I don't own Naruto.
"Are you listening to me?"
"Hello? Snap out of it!"
"I'm pregnant-"
"WHAT?" the pink-haired friend gaped at her friend. Her head whipping around to face her friend.
"No, of course not." The blonde scoffed but not before narrowing her eyes at her fellow emerald-eyed companion. "But glad to see you have great selective hearing." She pursed her lips in annoyance, her eyes sharply watching her friend bashfully take a sip of her steaming cup in front of her to hide her embarrassment.
"Okay, okay. I'm listening, what about…Kai was it?" Sakura leaned forward, resting her chin on the palm of her hands. Her elbow dutifully holding her head in place as she allowed herself to give her best friend her undivided attention.
"Sai, not Kai. As I was saying. Sai…" Ino snapped her mouth shut as a thought reached her. "Hold on. Why are you so distracted?" As if it finally occurred to her, she looked outside the shop's glass window and peered into the streets. Curious eyes gazed onto the innocent bystanders walking by, unconcerned by the suspicious woman watching them.
"No reason, please continue." Sakura gesticulated with her other hand for her friend's continuance of what she was certain was going to be an over-exaggerated rendition of what happened.
"No, no. You're the one who wanted to meet up. So, what's up?" Ino inclined her head to the side slightly, her ocean eyes trained on the woman in front of her. "And I won't take 'nothing' for an answer."
Naturally, Ino would have loved to drone on and on about her awful date with the new hot but emotionally challenged guy she set her eyes on this week. But if it was one thing, she prided herself on being -more than an excellent gossiper- it was being a friend. At least to Sakura Haruno.
While Ino grew up with the picture-perfect family complete with the white picket fence she knew her friend had grown up with a drastically different upbringing. Still, that didn't deter the two from forming a bond stronger than steel as the two-faced thick and thin together.
They met briefly during high school when Sakura was placed in Ino's home for a fostering program. Ino's parents wanted more children but with a slight complication after a frightening ectopic pregnancy her father decided fostering or adoption would be more than enough. Their little family run flower shop brought in a decent enough income from overly apologetic husbands and housewives with pitiful green thumb they were more than qualified to open their home.
Except Ino didn't necessarily share the same enthusiasm as her parents and made it a point to make the kids feel a little uneasy. That was until Sakura stepped into their two-story home and gave Ino's entitled self a rude awakening.
Of course, Sakura would never admit it. But she did find the Yamanaka household to be one of the best places she ever had the chance of living in. How ever brief it was before she was shipped off to live with a distant relative. It was only until after they attended school together after her move did the pair set aside their differences and become the family, they had a glimpse of being.
Sakura silently cursed herself for asking her friend out for a morning coffee date last minute. Normally she would have avoided meeting up until Ino would pester her into leaving the comforts of her apartment. But with the week she'd been having her resolve broke and in the cusp of her vulnerability and paranoia, she texted Ino.
It was only when she woke up to her alarm clock and made her way towards the little quaint coffee shop tucked away at the corner of the main intersection did, she realized how ridiculous she'd been. She was fine. With the bright sun washing over the streets of the bustling city and not a hint of a cloud painting the sky. She couldn't help but feel rejuvenated, as the summer air warmth her skin.
She was fine.
She was overthinking it. Just stressed out and letting the delirium infringe on her sanity.
Everything was fine.
"I'm just stressed from work. Tsunade has been working me to the bone, I don't know how much more I can take before I disintegrate into dust." Sakura sheepishly muttered into her cup. She hoped her friend bought her pathetic excuse, although not entirely untrue. Her new mentor had been rigorous in her training often leaving her aching and delirious from the lack of sleep.
"That's what you get for going into grad school. Isn't she the prof that just won the Distinguished Contributions to the International… something something award? Everyone knows if you study under someone that established, you're just asking for trouble." Ino didn't look entirely satisfied, but her compassion ultimately won, and concern washed over her features. "Can't you take like a break or something?"
"Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology." Sakura gently reminded her friend. "Are you crazy? After my thesis was just approved? And funding?" Sakura almost slammed her cup down, the edges of her coffee splashing violently threatening to spill over. She snapped her eyes towards the owner of the shop hoping her careless act didn't anger the little lady. She didn't want to cause bad blood in her favorite place. With a sigh, she returned her attention back to Ino once she was satisfied the owner was too engrossed in making another customer's order.
"Look, I just wanted to see my best friend again. I just wanted to feel like nothing has changed. That I am not currently drowning in debt and responsibilities. I just want nothing more than to hear all about the hot asshole that rejected her best friend." She muffled her giggle with the sleeve of her shirt, a smug and teasing smile gracing her lips as Ino huffed in annoyance. "Plus, I'm almost done. So close-"
A soft buzzing broke both their attention. Sakura flipped over her phone that was faced down on the table, the caller id flashing brightly. A picture of a male blonde licking a rather disgruntled Sakura graced their eyes, while the name 'Naruto' flashed on top. Ignoring Ino's snicker, she slid her thumb over the screen and placed the device against her ear.
"SAKURA!"
She winced at the boisterous man started yelling into the phone. "Naruto volume," she hissed. She faintly wondered if she should visit her family doctor for a check-up soon with all the recent calls he had been making lately.
Naruto for all his faults and lack of understanding of what an inside voice is ended up becoming one of her sweetest friends. The pair met during their first year under their respective mentors. Her own professor was a close colleague to Naruto's chief, and they often found themselves running into each other whenever Tsunade was called into the NYPD for consultations.
Naruto at first simply wanted a date, much of the pink-haired female's dismay, but after they found themselves in a bit of a predicament, they couldn't deny the friendship that bloomed. Though, Sakura would gladly rescind any declarations of friendships now that she found him calling her every day to talk.
"Oops, sorry," his husky voice sheepishly muttered.
"What do you want?" She looked over to Ino who was thumbing her own phone. Most likely swiping away on some social dating app or social media account.
"I wanted to see if you wanted to come to a little gathering my friends and I are throwing tonight at the Crown Jewels pub tomorrow night. It's gonna be so much fun and you can't say no or else I'll drag you out of your apartment myself."
"I don't see how a cop is allowed to make such a threat," She admonished. How she managed to attract another Ino, a male version granted, was out of her understanding. She briefly wondered if the universe secretly hated her.
"Party?" Ino whispered, her eyes lit up and her face closed in towards Sakura.
With a flinch, Sakura backed her face away, surprised at the sudden proximity. "Listen Naruto, I can't I have a draft-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Ino yanked the phone out of her grasp. "Naruto, right? Yeah, it's me, Ino. Remember we met at Sakura's birthday dinner? Yep, the very one." Ino ignored her friend's vicious glare and thrust her arm to intercept Sakura's attempt at stealing her phone back. "Listen, I couldn't help but overhear something about a party? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Well, I think we can work something out. Great. Perfect. We'll see you there. Bye." With a cheerful smile, she slid the phone back to Sakura. Her face radiating from excitement.
"Ino, you didn't." Sakura whined. She really wanted a quiet Friday night. She just wanted to curl up early and sleep until she needed to resume her responsibilities the following Monday.
"I did, and we're going." A stern smile was plastered on her pink lips. Ino was using her no-nonsense voice and smile on Sakura. "You have been holed up in your apartment for the past six months. I don't know what's going on with you, but I know you need fun. And maybe in need of a good fuc-"
"Ino," Sakura hissed, looking around the coffee shop in case anyone overheard her overly lewd friend's advice. "I wasn't kidding that I had to hand in a draft of my report tomorrow night." She gave her friend a pointed stare with Ino easily deflected.
Inspecting her nails lazily, "Are you really going to tell me you haven't already finished your draft? Please Sakura I've known you since we were 15."
The hint of a frown touched Sakura's lips. Has it really been six months since she had fun? She couldn't think of a time before where she didn't use the opportunity to seize the moment and enjoy spending time with her friends. Something happened down the line that changed her whether she realized it or not.
With a sigh of defeat, she relented with an apologetic smile. "Fine," she picked up her warm coffee and took a small sip. "But I'm not dressing up."
"You're dressing up, I will strip you down and clothe you if I have to."
Sakura could not help but wonder if Ino and Naruto were simply long-lost siblings. With a non-committing shrug, she nodded in acceptance.
Ino lingered for a minute sizing Sakura up before giving a hm of approval. As much as she knew Sakura was keeping something from her, she knew pushing her friend's boundaries only worked in the opposite direction of her favor. With a shrug, she recanted all the ways the poor bloke named Sai could not read her advances throughout their date.
As Ino droned on, a sudden eerily sensation washed over her. It was only then Sakura felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up straight. The all too familiar feeling washed over her again. It was like a bucket of ice-cold water dumped over her, soaking her entire senses turning her rigid.
Her ears were humming, her senses on overdrive. Watching. Waiting.
He was back.
She was not fine. Everything was not fine in the least.
Whoever was watching her... was back.
Hope you enjoyed.
Trying something new. Leave a review if you liked it :)
