Chapter 6: No Time for Flower Talk

On the second day of the Spring Sale, Naruto was surprised to see Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister, loitering at the front of the Shop at Yarrow Street. As he approached, Hanabi caught his eye before turning back to stare through the shop's massive display window, "Are you here to buy another plant, Naruto-kun? Onee-chan said you left with an entire tray yesterday!"

Naruto swallowed thickly. Hinata? Talking about him? To her family? A soft blush began to creep up his face, causing his ears to burn, "Uhm… Well… I just-,"

"Is that why she didn't come by yesterday?" Hanabi suddenly spun on her heel, her pale lilac-eyes narrowing with suspicion, "She promised to come see the shop!"

"Er… I…" Naruto quickly tried to explain, only to become a stuttering mess of nerves. He hoped Hiashi wasn't nearby to hear him floundering. However, before Naruto could collect himself, the shop door opened with a violent ringing of bells.

"Hanabi-chan? N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata poked her head out, glancing between them.

"Onee-chan!" Hanabi whined, walking through the shop door and immediately grasping at her older sister's apron, "You promised to visit the shop!"

"S-Sorry, Hinata-chan," Naruto murmured, stepping aside to allow a few more customers to enter the shop, "I saw her standing out front but-,"

"Please, Onee-chan!" Hanabi tugged at her sister's apron, "There's nothing to worry about! Father will be too busy helping the customers! You have to see my new bouquet display!"

Hinata smiled and gently adjusted Hanabi's lop-sided flower crown, "Yes, of course. I'll be right there. Let me just help Naruto-,"

Naruto immediately raised his hands, "N-No, that's ok-,"

However, Hanabi would not be easily appeased. She turned, pointing a single finger at Naruto and glowered at him, "You!" she hissed, "You're coming too!"

"Wha-?"

Before he knew it, Naruto found himself boarding the next train to the Nogare Shopping Center. Hinata was incredibly embarrassed and tried to apologize for her little sister's antics but Naruto could only shake his head. There was nothing wrong, he assured her, with supporting family. Especially on such a special weekend as the Spring Plant sale, or so he assumed based on the womens' shared love for gardening. While he couldn't understand why he had to be dragged along, the young man was happy for an excuse to spend some time with new friends. He only hoped that Teuchi wouldn't worry too much during his extended absence. Even though it was Naruto's day off, the old chef still mothered over him whenever the young man left the ramen shop.

"Are you the owner of the flower shop, Hanabi-chan?" Naruto asked as they exited the train and began to weave their way through the bustling shopping center.

"Father owns both shops, actually," Hanabi explained, "We're expected to take on his duties when he decides to retire."

Hinata giggled at that, "Father w-would never retire from the flower shop."

Hanabi grinned, "That's true. He loves hounding the customers too much!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "But, I thought you were the owner of the plant shop, Hinata? Didn't Kiba call you Dear Owner yesterday?"

Hinata smiled, "N-no, Kiba was just teasing me. I decided to s-step in and run the shop after my-,"

"Hanabi!" a voice called from a nearby patio.

"Coming!" Hanabi called back, hurrying Naruto and Hinata forward, "Welcome to the Flower Talk Cafe!"

To say Naruto was impressed was an understatement. Completely awestruck, he could only gape at how massive the shop truly was. Unlike Hinata's shop, with its enormous window and equally large houseplant display giving it the air of an overgrown greenhouse, Hanabi's shop had a more Mediterranean vibe. The shop's patio cafe was located outside and its rustic terracotta tile floor encircled the entirety of the building. Instead of a few customers enjoying a cup of tea here or admiring the flower baskets hanging above their heads there, every single little wooden table was occupied by a large group of people and laden with impressive spreads of pastries, drinks, and gold-trimmed porcelain vases filled with bunches of fresh flowers. Their perfume scent carried across the patio, luring Naruto closer, practically seducing him into taking the impressive display home. Taking a peek at their price tags, however, Naruto could hear his wallet whimper with fear. No wonder Hanabi had no trouble keeping her profits up.

Entering the flower shop, Naruto was not initially greeted by the tinkling of bells, but instead was met with a loud "Welcome!" from one of the many workers manning the counter. Following Hanabi, Naruto found himself turning here, crouching there, craning his neck this way, and then that way, desperate to drink in every detail of the beautiful shop. To his left was a collection of herbs, every single one flowering and casting a lulling, heady scent across the shop. To his right, huge heads of fresh cut sunflowers bowed their heavy heads while their yellow manes of petals flared wildly. Even at his feet, Naruto noticed intricate pieces of colored stone embedded in the tiles shaped to look like tiny, flowering vines.

"Hanabi!" the voice from earlier called again. The crowd parted briefly as a spiky haired young man wearing a dark blue apron approached them, "We're all out of complimentary roses!"

"Right, right," Hanabi nodded, "Onee-chan, I've gotta go help Konohamaru-kun get more roses from the back. Drinks are on me!"

With that, the younger sister hurried off, leaving Naruto and Hinata behind to browse the cafe menu. However, skimming through the menu, Naruto found himself bewildered at the selection. What in the world did Butterfly Blue Pea tea taste like? Did all the teas come with violas, honeysuckles, and pansies floating in them? Weren't roses inedible? Unable to pick a flavor, Naruto turned to Hinata, the expression on his face telling her everything she needed to know: the man was completely out of his depth.

"Hm…" Hinata smiled at him, "L-let's just start w-with hibiscus. It's iced and w-will be a little more f-familiar in taste."

After placing their order, Hinata led Naruto to the nearest empty table. Taking his seat, Naruto couldn't help but swallow nervously. Glancing around, he suddenly felt very out of place in the incredibly busy shop. For a moment, the young man found himself wishing he was back at Hinata's calmer, smaller, more familiar plant shop. Naruto didn't, however, dwell in his insecurity for too long. Seconds later, a tray laden with their drinks and herb and cheese scones soon distracted him from the hustle and bustle of the busy flower cafe. Taking a shaky gulp of his drink, Naruto gave a happy, refreshed sigh as the tart but slightly sweet drink cooled his nerves.

"Amazing!" he grinned, taking another gulp of tea, "What is hibiscus? Is it a type of tea leaf? Or fruit?"

Hinata giggled, amused by Naruto's questions, "Hibiscus is a t-type of flower," she then directed his confused look over to a tall, skinny plant sporting massive red blooms, "Once the hibiscus flowers have b-bloomed, you can harvest and dry them. To make t-tea, you break apart the dry petals and steep them in hot water. They're very t-tart so to make them more palatable we usually add sugar and ice."

Naruto, however, wasn't paying attention. Upon turning his gaze away from the hibiscus plant and back to Hinata, he suddenly found himself frozen at the sight of her moving lips. A single sip of the hibiscus tea had stained Hinata's bottom lip a soft red and Naruto had to do everything in his power to silence the arousal that banged about in his belly. What did it taste like, his body demanded, to kiss those stained lips? Would it also be tart? Or maybe a little sweet? Panicking, Naruto finally realized the situation he had landed himself in. Here he was, sitting with a dark-haired beauty, in a flower shop cafe, sharing drinks, alone but together. He dared to look the young woman in the eye, only to grab his thigh in a vice-like grip. It seemed Hinata too had realized the situation they were in, but the shy look she gave him, coupled with the soft blush that colored her cheeks, told him she didn't mind in the slightest. As she leaned forward, her lavender scent wafted towards him and her stained lips parted, asking a question. Riddled with anxiety, Naruto didn't initially hear her and could only grip his thigh harder as Hinata's work apron did nothing to constrain her lovely body pressing closer towards him.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked a little more forcefully, breaking through his daze, "Did you want to take your scone to-go before we keep browsing the store?"

"Y-Yes!" Now back to his senses, Naruto immediately stood, racing over to the shop counter to grab a to-go box before he made an even larger fool of himself.

After clearing the table and Naruto taking a quick moment in the bathroom to wash away his frustrations, the two continued their trip through the store. "Has the flower shop always been this popular?" Naruto asked as they passed another large group of customers. He tried his best to stay ahead of Hinata so as to avoid indulging in the sight of her other lovely features.

"F-Father originally ran the shop with his younger brother, my Uncle Hizashi," Hinata explained as they left the indoor cafe to resume browsing the shop, "It s-started off as a simple flower shop but it was Hanabi's idea to add the cafe and floral arrangements. The shop's p-popularity has grown since then."

Naruto recalled the beautiful vases brimming with an equally beautiful arrangement of cut flowers, "Hanabi made those?"

"Every single one!" Hanabi declared proudly, appearing suddenly at Hinata's side and linking their arms together, "Come on, Onee-san! You gotta tell me what you think!"

Now reunited with Hanabi, the pair followed the younger woman towards the back of the shop. While the majority of the shop's customers continued to congregate around the cafe area, peeking over the store shelves, Naruto noticed a long line of people snaking its way through the shop. Hanabi took a few moments to greet the waiting customers before throwing her arm out to show off the shop's crown jewel: The DIY Flower Wall. Stretching from floor to ceiling, the wall was lined with hanging shelf after shelf, and each shelf held bucket after bucket of fresh cut flowers. Brimming with curiosity, Naruto couldn't help but approach the wall, craning his neck as far back as possible to get a glance at the flower buckets perched precariously high above them. Looking between the line of customers and the wall, Naruto realized the flower wall's gimmick. At the very front of the line was a counter that held a stack of colored metal pails. The customer would grab a pail, approach the wall, and select as many flowers and fillers as they desired. An associate would then take the pail, remove and arrange the selected flowers, before wrapping them nearly in a sheet of butcher paper, making sure to secure the customer's chosen selection of fresh flora with a rustic string of twine.

"Hanabi-chan!" Hinata breathed, "You actually convinced Father about the DIY bouquets?"

Hanabi puffed out her chest in pride, "Of course!" Hinabi pointed upwards towards the ceiling, "Once I found a way to minimize waste, Father agreed. Aaah, but it was such a pain!" Hanabi pouted as she pointed towards the ceiling, "All of those are fake flowers! Only the first two rows are actually stocked with fresh flowers. I wanted every bucket filled with roses!" Hanabi whined.

"It's beautiful, Hanabi," Naruto murmured, "You guys are really talented at this."

Hinata hid her shy smile while Hanabi bounded forward, now grasping at Naruto's arm, "Really? You really think so?!"

"Uhm y-yeah, of course!" Naruto chuckled nervously, "I mean… I… I don't think I can even make a simple flower arrangement."

"Huh?" Hanabi raised a finger, wagging it Naruto, "That's not true! Anyone can make an arrangement!" Hanabi then turned, grabbing a pair of colored pails, "Let's show him, Onee-san!"

And so, much to Naruto's embarrassment, he was pulled front and center before the massive wall of fresh cut flowers, clutching a bright pink pail for good measure. Hinata giggled as Naruto started stupidly at the massive assortment of flowers. While Hanabi had stated that only the first two shelves of buckets contained real flowers, the shelves were massive and the buckets were filled to the brim with what seemed like every flower imaginable. Just like when he was staring at the cafe menu, Naruto was at a loss, and could only give Hinata a look that screamed 'HELP ME!' However, the man would not be able to depend on his friend this time. He was at the mercy of her little sister, who grinned maniacally as they browsed her massive flower wall together.

"Do you have a theme in mind? Or maybe you have a favorite flower? Oooh, what's your favorite color?" Hanabi yammered away as she picked and pulled flower after mysterious flower out of the buckets.

"Uhm… I… Err…" Naruto could only stammer.

"Hanabi-chan," Hinata gently guided her sister, "Naruto-kun is still new to plant keeping. Why not start with a simple petite bouquet?"

"Hai, Onee-san!"

"Petite?" Naruto whimpered with confusion.

"Petite means "small" in French," Hinata explained, "Petite bouquets are charming due to their size and are popular alternatives for," here, Hinata's breath hitched, her eyes widening a bit. The color in her pale cheeks rose and she quickly looked away from Naruto's curious expression, "Uhm… They're… They're p-p-popular with… With b-brides…" unable to finish, Hinata could only look away, wringing her hands nervously while she fidgeted in place.

"Onee-san is right," Hanabi nodded sagely, ignoring her sister's nervous behavior, "Many brides choose to walk down the aisle with huge cascading bouquets of flowers. The petite bouquet is usually the alternative arrangement that is thrown during the bouquet toss. That way the bride's maids get a chance to catch the bouquet while the bride keeps her larger arrangement. Or vice-versa. It depends on the bride."

"Oh… But I'm not-," now it was Naruto's turn to blush, which he tried to hide by turning his attention back to the flower wall.

"Didn't you hear me? Anyone can make a bouquet!" Hanabi sighed before raising a single finger, "Let's start with the basics then. First, let's select a color scheme. Naruto, what is your favorite color?"

"Oh uhm… I guess orange is fine?"

Hanabi clucked her tongue at that, "Orange, huh? Okay, let's start with this!" Hanabi reached up towards the second shelf and selected a massive, violently orange flower with golden yellow trim around the tips of its petals, "This marigold will be the center of your arrangement."

"Center?"

"Sure. For beginners, it's recommended you build your bouquet around a single flower of your choosing. Think of this marigold as the MVP of your arrangement," Hanabi spun the flower between her fingers, "Now we need to get some wingmen to really help it shine!"

Naruto stared at the single marigold, before taking a long look at the selection of flowers on the wall, and then reached out, plucking three smaller, bright yellow flowers from the marigold bucket, "Like these?" he offered them to Hanabi.

"Yeah, that will bring out the yellow on the petal tips," Hanabi approved, "Alright, so you've got your MVP and your wingmen. Now they need a stage. Let's go look at the fillers then."

"What are fillers?"

"Usually extra greenery," Hanabi explained as they moved down the wall, "Most cut flowers are trimmed of their leaves before being placed inside their vase. Any greenery that is submerged in water can cause the arrangement to deteriorate faster. Of course, the flowers look kinda empty without their leaves," Hanabi then grabbed a bucket bursting with green foliage peppered with tiny white flowers, "For this arrangement, I think baby's breath will do nicely. It's a pretty filler that doesn't need to be trimmed back too much. The tiny flowers will help fill in any gaps between the MVP and its wingmen."

With all flowers and fillers selected, Hanabi led Naruto back towards the shop counter. Naruto watched with fascination as Hanabi expertly placed the massive marigold at the center of the arrangement before surrounding it with the smaller yellow flowers Naruto had selected. Then, in any gaps Hanabi spotted between the marigold and its companions, she filled them with slim stalks of blooming baby's breath. In less than a minute, the small arrangement's long stems were clipped, shortening the bouquets length down to the traditional "petite" size, before being wrapped in butcher's paper and secured with a bit of twine.

"What do you think?" Hanabi grinned, handing Naruto his DIY bouquet.

Naruto could only stare, mesmerized by the tiny beauty. Bold and daring, the marigold Hanabi picked was on full display, its massive orange petals flaring like flames with the smaller, yellow marigolds accenting and brightening its fiery golden tips. The greenery from the baby's breath seemed to give the petite arrangement a bit of a tropical feel while the tiny white flowers tamed back some of the bouquet's wildness.

Delighted, Naruto held the bouquet a little closer to his chest, "How much?"

That evening, Naruto climbed the steps leading up to his studio with growing anxiety. Only this time there was no sense of dread mixed in. Oddly enough, he was actually… Excited? Pausing at his door, Naruto adjusted his paper shopping bag, peeking in only briefly to ascertain his latest addition was still safe and sound inside.

"I'm home!" Naruto hollered as he threw the door open.

Only silence greeted him. However, instead of Naruto's heart aching at the sight of his dark, empty studio, it seemed to quicken with anticipation. There, bathing in the moonlight, his ginger sprouts swayed, as if waving "Hello!" Turning, Naruto zeroed in on his father's shrine. Now, with the Golden Pothos overtaking every nook and cranny of the shrine with its continually growing vines, the shrine seemed less sad and more vibrant. Taking a seat at the shrine, for the first time in years, Naruto let out a happy, relieved sigh. Oddly enough, the sight of his healthy houseplants brought him a sense of peace. Placing his bag between his legs, Naruto leaned back on his arms and spent a moment just reliving his weird but exciting day.

"I went… To a new store today," he suddenly spoke aloud, opening his eyes briefly to give the shrine a nervous glance.

There, nestled in the jungle of pothos, his father peeked out at him. With his expression shadowed over, Naruto's father seemed to give him a curious grin. "Ohoh?" the portrait seemed to say, "Where? Where did you go?"

"It was a flower shop," Naruto continued, his awkwardness dissipating as he tried to focus on the details of his adventure, "A girl… Uhm… My friend's little sister runs it… I uhm… Oh!" Naruto reached into his shopping bag, pulling out the fresh herb and cheese scone, "I got you this today and," he dug a little deeper into the bag, extracting the DIY bouquet Hanabi had helped him make, "This!"

Reaching forward, Naruto coaxed his father's portrait out from the pothos' wild mane, setting him front and center in the shrine. He then served the scone on his father's offering plate before setting his flower arrangement before the shrine. His heart skipped a beat. Now well-fed and seated before the bouquet, his father's smile seemed to shine. The man's piercing blue eyes stared at nothing and yet, it felt like he was smiling down at the flowers, delighted at their bright beauty.

"H-Hold on!" Naruto suddenly sprung up, digging furiously through his paper bag, "I bought this for it!"

Grabbing the bouquet, Naruto made his way into his tiny kitchen. From the shopping bag he pulled out a small glass vase, an equally tiny paper pamphlet, and an even tinier plastic baggy filled with some type of powder. Before leaving the Flower Talk Cafe, Hanabi had been kind enough to give the novice plant keeper a care package, including a pamphlet of instructions, to help him extend the freshness of his new bouquet. Reading the instructions carefully, Naruto untied the arrangement's twine string and slowly unwrapped the butcher's paper surrounding the flower stems. After filling the small vase with some water, Naruto emptied the plastic baggy's contents into the vase, swirling the white powder about until it dissolved thoroughly. Taking up the bouquet, Naruto wrapped the twine back around the stems, tying a neat little bow, before placing the bouquet into its vase, making sure to submerge the tips of the flower stems into the cloudy solution. Naruto read, then reread, then read one more time, the pamphlet of instruction. Not a single piece of greenery, outside of the trimmed flower stems, were submerged in the vase's water. Not one petal floated in the solution. The twine had been tied loosely to avoid bruising or snapping the delicate flower stems. Even the solution had been mixed so thoroughly that not a single granule of powder rested at the bottom. Satisfied, Naruto returned to his father's shrine, this time presenting the now complete flower arrangement before the smiling man.

Naruto ran a shaky hand through his hair, "It's a… A petite bouquet… H-Hinata-sa… Hinata-chan said they're pretty popular with…" he swallowed, feeling his ears burn. How ridiculous, he scolded himself, there was no one present to hear his embarrassing discussion with an old picture. And yet, the young man managed to force out, "It's popular with brides…"

Now thoroughly embarrassed, Naruto buried his face into his hands. He couldn't stop thinking about it. About that tender moment he had shared with Hinata only weeks ago before his father's shrine. How cool her fingers were wrapped around his own. How she smelled like lilacs and lavender. How her gaze stayed steady and did not waver at the sight of his grief. Even today, dressed in her apron, the dark haired beauty kept his gaze. He recalled the soft red color of her lips stained with hibiscus tea. The way those lips parted, as if beckoning him to give them a taste. The way her body seemed to tremble as it leaned forward, enticing him. Glancing at his father, the man's expression seemed to change, his smile practically wicked. It teased him, begged for more details, and he felt a little annoyed at his father's cheekiness. For a brief moment, Naruto felt the need to snatch the bouquet away and run off to hide in his futon. Instead, he fought the moment off with a quick shake of his head, rising and taking a step back to cool off away from his teasing father.

"Stupid…" he muttered to himself, walking over to his futon and turning in for a frustratingly lonely night.