Music to My Ears
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Ino knows a lot of things. Most of them concerning a certain hyperactive ninja. Yep, that's right: Uzumaki Naruto.
Ino knows he's a loudmouth. Always shouting in people's ears, hollering to anyone who will listen. Which isn't many, by the way. Always yelling "Believe it!" and proclaiming his dream to be Hokage. No, most people just ignore the loud blonde, and walk right past him.
She knows that Naruto is a dobe. A knuckleheaded one at that. After all, it was him who came in last place in the Academy. It was he who failed the final exam three times, which, according to rumor, was the record. That earned him the nickname Dead Last, too. Not something to really be proud of.
And Ino knows something that really isn't his fault, yet so many people hold it against the blonde boy. Was it his fault that the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the legendary Nine-Tailed fox was sealed inside him? No. But to this very day, the citizens of the village, and even some ninja, treat him as if he were the demon itself. Which totally isn't true.
She knows that he's had a rough childhood – no, not just rough, his childhood was full of abuse. The loneliness, the isolation, the sadness and sorrow. And yet every day, Naruto is still smiling at the world, helping others as they pay him no heed.
Ino knows all this.
All the bad things that have happened, she knows. All the hardships Naruto has gone through, she knows. Everything.
Which means she also knows that Naruto is a genius. Not in the academic sense like Sakura, or the plain logical sense like Neji. But Naruto has the genius ability to make people like him. If they give him a chance, that is. He has surrounded himself with friends who know how to cherish him.
Naruto is the hardest worker Ino has ever seen. Whether it's training or working or eating (oh, and can he eat a lot!), he tries his hardest. He now knows so many things. He has achieved so many things. He has become powerful. So much that his dream may one day become reality. And that is genius in itself.
With his cheerfulness, his readiness to help others, and his knack for being just so damn likeable, Ino knows. She knows, and she loves.
She loves Uzumaki Naruto. Not just for what he can do, not just for his selflessness. Ino loves him for who he is. She can look past all the bad, and bring out the bright, indisputable truth.
And so when she walks into her house, right into the kitchen where her husband is calmly watering his plants by the windowsill, she smiles. Her husband turns and grins right back. He gently places his watering can on a countertop, walking towards Ino, snaking his strong arms around Ino's waist.
"Hey there, love," he whispers. He kisses her softly on the tip of her nose as he continues, "You won't believe what I did today."
Ino raises an eyebrow, ready to be surprised. "And what did you do today?" she asks.
He chuckles. "Shikamaru's teaching me how to play the guitar. I'm gonna learn how, and once I do, I'll play something for you –" he pauses, rubbing his hand against Ino's swollen stomach, "– and the baby."
Ino laughs, reaching one hand up to ruffle her husband's golden-colored hair. Golden like the sun, she muses. "Will you really be able to do that, dobe?"
He has a stubborn pout on his lips as he replies, "Of course! I can and I will, believe it!"
Ino smiles again, and her husband now ruffles her hair.
"So, what do you think?" he asks anxiously now, wondering what his wife thinks about his proposal. He's pretty sure it's a good idea, but hey, you never know, right? "D'you like my idea?"
Yes.
Yes, of course. She loves her husband with all her heart. He is like the sun in her galaxy; her world revolves around him.
"Yes," she says, as she gazes up into her husband's warm blue eyes, bright like the ocean, or maybe the sky on a sunny day. Eyes that glow with love, his love for her. "Yes, Naruto, my love. It's already music to my ears."
A/N: Hi there! Hope you liked the story; this is my first Naruto fic I've posted, so feedback is welcomed very much :)