Naruto : Monsters

"By the way Sensei," I spoke up a moment later as I laid on the grass, face to the sky. "Naruto and me won't be able to make it to training tomorrow."

...

Naruto shot straight up, stiffening at my words. Her face turned oddly empty as her gaze swerved onto me, those blue eyes of hers filled with so many conflicting emotions that contrasted with the blank expression she wore before she switched to Kakashi a moment later. 

She watched him like the hawk, unblinking and unmoving. It was something that I usually only saw her do when she gave something her complete attention, staying perfectly still yet focused, and I knew she was taking everything in as she waited to hear his answer.

"Hmm?" Kakashi looked up from his book to shoot me a questioning look. "That's unusual. I never thought I'd see the day where you'd ask for less training. Something wrong?"

Lifting a hand, I lazily waved his concerns away. "No, nothing bad. Just a birthday party Naruto needs to attend. I'm just tagging along."

"A birthday?" Kakashi's single eye blinked in confusion. I guess whatever it was he was expecting me to say, it wasn't that. He cocked his head to one side like one of his dogs, "Anyone I know?"

"You could say that," I replied, "It's July 10th tomorrow, can you think of anyone who has a birthday on that day?"

Kakashi lowered his book and cupped his chin with one hand. "I don't think so-," Comprehension dawned in his eyes as he remembered. "Oh!"

He turned to look at Naruto, who immediately glanced away, refusing to meet his eyes.

"I see." He said at last, eyes softening. "Well, I guess that's fine then."

Lifting his book up to his face he turned his attention back to reading, "Alright Duckies, tomorrow's training is cancelled. It's a rare day off, so be sure to enjoy yourself."

Naruto all but slumped in relief at his words, but both Kakashi and I pretended not to notice. For all of the girl's buster and courage, there are some things that even Naruto can't face head-on. And this one of them, she had always been overly sensitive whenever it came to her.

"Thanks," I told Kakashi, meaning it.

He just absently waved me off. "Maa~, Maa~, don't make such a big deal out of it. I get to get a day off and that's always a good thing." Then he added quietly, so that only I could hear him. "Be sure to tell her I said hi."

"Sure thing," I answered, equally quiet.

Shutting down my Byakugan, I shut my eyes and took the chance to enjoy the moment while Kakashi returned to his book.

A comfortable silence fell between us as we both came to a silent understanding. If nothing else, when it came to keeping Naruto safe, we both knew where the other stood.

"Hey! What the hell are you two doing?" I heard Naruto yell, indignation filling her voice. I turned my head to the side and cracked open an eyelid to see what was happening.

Naruto's two clones were looking abashed from where they sat on either side of the Go board, rubbing the back of their head as they gave the original sheepish smiles. 

"You-you-you lost three times! How? I don't even understand how you two could have played so many games when I wasn't looking? Didn't I tell you not to touch anything! I can't believe how stupid you two are! How dumb do you have to be to lose so badly."

Again, I didn't bother pointing out to Naruto what it meant if she thought her own clones were stupid.

...

A bell chimed from somewhere over my head as I pushed open the door.

It always felt like stepping into a different, tiny world whenever I came to this store. As always the first thing I noticed was the air, damp and humid, thick with a blend of scents that it was nearly overwhelming yet there was also a ting of freshness mixed in that I couldn't help but be reminded of my mother's garden during early spring.

"Welcome to Yamanaka flower shop." A voice called out from behind the counter, where an attendant had her back turned to me as she worked on a bouquet of flowers. "How can I help- oh, it's just you Hikaru."

"Nice to see you too Ino," I answered back blandly, trying to sound offended at the unenthusiastic tone Ino had dropped into once she realized she was talking to me. "As always, I'm overwhelmed by how welcome you make me feel whenever I shop here. It's a wonder that I don't come by more often."

"Come off it Hikaru," Ino waved a dismissive hand from over her shoulder, already turning away to continue her work on the flowers, "I don't have the energy to give you the full welcome treatment. 

I barely had time to shower after my training with Asuma-sensei before Dad had me man the store. Do you have any idea how hard it is to act chipper all the time in front of customers when you want to do nothing more than get some beauty sleep."

"You'd be surprised." I replied, thinking back on all the public 'birthday parties' that I had to sit through as a child, where I did nothing but smile and nod politely for hours at the unending stream of guests. "So training is going well I take it. Asuma pushing you guys hard?"

"Not precisely, no," Ino admitted, a touch of frustration colouring her tone. "And that's the problem."

Even as she talked to me the pony-tailed blonde Heiress continued with her work, carefully looking over the bouquet with a critical eye, searching for imperfections. Though I could see nothing wrong with the flower arrangement she must have thought differently because she kept adding or removing flowers, occasionally nudging one in place.

"Why are men such lazy pigs?" Ino groused out loud, adding another violet lilac to the arrangement. "I mean really, why is every guy in my team so lazy. Is it like this for everybody or is it just with me? Am I the only one cursed with teammates who would rather bum off cigarettes or chew through a pack of chips than work?"

"Asuma and Chouji giving you trouble, I take it?"

"You can say that." She snorted, tossing her hair over one shoulder, "I have to spend twenty minutes every morning convincing those two to get off their asses and train. Chouji refuses to work until he eats his second breakfast while Asuma believes it's better to let him go at his own pace than rush him. Thank god Sakura is on my team, I have no idea what I would have done if it wasn't for her."

Ino paused for a moment and thought on it. "On second thought I know exactly what I would have done. I'd be pulling my hair out in frustration as I spent half my day trying to get my team to do any real work. Which reminds me," She spared a quick glance over her shoulder, "thank your grandfather for me will you? I don't know what he did exactly, but if it wasn't for him I would have been stuck with Shikamaru instead of Sakura as a teammate and that would have been hell."

"I'll be sure to pass the message along," I told her with a dry smile. "Though I imagine Asuma wasn't as pleased as you were with the team placement."

"Oh Asuma was furious," Ino commented flippantly, "He somehow got it into his head that Shikamaru, Chouji and me would make a great team just because our fathers were." She snorted. "Yeah, as if. If I had to deal with a team filled with lazy boys alone without Sakura to help me out then I doubt I'd have been able to last a month before I snapped."

She turned to face me, a picturesque smile on her lips. "The three of us were raised together you know, and I love Shikamaru as if he were my own flesh and blood brother." Her smile slowly grew a little bit too wide to be completely normal and her eyes gained a certain glint that made me take an involuntary step back. 

"But I swear if I had to hear him call me a 'troublesome woman' day in and day out for the rest of my ninja career, I would have to kill him. And I mean I would have physically strangled him and made him choke on his words as I slowly watched the life leave his eyes. And I honestly don't think I would even regret it."

Then like a light switch being flicked the deranged look left her eyes, leaving behind nothing more than an ordinary smiling girl. Turning back to the flowers, Ino tossed a final comment over her shoulders. "So I think it turned out better for all of us this way, don't you?"

"...If you say so." I replied, feeling a little scared of Ino for the first time in my life. And here I thought women were supposed to be the kinder gender.

Shaking off my discomfort I decided to pretend that the last minute didn't happen, for the sake of my sanity if nothing else, and get back to the real reason why I was here in the first place. "Anyway Ino, I'm here to pick up the flowers I ordered. Are they ready yet?"

"It should be, just give me a couple of more minutes to finish with this and I'll look for it. Someone made a special orders for a bouquet of lilac flowers and I wanted to get it just right." She told me as she continued to alter the flower arrangement for what must have been the hundredth time. Say what you want about Ino, but when it came to her family's business she was a bit of a perfectionist.

"Take your time then, I'm in no hurry." Smiling, I allowed her to continue on her work, not bothering to mention that she was working on the flowers I had ordered.

"So, how is Shikamaru doing anyway?" Ino asked after a few seconds of silence, probably more for something to talk about than anything, "He's not giving you too much trouble is he? I know how much of a hassle it can be getting him to do any work."

"Actually, Shikamaru had been doing great. He really had been giving it his all during training."

Ino actually froze, pausing all movement as she processed what I said, before turning around to give me a sceptical look, "Really?" she asked, an eyebrow raised. "Hikaru, I know Shikamaru well enough to know that nothing short of his mother can get him to do any work."

"That's only because you don't know how to properly motivate him," I pointed out, "If you did, you'd find that Shikamaru can be quite the hard worker."

"Uh-huh," Ino drawled, clearly not believing a word I said. "And how precisely do you go about motivating him?"

"Dogs," I told her.

"Dogs?" She parrot, a second eyebrow joining the first.

"Yes dogs," I confirmed, not hiding the wicked smile that graced my lips. "You'd be surprised how fast Shikamaru can run when you send a pack of ninja-dogs after him with orders to take a bite out of his ass if he happens to slack off or slow down."

Ino's jaw dropped open, hanging so wide open that you could have fit an apple in there, "And his mum didn't have anything to say about it."

"Oh, she had plenty of things to say about it." My smile just grew larger as I thought of his mother's response. Really, Yoshino was one of a kind. "Actually I think it was his mother that finally caused Shikamaru to resign himself to training. 

After the first time he got bitten by Kakashi's dogs he went to his mom to complain, only for Shikamaru to appear for practice the next day carrying an expensive brand of doggy treats. It was a gift from his mum, along with a note asking if she could borrow a couple of the dogs to use on her husband."

Ino's jaw continued to hang open for a few more seconds before she burst out laughing, bending over and wrapping her arms around her belly from how hard she laughed. "Oh my god! That's hilarious. I wish I could have seen the look on his face." She continued to laugh unabatedly for a good twenty seconds before she calmed down enough to talk again.

She raised her head and turned her green eyes up to me, eyes twinkling with merriment, "You know, maybe I should try that on Chouji. Do you think Kakashi would be willing to send a couple of dogs my way as well."

"I'll be sure to ask the next time I see him," I promised.

"Thanks." She said before turning back to the flowers, still chuckling with good humour.

...

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