Sakura smiled humming to herself as she was slowly making her way to the coffee shop. This time she was finally able to meet up with Ino who had previously been too busy to meet Sakura on her day off and they both felt that it had been far too long since they had met and spoken face to face.
As usual Sakura ordered her coffee and turned to scan the room, she noticed Sasuke sitting in his usual seat out of the corner of her eye, he was reading as usual with a look of concentration on his face. Sakura grinned as she saw a blonde girl wave at her from across the room almost jumping out of her seat in excitement as she shouted her name. Sakura saw Sasuke glance up at the noise and frown in their direction before looking back down at the pages of his book and she smiled slightly to herself as she headed over to see Ino. Everything was just like it used to be, of course with the exception that she and Sasuke were sort of friends now. Not that she knew anymore about him.
"Hey Ino" She said slipping into the seat opposite her friend.
"Hi Sakura!" Ino was a cheerful as ever "I'm so sorry we haven't met up for ages." Sakura shrugged, anyway Ino didn't sound that apologetic if anything she seemed excited.
"It's no big deal you've been busy, we knew we wouldn't stay stuck with each other forever despite what we said when we were kids." Sakura said and Ino smiled as the memory when they promised to stay side by side came back to her.
"Friends forever, we thought we'd never be parted." She sighed placing a hand over her heart as she pretended to be caught up in her memories. Sakura snorted.
"We even dressed up as Siamese twins for Halloween, remember?" Sakura said with a grin as Ino grimaced slightly.
"That was a disaster, we could barely walk. I don't think we even got far round the entire estate." She said "It's something I try not to remember now along with all the other stupid things we did."
"And now look at us, just in our first full time jobs; fresh out of university, and you, Ino, with Shikamaru, I can't believe you've been dating for four years." Sakura said and Ino looked ridiculously pleased with herself.
"In secondary school I could barely stay interested in a guy for a month." Ino laughed slightly and Sakura smiled before taking a sip of her drink grimacing slightly as it was still far too hot for her to drink.
"You kept scaring them off!" Sakura said accusingly as she blew on her coffee in a futile attempt to cool it down and Ino looked shocked.
"Did not!" Ino protested and Sakura raised her eyebrows at her.
"Ino you had a reputation as a man eater, boys from our school practically fled from you in our final years as they thought you'd devour them and spit them back out again." Sakura said and Ino just stuck her tongue out at her.
"You're exaggerating." She said haughtily and they grinned at each other.
They looked away from each other and Sakura looked blankly at her coffee, and Sakura knew that Ino was probably doing the same as they were both lost in their own thoughts thinking back to their school days with each other. To the days where Sakura had to rely on her excellent memory so she wouldn't call Ino's new boyfriend the name last week's boyfriend had.
Her gaze was drawn to Sasuke's table and she could just about see him sitting behind Ino and she hesitated slightly wondering whether to tell Ino that she had spoken to him but at the same time she wanted to selfishly keep the few brief time with Sasuke to herself, those moments seemed somehow special to her, all the more so because of the rare moments when he was nice to her. Most of the time he was disinterested in what she had to say or watched her with a strange interest as if he couldn't quite believe what was in front of him. Although a small part of her hoped that he had a slightly better opinion of her than that.
"I'm impressed that you and Shikamaru have been together for so long, I remember when it was a record when you two had been dating for two whole months." Sakura said and Ino smiled briefly.
"Speaking of Shikamaru..." Ino started stopping Sakura's train of thought, Sakura glanced up at her friend over her steaming coffee.
"What is it?" Sakura frowned at Ino's troubled expression "You're not splitting up are you?"
"No it's not that" Ino was twisting her hands together on the table, Sakura recognised the habit Ino had always had; she only did it when you were nervous.
"What then?" Sakura asked her curiosity roused.
"He wants us to live together" Ino said quickly and Sakura put her coffee down.
"That great news Ino, are you going to do it?" She congratulated.
"Yeah but.." Ino frowned "I'd miss you Sakura." She took a deep breath "We've found this perfect house, it's in the next town and so much easier for Shikamaru to get to his job and I can easily get to mine there anyway we've both got cars and it'll only add another 20 minutes onto my journey, but with work and moving house, and everything I don't think..." Sakura put her hand over Ino's to reassure her feeling slightly touched that Ino was hesitating for her sake.
"It all sounds so great Ino, I suppose I'm envious of you, you've got a great boyfriend and things just keep getting better for you" She squeezed Ino's hand. "Enjoy it, you don't need and old childhood friend holding you back from your happiness, I can stand on my own two feet now, I'm not the child I was when I met you."
"So shy you almost blended into the background." Ino teased.
"Besides" Sakura continued ignoring the jibe although she did spare a moment to give Ino a dark look "It's not like we're going to lose contact completely we can still phone each other, email and all that, you won't get rid of me that easily." Ino smiled.
"And when I have children you're being the godmother, remember." She added.
"Children! You haven't even moved in with the guy yet!" Sakura protested and Ino laughed.
"We've had that planned for ages Sakura, and I'm being your children's godmother whether you like it or not!"
"Me? Have children? I need a boyfriend first." Sakura snorted.
"Then you better start looking." Ino quipped draining her coffee, and she gave Sakura a broad smile.
"Maybe I'll look in Sasuke." Sakura said lightly and Ino frowned at her. Sakura smiled smugly as Ino shot her a suspicious look. She was enjoying holding her fictional relationship over Ino for a while but even better, despite part of her wanting to hold on to Sasuke herself, she knew she'd relish the look on Io's face as she told her about their mystery man even more.
"And who is Sasuke? Who's made such terrible designs on my best friend?" She demanded and Sakura's smile widened.
"It's him." She said gesturing towards Sasuke where he sat reading and Ino turned round and looked from him to Sakura with her mouth slightly open in surprise.
"When did this happen and what else do you know?" Ino said leaning closer to Sakura in a conspiratorial manner. "Tell me everything." Sakura smiled at her and told her of the time she sat with Sasuke although Ino seemed put out that she didn't have many details about his life.
"I wasn't going to sit and interrogate him Ino." Sakura protested and Ino rolled her eyes. "He wasn't really talking to me much anyway. It was more me talking and him saying one word every so often."
"Why not you might not get another chance to find anything out." Ino said then she sighed dramatically "What if we get caught up in a drugs bust here and you could have found out to warn us away." She said and Sakura laughed.
"Ino the owner probably doesn't know any drugs other than aspirin." She said and Ino narrowed her eyes slightly.
"It's just a front, that's what she wants you to believe and you fell for it Sakura, I thought you were intelligent" Sakura kept laughing and Ino sighed "Oh, I'm going to miss this Sakura" she said sadly "I used to plan my whole week round this"
"Drinking coffee? Get Shikamaru to do that with you" Sakura said as she regained her composure and Ino rolled her eyes.
"That lazy bastard, I can't get him to do anything" Sakura laughed. They both fell silent and as Ino glanced at her watch her face fell.
"I have to leave now" Sakura nodded in understanding "I feel terrible" Ino continued. "You're my oldest friend and yet it seems I haven't got the time for you anymore" Sakura grinned at her friend.
"It's fine Ino, I understand, and who knows when I finally meet the future father of my children and your godchildren, maybe I won't have time to meet you anymore" She teased and Ino laughed and embraced her friend.
"I'm sorry to run out on this, I'll see you later, I promise, we'll have a longer chat next time and you are defiantly coming to the house warming party I won't take no for an answer!" Sakura nodded and finished her own coffee.
"Bye Ino" She watched her friend leave, the bell over the door ringing as she stepped out into the cold. Sakura sighed contentedly and picked up her belongings to leave.
"Hey" Someone said behind her and Sakura turned to face the voice.
"Sasuke, hi you could have said something earlier you know" Sakura said and Sasuke shrugged slightly.
"Your friend seems quite scary if you ask me" He said and Sakura smiled.
"She's alright, just a bit bossy" She said and glanced at his face which was as usual, unreadable, there was a slight pause as they stood awkwardly together and Sasuke seemed to be having some sort of internal struggle eventually he opened his mouth and spoke again.
"Are you alright?" She glanced at him with some surprise.
"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine" He raised his eyebrows at her. "Am I that transparent?" He said nothing, only continued watching her face as the expressions on it changed, Sakura sighed and sat down again so Sasuke was looking down at her. "Ino's so lucky, and she feels bad at not being able to meet up with me from now on"
"Why's that?" He asked although it seemed more of a question to allow Sakura to vent her feelings rather than out of a genuine interest most probably as he was looking out the window as he said it.
"She's moving in with her boyfriend, they're a great couple, and she's finally found someone she can't bend to her will" Sakura smiled ruefully. "I will miss her; I've known Ino for years"
"Hnn, I think I'd be glad to get rid of the person that's always been in my life" Sasuke muttered and Sakura gave him a disapproving look.
"Sasuke! You can't mean that!" He gave her an almost smile again.
"You haven't met Naruto" He retorted and she scowled at him.
"You still shouldn't say that" She chastised him and Sasuke shrugged
"Shouldn't I?" He said raising his eyebrows at her again.
"No" Sakura said firmly. He gave her a rueful smile and Sakura found herself smiling back. He had a nice smile, she thought, it completely transformed his face, making him seem a lot less serious.
"I have to get going" He said softly after they stood there in silence for a few moments.
"Going? Wait, you actually leave this place?" She said sarcastically, having never seen the coffee shop without him in all her times visiting it.
"Very funny" He said dryly. "I'll see you around" He headed for the door and Sakura stared at him as he left, she sighed again and moment later left the coffee shop herself.