Rejection

After 6 hours straight of surgery I still can’t get Sasuke out of my head. His hot breath in my ear made me blush horribly. As soon as I get out of my scrubs, I make my way to Ino’s.

…

I knock on her door loudly. I hear a couple thuds before she comes to the door

“Sakura what’s up?” Ino’s voice sounds strained and she refuses to open her door all the way. Clearly hiding something. My problems have come to a halt in my mind because I’m so curious to see who she’s hiding.

“Ino’s?” I say with a knowing voice and raise of my eyebrow.

She looks nervous but keeps a calm smile. She replies with a calm - “yes?”

I roll my eyes and kick her door open.

My jaw drops at the sight of Sai struggling to put on his shirt. I stare from Sai to Ino.

“You fuckin bitch” Ino says to me.

“Bitch you are hooking up with Sai” I yell at her in surprise.

“You’re so fuckin nosey billboard brow” Ino says less angry.

I look at her for further explanation.

“What do you wanna hear Sakura?” Ino says exasperated.

I wave my arms from Sai to her with wide eyes dramatically.

“Ughhhh god Sakura. Ok I’m hooking up with Sai. He’s hot and I’m hot what the issue” she says annoyed.

“B-b-but…. Sai?” I say motioning towards him. Sai has finally put his shirt on and is now just standing there awkwardly.

“Ok moving on” she says rolling her eyes “why did you knock on my door anyways?” She asks changing the subject.

It’s weird to see Ino so calm about a boy. She usually never lets a guy into her house. Even to hook up. I let it go because I feel like this thing with Sai is a little deeper than she says.

“Oh um I wanted to talk to you about Sasuke” I say sighing.

Sai, who looked bored with our conversation earlier, is now listening with intent.

Oooooh Jealous much Sai. Oh my god this might actually be something.

“What about him?” She says excited. Sai looks extra annoyed now.

Ino had gotten over her crush on him years ago when she agreed that we should kill him right before the war started. Ino said that trying to kill her freind, no matter how annoying (me) is unforgivable.

“Well he’s back and I saw him. A lot of him, I made him take his shirt off and then his breath was in my ear and then I ran out” I ramble way too fast.

“HOLY SHIT” she says grabbing my hands pulling me into her apartment. “So like y’all got hot and heavy huh” she says teasing me.

I explain to her that I actually just gave him an exam and we got too close on accident to her disappointment.

“Either way talking into your hair is fucking flirting. He definitely did it on purpose” she says.

“What does that mean though?” I ask desperately.

“I don’t know. Sasuke is really a mystery, but if I were you I would just ask him out now. Since knowing his track record he could take years to do it.” She says laughing.

“But I don’t know if I want to date him” I say shyly knowing her reaction.

“WHAT?!??” She basically ruptured my eardrum.

“Well, like you said I don’t really know him. He’s a mystery. How can I like someone I don’t know? Plus he has done things in the past that I haven’t unpacked yet” I say defensively.

Her face falls. When I first told her that I went to kill Sasuke and how he almost killed me, she cried. It was one of the first times she was so vulnerable with me. She said it was so sad that I felt pushed to do that, but that it was more sad that he made that decision. I remember thinking she was so wise. She said what I wanted to say but never would.

She sighs before she talks “Sakura I told you that I would never forgive him for trying to kill you. But I know your feelings about that situation were more complex.”

She’s correct.

“I’m so angry with him Ino. I loved him so fiercely and he kept leaving me. I was never enough to make him stop. The farther he went for his goals the more I felt betrayed. I went to kill him for Narutos sake, I chose Naruto back then. That’s when I knew I didn’t love Sasuke anymore. My love for Naruto mattered more. Him trying to kill me was the most heartbreaking experience but what hurt more was that he would have killed Naruto who had saved me right in front of me. More than leaving me on that bench. More than constantly calling me weak. More than even trying to kill me. The fact that he tried to kill Naruto in front of me will never be ok. I don’t think I can ever fully forgive him.” I say now in tears.

Ino wraps me in a hug, holding me tight.

“Sakura…” Sai says breaking the silence. I almost forgot he was even there. I look to him.

“I also feel horrible about that day. I told you that you were hurting Naruto by holding him to a promise. But I was mistaken. I was an idiot back then, I had no idea about what Sasuke meant to both of you. Naruto would have never given up on Sasuke. Promise or not. And I think about if I had never told you that, maybe you wouldn’t have gone after Sasuke.” Sai can’t even look me in the eye as he talks.

I had wanted to hear this since that day. I never held it against Sai that he told me that. But hearing his apology feels like a huge weight off my shoulders. Like I had secretly been carrying this anger around for him all along.

“Thank you Sai. And I know that you would never have said that to hurt me.” I say truthfully. I never could’ve blamed him for coming to that conclusion.

“Sakura, I support you fully if you decide to never talk to Sasuke again, you know that. But I also know what Sasuke means to you, so I want you to be careful girl.” Ino says.

After more conversation about Sasuke and little about Ino and Sai ,I say my goodbyes awkwardly to both of them. Knowing that when I leave they will probably do something unholy I think smirking.