Fangs in Your Throat

Sealed Fate

Last Time:

"Ok, but don't use chakra for at least a few days. Doctor's orders." Kakashi said as he went to find some paper and ink. He wasn't sure what Minato had planned, but he knew the blonde hokage was determined to find some level of forgiveness ...

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Menma gulped nervously as he stared at the door, but after several moments he knocked and Ino answered, "I'm sorry for hitting you before."

"T.hat's ok, you went a little mental" Ino said knowing that Menma didn't really mean what he did.

"Can I ... I need your help Ino." The redhead pleaded sadly feeling bad for asking at all after how he treated the mind walker, but he had no clue who can help him. At first, he wanted to ask Jiraiya, but he went back to his usual spy missions and was, of course, no longer in the village. Kakashi came to mind as a possible person to talk to, but the jonin was always around Minato trying to help him back to recovery, which was taking longer than necessary because of the fourth's obsessive habit of locking himself in his room, so Menma didn't go near them.

"What do you need?" Ino asked without hesitation.

"I ... I don't know how to talk to Naruto." Menma whimpered softly more than a little ashamed at how he acted.

Ino frowned. "I hear he's been awake a couple weeks now and you haven't gone to talk to him yet?"

A few tears came to the purple eyes as Menma shook his head, "He hates me."

"Did he say that? Wait I thought you said that you didn't talk to him yet- hey ... calm down." Ino said soothingly as he pulled the crying redhead into his arms.

"No ... but why wouldn't he hate me? ... I was so mean ... I wanted him to die and he was tortured because of me ... what do I do? I don't know how to fix this." Menma cried into the mind walker's chest.

"It's ok ... shhh." Ino gently rubbed Menma's back trying to sooth him. "If you're worried then you should go find Sasuke.. He knows Naruto better than most."

"Yeah ... they're friends." Menma said so sadly that it made Ino's heart break, but then he looked shocked as he realized why the redhead was so sad.

Ino shook his head and made Menma look him in the eyes, "Sasuke doesn't hate you ... both of us love you too much to hate you for any of your actions so far. Let's go find Sasuke." Ino said with a blush as he pulled Menma down the road. He didn't intend to use the word 'love', but he did and now Menma for sure knew. After taking a second to calm down he dared to glance over his shoulder at the redhead he was pulling along with him and he definitely saw Menma blushing. He was going to have to talk with Menma later about this and it wasn't something he was ready for ...

With the awkward confession hanging over their heads adding a little more motivation to find something to distract them they both looked around the village for Sasuke. Eventually the Uchiha was found at Ichiraku's. It seems he was ordering a bowl of ramen to go and was about to leave with the meal when Menma and Ino came up to him ...

"Hey Sasuke! Wait up, Menma wants your help!" Ino called out and again took Menma by the hand and dragged him over to Sasuke.

"Sure, what is it?" Sasuke stopped and looked at the redhead curiously.

Menma shifted nervously as a wave of anxiety overtook him, "It can wait until you're done with your lunch."

"My lunch?" Sasuke blinked and his eyes widened as he realized what the redhead meant. "Oh no, this isn't mine. It's for Naruto."

Ayame poked is head out of the ramen stand, "and he better get that ramen too!" He yelled waving a ladle at the Uchiha threateningly.

Sasuke sweat dropped as he held up his hands defensively, "He will! He will!" Sasuke called back and urged Ino and Menma to follow him before Ayame, who caught sight of Menma, could do something worse than glaring. "So what do you need to talk to me about?" He asked as they walked in the direction of the Inuzuka compound.