Written for Day 6 of Sakura Month: Her Brightest Smile
Ino braced her hands on her hips and snorted as she watched the other girls - most of the other girls - run off. She turned with a smile for the last one still there.
The other girl smiled shyly, smoothing her messy hair a little. "Thank you." she said softly. "You didn't have to do that."
"Of course I didn't have to," Ino said, tossing her head lightly; Ino didn't have to do much unless she felt like it, and she knew it, "but they didn't have to be awful, either." She sniffed disgustedly, then shook it off and extended a hand to help the other girl to her feet. "I'm Yamanaka Ino!"
"I'm- I'm Haruno Sakura." Sakura said, bobbing her head a little as she inched closer, squeezing Ino's hand before releasing it.
"Nice to meet you!" Ino said, reaching out and smoothing Sakura's pretty pink hair out a little more from where the other girls had been mussing and pulling at it. She was careful to be gentle, but she tucked it back behind Sakura's ear, not letting her hide behind it.
"Oh- No. . ." Sakura reached up, ducking her head like she would undo Ino's work, and Ino frowned, gently nudging her hand back again and fixing her hair. "I- I'm-"
"Don't listen to them," Ino huffed, remembering the insults the other girls had been throwing when she arrived, "they're idiots. Scaredy-idiots. And you're very pretty!" Ino petted her hair. "Not just your hair, all of you!"
Sakura's jade-green eyes widened, then sparkled as she smiled brightly. "Oh, I- Thank you!" She had already been pretty but her wide, earnest smile nearly glowed. She bit her lip. "You are too."
Ino wriggled her shoulders and grinned back, patting Sakura's now-neat hair one more time before lowering her hand. She didn't say I know, for once, only grabbed Sakura by the hand and tugged her along the path, breaking into a run with Sakura happily trailing her.
"What's got you looking so happy with yourself?"
Ino spun, opening her eyes to look at Shikamaru. He hadn't actually gotten up, still sprawled on the grass nearby, but he'd tilted his head to look at her.
She grinned and whirled around again, flinging her arms out happily. "I met the girl I'm going to marry today!" she crowed.
Chouji looked startled, but then he smiled at her. "Who is she?" he asked.
Ino clapped her hands and favoured him with a bright smile, but before she could answer-
"I think your parents - all our parents - expect for you to marry a boy. You know, along with taking the position as Clan Head? And having a kid to do the same?" Shikamaru said lazily. "All our families' traditions?"
Ino narrowed her eyes and he gulped, squirming sideways. "Well, they can just suck it up, can't they?" she demanded. "Because I am going to marry the prettiest girl - other than me," she paused for a moment to preen playfully, "in the world."
"Uh, Ino. . ." Chouji began, looking torn.
"I am!" Ino braced her fists on her hips and took a step towards the boys. "And I don't care what I'm s'posed to do!" She glared.
"I'm sure you'll be super happy together!" Chouji said hurriedly, eyes wide.
"I'm sure you'll do whatever you want, like you always do." Shikamaru said, still eyeing her warily.
Ino sniffed. "I will." she confirmed, to both of them, lips pursed. Then she flounced over to sit between them, smoothing her skirt out and sighing. She leaned against Chouji - even when he was upright to be leaned on Shikamaru tended to just go boneless and then everyone ended up on the ground - and tucked her feet up close. "We'll all be happy. When we grow up. Right?"
"Not like you'll settle for anything less than exactly what you want to happen anyway, right?" Shikamaru drawled with a little smirk, which was actually kind of reassuring. Ino's smile returned. Chouji just patted her back, and she snuggled into his side a little more.
The smile widened a little as she remembered Sakura's happy, surprised look, her eyes sparkling and her smile wide and bright.
Ino knew just what she wanted.
"What's that look for?" Sakura asked, cocking her head, bright eyes sparkling in the spring sunshine. Ino shook her head and only grinned back, a little breathless from just the . . . sight of her. "Ino?"
Ino shook her head again, then stepped closer, trailing one fingertip over Sakura's face from temple to chin. "I love you." she said softly, rubbing her thumb along Sakura's jaw. "So much."
Sakura laughed. "Well, I would hope so!" she teased, smoothing her hands over Ino's wedding kimono and tugging her in for a quick kiss. "I love you, too, darling."
Ino smiled again, tucking one loose kikyo in Sakura's hair firmly back into its place. She looked . . . radiant. Brilliant. Happy. As happy as Ino felt, finally married to the woman she adored and-
Ino giggled suddenly.
"What?" Sakura asked, arching an eyebrow. Ino only shook her head, feeling strange with her own hair braided up into a flower-studded twist rather than falling free down her back to echo the movement.
"What?" Sakura repeated, stepping in to press close and wrap her arms around Ino when she still didn't answer. Ino laughed, bowing her head and closing her eyes as she rested their brows together.
"Your smile is so . . . beautiful." Ino said softly, opening her eyes again to meet Sakura's curious gaze. "It was that smile that made me decide I was going to marry you, you know."
Sakura made a startled sound, then just looked at Ino like she wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.
"The very first day we met." Ino added, playful but honest. "You were so brave and so beautiful and so sweet. . ." She stroked Sakura's face. "I told the boys when I got home that day that I met the girl I was going to marry someday."
Sakura pinked, laughing at her. "You didn't." she denied, searching Ino's eyes.
Ino grinned. "I always know what I want." she said smugly, and shrieked in surprised laughter as Sakura's arms tightened around her, picking her clear off her feet.
"You are infuriatingly smug sometimes." Sakura said, head tipped back to look at her.
"But you love me. You married me." Ino was unable to quash her delight as she spoke.
Sakura was smiling again as well, bright and clear with happiness. "I did and I do." She let Ino slide down, their bodies still pressed together, and kissed her, warm and demanding.
Ino purred and nipped at her mouth, returning the passionate caress.
"They'll be waiting for us. . ." Sakura said against her mouth after a few moments.
Ino hummed, rubbing their noses together. "Good." she muttered, catching Sakura's lower lip between her own for a moment, tugging playfully. "Let them wait. We'll get there."
Sakura giggled, sinking back into Ino's insistent kisses, one arm tight around her back and the other hand curled gently at the base of her neck.
In the background, Shikamaru and Chouji, coming to get the girls for their celebration feast:
"Never known Ino to put off being adored and admired before."
"So . . . are you going to disturb them?"
"Hell no; we'll tell them when they come up for air."
The flowers:
Kikyo are also called balloon flowers or Chinese bellflower in English.
In Hanakotoba they mean (among several other things) 'endless love'.
While they flower naturally in late summer and autumn, when they are cultivated they begin flowering in late April and can thus coincide well enough with sakura season.
Of course the flowers in Ino's hair are sakura, which stand for 'spiritual beauty' in Hanakotoba (though it isn't their sole meaning) . . . but we all know why Ino really chose them for her own wedding flowers in this instance.