Dayshift 22: Chapel

[claire_ity]

Claire woke up in her room just like before, with little idea of how she actually got there. This time, though, she noticed something different about the room. There was another young woman, a blond, sleeping in a bed across from her. Before questioning that, though, she made sure to hide the items she'd gotten that night in her closet, shutting

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[faithful_frost]

Haku was awake and ready to attack again when reality was it really? caught up with him. It was morning ... there was no threat before him ... and his face felt like it had been seared with a hot bit of metal. The entire left side's vision was gone. Reaching up, he could feel bandages, and, after flexing his muscles god that HURT, found that the wounds he'd gotten had been stitched up. He was unable to assess anything further than that at the moment however, as the dull throbbing of pain covered any other sensations and the bandages prevented him from evaluating his sight

[tte_bayo]

The last memory of the night Naruto had was the process of Gaara treating his wounds, was wincing and considering still the insane idea that bleeding should last so long without healing. The next thing he knew he was in bed, a few surprises: it was a different room, there were two beds.

He was alone when he woke up, dressed in a fresh, gray outfit sans blood stains, chest and stomach properly bandaged underneath his shirt. How? Who? Naruto touched the areas where wounds still existed curiously, one eyebrow raising up into his forehead, wrinkling it. Aching and soreness still, from just a few, deep gashes. So weird. Thankfully, he still had the bat acquired last night and was quick in stashing it in the closet closest to his bed

[faithful_frost]

Haku's one visible eye opened at the familiar voice and he turned to smile warmly up at Naruto. The blond, like Sasuke-kun before him, seemed to have grown.

"Naruto-kun!" Haku seemed honestly pleased to see him. "I was told you were here as well. I'm so happy to see that you're alive and well." He moved over on the pew and gestured to the spot beside him.

"Please, sit. Try to keep your voice down, people are here for the quiet after all."

Nothing of the pain he felt upon seeing Naruto and again being forced to remember not that he could have forgotten, no that he was a failure and that Zabuza-san was dead showed on his face.

"What do you mean, 'what happened?'," Haku asked, a hand going up to touch the bandages. "This? Or my being here at all?" He smiled again. "After all, I should be dead, right?"

[tte_bayo]

"Well, yeah," Naruto agreed, bluntly, still in a bit of a daze. He shook his head once, trying to wrap his mind around the concept of the dead coming back to life. "I mean, Sasuke told me that you were here..."

He plopped down on the bench next to Haku. "But I thought I'd never see you again. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but..."

Thoughtfully he glanced at Haku, who was as outwardly pleasant and polite as he remembered. Even during battle, that demeanor seemed to barely waver. After a few seconds, the blond genuinely smiled.

"I'm grateful! I'm really glad we got to meet again." He decided brightly, thinking back on his words; the friendship that might have developed under different circumstances. Maybe this was a second chance, in that sense. Naruto thought uncomfortably of Zabuza, and assumed logically that Haku wouldn't yet know. It would be cruel to just blurt it out.

"Except it sucks to end up in a place like this, huh? You were attacked last night?"

[faithful_frost]

"Yes, I did see Sasuke-kun..." Haku tilted his head and regarded the blond shinobi thoughtfully.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense. I was rather confused to wake up at all let alone a place like this." Haku kept his voice soft out of respect for the other people here. "But I am glad I get to meet you again," he smiled happily. The young boy he'd met in the forest and again on that bridge had grown up wonderfully, and Haku was pleased that he'd survived so long.

"Yes," he admitted, "I was attacked last night. Two... creatures came at me while I was looking for medical supplies." He frowned slightly. "How long have you been here, Naruto? What do you know about this place?"

[tte_bayo]

Naruto squinted his eyes and nodded, as if he understood completely how strange it must be to suddenly wake up after having been dead for some time now, in a faux-mental institution of all places. No, he had no idea what that must be like. Landel's was so weird

[faithful_frost]

Haku smiled at Naruto's conviction that they would not be here long. However much he wanted to believe that, he wasn't so certain. If it was so simple a thing to escape, then why were so many still trapped here.

Still... he wouldn't want to damper the other boy's enthusiasm.

"You don't have any chakra too?" This was good to know. It relieved him to find out that he was not the only one working at less than one hundred percent.

Haku nodded and smiled again, visible eye closing. "Of course, I'll be fine. Thank you." Haku then tilted his head and regarded Naruto. "But you're injured?" He didn't like to know that other people were hurt as well. "You need to find a way to safe healthy during the night Naruto..."

[tte_bayo]

"I don't think any shinobi have chakra in this place." Naruto sighed and leaned back against the pew with his arms behind his head, casual posture not entirely suited for a place of worship. "Makes things difficult."

Haku brushed off his injury like it wasn't a serious one, which wasn't entirely believable, but Naruto figured that needling him about it wasn't going to accomplish much. That patients woke up taken care of was probably as lucky as they were going to get.

"Nothing too serious. Just some scratches, really. It was worth it, I found a weapon." Naruto couldn't fight off a mischievous grin, pride in the accomplishment obvious. Sure, the bat was no shuriken or set of kunai, but it was definitely something.

[she_bloomed]

The Chapel certainly fit with the theme of 'nothing like anything in Konoha she'd seen'. Sakura entered the room, instantly lost in the detail and foreign symbols that seemed to litter the room. What was even more curious was the sheer number of people in the same, dull, grey uniform she was wearing. Carefully, green eyes scanned the heads that stood out, looking for anything or anyone familiar.

When they came to fall upon a certain, spiky, blond head, the apprehension and fear melted away for a moment, replaced with recognition and a bright smile. Pushing people out of the way, Sakura made a beeline for Naruto, calling out to him when she drew near. It had been... It had to have been almost two years!

"Naruto! Hey!"

[faithful_frost]

Haku frowned. "I'm don't think anyone can do much beyond a civilian can here, not just the ninja." He was about to ask Naruto if he'd heard the theory that the people here were all from different worlds when a voice broke out, calling for Naruto.

Haku only vaguely recognized the bright pink hair and the girl whom it belonged to. But he couldn't put a name to the face. He couldn't recall ever actually hearing it before.

Sitting back in the pew, Haku simply waited for the girl to get a bit closer and greet Naruto. It would be rude of him to interrupt.

[tte_bayo]

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