A/N: Well, as most of you know, I've revised this piece o' crap story. So tell me how you like it, 'kay?
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters.
Warning: Yaoi (malexmale), crude language, future sexual content
Rated: NC-17
Pairing: Minato Namikaze & Naruto Uzumaki
Summary: Having romantic feelings for your dad could be a real pain in the ass sometimes, but the current danger he was facing because of a diamond that was inside him was even more so.
Depend On Me
Chapter 7: Good Days Can Turn Rotten
"Ahhhhh! Isn't today a beautiful day!" Naruto breathed and heaved a contented sigh.
The blond spread out his arms and twirled around happily. Kyuubi came up behind his master and barked in response while wagging his tail. Sasuke just smirked and unfolded the thin, blue blanket under the tree and set down the brown basket.
He wasn't one for picnics and all that gay shit but since the dobe had practically begged him he'd given in and complied with his friend's request. Only because he made Naruto promise to make him lunch for the next week.
Naruto bounded over to his raven-haired friend and sat down next to him under the shade. He grabbed a stick that had fallen off the tree, waving it in front of his dog's face. Kyuubi's tongue lolled to the side, following the small twig's every movement in anticipation. Finally, his master threw it and Kyuubi wasted no time in running to go fetch it.
"I've been meaning to talk to you." Sasuke said while he watched Kyuubi scare off a couple that had been walking hand in hand on the sidewalk, still determined to get the stick. Goddamn the blond could throw.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at him in question.
"About?"
Sasuke turned to face him, looking at him pointedly with a serious look on his usually stoic face.
"I want you to be careful. This whole Akatsuki thing has been giving me bad vibes ever since Shikamaru and you had found that piece of evidence at the crime scene." Sasuke explained calmly. Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment, never taking his eyes off his dog that was now delightedly prancing toward them; stick clamped between his sharp teeth.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I've been having bad feelings, too." Naruto agreed while taking the twig from Kyuubi's mouth, scrunching his face in disgust when the slobber got on his hand. He threw it again before they both sat in companionable silence.
"I was thinking…..why don't you move in with us permanently?" Sasuke blurted out nervously. Naruto turned to regard his best friend, shooting the police officer an incredulous look.
"You don't have to do this, Sasuke. I don't want to be a burden." Sasuke snorted at the typical comment the blond said. He shook his head dismally, tsk-tsking with his teeth.
"Too late, you're already living with us." He stated all the while smirking. Naruto sighed exasperatedly, crossing his arms indignantly. A small smile stretched across his lips regardless. His gaze flickered onto the playground set a few yards away from them where the little kids were playing. His eyes widened in bemusement when he saw a little girl on a swing with a crest-fallen look on her face.
He got up and ran toward her, kneeling in front of her to look into the child's somber face.
"Why are you crying?" He asked her softly. She sniffled and wiped her tears with her arm.
"I-I c-can't swing." She cried sadly. Naruto smiled brightly at her and grabbed the chains on the swing.
"Hold on!" He yelled jovially. She clutched the chains and squealed happily when she went up in the air. Naruto grinned and turned around to wink at Sasuke who was smirking at the pair. Out of the corner of his eye he suddenly saw Kyuubi barking viciously and abruptly took off toward something. Sasuke and Naruto shared a look and the young raven immediately got up and chased after the rampant dog.
Naruto bid a hasty goodbye to the little girl and quickly ran in pursuit of his friend, forgetting all about the picnic under the tree they were supposed to have. He rounded a building which led him into an alley and finally spotted them. He also saw a man with a black mask covering his face, one hand clutched tightly onto a purse while the other was raised and pointing a gun at Sasuke who was crouched down and grabbing Kyuubi by the black, leather collar.
The young detective bit his lip to keep from calling out to Sasuke. Nausea made itself known and memories of Sasuke laughing, Sasuke smiling, and most importantly, Sasuke and he started swirling around in his head. He the remembrances in the back of his mind and narrowed his eyes on the man with the gun that was threatening the life of his best friend.
Sasuke was going to continue making memories with him; he swore it on his life.
The urgency of not having enough time overcame him suddenly and Naruto found himself blindly charging at the man. He ran as fast as he could and tackled him to the ground. Surprise made the man's finger on the trigger tighten. A gunshot rang through the alley and everything was deftly silent, only the ragged breathing of the gunman was audible.
"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled after finally shaking himself from his shocked state. Kyuubi began barking noisily, snarling and baring his fangs at the man underneath his master all the while trying to pull away from Sasuke's hold on him.
The masked man lay rigid as he felt something warm drip down onto his arm, the essence of his unforgivable crime that he had not meant to commit seeping into his clothes. He didn't even struggle when rough hands calmly, gently pulled him out from under the lithe form of the blond. His arm was encompassed by sharp fangs and he let go of the gun he had been holding, letting out a yelp of pain. Sasuke let out a grunt of satisfaction when Kyuubi bit down harder before retracting his teeth and trotting over to his fallen master.
Both the man and Sasuke continued staring at the motionless body lying on the ground, regret and guilt lacing into their eyes. The young Uchiha growled menacingly when he heard the man sob underneath him and twisted the arms in his grasp behind the gunman's back, pushing the stranger's masked face onto the gravel down below.
Sasuke cursed down at the man, knowing full well that he could do nothing for the blond while had held the man captive; not until reinforcements arrived. Fucking hell, wasn't he supposed to be a cop? For Christ's sake he couldn't even save his best friend from getting shot by some amateur robber!
The raven swallowed thickly, clenching his eyes shut and snapping them back open to yell at the people gathered at the end of the alley to call 911. He gazed back at his friend's prone form, noticing the small pool of blood developing on the ground.
There was a groan of pain that resounded through the alley after a good two minutes of just waiting for the ambulance to arrive. The blond let a string of curses escape his mouth, clutching onto the bullet wound on his side. Kyuubi whimpered softly next to his master, licking the man's face as he sat up very slowly.
"Man, what the fuck? This sucks total bullshit!"
Sasuke found himself breathing a sigh of relief, his tense muscles relaxing. At least the bullet hadn't hit anywhere important. Kyuubi howled into the sky and Naruto brought his free hand to caress the dog's silky red fur soothingly.
Car doors being shut rang through the alleyway and Sasuke snapped his head to the side to watch as two officers pushed passed the crowd of people that had formed on the sidewalk.
"Yo."
Naruto grinned weakly at the silver-haired man approaching Sasuke coolly, totally ignoring the blond officer that was shouting to the gathered people to go about their daily business.
"Sup, Kaka-sensei!" He chirped weakly, waving to the police officer who was in the midst of handcuffing the man still trapped under Sasuke.
Kakashi turned his sole eye to regard Naruto's injured form, a frown marring his lips under his mask.
"When is the ambulance going to get here?" He asked Sasuke expectantly, trying in vain to hide the worry lacing his words. The Uchiha shrugged in response, quickly walking over to his blond friend and crouching down next to him. He let Naruto rest his back against his thigh while he wrapped a strong arm around his shoulders.
"How are you feeling, dobe?" Sasuke asked concernedly which made Naruto flash him a feeble smile.
"I've been better." He answered truthfully, hissing in pain when he shifted and agitated the wound even more.
Rushed footsteps were making their way toward the pair and they both looked up to see a flustered Minato running toward them. The man came to a halt in front of them, taking in both their disheveled state. Before he could even utter a word there was a shout coming from the other end of the alley.
"Naruto!"
The blonde snapped his head to the person who had called his name. Yahiko came dashing to them, stopping right in front of Naruto only to rest his hands on his knees, taking in deep gasps of oxygen.
"I-I heard….that….a blond man…with scars…on his…face…was shot…so I came…. running…..here….from the mall." Yahiko managed to wheeze out. Naruto raised a trembling arm to wipe the sweat off the man's forehead as best as he could with the scruff of his long-sleeved shirt.
"All the way from the mall? Isn't that almost like a mile away?" Naruto spoke softly, incredulously. Fatigue was making him tired and he fought to stay awake. Yahiko smiled tiredly at him, his face flushed red.
"Yeah, I guess it is."
Naruto smiled at him and rubbed small circles with his thumb on the orange-haired man's cheek. Minato growled lowly in his throat and glared at Yahiko for getting all of Naruto's attention when he couldn't even get a small glance his way.
Naruto mentally cackled with evil malice as he watched his father grumble to himself out of the corner of his eye, a pout finding its way on the man's lips.
"Naruto, you're bleeding!" Yahiko shouted, anxiety stopping his heart when he spotted the blood that was soaking into the blond's clothes.
"…WHAT!"
Naruto winced at the sheer volume his father had used and not even a second later Sasuke's face was being forcefully pushed by a hand. The raven grunted, glaring at Minato who was staring at the wound on Naruto's side that was being clutched by the blond's free hand. The young Uchiha's body had been in the way, making it nearly impossible to see it beforehand.
"Oh, that guy shot me. " The blonde explained while gesturing with his head to the man sitting inside the backseat of the police car, Kakashi poking the gunman's head with the side of his (unlocked) gun relentlessly.
An ambulance siren rang in the atmosphere and Sasuke sighed in relief, putting his hand on Minato's face and pushing the man away from them.
"Finally…" Naruto breathed tiredly, resting his head against Sasuke's shoulder. His body was getting so heavy and his eyelids literally felt like lead.
"Naruto! Don't fall asleep!" The young Uchiha hissed earnestly, slapping his friend's face slightly. Naruto groaned and weakly swatted the hand away before closing his eyes completely, his body going limp in the raven's arms.
"Shit! Dammit! Fuck! Naruto!"
"Where is he?" A voice screeched from down the hospital hallway.
Minato's head shot up from being buried in his hands and stood straight; watching in bafflement as Iruka practically strangled a male nurse at the end of the brightly-lit hallway. Kakashi chuckled beside him, coming to stand next to him while putting his little orange book away.
The normally composed high school teacher's eyes ripped their glare away from his victim, landing upon the two officers standing beside the chairs that aligned the walls. He let the nurse go, stalking toward the blond man who was glancing around nervously for a possible escape route.
"He's in surgery right now, but he'll be out in a few minutes." Kakashi finally spoke before Iruka could manhandle Minato, sitting back down in his seat and gesturing for the brunette to sit next to him. Iruka let out a relieved sigh and slumped down on the offered seat.
"Is he alright?"
Kakashi nodded, his visible eye creasing in pleasantness.
Yahiko and Sasuke came a few seconds later, walking side by side with two cups of coffee in their hands. They handed Minato and Kakashi a cup while Yahiko gave his up to Iruka (who gladly took it with a bright smile) before sitting down across from the trio sipping their beverages silently. An eerie silence hung over them.
Sasuke glanced at the new recruit Naruto had mentioned to him about the other day. The many piercings on the man's face made him want to ask if they hurt when he got them, but he refrained from doing so.
Looking around he took notice of the red light on top of the emergency room door that signaled Naruto was in surgery. He sighed in exasperation, slumping in his seat and letting his head fall back to hit the wall behind him with an audible thud.
It had been a whole two hours ago when Naruto was administered into the surgery ward, yet there was still no sign when they were going to be through. He hoped the blond was faring well.
God, he was still so damn weak. Naruto could have lost his fucking life out there. If only he hadn't choked when he saw the gun pointed directly at his face, maybe then it would be him in there instead of the blond hero of the day…
Another thirty minutes passed before the clicking of the red light up above turned off. Instantly, all five men stood up, looking at the double doors apprehensively. A doctor dressed in bloodied scrubs was the first to come out.
"Is he going to be okay?" Iruka was the first to speak, looking at the surgeon earnestly. The man let out a chuckle and nodded reassuringly to the worrisome brunette.
"He's absolutely fine. There's no need to worry so much. A bone was shattered upon the impact and it took us a while to find all the pieces. He'll be transferred into his room in about ten minutes so you'll be free to visit him as much as you like." The doctor spoke softly, nodding his head and shaking Iruka's hand before leaving.
Sasuke knocked gently on the door to the hospital room and tentatively pressed his ear against the wood, listening for any tell-tale sign of his dobe friend. Finally, he heard a muffled 'come in' and took it as his cue to open the door. Before the young Uchiha had the door all the way open, two figures zoomed passed him, knocking him out of the way.
Iruka and Yahiko sat down in the chairs that were right beside the makeshift bed. Minato was still by the door, glowering at the men sitting right next to his precious son. Dammit, why was he so slow to react!
Naruto was on the bed with an IV attached to his arm. He disregarded the two worrywarts by his side and looked at Sasuke, flashing the raven a pearly-white smile. The blond sat up, making his way toward his friend who stood in front of the doorway with a pained expression on his face. Yahiko and Iruka rushed to his side in a beat and gently pushed him back onto the mattress.
"Naruto lay down! You barely got out of surgery!" Iruka scolded as he let go of Naruto's arm. The blond pouted up at his high-school teacher. He really was glad his ex-teacher was here, but sometimes the man worried too much for his age.
"But I feel fine!" Naruto protested loudly. To prove his statement, he abruptly stood up and began walking around.
"See!" Naruto brought his hands up, which caused the IV needle to rip out of his arm.
"NARUTOOO!"
All of the men turned to the glowering woman standing at the door. Naruto yelped and jumped back into the bed, diving under the covers. Sakura growled and stomped toward the bed, jerking the covers off the cowering form.
"Sakura-san!" The shrill voice of Hinata shouted after the enraged woman.
"Don't try and hide from me!" Naruto bolted out of the bed and scurried over to Sasuke, but before he could hide behind him, Sakura grabbed the scruff of his hospital gown and landed a solid punch on his crown of sunshine locks. Naruto clutched his head, a pout forming on his lips as he sniveled next to an amused Sasuke.
"Itaiii! Sakura-chan, you aren't supposed to hit your patients!" Naruto whined loudly, inching closer to Sasuke in case the pink-haired nurse got any other ideas. Sakura smirked triumphantly and ripped her gaze from the blond's cowering form onto the handsome raven. She gave him her most pleasant smile, twirling a fuchsia colored strand of her hair with a slender finger.
"Hi, Sasuke-kun!" She chirped happily, a light flush dusking across her ivory cheeks. Sasuke glared coldly at the sickly-sweet nurse that had dared to hit his best friend. Only he could do that, dammit!
"Hn." He grunted simply, turning his gaze away onto something less disgustingly bright. Sakura visibly deflated as her crush brushed her off like yesterday's news. Just like in high school…
Her lips twitched just slightly in annoyance.
"Sakura-san?"
The young woman perked up at the sound of her name being spoken. She turned to Iruka, her undivided attention solely focused on the teacher.
"Is Naruto going to be okay?" He questioned while glancing worriedly over at the blond who was poking Sasuke's cheek and telling the raven not to "be so mean to Sakuraaaa-chaaaan".
"Yup! He's going to make a full recovery in about two to three months, tops!" Sakura affirmed, a cheeky grin coming to spread across her fair-skinned face.
Iruka let out a relieved sigh and almost everyone in the room relaxed. Minato smiled and brought up a hand to ruffled Naruto's more-than disheveled hair. The young blonde glared at him but couldn't stop the childish giggle that escaped him.
"Daaaad!" Naruto whined playfully, leaning into the affectionate gesture that he hadn't received for so long. Gods, he'd missed his father's attention.
For a split second Minato could feel his heart flutter and he could finally breathe freely again. He didn't feel any suffocating lonesomeness in that moment and it was refreshing to hear his son still call him "dad" despite everything. Minato turned his head away to hide his quickly spreading blush.
Naruto turned his piercing blue eyes onto Sasuke. The blond flashed the other his trademark grin which, Sasuke noticed, made the ends of his eyes crinkle and the cute dimples on his scarred cheeks appear. The marks on his face had a slight curve in them, reminding the young raven of Kyuubi's foxlike face. Naruto made a gesture for him to come closer and he obeyed silently, leaning in ever-so-slightly.
His blonde friend suddenly grasped his hand and squeezed the dainty appendages briefly before letting go. With that, Sasuke understood what Naruto wanted to say.
'It wasn't your fault…teme.'
His lips quirked upwards in an attempt to smile, but only succeeded in looking like a pained grimace. Naruto laughed a little at the unusual twitch of those pale lips which were always set in straight line.
Sasuke relished the hearty laughter.
Minato and Yahiko eyed the peculiar exchange between the two best friends with raised eyebrows. Yahiko shrugged it off and opened his mouth to speak, but Minato beat him to it.
"So, Naruto, are you feeling okay?" He asked casually, but on the inside he was dying to see if his beloved son was in any way, shape, or form, hurt. Naruto smiled at his father and nodded his head enthusiastically
"Yup! But I do feel a bit hungry." As if on cue, his stomach grumbled. His cheeks tinged a shade of pink in embarrassment which made Minato chuckle and pinch his son's cheek.
"I'll go fetch ya' some ramen, okay?" Minato offered warmly and Naruto smiled openly, pumping a fist in the air.
"Yatta!"
The older of the two blonds just grinned and shook his head lightly. He headed out and left everyone else in there, but not before sneaking a glare in Yahiko's direction who was discretely yet intently watching the flaps of Naruto's hospital gown spread open to reveal the detective's round ass, unbeknownst to Minato of course.
Sakura coughed into her hand awkwardly and smiled at all the occupants in the room.
"Well, we'll be taking our leave then! See you guys later!" Naruto waved at his past-schoolmates from high school as they walked to the door in calm strides.
"Bye Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan!" He called out exuberantly. Hinata turned around and waved shyly back at him, her pretty face turning a bright shade of red before closing the door behind her.
Naruto blinked and looked at Kakashi who leaned against the wall, book in his hand but his dark eye staring at the confused blond.
"Why does she always blush?"
Iruka and Yahiko sweat-dropped while both Kakashi and Sasuke face-palmed. Naruto raised an eyebrow at his friends' odd behavior.
"What? Was it something I said?"
A/N: IN NEED OF BETA!
