Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any associated copyrighted property. All I own is my imagination and therefore, this plot.
Rating: Mature for language, drug usage, sexual references, and lesbianism (because apparantly, that's only for mature audiences).


"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within." - Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Chapter 5

It had taken Sakura a long time to notice. Christmas came and went, and spring settled in Konoha. Why she hadn't noticed, didn't make much sense, granted that the signs were so ridiculously blatant. Perhaps it should've first occurred to her when she'd be absolutely worried when Ino didn't show up to her soccer matches in the spring. The blonde girl had made it a ritual to go to all of Sakura's swim meets and soccer matches and so the pink haired girl was often very worried when she didn't show up. Thoughts of Ino trying to commit suicide filled her mind and it often distracted her from what she was doing. It had become obvious to her teammates that Ino was a factor in Sakura's performance.

Actually, she had become a factor in the whole team's performance. In the winter, when Ino wasn't around, the guys didn't seem to want to swim as hard. When Ino showed up, it was an all out testosterone fest. Of course the girls on the team were jealous, just as Sakura used to be of the blonde beauty, but Ino was never rude to them or stuck up when she was forced to speak to them at the practices, and if there had been any awkwardness, Sakura credited that to her distrust of human nature. Ino just seemed to be very uncomfortable with just about anyone, of course her masks were almost flawless, but Sakura knew better.

It had only taken her the one time that the team asked Ino to join them for practice for Sakura to know that Ino was still struggling with her image and self-confidence. Ino used every excuse not to get into the pool.

"I'll ruin my make up."

"I don't have any swim suits that fit me."

"I feel sick."

"I forgot how to swim."

"I'm on my period."

Eventually, Ino's resolve cracked and she found herself standing awkwardly next to the pool in a swimsuit of hers. Sakura, like everyone else, couldn't keep her eyes off of Ino. She was obviously still recovering from an eating disorder, but she certainly did look better. Still super-model thin, but it wouldn't take long for her to reach a healthy weight. What worried Sakura wasn't her still thin figure, but the bruises that had darkened her thighs. It was when Sakura's green eyes moved up to Ino's face and saw the fear and apprehension in the blonde's blues that she realized Ino was still very uncomfortable. And the bruises…had Ino been hurting herself?

"Come on; jump in," Sakura coaxed, breaking the trance the beautiful blonde had set everyone in. Ino eased herself into the water, complaining of the cold, and held onto the edge of the pool.

The green eyed girl was immediately annoyed with the lusty look her coach and the other boys were giving Ino, and she fell into a defensive mode. After hearing that Ino had… well, what she assumed was, dated Kakashi she had begun to watch him closely at practice and at school. It turned out that the guy was a grade A pervert. It was not to say he wasn't a good guy, because he was, but he was one of the most perverted men she had ever met.

But with Ino, she thought, it was totally understood, because Ino was one of the most beautiful girls she had ever laid eyes on. Sakura wanted to tell Ino that, because she had missed her opportunity a little while before that, and she regretted that moment. Instead she had blown up at the girl, insulting her respectability.

She had just arrived back home from breakfast with Naruto. He had been a lot calmer and chivalrous than he usually was during their outing—the pink haired girl figured the boy was suffering from intense embarrassment. She tried her hardest to make him feel comfortable, but his cheeks were a constant pink and his voice cracked at least ten times within the two hours they spent with one another. It wasn't unpleasant, but Sakura was convinced that she wasn't interested in him romantically.

On her search around the house for Ino (for the sole purpose of berating the blonde for setting up the date), Moegi informed her in quite the shrewish manner, that Ino was in the backyard. Sakura was a bit concerned about the young girl's attitude, but was soon enlightened as to why she seemed grumpy. Her father, Konohamaru, and Udon were all lined up on the porch watching Ino… tan?

Sakura was absolutely disgusted with the guys, but realized that she herself was having trouble tearing her eyes away from Ino's barely clad form. If she looked this good pencil thin, Sakura could only imagine how wonderful she'd look at her proper weight. The green eyed girl found that her throat was insanely dry as she approached the blonde lying on a towel in the sun.

"Ino… what do you think you're doing?" the pink haired girl inquired in annoyance. She didn't really know why she was suddenly annoyed.

"I'm tanning," Ino replied simply, cracking her eyes open to look up at Sakura who was looking down at her. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to put some clothes on," she snapped. She suddenly realized why she was so annoyed. It was because Ino seemed to have no reserve when it came to parading around in front of guys. She was a total slut.

"Sakura, chill; I'm just tanning. I've gotten as pale as you are and I don't really like that look on me."

"No," the girl retorted, not taking kindly to the insult. "What you're doing is lying in my back yard in a skimpy bikini in front of my dad and stepbrothers! What kind of slut are you?"

Ino sat up, suddenly pissed.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" she stood up with her eyes blazing in anger. "I could just tell that ever since yesterday, when I told you about Kakashi and I, you've been aching to call me a slut or something along those lines. I'll have you know that all I did was kiss him. So you can get the idea of me fucking guys out of your head. The only guy I've ever fucked is Saskue! And look at what's left of me! Look at me, Sakura! Do you think I have any intention of seducing your dad?! Udon?! Konohamaru?!!"

Sakura stared at her like a deer in headlights realizing that she didn't understand Ino at all and that she was allowing her assumptions get in the way of her actually getting to know Ino's character. Her green eyes widened as Ino's breathing became labored.

"Are you ok?" Sakura asked, moving closer to the girl in case she was about to collapse.

"No," Ino breathed deeply, pushing away Sakura's hands. "Just leave me alone."

With that she stalked back into the house, obviously fighting with herself to stay upright.

Sakura was too embarrassed with herself to apologize to Ino until late at night, when they were both trying to go to bed. She had avoided her all day, but realized she couldn't avoid her any longer.

"Ino?"

The blonde didn't answer, but Sakura knew she was awake.

"I'm sorry about earlier… I guess I was just jealous."

"Fuck… Sakura. I don't even know what to say to you."

Ino was mad; she had a right to be mad, however.

"Is that really what you think?" she asked.

"What?"

"That I'm a slut?"

"No… I told you that I was just jealous."

"Jealous of what? That I don't burn in the sun; because that's all you have to be jealous of."

It was then Sakura should've realized that she wasn't jealous of Ino, but jealous of the guys that Ino had seemed to be displaying herself for.

"I don't know how many times I have to remind you how lucky you are," Ino said gently, and Sakura could hear her voice thicken with tears. "You've got a great family, people respect you, and guys like you for being you… not for how you look, or how much money you have."

Sakura sat up so see that Ino was crying, her face halfway into the pillow.

"Do you know how many times Sasuke has called me since I tried to kill myself? Once, and do you know why he called? He had suddenly remembered the weed he left in my car, and wanted it back… he doesn't love me like I loved him. He never did… You have nothing to envy, Sakura," Ino whimpered before staying quiet for allow her breathing to level out.

Sakura got up and sat on the edge of her bed, missing the comfort of the mattress even more once she felt it again. She tentatively wrapped her arms around Ino and hoped that she was doing some sort of good in the situation. It was certainly awkward, granted that she had to lie down next to Ino to hug her properly, but she figured it was an appropriate time to do it.

"I'm not so upset about him not loving me than I am about my life being so shitty that I actually miss him. Despite the fact he didn't love me, he was one of the best things that ever happened to me."

Sobs choked the girl up and she struggled to continue, "Him, and smoking, and drugs. It all made me feel good, and it's hard to not want things like that back in my life, because of it."


On Ino's side of things, comfort can be taken on the account of Ino actually coming to a conclusion with all that was going on with her and her feelings. However, that's as far as comfort can go. Ino was absolutely terrified of the possibility, and immediately decided to do everything in her power to run away from those feelings. Her first step was to stop going to Sakura's sporting events, and since it was soccer season, she made it her job to not go to the games.

Ino may have been a master mask crafter, but that didn't stop her from hurting when Sakura asked her why she didn't go to the game and she'd reply with, "I didn't feel like going."

Sakura would give her that look. That look of dreaded disappointment and sadness. Her green eyes were the clearest windows Ino had ever seen, and she often had to force herself to gaze away from them when telling Sakura things she knew would hurt the other girl.

Sakura certainly didn't deserve the cold shoulder Ino was giving her, but the blonde felt as if there was nothing else she could do. She realized she didn't have the morale to spend so much time with Sakura, and the fact that she was living with the girl didn't help her out at all. She soon found herself partying again on Friday nights; anything to get away from Sakura and her gentle glances and warm smiles.

Anything to get the green eyed girl off of her mind.

It hadn't been that way at first. At first, Ino felt as if she suddenly had a sister—something she remembered always wanting when she was younger—and it was unbelievably enjoyable for her. They'd watch TV together, do each others' hair, do homework together; it was the best thing that had happened to Ino in a long while… but then. Then something happened.

The blonde had been watching one Sunday afternoon as Naruto walked Sakura up from a short outing she agreed to go on with him. As they were walking up to the door, Naruto stopped the pink hair girl and kissed her. Sakura had looked surprised at first, but then Ino watched as she kissed back.

Something inside of her seemed to stop functioning at that exact moment. Numbness seeped through her chest and she suddenly felt tired. When Sakura entered her room, she made sure she was pretending to sleep under the comfortable comforter of the pink haired girl's bed.

And Ino was the kind of person who knew herself thoroughly, so she knew she wasn't envious of Sakura, but Naruto for getting the chance to kiss Sakura. She laid there in bed, silent, with tears burning her eyes as Sakura seemed to confusedly pace around the room before deciding on getting on her laptop to work on something. She immediately knew what was going on and it scared her; it scared her more than anything else. It was her fear that drove her to push Sakura away.

The discomfort continued to mount between them, so much so that Ino just wanted to avoid Sakura at all costs. She couldn't risk her feelings any longer. How would Sakura to react to the knowledge of Ino liking her in that way? Wouldn't she be disgusted? Wouldn't she demand that Ino stay else where—go back home?

Instead of waiting for herself to foolishly act on her feelings and have Sakura ask her to leave; she decided to leave before she was kicked out.

One night at dinner she looked up and made eye contact with Mr. Haruno.

"I want to go home," Ino said, fighting back any physical signs of her distaste of using the word "home" in reference to the place she used to reside.

"What?" the man seemed appalled and Sakura looked up with surprise and worry on her face.

"I want to go back home… I miss it."

Ino briefly made eye contact with Sakura and she immediately knew that the pinkette knew she was lying.

"Um…" Mr. Haruno looked around, pleading for assistance from his wife and Sakura. When they only gave him worried and confused looks her shrugged. "I guess we can take you there tomorrow morning… when would you want to come back?"

"No; I want to go back to my house, and I want to stay there."

"Oh," Mr. Haruno was obviously feeling discomfort—his green eyes relayed it quite clearly. Shizune set her fork down, silently giving Ino a suspicious look.

"Is something wrong?" she asked calmly, concerned. She had noticed the tension building between the two teenagers and she had been anticipating an argument. She'd never expected Ino would want to leave because of it… what was going on?

Silence permeated the atmosphere and Sakura huffed, tossing her fork down onto the table.

She stormed off, up into her room, and Mr. Haruno sighed, looking stressed out. Ino refused to look up at the two adults and merely looked down at her half eaten dinner. She had obviously offended the family, but she needed to leave. She couldn't live like this anymore.

"Ino," Shizune said gently, "now I know you and Sakura have been having a bit of trouble getting along, but I assure you, running away from the problem isn't going to solve it. I used to argue with my sisters all the time, but we always made up afterwards. Same goes for my best friend. She's a bit impulsive and brazen, and she reminds me a bit of Sakura… It's tough to live with these kinds of people, but you can't just let things like this rule your life. If you want to go back to your dad, then fine, it's ok… just remember that you have a family here and that we'll be here for you."

Ino's eyes dampened as she struggled to keep herself from blurting things out. She kept her gaze at the table until a thumping sound on the steps caught her attention. Mr. Haruno shot up and stood at the base of the steps as Sukura came down dragging a large suitcase with her.

"What are you doing?" Mr. Haruno asked, looking angry.

"She said she wanted to leave, so I'm bringing her things down."

"We can do that in the morning, Sakura," the man bit out, sternly. He was obviously upset that Sakura seemed to have no objections to Ino's desire to leave. He was sure the blonde would change her mind in the morning and he had been hoping that Sakura would try to talk some sense into her once she got over her anger.

"No, fuck that, she's leaving right now."

Ino flinched and Mr. Haruno barked at Sakura, "Watch your language!"

"Everyone, just calm down," Shizune tried, obviously wanting to talk some sense into her family.

Sakura shook her head and lugged the bag outside. Mr. Haruno sighed heavily and plopped down on the staircase.

"What is going on?" he sighed once again.

At this point, Ino stood up and followed Sakura outside.

Once Sakura noticed her she shut the trunk of the Ferrari and glared at Ino. The blonde merely stared back, her face void of all emotion. Sakura looked sick, suddenly, and spoke with desperation.

"If it was something I did… I'm sorry."

Ino didn't reply but merely opened up the door to her car.

"Please… Just talk to me," Sakura's voice broke and she felt very weak. "We can figure this out… whatever is wrong. I won't say anything anymore about my soccer games… I don't want you to feel pressured into going. It was selfish of me. I'm sorry. I won't bother you about the parties you go to—that was rude of me. I'm sorry… please, Ino… I'm sorry."

"Just stop, Sakura. I'm leaving… I can't stand it here."

Tears spilled out of green eyes that changed colors at each different hour and Ino felt like the scum of the earth. She watched as Sakura steeled herself and flinched at her following words.

"Fine… Don't ever come back."

The pink haired girl turned on heel and headed back into her house. As the door shut Ino finally let her tears fall and she started her car. Once back at home, the sinking feeling she had been experiencing since she let those words escape her lips at dinner continued.


Naruto was certainly concerned after seeing that Sakura hadn't come to school on Thursday and that was the reason he called her… not for anything else. Not to have his heart broken.

"Hey, Sakura, what's up? You feeling alright?" the blonde boy asked after she answered the call.

"No, I was feeling a little sick this morning," the pinkette replied, setting down the textbook she was reading. Thanks to the class syllabus, she could easily keep up with everything she had to do if she missed a day. She wasn't really sick, just a bit depressed about Ino's decision to leave… depressed enough to not want to go to school and be questioned about her somber appearance.

"Oh… ok, well I was a little worried when you didn't show up today…"

Sakura could practically feel his blush through the phone.

"Look, Naruto… I don't like you like that."

"What?" he was caught off guard—vulnerable—open.

"We should just be friends… you're not my type. I love you, but not like that."

"Oh…" He suddenly grew very quiet, trying to figure out how the conversation had suddenly turned to this topic.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said with a heavy sigh.

"It's fine… I understand," he mumbled, but Sakura knew that he really didn't because there was nothing to understand at the moment. Nothing made sense.

"I'll talk to you later… ok?"

"Yeah," and with that, he hung up the phone.

Sakura's heart fell even deeper into her chest. That had been one of the toughest things she had ever had to do. She was never one to enjoy hurting people and was sure that she was hurting more than Naruto was at the moment—that's just how she was. With a heavy sigh, she threw the phone down onto her floor and buried her face into her pillow, hoping it would soak up her tears.

The attempt at soaking up her tears with the pillow was futile, for the scent of Ino's hair still lingered.

The next day at school was very awkward for the pinkette. Her friends were all greeting her with "I'm glad you're feeling better" or ,"Good to see you feeling well" and as she listened to them she realized that she wasn't feeling any better than how she was feeling the previous day. She was still feeling depressed, but tried hard to hide it from them. How would it benefit them to know that she was depressed because Ino had left? That she had failed in her mission to help revive Ino; she had probably made Ino more depressed than she was to begin with. Ino had only knew that her life was bad… she had never experienced what she could've had, but didn't, no, not until she had begun to live with the Haruno family.

Sakura had never been the kind of person to seek comfort in anyone; she found it harder to cope with certain things when others knew about it. That was why she avoided going to lunch with her friends… and part of it was because she couldn't stand to see Naruto after she had been so uncharacteristically brash with him.

"Sakura?"

The voice startled her and she turned to see that Hinata was a few feet away from her.

"Oh… Hey Hinata," the girl said before turning back to look across the baseball field. Sakura didn't bother to wonder how Hinata had stumbled across her hiding out behind the science building.

The girl took a seat beside Sakura and tucked her knees up to her chest so that she could have somewhere to rest her chin.

"Is everything ok?"

Sakura looked up at the girl, whose eyes looked as if they lacked the ability to see, gently questioning her knowledge and awareness. How did Hinata seem to know?

"Why do you ask?" Sakura mumbled, looking back out over the field.

"Well… I saw Ino earlier… and s-she was… um, with Sasuke."

"She what?" Sakura's hair suddenly stood on end.

"S-she was smoking behind t-the school with Sasuke."

Sakura sighed and shook her head.

"Hinata… has there ever been… no," Sakura changed the direction of what she was going to say. "…. Have you ever worked really hard on something, only to have it slip away from you right when you were almost done with it? You know… like when you're working hard on an essay on the computer and the power goes out?"

Hinata hesitated and then shook her head.

"Microsoft Word has a file recovery, though it's p-pretty inefficient. It only saves s-so much. But that's better than n-nothing, r-right?"

Sakura gave Hinata a gentle smile and then heaved a heavy sigh.

"I guess you're right… I was just going to give her some space. I worry that the space I've given her has made her inaccessible."

This reminded Sakura of her petty worries of the earth slipping away from the gravitational pull of the sun when she was younger. Yeah, she was pretty nerdy back then, but her fears were legitimate at the time—every little kid worried about dying in peculiar ways. Freezing to death due to the lack of warmth was one of them. (1)

Sakura had to wonder who exactly the sun was in this situation… Had she looked back at the beginning of this whole ordeal, she would've certainly awarded herself the title of life sustaining orb of heat, but now she was wondering if the roles had suddenly switched on her. Ino suddenly meant so much to her and she was afraid that she had let herself become to dependant on Ino's presence. Her silent observation and random, offhand comments had become an everyday thing for the green eyed girl. Sakura looked forward to waking up, each morning, to see that Ino was making use of the bed she had stolen from her. She was happy to see the girl without make-up, vulnerable, and real. She was happy to see her faint smiles when she found something funny—she rarely straight out laughed at things.

"Sakura?"

"Hm?" the girl replied, having forgotten that Hinata was still there.

"I think you're doing the right thing." (2)

With that, Hinata left her to her thoughts.


1- What a NERD! But I'll embarassedly admit that similar thoughts began to torment me when I heard that NASA found water on the moon... please, don't even ask. haha
2- Doing the right thing is so hard when you want to be selfish and do what would please you.

A/N: Erm, sorry about not updating for so long. I'd take the time to list excuses here, but I'm sure you don't want to read my whiney complaints about the things going on in my life. But yeah, I've edited this chapter like five times and it's still not how I would like it to be, but oh well. Review and tell me what you think; I think I'm struggling with this shorter length story (that IS my intent for this story at least...) Oh, but I do have good news: I've thought up another Sango/Kagome story and so I'll start on that once I'm done with this.

Thanks for reading, review please!
-E.E.