When True Love Actually Exists

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter Ten

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It was two days later when Sakura was with Kiki in the downstairs suite. They had been chatting lightly while enjoying some green tea, just the two of them. Nioko hadn't been seen for the entire day which was a surprise because he hadn't left Kiki's side yet.

Sakura had taken a liking to Kiki while she had been healing her, so she didn't want to seem rude or uninterested in their conversation but she was ready to go home.

She had kept her end of the bargain and she was ready to make Nioko keep his.

Even Kiki knew that she had a team she would be returning to. She hadn't asked any questions up until then and Sakura was glad of that. Kiki had grown quiet, knowing something was troubling Sakura, whom she felt indebted to.

"Are you okay Sakura?" Kiki asked sweetly.

Sakura nodded, forcing a smile. "Ah, yes. I was just thinking of my team."

Kiki frowned. She didn't understand why Sakura didn't just go on ahead but she also had no idea that Nioko had taken her captive. Sakura noticed the question in her eyes and decided to at least give her some of the truth.

"I don't know my way back actually, Nioko will be escorting me."

Kiki frowned thoughtfully. She didn't want to press the issue because it was honestly none of her business.

"He should be in here any second..." Kiki mumbled mostly to herself, but Sakura heard her, a mere second before Nioko flew down the stairs with a frightening speed.

He stopped right behind where Kiki sat at the bar, his hand went to the top of her head where he ruffled her hair, almost in a brotherly fashion. It was the simplest gesture and yet it seemed so intimate with the way those two looked at each other, Sakura couldn't even watch.

"I must apologize darling, but I will be leaving for the day." Nioko explained to Kiki, who frowned but nodded her understanding. He knew she wouldn't question him, but he would explain himself anyway. "I will be returning Sakura to her home."

Sakura didn't bother correcting him. The only thing she was thinking of then was Sasuke and in a way, he was home to her. She had been worried sick about him and his recovery. She just needed to get back to him, she had to know he was okay.

"I understand, will you be back this time tomorrow?" Kiki asked and Sakura could tell she was disappointed he was leaving at all.

"Maybe even sooner."

"I don't understand it." Neji muttered, completely baffled.

"It's impossible," Kiba snorted confidently.

After two weeks of searching for Sakura the only trace they found was by Shino's bugs and they only picked up on Sakura's scent just outside the hideout she'd been taken from. It was as if she'd vanished into thin air and existed no more. Nobody could make sense of it. They had split up and searched hundreds of miles around but nothing came up. Without finding any new leads they knew it was time to report back to the Hidden Leaf for further orders, however Naruto wasn't too keen on that idea.

"Damn it!" Naruto growled, unable to hide his annoyance anymore. He knew everybody else was ready to give up, something that just wasn't part of his vocabulary. "We've got to be close to finding something, we just have to be!"

"No, not even close." Neji glared at Naruto with such anger, Naruto was rendered speechless. "Nobody is happy about this but we will have to report back to the village for now."

"You know Sakura is more than capable of taking care of herself. In fact, she's probably turned things in her favor long ago. Maybe you should have a little more faith in her."

Sasuke flung the kunai he'd been twirling in his hand towards Kakashi, his deadly aim landing just above his head in warning, right where Sasuke wanted it.

"You think I'm unaware of her abilities?" Sasuke spat, he hadn't calmed down since Sakura had been missing and he had no intention of doing so until she was safe by his side once more.

Sasuke was not a person who explained himself and therefore he was often misunderstood. This was something that annoyed Sasuke to great lengths.

"It's not that I doubt her, I don't, not at all." Sasuke admitted to his former sensei quietly. He had witnessed her true strength with his own eyes and he knew just how powerful she really was. "Though as amazing as she is, we have enemies who could make her seem like a fragile little commoner. She has been kidnapped and you have no idea who is behind it!"

Sasuke knew that there were endless terrible possibilities to what Sakura could be going through but he did try his very best to believe she was working her way out of whatever situation she was in and if nothing else, maybe Naruto would finally find her.

"Where do you think you're going with the girl?"

Sakura swallowed hard, hiding her face behind Nioko as she clung to his back. They were in mid-air, on their way out of the castle when Haru appeared out of nowhere, halting them.

"What's the problem?" Nioko asked hesitantly, causing Sakura to feel even more unsure about the situation.

"Don't play dumb with me, you idiot!" Haru scoffed, gaping at Nioko as if he'd lost his mind.

"Just stay out of it Haru." Nioko said then, a little bite growing in his tone.

Haru laughed heartily and Sakura peeked over Nioko's shoulder to see Haru grinning and he surprisingly had a very beautiful and welcoming smile in spite of his sinister green eyes.

"We have an agreement." Haru said plainly.

"The agreement has been changed." Nioko retorted nonchalantly.

Haru clenched his teeth and his fists then. "I swear I will beat you down here and now."

Sakura's brows creased in worry but Nioko didn't so much as flinch, he didn't seem to be fazed by Haru's threat in the least.

"Just hand her over and I'll let this go."

"You're really going to make me fight you, aren't you?" Nioko asked with a sigh and Haru smirked, seeming to grow excited then.

"You've left me no choice."

"Sakura, listen." Nioko said to her calmly. "Remain hidden until I'm finished here and then be ready, we won't have much time for me to get away."

"Wait, how do you know you will win?" Sakura asked in desperation.

"I won't, I'll just be able to slow him down enough to get you back. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Sakura answered and Nioko released his hold on her, causing her to hold tight around his neck for fear of falling.

"You're choking me!" Nioko gagged. "Let go!" Nioko pulled her arms from around his neck with astounding ease and she yelped in surprise as he released her but instead of her falling, a gust of wind carried her to the ground where she landed softly.

Confused, Sakura found some nearby cover and looked up to where Nioko was floating in mid air and Haru was standing in a nearby tree. They stayed just like that for several minutes. Sakura guessed they were feeling each other out.

"Why are you trying to help her now?" Haru asked, scowling at his brother. "We need her help remember!"

"She's already helped me more than enough." Nioko answered with a quiet confidence that Sakura truly admired.

Nioko suddenly disappeared right before their eyes, Sakura gasped as a second later he appeared right behind Haru. He was impossibly fast.

"You could just let us go you know," Nioko suggested gleefully, Haru smirked in return.

"You wish."

Haru raised his right hand high in the air and the water flowing in the nearby fountain suddenly formed into ice in the shape of daggers, they shot right at Nioko with blinding speed, but Nioko vanished before he could be hit, only to reappear in the same spot a second later.

"You'll have to do better than that." Nioko laughed, obviously amused. "I bet I can take you down with my hands tied behind my back!"

"Stop talking and start acting." Haru said, his skin turning noticeably paler, his dark brown hair even lightened in color until it was white. Sakura could feel the strength growing around Haru and she realized even though she hadn't seen the majority of their powers, she wouldn't even be able to come close to taking out either one of them.

Haru's hands somehow began producing water, and not a small amount either. Everything was happening so fast Sakura could hardly keep up. While Haru used most of the water by freezing it in time with his footing to follow Nioko through the air, he used the remainder to make those sharp ice daggers which he flung fiercely at Nioko.

Their power was overwhelming, even for them to only be giving off such a small amount of it. Shockingly enough, you could still tell that neither of them were actually serious about the fight. Nioko literally held his hands together behind his back as he flew through the air, avoiding each of Haru's attacks.

Sakura gasped in surprise when Nioko landed a few feet in front of her cover spot before she'd even seen him disappear from the sky. He stood firm, his hands behind his back as he looked towards Haru. Sakura wasn't sure if he even knew she was right behind him.

She watched in awe as every small rock and pebble lifted off the ground and hovered around Nioko. A look of concern flickered across Haru's face just before he turned around and began running across his iced footing towards the cover of the forest as fast as he could.

"Not fast enough!" Nioko yelled out to Haru as one right after the other, the rocks around him shot out towards Haru like bullets from a gun. Too fast to see.

Sakura's eyebrows went up in surprise as Haru was hit by a fury of rocks and tiny pebbles. He was forced to the ground by the impact and Nioko turned to her, a serious expression on his usually passive, uncaring face.

"Get ready."

Sakura tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but she didn't know what she was getting ready for and she was pretty sure she'd never been this nervous before.

With barely a flick of his wrist, Nioko summoned a small whirlwind and the more he twirled his hand, the bigger and stronger it got, a moment later there was a full blown tornado before them headed right for Haru.

With a satisfied nod, Nioko flew to Sakura, grabbed her hand and flew away quickly, hoping with the distraction and his quickness he would be able to return Sakura to her comrades and get far enough away so that she wouldn't be located. Unfortunately though, Nioko knew just how unlikely this was.

A/N:

Thanks for reading!