Sick of You (narusasu)

Chapter 8: Babysitter (Continued)

~'0'~

Naruto and Sasuke walked, side by side, down to Tsunade's office building. Naruto couldn't move as fast as he liked, but Sasuke never left his side. He kept pace, making sure Naruto wasn't alone. The silence between them wasn't as awkward as one might think. Sasuke was never a talkative person, he enjoyed the quiet; and he enjoyed being quiet. Although, he also enjoyed being alone, more than anything. But this wasn't the case in this particular moment. Walking alongside Naruto felt.. nice. He'd periodically look to his left to watch Naruto as they walked. Naruto's eyes were half closed, and he dragged his feet. He slouched as he walked, attempting to keep his arms warm by having them crossed in front of him.

They passed many people, and 9 times out of 10, those people would greet them. By 'them', I mean Sasuke. They all said hello, or good morning/afternoon, or offered him free food from their fruit stands. Sasuke just gave a fake smile and nodded at each person. Naruto simply kept walking. Sasuke looked back to Naruto after greeting another person, and saw the despaired look on his face. Everyone was showing respect and admiration to Sasuke, but they showed nothing to Naruto. 

As they walked, a group of younger children came running from up the street, laughing, and one of the three children chasing the other two with a stick. One child, not looking where he was going, bumped into Naruto, causing him to stumble over. Sasuke caught him and held him up. The child gasped, as the other two caught up.

"Ahhh! Run away! It's the fox demon man!" One screamed, playfully.

"Run away or he'll eat us for dinner!" Another shouted. Naruto sighed as two of the children ran off. One remained, a little girl. She stared at Naruto.

"My mommy says that you're a bad demon man, and that you don't deserve to be alive. Is that true? " She asked. Naruto's heart shattered. He opened his mouth slightly, to reply, but-

"Hurry! Let's go!" A child from before yelled. The little girl ran away, toward the other kids. Naruto watched as the children ran from him.

Sasuke held Naruto's side. He said nothing, unsure if there even was anything he could say to make Naruto feel better. Instead, they stood there for a moment. Naruto looked down at his shoes, his hair in the way of his eyes. Sasuke couldn't read his face, and he wasn't sure what to do. He waited for Naruto to give him a sign, something to help him figure out what his next move should be. Naruto's head rose. Sasuke held his breath.

"We need to keep moving," Naruto sounded so defeated. His throat was scratchy, and his eyes were dull. Sasuke didn't like this. This wasn't the normal, energetic, hyperactive, knuckle-head he had come to know. Sasuke allowed Naruto to get steady on his feet again, and let go of his hold on him. They then continued their march to the Hokage Office, once again falling into a comfortable silence.

~'0'~

They arrived at the Hokage Office and went inside, Sasuke helped Naruto as they walked up the stairs. They got to Tsunade's office door, and knocked.

"Come on in" They heard a voice say. Naruto reached for the door, but found himself struggling to open it. Sasuke looked at him with pity, and a sorrowful empathy filled his heart. He put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, and helped him open the door.

"Dammit.." Naruto muttered. Sasuke bit his tongue.

"Ahhh, Naruto. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Tsunade spoke, sarcastically. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and coughed out a chuckle.

"Hey, Granny.." He choked out. Tsunade immediately froze. 

"What's wrong with you?" She asked, confused. Naruto scoffed.

"That's actually what we came here for. I don't know what's wrong."

Tsunade got up from her chair and rushed to Naruto. She examined his face, placed her palm on his forehead. Naruto awkwardly averted his eyes, looking to Sasuke. Sasuke nodded, trying to make him feel more comfortable. Tsunade sighed.

"Well, there certainly is something unique happening with you." She went back to her desk. "It seems like you've got an unusual illness, usually affects animals like foxes or wolves, sometimes pandas." She scratched her head, and looked at Sasuke. 

"Hmm. Naruto, step outside. I'll talk to Sasuke about it for you." She said, squinting at Sasuke. Naruto scoffed.

"What? Why?" 

"I need to ask him some questions." 

Sasuke swallowed. Naruto, confused, turned around to leave. He gazed at Sasuke for a moment, before exiting. Sasuke stood nervously as Tsunade tapped her temple with her finger.

"So Sasuke. What have you been doing with Naruto?" She asked, blandly. Sasuke held his breath.

"I've been.. helping him."

"How?"

"..He was really cold so I helped him get warm." Sasuke stated, looking at the floor. His face heated up, and his heart raced. Why was she asking these questions?

"Did you stay with him all night?" She asked. Sasuke gulped.

"..Yeah, I did." 

There was silence. Sasuke felt like he was being interrogated. 

"Well. That's good then." She finally announced. Sasuke's eyes widened, and he looked up at her. "Naruto's sickness is a bit.. complicated. He's in the early stages of a certain development that some mammals go through with imprinting. It seems that the time you both spent together caused him to imprint on you. His feelings are heightened, and he'll be very timid and unassertive. He'll crave physical comfort, but that part can change depending on the organism. Sometimes a small nudge or embrace, and other times.. well, I think you get the idea." She explained. Sasuke tapped his foot uncomfortably. 

"So is it like.. heat?" He choked out. Tsunade smirked at him.

"Do you wish it was?" 

Sasuke scoffed and rolled his head at her.

"Calm down, its a bit different. Heat is mostly focused around intense intimacy, but this illness he has includes other aspects as well. Just.. take care of him. Make sure to keep him comfortable at night, that's when it can get bad." She stated. 

"Yeah, I noticed that."

"Well, that's all I can really tell you. This sickness is mostly seen to be present in certain mammals that stay in packs, but usually just in the lonelier types. He's probably not doing well mentally, so make sure to address that too" She stood up. "I'm counting on you to get that moron back to normal, act as a temporary babysitter. Just make sure he gets better.."

"I will." Sasuke nodded, and exited the office.

End of Chapter 8

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