Chapter 45

Naruto

Sasuke and Gaara had been talking with Ibiki for about ten minutes when Tsunade walked through the door. Itachi helped me get to the living room and onto the couch since we still couldn't find my crutches. We'd have to ask when he was done with Ibiki, but I honestly don't think I want to talk to him afterwards. It'll just be us all yelling at each other.

"Okay, so what happened Naruto?" Tsunade asked as Itachi came out of the kitchen with a table chair and set it in front of me so Tsunade could have a seat.

"I talked with Ibiki … got frustrated and punched a hole into the head board." I mumbled, looking down at my hand because I didn't want to make eye contact with her.

Tsunade only sighed and I held my hand out for her to look at it, wincing when she touched it, but the pain subsided after a few minutes.

"Just some cuts that could use some cleaning and stitches and you're going to be bruised for at least a week." She said. "I'm going to need some rubbing alcohol Itachi and a bowl of ice cold water. I have stuff in my car for the rest."

"I'll get that in a moment." Itachi said from the kitchen as Tsunade got up from her chair and went outside. It sounded like he was on the phone with someone, but I could care less who it was with, but I heard the phone hit the table before the scraping of the chair on the linoleum floor and water running a moment later.

To be honest, I feel like a total burden on everyone, so far, I can't pay the bills so Itachi and Sasuke are paying my bills, even for a house no one is even living in right now. Tsunade is making house calls that she should be charging for but won't charge me. I should be paying Neji for being my math tutor, but he refuses any money from me. God, why am I such a fucking screw up?

"Okay, lets get this started." Tsunade said when she walked back into the house with her doctors' bag and Itachi came into the living room with a bowl filled with water and moved the little end table closer to Tsunade before he rushed down the hall and into the bathroom.

When he came back out, he handed Tsunade a plastic bottle of what I guessed was the alcohol she asked for and he went back to the kitchen. I guess he was busy with work …

"Okay, Naruto, this will sting a little bit." Tsunade said as she took my hand back and dug into her bag for a large stack of gauze and a pair of gloves. She put them on after putting her glasses on and I just sat there, letting her do her job.

It was a few minutes before Itachi came back into the living room and threw himself into the recliner. He looked tired already, and I felt I'm to blame for it.

"Ibiki wants to talk to you when Sasuke and Gaara come out." Itachi said, and I had a feeling it was about my medicine and what it's doing to me.

"Okay, and how's everything going this morning?" Tsunade asked as she pulled out a pair of tweezers from her bag, then looked at the table. "Could I have another bowl please Itachi?"

"Sure, and I'll answer you when I come back." He said and jumped up off the recliner and went into the kitchen, coming back in a few seconds with another bowl and sat himself back down on the couch as Tsunade set my hand on her knees and poured the alcohol into the empty bowl and dropped her tweezers into the solution. It'd make sense, right?

"So far … it's been okay, but if you want my opinion, that medication Naruto's on isn't helping at all." Itachi said, and he took the words straight from my mouth.

"Really?" She asked, and she sounded only slightly surprised.

"Yea, I'm having nightmares and shit." I muttered under my breath.

"Ibiki already mentioned to me, as an opinion, that I don't give it to him anymore." Itachi said, and I'm glad that Ibiki mentioned that.

"I'll have a talk with Ibiki when Sasuke and Gaara are done with him." Tsunade nodded and got back to work on my hand.

It was about two hours of dead silence in the house save for Itachi's phone ringing once in a while and the clicking of his keyboard because he was working on and off in the kitchen. But with Tsunade finishing up my hand an hour ago, I was glad, because that silence was broken by a yell coming from Itachi's office.

"His father did what!?" Sasuke's voice yelled, and I sank in my seat, ready for him to burst out of the office, but he never came. I was glad, but also not at the same time because that meant he'd give it to me later.

Then it dawned on me … they must be already where it gets worse and that meant the tapes were almost done. I think about half an hour was left or so, until I started hearing the small echoes of Tsunade's recorded babble she was yelling and knew then that there was less time than I thought.

"Itachi!" I said loudly so he could hear me. The living room was quiet, there was no television on because I didn't want to watch anything and I started biting my nails when Itachi walked out of the kitchen and into my view.

"Everything okay Naruto?" He asked.

"Yea, everything's fine … tell Ibiki I want them to listen to the tape he recorded this morning when he talked to me." I said, my voice low, almost to a mumble and I wished I had my other hand to bite my nails on, but Tsunade wrapped it up good when she was done giving me stitches. Said that I couldn't move my fingers until Wednesday when I went in for another check up at the hospital.

"Okay, but are you sure Naruto?" Itachi asked before he went on down the hall. I nodded, and he nodded back before he disappeared down the hall.

"You know I'm going to have to listen to that tape too, right Naruto?" Tsunade said.

"I know baa-chan, and I'm fine with Itachi listening to it too. He has a right to since he's taking care of me." I said, using my good hand to pick at the loose string on the tank top that I was wearing.

"Hey, are you hungry?" She asked, I guess she hadn't had much to eat today.

Then I remembered I haven't had lunch yet, so I nodded just as Itachi walked back from the hallway.

"What do you have that we can eat Itachi?" Tsunade asked as she got up out of the recliner and walked around the couch as she headed off to the kitchen.

"I can make anything you want Tsunade." Itachi offered. "And what are you hungry for Naruto?"

"I'll eat anything." I said, leaning my head back against the couch, blushing because my stomach growled when food was mentioned as I waited for Sasuke and Gaara to come out of the office. They would be done at any time, if they were listening to the newest tape right now.

"Alright, we'll surprise you." Itachi chuckled when he heard my stomach growl, and him and Tsunade disappeared into the kitchen, just as the I heard a door open at the end of the hall and I suddenly sank further into the couch if it was possible.

I wanted to start crying, but I think I cried myself out of tears already for the day when Gaara rounded the couch and sat next to me as close as he could before pulling me onto his lap and just held me there in his arms. I don't know where Sasuke went, but my unvoiced concern went answered when I heard keys jumble and the front door open and close. I guess he's going out for a drive to cool off so he wouldn't yell at me … I guess.

I don't know when I started crying again, but when Gaara started petting my hair and shushing me, I knew there were more tears just falling and getting his shirt soaked. God I hate crying.

"I'm so pathetic." I said, voice hoarse because it was dry. I don't remember when I had something to drink last either.

"You are not." Gaara said, holding me tighter. "You just have an abusive father that doesn't deserve a second chance and it's someone I want to strangle and chop into many pieces and bury him where no one can find him … ever."

"That's not what I'm talking about." I cried quietly, sniffing and pulled back to try and dry my eyes once again. "I'm pathetic that it's taken me this long to even try and ask for help, and the fact that I've dragged everyone down with me."

"You've done no such thing Naruto." Gaara said, holding me tighter as he started rocking back and forth a little bit.

"Hey, Naruto." Tsunade's voice said softly on my other side, startling me because I didn't know she was there. "Take this, it'll help you calm down."

I looked at her, then down at her hand that had a white pill that looked like Aspirin, sort of.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Just something to calm the nerves." She said, and I believed her and took it from her hand. "Just put it under your tongue and don't chew it or anything else."

I nodded and put it under my tongue like she said and snuggled up into Gaara some more.

"Where did Sasuke go?" I asked, hoping they heard what I think I said.

"He's out at the library, I think." Gaara said, now leaning back in the couch and taking me with him, he was warm … and I don't remember when I started feeling cold.

"I'm cold." I muttered, now wishing I was back in bed.

"You wanna go to bed?" Gaara asked, and I nodded. "Hey, Itachi, I'm going to go lay down with Naruto."

"Okay, need help getting him in bed?" Itachi asked when I finally realized Tsunade wasn't in the living room anymore. I guess she finally went into Itachi's office to talk to him.

"Naah, I think we can handle it, right Naruto?" Gaara said, now his attention on me as he gently pushed me of his lap and got up.

"Yea, I think so." I said, nodding slowly as he grabbed my hands and pulled me up to my feet. I swayed a little bit because I suddenly felt dizzy.

"I'll carry you if you're that out of it." Gaara chuckled as he then picked me up bridal style, and I was surprised that his arm across my back where I had my surgery didn't hurt at all.

"Okay." I said, a little delayed, but it didn't look like Gaara took notice.