Miss Lucy had Some Leeches

Dear Readers,
I apologize for my leave of absence! Unfortunately, my roommate and I had been sharing a computer, and when she suddenly moved out, she just so happened to take the computer with her. Consequently, she 'accidentally' deleted all my data, losing not only the chapters I'd written for this story, but also the novel that was near completion. Needless to say, I've been working my ass off to finish my novel, having to start over from scratch, and had---to be completely honest---totally forgotten about this fic. Again, I apologize.

On another, more important note; I have yet to decide on the pairing for this. In my novel the character who is in Naruto's place falls in love with a man outside the sanitarium. However, this story does not directly follow my novel, so I'm in turmoil. 10 more reviews will get you a good, lengthy chapter within 3 days. On with the story!

Sincerely,
_xtabularasa


After his appointment with Orochimaru, the orderlies came to fetch Naruto, dragging the poor boy back through the misleading halls of the hospital. Their direction was opposite of his old cell, the further they traveled through the halls, the drearier they seemed to get to the blond. Fear pulsed through his petite body as prisoners jumped at their cell doors, their bodies connecting with resounding thuds that echoed through the halls. His sensitive ears picked up the screams of patients currently in treatment, and Naruto closed his eyes, knowing that his fate had been sealed.

The men pulling him came to a stop in front of an intimidating door. One man released the grip he had on Naruto's left arm and fished in his jumper pocket for the proper key. Naruto shuddered when he heard the sound of the lock opening, he didn't want to look up, knowing that just beyong that door was the person he would probably die with. A complete stranger who wouldn't give two shits about the death of a man they never knew. Given the fact that this person was in the incurable section, Naruto assumed he was mad. He frightened himself to the point where he didn't budge from the spot the orderlies had left him in the corner of the cell. He noticed that it was smaller than his old one, and it was designed to house two patients.


Naruto hadn't feared the people in this hospital before, but there was something about the man before him. The tender blond backed himself into the solid wall behind him, trying to put as much distance between the stranger and himself. Something was radiating from the man's dark eyes, something that scared the small boy because he'd only seen that look when Orochimaru looked over his younger patients. It made Naruto feel like a rabbit about to be eaten by a wolf. Heart racing, he swallowed the knot in his throat and sent an uneasy smile to the man.


"Did you hear the song yet?" The stranger barked, his foot coming forward with a loud stomp. His fists curled at his sides and Naruto's blue eyes widened when he realized the shirt the man was wearing was covered in blood. It caked at the collar and was splattered all over the chest. Naruto's breathing sped up dangerously to the point where he thought he was going to have a fit. "Well?" This time the man's voice was softer, but in a way it scared the boy more so than his forceful cry he had released previously. There was something so cold about it that it rattled the blond boy to the bone, his knees giving out on him as the dark man approached him.


"Ex-Excuse me?" He asked softly, unconsciously bringing his knees to his chest when the man was looming right above him.


"The song that the silly women sing. Have you heard it? The song they sing when they perform your autopsy. It's done just down the hall."


Naruto's heart raced as confusion clouded his thoughts. He'd just gotten to this area of the hospital, how could this man expect him to know the song that the doctors sang?


"I....I just got here?" He wasn't sure why that was a question, but he sank back in fear when the man shoved his face near his. Suddenly, the air around them changed. It was less tense, floating with curiousity and concern.


"What's wrong, boy?" Naruto couldn't help but notice that the man's voice was considerably sweeter now, as if he was genuinely concerned for the blond. "You're shaking, Shhhhh. It's okay. You can trust me, I'm a teacher." The man pulled Naruto into his embrace and pet his hair gently. The boy's eyes shot open in disbelief, his heart bear speeding up more than it had before.


'Dear God, I got a cellmate with an identity disorder.'


Fight it as he might, Naruto couldn't deny that human touch that wasn't cold and calculating was extremely comforting. Something he hadn't felt in two years, he craved it. Without thinking, he pressed his body into the man before him, his arms coming up to loosely encircle the man's midsection. The now tender creature above him stroked his hair soothingly, cooing sweet nothings into his ears that lulled him into a state of half-sleep. "That's right, boy. Don't you worry your pretty little head, Iruka-sensei will take care of you." As Naruto drifted off, he felt himself being lifted, and the only thought that was going through his head was the man's name. It sounded so nice, such a relaxing sound to roll off his tongue.


Iruka watched the small figure in his arms finally succumb to the urge to sleep. Still holding the delicate boy, Iruka laid him down on his mattress. It was dirty, but it was a bed, and from the sunken eyes of the child, he could only guess how many hours of sleep the poor boy lacked. He laid down with the boy, pulling him close for the simple pleasure that came from the contact. As far as he knew, he wasn't attracted to this child, it was just that he had missed human contact so much. Such a simple thing is never important when you have it, but as soon as he lost it, Iruka cherished any small affections he could get. He brushed his darker cheek against the golden one beneath him, rubbing against the three scars he found there. They brought to mind his own scar, and he slid his hand over his nose, fingers just barely making contact with the deep flaw in his flesh.


He worried the boy would see this flaw and be frightened, after all, he'd awoken to the boy quivering in fear of him, but was too tired to really dwell on this subject. The elder male rested his head beside the blond boy's, brushing the child's stray hairs from his beautiful face. Smiling at the innocence the boy still carried with him, innocence he knew the cruel doctors would rip from him once they were given the chance.


As he drifted into sleep, Iruka let his thoughts fill with the noise around him. Strangely, the screams and crazed rants had become a sort of lullaby to the older male. The last sounds he heard was the frantic whispers of the woman accross from his cell; frequent cries of agony from her as she screeched, "What have you done to my baby?!"


But above all of that, he could hear the women down the hall pick up their song, as if joyous that another patient had passed on from the torture they were subjected to at this horrible pace. He hummed along with them until the dark abyss of unconsciousness took him, released his troubled mind and gave him some peace. The halls went silent save for the sounds of the women's voices and the patients humming softly, mad, to the tune.


"Miss Lucy had some leeches, her leeches liked to suck. And when they drank up all her blood she didn't give a . . . . ."

Note: Miss Lucy Had Some Leeches is actually a clap game invented by one of my favorite musical artists Emilie Autumn. It's about a patient in a mad house. It's on youtube if you ever wish to hear it.