AN: And the story lives. So I am officially back from my... journeyings. Anyway, the story will continue as promised. Updates will be sporadic but they will happen, and hopefully this story can be finished without much further ado. I am so far out of what is happening in the Naruto manga that it doesn't even make a difference anymore. Obviously, this story is still hopelessly AU. But still awesome. Hopefully :P Read on! And let me know what you think, it took me a while to get back into this fic and I've been sitting on the first part for a while.

The party was definitely a success. Ino's fellow members of the Konoha 11..12…11, oh, whatever, had arrived at or shortly after the appointed hour. Naruto had managed to get there first to lay out a buffet style spread – he had become quite the culinary genius of late.

Sakura had been the next to arrive, and when she had seen Sasuke in his leaf forehead protector she had broken down into tears and run into Naruto's arms. "Why didn't you tell me?" she sobbed into his chest as he gently rubbed her back.

"I just found out myself this morning, it's Ino you should be pulling this sob fest for," he said with a smirk in his fellow blonde's direction.

Sakura abruptly stopped crying with a visible show of effort and pulled herself together. Ino stepped briskly behind Sasuke, hoping to distract her best friend with his dashing good looks.

It didn't work.

"Ino-pig! Is this where you have been disappearing to lately?"

"Yes," Ino shrugged. "I am the head of the interrogation department."

"Right," Sakura sighed. "Ok. Nice to see you again Sasuke." She gave him a tight hug and a stern look. "You owe me some catch-up time later this week once you are all settled."

He nodded mutely, surprised at the changes he noted in her. While she was still emotional she was obviously better at controlling herself. And clearly, she was no longer obsessed with him. That hurt a little – did no one feel the same way about him as they once had?

The rest of their group met Sasuke with surprise and wariness. They were pleased to see him back, but unwilling to really accept his return. It had been so long, and they just couldn't bring themselves to believe in Sasuke anymore. They circled amongst each other, talking and laughing, and casting wary glances to the corner chair he had set himself up in. Every once in a while someone would come up to speak to him for a moment, and politely welcome him back to the village. But they were all withdrawn and tense around him.

The worst moment, in Sasuke's mind, was when the older ninja finally started to arrive. Kurenai, Genma, Anko, they all were polite but distant, nothing new in that. He had never really known them. But when Kakashi showed up, the look in his one eye sent a bolt of remorse through the former avenger's chest. And he realized why everything was so different. He had betrayed them all. He had taken everything they had given him, their time, their friendship, their love, their techniques and protection and training, and he had thrown it away and tried to kill them.

The feelings of guilt brewing inside him paralyzed him, and he just sat there, frozen with grief. How could he have done that? What kind of monster was he? The tossing waves of guilt reached new levels and he couldn't take it anymore, standing abruptly he turned and bolted from the apartment and out into the dark night. Anything to be away from there.

Sasuke's sudden movement and departure froze all the others at the party. The air was tense as Ino, who had been chatting with Neji, quickly analyzed the situation as she sent her mind probing for Sasuke's. He wasn't running, and he just seemed confused and hurt. With a sigh she motioned for the others to stand down and went to check up on him herself. Why was she the one who had to deal with him?

Ino found Sasuke sitting on a bench a few blocks from the apartment. He was sitting hunched over his knees, curled in on himself protectively. She could hear his unsteady breathing as she slowly lowered herself onto the bench next to him.

Her hand went out as if to touch his back, but she abruptly pulled it back to her lap. He didn't deserve comforting gestures from her, and she didn't want to give them to him.

"What was that about?" she asked drily.

"They all hate me," Sasuke said despondently.

"You're surprised?"

"Yes!...No. I just didn't think…"

"That, Uchiha, is glaringly obvious. Can we go back in now? I was having fun."

"Why?" Sasuke raised his head and glared at her. "So you can flirt with Neji some more?"

Ino's eyebrow quirked upward. "Me? Flirt with Hyuuga? Now there's an idea. That could be fun! Come on, let's go." She jumped and grabbed his arm, tugging at it ineffectually.

"No," Sasuke pouted. How could she? He had told her how he felt about her, hadn't he? Told her that he had come back to be with her. And she wanted to go flirt with Hyuuga Neji? Not if he had any say in it.

Ino's eyes narrowed into a glare of her own. She rarely had an opportunity to be with so many of her friends at once, and here the jerk was, ruining her life some more. Things were supposed to be easier now that she didn't have to interrogate him. She was supposed to have a life again. She would have a life again!

"Fine," she said airily, dropping his arm with a toss of her long, blonde hair. "You stay here and…brood. Or whatever it is you are doing. I am going to go have fun." She flounced off without a backwards glance.

She hadn't made it ten steps before Sasuke was beside her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her gently to a stop.

"No," Sasuke said again, firmly. Ino was his, she was not going to spend her time with everyone else.

"Excuse me?" she said, her voice rising warningly.

"I said no, you are not going back there. You have to stay with me." His hold on her wrist tightened, and the next thing he knew he was lying flat on his back in the middle of the road, a furious Ino sitting with a knee on his chest and a kunai to his throat.

"Never," she hissed menacingly, "Ever try to tell me what to do. I watch you. You do what I say. And never forget that."

Sasuke was surprised that she had managed to pin him. He could get out of it now, of course, but Ino was acting like she had in the Interrogation chambers, and that was frightening in and of itself. He elected to stay put and give her this victory – it seemed safest. He nodded slightly, wary of the kunai hovering around his neck.

"Excellent," she said with a cold smile. She was off him faster than a blink and on her way back to the party. "Follow me."

So... review!