Holy, holy! What a nice surprise, yeah? A quick, quick update! For some miracle, I had a nice, lazy day, so I took about three hours of tanning and writing. Thus, I wrote this chapter, and I have a gnarly tan! I hope you all enjoy it, and sorry, but the next update won't be so quick!

24. News

The lamp shattered against the forearm he used to shield his face. He felt the glass pierce his skin, and he soaked in the painful ecstasy with delight and enjoyed the tingling sensation he loved so much. However, he couldn't dwell in his pleasure for long.

"What do you mean you can't find her?" his client shouted, searching for another object to hurl in Hidan's direction.

"She's gone, obviously. If I really knew where she was, why the fuck would I say, 'I can't find her'? Unless, today's fucking Opposite Day."

The cloaked figure flung three pencils at Hidan's face, missing his face just be a hair. Hidan remained still with hard, resistant eyes. "Don't start treating me like I'm some idiot. Go find her, Hidan!"

"Where in the fuck would I look? She could be across the world by now." Hidan had better damn things to do than look for a girl. She was gone, not a problem, but for some reason, his client treated her like she was some sort of powerful threat.

His client was silent for a second, probably trying to think of possible places for her to hide. Or maybe he just wanted to stop talking and make things awkward between Hidan and him. Hidan started to fidget in the silence then his client hummed, scratching his chin. "You said she was a ninja?"

"I believe so. I'm sure a civilian doesn't know how to handle a kunai…or walk on walls."

"Meet me here tomorrow."

Hidan questioned his client's intentions. It bugged Hidan not being in the circle of plans his client was concocting in his brain. His client sauntered out of the room, not filling Hidan in with his plans of finding the girl named Ino, and Jashin, he just wanted to slice the guy in half. He never worked with a man more frustrating than Kakuzu. Hidan claimed that if he survived working two years with that money crazed man, he'd be able to work with anyone. He was fucking wrong.

Ino recognized this image as she looked in the mirror, trying to motivate herself before the day's events unraveled into one horrendous mess. She knew it was going to happen because she decided to tell her parents, and knowing her parents, it wasn't going to turn out pretty. It was the day she needed to tell her parents the partial truth. One day, when this particular day was a distant day in her memory, she would tell her parents the real truth behind the pregnancy. Until then, they just needed to know that she was having a baby.

She needed to reveal her secret before her stomach gave it away, and by the size of her stomach, it might be too late. She was pushing nineteen weeks, and her stomach wasn't going wait for her to tell her parents before it started growing some more. Her parents might know before Ino said anything, but Ino hoped they wouldn't notice the bump even though it was hard to miss.

Sakura and Shikamaru were done with. The Hokage knew about her pregnancy and whoever listened through the vents probably knew her secret, but Ino didn't want to think about that. They knew the epitome of evil grew inside her, and they knew how horrible the man was, more or less, but they didn't know what happened—if they were smart, she hoped they knew she wouldn't easily sleep with an "evil, horrible man" and connect the ideas together.

The people that deserved to know the most were her parents, the people that raised her and gave her a good life before she moved out. What would they think? Was their daughter a failure for getting pregnant at such a young age by a man she didn't know? Maybe, Ino hoped they would accept it and support her like Sakura and Shikamaru did? When Ino went to bed the night before, she tossed and turned through the night as she pondered the what if's. Thank goodness she moved out years ago, so they couldn't kick her out, and Ino did pay her own bills, so they couldn't cut her off. They couldn't do anything to her, except disregard her, be disappointed. If Ino's parents kicked her out or stopped financially supporting her, she'd be able to live, but if they deserted her in a time of need, she didn't know what she would do.

At snail's pace, Ino walked out of her room, wearing a baggy tunic that hid her growing belly fairly well. On top of that, she wore a summer jacket that hid the baby bump better. She looked mismatched, but Ino didn't care. As long as her stomach didn't reveal her secret before her mouth did.

Before leaving the room, she checked her room, looking for anything she missed. She noticed an envelope sitting on her pillow. Ino picked it up and looked at the address. Smiling, she tucked it in her pocket and left her apartment. As Ino left the apartment building, she slipped the envelope in the outgoing mail.

Her apartment wasn't far from her parents' home, the flower shop. While in Kumogakure, she missed her flower shop so much, but that was before she found out she was pregnant. Knowing she was pregnant now, she didn't want to step foot in the flower shop because her parents, the people she wanted to avoid the most, were there.

What was she going to say to her parents? How about "Hi, I'm pregnant. Okay, bye!" That would take less time but would piss them off the most. Maybe she could go into a long story that doesn't relate to her news, or start reminiscing the good times, so they could relax, and then, she would lay the news on them!

Ino sighed. Nothing seemed right.

A kid ran past her, hollering a name. Two more kids ran past her, screaming the same name. For once, Ino wanted to be young again, so she could run around with no worries, and the biggest problem she had was what shoes she wanted to wear that day.

Her childhood home didn't change much. She recognized each hole and crevice in the wall, and remembered how some of them formed. Like the hole underneath the window. Chouji heard someone call him fat, and he sent a fist through the wall in his usual temper tantrum. Her mother gave him an earful after that, and since then, Chouji made sure no Yamanaka's Flower Shop walls were close before he sent a fist through a wall.

The pink banner with "Yamanaka Flowers" painted in purple still hung above the door, still torn at the edges with the letters fading. Her father never liked it because it was pink, but Ino and her mother double-teamed him into making him like the banner. Good old times…. But now, this shop, her home, would soon be the scene of a new nightmare.

On the glass door hung a closed sign, but Ino pushed the door open anyway, knowing her mother always left the doors open—a horrible habit of hers. Taking a deep breath, she walked in with a pleasant smile on her face and the news on her mind.

"Mom? Dad?"

Her stomach flipped in all directions, summersaulting and cartwheeling all around. She wondered if it was the child kicking at her insides, giving Ino that uncomfortable feeling that suggested she needed to puke or maybe that was the nervousness that gave her that feeling. Her ears pounded as blood rose to her face while the silence between her and her parents continued.

They looked concerned, their brows furrowing into a worried V, and their lips compressed into a hard line as they awaited Ino to speak. Looking at her parents, Ino wanted to keep her news to herself and never say a word to them until the hospital calls and says, "Congratulations; you're grandparents!" No, she couldn't have that.

Her parents expected her to speak first, revealing the reason why she suddenly came to visit. The anticipated silence made her uneasiness worse, but she needed to speak soon because Heaven forbid one of them begins to speak. Ino didn't need assumptions because then, assumptions and truth would mix and would create a confusing chaos.

"Ino?" her mother whispered. "What is it?"

Ino wanted to punch herself for coming to her parents' home. She glared at her clenched fists that rested in her lap. Impatience rolled of her like tidal waves, engulfing the room as both her and her parents grew anxious during the ubiquitous silence. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at her parents but quickly lowered her eyes when her mother smiled at her with those baby blue eyes the color of the skies on the clearest day in July which always held warmth and a sort of acceptance—at least, that's what Ino wanted them to hold in this instance.

"Mom, Dad—" Ino cut herself off, seconds thoughts flooding into her mind. She could break their aging hearts. What would happen? The answer scared her. Her mother was already a fragile woman, with the twist of her pinky, her whole body would break. Her father would be hurt, but he wouldn't talk about it unless he was drunk or with his best friends. She should keep her pregnancy to herself, but eventually, her parents would find out when her stomach grew to the size of a watermelon.

"Do you want to tell us something, Sweetie?" her mother asked. Ino wiped her sweating hands on her pants. She wanted to jump out of that chair and book it out the door, but she's made it this far, so she inhaled a deep breath. She was going to do it. No turning back…

"I'm pregnant."

Ino kept her eyes on her hands, but she listened to her mother inhaling a sharp breath, and she could even hear her father's jaw drop. Hesitant, Ino looked up to see the scene of disappointment and perplexities unfold before her. Her mother, with tears brimming her sky blue eyes, bit her lip, resisting the urge to sob. Her orbs held sadness as they wandered around the room, searching for a place to look, anywhere but Ino would suffice.

"Who's the father?" her father asked. The question she never wanted to be asked, but it was inevitable. Her father wanted to kick ass, and knowing who the bastard was that did this to his daughter would take him one step closer to killing the unlucky culprit.

His hard eyes glaring at her struck Ino frozen. She lowered her eyes to her conjoined hands, unable to speak.

"Who the hell is the father, Ino?" Inoichi slammed his palms into the table, startling Ino and her mother. Ino balled her clothing into shaking fists as she listened her father stomp around the dining table, spurting profanities and death threats to Ino and the "asshole". She closed her eyes, trying to remembering the pap that kissed her forehead and tucked her into bed at night, but the crashes and the stomps invaded her mind. .

When she looked up once again, her mother placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, but he ripped his shoulder out of her reach and turned to Ino, with the look of disgust and disapproval etched into his glare. "I can't believe you," he mumbled, glaring at her from head to toe. His eyes paused at her stomach for a long second, and then he turned towards the door and left with her mother trailing behind him.

Her mom paused at the door and turned to Ino with tears swelling in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Ino."

He never did much at night. Usually, Shikamaru tried to fall asleep, but that was a failure, so he welcomed himself at Ino's place where they would talk about everything. That was his agenda every night, but since they came back from Kumogakure, everything changed. Ino had her problems to worry about, and Shikamaru didn't know what to do, so he stayed out of her way.

She didn't want his help anyway, so he was fine going on his own. She won't be on his mind anymore since Temari headed for Konohagakure tonight. Temari would do an excellent job of erasing Ino from his mind.

He heard the door slide open followed by soft whimpers. Shikamaru crawled down the shingles and looked over the ledge of his roof. Ino sat on his porch, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. She looked up and with an embarrassed chuckle, she sniffed, "Hi."

"Ino," he said while dropping from his roof. "It's almost two in the morning. Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I-I can't sleep," she stuttered. Shikamaru sat next to her, brushing his knee against hers. She didn't do anything to inch away from him. She sat there, rubbing her swollen, blood shot eyes. "My parents hate me, Shikamaru." It surprised him when she leaned her head on his shoulder. He wandered if it was all right wrap his arm around her shoulders or pat her back. "I had the chance to get rid of it, and I didn't. I'm so stupid! If I did, they wouldn't hate me," she cried, hiccupping fresh tears.

He was clueless. He never comforted crying girls before! Shikamaru rubbed Ino's back, hushing her and cooing that everything will be all right. "You aren't to blame, Ino."

"Don't fucking say that! I'm their kid! I'm the one who's pregnant. They can't be mad at anyone else but me!" She buried her head deeper into his shoulder, making him wince, but he continued to rub her back.

"What about the father? He's part of it, just as much as you are."

Ino remained silent with tears streaming down her face and the occasionally sniff. Shikamaru stopped rubbing her back and resorted to wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer into his side. She tensed, but she let it happen.

"I wish I could go back in time then I would have never accepted that damn mission; I wouldn't have met him, and I never would have gotten pregnant. I wouldn't be here crying in front of you. Everything would stay the same. You would be at my place, and we would talk at my dining table all night." She closed her eyes and sniffed one more time. "I could still go on mission with you, Chouji, and Asuma-sensei. I would still be happy."

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his hand down her arm. Ino pushed away from Shikamaru and smiled. "I—" he started until Ino collapsed, falling back into Shikamaru's chest. "Ino, are you okay!" he cried, shaking the blonde woman. She responded with soft snores, making him chuckle. She's gone through so much stress and worry for the past few weeks; she probably hasn't had a decent sleep in ages. Today, the day she announced the news to her parents, was her breaking point. She had the biggest meltdown that she knocked herself out. That probably wasn't good for the baby….

Shikamaru picked Ino up in his arms and walked her to his room, tucking her into his bed. Her face held innocence, something he hasn't seen on her face in years, and as she soundlessly curled into a tight ball, she reminded him of the cute, twelve-year-old that was afraid of the dark and would sleep next to the fire or make everyone sleep to the sides of her. As he thought about the idea of turning twenty almost scared Shikamaru because they were getting old, and soon that sleeping face he gazed at would turn wrinkled and old, but he believed it would still hold the same beautiful that she held now.

He slid the door closed and chuckled, shaking his head. In the morning, he'll tell her to calm it down a notch. Until then, he'll take a nice, long walk.

"Are you sure you have everything? It'd be bad if you forgot something important while you were there. Did you remember your toothbrush?"

"Holy, Mom, can you chill out for a second? I'll be gone for three weeks, not a lifetime," she joked, shoving her brother into the wall with a wide grin playing on her face. "And yes, Kankuro, I have my toothbrush—not like it's a hassle to buy one if I forgot it, but whatever."

"It's economical if you remembered to bring your toothbrush. You save money."

"Says you, the guy who always forgets his toothbrush."

"That's why I'm telling you, Temari! You don't want to end up like me."

Temari giggled, shaking her head at her puppeteer brother. "I'll be home soon. Make sure Gaara doesn't try to cook again please. I don't want to come back with the house burned down…again. Bye, Kankuro."

"Bye!"

The sun began to set in her desert paradise with the sky turning hues of dull pinks, oranges, and yellow. Just beyond the fading clouds, she could see the full moon illuminating, being her nightlight for the long evening journey ahead of her.

In three days, she'll be in Konoha in time for planning the Chunin exams. She'll see Shikamaru once again, after six long months without his long arms around her and his warm kisses. She missed waking up with someone's arms around her waist, and for the next three weeks, she'll be in another paradise. Until then, she'll have to deal with sand in her sandals.

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