Author Note: Since today is the birthday of a certain red haired Kunoichi, I decided to write a little drabble for my own personal Tomato-chan and decided to post it here after she jokingly suggested it, so this story is dedicated to her. Short, but I found it kind of sweet.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything involved in the Naruto universe - that right belongs to a certain Masashi Kishimoto. I do own the Shikamaru figurine sitting on a table upstairs, and will be getting a few more soon... but yeah, I own nothing involved.

Hope you enjoy it.

Tomato.

Oh how she hated that nickname given to her as a child. Her long red hair and her round face made her the laughing stock of Konoha. It didn't matter that she was a Jinchuuriki, or that one of her ancestors technically was the wife of the first Hokage or anything like that. To her peers, she was called Tomato.

How she despised her looks. Even she had to admit, she kind of looked like a tomato, and she hated it, she hated it with a passion. She hated it so much that she beat up the kids who called her by that accursed nickname so badly that no one dared call her it again for the longest time.

Then when she was kidnapped, along came her savior Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash of Konoha. The man who loved her hair, and loved her; the man she felt herself falling deeply in love with, and so even if it was somewhat hesitantly, she agreed to go out with the man on their first date, and then their second, and then eventually their third… that's when it happened.

He called her 'Tomato' in a teasing way; naturally she did not take it well, 'spilling' Minato's bowl of scalding hot Miso Ramen onto his lap for the world to see; the enraged woman storming away from the newly established Ichiraku Ramen shack soon after, stringing profanities as retreated.

She'd then lock herself into her home and begin to cry. How could the stupid jerk call her that name that hurt her so much! Of all people, he should've known how much she hated it. Of course, she knew Minato was a ninja, and could easily slip into her apartment undetected if he really wanted to, but that was the last thing on her mind because of the pain she felt in her heart.

So, when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her against his body from behind, she continued to cry, not really surprised in any way until he whispered the words with the most enamored tone "Tomatoes are my favorite fruit; I used to grow them with my parents, and I'd always take such great care of them. All the same, you are my favorite person, and I will always take great care of you, my sweetly ripened Tomato. I love you."

"Minato…" she responds no louder than a whisper, the tears still rolling down her cheeks as she clung tightly to his arms and relaxed in his embrace. The sting she felt earlier was long gone, and all that remained was immense warmth, his warmth. "Say it again" she whispers.

"I love you, my Tomato." He whispers once more into her ear, kissing her cheek gently.

Shifting herself in his embrace so she could look into his eyes, she smiles sweetly toward her lover and whispers "I love you too, Minato Namikaze" as she leans in to kiss her lover softly.

Tomato.

Oh how she loathed that nickname when most people called her that, but from the mouth of Minato Namikaze, she almost couldn't hear it enough. It had become a pet name to her and it meant that she was his favorite; she was the only woman in his eyes.