Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am not profiting in any way from this.

I wrote more. It's not in chronological order, though. Sorry. If any part is confusing or weird, or you find some mistake, feel free to message me. Thanks for looking!

Part 2: Sun

Sometimes, Ino ate alone in the academy. She just did. No one had a problem with it. Sometimes, Ino just needed time for herself.

One time, beneath the tree on the hill, she sat in peace, feeling the breeze caress her cheeks. Suddenly, a boy with whiskers poked his head from behind the tree. Quietly, as if he was afraid of someone else hearing, he asked her, "Hey, you're Ino, right?"

"Yeah, and you're Naruto, right?" she asked back. "Do you need something?"

"Well… I was just thinking…" he paused, attempting to properly say what he wanted to. Ino waited patiently.

"Just- You have yellow hair! L-like me!" Naruto shouted. He didn't particularly mean to, but he was very excited.

"Huh? I guess so?" Ino squinted her eyes at the boy's hair. It was yellow. Bright yellow. Blindingly bright.

"And! And! You have blues eyes like me!" he continued.

"Um, yeah," Ino agreed. They were all true. The two children under that tree had yellow hair and blue eyes.

"So, um," Naruto stammered, "since we look so much like each other, uhh, do you think, maybe that, erm… Maybe we could be, ya know, family?"

Ino peered up at the boy's blue blue eyes. Hope leaked out of them. She didn't know the answer.

"I'll ask my dad. If you want." At that, the sunny haired boy beamed wide and bright. He smiled like the sun burned just for him.

It was a great shame to tear that expression from him the next day.

Men.

Drunk men.

Three drunk men.

Named Inoichi, Chouza, and Shikaku.

"Look at this, boys! Chouji skipped his first rock last week!" Chouza held up a small photo of the young child. Chouji's happiness was forever imprinted on the picture, and Chouza's pride was clearly plastered on his face.

"Guess what? Shikamaru won all the games against his cousins around his age. One day, maybe he'll even beat me! Hah!" Shikaku bragged about his son's capability in winning board games.

They were drunk men, but not any drunk men. They were fathers, proud and drunk.

"So?" Chouza nudged Inoichi, who was slumped over the table, a dopey smile etched on his face. "How's little Ino doing? She do anything cool recently?"

"Hmm?" Inoichi lifted his head minutely to show he was listening. "Yeah, she's doing great- no, more than great! Very great! Last night, she was out catching moths and fireflies, and the day before that, we went around digging up those little pill bugs. She's so great at what she does, isn't she!" he shouted in his drunken drawl.

The men cheered and laughed, celebrating their glorious children. While Chouza and Shikaku ordered more drinks and chattered about something or other, Inoichi's mind drifted to somewhere warm and cozy.

"Ah, she's so great, so great. I love her so much," he muttered out to everyone. No one heard.

"She's the sun. I love her. Bright and happy and cheerful and warm. She's my sun.

My sun…

My sun, I love her…

My son…"

No one heard.

"And then you gotta push and then flip it," Chouji explained as he expertly demonstrated how to flip the egg. Ino observed closely, eyes picking out all the details of her friend's motions.

"And fold and fold and fold, and there! Egg rolls, all done!" he exclaimed, proudly showing his magnificent dish to his companion. Ino was star-eyed.

"Amazing! You're so cool!" she praised. She had never seen a child cook something so pretty and delicious.

"Hehe, thanks!" Chouji beamed. "You know, you can even make little shapes with them. Like hearts, or something." He thought Ino's eyes held literal hearts and stars at that moment. She was that impressed with simple egg rolls. Chouji wondered how often Ino's dad cooked.

Later that evening, Ino made her first egg rolls under the watchful gaze of her father. She did her best to push and flip and fold and shape. Of course, Ino was not a natural chef like the Akimichi child. As Ino presented her best, Inoichi could only smile, telling her what a good job she did. She was happy, he was happy. Nothing else mattered.

"Ino, are you sure about this?" asked Sakura. She was worried about her friend's sudden decision to cut her hair. Her beautiful hair. Strands of golden thread, long and silky.

Ino grinned and replied, "Of course I'm sure. I don't want anyone grabbing my hair. It'll get dirty and stuff, you know?" Sakura could think of other more important problems with people grabbing her hair, but she decided not to voice them.

"Okay, Ino. If you're sure…" Sakura held in her hands a pair of silver scissors, gleaming in the sunshine. With hands as steady as could be, she snipped and snipped her best friend's hair. It turned out a little choppy, but Ino never complained. In fact, she looked pleased with its untidiness.

Ino went home that day with short short hair. The clansmen often commented her new haircut gave her a boyish charm. That only made her smile even brighter.

She'll have her long hair one day. Long as her daddy's. But only when she's strong. Until then, she'll keep her short short hair.