Disclaimer: Ino isn't my creation, either.
Sakura's mother had watched as her daughter's eyes widened in terror upon looking at the seemingly harmless leaf. Her face went white as a sheet in the Hyuuga mansion as she scrunched it up in her hand, little bits of the edges drifting out of her grip.. While at once both baffled and alarmed, the older woman also managed to catch her daughter during the fainting spell that followed.
The squirrel went haywire in the cage, darting up and down with the intensity of the atmosphere around him. Mrs. Haruno couldn't help but look up at the creature. The whole situation had seemed less than scary until that leaf came into play. Sakura's mother had at first just thought the leaf was like a cute identification tag. Now, as the aforementioned piece of plant matter fell to the ground, she couldn't help but look at it.
At first, the words didn't phase the woman at all; she had heard about Naruto's death, of course, but as she had never really been a staunch hater or supporter of the jinchuuriki's existence, she really hadn't reacted much at all.
The leaf was no longer a coherent message after Sakura's instinctive crush; to the contrary, it looked almost as harmless as it was possible to be, causing the pink-haired mother of team seven's sole female member to worry about her daughter a great deal.
Sakura stirred in her mother's arms. "Mom…?" she asked, suddenly certain that the last ten minutes had been a dream until she laid her eyes on the leaf her mother had placed on the counter. Having seen the object, Sakura screamed again and scrambled out of her mother's embrace, her hair standing on end.
"What's the matter, Sakura?! What did you see?" her mother asked gently, not able to hide her concern for her child's mental health. Indeed, the young girl's brain was having a hard time functioning, and it took all of her guts to keep herself composed.
In a show of intelligence not atypical of Sakura's brain, the kunoichi bolted past her mother to gather both the cage containing the squirrel and the leaf it had held. She had no idea what was going on, to be sure, but she did have some evidence on her person right then, and there were several people she knew could help her get to the bottom of what was at hand.
"Mom, I'm going to visit Ino!" she announced, at first looking like she had eaten something unpleasant. She might have been at odds with the blonde female, but with the situation as it was, she needed her childhood friend's help.
Sakura didn't even bother putting her shoes back on when she left her house, despite her mother's bewildered protests. The squirrel bounced within the cage, which she had unceremoniously tossed over her back.
Dusk was a busy time in Konoha. Many villagers came home from their various farms and businesses to make last minute stops in the marketplace. The ANBU even wandered into town to partake of their evening meals in various street shops and vendors. There was a healthy amount of noise and laughter flying through the air, and friends basked in groups by the street with their suppers, reminiscing. The early summer evening was a mundane thing, really. Of course, that was until the barefooted Haruna bolted through the streets like a woman possessed with a squirrel in a cage on her back.
The stares were inevitable, but after she had left the main dinner crowd's field of vision, most of them just shook their heads and attributed the strange actions of the girl on 'ninja behavior'. They couldn't really be blamed for that assessment, however. A lot of the more powerful ninja in the village had their signature quirks, such as public reading of porn or insane gusto for the stupidest things.
Ino had been kept busy with her new schedule as a ninja, which she had balanced with her job at the flower shop. All-in-all, every nigh saw her exhausted and antisocial. Her father had promised her that this was a normal trend of genin life, and that it would get easier soon, but she missed having the energy to do her favorite recreational activities outside her home.
Her thoughts rarely ever had the time to dwell on Sakura anymore, but when Ino had heard about Naruto, she had felt a quick stir of pity. That, however, faded when she continued her spree of hard working.
On that night in particular, Ino was gratefully drinking stew at her parents table, her body finally recovering from Asuma's drills earlier that day. Her mother had briefly started a conversation that she had contributed to, but all-in-all, the evenings were all the same anymore.
The pattern of her nightlife changed abruptly the moment there was a loud series of pounds on the door. Ino startled and choked on her stew while her mother went to fetch the door. After a few pounds on her own throat, the fish came loose from Ino's airway.
"I need to see Ino!" Sakura's voice carried through the dwelling, causing the poor Ino to nearly choke a second time.
"We're eating dinner right now, Sakura," Mrs. Yamanaka informed the uninvited guest politely, choosing not to comment on Sakura's bedraggled appearance.
Ino listened carefully, unsure of whether or not she should leave her meal just yet. A part of her brain screamed with arrogance, condemning Sakura for being so rude, but somewhere else, Ino's maternal instints were stirring. There was something in Sakura's voice that sounded desperate.
"Ma'am, please…," Sakura countered, huffing from the effort of her sprint,"-it's an emergency."
Those words had Ino at the door within fractions of a second, barely containing her compasion with a sneer. She had heard that Sakura hadn't been doing well, but she hadn't expected to see her look so, well, unfabulous.
Sakura's pink hair flew in every which direction, the hiatae on her head having slip to an angle. That wasn't what caught Ino's attention, though. There was a squirrel on her former best friend's back, and the girl's eyes were wild.
"Ino!" Sakura greeted pleadingly, and Ino nodded to her mother, who left to return to her meal.
"Forehe- I mean Sakura," Ino corrected herself before insulting the obviously vulnerable kunoichi standing before her, "What is this emergency that would cause you to run barefooted with an animal on your back?"
Sakura grabbed her rival's hand and shoved the abused leaf onto it, causing the young Yamanaka to reward her with a dubious expression.
"…A dying leaf?" she asked patiently, sure there was more of an explanation, but not entirely sure she wanted to hear it.
"What kind of leaf is it, Ino?" Sakura asked, obviously intent on this detail.
Ino just stared for a minute before asking, "Are you sure this couldn't wait until after dinner?"
Sakura shook her head and pressed onto the foliage now in Ino's outstretched palm. "Just look at it, please!" she begged.
In response to Sakura's plea, Ino turned the leaf over and studied it carefully. It had seen a lot of action, crumbling here and there, but what caught her attention most were the scribbles adorning the center. With all the folding, they were impossible to make out, but at one point they must have been writing. Ino smirked despite herself.
"What, did your secret admirer send you a mysterious message? You probably want to make sure it's not poison ivy, huh?"
"This isn't a joking matter!" Sakura shouted suddenly, causing her fellow kunoichi to gulp at the sudden hostility. "I need to know where this leaf comes from!"
Ino rounded on the pink-haired girl in a flash. "I won't tell you until you tell me WHY this is such an emergency!"
"IT'S A MESSAGE FROM NARUTO!" Sakura snapped, allowing the puzzled brain of her current companion to piece together.
"Where did you get this, Sakura?" Ino asked with a hint of pity, now, causing even more of a rise out of Sakura, who was turning red and pointed at the squirrel she was holding over her back with her free hand.
"So, let me get this straight… your dead teammate sent you a messenger squirrel with a leaf?" Ino asked, careful not to let her face or voice waver in any way as she repeated the information she'd received back to its source.
Sakura put her free hand to her face now, aware of how stupid she sounded.
"Please tell me you don't think that squirrel is Naruto," Ino implored, a little worried when Sakura just shrugged with a rapidly slouching posture. The squirrel, on the other had, looked at Ino expectantly.
Ino, for her part, felt a stirring of pity. Whether or not someone had played such a cruel trick on Sakura or if she just lost her mind was about to be decided, but Sakura broke through the judgement center's of her former friend's consciousness.
"Just… Ino.. The leaf."
Ino looked at the leaf one more time. Whether it was out of compassion or memories of better times, she decided to fulfill Sakura's request. It wasn't a hard piece of matter to identify for someone who'd worked in a flower store all their lives.
Resigned, Ino finished her inspection and gave the leaf back to Sakura, who waited on her words like a puppy for dinner.
"It's from a Star Drop bush, native to the Land of Waves."
Whatever the reason, that was the answer Sakura had seemed to want to hear. The sides of her mouth threatened to form a smile as she nodded her thanks to Ino and darting off and leaving the Yamanaka dazed and alone in the doorway.
"What the hell?"
Author's note: Whoo! Hot off the presses!