Chapter 12- A New Day!

After a night of peacefulness, Ino wakes up on a beautiful sunny morning.

She sits up on the bed and sees Shikamaru lying down on a mat, with Choji…

Both of them were snoring. Ino quietly giggled, then yawned and stretched her arms.

She slowly put her feet on the floor and walked to the bathroom to wet her hair and wash her face. She was in a good mood! A smile on her face every second!

"That was a good sleep!" she said, brushing her hair, "Now, it's time for me to cook us some breakfast! Choji likes his eggs sunny-side-up! And Shikamaru loves his pancakes with lots and lots of butter and maple syrup!" Then, she went down to cook breakfast for her and for her two teammates. As she left the bedroom, Shikamaru slowly opened his eyes and caught a glimpse of Ino walking out the door. Then, he sat up and rubbed his eyes… "Morning already." He said, "…I'm still a little dizzy, damn it."

Suddenly, Choji grunted, "What was that, Shikamaru?"

"Huh? Oh, good morning, Choji. Sleep well?"

"UH-HUH! AND I ALSO HAD A REALLY GOOD DREAM! Wanna hear it?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Well… I was stranded on some desert island, you see…"

"…yeah, and then?"

"It was so hot! The whole place was covered with sand! And the ocean was surrounding the whole place! Then, suddenly sharks came! Then, I panicked and panicked until, out of nowhere, some Amazon forest appeared before my very eyes!"

"Uh-huh…"

"So, I ran, and I ran, until…"

"…until?"

"OOOH, THIS IS THE BEST PART! And just when I reached the middle of the forest, a tribe of savage potato chips surrounded me! They worshipped me and made me their god! IT WAS THE BEST DREAM I'VE EVER HAD!"

Before Shikamaru could say anything, Ino entered the room.

"Oh! I see you guys are already awake! Breakfast's ready, just in case you're hungry!"

"ALRIGHT! I'm STARVING!" Choji exclaimed, "Come on, Shikamaru! Let's eat!"

"Yeah, okay… Hey, Ino."

"Yes, Shikamaru?"

"Would you mind if I came to the academy to watch you practice for the play today?"

"Huh?"

"Just for… support!"

"Sure! Why not! I'd need all the support I can get!"

Then, the three of them went downstairs to eat their breakfast. The each took a seat and sat down. There, were three plates. Each with two pancakes and an egg. Beside each plate was an empty glass. And at the very center of the table was a huge pitcher of fresh, cold, orange juice. It was a peaceful breakfast- three good friends and one table…

"…hey, Ino. About that kissing scene with Lee…"

"WHAT! AGKH! ACKH!" Ino choked. She coughed and she coughed while pounding her chest, "ACKH! URRRRGH! Sigh… What about it?"

"Well… It's not going to be a real kiss, is it?" Shikamaru asked slowly.

"Huh? Of course not! I've never even dreamt of kissing the guy! I'll say it again, I've fallen for someone else now! And it's definitely not Rock Lee!"

"Oh, um, okay…"

"…and Shikamaru, you won't get to see the kissing scene during our daily practices, anyway! The actual kissing scene will happen on the day of the play itself, which would be next week!"

"No kissing scene in the general performance either?"

"Nope! Just in the actual performance!" Then, she took a quick sip from her glass and asked, "Why are you asking these questions, anyway?"

Shikamaru blushed and started to panic. He began sweating. "Uhhh… Uhhh…" he said.

"Well, Shikamaru? Why all of a sudden… You're so interested in that kissing scene?"

"Uhhh… I, uhh…"

"…well?"

"I…"

Finally, Shikamaru had thought of a valid enough reply to Ino's query…

"I ASKED IT JUST IN CASE YOU WANTED ME TO BRING SOME MOUTH WASH WHEN I WATCH YOU EVERY PRACTICE!"

"Huh? Mouth wash? Oh, that's very thoughtful of you, Shikamaru! But, don't worry! I won't need it yet! Thanks for asking!"

Shikamaru blushed and wiped his sweat off his forehead.

Suddenly, Ino got conscious of the time…

"Oh, look at the time! It's almost 10 o' clock! We have to get going! Which reminds me, we all need to have a bath before the practices begin! Right… I'll go have a quick shower and get my script ready! Choji, Shikamaru, would you mind if the two of you bathed together? Just for this morning? It'll save lots of time!"

"But, Ino-

"Thanks! Oh my goodness, I have to hurry!"