Chapter 2

Sakura and Ino left the coffee shop, steaming to go cups in their hands and talking happily to each other. The bridal tailoring shop was about a block away so they got there just as Ino finished the last of her drink. They walked inside and were instantly over whelmed by the colors and frills, Sakura wanted to turn right back around and never come near that place again. Ino shot down her escape plan with a disappointed look that made Sakura's insides squirm with guilt, so she stayed, but she made sure to be as surly as possible.

As soon as they had entered, an elderly lady came up to give them a greeting. She recognized Ino instantly as the rather loud but undoubtedly beautiful woman she was tailoring a whole wedding ensemble for. She assumed that the girl next to her would be the 'annoying pink haired forehead' that Ino had so much trouble roping down here. So while the two exchanged what appeared to be a battle of wills, the woman headed to the back of the shop to grab the only dress left in the group to be tailored.

What a coincidence, the woman thought to herself, that girl's fiancée finally dragged the last of his groomsmen in here as well. Maybe I won't have free time this weekend, what with a suit and a dress to finish!

The lady dropped the dress off at the changing room Sakura was getting into, and headed over to the other side of the store where the men were located. A tall, tan, lean and blonde piece of man was trying on a standard black tux with a light blue vest underneath. The man's spiky blonde hair was standing to it's full extent, and seemed almost devilishly handsome in that suit, or so the lady thought. She smiled at the men and flushed a light pink at the grin the blonde one gave her. She turned to the brown haired one who was leaning against one of the walls with his eyes closed seemingly asleep. How he would be able to approve of the tux with his eyes shut was beyond comprehension.

"Your fiancé just came in with the last of her bridesmaids as well! Now make sure you let me know before you go over there, we wouldn't want you to accidentally see the bride in her dress now would we?"

Shikamaru looked up as soon as he realized that the kindly old lady was talking to him. He nodded to her with a lazy half smile and finally got around to look at his companion.

"Naruto…Ino is going to throw a fit when she sees your hair…"

Naruto chuckled and checked himself out in the mirror. True his hair had gotten longer, but he thought it looked rogue-ish, and that I gave him an edge. The whisker markings on his cheeks went up as he finished his self evaluation.

"You know for a lazy bastard, I was amazed at the face that you're the first of us to get married. And what with all that complaining you did about women all through the academy in Suna? Man I thought you might be gay at one point or two!"

Shikamaru just stared incredulously at Naruto. They had been dorm buddies in the Suna Police Academy. Shikamaru graduated early with Naruto, though at the top of his class. Their friendship began with annoying each other to wit's end in the dorm rooms, and later on helping each other stay sane throughout the rough training. Naruto may not have been Shikamaru's best man or best friend, that spot was saved for a portly acquaintance that they both shared, but he was definitely one of the most trusted.

"Oi, Shikamaru, who did Ino still have to drag in here? That old lady said she finally got around to someone, who is it?"

"I dunno, probably Sakura. According to Ino, she's been really busy at work until recently. She wouldn't come right out and say it, but I think Sakura got fired, so Ino probably roped her in here as soon as the words 'down time' left Sakura's mouth…"

An indignant 'hmmph!' was heard behind Shikamaru and both boys paled slightly at the sound.

"Some way to talk about your future wife, Nara! I'll have you know that the words 'down time' were never mentioned! Forehead offered to come down here without my prodding at all."

"I wouldn't say that's completely true pig."

Ino spun around at the sound of Sakura's voice an spluttered, purposefully blocking Naruto from sight, seeing as she didn't want to see any blood on these clothes.

"Forehead! I told you it wasn't neon! It's light yellow and you don't look too hideous at all. The light sky blue sash around your waist does wonders to hide that pudge!"

"I so do not have a pudge Pig! Now move I want to see my reflection."

Before Ino could stop her, Sakura pushed her way around her and came face to face with Naruto himself. A moment of stunned silence filled the little room as each took the other in. Sakura did a quick once over of Naruto and after deciding he was completely drool worthy, just as he had been in high school though harder in all the right places, she brought her eyes back up to his face. Her eye started to tick as soon as she noticed that his eyes were locked on her chest for almost a minute then as soon as they left there they lingered on her legs too long for her liking.

"You!"

That go his attention and his eyes instantly shot up in mock fear, a joyful cringe written on his face.

"You're not going to run over me in a car again are you? Cause that pinky hurt like a bitch last time! You're crazy you know that!?"

"I may be crazy but at least I'm not a pervert! I know about that little 'recommendation' you left me on the men's wall! It was all I heard about for a month! Not to mention my dad saw it and wanted to hunt you down in Suna! You just be happy I didn't let him!"

Naruto's eyes flashed real fear for just a second before he pouted.

"Come on Sakura, you know I was just younger and immature! I wrote those things for every girl I was with, and your's why by far the nicest one! I've grown up since then…"

Sliding up to her he rested his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them lightly. He moved his mouth close to her ear and his voice turned deep and husky.

"Though I must say you have, quite wonderfully actually. Not that you were bad as a teenager, but still."

If he thought saying that was going to get him back into her good graces he was wrong, as he found out a second later when Sakura's heel dug sharply into Naruto's bare foot. He yelped and jumped away, which was all the better for Sakura because something strange and unwanted had happened to her when he talked like that. She'd gotten all butterfly and hot, and that was not a good condition to be in around Uzumaki Naruto.

Jumping up and down on one foot Naruto grinned at her.

"At least nothing's broken this time… Say how about you let me make it up to you tonight, I'll take you out to eat, some place really fancy. Then maybe we go back to my place for desert?"

Sakura glowered and was about to open her mouth to shoot him down when that little 'hmph' was heard yet again. Glancing over her shoulder she was surprised to find Ino standing in the arms of Shikamaru, an entertained smiled on her lips and a devious glint in her eye. Shikamaru just looked bored.

"Sakura before you shoot that down, might you remember that little rant you were on right before we got here about not being able to eat for the rest of the week if you wanted to pay rent this month."

Sakura blanched. She was stuck between a rock and hell, when all she wanted was pillows and kittens. Life just couldn't work out for her. She gave Naruto one last appraising look and came to a decision.

"Alright you can treat me tonight, don't get so excited yet you havn't heard my conditions!"

She ignored the confused look from Naruto and the laugh from Ino.

"They are very simple, 1. No sex, 2. You bring pizza, 3. You bring drinks, 4. You bring desert, and it had better be some amazing desert or you'll get kicked out, and 5. No sex."

Naruto raised his hand in imitation of a school boy and Sakura just stared.

"Ahh Sakura, you mentioned no sex twice…"

"So?"

"Nothing, just thought I'd point it out."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the antics and glanced at his watch. He tugged Ino's arm to get her attention and pointed out that they needed to go to be in time to meet their parents for the last minute detail planning. They waved goodbye to the two and were out the door in a second. The old lady showed up at the same time and finished the markings on Naruto's tux, then started on Sakura's dress.

After he was out of the tux, Naruto told Sakura he would go get the food, and with a waggle of his eye brows at the mention of dessert, he was out the door, directions to Sakura's in hand.

"That man is trouble."

Sakura looked down at the little old woman who was sticking her with pins and couldn't agree more. Uzumaki Naruto was trouble with a capitol T, but that didn't stop the electricity from running through her body just from being next to him. She sighed.

What have I gotten myself into?

As soon as she got home that night, Sakura changed into a pair of grungy sweat pants and an old college shirt. She threw her short pink locks back into two childish pigtails and plopped down on her couch with the remote in hand. She was startled out of her reverie almost twenty minutes later by a knock on the door. She was confused for a second as to who it could be before her memory caught up to her.

With a mental gulp she lifted herself from her comfy couch and headed to the door. Looking through the peep hole, she saw Naruto, but more importantly she could smell the garlic and tomato of the pizza. Mouth watering for food she opened the door, to be greeted by a sight more delectable then the food it was holding.

Naruto was dressed in a pair of fitted jeans and an old t-shirt that had the sleeves cut off, exposing the tan and toned arms of bitable quality. Sakura stood staring for a second before she noticed that the smirk on Naruto's face had grown.

"Wanna skip straight to dessert?"

This time, Sakura's gulp was audible.