A/N: Thanx to Acumichi, C.N.D, TintedLoveStory, iNsAnItY 845, LavenderAngel3, Stormie, and all the guests for the reviews! Here's the next one!

Please read and enjoi!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

0—A Flower Named You/Three—0

Seven years later…

Ino groaned aloud as a massive surge of heat rushed through the open doors of the shop. She worked her arm to fan herself more vigorously for the little help it gave to cool her heated skin. "Why on earth does it have to be summer?!" She slammed the fan down on the counter before striding over to the door, poking her head out in order to catch any hint of a breeze.

Her limp ponytail flopped over her shoulder, sticking to her skin which was clammy with sweat. She frowned down at the blonde tresses. It was times like these that she seriously considered chopping it all off… Then her vanity kicked back in and informed her how fabulous she looked with long hair and dismissed the idea with a wistful sigh. To aid in ridding herself of the thought, she jerked her head to the side and flipped the hair back over her shoulder to stick to her clothed back.

"Oi, Ino."

Shikamaru and Chouji poked their heads out of the Nara's family liquor shop, each moving at a snail's pace whenever the blonde motioned them over.

"What's up, guys?" She asked before she sunk down into the chair that she was using to prop the door open.

"We're going down to Haruno's place. Naruto texted us and said that Sakura's mom is doing a half price slushie deal right now. Wanna come?" Shikamaru slouched, leaning half of his body weight onto Chouji, who took the addition in stride. The Akimichi usually packed on more muscle than fat during the hotter months, what with it being too hot to eat most of the things that he loved to… indulge himself in. He even had a fan club of sorts for himself during the summer.

Ino shook her head at all of those girls who would be changing their tune soon enough as fall started to loom closer. As soon as it cools down enough, Chouji would be packing on that weight again. It really was a shame, seeing as her friend was a total sweet heart.

"Yeah, Ino-chan, it'll be great! I'm sure that Sasuke will be there as well." Chouji exclaimed, flashing the flower girl his winning smile.

"Ugh. Don't bother me with details on that guy. I heard from Tenten who heard from Kin who heard from Karin who heard from—."

"So that's a 'no'?" Shikamaru interrupted with his trademark I-could-not-care-less look.

The blonde glared at the brunet's rude behavior before allowing a heavy sigh to escape her lips. "I can't." She motioned to the shop. "Mom and Dad went out for the day to visit someone important or something and left me to man the shop. However," she jumped to her feet and pulled out her purse, handing a couple hundred yen to Chouji, "you can do me a big favor and bring me one back..?"

"Of course, Ino-chan!" Chouji responded just as Shikamaru remarked, "It'll most likely melt halfway by the time we get here."

"Thank you, Chouji-kun." Ino smiled pointedly at the muscular teen. "Anything that is remotely cooler than this store will be good."

"Sure thing! We'll try to hurry back as fast as we can." Chouji grinned as he exited the shop.

"So don't expect much." Shikamaru flashed the blonde one of his crooked grins to let her know that he was only joking before following his friend out the door.

Ino watched her friends until they turned the corner at the end of the street before sliding back down into the chair with a heavy sigh. "Ah… Now where did that fan go?"

0—Break—0

As Inoichi and his wife made were escorted to the sitting room, he couldn't help but wonder what Hiashi wanted. It had been many a year since they even lived in the same village, yet here he was, requesting an audience.

"Why do you suppose that Hyuuga-san has asked us here?" The Yamanaka matriarch leaned forward and whispered quietly to her husband as they sat down on a surprisingly comfortable couch.

"I have no clue." The blond responded, running his eyes over the fine décor before they paused on a tall young man who stood ramrod straight in the corner of the room, his pale eyes facing forward. Inoichi cleared his throat to catch the boy's attention, and couldn't help but be reminded of the Hyuuga twins that he himself grew up with when the youth turned his cold pale gaze onto the blond. "Excuse me, but I don't suppose that you know why we're here? As pleasant as this is, we are rather curious to the… abruptness of this invitation." He chose his words carefully as to not insult the young Hyuuga should he be as prideful as most of them seemed to be.

The brunet flicked his eyes over them briefly before turning his gaze forward once more. "I am afraid that I cannot tell you, Yamanaka-sama. I have merely been informed of your presence and that I am to offer you anything that you require until Hiashi-sama joins us."

Inoichi blinked at the formal tone the young man had used on him, before brushing it aside once he remembered how formally the Hyuuga clan liked to raise their children. He supposed that as the patriarch of the Yamanaka family—which he wouldn't exactly call a clan since it only hosted three members—he would be the one referred to as 'sama'. "Ah. Thank you then..?"

The young man stepped away from the wall and gave them a bow, not quite ninety degrees, but pretty close as he responded with, "Hyuuga Neji, Yamanaka-sama."

Just as Inoichi opened his mouth to respond with an introduction of his own, the doors to his right slid open, and the hulking figure of one Hyuuga Hiashi stood there, his face as blank as the Yamanaka ever remembered it. The Hyuuga leader wasn't really as tall or wide as his presence made him seem, but still, as soon as he entered the room, Inoichi felt as if he took up nearly all of the space.

"Inoichi-san, it is a pleasure to see you once again." Hiashi bowed rather than adapt to the western greeting of shaking of the hands.

Luckily the Yamanaka was prepared for such an event, so he easily climbed to his feet before he returned the gesture. "Hiashi-san. I must say, it has been such a long time that your invitation took me and my wife by surprise."

Hiashi motioned for the couple to take a seat before he moved forward and elegantly sat in his positively regal chair that sat opposite of the couch. "I expected no less." His cold pale gaze slipped over the couple before they caught onto Neji, giving him a small nod to which the young man responded with quietly exiting the room. "I'm afraid that this was just as unexpected for me as it is for you. You see, I invited you here not to talk to me on my behalf, but rather to my heir."

Inoichi's brow furrowed. "Your heir?" He shared a confused look with his wife. "I don't recall actually ever meeting the boy. I don't know what he would have to say to us."

The door slid open once more, this time admitting an indigo haired individual who Inoichi was unable to assign a gender to. The Hyuuga in question had short hair, wearing a traditional gender neutral kimono. The Hyuuga's face was just as pale as the lot of them, but not nearly as tall as Hiashi. That Hyuuga's probably only got an inch or two on my Ino. He thought with a small smile at the thought of his daughter who he would have to take shopping later on that week in reward for watching over the shop in their absence.

"Yamanaka-sama." The youth's voice was soft, but just deep enough for Inoichi to recognize the baritone of a male. The young man stood before him and his wife, staring them both straight in their eyes before gracefully dropping to his knees and gave them a formal bow. "I, Hyuuga Hinata, heir to the Hyuuga clan, formally request your daughter's hand in marriage."

Inoichi stared at the Hyuuga heir for a long time. Possibly too long, judging by the way his wife was nudging his shoulder, and how Hiashi was staring him down as if it were a sin to keep a Hyuuga on their knees so long for someone other than a Hyuuga.

When he finally opened his mouth to talk, it definitely wasn't what he expected to say.

"Why?"

0—Break—0

Ino sighed in relief once the clock inched its way over the 'twelve' line, signifying the change in the hour… The best hour in the world: six o'clock, which meant that it was closing time. With a small grin and a satisfying stretch, she climbed to her feet and ambled over to the door, all the while wondering what was taking her parents so long. They had left around two, and it had already been three hours…

"Maybe I should give dad a call." She murmured to herself as she lifted the keys to the shop off the counter and shut off the lights. "It isn't like him to go so long without checking in at least once…" She exited the shop and pulled the door shut, locking up and checking it before spinning around to start the short trek home.

Ino pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, and frowned down at the number of text messages she had received, cursing herself as she realized that her phone had been on silent mode the entire day. She ignored the ones from her friends and went straight to the four messages that her father had sent.

Mom and I made it to our destination. Call if you're having any trouble manning the shop on your own! Love you!

15:00

We're going to have to talk about something when you get home. Don't worry; it isn't anything life threatening.

16:15

Scratch that, it may be something life threatening, knowing how dramatic you like to be. Don't worry yourself over it too much though.

17:38

Don't be surprised if you see a shady character lingering around the shop. He isn't shady… Well… Forget it, he means you no harm, princess. See you at home!

17:55

Ino paused after reading the last message, a chill going down her spine at the offhanded implication. She flicked her bright blue eyes over the street, frowning when there was not a person in sight. Despite the fact that her father more or less wrote the 'shady character' off as harmless, the mere idea of someone lingering around to spy on her or something unsettled her. "Thanks a lot, dad." She growled sourly, picking up her pace a bit without returning her phone to her pocket. She knew that most stalkers were dissuaded at the mere threat of a call to the police. Maybe I should call someone and talk to them just in case. That'll dissuade them even more. She thought as she scrolled through her contacts, looking for someone suitable to call.

Just as she landed on Sakura's phone number, she heard a small scuff of the shoe against the concrete. It felt as if her blood froze in her veins. Someone… Someone was behind her! She fumbled with her phone, the sweat on her hand making it hard for the screen to respond to her touch. I need to press the call button. I need to press the call button. Oh, kami, I need to press the call button! I need to—.

"…Ino-chan?"

The soft voice wasn't nearly as creepy as she was expecting it to be. In fact, it wasn't creepy at all. On the contrary, it sounded quite pleasant. However, as much as Ino liked the baritone belonging to the stranger, she couldn't just allow herself to be drawn in. That's how girls got killed by vampires, after all.

"G-Go away." She bit out, willing her feet to move forward, but to no avail. "I don't have any money, and I'm—I'm a really ugly hag from the front. And I'm not Ino." She continued to fumble with her phone, nearly crying with relief as it finally registered her touch and started to call Sakura.

"Impossible." There was a faint hint of amusement in the voice. "The Ino-chan that I remember was the prettiest girl that I've ever laid eyes on. I admit, it has been seven years, but I don't imagine that you would change so drastically over such a short amount of time. Besides, you're most definitely Ino-chan. Resident Flower-hime."

Ino's eyes were locked on her phone, and just as she watched her phone connect with Sakura's, a beautiful flower ornament slowly intercepted her line of sight. Her breath left her as she stared at the familiar Gladiolus that adorned the top, her mind instantly reminding her of exactly who she had gifted the small treasure to. Her eyes quickly followed the pale arm attached to the hand and made their way to a familiar set of lavender tinted hues.

She gasped lightly, her ears dead to Sakura's questioning voice on the end of the phone line. All of her senses were focused on the figure that stood beside her.

"H-Hinata-chan?"

0—Three/End—0

A/N: Sorry about the length, it is getting late over here and I have to wake up early. Ugh…

Anyways, thanx for reading! Next update should be soon!