Ever since being found in that pile of rubble Matsuko has been in a deep coma. We were beginning to believe that he may never awaken as months, even years, eventually came to pass. I had resigned as Hokage of the village leaving it to Sakura or Kakashi to take over, I felt as though I no longer deserved the title of Hokage, nor did I even want it anymore because if Matsuko awakens I will have a family with him. The thoughts of Orochimaru trying something again never left my mind although there's been no word on him since his attempted destruction of the leaf village. Hinata came up behind me and placed her hand on my shoulder as I stared down at Matsuko's sleeping body.

"Do you think he'll ever wake up?" I knew Hinata had not gotten over the fact that I lived Matsuko so I didn't expect her to comfort me in the slightest.

"I don't know Naruto, Sakura has high hopes that he will. Although, what'll happen when, or if, he does? The leaf village doesn't exactly want him here and because of him you haven't been able to use your chakra." My hand silently went to the collar that was still placed around my neck.

I hadn't thought about what will happen once he awakens with the fear that he may never at the back of my mind. I sat down at Matsuko's side and rubbed his cheek with my hand. I don't want his and I's relationship to backtrack because of a few mistakes he had made and I know everyone still blames him for my kidnapping but I was the one who told him to take me. I allowed it to happen because I loved Matsuko even if the others didn't understand that. I heard a gasp come from behind me and quickly crawled over to Matsuko with my body placed just over his. He started to open his eyes and raised his hand weakly, I watched him carefully touch the collar around my neck and it crumple to dust. He smiled sadly before looking away from me.

"Naruto…"

"Masuko, save your energy. You just woke up after a very long rest." He refused to listen to me as he struggled to sit up and placed a kiss to my lips, tears formed in my eyes as I leaned into him and kissed him back.

"I love you so much Naruto, but…" I could feel an anger starting to boil from deep inside me. Kurama fueled my anger as I looked down at the distressed man below me. I wanted nothing more than to make him feel my pain but with my fists because even after everything I've done for him he still won't stay with me!

"Hinata is right...I can't stay in Konoha…" I reached my hand out and slapped him hard in the face. I instantly regretted it after seeing Matsuko's eyes flash an angry red behind his hair. He shook his head fighting off the demon inside him but refused to look at me again. Hinata could see we needed time alone as she left the room in a hurry. I gripped onto the hospital gown that Matsuko wore and yanked him up.

"Why do you keep leaving me?!" I shook him but when he still didn't respond I slapped him again. Matsuko hid behind his hair as his skin burned red from the contact of my hand. I hit him again this time with my fist, I felt so much rage towards him because of everything he's put me through. Now he wants to cause even more pain

I could hear Matsuko sobbing behind his hair as I looked down at him with anger. I grabbed him by his hair and yanked his head back making him look at me.

"Matsuko, why do you always do this to me?"

"I'm sorry...pl-please forgive me…" Matsuko's voice quivered as he apologized to me.

"Should I be like Orochimaru, Matsuko?! You never left him! I had to kill you first!" I hit him once more this time in the stomach where he was healing from being stabbed. He doubled over and held his stomach as I looked at him with the realization of what exactly I was doing.

"I'll stay...Naruto...please don't hurt me anymore…" I held onto him as he struggled to breathe from being punched in the stomach. I thought about the demon that I had seen through Matsuko's eyes so long ago then looked down at him; he could kill me at any time if I gave him enough reason to want to. I knew I had given Matsuko enough reason as I looked at the forming bruises on his face but for some reason that thing didn't appear and I knew it was because Matsuko didn't want to be that mercenary anymore. He wanted to be happy and live a normal life without being hurt which was something that I couldn't give him.

"Why...why did you save me Kurama…"

"There are things you need to atone for, things that created much pain for everyone around you." The voice that left my mouth was not my own as I could feel Kurama slowly begin to take control while leaving me conscious. There was something off about Kurama as his chakra felt tainted by something very malicious. Matsuko seemed to feel it as well as he looked up into my eyes.

Matsuko jumped away from the bed as I was forced to make shadow clones. Matsuko took the opportunity while they started making a rasengan to run up towards me and grab my throat. I could feel the collar forming as he jumped away from the rasengan. The clones prepared shuriken after the collar had dispersed most of the rasengan and threw them at Matsuko. Several of them scraped his body as he couldn't dodge them in time . I screamed on the inside for Matsuko to run away but instead he ran towards me and touched the collar with his blood before quickly making handsigns and sealing away my chakra once more. Matsuko fell to his knees as several of the remaining clones stabbed kunai down into his back but disappeared soon after. Matsuko coughed blood onto the floor and looked up at me with a smile that hid his pain well.

Sakura and Hinata burst through the door after undoubtedly hearing the rasengan destroy a small part of the floor. They looked at the bleeding Matsuko who struggled to stand once me and me who looked at him helplessly. I could feel their eyes bearing into me as they saw the rasengan hole in the floor but they soon went to work on helping Matsuko instead.

"Maybe now, we can live a good life Naruto…" Matsuko's voice was weak as he forced himself to ignore the pain. He was looking down at the floor as he sat on the edge of the bed while Sakura removed the kunai that I had thrown from his back. I could see tears that dripped down onto the bottom of his hospital gown and felt guilty that I caused him so much pain but that guilt soon went away as a feeling of anger replaced it. He had no right to be upset, I was the one that should be upset! He kept leaving me not vice versa!

"I won't be able to remove the collar though...or you'll kill me…" He was right. I would kill him but not by my own choice. I knew something was there inside me that wasn't there before and I wondered if it had anything to do with Kabuto possessing my mind long ago. He must've planted something unknowingly there and now that it's awoken Matsuko is in danger.

"I can live with that as long as you promise to stay with me this time." He nodded.

"I-I promise…" He was sincere but I could hear that he was trying to hold back crying as best as he could. Sakura looked at me with a look that told me I was in big trouble as she healed his back.