Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, merchandise, TV rights, ect… (I think you get the point.)

Summery

Drabble Series - Two completely different people. Sometimes they are like ships that pass in the night and sometimes their lives are twisted and intertwined. (Sasuke/Ino)

Like all of my work this is just something that happened to float through the empty void inside my head. Like it or hate it please R and R as honest opinions are always welcomed, as are random acts of worship.

"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished and persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."

Lamb: As always sorry for any bad spelling and if you feel the need to throw things at me please wait until I've hidden behind the sofa kay!?

Dedi: This fic is dedicated to AkemiYumikov3

Muse: On with the fic!

Every time I see the lightening,
Every time I hear the thunder,
Every time I close the window,
When this happens in the summer,
Oh the night is so inviting,
I can feel that you are so close,

In The Storm

"I'm sorry about all this Sasuke. You don't mind having to stay in my house do you?" Ino asked in a tentative voice.

She was sneaking glances at her idol, wondering what his answer would be, though she could give an accurate guess. A flash of lightning suddenly filled the small house with blinding silver white light and the accompanying roll of thunder crashed overhead.

They had returned late from a mission to find Konoha in the grip of the worst summer storm that either of them could remember. And after dropping of their reports at the Hokage tower, the Hokage herself had been nowhere in sight, had made a mad dash for Ino's home it being closest.

"Hn." Sasuke nodded his head in a non-committal gustier, but didn't voice his answer. He was far too caught up in surveying the surroundings he found himself in to vocalise a proper response.

The Yamanaka home was small, and nothing incomprehension to the Uchiha main house in which he had grown up. But Ino's home held a warmth and sense of comfort that, as far as he could remember, his childhood home had never done. Everything was clean, no surprise there what with the blonde kunoichi training to be a medic. But also everything was neat and nothing was out of place, which was something of a shock given Ino's bull in a china shop nature. In his mind he had built up a picture of what any home of Ino's would be like, chaotic and disordered just like the girl herself.

Inwardly grinning like a fool, or another blond ninja she could name, Ino grabbed Sasuke's hand and led him up the narrow flight of stairs towards the guest room that would be his for the night. She blushed slightly, not at the contact of his warm callused palm against hers, but at the fact the he allowed the contact and didn't tell her to stop. It was things like that that meant the most to her, the brief moments of intimacy that he allowed were far better than any stolen embrace might be. But that was just what Ino felt and was sure in her own mind that Sasuke held very different views, which was why she didn't dare steal a look at his face.

If she had turned around however, she would've seen the faintest hint of smile on the Uchiha's usually emotionless face and a tint of crimson on his pale cheeks.

"Here's your room, Sasuke." Ino said with a small smile as she proceeded the raven-haired male into the spare room decorated pleasingly in shades of pale blue and navy. As she moved into the room her hand slipped from his, that his grip on it increased slightly as if he did not what to release her, Ino dismissed as wishful thinking.

Slowly stepping in after his blonde host, Sasuke nodded his head once more, and gave a short, "Thank you."

As he advanced towards the bed, Ino could not stop herself from calling out, "If you need anything, I'm in the room just across the hall, directly opposite from you"

Sasuke nodded his head for the third and final time and gave a wave with one of his hand, signalling he understood. Once the door was safely closed the last surviving Uchiha let out a long breath. Something that he had been holding in ever since he walked behind Ino, whose rain slicked cloths were hugging her body like a second skin, into the Yamanaka family home.

'Does she really not know that I feel uncomfortable around her? I suppose not.' Sasuke stood looking at the closed door wondering if Ino could really have failed to sense his unease. 'Emotionless… how could see even think it, well all right I may appear to be so some of… most the time, but it doesn't mean I don't feel the same things as everyone else.'

Shaking his head in the vaug hope it might clear his thoughts, he started to strip of his wet clothing and get ready for bed. 'I'm not cold and unfeeling it's just that I hide what I'm feel a lot better than most people. But being in the same space as her, working so closely with her, it's just so hard. And it's not the only thing that's hard. Ugh!'

'Stop thinking like that.' Sasuke mentally commanded himself; not that it did him any good, as he slipped between the sheets. What he needed now he decided was sleep, things would make far more sense in the cold light of dawn. 'After all it was only a few weeks ago that I stopped thinking about her as just some clingy fangirl. Now if only I could stop thinking about how her cloths were clinging to that body of hers. AGH! How did this even happen? She's the one that's been idolising me! Kami-sama help me.'

Rolling onto his back the dark haired male stared blankly at the ceiling, for some reason he felt sleep would be a long time coming.

-------

Sasuke was not the only one lost deep in thought. In the room across the hallway, Ino was also trying to make some sense of the chaotic workings of her mine. Lying sprawled upon the bed, having already changed into her PJ's, her fingers playing with the light purple comforter, the mind walking kunoichi found her own mind beginning to wander. She rolled over and turning her body to the right, ended up facing the rain streaked window.

'I can't believe that Uchiha Sasuke is spending the night in the room across from me.' Ino repressed a sigh, half caused be delight but half by irritation that she was acting like the stupid fangirl she had once been. She didn't like the girl she had been and was rather disgusted to find herself slipping back into old habits so easily.

'He's staying here for the night so maybe tonight is the best time to tell him how I feel. Not any of that stupid… stupid… well any of that stupid stuff, just tell him the truth. But, what if he rejects me?' The thought caused the blonde's stomach to roll, the idea of Sasuke's rejection making her feel slightly ill. Though in the long it would be better for her to know where she stood, so that she could focus her attention on trying to move on.

'The only thing is that if I tell him now it'll be awkward all night, never mind tomorrow morning. So maybe it would be best to wait until morning, until he's rested, then tell him? But then again, surly he has to know already, it's not like I've ever kept my feelings for him a secret.' Ideas and half-formed thoughts buzzed around Ino's head almost as if it had suddenly turned into a giant wasp nest.

'Ugh, I guess it's just a good thing that daddy is still out on his mission.' The mind walker thought, though part of her would rather of liked for Inoichi to be home. For all that he could be controlling and high handed and never though that anyone was good enough for his little princess, he always gave her good advice.

'And if he were here he'd tell me to do what I know is the right thing. Tell Sasuke. If only for the sake of my own sanity, I can't go on just living in limbo. I know it'll hurt but I need to hear him to say that there is no hope, only then will I be able to move on and make a real life for myself. One that is not built around him.'

The eighteen-year-old blonde stared unseeingly at the dark window for over an hour before finally letting out a deep sigh she gave up and then got up. Slowly Ino tiptoed across her room, opened the door carefully and quietly, knowing full well that even the slightest sound would be enough to rouse Sasuke.

Though afraid of waking her long time crush and short time mission partner, Ino still couldn't help but want to see him one more time before heading off to sleep. In the morning she would confess all to him and then he in turn would destroy her dreams so she wanted to make this, her last night of dreaming, count. It was both stupid and self-destructive but with the pain that was already headed her way the blonde wasn't going to stop for the risk of it hurting little more.

Silently opening the door to the guest-room, Ino slipped her head in through the gap and spied her hearts desire. Sasuke was fast asleep, gently breathing with his bear chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. The blue-eyed teen felt her heartbeat increase and her face began to warm up significantly as a blush seared her cheeks. A warm hot feeling arose in the pit of her stomach, making it feel as if she had just swallowed liquid fire.

She knew it was wrong to spy on him in such a way, it was an invasion of privacy. But even knowing this Ino crept over to the side of Sasuke's bed and stared wonderingly down upon the beautiful face that she had lusted after from such a young age. The dark blue/black hair, longer that it had been when he left the village all those years ago, was framing his face and his arms were spread out on the bed. His right hand was holding the top of the sheet, which had been pushed down to just above his waist.

Ino chucked in the privacy of her own head. 'I guess Sasuke-kun isn't all that uptight after all. He looks so peaceful when he's wrapped in sleep. Wait… when did I start thinking of him as Sasuke-kun again?'

Shaking her head, as if to try and rid herself of such thoughts, Ino turned to leave and almost gasped allowed when she felt and hand clamp tightly around her wrist. Slowly she turned her head back towards the bed and the person she had been so sure was fast asleep.

Inky eyes were watching her intently, but Sasuke seemed more amused then angry, something for which the blonde was grateful. But still sooner or later she was going to have to give him an explanation of her action, not something she was looking forward to. But when after almost a full minuet Sasuke finally spoke, his words scattered what little wits Ino had left of the winds of the storm that still raged outside.

"Going so soon?" Something dark was glittering in onyx orbs as the low tone of Sasuke's voice reached her ears. "And here was me hoping that you were going to keep me company."

Ino didn't get the time or chance to respond as with one deft move Sasuke tugged her off of her feet, and the blonde found herself sprawling on top of the bed. On top of Sasuke. But before she even had time to draw a breath or feel the heat of the blush the scorched her cheeks as her hands came into contact with his bare skin, Sasuke was already flipping over so that he could look down at her.

A triumphant smile pulled at the dark haired male's mouth as he leaned in to capture Ino's soft lips with his own, noting with pleasure the way that her breath hitched when she realised that under the cover of the bed sheet he was completely naked.

Please R and R I'd love to know what you thought.

Big love and inspiration

Lamanth