Naruto Hime
Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto created Naruto. Not I.
Warning: There will be a lot of time skips. Angst, Foul Language, Angst, and OOCness.
Chapter 7…
VII
The Past Return
Dr. Gerald Rush leaned against his cushioned chair while he faced the worried parents sitting across from him.
He lightly tapped the ball point pen wedged between his fingers on the large mahogany table that seemed rather big for the room. A golden plank reading: Dr. Gerald Rush PhD was perched away from the clutter on his desk, on the very edge of the table.
"Today we will be doing Rorschach inkblot test. This will help us see both of their personality characteristics and emotional functioning. It will also help determine if either of them have a personality disorder." Dr. Rush lightly touched the stack of papers that lay face down on his desk.
When the two had nodded their understanding, he pushed down a red button that poked out of the metal box that sat on his desk. Two beeps were heard before someone answered.
"Yes, doctor?" came a cheerful female voice.
"Send them in," Dr. Rush said, speaking directly into the speaker. A minute later, there was a shuffling of feet at the door then it slowly opened to reveal twin six-year-old boys.
Even after two months of therapy sessions, the doctor was still finding it hard to call them twins.
Even thought they were identical, after the very first session, the doctor had concluded to himself that they were each other's contradictions.
Kyuubi was the strong silent type while Naruto was sensitive and full of energy - always wearing his heart on his sleeve. Naruto's eyes sparkled with youthful energy while Kyuubi's blue eyes were ice cold and held no emotion.
Naruto's exuberant blue eyes and wild blond hair with sun kissed skin reminded him of the sun dancing in the sky. While Kyuubi's dark hair and pale skin was like the midnight moon.
"Hello boys. Your parents are watching our therapy session today."
Both boys turned in perfect sync with each other to see their mother and father sitting on the large brown leather couch that was pushed against the wall.
"I hope it's alright with you," Dr. Rush said looking directly at Kyuubi.
Kyuubi shrugged taking a seat to the right of him, while Naruto took a seat to the left.
"Today I'd like to try something new." Dr. Rush reached for the stack of papers on his desk. "I want you to look at one of these pictures I show you very carefully. I'm going to be asking you a few questions about them so I want you to be honest."
Naruto nodded vigorously while Kyuubi sat silently.
"What do you see?" Dr. Rush asked holding the paper with ink splashed all over it up.
Both boys leaned in and the examination began.
There were ten inkblots in all. Five inkblots were black ink on white paper. Two were black and red ink on white paper and the other three were multicolored.
Dr. Rush glanced at his wrist watch and couldn't help but have mixed feelings about the session ending. It was fascinating watching the two.
"That will be all for today boys," Dr. Rush said after writing down a few notes for his final analysis.
Both parents got up, thanked the doctor, then left.
"Bye Dr. Rush," Naruto called waving at him and giving him one of his signature grins. The doctor couldn't help but smile back, giving a small wave in return.
"Goodbye Naruto."
They were indeed very different.
Xx One Month Later xX
Naruto sat in his backyard, rolling a soccer ball between his hands. He let the sun beat down on his face as he studied the boy standing across from him. Kyuubi was standing under the shade of the tree, casually leaning against it.
Their mother had forced Kyuubi to stop reading and come out side to play with Naruto. After about half an hour, the brunet had grown tired of chasing Naruto all over the yard. Seeing as how Naruto was quicker and more athletically built then he was, he had given up and decided to stand in the cool shade for a while.
A while had grew into twenty minutes and Naruto could feel boredom making its way into his hyperactive system. He stopped dribbling the ball, stood up, and stormed over to the stoic boy. Kyuubi didn't even bat an eye when Naruto stopped directly in front of him.
"Yuu come play with me," Naruto demanded tugging on his brother's sleeves. Kyuubi glared at his brother.
"What do you wanna play?" Kyuubi answered in a bored tone.
"Fox and robbers!" Naruto shouted excitedly. Kyuubi gave him a wiry look. It was a game the Naruto had made up.
Kyuubi would play the sly thief who always robbed a bank or whatever his imagination allowed, and Naruto would always play his clever little fox companion - who always fooled the cops with his clever little tricks.
How he loathed that game.
"Alright, but I know a way to make the game even greater."
"What?" Naruto asked with genuine interest.
"By giving you real life whiskers. You'd look really cool," Kyuubi said with a bit of forced enthusiasm.
"Really?" Naruto stared at his brother in awe. Kyuubi nodded, even offering the blond a wide grin. "Do it!"
Naruto pulled on Kyuubi's arm. Kyuubi immediately pulled it away as if burned.
"I don't know if you're brave enough." Kyuubi teased, instantly bringing Naruto out his stupor.
"I'm brave." Naruto puffed out his chest to prove his point.
"Okay. Lay down." Kyuubi ordered pointing to the ground in front of him.
Naruto did as he was told and lay on the soft grass. He watched as Kyuubi walked up to him, adjusting his body until his back was straight and his hands lay flat on his side, almost like a solider.
After making the few adjustments Kyuubi straddled him. Naruto wiggled a bit at the heavy weight on his abdomen - plus Kyuubi's knees were placed heavily on his arms, completely immobilizing him.
"Hold still," Kyuubi said digging into his jean pocket. He pulled out a small razor, letting it reflect in the sun before looking down to see the Naruto's reaction. He wasn't disappointed in finding fear in the blue orbs.
Naruto eyes widened as the blade neared his face. "I don't know…"
"You want to be a real fox don't you?" Kyuubi asked a little harshly then he should have.
"Y-yeah," Naruto mumbled shrinking back.
"Then let me give you whiskers."
"But m-mom might get mad," Naruto said anxiously.
"I told you it was dangerous. I knew you weren't brave enough," Kyuubi pretended he was about to get off Naruto - he couldn't hold back a smile when Naruto tugged on his shirt.
"No, I'm brave. Do it."
When Naruto continued to quake in fear Kyuubi gave him a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry. She'll love it so much she'll forgive you right away."
"Really?"
"Would I lie to you Naruto?" Kyuubi asked crossing his arms as if daring the blond to challenge his good intentions.
"N-no I guess not."
"Good. Now hold still." Kyuubi leaned back down, not bothering to hide his triumphant smirk.
A tingling sensation buzzed through his system as he dug the blade into Naruto's perfect tan cheek, then dragged it across the cheek bone.
Naruto squeezed his eyes shut as he felt blood trickle down his cheek. He let out a small whimper but kept quite.
Kyuubi's expression never changed as he looked down at the boy under him. His hands didn't hesitate or shake, he kept on a steady pace as if he was painting a picture. He blocked out the sound of Naruto's low whimpers, even when they turned into full out screams and sobbing choking sounds escaped his shaking frames. Tears cascaded down the blonds face making it look as if he was crying a river of blood, but he went on.
He had finished the final 'whisker' when he heard the back door bang open, and the sounds of his parents shouts - the rustling of their cloths as they ran across the lawn. He was confused as to why Naruto had stopped wiggling and poked Naruto in the chest but received no response.
Kyuubi's dark eyebrows knitted together. He was sure he saw the sparkling blue eyes staring up at him a moment ago.
Kyuubi's eyes never left the boy, even as he was roughly pulled off the blond by his father who was screaming profanities at him. He watched his mother kneel down and crush Naruto into a tight embrace while cradling him.
Kyuubi's eyes widened a little. Why was she begging him to wake up? He hadn't killed Naruto had he?
Kyuubi finally looked away when his father shook him by the shoulders - screaming something. He glanced at the man, noticing how red his face was - how his usual calm blue eyes were blazing with rage and fear. Had he done that?
Kyuubi tilted his head to the side, almost like he was studying him.
That was all they had in common - those striking blue eyes. The same blue eyes that his mother said was the reason she had fallen in love with the man.
As he continued to study his father, he imagined that's how Naruto would look when he was older…
All for one and one for all
My brother and my friend
What fun we have
The time we share
Brother 'til the end.
Naruto twisted the gold handle with ease. The thick white door unlocked automatically, as if it had been waiting for him. He wasted no time in rushing in. He felt his feet come to a stop with the sight in front of him.
Kyuubi lay strapped to a bed, his small body covered with tight leather straps. He was tossing his head every which way - completely immobilized. The nurses that surounded his bed didn't even need to hold him down.
Dr. Rush hovered over his brother with a syringe in hand. He placed a gloved hand on Kyuubi's arm to steady him.
"No!" Kyuubi cried out, drool slid down his mouth. His blue eyes darted from nurse to nurse, almost like he was pleading them to stop the doctor.
At the sight of the needle Naruto took action.
"Leave him alone!" Naruto shouted pulling on the man's sleeves. The doctor didn't look down at him with mild surprise.
"It's my fault. I told him to do it. Please don't hurt him." Naruto let out a loud sob while he clenched the doctor's white lab coat.
Dr. Rush placed a gentle hand on Naruto's head. The blond looked at him with wide hopeful eyes, even when tears continued to stream down his face.
"Get him out of here," said Dr. Rush, looking down at Naruto with his kind brown eyes as if he was saying sorry.
"It'll be alright Naruto," one of the nurses said softly. He recognized her from the therapy sessions. She was the one who always brought them in.
Naruto felt himself being lifted up into the air. He thrashed against her but the young woman still held on to him as if she was used to it.
"Naruto don't leave me." Kyuubi sobbed straining his neck to look at Naruto. Tears slid down his eyes - onto the tip of his nose.
"KYUUBI!" Naruto screamed.
"NARUTO!" Kyuubi screamed back.
The white doors swung shut, the last image Naruto had was his brother's frightened eyes calling out to him.
Xx Six Years Later xX
Naruto sighed deeply as he played with the tie wound around his neck in an effort to loosen it. He nervously bit on his lower lip as he watched the boy on stage run through the music piece.
The song was unbelievably long and complicated - Naruto found himself almost falling asleep. He watched as delicate pale fingers jumped across the keyboard at an unusually fast pace that seemed impossible for someone his size.
Naruto thanked the gods when the piece finally ended. It was met with applause and a standing ovation.
Kyuubi got up from the piano bench to take a stiff bow. He neither smiled nor waved.
Naruto was doing that for the both of them at the moment. He gave his brother a smirk when he noticed the blond standing on his chair, cheering his name loudly.
When the recital finally ended, he met his parents outside.
Kushina pulled him into a side hug, kissing the top of his head tenderly.
"Sweetheart your playing was beautiful."
They walked across the wide parking lot of Konoha Art Academy - the school where he hoped to attend when he was older. They had flown all the way from Tokyo to Konoha just for the recital. The performance he had given should have gotten him front seat in enrollment but someone else had ended up winning.
"As always," Minato added.
"It obviously wasn't good enough," Kyuubi responded coldly. He kept his eyes trained on the large trophy being held up by the grinning blond boy in front of them.
Naruto unlocked the door of their car with little difficulty - even with the heavy load in his hands. He turned around and waved at them enthusiastically before hopping into the back seat.
"The judges themselves said it was a very close decision. If they could split up the first place position they would have." Minato tried to reassure his son.
"It's ridiculous. The idiot barley practices and he wins first place. I've worked seven years on that. I deserve that trophy not him."
Kyuubi didn't flinch when his mother's hand slapped him across the face. The sting burned his cheek which was now tinted red.
"Kushina." Minato grabbed her elbow to stop her from further harm.
Kushina shrugged his arm off. Giving Kyuubi a hard look, she swiftly walked away from him to go sit in the car.
Once inside she turned in her seat to give Naruto a reassuring smile, she was positive he had heard and seen everything. Her smile turned into a worried frown when she saw his face. He stared out of the window with a blank stare. Her eyes traveled towards the trophy that had been pushed away from him.
"You who I called brother
How could you have come to hate me so?
Is this what you wanted?"
He wasn't sure how it started or when it got bad, but Naruto found himself once again, sitting next to his parents in the stuffy office of Dr. Rush PhD.
"I'm afraid Kyuubi shows signs of schizophrenia. I know that his diagnosis was psychotic depression. But the more I speak with him the more I'm sure he is schizophrenic."
Naruto kept his head bowed, unable to look up at the three adults that seemed to be discussing Kyuubi as if he was nothing but a stranger to them when in fact he was their son, long term patient, and his brother.
Naruto knew exactly why they were there. He hated to remember but forced himself to go back to earlier that day.
He had walked into the bathroom to wash up after a football game he had had with some of the neighborhood kids - only to find his brother laying in the bathtub in a pool of his own blood. He had slit his wrists with the same razor he had used to give Naruto his 'whiskers'.
Kyuubi was somewhere in the hospital with IVs stuck in his arms but instead of waiting by his side, his parents had chosen to flee to Dr. Rush's office and drag Naruto along with them.
"What does that mean?" Kushina asked frightfully, that made Naruto's heart skip in fear. His mother wasn't afraid of anything.
"It is a severe form of depression. Psychotic depression is reasonably rare, especially with someone his age. Same thing with schizophrenia - we've already discussed this before - with the 'bear incident' (1). His hallucinations and paranoid behavior have gotten significantly worse."
"How can we help him?" Minato asked. His calm controlled voice helped Naruto's heart rate slow down a bit.
"More prescription medication." Dr. Rush folded his hands over his desk as he continued his explanation. "Schizophrenia is a mental disorder. It explains his mood, his secretiveness, and his emotional coldness. It even explains his brother complex. (2) I didn't want to diagnose him until he was a little older but now I can see it clearly."
"What would you recommend?" Naruto heard his mother ask.
"I think it would be best if you left him in our care for the time being."
You had to have it all
well have you had enough?
You greedy little bastard
you will get what you deserve.
When all is said and done
I will be the one to leave you in the misery and hate what you've become.
Naruto squirmed in the plastic blue chair he was sitting in. He drummed his fingers on the side of his chair, still unable to understand why they couldn't have tables.
One of the nurses had mumbled something about Kyuubi not being able to handle tables but Naruto hadn't been paying much attention. The air smelt like cotton balls, and it was unusually warm in the room. Making it extremely uncomfortable for him.
His curious blue eyes skimmed over the plain white walls of the visitor's room, all the way around - only to come back to the figure sitting hunched over in front of him, sitting in a similar plastic blue chair.
Kyuubi wore faded orange hospital gown that was too big for his thin frame. He had gotten even paler since the last time Naruto had seen him. His hands where folded in his lap, Naruto could make out dark circles under his eyes.
"Mom says you'll be able to get out soon if you continue to do well in therapy. Isn't that great?" Naruto said in an effort to lift the mood. He smiled at his brother, but it turned into a frown when he received no response, not even a mere glance from the other boy.
Kyuubi kept his head bowed.
A numbing silence took over the room making him feel uncomfortable.
Naruto jumped when Kyuubi suddenly got up, knocking his chair over.
"It's your fault they took me away," his cold voice whispered hoarsely.
"No," Naruto whispered.
"Get out of here." Kyuubi shoved the frighten boy to the ground. "Now!"
When Naruto tried to get up but Kyuubi pushed him harshly onto the ground.
Kyuubi was now straddling him like all those years ago. The pale boy's knees dug painfully into his arms immediately immobilizing him.
"I hate you!" Kyuubi shouted. He wrapped his cold hands around Naruto's warm neck and squeezed as tightly as he could.
Naruto dug his finger nails into the strong hand around his neck to loosen the hold but came to no avail. He felt his air passage being blocked the world plummeted into total darkness. His brother's vengeful eyes burned themselves into his memory.
A loud scream interrupted the calm night. Naruto sat up in his bed panted heavily. Cold sweat ran down his exposed chest, soaking his sheets. The pounding in his head made it hard for him to concentrate. He lay back in bed, putting a hand over his chest. He could feel his heart hammering for release and his breathing came in short gasps. With shaky fingers he touched the three scars on either side of his face. He knew exactly why he had the nightmare.
It was Friday.
(1) This will be explained in later chapters.
(2) Brother complex
Cain complex: Extreme envy or jealousy of a brother, leading to hatred.
Synonym: brother complex.
Origin: Cain, biblical personage
- Not my definition
A/N: I know nothing about mental illnesses. I don't claim to. It's not a profession I would like to pursue. The information given is purely based on texts I've skimmed over on wikipedia. It's all for the sake of the story.
