His stomach lurched forward as everything spiraled in his vision. Two bodies tumbled down the stairway painfully with injured shouts before Naruto finally hit a wall with another yelp. The second boy came crashing down into the blond's side, forcing all the air from his lungs with another agonized cry.
"Fucking hell, Naruto!" Kiba coughed as he rolled to his side to give them some space to breathe. "Where's the... damn fire?"
Naruto choked pathetically while clutching his sides. Even though he was sure that they had stopped falling the world around him refused to cease moving under him. His eyes wandered around in a stunned panic before focusing in on a more composed Kiba as he knelt down next to him. "Whoa... You don't look so hot."
"You flatter me," he managed to wheeze with another gasp for air.
"No, I mean it. Your head is bleeding," he retorted before another coughing fit. "I'm going to go get help."
It was annoying. Even though he was still fighting desperately to catch his breath and there was a splitting pain in his head, he could not shake the feeling of Itachi's hand against his face. This was the kind of feeling he was trying to run away from but even in the midst of injuring himself and his classmate the feeling still remained. The encounter was so disturbing he didn't even bother to look where he was going before he collided with Kiba at the top of the stairway.
Nausea began to make his stomach clench as he forced down the urge to puke. Black circles appeared in his vision and grew rapidly the more he tried to shake them away. Kiba said something else, but it sounded too distorted for him to make any sense of it. That was the last thing he remembered before he let himself fall into a deep state of unconsciousness.
"What... doing?"
"Wait... think... waking..."
Naruto couldn't help but wince as he tried to force his eyes open. He could feel a soft pillow under his head and a comforter covering most of his body.
"Naruto?" the sound rang painfully in his ears for a moment before his eyes focused in on Neji, Shikamaru, and Kiba.
It appeared as if he was still in a dorm room because everything around him looked like a part of a small apartment.
"Where..."
"My room," Neji answered as he put a hand gingerly to Naruto's forehead. "Be still. I'll go get you some water."
He nodded feebly, looking at the two other boys. "What happened?"
"You tell me," Kiba replied as he crossed his arms. "I was about to go downstairs when I hear someone running and when I turn around you crash into me and the rest is history."
"I'm sorry," he said croakily. He hadn't been in his right mind at all.
"Don't worry about it," he sighed. "What were you running for anyways?"
"Or from," Shikamaru added thoughtfully.
Stop being observant. "I... was just in a hurry to get to the dining room."
"Well, at least the cut on your head wasn't serious," he shrugged sympathetically. "But I still can't believe that Neji carried you all the way back up here."
"He... did?" The blond felt his face flush momentarily as the dark-haired boy returned with a glass of water.
"Drink it," he ordered softly. "When was the last time you ate?"
As Naruto sat up to take the glass he felt a familiar spinning sensation resurface and he fell back onto the bed with a groan. "Uhnn..."
"Too long," Neji answered sternly as he set the glass on a nightstand. "Would you gentlemen be so kind?"
"You got it boss!" Kiba exclaimed as he ran for the door; Shikamaru followed in slow pursuit.
"So," Neji began as the door shut. "What happened?"
He was too weak to look anywhere else but his eyes. They stared at him patiently but there was something so demanding about them that he knew he couldn't lie.
"I... I didn't know what else to do... There was a man..."
"Itachi Uchiha," he stated with an affirmative nod. "Here to find out how his little brother ended up in detention. I just wonder how word got to him so quickly."
He flinched inwardly knowing that it was most likely his entire fault. First, he started the fight that got them in detention, and then he practically announced it in front of their peers before class. If people really did pay that much attention to Sasuke's affairs then it wasn't surprising how fast word got around. I feel like a jackass.
"Let's try to avoid Sasuke from now on." Neji's voice remained tranquil and was soothing to the slight ringing that still lingered.
"You know," he began hoarsely; "I'm finding that to be easier said than done." A cold hand was put to his forehead once again and his breath caught in his throat. There was a strange feeling he got whenever the Hyuuga got so close that left him feeling flustered. "Thank you for bringing me up here," he said as he turned his head to look at the glass, "You really didn't have to."
"Well, I couldn't exactly leave you there to bleed all over the stairs now could I?"
"You could have called the nurse."
"Your condition was treatable," he argued lightly as he sat on the bed.
"Was it now?" he snapped broodingly. Did this guy ever do anything that wasn't out of necessity?
"What do you want me to say, Naruto?" he asked seeming taken aback. "Why do my answers never seem to suffice with you?"
He must have looked ridiculous. What did he want Neji to say? What was he expecting? All he had done up to that point was be helpful and yet Naruto couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment.
He covered his face with his hands, feeling his skin become hotter as the silence grew. "I'm sorry... I don't know why I'm acting this way..." he groaned with a rub of his eyes. "I really am grateful for all your help..."
"It sure seems that way," Neji retorted skeptically.
"No! Don't do this to me right now!" He gave a frustrated shout as he threw his head back into the pillow.
"What I'm doing to you?" The question was rhetorical but stung nonetheless. Why was this turning more and more into a heated argument? This wasn't what he wanted; he was not entirely sure of what he wanted anyways.
"No! I just..." Naruto shut his eyes tightly, trying to force the words from his thoughts. "I hate feeling like I burden you all the time!"
"You don't!" The flare of temper was so abrupt it made the blond jump slightly with wide eyes. The Hyuuga pursed his lips together tightly seeming unsure of how to explain the sudden outburst. "I need some air. Excuse me." Without any further comments, he excused himself from the room.
What was that? He let out a shaky breath to calm his heart from pounding so heavily. He didn't think that Neji even had the capacity to yell at him. Did he really not bother him as much as Naruto thought he did? He sat in a lonely silence for a few moments more unsure of how to react to what had just happened.
"Honey, I'm home!" Kiba exclaimed as he burst into the room disruptively, waving a sandwich in the air. "We come bearing that which your heart desires!" He announced theatrically. A one way ticket out of here?
"You're face is awfully red, Naruto," Shikamaru commented almost slyly. "Do you have a fever?"
"For me?!" Naruto exclaimed as he snatched the sandwich from Kiba's hand. "You shouldn't have!" Before Shikamaru could pose another awkward question that he didn't want to answer he took a bite.
"Eat up, dude," Kiba encouraged with a rough slap to his back, making the blond choke. "I can't have you dying all over the place."
Before he had enough time to reply an abrupt knock at the door interrupted their thoughts. Kiba looked around for Neji but the door had opened before he could respond.
"Where is he?" Sasuke spat venomously before his eyes rested on the sophomore.
Oh god...
"Sasuke?" Kiba looked between the two boys in incomprehension. "Who are you looking for?"
"Was screwing everything else up not enough for you?" the Uchiha spat, ignoring the confused underclassman. "You had to fall down the stairs too? Are you a moron?"
"Who asked you?!" Naruto found himself snapping back just as resentfully after a hard swallow. "How did you find that out anyways?"
"Please take him, but let him rest," Neji requested as he reappeared through the open door.
Naruto shifted his position and swung his legs out from the comforter to sit at the edge of the bed. "Neji?" He couldn't help but feel betrayed.
"Let's go," Sasuke ordered harshly as he took hold of his wrists forcefully.
"Wha—Wait!" he yelped as he looked back at his classmates with no time to tell them goodbye.
Without heed to any other protests Sasuke dragged the blond back to the room before he managed to tear away from the iron grip. Thankfully, it seemed that Itachi was already gone. "What the hell?! I don't need your damn help!"
"Shut up and lay down; you're already wobbling."
"Where, genius? My bed doesn't have anything on it?" He yelled while trying to maintain his balance. Sasuke's apparent anger was easily rubbing off on him, though it felt troubling to revert back to this behavior.
"Look with your eyes that you obviously don't use," the raven retorted with a sharp gesture to their left. When he looked he saw that there were actually sheets, a comforter, and two pillows set up on his bed already. Oops...
"Where did that come from?!" He couldn't help but sound offended.
"You're really trying to be mad at me for that?" Sasuke crossed his arms scornfully.
"I don't..." His voice trailed off into nothingness as his thoughts became too clouded to focus. He fell forward into the other boy's chest with an almost inaudible groan. The arguing must have overexerted him at some point because he felt too dizzy and too weak to even breathe.
Sasuke wrapped an arm around his waist and held him steadily for a moment so he could regain his composure. "I told you to lie down; it seems even the simple task of standing has become too much for you to handle."
As much as he would have loved to punch the Uchiha in the face, the wooziness was too prevalent to focus on anything other than breathing and standing still. The anger was beginning to fade fast as he clutched onto his shoulders with a wave of nausea. Yeah, throw up on the guy. That will make everything all better.
Suddenly, the world tilted as he felt his legs being swept from under him and being pulled into Sasuke's arms. "W-what are you doing?!" He managed to cry out in surprise as he was quick to put his arms around his neck.
"I'm not about to stand there all day waiting for you to feel better," came the offhanded reply as he walked across the room with ease.
"Put me down! Now!"
"Fine." Without any other signal or warning, Sasuke let Naruto drop the short distance from his arms and onto the bed.
He let out an alarmed cry as he grasped the sheets between his fingers to try and find stability. His head began to throb painfully and he shut his eyes to try and ease the pain. "No more help from you. Ever."
"Doctor's orders," Sasuke countered as he adjusted the pillow beneath his head. Great. That was something that was sure to make him feel so much better, having more people being ordered to look after him.
"Fan-fucking-tastic," he grunted miserably as he opened his eyes narrowly at Sasuke. Nothing seemed to change about the cold exterior of his eyes that always held a look of contempt for anything they came in contact with, and that was, for some reason, disappointing.
What happened to the Sasuke he had been talking to during detention? At least when he looked into those eyes during that time it didn't feel as if he was talking to the embodiment of apathy. Just a while ago he had put his anger aside to be the better person and even tried to vaguely understand Naruto's feelings. He had learned more about him in that small amount of time than he was able to get from all the stupid fighting and cruel words that did well to drive him away.
"Get some rest. Maybe after you sleep you'll wake up knowing how to properly thank somebody," he muttered coldly.
Those damn black circles again. They were small but now there were more of them creeping in at the corners of his blurred vision. His hand reached out, grabbing onto his roommate's sleeve gently. "Wait! I think I'm going to pass out."
"Wasn't that the point?"
"Just wait here, please," he pleaded hurriedly, trying to blink the darkness away but to no avail.
"Why?"
"I just... Need to know I'm not alone right now." It was probably due to anxiety that he disclosed that kind of information. Normally, he would have thought of a clever lie to disguise that kind of motive, but he was much too exhausted to care.
There was a murmur, the soft sound of Sasuke's voice. It wasn't harsh like before, almost like a whisper, but it was soothing. He exhaled deeply, trying to calm his nerves before darkness swallowed his vision.