The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

[ ] - Inner Sakura

Italics - Emphasis

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Author's Ranting #?: Hey all. This chapter has been revised! Finally! *Cheer. Beer. Ramen.* Thanks for your patience. The other few chapter's should be up within the next two days. So sit tight. ^_^

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It was dark and damp when Sakura finally regained consciousness, her emerald green eyes dazed and drained. She had no idea what happened, where she was, or why her head was pounding like her forehead had been used as a drum.

"Ugh.." She groaned tiredly, attempting to rub the sleep from her eyes, but to no avail; her arms and legs were restrained. With a sharp gasp, she began tugging at the chains connected to the cuffs around her small wrists, but all she managed to do was cause herself more pain. Panic surged through her body as realization dawned on her-- she had been captured.

"Ow.." She heard a whine from the other side of the dark room, causing a shimmer of hope to emerge in her panic-filled eyes. "Is someone there?"

"Huh? S.. Sakura-chan?"

Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief. "Naruto?!" She called happily, glad that he was okay even if she couldn't really see him. "Are you alright? Where are we?"

"I don't know.." Naruto said tiredly, his stomach growling. "I'm so hungry.. did you happen to bring ramen?" He asked hopefully, a bit of his cheerful tone coming back.

Sakura sighed in both relief and frustration. 'He'll never change..' [That stupid idiot! AGH!] "Naruto! You idiot! This is no time to be thinking about food!" She yelled, yanking at her chains as if to smack him. "We need to get out of here or we'll both die!"

Naruto went silent, wishing his stomach would do the same. He wanted nothing more than to protect Sakura, but how? After being trapped here for several days, he had pretty much depended on the hope that his friends would bale him out somehow. But by all means, the last thing he decided he was ever going to do was die in a place like this. "Sakura-chan."

"What is it?" She asked, noting the seriousness of his tone.

"I have an idea!"

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"Well.. what do we do?" TenTen asked solemnly, twiddling her thumbs in her lap. Three hours had passed, Lee was obviously restless about the whole situation. Now Sasuke's entire team was taken from him. He had no one but them, so of course they had to help get them back somehow. Plus, Sakura-san was taken, and in his book, that was unforgivable.

"Let's go." Lee said determinedly, walking over to Sakura's pack and pulling out the map she left behind. He tossed it up and then caught it with a swift 'smack' against his bandaged palm, making his point clear.

Neji, surprising everyone, rose from his seat on the ground. With a triumphant smirk, he turned to face Sasuke. "Your team is important to you." He assumed, crossing his arms cockily over his chest. "So what are you waiting for?"

Sasuke looked at Neji blankly, then looked away. Was he right? Was his team important to him? Was Sakura important to him? Maybe he was just sliding along the surface of his emotions, so that nothing ever really touched him. Even when girls confessed their feelings for him, it didn't touch him. In his heart there was a suspicion that he couldn't erase. The suspicion that he's always alone.*

But.. he wasn't alone when he was with them. His team. Even though both of them were annoying, loud, obnoxious, and often times a burden, they were still his team. And he wasn't going to let his comrades die. He wasn't going to be the one responsible for their names carved into the stone of heroes.

He wasn't going to fail, no matter what the cost.

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"That's completely and utterly ridiculous, Naruto! It'll never work, you idiot!" Sakura scolded, inwardly admitting that she missed fighting with him like this.

"But.." Naruto began, "If we can make it work, then we can get outta here!"

"Plotting already, hm?" A voice called from the shadows, causing Sakura to gasp and retreat back into the wall as if there were a hole for her to crawl in.

"Why.. why did you kidnap us!"

"Why?" The voice questioned in return. "Why not, is the better question, my dear Sakura."

"H-how do you know my name?!"

"Hey! You bastard! Stay AWAY from Sakura-chan!" Naruto hollered, yanking angrily at his restraints. "If you want someone, take me! But leave her out of it!"

Sakura blinked. "Naruto.."

"Oh.. mighty brave of you, Naruto." Taking a step forward, the voice continued. "I'm afraid bravado will get you no where, however."

"Errr! You listen here, moron! One day I'm going to become the number one ninja in the world! I--"

"Save your dreams for when you're asleep, Naruto." The voice muttered harshly, taking another step towards Sakura. "Now, my dear.. you obviously have no idea what you're capable of, do you?"

"H.. Huh?" Sakura's eyes filled with confusion and uncertainty.

"As expected." She heard a deep sigh. "It's a shame that yours was so hard to find. As a result, you yourself have no idea what it is."

"What're you talking about?"

"Your gift."

"My.. what?"

Naruto's eyes widened and his lips parted. 'Sakura-chan's.. gift?' He thought, not understanding either. "Hey! Hey! What the hell are you talking about?!"

Sakura felt the heat of anger rising to her cheeks as the stranger's hand grasped her chin delicately, treating her as if she were some kind of prize. Though it was dark, she could make out the crease of his mouth and the desire in his dark blue eyes. "Would you like me to show you?" He asked, his breath brushing against her lips intentionally.

By now, Naruto was completely furious. "Get OFF of her! You bastard! I swear if you touch her anymore, I'll kill you!" Kicking, tugging, yanking, hell, he was even gnawing on the ropes which held his torso bound with his teeth.

"That`s enough, Mistukagi."

"What?" Mitsukagi released Sakura's chin and slowly turned around, his jaw tightening at the sight of his superior before him. "Kabuto-sama."

"Your job was to apprehend them, not tease them." Kabuto remarked sternly, giving his subordinate a look promising fierce punishment. "Anyway, we'll discuss this later. You're dismissed."

Without another word, Mitsukagi nodded and quickly headed for the exit, the stone door slowly sliding to a grinding close behind him.

"Kabuto-san?" Naruto questioned, hardly believing his long lost friend was even there. "What's going on? Why are you here?"

Kabuto tilted his head forward, a hefty chuckle escaping his lips at the confusion tangible within the tone of Naruto's voice. "Naruto-kun.. you really are clueless." He remarked snidely. "In any case.. you aren't my main concern at the moment."

Sakura was suddenly hit with a sinking feeling in her gut when Kabuto looked her way, his round-framed glasses reflecting a blinding gleam against her shadowed eyes. 'So.. he was never our friend. He was just a spy this whole time for Orochimaru. But why did he help us back in the Chuunin exams if this was to be our fate? And if Orochimaru wanted us, then why did he attack Sasuke-kun?' With so many unanswered questions buzzing around in her head, she didn't even notice that Naruto was no longer squirming in the far corner. She couldn't even hear the sound of his soft breathing echoing in the spacious quarters of the stone-walled room. "Naruto?"

"Don't worry.. Naruto's being taken care of." Kabuto murmured huskily, his hand coming up to adjust his glasses with his forefinger.

"W.. What do you want with us?" Sakura demanded, glaring into the depths of Kabuto's dark eyes.

".. Your soul's."

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Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

.. For waiting. Reviewing. Etc.

SS 3