Chapter 9: The Flowers
Okay so I made a tiny mistake in the previous chap. That was chap 8, NOT 9. Sorry bout that, if anybody caught it. Just wanted to clear it up. This is the REAL chapter 9. Okay, now enjoy! Oh yea, did u guys no the dalai lama twitters? he's my sophomore project topic. I wonder if I could interview him through it? ^_^
Oh in case anybody wanted to know, this is NOT set to the current Naruto storyline. Yes, I know Sasuke goes evil keenevil and murdered Danzo and Sakura is possibly tricking him by joining him blah blah...yea...
Anyway, I'm really excited for Valentine's Day not just because I have someone to share it with, but also cause its Tet, Vietnamese New Years baby! Yes, so first, me and my guy are gonna get hot and sweaty and rough and dirty.
Conditioning for track and field of course ;).
Yes, it sounds crazy that we still have practice on Sundays but hey, that's how we get good and win medals haha. Other than that, I'm not gonna spend anytime with him cuz ill be too busy setting off firecrackers. It's fine since there's 364 other days to spend quality time. For those who don't have boyfriend or girlfriend, don't feel bad or lonely. You got a whole year to celebrate love. It just so happens one of them is this sunday. Anyway, enough with my blabbering, on with the story!
Sakura cringed when she felt Sasuke's hands on her stomach. She looked up, her face nearly frozen. His expression was too calm.
"You will help me rebuild the clan, whether you want to or not," Sasuke said in a monotone. Smoke came out of her ears like a train. However, her mouth instantly curved into a smirk. She reached to her pouch, took out a pair of handcuffs, and stuck them on to Sasuke. He looked at it, puzzled.
"W-W-What the hell?! S-Sakura?!" He cried, almost grabbed the collar of his shirt, her smirk looking more evil than ever.
"Now then, slave, where were we?" She licked her lips before she stood up and dragged the Uchiha across Konohagakure in chains. Daylight never met his eyes again.
"And so, the lesson of this story is to never trust women; they're always scheming something," Shikamaru ended with a lazy tone.
Sou was shaking in fear as he nodded. Suddenly, the kids saw a fan hit Shikamaru hard across his cheeks. He rubbed it, not even bothering to moan. They saw their aunt's extremely pissed off face.
"SHIKAMARU, YOU HYPOCRITE! TELL THE DAMN TRUTH!" She barked into his face. Shikamaru thought for a moment his wife was a troll. He let out a sigh.
"Fine, fine," He replied obediently. Ino returned to the kitchen, now making another batch. Shikamaru leaned against the couch, taking both his twins into his lap. He stared at them, absent-minded. And suddenly, his insides felt warm. I guess I can bear it with that woman. I did marry her.
"Anyway, forget what I just told you, even though that's what should have happened..."
Shikamaru watched from afar, hidden in a tree, at the sight he just saw. Sasuke and Sakura were sitting next to each other on the bench, him leaning closer. Her eyes widen when she saw his fist immediately slam against Sakura's stomach, making her fall into the cement. With her pink hair in the way, she looked at Sasuke, slightly distraught.
"S-S-S-Sasuke-kun? W-What's going on?" Sakura asked in pain. "Has this all been j-j-just a lie?"
"Cut the crap, Yamanaka. Shouldn't you be with your boyfriend?" Sasuke asked plainly. He stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Sakura's face was flushed with redness. She glared at him angrily, both hands tightened into a fist.
"Eh?! I-I-I-I don't think of Sh-Sh-Sh-Shikmaru like that!" Sakura yelled through anger and embarrassment. When she realized that Sasuke never mentioned Shikamaru's name, she brought her knees together, hiding her face from the world. Shikamaru jumped out of his hiding spot, crouching next to Sakura. He let out a heavy sigh before turning his attention to Sasuke. The dark-haired boy still had his calm composure and yet, Shikamaru could see some displeasure in his eyes.
"Sasuke, how did you figure out it wasn't Sakura?" Shikamaru asked curiously. The Yamanaka's clan technique was nearly impossible to tell. Unless-
"Sakura knows what I really told her and this isn't the same bench I left her," Sasuke answered, turning his face away from the two.
Shikamaru and Ino couldn't tell what his expression was like as he went on.
"Besides, we're not on good terms."
Shikamaru smirked. Maybe Sasuke really did have true intentions with the girl, asking Ino questions like that. Sakura gave him a smug look. She bit her lips, but they formed a small grin quickly.
"So Sasuke, when do you plan on giving Sakura the flowers?" Ino, as Sakura, asked slyly.
Sasuke glanced behind them. He raised an eyebrow at the two, slightly puzzled. "I never bought any flowers."
Ino (in Sakura's body) immediately got up, her face tightening up. She pointed an accused finger at Sasuke with an annoyed expression.
"DON'T PLAY DUMB ON US, UCHIHA! WE SAW YOU WITH THE NEVER-ENDING LOTUSES! YOU'RE GOING TO CONFESS YOUR LOVE TO SAKURA, HUH?! HUH?!" Ino exclaimed victoriously.
Sasuke stared at them, a bit irritated from her loud, obnoxious voice. "You wished Nara was the one that bought it for you, huh?" He stated plainly.
"SHUT UP AND DON'T CHANGE THE TOPIC! AND THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Sakura retorted as she blushed even more madly. "ANYWAY, WHERE ARE THOSE DAMN FLOWERS?!"
"I didn't buy any flowers," Sasuke replied calmly. He turned his heel, starting to walk away. "Go return Sakura's body back."
Inside of Sakura's body, Ino was beginning to flare up. She didn't know how many more outbursts she had to make for Sasuke to reveal the truth. She saw him with the damn flowers already. He was just being stubborn, as always. Just as she was about to beat the bloody pulp out of him, Shikamaru tapped her on the shoulder. She glared dangerously at her teammate.
'WHAT NOW, SHIKAMARU?! I NEED TO BEAT SASUKE FOR NOT CONFESSING HIS LOVE!"
"Isn't that the Never Ending Lotus?" He asked while pointing to the side. Ino looked towards the direction, and her jaw practically fell to the ground. The flowers were in the hand of none other than-
"N-N-Naruto?!" She stuttered in shock.
"WHAT?! UNCLE NARUTO HAD THE FLOWERS?!" The two kids screamed loud enough for their voices to echo across the village. Shikamaru slapped his hands against his ears upon hearing them.
"Geez, you kids can scream," He complained. "Remind me why you guys are your father's kids again? Either way, I want to finish this part first..."
In front of her was something she would never expect. Naruto and Hinata were facing each other. Hinata's face, as always with Naruto, was completely red and her eyes bounced everywhere to not look at his face. Naruto grinned cheesily as expected but in his hands was a bouquet of flowers composed of red roses and as Shikamaru said, the Never Ending Lotus. He pressed the bouquet to Hinata's chest. She squeaked.
"N-N-N-Naruto-k-kun? I-I-I don't understand!" Hinata gasped as she stared dreamily at the flowers."A-A-Are you..."
"Eh?! Naruto really does return Hinata's feelings?!" Ino whispered excitedly. Now she really didn't care how this happened. She was finally glad Naruto was not thickheaded as she thought. She smiled brightly. About time Naruto...
"You like flowers, right Hinata-chan?! Well since you did such a good job helping Sakura-chan, I thought you should get some for being such an awesome friend!" Naruto exclaimed proudly, shoving them into her hands. "Aren't they pretty?!"
Hinata's eyes widen. "W-W-What, d-d-d-do you k-k-know what that f-f-flower is?" She stammered, pointing at the Never Ending Lotus flower. Naruto had a puzzled look on his face as he stared at the unique Never Ending Lotus.
"Oh that one? I never seen it before but boy was it expensive!" Naruto cried without a single clue. "It was worth more than all these flowers! Anyway, since you've been a really good friend, I just bought them for you!"
Hinata nearly fainted in disappointment. "W-W-What?!" Naruto still had his cheesy grin. Ino let out a strangling noise.
"What...the...FUCK NARUTO?!" Ino screamed through Sakura's body as she charged the blond boy and snatched him by the collar. Naruto squeaked like a little girl when he saw Sakura's face of death inch closer to his as she growled.
"S-S-S-Sakura-chan?!" He stuttered as his face paled, unaware that his teammate was currently possessed.
"NARUTO, YOU IDIOT! HOW THE HELL DID YOU END UP WITH THE NEVER ENDING LOTUS WHEN SASUKE WAS THE ONE WHO BOUGHT IT?! MORE IMPORTANTLY, THAT'S THE REASON YOU BOUGHT IT IN THE FIRST PLACE?! NOT ONLY DID YOU GIVE IT TO HINATA, BUT JUST BECAUSE IT LOOKED PRETTY?! HOW STUPID CAN YOU GET?! YOU'RE NEVER GONNA BE HOKAGE AT THIS RATE!"
"Ahahahahaha....well this really cute girl who didn't let me in the sweets shop so I transformed into Sasuke-teme and yea...." Naruto chuckled nervously, unaware that his teammate was really Ino. "But seriously, Sakura-chan, you gotta hold onto him tight! He's such a ladies man, I got a bunch of free stuff just by changing into him!"
Sakura's fist met with Naruto's cheeks, making him fly backwards by nearly 100 feet. Naruto moaned in pain as he laid there with his butt facing towards the sky. Ino, as Sakura, growled dangerously with a pissed off look.
"Damn you Naruto...always ruining every potential romantic moment..." She said in disgust.
Shikamaru walked up to her side, letting out a heavy sigh. "Well this turned out to be a waste of time. Anyway, go back to your body before Sakura fights back."
Ino nodded in disappointment. They returned back to Sakura's house, where Ino's body laid on the couch. Sakura performed a hand seal and said "Kai!"
Two pairs of eyes immediately shot wide open. Ino sat up from the couch as Sakura regained consciousness. She rubbed her stomach, wincing in pain.
"Ugh! God, my stomach hurts like hell!" Sakura cried, clutching her torso. When she saw her friend on the couch, she glared.
"Ino! Why the hell did you possess me?! And explain why my stomach hurts!" Sakura demanded as she sat next to her friend. Ino chuckled nervously, wavering her hands in front as a defense against her best friend.
"Now, now, Sakura, calm down! I was only being a good friend, that's all, haha!-Anyway, what's wrong with you and Sasuke?" Ino quickly asked. Sakura was taken back for a moment.
"What do you mean? There's nothing wrong," Sakura answered, though Ino could sense to hesitation.
"He said you guys aren't on good terms," Shikamaru spoke before Ino did. "And assuming you guys weren't on that little 'date,' something's going on between you guys."
Sakura scowled. "Oh, please! Sasuke-kun's not capable of a date! The only time he talked was about Konoha and Danzo or whatever! I don't care about him anymore."
When Sakura said that, Shikamaru noticed that she tensed up slightly. She had a determined look on her face and yet her fingers twiddled with each other. She faced the ground, no matter how strong she wanted to look. Ino placed a hand on Sakura's back, smiling sadly.
"Sakura, you're a bad liar," Ino said softly and kindly. Shikamaru never heard that tone in Ino's voice before. She was always yelling his head off so violently and here she was, so nice and kind. If only she was like that more around him, maybe she wouldn't be so troublesome to him.
"Oh Sakura, if only you knew how Sasuke speaks of you when you're not with him," Ino continued. Sakura's turned slightly to face her friend, but there was still a frown.
"Ino, I know where you're trying to head but trust me, it's not gonna happen," Sakura said with a hint of pain. "Once I loved him, but three years is too long to keep it that way."
Sakura leaned against her couch after her setence, letting out a sad sigh. Shikamaru immediately saw Ino's eyes sadden.
"Oh, Sakura," She whispered. The two friends sat next to each other, both in pain. One over a hopless love and one over the fact she could not help the other. Shikamaru walked to the front door, opening it, and going outside the porch. He closed the door behind him. Those two needed to be left alone. This was no place for a man to be, because women work their best when together, whether in happiness or pain. That was what Shikamaru learned and was secretly envioius about when it came to women. As he walked farther from Sakura's house, his mind lingered on the topic of Sasuke and Sakura longer than ever. Yes, he couldn't tell if the Uchiha was indeed in love with the girl or not but Shikamaru knew something for sure:
Sasuke still remembers certain moments between him and Sakura alone. He really does care about her. Shikamaru face tightened, a worried look on his face slowly forming in the evening sky.
Shikamaru yawned as his twins tugged onto his robes. "And there you have it," He finished, as he was raising his hands to his ears, preparing for the expected.
"WHAT A STUPID STORY! HE DIDN'T EVEN GIVE FLOWERS TO FLOWER!"
Shikamaru sighed, lowering his hands to surround his twins. "Well, if my story is so stupid, guess you guys don't wanna hear the next part-"
Yuriko and Sou started jumping up and down excitedly. "No! No! No! It's great! It's fantastic! Please tell us! Please! Please! Please!" They brought out their wide, puppy eyes to him. Shikamaru stared at them lazily and yet a bit annoyed.
I can't believe I have to deal with this when the twins get older, he bitterly thought. Their parents are smart, leaving them so they won't have to handle this stuff.
"Alright," Shikamaru replied in defeat as the two kids cheered in victory.
"So, lemme remember...Oh yeah, this was a couple days later. I was walking home from the Hokage's Tower when I passed by Flower's house and saw something out of the ordinary..."
The stars glittered the night sky. It was like any other night, but for some reason, Shikamaru found it to be really beautiful tonight. Maybe it was the fact he was glad to be done with the Godaime's lecture about him being lazy about the Chuunin Exams and how he was supposed to be in charge of it. Maybe it was the fact that for this morning, Ino was actually nice to him and treated him to some homemade ohagi. And maybe it was because of what he saw as he passed by a certain pink-haired girl's house.
He stopped his movements when he looked at her house. One window was still lit with light and Shikamaru could easily see something that wasn't there before. Her window perch, which was once empty. was now adorned with a vase filled with delicate cherry blossoms. Shikamaru knew they were new. He always passed by Sakura's house while going home and he never saw it until tonight. He had only one theory about who gave them to her and he would soon find himself right as always.
Shikamaru walked along the road even farther until he met face to face with Uchiha Sasuke. The dark-haired boy was also taking a stroll. Both acknowledged each other silently with a nod. As Sasuke passed by, Shikamaru glanced at something unfamiliar on the boy's head. A petal. A cherry blossom petal. It was caught in Sasuke's head full of black hair. When the boy was out of sight, Shikamaru smirked like never before.
"Now, that wasn't so troublesome huh, Sasuke?" Shikamaru whispered to no one in particular.
Sou stared at Shikamaru with gigantic, wide eyes. "So he really did give her flowers?"
Shikamaru nodded slowly. "I'm highly sure. It was soon after that things started to take a good turn for both of them. Raven and Flower started spending more time together. Both were rarely seen without the other."
"Were they dating each other after?" Yuriko asked with high anticipation.
To her disappointment, Shikamaru shook his head. "No, they were just trying to fix their friendship. There was no deep affection yet. They just spent a lot of time with each other, I guess. Every time we saw them, Raven was always quiet and reserved while Flower always had a smile, trying to tease him."
Yuriko pouted, her cheeks puffing. She crossed her arms across her chest, blowing her hair away from her face. "Mou, when is there gonna be a story where they really fall in love?"
Shikamaru leaned back against the couch, distracting his attention from the two kids to his twins. He poked one of their cheeks, who started giggling. It pleased Shikamaru inside. The other twin let out a loud yawn and immediately laid his head on his father's lap. The second was quick to follow suit. Shikamaru rubbed both their backs. He glanced across to the kitchen, where his wife was. He smelled the scent of a new piece of steak being cooked and made. A content smile appeared across his face. He was glad how things turned out for him.
"You know, word has it that a certain person saw a special moment between Raven and Flower."
Sou and Yuriko's jaws dropped. They quickly stood up and gathered around their Uncle Shika, inching closer to his face.
"What did they do? Did they kiss? Hug? Confess their love for each other? Have fun under the sheets? Get married? Proposed to her? Who knows it? Or is it something bad? No, it can't be bad! Mr. Inuzuka told us it ended happy! Or maybe he lied! Whatever, what did they do?! TELL US!" They pleased. Shikamaru hushed them, motioning his twins that slept soundly on his lap.
"Now, now, you guys. The man who knows this story is easy to find," Shikamaru explained quietly. "I'm sure you're familiar with a certain man who always wear a green jumpsuit?"
It took a few seconds for the kids' face to light up in delight. They faced each other and excitedly, said at the same time:
"Mr. Lee!"
And once again, the two kids began the next step of their adventure hunt for the story. They said goodbye to the Naras and began their sprint to where the next person laid. Shikamaru watched as the door shut violently due to their childish impatience. Carefully and strategically, he positioned his sons so that their heads were on the couch inside of his lap. He picked up a small blanket and covered the two bodies. They breathed in a high-pitch and Shikamaru took a moment to stare at his sons. They looked so peaceful and content, just like their father. Shikamaru leaned down to kiss both of of their heads. He walked quietly to the kitchen, pausing to look at Ino attempt to cook the new steak. He snuck up behind her, encircling his arms around her tiny waist. He heard her giggle when he kissed her neck.
"I love you, Ino," He said quietly and affectionately.
"Shikamaru, what's this all a sudden?" Ino asked as his kisses tickled her.
"I just felt like it, especially after telling them that story," Shikamaru replied as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "Since the kids are sleeping, I was thinking..."
She slapped him playfully on his hands, laughing. "No, I gotta finish making dinner! It's going to be the best ever! But you know, maybe afterwards..."
Shikamaru grumbled. "Chouji's not coming though."
"Hey, you shouldn't be happy about that!" Ino argued back innocently. "Ever since he became an ANBU, he's always busy! We gotta spend more time with him whenever he can! If only he wasn't still substituting. Shouldn't the 'captain' be back by now?"
Shikamaru shook his head, chuckling.
"Yuriko and Sou's father likes to take his time."