Note to Readers:

Thank you so much for your kind comments. There really is a shortage of multi-chaptered fanfictions for both ItaIno and SasuIno so this motivated me to start my own. Despite the delay after Chapter 2, I am set on finishing this story.

However, I have decided to change the direction of this story by taking out the Non-Massacre factor. The massacre happens although delayed until both Sasuke and Ino are 10. Sasuke leaves the village 3 years later. That said, I edited the last two paragraphs of Chapter 3 – tiny changes so you won't have to read through again.

Chapter 4 onwards will be after a big time-skip to set after the 4th Shinobi War. I just want to write closer to the romance. There will be flashbacks on their childhood/teenage years when appropriate. I did this so I can keep them in character as much as possible while injecting the changes that was caused by their lives entwining.

Please do leave a comment on what you think. I do love feedbacks!

Without further ado, please do enjoy.

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There were two moments in Yamanaka Ino's life where her heart shattered.

The first was the night of the Uchiha massacre, when Uchiha Itachi left the Village Hidden In The Leaves.

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The night was cold and little Ino felt a chill as she laid in her bed, so she tugged on her lavender blanket. She never knew he was there until she felt his hand brushing a strand of hair away from her face. She stirred, eyes fluttering open, remaining calm at the familiar feel of his chakra.

When her sight adjusted, she gasped at the sight in front of her. Itachi stood by her bed in his dark ANBU clothed and uniform grey vest, two katanas strapped over his back. It would have been a normal sight if it weren't for the blood splayed on his vest, his face and his arm. Ino rose up in concern, her teal eyes searching his dark ones for an explanation.

The pain and turmoil in his eyes caused her heart to ache and no words could come out of her mouth at the weight of his emotions that washed over her through their telepathic link. His thoughts were all over the place that she could not catch the reason for his grief but she felt everything. The emotions caused her to gasp, clutching her heart as tears flowed freely from her eyes. Tears she shed for all of what Itachi had gone through.

She felt his hand on her head, the usual pat he would give when he met her with the usual smile but it seemed forced tonight.

He spoke. His voice was a deep, rich tone that echoed in her mind long after he was gone.

"I'm so sorry, Ino. I can't be there for your birthdays anymore."

He was gone as soon as he said what he came to say, in a flurry of ravens vanishing to the night. Her hands reaching. She knew it wasn't a dream as she cried through the night until dawn until her parents found her to share the news on what happened to the Uchiha clan. And while the burden felt less and less as the years passed, the pain never fully went away.

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The second was when Uchiha Sasuke left her, when he left the village to seek Orochimaru for power. All to seek revenge against his older brother, the same man that had left her first, the same man she would love and admire no matter what.

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Ino felt heavy in her steps as she walked out to where Sasuke had laid Sakura on the bench after he had knocked her out. She was dressed in her chuunin vest, only having returned from a mission when she found a note from Sakura waiting for her when she went home.

She made it just in time but the chakra exhaustion from her mission was getting to her, worsened by her chakra infused speed to get to the gate, apparent in her unsteady steps. She had to stop him no matter what.

Sasuke turned to face her as she approached him, seeing the tears in her eyes, a deep shade of aquamarine under the streetlights of the village. "Ino.." he spoke her name and there was a heavy emotion the crossed his dark eyes as he stared into her eyes.

"You promised, Sasuke. You promised you would stay with me. That we would do this together. Please don't leave." She murmured, tears rolling down her cheeks.

He stepped close to her, a hand cupping her cheek to wipe away her tears. His voice was deep, full of certainty. "We both know our path is different. Mine is the path of the avenger. You don't see Itachi the same way I do."

Ino cried in exasperation. "How many time do I have to tell you? There was a reason to the massacre. I felt his pain, his grief and how stuck he felt the night he left. I don't know why but I know he had no choice!"

He took her in his arms, unable to see his childhood friend in tears as she struggled to get away from his embrace before he reluctantly let her go.

"Please, Ino." his tone was his usual baritone, calm but she could see the turmoil in his eyes and she was familiar with the rage the boiled beneath his cool exterior. "He has influenced your thoughts. Please understand that I have to do this."

She stared into his eyes with teary eyes of teal but there was a different emotion in them now other than sadness that Sasuke had never seen. "If you do this, I will never forgive you." her tone was hard and the threat was clear. She meant it.

She was truly beautiful to him then, as she spoke those very words. The passion in those eyes, even as she cried, even at the battered state she was. Sasuke, for once, allowed himself to express what he truly felt.

He pulled her by her waist, leaning in to press his lips against her soft rosy ones causing the heiress to pause in shock. The kiss only lasted a few seconds but it was burned into his memory forever.

"I'm sorry." Was all she heard before he vanished into the night. Ino took a few steps to try and catch him before her legs gave in and she collapsed on to the ground in tears. She was left to stare at the gate where Sasuke had walked through, turning his back on his village and on her.

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These two moments would haunt her dreams often even as years passed. Two moments she felt powerless as she lost two of the people that meant the world to her.

Today, she woke up clutching her chest in surprise as she shot up her bed. It had been a while since she had dreamt of the Uchiha brothers. There were plenty of nightmares that had taken over during her time as a member of ANBU and following the 4th Great Shinobi War. Aside from Jiraiya and Neji, there were no other big loses within the Konoha 11 but the things she had to do, the images her eyes had seen, were all gruesome memories that had haunted her dreams.

So it was surprise when she dreamt of Itachi and Sasuke this morning. There was still an ache in her heart from the memory but there were no more tears. She had stopped crying over those two memories a year after Sasuke left. There was no point for more tears over the past.

The young kunoichi slid out of bed, stretching out her limbs before she walked to her apartment window to allow some light in. She went through her daily routine before dressing in her purple high-neck crop top and long purple skirt that had a high slit layered over a black skirt. She wore fishnet shorts underneath to protect her modesty and fishnet stockings as well as armbands. To finish up her usual look, she sported her black shinobi boots that covered up to her calves.

Her hair had grown out up to her knee and she left it down these days, with long bangs hanging at the right side of her face. The heiress rarely went to missions nowadays since her father had retired from Torture & Interrogation to focus on managing the clan as well as the flower shop after his close call to death in the war. Ino had taken over his role in T&I and helped a lot at the either the hospitals or flower shop on her day offs. Besides, there wasn't much A or S rank missions nowadays due to the peace treaty between nations following the war.

She stared at herself in the mirror, noting the changes from the last few years. She really did come a long way.

A full-fledged kunoichi of the leaf. She made Chuunin at 13 after her first Chuunin Exam alongside Sasuke and Shikamaru. She then made Jounin at 14 and at the age of 15, she finally made ANBU. All that success earned her the title of prodigy as she was the only one in her generation who managed such a feat with her mastery and innovations with the Yamanaka techniques and medical ninjutsu. All achieve through the tough training she had put herself through since the day Itachi had rescued her, which intensified since the night he left Konoha.

Yet at nineteen, there was no sense of fulfillment. After all, her climb to ANBU Black Ops had been to fulfil a promise to a man who was now dead. Killed by his own brother 3 years ago. Because of that, Ino had a feeling that there will always be something missing in her life no matter what.

Nonetheless, the fair-haired woman still managed to found achievements and pleasures in her life that kept her happy somewhat. She knew she was blessed to still have her father and most of the Konoha 11 still with her.

Her train of thought was broken by a familiar chakra entering her natural range as a sensory ninja. She grabbed her pouch to strap onto her thighs and grabbed onto her T&I cloak just as an ANBU in a porcelain mask resembling a fox appeared at her window.

"Boar, a call from the Hokage."

Ino shot the familiar ANBU a knowing look. He only called her that when they were alone, as a friendly jibe at the fact that she was no longer part of the ANBU. Although, like Kakashi, she chose to keep carrying the mark of the ANBU on her right arm which she kept covered with bandages. "Miss me too much, Fox?"

"You know it." She knew that he shot her a wink with that tone as he always did. She laughed at this as she followed him out of the window to the Hokage's office.

The moment Ino entered the Hokage's office, she knew something was wrong. Beside Kakashi, stood Lady Tsunade and her father who had solemn expressions on their faces. Ino held a frown on her face as she bowed towards Kakashi before she schooled her expression to a blank one.

"You called, Lord Hokage?"

Kakashi cleared his throat before his spoke, yet his tone was hesitant. "Uh, I'm not sure on how to say this Ino. I'll start with this, Sasuke is back-"

Ino was quick to frown at this. "I don't see how this affects me." She almost snapped at Kakashi.

She had avoided the Uchiha during the war and even as he was reinstated into the village. She avoided him even as he tried to talk to her several times before he had left on some type of journey. It hurt her too much to see him. After what he had done, what she had begged him not to do. Even after they all found out the truth about the Uchiha massacre and when Sasuke had regretted his actions. There was no forgiving him.

Kakashi nodded, ignoring how she reacted to the mention of the younger Uchiha. It had always been a touchy subject for her. As cool and calm Ino had developed into after her years in ANBU and as the head of the Analysis Team in T&I, she would always loose her cool at the mention of Sasuke or Itachi.

"That's not all, Ino. Itachi is back with him." Kakashi continued.

The heiress furrowed her brow at this, assuming she heard wrong although it was said loud and clear. Her voice was shaky as she spoke. "Itachi is dead."

Tsunade placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder as he opened his mouth to speak. Lady Tsunade took a few steps towards the other blonde. "Sasuke left the village 2 years prior following a lead suggesting that Itachi was alive and had been moved by Zetsu and Tobi prior to the war. All this time, he had been following this lead. We chose to keep this information to ourselves before we receive confirmation. We didn't want to cause you false hope."

By the time Tsunade had finished, Ino was shaking, tears falling from her eyes as she covered her mouth in surprise at the revelation. Suddenly, she felt like a child again, not the women that she had grown into who had gone through hell and back to be where she is now. She was back to being that child all those years ago when Itachi Uchiha left and when Sasuke Uchiha followed. Back to the child she fell back to when she heard of Itachi's death 3 years ago.

Tsunade took her apprentice into her arms, rubbing her back as she sobbed in disbelief at the revelation that her saviour was alive. That all she had achieved to honor her promise to him did not fall to waste. That there was hope, there was a chance for her to repay him. A chance for her to see him again.

Uchiha Itachi was alive.