A/N: You guys, I'm so extremely sorry for not updating for so long. In my defense, I had to get knee surgery back in March, so I was extra focused on school and making sure I kept up with everything. I'm going to serious try to not make you wait five months for the next update (but I'll also be working a lot I hope, so real life and stuff and yeah), but no promises.

Disclaimer: Each OC belongs to their respective creators, and Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter Nineteen

Departure

"What did you want?" Kye asked, sprawled out on her bed. Akito was leaning against the wall by the window, and I stood by the door.

"I wanted to let you guys know that I'm planning on asking Kisame to train me once we're done with this mission, which is probably pretty soon. I'm nowhere near ready to fight Orochimaru, let alone Madara Uchiha. I also wanted to encourage you two to get an Akatsuki member to train you. It'll be pretty intense training, but we'll need it. They've all worked with Madara, so they probably know his fighting style, but beyond that they're all very skilled shinobi. I think it's the kind of training we need."

"I like that idea," Kye said, sitting up.

"Me too," Akito said.

"I think I'll have Kakuzu train me," Kye speculated. "He knows a lot of jutsu, so he could easily conform to my style, but still teach me a lot of new techniques."

"I wonder if I could get Konan to train me," Akito wondered.

"You'll never know if you don't ask," I said. "But first, we have to finish this mission with Gaara. I'm going to talk to him about that. I don't think he needs us here anymore, and we need to bring the former Akatsuki members to Konoha to see Lady Tsunade. I figure once we return to Konoha, we can ask her to let us leave to train."

"For how long, though?" Kye asked.

"As long as it takes, I guess," I replied. "I can't imagine being able to take longer than a year, though. Madara and Orochimaru will work quickly to make sure they're ready for their attack."

"Then we should get going as soon as possible," Akito said.

"Yeah, we should go talk to Gaara," Kye added, pushing herself off the bed.

I led my friends through the halls of the Kazekage building until we reached Gaara's office. I knocked on the door, and Gaara called for us to enter.

"What can I do for you?" He asked as my team positioned ourselves in front of his desk.

"We were wondering, are we done here? With our mission, that is," I asked.

Gaara thought for a minute, flipping through some papers. "I don't believe I have any more need for you and your teammates to still be here. I'm sure Lady Tsunade will want to meet with the former Akatsuki members."

"Does she know about them yet?" I asked.

"I just sent a messenger bird to her, so she'll be prepared." Gaara was silent for a moment as he shuffled through papers. Finally he looked up. "I'd like you to gather everyone so I can give you all your pay and officially close this mission and you can head back home."

"Alright, sounds good," I said. I turned and led my friends out of the office.

"I'll get Neji and his team," Kye said, running down the hall in search of her boyfriend.

"And I'll get Shino and his team," Akito said, also taking off.

"I guess that leaves me to get Sakura and her team," I said to an empty hall. I made my way through the building, looking first for Sakura. I found her in the hospital, helping out with the patients there.

"Hey, Sakura," I said as I approached her. "Our mission here in Suna is over. Do you know where Naruto and Kakashi are?"

"They're probably working on the wall, or else in their rooms. There's a chance they had some time off today," Sakura replied. "I can go find them."

"Sounds good. Meet in the Kazekage's office when you do," I said. "I've got something I need to do."

Sakura nodded, and I saw her go to check out with the head nurse as I was leaving. I walked down the hall, heading towards where I knew the former Akatsuki members were staying. I was greeted by two guards at the door.

"Are you the only two guards?" I asked, shocked Gaara would have so few.

"No ma'am," one guard replied. "There are two more in the room, and two squads of three on the roof outside."

"Oh, good." I sighed with relief. "May I enter? I need to speak with them."

The guards exchanged a glance before stepping aside. I pushed the door open to find the six former criminals sitting around the room.

Konan looked up at my entrance. I noticed that she and the rest of her group had ditched their Akatsuki cloaks and were wearing similar ninja outfits of ninja pants, and plain shirts. Konan's differed only slightly, since her clothes were more purple, while the rest of her group wore black clothes.

"We'll be leaving for Konoha soon," I announced. "My comrades and I need to be debriefed with the Kazekage, then we'll come and get you."

"Why are we leaving so soon?" Konan asked.

"Well, Lady Tsunade will want to meet with you and hear your story for herself," I replied. "But, also, Akito, Kye, and I need to train more. We're not ready for whatever Madara is planning with Orochimaru." I glanced over at Kisame, hesitated, and then added, "I was wondering if you could train me, Kisame."

He glanced up, yellow eyes glinting, and pointed teeth showing as he smiled. "You sure you want to ask that?"

"I need to. I need to increase my chakra, so I can use that jutsu you always use to create your own water. It's that or I change my chakra type, because right now, I'm useless without water."

"The desert probably isn't the best place for you, then," he said with a chuckle.

"I don't exactly get to pick where my missions are," I pointed out.

"Hehe, that's true," he said. He was silent for a moment, staring at me. "Sure, kid, I can train you if that's what you really want."

I smiled. "Thanks. I'll be back when we're ready to go."

I hurried out of the room, and made my way back to Gaara's office just as Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi were showing up. We knocked on the door an entered, finding everyone else in the room already.

"Good, you're all here," Gaara said, flipping through more papers. He stamped one sheet, and then said, "Kye, Akito, Darcy, and Kankuro, you'll be paid for your recon mission here. Everyone else, you'll be paid by Lady Tsunade when you return." Kye, Akito, Kankuro, and I stepped forward to receive our pay.

"Temari, go get the former Akatsuki members, please," Gaara said. She nodded, and we waited in silence for her to return with our new comrades. Fortunately, their room wasn't far from Gaara's office, and our wait was short.

"Good, we're all here," Gaara said. "We still can't be one hundred percent sure that we can trust you six, so, Kakashi, make sure you and your teams are on their guards. However, I have one request of the six of you. I'd like one of you to stay here, as a sign of… co-operation, if you will."

"That is fine. I will stay," Konan said. She turned to her group. "Itachi, I trust your judgment, you will lead in my place."

Itachi simply nodded.

"I've sent a message to Lady Tsunade, so she'll expect your arrival, and she'll expect them with you. That is all I need from you." He stood, and added, "I'll walk you to the gate. Thank you for your assistance here."

He led us out of his office, and before I made my way up to him, I walked over to Akito.

"Hey, you could still ask Deidara or Hidan to train you," I said, knowing she had wanted Konan to train her. "Itachi is probably out of the question, since he'll be acting leader while Konan is here, and Lady Tsunade will want to question him or whatever."

"Yeah, I think I may ask Hidan," she replied. "He's insane, but he's strong. It'll be good training for me."

"Good thinking," I said. I hurried to the front of the group, joining Gaara.

"Be careful on your way back," he said. "I know you trust these guys, but they could be playing us still."

"I highly doubt that. There's no reason to pretend to join forces with us like this, when it would be a simple thing for them to take us out. But I will be careful," I replied. "I've asked Kisame to train me. He said he would."

"That's good," he said.

"I think that also means the wedding is put off even longer," I said.

"I figured it would be anyways. With Orochimaru teaming up with Madara, well, there are more pressing issues than our personal lives," he replied. He took my hand, and I smiled up at him.

We reached the front gates sooner than I would have liked.

"Kakashi, do you want any extra guards on your return trip to Konoha?" Gaara asked.

"No, we'll be fine, thank you, though, Lord Kazekage," Kakashi said.

"Then have a safe trip home," Gaara said.

"Thank you," Kakashi said. He turned to us, and said, "I hate to travel with such a large group, but it'll be best if we all stick together. At least going through the desert. Kye, Hinata, Shino, and Kiba, you three will take up the rear. Akito, you'll be on the right side, Darcy you'll be on the left side, and Neji, Tenten, and Lee, you three will be up front with me. Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Hidan, and Kakuzu, you five will stay in the center where we can keep an eye on you. Once we make it through the desert, we'll split up, but it's best to stay together right now. Alright, let's go!"

We were all quick to get into our positions, and the trip across the desert was a quiet one. It was also hot. Very, very hot. We left in the morning, so we were running through the desert during the hottest part of the day. The sun was setting by the time we made it to the edge, and I wanted nothing more than a cold bath. And water. Lots and lots of water.

"There's a river nearby," Kakashi said to us. "We'll take a little break there, but I'd like to return to Konoha as soon as we can."

I was thankful for this break, but it definitely wasn't long enough.

"Okay, so our teams will be as such: Neji, Lee, Tenten, Kye, and Kakuzu. Hinata, Shino, Kiba,, Akito, and Hidan. Darcy, you'll be with me, and so will Itachi, Kisame, and Deidara."

"Why just two of us with three of them?" I asked.

"Well, Itachi has to be with me because I'm the only one here besides him with the sharingan. Also, because I'm me, I can handle a little more," Kakashi replied. "Plus, I feel these three are the most trustworthy. I figure we're better off if we separate the two I trust less, and put them with more people. My team will take the lead. I want to make a 'V' formation, so Kye's team and Akito's team will fan out to the left and right, and stay about ten feet behind us. Keep your headsets on and tuned to channel five. Is everyone ready to go?"

"Hold on, Kakashi," Sakura chimed in. "What about me and Naruto?"

"You two will go ahead of my team and make sure Lady Tsunade is ready for our arrival. I'll send Pakkun to get you when we arrive. You two should head out now."

Naruto was quick to jump into the trees, but Sakura hesitated only a moment, and Kakashi took advantage of that moment. "Keep an eye on him, Sakura. I doubt either Madara or Orochimaru will try to capture him so soon after losing so many allies, but we cannot take any risks."

"Don't worry, I've got his back," she said, and jumped into the trees, hurrying after her friend.

"Okay, now is everyone ready?" He asked.

We were all silent.

"I'll take that as a yes. We'll meet just outside of the gates to Konoha, make sure you stay hidden. I want Lady Tsunade to come meet us before I parade a bunch of criminals – former or otherwise – through the village. Let's move out," he said. He jumped into the trees, and Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, and I were quick to follow.

Kye's POV

"We'll wait a couple of minutes before we leave," Neji said, adjusting his headset to the right station. I followed suit.

"Sounds good," I said. I glanced over at Kakuzu, and decided to take this opportunity to get him to train me. "Oi, Kakuzu!"

"What?" He sounded pissed off, like I had just woke him up or something.

"I was wondering, when we get back to Konoha, would you be able to train me? Assuming Lady Tsunade okays it," I added as an afterthought.

He looked up at me, and then back down at the money he had been counting. "No."

"No? Why not?" I demanded.

"It's a waste of my time," he grumbled.

"No it's not," I countered. "What if we end up getting paired together in a fight against Zetsu, or Orochimaru, or even Madara? I'm not ready to face them!"

"That's not my problem," he replied.

"It will be if you're paired with me and you have to keep covering my ass, or if we keep messing up because you don't know my fighting style," I countered.

He paused, his money momentarily forgotten. He quickly returned to counting it, and said, "Ask someone else."

"If I wanted someone else to train me, I'd have asked them already. I want you to train me." I stared at him evenly, and he met my eyes.

He looked down a moment later and put his money away. "Fine."

"Okay, guys, let's get moving," Neji said suddenly.

Lee and Tenten nodded, and we jumped into the trees. Neji was at the head, with me and Kakuzu behind him, and Lee and Tenten behind us.

Akito's POV

"Guess we should get moving, too," I said when I saw Neji's team jump into the trees.

"Yeah. Let's go, Akamaru!" Kiba shouted, jumping into the tress.

"Hinata, Akito, you two stick in the middle with Hidan," Shino said. "I'll take up the back."

"Got it," I said. "Got it?" I directed that question at Hidan.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he grumbled.

We jumped into the trees, and began the trek back to Konoha.

I had overheard Kye's argument with Kakuzu about him training her, which made me nervous to ask Hidan, but I knew I had to.

"Hidan, I want you to train me. When we get back to Konoha, that is." I didn't look over at him, I just kept my eyes trained on the branches ahead of me.

"Fuck no, I've got better things to do with my time," he replied.

"Like what, be questioned by our interrogation squad?" I questioned.

"That'll happen regardless," he countered.

"Yeah, but if Lady Tsunade clears you to train me, they won't be able to question you for very long."

He was quiet for a moment, and I glanced over at him. "Why me?"

"You're a good fighter, and I think my fighting style could grow a lot from your style."

"I am a good fighter," he agreed. "But that doesn't mean I should waste my time training you. I'm not a teacher. Besides, if I took the time to train you, I wouldn't be able to spend as much time sacrificing to Jashin."

"Who cares? What's more important, your god or making sure everyone's ready to face Orochimaru, Madara, and their army?"

"My god, of course! What kind of bullshit question is that?" He sounded so angry that you would have thought I had insulted his mother or something.

"Okay, okay, fine, but you've gotta understand how important it is that we're all ready to fight Orochimaru and Madara, right?"

He was silent for a moment before he said, "Yeah, I see your point. Fine, fine, whatever. If it'll get you to shut up about it, I'll train you."

Darcy's POV

It was another ten minutes before the other two teams showed up. Kakashi had sent one of his dogs to fetch Lady Tsunade, and whoever else she wanted to bring.

We all sat in silence, waiting for Pakkun to return with Lady Tsunade.

After about five minutes, we saw Paukkun leading Lady Tsunade, Sakura, Naruto, Yamato, and Sai.

I could see they all looked weary, and were ready to jump into action.

"Let's hear the story, then," Lady Tsunade said, not wasting any time.

Itachi stepped forward, and explained everything that Konan had told Gaara.

"I see," was her first comment when he finished. "Yamato, gather a team of ANBU." Yamato nodded, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. She returned her attention to the five ninja in front of her. "While you're here, you will stay in the Uchiha compound. I trust that won't be a problem?"

"No, it will not," Itachi replied, keeping his face blank.

"You will be quarantined there and have a constant guard until we can be sure we can trust you," she said. "Itachi, you and I will be meeting. Frequently. I also suspect that Danzou will want to meet with you." Itachi kept his face blank, but I thought I saw his hands twitch.

Lady Tsunade looked ready to dismiss us, so I stepped forward. "Ma'am, I was wondering, well, Akito, Kye, and I were wondering, would you be able to clear Kisame, Kakuzu, and Hidan to train us?"

"Why them?"

"They know Madara, or, well, they knew Tobi and his fighting style, and they would be the ones to best prepare us for a fight with Madara," I explained. "We need to be ready for whatever he and Orochimaru are planning."

Tsunade stared at me for a moment, deep in thought, then she glanced between Kisame, Kakuzu, and Hidan.

"If they're tricking us, you could all end up dead," she said.

"I realize that, but they really wanted us dead, they could have done that by now," I countered.

Tsunade was silent for a minute, and finally said, "The risks are great, and I don't like them, but… I think the pros outweigh the cons. Fine, they can train you. I want you gone no longer than a year, though."

"Yes, ma'am!" The three of us said in unison.

After we helped lead the former Akatsuki members to the Uchiha residence, and we were debriefed by Lady Tsunade, Kye, Akito, and I split up to get ready to leave.

My first stop was at the weapons shop to restock my kunai, shuriken, and senbon. My next stop was to restock my medical herbs. My final stop was at the Nara compound.

"Darcy?" Shikaku asked, surprised at my visit.

"I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if I could borrow some of your medical texts," I said. "I'm leaving to train for a while, and I wanted to be able to work on my medical skills, too."

"I think I have some stuff you can borrow, hold on a minute," he said. He returned moments later, with two leather bound books. "This first book is basic skills and techniques, and the other book is intermediate skills and techniques. Please return them as soon as you get back, though. This is information meant for the Nara clan and medics, so you do have a right to it, but it's usually kept at our compound or in the hospital. Do not lose them."

"I won't, and thank you." I took the books and placed them in my backpack. I turned and hurried to the Uchiha compound, where I would be meeting my friends.

"Good luck!" He called after me.

They were both standing at the entrance when I arrived.

"What took you so long?" Kye asked as we entered the compound, heading towards the main .

"Sorry, I had to pick up some stuff from Shikaku," I explained.

"What kind of stuff?" Akito asked.

"Some medical texts, to help me train myself while I'm with Kisame," I replied.

"Will you have time for that?" Kye asked. "I get the feeling our training will be pretty intensive."

"I'll make time," I said. "I'm still a medic, and I still have a lot to learn about the field."

"Your choice, I guess, but I bet you'll regret it," Kye said.

"Here we are, guys," Akito announced, knocking on the door. Itachi answered, wearing simple black pants and a black shirt with a fishnet shirt underneath.

"Come in," he said, stepping aside and allowing us to enter. "Kisame! Hidan! Kakuzu!" He called, summoning our soon-to-be teachers.

"You read to go, kid?" Kisame asked me. He wore the same outfit as Itachi, but had blue ninja sandals, rather than black, like Itachi.

"Whenever you are." He grinned in response, and shouldered his pack and his sword.

"Let's hurry the fuck up so we can't get this the fuck over with," Hidan barked at Akito.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she grumbled back. I figured they'd get along pretty well.

"Hm," was all Kakuzu said to Kye.

"Hm," she responded back to him.

We all hurried to the front gate, ignoring the looks passing villagers gave Kisame, Hidan, and Kakuzu.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," I said, giving my friends a huge hug.

"Me, too," Kye said.

"Me, three," Akito added.

We released each other, and that's when I noticed Shino and Neji not too far away from us.

Kye and Akito ran to them, embracing their respective boyfriends.

Kye's POV

"How long will you be gone?" Neji asked.

"I'm not sure, as long as it takes. Probably a year," I replied.

"Work hard," Neji replied.

"I always do." I looked up at him. My hands were resting on his waist, and his hands were on my shoulders.

"I know." He looked… not quite uncomfortable, but like he wanted to do something, but he couldn't, or he didn't know how.

I hesitated only a moment. I knew what I wanted, and I guessed his logical mind was trying to put together what he wanted. After all this time with him, it finally hit me that I needed to make the first move.

Forgetting my friends behind me, I stood on my tiptoes, and leaned in. I didn't feel a spark when our lips touched, and I didn't expect to. Instead, I felt connected to him, like we were a perfect match. The best part was feeling his body relax into mine, feeling his arms wrap around me, and feeling him kiss me back as instinct overpowered his logic, and he did what was only natural.

When we finally parted, our eyes met, and we stood in blissful silence.

Until he broke it.

"Good luck," he said, kissing my forehead, and stepping away. Reluctantly, I stepped back, too, and took my place next to Kakuzu.

Akito's POV

I let go of Shino, and looked up at him while he held my face.

"I'm gonna miss you," I said.

"I will miss you as well," he said. "You look nervous."

"Well, Hidan is training me," I replied. "I may not survive.

I let go of my face, and pulled down his shirt so his face was showing. I was so shocked that I didn't realize what was happening until his lips met mine.

The kiss was short, but sweet, and very different than my kisses with Naruto. I could feel his shyness, and I didn't protest when he pulled away sooner than I wanted.

He let his shirt fall back into place so his face was mostly hidden and said, "You will be fine. I have complete faith in you, and you should, too."

"Yeah, you're right." I stepped away, and rejoined my group. "Thank you."

I smiled, and turned to face the village exit with my friends.

"So, see you two in a year, then?" I half said, half asked.

"Definitely," Darcy replied.

"See you in a year," Kye said.

We all jumped into the trees, heading in different directions, and that was the last I saw of my friends.

For a year, at least.

A/N: Once again, I'm terribly sorry for the late update. I hope the extra long chapter makes up for it. Hopefully I'll see you lovely readers (whoever is still around, that is) soon!