[Thread] That's three, three ninjas
Characters: AU!Naruto, AU!Sasuke, AU!Shikamaru, OU!Mercury (PGSM) and AU!Watanuki
Where: The commons
When: Immediately after Shikamaru's arrival in Econtra
Summary: Shikamaru's injured, Naruto goes to help and drags Sasuke with him, and Kimi comes too!
Warnings: Swearing I imagine
( And a cook )
Where: The commons
When: Immediately after Shikamaru's arrival in Econtra
Summary: Shikamaru's injured, Naruto goes to help and drags Sasuke with him, and Kimi comes too!
Warnings: Swearing I imagine
( And a cook )
Speaking was a good sign; he was feeling strong enough to try it. But it was useless if he expended all that renewed energy immediately and ended up quickening his bleeding.
"Lie still and be calm," she told Shikamaru, a bit harshly.
Her eyes shifted to the blond again as she produced equipment for stitches. That wound was too large and deep not to require them. She didn't bother numbing the area with anything else; this would be minor by comparison to what he was already going through, and the water would finish completely killing the stitch pain anyway - along with much of the pain from the injuries by now.
That strong desire to save this person. No, not Sasuke then. Sasuke would not be in that state. Not unless he'd once been very different, as Mercury had been once.
But how was that spell beaten?
It was too noisy, so I woke up!
Our feelings reached you, Usagi-chan?
I guess... Ami-chan was especially loud!
Curse that girl.
"Not right now," she told the blond curtly.
Addressing them each as she started to stitch up the wound, Mercury admitted, "I can't do much here about any of the internal injuries and damage. I can make sure he's stable enough to move, and you can bring him to the infirmary. They'll monitor him and likely do physiotherapy with him eventually."
Reply
The clouds looked the same as they did in Konoha. Another world, and another time... And of all the people across all those worlds, he was stuck with that asshole traitor and the loud-mouthed Hokage. Why not Choji? Why not Asuma? Or... Why not Sakura, so she could heal these damn wounds in the blink of an eye?
Econtra was a pain in the ass. It saved his life, but it sure did it the hard way.
But he was perfectly calm, meditative even, while the blue-haired woman stitched him up. When it came right down to it, he had the self-control of a monk. At worst, he looked like he'd been up too late and just wanted to go home and sleep.
He was not looking forward to the part when Naruto asked what had happened.
Reply
Last he'd known Shikamaru had still been in Konoha, it had been his birthday when they dragged him here, twenty years old. Unless he'd gone somewhere without telling him, unlikely but not impossible, Naruto worried his lip for a moment. To think the last time he'd thought about Shikamaru he'd been planning on punching him the next time he saw him for keeping Sasuke's continued existence quiet from him.
That still got his hackles up, but he didnt say anything, not yet, not until Shikamaru was stable and able to talk about those kind of things. Then he'd confront him on it.
Heh, believe it or not Naruto had learned some patience and tact over the years, not much, but it was there. Enough to stop him demanding information from a severely wounded man at least.
Not like he was going anywhere fast, right?
Reply
The Uchiha was slightly amused by the almost apprehensive withdrawal both Shikamaru and Naruto displayed towards Mercury. Shikamaru, being moody-- but than he did have a good reason for that. Naruto, being all pouty and anxious. Than that was typical Naruto. Naruto also always had a habit of pissing off the wrong woman. Suppose even a blockhead could learn after a few million repetative errors.
He shifted a little in the midst of this. Eyes went from the blue-haired woman to the blonde. It was outrageously easy to read his thoughts and Sasuke thought at that:
I don't belong here.
Mercury had noted the internal damage. She was smart. She was overall what he believed she would have been. If he had questions to ask her they wouldn't be asked here. Not right now. Shikamaru was likely going to live. It would take awhile for him to regain strength and be able to live somewhat normally but he was a lazy bastard. This was a perfect opportunity for Shikamaru to have a good month of resting. Even if medical nin's were here the nerve and muscle damage was bad enough that healing chakra just wouldn't cut it. It would probably make the healing process faster, but physiotherapy would be needed either way.
With all of that noted Sasuke merely pivoted on the ball of his foot. Naruto could easily help Shikamaru to the infirmary. He would begin to make his exit.
Reply
"Leaving, Uchiha Sasuke?" she asked blandly, lips quirking upward. Having deduced the blond was not that boy, that left the black-haired one.
"Another five minutes and you can take him to the Infirmary." She let either boy who felt like it react to that, or both. There was no reason to detain Sasuke. Her questions, too, could be asked later: What had happened in this man's world do cause these injuries (it seemed highly unlikely they could have been gained in Econtra, given the cuffs; he was probably a very recent arrival) and why had Sasuke called her when he seemed to have little interest?
Would he do it for a stranger? He usually kept to himself too much for her to think that. Then, he knew this person enough to prefer him alive but not enough to expend much energy or emotion on the matter. Someone useful, then.
Meanwhile, the blond was still fretting and worrying, relaxing only a little and only now that it was clear the man was out of danger. He should have had more confidence in her abilities. After another moment, she decided to concede that he couldn't, not knowing them.
"And you're...?" she asked him.
Stitching. Ironic. Every act of kindness she did try seemed to involve sewing. You being alone like that...somehow, I don't like it. But as per her usual, the stitches were neat, orderly, and tight. They would be removed at the Infirmary - eventually. Not for awhile, not with injuries like these.
Reply
Then he looked away and made the mistake of looking down. That was a great big mess. He hardly recognized it as a part of his body. Definitely the worst injury he'd ever gotten, and that was without considering the damage to the rest of his body.
Goddamn Sasuke.
Feeling considerably sick now, Shikamaru tried to focus on something else. The woman was talking to Naruto so he looked toward the Hokage. He felt like shit but Naruto was always a bundle of optimism so maybe it would spread. Maybe. Probably not.
Reply
"Great." The blonde nodded to Mercury. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto," he informed her with a more sincere smile this time round, being told he could take him to the infirmary was a positive sign and should mean he wasn't going to be dying anytime soon.
"Thanks for helping." Even if Naruto hadn't been the one to ask her here, he was glad she had turned up and as always would make his appreciation known.
Reply
"It would seem so, yes," was his answer-- a cold stare at the leaf nin glaring at him.
Stay out of my way; continue being useful. You wont have any problems. It wasn't like he honestly cared enough about Shikamaru to dedicate his time and thought into getting rid of him. That was a little egotistical of the man to consider. Now that he thought about it.
Sasuke mused, "pleasure meeting you, Mercury."
He could be humble, sometimes, when it was worth it (which was rarely). Even if there was still a mildly sarcastic tone to that deep voice. With that the footsteps continued forward gradually fading the body away in an invisible flame.
(( and he's out. Tag away. ))
Reply
The glares were quick to come to her notice. Tension, even though Sasuke was responsible for her being here? How interesting! This could be entertaining, watching to see how that developed. She made a quiet internal note of it.
Shortly after, the stitches were finished. "He can be moved in that state now," she told Uzumaki Naruto.
Reply
Still feeling queasy and not all that certain he should be moving yet, he shifted away from the wall and planted his hands on the ground, preparing to push himself up, but... No, he'd definitely need Naruto for this.
"Hey Naruto, you can make yourself useful now," he snapped, reaching up for the blonde to take his arm.
"Oh, and, uh..." Shikamaru glanced at the blue-haired healer again. Complainer though he was, he was capable of gratitude. "Thanks."
Reply
Certain he'd get an affirmative Naruto took a breath and hoisted Shikamaru up, good thing for him the blonde had never grown particuarly tall, so it wasn't awkward for him to support the ANBU's weight.
Right now the infirmary was... er, that way. Naruto took a moment, reassured himself (hey he'd never been there before!) and nodded, "This way."
The blonde gave Mercury a curious look, wondering if she'd be coming with them or not.
Reply
That was just the setup. The clincher was what came next: "You owe Sasuke a lot!"
Already well aware of the tensions - although admittedly not the reasons for them - Mercury was glancing closely at both men to gauge their reactions.
She fell into step with them as they began moving towards the Infirmary.
"Now I have questions, and I think Naruto does, too, so there's less for you to do if you tell us both at once. What happened anyway?"
Reply
Shit, what was this woman's deal?
"I don't owe that asshole anything," Shikamaru snapped, and then winced because he'd jerked his body as he looked at her.
It was way too soon for him to be telling this story. He'd been hoping for a nap first, and some dinner, and then maybe he would have put it off for a few days, or a few months since there was no rush, really. Sasuke wasn't doing anything, was he? So there was no need to go bringing it up.
But now this woman had ruined that plan so all Shikamaru could do was roll his head back and sigh. It would probably have been more pleasant to die than to admit to hunting down the Hokage's best friend in secret. "...Sasuke's the one that did it."
Reply
The blonde might've even snapped back on his friends behalf if he hadn't been so overwhelmingly curious about the answer himself. So instead he just carried on the slow careful pace, walking slowly with Shikamaru towards the infirmary, ears perked and waiting for his reply to Mercury's question.
And when it came, naruto wondered if maybe he should have expected it more.
He came to a halt for a few seconds, bright blues staring off across the compound, at the infirmary ahead. Sasuke did it.... Sasuke had... Naruto grit his teeth, a sharp stinging pain suddenly ripping through his chest, not now, not now... a swallow and he took another step. And then another. Just keep walking, get Shikamaru to the infirmary.
"He told me you knew he was alive." Quiet, much quieter than Naruto's normal default volume. "He did't say you were one of the one's who went after him." Or that he fought you.
Reply
Sasuke, the one who'd wanted this person dead, had been the one to save him in the end. A foolish act; he should have allowed his work to be finished. What had changed that? The blue-haired girl decided to find out later. Sasuke was someone who had probably had a reason.
There was a little smile growing on her lips as Naruto's reactions displayed themselves so clearly. She could tell everything he was thinking, feeling.
"Would you have expected Sasuke to tell you? Really?" she pointed out. "You should give him a little more credit. It would have been foolish."
There was only one possible outcome to doing it: the frustration and anger she was seeing in this blond boy right now. And while it wasn't exactly as though Naruto could really exact revenge in a place like this, that sort of annoyance was something she doubted Sasuke had wanted to expose himself to needlessly.
It also, of course, explained the black-haired boy's quick departure. There was a mental smirk for him, too.
Reply
"It's not like I wanted to keep it secret from you," he said quietly, his hold on the blonde tightening subtly. "Sasuke's a criminal. The second we found out he was still alive, ANBU got the order to eliminate him, and Tsunade didn't see a point in telling you when he was just going to be dead soon anyway."
He avoided looking at Naruto's face and completely ignored the woman. "He was hosting Orochimaru in his body," Shikamaru continued weakly. "He was a danger to the village, and after everything... We couldn't risk someone like him, an Uchiha, not again... And you'd never let us go if you knew."
Reply
Leave a comment