Just This Once

Chapter 4

Sasuke was brought out of his musing by his office phone. "Yes?" He answered curtly.

"Mr. Uchiha, there's an Ino Yamanaka here to see you. She insists it's urgent," the hesitant voice of his soft-spoken assistant, Tenten informed him.

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing without a doubt what this would be about. After weighing his options, he sighed, knowing that the bull-headed beta wouldn't go quietly. "Send her in."

Not even a moment later, the brash beta was barging into his office. Ino was a tall bleached blond beta with fair skin and icy blue eyes. The female had been one of Sakura's best friends throughout high school and all the way through college. They both vied for his attention but that ended when Sasuke and Sakura ended up dating and Ino herself settled down with a beta named Sai who looked like a smaller creepier version of himself, or that's what people tell him. Personally, Sasuke didn't see the resemblance.

"Uchiha!" Ino hissed, making her irritation known. "Why aren't you returning Sakura's messages?"

Sasuke looked at the woman with a flat look. "I've been busy." It wasn't a lie, it just wasn't the whole truth either. "Besides, I fail to see how that's any of your business."

Ino perched her hands on her hips, her face flushed with anger. "Really? My best friend is crying her heart out over you, and you can't so much as return a text?"

"How is her crying, my problem?" Sasuke asked with disinterest. Crying was as natural to Sakura as breathing, it was hardly cause for concern.

The blond beta ferociously narrowed her eyes on him. "You can't be serious. You dropped this separation on her then pretty much erased her from your life."

Sasuke didn't even try to hide his eye roll. "I didn't erase her from my life, I'm simply keeping my distance like I told her I would. She's just being her usual dramatic self."

Ino's heels clicked as she walked in front of Sasuke's desk. Her icy blue eyes glaring like they're trying to set him a blaze. "Her dramatic self? She's going to therapy for you, you ass!" she hissed.

"Therapy?" Sasuke asked unimpressed. "Talking to you doesn't count as therapy."

As Ino crossed her arms over her ample bosoms, she huffed. "God you're such a dick. Not me, she's been seeing Dr. Yuhi." That was something Sasuke didn't expect, and the smug look on Ino's face showed that he hadn't kept his face as impassive as he'd thought. "She's really trying to do better."

Sasuke quickly schooled his face. "Hn."

Ino couldn't hide her disdain. "Seriously? I tell you your girlfriend is taking steps to better herself and all you can offer is a single syllable grunt?"

Sasuke gave her another sarcastic "hn."

"What's wrong with you? Don't you care about her at all?" Ino's voice was thick with abhor.

Sasuke let out a heavy sigh. "We've spent six years of our lives together, of course I care about her."

"Sure doesn't seem like it." Ino mumble snidely. The way she saw it, if Sasuke truly cared about Sakura, his face would have done more then twitch momentarily.

Sasuke leaned back in his chair. "Did she tell you why we're on a break?"

"She said you didn't really give her an explanation." Ino shrugged.

Sasuke scoffed. Of course Sakura wouldn't tell the whole story. Typical. "We had another fight about the same old shit and then she got on me about bonding and kids again."

"It has been six years; don't you think she has a right to wonder about those things?" Ino furrowed her brow with scrutiny.

Sasuke clenched his jaw, he was getting tired of everyone thinking they got to have an opinion about their relationship. "Sure, if we were a couple who had a healthy relationship. I'm sure even you can agree that hasn't exactly been the case?"