A Charge of Night

Chapter 3: Forgiveness

Sasuke silently cursed all his teachers for loading him with homework as he walked toward the library. Students were filing out of the building in droves. He froze before entering the corridor leading to the library as a familiar voice drifted to his ears.

“Naruto, just here me out, will you?” Jiraiya said as he stepped closer to Naruto.

“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.” Naruto growled, “Just leave. It shouldn’t be too hard; you should be used to it by now.”

Sasuke heard the clanking steps as Naruto walked closer to his location. The footsteps stopped suddenly.

“Let go of me,” Naruto yelled. Sasuke could hear a shuffling of feet as Naruto struggled out of his grasp.

“Just listen to me, Naruto.” Jaraiya yelled.

“FUCK OFF, BASTARD,” Naruto yelled, “It’s too late for you to try to explain.”

“Nevertheless, I am going to talk to you whether you like it or not. Naruto, I left because I couldn’t go through it anymore. I couldn’t watch another person I care about die. I couldn’t take what was happening. When I heard what was happening to you and your parents, I knew I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t go through it all again. It was too painful.”

Naruto laughed at him, it was a high pitch almost hysterical laugh.

“You were in pain.” he said, “I’m so sorry, Pervy Sage. I know it must have been hard for you.”

“Naruto,” he said, “I know I wasn’t there for you, but I want to be there for you now.”

“Your too late.” he said, “I don’t need you.”

“Naruto,” Jaraiya said, “You can say that all you want, but I’m not going anywhere.”

“Fine stay, do whatever you want, just leave me the hell alone.”

“No, you’re going to see a lot of me, Naruto.”

“Why,” Naruto exclaimed, “You want to be here to watch me die, Ojii-san?”

“Don’t talk like that Naruto. You’re not going to die.”

“Just go home, Ojii-san.” Naruto said, “I’m happy how I am now. It’s too late for you. You had your chance. I’m not going to forgive you, so go home.”

Naruto turned away from him.

“Naruto, I…”

“Don’t touch me, Pervy Sage.” he said calmly, “Go home already. I don’t need you.”

Naruto turned to stare at him icily as his hand was still on his wrist.

“Please Naruto, just give me a chance.”

“No,” he jerked out of Jiraiya’s grasp, “Leave me alone.”

“Naruto,” he called.

Sasuke could hear the sneakers slapping on linoleum as Naruto ran away. He grimaced as a blur of blonde came flying at him. Sasuke could feel Naruto’s body collide heavily with his own. His breath came out in a whoosh. Naruto groaned lifting his head, and rubbing the spot that had collided with Sasuke’s forehead. Sasuke noted with some embarrassment that Naruto was now straddling his waist.

“Get off of me, dobe.” he yelled.

Naruto jerked off of him quickly, his face turning red.

“Uhhh, gomen,” he stated rubbing a hand behind his head.

“Do you enjoy running into me?” Sasuke grumbled as he rubbed his head where it had struck the cold linoleum.

“Gomen nasai, it wasn’t intentional.” He said before quickly standing up and running away.

“Naruto, wait,” Jaraiya called to the blonde’s retreating back. He stared down at Sasuke who was still sitting down on the ground. “Are you ok?” he asked helping the boy to his feet and giving him his cane.

“Yeah,” Sasuke replied, “I’m fine. Go chase after him if you want.”

“I don’t think that will do any good.”Jaraiya said, “I’ll use another approach. Thanks for your help, though.”

Jaraiya walked away slightly dejectedly. Sasuke grumbled as his phone whined annoyingly.

“What do you want Itachi?”

“Where are you, Sasuke? I’ve been waiting for ten minutes.”

“Alright, I’m coming.”

“And in the end, I didn’t get any books. Thanks dobe,” he thought with an inward sigh as he rounded a corner heading toward his locker.

“You called him, didn’t you?” Naruto’s voice reverberated off the walls stopping Sasuke in his tracks.

“What, is he following me?” Sasuke thought despondently as he walked quietly toward his locker.

“Yes, Naru.” Kakashi said calmly, “It was for your own good.”

“My own good.” Naruto spouted with exasperation, “How is calling that asshole for my own good?”

Kakashi stepped closer to him.

“Naruto,” he said lifting his hand to the upset boy.

Naruto backed away, making Kakashi’s hand fall short of reaching him. Kakashi let his hand fall to his side.

“I can understand that you’re not very happy right now, but I really have your best interests at heart.”

Naruto shook his head; his eyes were pained and blurry.

“I told you how I felt. You knew I didn’t want to see him. Is it that you just don’t care or do you only listen to what’s convenient for you.”

“Naruto, it isn’t like that. I wanted…”

Naruto shook his head despondently.

“It’s my choice, Kakashi, not yours. He’s my Ojii-san. Why couldn’t you just leave it alone?”

Naruto turned his back on Kakashi and ran through the corridor Sasuke had just vacated. Kakashi sighed in exasperation as he stared at the doorway. Sasuke had pulled out most of his books when his cell phone whined again.

“I’m coming, Itachi. Just give me a minute.”

“Sheesh, what are you so mad about, Sasuke?”

“It hasn’t been the greatest day, Otoosan. What did you call me about?”

“I was wondering what you thought about the new town. We haven’t really had the opportunity to talk.”

“We can talk during the checkup or are you that curious about Naruto?”

“So, Itachi told you the reason I dragged you all here. Naruto’s a medical enigma. No one knows what’s making him sick and no one knows how to treat it. I guess I’m excited to see if I can figure it out and help him.”

“What will you do if there is no solution? Then we will have moved all the way out here for nothing.”

“That’s not the only reason I wanted to move out here. I grew up in Konaha. In fact, generations after generations of Uchiha’s have grown up in Konaha.”

“We have ancestors here?” Sasuke asked with a little surprise.

“Unfortunately, all of our relatives have either moved from this place or passed on. I was going to surprise your mother, but I’m renovating the Uchiha compound. Do you want to go check it out after your checkup?”

“Yeah sure, Otoosan, I’ll talk to you at the hospital.” he said as he hefted his book bag on his shoulder and made his way to the front of the building.

“All right, bye Sasuke,” Masami said. Sasuke flipped his phone shut as he pushed open the door to the school.

“What’s going on?” Itachi asked, “I just saw Naruto run out of the building.’

Sasuke shrugged, “Why do you care?”

“He looked upset.”

“It hasn’t been the best day for him, I guess.” Sasuke said in a bored voice as he got in the car.

“Are you being deliberately vague to annoy me?”

“His grandfather stopped by our class and Naruto stormed out. He got into a fight with Kakashi and ran out of the school. Can we get going now? We’re going to be late.”

Itachi was quiet as he turned down the street Naruto had just run down.

“So how did you know all this? Were you stalking him all day?”

Sasuke sent a glare in his direction.

“I was going to my locker when I heard him fighting with Kakashi. Why are you pulling over?”

“Hey, Naruto-chan,” Itachi called to the slowly walking blond.

Naruto turned bleary sapphire eyes to the black haired man.

“Itachi, right?” Naruto said, “What do you want?”

“I was wondering if you wanted a ride home.”

Naruto shook his head slowly as he continued to walk calmly down the street. He breathed in deeply. Sasuke could hear a raspy gurgle as he breathed.

“Are you sure, Naruto-chan?”

He nodded and continued to walk. His breath was coming out in raspy abnormal gasps, but Itachi didn’t seem to notice.

“Where’s your inhaler, dobe?” Sasuke asked.

“I’m not a dobe, you jerk,” Naruto rasped out between breaths, “I left it at school.”

“Get in the car, dobe.”

Itachi regarded him with surprise. Naruto shook his head again.

“I’m fine,” his voice sounded pained, “Just go.”

“Get in the car, dobe.” Sasuke said sternly.

“Leave me alone, asshole,” Naruto called. Naruto stopped walking abruptly. His chest was heaving; his breath came out short and shaky.

Itachi jerked the car to a stop, flung the door open and rushed to Naruto’s side.

He gripped Naruto’s arm gently. Naruto jerked out of his grasp.

“Naruto, you’re obviously not well. Let me take you home.”

Naruto jerked away before he could touch him. He walked toward the car and slipped into the back seat.

“What were you doing, dobe?” Sasuke said his voice unusually angry, “Are you trying to kill yourself.”

“Why do you care?”Naruto rasped out.

“You’re right, why would I care? An idiot like you deserves to die.”

“Sasuke,” Itachi ground out in a harsh voice, “stop saying those things.”

“Just keep going straight down this road then turn left at the end of the street. Keep heading straight and you can’t miss it.”

As they drove, the infrastructure suddenly drifted away to a long field with towering tree’s that swayed in the wind. It was almost as if civilization simply ended as they drove passed fields of green grass. Cows were lolling around in one field and Sasuke wrinkled his nose at the smell. A simple logwood cabin marked the horizon directly behind the cows. The drive continued for a short while before Itachi stopped the car abruptly.

“Wow,” he said, “this couldn’t be it.”

He stared in disbelief at the stone steps leading to an elaborate shrine with redwood shoji’s and a standing porch that wrapped around the complex. A forest was located behind the compound while two Sakura trees stood to the right of the complex. Iruka bounded down the steps.

“Thank you for escorting him home, Sasuke. I’m Iruka from the English department,” he said to Itachi.

“Itachi Uchiha, nice to meet you,” he bowed his head slightly in respect.

“Naruto,” Iruka said in a calming voice, “It’s Iruka. Is it alright if I take you arm?”

Naruto’s eyes slid open slowly. He stared at Iruka, his eyes blurring slightly and nodded then his eyes slid shut again. Iruka slung Naruto’s arm around his shoulders as he lifted him out of the car.

“Do you want me to help?” Itachi asked as he came to stand by Iruka, “I can carry him up if you want.”

“That’s alright,” Iruka said, “You’ve done enough, really. Thanks again.”

“Are you sure he alright and I don’t have to take him to a hospital?

“No, everything is alright. I’ll take care of Naruto. You don’t have to worry.”

Iruka began walking up the steps.

He stopped, “Please come inside, I’ll make you some tea as a thank you.”

Itachi helped Sasuke out of the car quickly.

“We’re going to be late, Itachi.” Sasuke admonished as he tapped his cane along the steps.

“I don’t think Otoo-san will mind once we tell him why we were late.”

“Please make yourself comfortable in the tea room.” Iruka said as he walked down the hall and out of sight.

“This place is incredible; it must be over a hundred years old. They even have a painted ninja scroll that is probably from the fifteen hundreds. I wonder if it’s a depiction of Hattori Hanzo.”

“You seem to know a lot about ninja’s, Itachi-san,”Iruka said as he walked into the room with a tray.

The sweet scent of jasmine bombarded Sasuke senses. Itachi unconsciously grabbed Sasuke’s wrist and led his fingers to the cup.

“I had to read Sasuke all sorts of ninja stories when he was younger.” Itachi said, “He was very interested in ninjas because many of the Uchiha’s were ninjas.”

“The same can be said for the Uzumaki’s.” Iruka said, “If Naruto were awake, he would probably tell you all about it.”

Iruka glanced at Sasuke who sat stoically throughout the conversation sipping tea like an old man who knew too much. It struck him as odd that such a young child should have eyes that seem to see so much while not being able to see at all. The sudden silence was broken by the low floating sound of a cell phone ringing.

“IRUKA,” Kakashi voice erupted from the phone, “I can’t find Naruto anywhere. I don’t know where he went. I need you to…”

“Kakashi, calm down for a moment,” Iruka said firmly, “Naruto is at home. Itachi and Sasuke-san brought him home.”

“Oh,” Kakashi said quieter this time, “Well, thank them for me.”

“Where are you, Kakashi?” he asked, “You should probably come home soon. I’ve already started dinner.”

“I’m going to spend the night at Jiraiya’s place.” Kakashi said, “I think it would be better for Naruto that way.”

“Kakashi,” Iruka said, “I’m not Naruto’s guardian, you are. He may be mad right now, but that doesn’t mean you run away. There was a reason why you asked Jiraiya-san here. Are you really willing to back down now just because Naruto got mad? You want him to forgive Jiraiya-san, don’t you?”

“Well yeah, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.”

“Just give it time, Kakashi.” Iruka said, “Invite Jiraiya over for dinner next week. Naruto may not forgive you for now, but it won’t always be that way.”

Kakashi was silent for moment.

“I’ll be home in five minutes, Ka-chan,” he said happily, “I hope you made my favorite.”

Iruka flipped the phone shut.

“If you don’t mind my asking, Iruka-sensei,” Itachi started, “what exactly happened?”

“I’m sorry to be rude, but I don’t think it is my place to talk about such things.”

“Iruka,” Naruto voice echoed down the hall. It was small and pained. Sasuke could hear the shuffle of sluggish feet as Naruto made his way down the hall.

“Naruto, how do you feel?” Iruka asked as the disheveled boy walked into the room. Naruto rubbed a hand behind his head.

“I’m hungry, Iruka.” Naruto said his nose twitching slightly, “Are you making Ramen?”

Iruka smiled in relief. “No, I’m not making Ramen.” Iruka said, “You need more nutritious food right now.”

Naruto crossed his arm an indignant look on his face. His eyes finally roamed around the room taking in the two silent figures sitting across from Iruka.

“What are they doing here?” Naruto asked.

“Don’t be rude, Naruto.” Iruka said, “Don’t you remember them bringing you home?”

Naruto’s eyes clouded as he shook his head.

“Where’s Kakashi?”

“He’ll be home in a little while. Why don’t you sit down, Naruto.”

He shook his head.

“Come on, Naruto. They brought you home. The least you can say is thank you.”

“Thank you,” Naruto mouthed off quickly before he walked into the hall.

“We should go now, Itachi.”Sasuke said, “We’re already late.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you needed to be somewhere. I’m sorry if I kept you too long.”

“It’s nothing really. Sasuke has a checkup that’s all.”


Ok, end of chapter three.

Ok, I know what your all thinking. What the heck happened to her. She just suddenly dissapeared. Well, I'm back. My father's changed the password, so I can only go on sporatically. I'm sorry about that. Besides that, I've had this for a while. I'm not completly happy with it yet, but I can't figure out how to change it, so I'll just let whoever reads it judge. Anyway, I hope you like it. Sorry for the long delay.