Late afternoon. The light of the dying sun shone upon a high-climbing, white-painted building of modern design where our story would soon begin. To set the mood, a myriad of colours bled from the sun, seeping into the sky and decorating it with varying tones of red, orange, yellow and purple. It gave a rustic effect; a contrast to the fast-paced life that came as an expected package deal with the city.

Students ranging from eighteen to thirty years of age milled about campus grounds, their high energy lowering to match that of the leaving afternoon. Their uproarious laughter had softened to mere harmless chatter and giggles, apparently pleased that their brutal onslaught of classes had met its end for the day. For a great many of them, a large bulk of their assignments had been handed in- now all that was to complete were the last few tasks that they had to do and they would be able to enjoy their upcoming break fully.

Not all students of this university were as carefree, however.

A number of them had chosen to stay behind. No matter that the sun was making its descent into the horizon, or that the car park was steadily emptying. There was work to be done, and it simply would not do to meander. The majority of those who had made the decision to remain on campus had opted to make use of the library.

Tip tap tip tap tip tap.

Minutes, then hours trickled past, and as the nightly star-speckled, ink black canvas slowly filled the previously orange-red sky, the number of students within the library building dwindled. At this point, only the more hard-working, determined ones had not left.

It was near midnight now. A scant few remained.

Uchiha Itachi was one of these individuals. Seated by himself, dressed meticulously in a grey, long-sleeved shirt and black trousers, coupled with the usual air of dignity that he so often carried with him, he was the very picture of a model student.

But even someone as hard-working as he was had a line where he ought to stop- and that line was nearing, courtesy of tiredness. He furrowed his eyebrows, tell-tale signs of fatigue beginning to tug at his very person, his eyelids especially.

A pile of books sat by his side, and by the other, a particularly thick volume pertaining to the same subject laid open. Psychology. Hard at work on completing his latest assignment, his laptop was placed directly in front of him, a rather lengthy word document displayed on its current window. He was almost finished now. Just a few more paragraphs, and that ought to do the trick.

The paper itself wasn't due for another two months, but he had never been one to procrastinate.

Even Shisui, a commendable student himself, had long retired for the night.

It was only the flashing from his cell phone screen that finally managed to wrench his attention from his work.

An unknown number.

He frowned. How odd.

Who could possibly be calling him at this hour?

After briefly checking his surroundings, he answered. Best not to attract the librarian's attention.

"Hello?"

"Hello," came a man's voice. There was a cacophony of background noise on the other end, the sounds consisting of slurred speech, out of pitch singing, clearly drunken yelling, and pop music. A terrible combination, needless to say. Was that Gwen Stefani? "May I speak to Sex- Itachi-san?"

"… Speaking."

"This is Satake Koba from Tokyo Bar. I'd just like to inform you that your… girlfriend, is a bit drunk at the moment." A bit? "The rest of her companions are too."

Oh dear.

Itachi twirled his pen briefly, not liking this piece of news one bit. It was rare for Ino to drink herself into a state of inebriation, but whenever it happened, it was never a pleasing experience for him.

So much that the last incident burned starkly in his mind. He had barely managed to attempt to calm her when she had already drawn a crowd around them. It had taken weeks for the chatter and whispers about it to die down.

To his credit, however, he maintained a professional tone with Satake.

"I see. Is this the same Tokyo Bar on Saikyo Street?"

"Yes, yes," Satake said hastily. He sounded distracted.

As though to confirm this conjecture, a distinctively female voice chose that very moment to cut above the mayhem and holler, "HAAAVE YOOOU CAAALLED SEXY-SAAAN YET? I MISS HIM AND HIS CUTE LITTLE-"

There she was, right on time. The loudest of them all too.

Itachi sighed, delicately pinching the bridge of his nose as he did so. This was going to be a very long night indeed. He had been fooling himself to think he'd be able to retire peacefully to his apartment.

"Please keep an eye on her, Satake-san. I'll be on my way to pick her up shortly."

After thanking the bartender for his trouble, Itachi ended the call.

Life was never peaceful whenever a certain Yamanaka Ino was involved.

Ino, Ino… Honestly, that girl.

This was the line of thought that Itachi could not help but find himself thinking as he walked down the flight of stairs, strides swift and full of purpose.

Leave her alone for a few days, and trust this to happen.

He knew, he knew… Oh, yes, he knew. While Ino was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, she also possessed a good dose of impulsiveness that could only bring her trouble if planted in the right situation. Or in this case, the wrong one.

Then there was also her temper…

He strode out of the library, the automatic glass doors closing behind him.

Itachi had gone through enough arguments with the woman to verify just this. But that was a story for another day.

The drive to Saikyo Street was not a very long one. Just several minutes into the journey, and he was already a quarter of the way there.

Which meant he was just about fifteen, twenty minutes away from being greeted by an overly enthusiastic, severely drunk Yamanaka Ino. He rested the side of his head against his knuckles, exhaling deeply. The traffic light had just turned red.

Still, even if there was a sense of foreboding, there was also worry.

Past midnight.

The bar was just as he had imagined it. Loud, messy and crowded, with the bar name above the double doors in neon lights. Itachi peered at it from the outside, his hands carefully tucked in the confines of his trouser pockets. He frowned. A couple, in the throes of laughter, had just stumbled out of it clumsily. The stench of alcohol was near tangible.

Still, there was no time to waste. Once he was certain that this was the right place, Itachi pushed one of the glass-panelled doors leading into it an inch wider, onyx eyes examining the establishment tentatively. While the customers themselves were hardly a sight for sore eyes, the bar itself was tasteful. Rich, dark wood was used for the counter, tables and chairs; there several vases of lilies for decorative purposes; and warm, orange lights had been set in for illumination, dimmed so as not to overwhelm.

Precisely the sort of place Ino wouldn't mind visiting for a drink. Goodness knew she wouldn't want to be caught dead at a seedy bar.

"Sexy-san!"

Returning to what he'd thought during the drive here, he was right.

For almost as soon as he stepped into the bar did he hear a cheer from an all too familiar voice. In her delight, Ino had almost toppled off her seat to greet the love of her life.

"Wait up!"

Glass of liquor abandoned, she pushed through the crowd, eager to see him. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes were bright, her hair was in a bit of mess and she was clearly intoxicated, but at the very least, she was safe. Even Itachi allowed himself to feel relieved when he saw that. That silly, silly girl.

"Ino…" His arms wound themselves around her figure as soon as she reached him. The metallic scent of alcohol stung; he could smell it on her hair and her skin. Nonetheless, he breathed in and out, and rested his hand atop flaxen tresses, keeping her close. He had not seen her for several nights now. "What were you doing?"

Give it time, and the sting of vodka was surely going to linger on his clothes.

-But of course, true to form, Ino could not behave herself for too long.

"Itachiii," she giggled playfully as she sidled up closer to him, their bodies positively pressing against one another now. In her murderously high heels, he could feel her breasts on his chest. "Aiiish, I missed you so much! You look so good!"

Apparently finding something that delighted her, her eyes brightened.

"Are you wearing the cologne I gave you?"

Without warning, she leaned in.

"Ah, yes, yes," he said distractedly, managing to move away from her lips when she tried to lick his neck. Goodness.

"Aww, come on! You're no fun!"

"I know, I know… But, Sweetheart, we're in public. We really should be getting you home, don't you think? I'm sure your father must be worried sick…"

"Well, yeah, but…" And no sooner than a moment had passed them by did her hands begin to stray. They slid themselves down his back, crossing the folds of his shirt and once they passed the hem, came to rest on his rear end. Completely unabashed, she grabbed two handfuls and gave him a generous squeeze, and giggled.

Giggled.

"Ohhh, you feel just as amazing as before!" she murmured seductively, giving him yet another appreciative pinch, never mind the fact that they were in public. Gods, she just loved his butt. "God, you have such a perfect butt. I just want to hold you down and make love to you."

He groaned.

This was precisely why he hated it whenever she got drunk.

He had to snatch her hand when she started trying to dig into his trousers.

Getting her out of the bar was hellish itself.

Her inhibitions greatly lowered, Ino did not care that there were people around them, or that she was making such a spectacle of herself. All she particularly cared about was reaching for every part of him she could get. Her hands would wander, she would grope, she'd try to kiss- short of knocking her out, there was very little Itachi could do except to avoid her reach. He had lost count of the number of times she had tried slipping her hand past his belt.

That was all well and good in the privacy of their own room, but not here.

Even some of the young couples looked away from them embarrassedly.

Finally, Itachi cracked and bought her a pair of handcuffs from a nearby adult toy shop. Do not judge—it was just a good way to keep her under control. He would most certainly find it difficult to drive if she suddenly decided to seat herself on his lap.

"Itachi-saaan," she whined, as she tugged at her hands. He had cuffed her wrists securely behind her back. "What was that fooor? Now I can't touch youuu."

"Ah, so you finally remember my name, do you?" Itachi calmly started the engine, all the while ignoring the slightly agitated girl on the passenger seat. There were smudges of lipstick on his neck and collar.

Ino grinned.

"You know thaaat's a compliment, don't youuu?"

"Mhmm." Itachi backed the car out of the parking space, taking care to make sure there weren't any cars coming their way. There weren't. "Ino, what were you thinking?"

"Abouuut?"

"That. Drinking." Now out of the space, they were well on their way to the route leading to Ino's apartment. "You know you shouldn't be doing that when there isn't a designated driver with you. You're lucky I was nearby."

"Desiiignated?" A flutter of confusion flickered through her eyes, even as she stared hungrily at him.

"… Never mind."

It was like conversing with a parrot.

He sighed yet again, recalling the conversation he had with Satake before leaving the bar. From what he had gathered, the girls had gotten themselves into some sort of drinking competition, and Ino being Ino, couldn't turn down a challenge. Especially not after she had been goaded into it. The girl was a bit too competitive at times.

Itachi glanced at Ino, gaze following the line of her body. Her clothes clung to her sensuously, revealing just enough to be alluring.

He tore his stare away, cheeks warming.

Now was not the time for any of that.

"Itachi-san, are we there yet?"

"Not yet, dear," he said as he drove into traffic.

Ino's apartment.

Now here was his second task.

Itachi took in the crisp night air, the chill that accompanied it bringing a subtle tingle to his cheeks. This was wonderful. Itachi had always liked the tranquillity that came with the cloak of night- as he did the picturesque peace that came with the morning sun. It offered him a soothing balm when all else failed. He glanced back at his car, where Ino laid asleep with her head against the car window. She looked almost serene from here.

As time passed them by, Ino had eventually quieted down in the car, her high level of energy soon being replaced by the drowsiness intoxication so often gave her. It was… a relief, needless to say.

Itachi did not need the added stress of her distracting him from his driving.

The catch of her car seat buckle was released with an audible click, as were her handcuffs. He curled an arm beneath her head—careful now, so as not to awaken her, and did the same with beneath her knees. It was a bit of a task- but with the assistance of the security guard, who kindly helped him close and lock his car, it was accomplished.

Arms laden with an unconscious blonde florist, Itachi returned his attention to the apartment building.

This was going to take a while.

The apartment building was a large one. Solidly built with a combination of brick, stone, metal and cement, the structure stood a good twenty floors off the ground. On the inside, it was modest but still welcoming. Clean and simple, it mostly had potted plants to serve as decoration.

While Itachi knew Konoha Heights well enough, courtesy of Ino, he still had not spent a good amount of time in it. Save for the occasional brief visit into her apartment, it was mostly a venue for him to pick her up for their dates. He had only started seeing her for several months… He wouldn't dream of spending more time than was necessary in a young woman's abode. It simply was not… proper.

The janitor did not even raise an eyebrow when he walked past.

The man had witnessed more than enough of Ino's bizarre behaviour to really bat an eyelash at this one.

"Good luck with that."

"Aa, thank you."

Somehow, that managed to bring the slightest tinge of amusement to Itachi's otherwise exasperated mood.

Fondness too, he noted as he held the woman ever closer, her fair hair tickling his jaw just a touch.

Despite her eccentricities, he really did love her. More than he was willing to admit.

Shuttering his eyelids, he pressed his cheek against the top of her head, savouring the moment. While she was still asleep. One never knew what she could possibly get up to once she was awake.

The light of the elevator button blinked, indicating that they have arrived at their intended floor.

Ah…

Itachi stepped out and onto the eleventh floor, where multiple doors leading to different living quarters lined the walls. Ino's was… He glanced at the sleek wooden doors, mind recalling the information required for this one. The overhanging fluorescent lights shone brightly, illuminating the cream-painted, carpeted hallway. He tilted his head. It was the fifth from the end.

With a full woman in his arms, there was naturally some difficulty in gaining access to her apartment- but he managed- and neatly clicked the door shut with his shoe too.

Here they were…

Ino's "home"; a quaint apartment she had rented for herself, as the building was located close to her college.

There was a sense that he had crossed a boundary that felt a bit too close, too personal by being here- but there was no helping it. Her father lived in another prefecture, her college mates were the ones who had gotten drunk, and her friends Shikamaru and Chouji studied elsewhere. Not to mention the fact that it was way past reasonable calling hours.

Shaking his head, but otherwise feeling soothed when she curled up closer to him, Itachi gently lowered her to her bed, taking care to set her head against the pillows.

"Itachiii."

Her voice came out as a murmur. Whining.

In turn, Itachi lovingly brushed her hair away from her forehead, listening.

"Yes, dear?"

She turned to look up at him better, her blue, blue eyes focused on her boyfriend.

"Stay with me?"

There wasn't any question about it. With those mere three words, what doubt he had about his presence in her apartment dissipated. He smiled, his fingers trailing down the side of her face, taking quiet appreciation in the serenity of the moment. Rare as they were whenever liquor was involved.

How many times had he given in to her wishes, for the sole reason of making her smile?

"Of course."

-Obviously, he was going to give her a bit of a lecture in the morning, but that could wait. For now, she needed to get some rest.

And someone to keep an eye on her while she was in such a vulnerable state.

Without saying a word, Itachi promptly tugged the comforter over her slim form, making sure to keep her covered up till her chest. She snuggled right under it, apparently content with the answer he had given her.

"Goodnight, Sweetheart."

The words needn't be said; what he felt for her was easily evidenced by the warmth and gentility he had extended to her today- and more so by the relief in his heart at seeing her safe and sound. That was all he really wanted.

He loved her.

A/N: Sort of a failed attempt at writing a tranquil introspective love piece. This has been sitting in my drafts forever, so I figured why not? Maybe someone would like it. Thank you very much for reading!