AN: And another!
Disclaimer: Don't know.
His body felt weightless. He felt like he was floating. He felt numb. His breathing felt shallow. He felt warm.
He heard a low snarl.
He struggled to open his heavy eyes, and saw a blur of a vermillion color. His eyes took their time to focus and found red slitted eyes staring down at him. Teeth bared at him. Stark with the darkness around them.
He couldn't move. He didn't want to. The clawed hand that was holding him felt warm.
My vessel apparently needs you, the fox spoke, the line crossing his eyes thinned slightly, Good thing that you have something that I want.
Minoru could only watch as a claw tore into his chest. He screamed, all he could do was scream. The pain felt like a relief, the pressure that was pushing down on him lessened. He felt tears run down the sides of his face and the fox snarled again.
Don't worry, little one, I'll only take as much as I need to.
Minoru gasped.
Because my vessel needs you, for some reason, the fox drank up the chakra that flowed out of Minoru and chuckled, This doesn't mean that I'll help everytime you're careless. Next time you might not be so lucky.
Minoru took slow deep breaths and couldn't stop looking at the red slitted eyes. The fox snarled at him again, baring his teeth.
I'm done with you.
When Minoru opened his again his eyes focused on Naruto. He was radiating yellow orange chakra shroud, the magatama rimmed his collar. The normally cerulean eyes were vermillion, those eyes that were looking down at him with so much concern. "Naruto…" his voice sounded strained and the arm supporting him around his shoulders tightened. He swallowed thickly, and lifted a heavy hand and reached for a whiskered cheek. A warm radiating hand caught his and arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace. He closed his eyes, finding comfort in the older man, in his warmth, "I'm sorry…"
Naruto shook his head, "Don't." He pulled away and looked at the younger man, "Are you okay?"
Minoru looked at the now cerulean eyes, and nodded, "Yeah...I think so."
"Can you stand?"
Minoru nodded and stood with the help of a firm hand on his elbow. And that's when he felt it. His body felt sore - worse than sore, it felt worn down and overused. It felt as if he hadn't rested in days, weeks. He had nothing to compare it to other than he felt like shit. His knees nearly gave out but the hand on his elbow kept him steady.
Naruto pulled Minoru to his side and draped a pale arm over his shoulders. He pulled out his canteen and handed it to him. The younger man drank a few gulps before handing it back, and he couldn't help but notice how he was shaking, "We have to get you home." He followed the dark eyes gaze to the kunoichi laying lifeless on the ground. "Come on...let's go."
They made their way back, taking frequent stops. Minoru sat on a log when Naruto squatted down in front of him.
"How are you feeling?"
Minoru closed his eyes briefly, "I feel...like shit…" he snorted and Naruto chuckled.
Naruto moved to stand back up but unsteady half gloved hands moved to his shoulders. He gave the younger man a questioning look and his expression softened when he saw the guilt in the dark eyes, "It'll be okay," he reassured him and the dark head slowly nodded, "We need to get you home."
They kept going, kept walking, and when the gates came into sight it felt like they were finally home. And when they finally stepped through the gates Minoru stopped walking when he realized where Naruto was leading him.
"Naruto, please...don't take me to the hospital." Concerned blue eyes looked at him and a hand came up to cup his cheek.
"Minoru…," Naruto hesitated, "I know you don't want to go to the hospital, but I don't know what happened back there. I don't know what kind of affect that had on you. I can't risk it, Minoru. I'm sorry, but I can't."
Minoru sighed and dropped his gaze before nodding and letting Naruto take him to the hospital.
Naruto looked at Minoru, watched him as he fidgeted with the fabric of the hospital gown on his lap. He knew Minoru hated hospitals saying that they smelled of sickness, death and sterility, and he hated doing this to him, but he couldn't take the chance. He took the fidgeting hand into his and smiled when it instantly intertwined with his. Midnight blue eyes looked at him and offered him a smile, and he couldn't help but notice how tired the younger man looked. He leaned down and gave the obscured forehead a kiss before moving lower and giving the soft lips a brief kiss.
He was thankful that Minoru had been checked and cleared of any damage to his chakra points and channels. It had taken a couple of hours but they were almost in the clear. When the door to the hospital room opened they both expected to see the nurse come in. They were both half surprised when Kakashi walked in instead with Minoru's chart in his hand.
Kakashi gave both men a deadpanned look, "You didn't really expect that they weren't going to tell me that my son had been admitted to the hospital, did you?"
Minoru managed to give his dad a sheepish look. And Naruto stuffed his hands into his pockets.
Kakashi directed his gaze to his son, "From what the nurses tell me, I understand that you took in too much chakra?...What happened?" his voice was gentle.
Minoru averted his gaze briefly before starting, "We were attacked, by an Ishigakure nin...saying something about using me as leverage against you," he cleared his throat, "I…," he glanced at Naruto and then back at Kakashi, "...I drained her…"
Kakashi looked at his son for a long moment, his gaze shifted between the two men, "And how did you manage to expel that much chakra?"
There was a long silence before Minoru answered, "I couldn't."
Silver brows furrowed, "Then how…"
"...I took it…"
The uncovered eyes shifted to Naruto, "You took it?"
Naruto shifted his weight and met the Hokage's gaze, and they seemed to have narrowed slightly in understanding.
"That was very careless, Minoru."
Minoru mentally cringed at the tone of his dad's voice. He knew that tone. That "I love you but that was really stupid what the hell were you thinking" voice.
"This could have taken a wrong turn immediately, you have to be more careful. You can't afford to be so careless."
Minoru met his dad's gaze, "I know, I'm sorry."
Kakashi sighed and looked at Minoru's chart, "I'm putting you on medical leave -"
"What?!" Minoru bit his tongue at the sharp look his dad gave him.
"You need rest. I'm not taking any chances with you. You were very close to depleting your chakra," Kakashi wrote something down and directed his gaze to Naruto, "Take him home. Make sure he rest." He closed the chart with a sigh and moved to his son and embraced him. The dark head buried itself into the crook on his neck, "I'm just glad you're okay."
Kakashi straightened himself and took the chart into his hand, "Iruka isn't going to like this."
Minoru cringed.
When they left the hospital, Naruto walked Minoru home and looked at him when he felt a hand on his elbow, "Are you okay?"
Minoru nodded and gave the older man a soft smile, "Would be alright if...we went to your apartment?"
Naruto's brows shot up, "Of course!" He changed their path and headed to his apartment instead, a smile tugged on his lips when the hand stayed on his elbow.
When they reached Naruto's apartment, he noticed the younger man seemed a bit out of breath. His face must have shown his concern because Minoru smiled and waved it off. He moved to his dresser and pulled out two sets of clothes. He helped the younger man out of his uniform, removing the tanto blade around his chest followed by the dark shirt taking the hitai ate in tow. The dark head fell forward and rested on his shoulder and he planted a kiss on a temple. He helped the younger man into his shirt and maneuvered him to the bed to sit and moved to removed his leg wrappings. Minoru leaned forward and braced himself with the edge of the bed. He looked up and tired eyes looked back at him. "Soon." He told him and undid his pants. Minoru leaned back and helped by lifting his hips. Naruto helped him get into a pair of sleeping pants, and couldn't help but smile how his clothes fitted on him despite the situation.
"I'm going to make some tea," he told Minoru as he crawled further into the bed and plopped down. He smiled and moved to the kitchen and set the kettle on stove. Naruto leaned on the counter and let out a deep sigh. He swallowed through the lump in throat and tried not to think about it. What mattered was that Minoru was okay. He pressed a hand to his eyes and took a deep breath. He's okay.
The tea kettle made him jump when it started to whistle. He turned off the stove and took out a couple of mugs and set tea bags in them. He walked back to the bedroom and a thought occurred to him, "I realized we haven't eaten, I could..." He trailed off when he found his lover sleeping soundly. He placed the mugs on nightstand and gingerly sat down on the bed. Fingers thread into the dark locks and smiled when Minoru sighed in his sleep.
Naruto watched the younger man sleep, completely forgetting the teas on the nightstand as they got cold.
Naruto woke up with a start to his dark bedroom. There was a comfortable weight half on top of him that shifted. He pulled the younger man closer and looked up at his window, at the filtered light. A hand smoothed over his chest and up to his jaw and snuggled closer.
He was there. He was right there. He was fine.
The thumb brushed his against his cheek in a soothing gesture and he let it lull him back to sleep.