[Naruto] Not the End
Title: Not the End
Series: Naruto
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke
Word Count: 1,038
Notes: Future fic again, where Itachi’s dead and Sasuke returns for sure. It has been so long since I wrote any kind of fic, so forgive me if I'm rusty.
The day Sakura came knocking at his door, Naruto was sleeping more soundly than ever. When he awoke to the sound of her yelling, he thought it odd that his sleep had been peaceful-ever since Sasuke returned, Naruto had some kind of nightmare or other during nights (was Itachi really dead? Orochimaru?).
“Naruto, open up!”
“Coming, coming,” he said, clicking the door open with a blanket still wrapped around his body. He looked up and was momentarily shocked by the fierce look in Sakura’s eyes.
“He’s awake now,” she said, breathless without running out of breath. She inhaled sharply and told him, “He’s fully awake.”
He tried to ask her. “What-”
She only looked at him. (You know who I’m talking about, Naruto.
I don’t know what to say to him.)
“Okay, just wait right there,” he told her, running to his room and grabbing his clothes. “We’re going, right now.”
Outside, Sakura closed her eyes with a wistful, small smile playing upon her lips. “What about breakfast?”
“Hell, that can wait!”
.
They walked down the numerous aisles of the hospital, making turns and climbing stairs.
Naruto suddenly burst out, “I’ve never been in his room before.”
It was silent for a minute as they continued on their way.
“It’s all right,” Sakura said. “I only went there once when he was still in a coma.”
(How careless of us, he thought. We could have visited more… not that we would have known what to do, but that’s not so important, is it?)
(How helpless of us, she thought. So what if he was unconscious? Were we so afraid of what he was going to do in such a state?)
She stopped in front of one of the rooms in the restricted area and placed her hand on the doorknob.
“Wait.” He reached out his hand that now hovered above her arm. He frowned a bit, biting his lip.
She gazed ahead, through the thick wall. “Nothing’s going to change if we just stay here, Naruto.”
(But what are we going to say?)
(I don’t know.)
“Yeah, you’re right.” He sighed, stepping back and crossing his arms. “Go, open it. We’ll… do something.”
Her fingers turned the knob and as soon as the room came into view, Sasuke’s head turned in their direction.
Naruto did not look away, although his eyes were close to tearing up (perhaps because he stubbornly refused to blink). He strolled in confidently and sat on a stool opposite his long lost brother, who was bruised and quiet but back.
“So,” he said (Sakura closed the door behind her and the small click rang in his right ear), “you’re here now.”
Sasuke nodded.
“And, you know,” Naruto continued, “you’re not a captive. We found you in front of the gate where you fainted and…” he searched for words (and did away with shrugging his shoulders and putting out his hands instead, his eyes moving everywhere all the while.)
Sasuke did not reply, but only grabbed a nearby apple in his hand and took a bite. He slowly chewed much to the agony of his former teammates, and Sakura noticed that the plastic bag that she had brought during her only visit (stuffed with fruits) was empty.
They were done waiting.
Naruto jumped up and ran to the bedside, gripping the collar of Sasuke’s shirt and shaking him violently. “You bastard! Say something! Do you know how much we trained to bring back a dumbass like you? Know how many missions we went on? I lost count. And yeah, I usually lose count after 20, but this time I goddamn counted! Me and Sakura-chan were up to 53 before I stopped.”
“Naruto,” Sakura said from the other side of the bed, not daring to touch either of them. “Naruto.”
“We get the news that Itachi’s dead. And now you just come back? You just lie there in front of the gate, expecting someone to take you back without even saying a word?”
But you did, Sasuke’s gaze told him.
“And that’s why I’m saying something now.”
“We’ll ask the questions later, Sasuke-kun,” she cut in abruptly (and he turned toward her when he heard her say his name). “For now, your body is still recovering, so…” She retreated without finishing her sentence, crumpling the empty plastic bag in her hands and throwing it into the trashcan.
She took a deep breath and rested her hands on the bed’s railings. “Tsunade-sama will come personally to talk to you. After that, we’ll visit again. Maybe then we can… talk about things.”
Sakura then took Naruto by his arm and went out of the room, not looking back in case her faltering eyes showed.
Naruto slammed the door behind them; they both sank with their backs to the walls.
“Oh, God,” Sakura said, covering her mouth with her hand and trying to hold back a sob. “I didn’t think I was going to cry again.” Should I have smiled?
“I didn’t know the sight of him sitting there would piss me off that much,” Naruto muttered, scratching the back of his head uncertainly. If anything, I should’ve acted like nothing happened.
She gave a long sigh. “We still have a long way to go, don’t we?”
“Longer than we thought, for sure.”
“What’re you both doing here?”
They looked up to find Tsunade, who stood above them like a firm tower.
“I thought I said visitors were forbidden?” The woman questioned, her arms crossed (much like how Naruto crossed his arms, but only with much more authority and dignity).
Sakura hurriedly wiped her eyes and bowed. “I apologize, Tsunade-sama, but Sasuke-kun, he’s-”
The silence that followed rang across the floor.
“Well,” Tsunade said, turning her back to them, “it’s not something that I can’t understand.”
“Tsunade-sama-”
The Hokage swiftly opened the door and went through it, shutting it behind her with a sharp click. (Something like regret and sympathy flew through her, Sakura and Naruto realized.)
“Then that’s that.” Naruto said, standing up and dusting himself off. “We’ve got a lot of work to do if we ever want to shape him up.”
“Yeah,” she replied, “yeah, you’re right.”
The hospital, as they left it, was a lonely place as it always had been, but the footsteps they left with were somehow lighter than the ones on the day of Sasuke’s departure.
.
“How am I supposed to say ‘hi’ like everything’s normal?”
“You’re good at that, aren’t you, Naruto?”
“I’m not good at pretending.”
“Well, then next time, we won’t pretend.”
Series: Naruto
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke
Word Count: 1,038
Notes: Future fic again, where Itachi’s dead and Sasuke returns for sure. It has been so long since I wrote any kind of fic, so forgive me if I'm rusty.
The day Sakura came knocking at his door, Naruto was sleeping more soundly than ever. When he awoke to the sound of her yelling, he thought it odd that his sleep had been peaceful-ever since Sasuke returned, Naruto had some kind of nightmare or other during nights (was Itachi really dead? Orochimaru?).
“Naruto, open up!”
“Coming, coming,” he said, clicking the door open with a blanket still wrapped around his body. He looked up and was momentarily shocked by the fierce look in Sakura’s eyes.
“He’s awake now,” she said, breathless without running out of breath. She inhaled sharply and told him, “He’s fully awake.”
He tried to ask her. “What-”
She only looked at him. (You know who I’m talking about, Naruto.
I don’t know what to say to him.)
“Okay, just wait right there,” he told her, running to his room and grabbing his clothes. “We’re going, right now.”
Outside, Sakura closed her eyes with a wistful, small smile playing upon her lips. “What about breakfast?”
“Hell, that can wait!”
.
They walked down the numerous aisles of the hospital, making turns and climbing stairs.
Naruto suddenly burst out, “I’ve never been in his room before.”
It was silent for a minute as they continued on their way.
“It’s all right,” Sakura said. “I only went there once when he was still in a coma.”
(How careless of us, he thought. We could have visited more… not that we would have known what to do, but that’s not so important, is it?)
(How helpless of us, she thought. So what if he was unconscious? Were we so afraid of what he was going to do in such a state?)
She stopped in front of one of the rooms in the restricted area and placed her hand on the doorknob.
“Wait.” He reached out his hand that now hovered above her arm. He frowned a bit, biting his lip.
She gazed ahead, through the thick wall. “Nothing’s going to change if we just stay here, Naruto.”
(But what are we going to say?)
(I don’t know.)
“Yeah, you’re right.” He sighed, stepping back and crossing his arms. “Go, open it. We’ll… do something.”
Her fingers turned the knob and as soon as the room came into view, Sasuke’s head turned in their direction.
Naruto did not look away, although his eyes were close to tearing up (perhaps because he stubbornly refused to blink). He strolled in confidently and sat on a stool opposite his long lost brother, who was bruised and quiet but back.
“So,” he said (Sakura closed the door behind her and the small click rang in his right ear), “you’re here now.”
Sasuke nodded.
“And, you know,” Naruto continued, “you’re not a captive. We found you in front of the gate where you fainted and…” he searched for words (and did away with shrugging his shoulders and putting out his hands instead, his eyes moving everywhere all the while.)
Sasuke did not reply, but only grabbed a nearby apple in his hand and took a bite. He slowly chewed much to the agony of his former teammates, and Sakura noticed that the plastic bag that she had brought during her only visit (stuffed with fruits) was empty.
They were done waiting.
Naruto jumped up and ran to the bedside, gripping the collar of Sasuke’s shirt and shaking him violently. “You bastard! Say something! Do you know how much we trained to bring back a dumbass like you? Know how many missions we went on? I lost count. And yeah, I usually lose count after 20, but this time I goddamn counted! Me and Sakura-chan were up to 53 before I stopped.”
“Naruto,” Sakura said from the other side of the bed, not daring to touch either of them. “Naruto.”
“We get the news that Itachi’s dead. And now you just come back? You just lie there in front of the gate, expecting someone to take you back without even saying a word?”
But you did, Sasuke’s gaze told him.
“And that’s why I’m saying something now.”
“We’ll ask the questions later, Sasuke-kun,” she cut in abruptly (and he turned toward her when he heard her say his name). “For now, your body is still recovering, so…” She retreated without finishing her sentence, crumpling the empty plastic bag in her hands and throwing it into the trashcan.
She took a deep breath and rested her hands on the bed’s railings. “Tsunade-sama will come personally to talk to you. After that, we’ll visit again. Maybe then we can… talk about things.”
Sakura then took Naruto by his arm and went out of the room, not looking back in case her faltering eyes showed.
Naruto slammed the door behind them; they both sank with their backs to the walls.
“Oh, God,” Sakura said, covering her mouth with her hand and trying to hold back a sob. “I didn’t think I was going to cry again.” Should I have smiled?
“I didn’t know the sight of him sitting there would piss me off that much,” Naruto muttered, scratching the back of his head uncertainly. If anything, I should’ve acted like nothing happened.
She gave a long sigh. “We still have a long way to go, don’t we?”
“Longer than we thought, for sure.”
“What’re you both doing here?”
They looked up to find Tsunade, who stood above them like a firm tower.
“I thought I said visitors were forbidden?” The woman questioned, her arms crossed (much like how Naruto crossed his arms, but only with much more authority and dignity).
Sakura hurriedly wiped her eyes and bowed. “I apologize, Tsunade-sama, but Sasuke-kun, he’s-”
The silence that followed rang across the floor.
“Well,” Tsunade said, turning her back to them, “it’s not something that I can’t understand.”
“Tsunade-sama-”
The Hokage swiftly opened the door and went through it, shutting it behind her with a sharp click. (Something like regret and sympathy flew through her, Sakura and Naruto realized.)
“Then that’s that.” Naruto said, standing up and dusting himself off. “We’ve got a lot of work to do if we ever want to shape him up.”
“Yeah,” she replied, “yeah, you’re right.”
The hospital, as they left it, was a lonely place as it always had been, but the footsteps they left with were somehow lighter than the ones on the day of Sasuke’s departure.
.
“How am I supposed to say ‘hi’ like everything’s normal?”
“You’re good at that, aren’t you, Naruto?”
“I’m not good at pretending.”
“Well, then next time, we won’t pretend.”