The Opening Move

A/N: Please don't skip the notes after the chapter, some warnings have been posted there for what's to be expected in this Second Part.

It was a surprisingly warm night despite autumn's usual colder setting, but the foliage had yet to change entirely. Few leaves were succumbing to the habitual collapse of the season, their green color persisted, holding onto whatever life remained. It wasn't unforeseen, Konoha was an obstinate master and, naturally, everything composing it will share its disposition.

Shikamaru breathed and played with the bottle grasped in between three of his fingers, the liquid inside danced and filled his silence, he glanced up –a few stars picked through darkness, and took a sip. Not for the first time, he wished for the guests to leave, but few were the times when everyone had an excuse to drink, and his generation was eager to blame alcohol for their missteps.

Inside, something crashed, the sound of glass breaking reached his ears and he grunted in displeasure but didn't move, someone was complaining –either Kiba or Sakura, he wasn't able to differentiate between the two when the music was so loud and they were far enough. Chöji appeared in front of the window and tapped the glass to get his attention, he pointed somewhere –the kitchen, shrugged, and moved out of view, presumably to take care of whatever situation that was currently happening.

The party –party? He was throwing parties now? hadn't been his idea, he had wanted to do nothing of the sort, but Chöji insisted, claiming that he needed the distraction, and Shikamaru was weak when it came to his best friend's pleading. Such a stupid thing, he thought, to have all these people around when he didn't care much for them, not enough at least to dedicate them any proper thought. They were his friends, Chöji liked to remind him, and Shikamaru supposed that he could be surrounded by worse people, so there was that.

He took another sip and sighed, pressing his back harder on the railing. No one had followed him when he stepped out of the house and into the veranda, because –obviously, he was just an excuse to get drunk. He wasn't funny, nor was he charismatic enough to provide a good conversation, so people came into his house, gave him a congratulatory salute out of politeness, and bolted away in the looks of someone actually amusing to be with. Shikamaru didn't mind, and if there was anything he could actually rescue this evening, it was drinking alone in the veranda. He wasn't sure exactly what he was drinking, but it had alcohol in it, so that counted.

She landed softly, a small thud when her sandals touched the railing, he felt it vibrate against his ribs, back, and elbows. He hadn't heard her, the music was muffled by the glass and inside conversations, but it still covered low noises –she had moved slowly, soft, probably wanting to sneak up on him, she usually couldn't but the alcohol had ruined his reflexes.

They didn't speak, she sat on the railing in complete silence while he refused to look at her, he took a deep breath through his nose and perceived her fragrance. She used to smell of nothing but flowers, now –under the usual scent of blossoms, there was the smallest hint of antiseptic, it made him wrinkle his nose. When she finally settled, legs dangling and one of her sandals almost touching his thigh, he looked inside the room again; no one seemed to notice the newcomer, they were just too engrossed in their banters.

He wondered if Chöji would come back and tap the glass again only to see her sitting next to him, what he would say to her in order to start a conversation. Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows, opened his mouth, and took another sip of the bottle.

"That's awful for you," she said, sounding more bored than concerned for his health, he was thankful that she decided to spare him and was the first one to speak. "It can't taste good either."

Shikamaru shrugged, "I don't have the best of tastes," he said and smirked to himself. The joke was lost on her –because of course it was, but he still felt pride by the jab at her expense.

"Thank Spirits Temari isn't here then," she retorted and Shikamaru stiffened, suddenly feeling guilty –pain climbed up his thigh and when he looked down he saw her foot digging painfully against his muscle, staining his pants with dust. "Let me take a sip."

He was thankful for the distraction and was quick to move away from her reach, but not far enough for her to take the distance as an invitation to leave, "go get your own." He took another sip of the bottle, trying to get his point across, and –perhaps because the alcohol had crumbled his logic, decided to tease himself by finally meeting her eyes.

She wasn't different, not in the way that mattered, her hair was still up in a ponytail and she still wore purple attire, turquoise eyes against pale complexion, blond locks touching her shoulder, and yet, he couldn't help but get destroyed all over again. "Not really feeling like it." She mumbled, tilting her head to the side.

"Sakura is here," he blurted, playing with the label of the bottle and slowly peeling it off, he blushed in shame at the chosen topic.

"I know," Ino replied, glancing at the interior of the house, "I sensed her."

He hummed, he often forgot about Ino's abilities as a sensor –he blamed his lapsus on the alcohol as to not assume his misstep –he wasn't much different from his friends. "How long has it been?" He wondered, watching her.

"With her or you and me?" Ino asked immediately and Shikamaru licked his lips and averted his eyes. He took another sip of the bottle and swallowed the liquid –this time, it found resistance: his throat had closed. "I haven't spoken to her in months," she sighed, her shoulders slumping, "get to see her from time to time in the hospital tho, but I don't go there as much as I used to."

"Your mentor was promoted wasn't he?"

"Eiji?" Ino's expression softened, Shikamaru felt a pang of jealousy and he gritted his teeth, he was better than that –fuck, "yeah. I still see him around the compound, we still practice sometimes, he doesn't want me to get rusty."

"You're the field medic on practically every unit they put you on, difficult to get rusty with that kind of experience."

Ino hummed, almost in the exact same manner he did before (like mocking him), moving her head once more and looking at the sky, she seemed distracted. "I heard they're promoting you."

"Yeah?" He asked, faking ignorance, "they must be desperate then."

"Figures they'll give you the jönin title before everyone else," she shrugged, ignoring his contribution, "well, except for Neji, but he isn't normal."

"Bold of you to assume any of us enters into the normal category." He tried to joke, but Ino didn't laugh, she was still looking up, he followed her gaze and found nothing but darkness, "how was the ceremony?"

She was silent for a moment, the muffled music of the house resounding against the glass, "it was fine." Was her response. The ceremony he was referring to wasn't a funeral, exactly, there had been not a body to burn, there never was when people went away on a mission and never returned.

Most clans had hidden techniques to destroy their most precious secrets, and often shinobi killed themselves to prevent information from being leaked. It had been the third person from Ino's clan to disappear in less than a year, it wasn't uncommon, he himself had to attend at least one from his clan this year alone, but it was exhausting. Mourning periods were usually short, but Ino needed to be available for those seeking comfort or guidance –a political strategy that was clearly Inoichi's doing, and when pairing it up with her other duties she was bound to collapse under the pressure.

She hadn't changed much after her initial morphing: Ino never returned to the person she used to be before the calamity that shook the realm, and he wondered sometimes where their relationship would be had she not lost herself three years ago. "I thought you weren't coming." He whispered, the bottle was empty now, and he frowned when no liquid came out when he brought it to his lips.

"I didn't want to," Ino had always been honest but, when it came to him, she didn't mind being also bold –almost embracing cruelty, they had never been amicable, but after years of forced ties there was a they in existence, it was the best they could achieve. He was closer to her than most of the people that were inside his house right now, Shikamaru liked to think that it meant something.

"Then why?" He asked, leaving the empty bottle in the ground.

"I don't know." She looked down, her legs danced back and forth.

Shikamaru sighed and scratched his chin, there wasn't much to say anymore, he didn't want to push the subject. The reason why she came wasn't as important as her actually being here. He didn't want her presence to matter and he was able to push most of the anxiety down out of sheer pride, but he was still grateful for every minute her presence lingered.

They haven't been able to talk in almost a month, and even back then they limited themselves to mission conversation only. Their teamwork was good enough not to kill each other or compromise the mission –Asuma hadn't been forced to scold them about it in months, which was a great improvement; and after their experience in the chünin exams, they learned about the outcomes their attitudes could bring.

But now Tsunade was toying with the idea of a new promotion for him, which will definitely turn him into the official leader of their formation, and he knew that despite Ino's seemingly uninterested attitude, she was resentful not to be recognized in the same manner.

They still saw each other often because of clan affairs, but they still tottered around their presence and topics of conversation, not sure how to engage properly; thank Spirits for Chöji, who was able to bring them both together enough to talk without the awkwardness that now they were experiencing.

"Asuma is taking you on a mission, isn't he?" She asked, changing the subject completely and returning to the previous one, she cocked her head to the side and glanced at him, her ponytail fell from her shoulder and was cascading freely down, almost touching her knees.

"Yes," he replied, perfectly aware of what she was doing and what she was looking for. He decided to endure it should she try searching for deeper answers, but he wasn't about to give her everything on a silver platter.

"You've been going on a lot of missions with him recently," she added, not concealing the accusation in her voice, "is that his not-so-subtle way of proposing you for the promotion?"

Ah, there it was, "probably," there was no reason to lie to her, and despite being able to endure each other, they still liked to push their buttons, it was a pleasure he couldn't quite get rid of, "he's probably testing me as well, you know how it is."

"No," Ino narrowed her eyes, "no I don't, how could I?"

"You'll know soon enough."

"If ever." She mumbled, waving her hand as to dismiss the matter –even if he knew better: she was obsessed with it. "It's almost midnight." She sighed, glancing up again.

"Is it?" He said, watching her, noticing the way her muscles tensed as if preparing to jump down, he felt a pang of jealousy –she was able to leave while he couldn't.

"Happy birthday, Shikamaru," she said, standing in the railing once more, the metal rumbled when she moved, making a dull sound.

He walked towards her and grabbed her ankle, stopping her from leaving. She raised an eyebrow but didn't kick him away –which was the best example of how much their relationship improved. He swallowed and waited just a little bit more before saying, "happy birthday, Ino."

Ino blinked, seemingly surprised that he had forced her to stay just to be able to say that, but was quick to recover and press a small smirk on her features. Shikamaru released her then, and she jumped down, the music covering the sound of her landing.

"I don't see how this is fair." She was narrowing her eyes but little could her expression do when the intended receptor wasn't looking up from her stack of papers.

The mighty leader sighed and brought her hand to her forehead, slightly pinching the skin there, a pen hanging from her intermediate phalanges, she still didn't look up when she spoke, "discuss it with your dad, he's the clan head isn't he?"

"He won't let me go," she affirmed, sure of her words –almost imagining Inoichi's reaction when she handled the scroll to him, "in which case…" she paused, swallowed, the silence made Tsunade look up finally, her green eyes piercing, "you can overrule him, can you?"

It was the Hokage's turn to narrow her eyes, Tsunade straightened her back and left the pen on the desk, crossing her arms under her bosom, "let me get this straight-" she said, "you want me to overrule a clan head's decision regarding one of his underlings –and everything that it implies politically for me and the rest of the clan leaders, just for you to go on a mission?"

Ino swallowed and blushed slightly, shame twisting her stomach when confronted with Tsunade's harsh gaze, "they asked for me."

"Inoichi Yamanaka possesses the power to order you to stay as long as he replaces you with someone with at least your same level of skill or rank," she eyed her up and down, "in your case, that's not particularly difficult to achieve."

Ino gritted her teeth, "Tsunade-sama,"

"I'm not trying to offend you," she said, reclining in her chair, sun-light poured in the office through the window, "you need to learn your position in both your clan and in Konoha's ranks. As a shinobi you're replaceable, Ino –everyone is, as a daughter and future clan leader… not so much."

Ino's hands became fists and her nails dug into her palms, red marks awakening against the pressure, "I won't be able to grow as a ninja if I am not allowed to complete missions like this one!"

"Oh –chill," Tsunade rolled her eyes and waved a hand dismissively, "it's a standard mission for people of your clan, nothing that big." She shrugged, and Ino couldn't help the grunt that escaped her lips. "You want to go? Put on your big-girl pants and confront him, he might surprise you."

"He-"

"I honestly don't care," Tsunade's voice became harsh, "I entertained you long enough." She sighed, resting her elbows on the desk, face pressed against her palms. "Listen, I like you Ino –I do, but that doesn't mean you're above the rest of your peers. You're a part of a clan, and as such, you're under both Konoha and Yamanaka rules. I won't step in for you."

Ino listened at her leader's words and replied nothing, she glanced at the window behind Tsunade and was greeted with a view of the sky, a bird flew from one corner of the glass to the other, and Ino was brought back to the present when Tsunade tapped the pen against one of the papers.

"Is there anything else?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, her eyes returning to the papers she was previously reading.

Ino considered for a moment whether to ask or not, but her curiosity overcame her shyness, "they asked for me specifically, right? I was told that-"

"Not to burst your bubble," Tsunade interrupted her once more, Ino hated to be cut off mid-sentence, but she wasn't stupid enough to show her displeasure to her superior, "but the request is for, and I quote," she said, grabbing the scroll she had previously left at the corner of the table for Ino to grab, prodding it open with her nails. "The Yamanaka clan member of the renowned Team ten." She read and closed the scroll with a bored expression.

Ino's mouth twisted, "oh…"

"Sorry kid." Tsunade stretched her hand for Ino to take the scroll from her, and Ino wasn't as lost in her self-pity as not to react and grab it. Her name was public knowledge –public enough for those interested to find it should they desire to; she represented her family and her team not in one, but in two chünin exams, reaching the final stage in both of them. "If it makes you feel any better, the person who requested has the strangest name, Ho –How, oh I can't pronounce it. Anyway, if he can't remember your name then that's his problem. Talk to your father, convince him, not me."

Ino's hold on the scroll tightened, but she was able to smile faintly –to at least present a composed semblance, Tsunade barely looked at her before moving her eyes to the papers once more, seemingly unconcerned about Ino's ego.

"It was a dismissal," Tsunade added and shooed her away without glancing up again.

Ino bit her lower lip and turned, puffing out her cheeks once her face was away from Tsunade's field of vision; she walked –controlling herself enough as not to stomp her feet, to the door and was barely able to divert her hand from the latch before it could hit her. Suddenly, Sakura was there in all her glory, red outfit and bright pink hair, green eyes widening when recognizing the person she almost bumped into. Ino blinked and moved aside, holding the scroll even tighter against her chest, Sakura's gaze flickered from her face to the scroll, and raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

She mimicked the gesture just to force her face not to show the shock she was feeling, Sakura had already led a couple of missions and was even selected as the First Medic of the squads she was put on. Ino wanted to think that Tsunade influenced the Jönin commanders to give her apprentice the spot, but Sakura wasn't exactly a bad medic as to not achieve it by her own merits –who knew, perhaps it was a little bit of both.

Sakura merely nodded to her and Ino copied her gesture again, stepping out of the office once Sakura went in and closing the door behind her. She sighed, glanced back just once –and was able to sense Sakura move to stand before the desk of her teacher, and walked away, scroll still harshly pressed against her chest.

Did I ever told you,

The story of a God that descended into madness?

Of an empress without power?

And a pawn that became king?

A/N: I wasn't that sure about whether to say this or not, but readers deserve fair warnings for them to chose to keep reading or not, so here it is:

1) As you know, this is not a romantic story, and some characters will have sexual relationships with more than one partner (for many reasons, not just because they are attracted or in love), it's a natural and real occurrence in the real world, and I don't see why not use that fact for my benefit.

2) There will be Freeform-Itachi/Ino and Freeform-Shikamaru/Ino dynamics, I won't spoil anything, but I wanted to give that warning. If any of those relationships make you uncomfortable and you decide to leave, it has been a pleasure to have you as a reader.

3) Like I have been saying from the start: Dark themes will be explored. This means: Toxic/Abusive dynamics ARE to be expected -however, these are not to be romanticized or settled as good examples of real-life relationships. Therefore, the rating has been UPGRADED.

4) It has come to my attention that Fanfiction might disappear, I will keep posting here but, shall the website close without a warning -you can find me and my stories on AO3.

Let me know your thoughts. Have a great week!