Sakura should have been at home cooking for her Uchiha men, but instead, she was at Ino's apartment, letting her said best friend massacre her face and body in ways that she normally wouldn't stand for a minute.

"Ino, I swear to God, if you made me look like a slut like you did for prom, I'm never going to talk to you again," Sakura threatened, arms crossed as Ino smeared make up over her porcelin skin. She was wearing, at the moment, nothing but her underwear, bra and an over-sized T-shirt that belonged to Ino's roommate, Chouji. Bowling for Soup was blasting from the small speakers on Ino's laptop. The room was a mess, partly due to Ino and mostly due to Chouji's packrat habits, and it smelled like pizza, Febreze and Dove deodarant. Ino had forced Sakura to soak in the bath for an hour and then done Sakura's nails and toenails in a reverse black french manicure style, complaining all the while that, for a massuese, Sakura sure didn't know how to pamper herself once and awhile.

"Ino, I think I can put on my own make up," Sakura said, a little uneasy about letting her (okay, let's admit it), slutty best friend. Ino scoffed.

"Not like I can. Trust me, Sakura. You'll look so good tonight that you'll have to beat off the boys with a stick," Ino said, smirking as she set the make up sponge down and then reached for two Maybelliene Dream Mousse jars. She opened one and tapped a large brush into it. She dusted the blush over Sakura's cheeks before Sakura could do so much as blink.

"I hope not," Sakura laughed. Ino pinched her. "Ow!"

"I told you not to move. It makes this harder," Ino said, still swirling the brush over Sakura's cheekbones. "Close your eyes."

Sakura did as she was told as Ino continued to massacre her face. She felt Ino line her eyes and smear something into her crease. She got a peak of a black cream shadow when Ino ordered her to open her eyes so she could line the bottom lashes. Ino coated expensive-looking mascara on to Sakura's lashes before she could even mention that she had brought her own. Ino slathered clear lip gloss on to Sakura's lips and then stepped back to admire her masterpiece. Her plan was going to work brilliantly. There was no way that Itachi would be able to bank his feelings aside with Sakura looking as amazingly sexy as she did. And Ino was only half finished.

"Well, I finished your make up," Ino said proudly, handing Sakura a mirror and then waiting somewhat nervously as Sakura looked at herself. Sakura's mouth fell open. She looked... different. WAY different. Ino made her eyes look sultry, but in a subtle way. Since Ino had lined her eyes with shadow instead of thick liner, her eyes looked soft and glowing rather than small and crammed with eyeliner like so many other girls seemed to look. Her lashes looked long and full, and were visible even when her head was turned to the side. Her face seemed to glow with flawless foundation that thankfully didn't look caked on, and her cheeks were tinted lightly with a bronzer. She was amazed; slightly because she looked good, and mainly because Ino hadn't made her look slutty.

At least not yet. She had yet to do Sakura's hair and force her into an outfit for their rendez-vous at the local club.

"Alright! You like it!" Ino cried, then squealed with excitement. The noise made Sakura cringe. Ino clapped, bouncing up and down in her seat on the bed before she looked at Sakura's hair and tapped her chin. "Hmmmm, now what to do with that hair of yours... OH! I KNOW!" and with that, Ino rushed into the bathroom and pillaged through bins and bins of her cosmetic products, leaving Sakura to wait uneasily in her chair in front of Ino's bed.

Sakura sighed and looked around. She really should have been at work, or at least cooking the guys dinner. But everyone seemed to want Sakura to go out tonight. Ino demanded that she go, going as far as her workspace and talking to her boss about her absolute lack of a social life and how she deserved a break more than any of the other employees. Normally, this was normal behavoir for Ino and Sakura wouldn't have minded. Much, anyways. However, this time it actually worked. Sakura's boss agreed with every word that left Ino's mouth, and before Sakura knew what was happening, her boss was telling her to go and have fun tonight and to skip work all week because she apparently needed 'a good, long break to get laid'.

Sakura was still deeply flustered by this idea. Just at the thought, her face lit up like a flame, but most of the redness of her flaming blush was covered up by the make up she was wearing. She sighed to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose. Whatever Ino was planning, she knew it wasn't going to end well. Ino's plans rarely did.

"I GOT IT!" Ino called out victoriously. She hauled out a small basket of products, pins and a blow dryer as she stumbled rather ungracefully out of her bathroom. Sakura stared at the basket as if it was her own personal version of the deepest, darkest pit of hell. "Oh relax, forehead. It's only some stuff to give you volume and shine. I'm only doing a messy bun, so get the stick out of your butt."

Ino's frank words made Sakura both relax and pout. Ino got to work feverently as Sakura crossed her arms, after all, she still had to do her own make up. She scrunched and dried and fluffed and sprayed and pinned for almost twenty minutes before she was happy with what she had done to Sakura's hair. She stood in front of her and took out a few strands to frame her face, curling them around her finger so that they were wavy and frame her face softly. Ino grinned.

"I am amazing," Ino chided. Sakura rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. Mind telling me what I'm going to wear, genius?" Sakura asked, tugging at the massively over-sized T-shirt she was wearing. Ino turned and headed towards the bathroom to do her own make up and hair.

"It's on Chouji's bed. Don't worry, he changed the sheets yesterday, so they won't give you AIDS."

"Gee. Thanks."

"Only looking out for you!" Ino shouted cheerily from the bathroom before its door closed with a soft 'thud'. Sakura sighed and tugged on the clothes, knowing that she wouldn't really have an option of choosing something else. Low riding shredded denim jeans, a silver chain with Sakura's class ring (her own imput), thin, pretty silver bangles and a silky black top with layers of sheer black material and thin spaghetti straps that made Sakura doubt they would hold as she pulled it on. Sakura decided that it was only worth dressing when she knew for sure that Ino was at least half way through with putting her make up on. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She ran a finger under eyes and touched up the smudged shadow. Sakura wiped off the lip gloss with a kleenex before she applied her own lightly tinted lip balm. She checked her ovrer-all face and decided to rub off a little more of the eyeshadow with the kleenex; she'd never been one to like dramatic eye make up. She added a little blush and then sighed at her reflection. More like herself, less like Ino often liked to make her look like. She grinned in slight triumph before Ino rushed out of the bathroom, already done with her make up, deep smokey purple eyes, nude lips, radiant complexion.

"Wow. That was fast," Sakura mumbled. Ino grinned like the sun.

"The miracles of cream eye shadow. I swear by that stuff. Wait a freaking second... DID YOU CHANGE YOUR MAKE UP?!"

"...Yeah."

"Damnit, woman," Ino sighed, knowing in the back of her mind that they didn't have time to redo her amazing creation. If they were late, Itachi might leave out of disinterest. And the whole point was to get Itachi intrested. If that made any sense. Ino wasn't sure, but she did know that if she and Sakura didn't get dressed and to the club within the next thirty minutes, Ino might miss the one in a million shot for her perfect plan. "Fine. You look good both ways, even if mine was better. Get dressed."

"Why are we in such a hurry, anyways?" Sakura asked, tugging the shirt on gently after wriggling into the jeans. The denim was like a second skin clinging to her thighs, hips, and rear. She blushed. "These are really tight."

"And they make you look smoking hot. You're wearing them," Ino tossed the order over her shoulder as if it was a fact of life. Sakura, not really in the mood to argue anymore, tugged them on the rest of the way and buttoned them. She had to admit, they did feel awfully comfortable for jeans, considering she was used to scrubs or sweats. Ino pulled a silky, slinky purple shirt out and threw it over her torso, braving the Ohio weather braless. Sakura thought she was nuts, but didn't voice her opinion. Instead, she slipped on the necklace and bracelets, then staring at her feet.

"Should I wear my shoes?" Sakura asked curiously, holding up the flats. Ino let out a horrified gasp.

"Are you crazy?! Of course not. Why would you ruin looking smoking hot with ugly shoes?"

"They're not ugly! They're practical and furthermore I-" Sakura was cut off by Ino shoving a pair of black high heels at Sakura. She held them up in front of her face, and the very first thing Sakura thought about was the fact that they looked like they were stolen from a strip club rather then being bought from a normal shoe store. She cringed at the thought of what her feet would feel like later that night.

"Wear them," Ino said, looking Sakura dead in the eyes. Sakura shook her head.

"There is no way."

Ino smirked. "Oh, I have my ways."

Twenty minutes later, Sakura was in the local club, wearing the heels and actually... happy? Maybe she was just laughing at how ridiculous some of the people at the club looked. Girls who were barely legal to drive walked around in stripper heels, halter tops, and tiny skirts. Sakura was tempted to take the lipstick out of her purse and write 'jail bait' a cross their exposed backs. Sakura shrugged out of her black hoodie as some random worker took it away. He walked backwards, looking Sakura up and down before winking at her. It was kind of creepy, the guy really wasn't her type, but it gave her a confidence boost none the less.

"Hey, Forehead, I'm gonna grab us drinks. What do you want?" Ino asked, already scoping out the club for hotties. Sakura rolled her eyes, crossing her arms from the cold air she suddenly felt due to the lack of upper body clothing.

"Bailey's straight up on the rocks. Big glass," Sakura said. What the hell, right? She was out to get trashed and laid anyway. "Please."

"You got it. Look around. I've already spotted five hot ones, two worth stealing from their girlfriends," Ino giggled. Sakura shook her head and strided over to the low couches. It was going to be a long night. Her make up probably wouldn't make it through. She shrugged the thought off, not particulary caring at the moment. Right now, all that made her happy was the bass that made her body vibrate from the sound of the music, a good, straight, ice cold alcoholic beverage and possibly a guy to make out with. Living with two handsome men who didn't do anything with her had gotten to her, even if she hated to admit it. She'd already fallen hard for Sasuke. She promised herself she wasn't going to do the same in Itachi's case.

Then again, that was before she saw him sitting on a coach next to her staring at her like she was a goddess.

"Wow! Hi Itachi! I didn't expect you to be here!" Sakura said, both happy and afraid. Itachi smirked at her.

"The feeling's mutual," he said, louder than normal to be heard over the music. His eyes could have melted iron, the way they were looking at her. He found it hard to concentrate on what she was saying. She looked amazing. Her shirt teased and tortured him to no end with those little, itty bitty straps that he could break in a second. The jeans were killers. If she wore those every day from now on, he might have to get a gun to keep guys away from her, though he was always more into fighting hand to hand for his girl. Itachi's gaze sauntered down as she talked about how Ino dragged her here, but he wasn't paying attention once he caught a glimpse of her shoes. Her shoes. Oh lord, her shoes. Obviously made for sex and nothing else. Certainly not walking, anyways. Her arms were beautifully bare. He wanted to rip off her necklace; the pendant or whatever it was weighed the chain down and hid behind the top of her shirt, basically asking him to look down it and see what was inside. The room had suddenly gone up several degrees, and the way she was looking at him did nothing to cool him off. He would have jumped her then and there if he didn't have a certain amount of decency, and if Ino hadn't invaded on their conversation and shoved a drink towards Sakura. Sakura took a drink, and watching her made Itachi shift uncomfortably.

The jeans had been loose when he bought them, hadn't they?

He watched the girls talk back and forth, but he wasn't really listening. All he could was stare at Sakura and hope to God that he would control himself till he could at least get her alone somewhere private.

It was going to be a long night.