Ino-Saku-Chou: 2

Shikamaru was not the type to be uncomfortable due to boredom. He enjoyed boredom. It was a natural state; boredom meant that everything was right with the world, the clouds in their place, nothing to trouble him. Except when it didn't mean that. When it meant that his team was travelling to the chuunin exam in Hidden Mist, and he was not. When it meant that his best friend was pushing himself to what was potentially a dangerous overexertion.

Shikamaru crossed his eyes, focussing on the silkworm that was making its way steadily up his nose. He never bothered to brush them off. He knew he shouldn't be worrying about them; there were three jounin with them, for the love of— but Sakura, with the other two? Sakura? What sort of team was that—Ino-Saku-Chou.

He huffed, uncharacteristically, blowing the worm up over his head. He never would have worried, before his father had given him that lecture on responsibility. Now he was thick with worrying. Even when he didn't want to, he was thinking about how he would command this squad, that squad—how he could be that one commander who brought the mission off better than it could otherwise have gone. It was getting to the point where he found himself wishing that he were leading all of them. It was like wearing itchy underwear; nothing was accomplished by it except that he kept twitching all the time. Shikamaru hated responsibility. Unfortunately, it seemed to want to be his friend. It snuck up on him at night and cuddled up, keeping him from sleep. It wouldn't leave him alone. It kept him from being properly bored.

Lying on the grass, pretending he could watch the cloudless sky, Shikamaru wondered how his friends were doing.

oOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo

"I think she hates us," Ino remarked. Chouji didn't answer her; it took a lot of concentration to jump branch to branch at high speed while eating ranch flavor chips.

"We're supposed to be on the same team. Hell, we're supposed to be best friends." She pfffed her breath. "You'd think she was on their team. You'd think Sasuke never existed, to look at them. I say let her join them and good riddance, you know? We can make it on our own. It's not like Shikamaru pulled his weight in the last one, you know. I practically had to drag him through the forest by his ear." She tapped the branch with her foot, making an especially energetic leap. Chouji followed her trajectory with his eyes. "Well, answer me Chouji! Isn't she just the most—the most contrary girl you ever saw?"

Chouji didn't answer. He figured it was for the best.

Further forward, two green figures leaped—with an enthusiastic haphazardness—through the trees; the smaller one behind, dogging the bigger one's heels. A pink figure, with much more refined motions, was panting in her attempt to keep up with them.

"Gai sensei! If I don't catch up by the time I count 100, then I have to jump upside down for the next 250 trees!"

"Right! It's a promise!" Gai spurted ahead.

"Lee!" Sakura gasped. "You know you always hit your head when you jump upside down!"

This merited the first response she'd had since the morning. Rock Lee turned.

"But Sakura," he said, not slowing, "If I bump into a branch, then I'll just have to start the count over."

"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped. "And look where you're going, I don't want to have to bandage you up."

"You should try it too, Sakura-san-- it's good practice! Number One teacher Gai-sensei's method for success! Assu—"

"Lee!"

With a rather hollow sounding crack, the side of Lee's turned head slammed into a thick branch.

Neji was fastest; he caught Lee just as Sakura reached him, and the tips of her fingers, concentrated with chakra in a subconscious attempt to reach Lee with more than her physical hands, brushed the side of Neji's face. The ridges of the active Byakugan caught her by surprise, and she recoiled the hand, earning a nasty—and somewhat surprised—glare from Neji. Was he watching his teammate so closely?

She caught the branch and dropped to the ground behind him as Tenten called the halt. The others began gathering. The chakra was still ready at her fingertips; hand shaking, she held it over Lee's head, feeling for the bump. The subcutaneous layer was bleeding, as expected; but below that, was anything—

Lee sat up like a shot, his head cracking her a sharp blow on the chin. She sat back, wincing and rubbing it. Lee looked around wildly, trying to take in all his surroundings in one big gulp. It didn't take long for him to fixate on her; pulling himself to a crouch, he gripped her shoulder.

"Sakura-san! What happened? You're in pain! Is it an attack?"

"I think he's going to be fine," she announced to the crowd.

"You hit your head on a tree, you fool," Neji said. He was looking the other direction, though, eyes still tightly focused.

"Sakura-san." Lee was still looking at her, intense. "I'm glad you're all right." He smiled.

Sakura put her head in her hand. It sometimes seemed as if Lee had been put on the world to torment her. If he had to be nice, why did he have to be so stupid? And if he had to be such an idiot, why did he have to be so damn nice? Every fiber wanted to rip into him for endangering himself with no good reason; every fiber wanted to melt into the comfortable protection he offered. And it was no idiot's promise; Lee really meant it. He honestly believed that Sakura was liable to be attacked at every moment, even when they were in Konoha; and he was prepared to unleash every technique he had on her behalf. No small promise, coming from Lee. Protecting her was a serious business; and that made it all the more horribly, guiltily hilarious.

So she said, "It's fine, Lee. But..." she bit her tongue, whispered: "We've been on three dates already. Can't you just call me 'Sakura'?"

Lee was looking away already, frowning. "But where's Gai-sensei?"

At this, Asuma and Kurenai exchanged a guilty look, and Neji began to slowly smile.

"Ah, well," Asuma said at last, "He seemed to be enjoying it, so who was I to stop him?"

Neji blinked the byakugan away. "Yep. Still running."

oOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo

Nobody complained when they made camp a little early that night; Hidden Mist was becoming a real place, not just a destination, and taking their cue from their jounin escorts, the genin were restless. It had been Sand that had attacked Konoha; but Mist was a frightening place, known for its brutality in the training of students, and for the strange, hardened warriors that training produced; as likely to be cold-blooded in fact as they were in spirit. There was no reason to approach in a hurry.

Gai found his way back to the camp as they were setting up, with the decency to look a little sheepish. The genin were stretching, taking last minute inventory; preparing themselves for the upcoming exam. Ino was busily looking over written notes. Chouji was "watching clouds", with his eyes shut. Sakura, however, was too busy stealing glances at Neji to concentrate on anything else.

Not that there was really such a thing as stealing glances at a Byakugan user. He had been using the technique intermittently ever since she'd first noticed it—and for how long before she had? The direction of his gaze was not informative; Sakura had studied the Byakugan, but its finer points were guarded by the Hyuuga clan. There was no way to tell where he was looking, but she was reasonably sure he knew she was watching him—and simply didn't esteem her highly enough to bother to do anything about it.

She was ready to give up when Kiba suddenly sat stock up from where he'd been feeding Akamaru; sniffed the air, then took off at a run, laughing.

"Visitors," Neji announced, at the curious glance Gai was giving him.

"Who is it, then?" Asuma said, chewing his cigarette.

"I was wondering when you were going to join us," Neji said in the direction of a dark glade, "Gaara of the Desert."

Sakura felt a chill go down her spine.

Next up: the exam begins.