The Way Through Stone Village (Naruto)

86: Gifts and Griefs

[OP: "Grow"--The Oh Hellos] 

Once Ino could talk, she went on. "I see now, the book is special. Why you don't want anything to happen to it. I'm...sorry Shin died."

"Miss Likstar thinks it's maybe what he would have wanted, rather than to complete the training," Sai mused somberly. "But it doesn't seem fair somehow. Still, at least he was at peace... I wonder about all the others."

Ino figured he meant the Foundation...maybe like Suzushi.

She shivered a lot at that memory. That guy was so cold...

But then, Sai would have been the same way...

Was it possible that maybe Shin's death was the only reason Sai wasn't that way...? Or was it true that Shin wouldn't have done it anyway?

Still...to go from that emotionless machine of Danzo's to this...it was remarkable.

Ino finally understood why Camie had always found Sai so fascinating. It was something to be able to shake that kind of programming in such a short time. Maybe it did show some strength of character that he'd never fully succumbed to Danzo's brainwashing. If he'd had the book the whole time...it was a sign that he had still wanted something else.

How many ninja gave up hope under far less duress?

She shook her head to herself. All of it went so much deeper than they'd known.

"I'm glad you like it." Sai wasn't sure why she wasn't talking now. "Did it trouble you to hear that?"

"No, no," Ino said. "I mean..." She didn't want to lie and risk confusing him more. "It does, but it's not that I mind it. I just keep thinking about how unfair the Foundation was. I'm very glad you got out of it...and I'm...glad we're friends now."

That was safe enough to say, right?

"Oh?" Sai brightened. "Me too."

Still, she was going to melt into a puddle and get swept away in the water here.

Ino flushed and looked away.

No, she reminded herself. You're the only one who would feel this way. He wouldn't understand...best not to show anything.

She turned. "I should probably get back to the others... Thank you again for the gift. I'll take care of it, I promise." She was wrapping it back up as she spoke.

Sai wasn't quite sure how to read her behavior, though her words sounded positive enough... Still, he was getting better at detecting tonal changes and wasn't sure she sounded as happy as her words implied.

But she hadn't said anymore... He wasn't sure what it was.

Unless she felt sick; she did seem little flushed. [When that trope actually makes sense for the character.]

"Are you all right?" he asked with evident concern.

Ino realized she couldn't take it. It wasn't fair. It was too easy to get your hopes up when someone gave you thoughtful gifts and acted worried and things like that... She knew it all was what Camie would call "platonic", but what was she supposed to do with it? She couldn't help her own feelings changing...

As if on some kind of weird cue, the sound track shifted right then to that "Umbrella" song.

[AMV to "Umbrella" (remixed) by quitelovely93. This is the AMV that actually made me think of Umbrella as an InoSai song, and ever since I've seen it as their ship song, though there's many others I also like for them.]