AN: I've put the original chapters of 31, 32 and 33 up, or 32, 33 and 34 if you're looking at the drop-down menu. I really need to fix stupid prologue. It puts everything out of order
I would like to present my deliciously baked imaginary chocolate cake to Shiroxcat, Ichigo Kisses, Blackfang and Frecklefreak for your feedback on the versions. So yes, after some deliberation and as I continued to write the story, I felt version one would be better. I just couldn't quite forgive Sasuke if he betrayed Naruto that much, so I decided Naruto is definitely in on the plan. It works generally better for the story as it progresses, I think. Sorry for those who preferred it angsty!
Also a quick thank you to Frist for your review. I can't reply to anonymous reviews personally, so just wanted to stay thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to review! :D I appreciate it, and I'm really glad you're enjoying it, and it makes me happy that you considered this story good enough to take the time to review.
To everyone else, of course, thank you so much for your returning reviews! Seriously, they send my motivation sky high. I have been writing for about 6 hours straight. Agh, my eyes. Still, I've written a super-long chapter. Not only that, but I will be posting two more chapters either this evening or tomorrow, so keep an eye out. :D
Cloud Cover
Chapter 35: A Life without Color
"People fear death even more than pain. It's strange that they fear death. Life hurts a lot more than death. At the point of death, the pain is over. Yeah, I guess it is a friend."
~Jim Morrison
There was no word Sasuke could use to describe this apartment complex other than drab. It was dull and gray, and without the blond walking down the hall beside him, it felt utterly lifeless. No chattering in his ear, no random references to video games and movies he'd never heard of. Without Naruto, this place descended into a vapid existence, devoid of meaning.
Sasuke exhaled slowly as he arrived at the apartment door. Gray, of course, just like everything else in this unimaginative place. To think that Naruto had lived here for so long. It didn't suit the colorful, brash teenager.
He lifted his hand to knock when he realized the door was already open a crack. Sasuke pushed at it and knocked lightly as he entered the apartment.
"Hello?" he called out as he passed over the threshold. "Is anyone here? Shunsuke?"
There was no reply. The apartment remained in complete silence, the only sound was the traffic on the roads far below, flowing through the heart of the city. The living room and kitchen were completely bare. All the furniture was gone, the utensils, the TV, even the coffee table. The trash had been left, of course. It was scattered around the floor.
Sasuke walked over to Shunsuke's room, the one he and Naruto had searched together only a few days before.
Again, everything was gone. The filing cabinet drawers stood open and empty, and only the twisted dirty sheets still lay on the bed. Sasuke saw the empty boxes of board games lying on the ground. So, Shunsuke would know his papers were missing by now.
Sasuke shut the door and opened the other to what he assumed would be Naruto's room. This one had little furniture save for a night stand and a bed. It was cramped and small with a square window to let in the light. The mattress had been torn off the bed and a small, frog-shaped alarm clock lay smashed on the ground.
Sasuke crouched down and picked up the alarm clock, turning it over in his hands before placing it on the night stand. He left the room and walked back across the apartment. Shunsuke was obviously long gone. It was clear he had never cared about what happened to his foster child.
Sasuke took one last glance around the empty apartment before closing the door with a sigh.
He dug his hands into his pockets as he made his way back up the gray hallway to the elevator. He pressed the small square button with the downward-facing arrow on it. This trip had been pointless after all.
There was a small scuffling sound to his right, and a small figure disappeared behind a corner. Sasuke straightened up, pulling his hands out of his pockets.
"Who's there?" he said aloud.
There was no answer, but a shock of red hair peeped around the corner followed by a pair of big green eyes.
"Gaara." said Sasuke with relief. "You're still here."
Gaara moved out from behind the corner, but kept his distance from Sasuke. He held a small brown teddy bear.
"Why are you still here? Didn't your dad scarper like the rest of them?"
Gaara said nothing, merely giving a short nod.
Of course, realized Sasuke, the kid didn't speak.
Sasuke frowned. His dad had just left him here?
He crouched down and tried a smile.
"Why are you still here, Gaara?" he asked again.
Gaara pointed at himself and then at the floor.
Sasuke cocked a brow. What did that mean?
Gaara repeated the movement, and then tapped his wrist, looking at an imaginary watch.
Sasuke had to admit, this kid was pretty good at mime. Then it dawned on him and Sasuke's throat tightened.
"Naruto told you to wait, didn't he."
Gaara nodded, pulling the bear close to him and looking around Sasuke as if expecting Naruto to be hiding behind him, ready to jump out and surprise him.
Sasuke swallowed. "He, uh, he's not here, Gaara."
Gaara frowned. He pointed at himself and then at the imaginary watch on his hand.
"Yes, I know he said he would be here, but things, they got…they got complicated. They didn't happen the way we…the way I thought they would."
He shook his head and stared at the floor. "I'm so sorry. It was all my fault."
A shadow of impatience passed over Gaara's face. He pushed past Sasuke and looked up and down the hallway, eyes scanning for his friend.
"He's not here, Gaara."
Sasuke raked a hand through his hair. "I tell you what, I'll take you out of here. You can come home with me for now, ok?"
Gaara frowned and folded his arms. He shook his head.
"You can't stay here. Your dad is gone, right? Now come on." Sasuke walked towards the elevator doors.
Gaara ignored him, looking down the hallway again, searching.
Sasuke stopped in mid-step. "He's not coming, all right?" His voice cracked. "He isn't coming back."
Gaara stopped searching and looked at Sasuke, the question evident in his eyes.
Sasuke couldn't look back at those green eyes. He didn't want to see the disappointment. "I…I messed up."
He stared at the floor.
"Look, I'll take you to him, all right? We'll go see him together. How about that?"
Gaara nodded reluctantly and Sasuke was taken aback when the child slipped his hand into his own. For some reason, the little warm hand made him feel slightly better. He straightened up and pushed the elevator button a second time. They were going to go and see Naruto.
"How is he?" asked Iruka as he lay a couple of books on the bedside table.
Sasuke sat down in the armchair next to Naruto's bed. Gaara was playing with some puzzles on the floor.
Sasuke stared at the motionless figure in the bed. Naruto hadn't woken up since that moment he had fallen unconscious at the warehouse. His breathing moved in clockwork time with the machine that fed him air.
Up. Whoosh. Down. Whoosh.
Sasuke hated that sound so much. He wanted to rip the machine off its hinges and to see Naruto breathing on his own, naturally like he was supposed to.
He turned back to Iruka.
"Doctors say he's still in critical condition." Sasuke paused, and glanced at Gaara who was busying himself with the puzzles, completely engrossed.
Sasuke lowered his voice. "Brain activity remains the same. If it continues this way..."
He tailed off.
Iruka bit his lip and nodded. "Well, all we can do is wait and hope."
Sasuke stared at the floor. Yeah, wait and hope. That felt so fucking useless.
Iruka's eyes softened looking at the teenager slumped in the chair. Sasuke so often acted like a tough adult, it was easy to forget how young he was, how confused. He cleared his throat.
"You've been here three days straight, Sasuke. How about I take care of things here a while and you go get some fresh air?"
Sasuke shook his head. "I'm staying here."
His words left no room for argument. Iruka rubbed the back of his head. "All right. It's up to you."
The mannerism sent a pang through Sasuke. Just like Naruto, he thought.
"How about I take Gaara out for a while? We can go and get some ice cream, give you a break."
Gaara's face shot up at the sound of ice cream, and he stood up, walking over to Iruka and putting his hand in the man's own. The kid had taken a real shine to Iruka on his previous visits.
Iruka laughed. "I guess that settles it. Is it all right with you, Sasuke?"
Sasuke nodded. "No problem…and thanks." He waved at Gaara. "See you later."
The red-headed child waved back silently and together he and Iruka exited the room, leaving Sasuke with the depressing sound of the machine recording Naruto's heart rate and the whoosh of the respirator.
He stood up and stared at the face of the blond. His nose was still swollen. Gaara had thought he was someone else when he first saw him, giving Sasuke an accusing look as if it was all a trick, but after a couple of days the swelling had gone down enough to recognize Naruto's features. He seemed smaller, younger somehow. It was like he was only sleeping. Maybe that was the part Sasuke hated the most. It always felt as if Naruto was just about to wake up. He'd had to be careful in front of Gaara.
Using the words 'brain dead' felt so final, and must even more so to a child. He didn't want to mention 'death' in any way in front of a five-year-old. No, no matter what the doctors said, he wouldn't admit Naruto was 'brain dead'. As far as he was concerned…Naruto was…'brain resting', that's it, just recharging. A second doctor had detected very faint brain activity, but too long under, and Naruto might lose even that, and never wake up.
Sasuke sighed and pushed one of the blond strands of hair out of Naruto's still face.
"I'm sorry." He said. "I…always called you the idiot, but turns out it was me."
There was no reply, just the monotonous sound of the respirator and the steady beeping of Naruto's heart rate.
Sasuke touched Naruto's shoulder. He always felt that if he just shook him, just a little that Naruto might wake up. Of course, considering his condition, he wasn't going to do that, so he settled for squeezing the shoulder tightly, hoping the message would get through.
"Wake up, ok, Naruto?" he said quietly. "Everyone wants to see you again. Sakura, Kiba, Neji, everyone. They want to see you awake the next time they stop by. They brought you stuff." He glanced around the room. "You could start your own apartment with all the junk visitors brought you, and you'll never go hungry for fruit again."
The nurses had brought in a special table for the mountains of presents that had been brought by people stopping by to check on Naruto. Sakura and Hinata had cried while the rest had stood around looking miserable. Staff from the school had come too, Mr. Ibiki and Mr. Iruka of course. People Sasuke had never even met came by and judging by their guilty expressions, some of them hadn't treated Naruto too well.
He turned back to Naruto, "I don't know if you realize it, but you've made everyone depend on you. They need you. Gaara needs you. I-"
He stopped short and let go of Naruto's shoulder, choosing instead to grip the metal barrier of the bed. He swallowed.
"I fucking need you, all right?" His voice cracked. He lowered his eyes. "I swore…I swore I wouldn't depend on anyone after my brother, but you just had to get in there under my skin, didn't you?"
He glared at Naruto. "If you don't wake up, that's as bad as desertion, and you're not the type to desert people."
He leaned forward on the metal barrier and stared closely at Naruto's face. Strands of his own dark hair tickled the other boy's face.
"Do you hear me, Uzumaki? There are people here that need you, so wake the fuck up!"
There was nothing, not even the flicker of an eyelid. Naruto remained perfectly still.
Up. Whoosh. Down. Whoosh.
Sasuke gave a growl of frustration and went back to the armchair, throwing himself down on it.
Wait and hope. Wait and hope. How was he supposed to wait and hope without exploding?
He curled his legs up on the armchair and rested his chin on his knees, watching the blond's chest rise and fall. This was all his fault. All his fucking fault.
Everything was silent and black, but it was a peaceful darkness. Naruto felt he could lie in it forever. Sometimes there were voices, no meaning, no words, just a faint rumbling like thunder. But there was that one sound, it returned every now and again, constant and always jarring the sweet silence in his mind.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Naruto's eyes twitched. What was that? It really needed to shut up and let him sleep. He hadn't set his alarm clock had he? No, it didn't sound like his frog alarm clock.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Ugh, it was so annoying. Naruto wrinkled his nose. Could someone make that stupid thing shut up?
There was a flash of light, and then a voice. "Wake up, Naruto."
The fox stood before his vision, glaring at him. "You've rested enough. It's time to wake up. It's time to recover."
The fox disappeared in another flash of light, making Naruto's head throb. He groaned inwardly. Ugh, now that he thought about it he had a huge headache. The beeping sound seemed to reverberate right through him. Speaking of aches, his leg was killing him, a strong, dull ache that wouldn't let up. He tried to move it. It wouldn't. He struggled to lift his eyelids so that he could see what was going on. They were so damned heavy. Why were they so heavy?
Sounds started becoming clearer. Along with that infernal beeping was the whoosh of air. Naruto felt a surge of panic, thinking back to the last time he'd heard that sound - in Kabuto's house, the man on the table. No, he couldn't be there. He couldn't be with Kabuto!
Naruto struggled even harder to open his eyes. He could feel his body now, his chest was rising and falling on its own.
No, no, no.
The weight from his eyes lifted and he managed to open them a crack. He was in a dark room, no lights. There was something on his face, in his throat. Ugh, it felt horrible. Fear coursed through him. He had to get out.
His arms felt like dead weights, but he pumped every ounce of energy into lifting them to touch the thing on his face. It was some kind of pipe, forcing the air into his lungs. He had to get it off, but it was stuck with some kind of tape. He let out a grunt as he yanked at the pipe. It made his body twitch and hot pain shot through his leg.
Sasuke sat at the breakfast bar in his home, spooning cereal into his mouth. It was a bright summer's day. Naruto was grinning at him as he opened the fridge.
"Morning, bastard." He said.
Sasuke just grunted his good morning.
"Geez," Naruto rolled his eyes. "Do you always have to be such a grump?"
Sasuke shrugged. "Do you always have to be so loud?"
"As a matter of fact, yes." Naruto said with a grin, and then the grin faded. "Or would you prefer that I never speak again? Is that what you want, Sasuke?"
The sun outside dimmed and the room turned dark.
Sasuke stood up from the breakfast bar. "What's going on?"
He stared at Naruto and cold horror settled on him as the teenager changed before his eyes. The bright spikes of blond hair faded and drooped, the cheeks sunk and his face thinned. Then blood began to pour down his face, a wound on his leg opened up and he stumbled forward. Sasuke ran over to catch him, but couldn't reach in time. Naruto fell into a crumpled heap on the floor, groaning in pain.
"Naruto," said Sasuke as he crouched down at his side. "Naruto, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's not what I want. I was just joking. I was just…wake up, Naruto. Wake up!"
Naruto groaned again, and Sasuke woke with a start.
Sweat beaded his forehead as he stared around the hospital room. He glanced at the glowing hands on his watch. 12:14 a.m.
Fuck, he'd had a nightmare. That was horrible.
He swallowed and became aware of the dryness of his throat. His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. He needed a drink. Sasuke stood up when he heard a soft moan. He froze, hardly daring to hope as he turned towards the sound. The figure in the bed was moving.
Immediately, Sasuke shot over to Naruto's side.
"Naruto." he said the name. Naruto's eyes were open, but he didn't notice Sasuke as he struggled to pull the pipe out of his mouth.
Fuck, this couldn't be another dream, could it?
Please, please don't let it be a dream. thought Sasuke.
He reached out with trembling hands and took hold of Naruto's wrists. They felt warm…and real.
Naruto finally noticed him, staring at him, his blue eyes still visible in the light that shone in from the hallway.
"You want the pipe out?" asked Sasuke.
Naruto kept staring, his blue eyes showing surprise.
"Ok." said Sasuke. "Give me a second."
He lowered Naruto's arms to his sides and went to the wall, quickly switching on the light. The room lit up with a hum, and Naruto squinted, closing his lids as he tried to get used to it.
"Nurse! Somebody! I need someone in here!" yelled Sasuke. He ran back to the bed. Naruto's eyes were shut.
"No, no, no, no." he said, panic shooting through him. "Don't close your eyes. Don't close your eyes, Naruto. Stay awake."
Naruto's eyes squinted open again and he frowned at Sasuke as if to say, you just turned on a super bright light, you bastard, what did you think I was going to do?
At least, that was the voice Sasuke heard in his head. He smirked for the first time in days.
"Sorry about the light."
A petite dark-haired nurse came in. She didn't ask any questions once she saw Naruto's condition, going straight over to him.
"He's awake." She said in astonishment. She checked the machine readings, then Naruto's pulse and finally shone a light in his eyes which Naruto didn't seem too happy about.
"He wants the respirator off." said Sasuke. Naruto looked at him gratefully.
"Of course." said the nurse. "Everything seems normal. I think we're safe to take it off."
She removed the tape carefully and pulled out the plastic pipe. Naruto gagged as it made its way up his throat, but finally it was out. He choked as he took in air, the sterile smell of the hospital invaded his lungs, so different to the pure oxygen he'd been inhaling, but he didn't care. It felt better to be able to breathe on his own.
"Ugh." He groaned. His voice was raspy and hoarse. It hurt.
"I'm going to alert the doctor." said the nurse, surprise still written all over her face. "If there are any sudden changes, please press the alarm." She indicated to the red switch dangling down the side of Naruto's bed.
"Thank you." said Sasuke with a nod, and the nurse left in a rush, leaving the two teens alone in the room.
The nurse had finally switched off those irritating machines and the room filled with an odd silence.
Sasuke looked at Naruto. Naruto looked at Sasuke.
Sasuke for his part was drinking in the sight of Naruto actually being awake. He'd begun to think it would be too late for any chance of recovery. To see him here, now, looking back at him, completely conscious...
Sasuke cleared his throat.
"How are you feeling?"
"Rough." Naruto's voice was a hoarse whisper.
"I'll bet."
"Where am I?" asked Naruto trying to look around, but he was unable to move much.
Sasuke pulled a chair over to the bedside and sat down. "You're in Konoha Hospital. Do you remember what happened?"
Blurred images flashed through Naruto's mind. Being shot. He fucking hell remembered that. The ache in his leg wouldn't let him forget anytime soon.
He remembered flames and being dragged towards a black van. Then, it was kind of a blur. Orochimaru had been lying on the ground. Naruto remembered Sasuke holding a gun and then…then darkness.
He focused back on Sasuke. He was almost afraid to ask. "Orochimaru?"
Sasuke set his mouth in a grim smile. "He's in jail, being held for counts of drug dealing, murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping and about a million other charges." His dark eyes showed satisfaction. "We did it, Naruto. You did it. There was enough evidence in those warehouses to put him away forever along with a lot of the people working for him. Some files were destroyed in the fire, but enough survived."
"The people? Test subjects?" asked Naruto, struggling to get the words out.
Sasuke nodded. "They're safe. They were held in another part of the industrial estate. Turns out Orochimaru had been kidnapping homeless off the street and subjecting them to experiments with the drug."
Naruto nodded, relief flowing through him. Then another thought struck him. He frowned. "Kabuto."
Sasuke tapped his fingers on the metal barrier on Naruto's bed, stalling for time. This was the part he hadn't wanted to tell him. Or at least, not till he'd had a chance to fully adjust. "We left him unconscious in the warehouse, Naruto. There were…there were some casualties. I'm afraid that not everyone got out of the fire. The firefighters found…bodies."
Naruto looked away, staring at the blankets in front of him. He had been partly responsible for people's deaths.
"Hey," Sasuke leaned forward, placing himself in Naruto's vision. "You're not allowed to feel guilty, Uzumaki. Those criminals were killing and hurting other innocent people. We saved lives by doing what we did. That's what you have to remember. Besides, I'm the one who rigged the explosion. You had nothing to do with it."
Sasuke moved back, relaxing back into his chair. He had tried to feel guilty about the people who had died, but knowing what they had been doing...
He sighed.
"Orochimaru is off the streets and those people being subjected to experiments…well, their torture is over. At least…"
He trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence aloud. At least, their torture would be over if they could get off the drug. Surely, they could do it with a bit of help.
Naruto nodded, not noticing Sasuke's abrupt cut-off. His eyes were drooping as he struggled to stay awake.
The last thing he saw was Sasuke's concerned face staring into his.
"Oi, Uzumaki, don't go to sleep for too long, all right?"
He smiled to himself. Right now he figured he could do with a well-earned rest.
Naruto could feel sunshine warming his face and see the light through his closed lids. It was the sound of excited whispering that woke him.
"Keep quiet, Ino. He needs to rest." said a soft voice.
"I am being quiet." whispered another voice, albeit a loud, annoyed whisper. "But don't you think he's slept enough?"
"Being close to brain dead isn't sleeping." said another bored-sounding voice.
Naruto's eyes flickered open. At the foot of his bed stood a whole crowd of his friends - Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru, Neji, Hinata and Kiba.
"Shikamaru would know. He's the expert on sleeping." said Kiba with a snicker.
Sakura's eyes widened as she noticed Naruto. "He's awake." She said, awe in her voice.
Then all eyes turned on him. Naruto felt a little uncomfortable as they stared. He tried a small smile.
"Hey, guys."
There was a squeal from the girls as Ino and Sakura rushed over to him. He winced in pain as they hugged him. They drew back immediately.
"Sorry." said Sakura.
"We're just so happy to see you awake." added Ino.
Everyone crowded around his bedside.
Neji was smiling, full-on smiling. Naruto couldn't help wondering if he was still unconscious and dreaming.
"It's good to see you awake, Uzumaki." He said. "We were worried."
Hinata stood behind him and nodded. Tears were rolling down her face.
"Why are you crying?" asked Naruto automatically.
The girl turned bright red and lowered her head. "I'm j-just h-h-happy."
Girls were odd.
A hand descended on his shoulder, making him wince again. Kiba grinned down at him. "I knew you'd recover. I just knew it. You're too badass to let something like dying stop you."
Naruto's eyes widened. "I died?"
"Didn't you know?" asked Ino.
Naruto shook his head slightly, then regretted it as it throbbed like crazy.
"You died on the way to the hospital." said Neji quietly. They tried to revive you with a blood transfusion when you arrived, but by that point you were too far gone. You were actually declared brain dead."
Shikamaru frowned. "Even doctors make mistakes. I disagreed with them, as did Sasuke. We got a second opinion, and it turns out you had faint brain activity, so we waited. Good thing we did. Otherwise they might have turned off the life support machine."
There was the sound of movement in the corner, and Naruto realized Sasuke was sitting in the same armchair he'd had at his bedside before. The boy stood up and their eyes met.
Naruto blinked as he tried to take this all in. He had died? He might never have come back if not for Sasuke.
"Why didn't you tell us, Naruto?" Neji was watching him, a shadow of disappointment in his pale eyes. "We could have helped you."
Naruto felt cold fear rush through him. They knew? How much did they know?
"How do you…?" He couldn't finish the sentence.
Kiba scratched the back of his head. "It's all over the news, and Sasuke filled us in on the details. You and him pretty much singlehandedly brought down Orochimaru's drug ring."
Kiba grinned. "That's totally awesome, man."
Sakura shook her head. "I still can't believe that a teacher at our school was a drug dealer, a murderer."
"I can." said Ino, wrinkling her nose. "That Orochimaru was a creeper."
Kiba's grin fell. "I can't believe the fucking police did nothing about it."
Shikamaru nodded. "It came to light that you had tried to go the police, Naruto, and they turned you away." He scowled, a rare emotion on his usually indifferent face. "My father works in that precinct, and all I can do is apologize on his behalf that you were turned away. They're doing an internal investigation to find out exactly who was responsible for discarding an official report of the crime, and trust me when I say those cops will be thrown off the force faster than you can blink."
Kiba butted in again. "Of course we heard you were in hospital. We all came here, and uh, let's say I had a bit of a falling out with Sasuke…"
Naruto smirked. He could imagine Kiba storming into the hospital room in angry mode, shouting at the other teen.
"Sasuke told us you had been forced onto drugs by Orochimaru." said Neji. He sighed. "I wish you'd told us."
Naruto frowned. "I'm sorry. I couldn't."
Shikamaru nodded, looking serious. His sharp eyes seemed to see right through him. "You were in a difficult position. I understand. I would have done the same thing."
Naruto relaxed at Shikamaru's words, relief flooding through him. It felt somehow incredibly good to hear someone say that. "Thank you."
Hinata spoke up, still tucked safely behind Neji. "Y-you were p-protecting us, weren't you? S-s-saving us from getting i-involved."
Naruto reddened at the words. She didn't need to make it sound so noble. Really, he was just trying to survive and stop everyone else from getting in the same position.
"Idiot." said Kiba. "I would've kicked Orochimaru's stupid pale ass if I'd known. I still would if I could. He fucking shot you. I hope he rots in jail for the rest of his pathetic life."
"And I would've helped." said Ino, her mouth set in determination. "That asshole."
Naruto smiled. In all honesty, he had never expected there could be any kind of happy ending to all this shit that had gone on, but now he was here, surrounded by his friends who genuinely cared about him. Every one of them were safe and here he was, still alive, Orochimaru in jail. There was…hope again.
He closed his eyes. This was a moment he wanted to savour. When he opened them it was to the sight of many pairs of eyes looking back with concern.
"Are you ok?" asked Sakura.
"Fine." said Naruto with a grin. It hurt his face to smile, but he didn't care. "More than fine."
Shikamaru's eyes flickered towards Sasuke who still stood waiting in the corner. "I think we should let Naruto get some rest."
"What?" said Kiba. "But we've barely been here ten minutes!"
"We'll have a chance another time and every other day from now on." replied Shikamaru. "Naruto is still in early recovery. We shouldn't exhaust him too much."
He shifted a backpack on his shoulder. They had come straight from school.
"Come on." He said, exiting the room. The others began to follow reluctantly, grinning at Naruto as they left.
"Get well soon." said Ino.
"It's good to see you awake, Naruto." said Sakura with a soft smile. Naruto felt a flutter in his chest.
Hinata waved a silent goodbye and Neji gave him a nod, smiling.
Kiba was the last to leave. He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll come back tomorrow then. I'm bringing video games. This place is too boring, no colours, no nothing."
Naruto grinned. "Thanks, Kiba."
"See you tomorrow! Try not to get into any trouble before then." He smirked and waved as he ran out of the room, following the others.
Sasuke and Naruto were left alone, and the atmosphere felt suddenly tense.
Sasuke came over to the bedside.
"Uh, do you need anything?"
Naruto became aware of his parched mouth. "Water would be good."
Sasuke nodded. There was a just on the stand next to his bed. He poured a glass and lifted it to Naruto's mouth.
"It's ok, I can…" began Naruto, raising his hand.
"You need to save your strength." said Sasuke.
Naruto let his heavy arm drop back down and relaxed. "Ok, thanks."
He took a few sips of water, exerting all his energy just to raise his head enough to swallow. Man, it sucked feeling this weak.
"Seems like you're always on nurse duty with me." He said.
Sasuke grunted, but didn't reply.
Naruto flopped back onto the pillow when he was done and stared ahead. He could see a table covered in a mound of colorful objects. There were baskets of fruit, large presents wrapped in gaudy paper, boxes, bags, so many things.
"Wow." He said.
Sasuke followed his gaze. "Yeah." He agreed. "People have been worried about you."
Naruto looked at Sasuke in wonder. "What people?"
Sasuke shrugged and put the glass back down on the bedside stand. "All kinds of people. What we did drew a lot of media attention. You've had visitors from the school, but also people from all over Konoha. Of course, they couldn't come in, but they left gifts and asked after you. The press were hounding the hospital too. I wouldn't be surprised if they're still out there, and they'll probably want to talk to you now that you're awake." Sasuke smirked. "Looks like you've become a bit of a celebrity in this town. They're calling you an 'unsung hero.'"
Damn, that was cheesy.
Naruto bit his lip. Being praised was nice and all, but he'd kind of hoped to keep all this quiet.
"Do they…" he couldn't quite finish the sentence. He tried again, looking up at Sasuke. "Do they know?"
Sasuke's smirk faded.
"I haven't told anyone the details yet about…what Orochimaru did. Not even Neji and that lot know." He paused. "Police will want you to be a witness in court, Naruto. Your statement is one of the most important."
Of course, thought Naruto, a numbness settling on him. The whole affair was going to be found out, every ugly detail and he would have to live through it all again in the public eye.
He swallowed and nodded.
"I think though…" continued Sasuke, "We could ask them to keep certain details confidential. There's no need for it all to go public."
"That…would be good." replied Naruto. He didn't exactly want the whole world knowing he'd been sexually abused. He would hate to see his friend's faces if they knew, the pity that would be there, that awkwardness and sympathy. No, if possible, he'd like to keep that information under wraps.
"I'm sorry…" said Sasuke.
Naruto looked up. Sasuke was staring at the beige blanket on Naruto's bed, his head hanging down and his black hair falling into his eyes. Naruto noticed then how messy the usually perfectly-styled layers looked, the dark circles under Sasuke's eyes.
"I'm sorry." He repeated.
Naruto frowned. "You don't have to be sorry. You didn't know. Besides it wasn't your responsibility."
Sasuke clenched his fists. "I should have known. If I'd opened my eyes a bit more, I would have realized. I mean, it was obvious you were going through some shit, but I just…ignored it."
Naruto felt irritation fill him at the guilty expression on Sasuke's face. "Look, I made the decision myself, and don't go all bigheaded thinking this was all about you. I was protecting my other friends too." He paused. "Besides, I made my own mistakes. I worked for the money without asking questions about what I was getting into. When I realized it was too late. If I hadn't done that, I probably would never have been in this position either, so don't go putting all the blame on you."
Sasuke shook his head. "I betrayed you."
Naruto gritted his teeth. "You saved me."
Sasuke didn't move, didn't reply, and Naruto pulled on his last reserves of energy. He lifted his arm and grabbed Sasuke's wrist. Sasuke glanced down at his hand and then up at Naruto in surprise.
"Listen to me, Uchiha. You saved me. Hell, twice. First at the warehouse, and then you didn't let them turn off the life support machine. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead twice over, so save your guilt, ok?" Naruto looked at him intently. "Save it for putting Orochimaru behind bars for the rest of his life. He's the one we should be blaming. He played both of us. You got that? I'm not letting go until you agree with me."
Sasuke gave a slow nod, and Naruto pulled his hand back gratefully, letting it flop on the covers. He felt exhausted.
Sasuke didn't say anything for a few moments. He seemed to be battling with himself as he looked around the room, anywhere but at the other teen in the bed. Finally, his gaze settled back on Naruto.
"You know, Shunsuke is gone."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Gone?"
"Yeah, he packed up and left, probably trying to avoid the backlash of the law. Gaara's dad too."
A rush of horror swept through Naruto. How could he not have thought of Gaara till now? He began to sit up, trying to push himself off the bed. "Gaara!"
Sasuke put his hands on his shoulders. "It's fine. He's fine. He's here, or well, he was a while ago. He went out with Mr. Iruka."
Naruto allowed himself to be pushed back into a lying position. He relaxed slightly. "Mr. Iruka?"
Sasuke nodded. "He's been visiting every day. He takes Gaara out a lot, gives him a change of scenery since I don't lea-" He cut himself off, not finishing the sentence. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I realized that you won't have a place to stay now."
Naruto hadn't thought of that. His body suddenly felt ten times heavier, and despondency settled on him as he stared dumbly ahead. He'd have to go back to the home, back with all those kids, leaving all his friends behind, just when things had gotten settled here.
Sasuke cleared his throat. "That's why I thought that…maybe…that you could stay-"
He was interrupted as someone entered the room.
Both boys stared in astonishment when they saw who it was.
The school nurse. Naruto couldn't even remember her name. Her pretty face crumpled as her eyes landed on the blond teenager lying in bed. She nodded her thanks to the nurse that had escorted her in and came over tentatively to Naruto's bedside.
"N-naruto Uzumaki, isn't it?"
She sounded so unsure as she addressed him.
Naruto nodded dumbly.
The woman spoke in a subdued voice. "I'm not sure if you'll remember me. I'm Akino. I work as the school nurse at Konoha High."
Naruto nodded again. "I remember."
Akino bit her lip. "Of course you do. Of course you do. It's me that…"
Both Sasuke and Naruto were taken aback as tears sprang into her eyes and began dripping down her cheeks.
"Naruto, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I should have realized. I should have done something. If I had none of this would have happened. That day when you came to my office…"
She trailed off.
Naruto was at a loss for words. This woman he barely knew had come in and was blaming herself for everything that had happened? Not only that, but tears were pouring down her face. He felt distinctly uncomfortable and just a little guilty. He remembered the anger he'd felt towards her when he left the office. It hadn't been her fault. Of course it hadn't. This blame game was getting out of hand.
He raised his head slightly off the pillow. "It's ok, there was no way you could have known. Please don't blame yourself."
The woman frowned then, creating a small crinkle between her brows. "I most certainly should have realized. The signs were there. You didn't want to be left alone with him, and I-" She sniffed and Sasuke grabbed a tissue from the bedside stand handing it to her.
"Thank you." She said, taking it from him. "I don't deserve such kindness. I deserve to go to jail."
She wiped her slightly reddened nose with the tissue and dabbed at her eyes. "Did he…did he hurt you while you were in my office, Naruto? I remember I heard noises and…"
Naruto looked away then, unable to meet her concerned brown eyes. He didn't want to remember that day. He could feel Sasuke's watching him too. Naruto knew he was remembering that day in chemistry class now in a whole new light.
Fresh tears flooded Akino's face as the realization hit her, connecting the dots between what the news had said about the situation and what could happen with an immoral man who had a minor completely under his control.
"I'm so sorry, Naruto." she whispered. "I can't tell you how sorry I am."
She shook her head. "I'll resign immediately and support you in whatever way I can in bringing that awful man to justice."
Naruto's hand twitched on the covers. "Please, that isn't necessary. You were doing your job. You did nothing wrong and there's no way you could have known."
Akino sniffed. "No, I should never have left a student unattended with only one adult. I should have been there despite what I thought was appropriate. I have to resign."
A sickening feeling swept through Naruto. "Please don't."
He searched for something, anything that would convince her. "You smiled at me that day, you were one of the first adults who was ever kind to me. If you left that school, it would be worse off, so please…don't leave. It would make me unhappy and you don't want that, right?"
Akino's eyes widened in astonishment. She didn't speak for a few moments at a complete loss for words. Then,
"You…are a truly amazing person, Naruto."
Naruto reddened. What was with all the compliments today?
She wiped the last of the tears from her eyes and set her pink lips in determination. "Well, when you put it that way I suppose I don't have a choice. I will have to come forward though and there's a chance I will be fired, but…I'll do my best and I'll help you however I can." She paused. "Naruto, if you ever need anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask me, ok?"
Naruto smiled and nodded back. "Sure, thank you…Akino."
Akino smiled for the first time since she'd entered and it lit up her face despite the red blotches on it from crying.
There was a noise at the door and she turned. Naruto glanced towards the doorway to see Iruka. Half-hidden behind him, there was a shock of red hair. Gaara peeped out shyly at him, his trusty teddy bear held in his hands.
"Gaara." said Naruto, grinning widely. A glow of happiness filled him on seeing the small boy.
Gaara let go of Iruka's hand and ran towards Naruto. He pushed past the space between Akino and the bed and leapt up, hugging his friend.
Naruto laughed even as he winced in pain from the sudden weight on his chest.
"Careful, Gaara." said Iruka. "He's still fragile."
Naruto smirked. Fragile was never a word he'd considered using for himself. He glanced at Sasuke, whose expression said he was thinking the same thing.
"Nice to see you, Mr. Iruka." said Naruto over the red hair that tickled his chin.
Iruka smiled warmly, his brown eyes lighting up. "It's even nicer to see you awake, Naruto."
His gaze moved to Akino then. "And you have a visitor?"
Akino didn't reply, didn't even react to Iruka's open question. She was standing stock still, her eyes transfixed on the small red-haired boy who was currently staring at Naruto as if the world would end if he stopped.
"Gaara?" she whispered.
Naruto frowned. "You know him?"
At the mention of his name, Gaara turned round to look up at her warily.
Still, Akino stared at him. "It's not possible." She took a step forward and the boy moved back, pressing himself against the side of Naruto's bed.
"I think you're scaring him. Maybe you should back off a little." said Sasuke.
"Gaara," said Akino. She crouched down, ignoring Sasuke's words. "Do you remember me? Can you…?"
Yet again, tears flooded the woman's eyes. "Gaara, it's me. I'm…I'm your mother."
Silence filled the room as the weight of the words sank in. Naruto gaped.
"What? That's not possible. Gaara's mom, she, well, she passed away."
Akino looked up at him and flash of anger passed over her face, but it was not directed at Naruto. "Is that what he said? That…that…monster."
Her eyes returned to Gaara. He continued to stay pressed up against the bed, his small hand touching Naruto's for security.
"Your father took you away from me. I…I was going to leave him. I wanted to protect you, but before I could…he stole you away. He kidnapped you."
Tears ran down her face. "Gaara, I tried to find you. I never gave up looking for you. I went to the police, I went to the media. Everyone. I…"
She broke off into a sob and shook her head. "I can't believe you're here, and you don't even know me."
Gaara finally let go of Naruto and took a step forward. He touched the woman's arm uncertainly. It reminded Naruto so much of the day he'd approached him in the hallway, that day he'd been so depressed.
The woman looked at him in surprise. Gaara dug into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. He unfolded it, revealing the photograph that had been in his apartment, the photograph in the frame Naruto had shattered. Gaara had fixed it with a piece of tape. He held up the photo next to Akino's stunned face and looked at it.
The same face stared back at him in the photo. It looked different, slightly younger, happier, fewer lines, but it was undeniably the same.
Gaara drew in a sharp breath and his big green eyes drank in the vision before them.
Akino gave a tentative smile. "It's nice to see you again, Gaara."
This time it was Gaara's eyes that filled with tears and he threw himself into Akino's arms. The woman almost fell over, but managed to stay upright, laughing as she wrapped her arms around her long-lost son. The joy in her face was incomparable. The years seemed to fall from her face, and in that moment, she looked just like her old photo, young, happy and carefree.