Aren't you all amazed at how fast I posted the last three chapters? It just
means I re-inserted myself into the story... not to mention I'm on march
break and procrastinating my homework. A couple of you expressed great
anxiety that Sasuke may possibly die in this chappie... heh heh... nothing
doing... I think it's a little too early for that, but don't worry... there may
come a time (just kidding). And yes I finally found Naruto's proper gender
lying in an old waste basket and I've decided to sew it back on him like
Peter Pan's shadow (the bugger put up a nasty little fight). Of course for
the two paragraphs after it I kept referring to him as 'her' and 'she'. Of
course you all want to get on with the story (or you have already skipped
this)... so I'll shut up now.
Chapter Title: 26. An Awful Shade of Red (as in... BLOOD!!)
Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling the fox tackle him roughly to the ground, prepared for the inevitable sensation of torn flesh. Much to his surprise, all that he suffered was having the breath knocked out of him. He opened his eyes to look up at his attacker (who was breathing heavily on top of him) cautiously, protecting his family heirloom, and found a bundle of energy smiling down at him.
Kashiya had managed to get in control of her own body before she collided with the boy, and wore a look of smug triumph. His eyes softened, recognising the mask for what it was, but decided against voicing his opinions of it.
"Knew you could do it, dobe." He whispered so that only the girl above him could hear. Her eyes closed in a brief moment of pain and, with aloud pop and a puff of smoke, the girl was gone, replaced by the boy he'd known for much longer. Even his clothes were back in order. When the smoke had cleared, he glared angrily down at the dark-haired ninja, growling slightly.
"Of... course." His words came out mumbled as the last of his strength left him, and he fell asleep right on top of Sasuke.
"Will he be okay?" The genin looked up suddenly at Tsunade who offered him a brief nod. It was strangely quiet in the meeting room for a few moments, everyone watching the sleeping boy wrapped (subconsciously) in Sasuke's arms. With a great general sigh, the three men decided it was their time to leave, now that their job was done.
"Kakashi-san, will you take Naruto-kun to the hospital for me?" Tsunade stopped the silver-haired man, her hand gently resting on his arm. His arms tightening around the blond, Sasuke panicked for a moment.
"You just said he'd be fine!" He protested.
"Aa, I'm not an expert on trapping souls, but Naruto is weak right now. He'll be sick for a while." Sasuke stood up, still holding onto his rival, and glared at the woman.
"Spare me the childish crap." He snapped at her. "I don't need or want the sugar-coated version." In response he received a nervous chuckle.
"I forget sometimes." Shaking her head, her voice took on a more authoritative tone. "Naruto must be pretty weak from fighting down the Kitsune, so he'll have to go to the hospital to have some seals placed on him temporarily to help him confine the Kitsune until he's strong enough to do it on his own."
"Isn't a seal the thing that got him into this mess in the first place?"
"Hai, but that wasn't a professional seal. It was made to wear off in a couple of hours." She smiled before continuing. "Not only does Naruto-kun need to regain his energy, but inside of him the demon will be putting up a fight, trying to get out." She hesitated. "Please tell this to no one." He nodded solemnly, letting Kakashi take a hold of the sleeping boy.
***
When they got to the hospital, Sasuke demanded to stay with Naruto while he slept. He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he didn't quite trust his friend alone with any of these people. A doctor once made the mistake of trying to keep him out of the room while they performed some tests and ended up pressed against the wall with the young Uchiha's hand gripping his throat, staring down at furious Sharingan eyes. Needless to say, everyone had been warned not to cross the boy, and no one said a word about visiting hours.
Outside the door, Tsunade had a couple of Anbu guards watch over the room to make sure no one took advantage of the boy while he was weak, though not many knew he was in the hospital in the first place. It wasn't until a couple of days later that a disturbance outside the door quirked Sasuke's annoyance enough to get him to open the door to find out what the problem was.
"Let me in!" A high pitched voice wailed. "I have every right to see my team mate. Sasuke!!" Hearing his name, the genin poked his head out, a mask of annoyance on his face.
"Sakura, why are you making so much noise?" Seeing that the girl was welcomed, the Anbu stepped aside to let the pink-haired girl through.
"Sasuke!" She exclaimed, walking into the hospital room, giving the boy a quick check up of her own. "Daijoubu ka? I heard that you were in the hospital. I hope it wasn't anything too serious. You look well enough." He held up a hand to silence her. Her speed-talking was quickly starting to give him a headache.
"Not me, Naruto." He motioned over to the bed where the boy still lay asleep. He hadn't so much as moved a muscle since he'd been brought in and doctors were starting to wonder if he was in a coma. "He's been here since he came back from that mission. Tsunade's guards found him at the main gates."
Luckily, Tsunade had remembered the earlier lie and decided to tell everyone who learned of the blond boy in the hospital bed that he'd been wounded on his mission.
"But he's got no scratches on him." The pink-haired girl moved closer to the bedside. Stumbling on his words for a moment, Sasuke adlibbed his response.
"People are saying in was all internal. He won't wake up." She nodded to him in understanding.
"So you've been here this whole time, watching over Naruto-kun?" There was a look of admiration on her face. He narrowed his eyes at her and returned to his chair.
"Aa, the doctors said there might be a chance that the Kitsune will try and get out, and I figured I'd stay on guard too." A sigh floated towards him, but he didn't turn around to face her.
"A lot of people are still fairly angry with him for causing the Orochimaru incident." She whispered, slightly fazed when he just nodded again. She didn't know about what happened to Naruto in the Hokage Tower. Aside from Orochimaru and his subordinates, only four other people knew; Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru and Tsunade. Sasuke wasn't even sure if Shikamaru really knew or had just assumed. "Why don't you go get a sandwich? From what I've heard you haven't stepped out of this room in days."
He looked up at her and was about to argue when she went over and pulled him forcefully out of the chair.
"Sakura!" He protested, but she shoved him to the door.
"Go! Naruto will still be here when you get back. I'll even keep watch for you." Nodding, he turned and left the room. The kunoichi watched him leave, longing written all over her face. She knew Sasuke didn't even feel a twitch of feeling for her, and ever so slowly, she was starting to lose faith in he advances on him. Aside from his obsession with his brother, Naruto was the only one he ever showed any sort of emotion for.
And suddenly she found herself envious of the blond lying in the hospital bed. Even if it was nothing but hatred, at least Naruto had always been able to stir something in her crush, while all she produced was a mild case of annoyance. Even his annoyance with her was practically nonexistent. She sighed and sat down in Sasuke's seat by the bed.
Leaning forward, she noticed something that they'd both obviously overlooked when she'd arrived. Littering Naruto's face and arms were a number of tiny scratches and bruises. She was surprised for a moment and wondered how she could have possibly missed the marks completely.
She was about to sit back in the chair and leave the question for when Sasuke returned, but all of a sudden a large red gash opened up just beneath her team mates eye, slicing all the way down his cheek and disappearing under the neck of the hospital robes. It had appeared out of no where. Stifling a panicked scream, Sakura scrambled for the emergency button, her hands shaking too much to get a proper hold on it. Blood began to spill onto the pillow, and though she was pressing the button feverously, no one seemed to be answering the call. She choked back a sob and stumbled backwards, placing a hand over her mouth. After nearly tripping over the chair behind her, she ran towards the door. Tearing it open, she cried out into the empty hall way.
"HELP! Somebody, please come and help!!" She looked back hesitantly to her friend and was horrified to find that even from a distance, she could see more and more cuts opening up on the boy's body. The sheets were beginning to turn an awful shade of red and Sakura found that she couldn't stand the sight any longer. Running from the room and holding her mouth for a different reason, she headed towards the nearest washroom, fighting off the nausea with every foot step.
~~~~~~~
Yeah... short... don't complain. The next chapter should be out by the end of the March Break...
How do you like the old Naruto? Yeah, sure... be picky and say he hasn't been awake for more than thirty seconds in his old body. Bah... whiners. Heh heh... Sooo... what's with the scratches? Hee hee... you should know this one... it was already said... anywho... I suppose I should shut up so I can post this, ne?
Hope you enjoyed it... see ya in a couple of days.
(I wonder if anyone notices what I'm doing with Sakura... besides making her puke... I mean in terms of her character... and her crush on Sasuke).
Chapter Title: 26. An Awful Shade of Red (as in... BLOOD!!)
Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling the fox tackle him roughly to the ground, prepared for the inevitable sensation of torn flesh. Much to his surprise, all that he suffered was having the breath knocked out of him. He opened his eyes to look up at his attacker (who was breathing heavily on top of him) cautiously, protecting his family heirloom, and found a bundle of energy smiling down at him.
Kashiya had managed to get in control of her own body before she collided with the boy, and wore a look of smug triumph. His eyes softened, recognising the mask for what it was, but decided against voicing his opinions of it.
"Knew you could do it, dobe." He whispered so that only the girl above him could hear. Her eyes closed in a brief moment of pain and, with aloud pop and a puff of smoke, the girl was gone, replaced by the boy he'd known for much longer. Even his clothes were back in order. When the smoke had cleared, he glared angrily down at the dark-haired ninja, growling slightly.
"Of... course." His words came out mumbled as the last of his strength left him, and he fell asleep right on top of Sasuke.
"Will he be okay?" The genin looked up suddenly at Tsunade who offered him a brief nod. It was strangely quiet in the meeting room for a few moments, everyone watching the sleeping boy wrapped (subconsciously) in Sasuke's arms. With a great general sigh, the three men decided it was their time to leave, now that their job was done.
"Kakashi-san, will you take Naruto-kun to the hospital for me?" Tsunade stopped the silver-haired man, her hand gently resting on his arm. His arms tightening around the blond, Sasuke panicked for a moment.
"You just said he'd be fine!" He protested.
"Aa, I'm not an expert on trapping souls, but Naruto is weak right now. He'll be sick for a while." Sasuke stood up, still holding onto his rival, and glared at the woman.
"Spare me the childish crap." He snapped at her. "I don't need or want the sugar-coated version." In response he received a nervous chuckle.
"I forget sometimes." Shaking her head, her voice took on a more authoritative tone. "Naruto must be pretty weak from fighting down the Kitsune, so he'll have to go to the hospital to have some seals placed on him temporarily to help him confine the Kitsune until he's strong enough to do it on his own."
"Isn't a seal the thing that got him into this mess in the first place?"
"Hai, but that wasn't a professional seal. It was made to wear off in a couple of hours." She smiled before continuing. "Not only does Naruto-kun need to regain his energy, but inside of him the demon will be putting up a fight, trying to get out." She hesitated. "Please tell this to no one." He nodded solemnly, letting Kakashi take a hold of the sleeping boy.
***
When they got to the hospital, Sasuke demanded to stay with Naruto while he slept. He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he didn't quite trust his friend alone with any of these people. A doctor once made the mistake of trying to keep him out of the room while they performed some tests and ended up pressed against the wall with the young Uchiha's hand gripping his throat, staring down at furious Sharingan eyes. Needless to say, everyone had been warned not to cross the boy, and no one said a word about visiting hours.
Outside the door, Tsunade had a couple of Anbu guards watch over the room to make sure no one took advantage of the boy while he was weak, though not many knew he was in the hospital in the first place. It wasn't until a couple of days later that a disturbance outside the door quirked Sasuke's annoyance enough to get him to open the door to find out what the problem was.
"Let me in!" A high pitched voice wailed. "I have every right to see my team mate. Sasuke!!" Hearing his name, the genin poked his head out, a mask of annoyance on his face.
"Sakura, why are you making so much noise?" Seeing that the girl was welcomed, the Anbu stepped aside to let the pink-haired girl through.
"Sasuke!" She exclaimed, walking into the hospital room, giving the boy a quick check up of her own. "Daijoubu ka? I heard that you were in the hospital. I hope it wasn't anything too serious. You look well enough." He held up a hand to silence her. Her speed-talking was quickly starting to give him a headache.
"Not me, Naruto." He motioned over to the bed where the boy still lay asleep. He hadn't so much as moved a muscle since he'd been brought in and doctors were starting to wonder if he was in a coma. "He's been here since he came back from that mission. Tsunade's guards found him at the main gates."
Luckily, Tsunade had remembered the earlier lie and decided to tell everyone who learned of the blond boy in the hospital bed that he'd been wounded on his mission.
"But he's got no scratches on him." The pink-haired girl moved closer to the bedside. Stumbling on his words for a moment, Sasuke adlibbed his response.
"People are saying in was all internal. He won't wake up." She nodded to him in understanding.
"So you've been here this whole time, watching over Naruto-kun?" There was a look of admiration on her face. He narrowed his eyes at her and returned to his chair.
"Aa, the doctors said there might be a chance that the Kitsune will try and get out, and I figured I'd stay on guard too." A sigh floated towards him, but he didn't turn around to face her.
"A lot of people are still fairly angry with him for causing the Orochimaru incident." She whispered, slightly fazed when he just nodded again. She didn't know about what happened to Naruto in the Hokage Tower. Aside from Orochimaru and his subordinates, only four other people knew; Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru and Tsunade. Sasuke wasn't even sure if Shikamaru really knew or had just assumed. "Why don't you go get a sandwich? From what I've heard you haven't stepped out of this room in days."
He looked up at her and was about to argue when she went over and pulled him forcefully out of the chair.
"Sakura!" He protested, but she shoved him to the door.
"Go! Naruto will still be here when you get back. I'll even keep watch for you." Nodding, he turned and left the room. The kunoichi watched him leave, longing written all over her face. She knew Sasuke didn't even feel a twitch of feeling for her, and ever so slowly, she was starting to lose faith in he advances on him. Aside from his obsession with his brother, Naruto was the only one he ever showed any sort of emotion for.
And suddenly she found herself envious of the blond lying in the hospital bed. Even if it was nothing but hatred, at least Naruto had always been able to stir something in her crush, while all she produced was a mild case of annoyance. Even his annoyance with her was practically nonexistent. She sighed and sat down in Sasuke's seat by the bed.
Leaning forward, she noticed something that they'd both obviously overlooked when she'd arrived. Littering Naruto's face and arms were a number of tiny scratches and bruises. She was surprised for a moment and wondered how she could have possibly missed the marks completely.
She was about to sit back in the chair and leave the question for when Sasuke returned, but all of a sudden a large red gash opened up just beneath her team mates eye, slicing all the way down his cheek and disappearing under the neck of the hospital robes. It had appeared out of no where. Stifling a panicked scream, Sakura scrambled for the emergency button, her hands shaking too much to get a proper hold on it. Blood began to spill onto the pillow, and though she was pressing the button feverously, no one seemed to be answering the call. She choked back a sob and stumbled backwards, placing a hand over her mouth. After nearly tripping over the chair behind her, she ran towards the door. Tearing it open, she cried out into the empty hall way.
"HELP! Somebody, please come and help!!" She looked back hesitantly to her friend and was horrified to find that even from a distance, she could see more and more cuts opening up on the boy's body. The sheets were beginning to turn an awful shade of red and Sakura found that she couldn't stand the sight any longer. Running from the room and holding her mouth for a different reason, she headed towards the nearest washroom, fighting off the nausea with every foot step.
~~~~~~~
Yeah... short... don't complain. The next chapter should be out by the end of the March Break...
How do you like the old Naruto? Yeah, sure... be picky and say he hasn't been awake for more than thirty seconds in his old body. Bah... whiners. Heh heh... Sooo... what's with the scratches? Hee hee... you should know this one... it was already said... anywho... I suppose I should shut up so I can post this, ne?
Hope you enjoyed it... see ya in a couple of days.
(I wonder if anyone notices what I'm doing with Sakura... besides making her puke... I mean in terms of her character... and her crush on Sasuke).