstream and suddenly it seemed like she was seeing dancing shadows everywhere. Which was not good in the least, a kunoichi needed to at least be senile.
Suddenly, a hand clapped down on Ino's bare shoulder, warm from the dry air, and twisted her around. Another quickly smacked over her mouth to muffle her scream.
"Shut up!" he told her, "Kami, damned annoying." excuse his French.
Okay, so I meant to get this chapter up like yesterday... but as it would be, I came home from Kiddie Kamp- where I teach k5-8th grade how to do the basics of cheerleading from 12-5 p.m. and collapsed from exhaustion. I had no idea kids could be so... energetic. Anyways, here was your chapter. This one kind of had a mind of it's own, I wasn't really planning on Ino getting lost- it just kind of happened.
REVIEWSS!
I got a lot this last time- but I got them for chapters... so Idk if I'll be able to mention everything guys! :)
Celeste-Carla: Thanks! It makes me feel so good to here that I'm in your thoughts! :) And no it is certainly not cheesy! ;) If I were in your shoes I'd look at the two listed main characters and breath a sigh of relief- hope that doesn't ruin it for you! And thanks! I really like the Ino for this story- though she hasn't really gotten anything good just yet. Shikamaru was spiraling down a bad path, I'm trying to keep that boy on a leash... his character is so hard to write romance for. -.- anywayyysss! Please review again and I'm so happy to see that you favorited! :)
TRACYY: *le sigh* I was hoping to get that cake -.- I wanted it realllllyyyy bad... like seriously. I feel bad for letting you down now :'( but I like to think that I'll be updating over the weekend quite a bit (I hope)... Don't get too used to my frequent updates though... my life is seriously in a spin right now. So much is going on, I'm just glad I'm insomniatic and have all this time on my hands to do nothinggg... I seem to get Ino right ( everyone keeps saying they really like her) but for some reason I keep making Shikamaru seem like he hates the world (which was not my goal) I hope I roped him down a little bit more this chapter- that was my goal. And YEAH, YOU KNOW IT! Someone's heart is deff. going to get broken... no questionsss in fact I'm willing to say that pretty much every character in this story has a little bit a heartbreak. What can I say? I love making people feel bad. hahahaha, no I just think that makes the ending all the better! :) And yeah, I love to take everyone's opinons on what they think... I write for myself mostly, but I also write for you guys! I love my fanfic. buddies! I feel like their should be at LEAST a few more decent Shika/Ino stories- though I can't promise my story will live up to those high standards. I can only hope! Sasuke will definitely add some spice, as well as maybe a little bit of Sai? Idk why... but for some reason I feel like he is the DEFINITION of boys that Ino 'likes' and that Shikamaru is like his polar opposite (he gets too involved) And I think I'm going to take your advice on just adding his name to a few of the conversations... :) anywaysss... I love your reviews they always make laugh and smile for a while afterwards... so please review again! XD
ShikaInoInuKikIchiHime36: Wow, you're name is a MOUTHFULL... try saying that three times fast. XD yeah I know... love hexagon? *wipes sweat off brow* I wish I were as popular with the boys as Ino... (gives self a pep-talk) but you know! Something is bound to happen with me eventually! I really like that you said that you liked 'What men wanted was beauty, boys wanted sexy.' I feel like that defines my life... but we won't go there hahaha. :) I'm so glad to hear that my story made you laugh too! I don't consider myself a particularly funny person so that really made me feel good!
KukiRew: Your review had to be one of my favorites for last chapter! (though I love them all!) Lovely arias and sonnets as well as a few serenades are definitely in the future! hahahahah... that really got me laughing! I hope I keep pleasing you as much as I have so far! XD
Indigo Yamanaka: Thanks! And yeah, I love the Sand Siblings too! Though they don't compare to Suigetsu- that boy is fine! Never mind that he's a killing machine that just makes him soooo much hotter! XD *fan girl squeal*
RawrTiffy: Your review made me laugh! Thanks for that by the way- I'm glad you did! :D And ShikaTema not be suffocating to read? Where's the fun in that? :P I love all the angsty teenage love... it makes the end oh so sweet! In my opinion- the angsty-ier the better! Please review again, and I'll try to make it fairly obvious angst- that way you won't be in too much pain! :)
Ahhh... glad I got those done. Seriously- I talk way too much. I figure that you guys like shorter chapter with faster updates? Besides- I get like word-claustrophobic or something because if the chapter gets to be over 5,000 words I'm like GET RID OF IT and post it as soon as possible... without even reading though it *face palm*... I'm so pathetic... Anyways guys! I love your reviews, each and every one of them makes me smile and get butterflies, so please take the time to review if you like it enough! :)
ALSO- I'M CHANGING THE STORY NAME TO 'The Virtuosic Fool' …. SO IF YOU WANT TO KEEP READING THE STORY LOOK FOR THAT NAME, THE SUMMARY, OR MY NAME. THE SUMMARY WILL STAY THE SAME. I'M NOT PLANNING ON CHANGING IT UNTIL AFTER A DAY OR SO, SO I'M PRETTY SURE YOU ALL WILL HAVE GOTTEN THE MESSAGE!
Soo... now that I'm thinking about it... Would anyone like to read a SuiKa (suigetsu and karin) fanfic when this one is done? I'm like obsessed with Suigetsu. So hott...