Good evening, THANK YOU for the lovely reviews
: I know the story is progressing too fast but I have to make this short or I'll never finish. Hope you understand
Unemployed-ninja: To answer your question they are students.
Enjoy. No flames please, don't like the pairing then don't read it. Please excuse all grammar and spelling mistakes.
All characters in this fanfic belong to Kishimoto, Masashi.
Chapter 2: Sunflower
Ino's Dream
The light of the sun felt warm on her skin, her chest rose as she took a deep breath in before separating her eyelids to a cloudless cerulean sky. Her body lay in a sea of yellow sunflowers; she watched them sway in the light breeze. She turned her head the left and realised that she lay alone, she looked to the right and again no body lay next to her, she stood up and looked around the endless sea of sunflowers, she let out a painful sigh and looked to the ground 'Is there nobody I can share this beautiful place with?' She glanced at the sky, her body became to tilt backward and she fell.
-end of dream-
Ino scratched her eyes, clearing them of the hardened dust that had formed during her sleep. She lifted her body and sat along the edge of her bed recalling her dream "I dreamt of the sunflowers" a faint smile appeared on her face "It's been a while since I had that dream" her smile faded "But why do I give up and fall in the end? Why did I not search for someone?"
Sai
"And stay out!" a voice shouted
Sai held his knees, as he huffed and puffed 'It's just a flower, she didn't have to send her dog after me.' Sai stood up and looked at the flower he had picked and got chased by a dog for 'sunflower' Sai thought for a moment before walking to school.
Lunch time
The noise in the canteen was as usual and Sai found himself looking for a place to sit and when he found none he leaned against the wall and ate his lunch. His eyes moved around the area, they stopped when he saw a girl with long blonde hair sitting at a table with the guy with the hair like a pineapple and another boy who looked fat and was vacuuming potato chips. 'Sunflower' was the only thing that came to his mind.
"You can't stand there" a familiar voice said
A drop of sweat ran down Sai's face "Am I not allowed to stand here?"
"Apologise" the person in front of Sai commanded
Sai was confused "Pardon?"
The person's face turned beet-red and then grabbed Sai's ear and began pulling it "Pardon? I said apologise"
Sai's face cringed from the pain that was coming from his left ear "What do I have to apologise for?"
The person twisted Sai's ear "For calling me ugly, in case you have forgotten"
"I'm sorry Sakura, please forgive me" Sai in a painful voice
Sakura let go of Sai's ear and smiled "Apology accepted. There is space to sit and eat where Naruto and I. You don't have to stand and eat here, it's uncomfortable to eat while standing"
Sai nodded and began to follow Sakura. He noticed that Sakura had managed to draw the attention of the population within the canteen, he felt embarrassed but his embarrassment became evident when he caught the girl with the blonde hair looking at him.
"That was so unnecessary" Ino said
"She's your friend so you should be used to her by now" Shikamaru answered
"But still the poor guy looked like he was about to fall to pieces when he realised that everyone was staring" Ino continued "I'm going to give her a piece of my mind"
Shikamaru grabbed Ino, stopping her from going to Sakura "Just stay here, you'll cause a scene and besides that guy had it coming to him."
"He is harmless, he wouldn't hurt a fly, it's not fair. She's taking advantage of his kindness" Ino protested
"His kindness?" Choji stopped munching on the bag of potato chips "Do you know the guy Ino?"
Ino defended herself "No but I'm sure he is kind" Ino sat down again "…I think that he is just misunderstood"
Shikamaru shook his head "I think you like the guy"
Ino blushed "No I don't"
"First Sasuke, now Sai. You like guys with names that start with S" Choji pointed out
"That doesn't mean I like Shikamaru" Ino stated
Shikamaru put his hand in his chest "Ouch that hurt Ino, well not really. But seriously Ino, you'd better stay away from him he is a bad influence"
Shikamaru's words faded away in Ino's ears as she looked at Sai again 'Just now…he looked at me'
After school
Sai was the first to arrive at the library. He took the books he needed and sat down. He pulled out his sketch book; he placed it onto the table and noticed a piece of paper sticking out of it. He pulled the paper out and saw the sketch that he drew the day before, he smiled 'This is the first time I've had a piece of artwork that has a title to it.' He glanced at the seat in which Ino sat in 'sunflower'. Sai remembered the sunflower he planted in the school garden next to the staff room that morning and rushed to go get it before it was taken.
Sai stopped and walked past the "No Students Allowed Here!" sign and walked onto the soft soil. He ducked and crawled under the window panes trying not to get caught, he had placed the sunflower in a place where it would get a lot of sun that morning and that spot was a meter away from the staff room window. Sai took a deep breath and crawled over to it. The staff room window opened and Sai froze. "Sai?" he heard Yamato sensei say
Sai looked back at his Biology teacher and didn't know whether to smile or run.
"What is it Yamato?" another teacher asked
"Oh it's nothing Kakashi sempai" Yamato closed the window preventing Kakashi from coming to see what had startled Yamato.
Sai let out a big and sigh and continued pulling out the sunflower, crawled back and made his way back to the library.
Sai entered the library to find it occupied by quite a few people and the girl who he had picked the flower for 'I had hoped to be back before she came, maybe I can give it to her later'. Sai sat down and began reading. His reading was disturbed when he heard a panic stricken voice
"My clinic access card? Where is it?" Ino said out aloud in panic. She shuffled through her back and her blazer pockets
Sai watched as she left the library in a rush. He glanced at the desk she sat at 'I guess now is the right time' he got up and placed the sunflower on the open book about flowers 'she was looking at the sunflower again'. He returned to his desk and walked back to his seat before she caught him standing at her table.
Ino walked into the library with her clinic access card hanging from her neck attached to a lanyard, she stood still when she arrived at her desk and found a sunflower on the book. She looked around but found no hint of anyone who had put the flower onto her book. Ino brought the flower to her nose and inhaled its scent into her nose, she then smiled. Sai pulled the book away that his face from the girl that was searching for the giver of the flower, he sat up straight and admired her as she smelled the flower before she smiled and sat down to continue reading.
Sai tried to continue reading his book but was unable to focus on what he was reading, instead the image of her smelling the sunflower blurred his vision of the letters on the book in front of him. Sai gave in to the itch on the tips of his fingers and pulled out his sketch book. He began to envision her as her drew 'She stood tall and her was perfect posture; her arms were relaxed as she held the flower in both hands, the right hand was close to the bud and the left and a little lower leaving a small space, enough for me to see the stem; her head was raised higher than usual, her eyes were closed and had a smile on her face; the sunlight from outside gave radiance to her blonde hair and the long pony tail brushed her back a little almost touching her gluteus maximus(butt)'. Sai placed his pen after shading the picture a bit and without hesitation or thought he added a title at right hand corner called "Sunflower". He lifted his head to find that he was the only one left in the library. He looked at her desk to find that her possessions where still there but she wasn't 'where did she leave?' he glanced up at the watch 'Its late I'd better go'. He packed up his books and found himself standing by her desk; he placed the picture on the table and walked out of the library, on his way she came in. She made eye contact with him and he smiled back as she blushed.
'He smiled at me this time' Ino thought walking towards her desk. Again she stopped when she saw a beautiful drawing of her smelling the sunflower that she had received 'Who?' She looked at the clock on the wall and quickly packed, she noticed that she was the only one left in the library. While packing away she tried to make connections between the flower and the drawing "Sai…he drew this for me" she realised "I must find him and thank him"
Sai took some books out his locker 'she looked at me and smiled'. He walked down the stairs when he heard a familiar voice asking him to wait but before he could fully turn around his body hit the ground. "Itai" he groaned, he felt something heavy on his body and he looked up, he unwilling blushed when he realised how close his face was to the girl had drawn twice and given a flower to.
Ino blush before realising that she was on top of Sai "I'm sorry" she quickly got off of Sai
Sai lifted himself of the ground "It's okay" He looked at her and noticed that she had the sunflower and the drawing in her hands "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Ino stood up and looked at the flower and the drawing "Y-y-yes….ummm…are you the one who gave me these?"
Sai moved closer towards her "Yes I did. I am an artist"
Ino nodded "I've heard"
The dim orange light of the setting sun made Ino's sapphire eyes brighter and Sai found himself unable to control his body from moving closer to her "Is it a bad drawing?"
Ino stepped back and realised she was cornered "I-I just wanted to say thank you and ask w-why you chose me…you don't even know me"
Sai looked the other way "The other day when Sakura hit me you protected even though you didn't know me" Sai took the flower from Ino's hand and placed it in her hair "my heart felt pain for a moment but you're words made it less sore" Sai the placed his hand on the wall almost blocking her from leaving, like he had seen in the romantic movies.
Ino gazed into Sai's eyes and wondered why people like Shikamaru felt he was a bad influence. She blushed when Sai took the flower from her with ease and placed in her hair "they keep telling me that you are a bad influence but I don't understand since they don't really know they have no right to judge you like that, it's not fair" Ino placed her hand upon Sai's cheek as she spoke
Sai blushed and looked away "I noticed you liked to study about the body and how it works but there was one book that I didn't quite understand why you were reading, it was the one about flowers. When Sakura pulled you out of the library because if the news on Sasuke I decided to investigate, to me it was a big yellow flower and I battled understand so this morning I on my way to school I saw one and picked it. I still didn't understand but then I thought maybe if I gave it to you, you'd understand its meaning since you seemed to have an interest for it"
"Oh I see" Ino said removing her hand off Sai's cheek
"But then today in the library when I placed the sunflower on your table I noticed you were still on the page with the sunflower on it and I realised I picked it to see you smile" Sai explained "you have such a beautiful smile"
Ino blushed "Is that why you gave it the title of Sunflower?"
Sai shook his head "Well, I didn't know your name and the only thing I could relate to you was the sunflower. If I had known your name I would have named it after you but the closest thing I could come up with was that flower" he gazed at his master piece "It was really the one moment that I didn't have to think of giving a drawing a name, it filled me with…..ummm I don't know what the emotion is called, sorry"
Ino smiled and placed her hand back onto Sai's cheek "It's okay, the emotion is called joy" Ino could not help but feel strongly for the tall pale boy in front of her, whose eyes were coal black and full of emptiness. His mysteriousness drew her in even more "the drawing of me is beautiful, you have a great talent"
"You look beautiful but with the sunflower in your hair it makes you look gorgeous" Sai said coming closer toward Ino's face.
Ino blushed again and looked down "T-thank you" she began to lift her head and look at Sai "And if you'd like to know my name its-" but before Ino could tell Sai her name he had already claimed her lips. Ino's eyes rolled back and slowly shut 'His lips are so soft and he is so gentle, he is so amazing'
Sai felt Ino kiss him back and an emotion, none like any other he had ever felt invaded his senses. They stopped to take a breath; their forehead pressed against each other and looked into one another's eyes. Only after he had kissed did Sai feel fear crawl all over him, he backed off a little 'Was I meant to do that? Is she going to hit me? What have I done?' he swallowed hard "I'm sorry my body moved on its own, I didn't realise what I was doing-" Sai was silenced by Ino's finger
"I'm not mad at you for stealing away my first kiss, i-it was incredible" Ino placed her hand on Sai's cheek and Sai placed his hand over hers
Sai felt better after hearing Ino say that she was okay with his actions "I interrupted what you were trying to say, I'm sorry, can you tell me again?"
"My name is Ino" Ino giggled "but I love the nickname Sunflower"
Sai smiled before kissing Ino "sunflower.... gorgeous sunflower"
Ino dropped her books as Sai put his hand behind her back and brought her body closer to his and their tongues occupied each other's mouths as the sunset behind Konoha High School.
I hope you enjoyed that even though they kissed way too quickly. I will be updating the next chapter next week.
I love reviews so don't be shy, flames however will not be entertained and will be used to warm me up this winter.