BIRTHDAY GIFT – CHILDHOOD CAKE – FREE PROMPT: FLOWERS

Boruto, Sarada, Mitsuki, Shikadai, and Chocho were sitting together at Kaminari Burger, cornered gossiping in low voices about something Inojin couldn't figure out. The frustration of the two girls caught his attention.

'Inojin' Shikadai reacted as he saw him approaching them.

'What's up?'

'We were choosing a gift for Sumire for her birthday, do you have any ideas?'

'How about giving her flowers?'

Sarada, who was the one with the worst face of despair, looked at him as if she had been illuminated.

'Yes!' she celebrated. After a few seconds, she perceived a detail and then sighed. 'But which flower?'

'I insist that my idea is better' Chocho demanded, provoking Sarada's intimidating look.

'How is it going to be better if you give her food?'

'But think about it, Sarada! She will love the cake without a doubt'

'Cakes have a lot of carbohydrates and sugars, they are fattening!' the Uchiha demanded, and she adjusted her glasses taking them from one of her sideburns. 'I think the idea of Inojin is better, besides that, his mother can help us for sure.'

'And flowers rot!' Chocho challenged her. 'And there is nothing better than cakes, it is a perfect gift for a birthday.'

'No! Flowers are more suitable!'

'Maybe we could do a vote' Shikadai proposed, and raised his arms, crossing them behind the back of his neck.'

'Good!' Sarada stated, clenching one of her fists in the air. 'Who votes to give her flowers?' and she and Inojin raised their hands. Boruto felt the murderous aura scrutinizing him. 'Boruto!'

'I'm sorry Sarada, but I liked Chocho's idea more.'

'I agree with Boruto' Mitsuki seconded with a slight smile.

'Three against two, accept it Sar ...' Chocho began, interrupted by Sarada's shock.

'Shikadai needs to answer.'

'What a nuisance ...' he lamented, about to yawn. 'Flowers are more suitable for the class rep, it is a good gift. Violets would be perfect.'

Sarada nodded and celebrated the last vote in her favor.

'Then it's a tie.'

Sarada calculated, silently, some strategy to convince Boruto, the key vote that she could win in favor. Her glasses reflected under the shining morning light as she planned her persuasion. He was playing on his portable console, bored of repeating the same video game for the past two weeks.

'What is Kawaki doing around here?' Shikadai asked suddenly, looking out.

Outside, on the dirt road of Konoha, a tall, stern-looking boy walked with his hands in his pockets, unaware that he was being watched.

'I don't know, he always goes for a walk alone.'

'Why don't you invite him?' Inojin suggested.

'Why should I, dattebasa!?'

'That is!' Sarada exclaimed. 'Bring him in and make him untie the tie' she ordered, now analyzing how she could convince Kawaki to support her idea.

Boruto snorted. Although at first he pretended not to care, he ended up deciding to go out and find him.

'Kawaki! Do you want to come?'

After receiving a couple of insults from Kawaki for his insistence, they went back with the group.

'Kawaki!' Chocho advanced. 'What do you think is better for a gift, cake or flowers?'

'I'm not interested'

'Vote for the flowers. They are pretty, many have special meanings, they smell good, they are colorful and we can also go to the Yamanaka store to choose them' Sarada justified, on the verge of stepping by to give her speech eloquently.

'Sarada, you don't learn, Kawaki knows that cakes are better. It can be your favorite, they are delicious, they are shared and you can also make a wish by blowing out the candles' Chocho proudly interceeded.

'Kawaki!' Both girls insisted in unison.

He stopped by to think. He didn't even know what kind of gift it was. He remembered the flowers of the vase that he had broken long ago, and his first impression when visiting that flower shop with Naruto and Sarada. Before that moment, another cake came to his mind, more like a dessert in the shape of a stuffed fish. That time, the taste of chocolate had left him more than amazed.

'I vote for the cake.'

'What!?' Sarada was surprised. She regretted her defeat, resting face on her arms on the table's surface. 'Okay ...' she accepted, after thinking for a moment.

'Anyways, why don't you give her the flowers?' Boruto asked Sarada, troubling her. The sudden emotion that rose in her at the suggestion of that idea made him feel strangely happy.

'I'm going to give her some violets!' She got excited, laying her hands on her face. Shaken, Boruto avoided making eye contact with the ear-to-ear grin that had spread across her face.

'If you want to go, my mom will be attending after noon' Inojin mentioned.

'Boruto, Mitsuki, are we now going to find out where to buy the cake?'

'You both go, I want to finish this level before training.'

Kawaki, irritated by the interruption of his morning walk, decided to leave without saying anything. He was tempted to eat taiyaki, but he had no money on his hands to buy it.

'Kawaki!' Boruto called him. 'Mom won't be home for lunch, should we stay here?'

'I didn't bring money' he answered, and a roar from his stomach betrayed him.

'Why don't you ask for money before you go out?' Boruto had seen it happening more than once. 'Okay, I pay, today I cashed the missions of last week.'

Late in the afternoon, Kawaki was finally alone. At last, he could relax and ponder on the streets of Konoha. Despite the little interest the morning talk brang on him, he began to wonder who this gift would be for.

'Kawaki kun!' A woman with long blond hair called him, leaning out of the door of her shop. 'How are you?'

He stopped and turned slightly to look at her.

'Why aren't you with the rest?' Ino smiled happily at him. 'They came here a while ago. They bought a bouquet of beautiful violet flowers.'

'The gift ...' he said, more to himself than to answer her.

'Huh?' Ino was surprised to see him empty-handed. 'You're not going to give her anything? Come, I'll give you something!'

Although not enthusiastic, Kawaki agreed to follow her. Ino hummed happily as she chose some flowers by arranging them, wrapped in purple cellophane.

'Take it!' 'she said as she handed him the bouquet. 'Sumire will love it!' she added and winked at him, giggling.

Sumire? Kawaki wondered. So the gift was for her… he thought. That girl was the first person he came across that time when trying to escape from the Advanced Technology Lab. She had been working there for quite a while, learning from Katasuke. No doubt he had seen her numerous times after the incident with her bestial pet, Nue.

He kept walking around, with the bouquet on his arms, unaware of the people watching and whispering as he passed. He also didn't know what to do with what Ino gave him, whether to drop it to lie somewhere or give it to someone in order to get rid of it. However, he was so absorbed in his thoughts regarding Sumire and the events that had occurred previously, that he inadvertently ended up forgetting about the thing in his hands.

Soon it was getting dark, and the streets were gathering more and more families, groups of friends, and couples running the last errands of the day. Blinded by the twilight light, he collided with a child.

'Hey!' he shouted bravely, but as he saw the child's frightened face, he understood that he had exceeded himself.'

'Sorry' the boy apologized with a slight bow, and ran away.

Watching him hurry away, another memory sprang up in his mind – the one on that day when he, as soon as he ran into another boy, approached to attack him with his artificial arm.

'Kawaki kun.'

The familiar voice came from a perpendicular alley – it sounded soft, gentle and above all, surprised.

Sumire had shrugged her arms and now she was staring at him with curiosity. Behind her, that towering beast guarded her back, screening Kawaki's appearance.

'You were taking a walk, weren't you?' She started, without paying too much attention to what he was carrying in his arms. 'Or did you have to buy something?'

Kawaki approached her and handed her the bouquet of flowers.

'This is for you.'

Sumire's eyes widened when she saw the gift. Her face flushed red, and she stammered, waving her arms.

'Awawawawa!'

The girl's nervous gestures confused him.

'Do you want it or not?'

'Y – y – yeah, yeah!' Sumire affirmed after calming her slight tremble.

She took the bouquet but not without looking Kawaki's taciturn temper.

'Forget–me–not.'

'Huh?'

The girl jumped so briefly that it almost scared Nue.

'I mean, the flowers, they are called like that.'

Kawaki was puzzled by Sumire's observation – he had believed all this time that those flowers were called violets, and that would have made sense, given the girl's name. Apparently, Ino Yamanaka chose a different gift than Sarada, Inojin and Shikadai.

'Do you like them?'

'Yes' Sumire replied with a soft smile. 'I'll put them soon in the last vase left.'

Sumire glared at the forget-me-nots: the purple petals, very close to blue, arranged in an almost perfect radial symmetry, bordering its yellow center.'

'Thank you, Kawaki kun.'

Purple streaks passed in front of him, joined by an aromatic trail that came from those flowers. Nue followed her, not without giving the boy an aggressive glance.

'See you!'