Hey everyone! This got done sooner than I had expected. I don't know if I spent more time on it or if it was just a shorter chapter for me to write. Anyway…there's not going to be much "fun" in this chapter for obvious reasons, considering what happened last time. Furthermore, there may be some other things that may make you uncomfortable coming up (and rightfully so). But stick with me and it will be worth it (at least, that's what I'm hoping for). So, here we go with another round!
Tsunade had worked tirelessly into the night to heal Sakura's mind. The damage was more extensive than what Kakashi or Sasuke had to go through years before. Eventually, Ino convinced her to rest; Ino had the clearance to do this type of healing, and the Sanin reluctantly agreed. It probably would have helped out Sakura more in the long run to not have her loved ones tire themselves out for her. Still, Tsunade needed to see Nartuo before retiring for the night, who was waiting for her in her office.
"How is she?" he asked anxiously, refusing to sit.
"No change." Tsuande responded as she eased herself into her chair. "It's bad, but I'm running low on chakra. Ino is taking over; I will resume treatment tomorrow once my reserves have replenished." Tsunade could see across from her desk that Naruto was a world away. "I feel like I've failed her too, you know?" Tsunade asked him, grabbing his attention.
"It wasn't your fault…"
"When you're Hokage, and these things happen…everything will feel like your fault. " she responded. "Anyway, she was forced into Tsukiyomi multiple times it seems. He didn't just inflict physical trauma in the genjutsu, he caused severe mental strain too. Most likely whatever happened to her in the real world amplified."
"Wouldn't that also take a toll on him?" Naruto asked in an rare moment of clarity. "I thought the Magenkyo causes blindness. He must have known that, and his eyes should be wrecked by now!"
"Kabuto should have, which makes it all the more puzzling." Tsunade agreed. "He must have found a way around it; he is, after all, a medical ninja." Tsunade breathed deeply. "Right now, he doesn't matter. What matters, is Sakura."
"She will come out of it! Won't she!?" Naruto desperately asked.
Tsunade sighed. "I don't know. People who went through this…who go through what she did, genjutsu or not, will take a long time to heal. That's what I'm worried about. The mental strain could be more than anything recorded."
"Itachi subjected me to torture." Naruto said, hopeful.
"Yes. But it was physical."
"No. Not all of it." Naruto said. Naruto squeezed his hands so hard, they began to bleed. "The final vision he showed me…was him raping Sakura." Tsunade's eyes widened. "I know he had no other choice, and it was to bring out the Kyuubi in me; I know he himself would have never done such a thing, even when I thought he was evil. But I still had nightmares about it coming true every now and then. Whenever Sakura asked me what was wrong whenever it came up, I just made something up." Naruto choked as his tears streamed down his face. "Do you know how it feels!? When you see it coming without knowing it and do nothing!?"
Tsunade was dumbfounded at the cruel irony at this. Feeling there was nothing more she could say on this, she continued. "Well, we don't know exactly what Sakura went through. But depending on the trauma, the victim can become completely catatonic and shut themselves off away from the world. What's more…we don't know if Kabuto actually raped her."
"Does it fucking matter!?" Naruto shouted, slamming the desk.
"Yes." Tsunade said, fully expecting his outburst. "We know she was subjected to Tsukiyomi. And Ino did say her vest and shirt were torn, though her pants seemed to have remained intact. I'll have Ino run the rape kit when we switch turns. But no matter what the results, it seemed Kabuto did what he did to get to you. He works for Akatsuki now."
Naruto looked at her, his anger still rising. "If Kabuto is trying to get to me, why has he not confronted me himself!?"
"I don't know." Tsunade answered honestly. "But we have to investigate what happened and get to the absolute truth of it. Not just for justice for Sakura…but for your sake as well." Tsunade turned to look at the village down below. "Get some rest, Naruto. We're going to have a long and difficult time ahead of us."
Naruto nodded. "Is…is there anything I can do?"
Tsunade sighed. "Naruto…there will be some times in life where you'll just have to accept there is nothing you can do." she said, still not turning away.
Naruto turned around and just stared, before he looked away.
Naruto walked into his apartment, not looking forward to spending the night like this. There were times he had to sleep in his bed alone; they both had lives of shinobi to live and couldn't be together all the time; they both got used to that scenario. But now, Naruto truly felt like he was going to be alone here. Worse…he felt like he was abandoning Sakura. But what else could he do now?
He then felt the black ring box, still in his pocket. He took it out and just stared at it, imagining how beautiful a moment it could have been had he been given a chance to use it. Realizing what Sakura really needed now, he walked into the bedroom and put it into his savings chest. "I'm sorry." he whispered. "Now is not your time. Maybe…someday." He immediately slammed it shut before he could regret what he did.
Yuji sighed as he flipped through a manga volume. "Goddamn!" he cursed as he threw it down. "All that development for nothing!" Shiguri had been absent from home for a while now; he was up before Yuji, and didn't come in until after he went to bed…if he even came in. Suddenly, he heard the door open.
Yuji ran out his room and saw Shiguri walk by. "Hey! Where've you been!?" he asked.
"Out." Shiguri said as he went into his room. Once there, he dropped his backpack and unpacked his clothes.
"What are you doing?"
"Long-term mission." Was all he said. "I'm moving out."
Yuji was shocked at how casually he said that. "Is there anything in particular that moved you to this decision?"
"I don't think it's any of your business!" Finished packing, he zipped up his bag and walked out, not bothering with any of his other personal possessions.
"Wait, that's it!?" Yuji shouted. "Not even a goodbye!? What about the lease!?"
"Figure it out for yourself!" Shiguri said, as he waved his hand. "See ya."
As he reached the door, Yuji suddenly rushed him and grabbed him by the collar. "The fuck is this!? You're barely around, and you suddenly just leave!? After all we've been through together!? You're just going to forget it all!?"
Shiguri suddenly turned around and punched him in the stomach, bringing him down to his knees. "It's called growing up Yuji. You should try it sometime!" He walked down the hall without so much as a hint of sympathy. When he reached the stairs, he looked back at his friend, seeing him still hunched over. Taking a moment to sadly sigh, he left.
A full week has passed since the incident. Sakura still had not come out of her catatonic state. Naruto came to visit her every day, just to hold her hand while Tsunade or Ino applied their healing skills. But it seemed nothing they did made a difference. It started to take a toll on him; worrying about Sakura every day, worried she may never wake up, and being helpless to stop it. It made himself feel dead inside.
Then, one day, he heard a knock on his door. "Naruto!" Sai called from the other side. "Naruto, open the door!" Naruto ran over and opened it, seeing Sai on the other side. He also noticed that he seemed to have scratches across his cheek. "Naruto, come with me! Now!"
Naruto ran as he followed Sai back to the hospital. It was obviously urgent; Naruto dreaded to think what that could mean. As they raced down the hall, a familiar scream began to reach their ears. "Sai!? What the hell is happening with Sakura!?"
"You're about to find out!" Sai opened the door, revealing Sakura panicked out of her mind and thrashing in her bed. Ino and Tsunade were holding her down, but their reluctance to hurt her made her difficult to contain.
"What the hell happened!?" Naruto demanded.
"She just woke up!" Sai explained. "And then, she just went into a panic! She's not even aware of where she is!"
"Get away from me!" she screamed. "Don't touch me!"
Naruto's heart was breaking at the sight; even awake, she still could not escape that hell Kabuto had put her in. "Let me through!" Naruto shouted.
"Naruto!" Tsunade shouted. "Be careful!"
Naruto quickly clasped her hand. "Sakura-chan! I'm here! You're safe now!"
"Don't come any closer!" Sakura smashed on Naruto's fist; if there was any small blessing to her panicked state, it was that she couldn't focus her chakra into the devastating force it was known for. She tried kicking him away, and though Naruto grunted, he was able to take it.
"It's me, Naruto! You don't have to fight anymore!" he pleaded with her.
"AHH!" Sakura swiped her hand across Naruto's cheek, her nails drawing blood.
"Nnh!" Naruto quickly placed pressed his face, feeling the blood. "Sakura! It's me! Naruto!" he shouted as he put the same hand on Sakura's cheek.
Though Ino and Tsunade continued to hold her down, her movements began to calm down, and her pupils finally seemed to focus. "N…Naruto?"
While the tragedy was far from over, Naruto could only smile at the sight, cupping the back of her head. "Welcome back." He choked out as he cried. Sakura's eyes welled up, and she crushed herself against Naruto's chest, wailing hysterically. "Sh, shh…" he whispered as he stroked her hair and hugged her as tight. "I'm here for you. We're all here for you." He said as the others came in to hug her.
Soon, Sakura was taken out of her room, dressed, and brought before Tsunade. Naruto was allowed to sit next to her for the first part of her story, stroking her hand to assure her as Tsunade listened. "And then…he used the Tsukiyomi on me…"
"Naruto." Tsunade interrupted. "Why don't you step outside for now? I don't think you want to hear this…"
"Oh? And you do?" Naruto asked sarcastically.
Tsunade stilled her temper as her nostrils flared. "Get out. NOW."
Naruto was about to argue back but Sakura stopped him. "Naruto…step outside…please…"
Sakura's plea was all that was needed to get Naruto to relent. "O…okay. Just let me know if you need me back in." he said, squeezing her hand and excusing himself out the door.
Naruto stepped outside as he slid down the wall and sat on the floor. Why would Sakura not want to share with him what happened? Next to Tsunade, he was her most trusted person, wasn't he? "This whole thing is troublesome, isn't it?"
Naruto looked up to see Shikamaru standing over him, with his usual bored expression. "Troublesome!? That's your only word to describe it!?" Naruto snarled.
"It's the truth." Shikamaru said, holding his hands up in defense. "Doesn't make it any less tragic." Though Shikamaru was hoping the jinchuriki would get up on his own, seeing that he wouldn't, he sat down with him. "I can only imagine what you must feeling right now."
"What? You wanna make this a guessing game?" the blonde replied bitterly.
Shikamaru exhaled through his nostrils. "Anger? Sadness? Guilt?"
Naruto only snorted. "And just how did you come to that conclusion, Mr. Smarty-Pants?"
"Because if what happened to Sakura happened to Temari…just thinking about it makes my blood boil." He growled as he clenched his fists.
Upon seeing this, Naruto softened. "Sorry. I know you're trying to help."
"Don't be. You have every right to be angry."
The two only sighed as they stared at the wall and not each other. "So…what happens now?" Naruto asked.
"Honestly?" Shikamaru asked. "I don't know. It was something I never gave much thought about." Naruto slumped at the sight of even Shikamaru not having the slightest idea in this situation. Then again, who could?
Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the door opened. Tsunade poked her head out. "It's done…for now. Sakura needs to be taken home."
Naruto stood up, briefly feeling elated, but then crushed upon seeing Sakura's face, still refusing to look his way. "Yeah." He went over to reach for Sakura's shoulder, and she flinched upon contact. At that moment, Naruto almost wished she didn't wake up that morning; at least she wouldn't have to live in fear. "Sakura…please. It's me." Sakura slowly let him get closer, but didn't look his way, reluctantly taking his hand.
"Naruto…you and Sakura both have a long road ahead of you." Tsunade said. "Please, don't give up on one another."
Naruto nodded. "Ba-chan…sorry. About the way I acted."
Tsunade only nodded as Naruto slowly escorted Sakura out of the office. Seeing Shikamaru was still there, she said "Cancel any further meetings for the night, unless it's an emergency." Shikamaru nodded affirmatively as he closed the door, leaving the Hokage to stare into nothing as she imagined finding Kabuto and betraying all her principles to see him suffer.
Naruto flipped the light on in the apartment. "Well…here we are." He said nervously as he guided her in. Sakura remained silent. Naruto desperately began to start something of a conversation. "So…"
"Bed." Was all Sakura said.
"S…sure." Naruto walked her to the bedroom, opening the door for her. Sakura walked to the bed, placing her hand on the mattress. "So…"
"I'd like to sleep alone tonight." She said, refusing to face him.
There were a couple of times when they fought and Sakura kicked him out of bed, banishing him to the couch. This felt even more painful. "O…okay. Let me know if you need anything." He said, slowly closing the door. Naruto did everything he could to stop himself from breaking down. "Why didn't you say anything!?" Naruto scolded himself. "There's no need to be afraid! You don't have to be alone tonight! It wasn't your fault! I'm here for you! Peanut Butter Jelly Time! ANYTHING!" Yet it seemed nothing would have helped. How could he say anything? He sighed, and settled himself on the couch.
Morning came to Konoha as usual. And most of the residents were assuming it would be normal, including Yuji. That wasn't comfort enough to break his foul mood. Shiguri's sudden departure and his attitude had greatly affected Yuji. They never fought before; not like this. "Stupid Shiguri…" he muttered for the hundredth time as he got himself a bottle of milk.
As he paid the cashier, he saw Naruto walk in. "Hey, sensei!" he waved.
Naruto seemed to be an autopilot as he got himself some breakfast items. When he made his way to the register, he finally said "Hey."
"What's up?"
He got no answer, as Naruto paid for his items. "Uh…you okay?" Still no answer, as he exited the market.
Yuji ran after him. "Hey! What's with you!?" He gripped his hand. "Listen, something funny is going on with Shiguri-"
"Back off!" Naruto yelled, swinging his arm away. Yuji fell over, swearing Naruto's eyes turned red for a moment. They quickly changed back to blue, as Naruto realized what he nearly did in shock. The two just stared. "…Now's not a good time, Yuji." He said, before running off.
Yuji adjusted his glasses as he watched. "What's up with him?"
Naruto unlocked the door to the apartment, coming in quietly. "Sakura! I'm home!" Gently, he set the items down. "Sakura?" He heard the water running from the bathroom. Sakura went in the shower approximately 10 minutes before he went to the store. He had been gone for at least 15 minutes…
"Sakura?" he called again as he knocked on the door. No answer. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Sakura!" When he still got no answer, he panicked, and rammed the door down.
"AHHH!" He found Sakura, crouched down and shielding herself in the fetal position.
"Sakura! I'm sorry-!" Naruto tried to explain as stumbled back up. "You didn't answer, I was afraid…" He stopped himself as he looked at Sakura more closely, and not in the way he usually did since they became a couple. He saw that she held a brush in her hand…and her skin was raw in several areas. She had been scrubbing herself the entire time. "Sakura…" He walked over to turn the water off, and got down to her level. "You don't need this…" he whispered, gently prying the brush from her hand.
"I'm dirty…" she began to cry.
"No." Naruto gently insisted. "You're not. What happened to you wasn't your fault…"
She began to choke, and suddenly buried herself into Naruto, embracing him as if she were about to fall. "…I should have stayed with Ino and Sai…"
Naruto embraced her, pulling her in close and stroking her hair. "Sh, shhh….I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you…"
Little did they know, Yuji was eavesdropping from the apartment's door. While Yuji didn't understand the full story, he got the gist. And it sent his blood boiling. Before either would detect his presence, he left, quietly as possible.
Tsunade swirled her cup of sake in her study. Normally this wouldn't be unusual; if anything, she'd usually be cold-stone drunk on any given evening after work. However, for some reason, she could barely get herself to take a sip; she couldn't take her mind off of Sakura. She then heard a knock on the door. "Tsunade, it's me." Tsunade didn't get up. After a moment, Jiraiya said "Tsunade, I heard about Sakura." Tsunade growled, and slammed her cup down. She went to the door and opened it giving him her sternest look. Jiraiya only gave her a forlorn look before looking away. "I…I get it. I'll let you be."
As Jiraiya walked down the hall, Tsunade sighed. "What's wrong with me?" Quickly, she ran over to him and took his hand. "Wait! Jiraiya…please don't go…" Jiraiya stopped, and turned to face her. "Sorry. I'm so sorry!" she pleaded. "I just-!"
Jiraiya shushed her lips. "It's alright." He said, smiling sadly. "I get it."
"You are NOT like him. NOT IN THE LEAST." Tsunade affirmed. "There's a difference between a pervert and a rapist."
Jiraiya nodded, and kissed her head. "I get it. I really do. You know I never wanted to do anything that would hurt you…"
"…or the other girls you peeked on…"
"Can we not talk about right now?" Jiraiya moaned.
Tsunade smiled for the first time in a while, and sighed. "You're right. Could you come in, please?"
As they helped themselves in, Tsunade poured Jiraiya a cup. She then got into more detail about the mission that lead to Sakura's misfortune, Jiraiya as sad as she was. "It wasn't your fault." He assured her.
"But it is. I so foolishly believed nothing of that nature could happen to her. I should have prepared her for the possibility…"
"It was Kabuto's fault, and his alone. We cannot predict or prepare for every possible misfortune." Jiraiya said sternly. "You know, I saved a woman from a similar situation once."
Tsunade didn't bother asking how he found himself in the middle of such a situation. "Go on."
"I kicked the guy's ass of course. Nearly killed him, really. Turned out it was some spurned lover. They started out as friends, but he became too controlling. So she broke off from him."
"What's the point?"
"It's never the victim's fault. People like that do what they do for control, and as a form of revenge. I don't think anything could have saved Sakura from Kabuto, anything short of killing him anyway."
"How do you imagine I can tell her that? That her mercy only wound up hurting her!?" Tsunade cried.
"I honestly don't know." Jiraiya said sadly. "Kabuto could have found work as a doctor's assistant and started a new life. Even if it was his mission to hurt Sakura, he didn't have to take it that far. Some people…" Jiraiya thought hard, as he remembered how Orochimaru turned on the village back then. "…some people are just scum."
"Tell me about it."
The two shared a moment of silence. "Sorry I haven't been very good counsel." he said.
"It's fine; I just needed your company more than anything." Tsunade assured him.
Jiraiya nodded. "I'm going to give Naruto a call tomorrow; I need to at least see how he's doing." Tsunade nodded with approval. "Is there anything else I can do to help?"
Tsunade slowly got up and approached him, kissing his head. "Well, if it isn't too much trouble, you can keep me company for tonight."
"Always." Jiraiya smiled, as he allowed the Hokage help him out of his seat.
Even having Jiraiya with her did nothing to help her fall asleep. Tsunade's bout with insomnia, which had begun since Sakura returned, continued. With the toad sage fast asleep beside her, she couldn't even toss and turn; she did not wish to bestow her misery on others if she could help it. Everyone would tell her she was doing all she could for Sakura; she was there whenever she needed her, Ino and the medics were running the test in secret, and she put both Naruto and Sakura on paid leave (though if this went on any further the council would take notice). But Kabuto was still out there; if not Sakura, now that he was with Akatsuki, he would target Naruto as well. "Even with Sai and Kakashi, they may not be enough to protect them."
When she completed that thought, she finally had an idea. Part of her said it was a bad idea. Another felt she had no other choice. Giving into the later, she sat up and grabbed her robe before closing the bedroom door behind her. A few minutes later, Jiraiya opened his eyes to see Tsunade walk back in. "Anything wrong?"
"Just needed some water." Tsunade lied as she discarded the robe and crawled back into bed with him.
Days had passed; Naruto continued to help Sakura through her depression. It did get better…which wasn't saying much. She was able to function normally at home, but was never happy, and would not go outside anywhere without Naruto. It took a long time before she was able to welcome Naruto back into bed, but there was no intimacy this time. Both went to bed fully dressed in pajamas to help her feel as comfortable as possible, given her situation. After a while, Tsunade gave them a call, and asked for them to come to the office. Naruto gladly escorted her as they took their seats. "How are you feeling, Sakura?" Tsunade asked her.
Sakura struggled for an answer. "…okay, I guess."
Tsunade nodded sadly, expecting this. "Well, I just called you here to tell you about your rape kit." Sakura's eyes widened, clearly dreading what she would hear. "Would you like…?"
"It's okay." Naruto said, standing up. "I'll stand outside." He squeezed Sakura's shoulder, and stepped out into the hall.
"Sakura." Tsunade said, plainly. "Your rape kit came out negative."
Sakura looked at her in disbelief. "You mean…"
"There were no traces of Kabuto or any other man on you." She said. "We identified Naruto. But I'd imagine however that occurred was completely different from whatever happened between you and Kabuto."
Sakura nodded her head. "I should be overjoyed. But…no matter how many times I tell myself it was just an illusion, it was all too real to me."
"I understand." Tsunade sighed.
"Plus, the kit is not always 100% accurate." Sakura said sadly. "Something could have still happened."
"Ino and Sai say your pants were still on when they found you. Either Kabuto tried to make it look like you were violated for real or was trying to cover it up." Tsunade tried to tell her.
"It doesn't exactly matter to me right now." Sakura said irritably.
Tsunade nodded. "Regardless, we will be continuing our investigation. If anything develops…please inform me as soon as possible." Sakura nodded, as she rose out of her seat to rejoin Naruto outside.
The weeks slowly turned into months. Sakura was slowly getting better day by day. For the first time in a while, she even smiled, albeit slightly. Ino, Sai and even Shikamaru stopped by every now and then to check in on them, knowing what she was going through. Though Sakura was reluctant to see them at first, she eased up eventually. Ino in particular cried, apologizing profusely for letting her down, though Sakura admonished this and assured her she was not responsible for her tragedy. Yuji and Iori came by oblivious (or so they believed) to Sakura's trauma. Naruto tried to come up with excuses on why they weren't on any missions together recently, though he doubted that any were convincing, but assured them he would be in touch if something came up.
For a while, things seemed to have been going okay, all things considered. Then one morning, Naruto woke up to find half of the bed empty. "Sakura?" He heard someone in the bathroom, puking their guts out. He ran over to see Sakura hunched over the toilet. Naruto sighed. "Just one thing after another, isn't it?"
"Sorry." Was all she said.
"Don't be; I'll get some salted crackers." He said as he walked to the pantry.
Sakura helped herself to the kitchen table and held her head. "Of all things to happen, I have to come down with a stomach virus. Can't keep anything down…"
"Here." Naruto laid out a plate of crackers, which Sakura slowly munched on. "Sorry you're not feeling well."
"Well, it has been on par for the course lately." She sighed.
"Come on; don't be like that." Naruto said, touching her hand. "Things will get better; they have to…" Sakura only nodded, not really believing him.
Naruto frowned; even at the worst of times, she used to be optimistic. But what could he do to renew her hope? Suddenly, Naruto smiled slightly as he looked away. "You know…I don't want to stay here forever."
"Hm?"
"I grew up here, and I love it." Naruto explained. "But…things have changed so much. I've been here since I was a kid; now I'm a jonin. I remember being desperate for your attention, and now…" Naruto chuckled. "Well, don't think I need to elaborate."
Even Sakura had to stifle a chuckle. "Then, what makes you want to leave?"
"I went through so many changes in my life…I'm beginning to think a change in lifestyle might be in order to. I'm not Hokage yet, but we both saved enough to buy a house. Besides, this place isn't fit to raise kids."
Sakura nodded, chewing…then slowly stopped. "What's wrong?" Naruto asked.
Sakura almost choked, and quickly downed a glass of water. "N-nothing!" she squeaked. Sakura didn't want to believe it…but it could very well be…
One night, Naruto found himself standing ankle deep in water, and darkness surrounded him. "Naruto…"
Naruto turned, realizing where he was. "…you…" In front of him was the Kyuubi's cage, the fox staring right back at him, that smug smirk on his face irritating Naruto to no end. "What do you want!?"
"We haven't talked lately. I've been feeling rather lonely."
"Like you have any feelings. Actually, you do. Negative ones." Naruto shot back.
The fox chuckled. "And you've been consumed by such feelings as of late too, haven't you?"
"What business of yours is that?"
"Perhaps we should just cut to the chase: I know what happened to your woman." he said, making no effort to hide his cruel delight knowing it.
Naruto blinked at that. "It wasn't her fault…" he tried to explain.
"Debatable." The fox shrugged. "But I'm not here to discuss her culpability in that incident. I know as well as you do who did it. Do you really think Kabuto will let it end here?"
Naruto did a double take on that. "What do you mean?"
"You honestly think Kabuto will end his torture with one act? He is not THAT stupid. He KNOWS Sakura would eventually recover. He's using her to get to YOU." Naruto remained silent. "I'm guessing you're not disagreeing." Kyuubi shuffled his limbs to make himself a little more comfortable. "While some would say he would come for you next, I believe he will attack Sakura again just to spite you. Maybe even kill her." Naruto's heart jumped. "Yes…" Kyuubi could sense the anger flowing through Naruto. It would be simple to take over now, but he would only draw out the other ninja and get sealed again; from now on, he had to play it one step at a time. He simply extended tendrils of his chakra and drove them into the water.
"So, what are you proposing?" Naruto asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Loosen the seal."
"NO WAY!"
"I said loosen; not release." Kyuubi grinned. "Once you do that, you will be able to access more of my chakra easier. You'll retain more mental control too. And, when Kabuto comes again, you will be able to take your revenge. None of his jutsu or tricks will be able to stand up against you, and in his last moments, he will be cowering in fright, regretting the day he ever met you."
"I don't trust you." Naruto said, though his voice trembled with fear and temptation.
"Trust won't be necessary." Suddenly, one of the tendrils erupted behind Naruto, seemingly piercing the back of his head. Naruto froze. His blue eyes turned pure red, and he inched forward like a zombie. "Yes…" When he got to the cage, Naruto was forced to raise his arm, rigid like a string puppet's. He gripped hold of the tag that was essentially the lock to the cage. He began to pull down, and suddenly a noise went off…
Naruto shot up when his alarm clock went off. "Shit…" He quickly turned it off, and wiped the sweat from his skin. "What a dream…" He panted rapidly, trying to calm himself down. He looked to see Sakura at his side…only to find she wasn't there. "Sakura?"
His attention was drawn to a knock on his apartment door. Thinking it was Sakura, Naruto rushed over and opened the door. Instead of pink hair, he was met with messy brown hair and glasses. "Yuji?"
"Hey." Yuji said. "Listen, I know it's early, but I was hoping we could talk. It's…it's been on my mind and was worried I'd miss you."
"Sure, sure." Naruto replied, calming down. "Can you let me talk to Sakura first?"
"Sure. Take your time."
Both just stood there for a good minute before they realized something wasn't adding up. "Sakura's not with you?" Naruto asked.
"She's not with you?" Yuji blinked. The chunin helped himself in, looking around. "Maybe she went out shopping?"
"This early?" Naruto asked. "No, something's wrong!" Naruto rushed to his room to get dressed.
Yuji, sensing the same thing, did his own investigation. "He's right. With what she's been through, Sakura would probably never go off on her own at this point. Unless she felt she had too…" Yuji's eyes slowly widened as he realized the only motive Sakura could possibly have, given her probable mental condition.
Naruto quickly rushed out the bedroom hastily dressed, running as if death was at his heels. Yuji helped himself into the bathroom, and eyed the waste basket. Kicking it over, he found a pregnancy test among the discarded tissues. Though he knew the answer, nonetheless he picked it up to see the result, just to be sure.
It was positive.
Sakura did her best not to cry, even though the tears flowed down her face and stained her cheeks red like they had done so often since the incident. She had finally made it to the southern outskirts of Konoha, with only a few changes of clothes and cash in her travel bag. She was leaving everything behind; but what choice did she have? She was carrying a child…Kabuto's, probably. She didn't know what to do, but she couldn't risk Naruto or anyone else finding out! "Oh Naruto…I'm so sorry…" Finally, she reached the clear, a clear meadow separating the forests of Konoha's territory. She could do any number of things now. Find another village within the country, immigrate to another country, or cross the sea to another continent altogether. None of them sounded appealing.
She was about to step onto the grass…when suddenly wires snared her body. "What the-!?"
Sakura used her strength to pull the offender in, bringing in Yuji. "Whoa!" Yuji quickly placed his palm on Sakura's heel, blocking her kick. "Hey Sakura!" he nervously replied.
"GET AWAY FROM ME, YUJI!" She threw him over, causing him to land on a tree, but the chunin proved agile enough to land on his feet.
"Where you going!?" Yuji jumped back at her, but quickly recoiled when he saw her fist cock back.
"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Sakura smashed the ground, exploding the earth around her.
Fortunately, Yuji dodged it and landed on her back. "I think it is! You left without telling Naruto, without telling the village….without telling me!" He said. Sakura tried to grab him, but Yuji crawled away and squirmed all around her. Finally, he stood in front of her and grabbed her fists. Sakura pushed, but Yuji only pushed back. "Sakura-nechan…I hate to tell you this…" He began to push harder, slowly pushing her back into the ground, despite her efforts. "…I've grown stronger than you."
Finally, he let her go. "You're not fast enough to get past me. The only way you're getting through me…is through me." The two just stared at one another, saying nothing. "But you won't. Unless you were leaving to do THAT…I don't think you want to risk it, if things get too intense."
Sakura's eyes widened, the shock causing her to fall to her knees. "You knew?"
"If you're going to dump the evidence in the waste basket, at least dump the waste basket in the dumpster as well!" Yuji huffed.
Seeing that Sakura wouldn't try anything, Yuji sat down in front of her. "I really wasn't thinking, was I?" she asked. "I take it you know the finer details of my pregnancy?"
Yuji nodded. "If you felt confident that it was Naruto-sensei's, I can't imagine you taking off."
"How'd you find out?"
"I eavesdropped by mistake; I'm sorry, Sakura. I know it was wrong, but I promise you I've told no one. Not even Iori." he assured her.
Sakura nodded. "How did you find me?"
"This guy." Yuji held out a tarantula-like spider. "His senses are like a shark's. I gave him a sample, and he led me to you."
Sakura just stared at him. "How'd you get a sample of my scent?"
Yuji's eyes widened. Sakura only gave him a dirty look in response. "Uh…you don't want to know, and I'd rather forget how…"
"He dug into your underwear drawer!" the spider squeaked. The two only stared at it. "My job's all done! BYE!"
It then returned to its home, as Yuji slowly looked Sakura in the eye nervously, her brows narrowing and her nostrils flaring. "Uh…Sakura, you know I don't feel that way about you…I don't even think you're that pretty…"
"YUJI, YOU BASTARD!" Sakura smashed the ground, turning the grassland into a wasteland as she tried to turn Yuji into a gooey red corpse.
"I'M SORRY I SAID THAT!" Yuji yelled as he tried to hide within the debris.
Eventually, Sakura just stood there, panting and raising her fist. "Yuji, when I'm through with you, I'll…" Sakura suddenly stopped dead.
Yuji slowly lowered his arms when he realized the blow wasn't coming. Sakura seemed to be trembling, and suddenly fell to her knees, puking up a storm. "Oh jeez!" Yuji yelled, the stench overwhelming him as he tried to blow the scent away. "You're definitely pregnant!"
"WHERE THE HECK IS SHE!?" Naruto yelled as he hunched over panting.
Shikamaru walked over to him, patting his back. "Naruto, you gotta calm down…"
"I'M COMPLETELY CALM!" he yelled.
Dusk had begun, and Naruto had gathered friends to look for her. Shikamaru, Neji, even Lee! Kiba and Shino would have been the best choices for tracking, but unfortunately they were away on a mission. Without them, they weren't making any progress, having searched the forests AND the village. "Naruto, this isn't helping." Neji said as he deactivated his Byakugan. "You're not even telling us WHY Sakura ran away."
Naruto looked away. "It's not important." Naruto said.
"Bullshit." Neji growled. "I don't care much for your personal affairs, but if you want our help, it would help to have an idea of what's going on!"
"He can't say." Shikamaru said, coming to his defense.
Neji narrowed his eyes as he sensed something fishy. "What's going on, Nara!?"
"Well, shit." Shikamaru thought. Neji was on par with him in terms of intelligence. He should have known he couldn't have hid this from him for very long!
"Answer me, Nara!" Neji demanded.
"There's only one person who has the right to answer to that." Shikamaru said. "Now turn your Byakugan back on and look for her."
"Tell me, Nara." The Hyuuga growled.
"Shut up, and do your job."
"Tell me…" Neji got into his attacking stance. "…before I make you." Shikamaru growled as he put his fingers together, readying a shadow jutsu.
"Hey!" Lee yelled as he pointed down the street. "Look!"
Everyone turned to see Yuji and Sakura walk towards them. Both seemed exhausted from their trek "Sakura!" Naruto ran to Sakura, embracing her.
"Hey." She softly said, hugging him back. "I'm home." She then looked to the others, realizing they were helping Naruto look for her. "Sorry for the trouble I caused!" Sakura said, bowing. "I...I wish I could tell you all what happened! But…I need to be alone with Naruto now!"
The trio nodded, though Neji pointed his finger at her. "Don't let this happen again." He warned her as they walked away to cool down.
Naruto would've offered a retort, but right now, he was just glad Sakura was back. "Sakura-chan…"
"Naruto, I'm so sorry I left like that!" Sakura cried, cupping his cheek. Naruto returned the embrace, just content that she was back. "Listen, we need to go back home. There's something I need to tell you."
Naruto nodded, and looked back to Yuji. "Yuji…thank you."
Yuji nodded, then suddenly walked up to Naruto, whispering in his ear. "If you walk away from her when she needs you the most, I don't know how, but I swear, I WILL BREAK YOU." With that, he walked away. Naruto blinked; this was going to be dreadfully serious, he realized.
"I'm pregnant." She finally said. No attempt to embellish it. Just the cold, honest truth.
Naruto just sat there, and breathed deeply through his nostrils. "What about your-?"
"Kabuto could have deactivated it." Sakura said, unwilling to look Naruto in the eye. "Either way, it didn't work that time."
Naruto clenched his hands before he spoke again. "So…what happens now?"
"I considered getting rid of it." Sakura said, rubbing her belly. She scrunched up her eyes as she miserably failed to contain her tears. "But I could never go through with it! N-Naruto…I'm sorry! I know how angry this must make you feel!"
"…so that's why you left." Naruto said.
Sakura nodded. "I couldn't let you find out…not that it matters now. I was planning to run away until I had the baby, though by that point there probably would have been no point in returning."
Naruto sadly nodded. "So…what happens now?"
"Ready or not, the baby's coming." Sakura said. "If you can't have this baby…we can put it up for adoption."
Naruto took a deep breath, and stood. "No. Not unless that's what you really want to."
"Naruto?"
Naruto walked over to her, kneeling and cupping her hands. "Sakura, I was orphaned and blamed for something out of my control. How could I do that to a child who didn't ask for any of this?"
Sakura began crying harder. "You…you really want to put yourself through this!?"
"I'd be lying if I said this wouldn't be difficult for me. But if you're going to raise this child, so will I. No matter if it's really mine or not. Sakura…I love you. I'm not going to leave you over something that was out of your control. You're going to need me, more than ever…"
He slowly moved his hand towards her belly, gently rubbing it. "You know, I remember when I first learned I was the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. Mizuki blurted it out to me when he tried to kill me, and told me I was the Kyuubi itself and that I was responsible for Iruka-sensei's parents' deaths. But then Iruka refuted all that, acknowledging me as just me. It was one of the happiest days of my life. I hope I can be that for your child." He stopped, as if he misspoke. "No…OUR child."
"R-Really?" Sakura stuttered.
"Really." Naruto smiled to her.
Sakura's face began to ball, and cried as she fell to her knees, embracing him. "Thank you, Naruto! I love you!" They stayed like that for a good moment, before they inched away to look each other in the eye before kissing for the first time in a long time.
Midoriiro sighed as she sat on the patio of an abandoned hut, somewhere. She gripped hersword as she sadly muttered one word. "Sasuke-chan…"
I'd imagine you're getting tired of the angst. Well…too bad! There's more to come! (Crickets chirp) BUT…there will be spots of light along the way, and every bad thing will lead to something good. That's my promise to you, readers!
Until next time!