Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Embracing Dreams ❯ Chapter 21
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Note: Sorry for the wait, especially for such a short chapter. This part is all Naruto and Sasuke, mostly dialogue.
Warnings: NaruSasu, blood, humor, fluff, shounen ai
Part 21
Naruto was stubborn. Like the sun was warm and Kakashi was different.
Sasuke reached this conclusion after four minutes of glares, threats, and discriminate use of force found his side throbbing nearly as much as his arm and Naruto's stubborn self still half wedged in the bathroom door. Absolutely ridiculous. He conceded out of sheer exhaustion, retreating to a sullen seat on the edge of the tub, and glowering resentfully at the idiotic grin on the moron's face. For someone who'd hovered over him all the way upstairs, Naruto had been awfully quick to make him exert himself when he'd tried to lock him out of the bathroom. So he wasn't just stubborn and weirdly overprotective. He was a voyeur.
"I'm going to hurt you later," Sasuke said solemnly.
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto grinned, feeling smug at having made it into the room. He locked the door behind him. Sasuke didn't look like he'd be bolting anywhere, but he wasn't taking chances. He turned back with his very best 'concerned Iruka-sensei' face. "You can try to hurt me as much as you want later," emphasis on try, "First you gotta get better."
"I'm not sick."
"You look it," said Naruto. And he really did. While Sasuke wasn't bleeding as much as he'd first thought, he was still wearing more blood than Naruto had ever seen outside a splatter movie. He was scarily pale with rashy splotches on his cheeks and Naruto had actually caught him wincing when he'd walked up the stairs. Sasuke wincing. If the blood hadn't been enough to send him into panic mode, that right there would have. This was the guy who took a burned hand and a broken bone without so much as flinching. "You look like you're gonna pass out. No way I'd let you lock yourself in here alone so you can pass out and bleed to death."
Sasuke snorted. Playing tug of war with the door had done more damage than sleeping it off would have. Any idiot knew that. Any idiot who wasn't a stubborn blue-eyed blonde with a pervert in his head. Sasuke's mind caught on that thought, just as said blonde reached for the kit he'd left on the sink. His expression sobered into a narrow eyed stare.
"Kyuubi's a fox?"
Naruto flinched and knocked the open first aid kit back into the sink. He righted it just as quickly. "Did he tell you that...?"
"Kakashi mentioned it," Sasuke frowned. And it didn't make any more sense now than it had then. He reached out and tapped Naruto's arm, "Hand me the black case."
"Right," Naruto said quickly. He fumbled with the narrow leather case, which looked like the sort of thing that would come with fingernail clippers or lockpicks or something. His turned and his eyes caught on Sasuke's outstretched hand. His left hand, the one that had been pressing that wounded spot on his side. Once again, he felt his throat tighten at the sight of so much dark blood against Sasuke's pale skin. He'd always had a problem with blood. Kyuubi said it was left over shock from having been splashed with Iruka's blood that time, because he'd been responsible, and because it had happened so quickly it was still warm when it hit him. He suddenly wished Kyuubi would wake up. Kyuubi would be able to handle this without panicking. Except he didn't want Kyuubi to wake up, not now when Sasuke was wary and vulnerable and Naruto was too disturbed by the blood to focus. That would make things even worse.
Sasuke scoffed in annoyance. "Idiot," he muttered. He wiped his hand off on the left side of his shirt and then snatched the case. "How were you planning to help when you're too afraid of blood to even hand me something?"
"I'm not afraid," Naruto blurted. He scowled when Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not!"
"Then hand me the scissors," Sasuke sneered, "and try not to flinch this time."
Naruto handed them over with a stubborn frown, "I'm not afraid of blood. I just don't like seeing so much of it. You're bleeding a lot, you know."
"Not that much," said Sasuke, dismissively. Kakashi hadn't been kidding about the wound almost being cauterized. He had to pick a few threads from his mutilated shirt out of the cut, but as long as he avoided tugging matches in the near future, he might not even have to sew it up. "It looks worse than it is." He was debating on cutting around the wound or slicing the shirt completely. A speculative glance up at Naruto found the blonde glowering at him. That was preferable to having Naruto hovering worriedly or reassuring him as if he were the one panicking. Or offering to help him undress with a creepy Kakashi smile. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "If Kyuubi is a fox, that means he's an animal. Right?"
Naruto dropped his eyes, feeling cornered, uncomfortable, guilty, and a dozen other things at once. "Yeah. Well, sort of. He's a fox..."
"So what does he want with me?" Sasuke scowled. He'd been groped by an animal? That was even more humiliating than having Pakkun sneak into his bed. Pakkun didn't have anything sexual in mind when he did it. Kyuubi's actions had definitely been sexual, but considering what he'd been doing with Naruto before the fox made his appearance, maybe...
"He's a pervert," Naruto grumbled, glaring furiously at his feet. He just knew his face was beet red. "He's an absolute hornball pervert. But - I swear, I didn't know he was gonna jump you like that, or I would have-" He glanced up to find Sasuke making a weird face. As if he'd just bitten into something furry with a dozen legs and a squishy sweet filling. Naruto blinked. "Um...Sasuke?"
"Then he is a pervert," Sasuke said quietly.
"Yeah," Naruto blinked again. Had Sasuke actually doubted that after what Kyuubi did to him? "He's a mega-pervert."
"A perverted fox hit on me," Sasuke murmured.
Naruto winced, "I'm really sorry about that. Honestly, I had no idea he'd do that. We didn't even know he could come out on his own until recently, so I didn't think he'd try taking over like that. Let alone be such a perverted asshole. I swear, I didn't-"
"Why me?"
"Huh?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, his breath coming in furious little bursts. "What interest could a perverted fox possibly have in me?" he asked, in as calm a tone as possible. "I'm not a fox."
"Neither am I," Naruto frowned. "I'm as human as you are..."
"But he's not. He's a fox. An animal."
Naruto's eyes widened suddenly, "Oh! No, no, you got it all wrong. Kyuubi's my Id, see? Like my alter ego or split personality or something. He's only a fox in my head - he doesn't have a real fox's body or anything. I mean, yeah, he thinks like a fox sometimes, but when it comes to liking people, we're pretty much the same. 'Cause it's my body, you know? Not like I'd be interested in an animal. That's just..." A mental glance at the nearly comatose fox in his head made him pause. Why did Kyuubi always lust after humans when he was definitely a fox in his head? He frowned and focused on Sasuke again. "That's kinda weird, huh? I never thought about it before. I don't know why he's a fox in my head. He doesn't act like one when it comes to other people. Aside from the biting thing, but that's just him being a pervert..."
"Nevermind," Sasuke muttered. He was too tired to deal with this. Bad enough he had random human and mutant perverts hitting on him. Now animals were doing it, too? He didn't even want to think about it right now. He shifted on the edge of the tub and waved Naruto back a step with the sharp end of the scissors. "What's he doing now?"
"Kyuubi?" asked Naruto, his eyes locked on the glinting scissors. He jumped a little when he caught on. "Oh, you're safe. Honest. He's completely out of it. Been sleeping like the dead since earlier. He said he used too much energy healing what you did to him. Good on you, too, 'cause the bastard deserved it. But even if he woke up, I wouldn't let him try anything. He can't do anything unless I let him, or I'm too distracted to stop him. That's what happened before," and he paused, feeling a blush work its way up his neck. "I was paying attention to you instead of keeping an eye on him..."
Sasuke marveled at the way Naruto could go from mothering to queasy to starry-eyed in the space of five minutes. He firmly ignored how hot his cheeks felt. His side was more numb than sore now and that was never a good thing. That was much more important than the heated look Naruto was giving him. He focused exclusively on clipping his stained shirt away from the wound. And more to distract Naruto from staring than to settle his curiosity, he asked, "Does he always talk to you?"
"Um," Naruto fidgeted, dropping his eyes again. "Most of the time. He usually sleeps a lot during the day, but if he's awake he talks to me whenever he wants. It's just like thinking stuff to myself, though. I mean, he only exists in my head, so..." He trailed off, frowning at his feet. That sounded crazy even to him. "It's not as weird as it sounds." Except it was. "It's just - you know - it's like having a special voice for your conscience that speaks up when you're not sure what to do." Naruto scowled. That explanation had sounded much better when Iruka had first offered it to him. Kyuubi couldn't be his conscience because the fox didn't have a conscience. "He's my Id," he said finally, sending Sasuke a stubborn frown. "He's my greedy little demon who only cares about want-want-want. He's an ass and he's perverted, and that's just the way he is. He's part of me. He's what makes me a mutant. And I'm not crazy, so don't look at me like that!"
Sasuke glanced up for the first time since Naruto had started rambling. He raised an eyebrow, "I wasn't looking at you at all."
"You are now," Naruto muttered. Sasuke wasn't giving him a 'this guy is crazy' look, but that had to be what he was thinking. "I'm not crazy."
"Then stop being so defensive about it," said Sasuke. "I've met mutants with stranger talents than yours. You have an animal personality?" He shrugged, waving for Naruto to hand him the kit before continuing. "I've fought mutants who actually were part animal."
Naruto's eyes widened at the thought. "Really? What kind of animals were they?"
"A shark," Sasuke frowned. That hadn't been much of a fight. The mutant had barely grazed him and the next thing he knew he'd woken up without a drop of energy. It had taken days before he could activate the sharingan without passing out and he still didn't know what the mutant had done, or what his energy sucking talent had to do with him looking like a half-human shark.
He leaned over enough to wet a clean strip of his shirt and started dabbing at his side. "There one who looked like a snake," he muttered, grimacing at the memory. "He could create them out of his own flesh and blood."
"Gross," Naruto made an appropriately disgusted face, but his eyes were gleaming with interest. "Did you beat him?"
"No," Sasuke snapped. "They were poisonous." And he'd been nine at the time. Three lightning fast bites and a lengthy hospital stay filled with disturbing hallucinations while the doctors tried every anti-venom they could think of until Itachi had finally stopped by with an antidote. He scowled and rubbed overly hard on his blood stained skin. Funny how some of his worst fights were due to 'animal' type mutants.
"Any canines?" asked Naruto. "Like werewolves or-"
Sasuke shot him a dark smirk. "Actually, yes, there was one of those. He had a lot in common with your fox. He didn't keep his paws to himself so I removed them for him. I suspect he bled to death."
"Very funny," Naruto snorted. He grinned at Sasuke's evil expression, reminding himself to repeat that one to Kyuubi when the fox woke up.
With a light shrug, Sasuke turned his attention back to his side. It was probably just as well that Naruto assumed he'd been joking. That 'werewolf' mutant hadn't been one of Itachi's, and he hadn't meant to kill him that way. He'd simply been woken up to a growling attack and had reacted accordingly. He didn't actually know if the man had died, anyway. He'd left while the perverted would-be cannibal was still howling over his amputated hands. The man could have put on tourniquets with his teeth and survived. Sasuke didn't particularly care, either way. He didn't appreciate being mistaken for an easy snack.
A healthy dose of peroxide set his crusted gash to bubbling and he hissed at the effort not to flinch and pull the wound open. If he could just keep still for a day or so it wouldn't need stitches. That suddenly seemed like a very big if. He grimaced when he caught Naruto staring at the cut with that panicky worried expression back on his face. "Are you any better at bandaging other people than you are yourself?"
Naruto bristled at the insulting tone. "Of course," he sniffed. "I've never had to bandage myself so it's not like I had any practice. Iruka-sensei makes me patch up Hiko if I go too far when we're sparring and he's not around to heal it right away." On the other hand he usually didn't feel guilty about those wounds. Hiko was an asshole to spar with since he had Iruka to hide behind. As far as he was concerned, Sasuke probably wouldn't have gotten hurt at all if it weren't for him and Kyuubi. He was the one who'd broken his arm and then Kyuubi had screwed things up and left him all alone on the roof, a perfect target for the old pervert.
He glanced back at the cut, wondering if the bastard had used Sasuke's own knife on him. It sure looked like it. Except now that Sasuke had washed the blood away he could see how the skin around the cut was bruised, as if he'd sliced him open and then hit him a few times to make it bleed more. Naruto's eyes widened, "What did he do to you?" Kakashi was an old pervert, sure, but he hadn't thought he was a sadist.
Sasuke winced at Naruto's stricken expression. Couldn't the moron stay distracted for longer than two minutes without reverting back to form? He handed Naruto a roll of bandages and went back to patching the wound. Even if Naruto's wrapping was clumsy, it would keep his own patch in place, and that was better than having to do it himself. He'd concede that much to Kakashi. His right arm hurt like hell if he lifted it too high. Too much pressure, not enough energy left to reinforce it.
Naruto looked up quickly from the bandages he'd been handed. Did this mean Sasuke wasn't going to throw a fit about being helped? "Sasuke?"
"It was a combination attack," Sasuke said casually, before tearing a strip of adhesive with his teeth and placing it carefully along the edge of the gauze. "An original."
"What was?" asked Naruto. A cool and insulting stare flicked up at him, bringing an instinctive scowl to his face. Sasuke was so confusing. One second he was all friendly and the next he was looking at him like he was a moron. That made it really hard to decide if he wanted to help him or hit him. "What," Naruto snapped.
"You asked what Kakashi did," Sasuke reminded him, a slow sneer pulling at his face. The idiot clearly had trouble keeping up. "It was a combination of two talents. When done right, it can cut through anything. Or anyone," and he had a sudden image of Naruto with red eyes, sharp teeth, and a taunting grin. He sniffed as the image was replaced by a scowling and harmless blue-eyed moron. "We both attacked at the same time, so we canceled each other out. You saw his chest? Same thing. He blocked mine, I blocked his, so neither of us did it completely." Which was another source of annoyance. Kakashi kept harping on him for not focusing entirely on offensive when he was holding back just as much for defense. If Kakashi had really put all of his energy into attacking, he wouldn't have been able to deflect Sasuke's attack as quickly as he had.
"Wait," blurted Naruto, "you mean you guys really were sparring? You spar with the pervert?" His face twisted in annoyance. "Why would you spar with him?"
Sasuke gave him a sharp look, "Why wouldn't I?"
"Because he's a pervert!" Naruto scowled. "Because you just got done sparring with me! You just got patched up from one fight and you jump into another? With a sadistic pervert, even! It's no wonder you're all beat up. Do you have a death wish or something?" He had a sudden urge to grab Sasuke's shoulders and give him a nice hard shake. How was he supposed to protect him from the pervert if he voluntarily fought with the guy? When he was already injured, even! "That's it," Naruto said, decisively, "you're not sparring with the pervert anymore. In fact, consider yourself grounded. No fights with anyone till your arm's better."
Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch. Who the hell did he think he was? Naruto was nodding to himself, looking far too pleased with his statement. Sasuke stared at him. "Are you my mother, now?"
"Of course not," Naruto scoffed. He rolled his eyes at the thought. Like mothers went around making out with their kids. Egh. Sasuke spent way too much time with Kakashi. "I'm not your mother, I'm your boyfriend. And until Iruka-sensei comes home, I'm in charge of the house. So I say," and he pointed a finger at Sasuke, "no more fights for you until you're all healed up. You don't like that? Tough. I could pin you in a second the way you are right now. I won't 'cause that'd just make your injuries worse, but we both know I could. Once you're all healed up you can challenge me and get your rights back. Till then, you're definitely grounded."
"So," Naruto said, stepping forward and waving at Sasuke, "arms up. The sooner we patch you up, the sooner you can start getting better." He hesitated when Sasuke didn't move. The boy was gaping at him with strangest expression on his face, his left eyebrow twitching ever so often. Naruto frowned and poked his left arm, "Up," he said again, "I can't wrap it if you don't cooperate a little."
"You're crazy..."
Naruto flinched for a second before scowling furiously. "I'm not crazy! We've already been over that! And stop changing the subject, already. Shit, you change moods faster than anyone I know. Just suck it up and cooperate. Act your age," and he grinned smugly at finally getting to be the one saying that to someone else. "It's not that big a deal, right? You don't like hospitals - and I can promise, if Iruka-sensei saw you looking like this, he'd have you over there in a heartbeat. Even running away to the roof wouldn't save you from him when he switches into worry mode."
It wasn't often that Sasuke found himself struck dumb twice in one day. Naruto was insane. It had nothing to do with having a perverted fox in his head. Naruto was insane all by himself. Sasuke had met quite a few crazy people over the years, but Naruto put a whole new spin on the term. He forced his gaping mouth to close and lifted his arms. The quicker this was done, the quicker he could seek refuge in his room, far away from insane blondes and their twisted logic.
Naruto leaned closer, reaching around him to wrap the bandage, and Sasuke's mouth shot open again, "You're not my boyfriend."
"No?" asked Naruto. He was distracted by his task. Sasuke had barely lifted his arms at all, so he had to get really close to wrap the bandage around his waist. That meant lots of contact. And he had to reach under the back of Sasuke's shirt to get the bandage on straight, meaning he was feeling his way over very soft skin. His fingers hesitated over what felt like a scar on the small of Sasuke's back and Sasuke flinched. "Sorry!" Naruto blurted, fumbling not to drop the roll as he switched hands and pulled the bandage around Sasuke's side. His face was flaming hot and he refused to look up. He was as bad as Kyuubi! Taking advantage of Sasuke when he was supposed to be patching him up. "So, um, if it's not boyfriend, what would you call it, then?"
Convenient was the first word that came to mind. Mistake came just as quickly. Sasuke didn't say either of them. He was clenching his teeth to keep from moving, his glare locked on the wall to the side of him. Then Naruto reached behind him and he flinched again. Absolutely humiliating, especially when Naruto immediately blurted out another apology. The only thing missing was Kakashi to start up on his 'contact phobia' routine. He swore, if Naruto said he was sorry one more time-
Dull fingernails brushed lightly over his side and Sasuke took a sharp breath, grimacing at the audible hiss it made through his clenched teeth. He could actually feel himself blush. The bastard was doing that on purpose!
"Sorry!"
"Shut up," Sasuke snapped. "Just be quick about it."
Naruto ventured a look at Sasuke and winced at his expression. "I'm trying to," he protested. "Every time you flinch I have to straighten the bandage again. Are you ticklish?"
"I'm not ticklish," Sasuke said tightly. He shot a suspicious glare at Naruto, and was somewhat mollified by the guilty blush on his face. Naruto really didn't look like he was doing it on purpose. "Pull it tighter and it won't slip so easily. You're wrapping it too lightly, anyway."
"Too tight and it'll hurt," said Naruto. "That defeats the whole purpose." He could just bet Sasuke was about to say it was fine. He leaned forward to put another layer around him before he could. This time he was ready when Sasuke flinched the second he touched the small of his back. "Deny it all you want, you're definitely ticklish. That or you're just really sensitive," and he flashed a playful leer that made Sasuke bristle and bare his teeth. "Not that being sensitive's a bad thing."
"One more word and I'll knock you through that door," Sasuke growled.
"Right," Naruto nodded, "not another word. Got it." He ducked his head so his grin was hidden. If Sasuke had actually been in any shape to do that, he'd have done it already. This time he made it a point to let his fingers linger over the edge of the bandage, and when Sasuke flinched right on schedule, he didn't offer a single apology. The more he flinched, the longer it would take, and Naruto was in no hurry whatsoever. Forget sparring with him. The second Sasuke was all healed up, he was gonna jump him and tickle him till cried. He could hardly wait.
As soon as Naruto reached the end of the roll, Sasuke shoved him away. Naruto went over to open the door, almost turning his back to him quickly enough to hide the grin on his face. Almost. Sasuke seethed and plotted a dozen ways to mutilate him beyond recognition without actually killing him. He clipped the bandage in place with more force than necessary. Then he shot to his feet. Two steps later his anger was replaced by vague surprise. Dizzy. Light. He couldn't feel his knees and he didn't even mind.
Naruto yelped and caught him halfway to the floor. Sasuke was completely boneless, reminding him of Kyuubi right before he'd fallen into that coma-like sleep. Except his eyes were still open, a dazed expression on his face. "Sasuke?" He pulled Sasuke's left arm over his shoulders, easing him up as much as possible. "Hey, Sasuke?" Dark eyes turned toward him, slowly, as if he were half asleep. Naruto sighed with relief. He'd worried that Sasuke might pass out from the blood loss. Iruka donated blood regularly, and he was always sluggish for a while afterward. That had to be a lot less than what Sasuke had lost. Naruto put his right arm around Sasuke's waist, an awkward half carry considering he couldn't touch his injured side or his arm.
"Stupid," Naruto murmured, talking half into Sasuke's hair. "You don't stand up so quick after losing blood. You could have cracked your head on the floor and then where would you be? Come on, shuffle your feet or I'll drag you to your room. You'll kill me if I try to carry you, right?" No response. A quick peek found Sasuke's eyes closed. Naruto grinned. "You look like a girl when you sleep," he taunted. Not so much as an eyebrow twitch. "Be glad Kyuubi's sleeping, too. He'd definitely tell me to take advantage of this." Nothing. Yeah, Naruto grinned, Sasuke was completely gone. He ducked down to catch his legs, feeling absolutely smug about how easy it was to carry him. And that was without Kyuubi lending him extra strength.
He was just pushing open Sasuke's door when Kakashi rounded the corner. They both froze midstep, staring at each other. For a moment Naruto wondered if he should defend himself for being in such an incriminating position. Then he remembered that Kakashi was the one responsible for Sasuke's condition. He gave the man a dirty look. He'd have a talk with him later, when Kyuubi was awake, after filling the fox in on what the bastard had done. Even with a handicap, Kakashi had to be pretty strong to have messed Sasuke up so much. He'd let Kyuubi have at him. Or, better yet, he'd tell Iruka on him. As protective as Iruka was, Kakashi wouldn't stand a chance. Naruto sniffed and made it a point to kick the door closed behind him just in case Kakashi tried peeping. That pervert had no business even looking into Sasuke's bedroom.
.-.
TBC
Warnings: NaruSasu, blood, humor, fluff, shounen ai
Part 21
Naruto was stubborn. Like the sun was warm and Kakashi was different.
Sasuke reached this conclusion after four minutes of glares, threats, and discriminate use of force found his side throbbing nearly as much as his arm and Naruto's stubborn self still half wedged in the bathroom door. Absolutely ridiculous. He conceded out of sheer exhaustion, retreating to a sullen seat on the edge of the tub, and glowering resentfully at the idiotic grin on the moron's face. For someone who'd hovered over him all the way upstairs, Naruto had been awfully quick to make him exert himself when he'd tried to lock him out of the bathroom. So he wasn't just stubborn and weirdly overprotective. He was a voyeur.
"I'm going to hurt you later," Sasuke said solemnly.
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto grinned, feeling smug at having made it into the room. He locked the door behind him. Sasuke didn't look like he'd be bolting anywhere, but he wasn't taking chances. He turned back with his very best 'concerned Iruka-sensei' face. "You can try to hurt me as much as you want later," emphasis on try, "First you gotta get better."
"I'm not sick."
"You look it," said Naruto. And he really did. While Sasuke wasn't bleeding as much as he'd first thought, he was still wearing more blood than Naruto had ever seen outside a splatter movie. He was scarily pale with rashy splotches on his cheeks and Naruto had actually caught him wincing when he'd walked up the stairs. Sasuke wincing. If the blood hadn't been enough to send him into panic mode, that right there would have. This was the guy who took a burned hand and a broken bone without so much as flinching. "You look like you're gonna pass out. No way I'd let you lock yourself in here alone so you can pass out and bleed to death."
Sasuke snorted. Playing tug of war with the door had done more damage than sleeping it off would have. Any idiot knew that. Any idiot who wasn't a stubborn blue-eyed blonde with a pervert in his head. Sasuke's mind caught on that thought, just as said blonde reached for the kit he'd left on the sink. His expression sobered into a narrow eyed stare.
"Kyuubi's a fox?"
Naruto flinched and knocked the open first aid kit back into the sink. He righted it just as quickly. "Did he tell you that...?"
"Kakashi mentioned it," Sasuke frowned. And it didn't make any more sense now than it had then. He reached out and tapped Naruto's arm, "Hand me the black case."
"Right," Naruto said quickly. He fumbled with the narrow leather case, which looked like the sort of thing that would come with fingernail clippers or lockpicks or something. His turned and his eyes caught on Sasuke's outstretched hand. His left hand, the one that had been pressing that wounded spot on his side. Once again, he felt his throat tighten at the sight of so much dark blood against Sasuke's pale skin. He'd always had a problem with blood. Kyuubi said it was left over shock from having been splashed with Iruka's blood that time, because he'd been responsible, and because it had happened so quickly it was still warm when it hit him. He suddenly wished Kyuubi would wake up. Kyuubi would be able to handle this without panicking. Except he didn't want Kyuubi to wake up, not now when Sasuke was wary and vulnerable and Naruto was too disturbed by the blood to focus. That would make things even worse.
Sasuke scoffed in annoyance. "Idiot," he muttered. He wiped his hand off on the left side of his shirt and then snatched the case. "How were you planning to help when you're too afraid of blood to even hand me something?"
"I'm not afraid," Naruto blurted. He scowled when Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not!"
"Then hand me the scissors," Sasuke sneered, "and try not to flinch this time."
Naruto handed them over with a stubborn frown, "I'm not afraid of blood. I just don't like seeing so much of it. You're bleeding a lot, you know."
"Not that much," said Sasuke, dismissively. Kakashi hadn't been kidding about the wound almost being cauterized. He had to pick a few threads from his mutilated shirt out of the cut, but as long as he avoided tugging matches in the near future, he might not even have to sew it up. "It looks worse than it is." He was debating on cutting around the wound or slicing the shirt completely. A speculative glance up at Naruto found the blonde glowering at him. That was preferable to having Naruto hovering worriedly or reassuring him as if he were the one panicking. Or offering to help him undress with a creepy Kakashi smile. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "If Kyuubi is a fox, that means he's an animal. Right?"
Naruto dropped his eyes, feeling cornered, uncomfortable, guilty, and a dozen other things at once. "Yeah. Well, sort of. He's a fox..."
"So what does he want with me?" Sasuke scowled. He'd been groped by an animal? That was even more humiliating than having Pakkun sneak into his bed. Pakkun didn't have anything sexual in mind when he did it. Kyuubi's actions had definitely been sexual, but considering what he'd been doing with Naruto before the fox made his appearance, maybe...
"He's a pervert," Naruto grumbled, glaring furiously at his feet. He just knew his face was beet red. "He's an absolute hornball pervert. But - I swear, I didn't know he was gonna jump you like that, or I would have-" He glanced up to find Sasuke making a weird face. As if he'd just bitten into something furry with a dozen legs and a squishy sweet filling. Naruto blinked. "Um...Sasuke?"
"Then he is a pervert," Sasuke said quietly.
"Yeah," Naruto blinked again. Had Sasuke actually doubted that after what Kyuubi did to him? "He's a mega-pervert."
"A perverted fox hit on me," Sasuke murmured.
Naruto winced, "I'm really sorry about that. Honestly, I had no idea he'd do that. We didn't even know he could come out on his own until recently, so I didn't think he'd try taking over like that. Let alone be such a perverted asshole. I swear, I didn't-"
"Why me?"
"Huh?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, his breath coming in furious little bursts. "What interest could a perverted fox possibly have in me?" he asked, in as calm a tone as possible. "I'm not a fox."
"Neither am I," Naruto frowned. "I'm as human as you are..."
"But he's not. He's a fox. An animal."
Naruto's eyes widened suddenly, "Oh! No, no, you got it all wrong. Kyuubi's my Id, see? Like my alter ego or split personality or something. He's only a fox in my head - he doesn't have a real fox's body or anything. I mean, yeah, he thinks like a fox sometimes, but when it comes to liking people, we're pretty much the same. 'Cause it's my body, you know? Not like I'd be interested in an animal. That's just..." A mental glance at the nearly comatose fox in his head made him pause. Why did Kyuubi always lust after humans when he was definitely a fox in his head? He frowned and focused on Sasuke again. "That's kinda weird, huh? I never thought about it before. I don't know why he's a fox in my head. He doesn't act like one when it comes to other people. Aside from the biting thing, but that's just him being a pervert..."
"Nevermind," Sasuke muttered. He was too tired to deal with this. Bad enough he had random human and mutant perverts hitting on him. Now animals were doing it, too? He didn't even want to think about it right now. He shifted on the edge of the tub and waved Naruto back a step with the sharp end of the scissors. "What's he doing now?"
"Kyuubi?" asked Naruto, his eyes locked on the glinting scissors. He jumped a little when he caught on. "Oh, you're safe. Honest. He's completely out of it. Been sleeping like the dead since earlier. He said he used too much energy healing what you did to him. Good on you, too, 'cause the bastard deserved it. But even if he woke up, I wouldn't let him try anything. He can't do anything unless I let him, or I'm too distracted to stop him. That's what happened before," and he paused, feeling a blush work its way up his neck. "I was paying attention to you instead of keeping an eye on him..."
Sasuke marveled at the way Naruto could go from mothering to queasy to starry-eyed in the space of five minutes. He firmly ignored how hot his cheeks felt. His side was more numb than sore now and that was never a good thing. That was much more important than the heated look Naruto was giving him. He focused exclusively on clipping his stained shirt away from the wound. And more to distract Naruto from staring than to settle his curiosity, he asked, "Does he always talk to you?"
"Um," Naruto fidgeted, dropping his eyes again. "Most of the time. He usually sleeps a lot during the day, but if he's awake he talks to me whenever he wants. It's just like thinking stuff to myself, though. I mean, he only exists in my head, so..." He trailed off, frowning at his feet. That sounded crazy even to him. "It's not as weird as it sounds." Except it was. "It's just - you know - it's like having a special voice for your conscience that speaks up when you're not sure what to do." Naruto scowled. That explanation had sounded much better when Iruka had first offered it to him. Kyuubi couldn't be his conscience because the fox didn't have a conscience. "He's my Id," he said finally, sending Sasuke a stubborn frown. "He's my greedy little demon who only cares about want-want-want. He's an ass and he's perverted, and that's just the way he is. He's part of me. He's what makes me a mutant. And I'm not crazy, so don't look at me like that!"
Sasuke glanced up for the first time since Naruto had started rambling. He raised an eyebrow, "I wasn't looking at you at all."
"You are now," Naruto muttered. Sasuke wasn't giving him a 'this guy is crazy' look, but that had to be what he was thinking. "I'm not crazy."
"Then stop being so defensive about it," said Sasuke. "I've met mutants with stranger talents than yours. You have an animal personality?" He shrugged, waving for Naruto to hand him the kit before continuing. "I've fought mutants who actually were part animal."
Naruto's eyes widened at the thought. "Really? What kind of animals were they?"
"A shark," Sasuke frowned. That hadn't been much of a fight. The mutant had barely grazed him and the next thing he knew he'd woken up without a drop of energy. It had taken days before he could activate the sharingan without passing out and he still didn't know what the mutant had done, or what his energy sucking talent had to do with him looking like a half-human shark.
He leaned over enough to wet a clean strip of his shirt and started dabbing at his side. "There one who looked like a snake," he muttered, grimacing at the memory. "He could create them out of his own flesh and blood."
"Gross," Naruto made an appropriately disgusted face, but his eyes were gleaming with interest. "Did you beat him?"
"No," Sasuke snapped. "They were poisonous." And he'd been nine at the time. Three lightning fast bites and a lengthy hospital stay filled with disturbing hallucinations while the doctors tried every anti-venom they could think of until Itachi had finally stopped by with an antidote. He scowled and rubbed overly hard on his blood stained skin. Funny how some of his worst fights were due to 'animal' type mutants.
"Any canines?" asked Naruto. "Like werewolves or-"
Sasuke shot him a dark smirk. "Actually, yes, there was one of those. He had a lot in common with your fox. He didn't keep his paws to himself so I removed them for him. I suspect he bled to death."
"Very funny," Naruto snorted. He grinned at Sasuke's evil expression, reminding himself to repeat that one to Kyuubi when the fox woke up.
With a light shrug, Sasuke turned his attention back to his side. It was probably just as well that Naruto assumed he'd been joking. That 'werewolf' mutant hadn't been one of Itachi's, and he hadn't meant to kill him that way. He'd simply been woken up to a growling attack and had reacted accordingly. He didn't actually know if the man had died, anyway. He'd left while the perverted would-be cannibal was still howling over his amputated hands. The man could have put on tourniquets with his teeth and survived. Sasuke didn't particularly care, either way. He didn't appreciate being mistaken for an easy snack.
A healthy dose of peroxide set his crusted gash to bubbling and he hissed at the effort not to flinch and pull the wound open. If he could just keep still for a day or so it wouldn't need stitches. That suddenly seemed like a very big if. He grimaced when he caught Naruto staring at the cut with that panicky worried expression back on his face. "Are you any better at bandaging other people than you are yourself?"
Naruto bristled at the insulting tone. "Of course," he sniffed. "I've never had to bandage myself so it's not like I had any practice. Iruka-sensei makes me patch up Hiko if I go too far when we're sparring and he's not around to heal it right away." On the other hand he usually didn't feel guilty about those wounds. Hiko was an asshole to spar with since he had Iruka to hide behind. As far as he was concerned, Sasuke probably wouldn't have gotten hurt at all if it weren't for him and Kyuubi. He was the one who'd broken his arm and then Kyuubi had screwed things up and left him all alone on the roof, a perfect target for the old pervert.
He glanced back at the cut, wondering if the bastard had used Sasuke's own knife on him. It sure looked like it. Except now that Sasuke had washed the blood away he could see how the skin around the cut was bruised, as if he'd sliced him open and then hit him a few times to make it bleed more. Naruto's eyes widened, "What did he do to you?" Kakashi was an old pervert, sure, but he hadn't thought he was a sadist.
Sasuke winced at Naruto's stricken expression. Couldn't the moron stay distracted for longer than two minutes without reverting back to form? He handed Naruto a roll of bandages and went back to patching the wound. Even if Naruto's wrapping was clumsy, it would keep his own patch in place, and that was better than having to do it himself. He'd concede that much to Kakashi. His right arm hurt like hell if he lifted it too high. Too much pressure, not enough energy left to reinforce it.
Naruto looked up quickly from the bandages he'd been handed. Did this mean Sasuke wasn't going to throw a fit about being helped? "Sasuke?"
"It was a combination attack," Sasuke said casually, before tearing a strip of adhesive with his teeth and placing it carefully along the edge of the gauze. "An original."
"What was?" asked Naruto. A cool and insulting stare flicked up at him, bringing an instinctive scowl to his face. Sasuke was so confusing. One second he was all friendly and the next he was looking at him like he was a moron. That made it really hard to decide if he wanted to help him or hit him. "What," Naruto snapped.
"You asked what Kakashi did," Sasuke reminded him, a slow sneer pulling at his face. The idiot clearly had trouble keeping up. "It was a combination of two talents. When done right, it can cut through anything. Or anyone," and he had a sudden image of Naruto with red eyes, sharp teeth, and a taunting grin. He sniffed as the image was replaced by a scowling and harmless blue-eyed moron. "We both attacked at the same time, so we canceled each other out. You saw his chest? Same thing. He blocked mine, I blocked his, so neither of us did it completely." Which was another source of annoyance. Kakashi kept harping on him for not focusing entirely on offensive when he was holding back just as much for defense. If Kakashi had really put all of his energy into attacking, he wouldn't have been able to deflect Sasuke's attack as quickly as he had.
"Wait," blurted Naruto, "you mean you guys really were sparring? You spar with the pervert?" His face twisted in annoyance. "Why would you spar with him?"
Sasuke gave him a sharp look, "Why wouldn't I?"
"Because he's a pervert!" Naruto scowled. "Because you just got done sparring with me! You just got patched up from one fight and you jump into another? With a sadistic pervert, even! It's no wonder you're all beat up. Do you have a death wish or something?" He had a sudden urge to grab Sasuke's shoulders and give him a nice hard shake. How was he supposed to protect him from the pervert if he voluntarily fought with the guy? When he was already injured, even! "That's it," Naruto said, decisively, "you're not sparring with the pervert anymore. In fact, consider yourself grounded. No fights with anyone till your arm's better."
Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch. Who the hell did he think he was? Naruto was nodding to himself, looking far too pleased with his statement. Sasuke stared at him. "Are you my mother, now?"
"Of course not," Naruto scoffed. He rolled his eyes at the thought. Like mothers went around making out with their kids. Egh. Sasuke spent way too much time with Kakashi. "I'm not your mother, I'm your boyfriend. And until Iruka-sensei comes home, I'm in charge of the house. So I say," and he pointed a finger at Sasuke, "no more fights for you until you're all healed up. You don't like that? Tough. I could pin you in a second the way you are right now. I won't 'cause that'd just make your injuries worse, but we both know I could. Once you're all healed up you can challenge me and get your rights back. Till then, you're definitely grounded."
"So," Naruto said, stepping forward and waving at Sasuke, "arms up. The sooner we patch you up, the sooner you can start getting better." He hesitated when Sasuke didn't move. The boy was gaping at him with strangest expression on his face, his left eyebrow twitching ever so often. Naruto frowned and poked his left arm, "Up," he said again, "I can't wrap it if you don't cooperate a little."
"You're crazy..."
Naruto flinched for a second before scowling furiously. "I'm not crazy! We've already been over that! And stop changing the subject, already. Shit, you change moods faster than anyone I know. Just suck it up and cooperate. Act your age," and he grinned smugly at finally getting to be the one saying that to someone else. "It's not that big a deal, right? You don't like hospitals - and I can promise, if Iruka-sensei saw you looking like this, he'd have you over there in a heartbeat. Even running away to the roof wouldn't save you from him when he switches into worry mode."
It wasn't often that Sasuke found himself struck dumb twice in one day. Naruto was insane. It had nothing to do with having a perverted fox in his head. Naruto was insane all by himself. Sasuke had met quite a few crazy people over the years, but Naruto put a whole new spin on the term. He forced his gaping mouth to close and lifted his arms. The quicker this was done, the quicker he could seek refuge in his room, far away from insane blondes and their twisted logic.
Naruto leaned closer, reaching around him to wrap the bandage, and Sasuke's mouth shot open again, "You're not my boyfriend."
"No?" asked Naruto. He was distracted by his task. Sasuke had barely lifted his arms at all, so he had to get really close to wrap the bandage around his waist. That meant lots of contact. And he had to reach under the back of Sasuke's shirt to get the bandage on straight, meaning he was feeling his way over very soft skin. His fingers hesitated over what felt like a scar on the small of Sasuke's back and Sasuke flinched. "Sorry!" Naruto blurted, fumbling not to drop the roll as he switched hands and pulled the bandage around Sasuke's side. His face was flaming hot and he refused to look up. He was as bad as Kyuubi! Taking advantage of Sasuke when he was supposed to be patching him up. "So, um, if it's not boyfriend, what would you call it, then?"
Convenient was the first word that came to mind. Mistake came just as quickly. Sasuke didn't say either of them. He was clenching his teeth to keep from moving, his glare locked on the wall to the side of him. Then Naruto reached behind him and he flinched again. Absolutely humiliating, especially when Naruto immediately blurted out another apology. The only thing missing was Kakashi to start up on his 'contact phobia' routine. He swore, if Naruto said he was sorry one more time-
Dull fingernails brushed lightly over his side and Sasuke took a sharp breath, grimacing at the audible hiss it made through his clenched teeth. He could actually feel himself blush. The bastard was doing that on purpose!
"Sorry!"
"Shut up," Sasuke snapped. "Just be quick about it."
Naruto ventured a look at Sasuke and winced at his expression. "I'm trying to," he protested. "Every time you flinch I have to straighten the bandage again. Are you ticklish?"
"I'm not ticklish," Sasuke said tightly. He shot a suspicious glare at Naruto, and was somewhat mollified by the guilty blush on his face. Naruto really didn't look like he was doing it on purpose. "Pull it tighter and it won't slip so easily. You're wrapping it too lightly, anyway."
"Too tight and it'll hurt," said Naruto. "That defeats the whole purpose." He could just bet Sasuke was about to say it was fine. He leaned forward to put another layer around him before he could. This time he was ready when Sasuke flinched the second he touched the small of his back. "Deny it all you want, you're definitely ticklish. That or you're just really sensitive," and he flashed a playful leer that made Sasuke bristle and bare his teeth. "Not that being sensitive's a bad thing."
"One more word and I'll knock you through that door," Sasuke growled.
"Right," Naruto nodded, "not another word. Got it." He ducked his head so his grin was hidden. If Sasuke had actually been in any shape to do that, he'd have done it already. This time he made it a point to let his fingers linger over the edge of the bandage, and when Sasuke flinched right on schedule, he didn't offer a single apology. The more he flinched, the longer it would take, and Naruto was in no hurry whatsoever. Forget sparring with him. The second Sasuke was all healed up, he was gonna jump him and tickle him till cried. He could hardly wait.
As soon as Naruto reached the end of the roll, Sasuke shoved him away. Naruto went over to open the door, almost turning his back to him quickly enough to hide the grin on his face. Almost. Sasuke seethed and plotted a dozen ways to mutilate him beyond recognition without actually killing him. He clipped the bandage in place with more force than necessary. Then he shot to his feet. Two steps later his anger was replaced by vague surprise. Dizzy. Light. He couldn't feel his knees and he didn't even mind.
Naruto yelped and caught him halfway to the floor. Sasuke was completely boneless, reminding him of Kyuubi right before he'd fallen into that coma-like sleep. Except his eyes were still open, a dazed expression on his face. "Sasuke?" He pulled Sasuke's left arm over his shoulders, easing him up as much as possible. "Hey, Sasuke?" Dark eyes turned toward him, slowly, as if he were half asleep. Naruto sighed with relief. He'd worried that Sasuke might pass out from the blood loss. Iruka donated blood regularly, and he was always sluggish for a while afterward. That had to be a lot less than what Sasuke had lost. Naruto put his right arm around Sasuke's waist, an awkward half carry considering he couldn't touch his injured side or his arm.
"Stupid," Naruto murmured, talking half into Sasuke's hair. "You don't stand up so quick after losing blood. You could have cracked your head on the floor and then where would you be? Come on, shuffle your feet or I'll drag you to your room. You'll kill me if I try to carry you, right?" No response. A quick peek found Sasuke's eyes closed. Naruto grinned. "You look like a girl when you sleep," he taunted. Not so much as an eyebrow twitch. "Be glad Kyuubi's sleeping, too. He'd definitely tell me to take advantage of this." Nothing. Yeah, Naruto grinned, Sasuke was completely gone. He ducked down to catch his legs, feeling absolutely smug about how easy it was to carry him. And that was without Kyuubi lending him extra strength.
He was just pushing open Sasuke's door when Kakashi rounded the corner. They both froze midstep, staring at each other. For a moment Naruto wondered if he should defend himself for being in such an incriminating position. Then he remembered that Kakashi was the one responsible for Sasuke's condition. He gave the man a dirty look. He'd have a talk with him later, when Kyuubi was awake, after filling the fox in on what the bastard had done. Even with a handicap, Kakashi had to be pretty strong to have messed Sasuke up so much. He'd let Kyuubi have at him. Or, better yet, he'd tell Iruka on him. As protective as Iruka was, Kakashi wouldn't stand a chance. Naruto sniffed and made it a point to kick the door closed behind him just in case Kakashi tried peeping. That pervert had no business even looking into Sasuke's bedroom.
.-.
TBC
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