"Did you copy Zooto-"
SHUT UP BEFORE YOU FACE THE WRATH OF MY UNFILTERED TYPING!
NDJJRHWUIZEJ4O9JRISJBBHKDIHSBH;#&JFJDHEIHXBFBBDBXNXNN!
(Ps. That was totally a joke. I have no ill will towards anyone who has commented that or feels that way.)
Chapter 8: A Broken Boy
Iruka raced to the sound immediately, spinning himself around to see the worst sight he'd ever seen.
It churned his stomach to the point where he felt like he was going to throw up.
The child's legs were broken, and motionless in ways that they shouldn't be. Blood spilled and pooled from the impact. It splattered everywhere like a bottle of saki being opened.
He saw the boy's motionless body.
It was Naruto.
That was Naruto.
Iruka felt his body move before he could even process what he was seeing. Slapping sandals echoed against pavement, rushing forward with fear and anxiety. He immediately cradled the boys head, which was bleeding slightly, and checked for a pulse.
Iruka almost cried from relief as he felt heartbeats. But that quickly overturned by how profusely he was still bleeding.
He wasted no time scooping Naruto up as he began his race to the hospital. The only thought circulating in his mind, please don't die.
Iruka rushed into the hospital as he saw staff changing shift. Before he could even say something, he was immediately rushed into a waiting room while Naruto was taken to the ER. Iruka was going a mile a minute so when all he could do was wait, he realized what he'd just seen.
A suicide attempt.
It was definitely not an accident. Not even the most rebellious kids are out that late climbing towers. Not to mention Naruto wasn't that type of kid. It made no sense and shook him.
He tried to kill himself.
An eight year old tried to kill themselves!
That was way too young, way too young. He was still a child. A boy. Someone's son. He wasn't even old enough to be a Genin.
Suicide wasn't unheard of. It happened and it was always heartbreaking.
But Naruto was a kid. Everyone he'd ever heard of were adults or near adulthood. The fact that the sting of hopelessness and desperation could be found in a child broke him like he never thought anything could.
There should have been signs, right?
And there he was, completely oblivious to apparently, everything.
He should've seen something, right? He should have paid more attention. He should've been there. He was so preoccupied with himself that he couldn't see this.
A horrible thought permeated through his mind and refused to leave.
What if he hadn't been there?
He'd landed on his legs, sure. But he easily could've bled out. Would anyone have found him in time? Considering how quiet the actual scream was, it was unlikely.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was a doctor, slightly frazzled but still calm.
"Iruka, he's okay. He's stable. I can't imagine what would've happened if you hadn't been there. You saved his life."
Iruka took no comfort from that. He might've stopped it, but he could've stopped it sooner. He could've done something, anything.
But he didn't.
Iruka did nothing.
Might as well have pushed him off the water tower.
He felt ill. No child should ever go through that. Scratch that, no one should ever have to go through that.
Well, he wasn't even sure what Naruto was going through but he knew he didn't deserve it.
It must've been bad.
…
I am going to kill you.
Naruto opened his eyes slightly. The sound of a beeping machine filled his ears and the smell of sterilization filled the air.
Great. It didn't work.
I am going to kill you. Do you have any idea the kind of stunt you pulled?! I almost DIED because of you, worthless little brat!
Yup. It really didn't work.
Naruto tried to move but found that he couldn't feel anything in his legs.
They're broken.
That'd explain it.
Naruto still hadn't opened his eyes. Some sunlight was pouring in from the side and it felt good on his eye lids.
This wasn't supposed to happen. Who would even care enough to save him? And why?
Naruto heard someone place something on the table and out of curiosity, he looked to see who'd done it.
Iruka was sitting by the bed in a chair. He seemed to be looking at his hands and had big bags under his eyes. Like Naruto's did.
He glanced by the window on his right side.
It temporarily blinded for a minute, blinking profusely. His head throbbed and he seemed to be covered in bandages.
Took a nose dive off a building, of course you're covered in bandages!
Iruka glanced at him and blinked in surprise.
Naruto managed to let out a 'sorry' through his sore rib cage. Breathing was a lot harder than usual, must've broken a rib.
"S-sorry? For what? What do you have to be sorry about?"
Wrong again. You really are incredibly idiotic.
"Making a scene, I guess…"
Iruka continued staring at him in disbelief and pity.
He was getting sick of that look even if this was the first time he'd gotten it. He didn't like people looking at him like he was sick little puppy. But then again, he didn't like people looking at him in general.
"Listen, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I only made things worse for you… can you forgive me…?"
"Forgive you for what?" Naruto knew that wasn't the answer he wanted but he's still incredibly tired and not in the mood to just… answer.
"...for hating you."
Iruka seemed to bury his hands deeper into his lap and squeeze his eyes tighter as he said it.
"You don't have to apologize. It's fine-"
" FINE?! Nothing's fine about any of this! No one should ever hate a child for nothing, especially not their own student! You didn't do anything wrong…"
Naruto mumbled a laugh.
He didn't realize how, so so wrong he was. He had every reason to hate him. He'd lied to him and ignored him, that was enough already.
Besides, he wasn't worth an apology. But Naruto didn't really wanna keep discussing it so he just let it drop with a 'kay'.
I'm still mad at you.
Kay.
I want an apology.
Kay.
And I want you to bleed.
Kay.
Don't 'Kay' me, you filthy brat!
Kay.
The silence, for once, was somewhat soothing. Naruto was hoping that Iruka would leave but he didn't. He just kept sitting there, like he didn't have anything better to do. Which Naruto highly doubted.
…
Iruka was troubled and hurt by Naruto's reaction. Of all the people to be apologizing, it shouldn't be him. A kid shouldn't have to apologize for trying to kill themselves.
What he did was… wrong. But he shouldn't have to apologize. And he definitely shouldn't have to apologize for being stopped.
Did someone tell him to? The thought was so awful. To think that someone would tell them to kill themselves, let alone a child, was so horribly wrong.
Iruka knew that some of the kids in his class weren't that kind but Iruka ignored it. Just like the kid did.
Or maybe he hadn't ignored it.
And just pretended to.
The kid had fallen back asleep. It wasn't a surprise, considering what he'd just been through. But the bags under his eyes were much too prevalent to ignore, even if you tried.
He hadn't been sleeping either. Guess they were in the same boat.
They were in the same boat for a lot of things.
Iruka was no stranger to being alone. Ever since his parents died, he'd gotten left in the dust. Friends were either too busy hanging out with their parents after the scare or mourning their own.
No one had time anymore.
He got lost in the dust, alone and forgotten. Like an old stuffed animal thrown into the trash. He was just a relic of the past. A reminder of what used to be.
So he craved the spotlight.
Iruka would do anything just for someone to notice him. He'd mess up on purpose, pull pranks, and sleep in class. It wasn't positive attention but it was more than he usually got.
Naruto, on the other hand, was comfortable remaining a shadow. A backdrop in the background, unnoticed, overlooked. Maybe he didn't want to be noticed. After all, children weren't nice. People weren't nice.
Especially not to jinjuriki.
Sometimes Iruka forgot that he was an orphan. It was a little weird to think that he lived alone, made his own meals, and paid his own rent. To have never known the love of parents. To never have had a friend. Robbed of a childhood, a time when the world made sense. He squeezed his eyes and covered them with his hands. He hadn't left the room since he'd brought him here.
Iruka was incredibly tired and the nurse, Cho, noticed.
"Iruka, you don't have to stay here all day. He's probably going to be sleeping for the next couple of days as he heals. He's already doing much better, which is a little surprising." She said, her tone incredibly concerned and delicate.
"I don't wanna leave."
"Iruka, you need to sleep too. You know how bad it can be to not rest. I don't want to see you hurting yourself. You can come back in a couple of hours after you've rested."
Looks like he didn't have a choice.