Ok lovely readers, I was dead for a while but I'm back! I threw out the crappy ending-thing to the last chapter. The beginning is the same, but since it's been so long feel free to skim over it again. I have to say that bc you awesome people still read and review, it gave me the energy to start up again (you know who you are!) Please let me know if you like the new chapter. 3

xxx

She stared at him for a moment, weighing her options in her mind. He looked back patiently, calmly, silently. She didn't see why she shouldn't go with him. Kane had trusted him, so why shouldn't she? Kane who, for all his kindness, couldn't help her find out who she really was. Maybe Ichi could; it was worth the chance.

She grasped his hand and let him pull her to her feet. Swinging a leg over the body of the machine, he patted the seat behind.

"You coming?" he asked, and she cautiously hopped on behind him. Her heels fit snug on the back pedals but the lack of support behind her was unsettling. It felt like she could tip at any moment.

Ichi pulled the helmet off the handle bar and handed it to her. It fit a little loose on her head, and she felt more than a bit ridiculous wearing a motorcycle helmet over her dress.

"Where do I hold on?"

"Right here," he said, taking her hands and wrapping them around his waist. The act pressed her body flush to his. Judging by the heat on her face she bet the helmet was covering a vicious blush. She wondered if he noticed but she couldn't get a good look at his face. Her seat on the bike was set higher up than his, so she could see over his shoulders even with the loose helmet partially obscuring her view.

With a twist of a key the machine roared to life beneath them, twitching with energy like a beast ready to pounce.

"What is this? How fast does it go?" she asked nervously.

"Hayabusa," he said, motioning to the Kanji logo on its side. "Trust me, you don't wanna know how fast it can run."

He pulled the throttle and they took off.

She squeezed tight to him as they tore out of the alley and onto the main street, the neon lights of stores and cars blurring past them as they picked up speed. It was terrifying and thrilling all at once; it seemed any second the machine could whizz off course and crash, but it never did. Ichi had complete control of it and navigated between cars so easily it was like he knew what the drivers were going to do before they did.

They were heading out of the heart of the city, farther than she'd been since she was on the beach that first night. It was getting colder and she hugged her body to Ichi's for warmth and rested her head on his shoulders. It was comforting to trust somebody like this, even if she wasn't sure why she did in the first place.

She felt her bag buzz under her arm. It was probably Kane wondering where she was. How would she explain this to him? She let the thought drift out of her mind for the moment – it was too exhilarating on this bike to focus on anything else. Kane was just a friend, right? She didn't have to answer to him.

They pulled off the highway and down a smaller one-lane road that led to a small gate, tucked between a few buildings. It was an exit out of the city. A man peeked out of a window and Ichi nodded to him. The gate opened and they left the Akirasawa limits.

"It's a secret exit out of the city?" she asked, once they slowed down enough for her to talk.

He glanced back at her. "The other exits are watched, just like most of this city. I don't want to risk anybody seeing this."

A cold chill ran up her spine. "Ichi . . ." she said slowly, suddenly getting nervous. What exactly was going on here? She cursed herself for putting herself in this situation.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

The woods got darker and denser around them when they veered off course to a small road, almost a trail. He killed the engine once they reached a clearing, dimly lit by the glow of the city which outshone the moon. But it was far enough where no one would hear or see them.

The second the motorcycle stopped Sakura hopped off and backed away, fingering her cell phone in her bag. She would probably have a chance to dial someone before he reached her, but if he decided to attack, well, she had seen how he'd handled those thugs after that party. She doubted she would have a chance.

Realizing the helmet was still on, she pulled it off and tossed it to the ground.

Ichi got off the bike, looked at her wary face and sighed heavily.

"Sakura, you can relax."

"Forget that, I'm not gonna relax until you tell me why we're here."

"I just brought you here so that nobody could see what I'm about to show you. But first I have to say what you probably already feel, even if you don't know it. You're not from Akirasawa, nor from any city east of the ocean."

"I'm . . . I'm not?" Something settled within her, like she was hearing what she already knew deep inside. The reason why nothing about the city was familiar, the reason why no family or friends had claimed her. Could it be true?

"Where you come from, it's . . . not someplace they like around here. It's a myth more than a real place to them, somewhere they used to know generations ago and have willfully forgotten all about. If someone knew who you were, especially Kane, you would be hurt, maybe even killed."

"Kane would never do anything to me! Who are you to say that?"

He smiled sadly. "I'm someone who knows you better than you know yourself. At least, right now."

"What does that mean?" she snapped. Being so confused in front of a near stranger wasn't a good feeling.

"Ah, I think we're going about this the wrong way." He walked over to her slowly, and she tensed up. But he just picked up the helmet and placed it on the bike.

He turned back to her.

"What do you remember from before you were found? Anything at all?"

She shook her head.

"No strange visions, or dreams?"

She bit her lip and thought back to one night when she had woken up in a cold sweat, screaming her head off. Kane had been sleeping in the next room and burst in alarmed. She had claimed it was just a nightmare, that she couldn't remember what it had been about. But she did remember; it was bright and vivid and real. She had been talking to a boy, tall and very pale, in weird clothing, but whatever she was saying she didn't know. What she remembered most about him was his eyes, incredibly dark and beautiful. Although he was strong and mad and definitely about to hurt her, she remembered having no fear. Who was she to be that brave?

But there was someone else there- a boy, blonde, tan and blue-eyed, standing beside her. He was yelling at the other, getting angry, and his anger emitted from him like crude radiation. The fierce energy formed red around him and his eyes changed to slits and his teeth grew long and he was a monster, howling and taking off running at the other boy. There was a flash of unnatural light and she knew she loved him like a brother and he would get hurt, she had to stop him and she was screaming until she had found herself awake in Kane's arms.

"A dream," she began, "I had a dream. Who is the boy with the blue eyes?"

He paused, and a slow smile crinkled his eyes. "Blue eyes, blonde hair?"

She nodded.

"He was your friend."

"He was a – a monster?"

"Yes, he is," Ichi admitted.

She dropped her bag. Was he serious? But, there was no humor or lies in his voice. Somehow, she believed him.

"Then, who am I? Am I a monster too?"

"No, no," he took a step closer. His hands were out as if to show her he was unarmed. "Sakura, where we come from, he's not alone. We're all just different there."

"We? You're from that place too?"

"I am. We came here together. I know it sounds strange to you now, but we came here on a ship that hit a storm and you got separated from me. You must have hit your head or gotten knocked unconscious, because you've had amnesia and I've been waiting all this time for you to remember it all, remember us, but I can't wait anymore."

He had been edging towards her all this time and he tried to take her hands but she backed away, shaking her head.

"No, this doesn't make any sense. Monsters and imaginary places? You're insane - I want you to take me back."

"Please," he whispered. Then he held up his hands. "What if I showed you? Would you believe me then?"

She didn't respond.

He licked his lips and looked around. He raised his hand out at the motorcycle.

Sakura's mouth dropped as the thing lifted off the ground and sat a good six feet in the air. There was nothing underneath it. It just floated there, and to top it all off, the thing flipped on its belly and back upright.

"This . . . this is impossible," she said. "No, this is a trick."

"Sakura, please, just try to remember."

"No! You're making this up!"

"You can do it too! You've just forgotten how. I was hoping you'd remember by now. In the alley tonight, you hit a bench and you hit it harder than you thought possible, right?"

She had forgotten about that completely. It had gone flying from just a careless tap from her.

"How do you think that was possible? Because you're just like me, Sakura, you're different like me and if you just remembered you'd understand."

"But I don't, okay?" she yelled, "I don't remember you, or a blonde boy, or being able to make motorcycles float!"

She wiped away her tears and squeezed her eyes shut. That dream was so chilling, was that really where she came from? Why couldn't she remember if all the clues were there right before her?

Warm arms embraced her in a gentle hug and she let him, too exhausted to care.

"Please, remember," he whispered in her ear, ". . . please, princess. For me."

She gasped. His face, his black piercings, his eyes, his body torn and bleeding in a chair - Konoha, Tsunade, Ino, Kakashi, Sai, Naruto! She couldn't breathe, a thousand little files of memory filled her mind so fast she could hardly concentrate on a single one. Sitting on a bench in the warm sunshine with Sasuke and Naruto, waiting for their chronically late teacher to arrive. Laughing in the office with Tsunade as they polished off a bottle of sake over paperwork. Running after Sasuke in the dark, begging for him to stay in Konoha . . . sleeping in the cold forest on a mission with her team, Naruto throwing his own blanket over her for warmth . . . spending nights down in the dungeon with Pein while she healed him of his wounds, running away with him, fighting Sasuke, crying over Konan's death, taking a ship out to the other world to escape ANBU. . .

She turned around to face him, fresh tears streaming down her face now.

"Pein," she whispered, "Is it really you?"

He nodded, and there were tears in his eyes now.

"What happened to your face?" she asked, touching it lightly. As if he would disappear.

He smiled. "I didn't want to startle you before," and he let the chakra mask drop. It was him as she remembered, pierced and with his bright ringed eyes that would have given him away as a foreigner in an instant back in the city.

"I'm so happy you're back, Sakura. My Sakura," he said, pulling her in tight and showering her head with kisses. She leaned up and kissed him back, completely blissful that she could find someone she loved so much so instantly. It was like the entire time she was in the city only dammed up her feelings for him that flooded her now.

She pulled back and stared at his face again, drinking in his wonderful features and the way he looked at her.

"Gods, I missed you, Pein, and I didn't even know it."

"You were worth waiting for, princess."

He kissed her again passionately and they fell to the ground in a heap. Feeling his body against hers was incredibly familiar and comforting. She remembered his strong arms and the way they wrapped around her, his muscled chest heaving under her touch, his ever-unreadable face left fervently bare and expressive as he looked on her. She knew they could easily spend hours just exploring each other's bodies again, as if for the first time.

They lay in the clearing under the moonlight and Sakura felt more at home here, in the grass with him, than she had ever felt in Kane's penthouse.

"What do we do now?" she asked. "We can't go back to the city. Do we run again?"

"Well, we never really had a plan from the start, did we?" he said, touching her face. "Before this all happened, I thought we could stay here in Akirasawa and blend in as an ordinary couple. But now . . . well, the nearest city is a journey of a few weeks, and we have no provisions to travel on now, anyway. I think its best we lay low for a while, to figure things out."

"But we did it once before, didn't we? I remember leaving your hideout with only small bags and the clothes on our backs."

"That was different. I had many connections there, and knew the land like the back of my hand. There was also plenty of game there; food was easy enough to come by. In these woods there is hardly a creature worth hunting for more than sport, and even the edible ones aren't anything to live on."

"I swear on my first night I heard something big moving in the dark."

"Probably one of the overgrown insects."

"Overgrown?"

"I've seen a beetle big enough to live off rabbits."

She sat up. "Are all the animals like that?"

"The most dangerous ones don't tend to come out until after nightfall, and I've made it a point to avoid making their acquaintance. Especially the spiders."

"Ew," she shivered, imagining a giant spider or beetle and how she might have had not a small heart attack if that was the first thing she had seen after waking. Even worse was the idea of having to sleep in a forest where bugs the size of small cars crawled on you at night.

She sighed heavily. "I guess you're right, we can't just leave like that here."

"You'd probably ruin your dress."

She punched him lightly. "Like I care about that."

"Well, you've built quite a life for yourself here, Sakura. I want to be sure you're ready to leave. You have a choice. The last thing I want to do is ask you to leave a place you call home for a second time."

"I guess I should say goodbye to Kane and Takara. At the very least, I owe them that. They've been so good to me. It might break Kane's heart to see me go, even."

"I think it might. The way he looks at you, I'd be surprised if he lets you go easily."

"Then I'll just have to tell him my heart belongs to somebody else."

He smiled in that sincere way that softened his eyes and she leaned in to kiss him. But at that moment a crash from the woods stopped them and an orange blur raced for Sakura.

Pein pushed her away and grabbed the blur, which, when shouting and reaching around for the hand that gripped his back collar, was the boy she had only seen in her dreams for so long.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out, and threw her arms around him. He squeezed her back and was let to the ground by his captor. She remembered the obnoxious child he was, and how he had grown, the way he could lose control and how he had hurt her, how she had saved him… a lifetime's worth of memories and feelings welled up inside.

Tears stung her eyes for a second time that night as she pulled back to look at him.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

He grinned his signature toothy grin and pointed to the woods. There stood three figures, two of which brought back a whole new wave of memories.

Hinata, Sasuke . . . and a hooded stranger.

Pein stood silently by as the emotional reunion took place. She marveled at Sasuke's newly-transplanted eyes (still his sclera were almost as red as his irises) and gawked as Hinata showed her a huge engagement ring. They said they had come to see her, save her, if necessary. At that point she turned back to Pein and pulled him to the group. She explained, as briefly as she could make it, how she had lost her memories on the trip over, was found by a man who not only helped her back to her feet but owned the city, and was finally discovered by Pein, who patiently waited for her to be ready to accept the truth.

"Wow," Hinata gushed, "You left a guy who owned an entire city?"

Sakura started. The Hyuuga must have been spending time with Ino lately.

"He was so nice to me, and I do feel bad for leaving him," she sighed. "But as long as Pein and I are together, we can make it anywhere."

"Jeez, Sakura, you're breaking our hearts," Sasuke sneered, but his expression gave away his good humor.

"Are the ANBU still looking for us, anyway?"

"I hate to break up this heart-felt reunion," Pein interrupted, "But is there any way we could take this inside somewhere?"

"But Pein, how will we get back into the city?"

"Leave that to me," said the other visitor. As the moonlight hit his orange mask, Sakura suddenly remembered his name, and who he was. But Pein spoke it first.

"Hello again, Tobi," he said evenly. "I'm guessing you want to talk to me, too."

"How will you get us inside?" Sasuke asked.

"Same way we got here," he said with a smile in his voice.

"Wait-" Naruto started, but Tobi had appeared behind Hinata and Sakura, hugging them both tight to him, and the boys grudgingly each placed a hand on him, and Sakura felt her stomach drop as the woods twisted and disappeared around them. Wind blew in her ears. Suddenly the fuzzy form of Kane's penthouse came into view. With a jolt, her feet hit the ground and all but Tobi and Pein fell into a lump on the floor.

"Kuso…" Naruto rubbed his head and did a double take. He reached out one hand and pulled Hinata off of a red-faced Sasuke's lap.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun!" she yelped.

"I'll never get used to that," he mumbled.

"You won't!" said Naruto.

"I meant the transportation, baka."

"I knew that, teme."

"Ano, where are we?" Hinata asked, stumbling to her feet.

"The safest place in the city, in Sakura's mind," Tobi said proudly.

"We shouldn't be here," Sakura said softly. Her head was still spinning from the transportation and Pein helped her to her feet.

She caught sight of Naruto, whose mouth was open in a drooling gape. She followed his vision to the leftovers of Tanaka and hers late-night binge of the chef's specials, and she laughed at the familiarity of it all.

"Go ahead, Naruto," she said, and he dove for the buffet.

"Tobi wants food, too!"

Black and orange blurs took over the coffee table as the two sat side by side and scarfed down the delicacies. All four onlookers stood silent at the odd coupling of the once-enemies, now handing each other plates and gulping down sushi so amicably.

"Things really have changed," Sakura sighed. She sat down opposite Naruto and Hinata joined her. Sasuke and Pein remained standing.

"I just hope Kane doesn't come home any time soon. I don't know how I can explain all of you."

"Wha-gu-meam?" Naruto munched.

"I mean, we aren't the most normal looking bunch of people in Akurasawa. Pein always has his eyes and piercings camouflaged, and my hair is marked off as a dye-job. Other than that, we blend in."

"We can blend in too!" Hinata closed her eyes and opened them to reveal a set of beautiful blue irises.

Sasuke groaned. "This is gonna sting." He blinked and his eyes were back to their original black. His Sharingan was activated still, but cloaked under the disguise.

Tobi thought for a bit and then, with a laugh and a puff of smoke, a small black kitten sat where he had been. A small orange patch circled one eye.

"Anything to hide yourself, huh?" said Pein, now disguised again sans-piercings. However he still looked perfectly edible to Sakura in his black suit and motorcycle jacket.

The cat meowed and leapt up into his arms.

"Tobi-neko is adorable now!" the kitten squeaked, and cuddled into Pein's chest.

Sakura nearly wet herself with how cute the scene was. Pein didn't seem to know what to do with himself so he just stared back at the purring kitten. She decided to save him.

"Naruto, you next."

"What? I look normal!"

"Ahem," she ran one finger across her cheek.

"Oh, yeah," he said, and suddenly the marks were gone.

"People here have no idea what chakra is, or how to use it," Pein explained. "If we started showing out powers to them here, showing that we're . . . foreigners, we'd more likely be killed or thrown in a lab somewhere than welcomed."

"Sounds like a safe place to bring her, Pein," Sasuke snorted. "Why don't we just throw an ANBU hunt in to make sure she'll get killed."

"Sasuke, chill out!" Sakura snapped. "I'm alive still, right? Pein would never put me in harm's way."

"Oh, is that why he took you from your village and made you a missing-nin?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," she growled.

"Sasuke-kun, please don't start a fight," pleaded Hinata, "We just got here, and Sakura is fine, just like we hoped. That's why we came here, after all."

He frowned but shrugged. "My bad, guys. Sakura, I'm sorry. I'm happy you're alright."

She smiled. He may still be a dick sometimes, but the old Sasuke would have fought to the death rather than apologize. She was slightly impressed that Hinata's words were enough to calm him.

Naruto, his hunger finally finished sated, sat back in the couch and held his belly.

"Food coma," he said with a blissful smile.

Hinata giggled.

The elevator doors opened.

Takara and Niko's blonde friend Mitsuko stumbled into the room. Both caught sight of the crowd and froze.

"What the hell is this?" Mitsuko laughed. "Is this a break-in? Should I empty my wallet?"

"Sakura?" Takara asked. "What's going on?"

Sakura cursed a dozen things in her mind at once but stood up to talk to her friend.

"These are just some friends of mine," she said.

Takara swayed a little, clearly from the effect of alcohol rather than shock.

"Does this mean your memories are back?"

Sakura smiled and nodded. Takara jumped into her arms.

"Oh, sweetie that's amazing! You have to tell me everything!" Then whispered, "And who's that hottie in the corner?"

"Wait, Sakura, isn't that your chauffeur?" Mitsuko laughed. He threw himself on the couch next to Naruto and offered his hand. The two blondes looked eerily similar next to one another.

"Mitsuko."

"Naruto."

"Ah, this is going to be a more interesting night then I thought."

Then he saw Hinata and looked her up and down. "Aren't you a cutie," he said, and swiftly sat down beside her.

"What's your name?" He leaned in so close, Hinata turned beet red and looked to Naruto for support.

"Her name is Hinata, and she's MY FIANCE."

"Woah, woah, settle down there, Naruto-kun, I didn't know."

"And who are you?" Takara, still in her nightclub-best, slinked over to the Uchiha. For a split second Sakura felt a little angry, but it was nothing. If she wanted to get shot down by the most cold and unfriendly boy in the village, she could give it a try.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he said smoothly. "You are gorgeous - you must be Takara."

Every eye in the room turned to him. Even a little kitten head poked out of Pein's arms. Sasuke – flirting?

Takara giggled. "I am. And what a horrible host Sakura is for not offering you all drinks."

She sauntered over to the bar and Sasuke followed like a puppy, an odd look on his face.

As they began pouring drinks and talking across the room, Mitsuko rolled his eyes.

"She knows what she wants tonight."

"What?" Naruto asked dumbly. Hinata kicked him lightly.

Mitsuko snapped his fingers. "Ichi – that's your name, I remember now. What the hell are you doing here, anyway? Don't you have limos to drive?"

Before Sakura could think of an excuse, Pein saved her.

"I was assigned by Kane-sama to watch after Sakura-san. That's what I'm doing."

"And the little kitty in your hands is . . . secretly a gun?"

"The kitten is mine," Hinata said bravely. She got up and took Tobi from Pein, petting him in her arms. He purred and cuddled into her big chest, earning him a harsh glare from Naruto.

"Yeah, Niko, get over here ASAP. There's a god-damn party going on here at Kane's without you."

Mitsuko snapped shut his cell and Sakura groaned. But the damage was done.

It looked like Niko would be here soon. Which meant Kane would find out. Even with her memory back, she couldn't remember a time when her life was so undeniably hectic.

xxx