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Chapter 3

Sakura was deeply engrossed. She was frantically reading, trying to figure out once and for all which character ruled this fantastical world. She was so close she could taste it, the sweet feeling of simply knowing.

When her front door opened, Sakura nearly jumped a foot in the air. She set her book down to go look who entered. It was Ino, who she forgot was coming over.

"I wasn't kidding," Ino said, knowing what her friend was thinking. "We're going to that new bar tonight. You're going to show that guy how hot you are when you wear normal clothes."

Sakura and Ino had different definitions of "normal clothes." To Sakura, wearing white shirts and black pants was normal. Ino was wearing a tight dress that left nothing to the imagination when it came to her shoulders, back, and legs. This was not normal for Sakura.

"Go put a dress on," Ino said. She threw her makeup bag onto the dining table and opened it up. "It better be good, or I'll come pick something out myself."

"You're not going to like anything I pick, anyways," Sakura mumbled.

Sakura owned very few dresses. Most would have been acceptable at church, meaning no exposed shoulders and long enough to touch her knees. She never had a reason to buy something skimpy, since she only ever wore dresses to special gatherings like weddings.

But there was one dress.

Ino took Sakura to a bar the night they graduated from college. Ino had made her buy a new dress for the occasion, and it's been hanging in the back of her closet ever since. Knowing Ino wouldn't be satisfied unless she wore the dress again, Sakura slipped it on.

Ino was pleased Sakura wore The Dress and got to work on her hair and makeup. Sakura's hair was short and only to her shoulders, so Ino didn't have many options. She decided to take Sakura's pink bangs and french braid them to the one side, securing it with a simple pink pin. Her hair may have been done modestly, but Ino spared no expense with makeup. She added winged eyeliner, sparkly eyeshadow, and highlighter. She wanted to add bright red lipstick, as well, but Sakura refused to wear anything but a dark burgundy color.

Sakura didn't have a car, but Ino did. She lived on the outskirts of town, so she always had to drive everywhere. Sometimes Sakura thought cars were a nuisance, but on nights like these it was much easier than walking or catching a taxi.

The bar had only been open a few weeks, so it was still a novelty for people. There was a line out the door and down a block and a half, which deflated Sakura's mood a little; she didn't want to wait all night. Confident as ever, Ino walked right up to the bouncer and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Mind letting us in, handsome?" Ino said in a low voice. She put her arm tight around Sakura's waist, hoping the bouncer's imagination would do some of the work. "It's my girl and I's anniversary, and I would love to dance the night away, real close." The way she battered her eyes and popped her chest out should have been illegal.

Sakura and Ino were laughing as they entered the bar. Sakura never had the courage for stunts like that, but Ino sure knew how to say all the right things in all the right places to get her way. It really was great in times like these, Sakura hated to admit.

Ino went to get them drinks while Sakura tried to find a place to stand. The room was too crowded. They had to be over their max capacity. The bar was stuffed with people sitting at stools and leaning through to get the bartender's attention. Ino wiggled her way through easily, no surprise there. The dance floor was to the brim with dancers, if grinding could be considered dancing. Mostly all the tables were full, too, aside from a couple in the back corner. Sakura started to head there.

"No you don't," Ino said, grabbing Sakura's arm. "We're staying up here with the party. Drink this."

Sakura took one of the shots Ino was balancing in her left hand. She only had a second to notice it was a double shot before Ino was tipping the glass back into her mouth and replacing the shot glass with a full cup. It looked like something fruity, but Sakura knew better than to assume Ino ordered an innocent drink. It was probably half-full with liquor.

"I see our boy!" Ino shouted in Sakura's ear. She pointed across the room to a table perfectly positioned between the dancefloor and the bar. The man from the coffee shop was sitting on top of a table, his friends sitting around him. There were four of them, one of which being Gai.

"I was thinking we could sit..." Sakura pointed dumbly to the back corner where the empty tables were. There was no point, she realized, because Ino was already walking towards the guys.

By time Sakura caught-up, Ino was talking to Gai. She heard the last part of the conversation, where Ino was saying, "so we decided to check out this place. It's so fun to see you!"

Sakura could feel eyes burning into her. She tried not to look at him or blush, failing at both. She watched his eyes as they moved from her feet upwards, taking in her black tights, the hem of her dress skimming the top of her thighs, the semi-tight skirt, the cinch at the waist, the sweetheart neckline, and finally her burgundy lips. He met her eyes then looked away so fast she may have imagined it.

"It's so wonderful to see your youthful face, Sakura!" Gai was gushing. "It's important to live your young lives to the fullest before you're old men like us!"

"Speak for yourself!" one of their friends shouted. He had straight brown hair to his shoulders, a coffee stick in his mouth, and a redness to his cheek hinting at how much he's been drinking. "Some of us are still young!"

Gai gave a loud guffaw. "You're no spring chicken, my friend! You'll be joining the Thirty Club soon enough!"

"Now, now, you're scaring the beautiful ladies," another friend said. He had thick black hair and a full beard, making him look the oldest out of the group. He looked at the girls and smiled. "My name is Asuna. That's Genma and Iruka." Genma was the man with straight hair who was speaking before, and Iruka had the thick ponytail and kind smile. "You know Gai, of course, and that's-"

Genma hit Asuna on the back of the head. Asuna sheepishly looked at the man from the coffee shop, as if he almost did him harm. Sakura exchanged a look with Ino, silently asking if she also thought that was strange.

"She didn't learn your name yet, Damon?" Ino asked in a teasing voice.

"Dante," Sakura and the man said at the same time. She looked up at him in surprise. So he did pay attention to her nicknames for him. Dante was the one she gave him earlier in the day.

Ino waved a hand at them, clearly not caring if she messed up the day's name. Iruka finally spoke and said, "Don't they work at the coffee shop with Gai? They don't know your name?"

The man's eye crinkled, which was the final proof Sakura needed that he was smiling.

"Well, I'm ready for another drink. How about you, Sakura?" Ino said. Sakura lifted her glass to show Ino she had barely touched it, and Ino took the opportunity to tip this glass back, too. Sakura nearly choked in the process, and Gai made a statement about the wildness of youth. "Wow, Sakura, let me go refill that drink for you. Be right back!" Ino said. She skipped off, proud of herself.

Sakura wanted to die of embarrassment. She was still coughing from nearly choking and was left alone with three strangers, that man from the coffee shop, and her manager. She nervously rubbed her arms and looked towards the bar, willing Ino to come back as fast as possible.

"Asuna, I see your beautiful girlfriend across the way!" Gai suddenly announced, jumping up. "Surely we must go celebrate this wonderful evening together!" He grabbed Asuna's shoulders and picked him off his chair, leading him towards the dancefloor. Never one to pass on an opportunity to dance with women, Genma followed.

"Gai has too much energy," Iruka said, shaking his head. "He just worked all day and is still going strong."

"He's an enigma," the man from the coffee shop agreed.

"You're one to talk," Iruka said. "You worked all day, too! Sakura, please sit down."

Sakura awkwardly sat beside Iruka, sitting almost directly in front of the man from the coffee shop. "You worked all day?" she asked him. He had spent more time than her at the coffee shop. "Do you get to work on your laptop?"

"Something like that." He looked up towards the bar. "Ino is coming back with drinks."

Sure enough, Ino was carrying a tray. The waitresses were so busy, they were probably happy to give Ino a tray to carry back herself. There were seven glasses, too many now that three of the guys left.

"Looks like more for us!" Ino said cheerfully. She pushed the man from the coffee shop off the table and into a chair, then handed everyone a glass.

"So, Mystery Man, is there anything Sakura can do to learn your name?" Ino was practically purring her words.

Sakura drank everything in her cup in one go, then drank another whole one. If Ino was going to play these games, she needed to be drunk.

"I'm sure something can be arranged."

There goes her third glass. There was one more left on the tray, which she was tempted to take. She wanted to still be able to stand, so she decided it was better not to. "I'm going," she said instead, not elaborating.

Sakura walked away, Ino following behind after finishing her drink. Iruka gave his friend a nudge, and soon everyone was following the pinkette to the dancefloor.

Sakura was feeling great. She had the double shot when they first arrived, whatever was in that fruity drink, and three glasses of some kind of whiskey. She was still a total lightweight — this was only the second time she's drank. Everything was hitting her strong.

Sakura grabbed Ino and started dancing close to her, not caring if other people were watching. They would probably make the bouncer proud, she thought, which made her laugh out loud. Ino didn't know why she was laughing but was glad to see her friend letting loose and having fun.

Iruka and his friend approached them. Iruka smiled at the girls, but his friend gave no reaction, just staring at Sakura. Iruka noticed and motioned him towards her. When he got close enough, Ino backed off. She winked at Iruka before going off to find someone hot to dance with.

Sakura didn't notice the change of partners at first. Her eyes were closed, enjoying her youthful moment, as Gai would say. She reached out for Ino's shoulders and gasped when her hands fell on a hard chest. She opened her eyes fast and the room spun.

"Easy," he said, grabbing one of her arms to steady her. He could tell she was about to topple over. "You should sit down."

Sakura let out the girliest giggle she ever heard herself utter. "You should sit down," she said in a deep voice, trying to mimic him. A new round of giggles started.

He grabbed her waist and pulled her over towards their table. She didn't go easily, and she ended up pressed closer to him. "At least buy me a drink first," she said almost too quietly for him to hear.

Asuna, Gai, and Genma were off with Asuna's girlfriend, nowhere to be found. Ino and Iruka had both disappeared, too. He was left alone with this girl in a skimpy dress and smeared makeup, who was too drunk for her own good.

What the hell was he supposed to do with her?

Did Ino find a hot guy? What will our "mystery man" do with Sakura? When will she learn his name? Stay tuned for these answers and more!

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