A/N - Hey, thanks for the heads about the mistake of the chapters! In my rush to go drinking, I accidently put chapter 5 up twice. Well, here is the REAL chapter four. Hopefully FF sends out a message, if not I guess this will always be my fatal mistake! Because I love the first paragraph, so I would really like you folks to read.

Either way, enjoy!

DISCLAIMER - I do not own Naruto

After the second time, I swore there wouldn't be a third, because it was so easy to slip into the fourth. The problem with repetition was that it came with consistency. And with consistency came patterns. There was no better way to get caught than by tendencies that became habits. And habits that became distinct in character. Once you began whistling the same tune over and over, people noticed. And when people notice, it slowly becomes your identity. Who you are.

Suddenly you're that one girl who chimed the same old song.

That one girl who slept around with those who had boyfriends...

While I joked about it with Ino, in all honesty I wasn't based on much principle. I walked around with the basics in mind; Don't be a shit person, smile to the stranger passing, give only what you could afford, and keep out of trouble. I never bothered walking anywhere off my vague line of what was right and wrong. Never found the need to impress those around me by pretending I was something that I'm not. I couldn't find the energy, it took drive to pull my eyes from my own line of sight. And to me, it was pointless trying to find something to prove.

But what I did, not once but twice, was something that I never found myself thinking would come to pass. And I didn't know which was worse; how I didn't feel guilty or how much of struggle it was to have some self control.

So I swore there wouldn't be a third time, because I knew I wouldn't be able to stop myself from slipping into a fourth. And while I wasn't a total upstanding citizen, I wasn't a shitbag that ruined things for other people.

Ino didn't deserve my potential of ruin, she didn't know how badly I could fuck everything up without effort on my part.

So when she finally left my place, I forced myself not to ask for her number. Forced myself from dragging her back to my bed. And it seemed effortless for her to leave with a simple goodbye, so I kept my elbow propped on the door frame, watching her go with my fingers curling into fists. Attempting to regain myself from my teetering of wanting to grab her wrist.

She didn't deserve my potential, my shit way of fucking everything up. So I let her leave, and hoped I wouldn't see her again.

But just a week later she was strolling into the bar, and while I tried, my eyes were instantly on her. I didn't feel much seeing her, just a mild surprise to her visit. Her friends band wasn't playing tonight, I hadn't expected to hear from her at all at least until then.

But there she was, slipping inside with flakes of snow stuck to her blonde bang. And instead of heading straight for the table, her eyes found mine just as quickly as I found hers, smile waiting on her lips as she walked over to greet me.

"Hey," she said conversationally, slipping onto the stool at the bar in front of me.

"Hey," I nodded, careful to give nothing away, "What are you doing here?"

"Was passing by, decided I'd stop to check on you," she answered, pulling out her card as I placed a beer in front of her.

I shook my head, "Put that away, it's on the house."

"Oh?" She commented with a smile, quirking her eyebrow teasingly, "I still get those?"

"First one's are always free," I answered with a tiny perk of my lips, "After that, you pay."

"It's a 'shut up' gift," Kagura informed in a matter of fact tone as she wandered over, "She's buying you off so you don't tell everyone how she does in sack."

"Which, I heard from the girl two months ago, was pretty fucking tragic," Karin chimed in as she walked over with smirk that just screamed she found herself too amusing.

I gave a frown towards them, "Don't you both have something better to do?"

"We've been waiting to meet this girl for weeks," Kagura replied, dyed white hair tossing as she grinned, "Everything else can be put on hold. Especially Jared, I'm pretty sure we need to cut him off." As if to prove her point, the gruff looking guy at the other end of the bar slumped in his chair, effectively snoozing in his awkward position.

"So you've been talking about me?" Ino teased as her blue eyes slipped to mine.

"You're kidding?" Karin snorted with a roll of her eyes, "We can't get her to shut up."

I glared at them both, fed up with their lies. I hadn't been talking about Ino that much... had I?

"All good things?" Ino continued to play along.

"Nothing but good things," Kagura assured, placing out her hand, "It's nice to finally meet you Ino."

"Like wise..." Ino shook her hand, letting her sentence trail for Karin to finished, "Her names Kagura, mine is Karin."

She beamed at them both, as if genuinely happy to meet them. I've only seen that smile on her twice, and the last time was when she had spotted her boyfriend as I was hidden in his shadow.

Brushing off the annoying thought, I asked, "So where are you headed that you managed to skip by?"

"The library to get a book that the university didn't have in their massive collection. A tad annoying, but it comes with its bright side," she answered with a shrug, peaking at me with a small smile.

"You go to the college down the street?" Karin asked conversationally while leaning forward against the counter.

"Yeah, have been for a few years," Ino answered with a heaving sigh, "It's a lot of work though."

Kagura whistled, looking impressed, "Only the cool smart kids go there. On a scholarship?"

"I'm not nearly as smart as all of the geniuses there," Ino waved off, "I only managed to get a partial scholarship and my dad likes to tug on strings since he's close friends with a few of the board members."

"Smart and important," Kagura joked with a nudge at my ribs, "I have to say I approve of your taste."

Giving her a not so friendly look, I muttered, "Fuck off."

"Hey, what are you two doing over there cokin and jokin?" Old joe demanded as he hobbled over, "Get those pretty asses to work. Poor Jared wants another drink."

Karin rolled her eyes, "Joe, the guy is about to fall off his chair."

"Well let's make sure we give him enough booze so he doesn't feel it when he lands," Old Joe cracked a crooked grin. Huffing as they went, Kagura and Karin went back to bustling around handing out orders. As they left, Joe winked at me.

A small smile pulled my lips, "Thanks old man."

"I can spot a cock block from a mile a way," he boasted with another grin and a gravely laugh. As he shuffled away, he gave Ino a smile, "Hey there sweet pea, you're looking as gorgeous as ever."

Ino laughed and gave me a look as he disappeared. Shrugging sheepishly, I admitted, "He's a bit deranged, but I love him. And uh, sorry ahead of time if he says something perverted."

"He's sweet, if just a bit rough around the edges," Ino dismissed with a smile, taking a sip of her free beer.

I grunted in agreement before placing down the glass I was idly cleaning and crossing my arms. Watching her, I asked again, "What are you doing here, Ino?"

Her blue eyes pulled to mine, smile flattering a little with a slow bite of her lip that I couldn't tear my eyes away from. In a soft voice, she mumbled, "You didn't want to see me?"

"Honestly..." I trailed, sighing while rubbing the back of my neck. My eyes fell to the polished wood between us before I muttered with her blue eyes steeling me, "I was hoping I wouldn't have to. At least for another few weeks."

Her smile slipped lower as she looked away with a laugh that was as empty as that lost look she was giving my ceiling only a week ago, "Oh. Well spoiled that for you, huh?"

I should have left it at that, made it that much easier for her to tell me to fuck off and pretended that I didn't exist. But I didn't want to. And while I liked to pretend that I was an asshole, I wasn't. So with my hands slipping my pocket, I admitted only loud enough for her to hear, "Yeah... but I'm glad you did."

Her gaze pulled back to mine just before I looked away and admitted with a sigh, "See the thing is, I am attempting to stay away from you. And all the little resolve I managed to pile up in the past week isn't strong enough when you make surprise appearances. You're being ruthless."

Her smile came back out of hiding, the small one that I could only catch when the two of us were talking. It wasn't her beaming grin, but I settled for it.

"How am I being ruthless?" She demanded while toying with her bottle. "We fuck a few times, and suddenly you want me gone. But I'm the one being cut throat."

"I'm attempting to be on my best behavior over here," I replied with a shake of my head, "And you seem to only bring out the worst in me."

"So that's why you want me gone?" She asked, blonde bang falling as she dodged my eyes.

I sighed, weighing my choice of words carefully, "That's why I was hoping not to see you. But what I want is far different than what you need." Her blue eyes peaked up at me again, and with a tug at my beanie I mumbled, "Alright, that was a really lame line, but I'm serious. You don't know what you're getting yourself into. It'd probably be better for you to pretend I didn't exist. Act like I was just a quick fuck and pretend you didn't even know me."

"Quick fucks happen once, not twice," she replied, causing me to look back up at her. She was smiling still, looking slightly amused. If I wasn't sure I had made an idiot of myself before, I was damn sure now. "So technically I can't pretend you don't exist now. We've now waltz ourselves into the category of sex text."

Without meaning to, a smile pulled my lips as well. Snorting, I argued, "I don't think we've gone that far to start sending out incognito texts to have sex, but we are differently getting there if we don't stop."

"Mm, you're conscious weighing in?" She hummed with a sip of her beer.

No. I couldn't give a fuck about what was right or wrong.

"I just don't want to be that one mistake," I answered, slightly dodging the question.

"So no more quick fucks?" She asked with a sexy pout.

I gripped the edge of the bar, forcing out, "It's probably the best idea."

"I guess I can always find someone else willing to fuck up my life for me," she dismissed with a shrug, causing me to grip the bar harder. Gaze slipping back up to mine, she asked in almost a nervous soft voice, "But we can still be friends right?"

I gave a short smile, "I see nothing wrong with that."

"Good... I'm glad," she said softly, holding my eyes before looking away and slipping from her stool, "So let me get this book real quick before the library closes and then I'll swing back to see if you are off. Maybe I can take you up on that coffee?"

"Sure thing freeloader, sounds like a plan," I nodded with a grin.

She rolled her eyes, tugging her scarf close before pointing, "And hey, can you finish that for me? Seeing as you paid for it and all."

I glanced at the beer between us with a shrug, "I can't let a good beer go to waste. I'll take care of it."

Smiling with satisfaction, she swirled around and wiggled her fingers at me with her retreat, "Alright, see you in a few."

"Sure," I called after her, watching her leave through the door.

It wasn't until then that I grabbed the bottle she left.

Taking each sip with a thought of her in mind.