I like this chapter.

Chapter 14: To Grasp

As weeks passed by, Naruto's rescue team continued to have more successful missions. Konan and Tayuya would tell them the locations of other dormitories and they would plan their means of infiltration accordingly. Most of the missions were simple and straightforward. Security became more and more difficult to confront with each successful encounter, but the team always pulled through in the end. Kakashi had been training Hinata in between missions and the dark-haired woman was making steady progress. Naruto had called Tsunade and told her about his and Sasuke's predicament. The blonde principal had been rather upset in having to give up two of her best teachers until further notice, but she knew she didn't really have a choice.

December had come and the earth became colder every day. The weather was still surprisingly unpredictable. One day it would be bright and sunny with a minor chill to it. Another day, it would rain or it would snow. No one in the city could accurately foresee what the next day would bring. One frigid evening right before the horrific events had transpired, the team had returned with a group of liberated men. Konan had told them that Zetsu had a dormitory of men in his sex trafficking ring. It wasn't hard to surmise that Zetsu's patrons had a myriad of tastes, of course. Gaara had reserved one of the smaller buildings on his estate for the men because they had exhausted their space in the main manor long ago. The men had been very thankful and moved into their new home with hopeful glee.

After the men had left, a weary Naruto approached Gaara. "You would not believe what we had to do to free those guys! There was an entire squad of guards patrolling the area and it was really hard picking them off one by one." Gaara smiled softly at his friend's recollection of the team's rescue. He loved Naruto's exaggerated storytelling. Once Naruto had finished, Gaara addressed the whole team.

"Sounds like we should celebrate. It's still rather early; let's go to the bar." Naruto grinned gleefully at Gaara's suggestion and turned to Sasuke with prospect. Sasuke rolled his eyes but agreed to the notion. Kakashi and Hinata wanted to relax a bit as well. Sasuke retrieved Sakura from her room and the group of six ventured outside. Gaara called his limo driver and they all entered the luxury vehicle.

The drive to the bar was filled with laughter and good cheer. Gaara enjoyed hearing the recounts of the rescue from each member of the team and Sakura conversed with Hinata mostly about the girls living in the manor. When the group reached the bar, they all exited and Gaara told the driver he would call him when they were done. Adam, the bartender, greeted all of them when they walked in.

"Hey, guys! Gaara? It's been a while, mate! Good to see you." Gaara waved and took a seat at the bar. Gaara and Adam immediately struck a conversation about old adventures they had back in college together. The rest of the party sat next to Gaara at the bar and began ordering their drinks. Naruto had invited Brian over and the jolly ramen shop owner came by shortly after that. The night proceeded with merriment and a great quantity of liquor. Almost everyone was raving drunk after a few hours, except for Gaara and Brian. Adam didn't drink while he was working and by the point where the others began becoming incoherent, he started to address the sober men.

"So I hear Hinata and Naruto are a couple now?" the bartender inquired after seeing Naruto try to make out with Hinata in front of everybody. Hinata had pushed away his advances but had kept a large grin on her face. Everyone was roaring with laughter at Naruto's antics.

Gaara took a sip of beer and smiled up at Adam. "Yes, indeed. They make a wonderful team, those two. I'm glad to see them enjoying themselves. They've all been through horrible experiences in their lives. They deserve some happiness, don't you think?" Brian was seated next to Gaara and he grinned brightly at the declaration.

"I couldn't agree more. Happiness is a rare feeling but that makes it all the more richer, no? Many philosophers have written about the love those two share and have been trying to grasp its mysteries for centuries. However, when you see it before you, it kind of just makes sense. You couldn't describe it in words but you know it's there." Gaara gave a thoughtful smile and nodded his head slowly when he saw Hinata finally give Naruto a quick kiss. The eccentric blonde grinned from ear to ear and attempted to twirl his girlfriend around. He ended up dropping her in his drunken state which further animated the surrounding group with laughter.

"It certainly does," Gaara mused.

Adam nodded his agreement on the subject. "Those two are made for each other. A person can't help but root for them. I guess it shows that we all want to support love when we see it."

Brian chuckled in a pleasant manner. "Shakespeare couldn't have said it better, my friend." Gaara could hardly agree with that notion but he smiled at it, nonetheless.

Once it reached closing time, Gaara paid Adam the tab and the redhead managed to get the drunken band of friends to his limo. Brian decided to stay and help Adam close the bar down. Everybody said their goodbyes to the two and exited.

After everyone had left, the bar was empty except for the two old friends. Adam began cleaning the bar as he talked with Brian. "Those guys never change. They're still as much fun as they were in college," Adam declared jubilantly.

Brian chuckled as he collected the dirty glasses that were strewn throughout the bar. "Of course! That's why we became their friends, right? They've always been good and just people. I cherish them all dearly." Adam agreed exuberantly and was about to mention something else when the front door of the bar suddenly swung open. Four men in black suits entered the bar and stood before the two men. Brian's eyes narrowed at the strange men and Adam cleared his throat and greeted the men with a polite tone.

"I'm sorry, mates. We're closing up an-" One of the men interjected Adam and spoke in a curt manner.

"Are you two connected to Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha in any way?" Adam blinked in surprise at the man's audacious question. He could easily conclude that these men were probably not after his friends' best intentions. Adam smiled sheepishly and tried to deflect the man's brash question.

"If you guys would like a drink, then I'd be happy to-"

"If you do not answer the question, then we will be forced to make you answer." The suited man's expression was emotionless, however, his threat carried a hint of malice. Brian decided to intervene and stepped towards the men. The extremely tall and stocky ramen shop owner towered over the four men.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. There is no need for threats. I promise you that we have no recollection of the two names that you just mentioned." The man who had spoken earlier took a step forward and looked directly up at Brian's face. Brian felt an immediate feeling of unease. He suddenly wished that he had kissed his wife goodbye when he had left earlier that evening.

The man's voice contained more antipathy this time around. "Then why did Mr. Uzumaki and Mr. Uchiha just leave your establishment?" Brian wanted to say, 'If you already knew, then why did you ask?' but he was not able to do so. The man standing in front of Brain quickly pulled out a concealed handgun and shot Brian in the stomach. Brian clutched his abdomen and dropped to his knees. Brian was at eye level with the man now and the man promptly pointed the gun at Brian's mouth. The ramen shop owner felt the warm, sticky blood seeping out of his stomach and tried to recall the last time he told his wife he loved her. Gunfire was heard again and Brian's lifeless body fell to the ground.

Adam hadn't been able to assess the situation in time because it had all happened so fast. He had had enough time to try to reach the shotgun he kept under the counter for security reasons and had even managed to grasp the gun in his hands. Unfortunately, the feeling of the gun was the last time Adam would feel anything. The man shot a bullet into Adam's forehead and the bartender dropped to the floor with a soft thud. The man with the gun spoke to one of his subordinates in a detached manner.

"Burn it down."

Richard Zetsu, in all honesty, did not love his older brother. James Zetsu was famous for looking down on absolutely anyone, including his younger brother. This infuriated Richard because he helped his brother reach the political status he was currently at. He wanted more than anything to not be loyal to James and simply walk away from his insanity, however, it was too late for that. James practically owned him by this point. If James fell, then Richard did too. Richard thought about his unfortunate fate as he waited for his brother to get out of bed.

The mayor's bedroom was large but almost relatively unfurnished. It had a closet filled with suits and formal wear, a single dresser, and a massive canopy bed built on the far side of the room. Other than that, it was dark and empty. Much like James himself, Richard thought to himself.

James Zetsu stood up from his bed and reached for the glass of water his younger brother was holding for him. James took a long drink from the glass and then set it aside. His eyes moved slightly down to peer into his brother's gaze. James was a few inches taller than Richard. Richard was a tall man by most people's standards, but James towered over almost everyone he came in contact with. This was just another characteristic that made Richard loath him. He was quite certain James knew of his animosity for him but he had never asked for clarification. James' steely, ice-colored eyes stared with anticipation at Richard's eventual announcement. He had been waiting all night for the status report. Richard exhaled slightly and spoke in a frank voice.

"Mission success. It was burned down. No evidence." James tried not to show his elation but Richard could easily identify it.

"Excellent. The authorities stated it was an accident?" the mayor asked.

"Yes."

"No casualties reported?"

"There was no one in the building at the time. The rain extinguished most of the fire, as well. The firefighters were barely there at all," Richard added with stoic disinterest.

"Wonderful. Now we wait for what is to inevitably come, dear brother." James chimed with icy glee. Richard couldn't stand seeing his brother so happy. The thought of such a ruler tainted the very fabric of government and principalities. Richard knew that a ruler should be like iron, unmoving and stubborn but surely mercies were not unheard of. Despite Richard's disinterest, he was still having trouble comprehending James' methods. His slight curiosity gave him rise to question his brother.

"James, why did you not have them executed? Couldn't you have captured them and interrogated them? They could have told you where your merchandise has gone to." James grinned grotesquely at his younger brother. His trademark grin enraged Richard more than anything else. Deep down in his core, Richard wanted nothing more than to hack away that horrifying smile. He would see it in his nightmares, in his daydreams, and in reality. It was always there. His brother was always there.

"I already know where they are," James said with an evil glint. "It's rather obvious, really." Richard wasn't that surprised. "Have you read The Prince by Machiavelli, Richard?" Richard was familiar with the text but his brother enjoyed it when his audience was ignorant. He shook his head. "'People should either be caressed or crushed,' he states. I find his argument compelling. He wishes that when facing an enemy, either show them mercy or destroy them completely. No middle ground. This way, you need not worry about their vengeance." James' grin got far wider. "However, I like vengeance. I want to see my enemies attempt to overtake me, then fail miserably. It's no fun, otherwise. Uzumaki will become insane with rage after seeing his friends die. He'll directly attack me, then I'll crush him." Richard took a step back from his brother. His grin was so wide that he feared it would split his face apart. His brother was so thrilled, it no longer angered Richard; it frightened him. "He will lose the very integrity he so values, just to seek revenge. It will be absolutely marvelous! Won't it, my dear Richard? Does the thought not entice your very core? Does it not make you shaken with pure bliss?!" James was borderline hysterical at this point. "The Hyuuga girl and him will fall so sweetly and I'll take back my property with vigour and no one will fucking stand against my empire ever again!" James ceased his harangue and breathed hard and long before he spoke again. Richard said nothing in fearful silence. James cleared his throat and brushed his hair back behind his ears. His strands had gone awry during the tirade.

"Please fill me in on any additional information you find regarding Uzumaki," the mayor said slowly. With that, James strolled past his brother, opened his bedroom door, and left the vicinity. Richard stood in place for a very long time. His thoughts were those of slight pity for his brother's targets. There was one point in his life where Richard would have followed his brother into any dark corner of the world, but that had been a long time ago. James never cared for anyone, not his son, not his followers, not him, not… oh wait, Richard thought. He had cared about her, once. Before she had died, there had been one person that James had loved. My goodness, that had been a long time ago indeed.

Freezing rain fell steadily onto the quiet city. The day hadn't been cold enough to allow snow and while that may have been a mercy to some, it wasn't for everyone. The streets were deserted and there was nothing but the sound of the rain; washing away all of the pain. Cold beads of water formed and dropped around the modest, family-owned shops lining the city streets. The water gathered and sloshed against the sides of the roads in streams. The narrow rivers of fallen rain ran their course until they reached their visible ends at sidewalk grates. The sky was gloomy and filled with dark clouds. The sun's rays were powerful enough to light up the world underneath but it colored all of it in a melancholy shade of blue. The city was cold and wet and so were the only two mortals standing within the torrent.

It wasn't fair. No one deserved this. They had been good men. The authorities had told him no one had been in there, but Naruto had found the truth. Underneath the ashy rubble, he had found his proof: Brian's soiled wedding ring. Naruto clenched his fists and threw them against the sidewalk with brutal force. He smashed them over and over again until they were broken and bloody. The cold rain attempted to wash away the blood streaming from his hands. Hinata tried to console him but his fury was taking over again. The bar was in front of them. The windows were smashed and cracked and the front door had been bashed in. The destruction before him only made Naruto more heated. He would lose it. He wanted to lose it. His friends were dead and there was nothing he could do.

Naruto knew who was responsible for this tragedy and wanted them to suffer in the same way he was suffering. That was fair, wasn't it? That was how the world operated, right? What goes around, comes around? If that was all true, then why was this happening? It shouldn't be happening. He needed to stop it. He could bring justice. Was it really justice, however? Revenge would often times disguise itself as justice, but there had always been a fine line between the two. He wasn't thinking of that now, though. Naruto wished Brian was there to aid his thinking. But that was the problem, wasn't it? Brian was dead. Adam was dead. His friends were dead. This horrible pain in his chest burned hotter and hotter the more he thought about all of the agonizing misery in his heart. He was dealing with the reality of death and he needed to learn to cope with that. Why did that sound familiar? Understanding dawned on Naruto and his thoughts turned to the woman attempting to assuage him.

Hinata got through these same emotions way before he did. Naruto had lost Jiraiya to one of the old man's former students but that had been a little different. Jiraiya's former student had asked for forgiveness and Naruto had accepted. This time, Naruto had lost special people because of the actions of the exact same person Hinata had dealt with. The amount of bitterness and loathing she must have felt for him must have been astronomical. How did she do it? She must have bottled up all of those hostile emotions into her heart. She had said that Naruto had come to her and eliminated all of the hate in her heart. When a heart was full of love, it had no room for hate. He had remembered one of Brian's favorite quotes by G.K. Chesterton that he enjoyed saying over and over again. "There is the great lesson of 'Beauty and the Beast,' that a thing must be loved before it is lovable."

Naruto had always wondered what that meant. Now that he was faced with this dire situation of extreme rancor, he noticed that his fury wasn't going to bring back his friends. Zetsu needed to be stopped, yes, but not because of Naruto's indignation. It was because he was harming people and the only way that was going to end was by defeating him. By bringing true justice.

Naruto had been staring at Hinata for quite some time now. She had been polite and quiet for the most part but it was starting to bother her because Naruto wasn't saying anything. She decided to cut into his thoughts. "What is it?" Her voice was soft and tender. A beautiful contrast to the thoughts he had just been brooding over.

Naruto stared at the ground. His bright bangs covered the top half of his face and Hinata saw a small, anguished smile. "You won't let me fall. You're always holding onto me, Hinata." Hinata gave him a concerned expression, knelt down in front of him, and tenderly caressed his broken hands. She put a finger underneath his strong chin and lifted his eyes to look upon hers.

"Why would I? You've always done the same with me." Hinata leaned close and softly kissed his lips. This kiss wasn't like the previous ones. This one carried comfort and composure. It told Naruto that she would be there for him. The rain seemed to promise comfort too. It was freezing and showed no warmth at all, but it promised what rain always promised: life. It promised the future and the continuing of human existence. Hinata promised something in Naruto's future. Hinata broke the kiss and peered into Naruto's troubled, ocean-blue eyes. "Sakura should be here soon with Sasuke. She can bandage those hands for you," she uttered. "We should probably get out of this rain, too." Naruto agreed. The couple wandered towards a nearby awning to wait for their friends.

As they waited, Hinata grasped Naruto's hand. It definitely hurt, but that was fine. Naruto knew that love hurt. Life hurt, too. There was something beautiful in agony. Brian would probably have said something like that, Naruto mused. He always liked that kind of stuff.

So, I wrote the last part of this chapter before the other parts because I just had so much emotion and angst in me at the time. I always knew that Naruto would have to eventually reach this point when I first started the story and I'm rather pleased with the results. I managed to have enough time this weekend to write and I found myself really wanting to. I know the chapter is relatively short, but you guys have never been upset with me about that before. I'll update soon. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to express all of your thoughts and opinions with a review. Also, I would love to respond to as many of you wonderful people as possible, but you need to have an account in order for me to do that. So please, get an account and review. You guys are fantastic. Take care.

-CM