CHAPTER 2:
NARUTO
For some odd reason, he had ended up in the hospital again. All he remembered were fragments of screaming and something sharp cutting into him. Now he laid in a hospital bed, his clothes once again in a crumbled heap on the unclean floor. The staff didn't even grace him with a clean room this time. He turned his head to look out the window, closed and filling the quiet space with light.
He sighed and let his head dip further into the pillow, which was flat and gave him no support. His eyes were met with the white ceiling and he resisted the urge to sneer at it. He repeated the same process as before, except for some odd reason, he looked to the side table. He sighed in disappointment and furrowed his brows in confusion.
Why did he expect anything new?
The side table was empty, devoid of the flowers or even a card he had been expecting to see. He left feeling empty.
The Hokage had visited him in his home, during the afternoon. Naruto had just smiled when he saw the old man after he opened the door. It was good to see a friendly face once in a while.
Sarutobi was smoking his pipe, blowing puffs of smoke into the air. Naruto was glad the old man was standing by the window, letting the smoke escape. He ignored the lingering smell of tobacco as he sat in the direction of the man he respected so much.
"So what's up grandpa?" The Hokage, the most respected ninja in the village, only snorted at the comment, a fond smile on his lips.
"It's come to my attention that you have been making frequent trips to the hospital as of late."
Naruto shrugged, his eyes closing in order to not meet the brown eyes of the older man.
"Just been falling a lot as of lately," the lie slipped easily off his tongue and he wondered if it came off as phony as it sounded. The Hokage only hummed, taking another puff from his pipe and not saying a word.
After a moment, the older man took the three long strides needed to cross the small distance and lift Naruto's chin up with his finger. His eyes were piecing and Naruto gulped.
"Naruto, due to certain circumstances, I'll be assigning you a full time nurse. She'll check on you every day, during the afternoon and again at night before you go to sleep." Naruto opened his mouth but Sarutobi's glare cut off any protests.
"It will only be temporary, seeing as the nurse I will assign you is from a foreign village. She will report to me once a week to brief me of your status. This is not an option for you Naruto and I hope you understand that this is for your own good."
Naruto just sat with his mouth agape. He was speechless and Sarutobi liked it that way.
"She will be stopping by tonight, so be kind and treat her with the utmost respect." Sarutobi walked towards the door, robes bellowing behind him.
"And Naruto," the Hokage called from the open door.
"I expect you to be honest," and with that the door was shut and he was left alone.
"What?" He had found his voice too late.
See I built these walls but I'll give them down
What's left of me, is on the ground
"Fooled Myself" - Angus and Julia Stone
After a long bath (now that his hot water was restored), a tantrum and four hours of TV (not in that order), there was a knock on his door. The wooden frame had creaked as he pulled it open roughly, revealing the kind face of what he assumed was his medic-nin.
He greeted her with a grunt and turned his back, taking his position on the couch. The girl had been so kind as to close the door and follow him into the living room. Naruto suddenly wished that his apartment wasn't so small, since it instantly felt crowded with the long haired female seated next to him.
A tense silence settled between them.
"So should I introduce myself or should you?"
Silence.
"Okay, so my name's Tora and you must be Naruto right? Though I was told that you were livelier and friendlier than this." Naruto sighed and decided to push through his annoyance. It was time to put on his facade.
"The name's Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha's Prankster from Hell and the future Hokage!" Tora had just smiled, electric blue eyes staring into his own sapphire blue orbs. For once, Naruto didn't see the disgust he was use to getting from strangers. However, he wasn't sure what he was actually seeing in her eyes and he forced himself to look away.
"Well Naruto-san, as you may have been informed, I will be your nurse. I wasn't exactly briefed on why you require a medic-nin to constantly check up on you, but I won't pry." Her curious eyes and tight smile said otherwise.
"We are going to spend this hour getting to know each other and trying to trust each other." Naruto resisted the urge to snort. Trust was something that he doubted he would hand over to her in an hour or less. Tora smiled as if she knew what he was thinking.
"Trust me Naruto-san, my trust is hard to earn and it might be the case with you. Due to that," she straightened up her posture and turned fully on the couch to him, "we are going to be spending the first hour of my visit doing trust exercises."
"Huh?" Tora smirked at Naruto's confused expression.
"You heard me Naruto-san, I made sure not to stutter. Now, let's begin." Her smirk was once again a smile and Naruto forced one on his face.
Great.
Naruto had spent the better part of the visit on the couch, answering simple and thankfully general questions. Every question Tora had asked was directed back to her, all which she answered with a sense of grace and fluency. Naruto noted, with a hint of disdain, that her overly critical eyes rarely left his person, as if she were analyzing his every move.
She probably was.
"What village are you from?" Tora was silent, lips pressed tightly together and arched brows furrowed.
"Tsuki," she answered, voice low and eyes glazed over.
"Tsuki? The Village Hidden in the Moon? Never heard of it." A bitter smile graced Tora's lips and the slicing look she spared him caused him to flinch.
"I'm not surprised." Her voice was low and just as bitter as her smile. Naruto pried no further and Tora didn't bother to elaborate on anything related to her home life.
"Take off your shirt and jacket," she demanded suddenly, hands growing a light pink. Naruto didn't move and Tora lost her patience, hands hovering over flesh, both clothed and covered. Mere seconds later Tora's hands went back to their normal shade of tan flesh.
"Overall, you're in good health. However, your body is lacking in nutrients and vitamins. I'll make sure to bring something for you to eat." From her sharp tone Naruto knew the food would not be as tasteful as he was hoping.
"I'll see you tomorrow afternoon." With that, Tora took her leave, leaving a guilty feeling blond behind.
