Chapter 28 - Drugs and Affection

Tenzo popped his head in his room, and once he was assured that the girl was still sound asleep, he set off for the Hokage’s office to give an official report of last night’s incident.

It was early enough that the streets were deserted- the shops hadn’t even opened up yet. He walked in silence, lost in thought.

I don’t know what to do about her. I don’t know where she lives, so I can’t even inform her parents… I don’t know any of her friends, so I can’t- Wait, the Hyuuga boy! I can ask him her name, and go from there. In fact, I need to do that first. I can’t file a complete report without even knowing her name.

With that thought in his head, Tenzo headed for the Hyuuga residence.
--

Sakura woke up that morning, and immediately wished she hadn’t. She finally understood why Hisako warned her not to drink much. She felt every single one of her heart beats in her head- with the pressure of several large sledgehammers. She moaned out loud, but the sound just made it worse. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and die; anything to escape the agony roaring through her forehead. She curled up and lay there in her pink and black plaid pajama bottoms and plain pink t-shirt, holding her head gingerly. Amidst the agony splitting her skull open, she felt a slow wave of nausea build up, and her stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch. Fearing the worst, she scrambled up and made a step to the bathroom, but the world suddenly started spinning, and she quickly found herself facefirst on the floor. Another sledgehammer attack to her head had her in a fetal position on the floor cradling her poor abused cranium.

“I’m never, ever drinking that much ever, ever again,” Sakura moaned, wincing when the sound sent another pulse ripping through her head.

“That’s probably a good idea,” said a familiar silky voice in hushed tones. This time it was her heart that gave a lurch- only one person could have a voice like that.

“Kakashi-sensei, it hurts…”

“I know, love, I know. I brought some stuff…” Kakashi gestured at the paper sack in his arms, forgetting that she was too busy trying to block out the pain to look at him. “Can you sit up?” He set the bag on the floor beside them and kneeled beside Sakura, slowly helping her into a sitting position, propping her against his side.

“This feels awful, sensei… How can people stand this?” Sakura asked hoarsely, suddenly realizing she was thirsty. Kakashi seemed to sense her need before she did, as he was uncapping a power drink and handing it to her gently. She was about to take a drink, but he grabbed hold of her wrist and held her still while he found two liquid gel capsules and held them in his fingertips.

“Open,” he commanded, and she did so, earning a mouthful of aspirin for her trouble. “Now you can drink. Trust me; it’ll get rid of the headache after a while. Or lessen it.” Sakura greedily drank from the bottle, not realizing how thirsty she was until the bottle was in her hands. When her sensei shoved a piece of dry (and somewhat stale) toast into her hand, she looked at him, baffled. “It’ll help with the nausea. Don’t question me, just do it, okay?” He sighed exasperatedly.

“Thank you, sensei,” she managed to croak in between bites. Kakashi gently shifted her so she was leaning on her bed, and he got up and strode to the bathroom. Quietly opening the door, he found the hot water knob for the bathtub, and began to set a bath for her. While the tub was filling, he walked back to her and dug around in the bag, earning a dirty look from Sakura- that crinkling paper was wreaking havoc on her head. He grabbed the item he was searching for and shoved it in her hand the moment the last bit of toast was gone. She looked at him, in his grey and blue pajama pants, and navy blue undershirt that covered his face, then back to the… banana? Her face was an obvious question mark.

“Just eat the damn thing, already,” he muttered, looking away from her embarrassedly. When she peeled it and took the first bite, he made to pat her head, then thought better of it. “It helps. It’s too much effort to explain right now, but it helps.” He sat behind her as she slowly ate the banana bite by bite, and began to tenderly massage her scalp. A slow groan escaped her throat, and his fingers paused against bright pink locks. “Does it hurt?”

She shook her head slowly and responded, “No… It helps.” And with that, his fingers wordlessly continued their gentle massage. The banana forgotten, Sakura leaned into his hands, letting out a small sigh. “You’re… really good at this, sensei,” she whispered, her eyes drifting closed in a blissful daze as her hand reached out and grabbed his knee for support. The wonderful massage stopped suddenly, and Sakura barely had time to whimper in protest before she was bodily picked up and moved into the bathroom. With a foot, he deftly turned off the water, then gently set the girl down.

“Change into a towel, then call me back in. I don’t want you cracking your head open trying to get in yourself, okay?” His harsh tone was at odds with his actions, and Sakura had to suppress a smile.

“ ‘Kay.”

--

Neji was already up and training when Tenzo came to call. He was escorted into the courtyard where the Hyuuga boy was hard at work under careful eye from his father.

This early in the morning? Either the dad’s a slave driver, or the kid’s pretty damn dedicated.

He gave a greeting smile and slight bow, and called out, “Sorry to interrupt, but could I have a moment to speak to Neji-san? It won’t take long, I promise.”

After a nod from his father, Neji walked – no, strutted – over to where Tenzo was standing patiently. Skipping past all the pleasantries, Neji dove right in. “You’re the one from the other day…”

“Yes, that’s me,” Tenzo replied with an embarrassed laugh. “Listen, I was hoping I could ask you something.”

Neji’s ears perked up.

“Could you tell me the name of that girl you were with? I didn’t manage to catch her name when I met the two of you, and I was hoping you could help me out, man to man.”

The boy visibly depuffed, and his eyes hardened. “Hisako Mutakami… what of her?”

A wide smile crossed Tenzo’s face, and he mentally airpunched while thinking up some way to assuage Neji’s frustration. He quickly came upon an idea, and just rolled with it.

“Well, I know she’s just a genin, but she’s older than most genin, isn’t she? And I saw the way she fought…” Neji bristled, and Tenzo finished, “I had been hoping to ask her out on a date, but I didn’t even know her name! I can’t go up to a girl and say, ‘Hey, I don’t know your name, but let’s go out sometime.’ Things like that don’t work in the real world.”

“Is that all?” Neji rolled his eyes in disdain at the older man. “You interrupted my training… for frivolities?”

“Yes, I’m sorry about that. I was very impressed with your sparring session with her the other day. Nice technique. But, thanks for your help, Neji-kun. Sorry to interrupt.” With another polite bow, Tenzo made a hasty retreat and headed straight for the Hokage’s Tower, a slight bounce in his step despite the circumstances.

Hisako Mutakami, huh? I finally know your name!

--

Hisako slept dreamlessly, safely enveloped in the husky, earthy smell of the forest. That protective aroma kept the nightmares at bay that would surely have come if she were in her own bed. The only memory that was allowed through the defensive barrier that was Tenzo’s essence… That was the memory she clung to for dear life. She remembered the wind whipping against her tearstained face (why was she crying? She couldn’t remember), and the warmth enveloping her as a pair of strong arms carried her gently.

The birds chirped and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds into the window, touching Hisako’s face ever so gently. When the light reached her eyes, she slowly blinked awake, drifting back into consciousness from what felt like a drug-induced coma. Not awake enough to feel anything, she slowly got out of bed and padded to the door of an unfamiliar house. Even this didn’t faze her. She was fine until she opened the door and saw the building across from her. It was made out of the same brick that she had been so roughly thrown against last night as –

BAM!

She dropped to her knees as the memory hit her like a tidal wave. Every little detail flashed into her head at once in the sharpest clarity, and her breathing became ragged and shallow. She wasn’t even aware of the footsteps rapidly approaching her and the strong arms that hoisted her up, nor was she aware of the fact that she put her arms around the owner of those arms, and wrapped her legs around him as he carried her inside, rubbing her back comfortingly as her whole body shook with dry sobs.

“It’s okay, it’s all over now. They can’t hurt you anymore,” that gentle voice murmured in her ear, and her hysterical sobs faded into small hiccups, accompanied by little shivers. That voice continued to whisper in her ear and rub her back consolingly, even as he sat on the couch and just held her. Neither of them noticed the fact that she still had nothing on except for his jacket. They just lay there in a silence only broken by her quiet sobs, his hand rubbing soft circles into her back even as she fell asleep in his arms.

--

Chapter 29: http://www.fanart-central.net/chapter-101204.html

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