No Sale
By Nanaho-Hime
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Hyuuga Neji couldn't help but be aggravated with his boss and uncle. He had no lack of self esteem and it was downright humiliating to be delegated such an obscure, trifling task. He was the Hyuuga Neji, the corporate prodigy, the genius of the Hyuuga clan, and an economic mastermind. He graduated top of his class, and he knew how to tango with the most vicious of CEOs. There was no contest, no matter how much the Uchiha clan tried to boast of their two sons.
So why on earth was he standing in front of a flower shop?
The entire street belonged to Hyuuga Financial Corporation, save for a tiny flower shop and the apartment above it. Any amateur could have been sent to deal with the owner, any layperson could have made a deal with whoever owned the damn shop, but, no, master Hiashi insisted that the proprietor of said dinky little shop was no bumpkin.
Neji nearly snorted. So they needed the shrewd Hyuuga Neji to deal with a florist. How very ironic.
With his black briefcase in hand, and his long hair tied back, he stepped into the Yamanaka flower shop. A little bell rang as he opened the door, and he was enveloped with the almost overpowering scent of flora. The shop was just as small on the inside, as it was on the outside. There was a blonde girl leaning on the counter, flipping through a magazine. She was notably prettier, and younger than he thought she would be considering Master Hiashi's raving testimonial of her. She looked no more experienced than that personal trainer he met back in college, Rock Lee.
She didn't appear to notice his presence, continuing to lazily peruse her magazine. He cleared his throat in what he knew was a subtle tone. She slowly lifted her head and studied him through half-lidded blue eyes, before her expression lit up and she immediately straightened her back.
"Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop, How can I help you?"
Neji was taken aback by the effervescent change in her character at the sight of customer. It would seem as though the flower shop was going through some tough times. That could certainly be used to his advantage. He expertly lifted his briefcase and rested it on the counter in front of her. She blinked a few times before narrowing her eyes at the briefcase, and then lifting her head to counter his cool gaze.
"I would like to speak to the proprietor of this establishment." Neji replied smoothly, in a tone of voice that was firm yet courteous, no room for negotiations.
The young blonde woman, Ino, by the looks of her name tag seemed to have caught on to Neji relatively quickly.
"You're looking at her."
Well it would seem as though looks could be deceiving.
"Miss Yamanaka," Neji continued, never missing a beat, "I would like to extend an offer on behalf of the Hyuuga Financial Corporation…"
Ino groaned, interrupting Neji midsentence, "Not you guys again, piss off, I'm not selling."
Neji stopped, looking at the blonde florist as though she had completely lost her mind, "Excuse me?"
The young owner of the shop didn't answer but pushed the briefcase off the counter, and onto Neji's foot. Neji yelped, and the Yamanaka girl gave him a sadistic smile.
"You heard me, piss off."
It took every ounce of legal training Neji had ever had to refrain from cursing the girl, and a hell of a lot of maturity to pick up his briefcase and head out of the shop.
"I'll be back Miss Yamanaka, make no mistake about that."
It would seem as though Master Hiashi had been right, and it would seem as though he would need to exhaust his resources with this one.
"Well what do you know; you're back again, look at me shaking in my shoes."
Neji struggled not to retort. It was difficult dealing professionally with someone who was just so juvenile.
"I'm here to extend an offer…"
"That's all well and good, but I told you I'm not selling."
"Why don't I buy you a coffee, and you can just here me out?"
She paused. Neji could smell triumph. You could always catch big fish by handing out free tidbits. It was a clever little marketing device that could be used on the weak minded.
"Do me a favor," Ino's smile was disarmingly sweet, and Neji couldn't help but notice that she was a lot more intimidating when she wasn't yelling at him, "Take that coffee and your nice leather briefcase and shove it up your ass."
Touché
It would seem as though he would have to go beyond marketing techniques.
"Listen up Yamanaka."
She looked up from her magazine, a slight quirk to her pink glossed lips.
"Well what do you know, you're not a robot."
He did roll his eyes this time, because there was no room for negotiations now, because he was running out of time, and his reputation as a corporate powerhouse was in jeopardy.
"What will it take to get you to sell?"
She tilted her head, and studied him thoughtfully.
"I'll never sell."
He didn't understand her, not in the slightest. She wasn't making any money off of this job. She was surrounded on all sides by Hyuuga subsidiaries, but she still clung to that shop as though it was the only thing she had left that was worthwhile.
"Why the hell not?" It was all he could think to ask, because he knew how this would end.
She sighed, took her magazine and threw it over her shoulder, and then made her way around the counter.
"You're buying me a coffee."
He chose to view her willingness to accompany him anywhere beyond the green counter as progress, and he followed her with a distinct smirk on his face.
She had ordered the most expensive latte on the menu, and he couldn't help but feel that he had been tricked by the blonde she-devil.
She didn't talk business, not at all, she talked like a teenage girl, about…about emotions.
"My boyfriend dumped me for another girl," her voice was clear, not a trace of bitterness, "I wasn't surprised, and honestly I don't care."
He didn't know how he should respond to something like that; he didn't get a degree in psychology.
She took a long, exaggerated sip of her extra large cinnamon caramel apple mocha latte, and she tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"There are only a handful of people in this world that I care about," she held up a finger, "And there's only one thing in this world that we all have in common."
Neji could deduce where she was going with this.
"You'll pry that flower shop out of my cold and lifeless hands."
She drained the last of her latte like a shot and with a flip of her hair, and a swing of her hips she left him sitting there, feeling very much the fool.
"You can't afford to keep this shop."
She looked up from her magazine. She was wearing black today, all black, and it didn't suit her. He would never have said this to anyone, but he would have paid money to see her in a red dress. A little, red dress, that girl had a nice body and he was man enough to notice it.
"So?"
She was so completely, and utterly infuriating. Just like the first day he met her.
"So what are you going to do when they kick you out of here?"
She didn't answer him. There was something strange about her today. Her hair was out of its customary ponytail and her long blonde hair hung loosely around her shoulders. She lacked the defiant air that usually hung around her.
"Well?"
"Are you going to buy flowers or am I going to have to kick you out?"
"How do you keep up with all the expenses? There's no way you make enough to get by."
"None of your business, Hyuuga."
"No one will hold it against you if you need to sell, it's better than going bankrupt."
She was angry, he could feel it. It was all around him, and it was clear that she didn't want to give up. Didn't want to give in to him and his offers, or rather his company's offers because now he didn't know what it was he was offering her.
"Get out Hyuuga."
"There are some things you don't know about Yamanaka."
"Get out Hyuuga."
He didn't know what to tell her, he didn't care that he couldn't buy the flower shop. He didn't know what he wanted from her, but he didn't want to see her with nowhere to go.
"I'll buy some lilies."
"What?"
"You heard me Yamanaka."
He felt as though he were echoing their first encounter, when she had turned the tables on him and he had been the one to lose his advantage.
He left the money on the counter, and he left her looking beautiful and sad.
"There's something you should know."
"What is it Hyuuga?"
"My uncle is planning on blocking off the street so that no one will be able to buy anything from your shop. He's going to force you into selling for nothing, or waiting until you go bankrupt and then snatching the shop, either way you lose Yamanaka, you can't beat my uncle."
She sat at the counter, not the least bit fazed. He hated how nothing fazed her.
"I'll get another job."
"He's threatened anyone who'd hire you."
She was quiet.
"Get lost Hyuuga."
"I'm only warning you."
"Get lost Hyuuga."
"Please sell."
She was crying now, tears streaming down her flawless skin, mascara smearing. She was trembling, gasping for breath, struggling to remain composed.
"Please leave."
He didn't know what to do, didn't want to see her cry. It was just a stupid flower shop.
"Ino…"
"I don't need charity from you."
"Ino…"
"I'll figure something out."
"Just…"
"I'm not letting go of the flower shop."
He didn't know what to do.
So he waited until she stopped crying, until she regained her poise.
"Thank you for warning me."
"I'm sorry."
"You don't have to come anymore; it's obvious that your job is done."
He didn't want to leave. He wanted to tell her that he thought she was damn sexy when she was making fun of him, when she read her magazine, when she cried. He wanted to tell her that she was beautiful in black and red and blue and green and all those other colors she seemed to wear inside and out.
He'd buy all the flowers in the world and give them to her, because she had beaten a corporate powerhouse by being a tiny blonde florist. By being a woman strong enough to face Hyuuga Financial Corporation all by her lonesome.
The little bell above the door tinkled, breaking him out of his thoughts. A man with a pineapple type hairstyle rushed past Neji, straight to Ino, who's blue eyes were still bloodshot.
"Shikamaru," she whispered.
The stranger enveloped her in a hug, she wrapped her arms around his waist, and Neji had never felt his blood boil so hot. Something inside of him roared as the strange man, Shikamaru leaned over to kiss the top her head, as he stroked her hair.
"It's alright Ino," Shikamaru whispered, as she sobbed, "Me and Chouji got the company set up, you can keep up the flower shop, you know you've always got a job with us, so don't cry, they'll pry this flower shop out of our cold, lifeless hands.
Neji was flooded by memories of coffee shops, and a similar comment thrown his way. He left quietly, or as quietly as he could with that little bell. He obviously wasn't needed.
"Where have you been?"
He grabbed her by her shoulders. She peered up at him quizzically through those blue eyes that drove him crazy.
"What does he mean to you?"
"What does who mean to me?"
"That Shikamaru guy?"
"You mean the engaged businessman?"
"Who's he engaged to?"
"Not me?"
He let go of her, relief seeping through him.
"Jealous?"
"Hardly."
She smiled up at him, as she took a hold of a loose strand of his dark hair, "Really?"
And she leaned over the counter, and pressed her lips against his.
Before he could react she pulled away, an impish smile on her face.
"I'd be careful if I were you, that's called sexual harassment."
He rolled his eyes a flush on his cheeks.
"Well what can I do you for?"
"One rose please."
"And who's it for?"
"Who do you think?"
She smiled as though it was their own special secret.
The Yamanaka Flower Shop was still in business.
A/N: This was an experiment and I have no idea how it turned out…it was originally supposed to be a multi-chaptered fic like a majority of others but I figure it works out okay as a oneshot. Well please review, I'm very curious as to what people think of this format/plotline/pairing
In other words all comments , critiques, and questions are welcome
aka
Please review