Gah! Those wascally plot wabbits have beaten me down again. I have to stop the multiple story madness. Help me by not reviewing!

This one's mostly about the much underused, and much abused Ino Yamanaka, Tenten comes in next chapter. The timing is after the end of my A Reason to Stay story. Which is also not finished, yet. But it half way there. So I'll be trying like crazy not to drop too many hints about the end of that story.

Standard Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, hell the scenario may not be mine, but I haven't seen it's like yet, so I'm hoping it's actually original, gasp!

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It's a girl thing.

Hokage's Office

"Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji. Good work on your last mission." The Hokage said shuffling papers on her desk.

Ino straightened under the praise, sparing a glance at her teammates on either side of her. Really it was all thanks to her that were here being praised personally by the Hokage. If she hadn't thought quickly and moved even faster, their client's kid would've died. That was one in the eye for Shikamaru and his superior brain power. Now he'd have to admit that women were as good as men.

"Ino, you're suspended from all duty until further notice."

Ino's brain moved slowly.

"Wha? Hokage-sama." Shikamaru started. "But why, sure she was a little over the top, but that's no reason to.."

The Hokage lifted her eyes, and Shikamaru drew to a close. Chouji took his cue from Shikamaru and let his protests die on his lips, which was fine because Ino didn't need anyone to stick up for her.

"Hey just where do you get off suspending me for a job well done?" Ino protested, glaring at the top of the Hokage's head.

"Ino..." Shikamaru hissed at her from the side of his mouth.

"Since you broke the cardinal rule of being a ninja." The Hokage snapped.

She held up the paper she was looking for and waved it at Ino. It was the front page of Fire Country's leading newspaper.

There in bold was written 'NINJA HEROINE SAVES BABY.' Underneath was a smiling picture of Ino snuggling the baby and waving to the camera.

"What!" Ino said nonplussed.

Shikamaru rubbed his forehead in disbelief. Choji narrowed his eyes.

"You are now a celebrity!" The Hokage yelled. "And that Miss Camerahound is a very bad thing."

Ino looked on still not understanding, it was a damn good picture. She'd planned on pinning it on her wall. Sakura would be green with envy once she saw it.

"I still have to get my hands on the idiot editor who let this story run." The Hokage muttered replacing the page.

"But that does not change the fact that you are now unusable for any and all missions."

"Hokage-sama." Shikamaru said standing up stiffly. "Surely C or D rank missions would still be acceptable."

Ino blinked in surprise at Shikamaru, was he actually going out on a limb for her?

"I said, SUS-PEND-ED." The Hokage said in a final tone.

Ino felt her lip tremble, but she clenched her fists and fought her anger to the surface.

"You can't...!" She started to protest.

At a signal from Shikamaru, Chouji picked Ino up and slung her over a shoulder.

"With your permission we will relay the message to Asuma-sensei." Shikamaru said in a deep bow.

The Hokage made a shooing motion. The two boys bowed again and left the room taking the raging Ino with them.

Outside, later

"HAGGED OLD BITCH!" Ino raged.

Shikamaru buried his head in his hands. If Ino didn't shut up soon, he'd get called in for her behaviour, he was the ranking shinobi in their group. But nothing he'd tried had calmed her down. At least Asuma-sama had picked an out of the way place for their meeting instead of their usual barbeque restuarant.

Ino picked a random piece of forest and started kicking it out of sheer fury. Shikamaru wondered where she got the energy from, he was exhausted from just watching her. He sincerely hoped that Asuma-sensei would arrive quickly and take over handling the troublesome female.

"OI SHIKA-KUN!" Ino hollered.

In his tree fork Shikamaru groaned in annoyance. When was she gonna stop calling him by that nickname?

"I said OI!" Ino said into his ear.

Surprised by her quick movement Shikamaru rolled out of the tree landing messily on the ground. Ino looked down at him peeved that he wasn't being more sympathetic.

"I said," she said leaping down gracefully beside him. "Don't you agree that's it's completely unfair that that ugly, old, misshapen, woman has suspended me?"

Ino gave him a pointed look.

"I mean what's wrong with a little picture?" She huffed when he didn't immediately reply.

Shikamaru looked up at his fuming teammate. He knew that she was one of the most beautiful Kunoichi in Konoha, but he couldn't figure out how so many men didn't run screaming when they got to see her personality. He couldn't fathom why they kept coming back for more. Shaking his head over the unfathomable mysteries of the universe, Shikamaru decided against his own better judgement to try and explain to Ino why her little picture had sent the Hokage off into a rage.

By the time Asuma had arrived, Shikamaru was laying flat on his back having exhausted all his energy for the week, and Ino was crying pathetically on Chouji's shoulder.

One week later, Yamanaka house

Ino flung herself onto her bed crying. Shikamaru and Chouji had a new teammate. A new girl teammate. Ino was still scrubbing the shop because her parents had decided to punish her aswell.

At least she was still allowed to train, not that training did any good when your greatest mission was flower delivery. And definately not when Shikamaru and Chouji had to concentrate on training with their new teammate. Instead of training with her like normal.

When she'd crossed them in the training area and seen the new teammate, Asai, Asia something like that, working out with Asuma-sensei, she'd felt betrayed on the deepest level. Taking her off missions was one thing, replacing her? That was going to far.

She'd been ready to beat the new comer into the dirt when she'd seen Shikamaru roll his eyes and Chouji cringe. Asuma-sensei just looked at her with his arms crossed and a dissapointed look on his face. Ino had made it to the edge of the training grounds before the first tears escaped.

For the first time in her life Ino seriously considered giving up being a ninja. No more sweating, no more unfeminine muscles, no more scaring guys off because she could face plant them and not break a nail. Just uncomplicated, normal life. Without her team.

In a situation like this there was only one thing to do.

Sakura's house

Sakura was horrified.

"Replaced?" Sakura whispered, her eyes wide. "I didn't even know Tsunade-sama was thinking of replacing you."

"I know...how could this happen Sakura-chan?" Ino whined, wiping at her blotchy face. "I had such a future in front of me and now...now... I've been replaced!"

Ino leaned forward and rested her head on Sakura's shoulder, Sakura patted her on the head.

The idea of being replaced in your team was horrible. For a short time during injuries, or while you were on solo-missions, okay. But Ino's suspension was indeterminate in length, you couldn't help thinking the worst.

"Sakura-chan," Ino whined again, "I've been thinking maybe I should give up being a ninja."

Sakura pushed Ino's pathetic head away and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Now just a minute! Who graduated top of her class in our year? Who is it who can not only be deadly in fight while wear a full ceremonial kimono but can also do it without getting so much as a smudge on her outfit?" Sakura shook Ino hard.

Ino sniffed a little and said 'me.' Weakly.

"Who is it that knows how to cook a thirteen course meal from nothing but fish and rice, and who can make Shikamaru move his lazy behind everytime?" Sakura continued.

"Me." Ino said a little stronger.

"Who has the best damn aim with a shuriken in all of Konoha?"

"Tenten." Ino said. "And then Sasuke, and then me. Maybe someother people before me, but not many."

"Who is one of the best Kunoichi that Konoha has to offer?"

"Me?" Ino asked, peeking up at Sakura through her wet eyelashes.

"Damn straight." Sakura assured her. "So I don't ever want to hear those words coming from you ever again."

Ino shrugged her shoulders.

"Listen," Sakura hooked her pinky finger through Ino's. "I'll pinky promise you."

Ino looked blankly at their joined hands, they hadn't done a pinky promise since before the Sasuke rivalry thing.

"If you, Ino Yamanaka, ever give up being a hell of a kunoichi, I, Sakura Haruno, will also quit."

Ino opened her eyes wide as she read the serious nature in Sakura's words. For all it was a stupid, childish, promise that couldn't possibly hold any real meaning, Ino felt her eyes tear up again. It was good to have a friend.

"I promise you this." Sakura said leaning in and hugging Ino.

"Okay." Ino said.

Sitting back up, Ino patted self conciously at her face.

"Gah, I must look like a wreck." Ino said reaching for her pocket mirror.

Sakura smiled at the return to normal. Subtly infusing her eyes with chakra she read the basic emotional stability in her friend.

Ino noticed and glared at her.

"I'm sorry I ever taught you that." She grumbled.

Sakura smiled brightly in return.

Later, watching her friend leave, Sakura chewed on her bottom lip as she considered options.

"You could just say something to the old hag." Naruto suggested, coming up behind her and hugging her.

"Hmmmm." Sakura said blandly.

She turned and hugged him back.

"Naruto what would you do if I was ever replaced on the team?" She asked not looking him in the eyes.

"You'd have to be dead before that'd happen." He said seriously. "And that'd never happen, because I wouldn't let it."

"Okay."

One week later

Ino yawned in boredom. She couldn't really train without a partner and she'd worn her knuckles raw on the punching post out the back already. She'd kindly and maturely offered to spell her mother out in the shop, seeing as she wasn't going anywhere. She barely even managed a muted interest as the two Jounin messangers walked in.

"If you're looking for my Dad, he's out at the moment. I think he's meeting with Mr Nara so they'll probably be at the bar on the corner." She said in a bored voice.

"Acutally we've come to see you." One of them said.

Ino raised her head warily. She'd already been taken off missions, they couldn't have found another way to punish her could they?

"Why?" She asked supisciously.

"The Hokage wants to see you now." The other said, waiting for her reply.

Ino bit back a retort that the Hokage could sit and fry for all she cared.

"I'll be right with you gentlemen." She said cooly, trying to keep the hopping bunny of hope in her stomach still.

Going into the house behind the shop, she informed her mother of the change in plans and quickly left. That darned rabbit hoping all over the place.

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I was kidding about the don't review thing, you knew that, right?