Who Am I?

Chapter 30: Time

Finally. Today was the day that Ino was finally being released from the hospital. She was glad to be going home; though she'd only been cleared because of the conspiracy they were stuck in the middle of, Ino was more than ready to get the hell out of there. There wasn't anything she could do in the hospital; at least at home, she could read, do a little bit of cleaning, and still take it easy without feeling like she was sitting on her rear all day. Her body hurt all over, but there wasn't much she could do about that. Her concussion had at least subsided; the fact that she had no previous head trauma contributed to that fact.

She spent a few hours in the morning with Sai before they got into his vehicle, heading to a particular location where they'd all agreed to meet. This was the first time their crew was having a secret meeting; they'd picked a spot that no one would bother them so they could discuss. It seemed Sai and Kakashi had come across some new information that was imperative to share with the rest of the group.

They drove in silence until they'd reached the warehouse and were the second to arrive. Kakashi was waiting for them, idly reading a book. Ino and Sai stood further apart in the room than they might have previously. Things were... still a little weird between them. Ino was struggling to wrap her head around it. The only thing she did know was that two things were happening in her house: one, she was ridiculously deprived of any action, and two, he was not making it any easier by being around. Sai seemed to care... very little for decency in some ways, opting to at times wander around her house shirtless. Bastard. He was just a walking temptation half the time!

But... he was friendly, at least. That much Ino could accept.

Naruto was the last of their group to arrive, strolling in with... not even a bounce in his step? Damn, that was new for Naruto. "What do we have?" He practically demanded, earning raised eyebrows from Ino. He was rarely if ever, this level of serious; that face meant he meant business. She'd seen that face on a few occasions. She never liked to see it because if Naruto was serious, that meant the situation itself was dire.

"Well, we've traced some of their dealings to a company that we may be able to get insider details from... assuming certain parties can cooperate, that is." Sai's tone made Ino twitch. She planned to stay quiet for this meeting, knowing she had little to nothing to add, but Sai hadn't even told her what was going on. His cagey demeanour was starting to get to her. Maybe she'd have to think about loosening him up a little...

"We have to be careful how we approach things," Kakashi warned.

Naruto spoke up with a firm tone. "If it means getting my best friend and Sakura out of being on the run for the rest of their lives, then screw it. We'll damn well do it!" Ino jumped as Naruto slammed a hand down on the table and startled her with the noise. "Sasuke never deserved this, and neither did Sakura! We were just... we were all doing our damn jobs, nothing more!" Sadly... she agreed with him wholeheartedly. Her best friend never deserved to be in this kind of situation. They were doing their jobs, saving lives, helping people, and being upstanding citizens.

"Calm down, Naruto," she coaxed as she placed a hand on his shoulder. If he was getting too heated, it was likely they'd get off track. "I know better than anyone how little Sakura deserved any of what she's been given." Ino knew Sakura's history. She knew how Sakura was bullied when they were younger, how Ino had been the only one to stand up for her, and how Sakura herself had struggled with self-esteem, even to this day. "The only thing we have to count on is that she's with Sasuke. He won't let anything happen to her." Though she couldn't quite remember everything, she felt like she innately knew Sasuke wouldn't let anything happen to her. How, she couldn't explain it, but she chalked it up to her foggy memories that were only slowly making their way back to her.