Phew! Here's the next chapter everyone! I'm extremely sorry I'm so late. I don't have any excuses. I'm late and that's that. I hope you haven't abandoned this fic!
This chapter goes a bit slowly I think, but after the next one things start to get more interesting.
Hope you enjoy!
It was the middle of the night and the lone moon was high up in the sky, illuminating the sleeping village. It was quiet, not a sound could be heard aside from the trees rustling in the wind. Everyone in the village was in a deep slumber, visiting the land of dreams. Everyone, that is, except Sasuke.
He sat atop the window sill, gazing out the window in silent contemplation. The slight opening of the window carried a breeze into the room and rustled his hair. His porcelain skin glowed in the moonlight and gave him the aura of a supernatural being crawling out of the darkness. His visage donned a curious expression and one could tell he was thinking deeply about a troubling matter.
He turned his head around to look over at the middle of the room. His eyes fell upon the blonde boy sleeping soundly on the bed. Sasuke felt a wide range of emotions rush through him at the sight of his best friend in such a condition. He had spent most of the night thus far trying to figure out who could possibly have done such a thing to Naruto. He had many suspicions, but none of them seemed to feel right.
Being a shinobi, one naturally had many enemies, both inside and outside the village. In Naruto's case, it was worse for he played host to the nine-tailed Kyuubi. He always had people going after the demon or trying to capture the demon's power like the Akatsuki. But…no one had seen anything or felt anything suspicious as of late related to that band of rebels. Orochimaru had been taken care of years ago and none of his followers had the guts to go after the blonde. The village had been neutral in most things for the past several months and so there wasn't any motive for other villages to attack. Even if they did want to, they wouldn't have focused on only one person. No, they would have declared they were coming after Konoha and tried to attack a whole bunch of them at once.
Aside from other villages, there was always the chance of there being some stray shinobi after the Kyuubi's power. Yet, once again that wouldn't be it, because not only had there been no recent threats for the demon's chakra, but it was evident that the fox was still residing in his host.
Turning to face the window again, Sasuke frowned deep in thought. The only other possibility now was of it being someone from inside the village. The only problem was in determining who it was. Naruto hadn't had any of his weapons, so he couldn't have done much damage to whomever it was that had attacked him. He could have used his taijutsu Sasuke tried to reason. Then, upon remembering the alley he had found the blonde, he shook his head, discarding the idea. They alley hadn't looked damaged at all, with the exception of the blood stains. It Naruto had really used taijutsu the place would have been a wreck; the Uchiha knew the blonde's potential.
Of course, there was also the possibility that Naruto had been attacked elsewhere and then been brought to the alley to be discovered…or hidden. Sasuke let out a growl of frustration upon remembering the blood stains once again, as well as the bloody kunai. The incident had definitely taken place in the alley, no doubt about it. But then…what other possibilities were left? Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and looked up at the night sky. The moon shone beautifully in the darkness surrounded by the twinkling stars. The stars reminded the raven of Naruto's sparkling blue eyes that were always full of mirth and laughter.
Sighing, the Uchiha forced himself to get back on track, remembering the initial anger, fear and sickening worry he felt when he had discovered the blonde earlier that night. He had crossed out the possibilities of the culprit being from outside the village. He now had to focus on the Konoha. Closing his eyes, Sasuke thought of all the shinobi who could possibly have anything against Naruto. There were some elders who boldly resented the dobe for his mischievous habits but, in Sasuke's eyes, that wasn't a good enough motive to attack someone. He thought of some of the older shinobi and ANBU members who had hated the boy since his existence because of the Kyuubi. There was a very high probability of it being one of them.
Even so, it didn't feel right to the raven. For one, if it had been them, then the incident wouldn't have been so sloppy. And secondly, they would gladly have just…finished the job. Sasuke shuddered at the thought and felt eternally grateful he had found the boy when he had or else it might have been too late.
Sasuke thought back to the fact that it seemed as though the dobe hadn't put up any resistance. Did that mean it had been a surprise attack? Maybe s surprise attack by someone he knew…and trusted? The Uchiha clenched his fist tight as he thought of the implications of what that meant. Someone had betrayed Naruto! Someone who had initially been a friend was now the enemy. And if the blonde knew them it was highly likely that Sasuke knew them as well. That meant the village was probably in danger from someone on the inside.
The raven glanced over at Naruto again, wishing he would awaken. He desperately wanted to know who it was that had hurt his best friend. He wanted to make sure that Naruto was alright.
Sighing, Sasuke stood up from his place at the window and walked into the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom. He opened the tap and let the water rush out. It was soothing and it relaxed him. He splashed his face with the cool liquid and felt refreshed, the sleep from his eyes disappearing. After doing this several times and thoroughly washing his face, he dried off and returned back to the bedroom.
He was about to take his place by the window once more but stopped mid-step. He looked back over at the still sleeping blonde with curiosity. He thought he had just heard a voice, but the blonde was still in the same position as before – sleeping – and he didn't sense any other chakra signature nearby. He waited and listened for another few moments in the darkness but didn't hear anything else. Assuming it to be a trick of his sleep-deprived mind, he shrugged and sat atop the window sill once again.
Several seconds later, he heard a whimper. His ears perked up instantly and he turned his head around to locate the source of the disturbance. He was surprised when he found out it had come from Naruto. Sakura had said that he wouldn't wake for at least a day so how…? Sasuke decided to ignore that, however, since he had grown accustomed to expecting the unexpected when it came to the dobe.
Upon hearing more whimpers and moans, Sasuke rushed over to Naruto's side. The boy's eyes were shut tight and he had a deep frown on his face as he tried to fight again the obvious nightmare that plagued his mind. The Uchiha looked earnestly and with worry as the blonde started to writhe and twist underneath the sheets.
"No…please…" Naruto whimpered, his words laced with fear and terror. Sweat was now dripping down his forehead and soon enough, his hair was damp with the cold perspiration.
Deciding not to let the dobe suffer any longer, Sasuke tried to wake him.
"Naruto," he said quietly. It didn't work, "Naruto!"
To his dismay, the blonde still hadn't awoken yet. In act, his words had had no effect on the boy whatsoever. Sasuke resorted to shoving the blonde, yet, as he did so he pulled back his arm in shock. Naruto's skin was on burning hot! The Uchiha tried to ignore that as best he could and focused on waking up the blonde again.
"Help…!" Naruto murmured desperately.
"Naruto," Sasuke said soothingly as he gently tried to shove the blonde awake. "It's okay, I'm here. Wake up dobe, you're alright."
To his surprise and dismay, Naruto shied away from the touch and pushed him away. His nails, which were slightly sharper than usual scratched at the raven's hand. Sasuke hissed in pain and pulled away, cradling his injured hand. He looked down and noticed that there was now blood streaming down his fingers. It wasn't much, but it still shocked him. What was going on?
"Go away…I don't want…ugh…" the blonde continued to writhe under the sheets. "No…please…just kill me…"
Sasuke whipped his head up at hearing this. Was Naruto revisiting the incident in his nightmare? How bad had it been that Naruto was begging for death? He could hear the despair dripping off of Naruto's words and it sent pangs of worry and dread to Sasuke's heart. He reached over to the blonde and shook him hard whilst calling out his name, urging him to wake up.
"Naruto! Dobe, wake up!" there was almost an edge of panic in the raven's voice. He could now see tears streaming down Naruto's contorted face. "C'mon Naruto! Naruto!"
It was several minutes before Sasuke was knocked over as the blonde sat bolt upright and let out a blood curling scream. His voice was laced his absolute terror as he clutched his head and doubled over in pain.
"N-Naruto," Sasuke managed to say. He got up and quickly turned on the light. The other ninja flinched at the sudden brightness and was now panting hard and looking around, frantically trying to find out where he was.
The raven got up and stopped beside the dobe. Instantly, upon seeing the figure, Naruto yelled out and backed in fear. "N-no! Go away! Don't touch me!"
Clearly, the boy was hysterical; he wasn't in the right mind since the experience of the nightmare was still fresh. As the Uchiha gazed into the terror stricken face of his best friend, he couldn't help but look down at his feet, trying not to make eyes-contact. Guilt spread through him instantly and his face donned a distressed expression.
"Naruto," Sasuke said quietly and he could feel the dobe flinch, "it's me, Sasuke."
"Don't lie," his voice was weak but harsh, "you can't fool me like that! I may be a monster, but I'm not stupid."
"No, Naruto," he stepped closer. "Calm down, you're not a monster-"
"D-don't touch me!" he frantically moved towards the opposite side of the large bed, putting as much distance between them as he could.
"Naruto," Sasuke said gently, "you're hallucinating. Look at me: who am I?"
There was a silence that followed the raven's words ad it was several moments before Sasuke saw the blonde's innocent eyes widen in comprehension. The Uchiha gazed into his eyes intently and patiently waited for the other to speak.
"S-Sasuke?" his voice was strained. He slowly relaxed as he took in his surrounding and realized he was in the Uchiha's bedroom.
"Yeah, Naruto," Sasuke walked over to the blonde and pulled him close into a warm embrace. He was careful to avoid touching the blonde's injuries. "Thank God you're awake. Are you okay?"
Naruto nodded slowly, stiff from the unexpected hug, and shuffled closer to the raven. He felt safer somehow and it eased a lot off his mind temporarily. Even this small movement, the Uchiha noticed, caused the blonde to wince in pain. The raven could tell he was still on edge but it was better than before.
"What happened?" asked the blonde.
"You were having a nightmare," the Uchiha replied; he didn't know what else to say but the truth.
"Oh," Naruto had his eyes downcast, not wanted to make eye-contact with the other ninja. "Sorry."
Sasuke was slightly taken aback by this. He didn't see why there was any reason to apologize. "There's no need for an apology."
The blonde didn't reply, choosing to stay silent instead. Tentatively, Sasuke brought his hand up and started to gently run a hand through the boy's hair. This seemed to calm the dobe down, so he continued.
Sasuke desperately wanted to bombard the blonde with the millions of questions running through his mind, but he kept silent. He hoped the blonde hadn't noticed the scratch on his hand. They stayed like that for a while before he decided to speak of something else to make the blonde feel more at ease. It was that he was still shaken up by the whole ordeal. "Are you hungry?"
Naruto shook his head sharply and had to bite his lip to prevent himself from letting out a gasp of pain. Everything hurt so much!
The raven felt him stiffen and he looked down with a calculating gaze. "Where does it hurt?"
"Nothing hurts," he replied softly.
Sasuke watched him suspiciously but let it go; deciding to ask again later.
"Well," he was unsure of how to continue, "You should, um, get some rest. You have a pretty high fever."
All he wanted was to whisper sweet things to the blonde and tell him that everything would by okay. He wanted to…but he couldn't. For all he knew, it would just freak the blonde out again to see him behaving so differently. He knew the blonde would mistake his love for pity.
Naruto nodded once again and silently but cautiously lay down on the bed, making sure not to move too much in case of brining his injures to life once again. He still refused to make eye-contact with the raven.
Somewhat satisfied, Sasuke stood up from his position on the side of the bed and decided to tuck the blonde in properly. As soon as he got close enough, Naruto flinched violently and shied away from the touch, stiff as a board. The Uchiha ignored it as best he could and reminded himself that he would question the blonde in the morning; now was not the time.
Before exiting the bedroom, he turned off the light and said, "I'll, um, wake up you up in a couple of hours for breakfast, okay?"
"'Kay," came the barely audible reply. "Thank you."
Sasuke smiled weakly and closed the door behind him as he left. Outside the door, Sasuke paused and took a deep breath. Why hadn't he been able to talk to him and ask him what had happened? He had always known he was never the most social person…but he could have at least talked to the dobe about everything. The only good thing that came out of this was that he knew that Naruto was okay and that at the moment he was getting the rest he deserved.
Naruto lay there with his eyes with eyes open. His once shining blue eyes were now dull and lifeless. His breathing was slow and heavy and, other than the rise and fall of his chest, he was completely still and silent.
Everything hurt; outside and inside. His body ached and there was now a sharp pain pulsing along his back and behind. It was clear that both Sasuke and Sakura had worked to bandage him up; he had known them long enough to recognize their work. He also noticed that neither of them had done anything to near his pelvis for which was grateful for. He didn't know what would happen if they found out that he had been…raped.
Naruto closed his eyes as a tear rolled down his cheeks. He had been raped. By some villagers. He hadn't even been able to save himself from their hideous actions. He was supposed to be strong, that's what he worked to become. How could he have let them do that to him? How low could he get? If it was actually possible for some village boys to gang up on him and do that, then he really was pathetic. And now…he was filthy. He was a filthy pathetic monster hated by the entire village. Everyone wanted him dead. His whole life so far had been a waste. He didn't deserve any of the friends he had. They probably only put up with him because of Tsunade.
And Sasuke…Naruto thought back to some moments ago when he was safe within Sasuke's arms. That had felt like heaven1 Oh, how he wished could spill his heart out to the raven! He wished it, but he couldn't possibly do that. Sasuke would hate him for sure. He would then be known as the filthy, pathetic and gay monster that deserved to die for condemning the village to the threat of being annihilated by the fox demon.
Naruto let out a whimper as he felt despair take over his heart. He was useless…worthless…
He thought back to the conversation he had had with Kyuubi. The demon was right. This whole incident was painful and traumatic. Kyuubi had been right to keep the memories from him. And now, it was too late for them to be taken back. If only had had listened to the demon in the first place. This was another thing to add to Konoha's list of reasons to kill him; his stubborn stupidity.
Suddenly, Naruto heard a shuffling noise outside the door to the room. It was the sound of approaching footsteps. He quickly wiped away his tears – violently wincing at the pain of the sudden movement – and closed his eyes to feign sleep.
He heard the door creak up and felt the light from the corridor spill across his face. The door closed and he heard footsteps approaching him. He tried his best not to flinch as a hand touched his forehead. It must be Sasuke, Naruto reasoned.
The hand was lifted and Naruto heard the clinking of ice in water. The next thing he knew, there was a cold sensation atop his forehead. It felt so good, so soothing. It took a lot for him not to moan out it relief, but he was sure his expression must have changed because he heard Sasuke say something about him being a dobe. It was several minutes later that he heard the raven get up again and exit the room. That was a quick visit, Naruto thought. Even so, he was thankful to be alone once more. He still had to sort out his thoughts.
He could still feel the dull ache lining his back and pelvis. He didn't want to know how bad it would get if he had to get up any time soon. It had already taken a lot of him when he first awoke from that god awful stroll down memory lane. It was surprising that he hadn't screamed in agony…but then again, he hadn't been in the right state-of-mind. The dobe shuddered, remembering what was going through his mind at the time. He never wanted to see Kaido or his friends ever again. The mere thought of meeting him sent chills down his spine.
Naruto wondered what would happen if anyone found out about all of this. Surely they would shun him as the villagers had done to him all his life. This thought caused the blonde's eyes to brim with tears once again. If…if Sasuke ever found out, Naruto was sure he wouldn't be able to cope with any of it. At least for now, his secret – the fact that he was the filthiest person in Konoha – would be safe. No one would need to know and he could carry on as best as possible. Granted, he doubted he would ever be able to look himself in the mirror, and it would take a while for him to get rid of the flinching, but it would all work out in the end, wouldn't it?
Naruto shut his eyes tighter and felt the tears roll down his cheeks only to dampen the pillow beneath him. It was with the continuous tears streaming down his face that the blonde fell into an uneasy sleep.
Sasuke squinted in the bright light of the sun that streamed in from the window across from him. He groaned and rubbed his eyes, his mind and body still plagued with sleep. Opening his eyes, he found himself sprawled across the couch. Why was he on the couch?
"Ugh," he grunted and sat up. Looking around, he located the clock and discovered it was seven in the morning. Why was he so stiff and tired? He was about to get up and head back to his room to get some more shut-eye but spotted Naruto's torn and bloody shirt laying nearby. What-?
Naruto! Sasuke's mind went frantic, remembering the events of the night before. That's right, he thought, Naruto's here. He recalled visiting the sleeping blonde – whom he knew hadn't been sleeping – placing a cold towel on the blonde's forehead to help with the fever. After that, he had come back and taken a seat on the couch, thinking about all that had happened. He must have fallen asleep at some point.
Raking a hand through his hair, the raven stood up and took a stretch, relieving his muscles of the stiffness. He then walked over to where the dobe's abandoned shirt lay and threw it into the trash. He didn't want any more reminders of the night before.
First thing's first, he decided, walking over to the bedroom. Quietly, he opened the door and looked over at the bed. The blonde was still sleeping soundly. For this, he was thankful; the dobe really needed some rest. Sasuke walked in silently and took the cloth from the boy's forehead. Feeling the skin beneath the messy blonde locks, he was relieved to find it was much cooler than before. It wasn't completely back to normal temperature yet, but he was glad it was a sign that he was getting better.
Deciding to let the boy sleep for a little longer before the Hokage was scheduled to come, he left the room and closed the door behind him. He felt an awful taste at the back of his mouth and decided he should clean himself up a bit.
Thirty minutes later and Sasuke found himself staring at his reflection in the mirror. He could see the fatigue in his eyes from the night before. His expression was sullen but he could see in the eyes that stared back at him the anger hiding beneath the surface. He could feel the cold fury pumping through his veins.
He looked down at his hands which were now clenched into fists. The raven felt the urge to hit something, to hear the pain he would cause at cracking someone's jaw. He raised his fist and was about to lash out at the wall at his pent-up frustration but, before he could make contact, he heard a loud banging followed by some incoherent yelling.
Looking down at his raised fist, he hesitated. He really wanted to get rid of all his pent up frustration, but at the same time he knew that he had to hold it in for Naruto's sake. Opening the door, he stepped out into the corridor and calmly made his way to the front door. Under no circumstances would he let the Hokage get the best of him.
"Uchiha, you brat, open this door right now before I knock it down!" Tsunade yelled from the other side of the closed door.
Taking a deep breath, Sasuke opened the door to reveal a very angry looking Tsunade whom he was sure had been about to break into his house. He congratulated himself for the good timing.
The blonde woman took one look at him and pushed him aside, barging into the room.
"Damn brat," she muttered as she looked around, "keeps me waiting…Who does he think he is? It's bad enough that I have to come here in the first place."
After several minutes of cursing and muttering, her anger dissipated and she turned to face him once again, swinging her medical supply bag in sway with her body. Sasuke stood in the same spot as before, glaring at her, in front of the now closed front door.
"Where is he?" she asked, her voice loud with annoyance.
Without a word, Sasuke stepped around her and led the way to the blonde's room. The Hokage had arrived earlier than expected and he hadn't gotten a chance to tell the dobe about it. Before opening the door to the bedroom, he turned around to face her and spoke firmly. "Let me go in first and fill him in on what's going on."
Tsunade stopped before he opened the door, her hand resting on his shoulder. "Sakura told me he wouldn't be up for another day at least."
"He's stronger than you think," the raven answered. "Most of the injuries are healed now thanks to the jinchuuriki. But it was a nightmare that woke him up."
Naruto woke up, startled, as he heard voices approaching. It sounded like Tsunade-baa-chan and Sasuke and it terrified him. If they were here for the reasons he thought they were here for then he was in trouble. He wasn't ready for this. He was sure Tsunade was there to check on his injuries and make sure he was okay since that was medical procedure after a shinobi was injured. But he couldn't have that. Sakura had already cleaned up most of the filth from the night before and he had risked her finding out about the…incident. Luckily, she had respectfully left certain areas alone.
He gulped. There was no way he would be able to live with himself if Tsunade found out about it all. He couldn't have her touch him; he wouldn't let her. Although his body still ached near his nether regions, he would rather deal with the pain than face humiliation and rejection.
He was sure he would become even more of an outcast if the events of the previous night came to light. It already hurt him enough to have the majority of the villagers hate him, and if his friends turned his back on him then…No! He wouldn't let that happen! He wouldn't let any of this get out! He would wash away the filth and become clean once again. But…the pain still hurt. It was like a scar across his heart, a scar that could never be healed.
Sinking deeper into the bed upon which he lay, Naruto took several deep breaths, trying to calm down and prepare for what was to come. He wasn't given much time, however, before the door was opened slowly and he heard someone enter the room. His eyes were closed as he once again pretended to be asleep.
"Naruto," it was Sasuke. He laid a gentle hand on Naruto's back, pushing him gently to wake him up. Naruto barely controlled himself from flinching violently at the unexpected touch.
The blonde opened his eyes slowly and discovered the Uchiha leaning over him by the side of the bed. He looked worried and concerned; something was rare in the eyes of an Uchiha.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. He looked the dobe in eye and helped the boy to sit up, aware of the pain that the boy tried to hide.
"Fine," Naruto lied. The truth was that he was in pain, both physically and emotionally.
Sasuke was silent for a while as he gazed into the blue orbs, contemplating whether or not to questions the boy's response. He decided not to. Instead, he sat down at the edge of the bed and looked at the blonde once more.
"I didn't tell you this earlier but Sakura came here last night," he started. "I told her about finding you and the awful state you were in. So, of course, she decided to come over and take a look at you."
Naruto nodded, waiting for the raven to continue.
"So, she cleaned you up as best she could and made sure everything was okay. We wanted to make sure you were okay and speed up Kyuubi's healing."
"Yeah, I figured that's what happened judging by the bandages when I woke up," Naruto said in monotone.
Sasuke nodded and continued, "Well, anyways, Hokage-sama is here now and wanted to look you over again to make sure everything's okay."
"I'm fine now," Naruto answered immediately.
"Yes, and just as an extra precaution, she wants to see for herself."
"No," Naruto cried out, "it's okay! Nothing hurts; I'm fine now!"
"Then it shouldn't take long for her to leave," Sasuke offered. He watched the blonde start to panic and wondered why he was so against having that old hag take a look at him. It was for his own good, after all.
Naruto shook his head sharply and once again tried to convince the raven that he was indeed okay. "Really, there's no need! Kyuubi does his job just fine and-"
"What happened yesterday, Naruto?" Sasuke asked him suddenly, which effectively silenced the blonde's fruitless efforts.
Naruto's eyes widened and he looked down at his hands with which he clutch the sheets. He instantly recalled the memories of the night before and felt the pain in his groin magnify drastically. The hands…the voices…the pain and the…touches. He shivered involuntarily, and did his best to keep oncoming tears at bay. He hands clutched the sheets with a fierce grip and he clenched his jaw so as not to groan out in pain.
"Who did this to you?" Sasuke's voice penetrated through the memories. It was laced with anger and Naruto could tell he wanted revenge.
"I…" Naruto faltered, not sure what to say. There was no way he would reveal anything but he knew Sasuke wouldn't be satisfied until he got an answer. What could he say?
Before he could continue with his frantic thoughts, the door opened violently, causing the blonde to jump in surprise and then wince at the pain. Tsunade barged in and walked up to the bed. "How long did you intend to keep me waiting, Uchiha?"
She put her bag down next to her and crossed her arms over her chest. She was clearly in a bad mood.
"Ah! Tsunade-baa-chan!" Naruto ducked beneath the covers, trying to get away from the woman's wrath.
The raven stood up calmly and looked back at her, annoyed at the interruption. He had almost been able to get an answer from the dobe. "He says he's fine."
Tsunade looked from the Uchiha back to the still cowering blonde. "He's not fine until I say so!"
Naruto peeked out from under the covers and looked defiantly at the older woman, though he remained silent.
The Hokage looked at the blonde curiously before going into her bag and pulling out various instruments. Sasuke stood back, and let the scenario unfold before him.
Naruto was scared, downright terrified. He wanted to say something and argue back against the Hokage's predicted actions, but couldn't find his voice. He could feel himself shake quietly under the sheets and hoped that Sasuke hadn't noticed anything.
Just as Tsunade was about to touch him with her chakra powered hand, he flinched violently and ducked under the covers, retreating to farthest corner of the bed. He closed his eyes and tried to calm down from the resurfacing memories of the previous nights events. Looking down at his hands in the obstructed light, he could see the sweat glistening on his palms. His heart beat at a frantic rate and he took several deep breaths before he finally calmed down enough to be able to sit still without shaking.
"Naruto!" Tsunade cried out, shocked at the blonde's actions. Naruto could hear the worry and concern in her voice but couldn't find the courage to face her.
Instead, he mumbled out, "I said I was fine. You don't have to be here, Hokage-sama."
The honorific in the name, Naruto was sure, had been the reason for the woman's abrupt silence.
"Dobe," Sasuke spoke up, "we just want to make sure everything's okay. Stop acting like the dobe we know you are and come out."
The blonde shinobi winced at the Uchiha's cold tone. He knew he was being childish – a dobe, as Sasuke but it – but there was no way he could have Tsunade find out about the ordeal. Never. He would die before the truth of the incident came to light.
"Naruto," Tsunade said gently. She laid a hand on boy's covered head. He tried not to flinch again but failed miserably. "You're not fine. Something happened last night and you're hurt. That damn Kyuubi may have healed your most obvious wounds, but I can tell you're still hurting."
Not getting a response from the boy, she continued as calmly as she could, despite the worry that she felt.
"Someone hurt you really badly, that much is obvious, and in order to make sure they don't do this again, to you or anyone else, we need to know why that are. But," she took a deep breath and slowly pulled down the covers, revealing the quivering shinobi underneath, "first we need to make sure you are okay. Don't pretend you're not, because all three of us here know that's not true. I saw your clothes from yesterday. That's clear evidence to the amount of damage that was done to you."
Sasuke's ears perked up upon hearing that the woman saw the dobe's shirt. He had discarded that right when had woken up this morning. How had she…?
As though reading the raven's mind, Tsunade looked over at him and spoke. "Really, Sasuke, did you honestly think that by throwing it in the trash that you could get rid of it so easily? I thought you were smarter than that. I could smell the stench of the blood as soon as I stepped inside."
The raven didn't let his stoic expression fall. Uchiha's didn't let that happen. But how could he have been so stupid? He knew better than that! He blamed the worry and concern that had taken over him since the moment he laid eyes on the blonde's unconscious body.
"Well," Tsunade sighed, turning back to look at the boy on the bed. She looked into his eyes in silence, deciding what to do next. She let her gaze travel to the window covered by the curtains on the opposite side of the bed. "I have a proposition for you."
Both Naruto's and Sasuke's heads turned to look at her, Naruto's in fearful anticipation and Sasuke's in curiosity. They waited silently as she took her time before speaking.
"If it matters that much to you, I won't give you a personal check-up, but," she paused and looked Naruto in the eye, her amber orbs alight with fire, "you'll be staying at the hospital until you're completely healed"
Sasuke nodded his head minutely, seeming to agree with the Hokage's condition. Although he would rather Naruto not go to the hospital, it was better for the boy to heal properly and on his own terms.
Naruto's head travelled down to his hands once again as he took in the Hokage's words. He hated staying at the hospital. The atmosphere there was so depressing and he didn't have much freedom. However, if it meant that he wouldn't have to get a check-up, then it was worth it. It was the only way that his secret would stay hidden and Tsunade would be satisfied. He looked over at the raven and to his surprise, found that the Uchiha approved of Tsunade's compromise.
Turning to face the woman he spoke without gaining eye contact. "When will be able to go back to training?"
"Like I said, as soon as you're healed."
Frustrated, Naruto scrunched up the sheet covers with his fists, "I already told you I'm healed!"
"You're not healed until I say you are!" Tsunade barked, crossing her arms and looking over the blonde boy with hardened glare. Her tone of voice ended all further arguments.
Gathering her belongings back into her bag, she straightened up and turned to leave the room. She paused at the door and spoke once more before leaving. "I'll see you two at the hospital this afternoon at two o'clock sharp."
Well, what did you think? Again, please inform me of any errors I may have made and I'll correct them as soon as possible. I believe the next chapter will take me just as long as this one did. In case you didn't know, I'm also writing another SasuNaru Christmas fic (even though it's past Christmas time), so I've been busy with that one as well.
Please keep reading and be patient. I promise you things get more interesting from the next chapter. What can possible happen at a public hospital?
Reviews are greatly appreciated ;)
