Fearless

Chapter 3

Blood. That was all Ino could see. It surrounded her, coated her own flesh. Everything she tried couldn't remove the metallic tang that hung heavily in the air. Yet the worse of it all, she was covered in the blood of her own father, that man that was suppose to live forever. Silent tears slid down her cheeks as the scalding water of the shower washed over her body, turning her ivory skin pink. Her father was invincible, he was the one constant in her life she never failed. He always saw her as his shining star. She fell to her knees in the shower stall, a sob escaping her lips.

" You know, Inoichi wouldn't want you to mourn his death," the usually boisterous voice was more somber, the owner feeling the young woman to be in a delicate mind set. A sniffle met his ears as the water from the shower head continued to pour.

" I wasn't exactly close with your father Ino, but he was protecting you. He wouldn't want you to mourn his death for protecting his child. Whenever I accompanied him on missions, you were all he would talk about," Naruto paused, listening carefully for any sign that his fellow blonde was still crying. All he could hear was the shower.

" You were his world, he would boast how you were always quick to teach. So, please, don't cry. You should celebrate his life rather than mourn his death. He accomplished so much, plus he had you," with those final words, Naruto turned on his heel and left the bathing room, knowing Ino would need to gather her thoughts. Ino sat under the shower spray, thinking over the words Naruto had said to her. She couldn't help the ghost of a smile that danced on her lips. Even if she felt like total shit for failing to save her father, he knew just what to say to brighten anybody up. With shaky legs, Ino pushed herself to stand, shutting off the water as she slid the curtain from its place. Carefully she picked her way to her weapon's pouch, pulling out one knuckle knife her former sensei had left to her. She closed her eyes as she slide the blade across the palm of her hand, allowing a few drops to fall into the sink.

That night she had made a silent vow, a promise to her former sensei as well as her father. She wouldn't be a failure much longer. Once Naruto won the war, and she knew he would because this is Naruto and he just didn't lose, she would become the best kunoichi the Yamanaka clan had ever seen.

Ino sat upright, her slender body shaking as images from that night replayed in her mind. She closed her ice blue eyes for a moment, attempting to even her breathing before she pushed the twisted sheets from her body and swung her long legs over the edge of her futon mattress. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep, she already knew she wouldn't be able to. With a resigned sigh, Ino pushed to her feet, shivering slightly from the chill that hung in the air from the October month. Sluggishly she raked her slender fingers through her knotted her, grumbling curses as the digits caught on a few. She hadn't expected Naruto to still be awake when she entered the living room, yet there he sat on the low black leather sofa her grandfather had bought for her when she had moved out on her eighteenth birthday, a year after the war had ended. She paused her steps, taking in his appearance for a moment. Even in the faint light of the waxing moon, he looked beautiful to her.

His golden spikes were wild and just kissed the tops of his brows, the ends covering the nape of his neck. In the faint light, his bronzed skin appeared to glow, covered by a thin simple white shirt. His board shoulders forced the fabric to strain, as did the muscles that outlined his body. Even sitting, Ino could feel the power that just seemed to roll from his body. A weaker shinobi would have cowered, however, Ino wasn't weak. She took a step further into the room, watching the blonde male's body language. She watched the faint twitch of his nose, a small turn of his head to see out of his peripheral vision as to who entered.

Ino wasn't nervous when faced with Naruto's sapphire colored eyes. She didn't show fear, Ibiki had broken that concept from her the first week she had been under his tutelage.

" Fear is a sign of weakness. Are you weak Yamanaka?" Ibiki had practically snarled the words in her face, wanting to know just how determined this young kunoichi truly was.

" No, Sensei, I am not," she had spoken, yet Ibiki still heard the slight waver in her voice.

" If your enemy, your prisoner, sense you are nervous, hold any kind of fear in your mind, they will twist it until they are the predator and you are their prey. If you can not rid yourself of your fear, this is not the place you need to be," he pivoted on his heel, turning away from the young girl who stood in his office.

" I'm not going to leave Morino- Sensei. I made a promise, and I intend to keep it," Ino shouted after him, never seeing the smirk that graced his lis before he schooled his features and turned towards her once more.

Slowly she counted her steps, carefully watching Naruto to see if he would react negatively towards her being in his space. As far as she could tell, she was the only one who truly tolerated, and for that she was actually kind of glad.

" Mind if I sit with you?" She knew he didn't fully understand what she was saying, yet she knew he understood the concept, like an animal you were training. Ino shivered at the thought.

" Naruto isn't an animal, and if he was, he wasn't one anyone would be able to tame, he wasn't one anyone would want to tame. This wildness about him, that's what makes him unique, it gives him this ethereal beauty no one would want to taint." Ino shook the thought from her mind as she slid onto one of the cushions, leaving enough space between her and Naruto. She leaned back against the cushions, allowing her head to roll as her ice colored eyes drifted shut. She was only meaning to allow her body to relax, she hadn't expected to drift to sleep in that position.

" Naruto, what are you doing!" Sakura's loud screeched jolted Ino from her peaceful nap, the first time her sleep hadn't been plagued by nightmares. Groggily she opened her eyes to glare are her former rival, seeing three people in the space of her living room. However, the three pairs of eyes weren't set on her, rather the pillow she had been sleeping on. Ino glanced down towards her hip when she felt slight pressure. Finally she looked up, realizing the position she was in. She only slept in a small plain shirt that barely reached her mid section and a pair of lacy panties, those had always been her sleep close. They were the close she were in her apartment on her days off. What had startled her uninvited guest was the fact that her head had been resting on Naruto's lap, his hand resting on her hip. That was when she heard the low growl coming from his throat.

Slowly Ino sat upright, moving closer to Naruto. She didn't push his hand from her hip, allowing him the feel of skin to skin contact before she attempted to soothe him.

" Hey, it's okay. They aren't a threat. You don't need to worry," Naruto carefully looked between Ino and the three intruders. He wasn't fond of the two males entering his den, nor the pink haired female who seemed to glare at the woman beside him.

" Don't worry, they aren't going to hurt you?" Hurt him? He wasn't afraid of them hurting him, he was worried about what they may do to her. He watched as the blonde woman faced their vistors, addressing the one with a pineapple shaped head.

" Did you need something Shikamaru?" Ino questioned, watching as Shikamaru lazily scratched the back of his head, muttering 'troublesome' under his breath.

" Haruno and Uchiha wanted to check on their teammate. They believe the Lady Hokage made a mistake when she appointed you to help him," Shikamaru commented, frowning slightly as Sakura pushed forward.

" You're just taking advantage of him," she accused the blonde kunoichi. Ino only rolled her eyes, pulling away from Naruto slightly to stretch her cramped body. Her back arched as her spine realigned itself, her shirt riding up her rib cage further to reveal more of her skin. Shikamaru looked away, watching as Naruto's eyes were drawn to his teammate and childhood friend's stomach.

" First off, I didn't take advantage of any one Sakura. Naruto was having a bout of insomnia. I couldn't sleep either. He was sitting on the couch and I sat at the other end. I must have fallen asleep and that's when you guys came in. By the way, if this is how you're going to use my key Shikamaru, give it back. I'll give it to Choji seeing as he doesn't bother me," Ino stated, watching her childhood friend look away.

" It's not my fault they cornered me. Next time I'll stay asleep rather than wake up early," Shikamaru defended himself, rather proud Ino had trusted him enough to give him her spare key. Ino only shook her head before pushing to her feet. She took a step away from the sofa before her wrist was caught in a vice like grip and she was tugged into Naruto's lap. Sakura screeched at the scene while Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Ino forced her muscles to relax before they had a chance to tense, allowing Naruto to nuzzle his nose into the crook of her neck.

" I think he sees you as his mate, Ino," Shikamaru commented his observation lazily, glancing towards Ino's wall of a window. Ino furrowed her brow in confusion, silently asking for him to explain while both Sasuke and Sakura verbally expressed it.

" Think about it. The only other female he had come into contact with after this, transformation I suppose, was the Lady Hokage. If he's thinking in a fashion similar to an animal, he would sense her to be to old. You were the second female he came across. You didn't shy away from him, you didn't show any fear, in fact it was almost as if you were challenging him for dominance. He might have found that trait to be attractive and this may be the courting stage," Shikamaur finished, watching Ino nod slowly in understanding as the rosette and former Avenger looked confused.

" Are you insane? Wouldn't he want the strongest female?" Sakura growled, which caused Shikamaru to sigh as he slid his hand into his pocket, searching for his pack of cigarettes.

" The fact that Ino isn't afraid of him is a sign of strength. Everyone else he has come across has feared him because they don't know what to expect. Hell, when I first found him I was afraid. Lady Hokage had been frightened as well, she didn't know what was happening. Because of Ino's training, she knows how to squash that fear before it can bloom. When Naruto pulled her into his lap, didn't you see her eyes before her body reached his? That slight flash, her eyes darkening for a millisecond, is her controlling her body's natural reaction to tense and forcing her body to remain slack," Ino was surprised her teammate had even noticed that. Shikamaru could only shrug as he pulled a cigarette from his pack, silently asking Ino for permission to smoke in her apartment.

Ino had decided because he was defending her, she would grant him this one request. With a slight nod of her head, he pulled Asuma's lighter from the front pocket of his black cargo pants, flicking it until the tip of his cigarette burned orange. Sakura scrunched up her nose in disgust, glaring at the shadow manipulator.

" You are aware that those things can kill you, and they also stink?" She questioned, watching the lazy shinobi inhale before blowing the smoke in her face and smirking at her couching fit.

" Yeah, I know. But I don't really care," he stated, watching Ino sitting with Naruto. He could only smile slightly at the sight. This was the first time, in a long time his friend had looked truly content, relaxed as if she didn't have a care in the world.

" I'll escort these two out. Why don't you and Naruto try to get some more sleep. You certainly have your mission cut out for you Ino," Shikamaru stated, watching his friend nod lazily before grabbing both Sakura and Sasuke's wrist and pulling them behind him out of the apartment.

Ino glanced at Naruto from under her lashes, noting he was already asleep, before allowing herself to drift off as well, no longer plagued by nightmares for the first time in a long time.

A/N: I would like to thank a guest reviewer for telling me that Ino's father had died. I went back to the first chapter and corrected my mistaken. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, let me know what you think. I love feed back.