Small Conversations

Sequel to "Things unsaid" "She was in Love", and "Losing an apartment, Gaining a House key"

Sometimes the big conversations happen in small parts.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, I'm just a spoony bard

A/N: so I'm still up and running for now. This one's short but you'll have to deal. Lots of hugs to my reviewers.

Chapter Seven

In which there is girl talk and drinking

Once the guys had gone, Sakura flopped on the couch next to Tenten who had claimed a spot when Kiba had gotten up. Ino leaned on the arm of Hinata's chair and gave Sakura an expectant look.

"What?" she asked. "Why the hell are you giving me that look."

"You agreed with Lee to change the subject. I wanna know why."

Sighing, Sakura slumped her shoulders in defeat. "Look, it's not something we're ready to talk about. Give us a few days."

Tenten had picked up the 'us' and sat forward. "So you and Naruto plan on telling us something soon then?"

"Soon." Sakura agreed.

"Um, if we're getting ready to go out here, what will I wear?" Hinata blushed and looked down. "It's no offense meant Sakura, but I'm, well, I've got bigger breasts than you. I don't know if your things will fit me."

"To Sakura's closet!" Ino yelled, and all three girls thundered down the hallway. They'd been digging through her closet for about ten minutes, laying out possible outfits on the bed, when the sex noises filled the apartment again. Sakura groaned and slapped herself in the face.

"Why the hell did I ever hook that thing up? Better yet, why the hell did you pick that one Ino, couldn't you have gotten one that's a dog barking or something?" She went to answer the door and head Tenten ask incredulously 'That's the doorbell?'

A pretty young woman was standing on her doorstep with a suitcase in hand. She had long brown hair braided down her back, and honey colored eyes. She bowed deeply. "You must be Haruno-chan. I'm Murasake Tohru. I believe you are expecting me?"

"You can just call me Sakura. Come on in. What's with the suitcase?" she held the door as Tohru entered and toed off her shoes.

"Lee-kun said we would all be going out tonight. I brought some supplies." She smiled brightly.

"We're all back in the bedroom." Sakura led the way. Entering the room again, she discovered that Ino had found the kimono and corset she'd worn to the festival in Snow Country.

"Damn! This thing has more fastenings than a strait jacket!" She was holding up the corset and examining it. "Sakura, where'd you get this thing?"

"Snow Country. Girls, this is Tohru." Tohru bowed in greeting. "Tohru, this is Tenten, Ino and Hinata. Ino, put it back. I wouldn't even know how to put that thing on anyway."

"I can help you if you need assistance with your lacings." Tohru volunteered. "My shop specializes in women's underthings."

Ino grinned. "Remind me to change the locks on my apartment, not give Daddy a key and go shopping there." She looked over the corset again. "So if you bought it, I'm assuming you wore it at least once."

"I had two servants to lace me into the damn thing." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"So how'd you get it off?" Tenten asked looking at it as well. "I mean it doesn't look like you could reach the fastenings yourself."

"I asked Naruto to help." Sakura caught the look Hinata, Ino and Tenten shared. "And that was before"

"Naruto is your lover?" Tohru asked. "Are we all 'spoken for' women?"

Ino suddenly started laughing. Tohru gave her an odd look but didn't ask. Tenten was the one to answer the question. "Well, Hinata's not. But that's only a matter of time."

"Okay Ino, you can tell us what's so funny." Sakura was curious now as to why Ino was laughing to hard.

"Oh my god, I was just reminded of a conversation I had with Temari and Chouji's mom."

Tohru sat on the edge of the bed and flipped open her case. "Chouji is?"

"Chouji's my boyfriend. We've known each other since we were kids." Ino answered. "You'll meet the boys later. I'm gonna have to explain context here."

"We're listening." Tenten was now pondering over a cute top.

"Well right after Chouji and I got together, Temari, Mei and I were in his kitchen, talking about 'spoken for' women stuff. Temari's trying to convince me to shave my downstairs, and Mei, Chouji's mother, actually asked me if I thought Chouji and I were going to 'get intimate', and then offered to teach me the birth control jitsu if I didn't know it."

Even Hinata laughed, before asking if Ino had taken Temari's advice and shaved. Ino had blushed, but then lifted her skirt and lowered her panties enough to show the girls her 'landscape'. "Then she told Mei that she should shave, because apparently it drives Shikamaru nuts"

"Did Chouji like it?" Tohru asked. Blushing again, Ino nodded.

"Damn, Tenten said. "I may have to give it a whirl then. Not that Neji needs any more incentive to take my clothes off."

From her open case, Tohru produced several garments and laid them out on the bed. "These came from the shop, I was thinking of wearing the green one. But if any of you would like to wear one, you're welcome to." The dresses were lovely. The green one, was a low cut, spaghetti strapped top with a skirt that looked to reach about mid-thigh with one slit high on the left side. "Hinata-chan, I think the lavender one would look lovely on you." The dress indicated was a bit more modest. Its skirt was a bit longer and lacking the slit, but the top was a very low cut halter.

"It's beautiful." Hinata fingered the material. "Is this silk?"

"Of course it is. Let me see, you're a 32 D? I think I even have the proper corset for it." She went back to digging in her case.

"Okay, Sakura, if we're getting all dolled up, you have to wear this thing." Tenten tossed the corset over to Sakura who sighed.

"But the only thing I have to wear it under is that fancy kimono. That's not really appropriate for a night on the town you know."

"Oh I'm sure we'll find something." Ino buried her head back in the closet. "What about this?" she held up a tiny black dress that Sakura had worn as a disguise once. It was slinky, clingy, low cut, with a very short skirt. When Sakura had worn it she'd been almost embarrassed by the looks her male teammates had given her.

"Only if I can pick yours." Sakura warned.

"Deal."

"And you have to help lace it up."

"Not a problem. Do your worst." Ino had a smug look on her face and Sakura wanted to punch her. Instead she stuck her head in the closet herself and dug far into the back, where she knew she had a few other outfits that had been purchased for missions and she'd sworn never to wear again. She pulled out a red satin strapless and backless dress. The skirt was as short as the one she was stuck with and she handed it to Ino.

"There you go."

Tohru had pulled a number of underthings form the case and handed a folded stack to both Hinata and Ino. "I will help you with anything you need. They can be tricky to put on sometimes." She turned back to the case. "Now, Tenten-chan, let's see what I have in here that would fit you." She looked up at her quizzically. "Are you bound? I would hate to get the wrong size out."

Tenten pulled off her shirt and loosened her breast bindings. " With no bindings I'm a 34 C." Tohru nodded and handed her a set of underthings as well. As the girls undressed and helped lace each other up (Ino's proved to be the most tricky and Tohru had to help her with the low backed corset), the conversation re-started.

"If you think Chouji's mom asking you about the jitsu is bad, it's worse when your own boyfriend doesn't know it exists." Sakura snorted. "And after the fact even."

"You're kidding" Tenten giggled. "He didn't know?"

"God, he got all red and asked about babies."

Hinata stifled her laughter in her hands. "You'd think that hanging around Kiba-kun he'd know a bit more. Plus, wasn't Jiraiya-sennin the most notorious pervert?"

"You'd think, and yes. But no, not Naruto. Mr. Naïve himself. He was worried because we hadn't used any of the standard means of contraceptive."

"I hope you messed with him some." Tenten had picked one of Sakura's favorite dresses, a knee length pink number with a modest bust line and wide shoulder straps. Of course, with the corset underneath, she was a bit bustier than normal and ample amounts of cleavage showed.

"You bet your ass I did. I thought for a moment he would either run, or pass out when I started talking about how cute he'd look with a pink haired, whisker faced, kid."

Ino's mouth opened in an 'O' of surprise. "Sakura, did that really just come out of your mouth? Are you really debating kids?"

"Not right now! Geeze. I'd like to at least be married before I actually seriously think about that." Sakura blushed, embarrassed that she'd even thought about it.

"Lee-kun and I are both incapable of chakra manipulation. So I take the mugwort tea every day." Tohru offered. "I wish sometimes I could simply use a monthly jistu and be done with it, that tea tastes terrible."

Hinata had been quiet this whole time and when Tohru asked her what was wrong she simply shook her head. "Um, I haven't, that is-"

"Hinata's waiting on the boys." Ino said casually.

"Boys?" Tohru asked. "More than one?"

Hinata blushed a deep red. "Well it's complicated. You see, Shino and I are waiting on Kiba."

Three heads whipped her direction. "Shino and you are waiting on Kiba?" Tenten's jaw dropped. "You've been holding out on information."

"Well," Hinata fidgeted in her seat and Sakura held back her own comments of surprise as it seemed Hinata had something big to say. "I don't know how much Tohru knows about Kiba's clan."

"Kiba's an Inuzuka" Ino filled in.

Tohru nodded. "In my old village, we had some Inuzukas as well. I know a little."

"Um, well, it's just that, well I love them both, and Shino, he loves us both. I suppose Shino and I could have started something, but we want, that is-"

"You talked it over with Shino?" Sakura gaped now. Shino was the most emotionally stunted person she'd ever met. He disliked physical contact for the most part, and was not a very open person.

"Well yes. Actually, He brought it up while the three of you were off on the Snow mission. We've both noticed that Kiba's hormones have been going haywire. Hana said it's because it's time for him to start his pack. But Kiba doesn't go out on dates, or seriously flirt with anyone."

"Yeah right. That man is a walking flirt." Ino snorted.

"But he's not serious about it."

"Go on Hinata." Tenten pushed.

"Well, we had thought that maybe when you guys got back he'd be, well that he'd see. But it's just been recently that he's been, courting, I suppose, the two of us. So we're waiting on him. Um, we even have a bet to see which one of us he kisses first." Hinata was blushing so hard Sakura thought she'd pass out.

Tohru blinked a few times. "Shino is a boy?"

"We think so." Tenten answered. "But it's not like any of us have seen him without four layers of clothing and a hood."

"I have." Hinata said. "I've seen him at least shirtless. And he took his shirt off during Truth or Dare last time." She pointed out.

"Yeah, but he sat behind you and Kiba and no one saw him." Sakura responded. She pulled her box of makeup from her dresser and set it on the bed. "Ino, are you going to do makeup?"

"Sure. Tohru, you want me to do yours as well?"

Tohru smiled brightly and nodded. She had managed to dress herself without assistance, corset included. "I'm very glad to have finally met you all. I was afraid Lee was ashamed of me or something."

Tenten laughed. "No, more like he was afraid we'd scare you off. I've been on his team since we were gennin, so I have lots of embarrassing stories to tell."

"Then you are Tenny-chan, yes?"

"God, he hasn't called me that since we were kids." Tenten chuckled.

"I've heard many good things about you and your Neji. Lee thinks very highly of you both. The only other person he talks about with such revere is his sensei."

"I'm not surprised actually. Lee kind of looks at Gai-sensei like a father. He even modeled his looks after him. The two of them drive me and Neji insane some days."

"I gotta ask. I gotta." Ino plopped in front of Tohru. "Is he any good?"

Tohru blushed as red as Hinata had been earlier. "I don't really have anything to compare him to, but he always makes sure I finish at least once if that's what you mean. Does your Chouji please you?"

It was Ino's turn to blush and she nodded. "He hasn't left me wanting. Well that's a bad way to phrase it. He's good enough I want more, even after I've had an orgasm."

They all giggled at this. Ino finished everyone's makeup and eyed Tenten. "Leave your hair down." She said "Remember that Neji will loosen up and have fun if you let your hair down." Tenten complied, pulling her pins and setting them on Sakura's dresser. They gave each other the once over, and finding themselves acceptable, headed out to meet the guys.

When the last of their party had sat down, and the table was filled with bottles of liquor, Sakura proposed a toast. "To Naruto and Sakura, for bringing Sauske back!" Everyone raised their glasses and drank. After that, they hit the dance floor. By the time the night was half over, and mostly everyone was at least half drunk, they found themselves back in their booth. Kiba was wedged between Hinata and Shino; an arm around each of them, Sakura could see now what Hinata had been talking about. He spent more time with them than any of the pretty girls who happily flirted with him. Sakura was snuggled against Naruto, Ino with Chouji, Tenten sat on Neji's lap. Shikamaru sat on the end, smoking a cigarette. Lee and Tohru sat on the other end, his arm around her shoulders, keeping a close eye on his water.

Tohru had never been drinking with Lee and hadn't noticed he wasn't drinking sake, so when his cup emptied, she refilled it form the bottle in front of her. Neji and Tenten saw this before Lee did, but before they could take the drink form him, he had taken a huge gulp.

"Lee NO!" Tenten yelled. The effects were instant, and he looked at her and raised a fist.

"You wanna start? I'll kick your ass!" He jumped up on the table. Sakura slid down under the table to avoid any debris that were sure to fly and Neji stood, ready to knock Lee on his ass.

"Lee-kun!" Tohru grabbed his belt. She looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. The drunken fighter whipped around, eyes blazing looking for his assailant. When his eyes focused on the pretty girl tugging on his belt, he smiled a sloppy grin. "You need to get off the table Lee-kun." She said, pulling his belt again.

"Anything for you my Tohru!" He hopped down and wrapped his arms his girlfriend. "My Tohru."

Neji and Tenten blinked, and then looked at each other. Sakura decided it was safe to return to the table and slid back into her seat. "Well I suppose Lee can drink if he's got her around?" she half asked, half stated. It earned a laugh from the group.

"I should take Lee home. I didn't know he doesn't drink at all. I'm very sorry." Tohru bowed in farewell, giggling as Lee started to kiss her neck. "Sakura, I'll stop by tomorrow perhaps to pick up my things form your house." She waved as she dragged Lee out the door.

"Well, on that note, I have an early meeting with the Hokage. You'd think she'd let someone sleep in once in a while." Shikamaru stood up. "And if you two are going back to our place tonight, well just don't. Go to Ino's. If I'm sleeping alone I don't wanna hear you." He left, leaving Ino and Chouji blushing furiously.

"Well that was, unusual." Tenten giggled. "Who knew all it took to control a drunk Rock Lee was a little civilian with a lingerie fetish." Neji raised an eyebrow at her comment.

"Lingerie fetish?" He asked her. " Explain."

"Tohru own a shop that specializes in lingerie." Tenten elaborated. She leaned closer to her boyfriend and not so quietly whispered in his ear "you should see what I'm wearing under this dress." Neji's eyes widened and he stood.

"I think we'll be going now." He pulled Tenten to her feet who grinned Sakura, Ino and Hinata as she was tugged out of the bar.

"Well I know what THOSE two are doing tonight!" Hinata giggled, her cheeks flushed from her sake. "I wish-"a hand clapped over her mouth. Sakura looked at Shino, the perpetrator of silencing Hinata, in surprise.

"Do not finish that sentence Hinata." He said. Glancing up at Kiba, whose lap he had leaned across to silence his female teammate he gave a wry smile. "Perhaps we should return Hinata to her home before she does or says anything untoward." The trio rose form the booth, Hinata pinned between her male team members, and said their goodbyes to the two couples left behind.

"Looks like things are winding down for the night" Ino snuggled closer to Chouji as she looked over their bottle-strewn table. "You two aren't going to be offended if we cut out soon?"

Sakura shook her head. She'd been occasionally using a technique she'd learned from Shizune to keep herself mostly sober during the night, and it took mass amounts of alcohol for Naruto to get drunk, let alone stay that way. She'd been hoping everyone else would get caught up in the celebration and leave early, leaving her alone with Naruto. She hadn't been disappointed. It was barely past midnight an she and Naruto were now accompanied only by Chouji and Ino, who, by the looks and sounds of things, be heading over to Ino's apartment soon.

The blonde in question dragged her boyfriend back to the dance floor for one more number before they said their goodbyes and headed out. Sakura stayed with Naruto in their booth, snuggled into his arms as they watched their fellow shinobi drink and dance around them. They'd been alone for about a half hour before Kakashi, of all people, slid into the booth with them.

"Celebrating ne? Not that I blame you, you deserve it really."

So I've been terrible at updating. I've also been really busy so you guys are ALMOST to the point of where I'm at writing it. Down to the serious meat next. I noticed and am VERY UBER HAPPY that I have received OVER 10K hits! YES! I love you people. I would love you much more if you left me reviews….