((This little project of mine was fist uploaded in December, 2010. After a five year hiatus starting in 2012, I finally found the time to do some much needed editing and updating. I hope the fanfiction community still likes this story as much as I do!))

~!X!~ Tenten POV ~!X!~

The moment I woke up that morning I knew that I had done something horribly wrong the night before. My first clues were the unrelenting throb throughout my skull and my mysterious lack of clothing, the latter being the more alarming of the two. So what happened last night? I remembered leaving for a party with Sakura and Ino (the very people that were supposed to ensure that this didn't happen), then I remembered helping myself to a bottle of who knows what, then another, and another. I couldn't remember after the fifth, and even that was hazy. Great.

Now, I've been to my share of parties and had maybe a little more than my share of alcohol in my twenty three years, but never before had I woken up the next morning both naked and clueless as to how I'd gotten that way. I stayed in bed (thank God it was my own, at least) for another forty five minutes, waiting for my body to stop aching and the room to stop spinning. I moved only to dry-swallow some asprin from the bedside table before my cell phone sounded from somewhere else with in my apartment. On any other hung over morning, I would have just ignored it, but my desire for answers proved a little stronger than everything else.

As slowly as I dared, I pushed my legs off the side of my bed and pushed the rest of me up into a sitting position. Upon glancing at the full-length mirror across from me, I didn't even try to stop myself from swearing out loud. I was looking at myself through smudged and smeared eye liner and mascara, and my hair looked about what you'd expect from your typical rat's nest. I looked like hell, but felt even worse. Standing up proved how stiff and sore my everything was. I stretched and assessed myself, but I already knew that I was too sore for just a hangover, and since I was a healthy twenty-something year old in a twenty-first century modern country, I knew exactly what activity caused the pains I was feeling. I staggered forward, ignoring the temporary blindness and fierce throb behind my eyes to get closer to the mirror. My suspicions confirmed, upon closer inspection of my disheveled frame revealed a single dark hickey where my neck and shoulder met.

My phone kept ringing, so who ever it was apparently had something incredibly important to say, which was just fine by me because I was perfectly content to take my sweet time where I was, trying in vain to remember anything. I couldn't remember a time that I'd tried so hard to remember a blackout. I wanted to know who I had been with, but at the same time, I was almost too afraid to really want the answer. It's not that I was against the sex itself, this wasn't my first time or anything, but I couldn't stand the idea of being that close to a total stranger. If that were the case, I'd never forgive myself for being so easy or irresponsible (not to mention, I had no way of knowing this guys medical history or if it needed to be considered at all). On the other hand, what if it was a friend? I thought about the guys I know and consider friends, even to slight degrees, and cringed at the thought of sleeping with any of them. Even if they weren't strangers, sex would put way to much strain on a perfectly functional friendship.

Finally, I had to give up. If I still couldn't think of any detail, I had to hope that someone else could. I walked stiffly to my doorway, now understanding that at least some of my aches and pains could probably be blamed on activities other than drinking, and thankfully didn't have to look very far for the ringing phone. I found it in the pocket of my favorite jacket, which I remembered putting on before going out last night but couldn't for the life of me remember when it got tossed over the back of the couch again.

Before I could get out so much as the first syllable of a weary 'hello', Sakura Haruno's voice cut me off at a yell.

"Where the hell did you go last night?" Damn. That meant she didn't know much more than I did.

I tried to remain calm so as to avoid adding the stress of a temper to the hang over, "Well, I'm home but I don't know how -" she cut me off again.

"Well that's just great! I spent last night trying to keep Ino from doing something stupid in her drunken haze, and then before I know it, you up and disappear with some stranger, never to be seen again. Do you have any idea what it's like to worry about one friend MIA, while simultaneously trying to keep the other one –the supposedly LESS responsible one- from running off? I've been trying to call you, and waiting for you to call me, and debating about calling the police, ALL night…" I held the phone away and let Sakura continue on. I knew the lecture, having sat through a few of them directed at Ino in the past, and didn't really see the need to listen to it around a splitting headache which was not helped by walking around or the sunlight streaming in through the window across from me.

When the speed and volume of her voice noticeably decreased on the other line, I cautiously resumed holding the phone normally to the side of my head, but cut her off before she got too heated up again, "Sakura, I get that you're pissed, but please take into account that I've got a mother of a hang over, on top of the after affects of what feels like incredible company last night, and frankly, I'm a little insulted that the bastard didn't even stick around to introduce himself afterwards."

The line was silent for a few moments, then: "You slept with some stranger?"

"And trust me, there is absolutely nothing you can tell me about how stupid I am that I haven't already told myself, so just do me a favor and please tell me you know who I left with and when."

I could tell she tried to bite back the all the words she wanted to say, and for a second I thought she might actually do it, but I've been wrong before. "Oh, Tenten. You don't even know his name?"

She sounded like she pitied me more than anything, so I gave her credit for at least trying and sighed, "If I was too drunk to sleep with him, and too drunk to remember it, I was definitely too drunk to care about who he was."

She sighed into the phone and I could just picture her running her hand through her pink hair the way she always did, "I don't know. After we were first separated I saw you a few times, always with different people, just being social, but then I just didn't see you any more. I was so busy keeping Ino from running off with her ex I didn't even notice you were gone until later. I just assumed you'd be ok, so I didn't think to look for you sooner before we left. I'm so sorry, Tenten. It was my turn keep you two safe and I completely failed at it. If I had done better at it this wouldn't have happened."

"Don't worry about it. Really. We both know that Ino's the usual flight risk and you did the best you could with her. It's not like any of us would have guessed what would happen. I'm actually just happy that I woke up in my own bed and in one piece."

"Right. Be thankful for little miracles, and all that. Ino just walked in, should I tell her what's up?" she asked

"Go for it. I desperately need to shower anyway."

"Alright. I'll talk to you later. Dinner tonight? How's Mexican food sound?"

"Great. See you guys then." We exchanged good-byes and hung up. I tossed the phone back onto the couch, but as I turned to leave I caught sight of another jacket on the cushions that I didn't recognize. It was leather, and good leather at that, so definitely wasn't mine (as a college student working part time, things like real leather jackets were a bit out of my price range), and a look at the tag revealed it was a men's size medium. 'Well,' I thought bitterly, 'at least even Drunk Me has good taste.' That alone didn't offer much comfort, so I awkwardly checked the pockets for a wallet or ID, but got nothing. Oh well. It really couldn't be that easy. I tossed the garment over the back next to mine and went back into my room for the shower I so desperately craved.

~!X!~

I felt significantly better after a long shower and the asprin from earlier took affect, but that didn't mean I was in any hurry to get out and face the world. I didn't put too much effort into picking out clothes; just threw on a pair of blue skinny jeans and black flat boots that happened to be close by, but did actually go hunting for a black button up collared shirt that would hide the evidence from last night. I pulled my hair up into two buns at the top of my head to keep it out of the way and headed out into the living room to the adjoining kitchen to boil some water for coffee and put a breakfast hotpocket in the microwave. The clock on the wall read 12:23- a little later than I usually get moving, but I wouldn't hold it against myself today.

I walked back into the living room to locate my keys, which I knew had to be here somewhere because I needed them to get into my apartment last night, but I unwillingly stopped at the unfamiliar jacket on my couch. I held it and ran my fingers over the material, hoping the feel of it would spark a memory the way it sometimes happens with amnesia patients. No luck. I rolled my eyes and mentally kicked myself for being stupid enough to think it would work. I lifted the jacket to my face and inhaled; my sense of smell was better than the others anyway. I was hit with the scent of alcohol and a vanilla spice cologne, but no memory of coming into contact with it the night before. The microwave beeped in the kitchen and I dropped the jacket back down, frustrated and disappointed, but not all that surprised.

I finished my hotpocket and instant coffee in just over five minutes and was out the door in ten. I worked part time at a little coffee shop two blocks from home. The pay wasn't great, but it was in walking distance (I didn't own a car), and the staff and regular customers were friendly, plus, when you're having a bad day nothings better than a discount sugary coffee drink, so it had it's perks. My shift started at one that day, I walked in the door at 1:02 to the usual Saturday afternoon crowd of business men and women on lunch break and teenagers looking to kill some time until something better came along. I waved to my coworkers Kiba and Lee on my way in back, but didn't stop to chat yet.

When I came out sporting the mandatory white apron, Kiba met me at the door.

"So how was the party last night?" He had that mischievous glint in his eyes like he knew something happened, but I knew he was full of it, and just wanted to make things seem more exciting.

I rolled my eyes at him, "When have I ever shared my embarrassing misadventures with you, Kiba?" I side stepped him and moved to make drinks for Lee as he took orders.

"Wow, that bad?" he leaned on the counter next to me and started handing me some of the things I would need.

"Oh, definitely worse." He whistled and gave me the whipped cream and a lid. I caught Lee's inquiring look between customers, and shook my head at him to tell him I'd talk about it later and put out the latte I was working on. The three of us worked in relative quiet for the next hour, switching between working the register, making drinks, and wiping down tables, and I let myself forget my worries of the day and fall into the general rhythm of working.

By the time my shift was over at seven, I don't think I could have been happier to see it go. I love Lee and Kiba and all, just not enough to casually drop that I got drunk and slept with a stranger after some party. I could tell they were curious, and I can't blame them for that; it's what I get for alluding to an issue and then not elaborating. I was glad they (well, Lee, mostly) tried to pretend they didn't care, but there were times that I swear I could have cut the awkward silences and curious tension with a butter knife. I left the closing to them and walked another two blocks over to the Mexican restaurant where Sakura and Ino would be waiting for me. The three of us got together at least once a week for a meal together, usually Saturdays for dinner. It was our time to swap stories, gossip, plans, and ideas of the week. It was a habit we got into freshman year of college, when the stress of classes was getting to be too much, and it just stuck for the next three and a half years. I reached the restaurant and made a beeline for our usual table, where I found both of my best friends in a heated discussion over drinks.

Sakura Haruno was the first person I met after moving to the city for collage. She was kind enough to stick around and show me the area, and we'd been close ever since. Her pink hair had grown out since I'd met her, and now hung just above mid back with her bangs delicately framing her face with an overall pleasing effect combined with soft mint green eyes. She was studying to be a doctor, and was at the moment balancing classes and an internship at the local hospital under the (scary) head doctor. She was kind of the 'mother hen' of the three of us, but we had to love her for it.

Ino Yamanaka joined us a year later. She and Sakura had apparently been on and off friends since childhood, but they seemed to have worked it out for good this time. Her hip length blond hair was almost always pulled back into a high pony tail with side bangs, and her bright blue eyes and perfect figure were enough to make almost any guy swoon and any girl jealous, and she knew it. Her parents ran a flower shop at the center of town where she helped out from time to time, but she was aiming for a career in cosmetology, which she said was her true calling. She was a party girl through and through, but Sakura and I never doubted that her friends came first.

The two of them turned when I reached the table, and I gave a half smile and slid in next to Ino, where my usual glass of coke was already waiting for me. Sakura gave me one of those look that said she was trying to assess what I was thinking without actually asking, and Ino was focusing way to hard on something over my head to be normal.

"Alright, get the questions off your chests now, 'cause I'm not talking about it when the food comes." I said wearily, reading myself for the onslaught.

I wasn't disappointed. Ino spoke first, leaning eagerly towards me, "You have no idea who he is?"

"Nope, but he left his leather jacket on my couch and if he doesn't show up to get it within the week I'm selling it online as compensation."

"Like, real leather?" she raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow at me. Trust Ino to focus on the material details of my story.

"Looks like it." I shrugged.

"Ino, forget the jacket. We should be worried that someone took advantage of her like that at all." Sakura said, "Tenten, have you considered calling the police? I mean, obviously you were to drunk to consent to anything, so who ever he was, he had no right come near you."

I had already started shaking my head before she'd finished speaking. "I know that consent is an important issue and everything, really, I do, and I'm not justifying or excusing anything, but we all know I can get a little too friendly when I drink. I don't think I was forced, coerced, or tricked into anything, so I can't go raising hell against some guy that was probably just as inebriated as I was."

She still looked worried, but I knew that she understood. "Still, I just wish there was something else, you know?" she sighed in her typical motherly way and I laughed at her.

"Sakura, it'll be alright! I'm fine, see?" I made an exaggerated gesture to my general self for emphasis, "Still have all my body parts and everything. Not much else I can do now but lament on the fact that I don't remember the fun parts."

"Oh? What makes you so sure it was fun?" Ino asked me, eyebrow raised but taunting smirk on her lips.

"You know that feeling you get when you leave the gym after a really good work out?"

"You mean like when everything hurts like hell for two days, but somehow you're happy for no apparent reason?"

"Exactly. That, except aaalll day long and counting. I've had sex before, but even when I was sober I've never felt this good, this long after." I smiled at her

She laughed again, "Ooh, can I get this guys number? That sounds way better than spending time at the gym!"

"Ino! We are not happy about this!" Sakura exasperatedly dropped her hand from where it was resting in her hair to the table.

"Come on, Sakura! Do you have any idea how rare it is to find a guy that good in bed around here?"

"She wasn't even sober to enjoy it."

"That doesn't mean it was any less fun." I smirked

"Amen!" Ino and I exchanged a hi-five and Sakura scowled at us from across the table.

"Tenten, you should be upset about this!"

"I am, Sakura." I rolled my eyes at her, "I've already thought about everything wrong with this situation, but that doesn't change the fact that it happened. Everything's relatively fine though. I got home safe and sound, you yourself convinced me to go on birth control months ago so I'm not worried about that –"

"And what if he had some sort of STD? Those aren't always easy to deal with or even curable."

"Then I'll go into the clinic on Monday and get checked, but until then, lets try to stay optimistic, shall we?"

I think she wanted to keep going, but a waiter appeared carrying our food (Ino and Sakura ordered my usual for me when they came) and I shot her a look that said I was done and directed my attention to Ino.

"So what's your story of the night?" I gave her a knowing look, determined to change the subject.

"What story?" she shrugged.

"Ha!" Sakura laughed, picking up on my plan "She was practically all over that Shikamaru guy from the second he showed up with his friends."

Ino scowled, "I was not all over him."

"Yeah, right. Don't pretend you weren't thrilled to see him."

"I was thrilled to see him- he's hot, but that doesn't mean I was 'all over him'" she did a horrible mimic of Sakura's voice that we all laughed at.

"Why did you guys break up again?" I asked, curious even though I was sure I'd heard it all before.

"All he ever wanted to do was lay around and do nothing, then this girl moved here with her brothers from Suna and was totally into him, and he never bothered to tell her to take a hike, and then he picked up smoking, which, I mean, I could live with, just not all the time." She took a vicious bite from her enchilada and glared at it, as if it was to blame for her boyfriend troubles. Sakura and I exchanged a glance and smiled at each other. We've both known for months that she was still into this guy. She talked about him every time an opportunity presented itself, and sometimes we'd catch her staring off into the distance or talking to herself about the clouds. It was sweet, really.

We finished our meal talking about this and that, mostly things of little importance like new hair products or people at school, then split the bill and headed out. Ino was the only one of us that owned a car (a birthday present from her parents a few years back) but since she rented an apartment with Sakura the two of them pretty much shared it, so they gave me a ride back to my own place without complaint. By the time I got upstairs I really just wanted to go to bed, but I forced myself to stay up long enough to strip my bed sheets off the mattress and put on fresh ones. I left the pillowcases though, because I discovered that one of them had the same vanilla spice scent that was on the jacket. Don't get the wrong idea here, I just like the smell. Really. I stripped down and donned just an over large t-shirt for bed, and was asleep in less than ten minutes.

~!X!~end~!X!~