The Good Wife

Printed Memories

Karin and Hinata decided to take Ino home. It wasn't as if anything drastic happened, all the young blonde saw was a memory, but Karin was worried it might cause her chakra to fluctuate. Hinata returned to Hyuuga Manor, but Karin stayed by Ino's side. Her chakra remained disrupted, but nothing else happened. Ino seemed to be fine.
More than fine, actually. The blonde was a bundle of smiling goo. She dropped her tea cup, twice. Karin could do nothing but laugh, but deep down the redhead wondered if this was okay. If any of this was okay?
Ino took another sip of her tea with a smile. She remembered her daughter's birth. It was so warm, the memory, it was like a butterfly fluttering in her stomach, in a good way. And although Ino felt so complete by seeing something so small, she knew it wouldn't last. After all, it wasn't her memory to keep.
That night, when Ino climbed into bed next to Naruto, she fell asleep with a smile and dreamed of giving birth to her dear baby girl. There was no pain, no agony, just happiness. Contentment. The feeling of being filled with blissful emotion. For the the first time, Ino felt complete in her new world.
Naruto woke up alone the next morning. With a stifled yawn, he kicked his legs over the edge of the bed and stretched. Still half-asleep, Naruto slouched his way to the study, where he found Ino's nose buried in old photo albums.
"What are you doing?" Naruto asked, surprised she even found the things. Thirty-seven-year-old Ino locked all the albums away in a cupboard, so that they wouldn't get damaged. Ino looked up, her warm smile from the previous day still on her lips. The smile reached her eyes...Naruto could not help but see his real wife in that smile. How he missed her.
"Looking at our wedding photos," Ino stated, "and at the baby photos. Minato was so chubby!"
"He's still chubby," Naruto shrugged. Ino giggled and turned her attention back to the photo album. Naruto's stomach growled, causing Ino to give him an odd look. He blushed and turned to leave the room, might as well make breakfast.
"Naruto?" Ino called out to him. Naruto stopped and looked at his wife over his shoulder.
"Yeah?" he asked. Ino was giving him a very strange look and it was worrying him. Was something wrong?
"If...if we don't find a solution," Ino started, causing Naruto to frown, but he kept quiet to let her continue, "if we don't find a way to swap me back...is it alright if I stay? Can I be Uzumaki Ino? Can I be Kaguya and Minato's mother?"
Naruto did not know what to say. For starters, he couldn't say everything would be fine, because in reality it wouldn't. Her new identity could cause problems, especially if it did come to be a permanent change. And then, of course, there was the fact that this Ino was nothing like his wife. Of course, there were similarities, but he could feel the difference, it wasn't his wife in that body. Did Ino even realise what it meant to be his wife? She probably didn't, because she didn't even ask if she would be able to be his wife if the change was permanent. Naruto sighed. He was not in her heart, unlike their children.
"We'll find a solution," Naruto stated as he looked away, "you won't be stuck here."
Ino couldn't help but feel slightly rejected. "Don't you want me here?"
Naruto closed his eyes. "That's not what I meant. You heard what Karin said, you're unstable. Keeping you here is dangerous."
"Dangerous for who exactly?" Ino asked, raising her voice a little. She knew the reasons, but she was purposefully burying them deep down, because she wanted to be here. She wanted to be with her children.
"For you," Naruto replied, calmly, "what's wrong with you? Why are you so hung up on staying now?"
Ino bit her lip. "I remembered giving birth to Kaguya."
Naruto spun around, surprised. No, that was impossible. There was no way she could have his wife's memories could there? She was a completely different person, another soul in a foreign body. Memories were in the mind weren't they? How could she remember something that never actually happened to her? Naruto knew they were treading in dangerous waters now.
"Don't get attached Ino," Naruto warned, "you're already attached to this world enough. Getting into deep could case problems."
Ino stood up, enraged. "I thought you would be happy! Don't you want your wife back? If I have some memories doesn't that mean I can sympathise with you now? I can help you!"
"You will never replace her!" Naruto yelled before he knew what he was doing. Ino dropped the photo album in her arm. A pained expression crossed her face. Naruto felt regret pool in his stomach, then he turned on his heel and stomped away.
They'd never argued before. Ino felt strangely empty as she bent down to pick up the photo album she dropped. She supposed arguing was normal for married couples, but she had never once argued with Naruto since she arrived in this world. She felt guilty, she knew she was pushing him. She knew she couldn't replace his wife. And she knew she couldn't stay here, but deep down she wished she could. She loved Kaguya and Minato, the thought of not being with them was painful.
Ino collapsed on the chair and buried her face in her hands. What was she supposed to do? A knot formed in her stomach, followed by a very uncomfortable churning. Ino swallowed hard, but the feeling would not go away. She frowned and before she knew it, she was running for the bathroom where she puked her guts out.
After she washed her mouth, Ino stared at herself in the mirror. For the first time since she woke up in her other-self's body, she could see that they were the same person, but at the same time not. Ino closed her eyes and wept.
Ino left the house. Breakfast had been silent and awkward, for Naruto was ignoring Ino completely. The children didn't seem to notice the tension, but Ino had a feeling Kaguya might have picked up some of the tension.
It was a sunny day, and Ino wandered through the streets wondering what she could do to entertain herself. Requesting a mission was not an option, for then she would have to talk to Naruto and she was really not in the mood. Not only that, she wasn't even sure if her other-self even did missions anymore.
She could always go to work, but Ino didn't feel like working with plants either. So, she decided to wander, her eyes focused on her feet and she slumped through the village. She was so lost in her misery, that she did not notice the woman in front of her.
Bang!
Ino stumbled backwards, having bumped into someone. She quickly gathered her senses looked up, wanting to apologise to the person she bumped into, only to see the face of someone she knew very well. A pair of dark eyes were watching her with a smile.
"Shizune?" Ino asked.
Shizune continued smiling. "Hello, Ino. It's so lovely to see you!"
Ino returned the smile. Over the years Ino had grown close to Shizune, so seeing her, even in a different time or world was comforting. Ino also couldn't help herself thinking about what she knew about this older Shizune. She was married to Kakashi, and she had a daughter with him named Kana. Strange how things turned out.
"I'm sorry I bumped into you," Ino apologised with a blush on her cheeks. Shizune shook it off.
"That's quite alright," Shizune said gently, "everyone has bad days. Are you alright?"
"Yes," Ino lied, "thank you. Where were you headed?"
"I just had breakfast with Kakashi," Shizune stated, "he's off on a mission. I'm going to see Lady Tsunade now."
Ino froze. Tsunade...she hadn't even thought of the previous Hokage at all since she arrived here. So she was still alive?
"Why don't you join me?" Shizune offered. Ino agreed, a part of her wanted to see Tsunade again too.
Tsunade was in hospital. At first Ino thought the reason they were headed to the hospital was because Tsunade was on duty, but it turns out the former Hokage and medic was a patient now. When they reached her room, Tsunade was reading a book about anatomy.
"Did you bring food?" was the first words that escaped her mouth. Shizune laughed and pulled out a packed lunch from her bag and handed it to the elderly woman, who Ino only now noticed did indeed look older than what she remembered.
Tsunade immediately dug into the food like s starved man. Shizune watched with a smile, while Ino just felt confused.
"Oh," Tsunade finally said in-between her bites of rice, "hello Ino, didn't see you."
"Hello Lady Tsunade," Ino greeted with a bow. Tsunade gave her a funny look.
"Sheesh, formal much?" Tsunade asked, "Haven't seen you so uptight in awhile. How's the brat?"
Ino had to think who the 'brat' was for a minute, but she finally clicked. "Naruto's fine."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Fine? Fine! Is he not getting it up or something?"
A blush crept to Ino's cheeks. Now that was not something she wanted to think about...or discuss, especially with an old lady. "Um, no, everything is fine in the bedroom." Not. Tsunade snorted and took another mouthful of rice.
"How are your children?" Shizune asked.
"They are well," Ino replied.
"Ah, Minato's birthday is coming up soon, isn't it?" Tsunade asked. Ino blinked. She had not known that. Just how far was her son's birthday? And how could she, as his mother, not know of it? Why didn't Naruto tell her?
"I'm surprised you remember, Lady Tsunade," Shizune laughed, "you forget everybody else's birthdays!"
"Oh, shush," Tsunade barked, "I don't forget everyone's birthday. I just remember Minato and Kaguya's better because I delivered them!"
Ino froze. She had not known that Tsunade had been her mid-wife either. A apart of her had always thought it would probably end up Sakura, but in this world Sakura, was, of course, no longer amongst the living.
"Yes, yes," Shizune hummed as she pulled a chair closer and sat down. "How are you feeling?"
"Excellent," Tsunade admitted, "I feel like I can attack a hoard of bulls. No, scratch that, I can attack a hoard of Narutos! Hah!"
Shizune rolled her eyes. Ino didn't know what to think. She was starting to think that perhaps Tsunade had become senile...
"So," Tsunade started, a strange look crossing her face, "how's Kakashi?"
Shizune blushed, then swatted Tsunade's arm. "None of your damn business."
"Spoil sport," Tsunade huffed, "you used to love gossiping about him. When did you become so conservative?"
"When you admitted my husband is attractive and wanted to nude pictures!" Shizune shrieked. Tsunade shrugged, while Ino's mind raced. Yep, Tsunade was senile...
Tsunade noticed Ino's confused expression and laughed. "It was a joke."
"She knows that, Lady Tsunade," Shizune snorted, "she was there, remember?"
"No she wasn't," Tsunade stated blandly. Ino froze. Could it be...?
"Yes, she was!" Shizune retorted. Tsunade's eyes narrowed and she motioned for Shizune to hush. Shizune frowned.
"Our Ino was there," Tsunade admitted, "but not this one."
Shizune was frowning now. "What the hell are you on about?"
"How did you know?" Ino asked, ignoring Shizune.
Tsunade smiled. "Your chakra is disrupted. I've seen it before."
Ino's eyes widened. "You...you've seen this kind of thing before?"
"Oh yes," Tsunade nodded.
"What is going on here?" Shizune asked, glancing between the two blondes.
"Where? Where did you see it?" Ino asked, a sudden hope blooming. Could this be the answer? Would she finally be able to go home? Would this be the blessing she needed to apologise to Naruto for the argument they had that morning?
"I'm a medic, Ino," Tsunade stated, "I take care of mishaps when they happen when someone is developing new techniques. Your other-self was one of them."
Ino did not understand. What was Tsunade trying to prove by mentioning the fact that her other-self had attempted to create a new technique? What did have to do with anything? Tsunade chuckled again, clearly amused by Ino's confusion.
"Your other-self came to me, with her entire chakra system disrupted," Tsunade pointed out, "and memories and knowledge from another being was bleeding into hers. Do you understand now? I had to reverse those effects, for it was killing her."
A deathly silence fell over them. The silence was broken when there was a knock on the door. It was Naruto.