Ari: I know the last one could have been longer and I am sorry! I tried! *cries*

Naruto: What? It wasn't that bad! Yes it could have been longer but it was good! I mean look! I'm still here and I haven't even shown up in the story yet! So smile! PLEASE! *puppy dog eyes*

Ari: You're right! No need for crying over spilled milk! I can do this! *pumps fist in air*

Thanks Naruto. I will definitely mention you in this chapter! Now if you could be so kind!

Naruto:(Disclaimer) Ari doesn't own Naruto and I don't think she ever will. No Offense.

Ari: Non taken. Now A little preview of last chapter!

Itachi had a kunai in his hand and knelt down by my body. I squinted my eyes from the pain I was expecting. What I wasn't expecting was him cutting me loose. "What are you doing?"

Chapter 3: Going Against Myself

He put the kunai away and walked to the door. When he got there he turned around. "Are you coming or not?" I sat there thinking it was a trick but I didn't care. I wanted to get out of here. "Yes." Stood up on wobbly legs and made my way unsteadily towards him. I was almost there when I tripped. Most people would think 'He is so going to catch her.' Those people are wrong because my face collided with the ground. "son of a…" I didn't finish my statement because I don't normally swear. I looked up at the man with a bandage over his eyes and grumbled. "You can dodge a kunai but you can't catch me…. Hmph." I stood up again but was still shaky. He walked out and I guessed I was suppose to follow. He was walking pretty fast and I could barely keep up. I finally stood beside him and asked him the question that was on my mind. "Why did you stop him? And where am I going now?" He didn't answer so I scrunched up my face in a displeased way. "Oh, I forgot you don't really answer me that much."

He finally stopped at some double doors and went in. I looked at the room I was in and noticed it was a dinning room. "Sit." Was all he said. I really wasn't in the shape to be telling him 'no' so I sat at the large dinning table. He left the room and I just sat there waiting. Moments later, the double doors swung open.

"Ayumi! You look hurt! Are you okay? Tobi is so sorry that Tobi's friend had to hurt you! Tobi wanted you to help so you could avoid being hurt! Itachi-sama told Tobi to take care of you. It was the most Itachi-sama ever said to Tobi! Oh, Tobi wasn't thinking. Are you hungry?" Just then my stomach answered for me with a loud groan. " I guess so." Tobi laughed and was turning around. "Tobi will be back! Tobi will get you some food!" With that he ran out.

I looked down at myself to see the cloak I was wearing was torn and my body looked bruised. I looked horrible. I gathered chakra into my had hand started to heal the deep cuts on me. Then I started to heal my face. I felt better but I was a little soar to be honest.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do anymore. Itachi did tell Tobi to take care of me but that was probably just to make me want to help. Either way he did get me away from that guy Hidan. I looked at the table in front of me in deep thought. In fact, I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice that Tobi had come back in the room until I saw a hand wave in my face and freaked out and fell backwards on my hair. "Are you okay? Tobi didn't notice he scared you! Promise! Tobi didn't mean it! Tobi was just trying to tell you that the food is here! Tobi is so sorry!" I looked at him from my place on the floor and couldn't help but crack a small smile. He reminded me of a patient, no… a friend named Naruto.

"Tobi I am fine, no need to worry. See." I stood up and twirled around. "WOW! Before Tobi left you looked awful! Now Tobi sees with his own eyes that you don't look hurt at all! Were you faking to Tobi that you were hurt! That wouldn't be very nice." I looked down at myself again. "I wish I was faking." Tobi then grabbed my hand and dragged me to a seat. "Sit! Eat! Tobi made this for you!" I ogled at the food in front of me. I was terribly hungry and it looked delicious. I didn't care about manners and dug in! "Tobi… did you… really… make this?" I asked in between bites. He laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, Tobi helped make it." I stopped eating to look at him. "This is just a question, but….. did you poison this." He put his hands in the air and shook his head violently. "No! Tobi hopes not because Tobi had a bite before he brought it to you! Watch! I will have another bite!" He grabbed a piece of the food and lifted his mask up enough to put it in his mouth but not enough to show his face. I heard him swallow and then he fell down and started shaking. "Tobi! Are you okay Tobi? Tobi!" Then he stopped shaking and sat up. I then felt him wrap his arms around me. "Tobi is sorry he scared you! Tobi was just joking! Tobi is so sorry!" I pushed him away and I stared at him. 'Does this Akatsuki member really care if I was scared? Are all Akatsuki bad?' I thought to myself. "Ayumi-chan? Are you mad at Tobi?" Tobi said as he tilted his head. I shook my head 'no' and stood up. "Tobi, do you hurt people? I mean, do you kill people?" Tobi sat on the ground Indian-style. "Well, Tobi kills bad people. But, Tobi would never hurt you. Can Tobi tell you a secret?" I nodded 'yes' absent-mindedly. He stood up and whispered in my ear. "Tobi is not aloud to refuse a request from Leader-sama, but if he told Tobi to hurt you…Tobi would gladly refuse because Tobi never hurts his friends." He pulled back and pointed to the chair. "You should eat so you will feel better." I smiled at his kindness. I thought to myself that I could never hurt him either. I only knew him for a little while and it feels like I knew him my whole life. He really did remind me of Naruto.

I sat down and began to eat again. I thought about the first time I met Naruto.

FLASHBACK

"Dr. Sona. You are needed for an emergency in room 123. Dr. Sona, you are needed in room 123. It's an emergency." The intercom went. I sighed because we had been getting a lot of emergences lately. I glanced in the emergency room's direction. I jogged to the room and saw Tsunade pacing outside the emergency room. "Tsunade, What's going on?" I asked. She looked at me and shook her head. "I am not fit to help the boy in that room! I am emotionally not fit! I could mess up! I mean, I know the kid!" She shouted. I was puzzled because Tsunade never freaked out. "Go in there and be a Doctor! Help him already!" She yelled at me. I walked in to the room to see a male teen on the operating table. No one would go near the kid and I knew why. He was the Kyuubi container named Naruto. I looked as they coward away from the boy. "If you are not going to be doing anything then GET OUT!" They all piled out. All that left was me and the kid. He was awake and in pain. I have seen his profile and his picture in it. He should have blonde hair, but it looked like he bled so much that his hair was now blood red. I walked up to him and gathered chakra in my hand. "This is going to sting but I will try my hardest to make it as painless as possible. Now before I work, since you are still conscious, will you allow me to work on you?" He nodded and that was good enough for me.

An hour had went by and I had gotten him out of his critical condition and it wasn't easy. Especially because of all the cowards that left me here alone. I know that there work load was now doubled if I had anything to say about it. I didn't have much chakra left but I gave him all I could. I started to feel woozy, but I kept going. The boy could sense my dilemma and grabbed my hand. "You can stop now. I can handle the rest. Thanks Doc." I looked at him and smiled. He smiled back and let go of my hand. I was about to go sit down because I used way too much chakra but I passed out on the way there.

I awoke in a hospital bed and to my surprise, three people were next to me. Shizune and Tsunade were standing. The third person I wasn't too sure until I looked at that smile. "Hey Doc. How are you? Are you feeling better?" The boy asked me. I smiled and leaned more into my pillow. "I am fine, but I could hardly recognize you with blonde hair. Looks like you healed well. I'm glad." He looked confused. "You shouldn't be worrying about me. You should be thinking about you right now." I laughed at his remark. "I am a Doctor and you come before me."

Tsunade put a hand on his shoulder. "I think you and Shizune should wait outside. She needs her rest." Everyone left the room but her. "I want to thank you for saving him. I didn't trust myself. I was shaking too much and I knew I would only hurt him in that kind of state. He is like family to me and I will always owe you for that." She smiled warmly at me. "Tsunade, you and me both know that you owe me nothing. I did what I had to do. I took an oath to save people and that's what I did." I wasn't sure what to make of her face. She didn't look happy or mad. "Ayumi…. Don't be like that. Just ….. I don't know. You should rest." She walked out the room and left me by myself. I took her advice and rested.

I woke up and looked around. No one was in sight but there were some flowers on the little night stand next to the bed. I sat up and looked at them. There was a card that said Get better soon! I hope I see you again. Best Regards Naruto. I smiled and got dressed in my uniform. I was going to check on some patients of mine since I was feeling better and saw that I had gotten a new patient. Naruto Uzamaki. I checked him first and went to his room.

I walked in to see him sitting up and staring out the window. He turned his head towards the door and gave me a bright grin. "Hey Doc!" He said so happily. "Hi to you to. Oh, thanks for the flowers. They were beautiful." He blushed and turned away. "It was nothing."

We talked for hours and we instantly became friends. He was goofy and very energetic. I have no idea why the village was so mean to him. He was a good kid and I knew that he would stay that way.

End Of FLASHBACK

Tobi watched me as I finished my plate. "That was really good Tobi." I smiled and I am pretty sure if I could see his face that he would be smiling to. "Well, Itachi told Tobi that when you were finished to get you settled in." My face probably showed how confused I was. "What do you mean 'get settled in.'" He chuckled and grabbed my hand. I was pulled out of my seat and dragged me out. "Itachi just told Tobi to make you comfortable." I stopped walking and so did he. "He did not say that. Now tell me the truth. We are friends right?" He nodded furiously and pulled me along again. "Okay. Itachi only told Tobi to get you settled in so that's what Tobi is doing." I smiled because I knew that Tobi would take care of me. "First, Tobi will get you freshened up." He brought me to a bathroom and pushed me in. "Towels are in the cabinet. Oh, Tobi has some clothes for you. Don't worry about them being boy clothes. Tobi will go out and buy you some girl ones." Tobi pulled some clothes out of no where and handed them to me. "Thanks Tobi." I shut the door and took a hot, relaxing shower.

When I got out of the shower I tried on Tobi's clothes. They were a little too big. I had on what looked like baggy black sweat pants and a black baggy t-shirt. I opened the door and I guess Tobi was leaning on the door because he fell right in. "Tobi are you ok?" He nodded and jumped up. "Don't worry about Tobi. Tobi is fine see!" I watched him jog in place. "See!" I giggled at him and he grabbed my arm. "Come on! Tobi is going to let you rest." He dragged me to another door and shoved me in but not to hard. The room seemed exactly like Itachi's room. I saw Tobi run to the bed and fluff up a pillow. "Tobi wonder's where Itachi-sama will sleep if you sleep in hid bed." 'WHAT! I CAN'T SLEEP IN THE SAME ROOM AS ITACHI!' I thought. "He isn't going to sleep in here with me will he?" He slapped his knee laughing, "Of coarse he will! This is his room silly! Don't worry about him. Just get some rest for Tobi, please." There really wasn't anything I could do about it so I just walked over to the bed and sat down. "Tobi will see you later okay?" He waved and left.

I sat there taking it all in. I never had to a criminal as a friend and so far it wasn't as bad as it could be. Then, I started thinking about my situation and Itachi. "Ugh! What am I going to do? Tobi is my friend, no matter his back-ground. So, should I help Itachi out for him? What to do? What to do? Why is this so difficult?" I fell back onto the pillow. "That's it! No more thinking. I am going to bed." I looked at the ceiling, trying my hardest not to think. I slowly drifted into my own little world.

DREAM

My heart thumped with every second I ran, not even sure of what I was running from. I could hear my feet making contact with the ground, my heart thumping faster, and the sound of the leaves as the wind blew against the trees. I could feel the coolness of the sweat on my skin. I darted my eyes in every corner of darkness that was enclosing around me.

I tripped on a root and fell forward. I was shaking as I looked up to see the darkness had completely engulfed around me. I wanted to scream for help, but no sound would escape my throat. The sound of the leaves stopped and only my harsh breathing was heard. I looked around for something, anything, but saw nothing. A rush of warmth flooded my senses. I felt a pair of arms encircle me. I jolted around to see someone that I hadn't seen for years in front of me. My father, Koguwo Sona. "Ayumi, what is clouding your mind?" I felt the liquid from my eyes fall down my cheeks. Almost glistening like diamonds. "Dad?" He never broke the embrace as he stared in my eyes. "I'm sorry I left you alone. You were so young. I never truly left you though. I watched you grow up. I want you to know that I am satisfied with how you have grown. You look just like your mother. How beautiful you have grown." My body shook as I cried more in his fatherly embrace, my head resting on his shoulder. "Don't cry. Now tell me, what is the matter." I pulled back a little. "I don't know what to do. Betray old friends or new ones. What do I do about Itachi?" He shook me gently. "You do what you must. I will be proud of you no matter what. You understand me?" I shook my head 'yes'. "I trust you will make the right decision." I felt my body go numb as my crying lessened. "I love you." He smiled widely. "I love you too. Don't forget that. Ok?" I knew our time was short. I could feel us drifting apart. "Goodbye." He shook his head. "I will never leave you. I am always with you. Until next time." I smiled. "Until next time." He vanished and I was in darkness again. Then two matching red lights appeared in front of me. It was eyes. Then a face formed around the eyes. "Itachi." I whispered. He was slowly becoming more defined and I could see his body appear. Once he was fully there he pulled his hand out of his cloak and extended it towards me. It was a silent invitation for me to grab on. I didn't want to be alone so I grabbed his hand. I felt a jolt of electricity bolt through me.

DREAM ENDS

I jumped slightly from my dream and opened my eyes to see Itachi facing my direction. He looked confused. "What?" He turned his head away, not changing his confused face. Then I noticed that he was laying down right next to me. Itachi Uchiha…. was in bed… next to me. I stiffened at his closeness. He then turned back towards me. "What do you dream about?" It was my turn to be confused. "What do you mean? I dream about whatever pops in my head, I guess." He visibly relaxed and so did I. "Why do you ask?" He propped up on his elbows and looked as if he wasn't sure if he should answer. "I heard you talking in your sleep." He sounded so different from when I first met him. His voice wasn't so cold. "What did I say?" I could barely remember what my dream was about. I remembered my Dad and that was it. He didn't answer. He just went back to laying down fully. 'I guess that was a short conversation.' I felt my face and saw that I must have been crying in my sleep. I was happy that in that moment he couldn't see me at my weakest. I guess luck was a little on my side. That is, if you didn't count being held against my will into helping a criminal.

I could tell Itachi was still awake and I needed to tell him something. I had finally made up my mind. "Itachi?" I watched as he inclined his head. I guess he was showing me that he heard. "I have made my decision." I got his attention fully as he turned around. "Well…" He said with a sort of bored tone. "I am going to heal your eyes."

END OF CHAPTER

Ari: So? What do you think Naruto?

Naruto: I WAS IN THIS ONE! OH YEAH!

Ari: Yeah, I know, but… what do you think of it.

Naruto: It was great! But I do believe that people should be reviewing.

Ari: I know. I have only got one review from a reader named 'Reader.'

By the way. Thanks for the help! ^-^

Naruto: Please review. You don't want to make her beg do you? *watches Ari get on knees* Too late.

Ari: PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE! I NEED INSPERATION! OH PLEASE REVIEW!

Naruto: Oh great…. Well, as you heard. She needs inspiration so please review.

Ari: See you next time!