Happy Accidents

Chapter 46: Sororia Caritate

Sakura barely had time to get settled in her office before she could hear heels clicking down the stairs, the familiar sound of Ino making her way to the pinkette's office audible. If Ino was coming all the way down to her workspace, it had to be important. Ino tended to avoid the area, claiming it was haunted (even though Sakura knew for a fact that the idea of it being haunted was absolute nonsense.

"Ino?" Sakura asked curiously, tilting her head to the side as Ino rushed into her office, closing the door behind them and turning the lock. Oh, so this was a girls' conversation, was it?

"Okay. You, me, quick talk." Whatever had Ino rushing had to be important.

"Yeah, yeah, I've got time," Sakura replied with a gesture toward the couch, taking a seat on it beside her friend.

"Okay, so, short version of what's going on. I'll give you the full details later, but they're, um... you know how I said I might be gone for a little bit?"

"Yeah, I remember," Sakura replied.

"Well," Ino continued, "essentially what's happening is I'm being moved to protective custody for a bit. At least until this case blows over. There are, uh, more details than that, but I don't want to talk too much about them, at least not around here. Anyway, tonight I have to stay in a hotel, and I want you to come with me, just for tonight. I can't bring you to the safe house, but Sai said it would be fine if you stayed at the hotel with us. Just for tonight." A hotel, really? Was this Ino's clever attempt to get her to give up on staying in her office for the night? It was a clever offer if she'd ever heard one. Granted, from the sounds of things, there was a lot more that Ino wanted to tell her about that she was holding back on.

"Are you sure? I really don't mind staying here tonight. I managed to get an apartment situation figured out, so I'll be moving my stuff into that over the next few days, anyway. One night won't hurt." She couldn't potentially put Ino's life in danger by staying with her. It would be easier for Sai to look after Ino if she weren't there.

"Sakura," Ino pleaded, grasping her friend's hands and staring at her. "Please. I'm not asking because I don't want you sleeping in your office... although the prospect of you sleeping in this weirdly haunted, morbid area of the precinct does creep me out a little. I'm asking you because I want you there. I want my best friend. I want her to be in the know about what's going on because I trust her and because she's the most important person in the world to me. Please." Sakura couldn't ignore that tone in her friend's voice; Ino rarely begged her for anything. Hopefully, there would be enough distractions in the hotel for them; Sakura couldn't imagine spending the night stuck in her own head, going over the events of her spat with Sasuke over and over again, wallowing as she did so.

"Okay," she relented, sighing and shaking her head. Ino knew how to win her over every time. "I'll come. But if things get hinky, Sai's priority is to protect you, not me, okay? Got it? Got it. I have all the stuff I need with me, so I'll meet you upstairs..?" Oh, right, she didn't know what time to meet her.

"Five P.M. is when we'll be leaving. Come upstairs around quarter to, and you and I can meet up with them together." Ino squeezed her hands. "Thanks, Sakura. After all of this, the number one thing I need right now is my best friend." Funny enough, Sakura couldn't agree more; after what she had dealt with the night before, she just wanted to laugh and cry with her best friend. She couldn't have asked for a better friend in her life.

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Five P.M. came faster than Sakura was expecting; by the time she'd wrapped up the last bit of paperwork she was on, it was already 4:45 PM. Scrambling, the pinkette grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, rushing upstairs toward Ino's office. By the time she reached it, she was out of breath, panting from climbing the stairs and rushing down the halls at breakneck speed.