"Foolish Hearts"
'Chapter Four'
It had been a long two weeks of recovery.
Naruto of course healed before Sasuke did, as Sasuke was mainly kept under watch because of his unstable mind. The drugs seemed like the only thing to keep his power at bay most of the time it worked, but when Naruto wasn't around even his drugged mind let the eyes leak through on occasion; There had been a lot of traumatized nurses.
At the moment however Sasuke was propped up on his pillows, not rigged to machines the bandages gone. -- He was just clad in a hospital gown, chained to the bed like a mental patient. His eyes were rimmed red, a scowl on his face as he flexed against his bindings. He didn't like being cooped up here, he felt like he was in a cage, he almost wanted to let his eyes loose, to allow himself to go nuts, forget where he was.
...then the door opened.
It was Naruto.
His scowl receded to a curious frown, his dark eyes calculating the kitsune as he came in with a smile, wearing his custom robes.
"What now?"
There had been debates thus far, where he was going to stay after they let him leave the hospital. People were concerned with letting him 'off the leash' as it were, they were even afraid to put him in a cell, just in case it might not be enough.
So where did they decide to put him?
"I just got out of the first of many trials." The fox answered sitting on Sasuke's bed, right next to the man's hip. "They were discussing on where you were supposed to be staying."
Sighing, he rubbed his eyes once more; he was tired, worn out by all the talking and reports, "They agreed to one thing and one thing only."
"Which was?" His dark eyes looked to the fox, his head tilting in curious fashion noticing how tired the kit really looked. He licked his lips a little nervous almost not wanting to know.
What if he was put in jail?
...he wouldn't like to be there.
"It's an insanely strict house arrest." The kit started, he had fought the council for hours about this. "You'll have seals put on you to keep you're chakra in check, you will have no access to it." He sighed, "The house you're staying at will have Anbu guards stationed around it, and a blood-binding jutsu that'll keep you in the house." He paused looking back at the man, trying to gauge how insane he was at the moment.
"They also insisted that someone stay with you at all times to monitor you and your behavior. They're to give weekly repots on your progress and after we get your mind to a more stable level, then we'll have a final court date."
He had fought the court for hours to get that much for the man. They wanted to throw him into the jail and leave him. Naruto had proposed that Sasuke could easily break out of the jail, and therefore deemed a house arrest more appropriate.
Sasuke's eyes bled a little more red at the news. A slight twisted scowl on his face, but he fought to control himself. "Rather elaborate." He murmured his voice a little deeper than usual but sanity was still in his eyes, the obsidian weighing out the red.
"So who is this ninja that gets to babysit me?" He almost scoffed at it, that powerful piece of him found all of it insulting -- Why should he put himself through this?
Once un-cuffed he should just finish Naruto off, leave, and regroup.
But Sasuke repressed that mind set, smashing it down into the void of himself with an angry frown, a light growl in his throat from his own thoughts almost fighting with himself a moment.
"See that's where things got complicated."
Naruto paused a moment, almost trying to catch his thoughts.
"The council wanted some Anbu to do it. I said that it wouldn't work, you'd just find a way to kill them, they needed someone at a higher level." He shook his head looking away again.
"So the council turned around and appointed me your baby-sitter, as you put it."
His eyes flashed black in that moment; really hearing what Naruto just said.
His dark side had been smashed into the wall of his conscious, and suddenly he felt nervous again.
Naruto?
...around him all the time?
Every day?
Sasuke swallowed thickly… what if... what if he couldn't control himself? He looked away, "What about… your job?" He asked, a little quieter than usual.
"That's exactly what I said." The kit replied, a frustrated tone in his voice.
"They said they'd have an Anbu deliver the paperwork and meeting would take place through a kage bushin." The kit pouted and let out a long sigh.
Rubbing his eyes he looked back at Sasuke, "I'm sorry, I couldn't get out of it, I tried getting them to reconsider Kakashi, but he left the squad two years ago, they thought he wouldn't be sharp enough to handle you. Sakura is just a medic Nin, don't get me wrong she's brilliant, but they said she wouldn't be able to handle you mentally or physically. So they told me it was my responsibility and I was the only one who could do it."
Sasuke tried not to really react to it. Tried not to think about it, "You look tired."
...it was enough that Naruto had even put so much effort into getting him this special treatment. He didn't deserve any more of Naruto's kindness.
Naruto's weight was still on the bed, sagging at his hip. His hip against the fox, feeling the heat of the other man through the blankets. His black eyes distant as he stared off anywhere but at Naruto, "When are they going to move me?"
"This afternoon after the Anbu get the seals in place."
Naruto answered, ignoring the tired comment. He knew he looked tired, but he couldn't do anything about it.
He was unsure of how this would work out; his house was smaller than anything Sasuke was used to. It was a three bedroom house, Kiba and Shikamaru had lived with him before he became Hokage and the other two decided to move out and move in with Hinata and Ino. It would be enough for he and Sasuke, but the fox was unsure how Sasuke would handle it.
There weren't very many places to hide.
"Afternoon?" Sasuke repeated, not expecting a response. His dark eyes drifted to the windows, taking note of the light.
A few hours maybe then… or less.
Quietly his black eyes settled back on the fox, taking in the man before him, watching him silently for a long minute. "How do you feel about all this?" He asked, his dark eyes sincerely wondering.
"Hm?" The kitsune blinked and looked back at Sasuke, "How do I feel?" He tilted his head slightly thinking, it had been a while since someone asked him to convey his feelings on the matter, and not his political opinion. "I'm alright with it." He answered.
Naruto just observed Sasuke a long moment.
"In fact, I'm really glad they chose me. I missed my bastard." He gave the Uchiha a wink.
Sasuke's cheeks tinged pink; he kicked at Naruto with his knee -- since his leg was still bound by the ankle. "Stop it..." He grumbled, his black eyes still on the fox, trying to ignore how Naruto's playfulness made his stomach flutter.
...stupid fox.
He made him feel so different, always.
"Will you let me read the letters?" He asked after a moment, "When we get there?"
Naruto nodded a small, almost bashful smile on his face. "Yeah, when we get back to the house, I'll let you read the letters." He wasn't going to keep them from Sasuke, they belonged to him, and he wanted the Uchiha to read them.
Sasuke was curious about Naruto's little smile.
It almost made him want to smile back.
Almost.
He swallowed thickly and turned his eyes away almost in a nervous fashion. The medication button was in his left hand, and he had pushed it... twice, to keep his mind stable, to let himself really see the emotion in Naruto's eyes..
...to keep the murderous intent at bay.
His eyes felt heavy, but he blinked the sleep away, leaning heavily into his pillows, "I'm glad it's you." He said, almost so soft Naruto would barely hear it, "...it's you that'll be with me."
Naruto shifted on the bed and moved so he was stretching slightly across the Uchiha, one hand on the other side of the man's hip. "So am I." The fox replied his voice soft once more. "The house has been rather lonely since the others left; I think it'll be happy to have a new guest." He watched the sanity come back to Sasuke's eyes completely and smiled, "One of these day's I'm going to have to take that away from you."
Sasuke smirked a little, "That day won't be today." He said evenly, having barely kept his mind sane even with the help of drugs. He shifted a little, aware of the kit over him, aware of how close Naruto seemed to him, and how strange it made him feel.
"You can.." He cleared his throat, "Lay down if you want… you do look tired." He said after a moment, avoiding the kit's eyes, looking once again out the window.
Naruto couldn't keep the shock out of his eyes at the invitation.
Did Sasuke just--?
He really shouldn't -- he had to go back to the office and get things ready to be sent out and--
...Bed sounded really good though.
Looking back at Sasuke, the fox sighed and nodded slowly, "Alright."
Slowly, Naruto drew himself up into the bed, and laid down on his side. He pillowed his head with his arm, and tried to keep himself as compact as he could without being awkward. Letting out a long sigh he closed his eyes, "...Thank you."
Sasuke turned his head, looking to the kitsune just watching as Naruto drifted off to sleep.
So vulnerable...so trusting.
His arms were still chained, as his legs, but if they weren't…
Sasuke had wanted to touch the fox, to feel his skin, to know he was really here right now and not just some dream. His dark eyes were determined, just watching for god knows how long until he too let himself fall to the drug induced fatigue. His head rolled limp, forehead to forehead with the fox, their breath mingling as they slept.
--
A few hours passed the two by no one had come in to bother them.
Naruto felt himself being shaken by a nurse as they started to get Sasuke ready to leave the hospital. Blinking his eyes open, he came face to face with the unconscious Sasuke. Naruto smiled a little; he could definitely get used to this.
Slowly pushing himself up, he slid off the bed and watched as chakra seals were written in black in around Sasuke's wrists, ankles, and neck. They looked more like exotic tattoos than seals. Naruto watched as a man opened up the Chinese style shirt, and dipped the calligraphy pen in ink once more before he started writing quickly. Naruto tilted his head, what was he doing? The words weren't sinking into the fox's mind, still too sleepy to comprehend them; he watched as the words started to form a form a spiral getting smaller and smaller as it neared Sasuke's heart.
Wait a minute…
They weren't suppose to be usi--
"Who ordered for that seal to be used?" Naruto grabbed the man's hand, holding him deathly still, "Who ordered this?" The fox's eyes blazed, he had not ordered for this, this had not been approved at the meetings!
"The council, Hokage-sama."
Naruto narrowed his eyes and let the man finish his work -- it couldn't be reversed, not yet. "Damn them!" He cursed, crossing his arms over his chest, his eyebrows pinching together in anger.
The seal was stronger than the blood-binding jutsu that was placed on Naruto's house. It was a fatal jutsu, one that would kill Sasuke instantly if he stepped outside the bounds of the concealment's range. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't reverse the jutsu, only the writer.
Watching the people finish up, he followed them as they started to move the unconscious Sasuke out of the room. He'd have to talk to the council later, he couldn't have them going behind his back and ordering things like this, it was dangerous.
A/N:
Next chapter they're in Naruto's home! Finally out of the hospital, so the story is progressing nicely. Thanks for all the lovely reviews so far, continue to support us and we'll try and get another chapter soon. Thanks!