Title: Disadvantaged Children
Rating: T
Chapter Eight
Always
The minute I walk into his office, Kakashi practically shoves a large platter of brownies into my face.
"Take some! Iruka baked them just for you."
I grimace at Kakashi's irritating smile, but pick a particularly large brownie and pop it into my mouth. Shaking the crumbs off my hands, I gingerly seat myself into a plush and squishy chair.
Here we go. Another gruesome "therapeutic" session with the mastermind.
Kakashi clears his throat, which causes the mask on his face to tilt unevenly. I squash the urge to fix it for him by crossing my arms and glaring. Glaring was always an option when encaged in a tiny room with a potentially dangerous, chalk-hair counselor.
"Orochimaru-"
"Oro-tard."
"..told me-"
"Really? He raped me."
"..about your behavior the other day."
"Can I chop off his dick?"
Kakashi heaves a huge sigh and lazily balances his head on his left hand. When he's done contemplating the pros and cons of murdering me, he examines me with a long, calculating look. After a beat, he seems to find what he was searching for.
"Okay. Let's change the topic, shall we?"
I frown. "That's it? You're not going to lecture me? Make me apologize? Bury me alive?"
"No. Surprisingly enough, you're not the only person to make a complaint against Orochimaru."
Figures. Of course I would attract the Uchiha Mansion's one and only pedophile. My glance slowly trails to the window behind Kakashi. The fountain is still outside, still attractive, and still preferable to the stifling heat inside the tiny little room. I wanted to be anywhere else, maybe eating ramen with Kiba.
"Naruto?"
I jolt back to reality and shuffle in my chair. "Yeah?"
"Do you know how many points you have from the first week?"
I shake my head and try to do the mental math in my head. One hundred minus fifty.. What was that, fifty? And then fifty minus thirty plus ten minus twenty? Or was it thirty? Forty? Twenty?
Kakashi smirks at the blank look on my face and answers for me. "Ten. Ten points, Naruto. Would you like to guess the number of points that you and everyone else started off with?"
I meekly reply. "One hundred?"
"Correct. Would you like to know how many points your teammates have acquired?"
"Not really."
He ignores me. "Sakura, because of her intellect and ability to adapt to any situation in the classroom, has earned seventy points. This brings her up to a total of one hundred and twenty points. Sai is involved with a special situation that has allowed him to average one hundred points, enough to redeem himself from the First Event." I sink lower into my chair as Kakashi continues. "Sakura and Sai have brought your team a total of two hundred and twenty points. Tell me again, Naruto, just how much you have been contributing."
"..Twenty?"
"Ten."
I sulkily grumble under my breath. Okay, so I hadn't been focusing much on the teamwork aspect of the Mansion. But I had more pressing matters like figuring out how to murder Orochimaru. And Sasuke. Besides, I also had emotional baggage to consider. Baggage which Kakashi-sensei was supposed to get rid of.
"I hate this place."
My childish scowl makes Kakashi chuckle and he gestures at the plate in front of me.
"Brownie?"
I take another one.
"Now, Naruto, I don't want my team to lose. So I suggest you lose the tough outer shell and start behaving. The Second Event is still weeks away, thank goodness, and I have faith that you'll earn a good fifty points from the Event."
I mumble through the brownie in my mouth. "Fhanks."
"Impeccable manners, Naruto. Now, the faculty has decided to arrange more punishment for everyone's failure in the First Event. Of course, I had nothing to do with it..." I glare at him, but Kakashi is unperturbed. "..Because I was saving a little kid's life during the meeting. The arranged punishment is kitchen duty."
I shrug. By this point, nothing could be worse than my community service punishment. Kakashi rummages through some papers and finds a schedule.
"Today, your team and Team 8 will assist the cooks in the very risky job of peeling potatoes."
"I'll try not to cut my wrists."
Kakashi beams at me.
I sigh and start fiddling with the bandages wrapped around my hand. The cuts from picking up the glass had healed pretty quickly, but I still felt a throb once in a while. It was only an annoyance, but the reminder was still there. After some minutes of silence, I swivel in my chair and stare at the ticking clock. I then give an impatient stare at Kakashi until he finally waves me away.
"Get out of here."
Freedom.
"But take another brownie. Iruka worked really hard on these."
As if to prove a point, Kakashi pops one into his mouth and winks. I roll my eyes and quickly snatch one. Trying not to attach any sentimental value to the brownies, I place it in my mouth and savor the still-warm pastry.
"Oh, and Naruto?"
Exasperated, I turn around, but inch towards the door.
"What?"
Kakashi pauses then slyly grins. "Don't make out with Sasuke when you have blood in your mouth. It's unsanitary."
I almost trip out the door, choking on my brownie.
No matter how many times I attempt to push Kakashi's voice out of my head, I can't shake off the guilt. It was pathetic that Sai could manage to put more points in the basket than me. When had I suddenly turned into the bad guy? I couldn't land my team in Kyuubi Island.
I heave a sigh, then amble into the cafeteria storage room. I didn't like kitchens or kitchen duty, but at least I could keep a close eye on my teammates. Sai, especially. When I step through the door, my instincts immediately blare warning signs. I grapple along the wall, trying to find a switch for the lights, but, instead, stumble through crates and boxes. I scratch my head, then mutter.
Where the hell was everyone?
As if on cue, an onslaught of hard lumps batter my head and I yelp from pain. Ducking, I roll on to the floor and blindly reach for the reason that my head had a huge welt.
Potatoes. Fucking potatoes the size of baseballs.
I gnash my teeth and stand up again, only to be met with another barrage of potatoes. Giggles fills the room and I scan the room, searching for the assaulters. Little fuckers.
"Haha, ok guys. You got me. I don't know what the deal is, but attacking people with potatoes is a great way to show your age."
I wait, potato in hand, until I'm rewarded with a quiet conversation in the corner of the room.
"That sounds like Naruto."
"What if it's not?"
"Eh."
I sneak closer to the voices until I reach a table. With a feral grin, I grab another potato and prepare to aim.
"Why is it so quiet?"
THUNK
"Oh my goodness, Sai! Get up! The enemy is all around-"
THUNK
I snicker as my two potatoes find their target. My dazed teammates finally peer out from behind the table and Sakura has the decency to manage an apologetic smile. Sai just stares at me.
The lights click on and I swivel around to see Kiba's sheepish face. Besides him are his two teammates, Shino and a blushing Hinata. I had walked straight into a potato war. I shake my head then walk around the room to find peelers and pots. Sakura and Hinata join me by gathering all of the potatoes into a pile while Sai and Shino just squat and observe us. Those two were seemed to understand each other. Good for them.
Ten minutes finds all six of us in a line, calmly peeling the skin off potatoes. It was methodical work and it's not long before someone tries to initiate conversation.
"Shino, why are there bugs all over your pile of potatoes?"
Not the least bit embarrassed, Shino calmly brushes the pests off and answers. "They're gone now."
We all stare at him.
"What?"
I venture to ask the question that everyone wants to know. "Hey, what's with the bugs?"
Sakura bonks me on the head, frown settling on her lips. "That's so rude, Naruto! Don't you have any manners?"
I make a face at her, but wait expectantly for Shino's answer. He crinkles his eyes and leans forward.
"You know, you're the first person to ask me that. Everyone else has been too scared. Even my own roommate."
He shoots a look at Kiba who rubs his neck in embarrassment.
"Anyway, I raise bugs. Did it for a living, but it used to be a family thing." He looks down at his peeled potato and shrugs. "I don't know why I keep my bugs in the Mansion. I think it's so I can remind myself of all the memories of my father."
Sakura and I nod, but Sai blankly interjects. "Bugs remind you of your father?"
A ghost of a smile crosses Shino's face. "It's stupid, but there's this one particular memory that I treasure. There was this lake that my father and I would visit and we'd always take our bugs with us..."
He trails off, then suddenly goes back to peeling his potatoes. "Would you know of memories, Sai?"
Maybe it's the way that Shino's worded the question, but all the attention focuses on Sai who is almost dwarfed by the huge pile of peeled potatoes in front of him. Stupid show off. As if sensing my irritation, Sai looks straight at me and emptily smiles. He fiddles with the sharp peeler in his hands, and I can tell that he's toying with the word. Memories.
"I prefer not to live in the past."
I'm about to make a sarcastic retort, but a quiet and timid voice beats me to it.
"Um.. Sai-san, you shouldn't think that way."
Sai raises an eyebrow at the flushing Hinata besides him and we wait patiently as she struggles for the right words.
"My past has made me.. Stronger. I'm able to deal with the past, the present, and the future. This has.. helped me."
I puzzle over her words. Besides me, Kiba nods in agreement and pitches in.
"So, you're saying that you got power cuz you can freely access every part of your life. That makes sense to me."
Hinata shyly smiles at Kiba's reassuring words and she ducks her head down to continue working on the potatoes. In the corner of my eye, I see Kiba thoughtfully staring at Hinata. It was touching to see Kiba reach out to someone who was completely different from him.
He had matured.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that my best friend completely lacked the bitterness that most orphans possessed. When had Kiba become a better person than I? He may have skipped meetings like they were plagues, but Kiba wasn't a criminal. I knew his entire story.
He didn't belong in the Mansion.
The thought jars me and I brush it away, like an irritating fly in my ear. I was going to savor Kiba's presence with me, because that was all I could do. Without a care about who's watching, I grin and grab Kiba's arm, leaning close to whisper in his ear.
"I'm glad you're here, you crazy dog."
Kiba's brown eyes fly towards mine, but there's something unmistakably sad in his smile.
"Me too."
The end of September was a signal for many things. The counselors kept reminding us about the Second Event, while my Team counselor, Kakashi, kept reminding me about the pathetic number of points I had earned. In an effort to dispel the guilt, I, reluctantly, started participating in little things.
For instance, I spent more time in the kitchen, helping out the cooks. In past orphanages, I always got into trouble with the head chef, because I stole food in the middle of the night. In the Mansion, though, the cooks welcomed my attempts to get more food, and even helped me sneak food back to the dorms.
Yeah, it was bizarre, but who could complain about ramen at two in the morning?
Sasuke, however, was a different problem. He snapped all the time, which made working chores a huge pain in the ass. There were even times when I'd stomp out of the room, with Sasuke's smooth voice swirling in my ears.
"Dobe."
or
"Idiot."
or
"What kind of moron clogs up the toilet? Were you born without brain cells? Get the hell out of my room."
It didn't help that Sasuke always showed up wearing sinfully form-fitting pants or smiled at the most inopportune moments. He never made conversation, but he had the habit of gazing at me with burning eyes.
I hated that bastard.
I slump in my seat as Iruka hands out sheets of paper then orders us to join our teammates.
"Okay, guys. It's been two weeks in the Mansion and so far I've seen an encouraging amount of progress. However, there hasn't been enough Team interaction to satisfy me. So I want everyone to fill out the surveys that I've handed out and then hand it to a teammate."
Groans follow Iruka's instructions, but Iruka blithely continues. "It's corny, but I think this will be the easiest way to foster a sense of knowledge about one another. Remember that we're all in the same boat here, so I won't tolerate insults or hostility."
He claps and nods. "Okay. Get to it, guys."
I mutter idle protests, but look down at the paper in front of me. It was simple enough. A few questions and some words pop out at me, and, with a sigh, I fill in the blanks. Sakura besides me is frantically erasing and re-writing words while Sai finishes in two seconds.
When I finish, I shove my paper at Sakura, who hesitantly hands her paper to Sai. The triangle ends when Sai allows me to read his paper.
Name: Sai
Age: 17
Country of Origin: --
Reason for attendance in Uchiha Mansion: Getting caught
List
Regrets: None
Dreams: I don't sleep.
Goals: Eliminating my Team.
Beliefs: Myself
Loves: Nothing
Dislikes: Nothing
Future: Death
My eye twitches at the last line. My answer for the Future had been something about living with Kiba and obtaining a ramen collection. God forbid Sai write down a normal Future.
"You're fucking crazy," I hiss at Sai when Iruka's back is turned.
He just smiles. "Did you like my Goals?"
I read the paper again and quell the urge to strangle my roommate. With a growl, I shove Sai's answers to Sakura and grab Sakura's answers from Sai's hands.
I look down at Sakura's paper, which contains a lot more content than Sai's, and wince at the harsh pink lettering that lines the page.
Name: Haruno Sakura
Age: 17
Country of Origin: Konoha Village
Reason for attendance in Uchiha Mansion: Multiple personality disorder, fighting, bullying
List
Regrets: Not giving my phone number to Uchiha Sasuke when I first met him.
Dreams: Getting out of Uchiha Mansion and surpassing Ino in every aspect of life, including beauty.
Goals: Killing Sai. And Naruto. And maybe Kakashi.
Beliefs: God
Loves: The color pink, tall dark and handsome boys, fighting, sleeping
Dislikes: Ino, Naruto, Sai.
Future: Mrs Uchiha Sakura
I'm the last person to finish reading. When I'm done swallowing Sakura's bubbly letters, I look up and slowly shake my head.
"You're both crazy. Insane."
Sakura ignores me and beams as she points at my paper. "Hey, look, Naruto! We both have the same Goals. You put down killing Sai and Kakashi. And Sai put eliminating his Team, which matches my own Goals of killing you."
I lean back into my seat. "And thus concludes our scandalous love triangle."
I think I hear Sai snicker, but I don't feel like falling out of my seat from shock, so I ignore him. Sakura reads Sai's survey again, and a frown forms on her face.
"You know, Sai, I think they meant dreams as in goals. Not the kind that you get when you're sleeping."
Sai brushes a hand through his hair. "I know."
Sakura's face twitches. "Don't you have any dreams at all? I know! Don't you want to become an artist?"
"No."
"Well, what about an expert in weapons? Don't you want to teach others how to fight?"
"No."
"There has to be something! Haven't you ever dreamed of a future? What do you want, Sai?"
Sai stares at Sakura then finally says. "I want you to shut up."
I watch, fascinated, as Sakura's face turns into a blotchy red. It was weird, but it was almost like her personality was subtly shifting. This violent side that always arose whenever she was near Sai completely contradicted her normally calm and cheerful behavior.
The snarl on her face and her heaving chest scare me, reminding me of the time when she had nearly thrown Sai into his bed. Her strength clearly surpassed her capacity, especially when she was angry.
Sakura's rapid breathing is accompanied by the grinding of her teeth. "Oh really then? Well, it's your lucky day, Sai, because I'm going to KILL YOU."
Sai looks genuinely puzzled. "With your ugliness?"
Uttering a howl of rage, Sakura makes a fist and aims straight for Sai's face. Her arms shoot out so fast that I barely have time to react. But my worries are for nothing, because Sai catches her fist, centimeters from his face.
They stare at each other, leaving me to play the mediator. With an embarrassed grimace, I wave my hands frantically.
"Come on, guys. Stop it! Sakura, I thought we agreed that Sai doesn't have a soul!"
Sai doesn't take his eyes off Sakura's face, but his next words are clearly directed at me.
"Shut up, dickless."
I fume and huff. Fine. Sai could suffer feminine problems on his own. What did I care?
I push away my childish rant and watch as Sakura's eyes flash a dull gray. She's trembling from grinding her fist against Sai's palm and her mouth is fixed on a snarl. It was almost scary to see Sakura change so quickly. Hadn't it been two seconds ago that she had cheerfully asked about Sai's goals in life?
Sai seems to realize this, too, because he coolly smiles.
"I don't like this side of you. You're much uglier when you're angry."
Without warning, Sakura suddenly leaps from her chair and unlocks her fists to grab Sai's arm. Chairs are toppled over as she hurtles her leg while wrenching Sai's arm into a twist. But Sai's quicker. He calmly counters all of her moves, avoiding her kick and using his own arm to grab Sakura's other arm. What follows is a blur of movement as he rapidly blocks Sakura's punches, then swiftly hauls her over his shoulders.
She wails and pounds his back, but Sai ignores her and ungracefully dumps her into a chair.
A crowd has formed by now, but I shoo them away. I look up to find Iruka at his desk, staring intently at the conversation between Sai and Sakura.
Sai reaches out to touch Sakura, but draws back when she growls with a feral gleam in her dark eyes. He shakes his head and there's a slight bewilderment in his face.
"Why can't you just be one person?"
There's a silence as Sakura rubs her injuries. Her voice, when she speaks, is rough.
"You wouldn't get it. I'm stronger this way."
And for the first time, I see Sai smile without the twist of emptiness.
"You're always strong, because you're always Ugly."
When his words reach Sakura, she freezes from the mention of ugliness. I start to wonder if she's about to charge at him again, when she suddenly looks down and lets out a long breath.
Her soft mutters are coupled with resignation.
"You're right. You're right."
As if on cue, she nods and I'm relieved to see that her eyes don't hold the fierce unruliness from before. How ironic that Sai, the emotion-destroyer, would be the person to calm Sakura. Watching him deflect all of her violent punches, as well as her violent personality, had almost been... Cool.
Maybe, just maybe, our Team wouldn't end up at the Island.
I grin from the optimism in my thoughts. Wow. If only Sai showed this much heart when he spoke to me.. The endless possibilities make me dizzy. Maybe we would stop bickering with each other every time a toothbrush mysteriously went missing. Or maybe he'd stop insulting my dick every time I got out of the shower.
I stagger as another thoughts hits me straight in the face. Maybe he'd even let me look at his paintings!
I jump up, arms waving.
"Sai, that was amazing! You didn't even get mad at Sakura-chan or nothing!"
I inch closer to him and beam. "You know, at this rate, we could even get ahead of some other Teams. Wouldn't that be amazing, Sai?"
Now time for the ever so casual, but friendly, pat on the back. You can do it, Naruto. Just go slowly... Easy, easy.
"Don't touch me."
I withdraw my hand and sigh.
There's always a next time.
Two hours later, a shrieking noise interrupts the lounge. I jump, disturbing Kiba who had been resting on my lap. I make a face as the warbled racket continues to grow and Shikamaru turns off the TV, looking around for the suspect. We all collectively wince as one particular sour note hangs in the air like a dead body.
Kiba pushes himself into a sitting position and finally asks. "Okay, whose hamster just got crastated?"
Shikamaru's eyes trail to a dorm room right next to us and shakes his head.
"I think the proper term would be castrated, Kiba. As for the noise.. Why don't we go check it out?"
I help Kiba off the couch and we hesitantly sneak closer to the door, looks of pain crossing our faces as the noise gets progressively louder and crazier. Shikamaru nods gravely, then kicks open the door.
"NO, I'M GOING TO BE THE ONE TO CAPTURE SASUKE-KUN'S HEART. HE'S GOING TO FALL IN LOVE WITH ME, INO-PIG."
"NOT WITH THE WAY YOU'RE HOLDING THAT THING. I'VE ALREADY SURPASSED YOU IN BEAUTY, SAKURA-CHAN. THERE'S NO WAY SASUKE-KUN WILL CHOOSE YOOOOOU."
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? LOOK HOW WELL I CAN PLAY MY VIOLIN!"
A screech leaves Kiba and me sobbing from the pain.
"HA! LOOK HOW GOOD I AM! EVEN NARUTO AND KIBA CAN UNDERSTAND THE INTENSITY OF MY LOVE FOR SASUKE-KUN."
There's a blissful silence. Kiba and I lean on each other for support, our eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"Uh, Sakura. They're crying."
"Yeah, Ino-pig. Tears of joy."
"I'M NOT A PIG! YOU'RE THE PIG! AND I'LL MAKE THEM CRY EVEN HARDER WITH MY PICCOLO! LOOK, THE BOYS ARE ALREADY STARTING TO CRY TEARS OF JOY! HA! TAKE THAT!"
Shikamaru hurriedly slams the door shut and we all breathe a sigh of relief when the instruments are safely muffled behind the door. I had heard that music therapy was a crucial part of our rehabilitation, but I had never seen it in action until today. And what a painful first impression I had just seen.
"And to think those two almost killed each other."
Kiba's voice interrupts my thoughts and I look at him in bewilderment.
"Ino and Sakura?"
Kiba nods and points a thumb at the door we've left behind. "Yeah. Didn't you know?"
He just sighs when he sees me shake my head. "Oh yeah, almost forgot you were gone all those years. Well, them two just formed their own gangs on the streets of Konoha. Got pretty bad at one point. Police had to call in reinforcements to stop all the fighting. Of course, by the time they got there, it was a fucking massacre."
I picture Sakura's pink hair and innocent eyes and shake my head.
"There's no way a bunch of girls can murder anyone. Especially Sakura. The only thing she does all day is stalk Sasuke and attempt to steal Sai's sketchbook."
Kiba just grins at my lack of knowledge and shouts out to Shikamaru. "Hey, Shikamaru! Tell Naruto here why Sakura got into Uchiha Mansion."
Shikamaru takes the headphone off his ears and grunts.
"Nosy."
"No, really! Naruto here has no idea about nothing. He's dumber than Akamaru on heroin, and that shit works, man."
I playfully growl at Kiba and mess up his hair, but stop when Shikamaru continues talking.
"All right. It's none of my business, but Sakura comes from a family of Empowered Multiples." He looks straight at me. "You know what Multiple Personality Disorder is, right, Naruto?"
I nod, doubt in my head. "It's when a person has different personalities and each personality takes over and inhabits the person's mind. I know, I've seen some cases in the States."
I pause, thinking, then exclaim. "But Sakura doesn't exhibit multiple personalities! She's normal. Well, I mean kind of. Sometimes, she gets really violent but it's not that big of a deal."
"You're right. Even though she does seem to change moods, Sakura is quite normal. But Empowered Multiples view themselves differently from what they call survivor victims. You've probably noticed, Naruto, that in the States, MPD has negative connotations. That's because most of the survivor victims who develop the symptoms have undergone childhood abuse or other traumatic incidents and they use multiple personalities to cope. However, Empowered Multiples don't view MPD as a disease. In fact, they view it as a talent that someone is born with."
I frown and shake my head, trying to let the information sink in.
"So you're saying that Sakura's family wanted her to hear voices in her head?"
Shikamaru nods.
"Think about it, Naruto. Pretend you're Sakura. Generations before you claim to have the ability to calmly and intellectually deal with situations, because they have an entire world inside their bodies. You're young, you're lonely. When your parents talk about all the different people in their lives, you want to experience what they're experiencing, even if everything is fictional."
"But it's not right! It's not normal!"
Shikamaru just sighs and leans back in his chair. "It may not be normal for you, but for Empowered Multiples, having multiple personalities is completely natural. They see it as a gift. And for Sakura, it must have been difficult to grow up, knowing that she wasn't normal because she had only one dominant personality."
I stubbornly cross my arms.
"She must have seen that she was the only normal one in her family."
"Naruto, have you ever had an imaginary friend? Don't you occasionally hear that voice in your head called your conscience? The fact is, every child starts out with many, different personalities. What separates each person, however, is the stability in their lives and the environment in which they live in. In Sakura's case, hearing voices was perfectly acceptable, even encouraged, so she eventually started to exhibit signs of MPD."
Shikamaru had hit upon some good points and I stop to think. I remembered an imaginary friend who had kept me company when I was five, but I had quickly been punished for muttering during quiet time. Even when I heard Kyuubi's voice in my head, I hadn't dared mention it for fear of my matron's wrath. It was true what he said; Society hadn't accepted voices in my head, so I had quickly stopped.
Shikamaru continues on, his eyes never leaving Sakura and Ino's room.
"Sakura wasn't happy. She was faking a disease that she thought was a blessing and consequently going crazy from keeping up with all of her personalities. However, Sakura was also smart. She saw a way she could use her 'disease' as an advantage and that's when she started her own gang. The only requirement to join the gang was having all of the symptoms of MPD; her gang destroyed everything they could find, then blamed it on blackouts and their other, violent personalities."
I can see where Shikamaru is headed towards and I interrupt.
"Let me guess. Ino's gang was composed of psychics and people who could see right through Sakura's scam, which resulted in a war between Sakura and Ino. And this war led to them both getting stuck here in Uchiha Mansion."
He smiles. "Looks like you have a brain after all, Naruto." He turns towards Kiba and says. "Your dog may know the difference between cocaine and heroine, but at least Naruto, here, is capable of change."
He laughs at my puzzled look and stands up to stretch.
"You've been a good influence on Naruto, Kiba."
Kiba laughs. "Yeah, but it won't last long."
Again, something deeper seems to probe underneath the surface, but I shove it away and leap up after Shikamaru. "Hey, hey, Shikamaru! What did you mean when you said I was capable of change?"
He just ruffles my hair and I make a face. "You know what I mean, Naruto. Don't try to delve deeper into everything I say, otherwise you'll fry your pea-sized brain."
"What! Pea-sized!?"
Kiba snickers. "Kind of like something else you own."
I hit him over the head and he laughs. A yawn escapes my lips and I stand up to stretch. Looking around, the lounge greets me, with its TV blaring, stereo blasting, and paint peeling off the walls.
During the past weeks, I had spent a surprising amount of time lazing around on the incredibly comfortable sofas and couches, normally snuggling with Kiba. Things felt right here. The atmosphere wasn't threatening (until Sai walked into the room, that is) and it was fun to laugh again, without waiting for the knife in the back or a gloomy cloud to upset the ceiling.
It was just... Nice.
Fatigue suddenly attacks me and I rub my eyes, trying to stay awake.
"I'm headed for bed, guys."
A chorus of 'good nights' reaches my ears and I smile as I turn to walk out of the lounge. When I reach my room, I hesitate, unsure of how to act around Sai. Normally, I would reach my room first and collapse before he arrived. I never knew where he was, but he always faintly smelled of turpentine. Generally, we avoided conversation until morning came.
I wince when I remember how Sai had written in his survey about his inability to sleep. What did he do all night? Paint? Hatch schemes to murder me in my sleep?
When I open the door, the smell of paint hits me in the face, an indication of Sai's presence in the room. I carefully walk in and make a face when his eyes meet mine.
"I'm going to sleep, all right?"
I plop into my inviting bed and duck under the covers. A gentle light pervades the entire room, but I'm used to it. I'm about to fall asleep, but then I catch Sai's scent mixed in with the faint odor of the past.
And just because I can, I grin then look straight at my roommate.
"Sweet dreams."
The PA doesn't wake me up like normal, which should have given me a sign that the entire day wouldn't be normal. But my sleep-addled brain is in a fog when I jolt awake. The banging on my door doesn't ease up.
"Naruto! Naruto, open up!"
I shrug off the frantic voice and burrow deeper under my covers. Sleeping was a luxury that I couldn't miss out on. Besides, Sai could always open the door for my intruder.
Suddenly, the door is knocked down and I bolt, head spinning from the dust and the loud noise.
"What the flippi-"
I stop when I see Shikamaru's pale face. He's shaking, almost trembling, and suddenly, I realize that my world is crashing down.
"Naruto! He's gone. They took him away! There was nothing anyone could do, it all happened so quickly."
Everything freezes. Time stops, my heart dies, and the air stills.
"What.. Who?"
Shikamaru doesn't answer, eyes darting frantically from one corner to another.
My heart pounding, I stumble to my feet. "Shikamaru! Who?"
There's something in Shikamaru's eyes that I've never seen before.
Rage.
"They took him away. He's on a boat to the Island. Naruto, you have to stop them."
And all I see is a blinding red.
Kiba.
