Lonely Faces (*aka. -Roommates) | Chapter 23

Beta: abnegation218

Lonely Faces (*aka.Roommates)


Chapter 16

He couldn’t think straight, his mind was hazy as he tried desperately to open his eyes; it wasn’t working. He could hear people speaking in loud voices, trying to assess the situation. A soft thudding was beating through his body as he listened to the sound of plastic wheels moving over cracks in the floor.
“What’s his condition!?”
“Vital signs are weakening. Abrasions to the skull suggests internal hemorrhaging.”
“We need to get him to surgery, stat!”
“Kiba! Is Kiba going to be ok!?”
Naruto?
“We don’t know yet. Sir, we are going to have to ask you to stay here.”
Someone released his hand, he hadn’t known someone was holding it; it felt so natural. He grieved over the lost contact before he blacked out once again.
-
A low mournful tune entered his ears and played across his mind. The melody was fraught with a sluggish, graceful, lamenting harmony that caught him off guard. It was the saddest thing he had ever heard; laced full of regrets, loneliness, and self-pity.
He struggled to open his eyes, and they parted unwilling as heart-rending tears flooded his cloudy vision. Shaky outlines appeared before him. He blinked away the moisture and the image cleared slightly.
Naruto was sitting on a chair, crying as he breathed the woeful notes into the red and gold harmonica he held to his face. Kiba had never heard such a terribly forlorn sound.
Naruto opened his eyes and looked directly at him. The song’s harmony was torn, a high pitch ripping the air as the instrument fell from his lips and he lunged forwards.
“Kiba! Kiba!” he cried, placing his warm hands on either side of Kiba’s face.
He tried to hold out longer as the impending darkness crowded around him.
‘No, NO, NARUTO! I have to talk to him, NO!’
It was no use; the shadows enveloped him, casting his mind into the void of utter nothingness.
-
Someone was holding his hand again. The warmth spread from his fingers and up his wrist, leaving him feeling comforted. He opened his eyes; the fog in his mind was lifting. His vision came into focus as he looked at the person griping him.
Naruto was sitting on a chair on the right side of his bed, his upper body strewn over a part of the bed as he slept, still clasping him tight. Kiba stared down at the sleeping figure; his face was blotchy and covered in wet stains, as though he had just cried himself to sleep.
Kiba shifted his head slightly, looking around the room as a dull pulsing ache shot through his brain. He was surrounded by blue curtains, inside of which lay various monitoring equipment.
‘I’m in a hospital?’
“Kiba?” whispered a voice to his left.
He turned to see who had spoken, and was surprised he hadn’t noticed his sister sitting next to him, opposite Naruto. “Hana?”
Her disheveled appearance only seemed to worsen when she gave a small smile and began to cry.
“Kiba, thank God you’re awake.” she said in a low voice, reaching out and brushing his cheek lightly.
“Hana, what’s going on? What happened? Where’s Richard?” he asked, confused over his absence.
She looked down, guilt playing across her face. “Well, you remember that Richard … attacked me, and you and Naruto tried to fend him off?”
Kiba nodded his head slowly. “Yeah, and he hit me with the bottle he was carrying. Naruto … lost control and fought him, and I tried to stop him. Then …”
“… he hit you.” finished Hana, looking solemn.
“But it wasn’t his fault!” said Kiba quickly. “He lost control. He needs help. You didn’t tell anyone did you?”
Hana glanced up at him, anger flashing across her face. “No, I didn’t. I could tell that he hadn’t … meant to do it. I just told the police what Richard did, and how you and Naruto tried to help. You got hit with the bottle and Naruto beat the crap out of him.”
Kiba gave a small sigh of relief; at least Naruto wouldn’t be blamed for anything.
Hana stood and looked away. “I don’t like the fact that Naruto is potentially unstable, but I can see how much you care for him, and how much he loves you. He has almost never left your side the entire time you’ve been here. Everyone in the family thinks he’s a big hero again, and I can see how much it hurts him when they talk about it, he just keeps getting more and more depressed.”
Kiba’s gaze came back to rest on the still slumbering Naruto. The blond haired boy had been through so much, and it had been all his fault. Whatever was happening to him, this thing that took Naruto over, he would be there to help him.
He turned back to Hana. “How long have I been here?”
“Three days.” she said, returning to her seat.
“Three days!” cried Kiba, looking slightly alarmed.
Hana grinned. “Yes, you’ve been out quite a while.”
Kiba mumbled something about not being so weak.
Hana laughed. “Listen, you’re lucky that you didn’t get brain damage the way Richard clobbered you. Speaking of which, I should go get the doctor.”
Hana got up and opened the curtain slightly to let herself out, closing them behind her.
Kiba raised a hand to his throbbing head, to find several layers of gauze dressing impeding his path. His head hurt so much he hadn’t even noticed it.
Kiba turned when he heard a low moan from Naruto.
Naruto was muttering in his sleep. “… Kiba, please … no … please don’t leave me … no …”
A tear slid from underneath Naruto’s closed eyelid and traced yet another line of moisture down his face, landing on the bed sheet below.
“Naruto …” said Kiba sadly, moving his hand to grace the boy’s blond hair.
The boy shifted and brought his head up to meet Kiba’s gaze.
Naruto looked serenely into Kiba’s eyes for a moment, still dazed from sleep, before letting out a loud cry. “KIBA!”
Naruto sat up and embraced Kiba tenderly, his tear drenched face wetting Kiba’s cheek.
“Kiba! Thank God you’re awake! I’ve been so worried about you.”
Naruto released him, kissed him lightly, and hugged him once more; as though it would never happen again.
“I’m so sorry Kiba. This is all my fault. Can you ever forgive me?” Naruto sobbed into Kiba’s shoulder.
Kiba sighed. “Naruto, it’s not your fault at all, there is nothing to forgive.”
“Of course it’s my fault! I was the one who provoked Richard at the Vet’s office in the first place, making Hana break up with him, and then he came back for revenge. I’m the one to blame for everything. Please don’t hate me!” cried Naruto, his voice growing hysterical.
Kiba pulled away, hands still on either of the boy’s shoulders as he looked into his azure eyes. “Naruto, if anyone is to blame it’s Richard. Besides, I could never hate you, I love you.”
“Oh Kiba!” bawled Naruto, burying his face into Kiba’s chest and weeping loudly. “I love you too. You are far too good to me.”
The brunet rolled his eyes and rubbed Naruto’s back comfortingly. He really needed to get Naruto to stop being so dramatic about everything.
After he had calmed Naruto down slightly, Hana came back, followed by a blond haired doctor. The name tag she wore on her white coat read: Dr. Tsunade Godaime.
“Ok Mr. Inuzuka, it seems you’ve finally woken up.” she said, looking over the monitoring equipment behind him and adjusting a knob.
“Yeah …” replied Kiba, an embraced flush creeping up his visage.
“There was some minor internal bleeding near the brain, but it was nothing serious.” she said, flashing a light into either of his eyes, making him blink.
The doctor looked over his bandages. “Hmm, these will have to be changed soon.”
She got out a clipboard and made a few notes.
“Now, have you experienced any memory loss, nausea, migraines?” she asked inquisitively.
“Well, I’ve got a bid of a headache.” he said, rubbing his eyes.
“Ok …” she said, pausing to write. “Is there anything that is out of the ordinary; involuntary body movement, inexplicable pain, tingling sensations?”
Kiba shook his head. “Nope.”
“Ok, you’re fine for now. I’ll be back later to check on your progress.”
She left Kiba, Naruto and Hana alone and a small silence fell between them.
Naruto looked at Hana; he was still a bit awkward around her after what had happened. She had leapt in front of Kiba to protect him from Naruto three nights ago. Naruto couldn’t blame her for not trusting him; frankly he was surprised she hadn’t told the police the whole thing and have him taken away.
Hana looked back at him, and sighed. “Naruto, please stop beating yourself up over this, it wasn’t your fault. I don’t want my new brother to think he’s some kind of outcast.”
Naruto stared at her in surprise. Maybe she did trust him after all; she was still acknowledging him as part of the family, a brother. Was she right to trust him, or was he just going to put them in further danger. No, he couldn’t let that happen, he couldn’t let any of them get hurt again. She was giving him this second chance, and he wasn’t going to screw it up.
“Thanks Hana.” he replied, wiping away his tears. “I won’t let you down.”

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A/N: Okay, the last few chapters have been a little dark, but it'll lighten up soon. Please don't forget to review!