A/N: I wanted to get this out as soon as I had time. I know it is a little shorter than most of my chapters, but I wanted to give this its own chapter instead of merging it into the next. Mainly because it was so much fun to write and I hope you find it a fun read.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but obviously I do like the series.
Thirty minutes after leaving the Hyuga compound Naruto enters the Yamanaka flower shop his hair still damp, but at least it is combed. His kimono sticks to his skin in a few places that he forgot to dry in his haste to get dressed after his shower. "Ino, are you here? I need some flowers real quick for tonight." He looks around the shop and then has to look back at the door to make sure that he was in the right place. "This is the flower shop, but where are the flowers?" He stares around the room and sees nothing but empty shelves and containers.
"Oh hi Naruto, what brings you to my family's flower shop? I hope you are not here to buy flowers today." She sighs in shame when he nods. "I'm sorry, about 15 minutes ago a customer bought everything I had for a wedding." She holds up her hands and shrugs apologetically.
"You mean that you have nothing left?" He narrows his eyes and peers about the room hoping to spot at least one flower sticking out of a container or even discarded on the floor.
"Not really." She stops and placing a finger on her lips in thought. "Well I have one bouquet, but…"
"Perfect, I'll take them!" He punches his fist victoriously into the air.
"I can't sell these flowers to you Naruto." Ino then just shrugs, picks up a broom and starts sweeping.
"What do you mean that you can't sell me flowers?" Naruto changes his victorious fist punch to a shaking fist of anger. "This is a flower shop and you are supposed to sell flowers to people who want flowers and I want to buy some flowers."
Ino holds up a finger. "I said I could not sell you these flowers. I had a customer place an order twenty minutes ago for a bouquet just before the rest got bought and I am waiting for them to come and purchase their order."
Naruto bows his head to the girl. "Please Ino, I don't have much time and I really need some flowers."
Ino looks down upon him sadly. "I really don't know Naruto. I have the honor of my family's business to think about and if I went back on my word it would be bad for our reputation."
Head hung in defeat Naruto starts walking towards the door. "I understand Ino, I would never ask somebody to go back on their word. I'll just try and find some flowers elsewhere. If it were springtime it would be easy, I could have just picked some along the side of the road or gone into the forest."
Her voice calls out to him just as his hand reaches the door. "Naruto wait, I might be able to sell you the flowers, for a price."
"Really Ino?" He turned around with a happy smile on his face. "Just name your price."
"Well, I can sell you these flowers, but then I am going to have to buy replacements from a competitor and that is not good for business and she will most likely charge me extra, so you will have to pay extra to make up for my costs." She smiles as he nods emphatically to her requirement. "Plus, for the rest of the year you must address me as Ino-san."
"Now wait just a minute."
Ino crosses her arms in defiance. "I am being reasonable with my request. There is not too much time left in the year and I am only requesting that you call me Ino-san. I could require you to call me Ino-sama and that does have such a nice sound to it, doesn't it Naruto."
Holding his hands up in defeat he agrees to her demands. "Ino-san, I would like to buy those flowers, please."
Happy with how things are going, she smiles. "One last thing, why do you want the flowers so badly and I want the complete truth."
His face suddenly red, Naruto turns his head slightly away and talks softer than Ino has ever heard him speak. "I have a date tonight, Ino-san."
Ino covers her mouth in shock. "You have a date Naruto? Who are you taking out tonight, I wonder?" She leans across the counter using all of her training in interrogation to intimidate her friend. "It must be someone really special if you need flowers so desperately."
"Hinata." He says shyly. "I am taking Hinata out for her birthday and I would like to give her some flowers." His patience obviously stretched to their limit he holds up a fist. "So are you going to sell me those flowers or not? I am running out of time."
Ino reaches behind the counter and pulls out a bouquet of lavender roses accented with baby's breath. "Here you go and I hope that she likes the roses." She smiles as he enthusiastically slams down his money and races out the door without saying a word. Once he is out of sight she turns towards the back of the store. "You can come out now he has left."
The door to the storeroom opens and Tenten enters the room wiping tears from her eyes. "I seriously think I peed on myself back there listening to the two of you talk. I don't know how you kept from busting out laughing the whole time. If this shinobi thing doesn't work out for you I think you should go into acting."
Ino starts laughing and it takes her a little while before she can get herself back under control. "I wish you could have seen the look on his face when I told him that I was sold out of flowers." She does her best to imitate the look of a totally devastated Naruto, which causes Tenten to laugh till her stomach aches. "His face was so sad that I nearly gave in and told him it was all a joke, but I am a professional."
Tenten opens the large scroll on her back and lays it out on the counter. "The part where he has to call you Ino-san for the rest of the year was brilliant, but I was sure he was going to break the deal when you made that a requirement." She places her hand on one of the seals and dozens of flower containers appear in a puff of smoke.
"Me too, but I guess deep down the knucklehead cares for Hinata more than we realize. Kind of makes me wonder if he would have acted differently if the date had been with Sakura. I guess we will never know, she has made her choice and hopefully Hinata will finally get what she has wanted for all of these years." Ino starts putting the flowers back into the correct place along with Tenten's help. "I just wonder if our innocent little Hinata will know what to do with him once she gets Naruto." Ino puts her hand over her mouth and starts giggling at the 'I can't believe you just said that' look Tenten gives her for making such a lewd comment.
"Ino, the arrangement you made was beautiful. The lavender roses will look awesome next the Hinata's eyes, but I was curious what the color signifies. I know red roses mean 'I love you', which if you had done that I think the date would have ended before it started with Hinata fainting." Both girls laugh at the thought of Naruto standing there at the gates to the Hyuga compound holding flowers in one hand and an unconscious heiress in the other. "Yellow roses are for friendship, but do lavender roses have a meaning?"
Ino held up some lavender roses and struck a victorious pose. "That color has a few meanings actually and my favorites are perfect for tonight. Sometimes you give them to signify enchantment, but others give them to express love-at-first-sight. I thought that was appropriate since we all know that Hinata-chan has been in love with Naruto since the first moment she laid eyes upon him. Also, I hope the big knucklehead will finally open his eyes and see the good thing that has been there waiting most of his life. They both deserve a little happiness, we all do really." She looks over to Tenten with a soft smile. "Now, you are still showing up tonight for our double date?"
Tenten's smile vanishes at the mention of tonight's date. "I just don't know Ino. It feels weird going out on a date, even after all this time. I still… miss him Ino, and don't give me this we all lost somebody in the war and need to go on for the living crap. I have heard it from so many people that I swear I'll slap the next person that says it to me. I never told him how I felt and it just doesn't feel right that I move on without him."
Ino reaches over and takes her friend's hand. "Okay, I won't say that, but Shino is a nice guy and Kiba says he has been down lately with so many of his friends dating. Don't think of this as a date, but as a bunch of friends hanging out together." She holds up some money. "Besides Naruto paid for the first couple of rounds tonight and you need to be there to drink your share."
Thinking of poor Naruto makes Tenten smile. "Since you put it that way, I'll go, but this is not a date just friends hanging out together over drinks and maybe dinner if things don't get weird."
Ino turns away and rearranges some of the flowers they were replacing to hide her smile. 'You are my friend Tenten and I want all of my friends to be happy even if it kills them in the process. Just wait Choji you are next and then my greatest challenge, Rock Lee.'