," I replied. "You're doing okay, though, right? No surprise diseases or anything?"

"Yeah, I'm doing well," Ino nodded, still smiling. "Thank you for asking."

"Just making sure," I shrugged. "Can I help you find anything else?"

"Maybe we can just talk," Ino suggested, leaning on the shelf which was thankfully nailed to the floor.

"What about?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know, more about your favorite books," Ino replied with a shrug.

"Okay, so what do you want?" I asked with a frown.

Ino immediately frowned and glared. "Excuse me?"

"What do you want?" I repeated. "No one talks to me voluntarily unless they want something. Ever. It's a rule of my existence."

Ino's face slowly softened. "I..see. Well, Daisuke, I'd like to think I'm your friend. Friends talk to each other. It's what they do. Talking with my friends is something I like doing, so..maybe we can talk some more about your favorite books?"

"Okay," I dragged out the word. "Sorry, that's..new."

"Don't be sorry," Ino replied quietly. "So, maybe we can meet up later and talk more?"

"I'm..not really-"

"Not as a date," Ino quickly cut me off. "Just as friends. You can invite Naruto or Sakura if you'd think they'd be interested."

"I doubt Naruto really wants anything to do with books," I replied with a slight smirk. "Nichiren might be interested though."

"Right, Nichiren," Ino's smile got a bit..forced? Maybe a little aggravated, perhaps.

"Right and..Sakura reads books?" I asked. I knew she was a huge 'science-type' nerd, which made her pretty fun to discuss jutsu theory with on occasion, but I didn't know she had a fiction addiction.

"Oh yeah," Ino nodded quickly. "She actually got me interested in the War of Loves series."

"That's..not a bad series, actually," I said with a thoughtful frown. Not a great one, since the plot was a little non-sensible but the characters were likeable enough, I guess. "Cool. I guess we could invite her."

"And what about Hisako?" Ino asked with a turn of her head.

"I don't think she has any love for fiction," I replied with a shrug. "She's more of a 'loves to train outside' type of person."

"Okay," She replied with a smile. "So, when did you want to meet?"

"Uh.." What did my schedule look like? "I'm free on Thursday."

"Thursday at three?" Ino asked with a smile. "We can meet at Ichiraku's?"

I blinked, then remembered that Ayame had said she had come in to talk with Nichiren..she probably got turned into a regular customer by Ayame's therapy..jutsu. Shoot. "I guess that can work."

"Awesome, I'll see you there," Ino smiled, turning around on her heel.

I stood there, with just the strangest feeling in my stomach, more than a little reminiscent of what usually happens after Hisako and I have finished Taijutsu training.

..what just happened?