But a lesson learned in time...

I floated in a sea of white fluff, apparently shot full of enough drugs to sedate even a shape shifter and not conscious enough to wake up completely. Bits of conversation rolled on by, spoken softly by familiar, if hushed voices. Mostly I dreamed about my family and sometimes about the blonde-haired shape shifter, but these were dreams, far removed from the nightmares that normally haunted my sleeping hours.

Naruto hadn't left my side since god-knows-when, slipping away only briefly and rarely. I knew his passing because he was very warm and when he left, I felt cold and alone. His mind was a reassuring jumble of straightforward thoughts, devoid of malice or vengeful thoughts; he knew pain and anguish and sorrow but he felt no need to lash out at the world. That seemed to be a burden left on my shoulders.

At one point, it occurred to me that, as far as the human world was concerned, I was the last living member of my family. To them, Itachi was gone and buried along with the rest of my family and all that remained of once proud Uchiha house was a kid in a hospital bed, in a coma to boot. Worse still, save Itachi and my grandfather, the rest of my family had died by fire. Wonder if anyone's keeping score.

Sakura came by as well, prompting the were-fox to leave, but she never stayed long. She told me once, when she thought I wasn't listening—because apparently even comatose people don't all share the same blank expression—that she volunteered at the hospital. She cried by far the most. I'd never much understood why she bothered to shed tears; it accomplished nothing and brought her no closer to her goals. Maybe I'm broken, too...

But even in this world of shapeless clouds and echo-filled voices, the call wouldn't let me rest for long. I knew it was time to wake up and there was no place to run from the single-minded purpose that is a Watcher's existence. Slowly, the emptiness inside my own head receded and my eyes opened once more.

Everything smelled of disinfectant; it assaulted my nose and, not for the first time, I sympathized with any shape shifter forced to visit a hospital. Turning my head, I looked over at the blonde, with his tousled hair and whisker shaped scars. He was the first thing I noticed and reaching out with an unsteady hand, I touched his face.

"Forgiven," I whispered, remembering something he'd said days earlier.

I've heard of falling in love at first sight; it's one of those romantic notions Sakura likes to ponder about. I fully expected never to join the ranks of the love-struck but watching him sleep made my heart ache. He was still sporting bandages from our nasty encounter with the demon and looked, even asleep, worried. The rest of the room, when I finally got around to noticing it, was austere and punctuated by beeping and blinking monitors that hung above my head.

Naruto opened one blue eye, then the other. Then, he proceeded to hug the stuffing out of me. Briefly I knew what teddy bears might feel like. When he finally let go again, I whimpered in newly-discovered pain and glared at him.

"Ow!"

"I was worried," he said by way of explanation. "You almost didn't make it..."

I was nearly impaled on your Jeep. I'm actually more surprised that I'm still here. "Told you I'm not that fragile."

This time it was his turn to do the staring. "Ug! You and Neji both. How can you think and say two absolutely different things?"

"You hear Neji's thoughts, too?"

Naruto shrugged and sat up, climbing off the hospital bed in order to pull up a chair. "He can send his thoughts to other people, when he wants to, if he's shared blood with them before." Sitting down, he paused. "How do you feel?"

Taking stock of my own injuries proved to be a Bad Idea. Thankfully not everything hurt, but my back was one giant mess of agony with the right arm a close second. Breathing too heavily wasn't a good idea, either, though I couldn't remember breaking any ribs.

"I'll survive."

"Great!" The blonde sounded suspiciously cheerful. "Um...I like you."

A blush crept up his face; I watched it sliding underneath his perpetual tan. He was also rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Having known Naruto for a while now, I was betting on some mixture of embarrassment and worry.

"OK."

"Aw, come on, don't be such a cold bastard," he almost whined, a petulant teenager in place of an adult. "I really do like you. You know, the human kind of love."

"Don't shape shifters just...you know?"

He sighed and stuck out his tongue at me. "Sometimes. But it isn't just that. We're not fucking rabbits." I rolled my eyes at him and he amended the statement. "Most of us aren't, anyway."

"Well, I like you, too, but is there any way this particular conversation can wait until after this mess is over?"

He shook his head. "So, as I was saying, I like you."

"Naruto..." I tried to sound upset but it came out more tired than angry.

"And that makes you my mate."

My befuddled brain was starting to catch up. "Great to know it's a one way street. What if I hate your guts?"

"Doesn't work like that."

He chuckled and I could tell he was trying to get under my skin. That's Naruto for you. Pushing my buttons seemed to be his favorite hobby recently, somewhere between saving my ass and getting himself set on fire.

"In whose world, exactly?"

"There's a pack meet tomorrow night," he blurted out, "and as my mate, you have to come."

"Let me guess: if I ask anything else—like how the fuck other packs are going to know I even exist—the answer is inevitably going to be 'it's complicated'."

"Actually, to a shape shifter, my status in that particular area is blindingly obvious. Humans' limited senses prevent them from smelling such details, but for me—and every other shifter around—it's as easy as walking." He looked up at me after staring at the floor. "I also strongly suspect that as the drugs we gave you wear off, you'll begin noticing it as well. Trust me when I say you're still out of it."

"But..."

He held up his hand. "As my mate, you share both my strengths and weaknesses. As your Guardian, I share your mind. You and I... Let's just say you'll want to speak with the hag again."

"Why?"

"Can I save her life story for another day? Right now, you need food—trust me on this, too—and then a hot bath. And then..."

I glared at him. "Go on."

"Then we teach you to fight against a shape shifter and win because, come the Gathering, you're gonna have to win."

"You seriously think any of the other packs are going to want to challenge a human? Isn't that beneath them?"

He stood up and stretched; I watched him the way one watches a tiger, with a wary gaze. Looking back at me, he nodded. "Our pack is already considered inferior because we're such a mixed group of animals, but we're strong enough to hold our own. The other packs will want some of that strength, and killing my mate is one way of getting what they want." He grinned. "But don't worry! With a little work, you can win for sure!"

I sat up, ignoring the pain, and pulled several IVs out of my arm. "Well, best get started."

The butterflies in my stomach were a potent reminder that, even if I did like the blonde, I was still walking almost calmly to my own execution.

***

Author's Note: The next chapter should be more action-packed. I know this one dragged. Sorry.