Deconstruct

thoughts/emphasis

Chapter 2: Best Day Ever


The two experienced gazes eyed her disbelievingly. The older woman broke the confused silence first.

“Haruno, that has to be the dumbest, most reckless idea I’ve ever heard.”

The hopeful excitement faltered slightly on the pale face. “No, just hear me out. Naruto’s treatment has been progressing slowly at best. I would hate to see him here for another four years. In group therapy he clams up and becomes extremely distant and he still socializes very little. I just think that maybe if he was in the same room with some one with a similar story…

At this point Iruka’s eyes widened with disagreement. He desperately wanted to interject. “But-“

Instead, Sakura continued, ignoring his small interruption “…he would be more likely to open up to me, you, or Iruka. Having Uchiha in his room could be like having a private group therapy session, one of which he couldn’t escape.”

Iruka had enough. “What you propose is entirely dangerous. Not only are you risking their mental safety, but physical as well. Did you forget where Naruto was this morning? He isn’t ready. Furthermore, we know absolutely nothing about how this Uchiha child will act in the general population let alone in close confinement with a roommate. This can only lead to disaster.”

“But I really think that their shared experience could help in healing them both. Isn’t sharing the entire reason why we have them in group therapy?” The young doctor screeched, slightly miffed that she wasn’t being taken seriously.

Iruka scoffed, ignoring her response he continued with his own rant. “And about their stories being similar? That could not be further from the truth. Their stories—” he cut himself off and shook his head. He was just not ready to go that route. He took in a deep breath while absently squeezing his pen tightly in an attempt to calm himself. “Look, Naruto is progressing; all we need to do is to help him remember and relive his trauma, slowly and carefully” he emphasized to get his underlying point across. “With that accomplished we will be able to go about healing him. I can’t risk him having a relapse; we can’t lose the small bit we’ve gained.”

“And don’t you see how being around Uchiha will help him do that?” she paused for a moment, squeezing the bridge of her nose and letting out a shaky breath to calm herself, she would not allow herself to lose her cool. “When they start to interact, maybe Sasuke’s memories will help to trigger some of Naruto’s.”

Iruka snorted, “From what I understand, those memories are severely flawed. Yet even if what you say is true, if this can ‘trigger Naruto’s memories’, what then? As I pointed out earlier Naruto is not stable, if the wrong memory is triggered he could seriously hurt someone. With that as a possibility, I would have to be more against your ‘radical idea’ than I was previously”

“Then we can monitor them closely; track their behaviors under more scrutiny. Security is already stationed in the ward; just have the officers on high alert. Just give it a chance—“

“Enough.” The arguing back and forth was giving Tsunade a headache. She turned toward the man who was desperately trying to keep his emotions in check. “Three years…”, she began sadly, “Almost four, Iruka, and we barely scratched the surface.” Upon seeing his mouth begin to twitch in protest she quickly continued, “I realize that Naruto has been making progress but we have yet to help him get to the root of his problem, whenever we get close he shuts down or becomes violent. Maybe… just maybe this new approach will yield some results.”

His mouth twisted into a disgusted snarl, “So what are they now, an experiment? This could border on ethics violations—“

The next movement not only startled the two young doctors in the room but the only occupant of the adjoined room, though he refused to show any form of surprise. The two-way glass groaned and wobbled under the force of her punch. Her angry eyes were narrowed on the pony-tailed doctor cowering in her wake.

“How. Dare.You?” she ground out angrily, a vain bulging vehemently as she willed the younger doctor to burst into flames under her intense gaze. “I care about that boy as much as you do, maybe more than I should. I want nothing more than to help in his recovery and for you to question my ethics? Now I respect you a lot Iruka, that’s why I worked so hard to get you on my team, but I will not have you undermine nor threaten me. If you have a problem with the way I run things in my hospital, please feel free to leave”, she paused and sucked in any angry breath, “So, is this your resignation then, Dr. Umino? “

The tan man eyed the woman before him quivering in anger. He didn’t mean to let his emotions take over like that. He loved working at the institution and he knew Tsunade would never do anything to endanger her patients. He was just extremely protective of their well being, especially the teens in that particular ward. He was born with a large compassionate heart that led him into psychology; he wanted to be able to help people feel whole, safe, and happy. His own life was particularly hard but he was able to stumble and scrounge his way through, though very much alone. He never wanted anyone to go through the awful things he himself had been through.

That mentality led him to concentrate on a particular field in psychology: anxiety disorders, more specifically childhood post traumatic stress disorder. Though he was the head of the entire anxiety disorder department at Tranquil Leaf Villas, he was an active participant in the juvenile post traumatic stress disorder ward. He worked one on one with every child who went through and who was currently going through the program since he arrived seven years ago. He did not want them to lose his steady connection. He was very adamant about them having a constant stabilizing force in their restructured lives. No, he did not want to leave them.

“No, I don’t want to leave”, he began, sagging his shoulders in defeat. “I just don’t want anything to go wrong. I don’t want either of them to get hurt or to sustain any more mental or emotional damage” the worried doctor quickly bargained.

“Good then”, Tsunade expressed, calming down, “Then we will try Haruno’s idea. Since you are an expert in this particular field and since you are so eager to debunk her theory, I am putting you personally in charge of ensuring their progress. I will step aside and allow you to be the highest authority in this particular matter. That way you are able to control what goes on and if you see any oncoming danger, you alone will have the power to stop this and separate them. But I want Haruno as your second. And if you need any help with your duties as department head during this time, I will gladly lend you Shizune’s services.” The last part she threw in as an afterthought, a last minute bonus… for herself. She would gladly volunteer Shizune’s time, she would do anything to get her nagging assistant off her back.

She turned to the newest member of her team and spoke, “Of course before we make this official, I will need to know if this idea will in fact be feasible. You will need to monitor Uchiha’s interaction with others. Iruka is right; we do not need any adverse effects on Naruto’s slow but steady progress nor do we want to hinder any progress Sasuke would make. Once everything is cleared, since this was your idea, I expect you to be involved in making sure everything goes smoothly. I want you to work with them closely and I want you to keep in mind that the person in charge does not trust the validity or effectiveness of this theory of yours.” She sighed heavily, made her way toward the door and opened it roughly, almost tearing it off the hinges, “I leave you two to work out the details, and I want to see some results in six months.”

And with that she left in a huff, slamming the door so hard it nearly rattled the foundation, leaving three stunned people in her wake.


-----------------------------------------------~@.o.O.o.@~--------------------------------------------


Once the mirror in the room rattled he turned toward the shaking glass. He should have guessed that some one was behind the reflective surface. It was just like on television. He shot a pointed glare out of the corner of his eye to the “mirror”. If Itachi thought that he would be able to torture him in this way, he was dead wrong. No one could scare him and no one could intimidate him because he was ready for anything.

“Come out you sick twisted bastard! Come to me so I can end your pathetic life with my bare hands!” he screamed, twisting painfully in his restraints trying to get a good look at every corner in the room. Wide dark eyes darted frantically about, seeking any movement. There was another slamming noise and the mirror rattled again. He was ready for him this time; he was ready for that asshole to show up. Ready for anything. His eyes twitched back and forth constantly surveying the room; his ears open for the slightest shift in sound. Everything was so quiet… ,too quiet, but he would not fall into a false sense of security. His fingers, his toes, and something in his gut curled in anticipation, this was it. This was their moment and he knew it. His heart beat loudly in his ears, becoming louder with every pump; beating so hard that it rocked his body back and forth. He could hear him coming closer, footsteps getting louder, heavier, nearer. Sasuke pulled in his bottom lip, bit sharply, and pulled it out again, repeating the action compulsively. Then there was nothing. Just pure and utter silence. His eyes whirled around the room, from the corners to the floor to the ceiling, Where is that bastard?

Just then the doorknob turned slowly, creaking. His fingers curled, nails biting into the soft wood of the chair, creating crescent shaped indentations and scraping the finish off. His breath came out in short expressed puffs. His heart fluttered rapidly. The door gradually opened until it revealed two shadowy figures.

The first to step in was a young petite woman in white lab coat. An ID badge clipped on the top left side. He noticed that it was slightly askew. She had pastel skin, sparkling green eyes, and the pinkest hair he had ever seen. He wondered if maybe a patient stole the uniform from one of the doctors because there was no way someone would hire anyone with pink hair to work as a doctor.

“Hi Sasuke” she greeted in a sugary sweet tone, with an undercurrent of caution. Why was she treating him like a baby? Did she think he was fragile? What did Itachi tell her? He was going to kill him. “My name is Dr. Sakura Haruno, but you can call me Sakura, I actually prefer it. It’s so very nice to meet you.” She continued, effectively breaking his train of thought.

The next person that followed closely behind was a man of medium height with dark brown hair pulled up into a tight, slightly messy ponytail. He had a long gash across the bridge of his nose. The deep richness of his tan made Sasuke wonder if he loved outdoor activities.

“Hello Sasuke, my name is Dr. Umino, but I hope one day you will feel comfortable enough to just call me Iruka.” the man spoke in a gentle, disarming tone. Sasuke scowled as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the darker man before him. What exactly was he up to? Could someone actually be so…kind, so open. Sasuke narrowed his eyes more, what the hell was he just thinking? The man was not kind nor was he open; he was just there to distract him. They were all working against him. No one could be trusted and that’s all he needed to remember. He closed his eyes and focused on his one goal. Eyes, the deep dark color rivaling his own, long dark hair that changed from a black to dark grey, depending on the lighting, that pale skin and that stupid fucking smug face began to materialize behind his closed lids. That stupid taunting smug face that said he was better than Sasuke. That fucker was teasing him! Calling him weak! He was going to show him. Yes, when he lay lifeless in his hands, who would be the weak helpless brother then?

Brown eyes stared worriedly into equally concerned green as they watched as the pale teen closed himself off. His eyes shut tight, detaching himself from his current situation. Iruka stepped forward and knelt in front of the tensed figure. He reached a caramel colored hand forward to pry apart the boy’s tightly clenched, white knuckled fists. The raven’s eyes popped open at the soft touch and widened a fraction, the only indication of his surprise, as he narrowed his focusing eyes on the man before him, pinning him with death glare #7, which meant: What the hell?!

Sasuke couldn’t understand why he allowed the doctor to stretch out his hand and turn it palm side up. He really wanted to know why he allowed him to stroke the sweaty, yet tender flesh that was now peppered with the small angry red crescents, care of his traitorous nails, in a soothing manner. He didn’t know why, but he wasn’t going to let him continue. He jerked his hand away, well as much as he could considering his restraints, and gauged the sun kissed face for a reaction.

Iruka sighed and pushed himself back to his feet. He pinned the raven with a warm smile and spoke.

“Well I think it’s about time we get you out of here and get you checked in. Just remember that here at Tranquil Leaf Villas our only concern is your safety and well being. We are only here to help you, Sasuke.”

Iruka leaned over and began unbuckling the cuffs on his wrists. Sakura, getting the hint, rushed to his side to help him release the constrained boy. The pony tailed man took one arm while the pink haired woman took the other and helped the boy to his feet. Once Sasuke was sure of his footing he wrenched his arms away, startling the green eyed woman as his eyes flitted around the room looking for means of escape.

“Please cooperate with us, we would much rather do this the easy way” came the masculine yet gentle tone. Sasuke looked up into the doorway as he noticed the two men from earlier standing in the frame. He could’ve sworn he saw one smirking at him. Not wanting a repeat of earlier in the day, at least not yet, he let his stance relax. He let out a large sigh, ruffling the dark silky bangs that gracefully grazed his cheek bones, and shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Hn.” Was the only reply made as he followed the two doctors out of the room.


-----------------------------------------------~@.o.O.o.@~--------------------------------------------


She slammed her office door, walked straight to her desk, and plopped down in her leather chair. It squeaked and groaned under protest of the dropped weight. Placing her elbows on the desk, none to gently, she laced her fingers and rested her head on her hands. She absently bit the finger nearest to her mouth softly as the breath from her nose gently caressed her knuckles. She knew she shouldn’t have gotten so upset about a patient but she was hopelessly attached to the troubled blond. She still remembered the day he was brought to Tranquil Leaf Villas…

She rushed into the visiting room. They all looked the same. There was one window to light the small area. Everything inside the confined space was so grey. She absently made a note to self about promptly changing the gloomy color. Inside was a midsized rectangular dull grey metal table surrounded by four equally drab chairs. She sighed and put all thoughts of redecorating the room aside as she sought out her guest. She saw him out of the corner of her eye, a beam of light that filtered though the small window illuminated his oddly still, large form. The first thing she noticed was his aura, or rather lack there off. Usually when this jovial man entered a room he was able to consume the place with his presence. His voice, his personality, his stature, everything about him drew any and everything toward him like a gravitational pull. But now he seemed so fragile, it was as if he would shatter even with the slightest breeze directed his way. His rigid form stood in the farthest corner of the room while his glazed over dark eyes stared aimlessly out the window. Before she could clear her throat to announce her presence, a tightening pull at his shirt, courtesy of a smaller tan hand fisted in the fabric, alerted him for her. Her breath hitched as she took in the sorrowful eyes of one of her best friends from college.

They met taking a psychology class and while she was there to begin her major, the journalism student was there to “find the secret mental trigger to get more chicks.” After a sound beating on his part, they began to talk and became fast friends. He even set her up with his political science major roommate who in turn became her future, now late, husband, Dan. But today he barely resembled the lecherous, vivacious young man she knew. His hair was white and in a long ponytail, while that was nothing new, instead of its usual spikiness it now drooped along his shoulders and down his back. His normal grin was replaced with a serious yet exasperated frown. His normally twinkling dark eyes were dull and helpless, framed with dark rings indicating many sleepless nights.

“Tsunade”, he finally spoke in a raspy voice, heavy with grief and weariness, “I don’t know what to do.”

Her eyes pricked slightly at hearing his defeated tone. She had never seen him like that in all of the thirty years they’ve known each other. She frowned as she stepped closer to her long time friend and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Jiraiya…”

“I should have…” he paused as he choked back a sob, “I just should have been there” he said bowing his head dejectedly. He shifted to the left slightly, revealing a young blond boy around the age of thirteen whose fist still held Jiraiya’s shirt in a death grip, though the boy himself failed to notice. His wide azure eyes stared before him but remained unfocused. Jiraiya looked at the blond now at his side, his heartbreak seizing control, tightening his chest as he took in the lifeless doll that used to be his hyperactive nephew. Gods, why wasn’t he there for him? Why was he so selfish? He knelt in front of the despondent child and pulled the boy into a warm embrace, of which the boy made no move to reciprocate. He just stood still, staring off at nothing. “Forgive me”, he whispered in the boy’s ear, “I should have been there, I just should have been there,” he repeated over and over again while tears silently fell from his eyes. After a moment the boy started to shake violently and began to struggle in his embrace. When he wasn’t let go immediately he began to scream and claw at the older male’s back, tears charging down his newly scarred cheeks. The salty discharge was immediately absorbed in the gauze that adorned his face.

Jiraiya quickly released him and watched as the boy began to mercilessly claw at his own arms, the scratches becoming deeper with each swipe. Blood oozed under blunt fingernails. Jiraiya grabbed a hold of the boy’s upper arms, trying to pull his hands from his arms. He looked the boy in his lifeless, glistening blue eyes, “N-Naruto! St-Stop! Don’t do that! Gods…” he pleaded desperately as he picked the boy up and held him tightly in his arms, rivers of crimson staining his crisp white shirt. “Please don’t do that” he whispered shakily into the wiggling lump in his protective hold. There was a slight struggle before the boy became as limp as a rag doll. Letting out another exasperated sigh, he turned toward his only hope. “He has been like this for the past month and a half, since his parents…” He choked on his words. He couldn’t bring himself to say it again. He already told her the situation on the phone so he didn’t feel the need to elaborate.

Taking note of his uncomfortable tone, she nodded her head in understanding. “Have you tried anything?” Of course she already knew the answer from when they spoke on the phone; she just wanted to make sure he hadn’t missed anything.

“I have gone to several specialists”, the last word was spat out with extreme distaste, “But with no results, he actually has become worse. He still does not speak, he barely eats, he won’t let anyone but me touch him, and unless I move him, he will sit in one spot for hours on end staring off into space. This is all my fault, if only I—“

“Jiraiya, don’t blame yourself. What is important is that you are here for your nephew right now. You care about his well being and that’s all that matters at the moment. Don’t worry, we will take good care of him, the head of my anxiety disorders department is a world renowned specialist in Naruto’s specific condition. We will ,both work with him. Give us time and I promise you will have your nephew back.” As she stepped closer to the still child, he began shaking as his breath came out in short puffs. She stilled in her movements to observe as the terrified child started to hyperventilate. She inwardly cursed herself, she should have anticipated that reaction. She looked into her friends worn out eyes, “I promise, Jiraiya, you will have your nephew back.”

In four months it would be four years to the day and they were not that much closer to helping the troubled blond. She sighed into her hands. She really hoped this would work.


-----------------------------------------------~@.o.O.o.@~--------------------------------------------


He squinted as the sun bore directly in his eyes, but he wouldn’t put his hands up to shield them. He wouldn’t display weakness in such a way, the sun and its brightness be damned. He tuned out the pinkie’s incessant rattling as they traversed through the expansive courtyard of the gorgeous sprawling property. He had to admit that this place was indeed impressive. If he hadn’t known he was trapped in a nut house he would have easily mistaken this place for a five star resort.

Gazing out the side of their rickety golf cart like transportation, he took in the grounds around him. From what he understood from the pamphlet he read and reread while the annoying doctor was yammering was that Tranquil Leaf Villas was the most sought out medical facility, not only in Fire Country but the world. The entire three hundred seventy acre facility consisted of six main buildings that were scattered a fair distance from one another. One would need transportation to travel from one to another, thus the shaky cart in which he found himself being jostled around.

The largest building, which was the one he was currently leaving behind, was the head building. It was the first thing someone would see after entering the cast iron gates at the entrance to the property. It was a large three story brick structure with vines crawling up all sides. The front had eight white columns, four one either side, supporting an archway before two very large wooden doors. This was the place where people would go when they first entered the grounds. Here a patient would go through initial check in, primary evaluation and then facility assignment. The main building also housed the main office of the chief of staff, Dr. Tsunade Sannin, or as in Sasuke’s mind, The Co-Conspirator. There were also several observation rooms, which looked like the police interrogation rooms, and reflection rooms. Reflections rooms were solitary rooms to which an unruly patient would be sent and kept for an extended period of time until they were deemed able to interact with the general population of the facility. The head building also operated as an organizer for the entire compound. Once a patient is initially observed and evaluated, they are sent off to one of the five branch compounds spread throughout the campus.

The branch compounds were each their own self contained facilities. Each one’s own campus involved a main building and several bungalows that served as housing units for specific wards. Each branch compound specialized in an area that was treated by the facility. There were, in order of size: the Impulse Control branch, the Eating Disorders branch, the Substance Abuse branch, the Anxiety Disorders branch, and the Psychiatric Conditions branch. Each main or central, building on the branch campus carried similar functions to the main building of Tranquil Leaf Villas. They held the office of the head psychiatrist in the particular department as well as the offices of the doctors working underneath them. They also had solitary rooms called quiet rooms, though they were never used as severely as the reflection rooms. They also held activity rooms, kitchens, medical facilities, and observation rooms.

Surrounding the central branch buildings were bungalows, large one story homes that housed about six to twelve people, each representing a specific ward under the umbrella of a branch. For instance, in the Eating Disorder campus, there would be a juvenile anorexia ward/bungalow, a bulimia ward/bungalow, an over-eating ward/bungalow and so forth. Because of the limited space in each ward, Tranquil Leaf Villas earned its exclusive reputation.

While they were traveling along the gravelly path, Sasuke noticed small groups of people participating in outdoor activities. They stopped in front of an apple orchid as one of the doctors leading a group of about ten people called out to Iruka. He ran over to speak with the brunet, effectively stopping the cart.

Sasuke drowned out what the doctors said and closed his eyes, letting his ears take in his surroundings.

“Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…”

“Now, Akane, remember we are going to try to not count the apples as we pick them.”

“Oh… right… seventeen…”

“Yoshio, why did you stop picking? We want as many apples as we can pick to make those apple pies for everyone. Won’t that be fun?”

“I have ten. That is a perfect number.”

“Just pick a few more ok?”

“Then I will have to pick ninety more because one hundred is also a perfect number.”

“No, I want you to pick nineteen.”

“No.”

“Please? I know you can—Masako don’t you think those three little apples are clean enough? Why don’t you try picking some more?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes under his closed lids and tuned the rest out. God these people were crazy.


-----------------------------------------------~@.o.O.o.@~--------------------------------------------


As they once again continued their journey, they passed a big red barn. He heard a steady trotting and opened his eyes to see a black stallion running along the other side of a fence, keeping pace with the cart. Sakura smiled as she noticed the small sparks of interest in the raven’s eyes.

“I see you’ve noticed Fitz.” Her smile widened as the raven shot her a passing glance out of the corner of his eye but kept his gaze transfixed on the powerful stomping legs as they worked past the cart.

“He’s a little wild, but once you get to know him, he’s a sweetheart. Maybe you can meet him soon.”

He watched the creature make a sharp right turn and disappear over the horizon.

“Hn.” He grunted as he once again leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Not but a few moments later they were off the gravel road and moving up a smooth driveway.

“We’re finally here” the relieved male doctor breathed as they pulled up to one of the bungalows. “We would usually take you to the main building first but since your group does not have activities now, I thought you should meet everyone first”, the man said turning a bright smile to the teen in the back seat blinking open his eyes with arms crossed about his chest. All the doctor received in return was blank stare.


---------------------------------------------~@.o.O.o.@~----------------------------------------------


His luggage made a loud scraping sound as he dragged it up the cobblestone path that lead to his new home. New home. He scowled at the prospect of staying cooped up in a nut house, a place he clearly did not belong, for a year… with real crazy people. Damn Kakashi and damn Itachi. Once they reached the wooden doors with stained glass windows Iruka pressed a button on the intercom near the door frame.

“Uh yes, Juugo? This is Drs. Umino and Haruno with a new arrival, could you let us in?”
There was a loud buzzing noise and Sakura pulled the iron handle of one of the doors.
“Thank you, Juugo.” Iruka spoke back into the intercom.

The first thing he noticed when they stepped inside of a large open foyer, was the large disorderly pile of shoes. They were all different sizes and obviously included pairs for both sexes.

Iruka followed his eyes and scrunched up his nose. “Who has foyer duty?!” he yelled out into the second thing Sasuke noticed.

“Dear God, I’m in the jungle” He grimaced as he took in the mass of plants that saturated the area. There were plants in the corners and on shelves along the walls. The greenery crept up and down and side to side.

“Naruto”, came the belated, weak and distant reply.

“Cora!” a chastising male voice screeched.

“What? It’s not like he’s not going to see the chart when he comes in.” came a matter of fact statement. The response to which was an affronted sigh followed by silence.

“Sasuke.” Sakura whispered softly as she gestured toward the pile of shoes while discarding her own.

His lip curled into a disgusted sneer, yet he followed her example. Once his shoes were off, he placed them neatly together… on the other side of the door.

Sakura raised both eyebrows but opted to keep her mouth shut. Once the raven teen looked back up at her for further instructions, she simply waved for him to follow her and Iruka, who was slightly ahead, yelling.

“Naruto, you know when you have foyer duty, you are supposed to do more than water the plants!”

As they advanced deeper into the ‘wilderness’, Sasuke could have sworn the stone floor turned into a dirt path and he could now hear the various hoots and calls found deep in the wilds of nature. He idly wondered if a cougar would jump out, or maybe a small yet vicious-from-starvation fox…

Just as he began imagining how the various creatures hidden in the plants would jump out and tear them limb from limb—well maybe not him. He was fairly sure he could beat just about any breathing animal; be it on two legs or four but the two doctors? They were on their own… the dead fools—he was temporarily blinded by a flood of light. He blinked a few times to clear his vision. He was finally able to focus on the source of the annoying brightness as he took in the large bay windows directly across from him. They were situated at the far end of the gigantic living room the foyer lead to. Before one could completely enter the living room, the foyer branched off into two smaller long dark hallways, one going to the left and the other going to the right. In the back left corner of the living room was a small counter surrounded by several stools. Beyond the counter was a small kitchen which held a tan refrigerator, a sink, and dark cherry wood cabinets. There was a black microwave pushed back in to a far corner atop a counter that ran along the back wall in the kitchen. However, there was no stove or oven, which the raven thought rather perplexing. Turning his focus back to the living room, next to the counter and stools there was a small foosball table. He used to love to play foosball with his brother, but that was before he decided to become a cold hearted killer. Before his vision could darken any further, some one in one of the two cushy red armchairs coughed, thus successfully jarring him from his stormy thoughts. Only then did Sasuke notice the other occupants that were spread all about the room. Then it hit him. He was not alone anymore. These other teens were going to be the people he lived with for an entire year. They were his new roommates. He cringed at the prospect of that concept. He had to get out of there as soon as possible.

Noticing a newly formed scowl on the young teen’s face, Iruka placed a reassuring hand on the brooding lad’s shoulder. He suppressed a sigh as the boy stiffened under his touch. This was going to be another difficult case, but he was up to the challenge.


---------------------------------------------~@.o.O.o.@~----------------------------------------------


“Hi everyone!” Sakura greeted cheerfully as five pairs of eyes focused on her. “I want you all to welcome Sasuke” she started, putting a firm hand on the teen’s back, pushing him forward so that all eyes were now on him. He narrowed his eyes at the one he dubbed ‘The Pink Menace’. She was so annoying… and abnormally strong.

He took in the five teens that were lazily littered throughout the room.

“Hi Sasuke-asuke…” came the weak disjointed group greeting. He let out a huff and turned toward his captors to give them death glare #36: ‘You bastards, I’ll get you for this’, unfortunately when he turned around they were both conveniently missing.

That was just great. They led him into the wilderness and threw him to the wolves. He was beginning to highly doubt the revered reputation of this “medical institution” since they couldn’t even hire a competent staff. Where was he to go with his stuff? Where was the tour? He scanned the room again looking for somewhere to settle. In his sweep he noticed that everyone resumed their previous activities… except for the blond kid on the couch. Their eyes locked, curious blue met impassive black. Sasuke scowled at the guy, who he knew was a dribbling moron, who dared to stare in his direction. The crystalline orbs narrowed, returning the glare before turning forward back to their original activity, presenting Sasuke with the back of a head full of golden hair. He squinted slightly, noticing the streaks of grey that lightly peppered the temples. He drew his gaze away and continued his search of the room, finding a lone cushioned bench.

He dragged his suitcases into the corner of the room and made his way over to the bench. As he sat down, he propped his elbows on to his thighs and steepled his fingers. Leaning his head into his hands he began to formulate a plan that would ensure his timely escape so he could tend to the important business of ending his brother’s wretched existence… and then Kakashi’s. So deep into his thoughts he didn’t notice some one approach him until he felt a weight drop down on to the cushion next to him. He scooted over, armed himself with death glare #18: ‘Get the hell away from me’, and shot it to the girl currently looking at him with a shaky grin in place.

She sat with her shoulders and knees pulled in as her fingers continuously twisted and tangled with each other. Her dark grey eyes studied him, her long hair spilled past her shoulders, down her back, and into her face, acting as a shield. He almost raised an eyebrow at her hair. From her scalp to about eight inches down, her hair was a solid sandy brown, but below, it was streaked black, red, platinum blonde, and blue in no particular organization.

“Hi” she began softly, her voice quivering slightly with hesitance. He could tell she was nervous and that she was pushing herself speak to him. But what he could not understand was why. If she didn’t want to talk to him, she shouldn’t because he definitely didn’t want to talk to her. He narrowed his eyes as she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, “My name is Cora.” She finished by sticking out her hand. The raven glared at the appendage that dared to invade his personal space and moved over a bit more. What the hell was her problem? The audacious hand moved with him. Grasping a hold of his right hand and pulling him forward, she twisted his wrist to look at his hospital band. Just as quickly, he yanked his hand back and gave her his vicious death glare #45: ‘Don’t ever yank me in that way again.’ She obviously didn’t know proper hand shaking etiquette.

She drew in her bottom lip and bit it slightly, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Sasuke, huh?” she cocked her head to the side and studied his face, “Sorry ‘bout that, I just wanted to know who you were.” She looked off to the side as her eyes glazed slightly. “The best way to meet some one is to introduce yourself” she recited mechanically. She let out a quick breath and nodded to herself in a congratulatory fashion.

Idly Sasuke realized that this girl was nearly as socially inept as he was, not that he was or anything… Anyway it didn’t matter; she was severely annoying and definitely invading his personal space.

She looked him in his eyes and smiled genuinely, “Besides, I’m very nosy. It’s gotten worse, but I’ve always been that way.” She chuckled to herself for a moment before her smile gradually faded and her eyes once again glazed over. Her changes in mood were definitely making him dizzy. “My sister…” she paused and brought in a shaky breath. She released it slowly and nodded again in reassurance. He realized that she must have been practicing some type of control method. She repeated the action several times more before concentrating on his eyes, “My sister…” she paused and took another breath, “She always said I had to know absolutely everything. She used to call me little know it all. She was right…” she finished wistfully, voice cracking at the end.

He began scanning the room for a safe corner away from the girl who was steadily making him uncomfortable. He saw an empty chair by the window and focused on getting to his new haven. A tap on his shoulder brought his attention back to his unwelcome companion.

“Are you curious about everybody? I saw you looking around. I can tell you anything you want to know because… well, you know.”

He gave her death glare #26: ‘Stop talking.’

Unfortunately for him, she had yet to receive the memo translating Sasuke. “Well, those two over there have been here longer than me” she said pointing to a red head and a blond sitting on mint green couch facing a 54 inch screen television. The red head had his arm propped up on the armrest, blank face turned toward the screen that his blue green eyes didn’t seem to focus on. Next to him sat the blond, bent over with his elbows resting on his knees, bright, yet surprisingly empty, blue eyes staring intently at the screen. Just then he let out a loud laugh and slapped the red head on the leg, who in turn glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and promptly returned to staring off at nothing in particular. Sasuke’s lip curled in an annoyed sneer at the blond’s laugh, it was too damn loud and annoying… and so hollow. “The one who looks mean is Gaara. At first he is hard to get along with but if you stay out of his way, he will most likely stay out of yours. He seems to only fully tolerate Naruto. That’s the blond. He is actually pretty nice, but whatever you do: Do Not Touch Him. He really doesn’t like that.”

He glanced over at the bored red head but for some reason his gaze kept traveling back to the idiotic blond. “He’s loud.” Sasuke murmured, wincing at the laugh that reverberated through the room.

“I know, right?” she responded, chuckling slightly, “You would have never guessed that when I came here, he would barely speak. All he did was sit in that corner over there and look out the window” she informed, pointing to Sasuke’s paradise.

Must’ve been nice, he thought looking longingly at the desired spot.

“That girl over there is Hinata.” She pointed to a girl with short black hair, the light giving it purple undertones, curled up in a large cushy red chair on the wall to the right of the couch. Her pale lavender eyes were rapidly scanning a novel. “She’s really quiet, and extremely nice. She’s actually too nice, they say that all the time in group. She has to see Dr. Mitarashi (3) because of that. She came here, like, a year after me, so I guess that would mean she’s been here a little less than two years.”

“And that’s Akiko, but we call her Radio. She’s pretty new, only been here about a week or two.” He looked at the curly haired brunette hunched over in another red armchair along the wall. Her hazel green eyes were focused on her sketchpad, right hand moving rapidly across the surface as she hummed to herself. “Do you hear her? She doesn’t speak, she sings. Like songs from the radio or something. That’s how she communicates. She is pretty skittish so she doesn’t talk, well, sing much.” she trailed off and shrugged.

“So what brings you here? It must’ve been something very bad. Involving your family, right? Of course, it has to be. Because that’s why we all—“

“Shut up.” He had enough of her babbling. He didn’t care anything about these idiots. Actually after looking at everybody, he knew he didn’t belong here. He didn’t have any problems. What was with this girl anyway? Why was she so intrusive? It was none of her damn business why he was there. How would she like it if he asked about her business?

"It must’ve been something very bad. Involving your family, right? Of course, it has to be. Because that’s why we all—“

Finishing the rest of her thought, he smiled cruelly as he figured out a way to shut her up and to hopefully get her to leave him alone.

“Then why are you here?” came the seemingly innocent question, though an evil smirk quirked on the inside.

Her head snapped back in shock as she instantly drew herself in. She immediately stiffened at his inquiry and her mouth clamped shut. On the inside, his smirk widened as he watched the pain-filled expression grip her face. It was hard to keep his features in an impassive mask; he wanted to taunt her weakness. What a loser. Her eyes widened as her breath became ragged and uneven. She squeezed her eyes tight and shook her head as to clear it of unwanted thoughts. She stilled again and drew in a deep breath, filling her lungs to capacity then expressed the air slowly though her nose. She blinked open her eyes, which were now noticeably duller.

“I-I…” she stuttered out, clenching her fists in her lap. She closed her eyes and brought nodded. She opened them and stared straight ahead, beginning again “My-my sister… my sister saved my life.” After shuddering a bit she continued, “After my parents died she was basically all I had… Anyway, she came to pick me up from school one day and we got into an argument.” She absently bit her lip and squinted in concentration, a small bitter smile appeared on her face, “I don’t remember what it was about, probably something stupid… Anyway, I ran away from her and stopped in the middle of the street to yell at her. She started telling me to stop being stupid and get out of the street…” she stopped and looked to the ceiling, trying with difficulty to swallow the growing lump in her throat. She knew she could do this; this is what they were working toward. “I-I turned away from her and covered my ears. I was just so sick of her telling me what to do!” her fists tightened until her knuckles were as white as paper. “God, I was so stupid” she whispered almost inaudibly with a bitter smile on her face. “The next thing I knew she pushed me on to the sidewalk calling me an idiot. The last thing I said to her was ‘Clara, you fucking bitch!’ and when I turned around to give her the meanest look I could muster, she…” she paused for another thick swallow and a few blinks of the eye. “She was getting up from the ground, I guess she tripped. And… and…a… the semi-truck. They said the brakes… the brakes went out.” She stopped as silent tears crept down her face. She closed her eyes and nodded, trying to even out her breathing. “It wasn’t…it wasn’t my fault” she breathed out in a whisper. She opened her eyes and looked past Sasuke toward the chair by the window. “I gotta… go” she finished quietly as she stood up and headed toward the window seat.

He watched as the girl sat and the chair and drew her knees to her chest as she looked out the window. Good. That’s what he wanted, she talked too much. He ignored the foreign gnawing feeling in his gut; Itachi must have gotten Kakashi to poison him too. You can’t stop me, I will kill you. All he had to do was formulate an escape plan…

Another loud laugh echoed through out the room, effectively interrupting his thoughts and he glared at the blond poking at the irresponsive red-head. He didn’t quite know how he was going to get out of there yet, but he did know that he really hated this, Naruto.

He sighed taking in his new surroundings. This was definitely the worst birthday he had ever had.

In the security room two particular gazes were fixed on one of the monitors. As one head turned to face the other, angry brown eyes narrowed at apologetic green.


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1. Anko, need I say more?

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