Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

My sluggish body stirs as the achingly loud, monotonous beeps of the alarm clock increase in speed. The clock is unforgiving to being ignored, much to my chagrin. My sore eyes flutter open groggily as I blindly aim my hand for the clock, knocking an unidentified object to the ground in the process. After a few more moments of resting my eyes, I do a heavenly stretch and give a hearty yawn before sliding the warm cotton blanket off of my body. I shiver as my exposed skin comes in contact with the damp air that hasn't seen sunlight in who knows how long. Swinging my legs out of bed, I feel re-energized, even though it's eight-thirty in the morning. Although I recollect the painful memories of just a few hours ago, this haunting reflection is just that, I remind myself. They are just memories. Now it's time to focus on the present, of being alive. With this last thought, I smile to myself—the first genuine smile I've given a long time. I feel secure. I feel essential. I feel worthy of living. Aren't these reasons enough to smile about?

After the mental encouragement, I push myself off of the bed and make my way to the bathroom, which is furnished with the necessities: a toilet, a trashcan, and a shower. Eggshell-white towels hang along the wall. Grabbing one, I proceed with taking a much-needed hot shower, the steaming water soothing my body and making my mind go blank. After I reluctantly finish daydreaming under the invigorating stream of water, I dry off and quickly brush my teeth, fearing that I might have spent slightly too much time in the shower. I give my now sweet-smelling hair a last towel dry before stepping out of the bathroom, which is when I find a folded piece of paper on my now-made bed.

I pick the rough parchment up and unfold it, the paper creating a melody of crinkles, and discover that the paper is, in actuality, a map of the main rooms of the Akatsuki base. There is a giant star drawn on the rough sketch of many impeccably strait, intersecting lines, which connects "rooms" of various shapes. In a quick but rather artistic scrawl, the word "kitchen" is written next to the star, along with "you are here" next to a circled rectangle. Other areas on the map include the library, bathrooms, Leader's office, and the other members' rooms, probably for me to memorize to do my new duties around the hideout. Taking one last look at the map, I refold it and stuff it in my skirt pocket. As I turn around to leave, however, a very orange thing catches my eye. I turn around and look down at the legs of my nightstand, realizing that this must be the "something" that I knocked down when I woke up. I curiously pick up the paper and scan it, unveiling words that make my pulse race and my palms sweaty. Taking a seat on my bed, I try to stop my hands from trembling as I reexamine the letter addressed from an old friend.

Sakura,

So, you finally left, huh? This was probably all for the better,

considering everything that happened between you and

Karin. I can't say I'm happy (we were teammates, after all),

but I still can't believe you would betray us. Nonetheless,

Konoha's running fine without you. It almost seems like a

weight has been lifted, actually. I guess Karin was right; you

are better off somewhere else. I know you weren't expecting

this... but good-bye. Have fun in your new life.

Naruto Uzumaki

What should I be feeling now? Part of me feels like it just died after reading Naruto's messy handwriting. He and everyone else are happy now that I'm gone? Everyone still doesn't know the truth behind Karin? He's not even going to try to bring me back, like he was so determined to do with Sasuke? I was just erased from the lives of everyone in Konoha that easily? My eyes start to well with tears as I crumple the piece of paper up and throw it in the top drawer of my dresser. I try to suppress the overwhelming feelings of heartache and dread and anxiety as images of my past life haunt me. I tilt my head back in an attempt at holding in my tears and let out a soft, choked cough. Why do I feel so small all of a sudden? I am bombarded with more questions—questions that I wish I had the answers to. Why would Naruto bother writing a letter if he didn't care? How did the letter get to the Akatsuki base? Does this imply that he knows about my encounter with Deidara and Sasori? What does he mean by "betray?" Weren't they the ones that betrayed me?

I clench my fists and chew on my lip, a bad habit I have when I'm in a difficult position. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to comprehend everything, and let a few tears slip down my face, and then I take a few shaky breaths to suppress the forming headache. Just then, I start hearing footsteps echoing in the hallway. Wiping away the last of my tears, I quickly pull the map from my pocket and pretend to study it again, making sure my eyes aren't in view. The footsteps grow louder until they stop abruptly at my door. I can tell that the person is deciding whether to knock or just barge in, but they decide on taking the polite path.

"Come in," I say, my voice wavering slightly.

The doorknob turns slowly and silently. It feels like an eternity before the presence of a human is felt next to me, looking down on me like I'm a display in a museum.

"You're needed in the kitchen," says a tranquil, deep voice. Ah, what pleasure do I have of being in the company of the prestigious Itachi this early in the morning?

"Sorry. I woke up late and didn't have much time to study the map," I lie through my teeth. My head is still down, and I can feel that he's studying me again with his onyx eyes. His gaze isn't as intimidating as I thought it would be; instead, it is more stern.

Itachi clears his throat before saying, "I'll take you there."

"Oh, thanks. Lead the way," I say, standing up. I tuck the map into my pocket as Itachi just stands in place and examines me again. I blink a few times and then lift my head up to look at the wall in front of him, avoiding his gaze. "Well? Shouldn't we be going?"

Itachi continues to look at me for a few more seconds until he finally gives a defeated "hn." With that, we set off for the kitchen in almost the same manner as when he first brought me to my room a few hours ago.

"Ah, look who decided to show up, yeah," I hear Deidara joke as I walk into the kitchen behind Itachi.

Itachi joins Deidara, Sasori, and the rather peculiar looking, blue skinned Kisame at the large kitchen table to my left.

"I'm guessing that map I drew you didn't help much then? Or did you just oversleep?" Deidara asks with a snicker, continuing to pester me.

Not wanting to tell them of the letter from Naruto, I just say "yeah, I overslept," while avoiding their gazes. I can tell that, unfortunately, they aren't buying my act.

"What's wrong with you, little girl? You look shaken up," Kisame asks, his generally polite tone contrasting hugely with the over-all cannibalistic look of his shark-like face.

"Nothing's wrong," I sullenly say. Before they can badger me anymore, I open the fridge and change the topic. "So, what do you guys usually eat around here?" There is a short lapse of silence as I wait for an answer, but one never comes. "Who usually does the cooking?"

"That would be me!" Kisame chimes in, rather pleased with his significance around the Akatsuki base.

"Too bad your cooking's so bad even Zetsu won't go near it... and he eats humans, yeah," Deidara says sharply, leaning back in his chair.

"What's wrong with my cooking?" Kisame asks, outraged by the blonde's bold claim.

"Well, for starters, you add in enough salt to practically murder my kidneys."

"I do not-" Kisame tries to argue, grabbing for the handle of his prized sword, the Samehada.

"And you somehow possess the ability to either burn the food to charred lumps of salt, or water it down to the point of needing to improvise and call it "soup surprise," Deidara continues, lost in thought while counting off on his fingers. "Which, by the way, is somehow saltier than the lumps of salt, yeah. Oh, and you-"

"That's enough, Deidara!" Kisame bellows, slamming his fist down on the feeble looking table (or maybe that's just from all the fights that this table has been through), his eyes squinting in agitation.

"Whoa there. Calm down, Mr. Grumpy Gills. I'm sure your cooking isn't that bad," I say, and the shark man instantly turns his hatred to me as Deidara and Sasori share a grin and Itachi arches an eyebrow.

"Grumpy... Gills?" Kisame repeats slowly. "I don't know if I should be more insulted by that or my supposed horrible cooking..."

"Well, uh, who wants shrimp fried rice for brunch?" I say hesitantly, ending my question with a nervous laugh. I am not about to get on shark-man's bad side while his grip is still on his sword.

Although I'm not the best cook in the land (okay, maybe not even the most mediocre cook), I've still learned a thing or two from experience. For example, I've learned to always watch the food that's cooking, and never leave it unattended unless you like tent fires and a screaming teammate complaining about his singed behind. Also, from my years of being a medical ninja, I've learned about a plethora of edible herbs and aromatics. I suppose one could say that I just have a knack for flavors through these studies. After the fried rice finishes cooking, I dump it onto a few plates (I never said I was any good at presentation) and set them in front of the hungry and grumpy ninjas. Kisame is the brave soul who takes the first bite, probably wanting to gloat in my face if the food is worse than his, but he surprisingly replies with a quiet "not bad, little girl," and continues eating, prompting the others to follow in his steps with much satisfaction.

After the five of us finish eating, I get a "thank you" from Sasori and Itachi, a "we should have kidnapped you sooner, Pinky" from Deidara, and a burp and pat on the back from Kisame. They all then leave the kitchen as I start cleaning up and washing the dishes, embarking for my room after I finish. Using the handy map as my sole tool of survival in this maze that they call a hideout, I eventually find my way back, but not before encountering five dead ends and Kisame in the living room, talking affectionately to his sword. As I open my door, I see a familiar shape on the ground, but this time in the shade of dark lavender. I start feeling nervous as I pick up and read from the new piece of paper, and the uneasiness settles in just a few words into the letter.

Dear Billboard Brow,

I heard you decided to join the Akatsuki. Wow,

who knew you'd be the one to completely turn your

back on the village. Yeah, I know Sasuke did too, but

at least he had the heart to come back, and he brought

my new best friend with him. Honestly, I still don't

understand why you were so horrible to Karin; she's

been nothing but good for this village. You probably

expected to read that the villagers are all sad now

that you're gone, but that's not true. Sorry, but I

feel that you leaving is probably a good move on

your part. You wouldn't want any more death

threats and insults, would you?

From Ino.

Although I'm more prepared for the aftereffects of the letter, it still troubles me. More and more questions are piling precariously on top of each other, and I'm scared to think about them for fear that they might come toppling down on me. My sanity is already spread wafer-thin; adding this much weight on my shoulders is almost deadly. Sucking in a shallow breath, I put the last two letters behind me and try to brush the questions away from my mind, like trying to swat away annoying flies. Unlike the last letter, I fold the new one neatly in half and slide it swiftly into the dresser drawer, but not before a soft rapping of knuckles is heard from my door.

"Sakura?"

Turning around, I spot Konan, looking as strikingly beautiful as ever, even with the many detracting black piercings on her face. She has a rather neutral expression, her smoky gray eyes listfully darting from my face to the drawer.

Before she can ask, I quickly begin to speak nonsense, the best offense when trying divert someone's attention. "Konan, is it? You're looking quite nice today."

Plainly, she was wearing the Akatsuki robe worn by all the members, but it was the best I could come up with on the spot.

"Yes, and thank you... I came here because Pain would like you to meet Hidan in the living room. He just arrived from his mission," she says, still skeptical of my weird mannerisms and less-than-happy expression.

"Okay, let's go," I say, shooing her out of my room.

Although she is clearly curious about what I put in the dresser, she drops the subject and leads me to the living room without protest. Once there, I see a very muscular man sitting on the previously overturned couch. He notices us immediately and runs a hand through his slicked back, medium length, silver hair. In his other hand, he is holding his trademark triple bladed scythe. Upon closer inspection, I see that he has a very handsome, sculpted face, much like his body. The most distinctive feature about him, however, has to be his dark purple eyes, which seem to catch even the tiniest of details.

"Who's the bitch?" Hidan asks, immediately breaking the austere allure that surrounds him.

My fists ball up instinctively. "Excuse me?"

"Hidan, you should be more polite to the newest addition of the Akatsuki. Sakura, don't mind him and his foul mouth," Konan says calmly, as if she has been in this situation too many times.

"So she's the new member? What the hell can she do that we can't?" Hidan sneers, making his disdain toward me clear.

"Sakura is a very talented medical ninja. I'm sure you of all people know why we found a new one," Konan comments, inducing Hidan to snort mockingly.

"Heh, just because my partner's killed doesn't mean we this little brat. She can't fucking replace Kakuzu. We can get along without her and her damn talent," Hidan says with a sneer.

"Hidan, she was brought here by Pain's order," Konan informs the man, which wipes the cocky look off his face. "So, if you would be just a bit nicer to her, it would be greatly appreciated."

Just as quickly as it disappeared, his unpleasant deposition returns. "Yeah, yeah, it's my fucking pleasure to meet ya, bitch."

Inside me, a wild fire roars to life.

"What did you say?" I spat, taking a step toward him as he stands up, his hulking body towering over me.

"I said-"

"O-Okay! That's enough!" Konan interrupts, putting herself between us. "Hidan, don't forget what I just told you. And Sakura, I understand that Hidan is an inconsiderate, pompous jerk, but you will have to learn how to deal with it." Once Hidan and I cool off slightly, Konan continues with, "Good, no bloodshed. Now, how about you help me with dinner tonight, Sakura?"

Caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, I take a few seconds before replying with "sure."

"Alright, well, we'll be taking our leave then. Good bye, Hidan," Konan says, grabbing my right arm and pulling me away.

"Good bye, you immortal imbecile," I reply, to which Konan sighs and shakes her head disapprovingly.

"How'd you know I'm immortal?" Hidan questions, cocking his head to the side.

"... keep your friends close and your enemies closer," I reply simply but mysteriously, causing him to eye me intriguingly. It was an aphorism that I kept particularly close to my heart as a result of everything that happened in the village.

"Whatever. I need a fucking nap...," Hidan responds, dropping the previous conversation and stalking off to his room.

Konan and I then depart to cook dinner for these ungrateful but lovable buffoons.

As we gather the ingredients needed for the meal, I ask Konan, "Is he always that annoying?"

She gives a small laugh before nodding yes.

"Then I feel sorry for you."

After we are done cooking, Konan tells me that she has other duties to attend to, so I serve the dishes to the few, usual people that show up and save the leftovers for the others. Afterward, I decide to clean the kitchen and living room before trudging, exhausted, to my room. Even though they are all grown men, they sure don't know how to properly clean up after themselves... or keep couches and lamps upright. I wrap my hand around the doorknob and hear the familiar, sharp click of the lock as I open the door. Raising a weary arm up to turn on the light, I try to contain my shock as I see a midnight black note on the floor, which is around three inches by three inches in length and width, the same size as the other letters; however, I can tell that there are far less words on this note than the previous ones. Closing and locking the door behind me, I retrieve the note and begin perusing the impeccably neat, poetic scrawl.

Letting bygones be bygones

was your plan, not mine.

Disbelief flooded my heart

when you crossed the fine line

and left all of Konoha

for those Akatsuki swine.

On that moonless day,

all seemed sublime,

until you joined the accursed nine.

If I may ask... Why?

Probably the most terrifying lines of poetry I have ever read, I suppose it is only natural for me to temporarily lose my composure. I scan it over and over again until the words are imprinted in my mind, indefinitely. My eyes are brought back to line seven every time. From this poem, I can conclude that someone—whoever sent this note—saw me leave with Deidara and Sasori. This person knows about my suicide attempt, and most likely also knows about my predicament with Karin. According to the first line of the poem, this person and I also had a past together, apparently... but who is this person?

I apologize for the extremely (and that's an understatement) long wait for this chapter. However, since so many new twists happened and I introduced a few more characters and this chapter is about twice as long as my usual chapters, I hope that you can forgive me for my lateness. School has been the death of me, but, luckily, I am on summer break now. Happy summer to those who're also on break!

So, I must ask, how was this chapter? Hopefully good considering I had plenty (hey look, another understatement) of time to write this. Also, who do you think wrote the poem?

And to end this author's note, I just wanted to inform former readers of Saved that I have decided to completely change the ending from my previous one... I'm planning on adding many more plot twists and mysteries and order to the story this time around. I have never put this much thought into a story (usually, I just write and update as I go), and I really hope it pays off!

Thanks for reading the ridiculously long notes above; I appreciate all you readers!

E person :)

6-26-11

edited: 7-13-13