Disclaimer- I never will own Naruto or Don't Stop Believing, because I'm sure you understand this, this'll be the last disclaimer.

A Smell of Wine and Cheap Perfume

Chapter 4-

Ino's eyes were wide as they watched the Hyuuga man walk towards her, he looked awkward but his intimidating presence still hovered over her like a dark fog.

The woman who was assisting Ino looked confused, but she said nothing, she stood beside her client waiting for her to get back to the topic of costs and furniture, but the blond woman's eyes were far off.

Never before had Ino been affected this way by him, he had always just been there, never before had he caught her eye in this way. He had always reminded her of Sasuke, a more mature and understand sort of Sasuke.

Maybe he was a Sasuke that would make better decisions?

Maybe he was a Sasuke that would not betray the Yamanka's heart?

Ino's thoughts were not this straightforward; they were far vaguer, dimmer.

Neji's lavender eyes were set on Ino's blue ones, his walk was straight-backed and his feet hit the ground at a steady rhythm, he walked in a perfect line.

Such a man had to be able to handle himself better than the Uchiha.

Neji's eyes may have been set but his thoughts were racing, what was this nuisance doing here, and what was she doing intruding on his life. The life he had tried to hard to create for himself. The life he had wanted for the longest time.

And this woman was trying to destroy it.

Of course, Ino didn't want to destroy anything, she just wanted to talk to someone who she knew, and possibly understood what she had gone though. Maybe Neji wasn't the best for that position, but as of now he was all she had.

Neji's eyes narrowed as he neared her, he wasn't more than a yard away when his thin lips finally curved around the words in his deep and intricate voice.

"Ino, I didn't expect to see you here," his voice wasn't questioning, it was demanding.

Ino nodded her head, she had caught the meaning behind the words but she refused to give him what he wanted, an answer, "I didn't expect to see you here either." She stated.

After seconds Neji decided she wasn't going to tell him what he wanted to hear on her own, "What are you doing here?" the question seemed rude even to his own ears, but at the moment he didn't care about being polite to the young woman.

Ino cocked an eyebrow, deciding whether or not he deserved to know, "I felt the need for some change." She replied, her answer was simple, and explained near nothing.

Neji's blood boiled but his face remained calm, cool, and frigid as ice.

"Why are you here?" Ino asked it seemed to be her turn for a question.

"Same reason," if Neji didn't get his answer neither would she, two could play at this game.

Ino nodded, not really interested in why he was here, she had known why he was here since she first saw him, she wasn't stupid.

"Miss?" The worker tapped Ino's shoulder, Ino's mouth formed a small 'O' she had forgotten all about the older woman. "Miss, are you going to buy this or not?"

Ino had been caught off guard it took her a moment to remember why she'd come here in the first place, "Yes, and the vanity and dresser, please. Oh, it'll be delivered to my apartment right?" The woman nodded.

"Thank you, I'll be there to pay in a moment." Ino turned her head back to Neji who was standing bored.

"Well?" she asked waiting for him to say something.

"What?" he asked looking at her confused.

"It's your turn to ask a rude question." Ino's voice was laced with sarcasm.

Neji sighed, "Well, that'll have to wait until later I don't have time at the moment, how about you meet me at Café Blank at six, he quickly gave her the address and a brief description of what it looked like. After mere moments he started walking away. Ino didn't have time to think before he turned back.

"And it is not a date." His voice was hard, and it stung slightly.

---

Ino stood at her door, she had changed her clothes, she didn't know why Neji had made it clear- and hurtful- that this wasn't going to be a date. This was going to be him trying to find out why she had followed him here.

He was paranoid.

She picked at her navy sweater hastily and pushed a lock of hair that had escaped its band behind her ear before she stepped out the door, it was five-thirty when she hailed a cab and slid in. She said the address and tipped her head back against the hard, fake leather seats.

Tonight was going to be interesting.

---

Neji sat at a booth in the back of the café, he was dawned in the exact same clothes as before; he had meant it when he had said that this wasn't a date. He didn't plan on starting a relationship anytime soon, at least not with the Yamanaka female.

He had sat down at the booth and distinctly told the waitress that when she saw a blond woman entering the café to show her where he was at, he planned on getting this over with, he wanted to set Ino straight he wasn't here to remember his past.

Of course, neither was Ino...

No matter how much Neji denied it, Ino knew, they had found each other here.

"Destiny," Neji muttered quietly under his breath as he put his head in his hand and counted the sugar packets on the table.

"Nineteen." Neji muttered, someone must have had a sugar fetish at this table.

"What was that?" Ino asked, her voice cut through the air and to Neji's ears making him cringe.

Ino saw his facial expression change and she cocked an eyebrow, "Something wrong?" she asked.

Neji bit back a retort and composed himself, "Not at all." He replied.

Ino nodded, not believing a word, and sat down across from him in the booth, "So what is this non-date-like meeting about?" she asked lacing her fingers together and setting her chin on them, she waited patiently for him to answer, and this time if she didn't get the true answer she would make sure that the lie was soon expunged.

"There are some things we need to talk about." Neji's answer was bleak, he said it like he'd rather not talk to- or be near- Ino.

Ino's eyebrows rose, "Ok, well because I doubt you're enjoying this, start."

Neji sighed, "I am not here to hang around with the very people I just escaped from. I do not want to talk to you, and hopefully you feel the same."

Those words stung, but Ino masked the hurt well.

"Now, I want to know the real reason you're here."

Ino paused, took a breath, looked out the window beside her and bit her lip. This was the one question that would hurt terribly to answer.

"You know damn well why I'm here."

Actually, he probably only knew part, the part that everyone knew, the part that had been figured out by even the stupidest of her peers.

Neji's eyes narrowed, "Yes, and I also know that's not the whole story, I'm a genius remember."

Ino sure did remember, Ino had been the male valedictorian of the graduating class, even is Sasuke hadn't dropped out he still would have won that. He was often called genius, whether it was meant as a compliment or a taunt depended on who is was delivered from.

Ino glared at him, her eyes were as sharp as daggers, no longer a soft sky blue, but like ice.

"I know Sasuke played a part, other than that I know nothing, and frankly the Uchiha would not be a good reason to leave, even for you."

Something told the Yamanaka that was an insult.

"I know it wouldn't be a good reason," her voice was defensive; "there are a lot of other reasons."

Neji stared at her, unmoving.

Ino stared back waiting for him to say something.

"And those would be?" Neji asked after long moments of silence.

Ino again stared out the window, she was trying to think of where to start, "Ok, everyone knew how big of a crush I had on Sasuke, but I had a crush on another guy too, I'd rather not name him. Well, I think this guy could have liked me back if I hadn't been so terrible to him all the time, I was never nice because I was so concentrated on Sasuke, and after he left...Well this guy already had someone."

"A someone you couldn't compete with?" Neji asked.

"A student teacher, she was a few years older than him."

Neji nodded, he smirked softly, "Nara?" he asked, everyone knew Shikamaru had been dating Temari who was a student teacher.

Ino's head fell and she nodded once, a move so gentle it was almost unnoticeable.

Neji couldn't help but stare at the blond woman, she had been fairly popular in school, but she had the worst luck in guys, she always seemed to want what she couldn't have.

"Well, some people end up alone in life."

Ino's head shot up and she looked at Neji with wide eyes, suddenly her face flushed with anger she stood up and quickly started walking to the door, bumping into a waitress as she went.

After she had made it outside she began walking, she hoped she left Neji there dumbstruck, how dare he say something like that. Something so rude, so terrible!

Neji didn't know how deep those words cut; they might not have hurt so badly if that hadn't been the exact thought that had been running through the young woman's head for weeks.

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Author's Notes: sorry it took so long to update, my computer had a virus and was unusable for quite awhile, I hope you like this chapter though!