Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

AN: Wow. That was all I could say. _Wow_. After I posted this fic, my father decided to defragment the drive, and when I finally got a hold of it a few days later, I was blown away by the amount of reviews. This was by far the most reviewed (per chapter) fic that I had ever written.

And of course, with so many people wanting more, I couldn't say no. So I wrote more. But the thing is, the more I wrote, the more I realized something. Sasuke isn't really that nice. *runs from fan girls screaming, "Sasuke-kun!"* I know I'm being absolutely horrible, but really. For this story to work, Sasuke-kun can't be a Nice Guy. And so, the genre has been tweaked slightly.

Also, a few asked if this was going to be a NaruHina. The answer is this: I don't know. I really don't. Right now I can only handle one pairing. Or one and a half, if you count Ino and Shikamaru, whose relationship has already been established. So I really have no idea about future pairings.

This is actually not so much a chapter as a bridge between two, because I needed something to link things together.

Notes:

Thoughts

"Speech"

Optimism

Chapter II

By: Poison Ivy

~

Sakura blearily opened her eyes against the bright sunshine through her window.

What? She groggily registered before she identified the insistent and rhythmic banging from downstairs.

Someone was knocking. Loudly.

Grumbling to herself about early mornings and lost beauty sleep, the shinobi fell out of bed, grabbed a robe, and felt her way downstairs, eyes closed stubbornly against the light.

She pulled open the door, ready to either grumble a "It's too early, come back later," or scream a "What's wrong with you? Go away!" depending on who it was. She still hadn't classified all her friends into either category when someone pushed past her roughly and into the house.

Someone with blonde hair, and a rather too cheery, "Ohayou!"

She blinked wearily. "…Ino?"

Her friend turned to her and smiled. "Close the door Sakura!" she admonished, "You're letting in a draft!"

Sakura numbly did as she was told while she listened to Ino bustling about in the kitchen. "Isn't it too early for this Ino-chan?" she asked, confusion evident on her face.

Ino reappeared back into her vision, tapping Sakura on the nose.

"It's never to early to celebrate Sakura-baka-chan!"

Before her tired mind could tell her mouth to ask _what_ they were celebrating, Sakura found herself dressed and out onto in Konoha, because as Ino had said vaguely, "You just don't have celebration _food_." (She had wondered dully what celebration food _was_, and why ramen wasn't ramen was OK)

"Ino," she protested mildly, being dragged along by one arm, "I have to meet with me team today, and I'll be late." If I'm not late already, she added grimly to herself.

But Ino just brushed it off. "Don't worry Sakura-baka-chan! It's early!" (No shit, Sherlock, Sakura's sleep-deprived mind grumbled.) "And knowing that Kakashi, he'll be late for sure!"

"Ino-chan," she tried again, "let's not do this right now okay? Yesterday wasn't a good day for me and—"

Ino's face loomed incredibly close, grinning a maniacal grin. "Exactly!" she cackled.

Sakura suddenly dug her heels in, instantly suspicious. "What _exactly_ are we celebrating?" until now, she had assumed that it had something to do with Ino's and Shikamaru's relationship.

Ino looked confused. "Why, you and Neji, of course." She said.

Sakura was flabbergasted.

"What?" Well, that settles it. I've been transported to another dimension.

Ino waved a hand dismissively. "Oh you know. I was a little hurt that you guys didn't tell me, but I guess it was sudden or something, so I totally forgive you. I mean, I always thought that Neji was a bit of a hardass, but not after that little display. Now you have to tell me _everything_."

She said all this very fast.

"It's all the village is talking about you know." She added as an afterthought.

"_What_?"

*

Today was a weird day for Naruto. He was just minding his own business, eating his breakfast ramen (he had woken up late after the party) when suddenly, he was pinned against a tree, staring into Sharingan eyes.

"Where the fuck is she?" Sasuke asked him, looking mad.

All Naruto could manage was a blank look. "Who?"

"You know who. Sakura."

Naruto wracked his brain. After all, it was hard to think while being pinned to a tree. Even if he had known, he wouldn't have told Sasuke. After all, blonde ninja wasn't dumb. Well, at least, not anymore. "…not here?" he squeaked hopefully.

Sasuke released him with a sigh. "I should've known." He muttered to himself.

Naruto rubbed his neck. Sasuke had never looked this angry, and Naruto _knew_ that this was not the time to taunt him. The same way that he knew when someone had been eating his ramen.

The two rivals sat opposite each other, glaring at each other uneasily. One could practically _see_ the tension.

I hope you get here soon Sakura-chan. Something's _really_ wrong with Sasuke.
*

Sakura tried to keep her eyes from glazing over. For the past ten minutes, Ino had been talking non-stop.

She loved her friend, but really, once she began, she _never_ stopped chatting.

"I still don't see why that needs a celebration." She interrupted, hoping that she had distracted the girl.

"Because," Ino was now waving her arms rising with every word, "You _finally_ got a guy!"

As she said this, Sakura came face to face with a glaring TenTen and a rather bemused Neji.

*

He had a feeling that the entire female population had gone crazy.

After the team training, he had been about to train alone when a beaming TenTen attached herself to his arm.

She had disregarded his (decreasing in subtlety) attempts to dislodge her. In fact, she had clamped on ever tighter, smiling a sickening smile.

"Neji-kun," she cooed, looking at him with googly eyes, "you wanna go train?"

In a moment of sheer panic, Neji wondered what he had done wrong to deserve this.

He mumbled something, which instead of her taking as. "No. Go away and leave me alone," took instead as, "Yes TenTen. Stay longer!"

And the worst part about the whole mess as far as he was concerned (besides the fact that his arm was going numb, and she was smiling that _smile_) the worst part was that "training" turned out to be "impromptu shopping spree."

He was sure that somehow, he was going to end up carrying bags.

And so, wearing the face of a warrior ready to accept his doom, Neji was dragged into the square.

Just in time to catch the tale end of a very compromising statement.

And, of course, it did nothing to appease his opinion that the females had all gone crazy.

~

AN: heh heh…reviewers get cookies?