A/N: This is a special treat on the occasion of my birthday to my wonderful readers! Thank you for support and I hope you will enjoy this short story with my favorite crack couple. Another chapter will follow soon, hopefully the five chapters in total will be published by the end of the month.
Have fun!
Misinterpretation
Ino quickly locked the door behind her and started undressing.
There was no time to lose, tonight was a date night!
She would sort out tomorrow the groceries she had bought earlier, until then she stored them in one of the kitchen cabinets. Her place shouldn't be messy in case she brings her date over. Not that she planned anything!
She was a bit hungry, but she wasn't about to both ruin her appetite and waste time on cooking! The date included dinner in one of the fancy restaurants she has never visited and then who knew!
Shower first. She would use her favorite shampoo, flower scent, and while her hair dries, she would pick out the outfit.
It shouldn't seem as if she was desperate or spent too much time on grooming, but she wanted to look nice. After all, it was all about the first impression.
Maybe her date was also unsure what to wear or how to impress her. She tried not to create a picture in her mind about him, but she couldn't help it. He was described as dark, so she was imagining a tall, dark-haired guy waiting for her. She would be fashionably late, of course, so they would immediately have a topic to discuss and that would be her tardiness. She would blame it all on her job, so he would be fascinated with her important duty as a medic. There was no doubt he would admire her for it, she was saving lives!
If he was a ninja as well, then maybe Ino has seen him already!
The idea for a blind date came to her mind when two young women, probably single and in their twenties, came to her shop to order flowers for their mothers. They were giggling like schoolgirls while Ino was getting the wanted flowers and the thing that was making them laugh was a magazine they had with them. While Ino was arranging the flowers, the girls were reading quietly, but loud enough so Ino heard what was so funny. It wasn't related to her or the flowers but to the section in the magazine dedicated to dating, Lonely hearts.
The girls were actually making fun of the ads and the silly and obviously fake descriptions.
It wasn't nice they were mocking people who wanted romance in their life, but instead of scolding them, Ino browsed the dating section herself. The more she was thinking about it, the more convenient it seemed. Both of her jobs, at the flower shop and at the hospital, weren't the right places to meet potential boyfriends. The men who were visiting the flower shop were usually buying flowers for their girlfriends or wives and the ones she has been treating at the hospital were grateful and polite to her because of the medical service, not because they found her attractive or funny.
The other way to meet men was going out with girl friends what was exhausting sometimes.
If her friends couldn't or weren't in the mood to go, she would stay at home too.
Then if they would somehow coordinate their working schedule and go out, there was always a possibility they weren't in the mood for a little flirting, so instead chatting up cute guys, Ino would spend the evening talking about girlie problems and how all men were idiots.
And if somehow her girl friends would find guys to talk to, the one talking to Ino was usually too drunk, too rude or interested exclusively in a one night stand.
Going on a blind date was saving her from all that trouble.
She would dress up and definitely receive a several compliments.
They would have a nice meal and chat a bit.
The guy was interested in a relationship, not just the physical part of it, so Ino was sure he would make an effort to be likable.
If they don't click, the new issue of the magazine comes out on Monday, so she will have a new page of candidates for next week.
When she picked the ad that seemed intriguing, Ino made a phone call and gave the code of the ad. The operator told her the guy was still available and that she would get details tomorrow at the same time. Ino understood the need for a complete anonymity and discretion, so she memorized the new code for arranging the date. She called as instructed and agreed to meet with the guy on a Friday, which was tonight!
And she was finally done with showering, so she went to put on some fancy clothes!
The purple dress she chose was revealing the right amount of her skin. If the guy was a bit funny, he would see it all. Eventually. She wasn't picky, but she hoped for a cute, polite guy with the sense of humor.
It wouldn't hurt if he was a ninja too, because that way they would have a lot in common and a lot of topics to discuss. Unless he was an ANBU member, then he would have to lie about his missions and lies weren't a good ground for a successful relationship. Not that she hoped the one date would lead to a relationship at all. Maybe to a kiss and hopefully a second date, but she would start thinking about having a boyfriend after at least three dates. Or if the guy was really cute, and that was including hot body and nice face features, then she would make an exception.
A few drops of the perfume on her wrists and cleavage and she was good to go! She would become too nervous soon and she would hate to ruin her hard work to look good by running to the appointed place of the meeting. Kunoichi weren't immune to sweating and her unpleasant body smell definitely wouldn't attract her date.
A slow and steady walk brought her to a fashionable part of the village, with fancy tea houses and theater, a few elite shops and a several pricey restaurants. Definitely not a usual route for any of her friends. Or hers, to be honest.
She resisted the temptation the look at the expensive clothes at the shopping windows; there would be time for that too, especially if the date goes well and they come here again! In that case, she should start saving money; these clothes would look stunning on her and she would love to wear it to a theater show on some of her upcoming dates! Or maybe-
''Good evening, madame.''
Ino was preoccupied with daydreaming about the new clothes she didn't notice she arrived at the restaurant. Fortunately the polite host greeted her.
''Good evening,'' she said. ''I am meeting somebody here.''
''Do you have a reservation?''
''He probably made a reservation,'' she stuttered lamely, never thinking about the reservation until this moment. ''He must have arrived already!'' she explained, smiling.
''I suppose you don't have a name of the gentleman.''
''No,'' Ino admitted. ''It was supposed to be our first romantic meeting.''
''I see. Why don't you go inside and check if your date is already there? If not, you can wait at the bar. Unfortunately, I can't offer a table because we are full.''
''That's great! Thank you, sir! And don't worry, I didn't plan to stay here by myself.''
''You are welcome. Enjoy the rest of the evening.''
Ino stepped into a dinning hall, skimming the guests quickly. To her disappointment, the majority of tables was occupied with couples, meaning nobody waited for her! Several tables at the corner had one person, but nobody resembled to the given description.
''Madame?'' the waiter recognized her confusion. ''Do you need a table?''
''I guess I am a bit early,'' she smiled. ''I am meeting with someone, so I will wait at the bar.''
So far not good, Ino thought while sipping on a plain water. She arrived early and was sitting at the bar! Now they couldn't talk about her tardiness. Or her work. And she wouldn't get compliments because the stupid dress would wrinkle after being worn for too long. And how didn't she remember to ask for a name for the reservation? A code, a fake nickname, a something! If she wasn't about to calm down, she would become wrinkled as well. She would wait for a while and that was it.
The only bright side was her appropriate dress. Every single detail about the restaurant was classy; the expensive flowers on the tables, illumination, soft music, gallant waiters. Definitely not the every day hanging spot. Despite her dress, Ino was getting more uncomfortable, stretching her neck to see the guests entering and hoping one of them would be her date. And soon.
Ino counted too many minutes and too many guests that were not her date and silly thoughts began to creep into her mind.
Maybe her date saw her, decided she was not his type and left. Or maybe she seemed intimidating. Or maybe she already dated that guy, so he didn't see the point in having a date with her again. Maybe he was late because he decided to bring flowers, but she closed the shop earlier than usual to dress up for dinner.
She didn't know how much time exactly passed, but the couple who arrived after her was already on the main course. Also she was smiling at the bartender more nervously than before, aware the probability of her date coming was decreasing by every minute.
''Excuse me.''
''Yes?'' she replied, holding back from stepping down from the stool and hugging her long-waited date.
Beside her was standing a tall, long-haired man. He was wearing a neat attire which was suiting him nicely and she could feel the scent of the aftershave. But she disliked what she saw, first because the man wasn't pleased to speak to her and secondly, he was awfully familiar.
''Are you waiting for your date?'' he asked.
His voice was quiet, as if he didn't want to draw attention with his question in case somebody was listening to their conversation.
''How do you know?''
He sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a moment. She could clearly see purple lines around his eyes on the pale skin. The golden eyes that looked at hers the moment after confirmed her suspicion.
The man talking to her was one of the legendary Sannin! Ino saw his picture in a several books she needed to study and Tsunade would mention him every now and then. She has never seen him before in person because he was a scientist and usually abroad, leading other shinobi or working on different projects around the country.
If he was standing right next to her, if he knew she was expecting somebody and didn't look happy, it meant the evening was about to end.
''This was your place to meet, wasn't it?''
How did he know those details? Somebody must have told him.
That meant he was there to cancel it.
''My date is not coming,'' Ino sighed, staring at her high heels.
''Worse,'' he laughed quietly, taking a seat on her right. ''Your date is me.''
Huh?
