Mᴀᴅɴᴇss | Sᴀsᴜᴋᴇ Uᴄʜɪʜᴀ

Chapter Fifteen

Day Six: Part One

When Mei finally reached Konoha, the time was approaching sunrise. The rain had stopped. She could feel continuous gushes of wind; they cooled her damp clothes, leaving her body trembling unwillingly. The door to Naruto's house was unlocked. Dead silence greeted her as she stepped into the house. "Naruto," she called, but there was no response. "Naruto?" Mei quickly looked around noting the clothes on the floor, empty bottles of sake, food wrappers and other rubbish. She furrowed her eyebrows, carefully stepping over the items on the floor. The bedroom was as equally bad. She flicked the light switch and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. Mei stepped into the room, her heart racing. It looked as if Naruto went on a rampage; another wave of sadness washed over her.

Her gaze fell on the broken picture frame by the bedside. She reached out to pick it up, her hand freezing midway. Mei swallowed a lump in her throat as her fingertips connected with the frame. She shook off the broken glass and pulled out the picture.

She remembered that day very well. She just turned fourteen and Naruto invited her to eat ramen Ramen Ichiraku. The portions were so big, she barely managed to finish one when Naruto was finishing his fourth. They walked around Konoha, he introduced her to his friends and random people he knew, that was when she met Jiraiya for the first time. Big bear man with perverted grin and kind eyes. Mei traced her fingers over the photo, feeling her heart ache. Jiraiya was the one who insisted they take that photo to commemorate their special day. Three smiling faces looked at her from that photo: Jiraiya, Naruto and herself. Her fingers clenched on the picture. She gently set it down on the bedside table and hurried out of the house. She had to find Naruto.

For a moment she was startled, not knowing where to start, but then it hit her. She turned around on her heels and made her to way to the forest. If her intuition was correct, she would find him at her house.

***

Mei was in luck.

The door to her house was slightly open. She silently slipped inside and made her way to the bedroom. Her heart raced in her chest, pumping adrenaline all over her body. Mei pushed the door open and gasped. The bag slid off her shoulder and fell by her feet with a muffled thud.

Naruto was halfway off the bed. One arm rested on the floor with hand still clenching to an empty bottle of sake. His knuckles were bruised and scraped with blood crusting over the flesh wounds. Mei walked to the bed sat beside him. Swamped by sadness, she rested his arm on the bed after taking away the bottle. Hair fell onto his face and she moved it away. Her fingertips stroked his cheek, feeling the morning stubble. There was mild swelling or puffiness under his eyes. She stroked his hair gently, reassuringly.

"Naruto," Mei called his name. Naruto shifted lightly but did not open his eyes. "Naruto," she called a little louder.

His eyes eyelashes trembled, and eyes opened. He stared at her with an unseeing gaze, as if trying to register who was in front of him. "Mei," his voice was hoarse and uncertain.

"I'm here," she said quietly with a small smile. They looked at each other for some time until Mei broke the silence. "I'm sorry Naruto," she whispered, tears glistering in her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

Naruto's eyes filled with tears. His Adam's apple trembled, and nostrils flared. He launched forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her clothes. His body trembled and she knew that Naruto was crying. "He's gone." His voice was muffled. "He's dead."

"I know," she whispered into his hair. Mei rubbed his back while he cried, whispering words of support, and understanding. A couple of tears escaped her eyes and disappeared in his hair. The trembling of his body started to pass. Mei gently pressed her lips to his head. "Everything is going to be okay," she said quietly. Naruto sobbed, rubbing his face against her chest. Her tunic was soaked with his tears, but she did not notice. Never in her life she had seen Naruto this shattered. It was heart-breaking. Mei wrapped one arm around him while she stroked his head with the other. Naruto buried his face in the crook of her neck. She felt his moist cheek on her skin. She lost the track of time. Naruto's tensed body started to relax in her arms, his breathing steadied and got deeper. He finally fell asleep.