Things changed, literally
Shikamaru N. & Ino Y.

Dedication: 342514, who waited 5 months for this update. Sorry! Hehe! This chappie is for you! [That was my original message until I totally screwed up and lost the file... and was left with a draft which I have completed 1/3 of it! I know, I suck! So I'm guessing 342514 has waited 6-7 months for this chapter by now... Please forgive me!]

Chapter 4: Familiar little faces


(The Uchiha Compound)

"Wow, the Uchiha Compound? It's given back?" Ino asked, rhetorically since it is like, the most obvious question knowing it was rhetorical, Sai responded with a nod but Ino decided to let it pass. Sai grabbed two champagne flute from a passing waitress carrying drinks. Sai learned that offering drinks first is a 'must' from one of his tips book. "Thank you," and Ino took a small curious sip. When she finds out, she stuck her tongue out with a disgusted face. "What is this...ugh? It takes... bleh!"

"It's martini, not your favourite but you loved it still,"

"No I do not! It tastes like alcohol!" she said with disgust. It is natural for her to hate alcohol since the oldest time aside from this she remembers was when she was 15 and they do not drink alcoholic drinks - just rice wine (sake).

Sai decided to let it pass. His wife, afterall is acting strange these days. She has been shopping clothes that teenage girls wear and seems to be abandoning jewelries with big gems and resume wearing fancy accessories.

"Let's go say hi to the birthday girl," Ino gushed with an excited smile.

"We have to drop Yuki off at Daisuke's room first," Sai reminded. "You go drop him off at the second floor in the house, and I'll go find Naruto to chat with," with that Sai left.

"Psh, whatever, come Yuki, lead the way!" they arrived at the house and on the way up the stairs she saw a nostalgic looking pineapple head, certain it was Shikamaru she wanted to shout Shikamaru and hug him from behind like she did to Sasuke back in the Chuunin exam. She find him really gorgeous in his fabulous tailored tux and glossy dress shoes. His hair gleamed with gel and his tux is unbonttoned at the throat making him look sexy.

Then she spotted Temari walking up to Shikamaru. She looks quite shabby herself though Ino hates to admit. Temari was in an espresso-coloured halter, supertight dress with 4 inch clear designer stiletto heels. Her hair was now in a bun not in her usual 4 pig tails anymore. I mean, she's old now, probably grown out of it. And she was properly decorated in jewelry too.

She saw Temari quickly linked arms with Shikamaru and walked down the marble staircase after dropping their kid off. "Sai didn't tell me they have a kid!" growled Ino, infuriated she forced herself to smile in case they come to greet her. As Temari comes close Ino noticed the sequences sown on her dress the form of the desert. How she love the dress too!

But they don't seem to notice her so she decided to make the first move. "Hey guys,"

"I-Ino, h-hi," Temari greeted. Both she and her husband had surprised faces. All of a sudden an old ex-friend started talking to them! Wow, especially the person who cut relationship with them by ignoring them completely! "You're not mad anymore?"

"Mad? Of course not! Why would I be mad?" Ino asked, confused too.

"You know, about the whole thing? About...um, yeah?" Temari asked, somewhat glad that Ino looked like she's forgiven her.

"Define whole thing," Ino laughed. "Well, I have to go drop my daughter so, toodles," with that she walked away with Yuki. 'How come Sai didn't come with me to drop Yuki off? Ugh!'' She felt a pang of jealousy towards the Fan expert and hated Shikamaru for choosing Temari over her!

As soon as she reached to the second living room on the second floor she found a mess of kids playing around. All of them looked familiar, similar to their parents. It was kind of easy for Ino to figure out whose kid who is. There's a blonde girl with short hair with wide forehead and blue eyes. Well, the girl come out pretty... That must be Uzumaki Reni... A boy ran towards her, with face paint in the shape of fangs with raven hair, must be Yolei, Kiba and Hinata's son, he had the eyes from her mother too. Behind him is a little girl, playing with her fingers with brown hair, also with face paint and the eyes too. She assumed she's Shurenai.

"Bye Yuki," 'Though your name's suppose to have Ino somewhere in it,'

Then she found someone with brown hair and the same haircut Sasuke has, sitting with an I'm-so-cool look. Looks exactly like Sasuke, except for the hair colour and eye colour. She also saw Chouji's son, as chubby as the father used to be. Shino's son, looking exactly like Shino. With the coat, sunglasses and everything. Lee's son wasn't hard to miss too. He's like a splitting image of his father!

Neji's kids were there too. The little girl looked a lot like Neji and the boy is more like Naruto, very cheerful. They both inheritted his eyes, of course and the daughter his hair and the son had a shade of red in his hair too. Must be from the mother.

And Ino left, she has to go meet the kids' parents too!

When she entered the garden where the party is held, she immediately spotted Naruto, thanks to his loud mouth. Ino traced his voice to the source and found him. She ran to him to greet Sakura who is right beside him, complaining about something. "Hey Sakura, long time no see,"

"We just went shopping together last week, remember?" Sakura said, anger in her voice but smiled at Ino anyways. "So, what's up? Is Sai nice or mean nowadays?"

"I can't tell a difference," and the girls broke off in laughter as they talked about their husbands.

"Have you say 'hi' to TenTen?" Sakura asked. "I did,"

"Nope, I still have to. I just drop Yuki off at the kids' place,"

"I'll take you to her," the pinkette pulled the Blonde to where the crowds are, congratulating the birthday girl. "Neji is here too, and he even bring his wife here! But they came seperately... oops,"

"Why did they come seperately? Maybe she was at the salon,"

"You're so niave! How come!"

"What,"

"Nevermind, ooh! There she is!"

Ino noticed how miserable TenTen looked and how hard a time she's having trying to hide it. She also noticed a certain Byakuya wielder looking as miserable as her who is staring at her from afar. "This is so.... dramatic!" she sighed. "I think I'll say Happy Birthday some other time,"

She gave TenTen a glance-over. She noticed TenTen still has her buns but not the panda style anymore. She assumed TenTen has gotten rid of those hideous (Ino thought) buns and replaced them with new gorgeous ones! She has her long, shiny brown hair tied in a thin twist and twirl it into a perfect bun. She wore a long sleeved shoulder-off dress that cascaded down her beautiful long legs with a high cut on the sides teasing her beautiful legs. Her black velvet dress was embroidered with diamonds around the shoulder and the top that ran halfway across the chest. At the end of the dress, beautiful, small pieces of rubies and emeralds are splattered in a mix. And on her heels she wore thin heels with thick straps covered in diamonds. She was carefully jewelrized as well. Ino has to admit, TenTen changed a lot.

"Huh? What are you talking about?! You have to say now! I have to take you to the others and we have to talk!" Sakura scolded.

"Ok Ok Ok, you never change, do you?" Ino said, giving in. She never really could stand Sakura's loud voice.

"Hey TenTen..." Ino started, a look of pity to TenTen plastered on her face. "I just wanted to say... um, Happy Birthday," then she finally popped the question, trying to make it sound jokingly too. "Why are you looking so miserable? Is it because your getting really old?"

"Um... no, nothing.... I'm not sad.... I'm just... uh, nothing," then she sighed.

"Wanna talk about it?" Ino asked, concerned, lifting a brow as if saying she's trustworthy.

TenTen grabbed the nearest Black Label bottle she could find and pour it down in a champagne flute, not caring what she's accesorizing! And lifted her head up to the sky and pour down the alcohol down her throat in one throat as if to say she's ready to spill too.

Ino did a little sign to warn Sakura that she won't be able to join her till long. "So, what's the deal between you and Neji? And Neji and his wife? And between you and your husband?"

"It was all a big mistake," TenTen said, holding her forehead in her hands. "Neji was engaged! It all happened on the day of his engagement! He invited me! He fricking invited me! I think that was the day when you fought back your family and married Sai, too," TenTen held up her hand for a sarcastic high five which Ino enthusiastically returned.

'That's why there was a confusion at the name part!'

"That night was a week later after Sasuke came back," she pour in another cup of alcohol down her throat to sink all her sorrow away. "Instead of going to the fricking engagement party I went out to a bar to drink! I was way under depression! And for some reason Sasuke didn't go to Neji's engagement party as well! And we ended up being the only two at the bar if you don't count the owner and bartender as well,"

"Hyuuga... agreed to the engagement easily?"

"Yeah," her soft voice trailed off as she gulp down a new bottle of scotch whiskey, which she ordered a waitress to bring over before Ino came up to her.

"They didn't want you to marry Sai, but you did just to mock Shikamaru," TenTen who is drunk, chuckled with a message saying 'you're such a foolish idiot'.

"He had Temari!" she felt a chill wave down her spine when she said that. "Be-" she was cut off in mid-sentence when a trio of girls took TenTen's attention away from Ino who came to say happy birthday. So Ino signalled TenTen that it's okay and that they can talk later.

End of Chapter 4


I know... this chapter is too short and sucked! But it'll get better and longer on the next one! I promise! I'm just too fucked up by my Social Studies teacher! The damn woman can't make up her own mind... so... please leave a review! And again, sorry for the wrong update!

~ T T F N

Uchihas1010hyuuga ~