A/N: Please forgive me for my lack of updates... I will explain myself at the end of this chapter.
In the meantime, give it up for Killua17, roboguy45, es amore45, Akira Nishikawa, Haruka Uzumaki21, JollyCooperation, BadButt94, Omomoe, Carrotz8, and LouiseUchiha for their support (for those in italics, I owe you a great deal of many thanks). I seriously wouldn't be continuing without each and every one of you!
Sasuke stared at the other man incredulously, not believing a word he just heard.
"An injection that fakes death? What- what makes you think I'm going to trust you?"
"Well," Kabuto said as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "I suppose I don't have any other way to prove my credibility to you. You'll just have to take my word for it."
Again, there was the silence. It sat heavily, stifling the room of all sound. The elf could only feel his own thumping heart while his mind remained blank. His palms sweaty with anticipation, Sasuke pressed them flat against his kimono.
Could he- no, should he- take this man's word? His worry ate at his rational side; this man, for all Sasuke knew, could be harboring malcontent and was planning to kill him when his guard was down. But his heart called out for the possibility of seeing Naruto again. If he didn't do anything, wouldn't the Council merely put him to death, anyway? Just like a rabid dog.
"I… Wh-why are you helping me?" Sasuke asked, prolonging his having to make up his mind.
The impassive expression on Kabuto's face gave away little to Sasuke, and deep grey eyes seemed to be examining the core of his very soul. Sasuke could only guess that this man's intentions were, whether good or bad, strictly business.
"I've already told you- because your master desires your freedom, rather than you rotting in a cell. I'm just the intermediate. And to be completely honest, whatever opinions you have matter none to me."
At this point, the other man had strolled up next to Sasuke and tightly gripped his arm with his left hand. Rummaging into his kimono with his right, Kabuto retrieved a syringe and, with a steady hand as Sasuke squirmed weakly, pressed the sharp needle point into soft flesh by the crook of his arm. With inhuman accuracy, the bespectacled human had successfully hit a vein and began pumping the strange clear liquid into his arm.
"Now, don't move too much and just lie down on the bed. It'll take over soon," Kabuto said as he guided Sasuke, "When you wake up, you'll be reunited with your precious master."
Just as Sasuke was about to lie down, he felt his body going heavy and his control over his body was weakening. With all of what was left of his strength, the elf gripped Kabuto's shirt firmly and tried to breathe properly.
"I don't want to die!" Sasuke shivered as Kabuto forcefully removed his hand, "Please, I just want to see my master once more…"
"Just lie down. You'll see him soon."
If Sasuke wanted to panic, he didn't have the strength to do so. As his body was pushed onto the bed, he stared up at the ceiling, ears ringing and vision blurring. He wasn't sure what was going on, but the last thought on his mind as his consciousness slipped from him was Naruto's smiling face.
He didn't want to die. Not without seeing his master's sweet face once more.
oooOOooo
Naruto began hearing things, rousing him from a deep sleep that made him extremely groggy. He could hear a conversation, though he could barely register what was going on.
"As I told you Tsunade-sama, he is just fine."
The older woman growled harshly, "Don't play dumb with me, Kabuto. What are you planning? What have you done with Sasuke?"
"Me? Why would you ever think to blame me for anything?"
Tsunade growled again, "The Elders seem to trust you, but I can smell the evil coming off of you. Come clean, and I won't rip you to pieces."
The conversation was only just filtering into the blond's brain as sounds. Whatever that male nurse had given him was really effective, and Naruto could barely muster the strength to reach out before him.
"Tsu...nade?"
"Naruto, thank the gods! Are you okay? Kabuto!" she barked, "Get him water right now."
As Naruto struggled to sit up, Tsunade grabbed ahold of his shoulders and guided him to lean against the wall. Slowly, his vision blurred back into clarity but his ears were still ringing. He could barely register Kabuto pushing a cool glass into his hand, and Tsunade guiding him to take a drink. He hadn't even realized how dry his throat had become, so he took an especially large gulp of water to compensate.
For a quiet minute or two, Naruto let himself readjust back into reality. But he was soon ready to jump at Kabuto when he realized what the two were conversing about earlier. Naruto lunged for the male, gripping the front of his shirt.
"Sasuke- where's Sasuke? I-I need to-"
Naruto began to dry heave, head dizzying and vision blurring once more. His hands laxed and the blond leaned back against the wall again, nearly falling over and needing the help of Tsunade's support.
"Take it slowly, Naruto," Kabuto responded plainly, "I will explain to you what has happened to your dear elf.
"He has been removed from his cell after he was declared dead-"
"What?! But you said- but what-"
"I'm… sorry, Naruto. I intended to give him an injection that faked death, but the dosage was too much for his small body."
Silence. It was just a few minutes of silence as the news hit Naruto hard. With each passing minute, the blond's chest constricted and his breathing became ragged. Naruto propped himself off the wall just enough for him to rest his forehead on his arm as he dry heaved. Tsunade attempted to comfort him with a firm hand rubbing his back.
"It can't be true. It can't be fucking TRUE!" Naruto yelled as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and lunged for Kabuto.
"You can't be serious. You've got to be lying to me. Tell me you're LYING!"
Despite his weak body, Naruto clung to the front of Kabuto's shirt and pushed him up against the wall. He pressed his face close to the nurse's and bared his teeth.
"Tell me the truth. Sasuke isn't dead!"
Kabuto shifted his gaze away from Naruto, reaching up to adjust his glasses.
"Like I said, I'm sorry."
"You think that's going to HELP? Saying you're fucking sorry? Is that going to bring Sasuke back?"
Tsunade pulled Naruto off Kabuto, pulling him into a tight embrace against her chest. His crazed reaction was to be expected, but she couldn't have imagined that an elf, of all things, would cause Naruto such grief. She soothed him, rubbing his back and waiting for him to cry. When she felt his hands grasp her shirt desperately, Tsunade felt her heart break.
He couldn't be dead. Sasuke couldn't be dead.Naruto fluttered his eyes shut, and a vivid image of Sasuke's sweet, expressive face appeared behind his eyelids. A small smile adorned the elf's face, only to fade out of his mind as he let out a strangled cry.
After that, there was no audible crying. Just quiet gasps for air and desperate hands reaching for comfort. And Tsunade gave just that, but she knew that Naruto was looking for something that no one could ever give him- Sasuke.
oooOOooo
After 48 hours of surveillance, it was deemed that Naruto was mentally sound enough to head home. Neji walked into the blond's room to release him, but he not sure what to expect. He had been warned twice by Tsunade not to mention Sasuke, for fear of triggering an extreme reaction. She wasn't clear whether he would go suicidal or homicidal.
So when he entered the room, Neji shuddered at what he saw. Naruto sat on his bed, legs crossed, eyes blank and cast downward. In comparison to how he saw the blond before, this was a drastic, haunting difference in demeanor. It looked very much like Naruto had lost the will to live.
"Naruto, the Council has decided that you are now fit for release. However, they have also decided that you will be assigned a guardian for as long as they deem necessary to ensure your safety. Sai is waiting just outside the room; he will escort you home and remain with you until tomorrow afternoon."
When the blond didn't budge, Neji became worried. But just 30 seconds later, Naruto slowly uncrossed his legs and got off the bed, his eyes still just as blank as before. He walked past Neji and left the room, not even introducing himself to Sai as he headed towards the building's exit.
"Please take care of him," Neji said to Sai before they parted.
The pale man with a sketching pad tucked underneath his arm wordlessly looked at Neji, as if acknowledging his request. He made his way after Naruto, not even seeming bothered by the fact that he was going to be babysitting an emotionally unstable man for some time.
"I hope you can handle him, Sai. It's going to be rough for the both of you," Neji muttered before heading towards the maintenance office to get Naruto's holding room cleared out.
oooOOooo
Naruto sat down right by the entrance of his home after letting his geta fall off his feet. He stared downward, that hauntingly blank expression still engraved on his face. Sai shut the door behind them, removing his own sandals quietly and setting them next to Naruto's. He took a seat right next to the blond and remained silent.
They sat like that for some time, until the sun set and the inside of the house darkened. Sai got up and turned the lights on. He also set his sketch pad down on the table and stood close to Naruto.
"You haven't bathed in a few days."
The blond continued to sit where he was, ignoring Sai's implication.
"I suppose I should be more explicit- you smell. Go take a bath."
Like a machine, Naruto got up and slowly padded his way to the bathroom. He stood by the tub and let his kimono fall off his body. Then he started the water, waiting in the nude while the tub filled up.
Sai sighed as he shut the bathroom door behind him and sat down at the vanity. He slung his arm over the back of the chair and watched as Naruto bent over to turn the water off before getting into the tub.
For five minutes, Naruto sat in that tub and did nothing more. Sai rolled his eyes and called from his seat.
"Do I need to order you to do everything? Use the soap. Sitting in the water isn't going to help you get any cleaner or less smelly."
Mechanically, Naruto reached for the soap and dunked it in the tub before sliding it over himself. Soon, the water in the tub became indicative of just how badly in need the blond was for a bath. Sai watched as Naruto ran the soap over himself, again and again.
"Stop using the soap and shampoo your hair."
And like before, Naruto grabbed the shampoo and squeezed some into his palms before rubbing the sweet smelling, viscous liquid into his hair. But just after two minutes he lowered his arms and… gave up.
Sai sighed again and got up to kneel behind Naruto to start lathering the shampoo into his hair. He used his nails and lathered thoroughly, hoping that the scalp massage would release some of the tension that the blond obviously had.
When he looked down, he noticed the huge scar starting from his shoulder and spanning diagonally down his chest. Sai stared at it for some time as he worked the shampoo, intrigued at the size of it. His eyes then wandered for a bit, drinking in the shaped body the other male had. Just as he attempted to take a peek at Naruto's nether regions, the blond dunked himself into the tub, splattering the shampoo lather and leaving a top layer of concealing foam.
When Naruto didn't resurface after a few seconds, Sai reached into the water, not even taking heed that his shirt sleeves became drenched, and pulled him up.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sai asked incredulously.
Naruto's expression changed ever so slightly, flickering between his blank stare and grief. Sai pressed his forearm to his forehead and walked over to the sink to wash his hands. He grabbed the towel from the wall hook and stood by the tub.
"Get up."
The blond obeyed, standing up slowly. Sai then threw the towel over tanned shoulders. By the time Naruto was directed out of the tub, dried off, and dressed in an orange yukata, Sai was beat. The blond had nearly refused to do much of his own grooming, simply giving up the task after a few minutes. Now, with Naruto sitting unceremoniously on the floor in the middle of the bedroom, Sai was setting up his futon for sleep.
"All right, now get under the covers and rest. I'm sure you'll be much more comfortable being in your own bed now. Do you want anything else? A glass of water? Tea?"
Naruto had retreated under his sheets and lay on his side, that same blank expression still ever-present on his face. He didn't respond to Sai's offer and simply did nothing.
oooOOooo
Sai awoke with a start, not having realized he had slept where he was sitting in the bedroom. He looked at the futon a few feet away from him, eyes growing wide and heart skipping a beat when he saw that Naruto was nowhere in the room. Rushing out of the bedroom, Sai threw the doors open to the nearby rooms, throwing on the lights and seeing no occupants.
A clatter and a crash resounded from the kitchen, and Sai darted. When he entered the kitchen, he immediately lunged for the lower half of Naruto's body. The blond, completely taken aback by the attack, was launched backward and released the knife from his hand, causing it to skid across the floor and away from him.
"Leave me alone!" Naruto yelled as he turned over and crawled towards the knife.
"No, you're not going to kill yourself," Sai stated loudly and firmly.
"You can't tell me what to do!" the blond yelled right back as he continued to squirm out of Sai's grasp.
Luckily, Naruto was much too weak in his current state to worm his way towards the knife. Sai only let up long enough to pounce again on the other male, straddling him and pinning his arms on the ground.
"ENOUGH!"
The pale brunette had gotten close enough to yell right in Naruto's face. Almost immediately, Naruto stopped struggling and his body went completely limp. The fire that was in his eyes extinguished just as quickly, and he looked like a lost pup. Naruto turned his head to the side and Sai could see his lips quiver.
"Hey now," he began somewhat awkwardly, mind going blank on how to deal with crying people. He remembered reading the book his sensei gave him- now what was it that they said to do…?
Naruto's breathing started becoming irregular, his chest rising and falling erratically as he tried to even his breaths. Sai stared quietly, somewhat horrified and completely unsure of what to do.
"Stop crying."
The blond stopped just long enough to look at Sai out the corner of his eye and stammer, "Fuck you."
Sai sighed. He shut his eyes then let go of Naruto's arms and sat up. His legs were still sprawled over Naruto's body, but he needed a moment to regain his composure.
"Look, I'm not here to be your friend or your enemy. The Council assigned me to watch over you, but Tsunade asked me, as a personal favor, to make sure you didn't do anything stupid. Neji too. I can't let either of them down, and neither can you."
Naruto threw his arms over his chest and crossed them defensively in front of him. His crying had somewhat subsided, but occasionally his chest would heave with shuddering, post-crying breaths.
"What's the point? The only reason I had to live is gone. Do you know where I was before Sasuke came into my life? I was fucking lonely. There is no woman or man patient enough to stick with me like Sasuke has. It's not even about the sex or anything like that. I just… I wanted a companion. And he was so kind…"
The blond began to choke up as he spoke, words gushing out of him as if he was anxious to say it all day. His lips pursed in a lame effort to keep himself from bawling. Sai moved off Naruto and lay down next to him on the floor. They both stared at the ceiling with nothing in particular to look at.
"Killing yourself isn't going to solve anything. You have much more to live for. And if not for yourself, then consider living your life for Sasuke."
The last part was spoken so quietly, Naruto almost wondered if Sai was just a figment of his imagination. He continued staring up at the ceiling, feeling somewhat surreal that Sasuke was dead.
What really was the point of living? Naruto thought again about reaching for the knife. But when he turned his head to look at Sai, the brunette was looking out the corner of his eye. He was ready to disarm him again if necessary, and Naruto knew for a fact that he could not beat the other man in speed.
Consider living your life for Sasuke.
Naruto nearly scoffed at the idea. For Sasuke? What more could he do for Sasuke, now that he was dead? The blond did not believe in the afterlife or heaven. If Sasuke was gone, then his body was somewhere and his soul evaporated into nothing. There was no equivalent exchange of energy. Just the loss of his dear elf.
And they just continued to lie there until morning, Naruto never once reaching for the knife again.
A/N: Apologies for the gross lack of updates. I've been spending the past year trying to get my shit together and graduate university on time. It's been rough, but I'm finally back on my groove, I hope!
And I noticed lately that the Naru fandom has declined in activity, but I'm still pretty much in love with all the Naruto characters. That being said, it's really nice to be back after such a long (unannounced) hiatus~
Cheers,
Char