It took Naruto a few minutes to compose himself and back away from the door. He went to the kitchen to make himself a coffee and calm down a bit. Now, where was the kitchen? He started wandering through the huge mansion.
After who knows how long, Ino and Sakura finished their pillow fight. They both felt as light as the pillows they were throwing at each other, but Ino still could not help the feeling of uneasiness creeping into her heart.
She felt that somehow she had to stop this marriage from happening.
It wasn't just about her hating the idea of being sold off anymore. Although if she could spend more fun days with Naruto, seeing his contagious smile, maybe it wouldn't be a complete disaster after all.
What was at stake here was Naruto's happiness. He said there is a girl he likes. He should be free to pursue love with anyone he wants. Although Ino considered anyone would be lucky to be with her, let alone married to her, she did not want it to be forced.
So she got all serious and said:
"Sakura, we have to make a plan to stop this marriage from happening."
"Ino, come on, for once, don't be selfish. You..."
"For once, I am not being selfish. I know Naruto likes another girl. He should be free to date her.
I do not want to steal his happiness. I don't care what happens with me. I just want him to be free and happy."
This took Sakura by surprise. Maybe Naruto was actually awakening a thoughtful and considerate side of Ino. This was new. Who knows what would happen if they were able to spend more time together…
As if Naruto read their minds, he burst into the room with a wide grin on his face.
This startled the girls and they yelled at him but he paid them no heed. Instead, with his usual flamboyant attitude, he walked up to them.
"Sakura-chan! Ino! We're going out! Sasuke-teme wants to meet at the Sketch Bar."
This caused Sakura to blush. She knew Sasuke from before, when Naruto was still living near her. When Naruto moved away, he moved away too. Sasuke was heir of the Uchiha Company, a very powerful import-export commerce.
Unlike Naruto he was much more dedicated to business so he hardly went out before. But the few times Sakura had actually seen him and spoken to him were enough to make her fall for him. He was reserved and cold most of the time but his intellect was sharp and Sakura found conversations with him interesting.
Ino, of course, instantly noticed and smirked. She knew who Sasuke was. Their families had been connected through business before, but she had no idea her best friend fell for the young Uchiha. Oh, this was going to be fun to watch.
Sakura turned to Ino and saw a wicked smirk on her face, and inwardly shuddered. She knew this meant Ino was up to no good.
Before she could say anything though, Ino pulled her along and they all went to Naruto's car together.
Sakura was seated front with Naruto while Ino sat alone in the back, thinking about everything.
What do I do now? I have to stop Naruto from marrying me and give Sakura a little push because knowing her, she will never make a move on Sasuke. Talk about having your hands full...
-some time later-
As they arrived, they found Sasuke sitting at one of the porch tables. He waved them over and they all took their seats. Sakura moved to sit next to Naruto, however, Ino beat her to it. This meant she had to sit next to Sasuke. She hesitantly looked up to him, and saw the slightest of smiles on his face. She instantly smiled herself and the awkwardness seemed to disappear altogether.
Of course this was once again noticed by the sharp eyes of Ino. She quickly pulled Naruto by the arm and said: "We're going in to order! This place is packed, it will take long before some of the waiters come to us. See ya!"
"The usual for me," Sasuke told Naruto.
"A cherry smoothie and espresso", Sakura added.
And so, they were left alone as their best friends rushed inside.
Not knowing how to start the conversation, Sakura silently watched Sasuke's profile as he seemed to be thinking about something. He noticed her staring after a while and smirked.
"Something on my face, Sakura?"
"U-uh... No, Sasuke-kun, I was just staring into space, that's all..."
This earned her a chuckle from the usually serious Uchiha and she giggled herself.
"So... How did you all end up together today? I take it that seeing Naruto surprised you quite a bit."
"True! He brought Ino to my house, and once we saw each other, it was quite a surprise. But not as much of a surprise as what I found out next..."
"What do you mean?"
"You know Naruto is forced to an arranged marriage, don't you?"
"Hn."
"What if I told you that I now know Ino is the one he is supposed to marry?"
"No way. Does he know already? When he called me before the accident, he didn't know who the girl was."
"We take it that he has no idea, yet... Ino was the one who realized first after finding out Naruto was Minato-san's son."
"I see... Although I would have to say the two loudmouths are really suited for each other. Naruto and Hinata would simply be too different."
"Hinata... as in Hinata Hyuuga?"
"Yeah. Naruto's had a crush on her in ages. But he's never had the guts to confess. She seems to like him back but is just as silent."
"Oh boy..." Sakura said exasperatedly. Hinata Hyuuga was one of Ino's childhood friends. They weren't as close as Ino and Sakura but they were still close friends. If Ino knew about this she would feel even worse.
"Listen, Sasuke. Ino wants to stop this marriage from happening. If she fails to stop it, and finds out Hinata is the girl Naruto likes, this will get messy. Hinata is Ino's close friend. Ino may be loud and selfish but she will never let her friends get hurt."
"Hn... There isn't much we can do, Sakura. This is the work of Inoichi and you know he won't stop until he gets what he wants."
Sakura could only nod with a solemn look on her face.
Meanwhile, our two favorite loudmouths were inside the busy cafe trying to make their order.
"So, we know what Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme are having. He likes black tea best. So plain, dattebayo! I want Indian Chai tea and some exotic fruit along with it. What about you, Ino?"
Ino looked through the menu. All things seemed appealing but one name stood out. Sunny Orange Tea. It reminded her of someone she was currently with.
"Sunny Orange Tea it is! And I will have the exotic fruit too."
"Oh, so you like that too! Cool!"
She opened her mouth to say "I like you too" but she stopped herself before she could say it. She was shocked by what she was about to say. I like him already?! No way! This is bad...
Naruto, noticing her suddenly baffled expression, took her hand out of concern. His touch jolted her out of her stupor and she regained her composure.
"Say, Naruto... Have you noticed something today as we came to the cafe?"
"You mean that Sakura-chan totally has a crush on Sasuke-teme?"
Ino smirked. "Exactly. That's why I insisted we go inside to order. It was only part of the plan."
"So what is the next part of the plan?"
"We order ours to-go and get lost. What do you think?"
"I like the way you think, Ino."
Although he only complimented her way of thinking, she couldn't help but feel happy about it.
She also felt happy that she was going to spend some time with him alone. Not like it mattered much in the end. Still, to her, it meant more than she was willing to admit.
