I finally managed to finish chapter 14. :)
Naruto sat among white sheets, staring out the window at the hospital courtyard. It had been a week and a half since Takashi had been apprehended. His case had been accepted and soon there would a trial to determine what would become of the demon who murdered Mika Nakamura. The only visitor to his room was Itachi, as he had asked that his friends not be allowed to see him and Sasuke wanted nothing to do with him. There was a sadness in his heart when he thought about his foster-mother and his friends. He knew that he would soon hear the telltale shuffle of Genma's footsteps and the social worker would take him away again.
A sigh slide past his lips as he watched the last few leaves fall to the ground, the fall colors glinting slightly in the sunlight. He let his thoughts wander to his previous foster homes and the people he had met and lost while in each one. One in particular stayed in the forefront of his mind and he let a slight, sad smile come to his face. Mei, you loved the fall colors...This was a beautiful fall, and how I wish that I could have shared it with you. Even though the time we shared was short, I loved you...little sis.
For once he was glad for other sad memories to distract him. He let the past swallow him and take away his pain momentarily. There had been so many faces that had faded from his view, and so many of them that he never wanted to see in person again. His mind went down the list of each family he had been apart of. Naruto bit his lips as he remembered that he had given the word 'Mother' to fifteen women, with varying results. Four women out of the fifteen were dead; that he knew of.
Naruto found the pain returning as he wondered what his next 'mother' would be like. He shuddered at the thought of having another abusive mother; he hated having a mother that tried to beat him with a frying pan or force his hand on a lit gas burner. Naruto found himself staring at his right hand, where thick, silvery scars stretched across tan skin. The casts on his fingers hid a few that were present on the top of his hand. Naruto knew that only one scar came close to the underside of his hand, and that was on the outside of his hand, near his pinky, where the brunt of the fire had licked at his skin. He was surprised that more people did not ask about the scars, especially Sasuke. For some reason, people seemed to focus on other areas, like the torso, rather than the hands.
"Little fox, your fingers are not fixing themselves any faster with you staring at them intently. In fact, I daresay that they are reconnecting slower because of your intense stare." Naruto glared at Itachi, who was entering the room with a light smirk gracing his lips. "Since we are on the subject of your hand, I have been wondering how you received those wonderful scars." Naruto continued to glare and Itachi gave a quiet laugh, "I see that you are as informative as usual." Itachi settled into a chair beside the bed, leaning back and letting out a gentle sigh. Naruto watched, wary of the Uchiha.
"I must know what has gotten my dearest little brother into such a tizzy. He refuses to talk about you and dared to yell at our father this morning about wasting manpower on Mr. Nakamura's case. Seems someone," Here Itachi paused and looked pointedly at Naruto before continuing, "has royally pissed him off." Naruto scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I suppose they have, but he 'royally pissed' them off in return."
"An argument between them, I presume? Trouble in paradise?" Naruto growled at this, and flicked his eyes in Itachi's general direction for a moment. "Yes, though I would hardly call it trouble in paradise, as paradise is something that does not exist."
"Such a downer. You should see someone about your pessimistic attitude... " Itachi paused, " Naruto, whatever you two are fighting about needs to be resolved, and soon. I spoke with Sasuke, and he wouldn't stop yelling about how you were an idiot, pushing people away, and not trusting anyone. Then he stormed off and I have yet to see the youngest Uchiha again."
"It is hardly my fault that the idiot took a simple request for him to leave and blew into an argument. I asked him to stop meddling with my life, and he decided to start yelling at me. So what if he hasn't returned home yet? He's probably drowning his sorrows or brooding somewhere. Besides, we aren't even friends, why should I care?" Naruto sighed and stared at the ceiling.
"You care, Naruto, you are just avoiding the truth. The question is why are you hiding?" Itachi questioned, folding his arms over his chest. Naruto clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to growl at the man. "My reasons are my own, and it is for the best."
"Are you certain of that? Has pushing others away ever done anything positive for you, little fox?"
"It makes good-byes easier..." Naruto muttered before he could stop himself. He glanced in the Uchiha's direction, hoping that Itachi had not heard his words. The surprise that flicked across the man's face, however, told Naruto that the older Uchiha had heard him. He looked away and busied himself with adjusting the blanket. "Ah...I see. Moving from home to home would be rather difficult, and I cannot imagine how many precious people you have had to leave behind." There was a long pause and Naruto wondered if Itachi was waiting for him to reply. He stayed silent until the other man spoke again, "I managed to glance at your file...Orphaned at age six; you have been in fourteen foster homes and several different orphanages. There are..."
"I don't need a history lesson." Naruto interrupted, annoyance lacing his words. Itachi did not stop, but continued with what he was saying. "...Reports of abuse from most of those homes and there is no telling what the people at the orphanages did to you. You have every right to be untrusting and wary, but you have been in this town for two and a half years now and there are people who care deeply for you. You kept things locked away from them, and I can only pretend to understand your reasons for doing so. How do you think they feel with you pushing them away completely, just to make things easier? You are hurting them as much as you are hurting yourself."
Naruto finally let a growl slip from his lips and he turned furious eyes to Itachi. "I was protecting those who are precious to me, and thanks to your dearest little brother's intervention, my mother is dead. I lock things away for a reason, and he doesn't understand that. I don't care what you or anyone else says; I am not going to let people in. There will be a social worker coming through that door within the next few hours, and I will leave without saying good-bye...to anyone."
Itachi sighed, "That is unfortunate. I have tried rather hard to change your mind, but alas, my efforts have been wasted. I will have to call in the reinforcements." He rose from his chair and left the room, leaving an annoyed and slightly confused Naruto in his wake. Shaking his head, Naruto relaxed against the pillows, suddenly feeling tired. The morphine made him tired to begin with, but arguing with Itachi had worn him out.
As he shut his eyes, Naruto wondered what Itachi had meant by 'reinforcements'. Shaking his head slightly, he shoved the thought out of his mind and let himself drift into a light sleep. He was awoken quickly, however, by the sound of approaching footsteps. Opening his eyes, he saw a nurse entering the room. "Hello, Naruto. How are you today?" Naruto shrugged and the girl laughed. "Talkative, aren't you? Well, I'm going to take your IV out." Naruto tilted his head slightly, "Why?"
"The doctor says you are being released today." Naruto sighed as the woman skillfully removed the needle and bandaged the small, oozing mark. "Have a good day, Naruto." The woman smiled as she left the room and Naruto gave her a half-hearted smile in return. He stared out the window and watched the leaves fall again. Time passed quickly, and soon two hours had gone by. Footsteps once more alerted him to another presence entering the room. Dread filled him at the familiar shuffle to the steps. Turning his gaze towards the door, Naruto watched as a brunette entered the room. "Shiranui, you have come for me, then?"
The man was quiet as he approached the bed. He chewed on the toothpick in his mouth for a moment before speaking, "You know my name, boy, use it... Must you assume that I have come for you and not a social call?"
"Genma," Naruto replied, grinding out the man's name, "You have never come for a social call." He raised an eyebrow slightly, feeling annoyed again.
"Relax, there is no reason to be rude. You are right in assuming that I am taking you." Genma studied Naruto, who glared up at him. "The hospital has released you into my custody. You will be taken to the orphanage you were in previously until a home is aligned for your case." A shiver went down Naruto's spine and he nodded slightly.
"I will be in the hallway when you are ready." Genma placed a pile of clothing and Naruto's backpack on the corner of the bed before leaving the room, rolling the toothpick with his tongue as he walked. Naruto slowly pushed the blanket aside and moved his legs off the side of the bed. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his feet to the floor and carefully stood. He wobbled slightly, but managed to steady himself easily. Picking up the pile, he drew a curtain to hide himself from view and untied the hospital gown. It was difficult with the splints on his fingers, but he managed. He carefully slipped into his clothing and sighed as he saw the healing knife wounds. He knew that they would not get the chance to completely heal for some time. The orphanage was not the place for a recently discharged hospital patient, but there was nothing he could do about that.
Pulling aside the curtain and swinging his backpack over his shoulder, Naruto gritted his teeth and left the hospital room, not even bothering to hide his limp. His left leg dragged slightly behind him as he forced his hip to move. He could feel Genma's eyes on him, but he didn't care. As he hurried down the hallway, he could hear Genma following him, the shuffling footsteps of the other man distinctive amongst the others. Naruto swallowed hard as he remembered walking down the hall behind Sasuke. A part of him wished for the comfort he had felt in those moments, but he knew better than to wish for such things. He clenched his good hand into a fist and banished the thoughts from his mind. This was not a time for remembering things about someone he was never going to see again.
They paused at the receptionist's desk before leaving the building. Naruto slowed and followed Genma into the parking lot. He held back a snort as he saw Genma's car. "Still driving this piece of junk?" Naruto smirked at the social worker, who was standing at the driver's door of a red, beat-up car. Genma did not say a word as he unlocked the doors and got in. Naruto allowed himself a snicker before getting in. He placed his backpack in his lap, wondering what Genma had stuffed inside. "You will be eighteen in a little under a year, kid. Call up your friends, find someone who will take custody of you for those months."
"Why is this time different from all the others, Shiranui? Why are eleven more months in the system different than eleven years? No one wanted me these eleven years, why do you think someone will want me now?"
"You know that is not true. You were adopted once and they wanted to keep you after..."
"Well, that didn't happen, did it? I ended up back in the system." Naruto stared out of the passenger window, glaring. "I can live through eleven more months. It is, after all, a far cry from eleven years."
"Two and a half years, kid, that's the longest you have stayed in a foster home. The people in this town know you, and your friends care about you. I know what you're doing by leaving like this, but I can't say I approve. If you asked for help, they would give it." Genma said, frowning.
"I don't need charity and I don't need friends." Naruto muttered. This brought forth a harsh laugh from Genma. "Itachi did say you were being a stubborn idiot." Naruto startled and turned quickly in his seat to stare at the driver. "Itachi? Why were you talking to him?"
Genma glanced at Naruto out of the corner of his eye and raised an eyebrow slightly, the brown brow disappearing into the blue bandanna tied around his head. "He didn't tell you? He and I knew each other from school. Besides, he works for the police and they needed some things from your file to make a case against Mr. Nakamaru." Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly and turned away from the brunette, trying to process the new information.
Suddenly, realization hit him and he glared at Genma, "When Itachi mentioned reinforcements earlier, he meant you! He wanted you to convince me that I was making a mistake with my friends." Gemna kept his gaze on the road, ignoring Naruto. "It is my life, why do the Uchiha brothers insist on meddling with it? I was doing just fine before they decided to insert themselves into my life!" He punched the car door and growled. He laid his head back against the headrest, feeling the anger evaporate from him. There was no reason to be angry at them anymore, after all, he was not going to be around them ever again.
Sorrow settled into his heart and created an ache. Naruto bit his lips and tried not to succumb to the waves of sadness that were threatening to wash over all of his senses. Other people that he had left behind appeared before his eyes as the ache continued to throb within in his chest. Shutting his eyes tightly, Naruto took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. It hurts almost as much as when I left Kyuubi and Kurama...I promised myself I wouldn't get this attached again. How did this happen?
Naruto opened his eyes and stared out the window once more. Two and a half years in one place had damaged his resolve to not get attached. Naively, he had thought, hoped he was going to stay there forever. Takashi had been bad, but there had been worse. This place, I suppose it became a home for me. I should have remembered that every 'home' disappears. Home is not something that I am allowed to have. Setting his jaw and hardening his gaze, Naruto watched the world speed by as Genma drove. A green sign appeared in the distance and Naruto stared at it as they went by. The words, 'Leaving Konoha', were written across the sign in white block letters. Good-bye...everyone...
The drive to the orphanage a few hours outside of Konoha was quiet; not a word was exchanged between the two men. By the time they arrived at the large building set inside a large, fenced-in yard, it was almost eight in the evening. The headlights of Genma's headlights caused the black iron gate to glitter briefly before he parallel parked the car in front of the house. Naruto swallowed hard and slowly got out of the car. Genma glanced at him as he passed, giving the blond an apologetic look. Together, they approached the gate and Genma rang the doorbell.
Naruto could imagine the rush inside the building at the ringing of the bell. The children are being yelled at to disappear and the orphanage head will be straightening his clothes, before... As if by clockwork, the front door opened and an older man exited, heading towards them. The man smiled as he unlocked the gate and ushered them inside, "So nice to see you Mr. Shiranui! Come in, come in!" Naruto kept his gaze trained on the ground as he moved up the walk and into the large house. He quietly stood by as Genma and the man went over transfer paperwork. When they were finished, Genma paused at the front door and Naruto glanced up once and offered him a fake smile before lowering his eyes again. The social worker left, shutting the door softly behind him.
"Boy! Get upstairs to Room 8. Dinner is in fifteen minutes and I do not want to see your face before then." The older man's voice snapped from the other room and Naruto hurried up the steps. He had spent several months in this specific orphanage, thankfully, so he knew where to go. The three-story house had 10 rooms spread across second and third floors, each with two to four children living in them. Climbing the stairs to the third floor was like climbing back into his past. He walked down a long hallway and paused at the door that had a yellow number 8 hanging on it. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he took a deep breath as he opened it.
"Get in here already, dude. It shouldn't take you five minutes to enter a freaking room. Seriously, get in here before that grumpy bastard comes to check the hallways." A brown-haired boy lounged on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed in the corner of the room, a smirk on his face. Naruto nodded and stepped inside the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. "Bed on top is empty." The boy pointed to the top bunk of a bunk bed on the other side of the room. Naruto threw his backpack on the bed before clambering up the ladder. His left hip hated him for trying to climb, but he forced it to submit. Sitting on the old spring mattress, Naruto took a good look at his surroundings. There were two bunk beds, each in the far corners of the room, and two dressers, one at the end of each bunk bed. The walls were a simple white, though they were covered in pen and pencil marks where kids had written their names or short messages.
"Name's Kankuro, by the way. Been here for about two years." Naruto turned to look at the boy still lounging on the bottom of the opposite bunk bed. Kankuro tilted his brown head, "That means you should tell me your name, dummy." Naruto raised an eyebrow and then muttered, "Naruto, my name is Naruto." He gave the brunette a fake grin. The door opened, interrupting the short conversation. Two boys, one with auburn hair and the other with dirty blond, slipped inside and shuffled towards the center of the room. "There you are, Gaara, Shukaku. I was worried you two wouldn't make it in time. The old man's pre-dinner hallway inspection is starting soon."
The red-head was silent as he sat on the bunk beneath Naruto. "Oh, and we have a new roommate." Kankuro pointed at Naruto, who poked his head over the edge to stare at the red-haired boy. Blank blue-green eyes stared back and Naruto was surprised to see the boy did not have eyebrows. "Naruto, meet my little brother, Gaara and his friend, Shukaku." Naruto gave his bunk mate his signature fake grin and waved slightly at the blond, who had climbed into the bunk above Kankuro, before settling back on the mattress. He glanced in the blond's direction and then quickly looked away, the startling yellow eyes unnerving him.
Naruto breathed a sigh as he lay down on the lumpy mattress. He stared at the cracked ceiling and wondered if he was going to be alright in Room 8. His three roommates did not seem too bad, but he had only just met them and there was no guarantee that they weren't playing him. He had been tricked before into believing that he was safe, and that was not something he was going to fall for again.
Studying a crack above his head, Naruto listened to the quiet steps that came up the stairs and went up and down the hallway before descending the stairs. A few minutes later, a repeating call echoed through the house. Voice after voice repeated the phrase, "Dinner!" Doors were flung open and pounding footsteps raced down hallways and stairs. Room 8 was emptied as quickly as all the other rooms and Naruto hurried with his new roommates to get to the first floor. As he glanced around at the faces flooding down the steps with him, Naruto felt the sadness seep back into his heart. I belong here amongst these desperate and lonely faces, and yet...Why does my heart ache?
What did you think? I had the hardest time deciding what to do with Naruto next.
Thank you for the support and please stay tuned for the next chapter!