(A/N) Uh, hi everybody, this is my first fanfic and I'm kinda shy, particularly about my writing, so I'm a little nervous about posting it. Any positive feedback will greatly improve the odds of me posting something here again, so let me know if you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I just play around in other people's universes

Ino hunched between the branches, watching as the light faded from the window down the road. She smiled to herself and waited patiently for another ten minutes or so, scanning the dark streets for signs of anyone heading home late. Convinced that it was safe, Ino silently leapt to the adjacent building and carefully navigated the rooftops, thankful for the added stealth of the moonless night.

Cautiously she approached the balcony, eyes piercing the glass of the sliding door to focus on the shadowed form on the bed. She hesitantly climbed over the railing and crouched down with her back against it, her mind opening to feel the slowed chakra of the body sleeping about a dozen feet from her.

I won't lose to you, Ino thought, the determined smile returning to her face as she formed the familiar seals and muttered 'shintenshin' under her breath.

* eleven hours earlier*

Ino picked at the remains of her lunch as she listened to Sakura regale her with the details of Team 7's last training session. Apparently Kakashi had wanted them to concentrate on defense, promising to treat them to dinner if they all managed to successfully block or evade each of his attacks. In truth she was only listening half-heartedly, but her ears perked up when a smug expression worked it's way onto Sakura's face.

"... and just as the kunai was about to pin my dress to the tree, Sasuke dove forward, wrapped his arms around me, and rolled us both under the cover of the bushes." She grinned triumphantly at the glare Ino was aiming at her. "We lay there for almost five minutes listening for Kakashi-sensei before he finally decided it was safe to move without being detected. That's five whole minutes with me on my back and Sasuke hovering over me, just three inches away from my face. Mmm, he smelled so nice too."

Sakura basked in the glow of the memory and the jealousy of her rival stewing in the seat opposite. It just isn't fair, Ino lamented, first she lucks into getting assigned to Sasuke's team and now she's thrust into an intimate position during training. Unwilling to give Sakura the satisfaction of further gloating at her frustration, she rose and stalked out of the restaurant.

Ino inhaled deeply a few times, eyes firmly closed, before deciding that she'd adjusted enough to the differences in this body. Slowly she pulled herself into a sitting position, looking down to drink in the sight before her. Her fingers glided over her flat, muscular torso, the pale skin glowing softly in the faint starlight that filtered in through the window. So, he sleeps without a shirt. That's a pleasant surprise.

She gently rose from the bed, clicking on the small lamp on the nightstand and slowly made her way to the balcony. Her confidence had been shaken a bit when Sakura had broken through her jutsu during the chunin exam, and she was a little concerned that moving around too quickly would increase his heart rate enough to wake him when she was done here. After the exam she had practiced religiously so as not to suffer a similar defeat in the future, and her control had improved enough to nearly triple the amount of time she could maintain the jutsu. That still gave her less than ten minutes to play, but that was more than she could manage a few months ago.

Sliding open the door, she carefully shifted her real body until it was propped more comfortably in the corner of the balcony, positioned behind some potted plants that would provide a little cover in case she needed it. Ino lifted a hand to her head and ran her fingers through the soft black hair. Closing her eyes again she imagined what it would be like to do this from the outside, one arm draped around his neck and the fingers of the other woven between the silky strands as he bent down to brush his lips against hers. She grinned, the thought giving her an idea.

Ino crouched down again and gave her still form a quick peck on the mouth. Not really the same, but I think I'm the only girl to have her lips pressed against his. If Forehead can brag about being knocked out of the way, then I can brag about a quick kiss. I can't wait to see her face when she finds out tomorrow at breakfast.

Satisfied that her body was fine, she closed the door and explored, hoping to get a better feel for the boy that kept everyone else at a distance. The room was economically furnished, other than the bed there were a few shelves, an armchair, and a television. Aside from a few scrolls adorning the walls, the only decoration was his team photo sitting on the bookshelf.

A quick scan of the titles revealed only nonfiction. Books on history and the clan genealogy, some on tactical strategy and jutsu theory whose spines were a bit worn, others on politics and philosophy that looked like they hadn't been touched in years. Only one book looked out of place in the otherwise grown up library, a small paperback wedged in on the end of the lower shelf. Ino pulled it out and smiled down as she realized that it was the same children's adventure story that her mother had read to her when she was small.

As she nostalgically flipped through the pages, a loose sheet slipped out onto the ground. Picking it up she saw that it was an old photograph. A dark haired woman with kind eyes had her hands on the shoulders of her six year old son, her husband standing next to them with his arms crossed, looking resolutely at the camera. The edge of the photo was torn to the right of the woman, only a small flesh colored patch near the bottom indicating that there had been anyone else present.

Ino slid the picture back between the pages and returned the book to the shelf. She could feel her chakra reserves getting lower, so she climbed back onto the bed and slipped between the blankets, switching off the lamp. Closing her eyes, she relaxed and focused on her breath, willing the borrowed body to ease back toward a restful state. Once she could feel his heart rate begin slow, Ino released her jutsu and returned to her own body, cautiously creeping away in the night to her own bed.

Sasuke trudged up toward Ichiraku to meet up with the rest of his team. The hyperactive blond slurped down a mouthful of ramen and looked up as he eased onto a stool.

"Hey Teme, where have you been? You were supposed to meet us for training this morning, even Kakashi-sensei showed up before you," noticing the dark circles under his eyes, Naruto scooted in Too Close to examine them. "You don't look so good, you sick or something?"

"Just sleepy. Keep waking up the last couple of nights. Unusually vivid dreams," Sasuke batted him away, too tired to notice that the girl on the other side of Naruto choked on her tea at his last statement.

"Careful Sakura-chan, you must remember to drink first and then breathe. It is a difficult skill, but I'm sure that you are clever enough to master it," Kakashi teased affectionately, gently thumping her back to help as she coughed the liquid out of her windpipe.

"Cool dreams?" Naruto asked, settling down to hover over his food once more. Receiving only a "Hn" in response, he shrugged and resumed shoveling the noodles into his mouth. Sasuke stared ahead with his chin in his hands, thinking back to the most recent dream. He didn't know what part of his fractured psyche had conjured up the scene, standing half dressed in the bathroom while photographing seductive faces that he made at himself in the mirror, but he intended to squash the image and bury it so deep in his unconscious that not even a Yamanaka could find it. He knew he wasn't that narcissistic.

(A/N) Should probably mention, description of Sasuke's room is taken from chapter 181 of the manga, I believe it's page 4 ^_^ Reviews would be greatly appreciated, even just anonymous one word reviews, and thanks for reading.