Something random that popped into my mind last night :) Hope y'all enjoy. I don't own Naruto ... If I did Shikamaru and Ino would've gotten together already ._.
It was yet another Valentines Day and yet again I am lonely. I sighed as I ringed up red rose after red rose. I've seen almost every guy I knew in the store except for Shikamaru. I sighed and ringed another red rose. He probably thinks this day is troublesome. Like how he thinks I'm troublesome. I have to admit I really must be loving him so much even though it's obvious he didn't feel the same. After I ringed the ninetieth red rose bouquet I hit my head on the counter.
"Ino do you think this goes well with this? I just want everything to be perfect for this girl." I groaned and looked at the flowers Naruto was holding up. "Naruto those flowers mean death I hope you know that." Naruto's eyes bugged out and put them back down. I laughed and walked around the counter. "Why aren't you going for the red roses like everyone else has?" I placed a hand on my waist waiting for an answer. He scratched his head and blushed. "Well, you see I wanted to get something special and different because this girl isn't something everyone else has." I looked at him in amazement. His blush rose making him worry. "Was it wrong maybe I could get her-" I stopped him and smiled. "Naruto I think I could help you. Can you tend to the customers?" He nodded and I grabbed his arm. "Please don't make a mistake. Or else." He nodded and I walked into the back. I picked up the bouquet of red camellia's and forget-me-not's I had made to confess to Shikamaru. I sighed and thought. "At least give it to someone who needs it more, and will appreciate it."
I walked out and found Naruto giving change to a customer. "So how are you doing?" I looked and realised everything seemed to be in order. He smiled and opened the register. "I'm pretty good at this." I looked at him and laughed. "I hope you mean at giving the right amount of change and not flower advice." He blushed making me laugh. "Oh Ino what is that?" I looked at the bouquet and handed it to him. "The special and different bouquet you wanted." I winked. "You see the red flowers are called Camellia it means you are a flame in my heart and the blue ones mean true love and memories." Naruto beamed and smelled the flowers. "Wow Ino you are really good at things like this." He pointed to the bouquet making me laugh. "Of course I have been working in a flower shop all my life and it's basic Kunoichi training." He looked at the bouquet giving it another sniff. "How'd you-" "It was intended for someone I wanted to confess to but I thought maybe you need it more." 'Considering the person it was meant for was a lazy jerk.' Naruto pouted and pushed the flowers back at me.
"If it was for someone special to you I wouldn't want to-" "As I said he wouldn't really appreciate it. I doubt he'd even accept them. You see I don't mean much to him." I sighed and pushed the flowers back. "You need it more." He looked at me making me smile. He then put his hand in his pocket. I stopped his arm and smiled. "Don't worry about it. It's on the house. Just tell me how Hinata likes it." I winked watching Naruto blush. "How did you?" "I may not be a genius like Shika but its not hard to put two and two together." I then walked up to him to whisper. "I even saw that smooch you gave her yesterday." I pulled away to see if I had caused him to blush. 'Score.'
"Oi Ino could you stop the flirting? Naruto is with Hinata." I looked to see a very annoyed Shikamaru holding a bunch of Daffodil's. I was surprised to see him here and of all the days. "Sh-shika." He made an annoyed grunt and held out his flowers. "Could you wrap these up." I grabbed the flowers picked up some baby's breath and wrapped them. 'Daffodil's! Why these. Who could they be fore.' I thought wanting to know "Who are these for?" I asked blushing slightly hoping for me. "My dad decided to 'accidentally' forget about this day so here I am saving his ass." I frowned as the hopes of him being romantic after all was murdered and buried. "Here." He paid and left the shop. "So this mystery man of yours is Shikamaru huh? Sakura was right with that one." I looked at Naruto who was still in fact in the shop. I blushed and glared. "You better get going before Hinata loses a boyfriend." Naruto hurried to the door. "NARUTO!" He stopped dead in his tracks. "Tell him I will be sure to make you very existence disappear with a snap of a finger." He turned around and met my glare. "Ha-Hai!" He ran out. I sighed and looked at the list of flowers sold today. "Wait a minute." I found Shikaku-sans name with a dozen red roses next to his name with a delivery notice. "He lied." Then someone walked into the store. I looked up to see Temari. My heart then dropped. I watched her as she grabbed a single red rose. That caused my heart to sink even lower.
She walked up to the counter fidgeting. "Will this be it?" She nodded. I turned to wrap the flower with baby's breath as she spoke up. "Ino I know you've known Shikamaru for awhile." I answered with a mhm as I wrapped the flower. "You think he likes me?" I turned to look at her. "If it means anything to you. He was in here buying flowers saying he bought them for his forgetful father who hadn't forgotten anything." She brightened up as I sulked even more. "Really? Thanks Ino." She handed me money and ran off. I looked at her money and felt a tear slide out of my eye. I wiped it and placed the money in the register. "I knew it." I tried to balance my emotions just as my mother came in. "Ino dear you can take the rest of the day off. I'll take over." I nodded and walked out before she noticed the tears.
I walked down the streets seeing almost every guy give flowers to the girls they loved. I sighed and looked down at the ground. I didn't know where I was going until I looked up to see Shikamaru's favorite cloud watching hill. I walked up but stopped immediately hearing a female voice. "Ano Shikamaru. this isn't like be but here." I looked up to see Temari give Shikamaru the flower she had just bought. "I am not one to be sappy and to do this for a cry baby like you, but everything has been different these past years and I guess what I'm saying is that I love you." I looked at Shikamaru and hoped for him to reject her but he started smiling and took her flower. Suddenly I couldn't breathe and I felt like a hole had grown in place of my heart. I turned around and ran. I ran as fast as I could not wanting to hear the three word I so longed for Shikamaru say to me to be said to someone else. After what felt like hours I found myself in a graveyard in front of Asuma sensei's grave I dropped to my knees and just let myself go.
I cried and cried until I couldn't anymore. I looked at Asuma sensei's grave and wiped my tears. "The last time I cried was when you died and that was when you told me to not let Sakura win. Not even in Romance." I closed my eyes wanting to cry some more but I couldn't. "Now I'm crying because I didn't read in between the lines." Suddenly it began to rain. I looked up and let the water fall onto my face. "I didn't see that what you really meant was to stop being stubborn and see he was the one I loved from the start. You used Sakura as to hint that my one of my closest friends was the one I always loved." I looked back down to Asuma sensei's grave and wiped my face. "Now I have lost him to that Suna girl you'd always warn me about. I'm really stupid." "Ino?" I froze knowing that voice anywhere.
"Ino?" I didn't want to turn around and see the girl clung to his arm. "Ino-" I got up and turned around keeping my eyes glued to ground. "How much of that did you hear?" I heard him mutter 'Troublesome' which unlike before, it now broke my heart. "Everything." I sighed and walked around him. Suddenly he grabbed my arm turning me around. I kept my gaze to ground not wanting to see his face. "I knew this plan was troublesome. I should've just straight up told you." Suddenly I couldn't breath well. I slowly looked up at him and forced a smile on my face "Well it's alright I got the answer. I'm okay with it. Don't worry about me. She makes you happy I won't interfere with that." His eyebrows furrowed. "Just forget about what you heard. Alright." "Why?" He loosened his grip on my wrist. I looked up at the clouds and sighed. "Because I know I have no chance with you. I'm too troublesome." I turned around and did a few hand signs and poofed away. I ended up right outside of my house. I opened the door to an empty house. I walked to the towel cabinet and grabbed a towel drying myself. I turned to walk to the kitchen to find a note.
Ino,
Your father decided to actually be romantic this year. We won't be home for the next two days. I made you some food before we left. You better eat it because this 'diet' you are on is unhealthy. Be safe alright?
Mom.
I dropped the letter and walked to my room. "Home alone after getting my heart ripped out. Great" I sarcastically said opening my door. I stood there and looked at the bouquet that laid on the couch by my window. I walked up to it and picked it up. "Daffodils?" I turned it around and found a card. I opened it and read the sloppy writing.
It's the fact you are absolutely troublesome that makes me love you.
I put the flowers on my table and ran downstairs ready to battle the rain to find him. I opened the door to find him there standing scratching his head. "Shika-" "No let me talk." He interrupted. "I knew you'd end up at my favorite spot because lately you always do. And Temari thought maybe you seeing her confess would push you to, but it backfired and-" I grabbed his shirt pulled him down and kissed him. Without breaking our kiss I wrapped my arms around his neck pulling him into my house. I pulled away. "You are absolutely troublesome. You know that Shikamaru?" He looked at me and smirked. He put his face close to mine and said. "Let me guess that makes you love me." I nodded and he placed his lips upon mine again. 'Maybe this Valentines day wasn't so lonely after all.'