18. Coming Home
The second day of travel, Ino desperately wanted to take a kunai to her temple. Sure, about five months ago, she was used to the killer aches in the soles of her feet, the greasiness of her hair after several days without washing it and the sweaty smell of her clothes after days of physical exertion. However, for the past four months, she lived as a normal citizen, where griminess felt unnatural and disgusting. Ino became used to taking showers every day and not walking for a week straight. What killed her were the restless nights of sleeping on the hard grounds. Ino spent the last two days with a sore back and a constant pang at the crook of her neck. However, despite all the hardships of regressing into the shinobi life, she kept her mouth zipped, and she continued her journey.
The climate of Lightning country differed from Konoha. The massive amounts of humidity clung to Ino's skin, composing sweat drops at her hairline and large sweat stains at her armpits. The heat and moisture had to be unnatural considering it was the beginning of spring; a season that welcomed spring rains and the growth of wild flowers.
While the two Konoha shinobi journeyed through the thick wilderness of Lightning country, they encountered heavy marshlands. The high grass came up to their waists, causing their journey to slow for cautionary procedures. Ponds were scattered everywhere, but Shikamaru and Ino couldn't know where due to the thickness and height of the grass. The only way they knew they stepped into a pond was when they fall face first into the mossy, frigid water.
"Ugh, do you smell that?" Shikamaru asked, glancing over at Ino, who relaxed on an uprooted root of a tree and began to squeeze the water that her scandals soaked up. "What is that?"
Ino sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose at the pungent aroma. It burned her nose and made her eyes water. The smell had a slight resemblance to something burning and the disgusting smell of decaying flesh. "What is that?" she repeated her teammate as she forced a water wrinkled foot through her sandals and walked over to Shikamaru, producing a squish, squish, squish, squeak!
"Do you think there's a rest stop somewhere?" Ino asked as she followed Shikamaru.
"We just started walking."
"Yeah, eight hours ago."
"We can stop at the next rest stop…if we find one."
With that, they continued to walk in silence. The strong decaying scent continued to pollute the air, and the deeper they walked through the bog, the stronger the smell began, burning their nostrils to the point where they wrapped their hitae-ate around their noses and mouths and hoped it would filter the odor.
Before Shikamaru and Ino entered the dark forest, Ino spotted a sign that pointed in the direction of a rest area, to which Shikamaru grudgingly followed.
"If we lose our trail, I'm blaming you," he grumbled as Ino skipped towards the rest area that quickly came into view.
"How about you stay here and make sure the trail doesn't go anywhere while I go eat?"
"You're hilarious, Ino, really."
Two women chatted at a table when Ino and Shikamaru entered the bright room. Ino could smell the sweet smells of tea brewing behind the cash counter.
"Afternoon. What can I get you two today?" one woman, a blonde, asked as she stood up and hurried to the counter.
"I'd like a…green tea please," Ino said, pulling her wallet out of her backpack and handing over a few coins to pay for her drink. She pulled down her makeshift mask around her neck and smiled at the employee.
'I'd like the same," Shikamaru said, paying the same amount as Ino.
"Thank you. They'll be out in a second."
Shikamaru and Ino placed their belongings on the ground and leaned against the table, both exhausted from their travels. Ino pressed her forehead against the cool wood of the table and closed her eyes until she heard footsteps and a quiet cling as the woman set their beverages on the table.
"From Konoha, huh?" she said, placing her hands on her hips. "That's a long way back." The woman placed a cup of water in front of the sweating shinobi, who chugged the water done before their drinks. "How's the weather?"
"The heat is outrageous here," Shikamaru commented after taking a sip of his hot tea. "And the smell—has that smell always been here?"
"No, sir, there was a fire in a nearby village a few months ago actually, and since then, the smell hasn't gone away."
When Shikamaru and Ino continued down the trail, into the dark forests where the canopy covered the light from the sun, Ino smelled the putrefying odor through her mask. Her nostrils flared at the scent while her eyes watered. To her side, she saw Shikamaru pull off his mask and vomit the minute contents of his stomach at the side of the road.
In a distant memory that Ino heavily locked away in her mind because she never wanted to relive the vile contents of it, Ino remembered the first time she witness the aftermath of a massive genocide. Team 10 arrived at the scene a few days after. The smell of decaying bodies rotting in the middle of July's heat caused Ino to smell the unpleasant odor for days and have nightmares for weeks.
Shikamaru interrupted Ino's thought as he stopped and glanced at the sky, which the dense canopy covered fairly well. "We have to set up camp. Let's find somewhere dry."
"Well, we know there's none of that around here, so how about we keep walking?"
"We can barely see anything, and it's going to get darker. Also, we have no idea what's out there. Do you really think we should keep walking?"
Ino sneered at Shikamaru's condescending demeanor. "All right, but if the swamp monster comes out and eats you, I blame you."
"Or, are you afraid that Hidan might be following? Is that why you want to keep going?"
Shikamaru never understood the cliché of crossing the line. Especially when it came to Ino, he never stopped patronizing her with personal questions or smirks that just made Ino want to punch him in the face. "I'm going to look around."
Not far from the trail, Ino stumbled upon an area with the grass cut low and a large pond in the midst of the meadow, surrounded by cattails and wild flowers. Willow trees stood close to the water, dipping their green vines into the stagnant water.
"Shikamaru, I think I found something," she shouted to her teammate who searched for a dry location on the other side of the trail. "Do you think this will do?" she asked when Shikamaru hustled into the dry meadow.
"This area looks like it's been managed by someone. Grass in an area like this shouldn't be clean cut."
"So keen on detail." Ino rolled her eyes and walked towards the willow trees, ducking under the vines and ventured around the blanketed space. The scent that lingered heavily in the air made Ino dizzy. She leaned against the mossy tree trunk and gained stability before venturing towards the water.
Ino lowered to her knees as she peeked into the water, checking the pond for any life. Poking through the sand, clouded gray eyes stared back at Ino. "Shit!" Ino lunged back, hitting her back against the trunk. "Shikamaru!"
"What is it?"
"There's someone—"
Shikamaru rushed over to the edge of the water and collapsed to his knees, peering into the water. "Holy shit, what the hell is that?" he mumbled, reaching into the water.
"What are you doing, you idiot?" Before she could stop him, he pulled out a dismantled head of a young woman. Wet, black hair entangled Shikamaru's fingers as dead eyes stared at Ino with her mouth ajar. A pale scar ripped the face in half, starting from the right temple and ending below the left earlobe.
"Blondie, I know you're in a lot of fucking pain. To make you feel better, I'll say this: this is hurting me a lot more than it's hurting you."
Shikamaru felt helpless as he watched his teammate wither in mental pain while she experienced what Sachiko called "her nightly terrors". He couldn't do anything as Ino whimpered and twisted in her sleep, so he ignored it.
He sat there in the moist darkness, watching the small fire dance for life as the moisture heavy air plowed on the flame. However, no matter how long he watched the fire and listened for enemies approaching, Ino's pained whimpered called for his attention.
She slept fidgety ever since she fainted after he pulled that severed head out of the water. As he tended to her, he quickly scribbled a note for the Kumo ANBU and sent it with his fastest bird he could summon. After three, long hours of waiting, ANBU finally showed up.
When he showed the head they discovered, the three ANBU scavenged for the rest of the body that belonged to the unfortunate young girl. Within an hour, each ANBU came to the sight with a body part in tow. As they placed the dismantled body together, Shikamaru winced at the sight of the body. He could only imagine the violent, painful death this woman experienced as he gazed upon the gashes that plagued her throat, her face, and the rest of her naked body.
"Thank you for contacting us. We've been searching for the girl for months now." With that, the ANBU disappeared with the girl's body.
Shikamaru had a long night ahead of him.
Ino released a whimper and a whispered, "Stop."
Shikamaru stared intently at the dwindling fire, trying to get his mind off Ino's vulnerable state.
What would happen when they came home? He knew they needed to haul their asses over to Hokage's Tower to have their asses chewed off by a vexed Tsunade, who will then kick their asses—especially Ino's ass for desertion.
There had to be rumors flying around the Jounin lounge by now. Avoiding untrue questions of ridiculous scenarios were inevitable. Maybe, Shikamaru and Ino were hitched because relationships with teammates—no, just relationships—were frowned upon in shinobi society. Maybe, they went on a sexy escapade, creating mischief and chaos on the towns they pillaged. No, if anyone knew Shikamaru, they know he'd never do that because he was so lazy…. Anyway, the curious looks he'd get when walking down the street was expected, like the prodding question.
But, his bothersome life after returning home couldn't rival with Ino's life when she returned. He couldn't imagine the amounts of tests and interrogations they'd run his teammate through. She could spend months trying to convince everyone she didn't betray Konoha even if they scoped her mind for any memories that countered her words. On top of that, she's go through the same annoying questions and gazes from the other shinobi. She'd also have to deal with her worried friends.
At least life would go back the way it was before Ino left.
Ino sniveled again, turning in her sleep. He quickly looked up from the fire and watched her shirt slowly rise just below her breasts, revealing an ugly scar that infected her stomach, stretching the width of her stomach as if someone wanted to slice her in half.
The fifth day of traveling, both Ino and Shikamaru dragged their tired feet along the dirt road, creating long tracks from dragging their sandals. Noticing the climate change to a warm, easy breathing air, Ino and Shikamaru sucked in the air and enjoyed the slight breeze that dried off their sweat-drenched clothes.
Even if they shared that joyous moment of entering their home nation, Ino still refused to speak with Shikamaru—eight hours and counting—even after he tried to apologize for dumping freezing, mossy pong water on her to wake her up. Of all people to hate him, it had to be Ino, who knew how to keep grudges and make you feel like utter crap.
"Shikamaru," she suddenly said, which made him stop and stare at her in disbelief. "Can we stop for the night?" she asked, beckoning her head towards a tourist village. Shikamaru looked up the sun, which began to set below the horizon. They still had a few hours of daylight left. If they hurried, they could reach Konoha before midnight.
"Can't we just keep going?" he insisted. "We're about five hours from home."
"Shikamaru, I'm on the verge of amputating my feet."
"Would amputating your feet help you walk faster?"
"Shikamaru."
"All right," he complied, not wanting to remain on her bad side. "We can stay."
"We could be in Konoha by now," Shikamaru grumbled when they walked into their hotel room that, to Ino's dismay, supplied a single bed. Ever since they stepped foot in the village, Shikamaru complained her ear off.
"Will you shut up?" Ino snapped, dropping her bag on the bed and rummaging through its contents. She hadn't opened her pack since they left Kumogakure, and Ino could really use a change of clothes and a shower…a long shower.
"Sorry that I want to go home," he mumbled. Shikamaru dumped his pack on his bed as well then fell backwards on the bed, heaving a relieved sigh when his body hit the cozy bed. Ino noticed him shiver as his muscles began to relax. "This feels great…."
"You're not sleeping on the bed," Ino said as she pulled out a long sleeved shirt from her backpack that wrapped around a pink box that Ino never remembered packing.
"Who says?"
"Me."
"Since when did you care? We always slept in the same bed. What makes tonight any different?"
Ino remained silent and continued to delve through her clothes, noting the clean and dirty. She shoved the pink box to the bottom of her backpack as she pulled out another long sleeved shirt and threw it on the bed, along with some old pants and underwear.
Shikamaru scratched his scalp and sighed, frustrated. "This is bothersome," he concluded. "Fine, I'll take the floor if that'll make you feel better."
Ino, once again, stayed quiet and examined the pink box, hiding it in her bag so Shikamaru couldn't see it. On the side that covered the label, there was a note from Sachiko.
You may have Minako and the others fooled, but I had my suspicions. Before you came back, I went out and bought these. I hope you have a wonderful future. Be safe.
Sachiko
Ino ripped the paper off the box, revealing a white box with a picture of a stick with a pink plus sign etched into the end of it. Realizing what the box contained, Ino dropped the box. It clattered on the floor, gaining Shikamaru's curious attention. Ino quickly retrieved the box and shoved it in her bag.
"What was that?"
"I dropped my kunai."
"Oh. Uh, do you want anything to eat?"
"No, but can you buy me some apple juice or something?" She really craved juice….
"Yeah, sure thing. I'll be right back."
As Shikamaru closed the door, Ino grabbed the pregnancy test and glared at the box as she read the instruction. She couldn't be pregnant. No, she couldn't. Nope.
Ino shoved the box back at the bottom of her bag and buried the box under her clothes and toiletries, forcing herself to forget about the thought of pregnancy and the thought of being pregnant with that man's child. Thinking about that made her want to throw up.
In the background, fireworks exploded in the distance, followed by cheers for more explosives. Hinata watched the fireworks light up the grounds of the Academy but listened to the soft weeps of the young woman sitting beside her.
Hinata pulled at soft flower petals and watched them float to the ground as she waited for Sakura to calm down. Sakura dragged Hinata away from the festival, asking for time away from the stranger bumping into her constantly. Hinata didn't truly know her best friend's issue until she collapsed on the bench and sobbed into her palms, crying about Ino.
She cried about Tsunade refusing to update Sakura on Ino furthermore and sending her away before Sakura could push the issue. Sakura believed something horrible happened to Ino. Hinata remained quiet and patted her back.
Hinata missed Ino as well, and yes, she did shed some tears for her missing friend, but Sakura came home to an empty apartment when Ino usually lazed around the house. Sakura didn't hear Ino's heavy snoring at night, or when Shikamaru decided to visit, Sakura didn't hear the stage whispered conversations Ino and Shikamaru had. Sakura just heard silence. For the past four, almost five months, the apartment stayed quiet.
"Do you want to go home?" Hinata asked.
"No, I don't want to ruin your night."
"I-It's okay, Sakura, really. If you're not having a good time, we can go."
"I'm sorry, Hinata."
"N-No, it's fine. On the way home, we can buy a carton of ice cream. You don't even have to share, it's all yours."
Sakura chuckled. "Okay."
The tick of the clock seemed to slow as Ino looked down at the stick that shook between her fingers. Did she want to know?
Two pinks lines materialized after an eternity of waiting.
Ino glanced at the box.
Two lines meant…pregnant.
Shit.
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