the flower
The hushed hum of customers perusing bouquets; the sweet scent of the lilacs lingering on the breeze; the faint edge of a sunbeam slipping in through an open window…
Ino is quite used to this scene.
For most of her life, this is all she's known. Yes, there's all that ninja business to deal with, of course—but it's in the flowers and the soil of her family's shop where her heart truly lies.
What she likes most about it is the customers. There are all kinds of people who walk into a flower shop, after all, for one reason or another.
But today, as Ino's eyes sift through the family picking out tulips for a friend in hospital or the old lady from down the street searching for the newest additions to her gardens, she spots a young couple coming into the store: the boy dressed in his finest yukata; the girl in a dazzling kimono, a beautiful golden pin tying up her hair.
Suddenly, she remembers what day it is.
"Crap!" Ino steps out from behind the counter and throwing her apron back onto her stool. "Mom!" she calls into the back room. "I'm going out for a bit!"
"Alright, dear!" her mother answers. "Be safe!"
On her way out, she takes one last look at the girl who reminded her of the occasion, and the sparkle of the hairpin catches her eye.
Beautiful, thinks Ino. I need one like that!
- tf -
The Summer Festival is, and has always been, a time of pure joy.
As she leaves the shop, Ino sees the beginnings of what promises to be a great day: the food stalls standing on the roadsides, their aromas drifting onto the streets; game stands readying themselves as their vendors arrange their prizes; the bright sun shining in a cloudless sky over a village expecting the best…
But Ino's favourite part of the festival, easily, is the beautiful clothes. She sees them scattered about as she walks: robes with the passage of time worn into them; kimonos from the finest boutiques in the city feeling the air for the first time; shoes that are only broken out once a year; rings and necklaces more valuable than money itself…
Though she needs no excuse to dress her best, Ino can't help being excited when the entire village gets in the mood. She imagines it now:
Purple kimono, has to be purple…but the orange is nice, too!
By the time she reaches the accessory shop, she no closer to a decision on her outfit—but those thoughts are quickly washed away by the sparkle of the jewelry before her.
"Ino!" the middle-aged man behind the counter says with a broad smile. "What a surprise!"
"Hi, Toro!" says Ino. Her eyes are pulled away from him by the huge selection of earrings and necklaces. "Ooh, are these new?"
A proud look comes onto Toro's face. "Of course! I have to keep up with the competition, you know. But what are you doing here, anyway? I figured you'd be getting ready for the festival."
"That is what I'm doing. I need a new hairpin."
She turns her gaze to other side of the shop, where she sees them lying on a white pillow in a glass case. As she steps over to them, imagining each one up against her own platinum blonde locks, her eyes take on the sparkle of a child's and her hands reach right up to the glass. "Wow, these are beautiful!"
Toro laughs heartily. "Why, thank you! Everyone thinks hairpins are trivial compared to bracelets and necklaces, but they're just as important as everything else."
He steps out from behind the counter and comes over to Ino, taking a look through the items with her. "See anything you like? I'll give you a deal, of course!"
"Hmm…" Ino squints, scanning thoughtfully, imagining and wondering which one would look best…
And then, she stumbles upon a bronze piece in the shape of a flower, the tiny petals upon the head of the pin appearing to dance in the light.
She knows it all too well.
"Ah," says Toro. "That's the one, isn't it?"
"Yeah." There is a hint of sadness in Ino's soft smile, but mostly there is warmth. "The one my dad gave me."
- tf -
Ino's thirteenth birthday came only six months after she became genin. With the growing pains of adjusting to shinobi life, there was simply no time for her to throw a party—and, thanks to her falling out with Sakura, it wasn't as if she had any close friends she wanted to celebrate with.
One day, her father, recognizing how sad she was about all this, walked into her room as she was sitting curled up on her bed, crying.
"D-Dad?" she sniffled.
"Hey, sweetheart," he said with a smile, his deep green eyes suddenly calming her down. "How's it going?"
Ino wiped her tears. "F-fine…everything's fine…"
Her father said nothing for a moment, but soon pulled a hand from behind his back to reveal a small, rectangular felt box.
"What's this?" Ino asked.
"Open it. You'll see."
She did. Pulling the top of the box away, her eyes soon caught sight of the most beautiful hairpin she had ever seen. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.
"Dad…this is…"
Her father smiled. "Well, clearly everything is fine right now…but if there ever comes a time when things are bad, just remember this pin, and know that I'll always be there with you. Alright?"
Ino could only stare for a moment, first at her father, then at the pin—before finally turning away in a pout.
"Please, Dad! As if I didn't know that already! That's not what I'm sad about, you know!"
"So you admit it," said her father, laughing. "You are sad!"
Ino blushed, embarrassed. "N-no! I am not!"
He laughed, she pouted, the two of them caught in the innocent teasing of all fathers and daughters. It was comfortable for Ino. She was grateful for that.
And when she went back afterwards to look at the pin, study it, try it in all sorts of different positions in her hair, she simply couldn't deny it:
It was beautiful.
- tf -
Realizing she's lost in a memory, Ino blinks herself back to the present, to the jewelry shop and the bronze flower.
"You sure you want a new one, Ino?" asks Toro, quietly. "It's really one of my favourites, and I'm sure yours is still holding up."
"It is," says Ino, "but…" The smile falls off her face for a moment, before she forces it to return. "It made me a little too sad last year."
Toro nods and gives an understanding smile. "Right. Well, take your pick! I'm sure you'll find something new that's just as beautiful!"
"Yeah," says Ino, though she knows deep down that she's lying.
Because her father is gone, and nothing can ever replace him.
Still, Ino looks. There are some gorgeous pins before her, but none that call out to her in that same way—and soon, her search is interrupted by the voice of a young boy walking by outside.
"Mommy, did you see that strange man talking to himself? He had whiskers on his cheeks!"
Ino turns and watches the boy and his mother pass by, but is caught on his words. Whiskers?
Well, there was only one person.
Curiosity piqued, Ino says her goodbyes to Toro and makes her way down the street, looking for that familiar head of blonde hair sticking up in the crowd. Last she heard, he was on a training mission with the Toads—Mount Myoboku, was the place called?—and Sakura had told her she wouldn't be back until the end of the summer. So what's he doing her, Ino wonders?
And why is he talking to himself?
She moves silently, making sure her chakra signature isn't detectable. Soon, she stumbles upon a small park where families are relaxing, children are playing, and a young man around her age is sitting on a bench in a black shirt and orange pants, blonde hair that's longer than she remembers blowing in the breeze. There's something in his hands, something Ino can't quite see—she can, however, hear the whisper of his mumbles as he talks to himself.
Really, Naruto!? she yells silently. As if you need to draw any more attention to yourself!
But, unable to help herself, she soon hides behind a nearby tree, trying her best to listen in on whatever it is he's saying. As she watches, her eyes finally catch what it is he's holding:
A flower.
And as Ino stares at it, she finds something incredible: she doesn't recognize it.
She knows for a fact that it's not from Yamanaka Flowers, and though she quickly wracks her brain to figure out if she's seen something like it in one of the smaller shops of the village, she comes up empty—which only leaves one option…
An exotic flower!
Ino watches, dumbfounded that Naruto Uzumaki, of all people, would go flower hunting in the outside world; but as she starts to laugh to herself, she's distracted once again.
Naruto stands. The blonde shinobi stretches the flower out as far as it can go and places the other hand on his chest. He says something quietly, into the wind, and Ino doesn't catch it—but when he spins around in frustration, Ino's heart drops. She pulls herself closely to the tree, nearly hugging it with her back.
Shit! He saw me for sure!
A few seconds pass before Ino has the courage to turn back. When she does, she sees Naruto slumped down on the bench.
And finally, she catches his voice clearly:
"No, that's stupid…"
Ino is stunned into silence. The thought goes through her head that she's seen something like this before, in her old dreams: dreams where Sasuke Uchiha stood before her with a smoldering look in his eye and poured his heart out to her in the form of a flower, forevermore a symbol of his love…
LOVE!?
Ino almost loses it at the thought: Naruto Uzumaki is in love.
She brings some additional chakra to her ear to amplify her hearing. It takes her a second to drown out the rest of the noise and focus on Naruto's words alone, but soon enough, she has him; and she listens:
"Something simple. Okay…'Hey! It's been a while! How have you…' No, no, no, that's not it…argh, why is this so hard!? Okay…think, think…
"'I…I've liked you for a long time…'"
Ino's jaw falls to the floor. She loses the focus on her extra hearing, and Naruto is mumbling again, but it doesn't matter; her mind is already racing.
Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! Who is it!? Sakura!? Hinata!?
But just as Ino is about to bring the chakra back to her ear, a small boy playing with a ball runs past her and into the park. It doesn't take him long to notice Naruto's display; but unlike Ino, the boy has no problem approaching the blonde.
"Hey, Mister? What are you doing talking to yourself like that?"
Ino sees Naruto go a little red, as if he didn't even realize what he was doing. He clears his throat and says to the boy, "I'm, uh…just practicing." He holds up the flower. "There's a girl I want to give this to."
A beaming smile comes over the boy's face. "Wow! Is she pretty?" he asks, excited.
"Yeah," Naruto says, meaning it. "Really pretty."
All of a sudden, the boy looks to be in thought. "Hmm…I wonder. Is it that girl over there?"
It takes Ino a second to realize he's pointing at her.
She steps out from behind the tree as Naruto swirls to his feet. His arms fall limp to his sides, and his face flushes red. "I-Ino…!"
Ino, more embarrassed than she's ever been in her life, thinks she might faint—but before she does, she stammers out some semblance of a sentence.
"N-Naruto! I, uh…um…I have to go! Bye!"
She turns. She runs.
As she leaves the park, she hears Naruto calling: "Wait, Ino! Wait up!" But he's not coming after her, and she doesn't look back to give him the chance.
It's all a blur until she gets back to the flower shop and runs upstairs into her room. She buries her face into her pillow, and screams.
No way that just happened, she tells herself. There's no way…!
But she knows it did, and she spends the rest of the afternoon thinking about it.
- tf -
A knock comes at the door, and then a call: "I'm coming in!"
As she finishes tying the violet obi around her waist, Ino turns to see Sakura enter her room. She is immediately in awe of her best friend's flowing red kimono and the intricate braids of her high ponytail, wondering how Sakura could look so mature and only be six months older than her.
Sakura smiles teasingly. "I'm surprised. I expected purple for sure."
Ino looks over the kimono that hugs her now, the perfect shade of orange. The robe is dotted with small white flowers, like tiny lilies she shares with every eye that catches her.
"Too much?" she asks, swirling so her friend can see every angle.
"Of course," says Sakura, "but what else is new?"
Ino rolls her eyes and pouts. "Oh, shut up and help me with my hair…"
She takes the hairpin off her dresser—the bronze flower—and hands it to Sakura, who studies it, confused. "Didn't you want to get a new one?"
All the question does for Ino was remind her of how she was distracted earlier today, and she thinks once again of Naruto. Every fibre of her being screams at her to tell Sakura what she saw, but if her intuition is correct—which, she notes, it always is—it's best not to ruin the surprise. Naruto can hand the flower to Sakura himself.
Ino gives a nervous laugh. "Well, I got kinda busy, I guess…"
She takes a seat at her desk and stares into the mirror above it as Sakura comes behind her, takes her blonde hair, and begins.
"I don't get it," Sakura says, annoyed. "How is your hair so soft?"
Ino grins proudly. "That's a trade secret, Billboard Bro—ow!" The tug at her hair brings a wince.
"What was that, Ino-pig?"
"Mm…nothing…"
As Sakura continues to work, Ino studies her makeup in the mirror. It's simple, but poignant. A hint of blush, a touch of eyeshadow, and a dose of bright red lipstick. She wonders if it makes her look like as much of a woman as she thinks it does, but she likes it anyway.
Soon, Sakura is finished, and Ino admires. "Wow, Sakura…it's beautiful!"
"Of course it is! Don't take me for some novice."
Her platinum blonde hair is in a knotted bun at the back of her head, wrapped with a braid at its base. The flower sits perfectly balanced in the middle, unmoving, like an arrow through the heart.
- tf -
For all of the excitement she's felt today, Ino notices the festival slip by quickly; and as she walks down the crowded streets with her friends, the warmth of the orange lanterns and the twinkle of the stars begin to wear off, the high they had given her begins to recede, and all of a sudden, the flower feels too heavy in her hair.
"Ino?"
She's shaken from her daze by Sakura, who walks beside her now. "You feeling okay?" her friend asks. "You're a little quiet."
Ino smiles, waves the concern away. "Oh, it's nothing, Sakura! I, uh…think I just need some fresh air for a minute!"
Seeing the worry on Sakura's face, Ino assures her that everything is fine before cutting through two food stalls to get to the next street over, away from the people and the lights. She stops, takes off the shoes that have been hurting her feet, and sighs in relief.
But just as she wonders whether or not to remove the hairpin, her eyes catch something in the dim: a young man.
"Naruto…?"
Naruto, sitting atop a picnic table, turns his head slowly—but when he realizes who it is that called him, he jumps upward and pulls his hands behind his back. She can't tell for sure in the dark, but she thinks she sees a blush on his cheeks.
"I-Ino!" he stammers. "W-what are you doing here?"
Recalling her little 'reconnaissance mission' from earlier, Ino feels herself turning red as her eyes dart to a particularly interesting patch of dirt on the ground. "Oh, um, you know! Just…enjoying the festival!"
"Ah, right, right!" He takes a nervous breath before continuing. "So, um…a-about earlier…"
Ino's hands shoot up to cover her face, though it does little to disguise her embarrassment, and the apology flows out of her.
"I'm sorry, Naruto! I didn't mean to eavesdrop on you—er, well, I did! But, I-I shouldn't have…! I have no right to snoop into your love life, and…I'm sorry…"
Naruto is quiet for a moment, and in the silence Ino finds herself worried that he won't laugh it off or tell her it was misunderstanding—and also because of the way he's looking at her, and the nerves that come into her stomach as he does.
Finally, he replies: "Uh, Ino…? How much of it did you hear?"
Ino reels from the question. "W-what!? You don't seriously want me to repeat it, do you!?"
Naruto laughs, nervously. "Ah, yeah, I guess not…"
The silence that develops is awkward, growing like a balloon begging to be burst. Ino takes a deep breath, and then takes a pin to it. "W-well, I saw the flower…and then…um, mostly you practicing…to give it to someone…"
She leaves out the words that she's been replaying in her mind all day: "I've liked you for a long time."
She feels a pang in her heart, because they were never meant for her…
Naruto finally loses some of the red on his cheeks and pulls his hands out from behind his back, revealing the flower. "This, uh…this is an Oil Flower, from Mount Myoboku. Kind of an ugly name, but…they're supposed to live for years. So that's kinda cool."
His trademark snicker coxes a smile from Ino. Her eyes are drawn irresistibly to the strange flower, and she feels herself walking forward to get a closer look.
"I wanted to bring back a whole bouquet," he continues, "but I had a hard enough time just sneaking this one out."
But Ino doesn't mind. She's perfectly overwhelmed by this lone flower, dancing alone in the glow of distant lights.
The numerous, tightly woven petals remind her of a white rose, but the way they trumpet out from the stem bring lilies to mind. Sun-kissed blotches of golden-brown, like oil-smears, paint the cream of its insides, near the pistil. The aroma it gives off is sweet, close to sandalwood, but burning in an invisible flame.
It's so strange, and so very beautiful.
"Wow, Naruto…it's amazing."
Too much aware of the beating of her heart, she doesn't notice Naruto getting redder. "Well," he says, swallowing hard, "I'm glad you think so…"
What Ino does notice, though, is her own heart beating a little quicker than it was before. The feeling that she needs to forget all about this takes her over, and she backs up. This isn't her love story, she thinks: it's time to take her leave.
"W-well, I really should be going back."
"Wait," Naruto exclaims, a touch of panic colouring his words, "what? Right now?"
"Yeah!" Ino blurts out. "Sakura's probably worried about me, and—oh, I know! I can go get her for you if you want!" She turns, her rambling words pushing her onwards. "I'm sure she'll love it, by the way—I mean, it's so pretty, and exotic, and—!"
"Ino, wait!"
The sincerity, the vulnerability in his voice, gets her to stop—and to turn back to him.
And suddenly, her heart is ready to jump out of her chest.
"Y-yeah…? What is it…?"
"Um…"
His cheeks are crimson as he steps forward. When he reaches her, she sees the nerves in his eyes, feels his shaky breath on the summer air. He's awkward, unsure of himself and of her—but with his face finally in the warmth of the far-off lanterns, he smiles anyway.
"This flower…it isn't for Sakura. It's for you."
Ino feels the ground give out beneath her, but the skip of her heartbeat keeps her on her feet. Floating for a moment, the most intense of all happiness spills through her, followed by the heat of the sun rising to her cheeks.
"W-what…!? Me…? A-are…are you sure!?"
He turns away. "I-I mean—! I-if you want it, of course! I just thought, y-you know, since you like flowers and all…"
Ino's heart is in her throat, and her mind is blank. She knows she has to say something, but what exactly is lost on her.
"B-but…I thought…I-I thought you had a thing for Sakura…"
"I did!" Naruto says, louder than he probably means to. "W-when I was younger, that is…but—not anymore."
He takes a step closer and holds out the flower. He is close—too close, Ino thinks—but she looks into his eyes anyway.
She is still for a moment before her hands rise to Naruto's. Her gaze falls to the flower, the white petals now grazing her fingers—but she doesn't feel it, and she doesn't even see it.
What she sees instead are memories of a childhood in which she and Naruto hardly said a word to each other, and a career as young ninja where she found him more annoying than anyone she'd ever met before…
Now behind this flower, Ino doesn't find that strange, obnoxiously loud boy, but a young man, kind and caring, stronger than the rest of the world put together, and so, so sweet; a friend she's come to know…
A friend she's come to love.
"Ino," he begins. "I…I've liked you for a long time, and—"
She doesn't know whether it's the lights in his eyes or the smell of the flower or the weight of his words that bring her forward, but Ino moves anyway, and kisses him.
When she pulls away, her lips still tingling, she finds Naruto's eyes open wide.
"I-Ino…I—"
"Sorry," she says, blushing. "I heard that part before." She takes the flower from his hands, looks into his eyes, and smiles. "And I like you, too."
She watches as Naruto's face fills with excitement. "Really? You mean it!?"
"Of course! Why would I kiss you if I was joking?"
"Oh…good point." He lets a grin onto his face that Ino has seen many times before. It's pure, genuine, joyful; and it's never made her happier.
"Oh!" Ino remembers the flower she now holds, and shows it to Naruto. "I have an idea!"
A moment later, she's sitting on the seat of the picnic table while Naruto sits behind her, his rough fingers trying heir best to maneuver through her mess of hair.
"Are you sure about this?" he asks. "I feel like I'm messing it up."
"Don't worry," she says. "It'll be fine."
"Alright, if you're sure…I think I'm done."
He stands and offers Ino a hand, which she takes as she rises to her feet. She spins returns to the spot she was standing a moment before, where the festival lights are warm behind her. "So?" she says. "What do you think?"
"Woah…beautiful."
Ino smiles, proudly. "Well, of course. You're dealing with the prettiest girl in Konoha, after all. I hope you're ready for that!"
"Hmm?" Naruto says, innocently. "Ready for what?"
"Oh, come on, Naruto," says Ino. "When two people are a couple they need…to…" But she loses her train of thought, trailing off as she realizes that she's just brought up a new word. Naruto's wide eyes tell her he caught it, too.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Ino says, steaming from embarrassment, "did I say couple? That's not really what I meant! It's more like…like a friendship! Like a friendship, yeah! But—also…more than that…and—!"
All of a sudden, Naruto bursts out into laughter. "You know, you're pretty funny, Ino!"
"A-and what's that supposed to mean!?"
"Nothing, nothing," he says, composing himself. "Just…one more thing I like about you."
Floored by the ease with which the words come from him, Ino rolls her eyes, feigning annoyance so as not to have to look into his.
Still, she approaches him, and takes his hand.
"Well…come on, then."
"What?" Naruto asks. "Where?"
"To the festival, obviously!" she answers. "Don't think I don't know why you didn't come! You're still afraid of these people, aren't you? Even after you saved their lives twice!"
She knows she's hit it on the head when she sees the pain eek onto his face. "I mean…I know not everyone wants me there, so…I just figured they'd have a better time if I wasn't—"
He freezes as he catches her eyes, firm but caring. Their blue is as vast, as comforting, as the endless waves of the ocean.
"I want you there. So don't you ever say that again, okay?"
He stares at her in awe for a moment, and nods. She smiles, whisking him away from the cool solace of the stars and into the blazing brilliance of the orange festival lights. Ino, for the most part, finds them much more bearable now—not quite as blinding.
But when they do get to be too much, she simply reaches for the back of her head and finds the two prettiest flowers in the world, and she feels better again…
Happy.
- tf -
The hushed hum of customers perusing bouquets; the sweet scent of the lilacs lingering on the breeze; the faint edge of a sunbeam slipping in through an open window…
Ino has gotten quite used to this scene—when it comes, that is.
For now, though, it's the early morning, and she is alone. Behind the counter, she sleeps soundly, oblivious to the colours of the dawn spilling into the shop, the chirp of the birds so clear on the empty summer breeze, and the footsteps that come from the stairway.
Naruto isn't surprised to see her there. He knows how she gets when she's busy—and with today being the Summer Festival, the busiest day of the year at Yamanaka Flowers, he expects nothing less.
It has recently become tradition for young girls to wear flowers in their hair on the day of festival; either one that they've bought themselves, or one that they've been given. Either way, any fashionable lady of Konoha wouldn't be caught dead walking the streets with only a simple hairpin this evening.
He knows, realistically, that he's not solely responsible for this; but he likes to think he is.
And as he goes to Ino now and puts a blanket over her shoulders, the morning sun pouring in through the front of the shop and giving a momentary gleam to wedding ring on her finger, he smiles, silently apologizing for how much work he's accidentally created for her.
But he doesn't feel too bad—it's been worth it, after all.
He goes back upstairs now, deciding to let her sleep a while longer. The day, though, keeps on, and soon the sunlight begins to touch Ino's face, and then the shelf on the back wall.
And in the glow of the morning sits the old bronze hairpin her father gave her all those years ago.
Beside it, in a small glass vase, the Oil Flower.
It's still vibrant, still filled with life…
It has not wilted.
It never will.
Finally, a completed NaruIno story. Took too long for just a one shot but I'm happy to share nonetheless LOL.
Big thank you to teso on AO3 for many ideas in here (including the premise of Naruto giving Ino a flower) and for helping me edit.
Please share your thoughts in a comment/review, I love reading them. And thanks for reading!