A/N: Once again, thank you all for reviewing. Especially deathrosekitty, and the dark icon writers. I'm really glad you guys like it. But I'm going to make more OOC warnings. Just to keep people from freaking out. Neji gets OOC in this chapter, just like Itachi does, and maybe Ino, too. But as always, I don't do OOC unless there's a reason for it. It always serves a prupose.

I wrote this chapter while listening to Ella Fitzgerald. "Stormy Blues" is a great song. Also, if you like to write while listening to music, for a good fluff scene, try Better than Ezra's "Scared, Are You?" and Cake's "Love You Madly." Action, I usually listen to Rage Against the Machine, Prodigy, NIN, and or any hair metal. Angst...that's easy. Offspring, the Bosstones, and a few others. The best is when I'm writing anything that has to have a sexy tone. Natalie Imbruglia/Portisehead's "Leave Me Alone" and a local band called The Souls of Blues Revival's "The Letter" are great, as well as anything by Barry White (but only if I want the scene to be slightly cheesy).

Legal Stuffiness: I don't own Naruto...as if you didn't know that already. If I did, I wouldn't be living in a crappy apartment.

On with the show, enjoy, and review!

Last time…

Ami stood up, her hair still smoking from Hayami's katon. "Do you mind, baka?" She smacked Hayami. The boy snorted in laughter.

Naruto sighed as he broke the two of them apart. "That's enough. Now, I want you all to train together for three hours tomorrow. You have passed this test. I have another one planned for next week." He left them, and went to see what Ino and Iruka were up to at the Academy.

Chapter 5: Realizing the Truth

Ino's feet dragged. Her class had not been good. All they wanted to do was gossip. While it was not bad every now and again, she was having a harder time controlling them lately. It was probably the fact that she just wasn't feeling up to teaching at this point.

When she neared the bridge, she did not see anyone there, and wondered if Itachi had tricked her. She climbed up and sat on the railing, swinging her feet in the air. The sun was turning pink now, and settling in among the trees to the west. The wind was getting colder, and she hugged herself against it. In spite of the chill, it was nice here. The air felt cleaner near the river, and she closed her eyes, breathing it in. She felt something warm wrap around her shoulders. Opening her eyes, she looked down to find a coat. To be more specific, an Akatsuki coat.

Ino turned her head, finding Itachi standing behind her and to the left. He wore a simple black shirt and pants of the same color. He carried no weapons, as he was not allowed to do so within the walls of Konoha. He was much less intimidating without the coat. She swung down from the railing, and came to rest in front of him. "Arigato for the lily, Itachi-san. It's beautiful." The man smiled. She gathered the coat around herself. "What was it you wanted to see me about?"

He gestured toward a path, and they began to walk. For a time, he was silent. This did not really bother Ino. He didn't seem like the talkative type to her. After a bout ten minutes, he said, "I wanted to ask you why you didn't seem to be afraid of me. Everyone is. When I walk down the street, people shy away."

Ino felt a pang of compassion for him. It must feel terrible to have that happen to you. She thought about it for a while, then said, "I suppose it's because I can see a sadness in you. It's difficult to fear someone if there's such deep sadness. I know what you've done, but it doesn't scare me. You seem…wiser than that now. I can't really describe it. Sorry." They walked on.

"Ino-san?"

"Hm?"

"Would you like to have dinner with me?"

She stopped walking. Ino blinked, unable to believe that he had just asked her on a date. Should she? Her curiosity about him was burning, making her want to go, but she was unsure if she should. Hell, why not? "Yes." She turned to him, and saw a mildly surprised look on his face. "But on one condition."

"And that is?"

"That you actually talk to me."

Itachi laughed. It seemed a little odd, but it was genuine. He nodded. "Alright. We can play twenty questions if you like." That made her laugh, but she couldn't have asked for a better answer. They turned around, and went back up the path. For a long time, neither one said a word. Ino merely enjoyed his presence, and Itachi did the same. Then, Itachi spoke, beginning their game. "What is your favorite color?"

"I suppose that would be blue. And yours?"

"Black, I guess."

Ino laughed. "I never would have thought…"

"What sarcasm, Ino-san." Itachi was smiling. She thought it was a nice smile, even if it was sad.

"Alright then," Ino said, "What's your favorite food?"

"Udon with vegetables. You?"

"Um…chocolate cookies. But I don't have them that often."

Itachi seemed to think for a few minutes, trying to find another question to ask. Ino was beginning to think he had spaced out. They entered a restaurant, and sat at a table. Suddenly, he asked, "What did you think when you read my note?"

Ino was surprised by such a direct question. For a moment, she considered lying, then thought better of it. She didn't want to lie to him. "Um, I wondered why you had left me a gift, and why you wanted to meet me." She blushed, unable to look at him. His red eyes were disconcerting, but not in a frightening way. They simply looked on her with an intensity that she was not sure how to feel about.

"Oh, I suppose that one is simple enough. I…thought…after I talked to you, that you might be able to understand me. Was I wrong?" Itachi leaned back in his chair. The waiter came at that point, and took their orders. When the man had left, Itachi asked, "Well, was I?"

Ino was flustered. She felt that she did understand him, and it was that fact that bothered her. Why could she identify with him? There was such sadness in his eyes, and he was lonely, that much she knew. And other than that, she knew next to nothing about him. How did she know that she could understand his feelings? For a long time, she didn't know what to say. Finally, she shook her head. "I don't know how to explain it, but I think I can. There are things that I can see when I look at you…sadness, anger, and you carry this immense weight on your shoulders…how do you bear it?" Her voice had started to catch in her throat, but she refused to cry.

"I bear it alone. It's the only way I know how."

Just then, their food came out, and they began to eat. Every so often, Ino looked up at him. He had been alone his entire life. Even before he had killed his family and left the village, he had been alone. That sort of life was enough to make anyone nuts. He didn't seem insane, though. How has he survived? I would have died long ago… Though she had promised herself she wouldn't cry, hot salty tears began to fall into her rice, disappearing among the grains as she ate. After a moment, she averted her face, and tried to wipe away the tears with the back of her hand.

"Ino-san? Are you alright?"

"I…I'll be fine, Itachi. Just give me a minute."

"No, I think I should take you home. You're upset." His voice was kind and firm. She nodded. He got the attention of the waiter, and paid for the food, thanking him. "Come on, Ino. Let's go." As he took her arm, she realized two things. Both she and Itachi were acting as if they had known one another for years. The other realization was that he was touching her. Neither one made her uncomfortable.

She allowed him to lead her from the restaurant. Ino leaned on him for support, and her tears continued. She didn't understand. Why was she crying? It didn't matter if she understood it or not. The fact of it was that she was crying. She felt as if his sadness had somehow transferred to her. Itachi wrapped her in his coat, and she pulled it around herself, hiding her face in its folds, and leaning on its owner, letting him lead the way.

Itachi's coat fell from Ino's shoulders as he sat her on her couch. She was still huddled in on herself. The night before, he had sat on the roof of a nearby building, watching her through the window of the living room. She had come into her apartment and seen his gift, then read the note he left her. After reading the note, Ino had gone over to the table, and sat staring at the white flower floating on the water, until she fell asleep. She looked peaceful.

Now, she seemed to be on the edge of hysterics. He was not sure how to deal with this sort of situation. Then, he thought of how his mother would have acted. That gave him a stab of pain. Pushing that feeling aside, he sat next to her, replacing his coat on her shoulders. Ino buried her face in his chest, and he felt her body shaking against him as she continued to cry. Why was she crying? Awkwardly, he put his arms around her. Slowly, her shaking eased, and her tears stopped. Her breathing became more steady, and he realized that she was asleep.

His eyes fell to her face, still stained with tears. It suddenly came to him what she had said during dinner. 'There are things that I can see when I look at you…how do you bear it?'This woman was crying for me? Why? His heart skipped. He used the edge of his sleeve to wipe tears from her face. How could anyone cry for him? Did she pity him? That was not a welcome thought. He did not want pity from her. What do you want from her? That was a very good question. It had been her sad eyes that had drawn him in. He wanted someone to understand him. He wanted someone to see him for who he was, not what he had done.

As he sat there, holding this woman to his chest, he felt an alien sensation. It was at once calm and exhilarating. Peace? He thought that it must be, though he had never known this feeling in his life. His body leaned back, settling against the cushions, and he closed his eyes. Should he leave? Ino was asleep, and he was sure that she would be startled to find him holding her when she woke, but he couldn't bring himself to let go of her. She had given him peace, and he didn't want it to leave him. He leaned down, looking at her face again.

Quietly, he whispered to her, knowing that she couldn't hear him, "Arigato, Ino. Arigato." He leaned back again, and closed his eyes. When sleep came, his dreams were not the nightmares that had plagued him for years. His dreams were of everyday things, and he knew even in his dreams that he had Ino to thank for it.

It was early morning, and Neji was taking a short walk before training. Everyone was still reeling from Sasuke's capture, and Sakura's death. But it seemed that the woman's death was bringing people together in a way that had not been expected by anyone. From what he had seen at Naruto's apartment, Kakashi and Kurenai were together. That wasn't a huge surprise. Naruto seemed to have found someone. The fact that the woman could have been Sakura's twin probably had something to do with it. Risa was different from Sakura in ways that seemed to suit Naruto, though. He looked up at the sky from under the trees between the buildings of the Hyuuga compound. Was Sakura doing this?

All of these lines of fate seemed to come back to Sakura and Sasuke. Sasuke's attack on Hinata had caused him to realize how much his cousin really meant to him. On numerous occasions, he had nearly told her. But he had decided to wait. The timing had to be right, and the situation should be perfect. He thought of the dinner they had shared, and that look in her eyes. Just that thought made his breath catch. She never really had to say anything to let him know how she was feeling.

As he rounded the corner, he saw Hinata, walking in her little garden, among bushes of lavender and rosemary. The sun shone down on her, and reflected off of her hair as she leaned down to check on the plants. He hid himself behind the corner of the building, watching her. She was the picture of grace and beauty. He felt a kind of freedom when he looked at her that he did not understand, and that scared him a little. He suddenly felt his feet moving.

Hinata looked up when she sensed movement. Neji was walking toward her, and she replaced her scissors in her pocket, lifting off the cutting that she had just made.

"Ohayo, Hinata-sama." Neji's eyes caught the light, sending violet flares through their white depths. Hinata tried very hard not to blush.

"Ohayo, onih-san. What brings you here?"

Neji's feet did not stop at the respectful distance of five feet as they usually did. He now stood with his feet mere inches away from hers. She looked up at him, eyes questioning. His left hand started to move, reaching for her right. Hinata started when he took her hand. What are you doing? I thought you'd decided that you were going to wait until the time was right? Then he saw her smile. Fate seemed to have control of his body and mind. His lips began to move, words issuing from them that he had been rehearsing in his head every day for a year.

"Hinata-sama…" Her eyes held an expectant expression. "You are the most important person in the world to me. I have sworn to protect you, not because you are the heir, but because you are very special to me." He could see tears forming in her eyes. Neji wanted to wipe them away, but he could not stop. "When…when you were attacked, I wanted to rip Uchiha to pieces. I couldn't bear the thought of him hurting you. You are my Hinata-sama. I love you."

For an instant, Hinata stood stunned. Neji swallowed hard, waiting for her to say something, anything. She smiled through her tears, and threw her arms around his neck, holding him close. He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt. "I love you, onih-san…" she breathed, barely audible. After long moments of the two of them remaining this way, Neji pulled away from her.

"Hinata-sama, I spoke to your father, and he has given his consent." He took her hand again, and placed it over his heart. "Will you marry me, Hinata-sama?" Her eyes widened. It must be too soon. Damn it.

To his surprise, Hinata reached up and touched his face. Her hands held him there, and she stood on tiptoe, placing a small, soft kiss on his lips. "Hai, Neji. But haven't you asked me already?" His words from more than a year before came back to him. 'Let me protect you…forever.'

Smiling slightly, he said, "I suppose I did, then, but I thought you wouldn't remember."

Hinata lay her face on his chest. "I can't forget."

Risa sat staring at the sleeping man on the other end of the bed. His messy blonde hair shone in the morning light, and he looked very peaceful. She wanted to curl up next to him, but thought that it might scare him when he woke up. He was still uncomfortable with the sleeping arrangement. Since today was her day off, she had wanted to sleep in, but couldn't help waking up at her normal time of six in the morning. Now, all she could do was sit there and try not to wake him up. Screw that. If I have to suffer, so does he.

A mischievous grin spread across her features, and she scooted across the bed to him. Risa tickled Naruto's nose with her finger. She was expecting him to swat at her hand groggily. Instead, his hand grabbed her wrist, twisted her arm behind her back, and he shoved her down onto the bed. She blinked up at him. He was fully awake now, and staring down at her in horror. His eyes were wide, and he stuttered, "G-G-Gomen, Risa-chan." He released her arm, but remained where he was, leaning over her. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Are you?"

He seemed to become instantly uncomfortable when he realized the position they were in. She still wore one of his shirts, and it was pushed up under her breasts, revealing her underwear and the smooth expanse of her stomach. His knees were between hers, and his hands were on either side of her shoulders. For her part, she was not that comfortable herself. Naruto had her in a very…compromising position, and he was wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts. Then there was the way he looked at her.

"Fine." Naruto said, but the blush on his cheeks said that he was far from fine. He moved to get up, but his knee slipped on the sheets, and he fell, landing on top of her. They both grunted. "Gomen…" he said, looking painfully embarrassed. He was just so cute when he was flustered.

Now in a much more suggestive position, Risa had just become officially uncomfortable. She could feel his bare skin against hers, and his breath on her face. And he was still looking at her with those eyes. Naruto opened his mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out. He shut his eyes tightly for a moment, as if to clear an image from his mind. When he opened them again, he seemed more calm. It was good that one of them was calm, because she certainly wasn't. Her heart seemed like it was going to jump out of her chest at any moment, and her breathing had become shallow.

She felt his hand brush her hair away from her face. His eyes seemed to be looking through her. What was he seeing? Did he see his friend, Sakura? "Naruto…"

His face lowered toward hers, and she knew that she shouldn't let him do this. He wasn't looking at her. He was seeing someone who wasn't there. It took every ounce of strength she had, but she pushed him away from her. He seemed confused and hurt. "Gomen, Naruto. It's just…you were seeing Sakura-chan just now, weren't you?"

He looked ashamed. "I guess I was, a little. You look so much like her, but you're different from her, too. I feel differently about you. With Sakura, it was always me trying to deal with a crush. It was stupid. I miss her, and I wish she was still alive. But I can't really explain how I feel about you. It's complicated." He smiled weakly.

"And here I thought you were easy to read." She leaned toward him and looked him in the eye. "Who am I?"

"Risa-chan."

"Good." She took his face in her hands and kissed him gently. He was too shocked to move at first. Then his arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer, and he returned her kiss with an intensity that was almost frightening. After a long moment, they pulled away from one another, needing air. "And don't you forget it…" She said breathlessly.

"I won't."

As her eyes opened, Ino saw dark cloth surrounding her, and felt a pair of arms around her. She raised her head cautiously, and saw Itachi sleeping, his head leaning back on the couch cushions. He was holding her in his sleep. Smiling, she gently pulled his arms away from herself, and stood, covering him with his coat. It was about nine in the morning, and her day off. Saturday…a day of rest. She was a little stiff from sleeping upright, but a shower would fix that.

When she got into the bathroom, she yanked off her shoes and took off her leg wrappings, then got out of her chuunin uniform. After turning on the shower, she poked her head out of the bathroom, and saw that Itachi was still asleep on the couch. She smiled. He must have been tired. The hot water loosened her muscles, and she felt much better when she was done.

Wrapped in a towel, her wet hair falling down her back in a messy mass, she left the bathroom, and walked to her bedroom, which was closer to the living room. After pulling on a dark blue wool sweater and a long brown skirt, she pulled on a pair of brown boots, then left her bedroom while still brushing out her hair. When she came into the living room, she found that Itachi was not on the couch. His coat was still there, however. On it was a note. She picked it up, and read.

Dear Ino,

I'll be at Konoha Prison until three o'clock. My coat is left as a promise that I will return.

Yours,

Itachi

Why did she have that odd feeling in her stomach? She was…happy. Itachi had stayed with her, made sure that she was alright. As she went into the kitchen to make herself breakfast, she wondered what in the world it was she felt for him. Ino ate her eggs in silence, then decided that she would read that book that Shikamaru had leant her.

It was in a small drawer in the table near the couch. Taking it out, she lay on the couch after she neatly folded Itachi's coat and set it on the floor nearby. After a while, her legs were starting to get cold. She reached out and took up the coat, covering herself with it. The way it smelled reminded her of the river, and how the air seemed so clean there. And that brought her thoughts back to Itachi again. Ino dropped Shikamaru's book on the floor, and curled up under the coat, closing her eyes and breathing in Itachi's scent. It was comforting.

Soon, she fell asleep. It was a long time before she was awakened by someone knocking at the door. It was cold in her apartment, so she wrapped the coat around herself, sticking a hand out to open the door. It was Itachi. She smiled nervously and handed him his coat. Then she went to adjust the heat, so that it wouldn't be so cold. He followed her into her apartment, and stood watching her. She could feel his eyes on her. That intense gaze tickled at the back of her mind, making her want to look at him.

She distracted herself by starting a kettle for tea. "Would you like tea, Itachi?" She asked loudly from in the kitchen.

"Yes, please." His voice was so close, that she jumped, the faucet spraying water all over herself. He had been standing directly behind her, nearly touching her. How had she not sensed his presence? She blotted the water with a towel, and put the kettle on the stove, still not having looked at him. Her face began to heat, a blush building.

Ino was now searching for the tea canister, and having no luck at all. Then, she opened the last cabinet, and saw it on the top shelf. Before she could reach for it, Itachi's hand had taken it down, and set it on the counter top in front of her. She held it tightly, her knuckles whitening. His presence behind her was making her feel strange. Her heart was beating very fast, and her mind was racing. Finally, she couldn't take the tension any longer. She whirled to look at him, and found him looking down at her, that same intense stare, so close now. "I—" She tried to say, but was interrupted by her heart's chaotic rhythm, and by Itachi, who suddenly took her face in his hands and bent his face to hers, kissing her. Though sudden, there was nothing rough about this movement. She dropped the tea canister.

What is going on? Uchiha Itachi is…kissing me. Her hands seemed to move on their own, taking handfuls of the front of his shirt and pulling him closer. She couldn't understand anything that was happening. Her feelings toward him were a mystery, just as he was. But being like this with him felt…right. His hands released her face, but she did not let go of him. She pulled him to her, and felt his arms around her. She was now backed against the cabinets, the wooden counter-top pushing into her back. Itachi pulled away from her.

"Gomen, Ino. I didn't mean to…" He had apparently lost control of himself.

She smiled. "Oh, yeah. I hated that. You should never do that again." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. He seemed relieved that she wasn't angry. The kettle began to whistle, and she reached around him to remove it from the stove, and then turn off the burner. Then, she picked up the tea canister off of the floor, and started to actually make the tea. As the tea was steeping, she turned to him. "How long have you wanted to do that?"

He looked surprised. "I suppose, truthfully, since I saw your eyes when you stood on the bridge. But the feeling was only slight, at first. It's been growing for the past couple of days." He looked at her, his red eyes keen. "Last night, when you fell asleep in my arms, I felt something I had never felt before." He stepped toward her, and lay his palm on her cheek. "I felt peace."

Don't forget to review. I won't be able to post again until after finals, so enjoy it!