>>>---THIS JUST IN!--->

Hello again! Before I start the second chapter of my work, I'd like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful people who took some time to write reviews for my first chapter. You guys are the ones who keep this fanfic going. (Pennames will be posted after) Please keep reading and I will try my very best to update this as soon as possible. I won't let you guys down. So, sit back and enjoy:)

Chapter Two: The Sleepover

It had already been a few hours since the sun had set, and evening descended on the hidden village of the Leaf. The strong downpour that ravaged the town was nothing more than a slight drizzle now.

Beneath the faint light of the crescent moon, Sakura slowly made her way back to the village. She passed through one of the narrow streets leading to her house, where a number of dimly lit taverns could be seen. The muffled roaring and jeering of drunken men resounded from within. She checked her timepiece. It was about a quarter past nine, usually the time when old men came out to play. She was passing a nearby restaurant when the perverted toad hermit suddenly stumbled out, startling her. He was laughing boisterously, with a drunken blush on his face. In his right hand was a large bottle of sake, and in the other was an attractive young woman.

Jiraiya looked intently at the pink-haired kunoichi, pointed his face at her and muttered,

"Hey, I know you..."

He paused for a while, trying to recall something.

"Ah! You're Naruto's girl, right?" He asked, winking at her.

The girl blushed bright red and shook her head violently. The legendary sannin just shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, that's what Naruto tells me!"

Sakura watched as the pair walked away. Strangely, being called "Naruto's girl" didn't sound so repulsive to her anymore.

She arrived at her house a while later.

"Okasan, I'm home." She called out.

Her mother was doing some chores in the kitchen.

"Sakura, one of your friends dropped by earlier looking for you. She's in the living room waiting."

"Okay, I'll be right there." She answered.

Sure enough, she found her best friend / worst enemy, Yamanaka Ino, sitting patiently on the couch.

"Sakura! You've been gone for the whole day. Where were you?" She asked.

"Oh, just somewhere... I've been thinking... Y'know, sorting things out..." She murmured. "Anyway, what brings you here, Ino?"

"Well, Sakura, I came to ask you something." Her blonde friend replied. "You see, my parents left for the weekend and I was just wondering if you'd like to come spend the night at my place."

"Gee, it sounds like fun, Ino, but why on such short notice?"

"I just thought we had a lot of catching up to do. Besides, it's been ages since we last did this. Don't worry, your mom said it would be okay." She said, grinning. "So, how 'bout it?"

Sakura took a moment to think. The very thing that she needed the most right now was a friend who could talk to her and listen to her problems.

"Sure, that sounds great, Ino." She replied, smiling back at her friend. "Give me a minute to pack my stuff then we can go."

Ino accompanied Sakura to her room while waiting for her to get ready. The pink-haired girl stripped herself of her soaked red outer garment and began to search her closet for a new one. Ino sat down comfortably on her bed and watched as her friend dressed up.

"Wow, Sakura, you've really matured." She said, remarking on her friend's figure.

"Thanks, Ino," She said, a smile lighting up her face. "So have you."

The blonde kunoichi looked around the room. In one corner, she saw the group picture of Team Seven and the first thing that caught her eye was the young frowning Sasuke. She laughed, thinking of a funny moment from their childhood.

"Ne, Sakura, do you remember the time when we used to bathe together?"

Sakura looked up from a big pile of clothes and giggled.

"Sure I do! How could I forget? You would always show off your body to me and brag that someday you would definitely get Sasuke-kun to fall in love with you because he liked girls with perfect figures."

"You had a major crush on him too right? Its too bad neither of us got to him in the end."

"Yeah..." Sakura sighed. "You can say that again."

The two girls arrived at the Yamanaka residence after a short walk. It was already about ten o'clock. Most people would be in bed right now and the inns and taverns were preparing to close. Ino showed Sakura into her room and helped her unpack.

"So, is there any particular boy whom you have your eyes on right now?" Sakura asked teasingly.

Ino blushed and looked shyly at her feet. She was speechless for some time, not knowing what to say. This gesture of hers answered Sakura's question.

"Ha, I knew it! Who? Come on, Ino… You can tell me!"

"Well, there is this one guy…" She muttered. She leaned over to her friend and whispered something in her ear.

"Whoa! No way! Are you serious?" Sakura asked excitedly.

The blonde kunoichi nodded her head bashfully.

"But why? What attracted you to him all of a sudden? I really never saw this coming, you know…"

"Me neither. I never expected that we'd become more than just friends. He is really a great guy. I wonder why it took me such a long time to notice him." She mused. "Yeah, he can be lazy at times, but he more than makes up for that with his brilliance. He was the first one from among us to become chuunin, after all."

"But, Ino…" She said, "You two have totally different personalities… I think you already know this by now. How are you two going to work things out?"

"It was hard, but I think we were finally getting along. He turned out to be a really sweet guy after all. Eventually, we tried dating and started seeing each other everyday. One beautiful starry evening, he told me that he really loved me and we swore never to leave each other under the moon and heavens. It was a magic moment, something every girl would dream of, but…"

"But what?"

"We got into a fight…"

"What? Why?"

"It was my fault… Because of his success in recent missions, he was personally handpicked by Hokage-sama to become an ANBU strategist and leader. Naturally, that kind of position comes with heavy responsibility. He was accountable to anything that happens to his subordinates, and in order to be efficient, he needed proper training. Before taking on the job, he asked my opinion on it. He explained that he might not have as much time to spend with me anymore. I didn't mind and told him to go for it."

"Wow… you must have been really proud of him, huh?"

"I sure was. I felt very happy for him. I tried not to be lonely even though I missed him so much. I still felt glad because of the fact that we could still see each other a few times every week. But you know what, Sakura?"

"What? What happened?"

"I couldn't take it anymore. The loneliness was gnawing at me from the inside. Pretty soon, as his training intensified, his schedule only allowed him to spend time with me once a week. I looked forward to the time when we would see each other again, but he even had to cancel that date every now and then. I was extremely hurt and disappointed whenever that happened."

Tears were starting to well up in Ino's eyes. Sakura felt sorry for her friend and tried to comfort her.

"I broke up with him last Sunday, Sakura…" She said tearfully. "I let him know that our relationship was going nowhere, and I told him to come back when he has time for me, but…"

Ino paused, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"…The truth is, I want him back, Sakura. Its been driving me crazy these last few days. He's all I ever think about. Every waking moment I wonder how he's doing and I want to know what he's going through. I miss him so much and I can't stand the thought of losing him to another girl…"

That was it. She couldn't hold back anymore and buried her face in Sakura's chest, letting her tears flow. Sakura gave her friend a reassuring hug and patted her gently, trying her best to calm her. Ino was going through the same exact thing that she was feeling, except Ino knew what it was like to be loved by her special someone. The pink-haired girl let out a deep sigh.

Nara Shikamaru had officially stolen Ino's heart.

>>>---THIS JUST IN!--->

This is it for the second chapter. Thanks for reading! So what do you think? Please review and a new chapter will be up next week:-)

Once again, a warm "Thank You" to the following people for making this chapter possible. Your words have done wonders for me. Take care!

AngeloflLight

Kage Kodomo45

Niebezpiczny Ksiezyc

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flowerangel050

susakuru