Fearless

Chapter 5

Ino stood before the training dummy of her spare room, her fist repeatedly making contact with the wood as her thoughts raced through her mind. She twisted her body, extending her leg and connecting a kick harshly to the wooden training piece before taking a step back. Her anger had faded, however she still felt frustrated. She had been visited again today, this time by Sakura, Shikamaru, and Sai. She understood their concern for their teammate, yet they were making her duty increasingly more difficult than it truly needed to be. She straightened her body for a moment before pushing loose strands from her sweaty cheeks and slowly falling into her familiar fighting style before a low whine forced her to stop. Ino glanced over her shoulder to see Naruto standing in the door way. His brows were drawn in confusion as he slowly entered the spare room and made his way to her side.

" What's wrong?" Ino questioned, still attempting to catch her breath as Naruto stood beside her. He lowered his head to nuzzle the crook of her neck before his strong fingers wrapped around her delicate wrist. She watched, mesmerized, as Naruto drew her knuckles closer to his face for inspection, before lightly licking the split skin, healing the barely noticeable wound.

" His way of looking after his mate," the stoic voice that belonged to the former Avenger jolted Ino from her trance, causing her to glance over Naruto's shoulder as he took a slightly protective stance beside her.

" Did you need something Uchiha?" Ino's voice held a slight chill, her childhood affections of the brooding shinobi long since past.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders as he walked further into the training area, eyes carefully calculating something. The muscles in Ino's body tensed as she unconsciously stepped closer to Naruto's side, uneasy when it came to the slightly psychotic Uchiha.

" I wanted to test a theory, hoping to speed along Naruto's recovery," he spat the word, glaring at the blonde shinobi before moving. Ino had forgotten just how fast Uchiha Sasuke truly was. One moment he was standing a few feet away from them, the next, he had his hand wrapped tightly around her throat, slowly squeezing the life from her slight body. Ino forced her mind to relax, to slow as she thought over what she did know of the Uchiha. However, she didn't need to think for long as she was quickly released from his grasp, dropping to the ground. She looked in shock at the scene before her.

" If I catch your filthy hands on my Mate again, Snake, I'll rip out your fucking throat," Naruto's voice sounded animalistic to Ino's ears, sending a small shiver down her back as she slowly pushed herself to her feet.

Sasuke narrowed his onyx black eyes towards the man he called his best friend, his own hand gripping the blonde's, applying pressure as he began to struggle for breath. They were having a silent battle, one Ino had witnessed countless times, one she had participated in countless times. She knew Naruto would win, his will was just stronger, and she watched as her predication rang true as Uchiha Sasuke dropped his gaze to the floor, his hand falling to his side before Naruto released his grip. Carefully, Ino picked her way towards Naruto's side, placing her small hand gently on his board shoulder and forcing him to look towards her.

" Are you alright Naruto?" Ino's voice was low, even as Naruto looked at her through his sapphire eyes before nodding his head slowly. He turned his body completely to face his mate, glancing over her form to be sure the Uchiha hadn't done anything to truly harm her.

" I'm fine Mate," Naruto answered, the left corner of his lips curving slightly. Ino nodded, glancing towards the Uchiha for a moment, before she realized what he had done.

" You knew something of this effect would happen," It wasn't a question, Ino was wiser than she looked. No never questioned an Uchiha, they always had a reason behind every action.

Sasuke merely grunted as he straightened out his clothing before glancing at his childhood best friend, his brother.

" I was there the first time this had happened to him. I know what helps for the most part," Sasuke stated with a shrug, before pushing away from the wall and leaving the two alone. Ino could only shake her head, turning back to her training dummy before a strong arm wrapped around her waist. Her bare back hit an equally exposed chest, his body heat warming her slightly cooler one.

" Mate's trained enough for the day," Naruto stated as he nuzzled his nose into her hair. Ino chuckled, shaking her head as her tired muscles relaxed in the blonde shin obi's embrace.

" No I haven't Naruto. I still need to do two hundred kicks before I can stop," She felt Naruto's growl of annoyance before he turned her to face him.

" Mate's tired, I'm tired, let's go sleep," Naruto stated, watching as his mate shook her head.

" No Naruto. Let me train a bit more," Naruto was slowly losing his patience with his woman, his growl building in the back of his throat.

" No, Mate needs to rest," Ino quirked a delicate eyebrow, pressing her tongue against her cheek as she fought to grasp for her own patience as well.

" Naruto," she warned him, only for her warning to fall onto deaf ears.

Before Ino could register just what was happening, Naruto hoisted her over his shoulder, carrying her from the training room. Ino began to squirm in his hold, frustrated with his behavior.

" Naruto, put me down," she emphasized the end of her command with a hard hit to his shoulder blade. Naruto only grunted, continuing to carry her towards her bed room. He dropped her onto her mattress, watching as she bounced for a moment, before crawling on top of her and falling to his side. He wrapped his arms around her slender frame, tugging her closer, nuzzling his nose against the crook of her neck. Ino was frustrated, unaccustomed to anyone acting this way around her. She knew his mind set was delicate, thus she couldn't exactly fight with him, however she still needed to train. She paused for a moment, her muscles tensing fractionally as she felt something wet slide against the column of her throat.

" He bruised you," Ino didn't understand what he meant at first, before recalling what Sasuke had done just to anger the Namikaze Heir.

" I'll be fine, don't worry," Ino brushed it off lightly, glancing down to see Naruto's saddened facial features.

" Mate's bruised," Naruto spoke softly, sounding almost defeated. Ino shook her head, scooting her body down the mattress until they were face to face.

" Naruto, I'm fine. You defended me, you protected me. You're a great mate," Ino informed him, watching his watery gaze meet her own forceful stare.

" But Mate's bruised,"

" For my own fault. I wasn't paying attention when I should have. You reacted faster than I did, you are a great mate Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto," Ino pushed, watching as he nodded slowly.

" Now, be a better mate, take a nap with me," Ino gave in trying to train. Forcing her body to relax was easier than it should have been, especially with Naruto's arms wrapped around her body, his bare chest keeping her warmer than any quilt possibly could have. A blissful sigh escaped her lips before that dark void claimed her once again.

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. It was really cute to write, I enjoyed it a lot. Let me know what you guys think of it.