Here is yet another update, much longer for those who reviewed :) Enjoy! - VZ
The night was pitch black, with no stars to light up the sky. Even the moon was hidden behind thick clouds, making the forest seem even darker.
Even the animals seemed morose, for there was not a single creature in sight.
And out of the wilderness, a single figure appeared.
Beneath the sullen heavens, a pair of eyes flashed and lips thinned into a firm line.
As if sensing the person's horrible mood, the atmosphere tensed and let out a flash of lightning. White and hot, a branch of electricity burned across the heavens, lighting up the world for only a moment. Which was more than enough time for the forest to witness the vengeful glint evident in the person's eyes.
"Just you wait….I'll find you and you're going to regret ever leaving me."
With that, he disappeared, leaving the forest to ponder on his peculiar words.
"Is that natural?" A particularly nosy voice whispered.
"Tch….I doubt it. She most likely dyed it to gain more attention from men."
A pink brow twitched at the prying eyes and extremely loud 'whispers' of the townspeople.
"How pitiful."
Sakura decided to be the better person and take the higher road by ignoring their gossiping nature.
"Look at her. Of course she needs to go to such lengths just to attract the opposite sex. I mean, do you see what she's wearing?"
A new voice joined the others, sounding much more scandalized than the rest.
The pinkette merely rolled her eyes at their comments and kept on walking, spotting a nearby inn. Hopefully the inn had a hot water spring she could bathe in. Her muscles were more than sore from running nonstop for hours on end. True, she had a large amount of chakra. However it wasn't bottomless like a certain blonde's she knew.
"Oh dear. What's with that disgusting black cloak?"
Of course she was wearing a cloak! It was cold for Kami's sake!
"No curves whatsoever."
Ignore.
"She's heading for the tavern."
Ignore.
"Maybe she's a whore?"
Ignore.
"I wouldn't be surprised."
Loud and nasally giggles pierced the air.
"And her height! How tiny and-"
The girl's voice was cut off by the shock of a delicate yet insanely powerful hand gripping her chin. Enough force was exerted that she had to open her mouth completely if she didn't want her jaw separated from the rest of her head.
Frightened pairs of eyes zeroed in on the owner of the hand, and they connected with a pair of startling green.
"I dare you….."
The grip on the girl's chin tightened, making her whimper pathetically.
"…to finish that sentence."
Her voice was terribly sweet, yet incredibly deadly.
Sakura's lips turned upwards, forming an angelic smile, thoroughly scaring the girls.
"But by the time you do, I'd be holding your jaw in my hand. Then how would you spread anymore bad rumors?"
The girl actually fainted before the kunoichi finished her sentence.
She dropped the girl's weight and turned to the others, who seemed to be debating whether they should follow their friend's example.
"I'm not in a happy mood so you better be good little girls and leave me alone. You do that, and I'll happily return the favor."
With another saccharine smile and a cheery wave, Sakura left, leaving traumatized girls in her wake.
Minutes later, She was inside the establishment.
It wasn't that bad. In all honesty, the building was more than satisfactory.
There was a large bar in the room to her left and there was a staircase, which most likely led to the bedrooms.
Thanks to the furnace near the check in counter, the pinkette could finally remove the heavy cloak she had purchased along the road on the way here. This inn was near the border of fire country (at least that's what the man at the counter said) which meant…she was near home….and farther away from-
No!
She would not think about them.
That part of her life was over.
Tch…That's what you think. Inner replied angrily.
Choosing not to deal with her other personality, Sakura headed for the bar, fully intent on drinking her sorrows away.
As she walked towards the long table where cups of sake where being passed around, wolf whistles and cat calls from men rung in her ears.
And for once, She didn't bother to quiet them. Not out of lack of self-respect but lack of energy. She was much too lazy to spend any more strength on useless, horny men.
Besides, it's not like they were touching her-
"Damn..You're hot as fuck bitch! How would you like to let me take you doggie style?"
A hand slapped her ass.
Before squeezing it briefly.
Once again, she spoke too soon.
A second later, the man's hand was broken and he was wailing like a newborn baby.
Green eyes hardened.
"Try that again and I'll break your other hand."
A cup slammed down onto the table before her, which made her look towards the woman holding it.
"You deserve it girl. Men in here are as horny as they get and it's been ages since I've seen a woman stand up to a man like that."
Her voice indicated she was more than impressed with the pinkette, which made her blush slightly under her praise.
"It's no big deal." Sakura downed the cup of alcohol, savoring the slight burning sensation as the liquid slid down her throat.
The bar tender was blonde and had clear blue eyes. Very pretty and seemed just as smart. A fact that made the kunoichi proud. It's good to see that not every woman was as catty as the girls she encountered a while back.
"Trust me, I'd pay good money to see you throw down another man like that anytime."
A smirk graced Sakura's features.
"How about we earn some money instead?"
The devilish grin on the blonde's lips was an obvious sign that she was in.
The brazen woman slid another cup of sake towards Sakura.
"I like you hun. This round is on the house."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Three other leaf jonin winced at the sound of Naruto's yell-
"I'M FAAAAAAAT!"
-only to facepalm at his statement.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet leaf village's future Hokage.
Shikamaru flicked the blonde's forehead in irritation.
"There's a nearby inn near the border of fire country. We'll be there soon so shut up and don't move!" He muttered angrily, praying to Kami above that his teammate will listen.
Naruto stayed still for a brief (nonexistent) moment….then started to move crazily.
"SOMETHING IS MOVING INSIDE!"
Kiba and Neji promptly hit the kyuubi container on the head.
"Relax. We shall dismantle the bombs as soon as we get to the inn." The Hyuuga murmured, his face as stoic as ever.
"Yeah! So shut the hell up!"
As they both spoke, two identical lumps appeared on Naruto's head, which made him whimper.
"Half an hour…can you wait that long without making us deaf?" The Nara heir asked, sarcasm coating his voice like icing on a cake.
A whimper was his only reply.
"Kami help us."
Neji and Kiba heartily agreed.
"So, what's a decent girl like you doing in a rough town like this?"
The blonde, who later introduced herself as Mimi, questioned conversationally.
"I could ask you the same thing." Sakura replied, using her left hand to down another cup of sake.
"It's a long story girl. But to cut it short, my dad owns this nasty hellhole. And since my mom ran off, it's been just me and him holding this place together."
To the pinkette's surprise, the girl didn't sound sad or conflicted. In fact, she sounded rather at peace with it.
"Now don't give any pity. I've gotten along just fine without it." Mimi went on, pouring her another cup.
Sakura merely shook her head before reaching for the now filled cup.
"You won't get any from me. And people always forget the fact that girls like us are stronger than we look."
The girls shared a secret smile but their little moment was interrupted by a quite pained voice.
"Stop with this mushy shit! I'm trying to concentrate here!"
The kunoichi watched as the large and muscled man grunt over and over. Even going as far as to use both hands to push down against her own.
"Cheater!" Mimi yelled, ready to use the bottle of alcohol in her hand to smash over the brute's head.
"Don't bother." The pink haired girl muttered, her voice bored and uninterested.
After sending a bit of chakra into the palm of her right hand, she pushed. Which made the man yelp and fall….straight into the table headfirst, breaking it in half.
This action caused every other person watching the arm-wrestling show to either yell in victory at the surreal show or weep at the bets they've made on who would win. Unfortunately for them, they put their money on the man instead of the petite woman.
"Damn, you've got some serious ass kicking moves hun!" Mimi whistled and clapped along with the others.
Sakura glowed under their praise and gave them smile.
Unbeknownst to the innocent pinkette, her sweet appearance and strong personality made the men in the vicinity lust after her even more.
"Alright you pigs, where's our money?!"
When no amounts of cash were given to them, Mimi growled at the crowd of males.
"C'mon! It's your fault for betting on the wrong side!"
The men grumbled at the blonde's statement and threw the coins and bills they had onto the bar table. Where both girls were celebrating their victory with yet another cup of sake.
"We're almost there!" Kiba said, so grateful that he looked up to the heavens and murmured a silent prayer to Kami.
Shikamaru and Neji were tempted to do the same however they had their hands full with a very rambunctious blonde.
Five minutes later, the nin and canine were inside a warm inn, one that even offered bath house services. Something that made all four men sigh with relief.
"Here's another bottle of sake for the strongest girl I've ever met!"
A jubilant voice interrupted the conversation Shikamaru was currently having with the man at the register.
"Geez….such a troublesome woman." He muttered, wincing at the sound.
The man before him, who looked about as old as his father except he had a head of grey hair instead of brown, nodded with a tiny smile.
"That's my Mimi. She's always been like this. But not this happy, especially when she's working the bar shift…"
As the gravelly voice of the old timer went on, Kiba urged Shikamaru to write their information (fake of course) faster so that they could get into the bathhouse before it was full.
"…Maybe it's because of her new friend….the pink haired one."
The pen Shikamaru was holding slipped.
"Odd color for a woman…but I guess it suits her. Incredibly strong for such a little thing! I've seen her put more men through tables than fully grown warriors!"
Naruto perked up at the man's words, his tanned and whiskered face growing brighter with each sentence.
"And a drinker too…I heard only one other woman can drink like that without being put into a grave, what was it again? Tsunede? No….Oh I know! Tsunade! The Hokage of the village somewhere…"
The man didn't even get to finish his statement before all four men disappeared, leaving behind a filled out form and some cash.
Kisame was seriously ticked off. Not only did their angel escape, but also Itachi and the rest of Akatsuki were acting crazy.
Not the crazy kind that their leader would be proud of, the crazy kind that seemed so unreal.
When they all found out that Sakura had left, they all grieved in their own ways. However right now, in the middle of a road far away from the city of sin, it was as if they were dead.
Itachi kept on staring onto the distance, sometimes even forgetting to turn on his sharingan. Which was a big deal considering he had never seen his partner without it for years. Even asleep the Uchiha was always ready. But now, it seemed like he was tired.
The blondie on the other hand….he didn't even make anything. No spiders, birds or even bombs.
Same goes for the puppet and Hidan, they were so lifeless.
But the mist-nin knew they had o get things together when he felt the familiar pull of chakra on his Akatsuki ring.
Pein wanted to talk, and he had a feeling that their leader was not in a good mood.
"Alright, we better get a move on. The base is less than a day's walk. Let's move!"
Nobody moved a single muscle.
Kisame was this close to killing them himself.
"Are you deaf? I said let's-"
"We heard you the first time."
He was cut off by Deidara, who looked dead on his feet.
"Then why is'nt anyone moving their asses?"
Hidan spoke up, his fist clenching on his scythe.
"It's cause we don't fucking want to!"
"It's not like you have a choice in the matter! We can't be like this anymore. Leader is calling us. And it's time we finally answer."
Itachi spared Kisame a glance before ignoring him once more.
It was silent in the area before Hidan spoke.
"Fuck this…." It was barely a whisper, however it held something that hadn't been there since she left. It held strength and hope. A feeling that was once foreign to the silver haired immortal. Who slowly stood up from his crouching position on the dusty ground and pointed his signature weapon to the mist-nin.
"Fuck you!"
Hidan started stripping off his Akatsuki cloak, leaving him bare chested. Thank Kami he still had his pants.
Then He glared at the rest of the men in the vicinity, before raising his arms and his weapon so that he could tilt his face upwards and scream at the heavens.
"Fuck Akatsuki and Fuck leader!"
Kisame would've face palmed if it wasn't for the absolute seriousness present in the jashinist's voice.
"You…can't possibly be serious." He muttered, a sweat breaking out on his blue skin.
Hidan turned his attention to the large man and grinned psychotically.
"Oh I am."
With that said, he turned on his heel and started walking…the opposite direction of the base. Even going as far as to remove his Akatsuki ring and fling it somewhere on the road.
"Where the hell are you going?!"
Itachi, Deidara and Sasori all watched as he kept on walking, away from them and away from Akatsuki.
Hidan didn't bother to turn as he yelled out his reply.
"To find my fucking bitch!"
Not even a moment later, Deidara was on his feet, following the cursing man.
Leaving behind his ring and cloak.
"Not you too blondie!" Kisame said, his eyes wide at what was happening before him.
"I'm going to find her…." His voice was soft but filled with determination as he spoke.
"Don't you dare-"
Abruptly, the blonde turned and glared at him. His blue eye accusing and angry.
"What?! I can't just go on without her! How can you be so heartless?"
At this the large man chose his words carefully, knowing that anything could set off this volatile and heartbroken man.
"Exactly. I am Akatsuki and so are you. That means we don't have a heart. We are nothing more than hired weapons who kill because leader orders us to do so."
Deidara clenched his fists and strode up to him, a threatening look in his blue eye.
"No. I am no longer part of this. I do have a heart and it's fucking dying without her."
The anger in his voice faded as he spoke, making him seem so vulnerable to Kisame's eyes.
"I love her Kisame….knowing that, how can you expect me to just stand aside and forget?"
The mist-nin was not prepared for the words that left the blonde's mouth. Yet he understood him completely.
"Trust me blondie, It's clear as day how much you care for angel….but you just can't walk away…."
Suddenly, the fire within the bomber's eye that died recently, flared back to life at his words.
"Just watch me."
Seconds later, Deidara was next time Hidan, forming a large white clay bird to ride on.
"They're going to die..."
"Who cares? Without her, we're already dead."
A light 'thump' hit the ground.
He looked down, only to see a black cloak with red clouds on the ground folded neatly with a ring on top of it.
Sasori gave Kisame a nod and followed after his partner, insisting to ride with him for he did not have the patience to take the road and search for his blossom the long way.
He didn't even bother to move, because he just knew, his partner was going to follow their example.
"We both know you want to do the same…why not?" Itachi's calm voice jolted him out of his thoughts.
"…because it's not like she'll actually choose me. Not when she has you."
The words left his blue lips before he could stop them.
It was quiet between them before the Uchiha sighed.
"I just realized….the horrible truth about love. Is that you can't control your feelings or actions. In fact, the most terrible way to handle them is to resist."
Soon after saying those words, his partner, who was no longer wearing the red and black cloak or ring, walked towards Hidan, who was cussing up a storm about punishing his bitch for leaving him like that. While Deidara and Sasori argued on the white bird, debating which form of art Sakura preferred.
However they didn't move…it was as if they were waiting for something.
A moment later, Kisame realized they were waiting for him.
Tch...presumptuous bastards.
Nevertheless, Kisame started moving.
Shaking his head and hating his now soft heart, he walked towards them, but not before removing his Akatsuki ring and cloak, leaving it on the dusty road.
Hoped you all enjoyed it and I apologize for the bad grammar if there is any, I was just so excited to post this as soon as possible. Don't forget to read, review and tell me what you think. Although flames hurt, they are welcome because they push me to become a better writer :) - VZ