Sakura peeled off her wet clothes with a sigh. It was the middle of summer and yet here she was, drenched head to toe in her own living room. The tiny drops of rain had lured her to walk home without an umbrella, only for the deceiving little pellets to swell and descend on her as huge buckets of water.
A hot shower was all she could think of as she shivered from the prickling sensation of the air-conditioning against her clammy skin. Sakura rushed her way to the bathroom, no longer caring for the wet trail she left behind.
"Sheesh, stop showing off," a voice suddenly drawled from the kitchen, making her shriek and nearly tripping over her laundry basket.
"Damn it, Ino!" she yelped, quickly reaching for a dry towel to wrap herself with. "I didn't know you were still here." Her tone came out more exasperated than she meant that Sakura quickly bit her lip. "I mean, you really shouldn't sneak up on people like that.."
Ino waved her hand at her nonchalantly. "Oh stop, I know I'm overstaying. I just wanted to bake you something while you were gone."
Sakura suddenly noticed the dozen cupcakes sitting on her counter, different colored sugar flowers on each of them. "Aww pig, you didn't have to," she said sheepishly before muttering a small thanks.
"Eh," Ino replied with an all too indifferent shrug—it was one of those things she did whenever she downplayed a gesture that genuinely meant something deeper. "It's the least I can do for letting me stay last night and all." There it was, that tiny little crack that always came with her facade.
"It's no big deal, you know that." Sakura gave her a soft smile before reaching for one of Ino's cupcakes. "Are you gonna be okay?"
"Yup.." Ino said weakly with her arms now wrapped around herself as she stared at her bare feet.
Sakura hated seeing her best friend so fragile and even more so when she refused to admit it. She hadn't been completely privy to Ino's arguments with her mother until last night when she had knocked on Sakura's door with tear-stained cheeks and a box of pizza. The loss of Ino's father had left a gaping hole in her relationship with her mother; Inoichi had always been more sympathetic to Ino's free-spirited nature and had spoiled her in every way. Her mom, in contrast, as loving as she was, had a much more rigid way of showing her affections. That they also grieved and coped in entirely different ways had become a source of frustration for the two females.
"You can totally sleep here again tonight if you want," she offered softly.
"Thanks, forehead," Ino quirked her mouth for a second, visibly considering the offer, "but my mom would probably need my company. I can't keep bailing out on her like this every time we argue."
"I suppose you're right," Sakura said as she adjusted the knot on her towel; there was still that shower she wanted to take, but she wasn't about to kick her friend out anytime soon.
"I can stay for dinner though.." Ino said in such uncharacteristic shyness.
"Sweet!" Sakura beamed approvingly before her expression twisted a bit. "Oh, but I don't really have food. We'd have to order a pizza again if you're okay with that?"
"Actually, how about baked salmon? It's in your oven right now." Her best friend grinned, all teeth and unabashed this time that Sakura couldn't help but shake her head at her smiling.
"That sounds perfect," she affirmed, resisting the urge to tease, instead making her way down the small corridor to her bathroom. Finally.
"By the way, Sakura?" she heard Ino shout from across the hallway. "Put some f*cking clothes on next time."
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A/N : I'm back to writing from an incredibly long frigging fandom hiatus! HI!