"It'll look lovely."

Tsunade handed Sakura a guipure lace dress from Dolce Gabbana. It had an awful eggplant color. It had a turtleneck and reached Sakura below the knees. She hated being short.

"If I was just stepping off the Mayflower perhaps."

Tsunade sighed at her daughter. She was a real handful. Impossible at times.

"It's a special occasion."

Sakura arched an eyebrow. Her mother called a lot of things special. She never did it with business dinners.

"You remember my last party? Shizune kept telling me over and over again how her ring would end up on your finger."

Sakura turned around with a smile that reached her ears.

"She did? Has Deidara asked about the family ring?"

He said that he was looking for a way to make things right with her. She couldn't even imagine him proposing to her was on the table. She could certainly imagine his proposal. Peons and lots of candles.

"Mmhmm…"

Tsunade didn't particularly like lying to her daughter but she did like a happy daughter. The smile on her face was enough for Tsunade to tell her any lie. She wasn't even fussing about her dress.

XOXO

Deidara was pacing in the story above his father's office. He had been able to look inside when he rushed past.

His father wasn't closing a deal. He was talking to a bunch of men having some drinks and cigars. His father had already closed a deal. He was celebrating it.

He could hear expensive Italian shoes against marble floor.

Deidara looked down to see that his father had exited the office. He went down a flight of stairs and placed his hands in his pockets walking back and forth.

Deidara felt something in his pocket vibrate again for the third time. He couldn't reach and answer it. Not when a stranger approached his father. They shared a handshake. Deidara clearly saw the money and bag of white power exchange hands.

His father was a drug addict.

Looks like cold hard cash can get you the cold hard truth. Didn't anyone tell you, D? Be careful what you "phish" for.

XOXO

"Dei, Deida! I've tried calling you fifty five seven hundred times and I know you're not having phone sex with Sakura so you should have picked up. I'm having a party at the club to celebrate my defeat. Father didn't go for it, but that's not stopping me from having a party. I'll send you a car."

Sasuke dropped the key for his suite. He knew himself well and knew he would just fall picking it up so he sat down hopelessly gripping for it. He narrowed his eyes trying real hard to focus on the thin card.

Kurenai was rushing by when she noticed that the homeless person was actually really well dressed and Sasuke.

"Sasuke, you can't be sitting here."

He stank of alcohol. Kurenai sighed. No matter how much she wanted she couldn't leave him there. She bent down picking up his card before helping him up.

"Father throws money on me and still he wants me to go without his help. He was poor, Itachi stopped receiving money from him and I'm rich."

"We're all different."

"No, he wants me to do the same and I'm not skilled enough, not smart enough, and not good enough. He hates me."

Sasuke stumbled up the stairs and sat down, Kurenai next to him.

"But the truth is that he isn't any better than me."

Sasuke always got revenge when someone did him unjust.

"He's just like me pawing some twenty something girl in the back of his limousine when he's supposed to be with you."

Kurenai entered their relationships with both eyes open. She knew Fugaku had a past. She knew he had been around.

"Your father and me, we're new as of last week."

Sasuke huffed. Recent, they were never going to exclusive. His father didn't do one woman at a time.

"With all due respect, I actually like you and this is why I'm telling you. After he got it up his bum by Itachi he was with this young chick earlier today."

Sasuke had no reason to lie to her. He would never do that. It wasn't like him. Sasuke was a good child he wouldn't lie. His father would.

"Why does this come as a shock?"

Sasuke almost felt bad for Kurenai. She hadn't done anything wrong beside trusting her father. She would get the crash course, you can't trust an Uchiha.

Spotted. Uchiha drunk off his ass, at The Palace bar, drinking away his woes, and his investment capital.

XOXO

Deidara had one more chance. He needed to get someone to believe him. He couldn't do this alone.

He found his mother sitting in the downstairs living room.

"I need to talk to you, mother."

She refused to meet his eyes. She didn't even look at him when he sat down next to her on their mint green loveseat.

"The drugs weren't mine."

She flinched.

"He must have thought it was easier on everyone if I took the fall."

There was another flinch and she placed some of her short hair behind her ear before freeing it again shortly after.

"The lengths you will go too. We already said monthly drug tests and we won't send you off."

"You won't find anything. Dad is the one with a drug problem."

"I have no time for this, I have to get ready for tonight."

"Mother! This is serious! I saw father buying coke today!"

Shizune bit her bottom lip focusing on the corner of their handwoven carpet.

"He's under so much pressure. You're not making it any better with your talk about going West, breaking up with Sakura, getting back with Sakura, breaking up with Sakura. You're not helping his situation!"

Deidara couldn't believe his ears. He was being scolded for being a teenager for having his own visions and dreams. He was told he was a horrible person for being himself.

"That is not fair!"

"You can start making it better tonight, please behave and wear a tie."

Heels clicked on the wooden floor as Shizune left. Deidara felt like the only mature person in the household but no one cared there was no one who saw him as anything but an immature child.

XOXO

Hinata had been thinking about her conversation with Sakura the whole day. They were friends and friends didn't keep secrets from each other. She had to tell her.

Sakura's maid helped her up to her room. She found Sakura lounging on her pink chaise long.

"Hinata, what a surprise!"

Sakura had expected her to wet her pants as soon as she had unlocked the door in fear from their conversation earlier that day. Hinata had looked petrified. Sakura had that effect on people when she wanted.

"What brings you over?"

Hinata started fidgeting with her thumbs. She wasn't certain how to start this off, what she would tell Sakura. It wasn't an easy message to deliver.

"Well, if you aren't going to respond to my question I might as well tell you something."

Because friends doesn't keep secrets.

"I haven't even told Ino yet!"

Because she was probably off somewhere in the ghetto sleeping with Shikamaru, ew!

"Deidara is planning to give me his family ring!"

Sakura squealed and clapped her hands. There was no reaction from Hinata.

"Why aren't you happy for me?"

Hinata cleared her throat. Tears already threating to fall.

"I'm sorry, and I hope it won't hurt you too much."

Sakura sneered. "What can little Hinata have to tell me that could hurt me?"

"Deidara kissed me, at the ball."

That was the wildest and most implausible lie Sakura had ever been told. She wasn't even remotely his type and he would never do such a thing, not again.

"I was wearing the same dress as Ino and he thought I was her. He told me that he still loved her and then, then he kissed me."

This couldn't be true. He was about to propose to her. Make things right and take her as his bride while she was still young and beautiful. Nobody would ever be able to touch her if she married Deidara. She wouldn't only be queen at school, she would be queen of New York and then she would take on the world.

Hinata was lying to hurt her.

"You're dismissed Hinata. For good."

Sakura needed to fight her feelings, get dressed and join in on the dinner.

XOXO

Sakura put on her dress, curled her hair, put on a red satin hair bow, put on makeup, hid her red eyes and painted her lips red instead.

She slowly went down the stairs. She didn't know how this would work out. She locked eyes with Deidara who was waiting for her to finally step off the stairs.

"Something on your mind?"

She looked bothered but she told her there was nothing on her mind. He didn't believe her but he would have to. There was no prying anything out of Sakura. It was almost admirable how tight she could keep. It was always a bitch standing on the other side wanting whatever information you wanted.

"Anything on your mind? Anything you wanna say?"

Her face was blank. Sakura suddenly noticed noises emitting from the Baldwin in the foyer. Her mother must have hired someone to play it. He was half decent. He was making a great job making Sakura feel even more empty and sad.

It didn't take longer than dinner for Deidara's father to get drunk much to Deidara's dismay. After dessert he was off his mind.

"I'm so glad we're doing this, the business deal and Deidara and Sakura!"

He took another swing of his brandy.

"They're perfect for each other so now, every time I see Shizune's engagement ring I don't see her ring anymore. It's Sakura's now!"

Tsunade looked down on the ring in awe. It was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. She couldn't figure out how Shizune could be wearing it at all times without getting wrist injuries. Well, it wasn't that big but it was heavy.

"Why don't you try it on Sakura?"

Sakura and Deidara shook their head in unison like bubbleheads on a dashboard while Tsunade nodded. She really wanted to see her daughter wearing that ring that should be hers as soon as they were done with high school, perhaps even in her senior year.

"Come on!"

Deidara's father was all over the place gesturing for his wife to take off her ring.

"Dad, she doesn't want to."

By having her back Deidara hoped to gain some points in her book. It was so that just the idea of her wearing the ring made his stomach turn. He didn't want her too. He didn't want her to have the ring because it meant that there would be extra pressure on him to marry her. It wasn't fair to any of them. He didn't love her not in that way.

"Don't be silly, try it on now!"

Tsunade's words were law. Shizune slipped the ring off her finger. Sakura received it and slipped to on her finger. She put on a smile but it was almost as if the ring burned around her finger. She had been so happy hearing the news about the ring but now it made her feel trapped. Trapped in an awful future where her perfect husband didn't love her and then nothing would be perfect. He loved her best friend. They all did. No one ever preferred Sakura.

She was quick to pull the ring off ending her mother's gasp. She handed it back to Shizune with a shared smile of pity. Shizune knew that her son didn't love Sakura and she now also knew that Sakura knew. Yet nobody would jump in and help them. They all pushed them on. The happy couple who had dated since kindergarten. Sakura was trapped.

"Where's the rest of this brandy?!"

"Father, why don't we go outside? Celebrate with those cigars?"

He wanted to save his father from further humiliation. On his and the rest of his family's behalf. Deidara could easily convince him to go home to his bed. It shouldn't be too hard considering his state.

They didn't share a word in the elevator. Deidara merely sighed. Again he was the one acting like the grown up and taking care of the matter. He was supposed to be the one getting drunk. He was the teenager. If only they would let him be one.

"You're making a fool out of yourself up there."

His voice had been calm and apathetic. It had almost surprised himself. He sounded so cold. He was just so sick of their games.

"We're just having fun!"

He wasn't having fun. He hadn't been having fun in ages.

"You're drunk. It's embarrassing to me, my other and the Harunos. You've worked so hard on this and you're spoiling it!"

Deidara could see his father's face getting red in front of him. He couldn't remember ever seeing his father's face turn red. He was always so calm and carefree. Not now, now he was a drug addict and he did have a care.

"I'm the adult here!"

He messed, shaking finger pointing.

"Then you can imagine how this feels."

"I'm going inside!"

Deidara couldn't let him do that. He had put on enough of a spectacle for the night. Deidara shot out his arm stopping him from walking away. Deidara would get him a cab and send him on his way home.

"Get off me!"

It ended up being his father sending him somewhere, straight to the ground. His father had punched him. Right in the jaw. Deidara's ears were ringing he could swear he heard sirens. His head was throbbing and he could taste blood. He had a gash inside his mouth his teeth must have cut. It stung.

A hand was reached out to him. A dark blue one, navy. He had heard sirens.

"Everything fine here sir?"

He saw his father pull his hair.

"He's fine, it's my son!"

"We're asking him now sir."

The second cop next to his father didn't look too pleased waiting for Deidara's signal to do their work.

"Check his pockets while you're at it."

He knew they would find coke. He was wearing the same jacket as he had in the office.

"I'm sorry dad, it's for your own good."

Deidara hadn't expected this to feel so good. He had done a horrible thing. Sending his own father to jail. He wouldn't be there long though. He'd probably be home next morning if his mother didn't go and get him tonight already. She probably would. Perhaps this would set him straight. Make him see how serious things were. His right hook had certainly been serious.

Deidara dug in his pocked finding some bills. He walked over to the doorman locking eyes with him.

"My father went home sick, not a word of this."

The cash changed hands and the doorman nodded. He worked with the rich. He knew how this worked. He even felt bad for the kid. He wouldn't have needed the money but he gladly took them.

Spotted on Fifth Avenue. A father and son showdown. Too bad not all the witnesses can be bought off.

From the penthouse Sakura had been watching the whole show from beginning to end.

XOXO

Sasuke was sitting alone in the VIP spot in the club. He was drinking his sorrows off. He had decided to still open the club for customers even if he had rented the whole place. He would feel less alone drinking alone in the crowd.

He watched the girls dance on the stage and it didn't give him the same joy as it had when he first discovered the place. Nothing had changed except him losing what little respect his father had for him. It was almost as he contemplated running off to some third world country and do some good like Itachi.

Itachi?

Suddenly his father plumped down next to him on the couch, a woman on his other side and Itachi grabbed a chair.

"Daylight doesn't do this place justice."

"Yes, you brother convinced your father to have another look when the place was in motion."

The woman turned and smiled at the bewildered Uchiha. He had mere seconds ago been filling the emptiness inside him with scotch and now they were all here.

"This is Pauletta Cho, she's been writing an article on me."

She was supposed to write an article on Itachi too but that hadn't been possible. He had spent his week with booze, countless woman and illegal substances not necessarily in that order.

"The paperwork was fine, but it was the desperate need of wish fulfillment that drew me in brother."

Brother, had his brother stepped in to save him again? Had his brother bought the club, he had the money too.

"Perchance it was old thinking and fatherly bias that drove me to say no first."

His father was going to buy the club? Why did it matter anyway? Had only his father given him access to his trust fond he would have bought it himself.

"So I bought this place before he could."

Itachi had bought it. He slapped the papers on the table. Sasuke leaned back in the sofa. Some part of him thrilled that the club had been bought and wouldn't be closed but had it had to Itachi who bought it? Why did Itachi have to end up with everything nice?

"I need you to sign the papers."

First then did Sasuke notice the yellow post-it sticker. He flung open the last page. He could see it in black and white. It didn't say that Itachi was the owner. Itachi was merely the buyer. Sasuke was listed as the owner. He had ended up getting the club in the end.

Sasuke promptly fished out a pen and signed the paper Sasuke Uchiha.

"Celebrate with drinks?"

Itachi addressed the lady they had come with. He thought for his brother to have some alone time with their father. Also, Pauletta was fairly doable. She nodded. As they walked off Itachi placed a hand on her lower back looking over his shoulder and winked at Sasuke.

"If you run this place well, you can expect some changes."

Fugaku was fiddling with his phone. Sasuke looked up at the dancers strutting around in just their panties and he took a sip of his drink.

"I've been trying to reach Kurenai all day. You haven't told anyone have you?"

No, he hadn't told anyone about them but he had told Kurenai about the hot journalist.

XOXO

Asuma could hear heel clicking on his concrete gallery floor. He was certain Tenten who was going to help him out didn't ever wear heels so he turned around.

Kurenai had that wishful pout on her red lips. Her hair that was slightly and naturally curly on the end bounced with each step she took. In her hand she carried a bottle of red wine, her favorite one, and two glasses.

"Even I like it clean, but I don't use the broom on my ceiling."

She wouldn't ever but she might get her cleaning lady to do it.

"I'm putting an art installation that projects to the ceiling."

"Not much has changed, still trying too hard to get a lady on her back."

Asuma sighed and climbed down from the latter he had been standing in. He was in no mood for this. Not even her ever deep attentive eyes could change that.

"I have a lot of work ahead of me. Why are you here? Did you and Fugaku break up again?"

Kurenai wanted to tell him that they had never broken up because they recently became an item. She wanted to tell him that he was cheating on her and she hadn't had the guts to confront him and therefor they were still technically together.

"What did I do to make me lash out on me in that matter?"

Asuma sighed bending his head down rubbing his eyebrows. She hadn't done him anything. He didn't care who she was or wasn't in a relationship with. If she wanted to be here he would hate to be the one to make her leave.

"I'm sorry, it's been a long day, you're welcome to stay and watch the project with me."

He had wanted to say more than that he was sorry. He had wanted to tell her why he had been having such an awful day from the darkest deepest corner of hell. His wife had moved out and moved on. He had just realized this today and he had unlike Kurenai confronted his partner with it. It hadn't done him anything good.

"I don't want to be in your way."

Kurenai would rather be in his hair than sitting home alone while Naruto was locked up in his room or with friends and Ino was off doing God know what with God know who.

"Since when Yuhi?"

She smiled and sat down her glasses so that she could easier pour wine. Asuma went over to his pillow box and threw some out for them to lie on. He didn't care that he was married and she was dating another man.

XOXO

Sakura came running down as she saw the Captain being taken away in the police car. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. Deidara had been sucker punched by his father and that bad. It looked painfully and she was throughout happy that she hadn't heard the sound up in the top floor.

She ran out the door only to find Deidara with one hand on a car door. She clutched her pearls that had been pounding against her chest. She was out of breath. Sakura never ran.

"Where are you going?!"

He was just going to leave her after that show? Didn't he have any faith in her?"

"I promised Sasuke to go to that club he's been going on and on about."

Sakura slammed the car door shut. She was about to give him some piece of her mind. She was fuming. They used to tell each other everything. If the hair dresser cut Deidara's hair too short or Sakura was certain her skinny latte wasn't skinny. They told each other everything and now they hardly ever communicated with anything but yes or no questions and worse grunts.

"Your father just got arrested! Don't you want to talk to me about it?"

If he confined in her they would go closer again. She would be his supporting and loving girlfriend and he could be hers. They might even go somewhere private where they would be doing no talking.

"Talk to you? There's always something else that's on your mind! Scheming with Sasuke, a dinner, taking down Ino, a masked ball…"

Sakura cut him short. How dared he?

"Yeah, let's talk about that girl and that ball? I was willing to forgive and forget! I waited for you the whole night, I was ready to fully give myself to you and you didn't even try! Why? Because you were kissing and proclaiming your love for Ino! Don't you love me anymore?"

Deidara was certain that she didn't know any of that. Certain that she hadn't seen and that Hinata wouldn't break. He couldn't blame her it was for the best. She had bigger balls than him telling Sakura that her boyfriend had been kissing her best friend, again.

"Was it something I did?"

It was never Sakura's fault. She had never done anything to hurt him, to make him turn against her. She had been the loving girlfriend but he had grown weary of her.

"It was never something you did or didn't do."

Sakura grabbed the handle on the car door and ripped it open again.

"You should go see your dad. He needs you. I don't."

Again he kept quiet. Not because his lip stung like a bee when he talked because there was nothing left for him to say. There was nothing left to fight for. His father had gotten what he wanted and he didn't have to keep seeing Sakura he figured. He let her go.

XOXO

Sasuke had been informed that his car was about to arrive soon. He had finished his drink and gone out to greet his friend.

He opened the door and was about to yell Dei when Sakura left the car with a frown. He knew her better. He took one glance at her eyes and knew she was sad.

"Where's Dei?"

It was the car he had sent for Deidara. He was told Deidara was coming and he got Sakura. She was certainly invited but it wasn't anything for her and she had initially declined him. Now she was standing in front of him hands on her hip. She did not look like anyone about to walk into a burlesque club. She had a lemon yellow diamond encrusted headband on in her curled hair. Her dress looked like something her mother had picked out and her facial expression told him that she was wrecked.

"I think we broke up."

She spun around just able to glance at Sasuke's expression for mere second. He hadn't been expecting this. He hadn't been expecting Sakura and definitively not a single Sakura.

"I just want to escape everything. This is what the place is for, right?"

Sasuke could do nothing but to follow her into the building.

After a few drinks Sakura seemed more relaxed. Sasuke would even go as far as saying that she was enjoying herself. She sat on the very edge on the sofa bent over almost double watching intently on the group of ladies dancing.

Sasuke bent over and talked into her ear over the music.

"If you want to talk about it."

She shook her head. She didn't want to talk about it. She guessed it was pending. This was the time she broke off with her one true love to grow as a person and she could only do that on her own without a man.

"I feel free, I feel relief."

Any normal person couldn't have heard her mutter to herself in the crowded and noisy room. Sasuke wasn't any normal person. He was Sasuke Uchiha and he already had years of experience in talking inside clubs. He heard everything she had said.

Sakuras fifth glass crashed with smiling lips. She was mesmerized with the ladies dancing on the stage.

"You know? I have moves."

Sasuke immediately caught attention and moved closer to Sakura.

"Yeah? Why don't you go up there?"

Sakura sighed and let out a giggle. She knew what he was doing.

"I'm just saying I have moves."

Sasuke leaned back again. It was all of his act. She knew that.

"You really don't think I would get up there?"

She knew he certainly hoped. She had gotten brave drinking champagne and booze and allowed herself to play straight into his trap.

"It would be a treat, you're 10.000 times hotter than those girls, but no."

"Guard my drink!"

Some of it spilled as she slammed it down on the table and got up on her feet. Her heart kept pounding harder the closer she got to the steps leading up to the stage.

She quickly found her spot on the centre of the stage. A few guys standing next to it made big eyes. She giggled. She had just entered the stage and they were already cheering for her.

She shot her arm in the air index finger out and slowly started moving her hips to the music. She let her hands meet again and slowly lowered them to pull off her headband and throw it to the audience.

Now it was Sasuke sitting on the edge of his seat. Once again his mind had been blown today. Never would he guessed that a single Sakura would be preforming on his burlesque club. He hadn't known he possessed such skills. He got up from his seat when Sakura pulled down the zipper off her dress. She took the arms off and let the rest fall off as she shook her hips to the music.

Beneath her dress she was wearing a purple slip decorated with silver threads. It had been a birthday gift from Ino and she had recently been able to fit into it again. She could see that Sasuke was practically drooling when she turned her back to the crowd. She bent down letting her finger trail the black line that went up her pantyhose. She didn't stop until she had slightly lifted her slip.

"Who's that girl?"

A black transvestite had approached Sasuke and spoke over his shoulder. He had a good question, who was that girl?

"I have no idea!"

He didn't. This wasn't the Sakura he knew but she certainly seemed to be enjoying her new self and he was enjoying her too.

"You go baby vamp!"

The black transvestite started screaming and cheering behind Sasuke who could only smile mesmerized by Sakura.

Sakura bent down and started playing with her pearls. It was something about the lighting. It cast a dark shadow in Sakura's face with dark red lips. Her smiles and giggles made her seem so innocent. To Sasuke she looked perfect seemingly innocent, almost angelic but she had her dark sides. He relished her dark sides.

As you might have guessed Upper East Siders, prohibition never stood a chance against exhibition. It's human nature to be free. And no matter how long you try to be good, you can't keep a bad girl down.

XOXO

"Get dressed again!"

Deidara had just taken off his jacket and watched as his mother had been on the phone with their lawyer. They were going down to the station to pay his bail. Deidara would drop the charges and it would almost be all good again.

"We're meeting the lawyer there."

Deidara watched as horror washed of his mother's face. She always looked so calm and collected. She wasn't now.

"Aren't we just going to pay his bail and go home?"

Deidara was more than ready to say goodbye to this day.

"His bail is set at a million dollars?"

Deidara's eyebrows furrowed. A million dollar? He didn't understand.

"It was just a punch and some coke."

His mother shook her head and bit down on her finger for a few seconds before she spoke again.

"He's also arrested for fraud… and embezzlement. I assume they have been building their case for a while."

XOXO

"Thank for giving me a ride home."

Sakura knew it meant a lot. Sasuke hated having others with him in his limousine. It was his and his alone. Others stained the seats and annoyed him. Limousine was alone time for Sasuke.

"You were amazing up there on the stage. Must have been the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Sakura turned around to look at Sasuke. He was looking at her too. He looked honest to Sakura. He had nothing to lie for. Sasuke never lied he told things as they were.

Sakura bit her bottom lip stretching her neck towards Sasuke.

No, she couldn't be thinking that. It was Sasuke. The biggest womanizer she knew. That probably meant that he was good. He would sleep with her and dispose of her.

No, he was different with her. Always so calm and understanding to her. He was kind, direct and honest. He was so different from Deidara.

She scooted over and planted her lips on his. The first one was short. He had tasted like mint she had expected him to taste of alcohol. His eyes looked deep into hers and she kissed him again. It was deeper this time. She touched his cheek with her hand. He was warm it almost felt as if he was blushing.

Sakura bit down on his lip already growing tired of just kissing. Sasuke denied her access to his mouth and instead pulled away.

"Are you sure?"

He wouldn't want to take adavantage of her. She was sad and drunk. He should have gotten out of the limousine and taken a cab the rest of the way. She would regret it in the morning. He couldn't bring himself to that. She tasted so sweet, like cherries from her last drink. If she told him no he had several girls to call in his book to take care of the problem she had created in his pants.

He wouldn't have to. She didn't respond to his question with words. She kissed him again. With her hand on the inside of his thigh she shot her tongue right into his mouth. He still tasted minty. He must have brushed his teeth before they left the club. Normal procedure or he was hoping this would happen she didn't know and didn't want to think about. She had allowed herself to fall into each and every of his traps this evening so why not go for another round?

Sakura rested her right leg on his lap. It didn't take long before his hands were all over it. He desperately wished that she hadn't been wearing stockings. He had always imagine her skin to be smooth as the whiskey he enjoyed starting his day with.

Sakura locked her hands in his hair. It was growing long. She liked it like this. She liked Sasuke at the moment. She had a feeling she would regret this in the morning but now she was occupied with something else. Someone else.

XOXO

SR: I don't judge you and thank you for your review. I used to feel the same way about Sakura but she's certainly growing on me. Hope this chapter fulfill your Sakura and Sasuke-Sakura needs because next chapter will probably be more Ino-centric to make up two heavy Sakura chapters. Hope you're able to enjoy the story despite having to skip the Ino parts, next chapter won't be all Ino.

I've noticed that a lot of people prefer Sakura over Ino in this story and I've tried to fulfill those and I've started to enjoy fulfilling them so expect a natural Sakura take over as you know her character will become more important.

As always, I'm open for ideas, requests, praise and constructive criticism.

*Gossip Girl spoiler*

Ever since it's been revealed that Gossip Girl is Dan I've occasionally started hearing the blasts in his voice and "As you might have guessed Upper East Siders, prohibition never stood a chance against exhibition. It's human nature to be free. And no matter how long you try to be good, you can't keep a bad girl down" gets me every time.