Sorry for the wait. School and extra curriculum stuff is crazy this time of year! Enjoy chapter 6!

The Talk

The two boys walked a while longer, each jamming their hands into their pockets. One gazing at the stars, one staring at the ground. One thinking about what to say next, the other not even knowing if he could take another step. One wondering what he should eat for breakfast the next morning, the other hoping he would die in the next forty-seven seconds.

The silence ended.

"Eh, teme, let's have 'The Talk.'

Sasuke's eyebrows shot up as he turned to face Naruto.

"Ugh, Sasuke, you pervert, I wasn't talking about that," Naruto said with disgust. He sneered and added, "Anyway, I probably wouldn't need to give you that 'Talk' because that chocolate lady already taught you everything, didn't she?"

The other boy's eyes fell back to the ground, and Naruto was immediately sorry.

"Hey, forget what I said. Let's talk about how we're going to get you back together."

Those dark eyebrows shot up once again.

"Didn't you just help her…?"

"Yes. Shut up so I can help you. Look, both of you are my best friends, so you deserve equal treatment…… Well, I take that back, you may not deserve it as much as she does."

"Do you have any other ways to make me feel worse?"

"Yes. Now, to Operation: Get Best Friends Back Together!"

Sasuke shrugged as Naruto flashed a toothy grin.

"Okay, so what we do is…….."

Sakura had gone back to sleep after making her friends promise not to leave her. Even so, she was fitfully dreaming about death and blood and sharingan. Her friends, however, were still up, helping her out in little ways. Hinata was cleaning up the house a bit, Ino was restocking her fridge, and Tenten was polishing Sakura's weapons. It was serenely quiet, until several strong knocks were heard on the door.

"I'll get it," Ino sighed, "It's probably just Naruto."

She padded softly to the door and opened it.

"Whoa…."

"Dobe, are you sure this is going to work?"

"Yes, teme. It's fail proof!"

"How many times have I heard that, trusted you, and then been injured physically, mentally, or emotionally?"

"Hey! The fat lady with chest hair was totally unexpected! It's not my fault she walked into the baths that day!"

Sasuke shuddered. "Chest hair……."

"And it definitely wasn't my fault that she got out of the water and you saw……whatever the hell that thing was! You shouldn't have been peeking!"

"Dobe, one, you were the one ogling all the underage girls, and two, I don't think 'she' should have been in the women's bath."

Naruto scoffed.

"Anyway, teme, we're getting off track. Let's go practice our plan!"

"Your plan. And I don't think I need practice."

"We'll see about that."

"Whoa….."

Ino stared for a moment at the beautiful purple haired woman standing in Sakura's doorway, but quickly went back to normal and leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed.

"Excuse me, but I believe you have the wrong house. Sasuke's house is about one mile away, but I really don't think he's up for any fun tonight."

Purple sighed.

"I'm not looking for Sasuke. I'm looking for the pink haired girl. Sakura, right?"

Tenten came up, draped herself over Ino's shoulders, and said,

"Yeah, you have the right girl, but you're not coming in. You're a civilian, aren't you?"

Purple nodded.

"Then don't bother trying, because we are kunoichi. You know, the warriors of Konoha. Don't risk it."

Hinata arrived and leaned in on the other side of Ino, eyes on the floor.

"Please. Sakura is hurt tonight. Don't make her go through anymore. Just go away, and please don't come back."

A couple squeaks were heard from the couch where Sakura was sleeping, and then a throaty voice.

"It's okay guys. Let her in."

The three friends turned to face her and erupted into protest.

"But Sakura….."

"No! That stupid whore doesn't deserve….."

"You're really tired, Sakura. Just go back to sleep. We'll take care of her….."

Sakura stood up and brushed the pink strands of hair out of her face.

"No. It's okay. Let her in. It can't get much worse."

Tenten pulled out a kunai and tapped her chin with it.

"Fine. As long as she doesn't make you hurt anymore."

The woman nodded in complete understanding.

The trio turned, glaring at the monstrosity in their doorway, and slowly backed away.

Purple took a step forward as Sakura made her way to the door. Once she reached the door, a shiny red box was gently folded into her arms.

"You forgot your chocolate," the woman stated with a small smile.

Sakura remained silent.

"I really came to tell you that I'm sorry."

Everyone's eyes opened a little wider.

"Don't be angry at me. I know what I did was wrong…..and I know exactly how you feel. You feel like there's an empty hole in your heart, and that time isn't going to fix it. You feel that tomorrow is never going to come, and you're kind of hoping that it never does. You feel hate burning inside, a fire that won't die."

The woman tried to hold back tears and began choking on her words.

"But mostly, you feel that sense of loss………and you try to be the strong one, carrying on about how you're the one who's in charge and who isn't hurt…..but really, you know that you're the victim. You're the one who is going to cry herself to sleep every night. You're the one who is going to have to hand out fake smiles. You're the one who is going to wake up in the morning and then wish that night would come back and never end."

Sakura stared, wide-eyed, as her feelings were described, almost perfectly.

"You're not the only one who's been cheated on. Take it from someone who knows. Just be happy that the man who deceived you loves you enough to try and get you back, and that you have friends who love you and protect you. Not everyone is that lucky. Enjoy the chocolates."

The woman turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Sakura rushed up to the woman and enveloped her in a hug. The woman gasped and went rigid, but eventually returned the hug. Each girl cried onto the other's shoulder. After what seemed like an eternity, Sakura pulled away.

"Would you like to stay for a while? We have ice cream."

"Mango?"

"Most definitely."

Tenten, Ino, and Hinata quietly followed the other two women into the kitchen, giving each other surprised looks, and thinking that the monstrosity wasn't such a monstrosity after all.

"Okay, teme! You're ready!"

Sasuke was breathing hard and a slight red tint was present on his cheeks.

"Naruto, are you completely sure that this will work?"

"How many times do I have to repeat myself? YES!"

Sasuke huffed and turned away.

"It better work."

"Just hope that your sucky social skills don't screw up the plan."

"I don't need social skills for this."

"That seems to be your answer to everything. Look how far it got you."

"Shut up. When do we do this thing?"

"I'm thinkin' three days from now."

"Fine. Be there."

Woo! Well, thanks for the reviews everyone. The next chapter will be the last. Since I'm on break, it'll probably come in a week or so. Happy holidays!