Chapter Three_
Goodbye
Sakura zipped up her bag before looking at her room. It was weird how it looked the same as always. That was to be expected, though. She'd only packed a week worth of clothes. When it came down to it, she could wash them atau buy more. She'd asked Tsunade to send some medical texts to her later on in the week—other than that, she had nothing else she wished to take with her.
She slung the bag over her shoulder and plucked a folded piece of paper off her desk. Staring at it with a disgruntled frown, she mumbled, "Maybe Ino-pig was right. I really don't have a life."
Sighing, she stuffed the single letter into her pocket and checked over her apartment one lebih time to make sure all the windows were locked and the lights were off. Stepping out, she locked up the front door and headed towards Ino's.
She didn't exactly know how she was going to tell her best friend about what was happening. She hadn't really been able to membungkus, bungkus her mind around it herself. For now, she just considered it another mission and ignored the fact that it involved Sasuke. Otherwise, she would probably march back into Tsunade's office and decline the whole thing.
Still, she couldn't deny the intrigue slowly building in her curious mind.
About to knock on Ino's door, Sakura was interrupted oleh an amused voice.
"She's not home."
Smiling at her blonde friend dressed in a depressing black outfit—she'd obviously just been at the interrogation center—Sakura replied, "I can see that."
"Wow," berkata Ino, exaggerating the word for effect as she fumbled with her keys before leading them both into the house she shared with Choji and Shikamaru, "you really are smart."
Sakura stuck her tongue out at Ino, not at all caring that she looked like a five tahun old.
"Who berkata I was here to visit you, Pig?"
Ino gasped. "And anda just happened to be graced oleh my presence. anda must feel quite lucky, huh?"
Sakura rolled her eyes. They went into the kitchen, Sakura taking a kursi at the meja while Ino fixed herself a sandwich.
"So, I got a mission this afternoon."
Ino turned from the piece of roti she was spreading mayonnaise on and met Sakura's eyes with a worried frown.
"Normally I would make a crack about how you're all grown up and getting missions like a big girl, but there's lebih to it, isn't there?"
"I'll be gone for a year," berkata Sakura, looking down at the table. She heard Ino take the kursi across from her.
"And?"
Sakura let out a long sigh. Leave it to Miss Interrogation Specialist to read her like an open book.
"It involves Sasuke."
"Sasuke? As in Uchiha Sasuke?"
"The very same," berkata Sakura, almost wistfully.
"Okay, so I need details. What can anda tell me?"
"Well, basically Sasuke's taken over Oto and I'm supposed to go train a group of medic-nin," berkata Sakura, leaving out the part where she would also be akting as a spy in Oto.
Hopefully there wouldn't be anything to really uncover.
"Wow," berkata Ino. "Just… wow."
"Yeah," berkata Sakura, raising her eyebrows in that 'I can't believe it either' way.
"Alright, now tell me why anda accepted the mission. Dying to see if Sasuke's still as drool worthy at nineteen as he was at twelve?"
Sakura let out a sharp laugh. "Hardly. I'm just… curious. That's all."
"Explain."
Sakura rolled her eyes and did her best to get across what was going through her head.
"I never really got any closure with Sasuke, anda know? I mean, it's been years and I'm not stupid enough to think I still even know the guy. Last time we talked we were children and the last time we saw each other he tried to kill naruto and me. I just need to see what he left for. I need to understand that and be able to completely leave that part of my past behind."
"Closure, huh?" Ino smiled with that conniving little gleam in her eye. "And here I was hoping for a real life cinta story."
"Don't, Ino," warned Sakura. "It's– There's too much time between us, too much history. That ship sailed a long time ago."
"Alright, alright," berkata Ino before changing the subject.
The two best friends talked for the selanjutnya couple hours over pointless things until the sun started to set. Sakura was glad she got this time with Ino since she didn't know when she would see her again. It might actually be an entire year. It was hard to think there was a time when she went out of her way to avoid the blonde.
Standing at the doorway, Ino gave her a big hug and murmured, "Don't be a stranger, okay? We can write and don't let Uchiha be such a tight ass. Make sure anda demand holidays!"
Sakura laughed.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll see what I can do."
"You'll be fine," berkata Ino, as they pulled apart and Sakura was thankful for the support. "And hey, once the treaty goes through and everything, it's not like I can't visit Oto so it won't be so bad."
"Right," berkata Sakura. Looking at the deteriorating sunlight, she added, "Well I better go. I wanted to drop off a letter for naruto since he's out on a mission right now."
"He's going to be pissed he missed Sasuke," berkata Ino.
"Tell me about. I'm sort of glad I won't be here when he finds out."
"Chicken."
Sakura stuck her tongue out before growing serious, "Bye, Pig."
"No," berkata Ino, smiling. "I'll see anda later, Forehead."
"Yeah," agreed Sakura, "later."
Goodbye
Sakura zipped up her bag before looking at her room. It was weird how it looked the same as always. That was to be expected, though. She'd only packed a week worth of clothes. When it came down to it, she could wash them atau buy more. She'd asked Tsunade to send some medical texts to her later on in the week—other than that, she had nothing else she wished to take with her.
She slung the bag over her shoulder and plucked a folded piece of paper off her desk. Staring at it with a disgruntled frown, she mumbled, "Maybe Ino-pig was right. I really don't have a life."
Sighing, she stuffed the single letter into her pocket and checked over her apartment one lebih time to make sure all the windows were locked and the lights were off. Stepping out, she locked up the front door and headed towards Ino's.
She didn't exactly know how she was going to tell her best friend about what was happening. She hadn't really been able to membungkus, bungkus her mind around it herself. For now, she just considered it another mission and ignored the fact that it involved Sasuke. Otherwise, she would probably march back into Tsunade's office and decline the whole thing.
Still, she couldn't deny the intrigue slowly building in her curious mind.
About to knock on Ino's door, Sakura was interrupted oleh an amused voice.
"She's not home."
Smiling at her blonde friend dressed in a depressing black outfit—she'd obviously just been at the interrogation center—Sakura replied, "I can see that."
"Wow," berkata Ino, exaggerating the word for effect as she fumbled with her keys before leading them both into the house she shared with Choji and Shikamaru, "you really are smart."
Sakura stuck her tongue out at Ino, not at all caring that she looked like a five tahun old.
"Who berkata I was here to visit you, Pig?"
Ino gasped. "And anda just happened to be graced oleh my presence. anda must feel quite lucky, huh?"
Sakura rolled her eyes. They went into the kitchen, Sakura taking a kursi at the meja while Ino fixed herself a sandwich.
"So, I got a mission this afternoon."
Ino turned from the piece of roti she was spreading mayonnaise on and met Sakura's eyes with a worried frown.
"Normally I would make a crack about how you're all grown up and getting missions like a big girl, but there's lebih to it, isn't there?"
"I'll be gone for a year," berkata Sakura, looking down at the table. She heard Ino take the kursi across from her.
"And?"
Sakura let out a long sigh. Leave it to Miss Interrogation Specialist to read her like an open book.
"It involves Sasuke."
"Sasuke? As in Uchiha Sasuke?"
"The very same," berkata Sakura, almost wistfully.
"Okay, so I need details. What can anda tell me?"
"Well, basically Sasuke's taken over Oto and I'm supposed to go train a group of medic-nin," berkata Sakura, leaving out the part where she would also be akting as a spy in Oto.
Hopefully there wouldn't be anything to really uncover.
"Wow," berkata Ino. "Just… wow."
"Yeah," berkata Sakura, raising her eyebrows in that 'I can't believe it either' way.
"Alright, now tell me why anda accepted the mission. Dying to see if Sasuke's still as drool worthy at nineteen as he was at twelve?"
Sakura let out a sharp laugh. "Hardly. I'm just… curious. That's all."
"Explain."
Sakura rolled her eyes and did her best to get across what was going through her head.
"I never really got any closure with Sasuke, anda know? I mean, it's been years and I'm not stupid enough to think I still even know the guy. Last time we talked we were children and the last time we saw each other he tried to kill naruto and me. I just need to see what he left for. I need to understand that and be able to completely leave that part of my past behind."
"Closure, huh?" Ino smiled with that conniving little gleam in her eye. "And here I was hoping for a real life cinta story."
"Don't, Ino," warned Sakura. "It's– There's too much time between us, too much history. That ship sailed a long time ago."
"Alright, alright," berkata Ino before changing the subject.
The two best friends talked for the selanjutnya couple hours over pointless things until the sun started to set. Sakura was glad she got this time with Ino since she didn't know when she would see her again. It might actually be an entire year. It was hard to think there was a time when she went out of her way to avoid the blonde.
Standing at the doorway, Ino gave her a big hug and murmured, "Don't be a stranger, okay? We can write and don't let Uchiha be such a tight ass. Make sure anda demand holidays!"
Sakura laughed.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll see what I can do."
"You'll be fine," berkata Ino, as they pulled apart and Sakura was thankful for the support. "And hey, once the treaty goes through and everything, it's not like I can't visit Oto so it won't be so bad."
"Right," berkata Sakura. Looking at the deteriorating sunlight, she added, "Well I better go. I wanted to drop off a letter for naruto since he's out on a mission right now."
"He's going to be pissed he missed Sasuke," berkata Ino.
"Tell me about. I'm sort of glad I won't be here when he finds out."
"Chicken."
Sakura stuck her tongue out before growing serious, "Bye, Pig."
"No," berkata Ino, smiling. "I'll see anda later, Forehead."
"Yeah," agreed Sakura, "later."