AN: Hey there I'm back ^^ and I'm glad that some of you liked what I wrote yesterday your support is greatly appreciated. Moving on to the next thing I want to talk about which is what direction will this story take, as of now I plan to take it real slow and just enjoy the ride where my mind will take me and I hope you guys/gals enjoy it too. I'm still working out the kinks and quirks to the whole story such as adding changes and twists to the cannon story which will lead to a domino effect. Regardless hope you all enjoy this new chapter, I made it longer too cheers ^^
- - - - - - - - - - Orange & Purple/Flowers of Love - - - - - - - - - -
"Mom! Dad!" Ino said after she knocked on her parents' door whilst Kaguya and Naruto stood beside her
They then heard footsteps coming from inside the house indicating that someone is indeed home. Ino averted her gaze to her daughter and told her that she should behave herself with her grandparents
"Now remember Kaguya, behave yourself with grandpa and grandma alright?..., or else you won't have ramen and pudding for dinner, is that clear?..." she said in a stern tone. Kaguya nodded in agreement and promised that she will behave while they were away
They then heard the doorknob twist which then opened the door revealing a groggy looking Inoichi, "oh..., what brings you here sweetie?..." he asked Ino
"Daddy can you and Mom look after Kaguya?..., Naruto and I will be going out of the village to do some business and stuff..., you know..., the works..." she said to her father. Inoichi yawned for a bit and agreed to her daughter's request
"Why of course we don't mind, after all, your mom and I enjoy having Kaguya here," he said while smiling at them
"Thanks daddy!" Ino said cheerfully, after which she then turned Kaguya once again to remind her about the things she needs to do while they were away. "Don't cause a mess while we're away okay? Am I being clear Kaguya Uzumaki?..." she said whilst raising her eyebrow
"Yes mommy..., *sigh* I won't cause grandpa and grandma any trouble I promise," she told her mom
"Good..." she then turned her attention to her father once more to tell him something before they left
"As for you..., please don't spoil Kaguya too much, I know that you and mom give her what she wants too easily..." she told Inoichi
Inoichi then chuckled nervously and promised that he won't spoil Kaguya too much anymore, he then winked at Kaguya which elicited a laugh from her
Ino sighed in defeat, it can't be helped though her parents spoiled herself when she was young as well
Ino then turned her attention to the sleepy-looking Naruto who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes shut
She cleared her throat to grab his attention, *ahem*, Naruto then opened his eyes to see Ino staring at him
"Huh?..., oh..., Kaguya listen to your mother okay?..." Naruto said in a dazed manner, Kaguya and Inoichi couldn't help but to laugh at Naruto's response
'Good grief this knucklehead..., lucky for him his response was somewhat applicable to the topic at hand..., but still..." Ino thought to herself. I can't be helped though since Naruto was up all night finishing his work in his office which only earned him a couple of hours of sleep. Even with the help of his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) it still wasn't able to make a dent in the amount of paperwork Naruto has to do as the Hokage.
"Is there something else you want to say?..." she asked him, Naruto was now up due to Ino's question since he needed to think of what to say, he needed his response to be appropriate though
"Thanks for looking after Kaguya otosan, we'll be sure to bring back souvenirs from Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind)" Naruto said to Inoichi to which he nodded and said it was no problem at all
Kaguya's attention was then grabbed after hearing the word souvenir, "MOMMY! DADDY! WILL YOU GET ME A GIFT AFTER YOU GET BACK HOME?!..., PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE!" Kaguya said with blue puppy dog eyes
"Only if you behave Kaguya then your mother and I will buy you a gift, BUT..., it'll be a surprise though..." Naruto said to Kaguya, Ino was glad that Naruto was now paying attention to the conversation at hand
Kaguya pouted due to being kept out of the loop regarding her soon to be present
"Anyway daddy Naruto and I need to go now take care of yourselves okay?..., don't overwork yourself okay?" she said to her father, this elicited a snort from Inoichi, "I'm not that old you know?..." he said to his daughter
Ino laughed at her father's response, "I didn't say anything though..., anyway we're off now bye daddy and be good Kaguya" she said after which she hugged her dad and Kaguya
Naruto did the same as well, "bye dad, tell mom we dropped by, bye dear" Naruto said to Kaguya
"BYE-BYE!" Kaguya exclaimed whilst waving to her parents who were just leaving
Inoichi then turned his gaze towards her grandchild who was just standing there looking in the direction where her parents went
"So kiddo?..., are you hungry?..." he asked Kaguya
Kaguya then turned her attention to her grandpa behind her and placed her finger on her chin to assess herself, "Not yet ojichan, maybe I'll eat later" she replied
"Oh my!..., if it isn't my sweet little Kaguya!, come here and give grandma a kiss", Kaguya looked behind her grandpa and saw her grandma walking down the stairs, she then ran towards her and gave her a big hug and kiss
"GRANDMA! I MISSED YOU!" she said in a loud voice, Noriko couldn't help but chuckle as she patted Kaguya's head
"You were just here last month remember?..." she said while raising her eyebrows
"EXACTLY! IT'S BEEN A WHILE OBACHAN!" Kaguya said while her head was buried in Noriko's embrace
"Well, I'm glad that my little Kaguya is here again, where is your mom and dad though?" Noriko asked to which Inoichi said that they were away for a business trip as they were headed to the Land of Wind
"Ahhh I see..., well then what do you want for breakfast my dear?..." she asked Kaguya, after a couple of minutes she then decided what she wanted to eat for breakfast
"I WANT OMURICE OBACHAN!..., OH!..., I ALSO WANT HOT CHOCOLATE!" she requested to which Norioko nodded, she then turned her attention to her husband and asked him the same thing
"I'm fine with anything honey, after all, I'll eat anything you cook," he said while chuckling, Noriko couldn't help but pinch Inoichi's cheek for being such a cheeky bastard making her blush so early in the morning, Kaguya noticed this which made her grin just like Naruto
"Well then I'll be preparing breakfast now, in the meantime help your grandpa to open up the shop will you?" she asked Kaguya
"SURE THING GRANDMA!, COME ON GRANDPA HURRY UP!" she said as she ran to the storefront waiting for her grandpa to go there as well
"She's so energetic even though it's so early in the morning," Inoichi said, "I mean she's Ino and Naruto's child what else do you expect dear?" Noriko laughed
It was indeed a good point, being the child of Naruto was enough of a reason as to why Kaguya was so energetic, add Ino's personality of being outgoing to the mix and you've got Kaguya.
"GRANDPA COME ON!" she yelled from outside
"I'll be there sweetie, just give me a sec..." he said in a loud voice so that Kaguya can hear him from outside, "well then I'll be heading out now," he told his wife
"Okay dear, I'll call both of you when the food is ready," she said after which she kissed him on the lips
Inoichi stepped outside of the house to see Kaguya pacing in a circle outside the store, "Ready to help out grandpa open up the store?" he asked her
"YUP! ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT READY!" she said in an enthusiastic manner
"Well then since you're willing to help grandpa open up the store how about I teach stuff about plants while we wait for breakfast, how does that sound?" he asked Kaguya
Her eyes lit up after hearing that she'll be taught about botany just like her mom, "REALLY?!..., YOU'LL TEACH ME ABOUT PLANTS?!" she said to Inoichi
"Why of course!, I'd be glad to teach my grandchild one of our clan's fortes", he replied, "THANK YOU OJICHAN!" Kaguya said after which she hugged Inoichi and then the two began opening up the shop for today
- - - - - - - - - - [WITH NARUTO AND INO] - - - - - - - - - -
(Hours Later)
"Ino?..."
"Yes?..."
"Why are we riding in a carriage"
"We're headed to Kaze no Kuni silly, why else?"
Of course, he knew that, he meant why were they riding in a carriage if they can travel there on foot and arrive there much earlier
"Yeah I know that but..., don't you think this is too slow?..."
"Does it even matter if it's slow? I mean we're not in a rush are we?...' Ino asked Naruto
She did have a point though, they were in no rush at all, its just that Naruto can't help but do things quickly
"I guess you're right..." he said to Ino as he grabbed her hands and squeezed them tightly"
Ino noticed Naruto's actions and reciprocated them back to him. They just held hands for a few minutes after which Ino placed her head on his shoulders and Naruto wrapped his arm around her in an embrace from the side
"Ino?..."
"Yes, Naruto?..., what is it this time?..."
"D-Do you wanna..., I don't know..., go on a date after this meeting is done?..." he asked nervously
Ino can't help but laugh due to Naruto's nervousness, I mean seriously even after getting married and having a child for seven years, Naruto remained to be the same goofball she fell in love with
"I'd love that..., where'd you wanna go though?..." she asked
"There's this new restaurant in Suna that just opened a few months ago, Gaara told me the food there is amazing, I already booked a reservation for us there, Gaara handled the rest though" Naruto laughed nervously
'Kami..., he has already planned this and just asked me on a date a while ago' Ino thought to herself, she then pinched his cheeks until it became red, Naruto then rubbed his cheeks after being pinched by Ino
"I'm guessing you planned this a long time ago?..., am I right?" she asked, Naruto nodded after being exposed, "You sly fox," she said to Naruto pinching his cheeks once more
"And you just asked me out earlier, you're such a knucklehead Naruto..., but you're my knucklehead though..., no one else's," she said in a soft tone
Ino felt warm on the inside, years have passed and the spark in their relationship is still there, she still feels like a teenager when she's around Naruto. 'Thank you Kami for blessing me with such a fine husband' she thought to herself
"Knowing you I'm guessing that's not all that you have planned..., am I right?" she asked once more
"Well the next destination is not in Suna but Kawa no Kuni (Land of Rivers), we'll be heading to a hot spring there, I mean we have our hot springs back in Konoha but I figured it would be nice to try out a different one right?" he said while chuckling
He was right it was indeed a great idea to try out a different place since the hot springs back in Konoha was beginning to feel a bit repetitive for her, she then decided to tease Naruto a bit just to pass the time
"A hot springs huh?..., you probably just want to see me naked..." Ino said whilst pouting, this cause Naruto's face to heat up and make him blush imagining said scenario in his mind. He knew Ino was teasing him but won't back down from here
"WHAT?!..., HOW'D YOU KNOW?!..." he said in a surprised manner which elicited a shocked response from Ino, 'she fell right into my trap' he thought to himself
"My my..., how forward of you Naruto..., are you sure that's all you want to do there?..." she said seductively, this then caused Naruto to blush once more. 'Damnit I can't win against Ino when it comes to this' he thought to himself
Ino laughed at her husband's response, Naruto sighed in defeat and grumbled things to himself, "Oh cheer up you big baby..., you know I'm just messing with you, besides its not we haven't seen each other naked before" she said to Naruto
She was right, there's nothing he hasn't seen before but still..., even though he was married to her, he still respects Ino's privacy and he's grateful to have a wonderful wife such as Ino
She sighed in contentment, life was good for her, she had a nice house, a great job, a loving family, a great husband as well as a wonderful kid, there's nothing more she can ask for
Ino squeezed Naruto's hands and moved closer to him to kiss him on the cheeks, "I love you Naruto..."
Naruto placed his hands on her chin and turned her head to face him, two pairs of blue orbs stared at each other, Naruto kissed Ino on the lips to which she returned the kiss, "I love you too Ino" he said as they kissed once more and sat properly once again while their hands remained intertwined to one another
- - - - - - - - - - [BACK AT KONOHA] - - - - - - - - - -
(The Next Day)
Kaguya was sitting in front of the counter of her grandparents' flower shop while Noriko was busy making a client's bouquet order
"Dear can you bring grandma the roll of ribbon inside of the desk?..., I'm almost done fixing the last bouquet we'll be delivering later"
"Sure thing grandma!" Kaguya said after which she opened the drawer and dug in it in search of ribbons, after a while of digging Kaguya was able to find what she was looking for, she then got up and gave the ribbons to her grandma
"Thank you sweetie, would you like to have a snack?" she asked Kaguya
"It's okay grandma I'm not hungry yet though," she said cheerfully, she then averted her gaze to her hardworking grandma who was busy fixing the last bouquet
Noriko noticed Kaguya watching her work and called her to come where she was, "come here dear there's something I'd like to ask you" she said to Kaguya
"Okay grandma!" Kaguya said as she was on her way to where her grandma was working
"Do you want to help grandma finish this last bouquet?" she asked, Kaguya's eyes then lit up and she instantly said yes at her grandmother's offer
"YAY! I GET TO HELP OBACHAN FIX FLOWERS!" Kaguya was enthusiastic since things were kinda getting boring for her
"Okay dear just give me the flowers I ask for okay?" Noriko said to which Kaguya nodded as she understood what she was tasked to do
While Noriko was fixing up some things on their bouquet she then decided to play a game with her granddaughter to pass the time, well it wasn't a game, it was more of a quiz rather than a game
"How about a game Kaguya? how does that sound?" she asked, "A GAME?!..., WHAT GAME ARE WE GONNA PLAY?!..., OH!..., CAN WE PLAY NINJA?!..." she asked
"This game is bring me the right flower with the corresponding meaning," she said, Kaguya didn't understand at first which was why Noriko had to clarify to Kaguya
"Remember what grandpa teaches you about plants?..." Noriko asked, Kaguya nodded in response
"Did grandpa ever mention that each flower has its meaning?" she asked once more, this then made Kaguya realize what her grandma meant earlier
"OHHH!..., YEAH NOW I GET IT!..., SURE GRANDMA LET'S PLAY!" Kaguya was all pumped up since she thought this would be interesting
"Alrighty then," Noriko said while her eyes scanned for the flower she needed at the moment, "hand me the flower that means 'I love you'" Noriko said to Kaguya
Kaguya then looked at the set of flowers on the table, racking her mind for a while she then grabbed the red chrysanthemum, "Is this it, grandma?..." she asked
"Very good Kaguya that's correct, this flower means 'I love you'" she said as she patted her head and continued to place the flower in the bouquet's arrangement"
"What about..., the flower that signifies eternal love and devotion," she asked her once more, Kaguya did the same thing earlier after which she grabbed the heliotrope
"Right again sweetie" Noriko said while she placed the flower in the arrangement
"Alright last one..., this time I'll name the flower and you tell me it's meaning alright?" she said to Kaguya to which she nodded in agreement
"What does the yarrow mean?" she said while raising her eyebrow
"Hmmm..., is it everlasting love?..." Kaguya said reluctantly since she wasn't sure if she was right
"Yes that is correct my dear, great job, I'm sure your mom will be happy to hear about this" she said to her grandchild while smiling. After a while, Noriko then finished up the last bouquet and proceeded to gather everything and deliver it to their client
"Put on your sandals dear, it's time to go deliver these to our customer," Noriko said to her
"Okay grandma!, just give me a sec..." she said as she fumbled putting on her sandals
"Are you good to go?..." she asked Kaguya, she then checked herself and said to her grandma that she was indeed ready. After hearing this Noriko then proceeded to lock the shop for a while and held Kaguya's left hand and the bag containing the bouquets on her right hand"
After a while of walking Kaguya couldn't help but wonder about the meanings of the flowers her grandma asked for, she then tugged her grandma's dress to grab her attention
Noriko took notice and asked Kaguya why she was tugging
"What's the matter dear?" she asked
"Well I've been wondering..., the flowers you used earlier all had similar meanings since they were all about love..., what's up with that?..." she asked her grandma
Noriko smiled and answered her grandchild's question, "well you see dear, this bouquet is for a wedding, do you know what a wedding is?..." Noriko asked Kaguya, she then noticed the puzzled look on Kaguya's face
"What's a wedding grandma?..., is it like a snack?..." she said, Noriko chuckled at Kaguya's response
"No dear it's not a snack, it's kinda like a birthday"
"a birthday?..., does that mean there's cake there?"
"well sure there can be cake there, sometimes there's no cake, the point is it is something that people celebrate"
"every year?"
"not every year dear, this is a celebration when two people declare their love for each other, that's when they become husband and wife, just like me and grandpa, also your mom and dad, do you understand dear?..."
"ahhh is that why the flowers all mean similar things, like love?..."
"exactly dear that's why"
Kaguya then remained silent and then asked her grandma another question, "how did mom and dad begin to love each other though?..., I always hear them saying 'I love you' to one another"
Noriko smiled at what she heard since it was about Ino and Naruto saying they loved each other constantly"
"Well why not ask them yourself when they get home, I'm sure they'll be glad to answer that" Noriko smiled at Kaguya
Kaguya pouted since her grandma won't just tell her right then and there, "alright grandma!" she replied
The two then continued to walk to their destination to deliver the bouquets
- - - - - - - - - - END - - - - - - - - - -
AN#2: This is where I'll end this new chapter, so... I guess the first chapter isn't a one-shot anymore. Regardless I hope you enjoyed this new addition and once again thank you to those who added this story to their favorites and followed it as well it means a lot to me. Kindly rate and review if you don't mind, that would be all, see you next time, take care and cheers! ^^