Standard disclaimers apply here. Warning for languages.
TO MEND BROKEN WINGS
Three AM
Chapter Two: Homecoming
Rain. He had always liked the rain. When he was small, he remembered his father always reprimanding him from playing under the cold shower of rain. He didn't quite understand why the adults had to prevent children like him from having fun. Why couldn't they see that the thousands of droplets of water were harmless? That was what he used to ask himself over and over again, as he stayed inside the mansion, looking out at the window and watched desolately as the rain continued without him.
And up until now, now that he was a strong and powerful man of 25, he still couldn't contain his unexplainable sense of tranquility whenever he stayed under the encompassing cold embrace of the rain. To him it was soothing. It calmed his knotted nerves.
And whenever it rained, everything changed. The world always became a globe of dimness, isolation and coldness. A feeling of loneliness would creep at him…
Loneliness or just a sense of stillness?
It didn't matter. It was still the same.
It was freezing. Cold. Numbing.
It was a welcomed medicine for his troubled mind.
Painkiller.
Rain. It was raining today, he realized. Funny, but he thought the rain today was not helping him calm his nerves at all. He felt the strong downpour like thousands of needles pricking his back. It was excruciating. Burning. He couldn't understand it at all.
He tried focusing on his situation instead. But he couldn't seem to remember. Where was he? What was he doing there? Was it mud he was lying under?
What happened?
Blurry images of dark colors were all he could see. He tried opening his eyes more fully but the mere actions set his eyes on fire. He had to close his eyes again. However, the piercing pain in his head was unbearable. He felt like a kunai was embedded into his skull. He cringed at the thought. He tried moving his arms to feel his head. When he couldn't feel his arms, he conceded defeat and breathed out heavily.
He felt so fucking tired. He never felt so exhausted before. This was a first time.
What happened?
Smoke. He could smell the faint hints of smoke from somewhere not too far. Though the rain decreased its scent, he could still recognize the scent of something burning… or rather, burnt.
He wanted to see. He wanted to feel anything other than pain. He wanted to understand. He couldn't stand not understanding, even just a small pathetic thing such as the source of smoke. He knew himself. He would never be satiated with just recognizing. He just HAD to comprehend everything. Had to know its properties. Had to know its reasons.
Had to understand its meaning.
What did it stood for? What was its purpose for being created into an unjust filthy world such as this? What was its use to him? Would he be able to utilize it for his benefit? Or was it just a simple worthless piece of fucking shit? A useless creation for insignificant people like those below him?
Thousands of questions coursed through his mind everyday, every minute, every second of his pathetic existence. Many people did say he was a man discontented. But... he asked again.
What did it mean to be content anyway?
Right now though, he asked himself only one question instead.
Why am I like this?
Breathing through his mouth now, because he found it hard to breathe normally through his nose, he tried concentrating charka to his burning eyes. Maybe if he could put some energy there, even just a little bit, he would be able to see where the smoke was coming from, his situation, and where he was. Maybe he would be able to get out and end his intolerable pain he was—
Fire.
Blazing.
SCORCHING HOT.
The pain was a hundred times worse now. His head felt like it was drowning under red angry fire, consuming him alive and raw. For the second time in his whole life, he was terrified. Scared beyond comprehension. Frightened more than when his father died and left him alone…
Alone. Hurting. Abandoned. Burning...
Dying.
He couldn't concentrate on anything. He couldn't even think! What was he going to do? His famous determination and power seemed to extinguish slowly. It was getting harder to circulate oxygen from his lungs. The temptation to give in… it was getting too strong.
DARKNESS.
The rain ceased falling. The wind stopped blowing. The smoke disappeared. The burning pain died down.
Silence.
Breathe. He could still breathe. The weak sound of his inhalation and exhalation was all he could hear, interrupting the seemingly endless silence enclosed around him.
Breathing was still a dragging task. Though, he found that the air was now clean and unpolluted from the foul odor of smoke. And this time, it seemed he was lying down on something soft and comfortable, unlike the feel of muddy earth.
What happened?
Blankness. Emptiness.
His whole body was unfeeling, so alien to what he used to know. He felt like a heavy deadweight on himself. He couldn't move. He couldn't stir. He couldn't feel anything but… nothing.
Numb.
He felt dead, though not really. He knew he was alive. He could still feel his heart beating evenly. He could still feel his lungs filling with oxygen and breathing out. So what was wrong?
Everything. Everything was wrong! He should be able to move. He should be able to see some light. He should be able to hear anything but silence. He should know what was happening to him!
A familiar sense of rational anger coursed through his veins. He could not take his current situation. He didn't like it at all. NO! He hated not knowing. He abhorred not understanding. He loathed not controlling.
It was very much like a mission gone wrong.
Mission
Suddenly, something soft and warm touched his cheeks. He started. 'What is that? Where is it?'
He couldn't see anything. Everything was still black. A blanket of dismal darkness. And it was fucking maddening.
'Why can't I see?'
He heard a distinct terrible groan, disrupting the unnerving silence. Then he figured it must have been himself.
Something cold touched his dry lips. 'What the fuck is that?'
"Water. Drink it," a soft gentle voice answered his painful moan.
He heard and so he did. He learned it was quite painful to swallow, but he ignored it and greedily drunk on the water. Then he felt cold liquid streaming down from his mouth to his throat.
The glass was lifted from his lips and out of the blue, a texture of something slightly rough dabbed on the spilled water.
He never spilled on himself before. It was shameful.
"It's okay," the voice said again. Warmth touched his face once again and made small circles on his cheeks.
'Who are you?'
"Are you hurting again?"
He felt the unfamiliar presence left his side. 'NO! Don't leave me—'
Alone. Hurting. Abandoned…
"I'm going to give you something that will make the pain go away for the time being," the voice returned. And he started breathing again.
He felt so heavy once again. So heavy…
Drowning. Spiraling downwards without end…
"Rest, Neji-san."
xxx
"I'm hurt."
She looked up at the familiar voice. Surprise and delight painted her face the instant she saw him.
"Naruto!" she exclaimed, standing up and walking towards her old friend. She hugged him tightly with a big grin on both of their faces.
"Sakura-chan," Naruto breathed her name. He tightened his hold on her unconsciously, as he took in her unique softness and warmth. He breathed in her familiar scent of sweet lavender. He could always pinpoint her among the crowd just by her sole scent. And it never failed to make him happy.
"I missed you," Sakura said softly as she pulled back from his embrace and looked up at him. She smiled wider. "You've grown so much! I'm surprised."
He smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. He laughed awkwardly, feeling the start of a blush painting his cheeks. "I sure hope I did!"
"How are you doing?" she asked suddenly.
His face went sober. "Like I said earlier, I'm hurt."
She took a step away from him and stared at his clear cerulean eyes with much seriousness. Then she commented, "Your charka flow's running smoothly. You don't sport any bruises or cuts at the moment. I don't see anything wrong."
Naruto frowned at her childishly. "Sakura-chan, you didn't tell me you were going home today."
At that, Sakura suddenly laughed. "Just because of that? Oh, Naruto! I didn't include my homecoming in my last letter since I wanted to surprise you. And another thing, I wasn't really sure how long it will take for us to reach Konoha since we had to stop at so many small villages along the way. You know how it is for us Healers."
But he still had his arms across his chest. "I could have at least greeted you at the gate."
"Didn't I say that I wanted to surprise you?" She turned around and went back to her desk. She began shuffling through the papers.
"How did you find out about me anyway?" Sakura asked, her eyes scanning through the medical reports.
Naruto shrugged. "I'm a shinobi. I have my ways."
She chuckled. "Of course. How could I forget that?"
"So!" he suddenly appeared beside her, leaning back against her desk, startling her a bit. "How has my favorite kunoichi been?"
"Okay, I guess," she answered. "It was great there. I met new friends and learned a lot more than I expected. But I also missed Konoha. I actually missed this small hospital!" she gestured with her hands. "I missed home."
Naruto smiled at her. "Glad to know you didn't forget us."
"How could I when you always write to me about everything here," Sakura said. "By the way, thank you. I think I never got to include that in any of my letters."
"What for?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"For not forgetting me, I guess. Even though I'm miles far from here you still managed to keep in touch with me," she answered. "I never realized how homesick I really was until I received your next letter."
"I don't know how it was possible, but everyday I missed you. First, Sasuke betrayed us," he said indifferently. "Then you left."
Sakura's heart tightened at his tone. She leaned closer to him. "But Naruto, you know I had to. You know how determined I was, am, to become greater… stronger. I may not be like you in strength and power but I want to try. I already told you before, remember?"
"Yeah. I know we promised that we'll bring him back together. I also know that it's the reason why you wanted to do all of these," he said reluctantly. "But that didn't cover the fact that you were very far from me."
She rest her head on his shoulder. "You know, that's not the only reason, Naruto."
He scratched his nose in confusion before glancing down at her. "Yeah?"
"I wanted to learn so much more. I wanted to know so many things, more than what Kakashi-sensei had taught us." She paused. "The day I visited you in the hospital was the day I felt so angry with myself. It was because…"
"Because what, Sakura-chan?" Naruto turned fully to her.
"We were a team, Naruto," she stated, staring up at him. "We were supposed to be team. You, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei… and I. But that's not what happened."
"What are you talking about—"
"I always knew that I was the weakest link of the team and no, don't you dare deny it Naruto," she said, stopping him with a hard look. "I knew it since our first mission. And I also knew that in the next missions I would always be the one watching your backs and lagging behind. But you know what hurts most?"
She continued after a second of silence, "The fact that I knew it, deep inside of me, but I kept pushing it aside, fooling myself that I'd just deal with it tomorrow and catch up with the rest of you." She chuckled humorlessly. "But that day never came, until our team had to break apart."
"Sakura-chan," Naruto started, with obvious sadness lingering in his eyes. "You have to know, I never saw you as what you saw yourself. The idea of you being the weakest member of our team never occurred to me. Because for me, you're someone I care for so deeply."
Sakura smiled, trying to cheer him up. "I know, Naruto. And I never blamed any of you. I blamed only myself."
She saw him frowned and cut him off before he could say anything. "But that was the past. So you see now why I'm so passionate about my job as a Healer."
She straightened and stepped in front of him. "I want to be there when the time will come that we have to meet him again. And also…" She put a hand to his cheek. "I want to be here for you, just as you had been for me all those times before."
Staring at her green eyes, Naruto slowly grinned and grasped her warm hand cupping his cheek. He squeezed it gently. "So does this mean that you'll stay in Konoha from now on?"
Sakura laughed lightly. "We'll see. Right now, we're here for our own mission."
"What's that?"
She pinched his nose. And right before she could get anything out of her lips, a voice suddenly butted in.
"We don't heal and tell."
They both turned to see a man with light a cocky smile leaning against the doorway. Naruto frowned as he realized that he didn't sense him coming. 'Just who the hell is he?'
"Where are your manners?" Sakura's voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see her talking to him. "Do you know that it's rude to eavesdrop in other people's conversations?"
"Of course I know!" the man exclaimed, walking toward them. "What do you take me for, love?"
Naruto's eyes widened.
"LOVE!"
xxx
A/N: There goes the REAL chapter two. I'm going to delete the last one, seeing as I don't like it much to be part of this story. Wow, am I actually continuing this? P Anyway, THANK YOU again to those who reviewed the previous chapter. It is really amazing how you still read this fanfic. ; You really helped me get on with this one. ;)
But sad to say, this will be updated slowly. I still have a major thesis to think about, along with other projects. So please, be patient with me?
You might be confused as to why I keep on referring Sakura as a "Healer" instead of a medic-nin. You'll find out soon.
This chapter is highly inspired by Same Ground of Kitchie Nadal.
