Endless Tears

I do not own Naruto and all rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto. =3


Chapter Five:

Sakura adored cosmos flowers. Ever since she was little and she had to learn flower arranging with Ino to be exact. The soft pink ones and bright yellow on were just as beautiful as the colorless whit ones. It was because of Ino she was able to learn that just because she had an irregular size forehead that she was still pretty. She owed the young Yamanaka a lot now that she thought about it.

They were finally able to make up and build a stronger friendship after Sasuke left. It was both sad and two. With the sole source of their rivalry no longer around, their bickering ceased and they were able to fall into the old rhythm they created when they were eight.

"Ino." She called softly, when she noticed the blond sitting in the dead center of a patch of cosmos flowers.

"Your late." Ino commented, keeping her back on the pink haired girl.

Green eyes fell on the pale colored flowers surrounding her friend. Sakura bent slightly and picked one the same color as the girl sitting a foot or two away from her and tucked it behind her ear. She smiled warmly at the other girls back and shrugged, even though she knew the blond couldn't see her.

"Well you know how Naruto can be." Sakura spoke blandly, "Always using me as an excuse to skip out on some of the pressures of being the Hokage."

Ino nodded in understanding before turning so she could face the pink haired kunoichi. She then returned Sakura's smile and patted her palm on the flowerless patch of grass right beside her. She complied and after walking over to her friend, she sank down to her knees beside her. After a moment of silence, Sakura finally spoke up.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

Ino nodded her head slowly, before letting the smile melt away from her face. She knew this was going to be a serious conversation, so she needed to be serious. It was a hard task, but somehow she managed to make it work.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"I just wanted to say…I'm sorry." Ino whispered, keeping eye contact.

Sakura rested her weight on her shaky arms, "For what?"

"Everything."

After a moment the meaning behind the blonde's words settle on her and she nodded in deep understanding with her. She knew what Ino was trying to tell her. She knew it very well. Ino may not be as good as Sakura at tapping into her emotions, but it didn't matter. They shared a girl's understanding.

"You deserve Sasuke." Ino added, "I never did. I know now that it wasn't love that made me chase him but a keen fascination. He was cute and cold. Mysterious like all the heroes we used to read about as kids. I am sorry for being jealous and letting him come between us."

Sakura could feel the heat of the conversation, but the mention of his name made her body feel like ice. It was nothing new to her, but it didn't stop her from hoping for the pain to dull and the memories of him to vanish into nothingness. Loving him was nowhere near as enjoyable as she often hoped as a kid.

"I've found everything I could've dreamed of." Ino continued, "I just hope you can find the same."

Sakura leaned closer into Ino's face and searched her eyes. In confusion, she smiled causing Sakura to fall back on her butt. Ino's blush was a deep crimson, as she stared down at her knees. It was then Sakura noticed the pink cosmos flower tucked behind her friend's ear.

"Who?" Sakura asked with a smirk.

Ino's blush deepened, "Shikamaru Nara."

Sakura giggled. She always knew deep down in her heart that those two were destined to be together. It was so obvious, though the two tried to act like they were nothing more than squad members. Shikamaru was good at testing Ino's limits and the blond seemed to bring the best out of the lazy jonin.

"It's about time." Sakura laughed.


(A/N: Sorry for the super short chapter. Worry not my loyal readers, the next chapter will be longer. Until then please review. It would make me super happy! :D)