Ino yawned as the sound of her alarm rung in her ears. With a light moan, she fumbled under sheets to stick her arm out and shut it of. Her eyes remained closed as her brows furrowed. She really didn't want to get up. Her bed was so warm and comfortable, and she didn't want to move.
"INO!" her ear twitched at the sound of her mother's call. "BREAKFAST IS READY!"
Ino sighed as she slowly got out the bed with reluctance. She mumbled something under her breath before she yawned. After she stretched to get the kinks out of her back and muscles, she lazily made her way to the bathroom. She winced as she flicked on the light and allowed her vision to get used to it's brightness.
She then stripped herself of her pajamas and turned on the shower. Once it got hot enough, Ino stepped in and drenched herself in water before grabbing the soap and washcloth to clean herself. As she washed her armpit, she frowned at the few strands of blond hair she found there. She need to talk to her mom about shaving soon. She didn't want to go round looking like a monkey and she definitely didn't want to give Sakura anything to comment on.
After she was done showering, she turned the water off and stepped out of the tub. She grabbed a towel that was hanging off her rack and wrapped it around her body before walking up to the sink. She looked at herself in the mirror, inspecting her features.
Ino had always been told she was pretty. Everyone around her had thought so. She had long, platinum blonde hair with pupil-less sky blue eyes, fair skin, and was already developing quite well. She was bold and confident, traits that had been instilled in her since she was a child, and she was very outspoken and had a mild temper to go with it. Although she got most of her looks from her dad, she was truly her mother's daughter. And her father would tell her that.
The blond genin slowly ran her hands to her hair that was now cut short. Her brows furrowed and her lips pursed. She remembered when she cut her hair during her preliminary round with Sakura during the chunin exams. It was a rough fight, but Ino felt like it needed to happen. She had never seen Sakura so determined or convicted about something. She had always been so unsure of herself.
Ino smiled a little as she grabbed her toothpaste and toothbrush before turning the sink water on. She didn't exactly know how to describe the feeling that came over her during the match that made her cut her hair. However, she felt good about herself afterwards. She didn't know whether it was the feeling of finally getting her best friend back or the adrenaline rush of a rivalry. Maybe it was both. But whatever it was, she knew something had changed that day. Much like how things changed when they saw the future a few months ago.
After she finished brushing her teeth and she washed her face, Ino turned to water off and headed out the bathroom, cutting the light off. She finished drying herself before moving to put her clothes on. She wore her usual purple outfit consisting of a high-collared blouse and matching apron skirt. She wrapped bandages around her abdomen and legs with her hitai-ate as a belt and small hoop-earrings in her ears. She tied her hair up into a short ponytail with a bang framing the right side of her face.
After putting on deodorant and moisturizing her skin, she put on perfume before looking into her full body mirror. She examined herself before nodding her head in approval. She grabbed her shuriken pouch and wrapped it around her thigh and walked out her room. Her sensei had informed them two days ago that they would be having a small practice session this evening, since they hadn't had one in a while.
Ino walked downstairs and toward the kitchen where her father was already sitting at the table with a newspaper in his hand. Her mother was setting breakfast on the table while cleaning up behind herself.
Mrs. Yamanaka was pretty woman. Unlike the others, she was a civilian who married into the clan. She had long brown hair that was tied into a bun with a red ribbon in it and strands of hair framed both sides of her face. Her skin was fair and unblemished with slight wrinkles visible near her mouth and had light brown eyes without pupils. She had a regal and classy appearance, sharing the vocabulary to compliment it. Her attire consisted of a dark teal, elegant dress that sported an aquamarine colored gem below the collar.
"Ino-chan." Mrs. Yamanaka greeted. "It took you long enough."
"Mornin' mom." Ino said as she took a seat at the table. She looked down to see her mom had made eggs with furikake that was served with miso soup and pickled vegetables.
"Good morning, baby girl." Inochi said as he folded his newspaper and placed it on the side while his wife placed a cup of tea in front of him.
"Hey, daddy." Ino chirped as she turned to her mother. "Can I have juice instead?"
Her mother hummed as she went to grab the jug of juice from the refrigerator. She placed the juice on the table before wiping her hands on her apron. She reached behind her to untie it before pulling it over her head and neatly folding it. After she put her apron up, she took a seat at the table as well, sitting between her husband and daughter.
"Itadakimasu." they all said before digging in.
"Everything is great as always, Megumi-chan." Inochi said as he took a bite out of his food.
"Thank you, dear." Megumi said.
Ino hadn't said a thing. She just at her food contently, not thinking about anything in particular. Inochi and Megumi exchanged a look before they returned to their meal.
"So what you guys' plans today?" Inochi said as he sipped his tea.
"The ladies and I will be going shopping today." Megumi informed.
Inochi inwardly groaned as he subconsciously grabbed his pockets. They already felt empty. Megumi lightly scowled at him while he just gave her a sheepish smile. 'Shika is right. Women are troublesome.' he thought to himself before his eyes landed on his daughter who still hadn't said anything. It was unlike her to be this quiet in the morning. Looking at her, he could see nothing was wrong with her. He wondered what was going on in that head of hers.
"What about you, Ino?" Inochi inquired.
"Sensei was talking about practice later today." Ino said as she blew on the hot soup before eating a spoon full. "I really don't know what I'm going to do until then."
"What about Sakura?" Megumi suggested. "I heard from Mebuki that she was helping out at the hospital."
"Yeah, I saw her there last week." Ino said. "I was thinking about going there to bring Sasuke-kun some flowers this afternoon, after I finished my shift at the shop with daddy."
Inochi wanted to groan. "I almost forgot that boy was re-admitted in the hospital." he said.
"Sasuke-kun's not just some boy, daddy." Ino said with a frown. "He's someone very special to me."
Inoichi only grunted in response. He gave up on trying to understand his daughter's obsession with the Uchiha kid. The last conversation they had about, it turned into an argument with it ending with Ino marching up the stairs and slamming her room door shut. He sighed. Why couldn't she like Shikamaru or Choji? Hell, he would have even accepted the Inuzuka over Sasuke. That boy and his clan have always been trouble and he didn't want his daughter involved with them and their issues.
Megumi sighed as she turned to her daughter who was eating and staring at the table like it was the most interesting thing in the world. She understood why her daughter liked Sasuke. He was cute, smart, and considered the strongest of their age group. Those traits tend to be what most girls look for in guys. But she could also understand her husband's concern. She remembered the Uchiha clan and how closed off they could be. In her opinion, the most decent one was Mikoto, who had fallen at the hand of her own son. If she was going to be honest about it, something was wrong with that entire clan.
One thing she was certain of was that Sasuke hadn't been right since the massacre. Even with Inoichi's therapy sessions, what happened to his clan seemed to haunt him. The boy pushed everyone away and built so many walls not even a wrecking ball could tear down. She knew her daughter didn't completely understand that which was why she was worried about her as well. She didn't want her to get her heart broken by someone who would probably never feel the same way.
"Did they say what happened to him?" Megumi inquired, trying to ease the tension.
"No." Ino said. "Sakura said that Gai-sensei brought him to the hospital unconscious. I'm worried about him."
Megumi gave her a warm smile. "I'm sure he will be okay, sweat-heart." she said. "He's lucky to have a friend who cares as much as you."
Ino returned her smile. "Thanks, mom." she replied.
Inoichi mumbled something under his breath, earning a glare from his wife. She didn't understand why he was being so insensitive. She clearly needed their support, so he should a least set his biases aside and comfort her.
Catching his wife's look, Inoichi sighed. Why couldn't she just stay his little girl and be happy? Sasuke wasn't the one buying her clothes and providing for her. He was. That kid would never love her like he did so why was he so special? And where was all this concern when he got sick?
Megumi didn't know whether to giggle or sweat-drop at her pouting husband. While it pleased her to see how much he cared for their daughter, sometimes he can become overbearing. 'And they say women are troublesome.' she thought to herself as she watched him turn to their daughter.
"Sasuke will be okay. You forget that he is a shinobi and a strong one at that." Inoichi said. "I'm sure he'll pull through. And when he wakes up and sees that you were there for him, he'll see how much you care, baby girl."
Ino slowly nodded as she downed the rest of her food. "Thanks, daddy." she said.
Inoichi gave her a small smile before turning his attentions back to his food. The things he did for the women in his life. The rest of breakfast was silent until Ino got up and took her dirty dishes to the sink.
"I'm going to open up the flower shop." Ino said. "I'll see you guys when you get there!" she yelled over her should as she walked out the door.
Megumi and Inoichi just stared in the direction their daughter just left.
"At least she's not dieting anymore." Inoichi finally said.
Megumi glanced at the empty dirty dishes sitting in the sink. She actually was a little surprised herself. Ino usually complained when she cooked things that weren't fruit or vegetables, saying that she was trying to keep her figure. Instead of complaining about rather large meal this morning, the girl actually ate without complaint and even seemed to enjoy it. Maybe she was growing up. The thought of it almost made her want to cry.
"I didn't like that she did it for that Uchiha boy." Inoichi said grouchily.
"It's a phase dear." Megumi comforted with a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Remember when I was her age? I thought I was going to be with Wataru Inuzuka."
Inoichi snorted at that. The old hound - bless his soul - was player in the day. He and Megumi would have never worked. Besides, he was too uncouth to be with someone like her. He could never understand what she saw in him anyway. Megumi could only watch the range of expressions on her husband's face. She silently giggled. Inoichi had always been the jealous type. That's why he was the way he was with Ino. And they say the Inuzuka are territorial.
"Yeah...but he had two kids with Tsume." Inoichi commented.
"And they were a better match." Megumi said with a small laugh as her husband nodded at her statement. "Besides, I do enjoy a man that can plant a proper garden and not treat it like he was digging for bones."
Inoichi laughed at that. He turned to his wife and saw that she was lightly smiling at him.
"Ino will be fine, dear." she said softly. "I'm sure she'll find a nice boy that will treat her properly. Well, in the future at least."
Inoichi lightly frowned at that thought. "You know, I don't think I like him either." he said as he stroked his chin with a thoughtful expression. "I'd rather she hook up with a Nara or Akimichi."
Megumi glared at him. "Ino will love who she loves." she said sternly. "And if I find out you're meddling in her relationships, you WILL be sleeping in the garden....during the cold seaon."
The Yamanaka patriarch winced as she abruptly stood and cleared the table of their dishes before moving to wash them. Inoichi massaged his temples. 'Women....' he thought as he stood from the table as well. He walked up to his wife and kissed the top of her head before heading out of the door as well. He needed to get to the shop and check behind Ino to make sure everything was right and organized. Despite of how intelligent she was, his baby girl could be absentminded sometimes, especially when she was distracted.
The joys of fatherhood.
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(A few hours later....)
Ino was sitting at the front counter of the flower shop, doodling on a sheet of paper out of boredom. It was around 12:35 in the afternoon and her father was supposed to have been back from his lunch break. She huffed as she put her pencil down and allowed her eyes to wander the shop. She couldn't think of anything else to do. The flower stands were all ready organized and she didn't have to inventory in another week. Personal arrangements were already prepared and some delivered to the customer. She thought about counting the register, but her father or mother usually did that.
"I should have just went shopping with kaa-san." she thought with a groan.
She just stared at nothing for a few minutes until the little bell on the door to the flower shop rang, indicating that someone was entering the store. She had looked up in hopes of seeing her dad only to be disappointed that it was someone else. With small sigh, Ino put on bright smile on her face as the two customers walked toward the counter.
"Hi! Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop!" she said pleasantly.
"Uh, hello. We're here to pick up an order we were supposed to get a week ago." the gentleman said as he slid a slip of paper across the counter to her hands. "Sorry about the lateness of it all. Things have just been crazy these past couple of weeks."
Ino shook her head as she took the slip of paper. "It's fine." she said politely. "Let me go grab those bouquets for you."
The man simply nodded to her as she turned to leave toward the back area. About a minute later, she returned to the counter with two bouquets of flowers. She wrote something down on the slip of paper before handing it back to the man. He read what was on the paper and nodded before reaching into his pocket and grabbing his wallet. The woman beside him grabbed one of the flowers from the bouquet and brought to her nose, smelling them.
"They smell amazing." she said.
"I know." Ino said with a small grin as her eyes traveled to the bouquets. "White chrysanthemum and white roses. Who are they for?" she asked.
The woman pointed to the chrysanthemum first. "A friend of ours lost his life during the invasion." she said. "We weren't able to attend the funeral so we decided to pay our respects to his grave today."
Ino nodded in understanding, remembering that not everyone was able to make the village ceremony due to reconstruction. Her eyes traveled to the bouquet. As a staunch anthophile, she knew what they meant and wondered who they were for.
"And the roses?" Ino prodded.
The woman looked at the bouquet before looking away. Her eyes began to water and she quickly tried the wipe them away. 'Way to go, Ino. You made her cry.' she scolded herself as the woman tried not to let her emotions get the best of her. Her husband stopped to look at her and his eyes softened with grief and sadness shining in them. This made Ino feel worst. She just couldn't shut up and had to prod. 'I'm the worst....' she said dejectedly.
"You don't-" she started.
"A few years ago, during the Nine Tails' attack, we lost our daughter." the woman said, still looking away from her. "We had just gone out for the night since we had both been working so hard. And we figured she would be okay for a few hours alone. She was around your age."
"We were just heading back home, when that.....demon appeared in our village and began to go on a rampage." she said with a hint of bitterness. "When arrived to our building, we found it destroyed. Due to evacuation, we were forced to go to the nearest hidden shelter in the village. The only thing they were able to recover from the wreckage was her hairpin and jewelry box."
"She would have been 25 on her birthday tomorrow." she choked.
Ino looked away in shame. Her husband placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Although that had been nearly 12 years ago, his wife hadn't exactly recovered from the lost of their child. It didn't help that she found out that she couldn't have anymore children when they tried again a few years ago. He lightly squeezed her shoulder comfortingly before turning to the young woman behind the counter that refused to meet his gaze.
"I'm sorry." Ino repented.
The man offered her a small smile that was a little strained. "It's fine." he said as he handed her the money for the flowers. "You didn't know. And you're still young. Just...don't take life for granted, okay?"
Ino just slowly nodded her had as she took his money and placed it in the cash register. She was about to count his change when he stopped her.
"Keep the change, kid." he said as he grabbed the two bouquets and wrapped his free arm around his wife. "Have a nice day."
"You too, sir." she said with a small wave of her hand.
She watched the older couple leave the shop with the woman struggling to recollect herself. She sighed as she smacked herself on the forehead.
"Idiot." she scowled as she ran her hand down her face. "I feel like a total ass."
It was never her intentions bring back bad memories. She was just naturally curious and wanted to know the story behind the flowers. She didn't mean to come off as insensitive. Shaking her head, she busied herself with reorganizing the flowers on the shelves and restocking what was already taken off of them. They had a decent amount of customers today so it was sensible.
"I'm back, Ino-chan!" her father called as he entered the shop.
"I see that." Ino said with a deadpanned expression as she untied her apron and walked to the hook rack that was mounted on the wall of the hallway that lead to their storage area in the back.
She glanced at the stairs that led to the office area upstairs and consultation room. Her father usually used it for both his floral business and psychology practice. One thing she could say about their business was that it was never without customers. It was how her mother got most of her gossip half of the time.
"You were supposed to be back thirty minutes ago." she said with a light scowl.
"I know. I ended up getting caught up with your mother." he said sheepishly. "I'm sorry, baby girl."
Ino huffed and shook her head as she went to pick a few flowers for Sasuke. "I'm going to the hospital. I'll be back home by dinner." she said as she began to head out.
"Alright, dear. Stay safe." Inoichi said as he settled behind the front counter.
"Hai." Ino said over her shoulder as she walked out the shop.
She walked down the street until she came out onto the main road. She eased herself into the human traffic, her eyes wandering about as she walked down the street. As she headed toward the direction of the hospital, her stomach rumbled, causing her to look down.
She frowned before she began to looking around for somewhere to pick up lunch. She didn't want to turn around and go back to the market district and she didn't have a taste for barbecue or sushi. To be honest, part of her was telling her to ignore the gluttonous roar of her stomach and drink some water. She was trying to watch her figure after all.
But her logical side was arguing that she was going to be training later so should eat something. The crease on her forehead deepened at that thought. Since all of the rookie teams plus team 9 have been having these group training sessions, Kurenai-sensei had been drilling it into her and Sakura's head that their form of dieting was not healthy, especially for kunoichi.
Her and Gai explained that whatever calories that consumed, they would burn off during intense training. They also explained the importance of how carbs increased the amount of energy they could and how certain things should be consumed in moderation. It took her a while to start eating larger quantities of food, but the genjutsu mistress was persistent.
By the second round of the chunin exams, Ino found herself eating twice the amount of food she usually ate.She still didn't eat a lot of fatty foods and shied away from processed goods, but she had more on her plate than the usually piece of bread with a few fruit slices.
As she continued to debate what she wanted to eat, she remembered that there was a small dumpling stand not too far from the park, which was right in the direction of the hospital. Making her decision, Ino headed toward the park with a pep in her step. After arriving at the dumpling stand and purchasing her a fresh batch, she decided to dine on one of the park benches nearby. Her stomach rumbled again as she took a seat, placing the small bouquet of flowers beside her okay.
"Okay, I heard you already." she said to her stomach with a frown as she opened her container.
Cracking open her chopsticks, Ino picked up one of the doughy goods and popped one of them into her mouth. She lightly moaned at the taste. The sweet tomatoes she had them add to her batch worked well with the chicken, vegetable, and herb they put in it. Grabbing another one, she dipped it in dipping sauce before popping it in her mouth. Despite of what Kurenai-sensei said, she couldn't help but feel guilty pleasure in indulging in high-calorie foods. She felt the need to balance herself and decided she would settle for a salad for dinner.
"Oy, Ino!" she heard someone call.
Ino turned to her right and found a male brunette walking toward her with messy hair, sharp black slit-like eyes, and pronounced canine teeth that accommodated his toothy grin. Beside him was a little white puppy that barked a greeting as well. Ino huffed as she shoved another dumpling into her mouth. Just when she thought she could have a moment of peace.
"Kiba." Ino said dryly.
Kiba frowned a little as he approached her. "Geez. You could at least act like you're glad to see me." he said.
Ino rolled her eyes. "What do you want?" she asked bluntly.
Kiba ignored her attitude and took a seat beside her. "What are doing out here?" he asked.
"Eating lunch." Ino deadpanned as she looked down at the white puppy that was looking at the container in her hand and licking his lips.
Ino frowned and held her dumpling closer to her body protectively. "Shew." she said as she swatted him with her foot.
Akamaru whimpered sadly while Kiba scowled at her.
"I know you don't really like me, but you don't have to treat Akamaru like that." he scolded as he petted the puppy's head.
"It's my food." Ino said. "I'm not obligated to share anything. Besides, don't you some doggy treats to give him? It's rude to beg you know."
Kiba glared at her. "What the hell is your problem?" he scowled. "First, you act like you don't want me around. Then, you're being snappy. And now, you're treating Akamaru like some rat. He has feelings, too, you know."
"I don't have a problem." Ino said as she rolled her eyes. "I just want to eat my lunch in peace."
Kiba scoffed as he stood. "If you didn't want us here, you could have just said so. You didn't have to be a bitch about it." he said as he stood from the bench.
Ino became furious at this. "What did you call me?" she said darkly.
Kiba lightly gulped as he began to sweat. He slowly began to back away when she stood from her seat.
"I-Ino?" he stammered. "I d-didn't mean it. Y-You were just being rude f-for no reason!" he accused.
Ino didn't say anything as she began to walk toward him. He paled and began to look for a place to escape frantically. At the last minute, he found his saving grace and rushed toward her.
"Hana!" he cried out desperately as ran to hide behind her. "This crazy chick's trying to kill me!"
"So I'm crazy now, huh?" Ino said menacingly as she cracked her knuckles.
A look of confusion crossed her face as she looked at the boy cowering behind her. She then looked at Ino and raised an eyebrow. Judging from her blond hair and blue eyes, she could see that she was a Yamanaka. The Yamanaka clan heiress at that. She was clearly angry, that much she could tell. She could hear her own ninken begin to growl at the girl from the dark aura she was giving. She lightly whistled to catch their attention. When they met her gaze, they began to back down, but remained guarded around their master.
Ino had a deep scowl on her face. At Hana's arrival, her expression became one of confusion and interest. Hana looked around 18 years old and had long brown hair with two locks of hair framing her face over large, black eyes. She wore a light shade of lipstick on her lips and had the same fang-like tattoos on her cheeks like her mother and brother.
Unlike the rest of her family, she had a softer appearance, taking after her late grandmother. She wore a beige medic uniform and wore a brace on her left wrist with bracelets on her right hand. Bandages wrapped around her upper arm and three dogs surrounded her.
Ino was quickly pulled from her observations when she heard Kiba call her crazy. She glared at him menacingly and cracked her knuckles. The audacity of this idiot. As she stalked closer, the three dogs began to lightly growl at her in warning. She heard the older Inuzuka give a soft whistle before looking at them. They exchanged a single glance before their growling stopped and they stood in front of Hana protectively.
Hana gave Ino another look over before she turned to look over at the hiding boy behind her. "What did you do?" she asked.
Kiba seemed offended by her question. "Why do you think I did anything?!" he protested. "She was the one being rude and mean! Right, Akamaru?!"
Akamaru whined as he felt Ino's burning gaze on him. Poor puppy.
Hearing the pup's distress, the older ninken growled at Ino again. Hana sighed. She did not want or need this situation to escalate. She briefly glanced at the Yamanaka again before looking back at Kiba. She knew he did something. He was always getting himself to trouble. However, that didn't mean she was going to let this girl to have her way with him in front of her. The only that could put her hands on him was her and her mother. She wasn't going to let him be bullied no matter what he did.
"Kiba?" Hana said, catching his attention. "Apologize." she calmly stated.
"What?!" Kiba exclaimed. "She's the one who started it!"
"And you're going to end it." Hana snapped. "Now apologize." she said with a hard stare.
Kiba frowned and looked between Ino and Hana. Deciding that his sister was scarier, Kiba reluctantly stepped from behind Hana and stopped a few feet in front of Ino.
"I'm sorry." he said begrudgingly.
Ino huffed before turning around to walk back to her seat. "Whatever." she spat.
"Let's go, Kiba." Hana said.
"I don't need a babysitter." Kiba said as he turned to scowl at her.
Hana raised an eyebrow at him. "Then stop acting like it." she replied as she turned to walk away.
Kiba childishly blew a raspberry, causing Hana to roll her eyes.
"You're an idiot." she said.
"And you're an overbearing bitch." Kiba said.
"The same bitch that outranks you." Hana said. "Remember that."
Kiba huffed as he caught up beside her. He didn't expect the sharp slap to the back of his head.
"Ack!" he exclaimed as he grabbed the back of his head. "What the hell was that for?!"
"For being a dimwit." Hana said with a satisfied smirk.
Kiba glared at her as he rubbed the back of his head, mumbling incoherently under his breath.
"What was that Kiba?" she sweetly inquired.
"Nothing." he said quickly.
While the two Inuzuka were leaving the park, Ino was sitting on her bench finishing the rest of her food with an annoyed look on her face. She knew that she was being mean, but in her defense, she made it clear that she didn't want to be bothered. But, she guessed that wouldn't have happened. Kiba was too stupid to take a hint.
Ino's mind wandered to his older sister, Hana. She had known he had an older sibling, but she had never met before in person. She was much different than Kiba. She was calm and more collected. Perhaps it was the fact that she was older than him. From what she heard from her mom, the Inuzuka clan matriarch acted just like Kiba. She shuddered at that thought. One Kiba was enough. There was no need for two of them.
After finishing her dumplings that had gotten cold, Ino collected her trash and grabbed her flowers before heading to the nearest trashcan. Once she disposed of her trash, she left the park and headed toward the hospital.
Ino arrived to the building within five minutes. Looking at that the place, hand it to her fellow villagers that they worked fast. While it wasn't completely reconstructed, the western wing had been completely restored and the eastern wing was still under construction. During the invasion, the main building has been left untouched so it had continued to stay open and functional.
She pushed open the doors of the main entrance and entered the hospital. When she arrived at the primary lobby, she was instantly greeted at the sight of several nurses moving about, some rushing off to their destination and some appearing to be in deep discussion. There were a few people sitting in the waiting room, reading a magazine or looking at the front desk anxiously. Whether they were patients or visitors, she did not know. Perhaps they were both.
When Ino arrived at the reception desk, she cleared her throat, catching the officer's attention. The lady paused in what she was doing and looked to see blue-eyed young lady staring at her with a sweet smile. She returned it, putting her pen down and greeting the child.
"Good afternoon." she said kindly. "How may I help you today?"
"I'm here to see Uchiha Sasuke. And hopefully give him these." Ino replied sheepishly with pink dusting her cheeks.
The nurse smiled at her before looking down at the assignment list. This boy must have been a good kid to receive so many visits and gifts. When she found his name, she marked it with a star before grabbing a clipboard from her desk and handing it to the blond girl. Ino grabbed it and looked at the sheet of paper attached to it. It was a visitor's log sheet.
"Please sign your name, date, and patient's name." the nurse said as she handed her a pen.
Ino took the pen and nodded before doing what she was told. After she finished, she handed the pen and clipboard back to her. The officer looked over it before she sat it back down on the desk. She then turned to Ino.
"He's in room 361." she informed, earning a nod from Ino. "Good luck." she said knowingly.
Ino gave a small 'thanks' before she began to make her way toward the stairs. On her way there, she crashed into something, causing her to drop her flowers. When she was able to recollect herself, she gasped at her now ruined bouquet of white camellias and daffodils. She turned around to look at the object that bumped into her and glared.
"You should watch where you're going, forehead." Ino angrily. "Now look what you've done!"
"The same could be said for you, Ino-buta." Sakura said as she got up dusted her clothing.
The pink-haired kunoichi grabbed the notepad and book she dropped on the floor. She glanced at the flowers that were on the floor before turning to an angry and annoyed Ino who was scowling at her.
"Who are those for?" Sakura asked.
"Who do you think?" Ino snapped with a glare as she bent over to recover some of the flowers that had survived their unfortunate fall. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I volunteer here, remember?" Sakura said smugly.
When Ino finished gathering her flowers, she turned to look at Sakura who's smug look remained. She felt her left eye lightly twitch.
"So you finally decided to be useful for once?" Ino said with a smirk. "Good for you."
A tick marked formed on Sakura forehead as Ino brushed past her.
"As much as I would like to stay and banter with you, Sasuke-kun is waiting for me." she said.
Sakura lightly growled at this. "I'm coming, too!" she said as she quickly caught up with her rival. "Someone has to be there to keep an eye on you."
Ino scoffed and rolled her eyes as they both began to walk up the stairs. It was a surprisingly quiet walk up to the third floor. Ino stole a couple of glances from Sakura who was just staring ahead. Her brows furrowed a little. She was the same Sakura she knew from the Academy, yet she wasn't. She couldn't exactly describe what was so different about her. Maybe it was the fact that she had found something she pursued other than their mutual crush.
Although she had been busy with her team over the past month with reconstruction and everything, she had never stopped checking up on her old friend. Since their fight at the chunin exams, Sakura had been a bit more off to herself than usual and found herself occupied a lot of the time. Sure she still chased after Sasuke and hung with her sometime, but for the most part, she was either at home, at the library, or at the hospital. It wasn't hard to deduce that she was pursing a career in the medical field. Knowing that, made Ino feel both happy for her and inadequate compared to her in a way.
She shook her head at that thought. It was something she had been thinking about for the past few days. It seemed that everyone was finding something to strive for now. It made her wonder what she wanted outside of her clan and dwindling infatuation with Sasuke.
"So I ran into Kiba's sister today?" Ino said as they reached the third floor and began making their way down the halls.
Sakura glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "Really?" she said. "How did that happen?"
"Well, I was act the park, simply enjoying my lunch, when Kiba approach me." Ino said with hint of annoyance. "I indirectly told him to buzz off and he practically called me a bitch. I was about to beat his ass when his sister came and interfered." she scoffed.
"She made him apologize before they both left." she summarized. "She's a lot different then I expected."
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.
"She doesn't act like Kiba." Ino stated simply.
Sakura slowly nodded, understanding half of what Ino was saying.
"So how long do you plan on volunteering?" Ino inquired.
"Until I am able to become a full-fledged nurse. And hopefully, a medical ninja." Sakura answered as they approached Sasuke's room.
Ino slowly nodded her head at her response. When they got to the room, Sakura lightly knocked on the door to see if anyone was in there. When she got no response, she opened the door to his room. After she and Ino walked in, she shut the door behind her before turning to Ino, who had walked to the side of the bed and placed her flowers on the small stand beside it. She wondered what they meant. She knew Ino was heavily into Hanakotoba so she undoubtedly picked them out according to their meaning.
Her brows furrowed at that. Ino was....always a unique individual. Every since they were young, she had always managed to outshine her. She had more friends, was smart, and was always pretty. She was likable and was the life of the party. She always had this ability that drew others to her like a moth to a light. She was so many things Sakura wasn't that when she first offered to be her friend, she was befuddled and surprised. She was even more surprised when she didn't pick at her forehead that day and instead, told her that she should show it even more often and that it brought out her other features.
Sakura lightly smiled before she frowned again. At one point of time, Ino was everything she wanted to be. She guessed that's why when she found out that they both liked Sasuke, she ended their friendship and turned what they had into a rivalry. She was jealous and insecure, and she quickly became competition. Since then, she had tried her very best to beat her everything she could, not only to try to win Sasuke's affections, but to prove herself. But even then, there were somethings that she couldn't best her rival in.
Even after exams, when she felt she had proven herself to Ino, her since of accomplishment quickly faded when she realized that she was still weak and lacking. Had Ino trained her body to build more stamina, she would have won in the long run and that was something she had struggled to cope with after her lost. After the preliminary rounds, she had buried herself in books and took her sensei's advice to become a medical nin.
The only problem was that she didn't have a teacher. Not letting that stop her, she continued to read up on it and build an understanding of the field. When the invasion happened, she used it as an opportunity to volunteer at the hospital since they were short staffed. It would have at least given her some experience as a nurse. She also found that she rather enjoyed the work once she learned the ropes. It kept her busy and she felt like she was finally doing something helpful rather than wondering around aimlessly.
"Did they tell you what happened?" Ino spoke, snapping Sakura out of musing.
Her green eyes focused on the blond, who was now holding Sasuke's hand and gazing down at his form with worry. Her eyes drifted to Sasuke's form as well, softening at the sight. The Uchiha didn't even look like himself. He was ghastly white and his eyes looked sunken. When she touched him, his body felt cold and his breathes were stuttered.
"No." Sakura said softly. "All I know is that he was like this when Gai-sensei brought him here a few days ago. Kakashi-sensei was readmitted as well, but no one saying what happened to him either."
Ino didn't say anything as she held his lightly calloused hand. 'Poor Sasuke-kun....' she thought to herself as she tenderly traced her thumb over his knuckles. She stayed like this for a while. Silence settled over the two kunoichi as they both worried over their crush.
"Why do you like Sasuke?" Ino asked out of the blue.
"What?" Sakura said, caught off guard by her question.
"Why do you like Sasuke?" she repeated as she released Sasuke's hand and turned to Sakura who looked baffled.
"What do you mean?" Sakura said with a frown. "I've always liked him. He's smart and brave and strong. He's good-looking, has good hygiene, works hard, is a good shinobi, and always strives to meet his goals. I like him because he's special. I love him."
Ino stared at her friend for a good minute before her eyes returned to the boy sitting on the bed. Silence passed between them again as they both found themselves caught up in their own thoughts.
"Why do you like Sasuke?" Sakura asked.
"......I don't know." Ino answered honestly.
The blond kunoichi ignored the surprised look Sakura sent her way and kept her eyes focused on the unconscious boy lying in bed. It was another one of the things she had been thinking about for a while now. Sasuke was cute. She always thought so and everyone seemed to agree. He had a cold charm about himself and he was always confident, a trait that she was instantly attracted to. He was everything Sakura described him to be yet that was all she could say about him.
When she saw her mother and father interact with each other, she saw something beyond the surface of attraction. There was an appreciation and deeper attraction present that she was still trying to understand. But what she did understand was that her feelings for Sasuke was just a crush and nothing deeper. It made her question whether she should still try to pursue him or let him go.
"So you're saying you don't like him anymore?" Sakura said disbelievingly.
This was her Sasuke. What's there not to like?
"No." Ino answered. "I'm saying that I don't know if I like him or not."
Sakura was about to open her mouth to respond when she heard commotion outside, causing them both to look at the door in confusion. They were both about to move to see what all the ruckus was when, the door was forced open. They both blinked at the new arrivals.
Standing at the door, was a blond lady that was styled in two low ponytails with shoulder-length bangs framing her face. She stood at about 5'4" and had honey brown eyes. The most noticeable thing about this woman was her chest that seemed to stand out in her attire. On her head was a purple-rhombus at it's center and she looked young.
Beside her, was a short blond boy in a orange track-suit. His blue eyes were glaring up at the lady as he rubbed a growing lump on his head. Between the whisker marks on his cheeks and his bright outfit, it wasn't hard to tell who this boy was.
"You didn't have to hit me that hard, that hurt, dattebayo!" he exclaimed.
The blond woman scoffed as she entered the room. "It's supposed to hurt. I told you to stop calling me that you brat." she said as her eyes landed on the figure on the bed.
"So, this is Sasuke Uchiha." she stated as she approached him.
"Who are you?" Ino said defensively.
Her honey brown eyes landed on the platinum blond before traveling to the pink-haired girl that was now standing up and looking at her as well. Her eyes lingered on the girl before they returned to the one that had addressed her. She gave her a small smirk.
"I'm Tsunade Senju. New head doctor and Fifth Hokage." she said, making their jaws drop.
(A/N: And there you have it. A long chapter for your patience with me and my screwed up updating schedule, lol. See ya soon!)