I finally finished it, the seventeenth chapter

I finally finished it, the seventeenth chapter. I want to thank everyone of you who commented; you helped me getting over the blockade and write on, so thank you very, very much! And also the ones who reviewed on the other chapters before this one, I want to thank you all. You keep me writing :)

I hope you all like this chapter. It was indeed hard to write although I hope it's not too noticeable.

Enjoy!

Chapter seventeen: Finally! To the rescue, dattebayo!

Naruto wandered through his small apartment, eyebrows nearly touching each other in the center of his head, his mostly cheery face now a deep shade of depression.

It had been three days since they'd had the meeting with the Kages. Three entire days and nights had passed since Deidara and Sakura had left town, and with every day, Naruto felt getting more and more depressed and despaired. He suddenly stopped walking and smashed his fist against the wall in an attempt to lighten the burden that had locked itself on his shoulders.

"Dammnit!" he stared at his feet, panting with anger. Tsunade didn't let him do anything at all. He wasn't even allowed to do a D rank mission, not alone and not in a team, and when he asked her why, she replied: "I can't take the risk that you chase them on your own." He hissed. As if he would do that! He had changed from before, when Sasuke had left town. This time, he knew that if he chased her on his own, he would have to resort on the Kyuubi chakra to win the fight.

He shivered as the image of the Kyuubi flashed in front of his eyes. The ninetails power was a double edged blade. He had hurt Sakura before, and he was determined to never use it again like he had done back then. But now he felt caged like a bird, and no matter how hard he tried, the clamping feeling on his chest did never leave him.

Roaring with anger, he kicked over the chair behind his dinner table and then threw the vase with little pink flowers – which Hinata had given him in an attempt to lighten his mood – off the table, smashing it to pieces, glass shattering all over the place. He cut his hand and cursed again before sucking on the wound to make the bleeding stop while he stumbled back and fell on the small couch.

He had let her go like he had let Sasuke go. He had fought and had lost.

He clenched his wounded hand to a fist and the blood dripped down his wrist and arm. Slightly fascinated by the clear crimson color he stared at the drip of blood which was making its way down his arm while he held up his hand. In that blood was also the blood of the Kyuubi, the blood of his father, the blood of his mother… his bottom lip trembled.

There were so many people who had left him alone, so many people who had entrusted him with their last wishes, so many people who had made him promise them to help them succeed their goals.

The blood reached his elbow and then dripped on the couch, making a perfect rust brown circle on the fabric. Sakura had pleaded him to retrieve Sasuke, and he had succeeded. Sasuke had died in front of his eyes but he had come back to live. Gaara had been revived after retrieving him from the Akatsuki. He himself had looked death in the eye and had laughed at it.

He got up from the couch. He needed to do something. Not something destructive, no, he had done enough harm to the apartment already. He needed to get his mind off this topic, his head started to hurt from the constant thinking. He locked the door behind him and then descended the stairway, onto the streets of Konoha, no particular goal but to just think of something else for a change.

He saw colorful market stands, smiling and happy people talking to each other or enjoying a meal together while others were carrying paper bags with sweets or groceries. He smiled weakly as he saw a little boy plead his mother to buy him a lollypop, and how the mother finally admitted to his big watery eyes and bought him one.

How long has it been since I've done such things with friends? Naruto thought while he slowly walked on, eyes lingering over the crowd. Everyone is always busy with other, more important things, like missions or family occasions.

He looked up after a while and found himself standing on the main street, staring directly at the mountain chain with the five Hokage heads. The eyes of stone stared at him, all with their own strict glare, their own memories and past hidden somewhere inside of there. Automatically his eyes traveled to the fourth Hokage and felt his eyes burn as he stared at the features he had never known himself.

Father…

"Naruto!"

He looked behind him and saw Ino and Kiba walking towards him. Ino was smiling and waving at him, and Kiba had his hands buried in his pockets, his hood pulled over his head partly like he used to do in the old days. Naruto smiled weakly.

"Hya guys."

Kiba grinned and Ino's smile got wider as they stopped in front of him. "Long time no see, Naruto," Kiba said, getting Naruto's attention. The blonde smiled apologetically.

"Ah, well, I've been… er, eh…" he hesitated. He hadn't been busy at all, he had just been sitting in his apartment, feeling sorry for himself, and now he felt extremely ashamed.

"No sweat, it's okay already," Kiba said before he patted Naruto on the back. "What do ya say about having a drink at Rokoru's place? I've heard it's a cozy place." He waited a few seconds. "Well?"

Naruto finally grinned in the old way as he slowly started to realize that Kiba and Ino were actually trying to cheer him up a little, and he nodded. "Sounds great, dattebayo!"

He had never been there before, but Kiba had been right. Rokoru's was a cozy and warm little bar which Naruto had never seen, and he immediately felt comfortable. Kiba sat down behind the counter and Naruto and Ino took a seat next to him, all leaning forwards to be able to read what the menu said. "I've never been here, Kiba-kun," Ino said, tilting her head sideways. "Can you give us a hint of what tastes good?"

Kiba laughed. "Sure I can! Naruto, that drink there, that might be something for you. And Ino… hmmm… let me see… I guess that one. Yeah, yea, definitely."

Naruto and Ino leaned forwards some more, trying to make out what the small and curly handwriting on the chalkboard said. Naruto was the first one to decipher what it said and he gasped as he read what it said.

"The fourth's drink?" he asked, his voice merely a whisper. "By whom they mean…"

"The fourth Hokage, yes," A deep voice said from behind the counter and Naruto looked up, slightly startled. A man with a large black moustache appeared out of the shadows behind the bar, a glass in his hands while drying it with a nearly scary clean towel. "He used to come here from time to time. He always took the same drink, and after a while I suggested to make it a recipe."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You knew the Fourth?" he asked, and Kiba and Ino shared some understanding looks. This had been exactly what Kiba had aimed for.

The man nodded. "Sure I knew him! He came here at least once, twice a week, just to talk with me about the problems he endured as the Hokage of town." The man sighed. "Honestly boy, I've got no idea why someone would want to become the Hokage. All the work!"

Naruto grinned. "Yea but, I mean, being a Hokage is cool! The Fourth was also cool, wasn't he? Or how was he?" The man had to think about that for a few seconds and Naruto nearly jumped from the bar chair.

"Oy, Naruto," Ino said, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Calm down a bit, people are staring at us."

Naruto blushed and sat back down again. The man smiled friendly at him. "Minato was a very understanding, calm and always gentle person. If you had a problem whatsoever, you could count on him to help you fix it, unquestionably." He tilted his head. "You look a lot like him, boy. Very much."

Naruto grinned again. "I hear that a lot, old man! But, tell me more, did he bring his wife with him sometimes? And if he did, how was she? Was she nice as well?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "Kushina Uzumaki, right? Yeah, I remember him taking her with him once. If I remember correctly she was pregnant back then, and he took her though the entire town, showing her off in every place he had ever been." The man smiled, lost in memories. "He was so happy with the child. And they were a good couple, I can tell you that! Where Minato could be a bit too silent, Kushina made up for that completely. She had a bit of… an explosive character, and their ninjutsu skills filled each other perfectly." He nodded, then glared at the glass in his hands. "It's a huge shame, my boy, that the Kyuubi came here. I still curse the day on which that demon showed up and forced Minato to sacrifice himself."

Naruto sat back on his bar chair, staring at the man. "Old man," he said after a while, his voice completely different from before. "Do you know me?"

Kiba and Ino shared a shocked look.

The man shook his head. "No, my boy. I've never seen you before."

Naruto stared at his hands on the counter. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he said after a while, and the barman let the glass drop down to the floor. "Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tailed demon Fox, also called the Kyuubi." He looked up, his eyes filled with tears. "Do you hate me now, old man?"

The man stared at him, immobilized, and didn't answer. Kiba decided that this had been enough for today and then dragged Naruto off the bar chair. The blonde didn't even struggle to get out of his grip and Ino followed them closely, placing a bit of money on the counter to pay for the broken glass.

The outside air was a great relief for Naruto and he took a deep breath.

"Oy, Naruto," Kiba asked, standing in front of him. "Are you alright? You looked pretty bad back there…"

Naruto smiled weakly. "Gomen, Kiba, Ino, but I think I'll go and pay a visit to the Hokage… thanks for taking me for a drink, but I need to talk with her." He bowed slightly as a goodbye and then took off, headed towards the Hokage tower, leaving Kiba and Ino on the streets.

"That was not what you wanted to achieve, was it, Kiba-kun?" Ino asked as they watched Naruto walking away from them. Kiba shook his head.

"I thought he would cheer up if he heard about his father… shit, I think I've made things even worse."

Ino placed an arm around his shoulders and then guided him towards a bench nearby. They sat down and Ino quickly pulled back her arm, looking away from him to hide her blushing cheeks. "I think you did well, Kiba-kun," She said, still not looking at him. "Since Forehead is gone things have changed around here. Somehow town looks different from before, like there's a constant gray filter on your eyes." She looked at him and he looked at her. Their eyes met and kept locked. "Just now, when Naruto cheered up," she whispered, staring at Kiba. "…it felt as if the colors came back."

Tsunade was having a hard time. The paperwork had increased significantly since Sakura had left, and all the teams she had sent out to look for them had returned without a singly clue to where the two might have gone to. She sighed as she put another signature beneath a letter for who knows what and then buried her head in her hands.

The fact that they couldn't find them ate her from out the inside. Naruto was depressed, Sasuke was simply irritated with the entire world, Ino and the other girls seemed a bit stressed and Kakashi even managed to look gloomy. She let out a sob. At the moment, she felt like a mental wreck, a wreck that could collapse any moment, too.

A knock on the door. She quickly wiped away the remains of the tear that had run out of her eye and then sat up straight, cleaning her desk a bit. "…come in."

The door swung open, revealing Naruto. Tsunade gasped as she saw how bad he looked. His eyes glared dully, their usual sparkling blue color now more grayish, and his skin also had a grayish tint about it. "Naruto," She said, getting up from her chair in a reflex. He smiled weakly and then shut the door behind him.

"Tsuande-baachan."

They stared at each other for a while. Tsunade stared at the ghostly appearance in front of her, still wondering if it really was Naruto she was looking at, and Naruto stared back at her, wondering why she looked so stressed.

"What brings you here, Naruto," Tsunade said eventually, breaking the awkward silence.

His glare intensified. "I want to search for Sakura-chan."

Tsunade sighed. She had already feared that he would say that. Slowly she sat down on her chair again, and then buried her head in her hands. "You know I cant let you do that, Naruto," She said, nearly feeling Naruto's desperateness. "The risks…"

"I don't give a damn about those fucking risks," Naruto yelled suddenly, stepping forwards and smashing his fist on her table. Some sheets of paper dazzled from the desk while Tsunade looked up in the blue eyes that stared into hers. "I want to get Sakura-chan, and there's nothing you can do to stop me or hold me back. You can send people to fetch me and I'll kill them."

His mouth became a thin stripe. "Choose, Tsunade. Help me or abandon me."

He had thought about this for a very long time and now finally the time had seemed to have come. He knew that he had to push his luck as far as he could, all he could do now was hope that Tsunade would give in.

Tsunade stared at him. "…Naruto…" her lip twitched as she stared at his determined facial expression. Then she burst out in tears and suddenly embraced him, pressing him close to her, ignoring his surprised yell. "You little dumbass," she sobbed, still not letting him go. "How can I abandon you for god's sake, how stupid do you think I am…!"

Naruto made a suffocating sound and she let go of him, wiping off her eyes. "I'll send a team with you," she muttered. "I'll not let you go on your own."

A wide grin broke through on Naruto's face. The plan had succeeded! "I can go and get Sakura-chan?!"

Tsunade nodded. "Indeed you can. But, listen Naruto, don't run off like a madman. You need to wait for at least one more day. Kakashi is coming back from his mission tomorrow and he'll come with you." Naruto nodded.

"Arigatou, Tsunade-baachan!" And he bowed. When he looked up, his eyes seemed to sparkle like they used to and he had a wide grin plastered on his face. "I assure you that I'll get Sakura-chan back, Tsunade-baachan. I really will." And then he turned to leave the office. Just before he could, Tsunade called him out.

"One more thing, Naruto."

He turned around. "Hmm? Nani?"

Tsunade smiled weakly, feeling her eyes burn again. "…Come back alive from that mission, okay?"

Naruto's expression softened and he put up his thumb. "I'll come back, dattebayo," he promised. "You can rely on that, Tsunade-baachan." Then he turned and left the office, closing the door softly behind him. Tsunade sank down on her chair and then gazed at the four portraits hanging above the window. Four wise faces stared down at her, and her eyes remained with the fourth's.

"Your son became really strong, Yondaime," she whispered, staring at the drawing. "You can be proud of him."

- Three days back -

The air was cold and made Sakura's eyes water as the bird flew higher and higher, faster and faster. Deidara had wrapped his arm so closely around her that she nearly couldn't breathe and her attempts on breaking free had been very unsuccessful. She had cried for nearly three hours straight but now her tears were gone, and they had left a gaping hole inside of her. She felt like some sort of wrapping without a soul.

Deidara hadn't spoken a single word since they had left Konoha, had not even made so much as a sound. All he had done had been holding onto her with his nearly suffocating grip, probably steering the bird with his mind or something.

But oh she was mad at him. She had promised herself to punch him as soon as they got to the floor, if they ever would. She knew she would hurt herself too if she did that but she couldn't care about that. He had used her!

"We're here."

His voice startled her. She automatically tried to look up at his face but his arm prevented her from doing so. But as the bird's beak started to point down and they started to descend really fast, she realized that they were indeed going to land somewhere near. How far could they be from Konoha by now? Four miles? Forty?

Then the bird landed. Even though the thing looked rather heavy, nearly nothing could be heard as the paws hit the ground and he slowly sank down, allowing Deidara to get off. Sakura immediately tried to break free, but he lifted her from the bird with one arm, pressing her against his chest, her feet merely a foot above the ground, preventing her from walking as she hovered above the ground.

"Let go of me!"

Her voice sounded rusty. He chuckled. "I didn't think so, hmm." She roared out in frustration and tried to bite his arm, but it was out of her reach. In a last attempt to break free she hit his lower leg with her heel. The sharp pain shot right through her own leg as well and she heard his breath hitch, but he walked on towards a group of trees.

"Where are you taking me, you egocentric prick! Tell me or I'll hurt you!!"

He laughed out loud. "And how exactly where you gonna do that? Think about that before you say something, hmm."

They reached the trees and Sakura felt Deidara used his chakra. Then he made a handseal with his free hand and then suddenly the air around the trees started to bubble like water, before it dissolved and revealed a small wooden cottage, hidden in the forest by quite a good genjutsu.

"Wha…"

"Nice little home, eh? Build myself, hmm." He walked towards the front door, opened it with his free hand and then locked it behind him, putting the key away in his pocket.

"How did you just…"

"Don't ask so much," he sneered, and they kept on walking. Since it was dark Sakura couldn't make out how the cottage looked like. All she saw were dark silhouettes of what could be everything, until Deidara opened a door to what Sakura immediately knew was the bedroom. Suddenly she felt very nervous.

Let me go, she thought as he carried her further, towards the center of the room. He chuckled. "I already answered that question, hmm. Don't even think about it."

He walked past a large bed that dominated the center of the room – Sakura's eyes had slowly gotten used to the dark – and then opened a dresser, searching through the dark things inside. A drop of sweat ran down Sakura's neck as he got up with a piece of rope in his hands, but she also immediately knew that if he was going to tie her up with those, she'd be free within no time. He underestimated her.

"Now don't move," She heard him mutter and before she knew it he had laid her down on the bed, moving on top of her immediately after that. She gasped at the physical contact while his hands roamed over her back with the rope, tying her up as she had suspected.

She decided to play along. She needed to act like he had really tied her up, and then when he would least expect it, she'd break free. After that she'd probably tie him up and take them back to Konoha, wherever that may be at the moment.

He knotted the rope behind her back after tying up her hands quite professionally, and when he was doing so, his lips nearly touched hers because he had to bow forwards so far. Sakura's body reacted in a way she didn't wanted as her heart started to beat faster and her hands became sweaty as she knew that, if she just moved a bit, they'd be kissing again…

He stopped moving and Sakura's eyes widened with shock. How could she have been so stupid?! He could read her thoughts! She knew that didn't she? Then why didn't she…

"Kissing, hmm?" he repeated, tilting his head slightly. All Sakura could see of him were his both eyes which seemed to glow in the darkness, and they narrowed slightly as she swallowed. He smirked. "Like this…?"

And then he placed his lips on her, opened his mouth, forced her to do the same, and then kissed her fully, making an unwilled moan escape her lips as he pulled back. Seemingly satisfied with her completely confused look, he grinned. "Good night, Sakura," he said teasingly and then he rolled over her, lying left of her on the large bed, relaxing completely.

Sakura's heard beat so fast that she was afraid he might hear her. What was this about? She should be boiling mad with him, she should be hitting him, or hurting him in any possible way. But, instead of that, she was…

Actually liking kissing him again?!

She shook her head. No, no, Sakura, stop thinking like that, you need to stop thinking like that… instead, you need to come up with something…

Still tasting him, she waited until she felt that he was asleep, and then she concentrated her chakra towards her muscles, trying to break free. She closed her eyes and then broke the rope – or so she aimed. But to her surprise the rope didn't budge for even an inch, and she let her chakra run through the rope, her shock raising with the second.

These were no ordinary ropes. Cutting these would be very difficult, and because of the surgery she had had to perform that afternoon she didn't have enough chakra left. She looked left, at Deidara's sleeping face, and sighed. She'd have to wait until morning at least for her chakra to come back.

She then stared at the ceiling, feeling her eyelids getting heavy. She'd deal with Deidara later on. Like tomorrow, when she had broken free…

She fell asleep with a smile on her lips.

Deidara noticed her struggle after a while and he smirked inwardly. His trick had worked, she thought he was sleeping. She moved lightly and carefully, probably trying not to make him wake up, and he tried to look at her through his eyelashes, still faking to be asleep. She probably thought that the ropes he had used to tie her up with were ordinary ones, but she couldn't have been more mistaken. No, the ropes he had used were special ones, and they had been very pricy too. He snorted inwardly. That scumbag Kazuku had actually made him pay for those, even though he could make the ropes without a sweat. The bastard is just obsessed with money, hmm. Ups, I mean, WAS, hehe…

Then her struggles stopped and he held in his breath. Did she realized it was futile or was she actually breaking free? After all, she wasn't the apprentice of the Hokage for nothing, she might be able to break them. But as he heard her sigh and think: tomorrow's another day, he smiled and relaxed slightly. She had used too much chakra in the healing jutsu that afternoon and was probably exhausted. Better for him.

Soon her breaths deepened, signing that she had fallen asleep, and Deidara couldn't help but smile as he watched her calm, sleeping face, mouth partly open, eyes moving behind their lids but slowly. Then the smile swept away from his face and he abruptly looked back to the ceiling, scowling.

Until now, everything had went smoothly, but he knew that things would surely become nasty and troublesome tomorrow. She'd probably try to hurt him and he couldn't disagree with that, after all, he had shamelessly hurt her feelings and stuff, betrayed her, kidnapped her, tied her up… the list was endless. If they hadn't been chained, he knew for sure that she would kill him. But, of course, if they hadn't been chained, than this wouldn't have happened at all.

But now what? He couldn't go to the Akatsuki. Pain had said that having a regular "hideout" was too common and above all to easy to find, so they travelled through the country, switching hideouts at least twice a month. Only active or alive members of the Akatsuki were updated with the info on where the new hideout was located. And he was pretty sure that he was either put to "inactive" or registered "dead". He shivered. And then there was Sakura as well. He couldn't just drag her around all the time, she wouldn't allow him to do that. No chance.

He looked at her face again, biting his bottom lip. The fact that she would come up with a fight was not the only problem.

At this moment, she must think that he had planned things out from the very start. That the moments and things they had shared together had all been faked, acted. And of course, the line he had said to her as she had concluded that: "So you've found out" didn't exactly show that she was mistaken. As he stared at her closed eyes he wished with all his heart that hadn't said that at all, but it couldn't be helped. He had simply acted on a whim as soon as the opportunity had occurred to escape and hadn't given it a second thought, like he used to do a lot with his plans. He felt a clamping feeling around his chest as he realized that Sakura probably hated him more than he could ever imagine.

But how can I ever make her understand that what I did had nothing to do with how I feel about her? he thought, slightly panicking. If I even try to explain to her she'll beat me until I cannot move anymore… I don't think she'll keep the fact in mind that she'll get hurt as well, hmm. He moved closer to her, studying her features. He knew he could never betray her in the way she thought he had, the problem was that he should.

He should be able to betray her like that. He should be able to hurt her, manipulate her, twist her so that she would do anything to his liking. But as he stared at her face, with unknown feelings rising up inside of him, he knew that he would never do such a thing.

He simply couldn't.

He swallowed and then pulled Sakura against him, knowing that if she woke up she'd give him a fair beating, but taking the risk anyway. She didn't wake up but snuggled even closer to him, letting out a deep sigh as he wrapped his arm around her. He felt a throbbing feeling inside of his chest and he closed his eyes, trying to enjoy her scent and the warmth of her body for as long as he still could.

He fell asleep.

Ups, forgot: I don't own Naruto. And sorry that there's a slight filler at the start – but that helped me out on writing so I hope you don't mind. On to the next chapter!