Hi readers! Sorry about the little delay. Sheesh, I've been working on an awful lot lately! AND I LOVE IT. Hey thank you to all of you who have stuck by me, and reviewed. You're simply amazing.

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!

AU

Fire and Ice

Chapter 13: She's my Best Friend

Ino paced the gas station convinence store trying to seem inconspicuous as she waited for her friend to emerge from the bathroom. She purchased an obscene amount of pregnancy tests, and Ino found herself feeling just as nervous. Her father would probably not be too thrilled with the news that he would be a gandfather in seven months, and God only knew what he would do to Deidara. What a mess. She thought to herself as her fingers grazed over a chocolate bar in the candy aisle.

She was thanking her lucky stars that her grandmother had started her on an oral contraceptive. Tsunade was always one to think ahead. Inoichi was rather clueless when it came to girls, so Tsunade was gracious enough to help out throughout Ino's childhood. She was always someone Ino could talk to about anything. Especially her dealings with her chidhood rival, Sakura. They had once been such close friends, but those things changed right before ther 8th grade year had begun.

The summer had just kicked off, and Ino was planning on meeting Sakura at the rec-center to swim and discuss their current heart throbs, mainly Sasuke Uchiha. Ino was a little early because Deidara also had plans to meet friends, but about thirty minutes earler than she and Sakura were to meet up. Ino didn't mind. She figured she would just hang out with Deidara and his crew until then.

His friends shot her strange looks, especially Sasuke's elder brother, Itachi. He was a year older than Deidara, and struck Ino as quite the strange one. Sensing that she was making Deidara and his friends uncomfortable, the teen sighed and stormed down the stairs from the gym to the ladie's locker room to wait for her friend there.

She walked in and headed to the first set of lockers when she heard an eerily familiar voice coming from the opposite side of the wall, where the second set of lockers were. "I swear, she's totally a lesbian!"

That's Sakura. Ino thought to herself as she began to gather her things so she could join her friend, but she froze in her place when she heard Sakura start up again.

"I mean, she's always talking about her boobs, and how they won't stop growing. Then she asks me about mine, and it's just really awkward, you know?" She paused for a moment, obviously on the phone and waiting for a response on the other end. "Oh, totally! Yeah, I'm supposed to meet her today at the pool, but I might blow her off, Ino's being kinda clingy lately."

After hearing this, Ino dropped her bag with her towel and swimwear on the tile floor. Her blue eyes widened in disbelief, she couldn't fathom it. She had been utterly betrayed by her best friend, or by the friend she claimed to be her best. Ino was far from lesbian, how could Sakura have even imagined it?!

Clenching her fists, walked around the wall and into the section where the second set of lockers were placed and glared down her former friend. When Sakura spotted Ino, her jaw dropped and her emerald eyes widened and quaked in shock.

"I-Ino.." She stuttered, closing her flip phone and tucking it nervously into her pocket. "H-how come you're so early?"

"Deidara was meeting his friends earlier, so I came with him." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared even more. "I heard everything you just said! How could you, Sakura?!" She spat, trying desperately to stay angry and not upset, fighting the urge to break down in tears.

"I-Ino I was just talking to.." Sakura tried to explain, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"Well obviously I know how you truly feel about me, bitch!" Ino yelled as she lowered her clenched fists. "I don't understand how you could say all those terrible things about me, I thought we were friends!"

"We are friends, Ino!" Sakura tried desperately to calm the blonde but it was only making matters worse.

"You are such a liar! Friends don't talk that way about each other behind each other's backs!" Ino's voice cracked just a little, as her cerulean eyes filled up with tears that threatened to fall.

"Ino, look.. let me explain, you're my friend." Sakura tried.

"We are not friends anymore." Ino interrupted, turning on her heel and beginning to walk away.

"Fine. If that's what you want, bitch. I never really even liked you anyway. You were always hitting on me!" Sakura retorted, crossing her arms and glaring at the back of Ino's head.

Ino whipped around in a rage and looked at Sakura in shock. "Hitting on you?!" She laughed, "what's there to hit on, forehead!? You're scrawny and flat chested, your voice is high-pitched and screechy and you're just a down right bitch! I could do way better than the likes of you if I was an actual lesbian. Too bad I'm not, I'm sure it's pretty disappointing for you."

Ino was yanked from her thoughts when she saw her brunette friend emerging from the bathroom at a painfully slow pace. One thing she was thankful for was Tenten's down-to-earth personality, she wasn't one to be catty or jealous. She was real, and she was Tenten. Thats all that mattered to Ino.

"Well?' Ino inquired quietly as she approaced her bewildered looking friend.

"I-I'm pregnant." Tenten uttered through trembling and colorless lips.

Neji and Deidara were in the middle of an intense stare-down in the center of the living room when the front door cracked open. Both boys released the grip they had on each other's shirts and looked at Ino who had a very strange expression plastered onto her face.

Ino blinked, looking at Neji and Deidara sternly, and thanking the stars for it seemed as though she had arrived just in time. However, this wasn't the biggest issue that the group of teens was facing.

"I don't know what the hell is going on here, but you two need to drop it because we have bigger problems." She admitted, putting both hands on her hips and staring at the boys

Neji and Deidara both made the same inquisitive expression, one eyebrow quirked and the lower lip pouted out just a smidge. "What is it?" They asked in unison before darting glances at one another and glaring as if to be territorial of their words.

Ino couldn't help but chuckle lightly before she remembered what she needed to tell them, or rather- What Tenten needed to tell the both. Ino looked over her shoulder and waved her friend into the room, closing the door after they had both walked in.

Neji could tell that something was drastically wrong with Tenten by the strange and distant look within her normally lively eyes. The look and vibe she gave off didn't go by unnoticed by Deidara either, and needless to say, the room felt rather weighty.

All eyes were on her as she looked about the room nervously, and began to speak. "I-" She started before clearing her throught after the single word had come out so shakey and strange.

Ino looked at her friend with a sympathetic nod and sighed inwardly. This was certainly a difficult time for Tenten, but Ino was willing to do what she needed to to help her get through it. Including keeping Neji calm, and separating he and Deidara when the fight took place.

"I just found out today that..." Tenten paused again, desperately trying to muster up the courage to actually say it. "That I'm pregnant." She finally admitted.

Neji's lavender eyes widened and he stared at Tenten in disapproval before snarling and turning his attention to Deidara who was completely and utterly bewildered. "What?" Neji growled, lowly.

"P-pr what now?" Deidara tried to joke a little, raising his shoulders in hopes that Tenten was only kidding, but the look on her face, Neji's face and Ino's told him that it most certainly was not a joke.

"You got my sister pregnant?!" Neji exclaimed, reaching across and grabbing Deidara's shirt once more and pulling the blonde close enough to see the the rage dancing within his pale and narrowed orbs.

"N-now I'm sure that there's some type of explanation.." Deidara tilted his head to the side, catching Tenten in his sights. "Are you serious, Ten?"

Tenten gave him a small nod, her dark eyes welling up with tears.

"Neji! Please don't kill my brother!" Ino cried as she stepped between the two and held her arms out, separating them. "There's no need to fight, when we're just as guilty as them."

"Are you saying you're pregnant too?!" Neji asked with even larger eyes as his heart rate picked up to an impossiby fast pace.

"You had sex with this prick?!" Deidara hollered.

"No! Yes!" Ino answered, flustered and red-faced.

Suddenly, the room errupted into bursts of yelling from all three parties, each one longing to be heard. They shouted over one another for a good five minutes, Tenten not being able to understand a single bit of it.

Sighing, the young mother to be threw up her hands in exhasperation before marching upstairs and into her designated room, slamming the door behind her and causing the three in the living room to hush and look up the stairwell.

"Go after her." Ino urged Deidara, elbowing him gently in the ribs.

Deidara, though still in a bit of shock, bobbed his head and rushed up the staircase.

Neji had wanted to follow, but he froze when he felt Ino grip onto the sleeve of his sweater and stop him.

Ino's blue eyes were downcast and her face was distraught. She was obviously thinking about something quite in depth.

It was then as he looked at her, that Neji felt a deep pang of guilt sink into his stomach. He'd been an asshole, and he knew it. He never really wanted Ino to see that side of him, but she had. "I'm sorry."

"I don't think you need to appologize to me." Ino frowned and crossed her arms over her chest angrily. "You were so rude to Deidara! And aside from that, Tenten is really scared right now! She needs your support."

"I-"

"I'm not done yet! If you and I are gonna be together, you and Deidara absolutely have to get along. Not only because he's my brother, which is extremely important, but because he's my best friend's boyfriend!"

Neji looked down, pondering her harsh words that he definately deserved. Once more he was forced to swallow his pride and face her, knowing that he was in the wrong. "You're right." He forced himself to say and his gaze finally met hers. "I'll go appologize."

"Not yet, they need a minute."

"Tenten." Deidara muttered in a soft voice that he rarely used. "Would you let me in, please?"

Only silence rang through on her end. This caused the blonde boy to panic ever-so-slightly, and he gulped befeore trying again.

"Can I please come in?" He asked kindly. This was not his normal way of speaking, but he wasn't an idiot. She was rather upset, and his normal light-hearted, horny, asshole joker approach was most certainly not going to work this time. He could be sweet when he wanted, or should he say needed to.

Slowly, the cabin door to their bedroom door swung open and Tenten allowed him to walk in.

"Will your uncle be upset with her?" Ino asked Neji as she glanced over her shoulder at him. She stood in front of the stove, checking on the noodles. She and Neji decided that it would be best to prepare lunch. Everyone was usually more on edge and angry, tending to say things they shouldn't when they were hungry. Ramen would be the meal for the occasion.

Neji was chopping a few vegetables when he heard Ino ask. "He will be very upset." He answered shortly, and honestly.

Ino frowned deeply and looked down at the noodles. "My dad will too. What are they going to do?"

"I'm not sure." Neji started as he crossed over to her and set the fresh vegetables beside the stove for her. "But knowing them, they'll figure something out. Don't worry so much." He said, planting a quick peck on her cheek.

"How can I not, Tenten's my closest friend, and Deidara is my brother. This is such a mess." She glanced over at Neji hopelessly and frowned. She hated the feeling she had within her chest, she knew that it wouldn't be good, whatever was about to happen.