Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Against All Odds ❯ Two ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Kishomoto and the companies that distributes Naruto does. This is done for personal entertainment only.
Author's Note: This story was originally written for a friend of mine who enjoys shoujo-ai fics (). Years later, I have done a thorough edit of this story so that I can submit it to the Max Challenge Contest of '08. Currently, a comic of the story is in the works, if you are logged in and would like a notification, let me know in a review and I will personally send a note to you where the comics will be hosted. Now, without a further ado… enjoy!

 

Sakura stared at the blanket, realizing the implications of what her Inner self told her.

 

`Sasuke… Why did you have to be a jerk at the end? If you had known me a bit more, you would have known that I hate pity boyfriends! Not that I ever had any other but Sasuke… But Ino? Why am I reacting like this?'

 

Her heart thumped harder in her chest, making it harder for her to breathe. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She grasped her blanket and brought it to her nose and unconsciously smelled it.

 

`…This is her bed!' she realized.

 

Pausing, she looked at the pale yellow blanket and suddenly felt comfortable in her friend's bed and started cuddling up in Ino's blanket and pillows.

 

`I guess I do like her as a—as a... friend… how could I have been so blind? I admire her!' she thought.

 

Sakura heard the opening and closing of the door and saw Ino coming in with two glasses of lemonade. Sakura flashed a grin, Ino smiled back with a confused look in her eyes.

 

`Damnit, why is this happening again?' Ino wondered, feeling a slight heat growing in her cheeks again. `I hope she doesn't see how red I am getting…'

 

“Here,” Ino said, giving her the drink, trying too hard to be casual.

 

Sakura took the drink, brushing her fingers against Ino and the two girls stopped briefly as their eyes locked at each other. Ino looked away, withdrawing her hand from Sakura when she grasped the cup. Sakura stared down at the cup, feeling another warm blush to her face. Sakura drank the lemonade as Ino sipped hers.

 

`This is so incredibly and utterly uncomfortable,' Sakura thought.

 

`Then talk to her! Admit that we like Ino!' her inner self screamed.

 

`Bu-But, Sasuke! Besides, we only like her as a friend… don't we?'

 

Sakura looked up at Ino and looked away.

 

`I can't… this is so wrong. How can I like a girl? I've been in love with Sasuke for so long! We have been obsessing over him for years!'

 

`So? We have to get over our crushes and lovers, sometime, you know,' she scolded.

 

She sighed mentally and looked at Ino again, keeping her smiling face on.

 

“How have you been doing lately?”

 

Ino smiled back, “I'm doing good, just that the missions can be annoying sometimes. Especially when Shikamaru is on the team, he complains all the time.”

 

Ino sighed exasperatedly and smiled.

 

“Tell me about it,” Sakura said and both laughed.

 

Sakura detected a shred of nervousness within Ino's laughter and frowned.

 

“There is something the matter with you, Ino. What's wrong?” asked Sakura, sipping her lemonade.

 

Ino's eyes widened and looked away with a deep shade of pink filling her cheeks. She fidgeted and then laughed it off.

 

“Oh no, it's nothing,” she said, scratching her ear.

 

“Tell me,” Sakura persisted.

 

“Even if I did, I don't know how to explain it! I don't even know why I'm nervous,” Ino said, clutching both of her hands to her cup.

 

“Oh…” Sakura said, looking at Ino's hands holding the cup. “I see…” she said, trailing off, lapsing into silence.

 

“What?” Ino asked anxiously, “Not that I don't trust you!”

 

`Tell her! Tell her! Tell her now!' Inner Sakura screamed at herself, `Tell her, for fuck's sake, tell her!'

 

`But it's too soon! I still haven't gotten over Sasuke! I will look weird and needy!' she complained to herself.

 

Sakura heard her inner self sighing exasperatedly.

 

`Fine, I was hoping to never resort to this. I'll help you out.'

 

`What are you sayi—'

 

“Ino,” Sakura said, narrowing her eyes in determination. “I know this might be sudden and too soon after what happened.”

 

Ino raised an eyebrow, cautious.

 

Sakura smirked and said, “I like you.”

 

Ino exhaled sharply, blinking several times. She stared at her, wondering what Sakura really meant.

 

“Of course… you're a very likeable person too,” Ino said slowly, giving Sakura a small smile with nervousness in her eyes, “I couldn't have asked for a better friend, Sakura.”

 

Sakura shook her head, smiling, then flipped her short hair

 

“No, I mean it. I like you. More than a friend,” Sakura said.

 

“W-w-what?” asked Ino, dropping the cup, shattering the glass and splashing the contents everywhere.

 

“Oh shit!” Ino yelped, getting up to leave.

 

Sakura grabbed her hand, halting Ino in her tracks and realized that Ino's hands were shaking. She looked over Ino carefully.

 

`Alright Sakura, I'm not going to deal with the emotional stuff, so you take over,' she thought, returning back to the recesses of Sakura's mind.

 

`Damn it, I hate you!' Sakura thought, unintentionally tightening her grip on Ino, causing her to flinch.

 

Faintly, Sakura heard an “ow” but she was too focused on her Inner self to realize.

 

`I love you too, Sakura, and watch what you are doing,' the other voice replied, dripping with sarcasm as Sakura realized what she did to Ino.

 

“Sakura, that hurts!” Ino said, pulling away from Sakura.

 

`Great job well done!' Inner Sakura said.

 

Sakura growled at herself, causing Ino stare at her, widening her eyes in fear and concern.

 

“Sakura, are you alright?”

 

Sakura sighed, rubbing her right temple with her hand. She looked back at Ino and nodded.

 

“Yeah, I'll be fine. Sorry that I hurt your hand,” Sakura said, looking down at her hands, “I, uh, well, I was myself and I wasn't, it's hard to explain. I-I am very sorry.”

 

Ino stared at her, shook her head to herself and left the room without a word. Sakura clenched her fists again, a vein in her temple slowly throbbing, threatening to send her head into another bouts of a headache. She fell backward into the pillows with a loud thump, glaring at the ceiling.

 

`I should go, I'm causing Ino grief right now,' she thought, knitting her eyebrows together.

 

`No! We've got to stay put and see what Ino has to say!' the other voice yelled. `If you try to leave, I'll take over again!'

 

`You wouldn't dare, that took too much out of you,' Sakura thought.

 

`I have the willpower, you know.'

 

Sakura sighed, turning her body towards the window, letting her lower lip jaunt out in a pout.

 

`Fine.'

 

Sakura narrowed her eyebrows defiantly.

`I'll stay put.'