A/N - Hey there little ones.

Here we are, another chappy for yo face.

DISCLAIMER - I do not own Naruto

Song used for this chapter - Omar LinX - Black Rose ( Dead)

The knock on my door interrupted the silence of the my late night. My eyes were starting to droop low and sting with each and every blink. Yawning, I padded my way to the door, not particularly caring who it was but guessing that possibly Sakura was coming over to crash again. She liked popping up at odd hours, usually right after her long practices or during her late night homework rushes.

But out of everyone I expected to be standing there right outside my apartment, Tayuya wasn't one of them.

Her eyes were instantly on mine as I pulled open the door, beanie tugged and fully dressed. I was confused, more so because we hadn't spoke in days, but also over the fact that she looked as if she just came from class.

At one in the morning.

Hands in her pockets and head tilted slightly in what seemed to be curiosity, she asked, "Are you avoiding me?"

Throat going dry and fingers twitching on the doorknob, I answer automatically, "No."

Her frown was small, but noticeable, "Thought so..."

Unable to hold her gaze anymore I turned and walked back to the couch I was studying on, wordlessly allowing her to come in. Though the moment my back was to her, I bit my lip, mind reeling to find some sort of excuse to give her.

"So, are you going to tell me why?" She asked casually as she strolled in after carefully closing the door.

My stomach churned as I went through a list of lies I could give her, which was longer than the truth. Honestly, even if I wanted to, I couldn't answer straight. I didn't know why myself.

Parting my lips, I stalled, "Tell you why, what?"

"You've been avoiding me," she finished while standing there, hands in her pockets and frown in her tone.

I avoided her eyes, it was the only way to possibly get away with my lies. "I told you that I haven't been."

"Yeah, and you did it in the most unconvincing way too," she nodded in agreement, now watching me intently, "I don't need to sit here and call bull shit. We both know you're not even trying to dodge this bullet."

Sighing, I mumble, "I've just been studying, school is getting busy."

"Uh huh," she replied, unconvinced, "I'm sure it's been a doozy this last week."

I shrugged, "Is it a crime to get swamped at college?"

"No," she answered simply, "Nor is it a crime to lie about it I guess."

I bit my lip and stayed quiet. Seconds later Tayuya's sigh danced quietly between us as she wandered towards the other end of the couch and plopped down. Trying my luck, I peeked over at her. She sat comfortably with her legs spread and hands in her pockets, head pulled back and eyes closed. For a while the silence stretched, and for the sake of something to do my eyes began scanning my text book again. Eventually, Tayuya spoke.

"So, why are you still up?" She asked casually.

I glanced at her again, she hadn't moved. Fingers running through my hair nervously, I answered softly, "I'm studying."

"Something you've decided to cut me out of," she tossed out conversationally.

I frowned, "Well, not intentionally-". She snorted. Sighing, I continued, "I just kinda fell into the routine of doing at my place again. I figured you were busy."

"With what?" She said with her lips twisting into a deeper frown, but overall remaining still, "I never said I was busy. And you never tossed that you were."

"Well..." I began, letting the rest fall wordlessly between us.

"Can't even remember the last time we talked," she went on with her eyes close, "It's been awhile."

"Yeah," I agreed, biting my lip with my eyes falling back to my text book.

She hummed in muse, "Almost feels like the last time I spoke to you was when you over my place when Sari, Karin, and Kagura visited." I stilled, cursing silently to myself at being caught. As if knowing she had cornered me, which I'm sure she planned, she suddenly raised her head from the couch and watched me. Eyebrow raising with a her facial expression blank, she asked in a way that seemed taunting, "Weird. Now that I think about it, that's exactly when you went dark. What's that about?"

I gave her a look, which she recognized as crumbling my defense. Smile pulling in the most smug way, she pressed, "Well? Go ahead and tell me what I did wrong so I can apologize for it. Don't remember much of anything, all the drinking and smoking made it a bit foggy and I was already pretty toasted when you stopped by, so I can't think of anything."

Sighing, I rubbed my eyes and mumbled, "It's nothing."

"Obviously not," she dismissed with a sigh, "I mean, it had to be something. And, well, whatever it is has me shivering behind your cold shoulder."

Rolling my eyes, I countered, "You aren't getting the cold shoulder."

"What do we call it then?" She asked, as if entertaining me with the idea, "Ghost hunting? I mean you did suddenly disappear."

"Just drop it," I replied, hoping beyond all hope that she would.

"Let's toss out some serious ideas here," she scoffed.

Huffing, I gave her a frustrated look, "Honestly, I've just been busy."

Her eyes narrowed, "Honestly, you're lying."

After glaring at her for a three solid seconds, I gave up and threw up my hands, "Ok, so I might be avoiding you but I really don't know why."

She snorted, apparently finding this all amusing, "Just woke up one day and said 'Fuck Tayuya' huh? I guess I can't jive on that."

"No," I quickly correct, "That isn't what happened. It's because-"

She waited for me patiently, but when I didn't bother continuing, she pressed, "Uh huh?"

Shaking my head, I looked away from her and shrugged, "I don't know. I guess, how was the party that night?"

It took a beat for her to understand, but when she did practically choked out, "That's what this is about?"

I gave her a glance ad saw her eyebrows raised in utter surprise. Looking away and feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment, I quickly retreat, "No!"

"Ok, ok, I didn't invite you to the party, so you're pissed," she continued despite my denial, "Now, that's a pretty good reason to tell me to fuck off. I guess I would be pissed too."

"That isn't the reason!" I practically shout while glaring at her.

She gives me a smile, looking far past amused, "But you just said it was."

"You're making it sound petty," I snapped, feeling myself getting annoyed because it actually did sound petty, "But it isn't because you didn't invite me that I'm pissed. I was invited, several times actually, avidly. You just literally told me to fuck off."

Tayuya's face twisted in disbelief, "No I didn't."

"Pretty much," I push while a hard frown at the memory, "Told me 'It contains illegal activities' and said I wouldn't want to come. Then when Sari," saying the name alone makes my mouth taste sour, "Asked if I was coming, you swoop in and answer for me like you don't want to give me a chance on even hanging out with you guys."

Her eyebrows furrowed with her hands tossing in even more confusion, "We were going to smoke, and you don't do that sort of thing."

I rolled my eyes, shutting my text book angrily, "Yeah ok, whatever."

Scratching her head in frustration, she began, "I don't get it. Why would I even bother letting you come along if I know you hate even the word smoking. I figured you didn't want to join." Shaking my head, I stood up, already giving up completely on the conversation. Before I could go to my room and close the door in a very obvious gesture of 'fuck off', she jumped up and stopped me with a grab of my wrist, "No seriously, I don't get it. Explain it to me."

Snatching my wrist away, I turned around and snapped, "When did I ever say I hated smoking?"

Her face twisted again, "You say it all the time."

"No I don't," I hissed in return, "I don't agree with it, but you're the one who takes it out of context." While glaring, I continued between clenched teeth, "What I hate is that you do it alone. Alot. It seems like every time I come over, you are smoking and drinking by yourself, and it makes me sick to my stomach. Why? Not because I hate smoking, not because I hate drinking or I hate having a good time. No, what I hate is that it seems to have become a habit of yours and that scares me."

She stood there silently, unable to do anything more than stare.

Shaking my head I turned and walked into my room, closing the door right in her face afterwards.

X

In the middle of the night, my phone rang. I heard it in the depths of my dreams and groggily became coherent to the rest of the world, but I didn't answer. I didn't feel like talking to who I know was calling, didn't feel like having another argument or answering the questions she might have or hearing her speech on how I shouldn't worry about her.

No, I didn't want to be bothered by it, because I knew what the more likely outcome would be, and I didn't feel like having that conversation. Or more so, being chastised like a child about something I honestly couldn't help.

Eventually the ringing stopped, but the silenced that followed was louder. Somewhere in the back of my mind, it registered to me that was the first time I didn't answer one of Tayuya's calls during the night. And just that thought had my stomach churning in a nauseating way.

Somewhere between me drifting back to sleep and me awake enough to hear every cricket and water pellet to hit my window, a 'ding' of alert rang from my phone. Despite my self I ran my fingers across my bed and held up my blurring phone with blinding light. My eyes were slow to adjust, but the words that sat there were ones I had already predicted.

I'm sorry.

A sigh danced past my lips as I let the phone drop to stare at the darkness of my room, knowing she wasn't apologizing about earlier but about not only calling, texting as well with no chance of letting me sleep. Sighing again, I curled to my side and dragged my phone closer to me. Don't... you know I don't mind.

I should have just let you sleep... but...

I shook my head with another breath. Then, while rubbing my eyes, I dialed Tayuya's number and pulled the phone to my ear. It didn't take long for her to answer.

"I'm-"

"Don't," I cut off quickly, not in the mood to hear her profuse apologizing, "What do you need?"

She sighed before answering, her voice low, whispering, and a bit rough like it always was during our talks at night, "Well, first I wanted to apologize for earlier."

"You don't need to," I brush off with a shake of my head, tired of the subject already, "I'm the one who blew up."

"Well, I didn't mean to piss you off with the whole party thing," she explained anyway, "I mean, because you're right, I really didn't want you to come." My jaw set but I remained quiet. After a moment, she continued, "It's just... I've noticed it. The way you frown when you come over to study because there are empty beer bottles already at my coffee table. And how your eyes turn hard whenever there is a blunt around. You say I take it out of context, but I didn't need to. It's obvious enough, you hate all of it."

My chest is already burning with annoyance, I didn't want to have this argument all over again in the middle of the night. I only had a few more hours to sleep before it was time for school, and this was quickly turning to a waste of rest.

"Ok Tayuya," I reply in clipped even words, "Got it. Loud and clear. Let's just get over it and drop the whole thing."

"I'm not trying to rile you up all over again," she began.

"Well it seems like it," I countered furiously, "And I'd rather not anyway, this is a pointless argument. I'd rather sleep instead."

Her pause was sobering, because I knew on the other line she was attempting to control the itch of caving and hanging up without another word. Shamelessly, I kind of hoped she would... but only because I was pissed off and already half of me was regretting pushing her that far.

After what seemed like forever, a sigh cut through the silence from the other line, "I know I'm keeping you up, I'm sorry. It's just... laying awake for hours before managing to fall asleep is routine of mine. But when you're upset... I can't sleep at all."

I was quiet, unable to form any sort of response as I digested what she said. It hadn't mattered, she didn't give me a chance to speak.

"But to keep from lying awake for hours upon hours, and hoping to push away some of the... nightmares, I drink a couple bottles of beers, and smoke a blunt or two," she went on, struggling to push out each word. Tayuya wasn't the type to explain what she was thinking or even attempt to put her feelings to words. With each stumble of a syllable, I could almost hear her straining to get them past her lips.

"I know it sounds bad, I'm sure that's the very foundation of becoming an alcoholic, but I don't get trashed whenever you aren't around and I don't drape onto some flat object after getting higher than pluto," she assured while quickly pushing forward. Taking a breath, she continued, "I smoke enough to feel my eyes get heavy and drink enough to keep the pull on them. I know it's bad, I do, but I control what I do. I swear."

There was another pause, and I laid there silently while waiting for her to continue. It wasn't like her reasons were a surprise, I had already guessed it myself. Hearing it from her just made it real, and also made my stomach churn uneasily.

"I've been dealing with it for awhile. I know outside looking in it looks terrible," she went on, her words sounding heavy and exhausted, "But I promise you it isn't as bad as it looks. And it isn't something you need to worry about." There they were, the words I knew were coming and so the words I was waiting for. "I've got it under control, I've had it on handle for years, its a routine that works... And because of it, if only for a couple of hours or an hour alone, I can sleep."

There was another pause.

"So," she began.

"Don't worry about it," I finished, my voice struggling to keep even, "Just pretend you know what you're doing and ignore the bottles and ashtray that are always out. Right?"

She was silent before starting slowly, "I know this isn't a good enough answer for you."

"There's never going to be a good enough answer," I reply with a tired sigh and a rub of my eyes, "But it's none of my business. Nothing I should lose sleep over, right?" Silence answered me. "Yeah, ok. Well, Tayuya, if that's the excuse you're deciding to stick with, then I'm fine with it. Honestly, at this point, I would let you feed me any thing you wanted if it helped you toss and turn less."

"Ino," she called out my name in a tired sort of way.

"No, I'm serious," I reply truthfully, "There isn't a point, not one I can see, on letting this little back and forth go on any more. So, I'll give you exactly what you want, just like you're expecting me to take exactly what you want." After pausing and waiting for her argument that never came, I went on deliberately slow with my best acting possible, "So ok Tayuya, I understand. I get why you drink and smoke so much, it doesn't make me flinch in alarm anymore. As long as you sleep, close your eyes and feel safe and sound, is all that matters. I'm sorry I've kept you up worrying about me, its fine now. You can rest at ease."

She was quiet, very quiet, for a very long time. When I was sure she let it all sink in long enough, I went on without acting, "You see, this isn't a one sided mirror. You don't get to worry about me but expect me to not worry about you, that isn't how it works. But I know how you want it to work, Tayuya, and I'll give that to you. So now, just like you want, this is what's going to happen. You are going to keep doing whatever helps you sleep at night, and you are going to pretend you never told me anything about why you drink and smoke until you pass out. And, in turn, I will keep pretending I don't notice the empty bottles piling up near your trash. Or the lingering pounding smell of the drug you just smoked while you kick up your feet on your coffee table. Because that's what you want, right? You want me to take your excuse and give you peace of mind by pretending its ok."

More silence, but within it I could almost hear her underling agreement.

"And I can do that, just for you," I promised with a hint of sweetness in my voice, "But in turn, you don't get to worry if I'm ok with everything you're doing. You don't get to check on me in the middle of the night whenever we argue during the day. You pretend there is nothing wrong, just like you're asking me to."

After another pause, my attitude and tone drops, leaving nothing but the underline hurt I feel beneath my baring teeth and warning growl. Whispering, I asked weakly, "Sounds impossible right... So don't tell me not to worry."

"What else do you want me to do," she mumbles back after all the stretching silence. I almost forgot what her voice sounded like, "You honestly don't need to worry. And I honestly need to smoke and drink just to sleep at night."

"It's when you say things like that that causes me to worry even more," I muttered almost miserably.

"The truth isn't that scary Ino," she assured with hardness in her voice, "I'm not spiraling out of control. It's just a couple of drinks every night."

"You think things like that don't have origins?" I countered softly, "You think the spiraling part just magically starts out of no where? There are steps that lead up to it, there is churning that tunnels the water into a tornado."

"It's how I sleep at night," she replied with clenched teeth, "Its how I stop it from getting worse and falling asleep at the wheel doing the day. What else do you want me to do?"

"Whatever you did before." My answer was quiet and hardly above a whisper. "Whatever you did to sleep when drugs and drinking wasn't available."

"It wasn't this bad before," she argued heatedly, "Before I could fall asleep without help and wake up out of my dreams. It isn't like that now. It progressed, like dark clouds, churning gray skies, and drumming thunder, it just became pounding harder and harder and louder and louder and there is no way to sleep past that fucking storm." She took a furious breath and spat, "Put on a heavy metal song at full blast, roll over, and pass out, because that's what you're asking me to do! There isn't a better way, there isn't some sort of magic pill, there is no BEFORE! All I'm left with is now! And now it's a storm that fogs up my head and makes it impossible to wake up when I managed to finally sleep. I have to run for miles to get away from my dreams and when I do I'm too terrified to close my eyes again."

She took another shaky breath before spitting out quietly, "I won't apologize for surviving everyday."

"I didn't ask you to," I replied quietly, heart pounding and tears welling up my eyes.

"I won't sit here and be judged on how I spend my nights," she continued, words hardly leaving her mumbling lips.

"I'm not judging you," I whisper past the cracking voice.

"I just want to be able to sleep Ino."

Her words sound fading, faint. Swallowing past the jump in my throat, I comforted quietly, "I know. I do. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm just worried. It's not judgment, I'm just scared for you..."

But seconds tumbled into minutes, and minutes tumbled into what seemed like hours. She never replied, and it took a moment to hear her slow steady breath on the other end of the phone.

She had fallen asleep, probably after exhausting herself with arguing with me.

So, with my phone on mute, I sobbed to myself. I cried and coursed through every wrack in my body for nothing more but overwhelming emotions and confusing heart breaking hurt. And because I was lost.

I felt helpless. And lost.

xXx

In the middle of me bouncing between fitful sleep and dreams, I was woken by the dreading sound of thrashing, and a long anguished moan.

My body reacted, it was all a blur.

One second I was sitting straight up in my bed... The next my heart was pounding as I ran down the stairs of the apartment building.

I don't remember how I got into her place.

I don't remember how I ended up hovering over her, holding her face in my hands, whispering her name over and over in anguish for her to get up.

What I remember was her eyes finally snapping open, and her panting.

I remember her instant recognition, and her quick control of breath.

I remember closing her eyes again and grabbing my hand at her cheek, pulling it away slowly as she mumbled she was ok.

And I remember her continuing to hold my hand as I laid with her for the rest of the night.

And how neither of us slept until the sun slowly rose in the sky, marking another night had passed.

(1) I like this song. And again, I used Iron Sky. Man, if I could rename this story, it would deffly be Iron Sky. I think it represents Tayuya really well. Oh well.

Ok, so I'm sorry this story is so heavy, but I guess that's just how this story is. There will be light parts and sweet parts, but overall it is heavy. After that last few chapters I realized we needed to have another Tayuya Ino chapter by themselves, to check the status of their relationship of course.

Well, I didn't have plans on it, but it ended up being like this. But I kinda like it. Like how we get to know Tayuya more and more and get to watch Ino try to find some sort of ground to walk on.

Because the world of Tayuya is like the sky. And Ino doesn't quiet no how to walk in thin air yet.

OMG hence why I would name the story Iron Sky! Like unfffff. I just might rename it. I JUST might.

Read review, tell me what you think. Feed back helps the devolopment of the story. If you guys honestly think its too heavy, I can totally jerk the wheels in a better direction, ya feel me?

About the Korra Asami story, I've got three ideas churning my head and for all of them I have started a short page on how to start them. I just can't decide whats the best approach, so after this short underway that is come up (more like three weeks of me being completely ghost) I hope to have a final verdict and have a chapter ready to post for that kick off of it.

And obiviously a chapter for this story as well.

Alright better kick it. I was supposed to be in bed like 40 minutes ago.

Shy loves you kiddies. Night.