Because I decided to smush two chapters together for the previous post, I finally figured out that I was missing a few key elements that were needed for the next part to make complete sense, so what I'm going to do is put those missing things into this chapter. Sorry for taking so long!
Too bad about the Naruto Fanfiction Awards… it seems they hate me now. (hee hee). I'm losing by something like twenty-five votes or something. Ah well… I stopped caring about it a while back. If people don't like the story, then there's nothing I can do about it, ne?
CHAPTER!
Chapter Title: 61. Good People
Kakashi had finally found himself something permanent to do for the next couple of days, as the village rebuilt itself, and it was keeping him fairly occupied. From five in the morning he had an hour of patrolling the marketplace, from six to eleven he took over some of the classes at the academy, focusing mainly on teaching the younger generation about the various uses for weapons and advancing them through the basic jutsu so they could possibly graduate sooner and fight for the village. He was only slightly ashamed about forcing children so young to fight, but he knew that if it had the possibility of saving even one more life, he would sacrifice anything. After eleven, he allowed himself fifteen minutes for a lunch and then he went on another patrol around the entire border of Konohagakure, even going to far as to make sure there wasn't any enemies hiding in the mountains. After that many ninja would be tired and turn in for the evening, but Kakashi refused to relax and took on some advanced classes at the academy for genin and chuunin students who wished to become stronger faster than the rest. These classes ended at two in the morning, giving him two and a half hours of restless sleep before he had to be awake and patrolling again.
He had no life and that was the way he needed it to be. He couldn't allow himself the chance to stop and think or else he would think about things that could limit his ability to be an efficient ninja.
Kakashi was so busy trying to be better for the village that he failed to see what he was doing to his body. Fifteen minutes was far from enough time spent on one meal a day, and everyone else was too busy repairing their own lives to see that, not just Kakashi, but other ninja around the village were beginning to slowly kill themselves by pushing too hard. They were too busy trying to hide the effects of the war that they didn't even notice them to begin with. No one really noticed the great big cloud of guilt that hung, low and dark, over the heads of most of the ninja who had fought in the recent battle.
Kakashi looked up from his feet to see the many people beginning to fill the marketplace and smiled at one woman who passed him with her child, even though they couldn't see it. His shift nearly finished, Kakashi began heading to the sign out spot when he heard a small scuffle erupt around the corner. From the voices he could tell they were merely village children, but a disturbance was a disturbance.
He walked closer to the corner where he could hear the voices and eventually was able to make out what they were yelling about.
"You don't know what you're talking about! My dad died fighting for Konohagakure, bastards."
"What a joke! Everyone knows your father never wanted to be a ninja, he died running away. He was a traitor until the day he died." Kakashi frowned, turning the corner to find a young boy surrounded by a handful of older children.
"He was not!" The boy screamed, pulling out a kunai that obviously didn't belong to him. He was much too young to be a genin already. "My dad loved this village. He was great, and I won't let you say he was anything but that!" He lunged at the closest boy, aiming to strike the kid's arm, but Kakashi grabbed the weapon before the blade could hit its mark.
"This kunai is to be used on enemies, not each other." He exclaimed, making sure all the children could tell how displeased he was. "If you children have nothing better to do than torment each other, you don't deserve to talk of those who died trying to protect your lives." They all lowered their eyes to the ground, ashamed over their petty fighting.
"Kakashi-sensei, my father was a good person, wasn't he?" The child looked up at him, dropping the kunai to the dusty ground.
"Every ninja who fights to protect those they love are good people." He replied, frowning deeply.
"So Iruka-sensei was a good person?" Another child piped up. Kakashi flinched at the name and turned around to face the young girl who had asked the question. He nodded.
"There's no doubt that he was a good person." He answered, sighing softly. "He fought for this village because he loved everything in it."
"He fought for you." The oldest of the group spoke up, a young boy who had been standing on the sidelines. "He loved this village and he loved you. It's a good way to die, Kakashi-sensei. Loving with your whole heart." Kakashi gave the boy an odd look, wondering where all of this was coming from but shrugged it off.
"I have classes to get to now, don't fight anymore." He exclaimed, turning from the alleyway.
"You shouldn't work yourself too hard, Kakashi-sensei." The boy replied, knowing the silver-haired jounin wasn't going to stop at his words. "If you don't take the time to grieve, your body will make you take the time." Kakashi continued to walk on, almost as though he hadn't heard the child's words, though both teacher and young boy knew that he had.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
"They're starting to rebuild the village." Ino told her team mate, sitting on a chair at the kitchen table, watching her friend work away. She rested her chin on the palm of her hand, her elbow resting on the hardwood table. Shikamaru didn't even turn around at her announcement He merely nodded his head and continued to work, cooking up a small lunch for him and his friend before they got to work on the other household chores.
Ino had come over while his father was out and forced him to allow her to help him clean up the house and make some food for his father's return home. He grudgingly agreed to her help, but only because she refused to leave until he agreed to her help.
He set the small bento lunch in front of her and sat down beside her with a sigh. His entire body slumped into the chair and he nearly hit his head on the wood table as his head fell forward.
"You know, you should get some sleep." She poked his side. "Pushing yourself to the limits like this is going to kill you." He refused to look at her, and just shrugged.
"If I don't do it…" He trailed off, both of them knowing what he meant.
"You shouldn't allow your father to act this way. He'll drink himself to death."
"Stop being such a bother." He snapped. "He just lost his wife. I just lost my mother. You can't expect me to take things the same way I used to." She remained quiet for a moment at his outburst. "I'm just letting him handle his grief in his own way. You can't tell someone how to deal with this kind of loss. So, while he's incapacitated, I have to do my best to keep things here running. He'll come back eventually."
"You don't know that." Ino whispered. Shikamaru glanced out the window and sighed.
"But I do." He replied. She turned to see what he was staring at, but saw nothing but a cloud-less sky. "We're the same. When he's ready he'll, come back and fight, and life will move on." He picked up his chopsticks and began eating, signalling the end of the conversation. Ino followed suit and they ate their lunch in silence.
Just as Shikamaru rose to put their dishes into the sink, the blonde girl shot out her hand to grab his forearm. He stopped, but didn't turn to her. She accepted his response, but still frowned because of it.
"You aren't alone in the world, Shikamaru." She gave his arm a slight squeeze for support.
"Maybe."
When they had finished cleaning the house and doing the laundry, Shikamaru was completely wiped out and welcomed Ino's offer to make dinner for him and his father, who was due to arrive home any second.
He collapsed on the couch in the living room, content to close his eyes and get some rest, even if it was only for a moment. It only took Ino a few minutes to get the rice into the rice cooker and the various seafood prepared. Allowing the delicious scents of spices and cooking meat wash over him, he steadied his breathing and allowed his mind to slow down and take a break.
"You're not sleeping, are you?" Ino called from the kitchen. He shook his head and opened his eyes, breathing out a sigh.
"No, I'm awake."
"This will be finished in a few minutes, is there anything else that needs work?" She popped her head around the corner, looking hopeful. Shikamaru looked up, but shook his head.
"You should go home. I'm not the only one who's lost someone. Sakura needs you much more than I do, you know." He narrowed his eyes at her. "I just need to be alone for a little while. I can handle myself for a long while."
"Are you sure?" She looked worried, but he shook his head again.
"I know my limits. Sakura needs you." Ino nodded and when she had finished cooking, she hung up the small apron and left.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
Hinata sighed when she watched her cousin begin making breakfast for them. He'd been overly helpful towards her, but he refused to say more than three words at a time to her. She knew it was because he felt pity towards her, and that thought was beginning to grate on her nerves. He was being just a little too nice to her, just a little too soft on her when they trained in the backyard together. He was acting like she was going to break if he touched her the wrong way, or said the wrong thing in her presence.
"Neji, do you think we can go out for dinner instead tonight?" She spoke up, coming up behind him and placing her hand over his on the water tap; he'd been filling up the pot with water when she interrupted him. He looked up to her and thought about the request for a moment, keeping his gaze locked with hers.
"Of course, Hinata-san." He replied, placing the pot in the sink and shutting off the water. He wiped his hands on his pants and was about to take off the apron he'd been wearing when Hinata stopped him again with her hand.
"Why?" She asked. Neji gave her a confused look, not knowing what she was asking.
"Why what?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"You asked to go out for dinner tonight." He replied, not understanding her question. "Do you not want to go out?" She shook her head, frowning.
"Why do you treat me like a porcelain doll?" She replied. "I know it's rude of me to say this, but I don't like being treated in this way."
"I apologize Hinata-san." Neji apologized, lowering his eyes.
"Just call me Hinata. We're friends." Neji blinked at her for a moment, before offering a rare shadow of a smile.
"Do you still want to eat out, Hinata-san?" He asked, a lighter tone in his voice, even though he still used the formal suffix. She smiled in return at the little progress they had made and nodded.
"I'd like that a lot." She said.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
In the emergency room, Sakura continued her tireless efforts with the variety of patents the hospital received. Oftentimes, the room had patients ranging from a sprained ankle to near death ninja who were still coming in daily from the battlefield.
Taking a breath after finishing up with one of her patients who had suffered a number of burns when her shop had caught fire in the recent battle, Sakura stepped out of the hospital for a quick breath of fresh air. It wasn't often she had the chance to take a break and the images of dead or dying patients on the table was starting to get to her.
She found a small bench just outside the hospital doors and pulled a cold drink from her pocket that she had grabbed from a vending machine on her way out. Pulling back the tab, she smiled at the hiss it made as it snapped open. One thing she got from this war was the appreciation of the little things. She could take in the beauty of the day, and be glad for even one life saved at her hands. She sat for a moment, taking in the fresh air and the twittering of birds that flew carefree in the sky above her. It almost made her forget about the horrors she faced everyday.
A tear slowly slid down her face, even though the smile remained. Lately she had taken to crying, even when she wasn't so full of despair. The death of her parents, and the deaths she saw constantly around her was beginning to take its toll on her and she could no longer leave the hospital without breathing a sigh of relief and crying herself to sleep.
"Sakura-san?" Tsunade's voice beside her snaps the younger girl out of her daze. She looked up to see the Hokage looking down at her, worry written across her features.
"Ah, Tsunade-sama." She smiled up at her mentor, wiping away the tears from her cheeks. "I didn't see you standing there." She shifted over so that the older woman would have somewhere to sit and turned her attention to the can of pop in her hands.
"Sakura-san, are you alright?" Tsunade asked, still watching her young student. The pink-haired woman nodded and lowered her smile, knowing it wasn't worth much. "I don't know how to tell you this, except bluntly. Your parents were uncovered in the wreckage of the Yamanaka's flower shop." Sakura's head shot up and she gave the Hokage and intense stare. She'd been eager for news of her parents ever since she had been unable to unearth them herself.
"Where were they?" She asked. Tsunade gave her a pained look and turned her gaze from the young girl, uneasy about the information she was about to drop onto the poor girl's shoulders.
"They were in one of the refrigerators in the basement." She replied. Sakura gave her a confused look, but remained silent, waiting for the blonde woman to continue. "They were trapped inside when a piece of the wooden beams holding up the first floor collapsed."
"They're alive?" The young woman asked, hope flickering softly in her eyes. Tsunade turned away and could almost feel the air get colder as the hope was ripped from green eyes and her features went lax.
"The examiner said they would have had enough air coming from the pumps, except there was a blockage in the vents caused by the collapse of the rest of the building. They survived for another few days until there was no longer enough oxygen to sustain them." Tsunade turned at the sound of a broken sob and found the girl beside her with her hands over her lips as though to stop the tears which were pouring down her face.
"They were alive when I was trying to dig them out." She whispered to herself, bending forward to rest her forehead on her knees, still trying to stifle her sobs with her hands. Tsunade could feel waves of pain rolling off her student, understanding how deeply the loss of a family member ran, and was about to place a comforting hand on the young woman when Sakura stood up abruptly. "I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama, but I don't think I can be here right now." She exclaimed softly and ran off in the direction of the Hokage monument. She had noticed that Sakura liked going to the rocks when she was feeling depressed, and had no doubt she was headed there now, too.
It was something Sakura liked to do, go to the very top and lose herself in the wonderful vision of the tiny village beneath her. It always calmed her and made her contemplate the larger picture.
Tsunade sighed softly and got up and returned to the sterile and white hospital that was filled with unending pain.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
"When he wakes up, he should be fine." The voice broke through the darkness, and groggily he began to awaken. "That's not to say he's ready to be put in the battlefield right away, he'll need to rest a little and regain his lost chakra, but after a week or two, he should be ready to go back out and do light sparring again." He opened his eyes slightly and groaned at the pain that threatened to split his head in two. The noise alerted the rest of the people in his room to his awakening and they turned their attention to him instantly.
"He's waking up!" He recognised the high-pitched voice, but the stabbing pain between his eyes prevented him from thinking about it too much. He squinted through his lashes and spotted the chubby faces of his mother and father.
"We thought we had lost you Chouji-san." Tsunade smiled down at him, checking over his chart and nodded approvingly. She quickly excused herself and left the room to tend to other patients and allow the three some time to catch up.
He sat up on his hospital bed and smiled at his father who was staring at him with a mixture of sadness and pride.
"How long was I out?" He asked, looking back and forth between his father and mother. They shared a look before Choumaru replied to the question with a sigh.
"You were found a few hundred metres from the wall boundary of the village a week ago. You were found this way." The tubby young man gave his father a confused look.
"Chouji, you've been missing for just over half a month." His mother supplied, looking sorrowful. They both knew there were going to be some distressing things they would have to fill their son in on.
"What happened?" He asked, starting to become unnerved by the sombre look they shared.
"Nearly half the village was lost, including many fine ninja and innocent villagers." Choumaru explained. "Shops were levelled and lives are being rebuilt as we speak. Your young friend Shikamaru lost his mother in the battle." Chouji's eyes went wide at this news and he immediately flung back the covers in an effort to leave.
"Please wait!" His mother cried out, holding him back by the shoulder. "You only just woke up."
"That doesn't matter. Tsunade-sama said I would be able to leave when I woke up." He exclaimed, pushing her hands off of him. "How's Shikamaru doing?" He continued. Choumaru gave his son a grave look.
"His father's not helping much. He couldn't deal with his wife's death and for the last two weeks has been to every bar in the village more than once, leaving Shikamaru alone. I think I heard that the young man even quit being a ninja for the time being while he's looking after his father."
For a moment, Chouji's look of sullenness mirrored his parents before his eyes took on a determined glint.
"I'm going to go see how he's doing." He replied, standing from his bed.
"Tsunade-sama won't like this." His mother whispered softly. He turned to her and frowned.
"I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions. If I feel I am healthy enough to visit Shikamaru, you won't stop me." He exclaimed, stunning both his parents with his bold behaviour. They sighed together and nodded. Choumaru handed him some clothes from home that had been folded on the windowsill, waiting for him to wake up and wear them.
"I'll see you later." He said, escorting them out of his room so he could change on his own. Within minutes he was dressed and found that his parents had gone ahead and signed him out already, so he had nothing more to do than head over to the Nara household.
It was getting later on and the sunset lit his way to his best friends house. He paused for a moment when he saw Ino leaving, but grinned happily when she spotted him and rushed over to give him a hug.
"I didn't even know you had been found!" She exclaimed ecstatically, trying to be careful of his obvious wounds. He was happy that his team mate had missed him. "I swear no one tells me anything."
"It's good to see you too, Ino-chan." He beamed proudly. "We should spend some time together soon and catch up." He suggested, knowing the two former team mates hadn't seen much of each other since threats of war had first gone around nearly a year ago.
"I've missed you, Chouji." She smiled softly and looked back to the door she had closed moments before. The tubby teen turned his eyes to the door as well, noting the solemn mood their meeting had taken.
"Is he okay?" He asked, stepping back from the blonde girl. She shrugged distractedly and toed the dirt as though she was nervous.
"He's distant." She replied hesitantly. "He needs a friend, and I don't think I've been much help for him over the last week." Chouji nodded and kissed her cheek.
"Thank you anyways, Ino-chan." He said and waved her goodbye, heading to the door. He knew it would be unlocked for the simple fact that Shikamaru was generally too lazy to shut the bolts on the door immediately after someone's just left. He turned the knob and shoved the door open gently, stepping inside. The fragrant aroma of freshly cooked food greeted him and he noticed just how little food he's had over the two weeks he's been out.
"Supper's on the table." Shikamaru called out sullenly from the living room where he was still lounging on the couch.
"But I thought it was for your father?" He grinned, peering around the corner to glimpse his best friend's shocked look.
"Chouji?" Shikamaru walked slowly into the front hall, smirking at the red-haired man. "You've been gone a long time. I heard rumours that you had been found, but I figured if they spoke the truth, someone official would tell me." Chouji stepped forward and grabbed the dark-haired man in a hug that rivalled Ino's previous one. Shikamaru was never one to take the first step. Or second, either.
"Apparently I've been in a coma for half a month." Chouji shrugged, stepping back when the hug started to feel awkward. "What's this I hear about your father's behaviour?"
"He's been grieving." Shikamaru shook his head, hoping his friend wouldn't delve too far into the subject. It constantly reminded him of the reason his father was acting in such a way.
"That's no excuse, Shikamaru." Chouji frowned, crossing his arms and feeling a little like he was about to give the young man a very stern lecture, but he was interrupted by the loud slam of the front door behind them. Both men turned to find Shikato asleep on the welcome mat, door ricocheting back to hit the older Nara in the head. The smack did nothing but make the jounin mumble in his sleep, holding tighter to the open liquor bottle that was flowing onto the floor.
Both friends snapped into action, Chouji prying the now empty bottle from the man's firm grip, while his son slipped an arm around his father's waist and tossed the limp arm around his shoulders, heaving the dead weight up so he could carry the sleeping corpse into the living room and onto the couch.
"Get me some ice and wet cloth." Shikamaru ordered to Chouji, who was already on his way to do so, having worked with his friend for so long. He returned seconds later with a small ice pack, for the older man's head and a couple of wet cloths and was followed by the sound of the coffeemaker going.
"This has to stop." He whispered softly, unsure if he wanted Shikamaru to hear his words or not. They were heard anyways and his friend shot him a stern glare before continuing to patch up his poor drunken father. Chouji accepted the glare, neither getting offended nor defensive about his words, and decided to go get a cup of the freshly made brew for the older Nara and his impending hangover.
They worked together in silent understanding until Shikato began too wake up, moaning and holding his head gently. Chouji winced, remembering the feeling of pain shooting through his head when he first woke up a few hours earlier.
Once things were settled, and Shikato had drank a few cups of the super strong coffee, it was Chouji who broke the silence at the dinner table. Both Naras were hunched over their food, content to stay in their own little worlds and have as little interaction with the other people at the table as possible, and Chouji couldn't take it.
"I don't know how you two could possibly have been doing this for so long." He growled, capturing two pairs of startled black eyes. He turned his frown upon Shikato first. "How can you do this to your son? I understand that you've lost your wife, but he's your son! You can't just ignore him and pretend that he isn't giving up everything to help out around here. Sure, I haven't been around to see what exactly is going around, but from what I've heard you haven't even taken notice that your son is still alive. You act like you're the only one left in the world when, in actual fact, you're making Shikamaru feel that way." Shikamaru had been about to protest when he realised how true his friend had been about himself. But Chouji wasn't done. He turned his lecture to the younger Nara and continued. "And you just let him do this. You say that he's grieving, but I don't see you doing any of this so called grieving. All you do is look after your father, not allowing yourself to heal. You've even given up being a chuunin to do this, and you're getting nothing out of it." He took a breath, but stopped when he noticed that neither men were looking at him anymore. They were talking to each other.
"You quit?" Shikato asked, looking completely bewildered. "I didn't realise. I'm so sorry." He looked down to his plate in shame. "You've been doing so much, and I've been drinking so much I forgot you even existed."
"It's not your fault, dad." Shikamaru brushed it off. "I understood what you were going through. To have argued or protested would have made me the selfish one."
"Want to make a deal?"
"What kind of deal?" Shikamaru looked at his father suspiciously.
"I stop drinking if you go back to being a ninja." He replied. "I'll stop shutting you out if you start opening up." Shikamaru nodded to the agreement, shaking his father's hand to seal it. They looked at their hands for a moment before embracing each other in a tight hug.
"I miss her, dad." Shikamaru exclaimed. Shikato nodded and stifled a sob, clutching close to the only living piece of his wife he had left.
"I do too."
(Star)(Star)(Star)
It wasn't the first night that found Naruto lying on his rooftop, and it wasn't to be his last either. He sighed softly, staring at the twinkling starlight that had come out only an hour or so earlier. He could still see wisps of pink clouds floating by the horizon, telling of the sun that had just set. Occasionally the stars would be blocked by the stray cloud, but for the most part, it was a clear night.
A warm breeze picked up and the young man flinched involuntarily, before he could tell himself it was just the wind. Regardless, he began shivering, despite the fact that it was the middle of summer. All of his senses focused around him in case something happened; something similar to what happened in the market that afternoon.
He'd been minding his own business, trying to keep a low profile and get himself something to eat when he was dragged aside by a pair of rough hands. He would have cried out but his mouth was covered by another hand and then was dragged into the darkness of an alleyway. There were voices all around him and it took a moment before he could orient himself to understand what they were shouting about.
"I don't know why we don't just do this in public, the whole village hates him." A voice behind him hissed. "It's not like most of them would mind anyways."
"He's got friends in high places, ass." This time, it was the person who had first grabbed him. "If Tsunade heard about this, we'd never see the light of day."
Deciding to ignore the voices, Naruto focused on getting himself free of the hands on his body. He stilled for a moment before latching his teeth on the hand covering his mouth. In an instant there was a loud chorus of shouting and howling as the men tried to hold Naruto down.
"Get off me, bastards!" He hissed, knowing they had every right to want to do this to him, but not being able to resist the urge to fight back either.
"Why should we, dobe?" A voice hissed, its owner stepping out of the shadows. The nickname sent shivers down Naruto's back and he closed his eyes, afraid of the malice he heard. "You don't know how much you really deserve this."
"You're wrong." Naruto moaned when he felt a fist slam into his gut. "I know."
"You say you know, but everyone knows you're a monster." The voice spat back, filled with hate and anger. "You're nothing but a monster without feelings. You show no remorse for the people of this village who died because of you, dobe." Naruto could hear the sneer in the voice.
"Please stop calling me that." He whimpered when another fist connected with his chin, sending him to the ground quickly.
"Why?" The young man crowed, pulling Naruto up by the collar so that he could see his attacker's face in the fading light. "Does it make you hot when Sasuke calls you this?" Around him, Naruto could hear the rest of the people snickering to themselves at the comment. Spurned on by the comments, his attacker continued. "You just can't wait to jump the Uchiha, can't you?"
"Stop saying these things." Naruto growled, pushing the man away and struggling to his feet. "It's not true."
"Of course it isn't, dobe." The blonde leaned heavily on the closest wall, wheezing for air. "Sasuke hates you, you know."
"No he doesn't."
"Yes, he does. We all know what he did to you."
"He apologized."
"He was forced to by Tsunade. Everyone knows he hates your guts. He probably wouldn't set foot in the same room with you if he didn't have to." Naruto shook his head, telling himself the boy was just saying these things in spite.
"He meant what he said to me after I got out of the hospital."
"Just like he meant what he said on the rooftop, too."
"No."
"Sasuke can't even stand to look at you. He was just voicing opinions he's kept from you for years. You're the reason he left the village six years ago. You're the reason Akatsuki and Sand have teamed up against Konohagakure. You're the reason so many lives were taken from us. Sasuke never meant that apology. He only said it so that he didn't have to feel guilty for ruining your life. He's just that kind of guy. He only stands your presence because he has a duty to Konohagakure. You're nothing to him in the long run."
"He said…" Naruto trailed off, becoming lost in his memories of that day. The young man took advantage of this and leaned closer to whisper into the blonde's ear.
"He said you were a monster. You don't deserve to live."
"I'm so sorry." Naruto closed his eyes and began sobbing. The young man stepped back, admiring his work. He'd been so pissed off when Sasuke had come after him the first time he'd treated Naruto this way, but he knew that the dark ninja was no where near their area, and he would get his revenge on the blonde who'd wronged him. Sasuke only defended Naruto's honour because he felt guilty. And now Naruto believed it too.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
Sasuke sat in his study, trying to fathom how he had gotten himself into such a mess. He couldn't get in touch with Naruto at all, and every time he came close, the blonde would slip through his fingers once more. He thought he had heard every excuse under the sun from Kakashi, but Naruto was an entirely different story. Sitting huddled on the floor in Naruto's house, Sasuke thought his apology had been accepted, but knew he had been to sure of himself. He felt like bashing his head on any nearby hard surface for being stupid enough to believe that one dumb apology would fix things. If only life really worked that way.
So, not only was Naruto avoiding him, but Kakashi was late. Again. He had called his former sensei over for a quick bite to eat as well as for some personal advice and guidance. He had a small problem, and Kakashi was one of the only people he knew of that could help him. It had worked in the past, so he figured it might help him again.
He was about to get up and turn in for the night, giving up on his teacher when there came a knock at the door. He rolled his eyes and went to the door, peeking out, but no one was there. He found it slightly odd, but there was no sign that anyone had even been there in the first place. He frowned, shutting the door and would have turned around if he hadn't found himself face to face with the silver-haired jounin he'd been waiting for.
"What took you so long?" He hissed. The man shrugged and invited himself into the Uchiha house. "You're nearly two and a half hours late."
"I felt like being late." He replied, shrugging his shoulders lightly. Sasuke frowned again at the lack of an excuse from the man, noticing almost immediately the effects the war had on his former teacher. He sighed, but followed Kakashi back into his study.
"Would you like anything to drink?" Sasuke offered, not surprised when he received no reply.
"Get to the point, Sasuke." Kakashi spoke after a few minutes of silence. He was standing at the window, staring at the world outside. He turned for a moment to look at the dark-haired genin before returning his steady gaze to the wilderness outside.
"I need some help."
"I figured as much." Sasuke sighed heavily and sat down in the armchair he'd been waiting in for more than two hours.
"You helped me with the curse seal in the past." He began, hesitating only slightly. "Well, things are different now, and I need advice with how to deal with it the way that it is." Kakashi nodded, remembering how the curse seal looked when the young man had been in the hospital. "I'm afraid that the way it looks now will have an impact on me."
"You should expect it to." Sasuke ignored the snide remark and continued.
"I'm afraid of what I might do if I get angry again; if it gets the chance to activate again." There was a brief silence before Kakashi finally turned away from the window and took the seat opposite from Sasuke, looking both grim and steadfast in what he was about to say. Sasuke saw the last minute hesitation in Kakashi's face as the jounin said something other than what he was about to say.
"I've heard rumours." He said softly. "About the so-called 'real' events on that roof top. People are saying some nasty things."
"Rumours are petty and beneath me." Sasuke gritted out, clenching his fists. He had heard the rumours too, and refused to speak with anyone who dared to confront him with the truth. "I understand why Naruto is such an easy target for these people. They want to chew him up and spit him out."
"Can you understand why he won't let you in so fast again?" He asked. Sasuke thought for a moment, before nodding. He didn't realise the older man was so perceptive. "I won't help you, Sasuke." This comment startled Sasuke for a moment and he leapt to his feet in outrage.
"What do you mean! This fucking curse could very well ruin my life and the lives of people I care most about and you won't help me?" Kakashi shook his head, lowering his eyes to his lap.
"I helped you once before and it did nothing for you. Talk to someone who knows something about this curse seal."
"Orochimaru is dead!" Sasuke yelled, wincing when he felt his shoulder throb in response to his rage. He stumbled to his knees, gripping the seal as though to keep it from taking over him again.
"If you don't figure it out, you will never be free of Orochimaru. You will never be free of Itachi. And you will never be able to protect the one you love the most." With one final glance in the younger man's direction, Kakashi stood. "If you allow your anger to control you, you will never survive this war." In a swirl of leaves, the room was silent, only Sasuke remaining. He blinked in confusion at the mysterious wording his teacher used, before turning around and slamming his fist into the arm of the soft chair. It shattered into a dozen different pieces; drawing blood from Sasuke's closed fist and littering the floor with evidence of his rage.
He swore under his breath and left the room.
(End of Chapter)
Well… I finally finished… I apologise again for making you all wait for over a month for this… again, originally I had it ready and stuff to go… but it didn't fit properly because I had forgotten a lot of key details in the rush job of the previous chapter. And if this gets the OK from Mi-kun, then for sure the next chapter will be posted within the next couple of days… I'm not going to make you guys wait for it to come out.
And again… the next chapter WILL reveal the secret behind Naruto's locked room.
This chapter is awarded the Mi-kun Seal of Approval.
To truefightingwolf and Fallin' From Grace: Yeah… I apologize for taking so long… I'm not dead… I just screwed up when I was typing the last chapter… this time things are REALLY in order… I've checked and double checked. And to Fallin' From Grace, your review was the one that firced be to finish the last two scenes and get my editor to work on it… took her three days…
To AlterEthereal: surprisingly, I find Naruto really easy to write about, but that might be because I'm a lot like him… him and Shikamaru… (my friend has nicknamed me Shika-chan). About the question… um… it kind of does, but not in terms of the future, more in terms of their past. Do you remember the time where Naruto 'died'? If Naruto hadn't been there with him, he would have gone crazy. Not a real confession yet.
To Kyuubi-kun: I think it was your review that made me go back over my notes and realise that I was missing things… Naruto didn't go back to Sasuke automatically.
To Lazuli: hurrah for MK. I adore her. It surprised me when she told me she was a fan of my story. Heh…
To Lord(ess) Stewfu: I'm glad you started reading it as well. I don't lose the reviews that actually say something important. To tell you the truth… I don't know how I did it all too. I've never written anything longer than… 15 chapters… and if I try to, I have a habit of losing interest in the series. Of course, that could be because I was watching the dubs of things. My friends laughed at me when I told them that I was planning to write a story that was over 50 chapters.
To Vermillion Wolf: No offence taken. It takes a lot to offend me. (mostly just flames actually… and I can tell the difference between criticism and flames).