Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Against her will, Ino's eyes opened. Sun was pouring into the room, and it was hitting her directly in the face. She looked up to see Naruto, sleeping soundly as if the room was entirely dark. She was jealous of how carefree he was, but it was also one of the things she loved most about him. His sleeping while the sun pestered him to wake up was a perfect demonstration of how unshakeable he usually was. If he believed in something, like how he believed he was going to sleep at the moment, nothing would sway him, no matter how intense the force was.

She wanted to observe him more, but she had a shift at the shop in 45 minutes. She slid off the bed and tip-toed to the bathroom. All she was wearing was one of his oversized t-shirts and her panties; she didn't know it but he had a very difficult time avoiding an erection as he analyzed their relationship last night. Guys had complimented her legs, but she couldn't make herself believe that Naruto noticed them too.

She brushed her teeth with the toothbrush he had given her (Jiraiya told him to keep one handy in case he had a lady friend), and stepped into the shower.

Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out. She dried herself and put on her clothes from last night. She cringed at wearing the same thing, but she assured herself that she'd be back home in no time. As she left the bathroom, he called out from the kitchen.

"What do you want for breakfast?" He asked.

"Oh, I was gonna head home now." She said. She felt gross, and needed to get home that instant.

"Oh." He said. It seemed like she was itching to leave, almost jittery, so he didn't want to make her feel more uncomfortable. He started second guessing what he thought about their relationship, but didn't know how to even start the conversation.

"Sorry, I have a shift soon," she said. She waved, turned, and practically ran out the door, leaving him clueless about how she felt about him. He spent the next hour eating ramen and drinking the spoiled milk he left in his fridge. His thoughts always led back to Ino, and how much he wished she felt the same way.

There was a knock at his door, and his hopes skyrocketed, thinking it was Ino, there for some reason or another. When he opened the door, however, he was met with disappointment. Sakura and Sasuke stood there, and he stepped aside to let them in.

Sakura immediately looked at the dining table and was appalled at what she saw.

"Naruto." She said firmly.

"Hmm?" He said blankly, raising his eyebrows a bit.

"What is this?" She asked, gesturing to the 3 empty ramen cups, a 4th half-eaten one, and a chunky half liter of milk.

"Breakfast," He said with a grin.

"This is not breakfast!" She exclaimed. She picked up the milk and reeled a bit. "This expired two months ago!"

"Well, I gotta finish it. Can't just throw it away."

"Why not? It's unsafe to drink — no, eat — this." She said as she shook the milk and decided it was more solid than liquid.

"It's just a stomach ache for a bit, and then it's gone."

Sasuke interrupted their exchange with a small laugh.

"Oh, you think this is funny?" She asked. "This could give him food poisoning!"

"His fox has gotten him through much worse than food poisoning." Sasuke said. Naruto smirked, and Sakura let it be.

"So what do you guys need?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just came to visit." Sasuke said, but even Naruto could tell there was more to it.

"We noticed how close you were to Ino last night." Sakura said, and Naruto immediately knew where it was going. He sighed and sat down at the dining table.

"So you've come to ask me if we're dating? No, we're not." He said, and the disappointment was evident in his voice.

Sakura was happy that he was over her, relieved that she didn't have to keep worrying that he was hurting over her.

"So you like her?" She said, a smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah." He said dejectedly.

"Well, why don't you ask her out?" Sakura asked. "I'm sure she'd give you a chance."

"I don't want her to "give me a chance". If she gives me a chance, that means she doesn't like me right now." He said.

"You'll never know if you don't try and find out." Sasuke said.

"Yeah, right. And risk being let down again?" He asked incredulously. Sakura felt a little bit of guilt creep back.

"I don't think you'll be let down." She said.

"Neither do I. I was watching the way you looked at her, and the way she looked at you." Sasuke said, raising his eyebrows significantly. His point got across and didn't need to elaborate any further. Naruto smiled internally; Sasuke was so different from before, yet still the same.

"I think I'm like a brother to her." He said, once again making an excuse to protect his feelings from any more damage.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked. "She could just be hiding her real feelings."

"What does she do that makes you think it's brotherly?" Sasuke asked.

"Well… she… um… she… I have a lot less evidence than I thought I did." Naruto said. "The only clue is that she kissed me on the forehead, the same way you did on the mission," glancing at Sakura. Even more guilt reached her. He was basing his guess on Ino's feelings on the way that Sakura acted around him.

"And do you have any evidence against that claim?" She asked, hoping he had more.

He thought for a moment, and slowly started nodding his head. "Yeah. More. She said you were missing out by not liking me," he said as he looked at Sakura again. "And we've cuddled before." Sasuke and Sakura shared a glance. "And she called me cute, but it was in a dog way. And she sat on my leg one time." This time, Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other in surprise. How was he not getting it? She was making it so obvious and he was sitting there ignoring it all.

"Dude. She likes you." Sasuke said.

"You think so?" He asked.

"It's very clear." Sakura said, glad that Sasuke had seen it too. She didn't want to confirm it for him if Ino gave him no clues about it.

Naruto was staring at the floor, and a smile was slowly spreading across his face until it was a huge grin. Obviously he had come to that conclusion too, but he was denying it, as he didn't think she would stoop so low as to like him, of all people. But hearing Sasuke and Sakura both say that it seems like she liked him made him think he was a little less crazy. He decided he was going to go to the flower shop at that moment and ask her on a date. He didn't want to wait any longer to find out, and a small part of him didn't want to lose the confidence he currently had that she liked him. Sakura and Sasuke went out of their way to make him realize, and he didn't want to make them do it again.

Speaking of which, he wondered if they were dating already. He looked at them and thought of the idea of them dating, and it surprisingly didn't phase him. In fact, it made him happy. He didn't like Sakura anymore, and he was happy that the man she liked most likely felt the same way about her.

He broke his train of thought; it was showtime. He jumped up and ran to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth again to remove the horrid smell of his breakfast and walked out the door, asking them to wait in his apartment so he could tell them the results. He was so anxious, knowing he was going to find out the answer to the question that had plagued him for the past month (it was actually much longer, but he hadn't realized). He just wanted to ask her straight up, but he was running through the worst possible scenarios in his head. What if she gagged at the idea of going out with him?

The closer he got to the shop, the less feeling he had in his extremities. By the time he reached the door, he had no clue how his legs were even still moving, yet they were carrying him faster than normal.

He stepped inside, and she looked up. Her face lit up and scooted around the corner to give him a hug.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Do you want to go on a date with me?" He blurted out.

Her smile turned into a gape and her eyes widened. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly. The moment she'd been hoping for since she was 16 was finally here. Unadulterated bliss filled her, more than she could've imagined.

He looked down as the pit of despair in his belly grew larger and larger with every second that she didn't respond. Part of him knew he was stupid to think it'd work out, he was expecting this reaction. But it hurt so much more seeing it actually happen. What was it about him that made him so unattractive to women?

"Yeah." She said. He looked at her to make sure his ears weren't lying to him.

"Really?" He asked, doing his best to keep his voice at the normal pitch, and failing. She smiled and nodded, and it quickly broke into a grin. She quickly regained her composure, something she always prided herself on, and continued the conversation.

"What should I wear?" She asked.

"Uh, I don't know."

"Well, where are you taking me?"

"Yakitori?" He asked. She smiled.

"Not too fancy then." She said. There was no reason for her to say it out loud, but she wasn't sure Naruto knew how outfits corresponded to the setting. "Pick me up at 7." And with that, she said she had to get back to work, and watched him as he walked out the door.

When he was out of view of the shop, he sprinted back to his apartment with a huge smile on his face. It was as easy as that. Of course, if she didn't like him he would've broken down again, but that didn't matter. She said yes. He ran through the door, and Sakura jumped at his arrival, while Sasuke had no reaction aside from moving his head to face Naruto.

"She said yes!" Naruto shouted.

"Oh really? I didn't think she would." Sasuke said sarcastically.

"Well if you didn't think so, why did you tell me she liked me?" Naruto asked, not sensing his friend's sarcasm.

Sasuke just stared at him boredly, and Sakura congratulated him. "You finally did it!" She added.

"What do you mean 'finally'?" He asked.

"Well, uh, I could tell you liked her since Mirai's party, so I've been wanting you to ask her since then." She said, hoping he would buy it. Once again, she didn't want to betray Ino's trust. She wanted Naruto to find out all about Ino's feelings from Ino, and only her.

"No I didn't. I started liking her after that." He said.

"Oh, well I thought you did." She said, grabbing Sasuke's hand, signifying him that she was ready to leave.

"Oh okay." He said.

She smiled at him on the way out, and wished him good luck on his date. Sasuke held out a fist for him to bump, and they left.

—

He sat down on his bed, completely unsure of what to wear. He had looked through his whole house, hoping maybe Ero-sennin had left him a little gift, but no luck. His date was in 4 hours, and he didn't own anything that he could wear. He was considering going to Kakashi, but he wasn't sure Kakashi would know considering he'd never even heard his old sensei even talk about romance. It was better than what he was doing now, however, so he headed out the door looking for a head of silver hair.

The first place he thought he'd check was the Hokage Tower. He knew Kakashi was training to become Hokage, and if he wasn't there, he could seek out Tsunade or Shizune.

Thankfully, all three of them were in the office, chatting over some tea. They greeted him warmly, and Tsunade asked him what he needed.

"I need help picking an outfit." He said.

"For what?" Shizune asked.

"A date."

Tsunade was about to take another drink from her cup, but she set it, along with the saucer, down entirely on the table. "With whom?" She asked.

He looked around for a second, trying to speak as normally as possible. "Ino."

"Interesting."

Kakashi had his mask on, but his eyes told them that he was smirking under it. Shizune and Tsunade, on the other hand, didn't seem very happy.

"Do you guys not like her?" Naruto asked, self-conscious that his grandma and sister figures didn't approve of his choice.

"No, no, we love her. It's a different matter." Shizune quickly responded.

"Why aren't you happy?" He pressed.

"We can't tell you Naruto." Tsunade said, annoyance creeping into her voice as she anticipated to be interrogated by the boy.

"Why not? If it's relating to her shouldn't I know?" He asked.

"It's not relating to her," Kakashi cut in. "How about we talk about what you should wear? Where are you taking her?"

"Yakitori." He said simply, with a serene smile on his face. Shizune and Tsunade let out small sighs of relief, thanking his very short attention span, especially at the mention of food.

"I think a nice polo and jeans would look good." Tsunade said. The blank look on his face didn't leave, and Kakashi stepped in.

"Wait for me downstairs and we can go shopping." He said. Naruto nodded, and ran out the door.

After the door clicked shut, Tsunade and Shizune each held out 3 10,000 yen notes, and Kakashi took them both. Unfortunately, Naruto ran back in and saw the notes being transferred.

"Why are you guys trading money?" He asked.

"No reason," They said nervously.

"Just giving him money to pay for your outfit," Tsunade said.

"Why? I'm paying," He said. He leaned closer and saw multiple 10,000 yen notes. "And why do you need that much for clothes?"

They struggled for a moment, and Naruto remembered their faces when he said he was going out with Ino. "Were you betting on if we'd go out together?" Naruto asked, humored that they were so invested in his love life.

"Not if, when." Kakashi said with a smile, happy that he didn't seem angry or offended. "We knew it was inevitable, but our opinions differed on how soon. I said within 3 months after your falling out with Sakura."

"I said between 3 and 6." Shizune said.

"Between 6 and a year." Tsunade admitted.

Naruto was happy, and he was more excited about his date, knowing his family in all but blood thought they were a good match.

—

He got home after shopping and plopped himself on the couch. He still had 3 hours until his date, and he didn't know how to pass the time. He figured daydreaming could do the trick: it always worked in the Academy. He thought about how he used to hate Ino, and how she used to hate him. If he told his 12 year old self that he wouldn't be married to Sakura, Naruto would've been devastated. But if he said that he would instead be in love with Ino, he would've called himself crazy and a fraud. It was funny how life worked.

She was everything he wanted. He knew that he wasn't the brightest at times, and he needed someone to help him make decisions. Sakura would've been too mean, and Hinata would've been too shy to tell him when he was wrong. Ino was the perfect mix between compassionate and stern for him. She was fun to be around, and he obviously felt insecure around her, but she never judged him like Sakura did. Not to mention she was gorgeous.

He remembered the time they spent before she became his best friend. He thought about the mission with Anko and Shino, the time with his clones, the time she defended him when Sasuke returned. Looking back now, he thought maybe she liked him before their recent friendship. Perhaps that was her motive for getting closer to him. Did she really even like him? Maybe it was just lust. It could be that he was powerful, and she just wanted to date him to say she was dating him. But as much as that made sense, considering her younger self, she'd matured, and their connection seemed more genuine. It seemed like she actually liked him. And if she didn't, she was putting on one hell of an act if she fooled a Sannin, Kakashi, and Shizune, not to mention all of the Suna siblings, Sasuke, Sakura, and the rest of their friends.

He looked at the time. He only had an hour and a half until their date. Reality struck him for a moment. If he spent an hour and a half daydreaming about her, he'd better not screw this up. He hopped in the shower and washed up. He dressed up, and tried to do something about his hair, but it still did what it wanted like always. He was done, and was disappointed to see he had an hour left. Fortunately, he could use the hour to daydream some more before he had to pick her up.

He thought of his time after the mission with Sakura and Sasuke. He came home devastated, but it quickly picked up after that. The first night that they just talked like good friends was the best he'd felt in a while. He thought he'd never feel happy again, but that whole night he barely even thought about Sakura. He learned a lot about Ino that night, and most of the time people can't just go back to being merely acquaintances after spending an entire night talking to each other and then sharing a bed. Naturally, they got closer and closer until they were inseparable.

He even let her inside his head! He let her sort through his memories; that's the kind of hold she had on him. He couldn't think of a time when he would've let anyone, much less Ino, look through his memories, but he didn't regret letting her see. He felt comfortable enough to offer, and it only served to bring them closer on a level that simply couldn't be accomplished through talking, which is what he wanted with her. He wanted to trust her with his life, and everything that came with it, including the memories.

He thought a little bit more about her, before he glanced at the clock and realized he had 8 minutes. He scrambled to the door, grabbing his coat on the way out. It was freezing out, but Kurama made sure it didn't stop him.

He reached there 5 minutes later, and walked into the flower shop. Her mother was at the counter, and she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw him not wearing that hideous jumpsuit. He was wearing a purple polo and jeans, and she started gushing over him the moment he walked into the door. Ino heard the commotion downstairs and trotted down the steps.

When she came into view, Naruto's heart skipped a beat, and his breath caught in his throat. She looked stunning, though the only thing different was that she was just wearing a bit of makeup. She was wearing a blue Christmas sweater and jeans. However, her hair was in a crown braid unlike the normal ponytail.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he said, recovering quickly enough to not seem out of the ordinary. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," she said. "Bye mom."

"Bye sweetheart. Bye Naruto," she said. Naruto waved, and gestured for Ino to go in front of him.

It was awkward to start off, as neither knew how to begin conversation. Finally, Naruto broke the deafening silence, which was only perforated by the sound of their footsteps in the snow.

"You look really pretty," he said. She blushed, but it was covered by the cold biting at her face.

"Thanks. You clean up well too," she responded.

"I like the braid."

"Thanks! It took me like an hour."

And just like that, conversation was flowing.