***Disclaimer: Yada yada don't sue.

**Note; I felt obligated to do an Ino fic cuz shes rather neglected in the fan fic world. Kinda like Tomo in Fushigi Yuugi (who ever writes fics about him?!). Just hope you know your Naruto characters cuz quite a few neglected ones show up. Yeah, I usually am the one to have a thing for the minor characters who show up in a random episode for 2 minutes then aren't seen for the rest of the series. Heh…. Check out if ya need visual aid as to whose who. Otherwise, enjoy!

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"This game is troublesome." Ino didn't even look at her teammate who mumbled his usual comment about everything.

From where she stood, she could see the flag. Capture the flag, it was a training course set up by Asuma Sensei. She smirked, but every training course had a trick to it. Come on, capture the flag, there had to be more to it than that. Especially when a little red flag was clearly in view at the top of a rather tall tree. Now the obstacle was figuring out the trick.

"I'm soooo hungry." Choji complained as he chowed down chips. Yes, he complained he was hungry even while he ate. Ino sighed. This seemed so routine. Not the 'game', but the roles played. Why did she have to be teamed up with 2 whiners?! Jesus Christ they just never shut up. While she was sure Sakura was off winning over Sasuke leaving her trailing behind in that game.

"Then I'll get it." She volunteered herself aware that she sounded rather snobby. She didn't mean to…she wasn't a snobby person, but when teammates forget they're a team, well someone's got to be the leader Goddamn it!

Branch to branch she climbed. It was a stupid game. Her teammates were stupid….

"Hey Ino watch out!" Blink. A fake branch. Having set foot on it, the cloud of smoke took away the branch leaving Ino to fall in a belly flop form onto the branch below. A very hard hit to the chest for a young developing girl. A very hard hit that brought tears to Ino's eyes that she squeezed shut not allowing a tear to fall.

She wouldn't shed a tear. No. Ninjas didn't cry.

"Ino, are you OK? Shikamaru called up while Choji's expression showed the pain he thought she felt.

"Y-yeah." Hearing his voice, her eyes opened. Opened to see 2 tall Chuuin approach with concern for the young Genin.

"Are you sure?" one wore his dark hair wild and spiked, with a bandage over his nose. "That looked like a hard fall."

"Yes!" She sat up on the branch straddling her legs. How embarrassing. She wiped her eyes very quickly with her sleeve. Found crying by 2 older Chuuin. "I'm f-fine."

"Want me to get the flag?" Shikamaru asked.

"The flag over there?" the other Chuuin with his dark hair over one eye and head guard like a bandanna covering the top of his head, pointed to a tree not far away with an obvious flag waving from the top of it. Looking up at the flag she had been climbing to retrieve, it was gone…and illusion?

"N-no, I'll get it." She tried to stand, but struggled. How had she been so stupid? "Just- hold on-"

"Here you are," before she could say another word there sat the Chuuin, Kamizuki Izumo holding out the little red flag in front of her. Oh God, she prayed her faced wasn't as red as it felt.

She couldn't look up at him accepting the flag, "Thanks…" Poof. The flag was only a stick.

"You don't really think we'd help ya, did ya?" Hagane Kotetsu chuckled.

**** Sorry if this is kinda crappy beginning…I haven't written in a while now that I look back at it. …R&R…please tell me what you think ^_^;;