Both girls were awake early the next morning, Ino especially with a headache that could kill a rhino. Nothing a nice cup of coffee and some painkillers couldn't kill, though.
Unfortunately... her headache didn't have as much to do with the alcohol as it did the rest of what had happened the night before. Though she was going to go about her day and pretend she couldn't remember because she was too drunk... oh, she remembered all right. She remembered trying to throw herself all over Sai and sleep with him. She also distinctly remembered being turned down very, very harshly.
Sai came into their room, nodding at both girls as they were brushing through their hair. "Since it is the both of you that are here, we will be addressing a game plan. We will leave here early, and we will grab breakfast just outside the city together. After that, I will take Dr. Haruno back to your place to retrieve her vehicle, and she can take care of her daily duties that way. You and I will then head to the office. Does that work for everyone?"
Ino nodded, then turned to Sakura, who seemed contemplative for a few moments before she nodded as well. Ino could see the hesitation in the pinkette's posture before she agreed. Something seemed to be on her mind. Once Sai swept out of the room, she turned to Sakura and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Sakura? What's wrong?" She asked, mildly worried.
Sakura was quiet for a few moments before she spoke. "I... I think I'm going to just give Sasuke some space," she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out an envelope. It was the spare key to her apartment; she'd specifically asked for two, just in case. "Can... can you give this to him for me? And tell him... tell him I still trust him and that I want him to have it. Maybe it'll convince him to come over and talk to me."
"Of course, sweetie. If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do." She gave a firm nod, then turned to her things, getting ready for the day and packing so they could go to breakfast.
After a healthy breakfast, Ino was back at the office, tearing through paperwork and finishing the last of the cases she would be working on. She was just on her way out of her office to grab a morning snack and coffee when she nearly bumped into one of the last people she expected to be in the building. Detective Uchiha? Oh, he had the nerve to show his face here, now? Control yourself, Ino, she mentally scolded herself. He might have been here for a good reason; blowing up at him in the middle of the hallway wasn't a good idea.
"DA Yamanaka," he greeted, to which she responded with a frown. "Apologies, I didn't mean to nearly bump into you." She watched as his posture shifted, displaying just how awkward he felt. "Have, um... Have you seen Dr. Haruno around at all? I was hoping to speak to her." Well, that was interesting. Was he actually here to apologize, or did he just want to return something? Ino took a moment to observe his posture, taking in his reaction; he wasn't quite making eye contact, and he would shift his weight from one foot to the other, showing how nervous he was.
"She's out of the office today. That being said, I can tell you where to find her, but only after you and I have a very important conversation." Important was putting it lightly. He'd had the nerve to come to the office, which meant he needed to be enlightened. She wasn't going to lay into him too hard–after all, that would just serve to upset Sakura more than she was already–but Ino also knew that he needed to be put in his place and told exactly why he was the world's biggest jerk right now.
"Sure," Sasuke replied with far too much confidence. Oh, it was so confident that it actually made her angry. She turned on her heel, taking calming breaths as she led him back into her office, closing the door behind him. More calming breaths came as she set her folders down on her desk, but they just weren't enough. As she turned to face him, she marched up to him, raising a hand and slapping him across the face.
Okay, so maybe slapping him wasn't the best choice of action, given they were in a police department office, but it was better than putting her foot squarely up his ass. That's what she would have preferred.
"...I deserved that," Ino heard him mumble.
"Oh, you damn well bet you did," she said with a hint of snark. "You deserve worse as far as I'm concerned, but we're both officers of the law, so those are a hell of a lot more illegal." She was fairly certain he wouldn't report her for assault for putting him in his place. He was smarter than that. It'd be a fruitless endeavour for him. She stood with both hands on her hips, staring him down and contemplating just how she was going to go about this.
Well... he did say he deserved it. Maybe he was here to apologize to Sakura after all. That wasn't going to stop Ino from going on her rant, though.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" She snapped, doing her best to keep her fury at just a light simmer. "Do you have any goddamned idea what kind of a jackass you're being, or are you just like every other bone-headed, muscle-brained, gun-toting detective in this office?" Okay, perhaps that was a little more than a light simmer, but she had a point to make!
"I know," came his quiet, mumbled reply. Seeing him hang his head in shame like that was enough to cool her down, leaving even her feeling frustrated. God, she wanted to yell at him so badly. She wanted to tear into him like a lioness into a fresh catch, but seeing him like that, she just couldn't. Sighing loudly in frustration, she flopped back on the couch near her desk, resisting the urge to groan. "Sit down," she instructed, knowing she had to take the high route here. If she got too aggressive and too snappy, she'd be no better than he was.
"Listen up," she began, pinching the bridge of her nose. "There's something you need to know about Sakura. Something she's never going to tell you, that she's never going to admit to you, but it's something she does all the goddamned time." And boy, was it ever frustrating. "And she's going to do it when you talk to her, and I need you to understand that she's an idiot." Sakura saw faults in herself that were never supposed to be there, especially in situations like these. She hoped he could begin to understand that.
Seeing she'd captured his attention, she held up one finger and began. "One, Sakura will forgive you. I know her, and she will." Ino had nothing against that. It wasn't like the things he'd said were completely unforgivable, after all. "So if you're worried about that, don't be. She's my best friend–no, she's basically my sister, and I know how she operates." Things were more than salvageable between the two of them. Ino knew that she needed to do what was best for Sakura... and right now, that was to do her best to help Sasuke patch things up. For as much of a jerk as he'd been to her, he'd done Sakura a lot more good in a short amount of time than he had bad things.
"two," she continued, "she's going to think she's the guilty party. It's not your fault; it wouldn't have mattered what you said. She would have thought it. Sakura's not the type of person to blame others for her problems; she'd rather blame herself as opposed to standing up and having a spine. It's sweet because it means she really cares and doesn't want to hurt anyone, but it's stupid because she'll just circle around and around on that." In fact, she already was; but Ino needed Sasuke to understand that it would be imperative for him to break that thought process of hers. He needed to stop her in her tracks on that.
"And thirdly, she'll take on the weight of the world for the people she cares about." Sakura may not have said it, but Ino knew the real reason those words had upset her friend. "All she wanted was to help you, and you pushed her away. She could have been having the worst day of her life, and the minute she realized you were having a bad day, you became her priority. Hell, that day, I became her priority, and she had to make a choice; she trusted you'd be more okay than I was." Now came the most frustrating part.
"She won't talk about what she's going through because to her, it's never more important than what anyone else is going through. She could be allying apart inside, and she'll still give you a smile and a hug and make you laugh just because she doesn't want to watch her friends cry. Sasuke, she's the gentlest, most kind person I've ever known in my life. I didn't know anyone could be that selfless until I met her. It's endearing, really." Sakura's kindness knew no bounds, especially when it came to the people she loved. "It also means that when she really starts falling apart, she crumbles like dust. Right now, that's kind of where she's at." Time to take care of Sakura's actual request from earlier because she'd be remiss if she didn't follow her friend's instructions. She got up and grabbed the envelope from her desk, handing it to him.
"She's taking the day to move into her new apartment," she explained. "She asked me to give you the spare key and told me to tell you that no matter what, she still trusts you, and she wants you to have it." There were probably things even he hadn't realized about Sakura, either. Curse them for being two socially awkward creatures.
"Without you, she would have fallen apart sooner than now dealing with her emotions. She can't set foot in that old house, Sasuke. She's terrified. That, and..." Oh, she was going to get in trouble for this, but screw it. "She's in love with you. And you didn't hear that from me. She will kill me if she finds out I told you. And Sakura truly angry..." She grimaced. Oh, that thought was terrifying. "If you thought I was scary... oh boy, you don't want to see her snap." Ino had seen it once or twice in her life, and she never wanted to see it again. Just the thought of it made her cringe.
"Should I go help her?" Sasuke asked.
"I think she'll be okay for today," Ino said. "Give her the day to get settled and moved in, and talk to her tomorrow. Or tonight. Just... If she needs you, be ready to be there. Be ready to be like her–to drop whatever it is you're working on, or whatever it is that's bothering you, and go to her. Don't even ask her if she needs you because she won't say she will. She's too damned selfless to admit she does." Ino had a feeling that Sakura was going to need him very, very soon. She just... knew, somehow.
"Thank you, Mis– ...Ino," Sasuke said as he stood up. That had to be the first time he'd called her by her name; perhaps that meant she'd got through to him. "For... for you insight and for not hating me," he added.
"Hey. I made Sakura a promise," she said. "No matter the decision she'd make, I would have her back, and I would support her. That key means she still thinks there's a chance for the two of you. If I can help make that happen, then I'm doing my job as her best friend." Well... Until push really came to shove, that is. A dangerous smile crossed her features. She had to strike a little fear into the detective, at least.
"Just know," she began, "that if you screw it up even worse, you might learn what it's like to have a pair of stilettos up your ass and around the corner," she said in a mockingly sweet tone, tapping the stiletto of her heel on the floor. The shudder that ran through Sasuke was priceless to watch; he clearly had considered the thought and wasn't fond of it. Good. She didn't want him to be.
"Right," he replied, clearly choosing not to say anything more. "I'll... give her today, and be ready if she needs me." Good to hear that he was going to take her advice; he clearly needed it.
"Good. Now get going, I've got some work to do, and you have amends to make." She shooed him out the door, giving him a wave before closing the door. She'd done her part.