Team Kakashi
By: Lady Evelynn
All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Naruto. But the plot is mind; however twisted.
Chapter 2: Ino: Childhood Friend. . . and Enemy.
Sakura was exhausted by the time she reached the apartment. "Hinata-chan," She called out after opening the door with much effort. "Uh. Damn these uneven hours," Sakura sighed, her stomach growling in agreement.
Brushing her fingers through her long, unkempt hair, Sakura trudged to the kitchen and placed all of her belongings down onto the counter. "Hinata-chan?" Sakura called again, now in a hoarse whisper, looking around for the female in question. 'And to think we were supposed to have breakfast if I came home early enough before her shift started.'
It appeared Hinata wasn't at home after all, to the disappointment of her stomach. She'd have to fix a quick something, or go get some fast food; whichever would take less time. Dejectedly, Sakura made her way to her room, which was labeled as such on the door: 'Haruno Sakura.' After opening it, the sight of her bed alone made her legs waver in strength. She could already imagine dreaming of fluffy clouds and recognition in high places.
Sakura eagerly ran to her bed and belly flopped onto it in greeting. The bed greeted her back happily, almost hugging her. Sighing in relief, Sakura stayed sprawled on her front side for awhile, thinking about the previous events of the morning.
It had been hours after the surgery, and Sakura had yet to report to Tsunade, at least about the Kunai and the message. What was she supposed to tell her? She knew she should be honest with her boss, but for some reason Sakura thought involving her would be threatening to her life. It didn't settle well, so she kept her mouth shut. If you don't acknowledge it, it can't hurt you… can it?
Sakura was busy writing up medical reports and reviewing other material at the time. The x-rays had come in during the previous hours and Sakura had already placed each bone back into place according to the chart. The nurses bandaged and casted him up afterwards, and Sakura once again checked over everything to make sure she didn't miss anything. She was always thorough. But when it happened, she was completely baffled. Not even an hour after she fixed him up, he should have been unconscious and unable to move, and yet he was gone! Zip. No trail of blood or witnesses.
Even the kunai she removed from his body was taken with him, and she stored that in her locker! The question was how the heck did he do that? It wasn't normal…
"Itachi," Sakura whispered, remembering her patient muttering about a weasel. What did it mean? Was it something involving his predicament? The curiosity to know drove her to the brink of insanity with overwhelming questions she had no hope in answering. Soon she would only know him by that word. He became 'Itachi,' her mind reasoned. And deep inside, past the barriers of her inhibitions, she wanted to solve the mystery of this man.
Something abruptly tore her attention from her thoughts. It vaguely caught her eye, as she was staring in its general direction but wasn't paying much attention to any details. A shadow, something humanoid; it was outside her window, across the way, on the nearby tree that blocked most of the view from her apartment window.
Pushing herself off the bed hastily, almost losing her balance, she made her way to the window and squinted. By the time she was close enough, the shadow was no more. Sakura caught her breath and looked around frantically.
'Calm yourself, Haruno. It could've been a bird! Don't jump to conclusions because you got freaked out at work, and are sleep deprived. Yeah! Blame it on the lack of sleep. It was just a bird,'
That got her to breathe again. She let out a weak laugh and walked back to her bed, this time sitting on the edge. "Well since I'm up…"
"I really have to talk to Tsunade-sensei about the whole hours' thing. Two years and I still don't have a proper time schedule. It's cutting into my school and personal life." She spoke to herself to take her mind off things, calming her erratic heartbeat, while rummaging through her dresser by the foot of her bed. She purposely chose something attractive, though it didn't take much to accentuate what Sakura had to offer. She just needed something to boost her problem area.
Sakura unconsciously looked down to her breasts. She knew of no natural way to remedy that just yet. In her hands was a pair of leggings, a red dress shirt, and a pink mini-skirt. It was simple; nothing too fancy for a Sunday.
She then made her way to the bathroom to dress up. By the time she was done drying her hair and combing it until it was perfect, an hour had passed.
Today was to be a productive day: grocery shopping, finish up homework, visit the girls at the bar, and come home to relax until Tsunade pages her again. A fulfilling day. She couldn't help but feel like she was missing something.
Just then the phone rang.
"Wait!" Sakura yelled, perturbed by the annoying noise. Though she couldn't stop the phone ringing with just word, "Hina—oh, I'm supposed to get it," Sakura sweat dropped and ran towards the phone. Seeing that it was not on the receiver made her growl in anger, why did the phone have to be so annoying. "Where are you?" Sakura yelled. "If only Hinata-chan were here; she has a keen sense of knowing where everything is!" She complained as she climbed all over the living room trying to deduce where the origin of the ringing led to.
After three more rings, the answering machine started:
'Hey you've reached Haruno Sakura and Hyuuga Hinata. Sorry we're not here right now, call back! And if it's Tenten you better buy me a new pager!'
A beep followed after, then nothing. With a heavy sigh, Sakura fell back onto the couch that was in the living room and shook her head. She had stressed about nothing, and there wasn't even a message. It mustn't have been an important call. She'll find the phone later, or ask Hinata to search for it.
She began to make her way to the door, grabbing her bags which were by the kitchen, when a loud noise interrupted her process.
"HARUNO!"
If that didn't give her a heart attack, she didn't want to know what could. Sakura yelped, jumping in surprise and looking at the message machine. The voice was familiar.
Of course! She was supposed to pick up Ino at the bus station today. 'Dummy!' Sakura thought, hitting herself softly on the head in reprimand. Checking the time, it was way past the arrival time that Ino told her. She couldn't completely blame herself though, Ino did warn her she was coming on short notice.
Glancing once more at the answering machine, Sakura waited a second to see if anything else was to be said, then after hearing naught, she left to do the errands for today. Ino would contact her, if she got lost. Or so she vaguely hoped.
Ino and her weren't on talking terms, actually their relationship used to be classified as something as best friends, and now they were long lost awkward acquaintances, at best. She honestly didn't know how her reaction would be when she reunited with Ino. All Sakura knew is she held a lot of pent-up animosity towards her.
As Sakura made her way through the day, crossing out errand after errand, her mind kept on drifting back to Ino and that mysterious man. When she should've been concentrating on what was going on in her life, she just couldn't help but redirect her thoughts. It's been almost a decade since she laid eyes on Ino. Was she okay? Did she mature more than her? Did she miss Konoha? Did she miss Sakura?
And that young man; how was it possible he could just disappear without a trace? She vaguely hoped she could see him again to see if he was okay. She technically wasn't supposed to get attached to anyone, so Tsunada-sama taught her, but she was drawn to this particular patient's case somehow. And how the heck did he manage to find the kunai? Sakura gritted her teeth and readjusted the groceries she was carrying so they wouldn't fall.
It annoyed her— not being about to comprehend what was going on. She never had to use the release technique before until this "case". It was almost unnecessary for other patients to need such critical treatment. It is true Konoha provided the best hospitals in the nation— and also the best medical schooling— it was also true that transfers from other hospitals were frequent due to Konoha's hospital more modern facilities. But never to the extent where one would need to be released.
Sakura halted, her groceries wobbling a little in her hands. Balancing them, she looked around. She was getting paranoid. What is the guy from the hospital was out there and was going to kill her? Sakura shut her green eyes tightly, praying silently.
"I gotta get my mind off this! Otherwise I might just accidently kill myself with all this worrying," Sakura muttered. Opening her eyes, she saw she was near the place Hinata worked. "Perfect," the pink haired woman whispered thankfully. Being around familiar company will calm her nerves.
The place Hinata worked at wasn't a dinky little place most teenagers their age would work at; it was a gentleman's club. A high class one at that—known as 'Konoha's Best' to the customers. How Hinata got the job, Sakura was baffled. But she paid the bills on time, and still had a lot of money left over. What she did with the money, Sakura didn't know either.
When she reached 'Konoha's Best,' Sakura pushed open the dark tinted glass doors with her buttocks and entered. It was dim lighted, as to be expected, and filled with the smell of smoke. It wasn't really that attractive, hence the tinted glass, Sakura thought silently.
"Neh! Sakura-chan!"
Sakura looked around, spotting for the person who called her name. It was Tenten.
Due to the fact Sakura couldn't wave back, Sakura nodded and made her way to the woman. "Is Hinata working now?"
"Yeah," Tenten nodded, drink in hand. She was sitting on a stool around a lone table in the corner. This seemed the best area to avoid 'customers' and the strong smell of smoke.
When Sakura reached the woman, she dropped her groceries by the end of the corner, praying that the food wouldn't soil (she'd have to wash the fruits and vegetables when she got back), and sat down adjacent to Tenten. Sakura slouched against the stool and leaned her head on the table.
"Aw, what is it Sakura?"
"Today… has been so stressful… thanks to you,"
"Um, what did I do?" Tenten asked, raising a brow.
"Well for starters, the pager you fixed is totally crapping out on me still," Sakura grumbled, perking her head up to stare directly into Tenten's Asiatic brown eyes. Tenten, in return, gave Sakura a sheepish grin. "And the rest is history," Sakura sighed again and laid her head down in defeat.
"If you'd like, I can fix it again," Tenten grinned, pulling out a miniature screwdriver that happened to be in one of her pockets. Tenten always carried around random "weapons." It was odd, but a likeable trait, especially if you're in need of a certain item. Tenten was sure to have it. However, don't let her try and fix it. She was more skilled with throwing her "weapons" at a target than using them for what they were properly used for.
"No thanks!" Sakura laughed.
"Oh! There's Hinata now,"
At that Sakura shifted her head so she could see where Tenten was motioning at, and then shifted her head towards the direction. It wasn't a shock seeing how drastic Hinata changed when she was in her work environment. As opposed to her wardrobe at their apartment, which consisted of sweaters and long baggy pants, Hinata wore quite revealing clothing here. But it wasn't a shock after you get used to it. Sakura smiled, but then noticed she was with "customer."
Once Hinata spotted the two she politely waved towards them. The customer turned around too. Though he had shiny white hair, he didn't seem old when he looked in their direction. Quite the opposite, he looked…
Sakura snapped out of her daze once they started heading their way. Rubbing her drool off her face, she perked up and offered a smile. When they reached close enough distance for Sakura to notice details, she saw the man had covered his face with a scarf. Does he really not like the smell of smoke? She couldn't blame him.
"Hello, Sakura, Tenten," each giving them a nod, "This is Hatake-sama,"
Sakura grinned, offering her hand to his already outstretched one. Tenten just smiled in regard. Sakura never seen him at the club before. Was he new? Was he even a customer? Did he work here now as a part-time bartender? Sakura grinned to herself, maybe she'd spend more time here if so. "Kobanwa. I'm Haruno Sakura,"
"Saku…ra," He said slowly, like he was testing it on his tongue and lips. "Well, ladies, I was just asking Hinata-san for directions to the Adult Book Store," he said; Sakura could imagine him smiling childishly under the cover of his scarf. His voice, however, was deep and mature, and was very handsome sounding. But when the meaning of the words sunk in, they completely ruined the heavenly image she saw. Sakura blinked and withdrew her hand. "It seems Hinata-san doesn't know, so we were wondering if you two ladies might,"
Tenten laughed, and leaned more over on the table. "Sure," She said lightly. "I'm Tenten by the way,"
While Tenten was giving directions, who knew she would be into those types of things Sakura thought, Sakura was watching the stranger with keen interest. He was tall, handsome from what she could make out of his face, and part of his hair was covering one of his eyes. The visible one was dark, and very mysterious. Overall, this man was mysterious.
If he wasn't such a perve Sakura might've made a move. Not that she was ever the bold one, but the haunting words of the fortune teller did remind her to take iniative. She needs a damn love life anyways— if Tsunade-sensei would allow Sakura to fit it in her schedule. Sakura sighed, knowing that'll never happen.
The stranger left, waving farewell to the girls, and they were then by their selves.
"And to think he had potential," Sakura smiled lightly, sighing in a dreamy tone. She then started to laugh, which made the other girls laugh alongside her. "Neh, Hina-chan,"
"Mm?" Hinata asked, bringing her laughter to a halt. Shyly she brushed her hair behind her ear.
"Do you remember me saying that an old friend of mine was going to stay with us for a little while?" Sakura asked. Hinata nodded. "Well, I kinda forgot to pick her up. So she might be coming late. I already SMSed her the address encase she forgot to print out direction. And thank you for cleaning the apartment," Cleaning was never one of Sakura's fortes. Only because Sakura was never home to begin with. "Speaking of which, the phone got lost again,"
Hinata smiled. "I'll find it when I get off work," Hinata's lilac eyes then trailed to the grocery bags, "I see you already shopped. Thanks,"
"Yeah, I'm cooking tonight, remember?" Sakura grinned.
"Uh-oh," Tenten interjected. Sakura shifted her attention to the brunette beside her.
"Eh? What does that mean?"
"Nothing, nothing~" Tenten replied in sing-song.
"Is that a challenge?"
"Maybe. Does the Ram want to lose again?" Tenten winked, fingering the small screwdriver she pulled out before. Sakura pursed her lips.
"That's cheating. You won last time. I say this time no weapons,"
"Then I forfeit," Tenten closed her eyes, raising her hands in defeat.
"Cheap," Sakura laughed. Hinata laughed as well, she always enjoyed their little banter when they were together.
"Oh! I have to get back to work. Don't wait up on me, Sakura-chan, I'll be home as early as possible," And like that Hinata quietly left.
"Well I was just here for a free drink, complements of Hina-chan," Tenten winked, tilting her almost finished beverage towards the girl in question. "But now I have to get back to work. Being a receptionist is really hard,"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Try working directly underneath your employer,"
"And about the pager, just ask Shizune-san for another one. I'm sure she won't mind. Ja."
Once Tenten left her pays and was out of sight, Sakura began to move when a voice interrupted her: "Oi, pretty girl with the pink hair,"
Sakura turned around and raised her brow to the owner of the voice. It was a young voice; too young to fit in the likes of this place. "Hai?" Sakura asked wearily. When she was faced with spiky blond hair and bright blue eyes, her eyes relaxed. He looked about her age. Still what was he doing in a place like this? Were the bouncers on break today?
"Have you seen a tall guy with silver hair pass through here?"
The young man's voice was kinda scratchy, like he has been yelling a lot throughout his life. It sounded in all honesty, a step up from puberty stage. If slightly. "No," Sakura said, thoughts of the previous male her friends and herself encountered moments ago.
"He tends to cover his face, and is a pervert. He might've been asking where the nearest porn shop was,"
Oh, him. "Yeah, I remember now. He went down that way, you can't miss the shop. It has tainted windows like these to keep the kids from peeping,"
Oblivious to what she meant, the young male nodded in gratitude and waved a farewell, "Thanks, cutie," He grinned, and left.
Hinata, off on the other end of the club serving drinks, tilted her head at Sakura and Sakura shrugged in return. She was meeting too many weird people today. Perhaps it was time to go home and relax, while making food for the guest tonight.
Sakura left "Konoha's Best," and traversed slowly to the apartment complex. It wasn't a long walk, but it wasn't worth the fare of the buses either. Lost in her own thoughts, she nearly almost missed the sound of her voice being called.
Sakura halted, making sure the groceries were balanced by her abrupt stop and searched around. When she was about to become doubtful, she heard it again.
"Over here, forehead,"
Sakura furrowed her brows and turned around only to meet with blonde hair and pale blue eyes, almost like it was déjà vu. "You don't look different, besides the fact that your grew your hair out,"
"Ino-chan?"
"The very same. I, of course, had definitely changed," Ino had the nerve to pose in the middle of the sidewalk, amongst a small crowd, drawing attention to her. "Miss me?" She winked, before closing the distance. "Oh god, you smell of smoke. Pick up a dirty habit while I was away?"
Sakura scoffed, "Not likely. Compared to you, you shouldn't have anything to say,"
Ino brushed off the comment. "Nothing much has changed since I've last been here. How about you show me around the neighborhood though?" Taking note of the groceries in her arms, she added, "After you put away those first. Meet me in the regular spot," Ino then disappeared in the crowd.
To say it was shocking to see her childhood friend again was an understatement. It was still Ino, but something was off. Sakura shook her head and continued on her way towards the apartment complex. It's been years since they last seen each other; many things could've happened during those years.
She dropped off the groceries, and then made her way quickly to the designated meeting spot. Ino was already there. Ino grew up so much, Sakura noted, enviously, while she remained in her preadolescent figure.
"Hey boar," Sakura waved. Ino turned around and smiled. The spot they met up at was at the outskirts of Konoha's metropolitan area. Konoha was decorated with beautiful trees and always had the best fall season. Where Konoha seemed most natural was in this area, where there lacked buildings and such urban things. One could call this their national park.
This was also where Ino and Sakura saw each other last, those ten years ago.
Ino was taller than Sakura now; her hair was also longer, sported in a high pony tail. One of her eyes was covered, though, from a frontal bang hanging loosely down her face. She also had curves.
"I have a gift for you, Sakura," She smiled, holding something behind her back.
Curiously, Sakura made her way more into the open field leading towards a woods that surrounded the area. Stopping upfront of Ino, she said: "How thoughtful of you. I might reconsider making you sleep in the guestroom then,"
"Why would I expect anything less from a kind friend such as you? Here," Ino presented a flower in her hand, "May this flower bless you. Beauty,"
"And what do you mean by that?" Obviously getting the hint, Sakura scowled.
"Don't be such a sourpuss. Come on, take it," Ino offered a genuine smile, and Sakura couldn't help but comply. Taking the white flower, Sakura wearily eyed it, "It's an Orchid," the blonde added.
"Thanks. Unfortunately I have nothing to give to you, save the spare room in the apartment," Sakura smirked, holding on loosely to the gift. Ino smiled back, their humor was bitter—they were not off to a great start of a reunion. Sakura then added softly, "So Ino, why are you back all of a sudden?"
Ino paused and looked down. It was sudden question, but it was bound to be asked sometime. When Ino's eyes reconnected with Sakura's, they were clouded. Probably running through many emotions, as Sakura was feeling now. "To make amends, of course. I mean, I just left you one night and never came back. I finally found you again and found a good reason to come back,"
Sakura thought over Ino's reply; it seemed plausible, but something was amiss. However, she'd take that answer for now. She will again later.
Ino then spoke again, in a more cheerful manner: "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go. It took me awhile to find you in the first place, but in the end your oversized forehead led me to you. Hah. Though, is there a bar around here? I'm parched,"
Sakura coughed. Ino was drinking already? Ino was only 17, barely months older than Sakura. "Ino-pig-chan, you're not allowed to drink yet!"
Ino smirked smugly. It was always so fun messing around with Sakura's mind—especially now since it's been a long time since she had the chance to. She was making up for lost time, and also she really was parched. "Have you ever heard of a fake ID? Gosh, Sakura-chan, you really need to get out more. I'm sure you've been wasting away your life with school and studies for the past decade without me to inspire you to get out of your little bubble. But no worries, Ino-chan is here for you,"
Sakura turned away. Ino hit right on her sensitive spot; but it was all Tsunade's fault, wasn't it? And even if Sakura did get a Fake ID, she'd never pull off as a mature woman with her figure. Sakura shook her head, "Whatever Ino. There's one on the strip you met me at. Just get to the apartment by dinner time, by then I should have already fixed up something,"
"Oh! You're going to cook for me?" Ino grinned over Sakura's shoulder, now leaning on her back. "How sweet. Need anything while I'm out?"
Sakura paused then shook her head, and then began to move, causing Ino to let go of her. "Sayanaro, Ino-baka-chan,"
"Ja, forehead," Ino winked.
When Sakura got home she put the "Beauty" flower into a cup, filled it with water and placed it on the kitchen counter. Going over the things that needed to be done in her mind, she then put away the groceries in a timely manner and made her way to the living room; more so, to the inviting couch. The pink haired beauty was beyond exhausted. The day did not go right for her, and to top off this lovely Sunday (which was, by the way, supposed to be her day off) she had to cook. Cook!
Sakura was no culinary expert; the best she could do to impress someone was to make simple sushi dishes and rice balls. Sighing heavily, she debated quickly in her head a solution for her problem. She had already put up all the groceries in their proper places, and to get them all out and prepare them, then to prepare the table was too much effort.
Hell, it seemed like she was suffering from schizophrenia, with all the hallucinations she's been having recently. Sakura rubbed her head to relax the pain. Something was physically hurting it, she realized after, and felt around in between the cushions. "Ah, ha," Sakura mumbled. It was the phone.
Sakura eyed the time on the screen. It was almost seven. Hinata got off work around 8, and Ino would probably be in around that time. In her current condition, Sakura couldn't move fast enough to have food ready by then. She'd have to call in a favor.
Dialing, she prayed silently that that lazy bastard would finally owe up to his debt, and in a timely manner.
After the conversation, she put the phone down on the nearby counter and stood up. Only then her eyes connected with that one something she realized she forgot earlier on in the day. Her pager. "Shit!" She rushed over to it and clicked it. She didn't miss any calls. Good.
"Uh, I can't believe I forgot to bring that crappy pager,"
Placing it on her mini-skirt, encase another emergency was to be had, she began to walk away to prepare the dinner table. Though due to her sleepy condition, her hip accidently grazed the edge of the table and knocked something over.
"Crap. What now?" She growled and bent over to see an empty picture frame. "Oh, Hinata's," Apparently it was empty for a reason. Hinata never showed her the picture. Actually, Hinata never had anything family related decorating the apartment. Even her room looked a little too plain. Compared to Hinata, Sakura looked a little self-absorbed.
The young woman shook her head and placed the picture frame on top of the table and continued at what she was doing. "Right. Time to 'prepare' the food,"
"Oh wow! Something smells delicious!" It was Ino's voice.
"Welcome to our humble abode. I hope you didn't have too much trouble getting here," Sakura replied, setting out the last of the dishes onto the dining table.
"Of course not. I grew up here, remember? Also, Hinata and I walked together from the bar,"
Just then Hinata emerged through the entrance and waved politely. "Hey Hina-chan," Sakura replied in a sweet manner, earning a brow raise from Ino.
"So," Ino continued, kicking her shoes off and dropping her belongings off to the side of the door, "where am I sleeping tonight? This doesn't look too befitting for three people,"
"It's a two bedroom, one bath, with a spare dinky room to store extras in, apartment," Sakura answered after she finished arranging all the food.
"Before I show you around, let's eat. I'm sure everyone is starved," She grinned.
They all gathered around the table, kneeling and grabbing their chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!" They all said in unison.
"This is good, Sakura-san," Hinata said after finishing the first dumpling. Ino nodded eagerly in agreement. Sakura hid a grin and nodded.
Ino rose a brow as she reached for more toppings to add in her rice bowl, catching the grin Sakura made, "Almost too good," She added, causing Sakura to smile back tensely.
"Come on, give me credit,"
"Thank you, Sakura-chan," Ino winked, and then shifted her eyes to the trash can making Sakura's eyes follow.
Drat. She'd been caught. "Right. I asked a favor from Shikamaru, who works at the Restaurant nearby. He owed me one, and I was dead tired. It was asking a lot from me that I organized the dinner table," Sakura laughed, plopping a bit of sushi in her mouth. "Mmmm. And he does make such good food for being such a lazy ass,"
Hinata laughed knowingly. She knew him from school, though they never talked. Sakura and him once had a class once and had to work on a project. She did all the work, he complained through the whole thing. And she told him, more so threatened him, that he owed her big time. Least to say, they became friendly acquaintances from then on.
Hinata only knew him through Sakura. "We must thank him properly tomorrow,"
"Yeah, yeah," Sakura muffled through her food and waved off that comment. "He owed me. It's about time he paid up,"
Hinata smiled then continued.
After their full course meal, Ino was shown through their apartment and the last place was the spare room.
"And this is where you will stay," Sakura finished. She opened the door and suppressed a grin. With the door fully open, and the light shining in from the hallway, Ino saw… boxes. Boxes piled upon boxes, and junk that couldn't fit anywhere else in the apartment.
"Are you joking with me, Sakura?" Ino growled, dropping her luggage and turning to Sakura angrily. "How hospital you are to an old friend,"
"Well if you would've warned me a little earlier that you were coming back to town, I would've made some initiative to clean out this room,"
Ino shook her head and looked back at the room. There was barely any space for her suit case, much less her whole body. "How rude, Sakura-chan. And I thought staying here would make my stay more enjoyable,"
Sakura waved good night to Ino and made her way to her room. Ino was smart; she could do something about it if she really wanted to. Sakura was not going to waste another moment arguing when she, on the other hand, could be counting sheep.
Sleep. Such an inviting word. The pink haired woman smiled as she laid on her fluffy bed. It was terribly cold in her room. Comfortably so at first. Annoyingly so as the minutes passed.
Was the A/C lowered again? She didn't recalled lowering it, and Ino probably didn't touch it. Hinata might've. A breeze from her window halted her thoughts. So the window was opened. She sighed. More work for her to do before she could finally relax.
"Ugh, can this night get any worse?" She said as she vaguely heard Ino curse in the background.
After closing the window and locking it, she returned to bed. "Sakura-san," Hinata knocked, lightly.
"Hai?"
Hinata opened the door and outstretched her hands. They were holding a tiny box. "It's a package that came in earlier today. I forgot to tell you about it,"
Hinata walked carefully, using the light from the hallway to navigate to Sakura's bedside, and gave her the package. "Sweet dreams, Sakura," She smiled softly and exited the room, closing the door behind. She was so sweet sometimes, Sakura thought absentmindedly. She then returned her eyes to the box beside her bed.
In the darkness she couldn't see a return mail address. Funny. She opened the box, struggling at first to get the tape cut, then proceeded to litter her room with stuffing. 'What type of crap is this? The box is full of nothing!'
It was when she turned the box over, she saw a piece of paper effortlessly glide down. She threw the box and caught the slip before it fell. When she turned it over she recognized that it was a ticket.
"Team… Kakashi," Sakura read, squinting. "Meh, whatever," She placed it on her nightstand and effortlessly, like the paper drifting, fell asleep. Nothing was going to wake her up until the sun rose; nothing. Not even the words whispered through the wind that seeped through the cracks of her window:
'Game Over'
A/N: Oooooooooo. Ino's in the picture. What could that bode? And when is the SasuSaku coming? Later. But it'll come. *Grins* Hope you enjoyed this chapter that has been rewritten/edited. Thanks for reading this! And hopefully you'll leave some feedback. MWAH.