Chapter LXXXXI

Home Sweet Home

The Seraph Project - Vigilance

When is the last time I felt this alive?

After an eternity of contemplating white and empty walls, of suffocating between four of them, of being bedridden, of being force-fed like a goose destined for slaughter, I feel reborn. I enjoy the rays of the sun, which warm my icy skin and my frosty insides, as if I've hibernated during the coldest of winters. The gentle wind carries my silver hair in its dance. I savour every breeze. Since my neck is protected, I don't experience any discomfort. My nose rediscovers the many scents of summer coming to an end, the culinary and tempting aromas that make me want to put something in my mouth.

Never in my life have I felt so free and alive.

The euphoric joy is such that I don't care about the venomous glares on us.

Of course, I'm not the only one experiencing heightened joy. Clinging to my arm, Naruto synchronizes his steps with mine. I can hear his heart beating wildly. Like me, the gaze of others doesn't bother him—rather, it doesn't exist. The blinding glare of the sun forces his eyes to the ground, but he keeps his head high. His silent laughter is followed by a tear of light, which slides down his cheek and meets the ground, thus returning to the earth.

I show a smile like his.

I take my time to return home after a long time. I enjoy the urban nature before finding myself between four walls. When I'm a block from home, stress skyrockets. According to the incident report, my door like my windows wasn't forced; the enemy broke in, and did so with disturbing ease. I could change the locks, but I doubt it would do anything. If they succeeded once, they will succeed again.

My emotions show on Naruto as he clenches his hands. He probably knows something is wrong. If I remember his categorical refusal to allow Sakura to enter my room, I fear his reaction to see that the place has been ransacked. I put the key in the lock, and we both hold our breath. As I open the door, the smell of musty and accumulated dust stings my nostrils. Over time, the odours of these people faded.

I look at my sad, upside-down apartment. The drawers and cupboards are emptied of their contents, piling up on the floor covered with dirt of all kinds. There are broken dishes. My ninja gear mixes with the depressing mess. My bathroom suffers the same fate, although the mirror is still intact. Nothing is worse than my unrecognizable bedroom. There isn't even room to put my feet so much it's a mess.

The sheets are roughly ripped off the bed and are torn. They inspected the bottom of my mattress since it's crooked and facing the wrong way; at that, they cut it open at the seam to take a look inside. My clothes are piled up all over the place, and I'm missing things. They took all my parchments and documents; my notes on my bulletin board are stolen. My desk and drawers are too as well. I guess they think I'm keeping secret information that might interest them. Fortunately, I don't have any of this. Even if I did, I wouldn't keep such documents in my home. My greenish blanket with black shuriken patterns found in the alley rests on my mattress.

As I assess the damage, the teenager walks in, his shoulders lower than ever. His eyes are moist; his face is veiled in sorrow. He refrains himself from crying. His tail, although so expressive, drags behind, lifeless.

My bookshelf, in which my books are carefully arranged in alphabetical order, is devastated. My books are within the mess and some are damaged. One of my frames is smashed, the one that contains the photo of my precious fallen comrades, including my Sensei, Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage. A ghost tear appears in the corner of my eye when I discover my favourite books. They also are in a bad state, and the damage is irreparable. I want to cry. One of the volumes that I cherish so much, a limited edition and signed by the hand of the late Jiraiya, is brutalized; the pages are forever marked with creases that can't be healed. Desperately, I touch these permanent wounds with my fingertips, as if I were caressing the face of a newborn that death took too soon.

"How can people be so cruel...?" I mutter, clenching my fists.

Hiccups of sadness overwhelm all my attention. Naruto looks in the sheets, from which he pulls out the stuffed Kakashi. Out of wanton malice, whoever entered here slit this stuffed Kakashi's throat, allowing the white foam to escape like a rush of crimson. The feral boy trembles; he can't touch it with his fingers. He collapses to the ground and hugs it tightly, sobbing harder and harder; limpid waterfalls flow from his tarnished eyes.

I'm disgusted at myself. For a second, I was happy at the idea of finally having an opportunity to get rid of it… The image of my student like this pinches my heart. He cares a lot about this detestable thing. It seems like this group had time to kill given that they took a moment to murder it; the cut with calculated precision is that of a kunai. "Was it really necessary...?" I sigh.

I wonder if this is a warning meant to me. It makes sense. After all, the hold I have on Naruto is detrimental to their plan. The blond only has eyes for me; he will give up living if I disappear. To make him an effective weapon, they must have absolute control over him given the destructive power of the chakra devourers. They probably abused him in order to make him docile and obedient. My simple existence puts obstacles in their way. Because of me, Naruto will refuse to obey them, as long as I am by his side.

If I deepen this bond with him further, even if it means suffering, Naruto will be untouchable; the enemy will definitely lose all future control over him. Their frustration must be palpable considering they lost their precious subject and failed in their attempt to get him back so long after he escaped. Besides, I'm a bothersome obstacle, and they can't get rid of me for good either, even if I'm an easy prey without chakra.

I'm willing to bet that they're biting their fingers in frustration.

At the moment, my priority is Naruto, who is about to scream. I dig through the mess. I fume, hissing through clenched teeth. It annoys me that I can't get my hands on it. Each object is carefully stored in its place. I make sure everything is in order, clean, impeccable. Right now, it's the opposite. Not to help, I'm distracted by Naruto's cries hurting my eardrums.

I finally get my sewing little box. I sit next to the blond. I snatch the doll from his hands without the slightest effort. Instead of crying, Naruto watches what I do while sniffing loudly. While attaching the thread to the end of the needle, I almost stab my fingertip; I haven't yet fully gotten used to my nails being too long. I can't complain since I can't clip them. They will immediately grow back, and I will suffer martyrdom. I have to live with it, as I have to live with these fangs that I perpetually caress with my injured tongue now.

I reluctantly mend the cursed doll, but not without sighing heavily. After a few minutes, I manage to repair it with flying colours; it's like new. Meanwhile, Naruto dries his tears. I hand it to him, and he hesitates to take it. Nevertheless, he grabs it with trembling hands and looks at it more closely. Carefully, his fingers brush against the still-fresh seam.

A radiant, even dazzling smile appears on his face while a luminous tear leaves one of his ocean blue eyes. Naruto hugs it and sticks to me to snuggle. Mechanically, I wrap my arm around him, resting my head on his. I notice that he's completely relaxed instead of being stiff as concrete. It's the first time in a long time that I've seen him so peaceful … so peaceful that he's already falling asleep. This doesn't surprise me. He hasn't had any restorative sleep for almost a month. Somehow, he finally released the pressure.

I pick him up and lay him in my bed… Maa, I lay him down on my mattress. I should clean the dirty sheets, make the bed first … but I don't want to keep him awake more than necessary. His body is about to give up; he needs to rest, and I'm sure Naruto doesn't care about the current state of my bunk. His blue irises look at both the void and me; at that, his eyelids are heavy. I find my pillow, on which I place his head and I cover him with the blanket. "You don't have to worry anymore, Naruto," I whisper, sliding a gentle hand through his blond hair. "Everything will go back to the way it was before, and no one will come after us anymore. I can guarantee you that."

My words are a lullaby to his ears. He closes his eyes and his breathing stabilizes, slows down.

He fell deeply asleep.

This makes me smile.

I feel so light suddenly.

Of course, this feeling is fleeting. I scan the surroundings wearily. There's so much to do … too much to do. I want to rest and relax in a park instead. I let out a sigh and put my fingers together to stretch them, making them crack in the process. "Well… The work's not gonna happen by itself."

- XxX -

Tidying, sweeping, cleaning, sorting, laundry… There's nothing I don't do, including the very difficult mourning of my favourite book, irreplaceable and ruined forever. Despite the many indelible injuries, I keep all my books, even the most damaged. I plan to replace the Make-Out series with new books. Even if it costs me a leg, I'm ready to pay the price to get signed volumes again. Only the limited edition one is impossible to find. It's going to take a miracle to get my hands on it one day. That said, I'm unable to accept it. My moist eye releases a solitary tear here and there that I brush away with my fingertip.

During my recovery, they explained to me how to make the glyphs appear if there are any. When the ground is clear, I infuse my chakra everywhere. The walls, the floor, the ceiling, the exterior… I go through everything carefully. Fortunately, there's nothing. As I do so, I realize that the mark on my neck no longer hurts me if I mould my chakra. However, I experience discomfort. It's like something hot is stuck to my skin, piercing me with hundreds of tiny sharp teeth. I don't have any pain, but I have a bad time when it activates. All in all, I'm relieved that the pain fades with time.

Naruto isn't bothered by my hubbub. He sleeps soundly and snores loudly. His snoring makes the hairs on my arms stand up. A fleeting thought of choking him with a pillow crosses my mind…

I spend the day cleaning, and I'm exhausted. I polish every nook and cranny, several times in a row. I want to exorcise every trace that these guys may have left behind. They disgust me, make me want to throw up. Besides tidying up my apartment, I exercise a little, take a shower and cook something with what's not rotten. I have no choice but to do groceries tomorrow. Otherwise I won't eat much. I have to pay attention to my diet and not lose weight if I don't want to receive a one-way ticket to the hospital. Lady Tsunade's warning is serious.

I can finally breathe after dark. The only thing left to do is my bed. That said, I refuse to use my pillow and blanket that I couldn't wash earlier. Since I'm chilly, I'll wear more clothes. At least, Naruto's venom has some benefits. I will sleep despite the discomfort, that's understood.

While waiting for the blond to wake up, I open the window and sit on the edge of the bed to read. I'm still upset about my ruined books… Like these demon fangs and my mutated nails, I have to accept it and move on. Crying won't bring them back. I'm deep in thought. Tenderly, my neck is surrounded by arms, which embrace me, wishing me "good morning." "Good evening, Naruto," I say, reading.

Naruto looks around the room, as if he was setting foot there for the first time. He sniffs the air; his breath too close to my neck gives me unpleasant shivers, which force me to raise my shoulders against my will. Cleaning products don't seem to bother him. Since I have a very sensitive nose, I only use products that are gentle and have little odour. After his visual and olfactory analysis, he smiles and slowly crushes me in his embrace, accidentally strangling me.

Naruto releases me and sits cross-legged. I gag when he starts licking the long hairs on the tip of his tail, making vile and extremely disturbing noises. This disgusts me. Yet, my suddenly voyeuristic eye can't look away. His tail is dirty, it's been lying around everywhere, and he slides his tongue into the fur, sucks in the hairs and spreads his slime from the root to the tip with his fingers. This is the first time I witness his grooming ritual. Of course, I endure it, but I don't see him doing it, just enduring his unbearable mouth noises. I feel like I'm violating his privacy. The worst part is that he doesn't even mind me looking at him—rather, staring at him inappropriately.

'Stop looking at him,' I tell myself.

Naruto stares back at me, and I flinch. I hasten to show him my back, raise my book and hide my face behind it. My heart is unleashed; at that, I blush with embarrassment. I feel the piercing eyes on me for an eternity. I breathe again when he returns his attention to his hair. Why am I overreacting so much? Why does this bother me suddenly? I have the feeling of having surprised him in his privacy. However, it's nothing sensual… I imagine things because of this emotional confusion in my heart, which confuses my thoughts. It was time for me to get out of this hospital. I desperately need to be alone…

Alone, without Naruto.

I try as best I can to ignore Naruto, but the sickening noises enter my ear canals; they have become real labyrinths, in which the sounds get lost, unable to find the exit. The atmosphere is heavy; an unprecedented awkwardness twists my stomach. He could have waited until I was asleep to do that! Unconsciously, I rub my nails against my headboard to think of something else. The screeching of the latter doesn't mute the odious noise. I debate with myself about leaving the room or the apartment… But I don't want to leave Naruto alone. Since a long while, he feels comfortable and safe in taking care of his hygiene… Maa, somewhat. I'm sure that he will follow me and continue his work alongside me, no matter where I am…

His mouth sounds subside after a long and painful time. Out of the corner of my eye, I see that the teenager has started grooming his blond mane that he can't reach directly with his tongue. Therefore, he covers his arms and hands with saliva to rub them in his locks. Well… This vision disgusts me a little less. Fuelled by an unhealthy curiosity, I observe him. I stare into my book when he looks at me before looking back at him. After putting in his drool, he slides his fingers through his hair, brushing it to coat it from root to tip. I wonder if it's the reason why his salivary glands can produce such a large amount of saliva.

Once the blond is finished, he lets out a long sigh … then lands his gaze on me … more precisely, my head. His intentions are crystal clear. A cold sweat slides down my temple, and I put down my book. "Hmm… I have to go to the bathroom," I chuckle nervously as I get up. "I … hmm… I'll give you my chakra when I return…"

Not taking my eyes off Naruto, I leave the room. His piercing gaze like a hawk in full hunt is on me. Nevertheless, he stays on the bed, even when I'm in the doorway. I sigh as I turn around, relieved to have escaped his unwanted grooming…

The moment I no longer have him in my field of vision, Naruto pounces on me, knocking me face first to the ground. He firmly grabs my ankles and drags me back to my room. In panic, I try to hold on to the floor with my nails, scraping against the wood until I cling on the ledge of the doorway. As if my life depends on it, I cling to the wall, resisting with all my strength as Naruto pulls me even harder.

"PLEASE! LEAVE ME ALONE!" I beg in desperation.

Hanging in the air, I use my chakra to amplify my strength, with which I hoist myself miserably out of the room. Angry, the sapphire-eyed boy growls as a warning; at that, lightning pulses from his skin. The electric current runs through my legs spread apart by his arms and mine. He insists on dragging me back into bed to cover me in drool as I try to escape from him. Even with my chakra, I can't rival him. I'm sweaty. I almost let go when he tugs me back. My weak, trembling fingers are the last defence and are about to give out.

Helplessly, I can only watch as my fingers slide agonizingly slowly from my sole support. My arms are stretched like iron bars and…

I finally let go.

My face meets the ground.

And I'm hoisted into bed.

Naruto frees my aching ankles; they're probably marked with bruises. My legs are tied up by his tail. On all fours above me, he slams his hands firmly on my shoulders to hold me in place. The blond brings his face closer to mine, hissing. Dejected, I give up, letting out the biggest sigh of my life. Exasperated, I don't even look at him…

"Alright… Got it… Do what you want… I won't run away… I promise…"

Satisfied, Naruto gives me a few friendly pats on the back and begins to groom my hair. To my misfortune, he keeps my legs hostage, tightly tied up… There is nothing to do against a horribly stubborn Naruto…

I can only obediently submit to him…

Hellow! A few words from the author!

I got very sick this week, and I will get a surgery tomorrow, on Saturday. I may or may not publish a new chapter next week; it will depend on my recovery. Fortunately, it is a small surgery, so I should be able to work on the next chapter. If you see no update next week, it means that I need more time to recover. Thank you for understanding