Author's Note: I hope you'll enjoy reading chapter 2!

Chapter 2: Friday Night

Ino's POV

It was Friday and I was glad we were done with the Biology project. Shikamaru was a genius, after all. Even though he kept on dozing off when we were doing the project, he still did a splendid job.

During lunch time, I was hanging out with my closest female friends, Sakura, Hinata and Tenten, and we were discussing our plans for that night. We were sitting on the grass at one of the school's gardens.

"Where are we going tonight?" Tenten asked.

I was smiling excitedly as I answered, "We're going to the new club! Everyone's talking about how awesome that place is."

"Aren't we underage? We need to be eighteen to enter." It was Hinata who pointed out the problem.

"Yes, that is true. But there is a solution to that." I was probably grinning evilly because I saw a small trace of fear in Hinata's face as she looked into my eyes.

"Let me guess. Fake ID cards?" Sakura said.

"Bingo! I've already asked a senior to help me out and I've got us some fake ID cards." I was still grinning happily at my own little accomplishment.

"Which senior is so nice to help you out?" I sensed sarcasm in Sakura's tone when she asked that.

"Hidan." I answered and took out the fake ID cards. I handed them to the girls to let them take a look at it. "I just flirted with him a little and he agreed to help me out."

"I have another problem. What am I supposed to say to my father tonight? He will be furious if he found out I'm going to the club." Hinata asked with her fake ID in her hands.

"My father will most probably kill me too." I answered with a sigh. "But no worries, I've got that figured out too! I've booked a hotel room for us at Mandarin Oriental Hotel. We'll stay there for the night. They wouldn't really suspect we'll be going to a club."

"They'll probably think we're going there to chill at the spa or just hanging out in the room." Tenten said.

"Not a flawless plan but not a bad one. We just have to be careful to not be exposed." Sakura said.

"And since we are not going home afterwards, we can go all out at the club! I'm so excited!" I exclaimed. "Let's meet up at the hotel lobby at 5 PM. School ends at 3 PM and 2 hours should be enough for us to go home, pack clothes, ask permission from our parents and travel from home to the hotel."

"Sounds great." Sakura smiled and lay down on the grass. "Now that we have a concrete plan, we can relax for the rest of lunch hour."

I joined Sakura on the grass and took in the softness of the Earth on my skin.

Shikamaru's POV

"Come on, Shikamaru! Let's go!"

Naruto, Kiba and I were walking back to the classroom from the canteen. Naruto had been trying to convince me to go with him and the others to a new club.

"Why should I?" I answered in frustration.

"It'll be fun. I promise you!" Naruto continued convincing me as we were walking back to our classroom.

"What about this, Shikamaru? If you go with us tonight, Naruto and I will not force you to teach us Mathematics for the rest of the month." Kiba suggested.

"That sounds like a great deal actually. Teaching Naruto and Kiba Mathematics are both hopeless and very troublesome." I thought. I leaned on a nearby wall and sighed.

"Fine." I answered. They didn't seem to want 'no' for an answer.

"Sweet!" Naruto exclaimed. "It's more fun if the whole gang is going."

"Whole gang?" I asked with one eyebrow rose.

"Sasuke, Neji, Lee, Chouji and Shino are going too." Kiba answered my confusion.

"Do you guys have the fake ID cards ready?" I asked. I doubt they forgot the fact that they were still underage.

"Got it!" Naruto answered. "We made Sasuke flirt with Karin-senpai to help us get some fake ID cards."

I smirked at the thought of Sasuke being forced to flirt with Karin, whom he hated to the very core.

"Alright then, we'll meet up in front of the club at 10 PM. Don't oversleep, Shikamaru!" Naruto said and hit me on the back.

I simply rolled my eyes and continued walking back to my classroom.

Ino's POV

When I mentioned the names of Sakura, Hinata and Tenten, asking permission from my parents was easy.

I arrived at the hotel lobby at 5 PM sharp and noticed that the others were there already. I bid goodbye to my driver and butler. I turned to wave at the girls as the car drove away.

We went into the room, which was spacious and beautifully decorated. There were two queen sized beds and it was perfect for the four of us. We started unpacking and showed one another the dresses we were going to wear that night.

"Let's go out for dinner!" I suggested. "There is a nearby restaurant I often go with Shikamaru and it's really good."

I hung my dress inside the wardrobe and saw my friends smirking at me at the corner of my eye.

"Is it where you usually go on dates with Shikamaru, Ino?" Sakura asked in a teasing tone.

I couldn't control the blush on my cheeks and the stuttering of my voice, "W-What?! No! It is not a date!" I turned around to meet three pairs of teasing faces.

"Then what is it?" Tenten asked with a pair of playful eyes.

"I-It's a normal outing." I answered and looked away, not wanting to let them see more of my flushed face.

"Oh, normal." Hinata giggled when she said that.

"Not you too, Hinata!" I said and closed the wardrobe.

"Just admit that you like Shikamaru, Ino." Sakura said as she sat on the bed.

"That is not true!" I tried defending myself but none of them seemed to believe me. It must be because of my blushing cheeks.

"Let me ask you, Ino." Tenten walked a few steps towards me. "If you saw Shikamaru with other girls, what would you do or how would you feel?"

"I'll kill them." I said out of reflex. "W-Wait! I-I mean I won't care!"

The three of them were laughing at me as I panicked and the heat on my face became hotter.

"Alright, guys. We better stop teasing her before she exploded out of embarrassment." Sakura said and head towards the door.

We arrived at the restaurant after walking for ten minutes from the hotel. The restaurant served Western food and had a really great reputation since their service was really good as well.

The waitress showed us to a seat by the window and gave us each a menu.

The waitress left us to look through the menu before getting our orders.

When I was looking through the menu, I realized that I couldn't get Shikamaru out of my head.

I could perfectly identify the foods he liked and disliked. I also know which soup was his favourite. And judging from the weather, I could even imagine which drink he would order.

I knew I was blushing and I tried to hide my face using the menu. I wouldn't want the others to see my red face.

"Do I really like Shikamaru?" I thought. "Even if I do, he will never like me back. I'm a troublesome woman, after all." I sighed as I remembered how he always called me a 'troublesome woman'.

I tried to erase those depressing thoughts away as the girls and I told the waitress our orders.

It was 7 PM when we arrived back in our hotel room. We took turns to shower and get ready for the night.

We helped each other with our makeup and we were definitely having lots of fun. We had our dresses on already and everyone looked amazing!

I wore a tight black dress which Tenten said was rather short. I found it perfect though. It perfectly showed my curves and it made me felt confident. Sakura's hot pink dress was great too. She looked mature and stunning! Tenten wore a sleeveless light blue dress and had her hair down. She rarely put her hair down, which I didn't quite understand. She looked amazing with her hair down, after all. As for Hinata, her dress was white, which was a great match for her eyes.

"Don't we all look great?" I asked as I stand in front of the full length mirror.

"We sure do." Sakura replied as she gave herself some finishing touches using her makeup brush.

It was 10 PM when we were all ready to leave. We took a taxi to the club, which was approximately a twenty minutes ride away from the hotel.

"I can't wait to have fun!" I thought to myself as I looked out of the window.

Shikamaru's POV

I had been sitting and drinking alcohol ever since I arrived at the club. I refused to go dance no matter how much Naruto tried to convince me it would be fun.

I was with Sasuke and Neji in the booth and the three of us were enjoying watching people around us.

"Look at Lee." I heard Sasuke said. "I think he is drunk."

"He doesn't have a high tolerance for alcohol, after all." Neji said and took another sip of alcohol.

"He's hitting on a girl." Sasuke said with a smirk.

I saw Lee, who had a flushed face, hitting on a girl with dyed pink hair. You would know if the pink hair was dyed or not if you spent enough time with Sakura, whose pink hair was totally natural.

"I think he is so drunk he has mistaken that girl for Sakura." I said. "What a troublesome guy."

"Is Lee still having a huge crush on Sakura?" Sasuke asked as he glared at Lee.

"Most probably." Neji answered. He smirked as he continued, "Why do you sound jealous, Uchiha?"

"I am not. Shut up, Hyuuga." Sasuke answered and leaned back onto the sofa.

As I looked around, I noticed that Kiba was making out with a girl, who seemed to be older than him.

"It seems that Kiba is having some fun." Sasuke said, looking towards the same direction as me.

"Something tells me that girl won't be his only prey tonight." I said and Neji nodded in agreement.

Just then, my eyes caught sight of four girls who were way too familiar.

"Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?" I asked the two other guys beside me.

"I think I know what you're saying." Neji answered. "What is Hinata doing here? That was rather unexpected."

"Something tells me this is Ino's idea." I said as I finished the glass of alcohol in my hand.

Sasuke suddenly stood and cleared his throat.

"Where are you going?" Neji asked.

"I'm going for a walk." Sasuke answered and left the booth.

"Again, something tells me he is going to hit on Sakura." I said with a smirk.

"He is finally taking some action." Neji said and finished his glass of alcohol as well.

Just like Sasuke, he stood and was leaving the booth, "I'm going to make sure Naruto doesn't hit on my cousin."

I smirked at Neji and said, "Are you sure you're not going to hit on Tenten?"

"Shut up, Shikamaru." Neji rolled his eyes at me and left.

I wasn't left alone for long though.

Right after Sasuke and Neji left the booth, two girls approached me. It was obvious they there to flirt. One of them had long and brown hair and was wearing a tight dark blue dress. As for the other one, her hair was shoulder length and red in colour. Her maroon dress looked as if it wasn't functioning well as a garment.

Basically, I felt that these two were trying too hard to be sexy.

"Troublesome." I thought as I leaned back onto the sofa.

Ino's POV

I lost count on how much I had drank ever since I arrived at the club. A lot of guys came to flirt with me and even offered me some drinks. I wasn't interested in any of them though so I didn't give them the attention they wanted.

I was dancing a lot and was sitting by the bar to rest. A few moments ago, I saw Sakura with Sasuke. I was giggling at the thought of those two together. It was about time those two got together. They had no progress for a while now.

As for Hinata, she was dragged by Naruto onto the dance floor. I tried not to laugh when I saw Hinata blushing so hard. She looked like she was going to faint. That wasn't something surprising though.

I saw Neji from afar and I thought he was going to get Hinata away from Naruto. However, he was too busy talking to Tenten. Well, those two seemed more like they were flirting and not just simply talking.

Then, something that boiled my blood caught my attention. If someone was to ask me why I was so angry, I honestly didn't know how to answer.

In one of the booths, I saw Shikamaru sitting on a sofa with two girls. A girl with brown hair was sitting on his left and on his right was a girl with red hair.

Those two girls were obviously flirting with Shikamaru, who was drinking alcohol as the girls talked to him. Apparently, those two weren't just talking. They had their hands all over him! I saw the one on the left rubbing Shikamaru's thigh while the other one was touching his chest.

"What in the world do they think they're doing?!" I flared up and without much thinking; I stomped towards the booth they were in.

When the two girls noticed my presence, they looked up at me in confusion.

"What do you want?" The one with brown hair asked and glared at me.

I gave them an even scarier glare and said in a pissed off tone, "I should be the one asking. What are you guys doing?"

Shikamaru opened his eyes when he heard my voice. He looked rather surprised I was there.

"Ino." He called out, completely ignoring the girls beside him.

I went back to glare at the girls and the next thing I said shocked even myself. I decided it must be the alcohol that was taking over me. I couldn't stop myself from talking or acting. I wasn't that drunk, of course. My alcohol tolerance was considered high. I was just slightly tipsy. That explains why I acted the way I did.

"What do you guys think you're doing?" I asked again. "The man you're flirting with is my boyfriend."

The two girls stood up and glared at me, "Oh, really? He didn't mention he has a girlfriend. Stop dreaming!"

I was going to say something when Shikamaru spoke, "I didn't say anything because talking to you two is too troublesome."

I looked over to Shikamaru, who motioned me to go to him.

I walked over to him and was surprised when he pulled me into his arms. I was sitting on his lap with my arms around his neck. I felt heat radiating from my cheeks when I realized how close Shikamaru's face was to mine.

The two girls were fuming when they left us.

"What a bunch of troublesome women." Shikamaru said. "What brings you here, Ino?"

I was still in shock and my cheeks were still burning. However, alcohol took over me again and I couldn't control what I did next.

I held Shikamaru closer to me and kissed him on the lips. I saw Shikamaru's eyes opened wide before I close my eyes to concentrate on the softness I felt on my lips. It didn't take a long time before Shikamaru returned the kiss. He wrapped me in his embrace as we deepened our kiss. It effortlessly became one of the sweetest things I have ever felt in my whole life.

"Shikamaru." I breathed out his name when he left my lips. I was going to pull him back for another kiss when he started kissing my neck instead.

I couldn't stop my moans from escaping as I took in the pleasure I felt from Shikamaru's lips. I held onto him tighter and at that moment, I've decided to not let him go.

The alcohol effect had left me instantly when we started kissing. I was so glad I wasn't drunk or else I would've forgotten the happiness I felt when I was in Shikamaru's arms.

I was disappointed when Shikamaru suddenly stopped kissing my neck and was looking at me in the eyes. He had seriousness in his eyes when he said, "Sorry. I kind of got carried away."

I saw a slight blush on his cheeks and smiled, "Don't apologize. I was the one who kissed you first."

I was still sitting on Shikamaru's lap when he asked, "So, why did you come over just now?"

"I saw those two touching you all over and it pissed me off."

"Oh, why is that?"

I felt my face blushing even more, "I-I don't know."

"Is that so?" Shikamaru had a smirk on his face. I had always found his smirk sexy.

"Why is this lazy bum such a sexy creature?" I thought as I tried not to look at him directly into the eyes.

Shikamaru's POV

I was definitely surprised when Ino kissed me earlier. Seeing her getting jealous when other girls flirted with me was a common sight. Kissing, however, was a totally new thing.

Ino looked stunning that night and absolutely sexy. Her blushing face was adorable as well. Something inside me said I wanted to keep her for myself.

"I wish I could be the only one who will ever see her blush like this." I thought and smiled.

I wouldn't lie to myself and said I didn't have feelings for Ino. Yes, I kept on calling her a troublesome woman. But honestly, she was the trouble I wished to keep in my life. I just couldn't imagine what it would be like without her.

I never confessed because I wasn't sure if she liked me back. I cherish our friendship too much to take the risk of having it destroyed if she didn't like me back.

I realized Ino was slightly tipsy when she first came to me to chase the girls away. But I realized that all alcohol effects were gone right after we kissed. I knew Ino long enough to know whether or not she was under the effects of alcohol.

Knowing that it wasn't the alcohol that made her continue kissing me, I was sure it was time for me to confess.

As for myself, I wasn't tipsy at all. My alcohol tolerance was higher than that of Ino's. However, the alcohol helped me gain more courage for saying what I was about to say.

"I love you, Ino."

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed reading it! Please tell me what you think of this story by leaving a review. I will continue working hard to improve this story so please continue reading the next chapters. I will upload them as soon as possible. And if you are interested, you may wish to check out my other Naruto fanfics featuring Sasuke/Sakura and Neji/Tenten pairings. Thank you for reading!