Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-3 Hours Before-

"TSUNADE BAA-CHAN!!"

That was the only warning the stressed Hokage had gotten seconds before her door was thrown forward with such a force a crack formed on the wall, while the only orange-clad ninja walked in with an air of anger surrounding him.

A tired sigh was heard from under the mass of messy blond hair. "What is it, Naruto?"

His hands met her desk with a sudden intensity and force. "Please send me on the mission!"

"No."

"But-!"

"My answer is still no, Naruto." Her honey eyes met his ocean blue. "I sent only the ones who I thought would be capable of retrieving Sakura in a-"

"I can get Sakura back-"

"In a safe and quick manner." Her voice had raised several octaves in moments, no longer wanting to deal with this ping-pong chatter. "Naruto, as you probably know, the Akatsuki are searching for the jinchuuriki. Your safety is a priority right now. Throwing you out in the open for missions and such is basically giving them an invitation for them to take you." She tapped her fingers lightly on the desk. "Is that what you want?"

"…No."

"Then my answer is no. I'm sorry."

With a silent defeat, he excused himself and left without a word, something he hadn't ever done before.

-Present-

"N-Naruto-kun?" A hesitant voice peeped.

With a slight turn of the head, the pale-eyed teen knew she was acknowledged. "Hey, Hinata-chan."

With a soft smile, his girlfriend of two weeks sat beside him on the slope of land that led to the river. "I was just here… to say goodbye."

"Hm?" Naruto looked at her with confusion, realization soon donning his face. "Oh' you're leaving for that mission soon, right?"

A quick nod of the head, and he knew there was no more needed to be said.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah?"

A blush adorned her cheeks, bringing attention to her soft features. "I'm sorry you couldn't come along on the mission…Y-you know, I'm kinda happy that you didn't." The last came in a whisper.

His body tensed in misunderstanding. "Eh?! Hinata-chan. That's so-"

"B-because!" She said in a slightly louder voice, cheeks inflamed at the fact she cut off her partner. "Because, maybe…maybe if we succeed, I can prove myself to you that I'm strong." Her eyes softened with a gentle smile. "I'd really like that."

With a tug on her sleeve, she was suddenly in an embrace. "N-N-Naruto.."

"Thank you, Hinata." His eyes were closed in thought. "But you don't have to prove yourself to me. Just loving me tells me your strong." He mentally chuckled at the color of her face at the word love. "Just come back unharmed."

"Okay, Naruto-kun." A gentle silence filled the space, and neither of the two minded, because they knew this was one of the last times it would be this way before the chaos resumed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

6 Hours Later

Groans, mutterings full of curses, and rustling were heard in the dimly-lit room, signaling the awake of the pink-haired kunoichi.

"You're heavy, you know that."

Her head shot up with a flash , eyes glaring into the dark side of the room, spotting a slouch body as well as two intense black orbs.

"Maybe you shouldn't have knocked me out, you jackass." Her words were in no way complimenting, he mused with a slight wonder. The way in which she spoke had matured and altered over these many years, speaking with the vulgarity of a teenage boy and the intelligence of a Hokage.

She's changed, in more ways than one.

Growing back out her hair would have made her look vulnerable, he noticed as he glanced at her short cut. Her eyes were a vicious emerald, and her once oversized forehead now complimented her face. Her attire was revealing and not revealing at the same time, which had Sasuke with a foreign tightening feeling in his stomach, a feeling that had originally been noticed the night of the storm.

"What are you looking at?" She stated with a sudden anger. His eyes had wandered in areas on her body far too long for her tastes, and had started to get unnerved under his concentrated stare.

A look to the face, and his hard gaze was gone as he closed his eyes in a gentle matter. "Don't leave this room."

"But-"

"No. Don't." And it was over.

With an indignant huff, she waited until his breaths were even before she went to explore her current confinement. As her eyes started to adjust to the lack of light, she noticed a bed of cushions -- in which her captor currently occupied -- just opposite of her. The sliding door to her freedom was just steps away from her, but the noise of opening the object would alarm the raven haired boy.

Nothing else occupied the room except the mat she laid on and Sasuke's bed, and her curiosity was put to rest.

Thud, thud, thud.

A slight tapping sound awoke Sakura some hours later, and being barely conscious and completely unaware of her situation and location, she had no motivation in to finding out what that horribly annoying sound was. So, with a grunt of annoyance, she turned over and proceeded to sleep.

Thud, thud, thud.

A groan of pain was what finally made her snap her eyes open and bolt up, her eyes wide and confused. What the hell was that noise? An unhuman growl suddenly formed goosebumps on her skin as she watched in horror at the scene that unfolded.

His face was scrunched up in pain, teeth gritting in control for what was left of the sanity that was present. One hand gripped the ground while the other gripped a hidden spot on his neck in fury, while black ink started to tattoo its way over his skin, taking over like a virus.

"Get out," The voice was unfamiliar, and laced with chaos. "Get out Sakura!"

But not even the words could possibly move her. She had seen this once before, she remembered with a face of pain. When they were genin, in the forest of death. It seemed like a dream before, but now as she noticed as the furniture flew around the room as Sasuke lost his last shred of sanity, this was far from a dream.

In a flash, his hands were around her neck, squeezing and gripping with a fury she could not escape from. Her hands closed in fists but his sudden close proximity had prevented her from moving her arms and had pinned her hands to her chest as she was held to the wall. What had halted this mayhem before? The sudden turn of events had left her mind blank and without time to think -- or breathe for that matter -- she leaned forward and did the only thing she could do.

The gentle feel of lips against his had caused his pupils to dilate and his body to still in confusion, as awareness and the gentle hum of control started to return. The tattoos retreated, leaving a dull ache behind as well as exhaustion. As his body fell forward and the world started to disappear in front of his eyes, all he could remember as he drifted into a slumber was a pair of arms around him and the fast thrum of a tiny heartbeat.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yeah... this was kinda a waste of a chapter.

sorry, ive had recently some really bad writers block, and this is all i could think of for right now. next chapter will be worth the wait.

-numexi.