Inside The Flower Shop

Chapter 1 : The Meeting

Sasuke really didn't know how Sakura and Naruto managed to drag him off to Yamanaka Flowers, the popular new flower shop in the neighborhood in the middle of summer.

The shop being mentioned was one with great reputation, all of it earned in just a month and usually he had no problem with shops like that. But, seriously, why did it have to be a flower shop? He wouldn't have minded if it was a clothing store or a shoe store or an electronics store or...anything else. But flower shops? They were just too... feminine.

And yet, he was here.

The main reason Naruto and Sakura had took him there was too meet Naruto's female cousin, Ino, the daughter of the owner of the store. According to Naruto, she was moving from The Sound to Konoha this year and that she was going to go to Konoha High, the same high school they were in. And his father, the principal, thought that it would be good for Ino to start the school year with friends, thus the meeting. And of course, Naruto dragged him and the others into it.

Yep. He had forced almost everyone of his (few) friends. Sasuke, Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Neji, Tenten and Lee. Yeah. That's all.

And he wasn't the only one who had protested.

"Why the hell do we have to go with you?" Kiba had barked out the day Naruto had asked everyone to come.

"Going somewhere far is too troublesome." Shikamaru yawned out.

"Does the place have food?" Choji asked while munching on some cookies Hinata had made for the whole gang.

"Its really really really near!" he said looking at Shikamaru before continuing "And yes, it also has food." he finished seeing the happy glint in Choji's eyes.

Naruto looked around but there were still looks of concern and annoyance plastered on his friends faces.

He heaved a sigh "Look guys, I'm just going to take you out to meet Ino and you decide whether you wanna be friends or not. We're gonna be meeting at her dad - my uncle -'s store, Yamanaka Flowers and-". Before he had even finished he heard a gasp of suprise from their pink headed friend.

"THE Yamanaka Flowers?! The new and popular flower shop that almost everyone's been dying to go to but is always packed?" Sakura had questioned excitedly.

Naruto nodded happily.

"Cut to the chase, is she hot or not?" Kiba inquired with a strangely serious face which of course earned him a whack on the head by both Shino and Sakura.

"Insanely! She's rich too! Straight A's, a great cook, good business woman," Naruto exaggeratedly said, listing of each trait with his fingers.

"Full package?" Sasuke had asked sarcastically.

"Basically."

And that's what got everyone's attention.

The description Naruto and Sakura had given about Ino and the shop earned a look of approval and recognition from everyone.

He had invited Gaara, Temari and Kankuro too. But they were going to Suna this summer. Family business, Kankuro had said.

At first, Sasuke had thought about ditching. But Sakura had barged into his and his brother's shared apartment, grabbed him by the ear and dragged him out of the living room, earning them a look of amusement and confusion from Itachi ("Bring him back in one piece!" he had yelled.) before the door had slammed closed.

And so that's how he got here. In this... feminine flower shop.

Naruto was right ( for once ) about how near the shop was. It was a mere 10 minute drive from his place.