Maybe a little like Hate

AN:/Because chapter 469 and chapter 470 of Naruto freaking pissed me off so much. Someone is certainly sexist if you ask me.

Standard disclaimer applied.


We are a generation twisted by our myth
Confused and ludicrous, holding on to love
Consumed by all the pleasures in our midst
A life without the lips we've kissed
And losing all control

We're gonna start a resistance
So we want independence
We're gonna give the world some of this
Electric kiss
I'm gonna change the world with my lips
One voice forever
We'll live together
Peace, love, solitude and happiness
Electric kiss

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It was raining.

Hard and heavy, it came down in sheets that pressed her lightly colored rose locks to the sides of her face and the back of her neck. Some of her lighter make up, the kind that wasn't waterproof, washed off and away, leaving her with wetter, darker lashes and naturally colored cheeks from the cold. stripped of it's earlier gloss, her lips trembled like the petals of a rose in windstorm, tinted a paler color from lack of flowing blood.

Shiver after shiver racked her body as she convulsed with every other breath she took against the wind. She would probably catch a cold from standing outside for so long in such dangerously low temperatures, but she couldn't care less in light of the recent events. There was little she could care about with the weight that now found its self resting on her shoulders. In fact, she was mildly surprised with her own equanimity in light of everything.

She raised her arms to cross them over her chest and let her hands run over her bare shoulders and exposed neck. Feeling the raised lines from the recant scratches she let her head fall, her fair descending like a curtain around her face. "It's no good. This isn't going away and I need to get this over with as soon as possible."

The sounds from the jazz club she had just come from rose with the opening of the back door and died as it slammed shut, the garbage boy finished with is duties. Sakura looked back with dead eyes, knowing she was suppose to sing tonight. Pein would have to understand, since he was one of those who helped her cover her tracks and clean up her mess. Itachi and Hidan were the only other two who knew for certain and both were too close to betray her, so she didn't have to worry about being caught. After all, they were professionals in such matters.

Breathing calmly for once, she let her arms fall to her side and away from the marks on her neck. Her eyes were narrowed and hardened in determination. She took a step forward and than another, and another, one right after the other till she was already a full block away from the club. Her pace was even and slow, taking her close to fifteen minuets to reach her destination despite the rain that would drive any sane man indoors.

There was a small house in front of her, sandwiched between two others who were just as thin and just as tall. The porch was thin and hardly stuck out enough to protect Sakura as she waited in front of the door, the dulcet and personalized ringing of the doorbell echoing inside. The melodious chime stopped and even through the pouring rain she could hear his heavy footfalls approach the door. Why was she so sensitive to everything about him?

The door opened inwards and his frame filled the opening. Like a shock of color in a black and white world, his wide eyes met hers. More prominate than the colors of a stain glass window againts the sun, his blue eyes captivated her virescent ones. She knew her face didn't move of shift from the blank expression, but she could feel her whole body go weak on the inside. It was something he could make happen even in her high-school days.

"Sakura!" he gasped, shocked to see her in such a state more than he was to see her at all. "What in God's name are you doing in the rain. Hurry up and get in her before you collapse on my porch!"

He spoke and she was helpless under his words, so she did as she was told and entered his house. Minato closed the door behind her as soon as she was far enough in and cut off the cold that seemed to follow her like a vengeful spirit. She felt him grab her hands and the warmth that flowed from his fingers was almost painful as they brought life back into her numb state. He rubbed his hands around her and then breathed on them, cursing her all the while for staying in the late fall rains of early December.

"You're a crazy woman, you know that Sakura? Don't you have work or something since you're dressed so nicely. I don't think your boss will like how you skipped out to catch a death in the rain," he scolded, care and comfort lacing his every word. "Come in and sit down while I get some towels. I think there should be some coco or tea in this place."

She numbly nodded and let him lead her to a old couch before he left for some towels. Her black pumps of five extra inches made clicking sounds as she passed over the wooden walkway that separated the living room from the kitchen before muffling on the carpet. She fell into her seat like a rag doll and draped her arms over her raised knees. More concerned with his couch than her halt, she watched as droplets of water fell from her dark purple strapless dress and onto the corse fabric.

"Here," he said, dropping something white and fluffy over her head. He kneeled down before her and ruffled the towel over her head, letting the white thing pick up as much water as it could. "You don't know how much you look like a wounded puppy right now."

"Minato," she spoke, interrupting his light tone with a heavier one. She was telling him with only that word that there were more serious matters at hand than her wounded puppy appearance. He understood at once, like he always and back up to sit on the couch across from her own.

"What happened?" his tone wasn't light or carefree anymore, but darker and more serious. He probably though she got attacked at work or something and was coming to him to cry about it, by his posture. That was probably something she would have done in the past if it had happened, but not now.

"I am fine. I'm not hurt so you don't have to sound like that," she answered, already feeling guilty.

"Is that were the scratches came form?"

Sakura lifted a hand to her neck and rubbed the raised lines. "These are old, they should go away soon."

"What happened?" he asked, leaving her no room to run. She would need to answer his question and he wouldn't allow her to beat around the bush about it.

"I did something bad."

"Did someone do something bad to you first?" She could just smell his suspicion of rape in her.

"It's not what you're thinking, but... that was how it happened. I-" she chocked and shivered, her hand flying to her face as deep coughs racked her body. She could feel her whole body swell as air was forced out of her and it felt painful. He was there beside her in an instant patting her back and rubbing her arm, his eyes a light with worry.

"Sakure..."

"I'm alright," she breathed, her cheeks even more flushed than before. He was so close next to her she could feel his breath against her shoulder and bit her lips, turning her eyes away from his form and fixing them on the flickering fame of a scented candle on the end table. "I-need to tell you something before it hurts me any more than it has already."

"What happened, Sakura?" he was impatient.

"Naruto hasn't been here in a while has he?"

He blinked, glancing at the stairs that led up to the second floor where his son slept. "Not for a few weeks. Wh-" his eyes lit up and shot towards the scars on her neck. The gears in his turning all the while as the answers clicked into place. "He didn't."

"Don't be mad at him this time. It wasn't that big of a deal."

She saw the blond man's eyes narrow and his lips grow thin. "Even if he's kin of mine to go so far. I'd kill him the next time I see him."

"I already did," she whispered, feeling hear heart stop.

Minato's hold on her shoulder quivered and she felt it leave. He stood up and back away, his hands behind his head and the other at his hip. She watched him under her lashes as he wavered where he stood. Though he had just threatened such a thing only moments ago, it was still a shock to him and one he wasn't comfortable with.

"How?" was all he asked, his eyes shadowed with longer bangs.

"He came to the club three days ago and locked himself in my dressing room. Before I knew what was happening he was fighting me. That's how I got these." She traced the marks on her neck. "I though he was trying to kill me because that's what it felt like by he was pulling down my dress so I knew... it was something else he had come for. I didn't really remember the rest of it, but I grabbed a hardcover copy of The Iliad and hit the side of his head with the corner of it. I think that's was killed him, but some of my coworkers broke down the door in time and pulled him off my body. I passed out then and when I woke up everything was already over."

Something tugging on the front of her dress and she saw Minato in front of her tug a bit of it down to expose more of the scratches and barely visible bruises over her breasts. They were worse under her dress, making his turn away in disgust.

"I... I though but I never believed he was... capable of it. I never thought he would hurt you."

"You knew he was violent, though. He attacked Sasori we he caught us together and nearly killed him. It was only a matter of time before he ended up turning his anger towards me for not returning the affection he thought he deserved. Even if I was seven years older than him, he was always like that."

Minato didn't say anything for a long time, and for Sakura it seemed breathing was a hundred times more difficult in his presence. The couch dipped down beside her and she knew he was sitting next to her, but she still refused to turn her head towards him. A hand rested against the side of her face and she closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of it.

She didn't want him to leave, or to hold anything against her in his heart. He was the most important person to her ever since she fell in love with him in the first year of high school. Being so much younger than him, her teacher who already had a kid from his divorced wife, it seemed like an impossible dream to be anything more than a child in his eyes. Over the years she grew and became his friend, babysitting his son who was seven years younger than her, and taking him meals when her mom overcooked. She never let anything betray her affections for him, having one or two boyfriends while she knew him and taking jobs with questionable backgrounds. She was too proud to be honest in front of him.

"Sakura..." his tone was quieter and carried a weight to it. She could just visualize the tired dullness that was sure to be in his youthful orbs, clashing with the rest of his youthful appearance. Such eyes didn't belong to one with such an amazing face and dazzling smile. "Sakura look at me."

She refused to look up at him, her head still hung down a bit and her eyes still glued to the floor in front of her. She felt like there were cinderblocks in her head keeping it weighted down and turned away form him as she disobeyed his command-something should would have thought impossible in theory.

"Sakura," he said, this time a bit more stern as he took both of her shoulders in his hands and turned her to face him. His eyes searched her face, looking for what she hid too well. "don't think I blame you. I don't-"

"Damn it, Minato, don't you fucking get it?" she cursed using language he wasn't used to hearing from sweet little Sakura. "I killed your son, he's dead."

"And I just told you I don't blame you. Maybe I would be mad at you if it was in cold blood, maybe if you didn't beat yourself over it so much and try to get yourself killed out there in the rain, maybe if you weren't acting in self defense, maybe if he didn't try to rap you, maybe...I would hate you but I don't. Son or not, he had no right to touch you." His voice broke into something that sounded like a growl and she could feel the pain he was experiencing and felt that much worse.

"Minato, I-"

"Don't! Don't say anything," he breathed, still holding onto her shoulders. His head tilted towards her and rested against her neck. "I'm the one who should be saying sorry, for these marks for your pain and self loathing. I'm so sorry that he did or tried to do such things." He pulled her towards him and suddenly she felt his arms wrap all around her. His lips were against her skull and she could have sworn she heard his lips press a kiss to her crown.

Wordlessly, she pushed him away and stood, his hands were still on her shoulders as if stuck, but after so long they fell away and he stood as well. "Don't you want to know anything else?"

"Such as?"

"Where the body is."

He made a bitter face and she almost regretted her words. "Do I want to know?"

She could only imagine the exact details of Hidan's and Itachi's dealings with Naruto's body, knowing for sure only that they had dumped some 'garbage' into the ocean, A mile away from the harbor where they had a privet boat docked. "The didn't mutilate it."

"I don't want to know now. Like I said before, it doesn't matter who he was, son or brother or father, I can't forgive his actions. He got was was due to him."

"You're so heartless," she choked, a hand grabbing a fistful of her hair as more tears leaked out. "I'm the one he...he... at-attacked and I feel so fucking disgusting. I feel the need to wretch almost every second of the day and I can't help but feel his blood on my hands. Damn it!"

"You think you have more of a right to morn his death that I?" Minato asked in a suddenly calm tone. Sakura choked a bit and looked up, bewildered. "You are not allowed to morn his death more than I am, and morn I will, but not as if he were a saint. Do you regret anything you did?"

"If I had waited a bit more then they would have broken down the door and-"

"By that time he could have raped you! Is it worth it?"

It wasn't what she wanted, not by a long shot. The black truth she couldn't manage to choke out was that in that instant of fighting back, in that frozen moment in time she had wanted to kill Naruto, she wanted him to die for what he had done to her since his obsession started. She closed her eyes an quieted herself. "I just came here to tell you the truth, Minato. You deserved that much."

"You...you're not leaving now, are you. It's still raining."

"Yeah..." she sounded so dull even to herself. "But not just here, this whole town is repulsive to me now. I need to leave."

"You'll come back, won't you?"

She didn't dare look up at him, it was too painful and he seemed to know that. "I won't...I can't."

She took a steep around him and her heels met the wood floor of the extended hallway. The door was in front of her not too far away and she was ready to leave. She hadn't taken more than three steeps forward on that wood floor when he was behind her, holding her in his embrace. She didn't act surprised because she wasn't. She had always suspected, but it all seemed so clear to her now.

"Don't go."

"I want to."

His face was buried in the back of her head and she heard his kisses more than felt them. "You love me, so don't leave."

"Do you love me." If he didn't would he be acting this way towards the woman that just killed his son?

"Yes. So...stay..."he whispered, trailing kisses down her neck, covering the bruises and scratches. "Stay with me."

The bad thing with pride is that is is irrational. He loved her and she loved him-more than anyone or anything, but her pride got in the way and told her she didn't deserve to be happy with this man or any other for that chance. She just killed his son so she didn't have the right. She wanted to kill his son, so she had no right. "I have to go."

"Sakura," her heart seemed to be cut to and exposed. She was frozen in his hold. "I'm not letting you leave in this condition. You're finally mine and I won't let even you and your pride prevent that."

Sakura had no words for him, so she just closed her eyes and let her kiss her tears away. Outside the rain had turned to snow, as the day had melted into night.

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Fame is our felony
We're so in love with it
Superstars and masochists
Who don't know where to go
But the poets and the fathers of our time
Put down their weapons in their arms
And know what they must do

We're gonna start a resistance
So we want independence
We're gonna give the world some of this
Electric kiss
I'm gonna change the world with my lips
One voice forever
We'll live together
Peace, love, solitude and happiness
Electric kiss

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AN:/I hate little Naruto, the boy, in case you didn't know.

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