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:You Are So Whipped:
Chapter 2: Spies

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Something was off, Chouji decided, as he habitually dug around in his pocket for a snack. The stars were out of alignment and Team 10's chemistry was out of whack.

Training in itself had been normal so far. Asuma-sensei had set them on drills again which wouldn't have been suspicious in itself but Shikamaru and Ino had been partnered up. Meaning Asuma would work with Chouji.

Even his teacher thought something was up.

"I want you to find out what's going on." Asuma supplied without pause when met with Chouji's questioning look as his teammates went to another end of the training ground to practice.

This was fine.

The boy looked around conspiratorially, it would do them no good if he was caught, before extending his hand for payment.

Asuma sighed. He had really hoped to save his trump card for another day. But they say desperate times. .

Chouji raised an eyebrow. "A coupon for ONE free meal at the 'Chicken Baketsu'? That's cheap."

"I was saving you from yourself." Asuma shrugged mentally since he had figured the chicken would work.

Chouji chuckled dryly; food was nothing to joke about. "What else do you have?"

Asuma was quick to cut another deal as he puffed on his cigarette. Being a jounin-sensei there wasn't anything really interesting to do besides tortur- training his students unless there was a mission. Observing his team was better than the soaps. He'd been through that addiction before. It wasn't pretty. Soon you'd start looking for drama in your everyday life. .

Being desperate for juicy details in the haze of boredom the summer heat brought with it Asuma said the one word he knew would get him what he wanted. "Barbecue."

Chouji brightened immediately and latched onto it. "As much as I want, tomorrow night."

"If and when you get any information. ." he sighed as he gave in. "You get as much as you want for dinner one night this week."

The genin stopped himself from an enthusiastic hop and settled for a wide grin. "I'll take the coupon now then."

The deal was sealed with a shake and Chouji was back in business mode. "So you noticed it too, huh?"

"Yup." Habitual puff. "They're scheming something again."

Another grin as Chouji finally grasped the candy bar he'd been searching around for. Why did cargo pants have to have so many pockets? ". .Or Ino's scheming something and she dragged Shikamaru into it." This theory seemed, to Chouji, to be the more likely of the two.

Shikamaru would never volunteer for any of Ino's 'missions'. But the Chuunin really was a pushover when it came to Ino. As Shikamaru's long time best friend Chouji felt it was his duty to look out for him to the best of his abilities, and if he got a few rewards on the side all the better right?

Chouji stuffed the coupon into one of his other pockets praying silently that he'd be able to find it in time for dinner. Chicken Baketsu's chicken wings truly were the best.

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"I knew it!" Ino yelled rather loudly in triumph before being silenced by Shikamaru. "-mmph."

"Quiet. You want them to hear us?"

Ino glared at the boy attached to the hand covering her mouth from where she was sitting in the bushes. She was tempted to bite him but then HE would be loud. He really was a baby when it came to that kind of stuff.

They had been sent a ways away from the training grounds again, which would've been the ideal time to plot her first move as a 'couple'. But when Ino was sent away it only meant one thing to her.

Asuma-sensei wanted to talk without her there to overhear and had sent Shikamaru with her to keep her calm. She glared at the scheming traitors harder. Her own team! They were supposed to be like family!

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Shikamaru let out a long suffering sigh. He had TRIED telling to tell Ino that this was a purely paranoid conclusion, since she had decided they should be paired up by herself. But of course she never listens to a word I say. . Has to know everybody else' business. .

Ino really was a baby about being kept out of the loop.

She finally convinced him (he didn't feel like listening to her whine anymore) and they had snuck back over and camouflaged themselves in some nearby bushes. He was usually impressed with her abilities as a ninja. . That was all over with the selection of this clever hiding place.

But at least it put them out of sight while they could silently hear what was being discussed. . . .Until Ino had blown their cover.

"What was that?" Chouji asked, looking in the general direction of the bushes.

Shikamaru gave Ino a look that had "brilliant" written all over it. She yanked his hand off of her mouth. "Shut up, Shikamaru." She hissed at him.

The chuunin supposed it was worth it in the end to know that Chouji was a leak to Asuma-sensei. How bothersome. Now he had to watch what he said around his friend if he didn't want his business all over town . . .

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps moving in there direction. Someone coming.

Shikamaru finally released Ino and pointed to the south where the thicket they lay in thinned out and they could escape easily. "Ino." he whispered. "Lets go this wa-"

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Meanwhile Ino was panicking. Shikamaru thought too much. Did he even notice that their sensei was coming over?

What am I gonna do? If he finds out we know about Chouji being a rat I won't be able to get back at them. The thoughts of her sweet and bloody revenge fluttering out the proverbial window were her sole motivation for doing what she did next.

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Asuma hadn't imagined it. There had been a soft shocked 'oomph' from somewhere over in the bushes.

He crept over silently (one can never be too careful in a Hidden Village) and opened his senses. He definitely heard struggling. Wasting no time he deftly lifted away the branches, telling himself it was probably just a wild animal caught in the brush.

The Jounin took one look, blinked, looked once again to make sure and then silently wandered back into his third student's general direction. "I want my coupon back."

This left the other two in a very compromising position.

Ino had had an idea. Which seemed pretty good at the second she'd had it, and, as a creature of impulse, she had to follow through immediately.

Now that she thought about it, it had been a pretty stupid idea. Not that she would ever admit to that.

She had needed a ruse for their teacher to find them hiding in the bushes besides eavesdropping. And of course the first one she thought of had led to tackling Shikamaru and . . .

Ino frowned sulkily. Well it set up for 'The Plan' nicely.

Shikamaru was shell shocked and laid flat out on the ground where he'd been knocked over. "Uh. . You just. . ."

"Yeah." Ino tossed her hair in irritation. "Don't make a big deal out of it. You're supposed to be my boyfriend remember?"

Then (of course; life just LOVED Ino today) Chouji decided to come by and investigate what had taken away his free meal, and Ino did IT, again.

The boy found, what looked to be, his teammates making out in the poison ivy. He stared for a couple of seconds and followed the same path his sensei did; going back into the village. Did they HAVE to do that during training? Seeing something like that could scar him for the rest of his natural life. .

Ino immediately broke the second kiss and mentally cursed ninjas who were alert to their surroundings. Oh the sacrifices a sexy kunoichi, such as herself, had to make in order for a mission to work.

She nonchalantly got off of Shikamaru and began to redo her hair which had been messed up during her spying. Yes, the hardships of the ninja. .

"You did it again." He said flatly.

"Yes." She wasn't looking at him.

"Was that completely necessary?" Shikamaru made sure he had regained his composure before he sat up. He had been used to impulsive hugs since he had become a genin, even before then, you had to when you hung out with an excitable girl all the time, but this was a whole new territory. He frowned, cheeks a bit darker than usual.

She jerked a few strands back as she pulled her hair into the short neat ponytail the way she wore it for training. "I had to throw them off somehow."

He was scowling; he didn't like being taken by surprise. "You could've faked it or something . ."

"It couldn't have been that bad!" She shot back, annoyed that her sexiness and femininity was being put into question. "Its not like I WANTED to kiss you. I always imagined Sasuke would-" Ino's eyes took on the dreamy quality they got just before she launched into another daydream.

The chuunin got up. He really didn't care to hear this especially after what just happened. "I think training's over. ."

Maybe he'd be able to get a quick nap in. . Not that he'd be able to sleep with that stupid 'mission' he'd 'volunteered' for weighing on his mind. It would be difficult to pull off and he didn't think he'd be getting out of it anytime soon if Ino was ready to go to such lengths already. They hadn't even started yet.

The blonde looked up, finished with her hair. "Where are you going? We have to go to Ichiraku tonight and make our debut."

Huh? "What're you talking about?"

She stood up and finished brushing off her training uniform, she'd definitely have to go home and change. Hn . . What to wear on a date to a ramen stand? "Your treat. Pick me up at six, no later."

So Shikamaru was left staring at Ino's back after she had once again talked him into something without consulting him.

How many times did that make it this week?

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On that happy note I leave you. Please be kind and review.