If it was only the hollow concerns of the Fifth Hokage that Shikamaru and Ino had to unknowingly worry about, then maybe their subconscious selves would be feeling more secure at the present. However, as they walked out of the hotel lobby and into the daylight of the late morning, they couldn't help but feel slightly unsettled. Both of them were uncomfortably aware that nearly everyone in the Village Hidden in the Leaves was probably busy gossiping about them.
Ino's ears twitched as they slipped behind a tree to change. Perhaps Shikamaru would have felt the same way if it were his best friend prattling about them behind his back. Fortunately for Ino and Shikamaru, Choji was still in bed. Without his teammates around, he had little to wake up for. With no responsibilities, Choji had more time to do what he wanted, sleep and eat. This fact would normally have caused Ino to get annoyed, yelling at him to train. But since she was out with Shikamaru in a completely foreign nation, alone, she was glad Choji was probably still asleep. He'd be one less person to come in contact with Sakura.
"Hey… um, Shikamaru?'" Ino whispered to the brunette as she slipped into her purple uniform. 'You don't think… do you, do you think Sakura said anything to anyone?" Ino's eyes darted nervously to his as he zipped up vest. They had both successfully changed from their mock formal wears to their signature ninja attire, switching into the first phase of their mission. Shikamaru's brow crinkled a little as he quickly thought things through. Logically, it wouldn't matter if she had. They were only together for 'missionary' purposes. Shikamaru's thoughts hesitated, smiling on the word missionary. Although, his smirk quickly washed away, he knew well enough that girls were anything but logical. She'd read into things, and be right of course, but that didn't matter. The fact was, she definitely would say something.
"I don't know." Shikamaru replied a little less confidently than he liked. He scowled slightly; dreading the walk home after the mission was over. He hated attention of any kind, let alone the teasing he knew he'd get from his peers. Worse was knowing exactly how Ino's parents would react. Shikamaru shuddered at the thought of her father. He silently hoped that Sakura had enough decency to mind her own business and not gossip. Sakura of course, had other plans.
"Naruto!'" Sakura waved warmly at her teammate from across the street, running to join him. 'Hey Naruto! Wait up!" Sakura had been up very early, waiting for him at his favourite training field. Of course, he wasn't there; he was too busy arguing with Kiba over a bowl of ramen, talking about who could down the most bowls in ten minutes. After he was done there, he wandered over to the academy to visit with Iruka sensei; staying to brag about the latest missions he had been on. Poor Sakura had spent most of the morning trying to hunt him down; there were things they needed to talk about.
"S-sakura chan?" Naruto gaped happily in her direction, his proverbial tail wagging wildly. Never in all the time that Naruto had known Sakura Haruno did she ever seem so eager to see him.
"Haaa… I finally found you!'" Sakura sighed happily as she stopped in front of her blond teammate. The look on his face grew from shy happiness to overwhelmingly ecstatic in the short time it took Sakura to finish her tired response.
"You were looking for me?" Naruto's voice cracked a semitone higher than usual, causing his pink haired friend to stare questioningly at him.
"Yes… actually… I've been out for most of the day looking for you." Sakura shifted her feet impatiently. Naruto blinked a few times.
"But Sakura… it's still morning… the day's just begun.'" He grinned at her, scratching his neck. 'I mean, how could you have spent 'the whole day' looking for me when it's still morning?" He peered down at her, the grin still plastered to his face. The vein in Sakura's forehead twitched angrily as her 'inner self' surfaced.
"Moron!'" She punched him hard in the shoulder, making him whine like a dog. 'The day only seems new to you because you sleep in and waste it! I've been up for hours already!" She hit him again, emphasizing her point.
"Okay! Okay! No need to hit me Sakura chan…" Naruto smiled nervously at her, waiting for another round. She mumbled the word 'knucklehead' under her breath before continuing with her purpose.
"Anyways Naruto… I was looking for you because I thought maybe we could… go someplace and talk for a while.'" Sakura hesitated; a faint layer of blush tinting her face. 'You know… alone." Naruto's eyes widened, his smile fading into a look of shock.
"You mean… just the two of us?" Naruto whispered, his eyes turning round.
"That is what alone means…'" Sakura muttered, agitated. 'Idiot."
"Yes! Wahooo! A date… we're going on a date!" Naruto jumped up and down, grinning madly. Sakura's face twisted into a mortified frown. She clearly hadn't thought things through.
"Naruto please don't make a big deal out of this.'" She growled, snatching his wrist to keep him from bobbing around. 'I never said we were going on a date. We're just going to talk… understand?" Sakura raised her eyebrows dangerously, looking possessed. Naruto knew better than to argue with her; they would just talk. Inside his mind however, Naruto was throwing a fit; whatever it was that Sakura needed to talk about had to be important.
"Oh god Shikamaru! What're we are going to do?" Ino gripped his arm firmly, cutting off circulation. He felt equally worried, racking his brain for some way to undo what was done. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no answer, no loophole. Shikamaru's face remained bored looking as he searched; he was much more practiced at keeping his cool than Ino was. She wasn't fooled though. Everything about Shikamaru spelled confidence; everything but his eyes. They kept the same lazy, monotonous stare he always wore. But Ino knew that behind his mock complacency, Shikamaru was crumbling.
"There's nothing we can do.'" Shikamaru placed his free hand over his eyes, leaning against the tree. 'There's no way we can get into the inner village now." Ino's grip on Shikamaru's arm loosened as she turned away from him. Even though Shikamaru was used to lazing around, thinking things through in a calm manner, he was still equally prone to panicking. He was fine with taking calculated risks, especially if he had a backup plan. However, to Shikamaru this was a game of shogi, and he was clean out of pawns.
If there was one thing Ino was good at, it was her ability to never give up. She always picked herself back up when she was down, never giving in to pain or fear. This time was no exception. Time was running out for the first phase of their mission, and if they didn't cross the border in time, the mission would fail. Ino knew this, feeling the pressure. She knew that she had to do something, anything. But her mind was buzzing, a swirl of thoughts confused and twisted. It was difficult for Ino to brainstorm for an answer when her heart was drowning out her thoughts. Ino's eyes flashed to Shikamaru's. He looked hopeless. It was clear to Ino that he had long given up on his own ability to problem solve. She heaved a worried sigh, crouching in front of him. The gesture caught his attention, snapping him out of his pitiful state. He watched as she tented her fingers together, closing her eyes.
"What are you doing?" Shikamaru's eyes narrowed self-consciously as he watched her.
"I'm coming up with a plan.'" Ino replied in a quiet, concentrated manner. Her face was wiped clean of emotion. Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at the blond, watching her use his habit for her own purposes. 'I don't know why, but this seems to help you think. I'm curious to see what's so great about it." Ino opened her eyes as she explained, light refracting, blinding her. She squinted down at her hands, searching for the cause of the glare. Ino's blue eyes rounded; there it was. The mock wedding band she was given was still around her ring finger; she had forgotten to take it off when she changed. Ino smiled to herself, fingering the cool metal.
"What is it?" Shikamaru stared down at her, confused by her optimistic attitude.
"Well what do you know? Your little trick actually does work." Ino smirked at Shikamaru, standing up. He frowned, confused by what she said. The brunette watched as the blond took off her travelling pack, emptying the contents into the grass.
"Ino, what are you doing?" Shikamaru kneeled beside her, scanning the entrails of her pack carefully. He mimicked her without getting an answer, taking his own bag and unzipping it. Ino's blue eyes moved quickly, never pausing for more than a moment on any one item.
"Shikamaru… do you remember what we were given at the very beginning of this mission?" He frowned at her, digging through his belongings.
"Um… I think we each got the same thing; an envelope, a list, a map, miniature radios, a guidebook, clothes, hotel cards, identification, a camera, batteries, matches, hair bands, swimwear, toiletries, three scrolls, a pair of earrings, a notepad, pencil and…'" He held up his hand to her. 'A ring."
"Right…'" Ino's eyes dropped to her supplies, separating them into piles. 'So we're down the earrings, change of clothes and ring. We're we already wearing them before we left the hotel. And as you can see, the toiletries, swimwear and hotel cards won't help us at the moment… so, the best we can do is prepare for the worst." Ino motioned for Shikamaru to stand up, doing so herself.
"What are we doing?" Shikamaru asked, still negative.
"I need you to make a shadow clone.'" Ino spoke, already making her own hand signals. He did the same without hesitation. Two Inos stood before him, the real one with her hands on her hips. Two Shikamaru lazily folded their arms over their chests, waiting. The real Ino handed her clone her spare clothes, instructing her to change. Shikamaru's clone followed suit, dressing in his navy blue wears. Ino sadly handed over her wedding band, slipping it over her double's finger. Shikamaru followed her lead, even letting the fake Ino untie his clone's hair.
"Okay… so how does this help us?'" Shikamaru grumpily questioned his partner, folding his arms over his chest. 'We've got less time to work with now… and even less chakra."
"Always the optimist, aren't you?" Ino snapped at him, finally letting her temper slip. She had been trying so hard to keep a level head during their less than perfect situation.
"I'm just being realistic! The dices are loaded against us, there's no way we can pull this off."
"Oh really?'" Ino snorted angrily, tossing her hair over her shoulder. 'I think my plan is going to work fine."
Somewhere back within Konaha's borders…
"I think my plan is going to work fine." Sakura adverted her eyes from her companion, chewing absently on her inner cheek.
"So… you're going to avoid your best friend?" Naruto narrowed his eyes skeptically at Sakura, feeling for once, that he was being the logical one out of the two.
"Yes." Sakura frowned at him, hearing just how ridiculous her ambitions sounded out loud. She shifted her leg, sitting on it as she got comfortable. They were stretched out on a hill in Naruto's favourite training grounds; the one with the best view of Mount Hokage. Sakura rolled her eyes when they first arrived; she had allowed Naruto to pick the location for their would-be-date. Naruto scratched his neck, unsure of himself; Sakura's idea seemed so out of character.
"Awww I don't know Sakura…'" He closed his eyes, confused about how to answer. 'Don't you think it'll just make things worse if you give Ino the cold shoulder?" Naruto stared at the pink haired kunoichi, cocking an eyebrow. She glared up at him, annoyed that he was making more sense than she was.
"Yeah… you're right.'" Sakura agreed, sighing. 'It's just that… I can't stand seeing her win." Naruto raised his eyebrows, frowning at his teammate.
"Gee Sakura, I thought you guys were done with all that stuff." Naruto mumbled, bringing his knees to his chest.
"We… kinda were done.'" Sakura admitted, shifting her head enough to look at Naruto. His eyes narrowed at her, searching. 'It's just that-"
"See there you go!'" Naruto interrupted Sakura making her glare at him; irritation marked over her features. Naruto winced, but continued bravely. 'You still haven't told me what happened between you guys anyways…" He grumbled impatiently.
"Hunnhh…'" Sakura sighed, giving in. 'I guess I haven't, have I?"
"No." Naruto grinned, moving closer to the girl.
"Okay… listen up. I'm not repeating myself… got it?'" Sakura paused, eyeing him nod in understanding. 'Okay… you're not going to believe this, but… Ino and Shikamaru are dating." Sakura smiled wryly at Naruto's dropped jaw reaction; he obviously hadn't expected that.
"No way…'" Naruto breathed, shaking his head in disbelief. 'You must have misunderstood Sakura." He frowned at her, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly.
"Shut up blockhead… I know what I'm talking about… CHA!" Sakura mirrored Naruto, crossing her arms. Sensing danger, Naruto leaned away from the kunoichi.
"Okay… okay… It's just a little unbelievable is all." Naruto rolled his eyes as he folded his arms behind his head, laying down.
"Believe it! Naruto… I saw them with my own eyes." Sakura frowned down at him, pleading with her green eyes. Naruto raised his eyebrows, letting his imagination get the better of him. He wrinkled his nose is disgust, sitting up.
"Ewww… you mean like…'" Naruto's voice cracked. 'You saw them… kissing?" He narrowed his eyes, lost in his own disturbing fantasies. Sakura's eyes widened at him, following his thoughts.
"Well no… but… it was different.'" Sakura smiled in spite of herself, resting her head in her hand. 'They were adorable." Naruto snorted defiantly, allowing a chuckle to rumble through his throat.
"Shikamaru? A-dor-able? I don't think so." Naruto laughed causing Sakura to slap her hand hard against his chest.
"Quiet Naruto! You're not mature enough to understand!" Sakura glared at Naruto, making him whimper.
"Maybe not… but at least I'm not delusional.'" Naruto folded his arms stubbornly over his chest, frowning. 'At least I know the truth when I hear it… and I'll tell ya, it's stupid to ignore a friend for a reason like that." Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, glaring. He was right again, and that made her angry.
"Arhhgg…'" Sakura huffed. 'I hate it when you're right." She sighed loudly, slumping toward him. Naruto grinned at her in triumph.
"So… you gonna talk to Ino when she gets home?" Naruto asked hopefully, evilly thinking of all the ways he could torment Shikamaru when he got back.
"Yeah… It was stupid of me to take it so seriously.'" Sakura tossed her hair out of her eyes, smiling. 'We're not competing anymore. Who cares if she's dating Shikamaru and I'm still single?" She spoke casually, barely concealing a slight frown. Even though she knew Naruto was right, Sakura couldn't help but feel the words she spoke were hallow. Her empty response was just a show; she wouldn't go out of her way to avoid Ino, but neither would she do the opposite.
