"I need to use the bathroom," Sasuke said putting the empty glass on the counter.
"What about me?" Gaara asked. "What am I suppose do?" but Sasuke couldn't hear his friends voice.
Gaara shook his head went back to the bar. He could see two familiar girls giggling and looking in their bags for money.
"Hurry up Ino," one of them said to the other.
I knew it.
Gaara made his way up to them. He then took out his wallet from pocket, took some money out and put it on the counter.
"Let me pay for the beautiful ladies," Gaara said to the bartender who nodded taking the money.
"Why thank you," Ten Ten said smiling. "Say thanks Ino." She turned to her blonde friend whose mouth was wide open like her eyes.
"Ga-Ga…"
"Gaara," Gaara said grinning.
Then Ino squealed happily wrapping her arms around Gaara and kissing him on the cheek.
"Is it really you?" Ino asked after letting go of him.
"Of course it is. You just touched him," Ten Ten said to her friend.
"You must be Ten Ten right?" Gaara asked.
"Mm hm. Nice to meet you again," Ten Ten said shaking hands with him.
"How come you are here?" Ino asked.
"I came here with Sasuke but he just left for bathroom after bumping into Kiba" Gaara answered. "And I found out a lot have changed since I was gone so quickly."
"I'm sorry you didn't know about these things," Ino said.
"It's okay I'm starting to find things out in different ways," he said making her giggle. "Oh I wanted to meet Sakura."
"She must be still in the dance floor," Ino said pointing at the dance floor. "And you've got to meet Sai he really misses you too," she said wrapping her arms around his arm and taking him to the lower platform.
xxx
Sasuke stormed into the men's room breathing fast and heavily. He leaned a little towards the sink with his both hands on the either side of it gripping tightly on the cold substance. He looked in the mirror. His sharingan was spinning madly. He then breathed slowly and heavily. His closed his eyes for a moment and opened it to find it back to normal.
He washed his face. He quickly made his way out remembering his redhead friend without looking at where he was going.
"Ouch," came a yelp when he bumped into a girl making her trip.
"I'm so sorry," he said really quickly helping her get up.
"It's okay it was my fault," she said when she had looked up. "oh hey."
"h-hey didn't realise it was you," he said to Sakura who was smiling.
"You won't able to see anyone properly with all these different coloured lights," she said rolling her eyes.
"So are you here with someone?" Sasuke asked feeling stupid.
"Yup," she answered. "But I don't know where they are. Seems like they disappeared." She said as the dj played a slower song. "It's no fun when you're alone. It's kinda boring cause you have no one to talk to and all you can do is dance alone. So I decided to the bathroom and I bumped into you."
Stop babbling so much girl. He probably thinks you are being weird.
"You're right," he said in agreement. "Hey would you like to-,"
"There you are," came Ino's voice as she squeezed out of the crowd. "Guess who's here," she then pointed towards Gaara who came from behind her.
"Well, well look who's here," Gaara said with a smirk.
"Oh my god," Sakura shrieked wrapping her arms around him like Ino had before.
"I can't breathe," Gaara said breathlessly making his friends laugh.
"Sorry," Sakura said letting go of him.
"Hey Sasuke," Ino said waving at Sasuke who nodded.
"So how come you're back?" Sakura asked.
"Dad thinks it was a mistake taking me back Suna so he sent me back," he answered.
"Hey, did Temari come with you?" Ten Ten asked.
"No she couldn't. But she did sent her love to all of you," Gaara answered. "And I'm still wondering where my blonde friend is." He said referring to Naruto.
"Well, we don't really see him outside. But I think the news that you're here had probably reached his ears," Sakura said. "Still I don't believe you're actually back."
"Are we just going to stand here or do something?" Ino asked looking quiet jumpy.
"Drink everyone?" Gaara asked raising his glass.
xxxx
"Ino you've had enough," Sakura said pulling away the glass from her blonde friend.
"What? I've just started," Ino said in a drunken voice. As soon she the words left her lips her head hit the counter surface and started snoring.
"Let me take care of her," Sai said lifting her and taking to the sofa area.
"Thanks," she said. She looked at her silver watch. It was 11 pm.
"Thinking of leaving?" Sai asked as he came back.
"No. I'm just checking the time. It's good that tomorrow's weekend," she said sitting up straight.
"You know I'm really glad that they are back together like old times," Sakura sighed looking at Gaara and Naruto who were arm wrestling on a table near the edge. They were surrounded by old and new friends.
"Naruto seemed to be really happy to see Gaara again," Sai said taking a seat next to Sakura.
"They have a lot of things in common," Sakura said glancing at Sai. "And this the first time ever in two years Naruto and Sasuke have sat on the same table together." She could feel her eyes sting and she felt Sai's hand on her shoulder.
"It's gonna be the same as before believe me," Sai said softly.
"I hope so," she said giving a heavy sigh.
"You gonna lose, believe it," Naruto said heavily under the pressure. He was already sweating.
"Keep dreaming," Gaara said under the same condition as Naruto. Sakura walked up to their table, dragged a chair and sat and across the table was Sasuke watching.
"Aren't you gonna take part?" Sakura asked breaking the concentration.
"No," he shook his head. She smiled at him.
"Come on. Give up one of you or this is going to take eternity," she said looking at Gaara and Naruto.
"I will if he does," Gaara replied.
"Hah, I'll never give up," Naruto shouted.
With a groan she leaned back on her chair.
After an hour or so the place started to empty and both Naruto and Gaara had given up and were seated on the sofa exhausted. Hinata was sat beside her head rested on his shoulder, Ino had gotten too drunk and Sai had taken her home, Sasuke was reading a magazine ignoring unwanted attention, Shino was nowhere to be found and Neji and Ten Ten were making out in the corner.
"Oh my god," Sakura said with a start looking at her watch. "It's past midnight and I should be home by now."
"So what you're parents aren't home are they?" said Ten Ten who was sat on Neji's lap.
"Even though they're not there they could phone home and one of the maids could tell I'm not home yet and they don't like me staying out so late at night," she replied.
"She's right. We should all head home now," Neji said in agreement.
"But who's taking you home?" Gaara asked Sakura who was getting up.
"I think I might take a cab or something," Sakura replied.
"Do you actually think a cab is going to be here when it's flooding outside," he said.
"What?" Sakura shouted. "Why didn't tell me before?"
"Sorry, thought it was not important and anyways you have no reason to go alone when these two morons are here," he said pointing at Naruto and Sasuke.
"I'll take her home," Naruto volunteered automatically standing as did Sasuke.
Then they stood staring at eachother while an awkward silence filled between them.
"Aaaawkwaaard," Gaara said breaking the silence.
"Come on Sakura-chan," Naruto said grabbing his jacket and his keys totally ignoring the young Uchiha.
"Don't you think you take Hinata-chan first…," Sasuke said as Naruto went past him. "… dobe." He added turning to see Naruto stopped in his tracks.
"Don't call me that," he said his temper rising.
"Really, dobe?" Sasuke smirked.
Naruto turned around pulling up his sleeves. And as always it wasn't a good. But he stopped in front of him. He didn't raise his fist. He seemed to have changed his mind. His face near enough to Sasuke's to fell his hot breath on his face.
"If you two are going to start a scene here you better stop for a while because I don't want to be here when you do," Sakura said aloud quite angrily.
"Listen to me Naruto, take Hinata-chan home and Sasuke can take Sakura," Gaara coming between those two. "We can settle this somewhere else where people will won't be watching."
Naruto looked around the area. They seemed to have attracted a lot of people's attention who were expecting them to hit each other any minute. The bartender seemed to look quite alert in case they started fighting.
"Shall we get going then," Sasuke said gently at Naruto.
"Let's go Hinata," he said his eyes still fixed at Sasuke's face. Hinata quickly got up wasting no time and stood beside Naruto as he glared at Sasuke. "See you around teme." With that he turned around and walked away with Hinata. Hinata glanced back at Sasuke and mouthed the word "sorry". He then just blinked and smiled.
He turned back and found Sakura glaring at him. "You shouldn't have done that," she said in a low tone and brushed past him. Sasuke glanced at Gaara who shrugged.
"You better go after her before she decides to go home alone," Neji suggested. "You know how she is,"
"I should be heading back as well," Gaara said getting up as well.
"See you tomorrow," he said waving a little and then walked towards the exit. He smirked as he found the pink-haired girl waiting for him at the exit door.