Flowers For Gaara

Chapter Five: Blondes

"Ahh!" I sigh as I toss the sheets off my bed. I rub my eyes a little to get all the sleep out and I yawn slightly.

How is it that I can get up so easily nowadays? I mean I don't even need to hit the snooze ten times...

Could it be...?

Yes! Yes!

I like my new employee!

I smile to myself. It's exciting to have someone so young and...so cute working with you all the time! It's just amazing what seeing a nice, friendly face everyday can do to a person. Well, most of the customers don't find his face very friendly. They kind of back away from him. But I do - I find him very friendly.

Everyone has reasons to appear the way they do, but appearances don't always reflect the inside. I know this all too well. Being teamed up with guys like Shikamaru and Chouji made me learn that. Anyone else would see them as the "lazy and fat" duo, but I know they aren't like that. We made a good team. Neither of them were useless. Together we did some pretty amazing stuff. I miss those old days some times.

I'm sure there's something sweet and special inside of Gaara too.

I quirk my head to the side. I sound so corny! Even to myself! I really need to stop reading that manga I bought with Hinata! It's totally messing with my hard-headed woman edge.

"Are you going to get up, or are you going to stay there and neglect your duties? Huh, Ino-kun?" I hear that cruel voice. It's that woman. It's mom.

I turn to her viciously.

"No. Mom. I'm getting up! Why are you in my room again? Whyyyy? I'm up early! Doesn't that make you happy?" I snort back at her. She crosses her arms.

"It makes me suspicious."

I quirk a brow. How can she be so different to people outside of the family? This is exactly what I was talking about. Everyone that knows my mom thinks she's just the nicest and greatest person ever. She gets home, closes the door and eats me and my dad for dinner. Don't judge a book by it's cover, or the first 100 pages.

I smile.

"I'm just kidding Ino-kun!" she laughs that scary mom laughter,"I don't care why you're up as long as you do everything you're supposed to! And do it right. I've told you so many times that when you..."

She keeps talking, but I totally tune her out. This is the part of her speech where she tells me not to do this and not to do that. Please. I don't feel that well this morning. I get up and start searching for clothes as she continues to lecture me and threaten to cut all my pretty blonde hair off if she ever sees me sweeping dust under the rug again.

Hey. That was an accident. The wind just kind of blew the dust under that rug. It wasn't my fault.

"Mom. I'm getting dressed now. Can you go bother Dad? I think he ate something he wasn't supposed to," I lie and I'm surprised when she doesn't yell at me for being rude. She just laughs that creepy laugh of hers. It must really mean a lot to her for me to be up and ready to do chores.

Lesson #1: The way to a woman's heart. Do chores for her(and do them right) and she's in your pocket.

I can't say I disagree.

...and I also want to help Ino sweep.

He said that. I blush for the millionth time at remembering those sweet shy little words...

No!

I decided that wasn't cute, remember? Not cute! He's getting paid to sweep for me. By my parents! Oh...why does that sound dirty? I frown as I wrap the last of my bandages on.