"Hey, it's Ino."
Beside him, Sakura stiffens, her body straightening up as she looks up, her eyes immediately zeroing in towards the open door where Yamanaka Ino had just walked in, just as much a blonde bombshell as she always is.
They make eye contact. Ino glances at where Sasuke's arm is draped loosely over the back of Sakura's chair and she scowls for a moment before it smooths out into a neutral expression that still somehow manages to convey disdain. She flips her hair in a smooth, impossibly perfect motion and Sakura seethes. Ino looks away, her back straight and her chin up as she strides towards to the shaded seats where Shikamaru and Choji are sitting.
There's a moment where Sakura's expression is absolutely unreadable to him, and Sasuke has never been good at reading social cues or emotions. He can't quite tell what it is on Sakura's face. It's not anger, no, that one's easy enough to tell on Sakura. She's angry enough at Naruto for him to have learned to be able the tell-tale signs early–a twitch of her eyebrow, a gritting of her teeth and the raised clench of her fist as she threatened to hit him, and this… He watches the way her eyes narrow, the way her jaw is locked painfully tight as she follows Ino with her eyes, the pen in her hand straining in the tight grip.
The expression on Sakura's face right now isn't anger, but the intensity of it, the heat, it's enough for Sasuke to blink in surprise. He has never seen anything like it on her.
Sakura tears her eyes away from Ino and directs the fire at the textbook that's in front of her.
"God, I hate her," Sakura mutters, almost to herself. Sasuke raises an eyebrow.
"I remember you being best friends in grade school," he murmurs and Sakura looks up at him, her lips in a thin line. The look on her face is warning enough to back off and Sasuke rolls his eyes before he leans away from her, his arm dropping from its place on the back of Sakura's chair.
"Why do you care?" Sakura asks, a note of snide pettiness on it that she has never directed at him, "Do you think she's hot?"
Sasuke scowls. "I'm with you, aren't I?"
Sakura scoffs at that and she smiles at him in that shy, amused sort of way when they're sharing an inside joke. Sasuke's lips twitch and he looks away so he doesn't laugh, reigning in his dark amusement.
'With you' is a funny way to put it. 'You're my beard, aren't you?' would be a much more accurate way to name whatever it is him and Sakura are doing, but both of them agreed never to mention Sasuke's not-straight-maybe-gay sexuality in public ever, so it's good enough.
BFFL
"Look at her flaunting her perfect boyfriend," Ino says in disgust, a scowl marring her pretty pink lips as gives Haruno Sakura poison-tipped glares. Shikamaru sighs and buries his head in his hands. This again? What a drag. He didn't want to listen to another hour rant on how, oh just cause she's with Sasuke now she thinks she's so cool? What a bitch!
He eyes Konoha's Power Couple as they share a secretive smile, Sasuke as cool and collected as ever. Honestly, Sakura isn't that bad. They share a few AP classes and are partners in Bio, and she's still the same girl if not a little bit more confident. Passionate, ambitious, a drive to prove herself and succeed.
Ever since Ino and Sakura had found out they liked the same boy though, nothing's been the same. From inseparable best friends forever to cold-shoulders and uber-competitiveness, it only got worse when news spread around that Sasuke and Sakura were a thing. Ino's viciousness at not getting the boy of her dreams had manifested into what they were today. Backstabbing, gossiping, trash-talking each other every chance they could get.
Sasuke and Sakura stand, Sasuke helping her pack her things back into her bag before he slings her cherry red shoulder bag onto his own shoulders. Sakura pouts and makes a playful move as she tries to convince Sasuke that she can carry her own things but Sasuke only smirks at her and starts to walk away. Sakura sighs and jogs after him to catch up, her arm linking with his.
Ino sniffs and turns away. She doesn't see him looking from where he's dropped his head on his arms, but clear as day, Shikamaru sees how her shoulders drop, her expression becoming inexplicably sad just for a moment before it all disappears back into her perfectly coifed and put together façade.
Huh. He didn't know that she liked Sasuke that much.
BFFL
"She dresses like that and then has the gall to fucking pretend she's not into fucking around? Bitch," Dosu grumbles and Zaku snorts, laughing loudly. Kin rolls her eyes. The three of them watch as Yamanaka Ino walks away, her hips swaying side to side in a taunting motion. Doku's face twists in anger, he can't get the sight of her face as she rejected him off his mind and it takes everything in him not to go after her and show her mistake.
"She's such a slut," Kin gripes in commiseration as she lifts her leg to stretch it out over the bench, "Prances around with her short skirt and her low cut top… She just wants attention. If you give her dick it'll probably straighten her out."
"Oh, Dosu," Zaku fake moans in a high-pitched tone. "Please fuck me in the ass, please teach me a lesson so I don't go around–"
Dosu doesn't understand what's happened. From Zaku imitating Ino's voice to him splayed out on the ground cradling his cheek in shock.
"Hey, what the fuck!" Zaku snaps, his hand dropping to the ground as he pushes himself up, his cheek marked red in a shape of a handprint. "You cunt!"
Haruno Sakura snarls at him, 5 feet and 2 inches tall and filled with anger. "Don't say shit like that!"
"Bitch!" Kin rises from her seat and tackles her. They go down, rolling in the dirt as they scream and pull each other's hair and for a moment, Dosu can only stare in shock at the sight of Haruno Sakura, preppy nerd, getting down and dirty with the meanest bitch in their high school.
It's only a moment before both him and Zaku are laughing and goading and cheering Kin on, because she's winning obviously. The pink haired junior has obviously never been in a fight before and it shows, and it's her fucking fault anyway for picking fights she has no business in.
Kin pulls out her knife just as Sakura flails and it lands uselessly on the ground beside them. Sakura freezes in fear at the sight of it beside her and Kin takes that as her chance to get a good grip on the back of Sakura's long pink hair.
"Don't go starting fights you're gonna lose, girl," Kin mocks and yanks at her hair. Sakura makes a strangled sound of pain and Dosu's blood sings as he jeers at the sight of her on her knees, dust, and dirt on her previously stainless white button down. She thinks she's so much better than everyone because she's smart and pretty and dating Uchiha Sasuke? This is where she belongs.
And then Sakura grabs the knife beside her and cuts through her hair.
Kin lets go in shock, leaving her hair clumpy and half-cut and Sakura scrambles away, her eyes wild even as one is already starting to swell, a bruise forming over.
"Don't fucking touch her!"
Dosu stiffens and he looks up to see Naruto and Sasuke racing towards them. Naruto's fist lands on his face only seconds later and he reels back at the impact, staggering slightly.
"You want a fight?" Dosu snarls, his blood thrumming. "You can fucking get one!"
BFFL
"Did you hear about the fight?"
"Oh my god, did you see her hair?"
"I heard they're getting kicked out!"
"Who are you talking about?" Ino snaps, turning quick and sharp on her heel and Ami almost squeaks as she leans away from Ino.
"Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto! They got into a fight with the Sound gang."
"Sakura's hair is real ugly now," Kasumi interjects, "Kin pulled a knife on her or something."
Ino gapes at them, and all three of them wait for her to sneer and laugh, a comment on how Sakura had it coming, but instead–
Ino only looked afraid.
"Where is she now?"
BFFL
"I'm surprised, I didn't think it was possible for you to look worse."
Naruto looks up and frowns disapprovingly as Ino strides into the room. "Hey, if you're going to be mean to Sakura-chan–"
"Oh shut up, I'm not talking to you," Ino cuts him off, hands on her hips. Naruto splutters at that, just a little offended but Ino only gives him the very briefest of glances before her attention is back on Sakura, eyes fixed firmly on the form slouched in the clinic bed, gaze roaming over the bandages on Sakura's forehead and her knuckles. It's like he doesn't even matter. From beside him, Sasuke makes a tiny noise of disapproval as he looks up from his phone. Ino doesn't even notice, doesn't even look at him, and that's odd, isn't it? She's liked him for as long as Sakura has.
Sakura stares back at her, her expression carefully controlled.
"What are you doing here, pig?" Sakura says flatly. "Here to knock me down a peg? It's a little too late for that."
"Tsk," Ino scoffs dismissively as she pulls out a pair of scissors from god knows where Naruto doesn't even know. "Someone needs to fix your hair."
Sakura blinks in surprise. She says nothing as Ino saunters towards her bed, but she watches her every move warily, almost as if she's ready for Ino to turn the scissors on her.
"What were you even thinking, getting into a fight like that?" Ino reprimands, grumbling a little haughtily as she positions herself behind Sakura, "You know you've never been good in a fight."
Sakura's eyes close, her lips thinning before she looks down at her bandaged hands in her lap. Ino doesn't see the expression of pain and resignation on her features, but from Naruto's place, he sees it very clearly.
"None of your business," Sakura says shortly. There's silence for a few seconds, the only sound the clean snicks of the blade as Ino evens out the back of Sakura's choppy pink locks and the tiny sounds coming from Sasuke's dumb game.
"Was it worth it at least?" Ino finally asks, breaking the quiet, and Sakura doesn't respond, only gives a noncommittal shrug. Silence fills the room again and Naruto takes the time to watch the two girls on the bed in slight confusion. He thought they hated each other. They always fought and always said such mean things about each other, but the way Ino ran her hands through Sakura's hair as she cut, and the way her fingers lingered on the skin of Sakura's neck… It was almost as if…
They were actually friends. Close friends.
Huh, Naruto muses to himself. Maybe it was like how he and Sasuke always fought, but they were still best friends, weren't they? But then Ino and Sakura never talk aside from passive-aggressive mean-spirited comments, and–ugh. Girls are so confusing.
"There," Ino says quietly and pulls away. She gives one last brush of Sakura's hair and smiles tightly. "Looks a little less like you…" she trailed off, features closing off. She pursed her lip-gloss shiny lips and swung her legs off the bed.
"Shame," Ino continues, voice tart like it always is, "Sasuke likes long hair, doesn't he?"
"I don't really care," Sasuke speaks up, voice smooth even as his thumbs continue to move over his phone screen in an elegant dance. Ino jumps in surprise and she looks at him as if she really didn't even notice he was there. Maybe she really didn't.
There's a discouraging sound that echoes from his phone, the losing screen popping up and Naruto snickers. Shows him right, the bastard.
"Sasuke-kun," Ino greets tightly. She smiles at him but it's lacking its usual brightness and flirtatiousness. Naruto would think that it's because his girlfriend is right there beside her, but it's never stopped Ino before from flirting with Sasuke, only seemed to encourage her in fact.
Sasuke nods at her and Ino's smile widens. She flips her hair and then glances at Sakura.
"Maybe try to win your next fight," she says, and maybe it was supposed to be insulting, but the crack in her voice breaks the delivery. Ino's smile wavers before she turns on her heel and starts to walk away, just as easy as her walking in the first place.
"It was," Sakura speaks up belatedly and Ino stiffens. She turns, just barely, to meet Sakura's eyes. Sakura gives her a challenging look. "It was worth it."
Ino doesn't respond and walks away.
Sasuke sighs and walks towards Sakura. "We can get you a proper haircut," he says and makes an aborted hand movement towards her hair. "I'll pay for it."
Sakura reaches up and touches the ends of her pink locks, her teeth digging into her bottom lip.
"No," she says faintly. "It's fine. I'll keep it like this."
They give each other an unreadable, intense look and Naruto shifts awkwardly, feeling like a third wheel in their little group of three once more, an uncomfortable feeling in his gut as Sasuke looks at Sakura in that way. Finally, and god, that took way too long, Sasuke nods stiffly. Understanding.
BFFL
"Since when have Ino and Sakura gotten along?" Choji whispers to Shikamaru. Shikamaru sighs and sprawls back into his seat, all loose long limbs before he tilts his head and narrows his eyes as he observes them.
"You call that getting along?" Kiba scoffs, motioning at the two of them posturing and smirking and basically showing off on the court.
"Way better than before," Shikamaru drawls. "Ino doesn't bitch about her that much. Less troublesome."
"Hey, Uchiha," Kiba says, reaching over to punch Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke scowls at him, eyes dark. "Not even paying attention to your girl. Look at how nice her ass is in those shorts."
"I'm just asking the dead last where he is," Sasuke snaps and Kiba rolls his eyes, hands up in a placating manner as he backs off. "And don't talk about her ass."
"Sakura up to serve," Lee gasps excitedly, and at that, Sasuke finally looks up, his eyes focused in that eerie, intense sort of way that girls actually like. Choji hums to himself as he reaches into the bag of chips to shove a couple in his mouth.
She serves, all strength and power in her tiny hand, the smack of the volleyball against it loud as it soars and then lands straight on the line. Their tiny, little ragtag group cheer loudly for her and even Sasuke straightens up, clapping loudly.
Sakura gets ready to serve again, her lips pursed, and even Choji knows how paranoid Sakura gets on her second serve in a row. It always messes her up, gets in her head in a way he doesn't understand, and more often than not she doesn't make it. It only reinforces her superstition that a serve after an ace isn't meant to go in, and it's a vicious cycle that doesn't end.
He's not close to Sakura, but he can still see the worry and the dread on her features as she revs herself up to serve.
"Go Sakura!" Ino cheers loudly, clapping her hands between her thighs as she glances back at Sakura from her position up in front of the net. Sakura falters, stunned at the support before she nods, her face grim with determination.
She serves, and it goes cleanly over the net and once more it's a perfect serve, their opponent falling a few inches too short to receive it. Sakura beams in surprised pride. It's such a small thing to be proud of, just a point, just a serve that she didn't think she could make. But still. Choji laughs and cheers along with their friends, proud of Sakura with them.
He catches Ino and Sakura as they share a grin.
BFFL
When Hinata finds out that Naruto and Sasuke are together, her first thought is a little disappointed 'Oh.'
Her second is that she should have seen it coming, and that really, she isn't all that surprised. She's liked Naruto for years but he's never quite given her the same level of attention that he did for Sasuke. She used to think that he was in love with Sakura and that was why he looked so pained whenever the three of them were together, but it turns out she had it wrong the whole time.
Her third thought is oh no, what about Sakura?
She gets her answer very quickly when she finds Ino and Sakura sitting down on the floor outside Sasuke's living room. They're talking quietly, tears in Sakura's eyes, and Ino holding Sakura's hands in between hers. Sakura smiles, a little wobbly as she says something and Ino's eyes widen, her lips parting.
"This whole time–I–Damn it, Forehead, you're so dumb!"
Sakura ducks her head and shrugs, a self-depreciating laugh echoing into the tiny hallway.
"You're just so pretty and I'm…" she trails off, shrugging and Ino immediately shakes her head before she pulls Sakura into a close embrace, her face mushed into Sakura's neck.
"You're beautiful," Ino breathes.
Hinata immediately feels awkward, kinda like she's intruding on something intimate and private and so she quickly slinks off.
BFFL
"Well, it kind of makes sense that Ino and Sakura are friends again," Inoichi muses out loud to his wife. "Sakura and Sasuke broke up, didn't they?"
"Mhmm," Noriki hums in reply, a calculating glint in her eye as she peeks over to where their daughter and Sakura are sitting on the couch. They're practically sitting on top of each other with how close they are, Sakura's head on Ino's shoulder and a contented smile on her lips. They're holding hands too and Inoichi smiles. They're such sweet friends. "Sure. Friends."
"Makes sense, yeah," Inoichi repeats to himself.
BFFL
"Ino and Sakura look really close recently," Tenten murmurs. Neji glances at where the two are holding hands, laughing to themselves as Ino feeds Sakura a french fry.
"They're best friends, aren't they?" Neji asks, shrugging.
Tenten's eyebrows raise high into her forehead as Ino first points out the ketchup on Sakura's lip before her lips curl mischievously and she darts in to steal a kiss and lick it away.
"Huh. Really close best friends, I guess."