Show me the Love July/August 2023 Challenge by fanofthatfiction

Notes: flower meanings

Petunia: anger

Purple hyacinths: jealousy

Ranunculus: charm, attraction, and radiance

Red roses: Love

Bouquet of Emotions.

Inojin and his teammates, alongside team seven, were having a picnic under a big tree by the meadow in Nara forest. Shikadai and Boruto were playing Extreme: Shinobi Picture Scrolls, while Mitsuki watched them happily with his never fading smile. Inojin would be playing against him if it wasn't for the fact that he didn't have his deck of cards.

He wasn't allowed to bring any sort of entretienen to his shifts at the flower shop, and that's where he was when Chocho and Sarada came barging in telling him that team 7 and team 10 were going to have a picnic. It never was a suggestion or a question with Chocho, when she wanted something she got it. It was easier to go with the flow than argue with her, especially if Sarada was involved.

Spring was on its last days and the summer heat was making its appearance and the last thing he wanted was to go out and about under the hot sun. Inojin had thrown a glance to his father to save him and tell the girls he wasn't allowed, that he had to finish his shift. But no, the older Yamanaka smiled, and told him that he had it covered. Later, his mother would explain to him that Sai has difficulties reading social cues, but Inojin knew it was bull. The man was still sour about his criticism of the oldest artist's drawing. And when Chocho said 'You're paying for the drink's' his reply was 'I don't have any money on me' the traitor advanced his allowance with a 'Have fun' and a wave.

Inojin was an artist regardless of brush and paper or flowers his hands always itched to create. There was nothing much to do as he waited for his turn, his friends were going to borrow their deck. So he walked a few feet away and sat by a patch of wildflowers and started plucking them as he tried his best, and failing, to ignore how Chocho was telling Sarada all about a mission she had with some boy and how he flirted with her, and as he started to weave the flowers into a sort of wreath, he frowned and he thought of petunias.

When Sarada asked her, 'What did you do?', and Chocho in all her confident self, she replied 'I flirted back, of course', purple hyacinths came to mind. The two girls started to laugh loudly, taking the blonde by surprise and causing the flower arrangement to fall out of his hands. Some petals came down.

He turned around wearing his best annoyed face, to tell them to quiet down; but when he saw his teammate flick her hair back and a ten million ryos smile on her face, he turned back as fast as he could. The blonde's annoyance was long forgotten. In its place, Inojin could feel his cheeks turning red.

The memory of Chocho wearing a ranunculus pattern kimono when they went to a cherry blossoms viewing a few weeks ago came to mind and the realization that that flower represented her so well hit him like a train. From the radiance on her delighted face as she ate dango, to the charm of her naivety as she talked no sense, and to the attraction he felt for her.

Inojin wasn't in denial. He had a crush on her, simple and clean. He first realized that when she faked to be skinny to impress that celebrity from one of their missions. He couldn't understand how blind that guy was. 'How can't you see how beautiful she is?' He wondered back then. Beautiful inside and outside. Inojin wasn't an idiot either. He knew how those feelings would change the dynamics of their team. A formation passed down from generations. So, it didn't matter how blunt and upfront he was, and against popular beliefs, he knew when to shut up.

He didn't try to deny it, but did try to suppress it. And moments like these, when she would talk about how hot or dreamy a guy was, he would struggle to simmer down his jealousy. Some people had said how shameless of her to talk about boys was. He knew that she just was in love with love. She would pay them no mind and go back to her chips. Her love and confidence in herself was the thing he admired the most about her.

Inojin tried his best to focus on his project, by pulling apart the petalless flowers and changing with new ones, and worked for the most part. About three quarters of his wreath, more like a flower crown, his full attention was back on the kunoichi when he heard the guy's name:

Taki Kendo.

He was in the graduation class before them. One of the many boys Chocho fancied. And the guy with a reputation of being a jerk. He heard how Namida cried to Wasabi when the guy flirted with her just to ridicule her, she wasn't the only one that went through that. And he knew that Chocho was well aware of this, too.

Inojin would usually tell her she was being annoying when she talked about boys for a long time, but never told her to stop talking. He would listen to her and never told her how to feel or what to do. However, when she said that this jerk asked her on a date, he couldn't stay quiet.

He turned around one more time and with his most nonchalant tone he could muster said, "A date with that guy? How stupid can you be?" He regretted the ill words the moment they came out of his mouth. The pained look on Chocho's face pierced him with guilt. The logical thing to do was to apologize and go back to finish the crown he was crafting, but logic went out of the window, his emotions taking over his actions. "He has been playing with girls with low self esteem since academy days. How desperate are you?" That last bit was more colored with frustration.

A collected gasp escaped from his friends. Shikadai and Boruto looked at him with matching shocked expressions, Mitsuki sported a frown on his brow, his smile gone, and Sarada looked like she was going to send him to next Tuesday. Chocho still looked pained, but she also looked sad and very angry. "No one invited you to this conversation. Mind your own business."

He scoffed and turned back, his eyes on the stems he was trying to braid together. "It's kind of hard when you're being so loud."

"It doesn't matter how loud I am. That doesn't give you the right to inject yourself in our conversation and say those things." She yelled. "Do you really think that about me?" She asked him with incredulity.

"No." he replied in a quiet voice. His frustration and bitterness long gone, now his voice was laced with shame. "You're one of the most confident people I know. I shouldn't have said those things. I'm sorry."

"Then," she asked, "why did you?"

Inojin didn't reply, he opted to concentrate on tying the ends together to finish the crown. Chocho didn't like being ignored, he heard her huff in annoyance and in a blink of an eye, the brunette girl was hovering in front of him. Frowny face and hands on her hips. "I asked you why."

"It doesn't matter, let it go. I already apologized."

"It does matter. I won't let it go and I'm not forgiving you until you tell me. So, spill it out." She insisted.

The young artist stood up and made a v line to leave, but was quickly blocked by the Chocho. "Argh, you're so stubborn."

"I know. One of my many good qualities. I can keep at this all day if I have to, so better start talking."

He felt everyone's eyes on him. He wanted to run, but he knew she wasn't bluffing. His frustration took over once more as he sighed in defeat. "Because he is a womanizer jerk that enjoys playing with people's feelings. And you're so naive to think he actually cares about you. You shouldn't even entertain the idea of going on a date with him."

He should have stopped there, the anger on her face was mellowing down. And probably be satisfied with the answer. But for whatever reason he couldn't shut up. "He doesn't deserve an ounce of your attention or time. He'll never be remotely enough for you. You deserve someone who would treat you like the amazing and powerful person that you are, and who would never treat you like he treats girls.

Someone that understands you and would put up with you, because you can be a lot sometimes. But that's okay, because that's part of you. Someone like m…" He stopped just before he could confess his feeling, not realizing that it was already too late. He wondered if his cheeks were as red and much as how warm they felt. Oh, God, he prayed for the earth to swallow him whole. Everyone was looking at him.

Chocho moved closer to him, her face was a mixture of embarrassment and surprise, her cheeks were dusted pink. He followed her eyes to the flower crown he was holding, and just then realized that he weaved the same crown she asked him to make for her a few years ago while hiding from an Ino-Shika-Cho training section. She reached for it and asked, "Like you?"

"Of course he ment like him." Boruto shouted followed by an 'ouch', Sarada must have hit him.

Inojin wanted to die.

"Okay," Chocho said with her usual confinte smile as she put on the crown that fitted her perfectly. "Next Saturday at five in the afternoon. Pick me up at my house. I'm expecting you to take me somewhere nice, don't even think about Thunder Burger." She turned around and with a flick of her hair and started to walk away towards the exit. "Hey Sarada, I could totally go for some milk tea, want to join me?

The Uchiha girl followed her friend, but stopped briefly next to Inojin and told him. "She was never going to go on a date with him. She was going to stand him up. Payback for Namida. Wasabi asked her to trick him, you interrupted an update on the plan." She smiles at him mischievously before jogging to catch up with her friend.

When he was about to ask Mitsuki to electrocute him, he heard Chocho yelling at him a last request, "Inojin, you better bring me flowers."

Inojin sighed in defeat and his friends congratulated him (more like tease) on his first date. His mind was already working on a design for the bouquet of red roses for Chocho.

End.