41 Chapter 41

...Hence Sakura begrudgingly takes the offered cup, and Ino smiles a little.

Watching Sakura' defeated manner from the seat by the bed, Ino can't help but remember when she was bedridden, though the shock of what she went through immobilized her for a whole week. Comfortable in her position, Ino takes a sip of her tea, enjoying the slightly sweet and fragrant beverage when Sakura finally asks, "how could you?"

"That's what you want to start with?" Ino returns. Sakura's defiant stare is answer enough and for the prosperity of her power over the pinkette, Ino chooses to answer honestly, "to tell you the truth, you caught me on a bad day. We haven't been friends for a while so you wouldn't know, but I've been having a bad time of it lately, and that day, you were definitely the tipping point."

"Because I was talking about Sasuke-kun," Sakura reasons aloud.

Ino nods as she answers, "I snapped." Play-snapping her manicured fingers for effect.

"So because you were PMS-ing, you took out all your bullshit on me?!" Sakura angrily retorts.

Taking an insta-photo from her pocket, Ino calmly states, "I don't know if you want to give your mother a reason to come up here, but, it wouldn't go well for you if she did."

Sakura struggles to force herself to calm down. They stay silent a few moments making sure Mebuki hadn't heard her daughter yell and was on her way. Once they were sure, Sakura asks, "so, I expect you'll be going after Sasuke-kun now. B-But, you should know I won't just sit by and let him end up with a cruel, manipulative, rapist bitch like you!"

Forcing down her own insulting rebuttal, Ino can't help but feel uncertainty, hesitation, when she entertains thoughts of her and Sasuke-kun now. She loves him and more than anything wants to be with him, but the daydreams of their first kiss, their first date, their first time, their first child... they've become no more than ash. With the exception of her first child, there aren't many significant firsts that she hadn't already given to that blond idiot.

Ino is still very much within the powerful orbit of her womanizing and the partner who helped find her was Naruto. Even now, she wakes up at least once a night to a frenzy of feather-light, micro orgasms erupting throughout her sweaty body from the most erotic, Naruto-centered fantasies. Worse still, she's already used the pictures of herself as Sakura enthusiastically sucking Naruto's penis to get herself off three times.

No, thoughts of Sasuke-kun aren't as pure or perfect as they used to be, and Ino isn't sure how to deal with that. Fortunately, her love for him isn't challenged every day since genin teams usually don't interact in the first few months. In fact, she hasn't seen Sasuke-kun since the academy.

"We're not here to talk about me," Ino responds, brushing aside Sakura's concern for the boy they both love. "You should worry more about yourself, since I'm here to make sure you understand the rules."

"What rules?" Sakura suspiciously asks.

"Oh, Forehead, you didn't think I'd make you figure that out on your own, did you," Ino chides, fanning herself with the photograph; its backside facing Sakura so she can't see what it depicts. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you what'll happen if you break one of these rules-"

"And I'm sure I don't have to tell you what'll happen to you if I tell the Hokage what you did to me," she hastily returns. "Using family jutsu on me, raping me, blackmailing me! Those are all crimes!"

"They certainly are, but Sakura, I'm the heiress of the noble Yamanaka Clan; one of the four honored clans of Konoha. Obviously, my family wouldn't allow me to be sent to prison. If you consider the fact that you and I are fairly inexperienced ''brats'' prone to making bad choices in our youthful age, I feel confident I'll be okay; confident enough to take the risk. You, on the other hand, will have to live with the very public shame of being the girl who sucked off the Dead Last of our year; a boy everyone hates. I have no doubt that stigma will stick with you for a long time. Maybe other guys will try to get some of that action for themselves because they think you're easy, and don't think you won't consider it either since I doubt Sasuke-kun will ever be with a woman who was with that idiot. Team Seven will probably disband after-"

"But it was you!" Sakura cries.

"It was your mouth," the platinum-blond returns. It was not lost on Ino how she, in actuality, is the one carrying that shame of being with Naruto, and the daily urges that come with it, but much like Sakura, she doesn't want anyone to know either. "As it clearly shows in all the photos." Ino shows her the photo of Sakura on her knees, her pink hair a mess, taking Naruto deep enough that the tip of her nose was rubbing his blond pubes.

Sakura turns away, disgusted by just the flash of it. This reaction works well for Ino as her original plan was to give Sakura a copy for her to always carry around, but after inspecting how hungry Ino—in Sakura's body—looked as she devoured his thick prick, the platinum-blond decided it might be too easy for Sakura to notice and possibly deduce Ino's wanton shame. Sakura looks defeated, exactly where Ino wants her.

"The rules," Ino curtly picks up. "As I said before, you're going to stop all advances toward Sasuke-kun. No dates, no presents, no walks alone, I don't even want you to sit by him. No makeup, no perfume, or skin creams; you won't need any of that since you're no longer trying to impress him. If there's anything else I'm forgetting, don't try that either. There is no loophole to this rule, and you will follow it, not only to the letter, but in its spirit as well. Do we understand each other?" Slowly, dejectedly, with a grimace on her face, Sakura nods once.