"Where do you want this?"
She lifted and turned her head to gaze upon a brilliant sight. In all honesty, this view never got old to her. He had been coming by every Wednesday to help out, despite her protests. She was capable of handling a few cases and trays of seedlings and other plant life. However, seeing him milling through her store so naturally, well it sort of tugged at the fragile strings of her heart. Wearing his mesh undershirt and obnoxiously bright orange jacket tied around his waist, Naruto was juggling a few delicate new pieces of inventory. His arms flexed and shuddered as he shifted the weight up with his knee, to keep a better grip.
"Oh those have to go in the Greenhouse," she replied, moving to stand up and get the door but he shook his head. From the inside of her shop, a Clone of his came out, with less items and the two headed over to the humid building behind her place. She rolled her eyes, knowing that he had no idea where to place them. Getting up from her kneeling position, she dusted the soil off her hands and legs, following after the pair.
Entering through the cracked door of the Greenhouse, she inhaled the musty air that was within the acrylic glass building. She pushed back some of the dangling vines, reminding herself that she needed to trim them later. Moving through the flora, she could hear the confused sounds of Naruto and his Clone bickering with one another. Chuckling gently as they came into view, she cleared her throat, raising a slender brow at the two. The pair stopped and turned to look at her sheepishly.
"I need the first two trays over there and the other four on the other side next to the herbs," she stated while pointing her fingers in appropriate direction.
"Right away, Boss," the Clone chirped out, taking the larger load away.
Grimacing slightly at the slight glare that was thrown at the real Naruto, the blonde male let out a gentle chuckle. "I thought you said they wouldn't call me that anymore," Ino chided, as she moved closer to him, taking the trays out of his hand and slowly arranging them where they should go.
"Like they listen," he replied. "Besides, being the Boss isn't a bad thing."
The blonde female simply rolled her eyes as she buried her fingers into the warm soil, placing each seedling in their proper place on the hydroponic system. She had learned a few more things about the Uzumaki, now that he was popping up more often. All of his Clones were connected to him but they sometimes had their own minds. It seemed that most of them enjoyed calling her 'Boss' whenever they showed up to work under her. She had asked him once if it was an insult, but he assured her it wasn't. Now the Yamanaka knew that she could get a bit...ahead of herself, especially when she had to deal with Shikamaru for most of her life. It was just that she didn't like to be reminded of her tendencies.
"Wow, don't you think that you have too many plants," Naruto stated in an awe filled tone, glancing around at the rich and lush greenery surrounding them.
"Well, as you know, the Yamanaka Flower Shop not only provides a variety of flora for Konoha but we also ship out goods to other countries." She glanced at the fruits of her endless labor. "We proudly flaunt that we have an extremely wide selection that many people want. Besides, some herbs that are needed for antidotes are too far, so this Greenhouse helps to keep those rare herbs cultivated within the Village walls."
"Like this one," Naruto asked, his thumb carefully running over a leaf that possessed a cluster of light blue berries beneath its prickly leaves. "This one helps to cure...err...fatigue, right?"
One thing she had also learned about Naruto was that he knew a few things about plants and flowers. It had surprised her that he knew about a few of the plants that she had been growing, as not many Shinobi could compare in her knowledge in botany. She also learned that his favorite flower was the Sunflower, which she found that it suited him in his vibrancy. She stood up and glanced over at the plant that he was currently talking about. "Actually, that one is a poisonous plant," she stated, laughing as he quickly let out go of leaf in between his fingers. "Don't worry, it's only poisonous if you eat them."
"Why you keep something like that here?" A pout coming to his lip as he realized that he had been tricked.
"As a Medic, I like to keep my wits about me when it comes to knowing different components to poisons and what not. Who knows, one day it might save your life," she said throwing a wink at him.
"Yeah right, Kurama would save me before that happened."
"Watch out, it may come back and bite you in the ass," she teased out, turning to head over to where is Clone had gone.
He followed after her exclaiming rather loudly that he was the greatest Shinobi in the whole world and that a poison wasn't something that was going to stop him. She could only laugh, knowing that he was probably right.
Shaken.
That was the feeling that was coursing through her veins at this point. They had made it back safely to the village, that was the only relief that she had felt since his recovery. She still wasn't sure how it had happened but she knew that she was definitely cursed. How could she have known that her teasing remarks would have brought upon this misfortune? How could she have known that she was going to be at fault for this latest mission. Of course, she knew he wouldn't see it in that manner but the guilt consumed her.
There were people waiting for them by the gates, concern and fear etched into their features. She had managed to isolate and extract the poison from his body but he still needed time to recover. She knew that she wasn't proficient in the arts of healing, like Sakura but she knew any and every thing about poisons and antidotes. She always kept an array of herbs in her Medical Pouch at all times, even though her Shadow User teammate would complain that it was pointless. She wished that she could rub it in his face that she had proved him right, like she normally did, but this wasn't the time or place.
They had been ambush from the moment that they crossed the borders, an unknown enemy had been plotting and awaiting their arrival. It was supposed to be a simple mission, gathering information on the sudden disappearance of Shinobi ranging from all age groups. They needed someone who could easily talk with people and one who could easily make them seem less suspicious. That was why the Uzumaki and Nara were placed on her Team. She simply needed to gather access to a suspicious few's minds, in order to complete the mission. They had been outclassed and outnumbered. There was no doubt in any of their minds that they should pull back, despite having the Hero of Konoha on their squad. He had been ambushed by a few laced blades, causing his body to go into shock.
It had taken them over an hour to get to a safer location. While Shikamaru sent out a hawk with a message to prepare the Hospital for their arrival, Ino had began to tend to the unconscious blonde. She had been caught off guard when Kurama had taken over his body, telling her what exactly was happening to his container's body. She nodded as he listed the symptoms and she made a pile of the herbs that she needed. While chewing on the herbs to make it easier for him to swallow when she gave it to Naruto, she used her Mystic Palm to find where the poison had collected.
There was a spot in his arm and two in his side. Using water from her canteen, she created a mold of water, slamming it into his body and collecting the water into the sphere before pulling it out. She grimaced at the pain wheeze that left the male beneath her, knowing that there was no gentle way of doing this procedure. Once that was complete, she placed the chewed ball of herbs in his mouth along with some water in order for it to safely travel down into his system. They didn't have to wait around to see if any lingering effects had been neutralized. Shikamaru slung one arm around his shoulder and she did the same to other side, they nodded at one another before retreating back to the safety of their Village.
She swore she would pummel his brains out for being so moronic. She knew that he was unable to control himself when it came to battle by throwing himself in the line of fire but he had jumped out to protect her from a blow from behind. The damned fool. She knew that she wasn't necessarily needed for Hand to Hand combat but that was why she had been training with Sakura so often. She knew that she had to become stronger in order to not be a burden. Yet he had so carelessly protected her from the laced blades. Gritting her teeth together, she promised herself that she wouldn't allow something like this to happen ever again.
He had regained consciousness by the time they were only ten minutes away from the gates of Konoha. He could only laugh at the verbal lashing at the fiery blonde had given him, he could see the fear stricken look on her face. It was thanks to the Nara's calm and collected attitude that the Mind Walker had calmed down, choosing to bite the inside of her cheek. Once they made it back to the village, Naruto was immediately taken from their arms, the Hyuuga Heiress worriedly following behind his surrogate grandmother and his female teammate. She watched as they went, feeling the need to follow after them but she knew that he was in good hands. She knew that he was in good hands but that didn't lessen the burning desire to run and be by his side. But what stopped her was that the people who love him most were at his side, she had no right to follow so desperately after him.
She sniffed slightly, resisting the urge to allow her emotions to crumble. She could keep herself composed until she was in the comforts of her home. She glanced over her shoulder, watching the interaction of her teammate and his lover. The Sand Kunoichi frowned as she touched the side of his bruised face, muttering something underneath her breath. He leaned his forehead towards her, resting it on top of hers. They shared that moment with one another silently, thanking a higher power that he had made it out of the ambush alive. Teal eyes glanced away, feeling this stabbing pain in her chest. A sense of longing filling her being, turning away to head home, she was met with an unexpected person.
What did he want?
After that incident, she refused to let him live down the fact that he had been so careless. Whether she was blatantly telling him how much of an idiot he had been or passively stating something that reminded him of his past events, there was no escaping the wrath of the scathing beast that was Yamanaka Ino. It wasn't until after a while that he began to get fed up with the way she was handling everything. It wasn't like he had died (could have died her voice would seethe out at him), he was still walking about as if nothing happened, much to her chagrin. She had calmed down after a while but somehow, she would bring back up the mission in some obscure fashion that made his blood slowly begin to boil. Then again, Kurama had showed him the panicked look that had come across her face while healing him. He had seen a familiar fear fill her eyes as she worked on taking out the poison. He could remember the way her hands trembled as she tried her best to concentrate. It was almost as if her actions were speaking for her.
Don't you dare die, idiot.
Still, it did nothing to ease the wrath that she threw at him. One day, two weeks ago, had happened to be the day that he snapped back at her. She had been relatively calm that day, working in her garden quietly until he had dropped something. She made a biting comment of him being careless, just like that mission, or something like that. He had replied in a equally snarky tone, which now he realized that was the wrong move to make against the short-tempered blonde. Thus, a screaming match ensued between the two of them, one so heated that they ended up breathless. Had it stopped there? Of course not because they were similar in not only appearance but temperament. Normally, under any circumstances, Naruto would not fight a female, especially one that he considered a friend but as childish as it sounded, she threw the first punch. Now, he had suffered many a punches in his lifetime, thanks to not only Sakura but Tsunade as well. This was the first time that Ino had ever hit him, or that he could recall, and by Gods did that punch hurt like a bitch.
They tussled and scrapped like Academy children in the middle of her garden. Sure, to any passerby, they would seem like they were just playing around but the Yamanaka Heiress was out for blood. When all their energy had been spent, they laid on the ground covered in grass, soil and blood. Whoever thought that the Yamanaka wasn't skilled when it came to fighting Hand to Hand, they were dead wrong. Not only was she agile but she was flexible, which made it difficult to get a hold of her in order to calm her down. He wondered how Shikamaru and Chouji survived her wrath for all of these years (he later found out that they had never physically fought against her). When he glanced over at her slightly bruised face and busted lip, he could see the tears falling from her eyes. He went to question the reason for her tears, but it was like she caught second wind and began throwing garden equipment at him. He hightailed it out of her property when she went to grab the wheelbarrow, telling him to never speak to her again.
Man, was she a pain or what? Her temper and emotions were by far worse than Sakura's occasional mood swing. As problematic as she be, he knew that he should at least apologize. Two weeks without talking to the Yamanaka was ill fitting for him. He missed stopping by once a week, learning more in the fields of botany. He missed the meals she would occasionally cook, after a long day in the Greenhouse. Kurama missed them too ( he could hear the sneer in the Fox's voice denying that he didn't miss those meals). Honestly. there was no reason to be upset anymore. He knew that he had been reckless but more than anything the guilt for causing her to worry so much was causing him to cave in on himself.
He knew that she should man up. Why was it taking him so long to make things right with her? He knew that he was being an idiot by prolonging it but it wasn't like she had made any effort. A sour expression came to his face as he leaned across the table, a huff of frustration leaving him. Azure hues glanced up at his counterpart, an uninterested gaze boring into his skull.
"What is it," the Uchiha snapped out in annoyance, disliking the mood that his friend was in.
"What do you do when someone is upset with you?" The blonde questioned.
A droll stare was thrown at him and the Uchiha shook his head in disbelief. "You apologize, moron."
"What if an apology isn't good enough?"
Setting down his cup of tea, he did his best to hide the smirk that was coming to his lips. "Then you better pray they don't kill you."
"Bastard! You're not helping," The Uzumaki grumbled out. A small groan left him as he flicked away a crumb that was on the table. "Do you think she will forgive me?"
"Who? Sakura? She usually does."
Naruto threw a pointed glare, the underlying message passed between them. The Uchiha leaned back in his seat, mulling over a few thoughts of his own. "So, it's the Yamanaka girl," he mused aloud, watching his friend nod in confirmation. He held back that sigh that threatened to leave him, knowing that both blondes were being childish at this point. "You know, she asked about you the other day."
The blonde shot up from the position of his body haphazardously draped across the table in mild despair. "Really?!" He cleared his throat, an embarrassed laugh leaving him. "Well...uh...what did she say?"
Rolling his two toned eyes, he shook his head once more. "She asked if you were doing well. Eating properly, the usual things during idle conversation." He shrugged his shoulders, glancing away from the anxious male. "That's all."
The Uzumaki nodded in response before his eyes narrowed slightly. "Wait, what were you two doing together?"
A bit back a groan, knowing that he should have never have said anything. When he didn't respond, that only seemed to egg on the questions coming from the blonde.
"It's none of your concern."
She felt him long before he had made his way behind the shop. She kept her expression neutral as she wondered if he was here to talk. She knew that she had gotten far too carried away with her emotions. She knew better than to allow her emotions to filter through like that. Her reasoning was illogical but she had truly been scared of losing him. How would she have been able to prove herself as a capable Medic? How would she be able to face everyone? Did he not realize that he wasn't invincible? Well, she knew that he understood that but his impulsive nature was uncontrollable. She knew that he was innately like how he was, that was why she had fallen for him in the first place but still she couldn't help feel the way she had.
There was a gentle, hesitant knock on the back door. Inhaling and exhaling a steady breath, she made her way down the stairs. The windowed back door allowing her to see the fidgeting male, a nervous wave was given to her as his eyes danced around their surroundings. Opening the door slightly, a bushel of wildflowers were immediately shoved into her vision. Slowly, she wrapped her fingers around the stems, leaning around the bouquet, giving the male a small smile.
"Flowers? Really?" She teases, opening the door wider, welcoming him inside.
"It was the only thing I could think of," he stated with a gentle laugh. He ducked his head to step inside, looking around at the building that he knew all too well. A smile of relief came to his face, he wasn't sure how she would react to seeing him after two weeks.
She led him upstairs to her apartment, heading into the kitchen. She rummaged through her drawers, finding a pair of pruning scissors after a while. She carefully laid the flowers on the countertops, her slender fingers picking up the stems and began trimming the flowers. The blonde male came to stand beside her, after finding one of many vases that she had in the cabinets. He filled it with water and took each delicate stem that she prepared, and arranged them in the vase.
"Where did you find these? They're beautiful," she commented gently, slightly surprised that he found such quality flora outside of her shop.
"Just outside the Village," he replied with a small smile at her compliment. "There's a little field where they grow, I'll take you there sometime."
Ino hummed in response, enjoying that proposal as they were falling into a comfortable silence. Her hand flinched when his fingers brushed across her knuckles as she placed down a flower. The faint touch caused a shiver to crawl up her arm and travel down her spine. She recoiled from the touch as naturally as possible, going back to finish trimming the last few flowers. Once they were done, she stared at the arrangement as small smile coming to her lips. He was a quick learner when it came to botany and flower arrangement, she was impressed. However, her thoughts shifted as they continued to stand there. She had the words she wanted to tell him at the tip of her tongue. She had been so carefully planning on how to execute them but her nerves were getting the best of her.
"I'm sorry!"
The fact that they had shouted it at one another simultaneously caused a loud silence to come between them. She stared up at him with wide eyes, his expression matching hers. Soon, the corners of his lips twitched upwards, a low laugh rumbling from the depths of his chest and stomach. It soon began to fill her kitchen and she too, found herself joining in with his laughter. She rested a hand on her chest as she continued to laugh, realizing how ridiculous they had been about this situation.
What had surprised were the arms that pulled her into his chest. The ones that secured her in a protective cage. Her laughter had abruptly stopped and she glanced up at him, questions swimming in her eyes. He rested his chin on top of her head, a smug grin on his lips.
"I didn't mean to make you upset, Ino," he said gently. "I just couldn't bare the idea of a friend of mine getting hurt."
There it was, like the final nail in the coffin. A small nod came from her but her smile faltered slightly. A friend. That was all that she would ever amount to in his eyes. Nothing more than that. She had no idea why she thought, that just maybe, after all the time they were spending with one another, he would start viewing her differently. Of course, she hadn't given him any reason to view her in a romantic fashion. He already belonged to someone else. She just had to keep to her own devices. She pulled herself out of the embrace, fearing that she would get too comfortable in his arms. She eyes the man, a faint smile on her lips.
"Just don't let it happen again," she stated, giving him a gentle punch in the chest. "Or else."
He raised his hand up defensively. "I get it, Ino!"
Rolling her eyes, she moved away, taking the vase in her hands and placing it in the center of her dining table. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"As much as I'd like that, I've got a with Hinata soon."
Her shoulders tensed slightly, a reminder that she was getting too aggressive in trying to capture his attention. She was getting comfortable having him around all the time. She immediately turn around, throwing a glare at him. "Well leave, you idiot! You better not be making her wait by coming here!"
"Fine, fine!" He walked over to her, ruffling her hair gently. "I'll catch you later, Ino!"
"Don't ruin my hair," she hissed out, rushing to fix her, now, messy locks. She watched as he rushed down the stairs. The door slammed behind him and she let her hand drop from her head. "Idiot," she muttered as she glanced down at the floor, her cheeks and tips of her ears turning a deep shade of red.