Curiosity and the cat

"They Won't Come".

Ino sent herself on a spiral, her thoughts projected sideways, under and above, biting her lip until there was no more dead skin to pick on. It was the third time Howard had told her no group will be arriving, and there was always a new shinning excuse –Ino started to think that it was him who purposefully re-scheduled their reunion, wanting to consume all of Ino's contracted time in order to send her home as a failure. It was an immense waste of money, but perhaps Howard had enough to allow himself such childishness –perhaps he would demand a refund. Her two weeks were almost up, having only two more days to go until she was bound to return, and coming back empty-handed was a crushing defeat.

This was not her fault, it was not, she refused to believe she played any part in this calamity, her kimono swung around corridors and cast shadows were it moved, she tugged the sleeve until it reached her wrist and sank her hands inside the cloth until none were visible –like a perfect doll. She moved lightly, not wanting to appear menacing, and having her hands covered was both an invitation to trust as a decoy: kunais were tied on her forearms.

She marched towards the first maid she could see –not Yua, everyone but her, she wouldn't help her in any manner, grant her any favor: she had hated her since the moment they met around the vapor of the cleaning room. When seeing her approach, the petite woman –white hair against dark complexion, beauty of which Ino found herself jealous, took a step back and faltered slightly to the side. Ino did not know which servants knew of her true identity, so she confided no information, "I wish to speak to your master." She said, and the woman pursed her lips.

"Master is in his office at this time of the day." She replied, voice soft, her back slightly bent forward. Ino wondered if Howard took pleasure having pretty people at his disposal –the guard that had received her, him with the long hair and gold earring, had been of marvelous beauty as well. "And he likes his privacy."

"The matter at hand is quite urgent," she insisted, forcing a smile and a light blush to cover her cheeks –the pinnacle of perfect innocence, "please I'll take full responsibility, if it's much for you just point me to the right direction and I'll approach him myself."

"I…" the woman blushed at Ino's demeanor, successfully trapped on her charms, "I guess I could lead you." Ino rewarded her with a smile embedded in softness –the woman's pink cheeks blossomed an even darker hue. She walked in front of her and Ino followed gracefully –soundless steps that allowed her to move undetected should she wish to, the maid often glanced back to see if Ino was still following or if her silence meant solitude.

When arriving, two gently knocks (so faint Ino couldn't believe Howard was able to hear them) were replied with the door slightly praying open, allowing them entrance, Ino was quick to notice that the door was of light brown wood (not fusumas, someone wanted privacy), surrounded by concrete walls whitely painted. She had seen this particular space before when doing a reconnaissance of the mansion –but, like now, the door had been shut, and she hadn't thought much about it. "Master," the woman said, and Ino blinked rapidly to take herself away from the stupor, she hadn't noticed the world still moving without her, "the woman wants to see you."

It didn't occur to Ino that most of the servants in the house were already aware –if not accustomed, to her presence; she spoke none to them but a few words, not really sure how to gently explore the subject she was curious about (how can you approach someone and gently ask them if they have seen a shinobi around without outing yourself?). She wondered absentmindedly if they believed she was a client, a familiar, or a mistress –considering Howard's demeanor, the last option seemed the most plausible.

"Master," she said –trying to play her role, gently bowing when she spotted his figure inside the room, her kimono sweetly danced in her shoulder, teasing with the tiniest glimpse of skin –it wasn't a coincide, "I apologize for the intrusion, but the urgency of this matter is not to be ignored."

Howard hummed again, giving her an apprehensive look, smirking slightly, his fingers danced above his lips, "eager, aren't we?" He replied, the double meaning wasn't lost to Ino who quickly straightened her back and forced her skin to redden, pressing the back of her hand on her mouth. Mistress it is.

"M-master!" She chastised, gently, innocently, and whipped her head to look at the maid who was blushing in shame at the both of them. "I- I-…"

"Aoi," Howard said, "please leave us."

Ino stiffened and watched the maid bow and walk away –the meaning of her name threw her involuntarily towards Sakura's remembrance (such a pretty girl with the shiniest green eyes that just needed a push, such a shame that she cut off the hand that just meant to propel her).

"A little obvious if you ask me," Howard said once the woman was gone, Ino returned her attention towards him, he was smiling, "it's quite the cliché route, shoulder showing and all…"

"It worked," Ino shrugged, "simple tactics are not to be diminished –besides," she covered her shoulder, "only through money can you bed a woman of my looks."

Howard's eyes grew big, his whole body stopped its motions at the sudden comment, he laughed –chest shaking with force, he brought a hand to his face and scratched his nose, "I appreciate a good joke-" he said, Ino allowed herself to relax and smiled playfully, "do not do it again." He added, and she nodded before walking as to stand right before him –the desk was sinking in her tight.

"Howard-sama," she said and allowed her eyes to roam across the room, Howard's gaze flicked through the papers over his desk, moving them quite hastily away from her curiosity –yet, he didn't know her wonder lied down elsewhere, and while he concerned himself in keeping his affairs secret, she searched across the place for something out of place.

It was the neatest room she had ever seen, the man seemed like the sort of person who valued elegancy and a decently presented front, but the entire space lacked life's sparkle. Ino returned her gaze towards him just in time for Howard to meet her halfway, "as I said, I apologize for the intrusion –but this is regarding my contract—"

"Sit on the desk." He said while standing and moving towards her, Ino exhaled away the speech she had prepared without adding her voice to it.

"I –wh –I beg your pardon?"

Howard stood almost behind her, Ino followed his movements with her entire face, cracking her neck in the process, she tried to move away from him but he grabbed her kimono to hold her in place. The movement wasn't harsh enough to require immediate action, so she restrained every muscle of her body to not break his wrist. "We have a part to play do we not?" He smiled and moved further inside her personal space, Ino wasn't able to hide her discomfort and fear. "I'm content enough to stand behind you but that would be difficult our private chit-chat."

"N-no, there's no one with us, we don't—"

"Spirits," Howard breathed, and he made her turn, Ino felt weak, shapeless in his hands, shame coloring her resolution and making her lips tremble –she had never been approached like this before, barely experiencing the faint brush of lips of enticing men her own age in badly lit rooms of Konoha's hospital. "You're still a child aren't you?" He asked her and pushed her harder –yet gently, against the desk, his hands on her waist forced her to sit at the verge of the table, putting himself in between her parted legs. "Such a bold tongue for such innocent little girl-" he mocked her, she felt her brows furrow, "it seems that Konoha has decreased its training standards, to teach a shinobi how to kill and yet not how to behave—"

"Konoha has taught me…" she swallowed, how dare he turn her into such a timid creature? "I –it's just that we are alone, and—"

Howard grunted at her words, it sent a shiver down Ino's spine and she reflexively tried to bring her knees together, but his presence made the task impossible, he did not move further, gently keeping her in place, "in all my years I never thought to have to teach a shinobi their own work-" he complained, and his tone of voice had lost the mocking, he seemed actually annoyed now, "you said that simple tactics are not to be diminished, yet you aren't able to see them all the way through –do not underestimate civilians' curiosity, kunoichi, if they even think I haven't touched you after your charade of being my bedmate, they'll get further curious about your reasons to stay." He whispered, his lips brushing her ear.

"You will not touch me-" she warned and bit her lip to tame her tremors.

Ino could feel Howard smile, "ah- such an awful picture have you painted of me," he breathed and then his voice dropped, "pull yourself together, you once told me you were the best –and you have shown nothing but disappointments, I read that your unit was in a streak of successes, should I believe that it was someone else doing?"

She was barely able to notice her legs tangling on Howard's lower back and driving him closer, her teeth gritting with harsh force, the shame of intimacy quickly forgotten when shedding light in her complex. Who was she kidding, becoming perfection had always been her driven force –Shikamaru had beat her to it without sacrificing even half of what she had. "Two days before my departure," she said, choosing purposefully to ignore his remark as to drop the subject, "and no indications of my targets' arrival, should I expect to return home without fulfilling my duties?"

Howards was quiet, Ino was not sure it wasn't her sudden change in demeanor that occupied his thoughts, she knew how to give credit where credit was due, and the man seemed particularly kin to notice behavior patterns and when they morphed. Ino prided herself to be observant, a predisposition all of her clan shared, yet this man had far more experience –he made a career out of it without possessing a technique like hers.

"Moan," he whispered, so she did –he barely brushed (not kissing) his lips on her neck and she scrunched her nose, yet her lower abdomen was awakening in the same manner few times did when her mind wandered around past loves and lovers, she never thought of Howards being attractive, still, he was so close. "I don't think is fair," he said, Ino continued to moan gently after few seconds of pause, "I paid you for a job you didn't do."

"Not because I didn't want to," she quickly replied before repeating the sounding charade, none of them moved from their final position, "circumstances weren't in your favor."

Howard hummed, "I don't think the time contracted being due is enough for you to leave without another clause fulfilled." He paused, "I paid good money for you."

That made her tremble, her fingers tightening her hold in the edge of the desk, knuckles white, "it's not my department Howard-sama, I was told to return after two weeks."

"And after giving me access to my competitors' information as to give me the advantage in negotiations-" he said against her skin, his voice rumbling through her neck, Ino had a less difficult time to fake pleasure, and she bit her upper lip to regain control. "I was there when the contract was made, I refuse to allow Konoha to retain the payment for a job only made halfway, the time plastered on paper was nothing more but an estimate."

"Howard-sama—"

"Speak to your leader, and bring a solution to this, if further negotiations are to be held, then so be it." He said and detached himself from her, a sudden chill overtook her features –a ghost of wind caressed her skin where he wasn't pressing against her anymore, she wondered why he waited for her to bring the issue instead of tackling it himself –he seemed the type of man who would like to be in control, but again, maybe the idea was to command her all along.

Ino swallowed and moved her wrist in a way that made the kunai strapped in her forearm pinch her skin, scratching the surface painfully and returning her the reigns of her own conduct. She scolded her features and tried to subdue her blush, softly opening her kimono and arranging it for it to look hastily closed. She opened her mouth to say something, but what was there to say? She had no authority over these types of decisions, all she could do was to comply with Howard's request.

She moved as to leave, Howard walking again towards his chair as to return to his duties, she glanced once more around the room and noticed weird patterns around some of the paintings, "those are silence seals." She said, looking at Howard from the corner of her eye.

"Oh," he glanced at one of the paintings, "I guess they are." He smirked, and Ino's nails dug on her palms.

Fuck you, she thought, slamming the door on her way out.

When she finally was able to send the pigeon with her note trapped in its leg, she allowed herself to dawn upon the spike of resentment that flared against her client. He had played in such a humiliating manner that she just wanted to shake this feeling of inadequacy by scratching her skin and crying. She provided him with the fuel he needed in order to wrap her in his little finger and do his bidding, she played her role perfectly, fulfilled his every demand despite her discomfort, as he wanted! Such a little fool, how could she allow a civilian control her in such manner –she thought that by corresponding his advances she was getting the upper hand, what a stupid girl she was! Was it a way to repay her early joke? The interruption she forced upon his work? To prove his higher position to her?

She was still young and inexperienced, being able to barely control the way her peers looked at her –yet this was a personal defeat (no one will know how much he overpowered her in something that should be natural for her –no one!), but dueling on it wouldn't do –she had been defeated at her own game and he was aware of it, allowing him to see her distress on the matter would give him more power. Control.

Regain control.

Her right hand flew towards the back of her neck and her fingers grasped the root of her hair, pulling in short bursts and harsh movements, letting out a huff. Sun was high on the sky, the dryness of the ambiance was a mocking to previous days' pouring –the heat inside the room was barely soothed by the air passing through the window, it carried the whispers of the afternoon. Ino raised her hair into a ponytail, it was the first time in quite a while since she used her usual hairstyle, usually letting it down to frame her beauty.

She licked her lips and tasted salt –her upper lip had a few drops of sweat, Ino allowed her mind to wander around Tsunade's response –if the Hokage deemed her worthy enough to reply personally, for all she knew, an assistant will take on her case not to bother the mighty Senju.

'You have pledged loyalty to me –is it your grasp in patriotism so little as to allow such man to dictate your decisions?'

Perhaps her imagination was harsher than reality, Ino definitely hoped it would be the case, it wouldn't be the first time more time was needed to complete a mission –being the child of Inoichi, she knew better than most what it means to stand alone by the front door of your home, flowers on her hands, waiting for hours until Ena arrived with a hard expression on her face. She hoped that her actions were the right ones, many things were only taught through experience, and she had never been the one in charge of decision making, was it standard to ask permission to extend the mission's timeframe?

Shikamaru would fucking know, wouldn't he?

Ino shook her head and forced herself not to keep diminishing her already low self-esteem, it was enough with working for a man that did that for her –or having a Council that did that for her, or a teammate that—

No, that was enough, she sat on the mattress and huffed, wondering what she should do now that she had absolutely nothing to do but wait for a response, training was out of the question since no one could know about her rank. Well... at least one type was.

When she opened her eyes, the heat wasn't as strong to her despite being standing outdoors, paws against the glass of her window, she moved her head and saw her inert body, chest rising and falling with each breath she took. It used to be difficult to use her technique on insects, she tried when she was a young child who loved butterflies' wings (so many pretty colors and patterns), but she wasn't quick enough to possess them before they flew out her reach. Now, her spirit moved so fast it took less than a blink's speed to reach her target, and no bugs were able to escape her.

Her ladybugs-self flew a short distance to the closest rose and walked quickly to the ground, she remembered some quick conversations she made with one of the members of Team 8 –it wasn't often that she spoke with them, Hinata was too shy to start conversations and Kiba too brash to be tolerated, and then there was… the other one, who was full of bugs. Feeling them move inside him was nauseating –but he did share some facts with her, like how ladybugs could fly as high as 3600 feet and up to 74 miles. She remembered what he said but not how he sounded like.

After years of practicing her jutsu with humans, returning to the roots of her training was both too easy and too strange: with animals, there was no other conscience to push back and force to sleep –she was absolutely alone inside this ladybug but the faint rumble of its basic instincts, with people, she always had to maintain a close eye on both the owner's own instinct of survival –pumping enough chakra to calm their distress and disguise herself as a friendly visit, and senses.

She moved around the garden, not far away from her own body and original spot as not to exhaust the poor insect that had fallen prey to her arts, moving its wings lightly, hearing the sound they made in high speed. After what felt like few minutes, Ino had to admit to herself that controlling the ladybug had been a bad idea –not because she dreaded the training, but because of the easiness of such task, plus the little distance she could cover without killing it made everything boring. She watched bees moving around the flowers, knowing full well that they were the only ones they would find in kilometers. Despite the vegetation Howard had forced upon the country's natural flora, not many land animals were around to be seen –she suspected the few she saw were brought by Howard himself.

Speaking of the devil, the man itself seemed to be leaving his mansion, she wasn't able to see him perfectly due to the distance in between the lily she was perched on and him, but the carriage he possessed was extravagant enough for her to notice when he left or arrived. She often wondered why he left her to her own devices in his house (wasn't he worried she wondered too far?), nor why didn't he take her with him if he was to attend a meeting, but he never spoke about it and she didn't ask, not wanting to push her luck.

However, watching the carriage leave made her insides twist with refreshed loathing –this man had played with her like she was a toy and not a shinobi worthy of respect, what if the rumble that had driven her crazy was nothing but more tricks of him? Was he the type of man who enjoyed torturing those he commanded? But why? What fruition could be in hurting an ally?

Except, she was not an ally –not in the strict term of the word, they will work together for as long as he paid, but she was more than ready to work for his enemies should they match their prices –furthermore, it wasn't far-fetched to think that another member of her clan was or had been working with his competitors, didn't her father work closely to Gäto before the man was killed by the same shinobi he hired? Ino swallowed –or did something as close as that in her current form, it was not unheard of costumers trying to kill (and sometimes, succeeding) the ninjas they employed, yet there was nothing to make her believe this was the case but the mind games he liked to play against her.

Ino huffed –or tried to, no sound actually left her mouth and started to fly again. Howard might be insufferable, but he didn't seem the type who would cross her without a reason –yet he seemed to enjoy their banters (if they could be called like that, he was more inclined to make a one-sided attack rather than allow it to be a back and forth thing), and Ino was pissed enough to indulge: what he made in the office had been the last straw she would allow him, and if she found that the rumble was another one of his tricks –because at this point it could very easily be-, she will make sure to return the favor ten-fold! She was not to be played with, nor as a Yamanaka, nor as a shinobi from Konoha, and not as a prideful woman.

Here's the thing about wooden doors, they all have a little space in between floor and bottom, so moving through that open space in her current form was easy –inside, the room looked massive (everything does when you're a bug), the space was as neat as it was when she came earlier, but now that Howard wasn't there, there was even less warmth around it.

She walked towards the center of the room and flew the short distance in between the floor and desk, trying not to think of earlier activities. There was not a single paper in sight –drawers tightly closed, she could crawl through the lock, yet, without any light to see what was written in them, there was no point. She couldn't wander around aimlessly, she was limited by time and the lack of knowledge of what she was exactly looking for, yet the prospect of finally nourishing her vindictive nature pumped her resolve, whatever she'll find, will be used against him.

She moved towards one of the bookshelves, flying around some of the books to see if one of them was open as to see what kind of information Howard decided to guard inside his precious office –sure the place that was protected with silence seals kept his most important documentation, wouldn't it? As such a weak insect, she couldn't push them to the ground nor pride them open, it was a disadvantage but also allowed her to roam free while knowing nothing will be disturbed by her presence.

And while she wanted to focus her mind on everything but, she ended up thinking of nothing else, the fruitless the search the more her mind wandered around previous positions and shameful behaviors. It awoke madness over his dareness, heat over his proximity –the way the breeze caressed her skin and awoke goosebumps when he withdrew. Ino wanted to slap her face to force some concentration onto her, but she wouldn't be able in this form unless she let go of her hold –and once abandoned, she wouldn't be able to regain it, and leaving an insect behind such a tightly closed space was like shouting of her presence, she didn't know to what extent Howard knew of her techniques, but she couldn't put pass the possibility of him—

Breeze?

Ino froze in her tracks, this office possessed just one window and it didn't seem like the type that opened, she glanced at the curtains (those that Howard had hastily closed not many days ago when she was caught in the remembrance of her Music Box) and saw them absolutely still. Nothing had disturbed them. She flew towards them, regardless, her weight was so little it could not move the heavy cloth, and inspected the wall around the frame –there was no way to open the window, no visible cracks in the construction –when she first arrived and quickly glanced around the space in her human form, the curtains were also motionless, if they moved at all, it was because of their presence.

So where did that air come from?

The door, that was a possibility –there was a space under it, after all, she had entered through it, but it had been such a palpable current, could it be able to survive with such intensity when passing through such little opening?

No. It couldn't.

Oh, sweet revenge.

Ino would have licked her lips if she was able –she flew once more to the ground with a new objective in mind: spotting for openings, they could be anywhere: on the floor, on the walls, or in the ceiling. Oh, such carelessness! Stupid man, for everything he believed he had over her and her kind, he was as sloppy as any other commoner when it came to their secrets against her village's teachings –he hadn't been careful around her curiosity, that will teach him not to underestimate her clan!

Now that she knew what to look for, everything became easier yet, also, slightly torturing –she moved around the room until exhaustion (it took her a long time to reach the office, and much more when searching –this ladybug stamina was almost in negative levels). Every crack was to be inspected –which made her job tedious. For every suspicious space, she spent at least a minute trying to reach it and walking around it to spot any apertures –it was obvious at this point, that even if she found it, she wouldn't have the energy to inspect it.

Yet her fatigue wasn't able to shake her resolution –she knew that upstairs her true self was smiling while a slight blush of anticipation reached her pale cheeks. Just as she was to move the ladybug out of the office and to the closest place for her to trap, she spotted it: a slight line where that the wallpaper didn't cover behind a low bookshelf that could be used as a petite table, full of books and ornaments –she wouldn't be able to spot it hadn't she looked at it through this angle, she wondered if it had been closed hastily before her arrival earlier since now it seemed that no breeze could move past its confinements.

It did not matter –this will do for now, Ino moved her body through the opening of the door and slowly walked away until the corridor, releasing her hold on the insect and awakening in her room, she allowed herself a low shriek of delight before standing and moving quickly towards the place where she left the tool of her mischiefs, knowing that the fatigue she forced upon it will restraint its movements.

Not yet, not now. She concocted a plan that guaranteed inspection with the least risks –and this bug will be the key to success. Trapping it in a glass inside her room she allowed herself to watch it for what felt like hours, it wasn't far-fetched to think Howard will be arriving shortly, the afternoon had open its arms to sunset, and dinner time was close by. She will wait until the safety of nighttime, if such a little creature was able to move undetected during the daytime, its chances of being spotted through the darkness were almost nil! Ino did her best to control her excitement, careful not to allow her body to betray her, Howard expected a girl still ashamed and upset by their encounter, it will make her suspicious if he saw her blush.

The waiting, Spirits. What a torture!

A/N: Aoi (亜桜依) meaning: "reliance on the cherry blossoms"

Guess who's showing up next chapter!