Wow, I'm shocked at the amount of positive feedback I received for the previous chapter. Thank you so much!
One Note: I do not claim to be an expert on mental disorders. I am neither a doctor nor a psychiatrist. In the case of Gaara's schizophrenia and Ino's manic depression I am taking liberties. In most cases I am probably far off from how a person would in fact act if they were suffering from the disorder. So please, bare with me and try and overlook any glaring errors I make.
And as always: all feedback, positive and negative, is welcome. I'd appreciate it if you tell me what you think, but it's not necessary.
Enjoy!
"Behind the glass,
I watched the world...
from cracks the blinds make when they're drawn.
I watched the world for years this way,
and that catches us up to this moment today.
Quarantine!
The rock and the hard place I'm between,
Quarantine, Quarantine, Quarantine!
And it was you I did this for...
I put the dead bolt on the door...
understand I can't see you now...
realize it's not to keep me in, but to keep all the sickies out.
Quarantine
Such an ugly word for what I mean
Quarantine, Quarantine, Quarantine!
I heard you let some little flea
give you that contagious disease
you let him climb right on you two
it's been plaguing me too!
La lala la lala la
La lala la lala laaa...
Realize it's not to keep me in, but to keep all the sickies out. "
--Quarantined, Phantom Planet
The Sound of Silence
Chapter Five: Vulnerability
It hurt to see his Grandfather suffering and know he couldn't do a thing about it. Naruto had walked to the hospital after school, and had been sitting beside his Grandfather for the better part of an hour. The silence was starting to grate on Naruto's nerves, but he didn't know how to break it. Talking seemed superficial when his Grandfather couldn't respond; and really, what was he supposed to say? The weather was nice for this time of the year?
"You might feel better if you say something, Mr. Uzumaki." Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice sounded behind him. "Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you."
Naruto laughed and ran a shaky hand through his hair. "It's okay Kakashi."
Kakashi nodding absently, patted Naruto's shoulder while glancing down at his chart. Kakashi had been his Grandfather's doctor for the two long, terrible months he'd been in the hospital.
Kakashi was young, or at least Naruto thought he was. He couldn't have been older than twenty-four or twenty-six. His gray hair, obviously premature, framed his tan face. His eyes were always twinkling, and he practically radiated cheer and goodwill. Naruto loved him because he was always frank and didn't try and hide his Grandfather's deteriorating health from him; and he always had a joke ready, and he seemed genuinely happy when he made Naruto laugh.
A scar ran down his face and under his right eye. Naruto had asked him about it three weeks after his Grandfather had been admitted. Kakashi, much to Naruto's surprise, had laughed after hearing Naruto's queries.
"You see, three years ago, I went to a party and got trashed. On my way home from the event, I was swaying around, tripping over everything, even my own feet. I wasn't paying attention, or maybe I just didn't notice, but anyway, I walked out right in front of a car. It hit me, obviously.
"Both the driver and I were fine, but a piece of glass from the windshield hit my face, and cut me up pretty bad. The Doctors thought I was going to loose my eye. I recovered, and all I have from the accident is this scar, and the belief that some higher entity was looking after me. I haven't touched alcohol since."
"You should try and talk to your Grandfather. It might make you feel better."
"I don't know," Naruto sighed, and stroked his Grandfather's hand. "I don't really feel like discussing my life with someone who can't hear me, or respond."
Kakashi's eyebrows rose at the bitterness in Naruto's tone. He didn't press the matter, for which Naruto was grateful. A couple minutes later Kakashi left with a soft 'goodbye', and Naruto felt as if he had disappointed the Doctor.
It didn't matter; Naruto left without saying one word to his Grandfather. He tried to tell himself his Grandfather would understand.
((((((((
He has ten days left to conclude the research on Sasuke. The stress was starting to get to Naruto. Naruto had discovered next to nothing about Sasuke, and what he had uncovered was useless in his report.
Yeah, it was awesome that Sasuke was opening up to him, but Naruto couldn't really write about that. Sasuke didn't like Ino, which was something, but once again, the discovery wasn't substantial enough for a report.
Sakura was helping out as much as possible, but even she was growing frustrated. They had been spending their lunch pouring over her notebook, discussing what she had written, trying to make the jumbled facts make some sort of sense. Naruto figured they had hit a brick wall and were not any closer to scaling it.
"I guess," Naruto said, sighing into his cellphone, hearing Sakura's answering sigh in his ear, "I'll have to go back tomorrow."
Sakura's laugh was quiet. "Was there really any doubt?"
"No, not really," Naruto said, and he wished he didn't sound so petulant. "I know running away doesn't solve anything, but really, Mercer Medical Facilities makes me uncomfortable, and so does Sasuke.
"I have to uncover Sasuke's secrets. I need to know why he hasn't spoken in three years. I guess I was hoping I wouldn't have to work so hard, and I could just write the damn report without having to do much detective work."
"Naruto..." Sakura's voice was sympathetic and Naruto did not need that from his friend. He wanted her to tell him everything was going to be okay, and yes, he did want her to help him. But her sympathy wasn't helping and it only made him feel worse.
Naruto inhaled sharply as he opened the door to his Grandfather's house and turned the hallway light on. "I guess on some level I had hoped I wouldn't have to go back, and that I wouldn't care. But I failed; I care about Sasuke, and that scares me."
Sakura's silence hung heavily on Naruto's nerves. He hadn't really believed Sakura would be able to solve his problems. That hadn't stopped him from hoping.
(((())))))
It was a little after elven when Naruto walked into the waiting area of Mercer Medical Facilities; Kristen was there, as usual. She smiled brightly when she caught sight of him, and jumped to her feet.
"Naruto! What a pleasure to see you!" She glanced at the clock and frowned when she saw the time. "Shouldn't you be in school?"
Naruto flushed. "Uh, yeah, about that..."
Kristen waved her hand dismissively. "I'm not one to talk. I skipped my economics class to pick up an extra shift. I need the money since gas prices have gotten so outrageous."
Naruto nodded, pretending to agree. He was lucky in a way Kristen wasn't. Naruto didn't have to worry about a car or gas since he either took public transportation or walked everywhere. His Grandfather had been pretty well off, and had left Naruto a small fortune, so he wasn't going to have to worry about money for another couple of years.
"Okay, than!" Kristen said cheerfully; "Let me take you to see Sasuke. He's eating lunch with two of his inmates." Kristen elaborated when Naruto looked at her inquisitively. "Joining our silent patient is Shino Aburame, and Gaara, who has been asking when you'd be visiting again."
Naruto shivered as thoughts of his last two visits surfaced. While Naruto had indeed bonded with Sasuke, the rest of the visit had been nothing short of a disaster. Ino had traumatized Gaara and made a nuisance of herself; and, while Naruto had gotten Sasuke to open up on some level, the teen had shut down almost as quickly as he had allowed a hint of vulnerability to surface.
Ino had been frightening. Gaara, on the other hand, had been kind but trapped in his own world, unable to relate to his peers. Naruto liked Gaara, though, and was looking forward to seeing him again. But what would this Shino be like?
As if sensing Naruto's thoughts, Kristen spoke again, her hand resting on the door to the dining hall. "Shino is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I don't claim to know a lot about the disorder, I'm not a psychiatrist, obviously. From what I can tell, however, Shino is suffering from a very bad case, and his family, unable to deal with his condition, sent him here.
"They're hoping with the proper care and psychiatric help, they'll be able to take Shino home soon. He's one of the only patients that is visited regularly." Kristen trailed off bitterly. She sighed and pushed the door open.
Naruto followed mutely behind the girl, swallowing when he caught sight of Sasuke. The teen seemed to sense Naruto's presence; his eyes widened and he turned and fixed his burning gaze on Naruto, who blushed a deep crimson under Sasuke's stare.
"Good afternoon Mr. Uchiha, Mr. Aburame, and you too, Gaara," Kristen smiled and pushed Naruto into a seat beside Sasuke, Gaara to his left. Directly across from Naruto sat another silent teen, painfully thin in an over sized red sweatshirt and black wind pants hanging from bony hips; his black hair was a wild, curly mane framing his pale, milky skin. Black, expensive looking sunglasses covered his eyes.
What caught Naruto's attention, however, was the way Shino, much like Gaara, hunched away from the persons at the table. Shino seemed to startle easily; he jumped when Naruto scraped his chair noisily across the floor; he whimpered whenever an orderly walked by him. He seemed a second away from a full blown panic attack.
Wanting to put the teen at ease Naruto tried to smile. Shino shrunk away from Naruto as if he thought Naruto meant to harm him. Feeling lost and a lot out of his element, Naruto turned to Kristen for help; Kristen was, however, gone. Naruto groaned his frustration.
A dry derisive laugh had Naruto whirling around, startled. He stared, incredulously, when he realized it was Sasuke mocking him. Naruto couldn't decide if he should consider taunting laughter progress or not; at least Sasuke was doing something different and wasn't spending all of his time staring ceaselessly at him.
"Naruto!" Gaara's voice, loud and right in his ear had Naruto startling and turning sharply to face the teen. Gaara was definitely in better spirits; he wasn't hunched in on himself, and he didn't seem disturbed or frightened. Naruto was surprised at how happy he was to see a smile on Gaara's face.
"Hello, Gaara. I'm happy to see you again." Naruto said, grinning back at the teen. Gaara patted Naruto's knee, and Naruto yelped when he felt Sasuke's hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from Gaara.
Sasuke ignored Naruto's indignant splutter and wrapped his arm possessively around the struggling teens shoulder. Gaara tilted his head to the left and peered at Naruto curiously. Naruto flushed under Gaara's calculating eyes. He felt Sasuke press his mouth to his neck and he felt as if he had been shocked with a bolt of lightning; a pleasant warmth pooled in his stomach.
Gaara nodded his head, seeming to have came to some conclusion. He held up his hands in a placating manner and turned his attention back to his gourd, and Naruto turned crimson when he heard Gaara mutter, "Sasuke and Naruto seemed to have gotten together, Mother; I'm happy for them."
"You ass!" Naruto hissed. Sasuke, unperturbed by Naruto's outburst pressed his hand harder against Naruto's shoulder and mouthed his neck. Feeling Sasuke's lips press into his neck, the touch of his lips as soft as a butterfly's wing, caused Naruto's brain to short out and his anger dissipated.
Naruto would bet all his money that was what Sasuke had been aiming for. Naruto groaned softly when Sasuke's lips ghosted across his flushed skin, and Naruto's breath stuttered and caught in his lungs when Sasuke turned his head and pressed his lips against Naruto's for one heart stopping moment. And than, all too soon, Sasuke's lips and warmth were gone, leaving Naruto feeling bereft.
Naruto turned to face Sasuke and his confusion was met with a smug smile. Naruto glared and Sasuke pressed his lips to Naruto's and, once again, all thought fled from Naruto's mind.
"Stop it! Stop deliberately distracting me!" Naruto hissed, glaring. Sasuke smiled innocently and pulled Naruto back against his chest. Naruto couldn't help but wonder why he was letting Sasuke basically molest him with almost no objections. And, better yet, didn't he have a crush on Sakura?
It was all too confusing.
"All right you three," A soft voice had Naruto pulling away from Sasuke's warm embrace and climbing to his feet along with the three teens. "Time to go back to your rooms."
Naruto fell into place beside Sasuke and Gaara, watching as two orderlies led Shino into a separate room. A chubby orderly, who looked only a few years older than Naruto motioned for Gaara to follow him, and he did without a word, his hands clutching his gourd to his chest.
Naruto felt uncomfortable, unsure where to look. Butterfly's were doing the tango in his stomach and he felt lightheaded and flushed; he couldn't stop looking at Sasuke. His eyes moved over Sasuke's slim, pale body, and heat spread through him.
"Mr. Uzumaki," Kristen said, surprising Naruto. He had assumed Kristen had left for the day. "Do you wish to spend a little more time with Sasuke, or do you plan on leaving?"
Naruto felt Sasuke stiffen beside him. Naruto flushed under the combined weight of Kristen and Sasuke's stares; he was frozen, his mind blank, unable to make a decision. And then Sasuke seemed to make it for Naruto; his fingers encircled Naruto's wrist, and before he knew what he was doing, he was telling Kristen he planned on staying.
Sasuke's lips twitched as if he were fighting a smile. Kristen beamed at him as she unlocked the door to Sasuke's dark room. "All right then," She said cheerfully, "You have an hour. Sasuke has group therapy then."
Naruto followed Sasuke into his room. The door locked behind them, plunging the room into darkness. Naruto shifted from foot to foot as Sasuke shuffled over to the wall and flipped the light switch. Naruto winced as his eyes adjust to the harsh light.
"What should we do?" He asked, feeling stupid as Sasuke blinked at him. And really, what had he been expecting? Sasuke to suddenly start speaking? He had a better chance of Sasuke standing and doing a jig for him.
"Um," Naruto stuttered, floundering for something, anything to focus his attention on. Sasuke's dark eyes were locked on his, and Sasuke was creeping closer to him. And his gaze was just burning into his skin like a brand. Naruto felt so full, as if Sasuke were possessing him. For the millionth time today, Naruto flushed.
"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed, suddenly remembering his backpack. He had, after all, skipped school. Of course he had his course books with him. It was a little dull, but why not read to Sasuke? "I can read to you!"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he looked less than thrilled. Sasuke probably thought Naruto meant that as an insult, but he meant anything but. I'm so stupid Naruto thought disparagingly.
"I'm not insinuating anything; and I definitely don't think of you as a child," Naruto said soothingly as he motioned for Sasuke to sit beside him on the bed. Naruto resolutely forced back dirty thoughts. "It's just, I skipped class today to visit you, and I don't want to get behind on my literature class. Instead of just sitting here and staring at each other, I figured we could do something productive."
Sasuke looked pointedly at Naruto's lips and arched his eyebrow suggestively. Naruto could almost hear Sasuke's silent Don't you think this would be more productive? Naruto's battered copy of Lord of the Flies nearly slipped from Naruto's nerveless fingers.
Naruto told himself he wasn't disappointed when he read Lord of the Flies, ignoring Sasuke's silent proposition.
&((((
So I'm attracted to Sasuke Naruto thought and he snorted at the gross understatement. I definitely am still attracted to Sakura, but there's something about Sasuke that just draws me to him. There's almost this physical need for me to find out what's wrong with him and save him.
Naruto watched as a jagged bolt of lightning illuminated the sky outside of his window. The rain pattering against the roof was soothing; Naruto was so tired, but he couldn't quiet his mind enough to go to sleep.
I have nine days left to finish this project. Eleven if you count the two days I'm going to need to type it up. I'm still no closer to having an answer to Sasuke's muteness. I wonder if there's anyway I can get him to open up?
And really? Why do I care so much?
Naruto didn't have an answer, no matter how much he wanted a revelation to hit him. Of course one didn't come and Naruto finally fell asleep.
)(((
The following day, which was a Saturday, Naruto walked into the waiting area at Mercer Medical Facilities. He was shocked when he discovered Kristen wasn't working. Instead a dark haired girl was flipping through a worn issue of People magazine. She smiled shyly when she caught sight of Naruto.
"He-hello. C-can I h-help you?" She stuttered, her voice so quiet Naruto almost missed it.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki; I'm here to see Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto said.
"O-oh. Right this way. Kristen left me a note saying you might be visiting Mr. Uchiha. By the way, I'm Hinata."
Naruto nodded politely, wondering where Hinata's shyness went. Just as she was about to unlock Sasuke's door, it opened, badly startling her. A man, startlingly pale, stepped out of the room, a sneer on his face though it vanished when he caught sight of Naruto and Hinata.
The man had yellow slitted eyes and long, stringy black hair. He was dressed immaculately in a black designer suit, the suit jacket thrown carelessly over his arm, exposing the crisp, white pressed dress shirt. Naruto realized this must be Doctor Orochimaru when he caught sight of snake tattoos running up the Doctor's left arm and disappearing under the shirt sleeve.
Hinata confirmed Naruto's suspicion when she spoke. "Doctor Orochimaru, I was unaware you were visiting Mr. Uchiha."
The sneer was back on Orochimaru's face, though it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. Hinata either didn't notice, or pretended not to as her face was placid and unconcerned. Naruto envied Hinata's ease and tranquility; he was, on the other hand, almost bristling with anger. He already loathed the Doctor. It was obvious, even though Naruto had just met him, Orochimaru was as terrible, if not worse than, Doctor Forster.
"Yes, I was, Dearie," Orochimaru said, and while his voice was polite, the contempt was obvious in his eyes. Hinata started but managed to keep a smile on her face.
"I-is it o-okay if Mr. Uzumaki se-sees Mr. Uchiha?" Hinata was stuttering again, flushing under the Doctor's open disdain.
Orochimaru's eyes flicked over to Naruto and Naruto's chin lifted and he squared his shoulders under the Doctor's roving eyes. He felt horribly exposed under those yellow slitted eyes; it was almost as if the Doctor were mentally undressing him. Bile rose in Naruto's throat, and he actually had to bite back a swear when Orochimaru licked his lips.
"Do as you please, but do not agitate Mr. Uchiha." Orochimaru waved his hand dismissively and turned on his heel and walked away without another word.
Hinata and Naruto let out a collective sigh of relief. He thanked Hinata profusely as she held the door open for him. And, for the second time in two days, he was back in Sasuke's room. Only this time he felt mentally unclean, almost as if Orochimaru had violated him in some way.
Sasuke was curled up in a corner of his room, his back to the wall. His black eyes were wide and haunted. He did not react in anyway when Naruto called his name. Naruto practically dashed across the room and crouched beside the silent teen. Sasuke blinked, but other than that small reaction, did not move at all.
Fear was a heavy, stone like weight in Naruto's stomach, and adrenaline coursed through his veins. A fierce wave of protectiveness rose inside of Naruto. Before he could consider the consequences he was drawing Sasuke into his arms and pulling him close. His chin rested on Sasuke's shoulder.
To Naruto's utter surprise, Sasuke allowed the embrace. He almost seemed to melt into Naruto's arms with a soft sigh. His breathing was labored as if Sasuke had run a marathon. Naruto rocked Sasuke as if he were a small child and hummed soothingly. Sasuke didn't cry nor did he wail or do anything dramatic. He just laid limply in Naruto's arms. And, if only for that moment Naruto was content.
Naruto wasn't sure how long he held Sasuke. But eventually Hinata came for Naruto, and he reluctantly allowed Sasuke to move away. The haunted look was gone from Sasuke's eyes and he looked less troubled and some color had returned to Sasuke's pale skin.
"I'm going to help you," Naruto whispered. Sasuke's eyes widened, and Naruto rushed on before he lost his nerve. "Orochimaru is a creep. I don't want him troubling you anymore. I swear to you, Sasuke, I'm going to do whatever it takes to assist you."
Naruto felt better than he had in a long while as he left Mercer Medical Facilities and started for home.
((+)(+)+)+)
"Something is definitely wrong with that Doctor," Naruto said for the thousandth time. Sakura made an affirming sound but otherwise remained silent. "I mean, he was really creepy Sakura!"
"I understand Naruto. You've been talking about nothing but this Orochimaru for the last hour." Sakura said patiently, her voice tinny over the phone. "Can we please talk about something else? Like, oh, I don't know, Sasuke kissing you?"
Naruto groaned and he buried his face in his hands. Sakura laughed and the sound drew a reluctant smile on his face. He had thought about hiding the kiss from Sakura, but the minute Sakura answered her phone, Naruto blurted it out. Sakura hadn't seemed disgusted by what had happened. She was still treating Naruto the same as she always had.
"I don't know. It just kind of happened. I mean, one minute he was kissing my neck and the next he was kissing me! I don't know what to think!"
Sakura snorted and Naruto blushed though his friend couldn't see. "What's so funny? At least you're not having a sexual crisis!" Sakura tried to suppress her laughter but Naruto could still hear it over the phone.
"I'm sorry." She smothered more laughter, "I have a question, though."
Naruto, worry plain to hear in his voice asked hesitantly, "Um, what?" Did Sakura want to stop talking to him?
"Do you still want to help Sasuke because of the report, or are you ready to admit that you actually care about his well being?"
"I want to help him, and I'm going to help him no matter what my personal feelings may be." Naruto surprised himself with how steady and determined his voice was.
"Good." Sakura said, pleased. She stifled a laugh when she added, "Than I give you two my blessing." Naruto swore at her and they argued playfully.
((((
Two days later, on Tuesday, Naruto greeted Kristen. It was four PM and he had about an hour and a half to visit Sasuke, and than he had to rush to see his Grandfather. He told Kristen his plans after she stood and motioned for him to follow her.
"I need to ask you something," Naruto said hesitantly. Kristen stopped so suddenly Naruto almost ran into her back. "It's about Doctor Orochimaru."
Kristen tried and failed to hide her disgust. She smiled sheepishly when Naruto shot her an amused look. It was a relief to see he wasn't the only one weirded out by the lecherous Doctor.
"Does he seem, I don't know, kind of strange to you?" Kristen wouldn't meet his eyes. "Because Sasuke seemed, I don't know, off...or something, after the Doctor left his room."
Kristen was still avoiding Naruto's gaze and it was starting to piss him off. For the first time Naruto was growing impatient with the girl. He wanted answers, and he was going to get them no matter how much Kristen fought him.
"You said to me a couple of visits ago, that Sasuke was always angry after the Doctor visited him, and that you thought Orochimaru was creepy. Well, Sasuke wasn't angry this time, he seemed almost agitated and closed off. Why is that?" Kristen was now staring at her feet. Naruto felt rage choking him. He pressed on relentlessly, watching Kristen's face; "Do you think the Doctor is...doing things to him?"
Kristen blanched and went deathly pale. "No!" She cried vehemently. "If I thought for one second Doctor Orochimaru was sexually abusing Mr. Uchiha I would have spoken up ages ago! The orderlies may not care about the patients, but even they wouldn't ignore a Doctor molesting a patient!"
Naruto felt awful. He had basically just accused Kristen of allowing Orochimaru to molest Sasuke and turning a blind eye. "I'm sorry Kristen," Naruto said remorsefully.
Kristen wiped away tears sliding down her face and smiled tremulously. "It's okay. I can understand your frustration; I know Doctor Orochimaru is one creepy lecherous man. And while I haven't gotten Sasuke to open up to me like you have, he does trust me. I can feel it. And there's no way in hell I would let someone to abuse that poor man.
"I will, however keep a closer eye on Mr. Uchiha after the Doctor's visits. It is possible that I've missed some signs of another kind of abuse. He could be verbally abusing Mr. Uchiha, maybe. And if so, than he could be fired for that kind of mistreatment."
Naruto smiled gratefully. While Kristen was still pale and had dried tears on her face, she seemed to have forgiven Naruto for his false accusations. Kristen had brought up a good point. If Orochimaru was mistreating Sasuke in some way, if it could be proven, and if some evidence could be found, than the Doctor would be fired and never be able to bother Sasuke again.
He would keep his eyes open and try and pin something damning on the Doctor. It was important that Naruto do this one thing for Sasuke. Besides, hadn't Naruto promised he would help Sasuke out, no matter what?
(((((
Kristen led Naruto outside and to a closed off, grassy area. Sasuke was leaning against a tree a short distance from the door. Shino, sitting beside Gaara and close to Sasuke, was watching ants. Gaara was pulling up blades of grass and mumbling to himself.
Kristen smiled at the three teens fondly and waved goodbye to Naruto. After greeting everyone, Naruto leaned beside Sasuke, wondering what he should say. Should he mention his suspicions regarding Orochimaru? Or should he tell Sasuke about his talk with Kristen?
Before he could gather the courage to speak, Sasuke reached into his pocket and drew out a yellowed, ripped piece of paper and pressed it into Naruto's hand. Naruto could only stare, dumbfounded at Sasuke.
Sasuke smiled and kissed Naruto's hand. His eyes were closed off, however, and Naruto couldn't read his expression. And than Sasuke's lips were pressed against Naruto's once again, the texture of Sasuke's lips already familiar.
Time held no meaning as Sasuke's lips moved against Naruto's, leaving Naruto weak and shaking, but pleasantly so. When Sasuke lifted his head reluctantly, Naruto had almost forgotten what he had been stunned about. He was left smiling and dazed.
Gaara, who had stopped plucking at the grass noticed the piece of paper clutched in Naruto's hand, spoke up. "Oh," he said absently, "Are you going to read that? That's a clipping from the newspaper and explains why Sasuke's here. He never leaves his room without it. He must really trust you, Naruto, to be showing you that."
Naruto was stunned as he stared at the piece of paper in his hands. He held the article that explained not only why Sasuke was here, but also why he had stopped talking.
End of Chapter
This chapter is thirteen pages long! By far my longest chapter yet!
Um, yeah, sorry guys. I'm honestly not trying to be a jerk ending this chapter here. I just feel like it's the best place to leave off. This chapter has been edited to death. I didn't even include everything I had originally planned to.
I hadn't planned to have Sasuke kiss Naruto. It just kind of crept up on me and it seemed to fit so perfectly that I decided to keep it in. Also when Naruto was discussing Orochimaru with Sakura, I had originally intended for the conversation to be longer, but I just felt it was overkill since Naruto confronted Kristen with the molestation allegation in the very next scene. I felt I was beating that horse to death...or something.
The next chapter will include:
-Sasuke's silence is explained
-Orochimaru talks to Naruto, which causes Naruto to stumble across a secret between Orochimaru and Doctor Forster(I cut this scene out of this chapter)
-Gaara's siblings show up, but what do they want?
Next update will hopefully be by the end of August, but I am a lazy person so I won't make any promises. I can definitely say it won't take me five months to write the next chapter like it did for this one. Sorry guys!