Sakura did not give a damn about what happened to Ino. The stupid girl had gotten herself into this mess and she was not going to help her. The pinkette watched as her ex-lover stumbled through the streets of Konoha, completely wasted. When the blonde was not on a mission, she was drinking in a bar. Sakura knew that was the main reason of her leaving Ino. Five years ago, Sakura was working at the hospital when the village was attacked. She was in the middle of a scene of chaos and tried her hardest to get to the Hokage Tower to help her fellow Sannin. Naruto and Sasuke needed her help; she jumped up onto the buildings running the opposite direction of the fleeing civilians.
Sakura had leap into the window, seeing her friends dead on the floor. Her eyes widened in horror; there was blood everywhere. She whipped around, seeing a deranged Sai in the corner. "What did you do?!" she screamed, her fist balling. Sai laughed at her, "Sasuke was no good enough for Naruto-kun." He stated, "Sasuke left Naruto-kun once, what's to say he wouldn't do it again?" Sakura couldn't believe her ears, "What the fuck is wrong with you!?" she screamed, slamming her chakra infused fist into her former teammate's chest.
He did not fight back, but smiled that fake smile at her, blood seeping down from his lips, "If I could not have Naruto-kun," he said, hoarsely, "No one could." Sakura's eyes widened but quickly narrowed. She let out a scream deepening her fist in his chest to the point where it came out the other side. Sai choked on his own blood, some of it spraying onto her. "You fucking bastard." She said softly, "You have no idea what you have done." She then spat into his face pulling her fist out of him.
The pink haired woman ignored her blood covered arm, looking out the window and watching the villages ninja rounding up the rouge nin that had attacked them. sShe later discovered that Sai had hired them and planned to kill Sasuke only, but Naruto and herself if they got in the way. He had slipped a rare, unscented, tasteless, poison into Sasuke's tea, weakening him and slowly killing him. Naruto had tried to defend him, but it seems Sai had slipped a chakra suppressant into his own tea. In the end both drugged lovers were killed. Sakura looked down, her hair covering her eyes as she knelt beside he fallen friends.
The door to the room burst open, revealing a much frazzled Shikamaru. "Naru-" but stopped, seeing the Hokage and Sasuke dead on the floor and Sai with a hole in his chest in the corner on the room. The pineapple haired man looked at Sakura, who was silently sobbing, her hands tracing the faces of the fallen lovers. Shikamaru knelt down beside her, not saying a word; taken by his own sadness. He wrapped an arm around lady Sannin, who leaned into him. Her crying now became verbal, "Goddamnit!" she screamed, "Why?! Why?!" the pink haired girl buried her face into the brunette next to her, asking 'why' over and over again.
It was not long before others came into the room, whether it was to report to the former Hokage or hearing Sakura's loud cries. Rookie Nine and Team Gai were all there; standing silently. Ino came running in last, seeing as she had just returned from a mission. The blonde pushed Shikamaru away, who was still holding Sakura, and took his place. That was one of the last times Sakura remember Ino just simply holding her before she became a drunk and they split.
Hours later medical ANBU had come to collect the bodies but Sakura refused to let go of her dead friends, screaming about how she would not let them leave her again. Ino tired holding her back, but it was known that the Sannin was stronger than the blonde. Sakura remember a command of, "Someone give her a sedative now!" and then everything had gone blurry.
The next day the funeral was held. Kakashi, long retired, was there to read the will Naruto and Sasuke had left behind. The masked man cleared his throat and began to read, "If you are reading this, we're dead." He started, "Whatever the cause of death, we have a few things that need to be sorted. One; I want to, or rather Sasuke want to make it clear that he only bottomed once." This roused a small chuckled from the audience.
"Two; this one is for Sakura-chan," Kakashi paused and took in a deep breath, "Sakura-chan, if you hearing this you must think we've abandoned you again; for that, we're sorry. We never got the chance to tell you that how much we both love you. Now, will you do us a big favor?" Sakura found herself nodding as tears began to run down her cheeks.
"We want you to take care of Reika," the pinkette gasped softly, looking down at the crying two year old beside her. "She was our only child, we appoint you legal guardian of her. Teach her the true way of the ninja; teach her all she will need to know."Sakura looked up at the sky, 'Okay you guys,' she thought, 'I will try my best…'
The rest went by in a blur; Sakura was barely aware of what happened. Ino nudged her when it was time to go place her flower on the grave. She knelt down in front of the graves, "I promise to look after her." She whispered, placing a kiss on each headstone. One by one everyone left, leaving only her and Reika. The small child whimpered softly beside her, "Why did Daddy and Mommy leave?" she asked softly. Sakura gave a sad smiled, looking into the child's big blue eyes, "I don't know why these things happen." She replied, stroking the girl's hair softly.
"But, they gave their lives for this village, and for that, we honor them." She told her. Reika sniffed, "Sakura-sama," she mumbled, "Is it okay for me to miss them?" she asked. The pink haired woman's eyes widened, "Of course." She whispered, holding the child close.
The days had gone by, slowly turning into months. Sakura walked into the apartment she shared with Ino, carrying groceries. Ino had started drinking a month ago, and Sakura was getting more and more irritated and depressed. Ino knew how Sakura was suffering, but did nothing but get drunk and clamber in at the wee hours in the morning. Reika was sitting on the floor, coloring a picture of a flower. Sakura smiled a little, "Hey, sweetie." She said, setting the bags down on table and sitting beside the child. Reika smiled at her, "I colored this for Mommy." She said, holding up the picture. Sakura could not help but smile, "Oh, then we'll have to take it to him." She suggested. The child beamed, going back to her picture.
Sakura remember thinking about Naruto's pregnancy. Tsunade had discovered that because the Nine Tails was genderless, Naruto could bear children. Fawn memories of Naruto's nine months of carrying Reika rushed back to her. The time Sasuke had come knocking on her door at three in the morning because Naruto wanted her to make her special hot chocolate and Sasuke was not doing it right. The time when Naruto busted out into tears because of the Soap Opera he and she were watching. Sakura had been snapped out of her musing by the door slamming open. A drunken Ino stumbled into the apartment, an angry look on her pretty face. "…Ino?" Sakura called to her, only to receive a slap across the face. Green eyes widened, "What is your problem Ino?" she demanded, holding her cheek. The blonde sneered at her, "Shuttup, bitchh." She slurred. Sakura quickly told Reika to go to her room, turning to face her drunken lover.
"Fuck, Ino." She exclaimed, "I can't stand you anymore! Why are you doing this?" she asked, pleadingly. Ino looked at her, "Because I can." She replied, taking a step towards the pinkette. Sakura's eyes widened, "Ino, please." She called, her voice cracking with emotion. The blonde continued to approach her, "Maybe if you'd put out, I wouldn't hurt y-you." She slurred.
Sakura could not believe her ears, "Get out, Ino." She whispered. The blonde stopped, "Whadda say?" she asked. Sakura looked up, "I said, get out." She said more firmly. Ino frowned, "Don't tell me what to do, bitch." Sakura snapped, smacking the drunkard across the face, "Get the fuck out of my house." She said through gritted. Ino looked hurt; regretful blue met hurt and angry green for a split second before Ino stumbled out the door and that was the last time they ever spoke. Sakura cried herself to sleep for awhile, but eventually she just could not cry anymore.
Sakura snapped out of her flashback with a tug on her coat. She looked down at the now seven year old Reika, "Hm?" she asked the child. She was met with big smile that reminded her of Naruto, "Can you tell me about your adventures with Mommy and Daddy?" she asked. Sakura smiled, leading Reika through the crowd, "Well, alright." She replied, leaving a drunken Ino behind. As she told her stories to her goddaughter, people would bow in respect, saying things like, "Good day Hokage-sama." Or "Hello, Sakura-sama." Shortly after her last encounter with Ino the village council approached her and asked if she would become Hokage.
The pink haired woman accepted, saying it would be her honor. She would take the place of her former sensei and her best friend. Tsunade had died shortly after Reika was born, which was hard for them all. Sakura flipped one of her pigtails of her shoulder, smiling down at the now laughing Reika. "That was funny," the child said to her, "Mommy was such a goof." Sakura smiled and nodded, "Yeah, he was." She replied. "You're telling her that story?" asked a voice. The two looked over seeing Shikamaru. Sakura smiled, "Yes, you lazy bum, I am." She replied. The brunette grinned a little, walking beside them.
Reika grinned, "Shika-san!" she greeted happy. He smiled, ruffling her hair, "Hey, squirt." He said. The girl smiled up at him, beginning to hum happily to herself, running ahead of them. Shikamaru glance over at the lady Hokage, "How's everything?" he asked. The woman let out a sigh, "Good, I suppose." She replied. The lazy shinobi nodded, "Yeah, not too many hard missions these days. It's nice." He said. Sakura gave a small smile, "Yeah, everything's at peace it seems." She replied.
Shikamaru nodded, letting out a sigh of contentment, reaching into his pocket to pull out a cigarette. The woman rolled her eyes, "You're going to die from those, you know." She scolded. The lazy man shrugged, "That's what Temari says too." He simply said, lighting the tobacco stick. Sakura gave a small smile, noticing he still had Asuma's lighter. Sakura looked around, seeing a very pregnant Hinata and Tenten chasing after two children and dog. They looked up briefly, giving her a small wave and continuing their chase. Kiba and Shino watched their wives with an amused look, nodding to Sakura. Tenten stormed back and grabbed Shino by the collar shouting something like, "Help us! They shouldn't get away with that!" Sakura grinned a little at the sight, continuing to walk down the street.
Shikamaru looked over at her, "You're going to the graves right?" he asked. Sakura looked up at the skipping Reika, her whiskered cheeks puffed out from her large grin. "Yeah." She replied, watching the child. The brunette nodded, "Well, I better get home." He said, stopping in front of his house, "Temari is cooking dinner and Gaara is coming tomorrow, but you know that." Sakura smiled and nodded, "Tell Temari 'hi' for me." She said, waving a good-bye.
The brunette nodded, walking into the small house. Sakura smiled, calling Reika back. The two walk in silence towards the cemetery, lost in their own thoughts. Reika stopped once they reached the grave, kneeling down and tracing the Uchiha symbol Sasuke's grave before rubbing the smooth stone of Naruto's. Sakura sat down beside her, looking up at the trees over head. "Hey Mommy and Daddy," the child said softly, "Today Sakura-sama told me about the time you guys took a camping trip and Mommy was chased by a bunch of deer.." Sakura smiled a little as Reika told her parents what she had recently learned in the Academy and what Sakura had been teaching her.
Sakura was not sure whether she believed in some sort of god or not. She had seen too much bloodshed; too much pain. If she could meet this god that some so strongly believed she would ask them the questions she lay awake asking herself. Why where Naruto and Sasuke so suddenly taken from her and everyone else? Why did Ino start drinking? Why did she go straight to the hospital that day and not stop by the Hokage Tower like she usually did? Why hadn't she had been faster that day? So many of these questions haunted her and she wanted answers. If there was a Heaven, she was sure she would not get it. The woman had killed too many, caused too much pain, sent too many to their deaths.
The pinkette felt a soft breeze drift by, strangely causing her comfort. She closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh. The wind felt familiar; like a strong arms wrapping around her. "Naruto, Sasuke…" she mumbled, placing her hands on the headstones. Sakura was alone now, vaguely remembering hearing Reika telling her at one point she was going to go play in the trees. "You guys," Sakura whispered, "I miss you." He voice cracked with emotion, "I need you here; I don't know if I can do this on my own." She stated brokenly.
"Sakura, you're never alone." Came a voice on the breeze. The pink haired woman opened her eyes, looking around to find no one. "Yeah, Sakura-chan," came another voice, "You never alone. Even though we aren't there anymore, we never left." Sakura gasped, "Na-Naruto? S-Sasuke?" she asked shakily. There were a couple of chuckles, "Yes, Sakura." Said the wind softly. "Tell Reika we love her and we'll always be watching over her." And then, the wind stopped.
Sakura did not know what to think of what just occurred. Perhaps it was her mind looking for sort of comfort and gave her a very real delusion. The pinkette shook her head, flipping one of her pigtails of her shoulder with a small smile. No, they were really there. She was sure of it. "Sakura-sama!" the woman looked up, seeing Reika running frantically towards her. Sakura stood quickly, "What's wrong?" she asked the child. Reika panted, "Hinata-chan came looking for you because Ino-san is in critical condition at the hospital." She exclaimed. "Hinata-chan said for me to come get you because she found me first and told me to come get you because she needed at the hospital." Sakura looked solemn, "Okay, go home." She instructed the child, "And say there unless I send for you." And with that she took off for the hospital. She jumped across rooftops, trying to push her feelings aside and trying to think of it as a patient in trouble rather than her drunken ex-lover. Sakura entered the hospital causing the nurse at the front desk to look up. "Oh! Sakura-sama! They need you in room 813, they said-"but Sakura was already down the hall and up the stairs.
Sakura enter the room, seeing chaos all around. Nurses were trying to keep Ino's fever down, packing bags of ice around her body. Sakura stepped through them, ignoring what they were saying, pushing her chakra through Ino's body to find the problem. The pinkette's eyes widened, "There." She said to herself aloud, forming a series of hand signs and placing her hands on the blonde's abdomen. Suddenly Ino shot up, coughing violently. She leaned over the bed and vomited violently. Sakura stepped back, watching her ex-love clear her system of all the alcohol and impurities. She motioned for the nearest nurse to come over to her, "Once she has stopped for a moment," Sakura told the nurse, hearing Ino continue to vomit, "Take her to a room for recovery and don't give her anything solid to eat." And with that, Sakura left the room to her personal hospital office.
Later that day, she was going over her hospital paperwork, sighing in frustration. Earlier she had sent Hinata, who had to go to the hospital for a check up on her baby, to pick up Reika and take for a play date at the Inuzuka residence. She told the white eyed woman to let the blonde child know that everything was okay and there was no need for her to worry or get upset. There came a knock on the door, "Enter." Said Sakura, looking over a sexual harassment complaint the officials under her could not deal with. "Sakura-sama," said a nurse, "Yamanaka-san is stabilized and is conscious now." She informed. Sakura looked up and nodded, standing up from her desk. "Excellent," she replied, "I shall go look her over." The nurse nodded leaving the room quickly.
The pink haired woman let out a long sigh, looking out the window briefly before leaving the room and heading to the room Ino was moved to. She opened the door, seeing the blonde sitting up on the bed. Ino looked toward to door to see who it was, but quickly looked away down at her lap. Sakura approached the bed, flipping through the chart attached to the foot. The two were silent as Sakura recorded information from the monitors and read through the charts. "Sakura." Came Ino's soft voice. The pinkette looked up, "Yes, Yamanaka-san?" she asked. The blonde woman flinched at the formality and unfriendly tone of her voice. "I want to say…I'm sorry." She admitted. Sakura raised an eyebrow, obviously unconvinced but let the blonde continue. "The nurse said that I had an extreme alcohol poisoning, and that if it wasn't for you, I would've died." Ino looked up at her, "You deserve to know why I started drinking, and you deserve an explanation for everything." She stated.
"After Sasuke and Naruto died, I saw how much it affected you and it caused me pain. One night I got wasted and realized how drinking took the pain away. So I continued to drink." She told her, "I was so selfish. So uncaring of your own feelings, and when we got Reika settled in, it made me realized how much stress raising a child was going to be." Sakura watched her, not knowing what to think, "So I drank; it took away all the pain. Then you kicked me out, and the sober side of me couldn't bear it, so I drank more." The blonde fell silent, looking back down at her lap. "I can't drink anymore; for both my health and sanity." She looked back up into Sakura's eyes, "I can never tell you how sorry I am." Ino whispered. Sakura felt flabbergasted; on one side she was so happy to know that her Ino was back. One the other hand, she had been so hurt by Ino that she could not bear it if she did it again.
Sakura let out a long sigh, "Ino," she started, "I…appreciate you telling me this, but," she paused, "I don't know if I can trust you. You left me in my greatest time of need." The pink haired woman turned away from her, not trusting her emotions. "I thought I was done crying over you," she muttered, "But obviously not." Ino looked at her, "Oh Sakura…" she whispered. The Hokage straightened up, turning back around to face the blonde, "A nurse will be in later to check on you." She said without looking at her and walked out of the room.
Sakura made it out of the hospital without crying and began jumping from rooftop to rooftop, sobbing brokenly. She jumped through the window to her office in the Hokage tower, falling onto the floor. Sakura's breathing became erratic as her tears fell to the floor under her. The Hokage whimpered softly, lying on the office floor, holding herself tightly. The blondes' words swirling around inside her head, "Ino.." she whispered breathily, closing her eyes tightly. The pink haired woman cried to herself some more, vaguely hearing the door open behind her. "S-Sakura?" asked an alarmed voice. Sakura did not look up, pulling herself tighter together; her knees digging into her chest. Someone put a hand on her shoulder in comfort, "Sakura.." they whispered. The voice did not register in the Haruno's mind, leaving the woman to wonder who it was before she blacked out.
"Is she okay?" was the next thing Sakura heard. "I don't know," came a reply, "I came in and she was crying on the floor." There was a pause before a different voice was heard, "I wonder what happened." Sakura did not want to open her eyes; she did not want to come back to reality. "I think she is having a mental break down." Stated the second voice softly causing a sigh from someone else, "Maybe…" someone replied. Sakura opened her eyes slowly; green orbs observing the room around her. She noted the she was still in her office and that there were others with her. Her eyes seem to refuse to focus on the people hovering around her. "Sakura are you alright?!" asked one of the blurs frantically.
This is when the pink haired woman became aware of the fact someone was holding her; someone that smelled like flowers. Her vision cleared slowly, and she went to reply, "I…" but no words came after that. She could see now; in her office were Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata, and Tenten, who were currently hovering over her. Hinata looked at her worriedly, "It's okay, you don't have to answer." She assured her. Sakura leaned back into the familiar arms holding her, letting out a shaky breath. Shikamaru looked at the rest of them, "I think it's best if we leave," he suggested, referring to the two Inuzuka and the Aburame. The three nodded, walking out the door. The brunette stopped just before the door, "Don't fuck this up, Ino." He mumbled only for the blonde to hear.
The arms around her tightened, "I won't." she replied. Sakura looked up, seeing pale blue eyes looking down at her. "Sakura," Ino said softly, "Are you okay?" Sakura let out a sigh, "Probably not." She mumbled, unwilling to get out of the blonde's arms. Sakura wanted to believe at the moment that she and Ino never broke up; that the other woman's embrace had always been there. A sigh was heard, "Oh Sakura.." Ino mumbled, running her fingers through pink locks of hair. Said woman closed her green eyes, "I need you," she whispered, "I always have." Ino looked down at her, surprised and happy all at the same time, "I will always be here," she whispered, "I will never leave you ever again," she paused, gripping the emotional Hokage possessively, "I promise." Sakura sighed, "You should be in the hospital." She muttered. Ino grinned slightly, "You needed me," she replied, "And besides I feel fine now." She assured the medic.
Sakura's eyes opened, pushing herself up to face the blonde. She sat in front of the other woman, looking for any deceit in her eyes. A sigh slipped from her lips as she found none, "Ino…" she whispered, wrapping her arms around the other's shoulders. Ino smiled slightly, wrapping her arms around the submissive one's waist. Surprisingly enough, the mighty Sannin willingly and eagerly submitted to Ino, leaving Ino to be considered 'the man' in the relationship as Chouji put it one day at lunch. Ino was quick to smack her pudgy teammate, giving him an earful on how she should never be compared to a man. Shikamaru and Sakura watched amused across from the two as people in the restaurant stopped their own conversations to listen to Ino's yelling.
They pulled back slightly, eyes locking briefly before lips slowly touched. Sakura felt herself melt into the kiss, knowing that this is what she had been missing. The kiss quickly became more passionate, tongues tangling, lips sloppily smacking against each other as the two tried to get closer. Ino pulled off Sakura's red coat throwing it across the room, beginning to push off her tank top. The pinkette pulled back, mumbling something about needing to lock the door. She stood quickly, locking the door to her office, only to find herself pushed roughly against the wall quickly after the 'click' of the lock was heard. Ino went to tug off the woman's spandex shorts as Sakura kicked off her shoes and unzipped the blonde's shirt.
Once Ino succeeded in the removal of Sakura's shorts, she grabbed her around the waist, pushing her over to the pinkette's desk. The blonde quickly pushed the stacks of paper and other items off the desk and laid Sakura back on it. The Hokage wrapped her legs around Ino's waist, using them to force off her skirt. Ino kicked off her shoes, crawling on top of Sakura, throwing her tank top across the room. Both now in their under garments, panting heavily from desire and the feverous kissing, "Do you want to continue?" Ino asked carefully. Sakura looked into her eyes, "Yes." She replied, reaching around her back to unclip her own bra. Ino gasped as Sakura through the garment across the room, revealing a sight Ino had not seen in a long while.
She cupped Sakura's cheek, kissing her tenderly as she felt her own bra being removed and tossed away. Ino pulled back leaning down at capturing one of the pinkette's nipples in her mouth. Sakura let out a low moan, arch her back slightly as the blonde sucked greedily on her breast. Ino switched breast, her hand traveling down to remove Sakura's panties. The blonde smiled to herself as she fingers brushed the wetness between the other woman's legs, quickly disposing of the cloth the rest there. Sakura let out a shaky gasp as Ino brushed her clit, "Please," she begged, "Don't tease." Ino looked at her lover and nodded, moving down the pinkette's body.
The afternoon the two made slow and tender love on Sakura's desk with no interruptions and a silent understanding passing between the two as their bodies intertwined together. Ino made it perfectly clear she would never intentionally hurt the other woman ever again and through the kissing and caressing Sakura made it clear that she forgave Ino. Soon the two redressed and walked through the streets hand in hand, smiling contently. They passed some of their friends, who were giving them smiles and cheers. Kiba grinned, rubbing Hinata's swollen belly, "It's good to see them together again." Stated Hinata with a smile. Kiba laughed, "Yeah, and did you see the huge hickey on Sakura's neck? Goddamn." Shikamaru laughed too, his arms around Temari's waist, "You know Ino, likes to mark what she considers hers." The group continued to chatter, their voices getting more and more distant as the two continued down the street.
Neither talked, they did not feel the need to. Sakura spoke occasionally as she was greeted with a, "Oh hello Hokage-sama." Or "Good evening Hokage-sama." Ino grinned slightly, a feeling of pride growing in her. She was always proud of her lover for becoming a Sannin and then stepping up to become Hokage even when she was suffering. Ino knew that Sakura was a lot stronger emotionally then most people had ever given her credit for, including herself. It was a well known fact that the pink haired woman had a tendency for wearing her emotions on her sleeve; something a ninja was not supposed to do. But Sakura had always said that her emotions made her stronger, that they were what drove her to accomplish the things she accomplished.
The two soon found themselves in front of Sakura's apartment, staring at the door. Sakura looked at the taller woman next to her, "We never talked about what was going to happen next." Ino stated silent, causing the pinkette to fidget, "Are you going to move back in?" she asked softly. The blonde met her gaze, "No," she replied. Sadness filled the Hokage's eyes, "Why?" she croaked, feeling tears coming back in to the corners of her eyes. Was Ino leaving her again? Was everything the other said a lie? Sakura made a move to pulled her hand away from the blonde, but quickly found both her hands clasped in Ino's. "I will move in, Sakura," she said softly, "But not tonight or tomorrow." She told her, "We need to take things slow. I need to prove to myself still that I deserve you."
Sakura felt a smile ghost her lips, "Okay, I like that idea." She whispered. Ino grinned, "So tomorrow I'm taking you on a lunch date. Who does ramen sound?" Sakura could not control the laugh that rose in her throat, "You sound like Naruto." Ino smiled, pulling her lover into her arms, "I missed your laugh." She muttered into the pinkette's ear. Sakura laughed again, burying her face into the blonde's neck. They stood like that for awhile longer; simply holding each other, "I will see you tomorrow, love." Ino eventually said, pulling back slightly to capture the other's lips in a quick kiss before walking back toward her own house. Sakura smiled, "Goodbye." She called after her, watching the woman walk out of sight.
The Hokage turned around, quickly unlocking her door and turning on the lights. In her kitchen she found a note from Hinata that Reika was going to stay over at the Inuzuka household and she would be back in the morning. Sakura smiled, pouring herself a glass of fruit juice and heading into her living room to begin looking over some recent mission reports. She sat down on her couch, feeling someone in the room with her; watching her. She smiled, closing her eyes, "Naruto, Sasuke," she began, "I think I'm going to be okay now." She told her friends, "Things are going to get better. Thank you." She whispered, feeling presence in the room slowly fade away. Sakura opened her eyes, "Okay, now for the damn paperwork." She said to herself, pulling out a pencil and getting to work. She was defiantly going to be alright now; she was sure of it.
Yeah.
I decided to start writing again.
So, fuck.
