Fearless

Chapter 9

Ino stood across before the golden cage, the seal repressing the powerful chakra contained inside of Naruto's body. She inhaled a breath, knowing the Kyuubi would sense her.

" Ah, how pleasant of you to visit child of the Yamanaka Clan," The Kyuubi's voice was a growl, yet Ino didn't flinch, her ice blue eyes narrowing to slits as she steeled herself for this confrontation. She needed to help Naruto, and hopefully, this would do just that.

" Will you release your hold on Naruto?" her voice was level, tone even as she watched the Great Fox Demon pace the length of his cage.

" I am merely protecting my Kit," the Kyuubi had snarled, his jaws snapping in Ino's direction. He was hoping to intimidate the girl just as he had done the others, knowing they would leave his kit and him from fear. Ino paused, processing just what the Fox Demon had said.

" You… What happened to set you off?" she finally questioned, curious to know. The Kyuubi growled, narrowing his ruby like eyes towards the small woman before his cage.

" Naruto was attacked yet again, by pathetic civilians. He refused to fight back and allowed them to beat him, just as he had always done. The Kit is too kind hearted for his own good," Kyuubi paused, shaking his head before he continued, " I had stepped in when they were about to end him. The Nara boy arrived just as I had filtered through his personality. It is his choice to remain this way," Kyuubi finished, watching the blonde Kunoichi before him. Ino breathed a sigh, closing her eyes as she thought over her options.

" Is there anyway for him to revert back?" she questioned, her voice quiet as she waited for an answer she wasn't sure would be forthcoming. Kyuubi rested his head atop his large paws, ruby red eyes observing the female ninja before him. He inhaled slightly, hoping to catch even the smallest sliver of fear. Yet he couldn't detect the emotion he had despised with a passion. He smelt anger, frustration, sadness, adoration, yet, no fear.

" The kit will revert back when he feels the safest. He is already partially there. Prove to him that you will protect him when he can not protect himself, and he will return," with that the Kyuubi forced the Yamanaka from his prison, silently wishing for her to save his vessel.

Ino shook her head physically, hoping to clear the fog that had settled in her mind. She was more frustrated then when she had begun, which was saying something.

" Any luck?" Shikamaru questioned from his spot beside her, his chocolate colored eyes trained on the blonde shinobi across from them. Ino breathed a sigh, thinking over her words carefully. She knew Shikamaru would be just as frustrated with the situation as she was, and in all honesty, there truly wasn't anything they could do to help.

" It's a bit complicated," Ino settled for, pushing herself to her feet before silently padding into the kitchen, her throat dry.

" Complicated? Ino it was complicated a week ago. This… Now it's just hopeless," Shikamaru muttered as he followed behind his blonde teammate, his anger seeping into his voice.

" I'm just as frustrated as you are Shikamaru, believe me, but don't ever say it's hopeless. Naruto is not, will not, could not ever be hopeless. And for you to even think such a thing disappoints me. This man saved out asses more times than either of us could count. I refuse, abso-fucking-lutely refuse to think helping him is hopeless," tears of frustration silently slid down Inos pale cheeks as she slammed her fist against the granite counter top of her kitchen.

Shikamaru watched with wide eyes as his usually level headed teammate lost her cool, her own temper flaring as she glared at him with glacier colored orbs. It had been a long time since he had seeing Ino with this much passion about anything besides the Interrogation and Torture Unit.

" Right. You're right Ino," he conceded, watching as her tense shouldrs slumped, the exhaustion finally reaching her eyes. Shikamaru had forgotten that she had been under everyone's gaze, pressured when it came to Naruto. The council wanted results she couldn't give. Sakura wanted her to stop, she wasn't fit to help, Tsunade just wanted answers, everyone kept analyzing her every move, telling her she wasn't good enough, she wasn't doing it right, that she was a failure. He had forgotten just what this meant to her.

" I'm sorry," he finally apologized, shaking his head as he stepped closer to her.

" Don't be. I'm just frustrated and taking it out on you," she commented, turning away from her childhood friend to glare at the glass she had been holding, finally realizing it had shattered in her grasp.

Ino couldn't feel the pain as the small slices bled, turning the palm of her hand red. The sight of the blood brought memories to Ino's mind, memories she didn't want to remember. Before she could scream, two arms had wrapped around her waist, pulling her towards a wam bare chest. She knew it wasn't Shikamaru, she knew it wasn't Sasuke. She felt as Naruto lightly kissed the top of her head, whispering soothing words in her ear. That was when she realized just what was happening. Naruto wasn't purring to calm her as he normally would. He wasn't growling at Shikamaru for being so close to her alone. He was whispering soothing words in her ear, and that told her everything she needed to know. He was back. He would no longer need her. She could report to Lady Tsunade that he had returned and could be placed on active duty whenever she saw fit. It meant she would be sleeping alone once more, left to her nightmares, knowing Naruto would return to Sakura and Sasuke, to Sai and Kakashi.

Atleast she would return to active duty as well. Interrogation and Torture had been her calling, an area she thrived in, and she would throw herself back into her work. Slowly she pulled herself away from Naruto's warm chest, forcing a smile to her lips as all thoughts of a blood soaked battle field left her mind.

" Welcome back, Naruto," she spoke, knowing Shikamaru would understand, knowing Sakura would rush to tell Sasuke who was in her training room, waiting for Naruto to return. He offered her a smile of his own, moving one arm to scratch the back of his head. He chuckled lightly, grinning crookedly at Ino.

" Thanks," he commented, dropping his other arm as Ino stepped out of his embrace.

A/N: That's it for this chapter. I'm thinking only two more to go before I call it quits. I love feed back people, tell me what you think