Hello there! It's been long since the last update hasn't it? Thank you for the reviews, I enjoy reading them especially those that exceed 1 to 3 sentences. Just for those whose asking. Yes, there will be a time skip but it won't be happening anytime soon. Patience my dears, it is crucial and especially important, well, to the plotline how Naruto and Ino get molded to the persons they are to be when they grow up.
A single person could change many things if the person really wants to you know. (smile)
Please read, enjoy and REVIEW.
Summary: There's a certain blue eyed blond who always did have a soft spot for underdogs.
Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.
Orange and Lemons
Ino's bare feet splashing at the water, she waved her hand enthusiastically. "Come on! Fishcake!" Naruto frowned slightly slowly hating the nickname but hurried on nonetheless. Ino squealed as she waded along the shallow waters. Her blank blue eyes glint with mischief as she splashed the nearing boy.
"Waah! C..Cold! Stop that. Ino! Oi! Pu…Pupilless!"
The girl only giggled and continued her assault forcing the boy to retaliate back, sputtering from the water as the same. Millions of tiny bubbles of pleasure kept on popping inside his chest, childish laughter finally escaped Naruto's mouth as he fought back making it an all out splash war. So busy splashing, he didn't realize that Ino had dived down and creep behind his back. She pounced on him succeeding on making him nearly have a heart attack and lose balance at the same time.
"Gah!" SPLASH!
Naruto shook his head, droplets of water flying away from his wet hair. "What was that for?" He rubbed the tender side of his head that had unfortunately had hit on a rock. He opened his eyes to see a finger pointing in front of him waving back and forth as if to admonish him. "Listen up fishcake!" Ino has her other hand on her waist. "Didn't anyone taught you? Call me ino-chan. I-n-o- chaaaaannnn!" she sai the word chan in a sing song manner while emphasizing on the I, no part.
Naruto blinked at her then blinked again at the hugely grinning girl and edged away. "Your weird. Get away from me pupilless."
"Hey! So mean!" she whined.
Nevertheless the boy continued to edge away when the girl started to follow him.
"Naa…Naruto-kun." Ino has her face cupped by her hands at the ground while the rest of the lower part of her body is submerged at the water. Naruto meanwhile is sitting on the side of the river, kicking the water with his feet.
"I sometimes see you at the academy. Do you go to school?" She turned a curious head towards her silent companion. He nodded his head and suddenly she wailed. "Awwww! That's not fair! I want to go there too but mama and papa won't let me. Ne, ne! I bet you get a lot of friends."
Naruto let his head fall to his chest and ceased all movements. "a….ah." liar. he tried on a smile but failed miserably. She pouted as she observed him. "….You're…really bad at that."
"yeah." He sighed feeling ashamed and disheartened.
"Is it hard?" She asked. He looked down on her. "What? Smiling? Sometimes…" the corners of Ino's mouth go down a little. "Wakaranai yo. (I don't understand) I do it all the time but it's not so hard."
"…"
"Hey don't feel so sad about it fishcake." He blinked at her not really feeling sad about the matter. She continued, "Ino-chan's here! Asking for help isn't so bad you know." She grinned. "Just don't get used to it okay. Boys who can't do things on their own are pathic (pathetic. But she's a child so… yeah) but boys who always do things on their own gets in a lot in trouble. Mama always scolds papa when he tries to do something hard without telling her."
He tilted his head in question. "So it's okay to girls?" She shook her head furiously. "Noooooo! Mama says that every girl should grow idipen…indi…INDIPENDENT! Hah!" She smiled again. "Mama says that girls who always ask for help is annoying." She got up from the shallow water and stood in front of him. She pinched his cheeks and pulled them upwards. "There! Do that! Smile! Be happy!" She let go and he tried to do so as she ordered but still it came out very fake and well, funny looking. She shook her head and positioned her hands in akimbo. "No! practice okay? C'mon. Let's go home. Its late and I'm hungry." He nodded his head and stood up. Ino smiled and began to race across the water when…
SPLASH!
"INO!"
Ino sat there whimpering, tears leaking out at the side of her eyes. "It hurts. Mama. Papa. I want mama. It hurts." Naruto looked down at her cut and swollen ankle helpless and slightly panicking. "don't cry Ino-chan. Didn't you say that crying is bad?" she ignored him and continue to sob.
What will he do?
Bring her home? But they will make those eyes again. They will get angry at me. They will say it's my fault. Her parents will hurt me.
He unconsciously took a step back.
Monster.
Demon
Bad
Orphan
He clamped his hands over his ears to ward off the imaginary voices but he still heard them. No. No. NO! I'm not. I'm not! It's not my fault. He took another step back.
Ino sniffed and looked up her eyes shimmering with tears. "Naruto-kun…
The voices stopped.
…I want…
He opened his eyes no longer seeing shadows.
…to go home." She whined and hiccupped.
He blinked seeming to awaken from a dream or nightmare. He looked down her. She looked pitiful really and somewhere inside his chest it stings a bit though he does not understand why. Should he really take her home? She could do that herself if she really tries. Would he really go through all that trouble despite what the adults would do to him?
He bit his lower lip as another tear fell from her cheek. Wordlessly he stepped forward, knelt down and presented her with his back. "Climb on." She meekly complied and wrapped her arms almost tightly but not too tightly around his neck. Her face buried at the crook of his neck, wetting his dry shirt with her tears and snot. He stood up carefully, carrying her like she was the most fragile glass. "Don't worry Ino-chan. I'll get you home." She looked up, her glassy blue eyes meeting his, he made a small encouraging smile that came out not half bad at all.
Would he really go through all that for her?
Yeah. Yeah I would.
Besides, he thought wryly. Aren't boys supposed to be the brave? Slowly but surely they made their way back.
The sun was beginning to set bathing the everything with orange glow. A soft sniff came near from Naruto's neck where Ino has her face buried. He gave her a brief glance, "just a little more Ino-chan. We'll get there." He felt her nod before turning back to the road. He bit himself inside his cheek and tries to hurry.
Ino…
"…hey look at that…."
"..ino? what's"
"..wrong. probably because of…"
"…him. Demon brat already…"
"…hurting. Hokage-sama should…"
Naruto blinked furiously trying to hold back his tears. Normally he would not look at them and would stare at his feet but if he does that then he might bump into something and hurt Ino even more.
He trudged on refusing to make any eye contact when he pass by the people on the road giving him disapproving looks.
Ah…how unlucky.
At this thought something inside him began to laugh without humor. It isn't fair he thought. He always get to be like this, it isn't fair that Ino would get hurt and he would always get the blame. Maybe it was his fault. Maybe if he had caught her, move more….
He shook his head. Ah…how unlucky. A small smile slowly began to form at his lips. Everything in his situation is surreal. Like everything around him is one dimensional. Everything from ino getting hurt to him being their target to get him hurt is so sad and angering that it's funny in a twisted way. He doesn't understand the way he thinks, Naruto realized. He could not explain how but the thought of this made him smile even wider receiving a small bit of satisfaction as he noticed how pissed it made the adults around him from the act.
Maybe he's weird. Maybe he's freaky. He does not understand it himself but as he formed an unconscious smile that continued to grow imitating the same grin from the girl he carries at his back when she smiles like a minx, he closed his eyes to supposedly happy arcs enjoying and hating it at the same time as he infuriated the people who would turn to look at them with the face.
He hates them but at the same time he aches for them.
Ah… how unlucky.
Just as the same he sometimes gets annoyed by Ino's bossiness but miss her with the same reason when she's gone. As if a reminder the brief period of lunacy was gone as he hurried more to get her to the flower shop.
Her mama and papa will get angry even more if they see me like that which is bad. Pull yourself together Naruto.
"Don't worry ino-chan." Don't worry.
…………………………………………..
