Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ No Love Lost ❯ Part 3, Recovery ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: shadowchild423 
Sasuke and Naruto try to cope with their loss while finding support in others.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.03.2008 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 249 | Status: Work In Progress
Sasuke and Naruto try to cope with their loss while finding support in others.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.03.2008 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 249 | Status: Work In Progress
Sasuke sat against the wall, his head hung low as he thought more and more about what he had done. Sasuke knew he was going crazy, and it had only been two days since she died. The funeral was tomorrow, and Tsunade had given him the one kindness of letting him attend the funeral. He couldn’t forgive himself for killing his Sakura blossom. Sighing, Sasuke sat back and stood up. It was time for his exercises.
As he stood, he heard a knock on the outer door where his ANBU guards stood at all times. He was puzzled, as he had only gotten one visitor since he had been put away. Looking out the small window on his door, he saw a flash of platinum blond hair. He knew the color well; it had stalked him very well when he had been in the village as a genin. Sasuke blinked as the door opened, revealing Yamanaka Ino.
Ino looked Sasuke up and down. He had gotten thinner, having lost any area to exercise well. He also didn’t have a great food intake. He was still handsome, and had a commanding presence around him. His raven black hair was drooped down, having no way to keep the hair up. His onyx eyes were filled with a pain only one other person knew, and that person was currently being kept in the hospital for mental reasons.
"I-" Sasuke started. His voice was beginning ebb after two days of not speaking. “Ino…” He said, and Ino felt a tear fall down her cheek.
“Sasuke. I heard Hokage-sama is allowing to the funeral tomorrow.” Ino said quietly. Sasuke nodded, and Ino kneeled down next to him, looking him in the eyes. “Sasuke, can you tell me exactly what happened? I got Naruto’s half of the story, I need yours.” She said, and Sasuke nodded before starting on the story.
--
Hinata woke to Naruto crying again. She berated herself for falling asleep, because Naruto could commit suicide while she slept. It had happened two or three times during the night. It was morning, so Hinata would not try to get the blond to fall asleep. She hugged Naruto to her as she comforted the blond. Shizune entered the room quietly as Naruto calmed down and sat for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.
“Hinata, you can go home now. I can look after him now.” Shizune said quietly. Hinata shook her head as she looked at the blond, who was rocking back and forth.
“I can’t. Naruto-kun needs me here.” Hinata said, and Shizune shook her head.
“You can’t do anyone any good if you are so exhausted that you can’t keep awake.” Shizune said, and Hinata sighed as she ruffled Naruto’s hair.
“I guess you’re right. I’ll sleep for a few hours, than be back.” Hinata said as she drew up some courage. She leaned down, and kissed Naruto on the cheek, which made him sit up suddenly. Hinata blushed a tomato red, and went to leave when Naruto cried out.
“NO!” He yelled as he stood. He lunged and ripped out of his strait jacket using a massive amount of his hidden power. His arms circled around Hinata in an embrace. When he looked into her eyes, remnants of the old Naruto were there, close enough to touch, but Hinata knew it was only temporary. “Don’t leave me…” He whispered into her ear. Hinata looked at him to see him tearing up. “Please…?” Hinata sighed, and looked at Shizune.
“I can’t leave him, Shizune-san. I believe we are past the suicide point, but I need to be here.” Hinata said quietly, and Shizune nodded.
“He seems to be only responding to you. I’ll ask Tsunade-sama to make you his caretaker until we can diagnose him as mentally fit. Hinata, you need to talk to him. He is at a critical point, and if we don’t do this right, he could end up permanently socially retarded.” Shizune said, and left Hinata, closing the door on the way out. Naruto was still clinging to her, his ear against her chest as he listened to her heartbeat. It soothed him, she could tell. She wrapped her arms around Naruto, and wondered when her Naruto-kun would come back, and not Naru-chan, as he liked to be called now.
Hinata thought back to yesterday. Naruto had come out of his coma-like sleep acting as though he were five years old. Hinata and Shizune agreed that he had regressed to a time when he still looked at the world with awe, instead of the horrible truth that he did now. Occasionally he went into deep thought, and that was when Hinata made real progress with him. She would discuss what he was thinking about, what he was troubled with. It was during these times he seemed like a depressed version of the old Naruto.
And he had becoming more and more like that since yesterday. His deep thinking times came more often, and stayed for longer, and Hinata knew that Naruto would eventually return to this world for good. Then they could treat his depression like any normal depression. But until then, they had to deal with his split personalities. Hinata had named each of them, and liked one much more than the other. His five-year-old personality was Naru-chan. His depressed self was Naruto-kun. Even though he was depressing, she liked Naruto-kun better because he was the real Naruto. Naruto went into a deep thought cycle again, and Hinata sat to talk with her patient.
--
Sasuke sighed as he finished his story. Ino stood there and listened for a good two hours, while Sasuke went to the root of the problem between the two one-time friends. It had started with Naruto bringing Sasuke back to Konoha, and had ended with Sakura’s death. Ino nodded as she paced, and glanced at the man. He seemed to be telling the truth, and it was very similar to Naruto’s story. Ino knew that Sasuke could tell lies like a gambler, but she felt as though he was being honest.
Sasuke wondered why Ino cared so much. Had someone killed his best friend, even by accident, he would want him or her locked in jail forever. Of course, that was all moot point, he hadn’t had a best friend in five years. Ino kept glancing at him, and then smiled a small, sad smile.
“I don’t think you meant to kill Sakura, and it was unavoidable with the way circumstances went. Sasuke, I forgive you. And I know you are going crazy sitting here by yourself, and I definably know that is not what Sakura wanted. So I will be coming here everyday to accompany you until Naruto is alright.” She said, and Sasuke looked at her in shock. She looked completely serious, and Sasuke sighed with relief.
“Thank you, Ino.” He said, and glanced up. He had failed to noticed how much Ino had matured. She had long given her diet up after some ‘forceful persuasion’ by Shikamaru. Because of it, her frame had filled in, and she looked a lot healthier. She looked like a woman, not a silly fifteen-year-old girl who dieted way too much. He was actually glad when he heard Ino had given up on that diet.
Despite having stalked him during his genin days, Sasuke knew Ino still cared for him, even if it wasn’t in the same way. He had always thought she was going to kill herself on that diet, and Sasuke was right. She had collapsed on a ‘B’ rank mission during a fight, and had almost gotten killed. Only Shikamaru’s quick thinking had saved her.
“When Naruto recovers, I know he will ask for your bail. Sasuke, no matter how much you have pissed him off, hurt him, or made fun of him, you are still more important to him than almost anything else. Just remember that when he asks for your bail, because he will most likely want to kick your ass also. I’ll be back tomorrow, bye Sasuke.” Ino said. She had really changed in the last couple months, and Sasuke wondered how the next few days would go for him. Sasuke wondered how Naruto would be for Sakura’s funeral.
As he stood, he heard a knock on the outer door where his ANBU guards stood at all times. He was puzzled, as he had only gotten one visitor since he had been put away. Looking out the small window on his door, he saw a flash of platinum blond hair. He knew the color well; it had stalked him very well when he had been in the village as a genin. Sasuke blinked as the door opened, revealing Yamanaka Ino.
Ino looked Sasuke up and down. He had gotten thinner, having lost any area to exercise well. He also didn’t have a great food intake. He was still handsome, and had a commanding presence around him. His raven black hair was drooped down, having no way to keep the hair up. His onyx eyes were filled with a pain only one other person knew, and that person was currently being kept in the hospital for mental reasons.
"I-" Sasuke started. His voice was beginning ebb after two days of not speaking. “Ino…” He said, and Ino felt a tear fall down her cheek.
“Sasuke. I heard Hokage-sama is allowing to the funeral tomorrow.” Ino said quietly. Sasuke nodded, and Ino kneeled down next to him, looking him in the eyes. “Sasuke, can you tell me exactly what happened? I got Naruto’s half of the story, I need yours.” She said, and Sasuke nodded before starting on the story.
--
Hinata woke to Naruto crying again. She berated herself for falling asleep, because Naruto could commit suicide while she slept. It had happened two or three times during the night. It was morning, so Hinata would not try to get the blond to fall asleep. She hugged Naruto to her as she comforted the blond. Shizune entered the room quietly as Naruto calmed down and sat for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.
“Hinata, you can go home now. I can look after him now.” Shizune said quietly. Hinata shook her head as she looked at the blond, who was rocking back and forth.
“I can’t. Naruto-kun needs me here.” Hinata said, and Shizune shook her head.
“You can’t do anyone any good if you are so exhausted that you can’t keep awake.” Shizune said, and Hinata sighed as she ruffled Naruto’s hair.
“I guess you’re right. I’ll sleep for a few hours, than be back.” Hinata said as she drew up some courage. She leaned down, and kissed Naruto on the cheek, which made him sit up suddenly. Hinata blushed a tomato red, and went to leave when Naruto cried out.
“NO!” He yelled as he stood. He lunged and ripped out of his strait jacket using a massive amount of his hidden power. His arms circled around Hinata in an embrace. When he looked into her eyes, remnants of the old Naruto were there, close enough to touch, but Hinata knew it was only temporary. “Don’t leave me…” He whispered into her ear. Hinata looked at him to see him tearing up. “Please…?” Hinata sighed, and looked at Shizune.
“I can’t leave him, Shizune-san. I believe we are past the suicide point, but I need to be here.” Hinata said quietly, and Shizune nodded.
“He seems to be only responding to you. I’ll ask Tsunade-sama to make you his caretaker until we can diagnose him as mentally fit. Hinata, you need to talk to him. He is at a critical point, and if we don’t do this right, he could end up permanently socially retarded.” Shizune said, and left Hinata, closing the door on the way out. Naruto was still clinging to her, his ear against her chest as he listened to her heartbeat. It soothed him, she could tell. She wrapped her arms around Naruto, and wondered when her Naruto-kun would come back, and not Naru-chan, as he liked to be called now.
Hinata thought back to yesterday. Naruto had come out of his coma-like sleep acting as though he were five years old. Hinata and Shizune agreed that he had regressed to a time when he still looked at the world with awe, instead of the horrible truth that he did now. Occasionally he went into deep thought, and that was when Hinata made real progress with him. She would discuss what he was thinking about, what he was troubled with. It was during these times he seemed like a depressed version of the old Naruto.
And he had becoming more and more like that since yesterday. His deep thinking times came more often, and stayed for longer, and Hinata knew that Naruto would eventually return to this world for good. Then they could treat his depression like any normal depression. But until then, they had to deal with his split personalities. Hinata had named each of them, and liked one much more than the other. His five-year-old personality was Naru-chan. His depressed self was Naruto-kun. Even though he was depressing, she liked Naruto-kun better because he was the real Naruto. Naruto went into a deep thought cycle again, and Hinata sat to talk with her patient.
--
Sasuke sighed as he finished his story. Ino stood there and listened for a good two hours, while Sasuke went to the root of the problem between the two one-time friends. It had started with Naruto bringing Sasuke back to Konoha, and had ended with Sakura’s death. Ino nodded as she paced, and glanced at the man. He seemed to be telling the truth, and it was very similar to Naruto’s story. Ino knew that Sasuke could tell lies like a gambler, but she felt as though he was being honest.
Sasuke wondered why Ino cared so much. Had someone killed his best friend, even by accident, he would want him or her locked in jail forever. Of course, that was all moot point, he hadn’t had a best friend in five years. Ino kept glancing at him, and then smiled a small, sad smile.
“I don’t think you meant to kill Sakura, and it was unavoidable with the way circumstances went. Sasuke, I forgive you. And I know you are going crazy sitting here by yourself, and I definably know that is not what Sakura wanted. So I will be coming here everyday to accompany you until Naruto is alright.” She said, and Sasuke looked at her in shock. She looked completely serious, and Sasuke sighed with relief.
“Thank you, Ino.” He said, and glanced up. He had failed to noticed how much Ino had matured. She had long given her diet up after some ‘forceful persuasion’ by Shikamaru. Because of it, her frame had filled in, and she looked a lot healthier. She looked like a woman, not a silly fifteen-year-old girl who dieted way too much. He was actually glad when he heard Ino had given up on that diet.
Despite having stalked him during his genin days, Sasuke knew Ino still cared for him, even if it wasn’t in the same way. He had always thought she was going to kill herself on that diet, and Sasuke was right. She had collapsed on a ‘B’ rank mission during a fight, and had almost gotten killed. Only Shikamaru’s quick thinking had saved her.
“When Naruto recovers, I know he will ask for your bail. Sasuke, no matter how much you have pissed him off, hurt him, or made fun of him, you are still more important to him than almost anything else. Just remember that when he asks for your bail, because he will most likely want to kick your ass also. I’ll be back tomorrow, bye Sasuke.” Ino said. She had really changed in the last couple months, and Sasuke wondered how the next few days would go for him. Sasuke wondered how Naruto would be for Sakura’s funeral.