A/N: So this is a THANKYOU!fic for Acumichi for taking the time to answer some questions I had and whatnot. THANK YOU! I hope you like the fic!

Please enjoi my first MALE!Hina/Ino!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

0—A Flower Named You/One—0

It was one of those warmer days in Konoha. The days where the sun was high enough to cause sweat to well up at one's brow, yet if they were to wait a moment later, a cool breeze would wash over them, cooling them down almost instantly.

Children would avoid places without water, however, preferring to flock to public pools or frolic in the lawn sprinklers at their houses. It was for that very reason that the young Yamanaka Ino found herself pausing mid-step on her trek back from the store.

She was sent out to buy a watermelon, a reward for a few of the teenaged workers who helped out at her family's flower shop. Ino was happy to help her parents out in any way that she could, so she had taken a shortcut to get back to the shop faster. Cutting through the neighborhood park would save her about five minutes, so she had made full use of it, expecting it to be nearly empty with the heat; however, as she was passing by the jungle gym, she couldn't help but pause. There, sitting at the top of the large mass of wood and plastic, was a single hunched form of a child.

The blue eyed child blinked a couple of times, her eyes darting from one side of the playground to the other, finding no one else in sight. No friends… No family… Before she knew what she was doing, the blonde had already placed the watermelon in the sand and was climbing the large contraption.

The hunched figure seemed to flinch at the sound of someone approaching, but it didn't deter the determined child.

Ino didn't stop until she was a couple of bars away from the figure. "Hey… Are you okay?"

The figure flinched once more, drawing into itself as if trying to hide. The only sounds that emerged from the person's hidden face were ragged breathing and a sniffle every now and then.

Ino's brow furrowed lightly. Whoever the figure was, they were obviously hurting, whether it was emotionally or physically, the blonde couldn't tell. The only thing that she was positive was that she wasn't leaving until the mysterious figure talked to her! Setting her face with determination, she braved another bar closer, leaving only one bar between her and the other child.

"My name's Ino. Yamanaka Ino." When the child sitting opposite of her made no move to respond or shy away, the young flower girl decided to hunker down and get comfortable. It seemed like she was going to be there for a while. "I'm not exactly sure what's wrong, but I'd be happy to listen. I know that it would be weird telling your problems to a complete stranger, though, so I suppose that I can tell you a little more about myself. I'm nine years old. My family owns a flower shop…"

For hours they sat there with Ino supplying the entirety of the conversation, talking about anything and everything. After the first couple of hours, the figure's head finally lifted. A very pretty girl. The Yamanaka noted midsentence, though she didn't pause, feeling a strong rush of warmth flood her at her accomplishment. Large lavender eyes, though a bit flushed and swollen from crying, were still seen as beautiful; a cute button nose resembling that of Rudolph's was twitching lightly as it seemed that the crying caused it to become congested, and full pouty lips were set into a straight line as she watched her carefully from under her indigo fringe.

Ino basked in the growing warmth in the other girl's gaze, averting her gaze from the demure child. She didn't want her going back into her shell anytime soon, so she continued on.

It wasn't until the sun was starting to make its decline that the blonde stopped.

"It's getting late… I should probably get home before my parents call on a search party." Ino joked, starting to maneuver herself so that she could begin the climb down.

"A-Arigato, Ino-chan."

Ino nearly forgot to hold on to the rails as she caught sight of a glowing smile and a cute pair of dimples the quiet girl provided her. She didn't know how long she stared, but once she came to her senses, she flashed the indigo haired child a grin of her own. "No problem! Hey, if you don't mind, can you tell me your name?"

The girl blinked owlishly for a couple of seconds before flushing lightly, giving the blonde a small nod. "Hinata. H-Hyuuga H-Hinata. It was a p-pleasure meeting you I-Ino-chan. Maybe w-we'll meet again." With that, the indigo haired child slid through the bars and agilely leapt to the ground before breaking out into a run. She paused for a second by the slide, half turning and waving back at Ino, not waiting for a wave in return before she took off once more.

Ino smiled to herself and climbed down the rest of the way. She picked up the warm watermelon as soon as her feet got used to the sand, grimacing lightly at the temperature. It was no good. Kaa-san won't be happy. She thought briefly before shaking the thought away. Iie. I did a good thing today, I'm sure that kaa-san will forgive me if I just explain what happened, I'm sure that she'll forgive me!

With that in mind, the young Yamanaka skipped off in the direction of her house with thoughts of meeting up with the wallflower once again lingering in the back of her mind. Hyuuga Hinata-chan… We will meet again, and hopefully we'll become friends. Good enough friends that you'll tell me why you were crying alone in the park.

0—One/End—0

A/N: JUST SO THERE'S NO CONFUSION, HINATA IS A GUY! I'm just referring to him as a "her" until Ino finds out the truth.

This is my first time writing Ino, so please let me know how I did!

Thanx for reading!