Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ From Here to Eternity ❯ Down With the Sickness ( Chapter 18 )

Kat: Holy SHIT!

 

Naruto: What?

 

Kat: I got almost TWENTY reviews for the last chapter! …Do you people LIKE genital herpes, or something? -laughs- Thanks a bunch for all the reviews! Wow! That was, like, freaking AWESOME! Hope y'all enjoy this chapter!

 

In honor of Junsui Kegasu, who finally updated today.

 

 

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Temari and Shikamaru sneaked into the quickly filling cafeteria without incident, other than being spotted by Naruto, who was scurrying back from the bathroom. He stared at them for a moment, as if taking in the situation, then snickered, and gave Shikamaru a thumbs-up. Shikamaru sighed, and thought `How troublesome.' Temari blushed, shook her head rapidly, then power-walked to the cafeteria, leaving Shikamaru behind.

 

Naruto continued snickering all the way back to the cafeteria. He was hungry, now that he had almost emptied out his stomach. He hadn't thrown up, but he had come close.

 

Then he realized with a sick shock that he hadn't brought any money with him.

 

Damn. Damn damn damn. Naruto rubbed his growling stomach, and sighed angrily.

 

“Maybe Gaara's got some food I can mooch,” he said to himself, before flitting over to the table against the back wall. But all his happiness completely dissipated when he saw, Horror of Unspeakable Horror!, Sasuke Uchiha, leaning against the wall, sitting between Gaara and Haku.

 

Naruto screamed mentally.

 

“Gaaaaraaaaa!” he moaned, sitting next to Kankuro. “Why is HE here?”

 

Gaara glared at him.

 

“Shut up, Idiot.”

 

Naruto made a face. Haku just smiled.

 

“Calm down, Naruto. Sasuke just wanted to sit here today. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?”

 

Naruto grumbled incoherently into his arms. His eyes strayed across the numerous lunch trays and brown paper bags on the table. His stomach gave another irritated growl. He stared at Zabuza's lunch for a moment, before the football player glared him down. Then the blonde looked at Haku's lunch.

 

“Are you gonna eat your sandwich, Haku? You amazing, smart, sexy person, you?” Naruto asked.

 

Haku shook his head slowly, looking sick and amused at the same time.

 

“No… I can't eat anything right now.” With that, he pushed over the contents of his bag, which included a sandwich, an apple, a bag of Doritos, and, best of all, a piece of chocolate cake. Naruto drooled for a moment, before digging in.

 

“You know, Haku?” he said, his mouth full of BLT. “You're a really nice person. Much nicer than Za-bu-za.”

 

Haku giggled into his hand, Zabuza glared, and everyone else laughed. Everyone, as in Kankuro, Chouji, Shikamaru (who had wandered over after finding no other empty seats), Rock Lee (why he was there, no one was sure), Hinata Hyuga, and Kiba Inuzuka, who had both come in after trips to the bathroom.

 

“You know what we're missing?” Kankuro said. “Itachi. Where is he?”

 

Sasuke blanched.

 

“No way are you bringing that fungus over here.”

 

“Oh calm down, Sasuke-bastard. You're brother's nice,” Naruto said. “Like Haku. Not like you.”

 

“Shut up, Dead Last.”

 

“WHAT WAS THAT?”

 

Kankuro ignored them both, stood up, and ambled over to the `Jock' table. Kisame saw him immediately.

 

“Hey, Kankuro,” he said, prodding his mystery meat. “Looking for Itachi?”

 

“Yeah, actually. Have you seen him?”

 

“Hmm-mmm.” The blue-skinned teen shook his head. “Not since the… presentation ended.”

 

“Whaddaya lookin' for Itachi for, Tranny?” came a mocking voice. Kankuro didn't even need to look up to know who it was.

 

Shisui Uchiha was a tall, muscular teenager with an attitude rivaling a rattlesnake. His black hair was slicked back with gel, and hidden under a dark blue bandana. He may have been related to Itachi, but they were nothing alike. While Itachi was an all-around pleasant guy who was always laughing and joking, Shisui was a nasty person, who jeered and laughed at people who he thought were `different'. People like Gaara, and, apparently, people like Kankuro.

 

The loving nickname `Tranny' came from the fact that Kankuro wore the Kabuki make-up. He actually wasn't wearing it at the moment, but the name still stung.

 

“Shut up, Uchiha,” he muttered, his eyes downcast.

 

“Oh, is little Twanny gonna cwy?” Shisui tilted his pointed face forward on his fists. Kisame breathed out through his large nostrils.

 

“That's enough, Shisui. Lay off.”

 

Shisui, along with half the table, burst out laughing. Kisame rolled his eyes, ignoring them.

 

“Sorry `bout them,” he said, shrugging. “I haven't seen Itachi. Maybe he's in the bathroom?”

 

“That's not a bad idea. Thanks, Kisame,” Kankuro said, making a quick exit of the cafeteria, pressing a hand to his mouth. Damn that Shisui. Damn him to hell.

 

 

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Naruto had just finished Haku's chocolate cake, and was washing it down with a swig of Ten-ten's water, when Neji Hyuga walked past him.

 

“Neji!” the blonde said excitedly, setting down the water bottle. “Come sit with us!”

 

Neji paused, and turned slowly, his white eyes scanning for the familiar voice.

 

“Oh, hi Naruto,” he said. He was holding a full lunch tray, indicating that he had just gotten out of the lunch line. “What did you say?”

 

“Come sit with us! We've got room!”

 

“Uh… okay…” he said slowly, walking over to the table, and sitting next to the blonde. Ten-ten grinned.

 

“Hey, Neji.”

 

“NEJI! WHAT IS UP, YO?” Lee cried, punching the air with his fist.

 

“Hi, N-N-Neji,” Hinata said softly, twiddling her fingers.

 

Naruto noticed Gaara giving him a condescending look. The blonde blinked.

 

“What?”

 

Gaara put a hand in the air, and shook his head, his dark-lined eyes closing.

 

“Nothing, nothing,” he said, grinning in the way Naruto thought a tiger would grin before pouncing on an unsuspecting gazelle. Then he had a terrifying thought.

 

`What if Gaara knows?' he thought fervently. `What if he knows that I like Neji? I mean… I don't like Neji. No sireebob. But what if Gaara knows? OH MY GOD! HE'S A TIGER AND I'M A GAZELLE! A POOR UNSUSPECTING GAZELLE! Or maybe an antelope. What do tigers eat, anyway? I'll have to ask him some time.'

 

“Naruto, are you okay?” Haku asked, catching the distant look on Naruto's face.

 

“Oh, yeah, I'm fine,” Naruto said. But inwardly, he screamed, `I'M A GAZELLE AND GAARA'S GONNA EAT ME!'

 

Gaara watched his friend for a moment.

 

“Naruto-“ he started, but before he could finish, Naruto cut him off.

 

“DON'T EAT ME!” the blonde screamed, before tipping back on the bench, and hitting the linoleum floor. Sasuke blinked.

 

“Oh my God, Naruto, are you okay?”

 

“Hey Kid, say something.”

 

“Dead Last, did you just die?”

 

“WHAT WAS THAT, UCHIHA?” Naruto snapped, springing up from the ground, completely unharmed, save for a large bump on the back of his head.

 

Sasuke's eyes became half-lidded, and he shook his head. Haku sighed, and leaned his aching head on his hand. Zabuza put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“You all right?”

 

“Yeah… I just haven't been sleeping well lately.”

 

“You want some Valium?” Ten-ten inquired from the edge of the table. Haku smiled, and shook his head.

 

“That's okay.”

 

“You know what helps me sleep? Warm milk.”

 

“Thanks Chouji, I'll try that.”

 

“Glad I could be of service.”

 

“How troublesome.”

 

 

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There were six bathrooms in the school. There was one in the freshmen wing, one in the sophomore wing, one in the junior wing, and one in the senior wing. One was in the teachers' lounge, but it was unavailable to students. There was also one other bathroom, hidden down past the library. Almost no one used the library, and the few who did had their own private bathroom. Itachi was one of these people, as was Kankuro. So naturally, that was where Kankuro checked first.

 

He walked in through the swinging door, and paused. It sounded like someone was throwing up.

 

“Hello?” he said, walking past the empty stalls. “Are you okay?”

 

The end stall opened, and Itachi looked out.

 

“Kankuro…” he rasped, his eyes slightly unfocused, but the relief obvious in his face that it wasn't someone else. “I'm si…sick.” Then he disappeared inside the stall again, and heaved the contents of his stomach into the porcelain bowl.

 

“Ah, shit! Itachi!” Kankuro said, racing past the stalls and into Itachi's. “What the hell happened?”

 

“I don't kn-know,” Itachi rasped, practically hysterical. “I j-just felt si-sick all of a sudden…” He retched into the toilet again.

 

“Fuck… I'm getting the nurse,” Kankuro said, turning.

 

“NO!” Itachi cried, reaching out, and grabbing Kankuro's jacket. “You can't! Oh God… don't bring her in here!”

 

“Why not? Itachi, you're fucked up! You've got something worse than the stomach flu! This could be bad!”

 

“It's not! It's…not…” He heaved another quart of vomit into the bowl. He wiped his mouth on a piece of toilet paper, and gulped in a breath. “Please, Kankuro, don't leave me alone,” he pleaded, turning, and facing the taller boy. His dark brown eyes were rimming with tears, and his face was pale, but his cheeks were bright red patches. Kankuro sighed, reached over, and flushed the toilet.

 

“All right. I won't leave. I'd never leave you,” Kankuro said, trying to make it sound casual, as he sank down onto the tiled floor next to Itachi.

 

Itachi gave a weak smile.

 

“Thank you, Kankuro,” he said, taking a shuddering breath, and leaning against the stall wall.

 

Kankuro sat with him for a minute or so, before the question that had been digging at his mind for the last day and a half came sprawling out.

 

“Itachi,” he said. “What's been with you the last two days? You have been really out of it. I mean, you've been out of it before, but this is serious. I've never seen you so… so…” What was the word? Tired? Delirious? Flaky? “Upset.”

 

For a moment, Kankuro thought that Itachi was going to throw up again. But instead, the long-haired teen burst into tears.

 

“Oh Kank-k-uro, I w-wish I could tell yuh-you,” he hiccuped into his hands. “I w-wish I could but I c-can't I c-can't Goddammit, I c-can't!”

 

Kankuro bit his lip, shell-shocked by the outburst. He felt his heart break at the sight of his friend in this pitiful state, wondering what he could possibly do to help. Well… there was one thing, but… Oh, what the hell. He'd sweat the small stuff later.

 

“Calm down, Itachi,” he said softly, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy. “You've got to calm down or you'll end up throwing up again!”

 

This hardly seemed to calm him down, but Itachi nodded, and started taking deeper breaths as he sobbed into Kankuro's chest. The puppeteer sighed, and gently rubbed Itachi's back until his sobs quieted down to hitching hiccups. Itachi had a high fever, Kankuro could tell, placing a hand on his forehead.

 

But then Kankuro noticed how nice Itachi felt in his arms, sick or not, and he decided that he didn't mind sitting on the floor in the bathroom. But if Itachi was this sick, then he had to go home and go to bed. Kankuro thought for a second, before pulling his cell phone out of his jacket pocket, and dialing his home number.

 

It rang twice before Yashamaru's light-hearted voice announced his presence on the other end.

 

“Hello, Kaze residence!” he said brightly. Kankuro smiled. Sometimes a familiar voice like that cheered him right up.

 

“Hi Yashamaru,” he said softly, praying that no teachers came into the bathroom. Not like they would; as I said earlier, the teachers had a bathroom in the teachers' lounge. “Listen, I've got a really sick friend here and he needs to go home. Now. His parents aren't home, and he drove to school. Could you… uh… possibly call the front desk and tell them what's happening?”

 

“Um… Yeah, I guess. Who is it?”

 

“It's Itachi… I think he got the stomach flu or food poisoning or something, because he's got a fever and he's throwing up.”

 

“Ew. Yeah. Okay. I'll call them right now. Are you sure you don't just want me to come get you?”

 

“No… That's fine. We can take his car.”

 

“Okay. Thank you for checking with me first, Kankuro. That was a very mature thing to do.”

 

Kankuro could help but glow. He thanked Yashamaru and hung up the phone.”

 

“Come on, Sicky,” he said, nudging the quiet Itachi with his shoulder. “We've gotta take you home.”

 

Itachi sniffed, and turned his tear-streaked face upwards.

 

“Huh? Oh, ok-kay.” Itachi raised himself off of Kankuro's chest, his face turning redder than it had been earlier. Kankuro looked down at Itachi's sweater, and grimaced.

 

“Ew... `tach, I think you missed the toilet once or twice.”

 

Itachi looked down at the vomit-crusted sweater, and made a face.

 

“S-sorry,” he said, unbuttoning the black sweater, and pulling it off. All he had on underneath was a dark blue tee shirt, and he was shivering. The sore on his lip stood out against the pale skin surrounding it. Kankuro wondered how it happened, but decided not to ask.

 

“Here,” Kankuro said, unzipping his dark jacket, and sliding it off his shoulders. “You'd better wear this, `relse you'll get even sicker.”

 

“Th-thanks,” Itachi said. He pulled on the jacket, and smiled. It was warm, and it smelled nice. Like fabric softener and coffee beans. Itachi decided he liked the smell. The jacket was basically just a zip-up sweatshirt, but it was big on Itachi, making him seem smaller than he was.

 

Kankuro picked up the discarded sweater with two fingers like it was a used piece of tissue. “You still want this?”

 

“No. I want to throw it out.” Itachi struggled to his feet, his knees shaking considerably. He grabbed onto Kankuro's arm without thinking, then pulled back when he realized what he did. “S-sorry,” he said quickly.

 

“It's okay, really. Here… you're gonna fall down,” Kankuro said, wrapping an arm around Itachi's shoulder as they exited the stall. Kankuro tossed the sweater into the garbage can. “Good bye, sweater.” He let Itachi rinse out his mouth for a moment, and then they left the bathroom.

 

When the got to the office, the secretary, Shizune, took one look at Itachi, and waved them out the doors.

 

`That was fast, Yashamaru,' Kankuro thought, grinning, grateful to be out of the school. Out loud, he said, “Where's your car, Itachi?”

 

“It's right over th-there,” Itachi said, pointing a shaking hand over to the bright red car parked about ten yards from where they stood. “Y-you don't have to come wi-with me,” he said.

 

“Yeah I do. If you try to drive, you'll crash before you get out of the parking lot. Come on,” he said, leading Itachi over to the car. “You have the keys, right?”

 

“I never leave them alone,” Itachi said, half-laughing. He pulled a key ring with two keys out of his jean pocket, and offered them to Kankuro. “I suppose you want to drive?”

 

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do,” Kankuro said, unlocking the doors, and ushering Itachi into the passenger side of the car. Itachi sat down, and rested his burning forehead against the cool glass pane. Kankuro sat down in the drivers' chair, and, after adjusting the seat slightly, started the car. “Hope you didn't have any homework,” he noted, backing the car out of the parking space, and taking off down the road.

 

Itachi weakly shook his head, drawing his knees up to his chest, and pulling up the hood of the jacket.

 

Kankuro grinned.

 

“You probably shouldn't go to sleep yet,” he said, gently rubbing Itachi's shoulder. “We'll be at your house in a few minutes.”

 

Another nod.

 

Only Itachi's sudden coughing every few minutes broke the thick silence that hung over them the rest of the way. Kankuro could tell that Itachi wasn't much in the mood for talking, and, frankly, neither was he. The events of the day had drained him of all strength that he usually felt after lunch.

 

Lunch.

 

Shit.

 

“Oh no…” he breathed, looking over his shoulder.

 

“What is it?”

 

“I totally forgot to tell Gaara and `Ri that I left. They're gonna…” He paused. “Gaara's gonna freak when he finds out I'm gone.”

 

“You worry too much,” Itachi said weakly, but managing a smile. “Does he have a phone with him?”

 

“Nah, he never has his on. Temari does, though. Let's see… What time is it?”

 

“One thirty,” Itachi said.

 

“Damn, lunch is already over. But that means that… she's in the… bathroom with her friends… Beautiful,” Kankuro laughed, pulling out his cell phone again. He dialed a different number this time; Temari's.

 

 

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Temari gently applied a fresh coating of mascara to her eyes as Summer continued her rant about how unfair parents were. Apparently hers had grounded her for the party fiasco the week before. Temari, in all honestly, couldn't care less. Summer wasn't even supposed to have a party that day, anyway. Personally, Temari thought that it was Summer's own fault. But she didn't say anything. She never did.

 

“What about you, `Ri?” Sakura asked, turning to the taller girl. “What do you think of all this?”

 

Temari cringed. She HATED it when anyone other than her brothers used that name. But before she could blow up, her saving grace came through.

 

Her cell phone rang.

 

 

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“Hello?” Temari's voice rang out through the speakers of Kankuro's phone.

 

“Hey, `Ri. It's Kankuro,” Kankuro said, grinning. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

 

“No, not at all. What's up?”

 

“Uh… you want the condensed version or the gruesomely detailed version?”

 

“Condensed. I've gotta get back to class.”

 

“Itachi got sick and I'm taking him home. I won't be back to school today. Couldja tell Gaara, please? And tell Sasuke what happened.”

 

He could practically feel her hesitation.

 

“Yeah, I'll tell `em,” she said grudgingly. “You owe me, Kankuro.”

 

“Whatever. Thanks, `Ri. I'll see you later.”

 

“All right, bye.”

 

With that, the `Call Ended' warning flashed across the screen. Kankuro closed his phone. Why was it so hard for Temari to talk to her brothers in public? Kankuro bit his lip as they approached Itachi's house.

 

“Here we are,” he said softly, pulling the keys out of the ignition. “Itachi? You okay?”

 

Itachi nodded glumly, and opened the car door. He pushed the release on his seatbelt, and climbed out, Kankuro doing the same.

 

“Here's your keys. Uh… you want me to just… get the hell out of here?”

 

“No… no. Could you… um… stay for a while?”

 

Kankuro nodded. “Sure.”

 

Itachi smiled shakily, took the keys, and unlocked the large white door.

 

“My room's up here… but you already knew that, right?” he said, leading Kankuro up a very suave set of stairs, and down a long, broad hallway. He disappeared inside one of the doors for a moment, then returned, wearing a pair of gray sweatpants instead of his jeans. He still had on Kankuro's jacket.

 

“I'm going to brush my teeth… you can sit down in there, if you want,” Itachi said shyly, nodding at his bedroom, before retreating down the hall to what Kankuro assumed to be a bathroom.

 

Kankuro shrugged, and walked into Itachi's room.

 

No matter how many times he came in here, the sheer… BIG-ness of it always took him by surprised. The walls were dark blue with maroon molding on the sides, and there was a large television perched on a bookshelf in the corner. There were more bookshelves lining the walls, and a colossal window was outlining Itachi's bed.

 

Kankuro flopped down on Itachi's bed. It was a big bed, at least a queen-size, covered with a navy-blue down comforter.

 

“Must be fun to be rich,” he said to himself with a smirk. He closed his eyes. The next thing he knew, someone was shaking him gently.

 

“Uh… Kankuro? Could you scoot over a little bit or something?”

 

It was Itachi. Kankuro sat up, and got off the bed.

 

“Here, here, go ahead and lay down,” he said. Itachi shook with suppressed laughter, before sliding into the bed.

 

“Oh…” He sat up. “Do you want your jacket back?”

 

“No. Keep it. I've got others,” Kankuro said, putting a hand behind his head. Itachi studied him for a moment, his angular eyes questioning. “Besides,” Kankuro continued. “You got your cooties all over it!”

 

Itachi started to giggle, which made Kankuro feel better. He sighed, and stared at the ceiling.

 

“I took some Tylenol… I hope it helps…” Itachi said, with a sigh. Kankuro nodded.

 

“It should.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

After a moment, Kankuro broke the silence.

 

“Well, I'd best be off.”

 

“Where to?”

 

“I dunno,” Kankuro said with a shrug. “Probably home.”

 

“Could you… um…” Itachi blushed, and looked down at the bedclothes. “Could you stay… with me?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I just don't want to be alone right now,” Itachi said quickly, burying his face in the blankets. “Sorry.”

 

Kankuro grinned.

 

“No problem, Sicky,” he said, sitting down on the bed, and drawing his feet up onto the blankets. “But if you infect me, I'll hurt you.”

 

Itachi's muffled laughter drifted up to his ears like bells. Kankuro smiled, and slid down so that he was lying on the bed.

 

Five minutes later, Itachi was asleep and breathing gently. He curled up next to Kankuro, his body moving unintentionally toward a heat source. Namely, Kankuro. The teen didn't move for at least an hour.

 

Kankuro amiably touched his hand to Itachi's forehead.

 

`His fever's gone down,' he thought. `Good. You really had me scared for a second there, `Tachi.' He turned his gaze to the ceiling.

 

`I hope Gaara's not too worried…' he thought, wrapping an arm around Itachi's shoulders.

 

It was nice in this position. Kankuro was glad that Itachi was going to be feeling better, but something was bothering him.

 

What could possibly have brought this on? Three days ago, Itachi was bright and happy as the rest of them, but now…

 

Kankuro shook his head. He didn't care what it took… he was going to help his friend.

 

No matter what.

 

 

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Kat: Woo woo! Bow to me, Junsui! How `bout THEM apples?

 

Yup… Kankuro and Itachi are getting closer. Haku's nervous about coming out to his parents. Wouldn't you be? … Heh. -weak grin- Naruto's got a fancy for Neji. But, lo! Does the fair Neji like him back? … The hell are you asking ME for? JEEZ!

 

Kat: Okay! Thanks again for the zillion reviews! I'd reply, but I don't have the Internet on this computer. -weak grin- Heh heh… Please review! Remember; the more reviews I get, the faster I update!