Another chapter! The next one should be the last one. Enjoy!
Don't own Naruto.
Chapter Three – Party Planner Extraordinaire
"Are you crazy?!"
Sakura stared at Ino like she'd gone mad.
"What?" the blond woman asked. "It's just a party."
"Yeah, a huge party that no one asked you to plan!" the pinkette argued.
"Not true," Ino was quick to point out. "Naruto mentioned it would be good to have a proper party to welcome you back. I just went ahead and started planning it, that's all."
Sakura rolled her eyes. Naruto. Of course. Who else would it be to assist in the plotting of her downfall? …Ok, maybe that was a bit overly dramatic, but she really didn't want to attend some stupid party that her two dumb blond friends put together. There would definitely be tons of alcohol, which would then cause the guys to act like violent lechers, and the girls to act all stupid and giggling. While it was something that was usually fun for her, when it was a party held in you honour, then all that attention was mostly focused on you.
Sighing, Sakura looked heavenward for a sign, returning her gaze to Ino when she found none. "Alright," she agreed ever so reluctantly. "But you make sure that nothing goes wrong! Especially where Lee is concerned. And Naruto, and Kiba, too!"
"No problem!" Ino declared, conveniently forgetting all those other parties that usually got out of control.
Why me? Sakura thought.
Hours later, she had no choice but to be impressed. Ino was truly a miracle worker where parties were concerned, and had arranged everything on time: the venue, food, booze and music. Plus it seemed that all of their friends were magically available for the party, including people who were usually super busy, like Shino, Gai-sensei and even Anko. With that crazy bitch (and she meant that affectionately) attending, there really was no telling what was going to happen.
It was natural to assume that the sand siblings would be coming, too. Naruto, who was still clueless about the tension that was still between Sakura and Temari, would have definitely insisted that they come. Sakura had yet to see Kankurou, though she'd heard that he'd been spending a lot of time with Tenten, whom Sakura also hadn't seen much of except when she'd first arrived. Gaara had remained mercifully absent since the incident yesterday.
Right now, as she gazed out at the throng of people who were probably mostly just here for an excuse to party, Sakura felt someone come up behind her, and she turned, already knowing who it was.
"Hello Sakura," Neji greeted, bowing low to her. "You look beautiful tonight."
Sakura blushed lightly at his comment, then directed attention away from herself. "Don't you think Ino's gone a little overboard with this party?" she asked.
He shrugged. "It seems no different from the usual ones," he remarked, and Sakura knew he had a point.
He held out his arm to her. "May I dance with you?" he asked, and she took his arm.
There were already tons of people dancing, and the music that reverberated through the establishment was not the sort that encouraged happy little do-gooders. No, this music was more like auditory sex, as the beat was thrumming through people's bodies. The fact that there was plenty of alcohol simply spurred people on and already there were couples getting more than a little hot and heavy. Sakura saw Ino and Chouji making out, then Tenten and Kankurou. Hinata and Naruto were also dancing seductively, and Sakura could see her old shyness coming through in her moves.
Neji's hands were wandering slightly, and Sakura leaned into his touch eagerly. She'd really missed him these past years, and she wanted to be with him again, but she couldn't deny that the revelation of Gaara's feelings had had her wondering, too. Both men were really good kissers, both were extremely good in bed and both of them stirred something inside her heart. With Neji, she knew exactly what that was, but with Gaara, she was still uncertain.
For a few hours the two of them danced on and off, then Sakura felt a tingle run along her spine. Unerringly her gaze wandered over to the main door to find that Gaara had decided to attend the party. His own gaze seemed to find her instantly and for a moment, the two of them stared at one another, long distance. Neji's hands were roaming again though, and Gaara looked away, moving over to a different side of the packed room, away from them.
Sakura turned back to her dancing partner and tried her best to ignore the fact that Gaara was somewhere in the same room, but she couldn't. Eventually she pulled away from Neji and made her way to where food and alcohol were still being served. Ino was still there, and she was watching contentedly as Chouji ate from a rather large plate full of food.
"Hey pig," Sakura greeted. "Great party."
Neji had followed and was now wrapping his arms around her. "Indeed," he concurred. "You have done a magnificent job."
Ino smiled graciously, then noticed that the two of them were joined together. "Uh… are you guys back together?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at Sakura.
"Maybe," the pinkette said, shrugging.
Ino smiled happily, but Sakura caught a small spark that meant she really wanted to talk to her, so she turned to Neji and said, "Hey, Ino and I gotta talk. Will you be alright by yourself?"
Neji released her and nodded. He knew that Sakura and Ino had a way of sending signals to one another, and he probably figured that it was about him that Ino wanted to talk to her, and he wasn't far off, either. As soon as he left, Ino pulled Sakura close and began her interrogation.
"So, are you two back together, forehead?" she asked. "What about Gaara? What are you going to do about that, huh?"
Sakura rubbed her temples. "Pig, I don't know what I'm going to do," she admitted. "I know that I still have feelings for Neji, but when Gaara walked in before…"
Ino smirked. "You noticed him instantly and you wished you were with him instead of Neji, right?" she guessed.
Sakura nodded. "I'm so confused," she admitted. "Ever since Temari told me about her brother's feelings, I've been worrying about it. I don't know what to do, Ino."
Ino looked thoughtful for a moment, then she said, "Well, it seems to me that you've got unresolved feeling for both guys. I suggest you just go with the flow with Neji, but be careful where Gaara's concerned. You already know that you go well with the Hyuuga, so maybe he's your best bet."
Sakura sighed and looked over to where Neji was talking with Lee. Ino was right, Neji was the best bet. But then her gaze wandered and connected with Gaara once again. He was standing in a corner, looking like he was barely tolerating Naruto yapping in his ear. Jade eyes immediately sensed her gaze and he looked up, eyes boring into hers. Sakura's breath caught and she couldn't look away, it was Gaara who broke the connection as he turned to Naruto to answer a question he'd undoubtedly asked.
"Well, well," Ino said. "Maybe I was wrong. The connection just then, it was dynamite!"
Sakura turned to stare at her friend. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"I mean, the way the two of you were staring at each other, that sort of thing doesn't come along very often," Ino told her. "It looks like the two of you really have potential!"
"So now you're saying I should go with Gaara?" was the question, but the blonde shook her head.
"What I'm saying is that you've got one heck of a choice in front of you," she told her. "From what I've seen tonight, you've still got your old connection with Neji, and it's a very viable choice for you. But it seems that there's a spark between you and Gaara that's just waiting to take hold."
Sakura sighed. "You're really no help. Pig," she groaned.
Neji came over then. "Are you two finished?" he asked. "Can I have her back, Ino?"
Ino grinned wickedly. "Help yourself," she said, then winked at Sakura.
"Stupid pig," Sakura grumbled as Ino returned to her beau.
Neji's arms immediately wrapped around her, and he pulled her back onto the dance floor, where they resumed their seductive motions. Eventually Neji seemed to get bored and he pulled her out of there and into the street. Then he was kissing her, pushing her against a wall in his urgency. Responding eagerly, Sakura returned the kiss with a passionate fury that threatened to overwhelm her. She moaned as Neji's hands wandered under her shirt, cupping her bra clad breasts. Neji was pressing into her so hard that she could feel his growing erection. Smiling smugly, she rubbed against it, making him groan slightly.
"Kami, Sakura," Neji whispered hoarsely. "I want you so much!"
Sakura slid her hand down between them, cupping him as he ground into her hold. At the moment they were in an alleyway, and it seemed that he was ready to take her right then and there. Not that the location really mattered, they'd done it in far more risqué and public places before. (Inside a club once, while they were on a mission.) Neji pushed her skirt up, sliding his fingers under her panties and up into her core.
Sakura arched against him as he pumped his digits into her, but then she went and did something so totally and utterly stupid that she knew she was going to have to shoot herself later. "Gaara," she moaned.
Instantly Neji stiffened, his fingers stilling inside her. "What did you say?" he asked calmly.
Deceptively calm, she figured. "Um... Neji?"
Neji removed his fingers and pushed away from her, glaring. "I'm not an idiot, Sakura," he warned her. "You said Gaara's name. Why on earth would you say his name?"
Absently pulling the hem of her dress back down, she prevaricated, "Um… I don't know."
"Sakura!" Neji growled warningly, coming close to her again and pushing her against the wall once more.
Sakura sighed. "Fine," she surrendered. "Neji, I have a confession to make. About a month ago, I was in Suna, and I slept with Gaara. I treated it as a one night stand, but thanks to Temari, I found out that Gaara hadn't thought of it that way. Apparently he has feelings for me…"
"Feelings?" Neji interrupted, stepping back. "What do you mean?"
Sakura sighed. "She told me that he's in love with me," she confessed. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since then! I guess it's mostly because I think I might have some feelings for him too."
Neji took another step back, and he looked like he was trying to process everything that she was saying. "Do you still love me?" he asked.
Closing the distance between them, Sakura brought her hand up to his cheek. "I think that I will always love you," she told him, and she felt stupid for sounding so corny.
Neji pulled her into his embrace suddenly, holding her tightly to him. "Go to him," he told her. "If it doesn't work out, I'll still be here for you."
Sakura hugged him back. "Thank you," she whispered, then pulled away, leaving him standing there and watching after her.
Gaara was not inside when Sakura returned to the club. He was gone. Where could he be? Ino and Chouji were gone, and Naruto, Hinata Temari, Shikamaru and the others were gone as well. So, the party was over then. Bummed out, she left the building and headed for a spot that she always loved to go to think. It was a park she'd found not long after Sasuke had left all those years ago, and it was very peaceful.
Once there, she sat down on a bench to collect her thoughts. Neji was giving her a chance to sort out her feelings for Gaara, but beyond knowing that they were strong and confusing, Sakura had no real idea what they were. Sure, she'd told Neji this, but what were her feelings really, anyway? Had she made a huge mistake to choose Gaara over Neji? If so, why had she moaned Gaara's name when it was Neji's fingers that had been buried inside her? Belatedly she realised that her body was still thrumming slightly from her earlier pleasure.
Emotions overwhelmed her and tears began to prick at her eyes. Why was this happening to her? Why couldn't she love one person and one person only and be done with it? Why did everything have to be so confusing? Why the hell would she moan one guy's name while almost screwing another? How could she be the type of person to do that?
Sniffling, she wiped fresh tears away, then jumped a mile in the air when a voice asked, "Why are you crying?"
Turning around, Sakura came face to face with the person she had been looking for. Gaara.
There you go, nicely set up for the next chapter. Review!
