Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Insanely Yours ❯ Bent & Broken ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter Fourteen: Bent & Broken

 

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They weren't under the ashtray. They weren't hidden on top of the bookshelf. They weren't on the fireplace.

 

Naruto entered the black and white kitchen and his tiny eyes darted left and right whilst he tried to think like an adult. He wondered, if he were an adult, where would he hide a packet of matches. He knew that his parents had hidden them from him, so now it was only a matter of finding the place where the matches were hidden.

 

The seven year old moved quickly towards the kitchen counter, looking in all of the cabinets and searching under all of the boxes and canned goods. Still, he couldn't find the matches. Naruto was sure that the matches were somewhere in this kitchen, they had to be. He snatched open the counter drawer and then a wide, satisfied smile spread across his face. The matches were here. What a terrible hiding place.

 

He grabbed the small packet and quietly tiptoed out of the kitchen's back door. He knew that his parents were upstairs in their bedroom, and he assumed that since they hadn't come down for a while, they had to be sleeping. It was late in the night and Naruto should've been asleep too, but he'd been jerked out of his sleep because of a nightmare. A nightmare that'd made his skin crawl. He hadn't screamed or cried because he wasn't afraid of his nightmare. It hadn't made him feel fear, only craving. He was craving something, but he'd be satisfied soon enough.

 

When Naruto walked outside into the backyard, the first thing he'd felt was the cold air whipping across his face. The large trees near the back of the yard shook and quivered with every gust of wind. Naruto traveled over to the lowest tree in the back and began breaking its branches. With every branch he broke off, he'd snap it into smaller pieces. By then, he'd created a pile of branches at his feet.

 

The boy removed several pieces of paper from his back pocket and shredded them into smaller sections, placing them strategically in between the sticks and twigs. Naruto opened the packet of matches, took one out, and struck it against the pack to light it. He tossed the lit match into the pile of sticks and then he took a step back.

 

After a few seconds, smoke started rising from the top of the pile. Naruto held his clasped his hands together nervously, hoping that he would get the result that he'd been hoping for. He had to rid himself of this sick craving. He'd woken up yearning to start some sort of fire, to watch the flames dance in front of him. He couldn't help what he wanted.

 

The right side of the pile caught fire first. Naruto watched the trail of fire travel up towards the top, infecting each branch with fire. The smoke rose continuously, and even though the wind blew, it couldn't blow out the fire. The smoke began to irritate his eyes, and they started to water. Naruto wiped away the tears quickly but he didn't take his eyes off of the fire. He was hypnotized.

 

All of a sudden, the sound of a door flying open echoed throughout the yard. "Naruto!?" he heard his mother calling his name, yet he didn't move. "Minato! Get a bucket of water, hurry!" the woman shouted. "My baby...oh God, what's happening to my baby?"

 

Naruto heard his mother's hurried footsteps getting closer and closer to him until he finally felt her arms wrapping around his torso and wrenching him backward. "Naruto? Honey are you okay!?" she asked him. She turned his head so that he would be facing her, and Naruto began to struggle now that he couldn't see the fire anymore. He could feel its heat, but he couldn't see it. "Naruto did you do this?? Did you do this again?" she questioned frantically.

 

The child continued to struggle but his mother held him tight. "Stop fighting me Naruto! Look at me!" she pleaded. "Baby what's wrong?? Why do you keep doing this?! What's wrong?!" the woman burst into tears, hugging her son to her chest.

 

She didn't even notice when her husband emptied a full pail of water on the fire that her son had started. She cried while she held her son, rocking back and forth, and not even noticing that he was totally unresponsive. He only stared in the place where his fire had been, his eyes were open, but blank. Even though Kushina was hugging him, his arms hung loosely at his sides. He felt empty.

 

"Kushina...come on, stand up." Minato laid a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Let's take Naruto inside, I'll talk to him." he said. Kushina only shook her head and cried.

 

"What's wrong with him, Minato? Why does he keep doing this?" she wept. "What's happening to my baby??"

 

Naruto jerked awake, sitting straight up and glancing around the room anxiously. His blankets were tangled around his limbs and he couldn't move his legs because he was stuck. His whole body was covered in sweat and his hair was sticking to his face. He was alone in the room, and he was thankful- he hadn't wanted Shikamaru to see him wake up that way.

 

While untangling himself from the sheets, Naruto couldn't help but think about everything that he'd just dreamt about. He hadn't recalled that memory in such a long time; in fact, he'd forced himself not to ever think about it. Every time he'd think about it, the memory would trigger something inside him, and he'd start another fire. But he couldn't do it this time; he couldn't start another one.

 

After getting out of the bed, Naruto grabbed some clothes from the drawers and his bathroom key and then he hurried off to the bathroom to take a warm shower. Even when he was under the hot spray of water, Naruto was still shivering.

 

His nerves were completely shot, he knew that. His whole body was wracking with violent shakes and he had no way of stopping them. His dream had shaken him up- it was safe to say that the event had traumatized him as a child. But Naruto's reaction to a dream had never been this serious before, he'd never felt so panicked for so long. While he dressed, pulled on his shirt, his hands shook and his fingers were cold against his skin.

 

When Naruto left his room, he walked down the hallway and straight to Shizune's office. He saw the woman sitting there in her seat and so he tapped the glass that separated them. Shizune noticed that Naruto was there and so she came to the glass and slid back the window. "Is there something you need, Uzumaki-kun?" she asked. The boy nodded his head while he wrung his shaking hands in front of his chest.

 

"Shizune is it possible...I need...could you...could you give me some valium, please?" he asked her.

 

The woman's brows furrowed for a moment, and then she reached across her desk, grabbing a piece of paper. "Well," she started. "I see here on your prescription that you're only to be given valium after dinnertime." Shizune glanced up at the clock. "It's only noon, Naruto."

 

Naruto nodded his head. "-I know that." He cut her off. Naruto held his own elbows and tried to pull himself together. "...I know that, but I need it- now. Please-"

 

"-I'm sorry, Uzumaki-kun, but I am not allowed to give you any valium. You do not appear to be in dire need of it, and-"

 

He didn't even give her time to finish her sentence before he walked away. She said that Naruto didn't appear to be in dire need of the valium, but she must've been blind- he was shaking like a leaf. Naruto trudged off down the hallway until he entered the tv room. He sat down on the couch and crossed his arms over his chest. "When I don't need pills, they shove them down my throat, but when I do need something, I can't fucking have it!"

 

"Naruto?" all of a sudden, he felt someone sit down on the couch beside him. He turned to the left and saw Sai sitting there with a worried expression on his face. "What the hell's wrong with you- you look like you've seen a ghost."

 

The blond shrugged his shoulders. "I just...bad morning." He shrugged again. "Hey, do you...do you have any valium?" he whispered. Sai shook his head.

 

"No, I don't have any right now." He said in a low voice. "Did you ask Shizune?" Naruto nodded and then sighed. He watched Sai reach into his pocket and take out a pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out and handed it to Naruto. "Here." He said. Naruto stared at the cigarette, wishing he didn't feel like he really needed it. It'd been two weeks since he'd smoked a cigarette, and he was trying to stop, but it was no use. He needed something to calm his nerves.

 

He took the cigarette from Sai and held it in between his fingers. "Can you light this for me...I can't...you know." When Naruto saw Sai taking the lighter out of his back pocket, he turned to the side and closed his eyes. He couldn't even bear to look at the small flame. The boy put the cigarette between his lips and inhaled, and for a second, he actually felt a little calmer. After a few minutes, his hands stopped shaking, and so did his body, but his mind was still on edge.

 

"Thanks." Naruto mumbled, while leaning backward and propping himself against the couch.

 

The boy could almost feel Sai staring a hole into his face yet Sai chose not to say anything else. He didn't even ask Naruto what was wrong, and for that, the blond was grateful. He just sat back and enjoyed the temporary calm that the cigarette had given him. He was upset that he was smoking again- it was such a nasty habit. But Naruto had needed something to calm his nerves before he started going completely insane. Then again, it wouldn't be like that kind of behavior wasn't expected here.

 

Naruto would've loved to sit there on the couch for a while longer, but he was interrupted by Kurenai coming into the room and calling his name. "Uzumaki-kun, you have a session with Kakashi today." She told him. Naruto cursed inwardly; he'd completely forgotten that today was one of the days that he'd have to talk to Kakashi, the facility's therapist.

 

Grudgingly, Naruto stood from his seat and began following Kurenai down the hallway. She led him to Kakashi's office, even though he already knew the way himself- he'd been there plenty of times in the past few months.

 

When they arrived at the man's office, Kurenai knocked on the door twice. The woman opened the door and allowed Naruto to walk inside. Upon walking in, Naruto saw Kakashi sitting at the desk like always. Naruto went over to the couch near Kakashi's desk and he heard his office door close. Before their session even started, Naruto rubbed out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe- he already knew that Kakashi didn't like the smell of smoke. Though, as soon as the cigarette was out of his mouth, Naruto could feel his earlier emotions creeping back into his system. Maybe it was the fact that he could never completely get over that day, or maybe it was Kakashi's office that was making him nervous. But whatever it was made Naruto feel edgy again, and Kakashi could tell.

 

The silver-haired man sat up straight and laced his fingers on top of his desk. "So, Naruto," he began. "You seem a bit...distraught today." Kakashi noted. Naruto let his arms fall to his sides. Usually, every time he came to Kakashi's office, he would be on the defensive. He didn't like telling the man anything because he didn't want him getting into his head. But today was different. Naruto needed to talk, and he hoped that Kakashi would have some type of advice, or give him something to calm him down. Naruto had never talked to anyone about that day, so maybe this would change everything.

 

"Yeah...I had a bad...a bad dream." Naruto confessed. He was aware that his statement had sounded a tad childish, but he couldn't describe it any other way. It'd been a bad dream- a bad dream about true events.

 

"Is that so?" Kakashi inquired, and Naruto nodded. "Would you like to tell me about it?" the therapist asked. Naruto nodded again.

 

Naruto took a very deep breath and stared down at his shoes. He was nervous about sharing his secrets. He had almost never spoken to anyone about his past, but he hoped that letting some of his secrets out would do him some good, mentally and emotionally. "When I was a kid...well...I'd been starting fires ever since I was five years old." He started. "I'd always get caught, you know, by my parents. They just thought it was some stage of curiosity I was going through."

 

Kakashi nodded and wrote something down in his notepad. Naruto hated when he did that. "I see," the man motioned for Naruto to continue. "Go on."

 

"There was only one time that...one time when my parents really understood that I...had a problem, I guess." Naruto closed his eyes, preparing himself for the terrible memories he was forcing himself to recall. "I was seven years old, and I remember myself searching for matches. My mom and dad always hid them from me when I was younger, you could guess why. But one night, I actually found them. I grabbed them and ran outside, then I...I made this pile of sticks and I s-set them on fire. And I sat there, watching the fire, and forgetting the fact that my parents were only up in their room, and that they could see me from their window."

 

The blond breathed in, holding his hands in between his legs so that they wouldn't shake. "And they came running outside, my mother came and grabbed me and started hugging me. She tried to make me face her but I didn't even want to look at her. To me, at that moment, she wasn't even important- she didn't even matter. To me, that fire I'd created was the only thing that mattered. And even when she started crying, I wouldn't look at her or hug her back. I ignored her pleas...I only realized she was holding me when my father put out the fire. She...she was crying because there was something wrong with me...and I...I just felt rotten, you know? I loved my mother so much, and she...my parents are both gone now, and it's-" Naruto paused, composing himself and stopping himself from speaking his last statement. He glanced up at Kakashi, forcing himself to put on a calm face. "I never got to tell them how sorry I was...how much I loved them."

 

When Naruto finished speaking, he let out a deep sigh and went to lie back on the couch. Naruto could hear Kakashi scribbling away at his desk and so he forced himself to ignore the sound. "I can see why a dream such as that, memories such as those, would upset you Naruto." Kakashi finally spoke. "Have you ever spoken to anyone else about your past? Your parents?" he asked. Naruto shook his head.

 

"I don't like talking about it." He admitted. "It'll only bring back memories that I don't want to think about. And besides, it's nobody else's business what my past was like." He told him. Kakashi nodded, and took off the rimless glasses he'd been wearing.

 

"You know," he started. "It's better to talk to people about your problems, rather than holding them back and letting them fester inside you." Kakashi leaned forward at his desk. "If something bad happened in your past, something that's been bothering you for your entire life, that happened when you were young, it would be wise to talk about it. This is the place, Naruto, now is the time." Kakashi stared directly at Naruto, unblinking. "If something happened, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone else what you say; your secret is safe with me."

 

"You mean...you don't even tell Tsunade what the patients say?" Naruto asked him, disbelievingly.

 

Kakashi shook his head. "No. Not even Tsunade, unless the authorities become involved. Until then, I am under an oath of secrecy." He spoke. Kakashi laced his fingers again and watched Naruto's eyes widen. "Is there something that you need to tell me, Naruto?" he asked.

 

"No." Naruto answered, as quickly as ever. He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't have anything that I need to tell you." Kakashi could tell that Naruto was getting defensive, just like always, and so he backed off and returned his glasses to his face.

 

"Alright then." He said. "Well, as for your nightmares, I'll prescribe you a different sort of medication. By the way, has the valium been taking effect?" he asked.

 

"Yes." Naruto answered curtly. Kakashi nodded and wrote something down in his notepad.

 

"Good, that's very good." He nodded. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask you; how did last week's trip to the carnival go? Did you enjoy yourself?"

 

At the memory of last week, Naruto almost let a smile slip across his mouth. The only thing he could think about was the way Sasuke had kissed him, the way the raven had held him so tightly against his chest, the way Naruto himself had never wanted the moment to end. Of course, he wouldn't tell Kakashi any of that- it was way too personal. "It was nice to get out of here for a while. I enjoyed it very much. It was...refreshing."

 

"That's good to hear." Kakashi commented.

 

For the next half hour, Kakashi continued to ask Naruto a series of closed ended questions. When he tried open ended questions, or tried to get Naruto to talk about something that actually held depth, the blond would tell him that he didn't want to talk about it. There was no use trying to get him to talk anymore- he'd closed up. Eventually, Kakashi finished up all of his questions, gave Naruto a new prescription, and told him that he could leave.

 

After being in Kakashi's office for an entire hour, Naruto had to admit that he was happy to be out of there. In all honesty, it had made him feel better to talk to Kakashi, but when the man had tried to dig deeper, Naruto had begun to reject him. What Naruto had told Kakashi was small compared to everything else that had happened to him- it had only scratched the surface of his harrowing past.

 

Naruto was glad that he'd be able to walk to the other side of the building by himself. He carried his prescription for his medication between his fingertips and when he reached the other side of the building he dropped it into the tray in front of Shizune's desk. Oddly enough, Kurenai was in her office, sitting in her chair while reading a book. When she noticed Naruto, she stood up and slid back the glass. "Uzumaki-kun, while you were with Kakashi your lawyer called." She told him. "He said he'd call back later, but he wanted me to let you know that your new psychologist will be coming here to visit soon."

 

"Thanks for telling me, Kurenai." He said. The boy wondered where Shizune was. She must've had something important to do since she'd left Kurenai in charge of her office. But, before Naruto was able to ponder on Shizune's whereabouts, he heard the familiar sound of her footsteps coming close. The woman came into the clearing and when Kurenai saw her, a worried expression came over her face.

 

"How is Sasuke? Did everything go alright?" she asked. Shizune walked into her office and slid the glass closed, just so Naruto wouldn't be able to hear their conversation. But he'd already heard all he needed to hear. Kurenai had mentioned Sasuke- something must've happened.

 

Slowly, as not to call attention to himself, Naruto backed away from the glass. Neither Shizune nor Kurenai noticed his departure. Once he'd turned the corner, Naruto started down the hallway. He knew that he probably shouldn't be going to look for Sasuke, but then again, his curiosity had taken over. If something had happened to Sasuke, Naruto wanted to know about it.

 

The blond made his way down the hallway silently and quickly. But when he turned the corner he came to a stop. Standing beside the door to Sasuke's room was Iruka. His arms were crossed and he was staring down at the floor. "So...did Shizune leave him here to guard Sasuke's room or something?" Naruto kept walking towards the room and when Iruka saw him coming, he stopped him.

 

"Sorry Naruto, but you're not allowed to see Sasuke right now." He told him. Naruto decided to play dumb.

 

"Why, what happened? Is something wrong?" he asked.

 

He watched Iruka sigh heavily and glance around as if he were checking to see if anyone was coming. "Sasuke hasn't been taking his medication. Shizune thinks he's been tonguing his meds, and she's going to put him on lockdown-"

 

"-what?" Naruto cut him off. "She's putting him on lockdown?? Iruka you've gotta let me talk to him before she does it!"

 

Iruka shook his head grudgingly "You know I can't do that, Naruto." he told him. Naruto clasped his hands together and mustered up the best pout he could come up with.

 

"Please Iruka? Just this once? It'll be really fast I swear! I just want to talk to him-" Naruto stopped talking when Iruka raised a hand to silence him. The boy watched as his shoulders sank and he sighed again. Naruto almost smiled- Iruka caved in.

 

"Fine, Naruto." he unhooked the large ring of keys that were attached to his belt. "But be quick about it, alright?" Naruto nodded while he watched Iruka find the key to Sasuke's room, and unlock the door. When the door opened, Naruto quickly stepped into Sasuke's room and Iruka closed the door behind him.

 

Naruto saw that Sasuke was sitting on the bed with his back turned to him. Oddly enough, even though Naruto couldn't see Sasuke's face, he could still tell what kind of mood the raven was in, and it was a downright pissy one. Some items on his side of the room were now on the floor, broken to pieces. The curtains in the room were all drawn, so now the entire space was darkened.

 

"Sasuke..." the blond managed to say. Immediately, Sasuke turned around to face him. There was a scowl on his face, but when his eyes met Naruto's, the frown quickly dissolved. He didn't speak, and so Naruto slowly made his way over to the raven's bed. He sat down on the edge, facing Sasuke. "What happened?"

 

"I didn't take my medication." He confessed. Sasuke then gave Naruto an odd look. "How'd you get in here?" he asked.

 

"I convinced Iruka to let me in." Naruto told him. The blond sighed and then moved closer to the other side of the bed where Sasuke was seated. "So how come you didn't take your meds?" he questioned. "I mean...if you just would've taken them you wouldn't be in this predicament."

 

For several moments, Sasuke just stayed silent, acting as if he hadn't heard Naruto's question. Naruto nudged his arm gently and then told Sasuke that he could talk to him, and that he wouldn't judge him at all by what he said. Naruto could plainly see that Sasuke didn't want to tell him, but he needed to know. He hated it when Sasuke tried to shut him out, but only because he did it all the time.

 

"I didn't..." Sasuke hesitated, and he stared down at the bed sheets. "I don't take my medication...simply because it makes me feel numb." He confessed. Naruto remained silent and he waited for Sasuke to look up at him- he didn't. "It makes me feel like I'm not there. My feelings become lost to me...and I want to feel something, even if it's only anger. I hate not feeling like I'm myself..." the raven sighed and shook his head. "I'm not making any sense."

 

"No, I understand." Naruto insisted. "I know exactly what you mean, Sasuke. And I know..." Naruto paused and then raised his hand and settled his finger under Sasuke's chin. He made the raven look straight into his face. "I know how it makes you feel...and sometimes I feel the same way. But they give it to us to help us-"

 

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist and yanked his hand away. "Do you really believe that??" he questioned, though Naruto didn't answer. "You think they're giving us that crap because they want to help us? They just want to control us. They want to control us, make us believe that we need that medication, and then send us out into the real world with a pocket full of pills." Sasuke released Naruto's wrist, sighed, and lowered his head. "I don't let people control me, Naruto. I just wish I were like my brother...he knew how to pretend."

 

Before Naruto could even say another word, the door to Sasuke's room pushed open. Standing in the doorway was Shizune and a guilty looking Iruka. The woman crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at Naruto. "Out."

 

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"Sakura, I noticed you didn't eat dinner today." Iruka said, while standing in front of the girl with his hands behind his back. Sakura glared up at him with an irritated expression on her face.

 

"I wasn't hungry." She replied.

 

Iruka sighed and shook his head. "You didn't eat lunch or breakfast, either." Sakura looked away from him shamefully, crossing her arms over her chest and staring out of the window to her right. Iruka stepped closer to her. "I'm trying to help you, Sakura." He whispered in a voice that was only meant for her to hear. "If Shizune notices your eating habits, you know she'll do something drastic. She's been trying to put you on lockdown for the longest." He pulled a bag of rice cakes from behind his bag. "Eat these, please, for me."

 

Sakura stared at the bag as if it were the most repulsive thing on the planet. It took her several seconds, but she finally reached out and took it. When she held the bag in her hands, she glanced at Iruka questioningly. "...what flavor are they?" she asked.

 

Iruka smiled, satisfied. "Apple cinnamon." As Iruka walked away, Sakura grudgingly began eating the rice cakes.

 

Naruto watched her eat them with somewhat of a smile on his face. He was glad that someone was getting her to eat something because, without outside provocation, Sakura would most definitely starve herself to death. There were only so many times Sakura could end up in the hospital unit before something irreversible happened to her.

 

He could clearly remember their trip to the carnival, especially the moment when Sakura had gotten sick after the rollercoaster. When she'd started throwing up, Naruto couldn't help but think that she'd seemed thinner and frailer than ever before. She'd been wearing a red tank-top and as she'd thrown up, her spine and the bones in her shoulders had protruded under her skin. Sakura had looked so sick, so fragile. She wanted to be smaller than that, but there was no 'smaller than that'. She was already skin and bones, there was no more weight to lose.

 

Naruto continued to brush Hinata's hair as he'd been doing for the past few minutes. The girl sat on the floor with her legs crossed and her back to Naruto. After they'd all eaten dinner together, Hinata had come to Naruto with a brush in her hands. She'd not said anything, but Naruto had known exactly what she'd been asking for. The blond could tell from the look that Neji had given him that he didn't approve. Hinata's cousin didn't seem to want anyone to get to close to her...Naruto wondered why.

 

It was obvious and very apparent that Naruto had been getting closer to Hinata. He didn't know how it'd happened, but it did. Even though she didn't talk, she proved to be good company. Naruto knew that she was the one person who always listened to him. He was sure that if Hinata ever got better and left this place, she would be a great friend for someone.

 

But right now, it was a friend that she needed. Naruto could sense that she just needed someone to care about her in a way that Neji couldn't. All he did was keep people away, but Hinata needed friends if she ever wanted to get better. People need other people; it was the way of the world.

 

The tv room was unusually empty tonight. Normally, everyone would gather together here after dinner and play some games, or actually watch the tv. But today, there weren't even a handful of people. Sakura, Naruto, Hinata and Neji were there. The people that were not there were Sasuke, Shikamaru, Sai, Gaara, Haku, and Kiba. Well, Sasuke was on lockdown, Shikamaru was in the room sleeping, and Gaara was on lockdown for attacking Haku, who was in the hospital wing getting a few cuts and bruises bandaged. Kiba wasn't in the hospital at all; he was out for the whole day, visiting his family.

 

All of a sudden, a piercing, bloodcurdling, scream echoed throughout the hospital. It was followed by a loud thud and the sound of hurried footsteps. "I don't want it!!" someone screamed. And Naruto would know that voice anywhere. Neji, Sakura, and Naruto were all staring down the hallway, but Hinata's eyes were on Naruto. She was the only one that watched him bolt up from the couch and race out of the room.

 

Naruto saw him there, on the floor in the corner of the hallway, with his legs up to his chest. His brother was trying to tell him something, but he wasn't listening- his hands were covering his ears. His brother tried to touch his shoulder but he moved away.

 

Yamato took a deep breath. "Sai, you have to listen to me." The man told his brother. "Do not push me away, not now, not like this-"

 

"-Fuck you, Yamato!" Sai cried, with tears streaming down his face. "I don't want it! I don't want it! I don't care, he's dead, I don't care...I don't care that he's dead...dead, dead, dead!!" The dark haired boy closed his eyes and kept his ears covered while he rocked back and forth. Naruto saw Shizune coming round the corner with Iruka and Kurenai flocking at her sides. Of course, Shizune was carrying her infamous needle.

 

She went straight over to the two brothers and Kurenai gently pulled Yamato away. He still reached for his brother. "Kurenai, he needs me, I can't leave! Not yet!" he tried to convince her, but the woman only shook her head.

 

"Your brother appears to be very distraught right now, Yamato." She told him in a low voice. While she talked to Yamato, Shizune knelt beside Sai and pricked him with the needle. As every second passed, his screams and cries became more and more quiet.

 

"You don't understand Kurenai. He's my brother, I know his needs better than any of you." Yamato scowled and snatched his arm out of Kurenai's grip. The woman sighed and went away from him and over to help Shizune and Iruka. Shizune handed Kurenai the empty needle while she and Iruka carried Sai away. Yamato watched the scene bitterly, and it was only seconds later when he noticed that Naruto had been standing there the whole time.

 

The blonde's eyes must've held question because Yamato sighed and spoke to him. "Our father died." He told Naruto. Now, Naruto knew quite a great deal about their father, Danzo. In fact, Yamato had told Naruto more about the man that Sai ever would've, or could've. Naruto had grown close to Sai's brother, he would even say that they'd become friends, and that was the only reason that Yamato had chosen to tell him this. "He died last night in his sleep, and he...he left almost everything in his will to Sai."

 

Naruto gasped- had he heard correctly? "What? You're not serious?" the boy asked. Yamato nodded his head.

 

"That's exactly what I said when I heard it. Danzo left him the house, his money...everything. He even wrote in his will that he wanted Sai to speak at the funeral." Yamato's eyes darted over towards the empty hallway where his brother had been. The man sighed. "But Sai...he doesn't want any of it. He hates Danzo...I mean, he's got plenty reason to hate him." Yamato told Naruto.

 

The boy shook his head, confused. "What ever happened to make Sai hate your father so much?" he asked.

 

Yamato pursed his lips. "That's for Sai to tell you, sorry Naruto." he answered. Yamato closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed. "I've got to go," he said. He stared into Naruto's face. "If anything...if Sai tries anything stupid, call me."

 

Before Naruto could ask what Yamato had meant by 'something stupid', the man had already rushed out the front door.

 

Naruto only stood there for a few more seconds before he retreated into the tv room once more. Neji was flipping through the channels on the television, and stopped when he found the news channel. Hinata had the hairbrush in her hands and was now holding it to her chest. Sakura had discarded her rice cakes and replaced them with a cigarette. Naruto cursed under his breath and raked his fingers through his hair.

 

"...why does everything have to be so fucked up..."

 

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Peace & Love: DizziKatz