Forever Mine

Chapter 30

[Anbu Pub]

The blonde stood beside her husband inside a bar she'd only been in twice before. It was different from the usual bar she and her friend went to, nonetheless still very nice. Shame she only ever spent thirty minutes tops inside before having to leave again.

Sai only visited the far-placed bar to pick something up or on the very rare occasion when his subordinates convinced him to join them for drinks. Every other time he was in the same bar Konoha 12 always used.

"I'm going to get something from the back," Sai informed. "Coming?"

"I'm fine. I'll wait right here." Ino assured.

She watched the artist disappear to the back, leaving her standing beside a table filled with his subordinates, and not wanting a conversation that she knew would go on for hours to start, she began looking around the pub to see how different it was from hers.

It was mainly filled with shinobi wearing their anbu uniforms, each most likely sitting with people from their squad. She didn't see anyone familiar around, not until her eyes suddenly landed on the bar table across the room. Two people sat comfortably on their stools beside each other; one of which she knew well.

Without any delay, Ino began to approach them, quickly noticing how the girl had such light red hair it was almost pink. Once she made it, she casually stood in between them, causing the unfamiliar girl's flirting to cease as she looked up at the blonde questionably.

"Can I help you?" the girl asked with annoyance.

"Yes, you can get lost," Ino said with a smile on her lips.

The girl continued to look at her as if debating if she should go or not and then turned to look at the person she'd been trying to take home. When he didn't make a move to defend her, she got up and walked away while throwing her a nasty glare.

Ino merely sat down on the freshly abandoned seat, not fazed by her anger in the least, then she turned to face the anbu who was currently downing his drink as if knowing he was going to be nagged at.

"You look ridiculous," she stated bluntly.

Kai shifted in his seat until he was facing forward and away from her, unlike how he was whenever the light red-headed girl sat with him. A look of frustration filled his gaze at her presence.

"What do you want, Ino?" Kai took another long drink before continuing. "This isn't your bar."

The blonde observed him silently for a moment.

It was clear as day how out of it he was. The kindness that used to fill his gaze was nowhere to be seen. Light dark circles under his eyes showed how he hadn't been sleeping properly. He was also clearly drunk and she didn't remember the last time she'd seen him sober.

She couldn't exactly blame him. It'd been months already and there wasn't a single clue as to when her pink-haired best friend was returning home. There was also the fact that Kai had no idea where she was. No matter how many times he begged the Hokage to tell him, he never did.

It seemed the longer Sakura was away; the more lost Kai became.

"I'm here with Sai." Ino finally answered.

"Then go back to him."

"You haven't been showing up to our pub lately." she ignored his attempt to shoo her away.

"Why would I?"

"We're your friends."

"Tch, you're Sakura's friends."