Chapter 2:

"Ino!"

"Sakura, dammit, I'm right here! You don't have to yell!"

"That's easy for you to say considering I've been yelling your name all morning! Jeez, Ino, the point of volunteering to help me at the hospital is supposed to be to give me less work! If you don't finish updating those patients' charts by five, I'll be stuck working overtime to finish them myself!"

Ino sighed at her friend's righteous indignation. She really couldn't blame her for being so upset. Her mind had been preoccupied all week to the point that she was doing more harm than good in her usual post at the hospital. She stared down at the stacks of papers piled on her station and determinedly picked up her pen.

"I'm sorry, hon. I promise I'll have this done by five." She began neatly updating the charts and citations with her renewed focus.

Sakura furrowed her brow at her friend's odd behavior. She could tell something serious was wrong. In fact, she could tell from since her friend showed up Monday morning on a day she was supposed to be off that something was definitely wrong. The fact that Ino hadn't broken down and told her what it was yet was even more cause for concern.

Ino was a little startled when a chair was suddenly pulled up next to her and her pink-haired friend sat down. "Um, Sakura, don't you have patients to-"

"Nope," Sakura interrupted cheerfully, picking up her own stack. "I've done my rounds so until I get paged to the ER or ICU, I'm all yours."

Confused as to why the pink-haired medic would spend her rare down time doing paperwork at the front desk, Ino raised an eyebrow.

"So what's wrong?" Sakura asked immediately. "You've been out of it all week."

Understanding dawned on Ino's face but she simply shrugged and turned back to her paperwork. "It's nothing… really."

Sakura nodded, concentrating on her own stack as well. "The fact that you're hesitant to tell me, your best friend, means that it must be very serious. I just hope you aren't in any kind of danger."

"Sakura, it's nothing like that." Ino rolled her eyes. Yes, as a jounin and a high-ranked official of the intelligence division she had been in all sorts of dangerous situations over the years but there wasn't a single time she'd ever felt threatened enough to let it affect her work ethics.

"I just hope you know that you can talk to me about anything. I mean, I thought you already knew that but a little reminder doesn't hurt."

Ino frowned at Sakura. "Trust me. This is news that nobody wants to hear." She wished her friend would just drop the subject. She finally had the whole experience with Kiba purged from her thoughts and Sakura's prodding was starting to bring it all back to the forefront.

"Well if it's so serious that it has you zoning out constantly at the hospital of all places, you really can't blame me for being concerned." Sakura glanced over at her friend's troubled face and sighed. "Come on Ino, you know I won't judge."

Ino met her eyes and slowly deflated at the concern reflected in those emerald green orbs. "You have to swear, I mean swear, Sakura, that this does not go passed the two of us. You got it?" she demanded in a harsh whisper.

"O-of course!" Sakura was a little taken aback by the seriousness in her friend's eyes. "What happened?"

Ino paused and turned to face her friend fully, leaning in close so that there was no chance of someone overhearing. "Sunday night I ran into Kiba at Hinata's house and as we were leaving we… sort of made out in the grass."

Sakura stared for a good ten seconds, waiting for Ino to give that mischievous grin of hers and say something like "Sike! Got you!" But silence passed and Ino's frantic expression remained. Finally realizing that her best friend was not joking, however, Sakura couldn't control the sudden burst of laughter from her own mouth. Once started, she began laughing so hard that she had to hold her sides.

Ino was flustered. "This is not a laughing matter Sakura! God!"

"No… it really is!" Sakura gasped between chuckles. She calmed herself down, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes. "Here I was thinking it was something serious!"

"What do you mean? This is serious! We're talking Inuzuka Kiba here, forehead!"

Sakura immediately broke down laughing again. "Ino, the look on your face! You're really talking like the world has ended. I thought someone was threatening your life or something again!"

Ino scoffed. "A life threat, I can handle. That's practically a daily occurrence. But this? The whole earth has completely tipped on its axis! That's the kind of insane phenomenon that would have to occur in order to compare with the unlikelihood of this situation!"

Sakura managed to hold back her laughter at her friend's incredulous reaction. It was clear that Ino was serious about how serious she thought the situation seriously was. So with the tension gone from her body now that she was sure Ino wasn't in any serious trouble, Sakura smiled indulgently at the blonde. "So how did this happen exactly if the world didn't tilt on any of its axes? I mean, something must have happened in between leaving Hinata's and making out, right?"

Ino angrily picked up another paper and began scribbling information into the necessary spaces. "I don't know. One minute I was teaching him a lesson and the next…" she trailed off.

"Yes?"

Ino's hand paused and she stared blankly at the sheet of paper in front of her. "Fireworks," she mumbled in a faint voice.

Sakura's eyes widened. Ino and Kiba? Wait, now that she thought about it… two explosive personalities… what else would you get when you combined the two? A smirk spread across the face of the green-eyed girl, unnoticed by her companion.

Ino shook her head, shaking away the feel of Kiba's rough hands and the wonderful sounds he elicited when the right buttons had been pressed. "The next thing I knew we were sprawled out in the grass," she finished mock-indifferently.

"Wait, do you mean you…!" Sakura looked shocked at the new implication.

Ino just sighed guiltily. "No," she answered, "but that's definitely where it was headed."

"Oh." Sakura couldn't think of anything else to say. "Wow." Except for that.

Ino wilted. "The thing is… and what bothers me the most, is that it felt so good," she moaned. "I almost fucked Inuzuka Kiba right there on the forest floor!"

"Uh…"

Ino's and Sakura's eyes snapped up in shock to see Uzumaki Naruto standing with his mouth hanging wide open and beside him stood the Kazekage of Suna, Sabaku no Gaara, with his jade eyes wide and uncertain.

"We, umm, didn't mean to interrupt," Gaara spoke up as Naruto, for once in his life, could not utter a single word. "Naruto just wanted to stop by."

At the mention of his name, Konoha's most infamous blond ninja snapped to attention. "Uh- yeah! Heh heh! Umm… Sakura-chan! Look who's in town!" Naruto put a hand behind his head to scratch an itch that wasn't there as he grinned sheepishly.

Both Ino's and Sakura's faces were stained red at what they both knew the two men had overheard. Sakura was embarrassed both on behalf of her friend and from the realization that Gaara was looking at her curiously.

"W-welcome back, Gaara-san," she managed to get out. "This certainly is a surprise."

"Thank you Sakura-san," he responded with a polite nod of his head.

"Ah! Sakura-chan! I was going to ask if you were going out with your friends tonight, cause if you are I was hoping Gaara and I could meet up with you this time. Just thought it would be fun to take him to a few of Konoha's hot spots," Naruto continued to ramble on but Sakura wasn't even really paying

attention to him. Gaara's open staring had her very preoccupied and as she continued to stare back she realized that a very cocky smirk was slowly stretching across his lips.

"Uh, Sakura-chan? Are you listening?"

Sakura's eyes snapped to her old teammate. "Oh, sure, Naruto, that's fine."

"Really? Great! So we'll see you later then," the blond enthused.

Sakura's focus was back on the red-headed Kazekage as she murmured a faint "mm-hmm."

"Umm… kay. Uh… bye Ino!" Naruto grinned uncertainly before dragging the quiet sand shinobi with him to the exit.

Ino shook her head and moaned. "I can't believe they overheard that!"

"I can't believe Gaara's back in town again," Sakura mumbled faintly.

Smirking, Ino forcefully pushed aside her own embarrassment to focus on her pink-haired friend. "Well apparently there must be something he misses about this place… or someone."

Sakura glared at the blonde. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

With an innocent expression, Ino leaned back in her chair. "Oh nothing. Just that it looked like the Kazekage couldn't take his eyes off of you."

The blush that stained Sakura's cheeks was quite amusing but inside, Ino was frantically thinking about a certain fellow blond, blue-eyed ninja. She desperately hoped that Naruto would keep his abnormally large mouth shut about what he had overheard.

Kiba had never had visitors to his little house in the Inuzuka compound. The reasons being because, one, he didn't exactly come off as the hospitable type and, two, because his house was essentially a very small bachelor's pad with a kitchenette, a bar, a living room, and two doors that connected to his bedroom and his bathroom. There simply wasn't enough room to invite guests over unless it was the occasional village girl. So it came as quite the surprise when Kiba and Akamaru were interrupted from their late afternoon naps by the loud sound of someone pounding on his front door.

Both dog and master bared their teeth in irritation but Kiba got up to answer it anyway. As he swung the door open, Kiba was half-hoping to see Ino standing on his doorstep. But considering how actively she'd been avoiding him all week, he knew it was an unlikely scenario. However, he was still surprised to see blond hair when he opened the door.

"Naruto?" he blinked.

The blond in question grinned good-naturedly. "Yo! Kiba how's it going?"

Ino, Sakura and Hinata stood inside the oversized walk-in closet of Hinata's master bedroom, talking happily as they caught up on each other's lives. Ino and Sakura were already dressed to kill but they were more than happy to help Hinata choose something for the occasion of a night out on the town.

Sakura was sporting a silver halter top of elegant, shimmering fabric that clung to her torso flatteringly and swooped loosely around her neck. She wore a pleated black skirt that showed off her athletic legs and discarded on Hinata's bed was a matching, cropped, black jacket.

Ino had felt especially daring when she had gotten ready. She was determined to forget about anything relating to Kiba that night. Her long hair was down and partially curled in tendrils. She was wearing a glitter-gold tube top that clung to her so well that there was no need for added support, giving a nice view of natural cleavage. The top was cropped above her waist, showing off her creamy, toned abs. She also wore a pair of short shorts that barely covered her thighs and high-heeled gold sandals that gave her a boost in height. Her goal that night was to seduce the most handsome village boy she could find and get him to make her forget what that annoying Inuzuka had been able to do to her.

"So, ladies," Sakura announced mischievously, "I think we should have a toast before we step foot outside. In celebration of a reunion!"

Hinata giggled as she quickly pulled out the expensive bottle of champagne Sakura had brought with her. She was only wearing a blue satin robe as they stood in the middle of her huge closet but she didn't feel at all self-conscious around her friends. She poured the champagne into three elegant flutes perched atop the tall island in the middle of the space and handed both of her friends a glass. "To friendship," she smiled widely as she held her flute aloft.

"To us!" Sakura chimed with a grin.

Ino smirked at them, one hand perched confidently atop a cocked hip. "To who we are: smart, beautiful, strong kunoichi!"

They each took a long drink of their respective glasses and smiled.

"Hinata, this closet is amazing!" Sakura declared for the umpteenth time as she looked at the rows and rows of neatly organized shoes.

"Thank you, Sakura. I hardly wear anything in here, though."

"Well, that's about to change now that me and forehead are here," Ino declared as she purposefully strolled over to one section of the closet. "We need something that will make you look ravishing!"

"But still feels comfortable," Sakura added as she shot the blonde a quick glare. "We'll pick out something that makes you feel confident, Hinata."

Hinata smiled hesitantly. She was excited about a girl's night out with her two close female friends but she was also a bundle of nerves at the thought of stepping outside her comfort zone. Hinata loved to dance. But she had never danced in front of a crowd of people before! And leaving her favorite jacket at home? She couldn't remember the last time she stepped outside without a jacket covering her!

"Ah-HAH!" Ino suddenly cried, pulling out a vibrantly colored fuchsia top. It was an off-the-shoulder scoop-neck that was almost long enough to pass for a dress and scooped so low that it required something to be worn underneath.

Sakura grinned. "Nice work, Ino. We'll pair that with some black leggings and a black tube top or strapless bra. Hmm… shoes, shoes, shoes… oh!" Sakura pulled down a pair of black pumps with a three-inch heel and bold red soles. "Perfect!"

Ino had already picked up some calf-length leggings and a tight black tube top. She placed these items on the island before lifting a finger to her chin in thought. "Now hair…"

"High ponytail or messy bun?" Sakura instantly asked, setting the shoes down and picking up a brush.

Hinata stared between the two in amazement. Boy did they work fast!

"How about a messy high ponytail. With wisps?" Ino added.

"On it!" Sakura immediately took up Hinata's hair and began styling it into the proper do as Ino picked something up from the vanity station on the island.

"M-make-up?" Hinata asked in dismay.

"Just lip gloss, hon. We don't do huge amounts of make-up."

The lavender eyed girl smiled with relief as Ino approached her with the little tube.

"Done!" Sakura declared suddenly.

Ino gently swiped the shimmery gloss across her lips and smiled in satisfaction. "Me too. Okay, Hinata. You change and we'll be waiting in the bedroom. We told Naruto we'd meet them 15 minutes ago but they can wait."

"N-Naruto?" Hinata squeaked, her eyes popping wide at the realization.

"Didn't Ino tell you?" Sakura asked in confusion. "We're meeting up with Naruto and the Kazekage tonight."

"No! Ino told me n-no such thing!" the poor girl yelped. She turned her head to see the smirking blonde topping off her flute of champagne. "Ino!"

A tinkling laugh escaped the blonde's lips as she regarded her distressed friend. "Oh, re-lax, Hinata! The boys are just tagging along for a good time of their own. It doesn't mean we can't ditch them if we want.

However…" here she cast a mischievous smile at both her girl friends, "If either of you decide to get up the nerve to have a little fun, I can make myself scarce while you two seduce your boyfriends." She sipped her bubbly drink with a playful smirk as she eyed the two blushing women.

"Ino…" Sakura sighed as she shook her head. She turned to the shorter girl beside her. "Don't worry Hinata, I at least will be there for moral support. Forget about Naruto tonight and just have fun!"

Hinata smiled hesitantly at the thought. It was easier said than done to forget about Naruto Uzumaki when he was standing in the same room. Especially where she was concerned.

"Good! Now come out when you're ready!" Sakura grinned as she quickly grabbed her trouble-making blonde friend and left Hinata to change in peace.

"What, what?" Ino demanded as her abnormally strong friend pulled her into the bedroom before firmly closing the door.

"Why are you meddling?" Sakura immediately demanded.

Ino downed her second glass of champagne and scowled at the pink-haired girl. "I am definitely not meddling, Sakura. If I had wanted to meddle I would've damn well told that blond idiot myself how that wonderful girl feels about him. Same goes for Gaara… although maybe he isn't completely oblivious."

Sakura ignored the added comment about the Kazekage. "So why didn't you warn her that Naruto would be there?"

"Because she can't go through her entire life ignoring the guy simply because she likes him!"

"Well how would you feel if Kiba was the one coming out tonight?"

Silence greeted their hushed conversation before Ino angrily pointed a finger in the other girl's face. "Don't you dare mention that jackass's name! That's completely different and you know it!"

Sakura crossed her arms and met Ino's hard glare. "I'm just saying, Ino, that you shouldn't downplay Hinata's feelings that way. She doesn't just have a crush on my obnoxious friend. It's much more complicated than that and we shouldn't force her if she doesn't want to be forced."

Ino rolled her eyes, propping her hand on her hip. "After more than ten years, you're telling me she doesn't want to be forced?" she demanded incredulously.

Sakura smiled indulgently. "Okay, I see your point. But still-…"

The closet door gently opened at that moment, though, cutting off whatever Sakura had been about to say. Hinata slowly stepped into the room with a soft smile that clearly showed how pleased she felt.

"Hinata!" Sakura breathed excitedly.

"You look amazing, hon!" Ino grinned.

The Hyuuga princess looked like a whole new woman. There was no looking past the feminine curves under those clothes. The bright fuchsia shirt Ino had picked out contrasted strikingly with Hinata's pale skin and dark hair. Her shoulders were completely bare and a hint of cleavage could be seen over the black tube top. Hinata had chosen a white gold chain with a heavy pendant attached that fell right over the swell of her breasts. In her right hand was a small, shimmering black wristlet purse. It was clear from the warm smile on her face that the heiress was feeling very comfortable with her new look.

"Ladies," Ino announced with a smirk. "I believe this night has officially begun!"

Naruto impatiently checked his watch for the fifth time and glanced to his side at his silent friend.

"They're late," Gaara stated. The monotone of his deep voice didn't indicate whether or not he was perturbed by this fact but Naruto could tell by the slight twitching of his left eye that the Kazekage was, indeed, annoyed.

"Yeah, I had no idea that Sakura-chan had started picking up Kakashi's habits. I guess we have no choice but to wait for them." Naruto fidgeted with the collar of his shirt a bit. He was wearing a short-sleeved black shirt that was tighter than he was comfortable with. "I can't believe she made me wear this shirt."

"It looks fine," Gaara stated simply, keeping his jade eyes cast down the road.

"Your's looks way more comfortable!" Naruto complained. The red head was wearing a sleeveless button-up that looked loose and breathable over his Suna-style pants and dark boots.

Gaara didn't comment.

"I swear, the only thing that makes me feel better is that Kiba has to suffer just as much."

Gaara glanced at his blond companion curiously. "The Inuzuka?" he asked.

"Yeah, I invited him along but he said he'd meet us at the place. Said he knew where it was," Naruto grumbled absently. He rotated his arms in the tight shirt experimentally and was surprised that the material didn't rip. "I should've never gone shopping with Sakura-chan. This was a clear mistake."

The sand ninja eyed his companion patiently before crossing his arms. "Why did you invite the Inuzuka?" he finally asked. "Wouldn't Yamanaka Ino be upset?"

Naruto furrowed his brow in thought. "Well, I figured since they were involved that it was a good idea to ask. I mean, usually Sakura-chan and Ino go out with just the two of them but since you and I were tagging along I thought it was a good idea to ask." Naruto tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Should I not have asked?"

Before Gaara could open his mouth to comment, he heard the sound of loud female laughter and looked up to see three beautiful women approaching them. His eyes immediately shifted to pink hair and his breath caught. His jade eyes looked down and he saw legs and gently swaying hips. Shukaku suddenly seemed to throw a fit, making his heart speed up and his stomach drop.

Naruto was first to speak. "Wow! Sakura-chan, Ino! You guys look great!" he exclaimed, watching them approach with a broad grin. His eyes shifted to the third person. "Who's your-…" his voice tapered off and his eyes widened visibly as he met familiar Hyuuga irises. "H-Hinata?" he stammered in amazement.

The beautiful woman blushed at his obvious attention. "Um… hi Naruto-kun…" she answered softly.

"Wow," he breathed, eyes still focused on the heiress as the three girls stopped before him. "You look… really good."

The blush deepened and Hinata managed to mumble a quick thank you

Gaara's eyes snapped back up when he heard a gentle throat clearing. Sakura stared back at him with a soft smile and a slight blush. "You look very nice, Gaara-san," she told him.

Gaara felt it was difficult to breath. He inhaled slowly and managed a smile for the beautiful woman. "As do you, Sakura."

Ino rolled her eyes at the two couples and strutted forward purposefully. "Come on lovebirds, let's go! The night is young and I'm feeling adventurous."

Sakura and Hinata smiled at their friend's enthusiasm and hurried after her, the two men trailing after them, still in shock.

"Where to tonight, Ino?" Sakura asked enthusiastically. "Are we going to stay at the Celtic Lounge all night or should we hop on over to another club?"

"I'm game if you are, forehead. I'm feeling like a Latin beat tonight, how about you?"

"Latin?" Hinata asked interestedly, voice lowered so the two men behind them couldn't hear.

"Do I detect excitement Hyuuga Hinata?" Ino smirked.

"I love Latin!" Hinata exclaimed, eyes bright with excitement. The excitement dimmed however when she realized one crucial fact. "But I've never danced in front of a crowd before."

Sakura grinned at the girl. "But Hinata, you're not dancing in front of a crowd. You'll see, when you get out there it's just you and the beat. No one else matters."

"Yeah, so when you're out there with Naruto, make sure you make him beg. It's the least he can do after being such a dolt all these years."

"Ino!"

"What?"

Hinata glanced back frantically at the handsome blond to make sure he hadn't heard that comment and let out a sigh of relief when he simply stared at her.

Naruto furrowed his brow in confusion as Hinata turned back to her huddled conversation with her friends. "What do you think they're talking about?" he asked his companion idly as they continued following the girls.

"No idea."

"Is it just me or does it feel like we're being ignored." Naruto's eyes were trained steadily on the back of Hinata's head. He could not believe that this woman was the same blushing, stuttering, fainting girl who hid inside her oversized jacket even on warm summer days.

"I think we are." Gaara was looking anywhere but in front of him as he walked.

"Hinata looks really good."

This caught the Kazekage's attention and he turned to look at his companion with a slight smirk. "You said that already."

"I did?" Naruto asked with furrowed brows again. His eyes didn't stray from the Hyuuga's feminine form, however.

"Yes," Gaara answered, smirk widening, "You did."

The ladies led them through town, talking amongst themselves the entire way and all but Ino were completely oblivious to the appreciative stares they were receiving. Gaara and Naruto were attempting to reign in their tempers as multiple men cast leering eyes at Sakura and Hinata, respectively. Ino, however, cast flirtatious looks at the more attractive men and winked at the ones that were staring but were lacking in the looks department.

At one point, Naruto had tried rotating his right arm in the uncomfortable shirt once again and a loud gasp made him look over at a woman who was just standing there looking at him. He paused and turned to her. "Um… can I help you lady?" he asked. Maybe she was one of the few villagers left who were still scared of the 'kyuubi vessel.'

Imagine the blond's surprise, however, when the older woman with the ring on her left ring finger lowered her eyes to his chest pointedly and licked her lips. "Yes you can…" she practically purred.

Naruto's mouth fell open in shock and a chuckle sounding from his left made him look over to see his red-haired friend watching in amusement. He quickly turned and grabbed his friend by the arm, pulling him in the direction of the girls and away from the horny housewife.

They caught up with the girls when they stopped in front of a wide, two-story building with a sign on the outside that read 'Celtic Lounge.' Ino looked at them curiously as they approached. "Where were you guys?"

Gaara smirked. "The female population is apparently very appreciative of Naruto's state of dress."

Naruto punched the red-head in the shoulder as he began chuckling again. "Not funny, Gaara! She practically molested me with her eyes!"

A chorus of giggles sounded from their three female companions and Naruto unconsciously found his eyes looking directly at the Hyuuga heiress again.

Hinata surreptitiously looked at how the tight-fitting shirt made the muscles stand out across Naruto's entire torso and cleared her throat at the sudden dip in the pit of her stomach. "Um… it looks… very nice, Naruto-kun," she commented faintly.

Naruto decided right then, that he very much liked the look in Hinata's eyes whenever she looked him over. A slow smirk came over his lips at the thought and Hinata blushed before turning away.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Alright, great. We've all established that we look damn good tonight so how about we go inside and have some fun?" She walked up to the bouncer at the door and flirtatiously handed him her identification. The bouncer smiled appreciatively as he let her pass and the others soon followed.

The Celtic Lounge was a fun atmosphere. The first floor was pumping out catchy pop songs for all the dancers congregated on the polished dance floor while the rest of the patrons sat and talked in the high seated open booths along the surrounding walls. The place was dark but all of the furniture, including the bar, was a pristine white and there was candlelight on the center of every table.

Ino spotted a free booth and pulled the girls over to it before anyone else could snatch it up. Gaara and Naruto followed at a slower pace and watched as Ino forcibly stripped Sakura of her jacket before laying it on the table. She then turned to the two men and grinned. "You two. Sit back, relax, and reserve our table for us. We're going out on the dance floor," with that, Ino began pulling Sakura and Hinata towards the dance floor. As they went, the blonde glanced back at them over her shoulder. "And if the bar girl comes around order us three appletinis!" she shouted over the noise.

Naruto and Gaara blinked in confusion as the three women disappeared into the crowd of dancers.

"Um, what's an appletini?" Naruto asked his fellow male as they dutifully slipped into the vacant booth.

Gaara shrugged.

Kiba wasn't sure what he was getting himself into. Never in his life would he have thought he'd put himself through something like this over a girl. And not just any girl, at that, but Ino, of all people. He sighed and ran another hand through his shaggy hair in aggravation.

If he was at all in his right mind then he would not be sitting at this bar at the Celtic Lounge, scanning the thick crowd with his keen eyes for a shock of long blonde hair. If Ino wanted to pretend that there was absolutely nothing between them, that what had happened Sunday night had been a total fluke, then who was he to come chasing after her. He didn't go chasing girls, girls always came to him.

'Besides,' he thought to himself moodily, 'if she wants to live in denial then there's really nothing I can say to her.'

It was then that Kiba spotted the Kazekage's unmistakable crimson hair and the loudmouth blond seated in one of the booths. With a tired and irritable look, Kiba decided to order three beers and head over to his fellow ninjas.

If he was really going to put himself through this, he was at least going to get his mind off of it until he was confronted head on by the obstinate blonde.

Ino really should have been having the time of her life. She'd never had to work this hard to make herself have a good time and it was more than a little bit frustrating. Apparently, every single man that she had danced with was missing something. And what that something was, Ino was damned if she knew.

Refusing to accept defeat, however, Ino had forced herself to smile and put the moves on five of the most attractive men she could find before calling it quits. With a sigh of defeat, Ino waved off another man asking her for a dance and joined her two friends in the middle of the dance floor again.

Sakura grinned at her and grabbed her by the hand in welcome. "That last one was a hottie!" she shouted over the pumping music, referring to Ino's last dance partner.

"Yeah, but he was completely stiff! All he did was stare at my ass the whole time!"

Sakura quirked an eyebrow in surprise. "You usually take that as a compliment!"

Ino rolled her eyes but couldn't think of a response. Instead, she turned her attention to the Hyuuga heiress who wore a blissful expression as she closed her eyes and moved gracefully to the music. Hinata had been extremely nervous and self-conscious when they first stepped onto the floor but now she appeared to be completely in her element.

Ino grinned and grabbed the heiress's hand, raising both hers and Sakura's in the air as they all danced to the addictive pop beat. "Fuck the guys!" she shouted so both girls could hear her. "Tonight is all about us and having fun!"

Sakura shook her head at Ino's antics but she couldn't deny the fact that it was fun with just the three of them. She definitely wasn't interested in dancing with any random guys tonight… though if they asked, she would be polite enough to oblige them one dance.

"I think I'm ready for my appletini! You guys coming back to the table with me?" Ino called out after one song ended and another began.

Hinata smiled and nodded once and the three of them squeezed their way through the thick crowd to get back to their booth. Ino was slowed down as several guys stopped her to offer a dance or just to flirt and she gently turned them down with a sexy smirk or a playful wink, depending on her mood. She was the last to reach the table, but when she did she was forced to stop and stare in disbelief.

Red fangs tattooed on his cheeks, shaggy hair standing up rebelliously around his head, Kiba's canine-slit eyes stared piercingly into hers without blinking.

'What the fuck is he doing here?' she thought furiously.

Without missing a beat, Sakura quickly grabbed her friend by the hand and pulled her over to the table, taking a seat and pretending that absolutely nothing was awry. She had slipped in right next to Hinata, and the heiress, knowing absolutely nothing about the tension between her teammate and her blonde friend, happily passed the other two girls a martini.

"Kiba! I didn't know you would be here," Hinata smiled excitedly as she took a sip from her first appletini.

Kiba's eyes shifted to his strangely euphoric female friend. "And I never thought you would ever come to a place like this, Hinata."

The heiress blushed at the implication. All the sweaty, writhing people on the dance floor and she had happily been one of them a moment ago.

"Hey! Back off Inuzuka, you're not her keeper!" Ino snarled, secretly pleased that she could find something to snap at him for. If only she could've had the foresight to see what a huge mistake that was.

Kiba's eyes immediately snapped back to hers and a haughty smirk that showed off his sharp canines spread across his lips. "Now you, Ino," he stated calmly, leaning back in chair. "You I can see in a place like this."

Unsure whether or not to be offended by this, Ino ignored the warning glances Sakura kept shooting her. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" she demanded hotly, narrowing her eyes at the arrogant jackass.

Kiba shrugged, but the look in his eyes suddenly turned dark and intense as he kept her pinned. "I don't know… for some reason the sight of you enjoying working up a sweat isn't all that hard to imagine."

Ino couldn't believe it. Her entire face flooded with color at his pointed remark and beside her, she heard Sakura let out a gasp in shock. Across from her, Naruto looked decidedly uncomfortable and Gaara was looking pointedly elsewhere. Hinata stared between Kiba and Ino in confusion but thankfully decided not to comment.

Despite the sudden tension that descended upon their table at his comment, Kiba continued to stare pointedly at the blonde beauty, making no attempt to hide his interest.

With slightly shaky hands, Ino reached for her drink and downed the glass in one go before hurriedly getting to her feet. "You know what? I'm tired of this place," she aimed her comments at her female companions. "Let's blow this popsicle stand and head to that Latin club." With that, she quickly grabbed Sakura by the hand, who in turn hurriedly grabbed Hinata's hand, and made a beeline for the exit.

Naruto got up and shrugged at his male companions before moving to follow. Kiba threw back his last bottle of beer before following slowly after the Kazekage who wore a strange smirk of amusement on his face.

A/N: I have to admit, it was fun writing this chapter. Kiba is such a straightforward guy that I'm have fun throwing him into situations.

Many thanks to my first four reviewers... you guys rock. Now I have to get started on my dynamics homework. Once again, not sure when the next update will come thanks to school but ideas are definitely popping. Questions? Comments? Praise? Critiques? Please feel free to leave them.