A/N: I hope you guys like this chapter better than the last one!

I would like to thank you for the reviews and some of the advice you gave. I would really like to thank arielsabik101 for her review because it really made my day! You all should go and read it! Seriously! I think it will make you smile too!

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Chapter 37: Kiss the ground

~v~

~Last Time~

"My chibi one's little whore. How nice to finally have your attention." A sinister voice was heard over the line. It sounded vaguely familiar. Immediately Gaara started to record the conversation. He knew this was going to be something Naruto would want to hear. "Missing. Gone. Never to be seen again. Count the little duckies. Count their pretty little heads. Little ducklings fall prey to the sea with such ease."

"You bas-" The dial tone met his ears. Gaara slammed the phone down before remembering that it was recording. Hurrying he saved it before making his way out to go see Tsunade and Jiraiya about the newest threat. He wished he knew where Naruto was because right now his heart was in his throat and his stomach was turning at the thought of one those 'duckies' being his boyfriend.

Please be safe, Naruto.

~Now~

~v~

Gaara was glad that his car was able to start with just a button. It made things faster. He pressed start on his keychain and turned to lock the door. Just as he inserted the key, he was forced into his door by the sudden BOOM from behind and the pressure that followed it. Turning around, he stared in horror at the car that Naruto got him was up in flames. The neighbors all rushed out at the sound and also looked on in terror. Gaara slid to the ground and leaned his head against the door as shock set in.

He heard footsteps coming his way and fast. He tried to turn his head to see who it was, really he did, but Gaara was just in too much of a daze. His shoulders were grabbed and someone blocked his view of his car. The car Naruto got him. He just couldn't get over the fact that the car Naruto gave him was up in flames. When someone slapped his face, only then did Gaara react. And it wasn't much of a reaction anyways.

Gaara turned his head to see one of his neighbors holding his shoulders and trying to get his attention. Vaguely he remembered that this was the nice lady across the street that always used to have cookies for him and his siblings when they came home from school.

"Sweetie? Are you all right?" The woman's southern drawl came out thick and he was again reminded that this woman was American. No matter how long she lived here, her voice always retained that accent. It was weird to hear her speak Japanese at all.

"My car…" Gaara mumbled.

"Yes deary the police are on their way. They're going to want to talk to you. Do you think you can stand up?" The woman's voice snapped him out of his daze once and for all. Now he was just plain pissed! He then started to worry more about Naruto. He needed to get a hold of Jiraiya and Tsunade. And fast.

~v~

Kiba stared, bored, at the boat that he was on. He was supposed to be spending a romantic evening with Shino today, but Shino had to cancel because something happened with his family. So here he was on a boat with the captain, a complete stranger, and his bodyguard. What fun.

"You know you didn't have to still go on the boat. You could have just canceled." His bodyguard said snidely to him. All he did was give a snort. He wasn't going to talk to the fake red headed bitch. Kiba couldn't see how Sasuke dealt with her or why she was even employed as a bodyguard. All Karin did was bitch and moan about not being with her Sasuke-kun and how she knew he wasn't really gay. How he was just waiting for her to step up and claim him.

It all made Kiba want to gag. He really couldn't stand her. When he got back to shore he was talking to Naruto about never giving him that bitch as a bodyguard again.

The stranger walked up to him and leaned against the railings. "Man is your girlfriend mouthy. Does all she do is bitch?" He said jokingly.

Kiba snorted again before retorting. "That bitch ain't my girlfriend. Hell I wouldn't want to be anywhere near her if I didn't have to." Kiba turned to look at the stranger and stood up straight in surprise. This kid looked eerily familiar. The look in his eyes sent shivers of dread down Kiba's spine. Something wasn't right about this kid. Not at all.

"My name is Hoki. Your's?" The kid put up his hand to be shaken.

Kiba took it reluctantly and shook it. "Kiba." He took his hand back and inconspicuously wiped his hand on his pants. The guy's touch intensified the feeling of dread.

"So if you aren't here with her willingly; why are you here with her?" Hoki moved a little closer to the brunette. He couldn't wait until he told the Boss of what he did. He was going to be so proud. And it made him that much closer to his love Sasori.

Kiba took a step back. He did want to let this kid near him. "She's…a friend of the family and it's my job to show her a good time." A blatant lie, but this kid wouldn't know it.

Karin was watching the kid that was talking to Kiba. She wasn't close enough to hear, but she was close enough to react if something was amiss. That kid…there was something about him that was setting her on edge. She tried to rack her brain where she had maybe seen him before and it was just at the edge of her mind waiting to be discovered. The captain came up next to her and she noticed that he looked nervous. And maybe even afraid. There was sweat going down his brow that caused her to furrow her brows. It was nice and breezy today so he shouldn't be hot.

"Um…ma'am? There is something you aught to see…" He trailed off nervously. Karin caught Kiba's eyes and motioned with her head to follow. She wasn't going to let him out of her sight.

Kiba nodded and excused himself and followed her and the captain. When they went below deck, Karin's eyes widened in horror and she ushered everyone onto the top deck. Kiba saw what frightened her and was terrified himself. He looked around to get Hoki so they could all abandon ship together.

"Hey! Where's Hoki?" Kiba asked in a rush.

Karin's eyes widened as the name brought on what was setting her on edge about the boy. "Oh shi-"

~v~

On the shore line, a crowed gathered as they watched in horror and morbid fascination as a boat blew up and set the water in flames.

~v~

Shino was upset that he had to cancel his plans with Kiba when he found out that his cousin went into a false labor. He tried to get a hold of him when he found out he wasn't really needed, but all he got was voicemail. And quite frankly, it was starting to worry him.

Shino walked up to the front of his house and stopped by the mailbox. Seeing an envelope in it, he grabbed it and brought it inside. He grabbed his phone and called Kiba one more time as he opened the envelope addressed to him. He sighed as he got voicemail once more. Shino looked at the note and the phone fell uselessly to the ground as his face went ashen.

Four little Indian boys going out to sea;

A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.

Poor, poor little duckling dead at sea. Seven down and more to come. Are sure it's safe to stay by my chibi-one?

~v~

Konan ran out of the building and to her car. She couldn't be there right now. Her heart ached at what her friend said to her. She remembered so long ago when she found out she fell in love with her boss's boyfriend. But at the time she didn't know it was his boyfriend. She remembered when she confronted Nagato on it and he told her the horrid truth.

~Flashback~

Konan walked into her boyfriend's apartment, ready to fight. But she couldn't call him her boyfriend. He was her boss's not hers. She fought back the tears. She needed to be strong for what was coming. She needed to force the truth out of Nagato.

There he was. Just sitting there on the couch watching TV. It made her stomach roll that he could be so calm and collected when he was destroying not one, but two peoples lives. It made her sick. Yet she couldn't help loving him. And that made her even sicker.

"Nagato, we need to talk." Nagato started since he hadn't heard her enter his home. When he heard what she said, he knew she found out about her boss and him. It made his heart ache at the thought of losing her since he truly loved her. But that wasn't to say he didn't care for Naruto because he did. It was just that he was too young and impressionable. He wanted to use him but he ended up caring too much for him. He meant to break it off before it got too serious, but then he met Konan and instantly fell in love. But when he found out she worked for him, he knew that he wasn't going to be allowed into the building if he left Naruto. So he stayed. He stayed for Konan. And now he was going to lose her too.

~End Flashback~

Konan was broken out of her memory when her car door open and closed shut. Her gun was out and pointed at the intruder before they could even move an inch. Realizing it was the one person she didn't want to see, she lowered her gun. "Boss."

Naruto winced at the title. Konan never really called him boss when they were alone or with the other team members. He knew she was pissed, maybe even more hurt than pissed, but he knew she would listen to him only because he was just that. Her boss.

"I have come to apologize." He held up his hand to silence her. He needed to say this and say it before he lost his nerve. "There are things you need to know about me that only certain few know about me. In light of what happened…I think you deserve to know. I am not telling you this so that you may forgive me, but so that you may understand." Konan nodded her head for him to continue.

For an hour they sat while Naruto talked. Not once did she interrupt. Every minute that went by drew Konan closer to understanding. Everything was put into prospective. When Naruto finished, Konan made to say something when her phone went off. Sighing, she answered it. "Konan."

"You came too late. You failed again. Now a precious person is dead."

A dial tone met her ear just before the sound of shattering glass did. A piercing pain shot through her shoulder and she looked down to see blood starting to soak through her clothes at an alarming rate. Konan looked up at Naruto only to see him staring blankly at his stomach that was now soaked in his own blood. "No…no…Naruto!" Konan screamed.

~v~

Ok! So I can honestly say that this chapter was very dramatic and it took a turn at the end that even I didn't expect! And I am quite happy with it! Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Hopefully this means my writer's block is gone! ^_^