Chapter 3's up. This is a complicated one, I guess. I'm really bad at explaining details but I'm striving so good luck to me. I'm sure you've noticed that but it's all well. People have their own weaknesses, it's a matter of how they're going to overcome it.

Right now, this seems more of a ShikaIno fic than a SasuSaku one but I like the other pairings too and I don't want to give Sakura her happy ending yet. She have to work hard. It's still a long long long way to go for our dear protagonist.

kitten9322, thanks again for the review. I knew it. Ino's problem is too easy to figure out. Ha ha!

Standard DISCLAIMER applied.

I present to you...

SURVIVING MY OWN STUPIDITY

Chapter 3

Ino's Problem

I yawned while sitting in front of the mirror and brushing my waist long hair with my eyelids drooping.

That stupid Ino, staying at the restaurant for four hours (My duty starts from six in the evening to ten which is the closing time.) and then went to my house to chat ENDLESSLY. I only got two hours of sleep!

I found out that she really loves Shikamaru. She said they've been engaged since childhood and they were best friends. But when they grew up, they started to feel awkward with one other that they didn't talk as much as they had when they were kids.

Ino's suspicious that Shikamaru's in a relationship with Sabaku no Temari, one of the three children who owns Suna, a company that sell construction products like cement, gravel and such, a third year who's often seen with him these past few weeks.

Ino's bewildered but she couldn't do anything.

I feel like I'm going to be in charge of this matter from now on.

After brushing my hair, I put on my uniform: a long sleeved white button up shirt tucked inside a gray pleated skirt an inch above my knee. It's spring now so we don't have to wear our black coat.

I feel like I want to put my hair up so I tied it in a high ponytail. There, I looked neat.

I ate a mouthful of bread and drank straight from the milk carton.

I always wake up at four o'clock because I have milk and newspaper delivery work. No matter what time I sleep, my body just wakes up at four on its own! Like I have a built- in alarm clock inside my body!

I grabbed my bento and stepped out of my apartment where I saw a limo parked in front.

I shook my head when Ino went out of the car. It's a good thing she doesn't nag me in riding in her car to school anymore, I prefer walking so she decided to walk with me with her three bodyguards following us discreetly. By discreetly, I mean towering over us whenever a suspicious person walks up to us.

"Hey Forehead!" She exclaimed and ran towards me.

I eyed her face and rolled my eyes. "You know Ino, concealers doesn't really hide puffy eyes."

She just crossed her arms. "Whatever, Forehead."

"Seriously Pig, you look like a zombie. Get those concealers off your eyes." I told her.

"Fine!" Ino reached for a tissue in her bag and mumbled while wiping the concealers. "Ta Gueule. Casse-toi. C'est des conneries. Ca me fait chier. Je m'en fou.*"

I chuckled and starts walking. "Ino, I learned French when I was in middle school. So I understand all those profanities. And I'm not offended because I think French is a very sweet language."

Footsteps running were heard and she's suddenly beside me.

"Sakura, I'm paying your working hours for tonight and tomorrow night."

"What?" I turned to her.

Her serious tone is very disturbing.

Ino turned to me, her eyes piercing.

"We are going to stalk Shikamaru and that Sabaku girl!"

For the nth time, I sighed.

'Ino, I swear, you'll be the death of me.'

It was already dismissal and I'm taking my time putting my books in my bag since Ino's gonna wait for me at the parking lot. Our dismissal is at two o'clock and she told me if by two fifteen I'm still not there, she's gonna blow up my house.

Crazy girl.

I walked outside my classroom towards the parking lot.

Geez. I bet Ino's just being paranoid. To me, it looks like Shikamaru loves her too. They're just being awkward. Oh, and that girl Temari. I wonder how she's Involved in this case. (Hi hi, case.) I doubt Shikamaru likes that girl, but Ino's instincts are often true. Hm…

THUD!

"Ouch…" I whispered to myself as I adjusted to the pain in my butt, not minding how I'm sitting since I wear cycling shorts underneath my skirt.

Well, guess what? I fell. With my butt. On the ground. This is what you get for not keeping your eyes on where you're walking and thinking at the same time. Lesson learned? Nah, I've been doing this for a while now. It's a natural occurence for a daydreamer like her.

"Sigh. I should look at where I'm going so I don't hit walls. I'm such an id- "

"Wall? Do I look like a wall to you?"

I yelped when the wall in front of me spoke.

I look up. It's the cool looking guy from the Konoha Gakuen's very own F4 which stands for the Faggot Four. KIDDING! They're my friends but I hate their guts. Too much ego.

He's looking down at me like I looked like an idiot. "Oh, sorry."

He held my elbow and helped me up. "Shikamaru's right. For a genius, you're pretty childish… and clumsy."

I blinked, adjusting my dislocated contact lens. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking about something. Sorry, uhm…" I still didn't know this guy's name.

"You didn't ask Naruto for my name?" He looked surprised.

The hell? This guy is so conceited! Well, maybe he has the right to be that way but still…

"Not really. All I hear him call you is teme. Would you prefer being addressed as such?" I smiled inwardly. 'In your face, brat!'

He smirked. "Funny but no. I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

"Okay, nice to meet you. I'm- "

"Haruno Sakura. Everyone knows you, you know." He told me.

"Oh, is that so? Well, I'm going now. Ino's waiting for me. I'm really sorry. See you." I bowed and walked past him.

I'm not really that good in speaking with handsome guys. I'm easily distracted by their face. And that one surely is blessed.

I smiled to myself.

'Well, he seems kind enough."

It's our second night stalking Shikamaru.

Well, turns out during our first night stalking that Shikamaru really waits for that girl Temmari after class. Then they went to a restaurant to eat. After that, Shikamaru took her to the main branch of the Nara Corporation, maker of expensive and original Japanese house products. And he took her to her family's mansion. That's all.

Ino didn't cry but she looked like she was going to.

But that doesn't look like dating to me.

Anyway, tonight it looks like those two are drinking. We're inside a really expensive sake house (Yes, we're inside. Ino insisted on drinking.) and Ino's already finished with her second bottle.

"Come on, Pig. Stop drinking, You're not used to drinking this kind of liquor." I grabbed the third bottle she opened. Ino's a drinker but not sake, she's more of a wine person.

"Forehead. Quit stopping me. I'm in the mood to drink. Can't you see that? Bakaaaa…" She laughed hysterically that everyone in the house looked at her. It's not that many. It's just me and her, Shikamaru and the girl and another big group of businessmen.

"You're such a pain, Ino. We should go now. Shikamaru already saw us." I whispered to her when I saw Shikamaru standing up.

"He did? That's good. Tell him to go here. I want to talk to him. Come on, come on." Ino told me tipsily and drank straight from the bottle.

Shikamaru grabbed the bottle. "You idiot! Why are you drinking? Do you want to be scolded by Inoichi- jiisan?"

Ino's shocked but she turned away and kept her mouth shut.

"You are so troublesome. Did you think I didn't know you were following me since last night, huh? What is your problem, Ino? You could've just asked me." He sat beside her and grabbed her shoulders to make her face him, only to find out she's crying uncontrollably.

"Ask you? How can I ask you… if you're always with that…" Ino narrowed her eyes at Temari and back to Shikamaru."…girl. Who's she? Your new fiancée? Why haven't I heard about this from Shikato- jiisan? He's.. always at our mansion… and…"

Ino couldn't continue as she sobbed quietly and Shikamaru pulled her to his chest where she instantly relaxed. "Troublesome woman. What are you talking about? Tousan asked me to tour this woman at our store. She wants to buy some products because she's going to have her family mansion reconstructed."

"Liar. If you were only touring her then why are you eating with her? You didn't have to- " Ino doesn't have the capability to talk anymore.

Shikamaru silenced her by crashing his lips against hers.

I smiled and looked up to Temari who rolled her eyes at the two but smiled back at her.

"We are not in a relationship. Geez. Why does everyone thinks so? I can't imagine living a life with a boyfriend as lazy as him." Temari complained and motioned for me to sit at her and Shikamaru's table since this two needs to talk.

I tapped the table before standing. "Don't do anything X- Rated, 'kay guys?"

I was ignored. They were making out... in a sake house... and forgot about their companions.

Goodness.

"Those two are a pain in a butt. Shikamaru asked me if I'd want to go on a date with him just to know if he really doesn't have any feelings for that girl." Temari chuckled while pouring sake in two cups.

I sat across her and accepted the cup she offered. "It's nice of you to do that, Temari- san."

"Nah. It's for them to stop this nonsense." She shrugged but I noticed a flicker of pain flash in her blue- green eyes.

Then I realized something. 'Oh.Oh! Temari-san likes Shikamaru. But it can't be. Shikamaru and Ino-pig loves each other.'

And both of us looked out to the busy street outside the sake house, thinking of different things.

She, her pain because of the reconciling couple a few tables away from us and me, on how did I let myself be involved in this crazy affair.

End of Chapter 3

*Shut up. Get lost. That's bullshit. You piss me off. I don't give a fuck.

I've always wondered if who'll be with Shikamaru at the end of the manga. I prefer Ino (as you can see) but there's a high possibility that it will be Temari. Masashi Kishimoto- san has a weird way of pairing two characters.

Here are my Three Reasons Why I Don't Think ShikaTema Would Work: First, and the most obvious, Shikamaru lives in Konoha and Temari lives in Suna. LDR is hard even if they're shinobis. Two days travelling just to see each other? No! Second, they're just too similar. I told you opposites DO attract. Two similar people crashes negatively with one another. They're both too peaceful that it's so boring. And the third... because Shikamaru is for Ino. Duh. Their families have known each other for a long time. Their teamwork (with or without Chouji) is perfect. Shikamaru's too calm and Ino's too obnoxious. They're perfect!

Geez, sometimes I forget that this a SasuSaku fic.

K. See you next chapter!

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inna