Wow, it's been awhile, eh? I apologize for the unscheduled and unannounced hiatus I've been on for the past month and change but the holiday season sucked terribly for me. On a positive note, I did exceedingly well grade-wise over the semester, and I'm back and ready to continue this fic! Thank you very much for your patience with me, and as always, thank you for the reviews and the alerts/favoriting. The support really helps :)


Conjugal Visit

Naruto had to walk away. If he didn't, all of the control he had gained over the Kyuubi would have been lost. He felt the fox demon within stir in annoyance as he put more distance between himself and Sakura. The Kyuubi seemed to have taken an interest in Sakura, or at least her dark and disturbed personality that occasionally made an appearance. The Tailed Beast had been intrigued by the kunoichi's story and had been angered when Naruto began to walk away. Naruto risked a quick glance with his peripherals and immediately felt a flare of jealousy as he glimpsed an emotionally broken Sakura in Sai's arms. He wasn't sure if the jealousy he felt was his own or the Kyuubi's. All he knew was that if he didn't distance himself soon, he was going to lose it and beat Sai within an inch of his life.

He knew he couldn't blame Sai for everything. More than anything he was angry with himself. Everything Shikamaru had said was true, Naruto should never have left without tending to the fragile medic first. "Dobe," he muttered under his breath as he cursed himself for failing Sakura again. He had left, again, so he could grow stronger, again, to make Sakura happy and reunite Team 7, again. He had spent the majority of his shinobi career trying to meet this goal, but now he began to question whether or not it was even worth it anymore. Sakura was already cracking under the emotional pressure, and from her story, it sounded as if she had been hurting for a very long time. Perhaps what upset him most about her story was that she had been struggling for so long, and he failed to see it. He had failed her once again.

It wasn't long after Naruto returned to the crumbling temple grounds that he was at a complete loss again. He simply stood back and watched as Yamato dragged a chained and hysterical Sakura back into the decaying temple followed by her dejected teammates. Sakura was too busy crying and babbling to herself to notice the Jinchuriki as she was led past him and into an empty room that would serve as a temporary prison. Shikamaru and Neji both wore mirrored expressions of concern and deep thought, as if calculating the best method to aid their comrade. Sai was the only one who even acknowledged the blonde shinobi's presence, giving him an imploring look.

"They want to take her back to Konoha," explained Sai, his tone showing hints of anxiety.

"Good, she needs the help," Naruto said heatedly. "She never should have been sent out here in the first place," he added, glaring at the wooden door that held Sakura within her cell as Yamato put a locking seal on it. "How could you let it get this bad?"

"I could ask you the same question," Sai countered with a narrowing of his eyes. "You heard her, she's been struggling with this since before Team 7 even formed. You knew her back then too, didn't you? Why didn't you help her then? Why did you stand back and wait for all the emotional stress in her life to make her condition worse? She attacked Tsunade-sama, for Kami's sake! She's going to be charged as a criminal!"

"Baa-chan would never file criminal charges against Sakura-chan for something that happened so long ago," Naruto said with a confused frown on his face. "Besides, Baa-chan sealed away this other presence once, I'm sure Kakashi-sama can figure—"

"Naruto," Sai cut in quietly. "Sakura wasn't arrested because of what she told us in her story. After you walked away, Yamato-taichou came with an arrest warrant issued from Tsunade-sama herself claiming that Sakura tried to kill her the night before we left for our mission."

"Baa-chan is awake?" exclaimed Naruto. "That's great, she'll be able to help Sakura!"

"You don't get it," Neji said, butting into the conversation. "Sakura is still going to be held responsible for her actions, despite the fact that she is clearly not in control of herself. What she did wasn't just attempted murder, it was treason. She could spend the rest of her life in a prison cell, or worse yet, she could be executed."

"But Baa-chan wouldn't let Sakura-chan suffer like that," Naruto tried to reason.

"You idiot," Shikamaru cut in rudely. "You just don't get it do you? It's not up to Tsunade-sama what happens to Sakura. Treason cases are decided by the Elder Council. Tsunade-sama won't be able to help her. She could recommend leniency, but it's unlikely the council will grant her that. The elders don't believe Sakura has any real standing in the shinobi world. She doesn't even come from a prestigious shinobi clan, they dismiss her as just a civilian that lucked out and made the shinobi cut."

"But she's the Hokage's apprentice and a member of Team 7," Naruto said.

"That just makes her case seem worse," Neji said. "Especially since Orochimaru, who studied under the last Hokage, murdered him and nearly destroyed the village. The Elder Council is just going to think that history is repeating itself, and that Sakura is following the same path. As for her being a part of Team 7, the council wasn't really in favor of the team even being formed in the first place, and now that it's not even a real team anymore, the council will just take that as proof that Sakura had no business being a kunoichi."

"Sakura can't go back to Konoha," Shikamaru concluded.

"So how are we going to help her?" Sai asked. Naruto perked at the question and turned expectantly at the lazy genius.

"We'll have to find someone who can treat her deteriorated mental state, but first, we have to get her off this island," Shikamaru said, formulating a plan in his head.


Sakura sat against the wall facing the door of her cell with her arms chained securely above her head in chakra dampening chains.

I'm bored, Inner Sakura complained loudly within Sakura's mind.

"I'm busy," Sakura sniped back, annoyed.

Looks to me as if you're just sitting here and brooding, Inner Sakura observed.

"What do you want?" Sakura snapped quietly.

Stimulating conversation since I can't be stimulated in any other way while your hands are tied and there's no one else here with us, Inner Sakura deadpanned coyly.

"I don't really feel like being your source of entertainment right now. Besides, I let you out to have your fun earlier on the condition that you would leave me alone for awhile," Sakura sighed, silently hoping that her subconscious would just leave her alone. Unfortunately for Sakura, she had no such luck.

Change of circumstances altered our deal, Inner Sakura said dismissively. You should have listened to me when I told you that we needed to strike out on our own, Inner Sakura chided. Now look at you, chained to the wall like a fucking criminal, and right after you stop an Akatsuki member from attacking Konoha's coveted Kyuubi container. Ungrateful fucking bast-

"But I am a fucking criminal," Sakura interrupted softly, "I tried to kill Shishou."

Oh yes, your poor beloved Shishou, Inner Sakura mocked.

"There's no need to sound so jealous," Sakura snapped sullenly.

Jealous? I have absolutely nothing to be jealous of, Inner Sakura quickly countered, causing Sakura to flinch from the grating pain her subconscious's tone inflicted inside of her head. Fuck that Old Bitch's training! I see now that it was a mistake to even go to her in the first place. I thought she would make you strong, help you realize that we don't need Team 7 in order to be a true kunoichi, but I was wrong to entrust you to her. Sakura was surprised when she heard her subconscious take on a softer, gentler tone. She tried to take me away from you, she had to be punished. I've always looked out for you, Sakura, haven't I?

The pink haired medic nodded her head stiffly as warm tears spilled down her cheeks.

There's no need to cry, Sakura, her subconscious soothed. I'll get us out of here, and I'll take care of you, like I always have…Heads up, we have company.

Sakura snapped her head up at attention and was met with a familiar set of blue eyes. Sakura was overwhelmed with the look of affection and concern held within the gaze and had to look away or else she would start crying again. She was so very tired of crying all the time.

"Please don't be angry with me," Naruto begged, collapsing down in front of her and throwing his arms around her. "I had to walk away. The Kyuubi was acting strangely and I—"

"Naruto," Sakura cut in gently. "There's something else that I have to tell you." She rattled the chains above her head softly to bring the blonde shinobi's attention to her chained wrists. Naruto took a sharp intake of breath as his gaze rested upon the thin white scars that peeked through the chains binding her wrists.

"What did you do to yourself?" Naruto whispered sadly, reaching up and gently running his hands over her bound wrists. His hands continued their path downwards, caressing her forearms and passing her smooth elbows, before roughing grabbing her by her well-toned upper arms. "Why would you do that to yourself?"

Sakura gasped at her friend's sudden switch from sadness to anger and cringed as she felt Naruto's fingers dig into her flesh with bruising force.

I think I rather like this rougher side of Foxy, Inner Sakura cooed playfully. Let me come out and play again, please? she begged as she forced Sakura to wrap her legs around Naruto's waist to bring him closer to her.

"Sakura, what are you—" Naruto immediately blushed as he felt her thighs squeeze him closer to her.

"Naruto, you're hurting me," Sakura said, struggling to maintain control as she felt Naruto cover her body with his own.

Don't lie to yourself, you know you want him just as much as I do, her subconscious's voice echoed in her head as she felt Naruto's hands release her to cup her face. She was startled at her inner demon's words, but perhaps more so by the intense look of want in Naruto's eyes.

"Who's in control right now Sakura-chan?" he asked, searching deeply into the pink haired medic's gaze for his familiar team mate. His lips hovered over her own, waiting for her answer.

"I am," Sakura said defiantly, pushing her subconscious back roughly before closing the distance between herself and the blonde shinobi, kissing him gently. However, the sudden feeling of Naruto's hands sliding up her thighs still firmly holding him in place distracted her and granted Inner Sakura a brief victory. Resurfacing, the mischievous demon bit the Jinchuriki's bottom lip roughly and smirked at the answering growl escaping his lips, a signal that the Kyuubi was stirring. Acting on pure instinct, Naruto let his hands slid up from her silky thighs to caress the full bust covered in the tattered green jounin vest. Encouraged by the answering moan of pleasure against his mouth, he let his fingers teasingly grasp the zipper to her top before slowly tugging it down. Pushing her now unzipped vest open, he let his hands wander to grasp her breasts now clad only in a simple black bra as his mouth planted a trail of kisses from her mouth, down her jaw, to the warm inviting flesh of her throat. He smirked at the sigh of contentment released by the chained female beneath him.

"Foxy, you're making me so wet right now," the kunoichi purred.

The sound of the unfamiliar tone and use of the nickname snapped Naruto to his senses as he jerked back from the medic as if burned. "What have you done to my Sakura-chan?" Naruto spat, violently shoving her into the stoned wall she was chained to.

The pink haired medic let out a surprised cry of pain as the Jinchuriki grabbed her chained wrists in a bruising grip, before meeting his angry gaze with a coquettish one. "If you really want it rough, we're going to have to come up with a safety word, don't you think?" she playfully quipped, before laughing at the immediate blush that burned across Naruto's face.

Naruto abruptly let go and distanced himself, struggling to maintain his precarious control over the Kyuubi. He shivered in suppressed pleasure as he felt the foreign chakra within his ex team mate reach out and caress the Tailed Beast within him. "Stop it," the command came out in a pitiful whisper.

"Stop what, Foxy?" she asked in a saccharine tone, looking up at him coyly.

"Naruto?" Sai called on the other side of the door, giving a soft knock. "Are you two ready yet?"

"Ready for what?" the possessed Sakura asked, dropping the overtly sexual façade and fixing him with an intense look. "Are you planning a jailbreak?"

"Give us a minute, Sai," Naruto answered before turning to the chained girl before him. "We want to help Sakura."

"You're planning on trying to get rid of me, aren't you Foxy?" she responded giving a knowing smile. "It'll be harder than you think. I don't plan on letting go this time."

"I'll figure out a way," Naruto promised, moving to unchain the unstable girl.

"Just like you figured out a way to bring Sasuke back home?" she countered, rubbing her newly freed wrists and standing up slowly. She had barely reached her full height when she was suddenly thrown back up against the wall, her arms caught in a bruising grip. "Foxy," she began, her eyes flashing as the beginnings of anger stirred within, "This game is starting to get old."

"Naruto," Sai interrupted from the other side of the door his tone sounding more urgent, "We have to go now."

"Can I trust you to behave?" Naruto asked.

"I'll do you one better," she began, breaking the Jinchuriki's hold on her easily, "I'll let you have her back, for now."

Naruto watched curiously as the hardened emerald eyes shifted to the softer, familiar apple green of his former team mate. He shivered involuntarily as the demonic chakra caressed against his teasingly in farewell.

"Naruto?"

He let out a sigh of relief as he heard the familiar tone in her voice as she looked up at his curiously. He enveloped the fragile kunoichi in a warm hug as he promised, "I'm going to free you, Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled warmly as she returned the hug, unaware that the Jinchuriki had meant to free her from her domineering subconscious and not just from the island.


Thank you again for reading! Now please help me start the Spring Semester (which starts in two days) off right and review! Hope your holidays were great (if you were inclined to celebrate). On an final note, I know many of you have been asking about Sasuke's whereabouts and whether this is going to be a SakuNaru fic. I am completely at the mercy of my muse's whims. She, being the sexually liberated deity that she is, persuades me to not really tie Sakura down to one specific pairing. With that said, this is probably going to turn into a love triangle that looks more like a rhombus (or some other funny sounding shape). I have certain ideas of what I want to do, I just haven't written the chapters yet. I will say that Sasuke will be making more than just an appearance soon, and things will get bloody and sexy reall quick. I might be asking for too much, but please be patient with me...I promise you'll like what I do ;) Thank you again!