"I'm sorry Gaara, I'm just not in the mood to hang out today"
He sighed, but gave me an understanding smile. "It's fine. You've been really stressed lately", he acknowledges. "Get some rest, Menma"
I nod my head, barely being able to pick up on the words he's saying.
What the fuck is going on? Why do I feel so drowsy and loopy? I feel like I'm drunk or something...I can barely keep my balance.
School knew how to suck the energy out of me, but it'd never gotten this bad. After school I was just less energetic. I was never tired, but ever since things stopped making sense, I've never felt so worn down in my life. Everyone knew me as the kid who could never sit down but now I'm the kid who barely wants to stand up.
Mint green eyes look at me with pity, as he gently puts his hand on my shoulder. "I can give you a ride home if you need. You really don't look like you're in any condition to walk"
"M'fine", I say as I politely try to get his arm off of me.
I didn't know why I was denying his offer. If anything, I was in great need of a ride. My head felt to foggy and my thought and my words were so clustered and disoriented.
"Are you sure you don't want a ride?", he re-asks. His concern for me only rose once I rejected his offer again.
"M'good", I remind him. "M'just gonna walk ho…"
I lazily gaze at the people around me as if they were walking museum sculptures. Everyone's appearance seemed twice as unique and foreign. I don't recognize any of the people...wants going on.
Everything began to feel very lethargic and dragged on. Even the way Gaara was panicking seemed to slow and unbearable to listen to.
"Naruto?...Naruto?"
My lips wouldn't move and I didn't feel like I was in my own skin. It wasn't long till my legs gave out and I fell to the ground like a lamp being knocked over.
"Naruto?! What's going on?!", he yelled as he pushed his sweaty fingers onto the unsteady pulse in my neck. "Somebody help!"
I could only keep my eyes on the grass in front of me. The scurrying feet and yells from the people around me were the least of my concern. It's not like the feelings they possess are real since none of this is reality. I need answers...someone...or something...give me answers god, that's all I want.
I can hear Gaara on his phone, talking with an emergency dispatcher. His distressed voice and affectionate concern was so un-Gaara like that the situation was beginning to feel a little too unreal.
What's really going on in reality?...On the other side...are they worrying about me? Is Kiba wondering where I am or is he staring at me while I'm lying in a hospital bed with a bunch of tubes and monitors hooked to my body?
"Somebody", I whisper. "Save me from this place"
I woke up in a room with giggling boys and girls playing with dolls, legos, and other toys that defined my childhood. Their energy levels seemed endless as they ran around with innocent smiles, some were carrying toy trucks and others holding their dolls and puzzle pieces up with pride.
What the hell? Why am I here?
A group of running kids stop next to me. There's no doubt in my mind that they can't see me and are up to no good.
"Don't you just hate him?", the angry looking kid asks.
His friend nods with an equally unimpressed scowl on his face. "He's so weird. He doesn't know when to shut up either"
I scanned the room, trying to figure out which kid they were talking about.
"And everyone pays attention to his stupid little friend too. All they do is pull pranks and make the teachers angry...they're such a nuisance"
The annoyed tone in his voice made something click with in my mind. That's Sasuke Uchiha.
My eyes shifted nervously around the room, trying to figure out what's going on. And the guy he's talking about is probably me...but who is that other kid?
Sasuke and his unfamiliar friend approach me with mischief painted all over their not so innocent faces. What are they going to do to me?...Could this be a distant memory? And it's popping up now because I'm dreaming?...Or am I having another episode like that day in the bathroom…
The questions running through my head were just as frustrating as the unknown answers. No clues. No warning signs. All I can do is just watch.
"Would you morons tone it down!", Sasuke's companion yells.
The much smaller kid I was playing with put down his toys and stood up, puffing his chest out like a soldier. "You have no right to talk to me or Naruto that way"
Sasuke laughed at his brave stance, along with whoever was next to him. "You're acting pretty tough for a first grader"
It didn't take long for me to open my mouth and yell an equally obnoxious comment. "Quiet duck butt hair! Quit acting like you own the place and let us play!"
A few girls giggled at the insult. Even I couldn't help but giggle just watching the scene before me. Did I really stand up to Sasuke like this as a kid?
When I was younger, it was much easier for me to insult him and stick up for myself. As the years went by, throwing out insults often backfired. Everyone constantly took his side, and I didn't understand why until I realized it was cause people thought he was cooler than me.
"I'm not gonna let some kid who wears the same ugly orange jump suit every day insult me", he says coldly. "I'm gonna shut you up once and for all"
"You wouldn't lay a finger on me", I say with an overly confident smile.
"Wanna find out?", he says as he walked over to me with a smirk on his face.
The kid definitely had two or three inches on me. I had to be the shortest kid in the room.
"It's always the small dogs that bark the loudest", Sasuke's cold friend teases as he follows the bad influence from behind. "Let's see how loud he'll be after we beat him to a pulp"
The brown haired little boy that stood so proudly in my defense began to shrink back. His face looks familiar...I don't know why...but it does.
Sasuke's friend pulled his first back and launched it straight at the tinier bows stomach.
"Teacher!", the young victim screeched.
The raven's face showed nothing but fear once he realized how serious the situation was.
"I hope you feel good, jerk!", I snapped at him. "Now my friend is hurt!"
Sasuke didn't even flinch when I jumped on top of him and pinned him to the ground. With all the strength my little twig arms had, I shot my fist at his perfect, fragile looking pale face. The sound of skin roughly hitting against skin caused all the kids around me to panic.
"Naruto?! What are you doing?!", the teacher screamed.
That didn't stop me from hurling my fists at him.
"You don't even know me!", I shouted at him. "You don't even know me but you've been treating me like I'm nothing from day one!"
The teacher grabbed me by my adolescent waist and dragged me away from the blood stained Uchiha. "You don't deserve all the attention you get! You don't even have to try to get it!"
Sasuke was now in fetal position, hands covering his face as if he were hiding an ugly scar from everyone in the room.
"You're horrible!", I scream as I begin to kick my legs around as if I'd been shocked with an electric collar. "And this isn't over yet!"
In the distance, I can hear the teacher yelling at me to keep quiet. A few of the girls are crying on the floor, staring at their precious Sasuke as if he were a broken china doll.
"Sasuke!", one of them shouts.
Now I remember this...I remember all of this.
"Oh my god! His tooth is on the floor!"
How old was I...this had to happen when I was...9?
A red haired girl runs out to him, holding him like he was her dying puppy. "Sasuke!", she cried.
Watching the mess before me made my stomach turn. Why...why do I feel like this isn't normal? Did Sasuke and I really hate each other this much at such a young age?
The brunette who'd gotten hit in the stomach, slowly started to get up to his knees. His body shaking as he tried to keep a straight face. Unfortunately, he fell back down again, crying as soon as his bottom hit the ground.
And he definitely can't be over the age of seven...but...he has a name...what was his name?...I should be able to remember it if he was this close of a friend! It's not like this happened ten years ago! Come on Naruto, think!
"Konohamaru? Are you gonna be okay?"
What?!
"Konohamaru?!", I yell to no one who can hear me. "That can't be…"
As I really began to analyze his face, the truth suddenly came down on me. He's the boy I've been hallucinating about.
So part one of the puzzle was solved. The boy in my hallucinations was not a stranger, but a childhood friend. But what happened to him? Why can I barely remember our friendship?
I look at him with worried eyes, wondering just how much of my childhood had I forgotten.
This puzzle is no where near being solved. There has to be about a million pieces.
Everything around me began to turn black, and the dream slowly started to fade away. It wasn't long before I'd started dreaming again. Only this time, the setting was completely different, and the people that surrounded me now were much older.
High School. I can tell by the faces and the crammed up hallways...but thank god I can walk through all these people.
The noise level was something I'd gotten used to, but it seemed louder than usual today. A fight? That's the only reason it would ever be this loud.
"Guys, you have to come and see what Deidara and Hidan did to this puny little freshman!", the guy in front of me yells to a group of his friends standing in the corner of the hall way.
The group of upperclassmen rolled their eyes. "They're always causing some trouble. It's not really funny anymore"
"No, but you have to see!", the guy said as he tried to get himself together. "He-he-"
The man struggled to finish his sentence as he began to burst into laughter. "They put this kid in a trashcan"
The group of kids still looked unimpressed. "Like I suspected, not funny", a group member says dismissively.
"You have to see it though! You're gonna laugh so hard when you do!"
Screaming teenagers could be heard from far away, as well as the sound of something hard and heavy being rolled throughout the hallway. I turn around and see people moving out of the way.
No...this can't be the day when…
And there I came, being rolled around through the building with just my head and my legs sticking out of the big plastic can.
Why...it took me months to get over this! Why am I seeing this again?
Despite this being a dream, I still felt the urge to cover my face. This had to be the most humiliating moment in my life.
I watched from the middle of the hallway, and the two bullies went through me, rolling the can faster and faster. The stairs...they rolled me down that staircase at the end of the hall.
For some reason, I chased after the can as if I could stop what had already happened from happening again.
"No!", I shout as I watch the can go through the open double doors.
I look around me and see the that everyone is laughing hysterically, even the group of kids that said they didn't find it funny.
Everyone laughed at me...and the day after...and the week after...for the whole year! Hell, even junior year some people would still snicker when I walked by!
"Why do I have to relive this?"
From the corner of my eyes I see Sasuke and his crew cruising through the hallway the way popular kids would in movies.
"You just missed it", Hidan says as he throws his arm around Sasuke's shoulder. Since there wasn't much of a height difference (the giant bastard hit six feet in like eighth grade) the gesture didn't look so awkward. His friends also looked like they belonged next to him too. They mostly consisted of upperclassmen and a few freshman I'd managed to recognize.
"He was yelling like crazy!", Deidara adds.
"Can't believe I missed it", the bastard says. "But I'm glad it happened. It was about time someone taught him a lesson"
I had to follow behind the group to hear the rest of their conversation. Even though I knew I was better off not listening to a word they had to say.
"Yeah, he's such a fag", Hidan says spitefully.
"Almost a bigger fag than you, Sai", Deidara teases.
The group laughed, and to my surprise, Sai laughed with them.
Was Sai even out of the closet freshman year? Is this the actually what happened after they pushed me down the stairs?...I have to be dreaming up with part.
Eventually, the group became more divided as the kids started heading to their classes. The last two people left were Sasuke and Neji, and even after they said their goodbyes, I felt the need to follow Sasuke.
"You...bastard", I growl as I hopelessly follow his footsteps.
"You're the reason all of this started in the first place!", I scream. "If you hadn't turned everyone against me! If you hadn't given me such a hard time!...I could-I could've-"
I could have been happier. I wouldn't have had to pretend like words and fists didn't hurt me. Because they did.
Before the words could even leave my lips, he slowly fades away, along with everything and everyone else around me.
I woke up in a bed that did not feel familiar. My head throbbed and I struggled to figure out my surroundings, but as soon as my eyes came across a man in a white coat, the wheels in my head started turning. Hospital.
"Glad to see you awake, Mr. Uzumaki"
I didn't bother moving my mouth to reply to the doctors obnoxious remark.
"I'm sure you're not in the mood to talk", he begins. "But whether you respond or not, I'm going to talk to you anyways"
Joy. The last thing I need to hear after being asleep for god knows how long, is this bastard's mouth going on and on about what illness I have or the severeness of my condition.
"You fainted at the end of your school day. Luckily it was in a public area, so someone called 9-1-1 as soon as they saw you hit the ground"
Holy shit...did that really happen?
"I did?"
"Yeah", the doctor replies with a smile. "Ya did"
I couldn't point out what it was about the doctor that I didn't like, but it was really bothering me.
"And luckily, we ran a few test while you were asleep, and everything appeared to be normal"
"Wait...what do you mean everything appeared to-"
"Questions can be asked after I'm done speaking, Mr. Uzumaki"
I could feel a scowl making its way onto my face.
"Your heart beat was a little on the slow side, but none the less, steady, and you didn't have a temperature, and you passed the drug test", he goes on.
"Drug test?"
He points to my arm, which now had a red smiley faced band aid on it.
"You drug tested me while I was asleep?!"
"Of course we did", he snorts. "You're too young to faint for any other reason. So with you passing your drug test, I'm guessing you passed out because you haven't been sleeping, have been stressing out over something in your life, or lacked hydration"
I tried not to roll my eyes at him, but I impulsively let out a scoff.
"You're not a diabetic, your medical history says you've been nothing but healthy for seventeen years", he says as he goes through the papers on his clipboard. "So what's going on, Naruto?"
I cross my arms and look away from him. "Nothing you can fix"
He sits down in the chair next to me, once again, flashing me with his pearly white teeth. "You won't know that until you tell me, now will you?"
For a while, I only stare at him. Studying every inch of his perfectly constructed face from his bold hazel eyes to his perfectly defined chin. Of course I have to get the annoying good looking doctor who makes me question my sexuality.
"I've just been a little stressed out. That's all"
He leans back in his chair with the same know-it-all smirk Sasuke would always wear. "You honestly think that just a little bit of stress would cause you to pass out like this?"
I clench my jaw, becoming even more annoyed with him.
"How about your sleep?", he asks me.
"What about it?"
"Have you been sleeping well"
Not really.
"Somewhat", I murmur.
He frowns, and I can tell that my unwillingness to cooperate was bothering him.
"I'm trying to help you. I'm not here to be your enemy"
I sigh and nod my head with understanding. "I just don't want to tell you anything"
"But what if this happens again? Do you really want to be rushed to the hospital like this all the time?"
"It's not going to happen again"
"How do you know?"
I shrug. "I don't know"
"Then don't act like you do"
His attitude was becoming difficult to tolerate, and my patience was running thin. Luckily, he caught on to how I felt by the obviously annoyed look on my face.
"Listen", he begins. "You can spend a night here under one condition"
The words immediately caught my attention.
"You have to tell me what's going on by tomorrow morning", he says sternly. "Clear?"
"Clear", I say with understanding.
"And if you don't tell me, I'll call your school and make sure someone checks up on you every week...I don't think you'd like that. Would you?"
I shake my head. "No", I reply without hesitation. "Not at all"
"So whatever it is that's bothering you", he says as he gets out of the chair. "You should be honest about it for your own sake"
A/N: A long chapter, which hasn't happened in a while. I'm so proud of the success I've had with this story, despite some of the negative reviews its received. My advice to people that are still confused is to just keep reading because there will be answers.
Thanks for reading!
