Ever since that day in the garden Ino had taken to hanging out with Naruto in her free time. And as she continued to interact with the bright bubbly boy she found herself enjoying their time together more and more.

She and Naruto had mostly stuck to spending time in his garden, however every now and then they would go to Ichiraku Ramen, which Ino had to admit did serve the best ramen she'd ever tasted.

Not all was sunshine and roses however, for one time Ino had caught Naruto in the shopping district and had called out to him. Upon hearing his name he turned his gaze to her, although Ino's smile fell as she realized he wasn't the only one.

Ino's instincts screamed at her as she noticed most of the civilians had stopped in their tracks to stare at her, hostility in their eyes. Ino would have likely frozen up if Naruto hadn't acted quickly, taking her by the hand and pulling her along with him as he darted away.

Naruto didn't stop running until they had reached his garden where Ino was finally allowed to stop and catch her breath. When she finally recovered enough to get her bearings she looked up at the unusually quiet Naruto to find him with a look of trepidation on his face.

"Are you okay Ino?" He asked her, worry tinging his voice.

"Yeah." She answered, "What was that?"

"I'm sorry." He apologized suddenly.

"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault."

"But it is!" He burst out, "They're always looking at me like that! Like I'm something they have to wipe off the bottom of their shoe! And now they'll look at you like that too because they saw you talking to me!"

At this Naruto seemed to run out of steam and the tears he had been furiously holding back came flooding from his eyes.

"I'm sorry Ino. I'm sorry. Please don't hate me, I'm sorry."

Ino didn't quite understand what he was saying, but she could tell that her friend was suffering right in front of her and that she had to do something. Thus she decided her best course of action would be to hug him, after all that was how her own parents often calmed her down.

That seemed to be the right choice to make for, immediately after wrapping her arms around him, his sobbing lowered in intensity and volume. Remembering her own memories of being comforted, she started running her fingers through his hair in a soothing manner that appeared to calm him further.

A few more minutes later and he had finally calmed down enough to stop shaking.

"Are you okay now?"

Naruto was slow to respond, but eventually nodded his head in affirmation.

"Good. Now let me tell you something Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto flinched as, though their time together was short, he had already learned that whenever Ino called him by his full name it was often subsequently followed by something he wasn't particularly happy to hear.

"Ino-" He croaked, trying to stop her from saying the words he didn't want to hear.

"No, you will listen to me Naruto." She interrupted his own attempt at interrupting her, "You need to hear this."

Ino took a deep breath and Naruto tried to ready himself for the worst.

"You're an idiot."

Naruto felt his heart sink as his fears appeared to come true, but then Ino continued.

"You're reckless, and you're bad at school, and you cause a lot of trouble with your pranks, and I will never never stop being your friend, and you're an idiot if you ever thought otherwise."

Naruto felt a lump form in his throat as he tried not to cry.

"Why?"

And then Ino smiled at him in a way that made his breath catch in his throat and his heart seize.

"Because you're a wonderful person Naruto. You may be a troublemaker, but you're kind, and caring, and fun to be around. I don't care what other people think because I know what you really are."

"What I really am?"

"Mmmhmm! And you want to know what you are?"

"What?"

"You, Uzumaki Naruto, are strong."

Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

"But I'm dead last."

"I don't mean that kind of strength Naruto."

"Then what did you mean?"

Ino resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his inability to decipher her words. That was simply one of the things that made him so loveable.

"Do you see those flowers over there?"

Naruto turned to look at the beautiful orange flowers blooming in a section of his garden.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember what those are?"

Naruto shook his head, unable to come up with a name despite the fact that Ino must have told him once or twice before.

"Those, Naruto, are gladiolus. And do you know what they represent?"

Naruto, once again, shook his head, not really sure where she was going with this.

"Gladiolus represent a strength of character. And you, Naruto, are the strongest person I've ever met. More than Kiba, or Shino, or Chouji, or Shikamaru. Hell, even more than Sasuke! Because you never give up! No matter how many times you get knocked down, no matter how often people insult you or look down on you, you always, always, stand right back up and keep going."

"Heh," He chuckled embarredly, scratching at the back of his head, "I guess I am pretty stubborn. I never go back on my word, that's my nindo!"

"Exactly! And just like you I have my own nindo. I won't ever abandon my friends, no matter what! So you're stuck with me, you got that?!"

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, a genuine smile forming on his face, "I got it."

"Good. Now how about we get Ichiraku today. My treat."

"Seriously? Yes! You're the best Ino!"

Naruto picked Ino up in a bear hug and spun her around a few times before he released her and took off, trying to get a head start.

"Last one there's a rotten egg!"

And as Ino stared after him, shaking her head in exasperation, she tried to tell herself that her lightheadedness was from being spun around and not from being in such close contact with the boy.

'Seriously,' She thought to herself, 'He bounces back fast. I guess that's part of his charm, though. He really is strong like the gladiolus in his garden.'