Thanks for the continued support. Makes me happy to know so many people are enjoying this story.
Miranda woke with a start, coming off a dream she was already forgetting and found herself momentarily confused as to the familiarity of her surroundings. Her heart jumped when she realized she was lying in the very bed she and her husband shared a few short years, two hundred years into a nuclear apocalypse.
She sighed despondently and surveyed the room around her. What were once warmly colored walls were now in a state of advanced decay which only served as a grim reminder of her reality. The sun's rays gleamed through sections of crumbled ceiling, showing a grey tinged blue sky above.
As the last of her mental fog began to clear, she recalled what lead up to her waking up in her own bed again. Miranda felt shame burn at her as she realized, like a cliche right out of a film, she had cried herself to sleep in Naruto's arms.
He was a young man just beyond the cusp of boyhood into adulthood and yet, he was the one who remained strong, even offering to help find her daughter, meanwhile she threw a fit and cried like a child. There was no denying the gravity of her loss but Miranda felt there was more she could do on her end to alleviate some of the burden of their shared situation.
If she was to find her daughter and survive what was to come, then she would need to get her act together.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, Miranda buried herself beneath her sheets when she heard an odd sound from outside. She held her breath and listened closely. It sounded as though something was circling her home but she could not identify what it was.
Recalling her latest self declaration, while also hoping it was Naruto, Miranda peaked her eyes out from beneath her covers. Her eyes were glued to the window, which was partially obscured by a set of faded and decaying blinds which scarcely obscured the rising sun. This loosely informed her of the time of day as she recalled how her husband and how he always complained of the rising sun getting into his eyes on the lazy Sunday afternoons in which he liked to sleep in.
Miranda shook her head knowing that moment in time was not the most opportune to be lost within old memories. Most didn't have as much control over their minds as they would like to believe and she was no different. Unfortunately such pleasant memories did nothing to quell her fear nor to distract her from the possible danger that lurked around.
That's when she caught sight of what was frightening her as it passed by the window.
Miranda almost wanted to laugh at how scared she had been but she did allow her self to sigh loudly in relief. The object of her fears was none other than her caretaker, Codsworth. Although knowing her saw wielding housekeeper, a function she'd always questioned, was protecting her in her sleep certainly set her at ease.
It would seem a mind at ease was a rare commodity as yet another troubling realization struck her.
All was quiet. Miranda surmised this to mean one of two things; either Naruto was inside and either asleep or simply quiet. That, or he was out and about. The latter worried her for many reasons. Amongst the top scenarios were that he abandoned her because of her utter uselessness up to that point, or he was hurt or possibly even dead.
She certainly hoped neither of the latter scenarios were true. Miranda realized it was selfish of her but she didn't want Naruto to leave her simply because she could not guarantee her own survival. She would not fault him for doing so, but that didn't mean she would like it.
"Well, I won't know anything if I stay here all day," Miranda told herself in a failing attempt at self-motivation.
She got out of bed, feeling nauseous and frail; likely from the lack of food and she was quite parched but she decided to worry about herself later. Miranda made her way through the small hallway of her home, intentionally ignoring her daughter's bedroom beside her own and was horrified when she found Naruto.
He was motionless on her now blood-stained sofa. He was shirtless, the entirety of his torso was painted a grizzly maroon stemming from a multitude of horrid wounds across his chest and on both his shoulders.
Sitting below him on the floor was a large German Shepard which was now barring its teeth at her in a vicious growl. For a moment Miranda thought the dog responsible for his current state of being and was ready to call Codsworth but Naruto's next action gave her pause.
"Shut up, Kiba," he groaned in a dry voice. The dog whined and tried to lick his face but Naruto weakly pushed its snout away. A single bloodshot blue eye regarded her briefly before disappearing again. "Hey."
"Naruto! What in God's name happened to you?" Miranda shrieked. He appeared near death in his current state.
"Ran into something pretty big," Naruto mumbled tiredly. "Took care of it, though. Listen, Miranda, I'm not feeling good. I think I might be running a fever. I need you to — "
Just then he began coughing violently, dribbles of blood falling from the side of his mouth. Miranda felt absolutely useless not knowing how to even begin to help him.
"Okay," Naruto began after his coughing fit subsided. "I need you to get me some water from the bag."
Miranda noticed the camouflaged bag beneath his head and reached for it. She pulled her hand away just in time to avoid the dog's ferocious bite.
"Down, Kiba," Naruto lightly slapped the back of the dog's head without having ever opened his eyes.
She was in awe as the large and very intimidating dog whimpered like a scolded pup and obeyed. It even attempted to please Naruto by rubbing its head against his hand, prompting him to pet the dog weakly in turn.
Miranda was snapped out of her shock as Naruto erupted into another fit of coughs. She was pleasantly relieved to find more water than what they began with and retrieved two bottles. After opening one she cautiously approached him, gently sliding her left hand beneath his head, her eyes locked with the protective glare of the dog as she did so.
Naruto felt relief wash down his throat as Miranda slowly hydrated him. He could not move much more than simply breathing less he aggravate his unbearably painful wounds. Many of which had since become infected, now sporting a sickly yellow color with puss lining the more deeper cuts.
"What do I do? How can I help?" Miranda's voice quivered. His wounds looked much worse than she initially assumed and she had no indication as to how to treat anything beyond a common cut.
Unbeknownst to Miranda, Naruto was of a similar thought. He always had Sakura, Kurama before her, and his own innate healing capabilities to tend to his wounds. His only real knowledge of medicine stemmed from a single academic course in battlefield triage. Which was why he knew to disinfect his wounds with the alcohol and cauterize them shut. However this was only a short-term fix to keep a person with life long enough to receive proper medical care. That did not seem likely given the circumstances.
How he wished to have followed in Sakura's footsteps in more ways than just a love-struck pup.
"Go get Codsworth," Naruto said.
"Codsworth!" Miranda immediately shouted for the robot.
"I said go get him," Naruto groused while holding his pulsating head.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Naruto!" She said in a whisper.
Naruto said nothing as Codsworth jetted into the home with his saw arm spinning and flames blazing, having heard her panicked summons. He powered down his saw and immediately extinguished his flames once he assessed there was no immediate danger.
Codsworth made a sound vaguely reminiscent of someone clearing their throat. "How may I be of service the fine morning, ma'am?"
"I don't know, Naruto said — "
"Do you have any medical features?" Naruto asked.
"Perhaps not as advanced as my medical counterpart but I am equipped with a basic body scanner, as well as an extensive knowledge of common home remedies and emergency response care," Codsworth proudly stated.
"Can you help Naruto?" Miranda remained frantic.
"I do believe I can try," Codsworth said.
"That would've been nice to know yesterday," Naruto muttered, doing nothing to mask his annoyance, mainly at himself for not having asked.
"But Mr. Uzumaki, you did everything I would have suggested with so little to work with. Although it appears that you may need some antibiotics to avoid infection and rest to recover. If you would like, I could run a bodily scan on you now?" Codsworth offered.
"Do it," Naruto answered.
"Uzu-makie? Naruto, is that your last name?" Miranda asked.
"Yes," Naruto replied promptly.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Miranda asked with a frown.
"Does it really matter?" Naruto ground out, feeling his ire rising. His pain was constant with every breath, which reasonably extended to words.
"You told Codsworth your last name but you couldn't tell me?" Miranda asked, feeling truly offended at his dismissal.
"Look, I don't see why you're making such a big fucking deal about this but if we're talking about names, it's Naruto, not Na-rue-toe!" Naruto snapped. He opened his eyes fully to address the increasingly annoying woman.
"Well excuse me if I can't properly pronounce your weird name. And in case you didn't know, It's customary to give someone your full name when someone gives you there's! You only gave me your first name, Na-ru-to!" Miranda bit back, putting special emphasis on pronouncing his name correctly.
"What the hell are we even arguing about?" Naruto asked. He was growing increasingly annoyed by the ridiculousness of her negging.
"We're arguing about the fact you gave your full name to a robot but not me!" Miranda said, pointing at a slowly retreating Codsworth. She was frustrated by his apathy because to her, it was as if he was dismissing of her very feelings.
"Why the hell would I need to tell you anything?" Naruto asked, having reached the end of his thinning patience.
"Because we're in this together, Naruto! I'm your partner!" Miranda finished, almost shouting.
"My partner?" Naruto growled, her volume caused a sharp pain behind his eyes. "How can you say you're my partner when you've done nothing but cry and annoy me?"
Miranda physically recoiled and took a step back, her eyes wide.
Even Naruto was surprised by the venom in his own words but he'd grown to detest weakness. Not physical so much as mental and his own fortitude was beginning to slip. However, his intention wasn't to hurt her, as he'd clearly done. Her eyes began to water with hurt; a hurt he needlessly caused.
"Miranda I… I didn't mean that," he tried to express his immediate regret but she wasn't hearing it.
"Codsworth, please take care of him and let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I'll be right back," Miranda said as she began for the door, wiping at her eyes while trying her best to ignore the vice on her heart that had just formed.
"But Mrs. Fawkes, I highly advice you not leave the house by yourself!" Codsworth called after her.
"Stay here and help him, that's an order," she reiterated firmly.
"Miranda, don't — " He tried but she had already slammed the door behind her. "Fuck! I can't let her go out by herself."
He attempted to stand but a debilitating pain coalesced from all of the injuries on his chest, leaving him unable to do little more than to seize in pain. "Stupid woman," Naruto muttered angrily.
Codsworth would have reprimanded Naruto for insulting his master if not for the regret and worry evident in his voice.
"Kiba, go follow her!" Naruto tried in vain to command the dog, only to receive a confused tilt of the head in return. "Fucking useless mutt, just like the real one. Codsworth, go — " He erupted in yet another fit of painful coughs, followed closely by a painful groan. "Shit."
"I believe you require my assistance more than Mrs. Fawkes. At the moment, my proximity scanners detect the Misses and nothing else. Rest assured if I do detect any danger, I will waste no time in helping her," Codsworth reassured before beginning his scans.
"That jerk! What does he know?" Miranda cursed as she angrily stomped her way through the neighborhood in search for food, water, and more importantly, medicine.
In her angered state of mind she paid no mind to the fact she entered homes once visited as a guest. Her judgment tunneled in an effort to show Naruto just how useful she could be. His hurtful words aside, Miranda truly wanted him to get better.
That way they could part ways.
Going from house to house, she found fresh remains of more giant cockroaches and what looked like flies the size of a large bird but found nothing of use otherwise. Miranda began growing increasingly frustrated in herself as she slowly came to accept Naruto was right in what he said. Even now the mere sight of a crushed mutated roach was enough to make her want to run away.
If she couldn't even deal with an overgrown insect, how could she possibly handle whatever so gravely injured Naruto?
The thought had barely crossed her mind when she saw it. Miranda felt her stomach knot in absolute dread when she came across a monster the likes she never witnessed before, even in the most horrifying of films. She was weary seeing such a creature but quickly realized it was dead as it was being picked away by numerous large black birds that were also unlike any she'd seen.
Against her better judgment she began to cautiously approach the creature. The birds noticed her encroaching on their meal and hissed at her but also immediately scattered up and into the sky. As she drew nearer, she came to the easy conclusion that this hulking beast must have been responsible for Naruto's current state.
The monster had horns and large claws both stained in what had to be Naruto's blood. This conclusion had Miranda's heart sinking into the icy pits of her stomach, a feeling amplified when she saw the dried pool of blood on the withered street and the faint trail leading in the direction of her home.
"How did he…" Miranda trailed off in disbelief.
When Naruto said he encountered something large she didn't know exactly what she was expecting. Perhaps a wild animal or maybe another insect. And though she never once doubted Naruto's brief explanation of how he befell into such a sorry state, she never could have imaged he'd dealt with such a beast!
Miranda simply couldn't wrap her mind around exactly how he managed to bring such a monster down. The gun, she noticed, was laying not too far off, the slide locked open having been spent all of its ammunition. She couldn't claim to know much about firearms but even she doubted a gun of such a small caliber was capable enough of taking down the monster before her, evidence by the fact were no visible entry wounds indicative of gunfire. The only visible damage to the beast was a perfect circular wound in its chest that didn't seem deep enough to cause any real damage as far as she could tell as there was very little of the creature's own dark blood.
Despite her disbelief, he somehow found a way to kill the monster.
Miranda found herself questioning just who Naruto was.
"Sir, it appears you are suffering from acute levels of radiation poisoning," Codsworth stated gravely.
Naruto remained silent for some time. "What can I do?" He finally asked.
"I'm afraid not very much without proper medical care," Codsworth said.
Naruto felt dread pooling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't hold high hopes for finding a doctor two hundred years after the end of the world.
"Is there anything I can do to keep myself alive until I can find a solution?" He asked, fearing the answer.
"There is a medication more commonly known as Rad-away. I do not know the specifics of how it works, only that it is used to flush away the radiation from one's body. Unfortunately, I do not know where, if anywhere, you'd be able to find it. Additionally, there is a suppressant known as Rad-X; a more common medication but also just a temporal fix," Codsworth explained.
It was disconcerting hearing the cure to his illness was likely beyond his reach.
"Where might I find the Rad-X?" Naruto asked.
"I'm sorry to say but I wouldn't know, Mr. Uzumaki. I would advise searching for a pharmacy but I cannot assure that any of the medication you may encounter will still be of use," Codsworth said.
Naruto released a drawn out sigh. "Okay. I guess I'll have to look for some Rad-X and maybe even a doctor, if those exist anymore. Until I do I need to ask you a favor, Codsworth."
"But of course, sir!" Codsworth said.
"Don't tell Miranda I'm sick," Naruto said.
Codsworth's multiple arms dropped. "But sir, I cannot in good consciousness lie to my master! Perhaps Mrs. Fawkes could — "
"I don't need her worrying about me," Naruto interrupted sharply. "She needs to focus on finding her daughter and I need to make sure she's ready to face the world alone if I can't be around to protect her. I can't do that if she's always fretting over me, dreading thinking I'm gonna die."
"But sir, the symptoms. It will not be long before you begin to display symptoms of radiation sickness. I'm afraid death follows soon after," Codsworth said.
"I'll figure something out," Naruto muttered but even he didn't fully believe that. "Is there any way you could discretely scan Miranda? If I was somehow exposed to radiation, then it's possible she was too."
"Already done, sir! Whilst you were out on your search, I took the liberty of scanning Mrs. Fawkes. A little fatigue and hunger aside, I am happy to announce that the Misses is in pristine health!" Codsworth informed him.
"Good," Naruto sighed in genuine relief. Then a certain thought occurred to him. "Why didn't you scan me before?"
"Erm, well you see," Codsworth sounded nervous. "I tried! Really I did, Sir, but your canine would not allow me to approach you closely enough to run an accurate scan."
Naruto stared at Kiba, feeling a mixture of pride and annoyance, who barked happily at sudden attention. He closed his eyes after having rolled them, missing as Kiba silently bared his teeth while Codsworth saw attachment began to slowly wind up.
"Go find Miranda," Naruto began, his eyes remaining closed. "Kiba here'll protect me should anything crawl or fly in."
There was nothing to be done should anything bigger come along.
"Right away!" Codsworth halted his competition with Kiba and jetted out of the home leaving man and his dog.
With Codsworth accompanying Miranda, Naruto was allowed time with his thoughts. His main concern being his current condition as he tried to understand how he'd become so dangerously irradiated. As far as he was aware, they were both frozen in similar pods and neither had eaten anything. He didn't believe the two extra bottles of water he drank would have so acutely irradiated him.
There was the beast he'd killed. The creature was an obvious mutation, unless Miranda somehow never learned of the existence of such a monster in her time. It was highly unlikely, but a possibility nonetheless. But if it was a product of radiation, direct contact with his own blood could have very well irradiated him.
Again, although a possibility, Naruto doubted this to be the case. The monster only managed to get in a few strikes against him, devastating as they were, he didn't believe it to be enough to cause his sickness.
With that possibility discarded for the time being, Naruto began to once more rake his memories for any other probable points of exposure. Playing the events leading up to his predicament, realization struck Naruto in the form of sudden remembrance. The sickening sensation he experienced when entering his Sage mode the first time was more than grief of a dying world.
He really should have known better than drawing upon the current world's twisted chakra to lace his own, likely sponging up any surrounding radiation. It was an initial mistake before it became a necessity when fighting the monster, and it could very well cost him his life.
This revelation presented him with yet another handicap in a growing list while also exposing his heavy reliance on his augmentations. Not only was he without Kurama's aid, now Jiraiya's inheritance was beyond his use as well.
Naruto tried to sigh but only managed to groan, feeling as though he was inhaling glass into his lungs with every breath.
A cynical side of himself wondered if his current reality was a form of punishment for his many failures, but he quickly snuffed out that dark trail of thought. Thinking on past failures was a useless endeavor. That established, Naruto found nothing wrong in remembering the good times, because though few, there were good times.
Naruto punctured his thumb between his canines and smoothed it over a small, unseen seal located on his left pectoral, right above the remainder of Sasuek's betrayal. The seal briefly became visible, a collection of black colored calligraphy which erupted in a cloud of smoke. Naruto felt a welcomed sense of relief blanket him seeing his most prized possession.
It was a picture of himself and his wife, Hinata, in much happier times.
Naruto allowed a small smile to come to his face, the gesture felt foreign after so long. The picture itself was taken on the day of their impromptu wedding, a small affair held unceremoniously right on the battlefield after almost two years of being lovers. There was nothing official about their union other than the asking of a simple question and her elated response. A declaration, really, that she was his wife and he her husband.
The rings were supposed to come later, but they never did.
Tears began stinging his eyes as he stared at her beautiful face. In the absence of hope, it was the memories of his beautiful wife that kept him moving forward. Their love helped him maintain a semblance of sanity through the most trying of times and into whatever unwanted adventure he now found himself in. Ghosts of her touches kept him warm in the coldest of nights before, while her sweet nothings were forever engraved into his mind, now dulling the ache of his wounds but not of his heart.
It would do until he could see her again. Or until he no longer felt anything; whichever turned out to be true.
"Guess I'll find out soon."
Miranda heard her robotic housekeeper approaching well before she saw him. The chipper Mr. Handy humming a tune as he approached.
"Mrs. Fawkes!" Codsworth greeted cheerfully.
"How is he?" Miranda wasted no time in asking.
"Ah, Mr. Uzumaki is doing as well as he can, I suppose," Codsworth finished while trying his best to sound confident.
Miranda found his audible reluctance odd and simply unnerving, especially when Naruto's health was in question. "What's wrong with him? You know, beside his obvious injuries?" She asked.
"Mr. Uzumaki displays signs of possible respiratory infection," Codsworth paused, as if to consider his next words. "As well as a slight fever. He needs antibiotics and rest."
"What if we can't find any antibiotics? Will he be able to fight off the infection on his own?" Miranda asked with trepidation.
"Mr. Uzumaki is a strong young man."
She didn't like the way Codsworth voiced his response. It was almost as if he were speaking solely for her reassurance but she didn't know if that was even possible.
"Were you able to find any food, ma'am? Mr. Uzumaki could really stand to benefit from a little nutrition," the housekeeper stated.
"Oh yeah!" Miranda grinned and presented a worn beige shoulder bag containing a little over a dozen canned food items along with a small rusted box. "Do you think you can open and cook these?"
"But of course! Though if I may ask, where did you find all of this? I've personally searched the area in the event you and Mr. — " Codsworth cut himself off. "Well, I simply could not find anything withstanding time or vandalism."
Miranda caught onto what Codsworth aimed to say and her smile dropped. It wasn't her housekeeper's fault. No, her husband had already been on her mind because he was the one who helped her find the food.
"Nate he, I remember him telling me about a man in his company that happened to live in our neighborhood. I forget his name now. Anyway, he was apparently already paranoid about the world coming to an end, even in his army days. Nate always figured he was stockpiling and boy am I ever glad it turned out to be true. Found them in the attic," Miranda began sadly as she thought of her husband, but ended with a smile as pride once again reassured her.
Knowing Naruto could potentially benefit from her discovery only added to her elation.
"Oh, and I also found these pills in this first aid kit but I don't know what they are. Maybe you might know," Miranda presented two pristine white boxes from within the tin container, each with labels she couldn't begin to read aloud. In her opinion, words really should only contain so many letters. It didn't help neither gave a description of their intended purpose, only a long list of chemical properties and instructions for use.
"Oh how fortuitous, how fortuitous indeed!" Codsworth cheered.
"Codsworth?" Miranda asked.
"Ma'am, you've just found some antibiotics as well as…" Codsworth stuttered. "Er, some anti-inflammatory medications. Yes, that is correct."
"Will it help him?" Miranda asked.
"Most certainly!" Codsworth exclaimed.
"That's great!" Miranda smiled before remembering she was angry at Naruto. "I mean, good. Yeah, let's get this to him so who we can see who's useless."
Codsworth had to speed up to keep pace with Miranda's light jog as they made their way back.
Upon returning they found Naruto was asleep, drenched in perspiration despite the cool temperatures outside. Despite the sound she made Naruto remained asleep, showing signs of clear discomfort in the furrowing of his eyes. His canine companion was loyally at his side, stirring awake at the sudden commotion.
Kiba regarded them in momentary and lazy wonder before lowing his head down, rejoining his master in slumber.
Miranda felt guilty for having disturbed both their rest. She quickly met Codsworth at the door and instructed he stay outside, knowing his thrusters could cause quite the ruckus from years of lack of maintenance. Her housekeeper recommended making him food before taking his medicine, so she tiptoed into the kitchen, grimacing every time she inadvertently caused pots to clatter or the floor creaked.
Once back outside she and Codsworth circled around the backyard to begin breakfast. Miranda was pleasantly surprised to find her patio furniture could indeed survive a nuclear apocalypse, as the salesman so boisterously stated. If a bit rusty, she supposed two hundred years under the weather could do as much.
"I guess we're having corn and canned sausages for breakfast. Or is it lunch now?" Miranda looked up to the sun high in the sky, then to her Pip-boy. "Brunch?"
"I believe that term only applies if you're serving breakfast items for lunch," Codsworth added.
Miranda shrugged her shoulders as she began cooking. A process which involved no real cooking at all. She simply had Codsworth hold and heat the pan containing the odd collage of food whilst she stirred occasionally. It didn't take long for the food to heat up, not cook, and was ready to serve. Her mouth watered but her priority was helping Naruto.
"Keep an eye on things out here. I'll go help Naruto eat and give him the medicine," Miranda said.
Miranda set the food in the kitchen counter, just out of reach of a very hungry dog who was already panting in hunger. She cautiously approached the very unapproachable man and lightly called his name. Three more times with increasing volume and worry before she decided to call for the only help available.
"Codsworth!" Miranda called loudly. While she waited for her housekeeper to respond, she tested his temperature with the back of her hand, only to quickly withdraw it in shock. He was burning up, even more so than when she first encountered him in the pod, almost to the point of being painful to the touch, far beyond what humans should be capable.
"What is it, Mrs. Fawkes?" Codsworth asked as he jettisoned into the home, appearing ready to protect her from whatever the threat.
"It's Naruto, he's burning up and isn't responding!" Miranda said.
Codsworth scanned Naruto. "The medicine, Mrs. Fawkes. He needs it right away."
Miranda fumbled in her pockets, her shaking hands making it difficult to find the medicine. "Which is it?" She asked. Codsworth already informed her of the dosage but in her panic, she seemed to have forgotten everything.
"Both, ma'am," Codsworth calmly stated despite the situation. "He needs two of each every twelve hours until the symptoms subside."
After retrieving the tablets from their thin tin enclosure, she gently lifted Naruto's, grabbing hold of a bottle of water with the other. One by one, to avoid a choking hazard, fed him the pills. She was relieved he instinctively swallowed despite being otherwise unresponsive.
"What now?" Miranda asked.
"You're going to have to clean his wounds, Mrs. Fawkes or he won't get better," Codsworth advised.
Miranda grimaced at the grizzly sight and silently nodded in understanding. Once the final pill was downed, she rushed to the bathroom. There she managed to find a few stiff but otherwise clean towels hidden away in storage and returned. She saturated the smaller hand towel and laid it on Naruto's forehead. The larger towel she infused with proper antiseptic alcohol, also found within the soldier's home. The final towel of a similar size, was soaked in pure water.
"What do I do now?" Miranda looked to Codworth for guidance.
"Clean his wounds, ma'am," Codsworth reiterated.
Miranda held the towel in her hand, staring between Naruto and Codsworth. "But how? It'll hurt him if I touch him."
"He'll be worse off if you don't," Codworth pressed.
"I'm sorry, Naruto," Miranda preemptively apologized.
She pressed the towel to his largest wound on his shoulder and pulled it back to find only speckles of blood.
"I'm afraid you'll have to be more forceful than that, ma'am. You need to get rid of the old clots so that you may properly disinfect his wounds," Codsworth advised.
"I'm really sorry," Miranda's breath hitched through gritted teeth as she dabbed at his wound and twisted. She flinched when Naruto did but aside from that jolting reaction, he didn't open his eyes.
Once she was sure Naruto wouldn't wake and strangle her, she began to clean his wounds using the force necessary to clean away the infected scabs of skin with the alcohol saturated towel. Pressing deep down into his muscle tissue, she finished by pouring clean water on his lacerations before dry cleansing them with a moist towel.
Finally Miranda was able to bandage all his wounds, some of the smaller lacerations with a multitude of regular sized adhesive strips in a butterfly like suture. The most prominent of his wounds, the two punctures on his shoulders, she covered using gauze and bandaged wrapped all around his chest, utilizing Codsworth's help in lifting Naruto when she couldn't, much to Kiba's chagrin.
Three water bottles, the entire bottle of alcohol, and two very bloody towels later and she was finally done. Thought it all Naruto continuously writhed and groaned but never woke. This concerned Miranda but after all was done, he seemed more at ease despite his persisting fever.
"Now what?" Miranda asked as she allowed herself to fall in the nearby loveseat, releasing an exhausted sigh.
"Now we wait, ma'am. We've done all we can for the moment. The rest is up to him," Codsworth said.
Miranda laid down, feeling drained and nauseous as the stench of blood, her own sweat, and alcohol wafted directly into her nose from her no longer pristine vault suit. Her stomach ached in a reminder she had yet to eat, though she felt no desire to do so after such an experience.
Ultimately, she ignored the gross resemblance cooked sausages had to raw flesh and ate, finding herself pleasantly surprised to discover the food was actually edible. It was by no means a delicacy in its simplicity but she stomached it well enough.
She made sure to save enough for Naruto and fed the rest to Kiba, who hungrily devoured his food. Meanwhile Miranda fell back into the loveseat once again, her small frame fit well enough so that only her feet were resting on the arm of the seat. Eventually the awkward position became too much so she balled herself onto her side to fit comfortably.
Despite having the exaggerated definition of a moderately comfortable bed waiting for her in her room, Miranda felt safer merely being in Naruto's presence. Even if he was in no position to defend even himself, much less the both of them. It was an odd thought but one she couldn't deny. Miranda would, however, justify part of her actions in that she needed to keep watch over him, should his condition deteriorate.
She didn't end up doing a very good job at that as she soon found herself drifting in and out of sleep. With every blink of her heavy eyes, they became much harder to open. Miranda fought valiantly against it but in the end the slow and steady rising and falling of his chest and his constant breaths lulled her to sleep.
Hours later Naruto was the first to wake. The sun began to sting his eyes, forcing him out of his sleep. Beyond his annoyance at the intrusion of the light, he quickly noted just how much better he felt. His chest continued to ache with every breath he drew but he could feel a semblance of his strength begin to return to him.
A quick test reaffirmed his strength was more than just physical. He could feel his chakra building slowly but steadily within him. With it his natural healing abilities began to take effect. Even now he could feel the dull burn of his regenerating muscles.
Hearing a rather loud snort, Naruto looked over to see Miranda asleep on the smaller sofa. His line of sight revealed the work done on his chest as well as the pile of bloodied towels no doubt belonging to him. His gaze returned to the slumbering woman; her mouth parted with drool pooling where her cheek was pressed against the cushion.
Naruto hadn't realized he was scowling until he felt his own features soften. He felt like a fool for what he said to the woman. He was a Shinobi fresh from war and she was a scholar and a homemaker. They were from two vastly differing worlds in more ways beyond initial implications. He was born into adversity and was molded by war. She only witnessed it from behind the television and in the safety of her home. Hearing the horrors of war from her husband did not equate to experiencing them first hand.
They were opposites in many ways.
It was unreasonable to expect her to adapt so easily to the end of the world. He would take that into consideration going forward.
Naruto felt a chill in the air compliments of a breeze from the nearby broken window and Miranda shivered in her sleep. With great effort he limped to her room to retrieve a blanket and returned to cover her with it.
He smiled seeing her immediately grab hold of it in her sleep, balling further into herself.
"Thank you, Miranda," Naruto whispered and stopped himself short of reaching out to her, wondering what he was doing. "Guess I'll apologize when you wake up."
Bit of a heads up, next chapter may take a little longer to come out because I want to focus on some of my other stories, mainly some new ones to come.
Until next time!