Title :: Lazy Afternoon
Pairings/Characters :: Sarutobi Asuma x Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji
Theme :: #16 - Gardenia/"I love you in secret"
Rating :: K
Disclaimer :: I don't own Naruto. How bout you?
Comments :: Written for 30 flowers on LiveJournal, where I claimed Asuma x Ino. I wanted to start with something cute and pre!timeskip, and that's what this is. On another note, my writing skills have totally died (insert anguished sobbing here), but that's kind of what I joined 30 flowers for in the first place - to get them back up to speed! Feedback is muchly appreciated. ♡
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Lazy Afternoon
Theme #16: Gardenia - "I love you in secret"
by
Se-chan
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Ino lounged on the forest floor, staring up into the mottled canopy. It was a warm day, and her team had been training for the upcoming Chuunin exam, but for now they had retreated into the shade of the greenery and were eating their packed lunches in relative peace.
She watched a ray of sunlight spill down through a gap in the leaves, penetrating the gloom like a thin, slanted, golden pillar. She felt a vague need to pass her hand through it, just to watch the shadow it would cast, but she suppressed the urge easily and instead turned her head to look at her teammates.
Chouji was entirely focused on his meal, presumably eating to make up for all he had burned off in their morning session. Despite her teasing, she knew the reason Chouji was overweight had more to do with his blood-line than anything else. His techniques required the extra weight, and if she was completely honest with herself, she wouldn't change him for the world.
Rolling her eyes affectionately, she turned a little further to focus on her other teammate. Shikamaru was, apparently, taking a nap. She forgave him for sleeping - he had worked extremely hard that morning, sparring with both her and Chouji. He, of course, had already attained the rank of Chuunin last time the exam had come around, the only one of their whole graduation year who had managed. She was still proud of him. She always would be.
When watching his chest rise and fall had lost it's appeal, she turned to the last member of her team. Asuma was seated across from her, back against a tree, a cigarette hanging from his lips, as usual. He was staring up into the foliage, no doubt observing the flowers that had come into bloom. With his eyes safely fastened somewhere else, she perused his features at leisure.
He was, she thought, remarkably handsome. Tanned skin was complemented by dark, chestnut hair, both on his head and his chin. His smile was startling, and she knew that under his baggy Jounin uniform were muscles of steel, built from exhaustive training and harrowing battles. But best of all were his eyes - eyes that were like dark honey, but who's warm, friendly glow never seemed to disappear. For a moment, she wondered what those eyes looked like in combat, to the enemy he was facing, and the air suddenly felt a lot colder. She suppressed a shiver.
As if sensing her sudden discontent, Asuma's gaze flicked down to her own. He smiled - that roguish, glowing smile - and she felt all her fear drain away. Grateful, even if he couldn't know what for, she grinned back.
'Hey, Ino, I need your help.'
His voice was so deep, she mused. Kind of husky, too. Probably from the smoking, she decided - it was supposed to have that effect on people. She smirked, mentally adding that to the list of things she could tease him about.
'Yes, Asuma-sensei? How can I be of assistance?' she asked, still smirking mischeviously.
He raised his eyebrows at her expression, a small smile playing on his lips. Climbing to his feet, he reached up above his head and picked one of the flowers that was hanging down. 'What kind of flower is this?'
Ino's smirk faded, interest piqued. Clambering to her feet, she made her way over to get a closer look. The flower was large, white and droopy, with a heavy, sweet perfume. She recognised it instantly. Her grin returned as the opportunity to show off her botanical knowledge presented itself.
'Oh, that's a Gardenia. Gardenia augusta or Gardenia jasminoides, to be more precise. I suspect someone planted it here, because they don't usually grow wild - in fact, they're actually pretty hard to grow. The flowers can be used to make a yellow dye, and some species have medicinal properties.'
Asuma looked relatively impressed, and held the flower up to get a better look at it.
'That's interesting... I come here a lot, and I've always wondered what it was. It has a nice fragrance, but it's strong. You can smell it from miles off, so I always notice.' He stared at the flower for a few more seconds, before looking back at her and smiling. 'Thanks, Ino. You're amazing, you know that?' As he said it, he reached out and tucked the flower behind her ear. He grinned at her stunned expression, and busied himself with searching his pockets for his pack of cigarettes. In doing so, he failed to notice the violent blush that suffused her cheeks.
'Well, I'd better be off.' he said, once he'd found his pack of sticks and had another cigarette safely wedged between his lips. 'Last I heard, Tsunade-sama wanted to see me and I sure as hell don't want to be late for that woman. Same time tomorrow, right? And Shikamaru, try not to be late...' He gave the newly-awoken Nara a slightly aggravated smile as he ruffled Chouji's hair. Then he turned around and shot Ino one last, brilliant smile before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
There was silence, save for the rustling of the fallen leaves as Shikamaru lifted himself to a sitting position. 'Ahhh... I can't wait till I learn how to do that.' he drawled, rubbing his eyes sleepily, and Chouji said something in reply, but Ino wasn't listening. She was thinking about flowers, and a certain nicotine-addicted Jounin.
Pulling the blossom a little more securely behind her ear, she smiled. She didn't think now was quite the right time to tell her dear teacher exactly what that particular flower meant.
END