a/n: Thank you for the reviews you left on the previous chapter, guys! :)
seven.
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"Sakura! Over here!"
Sakura turned around, surprised, and then noticed where Ino was sitting, looking very much like a porcelain doll, her legs crossed, her hair flawless and her smile angelic. She could see some guys making goo-goo eyes at the blonde and whispering her name, entirely too hopeful that she would look at them. Clutching her phone, Sakura made her way down to the table, ignoring the envious look said guys were throwing her as she did so.
"I'm glad you could make it on such a short notice," Ino said as soon as she sat down. "I was afraid I caught you on a busy day."
"On a Sunday? Not a chance." Sakura, despite herself, smiled sorely. She had been rereading Gone With the Wind for the nth time again this afternoon, something that had become her bimonthly routine, and bawling her eyes out at the last scene, when Ino called and asked her to meet up. "It's my relaxation day."
"I'm sorry to call you out like this, then," Ino said kindly. "Well, what do you want to drink? Their hazelnut coffee is wonderful." She flicked her fingers and a waiter came to take their orders. When their drinks arrived, Ino turned to Sakura. "So you must be wondering why I called you."
"A little," Sakura admitted, stirring her coffee.
"I'm leaving for Paris next Thursday."
"I see," Sakura said, nodding curiously. I'll miss you would sound too intimate, and although they had been friends once in their life, they were far from that now. "Why so soon?"
Ino shrugged. "Job calls."
Sakura smiled sympathetically. "Ah," she said, in a voice that meant I understand.
Ino laughed, "We're never going to be free from work, aren't we? I remember complaining all day long about always having to do homework and thinking we'll be free as soon as we're out of elementary, but nope—it never ends."
"It does get discouraging after a while," Sakura nodded, laughing as well. "When will you be back?"
"I'll come back when I have the chance to," Ino replied, "Although don't hold your breath to that—work's been increasingly annoying nowadays."
"But you are very successful now," Sakura said. "You've achieved your dreams."
Ino's bright blue eyes softened, "You remembered."
"We used to be really good friends, Ino," Sakura replied, shrugging. "I had a diary I wrote in at that time and your name came up several times."
"You used to be so confused on what you wanted to be when you grew up."
"Yes," she laughed fondly. "I love my job now, though. It's… fulfilling. I guess."
"That's good," Ino nodded, and in her eyes was that faraway look that told Sakura she was thinking about something, and when she finally came back to her, she looked determined, "Look, Sakura, it's very rude of me to say this now, but I… I have a favour to ask you."
Sakura straightened up, "You do?"
"I do."
"What… what is it?"
"I'm leaving on Thursday," Ino started softly, "And truth be told, I really don't know when I'll be back. Hopefully sooner than later, but we never know. My work is demanding like that," she looked up, and this time some sort of sadness graced her features, "You know what it feels like when you're not… home?"
Sakura didn't answer, just looked at her in a most curious manner. A little truthfully, she answered, "I've never been too far away from… well, home."
"Well. It's not a good feeling, I can tell you," Ino continued, "I worry a lot about what I've left behind, you know? You never really know what happens when you're not there. E-mails, text messages, phone calls and all that jazz only go so far. You can never really tell if they're really alright or not. Someone told me I worry too much and that's why I'm so troublesome," she chuckled at this, "But how can I not worry about what I've left? My family, my friends…" she paused, and then looked up sharply at Sakura, "Sasuke."
"Sasuke?"
"Sakura, I worry about Sasuke more than I worry about everyone else, even my family," Ino said, more seriously at this. "He's… different. He's not your average guy. There's something about him that makes him different."
"Um," Sakura responded. "Okay. I can't really say. I mean, I only know him for god knows how long. It's not enough to… form a judgment, surely."
The woman sitting across her looked relieved and expectant at the same time. "And that's why I came to you first."
"What?"
"Sakura, you're not judging him," Ino smiled ruefully, "Even after the way he treated you, you're indifferent to him. Not a lot of people are like that, right? I mean…" she trailed off, before quickly picking up again. "He needs someone like you. Who can… well, I would say understand him, but that's a little too much at this point. What I mean is… he needs someone who doesn't judge, you know?"
"You knew about what happened at Ichiraku?"
"Naruto told me a thing or two about it," Ino admitted, a slightly apologetic look crossing her face. "And while I'm on this, I might as well apologize on his behalf. He didn't mean it, Sakura. He didn't, I swear. It wasn't you or what you did or what you said at all, it was just… a bad time."
Sakura frowned, not getting her head around the idea. One minute they were reminiscing about the past, and another they were talking about Sasuke—and she really, really didn't know what to make of Sasuke. Sure, she didn't judge him, but it didn't stop her from asking questions, albeit silently and just to herself. She was just that kind of person who asked about another person when he or she happened to catch her interest.
And catch her interest Sasuke did.
In was inevitable, she supposed, because all of their meetings were… most curious, one could say, for the lack of a better word. He saved her from having to punch an asshole on the face on their first meeting, had blown up on the second, and was sort of… amiable on the third. What was strange and stupid at the same time was that she wanted to do something for him.
"Sakura?"
Looking up sharply at Ino, she asked, "What do you want me to do?"
"I know I'm asking for a lot, but…" Ino smiled and clasped her coffee mug tightly. "I want you to be friends with him."
"You want me to be friends with him?" Sakura asked, baffled. Now that was certainly unexpected—not that she was actually expecting anything.
"I just need… I just need someone who can tell him that it's perfectly alright to make mistakes, you know?" Ino sounded desperate, but she forced herself to continue. "Sasuke will never admit it, but he's such a perfectionist he thinks the world is out to get him—quite literally. I just want someone to be there and tell him that he's wrong when he's wrong, but also that it's okay to be wrong…" she trailed off, "You've seen Naruto. You might not believe it, but Naruto spoils him rotten, although Sasuke always thinks he's still around just because as if he owes Sasuke something, or out of pity. Which isn't true—Naruto really does care for him, and…" she looked up at Sakura. "You understand, right? You've always been good at reading people."
"You only know me in elementary, Ino," Sakura couldn't help saying. "I like to think that I've changed a lot since then, and I really do believe that I did."
"It's a bit of a long stretch, I know," Ino whispered, more softly this time, "But I really… the only person that came to mind when I thought about this was you, I wouldn't lie. And while I know he doesn't seem like he has a lot to offer… he's a rich man, money and authority and all that jazz, but there's more to him than just that, I promise. He's just… he just sets standards for himself way higher than anyone else does."
"Why… why me?"
"Because I liked you a lot when we were in elementary, Sakura, and I trusted you the most out of all the other girls," Ino said, smiling nostalgically, "And although you said you've changed, I like to think that no one can change so much there's no trace of the past in the new him or her. Your past makes you who you are, right? Also," a sad smile graced her beautiful face, "You're the only one I can think of who can do this."
"Do you understand what you're asking out of me?" Sakura asked incredulously.
"I'm not asking you to say yes immediately," Ino agreed. "I'm just asking you to consider it. Just… just think about it."
"I don't know, Ino," Sakura whispered. "I just… I don't know."
It wasn't that she didn't want to help Ino or anything of the like. She just didn't feel that it was her right, for the lack of a better word, to just—
"Just think about it, Sakura," Ino repeated, and held out a piece of paper with her phone number written on it, along with some bills. She stood up and smiled. "I have to go now, but I'd love to talk to you again before I leave for Paris."
"Oh, Ino—" she began, flustered, but was quickly interrupted.
"Just think about it," the blonde repeated again, leaning down to hold Sakura's hand for a brief second. "Just think about it and think it through, okay? At least promise me that."
"I…" Sakura looked up just in time to catch the plea and desperation in Ino's eyes, and she felt herself slowly giving in. Sighing in defeat, she nodded reluctantly. "Okay, I'll think about it."
"Thank you." The look on Ino's face was the very definition of gratitude, and all of a sudden, Sakura felt like she had done the right thing. The model looked as if she was about to cry out of relief. "And if you need anything, then by all means, just call me."
Sakura smiled. "Okay."
"I'll call you before I fly to Paris," promised Ino, offering a hand. "I'm forever indebted, Sakura."
Sakura stared at the outstretched hand, and then took it. "No problem."
As she watched Ino walk out of the cafe, she sat back down, massaging her throbbing temple and sighing in exasperation as she realized just what had happened.
Haruno Sakura, what did you just do?
xx
"I met Sakura today."
Sasuke raised his eyebrows at the declaration.
"She's a very nice girl."
"You've been throwing her at me since weeks ago, Ino." His jaw hardened. "My answer is still a no."
"I didn't ask you a question," Ino said, standing up to refill his glass of wine. Setting it gently on the table, she smiled. "But I want you to do me a favour."
"Favours for you never end up well for me," Sasuke frowned, though a few seconds of silence later he sighed in defeat. "What is it?"
"I want you to give yourself a chance." Ino laughed at his expression, and then squeezed his arm briefly, her fingers cool and dry. "Hey, I'm serious."
His frown deepened. "When have I not given myself a chance?"
"All the time," she replied, deadpan. "You've never given yourself a chance to relax."
"You know I don't have the time to."
"You just don't give yourself any time."
"There's no time to relax," he responded sharply, "I have a lot of things to take care of, you know that."
"There are other things more important than your business."
Sasuke didn't reply, keeping his gaze fixed on his laptop screen.
A little more gently, Ino added, "There are other things more important than what you're trying to do now, Sasuke."
"What do you think I'm trying to do here, Ino?" he asked, exasperated.
Her smile was sad. "Living up to Itachi."
Sasuke's head snapped up, his glare boring into hers, onyx orbs sharp and cutting deep. Coldly, he hissed, "Itachi's got nothing to do with this."
"Itachi's got everything to do with this," Ino corrected him patiently, "You just don't want to admit it."
"I don't want to admit something that's not true."
"It's not true just because you're lying to yourself," she said, and an almost maternal look graced her features, "I wish you would stop doing that, Sasuke. You don't need to, you know? You and Itachi are two completely different people. He'll always be better than you at certain things, but you'll always be better than him at certain things, too."
"You don't understand."
"Maybe not completely," Ino agreed, "But I want the best for you. You should know that."
"Do you want the best for Itachi, too?" he quipped harshly, "You were closer to him than to me before."
"That's not entirely true. I love both of you equally, and you know that. You know that, Sasuke," Ino frowned. "And this isn't about me. This is about you."
"Knowing you, it's probably more about you than about me." Sasuke's reply was biting, the implication of his words hanging heavily in the air. You've always been more self-centred than anyone else I know.
Ino flinched at his harsh words, but her face remained calm. "I don't want to fight with you, Sasuke. Not tonight. Not ever."
He refused to look at her.
She sighed. "If Itachi's got nothing to do with this—nothing at all—then why do you always get angry whenever anyone brings up his name?"
"No reason."
"He's your brother, Sasuke."
"Exactly."
"I don't see the logic in this."
"Logic only gets you so far." His smile was suddenly cruel. "It is different when other things are taken into consideration." His fingers traced his keyboard. "This is mine now. It's not his anymore."
"Yes," Ino looked at him in disbelief. "And you've proved yourself worthy of the company, Sasuke. Regardless of what you do, really, what matters is that you'll always be worthy. You just… don't realize that, do you? You keep trying to live up to Itachi's name—and oh, Sasuke, all I want to do is just tell you that you can just stop!"
He gripped her arm, his eyes narrowing. "Do you think it's easy, being me?"
"No!" she exclaimed. "It's never easy being anyone, Sasuke. You'll always have problems no matter who you are. All I'm asking is… is for you to stop making it so damn hard for yourself! Three years ago you've gained what you wanted your whole life—the company—and now that you have it in your hands, you can stop trying so damn hard and maybe live a little!"
Sasuke paused at this, emotions flooding his eyes for a split second before he gazed at her blankly. "You don't know everything that happened, Ino."
"Then maybe you should enlighten me."
"Maybe I don't want to."
"Maybe you should."
"Maybe it's none of your business."
Ino laughed bitterly at this. "Maybe I'll still care even if it's none of my business."
"Maybe you won't care at all."
"Do you know me at all, Sasuke?" she asked, tears forming in the corners of her bright blue eyes. "I've been with you your whole life. You and Itachi. Both of you."
"And now that he's gone, I'm not enough for you, am I? You have to change something about me."
"I only want the best for you."
"This is the best for me."
"Living your life in the office?" She grasped his arm tightly, her tearful eyes filled with hurt. "Really, Sasuke? Do you really think this is all to your life?"
Sasuke stared at her, and just like he expected, something inside him started to soften. He laughed outwardly, a cynical, sarcastic sound, and reached out to take her hands into his. Ino. Ino had always been his number one weakness, the only one he wanted to protect, the only one whose happiness felt like salvation to him. And right now, all he wanted to do was tell her everything—everything, starting from the beginning right to the very end—but he couldn't.
He just couldn't.
"Do you really think I want this, Ino?" he asked finally, his fingers squeezing hers. "If I had—have—any choice, do you really think I would have chosen this?"
She looked confused, but she returned his squeeze tightly anyway, her tone desperate when she spoke, "But you have a choice. You alwaysdo!"
"Not in this case, I don't."
Ino shook her pretty head, refusing to believe it, and a sad smile broke on her lips. "How can I go back to Paris if you're being like this?"
"Don't go."
"I have to, you know that."
He just chuckled. "Then don't worry about me."
"How can I not?" she asked. "You're Sasuke!"
"Exactly," he said, "I don't want you to worry about me."
She shook her head again. "I just want you to do one thing for me now. One."
"What is it?"
"I want you to get to know Sakura better."
Exasperation quickly flooded Sasuke's features again, all traces of sadness gone from his eyes, replaced by repressed anger. "You are unbelievable."
She took his hand and squeezed. "Am I? But I'm only doing this for you because you can't take care of yourself."
He frowned. "What is it about her that makes you so hell-bent like this?"
"She's the only woman so far who didn't run away crying from you." Her tone was playful, but there was a hint of seriousness in it that Sasuke didn't miss. "And I like to think that she's a chance, you know? A chance I want you to take. You might surprise yourself."
"A chance for what?"
"I don't know yet," Ino admitted reluctantly. "But you've said it yourself, I've always been good at noticing things other people don't. I want you to give her a chance, Sasuke. Can you do that for me?"
He shook his head. "What do you want me to do?"
"You're the man." Laughter was evident in her eyes now. "Take her out to dinner or something. You're the man."
"You're a lousy matchmaker and you know that."
"I am not matchmaking you with her!" Ino exclaimed. "I just want you two to be good friends. She's a good person, I can tell. Hasn't changed too much even though she doesn't even realize it herself." Her eyes softened. "And she's pretty, isn't she? She'll look good around you."
"Of course we'll make the front cover of any gossip magazine," Sasuke replied sarcastically.
"If that actually happens, you should send one to Paris," Ino laughed. "I really want to see that."
"It'll never happen."
She punched his chest playfully, and then asked. "Will you do it?"
Sasuke sighed in exasperation. "Have I ever said no to you before?"
"No." Her arms came around him as she enveloped him into a tight hug. "You've never said no to me before."
He didn't say anything, returning the hug quietly.
She tilted her head up, her lips on his cheek for a fleeting moment, and then pulled away. "I'm going to miss you a whole lot, you know?"
"I know," he said. "I know."
.
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tbc.
