It was storming on that day.
I was spending the night at Sasuke's house. I have been doing that often as of late. Every week-end you can find me at his place. This week-end was no exception. His parents were overseas on a social gathering and Itachi promised not to bug us. We were free to play video games and watch porn all night!
Ok, maybe not porn...
Last time, Itachi walked in on us and gave us both an earful. We stayed clear of that from that day forth, well, at least as long as Itachi was home. We took on games one by one then. Sasuke had a hundred games or so. Most of them where quest, fighting, and racing games. He had a new game every week. Well, he could afford it, his parents were rich, famous and all that crap I couldn't care less about.
Anyway, we were playing his new game when Itachi came into his room. "It's for you," he said and offered Sasuke the cordless house phone. Sasuke glanced at me and I shrugged. I had no idea who could be calling at 11 in the night. Sasuke sighed and took the phone from his brother's outstretched hand. "Hello?" he spoke into it. A second later, he gave me an annoyed glance.
It was Sakura, his resent girlfriend.
Figuring it will take a while, I stood up and left him to sort-out whatever there was she was angry at him for again. I descended into the kitchen thinking something to snack on would be nice right about now. I paused in the doorway when I saw Itachi occupying the kitchen table. From day one he made it clear that he didn't like me. If you leave us alone for too long, I swear you'd have a dead body on your hands.
I figured 2 minutes wouldn't kill me.
Without saying anything or even making much noise, I made my way to the fridge. Opening it and taking a look inside the huge fridge, I frowned and opened the freezer instead. I found those little pizza-wanna-be snacks that took 3 minutes to make in the microwaves and smiled. This will be perfect. I closed the freezer and almost had a heart attack when I saw Itachi standing next to me. I dropped the little package I was holding and took a step away from him. I failed to notice him move in for the kill because the freezer-door blocked my view of the table. Now I cursed myself for the mistake.
Yeah, it's that deadly to be alone with him.
His criticizing eyes dropped to the floor where the package lay, forgotten. "Clumsy, aren't you?" he mocked. Screw you. If I wasn't friends with Sasuke, I would smash your head in... ok, or at least try. "Um...sorry about that. You just surprised me, that's all," I said, clearly uncomfortable by his closeness. The closest we've ever been was that one time when Sasuke sat between us on New Years Eve. "I seem to be doing that a lot judging by the way you act," he raised a brow. I wouldn't be acting this way if you weren't such a psycho-brother. I saw him glare at me.
Did I say that out-loud?
My eyes widened when I realized that yes, I did say that out-loud. "Oh god, I didn't mean that!" I tried. He wasn't buying it. "So that's what you think of me?" he said it more like a statement. Well, there's no way out of this so I might as well tell him. "From day one you hated me like it was your right. From the minute I stepped through that door you were glaring at me. I didn't do anything to deserve this! I'm sick of this shit!" I yelled, glaring at him. His glare hardened and his stance became guarded, "I have every right to hate you. People like you always try to get close to us because of our status," he said, spitting the words out like venom. I closed my hands into fists, "People like me?" I asked, glaring at him still. "Yes, people like you. Low-lives, nobodies, trash," he said, looking down on me.
His words hurt. They always do.
I took a step back and hang my head, my longish bangs covered my face, away from his criticizing stare. My left hand flew to my right forearm and grabbed it in order to stop the tears that were welling up in my eyes. I took another step back, biting my lip I looked up at him. The tears slid down my cheeks, "You're right. I'm nobody, I'm trash," I sobbed lightly, "But I'm not a twisted person like you!" I yelled before bolting to the exit. I grabbed my jacket that hang lazily by the door and ran out of the house, heading for my car that was parked on the side of the road. Ones inside, I fire-up the engine and took off into the night.
The rain and wind were harsh. But the tears were worse, they just wouldn't stop. They made it harder to see, especially since it was raining cats and dogs, so I wiped furiously at my eyes, the sleeves of my shirt getting soaked.
The last thing I remember was passing a green light.
Everything hurts.
My head, my body, my arms, my legs. Most of all, my throat. I tried to move but pain shot through my body. I stilled. What's wrong? Why does everything hurt? Why? I started to panic. I opened my eyes with some difficulty and looked around. I was in a room. It was dark here. A beeping caught my attention. I tried locating the sound but it hurt to move my head so I gave up. A moment later, someone entered the room. The lights were turned on and I closed my eyes, not used to the bright yet. I blinked them open again and took a look at the person that came in. It was a woman, maybe in her 40s, with blond hair and big boobs, wearing a doctor's uniform.
Maybe I'm dreaming.
She came closer and checked something on my left that I couldn't see. Then she came over to the end of the bed and lifted a clipboard off the hanger. "My name is Tsunade and I'm your doctor for the time being. You're in a hospital. You were brought in with some serious injuries. You've been here a little over two weeks. Your relative, your uncle I believe, was notified and already visited you a few times," she explained. Then she walked over to me and placed her hand on mine, "There's something else," she paused, carefully evaluating my face, "One of the major injuries were dealt to your throat," she paused again, taking a seat. She took a big breath and I could see her giving herself a mental push, "I've done everything I could but I'm afraid the damage to your throat was rather catastrophic," she took another breath, "It will be hard for you to eat for a while and..." she trailed off.
God, the suspense was killing me and it seems I couldn't stop the slightly annoyed expression of impatience from slipping into my face. Tsunade took note of that and sighed, "Your vocal cords were damaged and, most likely, you wont be able to speak anymore," she finished hurriedly.
Silence.
Too shocked to react, I only nodded my head as best as I could. Tsunade patted my hand, an apologetic look on her face, and left me with my thoughts. What now? I didn't know. I lay there, looking up at the ceiling, thoughtless. Tears started falling down my cheeks. Damn it. This is all Itachi's fault. If he just left me alone, if he wasn't such a prick, this would have never happened. But no, he just had to be an ass. Damn him.
An almost soundless chuckle forced it's way out.
Here I was, in the hospital, chained to the bed, and the first one I thought about was Itachi. How low can I fall? Tsunade came in again and asked if I'd like to sleep. I nodded and she flicked the lights off on her way out. I lay some more, just staring into space, before closing my eyes. Soon after, I fell asleep.
The next time I woke up it was already bright in the room. The light pored out the window on my left. I smiled. I had the sunny side. Sunlight always cheered me up. A knock interrupted my thoughts. The door was opened a second later to reveal my uncle, Jiraya. He was carrying a huge bouquet of flowers in one hand and a bag in the other. I frowned at the flowers and raised a brow at the bag. "Hey kid. How are ya feeling?" he asked, grinning at me. I rolled my eyes, silently telling him that I couldn't answer. "Right," he nodded and scratched his head. He set the flowers into a vase that was already here, on the night stand. Then he took a seat and emptied the continence of the bag into his lap. He lifted a few comics, "They said you'll be here a while," he grinned again. Then he showed me a book, "My new masterpiece. Thought you'd like to take a look," he winked.
Pervert.
Last was my orange Netbook, "Thought it'd be better than writing on paper," he commented. Then he stood up and plugged the charger into an empty wall-socket. He plugged the Netbook and turned in on. "Wonder if ya can move yet," he mumbled. I wondered too so I tried moving my hand. It was easier to move it than last time and wasn't as painful. Plus, I had this light feeling in my head, probably from the painkillers. I nodded at him and he placed the Netbook next to me. I moved slowly and typed on the blank page of Notepad 'what happened to me?'. I motioned with my hand and Jiraya turned the small devise towards himself. "You had a car-accident," he said after reading my question. I motioned for him to elaborate. He sighed, "A car crashed into you on the intersection. The driver said he didn't saw the red light because of the storm. He didn't even know it was there because it was his first time in that area," he finished with another sigh.
Great. Just great.
I sighed. 'what now?' I typed. Jiraya struggled, "I don't know kid, I don't know," he said. Silence fell on us like a heavy weight. I wanted to cry. What will happen to me? Will I be able to finish school? I was almost done with it too, just a few more months and I would have graduated. How long will it take now? And what will I do after? I needed a job. My uncle had enough trouble as it was and now this. I couldn't keep relying on him. Not only did he take me in when my parents died, he also payed for my school-tuition and living expenses.
I had rotten luck.
He chatted a bit more with me, talking about the most ridiculous things that made me smile, before he got a phone-call from work and ran out, promising to come again. I grabbed the first book that I could reach. It turned out to be Jiraya's. I sighed again and began reading. Halfway into the book there was a knock on my door and in came Tsunade. "I see you had some visitors," she commented when she saw the flowers and the books. I smiled up at her and she returned the smile. Then she went to check on the readings on the monitor on my left. From the corner of my eye, I saw her taking notes on the clipboard. "Everything seems to be fine here," she said, "But how are you feeling?" she asked. I turned to my Netbook and typed in 'a bit uncomfortable and some parts hurt'. She read the note, "I can give you some painkillers if you'd like," she said and I nodded. "I'll get the nurse to give it to you with the food," she glanced at her watch, "Ten minutes tops," she told me and walked out.
The nurse came over and fed me the thing they call food. I almost gagged. Then she gave me two little pills and a cup of water. I gulped down the water hungrily and the nurse filled my cup again. The water eased the dryness in my throat and I sighed contently when I finished my third cup. The nurse smiled at me and walked out, taking the tray with her.
A month passed.
I was able to move more freely now. The pain was still there in some places but it was dulled by painkillers. Besides, I always healed fast. Something to do with the white blood-sells in my body. The doctor said I'd be out of here in a week or so. They even changed my food to something more tasteful. As it was, I was content.
A knock on the door made me lift my head from the comic I was reading. It opened slowly and I saw a familiar figure standing in the doorway, looking uncomfortable. Someone pushed Sasuke from behind and he turned around to glare at the person. I found this highly amusing and smiled, chuckling slightly. Sasuke noticed this and smirked. He never actually smiles. If he did, the world would come to an end. "How are you?" he asked. I rolled my eyes. He looked puzzled by the action. My eyes widened.
No one told them?
I sighed and motioned for him to sit. Raising a brow, he obeyed. When he moved away from the doorway, I could finally see who he came with. It was Sakura, Sai and Kiba. They waved at me and I motioned for them to come closer. They did. I could tell though that they were a bit uncomfortable. "Hey klutz, drive much?" Kiba barked out. A vain throbbed on my forehead. Some things never change. I flipped him off and glared for the comment. That only made him laugh harder. "Oh don't mind him, Naruto. He's like this now but you should have seen him when you were absent! He was sulking all the time!" Sakura said, laughing when Kiba turned pink with embarrassment. I chuckled, covering my smile with my palm. "So, how are you?" Sai asked.
The four looked at me.
I gulped and reached for the electronic device. Opening the Notepad, I typed 'I'm better. I cant talk though'. I motioned for them to come closer and they did. They stood behind Sasuke and read the note. "Oh, well, that's ok. You can tell us about it later, when you get better," Sakura beamed at me. I smile sadly at her and typed a few words in to the Netbook.
'it cant get better than this'
There was silence as the four read. Then a puzzled look on all their faces. The first to understand the meaning was Sasuke, no surprise there. He stood up so fast that the chair fell over. His hand shot-out to grab my chin, lifting it up to get a better view at my throat. The little cloth with tape that covered the gash on my throat made his eye twitch. He was irritated and I knew he wanted to take a look at the damage. I looked him in the eye and nodded. He gulped and carefully lifted the tape, revealing the angry red vertical gash. I heard Sakura gasp and glanced at her. She had her palm covering her mouth, a look of horror on her face. Sai and Kiba just stared, shell-shocked. "Naruto..." Sasuke murmured, his palm coming to rest on my cheek.
I started crying.
The four came close and hugged me. Sakura and Kiba teared-up while Sasuke and Sai just looked miserable. I patted them all on the head, silently letting them know that it's ok. "Naruto, I'm so sorry," Sakura apologized, looking more miserable than the rest. No wonder, she was my very first friend when I moved here with my uncle. We were like siblings at the time. When school started, I met Sai in my first art class. Then I met Kiba in science, we're like twins at this subject, meaning we screw-up a lot. Sasuke I met in math, my worst subject. By the end of the week, Sasuke became my tutor and then my best-friend.
I really loved my friends.
I reached out and placed my hands on Sakura's cheeks. Looking her straight in the eyes, I shook my head and smiled. 'it's not your fault'. She seemed to understand because she smiled sadly and returned to hugging me while everyone else stood up. "This sucks!" Kiba suddenly yelled, "Why'd you have to drive around in a storm like that?" he asked me, frustrated, while staring at me. "That's right. Why did you leave so suddenly?" Sasuke asked, also staring at me. I blinked up at them, trapped. I cant just say it's because of Itachi, I'll look like a jerk.
So I typed in 'I had my reasons'.
Sasuke glared at me, "Bullshit," he said. I glared back at him. How dare he accuse me of lying? "You had a fight with my brother, is that it?" he asked. I flinched slightly. His eyes caught it and he glared even harder but this time, his anger was directed at something else. He turned on his heals and briskly proceeded to walk out. But before he could leave the side of the bed, I move and grabbed his hand. He turned to me and I shook my head, pleading him with my eyes not to go. He frowned and slapped my hand away, "This is all his fault! I'm going to make him pay for this," he yelled darkly and ran out the door.
All was silent.
I reached for the Netbook and typed in a few words. The three read it and nodded. Saying their good-bye, they left one-by-one through the door. Sakura glanced back at me on her way out. I smiled at her but as the door closed, my hands found my face and I cried into my palms, letting out silent screams.
'I want to be alone right now'.
10 days passed.
Sakura, Sai and Kiba came every day after school and stayed with me for a few hours. Sasuke came only ones after our argument. He didn't stay for long. Sakura said it's because he cant stand to see me like this. I believe her but I still feel lonely and abandoned. Still, I understand. I wouldn't want to see my best-friend in a pitiful state like the one I'm in right now.
I didn't have much time to think about it ones my friends went home. The doctors made me go through rehabilitation and some therapy. They say it's normal to feel stressed and scared after something like that. I was just returning from my therapist when Tsunade stopped me in the hall and asked to follow her to her office. Ones inside, she took a seat behind her desk and I sat on the chair across from her. She opened a folder and went through some papers. Then she looked up at me, "Well then, looks like you're recovering without any difficulties. As it is, you're free to go home starting tomorrow," she said.
I couldn't believe it! I'm finally free to go home to my comfy bed! "I already called your uncle and informed him of this. He will come pick you up at ten," she continued, "If there's anything, don't hesitate to call us," she smiled reassuringly. I beamed at her and nodded enthusiastically before getting up and running to my room to get ready. I packed my books and the few clothes Jiraya brought into my backpack. Setting it next to the bed, I changed into my pj and went to the calf to get some diner.
I chatted with a few friends I made in the hospital while eating. They all seemed really happy for me now that I'm finally able to leave this boring place. Choji, the only guy my age here, even shared his snacks with me. You'd think they'd take away his junk-food after he got food poisoning. Doctors sure are weird.
When I got to my room, I went straight to bed. I wanted for tomorrow to come faster.
When Jiraya came, he wasn't alone. The last person I ever wanted to see came in with him. I stopped where I was and stared at the said person. His emotionless eyes looked me over, stopping at my throat. "That's one way to shut you up," he mocked, turning away from me in distaste. Those words punched me right were it hurt. I glared at him, then I glared at Jiraya for bringing him.
"Before we get any further, read this," Jiraya quietly said and handed me a pile of papers. I scanned through the documents. Itachi's name, reports from therapists, my name, and a curt order were jumping out at me. I frowned and read more carefully. What is this? Itachi went through therapy; the reason was guilt. He felt responsible for what happened to me. A difficult case?
Pieces started to come together in my head.
A curt order was issued three days ago. Itachi was to care for me until he feels no more guilt. A paragraph caught my eye. I had to be a willing party in order for this to work. I imagined myself laugh. Like that'll ever happen. I pulled out my cellphone from my jean-pocket and typed on an empty message page. I trusted the phone into Itachi's face.
'I refuse'.
He didn't seem fazed, which irritated me to no end. I was glad it didn't go anywhere, not like I was expecting anything anyway. This was probably just a formality to save face.
So when he opened his mouth to talk, I wasn't really prepared.
"Are you sure you have the luxury to refuse?" he asked but continued right away, "The medical fee is already sky-high for someone of your status,". I couldn't believe this jerk! I looked at Jiraya, waiting for him to say something. He averted his eyes, ashamed. My eyes widened and anger grew. I grabbed him by the collar and shook him with all my might. He placed his hands on mine and stilled me, "Just listen to him for a minute, will ya?" he mumbled.
I glared at Itachi again.
"Medical fees, recovery fees, school fees, living expenses and other fees. Jiraya's income wouldn't be able to cover it all, not even in ten years," Itachi spoke. I typed in 'so what?' and turned the phone so Itachi could read it. "If you come live with me, I'll pay for everything, even your uncle's debt," were Itachi's final words before the reality of it all hit me. Stunned, I sank to the floor. Did I hear him right? He wanted me to... live with him? Why? Was this a way of torture?
I typed into the phone and handed it to Itachi. To my 'why are you doing this?', he responded with a short and emotionless, "Guilt,". A minute of silence passed before Itachi stepped out to give us a moment. I looked up at Jiraya, he looked positively crushed. Good. I typed into the phone 'so you're selling me to him?' and handed him the small device. His eyes widened, "No, it's not like that!" he flopped to the floor and hugged me. "Can't you see? For whichever reason, he wants to take care of you. He'll do anything, he'll get you the best help. I can't do anything for you as things stand. I can barely make ends meet right now, I wont be able to take care of you. You have no future with me," he sobbed into my shoulder, "You can hate me if you want but I'm only doing what I think is best for you,".
I took the phone from him and typed in 'what if he wants to cut me to pieces and sell my organs?'. When I showed it to Jiraya, he laughed and ruffled my hair. "I don't think anyone would want to buy your organs," he said and stood up, helping me get up as well. I scoffed at him. He crossed his arms and looked away, "What will you do?" he asked. I sighed and typed 'I'll accept'. He ruffled my hair again, "I'm sorry, Naruto,".
We walked out of the room, Jiraya carrying my bag. Itachi was waiting for us in the hall. I curt nod from Jiraya told him everything he needed to know. He glanced at me and began walking. The two of us followed him to the parking lot. Jiraya helped put my things in the trunk of Itachi's black car. Giving us a moment, Itachi climbed in and fire-up the engine. The two of us said our good-byes and I climbed in to the back seat.
I gave one last longing glance as Itachi pulled out into the busy streets.
All was quiet as he drove us to his apartment building. We passed many familiar places on our way. The 20 minute drive gave me a lot to think about. Mainly, I thought about jumping out of the car. I didn't want to talk or see him, let along live with him. I felt devastated, totally crushed by him. If only we had the money, I could have been home, living my life as I wanted.
All was smashed to pieces ones we drove into the garage.
Itachi got out without a word. The trunk door closed and the passenger door opened. Itachi stood there with my bag, "Get out," he ordered. I crossed my arms and turned away from him. "Suit yourself," he said darkly and slammed the door shut. The beep and click of the car locking came soon after. Surprised, I crawled to the window and saw Itachi walking away with my bag.
He's leaving me here?
I took out my phone and texted him 'don't leave me here!'. From my spot, I saw him taking out his phone. He stopped and turned around to face me. I saw his indifferent eyes as he turned the screen to me and pressed the red button. The screen went blank and then black. I couldn't believe my eyes. He just turned off his phone, and now he was walking away again. Did he plan to just leave me in the car? I tried opening the door but to no use. He had a system that didn't allow people go get in or our ones the car was locked.
I was locked in and I had no idea for how long.
I texted Sasuke. He was probably still at school so it came as no surprise when he didn't answer. He always turns his phone off since I used to text him in the past during class. We both got suspended for a day. Later, Sasuke shewed me out for tarnishing his flawless record. I texted Sakura and Kiba instead since Sai didn't own a cellphone. Kiba was the first to respond and I asked him to find Sasuke. Sakura asked to wait till lunch since this was their last morning class. I said I'd wait.
12H30 came and ten minutes after, I got a text from Sasuke asking what happened. I explained it to him as best as I could and he promised to do something about it. Unfortunately, talking to his brother on the phone didn't work-our so he promised to pay him a visit as soon as school ended.
'why cant you come now!' I texted.
'because I have an exam' he texted back.
'fine, I'll wait, but you better be quick!' was my last text.
I spent the time laying on the backseat, thinking up all sort of ways to get back at Itachi. I knew though, that if I were to execute at least one of them, I might be returning to the hospital. In the end, that didn't stop me from dreaming.
I got bored quickly.
I've been tossing and turning on the back seat for the past hour. It wasn't exactly comfortable, even if the car was luxe-class. My ribcage hurt slightly from being in the same position for too long. If this keeps up, it's going to bruise again since it's not fully healed yet. I sighed and kicked the back of the driver's seat. Damn that Itachi. I started glaring daggers to the front.
That's when I thought of a way to get back at him.
Smiling evilly, I climbed to the front and sat behind the wheel. I imagined myself in a race for a moment, steering the wheel right and left like a mad-men. Then I went through his compartments. There wasn't anything particularly interesting; just some CDs, bunch of documents, an electronic day-planer, a few pens and a mint flavored gum. I took a piece of gum and pulled out the day-planer. Taking a look at his schedule, I couldn't believe how busy he was. The pages for next week were completely filled right up to 7 o'clock in the evening.
The pity that came over me was instantly crushed.
I opened his schedule for tomorrow and in the section where it said 'lunch', I typed in 'see your therapist'. Then I threw his things on the front passenger seat and tilted my seat back, continuing to stare into space. I contemplated playing a game on my cellphone, but one glance at the battery and I dropped that idea. It wouldn't do me any good if it died on me right now.
The time passed.
Around four, I got a text from Sasuke saying that he's here and that he's going to talk to his brother right now. I sent 'good luck' and waited. The minutes seem to crawl even slower now that I'm anticipating something. The next time I glanced at the time, half-an-hour passed. There was still no word from Sasuke and I figured that he's fighting with Itachi. They always take too long when dealing with something.
Around five, I received a call from Sasuke. He said he's coming to get me and hang up. Well, it's not like I could answer anyway. True to his word, a few minutes later, I saw him running to the car. He looked really pissed and I gulped nervously. He unlocked the car and yanked the door open. "Come on," he ordered, reaching out to grab my hand. I didn't protest as I hurriedly followed him out the building and to his car. He unlocked it on the go and told me to get in.
We drove in silence to his house. Every time I glanced at him, the same glare and stiff posture reminded me of how angry he was. I wanted to ask what was bothering him, but every time I opened my mouth I had to close it, because no matter how much I wished for it, words would never leave my mouth again.