Chapter 7 of The Aftermath, it will focus mainly on Naruto and Ino's growing relationship. It has come to my attention that I rushed things with them and left quite a few things unexplained and hopefully I can remedy that in this chapter, hope you enjoy it and thanks for all your support so far.

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine in any way.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""FLOWER SHOP"""""""""""""""""""""""""

It was a boring day for Ino. A day passed since that fiasco with her stalker. Everything turned out well, thanks to the local hero and her one week old boyfriend Uzumaki Naruto or should she say Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto.

Ino still couldn't believe the fact that Naruto, the once dead-last of the Academy, the one that people hated with all their spirit, is the son of two heroes. Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, was secretly married to Uzumaki Kushina, who was the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, and had a son with her. And that son was used for the sealing of the Kyuubi in which the couple lost their lives.

Ino wondered what would have changed if people knew of Naruto's heritage.

'Would people have treated him differently? Would our friends have treated him differently in the past? Would I have treated him differently?' pondered Ino.

She still remembers her childhood. She was a popular girl, always in the spotlight, always in the center of the attention. She had everything, she was the princess.

On the other hand, there was Naruto, the village outcast and punching bag. He had nothing, no family, no friends, no place to call home. He was alone. And yet he survived despite all odds and achieved the impossible. He brought peace and stability to the land and not once did he hold hatred for his village for what they did to him, what she did to him.

Ino knew she wasn't the best of friends to Naruto. She knew he was alone but didn't bother with approaching him. She was a spoiled child; she didn't know the pain of loneliness, pain of betrayal. She didn't know how much it hurt Naruto everyday to wake up alone, hungry and surrounded by hatred.

'Would I have treated him differently? Would I have befriended him?' pondered Ino while tending on the flowers in her family's shop.

'Would his life have been better if I had shown a miniscule of kindness to him?' went through Ino's mind.

Ino sighed. Frankly, she still doesn't know what changed with her. If someone told her 5 or 6 years ago that she would be dating Uzumaki Naruto, she would strangle the person and feed them to the wolves.

'What changed?' thought Ino. 'Was it the war? Was it seeing the death of someone I cared about? Was it Sakura, Sasuke? What was it?' questioned Ino.

This was bothering her for the past week, hell the past 2 years. She would take care of Naruto's apartment, listen for any news of his return, she would pester Tsunade about any information regarding Naruto. And now, she spent the entire week searching for information about his heritage and she's dating him for a week now.

Why did she do this all of this, you ask? The million dollar question. ' I wish I knew' thought Ino.

She was broken from her thoughts by the sound of the bell ringing, indicating that someone entered the shop.

"Hey Ino" waved Temari. Ino smiled at her friend, happy to see her. People always wondered how the hell these two became friends and so did they.

"Hey Temari, what's up?" responded Ino with a friendly wave.

"Oh, nothing, I was in the neighborhood and wanted to ask you if you wanted to have lunch with me." Said Temari who was a bit bored today.

"Sure thing, let me just tell my mom I'm taking a lunch break" beamed Ino, happy to have something to keep herself occupied so that she doesn't think too much about Naruto.

10 minutes later they were seated at the local restaurant. They ordered and started talking about things that happened recently. The topic eventually became Naruto.

Ino sighed. "Temari, what do you think of Naruto?" asked a slightly down Ino.

Temari raised an eyebrow at her question, not expecting it at all.

"Definitely didn't see that coming. Well, I think he is one of the greatest people I know. He's strong, caring, a good friend to me and my brothers. If it weren't for him I don't think I would be here today. Why do you ask? Did something happen?" asked Temari.

"No nothing happened. I've just been thinking recently. His life was so messed up and yet he continued to look forward and look what he accomplished. You know what kind of lives Jinchuriki live, your brother was once one. He was surrounded by hatred all his life and yet look at him. By my account he should be hating all of our guts for what we did to him, for what I did to him." Said Ino sadly, not happy with what she did in the past.

Temari smiled sadly. She did know what Jinchurikis go through. To be honest with herself, if she was made one, she would hate everyone and everything, just like Gaara was before he met Naruto.

" I don't know how Naruto came to be as he is now but I do know what kind of hardships Jinchurikis face in their lives. I was once in the same situation as you are now. I always wondered if I could have changed something by being a better sister to my brother. I still think that was my biggest mistake I made in my life. My brother was all alone and I was too scared to approach him." Said Temari, remembering her childhood.

Ino was listening intently to what Temari is saying. Maybe she can get her answer from her.

" After Gaara changed I asked him if he hates me and Kankuro. He said no. He said that he understood our actions or should I say inaction. But I still think he feels bitter about that whole thing and I don't blame him. We treated him like a disease, a monster. Imagine how he felt every day and how Naruto felt every day. It must have been awful." Said Temari, a tear escaping her eyes.

Ino had a sad look. They were or are in the same situation. Ino was never a good friend to Naruto, she ignored him for the majority of her life, he was nothing to her, a nobody.

"I feel the same. I was the same to Naruto, we all were. But now, I'm seeing him. What is up with that? I mean, what changed? Can he really forget what happened and move on? Can I do the same? After the war, something changed and I don't know what. Naruto was suddenly interesting. He was no longer the nobody, he was someone to me. A friend, a dear friend in fact. Was I blind my whole life and just chose to pretend that Naruto didn't exist? You know how I was like in the past. I was always after Sasuke. My ninja carrer was nonexistent. All I cared about was how to impress Sasuke. Even after he left I always had hope that he will return and we will be together. How silly was that, huh!" said Ino, disgusted with her actions in the past.

Temari smiled at her friend. ' She really is beating herself up over this ' thought Temari.

" Yeah, I remember what you were like. You were weak, a princess, and a fan-girl" remarked Temari which earned a scowl from Ino who obviously doesn't like to be called that.

"But look at you now. You are one of the strongest Kunoichis in the village, on the continent actually. You said what changed. You changed Ino. We all did. We are no longer kids, we are grownups now. We are ninjas. We are the ones that will lead the next generation. Don't beat yourself up for what you did in the past. We were kids back then. We all had foolish fantasies back then, yours was Sasuke. Let the past stay in the past, Ino." Advised Temari.

"Can I really do that? I mean, what if the war never happened. What if Sasuke came back? Would I have noticed Naruto then or would I have ignored him?" asked Ino.

Temari sighed. This was troublesome.

" I have no idea, Ino. Only you know the answer to that question. But I do know one thing. Sasuke would have never changed. The Sasuke we all knew when he was a boy never truly existed. The real Sasuke only cared about power and revenge. I saw the true Sasuke when he attacked the Kages. He was evil, pure evil. I have never seen anything like that. Even if he did return, he would have never noticed you, never acknowledged you. And I think you realize that. Ino, Sasuke never knew what love was and he could have never loved you." Said Temari, hoping this answered Ino's question.

" I know what you mean, Temari. I saw what Sasuke became that day on the battlefield. He was… I don't know what he was. He was no longer they boy I used to chase. I was scared of him, petrified. When I looked at his eyes, I saw darkness, pure darkness. I think seeing him like that, triggered something in me. I think I finally faced reality. After the war I looked back at my life and I thought, 'What have I been doing so far'. I was living in a dream, a fantasy. I never really appreciated the things I had, family, friends, Naruto." Said Ino, smiling at the end.

" Naruto was always there for me, for everyone. Naruto, the one who was in pain every single day, was helping us with our pain. Did you know he consoled me after Asuma-sensei died? He helped me move on. And did you know what I did when Lord Jiraiya died? Nothing, absolutely nothing. I left him to deal with the pain all by himself. I'm such an idiot." Said Ino holding her face with her hands and sobbing quietly.

Temari moved to sit next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay." Said Temari trying to help her friend.

Ino shook her head. " No, it's not okay. I was so selfish, so blind all the time. I couldn't even do one good thing with Naruto. I wasn't there for him when he was for me. Shikamaru went to visit him when his master died. He told he looked beaten. For the first time Uzumaki Naruto looked beaten and I wasn't there to help him. I'm the worst." Said Ino still sobbing.

" That's not true. I'm sure Naruto would disagree with you. I mean he wouldn't go out with you if he thought of you like that. But if he does then prove to him that you changed. Prove to him that you are no longer the girl that fawned over Sasuke. Show Naruto who you really are. You are Ino Yamanaka, The Golden Flower of Konoha." Declared Temari loudly.

Ino looked up with renewed vigor. Her friend was right. She has changed. And she will make up for her past mistakes.

Ino hugged her friend tightly and thanked her from the bottom of her heart.

"You are a good friend, Temari. Thank you!" said Ino happily.

Temari grinned at her best friend. " No problem. That's what friends are for. Now, go. Find Naruto and show him the real you." Said Temari, pushing Ino out of the restaurant.

"Wait. I can't do it now. I still have work to do. I'll tell him after work." Said Ino who thankfully remembered that she has to go back to work or her mother would kill her.

Temari sighed. "Fine. Then tell him later, just don't chicken out, you wuss." Teased Temari with a smile.

Ino stuck out her tongue at Temari but started laughing after that. It was all good fun.

After that little scuffle, she said her goodbyes and went back to the flower shop with a clearer head, thanks to Temari.

""""""""""""ICHIRAKU""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

We can see a blonde figure devouring bowl after bowl of ramen while conversing with the owners of the stand. The owners were laughing at something the figure said. They were happy that the blonde enigma came back. It was boring without him.

" And then he was caught by all those women. I swear, he was limping for a week after that." Laughed Naruto who just told a story about his late master and his many adventures at the hot springs.

The couple laughed wholeheartedly. It was always enjoyable to listen to one of Naruto's many adventures. It was amazing what he went through in his short life.

"Serves him right, that pervert. I was always afraid to go to the hot springs when he was in town. I swear, he ruined the hot springs for me." Laughed Ayame with a tick on her forehead.

"Haha, I'm sure you are not the only one. He had a gift for doing that." Added Naruto who got a faraway look on his face at the end. The couple noticed that.

"You miss him, don't you?" said old man Ichiraku.

"Dearly. He made me what I am today. If it wasn't for him, I don't think I would be here today. He meant so much to me. Being around him, it felt like I had a father. He was always watching over me, helping me. I wish I could have told him that." Said Naruto sadly.

"I think he knew. I'm sure he's proud of you, wherever he is. I saw how he looked at you whenever you two came her. His smile told me everything. You were his family." Said Ichiraku while giving Naruto another bowl of ramen.

Naruto smiled at the man.

"He was the best." Added Naruto with a big smile.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru was seen walking down the street near the Ichiraku stand. He saw a blonde figure sitting there and decided to join him.

When he was nearing them he could hear them talking about Jiraiya. He moved away the flaps of the stand and sat down next to Naruto.

"They sure are." Said Shikamaru with a smile which earned the attention of Naruto who looked towards him.

"Hey Shikamaru, didn't see you there. You were saying something?" said Naruto to his friend.

Shikamaru smiled, "I heard you talking about Lord Jiraiya and I was thinking how similar Asuma-sensei and he were."

Naruto smiled back at his long time friend. " Yeah, I know what you mean. They were the greatest, each in their own way. But as you said to me back then, now it's our turn to be great. It's our turn to lead the next generation."

Shikamaru nodded at his friend and then ordered a bowl of Pork ramen.

While waiting for his ramen, Shikamaru did something very unlike him. He started a conversation and he didn't say troublesome.

"How's Ino" smirked Shikamaru.

" I guess word got around, huh." Responded Naruto while giving him a blank look.

Shikamaru smiled in response.

Naruto sighed. " Well, she's great. Honestly, she surprised me. She is nothing like I thought she would be. I thought that I could never have a decent conversation with her and yet now I told her some of my biggest secrets." Said Naruto surprised by his actions.

" And that bothers you?" asked Shikamaru.

"I don't know. Ino was the last person I would tell my secrets. We were never really close, you know. We were total opposites. She was popular, I was a nobody. We didn't really hang out, only when I was with you guys. What made me do it? What made me tell her all that stuff?" asked a confused Naruto.

"Well, as much as I hate to say this but I have no answer for you. It is up to you to find that out. I can tell you this, though. Ino is different than she was before." Finished Shikamaru cryptically.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Shikamaru continued.

"I'm sure you remember how she was like in the past. I don't have to tell you that. It was Sasuke that and Sasuke this. It was annoying to say the least. But things started to change after you went on your trip with Lord Jiraiya. She started to take things seriously. I don't know what triggered that change, it could have been Sasuke, maybe she wanted to prove herself to him or it could be something else." Said Shikamaru who was already thinking how tired he's going to be after this conversation.

Naruto nodded, understanding everything so far.

" I think she still loved Sasuke or at least felt something towards him, even after he left the village. I don't know when that changed but if I were to guess it was the day Sakura died." Said Shikamaru. Naruto winced at that particular memory.

"We all saw things differently after that day. I think Ino learned the truth about Sasuke, about life itself. Her childish love she had for Sasuke evaporated that day. The death of Sakura restarted her life." Said Shikamaru who didn't like to relive that day.

Naruto stared at his empty bowl thinking about the things Shikamaru said. Naruto knew Ino changed. She showed that in the last week they've been going out together. He only wanted to know what triggered the change. He had his theories and Shikamaru had the same thoughts but he wanted to hear the answer from Ino herself.

"I thought the same as you. I noticed the change in Ino the moment I came back. She acted nothing like before. Imagine my surprise when I come back to my apartment and I find out that Ino was taking care of it for the last 2 years. It blew my mind away. It made me want to find out more about Ino because this sole action made me reconsider my whole image about her. I wanted to find out what kind of person she really is." Stated Naruto.

Shikamaru nodded in understanding.

"You know what to do now." Said Shikamaru with a smile.

Naruto nodded, " Yes, thanks for your help. Now enough about me. What's going on between you and Temari? Any juicy news?" winked Naruto.

Shikamaru smiled at his friend's antics, some things never change. Shikamaru looked around to confirm that they are alone. He reached into his pocket and picked up a small black box.

Naruto's breath was caught in his throat.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked a shocked Naruto.

Shikamaru nodded," Yes, it's an engagement ring. I've been carrying it around for a while now. I just don't know how to ask her. Every time I want to ask her I chicken out. I know I want to do this but I'm afraid to do it." Said Shikamaru not knowing how to approach this subject.

" Man, that's a big step. Of course, you are afraid. Who wouldn't be? I would be scared shitless. But you said it yourself, you want to do this and I know Temari feels the same way. You two were meant for each other, everyone can see that. So, just do what you think feels right and what your heart is telling you. I'm sure everything will turn out fine." Advised Naruto to his friend.

"Yeah, you are right." Said Shikamaru, smiling.

"Good. Now, how many people know of this?" asked Naruto.

"Just you and Chouji. I don't want to tell Ino because she will blabber everything to Temari. You know how she's like. When she starts talking she never stops" smirked Shikamaru.

"Yeah, that sounds like her. Hey, I just realized something. For the last 5 minutes or so you didn't say the word troublesome." Remarked Naruto playfully.

"Troublesome" smiled Shikamaru.

Naruto laughed and patted his friend on his back. The duo talked for a bit and then went their separate ways.

Naruto started walking towards the flower shop, hoping that Ino was there.

He entered the shop and saw Ino behind the counter tending to some flower.

"Hey Ino. I hope I'm not interrupting something." Said Naruto while walking towards her.

"Hey, Naruto or should I say Namikaze. No, no, just looking out for some flowers. What are you doing here? Miss me?" replied Ino who brightened up a bit after Naruto arrived.

Naruto laughed at her comment, " You could say that. I was wondering if you would like to go out with me tonight?"

Ino smiled. This was perfect. She could talk with Naruto about the things she was thinking about.

"Sure, I would love to. I finish my shift at 6. You can pick me up at 8." Said Ino happily.

"Great, can't wait." Said Naruto. "Do you need some help around the shop?"

Ino shook her head. " No, today's a slow day. I already did most of the stuff. I just have to clean the shop before I close it for the day. Thanks for the offer, though." Said Ino.

Naruto nodded at her. He picked up her favorite flower and tucked it behind her ear and gave her a small kiss on the cheek and said his goodbye and told her they'll meet up tonight.

Ino sighed dreamily. She really loves it when Naruto does these small gestures of affection.

She looked at the clock and saw it was still only 4 o'clock. She willed it to go faster but no luck.

Meanwhile Naruto started walking towards the Hokage Tower, wanting to visit his Grandma and hopefully annoy her a bit.

'Can't have her thinking that she can relax and start drinking' thought Naruto while smirking.

He jumped on her window but this time Tsunade was ready and reacted accordingly. She threw her empty bottle of Sake but sadly missed.

"Dammit. One of these days I won't miss." Said Tsunade annoyed by his antics which he inherited from his perverted master.

"Haha, in your dreams Grandma. I'm too good for you, admit it. You're too old to tango with me." Grinned Naruto.

Tsunade gained a tick mark on her forehead but she knew she couldn't hit him unless he let her.

She sighed, "What do you want brat, can't you see I'm busy?"

"Ow, come on. Can't I visit my favorite Grandma?" pouted Naruto.

"I'm your only Grandma. Now spill, what are you here for?" responded Tsunade, secretly happy that he called her favorite Grandma.

"Nothing special just came to visit you and Shizune. I haven't been here for a few days. Didn't want you to let your guard down. You never know, when I'll do something crazy." Shined Naruto.

" I've got enough paperwork without your crazy actions. But as much as I hate to say it, it's good to see you. What have you been up to? I read an interesting report from one of my ANBU team. Something about a crazy noble trying to kidnap Ino. What was that all about?" asked a genuinely curious Tsunade.

She knew what happened from the report she read but she wanted to hear the whole story from the source.

Naruto looked slightly annoyed, clearly not happy about that particular incident. He told her the whole story. About Ruga's vendetta against his mother and father and about his plans for Ino.

Tsunade was seething towards the end. If it weren't for Ibiki's therapy sessions, she would have personally involved herself in the 'reeducation' of the man.

Nobody messes with Uzumaki Kushina and Minato Namikaze and gets away with it. Not on her watch.

"Man, I would have loved to have seen his face when you were done with him. That would be priceless. But thank God you were there to save the day, again." Said Tsunade with emphasis on again. Seriously, this was becoming a regular occurrence.

"Yeah, I haven't been angry like that for a long time. When he started insulting Mom and Dad I kinda lost it. And when I thought about what he would have done to Ino, I think that pushed me over the edge." Said Naruto.

Tsunade wondered what was up with Naruto and Ino. He seems very protective of her.

"Yeah about you and Ino. Something I should know, brat?" asked Tsunade.

Naruto scratched his cheek and blushed a bit. Tsunade grinned.

"SHIZUNE! Come in here and brink Sake. We've got some celebrating to do." Shouted Tsunade.

Shizune stumbled into the office holding a bottle of Sake in her hands.

"What? What happened?" asked Shizune who for some reason didn't object to bringing Sake into the office.

" The brat over her finally got a girlfriend." Grinned Tsunade.

Shizune looked shocked judging from her face.

"Seriously? When did that happen? Who is she?" asked a stunned Shizune.

Tsunade decided to answer that.

"It's Ino. Don't just stand there. Give me my Sake. The brat can tell us the story while we drink." Ordered Tsunade.

Shizune sighed at her master's behavior but she will allow it since it is a special occasion. It's not every day Naruto gets a girlfriend.

They spend the afternoon talking about Naruto and Ino. When they finished there were 4 bottles empty lying on the table.

4 of which Tsunade drunk herself. Naruto had a few glasses but the rest was all Shizune.

Tsunade was drunk so Shizune decided to help her home while Naruto went home to prepare for his date with Ino.

"""""""""""""""""""LATER"""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Naruto knocked on the door of Ino's house and was greeted by Inora, Ino's mom. She invited him in where he could wait for Ino to finish getting ready.

"Make yourself at home, dear. Ino will be ready in a couple of minutes" said Inora while walking to the kitchen to get some tea and cookies.

She came back with a plate of cookies and some green tea and in the company of Ino's father.

Inoichi smiled at the young man. He thought he was perfect for his little princess. He proved that time and time again.

Inoichi greeted Naruto and Naruto did the same. They all took a seat and talked for a bit.

"I heard what you did yesterday, Naruto. Thank you." Said Inora sincerely. Thankful that he saved her daughter.

"Ah, it was nothing. That scumbag deserved it." Responded Naruto while scratching his head not used to receiving praise.

" Same here. If it weren't for you who knows what would have happened. I regret not putting that bastard in his place when I had the chance." Ragged Inoichi.

Inora intertwined her fingers with his and leaned into him. Naruto smiled at the husband and wife, loving what they have with each other.

He heard footsteps and saw Ino walking down wearing a beautiful black dress that went down to her thighs, showing of her long, firm legs. The dress hugged to her body perfectly, showing all of her womanly curves.

Naruto was filled with joy. Can you blame him? He is going to spend an entire evening in the company of this gorgeous lady.

Ino smiled at her date and took his hand in hers. They walked out of the house, saying goodbyes at the smiling parents.

They walked towards that new restaurant that just opened. They approached the maître d and Naruto told them they had a reservation under the name Uzumaki.

The waiter nodded and led them to their table and took their orders.

Ino looked towards Naruto, " This a pretty fancy restaurant. It must have been hard to get a reservation."

"Nah, not really. I guess being famous has its perks besides all the ladies." Grinned Naruto.

"Yeah, you should be lucky for catching my attention." Laughed Ino. Naruto joined her.

They both wanted to use this date to ask all of their questions and clear some of the doubts that are filling their heads. But they both didn't know how to start the conversation.

Luckily they were interrupted by the waiter bringing their food and drinks. They ate their meals while talking about some trivial stuff.

They were done after 20 or so minutes. They payed for their meal and left the place.

They took a stroll through the park next. They spotted a bench and decided to sit there and just relax a bit.

Naruto was leaning against the railing of the bench while looking at the starts. Ino was leaning against him while his arm was around her.

'I guess it's now or never' thought Ino.

"Naruto." Said Ino. Naruto hummed, indicating that he heard her.

"Do you hate me?" asked Ino shyly while looking down.

Naruto looked down, surprised with her question.

"Of course, I don't hate you. Why would you think that?" remarked Naruto.

She sighed, " Because I deserve it. I was never a good friend to you when you were the best to me." Said Ino sadly but still holding on to Naruto, not wanting to lose him.

Naruto smiled kindly at her, understanding why she thought like that.

" I could never hate you. We may have never been good friends, but at least you noticed me. That was more than enough for me. As long as you saw me I was happy." Said Naruto.

"Why's that enough for you? That is nothing compared to what you did for me. You helped me when Asuma-sensei died, you were there to hold me when I was crying. You inspired me to get stronger and what did I do when Lord Jiraiya died. Nothing, absolutely nothing." Sobbed Ino, angry at herself.

Naruto lifted her chin so that she could look at him.

"Hey, that's not true. You did more than enough. You smiled at me after the Pain invasion. You gave me a smile and that was all that I needed. I don't need big words to make me happy. All I need is my friends. And you did that. You were my friend, you fought for me in the war and that is something I can never repay." Answered Naruto truthfully while giving Ino his true smile.

Ino smiled back in return and leaned back against the crook of his neck.

"Thank you Naruto. I have no idea what made you who you are now, but I'm grateful for that." Responded Ino while nuzzling further into him.

"You are welcome." Responded Naruto, holding her tightly, keeping her warm.

They stayed like that for a few moments until Naruto decided to voice his question.

"You know, Ino, I wanted to ask you something ever since I came back." Said Naruto, earning Ino's attention.

" You are nothing like I thought you were. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with you but you are so different from what I thought you were like. I mean, you were always chasing after Sasuke. You dedicated most of your time trying to impress him. But now, you are so different. What made you so different? Or did I never know the real you?" asked Naruto, hoping that he didn't offend Ino.

Ino smiled sadly. She understood why he asked this question. She did the same thing for the last couple of years.

'Thank God for Temari' thought Ino.

"You know I was asking myself the same thing lately. After I found out about your parents I did some thinking. I asked myself if things would have changed if people knew about your heritage, if I knew about your parents. I admit, I was a fan-girl back then. I did what the majority of my generation did just to stay popular. But things started to change as I grew up. I started to take my training seriously. Maybe on some level I did it to impress Sasuke if he ever came back but on the other hand I did it for myself and my friends. I realized that I was weak and I wanted to do something about it." Said Ino while looking at the stars.

Naruto was listening intently on what she was saying. This was her moment.

"Truthfully, I had hoped that Sasuke will return and we would fall in love and all that fairy tale stuff. That's why I didn't want to believe all the stuff I heard about him, joining Akatsuki, attacking the Kages and wanting to attack the village. I was blind to the truth. My eyes opened that day, the day I lost my 'sister'. I saw him, I saw Sasuke for who he really was. My dreamy life shattered that day. And I'm thankful for that to some degree. I only wish Sakura didn't have to die for me to realize that. I was such an idiot!" sobbed Ino, tears rolling down her face.

Naruto shushed her and hugged her, trying to comfort her.

Ino thanked him and stopped crying for the moment.

" I understand what you mean. But what made you notice me? I'm grateful and everything but why me?" asked Naruto who really wanted to know.

"Why not?"said Ino, stunning Naruto.

" You were always there in my time of need. You, the embodiment of pain, were helping me with my own pain. No matter what happened to you, no matter how much hatred you faced, you were always there for me. It took me awhile to notice that, to notice you but I'm thankful that I did." Responded Ino, giving Naruto a loving smile.

Naruto smiled back at her and kissed her on the forehead. They both blushed a bit but the dark from the night concealed their faces.

They stayed on that bench for a while, just enjoying themselves. They were both happier now that they got their answer.

Naruto looked at down at the relaxing Ino.

'Are you the one Ino?' asked Naruto himself.

'I guess, it's up to me to find that out, huh. But, I'm looking forward to it.' Smiled Naruto.

"Hey it's time to go. It's getting late. Don't want you to catch a cold." Said Naruto.

Ino nodded a bit disappointingly. She was enjoying herself and the damn clock just had to ruin it.

They walked back towards Ino's house, Ino's hand in his. They were happy to be together and they looked forward to get to know each other better and to see where their relationship would go.

They stopped in front of Ino's house and looked towards each other both smiling.

"I had a good time tonight, Naruto. And thank you again, for everything." Said Ino moving a bit closer to Naruto.

"Anytime, Ino, anytime." Responded Naruto also moving a bit closer to her.

Naruto's hands went on Ino's hips and Ino's hands went around Naruto's neck.

Their lips met. It was the start of a passionate kissing. They both explored each other's mouth, loving the feeling. Ino moaned a bit which earned a smile from Naruto.

They heard someone clearing their throat but they didn't let that bother them. They continued kissing each other until they were interrupted again by a much noisier voice from the same owner.

The couple looked towards the owner of the voice. Standing there in front of the door with his arms crossed and his eyes closed was Inoichi, none too happy with the situation.

"Daddy! Can't we have some privacy, geez!" said Ino, annoyed with her father. Naruto smiled at Inoichi, expecting something like this from him and he can't blame him. If Naruto was in his place he would have done the same.

Ino realizing that this was it for tonight, turned towards Naruto and gave him another long, loving kiss which Naruto happily returned.

They separated after a few moments and said their goodbyes, promising to see each other tomorrow.

Ino went back inside while Inoichi and Naruto stayed outside.

Inoichi smiled fatherly and nodded at Naruto. Naruto understood what he meant and said his goodbye.

'Can't wait for tomorrow' beamed Naruto.

Chapter 7 done! This one was dedicated to the couple and their relationship. I hope you like it. If something is bothering please tell me so I can fix it in the future.

I also looked up my statistic for the story, it said 5500+ hits, 21 favs and 21 alerts and 22 reviews. I'm liking it. I have no idea if this is any good but I happy with it.

Anyway see you in a couple of days. BYE!