Five Fives

Five Long Waits

by Nezuko, Prince of Rats

This is a work of derivative fiction based on the manga "Naruto" by Kishimoto Masashi. The characters and the world in which they live are the property of Kishimoto-sensei.

AN: These were done as part of the "List of Five" meme.

Five Long Waits: Five times Genma's waited for Raidou.

• The worst wait, and the longest, was the three days Genma waited for them to let him in to see Raidou after he was brought back to Konoha missing half his face. He waited in a waiting room, dirty and unshaven, refusing to eat or sleep or do anything at all other than try to get into that antiseptic little room and see that his friend really was alive.

• Close on that wait's heels were the two weeks Genma waited for Raidou to wake up. He waited by Raidou's bedside, holding his cold, still hand, and humming Ninja's Passing under his breath. Genma refused two mission assignments before the planers at HQ wised up and decided not to assign him anything else while Raidou was unconscious.

• The first time Genma persuaded Raidou to go out clubbing after Raidou recovered, Genma waited forty-five minutes while Raidou checked the mirror, changed his shirt, checked the mirror, fussed with his hair, checked the mirror...

"Come on, you look good," Genma told him. "If we stay here much longer with a bed so close by, I might have to jump your bones and roll you before we ever get out the door."

Raidou ended that wait with a fist. Genma just grinned.

• Genma lay utterly still, subdued almost to the point of catatonia, and waited for Raidou to finish. To finish yelling at him for having gotten himself into this situation. To finish cleaning the gore out of his ripped open shoulder. To finish stitching the wound closed. To finish winding the bandages around it.

When Raidou gave Genma one more exasperated snarl, then pulled him into a tight hug and told him, "Idiot, you should have dodged," Genma was glad he'd waited.

• Genma's still waiting for Raidou. He waits for him to come back from missions (when they don't take them together). He waits for him to decide to leave ANBU. He waits (without much hope) for him to realize that gender isn't nearly as important as he thinks it is. And if it comes right down to it, Genma intends to wait forever.

Some things are worth waiting for.