Disclaimer: Love, I don't need to own Naruto to write fanfiction.
Penname: LiveLoveLaugh
FanFiction Story: Such Sweet Sorrow
Summary: Sequel of Backstabbing Love In the Wheel of Fortune, Sakura tries her luck on men.
AN: Hoped everyone liked the short Featherweight: 12:56 pm, here's the continuing update!
Sake Drive: 7:34 pm
"She could have just slapped me, but nooo…she had to punch me…" Shikamaru scowled at the giggling Tenten, who had let her hair down from the usual twin buns, while waiting for his drink at the bar, "You're lucky you're a woman, or I would have thrown my shadow on you."
"Oh pwease, Shika-kun," the weapon kunoichi cooed in the same baby voice Ino used on him not so long ago, "You have to admit your gossip got Sakura-san into a lot of trouble with her parents—and the entire village—besides she had only wanted paid back."
"Hey! It's not my fucking fault that Kiba took it too far, I didn't expect it would be such a big deal!" the shadow shinobi scoffed, his eyes turned to the balding bartender who was wiping a sake bottle with a wet towel.
"Three sakes please," he said suddenly, ignoring the confused look on the older man's face when he was looking at the gray-blue bruise around Shikamaru's eye.
Tenten chuckled when the male Jounin snatched the white bottles away, "That many?"
"Yeah, first one's for the taste, second one is for the stress, and the third is for my shiner," he replied scowling his famous scowl, when the girl laughed behind him once they made it back for the table. Shikamaru sat down next to his blond girlfriend while drowning the first sake, tasting the scorching strong taste that stuck to his tongue and teeth. He sucked out his cavities and molars, shaking his head of the redness that soon surfaced on his pallid cheeks.
The new Dakoun Baka-Haka Bar and Dance Club was the place where Shikamaru and Ino held their engagement party. Nothing too expensive or too fancy (No matter how much the woman complained to Nara), nothing too shabby or disgusting, it was all about tonight hanging out with their close friends with a couple of beers and sakes, a little dancing, listening to the Fire Country bands play music, get their groove on, and maybe for the singles to hook up.
"This place is huge!" Hinata said eccentrically, hiccupping.
The entire club was decorated with old holiday string lights that hung from corner to corner, criss-crossing across the ceiling in the dance floor shining different colored illuminations with the giant silver disco ball strung in the middle of the place. Long green stalks of exotic bamboo grew from black tiled platforms to form comforting landscaping sceneries that were hung with stuffed toy koala bears and cute smiling pandas that clung on each branch with their Velcro straps. The walls were painted midnight black and navy (The color of Shika's bruise for humors) which gave off the impression of shadows and the owner's gigantic framed photographs of buildings and pet dogs suspended on tacks covered with newspaper cutouts of models from the lingerie section.
The place was covered with artistic graffiti a professional had done, signifying drawings of elegant ladies with exaggerated body curves, tan tough-looking men with good hair and exaggerated muscles, long shiny cars, and cumbersome painted flames of red and orange.
The dance floor was a large square in front of the staging area, plastered with shiny metal plates that reflected the people who danced on top, also excellent for the leering perverts to look upon women's skirts. The band that was playing with keyboards, electric guitars, and a metal drum set, sang out through the trance music that pumped out of the large black speakers on the podium. The singers wore scrunched-up traditional yukatas of many bright colors that were florescent in the dim lighting and flashy dressers through the dark outlines, banging on their piano keys, shaking their massive wigs, and the audience could hear the ripping of electric guitars that zipped through the chaotic air.
People, both civilian and shinobi, went to the Baka-Haka every night to let out their stresses with sake, alcoholic drinks, and just to dance. Ino, dressed in a short skirt and blue blouse, was already jumping to the music with her snapping fingers and tapping heels. She and including her companions were able to untie their hitae-ates for just one night mixing into the crowds that gathered one by one in the humongous club.
The Yamanaka blonde persistently pulled on her fiancé's arm, "Come on Shika-kun, just one dance! It's to celebrate our engagement!"
"…No…" the man was only able to drill out that one drunken word, with his face was flushing by the sake's strong effect.
"Nara Shikamaru! I AM NOT YOUR MOTHER!" Ino screamed over the loud music, "You lazyass! GET UP!"
"…fine…fine…" Shika got up while his girlfriend's strong hold on his arm tightened, and moved to the packed dance floor. The rest of the occupants on the table laughed and drowned their own drinks. Rock Lee leaned on the table edge with his bandaged elbow, tempted not to take a sip of sake before the Baka-Haka would be torn apart. He smiled easily in front of Sakura, Tenten, Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru, Chouji, and Shino (Who was doing nothing) while he tried to crack some jokes whilst he was the only one sober.
"—so this old man—right?—was walking to the store with a couple of bucks, then all of a sudden—"
"You already told that joke, loser!" Kiba grounded out, grinning out his canine teeth. He was also sober since there isn't an amount of sake to take him over.
"BY THE POWERS OF MY YOUTH I SHALL NOT FAIL TO COME UP WITH ANOTHER HILARIOUS JOKE FOR MY FRIENDS' NIGHTLY ENTERTAINMENT!" Lee did his Good Guy Pose, and sat back down drinking his punch.
Everyone else just sweat-dropped and continued talking.
Tenten elbowed Sakura on her arm, nodding towards to the bar, "Wanna go over there, ne…?" the brunette grinned, already brushing her tresses over her ear and applying more gloss on her lips. Sakura looked at the group of men who looked back at their table, nodding and smirking to one and other at the pretty girls.
"They're not bad-looking, I guess…" the medic-nin murmured.
"Not bad-looking! They're gorgeous!" Tenten giggled, unlike herself.
"I don't know…" Sakura trailed on, seeing that the alcohol in the weapon specialist's system had really spiked up her behavior.
"Don't be such a spoil sport!" Tenten murmured disappointedly, "You and I used to team up and flirt with boys before—"
"I know, I know," Sakura interrupted, pouring more of that intoxicating sake into her small cup, "But…I don't feel like it tonight…"
"Alright, alright…" Tenten smiled warmly, "I'll just be attractive by myself, see you around." And the woman left immediately to the group of young men who were ogling the kunoichi. Sakura silently tilted her sake cup and took it to her mouth hastily, bringing it back down when the addicting taste was left on her parted lips.
Rock Lee looked at the empty spot next to Sakura, "Where's Tenten-san?" He had obviously missed her leave.
"S-She went over there…" Hinata hiccupped, clapping a hand over her foul mouth embarrassingly. When Lee saw where his teammate was, he was stunned for a moment and left without a youthful good-bye. After the moment when all the boastful laughing and noise Kiba was making about Lee's departure—whatever it was about, Sakura brushed the stray hairs from her face and missed the look Shino gave her behind his intimidating sunglasses. She drowned yet another cup of sake.
"S-Sakura m-may b-be you should hold your d-drink," Hinata stuttered, she herself had never drank so much.
"It's alright…" Sakura whispered raspy, pouring some more sake in her cup. Kiba gave her a grin.
"Yeah! Tonight is all about partying, right!" The Inuzuka member grinned wider, pouring more into his own bigger cup. He held it up towards Sakura.
"Come on Sakura! Have some cheers with me!" he exclaimed, not even noticing the hazy look in her eyes.
"What…are we celebrating about…?" she was having a hard time swallowing her saliva.
"Duh! About Ino and Shikamaru's engagement! And uh—oh yeah! About you moving on!" Kiba smiled, baring his white canine teeth, his deep red tattoos spread like eagle wings with his dynamite grin.
"Kiba…" Chouji warned, pressuring his words. The three other sane tablemates noticed that Sakura became grimmer while she still held up her sake cup.
Kiba laughed, his shoulders shaking a bit to spill his filled sake, "At least we all know you dumped the famous Uchiha Sasuke! He was a jerk wasn't he? Sometimes I wonder whether it was you who dumped his sorry ass or him who did it!"
"Kiba…shut up…" Chouji whispered tersely. So much for the mutt holding his liquor. Sakura lowered her chin down a fraction. Hinata looked worried, shooting her eyes back and forth.
"You have got to be the first girl I've seen that didn't love him anymore!" the Inuzuka member grinned bigger, sort of scarier. It was definite to everyone that Kiba was drunk, "Dang did it come out in the blue? That must be amazing! You should teach the other Sasuke-teme-crazed chicks out there—hell, they need some loving if they still wait around for that jackass—"
"Kiba," a strong unwavering voice spoke out like a trembling streak through the air. Everyone turned to Shino who sat stilly and calmly, not even close to touching any drink. Inuzuka Kiba stopped talking, having a confused look on his face.
Surprisingly, Sakura forced herself to chuckle like nothing had happened the past seconds ago. She held up her sake cup high with slightly shivering fingers, urging herself to smile a marionette smile.
"You're right, you're so right, Kiba-san…" she said a bit loudly, Inner Sakura shook her head in shame as she watched her outer part force out the false side out of her.
"You're definitely right, huh? I did dump him because he was a jerk, thank you…" Sakura whispered tensely, her smile was twitching and the flush across her face showed hat she was getting drunk.
"To the Yamanaka-Nara wedding! And to ME and SASUKE-TEME'S breakup!" she dunked the cup to her lips and emptying the contents while the others watched her gravely.
To Be Continued
Dakoun Baka-Haka means: Muddy Idiot's Grave. I had to choose the name for the club, it was interesting, haha. The way the club looked just came to my mind, it's kinda cool huh?