The Tale of the Love Sick Cooks

Once upon a time, in a far away land, there were two cooks. There were fairly young cooks, just starting their own rival restaurants. Their village was large and wealthy, known far and wide for its outstanding shinobe and ramen. The cooks, named Ino and Sakura, were both in love with the same young ninja.

The ninja, known for his skill and good looks, was named Sasuke.

Ino and Sakura constantly fought for his attention, but he paid them no mind, preferring instead to train with his sparring partner, a young ninja named Naruto.

Though Naruto was strong and attractive, the girls of Konoha ignored him. Instead, they focused on Sasuke, who would give anything to be away from their high-pitched, fangirl screams. No one ever seemed to notice Naruto.

The foolish cooks, once best friends, constantly fought over their champion's affection, apparently not noticing that he ignored them as best he could.

One day, after a particularly nasty argument, Sakura and Ino came to an agreement. The rivals would each make their own dish and offer it to Sasuke at the same time. Surely he would choose the dish of the one he loved?

They made their plans eagerly at Konoha's training ground, not noticing that the boy they disrespected so often was hearing every word of it. True to his training, he slipped away into the shadows, a smirk on his golden face.

The next day, Sakura and Ino met at the training ground, each with a freshly cooked meal. They waited as seconds turned into minutes, which turned into hours, until the day was over. Their heart-throb hadn't shown up. (And neither had that blond guy he always trained with, not that they noticed.) They waited the next day….

And the next day….

And the next….

And the next, until four months had passed with no sign of their crush.

Or that guy (What was his name again?) that he always trained with.

The two cooks were desperate, waiting at the village entrance day after day. Their restaurants were in discloser, and they had no money. Food supplies for their uneaten dishes were getting low from making a new one everyday for the absent ninja.

One morning, having grown tired of waiting by the gates, Ino suggested that the rivals go sit in the trees with their carefully covered dishes. Sakura, who was equally bored, readily agreed. The girls settled themselves among the branches of the chosen tree (after an impromptu tree climbing contest) in hopes of spotting Sasuke sooner. The tree they had chosen had thick branches and grew where the road emerged from the forest. They sat in silence, each daydreaming about Sasuke. Their daydreaming quickly turned into real dreaming as the young cooks fell asleep.

Two voices woke them sometime later. Instantly the Fangirls/cooks recognized one of them

Yes! It was Sasuke, their beloved-

-And Naruto?!?!

The shinobe stopped in the shade of the very tree the fangirls were sitting in. They stared in wonder as Sasuke took Naruto in his arms and kissed him. (It was actually a really hot kiss, with lots of tongue action.) Unlocking his lips from the other boy's, he murmured just loud enough for the cooks to hear.

"I loved the spaghetti you made me," Sasuke said. "You should make it again sometime."

"Oh, I will," Naruto replied, smiling, before kissing the village's best ninja again.

"I love you," Sasuke said. He meant it.

"I love you, too," Naruto said, also meaning it. "But next time you wanna elope, Sasuke, give me a little warning."

The two, now obviously lovers, walked back to Konoha hand-in-hand. Neither noticed two thumps as the foolish cooks fell out of the tree, passing out from shock.

The moral of this tale is that you can't make someone love you- especially if you're serving the wrong dish!

A/N: Hi, eveybody! sdr here publishing her first one-shot! How do ya like it? Feel free to tell me!