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

Summery

Sometimes in life you have to see things right through to the bitter end, even if you wish you didn't. (Sasuke/Ino)

"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." -Mark Twain

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 Langioletto

Muse: On with the fic!

Yeah I can feel it, baby,
I feel like I'm falling for you,
But I'm scared to, let go,
I'm scared coz my heart has been hurt so,
And I've got to be sure,
Coz it's been so long,
And I cannot take the pain again,
If it all goes wrong,

Start to Finish

Ino wasn't peevish, she was down right furious. She had never liked having to go undercover; dressing up like a china doll just riled her and always left her snappy and irritable. But it was what was required for this mission, a mission that was quickly becoming more trouble than it was worth. She threw an annoyed glance at Sasuke, who was looking far too relaxed, not to mention undeniably sexy, in his civilian clothing.

She knew she was being shrewish and short-tempered but didn't really care and sleep deprivation was only making things worse. While it was true that she was used to spending an excessive amount of time in Sasuke's company, she was having to live with him after all, sleeping in the same room as him was proving to be somewhat difficult. In fact it was proving to be almost impossible. Having him in such close proximity was reeking havoc with her mind and the best she had managed last night was a light doze but even that had been filled with dreams that had left her thinking a cold shower might be in order.

As far as Ino was concerned the sooner that this mission was over and done with and she could get back to despising the Uchiha from the relative safety of her own room, the happier she would be.

"You know why you and I get along so well?" Sasuke said casually, his eyes following the movements of Ino's hands as she secured her obi in place.

"No." Ino responded, not really caring what he had to say, too busy worrying about getting the heavy dark purple fabric of her kimono to settle correctly.

"We are two of a kind, me and you." He said the words softly, watching intently for her reaction from where he lay sprawled across his bed.

Her hands stilled and she turned to stare at the Uchiha in wide-eyed incredulity. "We are nothing alike."

"I don't think we're alike." He said, dark eyes fixed on her. She looked so different dressed up like that, different and yet still the same Ino he used to know. "But I do think we're a pair. Opposite sides of the same coin."

"And I think you're delusional." The blonde huffed as she stalked out of the door, though she was somewhat hampered by the way the kimono restricted her movement. Kami, but she just hated civilian clothing.

A sound somewhere between a sigh and a laugh slipped past Sasuke's lips as he rose from the bed, stretched until his back clicked and followed his partner out of the room. They were more alike than Ino would ever care to admit. Both of them hot tempered and strong willed. Always convinced that they were in the right and neither of them ever knew when to back down.

They were both independent and free spirited. Strong and determined that they could stand-alone and take on the whole world. Take it on and win. But the reason they were so resolved to prove that they could make it on their own was because there was no choice; they were on their own. She was perfection, yet broken too. Just as he knew himself to be. With him the person you saw first was not the really person, it was the mask. With Yamanaka Ino all you ever saw was what she wanted you to see.

They wanted to show that they were fine on their own, that the didn't need of want the help of anyone else. But he knew it was a lie. It wasn't that they, didn't want anyone to get close it was the fear of what would happen if they did. Never let anyone hold you for they might just be looking for a good place to stick a knife.

And perhaps that was it, the closest bond that they shared regardless of how much she might deny it. That most of all both of them desperately looking for something that they were scared to find.

XXXXXXXXXX

They were hardly back inside their room before the tempestuous blonde was tugging furiously at the fastenings of her clothing. It was bad enough, Ino felt, to have to wear such an uncomfortable thing but on top of that was the way that men had been openly leering at her. Not that that was something new to her, it was just under normal circumstances she was able to turn round and knock said guys out. Today, however, she had been forced to rely on the presence of Sasuke to keep away any unwanted attention, something, she grudgingly had to admit, he had done well.

Shaking his head in amusement, Sasuke moved over to where Ino was engaging in a tug-o-war with her outfit and with practised easy helped her loosen the obi that was preventing her from gaining her freedom. He let the fabric run through his fingers, enjoying the feel of the soft silk against his rough skin. The blonde stilled instantly the moment she felt his hands on her, her breath seemed to catch in her throat and swallowing suddenly became impossible. Ino couldn't work out if she was relived or disappointed when he stepped back the moment the tie was undone, and was scared that she couldn't simply be grateful.

But then she could still feel the way his arm had wound around her waist, drawing her tightly to him when one male had tried to get just a little too close to her. Goose bumps had erupted across her flesh, in spite of the heat of the day and the heavy fabric of her kimono, pulling her skin so tout that the sensation was one that almost boarded on pain. It was nothing really, just a way to make the man in question back off, but it had felt so good to have him hold her like that as if she was his and he wasn't about to let anyone else touch her. Without really thinking about it she had turned into the embrace, revelling in the warmth of his body against hers.

She looked up into his face, his features hidden in darkness, as he stood silhouetted against the sun; his mouth unsmiling almost stern and eyes that burned with thoughts she could not recognise. For one heart stopping moment it had felt as if he were staring directly into her soul, and there was something so desperately hot and needy in his eyes that it almost took her breath away. And then reality suddenly rolled back over her and Ino quickly pulled away trying to act as if nothing had happened. But she knew that it was useless, for in that instant she had given everything away. He now knew how she felt and she knew that she would never be able to lie to herself about what she had felt in that moment when his eyes had locked with hers.

Though currently that was the least of her problems. Regardless of how testy it had made her, the civilian clothing had worked perfectly, just as she had known it would, and they had been able to gather all the information they needed about the scroll and its whereabouts. All the information that they needed and even more besides. Ino had not asked what was written on the scroll that required it be destroyed, it was a fact that had not been offered to her and it was not something that the mind walker had thought to question. She had been doing this job long enough to know that there were times when it paid not to be in possession of all the facts. And this was one of those times.

It was just a sad fact that at times she was too damn good at her job. What they had wanted was to know where the scroll was and what kind of protection it was being given, this they had learned but what their helpful informer had also eagerly let slip was what the scroll contained. And it was this that was currently worrying the blue-eyed blonde.

The scroll pertained to a Jutsu that could bring the dead back to life.

Ino smiled her thanks at Sasuke before picking up a change of clothes and heading for the bathroom. Following the same routine she had the previous night, she quickly stripped off and stepped under the hot spray of near scolding water. Once again she pressed her forehead to the coolness of the tiles and tired to clear her mind. What she really needed to do was think, to go over what she had learned today, sort out the facts and try and work out what she was going to do.

The Yamanaka had heard of such things before. The story of how Orochimaru, may the snake rot in pieces, had summoned the first and second Hokage's to aid him in his fight against the third was one that was told so often that it was almost a legend. Yet it had not really been the two powerful men back from the dead, just pale imitations which was why Orochimaru had been able to bend them to his will. From what the informant had told them the Jutsu on the stolen scroll had the power to being back the true essence of the person in question.

However there was a price. As with everything in nature it was about balance and to give life to the dead a living sacrifice would be required. It was something that Ino could never, would never, be able to do, give up one life for another. For in her mind no one had the right to play Kami and dictate who should live and who should die. True you could say the so and so was an S-ranked criminal who committed acts of unimaginable evil, that they deserved to die. That was all right, and as an assassin she had taken her fair share of lives.

But what Ino didn't think was that you could say the so and so was an S-ranked criminal who committed acts of unimaginable evil, that they deserved to die, so we will take their life and give it to another. It would start off like that, but sooner or later anyone would do as long as it meant that the loved one that had been lost could be brought back. It was the first pebble that warned of the avalanche that was to follow. It would start off with someone trying to do what they perceived as the right thing, trying to help, but there was a good reason why Jutsu such as these were forbidden.

But the blonde could not pretend that she had not seen the way that a deep dark longing had flashed though the onyx eyes of the last Uchiha. Ino knew that in that moment he had seen a way to undo that damage that he had done, to bring back the brother he had hated for so long for robbing him of his family when in truth Uchiha Itachi had been protecting his baby brother.

Ino let herself sink to the bottom of the tub; she drew he knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around her legs. The water from the shower was like a hot rain against her skin. She buried her head in the gap she had created and hoped that she would work out what she should do.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hours later and the inside of their shared room was filled with inky darkness; it spread through the air and occupied the corners with velvety shadow. Ino hovered on the brink of sleep her head filled with strange half-formed thoughts. Thoughts of her dead parents, of tomorrow's mission, Uchiha Sasuke and the scroll that was the reason for what she was doing here. The scroll that she thought Sasuke might not be willing to see destroyed.

Sasuke who was sleeping in a bed only a few feet away from her, so close yet so out of reach. She knew that it was stupid, the things that she wanted in her life, a family, a home, someone she could grow old with, they were things that he could not give her. There was no security with Sasuke, no hope of a future. But Ino didn't have the will to fight it anymore. She'd been fighting her feelings for him since he left the village ten long years ago, and the wall she'd built around her heart had been slowly cracking since the moment she had first stepped into that interrogation room.

She was so lost in her thoughts that Ino almost failed to detect the slight change in the air as a person moved through the shadows. Almost, but not quite. Instantly every sense was on high alert as she strained every fiber of her being to find out who the person in the room might be. But there was nothing to guide her, no unfamiliar scent or sound, not even the telltale sign of a different chakra signature. Only the subtle shift in the air as the person moved.

The blonde could feel the person coming closer and closer to where she lay and felt her whole body tense like a spring as she slowly reached for the kunai that was secreted under her pillow. And as she felt the person lean over her reacted. In an instant Ino was up her legs swung out of the bed as she tightly gripped the arm of the person who had approached her. She exerted enough pressure on the limb to force the individual to their knees unless they wanted their femur snapped liked a twig and pressed the sharp blade she held in her other hand to their juggler.

"You can brake my wrist Yamanaka," Sasuke's voice was a honeyed gravel whisper in the dark. "But I'm still going to kiss you."

She wasn't really surprised, the moment her mind had cleared she had come to the conclusion that it was he who had come to her bed. It was the only explanation for why she had sensed no foreign chakra signature and why Sasuke would have slept through the entry of the intruder. The weapon dropped from her hand as slowly, almost reluctantly, she released her hold on him and sat there trembling slightly as for one long moment he did nothing but stare openly up at her.

And then at last he moved, rising slowly from where he had been kneeling on the floor, his hands travelling up the smooth creamy skin of her legs. His fingers caught the hem of the oversized, baggy black T-shirt she wore and drew the dark cotton up until it was bunched at her waist and all the while his eyes remained fixed on her face. Her wide ice-blue orbs saw him new and unknown as he hovered in front of her until at last he leaned down and touched her up-reaching mouth with his, barely touched. Moved with a lingering intimate contact that seemed to stop time its self. All his excited waiting had been nothing compared to this silence in a touch that was gentle, so gentle. And she was lost with him in this discovery, the warm rushes of their mingled breath, this slow undemanding meeting.

The emptiness of long separation dissolved in this meeting breath for breath. And he skilfully manoeuvred her back down onto the bed even as she touched his sensitive beautiful mouth, tracing her fingers around and in between their kiss. Her fingers searched the smooth lines of his face, his high forehead and over and over through his thick ebony hair, curling and winding it around her sender fingers. The still touching of their lips changed in intensity until they seemed of one breath.

There was so much to find in each other. They sought within the truth of their bodies for the knowledge of who they were to one another, until finally, even that seeking, through the breath and hands ceased. He pulled back seeing her slightly dazed expression as she lay completely naked beneath him and then cupping her face in his hands moved to her again, covering her mouth and kissing the full depth of her as if trying to drink her down, until finally breathless they parted.

He held her arms outstretched over her head, as he kissed her eyes, her nose, and every other place that he could reach. She shivered, tensed to the point of abstraction, but when he found the sensitive spot on the side of her neck and kissed it with smooth, dry lips, kisses light as a silk touch, the tension faded and she felt her body loosen to his touch. She felt as though storm clouds were racing across some internal landscape, accumulating over one precise point in her body. His lips found the swell of her left breast and bolts of electricity flashed though her flesh, her gasp echoed like thunder throughout her head.

He was everywhere at once and she, delirious with sensation, felt the last vestiges of her earth bound rational mind float away. Her grip on his hands tightened reflexively, tensing from the sudden sensation as he settled himself between her legs. He tensed as well, finding it surprisingly natural and easy to come together with her like this. With one more meaningful glance, he let his instinct take control, his motion slow and easy at first. She gasped lightly, arching up to meet him, as the wondrous sensation of being filled by him hit her all at once.

As soon as she began to relax, he increased his pace, letting out a small gasp his own. Girls had come and gone throughout his life but this was something completely unexpected. Something entirely new, this sense of connecting with someone else on such a deep level hitting hard in his gut. His pace was soon out of control, his instincts driving him more than anything else though he still intended on taking his time exploring every inch of her.

More than anything he wasted to savour this moment, make it last as long as possible for now that he had her at last he didn't want to let go. But the way she moved under him wasn't helping, the small noises and the way she arched uncontrollable up into him was throwing off his concentration. When she arched up again, muttering his name in a broken gasp, he finally lost that last of his self-control, his pace increasing drastically. He loosened his grip on her hands out of distraction; her grip instantly delving into his hair, clutching so tightly at the dark blue/black strands that her knuckles showed white.

She was losing her control quickly and she knew it, she could feel the heat rising within her the harder he went. It was true she had felt the call of desire before, just like anyone else her age, felt the tug of attraction and the heat of lust masquerading as love, but this was something different. Ever since he had come back, and even before that, something inside of her had been crying out for him and now that she had finally answered that call, it drove her crazy.

She was startled at the intensity of the rings of fire dancing and whirling within her core, and she thought that maybe she could ride the edge of these flames till the end of time. And then it came, roaring from a hidden place deep within her. An eruption of white heat that travelled through the arteries and sinews of her thighs, across her back, leaping with a cry from her throat and exploding from the top of her head.

He tensed, feeling the warmth rise in his gut, accented by the moment she cried out, tensing around him as she reached her climax. The tension only drove him further until all he saw was a world of white, his own climax hitting hard. His forehead buried in her shoulder, he went rigid, staying so until the moment passed. Was this what it felt like, to make the final connection with someone close? Was that what he had been missing, craving, for so long? Someone he could truly connect with.

He couldn't remember another time that he felt so relaxed, comfortable with anyone other than himself. He rolled onto his back, taking her with him, marvelling at just how good she felt in his arms. How well she fitted there as if she had been made for him and him alone.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ino lost count of how many times they explored the wonder that was their shared coupling, until she felt she knew his body almost as intimately as she knew her own. When at last they settled for sleep, through the window she could see the grey tinge to the horizon that heralded the approach of dawn. She lay nestled safely in the protective circle of the dark eyed male's arms.

She was almost asleep, and was sure Sasuke thought she was, when he murmured softly in her ear, "You know Yamanaka, I think I might love you."

It was in that moment that the blonde leaf kunoichi let her thoughts solidified, and she knew what it was that she must do in order to see her mission safely completed.

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

Big love and inspiration

Lamanth