I. Tears

A girl sat huddled under a tree. Contorted to be as small as possible, the little girl was wracked with even smaller sobs. Soft sniffles could be heard, but you would have to listen very hard. The girl was in her very early teens, so one would be surprised. She whispered of strength, and failure.

The girl looked ruefully up at the tree granting her shade, granting her a place to hide from the rest of the world. She stands up defiantly, but you note that her legs are still tucked inward, still not used to walking on their own. She runs into the sunlight, only to find it too bright for her tearstained eyes. She cries harder for her failure of strength, that her forehead is big, that she is doomed to wait in shadows, and her fate to never have an identity.

She cries at her weakness.

Across the park, another girl sits in the sun. She does not cry, instead stares with screwed up eyes into the bright sky. She is strong, and she does not need any shade to sit in, any support to lean against. She is sure that she is just fine by her self.

The flower is the one that needs her! Little flowers won't survive long without someone to protect them. If that is true, why does it hurt so much to know that little flower doesn't want her around? Why does it hurt to know that she helped to nurse the little flower from a bud, only to be betrayed?

Maybe a tear leaked out. She would deny it.

She cries at her strength.

II. Injury

"Hey forehead, crying again?" it hurt her to see her cry.

"B-be quiet! I was just…" it hurt to cry, she wanted her to know that pain… how?

"Stop wasting your time with him forehead girl, Sasuke is obviously not interested in you!" you can't handle him, someone like him will rip you to shreds!

"You're just jealous…. Ino-pig!" she called in defiance. Maybe then she would feel little. Blue eyes met green.

"What did you just call me."

She felt a taste of freedom, it was exhilarating. What was this power? Intoxicated by the look on the other girls face she said it again, "Ino-pig!" It sounded so cruel the second time. What was she thinking?

"Whatever forehead," she responded, and walked away. Two stunned girls left, insults ringing in their ears, cheeks flushed and heart pounding, contemplating what they would say when they saw each other again.

III. Healing

"I always wanted to be you,"

"What?"

"When you were first nice to me, I told myself I was going to be just like you. I was going to matter like you mattered. I would have friends who loved me like you were loved. I would grow and become your equal."

"You in a stupid mood forehead?"

"But I never was. I was never blooming. I found my way to bloom, in love. I love him! But you did to and- you could never take that from me. I had to bloom!"

"…"

"I'm sorry I hurt you."

"That day you gave back my ribbon, you actually hurt me. I didn't think it was possible, but… you are such an ass sometimes! I taught you everything! I gave myself completely to help you! What did I get? Nothing!"

"I…"

"But I can't hate you forehead. You're still like a sister to me. It hurts so much to watch you get older. To know that I'm not better, to know I can't protect you. To know that you won't always be there, and adoring little friend. Cause that's not fair for you."

"…."

"I was right?"

"What?"

"I was right. I told you, you were going to bloom into a beautiful flower. You might not like it, but in the end I'm always right."

"Ino…"

"Sakura…"

Thank you.