Deceitful (A Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter 53: Sakura

Yamanaka-san wasn't happy, to say the least. The ever present frown deepening on his features let me know of that fact.

"Are you mad?" I asked quietly, surprising us both with the seemingly sudden inquiry.

"It shouldn't matter how I feel." Yamanaka-san answered smoothly, evading my question.

"Just because it shouldn't doesn't mean it won't. I'm not very obedient, concerning stuff like that." I smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of my head. Yamanaka-san inhaled loudly, rubbing his temples furiously. Letting him recollect himself, my eyes wandered the room we were in.

It was still underground, but it seemed to be a spare office. The walls were a dark grey, with very few items ornamenting them. Frames of scrolls and quotes were present, as well as two overflowing bookcases. A single light fixture was in the middle of the ceiling, providing some semblance to the scorching sun outside. Despite the heat of the summer, this building managed to maintain an icy chill that wasn't particularly uncomfortable.

Yamanaka-san sat across from me, in the worn leathery chair. My hands splayed themselves across my side of the polished amber desk, tapping my fingers every few seconds. The movement wasn't out of nervousness, however.

The underground T&I quarters no longer incited fear or anxiety from me. The cool, dim building contrasted sharply with the brightly lit, stifling hospital. It was different, but it wasn't necessarily terrible. Despite my last memory here consisting of torturous pain, decidedly, it was a nice enough place.

A hefty sigh halted my roaming mind as I refocused on the newly composed Yamanaka-san.

"Would you like to talk about it further?" He gently pressed, kind cerulean locking with guarded jade eyes.

"No, I feel like I relayed it accurately enough the first three times." I slowly blinked, wincing slightly at my own memory of the event. It was only for a second that my brain flashed the image in front of me; a fellow shinobi with a kunai to his own neck. I rubbed my neck tiredly, hyper aware of the dark circles underneath my usually bright viridian eyes. Sleep evaded me constantly in light of these events. Yamanaka-san frowned.

"You're still reliving it, aren't you?" He already knew the answer, his tone conveying this information.

"Yes. I've had a nightmare here and there but it's been a week! I want to go back to the hospital." I sighed, frustrated at all of this. The hospital was the one place I knew I belonged, regardless of the incident with the shinobi.

"Do you wake up cold or unbelievably warm?" He inquired suddenly, twiddling a black pen with three fingers absentmindedly.

"Hot, as if I'm on fire. I'd get up to have ice water usually. Though to be fair, I've been under the weather recently. Not necessarily a fever, if that were the case it'd mean I'd caught a post op infection and would need a round of antibiotics." I recalled, relaying the important details.

"So, could you say that the reasons for waking up from the nightmares completely boiling include the unlikely event of a post op infection shown through a feverish state or your nightmares itself, the gripping fear inciting excess warmth?" Yamanaka spoke pointedly, closing in for the kill. He had a reason for his words, and I knew he had me trapped in an instant.

"Yes. Are you saying that it's in actuality, a physical manifestation of my mental health declining?" I deduced effectively as he nodded in acknowledgment briefly, smiling slightly.

"I don't know, do you believe it to be so?" He smiled, knowing I'd been cornered. There was only one option that he led me to.