AN: It's a super short chapter, I know. I didn't have time to read through/edit it all yet. I'll keep working and have the next chapter up either later tonight or tomorrow! :)
aka-chan, it's my pleasure, and thank you! I'd like to reply to every single review, but it would take up so much space here. XD
Quick shout-out to some regulars, Rei, Shining-Dreamer, Laine Squirrel, apple, face70. Thank you for your reviews and for sticking with me! Thank you to everyone, of course. :D I read every one.
face70, I appreciate the more detailed feedback on my writing. It makes me happy to hear you think I get the balance right. Of course, criticism is always welcome, so don't feel you have to hold back. ;)
Chapter 21: An Unexpected Reunion
"It has been said that time heals all wounds. I don't agree. The wounds remain. Time – the mind, protecting its sanity – covers them with some scar tissue and the pain lessens, but it is never gone."
~Rose Kennedy
"Do you know who I am, Naruto?"
For a moment, there was silence as Naruto searched desperately for the right words to say. Years of dreaming, of planning and fantasizing about this moment, and in the end he was only able to form one word, one word that escaped his throat in one short, unimpressive gasp.
"Dad?"
Naruto's father nodded once, apprehension lacing his expression, his lips pressed in a thin, white line.
"Got it in one." He said quietly.
Naruto just stared, his mouth open. "How is this possible?"
He glanced quickly around the sterile, hospital room. The walls gave no answer, standing in cold silence.
"It's…well, it's a long story," replied the man with a heavy sigh.
Naruto nodded slowly.
"A long story." He repeated, examining the fluff on the blanket. He picked up a piece and flicked it away.
"A long story." He said once more. The beeping on the heart rate monitor began to pick up its pace.
His father leaned forward, moving as if to stand up. "Naruto, are you okay?"
Naruto laughed and shook his head in disbelief.
"A long story?" he said a third time.
The monitor beeped faster and faster, the sound suffocating in the small room, and Naruto could hear the blood pounding in his ears to the same beat.
He threw off the blankets, and struggled to get out of the bed, but he was held back by the IV that pulled at his arm. He grabbed the little plastic tube with a cry of frustration.
"Whoa, what are you doing?" His father was beside him in a flash, pulling his hand away. "You need that to -"
The man's words were cut off as a firm right hook caught him square in the jaw. He stumbled back, clutching his face.
Naruto breathed heavily and rubbed his now-sore knuckles. He glared at the man who stared back in shock.
"Where were you?" said Naruto. "Where the hell were you?"
He pulled the needle out of his arm and flung the IV tube to the floor, before getting up and advancing on the older man.
"Thirteen years, Dad." He said, his voice cracking, "It's been thirteen years. I thought you were dead! And all you can do is shrug and say "'It's a long story'?"
Naruto bit his lip, angry at himself for letting tears shine in his eyes.
"Where the hell have you been?" he whispered.
The man hesitated for only a moment before striding forward and wrapping his arms around his son. Naruto stiffened. He wanted to shove the man, this stranger, away from him, to never let him near him let alone touch him again, but a sob welled up from his chest, and he found himself relaxing, partly in exhaustion, partly in relief. He put his arms around his father's waist, and in that moment Naruto didn't care. He didn't care that he was 16 and supposed to act like an adult. Naruto buried his face in the man's shoulder as tears fell freely down his cheeks and tried desperately to stifle the sobs hiccuping from his mouth.
They remained like that for some time until finally Naruto pulled away with a sniff. He used the sleeve of his starchy hospital pajamas to wipe the tears from his cheeks, and sat back down on the bed. All the anger that had built up in him had leaked away and melted into nothing.
Naruto stared up at his father, drinking him in. The man had more lines around his mouth and eyes than the photo Naruto had kept. There were some grooves across his forehead too, contrasting starkly with the rest of the smooth, tan skin. His eyes were similar to Naruto's only a slightly paler shade of blue, and a bit more bloodshot in the whites. Naruto bit his lip as he saw the red mark blooming across his father's cheek.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" he started.
"Forget it." said his father. "I deserved it."
He let out a feeble laugh before trailing off into awkward silence.
"Am I dead?" asked Naruto finally.
His father gave him a sad smile. "No, you're not dead."
He picked up the IV needle and, with a permissive nod from Naruto, carefully inserted it back into the plastic tube still taped onto the vein. Naruto leaned back on his pillow with a slight frown.
"But you are. I mean…you were." He said. "You were dead. You've been dead for years. Where have you been? Why did you…disappear?"
He swallowed, not wanting to say the word 'abandon'.
Pain flickered in the older man's eyes.
"Believe me, we never wanted it to be this way." He said in a quiet voice. "I want to explain everything, and I will, but it's not a good time now, Naruto. You're still recovering. You need to rest. The nurses said that any agitation could exacerbate-"
Naruto sat up.
"Dad, I swear if you don't explain every detail right now…"
The man held up his hands. "Okay, okay."
He sank down onto the chair with a sigh and rubbed his tired eyes. For a few quiet moments he simply stared at the ground, searching for the words. It was an odd feeling for Naruto, watching the man he had mostly only ever seen in a worn photograph, sitting before him, looking just as lost as Naruto had felt so often over the years. Utterly lost.
His father finally spoke, his eyes misted with memories.
"That night…do you remember? You were only 3 years old."
He smiled at the thought and then sighed, putting his head in his hands. "It was the night that changed everything."