Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. :(

♥ A Gentleman ♥

The temperature had been dropping slowly but steadily as they made their way back to Konoha, Ino noticed. At first, she'd welcomed the cooler air wholeheartedly since Team 10 was returning from the sweltering heat of the deserts surrounding Suna. But as they stepped through the gates of Konoha and began their trudge to the Hokage Tower to make their mission report, Ino was sorely regretting her decision to not pack any warm clothes in order to lighten the load she had to tote. Her usual outfit was designed for easy movement—and, okay, to show off a fair amount of skin, but that was beside the point—not warmth or protection of any sort from the weather.

Ino crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her upper arms, but it did little good. Her gaze shifted to Shikamaru, who was walking slightly ahead, and the jacket he had thrown over his chunnin vest.

"Oi, Shika. Give me your coat," she demanded.

Shikamaru looked back at her indifferently. "No way."

"But I'm freezing!"

"Yeah, and if I give you my coat, then I'll be freezing."

"You're a guy though. You're supposed to sacrifice your own comfort for a woman, like a true gentleman."

"Being a gentlemen's too troublesome. Besides, why should I suffer when you're the one who wasn't prepared?"

"How was I supposed to know I'd need a coat?! We were in Suna! Why would I bring a coat to Suna?!"

"It's still winter here in Konoha."

Ino felt her eye twitch. She was well aware that it was winter. It had been winter for nearly a month. But before they'd left for their mission, the weather had been deceptively nice. Excuse her for thinking that the temperature wouldn't change so drastically in a week.

A sudden gust of wind flew past, making the chilly air feel icy cold. Ino set her jaw stubbornly to keep her teeth from clacking together. Though, her sudden silence drew the attention of her teammates far more effectively than her chattering teeth would have.

"Ah, sorry, Ino. I'd lend you my coat if I had one, but I didn't pack one either," Chouji muttered apologetically from her other side.

Ino shot a look at Shikamaru. "See? Don't try to make me feel stupid for not packing a coat. Chouji didn't either."

"Yeah, but Chouji's not all skin and bones like you, so he can afford to leave a jacket behind."

Ino let out a frustrated growl. "How the hell does Temari put up with you? You have got to be the worst boyfriend." At one point, Ino had been beyond jealous of Temari for stealing away Shikamaru. Now she felt that karma was finally lending her a hand. Those two deserved each other, if only because they were both too bitchy for anyone else to put up with, Ino decided.

"Temari isn't troublesome enough to forget a jacket when she might need one like you are, so we don't run into this problem."

Ino could feel her internal fuse lighting off a spectacular fireworks display. One balled fist was raised above her head and she was debating over where to punch him in order to inflict the most lasting damage. Then a bitingly cold sensation spread from the tip of her nose as a snowflake landed and melted on her chilled skin.

"Snow!" she wailed exasperatedly. "But I'm too beautiful to suffer from frost bite!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and quickened his pace from a lazy saunter to a determined march. Chouji glanced at her worriedly before following after Shikamaru with a sheepish apology. Ino 'hmph'ed and went back to rubbing her arms dejectedly.

The bright white flakes continued to fall around her, though they disappeared the moment they touched to ground; it was still too warm for them to stick. Ino wondered if her lips were turning purple yet.

She decided that she needed to find a boyfriend—someone completely different from her two previous crushes broody-Sasuke and lazy-Shikamaru. She needed someone who would lend her his coat without hesitation when she was cold and maybe even suggest that they go have some hot coffee. She needed a boyfriend who would be totally dedicated to her so that she wouldn't have to worry over unpredictable weather and the like.

A light weight was suddenly resting on her shoulders and there was cloth covering her goose-fleshed arms. She blinked and her eyes widened a bit. She looked down and her eyes widened even more.

A black and bright orange jacket had been draped over her shoulders and was secured there by two tan hands. But before she could look behind her to ask Naruto just what the hell he thought he was doing trying to spread his poor fashion sense on to her, he was passing by her, shooting back over his shoulder, "You'll catch a cold walking around in just that. Not that I'm complaining." Impossibly blue eyes were sparkling mischievously and an infectious grin was sent her way. Then he turned, shoving his hands deep in his pockets as he hunched his shoulders and ducked his head down against the blustering winds.

Ino felt her cheeks heat up. It was just that harsh wind blowing up again though, the cold air leaving her face rosy. Uzumaki Naruto had definitely not made her blush. But he had just made the top of her list for potential boyfriends.

Fin.

A/N: I wrote this fic for Spiritto on LJ for the NaruIno X-mas Exchange. The theme was 'Christmas weather.' I took a stab at fanart to illustrate this one too. If you're interested in the pic, there's a link in my profile, or you can look for it on my DeviantArt account (pen: PhaerieTael title: NaruIno: Gentleman). Merry belated Christmas everyone! ☺☺☺

-mH