Reason I Breathe

Chapter5

Shikamaru stayed in his bed the following morning. He had been debating waking Naruto up and getting them both to school when the alarm went off at five. Hearing the blonde in question snoring through the wall, he had decided to call his parents later and ask them to call the school. He had promptly drifted back to sleep for a few hours. As he lay there, Shikamaru further debated waking Naruto up. He was almost certain he should get the boy to a hospital, or at least back home. He heard a yawn from his living room and sighed heavily. He rolled out of his bed and proceeded to said living room. Naruto was stretching as he sat up on the couch. He gasped as he raised his arms a little too high. He had forgotten about the broken ribs. Shikamaru watched as Naruto struggled to regain his composure.

"You should go to a hospital," Shikamaru suggested.

"No thanks," Naruto forced a grin.

Shikamaru shrugged and started to get something to eat. Naruto watched him, curious to see how far the hospitality would stretch. When Shikamaru was leaning against a counter top eating a muffin, it dawned on Naruto it was Wednesday. And he was not at school. His eyes widened, and he tried to jump up. He cried out and collapsed onto the ground.

"We’re staying here. I’ll have my parents call us in and I’ll get you home," Shikamaru said lazily.

Naruto pulled himself back into a sitting position and glared at his host.

"Could have mentioned that before I almost killed myself," he growled.

Shikamaru sighed. He stood straight and walked to the blonde. He handed a muffin down to him before sitting behind him on the couch. Naruto ate it slowly. He felt a familiar surge in his stomach.

"Ne, Nara? Why’d you save me last night?"

"Good question."

Naruto waited. Minutes passed and still no real answer. Naruto turned slowly to look at the boy. Shikamaru was staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. Naruto looked up to the white paint, trying to find the interesting thing. Because, he just knew something up there had to be interesting, otherwise he would have had an answer by now. Frowning when the most unique thing on the ceiling was a brown water spot, he opened his mouth to ask again.

"You were bleeding. I’d have felt bad if I was the last thing you saw while alive," Shikamaru decided finally.

The answer only served to deepen Naruto’s frown. He crawled over to his pants and stuck his hand in his pocket. He pulled the powder out and crawled back to the table.

"Ne, you don’t have a straw or anything do you? Or least some foil."

Shikamaru looked at the boy. His features darkened. Before Naruto could blink, the bag was missing from his hand and Shikamaru had hit him square in the jaw. He was pushed roughly onto his side with the impact. He could not contain his cry of pain.

"Baka!" Shikamaru shouted.

"It’s none of your business," Naruto shot back.

"When you’re here it is. I’m not fucking up my life for the likes of you."

"I didn’t ask to come here," Naruto pointed out.

Shikamaru hid the stuff he was holding before helping Naruto onto the couch, and getting him a towel for the re-opened wound on the boy’s lip. He watched with a dying anger as Naruto gently blotted away the blood. Memories rushed back to Shikamaru as he watched Naruto clean himself up. Tears sat in the corners of his eyes. Shikamaru did not bother to ask if he was okay. Naruto pulled the blanket from the night before around him. He had noticed the obvious bruising on his sides. He looked around for his shirt.

"Where is my shirt?"

"I had to cut it off you last night."

Naruto cursed under his breath. He looked around the room. He was starting to feel very nervous, and very trapped.

"I want to go home," he whined.

"Why were you down there? There is no way that man hurt you that badly by himself."

Naruto watched curiously as Shikamaru sat next to him on the couch. He frowned as he wondered about the other teen’s intentions.

"You’re going to turn me in aren’t you?" Naruto demanded.

"Reason tells me I should. Maybe you should answer me and hope I don’t listen to reason," Shikamaru offered.

"My personal life isn’t really your business."

"It is now, Uzumaki. Like it or not, I’m the one who saved you."

Naruto knew defeat when he saw it. He eyed Shikamaru carefully.

"When’d you get smart?"

"I’m a genius, baka. It just so happens that showing such things is too tiresome."

"Fine. Look, my Dad drinks and gets a little scary. So I bailed last night and ended up down here. I didn’t mean to come across Pein."

Shikamaru gave him a stern look before talking. "No one with any intelligence would believe that’s how it happened."

"Look, my dad beats us okay? Everyone knows it. When I try to protect my mom this is what happens. Pein just took advantage of it. I got my score, what’s it matter?"

"It matters because you’re special," Shikamaru whispered.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in question.

"How do you know about Pein anyways?"

"I saw him walk out of the alley before you."

Naruto slammed his fist into his hand. He turned his face away from the other boy. Tears threatened to spill out of his eyes.

‘Damnit! Why do I cry so much?’

"I’m not special," he whispered.

"I watch you. You’re special. If you weren’t so doped up you’d have noticed by now," Shikamaru snapped.

"Shows how much you know! It’s not dope," Naruto snapped back, turning his head to stick his tongue out.

Shikamaru smirked and waved him off. He stood and went to get a phone. Naruto reached out as he stood, clearly asking.

"When you’re out of my life, you can do what you want. Until then, no more smack Naruto."

Naruto almost missed Shikamaru using his first name. Almost.