Hello fans! Sorry for the long hiatus- there was a snafu or ten in my life regarding school and work, but now all the details have been hammered out. Expect more regular updates from me on all of my stories. :) I hope noone is too upset with me for the long wait. 3 This fic will be a priority.
Thanks! Remember to review!
-Lovely Wrath

[Sakura - The Morning After]

The birds chirping happily outside as the warm sun filtered in through the livingroom window and warmed her skin, rousing Sakura from her alcohol assisted slumber. However the brightness upon her face caused her head to pound the moment she opened her eyes and she groaned, rolling over and burying her face in a very masculine smelling garment, fully intending to snooze just a bit longer, and she would have done just that, had the realization of just whose scent that was had not hit her like a ton of bricks.

Sakura bolted upright, wincing at the sudden onslaught of pain before glancing around frantically. She was relieved to discover that Shino was nowhere in sight, and she didn't sense a presence in her home. Still alarmed and unsure of what exactly had occurred the night before, Sakura ran her hands along her body, checking the state of her clothes. She discovered that everything was still in place for the most part, though she had been sleeping without regard to her little dress, which had ridden up and exposed her bottom as she slept, and otherwise shifted awkwardly on her body. Sakura groaned again, realizing that she'd let that blonde meddler Ino get the best of her by funneling drinks down her own throat and setting the pinkette up for disaster.

Sakura touched her head, forcing in a bit of chakra to relieve the much deserved hangover pain before prying herself up from the sofa and heading strait to the shower.

She needed to clean up. She needed to hydrate. She also needed to check in with Tsunade and on a few things at the office, even though Sakura wasn't scheduled for work- she was a workaholic, and if she didn't show up on her day off, people might worry just because it was out of her routine not to. In fact, she would be willing to bet money that most who worked in or close to the Hokage's office would notice that she wasn't checking in as early as she normally did. They would no doubt wonder why and draw their own sordid conclusions. She frowned at the thought.

As Sakura peeled the clothing from the night before away, she caught a glimpse of her naked form in the full-length mirror, and blushed furiously at the thought of how she recalled behaving the night before- what little of it she could remember, that is.

She recalled how Shino, who at first seemed intensely awkward at the attention, became more and more receptive as the night went on. Was it the liquor making her thing this? The latest details were fuzzy, but she was sure she had invited him into her home, and he had accepted, but as far as she could tell not much physical, if anything, had happened between them. However, she did remember showing up to the party with him, and the array of reactions from pretty much all of their peers at the sight of the unseemly pairing of Sakura and Shino.

The hot water hit her body, washing away about none of her embarrassment. The thought occurred to Sakura that she was actually becoming fond of Shino in a way that she'd never considered before. The chemistry was certainly there, in many ways. Once she got past his initial walls, which she was amused to discover were mostly the concealing clothing items that he hid behind, she found an interesting man beneath. She wondered just how much more interesting he got as more clothes were removed... She had seen enough to know that his body was quite fit. She shook her head violently at the inappropriate thoughts, trying desperately to banish them away.

She dispensed some of her lavender shampoo and began lather up, washing away Shino's residual scent from her body, which had apparently been acquired in a most innocent way. At least she was about 99.5% sure it had, anyhow.

How had she come to be snuggled into his jacket on the sofa, anyhow? And how would Sakura face her friends today? What would she say if and when they asked about her relationship with Shino? Sakura sighed, deciding that it might be best not to disclose anything at all. Let them wonder, she thought. In the long run, it may benefit them both if whatever they were, and whatever they were becoming, remained a mysterious puzzle. But how would she face Shino? Images of his reactions to her blatant flirtations flashed in her mind, causing her skin to flush. It would be so easy to have him for her own, to bring him to her bed... Sakura suddenly flung her body directly under the spray of water, lowering the temperature by tens of degrees to force out her dirty thought processes. What was happening to her, over an Aburame?

Getting dressed was uneventful, but a quick breakfast helped get Sakura moving. As she stepped outside, a clear blue sky and sunny day greeted her. It was the most beautiful day she'd seen in quite some time, and as she made her way towards the Hokage's offices, she found her spirits lifted high, for reasons she couldn't, or rather wouldn't define. She was met with several knowing grins along the way, which she ignored as best she could.

[Shino - The Morning After]

Shino rolled out of his bed without much trouble as the sun bore through his unshaded bedroom window. As he was used to drinking, and had thousands of bugs that tended to defensively remove the alcohol from his blood as he slept, there were rarely, if ever, signs of a hangover the morning after any of his escapades. He never wished it otherwise, having personally witnessed both Kiba and Choji in the wake of a night of extremely competitive drinking games, which Choji always won. One could hardly call it winning to see Choji the morning after, though, as even his metabolism was unable to deal with the copious amounts of alcohol that likely would have killed a ninja without his particular skill set.

Shino rubbed his eyes and stood to do his morning stretches, his thoughts immediately returning to the events of the evening before, and to Sakura. How quickly and easily she had become the center of his thoughts, though in actuality, she'd done little more than try to pull him out of his slump. She'd recognized immediately his depression and settled on taking immediate action to try to remedy it, though he couldn't help but think her pity is what ultimately fueled her desire to take such extreme actions- to spend time with Shino wasn't something women lined up on a weekend to do, in fact he was certain that women avoided him on a regular basis, as they had since his childhood. To take it to a level where she was going on dates and showing up to social events on his arm? His first thought was that she cared deeply for him as a friend, and felt a duty to care for him when he was at his lowest point... and it had worked to uplift him. However, his thoughts on pity and charity were derailed with a private moment later in the evening when Sakura invited him into her home and outright complimented him. Was his original idea of her intentions way off base, or perhaps was he growing on her?

He was no fool- a kunoichi such as Sakura didn't trust easily, and she'd shown him a deep trust in letting him be near her while she was in such a vulnerable state, which he had no doubt she more than allowed herself to be in. Medical ninja had more control over their bodies' reactions to substances in ways that would make Choji's mastery of the subject seem like child's play.

It wasn't just her physical state, either. She had let him in emotionally, just a bit, and revealed that she had hang-ups about herself, much in the same way he did. Her self-confidence hadn't been at a level beyond his comprehension at all. She seemed to have no idea how highly she was regarded, even by him. He wasn't one to think of taking advantage of such knowledge, but it certainly made her seem slightly more attainable.

Then he considered the compliments that came directly after his own verbal affirmation that he believed her to be one of, if not the most beautiful date to be had in Konoha, which he wasn't sure was what really rendered her silent. She could have merely been sleepy from the alcohol. However, the way she then stared at him directly, purposefully, as she admitted some of her own thoughts about him... it seemed all too honest, and all too shocking to his senses. He could never imagine himself as a man worthy of the praises and attention of someone like Sakura, even if she so openly admitted it.

It was in that moment that he realized in that moment that the longer he stayed, the harder it would be for him to leave, notwithstanding any further declarations of admiration on either of their parts.

Shino found his way to the shower as images of Sakura began to dominate his thought process, as they were so prone to doing lately. He'd attended more cold showers in the past few days than he cared to count, and every one of them had been her fault. He turned on the water, allowing it to run as he afforded the main in the mirror a serious look.

Shino wasn't one to deny himself physical pleasure for the sake of it, he simply knew that such thoughts often turned into fantasies, and those fantasies would likely never reach fruition. He would surely be an idiot to hope for more than what he had, despite her occasional hint that perhaps it was a possibility that there could be more between them.

"More's the pity," her last words from the evening before echoed clearly in his mind, again calling in to question his original relationship hypothesis. "A girl would be crazy not to want you." He wondered what that meant, really. Did that mean she wanted him, personally, that it had actually crossed her mind even a little to be attracted to him? Or was she simply returning his compliments in kind?

He wanted to believe there could be more, and would be if he pursued her seriously. But how? He wasn't sure, of but one thing... one suffering of his would be eased this morning. He turned to shower to a warm temperature and stepped in, hand embracing his firm new desire to stop denying himself what could be the opportunity of his lifetime.

He thought of Sakura in ways that he'd never allowed himself to before- as his and his alone. He thought of her in his home, in his bed as he peeled away those delicious little black garments. He thought of himself surrounded by her scent, tasting her lips and skin before being enveloped in her. He found release easily, and allowed the hot water to wash the moment away, but she remained the center of his thoughts beyond the realization of this physical pleasure, tempting him, fueling his desire as she had the night before with flirting, praises, and mere presence. The shower had just ended, but found that he could easily be ready to go again.

Quelling his baser desires as he dressed himself, it occurred to him that there could absolutely be no way she didn't know what she had been doing to him all along. She was a fully trained medical ninja- she knew such interactions and their affects on a man like the back of her hand, surely. He decided then to see her again, and soon. He would see how consistent her behavior was. He would place himself in her presence... he would find a way into her thoughts as she had dominated his. Ultimately, he had to know if he could have her, if she really had anything more than friendship that she was willing to surrender to him.

Conflicting thought processes were stressing him emotionally and physically. He needed to decide one way or another to make some kind of move before she drove him insane from the inside out.

However, for now he had family commitments to attend to, and after that he could consider what move to make on Sakura. Duty before pleasure, and pleasure had already made him run late. Today he would learn just how well the intricate network of the Aburame kept track of his extracurricular activities.