Hi, everyone! I know I've been MIA for a while. I'm sorry I left this story on hiatus. Hope you enjoy. 3
Hashira walked in to see Sasuke curled up against Naruto, fast asleep. Naruto was looking at him with a worried expression.
"Naruto? Are you guys alright?"
Naruto looked up confused and unsure. "He fell out of bed then fell asleep."
Hashira came over and lifted Sasuke up onto the bed. Naruto tucked his knees up under his chin.
"Naruto, what happened?"
Naruto's words poured out of him trying to cheer Sasuke up by being nice, then Sasuke being mean, (he almost told her about Kidomaru but stuck with Kimimaru's story). "And then he asked me my name, then fell asleep crying. I don't know what to do, Hashira! How do I make him feel better?"
She contemplated the best advice. Comforting someone is not an easy task. There is no universal cure but how does one explain that to a child when they need an answer? "There isn't much you can do. Just be there for him. Be patient with him. Listen to him. The rest of the stuff will work out with time."
"But I never know what to say!"
"There isn't much you can say."
Naruto's eyes widened. "But…but there must be something!"
Hashira sighed. "Sasuke is very upset right now. He has lost his family. He is in a strange place, and probably scared out of his mind. Actions speak louder than words. Just being there, and comforting him when he needs it will mean much more than anything you could say."
"Really?" Naruto seemed skeptical.
"Really."
He still felt helpless, though. He wrapped his arms around Hashira's waist and laid his head on her lap. She put a hand on his head, which helped to ease his worries.
"See? Helps, doesn't it?" She said.
"You mean this?" Naruto was surprised. He hadn't even realized how much the small gesture had helped. "I thought that was something only you could do!"
"No. I am not the only one. A simple gesture, like holding his hand, can be comforting."
Naruto felt relieved. "He was afraid of my hug, but he still held my hand when we went upstairs last night. I hope it helped."
"I'm sure it did."
Naruto nuzzled her side.
"I'm going to go back into the nursery. Would you like to join me and see Inari?"
As nice as that sounded, Naruto shook his head and sat up. "I want to stay with Sasuke. I don't want him to be alone when he wakes up."
"Okay." Hashira smoothed his hair and kissed his forehead. "I'll see you at dinner." She thought as she walked out the door, "He is really compassionate. Maybe Sasuke will help to bring him out of his shell."
"Tell Inari I'll see him later."
"I will."
When Sasuke awoke, he found himself on the bed, dusk was darkening the room and alone.
"Naruto?"
Naruto poked his head up at the side of the bed. "I'm right here, Sasuke."
He looked relieved. "What are you doing?"
"Drawing."
Sasuke peeked over the side to see the brightly colored drawings. There were pictures of Naruto as some kind of superhero, but one stuck out, the one Naruto was working on. It had him with a woman, a brown-haired boy who was taller than him, and a little baby.
"What's that?" Sasuke pointed.
"It's a picture of my family." Naruto answered proudly.
"Is that your mom?" He pointed to the woman.
"No, that's Hashira. She takes care of us."
"Where is your mom?" Sasuke asked.
"In heaven."
A question had been nagging at Sasuke ever since he arrived. How could kids here smile and play if their parents had died? "Then why are you smiling in the picture?"
"Because my mom smiles when I smile. Sometimes I'm sad when I think of her, but if I never smiled she would be one of those crying angels, and I don't want that."
Sasuke couldn't imagine being happy again. It didn't feel right. So, he guessed that would make his mom a weeping angel, which only made him feel worse. Sasuke looked at the picture again. "Who're they?" He pointed to the boy and the baby.
"That's my older brother, Iruka. And that's my little brother, Inari."
"Older…brother?" Sasuke's brain was rustling, like it was recovering lost information."
"Yeah. Iruka got adopted, but he still comes to see me sometimes. And he calls me a lot."
"My brother… Itachi… I forgot about Itachi!"
"What?"
Sasuke threw the covers off his bed. "I have to find out about Itachi!"
Naruto remembered something about him having an older brother. "Let's go ask Hashira. She's in the nursery, I think. Then you can meet Inari, too."
Sasuke pulled Naruto up. "Come on!" It was the first time Naruto saw Sasuke smile. It made his whole face seem nicer, gentler. He seemed less like a porcelain doll now and more like a boy, who got rosy cheeks when he ran and sang when he liked a song. There was a boy like him under all that sadness. He ran with Sasuke, guiding him to the nursery.
When they arrived, Hashira was feeding one of the baby girls.
"Hashira!" Naruto cried.
"Shhh! Naruto! Some of them are still asleep."
Naruto quieted. "Ooops. Sorry." She handed the baby to another caretaker and came out into the hallway.
"What's all the excitement?"
"Sasuke wanted to ask you something."
Sasuke blurted out, "When's my brother coming? Is he alive?"
Hashira nodded. "He should be here within the week."
Sasuke smiled but then tears streamed down his face.
"Sasuke, it's alright." Hashira said.
But Sasuke crumpled to the floor and drew his knees up to hide his face. Hashira reached her hand out but Naruto got to him first. He put an arm around Sasuke.
"It's okay, Hashira. I got him."
Hashira's heart ached. Naruto's heart seemed to grow bigger everyday. She nodded, "I'll be in here if you need me." She went back in the nursery and closed the door.
"Sasuke, are you crying cause you're happy?"
"I…I forgot about my brother. The only person I have left, and I forgot him."
"Well, sometimes when the world seems its saddest, you forget that there's anything good left. Like you're stuck in the dark forever."
Sasuke sniffled and lifted his head.
"Do you think I made my mom smile, just now?"
"Yeah, and she'll smile even bigger when your brother gets here."
Sasuke wiped his tears away and smiled again.
