Someday You Will be Loved

A/N: Repost. Yet again, I want to say a special thank-you to all those who review, since I read them and try to figure out who has the gist of the plot, who’s seen through it, and who I have been able to mislead. I love reading something and being thrown a curve when it’s not what I thought it was, and I hope some others do as well. Because it’s about to get really bumpy as everything comes out… someone has to take Akatsuki’s place, after all.

And to insaneteacup (did I get that right?), I hope you liked Danzou because all bets are off now. You think he’s gonna really sit back and become a martyr? Because I don’t. He’ll be big in chapter 6, and you’ll see what’s really going on…

For Sakura’s part, I recommend Passenger Seat by Death Cab for Cutie. It fits, well.

Blanket Disclaimer in the first chapter…

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“Someday You Will Be Loved: Chapter 4”


“As the blood runs red down the needle and thread…”

A once knew a girl, she thought, innocent and beautiful and full of life. That girl was definitely not the same woman walking toward her fate now. This woman, the future of that carefree, happy little girl, was completely immersed in adjectives of a very different kind.

But she was used to it, now.

She watched as the casino loomed, grew closer, and finally, the car came to a stop under the awning, no longer glowing in the full light of noon. She has arrived under its shadow. Her uncle was patiently waiting by the door, no doubt ready to step into another car and take her to her prison.

But that was okay.

The past few days had been all she needed, enough to find out exactly where Jin was, what the plan was, and who was actually behind the whole plot. She had been surprised, almost catatonic when the truth was finally revealed, but she kept telling herself that she should have seen it sooner. No one else had the nerve to do such a thing.

It had all been such a lie. And she bought it.

How could she have been so stupid?

She sat in the new car, sleek and black and silent, wanting to cry as she heard Reno’s shouts at her uncle. The silence in the car had created a din of noise, like static, in her ears. She didn’t want to hear the last protests of that life, something that would hold her back. This was her future; it had been her future long before she ever made the trip to Niigata.

Her uncle entered the car, settling himself in a leisurely manner beside her, and she was almost peaceful in her new veil of misery. She could hear Reno screech the tires of the other car, and soon he had left the casino. They pulled out right after him.

His leg brushed against hers as he stretched out, taking up a good deal of space, crowding her with his presence.

“I thank you for making this as easy as possible, Rika-chan.”

Her look was sharp.

“It is what was agreed on, yes? I will no longer use your given name.”

“Yes, ojii-sama.”

He shuffled around some papers in his lap, no doubt contracts and financial statements from his businesses, here and abroad. The manila folder felt harsh against the bare skin of her leg, and she realized that she had better get used to this.

Him. A different life.

“Your rooms are ready, as I ordered, and I am sure you will find settling into the bosom of your family not nearly as…distasteful…as you seem to think it will be.”

“I will honor my commitments.”

“I am sure you will, Rika-chan.”

She turned, her reflection in the glass distracting her from his sarcasm and the deceptively peaceful view of the trees and buildings they passed. This was now her home. Her life. And soon, even her family.

Suddenly, she felt his grip on her arm, bruising and tight. She had to stop herself from molding her chakra and punching him through the car door as instinct kicked in, telling her to protect herself.

“You will not act so when we arrive.”

“Yes, ojii-sama.”

“All I ask for is some fortitude. They will not know the finer points of our arrangement, and I wish to keep it so.”

“Yes, ojii-sama.”

“Good. Then act as if there is some joy in seeing your family after so many years from home. Or I will make my promise of sufficient punishment become reality.”

The sneering face looking at her now was nothing like his normal façade, and truth be told, it terrified her. This was his true self, and she had better learn quickly how to avoid it.

“Yes, ojii-sama. I am your niece. Of course, I am overjoyed to see my family again.”

“Very good.”

He shifted in his seat, literally throwing her arm back at her, and she felt the despair swallow her inside. This was not what she had wanted. At all.

“You will be a beautiful bride, Rika-chan.”

“Yes, ojii-sama.”

Finally, the stately home appeared in the distance before them, steadily growing closer. She had heard about this house from her mother, heard of the lovely grey brick that almost glistened in the sunlight.

She didn’t see that, at all.

Servants bustled about in front of the car as they navigated the long driveway, with a few up on a grand staircase that led to the front door. There, her aunt waited. This woman looked nothing like she had expected, that was certain. A pale blonde woman stood at the top of the stairs, her small frame cowering as the car crept closer. Two children stood near her, maybe about the age of thirteen, also very quiet and small.

This was her family?

The car came to a slow stop and her uncle hopped out, presenting his hand to help her out of the car. He held it, too tightly, and walked up the stairs to greet his family, niece in tow.

“My lovely wife, I would like for you to meet Takashi Rika, my niece, the daughter of my sister. Rika-chan, this is my wife, Nanao, my son Akira, and my lovely daughter Misaki.”

“It is an honor to finally meet my family. I hope I am of no trouble to you, and that I please you in my service.”

The shy woman finally stepped forward, most likely realizing she now had an ally in her pursuits.

“Yes, my dear, I am sure you will be just fine here. Come, I’ll show you to your rooms. You can get settled in and we’ll give you a small tour of the premises, to prevent any problems with misdirection later.”

Matsu smiled as he realized his wife would take his niece under her wing, making her the perfect female of their family.

“Well, I have work. Nanao, I take it everything is prepared for tonight?”

“Yes, Matsu-sama.”

“Good. I will see you all later, then.”

And he was gone, disappearing into the house as quickly as he had appeared in her life.

Sakura followed the small woman into the house, through a large antechamber and various rooms, before ascending a large staircase. A few hallways, a few doors, and suddenly they stopped to enter another one of the nondescript doors.

“This will be your room, Rika-chan.”

And it was beautiful.

“I hope it is to your liking.”

“I...of course, Nanao-sama.”

How could anyone complain? The decor was beautiful, everything pale and subdued in shades of green and cream. The bed looked comfortable, the bathroom at the right large and clean… she didn’t even need this.

“Please, Sakura, do not refer to me as such.”

Sakura whipped her head around, staring at the woman.

“You believed I did not know who you were? I was once a good friend of your mother.”

“I…thank you, Nanao-san.”

“It is quite alright.” The older woman moved to the bed, stroking the coverlet softly. “This was her room, did you know this?”

Sakura shook her head.

“It was. We would stay in here for hours, giggling and laughing about boys and dreams of our samurai and shinobi heroes, come to rescue us. We grew together, played together, loved together. Many of my happiest memories are in this room.”

She stared at the woman’s smile, wistful and youth-filled. Was this woman once like her? Happy and carefree, only thinking of the future in happy terms?

“I should like you to stay here. It would give her comfort to know that you had some solace in this world. This room will be your domain. Not even my husband will come in here, anymore.”

“Thank you, Nanao-san.”

“I am your aunt, Sakura. Know that not all of us loathe your mother’s choices.”

“You wish to ask me something. I can see it in your eyes.”

Nanao smiled, embarrassed.

“Yes. I…well, how did she…”

“How did she die?”

“Yes, please. Matsu-sama would never say…”

“Akatsuki attack. While she never had any formal training as a shinobi, we both know my mother was a fighter at heart. She took out quite a few men before she finally fell. I was not…I was not even in Konoha, so I was unable to be there.”

“I’m sure she was content, then. Your mother was quite the woman.”

The women smiled, and the bud of friendship opened. Perhaps this wasn’t going to be as bad as she thought, then. Seventeen years of obedience for her mother’s seventeen years of disobedience. Surely, this was survivable.

Her blood was slowly mixing with her thread of fate, tying her to these people she did not know, did not really care to know before. But family was inescapable; hadn’t Sasuke’s situation taught her that long ago?

Did it matter? This wasn’t her life anymore. Not for sixteen years, three-hundred sixty-four days, fifteen hours, thirty-two minutes, and six seconds.

But Konoha had another countdown to face; it was infinitely more important.

Across town, two men were having the same thoughts, in varying ways.

Jiraiya and Reno had started packing upon the redhead’s arrival back at the hotel. Reno was headed to Konoha, to give them the information he now had and to hopefully raise some type of help.

He couldn’t leave her here.

Jiraiya was heading on toward the border so that the ANBU and border guards already there would be prepared. He had to find out who was loyal and who was not, getting all those who still claimed Tsunade as Hokage back to Konoha as quickly as possible. It would all start soon, he knew. Sakura would buy them a little time, but it wouldn’t be near enough.

Messages had already been dispatched to Konoha and Suna detailing a pre-emptive battle plan, just so they could get the ball rolling.

“Are you all set, kid?”

“Ya know it don’t take me long, old man.”

Jiraiya smiled bitterly, hoping this little shit could actually do what was needed to save them all. If not, the only woman who had ever mattered to him would be dead soon, the inauguration of his student an historical bloodbath.


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Konoha had been in an uproar for a week now, especially once word had gotten out that half of the council was in ANBU custody. The town was on full alert, expecting some form of civil war because they couldn’t determine who was loyal to whom.

It was chaos.

And in the middle of this chaos, the redheaded asshole arrived.

The gate guard looked at the redhead suspiciously, not recognizing him. No one was to come into Konoha unless they had village papers, and this man outright stated he wasn’t a citizen. He had no shame, just nonchalantly requesting a meeting with the Hokage.

As if.

Hanabi looked at him again, motioning to her partner so they could box him in. He didn’t look dangerous; if anything, he looked exhausted. His hair was matted, his clothes dirty, and he looked like sleep hadn’t been a real concern for days.

“I’m gonna ask one more time, buddy, what’s your name?”

“What’s your name, dog boy?”

Kiba started, not having heard that particular moniker in years. Teasing, maybe?

“It doesn’t matter. I belong here.”

“So do I.”

“You do not, sir. I have no interest in why you wish to see our Hokage, but you must understand that no one is allowed to enter the village without proper citizenship verification.”

Reno looked at the shrimpy girl who had the audacity to continue to piss him off, and he shrugged. They could do this the easy way or the hard way. He had no real preference, or anything. Both could be fun…or exhausting, at this point.

“Look, I gotta message from a shinobi, ole man goes by the name Jiraiya. I’m on his orders, girlie. Now I’m goin’ through tha gates, no matter what ya try. So why no’ make it easy on us all, eh?”

Kiba and Hanabi just stared at him.

“Look, I gotta do this. It’s important.”

No reaction.

“Well, damn. Can ya get me an ANBU? They’ll know me. Well, maybe. How many o’ them masked freaks you got runnin’ ‘round this joint?”

“Too many for you to know.”

“Well, how ‘bout dark-haired ANBU? One was kinda creepy, one had eyes like you, girlie, and one looked like he had a stick up ‘is ass or somthin’.”

Hanabi and Kiba shared a look before she flashed out of existence. Reno stared at the place she had been, surprised.

“Never seen tha’ trick before. Neat. Handy. Where’d she go, man?”

Kiba crossed him arms, wondering if he should just kill the guy now and get it over with.

“You got any water, man? I been travelin’ for days. Ran out.” Kiba threw him a water bottle from his pack and watched as the redhead drank it all. “Will ya tell me ya name now? Mine’s Reno. Kasuchui Reno. I’m from Aisen, otha side of Kaze no Kuni.”

“I’m a shinobi. Nice to meet you.”

“Are ya all this paranoid, or is it just Konoha?”

Kiba started forward, ready to give the asshole a good hit, but Hanabi popped back into the universe with her cousin.

“Finally!” Reno exclaimed. “Someone I remember.”

Neji stared at him for a minute, his eyes going wide. “What are you doing here?”

“Gotta message, man. You’re leader-woman wants ‘is one, I promise.”

“You know him, Neji-nii-san?”

“Yes, Hanabi. I’ll sign for him.”

“Well somthin’, finally. Now can I have your name, man?”

“Inuzuka Kiba.”

“Nice seein’ you, man. But I got important people ta see.”

Neji walked through the gates, Reno right behind him and chattering on. Kiba stared after them, wondering what the hell was going on.

Neji, though, had no such thoughts. He knew that, whatever had brought Kasuchui Reno to Konoha, it couldn’t be good. Nothing good ever came of a criminal showing up and asking to speak to the Hokage.

And where was Sakura?

Logic would demand that if Reno was here, Sakura was here. But there was no sign of her, no shadow following them, no chakra signature marking her presence. Was her absence why he was here? Had something happened? Was he even entitled to an answer?

He wasn’t sure, anymore.

It didn’t take them long to get to the Hokage’s office; even if the man was a civilian, he was trained for activity, it seemed.

The upper level of the building was in turmoil, with people running this way and that and screaming coming from Tsunade-sama’s office. Neji didn’t doubt that it was Shikamaru on the receiving end of her ire.

And he was right.

“I don’t care. You’re the only one who can make sense of all this information. I’ve tried, Ibiki’s tried, we can’t get it. You have to figure it out.”

“Maa, maa. I can figure it out, but there are so many scenarios that this could pertain to, it’s unreal. This is too troublesome to just say ‘go here’ or ‘this person did this.’ I’m not that intelligent, Hokage-sama.”

“Hokage-sama.”

The buxom blonde swished around on her heel to face the door, and the ANBU operative currently occupying space in her office. She dropped the trunk she was about to throw at Shikamaru, sending it clattering to the floor and into the wall.

“Neji?! It better be important—“

“You have a visitor. He’s a frien—“

“Lovely lady! Name’s Reno. I got some stuff for ya, Jiraiya said you’d want it real quick-like.”

She stared at the redhead behind Neji, and the ANBU conspicuously stepped to the side, mainly out of fear for his own safety.

“Who?”

Reno knew he had heard that tone before.

“Uh…Kasuchui Reno. From Aisen. Jiraiya sent me with the last bit o’ info. We got, said you’d need it. Nothin’ makes sense without it.”

“Should I know you?”

“Nah. I’m a friend a Sa—, well, someone. Yeah.”

Reno knew it was the right ‘slip’ to make.

“Then give it to me, fool!!”

The packet was almost ripped out of his arms and thrust into the hands of a poor, harassed-looking ninja by the Hokage. Reno watched the man move back to a desk, opening the folder and spreading the contents out.

He also heard his gasp.

“Tsunade-sama…”

She turned from her perusal of Reno back to Shikamaru.

“What?!”

“I…it’s all…here. Everything. Names, dates, all of it.”

Tsunade stalked over to the desk, looking at the lists and different dossiers in front of Shikamaru, as well as the newspaper clipping he held in his left hand. Both stared at the wedding announcement.

“How…”

Reno shuffled his feet, scratching his head with the right hand.

All eyes were on him.

“Well, that’s why I’m here. Jiraiya’s got tha army covered n stuff, and you can do that stuff ‘ere, but she’s, well…” he looked out the window to the mountain he’d heard Sakura describe to him so many times. It was exactly as he had imagined it, this Konoha. Nice place. Maybe settlin’ down wouldn’t be so bad.

“She’s in trouble.”


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Another chapter down, and only two (maybe three, depending on the last one’s length) to go! This was mainly a lot of filler, but you have to get from A to B somehow, right? Rest assured, chapter 5 will have plenty of the real stuff in it. I’m hoping it will be out mid-June, but I can’t make any promises. I have 13 hours of summer classes this year so I can graduate in August and really start Grad. School. So, busy busy.

Chapter 5: Sakura meets her new husband, and a rescue team is sent in after her. But war finally comes to Konoha and Fire Country, threatening to rip all their plans apart.

Thanks to all those who have reviewed on both sites: BloodRuby, les-liaisons-dangerouses, nicolerogersXX, oyuki, insaneteacup, crystalteardrops, Little Piper Girl, the-lionness, aolia, KimiTien, Laura-chan, roxnroll, Lunar84, Mrs.Cake, Kumicho Yankumi, vic, Reading, Tank, Jo, and those who reviewed anonymously or through e-mail, etc. Especially Adie, who has become a really good friend because of this story and her help when I wrote myself into a corner. Now, if we could find a beta, we could be a triumvirate…