Chapter Twenty-Six
TLC
April 10, 2010
"Yo."
"Good morning sensi~"
"Good morning. Excuse our intrusion, sensei."
Sanzo, arms crossed, leaning on the rail opposite the open door, Tani, standing front and center, beaming, and Seinosuke, standing a step behind Tani, filled his view. Though not unwelcome, Naruto searched his brain for a reason the three had assembled on his door step. He hadn't missed a training session had he? Had he promised them Ramen?
A trip to the dango shop?
For the life of him, he couldn't remember.
Surely they hadn't come to take him from the side of his sickly girlfriend for a mission had they?
Though it was extremely rare for them to receive a summons before him, it had happened once before. But only once. He gave their clothing a once over. Seinosuke was fitted in dark jeans, dull red shirt and sleeveless black hoodie. Tani had sprung for a cutesy deep blue, off the shoulder top and white knee high skirt, complete with sapphire sandals. The prankster leaning on the railing stood out in a lime tee and tan cargo pants. Not a single ninja tool pouch or weapon in sight.
Definitely not a mission then.
He scratched his head, confusion painting his face.
"Uh, good morning," he greeted.
He blinked.
"Uhh...what's everyone doing here, 'ttebayo?" he asked next, hoping he didn't come off as rude.
"We came to check on you, sensei," Tani explained.
He blinked again.
"To check on me?" Naruto echoed, raising a incredulous brow, "huhhh? Why?"
"Yeah," his only female genin nodded, "we were on our way back from the park when we saw you running by on the roof. You looked really worried. A few minutes later, another you ran in a different direction so we came to see if you were okay, sensei."
Naruto's heart turned over.
'These guys,' he thought, deeply touched and suffused with gushing delight, 'worried about their sensei,'
Even if he hadn't made any promise of Ramen or dango, he'd definitely take them once Hinata was better.
"The only reason I'm here is because you owe me another dango!" Sanzo butted in, bursting his tender, fluffy little bubble, "you showed up in the middle of the village and ran across building like a maniac, a bunch of your fan girls bumped into me and knocked it on the floor chasing after you, sensei!"
Blue eyes narrowed, and the stubborn bottom lip of said sensei jutted out in an annoyed pout.
He couldn't really deny that the women in the village were wont to chase him around whenever he made an appearance, and were rabid enough in their pursuit not to care who or what they trampled to get to him, but how was that his fault? He'd never fed into the swooning women that trailed him. As much as he hated to admit it, he'd learned from Sasuke how to tune them out, ignoring them much the way the younger Uchiha had so many years ago. It was ironic, being on the other side of the adoration. He'd alway pegged his best friend as a smug bastard for the scorn he'd thought he's seen, but he understood all to well now. Ignoring them was the best course of action and only worked to keep them at bay half the time. Aloofness also had its own appeal to women.
Naruto presented his only knuckle headed genin with a goofy visage of boredom.
"Sanzo," he fairly yawned, "Sensei's so sorry the big mean girls knocked you over. Are you alright? Did you skin your knee? Sensei will buy you another dango and a sparkly band-aid, dattebayo,"
Cherry stained the genin's cheeks, a familiar fire flaring to life in his emerald eyes. His mouth opened and Naruto wait for the maelstrom of teenage pique. Sanzo was without a doubt cut from the same cloth as he himself was. He knew from experience, and his own personality, what the kid said next would be outrageous and hilarious.
"Can it Sanzo," Tani cut in, "We didn't come to make trouble for sensei. We came to see if he was alright."
Leave it to Tani to nip the brewing storm in the bud. Honestly, he was a tiny bit disappointed. Sanzo never failed to not only entertain his mentor, but also fill the Hokage hopeful with nostalgia, for more than the obvious reasons.
Sanzo buried his troubles in laughter that was genuine and strategic.
He played class clown often.
And while Naruto enjoyed the show, he never, not once missed that distant look that came after...
That sad and lonely expression he'd grown up seeing in the mirror.
He'd worked hard as the young boy's mentor to gain the little pieces of trust he gave, hoping to one day hear and help him with whatever pain was putting those looks on his face when he believed no one was watching.
"We didn't come here for you to make a big fuss over half eaten dango." Tani declared, turning his attention back to her.
Much like Sakura, Tani often kept the uncouth youth in line, lecturing him about his immaturity and tearing him a new one verbally if he still didn't fall in line. If she ever gained the monstrous strength and short fuse to violence, it'd be like watching his former crush all over again. With this team, their personalities were as heartwarming as it was eerie, almost as though he were looking into the past.
Almost, except...
"Is everything alright, sensei?"
Blue orbs swung to the speaker of that question.
Seinosuke.
Much like Sasuke, he was more than proficient in the skills of a ninja. Cool, calm and quietly analytical. Swoon worthy handsome and sought after by the girls in and out of the Academy.
And yet, in other ways, they were worlds apart.
Seinosuke carried none of the darkness of the Uchiha name. His poised, almost emotionless visage and self contained mannerisms originated from a place other than the weight of a clan once cursed with the poison of hate. His home was far from broken. Far from stained in blood. The Kato clan was one of reserve, however, they were also one of love. A love Seinosuke showed quietly and subtly to his team without hesitation and without reservation.
"I'm fine, Seinosuke," he murmured, "but Hinata's not feeling well, 'ttebayo. I'm staying here to look after her, but she needs medicine and maybe a check up from Sakura-chan."
"Oh no, that's terrible," Tani gasped, "I hope she'll be okay."
Naruto gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
"I'm sure she'll be alright, but the medicine from the Hyuuga compound should help speed things up."
He sighed.
"She says it's just a cold, so I'm probably just overreacting."
"You always do when it comes to Hinata-san," Sanzo huffed.
Naruto cut eyes to Sanzo. Opened his mouth and-
"Well of course he's worried about her!" Tani put in, "Naruto-sensei really loves her."
The preteen had that lovey dovey gooey twinkle in her eyes again.
"It's all just..."
Sanzo rolled his eyes.
"Romantic," Tani squealed, "Sensei's been taking care of her all morning and won't leave her side even to get medicine."
Although used to Tani's love and idolization of his relationship, Naruto still couldn't help the heat that stained his neck and cheeks. He wasn't ashamed that her assessment was dead on, it was that she made it sound so...gooey.
"Ahh, yeah, I'm doing my best, dattebayo, though I'm not very good at this. Getting medicine and making a sandwich is about all I can-"
"A sandwich!" the emerald haired genin squeaked, sounding horrified, "Sensei, a sandwich might be too much for Hinata-san to have while she's sick. Soup when you're sick is the best meal to nourish a sick body. It's hydrating, warm and easy to consume."
That certainly made sense but...he-
"He doesn't know how to make soup," the groups antagonist piped up, "Kiba-san says he blows up the kitchen if he even looks at the stove."
Naruto cut warning sapphire eyes, for a second time, at Sanzo.
"Oiiiii..." came the warning from the antagonist's mentor.
"Don't worry, sensei. I can make the soup. My mother taught me and my sisters how."
Death glare fading, Naruto turned hopeful eyes on the brightly beaming girl.
"Really? That'd be great Tani."
Dull pink suffused her cheeks.
"Of course, Sensei~"
Another eye roll from the back.
"Well since its nothing serious, I'm leaving," Sanzo muttered, "I didn't get to finish my dango."
Tani turned, hands on hips.
"Well if you're going back to that café, there's grocery store right across. Go to the counter, ask for Botan and tell him you need the ingredients for Nakamoto soup and bring them back here."
"Huh?-"
She turned again, dismissing his bumbling and incredulous face.
"Seinosuke, can you help me start the broth and chop whatever vegetables Hinata-san has. We'll need to prepare before Sanzo get's back."
"Hey!" blustered the newly appointed grocery courier, "wait a minute, I never said-"
"We'll get started right away, Sensei," Tani smiled, "I'll make enough for all of us. Wait until you taste the Nakamoto's get well soup."
Amused, heartened, Naruto allowed the joyful girl latched onto his and Seinosuke's arm to usher him back into his apartment, though he couldn't help throwing an amused glance at the fuming teen left behind as the door slowly closed.
Ten minutes later, Naruto's kitchen was lively.
Not only had Tani put Seinosuke to work, Naruto found himself chopping very precise shaped celery along side the genin.
Four minutes later, a knock at the door brought a halt to his chopping. Wiping his hands, Naruto opened the door, looked at himself standing in the door way for a beat before taking the book and thermometer. One puff of smoke later left him with one less clone and a memory of its exchange with Sakura. Hands full, he trekked to the bedroom and quietly opened the door.
She'd twisted again, from lying on her back where he'd left her onto her stomach, curling the lightly damp sheet around her legs, covering one rounded buttock and leaving the other lusciously bare.
He closed the door with a shoulder and sat the book on a dresser he passed on his way to her.
Up close, worry unfurled in his stomach.
She was sweating again. Her porcelain skin flushed a slightly angry red. Taking a seat in the nook her side created, he reached out, smoothing soft midnight tresses from her slick forehead.
She didn't stir.
A from tugged at his lips.
"Hinata." He crooned softly.
Nothing.
"Hinata," he called a little louder, touching the curve of her spine.
A soft, breathy acknowledgment whispered passed her lips.
"I'm sorry I woke you," he whispered, stroking her back, "but Sakura-chan said we should take your temperature."
She lay still, drifting off again.
"Okay? Hinata?" he intoned, stroking her again, "it's important, dattebayo."
Another threadbare murmur, then silence.
He put the thermometer on the bedside table and reached for her.
He didn't like this.
Maybe everyone was right. He was overreacting and it was just a cold but...he couldn't help the dread in his stomach.
This blazing heat radiating from her skin.
The constant sleeping, leaving only her hushed whimpers and thrashing about as a sign that she was still alive.
Weakness so great she could barely keep her beautiful, pupiless eyes open.
He had half a mind to take her to the hospital, regardless of her temperature. Carefully, he drew her into the crook of his arms, then reached for the pen-like device he'd gotten from his friend. Having read the instructions and a bit of the book on the way back, the troubled jonin knew exactly how to use it. Her head lulled on his shoulder, Hinata offered no resistance as he stuck the rounded tip into her mouth and below her tongue.
Heat, in the shape of the feminine from he held, seeped through his clothes and skated along his skin.
A pitiful moan left her throat.
He leaned down, careful not to dislodge the temperature reading equipment, and offered what he hoped was a reassuring nuzzle atop her crown.
"It'll be okay, Hinata," he murmured, pressing gentle lips to her temple, "I'll take care of you."
The words were of comfort to him, as much her. She would be okay. He'd told her she would. He'd make it so.
He never went back on his word.
And in this, it would be no different.
A beep pierced the quiet bedroom. Anxious, he slipped the metal tip from her lips and read the numbers.
102.3
She had a fever...
A very high fever... but Sakura-chan had said 103 was doctor worthy.
He placed the thermometer down, then carefully arranged his girlfriend on the bed. Fluffing the pillows, he laid her dark head against their softness. Standing, he made sure the sheet was spread thin and covered her naked body. Moving to the dresser, he picked up the thin book and picked up where his clone had left off.
Step One was complete; Temperature.
Temperature can be taken orally, rectally, or under the armpit. A person is typically considered feverish if oral temperature is above 100 F (37.8 C) or rectal temperature is above 99.5 F (37.5 C). Temperatures measured under the armpit are not considered as accurate and can be as much as 1 degree F lower than an oral measurement. A temperature above normal but below 100.4 F (38 C) is sometimes considered a low-grade or mild fever. It may mean that the body is responding to an infection.
She was well above low-grade.
He moved on to Step Two; Treat Fever, if necessary
No treatment is necessary for a mild fever unless the person is uncomfortable. If the fever is 102 or higher:
Give an over-the-counter medicine such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen as directed on the label. Check with your doctor first if you have any medical conditions or take other medicines. Warning: Do NOT give aspirin to anyone age 18 or younger unless directed to do so by a doctor.
Bathing or sponging in lukewarm water may bring the temperature down. Do not use cold water or alcohol.
Have the person wear light clothing and use a light cover or sheet - overdressing can make body temperature go up. If the person gets chills, use an extra blanket until they go away.
He hoped whatever the Hyuuga put in their medicine included those long, complicated ingredients listed in the book. And he'd already given her a wipe down, but once everyone left, he'd take her in the bath for a few minutes. Maybe it'd knock the worst of the heat from her skin.
Cerulean orbs moved over her slumbering form.
She was naked as the day she was born, and that was the lightest sheet they had in the house. If the chills came, he'd get something heavier.
Step Three: Give Liquids
Have the person drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
Tani was working on the soup and he'd make sure she took in as much water as he could get her to drink.
Step Four: When to Contact a Doctor
Seek medical help immediately if the person has:
A history of serious illness such as heart disease, cancer, or diabetes, or if the person is taking immunosuppressant drugs
A high fever that doesn't respond to fever-reducing medicine
Been exposed to extremely hot weather and feels hot but is not sweating
A stiff neck, is confused, or has trouble staying awake
Severe pain in the lower abdomen
Severe stomach pain, vomits repeatedly, or has severe diarrhea
Skin rashes, blisters, or a red streak on an arm or leg
A severe sore throat, swelling of the throat, or a persistent earache
Pain with urination, back pain, or shaking chills
A severe cough, coughs up blood, or has trouble breathing
A temperature of 103 or higher
The only thing on this list that fit his suffering significant other was the trouble staying awake. He couldn't rightly say if he should take her in based on that since he hadn't even gotten a chance to see if her fever responded to the efforts of step one to three.
Step Five; Follow Up
Contact a doctor if the high body temperature lasts for more than 3 days or gets worse.
So he had to wait three more days at least after he gave her the medicine before it was an emergency for the hospital to handle? Or wait until she got even worse.
He stared at the book...
Sakura-chan had said it was easy to understand but...
When was he supposed to...
How was he to know when...
Which symptom was he supposed to take more serious over the other...
He slapped an anxious hand to his forehead, taking a moment to run frustrated fingers through his short locks.
If Sakura-chan was busy helping Ino at the moment he'd go back and plead with her to come and check on Hinata. The first few steps had been simple to follow and understand, but now that there were so many complex signs he had to watch for, days he wasn't sure he should wait for, and his own inexperience atop his low level of scholarship on the best of days, he was afraid he'd screw this up.
Knocking whipped him from his thoughts.
'Please let it be the medicine.' He wished silently, speed walking to the door.
"The only reason I came back is because you still owe me for my dango." Sanzo proclaimed when he opened it.
Naruto stepped back, letting the bag carrying genin into his apartment.
"Not because she told me," he continued, "Hinata-san isn't feeling well. I went for her."
A silent breath of exasperation left Naruto lips. Sanzo would rather be strung from a tree by his ankles and left to the wilderness for a week than admit Tani had him cowed.
The door opened again, and he watched himself walk in.
"It took a while for Hanabi to make the medicine," his clone explained, "she said it works better fresh."
The twin walked to him, placed the paper bag in his outstretched hand before vanishing in a quick burst cloudy vapor.
"Finally." He muttered, heading straight for the delicious smelling kitchen, Sanzo carrying the bags in his wake.
"Finally!" Tani echoed, glaring at Sanzo, "You sure dragged your feet."
"Well you shoulda warned me that guy talked so much!" Sanzo grumbled, setting his burdens non too gently on the kitchen table, "on and on about nothing. I stood at the register for ten minutes trying to pay, that guy's mouth running a mile a minute and when he finally shut up, he told me the Nakamoto had a tab. No charge."
Annoyed, Sanzo plopped in a nearby chair and crossed his arms.
"I did my part," he announced, "and since I didn't have time to get my dango thanks to Mr. Motormouth, I'm starving. Hurry up and make the soup Tani."
Naruto listened distantly as he made his way to the cupboard for a glass.
He turned in time to see Tani standing over a very nervous looking Sanzo, a sweet smile on her face, and a very sharp knife in hand.
"If you're that hungry," came the deadly, syrupy chirp from Tani, "that impatient, then I'd suggest get up, wash off the vegetables and start chopping."
Knowing the outcome, Naruto opened the fridge, grabbed the water jug, shaking his head with a glimmer of amusement.
He filled the glass, replaced the jug and headed for the bedroom.
She hadn't moved this time. Not even an inch. He wondered if that was because she was sleeping soundly or worsening. Hoping it was the former rather than the later, he moved closer to discern which one it was. Sitting the glass on the bedside table, the paper bag along side it, he reached out to feel her forehead. The sweat had dried, and none seemed to have replaced it, but the level of heat remained unchanged.
Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
He sighed, then opened the paper bag. Inside, a plethora of even smaller bags.
Grabbing one, he tore open the cotton like material, careful not spill any, then dumped the contents into the cold water.
It fizzled in the water, then began a slow process of turning the clear liquid milky white.
Mildly alarmed about the fizz, he brought the glass to his nose to assuage his curiosity. It smelled sharply of something unpleasant he could not put name to, bitter and mildly repugnant. Hanabi said Hinata likened the taste to a dirty sock...it smelled worse than that. Far worse.
He set the glass down.
Sympathetic yet determined blue orbs turned to the sleeping beauty in his bed.
'It smells like shit, but it's gonna help her cold.'
She had to drink it.
Sliding an arm below her shoulders, he lifted her slight weight and jostled her gently.
"Hinata," he called just as tenderly, "Hinata."
She exhaled lowly, but otherwise didn't respond.
He frowned.
"Hinata," he called again, a bit louder, more insistent, "wake up. Hanabi gave me some medicine for you. You gotta take it, 'ttebayo."
He wondered if she was had when something happened, something that relieved a bit of the knot in his stomach. His cute little girlfriend scrunched her even cuter little nose. Tenderness spread his lips into a small smile. This small, seemingly insignificant expression was the most lively, normal reaction he'd seen in her since she'd come down with this terrible malady.
"Come on," he chuckled, "it can't be that bad."
'It is that bad.'
He didn't need to taste it to the know that. Hell, smelling it was just like tasting it.
The dark head on his shoulder turned from him. Amusement filled him. Though the profile of her face had shifted away, he could still make out the silhouette of a small pout to her lips.
"Hinataaaa," admonished teasingly, "what kinda reaction is that? Pouting is my thing. Both of us can't do it."
A small shake of the head was his response.
He leaned down, rubbing his triple lined cheek against her smooth one. The arm wrapped around her middle tightened a fraction and a little of the hilarity dimmed.
"Please take it," he murmured below her ear, "I've been really worried about you, 'ttebayo. I'm not good at this care stuff, and I'm trying my best, but you know me. I always mess everything up. Sakura-chan gave me some advice and Hanabi made this medicine fresh for you, I wouldn't have been able to help you at all if they hadn't helped me...but still, even with their help...I'm worried. I know it probably tastes like ass-"
A low giggle left her throat.
He grinned, but continued, "but I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it'd help. Something that bad smelling has to work, right? At least that's what Hanabi said."
Another nuzzle.
"Please drink it for me, Hinata," he pleaded, "I'd do anything to make you feel better...but this is the only thing I can do for you right now. And you won't have to taste it for long. Tani and the rest of the team are making you some soup. It'll wipe that taste right out of your mouth."
She turned back his way, and he helped her, lifting and supporting her head. Those pearlescent eyes opened half mast, and yet conveyed a silent message inside their luminous depths.
One he'd heard from her lips any time he asked anything of her.
'I can never say no to you, Naruto-kun.'
"Thank you, Hinata," he replied to that voiceless assertion.
His lover's willingness to do any and everything for his sake had always rocked his mind and humbled his soul. In light of that heartwarming fact of his life, he was always careful, what he asked of her, knowing she'd do it if he asked with little to no effort on his part, making sure he never abused the love, kindness and privilege she afforded only to him by requesting too much or too extravagant. Often times, he asked her what she wanted whenever she fixed her mind to do something for him, but in this situation, he was savagely happy to have her easy compliance. If it meant she'd consume that foul medicine just to please him, so be it. For her health, he'd take full advantage of every tool at his disposal.
But he wasn't unreasonable.
She deserved some consolation for the discomfort coming her way.
He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers, then to the tip of the afore mention cute nose, upon her forehead and then back to her lips.
Her soft sigh against his mouth was a contented breath.
If the anxiety over her illness had not been forefront on his mind, he'd have lingered longer. He pulled back and reached for the glass. When he turned back, he almost told her she didn't have to drink it.
His sweet Hyuuga Princess looked more than a little green around the gills.
Gaze fixated on the smooth container in his hand, she looked a little cornered. He'd never seen her make a face like that before.
She reallllllyyy didn't like this medicine...
"Sensei~!" Tani called from the kitchen, "the soup is ready!"
"Thank you!" he called back, "I'll be there in a second!"
He tuned his attention back to Hinata.
"The soup's ready," he repeated as though she hadn't heard, "Once you've had your medicine, I'll get you some soup. It'll get the taste out right after."
He moved the lip of the glass to hers and met with a brief moment of resistance before she acquiesce. Low murmurs of disgust echoed from the glass, and more than her nose scrunched up, but true to her word, she drank it all.
"Sorry," he told her, feeling bad.
He laid her back down.
"I'll get the soup right now, dattebayo."
Hurrying to the kitchen, he scarcely made it through the arch way before a tray filled his hands. A bowl of soup, a cup of juice, a napkin and a few crackers were neatly arranged on it.
"You'll need to let it cool or blow it for her, Naruto-sensei," Tani told him, "its's really hot."
He nodded.
"Thanks."
Hustling back to the bedroom, he was mildly surprised to see she was somewhat still alert. Her eyelids had drifted down another sliver, but she was watching him beneath those thick black lashes. A stark contrast to the exhausted sleep she fell into the moment he let her out of his sight. It heartened him to see it.
He was across the room a moment later, and lifting her into the nook of his body in the next.
Carefully and patiently, he spooned soup into her mouth, blowing the heat from each tiny portion beforehand.
He could tell from the very first scoop that she liked the soup.
She opened as eagerly as she was able each time he brought the spoon to her mouth, and her little pink tongue darted out to catch stray droplets. She shook her head at the crackers but accepted the juice. When she finished, she looked sleepy again, but it wasn't the weakened tiredness that he'd worried about, it was a need for slumber he was familiar with after a delicious bowl of Ramen, or a particularly delicious meal cooked by his other half. A replete, satisfying sleepiness following a full belly.
This time, the dropping of her eyelids didn't rouse his concern.
He wiped her mouth, arranged her comfortably and took the tray with him when he left.
The team was seated at his table eating when he walked in. He sat the tray on the counter and grabbed himself a bowl before helping himself to the delicious smelling soup.
Feeling better than he had all day, Naruto sat down and ate fantastic soup with his team, his good mood brightening when Tani informed him she'd doled out the left overs in individual containers and placed them in his freeze for later consumption.
xxxxxx
Heated flesh slapped his chest...
Drowsy, the sensation barely registered. His mind sank back into the depths of sleep.
A sharp elbow poked his rib.
Blonde brows twitched, but slumber persevered.
The not so soft slap with the back of a small hand stung his cheek.
"Ow..." he languidly grumbled.
Opening a single eyes that protested strongly, he turned to the source of the face and body blows. Hinata's hand lay slumped over his cheek. Eyes scrunched, sweat dotting her forehead, the pale skinned kunoichi's cheeks were flushed with fever. The heat radiating from her skin slowly sank into his own. She flailed again, swinging her arm and body away but kicking him in the shin in the process. It didn't hurt so much as it cleared a tiny bit of exhaustion from his brain.
Sliding naked from the bed, he lumbered over to the heavy curtain covering the high glass behind the window seat and pulled one back.
Moonlight streamed through, banishing just enough of the darkness for him to make out her form, dowsed in sweat and free of the sheet he'd placed over her before they'd gone to bed. He walked back to the bed and sat. Placing a gentle hand to her forehead, he sighed at the hotness of it. Her temperature was back up again.
"I'm sorry...Naruto-kun."
The soft words kind of startled him. Too weak to even lift her head, Hinata hadn't spoken a word since his team had come knocking at his door.
"I'm keeping you up," she whispered, "I'm sorry... It's just...really hot."
He gave her a tender, yet sleepy smile.
"Don't be silly, its not your fault. I don't need much sleep anyway, 'ttebayo. You know that."
Stifling a yawn, he got up, stretched a moment then walked into the bathroom. He returned with lukewarm water in a basin, a clean cloth and short towel. After checking her temperature and finding it just a hair short of what it was previously, he spent the rest of the night bathing her flushed skin, giving her the dreaded medicine again, feeding her sips of soup and water and stroking her soft back as she lay achy and exhausted against his chest.
He was sleepy to be sure, however, caring for his lover throughout the night, feeling her gentle weight wrapped in his arms left him with nary a complaint.
xxxxxx
"The process has already begun," Toneri murmured, "there's naught to do but wait and prepare."
"You're sure?" Toriyama demanded.
"Yes."
Toneri turned in the direction of Konoha, his shimmering blue orbs making out the curtain moving in the bedroom window of his rival for Hinata love apartment.
"She's exhibiting the symptoms we expected within the time frame predicted," he confirmed, "I am sure."
The creaky body at his side straightened.
"Then let's go."
Toneri stood a moment longer, listening as his partner's footsteps began to fade into the night. With this, she would forever be beyond his reach, in every way imaginable. This was to be the last time he would see her as she was now. There was no turning back, only forward momentum. Her fate was sealed and so was his. So was everyone else that lived and breathed on this planet.
In the months, perhaps even years before he laid eyes upon her again, he knew, every moment, everyday, he'd think of nothing but her.
And dream of the life they could have had...
If only things had happened a different way.
xxxxxx
April 13, 2010
He smelled something...
Tamagoyaki and something else, something familiar...Tani's soup...?
It smelled amazing, whatever it was.
His stomach growled.
It smelled delicious...and he was so hungry.
Flopped on his belly, arm hanging over the side of the bed, Naruto opened his tired eyes to streaming sunlight. Confusion formed a drifting cloud over his mind, and he stared out at the peaceful looking world beyond the high glass behind the window seat.
Who had opened the curtain... he wondered distantly.
Who was cooking in his...
He shot up, wide cerulean gaze taking in the empty spot next to him, the rumpled and wrinkled bed sheet just as devoid of her presence. Jumping to his feet, he rushed from the bedroom, her name on his lips as he hurried to the kitchen.
She was at the stove.
On their kitchen table, grilled fish, rice, pickles, Tani's soup and one serving of tamagoyaki.
That wasn't what stopped him in his tracks.
Hinata, garbed in a deep sapphire, knee high dress, the loose sleeves hanging just below her shoulders and flowing over her wrists, stood at the stove preparing the other serving of tamagoyaki. Her luxurious hair was tied together at the base of her nape, while the rest formed a dark tail down her spine.
He watched as she turned, pupiless orbs moving over him before meeting his eyes.
His mouth moved, like that of a fish out of water twice before he spoke.
"You're better." He stated and questioned.
A soft giggle left her lips.
"And you're naked, Naruto-kun."
He blinked, then grinned, unembarrassed at his state of undress. It had never bothered him for the sun to warm his buttocks in the confines of his own apartment. And Hinata, he knew, didn't mind it either. He watched her place slices of the rolled egg omelet onto the plate where he normally sat at the table, still a bit surprised to see her up and about, the flush to her skin healthy rather than feverish. She'd been so sick the last few days...
Even last night, she'd burned, tossed and turned and beaten him up in the middle of the night with her flailing.
Yet here she stood, hearty, happy, making them breakfast and looking just as beautiful as ever.
She turned to place the hot pan in the skin and he moved.
Wrapping his arms around her tiny waist, he pulled her into his relieved embrace. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to the soft skin just below her ear.
"You're better, 'ttebayo." he repeated.
Butterfly smoothe hands slid over his. He could feel the smile in her voice when next she spoke.
"I'm better," she parroted, "thanks to you, Naruto-kun. You bathed my skin when I was burning up. You fed me with such care and patience."
She giggled again.
"You even put up with me flailing around all night," she took one of his hands and placed a soft kiss to it, "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you."
He chuckled, tenderness unfurling.
"Of course not," he murmured, "my skull's thick as steel."
"You even brought me medicine from the Hyuuga compound."
"If you wanna punch me for that, I'll tell ya, I'd completely understand, 'ttebayo," he assured her, scrunching his face, "that's the worst smelling medicine I've ever smelled. I can't imagine what it tastes like."
"It taste like...like..."
"Ass." He supplied, sending his precious other half into a fit of giggles.
His arm tightened around her waist. To hear her laugh, when the days past had been filled with weak exhalations and croaking groans, it was a soothing balm to his heart.
"Yes," she agreed, "it tasted like that."
She turned in his embrace, holding his captured, bandaged arm against the softness of her breast. The adoration, gratitude and tenderness her eyes held were beautiful beyond words. Painful in their genuineness.
'Hinata.' His soul whispered.
She was, without a doubt, the epitome of gentleness, the sweetest kindness, pure unadulterated love made flesh and blood. The very heart that beat in his chest. The very air inside his lungs.
She pressed kisses to the underside of his jaw, then over his lips.
"Thank you," she whispered against them, "for taking care of me in a way that no one has ever done before."
He swallowed emotion clogging his throat. This was the first time he'd ever cared for anyone sick, let alone as sick as she had been, and to hear her say, to him, a man who'd been a failure for the larger part of his life, that messed up everything with his low intellect and lack of foresight, that he had cared for her as no one had ever done. That she'd felt the greatest solace in her time of weakness, in her time of need, beneath the clumsy ministration of his inexperienced, clumsy hands that had moved on the advice and aid of those he called friend.
Him.
Of all people in this vast world.
All the people in her vast clan.
Him.
"I love you, Naruto-kun."
Overwhelmed, strong hands shot to her cheeks, fingers tunneling into the hair at her temples.
Blue depths burning.
Naked as the day he was born.
The words were out of his mouth before he could call them back, and the moment they left his lips, he knew, he didn't want to call them back. Swiping gentle thumbs over her delicate cheeks, just below her wide, surprised eyes, he said the words he'd held in his heart for so long.
Oh so long...
"Marry me, Hinata."
xxxxxx
His creaking body stopped.
Again...
Of its own accord.
Dread washed over his clammy skin. Sickening nausea twisted his stomach. Bile rose in his throat, and yet he could do naught about the acrid taste lapping at the back of his tongue.
It was happening again.
The thing in his belly churned.
The insects that weren't his slipped in and out of his pores.
Their intrusion were a violation worse than any his mind had ever dreamed. Could ever conceive. Scorching heat flayed his insides. A groan tore from his lips, a mere shadow of the scream lodged in his throat. Shino weaved on his feet, suffering flaying the skin from his bones. This agony was beyond the comprehension of any living creature upon the earth. He was being driven into the welcoming arms of insanity, and yet was yanked back by some unseen force each time it threatened to swallow him whole.
He wanted the solace of a broken mind.
Strove to lose himself within the chaos and break from the reality that was nothing more than a world filled to the brim and beyond with the greatest torment.
It twisted again, this...thing living in his intestine.
He bent double, creaky joints popping loudly in the silence of the forest just beyond the bustling village in the distance.
Sweat streamed down his face in rivulets.
He twitched again. Clawing at his belly as it moved again.
Thump...thump...thump...thump...
His body trembled, fear coating his tongue in bile.
It was coming.
Thump..thump..thump..thump..
Even as he knew, it was useless, he fought. He struggled. He howled and ripped at his stomach, his skin, any and every surface of his body that felt wrong. That felt alien.
Thumpthumpthumpthump
It began its ascent.
It clawed, climbed, forced its was from the bowels of his belly. Slowly.
Agonizingly.
An eternity passed before it reached his esophagus.
And even longer before he it reached his mouth.
He struggled to breathe, eyes rolled to the roof of his skull as his body and lack of oxygen bade him to pass out. He could obey neither. Could only sit and suffer the horrible sensation of suffocation as the fleshy mass slithered from between his lips.
The appendage slithered along the grass covered ground a moment before embedding itself.
He felt energy flow, settle heavily in his gut before the appendage retreated with ten times as much speed as it appeared.
His misery was not over yet, he knew.
His stomach churned, burned and then the sensation of wanting to vomit washed over him. He collapsed, shaking as his creaky hands and knees struggled to support the gaunt form he'd become.
The dry heaves came next.
Wracking his body, pain exploding along every nerve ending with each heave.
Then it came.
Large.
Round.
Squishy.
An egg.
Red and bloody. The size of both his fists back when he was healthy and hale.
It squeezed out through the tightness that was his throat and onto the floor.
He shook. Traumatized all over again by the experience, staring in horror at the thing that had come from his body...again... what it was, why it was, he couldn't fathom, nor did he have the time to wade through his pain, his confusion, his terror to try and make sense of the alien objects slithering and sliding from his insides. Because once more, of its own accord, his body moved.
"Spread..." came the hoarse voice from his chapped lips.
Xxxxxx
Otsutsuki sighting: Confirmed
Names: Kinshiki, Momoshiki, Toneri
Contact with Kinshiki made in Kaguya ice dimension. Targets retreated on Momoshiki orders.
Sibling relationship between Yasunari and Kaguya. Former sought to capture later. Reason unknown.
Stolen tomes and seeds are mentioned. A home world destroyed.
Send Anbu for detailed debrief at rendezvous.
Will continue investigation.
-S
Xxxxxx
Hey there. It's been a while. So, where have I been? I'll keep it 100 with you guys, my mental health has been a constant source of strain on my life since middle school, and as the years go by, it's only worsens. The last 4 years however have been the worse. Depression, BPD, Bipolar 2, General and Social anxiety, these are the diagnosis I suffer from. Most of my days I spend heavily medicated. I'm in a fog a lot, tired a lot. This is perhaps the most lively, most motivated I've been in a long time. So I decided to write again. I have to warn you guys though, I have a few a suicide attempts under my belt, and my last one was the most serious. My brain suffered damage, so things won't be completely the same. I'll probably make more grammar and spelling mistakes, things are harder to remember, things are harder to convey and express. I re-watched the entire Naruto series, all 700+ along with movies, then I reread my work, organized and began to write. I'll try my best to get things right from the anime, but please understand, if I forget things or mix things up, it's not on purpose. My mind is just really different now. I may even forget things from my own story. So from this point on, things aren't going to be strictly based on cannon Naruto, even though I did kinda warn about that when I first started this story, but this time it not just due to my own creativity and vision as to how I wanted to happen but also because I just can't retain huge amounts of information.
That out of the way, please let me know if you all are still interested in this story, if you enjoyed it, what your thoughts are about and feel free to point out any mistakes you find. I still have the ability to take constructive criticism or having spelling errors brought to my attention, just please, take care of how you convey that. Unfortunately, I'm pretty fragile these days.
Story updating plans: Right now, Monster is heavy in my mind so I'll be making update to it first since I've finally planned everything fully. Secrets of the Hidden Leaf will be next, however I'll need to reread that too, so once I feel like I've done a decent amount in Monster, I'll get started on that. Cold will be after. Both of those stories will have to be organized just like Monster was. I'm using a program called Scrivener that's made it so very easy to do this, and with my mental struggles, its been the biggest factor in why I felt I would be able to handle the complex details of my own story, lol.
Lastly, I can't say I'm back for good, but I'll stay as long as I kind before my issues flare again. If I stop again, just give me some time to collect myself. Of course I'll still answer review and questions and things like I did before, so I won't disappear completely even if I take off time to write.
Please review
Laters~
Sessakag