Sadness and Sorrow [Complete]

[narutimate]

Character(s): Naruto and Itachi
Content: Naruto returns to the hotel after this.
Setting: Actua Are {F3}
Time: Evening
Warnings: Angsty Naruto None.

Comments

[redeyesatnight]

Itachi had been looking through his journal since he returned to the hotel room. He was entirely grateful to Larxene for helping him get home. Without her, he probably wouldn't have been able to find his way back. And it bothered him that someone was so negative about her. He wouldn't allow someone else's bad experience ruin his positive one, not with someone that he had just met. After all, it was the personal experiences that mattered.

The Uchiha heard Naruto return and looked up to see the blond collapse onto the other bed. He looked to be in bad shape, and even though he couldn't do anything to help, Itachi stood and moved to go do... something.

"Itachi?"

"I'm here, Naruto."

[narutimate]

Naruto smiled a rather cracked smile into the pillow, at least the other Uchiha was safe and sound and here. He tried thinking of a way to tell Itachi what had happened without losing control of his emotions. Eventually he found the words and he was sure Itachi would understand them. "I lost him..." he spoke through gritted teeth and his voice was still muffled by the pillow, making the sentence almost inaudible. As he said it he clenched his fists in a desperate attempt to get rid of some of the frustration.

He would have searched day and night but Naruto knew when it was futile plus Itachi had been waiting for him at the hotel alone. Naruto had started worrying that if he left Itachi alone any longer Sasuke would go after him again.

Relaxing again, he found the strength to actually move his head and look at Itachi. Giving the Uchiha a rueful smile as he tried to find some of his cheer back. He probably looked like a mess. "You okay?"

[redeyesatnight]

Itachi watched Naruto with unveiled concern. He didn't like seeing his friend like this. The clenched fists told him that Naruto was miffed about something, and he thought he had heard something, but he couldn't be sure. As it was, Itachi sat down on the floor beside the bed, so that he could watch Naruto with a greater ease.

At Naruto's smile, Itachi offered his own back. "I'm fine. A rather nice woman helped me find my way back to the hotel... What about you? You really don't look okay..."

[narutimate]

"A woman, huh? That's really nice of her." Naruto's smile was less rueful as he spoke, he was happy that at least nothing happened to Itachi. Although at the question of his own welfare he frowned and just stared at his pillow for a moment. "Sasuke...He.." His voice faltered and he mentally slapped himself, now he was just being pathetic! Sakura would probably yell at him to get it together if she were here. "He got away," he said with a sigh.

He rolled onto his side so he had a better view of Itachi. "I'm just tired..." Running through half the city did that to you but it was more the fact that he was mentally ragged down than anything else.

[redeyesatnight]

Itachi nodded. Larxene had been nice. And even if no one else believed him in that regard, he knew it to be true. Part of him wondered if he'd ever see her again... "She seemed very friendly. It was quite nice of her."

Itachi continued to watch and listen. "I'm sorry, Naruto. Maybe we can go look for him later? After I get my memory back?" It was an offer of help, even if it might not do either of them any good in the end.

"And if you're tired, why don't you rest? I'm sure that a little sleep isn't going to make things any worse for you..."

[narutimate]

"Did this friendly lady of yours have a name?" He questioned playfully, trying to keep himself distracted with the conversation. It was a good thing Itachi was here otherwise he would be wallowing in negative feelings on his own.

Naruto nodded slowly, if Itachi would get his memory back it would make things a whole lot easier. Although he did wonder what Itachi would be like once he had his memory back. Would he still remain Naruto's friend? "Yeah, I just hope you get your memory back soon. It must be pretty hard on you too."

Naruto contemplated the thought of sleep but almost instantly dismissed it. He would love to sleep but getting to sleep was the problem. If he just laid down and do nothing he'd start thinking and Naruto had decided, a long time ago, that thinking was bad for your health. "Nah, I'll be fine. I'd rather go do something."

[redeyesatnight]

Itachi smiled as he considered Larxene. "Her name was Larxene. And like I said, she was rather nice." He kept repeating that, saying it like it would convince the rest of the world that she wasn't as cruel as some people thought. After all, if she were as Timon had said, wouldn't she have taken advantage of him?

If Naruto were concerned about Itachi's friendship after Itachi got his memory back, he had nothing to fear. He was younger than the Itachi that had been after him, after all. "I do, too. And it is, especially when I'm getting confronted with situations where I feel like I should or need to know things."

The Uchiha regarded Naruto again. "Are you sure?"

[narutimate]

"Larxen-ah? WHAT!?" Naruto jumped up as soon as he heard the name. Grabbing Itachi by the shoulders and looking him over frantically. "You sure you're alright?" Not even waiting for an answer he looked him over once more, decided he seemed alright and sat down on the bed again with a pained expression.

Forgetting everything else they were talking about, he focused solely on how to bring the news to Itachi. "Not to burst your bubble but..." For some reason Naruto almost felt guilty for telling him. Itachi seemed so convinced she was a nice person. "Larxene is one of them black-coated people who's been going around kidnapping others and torturing them."

[redeyesatnight]

Itachi was startled by Naruto's exclamation and his sudden grab. "I'm fine, Naruto. Honest." Why did everyone seem to think Larxene would have hurt him?

"Please listen to me." Itachi spoke carefully. If there was anything he was sure of, it was this. "I don't care who she might have hurt, or what she might have done. I'm not going to base my opinions of her on what someone else says. Not when I haven't had the negative experiences with her that other people seem to think of as prevalent.

"Let me make my own mistakes, if it comes to that."

[narutimate]

Naruto calmed down and simply listened to what Itachi had to say. What was he thinking? Larxene obviously meant bad news! However it really sounded like Itachi wasn't going to listen to anyone and Naruto knew how damn stubborn Uchihas were (by now he was pretty certain it was a family trait). So he wasn't even going to try and argue, he didn't want to upset Itachi and he wasn't in the mood to get any more upset either.

He sighed before giving Itachi a lopsided grin. "I don't have a say in who you befriend or not, that's up to you. Just be careful around her, okay?"