Fearless

Chapter 6

" You can't save everyone, Ino. You're being foolish for even trying. Especially with Naruto. You shouldn't waste your talent on him," Sakura's words rang through Ino's ears as she stood before her window, her thoughts in a turmoil over what her rosette haired friend had said. Her eyes were unstaring as she watched the setting sun, her slender arms crossed under her chest as she fought the chill that seemed to creep into her body. It might had been due to the fact that she only wore a lacy tank top and her favorite pair of lace trimmed violet boy cut shorts. Her platinum strands hung loosely over one shoulder, scars from battles on display. She wasn't ashamed of the scars that decorated her back, she didn't shy away when someone would comment on the spidery like markings. They were hers, her mistakes, her badges of courage, hers.

Ino breathed a sigh, shaking her head physically in hopes of clearing her mind. The action failed, forcing Ino's glacier colored irises to shut.

" Mate's bothered?" Naruto's gravelly voice flittered past her ear drums, returning her mind to the present. She glanced over her shoulder, ice meeting sapphire for a moment before she turned her body completely.

" I'm just thinking, Naruto," she soothed, her voice sounding husky. Naruto nodded his head as he moved closer to the woman he had chosen, wrapping his large arms around her slender frame to stop her shivering.

" Mate's cold," he stated, lowering his head to nuzzle the crook of her neck. Ino inhaled his scent, resting her forehead against his broad shoulder.

" Mate likes the cold. It helps her think," Ino explained, a ghost of a smile curving her lips as Naruto's grip tightened around her slender waist. He shook his head, pulling away from her fractionally.

" Mate shouldn't be cold," his growl was more of a command, which Ino just rolled her eyes to.

" Of course," she agreed, relaxing in his grasp for a moment more before exhaling yet another sigh as a knock on her door resounded through the silent apartment. With a muttered curse, Ino pulled out of Naruto's embrace. However, he refused to allow the contact of skin be broken as he grasped her delicate wrist bone, his long fingers wrapping around it as he followed behind the blonde kunoichi.

Ino recognized the chakra signature on the other side of the door before she even reached the wooden piece. With a groan, she opened it. Her ice blue eyes met similar corn flower blue ones, the disapproving gaze of her Grandfather looking over her once.

" Ino," he greeted curtly, his eyes traveling to the boy behind her, his eyes dropping to the grip he had upon her wrist.

" Grandfather," Ino greeted the man formally, bowing her head in respect to her Clan elder. Her Grandfather rarely left the Yamanaka compound, telling her his visit was something to heed.

" Did you need something?" she questioned as she watched him carefully, inching closer to Naruto, her stance almost protective.

' Ah, Inoichi, it seems your little Princess has finally found someone worth protecting,' he thought, yet his features remained impassive.

" Yes, I did, actually. On your father's death, I had been acting as Clan head until a new one could be decided upon. See as you are Inoichi's eldest child, as well as his only, the Clan Council had thought of you. However, in the past you had displayed characteristics that were not befitting a Clan head. I've seen the growth you have achieved Ino, and I must admire your dedication to improve. I am naming you Clan Head after the Kyuubi Festival this weekend," her grandfather stated, watching her face with care.

The emotions upon Ino's face drained, a stoic mask sliding to hide them as she listened to her Grandfather's words. Slowly her brows began to knit together as a frown pulled on her lips.

" I… Thank you Grandfather," Ino began, watching for any sign of disapproval upon his face before continuing.

" However, I must decline. To become the Clan's head means I would be forced to give up my position in Anbu. I refuse to do that. I worked hard to reach the spot I'm at, I worked hard to make my father and Asuma- sensei proud of me. I can't be the Clan Head," she finished, watching as her grandfather's lips twitched upwards into a smile before he nodded.

" I understand. Your father was the same way. You possess his stubborn will, I'm proud to see it shine through you," he stated before turning to leave. Ino smiled softly at his retreating back, before turning to enter her apartment once more. She closed the door behind her, glancing at the curious expression on Naruto's face.

" What?" she questioned him, watching as he slowly moved closer to her, their chests touching with each inhale.

" Why did you not go with him Mate?' Naruto spoke, choosing his words with care. Ino shrugged her shoulders as she leaned back against the solidness of her door.

" When I was younger, I thought that was what I had wanted, to be like my father and lead our Clan. In a way, I still crave that. However, I enjoy interrogation and torture much more. It keeps my mind active, it allows me a freedom I would never receive as the Clan's Head," she explained, her eyes closed as he body relaxed against the cool wood of the door. Her eyes opened to see Naruto standing much closer than she had anticipated, nodding as he registered her words.

" Mate craves freedom?" He lowered his forehead to rest against hers, his eyes darting from her own to lips. His fists held most of his weight as his arms rested on either side of her head, caging her between the door and his body.

" Yes, I crave freedom," her words were barely above a whisper, yet he heard her. His sapphire eyes shut as his lips pulled down into a frown.

" Naruto, I enjoy spending the day in here with you. Don't worry," Ino soothed, lifting her idle hands from her sides to rest atop his shoulders. Her right arm wrapped around his neck, her slender fingers easily sliding through the long strands that covered the nape of his neck. A noise built in Naruto's chest, one she hadn't heard before. It took her a moment to realize he was purring.

He was enjoying her ministrations so much, he was actually purring from her touch. Ino couldn't stop her lips as one side stretched into a wide crooked half smile at her new found information.

' Sakura is wrong. I'm not foolish for wanting to save him. If anyone needs to be saved, it's Naruto. He's the sun that helps the village survive. He's the blood that gives life to the village. Without him, we would surely perish, diminish into nothing.' Ino thought as she leaned her body towards Naruto, pressing her lips against his own for a brief moment before pulling back. She watched him from under her eye lashes, chewing her bottom lip between her blunt teeth as she watched Naruto analyze just what happened.

She chuckled as he pulled her body closer to his own, his lips pressing against hers with much more force. Her body easily melted against Naruto's, and it was than she realized, this wasn't the same Naruto she had attended the academy with. This boy had grown into a man, a shinobi worth bragging about. He was kind, loyal, compassionate, determined. He wasn't some failure, as Sasuke had once called him. He was the sun, and the earth needed the sun in order to live. Ino was content as long as that was her.

A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter. The next one should have a bit more action. I know, this one is slow. Tell me what you think, I love feedback