Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Embracing Dreams ❯ Chapter 24

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Notes: Some people asked about the 'twins' in the last two parts. They're the silver-haired Sound guys who fought Kiba in the series, during the 'Sasuke's in a barrel' episodes. And even though no one asked, the 'werewolf' Sasuke keeps referring to was from Fushigi Yuugi. I think Sasuke killed him, so he probably won't get named this fic. o.o; Just a little reminder that there's a great big world of mutants outside of Iruka's cozy little house, not all of them nice. It's easy to forget that with all the fluffy teenage romance in the air.

In other news, I thought this chapter was a lot longer. The word count confused and depressed me. -.-

Warnings: humor, language, shounen ai, KakaIru, NaruSasu, playful Ino-Sakura

Part 24

They arrived in the attic, shortly after four in the morning. Iruka would have preferred to wait a few more hours, till rooms could be readied for them, and possibly a meal prepared. The most he'd managed was to have Pakkun go ahead of them so Kakashi was waiting when they arrived, the only one who could see well enough in the dark to bring each passenger aside till Shikamaru had transferred them all. Iruka was the last, and he'd just stepped over to pull the string to the overhead light when he was swept into a smothering hug.

He was startled to find that it wasn't Naruto, as he'd have expected, but Kakashi. A very happy Kakashi, who was mumbling contentedly, brushing a masked cheek against his own and holding him much closer than was appropriate in front of children. Impressionable bewildered children, who were now staring at them in varying degrees of surprise, confusion, and hesitant anger. Kiba took two steps toward them, looking as if he were about to protest the manhandling. Akamaru started a low growl that sent Ino stumbling away. She tripped over a sheet-covered lump that Iruka vaguely recognized as an antique chest full of odds and ends he'd been meaning to unpack one of these days. A hand moved from rubbing Iruka's back to rubbing his ass. Iruka flushed bright red and sputtered.

"The hell are you doing?" Kiba blurted, rushing forward to defend Iruka's honor. All it took was a sniff to know the masked weirdo was not in a physical relationship with the blushing Iruka and thus had no right to grope him like that.

"Control that mut!" Ino spat, glaring at Kiba and rubbing the dust off her aching tailbone.

"Not in front of the kids," Pakkun sighed, shaking his head at the oblivious Kakashi.

"Ka-kashi-san," Iruka stuttered, squirming and pushing frantically to get free.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, before yawning and slumping comfortably on a sheet covered sofa in the corner of the attic.

"Are they...you know...?" Sakura whispered, to herself since no one was paying her any attention.

Naruto broke the chaos with a jubilant and booming, "Iruka-sensei!"

Kakashi gave one grudging sigh and stepped back just as the blonde missile came sprinting toward them. Iruka was promptly tackled by a smaller - and perversion-free - glomper.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cried, hugging furiously and grinning fit to split his face, "You're early! Why didn't you tell me you were coming home early!"

"Naruto," Iruka sighed. He should have known Kyuubi would notice the second they arrived. So much for not having Pakkun wake the kids along with Kakashi. He returned the hug with a weak smile. "Naruto, we have guests."

"Yeah, I know," Naruto said carelessly. He gave one more happy squeeze, grinning at Iruka. Then he stepped back, turned sharply and glared at Kakashi. "Don't think I didn't see that," he growled. "Keep your hands to yourself."

"You're one to talk," Kakashi murmured casually. His gaze swept over the kids spotting the dimly lit attic, taking stock of each, noting the dog, which had traded its growl for a confused whine, and stopping on the snoring boy in the corner. "Iruka," he said. "One of your kids passed out."

Iruka winced. He firmly pushed aside his lingering embarrassment. He'd yell at Kakashi later. First things first. "Naruto, show everyone down the kitchen, please. It's much too dusty up here. Kakashi-san," and his expression was all business as if the man hadn't just had a hand on his ass, "help me with Shikamaru. I want to put him in one of the bedrooms downstairs."

Naruto hopped to it, sending bright-eyed curious looks over the other kids, one lingering wince at Akamaru, and waving them to the door. Kakashi was a bit slower to respond, giving a long look from Iruka to the comatose kid napping on that dusty sofa.

"What happened to your hands?" Kakashi asked, after the Naruto's troop had left the room.

"An accident," Iruka sighed. "I'll be able to heal them in a day or so. Watch his head," he warned, when Kakashi bent to pick up Shikamaru. "He has a nasty bump. Bringing us here didn't help matters any."

"And you couldn't wait," said Kakashi. "That's what Pakkun said."

"I really wish we had," Iruka frowned. He was following a step behind Kakashi, unable to keep from hovering. "Be careful," he said when they reached the stairs, "it's steep."

"I noticed," Kakashi said in amusement. "I did walk up these stairs to get to the attic."

Iruka nodded absently. "Here, that room there, just let me make up the bed first..."

Pakkun had followed them down. Now he sat at Kakashi's feet with an amused expression. "He's been hovering for the last hour over that kid," he commented, watching as Iruka hurried down the hall. "Really didn't want him bringing them over here. We're supposed to let him flutter while it lasts. He's running on worry, see. Once he crashes, he'll likely sleep for a day. The big guy over there said to let him go till he drops and then keep him down till his hands are healed up."

"Is it bad?" Kakashi asked, quietly, despite the fact that Iruka was too occupied with fixing up the room to overhear them.

"Nah," Pakkun sniffed. "Just exhaustion, is all. Had a mishap with one of those kids and used up all his energy. Nothing some bedrest won't cure."

"I see," said Kakashi. "I'll make sure he gets plenty of bedrest."

Pakkun snorted. "The key word is rest, you know."

"No, it's not," said Kakashi.

Iruka glanced over from where he was fluffing a pillow, "I'm sorry, what did you say? And you can lay him down, now."

"Just asking if the bed was ready," Kakashi smiled. "He'll sleep much better in a real bed. That is the key word, after all."

Iruka's smile was a touch confused, but he nodded in agreement, anyway. Pakkun snorted and padded out of the room.

In the kitchen, mild order had been established. Naruto was enjoying his moment in the spotlight. He'd been on high since Kyuubi first woke him up with the excited news that Iruka was home early. His half asleep mind had barely registered Kyuubi's additional warning that Iruka had brought four strangers and another dog with him. Now he was excited, curious, and decidedly not worried. So there was a dog with the new kids. Kyuubi would get over that eventually. So there were two girls. The blonde one did look a little snooty, but she had dark circles under her eyes so she was probably tired and cranky. The pink-haired one looked like she was biting back a whole mess of comments, but she was absolutely filthy so she'd probably feel better once she'd had a nice bath. So the boy was taller than him and smelled just like his dog. That was nothing a growthspurt and a shower wouldn't fix. They were mutants. They were his age, or close to it. And they were in his house, looking at him with all the curiosity and respect Sasuke hadn't shown when he'd moved in.

"Are you related to Iruka-san?"

Naruto looked at the pink-haired girl, who'd introduced herself as Sakura. He'd been tempted to ask her if she'd been named for her hair and had wisely bit back the impulse. "No, he adopted me a few years ago."

"So that's why you smell like him," Kiba sighed. A relieved grin broke on his face. "For a second there," and he shook his head, unwilling to admit what his first thought had been.

"I smell like him?" Naruto asked. His face twisted in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yeah," said Kiba. "Like him, but it's the same scent as the house, so-"

"Would you please stop smelling people?" Ino grimaced in disgust. "Normal people don't go around sniffing each other, talking about the way they smell. At least try to act human."

"Stop harping on him," Sakura rounded on her, looking just as disgusted. "You have something biting to say about everyone. At least he has an excuse, since he doesn't know any better. You're rude for the sake of being rude."

"Well," Ino sniffed, "forgive me if I prefer being in the company of civilized human beings. I forget that some mutants prefer skulking in the refuge because their talents make them unfit to be near actual people."

"Oh," Sakura scoffed, "that's rich coming from you. You're the one who had me crawling in the basement with the rats. You were perfectly at home in the refuge, then."

"Why not?" Ino scoffed right back. "I figured as long as I had to look like you, I might as well behave like you. I certainly don't remember you complaining about the location when you were railing like a banshee over having to be in contact with an actual person for more than two minutes at a time."

"Just because you were-"

"Just because you never-"

"They're always like that," Kiba muttered to Naruto. "Iruka said they'll be better once they get used to each other, but I got my doubts. The only time they stop going at each other is when an adult's around."

Naruto scooted his chair closer to Kiba, still staring in fascination at the bickering girls. "Are they gonna start pulling each other's hair?"

"Probably," Kiba snorted. "If they do, I put my money on Sakura. She's the bossy one."

"Hey," Sakura protested, glancing over at Kiba. "I was defending you..."

"Don't talk about her," Ino rounded, giving Kiba a vicious glare. "At least she doesn't sleep with dogs."

Kiba scowled, a protective hand dropping to Akamaru, who was lounging beside his chair.

"Wait," Naruto said quickly, blinking at Ino. "I thought you didn't like her."

"So what?" Ino frowned. "Does that give him any right to insult her? She's never done anything to him." She narrowed her eyes and stared until Kiba squirmed. "Apologize, Dog-boy."

Sakura squirmed as well, "Ino-"

"Shut up, Doormat," Ino sniffed. "I'm talking to Dog-boy, not you."

"Ino," Sakura said again, sharper this time. "Don't call me that. And stop calling Kiba that. You've being very rude. This is a horrible first impression for Naruto, especially when we're guests in his home-"

"Oh," Naruto said quickly, "Don't mind me." He'd never actually seen a catfight. He was looking forward to the hair pulling. "Just be yourselves."

"Hey," Kiba winced, "don't encourage them..." Akamaru whined in agreement.

Pakkun chose that moment to enter the kitchen. The girls settled in their chairs quickly, Sakura looking contrite, Ino looking slightly pinched at the sight of The Talking Dog. Iruka and Kakashi were a few steps behind.

Iruka smiled when he saw how quiet it was. "I'm sorry for the wait," he said. "I had to get Shikamaru settled. Now we can do introductions and then-" He paused, his gaze sweeping over the table and stopping on Naruto. "Is Sasuke still asleep?" he asked in surprise. They'd been quite loud in the attic, and then coming down the stairs. He couldn't imagine anyone sleeping through all that noise.

Naruto looked away, doing his best not to squirm, "Probably."

"He had a very late night," Kakashi explained, in a sly tone. His eye glinted when Naruto whipped around to look at him. "Very," he repeated, and Naruto turned bright red.

Iruka shot a confused look at Kakashi and then frowned, "Naruto?"

"What?" Naruto blurted, his face flaming hot. Inside he was cursing the pervert, cursing the fox, and praying Kakashi hadn't heard anything aside from their doors opening last night. He tried to remember if either he or Sasuke had made suspicious noises and his mind came up a big fat blank. If they'd been quiet, then all Kakashi could possibly know was that he'd gone into Sasuke's room last night. He could have been going in there to talk. And even if Kakashi had heard everything, it wasn't like he was just going to reveal it all in front of Iruka and three strangers, right? Right...?

"Are you all right?" Iruka asked Naruto. He'd never seen him blush like that. He didn't like the implications of that blush.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, still not quite looking at Iruka. "Um, yeah, sure. I'm fine." He blushed harder when he heard himself repeating Sasuke's catchphrase. "I'm just tired. And hungry, too." He was looking everywhere but at Iruka's eyes, so he jumped when he caught sight of a perfect distraction. "Say, what happened to your hands, Iruka-sensei?"

"Oh," Iruka winced, "it's nothing." He moved his hands back as subtly as possible and smiled. "Well, he can meet them after we all get some more sleep. In the meantime, this is Kakashi-san," he nodded to Kakashi, "and these are Sakura, Ino, Kiba, and Akamaru. I'm assuming you already introduced yourself, Naruto?"

"Of course," Naruto grinned.

"Good," said Iruka. "You can get the rooms ready, and lend some clothes if anyone wants a bath first. I'll-" and he curled his hands, "Kakashi and I will fix a quick snack. We'll have a real breakfast later."

"Sounds perfect," Kakashi said, before anyone, namely Naruto, could protest. "Out," he waved, looking down at the new kids as if it were his house rather than Iruka's. "We'll call you when it's done."

Pakkun sniffed and padded out of the room ahead of the kids.

"How big is this place?" Kiba muttered quietly to Naruto on their way out, "I don't wanna room anywhere near those two..."

"I heard that," Ino snipped, just as quietly. "I don't want to room near those two, either," she told Naruto.

"I don't care where my room is," Sakura sighed, "I just want a bath..."

"You need one," Ino grimaced. "You smell worse than the dog."

"I thought we weren't supposed to talk about the way people smell," Kiba scowled.

"Shut up, Dog-boy."

Kakashi listened as the bickering moved off down the hall. Then he raised an eyebrow. Iruka was watching the door with an oddly content smile on his face. "You're happy?" asked Kakashi. "They don't get along very well."

"They're so different, it would be strange if they got along perfectly right away," said Iruka. "They'll be fine. The girls might never be the best of friends, but they know more about each other now than most people ever do."

Iruka knew most of it was pure bluster. As eager as they'd been to separate when they were trapped in the same body, both girls had stuck close to each other afterward, with Ino following Sakura and Bunchu during their healing sweeps. That Bunchu had allowed Ino to tag along told Iruka he'd come to the same conclusion. The girls argued in large part to hide the fact that neither was comfortable being alone. They could snipe and resent each other all they liked. He didn't find it the least bit worrisome. If anything, it was rather cute. The only thing that bothered him was that Kiba kept getting caught in the crossfire. He'd have to warn Naruto from the making the same mistake in the future.

"Snacks," Iruka said distractedly. "Something simple to tide them over. Sandwiches, maybe, if the lunch meat hasn't gone over." He prodded the refrigerator open with the back of his wrapped hand. "And something for Akamaru. I'll have to pick up some dog food tomorrow." He fumbled with an unopened packet of turkey slices and just managed to get it to the counter without dropping it. He frowned in frustration. "I should just take these off," he muttered at his hands. "I haven't even seen the damage yet."

"Now, now," said Kakashi. He eased up and wrapped his arms around Iruka's waist, pulling him back against him. He rested his chin on Iruka's shoulder so he was all but murmuring into his ear. "What you should do is sit down, have a cup of coffee, and let me feed your brood. Then you can pop your pill and hibernate till you're well enough to heal those hands on your own."

Iruka blushed, surprise and distress mingling on his face. That was twice in a matter of minutes. Had Kakashi been this forward when he'd left? He frowned as soberly as he could under the circumstances. "What's gotten into you? The kids-"

"Are busy at the moment," Kakashi finished smoothly. "Relax. You're much too tense."

Faint amusement niggled in the back of Iruka's throat. It was that smooth tone Kakashi was using. Lazy, syrupy, as if he had all the time in the world. As if there weren't six children and two dogs in the house, any one of whom could come bursting into the room. "You're very confident, aren't you."

"For good reason," Kakashi assured him. He nuzzled Iruka's neck through his mask and promptly regretted it. Iruka didn't smell very good. There was a moldy animal scent clinging to his hair that made his nose twitch painfully. Kakashi grimaced against the sudden urge to sneeze. "Maybe a nice hot bubble bath before you hibernate," he suggested. "Just to help you relax."

Iruka laughed. This time when he squirmed free, Kakashi let him go. "Is that your suave way of telling me I smell like I've been creeping around in a rat infested basement? Because I have. And as much as I'd love to wash my hair, I can't exactly do that without unwrapping these," he held up his hands. Kakashi's eye lit up eagerly, and Iruka laughed again. "Don't even offer. If you want to help, you can wrap these back up for me when I'm finished."

Kakashi let out a long suffering sigh, "If you knew what I've been through since you left, you'd be nicer to me. I didn't come here to babysit someone else's kid, you know. I was already doing that with Sasuke."

"I'm sorry," said Iruka. He sobered quickly and even managed to look contrite. "I never intended to do that to you. I do appreciate your help."

"You made me shop for groceries," Kakashi reminded him.

Iruka's lips twitched, "I'm very sorry."

"Then you should make it up to me," Kakashi said seriously. "I'll allow that I haven't quite earned fullblown 'thank-you' sex. But I've more than earned the right to wash your hair for you. We could do it over a sink, if you want to be really stingy about it. You didn't even warn me about your kid's fox. The brat almost killed me yesterday, you know, and I won't even go into what he's done to Sasuke. If I weren't such a nice guy, I'd be asking for a lot more than I am."

"He told you about Kyuubi?" Iruka blurted, seconds before suspicion tightened his face, "What's wrong with Sasuke? I knew Naruto had done something when he wouldn't look me in the eye. I swear, if he-"

"Hold it, hold it," Kakashi muttered quickly. He pushed Iruka back down into his chair, "One thing at a time. We're talking about me, remember? Me, you, gratitude, repayment, and that stinky hair of yours. I'll feed your kids and see them settled, then I'm washing your hair. You're going to keep those bandages on and sleep till you can heal yourself. Right?"

"Fine, but-"

"Then," he continued, "when you wake up, I'll tell you all about the kids. It's nothing that won't keep for a night," or two, if Iruka slept as long as he expected him to.

"Kakashi-san," Iruka said, in a warning tone. "What's wrong with Sasuke?"

"Exhaustion mostly," Kakashi frowned. He had an idea where Naruto got that stubborn nature of his. "He'll sleep it off the same as you."

"What else?" Iruka demanded. "What did Naruto do? Nevermind, I'll ask him myself-"

"You'll be still," Kakashi said sharply. Iruka flinched at his tone, looking surprised and a tad angry. Kakashi sighed. "Naruto broke his arm," and he had to catch Iruka's shoulders to keep him from jumping to his feet. "There's nothing you can do about that. Even if you had the energy, you can't heal serious injuries."

"I can't take him to a hospital!"

"No," Kakashi said firmly, "you can't. He won't go. As exhausted as he is, he still has enough energy to run if I try to force him for you. Not that I'm offering to do that. Think about it. What good would it do to have a doctor look at him? A single x-ray would raise a dozen red flags. It wouldn't even get that far. All he'd have to do is take his shirt off. He has enough scars to get some fussy busybody crying about child abuse. And who will they go to with their questions? You? Me? No, they'll want to speak with his legal guardian. You'll have enough trouble with him staying here without that brother showing up in person. Leave it alone. He's taken care of it as well as some doctor could. And if I have my way, Naruto's fox will be fixing it before long."

"Kyuubi...?" Iruka shook his head faintly, "Naruto can't heal people. He's never-"

"Just because he never has doesn't mean he can't," Kakashi cut in. "I'm working on that. Like I said, you've missed a lot in the last few days. I'll fill you in after you get some sleep. It'll keep till then."

Iruka shook his head again when Kakashi let go of his shoulders, but he made no move to get up. "Were they fighting?"

"Yeah," Kakashi sniffed. "Sasuke got some good hits in himself, but the fox healed them almost as fast as they landed. That's a really handy talent he has."

"I didn't want them fighting without supervision," Iruka grimaced. He wanted to demand, angrily, why Kakashi hadn't stopped them. Except he didn't need to ask. If Kakashi had already 'met' Kyuubi, then Naruto was the one he needed to talk to. Things had clearly gotten out of hand. "I was hoping they'd start getting along better than that."

"Oh," Kakashi said lightly, "they're getting along better. You'd be surprised how well they're getting along. They had a sparring match get out of hand, is all. Aside from that, yeah, they're definitely getting along well."

Iruka suddenly remembered that suspicious blush of Naruto's. His eyes narrowed. "Exactly how well are they getting along...?"

"Better than us," Kakashi muttered sullenly, as he went about making sandwiches. "Brats."

Iruka groaned softly. Naruto was only fifteen, if that. He'd given him the obligatory talk over a year ago, but he hadn't expected it would be needed for...a long time. Naruto had too many issues to worry about romance and relationships. He was too eager to make friends and suspicious of the way other people looked at him. He had Kyuubi and a mess of complexes that Iruka had been unraveling since they'd first met. He needed someone steady and supportive, not another teenage mutant with even more problems than him. And Sasuke needed therapy. A few years of counseling, and maybe a restraining order and body guards for good measure.

Iruka grimaced, "How could that happen?"

"I have no idea," Kakashi sighed. "I'm telling myself it's just curiosity. Or desperation. They might change their minds now that there are more kids around here."

"They are at that age," Iruka mumbled, unconvincingly.

"Yeah..."

.-.

The girls were arguing over the bathroom. Naruto leaned against the wall next to Kakashi's bedroom door and watched them. He couldn't look away. They'd started as soon as they got upstairs and realized Kiba had taken the only other bathroom. Ino had personally assigned him and Akamaru to the downstairs, vehemently stating she'd never use a bathtub a dog had bathed in. Kiba had growled out something and slammed the door after him. Whatever he'd said must have been in 'animal' talk, because Kyuubi found it funny as hell and refused to let Naruto in on the joke. With the downstairs off limits, Naruto had led the girls to the only other functional bathroom in the house. They'd promptly slipped into spiteful insults and hissing girly nastiness. Naruto had never seen anything like it outside of television.

'I didn't think girls really acted like that,' Naruto murmured to Kyuubi. 'Hinata can't even get her voice to sound mean.'

'She's a plant,' Kyuubi sniffed in disdain. 'Grass is only strong against erosion. These two are wildfire.'

Naruto wrinkled his nose at the insult to Hinata, and frowned at the comparison. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'That they would tear her apart along with anyone else foolish enough to get in their way. Learn from the beast-boy's mistakes. Don't get involved when they're going at each other.'

'Hey,' Naruto blinked. 'Beast-boy? Where'd you get that?'

'Smell,' said Kyuubi. 'He does smell like dog, but only his dog. The rest is a rich mix.' He sniffed, 'He's the only one of them that doesn't stink of rat. Much better smelling than these two.'

Naruto bit his tongue. He was so tempted to let the girls, particularly Ino, know that they smelled worse than Kiba. Only Kyuubi's warning kept him from interrupting the cat fight. He didn't want to get caught up in it. The girls were panting now, facing off in front of the bathroom door, hands curled into fists, teeth bared. They reminded him of weasels for some reason. Rabid, beady little eyes, sharp needle teeth, small but cool and deadly. Fur was going to fly and he had a front row seat.

'I hope they don't actually scratch each other,' said Naruto. 'Sakura's got the greenest eyes I've ever seen.' He kept imagining them being scratched out and it twisted that protective part of his stomach, the part that stood up for flowers and Iruka and pretty jerks who sparred with perverts.

'Her head is too big,' Kyuubi sniffed. 'She does have nice breasts, though.'

'Kyuubi,' Naruto scowled.

'The blonde will be better if we fatten her up. Perfect hips and,' he growled, 'legs to die for.'

'Legs!' Naruto mocked. 'What is it with you and legs? Sakura's much prettier. She actually looks like her name.'

'Hair should not be pink,' Kyuubi stated. 'The other one is far better.'

'You only like her because she's blonde with long legs,' Naruto said, rolling his eyes. 'Like those girl on the porno covers.'

Kyuubi gave a toothy grin, 'And you say I'm the one who memorizes the covers.' Naruto squirmed and blustered. Kyuubi snorted in amusement. 'I do like blondes. But it's not the color of the hair in this case.'

'Because it's clean?' Naruto guessed. He sent another look over the growling girls. 'Sakura's hair will be even prettier once she has a bath.'

'Not that, either. It's the length. Grab hold of that tail and she wouldn't be able to move an inch. Perfect.'

'Pervert,' Naruto sighed. 'She's mean. You saw how she was picking on Kiba. If you're gonna lust after one of them, it should totally be Sakura. She's the nice one.'

'So naive,' Kyuubi said in a wistful, pitying tone. 'Try listening, or actually looking instead of staring like a wide-eyed child. The flower isn't any better than the blonde. In fact, she's worse.'

'How?'

'Because she's holding back.'

Naruto squinted at Sakura, really looking this time. Ino was clearly going all out, giving a sharp tongue lashing that would have made Iruka's hair stand on end. Sakura was taking it quietly with nothing more than a glare. That just meant she had more self control, right? Only now that Kyuubi had pointed it out, Naruto did feel a little something coming from Sakura more than Ino. It was the worrisome stomach churning sensation he got when Iruka's fists started clenching and he lowered his head like a bull preparing to ram. The signal of an approaching storm, a yelling to rattle windows storm, in Iruka's case.

'What's she gonna do...?' Naruto blurted worriedly. He edged away from the two girls, goosebumps breaking on his arms. He could almost feel it in the air now. 'Kyuubi, what the hell is that?'

'Killing intent,' Kyuubi stated. 'Be afraid.'

Naruto cringed back another step, 'But she's the nice one!'

'Not anymore.'

Ino took a sharp breath, preparing to resume her current line of insult - a bitingly clever attack on Sakura's parentage guaranteed to kill the pink-haired thing since it was as true as it was humiliating. She'd learned quite a bit while trapped in that big-foreheaded body. Like Sakura, she'd completely forgotten their rapt audience of one. "What's more," she resumed, in a painfully mocking tone, "we both know that you-"

"Enough!" Sakura snapped. The word came out with the force of a slap. She took a sharp step forward until their faces were inches apart. "Stop it, you insecure bitch! That's not what this is about and you know it. You don't give a shit about my mom and I don't give a shit about your dad. My parents are dead and yours is a slovenly drunkard. So what! I don't care. I don't! I don't care. You care because you have the self confidence of a masochistic gnat. Buzzing around hoping someone will swat you so at least that way you'll have brought it on yourself. Well, you know what? I'm not going to swat you. You can be as nasty as you want and I'm still not going to do it. And it's not because I'm a doormat sucking up for a pat on the head, it's because you're not worth getting my hand dirty. You're pathetic enough without me swatting you down. If you weren't so defensive and nasty all the time, maybe-"

Sakura broke off as she suddenly found herself swung around and pushed against the bathroom door. The impact knocked the breath out of her. It was just as well. One look at the furious face looming over her would have made her heart stop, anyway. Bloodshot obsidian eyes glared her down.

"Shut up."

Ino took a furious step toward the boy threatening Sakura, "Leave her alone! What are you-"

Sasuke turned his glare on her, and she froze midstep. "You shut up, too," he said coldly. He glared at the two girls in turn until they were reduced to cringing in fear. Silent fear, thankfully. "Some people are trying to sleep."

Naruto jumped before Sasuke had taken more than three stalking steps toward his room. Kyuubi hadn't given him any warning, and Sasuke had moved so fast he hadn't realized what was happening at first. Now he stared at Sasuke in rising horror. "Sasuke!" He darted over when Sasuke ignored him, catching his shoulder and forcing him to stop. "What the hell, Sasuke! You don't push a girl around like-"

Sasuke turned a blank stare on him, "Don't touch me."

Naruto flinched back, hurt flashing over his face. He watched Sasuke disappear into his room, closing the door quietly behind him. The click of the door seemed horribly loud in the silent hallway. Naruto flinched a second time at the sound of it.

'What happened?' he asked. 'What did I do? Was it me? He's not supposed to look like that anymore...' That was the blank look Sasuke had given him in the rain the first time he'd touched him. As if he were a stranger, unwanted, insignificant, easily disposed of.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said quietly, embarrassment tinting her cheeks to match her hair.

Naruto snapped around in surprise. "You're not the one who should-"

"I'm sorry, too," Ino muttered, her arms crossed.

"We didn't realize anyone was sleeping up here," Sakura said, looking at Ino for a second before glancing over at Naruto. "We didn't come here to cause trouble."

"You can use the bathroom first," Ino sighed, flicking her hair aside. "You need it more than I do, anyway."

Sakura snorted softly. "We could go in together. We're both girls."

Ino arched an eyebrow at that, "Aren't you perverted." She gave a slow smirk. "Why not. After all, you don't have anything I haven't already been inside of."

Naruto gaped as the two girls entered the bathroom, leaving him alone in the hallway. He blinked once, twice, and then exploded. 'What the hell! Kyuubi! What the hell did she mean by that? Inside of? She didn't - that's - I thought they hated each other!'

'The bathtub is so small, too,' Kyuubi hummed. He flicked his tails, torn between amusement and annoyance. 'It's always the hot ones.'

'Ew,' Naruto shuddered, hugging himself tightly. 'Stop, stop imagining it! I don't wanna see that! Ino's mean and Sakura's scary!'

'Which makes it even hotter when they're naked and writhing against each other. Water slopping over the edge of the tub. Slick soapy goodness. Pushing the-'

'Stop it, stop it, stop it!' Naruto dove into his mind and whacked the perverted fox over the head with one of his own tails. 'Quit it! Stop! Just cut it out, you overgrown rat! Keep it in your own fantasies! I don't want any!'

'Liar,' Kyuubi grinned. 'You're already imagining yourself in that tub.'

'With Sasuke!' Naruto yelled. 'Not with two girls who are all over each other instead of me! If you're gonna fantasize about them, you should at least put yourself in the fantasy with them!'

'In this instance it's more fun to watch,' Kyuubi admitted. 'I'd join in after they've worn themselves out. Just in case they protest having a male join in on the action.'

'Yeah, right,' Naruto scoffed, 'and I'd laugh my head off when they team up and drown your furry ass.'

Kyuubi straightened primly, tails curled over his legs. 'Don't talk about my ass.'

Naruto stared, squinted, and finally threw his hands up. 'You're such a freak. I'm gonna go find out what's wrong with the jerk. I don't care how hot he is, he can't get away with pushing girls. Not in my house. You can take your ass and your lesbo fantasies and play in that cage of yours. With the lights off, so I don't have to see it. Weirdo.'

Naruto hesitated outside Sasuke's door. He didn't remember how Kyuubi had gone in before. Sasuke would ignore him if he knocked, and get angry if he just went right in. He thought of how Sasuke had pushed Sakura against the door, and how shocked and scared she'd looked. That brought a dark scowl to his face. Sasuke needed a talking to and he was gonna get one. Right now. He steeled himself and fairly threw Sasuke's door open. He stalked in without hesitating. He caught a glint of eyes before Sasuke pulled the blanket over his head.

"Go 'way," came the muffled greeting.

"Not happening," Naruto said. He shut the door behind him, flicked on the light, and crossed to stand beside the bed. "What the hell was that, Sasuke? You can't just push a girl. You could have hurt her! She didn't do anything to you. Okay," he snorted, "maybe she woke you up, but that doesn't mean you can scare the crap out of her and push her around. It's not like she did it on purpose. She didn't even know you were sleeping in here. They just got here and-"

Sasuke pushed the covers back. One look at him was enough to shut Naruto up. He'd seen him in the hall, looking as ruffled and cranky as that first morning when he was the one who'd accidentally woken him up. He'd gotten a good look at his blank stare when Sasuke had turned on him, too. But he'd been too distracted to really look at him. He looked sick. No, not just sick. He looked miserable. Like all he wanted in the world was a quiet hole to curl up in and die in peace. Naruto's overprotective instinct lurched into his throat.

"Sasuke-"

"Go away," Sasuke said, slowly, making pains to enunciate each word so even a toddler would understand clearly. "Get out. Leave me alone. Don't make me kill you."

"You look like roadkill," Naruto blurted. "What happened? You were fine, earlier."

Sasuke closed his eyes, too tired to muster up a suitable glare. "No," he muttered, "I wasn't. I was tired. I got woken by a fox. Bitten by a moron. Woken again by a herd of elephants upstairs. And again by two shrieking idiots right outside my door. Now I'm getting lectured. I'm tired. I'm thirsty. I hurt. If I have to get up again, I'm going to throw up and I gather from the idiots arguing over the bathroom that the other one is currently occupied. I don't have the energy to leave through the window. I could go out the front door, but I don't see the point when I could sleep right here providing you get out of my room and leave me the hell alone."

The last bit was accompanied by a dark bloodshot glare. Naruto winced. What Sasuke had obviously intended to be threatening came out pleading instead. It wasn't 'leave before I make you leave,' it was 'please just leave on your own, don't make me admit I can't force you to go.' Naruto had lived in hospitals long enough to recognize that look. It was an invalid clinging to the last threads of his self respect no matter how difficult he made things for those trying to help him. Sasuke would make a horrible patient.

"Be that way," Naruto said, in an annoyed tone, as if he wasn't four seconds from hugging the clearly weak and defenseless Sasuke until he stopped being so stubborn. "I can get you something to drink," he offered. "Iruka's making a snack for the new kids - there's four of them, but one of them's injured so he's sleeping now. I can bring you up something before you go back to sleep. We're going to sleep some more after we eat, anyway, since it's so early."

Sasuke eyed him, weighing his options. Sleep was what he needed most. Undisturbed sleep would replenish his energy enough to ignore the rest. On the other hand, he'd lost too much blood to have missed dinner yesterday. Mutant powers were useless if he was too physically weak to function. A moment of thought brought him to the conclusion that his options sucked.

"Juice," Sasuke muttered. He pulled the blanket back over his head before adding a sullen, "Please."

Naruto grinned in amusement. Horrible patients actually were cute. He'd heard a few nurses say that, talking about cranky old men and their sullen attitudes. Sasuke as a cranky old man. He liked that. "I'll be right back."

.-.
TBC