A/N: Sorry about the delay I wanted a bridge before sending Ino off to Suna…I'm still feeling a little off about this chapter but it's been so long since my last one. T-T
Here we find our story heading into the month of May (Featuring the 1st, 15th & 17th if you hadn't figured that out from the title.)
So the Hokage agreed to the Nara's request: Send Chouji on missions without Ino. As far as she was concerned they had explained their case very well. For the next few weeks Chouji was as busy as he had been while working off his 'debt' to the Chiba clan. Not once did he go out on a mission with the same people, either. He figured out something had to be going on, but he wasn't quite sure if he should say something to the Hokage or not….
In spite of any doubts they'd had the Naras joined Ino and Ryokou in taking Chouji out for the traditional birthday gathering at Yakiniku Q. It was almost starting to feel like it usually did with everyone laughing and jokingly challenging Chouji for some prime pieces of the meal.
Ryokou who first noticed it, "Mama, are you crying?"
All the heads at the table turned to look at Ino; there were wet trails were visible on her face. The blonde who, only a few moments before had been sharing in the good natured fun, sniffled and blinked as she took in her friends' gazes. Her voice was soft and had a strained edge as she said simply, "I'm all right." Getting up slowly she headed off toward the ladies restroom.
Temari moved to follow, but paused as she was getting up to whisper a word to her husband before continuing her pursuit of Ino.
Shikamaru 'tsked' and muttered "Troublesome," as Chouji took the cue and chuckled to distract Ryokou and the other children from what had just occurred.
Temari found Ino weeping in front of the sinks. "Are you really all right?"
"This is probably the last one," was the half sobbed reply.
"Last what?" the older kunoichi asked.
"Last time for one of these Team birthday gatherings," Ino turned red rimmed eyes to the other woman. "We've had these traditions for so many years now and I just realized it's all going to change."
"And just who do you think you have to blame for that?" Temari said calmly, "Other than my brother, of course." Her expression softened and she put an arm around Ino's shoulder. "Let's get you cleaned up so Ryokou won't worry about you," she still spoke in her usual business-like manner; "your daughter is a surprisingly perceptive and sensitive child." I won't even bring up Chouji, he's got to be fretting something fierce. "She's just a little too young to understand what hormones can do to a woman in your condition."
Ino nodded in agreement to the words and turned her attention to the mirror above the sinks.
It had been the longest mission so far, ten days pretending to be a bodyguard to a noble lady. Chouji had played this kind of role before; it came naturally for a man of his brawny stature. Just as playing a noble seemed to fall readily in Hinata's line. The mission team had been rounded out by Kiba, Akamaru and three genin who had been assigned to the dog-nin only two months before. Kiba was also acting as a bodyguard, while the genin had the roles of retainers to the lady.
The girl of the group, Hoshino Kayoko, was perfect in her role. Her manner was almost as gracious as 'her mistress' and her knack for being able to turn almost anything into a weapon made her a force to be reckoned with.
Kudo Aberu was a merchant's son who had a clue when it came to acting humble in front of others. He knew enough to speak only when addressed, and served as last line of defense. His ability was from his mother's lineage: he could call up waves of rippling lightning in a wall arc before him. They had been fortunate that this was not needed for the mission, for his control was only at eighty-five percent.
Akune Manabu was the problem child of three; his temperament was fiery, as was the language that could slip from his mouth at a moment's notice. As a safely precaution, Shizune had given them a drug that gave him a form of laryngitis, sparing the mission dangerous outbursts. It also had the fortunate side effect of reminding him of his role as a servant when he'd start to open his mouth in protest, leaving him to revert to sullen obedience when no sound came out.
The mission had been a success for the team in spite of one close call. They were finally returning to Konoha, and had set up camp for the evening. Kiba and Akamaru had taken Manabu out on patrol so he could revel in having his voice back. The other two genin were already fast asleep as Hinata sat with Chouji at one edge of their camp. In the distance the sound of the patrol howling like a wolf pack gave the wakeful two an idea how very far away their teammates had wandered.
"I've been watching you all this mission." The dark haired woman spoke softly. "You don't seem to be your usual easy-going self."
He looked at her, obviously if Hinata got right to the point of something she'd been thinking about it for a while. "And why do you suppose that is?" He posed the question to her, trying not to sound sarcastic. He had heard that she could appraise situations well and had a talent for offering good guidance when she was ready.
"It obviously ties to the situation with Ino and your old team. You must be uncomfortable with the fact that after all the obstacles you faced to keep them together, it looks like it will finally be over: Ino's going to Suna to be with the Kazekage."
He nodded his agreement to that. At least she didn't go into this on a more personal…
"And you're worried about Ino in general because you care so much about her. She's been an important part of your life for many years." Hinata looked at him, studying with those pale eyes of hers. "I know how you feel about her, we all do. It's been obvious to anyone who's seen you with her through the years. It's no wonder you're angry and scared."
He couldn't speak, She hit the nail on the head.
"Keep in mind that things change over time." She looked into the woods to see if there was any sign of Kiba yet. Then she folded her hands and waited.
After a drawn out silence he finally responded, "By 'things change' do you mean Kankurou, Ino or me?"
"You tell me." She smiled with kind encouragement. He could tell she really wanted him to open up.
Chouji thought about it for a minute. "As far as Kankurou is concerned I feel I don't know enough about him. What I do know is when Ino and I dated around the time Ryokou turned four we'd gotten really close. I was thinking about asking her to marry me, close. Then the Kazekage marched into town and she was all back to square one again." He didn't even want to mention the more recent cycle of dating, except for the Lees' New Year's Party, it was quieter than the first. "I don't know what happened, but if he dares to trample on her heart again it won't be pretty."
"You're saying you would take on the Kazekage for Ino's sake?"
His posture straightened, chest pushing out slightly, "If he hurts her, damn right, I would."
"And if he makes her happy?"
"I guess I'd have no choice but to walk away." He deflated to his previous guarded posture.
Hinata looked at him with a strange smile, "What if things aren't so clear, how much time would you give it?"
Chouji reflected on this thought. "Maybe until she actually married him…I guess."
"Then you know what you have to do."
"I do?" He was puzzled by this response of hers.
"Go back to being as supportive as you usually are. Find a way to go to Suna with her and Temari and Shikamaru. Be there for her… just because. If it goes bad, she'll need you. If it goes well for her, you'll need to see it for yourself, so you can get on with your life." Hinata's pale eyes seemed to glow. "In the meantime, be the Chouji we all know again."
No wonder Naruto loves this woman so much: She's a total surprise when she actually decides to talk. "Thank you Hinata." He started to smile once again; it was great to have someone get right to the heart of the matter. Then he started to laugh with some sort of strange relief. The strange thing is she told me everything I was already thinking in the back of my mind, but I was hesitant about. I do need to see it with my own eyes, to know in my heart that she's doing the right thing. I doubt Shikamaru would ever have come up with a strategy like this.
Ino was actually sulking after her latest successful character assassination. "This isn't fun anymore. You two just suck the amusement right out of things." She looked from Temari to Shino. "You're too damn serious. I really miss having Chouji along; he appreciates my sense of humor." Not once did she mention that fact that her chakra had almost conked out on her and that was the real reason she was so miserable. They'd only managed to complete the assignment because Shino's bugs had managed to forcibly inject her with a small dose of his chakra to get her through it. She'd never realized that they could do that. And fortunately there had been no lasting effects from what they'd done…except for the vomiting afterwards, but that was just from her body being overstressed.
"The Hokage obviously believes he's better suited to the kind of missions she's been sending him out on for the last few months." Temari placed her hand on Ino's shoulder in a reassuring manner. "You just have to accept her opinion on these matters." She didn't want Ino's moodiness to get the better of her.
"You're the one who's wrong Temari." Surprisingly it was Shino who spoke.
The two women looked at him. He tended to be a man of few words, this made Temari wary.
"What do you mean?" Ino asked.
"I don't believe it was Hokage's choice." His expression was impossible to read behind his hood, collar and sunglasses. "It's possible that it could have been Chouji's decision. After all how would you feel if you were part of someone's life for that many years? You were dating them and suddenly someone else came between you? Worse yet, in short order they were engaged. Don't you think you would you distance yourself from the situation?"
Dammit he got straight to it. Temari tried not to glare at him. So much for all of Shika and my carefully avoiding the subject: we were hoping to get her used to the idea of new groupings before we shipped off to Suna.
"I …" Ino was staring at him, "It isn't like that, Chouji has always been my friend, probably the best friend I've ever had. When I tried to avoid him after the Chuunin Exams that Kankurou came out for, I found I couldn't. He wouldn't do that…he wouldn't without saying something, maybe not well…but something. He'd have found a way to tell me, I'm sure." She paused with an uncomfortable expression on her face as she gaped at Shino, I'm babbling again, I hate it when I do this. She took a deep breath to get it under control."Besides he still stops by to visit when he's not on missions."
"If you truly believe that, then maybe someone has arranged these missions for him without his knowledge." Shino's head turned to look directly at Temari.
Temari visibly flinched. He's too scary; his intensity resembles Gaara's. She felt a hint of the all too familiar ache as she thought of her vanished brother.
Ino looked at her too. "What does he mean by that?"
The older blonde bowed her head, "Shikamaru and I had a talk with the Hokage to see if she could give Chouji assignments that didn't involve you. Since you'll be gone in a few months we thought maybe it would be best for both of you if it started now. We could try him with other teams to see how he'd fit in." She sighed, "Since the character assassinations are considered light duty we figured anyone can substitute in as long as you're here."
"I don't get any say in the matter?" Ino was pouting again.
"I'm sure the Hokage would allow it if you asked," Temari frowned, "but don't you think that's kind of selfish considering."
Ino huffed, "Why do you think that?"
"You're engaged to my brother. Do you really think it's a good idea to string along someone you call your best friend who's also your ex-boyfriend?"
"We would hang out together," Ino protested, "Yes, we have fun when we're together," she leaned toward Temari and tried to change her tone, "I've shared some laughs with your husband too over the years…"
"Stop trying to bait me into changing the subject! You dated Chouji, you damn well know it. We all know it." Temari stared her down. "I know that's how he saw it. What is it about your brain that makes you shut him out when my brother shows up? Dammit Ino, he's out of sorts, that's why we've been trying so hard to keep him busy and away from you." She began to gesture. "The day you got engaged you were clinging onto him waving your ring in his face mewling out: 'Isn't it amazing? Kankurou picked it because it matches my eyes.' Chouji looked like he wanted to die." The woman's lip curled back in disgust, "You're cruel and you don't even realize it!"
Shino just sat there and nodded.
Ino opened her mouth as if to protest then shut it again and went back to sulking.
Temari looked at her feeling slightly guilty, but knowing that sooner or later this matter would have needed to have been addressed.
Kazekage had decided the night before that he'd have a more leisurely morning than he usually did with Yuugure and Mayonaka. He'd even dismissed Nanny Aya from his presence for the two hour time slot he'd gotten Haijun to wedge into his schedule. This breakfast was, in a way, a gift he was giving to himself.
He'd had the staff bring each of his sons' favorite dishes as well as some of his own. Mayonaka's mouth and fingers were already stained reddish from the strawberries; Those were one of his mother's favorite fruits as well. Kankurou felt a pang of remorse, I should have found a way to help her. It shouldn't have turned out like it did.
He gaze turned to Yuugure, who wore his features framed with a bristling mop of hair in the honeyed color of Shiori's. Even if we couldn't have stayed together there should have been a way… She should still be a part of their lives. The older boy dolloped whipped cream on a waffle with a happy smile. Again Kankurou was struck by the moment, It's good to see him smile, he seems so serious when I watch him lately. He's far too young for that, he needs to enjoy his childhood. So much of mine was taken away because my younger brother contained a monster. He watched as the boy picked up the waffle, licked off the topping and loaded it a second time before eating it.
Now all I have to do is prepare them for Ino's arrival.
As if on cue, one of the guards on duty appeared at the doorframe. In his hand was a message case of a very distinctive style. Kankurou gestured for the man to bring it to him, controlling his own urge to use his chakra whips to snatch it. "Thank you, Takeshi."
The man bowed his head then backed out of the room.
He released the seals and slid the message from the special case. He unrolled the tiny scroll and read the brief note within.
'Happy Birthday, my Beloved. Today in honor of your special day, I am going to dinner with Temari, Shikamaru and your nephews, so Ryokou can finally learn how close she came to sharing your birthday. I would say more about what I'd like to give you on this occasion, but I think your imagination is more than capable of making up for my lack of writing space. Anxiously waiting for the day when I can see you again.
Your Ino.'
Without realizing he'd done it he'd brought the paper to his lips to kiss it. Then he heard Mayonaka's giggle, which brought him abruptly back to reality. Even as he looked toward his younger son, the other turned to stare at him with curiosity.
Two days later in Konoha the Yamanaka family was holding a small evening gathering for Ryokou's seventh Birthday. The girl had been treated to a lunchtime party at her grandfather's favorite diner for with her friends from the Academy, so Ino took care of all the preparations for the small dinner gathering. She knew Ryokou and her cousins wouldn't eat very much of it so it featured a collection of items that were favorites of the rest of the guests, this included a lovely sushi tray that had been delivered by Hiroyuki's (one of her father's other favorite places, that was rapidly becoming one of Ryokou's as well).
Chouji had been a little nervous about coming to this gathering, but Ryokou had specifically reminded him of it a few days earlier. When he saw her smile he decided that he was going to give her the gift he'd bought for her back in February while he was away on the last of the 'Chiba' missions. The same mission that resulted in my absence just when Ino needed me most, he sighed inwardly. But before he could feel sorry for himself Ryokou's voice brought him back to the current situation.
"Uncle Chouji, I'm going to open your present now." The young brunette was holding the small sky blue gift bag that was covered with butterflies. She reached in to pull out the yellow tissue paper to reveal a small box.
"Oooh," Ino cooed, "it looks like a big girl present." She shot him a quick glance, to see if the swirled face would show her if her comment was on the mark.
Chouji suddenly felt he might have made a mistake by presenting this gift. It had been bought when his hopes for her being part of his family had run high. After a moment he knew his decision had been the right one: A birthday is a better occasion to give it, than as a going away present.
It was reaffirmed as both Ryokou and her grandmother both gave a gasp of surprise as the lid was flipped up. Within was a pair of earrings, small cabochons of carnelian set in silver, but the stones were both of fine quality with a radiant glow that seemed to beacon from within their depths.
Ino came closer to her daughter to inspect the gift. Her eyes flashed astonishment as well, then she recovered to say calmly, "Let me guess. You were going for her favorite color." It was obvious she was trying to make it sound lighthearted.
Chouji in turn forced out a chuckle, "You got me there." Maybe it is a little much for a seven-year-old. No matter how good she is about taking care of her things.
"Lovely," Yamanaka Misao regarded the box her granddaughter held, "I suppose it might… might…" she paused mid-thought, "I better get the tea." She abruptly hurried toward the kitchen. One hand rubbed at her eyes as she went.
"Mom," Ino suddenly called out after her, "you haven't seen what Ryokou's father sent for her."
Misao flinched ever so slightly yet she continued into the kitchen.
But Ryokou was suddenly very excited. "My Father sent something for my birthday?"
Ino beamed, "He did indeed." She went and pulled out a book-sized box wrapped in a metallic red paper tied with a golden colored ribbon. "I guess you might as well open it now. I think your Grandmother," she increased the volume of her voice, "will just have to see it after she gets done fussing with the tea."
They paused for just a moment as if to wait for a response, the Ino set the package in her daughter's hands.
Ryokou fussed with the wrappings in a delicate fashion. Carefully removing the paper and folding it on the table in front of her. She lifted the lid off the box within to find a piece of silk dyed in the burnt orange color she favored. "It's so soft," she spoke as she started to pick it up.
"Kanku-your Father," Ino corrected herself, "wants you to have a dress made with it that you can wear for special occasions when you get to Suna." There's also a pair of matching scarves you can wear in your hair." She tousled her daughter's ponytails as she said this.
"The earrings should go perfectly with it," Temari added, giving Chouji a smile.
The Akimichi suddenly felt a little better after the strange reaction his gift had received from Ino and Misao. But I think Temari very deliberately said that. She must have sensed my unease with this whole gathering. He returned her smile with a slight nod.
But the Fan Kunoichi's next words caused an abrupt change to his mood, "I suspect it would be an ideal look for Ryokou's presentation to the Suna council."
"Presentation?" He said it slowly, the word feeling gritty in his mouth like the sands of that allied village.
"Of course," Ino beamed, "you don't think Ryokou is going to just come into Suna and not be formally introduced to people. She is his first-born after all."
"Ino stop being a braggart." Inoichi's tone was surprisingly cold.
Two pairs of crystalline eyes sized up each other for a moment, before daughter's head dipped slightly silently surrendering this fight to the father.
"Who's ready for cake and tea?" Misao reappeared from the kitchen carrying a very large tray.
The three youngest members of the gathering let out an enthusiastic whoop.
Although he'd had plenty to eat at the party, Chouji felt strangely empty as he climbed the stairs to his apartment. His thoughts swirled around the realities he'd been reminded of today. Ryokou's life is going to change, and there's not much I can do about it. His hands opened the door pushing it aside. And Ino seems so proud of what she's done. He twisted toward the wall resting his head against it.
His mind remembered his final moments at the Yamanaka residence as he said his farewells:
-Ryokou had thanked him once last time for his gift, "They're perfect, like you."
He had crouched to her level to give her a hug, and she'd given him a quick peck on his cheek before saying goodnight.
-Misao too had hugged him goodbye, but while she did so it almost sounded like whispered something like, "It should have been you."
-Ino's thank you had been ordinary. He saw neither the warmth she usually gave to her friends nor the false charm she put out for other circumstances. It was so unlike her it left him more confused than either of the other farewells.
I can't figure you out. His fist clenched from his sudden frustration, What's going on in that beautiful head of yours? He felt the layer of wall buckle under the pressure of a punch. Shocked he straightened to regard the hole he left in his wall. My aunt's going to kill me…
A/N: Thanks for the Reviews on Chapter 33 to Awaii, Kakashibabe05 & pattie mayonnaise. I hope you forgive me my absence. I plan to be seriously back on track next chapter.
