Chapter: Slice of Ino
A/N: This is a look at Ino's Saturday and her relationship with Lee based upon the first chapter. There is more to this story and pretty much every other chapter that I'm simply not writing now. Next up is Slice of Hina!
'Oh Lee's at the training grounds still.' Ino thought passing it on her way to meet up with Shikamaru, she knew he wouldn't be there yet but she was nothing if not punctual. 'Maybe this is my chance.'
"Hey Lee!" She smiled dropping down to a branch where he could see her while still doing his pull ups. She wasn't surprised when he didn't do more than nod until he finished his movement. She noted he was only on five hundred meaning he couldn't have been there long.
"Hello Ino!" He smiled pulling up again continuing his exercise while keeping a mental count. Not disturbed in the least by her presence on the branch he was using he smiled politely and asked, "What brings you?"
She gave him a feral grin eying his spandex clad chest more openly than she would with anyone else. "Oh just knew you would be here."
"I usually am at this time of day. Maybe you should join me in a vigorous workout sometime!" His smile was almost blinding, way too bright for the ungodly hour it was on a weekend no less.
"If I didn't know you better I might take that the wrong way." The blonde smiled sweetly. "You know there are other people that would do anything to garner your attention away from Sakura." A knowing smile was attempting to cross her features despite the flirting lilt of her voice.
"Are you suggesting you're one of them?" Lee pulled up on the branch and stayed there a moment studying the blonde's face. Despite the flirty nature she had it was unusual for her to be like this with him. Which only led him to further believe he wouldn't exactly like what she wanted of him.
"You never know." The blonde winked a smirk playing on her lips only to highlight the quirk in her flirty notes.
"'..." The taijutsu master flipped off the tree and promptly fell over laughing. Looking in between fits of laughter at the blonde now getting more comfortable on the branch he'd been using to workout. He then concluded no matter what it was she wanted he'd probably give in.
After a few too long moments filled with laughter she finally threw a stick at him. "Hey it's not that funny!" But the smirk she wore did nothing to hide the mirth in her eyes.
"Maybe if your eyes weren't so glued to a certain Uchiha by the name of..." He couldn't help but want to call her on her bluff. They knew each other too well it seemed as he could tell she had a reason to be there and it wasn't related to training.
"Don't say his name!" She shook her head. 'He' was part of how they had become such close friends. Lee had caught her with 'him' and well being the advocate of love Lee is he didn't tell anyone and allowed her to share her worries and hopes with him. Of course she also knew a thing or two about him as well. "It's not like you've got room to speak."
"True." Lee shrugged unconcerned as he finally stood up from his fit of laughter wanting to get to the point and get back to training. He was already behind as it was. "So you've got that I need something look..." His mouth went dry as he caught the picture she had thrown at him. In it he was shirtless and a certain red head could just be seen to his right. "Where did you get this?"
"I took it." She smirked holding up her own copy of just Lee shirtless closing the curtains. "Don't worry I printed them myself and these are the only two pictures."
"Why?" He gave her a befuddled look. And feeling the familiar chakra spike behind him at his alarm he added quietly. "When?" He made sure to calm his voice and the signals his body was unconsciously sending out. He was happy that it was enough to settle the familiar chakra into a slightly less murderous state.
"I need it for Girl's Friday, I promise I won't spread it around. Just thought you might like that picture since you don't have one of him and you together. By the way the whole Friday night date night is so cliche." She smiled hiding her deeper thoughts on the matter as she got to her feet. "Don't worry I won't tell anyone. But if he breaks your heart my door is always open." She quipped as she turned to take off, she was running late even by Shikamaru's standards.
He scoffed with a smile after her. "No it isn't," But they both knew it would never be necessary to begin with. "Tell Shikamaru I say hi."
"Will do but only if you tell your boyfriend I'm not trying to steal his man." Ino smiled at the blush on his cheeks. "You two have fun!" As she felt the chakra of a certain red head calm behind her at her departure. She smiled to herself with just a bit of jealously. 'I wish 'he' and I could do that.' It's not like she couldn't help but feel cheated knowing that she and her love would never get a chance to be that close anywhere near the other people. Unlike Lee and the Kazekage who could easily play off the friend card.
With that errand taken care of she was off towards her meeting with Shikamaru, after all the groceries wouldn't carry themselves all the way to her place. She slowed down coming closer to the arranged meeting place mindful of the others around her as she rounded the corner to Temari's voice.
"But why are you..." Temari trailed off into silence quickly as she spotted the other blonde.
"Your unusually late Ino." Shikamaru looked her over casually almost inspecting for injury.
"I ran into Lee." She smiled warmly hiding all her secrets. "Are you joining us Temari?"
"Depends what would I be joining?" The tri-tailed blonde raised an eyebrow at the situation before her. She had followed Shikamaru without a second thought and the few questions she had asked were only answered vaguely in a lazy manner. Meaning she had yet to get a clear answer as to why he was going with Ino anywhere, and most importantly if it was a date.
"It's bargin shopping day!" The chipper blonde smiled brighter much to the chagrin of her lazy friend. "It's traditionally Choji and I but since he's training with his Father Shikamaru volunteered to help me instead." She couldn't help the knowing smile from slipping over her lips at the way Temari instantly relaxed just slightly at this new information. Knowing her best friend he had told her the minimal, which was she had asked him to meet her here.
"If that so?" Temari looked over at the pineapple head smirking. Judging from the way said volunteer squirmed under her gaze she guessed he hadn't volunteered of his own volition.
"I promised." Was all the accused would say to scrutiny.
"I think I might since I need to stock up too." Temari's smirk had never seemed more vicious to the pineapple head. "Do you have the ads with you?"
"Only every Saturday!" Ino chimed a matching smirk on her face.
With a sigh Shikamaru resigned himself to the duty of pack mule. He had always regretted making this promise but never as much as he did now with both Temari and Ino eying the ads like vultures. He couldn't resist a mumbled 'troublesome women' as he followed them into the first store.
