AN: I'm back! I'm sure you all hate me by now, with the long waits... Sorry... Here's another chapter. Sorry its short but it didnt work well if i tried to drag it out. The two beginning part things may be a little confusing, they're not supposed to be really clear though... This isn't really a good chapter now that i think about it... Oh well. Oh, i almost forgot! I'm gonna start giving credit to reviewers at the beginning of chapters! So...

- thanks for the support! Thats what i was hoping for!

I don't own Naruto!

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A young girl sat in a small room, alone with her thoughts.

These thoughts were not happy thoughts. She was thinking about the wild boy she had come to love.

Everyone else thought she had fallen in love with someone else, but they were wrong.

Her affection was solely for the rough and tumble, wild haired – and mannered – young shinobi.

He was often misunderstood by others but she was sure to give him a smile whenever she got the chance.

She had finally managed to muster up the courage to tell him how she felt but now she may never get the chance.

With everything that had happened during the fight to save the Kazekage, she may never even see him again.

With a sigh, she lied back on her bed, struggling to hold in the tears.

She had put in so much extra training just so she wouldn't be a hindrance a missions! She tried so hard to be noticed by him!

Remnants of another conversation drifted through her head. "Lost without her… Don't know what to do…"

She shook her head, trying to clear those thoughts. That conversation was not something she wanted to think about.

It was the last straw though, and her tears finally came. Gently sobbing, she wrapped her arms around her knees.

He was everything to her, next to her best friend. Both of them had done so much for her, and didn't even realize it.

But now they're gone, possibly forever.

Her quiet sobs escaladed into more violent blubbering that racked her frame. She was beginning to have problems breathing.

Taking deep breathes, she tried to calm herself. In a few minutes, she had managed to stop crying so fiercely but tears still ran down her face.

With a few more breaths, she could catch her breath. This emotional outbreak had worn her out.

As she lay back completely, one last thought ran through her exhausted mind.

"I love you…"

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A young man ran through the woods at a breakneck speed. He had a mission. It wasn't a mission ordered by the Hokage, though.

This mission was one that he had given himself. Tsunadae herself had strictly ordered him not to go.

But he'd do anything for the girl he loved, even become a rogue ninja.

The one thing that broke his heart was knowing, that after he finished his mission, he'd probably never see her again.

But protecting her from – no! He wouldn't finish that thought.

He refused to think about what would happen if he failed. That's why he was so determined to finish this mission.

If he succeeded, he could prevent the girl he loved from… He cut himself off again.

He thought back to the last time he had seen the girl he loved.

She seemed to have something on her mind, but he was too upset to listen.

He regretted not telling her how he felt about her before all of this had started.

Perhaps he wouldn't be on this rescue mission if he had told her that he loved her. Maybe her eyes would have had that light again before they parted.

Maybe it would have changed everything… He shook his head again, trying to clear his thoughts.

Now was not the time to be reminiscing. He needed to focus on what he needed to accomplish.

But he couldn't clear his head of one thought that wouldn't go away.

"I love you…"

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In the Akatsuki hideout

He was absolutely fuming. Those two had dared to plot behind his back!

They made a major decision that could jeopardize everything! And they hadn't even consulted him first!

But now, even after telling him about the girl, they refused to tell him why! Those insolent fools would suffer for this insult.

He had planned everything out so well, but he did not plan for a Kohona medic brat to ruin it all!

Well, they were going to pay for it now. He made his way to Deidara and Sasori's room where he knew the offending brat was being held.

He was going to kill the girl, now, and put an abrupt end to anything involving her that his insubordinate subordinates might have cooked up.

Literally fuming with indignant rage, the true leader of Akatsuki slammed open the door and headed straight for the shabby door that lead to a captive keeping chamber.

When he grabbed ahold of the door handle, he was somewhat surprised to find it locked.

With a growl he busted open the door. The small girl sleeping on the cot was startled awake with a squeak.

Perhaps that was what caught his attention. The squeak caused him to hesitate, which possibly saved Sakura's life.

He looked closely at her. She had hopped off the cot and away from him.

With both hands raised in fists, she looked ready to throw a punch at any time.

There was a chakra restraint on her wrist, preventing her from gathering a lot of chakra at once.

What her attacker didn't know was how little chakra Sakura needed to land a bone breaking blow.

The man tilted his head, observing her through his mask. With her pink locks and emerald eyes, she was rather unusual.

Though he hated to admit it, she was also rather attractive. His eyes wandered up and down her body, taking in everything.

From her fierce eyes and ready stance, to her ripped clothes that revealed more than usual; she fascinated him.

This was the first time he had ever seen her, but there was something interesting about her.

He shrugged. "Oh well. She still has to die." As he had the thought, he reached for Sakura.

The moment he was within arm's reach, she acted.

Sakura punched him once in the stomach, not hard enough to seriously injure him but enough to knock the wind out of him.

The masked man gasped and doubled over. Then his fury overtook him again.

Rising up, he jumped forward and punched Sakura in the jaw before grabbing the front of her shirt.

He took a kunai out from under his robe and put it to her throat. He smiled, feeling that this fight was over.

Sakura, however, had other ideas. Before her throat was slit, she slammed her fist into his face and twisted the kunai out of his hand while he was distracted.

Without missing a beat, Sakura kicked him in the side, knocking him into the wall.

He sprang up quickly but Sakura beat him to the punch, literally.

A quick blow to the face slowed him for an instant and that was all she needed. With one hand, she grabbed the collar of his robe.

With the other, she grabbed his leg. With a grunt, Sakura swung him around and threw him into the wall.

He left a considerable dent, one that would most definitely be noticeable from the other side.

Deidara would not be happy about the bulge in his wall above his bed.

Sakura was panting heavily by this point. She'd used too much chakra and it was exhausting her.

If it wasn't for that stupid restraint, she could've kept going for a while. As it was, Sakura knew she had to finish the fight quickly.

The masked man rose to his feet, directly in front of the crater in the wall. Sakura gathered all the chakra she could manage, which wasn't much, and kicked him straight into the wall.

Or rather, she kicked him straight through the wall. He landed with an oof on Deidara's bed.

It was at this point when another man ran into the room. Sakura vaguely recognized him as the one called Pein.

She was literally swaying on her feet now, but the men paid no heed to her. They argued with each other.

"What do you think you're doing?" Pein shouted at him. The masked man glared at him.

Pein shook his head. "Please, don't kill her. We need her alive." He was practically begging.

"Attacking her could ruin everything! Not just for us, but for Akatsuki as well."

The other man spoke as he got off Deidara's bed. "What do you mean?"

Pein spoke again. "She knows that your happy go lucky persona is a fake! Don't you realize that? Ugh, is there anything you can do to make her forget all of this!"

Motioning to the barely conscious girl, he put his head in his hands.

The masked man thought for a moment. He hadn't thought of that. Walking over to Sakura, he spoke to Pein in a rather condescending voice.

"Actually, I can erase her memories of the entire event. For the moment, I'll keep her alive. I may find a use for her."

Removing his mask, he stared down into Sakura's eyes.

The pink haired kuinoichi stared back up into his. She was lost in a swirling sea of red and black.