Chapter 25: Neji Hyuuga

I had finally gotten permission from my 'Doctor' to let me go and visit Naruto at the hospital, and for him not to freak out when I didn't come back for a long while. I was happy because maybe he would look better than he did five days ago. When I got to his room the door was cracked open slightly and a voice was drifting through. Seems like someone was already there. I peeked in and saw someone with long black hair, unbound, and black clothing. The skin was pail from what I could see of his hands. The man's face was resting in them, blocking it from my view, and it seemed as though he was crying.

"Naruto… I'm so sorry… I feel so guilty… and you don't even remember my face so that only makes it even worse… I wanted to make up after all these years of wallowing in my self pity, but you've already forgotten about me… I hope that one day, when you remember my face… that you can forgive me for leaving you like that…" I stopped listening right then. The mans words made my heart ache with some kind of unexplained pain. I clutched at the place above my heart and whimpered quietly.

I stepped back, but right into a hospital table. The things on top clattered to the ground. The man gasped and began to get up really fast. I hid behind the corner as he rushed past me, to fast for me to get a look at his face. I sat there on the floor for who knows how long, shaking in a pain that I couldn't place.

When I could finally find the courage to get up and enter the hospital room, Naruto was sitting up and he was awake. He smiled at me as I walked in.

"Good afternoon Neji!" He greeted. Narutos eye was unbandaged; stitches could be seen going through his eye brow all the way down his cheek, not necessarily going through the eye but around it. His formerly pail skin seemed to have a bit more color to it. I smiled back, a small one because I was still unsettled greatly.

"Good afternoon Naruto. I've brought you some school work you've missed," he frowned. "Someone else would have brought it today but I told them it was best that I did it." Naruto shook his head.

"Your powers of persuasion scare me sometimes. How is the soccer team getting along?"

"Pretty good. I can't play but I can still advise. You team misses you by the way. They don't like Uchiha Itachi's teaching style." Naruto chuckled at that.

"Tell them sorry for me. I'll be out of here as soon as my back heals enough for me to use a wheel chair. So… about a month at most." I frowned. He wouldn't be able to go to the party then. That was fine. I wouldn't make a big deal out of it anymore if he didn't want to go. "Neji, don't worry I'll be at your announcement party." Naruto was grinning at me, forcefully but smiling none the less.

"Really?"

"Regardless of weather I'm in a wheel chair or not." He promised. I stared at him with wide eyes, and then threw my arms around him. I was hurting him and myself of course, him for the obvious and for my because my ribs were still a bit cracked.

"Neji! Neji! Calm down! Ohw! That stings!" I got off and apologized. "Don't worry about it. I think I understand how you feel. You don't want to be in this so it would be nice if there was someone there you liked to support you in some way right?" He patted my head as I hugged him more gently this time. I got off after a second and sat in the chair beside his bed.

"You look better." I stared at his face. He laughed.

"I'm a fast healer. What makes me sad is that I can't run for a while." I sighed in unison with him. "You are looking better too. I don't see anything wrong…" He scrutinized my form, placing a hand on his chin. I lifted my shirt a little so he could see the gauze around my torso. He face went red and quickly looked away. "So your ribs are still bothering you?"

"Yeah. They don't seem to want to heal as fast as my other injuries." He laughed.

"That tends to happen sometimes," he muttered something under his breath after that. I wanted to know what it was but I didn't dare get closer to him than I already was…

End Chapter 25

Sorry everyone. I've been real busy lately. Also I've been recovering from Carpel Tunnel, if you know what that is. Basically it's a pain in the wrists, your nerves being pinched due to misuse or the work environment your in.