My Lover's Keeper

43. Heart and Mind

Kurama watched his brother leave that morning. He didn't want him to go. He didn't want him to speak at all. Yet, he couldn't really be there for Naruto not with his unhelpful compulsive behavior to say what's on his mind at all times.

The blond went anyway because god forbid he, for just once in his life, does nothing.

The ride was quiet, Naruto went through the documents of their presentation. Raiku gently placed her hand on his knee. "Calm down. They're the ones who should be nervous"

He took a deep breath to calm himself.
Shimura pharmaceuticals was the largest in Konoha and the largest in many other countries. It was a monopoly in the field of medicine. The power that was granted to them by Konoha was no doubt due to generous campaign donations.

This empire was built on the pain and suffering of people. Danzō Shimura, the relentless man who created it was long dead from a degenerative disease that made his death long and insufferable.

If Naruto were to be meeting him, he'd be fighting a losing battle. But the man died and left no heir, so the board had full control of the company.

But unlucky was he, because they were going to address business men who only cared about money.

The assistant had lead them both to the conference room. A large windowed room with a long table. The skyline view was breathtaking but Naruto didn't spare it a second glance.

Raiku had requested a chair for Naruto referring to him as he counsel and even though they were denied at first. Eventually Naruto sat by her side.

Already, the room was tense just from asking - demanding - a chair.

The guy that was going deliver the presentation was even more nervous. But they all sat quietly and listened to every word.

It was a long dreaded presentation and Naruto found himself writing on his notepad anticipations of the questions they would ask later.
"So...this had gone from wanting to carry a study on gene therapy to developing a cure... To cancer no less" he chuckled "you expect us to approve this crazy idea, Kire-san?

"Hasn't every scientific outbreak start with a crazy idea?" Raiku answered since she was presumed to be Kire-san.

"We shut this down before. The lab isn't getting any more privileges. We're talking about risky procedures that could end up killing patients. You have to see it from that point." A woman argued.

"We're asking for volunteers, stage 4 cancer who are unresponsive to treatment or who can't have it anymore due to their deteriorated health. We're not asking for healthy individuals" Raiku shot back.

"You're asking for desperate people who for all we know are ready to throw themselves under the bus just to make their death swift." She glared at the woman.
Naruto simply laughed. "You think it's funny?" She barked at him.

"Why would anyone who wants to die so badly be desperate enough to try something to get to live? You contradicted yourself. If I were terminally ill, in a lot of pain...got a few days or a few weeks, and I really couldn't handle it and I have just by my side a bottle full of painkillers that I can easily use to end it all, why in the world would I leave that and seek other options to keep fighting? Why would I prolong the pain I want so badly to end?" Naruto shrugged. "Your argument doesn't make sense. This isn't really about what is ethical or otherwise. This is about losing money..."

"Naruto-.." Raiku wanted to stop him as requested by his older brother but he shut her up with only his finger held up to give him a moment.

"Which I understand...you're a company making I don't know how many millions because of cancer patients. Thing is, you're not thinking on the long run. You could be diagnosed with cancer in future...god forbid your parents, your daughters, sons, grandchildren. And then they'll go through the pain of a treatment that may or may not kill the cancer. But it would definitely effect their livelihood, the quality of it... And when they are in that terminal stage of cancer and the doctor tells you there was nothing for them to do for your loved one. Would you be able to live with the fact that you, at a point in time, had the power to have erased all of their pain. You had the power to save them but it would be too late. You'd willingly give all of your money, success and glory just to save them. But no amount of money would grant you your one wish. Sure, you can deny this motion...it's a one syllable word that doesn't have any effects on your lives now. But maybe you should think hard on the impact that one word might have on all of your lives before you say it.
Because that one word might just make you or your loved one part of the yearly statistics of cancer patient deaths." Naruto noticed the eeriness in the room right away.