And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Silver II
"So then you don't want to think the best of her?" She had been twisting his words since this conversation started. He did not know why he had such a hard time believing Naruto. At first it had been hope, and then it had been this cloud in his mind. Nothing was easier to him than to believe that someone else had abandoned him.
"I never said that."
"But you don't want to believe your friend, who wants to think the best of her. You could just as easily believe him."
She knew nothing of him. Trust had never been easy. Even people he thought he trusted he could not truly be certain of. "It's none of your business." He could hear the growl of frustration in his own voice.
"I bloody well think it is my business if you're going to kidnap me to find this woman! Why is it you want to think your wife left you?"
He sucked in a breath at hearing his wife say he kidnapped her. "I did not kidnap you." There was no way to explain it and no way to help it, but he felt better for defending himself.
He heard her moving around on her little spot of dirt after he had feigned sleep. The night before she had thought that she was being sneaky by tearing her bindings throughout the night. Today she had stumbled and staggered her way through their route until she forcibly kept herself awake to finish her work. This was a mistake she would have never made before. Fortunately for him, she did not remember how he slept and so when he snored softly and lowered his breath to deep, quiet rhythms she accepted that as proof that he was out.
It was a few hours later that she finally started clambering around to get away. He wondered for only a moment which path she would take and was surprised to hear her hop into the trees. He would have to wait until she had managed to get ahead before he took after her.
Once she had slithered her way into the shadows, he pulled himself as silently as he could onto the lowest branch. It was not hard to discern where she had been, as her steps were not as light as they once were. She still used absolutely no chakra to make her steps as quick and sure as before she disappeared. Taking that into consideration, he was surprised at how well she had evaded him earlier. Though he soon found that even if she had left no trace, he would not have worried. Someone followed her aside from him, with heavy breathing and crashing footsteps. Surely they were not trying to sneak up on her?
He had just seen her climbing when he leaped into a thick bundle of leaves. Had she looked down and seen him he was sure she would have dashed off again. It was a cautious game he played, keeping her just ahead enough to find out where she was going and just close enough to catch her again when he had figured out all he wanted. The only reason he had succeeded thus far was due to her belief that he was still asleep. The intruder was getting closer.
The clumsy follower was a woman who clutched a simple frock above the knees while she shook fiery hair from her face. The poor female appeared quite distressed as she ran straight into his wife's open arms. After a second of calming down the newcomer started chattering nervously. The words were quick and high-pitched so that they were hard to understand. He caught something about a sharp headache, and the People being sick. The news was obviously not expected. The flower colored run away closed her eyes and thought for a moment. He could almost see the moment she decided to go back.
"I will do my best. Do not follow me. I will have to pretend to be a prisoner. There will be help. Find them, and tell them not to worry." And with that she was off.
Unanswered questions sprung forward as he rushed back to beat her to camp. How did she know Tsunade would be able to help if she did not remember the woman? Did she instead expect him to help? Did she plan to tell him she had run away? What was this headache that the "People" suffered from? There were so many questions that just continued to build. Even with so many variables to consider, he could not help but reflect on how she kept calling herself a prisoner. Though it was unreasonable to expect her to understand, the continued use of that word grated on his nerves. All of this time he had pictured himself as the hero, come to rescue her from her troubles. He had expected to find her and have some definitive outcome one way or the other. Now he was stuck in limbo again, unknowing whether she would choose to stay with him or leave after she got her memory back. That is, if she ever did get her memory back. He could not rule out the idea that she may never remember him. How could he ever expect to gain her back to him if she though he had kidnapped her.
He entered camp a good ten minutes before her, and though he tried not to, he stewed on his unstable situation. By the time she reached camp he had worked himself into a simmering outburst waiting to happen.
"So, you didn't think I noticed you left?" He kept his voice calm as ever.
"If so, why did you not catch me again?" She sounded tired and broken.
"I wanted to see where you would go. You are not a prisoner." The chuckle she threw at him made his blood rise.
"What else do you call a person that is bound and being taken a place they do not want to go?" He knew there was no way to explain it that she would understand.
"I can't explain it to you yet, but you are not a prisoner. The leader I mentioned, she can help. She is a healer, although do not think that makes her any less a fighter. Only the strongest of the ninja in my town get to lead."
"That sounds like a ridiculous way to get a job; but if she can help I will not argue with you. Have you ever heard of an illness that does this?"
They talked about this strange symptom for a small while. During the discussion he managed to annoy her just as he used to and the nostalgia nearly knocked him from his feet. Surprisingly, she kept up with him exceedingly well. Though they remained silent most of the walk, the element of hostility that had existed before seemed to disappear. This allowed his mind to wander. He found breathing was much easier knowing that she needed him now, thus she would not be running away at every opportunity. The relief was more than just good for his head; it also helped him on security. Now that he did not have to worry as much about her, he could easily allow more attention to their surroundings. With no idea of why she had disappeared all those years ago he could not be sure that there would not be consequences for taking her back home.
From the nearest tree to the right he heard a non-animal movement. The noise was not soft or natural for such a calm forest. He paused to listen. They were only a day or so out from town. A highly likely prospect was that someone else was leaving out for a mission this way, but even so he would prefer to keep her exposure minimal until they reached the village. Suddenly he felt a small body collide roughly with his before a strong grasp began to pull him down with her. Reacting on instinct forced him to turn and catch himself on his hands. The position he found himself in was compromising to say the least. Her green eyes stared at him fearfully as she clutched the torn piece of his shirt in front of her as if to protect herself with it. For days he had kept the distance between them very comfortable and strict. Now the reason for such precautions bombarded his senses. She was wilder then he remembered, yes, but that did not change much.
Instead she was more potent than ever. Her smell, which had tickled his sensitive nose mercilessly for days, now enveloped him in a familiar cloud. Her hair pleaded for his touch and her eyes remained the same eyes that had stared at him on their wedding night. The unfairness of it all forced him to stand and try to reign in the warring emotions and impulses. With far more aggravation than he felt he barked out a reprimand and continued walking. For the rest of the day he was holed up in his mind, ignoring any of her attempts to talk to him for fear that he would burst forth with a flood of all the memories his ever tortured thoughts shoved forward.
That night she fell asleep quickly and without fuss. Silently, he slid behind her and wrapped his arms around the petite frame. Immediately the racing memories subsided and left him to enjoy holding her for a few hours. The next day they would be in town and he would be forced to hand her over to Tsunade for healing and inquiries. If she even managed to remember him, that would not guarantee she would want him. There was no doubt in his mind that tomorrow would be a pivotal moment in his life.