Hey there! Another story inspired by one of my many weird dreams. I hope you will enjoy reading it, even if it sucks a little. I apologize for those who expected chapter 13 to "Mermaid Motel" but apart from being so freaking busy this past week, I am also suffering from writer's block…again.

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto

The project

"Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to ME!" the pink haired woman kept singing to herself, ignoring the passengers' glares which were constantly thrown at her. Taking another sip from her bottle, she kept her index finger in the air, twisting it to the rhythm of the birthday song that continued playing in her head. After she finished washing the sweet taste of the chocolate cupcake she had earlier down her throat, she started singing again, this time accompanied by her leanings from side to side. She was having so much fun, she didn't notice she was hitting the person seating on the seat beside her.

"Would you please stop that!" the woman snapped as she turned and grabbed Sakura's shoulders, holding her still. "What's the matter with you? Are you high?"

The jade eyed woman made big, Puss-in-Boots kind of eyes, hoping to melt the passenger's heart. "I don't do drugs." She pouted as she pointed to the bottle of red wine in her other hand. "I'm just celebrating my birthday." Figuring how hilarious she probably looked with that expression on her angelic face, she started laughing out loud, making the passengers in the rail car roll their eyes.

"Can't you celebrate a little quieter and with no movements whatsoever? It's late and most of the people here are very tired." The woman let go of her shoulders and rested her hands on her lap. At first, the birthday girl seemed much calmer. She even apologized.

"I am truly sorry, miss…" she leaned her head forward, giggling drunkenly "but I can't!" she snorted. "It's because of my stupid supposed BFF who, I am positively sure, forgot about my birthday!" she raised her voice, gathering the attention of all the passengers who weren't asleep, waking up those who were. Sakura sighed as she took the almost empty bottle to her lips, taking a big gulp of the alcoholic drink. "And do YOU want to know HOW I know it? I'll tell you!" she yelled as she placed the bottle between her legs and pressed her palms together. "Last week, I told her we needed to celebrate something this very day. She gave ma a puzzled look. A PUZZLED LOOK, DAMN IT! And it's 11 pm already. And. She. Didn't. Even. Called. Once."

The woman beside her raised her brow in surprise. "So, getting drunk is the solution?" She placed her elbow on her thigh, resting her head on the heel of her palm. Sakura looked at her, disbelievingly. She gasped.

"Getting drunk is the solution to everything! And let me tell you something else! She knew I was going to be out of town for some days and she didn't even say a tiny, itsy bitsy GOODBYE!" The pinkette stared crying, leaving no other alternative for the poor woman than to change her seat. She, in the end, realized that sitting next to a drunk person -who is showing some kind of bipolar..ness?- wasn't very clever.

It took 20 minutes before the train stopped in the station, minutes in which Sakura cried her eyes out and cursed her best friend numerous times. Grabbing her bag and purse AND her empty bottle of wine, the pinkette slipped out of the train and started stumble walking towards the nearest bench. Practically throwing herself on it, she sighed in relief. Finally, she arrived home. Where she was all alone on her birthday. Taking her cell phone from her purse, she dialed Ino's number to come and pick her up. Waiting for it to ring, she heard a familiar tune behind her. The bubble-gum haired woman's vision was blacked by a pair of soft hands that were covering her eyes.

"Happy Birthday, Forehead."

Sakura instantly jumped off the wooden bench and turned around, frowning. She bit her lower lip as tears started streaming down her porcelain skin. She looked down at the bottle she held tight in her hand before throwing her at Ino, the girl managing to dodge it just in time.

"What's that for!" the blonde yelled as she felt Sakura's arms wrap around her shoulders, the pinkette burying her head in the crook of her best friend's neck, still sobbing.

"It's because you're a stupid bitch, who forgot about my birthday."

"As a matter of fact, I didn't." Ino said as she firmly grabbed the green eyed woman's shoulders and pushed her away from her, flashing a kind smile. "Would a forgetting bitch plan a birthday party at your favorite bar?"

As soon as the words left the woman's mouth, Sakura's lips parted in surprise. "You actually planned a party? For me?"

"Well, it's not really a party." She brushed her bang behind her ear. "There's no one else besides you and me. Oh, and let us not forget that sweet candy of a bartender."

"Oh, please, Ino! Would you stop with trying to make me ask that guy out? You know I don't like him."

"I can't hear you!" The blonde grabbed Sakura's bag and started walking away from her, leaving Sakura rolling her eyes in annoyance. She always does that. Why can't she understand that she isn't interested in getting a boyfriend? She's too busy with University to actually care about one. Sighing, she made her way through the crowded station, in hope of catching her friend before she got inside a cab and left without her…again.

After leaving her heavy bag at home, she stripped from the clothes she previously wore and dressed up in a pair of tight dirty pink pants and a plain oversized white t-shirt. Since Ino was already dressed up when she came to pick the rosette up from the station, so she didn't have to go and change. Ten minutes later, the girls where entering the bar in front of Sakura's apartment complex. Closing the door behind her, Sakura wrinkled her nose as the smell of cigars inundated her nostrils. God, she missed this sacred place. The women stopped a bit to look around, curious if they could identify a familiar face in that smoky room. Sakura looked over to the bar and spotted a man sipping from his glass. She saw him turn his head to look at the man who sat next to him, finally giving her a chance to see his face. And, oh my, was it gorgeous.

"Who's that?"

"Just a hot stranger in a bar." the blonde smirked. "Why? Are you interested?" she winked.

Sakura bit her lip. How couldn't she be interested in that guy? She began making her way to him and was about to pat him on the shoulder when she turned around and hid behind her best friend.

"What the fuck, Sak?"

"I can't talk to him!"

"Sure you can. You've had a bottle of wine before. You've gathered enough courage, in my opinion, to talk to him."

"Ino, you know pretty damn well that I can't talk to a guy, even if I am super wasted. If he was the one that started, then that would have been fine with me. But this isn't the case. And besides, you were the one that always talked with them for me."

"That was three years ago…Wait!" Ino turned around to face her, raising her index finger in the air. "You haven't had a date in three years? What about that guy back in your home town?"

Sakura laughed uncomfortable while scratching the back of her head. "Haha. Yeah, that…was a lie. Oh look!" she pointed out to a table in front of them. "It's unoccupied." she ran to it and immediately took a sit, leaving her friend behind, fuming.

"You bitch! You told me you guys were having a distant relationship!"

"Let's leave the past behind, ok?" the pinkette smiled as she waved her hand. "Why don't you go and talk to that guy? For me?" she gave her the Cheshire cat grin, knowing Ino couldn't say no to it. "Pwetty pwease?"

"Ok, ok! But just this one time. And you better flirt with him when I will bring him here."

"Cross my heart and hope to die." Sakura said as she ran her fingers over her chest. Ino eyed her suspiciously, hoping her girl was true with her words. Taking a big breath of air and putting on a smirk, the female turned around to approach the hot stranger.

"Hey there." she greeted as she took a seat on the high metallic chair to that guy's right. "Is this sit taken?"

The man looked uninterested, narrowing his dark orbs at the blonde woman next to him him. He didn't reply. Running his hand through his spiky raven locks, he exhaled deeply before he took his glass of whiskey to his lips, taking a big gulp. Ino watched him, irritated. What was up with him? It was that difficult to say 'no' or 'yes'? Did he had a stick stuck up his ass? Because that was what she deduced by the expression on his face.

"How about for that chick at the table behind you?"

The man looked over his shoulder, wanting to take a look. He saw a lonely pink haired woman looking around the bar with a blank expression. He noticed the girl also had big apple-green eyes which were in perfect contrast with her short bubble-gum hair. Hm. He found all that interesting.

"She's too shy to talk to you, and it's her birthday."

"So?" he arched his left brow as he turned his attention to the blonde. Ino's mouth dropped. In-cre-di-ble. She rested her forearms on the counter as she leaned forward.

"It's her freaking birthday! Plus, she's all alone. You don't want to leave a beautiful girl like her all alone on her birthday, do you?" she winked. But after seeing him loosing interest in her friend and paying more attention to the drink in the glass, she decided to approach a different strategy. This could not possibly fail. "She's a model, you know?"

Taking another glance at the pinkette, he couldn't help but agree with the woman. She indeed had the features of a mannequin. Maybe he could go and talk to her. It wouldn't hurt, would it? He got up and went at her table and, with no hesitation whatsoever, took a seat in front of her.

"Hi."

Hearing a masculine voice, Sakura looked up at him, a smile blooming on her ruby lips. "Hey."

"Um…Your friend over there told me you were a model."

Looking aver his shoulder, she spotted Ino at the bar, holding a glass of vodka high in the air, winking. Sakura bit back a giggle as she slightly shook her head. "I see…"

"Can you please get up so I can have a better look of you?"

"Sure." Said and done. The woman took her jacket off and folded it nicely, leaving it on the backrest of the chair. Seeing the intensity with which that man examined her, she began blushing while madly chewing on her inner lip.

"How tall are you?"

"178 cm."

The man rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward. "Look, I have a project to do for the end of this year and I have to find a girl to dress up in my creations and make a book. Are you interested in helping me?"

The jade eyed woman began laughing as she sat back on her chair, taking the man totally aback. Did he say something funny? Because to him, it wasn't funny at all.

"I'm not really a model, you know?" she smirked and looked over at Ino, who face palmed herself. "My friend told you that so you can come and talk with me."

Smirk.

"I'm not surprised to hear that. Who would take a pink haired freak like you to represent them?"

Sakura frowned. Was that supposed to insult her? "People are scared because I'm too exotic and strange for them." She pointed to her hair. "Because THIS is my natural color!"

"Hn. And that's exactly why I need you." He took her hand and held it tight. "So, I ask you again. Will you help me?"

Calming herself down, and trying really hard to hide her flushed cheeks, Sakura nodded. "Sure. Why not?"