Author's Note: Um. Nothing much to say, really… which yes, I know is unusual for me. I suppose I could remind you to hit me with as many reviews as is physically possible. All you bad, bad people that are reading and not commenting, I really don't know how you live with yourself.

Hmph. Got the stupid lines of bastardness right this time, didnt I?

Pairings: SasuxIno, implied ShikaxIno, ShikaxTema, NaruxHina

…

Enjoy…

Yeah, well you know,

I'm really okay…

The gun in my hand

Will tell you the same

Party!

I can't believe him! I can't! What an asshole! I don't know why I ever lo- … liked him in the first place! How could he do this? He's the biggest - …I've never met such an… an… an… asshole! And I dated Sasuke Uchiha for two and a half years!

Ino gave said sombre man a sidelong glanced and moved her seat closer to him, twining her arm around his and leaning her head on his shoulder. She shot Shikamaru, who sat calmly sipping wine – although the party hadn't even started yet – a dirty look, and smiled at her date when he looked down on her.

"You're affectionate," he observed. Used to the attitude, she took it all in her stride, batting her lashes and grinning.

"Only because I know you love it so much," she simpered, hugging him tighter. Sasuke smirked, raising an eyebrow towards Shikamaru, who still had his head deep in his wine glass. He lifted a lip slightly and snarled back through the bottom of the glass.

Unfortunately, Ino was too preoccupied with the arrival of Sakura to really see any of this. Ino was in red and white, small bauble-like earrings hanging from her ears, red bracelets around her wrists, and a silver necklace around her neck, and Sakura was themed much the same. Tenten, who had decided to be productive and chase after Neji to make sure he actually came, continued the idea on as well, though the extent of her real decoration was a small, pretty Christmas tree clip in her dark hair, and Ino had only seen her briefly as of yet. Sakura saw her table – which was currently only occupied by three other people (guess who) and headed reluctantly towards them. Sasuke, the sweet thing that he was, ignored her completely.

Now, if Sakura had meant just a little more to Ino, then she would not have accepted – sought out – Sasuke for her date. She could have gone alone, she could have gone with any number of people – Santa knew she had been just a teensy bit bad this month – but she thought that the handsome Uchiha would be the best candidate to piss off her stupid, stubborn, asshole of a boss.

Plus. They looked good together, and everyone knew it.

Now imagine her surprise when he tells a smug Ino and Sasuke that he had indeed found himself a date for the stupid thing he was being forced to go to, and that she was blond, rich, powerful, influential, and the best customer they had. No prizes for guessing who that was.

Grr…

Ino was glad Temari hadn't turned up with him. Otherwise she would not have any time to adjust to the fact…

And she would get jealous.

Very jealous.

…

Not that she wasn't already.

But this way she could think of a hundred smarmy replies to a hundred innocent questions and/or statements, and still come off feeling that she was the better woman, instead of spitting her wine out in surprise and having it land all over everyone at the table when the heiress managed to show up without giving Ino any preparation time.

Come to think of it… Why isn't she here already?

It occurred to her that she could actually just ask her stupid boss that question – but such an idea was for people whose sense outweighed pride. If she wanted to keep up her 'better-than-you' act, then she couldn't ask him questions! That would imply that she didn't already know something, which would mean he was the better person.

Which, obviously, wouldn't work for her.

So, she decided to just lavish her complete and undivided attention on Sasuke!

"Would you like a drink, Sasuke?" she asked sweetly, noticing with only a little bit of internal conflict when Sakura's brave face slipped. "I know technically the party hasn't started yet, but while we're waiting around…"

"Mmm, sure. Thanks, Ino."

Shikamaru shot him a look. There's probably other things you want to do with her while waiting around. I'm not letting you two out of my sight.

Ino got up and left with a delighted smile, bouncing away to the kitchens.

-----------

"So, Nara. You actually got a date?" Sasuke asked nonchalantly as he sat back in his chair, examining a perfect fingernail. "Where is she then?"

Sakura seemed to be in pain at the sound of his voice. First he went to this thing she had organized, with another girl – who happened to be his rival's secretary and her rival as well – then, as soon as the whore had departed, he started talking about yet another blond!

Still. I might be able to put a stick in the works somehow. Or at least listen to see how their relationships are between each other.

Shikamaru shrugged off Sasuke's question with a well-practiced twitch of his shoulders, and moved to take another sip of wine. Where had he gotten that anyway? Nothing had been served yet! Their battle continued silently, however, as each man proceeded to try and out-glare the other.

Great! Now something happen!

…

Anything?

…

After five minutes Sakura had gotten bored. If they weren't going to talk to her then she would go and make herself useful somewhere else. She was meant to be greeting people for the party anyway.

The rosette left the two feuding men with a sigh and strode towards the door, waiting for all the guests who would come soon and fill up all the tables they had booked. She grinned at the thought of her hard work paying off as the guests ate, drank, and listened to the expert pianist she had commissioned.

She wasn't there long before many people started turning up. Ever the gracious host, she led each and every one to their designated seats, until she was greeted by a pair she found most unusual.

"G-Good evening, Sakura," the Hyuuga heiress greeted kindly. "Y-You look v-very nice tonight."

Sakura flushed, amazed at the compliment extended to her by a woman wearing highest-quality diamonds and carrying a small handbag that cost about three thousand dollars. Hinata always looked beautiful, although she didn't need expensive clothes to do it.

"Hey! Miss Hyuuga tells me you and a couple of others put all this together!" a tall blond next to her grinned enthusiastically. Sakura's impressed moment dropped as she glared dully at the boy she had gone to high school with, who she had desperately hoped never to see again.

What is he doing with Miss Hyuuga anyway? Surely someone like him is no good for a real… lady like her. Naruto's too… urgh. He's too much like Naruto to do anyone any good.

"Yes. Tenten, Ino and I arranged tonight, with hopes it suits you, Miss Hyuuga," Sakura smiled, mostly ignoring the loud policeman at her side. "If you'll let me show you to your seat – that is, if you don't mind sharing a table with me and some of the others, that is."

Hinata blushed slightly and looked to Naruto, who was still grinning outrageously, not at all put off about how Sakura was treating him. He was waiting for the rosette to take the heiress away.

"I- I was actually thinking that m-maybe I would be a-able to change tables," she said softly, playing with her fingers slightly and looking at her shoes. "N-Naruto says he n-needs someone g-good at t-trivia and I -"

"Nah, Miss Hyuuga it's okay," he smiled, grabbing her hand confidently. "My table's doomed to loose anyway, what with all the lawyers being on the other tables. Us coppers don't stand a chance. I wouldn't want you losing just on my account. You belong on a winning team, Miss Hyuuga!"

Hinata flinched and nodded her head slightly, refusing to look the ever-smiling man in the eyes. "O-Okay, then -" She tried to tug her hand away from his.

"Nonsense, Naruto," Sakura scowled, completely missing that Hinata had tried to speak. "You can't refuse her! Don't be so ungentlemanly! We'll just do a swap, that's all! We'll figure it out later; right now I'll show you two to the table."

Naruto rubbed at his stomach, laughing as it growled. "Actually, Sakura, I was hoping we could get something to eat first. I'm sort of hungry…"

"What? You want to sit there and stuff yourself while in the presence of -"

Sakura only then realised how much of an idiot she was making out of herself. Lecturing Naruto on how to treat Hinata when she was right there in front of them was no smooth move. Nope, not at all. It wasn't as if the heiress looked like she was offended by him or anything….

Sakura. You. Are. A. Moron. Just let them go. Let the poor things leave!

She smiled bashfully. If she had been an anime character she would have been covered in sweatdrops.

"Okay, I'll take you to your tables and give you both some menus."

---------

"Oi! What're you doing in the kitchen?"

Ino flinched as she tried to make away with a bottle of wine and got caught red handed. She readied herself for her big, bright, innocent smile and…

Died.

Now way! It was that guy in the elevator from when she and Kiba –

"What're you doing?" the large man repeated, slapping a large saucepan in his hand. "Food isn't being served until the party starts. By my watch that's about ten minutes away."

He recognised her, she could tell. But he wasn't as scared as perhaps he should have been.

Not that Ino was going to pick a fight when all the evidence was stacked against her and he was on his own turf of course, but it was safer for everyone to be cautious when handling the blond woman.

"But this is my party, and Sasuke wanted a drink," she frowned, unable to think of anything to say other than what was running through her mind besides oh shit he's gonna kill me.

"Your party? Miss Haruno hired me to cook especially for this get-together. She was working under the legendary Miss Hyuuga's influence, and has been planning this for a long time! She wanted the best chef in all the world to cook for her! And so she has him!" The tubby chef wove the saucepan around and struck a pose, which contrasting sharply with her memories of a shy man that she had held before. "This is my kitchen, and it is where I, Akimichi Chouji, reign supreme! Now out, out before I call Miss Haruno!"

Ino jumped and left post-haste, still conveniently with the bottle of wine in her hand. Chouji, huh? Well, Sakura was definitely overdue for an interesting chat.

First, though, she had to tend adoringly to her pretty date.

She walked with as much hip-swinging as she could manage without looking like she was shit-faced towards her table, and placed the bottle of alcohol on the table in front of Sasuke, leaning over him and wrapping her arms loosely about his neck. Black hair tickled her chin as she rested her head on his, shooting a snarl towards Shikamaru.

Dammit… I forgot how comfy you were you seductive bastard…

Forgot how those shoulders felt too…

Uh – no. Wait!

…

Ew. Gross. Sasuke.

That's better.

"There we go," she grinned down at him. "Who's amazing?"

She pulled back slightly as he lifted his chin and caught her in a quick, light kiss.

"You're amazing," he replied smugly, a familiar smirk twisting across his face. Ino was surprised, to say the least, that he had actually said more than just his usual 'hn' when she gave him an opening for a compliment. She raised her eyes to meet Shikamaru's, and was thoroughly satisfied with what she saw.

Aw, thanks Sasuke!

"Hey, I gotta go," she told him, resting her cheek in his hair for a second before unwrapping her arms. "I need to speak to Sakura about something, okay? Don't worry. I'll hurry back," she assured him, even though he was more preoccupied with shooting Shikamaru a 'don't-you-wish-you-were-me-right-now' look.

"Hn…"

-----------

"Oh? Oh! Miss Sabaku!" Sakura greeted, somewhat amazed by the powerful presence that Temari carried about her. "Good to see you! I'm so glad you could make it!"

Temari nodded curtly, cocking her head towards the two men that accompanied her before crossing her arms and shifting weight so that she looked more casual, even in the formal dress she was wearing.

"This is Kankurou, my eldest brother, and my youngest, Gaara," she introduced. Sakura smiled somewhat nervously at both men – especially the redhead. He was, after all, currently being tried for murder….

Many murders.

Involving live burials in the desert…

And lots of –

"I wanted for him to have a good Christmas… you know…" Temari told her softly.

Kankurou remarked to his brother about the piano that sat in the centre, separated from the tables by a small stage, but the young man only glowered at the instrument, and lifted his lip at his brother's attempts.

"…If there was a chance his next one was going to be spent in a cell…."

Sakura's eyes softened, and she nodded solemnly. "I understand…. Alright!" she burst, suddenly behaving much happier, "I'll show you to where you'll be sitting for tonight! Of course at the table with everyone important there – Mr. Hyuuga, Mr. Nara and Mr. Uchiha will all be there. Mr. Hyuuga just needs to try and tear himself away from the office, and he'll be right with us," she smiled as she led them towards the table.

"I'm Sakura Haruno, by the way. Mr. Uchiha's secretary. Nice to meet -"

"Hey! Billboard! What's the deal with -"

Ino broke off, eyes wide, as she looked into the glowering face of Gaara Sabaku. She was so close she could tell each strand of dark red hair apart from the others that fell across his face. She hadn't meant to get this close! It was a combination of nasty high heels and Sakura's stupid dodging.

What a cow!

Behaving like a somewhat sensible person, Ino took a step back and calmly excused herself before stating her name and occupation, as well as how she hoped they would enjoy the little holiday function she had helped put together. She decided that out of the lot she definitely liked Kankurou the best. He was much friendlier than the others – by far. At least he smiled and laughed – whether with her or at her she was unsure of, but still…. Gaara just stared and stared and stared and she could tell he was imagining burying her under tons of sand after slashing the living daylights out of her, and Temari…

Well. She wasn't even going to try.

Ino saw that Sakura was giving her a look that ensured her full cooperation when dealing with what the blond had been about to berate her about, as long as she acted normal around the three Sabaku siblings.

She wasn't disappointed.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Sakura," she said, nodding politely. "And you too, Miss and Sirs. Don't let my foolishness ruin your evening, please. Dinner will be served in about five minutes. There are just a few more guests to great, and the night will be underway." She left walking with a straight back, arms stiff by her sides…

Feeling like a fucking moron.

It was a lie. There was no one else to greet that she could really think of. In her travels through the dining room she had even crossed past with Kiba – an incident only kept under control because of the presence of Hinata Hyuuga – and supposed that Sasori had already arrived as well. So she would stand at the door looking like a stupid idiot, while all the food was served and people started to have a good time. She almost wished a bunch of gate crashers would turn up, as long as she didn't have to go back empty-handed.

…

Six minutes, forty-one seconds

…

Nothing…

…

Nine minutes, thirteen seconds…

…

Nothing…

…

Eleven minutes, twenty four seconds

…

…

…

And then:

"Fucking hell! I'm not fucking lost! Seriously, everyone knows I'm the fucking smartest here."

Oh shit.

"Right. Then how do you explain the current absence of people?"

I know those voices…

"They're stairs, yeah? You know them? When you're late for somewhere they lead to, there's very rarely anyone on them."

No, please not you guys… Not tonight… Not all of you! What? I only gave the invitation to Sasori, and took the rest ba-

No I didn't! I left the spares there!

"Don't be such a smart-ass. You're still just a baby, Deidara."

Oh no, oh no, oh no!

"Oh? So what? I do what you say, yeah? What are you like my master or something? What do you have that qualifies for that position? You have no power over me. You know that, yeah?"

What should I do? Run? Turn them away?

"I dress you for a start."

But I can't do that! And they'd come in on their own accord!

"You're giving me a headache…."

Oh no. Not Itachi. Not him too. Not with Sasuke….

It's coz I got a bad habit

And it aint goin' away

Hn… I apologise, but don't expect such regular updates from now on… I'm sort of obsessed with… -reverent tone and sparkling eyes- Air Gear… More specifically, 3 Spitfire 3

Can't help myself. You understand… right?

The road to truth is long and hard… and the entire way is lined with annoying bastards. Like me and the counting of the minutes just a moment ago...

I needed to fill up space...