The Rain, Mud and Other Things
A/N: Sorry about the delay, life as usual…
Disclaimer: Kishimoto Masashi created the manga Naruto, that does not make him a god, he shall not smite me for using his characters in Fanfiction as long as I play nice and give praise.
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The nice autumn weather seemed to disappear in less than half a day after the members of Team 10 left the grounds of Nanaboshi. The skies turned gray and dismal before opening up in a heavy driving rain.
Ino hated the rain ponchos that were part of their standard gear because they were awkward compared to her normal clothing. However, as the day continued (as did the deluge), she was grateful that it kept the worst of the soaking away from the rest of her body: the only exception being, of course, her feet.
The four of them continued their trudge through the remainder of the day. It was almost hard to tell when the day had transitioned into night, for the skies had maintained their semi-darkness throughout. Finally, Shikamaru gestured for a halt, "I don't think we're going to get out of this rain tonight, so we might as well use the terrain around us to minimize the chance of getting completely waterlogged overnight."
In a flurry of activity, and a splendid demonstration of teamwork, the tent was set-up. Additional tarps were set up; one as a small dining area for a cold dinner and the other space to leave mud soaked footgear while making an effort to get the dirt out from between their toes before entering the tent.
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The next day was no better, continuous precipitation, and they were left traveling on the ground for a second day. Mud may have made an occasionally slippery patch on the earth, but wet bark covered with wet leaves was an even more treacherous choice. Besides, they really had no need to attempt to conceal their presence and numbers.
"Soaked…soaked…soakedsoakedsoaked," Ino muttered during their lunch break.
"You know," Chouji commented to Shikamaru, "I bet if this rain is happening back in Konoha, the kids are probably jumping from puddle to puddle thinking this is the most fun they've had in a while."
The Tokubetsu Jonin glanced briefly at their blonde teammate then added, "It's lucky Ryokou isn't too worried about her looks over her skills yet. Sometimes I can't figure out why kunoichi get obsessed over things like their hair."
Asumaru grinned, he understood the attitude change that had cropped up in girls that he'd previously thought of as competent students after the moment they had their first crush.
"I'm more worried about the fact that this cold and damp can mess with our immunities." Ino snapped, "I am the medic on this team." Her arms crossed before her accentuating her huffy attitude.
Sure, that's what you say now, Shikamaru thought, but decided maybe he'd be better off not to cross his teammate when she was so unhappy, "Sorry Ino," he offered the apology, keeping it simple.
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That night Chouji was awakened by the uncomfortable feeling of Ino trying burrow her way under his sleeping bag encased shoulder in one of her quests for warmth. Once again she seemed to be asleep as she attempted this. I suppose I should be grateful she's doing this to me instead of Asumaru. He would have freaked. "Ino," he whispered while propping himself up within the confines of his covers. No response. "Ino," he said again in a slightly firmer tone. Sometimes, I wonder how she can sleep so heavily at times like this. He slid his hands out to take hold of her shoulders as he spoke her name.
In the shadows, blue eyes blinked open at him, then after a brief hesitation, "I was heat-seeking again, wasn't I?"
"Yes," he replied, quickly adding, "but it's okay. If you're cold, you can curl up next to me."
"Just next to you?" her voice promised and teased so much with those few words.
"Sleeping bag, next to, not attached to," he said, "best offer you'll get tonight. Now settle down, I'm tired." He lowered his body onto his side, pulling his arms back into his 'cocoon' to reinforce what he'd said.
"Fine," her tone changed to a pout, she set down, rolling her back toward him. Suddenly, some part of her realized how lonely she'd been feeling lately. She drew a breath almost ready to say something more to him. Then in the dark of the tent, she caught the slight sheen of another set of eyes half open watching her. "Good night, Asumaru," she said in his direction and was rewarded by the eyes promptly shutting. She also felt Chouji, momentarily tense behind her. You knew he was watching, didn't you? She let out a sigh, I suppose it's for the best, I'm probably teasing him 'cause I'm…lonely?…horny? Thinking about it is only gonna make it worse. She curled deeper into her bag feeling strangely warmer already.
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By the next morning the rain had stopped, and though the sun had made its reappearance it wasn't much warmer than it had been the day before. The route had returned to the faster way of leaping through trees.
"At least we won't have to waste our energy on jutsu to dry out our gear before we re-pack," Asumaru commented.
"We probably won't be outside at all tonight if the weather holds," Shikamaru replied. "There's a village that has a pleasant little inn with a hot spring that we should get to just before dark."
"Oooh yeah," Ino grinned, "this will be the fourth time through there."
"Your father took us there our first time," Shikamaru looked at the youngest member of the group.
"We were, like, fourteen at the time," Chouji added.
"Was it really so long ago?" Ino spoke softly, her tone and expression speaking volumes about the melancholy she was suddenly feeling. The faces of her long time teammates echoed the mood.
Asumaru knew better than to try to ask them about his father at times like this. They'd shared many stories about Sarutobi Asuma with him throughout the years. He knew very well how much these three respected and cared about him, he was also wise enough to recognize when they needed just a moment to reflect on those feelings for themselves.
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It was well past midday when Shikamaru gave the hand signal for them to freeze. Chouji gave a miniscule nod in acknowledgement to his teammate's gesture that he'd seen indications that they were being followed. After a wary moment, they signaled the other two that they needed to split into the pairs that they had agreed on earlier incase of an ambush. Asumaru went slightly east with Shikamaru, while Ino moved off in a different direction with Chouji.
Five minutes later the eastern team heard the soft hiss of kunai flying through the air. They were rewarded by the THUNK of the blades embedding into the tree that they had set Shikamaru's clone in front of.
"We're probably not up against jounin if they fell for that." He whispered to his young companion from their perch higher up in the trees. Suddenly Asumaru did some signs and a breeze whipped out from his hands, tearing back some of the branches beyond them to reveal one of their opponents. The Kusa no Kuni ninja was knocked from a branch not twenty feet away, even as he fell he released a handful of shuriken at them forcing them from their perch and into the open.
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Ino and Chouji had been moving wordlessly in the zig-zag pattern they had been assigned crossing what should have begun to pass over the straight line that their other teammates would have taken after their initial brief side-trip to the east. They alternated tree to ground as well as they proceeded, all the while maintaining their vigilance. The terrain had turned into hillsides with the occasional sharp drop-off. Without words, they made the decision that it was in their best interest to remain on the higher ground.
The sudden explosion of a smoke bomb in their path stopped them in their tracks. As they tried regaining their bearings, one of the Kusa shinobi was on Ino, preventing the opportunity to do any of her mind jutsu. As the man wrapped an arm about her throat from behind, she used a medical jutsu in a corrupted manner to weaken her opponent's grasp. She then twisted free of his grasp catching his left leg with a similar attack. Pulling two kunai from her pouch she turned to dispatch her now slowed opponent.
Chouji had not been caught as deeply in the smoke cloud and was having a much easier time with his attackers. The first had been slammed into a tree with a powerful backhand by an enlarged fist. The other was now having the breath crushed out of him by an equally oversized hand. The brawny shinobi had worked hard though the years to get his speed up on the Bubun Baika no Jutsu so it now was second nature as his primary form of attack.
As Ino made her move to finish her opponent, he launched a handful on senbon at her. Easy enough to dodge, she smiled to herself confidently. As she launched her kunai, she maneuvered out of the path of the needles. Even as she saw one of her blades make its mark, she found herself with a new opponent: the terrain. A patch of wet leaves changed her graceful sidestep into an off balance struggle for control at the edge of a steep hill.
Suddenly, she felt the extra-large hand of her teammate wrap gently about her body, ending her precarious situation. It pulled her back in his direction, and she got to see the crumpled remains of his handiwork. "Nice work," she grinned at him. As he let her loose she decided it might be fun to thank him for his save in a different way. She threw herself into his arms, catching the look of surprise on his face. And the earth moved…literally, as the clump of moist ground they stood upon gave way beneath them.
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Shikamaru was pleased with his protégé's skill in their brief fight. Asumaru had subdued his opponent with minimal difficulty with a slashing wind technique. Shikamaru took out the other two with Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu, being sure that one of them would be left to come around in short order for questioning. They bound their opponents to a tree with a rope and set a seal on it so that they would be no escape until they were released and set about seeing how their companions had fared.
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Without noticing it during the battle, Chouji had ended up on the edge of a fairly step slope. When the ground gave out beneath him, he instinctively tried to shield Ino with his body. However, as they half slid/ half plummeted, he worried that holding onto her might not have been the best idea. Though the trees weren't as dense, there were several close calls, as well as branches and twigs that poked.
Soon the steepness of the slope decreased and they rolled to stop in a deep valley. Ino was the fortunate one here: she landed on top of her burly teammate, knocking the wind out of him with her final impact. She took a moment to look down at him, in spite of the tangle of twigs and leaves she saw in his hair and the mud that was splattered, something inside her stirred. "You know," she said softly as he returned her gaze, "I just realized how much I missed being close to you."
Before he could reply she pressed her lips firmly against his. Chouji only hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around her, this time without the slightest thought of protecting her from rocks and branches.
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Asumaru found the collapsed area of dirt near where the other Kusa ninja's bodies were. Since there was no sound of ongoing battle the came to the conclusion that one of them had taken the fall and the other had gone after them.
"Silent running, just to be sure," Shika informed the genin. They took to the trees about twenty feet apart.
In a few moments Asumaru caught a glimpse of their legs through the trees. He whistled the birdcall that would call the team leader over. However, the fact that there was no reaction from below had him worried that based on their positions relative to each other Ino might be healing Chouji. He moved around to the next branch to get a better view and recoiled violently at the sight before him. The misstep almost lost him his footing, but fortunately Shikamaru had arrived just in time to catch him. The young man looked embarrassedly at his long time teacher, who had turned his attentions to what was going on below.
"Here's an important lesson: how to pretend to be discrete at a moment like this." He pointed to a nearby branch on the backside of the next tree over.
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As much as he was enjoying kissing Ino there was a strange feeling creeping along his backside. Dammit, we're in mire. How come she doesn't seemed bothered by it? Her fingers had long since twined their way into his hair. He tensed,the muddiness along his back was turning into a comfortable oozing sensation in his undergarments. His hands moved in an attempt to lift her off him, "Ino, I'm sopping…"
"And tangled in leaves and twigs," she giggled sweetly, then tried to press her mouth back down against his.
"Oy, Ino, Chouji, where are you?" Shika's voice cut through the air.
The soaked man took advantage of the distraction to push the blonde off him. Unfortunately, she landed next to him on her butt with a squelching sound in the muck. He had barely made it to his feet when she pounced on him.
"You're such a brute," her hands leaving new grayish-brown imprints on his arms while she wrapped her legs around him. She pulled herself up, one hand burrowing into his muddy hair while a finger on the other left a trail of moistened earth along the spiral of his left cheek.
"Hey, enough of the foreplay, there's a kid present!" Shikamaru barked.
Ino immediately dropped to the ground to stand along side her teammate, bowing her head slightly, as much to hide her amusement at the phrase he'd used as the blush that took over her face.
"You're so lucky we're about an hour of the village with the inn. Someplace where you can really clean up after this." The tokubetsu jounin smirked, "but first I need a healer to bring around one of the men I've got tied up so we can find out what this was all about."
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The answer they got from their revived captive was a curious one. Apparently they had been hired to intercept a group of Konoha shinobi who were escorting the son of a wealthy merchant back home from the school he'd been away to. They were supposed to capture him and hold him for a ransom that the merchant would have hopefully found cheaper than hiring additional shinobi to retrieve him.
Shikamaru smiled, "I guess you and your surviving companion," he gestured toward the remaining survivor who was bound to the next tree over, "are going to have to explain your costly failure." How did they ever mistake Asumaru, who is clearly wearing his hitai-ate as a student? They had already stripped the vanquished shinobi of any weapons they could find, so they decided they'd let the two return to whoever had hired them. Although I wouldn't be surprised if they want to do something about their fallen comrades as well.
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They made it to the inn they wanted to stay at well before dark. Shikamaru and his protégé set off to get them checked in while their more bedraggled teammates waited nearer the doors.
Ino spoke as they lingered inside, "I need a serious soak in their hot spring."
"You can say that again," Chouji agreed grinning.
"Then set your eyes on that," she said in a sultry tone a she pointed. "The minute Shika has us checked in, that is where we're going." It was a smaller spring for couples, it even had a sign that could be turned to indicate whether it was occupied or not. "I still have mud in places I don't want to think about. And it sure would be nice to have a little help getting rid of it."
Chouji could feel the blaze of heat spread through him as his imagination got the best of him. When he'd finally recovered sufficiently enough to make a coherent reply he heard Ino curse under her breath. His first thought was to look at the sign by the private spring, but it still read vacancy. He turned his head slightly to see what she was looking at: Yes there were their teammates, but along side them was Sai and the rest of Team 20, Ohashi Seiki, Iida Naomi and Terakado Hironori as well as a young man of about seventeen year who neither of them had ever seen before.
"Well at least we know what mission our team was mistaken for." Ino muttered disappointment still etched on her face.
"That's almost an insult," her brawny companion quipped back. "When I'm not covered in mud, I think I'm better looking than Sai."
"Idiot," she replied cracking a smile.
The pale skinned jounin leader seemed to have a genuine smile as he regarded the two mud-caked shinobi before him. He took a moment to re-introduce his team to them as well as Oota Keiichi who was indeed a merchant's son. In fact, Ino knew of the Oota family from some of the items they imported. "I bet the two of you want to get the 'road dust' off," Sai said, his narrow hint of smile made it seem like he might have been amused by their situation.
"Like you wouldn't believe," Ino tried to fight the urge to scowl again.
"Asumaru and I can take your packs up," Shikamaru offered. "I doubt you want to track all that through the inn."
"I'll help scrub you off, and get the worst of it out of your hair," Naomi smiled at Ino. She was a sixteen-year-old genin, auburn haired and green eyed with natural long lashes that would make any woman jealous.
"By the way they only had one large 'family style' room left, so both our teams are sharing." It was obvious by his gaze that Sai was studying all their reactions.
Ino sighed as she flicked a quick glance to Chouji, now it will be nearly impossible to get what I want. She looked to the entrance to the woman's bath. "Oh well, we might as well get started." She tried to smile at the young kunoichi.
"You might as well go with Akimichi-san," the pale skinned jounin told the remainder of his charges, "I'll take the rest of the gear to the room and be down before you know it." He picked up their packs and followed after Shikamaru and Asumaru.
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Ino's bath was an absolute torture, not because she didn't get the opportunity to get cleaned up then enjoy a good long soak. She did. It was the company: Naomi kept talking about Keiichi. "He's so handsome. He's so polite. He's so…" on and on. It was obvious the girl had developed a serious crush on the young man her current mission centered around. There was a warm glow in the young kunoichi's jade colored eyes as well as across her cheeks.
"And if he's anything like other merchants son's I've met," Ino tried to look calm, masking her annoyance at the girl's ceaseless chatter, "his father already has a potential list of future brides all lined up for him from all his business connections. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if half the reason he's been called home is to meet the number one choice formally." She was rewarded with momentary pleasure in watching Naomi's smile fade, then thought to herself, I've been there, hopeless crush, then the big dose of reality.Hell, I've done it a couple of times. She leaned back against the wall as she sighed, It's time to move on…
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The two teams shared a pleasant dinner and evening together, but when it came time to settle in for the night Ino realized that she was restless. She didn't like the idea of being set off in one corner of the room with Naomi just because they we the only two females of the group. "Hey," she turned to Shikamaru, "would it be all right if I stepped out to that lovely little bar near the baths and had a little…" she gestured the tipping of a cup to her lips. "After these last few days something warm before going to bed might be nice."
He rolled his eyes back and muttered, "Just don't get carried away."
"Me. Never." She smiled, then turned to Chouji, "Wanna to come with me? You can have a snack, my treat."
What is she up to? The swirl cheek man started to ponder, but his own nature betrayed him. As soon as that thought entered his head the words, "Sure, I could go for a bite about now," slipped from his lips. Without hesitation she grabbed his hand and headed out. As the door slid shut behind them, she heard Ohashi Seiki's voice mutter "Aww, I wanted a snack too."
She hurried him down the corridor. Yes, there was the aforementioned bar, but she checked what was in plain sight of it, "occupied," she muttered as she flopped down into a seat. She handed one of the little menu's to Chouji, "Three items only." She turned to the man behind the bar, "We'd like a bottle of 'Summer memories', please."
Chouji took the offered item, "You were checking on the private bath, weren't you?"
"And if I was?" She leaned closer to him, and added in a voice that left nothing to his imagination, "We are, after all, consenting adults."
There was a light thwump as the menu fell from his hand to the floor. "Can we take it a little slower than that?" His voice sounded unnaturally tight in his throat.
"Chooouuuuji," she almost pouted, but his expression caught her, he seemed just a little more upset then he should have.
"I know I'm a guy and this offer should have had me from the start." He nervously looked at the surface of the bar, his hands, anything but her eyes. "I like to think that there's more to you than those urges of yours, the ones that have gotten you into more than a bit of trouble in the past…"
"Here's your bottle," the bartender came up placing the warmed container between them followed by two small cups. "Anything else?"
The burly man seized on the distraction, he bent to the floor to pick up the dropped item, "I'd like an order of specials five and one." Then he smiled trying to look like his usual contented self at the man as he handed the menu over.
As the man walked off, Ino poured drinks into their cups. "You were saying?" The blonde raised an eyebrow at him.
He swallowed, fearing he'd set off her temper, then got his thoughts back on track. He leaned closer and spoke as quietly as he could. "I'm not interested in sex, well at least not yet. I want to spend some quality time with you first, or with you and Ryokou. She's almost as important to me as you are." He tried to read her eyes, those amazing blue eyes, I want them to keep looking at me. "I want to take this at a more leisurely pace." He tipped his cup to his lips draining it completely (not that it was hard with a small sake cup).
"You're blushing," Ino giggled. "I guess that means you're being sincere. I can't think of another man I've met who could have said that and kept a straight face, although something else might have been straight by now."
"Ino," he almost sounded shocked, "cut that out, you should know by now…"
"Your snack is here," Ino interrupted him. "Wow, they're fast."
He turned to see the barman carrying two platters of with an array of small food items their way. A moment later they were set before the eager Akimichi.
"Go on, indulge," the blonde leaned close to whisper, "I know my rival when I see it."
"It's not like that," he'd already opened his disposable chopsticks and was reaching for a tempura piece.
"I know, it's a biological imperative," she kissed the spiral on his left cheek then picked up her own set of utensils, "Hey, save me one of the shrimp, I'm paying." She practically stuck her elbow in his face as she clambered for the one thing on the whole platter she'd wanted.
"No fighting in a restaurant," he replied wrapping his free arm about her waist.
"This coming from the man who sees barbeque as a battlefield," Ino laughed before she snagged the shrimp and popped it into her mouth.
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Ten minutes later both the snacks and sake were gone and both shinobi were a little more comfortable with their current situation. Ino had just paid their bill and turned to her teammate.
"I guess it's time to go back," Chouji sighed.
"How about one more thing before we do?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a slow deliberate kiss that tasted of the sake she'd drunk two cups of for his every one. As she pulled back Chouji noticed she glanced over his shoulder and started to smile. "Guess what?" She said without waiting for his response, "The private bath's available."
"No" he started to reply, but Ino had begun to swear under her breath even before he could finish. He turned his head to see Naomi and Keiichi heading hand in hand for the very place they had been discussing.
Ino did a swift step to re-appear in front of the doorway before the impetuous youths could get there. Chouji hurried to her side as she began her tirade at Naomi. Strangely enough her voice though firm was kept low and clearly directed at the kunoichi, "You think this is a game? To sneak out of your room like this endangers your mission. What if the Kusa no Kuni shinobi my team faced weren't the only ones hired by someone with the idea of taking Keiichi-san for ransom? What would you do?" She stood with hands on her hips, her eyes blazing as the glared at the teens.
"Let's go back to the room, right now." Chouji tried to sound as firm as she did, a part of him strangely relieved by the distraction.
They had barely gotten twenty feet when they felt the presence of another ninja. He stepped out from behind the last pillar in the lobby before the corridor that lead back to their room, his pale face smiling the more familiar smile you were never sure was genuine. "Thank you for your timely handling of this situation, Ino-san," Sai said calmly.
Where Naomi had looked neutral after Ino's lecture, she suddenly looked deeply ashamed with the appearance of her sensei. The five of them continued back to the room. When they finally got there, Ino turned to Sai, "May I have just a moment alone with you team member?" Her gaze turned to the auburn haired teen, the girl still hung her head.
"I imagine you wish to share the wisdom of an experienced kunoichi." Sai gestured for Keiichi and Chouji to go back into the room.
The blonde nodded grateful he'd used the word 'experienced' versus the less tactful one he'd have used years ago: 'older'. So as he disappeared she began her talk. "I just wanted to tell you about two things. First, be careful about your first time. I know how your urges can get the better of you. Take your time and be genuinely sure that the one you choose is really the right one for that experience; even if he doesn't turn out to be the love of your lifetime, be sure he's someone who cares about you for the real you and not just a pretty face." And yes, she is a very pretty girl and I'm sure she's heard it a lot.
The girl looked slightly annoyed, almost as if she gotten this lecture from her mother.
"The second thing you need to know is that it is not easy being a single mother and a kunoichi at the same time."
The teen's expression turned to the blonde curiously. "I had my daughter when I was twenty-one and every single day I realize how lucky I am to have the great family and friends to see me through. Each mission I take I think of her while I'm away and do everything in my power to make it back in one piece. Being a shinobi is too much a part of me to give up, but I worry…" She realized her eyes were starting to water, "I'm grateful that I have parents who will take care of her if something ever does happen to me." Her voice cracked as she added, "Not everyone is so lucky."
Naomi realized that remark was aimed at her. Though there was no way Ino could have known for sure what the girl's upbringing was about one out of three young shinobi had lost one or more parents in the course of duty. The teen gave the older kunoichi a hug, "At least now I understand your concern and alarm when you saw us." She released the embrace to turn to put her hand on the door handle, "For a moment, I thought you were pissed because you were waiting on that private bath." She opened the door and slipped back inside.
Ino sighed, Thanks for reminding me how frustrated I am. Then she too re-entered their room.
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A/N: Oh no, did I forget about Kankurou this chapter… No. Just waiting for the right moment for the next part of what's going on in his life.
Thank you to my reviewers: Awaii, Curtis Zidane Ziraa, shannny2k & shelvesinthecloset I hope I don't keep you waiting so long for the next chapter.
