Caught in the Middle

Chapter 7

I'll Cry With You

Disclaimer: nope, still don't own Naruto, but I'm working on it.

I'm really sorry for the week (well, over a week) wait for this chapter, but I was busy okay! Now, I have to warn you guys right now, we have a big fluff scene in this chapter (So says the chapter title), so prepare yourselves for a sob fest.

Oh yeah, and Sasuke is here to, but I don't care, I hate that ass-muncher.

Anyway, read on.


That was the fifth time now, the fifth time the Uchiha had circled the block. Whatever he was going to do, he was going to do it soon, Shikimaru could tell. As he thought that, Sasuke suddenly changed his direction, and instead of going straight, he turned to his left, heading for the front door of a house; Naruto Uzumaki's house to be exact.

Shikimaru immediately got on his ear-piece radio.

"He's making a move! Choji, get down here with me, we'll get closer and see what he's up to, Ino, do you have him in your sights?"

"Sure do, if he tries anything I'll blast his head off."

"Right, let's move people."

Choji was down in a second, casually standing next to Shikimaru's car. He carried a brown duffel bag with him and nodded to the Nara. The team was ready for any contingency, they had Ino who was not only their interrogation expert thanks to that Body Snatcher spell, but she was also a specialized marksman, hefting a customized M-21 atop a house across the street.

Choji was a close combat specialist, choosing to wield a SPAS-12 shotgun which was safely tucked away in said duffel bag. He also had a cool body augmentation spell that allowed him to enlarge his limbs to increase damage to melee attacks.

Lastly, Shikimaru was their tactician as well as an expert in ambush and stealth. This was only complimented by his signature spell, the Shadow Manipulation technique. He could, as the name suggested, manipulate shadows and paralyze his opponents.

The two boys walked across the street under Ino's watchful eye. They came up behind Sasuke and stood there, knowing he was fully aware of their presence.

"So, are you gonna fight, or can we just skip all the troublesome stuff and just get outta here?" Shikimaru asked Sasuke directly.

He merely smirked. "There's a certain person here I have a previous engagement with, it'd be rude to skip out on it."

Shikimaru sighed. "If you're talking about Uzumaki and the kitsune girl, then you're out of luck. Agent Hatake came by a few days ago and picked them up; they're with the FBPS now."

"Hm…then I suppose I'll just have to pay them a visit. After all, I've gotten into the FBPS headquarters before," he mocked.

Both Shikimaru and Choji were taken aback by his comment.

"You've been inside the FBPS before? How is that possible?"

"I'm not telling. In fact, this whole conversation is for you to take to the grave."

At that, Sasuke whirled around, his right hand to his mouth. The two FBPS agents dove to the side as a jet of flames erupted from the demon hunter's mouth, scorching the concrete pathway up to the front door of the house. Choji rolled onto his feet, knelt down, and whipped out his shotgun. He fired off one of the shells just as the raven haired criminal leaped into the air, blasting away a piece of the wooden door.

As Sasuke –who jumped completely over Shikimaru and Choji- ran down the street, Shikimaru fired a few shots from his P-99, only to miss. He was never much of a marksman.

Speaking of marksmanship though, Ino witnessed the whole commotion from her vantage point and had the rouge demon hunter in her sights. He had just turned the corner and was heading in a straight path forward. The blond smirked as her reticule was trained in on his head, and she pulled the trigger.

In the short second before that however, Sasuke sensed what she was doing, and activated his Sharingan nanite system. He whirled around quickly, fired a bullet from his Glock 18c –set to single round firing mode- and then continued moving. The Glock's round and the M-21's slug collided in the air thanks to the Sharingan's targeting capabilities, and set the larger bullet veering off course, striking the concrete of the street.

Sasuke smirked and rounded another corner, heading for a small walled-in complex with a few old, unused wooden warehouses. He leaped over the fence, somersaulted back into his feet, and rushed into the nearest building. Shikamaru and Choji were in hot pursuit, and arrived a minute later.

They walked into the warehouse, their weapons raised. They had to be careful, they were in a confined space, and had no sniper support. They were expecting some sort of ambush, but it didn't come; in fact, they were in the center of the warehouse and still nothing happened at all.

"Boy," commented Choji, "this place must be old; it's got a lot of cobwebs on the walls."

Shikimaru looked at the walls, and indeed did see quite a bit of material adorning the walls, but they weren't cobwebs. They were too bright, too spread out to be cobwebs. It took a moment for Shikimaru to realize that they were trapped the minute they stepped in the building, but that didn't stop him for shouting out a warning.

"Choji, we've got to get out of here!"

"Huh?"

As he was about to explain, the "cobwebs" suddenly blazed with a blindingly fast flash of flame, which set the wooden walls suddenly erupting into flames, cutting off the only entrance and exit to the building.

'Damn; thermite wires, how did I not see that coming!? He must have lined the walls with them and ignited them to trap us inside.' He thought angrily.

"It's been a time in a half," said a voice from above.

The two looked up to see the demon hunter himself standing on the roof, looking down from a broken sun window.

"Unfortunately, I'm a bit busy, but I'll leave you something to play with."

With that, he dropped what looked like a bunch of papers into the building. He jumped away, and the dozens of papers lightly floated down through the air. They didn't need any time at all to figure out what those were.

"PAPER-BOMBS!" Shikimaru shouted.


Sasuke retreated to a safe distance a few buildings away, which only took a few seconds for his speed, then, looked on at the burning building. He smirked and focused some of his magic into his right hand, then snapped his fingers.

In an instant, the already burning building was blown to pieces by the combined force of the paper-bombs and the excess thermite from his incendiary wires.

The stuff didn't burn for long, but it was sure hot enough to set those wooden walls on fire. He'd much rather have thermate; it burned longer and was easier to ignite because of the sulfur and barium nitrate, but that was military grade stuff, and he didn't need that kind of suspicion. Plain old thermite and paper-bombs did the job just fine for now.

He seriously doubted they survived that blast, and if they did, they would most likely die from their injuries. He wanted to take out that damn sniper as well, but he didn't have time, he had to get back to Orochimaru and update him on the kitsune girl's status.

He took one last look at his handiwork, then jumped down to the ground and walked down the street, whistling a tune to himself.


"Ow, damn it."

Naruto had just fallen on his ass…again. It was the next days training session, and after Naruto's sword lessons, Kakashi attempted to teach him some hand-to-hand. Sure, he could hold himself in a schoolyard brawl or even against someone like a mugger or a common thief, but Kakashi was a martial arts master, and the blond wasn't doing so hot.

It was the same apparel as the previous day, Naruto had taken off his shirt and shoes, and Kakashi had taken off his suit and tie, and had his white shirt's sleeves rolled up.

"Don't be so upset," said Kakashi, "You're improving. Keep this up and you'll be up to standards soon enough. In the meantime, don't get so worked up."

Naruto still growled; he was catching onto the swordsmanship thing quickly enough, but he seemed to be having trouble with martial arts. Karen had been, again, sitting off against the wall, watching Naruto get his butt kicked.

"Yeah Naruto, it's not your fault you suck," she teased.

He gave her an annoyed scowl. "You shut up! I don't see you busting your ass over here, I'm the one working so hard to protect you, so how about some gratitude!"

"Naruto, calm down," sighed Kakashi.

The boy stayed silent, but stuck his tongue out at Karen in quiet defiance. She stuck her own tongue out in response, and the two glared at each other like children. Kakashi sighed again and hung his head.

'Will those two ever get along?' he thought to himself.

"Well anyway Naruto, it's about six o'clock, and you've been training since noon, so you're free to go. I'll take you both back to your rooms."

The blond had a look of relief on his face.

"Oh thank you God!"

He hopped up and threw on his shirt and shoes, more than ready to get going. The two followed Kakashi out of the gym and once again, through the mess of people and hallways until they reached their rooms. Naruto once again found himself on the verge of kneeling down and thanking whoever built this place that his room was on the same floor as the gym.

"You two can rest or whatever, I've got to go meet with the director in a few minutes. I'll see ya around."

With that, the masked agent walked back down the hallway and turned a corner, disappearing from their sight. Naruto opened the door to his room and was about to walk in when he felt a hand grip his own. He looked over and saw Karen, wearing an unusually shy expression.

"What is it Karen?" he asked.

She lowered her head a bit. "I...I was thinking...if you don't mind, I could...maybe talk to you about my...my parents."

Naruto's expression changed to a sad one like hers, and reversed the grip she had on his hand so he held hers, and gripped it tightly.

"Sure, whatever you want."

She smiled a bit, but tears were still on the threshold of her eyes, so Naruto gently pulled her into his room. She took a seat on his bed, and Naruto sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her. She sat in silence for a bit, Naruto patiently waiting for her to say something...anything. He decided that she probably just needed a little nudge, so he started off the conversation.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about specifically?"

She gripped her pant legs tightly and sighed as a few teardrops fell onto her lap. She shook her head.

"I don't even know, I can't think of a thing. God I feel so stupid!"

"Why is that?"

"It's just...this whole thing! I should be focusing on staying alive, but instead I just feel like crying all the time! I'm so pathetic!"

Naruto really felt sorry for her, this was too much for her, too much for anyone. he stood up and took a seat next to her on his bed.

"Karen...," he said softly as he place a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up slightly, "You shouldn't feel stupid or pathetic. I can't think of any sane person on this earth who could have their parents killed and stay strong all the time. Everyone, no matter how strong, has to cry sometime."

"The fact that you were able to remain confident and practical even after something as traumatizing as that, is amazing in itself," he continued, "and add on top of that the fact that everyone in the world seems to be out to get you...Karen, to be honest, I don't know how you do it."

She sniffled before asking, "Do what?"

"How you bury it so well, how you're able to keep that strong front up even against all that's happened. You're not pathetic, and you're not stupid, you're could very well be the strongest person I've ever met. It's okay to cry Karen, and if you need someone to be there while you do it, then I'll be that person."

She gave an audible gasp as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'll be the person...to cry with you."

After he said that, she completely broke down, and buried her face in his shoulder. She gripped his shirt so tight he thought she might rip and and she was on the verge of complete wailing. Still, he didn't mind, it was better if she got it out now. She'd held this all in for too long, she needed to release some of the pent up emotions she had swirling around.

He repeated the actions he used when she broke apart like this in his room after the first kitsune assassin went after her. He lightly rocked her back and forth and stroked her hair; she needed someone to comfort her, and he couldn't help but feel like it was his obligation to do so. If he was going to be her body guard he was going to protect her, not just from demon hunters or assassins, but from this anguish she was feeling as well. It was just as damaging as a poison, but unlike a poison, this sort of harm couldn't just be removed with an antidote. It would take time and patience, and Naruto planned on being with her every step of the way.

He was lost in his thoughts though, and when he finally came back to reality, he realized that well over fifteen minutes had passed, and the crying had finally stopped. He looked down at Karen, only to see she was asleep, she'd actually cried herself to sleep. He layed her down on his bed, and yawned; he was pretty tired himself. He layed down next to her, just planning on laying there for a while to rest his limbs, which were burning with soreness by now.

Fate, it seemed, had a different idea however, as the blond felt his eyelids grow extremely heavy, and he to drifted off to sleep.


Kakashi meanwhile, was in the infirmary, where the director had called him. He stood there with Tsunade, Shizune, and agent Ino Yamanaka. She was the only member of the pursuit and capture team that the FBPS sent out to catch any more stray demon hunters or such that had returned from the mission unharmed.

Her two partners; Shikimaru Nara and Choji Akamichi were both in the ICU. Shikimaru was conscious but in a lot of pain, and Choji was still unconscious. Apparently they had walked right into an ambush by Sasuke Uchiha, and both of them were nearly killed. Choji however, had thought fast and used his Body Expansion spell to help shield both himself and Shikimaru from the blasts of well over thirty paper bombs. It was a miracle there was anything left of them, let along that they were alive.

Kakashi and Tsunade now stood apart from Shizune and Ino and talked in private.

"They're our best pursuit and capture team, and Uchiha outwitted them like a bunch of recruits. I'm officially moving his wanted status up from A-class criminal to S-class."

Kakashi sighed. "Well, what would you expect from someone with his blood. Not only does he have the Sharingan nanite system, but he's also an Uchiha, it's literally in his blood.

She nodded. "We need to capture him and find out who he's working for. He wouldn't be this persistent if he wasn't getting orders from someone, I want to know who."

"Right, I can lead a team to find him if you like. I didn't fight him with any of my flashy stuff last time for fear of too much collateral damage, but I think I'll be able to lure him somewhere secluded where I can take him down."

Tsunade shook her head. "No, I need you here. You have to keep training Naruto, he needs you more. I'll find someone else."

He nodded. "Understood, is that all?"

"Yes, you're dismissed."

With that, Kakashi turned and left the infirmary. He thought Naruto should know about this; if he wanted to be a good FBPS agent, he needed to stay in the loop. Besides, Sasuke seemed to be targeting Karen specifically, and Naruto was bonded to her, so this was something he definitely needed to be aware of.

It took him about ten minutes to get from the infirmary to Naruto's room. He knocked on the door with a few light taps...and got no answer. He knocked again...still no answer. After a few minutes, he got impatient, and just barged in. His reaction to the sight before him was one of the few moments where he showed his romantic fan-boy side.

In front of him were Naruto and Karen, both asleep on his bed. Naruto was laying on his back, with Karen's head laying comfortably on his chest and her left arm draped over stomach. Meanwhile Naruto's left arm was loosely wrapped around her waist.

He chuckled to himself and pulled out his book. He looked down at it, then back and Naruto and Karen's sleeping forms, then chuckled again.

'Those two would make a great story.'


Two hours later, Karen awoke in a slight daze. As her vision returned to her, she looked around and found herself still in Naruto's room. That's when she found herself wondering why her face was so warm. She looked upward, and saw Naruto's face not too far away from hers; she was laying on his chest.

Her first impulse was to freak out and jump out of the room before anything could be said, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. His chest was so warm and she was too comfortable to move. She moved onto her second impulse, which was to adjust her position slightly, lay back down onto him, and go back to sleep.

Whether it was now or later, it was still going to be awkward, so she decided that she'd deal with this when he woke up. Until then, she was going to enjoy herself and keep resting. After all, she did have the worlds greatest pillow.


Okay, now that that's done, I'm going to go rest my hands, they hurt a little. Once again, sorry for the long wait. I'm a popular guy, what can I say?

I'll keep trying to get the next chapter out ASAP, but I can't promise anything definite. I'll just keep doing my best!

Reviews are always appreciated. If you don't leave one, I'll be pissed and might do something rash and unexpected like kill off Sasuke! (believe me, the thought has crossed my mind. I HATE HIM SO MUCH! FUCKER!)