Disclaimer – I do not own the Naruto franchise or its original story and plot.
Pairings – ShinIno, slightly cracked AsuKure
Caution – Crossovers with the anime "Bartender."
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"The Konohan Yellow Ladybug is a persistent species. Despite the lengthy duration of courtship rituals, each individual is reluctant to give up. As a result, success rates are one of the highest amongst all insects" - Mating Rituals of S. saffronica
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I lift a stick of dango by the end, and forcefully jostle the edible parts into my mouth. At this point, however, I don't care about anything but getting the hell out of here. I'm sure that Ino's probably noticed the unspeakable familiarity of Gai-sensei's dramatic reading, and from the look on her face, she wants out as well.
Gai and Kakashi-sensei are gone, and it's just the four of us again: Ino across from me, Asuma-sensei to her left, and Kurenai-sensei to my right. I try to ignore the "happy couple" beside me, and focus on filling my stomach. Ino stares at her skewer with great concentration, and then gingerly nibbles off a piece.
This is the first time watching her eat, and she looks like a rabbit when she's feasting on those dumplings. She's so cute; she could nibble on me any day. I inwardly melt at the thought of being covered in rice paste and baked with soy sauce. It's the most unusual thought that has come to my mind in ages, but somehow I don't mind.
In between bites, Ino stares at Kurenai and Asuma together, and sighs. Is she the type who's looking for a relationship like that? Is she disappointed for being stuck on a double date with a keeps-to-himself guy like me? Think, Shino, think! I should make some sort of move. I should say something reassuring to Ino, but it's really hard with "sexy big sister" right beside me.
Become mine. I'll rock you senseless.
Um, no. I'd probably be slapped senseless by Ino if I said that. Nobody in his or her right mind could possibly get away with that. But then again, who could?
"Quiet down, Kurenai!" Asuma blurts out embarrassingly. "Don't say that kind of thing in front of the others!" He blushes furiously.
Asuma. Blushing furiously. I've just lost my appetite.
So has Ino, apparently. The look on her face suggests she had heard each word coming out of Kurenai-sensei's mouth. She politely excuses herself from the table, stands up, and leaves.
She tugs on my arm briefly, her aquamarine eyes signalling me to follow suit.
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If you walk through the back streets of Konoha, you'll see an entire block of dango stores, ramen huts, and to a certain extent, bars. One such bar that you might pass by without any notice is called Edenhall. It is an inconspicuous shop, blooming quietly in this seemingly chaotic district.
As I continue following Ino across the street from the dango store, we stumble upon this very bar, protected by an apparently simple door, marked only with a nameplate, elegantly titled "Edenhall."
"Go in?" I ask, turning towards Ino.
She nods, and grabs the door handle. She groans as she labouredly opens the door.
"It's unusually heavy," She notes. I nod in belief.
We step inside into the bar. It's small and innocent enough, but unlike other speakeasies in the district, this place has a clean, wholesome feel to it. Behind the counter stands a man of pleasant stature and good taste in clothing. He turns his head towards us. He's wiping glasses of various sizes and shapes.
"Welcome to Edenhall." He says. "Please, take a seat."
Ino curiously walks towards the stools and sits down on one of the middle chairs. I do the same, selecting a seat to her right. She has a sparkle in her eyes. I don't take her for the drinking type, but after tonight's mishaps, anyone would want to drink out of their own misery.
"So," the barkeep presumes, "What would you two like to drink?"
"Alcohol," Ino blatantly demands, "lots of it."
I want to remind Ino that we're not even legal drinking age, and yet she's risking buying alcohol without suitable proof of age of majority.
The bartender looks at me with cautious eyes.
"Please," he says, "feel welcome to order anything you'd like. Business is slow today, so don't feel that your age is a restriction."
The barkeep sees right through me. I don't want to admit that he was right, but his hospitality is something rare. Ino looks surprised too, but remains intent on being intoxicated to some unknown degree.
"Hey mister," she says, "your door is heavy. Maybe that's why you're not attracting any customers!"
He beams, smiling as if he's been hearing comments like this all his life.
"It seems very odd," he admits, "a door that seems so heavy, it refuses its customers."
"No kidding, ne!" Ino reacts.
"But think about it just a bit." The barkeep insists. "In exchange, when one enters, they are protected from the outside world. He or she can forget about the pangs from beyond that heavy door, and forget about the world outside his or her chair. They can forget about their title or age, and can act like themselves. As such, I'll give you two a few moments to settle in before taking your orders."
After he finished, he paused momentarily before resuming wiping the highball in his hands.
Ino sighs as she sinks deeper into her chair, finally slumping herself onto the mahogany countertop. She is deep in thought, before she begins to speak to me.
"Ne, I'm sorry for turning you down this morning."
"Aa."
That's all I can seem to say. Today, I put so much thought about it, but being with her at this moment, in this place of solitude, it all seems to cancel all of today's events into a feeling of blankness. It's like I can start over again with her.
She laughs. "I'll take that as an 'I forgive you.'"
She's beaming. It might be the comfortably dim lighting, but I don't think I've seen her any more beautiful than she is right now. I officially admit that I really do care about this girl. But it's not just about her looks, but it's about the way I feel about myself when I'm blanketed by her warmth and kindness.
It's like the feeling the kikaichu get, knowing that I'm always there to supply them with chakra. Yes, it's a horrible analogy, it's a guy thing, but my fighting style only exists because of the give and take relationship I have with them. I just hope that after taking in so much kindness from Ino, I want to be able to give some back to her as well.
"Ino," I say softly, "Do you remember anything about what happened the day the Ladybugs came into your store?"
She was silent, as if she was unable to recollect. However, the gradual rouging of her soft cheeks indicated otherwise.
"Shino," she said, "I don't remember anything at all. I fell on top of you, and then I felt a pleasant aroma from the bugs that landed on top of us. I don't remember anything afterwards. After hearing Gai-sensei read that passage, I began to feel that the fall more than just an accident."
I don't remember anything either, but by hearing her say those words, I badly wanted to.
"Yeah," I respond, "let's drink."
"Sure."
The bartender looks up at us, smiling. He definitely heard our conversation, because he was quick to respond our readiness to order.
"Sir," Ino says, "you didn't tell us your name."
"Ryu Sasakura."
"Well, Ryu," I respond, "we'll order your specialty."
He pauses, deep in thought. He looks at our hopeful faces, deliberating on the most appropriate cocktail.
"Ok," he concludes, "I have just the thing."
He reaches under the counter for a bottle of vermouth. He then grabs a bottle of Godaime's Choice, a specialty brand of sake, well known for being promoted by Tsunade-sama herself. He pours portions of each bottle into a shaker at a carefully calculated ratio. He smiles with a secret agent-like charm as he shakes the container, then carefully pouring the contents into two martini glasses. He garnishes the drinks with edible flower petals.
"Haiku martunia," he says, "a combination of a haiku martini and a martunia(1). It's garnished with---"
"With white violet petals," Ino interjects, "they mean---"
"They mean 'Let's take a chance on happiness.'" I add.
"…yes…" Ino softly replies, cheeks becoming rosy.
"Well," Ryu remarks, "then you know why this drink is especially befitting for the both of you. It's on the house."
He bows, then leaves, in respect of our wanted privacy.
"So," Ino says, raising her glass towards me, "to happiness then?"
I nod in agreement. I felt hesitant at first at the door, but thanks to it, I was able to easily relax, and think that I could somehow overcome the trials of the days to come. I raise my glass and lightly clink it with hers.
"Cheers, Ino-chan."
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Author's Notes:
(1) A haiku martini is a variation of the standard martini, replacing the gin or vodka with sake. A martunia is also a variation of the martini, garnished with an edible flower petal, instead of the usual olive.
I felt compelled to do this chapter so soon, after watching a few episodes of the anime "Bartender." Just be glad I'm such a nice author-nin XD
Stay tuned for more updates. Feed my ego with reviews, ne? They make me update sooner than I'd like, but it's all for your sakes anyways!