Status: Incomplete.

Notes: Not much to comment on historical-wise. Not yet. Not much fact is used in this chapter, and I apologise in advance if my fictional writing is so unreal that it is bad. Read the previous chapter's A/N for updated information (as of the 30th of December 2008) regarding this story.

A/N: As mentioned above, this chapter has little facts. It has no ItaSaku action, sadly, but it is relevant to get the story moving. I'm introducing a new character and I'll explain and ramble on about this character at the end of the chapter, hopefully answering any question you might have after reading this update. Again, I apologise for any typos or grammatical errors that you'll find.

Ah, but now, a slight refreshing of memory...

Last time:

"How much will that cost me?" he asked, a crooked grin adoring his damp lips. She smiled, the grip of her arms around his neck loosening. "An answer to a question," she replied. He raised his brow again, clearly amused as he spoke, "Ask away."

She bit her lip, unsure. With a deep breath, she came to the conclusion that if it failed, she wouldn't see him ever again.

"When I leave this place, where can I go to find you?"

o-oOo-o

Wild, Wild Love

o-oOo-o

The Journey Begins

This morning promised a hot day. It was the end of the summer, and the air was not only still, but dry and heated as well. Not many were on the dusty streets around this time, apart from a few drunks struggling to get home and those who had to get to work by sunrise. She stood watching a man, in his forties or so, who leaned shakily against the wall of the run-down house opposite of where she was standing. He had light-brown hair, unkempt and tangled under a worn hat, with similarly coloured chaps covering torn jeans. His boots matched the ground on which he walked ever so slowly, or, she noted, perhaps it was shuffling. As she continued to observe his journey along the house's wall, she noticed he had a limp as well. Narrowing her green eyes, she realized the dark spot on his thigh was growing slowly, but surely. Blood. She sighed, looking away. It wasn't an unusual sight, but it never ceased to make her uneasy. Living in a world where violence was so common, she supposed she ought to get used to it. Still, she trained her eyes on the horizon instead; head turned to get a clearer view of the eastern entrance of this small town. The road she quietly occupied went straight through town; both ends of it being on opposite sides. This was where the wagons and carts went through, where the horses trampled the ground till it was hard as stone; leaving a trail of dust behind. This was where her ticket out of here was – a ticket, which she held securely in her petite hand; a small bag of gold.

The sun was now above the horizon, bathing her in a warm light and forcing her to blink several times. It couldn't be long now, she mused. Minutes passed by, until she saw a familiar shadow appear at the end of the road. Her lips formed an excited smile as she watched it grow larger, seeing the clouds of dust and soon hearing the dulled sound of hooves hitting the ground at a high speed.

"Finally," she mumbled as a cart entered town, slowing its speed until it came to a stop where she stood. She looked up and gave the coachman a sincere smile before quickly bending down to fetch her luggage lying by her feet. It wasn't much; the old Madame hadn't taken kindly to her decision to leave, and even less so when she presented the money needed to pay back her debts. The young girl didn't mind though, because for the first times in years, she would be free. And, she'd realized, she would be going to something that was more worth than the dresses and small possessions she had been forced to leave behind. Even the exclusive folding screen had been confiscated as property of the rundown bar she'd worked at, but she couldn't find it in her to be truly sad.

"Are you the only one Miss?" the coachman asked, ignoring the people exiting his wagon. She nodded, waiting for the two ladies and their husbands to finish. He gave her a wide grin, but she had already looked away and was busy greeting the travellers.

"Be careful child," the older woman said when she passed, her tone offended as she glared at the driver. "It's a vicious ride!"

"Oh I'll be alright M'am," was the pink haired girl's reply, followed by a warm smile. The older woman snorted, before leaving with her husband. Now the wagon was empty, and she didn't spare a minute before climbing in to take a seat. Tucking her small baggage underneath the slightly uncomfortable bench, she finally leaned back and heaved a happy sigh. This was it. Now she would leave her old life behind, and she would---

"WAIT FOR ME!! OI!! DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE, YOU HEAR?!"

--what? Blinking, she leaned over to look out the small window just in time to see a young man struggling to slow his speed, running toward the now closed door. A muttered protest from the coachman couldn't silence the young man's harsh breathing as he tore the door open and jumped in, seemingly unaware that a lady was occupying the seat opposite of him as he slumped down with a loud exhale of breath. She blinked, again; slightly startled. She had thought she'd be the only one taking this ride, but it seemed she was wrong. Observing the man as he caught his breath, eyes focused intently on the ceiling and body ungracefully sprawled over the whole bench, she realized she had never seen him before.

He had blonde hair like the rays of the sun, eyes bluer than the sky and a handsome face with a healthy tan; seemingly smooth skin apart from the scars that marred his cheeks. They looked like whiskers, she noted as her curiosity rose. The wagon had already begun to move, the slight swinging and the sound of hooves being tell-tale signs this blonde man hadn't seemed to register. It wasn't until she spoke up that he was yanked back to reality.

"Um, hello?" was all she said, but it made him almost jump out of his skin. Immediately he was sitting up straight, hand resting against something she realized, with a gasp, was a revolver. When his blue eyes met her startled gaze his whole manner seemed to change from slightly threatening to a sheepish, surprised one. Her heart didn't calm down.

"Oh, sorry girl!" he exclaimed, voice loud and strong. "You just surprised me; I hadn't noticed you, you see!"

Well, that much was obvious, she thought with a huff. "It's alright sir, I apologise for startling you." He grinned at her words, shaking his head. "It's entirely my fault, you know! Anyway, what's your name, girl?"

She was about to answer, but paused; blinking. A warm smile spread and she let out a small laugh. "My name is Sakura. And yours?"

He seemed surprised; she guessed he'd never heard a name like that before. She didn't blame him, it was strange, but…she liked it.

"Sakura, eh? Well, my name is Naruto! Believe it!"

Then again, perhaps he was used to strange names.

o-oOo-o

This ride would be a long one, but it would be the last before he reached his destination. His so called friend, that bastard, had left him behind to go travelling with that stick-up-the-ass older brother of his. So, they might've had a fight the night before they had decided to leave. So, he might've said a few bad things. So, they might've agreed to not see each other again. That honestly didn't mean he'd truly meant it though, and it had been quite a shock to find the hotel room beside his empty as he'd happened to oversleep. He was determined to duel some sense into that bastard, and thus, had gone on a rather exhausting journey. He had no idea where they were going, but he'd had a guess. So far, it proved to be a good hunch. After inquiring the staff of the finest hotel in the previous town, he'd gained enough information to conclude that yes, a man named Itachi Uchiha had been here, and yes, a younger man with the hairdo of a turkey's ass had accompanied him. What had made this discovery very frustrating though, was the fact that they'd left two days prior to his arrival. From what he'd gathered they'd stayed for about a week, and he couldn't help but wonder what made the two most spoiled, snobby, rich sons of even richer parents stay in a place such as the town he himself was now leaving behind after only a day. He would have to ask the bastard once their glorious, tear-filled reunion has taken place (he had no doubt it would be violent). Now, however, he'd found a much more pleasant person to have a conversation with.

The young girl before him couldn't be more than fifteen, probably a year younger than himself. Her wide, green eyes were captivating, and the pink locks of her hair added to her exotic beauty. The soft, cheery sound of her voice added to her lure, as well as the way in which she held herself; elegant and gentle, but with a certain strength he couldn't pinpoint at the moment. She was, he realized even as their conversation betrayed many common interests, the opposite of himself. He felt his movements were rough when compared to her soft manner, his voice overpowering her quiet words, his looks rugged and his clothes torn with battle and travel. Even so, she was gorgeous. And there was no ring on her finger.

"So you've been stuck there for four years, you say?" he asked as she paused in her story. Nodding, the girl named Sakura smiled. He thought it was an odd name for her, especially since she was practically in the middle of the West and nowhere near Japan, in looks or geography.

"Yes, and I was lucky; after only a year I managed to get myself a job, although I had to spend another year to learn. It was a pretty decent job too," she explained, sighing and looking out of the window with a distant look in emerald orbs. "Well, maybe you wouldn't actually call it decent."

He frowned at the strange tone of her voice, the sudden change of atmosphere uncomfortable. "You said you worked as a dancer, right, Sakura?" he began, flashing a small smile when she turned her attention back to him. When she nodded to confirm, he continued. "That's quite impressive. I have no sense of rhythm what-so-ever! My bastard friend always reminds me, you know? It's kinda annoying, 'cause he knows squat about dancing as well! Always insisting on some sissy ballroom waltz thing. The music has no heat, if you ask me!"

He hoped he hadn't stepped over the line, trying to lighten the mood. He was no fool, although he might appear as one quite often. He knew what happened to girls like Sakura, pretty ones stuck in an occupation such as hers. Her grin and the slight glint in her eyes told him he needn't worry.

"Really now? I quite enjoy dancing, Mister – although I've had quite few opportunities to dance waltz of all things. Not so popular out here!" she replied with a giggle, pausing to ponder. "In fact, I only remember trying it out once. It was quite easy."

"You can drop the 'Mister', Sakura," he said with a slight grin, shaking his head and sighing slightly in relief at the change of mood. "Makes me sound old, you know?"

Laughing, she nodded her head in agreement. "Sorry Naruto, old habits die hard."

He snorted; glancing over to meet her gaze as he slowly leaned forward to rest his arms against his knees lazily, a teasing smirk playing on his lips. Her faint blush pleased him, and he waited a moment before asking what he had been dying to for quite some time.

"So, Sakura…living the life of a showgirl, and then suddenly leaving. They couldn't have paid you much at that place, I believe," he began, watching her with a growing interest as she started to fidget. When he paused, she shrugged, and he continued.

"You must have some interesting stories to tell, right?"

o-oOo-o

Despite his unkempt looks and rugged manner, her male travelling counterpart was very charming. He made their conversations light and amusing, although it lacked any stimulating intelligence. Blue eyes never roamed past her face; rough, calloused hands never strayed from his side – she had to admit he was a gentleman, in a weird kind of way. Even his speech was polite, if you ignored the strange accent she had yet to identify.

Which were all reasons why she had been so startled by his recent behaviour, not to mention being slightly unsettled by his question as well. It was fine and dandy to talk about the trifle things they had exchanged so far, but was it safe to reveal her destination? The reason behind her departure? She was not an idiot. She may not have been schooled, but she knew what she needed to survive as undamaged as possible and so far, it had worked. Telling a stranger that a man rich enough to waste money on paying off a random showgirl's debts was waiting for her was honestly sending of pretty loud warning bells in her pretty little head. The blonde was nice, and charming, but she knew from experience that men could become quite nasty indeed; polite and kind persona forgotten.

She opted for a censored version, since she hated to lie. He didn't need to know that someone was waiting for her. She might be the one leaving someone behind, right?

"Stories, you say?" she began, sighing slightly as she forced herself to relax again. His position on the bench before didn't change, but his eyes lit up with genuine interest. She couldn't decide if this was a good or a bad thing. "I guess you could say it began with a gift."

He grinned as she paused, his teasing and slightly suggestive manner changing to a quite attentive one; letting one arm fall to lie limp over his lap as the remaining arm served as a support for his head, chin resting against his palm. She noted with wry amusement that had he been younger, it would've seemed as if she was going to tell him his goodnight story. Shaking her head, she sighed. It all began with a gift? Then what? Titling her head, she grinned.

"Then, there was a man."

o-oOo-o

He should've known a girl like her was bad news. She was too pretty, too sweet, too easy to like. He grimaced at the notion of getting all his fortune snagged from under his nose by this particular female, because he had a nagging feeling that after a night in her bed, he wouldn't really mind. Not enough to hunt her down, anyway – which was probably why she didn't seem too troubled that she'd robbed a wealthy traveller. But, he had to admit that had he met her in the saloon while she worked, his first thought would be that she didn't belong there. Still, he would have to be a bit more careful from now on.

"Wow, that was quite a story!" he said at last, having spent a few moments in complete silence after she finished her tale. "Not something that happens every day, you know?"

When he laughed nervously she giggled at his discomfort, making him shrug weakly. "No need to worry Naruto, I won't steal anything from you. I promise," she said, voice soft and filled with amusement. Despite himself, he felt assured by her words but couldn't help but think that he was being fooled all the same. Before he could ponder too much on the subject, she spoke up.

"How about you then, Naruto?" she said, titling her head with a grin; a gesture he had come to recognise as something that was solely hers. "You mentioned you were chasing a friend through the states, and I imagine you two are pretty close. How did you meet? You two seem like you have quite the history."

He laughed as she finished her last sentence, wondering if she had a nose for sniffing out good stories. She might or might not know it, but she chose a quite interesting question to ask. How, indeed, did an orphan child of the Wild West meet the youngest son of a Japanese nobleman? He could describe it with nothing better than saying it was a coincident, and, perhaps, a strike of dumb luck. Voicing it out loud, he managed to catch her full attention. Not sure how to proceed, he paused. There was things he probably could not tell her, which would force him to modify the tale into something he was sure wouldn't cause their thin bond of – if not friendship, then at least some kind of companionship – to break. He did not like to hide things, but from experience he knew the story of his past and present did more harm than good; it didn't matter that he was not ashamed of it himself. Snorting, he refocused his blue gaze on the young female opposite of him; pleased to note she was waiting eagerly for his reply. He wouldn't keep her waiting.

"Well," he began with a sigh and lopsided grin, "it was much like this; two travelling through the prairie in a cart. Although, it was much fancier than this and I was not one of the travellers. But I was indeed travelling, in the opposite direction and on horseback though. I prefer that, you know?

Anyway, it really was fortunate that I decided to use the main road for travel. When I met up with the cart, they were engaged in a rather interesting fight with a couple of robbers. I helped out, of course, because you never know; there might've been a pretty little lady like yourself stuck in the middle of all that, you see?" he winked at her, making her blush every so lightly, before continuing with a wistful sigh. "Well, there wasn't any, if you're wondering. It was that bastard and his older brother; two ungrateful gits, if you ask me. I admit they were impressive, I mean, it's not easy taking on a whole band of thieves with only two guns! But, you know, they were out-mannered – quite badly too – but I wasn't travelling alone, so with my help it was pretty easy to turn the situation around!

And after that, the bastard told me to get out; not even a word of thanks! I was ready to give him a healthy beating, and I would've succeeded too, if it weren't for his older brother butting in!" he grumbled, remembering the utterly arrogant and annoying tone his friend had used. Shrugging, he continued. "It wasn't that bad though, he actually offered me a job. Their coachman had been shot down and was pretty badly hurt, you see, so he said to drive the cart for them, and I'd get a heavy pay! Of course I said yes, you know? Not easy making a living out here, so I'm taking on whatever job is offered, most of the time!"

When he paused this time, he noted her expression had changed from attentive to thoughtful, and he couldn't help but wonder what went on behind those emerald orbs currently fixated on the floor of the wagon. He hadn't left out that much, but she seemed to be taking a bit too long pondering his words. Her next question strengthened his earlier belief that she was, for a lack of better words, bad news. People had always told him things like this were his weakness.

"Who were you travelling with?"

o-oOo-o

His story was amusing; the very golden example of the whimsical twists of fate. But the stiff way he retold it, the way the speed of his speech varied one too many times, and, most telling of all, how his gaze kept flickering about, told her there was something missing. She wasn't one to probe, but this man fascinated her. Something about him told of many interesting stories to be heard, many adventures accomplished that she could only dream of witnessing, let alone experience. So, she asked what had caught her attention. Who had accompanied him on his trip that day, who had helped him save his friend and brother? Who was dismissed so easily in this tale?

His troubled expression told her she shouldn't have asked, and she found herself regretting it as an uncomfortable silence settled over them. His nervous laughter did nothing to lighten the mood, but before she could apologise for stepping over a line she had not seen, there was a horrifying sound that made her stiff with fear.

A gunshot. Followed by another, and another.

She panicked, letting out a dismayed yelp as the speed of the wagon increased drastically. Letting her frightened gaze flicker from one window to another, trying to pin-point the location of whoever was firing what sounded like a heavy loaded shotgun, she nearly hit her blonde travelling companion straight in the face as he came to her side before she could blink; putting a protective arm around her waist as he drew his gun and carefully looked out of the window. She stared at his face, his profile sharp with no trace of the joking, foolish young man left. Transfixed, she hardly noticed when his grips tightened around her once, before he let go.

"You stay hidden, Saukra," he said, voice still and soothing, making her calm a bit even as the sounds of guns continued to abuse her ears. "Keep low, close to the floor, and do not look out of the window; you mustn't let them see you, alright?"

She nodded, too afraid and lost to do much else. He patted her head, a soft smile gracing his lips. "Don't worry, Sakura. I won't let anything happen to you; just do as I say and it'll be fine, you know?"

Again, she nodded; watching him with wide eyes as he stood and climbed out of the window as if the wagon wasn't moving, and there were no crazy, armed men outside. She took a moment to wonder why the hell this was happening to her, before she realized that things had just been going way too smoothly up until now, so, why shouldn't this happen? She knew she should've expected it; it wasn't uncommon that people were attacked and robbed during travels like these, but that did nothing to lessen her fright.

As the sound random shooting of guns changed into a purposeful string of shots aimed to hit a target, the amount of bullets fired increasing by the second, she found herself slipping down to the floor; huddling together in a frightened bundle of the pathetic, helpless maiden-in-peril persona.

She really, really hated the West.

o-oOo-o

It had been a long time since he found himself in a situation like this. Seven against one, he knew he had little chance of coming out of this alive. Had his revolver been a few models newer, if he'd been in possession of a few more bullets, then perhaps he would've pulled through. But even then, he had a sinking feeling that only he would come out of this unscratched.

The coachman was already badly hurt, bleeding from a wound in his chest he knew would be the death of him within minutes. The blonde only had those minutes to take out as many of the men as possible before he had to take over the steering of the, by now, wild horses. With only three of the men gone, that would make it almost impossible. He only knew of one way out that would save the young girl hiding in the cart, and that would allow him to be around for protection as well, and that was to quickly abandon the wagon and go for the horses. Looking around, he noted his surroundings and realized he was closer to a safe destination than he previously had anticipated; it seems the trip had gone a lot faster than he'd noticed, for which he was grateful. Shaking his head, he dodged to avoid another bullet; his grim mood lifting as he came to the conclusion that he would, without doubt, get them out of this situation.

Firing another round of deadly accurate shots, he moved from the roof of the shaking wagon to slip past the distressed coachman, sending him a sad look before jumping onto the nearest horse. The wounded man shouted, realizing what he had in mind, and tugged at the reins in a fit of panic. He knew the blonde would leave him behind.

Ignoring the yells coming from behind him, the blonde temporary put his gun away to reach for the knife in his boots; freeing the horse he was riding and quickly doing the same to the horse beside him. Taking a good hold of the neighbour animal, he steered both out of the way as he fumbled for his revolver; keeping an eye on the men circling the now horseless wagon. Firing a few well-aimed bullets, he made his way towards the window he had climbed out of, looking in to see the pink haired girl huddled on the floor. He felt his heart tug at the sight, but had to time to ponder it as he shouted her name; capturing her attention immediately.

"Sakura!! Come to the door, hurry! You need to get on this horse!" he screamed, steering the horses to place the free one as close as it would allow to the wagon's door. She stared at him, wide eyed, for a few moments before a new round of bullets made her move quickly. Soon she was pulling the door open and struggling to climb up on the horse. The speed had dropped rapidly since he cut off the two horses, leaving the cart with nothing to keep pulling it forward, and for that he was slightly grateful. It was not easy getting on a horse in motion, but somehow, the young girl managed. She lay sprawled over the horse's back, desperately trying to fling her leg over so she would lie in the right direction instead of straddling it the way she did. He hoped she had a strong grip of the horse, because they needed to speed up. With a tug against the piece of rein still attached to the horse beside him, he moved them away from the slowing wagon and hurriedly increased their speed. She heard her let out a scream when he let go of her horse, turning to answer the many bullets chasing them. He kept the other men at a distance, managing to ride to the other side of the girl's horse to help her move into a safer position. It was tricky, but with a few helpful pushes, she was lying along the horse's back, clinging to the strong throat and with each leg on either side of it. He breathed a sigh of relief, slapping the back of the animal roughly to get it moving, knowing it was heading in the right direction. He needed to take care of the pursuers, and would catch up with her as soon as he was done. Sending an assuring smile in her direction when she turned to gaze at him, utterly horrified, he just hoped she wouldn't do anything stupid. Perhaps he should've told her something? Well, too late now he realized.

Cursing lightly, he turned and made his way to meet the robbers head-on; sometimes, he had to admit, he didn't think things through.

o-oOo-o

There were many things in her life that she was uncertain of. Like her past, her future; even herself. Who were the people who had brought her to this world? How had she survived her first years of life? Where did she come from? She didn't know, but had never been really troubled by this. There were many people like her, she knew. But all were different; turned out to be different kind of people as they aged. She wondered who she would end up as, where she could, or would, go in life. She had always dreamed of adventures, had always had a girlish desire to be swept off her feet. She had never imagined either of them would come true, but at the moment, she wondered what you classified as an adventure.

She was sure this was more like a nightmare, and she was just as sure that she would, if not kill then at least cause some serious harm, to a certain blonde wanna-be cowboy.

The horse she was clinging so desperately to as these thoughts passed through her confused, scared mind was a magnificent animal, she realized. It had been running or trotting since they left town, and now it was galloping at high speed towards God knows where. It hadn't had a break for hours, and she wondered when its legs would give out, and how painful it could be to hit the ground as it stumbled at the speed it was currently racing. The sweat smelled bad, and she was mildly disgusted that the side of her face was currently pressed hard against its impressive neck, where the salty water was collecting rapidly. The situation, however, was too absurd and frightening to allow her the privilege of being offended by things such as a (life saving, she added) horse's sweat, and the growing discomfort of lying like a helpless ragdoll on the back of said animal. It was quite obvious she had never ridden before (at least not like this, a familiar voice whispered), and she dared not straighten up in her slightly painful seat in case she would fall off in her inexperience.

Really, once she got her hands on Naruto she would strangle him till he turned blue. Why hadn't he allowed her to ride with him? It would have been much better if she'd been seated in front of him since he would've kept her from falling off, chased the gun wielding robbers away, and steered her in a safe, secure direction. She really couldn't see how any of that was a worse idea than sending her off on a horse alone, and it would take a lot to convince her otherwise. Sighing, she opened her eyes after having them shut for a good few minutes, noticing that the sounds of shooting had ceased. Her heart fluttered, before she realized that there was more than one explanation. Either the irritating blonde had won, or he had lost. Or, she thought with a slight whimper, her horse had taken her so far away that the sound simply couldn't reach her anymore. Well, either way, it couldn't really get worse, right?

The sound of hooves made her stiffen, before she realized it was only one horse. The men had been around three to five, so it had to be Naruto. Relieved, she slowly moved to locate the blonde. Her green eyes landed on a brown and white coloured horse, moving up to greet the gaze of its rider.

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.

How was this possible?!

o-oOo-o

TBC

oOo

A/N: Ah, yes, a cliffhanger. So sorry about that, but I've been drawing out the chapter as much as possible to make it long enough. Didn't quite succeed -sighs-

Anyway, yes, Naruto-kun! Wild cowboy extraordinaire!

I'm sure you're wondering why his name is still Naruto, when he is born and bred an American in this story? Well, everything has an explanation...that will arrive later, I assure you.

I'd also like to explain his way of speech. I'm aware that it is clean and probably a bit stiff, but I am not confident enough with the English language to write slang; much less old Western slang. I hope you noticed that I pointed out his strange accent though, because that's the only odd thing I have about his way of talking. I chose not to use "dattebayo" or "believe it" mainly because the first is a Japanese "phrase" and the latter is so utterly annoying that I can't bring myself to write it. It doesn't fit my Naruto's character in this story anyway, so yeah. I do however have him use phrases such as "you know?" or "you see?" a lot. Hopefully that'll be enough.

And then there's the whole story of how Naruto and his bastard friend (Sasuke, as you should've figured out by now) met...I'm aware that it is far fetched, but so is this whole story. Everyone will be connected one way or another, because...well, I like it that way haha :P

If you're wondering what characters I'll introduce in this story, I will give you a few that I'm sure of at the moment. It might change but right now, I'm pretty sure I'll be using Jiraya, Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto (with a different name, of course), and maybe, maaaybe, Kakashi (with a different name, I think). Oh, and Sasuke, obviously. Tsunade and Ino will probably make an apperance. That's it for now, I think :)

Hopefully my continuation of the story doesn't suck too bad so far, I really hope I haven't disappointed any of you; you've been so kind with your reviews and favs and alerts! I'm really grateful! :D

Send me your thoughts on how I'm doing so far, I'd like to know if I really should continue any further with this or just take the chapter down; no use writing something no one likes, no? :P

Thanks for taking your time to read! :D