Me: A little something I've been working on for awhile...

Sakura: To make up for your absence in writing other stories?

Me: ....(pouts) Shut up...

Sakura: (rolls eyes) She Does Not Own Naruto!


I jumped, branch to branch, making sure to avoid any leaves, as I made my way towards the sand village. Just previously I had been assigned a mission to deliver a letter to the hokage of the sand village, a.k.a Garaa.

It was supposed to have been a simple delivery and then return home, but as I landed on a nearby branch, I quickly shuffled into a bush at the feel of someone else's chakra.

Someone's coming, I thought to myself as I peered between the leaves to see who they were. Is it rogue ninja?

The thought before quickly disappeared, when just inches from the bush I was hiding in, a body crashed to the ground. I blinked startled, and then crept out to observe who the person was, who had fallen with such a loud sound that it had echoed through the forest.

I gasped slightly startled at the sight of the familiar red clouded cloak, and quickly placed a kunai in hand just in case. I kicked the person over with my foot and looked at the face of a handsome blond haired young man. Blood was trickling from the side of his mouth, as I bent down to place chakra filled hands to see if the man was still alive.

Yup, he's still alive, I concluded when I had found a small pulse in him. I swallowed, already feeling my annoying medical ninja conscious telling me to revive him.

Are you kidding!? Once you heal him, of course he'll kill us! Inner Sakura shouted, trying to talk some sense into me. I could already feel my heart ache for the boy, and pushed my inner away as I got to work on healing his wounds.

It seems he fell from the sky, is my conclusion since he appears to have 3 broken ribs and a fractured lung…

I'd like to thank Tsunade for teaching me all the medical stuff I know…Naruto for always being there for me…Ino and Hinata for being friends with me for so lon-

Will you shut up? We're not going to die! I inwardly snapped. I continued working on the boy, even when his body lurched for air. I bit my lip in concentration, concentrating on his broken ribs next. I was so busy, that I didn't even notice when he opened his eyes slowly.

Did it cross your mind even once, that once your done with this you'll be too weak to defend yourself!?!

Sure, I knew that once I finished my job I would die, but at least I would die knowing that I had saved someone's life right?

Right…, I thought suddenly not very excited about finishing my job.

When the last rib was finally healed, I wiped the sweat off my forehead and tried standing up, but collapsed back to my knee's instead. I groaned I knew this was going to be my gift for using up so much energy.

My heartbeat sped up when I sensed an unfamiliar chakra, and when suddenly a kunai landed near me. My eyes widened in fear:

Oh no, a paper bom-

I heard the loud bang echo through my ears, and a large white flash of light as it ignited. Wait…I swore I also saw a flash of…blond?

When I finally gained my senses, and the world turned to normal color, I noticed my landing had been fairly soft. That's when I noticed a pair of strong arms wrapped securely around my head. They loosened slowly before I heard a voice right above my head.

"Are you okay, yeah?" I looked up to be met with a pair of worried blue eyes. I blinked a couple times startled, as he shifted me off his lap and stood up.

"Y-You…saved me…" I muttered awed. He grinned at me, a friendly twinkle in his eyes.

"Think of it as payback for saving me, yeah." That's when I saw another kunai heading straight for the back of his head. I raised my arm:

"W-Watch o-" I cut my self off when he turned on his heel, catching the sharp object between two of his fingers, and sent it flying back the way it had come.

Oh yeah…He's Akatsuki…, I reminded myself, just as a body fell from the trees after being struck in the chest. I shook my head, and tried to stand up again, but failed miserably as I fell back again.

"Hey…" I looked up at the Akatsuki member who looked down at me with worried eyes, "Are you oka-" His face went stern as he scooped me up in his arms bridal style and a ninja came down with a sword in the area I had been sitting in seconds before.

He shuffled for something in his pocket, as I lay in his arms a little alarmed. As he concentrated on whatever he was doing in his pocket, I noticed a man's body emerge from the tree, a large katana in hand. I clenched my fist tightly, concentrated as much chakra I had left to my right fist, and then sent it flying only an inch away from the Akatsuki's ear, smashing the man behind's face into the tree.

I felt my head spin, before I passed out cold.

I awoke to a light breeze flowing through my hair, and a warm heat from behind me. I opened my eyes and nearly screamed when I saw the forest ground miles below me. A hand quickly covered my mouth just in time, before the scream erupted from my lungs.

"Shh, its okay, you're safe, yeah." A familiar bass voice whispered into my ear. I turned my head around and saw the blond Akatsuki member looking down at me with a slightly frightened face. "You scared me when you suddenly passed out. I thought you were dead, yeah." He laughed nervously.

He was…worried?

The boy sighed, and then stared straight ahead a grin on his face. "Glad your okay though, yeah." He exclaimed.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked. He looked down at me again.

"Oh? So you CAN talk, yeah!" He laughed to himself before answering my question. "I'm taking you back to Konoha, yeah."

I narrowed my eyes suddenly suspicious, "How'd you know I live in Konoha?"

He smirked at me amused, "Your headband, yeah."

I blushed slightly, and then stared at my hands, "Why are you doing this for me? You're an Akatsuki…"

"Hmm…," His chest rumbled comfortingly, "Let's just say it's payback for saving me from the man in the tree, yeah."

Isn't 'payback' a negative thing?

Once Konoha came into view, I held tightly onto the object I had realized was a clay bird moments before, as the bird swooped down. When the bird was a few feet away from crash landing to the ground, it disappeared and I was held in strong arms again.

He landed with a soft thud as his feet met ground, and then slowly let me down. I wobbled on my feet slightly, but was able to stand properly after a few moments of balancing. I turned around to look at him, and let a shy smile spread across my lips.

"By the way, what's your name?"

He seemed to consider the question for awhile, before he smirked, "Deidara, yeah."

"Mine's Sakura." I grinned. However, that grin slowly faded when he hovered over me still smirking.

"W-What?" I stuttered confused as to why he had approached me so quickly. He bent down slightly so we were eye-level, an evil glint in his eyes.

Suddenly, too quick for me to react, his lips pressed down gently on mine. My heart jumped to my throat, as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

His lips removed themselves from mine, as he jumped up high into the air and a large clay bird formed below him. As the bird started to fly higher, he looked back at me and winked.

1 Month Later

"Sakura! Sakura!" I heard Naruto's urgent voice shout from behind my window as I brushed my hair. I opened the latch, letting him into my room as he panted for breath, probably from running. "Akatsuki has been spotted near Konoha and Grandma Tsunade wants us to clear the area!"

I dropped the brush I had been holding, "Naruto, you go ahead I'll be there in a few." I told him as calmly as I could. He nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Once I grabbed the weapons I needed, I ran outside and got to work on leading families into a safer zone. Once the last child walked in, I ran as fast as I could to check to see if that was the last of them.

As I turned a corner, I immediately brought my elbow back and made slight contact with an enemy. I heard the voice chuckle and I turned around with chakra built up in my fist ready for attack.

"Good to know you got your chakra back, yeah." A familiar bass voice called, and I looked up to see the person I had grazed my elbow with, waving down from a large clay bird. I smirked, but did not leave my stance.

"So you're finally attacking Konoha, eh?" I stated, as he continued lounging on his back looking down at me. I grit my teeth when he nodded with a sigh.

"It's too bad, yeah…And after we had become such good friends…" He muttered with a pout which turned back to a smirk. "Ah well, life isn't perfect, yeah." With that he tossed a small clay object which exploded above my head before I could react.

My body slammed into a wall behind me at the force of the blow, and I fell limp to my knees, wincing at the small burns on my arms. He jumped down from the bird a few inches away from me, and bent down so he was eye-level with me. He frowned slightly when I tried to shift my position.

"You know I don't want to do this to you, yeah…But business is business…You know how it is, yeah." He lifted my chin up with a finger and studied my pained face, before smiling slightly, "You look exactly the same as that time you saved me, yeah." He knelt there, staring at me, and finally seemed to make a decision in his head. "Why don't you join Akatsuki, yeah?"

My eyes narrowed at him as I slowly healed my wounds, "I'd rather die…"

"Deidara!" He turned his head and I saw another Akatsuki cloak. The man eyed me warily, "We don't have time to play around, hurry up and kill the girl so we can get going!"

Deidara turned his eyes to me again, and I could see he was inwardly arguing with himself, before he stood. "She'll die anyway, there's no point killing her now, yeah."

"Well hurry up, I sure don't want to be the center of Itachi's wrath if this goes wrong…"

"Yeah yeah, I'll be there in a second, yeah." Deidara muttered, before the other man disappeared in a flash.

"Now…," He looked at me, and then at the small burns across my arms with a slightly guilty expression.

"What are you going to…," I flinched as I struggled to stand up, "…Do to me…?" Too quick for me to react, I was in his arms and we were high up in the air. I had to resist the urge to look down at the burning buildings below, and the screams of pain as fellow ninja lost in battle.

"Let's see…" I heard his voice rumble behind me as he turned my body so he could look me in the eye. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration, before he made up his mind. "What would you do if I said I love you, yeah?"

My face instantly heated, and I laughed aloud, "I'd say you're crazy!"

A thoughtful look crossed his face, "What if I am crazy, yeah?" He lowered his face close to mine, as he studied my face.

"T-Then I'd say you're an idiot!" I stuttered, mentally cursing the slight weakness I had shown. When I was sure I had healed the burns, I sent my fist flying forward as hard as I could. He caught it easily in his hand, and pulled it so our faces were even closer. He smirked:

"What would you say if I asked you if you've thought about me this past month, yeah?"

I looked down and away from his eyes, "I-I'd say I…may have thought about you…a little…"

His eyes softened, and my heartbeat sped up as I raised my eyes up to his again. "And what would you say if I asked you to kiss me, yeah?"

I felt my breath hitch in my throat before he placed his lips softly on mine, while using the hand that wasn't holding my fist to stroke the side of my face gently.

As my eyelids fluttered shut, I surprised myself by realizing my answer to his question only a few moments before:

Sure, why not?


Me: AUGH! I ABSOLUTLEY HATE THE ENDING!

Sakura: ...?

Me: I got SO stuck on this! But I wanted a new story for you guys!

Sakura: Riiiight...

Me: (bursts out crying)

Sakura: Please Read and Review!

Me: Even though the ending sucks!