The Lost Neko
Chapter 11
Sasuke stared at Kakashi as if not believing the words that had just come out of his owner's mouth. They couldn't put Naruto down, the blonde was badly hurt and scared, that shouldn't have meant a death sentence for him.
"You can't meant that" Sasuke said slowly, shaking his head as if it would erase the words that kept running through it. "He's hurt and he is scared, which considering what he had to have gone through, who could blame him. That doesn't mean he should have to die."
"Sasuke" Kakashi said quietly, his eyes still on Naruto who was still backed into a corner quietly growling at them. "I know you don't understand this, but we don't know everything he has gone through to get to this point right now, we don't know that its anything he can come back from."
"So that means he has to die?" Sasuke asked "Because you don't know if he can come back. Why don't you give him a chance?" Kakashi shook his head, he should have known that Sasuke wouldn't understand.
Sasuke turned back towards Naruto, and stepped forward once more, ignoring the hissing coming from Naruto. Kneeling, Sasuke stared in Naruto's good eye, he didn't like what he saw. The normally full of life eyes were dulled by the misery he had gone through. Sasuke knew that even if Naruto could be helped, it would be a long time before Naruto wasn't afraid anymore. Still, he had to believe that his friend was still in there somewhere locked deep inside of Naruto. Sasuke was just going to have to help Naruto find him again.
"When you and Iruka first found me and Itachi" Sasuke said softly "I was a lot like Naruto is now, I was scared of pretty much everything, did you ever consider having me put down?"
"No, we knew that with enough time you could recover from your trauma." Kakashi replied. "You weren't as severely injured as Naruto is now either, most of your physical wounds had already healed. Naruto's hasn't even started yet."
"He's been through hell" Sasuke said quietly as he continued looking into Naruto's good eye. "he has every right to be scared. You can't blame him for that."
"He's suffering" Kakashi said "I would think that you wouldn't want him to suffer."
"I don't" Sasuke said "But I don't believe that he should be put down needlessly either."
"What if he stays feral?" Kakashi asked "we don't know know what went on aside from the obvious physical abuse, if he hurts someone because he's scared. Iruka and I could in trouble for it."
"I don't care what you say." Sasuke said turning to face Kakashi again "If you put him down than you might as well put me down to!"
"Sasuke" Itachi said softly "that's asking just a little too much isn't it."
"No," Sasuke replied "What's asking too much is for Naruto to get put down without giving him a chance to see if he can come back from this. I know that abuse changes people, but maybe love and kindness can change them too" Sasuke didn't want to think about Naruto getting put down after everything that he had already clearly been through. It wasn't fair for one neko to have to suffer so much, didn't Naruto deserve to be happy for a change?
"Maybe we can get Tsunade over here to take a look at him." Kakashi muttered giving in. He knew Naruto wouldn't trust any of them for a long time, but maybe Sasuke could get through to him.
Sasuke turned back towards Naruto, feeling slightly relieved that Kakashi had given in so quickly. Now they just had to get him through the worst of his injuries and through his fear. Sasuke couldn't blame Naruto for being so scared, if his back was anything to go by, Naruto had been brutally beaten, and that was enough to scare anyone.
"I know your scared." Sasuke said, as he dared to get a little closer to Naruto, ignoring the continuous growling. "you have every right to be, after being hurt. No one here is going to hurt you, we are going to get you treatment for your wounds."
Naruto could only stare at Sasuke, not really hearing his words. All he could remember was the way he had been beaten by the guys looking like Sasuke and Kakashi. What was going on? Why was he so confused? He hurt all over, he could still feel the drying blood on his back. Why wasn't he in the cell anymore? Naruto growled when he saw Sasuke get close again, he didn't want to hurt anyone, he just wanted to be left alone so he could die and be free from his pain.
"Naruto, you're home, your not with him anymore." Sasuke murmured noticing that Naruto's eyes were no longer focused on him. Sasuke wondered if they would be able to keep him from thinking back on what what he'd been through long enough for him to realize that he was home again. Reaching out, Sasuke touched the side of Naruto's face, startling the blonde and causing him to snap at his fingers again.
"Sasuke, touching him right now isn't a good idea." Iruka said softly as he came to stand behind Sasuke. "I don't think he knows that he's out of that place, and he keeps expecting us to hurt him."
"I don't want to hurt him, I want to help him." Sasuke said softly.
"I know" Iruka said quietly "but he doesn't know that. Whatever he went through has clearly been hell on him."
Standing up, Sasuke ignored the hissing from Naruto. With his heart aching Sasuke backed away.
"I won't let anyone hurt you again, Naruto, you can trust me." that being said Sasuke turned and headed into the apartment. Leaving, Naruto in Iruka's and Kakashi's hands.
"I'm sorry." Iruka told Naruto hating that the young neko was in so much pain. Tears filled his eyes as he reached and gently touched Naruto's broken paw. Naruto pulled it away, whimpering.
"ruka" Naruto murmured softly glad to finally see someone who hadn't caused him any pain while he had been gone. "I'm really home?"
"Yes, and we are going to get you all fixed up, you won't be in pain too much longer." Iruka said as tears did fill his eyes, when Naruto leaned forward and lay his head in his lap. It meant the world to Iruka to know that Naruto trusted him enough to not hurt him. Reaching out, Iruka touched the red line running through Naruto's eye.
"How did this happen?" Iruka asked softly as he noticed that Naruto's eye didn't follow the movement of his finger.
"Belt buckle." Naruto answered "and no I can't see out of that eye." that hurt Iruka's heart, knowing that Menma had been so harsh with Naruto. No one deserved to have to go through that kind of pain.
"If you don't mind, I would like to rest now" Naruto murmured as he lay his head back on Iruka's lap. The pain in Naruto's eyes hurt Iruka and it made him want to find Menma and shoot him, or at least blind him the way he had Naruto.
"Rest all you want." Iruka said as he gently ran his fingers through Naruto's dirty hair. Once Naruto was settled and his breathing slightly easier, Iruka looked up at Kakashi and Itachi.
"Tsunade wants us to bring him to her." Kakashi told him.
"I think under the circumstances that that wouldn't be such a good idea." Iruka replied "Menma has access to that building even if he was fired."
"Something tells me that he won't be coming for Naruto again for a while." Kakashi said frowning, he wondered how Naruto could so clearly and easily trust Iruka but let Sasuke or Kakashi get near him and he was ready to fight to the death?
"I can't deny that he needs help" Iruka said looking at Naruto's back, the poor neko's back had been ripped to shreds, it was a miracle there was any untouched skin left. Shifting, Iruka lay Naruto down for a moment before standing and gently picking Naruto up.
"I know we don't have any choice, his foot is badly broken and clearly infected. Its a miracle his back isn't an infected mess." Iruka muttered as Itachi opened the back car door for him and Iruka slide in with Naruto in his arms.
"At least tell Sasuke what we are up to so he doesn't freak out." Iruka told Itachi, who nodded as he closed the door. Itachi watched as Kakashi slide into the drivers seat before turning and heading back into the apartment, Sasuke was once again at the window staring out of it with a blank expression on his face.
"He doesn't hate you, you know." Itachi pointed out "he's traumatized by whatever he went through."
"I know" Sasuke said quietly "how could someone be so cruel to beat him like that? Naruto will be lucky if his back doesn't scar."
"I don't think I need to tell you there are plenty of cruel people out there." Itachi said as he sat down on the couch.
"I know that, but someone like Naruto should never have had to meet them face to face, he didn't deserve to be beaten like an animal." Sasuke muttered. He couldn't get the images of Naruto's back out of his head, he didn't think he had ever seen something like that before and he hoped to never see it again.
"I think you need to face the fact that Naruto may never be the same again." Itachi said "and it might have been best to have put him out of his misery."
"Yes, well having him put down wouldn't have solved anything." Sasuke said "besides that would just be letting Menma win, and I have no intention of letting that bastard win anything."
"You're not the one that has to live with the memories of the things that Menma done." Itachi reminded him.
"I'll help him live with them if he lets get close enough." Sasuke muttered. He wasn't giving up on Naruto so easily, not like he'd done before Naruto had disappeared. He hadn't given Naruto a chance and look at what had happened? He was tortured and brought back half dead.
"Why did they let him go?" Sasuke wondered "wouldn't it have been easier to just kill him and then dump the body."
"Probably would be." Itachi said "but I imagine Menma has some kind of plan he's trying to put into motion."
"I won't let him get so close to Naruto again" Sasuke growled. Suddenly his ears twitched and Sasuke scowled, before taking off for the front door.
"Where are you going?" Itachi asked, frowning.
"I'm going to make sure they are not putting him down." Sasuke said throwing the door open and running out of it.
"Pretty sure Kakashi said he wouldn't." Itachi muttered as he pushed himself to his feet and followed his brother. Sasuke didn't think things out well enough, he seemed to forget that it would be quicker to driver to the vets than it was to walk.
Sighing, Itachi shut and locked the door behind him before following Sasuke down the road. He couldn't blame Sasuke for being worried, Naruto had been beaten worse than Itachi had ever expected him to be, not only that but there was probably more damage done to the kid mentally that they didn't even know about. Itachi only hoped that Sasuke could handle being around a damaged Naruto, and that it didn't remind Sasuke of the place that he had come from. Itachi didn't think he could handle Sasuke going back there, it had been hard enough watching him be scared of every little thing. He couldn't imagine Sasuke going through that again.
A few minutes later Sasuke through open the door to the vets practice and entered finding Iruka and Kakashi sitting in the waiting room. Sasuke scowled at them before going to stand in front of them.
"What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked surprised to find an angry Sasuke there.
"Where is Naruto?" Sasuke demanded, ignoring the hand that Itachi had placed on his shoulder.
"Right now he's in surgery, his paw was badly infected so Tsunade thought that the best thing would be to amputate it before it caused him anymore problems." Sasuke scowled, he hated that Naruto was going to have to go through the rest of his life, crippled. Hopefully though, Naruto wouldn't ever have to live without them so he would have all the help he needed.
"You never answered my question" Kakashi said interrupting Sasuke's thoughts.
"I'm here to make you sure you weren't going to have him put down." Sasuke said "Even though that would have been the easier thing to do."
"I told you, I wouldn't." Kakashi said "at some point you are going to have to trust that I don't go back on my word."
"Did you have to bring him here?" Sasuke wondered looking around, sniffing the air around him. He could still smell Menma around the place, though it was an old scent he didn't like it.
"I doubt Naruto would have lasted until we drove hours out of our way." Kakashi said "he was in a lot of pain as it was, we needed to get him somewhere quickly."
"I can still smell Menma" Sasuke said, his eyes narrowing on the door that he knew Naruto was behind.
"Considering he is banned from the property, I don't think you have anything to worry about." Kakashi said "You know Tsunade won't allow Naruto to be hurt now that she is aware of all that has happened."
"Somehow I don't think that would even stop him." Sasuke muttered turning his back on Kakashi. Now that it was clear that Kakashi really hadn't been planning on putting Naruto down, Sasuke could focus on more important matters. Like how he was going to help Naruto if the blonde wouldn't allow him near him. Sasuke could understand Naruto's fear, who wouldn't be afraid after getting beaten within an inch of their life. But to Sasuke Naruto's fear of him was a little ridiculous, Sasuke hadn't really hurt Naruto before he'd disappeared, yes he had shoved Naruto out of his room, but that was no reason for the blonde to be scared of him. Unless something else had happened while Naruto was gone, and Menma had somehow managed to brainwash Naruto into thinking that Sasuke was dangerous. Not knowing what had happened to change the blondes attitude towards him bugged him and he wanted nothing more than to sit and make Naruto talk to him, but lord knows that would probably be even more traumatizing to Naruto, and Sasuke didn't want to hurt him anymore than was necessary. Still, Sasuke couldn't keep his thoughts from wondering on what had happened to Naruto.
"Earth to Sasuke" Itachi said waving his hand in front of Sasuke's face.
"What!" Sasuke snapped blinking his eyes and making his disturbing thoughts disappear.
"We're headed home now, Naruto is going to be in surgery for a while, and even when he's out, he won't be coming home tonight." Itachi said, Sasuke shook his head.
"I'm not leaving him here, so if he has to stay than I am too. I won't allow anything else to happen to him." Sasuke replied firmly not caring if his owners liked it or not. What he didn't tell them was he needed to be able to stay with Naruto for his own peace of mind. Sasuke thought he was going crazy while Naruto was gone.
"He's not going to let you near him even if he is barely conscious." Kakashi pointed out. "Something happened that damaged him."
"I don't care." Sasuke replied stubbornly "he disappeared the one time I made him leave me alone. he's going to be lucky if I ever leave him alone again."
"I can see world war 3 breaking out because of that attitude." Kakashi said sighing. "I guess if Tsunade allows you to stay you can, but if she says no then you are coming home with us."
"She won't say no." Sasuke said wondering if that was true, he didn't know what he would do if he had to go home and keep wondering about what was going on with Naruto.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Itachi pointed out. "Besides what are you going to do while he's sleeping. You will get bored." Sasuke shrugged, not really caring.
"For one I am going to make sure he is safe." Sasuke said "I don't want anyone else around him while he can't defend himself."
"You are arguing with a brick wall." Itachi told Kakashi "Sasuke isn't going to rest until he knows that Naruto is safe and sound."
A few minutes later, Tsunade exited the operating room, where Naruto was still lying unconscious.
"The surgery went well," she told the small group in front of her "But I fear he is in for a long recovery. While doing the main exam, daily beatings aren't the only thing he went through, apparently he was raped on several occasions and from the way he is tore up, it was pretty savage." Sasuke closed his eyes, wishing he could unhear those words. Someone like Naruto didn't deserve to be taken by force. Naruto shouldn't have had to suffer through any of that. Opening his eyes, Sasuke tried to calm the rage that was threatening to take over. He had to know about Naruto's injuries, as much as he knew that he didn't want to hear it.
"What else?" Sasuke asked when he felt Tsunade's eyes on him. "What else did that bastard do to him?"
"From the looks of it, more than one man took him at once." Tsunade said hating the pain she knew she was causing the neko, "There was a lot of damage, so I wouldn't be planning on mating with him anytime soon."
"If I ever see Menma again, I'm gonna kill him" Sasuke hissed, his ears falling flat against his head, showing the world his displeasure with the news that had just been broken to him.
"Not only that" Tsunade continued "But it looks like his front claws were completely ripped out." Sasuke could almost see Naruto now, trying to claw the men that had decided to ride him so roughly, he could only imagine the pain that Naruto had gone through as they took his self defense measure away from him. It hurt Sasuke deeply knowing that having his claws removed was something that Naruto would probably never recover from. How was he supposed to defend himself against anyone? Sasuke groaned at the images that flooded his head. All he wanted in that moment was to find Naruto and protect him with his own life. He didn't care what anyone else thought.
"I'm staying with him tonight." Sasuke informed Tsunade "I won't leave him alone while he can't defend himself."
"Fine, but you better let him rest, he's going to need all the strength he can get just to overcome the mental issues he's going to have." Tsunade said, knowing that it would have been pointless to keep the other neko away. Sasuke was obviously feeling protective over the younger one, standing in between them would only have meant her getting clawed up.
After discussing Naruto's other issues, Sasuke was led back to the room where Naruto would be spending his recovery. The blonde lay unconscious on a bed, with an oxygen mask placed over his face, the paleness of Naruto's skin bothered Sasuke more than he let on. What bothered Sasuke even more was place where Naruto's paw had once been. Where it had once held a small blonde paw, was now just a bandage wrapped stump. It almost brought tears to Sasuke's eyes as he wondered how Naruto was going to take care of himself now.
"He's going to be okay." Tsunade said after a moment, watching as Sasuke's eyes took in the sight of Naruto's bandaged hands, and the extensive bandages and stitches on Naruto's back. "He's going to hurt like hell for a little while but he's going to live."
Sasuke didn't say anything, just walked over to Naruto's bed, and knelt down beside Naruto, his hands gently stroking Naruto's soft ears. Sasuke never felt like crying more, and he didn't think he could feel any guiltier. If he hadn't been such an ass to Naruto maybe none of this would have happened.
"I'm sorry, Naruto" Sasuke said softly "You didn't deserve any of this, I allowed my past to blind me to you trying to be my friend and my lover. I was scared, still am to be honest, but when you where gone, I couldn't stop thinking about if I never saw you again. It wasn't a pretty picture, I couldn't stand the idea of never having gotten to know you. I won't leave you alone again, I will kill Menma if he gets close to you again. I refuse to let my fear get in the way from now on. You don't have to be afraid of me, I'm not like those that hurt you, I won't take anything without your permission. I just hope that when you wake up, you won't spend any more time afraid of me." Sasuke closed his eyes and placed his head next to Naruto's for a few moments.
"Where are you going to sleep?" Tsunade asked, she hadn't thought about it but she really didn't have a spare bed for him to rest in.
"right here." Sasuke replied as he sat up, "I'll sleep on the floor right here beside him."
"That's not going to be comfortable for you." Tsunade said and Sasuke shrugged.
"I can imagine that Naruto isn't too comfortable right now and he's resting just fine at the moment, so I will be fine as well." Sasuke replied as he stretched out on the floor beside Naruto's bed, facing Naruto and the steady rising of Naruto's chest. The small sounds escaping Naruto's lips brought Sasuke a small amount of comfort, it meant that the blonde was still with him and wasn't going anywhere. Sasuke wouldn't allow anything to come in during the night and try to silence those sounds, not without hurting Sasuke first.
Sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter posted, I've been sick. Hope you enjoy thanks for reading.