Sakura knocked on the door to Tenten's flat, making the bracelets on her wrist jangle. They had finally found a date where the four of them, Ino, Tenten, Hinata and Sakura could get together to catch up. Ino at first wanted to hold it at her place but abruptly changed her mind, wanting them to wait until the great unveiling next week, namely Ino's housewarming party. Luckily Tenten said that she could easily kick Neji out of her flat if he was visiting so Sakura stood shivering in the corridor waiting to be let in.
"Sakura, come in, sorry about the heaters I think the landlords decided he's save on electricity and money if he lets us freeze to death." Tenten said greeting her with a smile as she let her in.
"How did you get rid of Neji then?" Sakura asked pulling her boots off and setting them on the mat with the others that were scattered about, they seemed to be mainly Tenten's.
"I told him we were having a girly night in. That was enough to make him want to leave and suggested he meet up with his friends as well before we end up with no free time planning our wedding." Sakura smiled slightly.
"Have you set a date yet?" She asked now that Tenten had piqued her curiosity.
"Nope, but I told him I'd marry him when it's warm." She gave a slight laugh "want some coffee?"
"Sure, is no one else here yet?" Tenten shook her head, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and it shock slightly with the movement. Sakura followed her into the tidy kitchen, and while she had thought she liked to keep her kitchen tidy; Neji seemed to make sure that their kitchen was completely sterile, coupled with the white décor it reminded Sakura when she had started off doing some work experience and placements in a hospital.
There was a knock on the door, after glancing at Tenten, who was busy, Sakura headed to the front door only to find Ino and Hinata behind it.
"Come on Sakura let us in its freezing." Ino said pushing her friend out the way to get into the slightly warmer flat. "Ah that's better; who ever created radiators was a genius."
"Coffee?" Tenten called down the hall as she heard them enter.
"Yes please." Ino shouted back, over Hinata's answer.
"That was a yes from Hinata too." Sakura added as they headed towards the living room, Tenten joined them soon after handing out the mugs of coffee, they all muttered a quick thanks and then fell silent as they all drank.
"Wow, it's been a while since we've all gotten together hasn't i.t" Ino said finally breaking the silence. They all nodded.
"It's funny" Tenten said slowly. "I've always seemed really busy recently but looking back at it I haven't seem to have done much, nothing worth telling you all anyway, just telling everyone about my wedding."
"You don't seem to have going out long." Sakura said, "I mean, you've been together a few years but-" She paused as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say.
"It's gone really quickly hasn't it?" Ino said.
"I remember when you and cousin Neji met." Hinata chipped in with a smile.
"Oh god." muttered Tenten, Ino and Sakura grinned.
"Oh yeah, it was at that work party wasn't it?" Sakura said and Hinata nodded,
"And Tenten being head of department had to turn up." Hinata said continuing the story.
"No! We are not talking about this again." Tenten said blushing furiously.
"It was one of those big, fancy parties wasn't it?" Ino asked and Hinata nodded.
"Champagne and those little appetisers being carried around on trays, an amazing occasion my family business making a partnership with Tenten's work."
"Of course this kind of thing could make anyone nervous…" Sakura said.
"And drink too much…" Ino added
"And shout at the new partner's nephew." Sakura finished and the other three grinned at Tenten's embarrassment.
"Stop it!" Tenten shouted now resembling a tomato; she held a cushion over her face. "Aah! Why is my life so lacking in romance, why couldn't our eyes met across the crowded room, and he would spend most of the night trying to figure out a way to talk to me and right at the end of the night we dance and exchange numbers and so on. Instead I got into a shouting match with him as he was being a pompous arse." She wailed although her voice was slightly muffled by the cushion which made Sakura giggle.
"You do know that story's going to be told at your wedding don't you." Ino said nonchalantly and Tenten groaned.
"What did he do to you anyway?" Sakura asked curious as it some something Tenten had never really cared to share with them.
"It was his tone of voice really." Tenten muttered emerging from the cushion.
"Well if it makes you feel any better I don't think I made good impression on Shikamaru first time either." Ino said ruefully.
"Really? I always thought that you two met romantically in the rain, he gave you his umbrella to take home, and they say the age of chivalry is dead." Tenten said wistfully "This is the kind of thing I'd never have with Neji, as much as I love him I sometimes think he buys me flowers on Valentine's day out of a strange misplaced sense of duty." Ino snorted.
"Shikamaru only leant me his umbrella 'cause I kicked up such a fuss outside my work, I refused to leave so I didn't get wet, so he was passing by, saw the commotion I was causing and practically thrust the umbrella at me saying I was 'being troublesome'."
"Typical Shikamaru." Sakura said, and Ino smiled as she reminisced.
"I held onto that umbrella for ages in case I saw him again and weeks later it was raining again and I saw him going past my office and we walked home together, well he took me home to reclaim his umbrella, and well." She blushed "It would have been rude to not invite him in for a drink afterwards. " Ino looked down into her own empty coffee mug as she recalled linking arms with him under their small shelter to get closer out of the rain and the rhythmic drumming of the rain on the umbrella.
"'A drink' being a good euphemism for sex now a days, as I understand it." Tenten said in a loud whisper to Hinata who almost choked on her mouthful of coffee. Ino glared at her.
Sakura smiled slightly, surprisingly enough Ino and Shikamaru had made a good couple, they fought and Ino always complained that her never did anything and would rather sit indoors than go out and do anything fun, but they usually found a compromise usually with Shikamaru indulging in Ino's everlasting quest to find something exciting to do or sometimes she would be content to lean on him in the park as they ate lunch together looking at the clouds.
"Have you started planning your wedding yet Tenten?" Hinata asked softly, and Tenten's eyes lit up at the question.
"I've been looking at dresses, some of them are amazing." Her expression turned sour "Although apparently I'd be better off in trousers according to Neji as he says he's never seen me out of them."
"No!" Ino looked scandalised. "You have to wear a dress Tenten, you'll look amazing and of course you're going to make us all bridesmaids." Tenten laughed.
"Hang on Ino, we haven't even sorted out where were holding the wedding on a day, I think that comes first."
"Oh, I don't know." Sakura said "She's already claimed my children as her god children." Tenten laughed.
"You've got to find someone first haven't you, unless" a mischievous smile spread across her face "you really are with one of those two from the coffee shop." Suddenly Ino looked excited at Tenten's words
"Is it Sasuke, am I right in saying that he's on some sort of secret mission is there a drugs bust? A prostitution ring? Is there some kind of gang involved?"
"Ino you watch far too many films in your spare time." Sakura said but Tenten looked interested.
"Who's Sasuke?" She asked and Hinata looked from her, to Ino, to a mortified looking Sakura.
"The dark haired one." Sakura said.
"So is it him or the blond." She gasped suddenly "Or both, when did you become like that Sakura!"
"Tenten, no." Sakura squeaked, she could feel her face heating up.
"Oh, which one was it?" Sakura was acutely aware that their full attention was on her and she squirmed slightly in her seat.
"We're not going out or anything." She protested but that sounded weak even to her own ears.
"Who is it Sakura?" Hinata asked with a strange edge to her voice.
"We've only really talked and wandered around the city."
"Sakura…" Ino said in a warning tone, meaning that things are going to get violent if you don't say soon.
"The dark haired one, Sasuke." Sakura buttered and Tenten smiled slightly. Hinata looked a little relieved. "But like I said we're not going out so it's nothing really."
"Nothing?" Ino asked "You've been meeting people without even telling me anything, and it's not just anything but the mystery man from the cafe, that's hardly nothing is it? Now come on who is he really?"
"He's just – Sasuke." Sakura muttered getting flustered. "He just works in an office."
"Or so he tells you, if he was a undercover cop then he couldn't exactly tell you could he." Ino said thoughtfully and Sakura sighed.
"That's what Naruto told me." She said firmly and Ino looked put out.
"And that's the other one is it?" Sakura nodded. "That's a shame I'll have to find someone else to speculate about, although if you're seeing Sasuke you can still tell me all the details of his life." She paused. "Are you sure it's a real office and not a front for an international criminal organisation?" She asked and Sakura gaped at her.
"What? No. That's-" She stuttered. "Why would you think that?"
"I just want to know about your new boyfriend that's all." Ino said feigning innocence.
"Or trying to get cheap thrills out of your life now she's deep in her first serious relationship." Tenten added.
"We're not dating." Sakura said again, afraid that Ino hadn't quite got the message yet. Ino nodded slightly looking distracted by her own thoughts.
"So what do you two get up to?" Hinata asked.
"It depends, we just walk around and see where we end up really." Ino stared at her friend in disbelief.
"That's it?" Sakura nodded "You agreed to go out with him without knowing what you were going to do? I'm surprised you didn't make him sit down and write out an itinerary." Sakura flushed again.
"I'm not that bad. And I wish people would stop saying that." She protested as the others tried not to remember the timed schedule she had made for the day trips they had taken together "Anyway it's nice, I like doing nothing with Sasuke, it's fun."
"Well as long as you enjoy yourself Sakura." Hinata said.
As the night continued Sakura continued to be mercilessly embarrassed until she managed to tease Ino about her previous choices of dates. Such as when she met up with someone when she was 15 and found out later that he was in his late twenties and had tried to take her into a hotel. A tale which had warned Sakura off any spontaneity for a long time.
Neji had returned after a while and had looked slightly shocked and scared that they were still in full flow of conversation after many hours. Soon after that they left to leave Neji to his peace, and Sakura was still smiling when she had gotten home and ready for bed, it was amazing what they had talked about. All those memories from school, half of them she had almost forgotten. Her head hit the soft pillow as she settled down and got herself comfortable for the night, a brief smile crossed her face again before she drifted off, as her last thought was that she'd be seeing Sasuke soon.