This is … I don't know. Cute?
THE CHILD IN ME 4He had been given a mission, he had passed it, brought pleasing results but at a high price. In the middle of the 'assassination', he had been distracted. According to the other team members with him he had stopped mid-stab towards his assailant and just stared at the person for a moment, before one of the guards, taking opportunity of his 'stunned' silence and immobility, stabbed him with the sword from the back. His left lung was damaged badly, but nothing that she couldn't handle. If the squad had arrived any later, Iruka would have been a dead man.
"He'll be fine." Tsunade assured Naruto, smiling at him.
"But – But he –" Naruto shook with the forced down sobs that he was trying to hide, Gaara beside him, staring up at Tsunade with a quiet and almost scared expression. He had been staying with Naruto for a total of almost two weeks, and Tsunade didn't know if it were a good thing or not, but the boy was showing more emotions on his face – even when not saying anything – than he did when she first came across him. Must be an effect Naruto was having on him.
"Don't worry. He's in ICU for now. He should be awake in a few days." Tsunade assured Naruto.
"Few days?" Naruto gasped, staring at Tsunade with even more fear for his teacher. "W-Why won't he wake up now?"
"Because he's in a healing sleep!" Tsunade reasoned. "Go home, both of you. Get some rest. In a few days, give it three or four, he'll be awake. I'll make sure you're the first one to be notified. Will that make you happy?"
"Can I see him?" Naruto asked, eyes pleading at Tsunade. "Please? I won't make a sound."
"You can't enter his room." Tsunade said, motioning for Naruto to follow her. She was not very surprised when Gaara followed as well. She pushed open the swinging door of an ICU ward and stopped to one of the room windows towards the end of the hall. "For now, you can view him from this window."
"Why can't we go inside?" Naruto asked, looking up at Tsunade, slightly hurt.
"We?" Tsunade flicked a glance at Gaara who was staring at the blue curtain of the window that hid Iruka's form with in. She chose not to comment on the 'we' part of Naruto's question. "Because you came from outside and we don't want any viral infections. Hospital rules. Once he's awake, then you can enter. But until then," She motioned for one of the nurses to half open the curtain, enough for the both of them to stand together and see. "You'll have to stay outside." Iruka's door closed with light hissing noise due to the rubberized edge of the doorframe. "He'll be fine. He just needs some rest."
"Tsunade-sama, you're needed in emergency room eight." One of the nurses said.
Tsunade patted both boys' shoulders. "Be good. And go home and get some rest."
She left them alone, to attend to her hospital duties.
XXX
Naruto had taken a seat on the leather bench beneath Iruka's window. The nurse's help desk down the hall was quiet, save for the light scraping of pen on paper and the occasional flipping of pages. Every once in a while, a head would poke out from the desk and peer at the two newly-graduates, to make sure that they were not doing anything stupid. Both of them had lifted the bench to have it right under Iruka's window. Now, Naruto was huddled on two seats, fast asleep after two hours of watching Iruka through the window, while Gaara was kneeling on top the leather cushioned chair, fingers grasping the metallic window frame, staring intently at the sleeping figure. He didn't budge from his position for the past almost four hours. He was aware of Naruto asleep beside him and he let him sleep on.
But he kept watching Iruka.
And felt something in him sink lower and lower, until he felt the familiar ache in his chest that he didn't feel for a long, long time, since Yashamaru died.
Reaching up, he rubbed at his eyes with the back of his sleeve.
XXX
To say that he was surprised would be an understatement. He heard of Iruka's predicament from Asuma, and told himself that he'd drop by at the hospital to check on the man as soon as the nearest free time came to him. He was not expecting to find the both of them there, by Iruka's window.
He had stopped by the nurse's help desk and gestured to the two. It was the second night of Iruka's sleep. "How long have they been here?"
"Since the night Umino-san was brought in." The nurse answered.
"Did they go home?" Kakashi asked, astonished at the nurse's reply.
"No." The nurse shook her head. "Naruto fell asleep the first night and woke up in the morning and continued to watch over Iruka. Around eleven, he'd fall asleep. The other kid, the redhead, I don't know his name, watched him all night, twice in a row. Every time I checked, he's in that very kneeling position on the bench."
Kakashi frowned a bit. "I see."
"They've skipped a couple of meals too. I can't get them to eat, and Tsunade-sama hasn't been around to tell them to. I'm getting worried. Would you talk to them? I don't think neither are very comfortable on that bench." The nurse said.
"I'll talk to them." Kakashi nodded. "Thanks."
He walked down the hall towards the two. Naruto was already drowsy, but still intent on keeping an eye on Iruka, in hopes that he'd awake. Gaara was not even moving. He was just staring through the glass; his eye lids the only thing moving with its blinking motions along with his chest as he breathed. Other wise, he was still, and he was frowning.
"Hey, you two." He greeted, peering through the glass.
Naruto turned to acknowledge him. In just two nights, Naruto looked very tired and almost sickly. He gave him a weak smile. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei." Gaara didn't even bother to acknowledge his arrival, but continued to look through the glass.
"You look horrible." Kakashi pointed out, peering through the glass one more time. Iruka looked pale in the dim room, the glow of the monitor that measured his heartbeats and breathing patters casting an eerie green glow in the room. Iruka was hooked up to a respirator, was shirtless and had a light blue blanket covering his torso. His hair was free from the usual ponytail he always wore.
He looked dead.
"I know." Naruto answered, rubbing an eye as he yawned. "He's not getting any better."
"He's asleep." Kakashi pointed out. "He's alive. That's what matters."
"But it's not fair!" Naruto pressed, glaring at the shiny and sterile hospital floor. "He should be teaching, not on a bed! With a machine breathing for him!"
Kakashi turned to look at Gaara, who swallowed a lump at his throat as he continued staring at Iruka. The boy wasn't really doing anything other than watch, but the slightly quickened breathing was a sign that Gaara wasn't all that calm and collected at the moment. He narrowed his visible eye, staring intently at Gaara.
"Why don't you two come with me for a while? Have something to eat first and maybe get a change of clothes. Iruka wouldn't be very happy if he sees this particular setting." Naruto shook his head in reply and knelt on the bench to look through the window once more. "Come on. It's for your own good."
"Don't want to leave Iruka-sensei behind." Naruto argued.
"You can come back once you're dressed and cleaned and actually had a decent meal." Kakashi reasoned. "Come on."
Naruto tugged at Gaara's sleeve, motioning him to follow, as both of them lagged behind Kakashi. Gaara took some whispered convincing from Naruto and in the end he followed, throwing glances back at Iruka's window as they left the ward.
Kakashi took them home and had them both showered and changed. All the while, he kept a very close eye on Gaara. The boy had kept his gaze on the floor, choosing to stand instead of sit on Naruto's couch. When Naruto came out, dressed in cleaner clothes and shower fresh, he entered the bathroom. Naruto sat quietly on the couch, staring at his window. Minutes later, Gaara came out, clean and shower fresh.
"Now that must feel good, hmm?" Kakashi said, shaking his head slightly. "Come on, let's get you something to eat."
"Not hungry." Naruto answered. "I'm going back to the hospital."
Without another word, Naruto run out of the apartment, Gaara following at a more sedate pace. He completely ignored Kakashi, and minutes later, he was on the very bench where he was kneeling on for the past two nights, keeping his attention and focus on Iruka's sleeping form.
XXX
On the fourth day, an hour before sunset, when the nurses were changing their shift, Naruto napping on the bench, Gaara pressed against the glass harder, trying to get a closer look at the form asleep. The respirator was taken away the other day, when Tsunade did a check up on Iruka, and right after that, forced some sandwiches down Naruto's throat and tried to convince Gaara to eat, but all the red had was his packet of fruit juice.
Gaara saw it, the slight twitch of Iruka's fingers. Then he saw his head move to one side, and the dark brown eyes flutter open slightly. He felt something warm spread in his chest, some sort of release and he quickly shook Naruto awake.
"Naruto. Naruto." He whispered, unaware of the ward's doors swinging open, Kakashi and Genma walking in, intending to drop Iruka a visit.
Naruto woke up at the second call of his name. "Hmm? Wha-?"
"He's awake!" Gaara said and looked up at the glass again, watching as Iruka brought a hand up to his head to rub it.
"He is?" Naruto was on his knees and peering through, a smile of relief in his face. "Ah! Iruka-sensei!" Naruto got off the bench and dashed for the nurse's desk. "Iruka-sensei is awake! Iruka-sensei is awake!"
The nurse, startled, jostled towards the window, peered through and smiled. "I'll contact Tsunade-sama to do her check up on him." She headed for the desk and paged Tsunade, who, minutes later, appeared in the ward, Shizune beside her. She gave Kakashi and Genma a look, before her gaze dropped to the two boys.
"Wait right here while I do a random check up." She said, and gave Shizune some instructions as to what medicines to fetch. A nurse followed Tsunade inside, closing the curtain and completely cutting off any view of what was going on inside. Shizune entered the room, syringes and medicine bottles on a tray, along with a pair of clean rubber gloves and alcohol swabs. The door closed with a light hiss.
Minutes ticked away, and only then did Naruto notice the other two men standing behind him. "When did you get here?" He asked, frowning at Kakashi and Genma.
"Ten minutes ago." Genma answered. At the sound of his voice, Gaara turned to look up at him, his cheeks slightly coloring at the sight of Genma. Genma, noticing the blush, smirked. "Hello, Gaara."
Gaara looked away, turning his focus on the window. The behavior amused both Genma and Kakashi, until a loud groan of pain began to emit from the room. It alarmed Gaara and Naruto, in which it was soon followed by Tsunade and Shizune's voice saying phrases like 'hold still', 'breathe normally' and ' don't fight it!' and if all, it made the two youngsters worry even more. Gaara shifted from his standing position, the sand in his gourd becoming restless. Naruto was all but tearing his hair off his scalp from frustration. He didn't pay attention to the crunching noises the soles of his sandals made as he stepped on the sand.
"What the hell is she doing to him? He just woke up! Why is he in pain? She said he'd be fine! Why the hell does it sound like a torture chamber in there? Damnit! That old hag!" He stomped his left foot, and with horror, Genma and Kakashi waited for the sand to attack Naruto, both ready to 'stabilize' Gaara if it need be.
But nothing happened, because the door opened and Tsunade emerged, pulling off a pair of blood-stained rubber gloves from her hands, Shizune and the assisting nurse right behind her.
"How is he?" Genma asked, voice out the question that were plaguing all of their minds.
"He's fine." Tsunade answered, dropping the soiled gloves on the tray Shizune was holding. "You can go in and see him if you want. But he's still a bit delirious from the morphine, so don't expect too much out of him."
"Great!" Naruto dashed in to the room, ignoring the rest, pausing a few feet away from the bed. Gaara followed him, but remained by the door, Genma and Kakashi standing right behind, still feeling suspicious of the boy. The sand had returned back in to the gourd and was now perfectly still. "Iruka-sensei?" Naruto whispered, peering slowly at Iruka's face from his position away from the bed. Iruka's face was thrown to one side, his slightly greasy hair (a result of almost five days of no washing) sprayed over the sterile white pillow.
The head shifted slowly, tiredly, as if the task took too much effort to work the muscles of the neck. Iruka faced Naruto, and upon seeing the blonde's face, a tired yet bright smile spread on his lips, which was quite a sight since he spent the last four days looking anything but alive.
"N-N-Nar-ruto." He choked out, voice slightly raspy from disuse, and he tried to sit up. Genma approached his side immediately, helping him and propping the pillows at his back. "Come here." He patted the spot beside him on the bed.
Naruto remained glued to his spot. "A-are you o-okay? Do you feel any p-pain?" Naruto asked, fear in his voice and hesitant to approach Iruka, in fear of might hurting him.
"I'm okay." Iruka smiled, brighter this time.
Naruto's worried face, wearing from nights of broken sleep, glowed bright, as a smile of relief came to his lips. In three quick strides, he was beside Iruka, arms around his waist, hugging and pouring out his worry. In the midst of it all, he began to cry, sobbing coming out in uncontrolled heaves. Iruka merely smoothed the blonde strands, whispering soothing words to calm him down.
Genma and Kakashi, from their standing positions, watched scene unfold with faint amusement. Both couldn't help but admire Iruka's ways with children, even with someone as uncontrollable as Naruto.
"Glad to have you back amongst the living." Genma said, patting Iruka on the back in a friendly manner. Iruka turned to give him a smile of thanks, throat slight aching from the sudden use of his voice box.
Only then did Iruka notice the two standing by the door. Kakashi was not moving from his standing point, a hand firmly planted on Gaara's shoulder. Iruka chose to ignore the sudden annoyance that bubbled in him upon seeing how Kakashi was keeping Gaara in one place, while the boy – Iruka felt his insides shatter at the sight. Gaara was looking at him, with wide green eyes, glazed with fear and sadness for his well being, lips pulled in to a thin line to hide the trembling movements it was currently experiencing, and face, flushed yet pale at the same time.
"Come here, Gaara." Iruka said, smiling at him. Gaara swallowed visibly, a little bit too out of character for Genma and Kakashi's liking. Kakashi's hand was not moving from its grip on Gaara's shoulder. In fact, Kakashi himself was quite surprised that the sand didn't crush his hand to a thousand bone pieces. Gaara dropped his sad gaze to the ground, shoulders slightly hunching, and the weight of his gourd suddenly very heavy for him to bear. And yet, he said nothing nor did he move. "Could you give us a moment? You two?" Iruka looked at Kakashi and Genma.
Genma looked slightly alarmed and looked at Kakashi then at the red head. Kakashi stared at Iruka like he lost his mind. "Iruka, are you mad?"
Naruto moved from his hugging position and wiped his tears. He turned to throw Kakashi a dirty look, before puffing his chest out, stomping to Kakashi's general direction and jerked Gaara out of his grip. Kakashi stared at Naruto, and was about to bop his student in the head for his 'rash action', when Gaara caught his attention. He was just standing before Iruka, staring at the pale hand that had Band-Aid markings from the IV needle that was previously attached to it. Naruto was standing behind Gaara, hands behind his back, grinning. Genma's hand was already beside his kunai and shuriken holster, ready to attack in case Gaara tried anything funny.
Funny thing was, he just stood there, looking at Iruka's pale and thin hand. Genma threw an alarming look at Kakashi when Iruka lifted his hand to Gaara. Green eyes stared at the outstretched limb, before shaking hands raised to gently hold the pale adult one, young and slightly calloused fingers gently cupping the open palm. Naruto trotted to the other side of the bed and settled himself beside Iruka, so that he was able to drape an arm around his former teacher and rest his head on the warm shoulder.
"You've been skipping meals haven't you?" Iruka asked, smiling the whole time. "Both of you?"
"Not really." Naruto said, lying of course.
"Liar." Iruka whispered and tugged Gaara toward shim, brushing away locks of the red hair to one side. "Right Gaara?" Gaara looked at Naruto then shyly back at Iruka. He then nodded once. Naruto stuck his tongue out at Gaara and snuggled closer to Iruka. "Hug?" Iruka whispered, looking at Gaara. Gaara shook his head in reply and settled to staring at Iruka's hand again, taking four steps back. Iruka sat up straighter and tugged at Naruto's sleeve. "Help me up."
Understanding, Naruto did as he was told, much to Genma and Kakashi's horror. "What the hell are you doing? You shouldn't even be moving!" Genma gaped.
"Iruka, have you totally lost it?" Kakashi rushed to Iruka's side, helping him stand straighter and following him as Iruka moved towards Gaara, Naruto not leaving his side.
"If Hokage-sama finds out, she –" Genma was cut off, when Iruka remained standing on his own, an arm's length away from Gaara, long hair falling like a dark curtain down his back.
Naruto pulled Kakashi back, leaving Iruka with Gaara. Kakashi was already very tempted to bop Naruto's head, when Iruka reached forward, gently wrapping his arms around Gaara's shoulders, and pulled him in to an embrace. They remained like that, for several long seconds, Gaara remaining limp in Iruka's embrace, who was smiling as he held the boy.
And sand never moved.
Then Gaara's arms were around Iruka's waist, holding him tight and possessively, shoulders trembling slightly.
"Leave us. Stay Naruto." Iruka whispered. Naruto ushered the two out of the room, and watched as Gaara silently cried.
Funny thing was, Gaara did not know he was crying.
TBC
Wrote half of this in my Cinematography class. It got way too boring for me to pay attention to. And looking the result? It took 3 pages of my A4 sized notebook and my writing is tiny. It took five pages here in MS Word.
When I said "I don't do pedo" I meant I don't have underage relationships. As for my KakaNaru fic, uh hello? He's 20 there! That's NOT underage. Whereas the kiddies here are just like 12-13 years old. Now THAT'S what I call underage!
Oh well … toodles!