A/N: It's been so long since I last updated. I'm sorry guys. I kind of lost my groove with all this stuff, Just turned 18, pressure at work, and still finishing up school. Life's getting a little hectic, but this chapter is awesome! I had so much fun jumping back in and writing it. It may be a little short, but I think it's pretty good. And if you guys read my other story, Infected Leaves, be prepared for an update their soon. And be prepared for a twist there, a twist here, and two great battle scenes, one here, and one in my other story!!

"So where are we headed anyway?" Ino lounged against the white fur of some animal; she knew that if she were to be a member in this group, for now, she had to make herself comfortable. She still couldn't believe how the day had transpired so fast, into something so different. First she was having an awkward conversation with her dad, next thing you know she was on a long mission, and then suddenly she was in some strange world full of people who could bend elements without forming hand seals. Yet, the group she sided herself with seemed like a good choice. She knew of course not to let her defenses down, as her hand was already ready to reach towards her kunai.

"Well, the thing is….We had a few other friends with us, but somehow, the fire nation caught up with us. They…They told us to run, even though they wanted to help, wanted to stop the fire nation, we had to leave them….now they're probably locked up with the rest of our invasion force…" Katara's eyes brimmed with tears as Ino felt a twinge of sadness. "There is one person waiting for us though…someone I don't trust one bit…" She looked away from Aang as he gave her a lopsided grin. 'They seem to really care for each other…' Ino thought to herself as she watched Aang wrestle a hug out of Katara. But who is this mystery person? If these people have a hard time trusting him…Would I?' Ino let the thought slip from her head. This whole experience left her so tired. So very tired… Her eyelids started drooping, and her mind gazed off, until she sent herself off into a peaceful slumber…

"Ino…" She looked towards the sound. "A pineapple?" She squinted her eyes, to see none other than Shikamaru standing before her. "You were knocked out for a while…We weren't sure if you were dead or something." He smirked as Asuma approached the two team members. "Ino, you're becoming a liability to the team. You almost got me and Shikamaru killed. As for Chouji? He wasn't so lucky.." Ino gasped as the word's escaped Asuma's lips. She darted her eyes around noticing that Aang, Sokka, and everyone else was gone, a dream perhaps? She looked again to see what Asuma pointed at, only to bear witness to one of the most horrific sights she had ever seen. Chouji's dead form lay upon the wreckage of the beach, missing limbs scattering the sand, as Shikamaru and Asuma laughed.

"Why the hell are you laughing? You're sick! What's wrong with you two?" Ino shrieked her words, tears once again sparkling down her blue eyes. "You're pathetic." Ino looked up to see the face of Sakura Haruno, holding the head of her team mate Chouji. Ino let out a shriek of terror and pain, as her rival best friend spoke to her. "You're weak. Everyone has grown stronger, while you lag behind. You caused your comrade to die. It's all your fault." Sakura held the head up high, and before Ino let out another raspy scream, Chouji began a bodiless tirade. "You see Ino? You did this to me! Why couldn't I have been lucky and gotten someone better on this team? Sakura could have kept me alive..." Ino's head started shaking, as more words slurred out of nowhere. Soon all of Konoha was watching her. Each eye of students, teachers, and civilians gazed upon the weak flower girl. She cried more and more, eyes balling, as her dad suddenly walked up to her. "The others were lucky…They had a son…" Ino felt her heart hit the bottom of her stomach. 'Is that what dad really thinks of me…' She thought to herself solemnly. The town of Konoha began to disappear in a blaze of smoke in an instant, as the citizens screamed for Ino. "Protect us….Save us…." The Rookie 9 along with Team Gai started darting around saving citizens while Ino stood in spot watching how everyone, including Chouji's head, and his headless body, ran around the town, saving people. Saving lives, while all she could do was endanger them. The smoke soon turned to flames, as they licked around her, and around her friends, engulfing them one by one.

The flames felt hotter against her as they soon engulfed around her, edging her out of a dream, and into a harsh reality, where fire was zooming through the air. Ino looked in a start to see the white cushion had landed, charging at these mechanical machines, launching fireballs out at the sky, aiming for figures scattered around Ino. The cushion charged at the machines, knocking them over, as Ino hid behind a rock watching the battle take place. A rock flew in her direction, a humungous boulder following, and she grew wide eyed as the young girl was hurling rocks out of the ground, gigantic boulders, being aimed at the machines and a large line of soldiers. "Ino! Look out!"

Sokka came charging in with a beautifully crafted sword, and parried the attack of a man who aimed for Ino. "You've got to find somewhere safe to hide!" Sokka sent a slashing motion, and the soldier collapsed, blood spurting from a chest wound. "But Sokka, I can help!" Ino pleaded her words, hoping to find someway to join in on the battle, some way to help the team of new found friends. "Ino, please, I don't want you to…GUAHH!" Sokka let out a high pitched scream as a man with an eye in the middle of his forehead shot a blast towards the two of them. "Ino, Run!!" Sokka turned and bolted, believing that Ino was behind him, not thinking to look back and see that she stood her ground, two kunai in hand. The man charged first, running at a breakneck speed, and thrusting his head forward as another shot blasted out. Sokka turned his head to see the man's position, only to see Ino in a mid back flip, barely evading the blast, landing on the side of the rocky cliff beside her. Ino pushed off the wall and flung two kunai at the man, who parried them with another shot that blasted from the eye. "Dammit, Shikamaru…where are your crazy plans when we need them…" Another groan escaped her lips, as she barely avoided the next attack, reaching into her pouch, tying two explosive notes around two different kunai, she sent the hurdling towards the mysterious foe, who easily avoided them, both landed a few inches away from his feet. "Ok, this is it!" The man, startled, looked towards his feet a second to late as the notes went off, engulfing the three current battlers in smoke. "Ino! Ino!" She heard the faint sound of her name being yelled, and she spun herself around trying to catch balance. The smoke cloud was thick, and she felt a heavy clunk land beside her, then a rush of wind was blown, and all was clear. In front of her stood Aang who used his fan to make a clearing through the smoke. Ino looked over Aang's shoulder to see Katara and Toph finishing off the other warriors. She was enthralled specifically by Katara's technique. Her eyes grew wide at the techniques used by Katara, ranging from water whips, to ice spears, she threw all that she had out into the battlefield. She snapped herself out of the trance as the smoke finally cleared away completely.

Ino looked around through the wreckage from the explosive notes, only to see that the thump she heard was not that of the man, but that of a boulder he must have tried to fling at her. Some how the man had to have gotten away. Another failure thanks to Ino-fucking-Yamanaka. She lowered her head in shame as she watched the others take care of business. Sokka had joined Aang attacking the soldiers, as Katara and Toph took the other side. All 4 using their respective strength to defeat mass amounts of enemies, each battling with gusto. Ino put her hands over her face as tears leaked down once again. "Great, Katara can control water, and I can't even control my tears…Why does this always happen? Why am I the person that causes other people to risk their lives for me? Why Can't I help?!" Ino screamed at her lack of abilities as the others swarmed over the attack that had once been a massive army. On the horizon she saw Katara wielding the Ocean as her weapon, sending waves crashing into the escaping boats of the Fire Nation soldiers. Aang whipped up massive amounts of Wind and sent them hurdling towards the warriors, along with the boulders that Toph rained down from the sky. Sokka stood in front of Ino a few ways away, as if protecting her. 'Great..' Ino thought to herself. 'Now everyone thinks I'm weak. It's going to be the same story where ever I go! I'm always putting people into danger!' Ino's tears leaked down her face once more, staining her clothes with searing drops of suffering. She closed her eyes and wrapped herself into a ball, slowly, but surely, crying herself into another pathetic slump. "Always…worthless…"

Ino's eyes shot open once again, snapping her out of a short lived pity sleep, as Sokka called her name, trying to rouse her out of sleep. "Hey, Ino! The battle's over! You can come out of hiding!" Sokka put on a rouge grin, then caught his words, slapping himself over, and reshouted, " Wait! I didn't mean hide, you didn't hide! You just couldn't do anything to help…I mean, not saying that you're not strong…It's just you didn't do anything that could've stopped him…and I'm shutting up now…" Sokka caught the glare from Ino, and slowly backed away, retreating to the comfort zone of Aang and Toph.

Ino noticed that Katara was headed her way, a beautiful smile on her face, and a steaming bowl of some delicious smelling food. "Ino, sorry about Sokka, he can be a bit over zealous with his words, but he means no harm. Oh! I made some soup from the supplies we yanked off some of the warriors. It's probably nothing like the food you might be used to, but I think It's pretty good!" Katara smiled again, and handed the piping hot bowl over to the Yamanaka. 'Well…I haven't eaten in a few hours. I know I'ts totally going over my diet, I don't want to be disrespectful..' Ino thought the idea in her head, and solemnly thanked Katara, accepted the bowl, and took a sip of the most amazing tasting soup she had ever had. The broth was crisp and fresh, obviously purified through Katara's technique, and the vegetables and meat had a defined taste that she had been starving herself of for months. With a ring of happiness that surged through her body, Ino momentarily forgot about the abysmal failure, and moved to sit near the group, a smile on her face. "Katara, this is the best damn soup I've ever tasted!" Ino gave the girl a wry smile, and she shot one back, while Sokka, eager for a chance to make up for his horrible attempt at flirting, shot a horrible joke at Ino. "So How many Fire Nation people does it take to screw in a lightbulb huh?!" Toph, Katara, and Aang gave Ino a look of pity, then delved into their own forced conversation, leaving Ino to deal with Sokka. "Oh geez, I don't know. 1?" She knew it was coming. Some lame punch line, but she smiled and acted enthralled. Besides, even if his jokes weren't funny, it was the way he modestly tried to pick up on her with subtle hints that made Ino laugh. "1,400,111! 200,000 to find the light bulb, another 200,000 to fight over the light bulb, a million or so civilians to serve as human shields for the previous 400,000, 10 to actually screw in the light bulb, 100 to protect those ten, and one fire lord to oversee it all!! Eh eh! That was pretty good huh?!" He grinned at Ino with a cocky smile, as she threw in some false pity giggles at the bad joke, but laughed at the idea of a boy actually trying to impress her with a joke. She studied Sokka's face and it brought her back to Shikamaru. 'Their faces are so alike…So pineapple shaped, so defined, and so….beautiful.' She was snapped out of her stares when Toph 'accidently' shot a few pebbles at Sokka from behind, sending him into a frenzy over fire army ants sneaking into his pants. The four others laughed, and for once Ino was enjoying herself. But in the back of her mind, all she could think about was how the hell was she getting home?