A/N: Yes, I wrote a drabble for the sole purpose of letting you know I changed my name from NaruIno367 to Tranzient. Figured I should prooobably clear that up.
…..
Ino has been finding flowers.
This wouldn't be that alarming, considering she's a botanist who regularly works in her family's flower shop, if the flowers weren't from an entirely different region.
The flowers she's been receiving were definitely not from the Leaf. Some types of flowers simply can't grow in this environment. She's gotten tons of different kinds, some that she's noted to only thrive in desert climates, and some that only thrive in icy climates. Bizarrely enough, she's also found some aquatic plants as well.
She attributes it to some sort of admirer. Why else would she be finding bundles of exotic flowers tied with neat ribbons, clearly addressed to her? It has to be.
One morning, while setting up the shop for work, she notices another bundle waiting for her. They look like lilies, the kind that will only grow in the water. She quickly finds a vessel for them and puts them on her desk for her to admire.
She notices something strange about these flowers, though. It almost looks like…
Her eyes widen.
No way.
…..
Later that day she's called in to the main building for a low-rank mission. It seems simple enough; can't take her more than an hour to finish up. She walks up the flight of stairs to review the details when she notices Kakashi and his team leaving the office. A smirk grows on her face.
Deciding the mission can wait two or three minutes, she strides up to Kakashi and bows. Without any further warning, she grabs a certain member of his team and drags them off to an empty room, still grinning.
Naruto, her victim, looks at her like she's about to eat him.
"Ino?! Why-what?"
"Oh, come on, Whiskerface, I know it's you!"
He freezes. He hadn't even considered she might have figured it out. "You…know what's me, exactly?"
She rolls her eyes. "You're the one who's been leaving the flower bundles for me."
He fidgets. "How'd you know?"
She smirks and holds up what she found on the lilies. It looks like a…
"Only you would leave a ramen noodle on a bouquet of flowers."
He blushes furiously when he realizes what she's holding, and the stupidity of his mistake. He watches the noodle, flopping in the breezeless air, and sighs.
"So…what now?"
She flings the noodle at him, and he catches it as reflex, grimacing. "Now, you're gonna take me on a date. We're gonna get some food-NOT ramen-and we're gonna talk. I have plenty of questions to ask you, Whiskerface."
He blinks. "I'm gonna…take you on a date?"
"Damn right you are. You left those bundles for a reason, didn't you? And this is my response. …not the noodle. Or maybe yes the noodle. Who knows, the noodle works in mysterious ways."
He stares at her, dumbfounded.
"Oi, stop looking at me like that!" She blushes. "Run off to your team now, I don't want them getting any weird ideas."
Ino turns quickly and flounces off, leaving a dumbfounded Naruto in her wake. He stares at the door before picking the noodle up and staring at it. He can't believe that actually works.
I always knew ramen was the Messiah.