Without any warning, Ino rushed up to the other path that lead up higher, while Sakura followed behind with a sigh and slower pace. As they climbed higher up the hill, Sakura discovered that it was a lot windier here. The wind blew harshly against their skin, making their hair blow violently around. Sakura saw Ino running to the edge like a silly young child who did not know or care about the danger, and she gasped.
"Yeah! I am Yamanaka Ino! KING OF THE HILL!" She shouted out into the open landscape, jumping up in the air waving her arms. The echo of her voice was heard all over the forest, causing a nearby flock of birds to fly away in fright.
Sakura then also came up a couple of safe steps behind Ino, she was smiling but she was not as cheerful as Ino was.
"You should be more careful Ino!" Sakura warned, getting worried. "The wind is strong here, and you can get blown off the edge." She was careful to not go too close to the edge but her warnings were futile for Ino did not bother to listen.
"Bah! Sakura, you sound like my mother. Relax...I can take care of myself."
"Just warning you that's all." Sakura said, folding her arms. Ino shrugged and leaned herself out a bit, looking at something below the cliff.
"Hey, take a look at this," Ino called, gesturing with her hand to signal Sakura to move closer to the edge. Sakura refused to.
"Nah I think I pass," she said, shaking her head. She found no reason for her to get closer.
"What? Why not...are you afraid of heights?" Ino smirked at the taunt.
That taunt had the desired effect on Sakura. A vein popped out in her forehead in anger, although she was able to calm herself down in an instant. She hesitated a bit before slowly walking to the edge where Ino stood.
Leaning herself forward to look down at the waterfall, the two girls stared at the endless flow of water that flowed out from a large opening in the mountain. At the bottom of the waterfall, many large and sharp rocks stood up like spikes. The sight sent chills down Sakura's spine, but Ino just grinned.
"If you fall from here you will have no chance of surviving... you will either drown in the river or get crushed or even impaled on those rocks if you are unlucky."
Ino's voice sounded a bit shaky when she said that, still she smiled. Standing there was giving her a small adrenaline kick, but Sakura stepped backwards a bit; she had seen enough.
"I'm not afraid of heights but I am not going to be reckless. Its one thing to stand on a high tree but this is on top of a very high mountain. The winds are too treacherous here," Sakura explained warningly.
"Hah!" Ino retorted. "You coward! Check this out!" Again Sakura's common sense did not work on Ino.
Rejecting Sakura's warning, Ino threw her back pack down on the ground. In front of Sakura's nervous eyes, Ino performed a few daring acrobatic moves dangerously near the edge as if she was dancing on a line.
"Ino stop it, it's not funny!"
Sakura yelled before suddenly what she had feared most happened in an instant.
Without any warning, the ground beneath Ino's feet lost its hold and crumbled, making Ino loose her balance. Gravity became her enemy as she felt herself sliding off the cliff, unable to find any grip on the ground with her feet and hands.
"SAKURA!!!"
Ino screamed panicked for her friend to aid her as she fell off the edge. Everything happened in a fraction of an instant, but Sakura was fast enough to react and lunged herself forward, landing on her belly, grabbing Ino's flailing arm by the elbow before it just went out of reach. She looked down to see Ino dangling helplessly with her limbs to try to reach a foothold that was too far away.
"Don't let me fall!" Ino pleaded, her eyes filled with terror.
Sakura's grip around Ino's lower elbow weakened a bit, causing Ino to slide down a few inches. Holding onto her wrist now instead, Sakura had a much better grip but she wasn't sure how long she would be able to hold her up like this.
"Don't let me die...Sakura..." Ino said with a trembling voice. She wished she hadn't been so stupid as to show off to Sakura and just heeded her words.
Both of them knew if Ino would fall she would have no chance to survive. Like Ino said before, she would either drown in the wild river or get crushed by the rocks. The situation really did not look good...
Sakura gathered as much strength as she could in her arm, trying to pull Ino up but she lacked the arm muscles to do so. Ino was just too heavy for her.
"Ino... I can't pull you up...grab my hand with your other arm."
Ino attempted to grab Sakura's hand but missed it.
"I...can't!"
"Yes you can, do it!" Sakura commanded Ino to try again. Ino swiped for Sakura's outstretched hand again, brushing the fingertips this time but unable to grasp it securely.
"I...can't!"
The seconds went on without anything happening. She grunted and tried pulling Ino up again, to no avail. The grip Sakura held around Ino's hand slowly got weaker and weaker. Time was running out. She needed to get Ino out of danger now or it would be too late!
The two girls looked deeply into each others eyes; in a way they had never looked before. Ino looked like as if life itself had been drained away from her face. Her face was as white as a sheet, and she was sweating like crazy. Her blue eyes held an unimaginable terror as they gazed up at the pink haired girl helplessly.
Sakura closed her eyes for a few seconds and imagined Ino's bloody body lying lifelessly on top of the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall, her blood turning the sapphire water into ruby colour. The vision chilled Sakura to the bone, and she looked down at Ino's terrified face.
"Ino... I don't know what to do..." She said weakly. The air fell silent, seeing like an eternity before Ino spoke up again.
"So...I am...going...to..." Ino now knew what was going to happen to her.
"No...don't say it!" Sakura shouted. She refused to even think about it anymore, and she mentally shoved aside the thoughts of Ino's body being impaled on those rocks.
"I can't die yet!"
I must tell her before its too late! Ino thought.
"Sakura... there's something I have wanted to tell you and my parents for many months..." Ino started her confession, however Sakura cut her off.
"Stop talking as if this is the end," she said crossly.
"It is Sakura...it's the end for me," Ino said, her voice wavering. "I should've listened to you."
"Then be quiet and listen to me now." Sakura raised her voice a bit, struggling to pull Ino up yet again.
"No! Sakura before I die I want you to know..." She was sure that she was going to die, so she wanted to say the words she had wanted to say for a long time. Again Sakura stopped her.
"SHUT UP DAMMIT!!" Sakura snapped and caught Ino by surprise, silencing her. "Even though we are rivals Ino, I will never let you die. I promise you that."
Sakura closed her eyes and began to concentrate, thinking hard about the situation and possible solutions. Multiple sweat drops rolled out her face.
Her life is in my hands...if Ino falls she will die and I will never see her again or forgive myself. She is my rival...but...Ino is also my friend and a good one too...the truth is that she is more of a friend to me than a rival
"Ino..."
I shall save her even if I have to kill myself! I need to concentrate my chakra to my arm...through the muscles...the sinews...the arteries...
Ino looked up and saw the veins and muscles on Sakura's arm and hand grew and got slightly more muscular. Then with a yell, Sakura grunted and threw Ino up with ease from the cliff ten meters up in the air. Ino shouted in surprise as she tried to land on her legs but failed. Instead she landed flat on the ground with a loud crack behind, her stomach down, silencing her. Sakura was so excited to see Ino on firm ground again she didn't even hear the sound of multiple bones breaking behind her as Ino hit the ground hard behind her.
A strong aching pain soared through Sakura's arm as it began to recover itself from that chakra muscle boost.
Damn it hurts. Still, what I just did was pretty impressive, I should try to train that some more. Sakura quickly stopped admiring herself for what she had done.
"Hey Ino, how does it feel to be back on firm ground again?" Sakura said with a relieved smile. She got no response.
"Ino? Are you alright?" She turned around and saw her friend lying several meters away, her body twisted in a strange angle.
She was not moving...
End of chapter 5
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AN; Quite a "cliff hanger" eh? :P What was Ino trying to confess to Sakura? How badly hurt is she? Another hint has been given about Ino's problem. Some of you might be able to tell now what it is.
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