The Seraph Project - Emotion

Chapter LIV

The Calm Before the Storm

To my surprise, I dozed off for a short while. I woke up on my own when I almost fell and my head perked up; I wouldn't have bothered given the circumstances. Then sleep forgot me. Over time, the sensations gradually returned, like the pain that made me wince and silently groan. I'm not living a real hell, of course, but I'm having a very, very bad time.

My neck is on fire and if I touch it, I flinch. The crusty blood on my skin itches me a lot; I struggle with pain not to scratch myself and therefore, inadvertently tear off the precious scabs under which the gaping holes hide. My stained, sticky face disgusts me, especially since I'm feeling everything again. I tolerate the growing discomfort with the teenager sleeping in my arms. Naruto, meanwhile, sank into Morpheus's arms almost immediately; I was secretly jealous of him. My body as my mind craves slumber.

For an eternity, I waited for the return of daylight while trying in vain to find the land of dreams.

I felt the first rays of the sun on my skin; the gentle heat warmed my icy being despite the blinds that cover the window, through which the light was creeping in. I got up with difficulty to lay Naruto down in his bed. My whole body is achy, sore, agonizing and my legs are wobbling. I'm exhausted physically as well as mentally. All in all, I disregard my weakness as usual.

The sapphire-eyed boy is sleeping soundly; furthermore, he didn't react or mumble a single sound. In the dark, I notice a particularly pronounced bruise on his left cheek; if I slip a careful hand, the skin is hot to the touch and briefly swollen. I hit Naruto hard last night… I hope he can forgive me for my rudeness…

Aware that I will have to go to the Hokage's office in the early hours of the day, I hasten to take care of myself in order to be presentable and not to collapse once there or on the way. Needless to say, Lady Tsunade will be in a nameless wrath and I will get multiple sermons in the better of the worlds.

Staggeringly, I make my way to the bathroom. I go into cardiac arrest when I see my reflection. I'm not a pretty sight. In addition to my overly white and diseased skin tone, I'm covered in my own scarlet fluid that also stains my clothes. With all that dried blood, the bites are invisible. Obviously, I lost a lot of blood that night … a little too much for my liking. I look like a dried up mummy or terminally ill… To add to my dire appearance, my silver mane looks ridiculous, thanks to the static electricity I've been building up for hours.

I'm scratched all over, and I have many bruises on my arms. Those around my injured wrists are purplish. The right wrist hurts me terribly; if I move it a little too abruptly, I must refrain from screaming in pain. No doubt possible, it's dangerously cracked; if it were broken, I couldn't move it. Even my clawed face has been martyred. Hideous dark circles darken my eyes and hollow my face as thin as Naruto.

Pulling off my torn and damaged tank top, I contemplate many more wounds. There are bruises and hematomas on my too slim chest marked with several tiny red and bleeding cuts everywhere; inspecting my legs, I find more. Naruto must have done them when he climbed on top of me, digging his claws into my skin. Looking at my back, it's also brutalized, although it's free of injuries if I have to compare with the rest of my body; at that, my neck is scraped raw.

After this inspection, I wet my entire head with tap water before washing my face. With a damp cloth, I carefully clean my neck and all the patches of my epidermis stained with hemoglobin. In doing so, the pain in the bitten area turns into a bath of suffering that makes me moan and tremble; a barely tolerable sensory hell in which I dive more and more. I feel as if I'm soaking my flesh with acid. I have to wash my skin anyway. I grit my teeth and I continue… My skin abused by his fangs becomes an infernal torture. I sweat and my breath quickens.

Why am I in so much pain all of a sudden? This excruciating and burning pain like fires is similar to the one I experienced while showering, the day my arm was mercilessly butchered. By mopping my skin, the suffering subsides until I can endure it, although it persists…

I take a moment to pull myself together, wait for the pains to fade further, regain my extinguished breath and regain control over my shaky, useless hands… It's only now that I clearly see the gash marks created by his monstrous fangs, which electrocute all my nerves in martyrdom. I swallow. He bit me shamelessly. No wonder I lost so much blood; one of the markings is way too close to one of my jugulars. I was close to death…

I then tackle my tank top which I try somehow to rub in the sink to wash it; I have to be careful not to get it too wet since I will have to put it back on. Even though Naruto had something in my size, none of his clothes have a mask. My top is burgundy now, but that should be okay; people shouldn't stare at me too much.

As soon as its state is acceptable, I dry it the best I can by wringing it… It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing. I will have to tolerate this wet feeling which will inevitably get cold and icy. I put on my top and before pulling up my mask, I gulp water with my palms.

Since I'm brutalized by many feral injuries, I look for the first aid kit which I don't take long to find in the bathroom. Unfortunately, the box is almost empty… I have to choose to hide my arms or my bitten neck…

Undecided, I search through the mess of Naruto's room, who has started to snore. My back is moistened with cold sweats when I notice a pool of my blood, confirming beyond any doubt my significant blood loss… This explains my many incessant dizziness. With the pallor of my translucent skin and my dizziness, I suffer from anemia. I don't think I need a blood transfusion… Well, I hope so. I don't want to be hospitalized with an unstable, nosocomephobia-ridden Naruto.

I end up coming across a greenish striped scarf. I shake it a few times to dust it off before wrapping it around my neck. Thus, I hide the bites and my torn tank top which exposes my tortured skin. The dilemma settled, I bandage and cover my wrists, my arms and the problematic scratches with the little material on hand. Sadly, I can't hide everything.

Since the dawn ends its peak, I have time to put something in my mouth; my stomach is screaming. I utter a sigh of exasperation. Other than instant noodles, there's nothing else… The only items I might be interested in are expired. I don't want ramen to start my day, but I'm starving.

Reluctantly, I settle for my only available option. I boil the water and wait for my infamous meal to be ready. With disgust, I swallow my dish that makes me sick. At the first bite, I nearly spit it all out. My organ grumbles when I force myself to fill it with things we don't want.

At the end of my sad lunch, I hear the sound of the doorbell. I have visitors… I mean, Naruto has visitors… Maa, whatever. I hasten to get rid of everything in a hurry by pulling up my mask and I open the door. Surprised, but not surprised, I recognize Shikamaru, his face more tired than ever. At first glance, he hasn't slept all night or very little. According to his darkened features, I already know what he intends to tell me.

A silence lingers, during which the youngster examines me from head to toe.

"You're as pale as a ghost," Shikamaru worries. "Are you okay, Kakashi-Sensei?"

"...No, but I'll survive," I painfully sigh. "I assume you're here because Godaime summoned me?"

He nods. "She summoned us both," he says. "With what happened last night, we're walking on eggshells. I'll tell you from the start that this whole story got noisy in the worst way possible, and that the secret is no more now."

"Of course… As soon as Naruto escaped to roam the streets, everything fell apart…"

Shikamaru agrees with a nod.

"Give me time to wake him up and I'll be right there," I sigh.

Saying so, I go to the bedroom to pull Naruto out of his sleep… However, he's already up. When I crack the floor, Naruto turns around. My blood starts boiling in my veins the moment I see the damn stuffed Kakashi in his arms. This cursed object is the reason why we find ourselves in a delicate, even catastrophic situation, not to mention the nightmarish night I had because of this thing of misfortune. I refuse to see it and I want it gone forever.

"No. You're gonna leave it here, got it?!" I curtly order, pointing to the said stuffed Kakashi.

In response, the blond shrinks down and fiercely hugs the doll; he intends to keep it. By no means patient and annoyed as ever, I approach with a quick step as Naruto keeps the distance by backing up to the wall, against which he arches. My face a few centimetres from his, I plunge my stern and cold eye into those of my student bitten with anguish.

"Now, you're gonna stop your childishness and you're gonna let go of this thing that you're gonna leave here. Don't even try to stubborn me, you will obey me and do what I tell you. Don't force me to take it out of your hands. Am I clear, Naruto?!"

The feral boy curls up more on himself and fiercely avoids any retinal contact. He's so tiny that he's almost invisible. He holds his breath and beads of sweat slide down his forehead. His wiggling fingers betray his growing stress as his ebony tail sits horribly still. His desire to keep it is obvious and he persists in not letting it go.

Glaring at him, I approach him little by little. I step into his personal space until our faces brush against each other. The tension has become unbearable, I make him very, very uncomfortable and I don't care. With everything that's happened, I don't feel like fighting with the reluctant teenager and he better do what I say before I lose my calm and do something wrong after.

"Do you really want me to get angry?! Eh?!" I hiss coldly between gritted teeth, stabbing him with an eye as icy as a snow-capped mountain, on which oxygen is scarce.

All of Naruto's hair stands on end. He looks back at me, although his face is expressionless. Trembling, he finally hands me the cursed doll, which I toss into the mess, as if it were some unwanted old rag. I roughly slip an arm around his shoulders, forcing him to follow me. Head bowed, he complies and follows in silence.

Despite my mask, anger must distort the features of my face as cold as my eyes rotten with wrath. Shikamaru staring at me when I return convinces me of that. His dark eyes notice the wound on the blond's cheek. With my arms almost mummified, he gets some idea of what happened that full-moon night.

Before he can say anything, I beat him to it. "I'll explain everything in Lord Hokage's office," I dryly tell him. "His injury is insignificant unlike mine."

My words snatch a gasp of surprise from Shikamaru. As for Naruto, he keeps his head down, embracing himself with all his limbs, ashamed. Since the village is now aware, I no longer need to dress him in a cape… However, since I have loaded a lot of his personal stuff, he won't be able to put on any shoes. Absent patience and the non-existent desire for him to drag his steps by clinging to my arm, I resolve to carry him. With the pain engulfing my entire being on the brink of breaking, I squat down with difficulty to present my back to Naruto.

"Climb, Naruto."

Naruto hesitates, visibly nervous. He stares at my neck, where the bite marks are, carefully camouflaged under the scarf. He swallows and gently clings to me; his ebony tail wraps several turns around my abdomen. He avoids touching my bitten skin at all costs. To say that he feels guilty would be an understatement; his body language speaks for itself.

My legs are exhausted and too heavy. I emit a silent complaint when I give myself a momentum to stand on my two feet which waver for the time of a breath; to this, I nearly collapse immediately once standing. A few black stars dance before my eyes, trying hard to weave this dark web on my retina. Naruto is far from having regained his healthy weight, but he weighs tons now… With my body on the verge of giving up at any moment, the slightest physical gesture requires immeasurable effort from me.

I close behind me and lock the door. Without further ado, we rush into the Hidden Leaf Village to reach the Hokage Tower. Some people take a dim view of us when we pass by, especially my shivering student. The wind pushes him to hide his face in the scarf that adorns my neck, which is flouted with indecent bite marks.

Rumours were already starting to spread. I sincerely fear to know the nature of these after this night of horror worthy of a nightmare and which will haunt me for the weeks to come…

Mentally, I'm preparing for the worst.

Author notes: nosocomephobia = phobia of hospital

More author notes: I've refined and rewritten all chapters from the first book (chapter 1 to 20). No need to read everything again, but I give more details, information and more kakanaru vibes (which was absent in the first writing).

More, more author notes: Also... I just realized that there was a pairing option here... I didn't know that. I apologize for my ignorance. This story is now marked with the pairing. That said, the romance isn't the main focus of my story. What Naruto is now, the organisation, what happened to Naruto... This is the main focus.