Sakura, exhausted from another long morning shift at the hospital, walks toward her home. She needs to return in the evening for training with Tsunade-sama. She loves the woman, as a Hokage and as a teacher, but she is a goddamn slave driver. As she continues on her way home, she sees the purple Yamanaka Flower Shop sign hanging proudly over the orange tiles of the roof. Sakura frowns and crosses the street to avoid the shop. Continuing her walk, she sighs as she stops in place.
"Stop acting like a child, Sakura." The emerald eyed kunoichi whispers to herself. Ino did nothing wrong. She gave a plant to Naruto, woo, sound the alarm, how scandalous. Sakura is smart, but she cannot figure out why she felt so negatively about a simple thing like Ino giving the whiskered shinobi a gift. Even if Naruto did not tell her about it, so what? It's not Sakura told him everything about her life. And it's just a plant, nothing romantic, nothing Ino would use to mess with Naruto for fun. And, c'mon, Ino and Naruto? Fat chance.
Nodding her head in acceptance and clearing her mind, Sakura turns on her heels, eager to see Ino so she could put her personal, and completely unnecessary, qualm beneath her. She opens the door, the bell ringing pleasantly, and she greets her best friend who is behind the counter.
"Ino-pig! How are you?" Sakura asks jovially.
Ino, surprised by Sakura's tone, quickly returns a warm smile. "Hey, forehead, I'm good. You look tired, long shift, huh?"
"Yeah," Sakura grunted, "And I've got training with shishou in the evening."
"Damn girl, keep that up and you'll never have a love life."
Sakura rolls her eyes. It is not like she is interested in a love life anyway. Really there is only one man for her… "Well, if you ask me, you could use some more training."
Ino grins impishly, "Well good thing no one asked you Sakura-chan." She teases.
Sakura leans forward so her forearms are on the counter. "Anyway, anything new go-"
"Yo, Ino, I'm done, is th-Sakura-chan?!"
Sakura turns her head to see her teammate standing at the door way of one of the rooms…oh god he's shirtless. Seeing him standing there, Sakura realizes the last time she saw him half naked is back when they were both genin. He is still growing, but his body changed so much already. His clothes are still too baggy, she can only appreciate that now. His shoulders are wider than she ever thought, his chest is chiseled, no six pack for the youth, but his abdomen is so flat, lacking any fat despite his diet, no doubt burned off by his excessive training, and his arms, one flexing ever so slightly, placed on his hip, she can see the developed bicep muscles. And there is something about his forearms that she…fuck she's staring.
"You okay there, forehead." Sakura turns her head slightly, the blonde bitch is trying to hide her huge smirk and failing terribly. Sakura needs to swallow before she can speak.
"Naruto, put your shirt on."
The blonde looks down, as if just noticing he's topless. "Oh shit, be right back!" He darts down a set of stairs Sakura is unable to see.
"What the fuck was that." Sakura does not even attempt to hide the venom in her voice.
If Ino is scared or nervous, it is impossible to tell over the generous smirk on her face. "What do you mean, forehead?"
"Why is Naruto here?" Sakura narrows her eyes instinctually. "And why is he s-shirtless!"
"He's helping me out with the shop." Ino shrugs languidly. "It gets pretty hot down there, with all the lamp lights for the plants…why see something you like?"
Sakura's face blazes, but she ignores Ino's remark. "And why on Earth is he helping you?"
Ino leans forward to the point where their noses almost brush, but Sakura refuses to back down. "Well, maybe he can't so no to a pretty face. Why, did you expect him to only respond to your beck and call?"
Sakura reels back, ready to let out a ferocious insult at her best friend when Naruto pops back into the room, bringing with him jubilant energy that is in stark contrast to the tension created by the two kunoichi.
"Sakura-chan! I feel like it's been forever since I've seen ya!" Naruto exclaims happily.
"We saw each other four days ago, for lunch, remember." Sakura's tone is sour, but Naruto completely misses it.
Naruto beams, "Still, dunno, felt longer."
"What are you doing here." Sakura blurts out to her teammate, she hears Ino growling behind her, but pointedly ignores her.
Naruto sweeps his eyes between the two kunoichi, suddenly sensing something unusual about the two, but answers without thinking anyway, "I'm helping out Ino, y'know, moving bags, watering plants, opening boxes and stuff."
"Why?" Sakura cuts to the heart of the matter. She's uninterested in fluff or pretending to broach the topic with any sensitivity.
Naruto tries, he really tries hard, to hold back the blush threatening his face, but he fails miserably and a rose colour blooms across his nose and cheeks.
Ino is covering her mouth with her hands, but Naruto sees her teeth between her fingers; she's beaming. Sakura on the other hand, is almost expressionless and it scares Naruto a bit. Naruto is stupid, but he knows he fucked up somehow and Sakura is reacting to that.
"I, uh, I'm just making up for the…the plant, y'know." Naruto curses himself. It sounds so lame, he is cringing himself, even though he's the one who just said it.
"I see." Sakura's voice is even, and beads of sweat run-down Naruto's neck.
"You look thirsty, Sakura," Ino interrupts the teammates dialogue. Naruto sees Sakura's face twitch at Ino's tone, it is the kind of twitch she shows when Naruto does something to piss her off, but he can't figure out what about being thirsty warrants that response. "Can you get her a glass of iced tea, Naruto? You know where it is, right?" Ino's tone is saccharine.
"Yeah, duh!" Naruto sticks his tongue out at his fellow blonde, who grins back at him and he leaves to get a glass of tea from the backroom.
Opening the fridge, he pours a glass of tea for Sakura, and another one for Ino. He makes his way back to the front of the store, but finds that his pink-haired friend already left.
"Where's Sakura?" Naruto asks as he places one of the tea glasses in front of the platinum blonde who looks surprised.
"Uh, thanks, Naruto." Ino takes the glass. "She went home." Ino says, her voice a bit deflated.
Naruto frowns, and drinks the iced tea in three big gulps. "I'll be right back." Naruto promises before he rushes after his crush.
Ino sags in her chair and thinks about the interaction between Sakura, Naruto, and herself.
Ino can't really understand, why, now, Sakura decides to be territorial. Three years go by and she says nothing about Naruto, at least not in a romantic way. Even when he comes back, its same old, same old. So, what if Ino flirts with him a little bit? It's not like Sakura knows they are fucking, and even if she did, how is it her business? If she wanted Naruto, she should have accepted one of his dates already.
It's not even fun to tease the pink-haired girl because she takes every little thing so fucking seriously.
Ino sighs as she runs a hand through her platinum hair. Ino likes Naruto, but only as a friend and a fuck partner. It's not as if she holds any special feelings toward him. She lost Sakura once to their crush on Sasuke, she didn't really want to lose her over Naruto now.
But.
It's not like with Sasuke, where they actually liked the boy.
Plus, Naruto has a hot body. And he's kind of cute. And he's available. And he's got a big dick.
Just like that, Ino finds herself circling back to her original point. As long as Naruto's single and willing, she will fuck him. There really isn't much else to think about.
Sure in her decision, she waits for the blonde stud to return.
Naruto walks back into the store soon after, shoulders slumped.
"Didn't go well, huh?" Ino asks, already knowing the answer.
"I don't get it, Ino, what did I do to her to make her so mad?" Naruto's voice cracks a bit.
Ino pities the boy and moves closer so she can hug him and rub his back soothingly. "There, there, don't worry about it." Naruto stiffens, but then melts into her embrace, his body weighing down on her.
"I can't, I need to know what I did." Naruto murmurs into her scalp, his hands wrapped around her hips loosely. Ino sighs and pulls back from him before walking towards the store door and turning the sign closed. She also closes the blinds to Naruto's confusion.
She's glad her parents are away today.
The platinum blonde takes off her purple top and her black bra underneath, throwing them onto a nearby table.
"What are you doing?" Naruto blurts, eyes like saucers.
"Comforting you baby, come here." Ino raises her hands out toward her boy toy, beckoning him toward her bosom.
Naruto's eyes narrow, his voice hisses with heat, "You think I'm simple? You think showing your tits will just cheer me up?"
"I think you are absolutely simple, now shut up and come here." Ino demands, her arms still outstretched, glaring back at the muscular shinobi.
Ino's retort quiets him and quells his anger. He curses internally, not understanding what power she has over him to always make him do as she says. He walks reluctantly toward her, the gorgeous blonde's smile getting wider with each step. When he finally reaches her, she reaches towards his head, gripping his soft hair between her firm fingers, and pulls it towards her chest.
Her breasts are perfect to Naruto. Ample, but not oversized. He nuzzles against them unconsciously, and he hears the Yamanaka heir purr from the action.
"Why don't you suck on them?" She coos, petting his hair. Each stroke of his head sends a shiver of delight down to his belly. He obliges with her command, kissing her tit flesh first before taking her pebble of a nipple in his mouth.
Ino hums in pleasure as he gently takes care her of her nipple, swirling it and prodding against it with his tongue, before switching and giving the other one the same treatment. She moves from petting his hair to massaging the back of his neck gently. He responds to her actions by suckling on her tits, causing the beautiful blonde to laugh despite wanting to placate him.
The jingle of her laugh makes Naruto feel better than tasting her tits do, not that he will ever tell her that, and he pulls off Ino's chest, looking into her eyes bashfully. The aquamarine eyed girl smiles at him and kisses him on the lips, surprisingly chaste for her.
"How's that? Agree you're just a simple boy now?" She jeers at him playfully.
Naruto scratches his nose and looks away. "Man, you are so…"
"Yes?" Ino askes, her eyes fluttering and her smile is like a punch to his stomach, but, somehow, he doesn't hate that feeling.
Naruto sighs, knowing his face is on fire like a simpleton, "Thanks, I feel better." Naruto says instead of choosing to challenge her remark.
"Really, and how about your cock?" Ino's smile became mischievous as she reaches toward his pelvis, her hands pressing against his abdomen and her fingers dipping below the waistbands of his pants and boxers. She only reaches into his downy pubes when Naruto grips her wrist with just enough force to stop her from continuing. "Kami, what now?" Ino spits, annoyed.
"Not today, Ino, not now. I don't feel like it."
"Don't feel like it?" Ino asks, nonplussed. While the tent in his pants seemed modest, Ino knows better. Flipping her hand, breaking his grip in the process, she grips the waistbands. She pulls them away from his pelvis, his oversized cock springs up, now that it's not compressed by his tight boxers, and slaps against his stomach. It's impossible to appreciate how hung he is when he wears those ridiculously baggy track pants. "Fucking look at that!"
Naruto growls and pulls her hand off his clothing, sheathing his cock back inside his pants. "What the hell is wrong with you? Is sex the only thing on your brain? I'm having a problem, I need advice, I need support! I thought you were trying to calm me down. You just want to get your rocks off." Naruto spat bitterly.
Ino trembles from the accusation, her eyes screaming for murder. She takes the time to console him and he dares throw it back in her face? "How dare you. Just because I want your big dick, you think you can talk to me like that? No other girl will even look at you, you should be on your knees worshiping me if I want to touch your cock, let alone fuck it!"
"See! That's exactly what I mean! I'm not talking about my dick or anything. Why are you so focused on that shit? Why is everything you do physical? Aren't you a mind reader? I need some emotional support."
The words come out of Ino's mouth and its built from the harshness of insulting others she's developed since her youth. Of course, she does not mean it, but it's not like Naruto knows that. "You think I care about you?"
There is silence as both parties absorb what the Yamanaka heir just uttered.
Ino cannot, in her life, remember a times she's messed up as badly as right now.
The platinum blonde darts in front of the door, preemptively trying to stop him from leaving, her mouth garbling apologies. "Naruto, please wait, I didn't mean that, I swear!"
"Move." There isn't anger in his eyes. Not a promise of violence. No unshed tears, no disbelief, no sadness. His eyes are indifferent; apathetic. It really scares Ino and her heart drops to her stomach. She believes she's seen the full gauntlet of the whiskered youth's emotions before, but never this expression.
"Naruto please, I'll listen to your Sakura problem, I won't touch you, I just…Naruto please I said that without thinking! I care about you, please, don't just leave." Ino clasps her hands in front of her and pathetically, she feels tears starting to fall down her face.
Naruto is unmoved. He grabs the girl, ready to displace her and leave the store when she wraps her arms as tightly around his torso as she can. He feels her body shaking against his, and that causes him to pause.
"Please, please, please." She chants into his chest. Her face is so damp, his shirt is legitimately becoming soaked.
Naruto is unsure what to do. Toss her aside and leave or soothe her?
Before he can decide, his stomach growls viciously.
Naruto feels his face heating up in embarrassment. Ino looks up at him eyes wide in shock. Her face is a mess. Tears streaking across her face, taking along with some of her makeup. Her nose is running and her eyes are red. Naruto always thought of her as physically perfect, so seeing her an ugly mess like this should disturb him. Instead it quells some of the ice heat in his belly.
"Lunch!" Ino blurts, "Let me buy you lunch, let me talk to you, I'll help you I swear. Please? Please?" There is so much hope in Ino's eyes that Naruto, nearly heartbroken from her statement before, relents despite himself being emotionally drained.
"Okay, okay, Ino…just…stop crying."
Ino quickly extracts herself from him and finds some tissues to wipe her nose and eyes, cleaning her make up as well. When she finishes, she smiles at him gently, apologizing once more.
Her smile makes his stomach flip, like many times before. He's never liked that she can cause that sensation, but he's never despised it as much as right now.
They go to Ino's favourite BBQ restaurant and Naruto really isn't in the mood to complain so he does not try to convince her to go to Ichiraku's instead.
They are silent for a long time, waiting for things to arrive and then cooking the meat. Ino does all the work, and gives him the juiciest pieces. She also takes any of the ones that are accidently burnt. The action makes Naruto feel bad about himself, especially because she's trying so hard to appease him, but a part of him believes this isn't even suffering, so why should it affect him?
"Um, which one do you like the most? I'll order some more."
"The pork belly, I guess." He actually did not care. He knows the food is delicious but he can hardly pay attention to the taste.
"Okay, sure!" Ino smiles hesitantly before calling the waiter over to get more pork belly.
Naruto sips his water. His expression is docile compared to before, but his inner emotions are in complete turmoil, still not sure if he should forgive the platinum blonde or end their odd relationship all together. And then Sakura's anger toward him caused him great frustration as well.
"Naruto, again, I'm really, really sorry." The demure behavior did not suit Ino at all, Naruto thinks.
"Yeah, sure." He sips more water, his heart feeling cold again.
Another lull filled with silence as they waited for the pork belly. Naruto cannot concentrate on what is in front of him. His emotions feel numb, and he hates it. The worst part is he doesn't even understand why he cares what Ino think of him anyway. When were they ever that close? Just because they were intimate physically did not mean that extended to emotional intimacy. Naruto sips the water again to break his dour thoughts.
"I like running my hands in your hair, you know?" Ino breaks the silence, her voice low and meek. Naruto stares at her, confused. "I like how it feels, but I like more that you feel good from it. I also like your smile. It's cute, and you're usually so genuine with it. Your body, you should know how much I like that too, right?"
"What?" Naruto is lost in what she is trying to convey.
Ino brings her hand to her face, pressing on the bridge of her nose with two fingers. "No wait, those are all physical stuff, just give me a second…" Her eyes snap open and she smiles, more confident in her speech now. "Oh, I love how much you want to protect your comrades. And even though you whine and complain, you still always help me with my chores when I ask. And it's so sweet when you do stuff like bring me iced tea when I don't even ask for it, and like, when you wait for me to close up before you leave, even when we aren't doing anything. I like how you can take a joke and you can give one back without being mean about it. When you train, I see that you put one hundred percent into it, and that, like, makes me feel warm inside? I don't know how to explain it but when I see that, it's…I know you will be Hokage someday."
Ino's speech left Naruto almost frozen in disbelief. That she could think so much about him. Ino began to speak again, her eyes gleaming with determination.
"When you-"
Naruto covers her mouth with his hand. His cerulean blue eyes gazing into her aquamarine blue ones. The ice in his blood is gone. The heartache he had is gone, replaced by the warmth of Ino's words. He doesn't feel great though, he feels easy, cheap. But she is trying so hard, Naruto appreciates that the most.
"I get it Ino. I get it." He removes his hand from her mouth, and she looks like she might cry again.
"Do you…do you..." She can't finish her sentence. She rubs her eyes vigorously, trying to stop tears from falling.
"Yes, Ino, I forgive you."
"Thank you, Naruto, thank you." Ino takes a napkin and dabs at her eyes. "Oh shoot, the meat got burnt." Ino picks up the tongs took take them onto her plate. "Let me order some more for you."
"Nah, forget it, just pass me some." Naruto held his plate out.
"But…but they're burnt." Ino says, eyes wide.
"You were going to eat them anyway, right?" Naruto cocks his head.
"I just hate wasting food, you don't have to eat this."
"I like that about you, Ino. That you think that way." Naruto smiles at the platinum blonde. Her face turns red, so unusual for her, Naruto thinks. "What? You just spent two minutes complimenting me and you can't take one back?" Naruto teases her.
Ino's mouth twitches, unsure to form a grin or a frown. "Oh, you, ugh! Fine here you go." Ino places half the burnt meat on his plate and keeps the other half on hers.
The mood is much lighter now and the two trade jokes as they eat the slightly charred meat.
"About Sakura," Ino starts, finished with her food, "I kind of know what's going on. I actually knew for a bit, since we ate ramen all together that one time."
"You know why she's mad at me?" Naruto asks, still supping on a few pieces of meat. None of them were as badly burnt as he initially thought. The flavour pops in his mouth now.
"Yeah, basically, she's upset I'm spending time with you, but she's taking it out on you instead of me." Ino explained.
"What?" Naruto interrupts, not believing Ino's assertion. "That makes no sense."
"Yeah, at first it was just because I mentioned the plant-"
"You're lying." Naruto interrupts again. "There's no way she's upset because you gave me Toko-chan."
Ino gives the whiskered boy a small glare before she continues, "I'm not lying! But, see, that wasn't really that bad, what she actually got upset about was finding you in the store helping me out."
"But why? I mean you and me are secretly, y'know, but there's no way she knows that! Why would she be mad just coz I helped you out?" Bewildered, Naruto can barely keep his voice at room level and the couple sitting in the booth next to them send an annoyed look his way.
"I don't know if its specifically me, or any girl out there, but she doesn't want us getting along." Ino tells him, while thinking of a better way to explain. "It's like this. She doesn't like you, but she doesn't want you to like someone else. Does that make sense?"
Ino sees Naruto trying to process the information. Eventually he seems to accept it.
"Okay, fine. But, why?" Naruto understands, superficially, what Ino is saying, but cannot comprehend why anyone would act such a way.
"Sometimes girls are just like that, okay?"
"Well, how come she thinks I like you, or you like me, I don't think we did anything like that." Naruto frowns, trying to remember any egregious examples.
"I wiped your mouth, I knows I gave you a plant, she saw you at my place helping me out even though we never hung out much before, and you knew where the iced tea was." Ino raises a finger with each point.
"That's not really anything!" Naruto cries out, still confused.
Ino merely shrugs and gives him a soft smile. "That's how forehead is, Naruto. She's pretty sharp actually, because I did them all on purpose."
"Wait, what?"
"I didn't know she would freak out like that. I was just teasing her, besides you're right, it's nothing serious, she just decided to take it that way."
Naruto still stuck onto her last point, "How was any of that on purpose?"
Ino rolls her eyes at the cute blonde's naivete, "Naruto, I asked you to get a drink at that time specifically."
Naruto crosses his arms, eyes scrunching up, "But what does that even accomplish?"
"She knows you know where my kitchen is, duh!" Ino imagines this is what Iruka-sensei must have felt trying to explain basic ninja theory to the whiskered blonde as an academy student.
Naruto sighs and leans back, looking at the ceiling for a moment, before turning back to Ino. "I'm done for today. This is too much for my brain."
"Well, if you need to talk, I'm ready anytime." Ino's smile is meek again, she doesn't want to upset him, but he returns one that's stretches across his face.
"Thanks, Ino, that means a lot."
Pleased with how everything worked out, Ino calls the waiter, paying the bill and giving a hefty tip.
As they leave the restaurant, Ino wraps her both her arms around one of Naruto's snuggling up against him.
"What are you doing?" Naruto sputters. While they are extremely intimate in private, Ino never showed any affection out in the open like this before.
"I almost lost you as a friend today, let me have some skin-ship!" Ino giggles, rubbing against him. Naruto feels butterflies in his stomach. Her laugh is so annoying.
"By the way, I'm sorry I acted like that, at the shop." Naruto began to apologize when they reach the store, but Ino stops moving and grasps his face, staring directly at him.
"Naruto, stop. I tried to hurt you back in the store because I was being stupid, and I got what I deserved. I just want you to know I never, ever meant that, okay? Don't apologize, but please forgive me." Her eyes filled with so much care, Naruto feels warm from his head to toe and feels his penis stirring despite it being such a feel-good moment.
"Right." Naruto says simply, trying to calm himself down, but Ino is like a hawk and notices his problem immediately.
She pulls him over to whisper in his ear. "Come with me, Naruto, let me take care of you."
Naruto hesitates, "Maybe it's n-" Ino covers his mouth gently with her hand and continues whispering.
"I've been such a bad girl, haven't I? Made you sooo mad. Don't you need to punish me, don't you need to punish your naughty little girl?" Ino pulls back and removes her hand, her eyelashes fluttering and her eyes filled with that familiar desire, but her talk this time is new to Naruto. She always took the lead and now she wants him to…The smoldering look in her eyes as she bits her lip so hard in anticipation that it bleeds pushes Naruto into action.
He leans over licking her bloody lip causing her to mewl and then she pulls him into her store, not breaking their kiss.
He is new to the idea, but his punishes her thoroughly.
Although most people who get punished don't smile as much as Ino does.
A/N: This got way more serious than I ever intended it to be. This was supposed to be an easy breezy beautiful cover girl kind of story. But when I got to the part where Sakura leaves the store, I went haywire and typed all that shit in one go, until they go get BBQ.
Oh well, going to add the drama tag.
Not going to add lemons to this story, but hope I can make the next chapter sexier or something.
Btw does the description of the story still make sense with these new developments?