A Soul's Salvation

A/N: I am bringing you the next installment of soul. Yes, I am early, but I'm sure you can forgive me. I said that I would not tell you, but I'm going to be really nice, and let you know that the long awaited lemon is coming up next chapter.

But, ask yourselves why I am telling you. I am telling you because you will have to wait next weekend, probably Sunday, because I have a karate tournament to attend, and will be working on the next chapter between now and then, along with updating other fics.

So, there you have it. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review. Thanks a bunch.

*Hey nightmare......you rock!!! Thanks so much for catching my goof. I got so excited on this chapter, seeing as it is the chapter before lemony goodness, that I didn't proofread enough on it. Normally, I take a full day, but tonight, excitment got me good. Thanks so much.*

*I swear to you guys that I know that the fourth is Naruto's father....by the way, I found out what the fourth's name actually was. But, back on the subject....if you see another goof, please let me know. Geez....do you guys think that I can take a vacation. :oP No, I didn't think so, either.*
~!~

Her eyes slowly opened and she became aware that she was being held by a strong set of arms. Looking up, she watched as Naruto stared straight ahead, his face set in fierce determination. But, when he finally looked down, his eyes widened and he stopped.

“Are you alright?” He asked, concerned. His jutsu should have lasted longer, but he wasn't too surprised to see that she was awake. After all, he was pretty sure that villages in a thirty mile radius had heard his and Sasuke's confrontation.

They hadn't even tried to be quiet.

When she shook her head yes, he smiled down at her and hugged her closer to him, content on feeling her against him. As they drew closer to the inn, he found that he was looking forward to sliding between the sheets with her, holding her for yet another night.

When they reached their door, he gently set her down upon her feet, and quickly fished out the key to their room. Once the door was open, he grasped her hand and silently led her into the room before closing and locking the door behind him.

When he let go of her hand, she sat down in a chair and pulled off her shoes, sighing happily when her bare feet hit the floor. She watched as he started a fire, due to it being cool out, and then pulled off his own shoes.

“Are you hungry, baby?” He asked, knowing that she had only snacked for her evening meal. It seemed that Sakura and Temari were more concerned with looking at all of the crafts and paintings than eating, despite claiming that they were very hungry.

Nodding, she replied, “A little bit. I should have eaten more at the festival.”

“I'll call for room service and we'll get in a late night dinner.” Naruto said, grinning. She knew what that grin meant. He was going to ask for ramen. Lots of it, too.

Once he had placed the order, he sat back in a chair across from her and looked at her, his eyes narrowed in thought. Finally, he said, “I don't want you alone with Sasuke.”

Lifting her eyebrow, Sakura asked, “And, why is that. I mean, I know that he is a total asshole, but he is still our teammate.”

“Not anymore, he isn't.” Narto replied smugly. “Baa-chan traded him with Neji. So, Sasuke will be on Lee's team, while Neji is on ours, though I don't think that he is too happy about it.”

“Why is that?” Sakura asked, her curiosity aroused. The young man smirked. “Well,” He said, “It seems that we are not the only team with a love triangle. Lee is in love with Tenten, who loves Neji, who loves Tenten. Lee doesn't get the fact that Tenten is taken, and keeps trying to get her to date him, despite Neji's warnings to stop. I think that things are about to get nasty for them.”

Snorting, Sakura shook her head. “I doubt it.” She said, thoughtfully. “I know for a fact that Lee is completely aware that Neji and Tenten are in love. In fact, Lee is the one who offered to help Tenten make Neji so jealous that he would finally want to commit to her.”

Now Naruto was stunned. “How in the hell do you know that?” He demanded, his tone filled with awe. “Are you sure?”

Nodding, Sakura grinned. “I'm positive.” She replied. “Tenten told me herself, but wants to keep it a secret, especially from Ino. Lee is going to make some kind of ultimatum, and when Tenten choses Neji, he will back out gracefully. After all, everyone knows that Lee would never try to force a woman to do what he wanted them to do. It's not in his nature.”

Laughing, Naruto now could understand why Lee was acting so funny, and why he kept eyeballing a certain village girl when he was supposed to be in love with Tenten. It all made sense.

“I doubt that with Sasuke having to be around Lee, he will find any time to bother us.” Sakura murmured, not noticing that Naruto's eyes seemed to brighten.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, there was a knock on the door, and when he opened it, he found a young man with a large tray of food. When the young man left, after ogling Sakura and being glared at by him, Naruto closed and locked the door, before moving over to the table, where Sakura had laid out the food.

As expected, he had ordered ramen, and from the looks of it, he had ordered every single flavor known to man. But, to her great joy, he had ordered her a steak and a side salad. She grinned up at him, and was rewarded for his famous grin, which instantly melted her heart.

She watched as he dug into his meal, like a starved man, and smiled. Even though they were adults, he still held onto his boyish charm, and she wondered why she had not seen it when they had been genin.

It was probably due to her warped fascination with Sasuke, and the deaths of her parents. Sasuke had always had a cold aura, and it had always amazed her that he could be so calm, so collected, and she had wanted to mirror that.

Of course, now that she was older, she could clearly see that the only reason why he had been cold was because he was an asshole, and had only grown bigger as the years had gone by. And, he couldn't use the excuse that he had to be cold because his parents had died.

Naruto had been born into a life of being an orphan. His parents were gone, though she had once heard some of the elders whispering that the fourth hokage's son was a complete mirror image of him.

Her eyes widened as she stared at Naruto, and she now could understand why none of the elders would speak ill of him. The elders had accepted him, watched him. But, it was the third hokage who had basically cared for the young boy, just by accepting him and appointing Iruka-sensei to watch over him.

The third hokage didn't see that vessel that housed the nine-tails. He saw the legacy of the man who had known that the only suitable container for such a beast would be his own blood.

Naruto.

Now it all made sense. The fourth hokage used his infant son, knowing that his love for his newborn would be strong enough to contain the beast, until his child grew to the point where he could control it, himself. The fourth hokage knew that one day, his son would control the power that the nine-tails held, and would surpass even him in power.

However, the boy was his father's equal in looks. How she could have missed such an important thing was beyond her. She saw the fourth hokage's picture, everyday, in the hokage tower, and never put him together with Naruto.

Her Naruto was his father's greatest victory, and his ultimate legacy. But, she frowned suddenly.

All the fourth hokage had asked of the village was for the village to accept Naruto, and to treat him as if he were a hero. Instead, the people treated Naruto as if he were a monster, something not worthy of their time, or respect.

She, too, had treated him badly, time and time, again.

“Hey, is everything ok?” Naruto asked, his eyes soft and concerned. When she gave him a weak nod, he scrunched up his face, and said in a warning tone, “Sakura, don't lie to me. What's wrong.”

Without warning, she was out of her chair, and in his lap, her face buried into his neck. At first, he was stunned, but quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as he gently rocked her, trying to sooth whatever had upset her.

When she felt that she were in complete control of herself, she took in a deep breath and pulled back, to look at his face, her fingers delicately tracing his whisker marks.

“I can't help but think of how, when we were genin, you shocked the village with your victory over Neji.” She said, her tone soft. “That power was the nine-tails, wasn't it?”

He studied her carefully, and knew that the damn fox had perked up when he heard himself mentioned. She actually seemed curious, and he wasn't going to begin their relationship on a foundation of lies, so he nodded.

“Jiraiya-sensei helped me harness the fox's chakra, and yeah, I used it against Neji.” Naruto confirmed. “But, I am not the fox, and he is not me. We are two different entities, and I happen to be the dominate one. Kyuubi, however, is more than willing to share, mainly because he has no choice. I am the one keeping him alive.”

Nodding, she smiled. “Well, I always knew that you were strong.” She murmured, her head settling down in the crook that was between his neck and shoulder. “To contain such a creature is amazing. It just proves that you are special.”

Smiling, he tightened his arms around her. Kissing the top of her head, he heard her yawn and then sighed. She had only taken a few bites out of her dinner, but she seemed content, though he was pretty sure that she had not asked him the question that was really on her mind, but she seemed a bit happier.

Hell, he was happier now that she was in his arms and lap. But, when she yawned again, he knew that it was time for bed, and when he set her down on her feet, he sent her towards the bathroom to brush her teeth with a gentle pat on her backside.

Quickly, he cleared up the table, placed them back on the cart that they arrived on, and went to the door. He pushed the cart out of the room, and when he closed and locked the door for the final time that night, he smiled.

He couldn't wait to work with Neji on his team. The Hyuuga was not someone to mess with and he liked the way Neji guarded Sakura. Especially when Sasuke was around.

His eyes turned towards Sakura when she walked out of the bathroom, and lifted an eyebrow at her nervous expression.

Clearing her throat, she said, “I seem to have forgotten my nightshirt. Do you happen to have an extra shirt I can borrow?”

His mind snapped back, thanks to kyuubi's influence, to the shower, and he was not going to be denied the feel of her skin against his as he slept. So, instead of answering her, he moved over to where she stood and peeled off his shirt, tossing it to the floor.

Her eyes followed the forgotten garment, momentarily brain-dead at such an act. But, when his hands came to rest at her hips, inner Sakura gave her brain a vicious kick and snapped, “Don't you dare go all prudish on me. I want to get lucky!”

Taking in a deep breath, she tilted her head when his lips moved down to her shoulder, mere inches from the strap of her tank top. He pulled her to him, her covered chest against his, while his lips did sinful things to her neck.

His hands moved slowly, pulling up the material that was keeping him away from his female's body, and when he got to the point where he needed her to lift her arms, he was shocked to find her doing so without him even having to ask.

Slowly, he undressed her, taking his time in peeling off her garments as her hands went to the button of his pants. As their mouths finally met, his hands succeeded in pushing down her pants, exposing her panties, while her own hands were mirroring his actions.

Soon, all of their clothing was scattered about the room, and they had somehow, made it onto the bed and underneath the covers. Their kisses were unhurried, and when his grip tightened, her breasts crushed beneath his chest, she broke the kiss to moan.

His eyes watched her, loving her. It was as if all those months away from each other had never happened. His love for her had only grown more intense, and from the way she was reacting to his touches, it was the same for her.

In a moment of pure bliss, he gritted his teeth and said in a rough voice, “Do you have any idea how much I love you? Do you know that I would kill for you, die for you? Do you know that you are my life, Sakura?”

At his words, she had gone still, her body hot and throbbing, but his words were enough to make her freeze.

He loved her? Really? She looked into his face, to see if he regretted saying those words, and he must have understood her insecurity.

Calming himself, he looked her in the eyes, and allowed the words to flow again, but this time, it was not because of his lust.

“I love you, Sakura.” He murmured, and reached up to brush away her tears that were slowly sliding down her cheeks. “I have loved you ever since we were kids, and I am going to love you even on my death bed. Don't you ever doubt my feelings for you, not even a little. I love you, and I want you.”

As a sob caught in her throat, he pulled her down, so that her head was back in the crook of his neck. Her arms tightened around him, and he smiled. Women got all mushy over the simplest things. She should know, by now, just how deeply his love ran where she was concerned. Hell, everyone knew how much he loved her. He just needed to get over his anger, and began to think rationally again.

Minutes passed by without a single word from either of them. His arousal had deflated, much to kyuubi's displeasure, but he was more than satisfied.

But, his satisfaction increased drastically when Sakura's sleepy voice hit his ears.

“I love you, too, Naruto.”

~!~

Sasuke glared over at the twin green weirdos and sighed when they began to give each other high fives. Now he knew why Neji was always rolling his eyes, and why Tenten always seemed to be staring off elsewhere.

Now that he was no longer on a team with Sakura, he would have to come up with something else, something drastic. He could not lose her, not to Naruto.

How dare that fool call him out. Who in the hell did he think he was, competing with an Uchiha? His family was the best that Konoha had to offer, and instead of supporting him, his fellow ninja were backing that freak.

Well, perhaps it was time to remind people why Naruto was a freak. He was, after all, housing the creature that had killed so many people, and destroyed several homes.

When you got to the core of Naruto, there was that damn nine-tailed fox, just waiting to pounce on his poor, unsuspecting village. Well, he had a duty to Sakura, as well as Konoha, to remind them of the tragedy that the nine-tailed brought about.

He was sure that once he convinced Sakura that Naruto was nothing more than a beast, she would come running to him for protection, and he would protect her with everything he had.

Of course, he would have to deal with those few who were loyal to the loser, but they would soon see the light, as they remembered those who fell. Sakura, being the ambassador, would then declare that Naruto was a threat and, with his urging, ban the freak from their village, just as he should have been the day he had been conceived.

Hell, it was a wonder that he had survived for so long, and that he had even managed to earn the fourth hokage's sympathy, thus issuing a request that Naruto be respected for housing the beast. But, the village knew.

They knew that he was a danger and treated him accordingly. They also protected their children, making sure that their kids didn't bring the outcast home to play. They knew, and even though Naruto had managed to lull them into a sense of security, he would remind them of just what he is and would become.

He was positive that the fox would run free, and that it was just biding its time in that weak idiot. But, Uchiha Sasuke would not watch his home be destroyed. He had avenged his clan, and he would save Konoha.

The avenger would rise again, only this time, instead of the satisfaction of seeing his enemy fall, his payment would be in the form of a woman, who burned for him, just as he burned for her.

Naruto's days were numbered. Happy with his decision, he turned and began to walk back to Konoha. After all, he had a lot to do before the fool returned.

~!~

The small group gathered around the fire, and Tsunade sighed. “I can't believe how controlled Naruto was. He has really grown up.” She said, a proud smile upon her face.

“Yeah, and it's all because of his handsome sensei.” Jiraiya bragged, but glared over at him when Kakashi said, “Why, thank you. But, I'm not really one for such praise.”

Neji poked at the burning logs with a stick, his eyes trying not to turn to where he knew his cousin and her lover were sitting. He knew that he should butt out, but he just didn't want Hinata to lose what innocence she had left.

Tenten sighed when she noticed that Neji's attention, was once again, upon his cousin. She had worn her special dress, the one Ino and Hinata had helped her pick out, but he failed to notice. In fact, he had barely touched her all night.

Lee frowned when he saw Tenten's frown. Was Neji out of his mind? How could he not pay attention to the beautiful woman beside him? Sure, he was still in love with Sakura, but she had made her choice to be with Naruto, and though he did have a crush on Tenten, his heart was being won over by a very sweet village girl who had these amazing green eyes.

However, when he had suggested a ruse to force Neji to confront his feelings for the weapon's mistress, she quickly agreed, and even though they had made some good headway, it seemed that the stoic man was more concerned with his cousin than his lover.

Perhaps it was time to step up his game? When Tenten's eyes met his, Lee calmly asked, “My sweet Tenten, will you do me the honor of taking a walk with me?”

Tenten bit her lip and glanced over at Neji, but the young man seemed too preoccupied to notice that Lee had asked her a question. Hell, she and Lee could make out right in front of him, and Neji would still be looking over at Hinata.

Her mind made up, she smiled and nodded. The young man smiled down at her, and offered his hand to her. When she took it and stood up, Neji finally looked over at her, his face showing his displeasure when he realized whose hand Tenten was holding.

“Where in the hell do you think you are going?” He demanded, his tone angry. Tenten knew how he felt, so why was she holding hands with the 'green fool of Konoha'?”

Tenten bit her lip and then squared her shoulders. “I'm surprised that you actually noticed, Neji.” She snapped. “But, to answer your question, Lee asked me if I wanted to take a walk, and I said yes. After all, I would not want to interrupt you as you stalk Hinata and Kiba.”

Neji's cheeks turned a bright red, and he watched as Lee led Tenten from the group, her arm secure around his. His eyes turned to Gai when the older man cheered.

“I am thrill to see two of my students discovering the joys of youthful romance.” He said, as he wiped the tears from his eyes. “I believe that I can see a wedding in the not too distant future.”

Neji shook his head and huffed. Fine, if that was how Tenten wanted it, then she could have Lee. How dare she say that he was stalking his cousin and the dog-boy?

His mind made up, Neji got up and walked over to get something to eat. However, despite having made up his mind, he felt strangely empty.

This was all Tenten's fault.

~!~

The fire crackled, causing Naruto to open his eyes. Glancing over, he noticed the clock and frowned. His frown deepened into a scowl when he heard a faint knock on the door.

Who in the fuck would dare to disturb them, especially after they had made such an important confession to each other? Someone was asking to die.

Gently, he rolled Sakura onto her back and covered her all the way up to her chin. He didn't want anyone seeing her body, and if it was Sasuke, he'd just have to kill the man, anyways. He could always go and hide the body and be back before Sakura woke up.

Yanking on his jeans, he hissed when he heard another knock, and when he finally went to the door, he yanked it open to find a drunken Neji.

Frozen in shock, Naruto watched as Neji stumbled past him, and went to sit on the bed, completely missing the fact that Sakura was resting peacefully on the bed. Rushing over before the man could wake her, he grabbed Neji by his shirt, and yanked him into the bathroom, before closing the door behind them.

“What in the hell are you doing here, Neji?” Naruto demanded, his tone sharp. “And, have you been drinking?”

“She love L-lee.” Neji slurred, his body swaying lightly. He didn't resist as Naruto helped him sit down on the toilet, though he did have the thought that the toilet would probably come in handy pretty soon.

Naruto was confused. Of course, he was still sleepy, so his mind just could not grasp at what Neji was saying. “Who loves Lee?” He asked, curious.

“Tenten.” Neji answered, his face pinched. His heart hurt so much, and he could not understand why Tenten would want Lee when she had him.

Naruto began to laugh. “Are you kidding me?” He asked, his tone merry. “Tenten loves you, you giant ass.”

Glaring up at Naruto, and snapped, “She went for a walk with him. She was holding the asshole's hand.”

Shrugging, Naruto asked, “And, what were you doing right before they went for a walk?”

Neji frowned. He had been watching over Hinata, as was his duty. Naruto nodded. “Let me guess, you were making sure that Kiba was being a good boy with Hinata, right?” He prodded.

“Of course.” Neji muttered. “It is my duty.”

“No,” Naruto said, irritated, “It is Kiba's duty to see to Hinata. It is your duty to see to Tenten. Neji, you have got to let Kiba do his job. You are ignoring Tenten's needs.”

Naruto waited for Neji to respond, but when the man began to tilt over, he realized that the ass had fallen asleep. Reaching out, he grabbed Neji and steadied him, before pulling him off the toilet and onto the floor.

Well, if he had not had so much to drink, then he would have fallen asleep in a bed, rather than his and Sakura's bathroom. But, when the thought that Sakura might have to get up sometime during the night to use the bathroom, and the fact that she was naked, made him pause.

He weighted all of his options and then shrugged. Well, he couldn't stay in the bathroom, nor could he crash on the bedroom floor, so that left only one other place, other than outside.

~!~

Neji awoke with a stiff neck and frowned. He was in a very small space, facing a door that had small wooden slats. Standing up, he ended up hitting his head on a bar, and glared up at it, his mind registering that he was in a closet.

Opening the door, he glared at Naruto, when the blonde cheekily said, “Look, baby....Neji finally came out of the closet.”

Sakura giggled but quickly went to Neji's side when she saw him touch his head. “Hangover, right?” She asked, and then sighed. Motioning to her chair, she waited for him to sit down and then allowed her chakra to flow through her hands, soothing away his headache. Soon, all that was left was a memory of his hangover, and the sight of Tenten holding Lee's hand.

He also remembered his resolve to give her up. However, he was being foolish. He never gave up when something meant a great deal to him, and Tenten meant a lot to him. He was going to fight for his girl.

But, as he thought, Naruto's words from the night before began to echo in his mind. Perhaps it was time to let Hinata go. He would simply focus his attentions to Tenten, and she would have to deal with his constant attention.

Lee didn't stand a chance.