I'm officially expecting 15 chapters or so. That will be the final average I will put on this fic… :pause: Unless I get to chapter 15 and I have more that I want to say. But I don't think that will happen. Besides, 15 is a good number. I'll be perfectly content with a story that long.
Disclaimer: I don't own it. Please if I did… :gloom: it wouldn't be as good. ((Ha, ha. Such confidence I have in my story telling abilities))
Warning: Boy Love and language and a bit of drama. Or it's at the very least, my try at drama. You know what to do if you don't want to read this.
Naruto tightened his hold on his cell phone as he let Tsunade's words sink in. 'He's in the hospital!!' The thought rolled around in the blonde's mind. He could not believe it. His guardian. No… His father figure was in the hospital. Whatever happened to him must have been bad to make Tsunade break down like she was.
The older woman was still on the other end crying her eyes out for her brother. The only other time Naruto had heard his guardian and mother figure cry like this was when his parents had died. After recalling that certain memory, the blonde boy hoped with all his might that Jiraiya was not dead.
The tan boy's body shook and his empty hand clenched tightly at his side. He held back the tears that had started to form in the corners of his eyes. Naruto took a deep breath and found his voice once again.
"I'm coming home then." Naruto stated. Tsunade's sobs quieted after Naruto finished speaking.
"Don't… Don't do that, g-gaki." Tsunade said as she sniffled and tried to calm herself down. "You're on vacation with your friends."
"How am I going to enjoy myself when Jiraiya's in the hospital!" Naruto shouted. The tan boy's anger and sorrow grew as the conversation went on. No one could blame him. After all, it was like losing a father all over again.
"B-But…" Tsunade tried to say, but Naruto cut her off once again.
"I'm coming down whether you want me to or not!" Naruto yelled once again. He took a deep breath and paused for only a moment to calm himself. "I… I just have to, Tsunade."
After hearing Naruto call her by her name (without any suffixes attached) Tsunade realized exactly how worried Naruto really was. Tsunade gave a weak smile as tears still fell from her honey colored eyes.
"All right. If you must." Tsunade's voice was soft and low. "He's in Kishimoto Hospital(1)." Naruto then said good-bye to his guardian and hung up his phone.
The blonde boy then leaned his body against the wall and let himself slide down until he sat with his knees close to his chest. Naruto let his arms hang by his sides as he stared at the opposite wall. He could no longer hold the tears in. Streams of hot liquid flowed down his tanned cheeks as the boy silently cried.
After a few minutes, Naruto wiped away his tears and rose to his feet. He quickly opened the drawers to his dresser and threw everything he had brought with him into his suitcase. Once he finished that task, he slowly descended the stairs, set down his suitcase, and walked back into the living room. Naruto moved over to Kiba and tapped the brunette on the shoulder.
"Hey, Kiba." Naruto muttered to the dog lover. His voice was somewhat shaky. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
Kiba paused for a moment. Something about Naruto's behavior was worrying him. The blonde wore his signature smile, but it was not as big and it looked completely forced. "Ah… sure, man." Kiba then stood up from his spot on the couch and followed Naruto out of the living room. "What's this all about?" Kiba asked once they were standing beside the base of the stairs. Kiba made sure to keep his voice down so that the other would not hear him.
"…" Naruto paused for a moment. His false smile vanished and his head was hanging slightly, which made his blonde bangs fall over his eyes. "It's…Ero Sennin." Naruto said finally. "H-he's… He's…" Naruto paused again. The tan boy seemed unable to say the words.
"Just spit it out." Kiba said softly when Naruto seemed like he would never continue on with his statement.
"He's in the hospital, Kiba." Naruto blurted out a little louder than he should have. Fortunately no one in the other room seemed to have heard the blonde boy's statement. Kiba stared at him in disbelief. The brunette then found himself unable to speak for a moment. "And I need to go and see him."
"I understand." Kiba replied.
"But I need someone to take me there. I… didn't bring a car and I don't have the money for a cab."
"Naruto, I can't leave." Kiba mumbled back to his blonde friend. "I wouldn't feel right if I left while everyone else stayed here."
"Kiba, I'm begging!" Naruto pleaded. "I have to see him! I've got no one else to turn to."
"What's wrong?" A certain raven-haired boy's voice said as he approached the other two boys.
Kiba paused for a moment to look over at the tan boy beside him. "Naruto, uh… Needs a ride home now." Kiba said slowly, unsure if the blonde-haired boy wanted Sasuke to know this piece of information.
"I see." Sasuke replied. He then noticed the morose look on the blonde's usually happy face. The three boys stood in silence for a moment before it was broken. "Well, if he really needs a ride… I guess I wouldn't mind taking him." Sasuke said as he turned his head away so that he would not make eye contact with Naruto.
The blonde boy looked in shock as Sasuke spoke. Naruto wanted to give a big smile to the raven, but he could no longer hold back his tears. "Arigatou, Sasuke." Naruto's voice was trembling from the sobs that were escaping from his mouth.
"You can leave your stuff here, dude." Kiba said when the blonde started to calm down. "If you come back then you can get it. But if you don't I can always bring it to you."
"Thanks, Kiba. B-But… it's already packed." Naruto wiped his eyes with the back on his hand and then gave the dog lover a real smile. Kiba returned the smile. "I'll just take it with me."
"Let's go then, Naruto." Sasuke's tone was low. The raven then quickly ran up stairs to grab his keys and then came back down just as quickly. The two boys said good-bye to Kiba and then left the house.
---------------------------------------------------
The two boys sat in the car in silence. Naruto tried his best not to cry, but his anxiousness was getting the better of him. The blonde clenched his fists as he sat them on his lap and then turned his gaze to look outside the window. Naruto noticed the dark clouds that loomed overhead. He just knew that a storm would be coming any moment now. The tan boy let out a sigh as he continued to stare out of his window.
"You didn't have to do this for me, you know." Naruto stated; his voice was now sullen. "You could have stayed with the others."
"…" Sasuke looked over at Naruto from the corners of his eyes. "Hn. Dobe. You needed a ride so I gave you one."
"But you didn't have to. No one asked you too. So why did you do it?" Naruto asked softly.
"I felt like it." Sasuke replied simply.
Naruto did not like that answer. He clenched his fists tighter tightly until the skin on his knuckles turned white. "But why?"
Sasuke paused for a moment. Naruto began to think that he was not going to answer. "I just did." Sasuke finally said.
'Stupid, stubborn Sasuke-teme.' Naruto thought as he pouted slightly. He knew that Sasuke was not going to give him an answer, but that did not stop Naruto from being angry with him. The blonde then inwardly smiled. Sasuke had managed to take his mind off of Jiraiya. Even if it was only for a moment.
"You seemed upset when we left the beach house." Sasuke said after a long pause. "Did something happen?" Naruto did not look over at Sasuke. He just could not. The thoughts of what might have happened to Jiraiya (he reminded himself that he did not even let Tsunade elaborate into what exactly had happened) were still to fresh in his mind. There was still a part of his mind that refused to believe that his father figure could be in the hospital, dying for all he knew.
With no other option, Naruto remained silent. The raven then took the lack of answer from his blonde companion as a sign that he came upon a subject he should not have. Sasuke then replied before Naruto could (if he was going to, that is).
"You don't have to answer that if you don't want to." Sasuke's voice was low and serious. Naruto looked over at the shorter boys from the corners of his eyes. The hints of a smile tugged on his lips.
"Thanks for understanding." Naruto said in a soft voice. They sat in silence for most of the remaining car ride.
---------------------------------------------------
They arrived back in their hometown around midday, a little earlier than either of them had thought. Sasuke had increased his speed when he noticed how anxious the blonde was to get home. He still did not know what on Earth could have happened to make Naruto want to leave their vacation early, but he did know it must have been important. And that was all Sasuke needed to know. For now at least.
"Please take me to the Kishimoto hospital, Sasuke." Naruto said softly as the drove into the city. The raven's eyes widened when he heard that sentence. His fears were confirmed and something awful had happened. But to whom the horrible event had happened was the real question now.
The shorter boy merely nodded and then headed for the hospital. Sasuke was glad that the Kishimoto Hospital was the only major hospital in their city. He would have spent hours searching around the city if it had been a smaller one.
Another fifteen minutes in the car and the pair arrived at the hospital. Sasuke parked the car in the parking lot that was beside the large building and sat in silence with Naruto for a moment.
"I don't know what happened, but if you want me too, I'll come in with you." Sasuke stated as he fixed his gaze on the car parked in front of his own. Naruto remained quiet for a moment. Sasuke had to admit, he liked the loud and annoying Naruto much better.
"Yeah." Naruto answered softly. "I'd like that. Thanks." Naruto tried to smile at Sasuke, but the raven could tell that it was very forced.
The two then got out of the car and walked toward the building. Naruto looked up at the gray clouds for a moment. It looked as if it could storm any moment. The weather seemed to mimic his own feeling, since the blonde felt as if he could break down and cry any second now. He then returned his gaze to the hospital building and speed up his steps. Sasuke followed quietly behind him.
When they entered the hospital, a very tired and stressed looking Tsunade greeted them. Judging by how puffy and red her eyes seemed to be, both boys knew she had been crying only moments ago.
"Where is he?" Naruto asked as he and Sasuke walked up to the blonde woman. Tsunade, who had been sitting down, stood up and placed one of her trembling hands on Naruto's shoulder.
"He's in room 4726." Tsunade said. Naruto could tell she was trying to sound firm. "But… he's in bad shape."
"Tell me what happened to him." Naruto said loudly. This was the loudest that Sasuke had heard the blonde all day. Sasuke looked away from the two blondes. He did not want to intrude on their personal problems, though he was intrigued as to about whom they were talking. He instead focused on the few raindrops that began to hit the window.
"He…" Tsunade paused to swallow. "He was hit by a car." Naruto's blue eyes widened. Sasuke did not mean to over hear, but he did. And after learning that Naruto was in a car accident when he was young, he could only imagine how the tan boy must be feeling right now. "He was on his way to work and he was crossing the street. Whoever was in the car must have not seen him since it was still early in the morning and the sun was just coming up and… And…" Tsunade paused again as a sob escaped from her mouth. "They hit him. He broke a few ribs and his right arm and leg. They also said that he hurt his back too. And he hasn't woken up yet!"
Tsunade was now frantic. Naruto then hugged his mother figure as she began to cry once again. He was holding back the urge to cry as well.
"Oh, Naruto, they say that he's in a coma! What if he doesn't wake up?!" The older woman wept for her brother and her elegant hands clenched onto Naruto's shirt. Her old body was shaking now from her crying. Naruto then moved his guardian over to the chairs to have her sit down once again. Her sobs became less intense after she sat down.
"I'm going to go see him, are you—" Naruto was then cut off by Tsunade.
"No. No I can't see him again." Tsunade answered quickly. "Not in the state he's in."
"All right. I'll be back." The blonde then stood up and walked over to Sasuke. The raven raised a dark eyebrow in confusion. "Hey, would you mind if you would stick around for while. I just want to see him for a moment."
"Take your time." Sasuke half grunted, but Naruto knew that was the bastard's way of being nice. "I'm going to get a cup of coffee. Want any?"
"No, but I think Tsunade could use some." Naruto then pointed to the older woman who sat in the chair with her head resting in her hands. Sasuke made a note that the woman was the "Tsunade-baachan" that the blonde had mentioned the other day while they went shopping. The raven-haired boy then concluded that the person who was hurt must be the "Ero Sennin" he had mentioned as well.
Sasuke nodded in agreement and then left to go find a coffee machine or vending machine to get the coffee. Naruto finally moved when Sasuke left his sight. The tan boy then ran up the stairs until he was on the fourth floor. He slowly walked through the hallway, scanning the signs that held the room numbers on them, until he came across Jiraiya's room.
The tan boy lingered outside of the room for a moment. He took in a deep breath to calm his nerves and then slowly opened the door. Naruto stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. The room seemed gloomy, now that it was raining hard and the light from the sun was almost completely blocked out from the dark clouds. Naruto's eyes wandered over to the only bed in the large room. His father figured lay there… unconscious. He felt a knot in his stomach clench as he saw this strong man look so helpless.
Naruto sat down in the chair beside the bed and looked at older man. The silence of the room was almost unbearable. Both Jiraiya and Naruto were known for talent of being loud and annoying, and here they were. Silent. Not moving. One unconscious, the other unsure if talking would help. But at this point, Naruto was willing to try anything to help his guardian.
"Hey, Ero Sennin." Naruto tried to smile as he spoke to the older man. "Heard you got yourself into a pretty big mess." His smile then came a little easier. "I told you walking the streets was dangerous, didn't I? Although I always thought you were gonna get mugged." Naruto laughed at his statement.
At that moment Jiraiya's fingers began to twitch. Naruto did not notice, because he was already getting too caught up in his one-sided conversation.
"I've been bugging you for months to get a car. That way you can get to work much faster and you can sleep in later… And not get hit by cars." Naruto knew that if Jiraiya could hear him, he would be laughing. "So I think we should consider buying one after you get out of here."
Naruto then realized that once Jiraiya was released, they would have to pay for his stay here. The blonde groaned in annoyance. I guess a car would have to wait until the got money for one. Naruto cursed all hospitals for demanding such a high payment.
"Okay. Well maybe not right after you get out of here." Naruto laughed nervously. The tan boy closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head. He stopped when he heard a low grunt followed by the ruffling of the hospital's bed sheets. His brilliant blue eyes shot open to find Jiraiya struggling to sit up in his bed. He failed to do so, and fell back down on the bed and let out another grunt.
"Na… Naruto?" Jiraiya asked in a hoarse voice. He then hissed in pain as he tried to get more comfortable in the hospital bed. The blonde stared in awe at the older man. Jiraiya looked around the room and then returned his gaze back to the boy sitting beside him. "Where am I, gaki?"
Naruto could not decide if he wanted to laugh or cry. His body choose the latter and tears started to form in the corners of the blonde's eyes. Naruto then wiped the tears away with the back of his hand and tried to hold back more tears from coming out. Noticing the tears and weird expression on the boy he thought of as his own son, Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"What's wrong?" Jiraiya asked as he went back to looking around. "Why are all these tubes attached to me?!" Jiraiya now sounded a bit panicked. "Oi! Why am I in hospital?! Did Tsunade almost kill me again?!" As Jiraiya panicked, he groaned because of the aching pain in his side.
Naruto ignored the last part of Jiraiya's frantic rant (he'd have to remind himself to ask Tsunade about that later) and laughed. Only he could make an incident like this funny.
"What is it now? I'm seriously confused."
"I'm just glad you awake." Naruto said as he gave his father figure a big, toothy smile.
Jiraiya blinked at the blonde. "Awake? Was I asleep?"
"I'll fill you in on the detail later. Let me just go get Tsunade-baachan." Naruto said as he rose from the chair. Jiraiya nodded in agreement slowly. As long as Tsunade was not responsible for his current state, then the older man decided everything was okay.
Naruto ran through the halls and down the stairs. He ran into the waiting room where he found Tsunade and Sasuke sitting beside one another, each drinking their own can of coffee. Naruto skidded to a halt in front of the pair.
"He's awake!!" Naruto smiled brightly at the two sitting in the chairs. Tsunade dropped her cup of coffee, which resulted in the brown liquid from the can spilling over the tiled floor in front of her feet. She then rose to her feet and tears of joy started streaming down her face.
"He… He's really awake?" She asked quietly. The blonde boy nodded and Tsunade hugged him tightly. She was overjoyed to hear that her brother would be all right. "I'm going to go see him." Tsunade then rushed toward the room where a confused Jiraiya sat. Naruto was about to join her when he remembered Sasuke was still sitting in his chair.
"I'm happy that your guardian is fine." Sasuke said cautiously. "What did you call him? Ero Sennin?" Naruto blushed slightly when Sasuke said his nickname for his father figure.
"That's just a name I call him. His real name is Jiraiya." Naruto said as he scratched his chin.
"Aren't you going to go back and see him?" Sasuke asked after noticing that Naruto was still standing before him.
"I think Tsunade-baachan deserves some time alone with her brother."
Naruto then sat down in the chair next to Sasuke (not the one Tsunade had sat in since there was still coffee all around it). The two were silent for another moment, but Naruto broke the silence after a moment or two.
"Thanks for taking me all the way up here." Naruto said as a faint blush crept its way onto Naruto's cheeks. The raven-haired boy noticed the sudden color change in Naruto's face and smirked.
"I told you it's fine. I already told you I didn't mind doing it. Don't make me say it again." Sasuke replied with his smug tone.
"I know, but…" Naruto paused. He blush grew redder as he tried to not look at the pale boy beside him. "But I still owe you one for this."
Sasuke let a smile appear on his face. "Whatever you say, dobe."
---------------------------------------------------
(1) I just had to use Kishimoto-sensei name for the hospital. I mean he did create the character so it's the least I can do. That and I already used Konoha XD. It wouldn't make sense to have a 'Konoha Hospital' miles away from Konoha, now would it?
I'm such a bitch sometimes, ne? I finally have Naruto decide he'll tell Sasuke about his feeling and then I go and have something get in the way. This is so like me. At least the ending is cute, ne:sweat: Heh, heh.
Don't worry. This is more punishment for Sasuke than you, my beloved readers :hearts and sparkles:. I'm still not over the whole Deidara thing. :sniffle: This is gonna take a while. So I apologize to my readers… and to poor Naruto, because you have to suffer for the torture that I inflict upon Sasuke. You don't deserve it.