A Mask of Emotion

Drabbles between Ino and Sai.

Done during boring lectures of Physics, Biology and English. I thank you all, Sir One, Sir Oh and Ma'am Unorthodox. Love ya all.

For my friend artsydolle`, inosai rocks better than shikaino…

Disclaimer: I cannot claim ownership over such a magnificent work as Masashi Kishimoto-sensei's Naruto.

1. Inspiration written late February 2007

It was a breezy spring day. After all, it was that time of year when the atmosphere was enjoyable and cool. The sun seemed to be lazily napping behind the conveniently placed blanket of fluffy clouds, letting only an adequate amount of sunlight filter through. Birds were chirping joyfully, as all the other sounds of the season permeated through the relaxing atmosphere. It was a lovely day. In other words, perfect.

But not for a certain blond kunoichi. For Yamanaka Ino, it was pure torture. She was in her parents' flower shop, tending to the flowers and costumers, as if there were any to entertain. It was a wonderful day outside, but she was still stuck watching the shop.

She sat behind the counter, reading some floral magazine from the previous year. Finding the outdated mag too boring, she set it aside and rested her hands on her arms on the counter top, wishing that the day would end sooner.

Suddenly, the chime hanging above the door clamored, and she jolted up, shouting, "I'm up! I'm up!" She glanced around the empty shop. She looked at the door and saw that it was swaying a bit from the playful breeze, ringing the offending chime. "Man, business is slow," she grumbled, yearning to step out into the cheery day to have some fun.

She set her head back on her hands, forcing herself to nap yet again. A few minutes passed, yet the sweet escape of sleep was more elusive than she had expected. The chime rang once again, but she ignored it. It was probably the wind again.

It came as a huge surprise to her when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She jerked up and shrieked in surprise. She was a ninja, trained and hardened in battle. But all her years of experience dealing with surprise encounters seemed to have slipped away at that very moment. She wanted to scold herself for her carelessness (and for being caught sleeping on the job), but all thoughts of how unprofessional she was vanished as it was replaced by sheer embarrassment at the sight of her unexpected guest.

"S-sai!" she muttered, an incredulous look on her face. But why would he be here anyway? At least she realized how someone managed to sneak up on her. He was an Anbu after all. He was capable of sneaking up on even the most skilled shinobi.

"Konnichiwa, Gorgeous," the ebony-haired nin greeted her with his usual smile. "Are you okay?" he added, his face taking on an expression akin to worry.

Seeing the look of concern on his face, the blond kunoichi couldn't help blushing. It was a known fact that Sai was not too generous with his facial expressions. Knowing that he was exerting an effort for her made her feel that she actually meant something to him. In what way though?

She shook those thoughts away and straightened up. "I'm okay," she said reassuringly.

He smiled again. It was one of those smiles which were not totally void of emotions yet seemed to be hiding something else underneath. This made Ino sigh inwardly. She knew that he had somehow started recovering those emotions that he had long since forgotten, though he had trouble expressing them. She wished she could see one of his genuine smiles, something she was sure he reserved for his closest friend, Naruto.

"What brings you here?" she asked as she slipped out of the counter. "Are you buying flowers for someone?" Someone? she thought derisively.

"Not really," he replied cheerfully as he scanned the flowers on display. "I'm just thinking of buying flowers for a painting. I've been having a hard time figuring out what I want to paint… So I thought I'd paint an ikebana for starters."

Ino felt a wave of relief wash over her. At least I don't need to worry about him courting girls with my flowers, she thought. He probably doesn't know it's a romantic gesture… yet… Of course, she couldn't deny her apparent infatuation towards the young Anbu. But she couldn't readily admit it either. She really liked him, but if she wanted him that much, it would've been too easy. After all, unlike Sasuke's case, he actually returned her attention. And there wasn't an eternal rival like Sakura around breathing down her neck every time she'd be around him. It seemed so… wrong…

"So you have an artist's block?" she asked teasingly.

He nodded his head, his face taking on a serious expression. "Its strange," he remarked. "When I didn't have emotions, I just kept on drawing. I drew landscapes, trees, abstracts that made no sense… Now…" The grin returned to his face and a slight chuckle escaped from his lips. "I've realized hat I constantly needed to be motivated. It's very tiring…"

"Now you know how it is to be emotionally burdened like the rest of us," Ino said melodramatically. "Hm… Oh, I have an idea…" She took off her apron she and threw it on the countertop.

She took his hand in hers and pulled him out into the street. "Do you see what I see?" she asked as she took in the sights and sounds before her.

"Yes, I do, but…" he said hesitantly, confused of what she was talking about. "It's just Konoha." Busy, lively, crazy Konoha.

She shook her head and said, "Look closer, Sai. You're supposed to be the artist here. Listen. Can you see how lovely the clouds look? Or the pastel color of the sky behind them? Can you hear the birds chirping? Or the children's laughter?" When she saw an even more confused expression on his face, she bent down and picked up a wildflower by the side of the street. "Do you see this?" he nodded. "Isn't it beautiful in its own way?"

"Ano… Ino-chan… Why are you telling me these things?"

"Because, silly," she replied, twirling the flower with her fingers, "because all things, no matter how simple, tiny or unattractive they may seem, can be beautiful when you put them into perspective. No matter how insignificant something is, you can use it as an inspiration. You can make it come to life with a portrait or a sketch. The most beautiful art may be inspired by the most unexpected object. It's not really that hard to find inspiration. It's everywhere."

She looked up at him and smiled. He returned the gesture, surprising her with what she saw. In that smile was a bright vivid emotion – one she couldn't quite put a name to though. He seemed to be grateful nonetheless. "Thanks, Ino-chan," he said.

The kunoichi turned away quickly, hiding the blush forming on her cheeks. "It's nothing," she said. "I'm just glad I could help a friend."

-

"Ne, Sai, you seemed to be inspired today," Naruto remarked as he observed his artist friend at work on the canvas, which was now overflowing with color. On a bright sunny and somewhat abstract background, the ebony-haired shinobi was painting a wide assortment of exquisitely detailed flowers, which he was basing off a lovely ikebana made by Ino.

The blond teen was sitting on a stool near Sai, watching him work. Naruto had stopped by earlier that day to invite the off-duty Anbu if he maybe wanted to hang out. But when he saw the artist at work, he decided to stay and watch. It was actually quite a miracle for anything quite so passive to attract the hyper self-proclaimed Hokage-to-be's attention, as he was not the type to sit around doing nothing.

Sai looked out the wide window before answering his friend. Past the bushy crown of leaves just outside, Konoha could be seen in all its wondrous glory. The village was as busy as usual, its sounds drifting into the room. The sight was just as crazy, the randomness of all the colors and shapes would remind one of a child's messy toy box. But somewhere in this unruly landscape was the inspiration he had been looking for. And that something – or someone – just gave him an idea.

"It seems that I am," he finally answered as he started adding something to the background. It was a girl, her arms outstretched around the blossoms, as if she were enveloping them in a gentle embrace.

Naruto blinked dumbly, faintly recognizing the new figure in the backdrop. The girl had no distinct features except for the golden honey of her flowing hair. It looks like… He shook his head, brushing the idea aside. Nah…

"Great work!" he remarked about the painting with a wide grin across his face.

Sai smiled back – with one of those smiles which were not totally void of emotions yet seemed to be hiding something else underneath.

-

Author's note: Drabbles are not really my thing, but I plan to make this a weekly installment. I have a few more to submit, but I'd appreciate reviews. Check out my DBG; it has InoSai as well. Review please!

Next installment: 2. Gifts

Side notes:

-Ikebana is Japanese flower arrangement.

-Dumbly does not means stupidly. It means mutely, as in unable to speak.