"I'm sorry I asked you to play then," Shikamaru said stiffly as Ino's stack of go stones fell over. "If my company is so undesirable, why aren't you working at the flower shop?" 

"Business is slow," Ino replied, scooping up her fallen stones and dumping them in the bucket one by one. "My mother said I could have the day off and have some fun. But I should've known we'd do the same boring stuff we always do."

"Maybe you'd have more fun watching Chouji eat then," Shikamaru said, placing another go stone on the board. He frowned.

"Why are you so upset, Shikamaru?" Ino asked curiously, noticing the boy's expression. "You never used to get mad when I called your old man games boring." Absently she placed another stone on the go board.

"No reason," Shikamaru said blankly, easily capturing another one of Ino's stones. With an exasperated sigh, Ino threw her hands up in frustration, which promptly came into contact with the person behind her. Startled, Ino spun around to face the person she'd smacked and knocked over, and was surprised to see that it was the timid heir to the Hyuuga clan. Hinata…that was her name.

"I'm sorry!" Ino apologized, bending down to help the young girl up. "I didn't mean to knock you down!"

"I told you that you'd poke someone's eye out," Shikamaru grumbled.

"N-No, it's my fault!" The shy Hyuuga girl said, wiping the dust off her pants. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"Are you in a hurry?" Ino wondered.

"Well…I guess," Hinata said, her face turning red. "I just needed to buy something..."

"Buy something?" Ino perked up immensely. "That sounds like fun! What were you looking for! Maybe we can help!"

"We?" Shikamaru echoed, putting away his go stones, as it looked like Ino had caught wind of something else to do. She ignored him.

"Um….that's really nice of you," Hinata stammered, her face turning redder. "But I don't thi-" Hinata was cut off as Ino abruptly  grabbed her arm and started leading her to the village's shopping center.

"Come on, Shikamaru!" Ino called expectantly, looking over her shoulder.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru muttered to himself, following after Ino, who was practically dragging poor Hinata.

"So, what were you going to buy?" Ino asked with a particularly wide grin as she relinquished Hinata's arm. "A new dress? Some makeup perhaps?" Trying on clothes wouldn't be a bad way to spend the time…and helping Hinata was an even better way. The girl needed some serious help in the fashion department. 

"N-no, I was going to buy a…a present for someone," Hinata said, flushing bright crimson. She twiddled her thumbs together nervously.

"Ooooh, for who?" Ino asked eagerly, poking Hinata's side. "Is it for a boy you like?" Hinata's face turned even redder, confirming Ino's suspicions. Well well, this day had certainly taken a more interesting turn! Ino smiled gleefully as she imagined which leaf boy could have possibly captured the interest of this shy girl.

"It's not Sasuke is it?" She asked. "I wouldn't be surprised…he is very cute, although you'd have a lot of competition from just about every girl in Konoha!" Ino sighed inwardly at this. Her dream of being with Sasuke had been abandoned a few years ago, which didn't faze her as much as she thought it would've. She only really chased him because of her rivalry with Sakura. After Sasuke had been brought back to Konoha village that day three years ago…well, she realized that he wasn't exactly her type. She had a hard time forgiving him when Chouji was put in a coma for two months.

"N-no!" Hinata said, shaking her head furiously. "N-not Sasuke-san."

 "Is it Kiba, your teammate?" Ino wrinkled her nose in distaste. The boy always smelled like dog piss. Ino would overlook him entirely if it weren't for his adorable dog.  

Hinata shook her head feverishly again.

"Shino?" Ino asked in surprise. That bug boy was really creepy…although he wasn't all that bad looking, she had to admit. But still…who'd want to kiss a guy who'd have bugs crawling out of his mouth or something?

"N-No!" Hinata protested.

Ino let out a small gasp. "Oh no! It's Neji isn't it?" She exclaimed, raising a hand to her face in horror. "I know some of those clans are into inbreeding…but Hinata! He's your cousin! That's gross!"

"It's not Neji-nii-san," Hinata reassured her. "He doesn't like me very much anyways," she said softly.

"Well who is it then?" Ino cried out in frustration. "It's not someone like Naruto, is it?" She gawked at Hinata's red face and silence. No way, it couldn't be!

"Oh my god!" Ino screamed, causing a few bystanders to glare at her disapprovingly. Desperately Ino glanced at Shikamaru, who just had to realize what big news this was! His expression remained the same however, although his eyebrows did rise, which Ino knew by now was Shikamaru's way of showing shock.

"You…and…Naruto!" Ino pointed a shaking finger at Hinata. "I don't believe it!"

"Shhh!" Hinata cried desperately, glancing around nervously to see if anyone else had overheard.

"What…what do you see in him?" Ino asked breathlessly, blinking rapidly. Average looks, overly loud and obnoxious, not to mention just plain annoying! She couldn't possibly comprehend how the shy, timid Hinata fell for that idiot.  

"H-He's really nice," Hinata stuttered, twiddling her fingers together. "A-And he tries so hard…and he makes me want to become stronger…and…" She trailed off, her face flaming beet red.

For once in her life, Ino was at a loss for words. She sputtered and gaped at Hinata in shock.

"It makes sense if you think about it," Shikamaru spoke up. "You know the old saying, opposites attract. And there's nothing more opposite than Hinata and Naruto."

"That's for sure," Ino exclaimed incredulously. She turned to address Hinata. "Does he know you like him?"

"N-No," Hinata said, looking at her feet. "I haven't t-told him if that's what you mean."

"That's it!" Ino cried with sudden conviction, pounding her fist into her hand. "It's now my new mission to fix you guys up! I will make Naruto admit his love to you by tomorrow!"

"I-Ino-san!" Hinata exclaimed in surprise. "Y-You don't have to! I…I just wanted to get him a birthday present…"

"Oh, we'll get him a good birthday present alright," Ino said with a rather evil smirk. "I'll give you a complete makeover! And then you can practice on Shikamaru! There's no way Naruto will be able to resist you once I'm through with you!"

"There's no way I'm going to do such a troublesome thing!" Shikamaru objected, and then blanched when Ino shot a hard glare at him. "Fine," he mumbled, admitting defeat. If he argued with Ino now, she'd just give him hell later. Bah, women.

Hinata barely had time to protest before Ino grabbed her by the arm and started running the rest of the way to the shopping center.

~~~~

"The first order of business," Ino said whilst browsing through a few store windows. "Is to get Naruto a really personal present to show that you put a lot of thought into it! Now, do you know of anything that he likes a lot or really needs?"

"He likes ramen, that's for sure," Shikamaru muttered. 

"That's no good!" Ino said, cringing. "Might as well get him a tie or something stupid like that!"

"Um…" Hinata spoke up, her voice going unnoticed as Ino unexpectedly stepped into one of the stores. 

 "Now…let's see," Ino said thoughtfully to herself as she browsed through the store. "What would a 16 year old boy want to receive from a girl? Well, Shikamaru?"

"Don't ask me," Shikamaru mumbled. "I don't want anything."

"You're such a bore, Shikamaru!" Ino complained for the millionth time that day. She set down the book she'd been holding (Naruto…a book? What was she thinking?) and moved to another shelf. "So all we know is that he likes ramen," Ino mused to herself. "Not much help if you ask me…" She absently picked up a rice bowl as she thought to herself.

Hey, wait a minute…bowl? Her brow furrowed as she considered.

"I've got it!" Ino cried triumphantly, holding the bowl up.

"A rice bowl?" Shikamaru asked, unimpressed.

"No, you dolt. One of those custom bowls and chopsticks with your name on them! That's a really nice, personal gift, right Hinata? And that way, every time he eats ramen, he'll think of you!" Ino exclaimed, her voice growing excited. "I know a store that does that!"

"Oh my, that's a really good idea, Ino-san!" Hinata said, her colorless eyes noticeably brightening. "I think he'd really like that!"

"Of course!" Ino said with pride. "It's practical, yet personal! Now come on!" Once again, Ino grabbed Hinata's wrist and pulled her out of the store. Shikamaru sighed and followed the two kunoichi.

~~~~

"There you are ma'am," the shop owner said, handing Hinata the bag with Naruto's present in it.

"Thank you!" Hinata said happily, cradling the bag to her chest. After much deliberation by Ino, they had decided on a fox motif, as Naruto had those whisker shaped birthmarks, and she had thought it would've been cute. Naruto's name was etched on both the bowl and the chopsticks.

"And t-thank you, Ino" Hinata said as the three shinobi walked out of the store. "I appreciate you helping me find a gift for Naruto…" 

"We're not done yet!" Ino said with a broad smile.

"W-We're not?" Hinata asked weakly, looking a little pale.

"Did you forget about the makeover? I can't let you present your gift to Naruto wearing the same grubby clothes you wear to train! You've got to look good!" Ino said this as if it were obvious.

"R-Right," Hinata said, almost dropping the bag as she was pulled into the nearest clothing store.

Shikamaru sighed very loudly as he followed closely. There was nothing more boring than watching women shop. But as long as it kept Ino off his back…it was fine.  

Once they had entered the shop, all was a blur as Ino sped through the store, dumping dresses into Hinata's arms.

"This one!" cried Ino. "And this one! Oh, this is adorable, try this one too!" Hinata staggered under the weight of the clothes, making her way towards the fitting room before Ino could pile her with any more.

Ino took a minute to have a breather and sit down next to Shikamaru while Hinata changed. "Isn't this fun?" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"Yeah…real fun," Shikamaru said sarcastically.

"Well, we need a male opinion, Shika," Ino pouted.

"It's so troublesome," Shikamaru complained, putting his head between his hands. "I could be playing shogi with Asuma-sensei."

"Oh, come on, Shikamaru," Ino said, lightly punching him on the arm. "There's more to life than shogi and go. You're sixteen! Not sixty!"

"Like what," he asked.

"Like…girls! Haven't you got a special girl in mind, Shika?" Ino asked with a glint of matchmaking in her eye.

"Women are nothing but trouble," Shikamaru argued. "They make you do everything for them. Just like now."

"So you don't have a girl in mind?" Ino said with disappointment.

"Even if I did, it's none of your business," Shikamaru sniffed, his face flushing ever so slightly. Ino was about to question him more until Hinata emerged from the fitting rooms.

"Um…what do you think?" Came Hinata's quiet voice. Ino turned around to see the dress that Hinata had selected; a very pretty Chinese style dress in a pale blue, embroidered with silver swans and waves. It really brought out the color…errr…lack of color in her eyes.

"That's beautiful!" Ino cried as she admired the dress. "Perfect!"

"I-It's a little short," Hinata said softly, blushing. She tried to pull the hem down, but it remained firmly on her mid-thighs. "And…really tight." Sure enough, the silk fabric clung snugly to Hinata's curves, exposing a lot more body shape than usual. Hinata shifted uncomfortably under Ino's gaze.  

"It's not that short," Ino remarked. "Besides, you should show a little leg for once! You're always all wrapped up in that huge jacket! Show off a little!" Turning to Shikamaru, she steered Hinata towards him. "Now Shika, if you were Naruto, would you fall instantly in love with this girl?"   

Shikamaru regarded Ino with a "What the hell am I supposed to say?" look and sighing before answering.

"I guess," Shikamaru admitted. "Naruto's pretty dense though, I don't think he'd realize anything unless Hinata hit him over the head with it."

"Good point," Ino said, biting a fingernail. "Maybe we should find something that shows a little more skin…"

"No!" Hinata protested firmly, her face red. "I couldn't wear anything more revealing than this!" 

Ino sighed. "I knew you'd say that. Well then, we'll worry about that later. Now it's time for shoes!" Pumping a fist in the air, Ino hauled the Hyuuga girl to the shoe section with a battle cry of triumph.

~~~~

As they walked out of their last store for the day the sun was just beginning to hide beneath the horizon. Ino was still instructing Hinata on the best way to trap Naruto.

"Sometimes it's good to tease them," she giggled. "Like…pretend to 'accidentally' show your panties! It drives them wild!"  Hinata blushed furiously.

"I-I don't know about that," she protested.

"And when you're kissing him, it's good to add a little tongue," Ino instructed. "It'll definaltly give him a shock, but he'll like it, trust me!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Ino had hardly any experience with relationships, and was teaching Hinata as if she were a pro.

"Like you've ever kissed a boy Ino," Shikamaru pointed out. "Guys don't really like it when girls stick their tongues really far down their throats. Or when it's really sloppy and messy."

"Well, you're not an expert either, Shikamaru! How do you know all this?" Ino cried skeptically. So what if she didn't exactly have the experience? She'd read enough teen magazines to practically be an expert anyways! 

"I'm smart," he said simply.

"Prove it!" Ino challenged. "I bet you're just as much of a sloppy kisser than anyone else, Shikamaru!"

Without another word, or even a moment of hesitation, Shikamaru grabbed Ino by the shoulders and planted a firm kiss on her lips. Ino tensed for a moment in shock, before practically melting into Shikamaru's arms as he deepened the kiss. Her head spun and she felt dizzy when he released her lips.

"You…win," Ino said faintly, her cheeks rosy with her embarrassment. She wobbled unsteadily to regain her balance and glanced over at Hinata, who was staring at the two in surprise with a massive blush. Her head darted back and forth between them.

"That's how you want to kiss," Shikamaru said quietly to Hinata, his face more than a little red. He removed his arms from Ino's shoulder and started walking down the path. Hinata gave Ino one last questioning look before she shuffled after Shikamaru.

Ino's mind reeled as they all walked back home. What had that been about? Ino had meant for Shikamaru to demonstrate on Hinata, and yet he had reached straight for her. Could it be…that he wasn't so against girls after all? Ino reached up to place a finger on her lips, recalling the sweetness of that kiss.