Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Poisoned Petals. Enjoy the 1200-word chapter. I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto and a few others do.

The Shinobi groaned and looked around. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was greeted by nothing but petals from flowers which hung around him. The shinobi blinked and tried to look at his chest which had dozens of bandages around his chest. He slowly brought his hand up to is face to see that one of his eyes was wrapped up.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up." He heard and looked around the room with interest. "You were almost a corpse outside." He heard while he rubbed at his temples.

"Ow…." The shinobi muttered as he slowly rose to his feet. He couldn't feel his head. "My head is killing me." The shinobi muttered before looking around.

He was greeted by a woman with a purple blouse and apron skirt, they shone as purple as the flowers around her. She pulled her hair back up into a ponytail and looked at him with crystal blue eyes.

"Where am I?" The shinobi questioned as he looked around the room. He was surrounded by flowered which seemed to blanket him.

"Nope, not how it's going to work." The girl said as she walked around till, she was sitting in front of him. "You answer my questions first. Then I'll answer yours." The girl said as she leaned down to look him in the eye.

The shinobi sighed and hummed. He couldn't feel his legs, so it wasn't like he could flee to begin with. And judging by the forehead protector wrapped around her waist? He couldn't fight a shinobi in combat with the wounds that wrecked his body.

He cursed and he sighed before drawing whatever strength he could to nod.

"Ok… That's fair." The shinobi muttered and took a deep breath while gritting his teeth. Pain wracked his body.

It felt like someone cut him… Then had taken their time slowly running a kunai through every part of his body at once.

"What's your name?" The girl questioned while the shinobi blinked.

"Mareo." The shinobi stated while he turned to the side. "Mareo Matsu." Mareo added while gritting his teeth.

He watched the girl. If she was caught off guard by the idea of someone being near her? She didn't show a single sign of fear. She simply walked back to the counter and grabbed something.

It was his forehead protector. The girl ran a finger over the cold metal in her hands. She could see the boulder on the metal before looking down at Mareo. The mark on the metal was something she knew well.

"You're from Stone?" Ino asked. She kept the kunai under Mareo's throat. The wounded shinobi managed a sharp grunt.

"Yes…." Mareo put in as he sighed. "Now your going to kill me." Mareo said and looked at Ino.

The girl blinked and gazed into his bright red eyes. Ino moved the kunai an inch.

"Why would I kill you?" Ino questioned and looked over the headband. "You're a missing nin?" Ino questioned which caused Mareo to sigh.

"Complicated." Mareo put in as he looked at the woman. "Its not easy to explain. It…. Would take a while to explain." Mareo put in and took a deep breath.

Ino sighed and looked at the door, Sakura was bond to return soon… Ino didn't want to move Mareo and risk him dying. Despite her own thoughts on the matter? She wasn't going to kill someone without all the evidence.

"I have time." Ino put in and looked down at the presumed missing nin. "Start talking, I'm not going to go easy on you just because your injured." Ino stated and leaned down.

Mareo hummed and looked at the girl. She glared at him with eyes that were curious, but held a slight desire to show the man mercy.

"Would you like me to start at why I've been running…?" Mareo said and took a deep breath. "Or what my parents have to do with that mark? Because as I told you? It's a longer story then you think." Mareo asked before gazing at the woman.

The woman said nothing, perhaps interested more in whatever he had to tell her.

"Can I ask one question before I tell you something?" Mareo questioned, the woman said nothing, but allowed a slight glare.

"ONE…" The woman said which caused Mareo's lips to curve into a slight smirk at this.

"What's your name?" Mareo questioned before his grin was torn apart by another violent bout of pain lancing up his chest.

The woman looked at him more confused then anything, she straightened up for a second and sighed.

"Ino." Ino stated to which Mareo nodded and looked at her.

"That's a nice name…" Mareo said before he coughed. Ino dodged to the side only to see crimson spill from his lips.

"Damn it…" Ino put in as Mareo held a hand to his lips and wiped them off. "Your bleeding internally, I'm going to have to…" Ino started to say before Mareo's eyes drooped shut.

She blinked before shaking Mareo. It was no use; he was beginning to slip into shock.

Ino cursed and dropped the Kunai to the ground, she pressed her hands to Mareo's chest and cursed.

"No, you aren't dying on me!" Ino hissed and applied charka to her palms. She pressed them to his bare stomach.

Mareo groaned in pain and his eyes fluttered open for a moments before he closed them again.

Ino was so busy pouring her charka into Mareo's wounds that she didn't notice the door open behind her.

"Ino, I've…" Sakura noticed that Ino and the shinobi from before were slumped in the back of the store. Sakura rushed across the shop to him.

"Damn it, Ino!" Sakura said as she slid to a stop alongside Mareo. "I thought I told you to call me if something happened!" Sakura hissed before looking at Mareo who was busy huffing.

"NOT EXACTLY EASY WHEN I'M BUSY, FOREHEAD!" Ino growled out as she continued to press her hands to Mareo's chest.

The man grunted in pain as Sakura added her own Charka to healing Mareo's wounds, Ino sighed. Ino wanted to tell Sakura what she knew, but to speak now? The concentration would end up with Mareo bleeding out.

She sighed and left every question and interest she had in Mareo for if…. When, she survived.

"He's got internal injuries." Ino stated to which Sakura nodded. "I'm going to keep him stabilized for now." Ino stated which caused her to get a nod from her friend.

Ino didn't know what Mareo wanted. She didn't know if he was a good person or such.

That would have to wait.

Author notes

Phew, another chapter done. I want to point out Ino and Mareo will be bonding slowly and such. Next chapter will be in 2-10 weeks and will show Mareo waking up and more bonding and such when he talks to Ino. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!

P.S: Ino is 1200 words, so is Tsunade and Hanabi. Delta is 1500, Sakura and Sarada 900.