Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto.

Thanks to the reviews and follows and favorites… I will say thank you personally in the near future. I am so sorry I wasn't able to update last week, so much has happened to me (life, death, work).

Anyways, I hope you all like this. I promise I will update soon. I already had written 2 chapters of this.

Next will be: Sakura, Hinata and Ino.

Please read and review.

…

Ino

It took a while before it registered to her that she was being half dragged away from the living room and from the arms of her date. She vaguely remembered being locked in a tight embrace with Sai, kissing him deeply. Then she felt another person holding her right arm tightly and yanking her away.

There was likewise not enough time for her to scream at the person that pulled her away.

When she had gathered her thoughts enough, she found herself in Shikamaru's room, the door closed behind them. The room was barely lighted saved the light coming from the few lamp posts outside, streaming through his bedroom windows. She can still feel his hand tightly holding onto her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ino snapped at the man in front of her.

She yanked her arms away from his tight grasp. Shikamaru step back away from her with a deep frown on his face that deeply surprised her. She also withdrew a step, taken aback by his expression.

The man truly was acting strange ever since she had arrived at the party. However, he is her best friend and something was clearly bothering him. The mixed signals that he was giving her, now starting to really boggle her mind. If she was the way she was just like when they were young, during their teen years, she would definitely begin to yell at him now and demand an explanation. Probably hit or punch him too. But she now knew better, she had come a long way to become a much mature woman.

She inhaled a deep breath, enough for her to quiet the beating of her raging heart. She cast Shikamaru an annoyed glance.

"Can you tell me what that was?" Ino curiously asked, raising an eye at him.

The lazy genius gave her a shrug and put his hands in his pockets.

Ino gritted her teeth, still attempting to be patient. "Shikamaru, you really are acting strange." She crossed her arms.

Her eyes met his and something beneath them, chanced on her. It was emotions she had wanted him to hurl at her before. If she knew better it looked like desire, wanting and longing. She blinked back in confusion and then just like that it was gone.

Shikamaru gave her a sheepish grin instead and scratched the back of his neck.

"Troublesome woman, I just don't think it was a good place for you to do that." He replied with indifference.

Ino raised an eye at him. She knew that he simply knew how ridiculous his excuse sounded.

He shifted in his feet and continued, "I am just worried that you are moving too fast... troublesome... You... you just came from a bad date a couple of weeks ago..."

Ino let out a sigh, she knew him long enough that he wasn't clearly making a lot of sense. But if he needed to say something to her, he better say it straight away.

She tapped her right foot impatiently.

Shikamaru raised a defeated hand. "Ok, fine! As drag as it is, as your best friend, I'm worried."

Suddenly his words evoked a warm feeling in her heart. Regardless of her feelings for him, she knew she was glad that at least he cared enough to offer a rather pathetic excuse.

"Well, you could have just said something earlier." She scoffed at him. "Or you could have said that you were drunk."

Shikamaru mumbled. "Yeah, something liked that."

Ino can't contain the small smile edging from her lips, anymore. There were rare times that the lazy man in front of her shown other emotions and now there they are. Somehow this night was different. She moved forward and reached out to touch his right arm.

"Well, thank you." She openly stated to him, meeting his brown eyes. It might have been her mistake of moving closer to him since she felt it again. That sudden ghost of a hint of electricity that only he can make her feel.

Shikamaru moved closer to her, leaning down to meet her gaze. The room spiraled and disappeared, and she just felt his eyes on her. It had been a long time that she felt that way with him, especially now that he was the one bringing her back those feelings.

She felt her senses sharpened and her heart pounded deep inside her chest. He bent down and she gently raised her face to meet him halfway. There was a rare moment of seeing those wanting in his darkened eyes; it was a myriad of emotions she felt just by looking at them. She freed her hold of his arm and clutched both her hands closed to her chest. If her heart beats a notch faster, she knew for sure he can hear it.

"Ino..." Shikamaru started and he inched a little closer towards her.

She took a deep breath and nodded slightly.

Then abruptly, his bedroom door opened, startling and making them jump apart.

Tenten

Tenten sighed as she finally got to breathe sweet air. She sat on the doorstep and leaned her aching back. Massaging her temples, she should have never come to the party, she thought. She wasn't feeling well, having bouts of morning sickness since this week.

She has yet to tell her friends about her pregnancy. Although, she knew it was for the best, they had worried for her enough, with her break-up with Neji and all. Right she forgot, she had yet to tell them about that too.

She sighed again contemplating to just head home. Earlier, she tried to find at least one of her friends, but Sakura, Ino and Hinata seemed to have vanished from the crowds. She does wonder what happened to them. Or who are with them. If she knew better, each one of them also suffer problems with their relationships.

It was actually not a bad night though; at least she was able to get out of the house. She saw the rest of the guys and Lee was there. And she saw him, the father of her growing child talking to the martial artist. She doesn't know what came over her when she acknowledged and smiled at him.

Maybe, she had calmed down enough that she figured she can tell him. Sooner or later, she will have to. She wasn't really that bad of a person to not tell him about what she is carrying inside of her and that he had a share of it.

Although, what scared her was what is going to be his response, once she told him.

He had enough problems between his clan and their relationship to be accepted by his house before, she figured she would just go away. She had been a strong person before, unafraid of things. But those things changed when she knew that she was pregnant. Having no family, is much better than being rejected, she reasoned.

The cool breeze, that the night brought, touched her skin and gave her chills. It lessened the nausea that she felt. She closed her eyes for a bit and just listened to the stillness.

"Hey." A voice called out to her.

She opened her eyes and saw the long black haired man that she was afraid to face, standing in front of her. Too tired and sick to ignore him, she just remained in her place.

"Hey back." She replied.

Neji gestured at the space beside her. "Can I sit?"

She shrugged and answered. "Sure, it's a free country, right?"

The man just remained silent and sat down beside her. They sat there in silence for a while. Each one waiting for someone to break the ice. Tenten glanced at him and she knew he was trying to patiently wait for her to speak. In their past relationship, she was always the one to reach out first.

She let out a low sigh. "So, how are things?" She asked, breaking the silence.

"All are ok. Things are doing great at the Dojo. Lee was going to add a new martial arts program." Neji replied without looking at her. Tenten sighed it has been at least a week since she had been in the DoJo, where she had been teaching martial arts.

"Oh good. I am missing my classes already." She nodded. She can still do small talks for now. "The girls are a rowdy bunch. I miss them."

He slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, keep on asking for you."

"I saw Lee, he was with you earlier." She kept on.

"Yeah, he was being excessively loud just as usual." He replied and it made her smile.

An uneasy silence fell between them again. The noises from the party inside the house formed as echoes in the night.

Neji moved in his seat and gave her a glance. "I am sorry about the other day."

Tenten's heart warmed, at least he was still trying. She let out a little smile. "Nah, I should also be sorry, I am at fault, too."

He looked at her and she averted her eyes away from him. Not wanting, to melt right away and tell him everything. She knew, she wasn't ready, yet. This was something she needed to hold off for now.

As if he understood, he stood up.

"Tenten, I will wait until you are ready." He stated. His voice was gentle and warm. His words affected her soul.

There were only rare instances that he showed his softer side and every time, it made her love him yet more. She fought the incoming tears she felt building in her eyes.

Finally she nodded her head slowly.

He gave her a small smile and walked away.

Shikamaru

"Hey Shikamaru!"

His bedroom door opened and his troublesome roommate eagerly marched inside his room, startling him, better yet startling them. Like a gunshot he let go of his hold of the beautiful blonde facing him. His eyes darted towards Naruto, who was looking at him with eager eyes.

Shikamaru stepped back, slightly confused on what has almost transpired between him and Ino in his room. Really, this evening for that matter. Breathing heavily, he sought to calm the speed of his heart pulse. He rubbed his temple and leaned his back against the wall.

He'd almost kissed her.

Shikamaru shook his head, maybe it was the alcohol, just like she suggested earlier. He was inebriated with the amount of beers he consumed that night.

Still rubbing his temple, he caught her gaze upon him. She was appearing as if slightly startled just the same as him. The questioned looked she gave him made him feel like walking on eggshells, he cannot discern what was happening anymore.

He recognized that this has been always the case when it comes to her. He doesn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Shikamaru averted his eyes away from her, deciding not to address their issue further and looked at Naruto who was walking towards him with Hinata following close behind.

"Yeah, Naruto?" He asked the blonde guy, thankful for the distraction that he represented. "What do you want?"

"I was looking all over for you." Naruto grinned. "Would you mind if you look after the party for a while? I have to drive with Kiba to get more beers."

As soon as Naruto mentioned Kiba's name, the said man entered his bedroom. "We won't be gone for long."

Sporting the lazy, bored look that he had always been identified, he shrugged and sighed. "Troublesome, ok."

"Thanks Shikamaru!" Naruto enthusiastically replied. "Hey Hinata, do you like to go with us?", asking the Hyuuga heiress.

Hinata shook her head and stayed at Ino's side. "I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun. We will need to leave soon. Sakura and I have an early shift at the hospital, tom."

Naruto sweat drop with obvious disappointment. "That's too bad. I'll talk to you tomorrow, then?"

"O...ok." Hinata shyly answered.

While watching the exchanged between Hinata and Naruto, Shikamaru slipped a glance at Ino who was also curiously watching the exchanged between their two friends. He never expected them to be an item, with Naruto being oblivious to everything that surrounded him and all.

Taking notice of the platinum blonde woman's demeanor, he recognized that she had already calmed down, he can read her well, and she was letting it go tonight.

"Oh, here you are, Ino." Sakura greeted, coming in his opened bedroom door. Making his bedroom crowded with more people.

"Sai is looking for you, something about you being dragged by Shikamaru away from him." Sakura said, her eyes poking demandingly towards him. Shikamaru budged uncomfortably, unsure on how to react or how to respond.

Ino gave him a glance before answering and cleared her throat. "Shika just wanted my opinion for something."

Sakura wrinkled her forehead and replied. "Ri-ght." The disbelief in her voice didn't get passed by him.

"Sakura-chan, you are also leaving?" Naruto asked.

The pink haired woman turned to Naruto and Shikamaru once again was thankful for his lack of tactfulness.

"Yeah sorry Naruto, Hinata and I are going home." Sakura replied but offered Naruto an apologetic smile.

"What about Sasuke?" Naruto asked, suddenly earning a death glare from the said girl. "Aren't you together?"

Suddenly, Sakura threw a heavy punch in Naruto's face, causing the blonde guy to fall on his bottom. Shikamaru cannot help smirked as he witnessed the surprised look from Hinata and Ino. But what can he say, Naruto brought it upon himself. If it was something about Sasuke, he certainly currently not interested.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata gasped.

"That will make him shut up." Ino thoughtfully said, glancing at Sakura.

The eyes of the two girls met, hinting that something was to be discussed later for them. He shrugged it aside; he knew how the girls are best friend.

Sakura unclenched her fist and went towards the door, but not before glancing to the two girls who were also in his room, "You two, coming?"

"Hai." Hinata replied. "We better look for Tenten, too."

Hinata followed Sakura outside, while Kiba dragged Naruto outside, who was looking as if he was not sure what has happened, through his door. Still leaning against the wall, Shikamaru raised an eye as he saw the last occupant of his small room; Ino was still standing, staring at him.

Ino bit her lip as she stood right across from him. "I better move." She hesitated and her eyes darting looking anywhere around his room except him.

"Weird night?"

Shikamaru could not agree more and looked down on the floor, "It is."

"I… I better go back to my date."

"Yeah." He growled.

"Well, don't drink anymore beers." Ino offered him a smile. "I'll speak to you soon?"

Shikamaru nodded.

He watched her leave his room, her hair flowing right behind her. Shikamaru got caught up, thinking how he had held her moments ago. With his watchful eyes, he saw Ino approached her date once more, meeting him from across the hall.

A sudden rush of distaste coursed through him. He ignored it; he doesn't want to know where it came from, just yet.