Epilogue, Day 62:

Neither Ino nor Sakura finds out the whole truth until after they recover from withdrawal symptoms. Sakura spends that time gnashing her teeth, avoiding everyone for fear of ripping their heads off, and trying to distract herself with bad TV. The Rapture itself may not have been a drug, but the patches were still laced with opiates and tranquilizers, and their brains were still fried from constant over-saturation of euphoria inducing hormones stimulated by the genjutsu. Not to mention the chakra drain.

Sakura had only experienced it for a few hours. Ino had done it for nearly forty days. Her symptoms are awful enough that on the fifth day, Sakura begs mercy on her behalf. She bows until her head touches the floor when she pleads with Tsunade to let her induce a coma until it's over. The Hokage remained uncertain about taking such drastic measures in Ino's weakened state, but after Ino nearly bit through her cheek during a seizure, she relented.

The good news, however, is that she'll get better. When Tsunade is sure Sakura has recovered enough to hear it, she emphasizes how close they'd gotten to bad news: Ino almost hadn't. Physiologically, she'd been a week from total organ failure due to chronic chakra exhaustion.

The thought is so terrifying that Sakura doesn't even breathe a sigh of relief that they'd stopped in time.

Drugs are not worth it, she decides. She maintains this conclusion even after she once again feels somewhat like a normal human.

Never. Again.

It's Tsunade that discloses the details to her, delivered with a very lengthy, very angry lecture about responsibility, personal safety, and drug abuse that Sakura won't forget for a long, long time. The bruise on her shoulder where Tsunade gripped her will be a handy reminder for the next week or so.

Most of the effects they'd attributed to drugs were due to the genjutsu, as Sakura expected. Less obviously, the real purpose of the Rapture, Tsunade explains, was to drain chakra – a proximity ninjutsu reminiscent of Kisame's sword, hence why the dealers only supplied patches on location. They were amassing chakra to store in a vessel. Which is too familiar to be a coincidence.

Sakura fills in the blanks. "They were trying to make a jinchuuruki."

"Yes," Tsunade confirms, her tone grim. "It was a political play. They thought they'd take a page from the Akatsuki's book and hoard power in order to threaten the nations into a forced peace."

Well.

Well, damn.

Sakura hates that the world is filled with lunatics who harbor such convoluted ideologies, but, hey. Helping save the world twice in one lifetime is pretty good – even if it'd been sort of by accident, the second time…

Tsunade finishes her explanation and the physical exam in less than an hour. Sakura, seated on the edge of a hospital bed, waits patiently as her mentor checks her vitals and clears her.

"Despite your baffling lapse in judgment and your horrendously stupid actions," she says pointedly, and Sakura rightfully suspects she will never quite live this down, "you're in good health."

"That's good news," she sighs, genuinely relieved. The past two months are like a dream that she can't quite piece together in any sensible way. Now, at least, she can go home, sleep for a week, and forget this whole thing ever –

"Oh." Tsunade pauses in the doorway. "Also, your girlfriend is awake."

"My –! who – I – we – ah…"

Tsunade smirks, unabashedly amused. "Something wrong, dear student of mine?"

"She's - she's not my…"

"Oh. Sorry." Tsunade scribbles something out on the chart, as if the status of their relationship would be listed there. "I guess you prefer lesbian lover?"

Sakura's blush turns radioactive. If the power goes out they could use her face as a generator.

"Ts-Tsunade-shishou! I – why would – you're –"

Good, Tsunade thinks. She deserves it after worrying me sick like that.

"Room 204," she calls out over her shoulder.

Sakura doesn't get up immediately. She wants to see Ino. She also doesn't. Frankly, the thought is terrifying.

She's pretty sure that what happened between them had been real, and she's also pretty sure that she wants it to be real, but now that they're both drug-free, what happens? Do they go back to being friends again and laugh about this five years from now, or – not?

Worst of all, she might walk into that room and find out that none of it had been real after all.

Maybe they don't have a connection. Maybe it really had come down to the drugs, and stress, and circumstances, and all those exhilarating, blissful feelings were nothing more than a trick played on her brain.

Sakura halfway stands up and then stops as something else occurs to her. She briefly considers going straight home and avoiding the visit entirely, because what if she walks into that room and finds out that she's thoroughly in love and Ino is just not?

Sakura never, never wants to be that lovesick girl, ever again.

But that's not how it works. She knows that. She'd be lovesick whether she avoided Ino for the rest of her life or was outright rejected, but at least the rejection might give her time to heal. From a broken heart. Again.

Is there a third option…?

She walks as slowly as she can make herself, much to the silent interest of the passing nurses. Their odd looks are given partly because they've no doubt heard about her required absence and detox program, and partly because she's a rather esteemed figure here who has evidently forgotten how to climb stairs.

After everything she's done, though, Sakura is kind of past the point of worrying about her image. If she hadn't shattered her hard-earned respect with the drug addiction, she certainly won't do it by walking like a toddler.

Moment of truth, she thinks apprehensively at Ino's call to come in.

Sakura enters the room more nervous than she'd been on her first day of training with Tsunade. She's barely through the door, not even giving herself time to register the sight of the woman in front of her, before she speaks.

"Hey," she blurts out instantly, her body primed and ready to jump out the window at the slightest provocation. "How are you feeling?"

Ino briefly raises her eyes from the magazine in her hands. "I've been better."

"I can imagine…"

Ino hums in agreement but appears more interested in her reading material. Sakura forces herself to take a seat by the side of the bed and be patient. She's not about to shove her foot in her mouth – again – if she can help it. But maybe she should just leave. Maybe Ino doesn't want her here, and she's simply trying to find a nice way to say it…

Her hair is loose, for once. Ino somehow managed to keep it glossy and tangle free even throughout their mission, and even in the hospital. Sakura finds herself simultaneously amused and jealous. When she'd worn it herself, maintaining that length took her hours of care and a hundred dollars worth of beauty products. She often makes a point of teasing Ino about the impracticality of it, but in truth, it suits her. It suits them. There's symbolism behind their hair, as childish as it seems. From growing it, to cutting it, to running her fingers through it, brushing it out of Ino's eyes, fisting her hands in it...

It's a reliable indicator of their mentalities: the stages of their relationship, where they stand. A reminder of the point at which they'd separated, and the one at which they'd come back together again. At this moment, though, it tells her nothing. They're still the same as when they'd left for the mission over two months ago, and there's nothing – not their hair, not Ino's face, as disinterested as if Sakura weren't in the room at all – to give her any clues.

Sakura can't help but laugh at her thoughts. Maybe she's thinking too hard about this.

Or, maybe, if Ino rejects her, she'll dye her hair black to keep up the metaphor.

"Something funny?"

"Uh, no, no," Sakura clears her throat nervously. "Just thinking."

More silence. Eventually, Ino sighs, a long, impatient sound. She noisily flips a page. "Did you know that Kobayashi Satsuki is retiring?"

Sakura sits up a little straighter. Is this what they're going to do? Avoid the conversation altogether? Is Ino just going to skirt around the issue for the rest of their lives, and maybe they can't even be friends again because their relationship got so fucked up that they'll have to spend eternity constantly avoiding the subject or each other entirely –

Ino is waiting for her to answer. Sakura takes a deep breath and drowns her overactive mind.

"The singer?"

"Yeah. She's holding one last concert in Tanzaku."

"Oh," Sakura registers the information and tries to find the relevance to her rapidly withering hopes. "That's only a day or so away."

"It is," Ino nods. When Sakura doesn't respond, she closes the magazine halfway and at last turns to face her. "Do you want to go?"

"With – with you?"

Ino raises an eyebrow. "Would you prefer someone else?"

"No, no, just – clarifying."

What did she say about putting her foot in her mouth again…?

Ino doesn't seem to care, though. In fact, she puts the magazine down completely, a rather sly grin on her face, and grabs the collar of Sakura's shirt to pull her in for a kiss.

A totally, completely sober one.

It's like being high all over again.

"You can pick me at the gate on Friday morning," Ino says nonchalantly, turning back to the magazine. "I should be well enough to travel then."

Sakura's too busy trying to stop herself from back-flipping to really hear her. "Sure…"

"I imagine you'll get the tickets?"

"Okay…"

"And no more crappy hotels. I'd rather not relive that experience."

"Oh, yeah, of course not…" Sakura blinks. Her brow furrows. Her brain reminds her that she's a human being and not one gigantic beating heart. "Hey, wait a minute…"

"Hm?"

"How come I'm paying for all this stuff?"

"Because, Forehead, that's how you're supposed to treat a lady."

"But I'm a lady too, you know," Sakura replies, indignant, but Ino gives her a very specific sort of look that makes her regret her choice of words.

Ino smiles. She even winks, and it's not even cheesy, it just makes Sakura blush at the flood of rather explicit memories.

"How could I forget?"

"AlrightythenseeyouFriday!"

Sakura is gone in an instant. She makes a hasty retreat towards the hospital doors and raps her knuckles against her forehead just to make sure it won't produce a hollow sound.

She's going to have to get over being so easily flustered, or Ino will surely take advantage of it in ways that are probably not conducive to her wallet, or her time. She'll also need to figure out exactly what dating someone like Ino will entail.

High maintenance are the first two words that come to mind. Satisfying and occasionally emotionally exhausting, much like their friendship. And, most importantly, just as real.

But there will inevitably be lots of petty squabbling.

…Probably lots of make up sex.

Yeah. Sakura can live with that.

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A/N: Sorry it's a day late! And thanks to everyone who's joined me for this bumpy ride! Your presence, honest feedback, and encouraging comments are forever and greatly appreciated. :)