Chapter Two: "Running Away In Secret Is A Pain When You Have To Pay Rent"

Sakura: "I only moved away for a year and find trouble at my doorstep. Is this the curse of pink hair?"

—On Why Sakura Can Only Attract Trouble "Maybe I should have done overtime at work after all…"

Naruto: No! I want to live! Don't deny your destiny!

Meanwhile Itachi in Tokyo: *Sneeze!* Why do I have a bad feeling?

Bastard Kei: So much for becoming a main villain. I only got punched once!

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"First things first." Sakura quickly assessed the situation — she had an unconscious man on the run, a knocked out security guard she dumped in the stairwell, a demolished floor and red stains of blood. It was only by heaven's will that nobody came through the lobby yet. There was only a single door in and it had no window. Tenants had to enter by a key. The lobby was small and there was no reception, just elevators. Basically just a typical run down apartment with bad security. The security office was on the second floor. If she carried the blonde guy up the stairs, it was still safer than getting caught at the elevators with the suspicious man and she could stop by the second floor office on the way. Thankfully, she had the strength to pull it off. "Okay! Let's do this!"

Quickly, she got a napkin out of her purse and wiped up the little traces of blood from where Kei hit his head. There was a faint smear, so she grabbed the small water bottle she bought on her way home and used it wet the napkin and the smear came off. That settled, she quickly put the napkin in her pocket to dispose of later.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Sakura lifted Naruto onto her back and darted into the stairwell. Leaning down to steal Kei's badge and keys, she paused. If she just got rid of him now, nobody would hunt her down after this. For a cold second, she wanted to stab him as he was going to stab her, but she shook her head. She was not a murderer! With a bit of regret, she left Kei's body hidden under the stairs then ran up to the second floor with bursts of energy concentrated at the soles of her feet. When she focused just right, she found she could propel herself faster than normal.

Luckily, nobody saw her enter the stairwell, but then luck ran out. A scream sounded from below as a female voice echoed from the lobby through to the empty stairwell, "What happened to the floor?! It's like an earthquake came and went!" Sakura hurried her pace as she jumped up the steps in long strides.

On the second floor, cold sweat dripped down the back of her neck as she peeked out the door. Clear. The security room was only a few doors down from the elevators. Thoughts raced through her mind as she imagined at the possible reactions of the surprised resident downstairs. Most likely, she would contact the manager unless she looked into the stairwell hard, which she doubted. The police would only be called if the manager couldn't deal with it as no one wanted to deal with the hassle — she knew that from experience when one time somebody punched a hole in the wall. Sure, the floor was looking like cracked rock, but it didn't look like a murder scene. Luckily the manager was always lazy and barely answered his phone so whoever screamed would have to find him on the 7th floor and pound on his door before he bothered to come out. Which meant she had a few minutes to get to the security room on the second floor and destroy the evidence.

The office lady's hands shook as she thought about what she was about to do. Sure, when she was wild and young, she broke into rooftops or the teacher's lounge. Hell, she even messed with security tapes when she almost got caught sneaking into a donut shop to grab a bite for a stupid dare. But she never imagined she would have to destroy evidence like she was hiding a murder. Kei was the one who pulled a knife on her first, but if anyone saw what was on that tape…Forget the cult or whatever Kei was in, even local police would question her strength or worse.

Breathe in. Breathe out. You've done this before. She peeked at the man on her back and bit her lip. Why was she going so far to help him? He was nothing but trouble and he was being chased! Then she remembered the way he still tried to save her life even while he was being strangled and she couldn't ignore his cry for help.

With renewed determination, Sakura gently put the man against the wall and whispered, "I'll be back." He couldn't hear her, but she just felt like she had to let him know her choice. There was no going back. And besides, once Kei woke up, he would hunt her down so it was too late to back down. Without proof, he couldn't arrest her, not if he wanted to keep his secrets.

She checked the hallway again then sprinted to the security room a few doors around the corner. Jabbing Kei's keys in one by one in quick succession, the door finally unlocked and she stepped inside and turned on the light. As predicted, the poor funding meant there was only a few monitors and she quickly figured out the system. No cloud storage, just DVD. On the wall, there were piles of dusty VHS tapes as well. Sakura's lips pulled back, "Jeez. How old was their system? I guess I should be grateful the owners are stingy bastards."

She messed around with the computer until she found where she could clear the data for the past few hours and when the password came up, Sakura instantly found the post-it note with the password in an old notebook to the side. She laughed as she finished the job and took out the DVD backup. Holding on to the DVD just in case she needed proof, she rolled her eyes. For some strong cult/clan member whatever, he really looked down on his job. There wasn't a day when he wouldn't complain about his dead end job and sure enough, he truly didn't take it seriously. Then again, with his attitude, he probably never imagined there would be anyone to threaten him. Even she had to admit that for all his cockiness, Kei was strong enough to lift a man up with only an arm.

Sakura then thought about her next steps and with a quick investigation, figured out how to turn off the cameras. One by one, she watched the screens go black and she left for the stairwell right away. No longer fearing the cameras, she lifted the man on to her back and hurried to her apartment.

As soon as she shut her door, she quickly took off the man's torn off shirt and replaced it with a large T-shirt she liked to wear casually. She checked his pockets — he had nothing. No wallet, no ID. Made sense since he was on the run. Laying him down on her bed, she paced around the room before making up her mind.

"Shit. It was times like these that I wished I had a car." Sakura quickly started packing a backpack in case she had to run, although she doubted she'd need to tonight. If she predicted right, the manager would report the damage to the police after being pushed out the door. Some classy people liked to make out in the stairwell after a night out or if they lived on the first floor, they would rather walk up. So it was only a matter of time until someone noticed Kei. When that happened, they would only be forced to put him in an ambulance and try to investigate the ground floor before they would need to let people pass by as it was the only way in and out of the apartment. There was no reason to question all of the upper floors and they didn't have the manpower to do so for dozens and dozens of apartments.

On top of that, there was be no reason to enter any apartment without reason and she made sure when she dragged Kei to under the stairs that she only held him by her arms without leaving her fingerprints. She didn't know how detailed the police were compared to the crime shows she watched on TV, but it didn't hurt to be paranoid. As for finding her pink hair on the ground, since many passed by the lobby, it wasn't strange to find hairs all over so her unique pink hair wouldn't be conclusive evidence either if some spilled. When was there not hair on the ground in the main lobby?

The hard part will be the future. Sakura finished stuffing a few sets of clothes in her bag as well as her few important documents like her birth certificate and a few snacks with a bottle of water. She looked reluctantly at her simple apartment with it's minimal furniture and small collection of yaoi and korean dramas. She'd have to come back when it was safe to clear the place out — or simply just toss the key to the owner and donate her stuff to the neighbors actually. She didn't want to stay in Kei's territory if she could help it.

Sakura wasn't sure if it was a cult or gang behind the blonde man's kidnapping, but there had to be a large group or the man wouldn't have run into an apartment for refuge instead of hide in an alley or something. There was only one reason one would leave an obvious hiding place — when it's not really worth hiding in. And since he looked like he ran a long time, it meant he was extremely desperate to choose her old apartment as a place to hide. How he got in was up to debate, but if Kei planned to welcome him, the door could have been left open for him. Maybe they wanted to bait him like a mouse to a trap and she ruined it all.

No. Staying in Fukuoka was too risky. She sighed as she dropped onto her couch, "Sorry job. I'm going to have to say goodbye to my peaceful life." Quickly changing out of her work clothes, she put on simple sweats and a T-shirt.

She didn't dare to sleep that night until she heard the ambulance from below and after a couple hours passed, she finally relaxed. Soon, she had to deal with the reality of what she'd done and the future she had to claim.

She would need to leave Fukuoka. Of course, leaving right after Kei's incident would raise suspicion, but she couldn't stay. She'd have to move and pay the extra month's rent and act like she's moving out 'suddenly.' She didn't have any ties except that Kei liked to talk to her as the friendly guard, but that wasn't enough to raise suspicion. It wasn't like she was one of those guys who she was pretty sure got high with the hard stuff and ran a business doing so or why else would she see them linger near the alley behind the apartment when she got home late? Those guys always had some issue with everybody according to the gossip she'd hear from her neighbors when they happened to pass by and chat.

Suddenly, a naughty idea came and Sakura smiled as exhaustion filled her. "It can wait until tomorrow…"

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The next morning, Sakura woke up with a strange feeling. Last night felt like a blur.

Then clear blue eyes popped in front of her face as a strange man cheered, "Good morning! I made breakfast!" He said with a cheeky grin.

"Ahhhh!" Sakura screamed as she fell off her couch. "Who are you?!" Her heart sped as she slowly remembered who he was, but she played stupid.

The blonde man jumped back and apologized, "S-Sorry! I'm Naruto. You saved my life, remember? I'm super grateful by the way!" He pointed toward the small table in her living room like a naughty child. "Here! I made you ramen!"

Sakura stared at the grown man acting like a kid and then at the cup ramen he placed on the table. "This is breakfast?"

Naruto coughed and scratched his cheek. "I hadn't had a decent meal since I got kidnapped and when I saw you had my favorite ramen, I kind of went overboard…" Then Sakura noticed half her ramen supply was missing.

"…" Sakura raised a brow. How on earth did he stuff 6 bowls in a single morning?

"Look I can explain!" Naruto waved his hands wildly as he tried to say that he loved ramen with a passion and couldn't resist, but Sakura held up a hand.

"It's fine. I wouldn't be able to take it after today. You know what we have to do, right? We can't stay here and I need you to tell me what you know. Now." Sakura rubbed her temple and sat up straight. "But first, what time is it on my phone?"

Naruto looked at the cell on the charger. "It's 8:03am."

"Good. We'll leave in an hour. Now talk." Since she didn't know him well, she had to be firm now to establish the relationship or who knew what hassle would come out of this. At least he wasn't the type to leave her to her death and run off. "Please."

Naruto sat on his knees and nodded. "Of course. Where do I begin…Ah." He straightened his back and held her gaze seriously. "It all started when I went off to the bar after making a huge mistake at work. Somehow I got into a fight when this man started harassing these college girls and then…everything went red."

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A few weeks earlier…

Naruto stared down the slender man groping the hapless women. "Leave them alone."

Slowly turning his head toward him, the man sneered and took out a knife. "Ha? What are you going to do about it, bitch?" He twirled the knife between his fingers.

Naruto frowned and studied his stance. The man was a jerk, but was no stranger to fights. That was…perfect. So he said with a smile, "I don't know, you look like you're here to get some clients? Was I intruding?" He cracked his knuckles.

"This bitch!" He charged at Naruto and the women behind him screamed as they ran away.

Naruto dodged and used his forearm to divert his punch from his other fist. Then, with smooth movements, he retrieved the knife and threw it to the ground. One, two, three. Done. With a smirk, he said, "You were saying?"

"Shit! You better watch yourself!" The man ran away and Naruto laughed. Maybe today wasn't so bad after all. Then he ordered a cup of sake and sighed into his drink. Getting into fights and watching TV were his only entertainment ever since his parents' died. Even though he was 27, he hadn't changed. No wonder his boss called him immature.

Drink after drink, he shot back until he could forget his misery and stumbled out of the small bar. The moon was out and the crowds were dying out the longer he walked.

When he was half-way home, that was when they attacked. A group of men surrounded the lone salary man with the punk in front screaming, "This is him!" Then they came in for the attack. As they beat him up, a burning energy flooded him and the familiar fire gave him strength as he found the energy to fight back.

After that, all went red and the next thing he knew he was tossed to the ground, with a foot on his neck pressing down. "Gh!" Naruto could barely keep his head on straight as he tried to get his bearings, but it was like something invisible was tying him down!

Suddenly, the leader stepped forward. A man in his late thirties with strange tattoos said, "Oh? This one has demonic chakra. Your ineptitude brought the Kaguya Clan a rare treasure. Good work."

The bastard smiled, "Thank you, Sir!" Then he kicked his head and Naruto blacked out.

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"…After that, I woke up in a dark room and strapped to a hospital bed. They…" His voice caught in his throat, but he continued, "They tortured me. Not only with tools, but they even messed with my mind. I don't know how, maybe drugs, but I saw terrible visions and so much blood…Then one day, I felt my burning energy come back to me and a strange power flood my veins. Everything turned red and the straps burned away. I barely escaped when I attacked the guard. I ran for miles, but they were everywhere. I can't explain it, but the closer I got, the more I could sense people with higher energy. I couldn't stay in the alleys. So when I found your apartment, I was desperate and the security guard didn't have any trace of that…chakra they called it…but I was wrong. I'm not sure how, but he escaped my notice. And the rest is history."

Sakura thought about the night before. How she felt that energy, but Kei never noticed. "I think…it can be hidden. Our chakra. Like a signal? He never suspected me either, but I also had that same experience with energy flowing and you saw my strength. You only got noticed when you got drunk. Maybe, we subconsciously hide our signatures of chakra? I don't understand but it's like…like…" She didn't know how to express the feeling.

Naruto finished for her, "Like your body knew what to do automatically? Like someone was guiding your hand?"

Sakura stared wide-eyed at Naruto. "Yes. You understand me exactly. Nobody I've told this to could understand. They thought I was trying to pretend to be cool."

"Then we are the same." Naruto fell silent and looked at the door. "Maybe it's fate."

"…" Sakura looked at the door as well. "You don't have a home and we're both on the run once Kei wakes up if he ever does. Why don't you come with me? I only assumed you would, but now…Do you want to?"

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Yes! Of course! That's a given." Then he bowed deeply. "You saved me life. Thank you —"

"Sakura. My name is Sakura Haruno."

He lifted his head, "Thank you Sakura. I am Naruto Uzumaki. I owe you my life."

"Then we're roommates. You mentioned the Kaguya Clan…Hold up." She pulled up her phone and googled, but only found ancient history references about them being a ninja clan. Chakra was an energy they practiced with, but it was deemed more spiritual than literal. There was nothing recent and the references were vague and only told that their base was in Fukuoka area.

"Well if there's a Kaguya Clan, there must be more and they each most hold their own territory. I imagine such violent people have many enemies so we need to go somewhere nobody could control completely, a place where many clans clash if these ninja clans exist on such a scale. And there is one place where everyone has a piece of the pie…"

Naruto spoke up, "Tokyo!"

"Exactly. Come on, I got a plan. We're headed for Tokyo."

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AUTHOR NOTE:

Sup?

Happened to have a couple of chaps already drafted out so posting. Shortly after this, gonna update other works!

Can't sleep for many good reasons. As always, please review and have a cup of tea!

Ok. Have a good night everyone and dream of all your ramen being eaten by Naruto :3

Ciao,

WitchySkies