From Rags To Unwanted Riches

Ok this chapter is mostly about the girls but we're going to be seeing the boys perspective soon.

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"So its over?" Ino stared incredulously at Hinata as she fed Hiashi. It was late at night only three days after the death of Orochimaru but life seemed to be returning to normal as the four girls got together to talk. The little boy sucked greedily at the bottle before him and Hinata stared down at him fondly. It had taken her a couple of days to come to her senses over all she had been through but it was as if Hiashi could sense the discord in the air and had refused to settle for anyone, it brought Hinata out of her stupor to care for the baby she loved so dearly. "And Naruto's OK with it? He's just letting it happen?"

"He has no choice" Hinata was surprised by Ino's reaction "I can't stay with him knowing what I know" Sakura and Ten-Ten nodded in understanding, after all she'd told them of Naruto's actions only Ino seemed unable to believe it was all over. "He drugged me Ino."

"I know but..." Ino saw the three other girls raise their eyebrows at her attempt to defend Naruto and cut herself before she even began. "Divorce is still very extreme, there hasn't been a divorce in the business since... well ever!"

"Well sorry Hinata's breaking the trend" Sakura rolled her eyes, she was behind Hinata all the way.

"I just don't know what to do now" Hinata whispered angling the bottle more so her son wasn't just drinking down air. "He's organising money into my account but... I don't know that I can accept it, besides it's too much money."

"It's money you deserve, he destroyed your home and let you think you'd lost you mothers jewellery." Ten-Ten reminded her "Besides its not like you can come back to the casino, the last thing you want to do is be around all those bitchy cocktail waitresses that will have Naruto in their sights now they know you've split up." Unseen by her two oldest friends Hinata's eyes widened and welled up at this, she shook it off in just a moment but Ino had seen and took note.

"I couldn't do those hours again anyway, I wish I could find a job I could take Hiashi to, I can't really bare to be apart from him right now, it was hard enough letting Hanabi back to school."

"Wait..." Ino announced triumphantly "What if you could do that!"

"How?"

"The florists" Ino reminded them of an idea they'd had not long ago although it felt like a lifetime "Hinata and I could easily get a loan to start our business, Sakura you said you know business and Ten-Ten you could help out with all the long work so Hinata and I don't have to do too many hours, it'd be better hours than you're doing now."

"I don't know" Ten-Ten sounded skeptical but Sakura looked like she had been given the world

"No we could easily do it, Paper Roses in town is closing, that place on the way to the cemetery, we could just take it over, we'd get their old clients and it's in an oddly great place people always use it on their way to visit the graveyard and I know they provide the Historia Hotel with all their decorations so we'd have an instant big customer."

"I guess it would be the kind of place I could take Hiasdhi but isn't it a little big, I mean I always envisioned a smaller place." Hinata interjected shifting her son to rub his back as he finished feeding. "Could four of us... one pregnant another with a baby run it?"

"I could help" came a small voice from the doorway , the four girls turned to find Hanabi standing shyly within easy listening distance.

"You missy were supposed to be doing your homework"

"It's done" Hanabi entered the room to cuddle up to her sister and nephew on the couch "And I could easily do homework in the shop in the evenings and weekends."

"You're a bit young to be working"

"I've worked before, and I'm almost 16."

"Actually that's a brilliant idea" Ten-Ten agreed slowly coming around to the idea "We'd need to hire a driver to do deliveries but that would be easier because there are loads of people willing to do driving work, Hanabi could fill up the hours we need whenever, it might mean some early morning work though Hanabi, you up to it?"

"Definitely" the young girl grinned happy at the idea of having something to do, she wasn't looking forward to her losing Naruto and like Hinata could do with a distraction.

"Slow down honey we still need to buy the place first, and we might not get the money yet"

"Are you kidding?" Ino asked with smile "I'm an Akimichi and you're a Namikaze" Hinata looked ready to argue that point but Ino shook her head "You may not be a Namikaze for long but we'll milk it as best we can." Hinata found herself unable to argue the point as she noted the happy expressiojns on the faces of those around her. Sakura looked thrilled at the idea of being able to earn money with her skills as a businesswoman instead of her looks and Ten-Ten could definitely do with an easier job.

"Ok" Hinata nodded "lets do it."

"Alright, so whats first?" Ten-Ten asked

"First is that you are due at work in half an hour, we don't have a job for you yet."

"And I've got a shift myself tonight" Sakura told them standing with Ten-Ten "I can drive us both now"

"Sounds good to me" Ten-Ten and Sakura hugged the others goodbye and headed out. Hanabi was sent off to bed

Left alone Ino turned to Hinata and asked the one question Hinata was dreading "How are you really?"

"I don't know" Hinata shrugged it off. "I guess I'm fine"

"No you're not..." Ino stared at her her light eyes reading her easily "Hinata?"

"What?"

"Do you still love him?"

"I don't know him, but you can't just lose feelings as strong as mine overnight. I still feel love for the man he could be. The man he pretended to be."

"If he became that man all the time would you take him back?"

Hinata sighed, it was a question she'd been asking herself ever since she met Karin "I don't know that I'm going to do." Hinata sighed "Every time I think about I think about it another way." Her life without Naruto seemed dreary, there were times when she had been so happy and it hurt to be letting that go. "I don't think I can forgive the cheating, can any couple get over something like that?"

"I cheated on Choji once, maybe more than once... a few times i think" Ino said candidly, Hinata gave her a stunned look, it seemed impossible to believe that the perfect couple could have gone through anything like that "it was just after we lost the baby" as she spoke she rubbed one hand over stomach "I was a mess, I was drinking all the time, I'm told made out with men in clubs but I must have been really drunk as I don't remember it, it wasn't until I woke up in some strangers bed one morning that I realised what I was doing. I thought he'd leave me."

"Why didn't he?"

"Because he knew me" Ino's blue eyes filled with sadness "I had a perfect life, my parents were loving, they were happy, I had money, I had everything. I was an only child so I got spoiled and everything I did seemed to go right and then when I lost the baby I didn't know what to do. I went off the rails, I couldn't handle that I'd messed up so badly."

"It wasn't your fault" Hinata argued but Ino held up a hand to stop her from speaking.

"I know that now, and back then I don't think I really realised why I was acting the way I did until I came home that morning after I woke up with some loser. Choji was waiting for me, I must have looked terrible" Ino tried to laugh as she spoke but it didn't come out right "I stood in the doorway in last nights clothes, rubbish make up and hair holding my heels in my hand and he was sitting there waiting for me."

"What did he say?"

"He just asked if I was hurt, I told him I wasn't but that I'd hurt us. He told me we'd been hurting fora long time but I hadn't let myself realise it yet. Then he told me it wasn't my fault that we lost our baby, I tried to laugh then too, he just said it again and then took my shoes from me and dumped them on the floor, it wasn't until he'd undressed me, cleaned me up and tucked me into bed that I began to cry. I was in tears for hours but he kept telling me we'd be alright and that it wasn't my fault, I couldn't stop apologising for the cheating and losing our child. He was perfect as always, it was months before we forgave each other properly, I wouldn't have blamed him for cheating on me or threatening to leave me but he didn't, he just held me close every night telling me he would never stop loving me."

There was long silence but when Hinata finally found her voice it was to argue a point "That was a very different scenario."

"I know, but the thing is since then I have never again taken Choji for granted and I will never let anything come between us again. If you took Naruto back I am sure it would be the same."

"Maybe" Hinata didn't look convinced "but maybe I need to know how I feel about me before I think about taking back the only man I've ever even kissed."

"Actually I think that's a good idea" Ino agreed "You've never been able to find out who you are as a person, and you have that chance now. We're starting a business, you might even go on a few dates, you need to find out who you are as a woman." Ino was pretty confident that when Hinata really discovered who she was she'd learn to take charge and be a partner that wouldn't let Naruto walk all over her... and it wouldn't hurt to make Naruto sweat a little.

 

 

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"Welcome home honey" Ino greeted Choji with a grin, he smirked right back taking in her appearance, she wore a sweetheart necked fifties style dress, the a line flattered her large stomach to the point where it would be hard to recognise that she was pregnant. She looked every inch the fifties housewife, her hair was perfectly coiffed, her heels were high and her make up perfect.

"Well well... to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I don't know what you mean" Ino smiled back smoothing her hair, she then walked forward and helped her husband take of his jacket "here's your pipe and slippers"

"You actually have a pipe" Choji took the item from his wife chuckling "Where on earth did you get this?"

"Honey I always have your pipe and slippers ready when you get home after a hard day at work."

"How could I forget?" Choji took the stem of the pipe between his teeth. "Hw d I Lk?" he mumbled trying to speak with the pipe in place.

"You look great. Now you take off your tie and get your slippers on and join me in the dining room." Ino practically danced out of the room and dropping the pipe Choji was quick to obey, once in his slippers he ripped off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt before following her through, she stood posed at the table with a tumbler of whisky on the rocks in her hand. "Darling" she handed him the drink and turned to the table "We have your favourite BBQ Pork and..." before she could say more Ino found herself being whirled around and forced (quite willingly) into a passionate embrace. Once the almost bruising kiss was over Ino gave a rather breathless "Wow!"

"I ask again, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I was reminded today how lucky I am, and how wonderful you are." Choji kissed her again lifting her up into his strong arms and carrying her away from the food she had so lovingly prepared and set out "Choji... dinner"

"Can wait, I wanna love my wife."

And that's what he did, the impulsiveness and force he had used at their dinner table faded as he lay her down on the bed, his lips trailed down her skin to the neckline of her dress, she sighed happily as his hand slid underneath her to undo her dress, her own fingers moved to his buttons letting her hand drift up and down his chest when she had undone it fully, Choji then surprised her by rolling to lie on his side before pulling her now bare back against his front, he slid her dress down letting his hands caress her skin as he bared it, his hand ran over her swollen stomach in a loving gesture before heading further south and causing her to gasp.

Choji fumbled with his trousers with one hand whilst the other kept his wife making sweet breathy moans, once they were down he kicked them off before hooking the hand he'd used to pull his trousers off to lift her leg so he could slide his cock in the her wet warmth. He interlinked their hands as they lay side by side conjoined in the most intimate way.

"Oh God!" Ino groaned loudly as she felt him fully sheathed inside her she turned her head "Kiss me!" his lips met hers as they rocked slowly together, she couldn't stop moaning, she could stop the wave of passion she was riding and oh God she didn't want it to.

"I love you Ino." Choji whispered into her ear as she started to spasm around him "God I love you"

"Never leave me" Ino muttered as she held onto his hands "Never ever leave me." They came together Ino crying out his name whilst he merely whispered hers.

Afterwards they lay together in silence and Choji's hands once again found Ino's stomach "What was that about me leaving you?" he asked softly

"You could someone better than me one day... I treated so badly and..."

"Ssh" Choji whispered pressing his lips to her neck, he didn't know what had caused this reprise of self flagellation but he wasn't going to let it continue "You know I forgive you, and one day you'll forgive yourself." She smiled but returned no answer, she wasn't sure he was right, to her mind she had destroyed what they had even if it was only for a short while. She would never forgive herself for that.

 

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Well I really loved this chapter, its another one that I wrote early on in the story, I wanted to show how strong love can be, I liked the idea that alongside Naruto and Hinata's strife there would be a hopeful couple and I really have made Choji out to be perfect in this fic, I didn't intend to do it that way but I guess I think we're all looking for a version of Choji from this fic, someone sweet, kind, good, moral and forgiving.

Well I've talked enough, bye bye