Unbearable Weight of Leaves

The Return

Author's Note

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been updating as much. Seems I fell in a little bit of a slump, but my word counts have been rising the past few days, so hopefully I am over this whatever it is.

I had to do a surprising amount of research for this chapter. I hope it feels realistic enough. *Bites her nails in worry.*

As always, reviews/comments serve to inspire :D

Naruto

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The sound echoed, dull, as if I were in some sort of underwater tunnel. What was the sound? Did it matter?

Who was I anyway? Did it matter? My eyelids were too heavy to open and my body too numb to do anything but stay still. I took a deep breath, and there was a weight on my hand.

A voice. Dull, distant, but it was there. A person.

Who? Did it matter?

Probably not. I was too tired to care. So very tired....

.*. .*. .*.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

There is was again. The odd beeping sound. What was it? I tried opening my eyes, but they wouldn't budge. Why wouldn't they open? I tried lifting my arm, but it wouldn't listen to me. Voices.

I hear voices. What language were they speaking? I couldn't understand a single word.

Come on. I can open my eyes, couldn't I? Open. My. Eyes. I put all my effort into it.

I was blinded by light and figures, blurry came into my view. The voices became louder, but I still couldn't understand them. They were speaking some sort of foreign language, and their voices were dull as though underwater.

What sort of place was I in? Where had I been taken? Was I kidnapped? Who would want to kidnap me?

Better yet, who was I? I tried to remember as things passed in front of my face. Hands? Maybe.

I was tired, but now I couldn't close my eyes. What was going on? Why was this happening to me? I tried to move again, but none of my body responded to my efforts. I wanted to cry. I'm broken. I'm going to be stuck like this forever, with these people who were foreign.

I couldn't even produce tears.

This sucks.

.*. .*. .*.

After a few years the voices began to make sense. They sounded familiar, but I still couldn't place why. Did I know these people? I still couldn't focus my eyes, but every so often they would sting, but then felt fine again for a while. Eye drops? It's possible.

There was a warmth on my hand. "Squeeze my hand. If you hear me, squeeze my hand. Come on Naruto, you can do this."

Naruto? Was this my name? Who was this person? At least I could understand them now. Maybe they were aliens slowly assimilating to my brain and were adapting the languages they learned by the responses I gave.

Hell with them. Like I would cooperate with that shit.

Assholes.

I didn't even try to follow directions. I would wait until I was alone, for the first time in forever, and then attempt my escape.