Chapter 25 – To Tell Ourselves A Good Lie

They were playing with fire, yet…

Sitting back once her seatbelt was on, Sakura heaved a sigh of relief, unable to meet Shisui's perplexed glance between them, no doubt wondering what the hell their problem was.

"So," he began conversationally, ignoring their warning glares that almost begged of him to stay quiet. "Care to explain why you snuck out like a kid disobeying his parents, Itachi?"

"Just drive."

A dark eyebrow raised curiously and he once more peered over at her, silently asking what his deal was.

Honestly, she didn't want to get into it. Not with Shisui, not with Itachi and most definitely not with herself, no matter how childish that sounded. It was too much to handle on top of the drama with Ino.

So instead, Sakura stubbornly turned away, staring out of the window even though she couldn't see much of the world that was blurring past her (it was kind of funny to her that an officer of the law was quite happily breaking the speed limit). Still, she knew they were headed in the right direction when she caught sight of a familiar flower shop.

Gaze trailing up to the rear-view mirror, she swallowed when she caught Itachi's eye, immediately looking away in response.

What was she supposed to say to him that she hadn't already said before? She'd tried breaking things off, tried telling him that she didn't want to lead him on, that she wanted to make things with Sasuke work. But then her stupid, selfish heart yearned for him with an intensity that scalded her, making it impossible to distance herself. And no matter how many times she told him it wasn't going to happen (in one way or another), he remained there, waiting for her, waiting until she needed his support and comfort.

How was she supposed to cut ties with him when so far, he'd stood by her so loyally, so unconditionally?

Easily. It was supposed to be easily. But it wasn't. It wasn't easy to cut ties with him and it fucking hurt.

Risking another glance upwards, part of her felt disappointed that Itachi was no longer looking at her, his gaze stuck on the blurred buildings and hedges.

They would be at Ino's place soon, but Shikamaru had already assured her the blonde wasn't in and for that, Sakura was grateful. She needed more time to ensure she was calm and ready – going into their plan with anything less than good intentions was asking for failure.

As mad as she was, she didn't want to make things harder for Ino. She was already suffering in ways Sakura knew she'd never be able to understand. Hell, she was painfully aware of the fact that until recently, she'd never taken much notice of the word 'addiction' and how heavy it really was. Instead, she'd brushed it off. Now she had no choice but to stare into the eyes of the monster that was addiction and save her friend from it.

She gritted her teeth.

Ino needed her.

And of course, she was Haruno Sakura, the idiot who could never turn away a friend (or even ex-friend) who was struggling and needed help.

Gods, she really was a hopeless idiot.

Shaking her hands out nervously, Sakura paced, just barely keeping herself from freaking the hell out.

Ino was currently inside the club she was stood outside of, partying harder than ever and after a long conversation with her mother, to find out for herself what actually happened and how it all went down, Sakura had assured her she would get to the bottom of it.

It'd been a difficult conversation to say the least. She'd been crying, Sakura had been crying. They both got to a stage of being unintelligible and damn near hysterical until finally, she informed her of their plan, taking a risk in telling her the truth.

"This is…" She didn't blame Shisui for sounding stunned.

"Oh, it was horrible," she whispered, dabbing at her eyes.

Sakura could only nod in numbed disbelief, staring around the living room that was still being fixed by Choji and Shikamaru.

Curtains were torn from their poles, stains of what Sakura assumed to be wine marred the walls, only some of the hanging photographs put back, but the glass shattered, making Sakura wonder how badly the others had been damaged during Ino's fit of rage. The coffee table was gone and she knew that it'd been smashed, for they'd been instructed to keep their shoes on rather than take them off at the door (she was glad for that, as she knelt to pick up a piece of glass sticking out from underneath the sofa, using her sleeve to do so) and the metal frame was rested against the wall.

Even–

Tears filled Sakura's eyes as she noticed the missing vase from beneath the television. Until that day, it'd remained there on the glass stand, its vibrant shades contrasting wonderfully with the neutral walls. Thirteen years it'd been there for, even though it'd been ugly as hell. Why? Because it was something she and Ino had made as a Mother's Day present, giggling and declaring that they weren't friends, they were sisters, so it was a gift from both of them. They'd made something else for her own mother, who'd wept with love and gratefulness.

"Inoichi is trying to fix it as we speak," her mother assured her tearfully, hand coming to her shoulder. "Try not to worry, Sakura-chan."

But how could she not? How was she supposed to stay calm when she saw the bloodied bandages on her hands?

Sakura's eyes shot to hers, even as her vision blurred and it became impossible to see the depths of those heartbroken brown eyes.

"I'm going to fix this, Oba," she promised her brokenly, yanking the older woman into a strong hug. Immediately, she was returning it, shaking minutely and breaking Sakura's heart all over again. "I'm going to bring the Ino we love home, okay?"

Of course, explaining a plan as reckless as theirs, telling a woman who was already on the edge with beyond frayed nerves, was difficult and draining. Many times, Ino's mother had snapped about the dangers of forcing someone to go cold turkey, but the fact that she avoided using the word 'alcoholic' or even 'alcohol dependent' gave Sakura the upper hand she needed and she promptly told her that she would never be able to help Ino herself if she couldn't even come to terms with the fact that her daughter was an addict.

There were several times during the conversation that the brunette tried arguing with her, insisting that Ino was merely lost and couldn't control herself. She was struggling with the divorce and couldn't understand or manage her emotions, causing her to lash out. Sakura had responded with shocking coldness and seriousness, saying it was that mentality that allowed her to fall as far as she had.

Ignoring the problem or brushing it under the rug was why Ino was suffering as much as she was. Showering her with expensive gifts and money, always letting her off the hook because their divorce had supposedly damaged her mentally, was not the way to handle things. Instead of gifts, they should have sat down and spoken to each other. They should have addressed the issues.

Was it harsh? Yes. Enough so that even Shikamaru had tried reprimanding her for it, but both Shisui and Itachi had silenced him effortlessly, agreeing with her without hesitation because deep down, they all knew she was right.

How would they help Ino if they couldn't call her what she was? How would she ever know that she didn't need to rely on alcohol to feel better if they continuously left her alone in her suffering with nothing else to turn to? Alcohol gave her the escape she needed. It lessened her agony. And they were all to blame for her downfall, because when she reached out to them, they weren't there for her.

Her parents had focused on their jobs, not wanting to face the pain they'd caused their daughter, instead covering it with band aids in the form of gifts. Her friends – herself included – had all been too busy with their own lives, too immature to really see how dark things were getting for her.

"We won't let anything happen to her," Choji tried to reassure her, holding a couple of Ino's bags in his hands.

They were filled to the brim with clothes, family photo albums, her favourite childhood blanket and other home comforts and it'd been reluctantly that the bags were handed over, Ino's mother once more questioning their plan.

"I am a fully trained officer," Shisui spoke up. "We also have a doctor on hand. You can have the doctor's number for regular updates – I already asked her permission to give it to you."

But she was still hesitating, frightened about what would happen to her only child and Sakura supposed it was completely understandable. She was scared too.

"Look at me," she ordered seriously, begging of herself to remain strong. She had to for Ino's sake. Taking a deep breath, Sakura stepped in front of the older woman and cupped her cheeks, forcing those wide brown eyes to remain locked on hers. "Ino's always been like a sister to me, even after everything that's happened. So, look me in the eye and ask yourself: would I ever hurt her?"

It was the fierceness of her promise that had her agreeing, Sakura believed and in addition to having the doctor's number on hand for regular updates, she'd also informed her that she would be checking in on her, too. To make sure it didn't become too much for Sakura to handle.

She's coming – Shikamaru.

Pocketing her phone, Sakura stood to the side of the club, waiting for the blonde to appear.

The music was already impressively loud, the bass almost causing the walls to vibrate, but it grew even more so when the doors to the club swung open carelessly, threatening to cover the rambunctious laughter that filled the street. Sakura had to focus intently on the group that left, waiting until she spotted them passing her before she easily plucked Ino out from the group of older strangers she was partying with, dragging her into the alleyway.

"W-What the–" Her heel threatened to give out beneath her as she struggled immensely to steady herself, the pitiful sight of her ex-best friend making Sakura's heart clench. "Sakura?" Ino eventually slurred, stumbling towards her with a scowl. "The hell are you doin' here?"

Gods, she was beyond wasted – she could tell from the smell alone and they weren't even in each other's faces yet.

The others were nearby, Choji's worry about their clashing forcing them all to intrude on what was supposed to be a tender moment.

Originally, Sakura had wanted to lure Ino into her car under the guise of wanting to continue a heart-to-heart that would start in the alley. From there, she'd planned on driving her to wherever Shikamaru planned to make Ino go cold turkey. But to open herself up for them all to hear, to force Ino to face all the heartbreak she'd unleashed on her, wasn't an option. There was also the risk of them hearing about what Sasuke had done to her and she couldn't take that risk. She couldn't do that to him – couldn't alienate him from the few real friends he had.

"I heard about what happened with your mom," she told her after a brief pause, biting her lower lip.

It was unnerving seeing Ino in such a state, unable to stand straight, slipping in her heels even when she wasn't moving, her skin flushed, clothes askew, hair and makeup–

Oh Gods.

She quickly averted her eyes from the stain on the bottom of her dress.

Had it already escalated to what Shisui had suspected? Was she using other means to get alcohol?

"Go to hell," muttered Ino, though the coldness of her words was ruined by the slurring and hiccuping. "You're bringin' me down – n-nothin' new, you uptight bitch."

Great. So she was going to be chewed out in front of everyone again for the sake of getting through to Ino. Gods, she'd wished they would all back off so she could've gone with her original plan, but no amount of reassurances had worked on Choji or Shikamaru.

"I just wanted to talk, Ino-Pig," she said, heart experiencing a godawful stabbing sensation at their old term of endearment. And she knew it affected Ino too, because she suddenly grew very still, blue eyes widening. "You really hurt her."

…and me.

But for whatever reason (perhaps the emotional moment was too much for her, she wondered), she tried moving away and Sakura reached out immediately, intent on steadying her before Ino could fall into the rubbish at the side of the alley.

"Don't you think you owe me this much?" she demanded, scowling. "It's just a conversation."

She attempted to yank her arm out of Sakura's hold. "Nothin' to do with you!"

"Ino, please–"

"Get the fuck off me," she demanded shrilly, though contradicted her words entirely by lurching forward, shoving at her.

But like hell they were repeating the incident at Sasuke's birthday party.

She was done being pushed around.

"This is for your own good," Sakura told her, knuckles cracking when she squeezed her fist tighter.

"Sakura, don't–"

"You wouldn't dare," came Ino's haughty reply and she laughed nastily. "Goody-two-shoes Haruno Sakura, too good for everyone, even when her boyfriend tries to r–"

They were all interrupted by her rage, by her fist suddenly striking Ino hard enough to knock her out cold, leaving her sprawled out on the ground.

"That…" she muttered coldly, shaking her hand to try and rid herself of the sharp pain and stopping immediately when it made it worse. "That is for sending nudes to my boyfriend."

"That was unnecessary," snapped Choji. He was the first to reach Ino's collapsed form, wincing when he spotted the already-bruising cheek and busted nose. "You could've dragged her out of here–"

"And have her sound the alarm?" Itachi questioned smoothly.

Part of her sagged with relief when he came to stand by her side, silently holding out his hand to inspect hers just as she had his when he punched Madara. She was unable to meet his eye when he checked it over – couldn't even look up at him whatsoever, her gaze remaining fixated on his jacket.

"It's already done now," came Shikamaru's mutter and he held up a hand, lowering the phone from his ear. Within seconds, headlights flooded the alley and Sakura stepped back with Itachi, allowing Shisui's car as close as it could get. "Ino probably would've done the same, had it been the other way around."

Without a doubt.

"Hurry up," ordered Shisui, only leaning out of his car. "Her new friends are suspicious and looking for her."

"Friends," she snorted.

Shikamaru's thoughts mirrored her own – she knew they did, especially when he caught sight of her dress and his jaw clenched, quickly covering her with his hoodie. It stunned her when he glanced upwards, making sure Choji didn't see the stain, breathing out a sigh of relief when he found he hadn't.

"Wait," Sakura demanded, tugging her hand free to go towards the two men as they lifted her. It was swiftly that she grabbed Ino's legs, keeping them pressed together to try and save an inch of what little was left of her dignity. "Okay, let's go."

"Are you sure–"

"I'm not as weak as I look," she snapped at the pair of them, eyes narrowing. "We used to throw each other around all the time growing up."

Still, Ino weighed much more than what she had as a prepubescent child (not that Sakura would ever tell her that) and for a brief moment, she regretted her decision in carrying her with them, but one look at Ino's vulnerable features had her pushing through the protesting of her muscles, one arm hooking beneath her knees, other keeping a secure hold of her dress.

Unlike when driving around earlier, Sakura sat in the back seat, allowing Ino's head to rest on her shoulder. If she looked behind herself, she was able to see Shikamaru's car tailgating Shisui's.

Passed out (and ignoring the stench of alcohol and cigarettes coming from her), Ino almost looked like the girl she'd once been so close to. She looked like her best friend again. And Sakura couldn't keep herself from reaching out, delicately brushing the shockingly thinning and dull hair behind her ear.

Gods, she'd made such a mess of her face.

"Sakura-chan."

She looked up at the rear-view mirror and she knew from the meeting of their eyes alone that Shisui had heard way too much thanks to Shikamaru overthinking everything (he'd left a call open with Shisui, allowing him to hear everything in case Ino's so-called friends found them), her heart clenching with fear.

"What she said back there, right before you cut her off–"

"Leave it, Shisui," Itachi ordered without looking away from his features, his own serious and guarded.

But he wouldn't, making her hands shake terribly as the fear spread. Unknowingly, she clutched a tighter hold of Ino, not even noticing when she weakly returned the hold.

"No." Anger flashed in his eyes, briefly meeting Itachi's before returning to hers but in that quick moment of freedom, she managed to drop her gaze, cowardly escaping from his demanding glare. "Our family is too quick to brush abuse under the rug – myself included for the longest time, to the extent where I don't even know how to simply look at Mikoto-oba anymore, Itachi. Like hell I'm going to let history repeat itself."

He was referencing Sasuke potentially being a product of–

Horror laced through her, weaving through her tighter and tighter until she could barely even breathe.

What if…?

No. No. He was going to therapy. He wanted her to go with him. He wanted to change, to become a better person. He was trying his damned hardest.

"Do not."

It shocked her to hear the warning shake in Itachi's voice, but she was completely blown away by the furiousness of his glare – it seemed to take Shisui by surprise too, for he had to do a double take, his own eyes widening with shock.

"Do not compare Sasuke to our father."

Hearing him defending Sasuke, when lately all people did was tear the youngest Uchiha down, unwound her panic a little.

"The differences between them are too great," he continued in a cold mutter. "Whereas our father belittles and abuses our mother for his own selfish, sick desires, Sasuke struggles immensely both with controlling himself and the aftermath."

Disbelief was written all over Shisui's features and for a split second, he looked almost sick. "I get you love your little brother dearly, but you're defending an abuser–"

"Sasuke-kun really is trying," she snapped before she could stop herself, almost flinching when that disbelieving gaze was settled on her. "He's going to therapy and asked me to be there with him! He broke down and told me how scared he was about it not working and was so…" Tears filled her eyes. "He was so relieved when I told him I'd be there every step of the way!"

The sight of their surroundings seemed to knock the calm façade back into Shisui, because in an instant, all personal feelings were locked away, leaving her to look in Itachi's direction when he sighed.

"I wish I could believe you," he murmured while pulling onto a driveway behind two other cars. "But I've seen this way too many times in my profession."

The tears fell when she was suddenly alerted to Ino's rousing, the feeling of her almost comforting hold breaking her.

"And I know how it all inevitably ends when the victim is trapped in that mentality."

It must have been subconsciously that Ino had tried comforting her, because when they entered Obito's home, she was still out for the count. No doubt the mixture of alcohol and being punched was keeping her out for longer than usual, although no amount of assurances from his doctor wife eased the knots in her stomach at the sight of her best friend so helpless and vulnerable.

As the couple didn't have any children, they had plenty of spare room in their home and Sakura was startled with how homely they'd set the room up for Ino. His wife – Rin, she'd soon been reminded – was swift in setting out her home comforts, wrapping the childhood blanket around the blonde before carefully assessing the bruising to her face, dabbing the crusting blood away from her nose.

"Obito, can you get an ice wrap for me? We'll use it to try and ease the swelling on her cheek."

Sakura winced and set herself to unpacking the rest of Ino's bags. She took more care than necessary to put the clothes away, leaving the photographs out of reach for the time being as per Rin's order.

"But what will she have to comfort her?" questioned Choji worriedly.

"I'm afraid we must take all potential weapons or means to harm herself from the room," Rin informed them, her tone only vaguely apologetic. That tone transformed to disapproval when she continued with a sigh, "Forcing someone to go cold turkey can be dangerous – the desperation Yamanaka-san is going to experience could drive her to do anything, including self-harm. It could cause hallucinations and even cardiovascular collapse, depending on how badly this hits her."

The pyjamas in her hands fell to the ground, green eyes darting to Rin's. "Cardiovascular…"

"What does that mean?" Choji questioned.

"It means her heart could stop," answered Itachi.

Which was why he'd been against their plan from the get-go.

She was shaking when he approached her, scooping to pick up the article of clothing.

"M-Maybe this wasn't such a good idea–"

"We can't back out now," argued Shikamaru with obvious frustration. But just as it was obvious he was annoyed, she could see the worry in his eyes, too. He was just as scared as her. "She still needs help."

His naïve words seemed to aggravate Rin, however. "There are institutions that specialise in this kind of treatment–"

"That she could just leave–"

"Oi," reprimanded Obito as he seemed to suddenly reappear in the room, knocking Shikamaru over the head with a careless tap of his knuckles and leaving him to wince and tsk under his breath, rubbing the spot. "My wife's going out of her way to help your friend. Withdrawal can be fatal in some cases, but Rin's gonna do all she can to save her if it comes down to that. Show more respect."

"Obito," called Shisui from downstairs in the living room. "Your phone is ringing. Looks like it's the station."

He left while muttering under his breath about an idiot Kakashi getting on his nerves, but her attention was focused heavily on Ino and Rin, the tears from earlier returning with a vengeance.

"What…" She swallowed hard to try and control the vicious aching in her throat and she was grateful when Itachi took her hand while they were hidden from view, offering her some of his own strength. "What do we do if it gets…?"

"To that stage?" Rin finished for her. Glancing over her shoulder at them all, she settled them with a serious, no-nonsense expression, saying seriously, "I will be taking Yamanaka-san to the hospital for round the clock monitoring. I understand you wish to keep her chances of walking away from treatment as small as possible but understand that I am the doctor here and I'll do whatever I must to save a patient's life."

"You–"

There was an irritable sigh from beside her, followed by a gentle stroke of a thumb on her knuckles before he pulled away. "Please forgive Nara-san and Akimichi-san, Rin-san."

She returned to unpacking Ino's belongings with shaking hands, fear making her heart feel as though it was seizing in her chest, unable to beat properly because the size of her lungs was suddenly expanding, taking up all of the room in her chest and–

"I-Itachi, I can't… b-breathe."

Once more, Itachi was by her side, uncaring for their audience as he guided her into turning and leaning back on the dresser, hands gently cupping her cheeks.

"Look at me," he ordered calmly.

"No, sh-she…" Gods, had her breathing always sounded like that? So… So hoarse and short? "Ino's gonna d-die!"

"No, she won't."

"She will! You h-heard her. She…" Itachi caught her just as her legs crumbled from beneath her and Sakura flinched when she felt a second set of hands on her, the sight of calming brown eyes somehow setting her further on edge. "Ino's gonna die. She can't – I-I mean we–"

"Look at me, Sakura-chan," advised Rin, stepping between her and Itachi. It was with a pitiful whine that she clung to him, mind not even focusing on the others or how they would perceive her need for him. All that mattered was that he didn't let go. He would never let go. He'd promised. "Please, look at me."

With a fearful gaze, she did so.

The brunette smiled warmly and cupped her cheek, keeping their eyes locked. "Have you ever had a panic attack before?" It was Itachi who responded for her, as apparently, her voice was lost to the wheezing. "So you know already that it passes – focus on that for me, okay? Remember that this will pass."

It was hard holding onto that whenever her gaze strayed the tiniest bit to the right, showing her an unconscious Ino and–

Was her chest still? Why couldn't she hear her breathing?

Desperately, she lunged forward, only to cry out when Itachi carefully restrained her, keeping her against him.

"It's okay," she vaguely heard Rin tell the others. "Don't come any closer or overcrowd her – we've got this."

"You're okay," Itachi told her quietly, bringing her ear over his heart, filling her head with the steady beating. "It will pass."

It will pass.

It will pass.

She will pass–

Was it because of her weak legs that they slowly lowered themselves to the ground, or had Itachi forced them to do so? Did it matter? Yes. It did. It mattered because she couldn't see Ino anymore – was she breathing?

"Sakura-chan," Rin spoke up, repeating her name several times until she managed to catch her eye, holding her gaze. "How about we close our eyes?"

Close her eyes? When Ino needed her?

"Please?"

"I will watch over her, Sakura," Itachi assured her and she knew she could trust him. He knew better than anyone how dearly she loved her friends, no matter how badly they hurt her.

With a quick, jerky nod, she focused on Rin before shutting her eyes, fingers tangling in the arms of Itachi's sweatshirt as she felt her senses heightening beyond the point of being painful.

"We're going to do a breathing exercise – I'll count for you for now, but I want you to start counting with me when you feel ready to, okay?"

Another nod.

It took a while until she was able to count with her, even longer for Sakura to be able to say every number clearly and calmly. Her mind was slow in calming, unable to focus on anything other than her inability to breathe comfortably, telling her that it was because Ino wasn't breathing and–

No. She was breathing.

By the time she reopened her eyes, Rin was kneeling before her, a gentle smile in her eyes. "Is it a little easier to manage now?"

Not gone. Not magically healed. Easier to manage.

That…

That was the perfect way to describe how she felt at that moment in time.

"Thank you," she told the older woman earnestly. Glancing at the man still holding onto her comfortingly, she smiled shakily. "Both of you."

"Don't thank them yet," muttered Shikamaru uneasily and he stepped in front of them, almost like he was shielding them from seeing Ino. "She's waking up."

Rin frowned prettily and stood up, approaching the bed. "I would suggest leaving the room for now, Sakura-chan."

"But–"

"Your own mental state should be taken into consideration–"

"No, I'm not leaving her," she snapped and stood up, Itachi a second behind her and keeping her steady. To prove she was capable of handling it, however (because Ino needed her and she couldn't let her deteriorate to the point of her heart stopping – she had to be there every second of her rehabilitation, strong enough to support her), she stepped away from him, fingers tenderly grazing his to silently thank him for his support. "I get I've been a bad friend up until this point, but I'm here now. I'll do whatever I have to, to get through that thick skull of hers!"

They weren't given the chance to continue their disagreement, for the sound of Ino's groaning had them turning to face her, watching closely as she languidly turned onto her side, intent on snuggling into the fluffy pillow that was usually on her bed.

When she was met by cool cotton, blue eyes flew open, only growing more horrified at the sight of so many people in the strange bedroom.

"Where the hell am I? What do you think you're doing?" She met Sakura's gaze and she flinched at the distrust in them, especially when Ino reached up, wincing as she touched her face. "Y-You…!"

They should have confronted her without Shisui, Obito and Itachi, really (she wasn't sure when the other two had returned, but they were suddenly there and passed it off as happening during her panic attack). Rin was able to stay due to her being a doctor and a trusted figure – Ino would know she was safe with her. However, the rest of them were touch and go. There was the chance she would feel safe seeing Choji and Shikamaru, but there was also the chance of her being scared because deep down, she would expect something like their plan from them.

As for herself…

She stepped around Rin despite the others looking to her disbelievingly, her calm façade unsettling them, considering just moments before she'd been an utter wreck.

But right now, she wasn't allowed to be a wreck, because her best friend needed her.

"How are you feeling?"

"How the hell do you think?" she demanded, trying to stand. Apparently she was still far too drunk, because Ino fell back into the bed, her blanket falling carelessly behind her. "Where am I?"

Shikamaru approached at the question, but tensed when her distrustful gaze pierced him, forcing him to stop. "Think of it as a rehab, of sorts."

"You need help, Ino," Choji told her solemnly. His features were downcast, though his pain didn't seem to affect Ino in the least as she snarled at them all in return.

"Rehab?"

"Yeah," lied Sakura. If they told her that it wasn't an official rehab, she would plot an escape. If Ino believed it was a real rehab, then the fight to escape would surely leave her until she was really hitting rock bottom. "You're going cold turkey. No more drinking."

None of them were prepared for her reaction to the words, those stunning blue eyes tinged red as they darted around them, growing wider by the second until rage caused her once beautiful features to twist. She looked almost deranged and apparently, it was Sakura who would take the brunt of the anger, because when she spoke again, her attention was focused solely on her.

"Have you gone insane?" she screamed at Sakura, face flushing red.

Shisui moved to step into the room, but she shook her head at him, frowning.

No. It had to be her.

They were like sisters.

"You're doing this because of Sasuke-kun, aren't you?" Ino went onto demand, making the other Uchiha in the room either watch her warily or in shock. "You're upset that he liked the pictures I sent him, that he enjoyed my attention and my body." Ignoring Choji's shocked whisper of her name, ignoring Shikamaru's snapping at her to stop the manipulative act, Ino continued nastily even though she couldn't stand by herself, smirking as she muttered, "You wish he'd look at you the way he looks at me, don't you?"

Once more, Ino tried to stand and for a moment, she could, fuelled by her fury and betrayal, but then the second she tried putting one foot in front of the other, she collapsed to the ground.

They didn't move to help her, though only because Sakura ordered them not to get involved, keeping her eyes from meeting any of the others' partly out of shame. She could feel them staring, however. Demanding to know what the hell was going through her mind, demanding answers, wanting to know if there was any truth behind Ino's heartless words.

"You're nothing but a frigid, uptight bitch, Sakura," she snarled from her place on the ground, unaffected by Sakura as she stared down at her stoically, doing her utmost to mask her hurt, because fuck it was killing her. "You bored Sasuke-kun out of your relationship – it's why he never pushes me away and now you're jealous and you're trying to get back at me and–"

Despite the vicious onslaught and the humiliation of it being in front of the others, Sakura calmly knelt before the shaking blonde during her rant, hands coming to rest on her knees for balance.

She had to make her pause long enough to take notice of them.

"Ino."

"What?" she screeched horrifically, red in the face and chest. There was even a bit of spit that left her only to be wiped away harshly, like part of Ino was still in there, feeling embarrassed about her situation.

Green eyes searched the face she'd once been so envious of, taking in the bloodshot eyes, the breakouts, the rushed makeup that was half sweated and rubbed off, the spit on her chin that she'd somehow missed.

"I'd rather be frigid and uptight than a hopeless, alcoholic slut who can't even control herself anymore."

The words made her freeze and she heard a sharp intake of breath behind her.

"What the…?" Her voice was meek, eyes wide and fixed on hers, her tirade shattered by the sudden shift in Sakura's cold personality (they were all stunned, really) – something Ino had never witnessed before. Until that point, she'd always been so forgiving, always allowing the blonde to stomp her way over her in one way or another. But not anymore. And it was about time Ino realised that, Sakura thought darkly. "I…"

The calmness of her actions was obviously unnerving for everyone, especially when she reached out and tenderly cupped Ino's bruised cheek, soon bringing her head to her lap when she fell back to lean against the bed, stroking the blonde locks almost subconsciously, like she was on autopilot.

There was no mistaking the tension in Ino's body.

"Ino?"

"M-Mhm?"

"If you ever go near my boyfriend again, I will happily break you far worse than what you already are."