"Why are you following me?"

It was a simple enough question. It had one meaning, and it could not be confused. Even by Naruto. That one question was simple enough to answer in his sleep.

Usually.

Now, however, he was beginning to consider swearing off the whole question thing. Why are you following me? A simple question, which, in this case, had no simple answer. He could lie. "Because its fun to bug you", or he could tell half of the truth "because im going to a place, and wherever you're going is on the way". Or he could tell the truth.

Not.

It was too complicated to tell the truth, it was mixed up with a whole lot of stories and tales, plots and schemes, people and places, lies and truths, and so many other things that he himself could barely understand it even with the help of the Hokage.

"Im going to…to think."

"Oh," was the reply, "so am I. I guess everyone needs to get away sometimes, I never really considered that."

"So why do it now?"

"Because, I may as well think on the way to my thinking place."

They were coming dangerously near the gates of Konoha.

"Is that really where you're going, to think?"

"Among other things."

"I see. May I come with you?"

"I don't see why not. But you must be silent, from the time we leave Konoha to the time we enter again. As a warning: I leave Konoha for awhile to think, sometimes even days. If you are coming, you must be prepared to wait until I have finished."

"…alright. I'll come. Im curious."

They drew nearer and nearer the gates until all that remained were to exit the city-or turn back.

"Are you exiting the city?"

Naruto nodded.

"Both of you?"

He nodded again.

"Well then, be back by nightfall, or you will have to wait until morning to enter Konoha again."

"I see. We will return in time."

Naruto glanced at his friend, concerned at the emotions he felt radiating outwards.

They continued on, out of the city, into the surrounding forest.

"Where is this thinking place, anyways?"

"Must you be so silent? I'd like to think, please."

Naruto nodded, not at all offended. He knew it was the way his friend had grown up, blunt and obvious, not really showing emotion.

After a few minutes of walking silently through the forest, naruto had grown so withdrawn into his thoughts that he almost didn't notice when his friend slipped through a slight gap in a circle of trees. They were placed closely together, but just closely enough that they could shelter and hide something inside from view completely. The only reason he noticed was that he had been monitoring his friend's chakra signature, and could sense it moving away.

"Follow." Came the voice

"Im coming! Wait up!"

Naruto blindly followed the chakra signature. Since his friend made no noise, it was difficult to track them by sound, and he needed to follow his friend. Without them, he was lost.

"Where are-" he was cut off as he almost ran into his friend, standing stock-still in the dead center of the grove. When he looked around, he could see that the area was much more than a group of conveniently placed trees, the trees were placed in a circle, perfectly round, and they were close enough that they could see out, but nobody could see in. the area was small enough that the trees made a leafy canopy over them, but big enough that they could both have enough space to be comfortable. Naruto heard a peculiar rushing sound, and walked across the grove to see a brook racing along through the branches. He spun around, to ask a question, but his friend was gone. He scanned the area around him, and then he looked up. Then he saw, just off to one side, up in a tree, was his friend.

"Phew, I thought you left me here to die!"

The shadowy figure raised a finger to their lips, and then seemed to disappear.

"What? Where are-"

He stiffened as his friend appeared beside him.

"Shhh, we have been followed."

Naruto inclined his had slightly so his friend could see that he understood.

There was a slight rustling noise, and his friend winked at him. Then, they disappeared.

Again.

The leaves in the trees rustled, and then seemed to come alive as his friends chakra flared. Then, he hard the words,

"Darkangel technique! Heavens Dark Melody!"

The forest around him seemed to come alive, and he heard an entrancing melody beginning to trickle into the clearing. The music was dark and powerful, wildly beautiful yet frightening at the same time. Suddenly, a small group of ninja burst into the clearing. They wore black and red cloaks, which indicated that they were members of the Akatsuki. The air shimmered, and then warped into a black space, almost like void. The other four ninja spotted Naruto, and a blond one shouted, "There's the Kyuubi! Get him!"

As they charged, Naruto felt and unseen hand guiding him backwards, but gently, and slowly. Then, the Akatsuki in front of him disappeared.

"Watch and wait."

He looked up, and realized that he was staring at someone's back.

"Heavens dark side technique! Death angels lullaby!"

Instantly, another strange melody streamed through the clearing, but this time, it was full of malice, and obviously evil. Naruto peered around the person whose back was blocking his sight, and wished he hadn't. The Akatsuki were screaming, but being drowned out by the music. They were all bloody, and somehow, the blood that they were losing was reshaping into different weapons, and attacking them. Naruto tried to shut his eyes, or look away, but he was mesmerized by the disaster. Suddenly, a ghostly figure flitted around his head, and he felt a piercing pin in his neck. "Ouch!" he cried, and he looked up to where the figure was hovering. He was surprised at the figures immense size. It was nothing but a black shadow, but it had tattered wings, and it carried a scythe. He figured that the scythe was what had cut him, but ignored the pain and the figure, and turned back to the carnage of the Akatsuki. Only the blonde one was alive, and he was about to end the man-or woman-'s misery with a kunai, when a hand blocked his vision. He heard a strangled moan, and spun around to see his friend clutching their shoulder, where the little demon-like-thing had forced three senbon needles.

"Don't look at whats happening, otherwise, you will end up like them"

Naruto's friend muttered through clenched teeth, gesturing to the bloody pulp of the Akatsuki…or what was left of them. The blonde one stood in the center of the mess in shock. He or she only had one arm, and was badly wounded. "Well, "said Naruto "What about him?"

His friend raised their head enough that they could see the last person. They quickly muttered under their breath, "Archangel Technique! Nightmare Garden!"

The man' eyes widened as the ground around him seemed to explode, and rotting hands came out. It seemed like a horror movie, only it was real. Several hands clasped tightly onto the mans legs, and started to drag him under. A disembodied head rolled towards him, when his head was finally the only thing sticking out of the ground. Then, slowly, it opened his mouth. Naruto shut his eyes as the mans screams were cut short by the sound of tearing flesh.

When he finally gathered enough courage to open an eye, he was greeted with…trees. There was no sign of the violence that had occurred seconds ago, and even his friend was gone. Remembering what they had done before the fight, Naruto looked up into the trees, and saw his friend pulling the senbon needles out of their shoulder. A splatter of blood hit his face, and he was surprised to feel a peculiar burning sensation.

He rubbed at it, and then blinked in surprise as he felt the blood eating away at his fingers where the skin was coated.

"ouch." He said numbly. The pain had disappeared almost immediately after the blood had been touched, to be replaced with an unfeeling sensation.

His friend looked down, and their face became a mask of shock and fear when they saw Naruto staring at their blood on his fingertips.

"Naruto, run to the stream and plunge your head under. Then wash your hands! Quickly!" his friend leapt down from the tree, but seeing his shock, sighed and grabbed his wrist. "Don't move too much." They cautioned. Then, they waved a hand over the blood on his face and his hand, and the blood incinerated, leaving behind ragged holes the size of quarters.

"Ouch" he said again, and then jerked as he was slapped. Naruto snapped out of his shock, and moaned when he felt the pain from the wounds.

"Okay, now hold still. I need to patch you up."

Naruto obediently held still…until his forehead got itchy. He tried blowing on it to stop the itching, but that wouldn't work, so he tried to concentrate on something else. Still itchy.

"My foreheads itchy" he complained, earning himself another smack in the head. He tried to scratch it himself, and then found that his hands were bound by a complex network of black string, that wouldn't come apart unless you found exactly the right string, and cut it in exactly the right spot.

"What the-?"

"I need you right there while I do this. He looked over as his friend sat, cross-legged in the exact center of the clearing. A perfect circle was etched into the rock around them, and black sand was filling the circle.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

Naruto closed his eyes and Shuddered as he felt a cold and very large finger brush over his face. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted with…darkness. At least, that's what it looked like. He tried to see around it, and found that it was strangely wing-shaped. Then, it folded inward, and disappeared.

"What the heck was that?"

"Do not speak of it, ever again."

"But what was it?"

"That is not knowledge I am willing to impart."

Naruto looked confusedly at his friend. "What?"

"Im not telling you."

"Oh."

His friend looked up, and then seemed to remember that they were under a leafy canopy. They gestured for Naruto to follow, and walked out of the clearing. Naruto hurriedly followed, and was shocked to realize that the sky was almost pitch-black.

"Crap. The gates will be closed by the time we get back!"

"No, they won't. Run."

Together they ran through the forest like crazy people, going as quickly as they could. They paused together at the edge of the forest, when the gates of Konoha were just in sight.

"What? What is it?"

"Naruto, im going to be leaving Konoha soon…in a few hours, actually."

"Oh. That doesn't leave much time…"

"Much time for what?"

"Much time for me to do this…"

Naruto gently took his friends face in between his hands, and raised her chin. His friend drew in a breath, and Naruto lowered his face…and kissed her.

"N-Naruto, I-"

Naruto silenced her with another kiss. When they pulled apart, Naruto grinned at her, and said,

"I've always wanted to do that."

"…since when?"

"Since you showed up..."

"Naruto, would it be weird if I said, I think that I've loved you since I first saw you?"

"No, because the same is true for me."

They fell into each others arms, and kissed a few more times before they both started towards the gates of Konoha, holding hands.

"Naruto?"

"Huh?"

"I-i... Naruto, I love you."

"I love you too, Raven."