Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! It's been a hot minute since I last posted something. I'm taking part in the 'Show Me the Flower Love One Shot Challenge' organised by fellow writer fanofthisfiction. Please hop over to her profile to read more about it and check out the other works as well. If you do read their stories, please consider leaving a review as a mark of appreciation.

Summary: A themed birthday party for Himawari goes awry. Can anyone save it and turn her tears to smiles?

Appreciation: Dedicated to the awesome fanofthisfiction!

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

- Story Start –

Sai strides past the massive wooden gates, nodding to Izumo and Kotetsu who are on guard duty, looking rather bored, and in Kotetsu's case, half asleep as well. In the mid-afternoon sun, the Village Hidden in the Leaves looks peaceful and calm. There are only a few shinobi and civilians going about their business.

Sai heads for the Hokage Tower and calmly side-steps a hissing and spitting grey cat that's running flat out. He also avoids the three genin hurtling along in hot pursuit and shouting for the feline to please stop and let it be caught already.

After submitting a report of his latest reconnaissance mission, he makes his way to the Yamanaka Flower Shop, guessing there wouldn't be many customers there at this hour. He's right – Ino is the only one in the shop, pacing up and down, and looking worried.

"Ino."

She spins around, a surprised smile brightening her face.

"Sai! You're back already? How was your mission?"

"Uneventful." When she holds out her arms, he goes over to give her a hug and a quick peck on the cheek. She likes these displays of affection and he doesn't mind indulging her… if there's no one around.

"You look worried," Sai observes.

"Oh, you won't believe what's happened!"

Following that dramatic proclamation, Ino flips back the lock of hair half covering her right eye and takes a deep breath. Sai is careful to keep his gaze on her face and not the lovely bosom swelling up below it.

"You know the outdoor party we're planning for Himawari's tenth birthday tomorrow?"

Sai nods, his excellent memory having filed away that detail from Ino's excited chatter last weekend.

"She wants a pink coloured theme so Hinata put in a huge order for pink ribbons, streamers and flowers of all kinds – roses, carnations, daisies, tulips - you name it!"

When she pauses for another intake of breath, Sai braces himself for what's coming next, whatever it is. He just hopes Himawari hasn't changed her mind and wants a different coloured theme for her party.

"I added her order to my usual bimonthly one and - guess what? Every single flower, ribbon and streamer arrived this morning except for the pink ones!"

Ino gestures towards a corner of the shop where three wooden crates sit with their lids removed. In the first two are bunches of paper wrapped flowers, tightly packed with cooling scrolls tucked in between. Sai sees a riot of red, orange, yellow, purple and even blue blooms. Every hue he thinks a flower could have - except for pink. In the third crate is a jumble of ribbon rolls and packets of streamers, also in every conceivable colour – except for pink.

Not a single pink bloom, ribbon or streamer in sight.

"Where am I going to get more flowers and decorations at the last minute?! This is a disaster!"

"Ah." Sai has been trained to equate disasters with events that are a little more catastrophic. Like Pein levelling their village less than two decades ago… or that Otsutsuki duo interrupting the Chunin exam and kidnapping the Hokage recently. He still nods solemnly, having learned a few things from fourteen years of marriage with Ino.

"Did you check with your supplier? What did they say?"

Fishing out a note from her pocket, Ino holds it up between two fingers.

"They offer their deepest apologies that they're short on pink everything and will make it up to me next week. Free of charge. But I don't want them next week, I want them now!"

Another pause for another breath.

"I have everything planned out. The girls and I were going to make lots of small bouquets this afternoon. We were going to use them to decorate Training Ground Three early tomorrow morning and they'll also be used in games!"

Yet another pause to take in oxygen.

"To make matters worse, my own stock of pink decorations are all but depleted!" She points at a small table in a corner where two small rolls of pink ribbon sit, looking quite dejected.

"And the only pink flowers I have are those!" That same finger then points at the large glass door refrigerator humming beside the table which houses her exotic and pricey blooms.

"Aren't those Pink Striped Tiger Lilies exclusively for the Daimyo's residence?" Sai asks mildly.

"Oh, you know what they are?" Ino's bright smile reappears only to falter a moment later. "I'll think of something else for him. And I'll make a loss, of course, but I promised Hinata a pink themed party. I refuse to let down a single customer, let alone one of my good friends. Not to mention Himawari-chan."

She heaves a despondent sigh, head dropping forward.

"I've already contacted all the neighbouring villages, but none of them have any pink flowers… or ribbons… or even crepe paper. I can fold ribbon and paper flowers, but none of them will be pink. It really is a disaster!"

Sai doesn't even blink.

"Do you need my help?" He asks, yet another thing he learned from the much referenced book on How to Create and Maintain A Happy Marriage.

Ino beams at him.

"My husband is such a sweetheart," she declared, darting in to peck him on the lips. "Thanks for offering, but I'll think of something. I always do."

Her smile is brave, but she doesn't sound as confident as she looks.

"You know what else would be amazing?" Sai tells her and reaches for her hand. "A cup of tea and a few sticks of dango."

Ino blinks at him.

"Dango is fattening."

Sai gives her a sunny smile.

"Then you have the tea and I'll eat the dango."

"Hey, I didn't say I wouldn't eat them! Wait - let me close those boxes first or all the cool air will escape."

- o -

Like the well trained ninja he is, Inojin steps away from the Yamanaka Flower Shop without making a sound. His caution stems from the fact that not only are both his parents shinobi, his father is also from the Anbu Corp.

"Well, that doesn't bode well for tomorrow's party," he mutters as he strolls off, shoulders hunching. Himawari's favourite colour is pink which means she's sure to be disappointed.

He heads for the Thunderburger outlet and sees Boruto waving at him from the window. With him are Shikadai, Sarada and Mitsuki.

A chorus of voices greet Inojin as soon as he pushes open the door.

"You're late!" Boruto points to a tray with a wrapped burger, fries and drink on it. "We got your usual."

Shikadai is already sliding over on his seat to make room for Inojin who nods his thanks and shuffles in beside him.

"You don't look too happy seeing as we're all on mission break and having a party tomorrow," Sarada observes. "Is something wrong?"

"Where's Chocho?" Inojin asks before taking a big bite of his chicken burger.

"Helping her mum to cook for tomorrow's party," Shikadai replies and nods at Boruto. "Shouldn't you be home helping your mum too?"

"Who, me?" Boruto grins. "She's just baking the birthday cake. Hima-chan will help her. It's her birthday party, you know!"

"All the more reason for you to help," Sarada says with a sniff.

"About that." Inojin takes a gulp of his cola and clears his throat. "I overheard something on the way here."

- o –

"Oh well, flowers are flowers and ribbons are ribbons. Who cares what colour they are?" Boruto waves a dismissive hand.

"Boruto!" Sarada rounds on him at once. "Himawari will care – pink is her favourite colour!"

"I'm sure your mum will think of something. Mums are like that," Shikadai says with the confident air of one who speaks from experience.

"I know, but it's strange. This supplier is very reliable," Inojin continues. "My mum is always praising them and saying how they've never failed to get her orders correct. The Yamanaka Flower Shop has been their customer for decades."

"So, you're saying that something might've happened to the shipment?" Sarada asks, propping her chin on one hand.

"It can't have been an ambush since the other stuff arrived safely," Boruto points out. "But yeah, it is strange."

The others give solemn nods all around.

"It's too bad we can't go investigate," Mitsuki says, smiling. He blinks when everyone turns to him.

"You know we can only leave the village on authorised missions and trips," Sarada says at once.

Still smiling, Mitsuki nods at the door where a tall jounin with brown hair and a blue scarf around his neck is just entering.

"And accompanied by a jounin - Mitsuki's right!" Boruto exclaims, round blue eyes lighting up. "Hey, Konohamaru-nii-chan, over here!"

- o -

An hour later…

"I still don't know how I got roped into this," Konohamaru grumbles as he leaps from tree branch to branch. "I went to Thunderburger for a snack, not to volunteer myself for a mission. To locate flowers."

"You're also invited to Hima-chan's party tomorrow," Sarada reminds him, keeping up with ease.

"And you're an awesome older brother figure to her," Boruto adds from Konohamaru's other side.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Konohamaru says in a deadpan voice.

Glancing over his shoulder, Boruto winks at Mitsuki who's bringing up the rear and gets a smile back.

- o -

Another hour later…

The usual route from the Land of Flowers, where the flower supplier is from, includes going through two large forests, past a high waterfall, and along a winding path that hugs a steep cliff side.

Four figures stand at the edge of said cliff and peer over it. Far below are large pieces of wood scattered among some very sharp rocks, and surrounded by a vast sea of pink.

"My guess is that is the missing shipment," Boruto says.

"My guess is that the crates weren't tightly secured to the carriage," Sarada says.

"And my guess is that you three intend to retrieve those flowers either way," Konohamaru says with a resigned sigh.

"That's three right guesses," Mitsuki says happily and pays no mind to another deep sigh from the latter.

"No wonder the supplier said they didn't have them," Boruto says. "It's too dangerous for civilians to get down there."

"The ribbons should be fine, but the flowers have been exposed to the elements since morning," Sarada frets. "I don't know if they're any good by now."

"Only one way to find out," Konohamaru says.

Without a word, the four of them leap down the cliff side, chakra buzzing on the soles of their feet to absorb the impact of hitting the ground.

- o -

The flowers - roses, carnations, daisies and several more Boruto doesn't recognise - may have been in pristine condition when they were packed, but no longer.

"They're all dead," he grumbles, aiming a kick at a clump of bedraggled daisies.

"Stop that!" Sarada scolds him at once. "They're just wilted, not dead. Especially the roses, what a shame."

"What do we do now?" Mitsuki asks. Without waiting for a reply, he crouches down and starts picking up the flowers.

Boruto and Sarada exchange looks and start doing the same. Konohamaruo sports a piece of paper and picks it up.

"It's a delivery note with the name of the flower supplier. I guess this really is for the Yamanaka Flower shop. Alright, I'll collect the ribbons. Everyone brought their sealing scrolls?"

There's a chorus of "Yes, sensei!" and the four of them get to work.

By the time they leave the place two hours later, the sun has set and only the broken pieces of wood remain.

- o –

Early the next morning, Ino, Hinata, Sakura, Tenten, Temari and Karui enter Training Ground Three.

With a pinched frown between her eyebrows, Ino removes two small scrolls from her pouch and pushes chakra into them. When the smoke clears, there are two baskets on the ground. The larger one is filled with rolls of ribbon in every colour. The smaller one holds two bouquets.

"Oh." Hinata blinks and glances at the others. "Where… uhm… where are all the pink flowers and ribbons? And those are-"

"Pink striped Tiger Lilies!" Sakura exclaims, bending down for a closer look.

"Yup," Ino says with a somewhat forced grin. "Nothing but the best for Hima-chan!"

The others exchange another look.

"They're really pretty," Tenten says a little lamely.

"They are!" Karui says with an emphatic nod. "I can't do a thing with flowers. And look - ribbons in every colour of the rainbow too!"

They exchange a third round of looks before Temari rolls her eyes.

"A rainbow doesn't have pink. Is that all there is, Ino?" Her no nonsense tone makes the others wince.

Ino nods, shoulders slumping.

"I ordered every single pink flower and decoration from my supplier has, but not a single one arrived. I'm so sorry, Hinata!"

And with that, the whole sad story spills out.

- o –

Two hours later…

The sun is rising fast by the time the field is decorated. Graceful swaths of multi coloured ribbons are strung between the trees and sway in the breeze. A dozen salmon pink streamers hang from the branches while a few pink balloons are tied around the trunks. The balloons are the result of Hinata's hasty trip to town to see what other décor she could snatch up. The streamers are from Chocho's birthday party last year which Karui rushed back home to find and bring over.

Ino insists on returning Hinata the money she paid for the flowers while Hinata is equally adamant that she keep them as payment for the prized Tiger Lilies.

"Well, if you're sure," Ino says, still looking guilty.

"I am," Hinata tells her. "Temari, thank you for the flowers."

Temari shrugs, glancing at the two orange and yellow bouquets she brought with her.

"Just some flowers I picked up from the desert yesterday. We're not picky about the colour seeing as only hardy blooms can grow in such weather. It's just too bad that there wasn't a single pink cactus flower."

Despite her pragmatic words, she scowls.

"Well, waste not, want not," Sakura says. "I think we've done a great job. Just not… pink… enough."

Everyone automatically looks around. The two bouquets of Tiger Lilies are placed on the head table where Himawari will be sitting. Temari's orange and yellow bouquets are placed beside them.

"It can't be helped," Hinata says in a resigned tone. "Hima-chan will understand."

"I know, but-"

"No. It's fine." A rare firm note enters Hinata's voice. "It's not your fault and it's a birthday party, not the end of the world."

"You're right," Sakura says at once. "A party is a party, right? All you need are friends and presents and-"

"Food!" Karui says with a grin. "Lots and lots of it!"

She points to where Choji and three fellow Akimichi are marching inside the clearing, each armed with a huge scroll. Hinata had decided to cater the food from the Akimichi clan instead of cooking it herself.

"Perfect timing," Hinata says. "I'll go bring Hima-chan and the cake here or our guests will arrive before the birthday girl."

"Go ahead," Tenten says. "We'll help to set everything up."

- o -

Half an hour later…

Two long buffet tables sit at one side of Training Ground Three, groaning under the weight of big pots and large platters of food. A cluster of small round tables and chairs are arranged under the shade of a clump of trees for people to sit and eat.

Several more guests have arrived, among them are Rock Lee, Kiba and Shino who helped to arrange the tables.

"We're done!" Kiba announces, brushing off his hands. "We did a good job, didn't we, Akamaru?"

"Woof," Akamaru agrees, having spent the whole time snoozing in a patch of sunlight.

"The food smells great!" Rock Lee says, throwing an arm around Tenten's shoulders. "When can we eat?"

"I'm hungry too," Naruto announces as he enters the training grounds with Sasuke.

"You should be," Shikamaru says in a dry voice, "you were in the office since seven this morning."

"More importantly," Sasuke drawls, resting a forearm on Naruto' shoulder, "where are our offspring?"

Naruto frowns, looking around.

"That's right. Boruto, Sarada and Mitsuki are missing. So are Inojin, Shikadai, Chocho and Metal."

"But the birthday girl is here!" Sakura exclaims upon spotting two figures entering the clearing. "Hima-chan, Happy Birthday to you!"

Hinata is holding a cake box in one hand and Himawari's hand in her other. The little girl has a pink scarf tied around her eyes, blocking her sight.

"Happy Birthday, Hima-chan!" Naruto says.

"Tou-chan!" Himawari waves her free hand, looking all around even though she can't see. "I'm so excited! I've always wanted an outdoor birthday party, all in pink!"

Everyone winces.

"Are we standing in a pretty pink wonderland now?"

Everyone winces again.

"Can I look now? Please?" Himawari starts hopping in place, her excitement palpable.

Passing the cake box to Naruto, Hinata crouches in front of Himawari.

"Hima-chan, there's something I have to tell you first," she begins.

Too late – the birthday girl reaches up and pulls the pink scarf over her head. Round blue eyes blink several times in the bright light before darting around.

"Hima-chan!" Hinata exclaims in surprise.

Himawari's head swings from side to side, her eyes widening and her smile faltering.

"Sorry, kaa-chan, but where are all the pink flowers and decorations?"

- o –

The good news is, Himawari doesn't throw a tantrum. She's not that kind of child. She just starts crying silently, and in a heart breaking manner that makes everyone around her feel absolutely awful.

"Hima-chan, I'm so sorry!" Ino cries. She's also shedding tears, but of vexation at having disappointed her young customer.

"Not your fault, Ino," Hinata says distractedly, busy mopping Himawari's face.

"That's right. But where is Boruto?" Naruto looks around. "He's good at cheering Hima-chan up."

Just then, a pink speck lands on Himawari's hair. Hinata blinks at it. Two more specks appear, one landing on Himawari's hair and the other on Naruto's orange clad arm.

"T-tou-chan, what's that?" Himawari asks, sniffling.

"It's a flower petal," Sasuke says, plucking it off Naruto's sleeve and peering at it.

A large shadow swoops past overhead and another shower of petals fall.

"Inojin." There's a note of amusement in Sai's voice.

"You're right!" Ino looks up, a hand shielding her gaze from the sun. "Inojin!"

Inojin waves back from atop his painted coloured bird just as two more birds enter the clearing.

"Happy Birthday, Hima-chan!" Boruto shouts and drops another handful of petals on her.

"Nii-chan!" Himawari brushes away her tears, holds her arms out and starts twirling about. "It's raining flowers!"

"Papa! Mama!" Sarada waves to her parents from her own bird.

Meanwhile, Ino continues to snatch petals from the air and examine them.

"This is from a daisy. And this one is from a carnation."

"I'm not sure about mine," Tenten says doubtfully, turning over the one in her palm.

"Shikadai and Cho-cho are here too." Temari nudges Shikamaru's shoulder.

"How troublesome," he mutters, half turning away to hide a small smile.

"And Mitsuki and Metal!" Rock Lee yells.

"Happy Birthday, Hima-chan!" Cho-cho shouts as her bird swoops past again and another handful of petals rain down on them.

"It's so pretty!" Himawari to twirl around, laughing.

"There are also paper confetti mixed with the petals," Sakura says. "Ah, Ino's as excited as the birthday girl."

Sai just smiles as his wife darts around and snatches bits of pink from the other's hair and clothes to examine them.

- o –

Half an hour later…

"So we got it approved as a mission and went to investigate what happened," Boruto continues the explanation. "Don't worry, Konohamaru-nii-chan came with us!"

"Sure did," Konohamaru says with a sheepish smile.

"We found two broken crates at the bottom of a cliff," Sarada takes over the explanation as Mitsuki carefully places a small pile of petals on her head. "We suspect it fell off the supplier's carriage."

"So we collected all the flowers and salvaged what we could," Mitsuki adds.

"Half the flowers were head – eh, wilted - and we didn't have enough-" Boruto continues as Sarada and Mitsuki sprinkle more petals and bits of grass on his head.

"- so we mixed them up with pink confetti!" Chocho completed the explanation.

"I might've known you lot wouldn't leave things alone." Sasuke raises an eyebrow.

"My mum deserves to know what happened to her shipment, Sasuke-oji-san!"

"And my sister deserves to have the birthday party she wanted!"

"Anything for Hima-chan," Mitsuki adds with a smile that can charm a bird from its tree.

"Pink is the best colour!" Cho-cho declares, not to be outdone.

"And this is the best example of the Springtime of Youth!" Metal shouts, complete with fist pump. "It made the birthday girl happy!"

They all turn to see Himawari who's still laughing and twirling about, picking up handfuls of petals from the grass and flinging it over herself. Her eyes are sparkling and her cheeks flushed with joy.

"It sure is, you know!" Naruto says with a laugh.

"Thank you, everyone!" Hinata says, her eyes shining with happy tears.

"Hai hai," Tenten sighs, looking around. "We're going to have to clean up this place later, you know."

The teens all turn to look shiftily at each other.

"Well, let's not think of that right now," Naruto says and rubs his stomach. "I'm starving – let's get the party started!"

- o -

Needless to say, the birthday party is a great success even with the petals and pieces of paper that find their way into plates of food and paper cups of orange juice and tea.

Himawari declares it's the best birthday party ever. She even gets another surprise the following week – an enormous bouquet of pink flowers from the Yamanaka Flower Shop - when the promised shipment finally arrives.

- Story End -

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it and take care :)