Sakura's medical training kicked in at the sight of her injured friend.
Upon her arrival, the two nurses, who had previously tried to soothe the Yamanaka, snapped to attention, waiting for further instructions from the ranking medic present.
"Sakura," called Shizune who appeared seconds later, "you forgot this." She threw her a lab coat.
Catching it, Sakura slipped her arms into the sleeves, "Thanks, Shizune-san. You two," she addressed the nurses, "could you stand by near the door? I want to see if we can resolve this without an injection." Injections, while effective, were a last resort due to the negative effects of the medicine afterward. Many patients risked addiction to drugs and depression. They wouldn't have a panic attack for a while after; however, Sakura argued the medicine just created a worser problem to deal with latter.
The two nurses nodded and moved towards the back of the room. Shizune excused herself out, wishing Sakura luck in the process.
The door closed shut.
Sakura immediately was on her knees, making herself low to the ground to appear less of a threat. She slowly crawled towards her disheveled friend on the ground. She frowned as she analyzed her friend's disheveled appearance. Ino had her back pressed against the wall, her hands covering her face, her flowing blonde locks knotted. The pink-haired shinobi's frown deepened when she noticed spots of dark red blood on her old friend's clothes. She reached out, her hands glowing in vibrant healing green, gently clasping the blonde's shoulders.
"Ino."
Everything felt wrong.
There was too much. Too little.
Voices. "You're a Failure!"
Darkness, pitch black. Where was everyone? She couldn't breathe. She was drowning. She's dying. Surrounded. Father. Asuma. Sakura.
"Useless!"
"Weak!"
"Unwanted!"
No. Stop. She choked. Stop. Please.
Everything was screaming. She just wanted, no, needed it to stop.
"Ino."
Something whispered. Gentle. Calm. Who was that?
"Reject!"
"Unloved!"
"Pathetic!"
She whimpered again.
"You left me to die!"
"Murderer!"
"Ino."
That voice. Gentle. Who? Where? Where are you? The words burned in her throat. She couldn't breathe. Too much. Too much. Stop. Stop!
"Disgrace!"
"I'm here. Open your eyes, Ino. Come home."
Open? Had she closed them?
"Come on. Open your eyes."
Light.
It was a field of flower filled with countless yellow poppies blanketing the green carpet below her. A warm summer breeze passed her by, caressing the thin green blades.
Ino blinked.
She blinked again.
Her panic and desperation slowly crawled back within her replaced by peace and serenity. She took a deep breath. Breathe. She told herself. Just breathe.
Needing distraction, she surveyed her surroundings, taking in the trees, the birds. Noticing a yellow poppy beside her, She picked it gently, taking it in her hands. She turned the flower over in her palm. Poppies can symbolize restful sleep, peace in death, consolation of a loss, remembering the fallen in various wars and conflicts.
"Hmm, really? I didn't know that."
Ino whisked her head upward towards the voice. Her vision clouded with tears at the sight against her will. It was her. It was her friend. Her friend as she remembered her to be with soothing kindness mixed with fierce determination woven into her features. Like she always had.
Sakura motioned to the ground, "Mind if I sit down?"
Ino said nothing as she watched her friend move to sit next to her.
The Yamanaka observed the pink-haired girl, who now was scrutinizing the yellow poppy in Ino's hands. She was wearing a white lab coat as if she just had finished her hospital shift. She waited for her companion to transform into the haunted, blood-stained corpse that she'd come to know. For the serene fields of flowers to transform into that forsaken battlefield drenched in blood and bodies.
Nothing happened.
The world remained peaceful.
Ino wiped the treacherous tears from her eyes. It's not her. It's not. She remind herself. It's that awful mind of hers again. She needed to leave, now. Leave while she still could. Why torture herself with this? With false hopes and crushed realities? Of things that could never be again.
Her hands twitched to form the release sign, but froze when she made the mistake of looking back. Like she always did.
There her friend sat. Concern etched on her features. Ready to help if needed. Ready to listen if called. Ready to stand between Death and her friends if the situation arose.
And she did. Fury bubbled to the surface and Ino clenched her fists. Thoughts of escape consumed by rage. Because her friend was just so stupid. She and her stupid selflessness went and got herself killed.
Anger simmered into guilt and sorrow. Because she knew the choice her friend was face with. Somebody was going to die and protecting each other was at the core of who they were. And if Ino was there she would have done the same thing.
Hinata and Naruto lived. Sakura died.
She could feel her friend's worried gaze upon her and that twisted something inside her because, in reality, Sakura was dead. She was gone. And the dead didn't feel.
I'm sorry. She wanted to say. I'm so sorry. She wasn't even there when she died. And she couldn't even find her body. The coffin burried empty. What kind of a friend was she? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. She tries to say. The words lodge in her throat. The desire to escape emerges again. She has to-
A hand grabs her own. It's calloused from punching countless enemies twice her size. It's smooth from healing countless allies from the brink of death. But that's not what Ino focuses on.
Her hand is warm.
Ino's resolve breaks. Why not stay? Because, here, in her mind, Sakura is alive, whole, and bloodless. The Sakura that she remembered in the short eighteen years of life that Ino had known her. Not the tormented corpse that haunted Ino for the past sixteen years. This was a good memory. She could relish in it just a bit longer.
She gave a mirthless laugh. The irony. She'd spent so long trying to flee from her dreams and memories, only to succumb to one.
She squeezed the hand tightly and tried to keep the distress out of her voice. "You forgot to return your lab coat again, didn't you?"
I'm sorry.
She must have disguised her voice well because her friend's worried gaze morphed into amusement.
"I think Tsunade-shishou has just accepted the fact that it's just mine now."
Ino tried to fall back in sync with their normal banter because this was her memory and she was going to relive it the right way before it was taken from her again.
"Only you could get away with forgetting to return equipment back to the hospital. Remember when you took those vials of poison from the toxicology lab? Shizune-san got so mad."
She whined, "Ino, you promised not to bring that up again!"
Ino found herself wistfully smiling. She held her hands out in a surrendering position. "Sorry, sorry."
I really am. I'm so, so sorry.
Sakura pouted, "No, you're not. Besides, I took those vials for my research. It was important! It wasn't like I was stealing them or anything. I was going to return them."
Ino half-heartedly hummed, "If you say so."
As they sat in silence, Ino realized the birds went quiet and the warm breeze ceased to blow. Some of the poppies had disappeared.
The world was morphing. Ino knew the memory was ending. The tears she tried to hold back started to cascade from her face.
She was worried again, her emerald eyes narrowed in concern. "Ino?"
Just say it. Maybe you'll find peace.
Ino tackled her friend into a bone-crushing hug. She willed the world to remain just for a little longer. Even if it wasn't real. Even if it was a mirage of her friend. She had to say goodbye. To get closure before it was all over. Maybe then she could finally leave behind the horrible dreams. She could be at peace.
Sakura was surprised by the abrupt hug, but returned it nevertheless. "Ino?" She asked again.
"Thank you, Sakura." Ino whispered, "Thank you for everything. I'm sorry that I wasn't there with you when you..." she choked. She couldn't even say it now, "I'm sorry. Goodbye."
The world around them faded.
Sakura wasn't entirely sure if using a genjutsu was a good idea. It was a normal technique to use on civilians, who couldn't tell the difference between illusion and reality. It was a bit riskier with Shinobi as they were trained to combat genjutsu since the academy. Especially in a fragile mental state, Shinobi could possibly see the genjutsu as an attack.
However, as she saw her best friend cower on the cold hospital floor, the medical ninja felt it was worth the risk. She needed to calm Ino down and return her to a more lucid state.
Making up her mind, Sakura quickly formed the hand seals for the jutsu. "Ino." She called, "Ino."
Taking her friend's hand, Sakura cast the genjutsu, a field that they used to visit as children, around them. "I'm here. Open your eyes, Ino. Come home."
When Ino opened her eyes, Sakura silently observed her reactions, making herself hidden within the genjutsu.
Ino picked up a yellow flower and examined it, absentmindedly whispering, "Poppies can symbolize restful sleep, peace in death, consolation of a loss, remembering the fallen in various wars and conflicts."
That was a fast recovery. Must be because she's a Yamanaka. Sakura noted. Perhaps Ino had brought herself out of her panic attack already. She seemed aware. Time to test the waters. Sakura revealed herself, "Hmm, really? I didn't know that."
Shocked cerulean eyes snapped up to hers. Good. She's responding to the environment.
They sat there in silence. Ino struggling with herself. Sakura not wanting to push her friend over the edge.
Surprising Sakura, Ino initiated conversation first. "You forgot to return your lab coat again, didn't you?"
She probably thought this was a dream or a memory. That was good. It would be easier to analyze her friend's true condition. Sakura played along, falling into their normal banter easily.
Then, Sakura made a fatal error. Genjutsu was very particular in the fact that it required a steady, constant flow of chakra to successfully fuel the illusion. She underestimated the amount of chakra required to maintain the illusion. Her chakra control slipped and the illusion did as well. She hoped Ino wouldn't notice her mistake, but she did. Sakura watched her friend's peaceful face morph into one of panic and fear. Dang it, you just had to lose control now. Sakura berated herself.
Ino tackled her, fiercely whispering her goodbyes.
The genjutsu was useless now. She let the world fade around them.
Ino held her breath and shut her eyes as she waited for the warmth of her friend to disappear and leave her alone again in the unforgiving darkness. Instead, the arms around her tightened their grip, holding her more securely.
She opened her eyes again and was met with the familiar white walls of the hospital room. She was in the metal ward again, wasn't she? Then, who the heck was she hugging? Out of her peripheral vision, Ino caught the sight of pink hair.
The person she was embracing chuckled, "Made a mistake with the genjutsu, sorry to worry you."
No. It couldn't be. She jumped away, coming face to face with the same person in her memory. She stared in shock.
Sakura had let Ino pull away, but continued to hold her friend's hand to assure her that she was really there. If the circumstances were different, Sakura would have probably laughed at the comical face Ino was making. But the medic within her restrained herself. She addressed the two nurses once more, "We won't need an injection. But a soldier pill would be nice to boost energy. No lasting hysteria. Returned to a lucid state after initial induction. I'm going to clear her for now, but I want her under supervision. No prescriptions." One nurse scribbled down notes on the medical report. The other nurse presented Sakura with a soldier pill.
Sakura's attention shifted back to Ino. Gently taking the blonde's face with her hand, the medical ninja flicked away the several tears.
There was no way. There was no way. This wasn't real. "S-sakura?" She hoarsely whispered.
The pink-haired smiled gently, her emerald eyes crinkling as they had always done when she was genuinely happy,"Here, Ino. Eat this. You're probably fatigued."
Suddenly the door slammed open, revealing a panicked Sai and a dismayed Hinata.
"Sai-san! You can't just barge into-"
"Ino!" The usually stoic man rushed towards his wife. "Are you alright? What happened?"
Slightly annoyed that Sai still, after sixteen years, had a disregard for hospital rules, Sakura slightly growled at the other Team 7 member, "Sai," she stressed, "give her some space."
At her warning, he finally noticed her, his black orbs widening, "Sakura?!"
Ino looked back and forth between her husband and Sakura. "Y-you see her too?" she asked, wanting confirmation that she wasn't losing her mind as much as she already had.
Sakura squirmed a bit under both of her friend's gazes, she smiled sheepishly, "Hey."
Hinata was her saving grace. "Naruto-kun and Shikamaru-san confirmed it yesterday." The Uzumaki smilled, "Sakura's alive."
It wasn't long after that Sakura found herself in another hug.
But she also found, she wouldn't have it any other way.