DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO (I'VE RUN OUT OF THINGS TO SAY IN THIS PARENTHESIS THING YET AGAIN HAHA, BOTTOM TEXT)
- If Looks Could Kill -
It was a fair day in Konoha and it was certainly a refreshing change due to how much it rained lately, the sun was up in the sky and there were a few clouds here and there. A gentle breeze blew against purple curtains which revealed Ino who was laying in bed but something didn't add up, she looked fine and well but the expression on her face begged to differ.
Ino was feeling a bit down lately, she has been feeling this way ever since she woke up after their battle with Kimimaro. She remembered how scared she felt back there, Ino was both glad and disappointed that time. She was glad that she was able to come out of it alive, Ino was also glad that none of her teammates had bitten the dust. But she also felt disappointed in herself, Ino couldn't help but feel useless. She felt helpless because she couldn't even assist Naruto when it was just the two of them left against Kimimaro, Ino thought to herself that she was more of a liability than an asset to her team.
She has not told her parents any of this yet since she didn't want them to worry about her, Ino knew that she was good to go know but she didn't feel like leaving her bed.
"What's the use… Perhaps I'm not cut out for this…" Ino thought to herself, her eyes became teary but she tried her best to hold back her tears since she heard footsteps approaching her room. Ino composed herself to make it look like she was not about to cry not too long ago, she then heard a knock on the door.
"Sweetie, can I come in?..." Noriko asked
"Uh… S-Sure thing mom" Ino replied to which Noriko opened the door and peaked her head through the doorway
"You have a visitor" she said as she opened the door wider and revealed Naruto
"Hey Ino" Naruto gave her a foxy grin, "C-Can I come in?" he asked Ino. He was nervous because this was his first time entering a girl's room, heck this was the first time he entered someone else's room in general.
She nodded but didn't speak, Naruto then went inside her room after receiving an answer from her.
"I'll leave you two alone for now, call me if you two need something" Noriko said as she left the two blondes alone
Naruto was amazed at how purple Ino's room was, everything was purple, the bed, the sheets, the dresser, the table, the curtains, and many more to mention. He also couldn't help but notice how immaculate her room was, Naruto's nose also took a whiff of how her room smelled like vanilla. This was certainly a girl's room, Naruto thought to himself. He then realized that he must have spaced out, Naruto then brought up a subject to talk about since he didn't want to look like a creep in front of Ino.
"Your room is uh… Purple Ino" he said, Naruto then wanted to facepalm himself after realizing what he said. "Of course, it's purple you idiot, she has eyes duh… Stupid, stupid, stupid… Quick, think of a follow-up" Naruto thought to himself.
"Yeah… Purple is my favorite color after all, though I guess it's a bit too purple come to think of it" she replied. Naruto was glad that she gave an answer like this since he could definitely work with that.
"Well… it doesn't look bad, it looks nice and your room smells nice too" Naruto retorted, this made Ino smile a bit as she thanked him for the compliment.
"So… How are you feeling Ino?" he asked but then the smile on Ino's face slowly faded away, she remained silent for a bit and replied that she was feeling better.
"I'm feeling much better Naruto, thank you for asking" Naruto raised one of his eyebrows out of skepticism, he had this gut feeling that Ino wasn't telling him something and he planned to find out.
"Ya sure?... Something's a bit off… I just can't seem to put my finger on it" Naruto answered back
"No really, I'm fine Naruto" Ino said as she faked a smile
"Nah… I don't buy it, seems like you're not telling me something. I can feel it right in my gut" Naruto said as he patted his belly.
"That's just the ramen you ate for breakfast" she replied
"Nope! I ate onigiris for breakfast, hehe" Naruto grinned, Ino smiled internally because finally, Naruto was eating something else other than ramen.
"Seriously Naruto, nothing's wrong" she returned
"Hmmm… You know I'm not gonna drop this question not until you tell me the truth, come on… You can tell me, right?..." he retorted and that's when Ino began to snivel, the tears she held back earlier came forth and ran down her cheeks.
This was the very first time Naruto saw Ino cry, and he did not know what to do but then he remembered what Ino did for him back when they were at the inn. Naruto remembered the warmth that Ino radiated, the very warmth that was able to comfort him, he knew what he needed to do but he was hesitant to do it.
Naruto was anxious about putting his arm around her shoulders to comfort her, he feared that he might come off as a pervert or creep. He only held her body when she used her Shintenshin no Jutsu (Mind Body Switch Technique) to prevent her body from hitting the ground but that's about it, this was very different. But then again, he wanted to help Ino in her time of need.
Naruto then took a deep breath and mustered all of his courage and placed his arm around her shoulder, he then began to rub the side of her arm in a soothing manner. Ino then began to cry on his shoulder, and moments later, she was no longer crying.
He thought that maybe he needed to say something, Naruto was about to say something until suddenly, he heard Ino say something. "Thank you, Naruto," she said in a soft manner.
"F-For what Ino?..." he asked
"For this of course, what else?..." she replied
"Oh… Well then, uh… No worries Ino, I know you would do the same for me, like what you did back at Mori no Kuni (Land of Forests)" Naruto answered
"Yeah…" she said back to him
"So… Do you want to talk about what's been bothering you?..."
"Yeah but can we stay like this for a little longer?..." she asked him to which Naruto agreed to
- Minutes Later -
Both of the blondes were now sitting on the bed next to each other, Ino's eyes were still a bit puffy and you could still tell that she just cried earlier. You could also see that Naruto's shoulder was damp due to Ino's tears, "Go ahead Ino, I'll listen" he said to her.
"Okay, here it goes… I honestly feel like I'm a liability more than an asset to our team… I wasn't able to help you back at the ranch, I barely helped you guys to save the Daimyo's family, and I was easily dealt with back at Mori no Kuni (Land of Forests), I-I… Can't help but feel that I'm a lost cause…" Ino sobbed, tears continued to drop down on her hands that she placed on her lap as she sniffled.
Naruto placed his hand on top of hers and looked her straight in the eye, Ino looked up and stared at him as well. "None of that is true" he said calmly
"It is"
"No, it isn't"
"Yes it is"
"Says who?"
"Says me"
"Well I beg to disagree, it was a team effort and you contributed to that. You took Shino to safety, you helped me get out of a tough situation back when Asuma-sensei and I were on top of that speeding carriage, you also helped me and Shino to employ our plan against Kimimaro, so give yourself some credit Ino" he replied
"I-I… I don't know though I guess you do have a point, we barely managed to win back at the ranch and back at Mori no Kuni (Land of Forests)"
"Who cares? I'm alive, Asuma-sensei is alive, Shino is alive, YOU'RE alive. That's what matters, and that's something to be proud of! We'll just have to get better, and train even harder, right? After all, you did tell me that" Naruto answered.
Naruto was right and he did have a point, Ino thought to herself. What her teammate said was able to put things into perspective for her, she was so hung up about what happened that she completely forgot about the present and the future. Ino thought to herself that she could still do something about it and prevent the same thing from happening ever again.
"You're right…"
"Darn right I am, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed; this was able to put a smile on her face. Ino then put her head on his shoulder and thanked him.
"Thank you, Naruto… This means a lot to me" she said
"Don't worry about it Ino… What would you ever do without me…" Ino then noticed that Naruto copied what she said to him back when they were at the inn, Ino then pinched his sides which elicited a reaction from him.
"OWWW! What did you do that for?!..." he asked as he rubbed the area where Ino pinched him
"That's for copying me, only I get to say that, understood?" she said to him
"Oh come on, you get to own phrases now?..." Naruto complained but then he saw Ino glare at him, he gulped and reluctantly agreed out of fear.
"Y-Yes ma'am… I won't copy you again" he said sheepishly
"That's what I thought… Now that you were able to get me out of bed, what now?" she asked
"Asuma-sensei told me to check on the both of you, he said we won't be doing missions, not until both you and Shino are feeling better" Naruto answered
"I see… Speaking of Shino, how is he?" she asked
"He's doing fine, I stopped by his house earlier and visited him. We talked for a bit but I'm not sure if he was feeling down too though I'm guessing he's a bit sad about it as well" Naruto retorted
"Hmmm… I'm at least glad to know that he's doing fine now but I do hope he won't be too bummed about it. So… Got any plans for today?" she asked to which Naruto told her that he was free at the moment.
"Nah… Why?" he asked
"I was hoping you could accompany me for a bit" Ino replied
"Sure, but where are we going?" Naruto was curious since Ino didn't specify where they were headed to
"Ah ah ah… I can't tell you that 'cause it's a secret, so shut up and just follow me" she said to him to which he sighed and just went with it.
- Minutes Later –
"Ughhh… We've been walking for ages now… Are we there yet?..." Naruto groaned and complained
"It's only been ten minutes Naruto, don't be such a baby" Ino returned
"*sigh* Fine… But is the blindfold necessary?..." he asked
"You kept peeking earlier which is why I had to resort to using a blindfold, NO PEAKING!" Ino emphasized
"This place better be worth it…" Naruto answered
The two blondes continued to walk in a certain direction while Ino led the way, they have been walking for a while now but they weren't that far away from the village itself. Naruto was slightly struggling since he couldn't see where he was stepping and would occasionally lose balance and trip from time to time, but Ino held his hand to prevent him from hurting himself. And after a few minutes, they exited the forest and arrived in a clearing.
"You can take it off now" Ino said to which Naruto gladly removed the blindfold, there he saw a massive meadow of flowers, and behind them was a huge tree with some sort of entrance
"What do you think?" Ino asked
"Where are we?" Naruto replied but Ino pouted since he didn't answer her question but she told him where they were nonetheless
"This is my secret hideout, and you haven't answered my question" she pointed her finger at him while she placed her hand on her hip
Naruto looked around him to take it all in, the place looked nice and beautiful as well. It felt peaceful there as well, but he did wonder why Ino took him there. Naruto then decided to ask her the very question that was on his mind.
"The place looks amazing, I like it Ino but why are we here again?..." he wondered
"I'm getting there, come with me" she said and Naruto followed her, both blondes entered the entrance that he saw earlier. The entrance led them to a hidden area behind the tree that was concealed by foliage, the place was filled with many pots which had different kinds of flowers in them. The area is also open enough for sunlight to get it but not too much that it will wilt them, rainwater could enter the area as well. Ino then approached a box and dug around, she then found two watering cans and a bucket. She then handed those to Naruto and he knew exactly why they were there and what he needed to do.
"I want you to-"
"Fill up the watering cans with water and fill up the bucket with soil, got it" he replied and it made Ino smile, she was happy that Naruto finally knows his way around gardening.
"Is there a nearby water source though?" he replied
"There's a stream up ahead the meadows, you won't miss it" Ino said, Naruto nodded and went on his merry way.
"And while you're at it, could you pick up some flowers along the way? I want to replace the flowers inside the vase in my room"
"I'm guessing the flowers should be purple as well, yeah?"
"Even better!" Ino yelled so that Naruto could hear her
"Got it!" he said from afar
While Naruto was out there, Ino was tending to the wildflowers inside the hidden area. It has been a while since she last visited here, and she noticed that most of the wildflowers were still alive. But unfortunately, some wilted and needed to be replaced. Ino also trimmed the weeds and other vegetation that were growing around the wildflowers so that the flowers don't have any other competitors for nutrients. After a while, Naruto came back with two clones that were holding the watering cans and the bucket of soil.
"I'm back, where do you want these?" Naruto asked to which Ino pointed where he needed to place the watering cans and the bucket
"So… What flowers did you get me?" she said but then she realized what she said because technically Naruto was giving her flowers, a flush of embarrassment rose to her cheeks as a result.
"Ohhh! I got you these hydrangeas, these lilies, some purple hibiscus, these verbenas and I forgot what these are called but they look pretty" Naruto said as he handed Ino the last bunch of flowers
She looked at the flowers that Naruto was holding and her eyes widened, "Don't touch those!" she warned him
"What?!... Why?..." he asked
"It's wolfsbane, they're poisonous so be careful…" she replied
"Ohhh…. So that's what they're called, now I remember. Don't worry, I have no open wounds so I'm fine" he retorted
"Okay… That's good to know at least, just be careful around some flowers next time. Anyway, come here and help me get rid of these weeds" she said to Naruto, he then approached her and kneeled on the ground to help her out.
As they were doing that, they began to talk about different things such as plans for the coming days and whatnot. Naruto told Ino that he planned on training with the Katon: Moeru Ken no Jutsu (Fire Release: Burning Fists Technique), he also told her that he wanted to visit the archives again to find more materials to study. Naruto also shared with her that he wanted to look into some ninja tools other than kunais and shurikens. Ino then remembered Asuma's advice to her during their last reassessment test, she needed to diversify her arsenal. She was doing exactly that by learning the Katon: Hinotama no Jutsu (Fire Release: Fireball Technique) and the Katon: Hi no Naka ni Kakureru no Jutsu (Fire Release: Hiding in Fire Technique), but Ino felt that those weren't enough and she needed to add more to her skillset.
They both finished removing the weeds, now it was time to water the flowers. While they were doing that, Naruto noticed the wolfsbane that he picked earlier and wondered what they were going to do with it now.
"Hey Ino"
"Hmmm?"
"Should I throw these out or what?..."
"It's probably best to throw those out, just in case"
"I see… Though you have to admit, they look pretty don't they? Kinda reminds me of the phrase 'if looks could kill' due to how pretty and dangerous these are" Naruto mused he then remarked that maybe they could be useful for poisons and whatnot. And this sparked an idea in Ino's mind, Naruto was right, maybe she could use those flowers.
Ino dropped her watering can and rushed towards Naruto, she squished his face in excitement. "You're a genius Naruto! A genius I tell you!" she said, Naruto's face was now covered with mud. Confused and covered with mud, he asked what was going on.
"Huh?..." he uttered
"You're right! Maybe these flowers could have a use, perhaps I could use these to expand my arsenal! Thank you, Naruto! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said in joy
"Don't worry about it Ino but uhhh… Could you stop smearing mud on my face?" he asked and Ino realized what she was doing, her cheeks reddened and she quickly backed away from Naruto out of embarrassment.
She cleared her throat and thanked him for the last time, "Oh uh, thank you for that Naruto" she said
"Don't mention it" he said with a foxy grin
"Though… Do I get a reward?" he asked
"A reward?" Ino reiterated
"Yeah, a reward, perhaps a favor" Naruto offered
"Okay, what is it?..." she asked him
"It's embarrassing… Can I whisper it to you?" he requested but Ino argued that they were alone though Naruto protested that he would feel more comfortable if he could whisper it to her, Ino sighed and reluctantly agreed.
She lent him her ear, Naruto came closer and quickly smeared mud on her cheeks. Ino was shocked at what Naruto did, she looked at him and saw that he was laughing.
"WHY YOU!" she glared at him
"Haha, two can play that game! What are you going to do about it?" he teased but then saw how furious Ino was, Naruto gulped because he knew he was in a heap of trouble. He quickly ran away and Ino chased after him, the two blondes then played cat and mouse for a while.
(A/N: Fluff fluff fluff, oh how I love it! I missed writing these again HAHAHA. I hope you liked this chapter, a refreshing change for these two blondes HAHAHA, anyway I don't have much to say, sorry if I haven't updated TDG (The Dating Game) yet, I will soon enough. That's all, show me some love and RnR if you'd like, take care, and cheers! ^^)