(A/N) Ok, so I'd like to start by apologizing for the very VERY looooooong update I know I haven't updated since …what…last September…o well thing is I'm back… to all my fans who are still loyal here and still think DeiSaku rules you get a cookie. Sorry if my work is a little suckish now… I've been through my new English class and have learned a lot but still do not know how to harness that power.

To all of you who are mad about that cliffy, I'm sorry I left it like that without updating. I learned that the best way to make a great story is to always post on time.

I'm not gonna make up excuses about why I haven't updated but I will tell you guys that it's because of a virus in the computer my mom thought came from FF . net and I had to pass my math class and a new BF. I loves my cendos!! Well, you guys I'll let you read the story now I know you're dying to LOLZ

Lots of luvs to all my faithful reviewers and a special thanks to Tsukiharakitty, maybe one day I'll be as good an author! You all are my inspiration!!

BTW, some of you keep wondering about the whole Tobi/Madara thing. Truthfully when I read it last it was around (SPOILER) Jiraiya's death by pein. I don't know much about tobi being madara. When he talked about himself he said" with the power OF Madara uchiha…" so I'm going with him being obito …at least until one of you can help me out since I'm so far behind in Naruto. Ttyl byes 4 now.

Chapter 7: Confession (Sakura's POV)

The room was silent, except for the sound of blood dripping from the kunai knife. "DRIP!" "DRIP!" I looked into the blue eyes of the rogue ninja. His eyes filled with regret.

Kabuto growled, "Y-you…" blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, where the lips meet, "You b-broke free of…" he coughed up blood as Deidara pulled the kunai from his chest. The silver haired boy would never finish his words, for the blonde boy had cut off his head. Blood splattered across the stone room and painted the faces of Deidara and me.

He walked over to me and began to untie the metal enforced rope that bound me. I looked at him and smiled. I knew he could break free of Kabuto's control. He slowly walked over to me as I rubbed my wrists. His eyes were still showing the remorse, anger, and worst of all I could see, beneath the crystal blue pools into the black abysses, hatred for himself.

"Sakura…" his voice was shaky. I smiled at him and pressed my chafed hands against his now tear stained cheek. My touch must have reassured him that I had forgiven him because he picked me up and began to run out of the room.

(Naruto)

My eyes began to droop. I was tired. Rest, though, would have to wait. Sakura couldn't. If I let her down I will have lost two of my closest friends. Sasuke was one thing but if I lose her as well I just don't think I could go on living. I looked at the stars for guidance. "Oh, great Kami-sama…" I thought, " What am I going to do?"

(Deidara)

I held her close. She doesn't realize this, but I was aware of everything I was doing. Kabuto didn't tell her that. Every little thing she said, every little cut I dragged through her delicate skin, I knew exactly what was happening. It killed me inside to do such things, but I had no control. I wish I could tell her that I loved her as well but I guess now is not the time. We're currently running for our lives. Soon one of the lackey ninja around here will discover that were gone and hunt us down.

I looked at the face of the beauty in my arms. Skin as pale as the moon lit flowers that used to grow outside my house in Iwa, hair as silky as the sheets I had slept in, eyes, though filled with fear and anguish, were as green as the emeralds my mother wore in her hair clips. Sakura fills me with the memories I had forgotten many years ago. Things lost so far in my mind I had no idea they had ever really happened. I guess that the familiarity of the leaf nin also is committing to the nostalgia.

I saw a light at the end of the dimly lit hall. But, there was a figure standing in the way. It was the bastard himself, Orochimaru.

(Tsunade)

I looked up at the stars from my office. A sigh escaped my lips. Sakura was sorely missed around here. Not only I as her sensei, but also as a mother misses her daughter. Never married, I never had such things like children. Sakura was like the daughter I never had. I giggled. She even acts like me.

The hospital needs her, too. Ninja are constantly getting injured and are being placed in my care. There are just too many for me and Shizune. I can't train any more people in the arts of healing. There is no time.

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune burst through my door. She looked out of breath. "It's a message from some village north of here. They said they saw Sakura and the Akatsuki member traveling through."

I grinned. Leave it to Shizune to make things as simple as a sighting into something like and Akatsuki invasion. I chuckled. "Send a shinobi to investigate the area."

"I thought Kakashi, Sai, and Naruto were on it…that's what I got from Kakashi's letter…" Shizune said puzzled.

"Ok then, it's being taken care of," I turned and looked at the stars again. Things may be looking up.

(Naruto)

Ok so Kakashi had convinced me to just set up camp. I wasn't wanting to sleep but I guess it was inevitable. My eyes began to sting and I closed them for just a minute. I heard rustling in the bushes. I jumped up and pulled a kunai from my side pouches. Sakura stumbled out of the bushes and looked at me. Her hair was in a mess and the leaves from various trees stuck to the short tresses. She stumbled into my arms. "Oh Naruto-kun, I found you." she rested her head on my shoulder. I held her close letting the tears that had built up spill over.

"It's ok Sakura-chan, I won't let anyone hurt you again." I muttered silently. Suddenly I felt pain in my side. Warm liquid trickled down my legs. I looked down and saw a kunai sticking me. There was a pale hand holding the knife. I followed the arm attached and it led to a shoulder that was connected to Sakura's head. Her usually beautiful, calm eyes were darker green and filled with hatred. Her evil grin showed that she was planning on killing me. I jumped away from her.

"Do you know what pain I've been through, Naruto?" She spat my name like it was the most disgusting thing she had ever tasted, "I was tortured, I was almost killed! And where were you? Here camping with the rest of the team!"

"Sakura! I-it's not…I wasn't …" I was cut off by her trying to slash at my face. I heard laughter above me. I looked and saw that damned Akatsuki member, Deidara. He jumped off his clay bird and landed perfectly beside Sakura. I glared and held my hand up. I forgot that I had dropped the kunai to hold Sakura. I looked down and I saw it by my feet.

"I'll make you suffer like you let me suffer!" Sakura screamed. I reached for the knife and there staring me in the face was a clay bird. It seemed to mock me.

"KATSU!!" I heard Deidara yell. After that all I saw was an explosion of colors around me as my flesh burned. "Weird," I thought, "I feel nothing." I looked over and saw Sakura laughing with Deidara…

I jumped up. Sweat beaded my forehead. I looked up, it was barely dawn. The fire was now just a steady stream of smoke. Kakashi and Sai hadn't even awoken yet.

I leaned back against the tree. "It was only a dream," I thought looking at the purple, blue, pink, gold sky. I always thought that dawns were better than dusks because they always me feel there was always a new day for new beginnings, but today it just seemed like I was running out of time save Sakura. Maybe Kakashi and Sai are slowing me down.

I gathered my things and looked at the sleeping jounin. "goodbye for now, sensei," I muttered more to myself. I leapt into the nearest tree and began heading northwest.

(Kakashi)

I looked up after Naruto took off toward the direction we were headed. "Good luck, Naruto." I slowly woke up to do some training.

(Sakura)

I looked ahead of me and Deidara. I gasped at the sight of Orochimaru. He stood and grinned his snakelike grin at us.

"Where do you think you're going, little Ssssakura?" he hissed to me.

"Away from you, you ssssslimeball," I imitated his hiss. That seemed to have pissed him off because he came at us with a sword. Deidara set me on the ground and used the kunai he had killed Kabuto with and blocked it. Sparks flew off the metal of both weapons. Deidara pulled back and ducked around the sword and slashed at the snake master. Orochimaru skillfully dodged and slashed down. Deidara barely pulled out of the swords way. Up went the kunai.

"You can't possssssibly think you can defeat me, helplesssss little ninja," Orochimaru bellowed before stabbing Deidara in the back of the leg. Deidara stood up and slashed upwards on the sword. The sword landed at my feet. I picked it up and held in front of me as Orochimaru had. He was preoccupied with me he didn't notice Deidara sneak up to stab him. Yelps of pain came from the mouth of the master and he spun around. With a quick roll, Deidara slipped between Orochimaru's legs and grabbed the sword from me.

He handed me his kunai knife. The sannin pulled a knife of his own, more like a dagger, and licked it. Deidara ran at him with the sword. Orochimaru dodged it and jabbed Deidara through the side. Deidara whipped upward with his sword, it missed. Orochimaru appeared behind Deidara with his kunai and threw a barrage of them at Deidara. They hit his chest. Deidara pulled them out and they littered the ground. He used a little chakra to pull one to each foot. The use of chakra backfired and he felt the poison take its toll (a/n "hope" and "monster" told him that if he used chakra it would kill him…I think chap 4 or 5 he was poisoned). He leapt into the air and landed on Orochimaru and stomped on him in mid-air several times. The knives digging into the pale skinned man each time. Deidara let go of his chakra and swung at Orochimaru. He missed because the snake sannin appeared behind him and grabbed him from behind trying to stick him with the dagger. Deidara was desperate and stuck the sword through himself knowing it would hit the sannin.

Blood spurted from them both. I felt horrified seeing Deidara do such a thing to himself. He held onto Orochimaru by twisting his arm around and holding his arm. The evil man was trying to pull away but Deidara was too strong for him. They struggled for what seemed like an eternity. Deidara finally let go and spun around and jabbed his sword forwards and the sannin's abdomen. Deidara spit up blood, for Orochimaru had stabbed Deidara in the same place with the dagger.

"You're s-ssstronger than you look…" Orochimaru coughed up blood as well, "and you couldn't even use chakra…" he felt backwards.

I got close to the corpse and screamed when the skin turned brown and melted off the body. Instead of Orochimaru, it had been one of his high ranking attendants with Orochimaru's chakra and disguise. Deidara limped over to me and picked me up and began walking through the exit that I remember we first saw Sasuke in. Even with all his injuries, he only wanted to get us to safety. I almost cried because of how much blood he had lost in that fight. It was a steady stream, and if he didn't rest soon, it could become infected…or worse…he would die!

(Naruto)

As I ran I felt uneasiness settle into the pit of my stomach. Ever since my dream I've been unsettled about finding Sakura. If I got to her too late would she hate me?

I looked at a pocket picture I kept of me, Sakura, and Sai. We were all sitting at ichiraku during Konoha's spring festival. Sakura was wearing a light pink kimono with cherry blossoms patterned on the right side. Her hair was in a twist on top of her head and had chop sticks with glass cherry blossoms hanging from them. She was so beautiful that night. I was wearing and orange kimono with the little fish cakes and ramen on it. I mean the ramen pattern was flowing on the bottom and the fish cakes were all over. Sai was wearing a black hakama and haori set. His hair was pulled into a short pony tail on the nape of his neck.

In the picture we were all linked by the arms. I remember that night Sakura had been worried about Sasuke, but me and Sai took her mind off of him. We all played games until dawn the next day when the festival was over. That night I had so much fun. I wish we could do that again, but it would have to wait until I found Sakura.

(Sakura)

Deidara had managed to get us far away from the compound . We had to keep going or they would follow the blood trail. Deidara landed in a tight spot amongst bushes and trees. He set me down and as fast as the kunai I throw, he had fallen to the ground and was practically laying in a pool of his own blood. Immediately began to work on his wounds. I had a lot of my strength back and I couldn't let him suffer any longer.

My hands began to flow with the green chakra I used for healing. Hands placed over his major wound, I applied the chakra and I felt the fibers of his body pull themselves back together. After and hour of healing I had healed all major wounds. Exhaustion washed over my body and I felt dizzy. I set Deidara's head in my lap and rested against a tree. Sleep soon befell me.

(Deidara)

I felt no pain. It was gone. It was like an angel had come down from the heavens and took the pain with her. I rested in the lap of someone. Was the angel still here?

I opened my eyes and saw in was noon. I looked up. A smile emerged on my face. The angel was here. A pink hair framed face with a sleeping impression on it was holding my head. That skin, even covered in dirt that face was still breathtaking. I sat up and saw all of the lesions and injuries were gone. I smiled and thought that it was coming in handy, traveling with a medical ninja. And a pretty one at that.

"unngh," she was waking. I looked into her sleepy green eyes. Pure beauty looked back from those gorgeous orbs. I smiled. She smiled back. I leaned towards her and surprised her when our lips met. It was a sweet passionate kiss. She leaned into my kiss. Her lips were so soft, I could have stayed there all day. I pulled away and stared at her. She had a light pink blush dusted across her beautiful face. I kissed her again and wrapped my arms around her in a tight embrace, "I love you, too, un," I whispered sweetly in her ear. She blushed and squeaked. I liked it.

"You heard me say that?" She had a bright red layer over her face.

"Yeah, I actually was aware of everything, un." I was ashamed, "I was just a voice inside my own head. I had no feeling, un. No control. It killed me a little inside each time I cut you, un." I placed my hand on one of her dried wounds.

"When you yelled that you loved me, I was so happy, un," I continued, "It gave me the strength to break from Kabuto's control, un." I was smiling, then I frowned. "I would do anything for you, and I will protect you until the end of time, un." I pulled the necklace off of me.

"This is a precious gift I received a long time ago from a very sweet girl," I put it on her, "I want you to have it, un." he kissed my cheek.

She giggled and dug through her bag. She pulled out a weather/water proof case. She pulled out some papers and handed them to me.

Slowly, I unfolded them. One was written in pink crayon, another in scratchy child's writing. The last was written in beautiful calligraphy ink and style. I began to read it:

"Dear DeiDei-kun, I realize that I may never see you again, but I guess this is the only way for me to allow myself to try and remember what had happened to us so long ago. I survived the war between Iwagakure and Konohagakure, but at a great cost…I lost you. I miss you every day and cannot seem to get over you. It's impossible to think that you may have died. When I saw you be dragged away so long ago it killed my little heart.

I'm laughing at myself now. I must have written this letter millions of times, trying to get it perfect for you, but perfection in impossible. I still hope you are cherishing that necklace I gave you. Did you know there were only two in existence? I had them both. I gave you the other to show that you my friend for life. I look into mine every night and see that boy who sat in the mud.

Over the years I now realize I am falling in love with the boy who treated me like I was actually human. I keep trying to picture you as an adult, but the memory of your face has long since faded. But I still love you. You may already have a wife a kids to take care of, but I just wanted you to know how I had felt all these years…I love you, DeiDei-kun.

Now that you know how I feel I guess there's not much left to say to you, but good luck in life and always prosper for me. Always here for you, Love Sakura Haruno, AKA Kura-chan.

I felt something fall around my head onto my neck. I looked down and it was the same pendant but on a pink cord. I looked up into the soft emerald pools that had captivated me from the beginning. Around her neck was the necklace I had just given her, or the one she had given me.

As soon as I was on my feet. I took her into my arms. She returned my embrace, and I felt her sobbing into my shirt. "Kura-chan?" I pulled her chin up to meet my gaze, "I can't believe I didn't recognize you…" I leaned down and captured her lips in a very sweet passionate kiss. It was better now that I knew she was the girl I had loved for the longest time. She had the scent of blood and earth, but what really stood out was the smell of sweet sakura blossoms.

My vision began to blur. No, I wasn't going blind, I was crying. All I had wanted out of life was to be back in the arms of this precious gem of mine. I have my wish. once again I kissed her. "I love you so much, Sakura,"

She smiled at me so sweetly, "I love you, too,". Then she began to laugh. I cocked my eyebrow, silently asking what was so funny.

"We started out as friends, then enemies, and now…" she blushed, "…we're lovers."

When she put it like that it made me blush as well. The moment of sweet love was interrupted by rustling in the bushes. I pulled the dagger I had kept out and held onto Sakura tightly. I won't lose her again. Out of the bushes walked an orange and black clad ninja of Konoha.

"Get your filthy Akatsuki hand off of Sakura-chan!!" the kyuubi kid ran at me with the intent to kill…

Ok guys i'm back and hopefully better than ever!! i put in a fight scene between orochimaru clone and deidara. the scene was inspired by metal gear solid 4 a fight between raiden and some other guy. i put in some fluff for you fluff lovers and i hope that you guys will review for me so i'll post again. for those of you who waited this long i thank you for hanging in there for me. i really appreciate it. BTW i have a new baby brother!!XD he's so cute...R&R luv all of you guys

Sabaku no Kurai, the one and only!!