Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it's owned by masashhhh... Mafash... Fuck it.
You know I should really stop taking these long breaks, it makes me forget where I'm going with plot ideas. Any who! Let's wing it!
A light peeked it's way through the pink curtains of the young woman's bedroom, slowly illuminating as the sun made it's way over the horizon. The soft glow helped to brighten the already bright colors of the room, as the light made it's way to the slumbering girl. The light tickled and warmed her cheeks as her eyes slowly fluttered open, her vision blurry while she stirred from slumber.
ACHOO!
The young girl sneezed, the sound echoing in the room as she rubbed her nose messily. "Why is it so cold in here?..." She asked herself tiredly, as her eyes lazily looked around her bedroom. She swung her legs off her bed as she rubbed her eye, a yawn escaping her dry lips. "Been a while since I slept so well..." She muttered to herself as she got up, stretching her still waking limbs.
She slowly made her way to the thermometer in her room, all the while yawning away her drowsiness. "My AC is on full blast, huh?..." She asked herself tiredly as she tried turning it off, only to find it not responding to her input. "Well great... It's stuck on this setting... Guess I'll have to let Dad know." She grumbled as she made her way to the bathroom.
The pinkette turned the knob of her shower, hearing the water screech from the shower head. As she disrobed, she looked over at herself in the mirror as her expression saddened somewhat.
What's that face about? You getting upset over how you look again? Inner chimed in, knocking the young girl out of her trance.
She shook her head before stepping into the shower, sighing in relief at the warm water. "No, that's not it... I'm just wondering why I'm bothering to get ready for the day, when I have nothing to prepare for?" She asked herself, as she let the water run down her face. "I'm on temporary probation from missions, Kakashi-sensei is busier than ever, then there's..." She trailed off, all the while rubbing her arm in frustration.
She didn't want to say his name, she didn't want to be reminded of what she did the night before. She leaned against the wall of the shower; sighing heavily. "...Then there's Naruto." She finally finished, staring down at the shower floor.
After she finished washing up, she started drying off and brushing her hair in front of the mirror. "I mean... I manipulated him, albeit by accident, but still... I gave him an empty promise..." She chastised herself, as she finished brushing her hair.
Throwing on her new clothes, she stepped out of the bathroom and looked down at his jacket, sprawled out and wrinkly on her bed. "Not only did I give him a terrible excuse for turning down his confession, I gave him an open invitation to get rejected again..." She continued, gently picking up his jacket and folding it neatly.
A grimace formed on Sakura's face, as she stared down at the jacket. "All of it, for what? For some asinine attempt at getting the love I never got from Sasuke-kun. I'm just using Naruto... Haha, how fucked up is that?" She asked herself bitterly, her bottom lip quivering as she ran her hand along the fabric of his folded jacket.
A scoff could be heard from her Inner self. Would you stop beating yourself up? If you were truly using him, you wouldn't be chastising yourself right now. She explained to the pinkette who threw on her shoes and opened her porch door.
Her grip tightened on the folded jacket as she stepped out onto the deck. "Regardless of whether or not I intended to, I still did it... I still manipulated him." She retorted, closing the door, then jumping off the porch onto one of the many rooftops.
Fine then, keep beating yourself up and keep being miserable. Inner fumed, clearly getting tired of Sakura's pity party.
Sakura looked down in silence as she touched down on the road, her grip tightening further on Naruto's jacket. "Damn girl, you could crush someone's neck with a grip like that." A voice pointed out, causing Sakura to turn immediately to the source of the voice.
"I-Ino?!" She half shouted as she looked at the approaching blonde, clearly not expecting to see her.
The platinum blonde haired girl stood in front of Sakura, while putting a hand on her hip. "Good to see you too, forehead." She said jokingly, as she looked toward her shop. "You gonna stand there with such a heavy stare? Or are you gonna come inside?" She asked the pinkette, who could only blink in response.
Sakura's head slowly turned to where her friend was looking, blinking all the while. "Come insi...? Oh." She trailed off, staring at the flower shop in front of her. She followed Ino inside the shop as her mind started racing a bit.
Did I... Did I instinctively come here? Naruto's apartment isn't in this direction, not completely... She thought to herself, as she sat down at the counter. She gave Ino a solemn stare, as her hand rested on the counter. Am I really so desperate for advice that doesn't come from me, that I'd go to Ino-pig just out of reflex? She asked herself, trying to make sense of her situation.
"Hellooo, earth to Sakura!" Ino called out, snapping her fingers in front of Sakura's face. Causing the pinkette to blink out of her trance. Ino huffed as she put her hands on her hips. "Sheesh! First you give me that creepy stare, then you go into some trance! Just how exhausted are you?" The blonde asked, before setting down a mug of coffee for the pinkette.
Sakura looked down at the cup, before looking at Ino, waving her hand. "No no, I'm not that tired, and I couldn't intrude..." She started, before seeing the glare on her friend's face. "...But I think I'll take you up on the offer." She finished, taking a sip of the coffee.
Ino smirked as she grabbed herself a mug. "That's what I thought. 'I couldn't intrude' my ass, you always find some excuse to come barging in." She pointed out, satisfied to hear a groan of admittance from the pinkette. "You're lucky you showed up when you did, the shop doesn't open for 2 hours. Gives us plenty of time to talk." She explained, turning back to Sakura. She looked at Sakura's face for a moment, before taking another sip of her hot drink. "And before you try to squirm your way out of a conversation, those heavy eyes and that coat tell me you need to talk to someone." She concluded, watching Sakura hang her head.
Sakura nodded slowly, as her grip on the mug loosened a bit. "...Yeah, I do need to talk about it." She admitted, setting the mug down as a frown formed on her face.
Ino sat down in her seat, as she leaned against the counter. "Well, I'm all ears! Tell Dr. Yamanaka what is troubling you so? Is it Sasuke-kun again? Given the... Recent events, I'm sure that's what it is." She surmised, given previous conversations with the pinkette as well as her feelings for the boy.
Sakura shook her head, not looking at her best friend. "No... Well... Kinda? It somewhat involves him." She kind of answered, as she heard a sigh from the blonde.
"Well I can't help you if you don't tell me what the problem is, Forehead." She told her friend, as her eyes made her way to the jacket resting on the pinkette's lap. "That being said... Are you taking up Naruto's taste in clothes? Why are you carrying that bright orange thing?" She asked, curious as to why Sakura would be holding a jacket that looks disturbingly like Naruto's.
Sakura looked at Ino, shocking the blonde as all she saw were big green eyes filled with conflict. "It's Naruto's jacket... He gave it to me last night." She told the blonde, as her hand rested on the coat.
Ino blinked in confusion, as she tried to piece together what Sakura said. "Last night... Did he leave to go after Sasuke-kun again?!" She asked in shock, seeing the pinkette quickly shake her head no. "Then what happened?" She asked the woman in front of her, deciding not to jump to conclusions again.
Sakura sighed heavily, as she took a gulp of her coffee. "It would be easier if I explained everything..." She trailed off, seeing her friend give her a long, but attentive stare. Clearly, she was willing to listen.
"Eh?! Sasuke-kun rejected you?" Ino asked in shock, as she looked to the side. "Even after you poured your heart out like that... No wonder you were such a mess after he left..." She muttered, as she rubbed her chin.
Well, doesn't surprise me that she'd start with that. Sakura thought, finishing the last of her coffee.
Ino's expression saddened as she looked down. "Then seeing Naruto in such a state... Girl, you've got a ton in you to still be okay after seeing something that horrifying..." She said, putting her hand on top of Sakura's. "I can't believe Sasuke-kun would do something so brutal to one of his teammates..." She muttered in disbelief, and it showed on her face. The wide eyes, the heavy frown, and the lack of color in her cheeks. This sounded nothing like the Sasuke she knew, or that she thought she knew.
Sakura nodded, looking back at her mug. "Seeing it first hand... It makes you see him in a different light, you know?" She explained, looking over at Ino with a grimace. "After seeing Naruto go through such hell, only to be treated like garbage and nearly killed by our friend, our comrade... I don't know if I can look at Sasuke-kun like I used to..." She admitted, leaving herself surprised at how easily the words just slipped out of her mouth.
Ino looked at Sakura for a long while, before taking a deep breath and giving a smile. "I totally get it. He went too far, and did something unforgivable... Hard to be in love with a man who would toss away relationships so easily and with such little remorse." She summed up, giving Sakura's hand a slight squeeze. "I'm glad you were able to come to a conclusion with that." She told the pinkette, before letting go of her hand.
Sakura smiled in response, before looking down. "So, tell me what the real problem is." Ino told her, as the pinkette snapped her head back at the blonde. "You seriously think I'm that dumb? You came to a conclusion so easily, in spite of that look on your face. Plus, you said yourself that Sasuke-kun wasn't really the problem, AND that doesn't explain the jacket!" She pointed out, folding her arms all the while.
Sakura sighed heavily, cursing her friend's ability to see through people. She's too perceptive for her own good. Sakura thought to herself, as she leaned back in her chair. "Fine, I'll tell you..." She trailed off, taking in a deep breath. "It's about Naruto." She answered.
"Well I figured that much, you said that's his coat, plus you mentioned Naruto QUITE a lot during that 'Sasuke-kun' conversation. It sounded like it was more about the idiot than him." Ino pointed out, her arms still folded. She was starting to lose patience with her pink haired friend. "Come on, this is Naruto we're talking about, what about him could leave you in such a conflicted state?" She asked, watching the pinkette closely.
"He said he loves me." She responded, hearing nothing in response. She shook her head wildly, as she slammed her hand on the counter. "And that was after he tried to push me out of his life! Honestly that little idiot...!" She growled in frustration.
Ino stared at Sakura wide eyed, as her arms fell from their folded position. She then waved her hands in front of her face. "Hold on! Rewind! He WHAT?!" She asked in shock, inching closer to Sakura. "What do you mean he said he loves you?! And what's this about pushing you out of his life!" She asked hurriedly, the story starting to get juicy.
Sakura's eyes narrowed at her friend's eagerness. "When Naruto was recovering in the hospital, Tsunade-sama came to his room while I was visiting... She asked me why I went with Kakashi-sensei, despite her and his orders for me to stay. I told her that I wanted to see for myself if Naruto had stopped Sasuke-kun from leaving." She answered, as her hand that was resting on the counter balled up into a fist.
Ino's eagerness quickly died off as she looked to the side. "Jeez... Right in front of Naruto, too..." She pointed out, rubbing her arm all the while. "Didn't take it well, from the sounds of it." She concluded from Sakura's earlier statement.
Sakura nodded as she looked down at the coat. "He sent me away, and I didn't see him at all after that. It was only after he got released from the hospital, that I finally had the courage to go see him..." She trailed off, as silence filled the room. Ino's eyes widened as she saw something wet hit the counter. "...He wanted nothing to do with me...!" She choked out, as the tears forced their way out of her being. "I went there to apologize for everything I put him through... How I treated him when we were younger, how I so selfishly locked him into a promise that almost killed him! Instead, he tried to push me out of his life, insistent that I didn't care about him!" She cried out, before gritting her teeth. "It took me deciding to leave his life for him to realize the bullshit he was spewing!..." She choked out as she hunched over.
Ino stared at her friend in shock, not sure what to say as she stared in silence. "Sakura..." She muttered sadly. It wasn't often she saw her friend in such despair, and about Naruto of all people.
The pinkette bit her lower lip, as the tears built up further. "And then... He decided to confess his feelings right then and there!" She explained, looking at her bewildered friend with tears in her eyes. "And I broke down! Right in front of him I just collapsed into a mess of tears; calling him cruel and a liar!" She confessed, gritting her teeth as she looked down. Her feelings were pouring out of her like a rushing waterfall. If there was anything she wanted to hide, it would all be based on if she remembered to mention it or not. "How the hell was I supposed to respond to his confession? With how sudden it was? With how soon it was after he tried pushing me away? With how soon after I was heartbroken?!" She asked repeatedly, her pupils as small as dots. "I couldn't believe he was in love with me, I couldn't..." She trailed off, looking down as she trembled in silence.
Ino stared at her friend for a long while, before coughing lightly into her fist. "Well... Naruto's completely inappropriate behavior aside, what did you ultimately say to him?" She asked, not really sure how to handle Sakura's meltdown.
Sakura looked to the side, as she grabbed his coat. "I...I rejected him... I told him I couldn't accept his feelings, not like that..." She answered halfheartedly.
Ino's eyes narrowed as she saw through Sakura's hesitance. "Sakura. What else did you say?" She asked, almost demanded from the young woman.
Sakura looked away from her friend, not daring to answer her. She couldn't confess to it, she couldn't. "SAKURA!"
"I told him to confess to me again in a week, okay?!" She shouted, panting heavily as Ino stared at her.
Ino could only blink, while staring at her friend. "You did what?..." She asked with wide eyes, before rubbing her face with her hand. "Sakura...!" She trailed off.
The pinkette groaned as she buried her face into her hands. "I know! You don't have to say it! I messed up, and led him on!" She admitted, groaning sadly into her hands.
Ino nodded, as she put a hand on her hip. "You sure did, forehead. To think you've called me a shallow bitch, I think this takes the cake on whatever I've done." She rubbed in, as Sakura pouted angrily. "I'm joking, sheesh!" The blonde laughed nervously, while rubbing the back of her head.
Sakura's pout faded as she stared down at his jacket sadly. "Well it's true..." She trailed off, holding his jacket to her chest tightly. "After Sasuke-kun, I just... I just wanted to feel loved..." She trailed off, her lower lip quivering slightly.
Ino grimaced while staring at her heart broken friend. "Sakura..." She trailed off, sighing heavily. "If it means anything, I don't think you did it on purpose. If you did, you wouldn't be feeling this way." She pointed out.
Sounds familiar Inner chimed in, only for Sakura to quickly ignore her.
Sakura looked at her friend, shaking her head. "But I used him... I gave him an excuse as to why I turned him down, and gave him a second chance that'll just lead him to getting hurt again..." She pointed out, feeling the guilt wash through her being.
Ino put her hands on Sakura's shoulders. "Girl, you were caught up in the moment. You felt horrible about rejecting him, and... A part of you wanted to return those feelings. So you got caught in the motions and made a promise you may not be able to keep... But that's fine!" She explained, trying to get the pinkette's spirits up.
Sakura looked at her friend in shock, as she put her hands on Ino's arms. "How is that fine?!" She asked in confusion.
Ino gave her friend a calm smile, as she hugged her. "Because you're human. You're gonna make mistakes, and you know what else? Feelings can change too." She explained, letting her go. "Maybe you'll end up falling for that dork during the week, or maybe you won't. Either way, you need to live with this decision, and accept that shit happens! You're FAR from perfect, and you're going to make mistakes." The blonde told her, seeing the pinkette roll her eyes in response.
"Gee, thanks." She thanked sarcastically, getting a laugh out of the blonde. "Seriously, though... Thanks..." She thanked her friend, giving her a tight hug. "And sorry for being such a pain..." She apologized to the blonde.
Ino smiled at her friend, before returning the hug. "Apology accepted, and you're welcome." She responded, before letting her go. "Just, try to keep the melodrama to a minimum from now on, okay?" She requested, getting a laugh for the first time that morning from her friend.
Sakura nodded, getting up from her chair. "I'll try my best." She told her friend, before looking at the clock. "Sheesh... Time flies fast. Almost time for you to open the store." She pointed out, before picking up the blonde's jacket.
She stepped toward the door, before looking back at Ino. "I don't want to keep you from your work because of my selfishness... Thanks again, Ino... For everything." She thanked her, a genuine smile forming on her face before she walked out of the store.
Ino waved her goodbye, before leaning against the counter. "That girl... She's gonna be the death of me someday." She told herself while smiling warmly. "Still... I'm glad that she's taken a new direction in life..."
Sakura was about to jump to the rooftops once again, before someone got in her way. "K-Kakashi-Sensei?" She asked, seeing the gray haired jounin standing in front of her.
Kakashi stared down at her, arms folded. "You're late." He pointed out, putting her hand on her shoulder and doing a hand sign. The two then appeared at the training grounds in a puff of smoke.
The pinkette coughed as she waved the smoke away from her face. "Warn me when you're about to use that!..." She trailed off, seeing Naruto in front of her. "Naruto?..." She asked, still holding his jacket. "Why're you here?... Also, Late for what?" She asked, looking at gray haired man in confusion.
Kakashi folded his arms, as he stared down at the young girl. "Naruto and you are going to have a sparring match." He told her, before pointing to the blonde across from her.
Sakura looked at the blonde who was simply staring at her, before looking back at Kakashi, blinking all the while.
"Eh?"
And done! Whew, I was in the zone with that one.
I really like getting into the nitty gritty with Sakura's despair, it's so much fun!
Anywho, see ya!