Nostalgia

A/N; I am glad that I have been able to finally find the time to write again and especially about these two. Hope you enjoy.

There was a dull ache in Ino's feet as she walked down the quiet streets while the sun touched the horizon behind her. It had been one of those hot summer days, which was now giving way to a balmy night. To her, left walked Sai. A companionable silence had settled between the pair as they had reached a point in their relationship where they did not need to speak continuously to be comfortable. Sai's features were relaxed, likely because he was not thinking of anything, which was more than could be said for Ino. This was the first break she had taken from work today, and she was beginning to realise the demands of an adult life. Ino could not complain because she knew that she was blessed to even be alive after the fall out of the war.

It was just then that Ino's wandering gaze caught sight of a familiar square of fencing and stretch of tarmacked ground. Behind the steel, there were colourful slides surrounded by climbing equipment and platforms which worked to connect various play sections by tunnels, tubes and nets. A safe distance away from this arrangement, were two sets of swings which creaked in the light wind as nature itself came to play. The spring rockers which resembled cute characters were dotted all around and smiled back at Ino.

A rushing heat surged through Ino's chest then as she subconsciously halted beside the gate. "Ah, Nostalgia. What a feeling."

Sai, who had come up to stand behind Ino, felt his eyebrows draw together. He had read about nostalgia once before but never knew…

"It is a feeling?" Sai remarked as his head tilted to the side; however, Ino gave no response for she became detached from reality then. A light had ignited behind her eyes, and it grew as memories raced across her irises. Memories of entire days she spent playing, and for all the times she ran without constraint, without fear of how she looked or how others perceived her. Of the days when the wind whipped through her hair, and she had no worries and responsibilities. Her childhood held nothing but freedom.

Sai was curiously observing Ino's features, which were set in a contradiction. There was a soft smile upon her lips, yet her wonderous gaze was laced with sadness.

It was when Ino returned to the present did she finally turn to Sai. "Sorry. Yes, nostalgia is a feeling."

Sai began chewing on his lower lip. Over the years, he had come to identify many emotions and considered himself proficient in the matter, yet it seemed that his journey would never end. How many more feelings could there be?!

"What is it like?" Sai asked in a bristly manner.

Ino exhaled loudly in response as she could barely fathom how to begin to explain something so intrinsic to one's past experiences.

"It varies from person to person. It cannot be accurately explained only experienced," Ino delivered with a cautious tone and expression as she made sure not to offend him. Despite Ino's best efforts, she knew that she had disturbed Sai's mood. The change in his demeanour is what made Ino quickly take Sai by the hand and lead him inside the gated grounds. She went straight for the swings as a form of distraction was much needed. The chains creaked when Ino took her seat, but her arm was still outstretched as Sai was quizzically staring back at her.

Ino did her best to make herself look cute. "Join me, would you."

There was an answering quiver of Sai's lips, but it was momentary as he maintained his neutrality. Despite Sai's reaction, Ino continued tugging at his hand. Eventually, Sai relented, and the swing set wailed in response. The pair fell into quiet once again, content to sit and watch the setting sun. The sky had now become fiery red with streaks of amber light.

Suddenly Ino laughed under her breath, and when Sai stared at her questioningly, she pointed to the far corner. "That is the spot where Shikamaru, Choji and I use to watch clouds. They preferred the high hills and were annoyed at me when I asked them to come here but they came anyway," She told Sai. Ino omitted the part about how this tradition had started because she had wanted company after falling out with Sakura regarding their shared feelings for Sasuke.

For the next few minutes, Ino took to pointing out various areas of the park, which held memories for her. She recounted to Sai her childhood, from the time she caught her hair in the swings and started tying it up, to her days spent conquering the monkey bars. A type of giddy energy was building up within Ino. Tt was compelling her to play like she had done so in the past.

Without warning, Ino took off towards the climbing equipment. "Come on!" She shouted over her shoulder.

Sai stuffed his hands into his pockets as he stood up. He made sure to add demanding and stubborn to Ino's character list as he made his towards her. Surprisingly, he did not seem to mind though. Sai watched Ino at first as she used the intricate net of ropes to climb onto one of the platforms. He mimicked her so as to fall into step behind Ino. She now walked across a long bridge of suspended wooden planks but soon the path diverged into two. Ino stopped in front of the monkey bars to the right which branched out to join another play platform area. This left Sai with only one option. He crouched in front of a narrow steel tunnel but couldn't seem to proceed. Why would children think this is fun?

Ino, who had paused to look at Sai, tried to bite back her smile. The former root member who had braved many things eyed up the crawl space with trepidation. The child-like tread in his eyes made Ino's heart melt. At times he just seemed so innocent.

"Come on. You can do it," Ino began to cheer as she quickly took to pushing Sai through the tube in encouragement.

"Ino!" Sai's monotone finally broke while he tried to backtrack, "I can't fit through here."

Without warning, Sai felt Ino's back against his own, and her body weight blocked his retreat. "You'll have to go through though because I've collapsed," Ino fooled around.

"Ino. I'll get stuck," Sai panicked. The edge of frantic worry, which tinged his words made Ino laugh outright because although it was genuine, it was irrational.

"Ino. Ino" Sai punctuated her name with each push of his bottom as he tried to buck her off. After the fifth hard push, there was an answering yelp followed by a thud. Sai no longer felt any resistant, and although his path was now clear, dread gripped Sai's chest. Quickly Sai shuffled out of the tube and turned around. His eyes widened as he saw Ino sprawled out on the square platform on her back. She was holding her stomach with her eyes were creased as she silently laughed into the now inky black night. When Ino finally managed to open her eyes, tears were collecting there.

"The-look on-your face," Ino gasped through bursts of continued hysteria.

Sai's legs were shaking, and all he could do was collapse back against a nearby railing guard. He was at a complete loss. Here Ino was lying in absolute amusement at his worry which was not like her. She was compassionate. So what was going on here? A slow realisation dawned on Sai then. Maybe I was irrational in my fear.

Staring at Ino, Sai also noticed that she seemed so different from how she had been during their walk. The lines in her forehead from overthinking had disappeared, and she appeared carefree. Interestingly, Sai noted that he too had forgotten about the stresses of his day and his constant need to be 'normal'. They were both at this moment just living in the present.

A smile broke across Sai's pale features then as his fright morphed into embarrassed amusement. He would remember this moment because of her ridiculous stunt. Was this Ino's plan? Had she wanted him to make memories? By now Ino had managed to compose herself and was looking up at the man before her. Sai was holding a hand to his head and hiding his expression behind his arm.

Although Ino's stomach ached from mirth, she managed to sit up. "You're laughing too," Ino stated in astonishment.

Giving up the charade, Sai removed his hand then, revealing his grin and coloured cheeks. "This never happened."

Ino pressed her lips tightly together to stop her rising giggle. Everyone would have a field day with this story. She knew that much. Unlike Sai, Ino was hopeless at marshalling her emotions, and so she gave herself away with the spark in her blue eyes and her smirk. But before Sai could react, Ino had jumped down from the platform.

"I think Naruto and Sakura will still be up," she shouted, running towards the gate.

Sai's irises shook as he stumbled to his feet. It was highly likely that they would be! Naruto was still learning all he could from Kakashi and Sakura was waiting for Sasuke to arrive back to Konoha. His former teammates...

"Ino wait!" Sai called as he threw his legs over the railing guard, "Don't you dare."'

Sai landed perfectly, but Ino had already cleared the playground. His warning went unheard; therefore, Sai had no choice but to take off into the night in pursuit of her.

Further down the street Ino was stifling her laughter as not be found out. Her thick ponytail swung as she moved without constraint. Ino was not going in the direction of where either Sakura or Naruto would be, but she was enjoying teasing Sai and trying to see if she could outrun him. The pain in Ino's feet had long been forgotten as she took the tight corners around buildings at speed and slipped down narrow paths. Most of the occupants of Konoha had retired to their homes, so she did not bump into anyone. However, Ino's frantic feet took a wrong corner, and she ended up on the main road. She chastised herself for being out in the open as it was not tactful. There was silence, and Ino could only hear her own heart drumming in her ears. Indeed, the former root member was a worthy advisory as he was far more stealth than her. And so, it was then that without warning, thin but sturdy arms encircled Ino's waist. A scream echoed out as Ino's progression was suddenly inhibited. She came to a stop when Sai used his body to weigh her down. She was caught.

Sai, who stood behind Ino, felt her entire body shake against his chest then. Soon the sound of laughter began again. Although Sai's heart was beating hard from his exertion, he had relished the chase. The excitement from it was a new experience. His usual pursuits on missions did not induce this kind of pleasure. They born out of necessity and never ended well.

The hilarity of the situation was too much for Ino, and she began to sink to her knees. Sai followed her down without letting go.

Ino held out her hands in surrender before placing them on Sai's arms. "I was joking with you."

In response, Sai pressed his nose to Ino's hair and inhaled deeply. He acknowledged that she smelt like rose water. "I realised that when you took off in the wrong direction," Sai whispered into her ear. His breath tickled Ino's skin, and she shivered in response. The way Sai held Ino made her entire body warm, and her heart thumped harder. It was not every day that he was this intimate with her. Ino closed her eyes against the comfort of his arms and hugged Sai back, savouring in his closeness but as the seconds ticked by the air stilled around the pair.

"Are you waiting for a forfeit?" Ino teased as she tried to lighten the tension which had stolen into Sai's body. Propelled by his exuberance from their nights' activities, Sai's hand met Ino's cheek, and without warning, he manoeuvred her so that their lips met. Although It was a brief kiss, it was enough to set Ino's face ablaze.

"S..ai," was all Ino could breathe out.

It was Sai's turn to hide his amusement at the sight of Ino's dazed expression. His dark eyes held a mischievous glint. "I believe I win."

Ino's knees turned to jelly then, and she melted in Sai's arms. Although Ino could dish out the teasing, she could not take it. Not when Sai reciprocated like this for, she had not developed a defence against it. The former root member merely smirked as he relished in his victory. Wordlessly Sai scooped up the puddle that was Ino and began walking towards his place. He most likely wouldn't be able to carry her the whole way, but for now, Sai had an inclination that Ino just wanted to be held.

Playful and nurturing, Sai made sure to also added to his list as Ino snuggled into his chest.

~ooOOoo~

Ten years later

"What is wrong Mrs beautiful?" Sai cooed as he watched his wife of five years through her large dresser mirror.

Ino's eyes became downcast as she hid a smile. With a wooden fork, she was securing her hair in a high bun. Once finished Ino purposely did not adjust her dressing-gown (which had slipped from her shoulders) as she rose from her chair.

Sai instinctively took a step back, but Ino was quick to place her hands on his waist and look up at him. "Nothing that couldn't be fixed by allowing me some alone time," Ino silently bargained.

Sai's body responded viscerally to her touch, and he closed his eyes against the heat. There was a time when he had been very much immune to her feminine wiles, but that was a very long time ago. Although Sai was aware that he had been defeated in a single move, Sai quickly took Ino's face in his hands and captured her lips in a searing kiss. Whether to admit that he had relented to her or to exact his revenge, he was not sure. It may have been the latter as Ino began to respond in kind as her hands moved to grip his shoulders. The hunger on her part was wholly compelling. However, before Sai could explore further, there was a thundering from downstairs as frantic footsteps raced across the wooden floors.

The trance was broken instantly, and Ino returned to her senses. "That is your cue, dear husband," she muttered.

Sai found himself groaning against her lips. "When will we have some alone time?"

Ino stood on her tiptoes to offer Sai a consolation kiss to his cheek. "I know, we need to find the time," she stated matter of factly before disappearing into the bathroom. However, Sai still lingered in hope as he heard the taps run and the bath began to fill up. Sai could not keep the images of his wife at bay as he realised that she would be slipping underneath the bubbly surface.

"You may join me next time," Ino proposed with equal longing.

The thundering started up again, and it was then that Sai was reminded of the fact he was not only responsible for Ino but another. The reminder sent Sai taking the stairs two at a time, but before he could reach the bottom, a pale little boy with blond hair ran across landing into the adjoining room.

"Inojin," Sai called.

It was instantaneous. The four-year-old ran back into the hall with his lips stretched into a dazzling smile.

"Papa!" Inojin exclaimed. His eyes were so over bright with love that it caused Sai to lose his breath momentarily. How could he stand against such pure emotion? And when Inojin came closer with outstretched arms, what could Sai do but embrace him. It seemed that his son had taken after his mother as they both had a desire to be held by him. This thought made Sai smile softly, and he squeezed Inojin to his chest.

Inojin gripped Sai's neck tightly. "I've missed you, papa."

Although puzzled, Sai's chest reacted to his son's words. "But I've been here the whole time," Sai tried to reason.

The young boy wasn't appeased. "Still…I want you to spend time with me."

"Do you want to go somewhere together then?" Sai suggested.

Inojin pulled himself away from Sai's chest before nodding excitedly. And so, it was that Sai found himself walking through the streets of Konoha with Inojin leading the way. Sai was being the clueless father and was buying time as he did not know where he should take Inojin. Luck was on his side for at that moment Inojin halted and pointed.

"Papa, I want to go there. I want to play!"

Sai looked up then, and he lost his breath for the second time that morning. He had come face to face with a place he had not been to in years. Everything was the same as it had been in Sai's memories of the times he had visited. The fencing still surrounded the playground, and although the paint had faded, all the play areas remained well maintained. While all those years ago Ino had been yearning for her lost innocence. Right now, Sai stared at a particular steel tube and remembered his days of young love.

There was an accompanying rush which was complete bliss and Sai smiled softly.

Ah, nostalgia… we finally meet.

THE END