New story for your enjoyment. Tell me what you think please, and I will give you what you want.

Under The Moon

October

October 10th

The sun began to dip below the horizon and the moon shone at the edge of the eastern sky. It was full and bright against the deep indigo of the falling night. A light breeze blew the fallen leaves across the cobblestone street. They skittered across the road and jumped onto the sidewalk where they were picked up by a gust of wind and spun around in a vortex then dropped. Another draft of wind pushed them to the mouth of an alley where they stopped at the feet of a young woman.

She looked down at the little red maple leaf, colored by the autumn. After a moment they were captured by another breeze and blown down the sidewalk. She took a deep breath of crisp clean fall air and smiled. With a glance at the moon to her left she turned down the road and walked towards the sunset.

He trudged down the sidewalk, lagging behind his friends who spoke buoyantly to each other. He hadn't wanted to go out tonight, but what he wanted did not matter because it wasn't his birthday.

"Come on Sasuke, you're holding us back! We should be at the bar by now!" Naruto shouted in his boisterous voice. Sasuke ignored him and kept his pace. The blonde man dropped back to walk beside his friend. "Cheer up dude. All you need is alcohol! That'll take care of your blues."

"I'm not blue" he replied defensively.

"It's not a big deal. Anyone who went through what you went through would be upset" said Naruto.

"We are not talking about that. You promised we wouldn't talk about it if I came out" Sasuke said. Naruto put his hands up in defense.

"Sorry. Look let's just try and have a good time tonight. OK?" He asked.

"What are you two ladies gabbing about?" Kiba shouted from the street corner ahead of them. "Less talking more walking! The hotties won't wait all night!"

"And they shouldn't have to, Kiba, I'm sure they'll be just devastated if you don't show up soon" Naruto yelled back with a smirk. He smiled reassuringly to Sasuke and rushed back to the front of the group to continue the banter.

The raven haired man shook his head and glanced over the wall to his right. They were walking past Sunshine Park, so named for its revolutionary design which allowed it to capture more sunlight at any given time than anywhere else in the city. So naturally it was deserted at night when there was no sunlight, but not tonight. In the middle of a small clearing, which was lit by a combination of the rays of the setting sun and their reflection off the full moon, there was a woman spinning in circles. Something about the woman caused him to stop walking and devote his attention to studying her.

She had long platinum blonde hair, that looked almost white in the light, and pale skin that seemed to shimmer in the soft yellow glow. Her white dress flared out around her as she spun and added to the ethereal radiance that surrounded her. Her arms where stretched towards the sky as if she were trying to touch the clouds. From where he stood he could just make out the smile she had on her face, it was so peaceful and bright that it could have been a source of illumination in the clearing.

She slowed down then stopped spinning and watched the sun set with sadness, as if it would never rise again, then looked over at him. He was transfixed on her hypnotic blue eyes as the last of the light made them shimmer and glow.

"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto called. "What's the hold up?" Sasuke blinked and glanced over at his friends. They were at the corner waiting impatiently for him. Before answering he looked back at the woman who was still observing him from the clearing. He watched as the light finally faded leaving only the moonlight to illuminate the clearing.

"N-nothing. I'm coming" he called back, tearing his eyes away from the strange woman and running to catch up with the group.

She watched him go and felt that mixture of emotion that she had believe belonged only to the sun. Trying to shake it off she turned sadly to the western horizon which was slowly fading to the same deep blue as the rest of the night sky.

The bar was crowded and noisy as the guys secured a table. Immediately Kiba jumped up to buy the first round of drinks.

"Let's get this party started!" He shouted as he passed the bottles of beer around. They drank and talked and got shot down by women for hours. By the fourth round Naruto noticed Sasuke was still on his second and became concerned.

"Sasuke, are you all right?" He asked. Sasuke, who was miles away, blinked and glanced over at his blonde friend.

"Huh, uh yeah. Yeah I'm fine" he replied.

"What are you thinking about?" Naruto inquired. "Because if you changed your mind about talking I'm here for you."

"No, it's not that. It's this girl I saw earlier, when we were walking here."

"Wow, I'm proud of you buddy" The blonde said happily.

"What? No, I don't even know this woman. She just, I don't know, seemed different" Sasuke explained feebly and took another sip from his bottle.

"Maybe you'll see her again. Then you can ask for her number."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks for the chat, I'm going to the bathroom" he said then stood and walked off. As he was walking he happened to glace out the window and noticed the woman from the park strolling down the sidewalk across the street. Impulsively he dashed out the door and hurried across the street calling out as he ran. "Hey, wait!"

She stopped and turned to face him. The moon high above their heads illuminated them as they stood and stared at each other in silence.

"Hello" she said politely. Sasuke found himself at a loss for words as he stared at her moonlit face which was even more hypnotic up close.

"I'm Sasuke" he managed to say. She smiled and his heart leapt.

"Ino" she replied.

"Have we met before?" He asked. Her smiled dropped and she glanced away nervously.

"No. Of course not" she answered.

"It's just that you seem so familiar. Like I've seen you somewhere before" he explained.

"Guess I've just got one of those faces" she chuckled.

"I saw you in the park" said Sasuke. She looked away out of embarrassment.

"Yeah I just like it there at sunset, because it's usually empty" Ino explained. "I must have looked insane."

"No you looked beautiful" he said then paused regretting his choice of response. "I'm sorry, that was weird, wasn't it?" She smiled again and shook her head.

"No, it was fine."

"I, I guess I should get back" he said. He began to turn around when she stopped him.

"Would you like to hang out tomorrow night?" She inquired. Sasuke smiled.

"Yes."

"Meet me in the park at sunset" Ino instructed then held her hand out. He took it and they shook hands.

"I'll be there."

October 11th

As the sun slipped below the horizon Sasuke stood in the field alone. He had been wandering nervously about the park for around three hours now waiting for sunset and hoping Ino would show up.

Just when he was about to lose hope she appeared. She was smiling as she approached him.

"I'm glad you came" she said.

"Yeah, me too" he replied. She turned away from him to catch the last rays dissipate and then they were left with the light of a waning moon, the beams from the streetlights barely reaching them in the clearing. "So what do you want to do?" He asked nervously.

Sasuke had never felt nervous, especially around women, so this surprised him. He felt his heart hammering in his chest as he awaited her reply.

"Let's go for a walk" she replied brightly.

They roamed around the park for hours, sometimes talking sometimes just enjoying each other's company. They spoke of music and movies and their favorite foods. All the while he was dying to ask her about her life. Where she came from, who she was friends with, what was her family like, but he got the feeling that she didn't want to talk about that so he obliged.

Before either of them knew it was nearly sunrise. Ino glanced at the eastern sky with a sad smile.

"We've been out all night" she said. He glanced at his watch and realized she was right.

"I can't believe it. Time sure does fly" he replied. "The sun will be rising soon." She watched him sadly then glanced back at the lightening sky.

"I have to go" she said then walked up to him and took his hands in her own. "Would you like to do this again tomorrow?" She asked.

"I would like that very much" he replied. She smiled giddily and gave him a quick hug before dashing off.

"Same time same place!" She called back. He was left smiling like an idiot as the sun rose slowly above the horizon.

October 27th

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ino asked tensely. Sasuke smiled and reached for her hand.

"Yes, my friends are dying to meet you. They want to know why I've been avoiding them for the past two weeks. No one believes you exist" he explained.

"What am I, Bigfoot?" She giggled.

"No, you're more like a ghost" he replied with a grin. She frowned and pulled her hand away. He stopped walking as the smile dropped from his face. "What's wrong? Something I said?" She paused a few steps ahead of him and studied his face. Then with a chuckle she replied.

"I don't believe in ghosts" her voice hinted at something beneath the words but Sasuke couldn't figure out what it was. They continued walking towards the door of the pub where his friends were waiting.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted eagerly as his friend approached the table. "I can't believe you actually showed up."

"Come on man, I told you I was gonna come out tonight. Have I ever lied to you before?"

"No, you've just been really flaky at work all week" he replied. He glanced around his dark haired friend at Ino sanding behind him. "And I assume this is why." A light blush flashed across her face and she smile charmingly at the other blonde.

"Ino, this is my good friend Naruto. Naruto this is Ino" Sasuke introduced.

"It is very nice to meet you" she said. Naruto stared at her for a moment looking confused.

"Have I seen you somewhere before?" he asked. She looked away anxiously then smiled.

"Uh, No, I just have one of those faces" she explained then turned towards the others sitting at the table.

"These are my other friends, Sakura and her boyfriend Lee, Naruto's girlfriend Hinata, and that's Kiba, Shino, Choji and Shikamaru."

"Hey" Kiba said with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

"Don't mind him, he hasn't been neutered yet" Sakura joked. Everyone laughed then Sasuke and Ino sat down and ordered drinks.

Hours passed and eventually everyone moseyed home and the bar closed and only Ino and Sasuke were left wandering the darkened streets under the new moon.

"You see, now was that so painful? You met my friends and had a few drinks."

"No it wasn't that bad" she replied.

"I don't know what you were so afraid of. It's not like we're dating and you had to met my parents" e sahid. She looked away uncomfortably, turning her eyes to the east. The unsure feelings that sometimes occurred around her crept up on him again and he racked his brain for the solution.

"I should go" she said. He didn't know what to say to fix the situation and he got the feeling that if he didn't say anything he would never see her again.

"Hey," he began. She turned around to face him. "Sakura's throwing a Halloween party, uh, on Halloween, of course" Sasuke was beginning to get annoyed with his inability to form proper sentences around this girl. She smiled sadly, an expression that was becoming routine for her.

"I'll be there" she promised. He smiled and watched her as she walked away, where she went during the day he did not know, but he was just happy to spend each night with her… for now.

October 31st

The quarter moon shone brightly in the night sky over the city. Sasuke paced restlessly in front of the club Sakura reserved for the party. The sun had set nearly two hours ago and the party had started not long after but Ino had not yet arrived as she said she would. Over the past few nights she had been distant and reserved and it worried him.

"She still a no show?" Naruto peeked out the door to ask. He was dressed as a samurai complete with a plastic katana.

"She'll be here. I know it" he replied. The blonde shrugged then ducked back into the party. Sasuke glanced nervously at his Zorro costume then sighed and went back to pacing. As he turned to walk back the other way he froze when he saw her approaching.

She was breathtaking dressed as an angel. She wore a white dress and large feathered wings. Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight with every blink of her glitter covered eyelids. Sasuke smiled brightly at her.

"I'm sorry I'm late" Ino said. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"Not at all." She smiled at him and he held out his arm to escort her into the building.

Inside the music was blaring and the lights were flashing. There was a large crowd wearing all sorts of costumes dancing to the beat.

"Ino, you made it!" Sakura, who was dressed up as a renaissance queen, exclaimed. She playfully knocked Sasuke out of the way with her scepter to hug her new friend. "We were beginning to think you weren't coming."

"Yeah, we figured you'd come to your senses and dumped Sasuke" Naruto added with a laugh. Ino responded with a small smile.

"Dude, shut up. We… we're not dating" Sasuke said. She glanced at him for a moment then looked away. They stood in awkward silence for a beat or two.

"If you'll excuse me, Lee is flagging me down on the dance floor... or at least I think that's what he's doing" Sakura smiled at her friends then dashed off.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go see if Little Red Riding Hood wants to dance" Naruto said before walking over to Hinata and leaving the two to their uncomfortable silence. Ino watched Sasuke as he shifted from foot to foot, trying to find something to say.

"Do you want to dance?" She asked when she could no longer stand the discomfort.

"Sure."

They stepped out onto the floor and he took her hand and twirled her around. They danced for hours, laughing and talking all the while. Around 2am the party died down and everyone began dispersing. Ino and Sasuke stepped out the door into the chilled October night. They walked down the street arm in arm, laughing happily.

"So, we've been hanging out for like a month now and I don't really know you at all" he began. She grinned at him.

"What do you want to know?" She asked.

"Where are you from?"

"A small town way out in the country" she answered.

"What's it called?"

"You wouldn't know it." She smiled at him.

"How long have you been in the city?" He asked.

"Three years as of last month." She paused and looked at the ground sadly.

"Do you miss the country?"

"I miss a lot of things" she replied enigmatically. He studied her silently, once again feeling like there was something more to what she was saying that he just couldn't see.

Before he could ask about it she froze and stared off into the space behind him. He turned around and found they were standing just outside of a wide alley surrounded by buildings on three sides. There was a large mural painted on the wall they were facing. It showed the phases of the moon, with the largest image being the full moon. The light from the real moon shone down on it giving it the appearance of an internal glow.

Sasuke looked back at Ino and caught the shiver that ran through her body.

"Are you cold?" He asked. He prepared to remove his cape and offer it to her but she shook her head.

"No" she replied. She continued to stare at the mural for a few silent moments then tore her eyes away from it. "I should be going."

"But, it's still early. We could go back to my place?" He suggested. She frowned at him.

"Sasuke, I don't know what you think this is," she gestured between them, "I don't even know what this is, but it can't be anything more."

"Why not? Ino, I really like you, and I think that you like me the same way. So why can't this be more than it is?" He demanded. She glanced back at the wall quickly then looked him directly in the eye.

"It just can't. I really have to go. I'll… goodbye." With that she turned and rushed off into the darkness of the early November morning leaving Sasuke alone.

Now tell me every thought you had whilst reading this here chapter...or else a troll will squish you like a grape... maybe not but you don't want to take that chance, do you?