Authors Note: Yeah.. this chapter's more like a 'filler' chapter... because it's not really relevant to the plot.. I just wrote it to make things a bit lighter instead of all angst filled. xD
Disclaimer: I don't own any naruto characters besides Kaiya. And Team Reiko members Reiko, Natsu, and Kenta belong to my friend Renodori (formerly xMendoukusai)
Thanks again to all you AMAZING reviewers!!!
I will always be your friend
I know who you are inside
I am with you till the end
never far behind
I am standing in the distance
you can take your time
and I will be here waiting, never far behind
yeah, never far behind.
I am sending you a message
don't ever think that it's too late
when you care about someone, there is always room for chance
you're allowed to make mistakes
it's a part of every life
I don't see you any different
The truth is shining in your eyes
-Never Far Behind - Aly and Aj
Sasuke rolled his eyes heavenward, cursing his luck at being caught and (literally) dragged back to Konoha. At least he had managed to accomplish part of his goal and engage his brother in a battle. Albeit a short battle since the Konoha bastards had intervened, and both Uchiha men had managed to get their asses thoroughly kicked. Then again the odds had been 8 Konoha shinobi of varying skill levels and jutsu techniques against two Uchiha prodigies, both of the latter being significantly wounded by each other. Of course, even in the state he was in, Itachi had managed to escape as soon as he saw the battle turning in favor of the Konoha shinobi.
And thus Sasuke had wound up in his current predicament; bound tightly with chakra strings to a hospital bed and forced to endure the scoldings of Sakura and leeching of Ino, who ironically happened to be his nurses. Another pleasurable aspect of his stay in the hospital room was being able to hear tidbits of gossip drifting in through the window conveniently located next to his bed. Most of the conversations centering about the "Uchiha bastard" being caught and detained finally, and placing bets on what his punishment would be.
Grimly, Sasuke thought that maybe he should have asked the sadistic Tsunade who he blamed for his wonderful hospital experience to be his teacher instead of the worthless snake. (The latter being the cause he had been forced to defend against by locking himself in his room for hours on end for fear of being molested).
After asking about the condition of his teammates, to say that he was upset would be an understatement. Burning with fury after learning about the deaths of Suigetsu and Juugo and finding out he was still stuck with Karin, Sasuke fumed for days before dryly observing that karma was a bitch.
"You're kidding. You're going to let him OUT of the hospital?" Naruto fumed to the hokage. "He's just going to try and escape the moment he steps out of that building!"
Tsunade stood up and slammed her hands on the desk in front of her, "Do you question my judgment Uzumaki Naruto?!"
Pouting, Naruto nodded his head.
Glaring, Tsunade prepared a rather vulgar retort before she was pushed down by Shizune. The cropped-haired woman turned to Naruto and reassured him, "We're assigning an ANBU squad for the specific task of watching his every move."
"Fine." The blonde huffed, crossing his arms... well... crossly. (yay word plays!) "But don't come crying to me when he just runs off again, dattebayo!"
"You don't have to worry about that!!!!!" The hokage growled.
"Ano, Ano! What Tsunade-sama means is that---"
"I know what I meant Shizune!" Tsunade barked before turning back to Naruto in a more calmly manner. "Sasuke won't leave."
"Whatever you say obaa-chan..." Naruto shrugged before grinning widely and running out of the door before Tsunade could toss her sake cup at him for calling her old.
"Kaiya-chan!" Sakura wailed when she saw that her other patient was standing up and pacing around in her room. "You're supposed to sit down!" she ordered. "You're not healed yet."
"I'm fiiiiiineee!" Kaiya whined pointing to her side for emphasis.
"Nooo you're not!" Sakura insisted.
"Yes I am!" Kaiya stuck her tongue out before resignedly flopping back onto her bed. "I don't see the point of this..."
"We have to make sure your wound doesn't get infected." Sakura said matter-of-factly before changing her friend's bandage.
"If it hasn't gotten infected by now, then it never will!" Kaiya said determinedly. "Besides... My roommate frightens me!" she said in a conspiratorial tone, nudging her head in the direction of the red-haired girl in the bed on the opposite side of the room.
Sakura sweatdropped, "Well...it was her or Sasuke-kun..." she whispered back.
A screech of "SASUKE-KUN! HOW IS HEEEEE?" caused both girls to cringe and turn towards the girl who was struggling with the chakra strings that kept her secured to the bed.
"He's fine." Sakura reassured the girl, dead-panning.
"For now." Kaiya cackled, an evil glint in her eye.
"YOU BETTER NOT DO ANYTHING TO SASUKE-KUN!" Karin shouted, attempting to point threateningly at Kaiya.
Kaiya merely stuck her tongue out, while Sasuke on the other side of the wall cringed at the shrill tone of his team mate's voice.
Sakura turned back to Kaiya and whispered sympathetically, "I'll try and get you a different hospital room... But you're going to be released tomorrow, so I don't really see the point..."
"Just get me out of here!" Kaiya wailed dramatically, "I can feel myself losing IQ points just listening to her."
"Fine, fine..." Sakura said tapping her chin thoughtfully... "Now that I think about it... I'm pretty positive we have an extra room upstairs..."
"PERFECT." Kaiya exclaimed excitedly, about to jump up in the air with joy before Sakura firmly placed her hands on Kaiya's shoulders, keeping the girl rooted to the ground.
"You're going to tear open your wound if you do that." Sakura dead-panned. "Just wait here and I'll make sure that I'm right about the empty room..."
A few minutes later, Kaiya was practically skipping down the halls and into her new private room. "Sakura-chan, you're the best!" she exclaimed tackling her friend with a hug before flopping contentedly onto the hospital bed.
"Mah, it was the least I could do... I don't see how Sasuke puts up with her..." Sakura muttered rubbing her temples for emphasis.
"Probably the same way he put up with Naruto... Only less angsty rivalry." Kaiya grinned. "Ja Ne Sakura-chan!"
"Ja!" Sakura waved before sliding the door shut.
Finally alone. Kaiya thought to herself before relaxing into the pillow and looking up at the ceiling in search of patterns that would take her mind off of things.
Natsu skipped in a circle around her sensei and Kenta, "Weee caught Uchihaaaa, we caught Uchihaaaaaaaa!" she chanted happily before grabbing Kenta's arms and twirling him in a circle with her.
"NATSU!" Kenta growled as he became increasingly dizzy and flopped to the ground when she released him.
"Rei-sensei!!" Natsu squealed grabbing her rather drunken sensei by her arms.
"N-Natsu! If you twirl me in a circle like you did with Kenta, I can guarantee that the sushi I had at the sake bar will end up on your shirt." Reiko slurred.
Pouting the brunette released her sensei. "I can't believe you got hammered in celebration for Uchiha-teme's capture. I mean, you could have thrown a party or something, but noooo, you had to go get drunk."
"If I could see straight, I'd order you to do some gruesome chores for punishment but I can't think of any right now..."
"Yosh for drunk Rei-sensei!" Natsu exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air enthusiastically.
"Stop yelling!" Reiko complained, already feeling the effects of the alcohol.
"And this is why you shouldn't drink." Kenta said matter-of-factly.
"Can it shrimp." Reiko grumbled. "Just wait until you're my age... Then we'll see who doesn't drink."
Kenta stuck his tongue out defiantly only to be bopped on the head by Reiko's swinging fist.
"Mah. I miss Kaiya-chan." Natsu whined, "She's usually the voice of reason."
"HAHA! YOSH FOR NO KAIYA!" Kenta cackled only to be hit again by Natsu. "Why do you guys always hit mee?" he complained, rubbing the two bumps forming on his head.
"Because you're a pain in the ass." Natsu answered confidently.
"Says the biggest pain in the ass in the village after Naruto." Kenta retorted.
"Will both of you stop arguing?" Reiko complained hitting both of her students over the head.
"I'm leaving before I get brain damage." Kenta announced before poofing away to Kami knows where.
"What's his problem?" Natsu asked to no one in particular.
Reiko dead-panned. "Do you really need to ask? Anyway I'm leaving too... You're giving me a headache."
"That's the alcohol!" Natsu said cheerfully.
"...Sure kid." Reiko groaned before poofing away.. probably back to the sake bar.
"Waaaait. Now I'm alone." Natsu pouted, kicking a rock. "I know! I'll go find Naru-chan! He's probably at the ramen stand anyway..."
Sure enough, there Naruto sat, warily focusing on the dark haired figure walking across the street with a red-head practically clinging to him. "Granny Tsunade doesn't know what she got herself into..." he told himself slurping a noodle half-heartedly.
"NARU-CHAN!!!" Natsu called happily as she sat next to her blonde friend, spinning the chair around excitedly, "Five miso-ramens please!" she told the stand owner.
"How come you don't get fat from eating that much ramen?" Naruto asked Natsu, poking her.
"Because Rei-sensei works us half to death every day." She said cheerfully as the ramen appeared in front of her. "So why are you so...mopey today?" she asked pausing to think of the world.
"Granny Tsunade let Sasuke-teme out of the hospital so now he's walking around as free as a bird. Well...except for the 6 ANBU watching his every move." Naruto said matter-of-factly, slurping another noodle.
Stopping mid-slurp, Natsu turned to look at her friend in surprise, noodle still hanging out of her mouth, she said, "OH. That's what everyone was talking about in the streets today!"
Naruto nodded, "It makes me want to hit that bastard... He got off too easily.. no punishment at all."
"Mah.. I wouldn't worry about it." Natsu said shrugging, "I'm sure Kaiya-chan's thought up some diabolical scheme to punish him... She's frightening like that."
Naruto patted his friend's back sympathetically.
"No...that's too nice." Kaiya said tapping her chin, rejecting her 30th idea. "hmmm... maybe having only that Karin person for company is punishment enough..." she mused aloud.
Frustrated, she turned over and buried her head in a pillow. "...It's too troublesome to think of a punishment that's good enough..." her muffled voice announced. Turning on her side to breathe, she sat up suddenly. "AHA! I'm thinking... Naruto, Ramen, Karin, AND Natsu!!!!! And the sacrifices of many tomatoes." She cackled for a minute before deeming that plan lame as well.
"...Maybe I should just give it up..." she said quietly. "Besides, it's not like he has any emotions or anything that would make him annoyed." she said more confidently. "He's like a walking statue! His expression doesn't even change!" She flopped back, expecting her head to hit the soft pillow and instead connecting with the hard hospital wall with a solid 'thunk'. "Owwwww!" she complained, rubbing the bump. "Now Sakura-chan's gonna get made at me and fuss like I have a concussion..."
"Maybe a concussion will work! Nah... He's too thick-headed for it to do anything." sighing defeatedly, she sat back again, this time making sure it was her pillow that her head landed on. "It's really a shame..." she said thoughtfully. "If he smiled more, or at least showed some emotion, maybe he'd be more bearable..." she said, mentally slapping herself for thinking about him being attractive in any way. "And less ugly! And repulsive!" she added in reparation in a matter-of-fact tone.
Authors note: Like I said.. filler chapter xDDDD (like how for some reason the animes enjoy making filler episodes... I waited SO LONG for the Naruto fillers to end. But I guess I can see why they do it -cringe- xD) Next chapter will be all angsty again just as a heads up. Woot angsty-ness! xD
anyway... Ja Ne see you later.. and Ja is the reponse to that... just so you know. xD
teme bastard
obaa-chan granny
and yeah. xD reviews are nice : D