A/N: Hello!! Sorry if it took so long………fanfiction has been down lately………*pouts* just to let you guys know that I wont be able to update next week because of some 'stuff' going on………but I will update as soon as I can………hehe!!

Disclaimer: no comment

~Blackout!!~

Nightfall came and the sound of the tides coming in could be heard in the silence over the beach house. The tropical-like trees were going hard with the harsh wind banging everywhere in sight, like a raging tiger. Among the harshness from outside, the beach house seemed warm and calm inside as everyone gathered for dinner.

Hinata and Ino were serving the others, passing plates and eating utensils while Naruto was preparing the meal. Everyone else sat down and started chatting about daily gossip………well some of them. ^^

Sakura sat down next to Neji holding his hand and were easily displayed as lovebirds when the others saw them. Sasuke, on the other hand sat alone in a corner of the dinner table beside Hinata and Naruto.

As they were all eating, the lights above them blinked on and off by itself once, and everyone thought that it was nothing. Dinner was normal, again………and later they cleaned after themselves and started to do their own things.

Ino decided to help Hinata with the dishes and Rock Lee said that he will meet her upstairs while Shikamaru stayed behind. Neji wanted to escort Sakura to her bedroom but she told him that she wanted to stay downstairs for a while, and he followed her wishes. Temari and her sibling went upstairs after Rock Lee while Sasuke just sat at the dinner table watching everyone.

The lights flickered again and Naruto became frustrated. He scratched his head and said to Hinata, "They are beginning to be annoying, Hinata," Hinata told him that it's ok, it happens all the time when it's really windy outside. ^^

Sakura later dismissed herself to the restroom and Neji decided to go upstairs while she was in there. Ten-Ten realized that Neji was going upstairs and decided to follow him.

Later, the dishes were done and Hinata decided to follow Naruto to his bedroom and Ino dried the counter with a towel and started to head upstairs. Shikamaru, on the other hand followed her because he had nothing to do, while Sasuke started to clean his dishes.

Inside the restroom, Sakura carefully washed her face trying not to get some of the bandages wet and later she washed her hands. Her green eyes then looked at her reflection and then turned away. Then there was someone from outside of the door, "Could I come in? I just need to wash my hands," Sakura opened the door for the person and he turned on the faucet, and right when Sakura turned the doorknob, all lights went out.

Startled, Sakura continued to open the door but it wouldn't budge. "Um, excuse me, the door won't budge," she continued to yank on the doorknob and the person gently pushed her aside and opened the door himself.

It wouldn't budge.

"Damn," he whispered as he was trying to open the door………he decided to pound on it, but Sakura stopped him.

"No, don't. I think that we'd better wait for the others, since destroying the door just to get out won't be helpful, at all," Sakura thoughtfully suggested, and the person nodded, but Sakura couldn't see anything, because it was too dark. (There was no nightlight, and even if there was………it would be out)

Ino was also trapped in the restroom but with someone else too. She was busy pounding on the door, "HELP!!" The guy behind her just sat there.

"Bah, don't even think about it. They can't hear us because of this 'special door' we have………I read it in the Terms and Conditions on the invitation here." Shikamaru said. Ino furiously sat down on the floor looking into the darkness around her.

Ino rolled her eyes and said, "You are ridiculous………who reads that anyway?" Shikamaru scoffed.

"Uh……………anyone who has common sense," Shikamaru sneered, "But……….oh wait! You're a blonde, never mind."

A vein popped from Ino's temples and then she held up a fist at him, but he couldn't see it. "How dare you!! No one insults in front of my face and you will never do that again, you hear me??"

"Listening to a blonde like you, nah too much of a nuisance," Shikamaru laughed while Ino slapped him. (Nice shot ^^)

"You do not have any sincerity!! You are nothing but a conceited, inconsiderate little……………" but before Ino could finish her insult, Shikamaru pulled her closer to him and landed a long kiss on her lips.

Ino paused in her steps while her lips were pressed against Shikamaru's. She immediately pulled away and couldn't move. She touched her lips that have been pressed against Shikamaru. Ino looked up and couldn't see the face expression on him, nor he can see hers.

"Why…………what was that all about?" Ino was confused at the moment and tried to recollect everything that had happened since she and Shikamaru have been trapped in the bathroom.

"Bah, nothing. I just felt like doing that." Shikamaru made up a pretext.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM?? I AM SOOO NOT WHAT YOU THINK!! I AM NOT AT ALL EASY!!!" Ino yelled at him. There was an awkward silence that crept over them.

Shikamaru let out a sigh, "Why can't you love me, Ino?"

Ino gasped and looked down at the ground, "Why are you even telling me this?"

"Because I love you," without a hesitation, Shikamaru confessed.

~*~

On the other hand, Rock Lee was in his bedroom alone in the darkness. He couldn't see anything and decided that he would sleep away until the blackout would be dismissed.

"I hope you're ok, Ino," Rock Lee whispered before he dozed off to a sleep.

Downstairs, Naruto and Hinata were in the same bedroom ^^ and they realized that the lights were out. "Hinata?" Naruto called out to her in the dark.

Naruto felt a hand in his and smiled, "I'm here, Naruto-kun,"

In Neji's bedroom, Ten-Ten and Neji sat quietly on their beds waiting for the lights to be turned back on; none of them dared to go outside because it was pitch black.

Temari and Gaara, like Ten-Ten and Neji waited silently for the lights to turn back on. To break the silence Temari kindly brought up the subject about Ten-Ten.

"So…………………brother, you like Ten-Ten don't you?" she looked into the dark by her side and could sense her sibling's presence.

"………"

"Gaara?"

"………"

"If you are at a loss of words, don't worry………even I can be speechless and shy to talk about some people that I really like,"

"Then what about that Sasuke boy,"

"Him? He's just this guy that I like………but I don't like him anymore," Temari fell back on her bed, "Damn it………when are these lights going to get back on?"

"Just wait,"

"Easy for you to say………you can stay up all night because you can't sleep at all,"

"That's the point………just wait,"

Temari gave out a curse and then turned to her side and closed her eyes. If the blackout is going to stay on all night………I might as well sleep on it, she thought.

^_^ Eva ^_^