Chocolate
Why did I agree to come here? Thought the young man, for the hundredth time since he was roped into this trip.
Well he knew the blonde idiot would try to pull a trip here after finding out his father was born and raised here but he didn't believe the idiots words that he would make his friend come along for the ride; a ride that he could do without.
Well it wouldn't be the first time Naruto tricked Sasuke into doing what he didn't want to do and like the saying goes, as annoying as it is; it won't be the last either. But as it stood he wasn't the only one pulled into this little trip. Shino, Kiba, Sakura, and Hinata were rounded up for it. Though Sakura, Kiba, and Hinata came willingly and happily where Shino could care less about this 'last field trip' of their blonde friend but did want to spend time with them before they had to start doing their jobs and starting a new life outside of school.
Well he doesn't think himself as a push over or someone who can be tricked easy. Really isn't his fault that his brother informed Naruto that Sasuke would do about anything their mom says to do; payback from when Sasuke told the same thing to Itachi's friends but at least for Sasuke he wasn't as easy as his brother when it comes to their mother.
Damn mommy's boy.
"Ooooh! Sasuke! Look they got a place where they make ice cream while you eat it!!"
Damn damn damn damn him.
"Look at that shop! Oooh its soo cute!"
Sasuke gave the group a wilting glare, knowing it was pointless against them. Immunity or stupidity; depending on which one you were talking about. He gave them a shake of his head when asked if he had wanted to go in before leaning against the wall showing he wasn't going disappear on them.
Nasty habit Sakura said.
Bad sense of direction Naruto called it.
Getting away from their stupidity he told them. He wasn't listened too and only got smirked and laughed at. Thus were his friends. And they were friends no matter what he said about them though he didn't know Hinata all that well, a very shy girl that hung back in her now boyfriend of 2 months. How the loud idiot came around to getting someone like her, he would never know just that it worked.
So caught up in his musings he had jumped when he heard the soft female voice off from his side.
"Entschuldigung herr, betreten des rasens verboten."
Turning with his heart in his throat, Sasuke saw a girl that looked to be his age with long blonde hair up in a high pony tail and bright blue eyes. She wore brown lace up sandals that Sakura always complained hurt her feet. She had on a light blue shirt that moved gently across her legs in the slight wind with the white shirt sticking tight to her upper body while showing off tan arms and shoulders. An apron wrapped around her waist. He knew he was staring after seeing one of her blonde brows moved up slightly. She sat down on a box, crossing her right knee over her left before pointing above his head.
"Der schilder? Betreten des rasens verboten, Bitte?" Blinking he pushed off the wall and turned to look at the small sign that looked to have seen better days but under the dirt and dents there was … something. Just what he needed, to forget most of the lessons the group did before leaving the U.S.
"Ahh…" Turning back to the girl who wore a small smirk – smile – on her face while he thought of how to say sorry, she would want that right? Right. "Es … tut mir… shit… ah.. Leid?" He made it into a question, inwardly wincing at how he butchered the words.
"Danke." She chirped happily before popping a small piece of chocolate in her mouth, smirking all the while.
Glancing around he stepped closer, one to stand out of the way of the sidewalk and its people. Two so he wasn't standing in the grass and the other way would put him in front of the store's entrance. So this put him standing in front of the young blonde who continued to eat her chocolate and smile.
"Wie geht es lnen?"
"Huh?"
Giggling she popped one more chocolate in before wiping her hand on her apron than put it out to him. "Guten abend. Ich heibe Ino. Wie heibt sie?"
"Wait, please wait. Ahh… Ich verstehe … nicht." Man now he wished he took that aid paper Sakura had made up for everyone. Working on memory from only a four hour movie where everyone was chatting away does help much when speaking to someone in their language. He took her hand after she waved it some and shook it. "Sprechen… sie English?" Sasuke struggled out.
"Ja."
Blinking Sasuke looked at her as she popped another chocolate into her mouth after she claimed her hand back with a smile.
Dumbly Sasuke asked. "You understand this?"
"Ja." She repeated and with a start Sasuke realized why she was smirking at him. She knew he wasn't from here.
Frowning he says. "You just were enjoying me struggle."
Smiling sweetly she replies. "Like a worm dancing on a hook." She then shrugged adding. "Just not as deadly for you." Tipping her head to the side she glanced up at him. "Of course if you were a worm I would wonder how the world was handling if one your size popped up out of the ground. Hmm." She hummed thoughtfully, eating another chocolate.
"Well what were you saying?" Sasuke asked mildly leaning against the opposite wall from her.
"Hmm…" She swallowed her mouth full before pointing once again to the sign. "Parroting the sign; 'keep off the grass'. The owner thinks that little piece of grass will grow something but I keep telling him nothing will but he won't listen, hence the sign. I also said thank you after you said sorry."
"After that?" He pushed when she was content to continue to eat the chocolate. She made a humming sound in her throat as she waved her hand side to side.
"Just basic things tourist seem to come here speaking, you know? How are you? A form of greeting than my name is –insert name here- and what is your name? Questions like that but they also mess it up somehow." Her blue eyes widen for a second before smiling up at him. "No offence, of course."
Sasuke rolled his eyes with the feeling she was picking on him. He told her that making her smile a little more widely. "Just a little but I must say you did pretty well. You remembered to speak from back here instead of just saying it. A lot of tourists do that." She said pointing to her neck.
"Just tourist?" Sasuke asked feeling the need to defend other tourist.
"Hmm nope. Of course not, I had some trouble learning how to speak the language when my family and I moved here. My father was born in America but was raised here. He was visiting here when he met my mom. We moved here after I was eight. Daddy wanted to be back here with my grandparents." She shrugged again before adding. "My grandparents were good teachers though."
"Oh, so you're American too."
Smiling she just nodded as she dug into her bag pulling out some more chocolates. "We go back every other year to have Christmas with my mom's family and on the years we stay here we have Christmas with my daddy's parents. I have dual citizenship." She stated proudly before popping another chocolate in her mouth.
"Must be hard." Sasuke said and at her questioning look he continued. "Well being apart from your family most of the time."
"Not really. I mean I see them on Christmas and I am going to finish my schooling in America." She said with a shrug and an easy smile. After a moment she gave a thoughtfully frown at one of the chocolates. "I just don't think any of their chocolate taste as well as these. Guess I'll be asking daddy to be sending me some every… week." She gave him a smile before popping the chocolate in her mouth. Sasuke raised an eye brow in question to her and it made her giggle.
"So let's try this again. My name is Ino." Ino told him giving her hand again. He shook hands with her again with a small smile. She reminded him to much like… someone he knows well. He couldn't shake the feeling like he met her before.
"I'm Sasuke." He told her. "You work there?" He asked pointing behind him to the candy store where his friends ran into.
"No. I work at my daddy's shop." Ino said pointing down the ally. "Just at the end of this ally, really. I just like taking my break here. I see more people on this street than on that one. Where do you work?"
"No where yet." Sasuke mumbled darkly falling back against the wall. He was reminded of his father's last words before he left putting his raising spirits back down. The girl before him whistling low broke him out of getting to lost in thought and brooding.
"Either you don't like the fact you don't have a job or by the sounds of it, you could have one but you won't like it. Am I close?" Ino asked leaning back against the boxes where she sit.
"Second one. Am I too easy to read?" He asked moody, he never liked when someone could read him so well and a complete stranger is right at the top of the list.
"No, not really; I just always could read peoples faces and voices. You'll be surprised on how many people think if they control their faces no one could read them but they forget about body language and your eyes. Your eyes tell people a lot about you and I was told if you can master your eyes than you lost something you can never get back." Ino winked at him before eating another piece of chocolate. "Be happy; you haven't lost anything important." She waved that topic away before speaking again. "Why the second one? Hmm… let me guess… family business."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Sasuke gave her the blank stare. The one he used on Naruto and Sakura a lot. "What makes you think family business?"
"Because a lot of people I talk to say they got to work in the family business. Of course mine doesn't bother me now, so I can't talk but I don't see the problem." Ino said with a shrug than gave him a small smile. "You didn't deny it."
He just frowned at her.
"Oh come on, tell me what the business is." Ino asked leaning forward placing her elbows on her knees, looking up at him. "We got time, I bet anything your friends will be out way after my break is over. They got some great chocolate in there plus other candy goodies. And it could do you some good, getting this problem off you chest will let you enjoy your time here instead of just hanging outside of stores while your friends buy and or have fun."
Sasuke stayed frowning for afew minutes while she stared up at him with her blue, blue eyes. And whatever she could have said wouldn't have mattered to him. It was her eyes that told him to speak
more to her, to just open up to her. Naruto had those eyes, trusting and caring. Just when she started to look put out and lean back, he opened his mouth and spoke what he only told Naruto and Sakura.
"It's not a family business more like what most of my family does. We're police officers. My great grandfather, grandfather, my dad and brother are all cops. My great grandfather just retired beginning of this year."
"At his age?!"
"Well he was high up and didn't do much other than stand with the mayor and in complete uniform at high ups parties. He hasn't been on the field for afew years now but he took it well." Sasuke said knowing who she questioned about. "Grandfather is going to be retiring soon and he basically did the same thing as his father, just he was shot in the line of duty and that was the only way he could stay with the force." He shrugged before saying.
"Your dad and brother work as?" Ino asked leaning back, pulling her legs up under her balancing with her hands on the box she sat on.
"Dad's a chief and my brother is a detective and his goal in life is to –" He shut his mouth.
"To bug ya, huh? I'm told that's what siblings do to each other." Ino said with a shrug before waving him on again.
"Ahh sure. Well that's what I face." Sasuke mumbled.
"Ok so that's what your family does. What do you want to do?" She asked lightly.
"I don't know." He answered after a minute.
"Sure you do." She said popping another chocolate in before nodding. "If you didn't have at least an idea of what you wanted to do you wouldn't be … so upset about working for the police."
"Or I could just don't know and not want too."
"Than there you go!" She spoke happily with a giant smile. Sasuke just stared her into rolling her eyes, popping another chocolate in her mouth. "Problem isn't a problem, don't you see? You don't want to be a cop than don't be a cop. No matter what people say no one can force you into doing something you don't want to do. Your will is your own."
"But-"
"No buts." She grumbled shaking her head. "You know you don't want to go into law enforcement. You just need to stand your ground on it. Your family could be mad." Ino said with a shrug. "But they love you and if you show you don't want to be something they want but something you want, they will understand."
"You don't know-"
"Your family?" Ino finished for him before shrugging and standing up, wiping her hands on her apron. "Nope I don't. But my daddy doesn't want or like me going to America to finish my schooling and being actress but I stood firm on what I wanted and made sure he understood its my life and I will run it the way I want too." Nodding, she bent backwards with her hands pressed against her lower back getting the joints to pop with a satisfactory sigh.
"How did you decide to be an actress?" Sasuke asked.
Giving him another bright smile, Ino reached into her bag while reaching out with the other taking one of his into hers. "I had some of these." She said with a small, giggled full whispered before placing some small cold things into his palm. Sasuke took his hand back as a man's voice yelled down the ally and Ino switched to German and yelled something back.
"Chocolate?" Sasuke asked stupidity.
"Yup!" Ino stated proudly.
"Chocolate." He repeated making her laugh. Her hands wrapped around his folding his hand into a fist around the pieces.
"Yeah. Just before you go to bed you go and find a nice quiet place you can sit in and think. While thinking you pop one in and suck on it and repeat till you got everything straighten out." Ino said releasing his hand again.
"That works?" Disbelief flooding his voice.
"If not its free, good chocolate and chocolate always melts." Ino said with a wink. "That was my daddy. Break time is over so back to work. It was nice to meet you Sasuke. Enjoy and good luck!" With a kiss to his cheek, Ino turned and jogged back down the ally into an open doorway leaving a confused Sasuke.
"Oh there he is!" Was his only warning before his back was thumped afew times. "Hey man! Why are you standing in an ally?" Naruto asked. Sasuke just stared at the blonde as he slipped the chocolate into his carriers' bag.
"Did you get any chocolate?" Sasuke asked instead. Naruto blinked before holding up a big bag with the stores name across it.
"Yeah. Hey! Sasuke give them back!" Naruto cried out after Sasuke yanked the bag again and moved out of the ally.
"Sasuke?" Shino asked, slipping his sunglasses back up his nose.
"I just got confirmation that chocolate makes blondes very, very weird." Sasuke told the group while keeping the bag away from Naruto's reaching arms. "Don't feed him chocolate ever again." The group set off down the street laughing.
Of course that didn't stop him from doing with the blonde German girl said…