The bell above the flower shop tinkled as Sakura walked in. Ino, her head resting in her palms as she leaned on the counter, looked up in excitement at the prospect of a customer. A polite smile forming on her face, she turned towards Sakura.

"Hi! Welcome to- oh, it's only you," she said, returning her head to her hands.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Well, that's not a very polite way to greet a customer!" she said, slightly indignantly. Ino waved away the pink-haired girl's protest.

"You don't count - You're my best friend, not a customer. I thought someone was actually coming to buy something. Oh well..." Ino sighed, pulling a chair towards her and sitting down.

"Business hasn't been great today then, huh?" Sakura asked. Ino shook her head, her ponytail waving with the movement.

"You're the only person I've had in. No sales whatsoever." Ino rolled her eyes in irritation. "I can't wait to get out from behind this counter. I'm so bored, Sakura!"

Sakura chuckled. "Don't worry, your mother will be back soon enough, and then you won't be here full-time anymore!" Ino groaned and dropped her head on the counter.

"But I'll still have to help," she whined. Sakura snorted at her friend's dramatics.

"Ino, you love working here and we both know it," she said, amused by the blonde's hearty sigh. Ino tilted her head so she was looking at Sakura, still resting on the counter in front of her, her hair spilling over her shoulder onto the wooden surface.

"I guess," Ino said, "but that doesn't mean it isn't boring sometimes." She sat back up in her seat, flipping her ponytail back over her shoulder as she straightened up. "So, what brings you here anyway? I doubt it's because you miss me, and I know I didn't forget anything in the flat."

The two girls had moved in together after they had become fully-fledged Shinobi, both realising they needed space from their parents. It had meant that their families weren't inconvenienced by the inconsistent hours they worked, and that Ino and Sakura could come and go as they pleased.

Sakura blushed slightly, breaking eye contact with Ino as she spoke.

"Well, today I'm a customer as well as your best friend. I need a bouquet of flowers."

Ino raised an eyebrow.

"And what, may I ask, do you need flowers for? We have enough at home already," Ino asked. The pink in Sakura's cheeks deepened.

"They're... kind of a present. For a friend," she replied. Ino grinned.

"Uh huh. And what flowers were you planning to buy for this... friend? Ino said, her voice laced with innuendo.

"I thought that daffodils would be nice," Sakura said, refusing to take the bait.

Ino grinned. "Well, you're in luck then. How many do you want?"

"Six, please," Sakura said politely, trying not to make Ino more inquisitive than she already was, as if a number would incite her curiosity. Ino got to work, arranging the bright yellow flowers into a neat bouquet and wrapping them in paper, grinning throughout the task whilst Sakura remained silent. Sakura handed over the money for the flowers, and Ino passed the daffodils over.

"So, you're not going to tell me who they're for?" Ino asked.

"Nope," Sakura replied quickly, moving away from the counter.

"Am I to presume you'll be home late tonight then?" Ino smirked, sitting back down and resting her chin on her knuckles. Sakura merely waved as she walked away, the bouquet placed neatly in her arms. Ino tilted the chair back on its legs, her hands moving behind her head.

She had a sneaky suspicion she knew exactly who those flowers were for.
***

The restaurant was unexpectedly busy; Ino was surprised they had managed to get a table at such short notice. It had been a while since she had spent time with Shikamaru and Chouji that didn't involve fighting for their lives, so they had arranged a get together to catch up a bit.

After spending half an hour talking practically non-stop, the trio had fallen into silence at the arrival of their ramen. Ino's chopsticks were about to enter her mouth when she dropped the piece of chicken she was holding back into the bowl and gasped.

"I know what I meant to tell you guys! The best thing happened today..." Ino recounted her conversation with Sakura earlier in the day to the two boys, who looked at her in bewilderment. When she finished, Shikamaru and Chouji wore identical looks of confusion.

"And Sakura buying flowers is the best thing because...?" Chouji asked, swallowing some noodles.

Ino sighed in exasperation. "Because, it means she's giving them to someone special. You know what that has to mean!"

"Pretend we don't," Shikamaru said dryly.

"It means," Ino said, unadulterated glee in her voice, "that Sakura is on a date with..." Ino drummed the table in an attempt to create dramatic tension. "Naruto!" she squealed, unable to contain her excitement. Shikamaru and Chouji looked up from their bowls in surprise, their eyes meeting each others across the table.

There was a pause.

"Well? Aren't you guys happy to hear they finally got together? Or did you already know? If you knew and didn't tell me, I swear..."

Shikamaru interrupted the blonde.

"Ino, Sakura isn't on a date with Naruto," he said hesitantly. Ino rolled her eyes, smirking.

"Of course she is," she replied. "She was definitely going on a date, and she and Naruto have been dancing around each other for years now. Who else would she be on a date with? It's got to be him!"

"She's not on a date with Naruto," Shikamaru repeated, his eyes flicking to something behind Ino as Chouji continued to eat his noodles.

"Yes, she is!"

"No, she isn't," a voice behind Ino said. Her head whipped round, her ponytail slapping Chouji in the face. Her face flushed as she realised exactly who was behind her, in earshot of every word. Naruto grinned at the three of them, his hands shoved in his pockets as he stood by their table.

"Sorry to interrupt, guys," Naruto said, "but I heard my name and was curious." He grinned at Ino. "Sorry to break it to you, but Sakura is definitely not on a date with me. I think I would know."

Ino blinked in surprise. She was trying to figure out what was going on; she had been certain Sakura was with Naruto. Whilst she was racking her brains to think about the mystery person Sakura was with (because that girl was on a date, no doubt about it), Naruto sat in the free space next to Shikamaru, and began to talk to his friends about recent missions. Eventually Ino couldn't take it anymore – there was nobody in Konoha she could picture Sakura with apart from the blonde boy in front of her.

"Wait wait wait," Ino said, slamming her hands on the table, drawing the boys out of their conversation. "If Naruto's here, then who on earth is Sakura on a date with?"

Naruto smiled sadly.

"I'm guessing you haven't heard that Sasuke's back in town, then."
***

Ino was waiting up for Sakura when she came home. The pink-haired girl shut the front door quietly behind her, only to walk into the living room to see her best friend standing in the kitchen doorway, arms folded across her chest belligerently.

"Hey, Ino. I thought you would have gone to bed by now," Sakura said, surprise in her voice. Ino wasted no time in answering Sakura's unasked question.

"You went on a date with Sasuke?" Ino growled. Sakura's eyes widened in shock.

"How did you find out?" Sakura asked.

"It doesn't matter. Sasuke?"

Sakura took a step back, almost defensively.

"I know you don't like him-"

"I wonder why?" Ino interrupted, cutting to the chase. "It's not like he abandoned the village to go be friends with a creepy snake guy or anything. Or, you know, nearly caused our friends to die trying to recover him. Or fought against us in a war, nearly killed you, decided he wanted to kill the tailed spirits, one of whom is supposed to be his best friend I'd like to add, and then blew off said friend's arm! Yeah, it's a real mystery why I'm not fond of him!"

"...You know, technically Naruto blew off Sasuke's arm too."

Ino gaped at her. "I can't believe that's what you took away from that."

"I'm just saying-"

"You're ridiculous. Sakura, I love you, but I can't believe you."

"How am I being ridiculous? I love Sasuke. All that is in the past, and now I can finally be with him, so why on Earth shouldn't I be?" Sakura snapped.

"So, what, you've just forgiven him for everything? He gets away with it?"

"Gets away with what?"

"He gets away with treating you like crap for years, for continually hurting you, for being a complete bastard! But hey, he poked you on the forehead, so it's all ok! That's bullshit and you know it Sakura!"

"He never meant to hurt me!" Sakura protested. Ino snorted derisively.

"And yet, somehow, that's all he ever did."

There was silence as the two girls glared at each other, the anger slowly ebbing from the room. Sakura ran a hand through her hair as she blinked back tears.

"Ino, I know you don't approve. But I love him. I wish you'd understand that," she said, pleading with her friend. Ino merely crossed her arms, not relaxing her stance for a second.

"Why?" Ino asked abruptly.

Sakura paused. "Why what?" she asked.

"Why do you love Sasuke?"

Sakura gathered her thoughts for a moment before replying. Ino began to click her tongue impatiently.

"Because... it's Sasuke. I've loved him since I was twelve. Time hasn't changed that."

Ino raised an eyebrow.

"So you think of him in the same way you did five years ago?" she asked.

"Well, yeah," Sakura replied.

"Exactly the same way?"

"Yes!"

Ino pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

"Then do you really love him? Because five years ago, you loved him because you idolised him. Trust me, I know. I felt the same. But Sakura, so much has happened. It sounds like you're clinging on to your feelings from when you were twelve because of some sort of loyalty to them. And that's not love, Sakura."

Sakura glared at her friend.

"And when exactly did you become a psychologist? Don't you dare tell me how I feel, Ino. Don't you dare. I. Love. Sasuke. Not because I idolise him, but because he's everything I ever wanted!"

"When you were twelve."

"That doesn't make my feelings any less valid!"

"It does if the only reason you're with him is you liked him when you were twelve!"

"It's Sasuke!"

"If the only thing you can say about him is his name, you should probably question your relationship!"

"That's not true! I can't help it if he still has the same attraction as he did when I first fell in love with him! He just... hasn't changed!"

"What about Naruto?"

Sakura paused, blinking in confusion.

"What about Naruto?" she replied, frowning slightly. Ino grinned, concerning Sakura.

"Let's just use him as an example here. What would you say about Naruto? What's he like?" Ino questioned. Sakura raised an eyebrow at the blonde, concerned about this rapid change in topic.

"An example of what?" Sakura asked. Ino rolled her eyes.

"Just humour me, okay? Naruto. Tell me about him."

Sakura hesitated, then shrugged.

"Okay then? Naruto. He's... kind. And brave. And... Ino, this is weird," Sakura stated. Ino waved off her protestations, gesturing for her to continue. "Ok, fine. Naruto is loyal. And fun. And sweet. He's... compassionate. Smart. He's funny, and passionate, and I know he can be loud, and brash, and kind of childish and ridiculous, but he's so thoughtful, and can be really gentle and caring, not to mention respectful and considerate." A small smile formed on Sakura's face as she spoke, the words flowing freely. "He's one of the best people I've ever met. He's dedicated, and hard-working, and – what?"

Ino was smirking at her friend, shaking her head.

"You wouldn't have been saying that five years ago," she chuckled. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Well, no. He's changed over the past few years. He grew up. We all have."

"Well, Sasuke hasn't, according to your logic. He's still the angel he was back then," Ino snapped sarcastically. "Have you ever thought that maybe you're holding on to your old feeling for Sasuke because you're scared of your changing ones towards Naruto?"

"What?" Sakura gasped, her face reddening. "I've never thought of Naruto like that-" Sakura began, before Ino cut her off.

"Bullshit. Maybe you never let yourself properly consider it because of your emotional loyalty to Sasuke or whatever, but I've seen how you look at him. You've never been a good actress. Whatever you feel for Naruto, it's serious, everyone can tell. You just won't let yourself see it.

"Look, maybe you do love Sasuke, and always will. But you need to go into this trying to get to know him again, not just assuming you love him. Because he isn't the twelve-year-old kid you fell for anymore, and your feelings shouldn't be the same. Maybe they mature, and you love him as he is. But you shouldn't blindly think that what you're feeling is love, ok? Not when you may be feeling it towards someone else"

Sakura stood in silence, looking at Ino with confusion in her eyes. Ino sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Look, it's late. I'm going to bed. Just... think about it, ok?" She waited for a response. When she got none, she turned and left the room. She quickly looked back to see Sakura sink into the armchair, arms wrapped around herself.
***

The next morning brought sunshine and silence. Ino sat at the little kitchen table, considering which kind of flowers she would replace the wilting tulips in the vase at the centre of the table with, when Sakura placed herself in the seat opposite her, a glass of water in front of her. She was in her pale pink dressing gown, her hair still ruffled from sleep. An awkward silence surrounded the pair, neither knowing how to start a conversation. Ino was ready to bite the bullet when Sakura began to speak.

"I didn't sleep well last night," she said bluntly. Ino noticed the slightly darker than usual bags under her friend's eyes, and guilt welled up inside her. Sakura didn't get a lot of sleep as it was; Ino hated that she'd added to the reasons why.

"I was thinking about what you said," Sakura continued, either not noticing or ignoring Ino's unsubtle glances at her face. Ino grimaced at the implied accusation.

"Look, Sakura, I'm really sorry about last night. I was out of line. Your feelings are your own, and I respect that, and if Sasuke's who you want to be with-"

"You were right."

Ino's jaw dropped.

"I was?"

Sakura grinned slightly at her friend's surprise. Brushing her bangs out of her eyes, she leaned her head on one hand, the other caressing her water.

"Yeah. Look, I know you don't like Sasuke, and I'm still going to date him. But... I was being a bit naive, and assuming I was in love with him. But then you were throwing Naruto at me, and in all honesty I don't know how I feel about him. But... I want to give Sasuke and I a shot. You're right – maybe I'll fall desperately in love with who he is now. Maybe I won't. But I've waited too long to give him up immediately, at the first questioning of my feelings. I just... I want to try, at least."

Ino nodded.

"That's fair enough. And I just want to say, I don't like the guy, but I'll support you. Even if you end up marrying him, I'm with you. But I have to ask. What about Naruto?"

Sakura sighed.

"I honestly don't know. I like him... more than I ever thought I did. And I think... I think he still likes me. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess."
***

It was a month before the topic came up again. An outbreak of a contagious illness in the sand village had resulted in Tsunade sending numerous medic ninjas to the land in order to help heal the multitude of victims. Sakura was one of the last to be sent out; as Tsunade's prodigy, she had been put in charge of Konoha's hospital while they had been slightly short-staffed. However, the severeness of the illness meant that more highly qualified medic ninjas were being sent out, whilst others returned to take over. Sakura was packing before leaving the next day, Ino leaning on her doorframe to keep her company.

"It'll be quiet without you. You won't be gone too long, right?"

Sakura sighed. "I hope not, but I really don't know. I'm only meant to be there for two months, but I might go travelling when it's over."

"Can you do that? Surely Konoha needs it's second favourite kunoichi, after yours truly, back?"

Sakura laughed. "I've already asked Tsunade, and she cleared it. But if I do it, I have to go to villages and "learn new methods of healing." That way it can be justified, I guess."

"Well, that'll be nice. Maybe Sasuke can come visit you in Sunagakure. He's not banished from there, is he? Hey, maybe you two can travel together!" Ino forced the enthusiasm in her voice; she still wasn't thrilled about Sakura's blooming relationship with Sasuke. It took her a minute to notice the expression on Sakura's face, after a moment of silence.

"Sakura?" Ino asked, worry seeping into her voice.

Sakura remained quiet for a second, before tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear and turning away from her packing to look at Ino.

"Sasuke... won't be joining me. At all." She said quietly, looking down. Ino paused, hoping Sakura would elaborate. When she didn't, moved to sit down next to the pink-haired girl, and wrapped an arm around her.

"Can I ask why?" she said. Sakura laughed humourlessly.

"Because I broke up with him." She said. Ino squeezed Sakura's arm in a comforting gesture. She didn't ask anything else, not wanting to pry. Sakura leaned her head against Ino's shoulder, and sighed.

"It wasn't working. It was my fault, I guess; I expected too much. And after you and I talked, I realised I was glossing over everything, especially any negative feelings towards Sasuke. It... it wasn't healthy. He wasn't the kid I fell for, and I didn't like who he grew up to be. And then..." she fell into silence, moving her head into her hands.

"And then what, Sakura?" Ino asked gently, stroking her friend's arm. Sakura leaned back, pushed her hair out of her face, and took a deep breath.

"I kept comparing him to Naruto." She blurted out. Ino couldn't help but grin, quickly reverting to her sympathetic expression when Sakura looked over at her.

"It just... it didn't feel right. I wasn't comfortable with him. And I couldn't help thinking about how Naruto makes me feel, and that I wished I was with him instead, and then I realised you were right and I'm an idiot..." she trailed off, and Ino pulled her into a bear hug.

"You are not an idiot. You just didn't let yourself think about Naruto like that because you thought you loved Sasuke. And that's ok!" Ino said firmly.

Sakura buried her head into her best friend's shoulder, returning the hug. They stayed that way for a while, Ino's physical reassurance giving Sakura more comfort than words could. Eventually Sakura drew back, and Ino ruffled her hair affectionately.

"At least you realised though. Imagine if you stayed with Sasuke. You might have married him."

Sakura giggled.

"Me marrying Sasuke is as likely as me naming my firstborn Salad."

Ino snorted. "Please, don't ever name your child Salad. That would just be cruel."

Sakura shook her head and stood up, beginning to pack again. Ino remained sitting against the bed, hands behind her head to pillow against the mattress.

"So..." she began, her voice a drawl.

"So, what?" Sakura asked. Ino sat up straight, trying to catch Sakura's eye.

"So, are you going to tell Naruto about your revelation?" She asked. Sakura froze, a folded skirt hovering over her open bag.

"...No." she said. Ino sat up straight.

"Why not?" She said, shocked. "You two have been playing this game for years now! Put the boy out of his misery already!"

Sakura placed the skirt in her bag, and began to fold the next item of clothing.

"Look," she began, hesitant. "I know I like Naruto. A lot. More than I ever liked Sasuke. But Naruto means so much to me, and I just... the idea of losing Naruto because we dated and it went wrong is terrifying to me. I don't want to risk it. Or if I do, it's a risk I have to be sure I want to take. So I'm not saying anything before I leave. Having some time to myself to get my head straight will be good for me. Maybe good for... us." She turned to Ino, hands on her hips, glaring. "You can't say anything," she said sternly. Ino crossed her arms.

"Fine," she said grumpily. "But when you come back, I want to be the first to know exactly what's going on in that forehead of yours. Promise?"

Sakura smiled, zipping her bag shut. "Promise."