Naruto's haggard form rose from his bed towards the voices casting out from the street below his apartment.

"Naruto!" Kiba announced and the six people all moved into his way.

"Naruto, this isn't a good idea." Sakura closed to him, taking his shoulders as if to move him away from reaching the door. The only bad idea was getting in his way.

"She's in there, right? She's in pain. Move." Sakura hesitated and his patience broke. "Sakura, get out of my way. NOW!" He snapped at his friend. She flinched and moved aside allowing him through the door.

"INO!" He called out, finding her huddled in the corner of the room, she whimpered.

"God, please... make it stop." He was racing for her, desperate. Her wild, unwashed, and unkempt hair flew in every direction as her tormented thrashing tossed her head back and forth with great fervor. "I can't take it anymore! GET THEM OUT OF MY HEAD!" Tears mixed with the trickle of blood from her nose as her crystal blue eyes lanced out at him with a horrific mixture of everything she was feeling. Pain, anger, hatred, fear, terror, love, lust, envy, distrust, panic, frustration. All of these flashing through those once beautiful eyes, once unmasked of the bloodshot and sleeplessness. He made it to her. Despite her all but throwing herself from him, her deteriorating mental capacity brought little movement and all but deposited her in his arms.

"Ino, focus." His hands caught her head in a firm but shaky grip. His fear of her pain was fighting his frustration about his inability to help her. Thoughts raced through his mind and the irrational hurt he felt could easily be seen through her eyes as he tried to make her focus on him and him alone. "Look at me. Focus, focus. Come on, baby. Focus on me."

"Can't..." She convulsed in his arms. "Too many voices. Too many thoughts. Too many emotions." He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to kiss her. Anything to bring his Ino back to him. His and his alone. "Want to kiss you too." Ino.

"Think about that. Remember our first kiss? All those months ago, remember? REMEMBER?" She winced and almost at once her body shuddered.

"Y-you were a c-chicken... N-Naruto." And then there she was, his Ino again. His hand ran over her cheek.

"I Remember how..."