Homeless In Konoha

Chapter Four

Itachi was sitting with Sasuke when he watched Deidara walk past the room, his hands shoved in his pockets trying to look nonchalant. Itachi didn't know why but there was something off about Deidara, and Itachi had the feeling he wasn't going to like whatever it was.

"I'll be back, Sasuke. I'm going to go check on Naruto." Itachi said as he stood and headed for the door, waiting until Deidara had disappeared around around before he quietly entered the room next door. The stench of blood and sex filled Itachi's nose making the man grimace. It didn't take a genius to know what had happened, the only question was when and how and who. Itachi slowly approached the bed, the scent of blood growing stronger the closer he got.

When Itachi reached the Naruto's bedside, his eyes immediately found the small pool of blood soaking the sheets underneath him. Rage filled Itachi as he reached out and hit the call nurse button, how the hell had someone managed to get in here and do something like this?

"He's been raped." Itachi told the brown haired nurse. "I can smell the blood and semen."

"How the hell?" the nurse wondered as she hurried over to the bed and proceeded to undo Naruto's restraints, to gently turn Naruto over onto his side to see the back of Naruto's gown soaked in blood. Itachi's heart clenched at the sight knowing that Naruto had gone through some terrible pain.

"Who would rape an unconscious kid?" Itachi asked feeling sick to his stomach at the thought.

"Besides you," the nurse said removing Naruto's gown. "There has only been one other person in this room, and I'm betting as soon as we do a DNA test the semen will have all the answers we will need." ice filled Itachi's veins as he realized the only possibility for the identity of the rapist.

"That son of a bitch." Itachi seethed. "I'm going to kill him."

"Have security be on the lookout for for a tall, blonde man wearing dark clothes." the nurse told the doctor who responded to her call. Turning to the the nurse behind the doctor, the nurse informed the other of what had happened.

"We have a severe rectal bleed, he's going to need more blood and he also has DNA of the monster that done this all over him, so make sure to get a good sample. After that let's get this poor kid cleaned up."

"Have him moved into my brother's room." Itachi said "that way I can make sure that they are both safe. If I see that evil bastard I'll kill him." Once Naruto had been removed for clean up, Itachi returned to Sasuke's room, still angry beyond belief. How could someone that he trusted be so completely evil without Itachi seeing the signs before now? Itachi wondered what Deidara's plans were for returning him to his former foster family, was there something going on there that needed to be looked into? Itachi was going to find out and in the mean time Itachi was going to petition the courts for custody over Naruto. Given that Naruto had taken to living on the streets there had to be a reason for Naruto to have run away.

Feeling eyes on him, Itachi lifted his head and to find Sasuke looking at him, the dark eyes clearer than they had been the last time he had woken up.

"Glad to see that you are looking better." Itachi said, giving his brother a weak smile. Sasuke frowned, wishing that the tube inserted in his mouth could be removed. Itachi looked worried and he wanted to know why. Sasuke raised his hand and tugged at the tube before Itachi pulled his hand away.

"I'll get Tsunade." Itachi said softly. "Though she may think that you aren't ready for it to come out yet." Itachi leaned over and hit the nurse call button.

"Can I help you?" the intercom buzzed.

"I need Tsunade to come check on Sasuke. He's awake and doesn't want to be on the ventilator anymore." Itachi explained.

"I'll find her and send her your way." the nurse replied and Itachi turned back to Sasuke.

"Now you just have to be patient." Itachi told him, turning when he heard the door open to see a red eyed Naruto being pushed into the room they still had him strapped to the bed but he had been cleaned up. Itachi couldn't smell the blood or semen on him anymore. Itachi watched as they gently transferred Naruto to the other hospital bed, the blonde boy trembling so hard his entire body was shaking. Itachi's heart clenched hating that the teen was so afraid of human touch.

Once Naruto was settling back in bed, Itachi turned to Sasuke who looked even more confused.

"The situation has gotten a little more complicated." Itachi told him. "Naruto is currently under my protection and will remain so until everything is cleared up."

"How is he doing?" Tsunade asked from the doorway, causing Itachi and Sasuke to turn towards her voice.

"He's impatient to get that ventilator out." Itachi replied. Tsunade chuckled and entered the room, and proceeded to check Sasuke over.

"Looks like you're good to have tube out." Tsunade informed him, and proceeded to give Sasuke instructions as she proceeded to gently pull the tube out, Sasuke coughed as the tube slid out of his mouth.

"Just relax." Tsunade told him. "You're throat is going to be soar for a little while." Sasuke nodded, and turned his attention to Itachi.

"What's Naruto's story?" Sasuke asked quietly, glancing over at the still trembling teen.

"I think that would should be a story for him to tell." Itachi replied, "But I will say that it's something that no one should ever have to go through, and if I have my way he won't ever have to go through." Sasuke frowned and looked back at Naruto, who looked more than a little uncomfortable being tied to the bed.

"I don't think he's very comfortable." Sasuke said hoarsely, his throat hurting. Itachi glanced at Naruto, frowning.

"Would you like me to take off the restraints so that you can sleep?" Itachi asked, and Naruto nodded. Itachi stood and crossed the room and gently took the restraints off of Naruto's wrists, the boy turning onto his side, moaning softly in pain as he done so.

"Do you need some more pain killers?" Itachi asked wishing he could make the boy feel better. Naruto shook his head.

"I don't like how it makes me feel." Naruto whispered. "I don't like being drugged." which made Itachi wonder if Naruto had been drugged and raped before.

"If it hurts too much something needs to be done." Itachi said. "You don't deserve to have to go through anymore pain than you already have."

"All my life has been about has been pain?" Naruto said quietly "Why should it ever be any different?"

"That doesn't make it right." Itachi replied, watching as a nurse entered the room and approached the bed.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked watching her.

"I need to draw some blood for some blood work." She said gently. Naruto frowned, he didn't want her to touch him, he'd been touched enough since he'd come to the hospital.

"It's okay." Itachi said soothingly, knowing that Naruto didn't want anyone to hurt him anymore. "She just needs to make sure that everything's okay, after what you have been through, just watch me." Naruto raised his eyes, and Itachi knelt down so that he was on the same eye level as Naruto and soothingly talked Naruto through the procedure.

Once the nurse was done, Naruto was breathing a little easier and looked like he could get some sleep.

"Go to sleep." Itachi said, Naruto shook his head.

"Nightmares." Naruto murmured. "I keep having nightmares."

"You can't let that keep you from getting your rest though. You need to be able to get some sleep, otherwise you will be too exhausted to focus." Itachi said. Naruto sighed heavily, he knew Itachi was right but he didn't like closing his eyes. Things happened to him when he went to sleep, things that he needed to be awake to prevent, he couldn't expect Itachi to understand because the older Uchiha had never lived out on the streets.

Once Naruto was a sleep Itachi returned to his brother's side. Sasuke had watched the whole conversation, silently curious about the other teenager.

"What's wrong with him?" Sasuke asked. "Clearly, he has some health issues, he's too thin and he looks sick."

"He's lived on the streets for who knows how long, I'm sure food was hard for him to come by." Itachi replied. "That in itself will cause him some health problems but I believe that he may also have some issues from his other activities."

"Like an STD?" Sasuke asked. Itachi nodded.

"I hope not, for his sake, I hope the tests come back negative." Itachi replied. "I think Naruto deserves a break after all that he's been through."

"Which you aren't going to tell me anything about are you?" Sasuke asked and Itachi shook his head.

"It's not my story to tell, besides I don't think Naruto would want anyone to know." Itachi replied seeing the nurse that had taken Naruto's blood stick her head through the door.

"I'll be back in a minute." Itachi said and headed out of the room, a sick feeling in his stomach.

"We put a rush on Naruto's blood work." The nurse began. "considering that he's a teenage prostitute the results weren't all that surprising." the nurse told him.

"What are you talking about?" Itachi asked.

"His tests came back positive for AIDS." She replied. "and obviously there is nothing we can do to change that."

Thanks for reading and reviewing. Liz