Ino sat with her father eating breakfast at the Honey Pot, a place where she had decided was her favorite small restaurant in town. This was the sixth time they were eating breakfast like this. If she was honest it felt like something was up the first and second time but had brushed it off since.
"I hear that flower shop just next door is open today, would you want to go and take a look?" Inoichi asked before he finished his coffee. She thought for a moment, not having noticed it had been open but gave a nod, showing she was interested. After finishing their food and paying for their meal, they exited the restaurant and began to make their way over to the small building.
Truthfully, she missed running a flower shop when she wasn't on missions. She missed helping customers and designing bouquets, along with the sights and smells that came with the occupation. So with all of that, she was rather excited to visit a flower shop again.
A man she recognized from working in the Kage Tower called to her father when they were getting close and she stopped before her father told her to go on ahead. Heeding his advice, she made her way there by herself, opening the door and stepping inside to find that the flowers were sorted similarly to the way they had done it back in Konohagakure.
She wandered around for a short while before the bell above the front door rang. Thinking it was her father, she looked over, only to find Sai instead. He lifted his hand in greeting as she cocked her head in slight confusion.
"Do you like the place? I think they did a nice job," he said as he looked around at the large room.
"Yes, it's very comfy and inviting. The owner has good taste." She looked around again and frowned slightly. "But I'm wondering if they're actually open. There doesn't seem to be anyone here at all."
"I'm sure it's fine," he said, brushing off her worries.
"I wonder if they'll let me work here..."
"Would you want to?" he asked.
"It's a very nice place and I'm sure it would sell well in this area."
"Ino, to be honest, I came here cause I had something to say..." The woman paused and looked at him as he approached her. "You know I love you more than almost anything in the world. Right?"
She felt her cheeks heat up at the sudden confession and gave a pout, crossing her arms.
"I should be above art."
"More than anything else in the world," he corrected himself.
"That's what I thought," she said, giving a smug grin.
"Well... I don't have some kind of big speech planned... So I'll just ask..." He knelt down and pulled something from his pocket. Her eyes grew wide as she realized what might be happening and her cheeks turned a deep red. He opened the small black box to show off a small ring with an oval diamond. "Yamanaka Ino, will you marry me?"
"Y-Y-You planned all of this!" she shouted in both embarrassment and realization. She gave a huff. "Of course I will..."
He let out a laugh as he stood and he slipped the ring on her finger while she looked at it in awe.
"This shop is yours too if you want it," he said suddenly, taking her by surprise.
"W-What?"
"When I first saw it, I thought it would be a nice place for a flower shop so I picked it up and have been planning on giving it to you since." She placed her hands over her mouth as she teared up. "So the shop is enough to make you cry but not the proposal?"
She laughed.
╌❀✿╌╌💮╌╌✿❀╌
Sakura hummed in thought as she looked at the resignation letter request of Kirai that lay on her desk.
The girl had become her assistant after Sakura had realized she was good at paperwork and knowing where to take things. She clearly enjoyed her job too, which only brought more questions to the young woman's mind. She looked up as the door to her office opened, Gaara appearing with some of the paperwork that Kirai should have gotten from the hospital.
"They asked me to bring this to you..."
"So she didn't even show up to work today then..." Sakura let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair.
"Who?"
"Kirai."
"Is she sick?"
"I don't know, since she hasn't shown up to work for the past two days and sent a random request for resignation."
"But she loves working for you?" he wondered, having heard the young woman gush over her job every now and then.
"Something is clearly wrong, but I don't have the time to go and see her..." she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. Gaara was silent for a moment as he placed the stack of folders on her desk.
"I know where she lives, I can go see if she's alright for you."
"That would be greatly appreciated if you could."
He gave a curt bow before exiting the Kage building and making his way to the suburbs, passing by many restaurants and shops on the way. Upon reaching her apartment, he knocked on the door only to wait a few moments before it opened. There was only a single light on the inside so it was dim, but he could see dark circles under the girl's eyes as she looked at him in surprise.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I came to make sure you were okay... I heard you–"
"Did Lady Sakura send you..?" she muttered.
"I offered to come and check on you." She stared at him for a moment before letting out a sigh and opening the door more.
"Come in..." He obliged and entered the house before she flicked on another light to show a small two-room apartment. It was tidy and didn't have many decorations. "Do you want some tea..?"
"I'm alright... But you seem..." She was quiet, staring at the other side of the room. "Depressed."
"Do you know why I have the name I do?" she asked quietly. His eyes grew wide slightly at the sudden question before she buried her face in her hands. "What a stupid question... Of course, you don't... Sorry."
He didn't know how to respond so he kept quiet. "I just... I'm alone here... My only family is dead or hates me for no reason... my only friends died..."
"We're friends." She looked at him in surprise. Tears welled in her eyes as she nodded.
"Of course... I'm sorry I just..." Slowly, he walked over and brought her into a hug, gently patting her back. "I'm the result of my mother being forced..."
Her voice sounded emotionless. "That's why I have the name I do..."
He frowned and hugged her tighter. "She hated to even look at me and would lock me in a box when I didn't have any use..."
"Everything is okay now..." he tried.
"Is it..? This name is going to haunt me for the rest of my life... I'm never going to be able to escape what I am... I just... I just want to quit..."
Gaara's hesitant hug turned tight.
"If your name haunts you, then change it." She paused in his arms. Why had that not been something she had thought about before? "You don't have to live like other people want you to. Live for yourself and be who you want to be..."
"But... I don't know how..." she sobbed. He pushed her away and looked her in the eyes.
"If you can't live for yourself then live for me." She stared at him in shock. "Live for Lady Sakura and for the village. Temari and the others are really fond of you, you know that right? I'm fond of you. You're not alone here. If you need help all you have to do is ask."
It was the first time she had seen such a hard look in his eyes and she realized that she wasn't the only one to have experienced hard times in her life.
Her eyes caught sight of the tattoo on his forehead.