Authoress' Note: Um, this flower didn't fit with the chapter! -sobs- I just couldn't find one that fit okay?! Get off my damn back! You're lucky I even decided to give you a chapter! -sobs harder before groveling in self pity-

Warning: The beginning is quite misleading, so before you click that back button, read all the way to the end. Oh, and Shikasuke is NOT a typo.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and never will. Surprising huh? Not…


Flowers of Meaning

Flower 09: Stubborn

White Carnation — Sweet and Lovely, Innocence, Pure Love

"Marry me."

The fact that those two words had come out of his perfect, never-speaking mouth stunned her. Never in her life would she have ever imagined this. She had always dreamt of it, but she had been thinking unrealistically—now, it was reality.

Mouth hung ajar, she examined the man before her in astonishment. It was a challenge, though, attempting not to become hopelessly lost in his seductive onyx eyes. His stance was nonchalant—even after such a command—with both hands in his pocket, and standing rather uncaringly.

When he spoke again, in a dazzling silver-tongued tone, she nearly melted, "Well? Isn't this what you wanted? Don't keep me waiting."

"Oh, I…" When she squeaked unexpectedly, she covered her mouth with both hands in an instant. This was what she wanted: for Uchiha Sasuke to finally propose to her. However, even though she wanted to say yes, there was something bothering her, something incomprehensible lingering in the back of her mind.

"I… I don't know what to say…" She finally said softly, as if she did not what him to hear.

"Just say yes," he ordered smoothly, "and marry me, please."

Please?

One thing that would never come out of his mouth was a please. Even if that was true, at the time, Ino was nervous out of her mind, and could not understand that fact. As a result, her heart sank at the sound of the word 'please' coming from him. He's begging me of all people…?

Suddenly—while she was in the midst of trembling of shock—he took one step forward, one that seemed to ring in her ears for eternity, and she took a step back. At this slight movement, her stomach was uneasy. When he took another step forward, and she attempted to take another back, however, the small of her back made contact with the counter.

"Are you scared of me now, Ino?" The onyx eyes that stared into hers intimidated the blonde to no end. "That would hurt my feelings, you know. You wouldn't want to do that, would you?"

Me? Hurt your feelings? I would never…

It took her a while to notice in her dazed state, but there was literally no space between their bodies. He grasped the hand that had been covering her mouth, and used it to tug her closer, if possible. "Relax. I don't bite hard."

Her cheeks burned red at the contact. "In fact," he whispered in her ear, causing shiver down her spine, "Forget the marriage. I'd much rather get to the restoration of my clan…"

"I…" She shut her mouth quickly, closed her eyes, and awaited his impact on her lips.

After a few heated seconds of waiting, she opened her eyes, and…

"Humph, how troublesome. Do you expect me to kiss you now, Ino?"

"You're… Sas… Sasuke-kun?! Where did Sasuke-kun go?!" She grew frantic, and glanced around the room for the man. "H-how did you turn into Shikamaru?! What type of crazy genjutsu is this?! Sasuke-kun!" Ino glanced down at her arms. "Let go! Sasuke-kun!"

"I'm not Sasuke. It's Shikamaru." He scowled. " Are you going to marry me or what?"

"What the hell are you talking about?! No! No way in freakin' hell!"

His scowled deepened, before chuckling sardonically. "That's not a good answer."

As if things could not get any weirder, the ground caved in beneath her, and Shikasuke was nowhere to be seen. Whilst yelling at the top of her lungs, she grabbed frantically for anything to break her fall. Before she could even accustom herself to falling, she was propelled back into the air.


Her eyes shot open, while still bouncing. Unable to see, she threw the thick book on her face aside, only to see the culprit. "Shika-maru - you - bas-tard!" It was difficult to speak, what with being thrown into the air, and then pulled back down by gravity. "Stop it already!"

He scowled, and stopped as told. "Why are you sleeping on a trampoline?"

"I wasn't! I was reading!" She pointed at the hard covered lavender novel for emphasis. She snatched off her sunglasses, glaring at him. In a frazzled state, she felt her head and chest, as if they were no longer there.

"Oh, must've been at the good part…" His scowled twisted into an amused smirk. "…what with the moaning and all."

"What?!" She sat up suddenly, distressed at his words. Moaning? I don't remember any type of moaning! What is he talking about?! "I was so not moaning! Why would I have that type of dream?!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Dream? I thought you were reading, not sleeping."

"Fine! So I was sleeping! So what? It's my house, my backyard, my trampoline, and my body! I should be able to sleep wherever and whenever I want without being interrogated by someone like you!" The blonde rolled her eyes, before huffing. "Why are you in my backyard anyhow?! Leave!"

"No, and it doesn't matter why I'm here—there are more important things at hand." The man sat down in front of her, folding his legs. He eyed her intensely after that as if she had wronged him. "Who was it?"

"Who was what?" She was more than a bit irritated with him at this point. A day of rest was obviously too much to ask for on her own property.

"Who was it that made you moan? I wanna know," he said simply.

"It doesn't matter! Now go away!" She rolled her azure eyes once more.

"Why did you say my name?"

At that very moment, she wanted to DIE. What else could she have possibly done? Her very annoying man-friend was accusing her of having wet dreams. About him? He was certainly implying it!

But, hey, she thought reassuringly, I can't admit something that's not true, now can I? With that thought in mind, her resolve once again firm, she chose to leave the question unanswered. Instead, she removed the light, almost see-through top she had on, and lay back down on the trampoline in silence.

Shikamaru eyed her, full of suspicion. It was typical, of course, for Ino to forget his question and his presence all together—she did, after all, have the attention span of a four-year-old on a sugar high. Still though, he didn't expect her to undress in front of him.

Did she find it appropriate to flaunt a body like that in front of him?

He was disgusted with himself for even thinking what he was thinking for a second, because those thoughts were thoughtless and… unthinkable! He rubbed his forehead while frowning. Ino is too complicated…

"Ino…" he began grumpily.

"Hai, Shikamaru-kun?"

"Just what are you doing now?"

"I," she stressed in annoyance. "am currently trying to ignoring you and bask in the Sun. Because… well, to put it frankly, today you're acting weird. You're the type of person to avoid all conversation with me, yet, you seem so persistent today. It's very unattractive."

"Unattractive? Why do I have to seem attractive to you?" He smirked, and the conversation seemed to have been further interesting her.

"Well, I don't really know," Ino propped her body up with her elbows. She squinted her eyes at the incandescent sun. "Just because your lazy and could pass for a homeless man doesn't mean you can't be unbelievably gorgeous." She shrugged as if it were a common saying. "I'll be completely honest—you have body to die for, but your stupid personality gets in the way of it like, all the time."

"I see…" The male broke out into a haughty smirk at the discreet complement. While she glanced away for a quick second—as a result, she was completely vulnerable. He crawled closer to her body, before kneeling over her fragile frame.

"H-hey!" She stammered, glancing at both arms on either side of her head. "G-get off me, pervert!" The blonde's hands suddenly went straight up to his chest in a futile attempt to throw him off. "Move!"

"So that's why?" He asked. He could sense her confusion from his incomplete question in her glassy eyes, and unexpectedly loved it. "That's why you dream of me? Because you think I'm attractive and you can't make a move?"

The blush on her cheeks was enough to speak a thousand words.

"If I wanted to make a move I would have already made one! I'm not a shy girl!"

"No, you're not, but you're a stubborn girl," he stated, and then went in for the kill. He kissed her, and surprise, surprise, she didn't resist.

Damn him, damn him, damn him! Burn in hell! she screamed in her mind, because she hated being at the hands of anyone, primarily a cocky teammate. When he pulled away, she glared at him—without the absence of blushing, of course, "I hate you."

"Yeah, I know."


Owari


Authoress' Note: Aw, Ino, you hate Shikamaru? Well we have something in common then: I hate this wretched chapter! I hate it with the burning passion of a thousand suns! I hate OOCness, and yet I see it everywhere!

OOC, OOC, OOC!

Well, if you feel this chapter is as pathetic as I do, then don't review. However, if you still have hope for me, then go ahead and review.