Her run in with Dosu left Ino still shaking the next day. He had a killer intent that he didn't originally have when she and the rest of her team had encountered them. Sure he and his teammates had been beating the shit out of Sakura, but that was a different story. That was child's play compared to what she felt. He was sketchy to begin with and smart for figuring the Ino-Shika-Cho formation so quickly, but the feeling that he gave her when he was in the Flower Shop had a lot more anger to it.

She sighed and rested her forehead against the counter of the Flower Shop. She hadn't wanted to come into work today. She was bit nervous about the Sound Nin coming back. She even considered calling Shikamaru. But her pride got in the way almost immediately. So here she was, back in the flower shop, once again studying the scrolls and sketches that were scattered about the counter. It was pouring down rain outside and Ino almost considered not opening the shop, instead she propped open the windows and the door and allowed the sound of the rain and the scent of flowers to surround her while she continued to study.

A butterfly had fluttered into the building shortly after the rain started, its translucent wings too fragile to handle the pressure of rain drops. She gazed at the insect as it flew lazy circles around the shop before finally landing on an iris. A thought popped into Ino's head and she focused on the butterfly, she narrowed her eyes trying to get a better view of the tiny creature and the simple brain structure. The brain of the butterfly was much simpler than that of a human, and she quickly wove her way through the neurons until she planted a single idea into its mind. Fly to the roses.

At first the small creature didn't move. She tried again, pushing the link between their minds a little harder. This time sending him a mental image of a rose. The scroll she had been reading suggested using some type of stimuli. Visual images were the best.

Fly to the roses.

The wings of the butterfly moved slowly as if the creature were considering the idea. Probably considering why the hell it wants to fly to the stupid roses when it is perfectly happy on the Iris. She thought to herself, hoping that the butterfly didn't hear those thoughts. She pushed again, showing it the image and this time saying the words out loud "Fly to the roses."

The wings fluttered and the butterfly lifted itself from the iris before it glided over to the display of roses and landed on a white one.

Holy shit I did it. Ino thought to herself before laughing and letting out a very unladylike "Hell yeah!"

"Is work that slow that you are excited to have me come in?" Sakura asked as she stepped through the doorway.

"No Forehead. I was busy testing a new jutzu." Ino replied simply.

"On what?" Sakura inquired.

"The butterfly." Ino said just as simply.

Sakura laughed. "The butterfly? What were you doing discussing flowers to eat?" she asked.

Ino rolled her pretty eyes. "Anyways. What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I need a flower for Lee."

Ino nodded sadly and walked to the back of the room. "How is he doing? Do you want another daffodil?" she inquired.

"Hai. He is still in the hospital, his training keeps slowing down his healing progress." Sakura replied softly.

Ino nodded and plucked the daffodil from the bucket, wrapped it in the cellophane wrapping. "Here you go." she said after ringing it up.

"Thanks." Sakura replied.

Ino nodded.

"How is training going?" Sakura asked.

Ino smiled. "It is going well, I am learning some new techniques." she replied.

Sakura nodded.

"How are you?" Ino asked.

"I am worried about Sasuke." Sakura answered.

Ino nodded. She hadn't bothered to tell Sakura about her little interaction with the Uchiha boy. She decided to keep that her own little secret. All it would do was make he demand to know where he went. Ino had no idea where he was going, although she assumed it was to train with Kakashi sensai who hadn't been around the flower shop in a while. Kakashi tended to come to the flower shop once a week to buy flowers from what he assumed was a fallen comrade.

"I know." Ino replied.

Neji paused when he saw Ino and Shikamaru sitting across from one another at training ground three. He was about to keep walking when he heard the kunochi speak in her flirty voice.

"Ready?"

Shikamaru groaned. "Troublesome."

Ino chuckled. "Way to sound like a supportive teammate." she replied.

Shikamaru sighed and scratched his head. "You dragged me away before dinner." Shikamaru complained.

"Oh, I'm sorry Chouji." she muttered.

Shikamaru continued scratching his head rather violently and Neji couldn't help but wonder if the Nara boy had fleas. Although it really wouldn't surprise him with how lazy the boy was. He wondered how frequently Shikamaru actually showered.

"Have you done anything?" Shikamaru demanded.

Ino smirked.

Understanding dawned on Shikamaru's face. "My head really isn't itchy is it." he stated.

Ino smiled.

Neji's eyes widened. Ino was able to use hypnosis now? Not to mention the fact that she was using the technique was almost undetectable. She managed to hold a conversation, although a broken one, with the Nara boy while she probed through his mind effortlessly. Sure she had only managed to hold the technique for about twenty seconds, but that was definitely long enough during a battle. He couldn't help but wonder how long exactly she could hold the jutsu, Shikamaru was intelligent. He wondered how long she could hold it against someone like Dead-Last Naruto. Maybe he was underestimating her, then again he highly doubted she could last past the first round. He turned and walked away heading back to the Hyuuga training grounds.

Shikamaru sighed and looked up at Ino. That was a hell of an experience. All that he felt was just an urge to itch his head, just a mental thought that his head itched. His mind was open to the suggestion of his head being itchy that was it. He didn't even notice Ino using hand signs to make the jutzu work, she was simply talking to him. As if she was multitasking- flipping through a magazine while he was talking to her and replying although in broken sentences.

"Do it again." he demanded.

Ino smiled "Hai."

He stood before the girl and watched. She didn't do anything instead she simply looked at him and stood up. He suddenly wanted to stand up with her, match her in height and in motion. It was strange having her tower over him like that. Odd that has never bothered me before he thought. He continued to sit and he felt the urge even more as she took a couple of steps towards him. He stood up then. He suddenly realized that she was in his mind again. It had taken seconds, and he wanted to do what she silently asked. He felt another probe in his mind, a desire to raise his left arm. He shoved the thought away and chuckled. "Good try, Ino."

She pouted. "You fell for it the first time."

"But I broke it quickly." he replied.

Ino sighed.

"How are you planning to use it? Make him think that his head itches, distract him with a bodily function?" he asked.

"No I am going to try to make him think that he is out of chakara or that the hellish contraption on his arm is broken."

"Try?" he demanded.

"Yes. I should be able to do it."

"Ino, I fell for it, but I still managed to break out of it." Shikamaru stated.

"I don't need it to last for that long, those twenty seconds that you were under it would have been ample time." Ino shot back.

"We weren't in battle, Ino! If we had been in a battle I would have just ignored that itching regardless of how irritating it is."

"And I would have made you think that something worse was happening to you!" she shot back.

Shikamaru let out a frustrated sigh. "Why are you so gods damn difficult!" he turned away from her only to turn back a second later. "You can't beat this guy."

"Teammates are supposed to support each other. Look at our parents! Team Ino-Shika-Cho! They have been together and supporting and helping each other since they were our age! Why can't we do that?" she demanded.

"Because our fathers aren't being irrational and thinking that they can do something that they obviously can't." Shikamaru shot back. "Our fathers would be listening to each other!"

Ino turned and walked away.

Shikamaru hesitated following the beautiful blond kunochi before thinking against it and instead falling to the ground on his back staring at the clouds as they floated by "My old dreams are flying in the wind. It's a mild and soft afternoon" he said the quote that was written on a journal that Ino had give him for his birthday one year. She thought that if he was so smart that he would want to write down his ideas. He scoffed Too bad I am too lazy to pick up a pencil.

Ino found herself walking to the academy and sitting on the swing. The academy had been her castle. She was the queen of the academy. She was popular and the smartest girl at the school. She had graduated top of her class and look at her now. She was pretty positive that the only reason that Team 10 had made it through the Forest of Death was because of Shikamaru's intellect. The only reason that she beat Sakura was because she was just too stubborn. When Sakura broke out of her jutzu, Ino was shocked. She didn't know that it could happen. If that idiot Naruto hadn't screamed then she would have won. No one believed in her. Shikamaru told her to drop out daily. Neji a complete stranger had been telling her to drop out since the beginning. Everyone who looked at her made an assumption that she was probably going to fail, or worse get killed. "Maybe Dosu is right, I am nothing more than a pretty face." She muttered to herself as she slowly pushing herself on the swing with the tips of her toes.

"Ino?" someone asked. She looked up to see Iruka-sensai standing before her. A mixture of concern and happiness on his face. Strange how such different emotions can appear on someone's face. she thought to herself.

She quickly brushed her hand over her face, trying to get rid of the tears on her face.

"Ino?" he asked kneeling before her.

"I'm alright." she lied.

"Ino. What's happening?" he asked.

She looked up into her old teacher's warm melted chocolate eyes and saw nothing but concern. Finally she let it all out. Telling him everything from the first day of the chunin exams when she aced the test and possessed Shikmaru's body to make sure that he actually took the time to write down the answers, and wrote down all the correct answers for Chouji after memorizing Sakura's answers. How Shikamaru was the only reason that they made it through the second exam. How she was almost defeated by Sakura. How no one thought that she would ever be able to defeat Dosu.

Iruka remained silent the entire time, staring at the blond beauty before him. Ino had grown up. It had only been ten days but she had already grown up. He placed his fingers beneath her chin and forced her to look up at him. She had tear stains on her face but they had ceased falling. He placed both hands on her bony shoulders and spoke softly. "Prove them wrong, Ino. You have so much potential." he said.

"I am trying, but sometimes it's so hard." she replied.

"I know. I'm going to tell you something. I was like Naruto, a dead last. No one believed in me. It took me three years to graduate from the academy, no one thought that I could do it."

"How did you manage to get past it?" she asked.

"I told myself every night that I was going to do it. That I was going to prove them wrong. Ino you graduated top in your class, something that not many kunochi can say. You are determined and talented. With a bit more taijutzu training you have potential to do some great things." Iruka said.

Ino found herself blushing, she had never been complimented so much and she had always had a slight crush on her chunnin teacher.

"Thank you. Iruka sensai." she replied softly.

Iruka gave her a slight smile and removed his hands from her shoulders. "Keep your chin up, Ino. Pretty girls shouldn't cry." he said with a chuckle.

Ino blushed again, but laughed as well as her former teacher's way of cheering her up. "You are awesome, Iruka sensai." she said with a smile. "Thank you." she and Iruka stood up.

"I need to go. I have to cook supper for dad and I. I will see you around." she said with a smile and a wave. She hesitated a moment before placing a quick kiss on Iruka's cheek before running away. She felt like she was seven, running around and stealing kisses from the boys on the playground. She laughed to herself as she traveled by rooftop, Iruka had certainly lightened her mood. She stopped before her house to see that the lights were off. Either her father wasn't home yet or he was at the bar with Shikaku and Chouza again. She sighed and unlocked the door, slipping out of her shoes in the process.

A note on the kitchen counter confirmed her thoughts. Her father was at the bar. She sighed and walked up the stairs to her bedroom. She took a long shower, she was exhausted and she wanted nothing more than to just sit and watch a movie in her pajamas.

She was doing just that when there was a knock on the door. Confused she stood up and walked towards the door. Mentally preparing herself in case it was an attack. There was a kunai in the draw of the side table by the door and another in the kitchen. She opened the door to see Shikamaru standing on the doorstep, hands in his pockets.

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him with narrow eyes. "What?"

"Our dads are drunk again. The bartender called and said that we needed to take them home. Troublesome." he muttered.

Ino sighed. "Again?"

Shikamaru nodded. Ino stepped aside and allowed him to enter her home. "I need to change really fast, I will be right back." she said.

Shikamaru took in her appearance and found himself blushing slightly. She was wearing a lacy green tank top and a pair of matching shorts. From the looks of it she wasn't wearing a bra beneath the lace lined tank top. He waited patiently in the foyer of the Yamanaka household looked around the house once again. Their home was small and cozy, just down the street from the flower shop. The last time he had been in Ino's home was the night he and Chouji and Ino had graduated from the academy. It was to celebrate the fact that the Ino-Shika-Cho team had been made one again. Ino came back down the stairs wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. "Let's go." she said with a sigh as she slipped on a pair of flip flops and walked out the door.

Inochi was sitting with his two best friends and former teammates. The three members of the original Ino-Shika-Cho had been drinking sake since he got back from the mission, and that was about three hours ago. They were currently discussing their children. "At least you have a daughter, Inochi. Chouji is eating me out of the house." Chouza stated.

"Haha. I never know what she is thinking though. At least boys are easy to read." Inochi muttered. When Ino was born the day after Shikamaru, he had gotten a lot of grief from Shikaku and Chouza for having a girl instead of a boy.

"Oi. Dad." a voice said from behind.

Inochi turned to see Shikamaru and Ino standing slightly behind them. He smiled at his daughter. "Ino! Shikamaru! Join us for a drink."

Ino wrinkled her nose while Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Inochi sighed, leave it to him to have the daughter who didn't like sake, Ino liked wine.

"Come on dad, let's go home." Ino said gently, walking over to stand behind her father.

Shikaku laughed slightly. "Looks like Ino has become the woman of the house."

"Come on dad, you too. Mom wants you home too." Shikamaru said.

Inochi laughed loudly then. Shikaku's wife was known for her temper, and if she wanted something, Shikaku had damn well better do it or he would be sleeping with the deer that night.

"Dad, come on. You are drunk and it's your turn to work the flower shop tomorrow." Ino said placing her hands on her hips. Inochi sighed as he looked at his daughter. Ino looked more like him than she did her mother. They shared the same piercing blue eyes and long blond hair, as well as a short temper. Ino did however inherit her mother's flawless pale skin and eye for beautiful things. She also inherited her mother's habit of speaking before thinking and love of gossip.

Inochi rolled his eyes and stood up, wobbling slightly. Ino slung his arm around her slender shoulders and looked over a Shikamaru who was doing the same with his father. "I'll see you tomorrow." Ino replied staggering slightly under her father's weight.

"Are you alright? Can you make it home okay?" Shikamaru asked his daughter.

Ino smiled. "Yeah I got him."

Inochi smiled down at his daughter proudly. "That's my girl."

Ino groaned and rolled her eyes. "Let's go, dad."