Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Strained Alliance ❯ Grudges--Everybody's Got One ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Grudges—Everybody's Got One

 

Grudge: v. 1. to be reluctant to give in or admit. 2. to resent for having; begrudge. 3. harbor ill feelings 4. accept or admit unwillingly. n. 1. a deep-seated feeling of resentment or rancor. 2. a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation; “holding a grudge” or “settling a score”. (www.dicitonary.com).

--

 

It was hot, but he didn't really feel it. Nothing really meant anything anymore. Heat, cold…sensations. Love, hate…unnecessary emotions. Money, power…? Money, he could do without. Well, not really. But there was someone else to deal with that. Power…now there was something that he could definitely get behind. At the moment, there was only one thing on his mind. The one that got away. One might ask what he meant by that. Well. He could have been thinking of two people, actually.

 

The first of these people—listed in no particular order—was his little brother. Sasuke. Looking at him now, one would never have thought of how cute he had been a few years back. Now, he looked like he'd swallowed a basket full of lemons. Itachi shrugged, a mere twitch of his shoulders. He supposed that it was his fault, but nothing really made him feel bad for it. Sasuke would do exactly what honor and his own pride required of him. The boy would follow in his path, view the wake of destruction. It would add fuel to the flames of righteous anger and obsession in him. Then, Sasuke would come for him. He would try his best to kill him. And Itachi would return the favor, though he would do so as dispassionately as possible. Emotions make a person weak. That's why he had them surgically removed. Well, he wished he had. They were still in there somewhere, but he had them under lock and key, like any good homicidal maniac.

 

Aside from his younger brother, there was still the last tiny bit of his job. Uzumaki Naruto was still walking free. If there was one emotion that was still present in Uchiha Itachi, it was pride. And the thought of anyone else bringing the Nine-Tails in was a blow to that one small still-sensitive portion of himself. Hence, he needed the boy in the worst way. To satisfy his pride. Just his pride.

 

--

 

“Kami-sama, kill me, please.” Sasuke groaned. He wanted death. Oh, did he want it. It was now two weeks into his imprisonment in that dreadful body-cast, and he already wanted one of two things.

 

To die a quick and painless death

To get the hell out of the damned cast!

 

Why, you ask? Oh, that's very simple. Anyone who has ever had a broken limb casted has been through about one fourth of what Uchiha Sasuke was experiencing. It was the itching. The dreadful itch that he couldn't scratch. Not just inside the cast, either. His nose itched, and he couldn't damned-well reach it. But after a while, every bit of him started to itch. It was a burning need that he had. He just wanted to scratch and scratch until he scraped off about six layers of skin. That's all. Just to scratch.

 

Added to the burning annoyance that was his skin's itching, he also had the problem of the smell. Another thing that the wearers of casts find is that they cannot wash the skin covered by it, and they often develop a certain odor because of it. Sasuke could barely stand his own stench. He couldn't breathe through his nose. It was like sweat, dirt, sickness, and everything foul. Sasuke realized with a start of disgust that he smelled like Naruto's apartment.

 

His frustration grew with every passing moment. He couldn't scratch, he could barely breathe…hell, it was even hotter in the room now, and he was starting to sweat more. And then, if he wasn't really in hell before, he got visitors.

 

A blonde head poked into the room, and a body followed as Naruto came in, a smirk settled over his lips that Sasuke couldn't smack off of him even if he'd wanted to. Oh, wait. He did want to.

 

Well, Damn. That's too bad.

 

Then, in came Sakura, right after Naruto. Her face showed concern for him, which he didn't want. If he were in a talkative mood, he would have yelled at them to get out. “You look annoyed, teme,” Naruto said brightly, his smile blinding. “What's the matter?”

 

Not in the mood for banter, Sasuke told the truth. “I am itching like crazy. Everywhere. And…I smell.” Naruto's eyebrows rose, nearly into his hairline. The boy leaned toward him and took an experimental sniff.

 

“Damn! You're right, Sasuke-teme. You smell like shit.”

 

“I smell like your apartment.”

 

“What!?” The blonde balled up a fist to hit Sasuke, but it was caught and nearly crushed by Sakura.

 

“Naruto,” she said in a calm voice that Sasuke was very glad was not directed at himself, “If you hit him while he's defenseless, I'll put you in a cast just like his. And then, I'll put itching powder in yours. Ma?” Sasuke bit his lips to keep from laughing. Naruto looked as if he were about to have apoplexy. “Now, sit down, and be good.” The blond grumbled under his breath as he sat, and Sasuke looked smugly over at him. Sakura always defended him. Always.

 

“And Sasuke, I'll have you know that Naruto's apartment smells quite nice. You have been gone for a long time, you know.” When she turned to him, she had a syringe in her hand, and his eyes widened. “What, Sasuke?” Her eyes followed his gaze, and she giggled slightly. “Oh, this is just a little something for you to heal up a bit faster. If it works, then you should be out of the hospital in less than a week.”

 

“What the hell is it?” His voice was as terse as usual.

 

Her eyebrow rose at his tone, and chakra ignited around her hand, and flowed into the syringe. “It's a serum Tsunade developed, using Naruto's blood. He's a super-human healer. If you apply chakra to this stuff, you can heal broken bones quite quickly. You were given a smaller dose before you woke up when we brought you back.” Her voice had taken on a lecturing tone, and he wasn't at all certain if he liked it. Sakura's face went studiously blank as she shoved his head to one side and jabbed the needle into his jugular.

 

“Shit!” He swore, and whipped his head back around after she'd finished, glaring death at her. “That fucking hurt!”

 

Sakura leaned down to him, and said, “It's going to hurt a lot worse in a few minutes.” Winking at him, she said, “Try not to scream, Sasuke-kun.”

 

He snorted. As if he would…oh, what the..? For some reason, there was a burning, searing, ripping pain running through every fiber of his being. It seemed that in his agony, all of his muscles were contracting, only intensifying the sharp nature of the pain. It was impossible to control such a basic reflex at the moment. Sakura was standing there, still holding the needle that put this liquid fire into him, and smirking. He gritted his teeth, and said, “S-Sakura…it…hu-hurts…”

 

With an air of mock innocence, she said, “I told you it would. Now, try not to scream. It would hurt my ears.”

 

Then, the last thing that he would have ever thought happened. “Ne, Sakura-chan, you know it's cruel to make it hurt that much…” Naruto was looking around Sakura's back, at Sasuke. He looked like he could sympathize. Through the pain, Sasuke let out a string of obscenities. She was doing this on purpose? Damn her!

 

Another wave of white-hot agony ripped through him, tearing every nerve, through which he could hear Sakura's piercing voice yelling at Naruto. “Shut up, Naruto! I want him to feel all the pain he caused me! If this is the only way, then damn it, I'm going to do it!”

 

What the hell? He caused…pain? Sakura…he'd hurt her? When? His vision cleared, and finally he saw Naruto holding Sakura's shoulders, staring—more like glaring—into her eyes, and yelling right back.

 

“I thought you loved him?! How do you expect someone to act when all they know, from their whole life is death and revenge? He just doesn't know any better! Stop this, Sakura. Stop it now, or I'll stop it for you!” His eyes had some kind of dark fire in them, and Sasuke blinked at him, wondering where Naruto got such insight from. Sakura's back stiffened.

 

“Are you threatening me, Uzumaki Naruto?”

 

Naruto's face was a thunderhead. “Damned straight, Sakura. You stop what you're doing to Sasuke, or I'll knock you the fuck out. You said no hitting him while he's defenseless? How is what you're doing any better?” Now, Sasuke had heard many things in his life. But this—logic, coming from Naruto's mouth—took the cake. He watched through the film of tears (purely a knee jerk reaction to the pain…Sasuke doesn't really cry) as Sakura, without even looking at him, placed a hand on the nearest bit of his skin she could reach, and pressed chakra into him, taking the pain away.

 

Sakura walked stiffly from the room, and just before she was out the door, she looked back at him. The image of her face just then would be burned into his mind forever. Nothing, not killing any human being—including his brother—would ever erase that picture from his memory. No amount of blood could wash away the tears he saw in her eyes. There was no stillness of death that could stop the trembling of her lips. He saw, in that moment, the pain he had caused. And for some reason, one that he did not understand, it hurt him, too.

 

Naruto was standing next to his head now. “Sasuke-teme…” The boy in question turned his head to see his friend. Uzumaki Naruto, apparently, had never stopped being his friend, through everything. The betrayal, the fighting, it had done nothing to smother Naruto's grudging respect and admiration. Blue eyes looked on him with a light of concern, but also that old mocking. Sasuke found himself suddenly grateful for Naruto. And he absolutely hated him for it. “I'm sorry for what she did.” That killed it. Sasuke hated pity. Was that fucking pity in Naruto's voice?

 

“I've hurt worse before.”

 

Naruto huffed. “Damn it, Sasuke, why do you have to be such an ass?”

 

Smirking a little, Sasuke said softly, “Because I can be.”

 

“Is that so?” Naruto's face had turned devious. What was he planning? “Well, Mr. Bastard of the Universe Uchiha…I think I've finally developed a way to put you in your place.” Chakra ignited around his hands, and Naruto put hand hands on Sasuke's cast. Bracing himself for whatever attack Naruto was about to mount on him, Sasuke was amazed to find that no pain came.

 

On the contrary. There was the most blissful scratching right on the spot where Naruto's hands were. His upper arm was being scratched….

 

“Ahhhhh.” Sasuke couldn't help it. The simple act of Naruto scratching his itch was something that felt so good he would have done anything for it to continue. Oh, shit.

 

“I guess that's a `I like that, and please don't stop, Naruto, and I'll do anything you want'?” Naruto's voice was frightening. He was blackmailing him. Sasuke swallowed audibly. “Don't worry, Sasuke. I won't make you sing or anything. You probably sound like a frog when you do. No. I'll only ask that the next time Sakura-chan comes in here, you actually treat her like a human being. That's all.”

 

That only took the invalid half a second to think about. “Fair enough. Now scratch, damn it!”

 

“Okay, teme.” The blonde's hands moved to his forearm, before he stopped momentarily. “But don't think I'm scratching your jock itch.” Sasuke couldn't help but snort.

 

“You touch me there, asshole, chakra or whatever, and I'll break my ass out of this cast and kill you.” He got the reaction he wanted out of that. Naruto rolled his eyes, but kept his hands well away from his crotch.

 

--

 

Sakura leaned on the wall outside the ward Sasuke was in. It took everything she had not to break a hole in the wall opposite her. Naruto…he just made her so angry sometimes…Slumping down the wall to sit on the floor, she hitched up her kimono. Her fingers dug into her hair, and she screwed her eyes shut. One of her hands reached out for something, anything to throw. All it found was a kunai. That would work. Hurling it with all her might, she waited for the expected thunk as it would embed itself in the plaster and brick of the wall. It never came.

 

When she opened her eyes, what she saw was not what she expected. “Why Sakura, I didn't think you were the type of person to throw kunai at innocent bystanders.” Kakashi stood there, the weapon she had just thrown twirling on his left index finger. “Would you mind telling me what has you so upset that you're lashing out at nothing?”

 

She told him what happened, how Naruto had pissed her off. He shook his head. “Come with me. I'll tell you a little something.” They walked to the hospital cafeteria, and he bought them each a steaming cup of tea. When they'd sat down, Kakashi said, “Now, I don't want you throwing anything at me. Agreed? Good. Sakura, you're not angry at Naruto, are you?”

 

“Yes I am, he—“

 

Kakashi held up a hand for silence in that commanding way only he seemed to have. “Haruno Sakura. You are a very smart girl. How long is it going to take before you actually admit that you're angry with him?”

 

That hurt, for some reason. She knew exactly who he was talking about. “But…I don't want to be mad at him.”

 

His eye took on a look that said he knew that she was lying. “At least part of you is angry, and thinks that it's right to be.” Shrugging, he said, “Personally, I feel like he should be locked in a room with all of the people he's hurt, tied to a chair, and let them all have a couple good swings at him. That would teach him not to leave his comrades.” Sakura gaped at him, but more so because she found a part of herself agreeing with him.

 

Okay. So, maybe she was just a tad angry.

 

Who was she kidding? She was pissed off beyond any amount of sanity.

 

“Thanks, Kakashi-sensei.” She stared down into her tea. Sakura heard him drinking. It seemed that she would never see his face, unless she operated on it. For some reason, that didn't bother her at the moment. Leaving her tea, she stood. Before she left the cafeteria, she leaned over the table, kissing his clothed cheek. “I don't know when you got to be so smart, but I'm glad you did. Thanks.” And she left her slightly blushing teacher sitting there, staring bashfully into his tea. Sakura chuckled on her way out.

 

--

 

In a dark clearing outside Konoha, Two figures stood. “Is everything as I want it?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good. Then the two of us will go in at three in the morning. Alone.”

 

A glint of moonlight was seen in the dark, as if from glass. “Yes. That sounds good…Orochimaru-sama.”