Disclaimers: Naruto is not mine, sadly. This is purely a fanfic using someone else's characters.
Warnings: This story includes strong language, violence, sexual assault, & angst. This later becomes a BL SasuNaru story, so don't read if you're not a fan of that pairing.
It's All In Your Head
Chapter 5
--
Naruto stared at the raven, confused and horrified. "I- I don't understand.. Why would you use a jutsu like this?"
Guilt twisted his gut as he met those wide, fearful eyes. "I wanted to know what happened to you.."
A faded image of Naruto lying on a gravel path, a fist clenched tight in his hair, forcing his head back, flashed in both of their minds, but the blonde quickly shut it down, slamming a mental door closed on the memory.
No. NO! It's no one else's fucking business.
"Naruto.."
The blonde struggled to his feet and swallowed back the emotions clawing up his throat. "You had no right to do this.." His voice cracked. "Why.. why would you do this to me?"
Sasuke got to his feet, eyes never leaving the dejected blonde. "You can't keep hiding this shit, Naruto. Someone should know."
Naruto clenched his hands into tight fists. "Oh yeah? And why the fuck do you think it should be you, huh?"
Who else would it be?
The words cut through him like a knife. "Great. Thanks for the reminder. I'm already well aware of the fact that no one cares."
"I do."
Naruto ground his teeth together. "No. You don't. You just want to know because I won't tell you." He dropped his gaze. "That's not the same."
Sasuke's dark eyes slid away from the blonde's sad face to the blood slipping from his fingertips and onto his floor.
I know I don't show it.. but that doesn't mean I don't care.
Naruto looked unconvinced.
"Let me at least bandage your hand."
Yeah- like I'm supposed to trust you now..
Sasuke sighed. "Can you stop being so goddamn stubborn." He walked up to the blonde, not giving him enough time to slip away from him. He grabbed him by the elbow and steered him down a hallway past the kitchen.
Naruto tried to shake him off, but the grip on his arm only tightened. "Why do you keep touching me..?" he mumbled, trying to push back the discomfort radiating through him.
Sasuke chose not to respond. Or rather, he tried not to. But the thought slipped out before he had a chance to stop it.
Because I want to.
Cerulean eyes widened. "What..?" he breathed, alarmed by the thought. "What is that supposed to mean?"
But the Uchiha kept silent, and his mental walls went up, keeping the blonde out. He pulled him down the rest of the hall and dragged him into a small room to the left. The bathroom. He deposited the nervous blonde on the edge of the tub and grabbed supplies before kneeling down in front of him.
"I can do this myself.." Naruto muttered.
"Just accept the damn help." Sasuke grabbed a set of tweezers and carefully grabbed Naruto's injured hand. He looked up. "This.. might hurt."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'm sure I'll survive."
Sasuke pulled shard after shard of glass from his hand, pretending not to hear the gasps of pain that Naruto was struggling to hold back. When he was finally done, he disinfected the wounds and wrapped it tight. Naruto expected him to rise to his feet afterwards, but Sasuke just stayed there, crouched down in front of him.
What is he doing..?
Sasuke's hand slid up from the blonde's and pushed back his sleeve, exposing the dark bruises around his wrist.
"Why can't you tell me what happened..?" he asked softly, his voice strained. Like it hurt him to not know.
Because I don't want you to know.
He looked down, hiding the burning shame flickering across his face.
I don't want anyone to know.
Naruto tried to push his sleeve back down, but Sasuke stopped him.
"Whatever this is, you shouldn't face it alone."
The memory was coming back.
Naruto could feel it pushing it's way to the forefront of his mind, could feel it overpowering him. No.. He panicked and shoved the Uchiha back. Sasuke dropped down on the ground and looked up. Naruto was gripping his hair in tight fists, his eyes screwed up tight. He looks.. terrified.
No.. d-don't remember. Please don't remember..
He could hear them laughing..
Which meant Sasuke could hear them laughing.
Naruto. Show me who did this to you.
A small whimper escaped his lips, sending a sharp pang through Sasuke's chest. Naruto shook his head. He didn't want this. He didn't want it in his own head. He absolutely didn't want it in Sasuke's.
A voice suddenly rang out. One that made Naruto's entire body start trembling. "Say anything about this, and I will come back to find you. And I'll-"
NO!! Naruto forced Sasuke out of his mind, slamming down hard on the rest.
Sasuke stared at him. "And he'll what?"
Tears filled Naruto's eyes. He quickly turned away, hating how weak he was in front of the Uchiha. He felt so exposed- and it sickened him.
All of it.
"Fuck you" he whispered. He stormed out of the bathroom, grabbed his things, and left- slamming the door hard behind him.
I will never forgive you for this.
The thought echoed through Sasuke's mind, and then it was quiet. Naruto was far enough away that their connection was too weak to hear anything else. Sasuke roughly dragged his fingers through his long raven-colored hair, then threw his head back against the door. He stared at the ceiling, his mind repeating those same words over and over.. "Say anything about this, and I will come back to find you. And I'll.."
He'll what? Why was Naruto so terrified for me to know the answer?
He could still see fragments of the memory that tormented Naruto- someone's hand gripping thick golden locks in a tight fist, forcing Naruto's head back as he gasped in pain. The sharp sound of people laughing..
What did they do to him?
He wanted to know.
He needed to know.
He just didn't know why..
Is it really just out of curiosity? Did I do all of this to him just because he wouldn't tell me? Or is there more to this?
He stared at the ceiling, looking for answers. It stared back blankly, refusing to give any.
"What is he to me.."
--
Naruto debated going to school the next day, and for a while he was convinced that he would stay home. But he didn't really have a valid excuse- at least not in the eyes of anyone else, and he didn't want to face any repercussions for his absence the next day. His teachers disliked him as much as any other villager, and seemed to thoroughly enjoy disciplining him for any mistake he made.
Skipping school would be a big one.
Besides, it's not like he could tell them what Sasuke did. Sasuke was "Konoha's best and brightest". The teachers loved him- hell, everyone did. They would never take the word of a "monster" over the word of the town prodigy.
His options were pretty limited.
Maybe the jutsu was only temporary, he thought hopefully. Maybe it only lasted for that one day.
"God.. I fucking hope so.."
Naruto groaned. "Ughhhh.. fine. I'll go."
He showered fast, threw on some crumpled yet clean clothes- nearly all black in color to match his mood- and headed out to face the day. He pulled his arms tight across his chest as he walked into the crisp morning air, keeping his head down to combat the harsh wind. It stabbed straight through his clothes, chilling him to the bone. He couldn't afford much of anything, and coats were expensive. So, he would just have to bear through it.
His eyes stung, tears from the cold momentarily blinding him.
A moment too long.
Naruto bumped into something solid and stumbled back, nearly losing his footing. "Uhh- sorry about that." He looked up and met a set of eyes far colder than anything else out there.
Naruto took a shaky step back, but he already knew he was screwed. Most villagers hated him from a distance, but there were still several who were eager to keep him in line. People who were ready to make the despised jinchuriki pay for the Nine Tails' mistakes.
Naruto was certain he had just bumped into one of those villagers.
"I.. I'm sorry" he said quickly. "I really didn't mean to."
"Your apologies mean nothing to me." The man took a threatening step towards him, his mouth curling into a vicious snarl.
"I- I didn't see you" Naruto tried again.
"Then maybe you'll see this."
The man stepped in fast and grabbed him by the throat. Naruto gasped as his grip tightened, cutting off his airway. He pulled at his wrist, trying to pry it away from him, but the man was a lot stronger than him. He wanted to do something- kick him or try some sort of jutsu to get the villager away from him, but that's what he expected him to do. That's what they all expected. They saw him as a monster. If he lashed out, it would only prove them right.
He couldn't give them any other reason to hate or resent him. He wasn't the beast they saw him as, and he desperately wanted them to believe that.
I'm not a monster.
I'm not.
The villager seemed disappointed that the blonde wasn't fighting back. Bored even. He threw him down to the ground, watching with satisfaction as he slammed into the pavement. Naruto tried to push himself up, and the villager kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Naruto gasped and collapsed back to the ground, fighting to drag air back into his tormented lungs.
"Tch.. you're not even worth it."
The villager stepped around the blonde and strolled off, not in the least bit bothered that he had attacked a small teenage boy in broad day light.
"Nnnnn.." Naruto groaned. He pushed himself up and grabbed his stomach, his hands shaking.
Blinking back tears he slowly got to his feet, brushed himself off, and walked forward, knowing there was nothing he could do. He could see several villagers watching him out of the corner of his eye. Not a single one seemed bothered to see him be attacked by a grown man. None of them came to his rescue.
None of them cared about him in the slightest.
Just don't think about it, he kept telling himself. If you draw attention to it, he's going to know.
"Going to know what?"
Naruto jumped, his heart leaping up his throat. He had just walked through the school gates and hadn't noticed the Uchiha closing in on him.
"Jesus Christ!"
"You can just call me Sasuke."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Wear a bell or something. You scared the hell out of me!"
"So what is it you don't want me to know this time?"
Naruto stiffened. Guess the jutsu is still working.
Sasuke fell into step beside him as they walked onto the school grounds and towards the Academy doors. You didn't answer my question.
Naruto's eyes flashed with anger. No. I didn't.
He started to walk faster, wanting to distance himself from the raven, but it only aggravated the pain in his stomach. He winced.
Sasuke noticed.
"Did something happen?"
An image suddenly filled his mind- a hand shooting towards Naruto, grabbing him by the throat. A pained sound just before the grip tightened, constricting his airway, effectively silencing him. And just as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone.
Sasuke grabbed his arm and spun him around, wide eyes scanning his face and dropping down to the marks on his throat.
"Did this just happen to you?!"
Naruto looked around and noticed that they had attracted a lot of attention. "I.. have to get to class. Let go of my arm."
Sasuke pulled him closer, dropping his voice so they wouldn't be overheard. "Was it the same guy?"
Naruto flinched. No. It would have been a lot worse if it had been..
Obsidian eyes widened. Worse how?
Naruto ripped his arm free and shoved him back. "Stay out of my fucking head!!" he screamed, then turned and ran- away from Sasuke's questions, away from his own thoughts, and away from the judgmental eyes following his every move.
I don't know how much more I can take..
Of any of this.
Sasuke's chest tightened as he watched the blonde tear back through the gates, away from the school.
He glanced over his shoulder, at the wide open doors beckoning him into the Academy- to be the perfect student he always was. Then he looked back towards the main entrance. Naruto was out of sight- likely running back home. Back the way he had come.
When that guy attacked him.
The image jolted back into his mind- Naruto's huge blue eyes widening as the man grabbed him by the throat.
The sound of his pained gasp as he struggled to pull away, to breathe..
"Dammit.."
Sasuke turned on his heel and ran hard.
Towards the blonde who, he was surprised to find, was beginning to mean the world to him.
Author Note:
Thank you so much, Lovestruck-Baka! That's so nice to hear! I'm glad you're enjoying it :)
Yay!! I'm glad you're reading this one too Bearlikespie! I promise- I'll come back to the other story, but I suddenly felt inspired to add to this one.
And thank you to everyone who's also reading this story! I really appreciate it & I hope you're liking it so far! Xoxoxo