บท 146: Chapter 146

'While romance is most certainly an important part of love, it's not the only part that matters, nor is it the most important part if you want to have a long loving relationship,' her mother once told her. 'Your father, the love of my life, is also my very best friend, and there are many times when a friend matters more than romance.' Young as Ino was—with her fantasy life as Sasuke-kun's future wife—she easily disregarded her mother's thoughtless comment, but Ino isn't so innocent anymore.

With Sasuke-kun returning in a few days, Ino's finally ready to end this plan for Sakura and possibly think of something more honest with Naruto… a friendship… maybe more?

'I must be going crazy,' Ino mentally groans as she roughly rubs her symmetric face in frustration for her Naruto Sasuke-kun dilemma. While it's true Naruto isn't who she originally thought he was, sometimes he still feels like it. In many ways, he's still the same as she remembers, but in a lot of other ways, he's more…

The knock on her bedroom door brings her out of her thoughts as she hops out of bed. In her purple hotpants and tight top, Ino opens the door for Sakura and though she smells clean, Ino can see her pink-haired former friend and rival looks exhausted.

'In one study or another, she probably trains all day now,' Ino thinks as she comments, "you look nice."

"I look like crap," Sakura mundanely corrects.

"But nice looking crap," Ino adds with a smile.

"Shut up," Sakura simply huffs.

Ino hops on her bed and sits with her legs spread before patting the bed and adding, "come here." Sakura removes her outerwear for her red hotpants and tight pink and white tank underneath. It's not the pinkette's favorite style of clothes but Ino traded a photo for her to wear it for the entire year and it was the easiest photo she ever earned. Sakura takes a seat between Ino's legs before the platinum blond begins giving her a much-needed massage. Sakura doesn't even care when she moans in delight.

"So, with Sasuke-kun coming back in a few days, I thought I may as well tell you how to earn the last two photos. As you can imagine, it'll be harder than vibrator-sex with yours truly."

"Let me guess," Sakura starts, dreading to say aloud, "you want me to… have sex with Naruto."

"Who's my smart little girl," Ino jokes. "When did you figure out that's how this ends?"

"…A week ago," Sakura sorrowfully answers.

"When you asked if I could henge into someone else…" Ino recalls. "I assume you thought I was preparing you mentally for him, so it'd be easier…"

"It's not going to work, Ino," Sakura heatedly returns and Ino feels the pinkette's muscles tense. "You can force me to be raped by anyone and I'm still going to love Sasuke-kun no matter what!"

"Since I know how much you love to declare, 'no matter what, no matter what,' we're putting that theory to the test. You're going to have sex with Naruto and as always you are more than welcome to back out, even though you've already had sex with me multiple times."

"Fuck, Ino!" Sakura nearly yells, trying to move away from Ino, but the Yamanaka wraps her arms around the pink-haired girl and doesn't let go. Frustrated Sakura weakly adds, "I- … I was really starting to not hate you again. Then you do shit like this!"

"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't like you-"

"Is that why you're raping me?"

"It's why I'm the one willing to hold up the mirror," Ino responds. "Because no one else will!"

"And Naruto?" she asks. "I didn't think it was possible but we're in a pretty good place. He can be annoying sometimes but I actually have a good opinion of him. Whether you can believe it or not, I like being his teammate. Having sex with him is going to ruin all that."

Ino can believe it but it's not as if they talk about Naruto a lot and so she answers, "first, remember you don't have to do it-"

Fed up with that empty platitude, Sakura asks in frustration, "why do you keep saying that like this isn't blackmail? You always say that and guess what? It doesn't make it any less demanding."

"You do have a choice you idiot," Ino calls, feeling her own edge. "And I may want you to have sex with him, but I want you to do it in a specific way."

Pulling up short, Sakura slowly asks, "…what do you mean?"

"I want you to convince him it's goodbye sex."

"What?" she calls incredulously.

"Kind of like a goodbye kiss, but with sex-"

"Yeah I got that, but I don't understand how you want me to-"

"Listen," Ino interrupts. "I want you to tell him- no, to convince him that you can't, nor will you ever, return his feelings, but you would like to give him something special in return. Make him understand that this is so you can both move on. You know you'll hurt him by rejecting his feelings, but because he's going to be a part of your life, it's only fair you give him something special."

"But that's not fair! That makes no sense!"

"Keyword, Sakura: Convince," Ino points out, regardless of how much sense it makes. "If he believes this is what you truly want, regardless of what you actually believe, then why would he doubt it?"

"He'll never fall for that," Sakura points out defensively.

"Try!" A frustrated Ino pointedly asks, "Kami, how many times have you rejected him? How many Sakura?"

"…I don't know," she slowly answers. "Hundreds, I guess."