Chapter 7
Flashback 2.5 years ago
It was a long night. The longest one for Gaara since the days when his body was possessed by Shukaku. That was a time when he was mentally tortured daily, desperately forcing his sleep-deprived mind to stay awake to prevent the murderous one-tailed demon from taking over his being. Even then, he would give up everything and go back to that miserable insomniac isolated existence in a heartbeat, if it would save Ino and his unborn child.
Naruto had been with them for most of the night until he offered to take the sleepy children to rest at his place. As the hallway became dead quiet, it did nothing to calm the storm in his mind. Dark-rimmed eyes bored holes into his blood-stained hands, while his sister and brother-in-law sat on each of his sides talking softly to each other. Not that he noticed, he was numb, stuck in the replay of the last few hours.
He didn't remember how exactly he had removed the debris off of Ino. Chouji explained Gaara's intuitive sand had cleared everything within seconds, yet the redhead had no recollection of that. He could only remember the frantic panic of having to get Ino out from underneath the collapsed treehouse. Once she was in his arms, he whimpered her name. He used his body to shield Ino from the rain at the same time his hand would use the water to rinse the blood off her pale cheeks. His eyes desperately searching for the source of her bleeding.
Traumatized, he remembered feeling her fading. Her tired blue irises barely fluttered to meet him as his teardrops would trail down her cheeks. Despite the thunderous rain hindering his hearing, he caught her lips moving. He leaned in and heard her whisper his name, followed by a ragged breath before her head rolled to the side. No, no, no. Gaara sat up again to see her closed eyes, parted lips, and unmoving chest before his mind went blank.
His nightmarish trance was interrupted by Tsunade approaching them. He sprung up along with Temari, Shikamaru, and Chouji at his side. The redhead scrutinized the doctor's face searching for any hints to his wife's condition. His sister's hand wrapped around his left arm for support. "How...how is she?" She asked hesitantly. They were all expecting the worse.
The last five hours had been an agonizing hell for all of them. Starting with the accident, resuscitating Ino, and trying to keep her alive on the way to the hospital. After Tsunade had asked Gaara to choose between his wife or the baby's life, all they could do was to excruciatingly wait for any kind of a miracle. Not being able to be by Ino's side had been eating Gaara inside.
"Once we extracted the fetus we were able to identify, isolate, and stop the source of the hemorrhage. She lost a lot of blood, and we were able to replace some of it, however, we'll need to monitor her reaction overnight and possibly transfer more later. We stabilized her, yet she is not out of the woods. I want to keep her on an ICU watch schedule for now. Sakura is getting her settled as the anesthetic should be wearing off."
Already knowing Gaara's question Tsunade proceeded. "The fetus did not make it" She replied softly. "I am sorry for your loss Gaara, you can go ahead to see Ino, however, it would be too stressful for everyone to go in at once. Just you for now."
Gaara nodded and rushed for the intensive care hall, stopping only once he saw her name on the chart on the wall. Sakura was inside, sitting next to his wife while holding a wrapped bundle. The female medic looked up at him with sorrow and got up to clear the spot by Ino's side.
Gaara sat carefully, trying not to touch and disturb the IV line injected in Ino's arm. The blonde's eyes were opened but had yet to move from facing the wall. Ino had always had fair skin, and tonight her paleness was almost translucent. At least she was breathing, and that was enough for Gaara. "Puppet, I'm here."
Her shoulders shook and otherwise stayed immobile. He was useless. He didn't know what to do or how to ease his wife's grief.
After a moment of silence, Sakura spoke up. "Gaara...it was a girl...Would you like to see her?" Sakura offered cautiously from behind, reminding him she was still there. He stared at the bundle and swallowed a lump stuck in his throat before nodding. He owed his baby daughter to meet her. When Sakura handled the bundle over, it hardly weighed anything.
She told him she would give them some privacy and would be outside if they needed her. He didn't watch her leave, his aqua eyes focused on the blanket covering his child's face.
He slightly hesitated to move the blanket over, peering in slowly as his heart contracted with agony. In his arms was his little princess. She was small, and she was definitely theirs.
His eyes clouded with wetness as he leaned to kiss her tiny forehead. He sought for Ino's but her body was still turned away from them. "Ino, she is beautiful."
The baby looked identical to Ino's baby pictures, except tinier and with a little spray of auburn hairs on her head. She was his little ginger. He thought of a name for her. "...Akai...I am your father. Thank you...for keeping your mother company until today...and... for letting me keep her longer."
A choked cry came from Ino's body. She curled more into herself before her cries turned into wails. Gaara shifted his body, with the baby in arms, until he was pressed against Ino's cold back. They spent the rest of what felt like never-ending darkness grieving together.
As the guards and Ino reached the city gates, an exacerbated blond male approached them. "What is the meaning of this?" Naruto asked sharply to the jounin dragging Ino. Once the jounin explained Gaara's instructions, Naruto's glare intensified. "He asked you to escort her to me, not to treat her like a criminal. You can let her go now." The befuddled men, recognizing Naruto's authority and threat, released her.
Ino, numbed from the earlier encounter with Gaara, rubbed her arms as she turned away from the standing ninja to head straight into the city. The Sand jounin, starting to reach for her, was blocked by Naruto. His fierce blue eyes warned them to stay on the spot. "I got it from here. If you have a problem, take it with the Kazekage."
When he caught up to Ino, she refused to look at him as she continued her determined pace. "I am going to see Shikamaru." At his friend's words, Naruto sighed and moved ahead to turn around and face her while walking backwards. "They are not here. They left this morning to deliver wedding gifts to the Wind daimyo's daughter in place of Kankurou."
Ino halted and stared at the ground with her fists closed. She sardonically grinned. "Of course."
Her back, slightly hunched, straightened from a helpless numbness to an icy composure, standing against the mental weight on her shoulders. The whole world was against her. From her husband and her son to her in-laws and her friends who had aided and condoned Gaara to leave Ino alone. Most of the damage was irreparable, they had done their worst and left her severely wounded. But she refused to cower to their treatment any longer. She was going to force them to own their mistakes and take her seriously; starting by confronting her current companion.
She defiantly approached to clutch Naruto's jounin vest, pulling him down to her until they bumped noses. "I want to make something clear to you Uzumaki. You were not just Gaara's friend, you were mine first and you hurt me. You should have told me" referring to Gaara's plans. "Because of your silence, I no longer have my son, and everyone thinks I'm insane. How can I trust you?" His dejected look only spurned her on.
"You are lucky, people refuse to give me the time of the day, and yet they listen to you. And you are the only one who wouldn't dare say 'no' to me. You will make it up to me and if you dare defend Gaara, ever again, we are done and I will tell everyone in Suna and Konoha that the Hokage-to-be masturbates to pregnant women and steals kisses from married ones, including the Kazukage's sister-in-law. "
Naruto, confused, opened his mouth to protest, and with knotted fists on his vest, she crushed his lips to meet hers in anger. Anger at Gaara's rejection this morning, at everyone's dismissal of her sanity, spurned by Gaara's choice of Matsuri over her to raise their son. She felt degraded, rejected, and worthless. Driven by her pain she delivered the brunt of her frustrations in a punishing kiss.
At first, his shaking lips parted against hers, but when she bit his lower lip he groaned softly, low in his throat, sending an unexpected wild tremor down her spine. It wasn't long before his hands wrapped around her waist and one of hers tangled on his blond hair. As his tongue slid inside her mouth, her fists gripped tighter. They were both yielding to his warmth and her frustrated desires.
When Naruto's hand rested on her lower back, Ino remembered where she was and pulled back, forcing their lips apart, leaving him disoriented. Her eyes widened at both of their disheveled states and pushed him back. "I'll meet you to leave for Konoha, when I am ready" she took a faint step, then limped away leaving her flabbergasted friend behind.
She immediately dismissed what happened and focused instead on finding Suna's local ninja tailor shop and found a change of clothes and proper footwear that would allow her to travel back to Konoha. Fortunately, the owner recognized her from her last visit and she put her purchase on the Kazekage's tab.
After the public bath and change of clothes, Ino stopped once more at Kankurou's office. She advanced, determined, and interrupted his eating.
She stood in front of his desk and with a collected expression made her request. "I want the divorce papers."
Astounded Kankurou coughed out a piece of his lunch. When he recovered he rose up "Ino! What are you saying! Taking a step like that over a misunderstanding-"
"-You're the one who doesn't get it. I want a divorce on grounds of adultery."
Kankurou shook his head. "You don't have proof."
Ino stamped her healthy foot. "Fine! Then on grounds of desertion."
Kankurou nixed her comment with his hand. "He is fulfilling an assignment for this village, you are being unreasonable and throwing a tantrum. You need to think about what you are asking of me"
She rested her hands on his desks and leaned in. "Kankurou, as the mother of your nephew, and hopefully your future former sister-in-law, are you seriously denying my request?"
"There are certain actions that you can't take back Ino. I don't want to enable you in doing something you'll regret."
She placed a bill on his desk for her Konoha outfit. "Then with this, we are done as well." She exited slamming the door behind her.
"Baki-san I want to know the exact details of the mission Nara Shikamaru assigned Sabaku no Gaara."
The man regarded her with ill-concealed annoyance. "I can't give that to you Sabaku-san. The records are confidential"
"Since they directly affect my son's life, they concern me."
Baki crossed his arms defensively before his chest. "They have left and that is the end of it."
She raised her chin. "No, actually, that is not the end of it. Your behavior towards me throughout this ordeal has been demeaning. I will be taking this experience back to my Hokage." She raised a hand to his protest. "When this is sorted out, and it will, you will change your tune."
His body swelled in anger. "As an elder in this council, I have followed procedure and entertained your lunacy and lack of disrespect. I have used my judgment appropriately."
"You did not use your judgment at all, Sabaku no Gaara deceived Shikamaru and once Shikamaru realizes his mistake and learns about your treatment of me you will be held responsible for your actions."
Baki stood up. "For the second time in many days, I will ask you to leave my office, I do not have time for this."
"With pleasure, I only came to warn you."
As she walked away from the Kazekage's headquarters, Ino's shoulders dropped. With torn pride, she knew her words had been full of false bravado. She understood she was not acting like herself, and Baki was reacting to his impression of her. Yet it infuriated her how helpless she was against their blind loyalty to Gaara, and it only set her mind further on getting her act together and proving everyone wrong.
The trip back home was full of solemn silence. Ino refusing Naruto's help only made their journey last longer. She distracted herself along the way, by attempting to organize her thoughts.
She reached some decisions. Mainly, she was moving back to her parent's place above the Yamanaka Hana. It was much smaller than their current home, but the idea of returning to the large cold, empty nest she shared with Gaara and Heero for the last 11 years only filled her with gut-wrenching sadness.
As they set up camp a day away to Konoha, Ino wondered how Heero was doing on his first long trip. Had her baby enjoyed the first couple of days of his mission? Had he missed her? Loneliness swept over her as Ino's eyes flooded with tears. No. Only by focusing on practical things could she survive. Thinking about Heero, Gaara and her loneliness would drive her mad. With a tired sigh, she visualized the activities needed to make her parents place a living space and reopening the shop. Those two places were the only sure things left in her fast-dissolving world.
Her only consolation was that Naruto's awkwardness was kind of entertaining. Each morning the jounin couldn't seem to make up his mind whether to greet her or distract himself with something. When their eyes would meet, the idiot soon-to-be Hokage would even blush. She bluffed a movement in his direction to watch him stiffen up. Another time she pursed her lips at him before sticking her tongue out. The teasing did eventually relieve some of the tension between them. During their last camp night he did apologize to her and shared that while he didn't understand the full picture, he trusted her. She thought the bumbling idiot would still bring up Gaara subconsciously, but he actually avoided the subject tactfully. She allowed bygones be bygones with Naruto. At the moment, besides Sakura, he was one of her few allies.
"It was obvious my efforts failed. Did you at least accomplish your goal in Suna?" Ino asked. Naruto's conflicted eyes looked up to the sky. He leaned back until he was lying down as he sighed. "Not exactly. I thought I had a strong lead...lately, it feels I am constantly chasing after ghosts."
Without asking further, Ino knew already that this had something to do with the elusive missing member of Team 7. It was the only person that still had such an impact on the blond male even after all these years. Naruto was biting his lip as if he was holding something back. Ino decided to respect his privacy. Instead, she changed the subject.
They use the remainder of their journey to complain and share stories of Tsunade's bad habits and how Sakura was becoming more like her mentor in strength and personality.
"It's good to see you smile again Ino," he said when she got up from the campfire. As Ino walked behind him she yanked his hair back, making him yelp. "Idiot" she muttered, before heading to her camp nook. She did sleep a little longer that night.
On the next day, when they finally neared the familiar scents and sounds of Konoha, Ino thanked Naruto for letting her join him. Naruto scratched the back of his shoulder and advised he would be reporting to the Hokage and for her to get some rest. Alone, she sobered up and lifted her hands to smooth her hair back from her face. With as much dignity as she could muster, she walked calmly to the road leading to her house.
Not having much energy left to make the move tonight, she dreaded having to rest in her bedroom. Memories of Gaara and her in bed, dwelled like a rock in her stomach, haunting her. She had to console herself that at least she wasn't crying this instance. Her thoughts were interrupted by a standing silhouette in front of her home. Apprehensive at the unexpected visit, Ino strutted forward until she recognized her friend. Sakura stood like a tall statue on her porch.
"Welcome home, Ino-pig"
Ino closed her eyes and swallowed to bite the tears away and then reopened them to give her friend a sad grateful smile. "I am back Billboard brow."
Sleeping over at Sakura, Ino was able to share the whole disastrous ordeal in Suna with the pink-haired kunoichi. Ino did not discuss the kiss with Naruto. She didn't want Sakura to misunderstand, especially, when Ino had not fully processed it herself. Sakura listened patiently and did not nag at her when Ino yelled, cussed, and felt sorry for herself. She invited Ino to share her bed and did not complain, although she frowned when a sleeping Ino in the middle of the night shifted her thigh over her body. She didn't expect that Ino would keep shifting and taking over the bed by morning.
At dawn, Sakura kicked Ino out of her bed, and after the abrupt awakening, the friends collected Sakura's cleaning supplies and headed over to Ino's parent's place to restore the space. The place looked exactly as she had left it after her mother's wake five years ago. Despite that they were now both gone, it still felt comforting and familiar. Stored in bins, Ino found her father's clothes still in good condition. She gave Sakura a shirt and she changed into another and they rolled their arms to clear cobwebs, wipe drawers, sweep, mop, and clean inside and under furniture and appliances.
During lunch, they headed to a Korean BBQ place, where Sakura watched her friend eat heartily for the first time in a while. Ino was savoring her meal, while Sakura's green orbs watched her carefully. The pink-haired medic leaned in sliding a glass of water towards Ino. "Have you put more thought on Tsunade's offer?"
The blonde woman paused before swallowing the piece of meat. "...I haven't studied for so long... was so rusty while trying to get back at Gaara…just not sure if I really want to be a medic anymore." Nevermind that she had not been to the hospital since her miscarriage.
Sakura grabbed a piece of meat from the grill. "You don't have to decide right away. You could just focus on gaining your strength back."
"Who would I train with? You are busy working and I couldn't practice seriously with kids, I would be a joke since most of them are probably stronger than me at this point."
Sakura pushed Ino's forehead back. "I can't spend my free time taking care of you, Baka." She rested her head on her propped arm. "You know, Lee has a dojo"
Ino chuckled sarcastically. "So you rather multitask and spend your free time taking care of me while flirting."
Sakura smacked the back of Ino's head, before snatching the last piece of beef. "Idiot, you know we are just friends."
Uh-huh thought Ino in disbelief.
She obnoxiously moaned while chewing to rub the rich teriyaki flavor on Ino's face, then stood up to pay her bill. Amused she replied, "For that insolent comment you are cleaning the flower shop on your own."
In the afternoon, Ino opened the doors to the Yamanaka Hana. Immediately she was greeted by mixed scents of jasmine, magnolias, and roses. She extended lightly her arms to her sides until her fingers brushed through the growing angel trumpets as she walked by. The leaves of flowers on the tables and the floor brushed against her knees, her thighs, and her waist. The space washed her mind and comforted her. These were only hers. Part of her legacy, her father and his clan as far back as from the First Hokage's era. She glanced briefly at some of the missed orders and started watering the more wilted plants.
It was around night time when she heard the door's windchimes moving. She looked up to watch an older Rock Lee walking in. It was weird to think she hadn't seen him in ages, though she often heard about him. Yet it made sense. She had been pretty much of a recluse these past two years, often opting for staying in, when Gaara would go out. It had been a long while since she had seen this former spirited green jumpsuit wearing friend. "...Lee."
"I saw the lights on and heard you were back."
I'm sure that's not the only thing you've heard. Ino thought before smiling awkwardly at the mess in the store. "It's good to see you. I am mainly shifting things around, trying to get better lighting for the plants. The last staff clearly didn't care much about his work." She muttered the last part sourly to herself.
With his hands in his pockets, Lee glanced around the shop, "Is there something I can help with?"
Ino swatted her hand back and forth in protest. "Non-sense, I am pretty much done for the night, plus I like taking my time with this stuff."
The tall male stood as if he had something left to say.
"You know, Ino, Sakura mentioned you may be interested in getting back in shape. If you are up for it, I have a morning session with rehabilitating Genins that you could join…"
Here we go. "Thank you, Lee, for the kind offer. I am just not looking for pity-"
Lee interrupted her "-that is not what I am offering. I am looking for a fair exchange."
Taken back Ino looked up. "Okay...I am listening."
"I do a lot for my students… yet it feels like something is missing for some of them. There is just something special about gardening that I think could help them. Whether or not they are born with a green thumb, just the effort of planting, nurturing flowers, and harvesting fruit. What a wondrous opportunity for them to see a slightly different person in the mirror: a person who yes can kill but they can also choose to bring life and grow things and be a little more in tune with the dirt." He walked around looking at the shop. "It may be a win-win situation, they gain an important skill directly from one of the most reputable Konoha families and you also get free help around the shop."
"I guess...though are you sure your students are open to that? As much as I am used to Heero's moods I am not sure I have the same kind of patience for other people's children."
"They would be fine. They could even take turns on the day of the week so that you are only supervising one or two at a time. Think of them as budding flowers waiting to bloom. Yes, you may have a stubborn one that has not fully realized themselves yet but with your TLC I am sure they will flourish. You trained with Chouji and Shikamaru and you were the glue of that team. Out of anyone else, I think you are the best for this."
"You mean, I am the only one that doesn't have anything interesting going on and would allow you to put her up to this."
"I meant, you are the only one with enough perseverance when she sets her mind to it and has an authentic love for gardening to make this work. Look, the more I talk about it the more sense it makes. What a great way to build their hand strength! With this side project, they are strengthening their hands and fingers as strong as possible for as long as possible. Plus, knowing how to grow their own food, actually, wouldn't hurt either, especially Chouji's child. She is eating enough to leave me broke after team practices..."
"Okay Lee, I get it... And, you know what? Fine, why not? If it helps the kids, I only have time and weight left to lose."
As they agreed, they set the routine from thereon. Ino would train with Lee's group in the mornings, in exchange for teaching on a rotation basis one or two of Lee's students in the afternoons about gardening and putting them to work around the shop.
When it came to putting their plan in action, it was not as bad as she thought. It actually became a welcoming distraction. Yes, every once in awhile, interacting with other people's children, showing them the things she hoped to teach her son one day, left a growing painful echo in her gut. At least the morning practices with Lee would leave her sore and too exhausted to dwell in her sorrow.
Every other morning now, for the past two months, Ino would find herself in the same position. Leaned over resting her palms on her bent knees, sweat trickling past her eyes brows and down her face while facing Lee.
"Are you sure you want to keep going, Auntie", asked one of the dojo Genins.
She did not turn, "This is...perfect, I need...his strength."
"Whatever you say; you still look like you are out of your league." Said one of the ruder -more straightforward brats.
"That…" she grunted sorely trying to catch her breath. "Is because... he is the very devil." It was one of the few things they would all agree on.
Ino's weight loss progress over the weeks was disappointingly slow, and she still struggled to get up in the mornings and slide into her leggings, yet she didn't mind. She understood she was still eating more than she probably should, but that was because there was something else she had also noticed was slow to arrive. Her period. Her last one ended the week Gaara left for Suna, she would have been due now 4 weeks ago. I shouldn't hope too much. She didn't dare to dream she was pregnant, yet each day that would go by, that dream seemed to become reality.
Although it was late at night, and she had a full day between practices and managing the shop, Ino didn't want to go to sleep, instead, she looked at the books of the shop that Gaara and her parents had both maintained. While she had helped in the shop for most of her life, she did not have to worry in the past about keeping a budget, tracking orders, or coordinating logistics for deliveries. This was a new side of the business she would need to understand to keep it afloat. She had some thoughts on how some things could evolve, although before exploring alternative options she preferred to understand the basics.
Noticing the late hour approaching midnight, she got up from her father's desk and massaged her neck muscles. She shut the lights off the shop and instead of walking upstairs to the apartment, encouraged by the night breeze and the bright moonlight, she went to take a stroll around the neighborhood.
With her hands in her pockets, she listened carefully to the sounds of the night. Crickets chirping and an owl hooting from one of the roofs. She smiled, thinking how gentle the night sounds spoke to her compared to people. Ino walked by her former home and memories of Heero peeking through his bedroom window and playing in the yard flooded her with nostalgia. She had not been in since she arrived back to Konoha, and was tempted to go inside to find Heero's old baby blanket.
Instead, she moved past the house and walked the night away, until it started to smell like morning. She was tired and numb but not sleepy. The stairs to her parent's home creaked beneath her feet. Alone in the house, she took her shoes off by the door and walked to her room, to lay across the bed. She was exhausted, a knot on her lower back was bothering her and her breast felt sore. Deciding not to change and shower, since it would wake her up more, she hoped to fall asleep.
A couple of hours later she woke up to discover she was not pregnant. She realized then, her restlessness and body aches were just symptoms signaling her delayed period was coming. She stared at the stains and cried bitterly until she fell asleep.
When she awoke later, noticing she had missed practice with a sort of stillness in her brain, Ino slid her hand down across her stomach. Despite all her efforts to discourage the small embers, there had never been anything there but false hope. She would have to learn to move on. Getting up numbly, Ino removed the sheets from the bed and went to take a shower. She got dressed and went down to open the shop as if nothing had happened. For nothing really had. Mentally, she told herself she was not surprised, nor even disappointed.
On a different sunny day, Ino stood on top of a hill with the armpits of her tank top, the back between her shoulder blades and the space between and under her breasts soaked. The top of her thighs burned and her toes felt as if they were on fire. She still did not have the right gear for hiking and she never checked if any of Gaara's clothes would fit. His closet remained untouched back in her former home.
Other than the tightening of her facial muscles, she might have been a statue, staring out over the view. Today, she had hiked as part of Lee's conditioning with her own small set of weights on her ankles. Beneath the hot sun, she watched Konoha as tiny versions of the men and women walked around completing their daily errands. A crow swung lazily in the sky over the southeast, and its movement roused Ino from her thoughts.
One of Lee's students, the annoying one, stepped out from behind, as his arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed as much as she was except he wore boots reaching the bottom of his shins.
"Why did I have to come out here Lee-sensei?" Lee walked over in good humor. "Carpe diem, my lovely student. Seize the day... Although maybe I should have picked a cooler day for hiking."
"The heat doesn't bother me," Ino stated. It was not as intense as Suna and plus while the sweating may be unattractive, the wetness served as a buffer for her skin against the hot air. Ino stared back at Konoha and was reminded of it's a contrast to her husband's home village. Her memories of her last visit left a sour taste on her tongue. "I like what I see."
Lee's student stretched "We should go-"
Ino interrupted him to talk to Lee, "-we should train here, now. I could use more practice and this place is as good as any. I'm still barely reaching my genin levels."
The student tilted his head to the side to squint up at her. "You couldn't even keep up getting here."
Lee raised his hand to calm his student, before turning to Ino. "What he means to say is if you keep forcing yourself, without resting, you may have a setback. Let your muscles heal, before talking about increasing intensity."
She smiled faintly looking back over her shoulder at the broad expanse of green of his upper body training suit. "You are both underestimating me."
Lee's eyes rose in amusement as his student scoffed, "What makes you think that?" He challenged. She flashed him a hard glance and then shrugged. Ino looked away.
Even if she was certain, their reactions were understandable. She had failed as a female shinobi, now restarting her training after years of neglect. "Let's head back then, at a higher pace."
At that Lee's student turned around. "Whatever" he muttered and strode away.
Lee nodded. Ino dropped her eyes to her hands clasped tightly. She should be used to the lack of expectations from others, yet the dismissals, even from brats, still burned.
Once they returned to Konoha, she excused herself and gravitated towards her flower shop. This was her safe haven. She hummed a soft tune, one that reminded her of her mother, and that seemed to make her flowers react. A long time ago, Ino noticed that plants reacted well to different styles of music, but with Heero outgrowing his lullabies and with years out of practice, her chords could only now awkwardly hummed a sad faint song as she grabbed the watering can to feed the plants. She decided to stay with the shop closed and the lights out for the lunch hour, to have one...or two tall glasses of wine before her next helper would arrive. The day was still young.