AN: Gomenesai! It's been so long since I last updated but my writer's block has been painful. I keep coming up with stuff but forgetting it by the time I write it down. I doubt I will manage to update before Tuesday but I will try. If I don't, I won't be updating for a few weeks because I am going to be at SIRF in loony street theatre mode.

It's not much, but enjoy it anyway.

Unmasked

Chapter eleven- Unnecessary attention

Ino strode up to the hospital reception with a stern expression and tapped her fingers impatiently against the desk.

Used to her appearance and expression when she was like this, the blonde behind the desk didn't even have to look up to know exactly what it was Ino was there for. She was too careful herself not to get injured so it was either Chouji getting brought in or…

"Second floor, room 23, she'll be finished soon so be quick" the cheerful woman checked her sheet before informing her informed her, and then went back to stamping papers.

Obviously Chouji isn't hurt today for once. Good, the last thing I need is another friend not doing as they are told.

She strode off to the second floor and, as tight as hospital security was, she passed completely unrestricted. The employees and patients were just as used to her storming through as they were to seeing Sakura there after hours.

She cursed to herself as she noted a flash of pink heading away from the room she was just instructed towards. Figuring that Sakura must have finished early, Ino ran off to catch her before she locked herself in another activity.

"Hey forehead!"

Sakura stopped for a half second, looking back over her shoulder as Ino approached, but then just sighed in annoyance and handed the clipboard she was holding to a passing medic as she kept walking.

Ino walked next to her and scowled "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Nani?" Sakura replied nonchalantly, not really paying much attention.

"I told you on Friday that Aya wanted to see you for a check fitting. You and that dress need to be in the same place as Aya by half three Sakura."

"So…"

"It's quarter past now!"

"I'm busy" she shrugged and disappeared.

Ino had just enough time to realize that she had only gone into her office nearby before she found the door slammed shut in her face.

She reached up and hammered on it with her fist "Sakura stop being so bloody childish! Either come out now or let me in"

There was no answer as Ino heard the squeak of her chair at the other side of the door, showing that she had made herself comfortable with no intention of leaving.

She turned around and leant against the door, scanning the people walking passed the door for easy targets.

Nice… she nodded as she saw a male medic not much older than her with dark hair tied back in a small ponytail heading her way.

Hiding her hand behind her back to hide her engagement ring, she gave him her most stunning smile and pulled her hair loose around her shoulders in one slow movement.

It took longer than she was used to but he soon stopped still and casually wandered over.

"Can I help you?" he asked her in a low, smooth voice.

She merely glanced to the lock on Sakura's office door and bit her lip innocently. He wasn't exactly alien to Ino's techniques, seen as she had cornered more than one medic into the same position in her previous attempts to lecture Sakura, so he just gave off a light laugh and reached into his pocket.

A few years ago, all fully trained medics were issued with a copy of Sakura's office key, as sometimes when she was staying through the night insistent that she should keep working she did forget to eat and there was no other way to get Sakura out of her office when she had her mind set on paper work.

The medic quickly unlocked the door and left before Sakura could single out who he was. Ino slipped inside before Sakura could lock the door again and crossed her arms over her chest.

To her surprise, Sakura wasn't nose deep in paper already, but was staring out of the window vacantly, her desk completely clear, including her in-tray for once.

"Sakura… are you alright?"

She didn't reply, instead choosing to rest her head on top of an arm on her desk.

"Sakura, why won't you go to Aya like you are supposed to? You haven't got any work, and don't give me any Kazekage rubbish because I know they sent a message to say they would be coming tomorrow instead"

"I don't want to deal with anything to do with the dance"

"Why?"

"I just don't…" she almost whispered.

Ino walked around and crouched down in front of Sakura, noting that she wasn't looking out of the window, just staring vacantly with bloodshot eyes into space. She took a quick damage check of her sunken eyes and pale skin and sighed. "Have you even slept this week?"

"Hai"

"For more than two hours a night?"

Sakura merely closed her eyes briefly in answer.

"That isn't a cue to sleep now. You are going to drag your overworked ass to that dress shop now. Then I am going to take you for a bath" she glanced down at Sakura's hands "and a manicure. Then you are going home to sleep until you get a message to say that Gaara has arrived. I absolutely refuse to have you representing the medical capabilities of Konoha when you look like you have worse health than an eighty year old lifetime smoker with asthma."

Sakura opened her eyes again and gave her a sarcastic glare.

Ino took that as the best response she'd had all afternoon and smiled as she stood and held out a hand to help her up.

"It's no good" Aya complained, almost ready for tears "How I am supposed to make her acceptable by Thursday night I have no idea at all"

Sakura slouched down beside Hoshi, who looked just as exhausted after all of Aya's barked orders over the last two hours.

"She'll be fine, won't she?" Ino fretted "I mean… with make up and a manicure…"

Aya laughed "A manicure? Have you seen those hands? The only hope is some half decent gloves…"

"I can't wear gloves!" Sakura snapped

"Nani?" the older blonde gave her a stern glare

"She's right" Hoshi told her "she has to give a demonstration remember? Fancy dress gloves would be impractical."

"Damn it. This is the only thing I have ever failed with!" Aya turned to face Ino "this is why I only accept customers of higher breeding"

"And here I thought it was for the money" Sakura grumbled cynically.

"Stand back up" Hoshi told her, her eyes wide in thought

"Nani? You've gone mad right?"

"No, seriously, I have an idea"

Aya looked on at her apprentice as she stood up and took a needle and thread from her skirt, holding it between her lips as she reached for some of the scraps of material left over from another dress they had previously made.

Sakura sighed and reluctantly stood up as Hoshi cut up some sections of black lace and pulled some scissors out from her apron pocket.

Everyone watched with interest as the young girl began to cut delicately around the edges of the lace patterns on two edges of a triangular piece of fabric.

"What are you doing Hoshi-chan?"

"The main problems at the moment are that you want to show off some of Haruno-san's attributes, but she would rather be conservative in public. So we need the dress we already have, which fits perfectly, but it shows off too much cleavage and goes too low in the back. The solution" she declared as she began pinning parts of the triangle of lace to the top of the silver dress Sakura wore, covering the display of cleavage Sakura was so conscious of "is to cover the problem areas with a fine lace like this. It stops the skin from being so much on show, but it's sheer enough so the cleavage is still visible. We can do the same on the lower back and it makes the dress look more interesting and unique. We could maybe even add some bead decoration around where it's fastened to the dress."

"It'll still look like a night dress" Sakura grumbled

"Kiba will like it" Ino winked at her with a smirk

She rolled her eyes at her "I'm sure he will…"

"There is no time to make these alterations Hoshi." Aya reasoned "the only way to make them now would involve hand stitching every detail. That can't be done before Thursday, without abandoning extra time and possibly other clients. Clients who actually deserve our wares"

"I believe that Sakura does deserve it." Hoshi protested "if extra time is what it takes, I'll make the alterations myself, and you don't need to pay me for the extra hours either."

Sakura was stunned at the effort made over her but she really didn't feel she was worth it. Right now, she just wanted to hide away and ignore the next week all together.

She had so much pressure piled on her; her nerves were just a frayed mess. She was expected to meet all the formalities of the Suna visit, along with preparing the presentation, being thrust into this, dealing with Ino's wedding frets (which had been becoming more and more frequent), then there was… no, don't even think it Sakura… 'Think what? That you miss Kakashi?' be quiet, I never asked you 'no, but you've been making yourself busy just so you don't think about it. It's really obvious…'

She attempted to stall the argument between the two dress makers before unnecessary attention was drawn to her "Hoshi, you really shouldn't…"

She didn't realize until after she had said it just how emotional she had sounded. Maybe it was just how tired she was from insomnia, or the stress she was under, but she had an uneasy feeling in her stomach which choked her words.

Once she heard the sound of her own voice she glanced away from the others' shocked glares in embarrassment. "I uh… I'm going to go now. Do whatever you want with the dress, I don't care"

Sakura went to walk towards where her medic uniform was still dumped but paused when she came to a tricky realization. "Is there any specific way to get out of this thing?"

"Um…" Hoshi thought for a while then replied "no, it should be really easy. There are no fastenings and the lining is silk so…"

She didn't even have to finish before the dress was lying redundant on the floor as Sakura pulled her uniform back on and began to leave.

"Sakura, you can't leave just like that" Ino argued

"Ino, don't even think of following me. The Suna party could be here as early as eight tomorrow. Hoping that no major medical emergencies come up, I need to be there, awake."

AN: ugh. I really don't know what I was doing here. Just a bit of build up for the next chapter I think.

Basically the Suna party has postponed their arrival until the Tuesday, which if you weren't noting properly, is when Kakashi's team are due back in Konoha. If you are wondering about the nejiten parts, they will resume at the dance, for obvious reasons. Yes, Asumu is still living with Ino, but Shikamaru has moved out now so he is looking after him for the day.

The dress will be described in greater detail later on, so it's not too important if details are missed out.

I do actually have a rough drawing of what the dress looks like so if anyone would like to do some fan art with it you are welcome, just message me and I'll email you the sketch. I'm just not very good at fan art myself or I would have done it by now.

I may have gone a bit technical and boring at some points so gomen, but I am heavily into costume design atm and I can't help myself.

Looking forward to upcoming chapters, but I am sending out a strong angst/depression warning for the next chapter or two. There won't be much humor in them at all unless I slip in a bit of shikaino or something.

Stay shiny and show the luff

XX Belizma-chan XX