Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Insanely Yours ❯ Things Can Only Get Better ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter Six: Things Can Only Get Better

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Naruto was starting to feel like he would never, ever leave this place. It was as if he'd been here forever. Days had turned into weeks, weeks had turned into months, and he couldn't bring himself to believe that it'd already been one and a half months since the first day he's stepped foot into this place.

 

The boy had to admit that in his time here, he'd accumulated more friends than he'd ever had in his entire life. It seemed as if the patients here were drawn to him, and Naruto himself couldn't control it. He now felt as if he actually knew these people. He knew for a fact that none of them were like the people outside of the hospital; these people here were real. There was no reason to hide anything here, or try to be someone you weren't. Here, all your secrets were out in the open, laid out for everyone to see.

 

In some ways, it was nice to know that no one would try to deceive him here. Naruto had lost so many friends, because of lies and secrets. Here, he wouldn't have to worry about any of that. He himself was surprised when he realized that he actually considered the patients as friends. Who knew you could make friends with crazy people?

 

With a sigh, Naruto reached for his towel which hung from the rack in the bathroom. He dried his body, not really caring that his hair was wet too. He figured he'd just let it air dry, seeing as he was too lazy to do anything else.

 

After putting on a pair of boxers, Naruto slipped on a pair of black jeans and a blue shirt. Once he was dressed, he gathered up his clothes and other belongings, before walking out of the bathroom and heading back towards his room.

 

Upon arriving at the small room, the boy noticed that his roommate was no longer here. He supposed that he'd already headed off to breakfast, and before Naruto could even consider going there himself, his stomach growled. The boy dropped his dirty clothes into the hamper, and then left the room. He could already smell the food, and he was happy that he recognized the scents. Bacon, eggs, and pancakes; finally, food that wasn't as soft as mush.

 

The boy entered the dining room, and upon his arrival, all heads turned. By now he was used to everyone staring at him. He couldn't understand their interest, but he didn't mind it in the least.

 

"Hey, dude." said Kiba, as he waved to Naruto briefly. Naruto noticed that he hadn't stuttered, and smiled; Kiba was getting better with that, with the help of medication and a speech therapist. He was happy for his new friend.

 

The blonde nodded to him "Hey man." He replied. The familiar sound of the breakfast cart echoed throughout the room, and soon, Iruka was at the table, setting down a plate in front of everyone. Once Naruto caught the strong scent of the meal, his stomach inadvertently growled again. Without hesitation, the boy grabbed a plastic fork and dug in.

 

Across the table, he noticed that Sakura had yet to touch her plate. Out of all the people he'd met here, she was the most stubborn. The girl had been classified as bulimic a long while ago, before he'd even met her. And during her stay here, they'd told her that she was anorexic. They urged her to eat, and take her medication so that she could return to normal, so that she could get better. But Sakura refused to eat; she wouldn't even look at food. She claimed that she actually liked being as thin as she was. She looked so...breakable.

 

And then, right beside Sakura was where Gaara sat. The redhead didn't bother to eat today, and Naruto wasn't surprised. Some days he ate, and some he didn't; no one bothered him about it. Today was probably one of those days where he'd go completely ballistic on someone. He sat there, talking to himself under his breath as he rocked back and forth...yeah, he was going to blow. Naruto found that being around Gaara, knowing that at any moment he could explode, really didn't bother him anymore. He was one of the few people that Gaara would actually speak to, so he wasn't afraid of him anymore.

 

While Naruto's eyes roamed around the table, he found no interest in anyone else, and so he continued to eat. The only person he truly ever paid attention to hadn't even come to breakfast, so Naruto found himself feeling slightly dissatisfied. These past few weeks, Naruto had found himself...watching Sasuke. He realized that half the time he couldn't even take his eyes off of him. Every time he came around, Naruto would find himself falling into a daze. He hadn't ever met someone who interested him so.

 

Sometimes, Naruto would even catch Sasuke looking at him. But before he could even meet the raven's gaze, he would turn away. This frustrated the blonde, but he always tried to ignore it. In all actuality, he knew that if he even looked Sasuke in the eyes, he would find himself embarrassed beyond belief.

 

"Naruto?" the boy heard a woman's voice calling his name, and he immediately recognized it as Shizune. He turned and saw that the woman was standing outside the door of her office, clipboard in hand.

 

His eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Yeah? Something wrong?" he asked her. She shook her head and beckoned him forward.

 

"You have a visitor." She stated. The boy's eyes widened in surprise, and he automatically, he started hoping that his visitor was his sister. He hadn't talked to her in such a long time, and he missed her a great deal. He was already praying that it was her. Naruto jumped up from his seat at the long table, and walked briskly over to Shizune. She handed him a pen, and instructed for him to sign a form that she had on it. He signed without even reading it.

 

The two of them walked over to the front door, and Shizune pulled the large metal door open. As soon as Naruto saw who was at the door, his heart seemed to fall, and the expression on his face faltered. There was gruff laughter coming from the other side of the door frame.

 

"You don't look too excited to see me." stated Ibiki, as he took a step into the building. The blonde rolled his eyes at his parole officer.

 

"I thought you were Aya." He whined, not even bothering to conceal his disappointment. Ibiki shrugged his shoulders. "What, have you come to take me to jail now?" the boy questioned. The larger man signed his name under Naruto's on Shizune's clipboard, and he motioned for Naruto to walk outside. The blonde was surprised, but he complied without argument.

 

"Not at all; I'm here because we need to talk."

 

The two of them walked down the front stairs of the building, and Naruto heard the huge door slam behind him. He hadn't been outside the building for such a long time, that the sunlight was starting to irritate his eyes. He was so used to the low, fluorescent lights, not natural sun light.

 

Naruto didn't ask questions when Ibiki told him to get into his car, a sleek, black, BMW. The boy climbed into the passenger's seat, and then let out a deep sigh. "What's this all about?" he asked. The scarred man started up his car, and started driving before he answered Naruto's question.

 

"I'm assuming you'd want a break from that place, and I'm giving you just that." He stated. The blonde crossed his arms over his chest, and waited for the older man to continue. "I've spoken to your lawyer, and he's informed me that your case is going rather well. The court system is pleased."

 

"Seriously??" the blonde asked, incredulously.

 

Morino nodded. "Yes. Though, there was talk of them raising your sentence here." He started. Naruto sunk back into the seat, though he kept his eyes on Ibiki. "I'm very sure that if you keep your act together, that they'll keep it at a year. I know you've been seeing the facility therapist, but your lawyer thought that it'd be best if you were seeing a psychologist as well-"

 

"-what?! Another shrink?? Are you kidding me?!" Naruto exploded. "It's enough that I have to see one weirdo, but another one? C'mon! Can't you get me out of this??" he begged. Ibiki only shook his head. Naruto hadn't noticed that they'd all but passed the dirt road that lead to the hospital, and now they were on the main road. Naruto could see the city a few miles ahead of them, and he found himself actually wanting to go into it. But, he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to.

 

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but I'm only your parole officer. I can't control anything that your lawyer introduces to the courts." He said. Naruto scowled, and wished that he could give his lawyer a piece of his mind. His lawyer was insane, eccentric, and just down right crazy. He should be the one in the mental hospital. "On the other hand, if you show progress with both the therapist and the psychologist, the courts may shorten your sentence."

 

The blonde calmed himself, and he let himself fall back into the seat. "...I guess I could live with that..." he muttered under his breath.

 

Ibiki pulled over, and stopped at a small shop that was on the side of the road. You could say that it was basically in the middle of nowhere, even if the city was only a few miles away. Naruto read the sign that hung over the building, and once he saw what they were selling, his mouth began to water. Ibiki saw the expression on Naruto's face, and he started chuckling.

 

"I'm guessing they don't serve ramen there, do they?"

 

The two of them got out of the car, and hurried inside the shop. Ibiki informed Naruto that they only had an hour, and that he had better eat fast. The boy wasted no time whatsoever ordering himself a bowl of ramen, and they grabbed a small booth.

 

Although Naruto had just eaten, he knew that he could always make room for ramen. "So," Ibiki began "Back to what I'd been saying before. Naruto, all you really have to do, is stay on your best behavior. A year may seem like a long time, but I assure you, you'll be out of there in no time."

 

"Yeah, I know, and I will." The boy agreed. "I mean, honestly, how much trouble could I get into at a mental hospital?" he said.

 

Morino scoffed, and rolled his eyes. "Knowing you? A hell of a lot."

 

-------------

 

"Hey blondie, where've you been??"

 

As soon as Naruto had reentered the building, Sai had found him, and bombarded him with a mountain of questions. The funny thing was, Naruto was actually glad to see him. The boy wouldn't go so far as to say that he was glad to be back here, but he was at least glad to see his friend.

 

"Oh, nowhere really. My parole officer came to talk to me about some things, that's all." He told him.

 

The pale boy came over to Naruto, smiling, and stood at the blonde's side, eyeing him curiously. "You're not leaving, are you?" he asked. Naruto only shook his head, forcing back the smile that threatened to slide across his face.

 

"Nah, no time soon." He said. Sai's smile only grew wider as he moved closer to Naruto, and kissed the boy's cheek. Naruto could tell that he wasn't meaning to flirt with him, Sai was just very physical, and his behavior didn't really bother him anymore.

 

Sai trailed his fingertips across Naruto's forearm, before he sighed and looked up into the boy's eyes. "Good, because I'm not so sure I would've let them take you away." Naruto couldn't help but smile.

 

While Naruto was still at the door, Shizune came up to him. She instructed him to sign the same sheet of paper from before, confirming that he'd come back in the allotted time he'd been given. Once he did that, the young woman walked off, and Naruto walked towards the TV room with Sai. As usual, the room was almost completely silent, save for the occasional mutter from someone who'd obviously been talking to themselves.

 

Naruto made himself comfortable on the couch beside Sai, and as soon as they were seated, Sai began to speak. "So, how'd it feel to be on the outside?" he asked, looking up at Naruto with an expression of curiosity. "I mean, I haven't left this place in like...months." Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

 

"I guess it was...refreshing, you know?" the blonde started "I feel like I've been here forever. It was nice leaving...even if it was only for an hour." He said

 

Sai nodded, and then sat back into the couch. "It gets better, I promise. After you've been here for a while they'll start to let you stay out longer." He told Naruto. "And besides, from what I can tell, you're pretty darn sane. I can't see why they wouldn't let you spend more time out."

 

"What about you?" Naruto questioned. "Do you ever...you know...leave?"

 

The black haired boy nodded quickly before he answered. "Yes, but only once every few weeks or so. My brother...Yamato, he's the only one who visits." He admitted. Naruto noticed that a small, bitter smile had come over Sai's lips. "My parents don't care enough to visit; they won't even call."

 

"...Oh...I'm sorry to hear that..." the blonde said in a low voice. Sai shook his head, and took a deep breath before perking up once again.

 

"No worries. Parents are like that sometimes. It doesn't bother me!" he said, trying to sound convincing. But Naruto could see in his eyes that it did in fact bother him. How could something like that not bother someone? How could Sai try to pass that statement along as the truth? Naruto could plainly see Sai's pain...then again, he'd always been one to read between the lines. "So, what about your parents? Do they call?" Sai asked.

 

A burning pressure started building up in Naruto's chest, before he shook his head slowly. "My mother and father are dead...they died a long time ago." He said, while shrugging his shoulders. "I don't really remember them." He lied. "The only family I have is my stepsister, Aya." Upon mentioning Aya, a dull ache built up in Naruto's heart. No one in the world would understand how much he missed his sister, how much he loved her; no one would understand how much he needed her.

 

Sai must've noticed the strained expression on Naruto's face, and he sighed, placing one of his hands on Naruto's forearm. "You must really care about your sister." He said in a low voice. The blonde could only nod.

 

"I do, and I'm just hoping...hoping she won't give up on me." He confessed "She was pretty upset with what I did...and I can't blame her. I just really want my sister back."

 

As Naruto finished speaking, Sai smiled at the boy and let out a sigh. "She'll come around, you know. She's your sister, and I'm sure she loves you just as much as you love her." He told the blonde. "Besides, I can't see how anyone could stay angry with you." After hearing Sai's comment, Naruto couldn't help but smile. He tried to push all the negative thoughts from his mind, he had no intention of dwelling on them anymore.

 

"...Sai, Naruto."

 

Both boys looked up at the sound of their names being called. Standing in the hallway was Iruka, he had a medium sized cardboard box in his arms, and he was looking back and forth between the two males. "Sai, you have an appointment with Kakashi, and Naruto, this box came in the mail for you." He said. Immediately, Naruto shot up from his seat and over to Iruka. The man handed him the box.

 

He didn't even bother to look and see who the box was from before he carried it to his room and started tearing it open. Once he'd opened the box, he gasped aloud, right before a wide smile broke across his face. Inside of the box were over sixty different CD's and Naruto's old CD player from back home. It was blatantly obvious who'd sent him this package. Naruto let out a relieved sigh before he reached into the box, and started checking for all of his music.

 

The blonde wasted no time at all plugging his CD player into the wall. He chose his favorite album from the box, and then put it in. He couldn't believe that Aya had done this; he hadn't expected her to send him anything at all. The fact that she'd packaged all his music and sent it to him, proved that she was actually thinking of him. Naruto realized that Aya couldn't have been as mad as he imagined. He'd not felt such relief as this in a very long time.

 

He kept the volume low so that the music wouldn't disturb anyone. And as soon as the sound reached his ears, Naruto immediately felt at peace. He hadn't heard the sound of music in such a long time, he almost felt normal again. The boy went to sit down on his bed, and he took a deep breath. The music was relaxing, and all the anxiety that had been building up since he'd arrived here, was slowly but surely leaving him.

 

Sitting here, listening to one of his favorite cd's, reminded Naruto of home. In his mind, he could see himself in his room with Aya, sitting on the floor singing along to all the songs. Despite their age, the two of them had been nothing but children. All they ever did in their free time was play around, and act like kids. Naruto really missed that; he missed his old life, his normal life.

 

Abruptly, Naruto heard a sharp knock on his door, which he'd closed earlier. "...It's open." He called to whoever was on the other side of the door. Slowly, it creaked open, and standing in the doorway was someone Naruto would've never expected to come to his room; Sasuke. He was staring at Naruto with an expression on his face that Naruto just couldn't decipher. Slowly, he sauntered into Naruto's room, leaving the door open behind him.

 

"You have good taste in music." The raven said, as he took a seat next to Naruto on his bed.

 

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Thanks, I guess." He said, or rather, mumbled. His voice seemed to be caught in his throat, along with his breath. He couldn't seem to breathe correctly, what with Sasuke sitting there, looking at him like that. Naruto inhaled slowly before he spoke again. "Was there something else...that you wanted, I mean?" he questioned. Naruto could swear that Sasuke moved closer to him.

 

"...you interest me. More than anyone I've ever met." Sasuke told him.

 

The blonde's eyes widened ever so slightly. "I...interest you?" he repeated. He couldn't really say much else; it was as if his mind was completely shutting down on him. There was just something about Sasuke's presence that stunned him. Something about his eyes; they seemed to be so magnetic, so captivating. Naruto had always been afraid to look into them, because he could so easily become lost. This was one of the times where he lost himself.

 

He watched as an amused smirk came over the raven's mouth. Sasuke lifted his hand, and he reached towards Naruto's face. Slowly, he trailed the pad of his thumb across Naruto's bottom lip. The blonde couldn't find his voice, and he couldn't breathe. Sasuke's fingers traced across Naruto's cheekbone, and the blonde couldn't help but lean into the other's touch. His touch was electrifying, and as his fingers ghosted across Naruto's cheek, the blonde could swear that his heart was going to burst through his chest.

 

Sasuke's smirk was still on his face when he let his hand fall away from the blonde. "Yes." He said, before standing from Naruto's bed. "I am very interested in you." He didn't look back when he exited Naruto's room. The blonde couldn't even move as he watched Sasuke leave. He could barely even understand what'd just happened. All he knew is that Sasuke had left him here, in this room, dazed, confused, and breathless...and what a wonderful feeling it was.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Peace & Love: DizziKatz