Can you do me a favor?
The room was bathed in darkness, lit only temporarily by the sporadic bouts of lightning that flashed across the night sky outside.
Inside the room there was the sound of her light, cautious breathing as she made her way across the room towards the small bed tucked into the corner. Her dark hues that had easily become adjusted with the darkness made out the human-sized lump buried underneath the blankets. If she looked closely enough she could see the slight rise and fall of the blankets. The girl called out softly to the form beneath the sheets, watching as said form shifted barely at the sound of her voice.
"Sakura said I might find you here." She wasn't at all surprised when the person beneath the blankets didn't respond. She closed the distance between herself and the bed, finding a spot on the edge. "She failed to mention that you forgot to pay your light bill."
Despite her attempt to lighten the mood, the person beneath the sheets barely budged. She sighed softly and scratched her head as she tried to think of another approach.
"I'm sorry it took so long for me to come and see you, Lady Tsunade hasn't kept me in the city much. According to her, the city's shinobi numbers are stretched thin right now; we are all pulling double, even triple missions to cover the slack. I haven't been able to get more than a handful of hours of sleep for longer than I can remember. The sooner you are back on your feet the better!" Even though their face was covered the girl smiled down at them. Her smile fell when there was still no response. She could see this was going to be harder than she thought. She sighed once again and ran her fingers through her hair; Tsunade had definitely picked the wrong person for the job.
"I assume you have heard what has happened since you've been gone?" The Hokage asked. She sat at her desk, her chin propped in her hands as she took in the girl's haggard appearance. She disregarded her torn clothes and the dirt that smudged her exposed skin as well as the cuts and scrapes that decorated her body and focused her full attention on her unmarked face. She watched as the young child nodded her head.
"Sasuke Uchiha has betrayed the village and joined forces with Orichimaru. There was a retrieval team sent out to collect him but the mission did not turn in their favor. Why is this important, mi'lady? Do you wish for me to try and locate him?"
The tired village leader shook her head. "No, I need you to focus on something more important at the moment. It concerns your friend, Naruto." The girl tensed subconsciously at the mention of her longtime friend.
"Calm down, he is fine – physically – however, you can imagine that he hasn't taken these recent events lightly. He has become reckless in his recent missions; he's spent more time in the hospital than out in the field. All he wants to do is get Sasuke back but he knows that he is no match for the boy at the current time. He won't listen to reason, that's where you come in. He needs a friend more than ever right now."
The girl nodded her head to show that she understood. "If you would allow me to take my leave, mi'lady, I think I will go and see to him now." The brown-eyed woman nodded in agreement.
"I think that would be best; I have taken you off active duty for the next couple of days. Try to get some rest as well." The girl bowed respectfully.
"Thank you, mi'lady." The dark haired girl disappeared from the room without another word.
The bright flash of lightning that lit up the dark sky just outside the apartment alerted the girl to her surroundings. When she saw that the figure beneath the covers had not moved an inch since she drifted off she decided it was best to leave.
"Well, it's getting late, and it doesn't look like the rain is going to let up any time soon. I guess now is as good a time as any to head on home." The girl moved from the bed, intending on leaving the dark apartment, when she was stopped by a raspy protest barely over a whisper.
She turned to find the familiar wild tuft of blonde hair peeking from beneath the covers along with a set of large blue eyes. "Can I ask you a favor, Hué?" A reluctance in his voice brought the girl slightly closer, her curiosity piqued.
"You can ask me anything, you know that," Hué said softly. She stood before him once more, a soft smile on her lips.
The usually loud shinobi didn't say anything for a while, opting instead to stare at the girl before him, as if contemplating whether or not to continue with his train of thought. He had a hidden look of mistrust behind his blue orbs, tinged with a desperation and sadness; Hué had never seen the boy look so broken. It was a while before he spoke again.
"Stay."
Hué could not help but smile at the innocent request. "Move over."
The blonde boy happily obliged.
Stay.