Happy Accidents

Chapter 42: Revelations, pt. 3

A/N: Hi readers! This is just a reminder that certain story elements going forward may also be affected by the secondary fic Who Am I, so it is recommended that you are also keeping up with that fic. If you haven't been, then you may be missing out on key overarching story details that will be important later on!

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Sakura let Sai follow behind her car in his own vehicle as they made their way to Ino's house, wishing she didn't feel as stuck as she was between a rock and a hard place. Whatever had happened at the office meant Sasuke wasn't doing okay; it had been difficult to tear herself away from that for the sake of her best friend. The deciding factor had been Detective Uzumaki; knowing that Sasuke had his closest friend to look after him meant that she could take some time to look after her own best friend. Sai's way about the situation made it sound urgent and problematic; it was almost like he was actually worried about Ino.

She led Sai up to the front door, drawing in a deep breath before turning back to face him. "Okay," she began, hands on her hips. "First, you'll wait out here. If she doesn't want to talk to you, then you will not come in. I will talk to her, and I will ask her to consider talking to you. First, I need to know exactly why you want to talk to her." Now was the time for him to be honest, or at least as honest as he could be while respecting Ino's privacy.

"Well..." Sai began, seeming to hesitate. "I would like to clarify some misunderstandings about the particular... incident which occurred over the weekend." Incident? That didn't sound good. "I believe that Miss Yamanaka misconstrued my actions, and I wish to clarify that the intentions she believed I had were not those that I had intended. That is all." That seemed like a very roundabout way to say he wanted to apologize for his actions, but Sakura would have to roll with it.

"Right. Okay. Wait here." Sakura turned around and knocked on the door, drawing in a deep breath. "Ino? It's me, Sakura. Can I come in?" There was silence as Sakura waited, silently praying her friend would open the door. When she heard the lock click and a set of shuffling footsteps, Sakura was relieved to know that her friend was still there and at least willing to talk to her. That was at least a step in the right direction.

Entering her friend's house and closing–and locking– the door behind her, the sight she saw was not what she expected. Her friend's hair was tied in the messiest bun known to man, a look she wouldn't be caught dead in around anyone but Sakura. Judging by the empty tequila bottle and empty wine bottle–as well as the full bottle her friend was fighting to uncork at the moment–it hadn't been a good night.

"Okay, start talking," Sakura demanded, taking a seat on the couch beside the blonde and gently taking the bottle away from her.

"I don't... really know if I want to talk about it," Ino replied; Sakura could hear the reluctance in her tone. It worried her deeply. "You at least look like you had a great weekend. Tell me all about it because you know I'm dying to hear." Sakura wasn't buying her enthusiasm; normally, she'd be far more energetic. If it meant holding back on telling her own awesome stories to get Ino to talk, she damn well would.

"Oh, no. You don't get to hear a word about that until you tell me what's going on. You never miss work. You never call in sick unless you're basically dying and can't leave the bathroom because you haven't kept a lick of food down." That had been a rough day for Ino; Sakura remembered coming over to bring her soup and light foods, and she'd struggled even to keep those down.

"I don't even know where to start, Sakura. It's... so complicated. So very, very complicated." The more she spoke, the more worried Sakura became.

"So, just start at the beginning," she suggested. "You were supposed to be going on a date with Sai, so start there." She had a sneaking suspicion Sai had said something on their date that had hurt Ino's feelings, given he'd managed to say something rather insulting during their first meeting. Whatever it was, it was clear by the fact that he was still sitting on Ino's front step, waiting patiently that he regretted it and wanted to apologize.