Ino stared at the sky, her expression stormy.
"I wish I could see you again, Sasuke," she murmured to herself with a light sigh before she went back to lifting boxes.
"What did you say?" Aoi asked from where they were standing a few feet away, quizzical.
"Oh, sorry, just talking to myself." Ino waved off the question with a mirthless smile. "Just thinking about a childhood friend, is all."
They nodded quietly, glancing in the direction of the gates for a moment before asking, "What was it like?"
"Hm?"
"What was it like, growing up among the wealthy elite?" They elaborated. The look in their eye was a bit hard to discern, but Ino was able to catch traces of bitterness and envy before they looked away.
She softly smiled, shaking her head. "Not as great as it sounds, believe me. I was able to meet a lot of interesting people, but from the moment I was born I was treated differently than other kids my age."
She rested her chin atop the box and sighed. "It was honestly isolating. I can't tell you how many times I wished I could just be a normal kid. Go to school like a normal kid. Play with my friends like a normal kid. Just… y'know."
Humming, the older rebel commented, "I'd say you were luckier in that regard."
"How is that?"
"Well, for one, you never had to worry about food," Aoi began ticking them off on their fingers, "or where you had to live, or how good an education you could get. Hell, you didn't even have to worry about job prospects, given your status."
Ino nodded slowly. "I guess you're right about that. But I never used to think of it that way. I was… rather spoiled. I'm lucky I had down-to-earth friends to keep me grounded."
"You mean like the Hyuuga heiress?" They questioned. "True, she was a charming woman, but…"
"Not just her. I had friends in higher places, but I was also quite popular with the girls of the city too." She got a faraway look as she continued, "Sakura was my best friend, and Sasuke was my girlhood crush."
"Sasuke? As in Prince Sasuke?" Their voice took an incredulous tone.
"I don't know anyone else with that name, so I guess?" She laughed. "Contrary to how he might be now, he was really energetic as a kid. Real sweet. Just about every girl in the capital wanted to marry him someday. Well… Hinata never did, but that's only because she's only ever had eyes for Naruto. Something about opposites attract, I suppose?"
Aoi shook their head in surprise. "What, next thing you're gonna tell me is that the prince had a flame for a peasant?"
When Ino grew very quiet, their eye narrowed. "Are you serious?"
"You said it, not me," the blonde replied, looking away. "Everyone could tell that Sasuke had some kind of feeling for Sakura save for him, seems like. He only seemed to realize after she died."
"Oh…" They breathed.
"When Sakura died… Sasuke went down a very dark path. I'm worried he never actually shook it off." Her gaze grew solemn, turquoise eyes lowering to the ground. "Before I defected, I could see a great darkness in his heart, and that was even after Hinata was able to comfort him somewhat during their engagement. Naruto couldn't even help him back to normalcy, let alone me, and I was able to see him just about every week while Naruto lives with him."
"I guess it all started after Itachi left. He practically idolized him, and honestly, who didn't? Itachi was a prodigy child set to become the most benevolent king Fire has ever seen. Every time I visited, all he could talk about was how wonderful and amazing his older brother was, and how much he longed to play with him."
Her eyes hardened. "Just when it seemed he was about to return to even half of what he used to be, Sakura died in the raid on Morino. After that, it's like the Sasuke we knew and loved died with her. He became a person nobody could recognize." She gestured to her eye. "It didn't help matters that he awoke his Sharingan for the first time that day, or so the royal doctors told him."
Aoi listened with growing tension as she continued, "Hinata tried and failed to console him, but nobody could quell the depression he went through. He's been depressed ever since Itachi, but it only worsened with Sakura. And when Hinata left as well…" She sent them a look, and they nodded in understanding.
"He scares me, now. Karin once said that his soul felt cold as ice, like a frigid midwinter breeze, unusual for someone as warm-hearted as him. He used to be passionate and happy, but now…" She shuddered. "I'm scared that he's going to destroy himself if nobody can get through to him."
"A power like that can be dangerous, both to oneself and to others," Aoi mused quietly.
"You have no idea." She shook her head emphatically. "I lost hope for him a while ago, when it was apparent that I couldn't even be the one to heal his scarred heart. If I couldn't get through to him, if Hinata couldn't get through to him, our only hope would lie with Naruto."
"He grew up with the crown prince, didn't he?"
"They're brothers in everything but blood," she agreed. "Even when we were kids, he really valued Naruto's opinion. Even if the king and queen don't realize what's going on, Naruto is one of the only people I would put my faith in to bring him back to himself." After a moment, she mused, "Sakura would have been the other one, but she can't. Not yet, anyway."
Aoi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Isn't she dead?"
Ino startled at that for a moment before laughing awkwardly. "Sorry, sorry, I was thinking about Shien. I get them mixed up a lot, considering how much she resembles Sakura."
"I suppose that makes sense." To her relief, Aoi seemed to accept it.
"I hope they're both doing alright," she sighed to herself as the green-haired man turned away. "I should write to Hinata, she must be horribly lonely."
"While I'll always love him like a good friend, he scares me now," she thought as she set the boxes down next to the others in a group. "I know Hinata would feel the same. She always did care deeply for him, even now."
She looked up at the sky again, this time with a more solemn air. "Sakura… Naruto… please, please succeed where we've failed. Please bring back the Sasuke we love."
A/N: Please tell me what you thought.
