Woah, probably the fasteset I've ever updated in a long time. I just got excited.
Please, enjoy.

Chapter 39
Pressure

After hours of staring at the ceiling, Shikamaru finally fell into a deep slumber, snoring just loud enough to perk Ino's ears. She didn't know how long she watched his frame expand and shrink under the lump of blankets he curled up under. He looked so uncomfortable sleeping on the floor but when Ino invited him to share the bed, he refused, aware that the thought of sharing a bed with him made Ino's insides queasy…and not in that sort of way.

Shikamaru appeared younger as he felt. The constant wrinkles on his forehead, dark circles under his eyes and the stress in his eyes and face disappeared while he slept. He slept as if the world didn't come down on their shoulders. Life was good.

Just then, Shikamaru's eyes fluttered open, startling Ino but he then closed his eyes, falling back into dreamland. "Ino," he mumbled, groggy. The blonde lifted her head from her pillow and leaned forward, listening intently to what he had to say. She noticed the corner of his lips pull up as if he wanted to smirk. "How long are you going to stare at me, huh?"

Ino blinked, confused. "Eh?"

Russet eyes greeted her blue. The Nara boy smiled and turned her body to face her. His eyes fell closed with fatigued but they were forced back open. "I can feel you staring."

"Um, I'm…sorry." What else was she supposed to say?

"S'okay," he said and rolled on his back. He stretched. "So, what's the plan for today?"

Just then, a sonic boom vibrated the house and caused the two to jump out of bed, Ino slower than Shikamaru but she got there eventually. Outside Shikamaru's window, they watched a second firework soar into the sky and crackle in a gray smoke.

"That's right," she heard Shikamaru say under his breath. "I forgot the finals are in two days." He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Anyway, what's the plan for today?"

Ino shrugged. "I told Tsunade that we'd show those three around. I think I'll just take them to the store and buy them what they need, maybe cook dinner or lunch?"

"Tch, shouldn't you be bed ridden or something?"

Ino chucked her pillow at his face. "What do you mean by that?"

"Hey!" Shikamaru snatched the pillow and tossed it back to which Ino punched back at him. "I'm just saying you look like you're about to go into labor any day now. Maybe you should take it easy for the next few weeks."

"I'm fine, Shikamaru!"

The door slid open. "Shikamaru, what's with all this…?" Her mother zeroed on Ino. Curious eyes snapped towards Shikamaru who suddenly disappeared under his sheets with a quiet, "I'm sleeping…." Ino rolled her eyes and smiled at Shikamaru's mother, the only person to make a grown man hide under his blankets like a five-year-old girl.

"Good morning, Yoshino!" Ino waved and bowed her head slightly. Yoshino mirrored the action, interest still plaguing her face. "Eh, I'm sorry about all of this. There was an issue concerning my apartment and Shikamaru invited me to stay the night."

The temperamental woman stepped forward, face blank. "Ino," she said, unreadable, "you have such a cute baby belly!" Yoshino squealed and ran a hand over her stomach, cooing to it. Ino did her best to suppress a scoff.

Instead, Ino smiled. "Thank you very much!"

Yoshino straightened and patted her stomach. "Being pregnant was horrible for me. Not to mention I looked horrible with a baby bump, which is probably why my kid turned out so ugly." Shikamaru snapped up from under the sheets and yelled, "Hey!" but Yoshino continued, "You'll have such an adorable baby! You have a nice face—I'm sure it'll cancel out my son's atrocities."

Ino giggled.

"Huh, I forget why I came in here but I'll let you two start your day now. Ino, you be careful, okay?"

Ino held her smile, waving at Shikamaru's mother until the door banged shut against the door frame. Shikamaru rose from his bed and chuckled, "I need should bring you around more often."

"I am known as a parent charmer."

Shikamaru hesitated but gained the courage to peck her on the cheek. He smiled at the bewilderment that was Ino. "Let's get ready."

The inn the civilians from Kumokagure stayed at was guarded by Chunin probably because the special service Jonin, Jonin and ANBU were doing something more secretive and dangerous elsewhere. The younger Chunin eyed Ino as she passed them at the entrance, leaning over and whispering to one another.

"All because of her…?" a younger brunette girl asked.

The boy she spoke to whispered, "I hear she's some badass from Intel. I can see why all of this is necessary."

Ino smirked.

"Oh, Shikamaru!" Minako greeted when the two entered the lobby. She grinned at the boy. Her beam widened when she greeted Ino. That's the Minako she knew. "Good morning, Ino. How have you been?"

"I've been better." She took a second to look at Shikamaru who sauntered over to talk to the receptionist. "Things are beginning to look up, though."

Minako's mood faltered at Ino's last comment, her smile disappearing for a quick second. "That's so good to hear," she said through clenched teeth as if she strained to say that simple sentence. "Jin and Konan will be down soon. Funny how the woman is the first to be ready…"

"Hey," Konan waved over at Ino and Shikamaru. Minako, who had her back to Konan, stiffened, sucking in a sharp breath. "Jin is still getting ready," Konan explained. "He'll be down soon."

"Ino," Minako whispered. Ino took her eyes away from the black haired man who leaned against the receptionist's desk and began to flirt with her, not like the woman minded. Minako stared at Ino with frightened eyes. Hazel eyes beckoned over in the direction of Konan, making Ino pinch her eyebrows together. Minako slowly glanced over at Konan who still look distracted and turning her attention back to the blonde, she mouthed, "Help me."

"Good morning, everyone!" Jin bellowed as he entered the lobby. "Sorry for taking so long."

Ino noticed the right side of his face looked a bit redder and swollen compared to the left. He grinned as if he wasn't aware he couldn't open his right eye as much as his left and the right side of his mouth didn't perk up like his left when he smiled. Ino was positive he didn't notice himself wincing…. Ino glanced at Konan who gathered Minako and Jin under his shoulder, herding them out of the inn.

"You notice…?" Shikamaru whispered, his eyes following the three survivors.

"Yep."

"Think we should keep an eye on him?"

"Yep."

Shikamaru created a shadow clone to investigate the three's room and ask the guards if they heard any commotion going on in their room while the real Nara and Ino accompanied the Kumo civilians as they grocery shopped.

"I thought I could make everyone lunch today," Ino said. "Does miso soup sound okay?"

Jin smiled at her, but she wanted to grimace at his face for it was throbbing and swelling. "Anything is fine by me, Ino."

"Yeah, me too," Konan agreed as he dropped cans into the cart he pushed along the aisles.

Konan led the group as they journeyed through the store, doing all the talking in conversations, picking out all the food and deciding what they should have for dinner and desert. Jin stood back and just smiled. Minako trailed behind the group, but Shikamaru stayed back with her, quietly speaking with her. Minako looked guarded, almost afraid. "Huh," Ino mumbled to herself. "Wonder what's wrong?"

"Ino?"

Ino jumped at the sudden call. Ino turned to meet up-close lavender eyes. Gasping, she was taken aback a couple steps, her back hitting the shelf and making the items rattle against one another. She looked up again to see surprised coal eyes staring at her.

"Everything all right?" Konan asked.

Ino shook her head, trying to throw the illusion out of her mind. "Yeah, fine."

"Ino," Minako said, linking her arms with Ino's, "will you walk with me please?"

She saw Konan discontinue what he was doing to glare at Minako who just beamed up at Ino. Ino nodded. "Sure."

They walked down a desolate sidewalk, heading towards the bridge. Ino hadn't walked around the area very often, only being here when the team gathered for missions but it's been a while since that happened.

"I have so much to say," Minako said almost happier, back to the old Minako. Her curls bounced as she sprang down the way, humming. Her happiness, the good-go-lucky persona didn't meet her eyes, however. Deep in her hazel eyes, Ino could tell they were focused on another issue. She stopped skipping and sighed. "Ever since we left Kumo, things are tense between Konan and Jin now."

Ino glanced over her shoulder at Shikamaru who was lagging behind them, giving them space for "their girly talk". He seemed to be more entranced by the clouds above them than the information Minako was about to spill.

"They had a fight about where to go. Jin was thinking about his wife while Konan thought about business. Jin wanted to go separate ways now that everything was destroyed but somehow Konan managed to convince him to come here. I was dragged along I guess. It's safer and there are a lot of opportunities to open businesses in Konoha he said, but Jin misses his wife a lot."

"Didn't he have a grandkid?"

"He disappeared about two months ago. Jin filed a missing person report but they never got back to him. It was weird. The kid was just taken from his room before dinner. Jin is heartbroken about it."

"What happened to his face by the way?"

They reached the bridge. Minako squeezed between the wooden pillars and dangled her feet, staring at the shallow water below. The blonde look-a-like gazed at the water hard, eyebrows pinched and a stress wrinkle on her forehead. "Lady Tsunade was talking about some Chunin exams. What are they?" she asked, completely disregarded Ino's question.

Slightly annoyed, Ino sighed. She leaned against the railing. "It's a test the rookies take for a promotion."

"Hm, is it hard?"

Ino half-smiled and then wondered why since the Chunin exams memories definitely weren't smile worthy. "For a civilian like you, it'd be difficult. Everyone had a hard time the year I taken it." Ino recalled snippets of those days, the days when Sasuke was on the hunt for power, when Orochimaru was on the rise and hot for the destruction of this precious village and when she attempted seducing Hyuuga Neji for the sake of her team's safety. "We were forced to postpone results because the village decided to turn into a warzone that day." Those were definitely the days….

"Wow, really?" Minako's hazels were wide. This woman was not one to keep up with foreign affairs.

"There are some crazy people out there."

Shikamaru could hear Minako share news of the survivors. He admitted that he was disappointed when she totally ignored Ino's question about Jin but his shadow clone was still snooping around the inn, asking the guards what they knew about the three. He'll soon find out when he released the technique.

As they passed one of the training grounds, he saw a bullet of moppy, rust hair dart from tree to tree, across the meadow, ripple across the pond and it clung to the chain-linked fence. The boy cocked his head to the side, staring at Shikamaru. Shikamaru bit down sudden fear as the young boy glowered at him through foggy, distant eyes.

He was a creep.

"You're ready for the finals?" Shikamaru questioned, shoving his hands deep in his pocket and hoping the calm façade would work. He recognized the boy. The one that almost went ape shit on that bulldozer back in the prelims. Hideaki was the name.

"You spying on me?" he asked monotonously. A slow grin crept across his face, freaking Shikamaru out a bit more but he kept his ground and remained restful eye contact. The boy released a full on grin, from ear-to-ear. "You're shaking, Sir."

Damn it. Shikamaru lifted a hand and what do you know? His hand shook uncontrollable. Balling his hand into an unsteady fist, Shikamaru flashed a nervous grin at the boy. "Smoking withdrawals—it gets to ya," he lied.

"Liar," he said, pronouncing each syllable slowly. "I think you're scared," Hideaki accused.

A hard lump formed in Shikamaru's throat. He swallowed it down and cursed at the boy for being so observant. Just as he was about to respond, a blood curdling scream echoed in the air and the boy leaped off the fence, crackling a witchy laugh.

Minako changed. She wasn't the happy-go-lucky twenty-something that would chat Ino's ear off every second they were together. The girl held a secret. Every time she began a sentence, she stopped herself and mumbled, "Never mind." Then she could continue to kick her legs and watch the river rush underneath the bridge they sat on.

"Minako, I'm here to listen. If you want to say something, just say it," Ino assured.

The woman's lips trembled and tears welded up in her eyes. Her hands trembled in her lap. "Ino," Minako started, closing her eyes, "Jin and I have a secret. He got hurt cause he threatened to reveal it." She looked up at the sky with a gentle smile on her face before closing her eyes once more, squeezing them shut. "Ino, I'm going to die."

"What do you mean you're going to die? Everything is fine now, Minako. You're…safe."

Minako shook her head, eyes begin to squeeze tighter. She clenched her fist until the whites of her knuckle showed. "Hidan is here, Ino," she whispered. "He…came with us here." She paused for a second with her eyes tight shut but relief washed over her as if she thought something was going to happen. That's when she turned to Ino, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Ino, he's in the village now! Konan burned the pub! Konan and Hi—"

The blonde's mouth continued to move but words were not spoken. As Minako's mouth moved, Ino noted the three black bars tattooed near the back of her throat. That wasn't a…

Minako's face slacked, her fists loosened and the weight of her legs caused her to slip into the river. Ino leaned over the rail to see scarlet coloring the water around the body and Minako's dead, hazel eyes looking up at her from the water, just like that time at the swamp in Kumo when she found that head. Those eyes were the eyes of a frightened, dead girl

Ino's vision focused on those eyes that stared at her. Those eyes were calling for help this whole entire time and Ino didn't understand. She felt the weight of her world falling down on her shoulders, the reality of it all pressing down on her body. This was real, he was real, and he was here and the only thing Ino could do at that point was scream.

"You killed her!" Jin pointed a finger at Ino. Shikamaru stepped in front of her. "Huh, Ino? Of course you killed her! All you ninja are all the fucking same! Killing for the sake of pleasure—makes me sick!"

Shikamaru balled his hands. "Weren't you telling me how proud you were of your son? Wasn't he a shinobi, huh?" he barked. Jin just glowered at him. Ino refused to make eye contact with the man.

Tsunade tapped her fingers on her desk with her teeth biting into her bottom lip, eyes switching from each other the speakers—mainly Jin and Shikamaru.

Ino couldn't get Minako's eyes out of her head. That morning, they were hopeful and frightened. She hoped that Ino could save her. Minako was terrified that she was under the watchful eye of a monster. Ino didn't have one fucking clue.

Her body was taken into Intel for an autopsy. Ino shuddered at the image of her body, so alive a second before she was whisked away in the arms of a Black Ops member.

"Jin," Konan butted in, gaining Ino's immediate attention. He looked smug as if he harbored his own inside joke that he refused to tell everyone else. "Aren't you being a bit rash? Ino wouldn't kill Minako; they were best friends. Besides she's pregnant, she'd be in labor if she exerted so much energy into murdering someone."

Ino's palm twitched, wanting to smack the guy across the face.

"Minako has been with Ino all day! What make you think someone else killed her?"

"Because someone else did!" Ino shouted, pushing Shikamaru out of the way and walking up to Konan. She stared him straight in the eye. Konan's cocky frontage faltered. "Jin, I have a feeling you know exactly what killed Minako."

Konan smirked. "You're looking at me because…?"

Tsunade slammed her hands on her desk. "Enough! Konan, Jin, back to the inn and remain there for the rest of the night. Shikamaru, Ino, home now. We'll figure it out when the autopsy results come to us in three days. That's when we'll discuss this incident."

Ino marched down the stairs and straight to her apartment. She ran on adrenaline even Shikamaru struggled to keep up with her. "Ino," he huffed, "are you okay?"

"Hell no," Ino snapped. "Konan is behind something and I think it has to deal with Hidan. Before she died, I noticed a curse mark on Minako's tongue." Shikamaru stopped in his tracks. Ino stopped and turned. "Once she mentioned Konan, she shut down."

"You think Konan put that on her?"

"Hidan or Konan."

"That's a very high leveled jutsu."

"We're dealing with an S-ranked criminal and a man that we're not sure what he's capable of. I think there's a good chance one of them put it on her and Jin."

"Hi, Ino," Sakura huffed as she hopped the stairs. Ino leaned against the wall, ear pressed against the door of the conference room. "If someone catches you doing that, you could have your ear chopped off according to the crazy old laws of Konohagakure."

Ino frowned at her best friend's humor. "I can't hear anything anyway," she sighed in defeat. She stepped towards Sakura. "Shikamaru said he'll be in there for a while. I guess it's a huge important meeting. I think Suna ANBU are in there….Thank you for taking time off to walk me home by the way." Ino suddenly slouched, pouting. "I'm such a burden to everyone."

Sakura slung an arm around Ino's shoulder and pulled her close. "Nonsense! We love you, Ino and I love you even more because you scored me an early end to my day. Having your pregnant self around is a win-win!"

"And Shikamaru…"

Sakura pursed her lips and hummed. "Shikamaru likes you, no? That boy will go to the ends of the earth to make sure you're safe." They reached outside and began to walk the inclined slope to their apartment. "He is the father isn't he?"

Ino remained quiet. Sakura began to hum a happy tune before Ino stopped, yanking Sakura back since she still had an arm around her. "Sakura…" she stopped herself. Did she want to tell her know? That Shikamaru being the father was a hoax. "Uh, are you excited for the finals tomorrow?"

Her pink haired friend hesitated to answer. "Are you sure you're okay to watch the final matches tomorrow?" Sakura questioned as the two began to stroll down the side streets once again. "I'm sure it's broadcasted on T.V."

Ino waved her friend off. "Shikamaru arranged some special seating for me, next to Naruto and Tsunade so I wasn't in the crowd."

"What?" Sakura groaned. "You get to sit next to the Kages and I'm stuck with everyone else and their grandmothers in the pit? There's something totally unfair about that."

Like a dog, Sakura's head snapped up. She raised a hand to signal Ino to stop walking. Ino strained her ears to listen but she heard faint footsteps ahead of them, someone running up to them. Was it Shikamaru catching up to them?

The streetlights flicked as the footsteps sounded louder. A young boy about thirteen with floppy, brown hair skidded to a stopped before the blonde and the pink haired women with his hands shoved deep in his pocket. He appeared relaxed despite roaming around town at nearly eleven in the evening; he looked a bit bored…. He flicked a finger in Ino's direction. "Ino, yeah?" he asked. Before she could answer, he raked his hair back with a hand and grinned, "Behind you."

Sakura and Ino spun on their heels. He emerged from the trees and stood in the spotlight of the street lamp with an open cloak, grinning ear to eat with his three pronged scythe hoisted on his right shoulder. Sakura snatched Ino's hand and began to back away.

"Shit," Sakura mumbled. She turned to Ino and half grinned as if she was trying to keep the situation light. "You know what I heard about him?"

"What?"

Sakura grabbed Ino and leaped out of the way as he launched his weapon in their direction. "He's immortal."

"Fuck."

As they landed, Sakura still in a crouch position glanced over her shoulder and quickly sprang forward again just as the scythe lodged itself into the sidewalk. Ino watched the man sprint after them as they glided through the air. The man brought his arm back and chucked his weapon again. As if Sakura knew, she leaned just as the scythe passed them, missing Ino's face just by a hair.

Sakura landed and set Ino down on her feet. Sakura whipped out a kunai and turned, shielding her body from the blades. She pushed back and kicked the weapon away only for it to come back. "Shit, where'd that little boy go?" Ino immediately reached into her holster and armed herself. Sakura countered the scythe once more. "Ino," she heaved, wincing as she was pushed back a step, "run."

"Run!" Hidan laughed. "Yes, run; let's see how far she gets!"

Ino gawked at the silver haired man that charged at her friend, eyes set on Ino however. His eyes were wide with excitement, a maniacal grin plastered on his face just like in her dreams. "No, I can't," Ino whispered.

"Damn it; think of the baby, Ino!" Sakura rolled up her sleeved and forced a chakra charged punch into the ground, shattering the sidewalk Hidan ran on. Hidan bounced off the pieces with ease and before the two could blink, he towered before them beaming with absolute delight. Sakura, through clenched teeth, growled "Ino, fucking run now."

Her feet moved despite her mind saying otherwise, despite the clashes of metal to metal, grunts of exertion and diabolical laughed, despite the fact that she wanted to help. She kept running. Forgive me.

"You're not going anywhere," the boy popped up from the darkness, bouncing off the ground with one foot and taking a swipe at her with a kunai. Ino felt a surge of instant power run down her leg as she slid and leaped back. Did she just use…? Shit.

The unnamed boy didn't give her anytime to recover. He pounced, kunai upright and ready. He slashed the blade in her direction. Ino grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm behind his back. She planted her elbow on the back of his neck and allowed him to fall unconscious.

"I'm so sorry," she chanted as she ripped the weapon from his hand and pocketed it.

A warm liquid spread down her legs, omitting a foul smell. Ino gagged but it was quickly replaced with a scream when a pain shot from her stomach, rolling up her spine and spreading throughout the rest of her body. Her mind pulsed at the sudden agonizing sting surging through her body. Ino winced and leaned against a tree, gasping for air. She slid down the tree. This couldn't be happening now.

She was in too much agony due to her contraction to realize the pain of a sudden piercing sensation in her left shoulder. Ino glanced over and nearly laughed to see a slim, ridged dagger cutting through her shoulder and pinning her body to the tree. "Damn," Ino squeaked, wrapping her hands around the handle. She tugged. Ino bit her lip and released her grip.

"Fancy meeting you here this fine evening, Blonde," Hidan cooed, materializing before her. He crouched down and grabbed her chin between his index and thumb.

"Sakura…"

"I wouldn't be worrying about your friend if I were in your position right now." He smiled and cocked his head to the side. The grip on her chin tightened, making Ino wince. "It's true that pregnant women do glow." Ino couldn't stop shaking, her hands, her shoulders, legs, arms, lips. They wouldn't stop. Hidan caressed his thumb across her bottom lip. "How cute; you're scared."

Ino winced as another contraction erupted through her body, sending her nerves on pain overload. She wanted to throw up, thinking that her daughter had part of Hidan in her. The man that was going to kill her was part of this baby but she mostly wanted to puke because their death was coming soon. Ino didn't get the chance to meet her daughter.

He grinned as he released her chin. A finger trailed down her neck, her breast and it slid over the round of her stomach. He paused and pressed a hand on her stomach. Ino closed her eyes. "It's a shame that I have to kill you before you give birth. I bet our little tyke would have been a monster." His eyes shimmered.

Hidan finally rose and picked up his scythe from the ground. This was it.

"It's been fun, really," Hidan admitted as he took his weapon and examined the three blades, sliding a finger across each one. Ino shivered. "I love a wild goose chase every once in a while but after it's gone on for months and months, it's time to call quits, right?" As he rested his weapon on his shoulder, he chuckled. "Earlier today I was bitching about how I was so over this fucking game. It's got to be my lucky day."

Ino watched him as he adjusted the scythe to his other shoulder and leaned his weight to a hip. She waited for him to attack, but he stood there with a confused stare.

"You're not going to say anything?"

"I…have nothing to say," Ino breathed.

"No last words? No 'oh, you bastard' or 'you're going to pay'? Any sort of shit like that?"

Ino smirked and shook her head. "Nope."

"Well, Blondie, you made my job a lot easier. I usually listen to a fucking five minute sob story," he said as he hoisted his weapon over his head.

Ino chuckled. "Do you prefer one?"

"No fucking thanks."

Ino felt a strange sense of de ja vu seeing Hidan with his scythe raised above his head.

Ino grabbed the dagger and pulled, jumping out of the way just in time to see the tree be sliced in half. Another contraction rolled through her. Ino fell to her knees and hands, crying out in pain. She could hear his footsteps. Ino closed her eyes, knowing that this time she wasn't coming out alive.

"Ah, fuck. Again?" Hidan snarled. Ino's head snapped up. The silver haired man had his weapon behind his head, ready to spring forward and drive it through Ino but try as he might he couldn't budge.

From the darkness of the trees, Shikamaru stepped out. "Are you okay, Ino?" Ino sighed and fell onto her butt. Thank God for Shikamaru.

"You bastard!" Sakura hollered, coming from behind the trees and landing a solid punch into his face. Hidan fell backwards but unable to move, he couldn't defend himself from Sakura landing on top of him and bestowing his face with fistfuls. She cried out curses and threats. "You hurt my fucking best friend! I'll kill you, you bastard!"

Ino huffed and allowed herself to relax, only she cried out as she felt her intestines twisting and squeezes; her organs were on fire. Beyond Sakura's cries and Shikamaru's ragged breathing as he lost chakra every passing minute, Ino heard footsteps, calm steps from behind her. Ino leaned on another tree and turned her attention to her right.

"You're behind everything." she heaved. "You killed all those women. It was your idea, huh?" Ino quickly grabbed a kunai and flung it at his forehead. The blade clanked and fell to his feet, inflicting what seemed to be no damaged. She did, however, cause the hood to fall.

"Are you trying to pull some double agent move or something?" Ino winced as she felt the tug of the dagger in her shoulder. Konan took off his Cloud hitae-ate and tried to wipe off the scratch the blade made. "The Raikage is going to have a fit."

"It's really nothing personal, Ino." Konan meandered over to her and pressed a foot against her shin. "Jin's damned son killed my family. He killed them.

"So you're killing me? He died. Isn't that revenge enough?"

"Oh no." Konan grabbed Ino's hair and pulled, causing her shoulder to rub against the blade. Ino screamed as the pain and another contraction clouded her mind with absolute agony. "This is just my form of revenge. Kill his employees and then kill his family. I hired Hidan to do my dirty work, keep my tracks clean but obviously, when you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

"You're morbid."

"You'll be a special one, though. You'll be my trophy kill." With that, he slammed his foot down on her shin, causing an ear numbing crack. Ino holler at the pain of it all. In the midst of all the suffering, she managed to drive a kunai into unwittingly Konan's chest.

Konan dropped to his knees, landing on Ino's broken leg. With her good leg, she kicked him off. Just before she made contact, Konan ripped the dagger from her hands. Ino winced, waiting for his attack but it never came.

Instead, she heard screaming echo in her ears. She watched Shikamaru take a step back, releasing the jutsu. Ino began to crawl. She felt light headed and her vision blurred as she made her way closer.

Her shoulder hurt. Her leg hurt. Her whole body hurt.

"Arrest that man!" a woman hollered. Ino noted a handful of men in black appeared on top of Hidan. She heard stomping as Sakura ran over to her but her voice was a hum in her ears. All the noise was distant.

Her eyes never left Shikamaru who slowly buckled to the ground. His hand pressed against the wound. The dagger completely pierced through him. He peered at Ino through hazy eyes and smiled. She watched his lips move and then he smiled at her again before collapsing to the ground.

The scene before her rushed into her senses. Sakura leaned over her, asking if she was all right. Tsunade ordered the ANBU. ANBU carried away a thrashing Hidan. Konan was dead just a little ways from her. The little boy was still unconscious. Contractions, light headedness, a broken leg. Shikamaru.

"Get these two to the E.R now!"

Ino laid her head down and closed her eyes.

…About fucking time.