Teach me to love ~Naruto~: Chapter 1

Chapter 28: Snapped

"We... we won." I said increadiously. "WE WON!" I yelled with the cheers from the ninja around me. After two months of fighting we finally beat them all. We are finally done. Everyone ran down the path, cheering, yelling, rejoycing. They were all happy to be able to go home and see their family and friends. Sakura ran up behind me and hugged me, laughing and cheering. It really was a day to celebrate. The Akatsuki is dead! Many of the ninja ran down the path chanting, Konoha.

Everyone packed up the camp and passed out booze to celebrate. We had a short party before heading for home. Home. None of us have seen it fo months. I remember Charlie telling me that Tsunadei was in a pretty deep coma and that Danzou Shimura had taken over as temporary Hokage and was really killing Konoha. He was trying to make it a military village.

I know that Tsunadei has the same pacifistic veiws as the Third Hokage had. And really that is what has mad our village so nice to live in. We don't go to war very often. So we keep that happy peace. But now... I have this strange feeling that going home now is going to feel a lot like how I've been living for these past two months.

We all ran home, ran as afst was we could. The gates came into veiw and people started singing 'we are the champions'.I laughed at them but soon joined in just because it seemed like fun. There were jounin, chunin, genin, and villagers at the gate we passed through, ready to great us.

I looked around to see if I could find Charlie in the mess, but came up blank. So I walked to the hospital, thinking maybe she was visiting people there.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled. "I'm going to go hand in the mission report. I'll go by your house in an hour to confirm the transaction."

"Okay! See you then Sakura!" I ran to the hospital and down mulitpal halls, hoping to find her somewhere. A nurse passed me and asked what Iwas looking for. "I'm trying to find my friend. Her name is Charlie White and she visits here often."

"Oh, Charlie! I'm sorry but we havn't seen her for a week. She actually missed her last treatment." I ran, not letting her continue, and found my way to Charlie's apartment.

She didn't answer the first time I knocked. It had me worried. So I pulled out the key she gave me and went in. Everything seemed fine. The apartment was clean, put together, a ew books were scattered on the table. But something was off. Charlie is clean, but if sh had been around at any point today there would be clutter in the sink. But ti looked like... she hadn't been here for a week. Something was deffinatly wrong.

I Hurridly ran next door to my apartment.... but stopped in the door way when I saw Charlie asleep on my bed. She was currled up and sweating. Actually it looked like she was in pain. I shook her shoulder, and when she opened her eyes, she groaned and rolled over. "Naruto... help me... help me, please." She moaned softly.

"What's wrong? Come on, i'm taking you to the hospital." She actually smiled when I told her that.

"SHE DOESN'T NEED A HOSPITAL!!" Yumi yelled behind me. I wirrled around to find her smiling insanly at me. "All Charlie needs is a friend to take care of her. She doesn't need a doctor when when she has me."

"Naruto, she's been poisoning me for almost two weeks. Please... I need to get out of here." CHarlie pleaded. Poison?! What is Yumi thinking?! What happened to her? Last time I saw her she was her usual bubbly self. Smiling, carefree, a little emotional, but nothing to this degree.

"All I want to do is take care of you Charlie. We've been together for so long. Don't worry, I'll protect you from Naruto so he doesn't break your heart, like Chigami and Usura did. Remember?! They both made you cry so hard, and you always came to me. Always came to Yumi Hoshigaki, your very best friend, for comfort, for a new breath of life everytime they stole it. I won't let that happen to you again, CHarlie! I promise!"

Yumi Pulled out a knife and ran at me. I easily grabbed her hand a fought back but man she was strong. And then I remembered Charlie telling me she was a ninja on top of being a model. Yumi cut deeply into my arm and Charlie yelled for her stop.

"I won't let him hurt you!" She yelled, plunging the downward, straight at my chest. Something nailed her in the back of the head, wich caused her to slump forward and then on the ground. Charlie had thrown her glass vial of muscel relaxer, saving my life. I went over and hugged her before helpping her up and tossing the unconcious Yumi over my shoulder.

At the hospital, the doctors immeadiatly took Charlie from me when I told them she had swallowed a good amount of poison in a week and a half. And when I told them about what Yumi did they took her and admitted her into the phsyciatric ward. The nurse told me not worry, that both Yumi and Charlie would be okay. They let me into see Charlie while they ran the test to see what kind of poison Yumi had been feeding her.

"They're going to take good care of her right?" Charlie asked when I told her where Yumi was.

"Of course they will. She'll get better, don't worry."

She leaned her head against me and sighed. The doctor finally came in and told us it was a very weak poison, and from the looks of it, home made. So, Charlie should be fine in a few days. I just had to make sure she got plunty of water. While she was in there, they went ahead and gave her her treatment. When I took her home she threw a fit.

"I don't want to stay in my apartment tonight Naruto! I havn't seen you in two months, please let me stay with you." She pleaded. Ilooked in her eyes and saw brash determination. So I smiled, hugged her and told her she could. But she fell asleep at seven, the treatment hitting her full force. It really did take a lot out of her. I played with her hair, noticing how thin it had gotten in the time I'd been gone. Charlie was so pale, and rail thin. But in my eyes, she was still the most beautiful girl to ever come into my life.