There it was again. That thump in Naruto's chest, clashing against his brain. He spent a better half of his life ignoring the thunderous tap of his heart. To forget the pain punching away at his insides. A pain that followed him throughout his adolescence. He hated what it did to him, how it still affected him and now he was drowning the two women around him in it.
"This is all my fault." murmured Naruto, earning the full attention of both females.
Sakura squinted, resting her hand against his chest to feel him slip away from her in response, finding herself alone on the ground. The water pooling around her feeling much colder than before. Stunned, she rose from the floor, grabbing at his hands. She wanted him to explain, his behaviour confusing her.
"I pushed this to far," He spoke, slipping his hands out of Sakura's grasp. "I should have stopped this a long time ago."
Sakura shook her head. "What are you talking about? This isn't your fault."
"Then who's is it," asked Naruto, looking her dead in the eyes. "What were you fighting about because I can only imagine."
Sakura continued to shake her head. "We weren't fighting about you."
"You're always fighting about me," stated the blonde. "You think I don't see the way you treat each other! The things you say to one another!"
"Naruto…"
"I've wanted this for so long," said Naruto, clutching Sakura's shoulders. "I've wanted you for so long."
At his statement, Ino looked away, giving the two whatever privacy they could afford in her now destroyed shop. Her animosity slipping away with every word he spoke. She felt like a bystander in her own life. Sakura had clutched on to his jacket once again, trying to pull him closer but he wouldn't allow it. He was starting to unnerve her. His words fluttered her heart but his eyes dug holes deep down in her soul.
"But it wasn't worth this," Sakura's reassuring smile turned downwards as he continued. "Look at the mess I've made because of it."
"No," said Sakura sternly. "You don't understand."
"I was being selfish. I thought if I could have you then it would all be fine but then this thing happened, between the three of us, and I can't seem to fix what's been broken."
"Naruto?" Sakura felt puzzled and irritated. This isn't what she needed right now. She didn't need Naruto to misunderstand and make a decision that they'd all regret. She needed to explain.
"Sakura, this needs to stop. You and I both know how this'll end otherwise." Naruto released the grip he had on her shoulder's, lowering them to his sides. "I thought you wanted to make things work with Ino, not make it worse."
Ino looked up from picking at the glass on the counter, a tad confused at his words. She watched as Sakura snatched her hands away, separating herself from him by an inch or two. She couldn't see the redhead's expression but if it matched that knuckled head's, they were all in for a treat. She hadn't expected Sakura to rush her though, to leap over the counter still covered in glass and lash out both verbally and physically. In that instance, Ino couldn't help but imagine if this was how Sakura had felt when she started throwing her own fit earlier that night.
Sakura had slammed Ino to the floor. The glass that had scattered ripping at the skin of her back and clothes. Sakura had managed to slap her across the face before she felt her weight disappear from her lower abdomen. Naruto ripping her off, kicking and screaming. Ino's cheek throbbing from the impact.
"I'll fucking kill you!"
"Sakura," snarled Naruto through gritted teeth, fighting of Sakura's waving fist's. "This is exactly what I'm talking about, you're just proving my point."
"Why do you always have to ruin everything?" yelled Sakura, directing all her anger on one particular blonde.
Ino groaned in pain, lifting her back up from against the floor. She sneaked a hand over the flesh, feeling the blood on her fingers. "I ruined everything?"
"You're always trying to steal what's mine," confessed Sakura. "So do me a favour and keep your filthy hands off my team."
Blinking, it took a while for it to register but eventually, Ino figured it out. "Sasuke was never yours to begin with and neither is Naruto," said Ino, rubbing the raw cheek. "For fuck's sake Sakura, that asshole broke both our hearts remember? He left everyone!"
Sakura screamed, trying desperately to pry out of Naruto's grip. "That doesn't give you the right to go after the last person I had left."
Ino couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Go after?"
Twisting out of his grip, Sakura wiped away the few tears swelling in her eyes. She moved to the window, away from Naruto, who seemed more cautious by the second. She had stopped talking, pulling at her bottom lip instead.
Realisation dawned on Ino, choking on the dry lump in her throat. "You knew." She whimpered out, her own eyes watering.
There was a pause before she spoke. "Of course, I knew," confessed Sakura, folding her arms across her chest. "You made it pretty obvious."
Naruto was watching the two women intently. They had stopped screaming, if even for only a second so he assumed it was working itself out, somehow.
"You literally did this to me again, didn't you," asked Ino, a few tears slipping down her reddened cheek. "You knew, but instead of just talking to me about it, you ghosted me. I honestly thought we were over all this childish bullshit but I guess that never changes! We're not eight anymore, if you had an issue with it, you should have just come to me."
Naruto had been following closely enough, but he still wanted direct answers. They were beating around the bush and it was starting to get tiresome. "What are you guys talking about?"
Ino chuckled, she still hadn't gotten up from her spot on the floor. "She used you."
"Fuck off, Yamanaka." snarled Sakura, turning around to face the blonde.
"Tell him the truth then, or does he already know and I'm just the ass here?"
Silence settled around the group, Ino diverting her eyes between the other two occupants. No one seemed interested in speaking out besides herself. "Oh shit, am I the one being used?"
"It isn't always about you Ino!" Sakura flared up, bawling her fist's to her side.
"Then what's it about?"
Sakura screamed out before settling down, her tone desperate and sad. "I just didn't want you taking the one person I had left."
"You would have had me," cried Ino, shouting out her distress. "You would have always…had me."
"Ino—"
"I don't want to fucking hear it anymore," Ino continued to cry. "You've broken my heart more than any person could ever wish to. You were so afraid of me taking anything away from you, that you never stopped to notice how you took everything away from me. So how is it that you get to be mad at me?"
Sakura closed her eyes, trying desperately to keep the tears at bay, nervously tapping her foot. Naruto felt his stomach lurch at her confession. She looked so broken, so pained, and for what, a guy? They were spread so far apart in such a closed in space. This thing they had, didn't go on to long, it simply should't have happened.
The silence was overwhelming. The tension suffocating. Neither one of the three knew what to say or do. A rumble from within the sky sparked new attention, rain gushing down like bricks in seconds. The sound of drops pelting the glass windows startling them. The weather outside seemed to match the feelings of the young trio indoors.
Swallowing hard, Ino glanced around her shattered shop and then at the rain outdoors. A sudden storm hitting them at the worst possible time, it made her want to laugh. "Get comfortable, it's about to be a stormy night." She half joked to no one in particular, a few tears still slipping down her face.
Leaning his right foot up against the large glass window panel, Naruto sighed, crossing his arms against his chest. Sakura jittered around, kicking at the remains of clay pots, sweeping them into a corner.
"Unless you want to walk home?" asked Ino, finally helping herself up. She wiped away her tear stains, resting her back against the counter.
"Better yet, tell me where I can find your first aid kit," said Naruto. "You're both bleeding."
"I can just heal myself." mumbled Sakura, her hands on her hips.
"Go ahead then." Raising his arm at her to go on.
Huffing, she raised her hand to her face, the green glow illuminating her features as the small cut healed close. "Happy?"
"Ecstatic," He replied dryly, turning to the blonde next. "And you?"
Ino ignored him however, marking off the damages in her head. She didn't care about the blood running down her back or her ankle. If anything, the pain was keeping her focused. With her current luck, the rain belted down at an opportune moment, forcing her to stay around the two people she wanted away from the most. But they weren't going to distract her any longer. Collecting the hazardous objects riddled around her area, she threw them in a near by garbage bin. She'd have to go to the back to procure a mop. The floor couldn't stay wet and she had to throw the shelves she knocked down into a corner. She'd have to close up shop for at least a week or two to renovate and restock.
Walking on broken flower petals, she grunted. The poor flora, how could she have let this happen? Clenching his jaw, Naruto tsk'd, seemly annoyed. "You gonna ignore us for the rest of the night?"
Escaping to the back without a word, she returned with a mop and a broom in hand. It felt like a mix job of both looking at the floor. She started mopping around the back making her way down, overlooking Sakura and Naruto, which seemed to piss the blonde male off even more.
Grabbing the mop handle, he halted any movement from the blonde female. "We talked about not playing games like we're eight but passive aggression is just every woman's fun, isn't it?"
She tried to tug the handle away but his vice like grip wouldn't let her, she clenched the wood until her knuckled turned white. "I'm sorry, is there something that you want, Uzamaki?"
That seemed to twist an arm. "Say my fucking name." He demanded, his face inching closer to hers, frightening her for a second before her own anger took precedence.
"Naruto..." Sakura quickly interjected, a little worried at his expression.
"Just like that," He pointed towards Sakura, his eyes still on Ino. "Because you fucking know it, so use it."
"You want to start a fight with me too," said Ino, mirroring Naruto's earlier action by getting even closer. "Go ahead, yell at me, rip me a new one, do whatever it is you have to do to make yourself feel better."
Naruto shook his head in disbelief. "I want you to cope with what the fuck's happening."
"And I wanted the truth," Ino replied, winning this tug of war match by throwing the mop on the ground. "The raw and honest truth. I want you both to stop dicking around and tell me what this was!"
Her baby blue's were fierce, igniting the darkest parts of his soul. He tugged at his hair, glancing at the female on his right, who turned away at the intensity of his stare. "Fuck it, you want the truth," Naruto asked, stepping away. "Then you gotta give the truth."
"What?"
"Don't act like you haven't been keeping shit from us," Naruto answered. "You want us to be honest, then you gotta participate."
"Fine," The blonde answered firmly, her hands on her hips. "What do you want to know?"
"When exactly were you planning on telling me that you had actual feelings for me?"
"Didn't I?"
"That bullshit came off more like role play than an actual confession Ino," said Naruto, swaying his arms in frustration. "This whole mess has me looking like some asshole playing with your emotions."
Ino blinked, her glare sharpening. "Are you honestly trying to tell me that you couldn't tell that I liked you?!"
"As a crush," clarified Naruto. "You know like the one I had on Sakura when we were kids."
"Had," questioned Sakura, intervening. "What happened to this is all I ever wanted?"
"Yea, it was," He answered firmly. "Good thing the only thing you've ever wanted from me was the sex."
"Are you fucking kidding me," She shouted out. "Are you still mad about that?!"
Ino took a step back, her fingers massaging her temple. "You knew she was using you and you think using your crush on Sakura is a good example to this scenario?"
Puffing out a breath of air, he chuckled, finding it a tad amusing. "Don't get me wrong, it pisses me off but your feelings don't just disappear because the other person doesn't like you back. I mean I had to see her everyday," said Naruto. "But it started off small, and that's where I thought you were at. Sakura and I, it's different."
"We're a team," Sakura sneaked in, looking him in the eyes. "We'll always have each other's backs."
Naruto nodded his head, resting his head against the glass. It didn't seem to ease Ino down one bit. "So did you start fucking before or after you found out I liked him?" Ino quipped in, her head tilting to the side waiting for an answer. Finding out Sakura knew about her feelings were one thing, but finding out wether it ignited this passionate love affair was another.
At that Sakura didn't respond, tightening the grip on her crossed arms as she walked towards a corner. Ino only laughed. "Sweet," She said, nodding her head, a fake smile in place. "I mean, I just love having friends that can fuck me over and abandon me on a whim."
Naruto cocked his head, staring at the redhead across from him. "Sakura, you didn't?" Naruto added in, his lips twisting into a scowl.
"You didn't seem to mind it so much back then."
"I didn't know that's why it started," He defended. "I mean ego aside, it's just me."
"That's the point, you're not something to be put aside Naruto," said Sakura. "I've done that all my childhood, and in the end, you were the one person who was always there for me. You're the only one who keeps coming back and I should have appreciated that more."
"Nice."
Sakura closed her eyes, taking in a quick breath. "Ino—"
"Oh no, that's great. I mean I've had your back even when I've hated you but you know, Naruto and all that shit," said Ino. "I see how it is, since you seem to be sweet on the people who can only fuck you in the end."
"Why'd you even say yes when I asked?" yelled Sakura, a hot tear slipping down her cheek at the blonde's words.
"Why'd you even ask to begin with?" yelled back Ino, clutching her fist's to her sides.
Both females were glaring at each other, sparks colliding. They were at it again and it seemed nothing was close to settling them down. "She was starting to miss you." Naruto answered on Sakura's behalf.
Turning her attention to him, Ino glared at him. "I didn't know all of this," He said, motioning to the both of them and their hidden baggage. "But she'd look for you, drag me to places where you were. I don't think she knew how to fix this, so I assume parading me around to hurt you was the closest she could get to be near you at times."
"That's shit."
"Oh definitely," Naruto agreed. "As wicked smart as this girl is, she does some stupid things."
"And is that supposed to make it better?"
"No," answered Naruto. "You have every right to be mad and stay mad and never fucking talk to her again."
"Thanks Naruto." Sakura interjected.
"Well maybe if you explained how it was when she first asked about it, then you could have phrased it in a way that best suited you."
Swallowing hard, she spun around, stopping at the female blonde. There were a few things she wanted to say but only one came out. "I'm sorry." Sakura confessed, it was the only thing she hadn't said to the blonde since it all went down and she felt it was the only thing she could say at the moment.
"But that isn't enough for me anymore," Ino simply stated, shaking her head. "This isn't some issue you put a bandaid on to cover up and ignore until it heals. I thought I was in love with him and the thought of you doing that to me, abandoning me before mixing me up into your love equation, broke me. You want to know why I said yes? Because for a second, it's like it never happened and I got to be around the two people I wanted more than anything. But that was a delusion, and I was fooling myself sick. I buried it so far down, I made it my new normal. So no, sorry isn't enough for me and neither are your bullshit excuses."
Naruto wanted to hide the smirk creeping out, if only for Sakura's sake but Ino's heartfelt confession had impressed him. He thought she would crack and cave with all the pressure but her back stood straight, not even her shoulder's slumped. He didn't know Ino beyond her bossy and loud nature when they were kids, but this was a side of her he could get used to. She exuded strength when she felt she was at her weakest and it was mesmerising. Leaning to the side, her arms crossed and her hair sprawled out loosely, he couldn't believe he never actually saw her until now.
Sakura had hushed up, listening to her words intently, deep down knowing much wouldn't change. After all she'd done, their friendship would never go back to what it was. Sakura had felt justified in her actions, until the days passed by and she had room to think. She realised in her moment of desperation, she had fucked up. She had jumped the gun. She had recreated the ending of their friendship, but this time, there was no turning back. There was nothing to pull them back together, especially not with the way she handled it all.
The rain was still pouring, a clap of thunder erupting above them. The storm was growing stronger by the second. The wind outside going with anything that could move. They were stuck together, and it was the least appealing thing to all three, for many different reasons. The lights began to flicker, signalling an upcoming power outage. They stood to attention then, the bulbs fluttering to black, shrouding them in darkness. Ino felt a surge of anxiety pass through her, she hated storms.
Naruto had caught her closing her eyes tightly before the lights flickered off, her breathing rapidly changing. He caught a glance at Sakura through the dark, a scowl still presenting through. Getting her breathing under control, Ino moved, slamming into the counter on her right.
"Fuck." She groaned out, rubbing at her knee.
"What are you doing?" asked Naruto, moving closer to the blonde female, wanting to examine the damage.
"I was trying to get at the back to look for any flashlights or lanterns," answered Ino. "I'm sure the lights aren't coming back on anytime soon."
"Let me help you." He said, walking up to her side.
"I've got this."
"I'd believe it more if you hand't bumped into the first thing on your path," said Naruto, shrugging. "And besides, I can see better than all of you in the dark."
Rolling her eyes, she let him guide them to the back, Sakura busying herself with brushing up the floor, creating a pile. The dark was no place to have sharp objects around. Stopping at the sign, Ino sighed. "You're not allowed back there." She pointed out.
"I'm sure your father will understand." responded Naruto, kicking the door open.
Entering, Ino waited till her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She couldn't pinpoint the boxes or cabinets around. Unwillingly tugging at Naruto's shoulders, she asked him to guide her to a white filing cabinet.
"Your dad throws flashlights into filing cabinets?"
"You don't get to ask or judge."
Upon opening it, she found what she was looking for. She threw one to Naruto, who clicked his on instantly, light shining out. Ino was glad they were working. She couldn't tell how long they'd had them in there. Turning her's on as well, she flashed it on Naruto, who squinted in her direction, throwing his palm up to deflect the rays. She jumped, slamming into the cabinet drawer and dropping the torch on the ground when a loud bang erupted, shaking the building. She really hated storms.
Authors Note: I know what some of you are thinking. Sakura's the one who wanted Ino to join their sexy time fling but she want's Ino no wear near Naruto? Is she crazy? Personally, I've always felt so watching the anime, but not so much in this story. It will get explored and talked about later. There's a lot of things that haven't been said between the two, doesn't help when the person they're fighting about is also right there with them.
To anybody who also think's Ino wavering anger is odd, no it's not. I'm using personal experience for that one. I've gone from angry to calm to down right shouting in people's faces in arguments before. It depends on how heated everyone is, or what happens around you. Sometimes our surrounding's find a way to calm us down by distracting us for a second. It's like if your yelling at someone and a loud bell starts to ring and you're wondering where the hell that came from. In those few seconds you calm down, you regain some composer. You're still angry as fuck but you're not as intense because your anger deviates to curiosity or some other emotion.
Also, to whoever think's Ino's lost it, she hasn't. She thought it was love, but that's how intense crushes can get sometimes. Hasn't anyone had a crush on a celebrity or person *cough* (anime character) that didn't know you existed but the more you saw of them, the stronger your feelings got. Even though you know nothing substantial about the person, just what they want you to know. You know what I'm talking about!
It's not like anyone asked but I still felt like explaining. It's really about how much control our emotions have over us. They say you can't control what people do, you can only control how you react to them but let's be honest, that shit is hard when your emotion's have a life of their own. I mean if we could control them, we'd have a lot less to worry about in the world.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it. Thanks for reading!
