...Amaranthyz Presents...

Escaping Fear

Chapter 4: Prison and Freedom

Character(s) [By appearance]: Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Morino Ibiki, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Sai, Houzuki Suigetsu, Jugo, Karin

Pairing(s): -

Characters from Naruto - rightfully belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

I strongly disclaim all rights on the characters but the entire story was originally and rightfully created by me

Dear diary,

I hope what I'm doing is right. I hate seeing my brother and Sakura in pain. I know what it feels like to lose a precious friend. He's finally came back and that's the best thing for them now.

That may be, but I'll make the best a better thing. I will release him from that empty cell. He will soon be the old snobby Uchiha heir that everyone has hopes for. I know this is the right thing.

I just hope he's working with me to make it right.

---

Ino got up that morning with the intention of letting out Sasuke from that empty cell. She had promised herself to do this ever since she saw Naruto and Sakura's behaviour with Suigetsu yesterday. She'll restore the three's happiness. Ino understood their pain since she couldn't live without Shikamaru and Chouji by her side at times too. They have been apart for too long.

It's time someone brings them back together. Ino smiled to herself at the mirror and whispered, "Fight on!" before checking her hair and straightening her clothes. There was no way Yamanaka Ino would walk out with tangled up hair and a creased shirt. Ino then jumped out her bedroom window and landed right beside her old friend, Shikamaru whose eyes almost popped out of his head when she dropped down.

"Ino, could you just make a proper entrance? You almost gave me a heart-attack!" Shikamaru said, rubbing his chest.

Ino laughed, "I had never thought such a minor thing would scare the carefree Nara Shikamaru."

"You know, I'm beginning to get more serious nowadays, Ino. Don't play around with me."

"That's scary. Well, I've gotta go bail out a jerk from his prison. He's not all that a jerk but he's still a jerk," Ino said as she made her way above the rooftops towards her workplace.

Shikamaru scoffed and put a hand on his hip, "That's the same old anxious queen, Ino for you."

---

Ino met up again with her instructor in front of Sasuke's room. He had his arms crossed and a serious look on his face.

"Is something wrong, Morino-sensei?" Ino asked.

"I know you're trying to clear Sasuke off the charts, Ino. I want to be sure that you're sure of this and you're not doing this as a self-gain thing."

The blonde smiled, "I'm sure of it, sensei. I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for the happiness of my friends."

Ibiki carved out a smile and patted Ino's shoulder before walking away. Ino watched her instructor as he left the place. She then turned towards the door and took a deep breath. She turned the knob and walked in.

"Hey Sasuke-," Ino was about to greet him when she saw the room empty. In the seat where he usually sat was just open air. She looked at the dark corners of the room in front of her. A rush of panic stirred in her. To think she was going to help him.

"Shocked, Yamanaka?" Sasuke's voice boomed out from behind the door. Ino pulled back the door slightly and Sasuke walked out from its shadows with a smirk.

"You little pest!" Ino choked out her words as the panic washed away.

To her surprise, Sasuke laughed. It wasn't a menacing laughter or a teasing one but a happy one. Ino cleared her throat as Sasuke sat down. She slammed the door shut behind her and walked towards Sasuke. The raven's laughter had died down when Ino came up to him with glaring eyes.

She took his chin in her hand and looked straight into the obsidian eyes. Sasuke saw the icy blue of hers as she stared through him. Her face was very close to his, one more inch and they'll bump into each other. Ino finally let go and sighed. She crossed her arms and sat down on the table.

"I guess you're honest enough to be let out," Ino finally said.

Sasuke hesitated, "I thought you were gonna kiss me or something."

"Why do you think of that?"

"I thought you still had the fan-girl syndrome."

"You jerk!" Ino shouted before calming herself down with a few breaths.

"Ino," Sasuke said. To Ino's shock, he had called her with her first name. She stared at him as he looked up, meeting her eyes.

"Ino, are you serious about this?"

The blonde blinked, "Huh? About what?"

"You said you're gonna let me out. Is that true?"

Ino grinned, "Yeah."

Sasuke's eyes suddenly lit up for a moment before they returned to the shadows of his bangs, "You're lying."

"What?" Ino was startled.

Sasuke shot her a menacing look, "You're lying aren't you? No way would you let me out so fast. Stop joking around."

"I'm not lying!" Ino slammed the table with her fist. She was angry; enraged because he was accusing her. She was serious and he was accusing her of lying?!

"I said I will let you out and I meant that, Uchiha Sasuke! You'll be released real soon! Bet on it!"

The raven-haired boy's eyes widened slowly. Finally, after what it seemed like an hour, he smiled, "Thanks."

"You seriously owe me for busting you out of here."

"No, I'm not thanking you for releasing me."

Ino's eyes were filled with rage again, "What?!"

"Calm down. I'm thanking you…for not lying to me."

Ino calmed down and smirked, "That's nothing, really."

The two spent a moment in silence, each deep in their own thoughts. Ino finally let out a heavy sigh, "I guess, I should talk with Tsunade-sama now. She's the one holding the key to let you out."

"Y…yeah, sure," Sasuke said.

Ino grabbed her files and flashed a smile at Sasuke before opening and walking out of the door. Now, her job in getting his trust was finished. The only thing left is the loud-mouth Hokage's confirmation. Ino rushed towards the Hokage mansion with full hopes for Sasuke's release.

---

"Give me three good reasons why I should free that Uchiha punk!" Tsunade burst out at Ino's recommendation for Sasuke's release.

The Hokage had the reeking smell of alcohol coming from her mouth and Shizune's smile was wry and she kept on laughing and stammering. It was a sure thing that Tsunade here had a whole bottle or two of sake a few minutes ago. Ino brushed her bang up behind her ear. The Hokage was not in a serious mode so this should be a piece of cake.

"Hokage-sama, if I give you the three reasons, will you release Sasuke with the payment of a bottle of sake?"

Tsunade flashed a drowsy eye at Ino, "YOU THINK I'M THAT STUPID, STUPID?" she pointed a finger at Ino before dropping back on the desk, "Okay."

"Yes!" Ino whispered before giving out her reasons, "One: Sasuke has proven himself to be innocent. If you want to watch my conversations with him, please check this video tape we have been recording in secret."

Ino laid the video tape she had been holding on Tsunade's desk and continued, "Two: There are a majority of people who recommends Sasuke's release along with me as their voice. I don't think you would want to know of the vast number of people."

Ino had to hold back her giggle for her bluff, "Finally: Sasuke is one of Konoha's most powerful shinobi. With his release, we will be able to get a better military force right at the second!"

Shizune raised an eyebrow at Ino. The blonde giggled and rested her hands on the desk, "So, Hokage-sama, do we have a deal?"

Tsunade looked up towards Ino with tired eyes and a blank expression. It seemed like forever when she finally dropped back down on the desk, "Whatever."

Ino jumped up and silently shouted, "Yes!" as she passed the documents of her interrogation to Shizune who sighed in defeat. The Hokage was useless when she was drunk. Shizune slammed the papers on the desk, "Tsunade-sama, how could you let her go like that?! I know you still have some humanity inside so wake up!"

Shizune held Tsunade by her shoulders and shook her violently as Ino jumped out of the mansion and hopped from one rooftop to another to find her brother. Naruto might be the happiest when Konoha was told of the news. She had a wide smile as she soared across the houses and shops. She finally noticed a golden-haired boy in front of the Konoha hospital with another five people. The pink-haired girl was right beside him. She seemed, annoyed.

Ino dropped down by Sai and looked at the other three people. Suigetsu was slurping his bottle of water while leaning against Jugo, the orange-haired and the kind one of Taka.

"Oh, well if it isn't Ino-chan," Suigetsu smiled.

"How did you know my name?" Ino never recalled telling him her name.

He chuckled, "I told you, I'm sightseeing the village. I might have known around two hundred of these people. I have a good memory when I focus."

"Suigetsu," Jugo whispered to Suigetsu and the shorter guy cleared his throat.

"Well, since we're all here, let's have an introduction. As you know, I'm Suigetsu, this big guy here's Jugo and the snobby bitch here's Karin."

The final person in the group was a red-haired girl wearing spectacles. At Suigetsu's remark, Karin punched him square in the face only to find him made out of liquid.

"You, shut the hell up!" Karin yelled as Suigetsu laughed.

"I was about to say that to you! Suigetsu's right about that bitchy attitude of yours!" Sakura cut in. Ino's prediction was true; Sakura was mad.

"I beg your pardon, miss! You better watch your own mouth rather than that hell of a hairstyle you've got there. Which saloon did you go to; the ass-covered-hair saloon?"

"Why, you have a nice tongue there. Want me to rip it out?!"

"Just try!"

Karin and Sakura glared at each other with menacing eyes as Ino stepped in between, "How about you both put a sock in it?! What the hell's going on here?"

"She started it!" both Sakura and Karin pointed at each other.

Sai kept on smiling and tapped Ino's shoulder, "I believe they are having a 'cat-fight'."

"I get it, Sai. But what I want to know is why," Ino looked at the three ex-criminals which reminded her of an important fact, "Wait, why are you three free again?"

"Your peeps released us of course," Karin scoffed.

"But why? You should still be in interrogation."

Jugo stepped forward, "They said they would only interrogate our leader and that they'll watch us while Sasuke's absent. Any disobedience of ours will be sentence as a direct execution. We're not 'free' actually."

Jugo pointed at the hospital's rooftop and Ino saw dozens of ANBU staring at them.

"Well, the jerk that I interrogated which is your leader has been released."

When Ino voiced that out, everyone stared at her in silence. They were all wide-eyed and Suigetsu and Naruto had their jaws hanging. Sai's face then curved back up to a normal smile, "That's good."

Naruto jumped at Ino, "No way, this early?! Is this true, Ino?!"

"Seriously, this is awesome news," Suigetsu added in.

Ino just looked at them and smiled, "Uchiha Sasuke will be officially released on noon tomorrow. I guess I'll be seeing you all at the interrogation base too?"

All six of them nodded anxiously. From their expressions, Ino was sure she had completed her mission. She had done the right thing and that was all she wanted to know.

MWUAHAHAHAA!!!

All of the main characters has appeared.... Although Shikamaru had a small scene for this bit but he'll come up in the main parts in the next few chapters... Man, how slow can I go? I mean, it's the 4th chapter and Sasuke had just been released from prison... -___-

I know.. I'm slow.. But I want to take this bit by bit into the climax without rushing... I had a slap in the face for myself in my last story so I'll do better in this one...

-Amaranthyz