Rain To Wash The Blood Away (Nagato x reader)

10. Promise

You sat beside the sleeping boy, his eyes closed gently while his red hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. Reaching for his forehead, you pushed the hair back and felt the heat coming off of it.

"He's definitely got a fever," you thought out loud, Yahiko staying close by.

"Does this mean this guy's gonna stay with us?" he asked, not seeming too pleased at the thought of another mouth to feed. You hummed, not knowing how to respond to his questions. Giving yourself a second, you came up with answer.

"When he wakes up I'll see if he has anyone to go to, if not, then he'll be staying with us." Konan seemed fine with this, happy that there was someone else to join their group.

"While he's here, can we go out and get some food?" Yahiko asked, sounding bored. You didn't blame him for it though, you had kept both of them in the previous day because of the strong winds outdoors. There was also a higher chance of shinobi hanging around and you wouldn't risk them running into any, there was no way of knowing if they were good or not.

"That's okay and if you can, see if you can get some medicine." Reaching into your pocket, you pulled out some money for them to take. The orange-haired boy happily took it, sending you a wide smile as he walked out of the room with Konan right behind him.

When the two were gone, you heaved a sigh of relief, finally having some quiet time. Now it was just you and the sleeping boy. You wouldn't admit it to Yahiko or Konan because it would show weakness but you were exhausted. The boy had only been here one day and he hadn't woken up yet but the day before that, you had gone out to get some more money. With the bingo book you had found, you tracked a rogue ninja with a big price on their head, killed and cashed them in. The fight was intense, the shinobi not giving up without a fight. You were successful and got home with no injuries, only having little energy left. But when you got back, you had acted as if you were completely fine even though your joints ached and your body badly needed to collapse and sleep.

Laying beside the red-haired boy, you used your body to warm him, hoping that the little that you could do for him would be enough.

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You weren't sure how long had passed when you woke up, Konan and Yahiko laying on their own beds, sleeping soundly. Peaking out the window near the bed, you were surprised to see it was night. It was morning when you had fallen asleep, that meant you had slept for the entirety of the day. You attempted to get up but were surprised to see that the boy who you had saved the other day clung to you, attracted to the warmth of your body. Since you could do with some more rest and the boy seemed to be getting better, you lay back down and held the boy close as you returned to sleep.

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The next morning, the red-haired boy was the first to wake up. His head ached, stomach begging to be fed. But there was one thing which he noticed before all of this, it was the warmth that was next to him. Lifting the blanket, he was surprised to see a girl laying beside him. She was pretty, her (h/c) hair falling in her face. He pushed it back and couldn't help but admire her, she was the one who had saved him.

He found difficulty remembering what had happen but he remember her face. How she looked down at him with worry, picking him up off of the ground, taking him away with her and two other figures which followed her. Sitting up a little, he noticed them laying asleep in beds on the other side of the room. But his movements awoke the sleeping girl, her (e/c) eyes shiny in the small amount of light which entered through the nearby window. Noticing that he was awake her eyes widened a little. She pulled her arms back from around the boy, reaching for his forehead to feel his temperature.

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"Your fevers going away," you informed him, fixing his hair afterwards. Sitting up, you helped him to do the same.

"Thank you," he whispered, his words dry and croaky. Getting up, you grabbed a small loaf of bread and some water, handing them to him.

"You're malnourished and dehydrated," you told him. He was grateful, eating everything quickly, washing it all down with the water. Now that he was done, you decided to ask him some questions.

"Where are you from?" you questioned, using a soft tone in order to keep him calm.

"Amegakure," he replied. You nodded as you listened, using your hand to wipe the bread crumbs from his face.

"And your name?"

"Nagato." You smiled gently at him to show that there was nothing for him to be afraid of, his ringed eyes moving between you and his lap.

"Well Nagato, my name's (Y/n). How old are you?" He looked around the same age as Yahiko but you wanted to ask anyway.

"Nine," he responded, his voice a little stronger.

"Okay, the other two over their are Konan and Yahiko, they're both eight. But I'm eleven." He nodded as he listened to you talk, your eyes focusing on your linked hands.

"Are you looking after them?" he asked, eyes drifting to the two sleeping nearby. You nodded, looking up to meet his purple orbs.

"Yeah, when the war broke out I already knew the two of them. Yahiko's father works outside of the village so I don't know where he is and his mother never came back. I don't know about Konan though, I think that she was staying with her grandmother but she's gone now." After talking about that, you noticed how Nagato's eyes filled with tears. They began descending down his face, his hands reaching up to hide them.

"Hey, what's wrong?" You asked softly, pulling his hands down so you could see him properly.

"M-my parents," he sobbed. The way he looked at you with tears running down his face sent a sharp pain to your chest, making you pull the boy into an embrace in an attempt to calm him down. Closing your eyes tightly, you made him a promise.

"I'll protect you, we're all alone here but we have each other. I'll be here for you as long as you need me to be," you whispered. The red-haired boy wrapped his arms around you tightly, continuing to sob into your shoulder. You were surprised that the others didn't wake but you were grateful for it. He needed a good cry, you had lost your parents as well, even though the circumstances were different, you knew how much he needed this hug.

At that point, you didn't know the boy well at all but you promised both him and yourself that you'd stay by his side as long as he wanted you to be there.

Finally getting some real time with Nagato, but you've only just met and the two of you are still a bit young so there will be time skips. It's when they're a bit older that they will actually get together. Thinking about what I've planned for their relationship makes me happy. Nagato deserves happiness <3