Disclaimer: I own nothing... seriously, if I did, there would be a lot of changes in the Naruto world.
Rating: G
Word Count: 621
Auther Notes: I wrote this originally for something Rel was doing, but that didn't span out, so I'm posting it myself. Just a short and quick little Valentine's Day shot for NaruIno, one of my fav Crack-Pairings. :p
It was the first time he'd ever gotten a piece of Chocolate for Valentine's day.
By the time Valentine's Day had come up to Team Seven, he'd been getting ready to leave Konohagakure with Ero-Sannin. This was his first time back in Konohagakure, and it was still early in the morning.
Sakura was working at the hospital today, and he didn't really know any of the other girls. He'd never been to good with women, and two and a half years with Jiraiya, had not helped him along.
He had been on his way to Ichiraku, to get some ramen for breakfast, when he'd run into her.
Now, Naruto knew he was in love with Sakura, had been for years. However, this didn't mean he couldn't at least admit that Yamanaka, Ino was beautiful. And she was, with her perfect figure, long corn silk blonde hair, and pale aquamarine eyes. That skimpy purple outfit of hers didn't make it easy to ignore her, either.
He got along well enough with her, he supposed. She was loud, bossy, and a bit on the 'harpy' side. He worked with Sakura though, and at least with Ino, he wouldn't have to worry about being physically hit, though would miss the use of his ears...
She'd been walking towards the flower shop her family owned, holding a big paper bag in her arms. She had spotted him only moments later. Her lips spread in a grin, and she'd waved, "Naruto!"
He gave a smile back to her, "Hey, Ino."
"Going anywhere important?" She'd asked, shifting the bag from one arm to the other.
"Just to Ichiraku." He returned. Chit-chat... He always felt awkward with chit-chat.
"Again? Didn't you go last night?" She gave him a rather annoyed look, one similar to Sakura's. Come to think of it, he'd seen that look on Tsunade's face too. Maybe it was a medic-nin thing?
"Yeah." He gave a slightly nervous laugh, as her blue eyes narrowed. "Well.. uh.... ahh... I'm gonna go..."
He was about five feet away from her, when her pale hand snatched at his orange and black coat. He froze, half-ready for a lecture on eating right, and how bad ramen was for him. He'd heard that one many times.
Instead, he was met by the sound of Ino digging through the bag. "Here."
She held out something for him. It was small, about the size of his palm. He took it, hesitantly, and stared down at it. "What's this...?"
She rolled her eyes, and scoffed at him, "It's chocolate, of course."
He blinked, "Chocolate?"
"Yeah," She tapped her foot impatiently, "It's valentine's day,"
He mouthed the word silently. He knew of Valentine's day, of course. It was the day back in the academy, when the girls would slip into the boys classes to leave chocolate on desks. He'd never liked the day, mostly because he never got any chocolate. Valentine's day was just another day, where he had to do something bad, and extravagant to get attention.
On this Valentine's Day, however, he was given a piece of it too. It felt... nice. Like something warm blossoming in his chest. That feeling he got, every time he thought of all the friends he'd made in past few years. Of how his life had changed.
"Thanks.... Ino."
"You're welcome." Was her only response, and she turned to leave.
He watched her walk away, a smile on his face.
As soon as she was out of sight, he looked down at the little box of chocolate, and his smile turned into a grin. His first piece of valentine's day chocolate.
Even if Ino didn't know it, she'd given him a very, very special gift.
Owari