They arrived. Half the village was already in pieces. Naruto and Sakura quickly found Sasuke. Once again he was with his partners. Sakura sighed. Naruto and she knew he would get away with three other people helping him.
Sakura thought quickly, they could always beat the shit out of Sasuke with two of them so maybe Naruto could deal with Sasuke while Sakura fought the other three, who were weaker then Sasuke. "Naruto" she whispered, "I can handle the other three if you take Sasuke." Naruto nodded.
Moving in to action quickly Naruto went off and followed Sasuke. Sakura stood her ground and blocked off the three.
Sakura took on the three and defeated them without too much trouble, just it took quite awhile. Having greatly improved since last time they ran after Sasuke over a year ago. Tsunade-sama finally teaching Sakura a summoning jitsu.
"Naruto?!" Sakura asked. Naruto came over carrying Sasuke. "Finally. Let's get the hell out of here and back to the village.
"You actually caught him." Tsunade said. Sakura nodded suddenly not feeling very well. "Well I see what I can do with him, you too can tell anyone you want that Sasuke's back I'm sure the whole place already knows."
Naruto looked a little embarrassed. He had dragged Sasuke in mid-day down the main road. People kept swarming around them to the point wear Sakura had threatened them all to let them through and get to Hokage. "You're dismissed."
The second Sakura and Naruto went outside they were swarmed again, luckily for Sakura, Ino had gotten word and snuck her out leaving Naruto (who had caused it all) to fend for himself.
Ino brought Sakura to her apartment. Turned around and asked, "Did you really bring Sasuke back?"
"Y-Yea." Sakura didn't feel well. "Ino-chan can I lay down?"
"Yes," Ino motioned to the couch, Sakura laid down and Ino continued standing "What's wrong?"
I don't know, I don't feel well, Ino?" Sakura asked changing the topic, "Lately I'm having a dream when we were little."
"What about?"
"When I broke off our friendship."
"Oh? What a weird time to dream about that, Sakura."
"That's what I thought but, Ino. I keep getting to the part were I'm walking away and you're screaming something but I can't hear you…. I'm too far away."
Ino turned a pale, "Oh so you didn't hear? That makes sense."
Sakura frowned, "I think its important do you remember what you said Ino-chan?"
"I remember everything about that day very clearly. Yes, it would be important at least to me."
"Well what did you say?" Sakura said sitting up to see Ino more clearly.
Ino came over to her and sat down and looked at her very closely, "Are you sure you want to hear what I had to say Sakura?" Sakura thought for a little while and then nodded.
Ino lead in very close to whisper in Sakura's ear. "Sakura, I said I didn't love Sasuke." Ino took a deep breath then continued, "I then said I loved you, Sakura."
Sakura didn't say anything. Surely Ino meant she loved her as a friend and Sasuke just wasn't worth it for there friendship. Ino grabbed her wrist and Sakura looked at her muted, "Before you find someway to twist this story around, I meant love as in passion, not friends…… a-and I still do."
Sakura just stayed frozen maybe she would wake up? Now Ino kissed her. And that as all too real for Sakura, "I-I have to go!" she stumbled out the door. Leaving Ino at the couch, and she started to cry.
Sakura ran fast shoving her way through crowds ending up at her house. Slamming her door she sat down hand pressed against her lips. What the hell was she going to do? What could she do? Ino had made it clear she wasn't about to change the way she felt… Sakura slammed anything to do with Ino out of her mind.
Sakura took a shower for a long time. The cool water felt good against her skin. Sakura let her mind wonder to anything but thoughts of Ino.
What the hell was Tsunade going to do about Sasuke? They couldn't let him run wild again, would they kill him? Somehow Sakura doubted that. Naruto would bring down the whole place if they tried that.
It seemed the less Sakura had felt towards Sasuke, the more Naruto did. Even the growing bond between her and Naruto couldn't fill the void of the first real friend Naruto had, the more she tried to fill it the emptier it got. Sakura sighed; she had failed Naruto as a friend for too many years, she prayed Sasuke would accomplish what Sakura couldn't.
Getting out of the shower Sakura put on her pajamas and crawled into bed, hoping more then anything to have a dreamless sleep.
Sakura of course never got the dreamless sleep she wanted. It was filled with all sorts of things Sakura couldn't make out or didn't understand. Blurry images and muffled noises the only clear thing that come into to view was a women she couldn't make out eating an ice cream cone. Sakura got closer was that-
Sakura awoke. What was that about? She made a note of it in her head seeing as lately her dreams seemed to be about real things. Remembering her other dream just reminded her of Ino making Sakura feel sick. She dragged herself into her clothes and went downstairs to eat.
"Sakura?" a knock on the door, followed by Naruto coming in. "Granny Tsunade wants us."
"Hmn." Sakura spoke with her mouth full, getting up to follow Naruto to Hokage's office. She swallowed wondering what Tsunade-Sama wanted, something about Sasuke no doubt.
As they arrived Tsunade was busy so they waited outside the closed door. Naruto being the mischievous boy he was put his ear to door. "Naruto!" Sakura whispered, "Don't! Tsunade-Sama will have are heads!"
Naruto didn't listen, instead he said, "Sakura, she's talking about us and Sasuke!" Sakura couldn't resist what Hokage and whoever else was in there was saying about her so she also decided to eavesdrop.
