Title: Love, or something like it.
By: Kou Dirtwater Fox
Rating: M for Adult Content
Genre: Romance.
Summary: When everything is make believe, if you hope hard enough, can it be made real?
Disclaimer: If I owned it, why the hell would I be writing for free?

Set against the backdrop of an early morning's haze, Naruto found himself lost in thought. Glancing out the window, the coming of dawn was watched with eyes that didn't see any of what went on in front of them. He was silent, save for the occasional sigh, his mind on matters of personal importance. 'Perhaps,' he mused, 'none if it actually happened. Perhaps it really was a dream?' It had been wholly unlike any dream previous, and the familiar burn of Youkai-healing made it hard to discount the countless tears in his skin. Certainly, what had occurred was a singularly amazing event. One that, even still, sent pleasant tingles across his skin and a flush to his cheeks whenever his attention concentrated too much on any aspect.

There was a sigh, one that sounded suspiciously like contentment to Naruto's ears, from the only other occupant of the room. Saved, for the moment, from having to think too much about it - his head canted to the side, giving him the chance to look her over. This wasn't necessarily a good idea however, decided a less-than-comfortable Naruto a moment later. For there, not four feet from his position at the window, lay a sight that would leave his erstwhile sensei, 'Ero-senin', comatose and suffering from blood loss.

Ino Yamanaka slept peacefully; blissfully unaware of the intense physical discomfort she was causing Naruto. At just an inch taller than himself, and blessed with eyes of the purest blue, silken tresses of pure gold and a body that belonged in magazines, Naruto would have been lying to himself if he had ever once denied how beautiful the girl was. Even in his Sakura chasing days, Naruto's evening fantasies had often been full of unwrapping Ino's bandages with all the excitement of a kid at Christmas, and now here she was.

Bathed in the moonlight, her creamy complexion held an ethereal glow. To say the sight of Ino's nude body, stretched out across his futon with only a single sheet draped teasingly across her hips, was an erotic dream, would be a severe understatement. A passing wisp of cloud shifted the light so that it played across her perfect breasts, accenting the delicious swell in such a way that it made Naruto's heart race. Naruto groaned inwardly and, biting his lip as a distraction, he shifted his legs about until the tension level decreased.

"Damn her!" His frustrated curse didn't make it any further than his own ears, but a small grin formed upon Ino's lips none-the-less. Were it not for the gentle rise and fall of her chest, Naruto would almost believe it was meant for him. With a long-suffering sigh, Naruto returned his eyes to the window, and his mind to its queries. Mere thought hadn't gotten him the answers he craved, so he tried a new approach. Flashing back, he soon found himself on his last day in Konoha where it had all begun; Tsunade-baa-chan's office. Soon, he was back to where it all began... Tsunade-baa-chan's office.

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The door opened with such force that it shook on its hinges. Half a second later, Konohas infamous prankster tumbled into the room with a breathless, "Uzumaki Naruto reporting!" He quickly rose out of his crouch and attempted to straighten into a proper stance of attention. His ears perked in warning after picking up the teeth grinding that was the unmistakable sound of Tsunade's impatient frustration. Heeding the alert, he quickly forced his spine into fully up right position. Once he, and more importantly; Tsunade, was satisfied with his performance, he took the time to survey the other occupants of the room in hopes for clues as to the reason he was called forth.

Behind her desk, Tsunade was garbed in the ceremonial robes of Konoha's Hokage, which, by itself, was an indication of the seriousness of the matter. To Naruto's left, Ino Yamanaka stood at rigid attention, her outfit and make up flawless despite the rush order that had been put on the summons. Naruto often found himself wondering at this ability of hers. Was it some Jutsu that was passed down by women alone? He was unsure, but when he spotted the third person in the room, his thoughts shifted immediately.

Standing there beside the Hokage was a man clothed in the unmistakable dressings of an envoy for the ruling class. Whatever the mission was, the envoy's presence alone was an indication that it would be very difficult, and very interesting. Naruto unconsciously straightened his posture to one of perfect military precision, eyes fixated straight ahead in a show of respect.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Yamanaka Ino, the two of you have been selected for a very special mission. While I will not go into detail just yet, I will say that this assignment will require both of you to be in top form." Ino and Naruto had both nodded, masking the excitement that coursed through each of them as Tsunade and the envoy explained the need for stealth, intelligence, tactical knowledge, power and, amusingly enough, the need for both of their over the top personalities. Their enthusiasm had been rewarded with twin migraines as their roles were explained in more depth.

Their mission; Fire Countries tourist town of Edo Bay had become fraught with underhanded merchants that sold more than trinkets and souvenirs. An experimental party drug originating somewhere outside Fire Countries borders was, even now, wreaking havoc amongst the population. The cities numerous night clubs and rave sites were churning out more and more DOA's and coma victims every day. Edo Bay's laughable police force had been, thus far, incapable of even stemming the flow of such dark business. Konoha had been contracted to infiltrate the scene, track down the source of the drugs and, if capture was not possible, terminate it with extreme prejudice. Days, possibly weeks, spending time in a carnival town on Konoha's budget, getting to end a horrible blight that was plaguing a renowned city and, on top of all that, getting A rank pay? Naruto was practically salivating at the prospect.

This would have been the perfect mission had it not been for one minor detail, tacked on at the very end of the mission statement. They were supposed to enter Edo Bay disguised as two regular teenagers in search of fun and excitement... for their first year anniversary. Naruto and Ino were going as a couple. Amusingly enough, Naruto and Ino both had the exact same reaction. Finger pointing and cries of, "I'm supposed to be dating her/him!" At a warning glare from Tsunade, both had quickly regained their composure and returned to attention with curt nods.

A short passing of time saw both Jounins at the Requisition Office, filling out various forms for traveling money, ID's, role-appropriate clothing and a few other minor items. When preparations had been completed, they had each returned to their homes to pack essentials. By the time the citizens of Konoha were up and about, the new couple had already left.

Naruto would later remember the trip to Edo Bay as both painful and annoying. He and Ino had been at each others throats the moment they were out of sight, and little changed during the three days march to the coastline that harbored the tourist town. Eventually though, with a scant few hours of walking left to be faced, they had both swallowed their pride and began to practice their roles together. The days ahead of them would bring many surprises.

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Naruto, despite his thickheaded demeanor, proved to be uniquely suitable to the boyfriend act. The two had to believable, yes, so public affection and romanticism was to be expected. What seemed to have caught Ino so completely off guard about it all though, was how simply amazing Naruto proved to be at it. True, he made more than a few blunders, but he was quick to recover and try to make amends. She had even confessed to him one evening, after both had imbibed more than their fare shares of sake, that he was actually better at it than anyone she had dated before. Naruto had only blushed mightily before stammering something. His words were made even more unintelligible by a noticeable slur.

Further inquiry had provided Ino with a drunken Naruto confessing through much emberassment that he had never dated before. When she had asked, "Wwwwell den Naru...Naruto, how's it, how d'you do it sho well then," his reply had been simple. "Ish just how I t'ink a lady shhould be trea- hic...ted. Hhhhh... S'ow I'd trea' you if uh, if we were uh..." He'd trailed off then, staring into those beautiful eyes of hers, and his cheeks began to burn far more than alcohol could account for. Ino had only stared at him for a moment, a blush slowly coloring her cheeks as well. She had laughed, after a time, before leaning forward suddenly to plant a kiss on his cheek. At least, that was what Naruto thought her intention might have been. She hadn't made it however, and instead passed out at the halfway mark and ended up collapsing atop of him.

When Naruto's brain had roused enough from its stupor to comprehend what was going on, he had found himself trapped beneath the most amazingly soft things he could imagine. Another moments thought had him panicking as he realized just what part, or parts rather, of Ino's anatomy he had found himself inadvertently buried beneath. The long t-shirt she had been wearing for their strategizing getting hammered was far to thin, and by the time he had extricated himself and settled her onto her futon for recovery, he was convinced that his blush might extend down to his toes. Needless to say, even as drunk as he was, sleep did not come easily to him that night.

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The morning after, Ino had gone about her routine as if nothing had happened. Naruto, only too glad to avoid the righteous fury of Yamanaka Ino, had no problem letting her forget. Soon, he too had cause to forget as their second week in Edo Bay proved much more fruitful than the first. Fewer hours were spent pretending to be ravers as 'ninja time', a term he had created to annoy Ino with, began to step up a notch. They had succeeded in making one of the local dealers and, after time spent in interrogation, were fast tracking their way closer to the source.

They still spent much of the day as just another of the many young couples in the city, a time that Naruto was quickly becoming more and more attached to, but, more often than not, they were traversing rooftops and alley-ways in search of bigger fish to fry. It became a hard act for both of them to drop and, even in the privacy of their hotel room or, occasionally, on the hunt, they spoke as lovers. Naruto would never admit to the wonderful warmth he felt inside each time her sultry voice whispered a, "Naruto-kun"

Sadly, it was not all to be fun and games. An evening of surveillance-turned-battle saw Naruto diving in front of Ino to knock her out of harms way, only to be holed thrice himself by the poison tipped bolts from a crossbow. Thankfully, the fight had finished before Naruto collapsed. What had followed was a nightmarish two days of fever induced delirium. It hadn't been all bad however; they were occasionally the kind of delusions that he would surely have been thrashed for, were Ino privy to them. 'Imagine,' Naruto had laughingly thought later, 'Ino actually hovering over me, even laying with me.' Yes, it hadn't all been bad.

After the fever broke, his recovery made the assignment even more difficult, and not just because of the shortened timetable they had to work with; things became strained on a personal level as well. Naruto, recovering rapidly thanks to the Kyuubi's help, regained his strength quickly once most of the toxins had been flushed from his system. Still too weak to go out immediately, Ino had insisted he remain in bed. So he and the kunoichi had spent much of the next few days largely confined to the room. They had talked whenever Naruto wasn't resting, and he had been delighted to discover a side of Ino that he had never imagined possible before. A side of her, he came to realize, that he felt an undeniable attraction to.

There, in those few days before operations resumed, Naruto and Ino had shared their dreams, their desires, and much more. It was shocking to see how perfectly their personalities compensated for each other. Both were loud, obnoxious, overly confident, and possessed of a complete lack of flexibility when in an argument. But where Naruto tended to rush, heedless of consequence, Ino was, well... certainly not hesitant, but more mindful of her actions at least. Where Ino fretted over details, Naruto countered by simplifying things to one main objective.

Their differences only served to further define their similarities and, on more than occasion, it became hard for him to figure out just how much of their act was play and what was something more. He was quick to brush such thoughts aside when they struck him however. While he admitted the possibility that he was putting a little too much truth into the role that he played, never once did he doubt that it was simply an assignment to the kunoichi. This hadn't stopped him from thinking about it, nor did it do anything to curb the gradually increasing amount of starring roles that Ino played in his dreams. He was only too glad to return to action upon being given a clean bill of health; another day spent in the company of the enchanting Yamanaka, and he knew he'd slip up.

After his recovery, Ino had acted a bit peculiar over the next few days. She was constantly checking on him, even gentling her approach at bossing him around. She was more affectionate in her dealings with him, and more physically open as well. Close-lipped kisses had become warm and welcoming. Loose hugs had evolved into tantalizing moments of sensual contact. She would still hit him though; Ino seemed to have no problem doing that at all. More troubling than his partner's strange behavioral change, a change that became the source of many a cold shower and constant adjustments to a painful amount of tension, was the fact that they had seemingly hit a dead end.

Ino and he had been staying in Edo Bay for close to a month by then, and the victim toll from the drug continued to rise. They did not have time to spend night after night on patrol with nothing to show for it; finally, they began to resort to more dangerous tactics. Ino would employ her Shintenshin no Jutsu to stir up trouble while Naruto guarded her body and watched from afar to see what panned out. Eventually, their tactics paid off.

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The night, startlingly cold after the usual warm-weathered day in the city, had Naruto shivering unconsciously for a moment while crouching inside a dumpster near one of the merchants storehouses. The tiny speaker tucked into his ear came to life as Ino reported her readiness. Both were eager and tense, knowing that they would have to operate flawlessly to avoid premature exposure. Naruto, closest to the building, had the job of spotting a target for Ino to snare and use as a recon agent.

The guards were positioned in such a way as to not make it obvious that there was a need for heavy security on the building, and that just made things more difficult. To get in, Naruto would need to overhear the password, and then find a range-appropriate target to approach the door with. Luck was, it seemed, on their side this evening however, and within a few hours wait they were ready. He relayed both the selected guard's position and the amusing password.

As soon as Ino gave an acknowledgement, Naruto began to make his way back to her. In no time at all, He was next to Ino's now vacant body, and more than ready to destroy an army should they try to hurt her. His attention was divided however, as he was now worried about her soul inside the target. Should she be discovered, she might suffer severe injury, or worse, death before getting the chance to release her jutsu. 'If that happens,' Naruto had thought - his lips compressed into a thin, grim line, 'There won't be a single one left to say they're sorry.'

He needn't have worried. Ino had pulled it off flawlessly, even speaking the password, 'A baby in your lap may soon dampen your spirits,' without a hint of amusement. Some time later, Ino's body stirred and, after Naruto drilled her with health questions until he was satisfied she was okay, she hastened to fill him in on the details of the building. Ino had overheard some info that proved much more valuable than they could have hoped for and, better yet, they could now avoid the unpleasantness of having to subdue everyone in the warehouse.

Less than ten hours later, they stood before the local governmental representative with their target in tow. The representative showered them in praises and sent word to the Daimyo immediately. As a special bonus for the capture, they were both given lifetime rent waivers for the hotel they had been staying in. After that, things got boring for a while, as they dealt with the political meetings and some ceremony. Following this, they were invited to a luncheon that served, so it seemed, only to give the representative a chance to wring as many 'ninja' stories out of the duo as possible.

When they were finally able to escape without seeming rude, they headed immediately back to the hotel, intent on resting after their long night of action. Upon arrival though, both discovered that they simply weren't able to fall asleep. The problem? They were too excited. Naruto and Ino had been to busy working their assignment to actually enjoy any of the activities their job included. So now that their responsibilities were alleviated, they found the lure of the city to be a bit too much to resist.

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The nightclub, Kaffeinated Kappa, had just started winding up by the time they arrived. It was a whole different experience, now that they weren't on the clock, and both had dressed to the nines for it. Ino, looking good enough to eat in his opinion, wore a mesh top over a single silken wrap, "To minimize the nosebleeds," Ino had said in a haughty voice. Her long legs were encased in a pair of shiny pleather pants that were so tight; Naruto honestly had no idea how she could breathe in them. A neon choker combined with huge loops in her ears completed the ensemble. For himself, a thick leather collar, a metallic red shirt that fit like a glove, and huge, baggy white jeans that completely covered his shoes. When Ino had stepped out of the bathroom and gave a quick spin to show off her outfit, Naruto found himself extremely glad he'd gone for the baggy jeans. A bit more embarrassing perhaps, but at least they didn't hurt as bad.

Being on the dance floor with Ino, now that they weren't racing the clock to shut down the drug ring, proved to be both the best time of his life, and possibly the most embarrassing. They had acted as a couple for so long that they were now unsure how to be anything else inside the familiar nightclub. While Naruto hardly minded the chance to dance with her one last time, he was afraid to get too close to her now that he wasn't distracted away from her body's siren song. His hormones proved to be something that caused an immediate issue. When Ino, now fully enjoying the chance to act completely wild, pressed her arse into his crotch with intent to grind, she was given cause to immediately jump back. Her gasp, upon discovering why Naruto was dancing a little stiffly, was almost hard enough to choke her.

Both of them had immediately gone several shades of crimson and practically leapt away from each other. Naruto's brain had abandoned him now, and he stood still as a statue as he tried to come up with something to say. Ino had sort of recovered first and, attempting to dispel the immediate awkwardness, had given a somewhat forced laugh before batting her eyelashes playfully at him. "Why Naruto," she had said, "I didn't know you cared." Before he had the chance to stammer out a reply, she had continued. "What will Forehead think?" Naruto was suddenly angry, and he showed it by growling out something to the effect of 'shut up,' and immediately left.

Naruto's plan had been to order another bottle, or three, of Sake and proceed to drink away his last night in Edo Bay. Having arrived back at the hotel only minutes before her, he busied himself with trying to cool his anger, as well as assuage the hurt he felt. What stopped him from pursuing his plan was the tentative touch on his arm. Whirling about at the unexpected touch, he was ready and, if truth be told, almost happy for the chance to kill some would-be attacker. When he spotted Ino standing there, one trembling lip held between her teeth, his rage died on the spot. He knew then that he must have been crazy, because he had never seen Ino looking as if she might cry, but never the less, she did.

"What..." Ino paused, swallowing around the constriction in her throat before continuing. "What did I say Naruto? I..." She had paused then, obviously unsure about which direction to head in. Naruto tried to be angry, fueling himself with thoughts like, 'Just trying to figure out the best way to make it sound even worse!' But it wasn't working, and in the back of his mind he noticed the slight quaver in her voice. He realized she was speaking again, and had quickly tuned in the rest.

"-Ought you... you liked Sakura. I mean, I know you'd rather be here with her, right?" It was at this point that Naruto snapped for the second time that evening. The words were exploding out of his mouth before he was even aware that he'd thought of them. "No! I gave up on her a long time ago you stupid bitch!" Deathly silence followed his last word, and anger spread across Ino's features like wildfire. "What... did you just call me?" Her voice still quavered, but it was due to an entirely different emotion this time. As irate as he was right then though, Naruto hadn't cared.

"You heard what I said, Ino-chan," The honorific rolled off his tongue like acid, and he could see Ino readying for a verbal volley of her own. He didn't let her get it out though, he kept right on shouting. "It was you, okay! You did it to me! You've been doing it to me! You've been driving me out of my Kami damned mi-" Naruto's shouts stopped in mid-word. It hadn't been by choice, rather, she'd hit him when he'd been too distracted to see it coming. Strangely, it hadn't hurt. For some reason it felt almost... good. The wheels turning in his brain suddenly gave a lurch as he realized he was being kissed. Ino. Was. Kissing. Him. It was no peck either: hungry and demanding, threatening to devour him whole. Naruto gladly reciprocated.

It was almost like combat after that; hands were everywhere and everything was delivered with crushing force. They had traveled across the room in the space of a few harsh breaths. When Ino was backed into the bed, Naruto nearly threw her down on top of it before jumping atop of her. Nails and teeth, given strength by out-of-control lust, tore cloth from skin with zero regard to the fabric itself. By the time Naruto even began to wonder if he should have been gentle upon his first thrust, the opportunity was long past. Her screams assaulted his senses in such a delicious manner, and all he could think about was that he wanted her louder. Ino's fingernails tore bloody furrows into his back while her teeth damn near took chunks from his shoulders and neck. It was fast paced, intense and amazing; everything his dreams had always promised it would be.

But... somewhere along the line, things had changed. Gone were the growls and screams; replaced by the sweet sounds her dulcet moans and the deeper timbre of his matching groans. Where all touch had been violent at the start, hands now caressed and fingers twined together. When they had kissed, it was like magic: sweet and tender. When they spoke, it was no longer guttural and dirty, but filled with endless sweet nothings. Words that he realized he'd never meant before that moment spilled from his mouth and were answered in kind by hers. When exhaustion came to claim them some time later, Naruto held Ino to his chest and stroked her long hair until she fell asleep.

Eventually though, he had to get up to do some thinking. So, with a clever kawarimi, he was able to get up without waking her. He'd thrown on a pair of pants and gone to the window; which brought him back to present. What had it all meant, he wondered. Even now, he was unable to answer.

"Naruto-kun?" Came the soft, slightly hoarse voice from beside him. He turned to her with a smile on his face. "Yeah, Ino-chan?" There was a 'poof-ing' sound as the replacement Naruto was sucker punched into reverting to its pillow existence. "C'mere." That was all the encouragement Naruto needed, and he gratefully stripped before slipping back beneath the covers, his arms wrapping her up tightly once more. As they both began to drift back to sleep however, thoughts still plagued his mind. 'Is this what love feels like? Am I in love with Ino-chan," Naruto wondered. After about ten minutes, when he still wasn't able to answer his own questions, he gave Ino a little nudge. Not getting any response, he gave her a gentle squeeze and softly spoke her name, "Ino-chan?"

"Mmm ," came her tired reply. Naruto was silent a moment as he thought up the best way to ask her. He didn't want to look like a fool in front of her, in case he was wrong, so he was hoping for some 'round about way of asking to pop into his head. Nothing came however, so he went with his usual tact: being blunt and hoping to avoid injury. "Is this love," he asked. Ino didn't answer immediately, making his heart hammer in his chest as nervousness worked its way into his brain. After an uncomfortably long for Naruto pause, Ino shrugged against him before answering with, "Something like that." Her voice had a slight teasing lilt to it, and in the darkness, Naruto grinned.

(AN: Ahh.. I uh, fixed the first chapter so it's not the whole damn story in one shot... makes it a little easier to read, I think. 'Sides, it started out as a one shot anyway.)