A/N (top): I know the beginning is boring, but please stick with until the end! :D

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Blatantly Chained

Part I

Chapter I:

Clearly Grey

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The night is the color of tainted snow. Accompanying that is the foul smell of blood that stains the air I breathe. I can even dimly taste the metallic-like liquid just by inhaling. Although, that is probably because of my own injuries and their bleeding. Pains course through my body from the gashes, bruises, and broken bones that cover me from head to toe. The silence as we sprint through the trees is deafening; something out of the norm for the battle field. Normally weapons clashes and ear piercing screams of dying shinobi are heard. I guess we are lucky tonight. Not that I am too concerned. I am accustomed to conditions like these— worse, even. It is my teammate's reaction to the scenery that is bugging me.

I glance at her through the corner of my eye. She has a gloved hand cupped over her mouth, but I'm positive that doesn't help staunch the smell at all. Might as well get used to it. Like I always tell her, some people aren't fit to be shinobi.

She looks tired— I can see her panting beneath the glove. I sigh in irritation, but briefly remind myself of the unconscious Naruto slung over her shoulder. The idiot is always a load on us, even when awake.

The only reason I keep myself going is by shear will. I ignore my burning muscles that are on the verge of collapsing. Despite this, even, I could push harder, give one hundred percent, if I didn't have to lag behind to keep in pace with Sakura. In the start, we had put a great deal of length between us and our pursuers, but I can sense them closing the gap now. Sooner or later they'll catch up, and we'll be too exhausted to fight.

Gritting my teeth, I jump down, signally Sakura to follow, and silently land in the shadows below. It is oddly cooler down here, and the stillness is suffocating. I can't see Sakura's face through the dark as we hide close to the scratchy trunk of a tree, yet I tense with the aura of her anxiety. Any sound seems threatening in this vulnerable place.

"Sakura," I barely murmur, "Listen."

I give her time to collect herself and control her breathing before going on, "Listen closely: You stay here, no matter what. Don't make a sound."

I grab her arms while saying this, so that I am sure we are close enough for her to hear me. Her body tenses with uncertainty and apprehension, "Keep your chakra hidden, and if that dobe wakes up by any chance, keep him here… I'll be back."

My teammate sucks in a sharp breath of astonishment, but I am already off in the direction we came. I know it is pointless to tell her about it (so I don't), because she'll figured out where I am going despite it. And if Naruto is revived somehow, she won't tell him either.

My plan is to fight our pursuers face to face. The odds are in my favor, considering I have no one to defend but myself, and I'll bet they are just as exhausted. If anything, this can be counted as a team sacrifice— for all I care. Oto nin aren't particularly tough, anyways.

"Five minutes," I deduce, speeding up, "Five minutes and it'll all be done."

It isn't long before they come into sight, and then in killing reach. They are small grey spots in the distance, gradually growing to larger ones. Their speed is the result of some soldier pills, I conclude, charging up my chidori, and struggling to make my eyes blood red once again— but that part is futile. Mentally, I have already come up with three ways to kill all four.

I count down the seconds:

Three…

Two…

One…

At that moment, my hand pierces through the chest of the first, and stabs the arm of the second. I make a motion to kick the third— and closest— one after stopping on a large branch. The contact of my foot to his throat is satisfying. I smirk.

The man turns into a puff of smoke, the real one charging from behind. I throw several kunai for the man to deflect and use another one to swing at his throat. I land a hit; and so far I've gotten two down. The next two come jumping at me from a few boughs ahead— it isn't hard to dodge and knock them down with a few moves. I follow them to the ground willfully, managing to stab one quickly with my Kusanagi and kick the other one in the jaw as he throws a punch. He falls to the ground, unconscious.

My chest heaves in and out from the overall toll my body has taken. My chakra reserves are too low for even another chidori. It's going to be quite hard getting back to Sakura. I gaze over at the two bodies before me; one dead, and one not. I swear I sensed more than four coming our way before. This whole thing seems too easy… I stretch out what little chakra I have and try to sense for others. I pick up nothing. Sighing tiredly, I trudge over to the two bodies and search their gear for some kind of first aid, or even soldier pills, but it goes in vain.

Damn. Everything seems too still for my liking. Taking out a kunai, I smoothly slit the unconscious man's throat and straighten up.

There is a whizzing noise in the air that makes me abruptly alert. From my left and right I see barrages of shuriken fly towards me. I flip backwards to dodge, but before I get to see who my ambushers are; a pain in the back of my head makes my vision go black.

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I open my eyes with ease, staring straight at the bright, rectangular light of the hospital room. The emptiness inside me makes me feel disturbingly hollow, as if I hadn't eaten or moved in days. The sensation after a stomach virus, or a fever, is what it was similar to.

"He is knocked out cold," someone says. I look to see Tsunade. She stands near my bed, looking over my body with a brooding expression. Her frown irks me. Others in the room— Kakashi, Yamato, Naruto, and Sakura— hold the same sentiment only slightly intensified. Sai looks like his normal blank self.

"How long?" Kakashi inquires, looking from me back to Tsunade. Her gaze doesn't falter.

"It's hard to tell," She barely says after a hesitant pause. Her sullen eyes seem to look at me with doubt. It is as if her mind is brooding over something more important than speaking.

"I hope he wakes up soon…" Sakura frowns.

I sit up, not noticing the IV in my arm, and scrutinize them with a ridiculing look. What the hell are they talking about? Are they too sad to realize that I am awake?

"Tch. I'm fine you guys." I grumble. There again, I feel that hollowness, only in my voice this time. It seems to echo, "I'm right here."

I look up at them for a response, searching every pair of eyes. Sakura sighs, her orbs giving the slightest hint of upcoming tears. As she brings her hand up to rub her eyes, there is a tiny jingle.

On her wrist is a shackle. A piece of metal so grey it is almost blue that encloses her wrist. I open my mouth to question it; nevertheless Yamato has already begun to say something. I am too preoccupied to pay attention. Never before had I seen a shackle that was almost transparent, like tinted glass.

They continue with some conversation as I examine Sakura trapped wrist. A chain, the same color, falls to her feet in a heap from the shackle. My eyes trail the links, looking for the end or source, which continues out of the pile into a different direction. I find it first on the end of my cot, half shielded by my thin blanket. I yank the scratchy thing away, and follow the chain up to my leg… and then to my hips and arms, and then finally, I am gazing down at my chest, where the metal seems to disappear into my insides, lodged in my ribcage.

I let my hand pick up the chain coming out of me. It feels smooth, like marble, yet tough just the same. Instinctively, I pull at it, trying to remove it from my chest. I can feel it wrapped around my heart, cold and sturdy. It is not too pleasant. All the same, the chain doesn't budge.

"What the hell?" I growl with widening eyes. There is a chain in my chest. I yank at it some more with no luck.

"It seems there is nothing we can do but wait," I then hear Tsunade say remorsefully. Sakura sniffs and Naruto just simply glares at the floor.

"Let's go, Sakura, Naruto," Kakashi suggests lightly, his lone eye showing more weariness than ever before, "Like Tsunade-sama said, there is nothing we can do."

I stare as they make their way to the door.

"I'm right here," I tell them, though I'm not sure they can hear me.

They leave anyways— and I don't try to stop them. Instead I narrow my eyes in thought. The only one left in the room is Tsunade who is going over some paper work with a nervous look on her face. The small hospital room seems to close in on me, preventing me from thinking straight. The events previously hadn't sunk in yet, leaving me as mystified as I have ever been.

I gaze down at my hands and legs. I am clad in what I last remember wearing; my shinobi uniform. And I specifically remember rising this morning to get dressed. This morning, right? My doubts are up now, and for some reason my head is spinning. What happened during the mission? I can faintly recall stopping and telling Sakura something, though I don't remember what. And why is everything so grey?

I hadn't noticed until now that the room is grey; from the miniature bookshelves to the sink and counter, from the window to the small, fresh flower on its sill, or from the cot I am on to the chair next to it. Literally, everything is grey. Even my hands and clothes. Everything but the chain protruding out of my chest, and that seems to look more blue than grey now. I think back on it, realizing something. Sai, Yamato, Sakura… everyone; they were all the same color.

My eyes widen and I gaze over at Tsunade. She, too, is grey. Have I gone color blind? What the hell is happening?

I'm obviously not color blind if I can see the color of the chain… Though, then again, I am probably the only one who can see it.

I get off the cot, making no noise surprisingly— I don't even move the thing— and turn around. I then see… my body. My limp, unconscious body, bandaged at the head, and covered with an untouched blanket on the makeshift bed. I remember moving the blanket to follow the path of the chain, though I have no clue as to how it is miraculously untouched now. Dismissing this thought with the sake of preserving my sanity, I trek to the exit of the room and grab the doorknob— unsuccessfully.

My hand slips right through the metal piece. I don't even feel it, like if I run my hand through the air. Like if the object doesn't exist. My brow's scrunch up in confusion and annoyance.

"I can't be stuck in this room," I hiss, walking swiftly to my cot. I try to tug at the thin blanket, though, again, my hand passes through it and the cot.

Suddenly a voice rings in my head, and I am not entirely sure if it is mine or not:

"There are some things you can and cannot do in this world based on circumstances… Emotions… You can never disturb the real world… Only if—"

The voice fades out, and I cannot understand the rest no matter how hard I concentrate.

So basically I am stuck in this room until… something happens. Until my real self wakes up and I am brought back from this world. I try to sit on my cot— cautiously, mind you; I wouldn't want to fall— and am astounded at my success.

Based on circumstances? I scowl to myself, lying back into the position I had woken up in. I sink through thin blanket and my unconscious body, lying solely on the bed.

Tch. This is beginning to be bothersome.

I turn over on my side in annoyance, trying to find sleep.

It doesn't come.

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A part of me finds it strangely interesting that I am unable to sleep, and that I do not get tired. I have no cravings for food either, not that I would be able to eat despite it. It's like I am a ghost I suppose. It probably explains the uncomfortable emptiness I am constantly feeling.

Even in the face of all this, I rather enjoy the solitude it brings. No constant annoyance from Naruto, no Sakura, no people, and no worries.

Many hours pass until I look to the window and find the black night sky to lighten to a grey, guessing dawn has arrived. The dull birds (also grey) outside chirp happily at the sun. I run over things in my mind with my dark eyes closed— how to get back into my body, what to do during the time it takes, etcetera. My hands find the back of my head for cushion as I lay, though I don't feel the usual relaxed stretch in my muscles… well, the stretch I usually felt before this accident. It seems I have no feeling now, as a ghost, or whatever I am.

There is a sudden knock at the door, though I don't know why anyone would knock if there is an unconscious patient occupying the room. I sit up curiously, waiting. Of course the person won't hear me if I say something in response.

The doorknob turns and a grey headed girl peeks in the room hesitantly, her grey eyes scanning for signs of life. Sakura. Oddly enough, the fact that she doesn't have pink hair anymore bothers. It's her trademark. She looks no different than a blonde like Naruto or Tsunade now.

My teammate lets herself in, holding a flower. I'm not familiar with flowers, so I can't tell much about it. It's color comes a shade grey to my eyes, like most of everything else, so all I can estimate is that it is a light color. Sakura pauses after closing the door behind her to look at me— or rather my lifeless body— giving a gloomy sigh. Under her eyes it is darker than the rest of her skin, signifying her loss of sleep. Poor girl, always futilely upsetting herself. It's pathetic sometimes.

She walks over to the windowsill and replaces the old flower with the new one, opening the window slightly in the process. My mind gives notice to the fact that, perhaps, I could be able to squeeze through that tiny opening and escape from this boring place. Sakura, still looking like someone died, takes a seat next to my bed.

"Tsunade-shishou," She begins, stroking my body's arm lightly, "Said that it's unpredictable when you will wake up. But I saw her face… and I saw the wound on your head. I know what she was thinking… She doesn't think you'll ever wake up."

Sakura's voice changes at the end of that sentence in grief. She holds in her upcoming sobs and wipes the tears bordering her eyelids, swallowing hard. I bite my lip and glare at the girls words. Never wake up? The thought is preposterous.

"Maybe not." I hear a voice say.

That same voice… That voice from before. I don't know where it is coming from, nevertheless I push this to the recesses of my mind as Sakura continues, twirling the old flower between her fingers.

"I think you will wake up though," She says, "I will make sure of it."

With that she reaches behind me— to my body's head (since I am sitting up, and my head is behind me) that lay softly on a pillow. Some kind of wave like thing, a gas, flows around her palm as she places it to the head. I know that it is chakra, but it is difficult to see with all the colors looking alike and whatnot. I watch her try to heal me, containing some hope that maybe with her help I can return to my body.

"Shishou said that there was nothing left to heal," She informs with faint determination, "And although it is true, I'll still try. Usually unconsciousness is cured by chakra… though Shishou said, in your case… It is different. Weird too, like some kind of voodoo."

I grit my teeth. What she says isn't reassuring as much as she thinks. Mere determination won't get me anywhere. Though I appreciate her trying, I suppose.

…

For the next month or so, Sakura comes in about every morning, replaces a flower, enlightens me on my health progress, tries some healing, leaves for lunch, and then returns to tell me about her day as she does paper work. I never get the chance to escape out the window, because, before leaving, she always closes it in fear of freezing me. There were days where she'd go sparring, and other's where she'd have to go do something, or complete a mission, though never did she not visit (while in the village), even for a few minutes. Naruto often stops over with her, though he leaves quickly after entering. He constantly looks at me and glowers desolately. Yet Sakura seems way more than idyllic being in this room.

Kakashi visits, too, though those are brief— he doesn't particularly talk.

And Tsunade— who checks my health everyday— isn't that bothersome with talking.

My health hasn't gotten any better, Sakura tells me practically every day. I'd like to hear more about it, but she usually talks of gossip after lunch— Naruto making a move on Hinata (finally), and stuff of the sort.

Today, Sakura comes in as usual, replaces my flower, tells me about my IV and how it will need to be changed soon, heals me, and sits to talk some more. The chain from her (lately very blue) shackle jingles as she walks over to close the window. I am used to the sound; having heard it many times in one day over the past month.

Why her shackle is all of a sudden so blue, rather than grey, I have yet to discover.

Speaking of her shackles, today, the chain hanging from it is considerably short. Perhaps I hadn't noticed that it was getting shorter consistently in the last month? I gaze over to my teammate— she is saying something about it being a beautiful day— and examine the metal links falling from her wrist. The chain is so short now that it leaves a straight line on the ground from her hand to my chest. There is no mound of chain on the tiles, and there isn't a trail of it leading out the door from where she came. How? I gape at the fetter, my eyebrows furrowing together. How did she manage to depart last night without dragging me with her if the chain was so little?

"Naïve," The voice in my head says, disenchanted, "And ignorant. Hurry up, you have a time limit."

"Hurry up with what?" I growl. This is the first time I have talked in a while.

"Well, Sasuke, I'll be back," Sakura exhales, giving a faint grin my way, "I'm going to eat lunch at Ino's."

She makes a beeline for the exit and opens it, stealing one last glance at me before shutting the door. The noise echoes through the now empty room, and unexpectedly I feel a harsh pulling at my chest.

"Go."

The chain connecting Sakura and I becomes tense, and my body is harshly pulled off the cot and onto the floor (though I can't feel outside forces, so I suffer no pain). My hands roughly encircle the chain jutting from my ribcage, because this sensation is like someone pulling your bones, your core. It makes me feel controlled.

I scramble up, rooting my feet into the ground and leaning back on my heels in effort to prevent from being dragged. It is fruitless, because I am tugged in whatever direction Sakura happens to be in— the chain is now straight off the ground and through the wall, moving to point where Sakura is. I close my eyes as I she lugs me into the wall.

The impact is surprising.

"Under certain circumstances, remember?" The voice echoes.

What happens is the same thing that happened with the doorknob. I pass through the wall with ease, feeling like it is air, or moreover, like it doesn't exist in the first place. My eyelid cracks open, and now I am in the hall, still being dragged by Sakura, who nears the stairs. I jog up to her, hoping avoid being pulled again.

I glance up at her once I reach her side. She is staring straight ahead, completely in her own world…

Correction: I am the one in my own world. Lately, the thought of it makes me scowl.

"Sakura," I say, hoping that, if I am now able to pass through walls, than perhaps she is able to hear me.

I get no response.

"Tsk, tsk."

My face scrunches up and I glower at the ground, "Shut up."

Whoever this voice belongs to, they are making my life way more complicated than it needs to be.

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"So how's Sasuke doing?"

"Same so far," Sakura responds, stopping the motion of her chopsticks as her face falls in melancholy.

"You need to give up on that boy," Ino advises. I glare daggers at the female, although she probably doesn't know it. Currently the two girls are eating boxed lunches at Ino's counter in the flower shop. I, who am not willing to stray too far from Sakura, lest I get dragged again, am standing beside her, watching everything like it is some kind of old black and white movie... All of the different shades of grey around me— the flowers, the food, the wallpaper— irk me to no end, though. I feel like I have lost my memory of what color everything is.

Sakura remains silent. That angers me…

"You come here every morning asking for a new flower to give him. He won't see them Sakura, just like he hasn't seen the other ones from the past month," Ino continues, putting down her chopsticks to give Sakura (who bites her lower lip) a serious look, "You can't waste your day in that room. Like I said, he won't see the flowers, or you. And it's not like he'll appreciate it when he wakes up anyway… He'll be fine without you. You need to go out, have fun… and stop worrying. Let him recover, and soon enough he'll wake up. I promise."

Sakura finally looks up teary-eyed, and Ino's expression softens tenfold.

"Ino, I'm scared," Sakura sniffs, "For him."

"Don't be," Ino soothes, reaching over to hug the girl, "He will be fine. Tsunade comes in everyday, doesn't she?"

"Yeah…"

"She'll take care of him if he needs it," Ino smiles, and I find myself slightly disappointed at Sakura's nod to this.

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That night I have no other choice than to follow Sakura home. Her day really didn't consist of much after eating with Ino. She had visited my room once again, though all she did was stare at me and occasionally do more paperwork. It is very aberrant for her to stay as silent as that, I noted. Soon after her visit, she walked through the park, stopping to look at the moon, and then headed home.

Presently, I am in her room, at her bedside.

She sleeps with a frown on her face, and every so often she mutters something; habitually my name. It hasn't been more than ten minutes since she fell asleep, and I already find myself bored. The only thing interesting within the chains reach is her— watching her sleep, that is; however I don't want to do that. I feel that, if I do, she will wake up and catch me staring.

Sighing in defeat, I sit on the side of the small bed and look over my shoulder at her. She parts her lips, breathing out something soft and hard to hear:

"Sasuke," She sighs, and I listen closely, "I… love you."

My eyes slightly widen at the unexpected declaration.

My hands grab the area around the chain instinctively before I gasp.

A pain is shooting through my insides, my torso; a cold, severe pang that causes an explosion in my chest. Like someone has taken a outsized needle and punctured a balloon full of thick water. It's as if I am bleeding inside, an icy liquid traveling through my chest and lungs. This twinge is unlike anything I've ever experienced. Worse than all the pain endured by that damned curse mark, worse than my injuries after my battle with Naruto. I look down, slightly paralyzed, and see the chain being pulled out of my chest with such speed that it makes me dizzy to look. A bitter fluid then bubbles in my throat, growing in quantity until, finally, I heave it out with several coughs. I looked down at my hands and see a black juice covering them. I can't feel it or smell it. I only sense the ripping going on inside my chest.

There's a loud clink, indicating that the chain has stopped moving, and another explosion goes off in not only my chest, but in my eyesight as well. My eyes roll back into my head, and this time I can feel the smack of my face against Sakura's wooden floor.

"This is your first warning. You have six months."

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|||\{To be continued…}/|||

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An apple for your thoughts?

A/N: I've been DYING to write this for over six months now! For those of you that read The Fame, remember that story I mentioned losing the plot line too? The story I had everything planned out for? Well, yeah, I didn't find those pieces of paper, but I remember most of what I wrote, so I decided to screw looking for it (since it is probably in the garbage… why grandma, why?). How do you like it? It isn't as beastly as I hoped/planned, because I lost the plot sheet, but I am kind of happy with where this is going. Kinda. Eh.

I'm really sorry if this is confusing you, but I PROMISE everything gets explained in the end. If you ARE confused and cannot wait for the other chapters to explain this, then I will try to clarify with as many non-spoilers as I can. Just leave a review or PM me ^_^ Any who, this was quite difficult to write, considering everything is in grey/(black and white). I can't exactly describe as much as I had hoped.

Sorry for errors! I wanted to get as much down of this as I could.

Disclaimer: It's a crying shame that I don't :'(

Thank you to all who review for this, and ANY of my stories! You give me motivation ;D And I truly and honestly write faster :P THANK YOUUUUU!

Next Chapter:(untitled so far :/)

Update: Hopefully this week…? I promise I'll try ;)

News:

The Fame: probably next on my list to update. About 10% complete, though don't worry, I have the chapter nearly all planned out :D

In The Midst Of Luforther: On hold

Sunlight and Shadows: On hold.

My Match: Hopefully after The Fame, or after the Blatantly Chained update :/ Meh, I'll try, really.

PS: If I haven't responded to your reviews for The Fame I apologize! :( Fanfiction isn't letting me respond, or maybe it's my computer… I have no idea (probably my comp.) but I am currently unable to open anymore Tabs or New Pages on internet explorer. They just don't load at all.

Has anyone heard of Sasuke kissing Sakura in the fifth Shippuuden movie? There are rumors on the internet, though I'm not sure they are true. I HOPE they are, xD, because hell, if they are, then that means we SasuSaku fans have hope! Even if it is a movie not based on the storyline, it means something… Something BIG! (for us at least) If Kishimoto made Sasuke confess to Sakura, I would love him until the day I die… Hm, I should write him a letter…

-In Japanese, you ask?-

HELL NO! I wish I knew the language :p But I sadly, and utterly don't.

-How will he understand, you ask?-

Che, beats me.

~-Anyways, piece out homies!-~

3 applz