Author's Note: Well hi! I haven't seen you guys for a while, have I? I apologise, but can really give no reason other than that I am a… lazy, non-committal bitch.

Heh.

Anyway, but I was really, REALLY bored this weekend, and didn't want to do my maths assignments (maths assignment. I know. –rolls eyes-) so I sort of just hijacked my mums laptop and started typing. Woo!

Um… by the way… I know it wont really have the same effect with this being set in a Christmas Party around February… but try and get back into the spirit, yeah? And look! No song at the start! That's okay. Song comes later. I have some sort of songfic chapter obsession. Sor-ry!

Oh. Btw. The legal drinking age in Australia is 18. So just… keep that in mind for later, yeah?

Chapter… the next one (10?) Can't remember :D

Oh God. How did it get to this?

The thought, repeating over and over inside her head like a broken record, had a justifiable existence. Who had she killed in a past life to have this happen to her? She held Sasuke's left hand tightly in her grasp, and squeezed it every so often in an effort to let him know that he could relax, that just because Itachi had taken Tenten's seat on the other side of her, it didn't mean anything was going to happen, that he would be fine, that everything would be okay... and… it wouldn't be…

… Like last time.

But last time had been an accident. She was only seventeen, and Itachi was older and could definitely hold his alcohol better than anyone else at the party. It was dark, she was confused, and they looked an awful lot alike. He kissed her. She thought it was her boyfriend and kissed back. And that's the story. How simple it seemed now, looking back on it, when in reality it had been weeks of crying, of begging for forgiveness, of not being welcomed into the Uchiha household by the young man she would have given almost anything for, of seeing the pain on his face every time he looked at her. Of how she had gotten fed up with trying to make it work, when he did nothing but try his best to ignore her. Of the months they stayed furious at each other, until the day they graduated. She left him with a firm hug and a kiss on the cheek, and didn't see him until five years later.

Who knew?

"Ino!"

The sharp, irritated voice belonged to Sakura, who did her quite a disservice by waking her up from her dream state. The rosette was soft red with an angry flush, glaring at Sasuke's hand gripped in Ino's while she pointed to the waiter who was politely waiting for Ino to make her order.

"Uhh…"

"She'll have what I'm having," Itachi said smoothly, folding his menu and placing down on the table in front of him. "You've always been partial to my tastes…. Haven't you, Ino?"

Ino would have loved, for at that moment, to just be murdered. Taken down. Shot. Stabbed. Bombed. Strangled. Drowned. Garroted! Anything! As long as she didn't have to deal with the heavy-set awkwardness that settled over the whole table. She raised her eyes, barely breathing and all too aware of Sasuke's nails digging ferociously into her hand, to meet the critical stare of her boss, and immediately wished she hadn't. Ino looked down at the table and wondered what she would do.

"Madam?" the waiter prompted, trying to confirm Itachi's order.

"Yes…. That'll be fine…."

Eating was the last thing on her mind.

She shot Itachi a fierce glance, wondering how he could sit so easily, with a small, contented smile gracing his face, when he had caused such a commotion. He met her eye coolly, and opened his mouth to say something else, when –

"Where's Tenten?"

Sakura's voice was like a lighthouse in the storm. Ino chose to strategically ignore the elder Uchiha brother and answer her as if nothing had happened.

"She went chasing after Mr. Hyuuga," she told the rosette, who was looking at her with a 'what the hell' look all over her face. Ino chose Deidara at random, who was sitting to the left of Temari, and addressed the next sentence to him. "He doesn't usually come out and be social like this too often, and is so dedicated to his work he often loses track of time. Tenten's his assistant. She usually keeps him in check."

Most of her audience nodded their understanding, but a few did not. Gaara Sabaku did nothing but stare – he seemed to never be doing anything else – and Shikamaru was draining his wine glass at an alarming rate. Occasionally his eyes would move from Itachi to Ino to Sasuke, and then he'd frown, before realising that most of the others who had sent her flowers were here as well.

Speaking of the two higher-ups, boss and assistant walked through the door at that precise moment, Neji frowning when he noticed Hinata was at a table with police officers, and he didn't know some of the people personally on his table. There was also only one seat left, which made things all the more annoying. Tenten smiled and said something that Ino couldn't make out, and she stood to go and meet the two when they started over. Sasuke, after some insistent tugging, came after her.

They met in the middle of the room, their conversation kept from others by the buzz of speech circling them. Ino smiled at Neji with relief, as he deadpanned back.

"What the hell is going on, Ino Yamanaka? Why is Hinata sitting with those middle-class idiots? Who's sitting at my table? You gave me a list of the table arrangements, and I expected it had all been worked out. What went wrong?"

This was so much easier than being brought between two Uchihas. She could answer his question without too much hassle. Sasuke was watching her carefully as she started to speak. No doubt he was wandering why in God's name she had let Itachi join the table in the first place.

Well, it wasn't as if that had been her main intention. It wasn't like that. She had done her best to politely get him to stay the hell away.

'I'm sorry, Itachi. That's seat's reserved for someone else.'

'There are spare chairs. They can pull up another one.'

'It's just not good to turn up like this, you guys. I wish you'd called and said you were coming.'

'We sent you flowers. Didn't you get them?'

Ino explained the situation, and eventually Sasuke stopped looking at her, instead defiantly meeting Tenten's curious eye. He lifted his lip slightly, and forced himself to relax a little. Ino moved closer to him, so that her temple touched his shoulder.

Neji's chest heaved as he sighed grandly, placing a pale thumb and forefiner on the bridge of his nose in inconvenient exasperation. "Alright. Fine. I know most of them anyway. Their faces are all over every magazine in the world. It may pay off to actually get to know them. There's a lot of room for legal cases in the modeling world."

He strode past Ino and towards the table. Tenten let out a breath and smiled.

"You are so lucky you got off with that. He wasn't happy about coming here at all. He kept making excuses, and got so angry when I nagged him that he actually threatened to cut my pay check." The assistant crossed her arms and rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "Uptight bastard. He should know by now not to mess with my paycheck. I told him I'd call High Hyuuga Hiashi and tell him that he was neglecting his socialistic duties." She paused to smirk, and Ino returned it. "Fastest I've ever seen him move."

Heh… High Hyuuga Hiashi…

"You're a genius."

"I know. I'm also starving. Has the food come yet?" The brunette looked around at the tables, checking for meals and only seeing wine. She cocked an eyebrow and grinned lopsidedly.

That might just be enough.

"Oi! Oi! Sasuke, you bastard! Imagine seeing you here!" Naruto grinned as he strode towards them. Ino was glad for the blond distraction. Suddenly, Sasuke's attention was focused completely on Naruto. Now he seemed different. More… positive, somehow. But still annoyed. Still very annoyed.

"I just can't image what amazing luck I have. Running into you of all people after all this time," the lawyer replied, voice completely dull. Naruto rolled his eyes, and Ino and Tenten watched in amusement as Sasuke was forced into an argument with no structured rules like there were in the courtroom. They found out he wasn't so good in 'anything goes' arguments. He was getting frustrated at Naruto's senseless points and his stupid answers that were impossible to return. When the blond copper thought that he had enraged Sasuke enough, he started to laugh loudly, and grabbed the shoulder of his suit.

"Don't touch what you can't afford, loser," Sasuke scowled. Naruto blinked irately, and started to drag him back towards his table to introduce him to all his other friends. Tenten and Ino were left alone.

"Hey… Tenten…. Do you know what's up with… with Shikamaru and Temari? I didn't know they were even together, and then he turns up with her at this party?"

The assistant stopped eyeing the red wine on the nearest table and crossed her arms, tilted her head to one side thoughtfully, making her Christmas tree hairclip flash in the lights.

"I don't know…. I'm not even sure how they met each other – well… actually that would probably be through her brother's case…. But I didn't think they had any contact outside of case meetings. What might of happened though, is that he needed a date, and she was just there. He had a lot of leverage over her in the first place, I suppose. Everyone knows the better friends you are with someone the more you can get out of them. She's no stranger to making deals. Not what you know but who you know and all that…."

"But I thought he hated parties… Why even bother to come?"

Tenten shrugged at the helpless look on her colleague's face. "I just said, didn't I?" The brunette sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay. That's not what you wanted to hear, is it?"

"Not really…."

"Well, the day you got the… flowers… he was almost convinced he was going to ask you himself. It was just bad timing on Sasori's part. Maybe, maybe, he's trying to make you jealous."

"You think?"

Tenten shrugged again. "Look, Ino…. Why not… just…. Just enjoy yourself here. Go with Sasuke. He's your date, and as much of a dick that he is, I think you might have already experienced how messy something like this could guess. God knows you watch enough stupid TV. He doesn't deserve to be fooled around like this, so after tonight… maybe you should just…."

Ino knew where she was going, but she was scared that if she just said no to Sasuke, that he would just ignore her around the office. She didn't want it to be like last time, when they were angry at each other. She had been his friend for so long, she couldn't help but care for him. She had seen his best and worst moments through the whole of primary and high school, she had held his hand at the funeral of his parents, she had done her best to protect him from the stares and whispers about his past.

She knew she treated him casually, like she didn't really care about him at all. She loved to embarrass him, to see him turn red. She used to love hugging him in public places…. Ino missed that. Of course, now that he was a high class lawyer she wouldn't do things like that… not in the workplace…. But she liked knowing she was the only person that could.

Yes. She would have to come clean and tell him that, as angry as she was with the genius lawyer right now, it was still Shikamaru that she wanted.

"Alright," Tenten said, stretching her back tiredly. "I'll head back. You can go get him now."

------------------

Ino practically had to drag Sasuke back to the table, following Tenten's direct path. Neji had taken his intended seat next to Itachi, and seeing the two leftover seats together, Tenten figured out that that was where Ino and Sasuke had been before. She frowned at the lack of spots open.

"It's okay, Tenten. Maybe Sasuke and I can go to a different table. There are some people that didn't turn up tonight."

Itachi looked at her dully, Deidara pouted, Gaara stared, Kankurou raised his eyebrows, Shikamaru glared at Sasuke, Temari glared at Shikamaru, Sakura was looking hopelessly at her wine glass, and Hidan was just getting pissed off with all of the tiptoeing. Sasori stood up.

"Don't do that, Ino," he smiled, caramel eyes blinking slowly, in an almost catlike show of comfortable ease. "Miss Haruno here was just telling me that the entertainment for tonight should have started by now. And I was planning on offering her my services."

"I didn't know you could play the piano," Ino told him, eyes brightening. Sasori was seeming very talented right now.

"Yeah, you and me both, woman," Deidara muttered under his breath. The redheaded tailor turned enough so that he could see the blond out of the corner of his eye, and hissed quietly so that no one else could hear, "It would be an over exaggeration to say you know anything about me.

"In that case," Tenten grinned, "everything's fine - … until of course you come back."

Sasori waved it away. "It's fine. You can have my food if you want, too," he smiled. "Just make sure you save some for me."

He dipped his head to Ino before walking past and climbing the stairs to the small stage and the shiny, black, grand piano. Tenten, Sasuke and Ino took their seats, the blond and her date having to turn their chairs completely around so that they could see him as he lifted the piano lid and flexed his fingers. People from the other tables had noticed that he was going to play for them, and quietened down. Waiters watched from the door of the kitchen, holding platters ready to bring out, but not wanting to disturb the handsome redhead who had taken his place on the piano stool.

Chef Chouji, who had left his kitchen only to berate the waiters for not moving saw that the show was about to begin, regardless of the news he had been given by his employer that said the pianist they had hired was not going to turn up. He grinned and pushed past his waiters, moving unnoticed to the lights, shutting off all but the spotlight on the stage. Sasori, surprised, looked up at the soft blue and smiled.

Ino gasped, felt herself blush as the tailor turned towards her, caramel eyes shining in the light, hands posed over the keys, and sleeves rolled to the elbow. He offered her a small, daring smirk, and took a deep breath, turning back to the grand instrument.

"Merry Christmas, everyone," he said softly, and struck the first note.

At the first few chords, Ino thought she recognized the song, but the title eluded her. She asked Sasuke, but he only stared at the pink on her cheeks, just visible in the dim light, and she had to look away. She would remember the title soon enough, anyway, she supposed. All she could place is that it was a Christmas Carol.

…

But…

They usually have… lyrics… right?

She was genuinely surprised when the first lines left his lips, in a smooth, clear voice, completely captivating his audience and filling the room with soft melody. She turned around to see a stunned Deidara, and mouthed, 'He's amazing!'

'He's not that great', the handsome blond replied with a shrug. Ino giggled at him, and hummed, moving her thumb rhythmically across the soft skin on Sasuke's hand. He wasn't completely relaxed yet, but he was getting there. Maybe it helped that it was dark, and he could barely see anything.

"Pretty paper, pretty ribbons, of blue

Wrap your presents, to your darling, from you

Pretty pencils, to write 'I love you'

Pretty paper… pretty ribbons… are blue"

Behind them, Ino heard Temari murmur that Christmas was a time for love and family. Kankurou chuckled and answered her quietly. She couldn't hear what he said. Then Shikamaru sighed, and she heard the scraping of a chair on the floor. Ino turned her head slightly so she could look over her shoulder. She bit her lip.

They were sitting so close, his arm around her waist, her head on his shoulder. Ino couldn't deny how good they looked together, how comfortable he seemed, speaking to her, when he tried to avoid Ino herself as much as possible, and wouldn't even look her in the eye. She couldn't deny that she didn't deserve him anyway. Temari didn't look like she was stupid enough to fool around with other people to get someone else to like her. How could she have been such an idiot?

Next to her, Itachi agreed to Temari's statement. "Hear that, Sasuke? It's a time for family…. How unfortunate that we couldn't all be here together."

Sasuke growled, wrenching his hand from Ino's grasp and lurching towards him, aiming to fasten his hands around his brother's neck as his blond date tried to stop him. Her interference allowed Itachi to dodge the blow, so that Sasuke's nails scraped down his neck, and he couldn't get a proper grip. He smirked, goaded him into trying again. Everyone's attention was focused completely on Sasori, and nobody except the three involved could really see anything. The fighting going on across Ino was hidden by her body from the people behind her.

Crowded street, busy feet… hustle by him,
Downtown shoppers, Christmas is nigh
There he sits all alone on the sidewalk…
Hoping, that you won't pass him by

"Sasuke – Sasuke, stop. Please. Leave him alone. Guys!" she whispered fiercely, almost at her wits end as she tried to just break it up between them. Neither man listened to her, instead locking eyes in a fierce battle of glares, Itachi's triumphant smirk working against Sasuke set jaw. The youngest Uchiha swung a fist towards his brother.

"Sasuke plea -"

"Should you stop? Better not. Much too busy,
You're in a hurry… my how time does fly…
In the distance, the ringing, of laughter…
And in the midst… of the laughter… he cries"

They both froze.

Tears leaked from Ino's eyes, despite her efforts to contain them. She held both hands to her cheek, where it was doubtless a bruise was already forming. Her breath was shaky, hitching as she sucked it in and out. Her shoulders shook unsteadily. And the brothers stayed frozen, staring at the sobbing woman.

"Ino! I -"

"Don't touch me," she told Sasuke, voice cracking as she shoved away his hands with one of her own. "Just… Just leave me alone, okay? It's fine…. It'll stop hurting in a while…."

"Ino… maybe I should have a look at that," Itachi said, somewhat cautious around a crying girl. He usually didn't have to deal with them like this. Usually his work was quick. They'd be dead before they even knew what was happening. But he had no interest in killing Ino…. Not yet, at least. For now he would take care of her. Such acts of kindness aggravated his brother so, and increased her trust in him – something that could only work out well on his part. He put his hands on hers and made to pull them away from her face, but she stood up abruptly, shooting him a quick, pained, angry, fearful look, and darting away.

"Pretty paper, pretty ribbons of blue…"

"Ino!" Shikamaru called. "Are you okay?" He made to stand, but found he was still attached and tangled around Temari.

"Wrap your presents to your darling… from you…"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she said, waving a hand behind her and keeping her back to him. "I just need to go to the bathroom."

"Pretty pencils… to write 'I love you'"

Shikamaru frowned. The women's bathroom was in the other direction...

"Pretty paper… pretty ribbons… of blue…"

Pretty Paper! Ahh, that Xmas song really angsts me up. Ah well. I thought this chapter was alright…

Anyone else think that pianist Sasori is pretty? Because I really do. Alright. FINE. Maybe that's just me. Onoes. Sasuke hit Ino. What will happen now? Dun dun DUN!

Sorry.

Anyways, just out of curiosity, because it probably wont change the storyline, because I know what is going to happen ultimately, but if there's anything you would think would be good, or any pairing (Ino pairing, preferably) that you want to happen, then hey, include it in your review. Coz I'm open to ideas. Its all good. :D

Um. Quote.

If you love something, set it free… If it doesn't come back, hunt it down and kill it.

Now. Unfortunately, I'm a little praise-starved right now. So no more chapters till I get at least 7 positive reviews. Positive includes constructive criticism too. That's fine. But if you list bad points, make sure you list good ones too. Feeling fragile.

And I'm sort of hating Itachi at the moment... Which is... unfortunate... because he's really damn awesome cool. But I'm actually on Sasuke's side now... I wasnt before - I used to hate Sasuke. But I dunno. Something happened. But yeah... the character's likeability changes in this story depending on my own personal preferences, because its hard to write people you hate... heh. XD

Anyways, see you later.

Love, SliverOfSilver