#` carve your name on hearts‚ not tombstones. ( ch )

[soulconductor]

tag dump lmao.

[elegiesforshiva]

Ghosts V: Honorable Mentions

Masterpost

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“Mama...aren’t you going to eat?”  She asks, peering into her okaasan’s room.  She had made tonight’s dinner just for her, a light miso soup, because her kaasan isn’t sick in the body but she is still sick.  Sakura may be young, but she knows this at least.  

The room is blanketed in a thick dark, and it suffocates her. Mebuki doesn’t move—a cold statue buried under soft sheets.  For a moment, she is taken by the thought that her okaasan is dead, that it’s been days since she ate and now she must have starved to death.  The walls of the doorway shrink in and her small hands shake, spilling hot broth.  

But then there’s a gentle shift of covers, indicating her mother chooses not to feign sleep nor death.  Her voice pierces the quiet with a chill of its own. “I thought I taught you to knock before entering someone’s room.”

“...I’m sorry.”  It’s all Sakura can think to say.  The room’s darkness is sitting in her lungs and Sakura wonders how her mother isn’t gasping to breathe when her bedroom is stuffy with this deadly atrophy.  “Okaasan, you should eat something.  You’ll feel better.”

Mebuki sighs, sounding bored and annoyed and so tired.  “Please, Sakura.  Please.”  The words come out hideously vulnerable, like a clogged pipe that’s just been punctured, spewing every old and unwanted regret she’s every had.  “Just leave me alone.”

.

.

.

Sakura shivers herself awake.   She sits up, breath uneven, and head pounding.  The heavy ache in her chest promises to swallow her, weighted with memory—the afterimage of a lonely woman carved into the back of her daughter’s eyelids.

Sakura kicks off the blankets and throws on shorts and a jacket.  Then she’s sprinting through Konoha’s streets, bare feet slap against cold cobblestone.  She feels her—a desperation between kin, the pungent smell of rot.  Only Sakura can’t numb it with a cool exterior like her okaasan.  She didn’t know how.  Not right now.  Not this late.  Not after that dream where all she feels is her okaasan alive but surely dead.

Her breastbone sinks in on itself as she gasps, breaths leaving harsh like her every step is a punch to the gut.  It’s late, and no one is here.  The sky is maddeningly black and Sakura feels red.

Her feet finally meet gravel, and Sakura stills.  The thrumming against her chest is just the slightest and she struggles to catch her breath.  She wants to run right to the tombstone, but they can’t both be desperate.  She has to be composed to care for her okaasan.  She has to be gentle.  She has to be not Sakura, if only for this.  

She makes slow strides, her eyes fixed on a single grave.  The night air is cold and frigid in Konoha’s civilian cemetery, but the heat of Sakura’s heart keeps her warm.  Then she’s standing before a grave and she lowers onto her knees without a thought of intention.  Her eyes sticks to the name like old, grimed adhesive.

Mebuki Haruno

She stares, and stares until the letters lose meaning, until it all blurs to one inside her moistening vision.  She wants to be still, to offer consoling words to her okaasan, because she looked so alone during her last days, like a dethroned King waiting for his own axe to come down.   And Sakura doesn’t know what to do.  What could she do?  She was the one who gave the death sentence.

Sweet, sweet child, Mebuki would say, although Sakura is anything but.

“Mama,” her voice cracks, and the tears pool down her cheeks.  She jerks forward, embraces the headstone and it’s so rough and cold that she shivers.  Still, Sakura rubs her cheek against the concrete, scraping tender flesh.  “Mama...I’m so sorry.”  She isn’t sure which mistake she’s apologizing for.  There is just too many to count, and she can’t take any of them back.  Her okaasan is dead—had left the world years ago.

She cries quietly, then not so quietly.  When her throat is raw, and her sobs turn to whimpers, she murmurs half-hearted I love yous and praises because her mother wasn’t good but she tried more than Sakura ever even thought to.  And Sakura thinks nothing can cleanse her of that shame.

She kisses the headstone, the cement hard and callous against her lips.  She tries to smile at the letters, tries to envision a place where she can feel connected to them.  Feel connected and still feel good about it.  The smile never quite comes.

“I think you’d be proud,” she mumbles.  “I’m finally staying away… from that damned Uchiha like you wanted.”  She laughs bitterly, and her heart aches with love lost.  The sound is hollow, makes her feel like a pitiful thing.

Then it dies in her throat, and the somber engulfs her with the cold.  “It should’ve been for you instead,” Sakura confesses.  “You would have appreciated it a lot more than he did.”  She tries to recreate the memory, tracing the image of a sad, sad woman.  It’s true her okaasan was lost, but not as lost as Sasuke.  Sakura wants to believe.  “At least, I hope you would have.”

Sakura quiets then, letting the crickets play their nightly melody undisturbed.  A wind tugs at her dulled pink tresses, and the wetness on her cheeks leaves the cold biting down on her harsher than before.  She curls into herself and clenches her teeth, shivering.  She stays there despite craving the comfort of her blankets—a poor attempt for penance.  

And when Sakura finally leaves, she finds the ground colder against her heel than when she came.

There are a lot of perks that comes with working in the same building as your best friend.  Sakura can easily rapture in the experience of watching a manic patient try to leave against medical advice with her friend, or even be given a helping hand when there is an issue between staff.  Avoiding social interaction is not one of these perks.

“Oh, no you don’t, forehead!”  Ino calls from across the hall, “I’ll beat your ass inside out if you don’t wait for me!  I know you didn’t forget about our plans!”

Sakura’s heel teeters in step, and Sakura finds she’s just too tired. She can’t fight it. “Pig,” Sakura sighs, turns on her heel to meet Ino through sluggish steps.

Ino frowns and Sakura thinks the exhaustion must show more than she’d like.  “And here I let you off the hook the other day thinking you’d be better rested.  You look like shit, Sakura.  What happened?”

Sakura shakes her head. “Nothing.  Just a nightmare. ”  She watches Ino’s frown deepen, and her eyes soften, almost looking guilty, as if she was the one who cursed Sakura  with a half-life.  “No.  Nothing too bad, I...” Sakura murmurs. “I just—I kind of ended up visiting cemetery last night.”

But this bit of information doesn’t seem to make it better.  Ino looks startled, then adjusts, and sighs. “Well, if I wasn’t worried about you before, I definitely am now.” Sakura winces, crossing her arms.  “Wait for me.  I have one quick check up and then I sign out.  We won’t go anywhere, we’ll just hang out at your place.  We don’t even have to invite Naruto or Sai.  It’s just that it’s been like a week and I really miss you.”  

Sakura is certain Ino is just trying to check in on her, a compulsive habit that started between teams and friends since Tenten’s first suicide attempt.  Sakura doesn’t really care though.  She misses Ino too.  A somber smile stretches over her skin and Ino’s smile in response is brilliant.  “Is that okay?” Ino asks.

Sakura nods.  “Yeah,” she agrees.  “That’s okay.  I’ll wait for you.”

Sakura is relieved to find Ino does as promised, making quick work of her last patient before heading to her apartment with her.  She’s almost in envy too, because no matter what she’s assigned or when, Sakura never seems to get out on time.  

They make it back to Sakura’s apartment in haste, and situate themselves comfortably.  Despite her lack of sleep, Sakura feels strangely rejuvenated in the presence of her favorite kunoichi.  Ino’s chatter is unusually healing, if only for the moment. She brings out a piece of youth that Sakura perpetually forgets.

“It’s like November, Ino.  How are you eating that thing?”  Sakura asks, carving nonsensically into her headboard with a kunai.  She was inspired after seeing the designs Sai had created in Ino’s own headboard in their new apartment.  Sakura is hardly an artist, but she likes to carve into the thick wood when she is meditating on something she can’t quite correct.  Or when she is trying to fight the urge to mutilate herself.

There’s a sharp suction sound as Ino releases the popsicle from her lips.  “I’m trying to practice giving blowjobs.  I still can’t completely take Sai in my mouth.”

Sakura scoffs.  “How is that even possible?”  She places the kunai down and looks back at the book she should be reading.  “You’ve been sucking dick since you were like 14.”

“I wasn’t lying when I said he was big, Sakura.  Literally like the biggest I’ve ever seen.”

Sakura looks up and narrows her eyes incredulously.  “How big are we talking?”  She almost instantly regrets asking, certain she’s breaching a sense of privacy she should probably maintain. Sai is her teammate.

But it’s Ino, and she’s already sliding the popsicle back into her mouth with that knowing dangerous, cheshire smile and all reservations fly out the window.  She makes a motion with her hands, gesturing his size, eyes all too playful and enthusiastic.

“Geez.  I almost feel bad for your cooch.”

The popsicle plops back out of her mouth and Ino smirks.  “Don’t.”

Sakura snorts. “You’re such a slut.”  She looks back at her book, her smile widening. “I love it.”

“Me too,” Ino hums.

Her heart flutters, and Sakura suddenly  takes note of the shadows coming from the window. She doesn’t want to be alone. She’s not ready, not just yet.  “I think I’m feeling better, by the way.  We can call Sai and Naruto, if you want.” Sakura looks at her clock.  “If it’s not too late.”

“Like they care.” Ino says. “Y’know, I didn’t expect you to change your mind,” Ino looks at her quizzically for a moment, before she shrugs casually and inspects her barely there popsicle.  “But then again, thinking about dick usually rejuvenates me too.”

Sakura felt a soft giggle take her, though she choses not to respond.  “I’ll send them a summon.  I hope Hinata doesn’t mind me stealing Naruto this late.  But I really want to hear the details about your mission.”  Sakura says.  She makes quick work, summoning two slugs before sending them on their way to find Sai and Naruto.  Ino goes to unlock Sakura’s entrance, finishing her dessert before returning to the bedroom.

“I’m kind of surprised you’re inviting Naruto over.”  Ino sits at the edge of Sakura’s bed, studies her nails in that way she always does when she pretends like she’s not keenly observing someone. “I thought he’s been bugging you about Sasuke?”

“He has.” Agitation frosts her words, and Sakura doesn’t particularly care to hide it. “Brings him up literally every time I’m alone with him.”   Sakura forces a breath, and leans back, mellowing out into the mattress.  “But I know he won’t mention it with you two around.  He can be an insensitive idiot, but he doesn’t strive for it.”

“What exactly is your position towards Sasuke?”  Ino asks.  “Do you hate him now or something?”  There’s a pause, and Sakura can feel a dull pain by her ribs, her throat.  Sakura regrets being expressive these days, even with Ino, she’s coming to realize.  She just needs some space.  Space from everything.  “Does this have anything to do with your mom?”

Sakura narrows her eyes, and it almost feels like a hammer came right down on her head, knocking the worst of aches into her skull.  She doesn’t like that question.  She hates that question.  “I don’t know, does it matter?”

Ino frowns sympathetically and Sakura has to look away.  She hates the pity, too.  “Doesn’t it?”

“No,” Sakura snaps.  “It doesn’t.”

“Sakura.” A gentle reprimand.  More gentle than she deserves, but Ino has always been like that when it comes to her.

They hear the distant screech of a door opening then, and Sakura could sob at the pure relief of interruption.  “Sakura-chan!  I brought some ramen for you!”  She hears his footsteps draw closer before there’s a light echo of someone tapping on thick glass.  Ino nearly leaps to the window, drawing the pane sideways for Sai to crawl through.

“Beautiful,” Sai greets, and Sakura watches him flash Ino a smile that can only be described as sweet.  But then he’s pulling her into a kiss—an irrefutably passionate one.  Sakura would think it to be inappropriate (espcially when she sees Sai’s tongue slither out) if she wasn’t completely fascinated by the image.  The intimacy is too entrancing, too sensual—reminding her of a softness she sometimes is certain the world forgot.  Sai’s hands cradle Ino’s waist, and there’s a wanton calm in her best friend’s expression when she cups the sides of his face.  Sakura is warmed by the heat of their love.

“Ugh! What the hell!?”  Naruto does not share the sentiment. “Get a room, you two!”

There’s the wet smack of two lovers lips parting.  “I believe we are in one, Dickless.”

“That’s not what that means, you pervert!” Naruto scowls dramatically.

Sakura changes the subject for Ino’s sake, because she looks much too breathless and dizzy to give Naruto a witty response.  “You were at Ichiraku?” She eyes Naruto’s gourmet bowls of ramen to enunciate her words.

“Yeah, of course!” Naruto says, his smile beaming. “And I brought you some ramen!”

“It’s like 10 o’ clock, aren’t they closed?” Ino asks, having reigned in her senses.  Still, there is no denying the slight flush of her cheeks.  But nobody comments on this, even as Sakura sees Sai silently marveling at it.

“He’s friends with the owner,” Sakura responds, before directing a half-hearted scowl at her blonde teammate. “Who happens to have a family, y’know.  You can’t just hold people up at work like that because of your stomach.  It’s rude, Naruto.”

“Aw, Teuchi doesn’t mind!”   Naruto says, placing a hot container in front of Sakura.  “C’mon, eat up!”

Sakura swallows hard as the scent fills her nostrils.  Her stomach tightens in rebellion.  “I’m not hungry, I already ate.”

“No you didn’t.”  Ino responds as she fishes through one of Sakura’s drawers.  Sakura grimaces at how Ino so carelessly exposes her.  She would chuck the book in her lap at the kunoichi if the action itself wasn’t staunchly incriminating.

“I’ll eat,” Sai says, oblivious to the overbearing blonde’s antics. “I’m very hungry.”

“It’s not for you!” Naruto snaps.  He then eyes Ino, who was relocating a distinct smelling herb from a grinder into one of Sakura’s ceramic bowls.  “Oi!  What are you doing!?  You can’t smoke that in here, Hinata’s pregnant!”

Sakura quirks a brow. “What does that have to do with anything?” She asks before handing the bowl of ramen to Sai, taking advantage of Naruto’s distraction.

“If I come home smelling like that and then Hinata smells me, our baby will be retarded!”  

Sakura scowls.  “Can we please not use the word retarded?” Sakura chides.  “It’s medically incorrect.”

“It’s already going to be retarded if you’re its father,” Ino retorts.

“Pig,” Sakura reprimands.  Ino flashes her an apologetic smile before turning out the window.  There’s a stark flick that snaps through the room as she turns on her lighter.

“Hinata-san is rather intelligent,” Sai says, grabbing chopsticks to indulge in the bowl of ramen.  “It’s possible their child’s intelligence will be perfectly average with both of their genes.”

“My kid is going to be a genius!” Naruto claims boldly, “Hinata and me are the smartest people in this village besides Shikamaru!”

“Hinata and I,” Sai corrects with an expression that borders smug.  

“None of you know a damn thing about genetics,” Sakura says, she shakes her head in mock disapproval as she closes her book.  She’s obviously not going to get much reading done with their company.  “Don’t you remember punnett squares?” She asks, and she considers that she might be falling into her snobbish know-it-all habits, but this is such basic science.  “And intelligence isn’t cut and dry like that, there’s several different types of it.” This fact is just too obvious. “You can’t just measure it linearly like that.”

“Punnet what-now?” Naruto asks, slurping on his own bowl of ramen next to Sai.

“Beautiful?” Sai calls. “Are you alright?”

They’re eyes flash to Ino then, who is gazing out the window, eyes focused and brows furrowed on something outside.  Sakura reflexively reaches for the kunai she had not too long ago.  But Ino looks over at her boyfriend.  “Huh?  Oh, yeah.  I thought I just…”  Ino looks over at Naruto, then Sakura. “Yeah no—nevermind, I’m being crazy.”

“Wait, what is it?” Sakura asks, persistent.

“Nothing, this weed just smells funny.” Ino dismisses.  Sakura scoffs in response and eyes her with suspicion.  But Ino just shrugs, continues on undeterred, flickering a light and exhaling out the window.  

Sai’s frown is barely there, before it’s masked entirely.  “Don’t worry, Ugly.  Ino knows a great dealer.  We will help.”  Evidently, he’s chosen to help Ino conceal whatever it is she’s hiding.

Sakura huffs, relaxing her hold on the kunai before completely letting go.  Ino wouldn’t have taken a hit if it were something serious.  Still, Sakura can’t quite dispel the agitation as quickly as she’d like.  Selfish and one-sided as it is, she hates it when Ino keeps secrets.  “I’m pretty sure she uses Kiba like I do.”

Naruto nearly chokes on his ramen.  He coughs, beating his chest with a fist.  “What!  Kiba deals!?”

“Are you really that surprised?” Ino asks, nonchalant.  She looks over at Sai. “Do you want a hit, babe?”

“That’s alright, Beautiful.  Enjoy yourself.”  Sai turns over to Sakura then.  “Ugly, your mission?”  He asks, watching her with calm intent, even as he eats.  Sakura is thankful he’s far away enough for her not to smell it.

She describes the details of what was gathered about the bandit, ending with the mention of how the body was erradicated from a self inflicted blast.  “She probably doesn’t work alone,” Sakura concludes.  “As for the team we retrieved, it had a Hyuga on it.  He was young, but I mean…” Sakura sees pearly eyes stricken with panic, the skin around his eyes creased with a lost innocence. “A four cell team shouldn’t have been that injured from a single nin.  Not with a Hyuga, and two jounin—one of which died.  And then the chunin had their legs blown off.  The Hyuga was missing a hand.”  She repeats the knowledge easy, blocking out the image.  It didn’t matter she’s a medic.  She’ll never get used to the image of pain.

“The fourth?” Sai asks.

“Unscathed from what I saw.  He was the one who escaped—part of our retrieval team.  I would assume he got medical attention before he was sent with us again, but it’s hard to say for sure,” Sakura says, mulling over their last conversation.  Because nins with kekkei genkai get priority.

“Unscathed?” Naruto says then, face stricken with insult. “And he just left his team like that?”

A frown drags across her lips.  “It’s protocal, Naruto,” Sakura says and feels guilty for even saying it, as if it is a reasonable excuse.  “Trust me, he didn’t feel good about it,” she sighs, recalling his agitation.  “Not everyone can improvise in the face of death, sometimes people just don’t know what else to do but follow the rules.”  She knows he’s thinking of Kakashi, their first lessons.  Scum.  Sakura is too.  But Sakura sometimes wishes those words didn’t resonate so deeply.  Maybe she could’ve saved herself the heartache.

“Wow this is way too heavy for me right now,” Ino coughs, before placing the paraphernalia aside.  Despite her words, she pushes the conversation forward.  “So who lead the rescue team?”

“Enra,” Sakura responds and Ino looks at her quizzically. “I think she was a part of Root.”

“She was,” Sai says, nodding in confirmation.  “I remember her.”

“Never heard of her.” Ino says, before resting her chin on her palm. “But if it’s a former Root member, then Kakashi must have wanted someone skilled in reconnaissance.”

“Exactly,” Sakura affirms.  “He already knew.”

“Our mission wasn’t a retrieval one, but I think we were dealing with someone affiliated with your bandit.” Sai says.

“Where was your mission?” Ino asks.

“Mine was by the border of Tani and Konoha.” Sakura answers.

“That’s close,” Sai observes. “Ours was in Suna.”

“So there was bandits in Suna too?” Naruto asks.  “Gaara never mentioned anything, and I was just there like a month ago.”

“You’ll probably hear about it if it becomes more serious,” Sakura reasons, before turning to look at Ino’s glazed eyes.  “How strong were they?” She asks.  “Did they use explosives too?”

“We only fought two,” Sai answers.  “They were very powerful nin, but they did not use explosives.  One used water release.  The other I’m still not sure.  She used a wide variety of jutsus.  And also escaped.”

“And fucking burned the body of her own comrade when we incapacitated him,” Ino inserts, voice accentuating her repulsion.

Naruto chokes on his ramen.  “What the fuck!”  He cries, appalled.  “Why the hell didn’t she just take him with her?”

“She probably didn’t want to be slowed down when she escaped,” Sai reasons.  “We were told to do the same in Root—if we could.”

Naruto mumbles about a lack of ethics before clearing his throat and Sakura can’t help but agree with a sickening twist of her stomach.  Danzo’s methods were vial.

“You smokin’?” Ino asks, eyes trained on Sakura as she signaled the end of the conversation.  Sakura nods, hopeful the discussion wouldn’t incite paranoia but also hopelessly eager to relax.  Ino hands her the bowl.  “Sai, can you go grab us a glass of water?”

“Of course, Beautiful.”

“Oh wait, wait!” Naruto exclaims, before vacuuming the last of his ramen into his mouth.  He then holds several empty bowls out, and speaks while chewing. “Throw this out too!”

Sakura shakes her head and flicks the lighter.  It’s been some time, and her throat is agitated with the first inhale.  But then she’s blowing out, coughing gently out her window, and her head is feeling comfortably loose.  Throat burning or not, Sakura finds the anything is worth the lightness.

“Hey, Naruto, does Hinata ever smoke?” Ino asks curiously then.

Naruto makes a face that dared to question Ino’s intelligence.  Sakura almost laughs.  “She doesn’t even drink.”

Sakura coughs out a bit of smoke, before placing her hand over her mouth as she looks over at Naruto.  “Really?”

“Well, I’m not surprised, but I am kind of disappointed,” Ino says with a sly smile. “Kind of want to know what she’s like stoned.”

“Well, I’m surprised,” Sakura says.

Ino laughs, and the giggling goes on just for a bit longer than it normally would. “How?” Ino asks, her eyes sparkling. “It’s Hinata.  That girl is a fucking angel.”

“Yeah, I’m kind of with Ino, here.  I thought you were the smart one, Sakura-chan,” Naruto says with genuine bewilderment to her stupidity.  Sakura rolls her eyes.

“She’s a shinobi,” Sakura counters.  “I couldn’t deal with this lifestyle and your annoying ass if I was sober 24-7.”

“Hey!” Naruto crosses his arms and turning his head in defiance.  “Unlike some people, Hinata-chan actually enjoys my company!”

“I sure hope so, she’s about to have two of you to babysit,” Ino says with a playful smile.

“I know,” Naruto responds dreamily.  Sakura chuckles, her head wafting in the joy of inebriation and Naruto’s expression. “I can’t wait.”

Sai comes in then with two glasses of water, and places one in Ino’s hand.  Ino takes a few gulps before passing the glass to Sakura to drink. “Hey forehead,” she says.  “You’re the only one in this room here who’s still single.  What’s up with that?” She asks.  Sakura is sure she would be more embarrassed to have Ino initiate this conversation, especially with the other two nin around, but she’s already taking another hit as she ponders the question evenly.

“Yeah, seriously!” Naruto is quick to add.  “I mean, I knew it was kind of a sore spot for you before,” there’s a pause and she knows because of Sasuke goes unspoken. “But what about now?”  Naruto asks.  “It’s not like you’re waiting anymore.  Why do you keep turning down guys?”

“I don’t know.  It just never felt right.” Sakura stares at the glass in her hand, more fascinated by the distortion of light.  “I don’t want to waste time.”

“Are you attracted to girls?” Sai asks, before possessively snaking his arm around Ino’s hips then.

“No,” Sakura says, eyeing his protective gesture.  “But if I was, I’ll have you know you wouldn’t stand a chance,” she quips.  Sai engages her in a silent match, his features twisting slightly in comparison to their usual blankness while her glare is exaggerated.  Sakura hears Ino laugh nervously at their bold display.

“Sakura-chan,” Her bed creaks as Naruto lays back on it comfortably. “I think the next time a guy asks you out, you should give him a chance.”  He stares up at her ceiling with a solemn expression, and Sakura finds herself marginally unsettled by it for some reason.  “I mean, I was really hooked on you for a long time.  But when Hinata came...I don’t know.  It’s not like I expected much out of it, but the more I got to know her, I just…” Naruto locks eyes with her then, and she feels her heart speed up at the intensity of what he’s seeing, what he’s feeling when he speaks to her.  “Everything changed.”

“Dickless is right.” Sai says, gentle.  “I was unsure of my feelings for Beautiful as well.  But I can truly say it’s been most fortuitous I have her now.”

“Yeah, Forehead,” Ino agrees then, taking the bowl from Sakura and settling herself by the window.  “Love is beautiful.  You should give the world a chance.”  She lights the bowl, inhales then exhales, and Sakura feels herself doing the same.  “And I want to hear about your sex life already.” She coughs, a sly grin plastered onto her face.  “It gets old just bragging about mine sometimes.  I mean, not really, because mine is just that awesome, but you know.”  Their smiling eyes connect and Ino winks at her.

“Please stop talking,” Naruto groans.  Sakura chuckles at that, and then she sees Naruto smiling at her, like he’s been bathed in sunshine.  “But honestly, Sakura-chan, just let life surprise you!  Take a risk!”

Sakura wrings her hands in her lap a nervous smile creeping on her lips.  For a moment, she tries to picture having a love different than the one she knows.  One she wished her parents had, one she wasn’t really sure existed until she had heard Tsunade talk about Dan. “I’ll think about it,” she decides.

“Atta gurl!” Ino says, slapping Sakura’s shoulder.  “Now, time to head home!  I’m way too stoned to not be having a mind blowing orgasm right now!” Ino says, placing her hands on her hips, smiling confidently.

“I agree,” Sai says offhandedly, though his eyes glint with something mischievous.

“Wh-what the hell!” Naruto half shouts, flustered with pink cheeks.  But Sakura finds herself cackling—high pitched and bordering unnatural.

“Thank you for inviting us, Ugly.  We will see you both soon.”  Sai lifts Ino into his arms and leaves in unveiled haste.

“Those two…” Naruto grumbles.