Chapter one: Preparations

Another day had passed, Ino had been training for four months without a day off and was total loss. She'd learned the Shinranshin, her speed had increased with 400 and she was twice as strong as before. This time she was going to become a Chuunin no matter what. She'd even visited Shikamaru to listen to his advice about strategies. She had to analyze the situation and her opponent carefully and then think what she would do he told her. She was him really thankful that he'd spend a whole afternoon teaching her about strategies and analyzing things. They had became pretty good friends, he even went training with her, giving her another lesson in strategies.

She sat down, and watched the clouds peacefully, they really looked peaceful. 'Hmm I guess I can take a pause of 5 min.' she thought. She lay back in the grass so she could see the clouds better. That one looked like a duck, and the one over there was heart-shaped.

"Quite addictive eh?" said a voice behind her.

"Yeah, I wish I could do it more often like you." she answered.

Shikamaru sat down on the piece grass next to her. "I brought some ramen for you" and he gave her the ramen.

"Hmm I expected that you would find it too troublesome to bring me ramen." Ino said sarcastic.

"Well you haven't eaten since 6 a.m and I think it would be a waste of time if you'd starved yourself to death." he replied.

That's Shikamaru, always thinking more then one step ahead. It seemed that he even thought about what would happen in a ordinary conversation like this. No way I could win this.

"I give up." I took a deep breath and continued "Thanks for the ramen Shikamaru."

Shikamaru smiled, getting a compliment from Ino was rare.

"So do you think you're ready for the Chuunin exam?" he asked.

"Yeah I think so, I've learned a new jutsu and my speed and attack have increased greatly! I'm sure I'm going to become a Chuunin!" Ino said with a huge smile on her face.

"But still be careful! Avoid battles in the forest of death and get to the central building as fast as you can." said Shikamaru.

"I know Shika! You've told me that a dozen times before!" Ino replied.

"Sorry but..."

"You are just worried about me?" Ino cut him in the middle of the sentence.

"Well erhm.. yeah, I mean who else has to boss me around if you are dead?" he said.

"Good point." Then she suddenly said "I wish you could me see fighting."

Shikamaru opened his mouth to talk but Ino continued "At least Sasuke will see me fighting! I'm sure he falls in love with me when he sees me kicking Sakura's a-"

"Actually I will see you fighting." This time it was Shikamaru's turn to cut someone off in the middle of a sentence. He was sick and tired of listening to her stories about Sasuke. 'Will she ever notice that I love her?' he thought.

"You will?" Ino happily replied. She forgot about Sasuke.

"Yeah." Shikamaru continued. "I signed myself up as one of the Chuunins who will watch the exam."

"Really!? I thought you'll find that much too troublesome." Ino shouted happy.

"Well actually my dad signed me up." he replied. But he was lying, he did signed himself up. He wanted to be absolutely sure that Ino would came out of the first two parts of the exam alive.

"Ohw." Ino said disappointed. 'How stupid, of course he would never sign himself up, he's too lazy for that.'

"But still I'll enjoy to see you fighting. Shikamaru said quickly. He's noticed the disappointment in her voice and tried to save the situation. Darn he nearly ruined it. The real reason he'd come to Ino was to tell her that he loved her. The day after tomorrow was the Chuunin exam and he probably wouldn't see her tomorrow. And what if she died in the second part?" Ino was strong but still if there were people like Gaara, Temari and Kankuro again even Ino wouldn't be save.

Shikamaru nor Ino didn't know what to say.

"So will you be there if I and the others come out of the forest?" Ino asked after five minutes.

"Yep." I'll watch all the battles." Shikamaru said.

"Do you want to fight me one more time?" Ino asked.

"Course." Shikamaru replied.

"It's a real battle, to win someone has to give up, faint or die." Ino said.

"Aren't you taking this a bit too seriously?" Shikamaru asked. He loved it when Ino eyes were serious. It looked like they were even more blue then normal.

"No, you think that those guys in the Chuunin exam will have mercy?" Ino said seriously.

'Hmm with someone as beautiful as you they will.' Shikamaru thought.

"You're right." he said. He agreed with Ino to avoid a troublesome conversation.

"So come on!" Ino said and she stood up.

Shikamaru stood up as well. 'God she's so beautiful.' he thought when he saw the sun reflecting on her skin.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yep." he replied.

"Ok! lets begin!" she shouted.

Shikamaru could easy catch her with his Kagemane is he wanted to because there were plenty of shadows on the ground. But he waited to see what Ino was going to do.

'Darn.' thought Ino, he could easily catch her with all those shadows. She started to run around him. 'His Kagemane probably can't keep up with my speed' she thought.

Shikamaru who exactly knew what she was thinking by seeing what she did formed the seals of the Kagemane and set a trap. He wouldn't attack her yet, He'll first see if she finds his traps.

Ino noticed a spot on the ground where it was darker then on the other parts of the ground. 'Shikamaru would never set such an obvious trap, there had to be another trap hidden around somewhere. Suddenly she noticed four other dark spots behind the one she's noticed. He'd probably also had another one behind her. 'I guess he won't expect me to run straight towards him. She turned to the left and ran straight towards him.

Shikamaru who always knew every possible thing his opponent could do set another trap 2 meters behind him.

Ino ran towards him thinking that he was surprised, jumped over him and landed right into his trap.

"I noticed your tr... what the?" She tried to move but her body wouldn't listen. Did she fell in his trap after all? She looked at his face. 'How could I be so stupid? He even wasn't serious yet, he was just playing with me. Well done Yamanaka, if you act the same at the Chuunin exam you won't even get the chance to reach the 3rd round.'

"You got me again." she said sad.

"Still you noticed the first two traps." Shikamaru said.

"Naruto would have ran straight into them."

"But still you can finish me easily, I'm right before a tree, you can defeat me the same way like you did with that Sound."

"Ino don't be sad, most people would have run into the first two traps and even it they noticed those they would have been caught with the third." said Shikamaru.

That made Ino feel a little better. "But still I have been stupid, I'm not giving up so you have to finish me off.""

Shikamaru didn't answer, he would never hurt Ino though she had slabbed him so many times.

"I don't want you to go easy on me, so come on finish me off." Ino said."

Suddenly the Kagemane disappeared.

Shikamaru raised his hand and said "I, Nara Shikamaru give up." he turned around and said "If you will not give up, I will."

Ino was surprised, she always had been a nasty vixen to him and now he had the chance to punish her he didn't.

"Why didn't you finish me off." Ino asked.

Shikamaru didn't answer that question though he exactly knew what the answer was, he loved her, from the first day they met, he had never told anyone about it, not even Chouji.

Ino always had explanation for his weird behaving but now she had no idea why he did this. The thought that he could love her didn't even occur in her mind. Shikamaru had a well-known reputation as the lazy no-interest Chuunin in Konoha. No villager would ever think that he'd fancied Ino.