A/N: Dedicated to Sam and Robert – Don't care if you review or not, but it would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long wait – funeral and all that…

Warnings: Language; AU

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Doesn't have much to do with Naruto. Use your imagination. Eh? Pretend Sam is Naruto and Robert is Sasuke… their personalities fit the profile anyways. Oh, and there's a Shino in this, who's Greg btw, but I figured to use a name from Naruto, since I'm replacing Sam and Robert in it, too.

-x-

I'm Sorry (prt. 2)

A desperate week had passed since our first encounter, and my friends in school had, unfortunately, caught on, but none were a good enough friend to get involved in my problems, and afterwards, I realized that that was probably the best decision they had ever made in their lives.

During the last seven days, I had repeatedly snuck out of my house to meet up with these people that I had come to hate so much. However, I knew that I was already knee deep in trouble so there was no direction left to go in but down and deeper into the whole mess.

X:O:X:O:X

It was a Saturday that my friends, Naruto and Sasuke, decided to come over my house at night, and on their way over to my block, they had bumped into me. 'Hot damn, how could I have been so careless?!'

Naruto came over to hug me and Sasuke, being the stoical man he is, just nodded in my direction. I broke down, and gave him a hug, knowing that he wasn't one for getting them anyway. I noticed him blush, even though it was rather dark outside… outside.

That was when they realized it. "Why are you out here, anyway?" I looked at them and said that I was going to meet with some friends. I felt guilty, but it wasn't as if I was lying completely. I truly was going to meet with people – I just wasn't sure if you would classify them as 'friends.' Sasuke had informed me that Naruto dragged him out of his house to sneak into my house and sleep over for the night (something that we often did, as friends).

I giggled and told them that maybe tomorrow would have been a better time; after all, Sunday was sort of a 'break' day for my gang. Wait, gang? What? Me? Part of a gang? Hmm…

They agreed with meeting with me tomorrow, and I continued to walk in the direction I intended on going towards. They followed me – something I regret allowing them to do. I turned around asking them, politely, if they would turn around as well and walk in the opposite direction.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at me as if I had grown two heads. Was my request really that alien to them? I looked down at my feet and told them I had private business to attend to. They were confused, so they 'insisted' to come along with me. I wasn't really in the mood to argue so I let them tag along, but told them to keep their distance.

At this point, I was pretty sure they were out of their freaking minds, probably obsessing over the fact that I was keeping such a big secret out of their lives. They were my best friends – people who snuck food to me when my parents did not allow me to eat, people who iced me and bandaged my bruises when I got beaten, and my boys – who gave me their shoulder when I wept horribly.

I finally reached our point for the day – it was deep in a nearby woods-place. It wasn't a forest, but the area was lush with trees, specifically oak and maple. It was next to a highway of sorts and was rather deep. At the tree, I saw my leader talk to some of the other guys. I was, frightfully, the only girl in the group. I hadn't had the heart to just walk casually into the conversation, so I decided to fall back and listen in, if not for a second or two.

I signaled to my boys to go to a smaller maple tree, which was about ten yards away – hidden, but still within earshot. They listened into the conversation as well. I looked at Z (the codename that I had to call him by) and began to eavesdrop.

Goddamn, the new girl in our group is something else.

-You said it, Z. (He shudders) I just wanna tap that thing.

You'll get your time K. Remember, we still need her.

-Fuck yea, we do! It ain't every day we meet a girl who can fight and is just so shit damn innocent!

Heh, with a body to match.

-Oh so right, my friend. So we going to do it tonight?

(Z shrugs) I don't know. It's really all up to her. If she ain't up to it, we'll fight with another gang and leave her to get beaten up real good. Eh, it'll be our money anyway. She'll fight as if her life's at stake.

-But Z, I thought her life really is at stake.

Damn right it is.

I glanced at Naruto and Sasuke, who had pity in the depths of her eyes. I could tell that they felt the pain that I was going through, but at the moment, it wasn't really pain, but downright embarrassment. I was just their toy – to play around with and make me do whatever they wanted at their disposal. Besides, I knew that if I backed away too much, I'd be dead within a heartbeat.

My eyes wandered around the clearing. So far, only four of six boys were there. I was their seventh member. I looked at my friends pleadingly, as if mentally telling them to stay away.

It seemed as if my brain no longer controlled my body as I found myself walking towards the clearing and sitting next to Z. I would've normally shuddered at the feeling of being so close to such a man, but like I said, when I'm in the zone, I was fearless. It wasn't as if anything made sense anymore, anyway.

We waited for the others to find their way, and as some of the guysShino went along with their business – some sharpening blade and others, simply, talking – I sat quietly, not sure what to do, knowing that Naruto and Sasuke were so close.

Zooming into my thoughts, I almost didn't feel Z's hand rub my back warmly. I looked up at him. He was sitting on a log with a tight black muscle shirt. Z had grey sweatpants and sneakers. He smirked in my direction while continually rubbing his hand against my back.

I saw K glancing at Z, sending mental messages. To them, I had no name – nor, no value. I went by the name of D. Heh, D. D meaning death? Whatever it meant, it was just a letter, and I was just being labeled.

Two more guys came, and we were waiting for the other one. I loomed over this fact and felt awful. I knew that since he was the last to make it through, he'd probably get the crap beat out of him and shoved off, out into the highway and left to survive on his own. Our way of life was sick and cruel, and it disgusted me to no point on edge, and yet, I'm still here. Why? Because I was afraid of leaving. I had the worst feeling that if I had left, these people would come and hunt down everyone I cared for, and beat them up. Then turn them against me, and make my 'friends' kill me off.

What a wonderful life I live!

I looked down at myself. I had a dark blue shirt on; it was at least three sizes too big for me. I had grey mesh shorts, reaching to my lower knee, and navy blue sneakers with grey ankle socks. I shook my head and giggled to myself. I somehow found the need to match, even though what I was doing called for no such thing.

I stood up to stretch and get ready. I knew that we were called here to fight and get some money. Five hundred dollars were at stake here, which would be equally divided between our members (well, those who survived anyway).

Bending down to limber my calves, I heard a rustling in the distance. I hoped to God that it wasn't my friends. I knew they were idiots (my idiots, may I add) but I didn't think that now was the time for fooling around. I turned my head slightly, only to see K ogling at my butt, which sadly, was bent over in his direction. I stood up, raised my arms and sat down again to stretch some more. I saw K disappointed, but honestly, I could give a fuck about how he felt.

My ears picked up the sound of a groan. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see a fellow mate get beaten up. He was one of the guys that respected me for who I was, unlike K or Z and several others. A moan came out and I heard a knife being sharpened on the far end of the area. I couldn't stand this. My heart was beating hard, but I controlled it, in fear that someone could've heard my fright.

I escaped again to my world, learning to block and be ignorant of everything going on around me. I softly sang words that Naruto and Sasuke always sung to me when they laid down in my bed next to me, caressing me, making me feel loved…

An angel, I see, before my very eyes.

Tears, they fall, to my dreaded surprise.

Kiss away, so gently, the pain in her heart.

Let her find people who'll never pull apart.

So kind and so lowly, humble and meek.

Give her a friend in which she could seek.

An angel, I see, so beautifully new.

Whisper in her ear that 'I love you.'

I opened my eyes, another dry tear escaping me, and I had hoped that no one had heard me. But one person did, and that was the guy who was being beaten up. I saw him quietly smile, despite the foregoing blows he had been receiving. And somehow, I found the courage to go up towards the group and pull the guy away from their clutches.

Telling them that I wanted to take care of him myself, I took out a blade, which was secured on my thigh, and used my hand to hold his two wrists behind his back; my knife was at his neck. I whispered to him, telling him to play along. He groaned when I pushed him down into the bushel of trees. When we got to the edge of the forest, facing the highway, I looked at him with sad eyes and told him that he could leave.

Until then, I had known him as G, but after he looked at me with pitying eyes, he held out his hand and said that his name was Shino. I smiled tiredly and shook his hand back. I told him my name, as I felt that it was the right thing to do.

It had been an awkward second or two until I heard his voice break the silence. He mentioned something about my song, but I was so lost in my thoughts that I had him ask again.

After contemplating on what to say, I told him that it was a sort of song that my best friends always sang to me whenever I felt beaten down and lonely. They had often sneaked in my room to comfort me with this song. Shino smiled and I looked down at the knife that was still in my hand. His voice said that it would be my bloodshed if I hadn't come back with at least a little evidence of a brutal fight.

I nodded in approval and sighed. He winced when the blade gleamed with the light from a street post. I just couldn't find it in my heart to strike him, so I cut myself. I lifted up my shirt a little and with a very small pierce, blood oozed out. I let it bleed a little before I opened up my newfound wound a little more. I bit my lip in pain, but knew that it was my death if they found out that I had let Shino out with not so much as a warning.

Using the blood from my flesh wound, I covered my blade with it and wiped the metal against my sweatpants, near my weapon pouch. I made sure that the stain was dark enough for noticing. I took some more of my blood and put a little bit on the blade, hoping that it would stay until I got back. I put it into my black pouch and took out a small band aid. After putting a little more on my cheek and left arm, I put the band aid on and looked towards Shino for his approval. He nodded, but took a knife of his own and leered closer to me. I began to furrow my eyebrows, completely confused in what he was doing. He ripped the right edge of my shirt, from the bottom to about three inches higher. He pulled back, putting the knife in his pocket.

Shino pulled me into a hug, which I shyly returned. He asked if we could still be friends after all this was over, and I looked at him and sincerely said that we will be, after all this is over. (It never ended, and I haven't spoken to Shino since.)

He turned around, and so did I. Leaves crinkled under his feet as he walked away, but it stopped. I turned my head towards my right shoulder and heard him say something that still clenches in my heart today. Never back down. He left me, and I left my band aid there. I figured – feel pain to avenge the pain of others. Oh, how wrong was I.

X:O:X:O:X

I got back to the clearing and used the back of my hand to wipe the blood on my cheek. I saw K and Z smirk, and they told me that I had two choices for tonight. Fight or fuck…

Out of sheer willpower, I told them I would fight, yet again. They have given me this choice for so long now, about six days, but to me, that seemed like eternity – every night was wasted on my bond with them.

A look of grimace passed through them but overcame it since money would come out of my decision anyway. I was informed that we had five minutes to get ready until we had to go to a deserted area, farther north from where we were. (That meant more walking, and I was not in the mood.)

I told them aloud that I had to go take a piss, and Z let me out. I found Naruto and Sasuke and told them that they had to go. Being the stubborn assholes they are, (I still love them, nonetheless) they refused to leave.

Harshly, I said that I'd explain it all later and they nodded. I added that they could stay and follow, but warned them to never go near the fight and never get involved. Naruto asked me why I did. I turned around and left them, mouths agape. I hoped that they listened to me.

Sauntering my way back to the clearing, I saw the five other boys just sitting there. Some seemed anxious to fight, while others seemed caught up in themselves, as if having an argument inside their heads. It was only six of us left, and we started our adventure towards another group.

With the sounds of crushing leaves, I moved swiftly, with light steps. I knew that Naruto and Sasuke were following because the sounds of their feet stopped a second after the guys had, so I continually covered for them by making excess noise.

I vowed silently to myself that I would protect them, no matter what.

Going near another clearing, this time, a sort of asphalt parking lot, I saw that we were outnumbered. We had six, while the other group had twelve – all guys; big, strong, manly guys.

I groaned inwardly. This is going to be hell. I proceeded to take my shirt off, leaving me in a black sports bra, and tightened the holster that held my weapons pouch up. I saw Z, and the other gang's leader step forward. They called the shots.

No guns. Five hundred dollars total. Death… allowed.

I gasped for I had never been in a fight with that third equation put in. Swallowing my fear, the gang and I got ready to face my ultimate challenge. Taking out my knife, I whispered the words to my own song that I always sang to Naruto and Sasuke when they were down.

Sad and soft and severed and sweet.

Love is lost in the pains of heat.

I smile for my soldiers, so strong and bold.

Fighting to live so that we may grow old.

Sad and soft and severed and sweet.

Love is found in the pains of heat.

Looking up, letting those last tears fall, I shook my head, getting my mind ready for blank composure for the knife was thrown, and the battle begun.

-x-

Those songs really were our songs. I feel really shitty now. Have fun…