The Girls Night Out

Temari burst through Ino's bedroom door with shopping bags and a pair of heels in hand. The woman could never resist a girl's night out on the town. It was one luxury that her husband Shikamaru just wouldn't indulge in with her. It was an activity that the girls usually scheduled at the end of every month to blow off steam and have a drunkenly good time together.

Sakura and Ino had already pulled all of Ino's clothes out of the closet and had them laid out on the bed. Shoes were scattered over every inch of the floor. Sakura had sat Ino down at the vanity, helping her comb the beautifully long blonde tresses. Temari dropped the bags and heels down on the bed and ripped off her long black coat.

"Alright ladies, fill me in as we work!" She announced loudly, her hands already busy rifling through a makeup case.

An hour had passed since Temari's arrival. Ino had rehashed the past in painful detail, Sakura dutifully refilling her wineglass whenever her friend became teary eyed. Temari gave her friend a comforting smile.

"You've had a lot thrown at you today. Like Sakura said, you don't need to decide anything just yet. In fact, we should make this subject the furthest thing from your mind tonight. We got you looking all kinds of sexual, you've got 2 fierce friends to hold your hair back if you hurl, I say we dance!" All three women laughed at the sand ninja's choice of words and hugged.

Ino checked herself in the mirror before she grabbed her house keys. Her friends had left her hair down with simple side bangs to frame her face. They left her face makeup very simple as well, accenting her lashes with black mascara and a tiny line of purple eyeliner on her top lid. They gave her a neutral lip to keep the look balanced. They had painted Ino's fingernails and toenails jet black. Temari had given her a deep purple halter-top dress with black lace panels on each side, creating an even more "hourglass" appearance. It was a little more form-fitting than Ino was used to these days, but for an occasion such as this, it was better to not fight her best friends. Sakura selected a pair of strappy black wedge sandals from the depths of Ino's closet and slipped them on her friend's freshly painted feet. She hadn't felt this pretty in, well…over a year.

"Ino-pig, let's get a move on!" Sakura bellowed from the bottom of the stairs.

Sakura wore a strapless white tube top with a sweet-heart neckline, a high-waisted black mini skirt, and white peep-toe heels. Temari had chosen a cobalt blue dress with wide shoulder straps, no back, and an extremely low cut front. She stood tall in 6" stiletto heels which laced all the way up to her knees. Shikamaru loved it when she dressed up like that.

Ino raced down the stairs and out the door to pile into the cab with her friends. Tonight she wouldn't think about Choji or his demon bride. Tonight was about forgetting…at least as much as she could forget.

Club Vapor was packed solid when the three friends arrived. They made their way to the bar and threw down some celebratory shots to kick start the evening. The music blared and the beat shook through their bodies like a shockwave. They could barely hear the DJ yelling into the microphone over the roar of the crowd and the pulsing of the music. There were random fits of cheering and excited girly screams, but that seemed pretty normal for a crowd of people dancing while drinking.

Temari lead the charge to the dance floor, dragging Ino by her wrists with Sakura pushing her from behind. The bootylicious music always brought out the minx in Temari. She and Sakura spun and twirled and bumped and ground on Ino, who was finally starting to loosen up. Alcohol may have had a lot to do with that. As long as she was dancing and trying to have a good time, her two best friends didn't care what the cause was.

The night blurred, every drink going down easier than the last. Sweat made their faces glisten in the strobe lights and their hair stick to the back of their necks. Their thighs and backs burned from dancing in heels, but that wouldn't stop them. Bodies writhed against bodies, everyone living for the moment in a passionate mix of dance and intoxication.

Ino turned in an attempt to locate a free spot at the bar where she could order another drink, and that's when she saw them. Through the crowd, she was able to see Choji and his bride from hell.

They were there. Dancing. Choji had lost a decent amount of weight, but his shoulders were still strong and wide and his eyes weren't as squinty since his cheeks had slimmed down. He was grinding on his fiancé from behind and attempting to kiss her neck. Every time she felt his breath on her skin she slid out of his reach. She looked like a snake trying to escape its handler, the way she squirmed and wiggled away from his affections. Ino was once again paralyzed. It took Sakura and Temari a few moments to see what was going on. They grabbed her arms and attempted to pull her backwards towards the bar, but she wouldn't budge. But she wasn't trying to move towards Choji either. She just stood there and watched.

Ino could feel her heart breaking inside of her chest. That day at the cemetery flashed through her memory once again. The words he had spoken a year ago were still slicing her deep, but her love for him never died. And that's what was killing her. He had chosen that manipulative free loader over a woman whom he had known for years…who had been through hell and back with him…who had healed his wounds and shared laughs with him at his favorite BBQ restaurant. The woman who had offered him her heart genuinely, he had shunned her for being heartless and devoid of any real emotion.

Ino tore herself away from her friends grasp and made a mad-dash for the bar.

"Honey Jack…and make it a double please."

"You got it!" the perky bartender chirped. Sakura and Temari had finally caught up with her. Ino wasn't listening to what they were saying. Advise wasn't going to help her right now. The bartender set down a tumbler glass filled with the amber liquid.

"Tell me you did NOT order whiskey, Ino…" Temari's voice was icy.

"Goddamnitt Ino, you know what happens when you drink that shit!" Sakura's large forehead was furrowed with anger.

"You wanted me to forget him, right? Well I can't do that when he's standing right over there with her," Ino choked out, "You both know I need this right now. Please…don't fight with me about this right now."

Temari and Sakura looked at each other and reluctantly nodded in agreement. Ino threw down the double and slammed the empty glass on the bar. She could feel the whiskey burning down her esophagus like a white-hot flame.

"Another double please…" she breathed. The bartender retrieved the glass and poured her another one. Ino tossed it back effortlessly. She shook the empty glass in the air gently in front of her, signaling for round three.

"Dang girl. This one is on me babe…" the bartender was impressed with Ino's stamina. She poured Ino a double, then one for herself. They chinked their glasses together and slugged them down.

"I need a minute." Ino whispered, turning to walk unsteadily to the door. Temari had whipped out her cell and was already dialing.

"Shika will know what to do here."

The cool night air slapped Ino in the face like a cat fight. Her drunk and sweaty skin relished the drop in temperature. She leaned up against the brick building and closed her eyes, filling her lungs with the perfume of the night.

"Care for a smoke?" a lazy voice drawled next to her. Ino opened her eyes to find her old teammate handing her a cigarette, that same goofy half smile plastered on his face.

"Yeah, thanks Shikamaru. Got a light?"

The first drag brought back all the memories of Asuma. After his death, Ino was the first one to catch Shikamaru smoking his cigarettes. Choji found out some time later, but he did nothing to stop them. He actually liked it when they smoked around him, it made him feel like Asuma sensei was right there with them. Ino stopped smoking regularly years ago. But when times were rough, she'd indulge as a comfort.

"So I take it he's in there, and that's why you are out here. Am I right?" Her former teammate was now leaning against the building beside her.

"Let me guess, Temari called you." Ino figured as much. Shikamaru just chuckled.

"Yeah, she told me what happened. Listen Ino, you know I really suck at this…I just want to make sure you're not going to kill yourself or something else stupid." Ino smiled.

"No need to worry about that, Nara. I just can't get him out of my system. For as long as he's known me, I really thought he'd see how much I've changed. I thought he knew me better than that…" Ino trailed off. She took another deep drag from her cigarette. Shikamaru looked at her deeply with thoughtful eyes.

"He shouldn't have said all those horrible things to you, but think about it Ino. You had been poking fun at him for years, and he always took it because he was crazy in love with you. But then he isn't around you all the time, and you just confess your love for him out of the blue. He never thought in a million years you would do such a thing, so he figured you were probably trying to make fun of him. He lost it. I'm sorry it went down the way that it did—"

"Wait," Ino barked, "did you just say…that he was in love with me at one point?!" Her cigarette hand shook violently as she brought it up to her lips.

"Oh shit…" Shikamaru glowered through gritted teeth. This is was something she wasn't supposed to hear, not from him.