Hey guys.
How are you? Hope you love my longest chappie eva! (In this story)
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'Stand in the Rain" by SuperChick
As the pinkette walked quickly down the hall towards Sasuke's room, she clutched 'Titanic' to her stomach. She turned the corner and walked a tiny bit faster. Soon she'd turned to face his dorm. She stood in front of Sasuke's dorm, humming loudly. Suddenly, as she raised her hand to knock, it opened, and a glaring Uchiha stared back at her, an empty bottle of soda in his fist. He looked like he was cornered in a bar, and about to go mad. She gulped, and queasily offered forth the two cassette tape movie. His eyes flicked, and he relaxed in a split second.
"Hey Sakura. That it?" He glanced at the pro-offered film, and she nodded uneasily. She hesitated, then asked.
"You like the Titanic, Sasuke?"
He looked uncomfortable, and coughed out, "Er-Yeah?" He said it like a question. The girl raised a brow, her emerald eyes searching his murky black ones. Flicks of amber glinted in the flourescent lighting, and she shrugged, handing over the pair of movies.
"Shikamaru called me before I left and told me to ask about Naruto," she ventured cautiously, noting the clenching of Sasuke's fist. His glare hardened again, fiercer now. "What does he mean? What about Naruto?"
The other growled and glanced back into his room, whispered something Sakura couldn't hear, then turned back, still glaring.
"Thanks for the movie. Bye." He shut his door. Sakura stood there, her stunned face growing angry quickly. She pounded on the door, yelling obsceneties into the space beyond.
After a little wile though, she started to repeat herself, and gave up on the raven returning. She huffed and stalked off, still livid.
As the screams from the other side of his door died down and left, Sasuke inserted the first tape, giving the already entranced blonde a secret smile.
As the previews came on, he tried to pay attention to the screen, but his eyes kept being drawn to the bruised teen beside him. Sometime between when Leonardo DiCaprio met the woman (Sasuke didn't register her name), and when he had to change tapes, he had sighed quietly nearly 116 times.
He counted.
Naruto didn't laugh, but pouted whenever the characters said something unplea sant. He usually just smiled his big, soft-looking smile, and hummed happily at the happy parts. Sasuke's mind realized something as he did it for the umpteenth time.
He's adorable.
And Gods-help-him, he nearly choked on his own tongue, as he heard what his mind had said.
Oh fuck. Oh my fucking God. Oh shit. Oh...oh my.
Naruto was completely entralled with the film, as water raced over the sides of the gigantic vessel, Sasuke stood slowly, trying not to disturb the other. Immediatly pausing the movie, though, the blonde lifted his eyes to the other's.
"Sas'ke?" he questioned. His huge, sparkling blue eyes grew confused and even more puppydog-ish. Sasuke gulped.
Cute.
"I'm gonna go get more meds from Tsunade, alright?" He watched Naruto carefully.
Cobalt eyes widened in hesitation, and he murmured, "But..." I don't want you to go...
The words were private, and the raven didn't hear them this time.
"I'll be back in ten or fifteen minutes, and the door and window will be latched up tight. Okay?" He stepped closer again, offering up his open palms in compromise.
Naruto pulled his covers up and nodded shakily. The two hadn't been apart except for Sasuke's nightly showers since they'd returned three days ago (Including that day). He began to shiver and unpaused the film, trying to focus on it again.
Sasuke quelled his thumping heart and turned towards the door, grabbing his keys from underneath the growing pile of homework they had ammassed. They were really beginning to pile, since nobody had come by to get them. Kakashi had them delivered each morning, but hadn't sent anyone to retrieve them.
Everytime the raven had tried so far to give them to the delivery boys, they'd refused, shaking thier heads and saying they'd been told not to. He hesitated again, then grabbed the stack and tucked it under his arm. Glancing back at the other, he opened the door, shutting it firmly and locking both the double locks behind him. He regretted he couldn't lock the dead bolt from here.
He checked both ways, and headed off towards the college's office. He wondered if Tsunade was even 'in', and turned the corner. He turned again just as quickly, and narrowly avoided being spotted by Ino.
Damn it. I'm already having a bad day. First I wake up and hear chanting outside, and those damn chicks were burning inscense to bring me 'back to them,' then Sakura starts asking questions, then that happened, he paused, unsure, then plowed on again, Andnow I run into my 'number one fan.'
Greeeeeat.
She was sneering with some of her 'friends',and laughing shrilly. Sasuke snuck as close as he could, wondering.
"God, Mia, you're so right! That damn Fox," she spat the word out like a curse, "Is just a damned burden on Sasuke-kun." She blushed when she sighed his name, and he wrinkled his nose, disgusted. A slow boil of anger was bubbling as he listened further.
"Yeah. Thank God we haven't had to look at him since we 'saw' him last week. Who knows? Maybe we're heroes because we teased him into leaving!" another girl cackled fiercely. The others joined in with her. Sasuke growled, but held his frayed temper back. He kept listening.
"So, I was sick that day guys," one of them whined. The others made sympathetic gestures, and she kept going, "So what did you say to him? Please?"
The raven strained to hear.
"Well," Ino took a breath, "We told him the truth. That he was worthless, a burden, and a fucking monster!" The others cheered.
Seething, the teen waited behind the corner, sensing there was more to come.
"Get this," she continued, "We also said that Sasuke had told everyone he hated the fox and even that he wished he'd never met him in the first place. The thing totally bought it. What a loser. He went off, and was sobbing something like, 'It's just not true!'"They all started giggling, and applauded the glassy blonde girl.
Seething, the raven gripped his sweats, restraining himself.
He took a huge breath, letting it all hiss out. As he let it go, he turned around, walking slowly and firmly, not turning around. He got all the way to the elevator and slid Tsunade's key in, which he hadn't given back. He stepped in, glaring at the doors as they shut. Then, collapsing into himself, and knowing the doors wouldn't open until he inserted the thin key again, he sat down, clutching at his sides, as they burned with pent up tears. His heart was aching.
He felt like he wanted to die. He felt like he wanted to kill someone. He felt like he already had...
Shikamaru was walking down the hall, leaning back, with his head tilted. He watched the clouds out the windows, and sighed.
So damn troublesome.
Damn Tsunade, making his work today. It was gorgeous outside. He looked again at the small slip of paper he'd been told tt deliver to Sasuke. He passed Ino and her little gaggle of girls, ignoring them with long-practiced skill.
As he neared the other's dorm, he heard soft crying. Raising a brow, he walked .2 miles faster, and arrived a whole three seconds sooner. Then, putting a lazy ear to the door, Shika felt both brows furrow. Sobbing was coming from inside, and Sasuke never cried. He backed up, and knocked on the door.
"Sasuke?" came the call from Inside, carefully neutral but still with hope on the outer edges. It sounded male.
"Sasuke?" the voice came again, this time urgent. Shika knocked again, softer. A shriek came from inside, making the brunette jump, startled by this reaction.
"Hello? Who are you?" he finally asked quietly into the door.
The crying had started again, but now it ground to a halt, and the teen listened to sniffles.
"Why? Who are you?" The mystery person asked, his voice muffled.
Shikamaru thought for a moment, and then it clicked.
"Naruto?"
A sharp gasp sounded from the other side, and he quickly continued, "It's Shikamaru. What's going on?" Silence.
"Hello? Naruto?" Still no sound. He sighed, rubbing the back of his head, and muttered, "Troublesome damn mystery." Then, sighing again, and retaining his slouch, he called out, "Look, Naruto. Tsunade sent me to give a note to Sasuke. I'm sorry if I scared you. I won't ask. The old hag threatened to put me on as a full-time aid if I did." He sighed for the umpteenth time.
"Can you give the Uchiha a message?" he asked softly. A silence stretched, and he gave up on any answer.
"Okay. I'm taking that as a yes. Tell him Tsunade said something about his brother being seen. She said he'd know what it meant," he grumbled, and yawned.
Troublesome.
"Okay then," he surrendered a final time, "I'm going to leave now. Just tell Sasuke when he gets back, I guess."
And with that, he walked off, wondering.
As he listened to Shika talking right outside the door, the blonde was freaking out. How'd he find out that Naruto was there?
Did Sasuke say something? What was going to happen to him now?
He tried to calm down, eyes still puffy from his earlier crying. He'd been so scared, because he didn't know what to think of his feelings. And now, it might not matter anymore at all.
He might be exposed in front of everyone who hated him.
He shifted, crying harder when his ass ground against the matress. It was hardly hurting anymore, but the raw memory of it came back, if only for a split second, whenever his butt touched something roughly. He ground his teeth, trying to move. His ribs suddenly cried out and his cheeks stung.
It was the salt. So many fresh wounds were being salt-dripped by Naruto's sobbing.
He finally got sitting up and swung his feet very slowly over the edge of the bed, a shiver of fear and cold getting past his tears.
As hestood, he bit his tongue trying not to scream, and felt warm, metallic blood splash into his wet cavern. He gagged, and choked on blood and his sobs at the same time.
Breathing deeply, and trying not to weep further, Naruto took several steps without stopping, but when he did, he was panting, and a few of his unhealed wounds had opened back up, freely bleeding.
He gasped, blood splattering where he coughed. He gagged another time and heaved his chest, trying not to hyper-ventilate. His body was shutting down on itself. So many days bedrest hadn't prepared it for this new test of strength, It just couldn't take it.
His knees buckled, and he shrieked, coughing up more blood. His shirt had soaked through, and he was only four feet from the door when his body completely collapsed.
The last thing he thought about was Sasuke's carpets, how bloody he'd made them, his pain being numbed by the encroaching darkness.
I just can't seem to quit being a burden on him...
As he dried his eyes sternly again, the raven shook his bangs into his face, to hide any remaining redness on the rims of his eyes.
I think I've cried more in the past eight days than I have in my entire life, He thought wonderingly.
Then, as he slid the key into it's slot, the doors opened, and he stepped out, sighing with a hint of a shudder. He cleared his throat, readjusted the papers again under his arm, and set off back towards the front office, connected through a long, windowed 'tunnel' to both the girls' and boys' dorm, the real school on the other side.
The air-conditioner blasted through the narrow hallway, and Sasuke shivered. He arrived, chilled somewhat, at Tsunade's office, and banged on the door loud enough to wake the dead.
"What? Damn it, come the hell in, don't stand out there and beat down my freakin' door!" she snarled from inside. He smirked and opened up, waiting until the butter knife flew past, into the floor beside him, to step into her space. A bottle of rum was sitting on her desk, half-hidden by papers, probably similar to the ones he himself was carrying.
Sympathy twitched somewhere deep inside the raven, but he smothered it and stared at her.
She had dark purple shadows under both her murky eyes, and her hair hung limply, dully around her face, one side nearly free of its pigtail.
"Oh, Sas'ke. Its you," she slurred, glaring at him, "Wha'cha doin? Hows ma brat?"
He shook his head sitting down in one of the plush chairs by her desk, putting the stack of papers down, out of her line of sight.
"Hoenstly Tsunade. It's not even three o' clock yet," he sounded bored, but concern was writhing around in the pit of his stomach, being ignored by the pride, who ran everything and made the desicions.
Sheraised a brow and waved him away irritably.
"Tch. 'It' Snot even tree yech,' she grumbled, her voice extremely slurred as she attempted to mimic him. She glared bitterly at him, "Well i'm having a very bad week, Mr. Uchiha," she spat.
Sasuke flinched and turned away. She sighed, like she'd regretted it immediatly.
"Sorry kid. I'm just upset and stressed."
He said nothing, and she groaned, stoppering her rum. She seemed to be coming out of the drunken fog, and cleared he throat.
"So how is Naruto?" sheasked solemnly, confirming this, as she finally came all the way out of her slurred stupor. She'd escaped her rum-dim-di-ness.
Sasuke sighed, and shook more of his coal black hair into his face, obscruing her view of his eyes even more.
"He's...progressing positively, I suppose. When I left him, he was watching Titanic."
The blonde's brow rose, "You own Titanic." she said it as a statement, and the raven grumbled.
"Sakura came over a dropped it off," her muttered tersly. She nodded. Then, scooping up her bottle, she slid it into a drawer beside her. It was Sasuke's turn to raise his brow.
"Well," she continued, "I have some news for you, so I guess since you're here, you havn't heard from Shikamaru, am I right?"
He nodded, wondering where this was headed.
"Itachi was sighted a few days ago, in a nearby city," she said quietly. Sasuke's body froze up, cleching around itself like a barrier.
Hesucked in a shuddery breath.
"Where?"
"Rain City." (Hidden Village of the Rain)
His eyes widened. And he grpped his chair tighter, the soft leather squeaking in his grasp.
"We're going to have you move into one of the Teacher's rooms," she told him, her words reaching him. He blinked,and shook his head no, remembering his blonde.
He stiffened.
When did I start to think of him as mine?
Confused, worried, and just freaking out in general, Sasuke sighed, rubbing his temples.
"We can't move him yet. He's just now got enough strength to stay awake for long periods of time, and he's alot more comfortable in my room than he would be anywhere else," his tone brooked no argument, Principal or not. His tone alone told her he'd fight for this if he had to. She scowled, knowing that he wouldn't budge in this.
She furrowed her brow, then announced, "Then Kakashi's sleeping on your couch from now on."
"Fine." She blinked. She hadn't thought it'd be so easy.
"What?" she nearly said, but recovered just in time, noting that the raven wasn't even looking at her, but instead at the door, as if he wanted to run away.
"Kid?" Tsunade asked softly, and got up, coming over to sit beside him. She hesitated, eyeing the paperwork on the ground, but kept going, and ruffled his hair, snapping him from his thoughts.
"Rgh! Hey." he hissed, scrabling out of hisseat and practically onto the ground. She chuckled.
'So.I'll tell Kakashi, okay?"
"Tell Kakashi what?" avoice said, and the silver-haired man stepped out from behind Tsunade.. He growled, and slapped him hard.
"Hell! Give me a freakin' heart attack, why don't you?"
"You're sleeping on my couch," Sasuke said, then shoved his papers into the man's hands, leaving before he could protest.
Shikamaru was just walking back into the office when he bumped into Sasuke. The raven stared at him, then nodded, about to go past.
Shika sighed, "Wait, Sasuke," he mumbled.
"Don't worry, Tsunade already tol—"
"Naruto was crying."
Sasuke whipped around and whispered harshly, "What?"
Kakashi glanced at them through Tsunade's door window, cocking his head.
"I heard him sobbing behind your door when I went to give you the message."
Before he could say anymore, he was released and pushed away, as the raven turned on his heels and sprinted back towards the stairs.