A/N: Well how about this? It didn't take me months to update this time – HOORAY! (pumps fist into air) Some progress, ne? (chuckles)

First, of course… Monumental thank yous for those heart warming review you've sent me! (HUUUUUGS, and offers several types of ice-cream) It's ya guys who give me the inspiration to write, so THANK YOU! And of course HUGE special thank yous toy unbelievable proofreader Serenityofthematrix for the awesome work!

Oukey, because I bet you'd all prefer getting on with the story, let's continue the ride! I truly hope ya'll enjoy this one.

Sasuke had felt a lot of pain during her life. Yet nothing had prepared her for what she experienced that day, when her knees finally gave way and she slumped to the ground, fighting her hardest to restrain a scream of agony. TenTen's baby – Takao, Takao, Takao, she tried to remind herself – cried shrilly in her arms, as though sensing her distress, and her own child started kicking furiously inside her. She leaned heavily against the tree behind her, emitting a loud, low moan.

She'd tried her hardest, ran as far and fast as she could for two days straight, but this was her limit. Her legs wouldn't carry her for another step.

She lifted her gaze without really noticing it, her eyes growing hazy.

'Sorry…

She wished she'd known to whom she was apologizing.

Her eyes were already sliding closed when she caught a bright, nearly surreal glimpse of gold. A gasp, or perhaps a sigh, erupted through her lips.

Naruto…

Just then she shuddered when feeling a hand on her cheek. The touch was unfamiliar, yet so comfortably cool that only the little reason her head still had kept her from leaning against it. "Hey, are you okay?" Her eyes slipped all the way closed, making the voice speak again, so loudly that it hurt her ears even more than the baby's constant crying. "Hey, don't you dare collapse on me! Don't…!"

But it was much too late.

The voice faded, leaving her into a gray hue.

CHAPTER 11: Comes Around, Goes Around

Naruto was a heavy sleeper – it was a habit both Kakashi and Jiraiya had hopelessly tried to teach him out of. Therefore he was immediately alarmed when his eyes flew open in the dead of night, his whole body fully awake and ready to operate.

Something was badly wrong.

Then – quite slowly, for his ears were only just waking up – he started to hear steps, everywhere around the woods he and his team was occupying. He managed to turn his gaze just in time to see moonlight shine on a blade before steel was pressed against his neck. A strangled gasp immediately left him.

Shit…!

His chest contorted when a knee was rested heavily against it – only to relax again when he met the face of a teenage girl. He blinked thrice. "Wah…?" The attacker was nothing all that threatening – just a girl, most likely even younger than he was, with long red hair.

Her green eyes narrowed. "What are you doing in my sensei's woods?" Those eyes – suddenly slightly more threatening – flashed. "You have no right to be here!"
"I… I'm on a mission", he offered as though it'd explained everything. He swallowed as thickly as he could from the blade. "We're… just passing through, okay?" Is she insane? What the heck is going on?

It was around then, apparently, the others finally spotted the noises. A gasp that was most likely Sakura's could be heard, and he assumed Sai was the one who pulled out a weapon of some sort. Then – so suddenly that it surprised them both – a blade was placed to the girl's throat. She growled, her eyes narrowing again.

"Leave him alone." Kakashi's voice was slightly harsher than usual. "Drop your weapon, and you'll be alright."

But the girl had other plans. With what sounded awfully lot like a snarl, she spun around to face Kakashi.

There would've without a doubt been a fight, if it wasn't for a new male-voice interrupting it. "Amaru, leave them alone. These people are not enemies."

Seeming somewhat sheepish, the girl did as ordered. "I'm sorry, Minato-sensei."

Naruto got up as well to meet a rather bizarre sight. Sakura stood quite nearby, looking at the arrival with several blinks, whereas Sai had folded his arms as the only visible sign of confusion. Kakashi, on the other hand, was openly staring at the newcomer, his face much paler usual and breath wheezing; the man looked like he'd seen a ghost. And as he turned his gaze once more he found something even more confusing – there, silhouetted by moonlight, stood a blond haired man who looked so much like him it made him feel dizzy. "Who… are you?" was absolutely everything he managed in a five-year-old's voice.

The man – Minato, right? – either restrained a sigh or swallowed. "I think you should come with us – it's not safe out here with Orochimaru roaming around."

For some reason they were all speechless while following.

Minato's head hurt while he stood outside his tiny cabin, watching how stars lit up to the sky.

He obviously hadn't thought things through before he'd invited those people to stay. It wasn't like he would've wanted to leave them under Orochimaru's mercy – he wasn't a cruel person, so he would've never done such a thing. But… His head had been hurting since their arrival, as though something that'd been buried deep down had been crawling towards the surface. That… something was already close to the surface, and he was almost scared to find out what it was.

"So here you are." His ears twitched a little at the man's – Kakashi's, he recalled – voice. Turning around, he saw the man stood about two steps away. "I've been meaning to thank you, for giving us a place to stay. I know how dangerous it is."

He found himself smiling. "It's alright." He looked away, almost slipping into his thoughts. "Even with Amaru and some occasional students, it… gets lonely here sometimes. It's good to have some adult company." So good, that he smothered the sounds of reason whispering – or well, perhaps even screaming – at him.

Kakashi had told him that this group was on its way to find and save from Orochimaru's clutches someone called… Sasuke – apparently, she was very precious to Naruto. They'd already made a long journey from a village called Konoha, and they had a feeling they were close.

It was a weak story – something hard to believe. But… What could he do when his heart and brain were at war? Life was confusing for someone who could remember less than a half of his life.

"Are you feeling ill?" Kakashi's voice carried the slightest hint of worry, which was odd, considering they'd just met. Right? "You look pale."

"I'm fine", he responded rather softly while turning towards the man – and just then his gaze got lost into the other man's eyes. Something first pulsated harshly, then stilled completely, as though the sight had been too much for his system to handle. So familiar… A frown appeared to his face. "Have… I met you before?"

At first Kakashi seemed mildly taken aback, then looked towards the same direction he'd just been staring. "No", the man all but murmured. "I'm… sorry, but we've never met before."

He nodded, although he didn't believe the other man at all.

They kept standing there in silence, and he found himself shivering from the cold.

The night had been long and exhausting for Naruto. He'd had barely any sleep, he was full of Amaru, and it still seemed he wouldn't be allowed to go after Sasuke. It wasn't often he would've been as frustrated.

In the end the frustration exploded into fatigue that almost struck him to his knees. He went to bed, and in a matter of seconds he was close to sleep.

He didn't know how long he'd been dozing off, when sudden small sounds appeared to disturb his peace. His eyebrows twitched, but even the best of his efforts didn't manage to make his eyes open. A tiny moan of frustration slipped through his lips.

What the heck was going on?

"Wake up, dobe."

And finally his eyelids flew open to allow him a crystal clear visual of a very familiar face. A gasp erupted, and his eyes stung just a little bit while they blurred. "Sasuke…"

She seemed utterly exhausted, and there was a small scrape on her cheek, but she was nonetheless there, alive and all right.

She snorted, although it sounded far softer than it should've. "You look like you'd just seen a ghost."

Unable to speak, he pushed himself into a sitting position, then – without warning – wrapped his arms around the Uchiha, as tightly as he'd feared anything less would let the raven disappear again. "I missed you, damn it." In some other situation he might've found his tone pathetic, even embarrassing. "I missed you so much."

Gosh, how good it was to feel Sasuke holding him back! "I know. But… Everything's going to work out now." She held a tiny pause. "Look… There's something I need to tell you…"

And then – just like someone had pushed a button – his eyes opened again, to meet the light of a recently dawned morning. In an instant his eyes blurred and flowed over, and he buried his face into his hands to keep himself from seeing the world.

At the moment there was no deity he wouldn't have hated.

-

Kakashi and Minato – who'd been outside talking and were now making some tea to warm up – both glanced towards the direction of Naruto's heavy steps.

Kakashi frowned faintly while observing his student's exhausted face and troubled eyes. "Are you alright?"

Naruto nodded, attempting to grin a little and failing miserably. "Yeah, I just had… a weird dream, that's all." The boy then sniffed the air, and a hopeful expression appeared. "Hey, is that herbal tea? It's my favorite!"

Minato seemed both surprised and mildly amused. "You know what's funny? It happens to be my favorite, too."

Naruto blinked. "Are you serious?" This time the grin was genuine. "I though I was the only one who likes that stuff!"

That, apparently, was enough to chase away at least some of the shadows looming around those two. Kakashi fought back a sigh while watching them talking and realizing just how much power he had in his hands.

He suppressed a sigh and left the building, deciding that he was in dire need of some fresh air to sort out his head.

How was he supposed to tell those two that they were a father and son? Should he even?

He just hoped he'd make the right decision in the end, because a mistake might ruin two carefully built up lives.

There was a deep frown on Shikamaru's face while he examined Sasuke.

He'd gotten to know her to at least some extend while they'd been in Orochimaru's clutches, and he knew that her body was extremely strong. But right now… She was starved and badly dehydrated, and he could easily see several old and new injuries, the worst of them being an infected stab wound on her side. To top the mess, she also seemed to be pregnant. He couldn't understand how in the world she'd survived this far, and in all honesty, he didn't trust his skills enough when it came to treating her. He needed help – admitting that required all his pride, but there was no point in denying facts.

His eyebrow twitched as he sensed movement behind him. "Kiba, if you don't stop breathing at my neck I'll throttle you."

The boy scoffed, though took a step further. "Geez, sorry." The brunet then seemed to focus on their patient once more. "How's she doing, anyway? Do you think she'll wake up soon?"

He debuted for a long time, not sure how he should break the news to the other, who'd been pretty worked up by Sasuke since finding her. In the end he took a deep breath. Too damn troublesome… "She… isn't doing too well right now. I'd want to see her awake, so it'd be easier to help her, but I'm not sure if she has enough strength regain consciousness, especially with the baby and all."

He could sense Kiba's frown. "But… You can help her, right? I mean, even Kankuro recovered with your help."

He fought the desire the sigh or groan – he had no idea which one.

Just then the room's door opened. A somewhat tired- and pissed off looking Temari entered. "How's the baby?" he asked immediately.

She shrugged. "He's sleeping right now. He seems okay to me, but I'm no expert."

He nodded, deep in thought, and paid barely any attention to the actual process as he placed a hand to Sasuke's forehead. He immediately pulled the limb back when finding nearly scorching warmth and a groan.

A fever… Great…

At that moment he made his decision.

Growling a bit at the workload he knew to be ahead, he pushed himself up and stretched. "There's… a old friend of mine who's help I need." He started gathering the required equipment while speaking. "I already sent Gaara to get some medicine. You need to keep and eye on Sasuke and the baby. Change her bandages whenever they're soiled through."

The question lingered in Temari's eyes as well, but Kiba beat her to expressing it. "What about Orochimaru? You know damn well it's not safe out there!"

He fought the urge to shudder and swallow. He didn't feel like answering to his friend's actual question. "I'll be back in a few days. Try not to get yourselves killed in the meantime, okay?"

They didn't change all that many words of parting, mostly because none of them was all that good with goodbyes.

Shikamaru had already almost left the building's small yard, when he felt that someone was following him. Turning around, he met Temari's rather strange, tight expression.

He frowned. "Hey, what…?"

Without letting him finish she took the two final steps separating them, then slammed her lips against his with a force that took his breath away for a second. Before he properly realized what was happening he was responding eagerly to the kiss.

Holy damn…!

Neither of them had barely any breath left by the time Temari pulled away, looking at him with eyes he couldn't read. "Now that's something for you to come back to." With that she turned around and marched away.

It took five full minutes before he managed to turn around and take his leave.

If he'd been aware of his expression, he might've been embarrassed by the slight, goofy grin that lingered on his face as he went.

Haku felt sick to her stomach while Gatô ran a greedy hand through her hair, then allowed the touch to proceed on her naked skin. "You look good like this, with that burned side of you turned away", the man murmured in a tone that made her nausea intensify still. "Perhaps you weren't a bad purchase, after all."

Against her calm and peaceful nature, she felt like breaking all his teeth with a violent hit. She might've even done something, if a doctor's voice hadn't appeared just then. "Ah, so here you are. Why don't you come in so we can get started?"

With utter reluctance she pushed herself up, and defied how much her feet weighed as she made her way into the man's office. As soon as she stepped over the doorstep, she suddenly felt something – it was so strange she couldn't even name it. Very slowly, almost holding her breath, she turned around, and found everything inside her stop at what she found.

Red hair, those eccentric eyes…

Gaara…!

Her eyes widened, and she realized that in some other situation she would've screamed, cried, fought. But now…

As the door closed between them she closed her eyes, feeling something inside her die.

By the time she finally managed to focus on reality once more, the words she heard didn't make her feel any better. "… will the procedure take place?" Gatô demanded in his usual tone, as though the matter in question had been something insignificant.

The male doctor's expression wasn't the slightest bit more encouraging. "In five days. Come to my office at this same hour."

As the men kept discussing whether it'd already be too late or not in five days, she brought a hand to her stomach and lifted her gaze towards the roof. Shadows danced vividly against the rather filthy, white surface.

She'd never wanted to scream as badly.

-

When the doctor opened the door about ten seconds after the two had disappeared, he got the shock of his life when facing a redhead whose expression immediately brought devil to his mind. Before he could even gasp he'd been pushed against the wall, and the arrival – a teen who was stronger than most men half above his age – grabbed his collar so hard that he couldn't even breathe.

"I just saw you had a patient I've been waiting to find for a very, very long time." It was nothing but a hiss. "Now, if your well-being means anything to you, you're telling me absolutely everything you know about those two."

Two Days Later

The past couple of days had rolled by in a fog of some sort for Naruto.

Hard as he tried, he couldn't seem to find any answers, whether it came to Minato or especially Sasuke, and he was going out of his mind. His constant bickering was Amaru didn't make things any easier.

Why were they in this place, with these people, when they should've been looking for Sasuke? Why were they wasting precious time?

"So this is where you went off to." Sakura sat down to accompany him on the porch before he managed to overcome the startle caused by her sudden appearance. He blinked twice at the apple she handed towards him. "You barely ate – Amaru sent you this."

He shuddered while putting the fruit away. "I bet she poisoned it."

Sakura shrugged, also eying the fruit suspiciously. "It wouldn't be a surprise." She then focused on him. "Are you feeling any better?"

His eyes gained a faraway look for a moment. "Yeah." He glanced towards the mug of tea he'd been trying to consume for the past half an hour, and winced. "I can't believe there was a time when I liked this stuff."

She gave him a somewhat sympathetic look. "We'll find her, you know? Sai's out there looking for traces and questioning his 'sources' – maybe he'll find something."

He looked towards the tea once more. A little while back – when the search was still young – those words might've been enough, but now… "Hmm."

He didn't know how long they'd been sitting there when their ears suddenly perked up to the sounds of steps rushing towards them. Lifting their gazes, they both blinked when seeing a heavily cursing and sweating, brown haired boy rushing towards them.

Shikamaru!, his mind screamed after a couple of seconds.

Sakura immediately bounced up, her eyes widening slightly. "What the…?!"

The boy barely managed to talk, but tried to anyhow. "She… needs Minato… Sasuke…"

To Naruto, it felt like a lightning had struck him. He started to shake as everything inside him spun out of control. This… was too good to be true! "Where is she? I need to find her!" He was getting desperate already. Couldn't Shikamaru see and understand that…?

The brunet panted and finally managed to all but wheeze. "Five… hours to north… from here… Then… take the un-pawed… road."

All his reason disappeared.

The mug fell from his hand as he ran.

"Naruto!"

TBC, no?

To those who haven't seen the movie yet, Amaru is no OC. She's a character from the newest Naruto-movie. (smirks)

In case you're wondering… Shikamaru was working as a medic in Orochimaru's 'motel' while Sasuke was also there. That's how he came to meet both her and Naruto. (grins) ('Thought I should mention, because I'd almost forgotten that fact…)

A/N: Oh dear… So the going keeps speeding up – and now Minato's also been brought in to the story! (gulps) Oh dear, it looks like something wicked this way comes…

Awkay, because I can't post this story for you guys before I've finished this author's note, I'm starting to tune off now so you actually get to see this chappy. (grins sheepishly) PLEASE, leave a note so I know if you're still gonna stay on board. Pwease…?

Only three to five chappies left, folks!

Until next time – 'hope I'll c a lot u then!

Be good!