A/N: I will tell you right now, trying to translate English into Japanese is really, really hard. To many phrases and ways to say it. Oh well, I try. Please feel free to review with mistakes and such. I will be happy to fix them...Arigatoo...I suppose

Chapter 3:

First Day

Ino awoke the next morning, sliding out of bed and stretching as the first rays of the new sun began warming her room. Yawning loudly, she walked to her dresser, opening it and taking out a blue tank top and a pair of lime green pants. Still yawning, she walked into the bathroom to change clothes and brush her teeth. As she did so, she noticed her tail had become rather fuzzed, so she took an extra ten minutes to brush and groom it. Just because it was something she loathed didn't mean that it had to be messy.

Once her daily morning tasks were accomplished, she walked downstairs, avoiding glancing at the pictures on the walls, and walked into the kitchen. She eyed the cereal on the counter, grabbing a box and pouring herself a generous portion into a bowl. Of course, her parents were already gone. Her mother was in the shop, her father had probably taken a mission, which meant that he wouldn't be home for quite a while. She poured a little milk in her bowl, sighing as she spilled it slightly on the counter top. A quick towel job cleaned the mess, and she walked out into the dining room with her breakfast, setting it on the table and sitting down. Her first spoonful vanished, and within a few minutes, she had eaten the entire bowl.

"Well...I suppose I should get going now." She got up, taking her bowl to the sink and leaving it there. She would wash it later. Going back into the dining room, she grabbed her bag and her hat, which completely covered her head. However, her tail was still a problem. Though she could somewhat hide her ears, her tail would always trail behind her, a plague on her being. She scowled slightly at it, but sighed, walking to the door and leaving her house after locking up. Walking down the stairs, she entered the back of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, a tidy, neat little shop that the Yamanaka's had been running for generations. She looked around, seeing her mother in the back of the store. She smiled, walking to her.

"I'm leaving for school, mom." Her mother didn't even look up, just nodded and waved goodbye to her as her face remained stuck in a arrangement. Ino's smile quickly faded, and she turned, walking out the door and into the street. She looked to the left and right, and then took off, walking as fast as she could towards the school, which lay about a mile from where she lived. Along the way, the citizens of Konoha would stare, watching her tail swinging perkily behind her. She ducked her head, embarrassment clearly written on her face. She hurried her step up, not looking to the left or right until she had made it into the school. She sighed, glad for the brief respite from the outside world. Smiling, she walked to the office, looking up at a woman who was busy with some paperwork.

"Excuse me, ma'am. I was wondering where first years go." The woman barely batted an eye as she pointed down the hall.

"Room 103. Better hurry up, class is starting in a few minutes." Ino gasped, thanking her swiftly and running down the hall to the room. Placing a hand on the door, she took a deep breath, opening the portal and stepping into chaos. Children ran around everywhere, playing and laughing and acting very childish. Ino glanced around at them all, trying to recognize faces. She didn't know anyone, as no one had really kept in contact with her. She smiled shyly, seeing a small row of empty seats in the back of the class that had no books or bags that saved them. She walked to the one closest to the door, laying her bag down and sitting in the chair. She put her head on her desk, staring at the other children who continued to laugh and play.

"Hey...what's this?" A voice from behind her made her squeal for a second as someone trod on her sensitive tail. She turned, a tear in her eye.

"Please don't do that." A girl, about the same age as her, stood looking at her questioningly. A boy on the other side of the room stood up, pointing and laughing.

"Hahaha! Forehead is here!" The rest of the children began singing out "Forehead! Forehead! Sakura's big forehead!" The girl behind her sniffed, but held her composure. She huffed, sitting down next to Ino and placing her head on her desk.

"Umm...are you alright?" The girl, Sakura, glanced up at her, sniffing loudly.

"Of course...I'm fine...it's...it's nothing." Then she began crying into her desk, her shoulders heaving. Ino immediately felt a comradeship with the girl, and she let her hand play out until it reached the other girl's.

"You know...um...I really like your hair. I've never seen pink hair before." Sakura looked up from her crying, sniffing and smiling slightly.

"Thanks...I kinda like your tail. It makes you look like a puppy..." Ino quailed on the inside, but didn't show it.

"Um...thanks." Then, she turned to the head of the class, where the sensei was attempting to regain order. Suddenly, the door opened behind Ino, but she didn't pay close attention to it.

"Humph...Mr. Uzumaki! Why are you always late to my class?" The teacher stood, arms akimbo, as another voice answered him.

"Gomen nasai, Iruka-sensei. But old man Hokage was trying to tell me something, and I just...couldn't handle it. I'll try harder in the future." The boy's voice floated to Ino's ear, and she looked up, shocked at who stood behind her.

"Very good, Naruto-kun. Please, take a seat now, hm?" The boy nodded, looking around for a seat.

"Naruto-kun! Sit here, Naruto-kun!" He smiled as most of the girls in the class began to shout for him to sit near them. Ino turned dejectedly to her table, a tear almost breaking loose. With all the other girls in the class, he would never think twice about sitting near her. Much less even talking to her. Why would he want to? She was the freak with the tail and ears.

"Ohayoo gozaimasu. I'm Uzumaki Naruto." Ino gasped, turning to her right as the blond boy sat down opposite Sakura, smiling at both of them.

"I'm Haruno Sakura." She smiled, giving a hand for the boy to shake. He looked over at Ino, who did her best to hide a blush.

"I'm...I'm Ino. Yamanaka Ino." Naruto smiled, putting a hand behind his head.

"I like your tail! It reminds me of a puppy!" Turning to listen intently to Iruka-sensei, Ino gasped. Even though he had said that which she hated, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was sitting near her, and that he had even talked to her. She smiled, looking up at Iruka-sensei as well, who was beginning the lecture.

"Ok, class. Today we will separate you into two. The girls will go with your instructor, Kurenai. The boys will stay here with me. Girls, please line up at the door and Kurenai-sensei will take you to your lesson." Suddenly, the door opened, and all eyes were on a woman who entered, smiling down at the children.

"Minasan konnichi wa! I am Yuuhi Kurenai. Ladies, please follow me!" Then, the woman turned, walking out into the hallway. Naruto turned to the two girls on his right, smiling broadly.

"Well, I guess you two should go, huh?" Sakura smiled, nodding.

"Hai!" Getting up, the pink-haired girl left, Ino still sitting in her chair staring at the boy that she had dreamed about for so long.

"Uh...are you alright?" The boy was looking questioningly at her now. Ino shook her head, smiling and standing up.

"Hai! Gomen." Turning, she walked out the door, following Sakura as the rest of the girls in the class began making their way out.

It was a while later when the girls of the class sat down in a large meadow, Kurenai staring at them all.

"Today, ladies, you will learn the fine points of being a kunoichi of Konohagakure. Any questions before we begin?" A girl up front held up her hand, and Kurenai glanced down, smiling. "Yes?"

"Kurenai-sensei, why are we out here? Why aren't we with the boys?" The crowd of girls all echoed this, and Kurenai nodded.

"Yes, well. It is simple, really. You see, a kunoichi, in battle situations, is meant to do three things. Does anyone here know what those are?" She glanced around questioningly before smiling at a hand in the back. "Yes? Do you know?" Sakura smiled, standing up.

"Yes, Kurenai-sensei. A kunoichi's main reason for being in a team consists of three things. One, a kunoichi must be able to forage for food and cook, since the male members of the team are usually doing guard duty or some other important task. Two, a kunoichi must be able to keep her wits about her to study the enemy, which is a valuable task for the team. Three, since a kunoichi has less stamina and strength, usually, than a male ninja, the kunoichi acts as more of a support role, keeping out of the main danger of fighting herself. This is why the girl's and boy's are separated, because the training they get will be different than the training we need." She smiled as Kurenai applauded her efforts.

"Excellent, Sakura-san! Very good! You have been studying I see, yes?" Sakura blushed slightly, placing a finger on her lips.

"Well...sort of." Kurenai smiled.

"Very well then. The first task will be exactly what Sakura has said. Foraging and cooking are, though rather tedious, a large part of a kunoichi's ability. I mean, we can't have the boys falling down on the job because they were too lazy to actually cook themselves, right?" Snigger's began popping up amongst the girls, and she smiled. "So, as your first task, I want all of you to come up and pick out a book here. These books have all sorts of flowers, herbs, mushrooms, and fruits and vegetables that can be found in the wilderness. This spot is also excellent for locating these items. Remember, some can be poisonous, so please be extremely careful in the way you choose. Very well, pick up a book and begin!" The crowd got up, shuffling over to take a book that lay on the ground. In the back, Ino and Sakura waited patiently until most of the others had books. Then, they walked up. Unfortunately, no books were left.

"How are we supposed to know what to pick and what not to?" Sakura asked questioningly. Ino sighed, shrugging.

"I don't know. Maybe Kurenai-sensei has more books." Together, they made their way to Kurenai, who was looking around her at the children who were looking through the field and surrounding forest.

"Kurenai-sensei? Do you happen to have any more books?" Kurenai looked down, smiling.

"No girls, I don't. Perhaps you can share with one of the other children?" Seeing someone wandering too far into the woodland, she began walking towards the erring student, leaving Ino and Sakura to fend for themselves.

"Well, what do we do now?" Ino shrugged, looking around.

"Well, these flowers here I have seen in my family's shop. See?" She walked over to a group of flowers, kneeling down and picking one. "This is a yellow chrysanthemum." Getting back up, she smiled, placing it in Sakura's hair above her ear. "That offsets the pink perfectly." They smiled at one another, and Sakura began picking more from the multitude that was growing. Ino smiled down at her, looking around and taking in the sunshine that hit her. Suddenly, a wind began to blow, soft and gentle at first, but picking up speed. A larger gust rushed over the field, catching the brim of Ino's hat and sending it flying. Ino squeaked, ducking down and holding a hand over her head. Sakura, concerned that Ino had hurt herself, looked over, blinking.

"What is it, Ino?" Ino looked up, blushing slightly as she went back to staring at the ground.

"My...my hat. I need my hat." She looked up. The hat had blown into the middle of the field, where most of the girls were picking more flowers and herbs. She groaned inwardly. She couldn't walk over to get her hat like she was now. Everyone would see her ears, and... She groaned again, a tear almost slipping out.

"Don't worry. I'll get it for you." Getting up, Sakura walked over to the middle of the field, picking up the hat and looking around her. None of the other children noticed, so she shrugged, walking back over to where Ino sat crouched on the ground. She held the hat out, and Ino snatched it, placing it on her head in a whirl. "Wait...what were those?" Ino looked about, glancing back up.

"What were what?" Sakura sat back down, slipping a hand to Ino's brim and removing the hat slightly. As it was removed, the fox-like ears stuck out, twitching slightly. With a small cry, Ino grabbed her hat back, placing it back on her head and looking around agitatedly.

"You idiot! Why did you do that?" Sakura smiled slightly.

"Gomen. I just...well, I just wanted to see, that's all." Ino stared at her.

"You...wanted to see my ears?" Sakura, smiling, nodded once more, reaching up to take the hat off again. Ino slapped out, catching her hand and forcing it away. "No! Don't ever do that again!" Sakura looked hurt, but Ino simply didn't want her ears to be noticed. The tail she had was enough.

"Gomen nasai." Going back to their lesson, they began picking more flowers. Ino stood, pointing out even more. Camellia's, lotus, and orchid all grew in abundance. Soon, they had a large, rather beautiful bouquet. Ino sniffed it thoughtfully, her tail twitching with pleasure behind her.

"Well, that was fun!" Sakura smiled, nodding.

"Should we find some herbs now to, then?" Ino nodded, and both began searching the ground for the herbs that Sakura had memorized by heart. Suddenly, Ino's tail shot up, almost rigid. A look of anger crossed her face, and Sakura, still smiling, glanced up, her smile erased for one of questioning concern.

"What is it, Ino?" However, Ino wasn't paying attention. Getting up, she brushed herself down, turning and walking towards a group of girls who were talking amongst themselves.

"Take that back!" She strode into their midst, pushing one so she back stepped slightly. The girl who had been pushed looked at her disgustedly for a moment.

"What do you mean?" Ino walked forward, giving her another push.

"Take back what you just said about Sakura! Take it back!" The girl sneered, standing straight up and looking the other girl in the eye.

"What do you mean? Oh, I'm sorry. About her having a big forehead? I can't take back what's true." Ino glared back, her pupiless eyes slit.

"I said...take...it...back!" With a scream, she threw herself at the older girl, and the two wrestled on the ground. Suddenly, Ino found herself dragged off painfully by her tail as another girl joined the fray, ripping her off the girl on the ground.

"It looks like we're going to have trouble here, guys. Why don't we teach this freak a lesson?" The other girls smiled evilly, cracking their fingers. Ino glanced around, finally realizing the mistake she had made. She ducked her head, hoping that they wouldn't beat her for too long...when something inside of her snapped. Her heart began pounding, and her eyes shot open. No longer the aquamarine color they had normally been, they were now a deep purple, going into a fiery red. The girl whom had been on the ground stood, throwing her fist back.

"This is going to feel good!" She punched forward, her fist crashing into Ino's head, which was still turned towards the ground. Still smiling, the girl looked at her. "How did that feel?" However, Ino was far beyond listening. With a guttural roar of rage, she sprang forward, jumping onto the girl and slapping her over and over again, until her face became bruised. The girl cried out in anguish as her friends looked on, afraid to come between the blond and her target. A tree suddenly grew next to the pair, and Ino growled at it, jumping off the girl to attack her new foe. Limbs and vines whistled out, snatching the girl and holding her, snarling, to the trunk. The girl on the ground, shaking and crying, glanced at where Ino stood, fighting an invisible demon.

"That is quite enough!" Stepping into the midst of the ruckus, Kurenai walked to Ino, who was still struggling to be free of the genjutsu. Kurenai turned, stern. "You girls leave...now!" The others in the circle turned, running towards the opposite end of the field. Sakura wandered over, intrigued about what had just happened. She glanced over at her friend, as Ino still vainly grappled with the tree. "Ino...calm down! Calm down now!" Ino glared up at Kurenai, who had dispelled the jutsu and allowed Ino to become free. Ino stood, her tail still erect. In the process of attacking, she had lost her hat, which lay on the ground. Her ears, covered in the thick, reddish-yellow fur, stood erect, pointed in fury and indignation. Ino glared about her, and suddenly, she stopped moaning and growling. Her ears lay flat against her head, and her tail limply fell to the ground. All fight left the girl's small body, and she staggered for a moment before falling loosely into Kurenai's outstretched arms. Her eyes lost the crimson purple color they had attained, returning to their aquamarine hue. She blinked several times, staring around her until her eyes rested on the face in front of her.

"Ku...Kurenai-sensei? What...what happened?" She got up, still trembling slightly. The rush that she had felt had gone, leaving her feeling weak and vulnerable.

"Um...Ino? You dropped this." Ino turned, staring dumbly at Sakura, who smiled, placing her hat back on her head, covering her ears back up. Ino looked at her, then at her hat brim, then back at her.

"Um...Arigatoo, Sakura." Kurenai looked down, going to a knee to be more face-to-face with the girl in front of her.

"Ino...what happened? Why did you attack that girl?" Ino looked at her, a fresh batch of tears beginning to well in her eyes.

"I...I...I don't know. I don't know, Kurenai-sensei! I don't know!" She began crying, flinging herself into Kurenai's outstretched arms. The kindly woman held her there for a moment before releasing her, wiping a tear away.

"Sakura...could you please escort Ms. Yamanaka here to the nurse to get those cuts looked at?" Sakura nodded, taking Ino's hand.

"Hai! Come on, Ino." Ino allowed herself to be led off, Sakura in the lead. Kurenai shook her head, placing a hand to her temples. It was going to be a long year.

Back at the school, Sakura and Ino sat opposite the door to the nurse's office. Sakura kicked her legs back and forth, the awkward silence between the two unbearable.

"So...what did happen, anyways?" Ino shook her head, still looking at the floor.

"I don't know. One minute we were picking flowers, then I heard that bitch call you a big-headed freak, and then..." However, Sakura stopped her, looking at her earnestly.

"Wait. You heard her call me that? How? We were basically on the other side of the meadow." Ino shrugged, smiling lightly.

"I've always had good hearing, I guess. Anyways, she said that, so I told her to stop and apologize. She wouldn't, so I pushed her. Then, I pushed her again. Then, I tackled her, and then...I don't remember. Do you know what happened?" Sakura shook her head.

"No. We were picking flowers, and then you went over there. Next thing I knew, you were attacking that girl. You sure did slap her good though." Ino smiled shyly, looking back at the ground.

"There's the nurse." No more than two seconds later did the nurse open the door, beckoning Ino in. Ino stood, walking towards the door as the woman turned and went back in. Suddenly, a hand grabbed hers, and she stopped, turning. Startled, she could only stand in position as Sakura hugged her to herself, squeezing tightly. As suddenly as it had occurred, Sakura let go, smiling at her.

"Thank you, Ino. Thank you." Then, she turned, running back towards the field and her lesson. Ino smiled, turning back to go into the nurse's office. She went to the small bed covered in the paper sheet, sitting down and kicking her legs slightly. The nurse walked back into the small room, a vial of alcohol and a swab in one hand, and a package of bandages in the other.

"So, young lady. You got in a fight, hm?" Ino nodded slightly. The nurse smiled, laughing lightly.

"Well, you aren't the first, so don't get too excited." She began working on the girl, swabbing the cuts to clean them and applying a bandage to each. Ino flinched whenever the liquid burned a new cut, but she took the treatment stoically as the woman continued. "You know, I used to get into fights to. They were pretty bad, some of them. But, the ninja field never really held anything for me. So, I went into medicine. I guess I'd rather be patching someone up after they get cut than cutting them to begin with." She chuckled slightly, covering the last cut with a bandage. "There you are, my dear. Now, please. Let's not make this a habit, hm?" Ino smiled up, nodding.

"Of course, ma'am. Doomo arigatoo gozaimasu." She hopped up, leaving the nurse staring after her as her large, bushy tail followed the girl out the door.

"Hm...interesting. The things children wear nowadays. Huh!" Turning, she went back to her work, prepping the room for the next unfortunate.

Ino never finished the lesson. As she made it back to the field, the time was up, and the children were all going back home. She sighed, eying Sakura, who was walking towards her.

"Hey, Sakura! Want to go to my house? I have cake left over!" Sakura walked up, smiling.

"Sure! Why not!" Together, the pair made their way towards Ino's house, walking into the flower shop and up into the main home. Her parents, like always, weren't around, so they helped themselves to the fridge, talking and smiling like old friends would. An hour later, Sakura bowed, letting herself out to go back to her own home. Ino sighed, shutting the door looking around at the empty house.

"Things could've gone better today. But at least I made a friend."

A/N: Translations for those who know as much Japanese as me! I.e., none!

Gomen nasai: I am sorry, I'm sorry

Gomen: Excuse me

Arigatoo: Thank you

Ohayoo gozaimasu: Hello (Good morning)

Doomo arigatoo gozaimasu: Thank you very much

Minasan konnichi wa: Hello everyone

Japanese Translations found at EnglishJapaneseOnlineDictionary.

Character names found at NarutoFan.

Native flowers found at TheFlowerExpert.

All three have dot com afterwards.