"Thoughts"

Dreams

Warning: There's a reason this is rated M. Mature content includes foul language, and later on, sexual scenes (and a mild case of non-yuri groping). Don't like, don't read.

"…I don't want you to go on another mission so soon."

Ino smiled at the raven and ran her fingers through her hair, touch lingering against the beauties cheek. Her girlfriend somehow managed to pout and relax against her hand all at once, and she ignored the urge to kiss her senseless. "I'd rather stay here with you, but I'm a kunoichi now, Kagome."

Letting out a small sigh, she muttered, "I know that. Doesn't mean I have to like it. Last time you barely made it home in one piece...how will I know if you're all right?"

A wince crossed the blondes face at the mention of her last mission. Her group of five shinobi had been sent to the Wind country, a five days run from Konoha, to monitor the actions of an infamous 'business man' named Yakubo, who, while still innocent in the eyes of the law, was well known for his underground shipments of illegal weaponry to criminals and rogue shinobi. The first few days had been so perfect they could have been scenarios from their textbooks in high school. But the last day was when Yakubo's bodyguards had a lucky break and spotted her white haired teammate peeking out from behind a crate.

The gunfire had fallen upon them like a rainstorm, punching holes through wood and concrete to shoot up a cloud of disorienting dust. Being only her second official mission as a shinobi, Ino had immediately scrambled for her life, one part of her mind screaming at her to run while the other screamed for her to calm down and follow her training. Eventually she picked a route both parts of her mind would agree to; run for cover and figure out what the hell to do from there.

As she ducked behind an abandoned building, a stray bullet lodged itself into her hip. The indescribable pain had been enough to send her sprawling on the pavement, gasping and clutching the blood soaked wound as her vision flickered. She only reason she made it back alive was because of Tokiko, a fellow kunoichi on her squad, who knocked out her assailant and half dragged her sorry ass back to Konoha.

A soft touch against her cheek jolted Ino from her thoughts, blinking down at a concerned Kagome. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories…" she whispered.

"Not your fault, oh beauty of mine." Her blush predictably reddened at the cheesy statement. When the raven continued to fidget, seemingly caught between discussing her upcoming mission or retreating to less dangerous topics, Ino let her hand trail down to lace their fingers together and tugged. "C'mon, Kagome. Cuddle with me? I've gotta leave tomorrow morning, so I won't be able to get my daily dosage of Kagome-snuggle-time."

Hesitating for only a moment, the sapphire eyed girl quickly sat between her legs (Ino tried not to giggle insanely at the perverted thoughts her mind supplied her in this position), maneuvering sideways to wrap her arms around her waist and tuck her head beneath her chin. Wrapped around one another so intimately, Ino closed her eyes to memorize everything she could about her girl. The smell of Kagome's strawberry shampoo. The warmth radiating off her like the sun. The slow in and out of her steady breath. It was all her Kagome. Her girlfriend. The one she wanted to keep safe and protected for all eternity. The girl she was utterly, madly in love with.

The raven whispered something so softly, it was almost lost against the fabric of Ino's shirt. "Promise me you'll come back."

Kissing the top of her head, she answered, "I promise, Ka-go-me."

"Eh? You mean you two have been datin' for over six months, and are all lovey-dovey, and you haven't done it yet?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Shut up you idiot!" Ino hissed, face becoming suspiciously pink as her other teammates turned amused glances their way. Carefully maintaining their speed through the undergrowth of the forest just outside of Konoha, she sent him a murderous glare, simply thanking the god's they weren't in enemy territory just yet. Thanks to his loud and annoying outburst, she wanted nothing more than to strangle him, teammate be damned. "Shout it to the whole world, why don't you?"

The taller male shook his head and lunged from one branch to another, his glowing chakra-imbedded foot the only thing preventing him from falling face first into the forest floor. "It's just…damn! You've never been a very patient person is all, Ino. To think you'da gone for six months without…!"

"Shocking, I know," the blonde snarled, returning her gaze to her path. A few yards ahead of her Rock Lee quickly averted his curious eyes and sped up the slightest bit, probably to stay out of her striking-zone. "Good, damn jumpsuit wearing perv…" Since lowering her voice was all but useless at their near invisible sprint, she finally grumbled, "I ain't gonna force it on her and have her get nervous on me. I mean, she's almost as innocent as Hinata! It's a miracle I've gotten her to kiss me, let alone date me!"

"Tongue or no-tongue?"

"Does it matter?"

With perhaps the most serious gaze he could muster, he intoned, "All the world."

"…With tongue." She turned her face away from him as her cheeks began heating up and prayed she wouldn't get a nosebleed from remembering such…delightful activities with her raven haired beauty.

He somehow managed a shrug. "Then you're all set."

"And how, pray tell, is making out after six months a good thing…?"

"Well, cause if she wasn't into girls as much as you're worried about, she wouldn't do tongue. Trust me, Ino, she's just shy. Have ya even tried ta do other stuff?"

"…A few times. But as soon as my hand got close to…well, you know, she got real stiff and started stammering about how she needed to cook dinner, or do some weeding in her garden, or something." This was true. As soon as her hand wandered south, the raven would bolt upright, ramble about some chore that was already done, kiss her on the nose (perhaps to distract her), and dash into another room. Ino had stopped trying after the third time, glumly accepting the fact that Kagome didn't seem quite as serious about their relationship as she wanted. Which was why she was here, talking to Naruto, on their way to the Sky country.

Naruto chuckled. "Hell, Ino, that's what you're worried about? Kagome's a virgin; of course she's going to be nervous. Next time just push the boundaries a little bit and stop when she looks ready to hit you."

"Hit me? I don't want her to—"

"…And just keep doing that one thing until she's used to it. And then go to the next step. Easy as pie. Hey, do'ya think we'll stop by a village for some food? I'd kill for a ramen and some pie…"

Before she could yell at her teammate, Ruko, the brunette in control of their squad, bellowed, "Shut it! We're passing the first checkpoint! Remember the plan; no more talking from here on out!"

Kagome frowned down at her empty glass, clinking around the ice before motioning over the bar keeper. "Another scotch, please," she muttered, laying her cheek upon her unoccupied hand. The burly man lumbered off to grab the bottle for her drink as she listened with half an ear to the rustling crowd around her.

It was only the second night since Ino had left for her latest mission, and already she was drinking to try and forget the ache in her chest at the bubbly blonde's absence. "When did it get so…boring, without Ino around?" She missed the kunoichi's bright voice waking her up in the morning, missed cuddling with her on the couch after work. Sighing, she quickly downed the glass of golden liquid the barkeep had just refilled, shoving the thoughts to the back of her mind. He merely smiled and refilled it again without a word.

Beginning to feel the distinctive tingling and warmth in her cheeks that were indicative of her oncoming drunken state, Kagome squeaked when a warm hand suddenly dropped onto her shoulder. "Kagome, is that you?" Blushing and blinking through the smoke infested room, her eyes fell upon none other than the pink haired medic, Sakura.

"Sakura, what're you doin' here?"

The taller girl easily noticed her slurred speech, slouched position on her bar seat, and the growing blush on her face and raised an eyebrow at her normally sober friend. It was an odd sight, considering the raven constantly lectured Ino for drinking too much. "I came by with a few coworkers. Friday night we always stop by for a tequila or two. The question is, what are you doing here, and without Ino?"

"She's on another mission…" The normally composed woman visibly pouted, sticking out her bottom lip in a distinctly childish way Sakura had witnessed one too many times on Ino's face when she didn't get what she wanted.

"So soon? I just cleared her wound healed on Wednesday!" Sakura exclaimed. She slid into the seat next to her, sending a threatening glare to a man who was obviously ogling the raven. It wouldn't do to have someone hit on Kagome while Ino was gone; worse yet, if she found out Sakura had been nearby and had done nothing to prevent it, Sakura was sure she'd be road kill in no time.

At the topic of her currently missing-in-action girlfriend, Kagome scowled and threw down her glass, coughing and spluttering at the burn. "I didn't want her to go!"

Patting her friends back, Sakura said, "Kagome, do you want me to walk you home? I think you've had a few too many…how many have you had, anyway?"

The raven blearily ticked off the number on her fingers. "Four shots o' scotch…this chocolate-y drink…and some other stuff."

Sakura couldn't help but blink. Normally just a few shots made the raven drunk off her ass, which as odd thing in and of itself. Including the unknown number of other drinks she'd had tonight, it was obvious the girl was past her limit. Suddenly nervous the raven would lose her mind and start acting abnormally—like at the last party they'd gone to, where the normally shy raven had started kissing everyone within range—Sakura said, "Come on, Kagome, I'll take you home."

"But—"

Gently but firmly grabbing her arm, Sakura interrupted, "That wasn't an option, Kagome. What would Ino think, if she saw you like this?"

The raven's giggled response made her blush. "That now's a good time to try an' get in my pants."

In the end she ended up half dragging Kagome home, propping the drunken girl up by keeping a firm hold on her waist. It took twice as long as normal to make it up the stairs to her apartment, as it seemed that, to Kagome's plastered eyes, the stairs were apparently moving on purpose to make it hard for her to get home. Taking the keys from her shaking hands, Sakura quickly unlocked her apartment and got Kagome into bed, trying to ignore the girl's giggling about what happened in beds.

"Why were you drinking, Kagome?" Sakura demanded, tugging off the giggling girls boots.

"It's no fun wit'out Ino here."

"You didn't drink last time she went on a mission," the pinkette pointed out, scowling at the limp girl as her foot lurched out of reach.

It took a moment before the raven answered. "Wha' if Ino gets…gets hurt again?"

Pausing in her pursuit to wriggle her stubborn foot out of her tight boots, Sakura frowned up at her. The raven's face was hidden by her arm, which was flung over her eyes to avoid the bright light of her bedroom. Sakura was predicting a full blown headache tomorrow morning for the poor girl. "Well, then that's when medic's like me take care of them. We haven't lost a shinobi in over a year, Kagome, and Ino is one of the best in our class. She'll be fine."

Returning to her daunting task, Sakura crowed when the other boot finally slipped off the now unresisting foot. Standing up to stretch her aching back, she blinked when Kagome's hand tugged weakly on the hem of her shirt. "…Stay wit' me?" the girl slurred. "Dun like sleepin' alone…"

Sighing but sitting next to her, Sakura gently patted her head. "Does Ino normally stay until you're asleep?" The raven awkwardly wriggled closer, throwing her arms around her waist and laying her head atop the pinkette's lap.

"No," Kagome shook her head, scrunching her brows in thought. "Sh' stay's all night."

That was news to her. Running her fingers through the raven tresses as she thought, Sakura finally questioned, "Is Ino living with you now?"

Again, Kagome shook her head. "Tried to get her to…sh' said sh' didn't think I was ready ta live together…Sh' stay's home Sunday and Monday night's…" She hadn't heard anything of the sort, but then, her blonde friend had been rather evasive when the topic came to her relationship with Kagome.

Ino wasn't normally so cautious when it came to what she wanted either. Her blonde friend normally found something she wanted, and then worked her ass off to get it. To hear that she actually turned down an offer from Kagome to become even closer was a shocker. She made a mental note to inquire about it later, even if she had to torture it out of the blonde. Another thought entered her mind, and, blushing, Sakura asked, "Have you and Ino, um…have you two had s-sex yet?" She really, really hoped Kagome wouldn't remember this tomorrow.

"Nah…was too scared…"

Deciding that that was enough questioning for tonight, Sakura hummed and lay down next to her. "Get some sleep, Kagome. I'll stay until you're asleep."

"Thanks…Sak'ra…"

Gods she was beautiful. Staring up at her with those glowing sapphire eyes and licking her full red lips, Ino found herself captured in the moment and swooped down to capture her in a breath taking kiss. The beauty moaned at the attention, wrapping her arms around her neck to deepen the kiss.

"Ino!"

Humming in content and drunk on the mind blowing feel of the raven's tongue dancing alongside her own, Ino pulled up the courage to palm the smaller girl's breast. Having never touched them before, she was unprepared for their small size. Frowning, she ran her hand across her chest. "I swear they looked bigger than—"

"Oi, wake the fuck up!"

Ino flailed, bolting upright, clutching her kunai in one hand while her other clutched at her clothes just above her racing heart, eyes darting around to find the source of the outraged voice. Her blonde comrade, Naruto, was sprawled several feet away from her, his blush noticeable even in the low, flickering firelight. "What is it?" she demanded, swinging her head around to and fro, looking for a threat. "Did you see something?"

The male pointed a trembling finger at her, ears turning a deep red. "Y-y-you fucking pervert!"

"Huh?" She lowered her weapon, frowning at the distraught ninja.

"You fucking groped me in your sleep!"

Ino flushed, mind immediately returning to her rather erotic dream. "I…I did not!"

"Did too! First it was snuggling up to me, and I shrugged that off and decided to let it go. Thenyou started making weird ass noises and sayin' K'gome's name! I thought, gee, she sure misses Kagome, but noooo, you didn't stop there!" he bellowed, pausing to suck in a gulp of much needed air. "Next thing I know your hand's under my fucking shirt!"

The kunoichi gaped at him, mouth opening and closing in shock. She was vaguely aware of snickering and snorting coming from her other teammate's bedrolls but was too flummoxed to yell at them like she usually would. "I—"she squeaked, clearing her throat, "I-I wouldn't do that to you, even in my sleep!"

"The fuck you would! You-you pervert!"

Sending a glare to Ruko, who was rolling around on the ground and holding his sides from laughter, she felt her cheeks heat to new levels. "I'm gay, you dumbass!" she hissed. "I like girls, you know, boobies?" She flapped her hands at her own chest for emphasis.

"Sure as hell felt like you were looking for them on me!"

While she was convinced that in her dream state she had somehow groped Naruto while envisioning her girlfriend, Ino sure as hell wasn't going to admit that to anyone. Huffing and turning her back on the stuttering male, she scooted closer to the fire and tried to ignore the guffaws ringing in her ears. "Dammit, I miss her…"

Her dreams were good one's that night, or at least the small flashes her mind remembered. Ino was home from her mission and they were singing and dancing in the kitchen while they cooked, kissing and hugging and laughing like normal. Just when the kisses were turning into long bouts without air and their hugs were turning into lingering touches, Kagome became aware of the real world. Groaning at the sunlight that assaulted her even from beneath the safety of her eyelids, she flipped over to bury her face against her pillow.

After a few more minutes of tossing and turning and grumbling about not wanting to wake up, Kagome lurched to her feet and stumbled into the kitchen. Sitting on the table was a plate covered with muffins, a folded note with her name written neatly written sitting on top of them. Reading it aloud, because it was too early to actually try and use her foggy mind, Kagome murmured, "'Make sure you eat breakfast, we both know Ino would force it on you if she were here, not to mention kill me for not doing it in her stead. Try not to get too drunk tonight, ne?-Sakura' Hmmph…I wasn't that drunk…was I?"

Moving on autopilot, Kagome ate a muffin and made herself a cup of coffee, cradling her head in her hands as she tried to recall what happened last night. Most of what she remembered was fleeting bursts of being at the bar, the warm tingling of alcohol in her system, and the seemingly endless walk home with Sakura. She also recalled an insane amount of giggling on her half, including a few comments she had said that now made her blush. After that, nothing.

Sitting there eating her breakfast as her mind wandered, Kagome slowly delved back into her wonderful dream she'd had before the sun had awoken her. It reminded her of how much she missed the blondes arms wrapped snugly around her, her insanely flirtatious comments, and even the endless supply of perverted references. Sighing, Kagome dumped her dishes in the sink, heading towards the bathroom with a muttered, "Come home soon, Ino."

Explosions shook the ground beneath her feet, sending dust and rubble flinging through the air. She quickly set off her own bombs, retreating behind the safety of a large boulder to escape the flying shrapnel. Her partner, Lee, gave her his signature thumbs up, despite the seriousness of their situation. Giving him a sharp nod, Ino sprang out from her hiding spot, tearing through the rubble, jumping over a jagged rock and ducking under a splintered trunk, until she met her other teammates at the prescribed meeting place next to the mouth of the cave. Without a word they all slunk into the depths, spread out in a wedge shape as their eyes adjusted to the darkness of the cave.

Shouts from outside had them pausing in anticipation, but when the voices became farther and farther away they continued deeper into the maw. The drip, drip of water and the rustle of bat wings were disorienting at first, until she forcibly ignored the subtle sounds to concentrate on more familiar sounds. Her ears strained to catch even the smallest footfall, the smallest breath.

Ruko led them down a narrow passageway, ducking beneath a dripping overhang of rock. Ino and Lee brought up the rear, eyes darting behind them to keep a watch on their flank. As they wound deeper and deeper into the twining corridor the ground beneath their feet began to even out and become smooth, the walls chiseled to form a three foot wide hallway. A few feet farther and there stood a solid metal door, its polished surface illuminated with industrial light bulbs. Ruko flicked his hand and Naruto shuffled forward, pulling out a slim piece of metal. As he demonstrated his little known ability to pick locks, Ino kept her eyes firmly on the darkness behind her, tensed for any movement.

In no time at all they slipped inside the metal door, leaving Lee to guard its entrance as they entered what could only be called a filing room. Rows upon rows of five foot tall filing cabinets sat upon a green linoleum floor, glinting in the bright light. A table covered with yellowing paper was shoved in the corner with an overturned chair, a cup of cold coffee sitting forgotten on its surface.

As one the rest of the team began rifling through the cabinets, eyes glancing hurriedly over the neatly written files. It wasn't long until Ruko found the files they were looking for, shoving the papers into the knapsack at his waist. At a significant look from their leader, the rest of the team pulled out similar looking strips of paper with a string tail, slapping them onto the surfaces of the cabinets. They muttered a quick jutsu before high-tailing it out of the room. Lee slammed shut the door as the last person made it out, just in time for the explosion.

The squad lost no time in retreating, their footsteps making hollow splashes as they dashed back along their earlier path. As they burst into the sunlight, Ino tightened her grip on the kunai in her hand, jaw clenching uncomfortably. "I made a promise…I'm going home!"

Kagome shoved her way past the bemused guards, ignoring the faces in the room that were blinking at her in confusion. After all, they were in the way, and she didn't appreciate them separating her from her destination any longer than necessary. Skidding to a halt in front of the immaculate white desk, she slapped her hands against its surface and tried to control the rapid beating of her heart. "Ino Yamanaka?" she gasped, irritably shoving her hair away from her face.

The nurse blinked at her sudden demand but dutifully looked at the clipboard in front of her. "Floor five, room 508…" She watched in amusement as the girl dashed off towards the stairs, shoving a fair amount of people out of her way. "Wonder what has her knickers in a twist…"

Ino groaned as Sakura wrapped a bandage on a particularly sensitive spot, licking her cracked lips and reaching for the glass that sat on the bedside table. The bed was covered with white, the furniture was white, and, surprise, the floor and walls were white. "Does everything in the hospital have to be white?" she grunted, gulping down the refreshing liquid.

"You're just grumpy," the pinkette grinned. She ignored her patient's protests and continued to wrap the wound on her right bicep. Noticing her friends distracted gaze, she added, "I called Kagome. She'll be here in ten minutes, if that."

That seemed to perk the blonde up, followed closely after by a string of curses as she attempted to sit up. "I can't let her see the bandages!" Ino exclaimed, wincing when Sakura effortlessly shoved her back into a reclining position. "Oi, get off!"

"She's going to see them anyway," the medic huffed. "I mean, you practically live together."

The blond frowned at her; cheeks tinted the lightest shade of pink. "How'd you know that?"

Shrugging, Sakura stated, "I had to walk her home the other night from the bar. She's quite talkative when she's drunk."

"What the hell was she doing at a bar!"

"Calm down." She rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "She was worried about you getting hurt again, idiot. When I finished telling her that you'd be all right, she asked me to stay the night because she was used to you sleeping over." At the blonde's increased blush, she demanded, "So what's the deal? She said she's asked you to move in, and you told her no! That's not like you, Ino."

The girl fidgeted nervously, pulling down the black sleeve of her shinobi outfit to cover the white bandages. "S-she's too nervous…"

"That's never stopped you before," the pinkette snorted.

"I can't just jump into things and scare her off…!"

"Then you're afraid of losing her?"

"Of course I am, dammit!" the blonde growled, hitting the edge of her bed in frustration. Quieter this time, she murmured, "I almost lost her when I told her how I felt…I refuse to lose her again because I couldn't control myself!"

Sakura paused for a moment, putting away the roll of bandages and stitching supplies. "I'm sure Kagome's confused about all this. I mean, she's never even dated before, let alone with a girl. She's probably trying to make sense of what she wants." Watching her blonde friend cautiously, she added, "Maybe you should nudge her in the right direction."

"I don't wanna be aggressive…"

"But being too slow can make it worse."

The two girls glared at one another for a long moment, the only sound in the room coming from the ticking clock hanging on the wall. Just as Ino opened her mouth, the door slammed open with enough force to make a resounding boom. They both jumped, gaping at the panting girl standing in the doorway. "K'gome…?"

In less than a blink of an eye the raven flung herself across the bed, clinging to Ino with all her might. Tears streaked her cheeks as she buried her face in the crook of the blonde's neck, gasping, "You're all right!"

As Sakura made herself scarce, Ino twisted around in her embrace to wrap her arms around her waist, ignoring the twinge her bicep made. "I told you I'd come back," she grunted, pulling her tight and kissing the top of her head. "I never break my promises."

She was just enjoying the warmth of the beauties skin against hers when she suddenly shoved away, scrubbing at the liquid still dripping from her eyes. Frantic blue eyes looked her over. "Where are you hurt?"

"Just a few scrapes, it's nothing to worry about…"

"You're lying," she accused. Though her eyes were harsh, accessing her body for damage, her voice was trembling. "You wouldn't be in the hospital if it was just scrapes."

Ino chuckled nervously, reaching up to scratch the back of her head, and winced when she felt her muscles stretch near her stitches. Her ever watchful girlfriend noticed and gripped her arm, lifting the soft material of her shirt to get a better look. "It's really not that big of a deal, Kagome…"

"It is to me." When the fabric was peeled back to reveal the stark white bandages against her tan skin Kagome gently rolled it up a few more inches, eyes softening as she took in the wound. "Stitches?"

"Yea," the blonde admitted grudgingly. She couldn't help but blush when the raven bent down to press a feather-light kiss against the bandage before looking up at her with watery eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"That you got hurt…" The with-held tears burst from behind her eyes, spilling down her cheeks and trembling chin.

Pulling the girl close, Ino tucked her into a protective embrace. "Yes, I'm hurt." She kissed the beauties nose, giving her a genuine smile. "But that doesn't matter, 'cause I have you to take care of me now that I'm home, ne?" Kagome let out a muffled sob and clung tighter, her tears soaking into Ino's shirt.

"You…you…what?" Ino gaped, staring at the fidgeting raven. The shorter girl tilted her chin up, trying to put on her best I'm-being-stern look. In any other case, Ino would have thought it was adorable.

"I-I said you're moving in with me," Kagome squeaked. She crossed her fingers behind her back where Ino couldn't see them, turning her eyes briefly heaven-ward in an attempt to appeal to the gods.

The blonde blushed from her spot on Kagome's bed, withholding the urge to duck beneath the covers to hide the pink state of her cheeks. What had prompted this discussion again? A light bulb went off in her head, and she quickly stammered, "Listen, Kagome, it's not your fault I'm hurt or anything; you don't have to take care of me…!"

"You almost live here as it is, Ino," the raven muttered. "Why not just move in? Unless…you don't want to…?"

Ino cursed and snaked her hand around the beauties wrist. "That's not what I meant! I just don't want you doing something you don't wanna do."

"But I do want this!" Kagome argued. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she wound their fingers together and placed them above her breast, right on top of her heart. "Ino, I want you to move in with me!"

At the pleading, almost desperate look she shot her, Ino felt her resistance waver. Sighing, she tugged the raven closer and wrapped her arms around her, breathing in her strawberry scented hair to calm her racing heart. "Kagome, you're not ready for me to move in," Ino began gently. She ran the tips of her fingers along the beauties pale skin, enjoying the slight fidget it wrung out of her. "I'm not going to do something you're not ready for…"

The room was deadly silent except for the light ticking of the alarm clock, until the raven murmured, "Do you still love me?"

"Of course I do!" Wasn't it obvious? If anything, Ino felt as if she was always hovering and getting in Kagome's way with her constant need for contact.

"…Then move in with me."

"Dammit, Kagome, I already told you—mmph!" In a burst of speed that surprised even the professional kunoichi, Kagome lunged forward to capture her in a mind blowing kiss. The blonde froze, caught between fighting the kiss and finding out what the hell was going on, or surrendering to the admittedly pleasant attention. When Kagome's tongue slipped past her lips all thoughts of resistance flew out the window and she pulled her tight against her body.

"Hot damn, she must've missed me to—what the hell was that?" Pushing away from the raven and gasping for air, Ino flushed when she looked down to see Kagome's hand resting on the inside of her thigh.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" The flustered girl yanked back her hand, face turning an alarming shade of red. "I-If you don't want me to, I'll j-just leave you a—"

Cursing, she wrapped her hand around the fleeing girl's wrist and tugged her back into her embrace. "K'gome, you can't just…you can't do that!" she exclaimed, feeling her own cheeks heat up. She impatiently shoved aside her bangs and took a deep, trembling breath. "If you touch me…I-I might not be able to stop." It took a moment before the beauty responded, and even then it was too quiet to hear. "What was that?"

"Maybe I don't want you to stop!"

"You don't…? B-but that would mean I'd—"the blonde gulped, eyes glancing down at Kagome's crotch, before hurriedly wrenching her eyes back to safer territory. She'd prefer not to have a nosebleed. "We haven't…done much, Kagome. There's no way you're ready to-to…do that!"

"And what, you're a mind reader now?" Ino gaped at the sharp tone of her girlfriend, trying to remember a time when she had ever spoken to her with that voice, and failing miserably. The other girl deftly escaped her grip, padding silently to the door. "Just forget it…"

"Wait, Kagome…!"

"You've been back less than a day and you're already in a fight?" Tenten demanded, rolling her eyes. "Sheesh, what'd you do now, Ino?"

The brunette sat across from a morose Ino, who was stirring her soup with a scowl on her face. "I don't get it…ya know how she's pretty passive?" Tenten nodded, taking a sip of her tea. "Well, last night she started demanding that I move in with her, and when I told her I didn't think that was a good idea, she asked me if I still loved her—which I obviously still do—and then she started kissin me!"

"Isn't that a good thing…?"

Blushing, the blonde flicked a bit of soup at her friend, who was raising an eyebrow at her. "It was…different. She doesn't normally kiss me like that…anywho, after I got her offa me, I told her not to just come on to me like that, cause I didn't know if I could stop myself from going too far. And then she said that maybe she didn't want me to stop…but that's ridiculous, cause she gets nervous when we kiss on the couch. And when I told her again that I didn't think that was a good idea, she just, I dunno, snapped. She wouldn't talk to me for the rest of night…"

Her brown haired friend frowned down at her teacup, absently swirling the liquid around and around with her spoon. "Have you ever thought that maybe Kagome wants to do less-than-innocent things with you?" she questioned.

"Are we talkin' bout the same Kagome?" The blonde sent her an incredulous look. "C'mon, Ten, you know how innocent she is! She's just as bad as Hinata!"

"Everyone has needs," the weapons master shrugged. "Kagome just isn't as obvious as some horn-dogs I know." She glared at the blonde for emphasis.

"Not innocent Kagome…"

"Answer me this, then: does she push you away when you hug her? When you kiss her?"

"Well, no…"

"And before your hands start wandering, does she seem tense at all? Like she's about to run away?"

"No, I woulda stopped if she had!"

"And who instigated your steamy kiss scene last night?"

"Kagome…"

Tenten rolled her eyes and reached across the table to rap the dense girl against the temple. "Hello in there? Don't you get it?"

"Get what?"

"It's obvious Kagome likes it when you touch her, dimwit! She never pushes you away; even though we both know that Kagome would never do anything intimate she didn't want to. You've seen her smack the crap outta Miroku when he touched her ass! And, to top it off, you're so damn scared of running her off that now she's getting frustrated and instigating things!"

Ino scowled at her and rubbed her temple, even though the soft tap hadn't really hurt. A soft blush sprinkled her cheeks when her mind ran over the last few weeks she had spent with her shy girlfriend. Kagome had been rather cuddly…and now that she thought about it, she'd caught her staring on more than one occasion. Before she had merely thought it was a coincidence, but if even Tenten saw it…

Groaning, she let her head thump against the wooden table, keeping special care to avoid her still steaming cup of soup. "What do I do, Ten? I don't want her mad at me…I'll go through withdrawal if she doesn't let me cuddle with her for much longer!" She hated to admit it, but her voice took on a distinctly whiny edge to it. Hey, she liked her Kagome-snuggle-time!

"Come out with me and Sakura tonight," Tenten suggested, downing the rest of her drink. "We're going out to drink. And be sure to bring Kagome with you, of course."

"But what if she doesn't wanna go…?"

"I'm sure you can convince her to come. Just tell her you'll dance with someone else if she doesn't come, or something."

"I wouldn't do that…!"

"I know that, but it'll make her jealous, and then she'll have to come, to make sure you don't go and rape some innocent girl in the bar."

"Oi!"

"Now, here's what you need to do when we get there…"

A frowning Kagome followed after a nervous Ino, who, for once, wasn't trying to take possession of her hand as they walked. Not that she wanted to hold her hand, anyway; she was still angry. She had all but admitted that she wanted to do…things, with Ino—had practically thrown herself at her, even—and she'd said no! Maybe the blonde really didn't want to be with her. After all, wasn't it normal to do physical stuff if you loved someone that way? She felt a headache beginning to form at all the questions and doubts crowding around in her head.

"Heeey, over here!" She plastered on a smile as she saw Sakura, waving excitedly in front of the entrance to their favorite bar.

After exchanging the normal greetings, the group of four shuffled into the dimly lit building, assaulted almost immediately by the smell of booze and cigarettes. Kagome grudgingly followed Ino, who zoomed straight for the bar. She refused to acknowledge the nervous glances the blonde kept shooting her, determined to hold onto her anger. Even if she was glad Ino was home safe and sound, it didn't mean she had to be nice, especially after last night.

She watched as the blonde immediately struck up a conversation with the bar keeper, who handed them all some sort of brown liquid in small shot glasses. Not even curious as to what kind of alcohol it was, Kagome downed the contents in moments, ignoring the looks her friends were giving her. She could drink if she wanted to.

While still keeping half an eye on her companions, Kagome allowed her gaze to fall on the bodies on the dance floor, all moving with the same smooth rhythm. Everyone was decked out in their 'partying' clothes, a strange mixture of glow in the dark and black outfits. Some couples were grinding shamelessly against one another, something that usually made her blush uncomfortably. Tonight she couldn't find the energy to care.

A giggle nearby brought her back to herself, and she turned around to see who had caused it. Frowning, Kagome saw that a woman had slid into the seat next to Ino. With a pair of skin tight jeans and a tank top that was at least two sizes too small for her, it was obvious the girl was out for some 'fun' tonight. Her tan skin and blonde hair immediately put Kagome on edge, absently patting her own dark locks. She had never tanned well, and had often envied Ino of her white-blonde hair. The woman stood at perhaps five foot five, easily matching Ino's tall height. It wasn't until she saw the girl twirl her hair and giggle once more before she realized that she was flirting with Ino.

She had never been one to get jealous, and she was reluctant to admit it even now, but Kagome knew that that was indeed what she felt shooting through her veins. When Ino laughed at something the girl said, Kagome turned her back and gestured for more drinks.

After downing a few more mysterious alcoholic drinks, Kagome felt her fuzzy mind begin to sulk. While Ino had never flirted with another girl during their six months together, that didn't mean other girls didn't flirt with her. In fact, it happened quite often, but never before had it bothered her quite so much. The last time it had happened was just a few days before her latest mission, and she had merely contented herself with the fact that Ino would never leave her for some pretty girl on the street, and that Ino was undoubtedly hers.

Kagome sighed, twirling around the leftovers in her glass. The truth was she wanted to get closer to Ino. Her heart ached and felt empty whenever she wasn't near, and she liked cuddling with her and kissing. But ever since they had gotten together, Ino hadn't tried to push things. Other than attempting to touch her between the legs once a few months ago, she hadn't shown any real interest in going farther, like she had the night in the hotel over half a year ago, when they hadn't even been dating. Maybe she was nervous? No, Ino was always the confident one when it came to relationships, especially the physical aspects of them. Then what the hell was it that was making the blonde avoid her that way?

"Had enough of it yet?"

She jumped at the sound of Tenten's voice, blushing under her intense scrutiny. "W-what?"

"You've been scowling into your drink for over five minutes now," the brunette pointed out. Her brown eyes flickered over to Ino and the strange girl before refocusing on her. "Aren't you going to do something about her?"

"Ino can take care of herself." Her voice came out harsher than she intended to, and she bit her bottom lip, clutching her glass tighter.

"Duh," the kunoichi snorted, rolling her eyes. She leaned closer, eyes intense in the flickering lights of the bar. "I'm talking bout the other blonde."

"It's none of my business if Ino wants to talk to her…"

"Damn, you're stubborn." The brunette leaned against the bar, propping her cheek up by her hand and raising an eyebrow at the smaller girl. "Look, we both know you're pissed as hell that that girl's flirting with Ino. Am I right?" A short, almost imperceptible nod was all she received. "Good. Now, what are you going to do about it?"

"What can I do? Ino's not an object I can control," Kagome muttered, slumping in her seat. To be completely truthful, she wanted nothing more than to drag Ino home, away from prying eyes, and keep her all to herself. That would be selfish, though, not to mention horribly embarrassing to explain.

"Yeah, but she's your girlfriend. That gives you a right to a little possessiveness, ya know. Means you can beat off the people hitting on her." Her gaze once again turned to the other two, and she murmured, "Better work fast, girl's getting touchy-feely."

Kagome twirled around on her seat, momentarily dizzy due to the one-eighty turn and, the more likely culprit, the copious amount of booze in her system. What she saw made her jaw clench with an audible crack. The girl had scooted closer to Ino during the time she had been talking to Tenten, her fingertips resting lightly between her knee and her thigh. She was touching her!

The weapon's master's voice whispered into her ear, suddenly much closer than before, as her eyes blazed at the two women, "She's yours, Kagome. You have to fight to keep her."

That was all the encouragement she needed. Snapping her arm around the blondes waist, Kagome yanked Ino back, hard, against her chest, ignored her spluttered protests and flailing, and tilted her head back to capture her lips in a dominating kiss. Bold from both anger and the warm tingle the alcohol had left in her system, Kagome ignored the catcalls and whistles surrounding them, delving her tongue possessively into the blondes unresisting mouth.

When they finally came back up for air, Ino looked amazingly misty-eyed, and she was immensely pleased that she had the power to make her so flustered. "K-K'gome…" A blush spread across her face when she became aware of the fact that they were still in public, but her attempts to sit up properly were easily thwarted by Kagome's tight hold. For a normal citizen, the girl had the strength in that moment to rival a chunin.

The beauty gazed down at her, seemingly entranced as she ran her unoccupied hand gently across her skin. Her normally sapphire eyes were dark and swimming with emotion, only broken when Ino reached up a trembling hand to trace her jaw. Suddenly embarrassed at her boldness, she leaned down to hide her face against the blonde's neck, hands clutching her body close. "Let's go home…" Kagome murmured, placing a small kiss against her neck. When the girl in her arms gaped at her, she added, "Please?"

Closing her mouth, not trusting herself to speak without squeaking, Ino nodded. Standing up, she gripped Kagome's warm hand in her own, completely ignoring her friends, who were grinning and sending her a ridiculous thumb's up anyway.

She tugged the raven out into the chilly fall-night air, the cold contrasting with her burning skin. They paused only once on the way back to her apartment, unable to help themselves in the elevator, away from prying eyes. Only the ding of the elevator announcing they had reached the correct floor made them part and she couldn't help but notice the adorable blush on the shorter girls face.

Her hands trembled as she put the key in the lock, opening the door and shuffling her girlfriend inside. She followed Kagome into the bedroom, heart leaping into her chest. When the girl paused in front of the bed, unsure of what to do, Ino gathered her into her arms and peppered her face with kisses. "…You can tell me to stop," Ino muttered between kisses, mouth lingering dangerously close to the shorter girls lips. "I won't be mad…"

She almost chuckled at the raven's huffed response. "I already told you, I don't want you to stop…" and she pulled down the blonde's head for a heated kiss. Lifting her up in her arms, Ino placed her onto the edge of the bed, getting to her knees and gently planting herself between her legs without breaking the contact between their lips. She could feel the heat building as the kiss became deeper and deeper, until they were clutching one another so tightly their knuckles turned white.

Pulling away to breath, Ino tugged on the other girl's earlobe with her teeth, her pants sending shivers down her spine. Her hands slipped to her back, snuggling them closer as she slipped them beneath her shirt and ran her fingers along smooth, sensitive skin. After a moment's hesitation, she lifted the soft fabric up, slowly, making her intentions crystal-clear to her normally skittish girlfriend. To her surprise—and delight—the beauty seemed to understand and helped her to pull off the tight shirt, leaving it in a crumpled heap on the ground and blushing cutely as she fidgeted in just her black bra.

The beauties skin was soft and velvety smooth, with not a scar or imperfection on her gorgeous body. Ino reverently placed a line of kisses starting from her neck down to the dip of her collar bone, pausing at the shiver that wracked the raven's body, before lingering at the swell of her breasts. Her fingers tickled up her spine, quickly finding the clasp of her bra and unhooking it, and looked up when the beauties breath hitched.

Her dark sapphire eyes were gazing down at her, lips parted the slightest bit, her body trembling. Suddenly possessed by the need for permission, because, really, she didn't want to push things, no matter how much she wanted them, Ino croaked, "K'gome…c-can I…?" The fluttering in her stomach distracted her from cursing at herself for stuttering like a ninny.

Without taking her eyes from the blonde's, Kagome licked her lips, shrugging out of the lacy garment with agonizing slowness until she was bare to the eager girls view. It took all of her concentration to ignore the urge to cover her chest from those blue-green eyes, so it caught her by surprise when warm hands were suddenly kneading her breasts. Clenching her eyes shut and biting her lip to hold back a gasp, Kagome felt her back arch against her will, leaning into the blonde's addicting touch as wave after wave of tingling warmth seeped into her body.

Watching the beauty writhe and tremble beneath her hands only made Ino want more. Plucking up her courage, she leaned forward to gently take a perky nipple into her mouth. This time the raven couldn't contain her moan, wrapping her hands in the blonde's silky hair to pull her closer. The soft, wet feel of the girls tongue rolling against her sensitive skin made the knot of heat in her belly spread and an ache formed between her legs. It almost hurt, but felt incredibly amazing at the same time, and she tightened her legs around the taller girl's waist, whimpering as teeth grazed against her nipple and sent a jolt of heat throughout her body.

Switching her attention to the other breast briefly, Ino scooted up her body to place soft kisses against the skin on her chest. She waited until the other girl's breathing settled, leaning back to look up into her beautiful face. When the girl finally wrenched open her eyes, the blonde smiled. "Are you…ok?" she whispered, hands lingering on top of her thighs.

The raven took a trembling breath, a sprinkling of a blush spreading across her face, before burrowing her head against the side of the other girl's neck. Feeling the familiar burning on her cheeks that seemed to pop up whenever she was around the blonde, Kagome muttered, "I'm…I'm ok."

Ino rubbed her fingers against her blue jeans comfortingly, taking a deep breath of the unique smell that was Kagome. "So…what exactly made you kiss me, back in the bar?" She felt the beauty stiffen but continued to hold onto her, letting her hide against the side of her neck until she collected her thoughts.

"…She was touching you…" Kagome grumbled, shifting uncomfortably. She didn't want to talk about her jealousy, especially not to the blonde.

Ino frowned, tightening her arms around her. "It was only my knee…I wouldn't have let her touch anything else," she soothed.

"But…she was flirting, too…"

"I suppose, but I wasn't flirting back or any—"

"I know that!" Kagome exclaimed. She took a deep breath to steady her jumping nerves. "I just…I didn't like the way she was looking at you…a-and you're my girlfriend, and…"

Ino couldn't believe it. Poor, innocent little Kagome; jealous of a random girl in a bar! "You were jealous?" she questioned incredulously. She couldn't help it—she laughed. "You, jealous!" It was hilarious. The whole reason she had revealed her true feelings to Kagome was because watching all those boys ogling her had made her snap. And now, her normally passive Kagome had locked lips with her—in public, even!—because she had gotten jealous of a girl flirting with her!

"W-what's so funny?" Kagome demanded, pulling back to frown at the chuckling blonde. She was uncomfortably aware of her naked torso and shivered. Without Ino's touch her skin was left cold and clammy.

"Nothin'," the blonde grinned, reaching up to kiss her on the nose. Noticing the raven's discomfort, she stood up and plopped onto the bed, pulling the girl into her arms. "Cold?"

Snuggling closer, both to suck in the warmth the blonde exuded and to hide her state of under-dress, Kagome said, "A little." Tucked as she was beneath her friend's chin, she didn't notice the mischievous glint that entered her eyes.

"I can fix that." With a startled squeak, Kagome was flung onto her back, staring wide-eyed up at a smirking Ino. She blushed as the blonde started kissing down her body, pausing to pay special attention to her breasts, before trickling down to her navel. Her breath caught in her throat when the blonde slid her tongue into her belly button while simultaneously unbuttoning her pants. A warm blast of heat traveled to her groin, and Kagome couldn't help but moan.

"A-ahh!" A shudder wracked her body as her jeans were slowly but surely tugged down her legs before being tossed in a heap on the floor. She watched with half lidded eyes as the blonde sat up and yanked off her own shirt, gazing at her tan skin. Reaching up with a trembling hand she gently traced the bandages still covering the kunoichi's right bicep before sliding farther up to tangle in the short hairs on the back of her neck, tugging her down for a deep kiss.

"God's, you're beautiful…" Ino groaned, placing a series of lighter kisses along the edge of her lips. Even such an innocent touch made her tingle and blush. "I love you so much…" What the raven said next made her freeze.

"I love you, too…"

"Say it again." The growled command made the beauty blush, fidgeting under the intense blue-green stare directed down at her.

"I-I love you…"

Kagome barely had time to breath before the blonde slammed her lips over hers, roughly shoving her tongue into her mouth with a fervor that immediately made her body tremble with want. She whimpered as the other girl's hand found the spot between her legs, impatiently tugging down the thin fabric. The sound of ripping cloth followed soon after but she was too engrossed in the tingling warmth radiating from her core to care as the remains of her panties were thrown to the side.

The blonde hesitated only a moment before running her fingers against the sensitive flesh, drowning out the smaller girls gasp with her lips. When her fingertips brushed against a small bundle of nerves the raven groaned and bucked her hips at the unexpected pleasure it brought her. "I-Ino…!"

She ran her tongue along the writhing girls pulse, pausing to suck and nibble on a particularly sensitive spot. "Do you want it, K'gome?" Her voice came out in breathy gasps against the smaller girl's already heated skin. A slim finger slid around her entrance, causing her breath to hitch. Pressing her lips against the shell of her ear, Ino whispered, "Do you want me to go in…?"

"Haa…ahhh…!" The sound of her husky voice nearly sent her over the edge, and she wriggled and moaned, digging her fingers into the blonde's hips to pull her closer. Anything to quench the consuming heat that made her limbs shake.

"Nuh uh," Ino tsked, grazing teeth against her earlobe. She wiggled her fingers, smirking against her skin when the raven arched into her touch. "You've gotta tell me, K'gome…tell me that you want me…"

Kagome was on fire. Her skin tingled beneath a thin layer of sweat as she fidgeted beneath her lover, trying desperately to make the ache between her legs go away. Finally, she managed to choke, "P-please, Ino!"

The blonde took pity on her. "Do you like it when I touch you, Ka-go-me?" The raven nodded furiously; face a becoming shade of pink. She slid the tip of one finger into her opening, moving the appendage in short, shallow strokes, while simultaneously holding down the smaller girls bucking hips. "Hmm…you're so wet already." Rubbing her thumb against the bundle of nerves that made the girl gasp, she added, "What do you want me to do, Kagome? I could stop…"

"No!" Kagome whimpered, wrapping a leg firmly behind the teasing girls behind. "Please…don't stop!"

"No?" She chuckled, nudging the girls jaw to plant a wet kiss against her neck. When it was all said and done, she really did love teasing her beauty, even if her own body was screaming for release.

The raven clenched her eyes shut and bit her bottom lip, this time using both legs to try and pull the resisting blonde closer to her aching core. "You're a tease!" she groaned.

"Only a little," the blonde whispered, voice turning husky once again. "I just wanna be sure you're screaming my name before the nights over…"

"D-damn it, Ino, just—unngh!" She broke off with a mixture of a gasp and a groan, throwing back her head as the previously teasing fingers suddenly thrust inside.

Ino paused, watching the raven's reaction intently. She remembered how much it had hurt the first time she had done it and couldn't help but be concerned for the beauty, even if another part of her was currently dancing the cancan in the background. "Does it hurt?" she questioned. Gulping at even the thought, she added, "I-I can stop…"

"No," the beauty gasped, tightening her grip around her. "It does hurt…but not bad…"

Kissing her on the forehead as her body adjusted to fit the appendages, she wriggled her fingers experimentally. The beauty shuddered and reflexively arched into her touch. Waiting until her tight passage loosened a bit more, Ino shifted to get a better angle, licking her lips as she looked down at the pale beauty beneath her. From this view she could see every flutter of her lashes, every wince, and every trembling breath. Gods, she was beautiful.

When the girl shifted restlessly against her, she pumped her fingers in and out, slowly at first, then with more force. She watched how the raven's breath hitched every time she shoved her fingers in, and how she tried to hold back her moans by biting her lip. Her own body ached, crying out for what it knew could make the tingling go away, but she shoved it aside. This was Kagome's first; it was her job to make it the most memorable and pleasurable as she could.

Kagome writhed beneath the blonde's touch, breath coming out in gasps, curling as close as she could to the other girl. Her earlier discomfort lessened, morphing into a tingling heat that made her toes curl and turned her mind to mush. She could feel the tension building and building in her belly, thrusting her hips against her lover's hand to reach that oblivion she knew was just around the corner.

"I-Ino…!"

The blonde quickened her actions, breathing hard against the beauties sweat dampened skin. "K'gome…" she moaned, nipping at her earlobe. "It's close, isn't it?"

"Aahh…y-yes…!"

Whispering in her ear, Ino murmured, "You're so tight and wet." The raven shuddered at her words, fisting one hand in her blonde hair. "C'mon, Ka-go-me…cum for me…"

"Ah…ahhh…I-Ino!"

The coil of tension in her stomach burst as wave after tingling wave spread out from her core, crying out the blonde's name and pulling her closer as her body arched. Ino withdrew her sticky fingers from the gasping girl, wrapping her arms around her twitching body. She ran her fingers through her silky hair and placed a kiss against her forehead.

It took a few minutes before Kagome felt she could breathe again, let alone think. She shivered and shifted closer to the blonde, no longer so shy about her nudity after their…activities. A blush spread across her cheeks and she buried her face against a pillow.

A chuckle brought her out of her embarrassment to peek up into the blonde's face. "You're so cute," Ino grinned. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders, having fallen out of her customary ponytail. The grin on her face practically glowed in the low lighting of the apartment bedroom.

"Uhh…" Kagome mentally kicked herself for her oh so elegant response. She was supposed to say something…something romantic. But what? Her brain scrambled for something in vain.

"Ah, I've made you speechless," the blonde winked. With a content sigh she settled on the bed, pulling the covers over both their bodies. She tucked the raven's head beneath her chin and pulled her warm body against her. "Ne, you should get some sleep, K'gome…"

The smaller girl frowned and wriggled in her grip. "But, Ino…w-what about you…?"

"Me?" the blonde blinked.

"I-I mean…" Damn, this was hard to say. Blushing, she ploughed on. "I didn't, ah…t-touch you…so you didn't get to…um…"

The kunoichi propped herself up on her elbow, placing her cheek in the palm of her hand, as she grinned down at the blushing girl. "You wanna touch me?"

"W-well, it's only f-fair…"

"I'm not asking if it's fair. I'm asking if you want to touch me." Using her unoccupied hand she trailed her fingers up the raven's neck and cupped her cheek, running her thumb across her bottom lip. Ino held back a shiver as the girl's eyes darkened at the contact, giving her a look that made the spot between her legs heat up.

"I do want to…" Kagome squeaked when the blonde hooked her arms around her waist, rolling over until she was straddling her waist. Placing her hands on both sides of her head for balance and blushing profusely, she tried to ignore the cat-ate-the-canary smirk her girlfriend was sending her. "Ah, um, I-Ino…?"

"What is it, love?"

The blonde wrapped her arms around her waist and ran her fingers against her skin in soothing circles. She tried her best to ignore the thrill it sent up her spine. "I-I don't know…what to do," she admitted. "I've never d-done this b-before…"

"I can teach you," Ino purred. She reached up to brush her lips across the beauties, running her hands up her waist, over her breasts, and locking her hands behind her head. Her tongue flicked out against her bottom lip, coaxing the beauty to play. Breaking apart to breathe, she grabbed Kagome's right hand, pulling it between them. "…You remember how I touched you?"

"O-of course I do…"

"Then you remember what felt good?"

"Mmhm."

Tugging the appendage lower, Ino made her hand brush against the buckle of her pants. "All you've gotta do is remember what felt good to you…and do it to me," she whispered, placing a gentle kiss on the corner of her lip.

"What if…I don't do it right…?" her voice trembled even as she began unbuckling her belt.

Ino rolled her eyes, grinning up at her. "Trust me, K'gome…anything you do right now will feel good for me."

The raven nodded, licking her lips nervously, as her eyes turned southward to concentrate on her task. Having never had to remove someone else's trousers before, she was embarrassed to discover that it was horribly difficult. The tight denim clung to her lover's skin and accented her curves, which was all well and good when they were in public, but now they proved to be stubborn. After what seemed like decades she finally managed to wriggle the jeans loose and threw them over the side of the bed, into the ever growing pile of discarded clothing.

She felt her nervousness increase tenfold at the sight of the blonde's lacy undergarments, gulping loudly enough that the other girl easily heard it. "You're adorable," Ino chuckled, tugging the flustered girl closer for another kiss. What started out as an innocent peck on the lips quickly transformed into a raging need. She was so caught up in the feel of the beauties tongue against hers that she didn't notice her wandering hands until her bra strap was already unhooked.

Breathe catching in her throat; she readily complied when the straps were gently tugged off her arms, before chucking the garment away with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm. Hey, you'd be eager too, having the love of your life finally touching you in such delicious ways. She moaned when a trembling hand gently squeezed her breast, pulling the warm body above her even closer.

Encouraged by the sound, Kagome placed a series of breathless kisses down the side of her neck, pausing on her collarbone to gain her nerve. Taking a deep breath she ducked lower, brushing her lips across the blonde's dark buds.

"Nnngh…! K-K'gome…!"

Peeking up to be sure that her girlfriend wasn't in pain and seeing her glazed blue-green eyes gazing down at her, she flicked out her tongue against the sensitive skin. The blonde's eyes slid shut as another groan escaped her, fingers latching into her hair to pull her closer to her breasts. Deciding that she rather liked making the blonde flustered for once, she continued her actions, switching from first one breast, to the other. It was odd being the one in control when before the kunoichi had instigated all of their intimate moments, but thrilling at the same time. Plus, there was nothing better than getting your girlfriend riled up enough to gasp your name.

She didn't stop her ministrations until the blonde was writhing and twitching beneath her. Placing feather light kisses against her throat, Kagome murmured, "Are you…okay?"

"G-great," the blonde gasped, feeling her back arch against her will. Forcing her hips back against the bedding, she added, "You're doing really…really good." And was she ever. Ino had never needed release as much as she did right now; her body shuddered just thinking about it. Grabbing the girl's hand, she tugged it down until it lay just above her short curls, swallowing. "K'gome…please?"

Kagome blinked down at the taller woman. Ino had only said please to her once before—over half a year ago, in the hotel room. The plea made her chest constrict, so she nodded and began sliding off her lacy panties. Once those were off, she hesitated on the inside of the blonde's thigh, watching the harsh breathes that made her lover's chest rise and fall rapidly. Steeling her nerve, she cupped the heated flesh.

The kunoichi shivered as she touched and probed, sliding her nimble fingers through her wet folds. She paused when she ran across a nub of flesh that made the blonde moan and thrust her hips off the bed. Kagome circled the especially sensitive spot, curiously watching the way her lover clenched her jaw and eyes shut. Dipping lower, her fingers found what she had been searching for. Gently inserting one finger in to her first knuckle, she wriggled the appendage, recalling how that had felt not half an hour earlier.

"F-fuck," Ino gasped.

"A-are you alright, Ino?"

Groaning as the beauty stopped her delightful exploration, she wrenched open her eyes to gaze at her concerned girlfriend. "Gotta go…d-deeper…than that…" Damn, her voice didn't want to work, coming out as a croak.

"You're n-not hurting…?"

Ino tossed her head back and forth, as much out of frustration as trying to answer the raven's question. "No…It feel's…really good…please, K'gome…you're not h-hurting me…promise…"

The blonde tugged her down, kissing her hungrily, deeply, as she simultaneously reached down, grasped Kagome's fingers, and plunged them further inside her core. Despite her earlier concerns, the beauty seemed to sense her urgency, and was soon pumping in and out of her without her prompts. Feeling the tension in her belly reaching new heights, Ino retreated from their kiss, burying her face in the side of her lover's neck, pulling closer as her hips thrust frantically into the air.

"Nnnngh...!" Her moans were muffled against sweating skin, lips pressed against the junction between the raven's shoulders and collarbone. As white hot heat shot through her core, shaking her limbs uncontrollably, she couldn't withhold the impulse to clamp down on the beauties neck with her teeth to drown out her own cries.

The shuddering and twitching didn't go away for minutes, leaving her panting and gasping, clutching the sweating girl lying on top of her. "You…good?" she panted.

"Ah, y-yeah," Kagome mumbled. Even coming down from her momentary high and being unable to see her face, which was mushed into a nearby pillow, Ino knew she was blushing.

Sighing in content, she shifted so they were lying on their sides, still wound intimately around each other. As her eyes started drooping, she kissed the beauties cheek, murmuring, "Love you, K'gome…"

Before darkness claimed her, she felt the girl's lips against her neck. "I love you too, Ino…"

"INO GOT LAID!" The beauty blushed and hid her face against Ino's arm as their blonde friend gave them a cheeky grin, trying to ignore the stares everyone in the restaurant were giving them. "Temari was tellin' me all about how she helped out at the bar last night and—"

"Shut up!" Ino hissed, clamping her hand over the talkative ninja's mouth. "You are such a loudmouth!"

Kagome frowned prettily, tugging on her lover's hand. "Who's Temari?"

"N-no one!" As the two blonde's bickered and shouted insults to one another, the rest of their group turned up.

"Hey guys!" Sakura chirped, sliding into the seat next to Naruto. Tenten nodded and sat next to the beauty, closely followed by a girl Kagome didn't know. Frowning, she took in the girl's blonde hair, her strange outfit, and it suddenly clicked.

"It's you!" she exclaimed. Scooting closer to Ino and wrapping her arm around her in an obviously possessive manner, she sent her fiercest glare. The rest of the group blinked at the uncharacteristic jealously before bursting out in laughter.

The blonde girl grinned, holding her hands up in a placating gesture. "Don't worry girly, I'm not here to try and steal her. You can keep Yamanaka."

Tenten put an arm around her blonde friend's neck, grinning at an oblivious Kagome. "Temari here is a good friend of ours, from the Sand country."

"Then…you know her?" Kagome frowned, looking at her fidgeting girlfriend.

A blush sprinkled her cheeks as she laughed. "Ah, well, see…it was all Tenten's idea!"

"'Course it was," the weapons master shrugged. "You seemed pretty excited about it when I brought it up, blondie!"

"Wait, wait," Kagome interrupted, narrowing her eyes. Looking back and forth between her friends, she finally demanded, "Will someone tell me what's going on?"

Naruto all too gladly jumped in. "We all knew you two were pussy-footin' around doin' the hanky panky with each other. I mean, Ino's gone six months without any action. Though, I s'pose that's over now!" He gave them another wide grin that made the raven blush.

"When you guys got in a fight the other day, Ino came whining to me like always," Tenten continued. She took a sip of water, eyeing the two girls next to her. "It was obvious you wanted to do more with Ino, who was nervous about you getting upset and leaving, and you were both frustrated. And then I remembered that Temari was in town.

"So, I told Ino to force you to come to the bar for a 'Girl's night'." The girl flashed a triumphant grin. "I figured you just need one more thing to push you over the edge, so I had Temari pretend to be a random girl in the bar who took notice of your girl."

Kagome sat there, wide eyed, before spluttering, "Y-you mean you planned this?" The beauty swung around to glare at her partner, who was sweating nervously and giving her best impression of puppy eyes. "I can't believe you would…!"

The blonde wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leaning forward to murmur, "Ne, it's not like I did anything with her…besides, I didn't exactly hear you complaining last night." She placed a kiss on the girl's neck that immediately made her blush increase tenfold. As she fidgeted and stammered, the shirt she was wearing moved just enough for Naruto to notice the slight discoloration on her collarbone.

"Holy hell, did she bite you?" he guffawed. Kagome hastily tried to cover the mark, mumbling something about blondes. "Damn, I knew you were kinky, Ino, but biting…?"

"Sha-shut up!"

The rest of the group watched in varying degrees of amusement as the two blondes began another bout of insults. Poking the beauty's shoulder to catch her attention, Tenten said, "So, everything's good between you two now, right?"

Grinning as her girlfriend spluttered and blushed under Uzumaki's teasing, she replied, "It couldn't be better."

Alright, I finally updated! (Please forgive the abrupt ending…) Even though I planned on having this come out at the end of October…but it's extra-long this time, and took longer than I had imagined, because it became this monstrous beast of an update. At most, I had planned on this being another ten-fifteen pages tops. Ended up being closer to about thirty!

So, as some of you may have surmised, I myself am not gay (though I'm getting a tad bit curious), and as such have never done stuff with girls. So, if something is odd or not normal for a same sex couple, well, I apologize. I did research by reading tons of manga and other fanfiction stories, so I'm at least not totally ignorant. Plus, well, I've not gone far with boys either, soooo….ehehehe. In the future I'll probably avoid lemon's, just because this one made me blush so much and was really, really difficult for me to write. Plus, I feel that I'm better suited for writing cute fluff then intense love-scenes. XD

Anywho, tell me how you liked it, what you thought was strange, your favorite part (mine was the part where Ino groped Naruto-snicker-)…or just stop by to say hello! Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! –Master of all Perv's, out!