Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze

Chapter 1 Part 4

The next day, Sakura and Ino slipped through the big village gates and set
out for Sunagakure.

The Land of Wind's Sunagakure was located to the west of the Land of
Fire's Konohagakure. After leaving Konoha, travelers had to pass through the plains and dense woodlands to reach Sunagakure on the other side.

If Sakura and Ino pushed themselves they could arrive in three days, but
this was no emergency. They had no intention of moving at high speeds.
They had told their contact in Sunagakure that they planned to arrive four days later.

The weather was calm, and the trip was an easy one. Dressed in their
mission uniforms, the two women chatted as they ran through the plains at a comfortable pace.

"Something's definitely going on between Temari and Shikamaru, right?"

Ino said, when they had been running for about two hours.

Sakura looked over at her friend and saw a playful smile dancing on her
lips. Her beautiful waist-length hair was tied back. "Going on?"

"Like maybe they're dating."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. I mean, they're definitely dating."

"So you're declaring it."

They were still running as they talked, but neither was the least out of
breath.

"Seriously," Ino continued. "I mean, Temari sometimes comes to Konoha,
right? For work."

"Well, she is in charge of diplomacy for Suna."

"So, like, I saw them the other day. Shikamaru and Temari walking
together."

"Come on!" Sakura laughed. "That's nothing special. And they might have
been talking about work."

Shikamaru also held an important position within the village and was in
frequent contact with diplomats from other lands. Sakura herself had seen
him walking around the village with Temari any number of times.

"Okay, I'll give you that. But it's just, they have this look like they're
involved somehow. It's not like they're holding hands or anything. It's maybe the looks on their faces and just the general mood? When I saw them
the other day, it was totally like that.

Normally, I would've called out to
them, but I dunno, I wasn't sure if I should. I didn't actually end up saying
anything to them."

"Really? Temari and Shikamaru, huh?" But if she were being honest,
Sakura wasn't particularly surprised by this combination.

Those two had some kind of connection. They had faced off as opponents during the chunin selection exams. And during the mission to recover Sasuke, Temari was the one who showed up to help Shikamaru as he fought Tayuya
from Otogakure. Even after all that, they spent time together for various
reasons, established as comrades from different villages. That their feelings might have shifted from simple friendship into something deeper through missions and work and the Great War wasn't at all strange.

"Maybe I'll ask Temari about it when we get there," Ino said, giggling.
"You'd better not. She'll beat you with that giant fan."

"Aha ha! She would too!"

Their easy conversation brought joy to Sakura's heart. "It's spring for
everyone, I guess. But even if Shikamaru's involved with Temari, Choji at least is still more interested in eating than love, right?" Sakura asked.

"No, no, he's totally not!" Ino said, before continuing with a look on her
face that let Sakura know she was imparting confidential information. "Karui from Kumogakure."
"No way!" This was unexpected. "That-how can I put this-that fierce
girl?"

"Yup. Lately, right? Choji's been making up all kinds of excuses to go to
Kumogakure. Which I thought was pretty suspicious. So I grilled him on it.

And then he was all mumbling and stammering this stuff about how he had dinner plans with Karui. It was really just a matter of time." Ino nodded her agreement with herself.

"I guess so." Sakura nodded too. A thought suddenly struck her."Anyway,
what about you, Ino? What's going on in your love life lately?"

When they were little, Sakura and Ino had been out-and-out rivals in love,
with both of them setting their sights on Sasuke, but as they grew older, it felt like Ino had dropped out of that race. Sakura wanted to know who Ino was crushing on now, or if she was even interested in anyone.

"Yeeah... Well, there's someone," Ino replied, embarrassed.

"What? You have a boyfriend?"

"No. Not a boyfriend. But I have someone I think it'd be nice to be with."

"Wow!" Unconsciously, Sakura drew closer to Ino. "I had no idea. So
what? Who? Tell me!"

"You're really getting your teeth into this one, Sakura."

"But I'm curious now. Give me a hint. Just a hint."

"A hint?" Ino thought for a moment, and then said, with red cheeks,
"Someone good at painting."

"Come on, that's not a hint, it's an answer!" Sakura retorted. "Huh, so
that's it. Sai, huh?"

"But isn't it kind of unexpected?"

"I guess."

Ino had shown an interest in Sai right from the start, when he took
Sasuke's place on Team Seven. She said he was cool and kind of looked like Sasuke.

"At first, it was like, well, yeah, I guess he's sort of hot, but then I don't
know, these feelings. Now I'm completely swept away-wait, what?! I am totally saying the most embarrassing stuff. Aah! Eeep!"

"Calm down, relax." Sakura soothed Ino. "So, then...have you told him?"
"That, um, not yet..." Ino's voice grew quieter, a reaction Sakura hadn't
expected. She had an image of Ino being relatively smooth with the opposite sex and acting decisively on her thoughts, but things were apparently different this time.

"I can't decide...lavender or dogwood," Ino said.

"Lavender or dogwood?"

"Yeah. In the language of flowers, lavender means 'I'm waiting for you,'
and dogwood is 'Accept my feelings.' I could create a kind of mood to make
Sai receptive and wait for him, or I could just go and blurt out that I like him.

I'm trying to decide which is better."
"Right." How like the daughter of a florist to explain in the language of
flowers. "I think...you're more the dogwood type," Sakura remarked.
Ino nodded. "Right? Like, in terms of my personality. Aah, I can't decide."
She placed a hand on her furrowed brow, which Sakura somehow found
adorable.

If it were me, Sakura suddenly thought. Lavender maybe? That sounds right...

Even if she did try to tell him to accept her feelings, Sasuke was out there
somewhere far away, traveling. All she could do was wait.

But, she thought. How long do I have to wait...?