Neji is walking towards the training grounds, there as a place in a grove of trees that was his favorite to practice his Byukaugan. It is quiet and nicely shaded, about 50 yards away a small stream appears after it rains, it's a little piece of haven for. As he is lightly shoving his way through the curtain of willow branches, he notices another figure. At first he thinks it is Hinata, when they were kids and his hatred was not so dominant they had found this spot together. He then remembers that she is sick in bed; not that he wouldn't put it past his naive cousin to once again over exert herself to train.
He shoves his way through the blockade to see that it isn't his cousin but the Yamanaka girl moving through the Dancing Warrior yoga series, her back to him. Downward dog to three legged dog, followed by a smooth transfer into Warrior One. Her movements flow slowly like a river. He hates to admit it, but Hinata is a damn good teacher.
When she moves into Warrior One he notices that her arms are not straight and parallel to the ground, unable to help himself, he moves forward behind her and gently pushes her arms up into the correct position.
"Hold your arm parallel to the ground." he says, his voice matching his movements.
He notices that slight gasp that escapes the blonde but she does not move away despite his proximity. She holds the pose for several more breaths as Neji continues to hold her thin and bruised arms. When Ino moves to Warrior Two he releases her and takes a small step back. Her Warrior Two is flawless, his pale eyes watching her for mistakes. To his surprise there are no more.
She stands up and looks at him. Eventually she manages to thank him. Obviously surprised by his willingness to help her.
"You have improved." he says, noticing her confusion and slightly guarded expression.
"Hinata is a great teacher."
"She really is." Neji finds himself agreeing, despite his hatred for the blue haired beauty.
Ino wets her lips before letting out a chuckle. "If she can teach my stubborn ass, she can teach anyone."
The right corner of Neji's lips quirk into a smirk. "You certainly are that."
"Did you just make a joke, Hyuuga?" She is teasing.
Another silence passes between them and he can almost feel the sense of discomfort coming from her. Ino is a talker, a gossip, a tease, and obviously afraid of silences.
Finally she manages to break it "Well… I should be going." she turns away from him.
"Wait." he surprises himself by blurting such a request, to his relief it didn't sound too eager.
She turns towards him. "What is it?" she asks. She is obviously on guard, obviously expecting an attack or another verbal assault.
"I also." he pauses for a moment. "I also need to run through my yoga sequences. Since Hinata is not here, I will be your teacher today." He makes it sound like a command, not giving her the option to turn him down.
"I am sure that you have more important things to do." She is smart, using the most demure of all phrases to excuse herself. And yet Neji was raised to speak the same way and he wasn't going to fall for it.
"Just start your Sun Salutations."
She sighs, her eyes never leaving him, but she obeys his command.
He joins her and the two continue to preform various yoga sequences until the beams of twilight shine through the trees.
Ino lays on her bed. What the actual fuck? She can't believe that Neji of all people was willing to help her, especially with all the tension between them. Maybe he didn't have anyone else to train with? Her thoughts are flying, trying to solve the riddle. That has to be it. He didn't have anyone else to train with and when he saw me he decided to train with the only available option. I can guarantee that Lee and Tenten don't ever practice Yoga.
"Damn Hyuuga." she mutters.
There is a knock on the front door of her house, she lets out a soft moan before sliding off her bed and padding down the stairs. She swings the door open a little too violently, assuming it is a certain shadow user. She is surprised to find Lee standing before her. "Lee?" she asks not even bothering to hide the surprise in her voice.
"Hi Ino." he greets rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
She leans against the door frame and gives him one of her best smiles. "Well this is an unexpected visit. Can I help you?"
"Um. I was wondering if you had seen Sakura around?"
Obviously he is looking for Forehead. That boy is in love with her. "Have you checked her house?" she asks the most obvious of questions.
"I- I don't know where she lives. I would like to give her chocolates and invite her on a date."
A sly smiles finds its way across the Yamanaka's face. "Well, let me give you her address." she says a little too cheerfully, using the tone that she uses when she is helping a customer at the flower shop.
"Really?" he asks brightly.
"Of course. But don't tell her it was me. This can be our little secret."
"Thanks Ino! You're the best!"
Ino rolls her eyes and lets out a pretty giggle. "Tell me something I don't know." She grabs a piece of paper and a pen from the table near the door and writes down the address.
Lee smiles and giver her his trademark 'nice guy' thumbs up before sprinting away.
Ino chuckles darkly before closing the door.
She looks at the clock on the kitchen wall. "Damn it." and grabbing her training gear walks out the door after Lee.
"Alright, team. Strength and cardio today." Asuma says a little too brightly.
"Ugh. Fuck cardio." Shikamaru and Chouji say at the same time.
Ino smiles; she'd been running so much as well as climbing and doing pushups that for once she wasn't dreading the strength training exercises that Asuma was going to do.
"I got this little exercise from Gai." Asuma smirks.
The three members of Team Ten share a horrified look.
"Alright you three. First mile, no chakara, as fast as you can. We will continue from there."
"You know," Ino begins slyly "Gai usually does these types of workouts with his team"
Laughter escapes her other two teammates, it is quickly covered with coughs and a mouthful of chips.
Asuma glares. "Ino you just earned yourself another mile at the end of the workout."
Ino lets out a sigh of defeat.
"Get going! I've got a clock going." Asuma defiantly lights himself another cigarette, with a deep inhale and a long exhale he can't help but smirk too. "That girl's wit is catching up with her beauty."
After that extra mile that Asuma made her run, Ino finds herself laying in a triad shape with her fellow teammates. The feeling of comfort and camaraderie washing through her body- the two boys on either side of her have become her true exhaustion of running a mile, doing pushups between each mile, followed by abdominal workouts every other mile with ten repetitions had left her and and her teammates in a state of exhaustion.
Fucking Team Guy does this on the daily?
"That cloud look like a fox." Shikamaru says breaking both her thoughts and the silence among the newest generation of Ino-Shika-Cho.
"Where?" Ino asks. Despite her borderline hatred for the Nara boy, she is genuinely curious about how, where, and why her teammate can see a fox among the marshmallows in the the sky.
"Directly above us." Shikamaru answers as if it is the most obvious answer in the world.
Ino sighs; all she is can see is a puff of blues, grays, yellows, and whites. "Where?" she replies once again.
Shikamaru sighs and take Ino's wrist in his hand, his fingers gliding through hers. He slowly begins to trace the shape of the fox. "Here is the face, there is the body, here is the tail." he explains as he moves her hand in the respectful shape of the fox.
Ino finally sees the shape just a Chouji's snores fill her hearing. She gently yanks her hand out of Shikamaru's grasp and realizes their proximity, despite her grudge and frustration with the shadow-user she does feel a connection in his presence, and for the first time understands why the Ino-Shika-Cho team had existed for what is now the sixteenth generation.
She can feel Shikamaru's head move so that it is lightly against her own causing her to quickly sit up, wincing as her abdominal muscles clench.
Shikamaru glances up at her from his places on the ground before crossing his arms beneath his head. "Where are you going?" he drawls as he closes his eyes.
"Unlike you, I am actually taking these exams seriously and am going to go train."
"Isn't that what we just did?" Shikamaru asks.
Ino groans in frustration. "You are such a jerk!" and storms away.