((Huge yawn)) Yay, 'nother chappie done! This one is pretty sucky, I think. I didn't like it much...kinda sad. X-x But anyway, enjoy! Finished this thing at 11:23 p.m. so I'm tired right now...
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I don't own 'nothing. X-x Meh.
Chapter Seven
"Kakashi!" The silver-haired Jonin looked up from his volume of Itcha Itcha Paradise, raising a brow as Iruka ran towards him breathlessly. He snapped the book closed at the look of distress on the brunette's face. Standing, he walked a ways to meet him.
"What is it Iruka? What's wrong?" he asked, concerned. The scarred man panted, resting his hands on his knees before gasping, "It's…about…Harumi. She was…found…this morning…unconscious on the floor." He took a deep breath and stood straight. "Sakura and Dr. Kiseki (miracle) found her. She was rushed to ICU but she's yet to be revived." Iruka's brown eyes darkened sadly. "I…I'm afraid Sakura may need us…should Harumi not be revived at all." Kakashi's eyes widened and he nodded shortly.
"Let's go." He replied and they set off for the hospital.
--XxX--
Sakura bit her lip, shielding her emotions behind a wall she'd built in her mind since she'd been working at the hospital. She had been kicked out of Harumi's room due to them, Dr. Kiseki knowing she couldn't work properly in such a state. Now she was pacing outside the door, wringing her hands, a habit she'd picked up from Sera a few years back.
She looked up as she heard two pairs of running feet coming towards her. Seeing Kakashi and Iruka emerge from the hallway, she felt her eyes burn. Through the years, she and Kakashi had become very close. And since he and Iruka were dating, she'd also become closer with her old Academy Sensei as well. The two were like her fathers, now that her own was deceased. Her throat tightened and she whispered, "They…they wanted me to leave…because I'm too emotionally…attached to Harumi-Hime. They didn't think…I could handle seeing her…in that state." She whispered, clenching her hands tightly.
Iruka was by her side immediately, sitting her down and hugging her. He stroked her pink hair and murmured, "Shh, it's alright. It's going to be okay Sakura-chan." She whimpered and clutched his jacket, fighting back tears. "I-I know why this happened…it's because Naruto's missing." She choked out. Iruka frowned and glanced at Kakashi, who didn't say anything. He sat beside the cotton-candy haired woman and laid an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her back soothingly.
"If he doesn't come back…Harumi-Hime won't make it." Sakura whispered. Kakashi gave her a short hug before replying quietly, "He'll come back Sakura." Iruka shot him a look that told him not to say such things, but he ignored his boyfriend.
There came a shout from the room behind them and Sakura stiffened. Iruka instantly took hold of the situation and said, "Let's go get some coffee Sakura-chan." Sakura nodded numbly and allowed him to pull her along the hallways, away from the little girl. Kakashi watched, and then glanced at the door. That shout had not been a nice one.
To him, it had sounded like a swear and a call for help.
With a sigh, Kakashi pushed himself up and went to join the other two.
--XxX--
A day had passed since Sasuke's 'fit' in Otogakure, and the two friends had decided to forget about it. Neither said anything about it, carrying on with whatever they needed to do that day. It wasn't brought back up again; nor was the fact that Sasuke had woken to find himself in Naruto's arms, and Naruto had woken to find himself alone.
They were out in the woods that day, taking a walk. Naruto was bored, so he began trotting ahead, still in Sasuke's sight range. He twirled, letting the sun caress his whiskered cheeks through the leaves in the trees; it was a nice, non-cloudy day, the sky as blue as his eyes. The temperature was perfect; enough to bring him out of his jacket and tie it around his waist, leaving him in his black wife-beater. Sasuke watched as he laughed delightedly, whirling as the leaves fell gently to the ground around him. The raven felt his lips twitch into a small smile as the blonde grinned.
"C'mon Sasuke, catch up!" he called, laughing. He started to run off again, but stopped short, giving a strangled cry. He gripped his chest and fell to his knees, shaking. Sasuke's eyes widened and he ran to him, kneeling beside him, a hand on his back. "Naruto? What's wrong?" he asked. Naruto was staring at the ground, sweat beading his forehead, his eyes wide with sudden pain. He gulped thickly and grimaced.
"Naruto? Talk to me, what's wrong?" Sasuke asked again, giving him a gentle shake. Naruto grunted and set one hand on the ground to steady himself, the other still gripping his chest. "I…I don't know. All of a sudden…this pain circulated throughout my chest…it felt like someone had electrocuted me from inside. Kyuubi doesn't even know…what it was." He let out a slow breath, as if testing himself. Satisfied, he allowed Sasuke to help him to his feet before letting the Uchiha's arm go and brushing himself off. Sasuke watched him carefully, but backed off once he grinned and gave a thumbs up sign.
"I'm good!" he smiled brightly. Sasuke gave a snort and allowed him to run off in front of him again. He tucked his hands in his pockets, wondering what had just happened. Ahead of him, Naruto's grin faded, replaced with a worried look. He took a deep breath and asked mentally, 'Kyuubi, what the hell was that?' "I have no idea Kit. It felt like some type of jolt." Naruto gave a mental nod, pocketing his hands and looking up at the sky. 'Well, lets just forget it for now. It was probably nothing…' "Sure Kit." Naruto hesitated before asking, 'What's on your mind Kyuubi?' "…I was only wondering if you really planned on staying here with Uchiha forever. I know how much you love that village of yours; and that little girl seemed very attached to you. I know you've been missing your friends lately as well." Naruto's eyes narrowed in thought.
'Yeah…I don't know what to do. I promised Sasuke I'd stay, but I do miss everyone. Being away from Harumi worries me…she's never had me for so long before. And I bet Tsunade-baa-chan and Pervy Sage were worried when I disappeared like that.' Naruto paused, then resumed, 'I want to see them all again, but I don't want to break my promise to Sasuke either. After what I've seen from him…he just can't take being completely alone anymore. He's always been solitary, but living like he was, it was too much for him. Now that he believes he's going insane, I can't leave. I have to help him.' Kyuubi nodded. "And as for Konohagakure? Your kit? What of them?" Naruto almost shrugged. 'I just don't know right now.' Kyuubi remained silent after that, and their conversation ended.
Sasuke watched as the blonde lost himself in his thoughts. He sighed and glanced away. 'What am I doing? I can't keep him here like this, no matter how much I want to. He has a life back in Konoha, with everyone there. It's my own fault that I left that behind. It's not fair for me to drag him out of his life to make me feel better.' He stole another glance at the whiskered boy. 'The way he speaks about everyone…I know he misses them, even if he doesn't want me to see. And that Harumi kid; he loves her. And it sounds like she loves him too. How can I keep him from all that?' He frowned, his stomach flipping at the ideas whirling in his mind. He bit his lip and shook his head a little. He'd think about it later.
"Sasuke-slow-poke! C'mon!" Naruto called from up ahead, stopping to wait for him. Sasuke smirked a little and soon caught up with him, both of them walking back towards the Otogakure compound.
--XxX--
The stars were out again tonight and Sasuke laid back on his bed to watch them, his hands behind his head. He was back to his thoughts about what to do with the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty in the next room. He gave a loud groan and put his arms over his eyes, blocking out the stars. Dammit, why couldn't he get his head straight?!
He heard soft footsteps before the door opened and Naruto's tentative voice whispered, "Sasuke? Are you awake?" "Hn. What is it Dobe?" he muttered. The footsteps came closer and Naruto stuttered, "I…I um…" "What?" Sasuke sat up on his elbows. Blurry blue eyes adverted themselves from his, and Sasuke realized he was close to tears. One word registered in his brain instantly: nightmare.
"C'mere Dobe." He sighed, pulling the covers down for him. Naruto blinked, surprised. Sasuke grunted and repeated, "C'mere." Hesitantly Naruto walked towards him and climbed into the bed, snuggling under the covers. Sasuke pulled him a little closer and closed his eyes. Naruto's breathing was warm on his chest as the blonde tucked his head under Sasuke's chin. The raven knew he was still awake.
"What was it?" he murmured tiredly. Naruto squirmed a bit until Sasuke tightened his grip around his waist, silently telling him to be still. He obeyed and sighed, "It was Harumi-chan again. She…she had some kind of attack. It hurt her…but it," he stopped and took a deep breath. "It hurt her in the chest—like mine did today. When the doctors found her…it was too late…" Sasuke felt something wet hit his chest and he pulled back to look at Naruto. Said boy evaded eye contact, trying to stop his sudden tears. Another one slipped down his cheek, which Sasuke gently brushed away. Naruto looked at him, shocked a bit by the gentle character Sasuke was showing. Sasuke grunted and said, "It was just a dream." Slowly, the blonde nodded and tucked his head back under Sasuke's chin. This time he fell asleep after murmuring a sleepy, "Arigato Sasuke."
Once the younger was peacefully asleep, Sasuke sighed and mumbled, "Sure Naruto." He closed his eyes and held the boy tighter before letting oblivion take him.
Not sure with the next chapter will be up, as usual. Of course, Reviews are loved! 8D Thanks!!
-- Miah-Chan
