Sasuke Uchiha was in a deep sleep, he was always like that. Never one to wake up easily. He's also one to never have a dream that makes sense, and tonight was no different. At first, strange swirls of different colours flowed in the darkness of slumber. Purples, blues, and...pinks? Pink is such a girly colour. But he found it, comforting. Sasuke was concentrating on the pink swirls, dancing around in his mind. Eventually, he started to think of pink hair, long and shiny. Sakura. Along with the long, pink hair that seemed to have no owner, cherry blossoms whirled around, along with the blues and purples in the background. The dream made Sasuke feel at ease, with nothing to worry about at all. Suddenly, the strange mix of colours and flowers morphed into a scene, one that was fairly unpleasant. His older brother, Itachi, as Sasuke remembered him, was running. Running away, to become an S-rank criminal. But he wasn't running alone. Someone was chasing him. No, could it be? Sakura, with her pink hair was running after his brother. Sobbing as she did so.
"Itachi-san! Come back, please! Make Sasuke-kun better, he's not right, anymore." Sakura stopped sprinting and collapsed on her knees. The tears ran down her face so steadily. Sasuke's dream self gritted his teeth. He didn't need Itachi to make him feel better. He needed Itachi DEAD. He left him, alone, with no family at all, and a stuck-up name to live up to. He'll never forgive him for what he did...and he certainly didn't need him back. An imaginary kunai whizzed though the air towards Sasuke, he tried to block it. Only to have the dagger go through him as if he weren't there. "What?" He thought.
The kunai hit a wall that Sasuke didn't know was there. It made quite a loud thunk. It was pretty loud, but it was a dream, right? Some things are weird like that. Another kunai sliced the air as it hit the wall behind him. He couldn't help but dodge, even when he knew that it would pass through him. More and more came, the rhythm of the thunks in single beats. Easy to recognize. It almost sounded like...the door knocking. With a strange burst of alertness, Sasuke sat straight up in his bed hearing loud knocks on the door. He tried to get off the bed too quickly, and was overwhelmed by dizziness.
"HEY! BASTARD! OPEN UP! IT'S AN EMERGENCY!" Someone yelled loud enough to be heard from upstairs. "Naruto, you dumb-ass. Thanks, though."
He stood up, stretched for a moment, then headed downstairs. He reached the main door. As soon as he unlocked it, Naruto jumped into his house, an orange, blue, and yellow blur. He was searching around frantically, but Sasuke didn't know exactly what he was looking for. Sakura walked in meekly, with wide, concerned eyes. She glanced swiftly at Sasuke, then at the blonde blur. She sighed with the smallest hint of relief.
"Sasuke-kun, you haven't felt sick, even after you came back from Kitsune-sans's house?" She asked the Uchiha teen. He shook his head, confused. Was Naruto sick? Or Ookami, Tonbo? Maybe it was the bitch that was ill. Sakura's face was a mask of deep worry and thought. Naruto was still looking around. Even when he did finish, he was still glancing around, very anxious. What was happening? Sasuke searched through all the possibilities of what could've gone wrong. There were many different situations, but he found no need to be in any of them. "It doesn't help me, why should I help them?" He thought after each scenario that played in his head.
"Kitsune-san is horribly sick, and she wanted to make sure everyone else was okay. And so, we did. Ookami and Tonbo are back at the apartment, looking after her and Komugi is at the library, trying to find out what bug she has. We wanted to make sure you were all right." Sakura told him. She looked as if she wanted to say more, but she kept her mouth shut. Sasuke looked at both of them. Naruto was always glancing around his back and looking at Sasuke as if he might start yelling at him. Sakura was looking oddly shy, and even though the door was closed, she was checking it as if someone was there.
"There's something more." Sasuke stated simply. The pink-haired girl smiled weakly. She brushed a hand through her hair. Naruto was very still, like the next words were some sort of punishment he was waiting for.
"She wants to see you, Sasuke-kun. I don't know why, but whenever she falls asleep, she screams your name a few minutes after." Sakura admitted. So, that's what she wanted to say before. But, why? Why would she want to see Sasuke? After all, she couldn't stand him, and vice versa. Suddenly, as if the feeling was contagious, he was feeling a wave of anxiety too. He needed to start moving. Head somewhere, but not knowing where. He needed to find something, but he didn't know what. What on earth was happening?
"Well, let's head over! We got what she wants, even if it is Bastard Sasuke." Naruto exclaimed. The last part ticked the raven-haired boy slightly, but he felt the urge to walk away. He headed out the door, still in his boxers and pyjama T-shirt. Even though the walk was short, every girl stared after the team, drooling heavily. A few jealous glances from the boys glared after them, but Sasuke overlooked that. Naruto did as well. Sakura, however, was so self-conscious about the looks, she shrunk away behind Naruto. "They're all staring after Sasuke-kun, Naruto would be the less likely for people to stare at." Sakura thought as she ducked behind his back.
As the three headed into 009 of the apartment building, Sasuke had yet to know the name of it, he instantly heard crying. Then hoarse coughing. She WAS horribly sick. And looked like it too. As Sasuke took in the scene, he focused on the centerpiece. Everyone was hovering around her. Kitsune's brown hair clung to her face, and her face was a chalky white. The dark circles under her eyes stood out because of this. Her lips too stood out. They were a pale blue, as if she had fallen and almost drowned in icy water. Her eyes were tear-brimmed, and red. SHE was the one that was crying.
"Sasuke...you actually came, didn't think that you would've." She said through her sobs. "Please, I need your help." She wiped her eyes. And Ookami, being right beside her on the couch, gave her a tissue. She blew her nose. "I...I had a horrible picture. A...vision in my head. My God, it was just wrong. You were all distorted, so different then you are now. Naruto, you tried...you tried so hard." She started crying again. And then a hoarse coughing spasm. "She started talking to Naruto...why does she need me?" He thought.
"Please, nii-chan, tell them. You're better at his than I am." He encouraged. Kitsune shook her head while she was coughing.
"I'll try. But trying is having the intention to fail...and that is what I'll most likely do." Kitsune spouted her usual snobby remarks. But her condition made it sound so pitiful, like she needed someone to help her, even though it was about failing. A hoarse sigh. "Well, my vision...my prophecy, is about you two." She pointed at Naruto, then Sasuke. "I saw...a fight going on between you two, but I have no idea when it's going to happen. And then..." She stopped and stared down, not wanting to say anymore.
There was a long silence. It made everyone feel uncomfortable; especially the two Kitsune was talking about. They had a strange sense that whatever the pink-eyed girl was predicting, it WILL happen. She coughed and hacked, followed by a retching noise that escaped her mouth. Ookami, with unimaginable speed, went into the kitchen and came back with a bowl before she puked. The scent filled the air, and made the three who had arrived not too long ago want to puke as well. It was a coppery smell, with reeking odours that background the copper tinge. She puked up the bloody vomit for awhile.
When she was finished, she started crying again. She held her hands to her mouth, only to have them turn red with the blood still on her lips. Sasuke wanted to ask what was wrong with her, and what the "vision" she saw really meant, but the sight of her like this kept his mouth shut. Instead, he moved and slightly squatted so he could see her eyes. She caught them and they held for a moment. That was when she started talking again, as if that motivated her somehow.
"The fight...I don't think I'll tell you about it. You guys want to know, but you don't NEED to know. You'll live it, eventually." Her tone saddened at the end. She looked down briefly, breaking the stare between her and Sasuke. "Instead, I'll tell you about our gift." She looked at Ookami, and he slightly smiled. She tried to smile back, her face looked too weak and sad for it to form normally. Then she looked back at Sasuke.
"I need to tell you this especially, Hot Shot." Kitsune said sharply. Sasuke smirked. Hearing her say her nickname for him, it made it seem a bit more normal. "My, well, our gift is a type of Dojutsu, an eye jutsu, like the Sharingan. A clan in the Land of Demons has the same gift, suggesting that we originally came from there." Kitsune paused to cough, the action seemed to take a lot of effort.
Ookami took it from there. "Our family, the Itami clan, lived here for awhile, we almost lived up to equal the Uchiha clan. But...eight years ago, the Itami's compound was burned and almost everyone died, except us. We were going to go to the Land of Demons, to live with the people who had the same gift as us. Instead, we stayed here, and abandoned the ninja course we were going to take. The Itami's reputation died, and soon both of us never took the name for introductions ad such. Just Ookami and Kitsune."
"The Itami clan!" Sakura softly gasped. Naruto sat down on the couch beside Kitsune, and then smiled. He held her shoulder, as if he had known her for a very long time.
"No wonder you could keep up with me and Sasuke! You even hit him on the head with a spoon!" Naruto exclaimed. Kitsune nodded, her face brightened. She looked a bit healthier, with the way Naruto was talking to her. Like she wasn't even sick.
"Bah, that was just luck. She wouldn't really keep up with us on missions, eh?" Sasuke spoke to Naruto, but Kitsune answered.
"Not in this condition." She coughed, but was still talking. "Our gift...it's one of prophecy. We could see what's going to happen. Normally, it wouldn't make me this sick. I would see it, be incredibly exhausted and recite the vision word for word, or, in this case, sight for sight. But...not this time. It hurt me, and I barely can recall anything that happened. I can't do anything." She started crying again. This was now a recurring theme.
Just then, the door burst open. Everyone expected Komugi, but there were health-ninjas instead. Tonbo addressed them. "What would you like, officers?" He asked them, in a formal tone. Sasuke didn't know he could speak like that.
"Your room-mate...Komugi-san asked us to take her to the infirmary." They explained. Ookami stiffened and Tonbo clenched his jaw. Sakura hovered closer to her, and Naruto tightened his grip on her shoulder. Kitsune looked straight on ahead, at Sasuke. He couldn't read her expression.
"No, we are perfectly capable of treating her ourselves." Tonbo said with a somewhat aggressive tone. The health-nin only shook their heads.
"Komugi-san told us you'd react like this, but, please, she ORDERED us to take her to the infirmary." One of them said, in a friendly tone. Tonbo then clenched his fists as the other one moved closer. Ookami let out an animal-like growl. That shocked Sasuke, and he broke his gaze at Kitsune to look at him. He was amazingly still, but his eyes followed the two people who intruded on them with incredible precision. His eyes, once a dull red, were bright and seemingly glowing. Sasuke fought the urge to calm him down, but he still spoke.
"Go to the infirmary, Kitsune. I'll make sure you'll get 24/7 visiting time for Tonbo and Ookami." Sasuke told her. She was slightly surpirised, and tilted her head back. But then, she nodded. She was OBEYING him. He couldn't believe it. She tried to sit up, but immediately sat down again. She held her head, and sighed from immense exhaustion. Naruto, looked at Sasuke, and he nodded his head. Immediately, the young teenage blonde picked her up in his arms, and walked to the health-nin. All of them never realized how weak she was, mainly because she never tried to get up.
"Better take good care of her. And make sure she DOES get 24/7 visiting hours. A lot of people will worry about her, you know." Naruto instructed the two men. They nodded, and grabbed her from his arms. They disappeared in smoke, Kitsune leaving with them. Once they were gone, everything lost its tension, and everyone sighed with relief.
"She IS going to get better, right?" Naruto asked. "Sakura-chan?" He looked more like a child than ever. His big blue eyes looked puppy-like, and Sakura already seemed close to crying.
"I don't know...this has never happened before. Maybe it was something...in the food..." She started to trail off, wondering what might've happened. Suddenly, like the button ON was pressed, Tonbo and Ookami were set in motion. They headed into the kitchen.
"Was there anything new she tried? She doesn't really check the ingredients." Ookami asked. Tonbo dug around in the cupboards.
"Nothing really, except pepper. We never bought..." Tonbo's face brightened. "That's it! She must be allergic to pepper! And her visions, since they aren't incredibly healthy for her...must've triggered something!" He was showing Ookami the small box of black pepper. "I mean, she doesn't get as sick as we do when we eat a lot. She always eats two or three more bowls before she throws up."
"That's right! And even then...she was eating slowly, like one or two bowls less than all four of us ate, right?" Ookami murmured. They headed into a heated discussion. Finally, they reached a conclusion. An allergic reaction, as Sakura noted, affect's a person's chakra flow as well as their physical condition. So, as Kitsune was getting sick, she was losing her chakra too. Her vision, or prophecy, whatever it's called, takes up a lot of chakra, as Ookami commented. Not only was she so low on chakra, the allergic reaction was also once again triggered, being connected with the chakra flow, and all that. That was why she was weak, and that also could've been the reason for the big difference in the prophecy layout. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder why she was suddenly leaning on him, more than anyone else. She did what he told her to do, and she also asked for him especially.
"But...that was the reason why she was weak and sick...why did she need me?" Sasuke asked once they finished their reasoning. Tonbo looked at him, and then widely grinned.
"Why do YOU think she did it? I know why, but I want to hear your reasons." Tonbo laid back on the couch, waiting for the raven-haired boy's answer. Sasuke was a bit taken back, what does that have to do with anything?
"Well...I was thinking it had something to do with me being in the prophecy, but as you pointed out, she would've ordinarily not told them. So really, I don't know." Sasuke mumbled. Then, Tonbo's grin grew wider.
"You have very good reasoning, buddy. I'll give you that. The real reason was...very close. She saw you in the prophecy...but, when she screams in her sleep like that...it means she was there when it happened, or relatively close. Your name probably came up because she was worried about you in her prophecy, or mad at you." Tonbo explained. She would be at the fight? When it happens? And what was she? Mad, or worried? "Ugh, why do you need to know? She'll probably be in the infirmary when it happens." He thought.
"Well, I'll be leaving. I need to go get some ramen, and later...I'll be at the hospital." Naruto suddenly said. He smiled greatly and ran out of the apartment. Sasuke's face flattened as he glared out of the apartment. Not if he gets there first.
"Hey! Come back! I wanted to be the first one to visit her! After all..." Tonbo yells softened as he ran down the hallway of the little house. He wondered what he was going to say. But he stood up as well. He looked at Sakura and Ookami. He didn't want to leave them alone...what if something happened? So he stayed, and borrowed some of Ookami's clothes that fit him pretty well. They didn't engage in any conversations... they just sat and watched T.V.
Sakura decided to sit with Sasuke, which he thought was a good sign. They watched different shows, Ookami on the floor in front of the couch and Sasuke and Sakura sitting together. It was peaceful... like nothing could go wrong. Didn't he have this feeling before? Sasuke went through his day. "The dream." After that thought, he was always looking around. In case something might happen. Nothing did for the longest time. Before they knew it, it was dinnertime. Naruto and Tonbo still haven't come back. They were probably with Kitsune, doing who knows what. Oddly comforted by the thought, he settled into learning how to cook from Ookami. He helped make supper. And he was proud of himself.
He decided to stay the night, since Kitsune wouldn't be there. Tonbo and Ookami might be good company, after what happened. He waited until Tonbo came back to head to bed. "Dammit! This is taking forever!"
Babiesarus: Ta-da! All done! Well, for now...till the next chapter! =P This story might be done before I know it...I've been sick for the last few days and all I could think about were ideas for this story. So please stay in touch. And...this is starting to bug me but...if someone could tell me if my characters are Mary-Sues or whatever they're called, please let me know! I never intended it that way! So sorry, if that does happen. And this ending for the chapter sucked. I can't think of any conclusions for this one...so wait until next chapter, and (hopefully) I'm getting better.