Chapter 46: Chapter 45
The nurse gave a respectful bow and after casting another questioning glance at Naruto, closed the door behind her. Sakura turned to face the two guys in the room, crossing her arms sternly.
"There is something I have to take care of," she spoke strictly, "I have to go for now, but I'll leave you two here. I should be back soon, I hope—in the meantime, try not to kill each other while I'm gone."
She gave an amused smile before turning towards the door, and opening it. She briskly headed towards the stairs, wanting to make it to her destination before Ino did. Inner Sakura pulled up the list of possible comebacks to use against her upcoming run-in with her ex-best friend, and smiled at the irony. She had asked Naruto and Sasuke not to kill each other while she was gone; it would be hypocritical if she and Ino ended up tearing each other's hair out. And with that thought in her mind, she opened the door to the second floor.
Ino thought that it was very strange that when she returned to the hospital the receptionist had asked her how she was doing, wondering if she was feeling better. Not that it was particularly strange, but when she had told the woman her completely unbelievable story of seeing her ill grandfather, she hadn't even hesitated in letting her in. She hadn't expected that story to work—seeing as her grandfather had been dead for years now, and there was probably nobody in the hospital fitting the description of a sickly old man.
But nonetheless, her plan had worked, and now she was inside the hospital. Riding up the elevator, she smirked. It was very early in the morning, and it was unlikely that Sakura had arrived yet to treat Sasuke, or whatever she did when she was with him. Her imagination gave her unpleasant mental images of a certain pink-haired kunoichi cuddling up to a reluctant Sasuke. A frown darkened Ino's brow as she impatiently waited for the elevator doors to open; she was definitely going to confront Sasuke about the relationship between him and Sakura—as medical ninja, it was illegal to have relationship with a patient that was beyond professional, and she was going to make sure the Sakura had remembered that.
As the door opened, she strode briskly out of the elevator, pausing only to look at the plaque on the wall showing which range of rooms lay in which direction. Having found that the room two hundred and twenty-one lay down the left hallway and around the corner, she set out at a determined pass, glancing at the room doors as she passed until she came to Sasuke's room. She put her hand on the door handle and opened it gently, not wanting to wake Sasuke if he was asleep. She crept into the room and peered around the door—much to her surprise, it wasn't Sasuke he was in the room, but Sakura.
"Hello…Ino," Sakura said placidly, sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
"Sakura-senpai," Ino replied with a small sneer, putting the emphasis on the suffix. During medical training, Ino had to call Sakura her senpai because she was a good few months behind Sakura in the program. She had always hated to acknowledge that Sakura was ahead of her, and she had always spoken it with a spiteful tone.
"Can I help you?" Sakura inquired sweetly, but there was a dangerous edge in her voice.
"Where's Sasuke?" Ino demanded, putting her hands on her hips, "And don't deny that he's here, because Naruto told me that he's your patient."
"Oh, I wasn't going to deny it," Sakura stated matter-of-factly, "I'm just wondering since when it has been the concern of the pharmaceutical branch to who and what goes in and out of this hospital."
"This had nothing to do with the pharmacy," Ino snapped, "It is on own personal business."
"It is a secret that Sasuke is here," Sakura stated with forced patience, "Therefore it does not concern you."
"Oh, and it concerns Naruto?" Ino snapped back, her own patience thinning.
"Naruto found out through eavesdropping," Sakura responded, her eyes darkening, "But it is none of his concern either."
"Why is Sasuke your patient?" Ino found herself demanding, "Why you?"
"Tsunade-sama assigned me to the task," Sakura replied, "She trusted me with this and I am the only one who can take time off and help him."
"I don't believe you," Ino responded stubbornly, "I want to see Sasuke and ask him myself."
"He's resting at the moment and I won't have you disturbing him," Sakura stated, "What I'm curious is to know why you are so desperate to see him. The mind transfer jutsu? Very sneaky, Ino—underhanded even."
"I want to see him because I love him!" Ino declared passionately at Sakura, expecting an argument in return, but was surprised when the pink haired kunoichi let out a laugh.
"Love him? You?" she snorted, glaring over at her.
"Yes, I love him!" Ino shouted indignately, "And what about you? Why are you the one who gets to take care of Sasuke? Why are you doing this?"
"I'm doing this because I have been assigned by the Hokage to do this," Sakura informed her coldly, "And I'm doing it because you're not the only one who cares about him, Ino."
"That's strictly forbidden!" Ino countered angrily.
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