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(A/N: Alright, in this chapter someone dies. I'm not going to say who it is, so don't ask. I listened to 'The Noose' by A Perfect Circle the entire time I was writing this chapter. You should check it out if you don't know the song already. Cheers and enjoy!)

~xxx~

BOOM!

The base shook violently, jolting Akatsuki members from their musings or sleep as they scrambled about in the dark.

"What the fuck was that?" Hidan shouted as he stepped out of his room with a spike sticking out of his chest. His partner, Kakuzu, walked toward the prison as the rest stood in the hall.

"The girl has her chakra. Some moron forgot to drain her today." He said, looking pointedly at Kisame who shrugged as if were nothing.

"Bring her back to me." Pein said as he entered the hall, already aware that Ayako had escaped. "Hidan, Kakuzu, stay here, the rest of you go after her." He ordered with a growl. And so, Kisame, Sasori, Deidara and Zetsu were off, bounding into the darkness of the forest.

~xxx~

She popped a soldier pill then gave one to Kankuro and Kabuto before gathering chakra into her fist. With one tremendous punch, the wall went tumbling down. Kabuto and Kankuro picked up Hideki and followed Ayako out of the hole. There were five people standing a few feet away as the prisoners came into view. Itachi and Sakura were to their right and Sasuke, Kakashi and Ibiki to their left, all waiting for them to be clear of the building before moving toward them.

"Princess, are you alright?" the ferret asked as he hopped off of Itachi's shoulder and scurried toward her.

"There's no time to talk, we need to get out of here now." Ayako said as she picked him up and walked to her parents.

"What about him?" Sasuke asked as he pointed to Kabuto. Ayako turned to meet the gaze of the silver-haired medic and gave a nod.

"I vouch for him." She said and turned away, looking at her father. "We need to go." Itachi nodded and grabbed her hand. They split into two groups. Sasuke now carried Hideki on his back as he followed Itachi and Ayako with Kabuto to his right flank. Sakura led the other team with Kakashi to her right, Kankuro just behind them and Ibiki bringing up the rear. They had decided, rather quickly, that they could travel faster in two teams then meet up in one of the smaller villages outside of Konoha. It was safer that way with an able medic on each team.

~xxx~

Trees zipped by in a flash as the team barreled through the forest. Itachi still had a tight grip on Ayako's hands as he led the way. She was starting to tire, the soldier pill loosing effect as her chakra worked to heal her body like it was trained to.

"She needs to rest." Kabuto said from behind as one hand reached into his pack. Ayako needed a change of bandages due to all of the running; some of the stitches had re-opened and were bleeding through. And so, they stopped and hid in the thick brush so Kabuto could look over her wounds.

"Ojisan is Hideki alright?" she asked as Kabuto lifted the back of her shirt. Itachi was kneeling next to her, helping Kabuto when he asked him to hold something or look for something else in his pack.

"My ribs hurt but I'm sure I'll manage." Hideki said as he sat up with a groan. She wanted to move to him, be near as he woke but Itachi's hands kept her firmly in place. Ayako moved her head and leaned back a little to see Sasuke giving Hideki a canteen.

One the other hand, Hideki was having a hard time just sitting there. His chest ached, arms and legs felt heavy and his head felt like it was splitting in half. The pair was given field rations and pain killers for the time being. Until they got to the hospital there was nothing more Kabuto could do that wouldn't put them at risk or drain his chakra.

Bam

A tree fell over just a hundred yards away. Instantly, Ayako was on her feet and at Hideki's side. Helping him to stand, Itachi and Sasuke moved in front of them as the group edged towards thicker cover. Ayako motioned for Hideki to keep quiet while they waited; if they moved now, they would surely be spotted.

"I can smell her blood over here." The voice was so hauntingly familiar it made Ayako's run cold. Kisame… they were screwed.

"Move slowly toward the road. Once you get there, get your asses to the village." Itachi whispered, reaching into his holster for a kunai.

"They'll just follow me." Ayako whispered back. "They want the Nine-Tails and they need me to control it." Itachi looked over his shoulder to see Ayako's icy glare locked on the trees ahead of them. Though she was in a great deal of pain, Ayako was still ready and willing to fight to protect her friends, family and the village. And Itachi was proud. She had certainly lived up to her status as heiress to the clan and ANBU captain.

"Alright," it was a make or break decision but Itachi wasn't about to let anyone get their hands on Ayako again. "We'll make a stand here. Karachi, tell Tsunade-sama we'll be home soon and to have the medical team on standby." The black and cream ferret nodded and hopped out of Ayako's pack, heading straight for Konoha.

~xxx~

Sasori wanted nothing more than to just leave Kisame to wonder around the forest while he went back to his puppets but circumstances just didn't allow it. Ayako and the others had escaped because the drunken idiot forgot to drain her chakra. Medics regain their chakra faster than normal shinobi and Kisame knew that. But the moron had been so drunk and still pissed from being kicked in the nuts, he forgot his job. And now, now she was gone and leader was pissed.

"I say when we find her; we make her pay for disturbing the peace." Kisame grumbled as he staggered a little then straightened up and started walking.

"You're the one who forgot to drain her chakra; technically this is entirely your fault." Sasori responded calm and even in tone though he was pissed as hell at the Kiri-nin. Kisame took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Slightly more sober than before, Kisame grinned.

"You smell that?" he asked the puppet master as his head turned to the right. Sasori wanted to roll his eyes but he knew if Kisame could smell the girl then she was as good as caught. "That way, she's bleeding." He grinned a little more; his walking had now turned to a full sprint up and into the trees. After about thirty minutes, Kisame seemed unsure of his surroundings; he had lost the sent of her blood and was now just looking around.

"Are you sure you're not still drunk Kisame-san?" he asked as they moved forward.

"It's all this shit in the way. Damn trees keep blocking the sent." Kisame grumbled as he stopped at a particularly large tree and glared at it.

Slice-BAM

And the tree fell with a quick flick of the wrist and Samehada. "Found you." He whispered with a sneer. "I can smell her blood over here." Kisame hollered over his shoulder.

"How far is she?" Sasori asked as he came up to Kisame and sighed.

Kisame took a whiff of air. "About a hundred years north. There are three, no, four others with her." Just then, there was a huge surge of chakra… it was Itachi's chakra, to be exact. Both Akatsuki members moved into the tiny area and found the small group waiting for them.

Ayako had to force her chakra to stop healing her body as she ate another soldier pill. Itachi barely used his chakra pulling her along for the last half hour, so there was plenty between the two. And more than enough to take on Kisame who was basically a well of chakra on his own. Sasori, on the other hand, gave no hints as to how much chakra he had left, but Ayako knew he was powerful enough without it.

In a flash, Kisame was reaching for her as she pushed Hideki to the side. He flew between them and spun around to meet a kunai. It missed by mere inches as he sidestepped and swung Samehada. Ayako knew better to let that thing near her, so she ducked and spun, one leg extended to trip him as Itachi came up from behind and grabbed Kisame's cloak.

Sasori launched a puppet at the pair before him. Kabuto and Sasuke had been lucky thus far, narrowly missing a barrage of poisonous kunai and senbon as they advanced on the puppet master's position. The area was just too small for their style of combat. With a nod, Kabuto flanked the left while Sasuke shot forward effectively distracting Sasori long enough for Kabuto to get behind him.

In his thirty-seven years, Sasuke had never been so surprised. Kabuto was in position and ready to strike when Sasori just vanished, gone as if he were never there. Suddenly, a new puppet appeared and caught Kabuto by surprise, knocking him through the trees. Making a few hand signs, Sasuke launched himself into an attack.

They had him on the ropes. Kisame could barely stand but he still had a tremendous amount of chakra left. Ayako wasn't sure about Itachi but she was starting to run low herself. Kisame caught Itachi off guard and sent him flying, leaving her to fight the Kiri-nin alone.

"Well, now that we're alone, what do you say I take you up on that offer?" he sneered. They stood a few apart with their hands on their weapons. It was a true showdown, except Kisame had the upper hand. Ayako had been sufficiently slowed down due to the long gash in her left thigh. All she had left was a few shuriken and only one kunai and explosion tag, Ayako was royally screwed.

"Damn it…" she hissed and took a step back. Kisame crouched and swung Samehada. There was no time to move, so Ayako closed her eyes and waited for the hit to land. There was no escaping it now.

"AYAKO!!" someone shouted and enveloped her in a tight hug. "Ugh… shit." Her eyes snapped open to find Hideki's pained face staring down at her.

"W-what are you doing here? You're supposed to be hiding." She whispered in shock. Blood trickled down from his lips when he smiled at her.

"Saving you." He answered then fell to his knees, head pressing against her midsection.

"Hideki," she said a little louder, chocking back tears. Her hands went to his shoulders, pulling him back so she could look into his eyes. The light was fading in them quickly. "Hideki, no!" she screamed and fell to her knees, cradling him against her chest. Itachi saw it all as he attacked Kisame with ferocity unmatched by any man before.

Something was wrong. Sasori could feel the shift in the air and stopped his attack on Sasuke just inches away from punching him in the face.

"Hideki, no!" the heartbroken cry cut through the forest and Sasori stood and looked towards Ayako. Kabuto was the first to move, jumping to the trees to get to the pair on the ground. Sasori moved away from Sasuke and brought his puppet back to his side.

"Go to her." He said to Sasuke and turned away from him. Sasuke was confused but when he felt four chakra signatures heading in their direction, he understood why. Sasori vanished then reappeared by Kisame. "We're retreating." And then they were gone.

Ayako was pumping chakra into Hideki, trying desperately to heal the long, deep wound that ran the length of his back. She didn't have enough and she could feel his life slipping away from him quickly. Tears sprang from her eyes as the last of the light left his blue eyes.

"No, no, n-no… NO!!" she cried as her hunched over and hugged Hideki closer to her. Kabuto knelt next to Hideki as Itachi gently pulled her away from the boy's body. Just then, Sakura, Kankuro, Kakashi and Ibiki appeared in the clearing assessing the damage while Ayako sobbed into Itachi's chest, her bloody hands gripping his shirt.

Sakura moved to the other side of Kabuto, watching him as his chakra pumped into the body on the ground. "What happened here?" she asked as she reached into her pack.

"He saved her." Itachi said over Ayako's sobs as Sasuke laid a comforting hand on the crying girl's back. Her attention was drawn from the body on the ground to her daughter's huddled form. It was pretty clear what had happened to Hideki now. The other three on her team stood back but were on guard, occasionally looking back to see what was going on. Sakura turned her attention back to Kabuto and noticed something different about him.

"What do you think you're doing? Using that jutsu will only kill you."

Kabuto looked up from his work and gave a soft nod. He knew what he was doing and he wasn't going to stop. "I've spent my life serving monsters… I always thought I would die under Orochimaru-sama but things have changed." He said with a soft smile. "My life had no meaning until now and it's thanks to Ayako and Hideki that I can let go of that and spend my last moments doing something meaningful." With chakra at full bore, Kabuto delved deeper into Hideki's corpse, slowly filling the body with healing chakra. This would be his last jutsu and he wanted to make it count even if he had to forfeit his life to do so.

There was a gasp and blue eyes flickered open. Hideki was alive and Kabuto gave his life to save him just as Chiyo did to save Gaara all those years ago.

"Ayako…" Hideki whispered as he tried to sit up only to be pushed back down by Sakura.

"She's fine, thanks to you Hideki-sama. Thank you." She said to him with a warm smile.

"Was I dead?" he asked as Sakura began checking him over. She gave a small nod as her hands moved over his body. "Then how…" he was cut off when Sakura shook her head. Ayako had given into her exhaustion and feel asleep against Itachi while Kabuto worked on Hideki so she had no idea as to what had happened.

"There's a wagon on the road we can use for transportation." Kankuro said as he walked over to Kabuto's body and picked him up. Itachi nodded and stood.

"Let's get going, Tsunade-sama will have a team waiting for us when we get home." Even in her sleep, the word 'home' penetrated the thick haze of her mind and Ayako gave a tiny sigh.

~xxx~

Tsunade waited by the appointed gate with a full staff of medics on standby. She had no idea how many of the rescue team was hurt or how bad; all she knew was Itachi had requested the best team possible. So things had gotten out of hand or he was being paranoid. That about summed up her thoughts as she waited for their return.

The rattle of wheels and thumping of horse hooves caught her attention as a wagon came into view. Itachi was at the reigns with Sasuke sitting next to him. Sakura was in the back working on a person Tsunade couldn't see. Ibiki and Kakashi were on either side of the wagon while Kankuro brought up the rear. As the wagon came closer, Tsunade could tell something had happened… something huge. Everyone seemed too tired and pale for their own good.

"Get them to the hospital." She commanded as the wagon came to a stop. The medic team moved forward, taking direction from Sakura as they hefted Hideki in a stretcher and moved to get Ayako. "So, who wants to tell me what happened and whose body is that?" Tsunade asked, pointing to the covered figure in the back of the wagon.

"I'll brief you once we get to the hospital." Kankuro said as he helped the medics pick up Ayako. "She had asked me to tell you everything in the event she was unable to."

'Well now, it looks like Ayako had a plan the entire time they were gone.' Tsunade thought as she nodded to Kankuro. "It's good to see you're in one piece. Let's get you checked out then." She smiled as the medics rushed off to the hospital where Shizune waited for them. "Suna had been informed for the situation."

~xxx~

It had been a week since their return to Konoha but Ayako hadn't woken up in that time. Tsunade contributed the problem to her excruciating ordeal with the Akatsuki and said she'd wake up when her body had time to adjust. In the mean time, all they could do was wait and so they did.

Itachi was at the hospital everyday, from the time visiting hours started and all day until they ended. He had told Sasuke to bring Akito to the hospital when he was fished with school and Shiro always came with his genin team. Some things had changed during the week. For instants, the guards around the village had been doubled for fear of an Akatsuki attack. There were ANBU guards outside Ayako's hospital room 24/7 and the boys were always around people Itachi knew and trusted (which were a select few).

Hideki had pulled through just two days after their return and his parents were there the moment he was up. He had insisted on seeing Ayako as soon as possible but Tsunade told him that rest was more important. And by the end of the fifth day, Hideki was discharged and released from the hospital. But before he left to go home, Hideki was allowed to see her.

Itachi left the room to give Hideki some time with her before he left. You see, when Hideki stepped in front of the blade and saved her life, Itachi had made up his mind about Hideki in the second it took to register what had happened. He trusted Hideki with his life… and life of his daughter. Itachi had no qualms leaving his still sleeping daughter alone with a boy he barely knew. Hideki had proven himself worthy… even if Itachi wouldn't say it out right.

He pulled the chair closer the bed and sat down. For a moment, Hideki watched her sleep, listening to the steady sound of her breathing and the heart rate monitor's beep.

"I wrote you a letter for when you woke up." He said as he looked at his hands. "Your mother says you have no idea that I lived… that you cried when I died…" Hideki trailed off for a minute then looked up at Ayako's sleeping face. "I know you can't hear me right now but… on the off chance you can I just wanted to say that I love you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter. "And in case you wake up soon, I'll leave the letter on the nightstand." Hideki stood up and placed the letter on the table then turned to face Ayako. He watched her for a moment then placed his lips on her forehead. "I love you, Uchiha Ayako." He whispered then left the room.

~xxx~

Onyx eyes flickered to life at three in the morning. Ayako was hungry and she couldn't sleep anymore. Her body hurt everywhere and she felt dizzy, lying in the hospital bed. Wait… hospital bed? She sat up and a wave of nausea hit her like a tone of bricks. Ayako slipped out of bed and grabbed a hold of the IV rail for support. The moment her feet hit the floor… she had to puke. Stumbling towards the bathroom, Ayako practically kick the door open as she threw herself at the toilet.

Someone was in the room with her, handing Ayako a glass of water and coaching her to drink slowly. After another vomiting episode, Ayako sat back from the toilet and let the person clean her face with a wet cloth.

"You really shouldn't be so reckless, captain." A kind, feminine voice said as the woman helped Ayako to stand. "Come; let's get you back to bed." Ami said and escorted her weak captain back to bed. "I'll be right back with some food. Kin's right outside if you need anything before I get back… and don't get out of bed. You're mom and dad will have my head if you re-open your wounds."

"Thanks Ami, I owe you one." Ayako's voice was scratchy and thick from sleep and vomiting but Ami heard her clearly. The red-haired, brown-eyed communications specialist smiled softly under her mask and gave a small nod before walking soundlessly out of the room. Ayako looked around the dark room and frowned; for a medic, Ayako hated hospitals but she sighed and leaned against the pillows.

Tired of the darkness, Ayako leaned over and clicked on the light. She was about to lie back on the pillows when something caught her eyes. A letter sat propped up against the lamp with her name written neatly on the envelope. Slowly, she reached of the letter and picked it up. Ayako didn't recognize the handwriting that scrolled across the paper but she was curious as to who wrote it. Slipping the paper from the envelope, she read the letter aloud to the silent room.

"Ayako,

"I can't even begin to tell you how I am able to write this letter to you. I thought for sure I was a goner but Kabuto… he saved me."

The letter was from Hideki. Shocking as it was, Ayako wanted to know what else he had to say, so she read on.

"Sakura-sama said that you had passed out before I was revived so… well, if you're reading this right now then I guess you know I'm ok. Oh, how I wish I could've been there when you woke up but I had to go home. Tsunade-sama wouldn't let me stay any longer than I had to. Hopefully, when I come back in two weeks we'll be able to spend some time together, you know just you and me. Not that I meant that in any kind of sexual manner…"

Ayako snickered; she could just imagine his face when he was writing the letter. Ayako smiled softly as her eyes swept over the rest of the letter.

"Anyways, I wanted to tell you something. I've wanted to say this ever since we were back in the cell at the Akatsuki base; I love you. I love you very, very much Ayako. And I'm not just saying it because we've been through so much in the last… almost three months, no, I'm saying it because I mean it. When I come to visit I'll bring you something special. But until then, I'll be thinking of you.

Love always,

Hideki."

Ayako let the letter settle on her lap as she brought her hands up to her face and wiped the tears away. Ami came back into the room and set a try down on the table.

"You ok?" she asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed. Ayako gave a small nod and picked up the letter.

"Wrinkles wrote me a letter." She said as she waved it around before placing it back in the envelope and on the table.

"Who's 'wrinkles'?" Ami asked as she cocked her head to the side.

"Hideki-sama," she answered with a small smile.

"Oh," Ami didn't quite get it at first, but then it clicked. "Oh!" there was a sly grin on her lips, one that Ino wore when she wanted answers. "So… what did he have to say?" even her voice sounded like Ino's; that incredulous, I-want-information-now sound that Ino usually had when she wanted to gossip.

"It's private." Ayako answered with a wave of her hand.

"It's not so private when I can see you've cried over whatever he had to say." Ami shot back. Ayako glared at her.

"How about you give me the food and not question your superior." She fired back. Ouch, burn.

"Sorry captain… it's just weird seeing you in here when you're obviously stronger than a lot of people I know." Ami frowned as she picked up the tray and set it in Ayako's lap.

"Would you like to stay and shoot the breeze until your shift is over? We can always say that I was sick most of the night." Ayako whispered with a sly smirk. Ami nodded in return. The girls struck up a friendship quickly, finding that they had the same interests and such.

~xxx~

Tsunade was on time, as usual. The last ten days were hell, with Ayako still sleeping; Kankuro going home tomorrow and Hideki out of there three days ago, things weren't quite as they should be. Tsunade had timed it so that she would arrive with the guard change and would ask if Ayako had woken up in the night… but so far, nothing. Today, however, was a different story.

"She woke up around three and was sick most of the night, so I stayed with her." Ami said as Tsunade pulled them off to the side. "She's still up. Captain said she couldn't sleep anymore." Kin gave a nod to confirm Ami's story.

"Alright, you two can leave." Tsunade whispered and prepared to walk into the room. Squaring her shoulders, Tsunade burst into the room with a grin on her lips. "You're finally awake… about damn time."

"Good morning Tsunade-sama, I'm glad to see you too." Ayako responded with a smile of her own.

"Let's get down to business, shall we." Tsunade said walking farther into the room. "I need you to sit up and face the wall." Ayako did as she was told and sat up. Tsunade removed the bandages and looked over her wounds. "It looks like you have an infection." She commented as her hands moved over Ayako's sensitive skin. Five minutes later, Tsunade was bandaging her wounds after she put a funky smelling ointment on her back then pulled Ayako's shirt back over her head. Then she looked over the wound on her leg and healed it.

That's what Itachi found when he walked into the room that morning. He had been so stunned by Ayako that he dropped the bento box that Sakura had prepared for him.

"Aneki…!" Akito shouted from the doorway then bolted and hopped up onto the bed. He threw his arms around her neck in a bone-crushing hug.

"Careful squirt, I am injured you know." Ayako said as she hugged him back with equal force. "How's come you're not in school today?"

Akito looked up at his sister and smiled. "It's Sunday silly. Don't you know what day it is?" Ayako shook her head. "You've been asleep for like… ten days." That was a shock to her system. Akito hugged her again. "I'm really glad you're home onee-sama." She smiled and rubbed his back.

"I'm glad to be home. I missed you Kito-kun."

A/N: chapter 11 down. Send me a shout and tell me what you think, please and thank you.