F is for Freedom

The sound of a door being smashed in woke Tsunade from her slumber.

"WHAT THE HELL?" She screamed at the intruder.

"Sakura-chan was taken!" Naruto yelled in panic.

"What?" Quick as a whip, Tsunade raised from her desk and grabbed the blonde by his collar. "By who?"

"I don't know!"

"Shit." Tsunade dropped him and clenched her fists. "Shit. Shit. Shit!"

Naruto felt it was a good time to tell her the other half. "Sasuke went after them. Alone."

Silence filled the room as Tsunade stared at him.

Then;

"SHIT!"

xxx

"YOU ASSHOLES! LET ME GO GODDAMNIT!"

"Can we gag her or something?" A man with short brown hair questioned another man with black hair. The black-haired man shook his head.

"With what? How was I supposed to know she would be such a loud-mouthed bitch."

"I'm RIGHT HERE you bastards!" Sakura screamed as close as she could into the man's ear.

"Ow…" he muttered, shifting her to his other shoulder. "Can we knock her out?"

"Don't you dare." Sakura threatened. "If you even try I'll rip off your kunai and shove it where the sun don't shine."

"My…kunai?" The brown-haired man's face scrunched up in confusion for a few moments. Then it hit him. "AAH! HELL NO!" he yelled, tossing a bound Sakura to his partner. "You take her!"

Rolling his eyes, the black-haired man sat her on against a tree. "Now look here, Miss Haruno. We didn't kidnap you to be mean."

Cocking an eyebrow, Sakura stared at him. "So you kidnapped me because we're having a tea party."

"What? No, no. We kidnapped you because we need your help."

"You kidnapped me and you expect me to help you?"

The man blinked and looked over at his partner, whose face held the same look of confusion. "Well…yes."

To further the men's confusion, she burst out laughing. The men stared at her, willing her to stop and explain her outburst. When her laughter subsided, she sighed. "You guys are morons."

Bewildered, the brown-haired man spoke, "Morons? How?"

She rolled her eyes, "why didn't you just simply come up to me and ask. Why did you need to kidnap me?"

"Because Boss said to."

"And you didn't question him?"

"Of course not."

"That's it." Sakura said, standing up and shrugging off her bindings, leaving the men stunned. "Fun and games are over."

"H-How did you manage to get out of those?"

She shrugged, "Wasn't hard. You didn't tie them very tighty."

The black-haired man glared at the brown-haired man, who grinned sheepishly. "I told you to tie them as tight as you could!"

"I didn't want to hurt her…"

The black-haired man groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Wonderful. So you're just going to leave and go back to your village now?"

"Of course not." Sakura replied defiantly, causing both the men to look at her. "I want a word with this boss of yours."

They both continued to look at her, speechless. She then decided to take charge.

"Now." She said sternly, glaring both of them down.

"Y-yes ma'am…"

xxx

Sasuke growled. He had been right there, right there when the two goons grabbed Sakura and took off with her. So, naturally, he had no choice but to follow.

Now, as he ran through the mass acres of forest surrounding Konohagakure, he swore to himself at his lack of navigation. He could have sworn he saw them pass right by here… so where were they?

"YOU ASSHOLES! LET ME GO GODDAMNIT!"

Oh, there they are.

Sasuke jumped to a tree nearby the clearing, watching as a man sat Sakura against a tree. Sasuke frowned. 'There's no way those bindings could keep anyone bound…' he thought. 'So why is she just sitting there?'

He watched curiously as they exchanged words and as Sakura stood up, the bindings falling from her shoulders. Realization of what she was planning dawned on him as he saw her green eyes flicker up to his for the barest of moments. Staying a good amount behind her and the goons, he followed her deeper into the forest.

xxx

"Just a little farther, Miss Haruno." One of the men informed Sakura. She nodded curtly, planning on having a short conversation with this boss person, help them with their problem, and then be back in time for dinner.

At least, that was her plan, until she found herself falling from the tree she had just leaped from, blackness engulfing her like a blanket.

xxx

"Shit…shit, shit, SHIT!" Sasuke cursed loudly. One second Sakura's pink head was within his sight, the next she was lost in a sudden plume of black fumes.

Standing directly outside the edge of the wall of black, Sasuke searched, looking for any weak point, any small place where he might be able to look in and possibly spot what lay beneath the dark mass. Unfortunately, nothing gave way, and Sasuke found himself taking a deep breath and diving head-first into the blackness.

His feet found solid earth, but in an instant he was grabbed from behind. Twisting himself, he brought up his heel and jammed it into the person's side, causing them to yelp in pain and release him. Instantly, another took their place, followed by two others, until Sasuke found he could not move and inch. Finally, the smoke began to clear.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" A booming voice echoed. "The last of the Uchiha brood, eh?"

Sasuke glared in the general direction of the voice, until the smoke had cleared enough to reveal a hulking man thrice Sasuke's size, towering over him. Resisting the urge to gulp, Sasuke glared up at the huge man. The man smirked

"Defiant, are we now?" He asked Sasuke, who didn't answer. "What are you doing, following the pathetic Kunoichi, hmm?"

Still refusing to answer, Sasuke simply gazed at him, until he spotted a pink shape out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head sharply in the direction, he spotted Sakura slumped in the arms of one of the goons. Sasuke turned his gaze back to the huge man, emitting a low, menacing growl. The man reacted.

"Oh, hit a sore spot have we?" The man smirked, "My name's Takeshi, and I'm the leader of these men. And she," he gestured over to Sakura with a flourish of his meaty hand, "is to be my mistress."

Shock overtook Sasuke, but he dared not show it. The man watched him carefully, but Sasuke stayed calm, betraying the twisting of his gut. "No reaction? Hmm."

Takeshi stroked the stubble on his chin thoughtfully.

"Alright then," Takeshi began after a few moments. Sasuke felt his entire body tense up as Takeshi gazed from him to Sakura.

"She dies."

"NO!"

In an instant, Sasuke's rage took over, causing him to release a surge of chakra, knocking the men holding him away. Taking no more than a fraction of a second to react, Sasuke rushed forward, drawing his kunai and taking swift aim at Takeshi's throat. But he was not fast enough, for Takeshi had moved just enough for the tip of the kunai to do no more than graze his shoulder.

But it was enough.

Sasuke watched in satisfaction as the man laughed heartily one second, and collapsed in a heap the next. "W-what? I-I can't move!"

Takeshi's eyes stared up at Sasuke, who now loomed over him. Desperately, he cried for his men. "It's no use." Sasuke told him. "They're gone."

Sakura stirred for a moment, her eyes fluttering as voices drifted over her.

"I will not kill you." Sasuke, she realized. "Not this time anyway. Try this again, however, and I will not spare you a moment."

A deeper voice then spoke. One Sakura did not recognize. "Young man, why do you risk your life for a lowly female?"

A pause. Sakura felt herself loosing consciousness.

"Because…" Sasuke broke off.

Sakura felt her senses leaving her as his voice became softer.

"Because I love her."

xxx

"SAKURA-CHAAAAAN!"

"Oi, Naruto, my head still hurts!" Sakura yelled at her blonde teammate, knocking him on the head with her fist.

Naruto grinned sheepishly, "I'm sorry Sakura-chan."

Mumbling to herself, Sakura flopped back against her hospital bed. "Why won't they let me out of here?"

"Just a little longer, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, "And then we can all go get ramen! Sasuke's treat, ne, Sasuke?"

Sasuke, who had been minding his own business, glared at his teammate. "Hn."

"See, he totally agrees!"

"Naruto, why don't you go get us all something to eat." Sakura suggested, before Sasuke got a chance to strangle him.

"Oh, good idea. I could use some ramen, I'm starving." Naruto said, standing up and waving as he walked out the door, leaving Sasuke and Sakura alone.

"Maybe you should go make sure he doesn't get us all ramen…" Sakura said, a sweatdrop rolling down her forehead.

Sasuke looked at her and nodded, then stood up and made his way towards the door.

"Oh, and Sasuke-kun?" He stopped, turning to face Sakura.

"Hn?"

"I love you too."