Pretty

A simple complement goes a long way.

(A/N: Loosely based on the end of episode 192)

"I had to propose to a guy I didn't even like! And he said no! He chose some fat girl over me! That doesn't make sense, does it?" Ino complained, ending it with a question.

"Maybe the dude's got a fat fetish." Naruto pondered.

"Guys are supposed to like thin girls! First thing I do when I get back, I'm going on a diet." Ino said.

"You're already skinny." Naruto said.

"True, but no one thinks I'm pretty." She said sadly.

"Ino-chan, you're the prettiest person I've ever seen. Why are you so self-conscious?" Naruto asked.

"Wait…what?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I said you're the prettiest person I've ever seen." He said, slower than the last time.

"That was the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." She said, in shock.

"Glad I could be of service." He said with that foxy grin of his. Ino wondered why he was always so happy. It bordered on insanity. She thought about it for a minute. Was he cute at all…?

He had a decent face, especially those whisker-marks. She'd seen him shirtless once, and she almost bled from the nose. Plus he wasn't all emo like Sasuke, or lazy like Shikamaru. She should try being nicer to him.

She'd managed to reason this out ages ago, during one of her long shifts with no customers. She would actually ask him out if he wasn't so in love with her best friend. It would be worth a try. She'd never found a good moment though.

"Ino…you're spacing out…" he said, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Oh, sorry Naruto-kun…" she said, realizing she'd let the suffix slip.

There was an awkward pause. Then Ino asked him, "Naruto-kun, this may sound stupid, but would you like to go on a date sometime…?"

"That'd be nice." She smiled, and then kissed him on the cheek.

The rest of the walk was a golden silence, the kind that is enjoyed.