[Fanfic][Naruto] Ino's Secret Kissing Jutsu, Part Two


Part Two: Preparations
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“I’m still not so sure about this idea of yours, Ino. And why did you pull me in here?”

“Relax, Shikamaru. Everything will work out fine. And we’re stopping here for a minute because we have to make a few small adjustments first...”

They were standing within a small copse of trees, using the privacy to mask their final preparations. Somewhere nearby Choji and his partner were concealing themselves in the trees she and Shikamaru had previously inhabited; after a quick consultation they had been assigned to provide support should things go awry and rapid extrication became necessary. Ino was glad for this turn of events. Quite apart from having the assurance of knowing Choji had their backs, it was a relief not to be under his direct scrutiny for the actual execution of her plan. Mission or no, she highly doubted Shikamaru would be cooperative if they were forced to perform before such a familiar audience. It was hard enough simply convincing him to go along with the first part.

And she hadn’t yet filled him in on the rest.

This thought in mind, Ino determinedly placed her hands on her hips and swiftly sized up her jutsu partner. Shikamaru was watching her warily, his mouth pulled back into a full blown pout. She scowled, reading the signs: he was about to start acting mulishly.

“What do you mean by ‘adjustments’?” he asked a moment later, confirming Ino’s suspicions. “What exactly do we need to adjust? Hey, is there something you -?”

“Don’t look at me like that!” she said sharply, cutting across him. “It’s all right; this is simply part of the plan. Now take off that vest.”

“Huh?” Shikamaru paused mid-gripe, looking at her strangely. Then he narrowed his eyes. “What for?”

“Oh honestly,” snapped Ino, resisting the old urge to stamp her foot. “Listen, this is all part of our preparations, okay? So just take it off!”

“Actually, I’d rather not. I feel naked without it,” he insisted stubbornly.

“You can’t wear it inside, Shikamaru - you know it identifies us with the Leaf!” Before he could protest any further, Ino took matters into her own hands by stepping forward and grabbing hold of the vest. With a well-practiced tug, she slid the offending material off, in the process taking along the headband he wore around his arm. “This too,” she added, expertly slapping his hands away as she seized the underlying black shirt and pulled it up over his torso. Stripped clothing in hand, she stood back to survey him once more, ignoring the distinctly ruffled expression on his face.

“All right, that’s much better,” said Ino approvingly. Then her eyes fell on his thigh holster. “But you’re leaving the trench knives behind, too.”

“Yeah, right. I don’t think so.”

“Why not? It’ll look dumb if you leave them on!”

“No,” answered Shikamaru, his voice edged with a finality that told Ino he wouldn’t budge on this. “Ino, whatever attempt at disguise you think this is, we’re about to enter a place full of lowlife criminals who will slit our throats in a second if they catch us. No way are we going in there without these.”

Ino sighed, acceding the point. “Fine. In that case...”

Before Shikamaru knew what was happening, Ino reached up and undid the tie holding up his ponytail. In a moment he saw black hair swinging freely around his eyes.

“Great. And this doesn’t look dumb,” complained Shikamaru as he attempted to brush the bangs back. He hated having it hang in his face. “Tch. Why’d you do that for?”

“Need I remind you that your face is already in the bingo books?” said Ino quietly, fighting off the cold chill that spiked inside her at this recent discovery. “We’re not going to help anyone in there identify you, got it? Besides... it completes the image.”

Shikamaru groaned, but said nothing more and Ino smirked at having managed to prevail. She knew he disliked letting his hair loose, but she secretly loved the way it made him look. Somehow it felt like the way she treated her own hair: she only let it down for special occasions - particularly those involving him.

Ino stepped back to appraise him once more. Shikamaru stood with his arms crossed angrily, clad only the mesh top and black pants, one baleful eye glaring back at her through the curtain of unkempt hair. Ino was pleased at the overall effect: he was the typical portrait of a pissed-off teenage boy. She broke into a grin.

Perfect!

Shikamaru’s frown increased at the expression on Ino’s face. “Dare I ask what ‘image’ you’re aiming for?” he muttered.

It was all Ino could do not to giggle: Shikamaru wouldn’t take it well, and she needed to keep him in relatively good humor just then. So she batted her eyes innocently as she began to remove the mesh guards from her limbs. “Well, you need to look the part if we’re going to successfully infiltrate that inn without looking out of place.”

“I thought the plan was to act like two regular travelers simply stopping for a quick break,” said Shikamaru, his eyes widening in alarm. “And just what the hell are you doing now?!?”

Ignoring him, Ino stepped out of her shorts and pulled the skirt around so that the slits fell over her thighs. Then she began adjusting the zipper on the front of her blouse. “Don’t be silly, Shikamaru. If we did that, they’d be watching us like hawks from the moment we walked through the door. Like I said, we need to fit in.” Letting go of the zipper, she reached up and began untying her hair. “And the only way we can do that realistically is if you go in there acting like some young badass out to prove his toughness...” Ino paused to shake out her hair, and then she flashed him a serene smile. “... while I am going to play the part of his sexy, adoring girlfriend.”

Shikamaru’s mouth fell open slightly as his gaze dropped automatically to focus on the lush mounds that now peeked out at him. His cheeks reddened as he deliberately tore his eyes away.

“Damn it, Ino...” he whispered hoarsely.

Excitement rushed through Ino’s blood at the sight of his face. She had always wanted to walk openly into some public place with Shikamaru on her arm, but the thorny issue of keeping their relationship a secret was ever paramount. Ino couldn’t help feeling that he was sometimes too strict on that point - what was wrong with a little innocent hand-holding? - but Shikamaru was such a cautious person. It was such a contradiction, that he could be so reserved in public and yet so demonstrative in private. But now, at last, she’d finally found a way around his unyielding stance.

Yet just as Ino was feeling secure about the victory within her grasp, she heard Shikamaru clearing his throat - an ominous sound she had learned meant that he was about to deliver some dire announcement. Heart beating anxiously, she noticed that he had turned his back to her.

“This is a bad idea, Ino,” Shikamaru told her flatly as he shoved his hands inside his pockets. “Drop it, ‘cause it’s not gonna work.”

“But... why?” Ino looked at him bewilderedly. “Why shouldn’t it work? Shikamaru, they’ll be on guard for any outsider approaching them today, no matter what they look like - but no one will think twice about two stupid, show-off teenagers! So what’s the big deal with that?”

Shikamaru glanced back over his shoulder, but only briefly before looking elsewhere again. “So maybe I’m starting to have second thoughts,” he muttered. “When I think about it, there are other ways we could still do this. And a lot more inconspicuously besides...”

“Inconspicuously?” repeated Ino, feeling a prickle of hurt annoyance mixed with disappointment shoot through her. Why was he being so stubborn about doing something like this with her? She thought he would have leapt at the chance for this kind of opportunity - Heaven knew how badly she was aching for it herself. “Why do we have to worry about that? No one around here knows who we are. Besides, you know the plan makes complete sense for the situation - and we’ll be far less ‘conspicuous’ than you think.” Ino abruptly turned away, cradling her arms protectively. Then before she could help it, she heard herself giving voice to a hidden fear she was loathe to admit. “Or... is it really because you have a problem being seen with me in public?”

She heard movement, and then she felt Shikamaru’s grip on her shoulders as he pulled her around to face him. He was upset. “That’s not fair, Ino. You know that’s not the reason why we have to be discreet.”

But Ino merely closed her eyes, not wanting to hear his perfectly rational arguments for their secret relationship. Instead she found herself swooning at the feel of his hands on her at long last. Pushing aside her sadness, Ino instinctively pressed herself up against his chest, relaxing in the comforting steadiness of his arms. “But there’s no one around now, Shikamaru,” she whispered. “Can’t you just... bend a little?”

Ino felt his body stiffen. “We’re still on a mission,” Shikamaru replied thickly. “We can’t just act however we want.”

Maybe it was something in his tone. Or perhaps it was the sound of his heartbeat thumping loudly next to her ear. As Ino pulled away from Shikamaru, the lonely confusion she had been experiencing was replaced by that strange cool-headed state she often entered into while observing a heated battle. Gazing steadily into his eyes, she instantly sized up the situation, knowing what she had to do to win.

“It’s true - this is a mission. We’re trained ninja, and we can’t lose sight of that fact... no matter what else we’re feeling. I guess you’re right about that.”

For several seconds they faced each other silently, each gauging the other more as opponent than comrade. “... I’m glad you see it my way,” Shikamaru finally answered carefully.

“Yes, I do.” Ino thrust out her chin defiantly, her voice reverting to its old bossy genin authority. “Therefore, your objections are totally pointless, Nara. We’re going to proceed with my plan. Now get ready to go!”

“Hold on a minute!” retorted Shikamaru sharply. “You’re not the team leader, Ino - I am! And we’re not about to -”

“You are a strategist,” continued Ino, talking loudly over him. “Already widely known as one of the best in Konoha. And you need accurate information to do your job well. Isn’t that why you accepted this job when the Hokage asked for volunteers? It’s vital that you find out what’s been passed on to Gaijo, so you can know how best to defend the village against anything he might try to do. Failure of this objective isn’t an option... correct?”

But Shikamaru refused to answer, choosing instead to glare back at her with a stoney face. Ino pressed on ruthlessly:

“And I am a spy, someone fully capable of gathering that information for you, which is specifically why you brought me along on this mission. Moreover, as a descendent from a family of spies, I’ve been trained all my life for this kind of thing - and you also know that my instincts for these situations are even better than yours.”

Shikamaru scowled darkly. “I disagree.”

Ino felt her temper rising, but she pushed on. “So seeing how this is fundamentally a spy mission, and how I’m the only one here who is capable of accomplishing this with a reasonable chance of success, I’m going into that bar now - with or without you!”

“Like hell you will, Yamanaka!”

In spite of herself, Ino raised her brows in alarm: Shikamaru rarely sounded so commanding with her. He had also closed the distance between them and seemed ready to perform the Kagemane no Jutsu on her. But she wasn’t about to back down now. “Then by all means, Shikamaru, come along and help me complete the mission - the way you’ve been trained to. For pity’s sake, be reasonable about this!”

A funny look crossed Shikamaru’s face. At first his annoyance seemed to increase, and then he heaved a great sigh, the fight instantly going out of him. “All right... you win.”

Ino sighed too, feeling more irritated than pleased. It was not the victory she had wanted, but... it would have to do. “Okay then,” she responded, impulsively running her hands over her outfit once more. “We’ve wasted a lot of time. Let’s get started now.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Her fingers faltering over her bust line, Ino glanced hesitantly over at Shikamaru, anxiously probing his face. Regardless of who had “won” the argument, there was something far more important she had to know. Everything would be meaningless otherwise.

“Shikamaru... don’t you trust me?”

He frowned, and for a frightening moment Ino thought Shikamaru was about to say something cutting. Then the grumpiness lifted from his demeanor, and he looked at her seriously.

“Yeah, Ino... I do.”

Ino’s eyes softened. She moved up beside Shikamaru and slid her arm through his, and her heart skipped a beat when he didn’t move away. Her excitement returned. This was going to work!

“Then let me handle this,” she told him gently. “And no matter what happens... follow my lead, okay?”

“How troublesome,” he muttered.