Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

AN: Thank you very much for the follows, favorites and especially the review. Thank you for reading and your continuous support to my story.

"Speech"
'Thoughts'

Chapter 26: Inviting Ino

—oOo—

Sasuke's POV

—oOo—

It was an average day in Konoha. He was helping in the Yamanaka flower shop as usual when Naruto barged in to deliver another package for Ino. It was clear that Naruto is still faithful to Hinata which lead him to believe that he was doing it for someone else. He doubted that it was a civilian. According to Itachi's resources the Kazekage was interested in Ino and knowing the relationship between Naruto and Gaara. He was sure that Naruto was courting Ino in behalf of Gaara. Before Ino could make a comment about the package, his mother entered the shop and informed Naruto that he was needed elsewhere. Naruto left hurriedly.

"You're at the flower shop again Sasuke." Mikoto commented then made a blatant assessment of his attire, "Are you a part-time worker of the shop? If you're saving money for dating funds then you don't have to. Just focus on wooing Karin. *cough* I mean your woman. The Uchiha wealth should not be underestimated. I'll make a reservation for your date at the Red Dragon. I'll make sure that they gave you the best private booth available for your date. I think tomorrow at 7pm is plenty of time for her to prepare. It was nice seeing you. I'll have to go." Mikoto continued then left to follow Naruto.

First, he is not interested in Karin. Second, he's not a part time worker. Third, aside from the Uchiha wealth he had a lot of savings from his shinobi missions because he did not have a bottomless stomach like Naruto, he wasn't like Shikamaru who will treat his always hungry teammate, he's not like Kakashi who wasted his money on tasteless books and he's not like the Hokage who emptied her money in gambling houses. 'But even if I explained to Mother, I am sure it would fell on deaf ears. The good part is that Mother expected me to do the inviting. I could just ignore the reservation.' He thought.

"Wow a dinner in Red Dragon. It must be nice to be a member of a prominent clan." Ino mused.

"The Yamanaka is a prominent clan in Konoha." He refuted.

"Yes, we are but it was not the same level as the Uchihas and Hyuugas and you have the sharingan which could copy any jutsu except for bloodline techniques and the Hyuugas have the Byakugan which could see almost everything. I wonder what kind of eyes would a person born from an Uchiha and Hyuuga. Any chance you fancy Hanabi? Ino asked.

He raised his eyebrow a little upon hearing Ino's question. "I am not interested in Hanabi." He began but was interrupted by Ino.

"I know because you're head over heels to Karin." Ino interrupted.

'Again I was not interested on the Uzumaki but like his mother; it was useless to deny it to Ino. She'll just assume that I was being shy.' He decided to continue where he left off. "It was useless to have someone born from both Uchiha and Hyuuga because the child will only inherit one eye from each of his parents thus he would not be able to maximize the capabilities of his eyes. If the merging of both clans were possible, the council would surely demand a merging by now but they learned early that it was a fruitless effort. Even though are eyes are capable of many things, it is a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because it allowed us to become a better shinobi. It's a curse because our eyes are coveted and unlike your bloodline techniques, ours can be stolen." He explained.

"I wonder if sharingan will suit me. I heard from Shisui that Konoha preserves the sharingan even if the owner is dead. He mentioned something about Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan but also because Konoha wanted another Kakashi. I have to improve my chakra reserves if I want to earn those sharingan." Ino said.

"I think it would be a waste to exchange such captivating eyes for dull ink black eyes. You're plenty strong. You do not need the sharingan." He replied. He could feel himself blush for such a shameless comment. He made an effort to look at the clock and said. "It was almost 12. I have to meet up with Itachi. I'll be back later." He hurriedly left.

—oOo—

He decided to visit the river near his house. He needed to calm himself from his shameless behavior. He was glad that Naruto, Kiba or Shisui was not present to witness his humiliating behavior. He wondered if he was too obvious to Ino. He hoped that Ino would not think too much of it. It was too early for him to confess. Ino enjoyed the feeling of being in love and liked to do the chasing. He should get a proper hold of his feelings. He decided to meditate to fix his somewhat lovesick behavior.

He's back to his usual frame of mind. He's going to return to the flower shop. Just because he could not make his feelings known for now, it doesn't mean that he would not get in the way of those who are trying to court Ino.

—oOo—

He returned to the flower shop and was welcomed by Ino. He was glad that Ino did not question him further about his shameless behavior. A customer arrived to order flowers for his girlfriend. Said customer asked if it was possible to have the flowers delivered tonight at the Red Dragon. Ino requested for the name of the recipient and the time of the delivery. The customer paid for the flowers and left the shop.

"Did you invite Karin to your dinner date tomorrow while you're gone?" Ino asked.

"I didn't. I have no plans on attending the dinner date." He answered.

Ino smacked him on the head. He really wondered why he liked a violent woman. "Don't waste such a good restaurant and food just because you're being shy. Karin would love to join you for dinner." Ino tried to encourage him.

He gave Ino a very serious and piercing look. "I am not interested in Karin and I am not shameless enough to dine alone in such a classy restaurant. I would look like I was stood up." He replied.

"You can invite Naruto, Shisui or Itachi." Ino suggested.

"Yes, because having a dinner with a guy in a romantic restaurant full of couples is better than the idea of me being stood up." He responded.

"You can invite Sakura." Ino suggested.

"No. I'd rather not cause any misunderstanding since Itachi is serious about Sakura." Then he made a blatant gesture of looking towards Ino from head to foot. "If you're free tomorrow night, perhaps you could accompany me since you seemed to hate the idea of wasting the food and reservation." He nonchalantly asked though he was sweating bullets inside.

Ino seemed to be troubled by the invitation. 'Did she hate me? But I've been in my best behavior since I learned of my feelings. I even restrained myself from frustrating and teasing her too much when we are together.' He thought while he waited for the blonde's response.

"You're lucky that I like Red Dragon." Ino responded. He raised his eyebrow slightly. "I'll accompany you. It's a rare treat for me because we both know that Red Dragon is a pricey establishment and as you mentioned earlier one would look pitiful if one is dining alone or with family or friends of the same gender." Ino elaborated.

"Hn" He grunted. He was happy that Ino agreed on a date with him even if it was friendly date on her side. He'll have to look for a nice set of clothes for tomorrow. He hoped that he would find one in his closet if not then he'll just have to brave the shopping center and ignore the flirty sales lady and cashier.

—oOo—

AN: Thank you for reading my story. I would love to hear your opinions. I am still looking for a beta reader.