I never did thank you all for the 100 reviews! I'm so happy you are all enjoying the story and giving feedback!

My story is up for NaNoWriMo, Secrets of the Crown. I'll include a summary at the end of the chapter again for those who need a reminder of how awesome it will be ;)

Shoutout to Ninaspirulina for the review-spam as she climbed her way through this story. Glad to have you with us :)

Enjoy this chapter, but know you'll love the next one even more ;) ;)

Chapter 20

Sai picked up Sakura at her apartment. She was surprised to see Shin with him. Apparently Shin had whined until Sai agreed to bring him along. First time Shin had ever wanted to hang out with Sai and his friends, Sai told her, and it was probably because of all the girls that would be there.

When they pulled into Ino's driveway, they could hear the music thumping. Ino rented a house on the outskirts of town. As far as Sakura knew she only had elderly neighbors, so there was a slim chance they could even hear the noise let alone complain about it.

"You're here!" Ino shouted, running up to the door. She gave Sakura a once-over. "Damn, girl, you must have needed this!"

Sakura smiled, knowing Ino was going to approve of her outfit. She wore her shortest dress, her biggest pushup bra, and her highest heels. She was going to pull all the stops that night. "I knew you'd like it! Now give me two of whatever you're having."

Ino ran off to make Sakura drinks, and Sai followed to get he and his brother a drink. That left Shin alone with Sakura, and he didn't seem to mind. "How many people will be here?" he asked. So far they were the only car in the driveway.

Sakura wandered into the living room and turned the volume down on the stereo; they could blast it when people actually came. "I'm not sure," she answered Shin. "Shikamaru — Ino's boyfriend, so don't get any ideas — will definitely be coming. Temari usually comes, and she might bring her brothers with her."

"What's Temari like?" He had a glint in his eyes that Sakura didn't like.

"Strong and badass. Like I said, don't try anything."

"So are you the only available girl here? I can get down with—"

"Shin," Sai said, shoving a drink in his brother's face. "Please behave."

Shin rolled his eyes and start chugging his drink. Ino giggled and chugged hers, too, then drug him back to the kitchen to get another. Sakura just hoped Shin could keep up with her. She had seen far too many men crumble before Ino was halfway drunk.

Sai and Sakura sat on the couch, and he grabbed her knee. "Ino said you asked for the party. Are you okay?"

Tears starting prickling her eyes. She nodded, even though neither of them believed that she was fine. She just didn't know how to tell Sai that nothing had happened aside from letting her mind create evil fantasies about Kakashi. He would never hurt her. She knew that, but her heart couldn't believe it as easily as her brain.

Sai began talking about his latest art piece. She closed her eyes and leaned against his shoulder, letting his talk of paint colors and canvas materials drown out her swirling thoughts. His voice was smooth and steady, calming her.

Soon other guests began to arrive. Shikamaru came first, then Temari with her two brothers and one man she didn't know. Hinata also showed up, which Sakura should have thought about sooner. Ino and Hinata were becoming fast friends.

The music was cranked up again and drinks were served. Ino was making mixed drinks, and Temari and her brothers brought beer and wine coolers. Shin soon fell behind Ino, not able to keep-up with her heavy drinking. Sakura drank as much as she could without making herself sick.

"Let's play a game!" Ino suddenly shouted.

"Yes, let's do it!" Temari yelled back. She waved for someone to turn down the music. Kiba, the man she brought, jumped to do so. "Let's do Truth or Dare."

"Temari, we aren't five," Shikamaru whined.

"No, let's do it," Ino said.

The guys pushed back the furniture, and Temari and Ino tried to guide everyone to sit in a circle. After two attempts and a spilled beer, everyone was in place. They tried to do every-other person a girl, and they ended up sitting Temari, Kiba, Sai, Ino, Shikamaru, Sakura, Shin, Gaara, Hinata, Kankuro, and back to Temari.

"Temari goes first, since it was her stupid idea," Shikamaru said. Everyone laughed and agreed.

"Ino, Truth or—"

There was a loud knock on the door, and Ino squealed and stood up. Shikamaru grumbled it better not be "that asshole doctor," which made Sakura's cheeks flare with anger. She didn't have a great first meeting with Sasuke, and she didn't want him around to kill her buzz.

Ino came back with Sasuke to Shikamaru and Sakura's annoyance. He created a spot between Shikamaru and Sakura, which Sakura suspected was because he knew they didn't like him. "What are we playing?" he asked.

"Truth or Dare, and Temari was just picking me," Ino said, a little too starry-eyed for her boyfriend being right next to her. "I pick Truth."

A few people groaned, thinking that was the easy choice for Ino. Sakura had to giggle at that, because Ino was the most hardcore person to ever play Truth or Dare, in her mind. She would show no mercy to anyone in the circle and could take it just as much as she dished it.

"Who was the last person you slept with, before Shikamaru?" Temari asked.

Sakura saw Ino's jaw clench, which wasn't a good sign. Though Shikamaru and Temari vehemently declared there was nothing between them anymore, Ino was always jealous and on-edge. Temari knew that and had to mess with her. Sakura knew it always wiggled the wedge that was starting to form between Shikamaru and Ino.

"I never caught his name," Ino said. Her cockiness returned, and she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "It was in the bathroom of a bar. His mouth was too busy to stop and tell me his name."

It was Temari's turn to clench her jaw. There was also tension about who was the better girlfriend to Shikamaru, and Ino had way more experience than Temari. She always rubbed it in, which grated Temari to no end.

Sakura had no idea how they managed to stay friends sometimes.

Ino dared Shikamaru to give her a steamy kiss, and the tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Thankfully Shikamaru had the sense to ask Sai how many girlfriends he's had — none — and Sai asked Sakura how many books she owned— at least 400, but she didn't know. Everyone started laughing again, even Temari and Ino.

Sakura created her own drinking game in the midst of Truth or Dare. Every time Sasuke looked at her, she took a gulp of her drink. She went through three glasses that way, and she was nearly as drunk as Ino by the time she decided to stop playing that game.

"Sakura, Truth or Dare?"

Sakura said "Dare" without realizing who asked her. When she saw Ino's smirk, she panicked. "No, no, Truth! I take it back! Ino no."

"Sorry, Sakura!" Ino gave an evil cackle. "You called Dare already. And I Dare you to text Kakashi—"

"That's not bad." Sakura was doubtful. She was drunk, yes, but a text wasn't the worst thing. She could do something simple that even the alcohol couldn't mess up.

"—and invite him over."

There was the slap. Sakura knew there was a catch.

Kakashi had been at her house earlier in the evening but left for a business meeting. Juding by the time she arrived at Ino's and how much time had passed, it had only been three hours since Kakashi left her apartment. There was a chance he was at the meeting still. It was a risky game. And she had no choice but to play it.

"Fine," she said, pulling out her phone.

Everyone leaned in, wanting to know what would happen. Most people in the circle knew about Sakura's complicated relationship with Kakashi. Ino and Sai knew everything, from the details of their relationship to how Sakura's past affected her with him. Shikamari and Temari knew the general details, and Gaara, Kankura, and Hianta at least knew that Kakshi was Sakura's almost-boyfriend. Shin and Sasuke were the only ones in the dark.

"Who's Kakashi?" Sasuke asked.

"Shh, I'm typing," Sakura snapped.

Come party. Sent. That was easy enough, Sakura thought. But then she realized she gave him no details. "Shit," she cursed.

Come at Ino. Sent.

She was only making it worse, she knew. Her drunk fingers were working even less than her drunk mind, and she wasn't making sense.

No not w Ino dont touch her, stick with me. Sent.

Sasuke pulled the phone from her hands. "You need to stop," he said. She face heated up in both embarrassment and anger, knowing he was reading over her shoulder like that. She watched him click a few buttons then he said, "There you go."

She frantically pulled up her messages. Ignore me. I'm horny and drunk and flustered from sitting next to this hot doctor. Talk later. He even added a kissing emoji and a thumbs up.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Sakura shouted, throwing her phone at Sasuke. "Why would you do that to me?" She was almost crying. She didn't know if she was crying because she was angry at Sasuke or upset about her relationship with Kakshi being ruined, but she did know that she was sick of Sasuke making her feel so many emotions at once.

Her cup was empty and she needed another drink in the worst ways, so she got up from the circle and went to the kitchen. She heard someone following her and hoped it was Sai.

It wasn't.

"Calm down, it's just a text," Sasuke said.

"It's not just a text!" She knew she was yelling and anyone in the other room could hear, but she didn't care. Not anymore. "It's the fact that you're taking my control away, forcing me—"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted her. "And I don't say that often. If he texts you back, tell him it was me."

She crossed her arms and sighed. "It's fine, it's over. Whatever. Moving on." She picked up a bottle of vodka and started pouring it in her cup.

"Are you planning to drink it straight?" he said with a chuckle.

"Butt out," she said. The liquid had poured out too fast, and she had over half of her glass full. It was way too much, but she wouldn't admit that to him. She poured Mountain Dew in the rest of the cup and took a big drink, holding back her cringe.

He chuckled again, it being closer to a laugh than before. "You don't have to prove how tough you are."

"You couldn't handle it!"

He took a sip of her cup, coughing. When she laughed he took a bigger drink, trying to prove himself. They went back and forth like that, putting more and more alcohol in the cup to test each other. The game in the living room was forgotten, and soon they were sitting on the floor and laughing more than talking.

Secrets of the Crown Summary:

Prince Haruno wakes every morning to bind his breasts and face the world while his life is turned upside down. He is hounded by his latest female suitor, tempted by the men around him, and doesn't have a clue how to be a woman. As he goes undercover as a lady-in-waiting, he will discover more than womanhood. There's a plot against the Kingdom, and he can trust no one.

Currently I'm planning SaiSaku with KakaSaku completing the triangle, but I may finish with KakaSaku. I just have to see how the story goes!

If you think this story is for you (which it totally is!) go check it out! The first chapter is up now, and the second will be up Friday.