She sat alone, looking up at the stars.

Ino found her there, sitting on an outcrop of rock. There were fresh tear tracks gleaming on her cheeks. Ino sat down beside her. She made no indication that she detected her presence, so Ino coughed lightly. Sakura gave a violent start and jumped to her feet.

"Sakura! It's just me," Ino whispered.

Sakura still did not seem willing to let down her guard. She eyed Ino suspiciously, her green eyes shining in the darkness, bright and mistrustful.

"What do you want?" she asked, her voice low and distraught.

"I…I just wanted to talk to you," Ino confessed.

Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed into slits. "Talk to me?" she asked bitterly.

What's up with her? Ino wondered, terrified. A few days ago, she had started to come out of her shell a little bit. She even talked a bit about her own life when a curious Ino had asked.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" she was thoroughly alarmed. Why was she acting like this?

Sakura's shoulders sagged. The fire in her eyes died, and was replaced by pain. "Why did you come to talk to me yesterday, Ino-chan?"

"I wanted to be friends," Ino flushed slightly, but continued. "And I also felt bad that I didn't stand up for you when Ami and her gang were bullying you. It was my fault, I'm sorry. I should have done something. If I had intervened…" she gestured to Sakura's bruised arms and legs.

"So I wanted to make it up to you, to prove that I'm not as selfish as I look," Ino finished playfully.

Sakura's eyes widened, "Friends…" she whispered, as if she didn't quite understand.

Ino nodded hopefully. Her spirits diminish when she saw the look on Sakura's face.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Ino demanded.

She covered her face with her hands. "S-she told me…that you…just wanted to use me…y-you didn't…care. She said…that I was nothing but a tool…not a friend, j-just a pawn." Ino gaped as Sakura started sobbing in earnest.

"Sakura…?!"

"P-please, just leave me alone," she managed, turning away so Ino could not see her tearstained face.

"Who said this to you?" Ino demanded, anger bubbling in her throat.

"Just…go away."

Ino couldn't help herself. A tear leaked from the corner of her eye. "If that's what you want. But please, Sakura. Tell me who told you that."

"It's obvious, no one needed to tell me," Sakura's voice was hoarse, but she had stopped crying. She sounded like she was reciting it from memory. "You're popular, pretty, and have plenty of friends. What do you want with someone like me? What will you gain with me as a friend?"

Ino stared at her, open-mouthed. Where was she getting these strange ideas? Just because she had other friends didn't mean she couldn't make friends with Sakura, right? Her popularity only made her lonelier and feel more superficial. And it made her a more vulnerable target to people like Ami, as she would never dream of telling anyone that she had been bullied. She wanted someone she could talk to, someone that could understand her. And the only person like that was Sakura. Ino prepared herself to reply, but Sakura wasn't done.

"S-she said you liked to compare people to flowers," she whispered, almost to herself, "She said that you yourself were nothing but a cosmos, all showy and pretty, but with no real substance. I-it's true, isn't it Ino-chan? H-how can someone like that – how can you want something as idealistic as friendship?"

"Nothing but a cosmos, am I?" Ino said, seething. Her mind was working, fast. This was definitely her doing, yes, no wonder Sakura was acting like this!

Sakura looked alarmed. "I didn't…mean it that way. I was only –"

Ino looked at her, a small smile beginning to form on her face. "I'm not talking about you, silly. It was Ami who told you this, wasn't it?"

"H-how did you…?"

Ino knelt down beside her. "Sakura-chan. I solemnly swear that I honestly want to be your friend. Don't listen to Ami, please. She's infamous for making up rumours about people. Did you know she once told Suzume-sensei that I ran away from home?" she grinned.

"How do I know you're not making it up?" Sakura asked, but her face was shining with hope.

Ino's grin widened. "Then we'll just have to see, won't we? I'll prove it to you one day. Come on, I told you I'd show you how to cut flowers. How about it?"

Sakura nodded breathlessly, drying her eyes.

"I would love that," she said softly, "And I'm sorry for being so thoughtless, I shouldn't have poured out all my anger on you."

"Oh, don't worry, Sakura," Ino laughed happily, "I told you I wanted to be your friend, didn't I? We'll be friends till the end!"