Spiraling

Chapter 25

Naruto moaned in his sleep and woke up at the ass crack of dawn. He pulled a hand over his eyes and was hit with the strong scent of alcohol. He noticed the tight bandages around his arm and lifted his next arm and it was the same thing. He sat up and noted his feet were bandaged as well. 'What the fuck happened?' He wondered, the door opened and Shikamaru came in. It was like a tsunami hit him in the face. He remembered what happened. "That fucking room!" He yelled. Shikamaru flinched under his voice.

He didn't stay by the door long and sat beside Naruto who was gritting his teeth. Naruto turned to him and took his wrist gently. "I'm sorry you had to see that," He said softly. Shikamaru shook his head as his body trembled.

"What happened." He asked as he wiped his tears with his other hand. "I was so scared, you didn't look like yourself, didn't sound like yourself. Your wrists were so torn and your feet had so much glass."

"That's the state I get in when I get out of that fucking room." Naruto murmured, he got out of bed but Shikamaru held onto him.

"Show me." He demanded, Naruto froze turning to look down at him. "Show me what's in that room." 

"No," Naruto hissed and pried his arms off. He stormed out of the room but didn't get far as Shikamaru spun him around.

"Listen to me Naruto, I want to know more about you. If this is something that torments you I want to know what I'm dealing with if I ever come face to face with that you again. I almost fainted because I thought you would snap my throat." Shikamaru was sobbing at this point and Naruto couldn't look away for two reasons.

One his lover was in pain.

Two he looked so pretty with tears on his face.

Naruto kissed his tear stained lips and sighed in pleasure at the salty taste. He picked up the smaller male cradling him like a child. "I'll show you but-" He cut himself off and just walked to the room. Shikamaru cleared his tears and observed how out of the way this room was. When Naruto reached the door he pressed his hand against it and the seals unlocked the door. Naruto placed him down and leaned against the wall opposite from it. 

Shikamaru took it as his sign to open it. Inside was a brightly decorated space. Something in him told him not to step over the threshold. So he didn't. "What is this place."

"This is my family apartment, an exact copy of the home I grew up in before my parents passed away. Even the furniture is from the original place." Naruto said quietly. "Every time I step in there I get hallucinations, memories if you will of my time there. They alternate between happy and traumatic. It plays with my head but I can never stop coming in here. I get to hear my mother's voice, my father's laughter. Just for a moment I'm pulled back to the happy times before all hell broke loose." Silent tears were going down his face and he didn't even notice if Shikamaru hadn't wiped them off.

"That can't be healthy for you Naruto." He said softly, Naruto shook his head.

"Don't come with that crap." He said tersely. "How you see me is how you get me. Don't think for a second you could convince me to tear down that room." Shikamaru laid his head on Naruto's chest and wrapped an arm around his tall lover's waist. 

"I would never suggest it, that's just a pointless argument. All I can do is help you when you come out of that room." Shikamaru murmured looking up at him. "That's all you need right? Just a bit of help?" Naruto nodded and connected their foreheads. "Then I'll give it." They kissed for a moment and Naruto sealed the door again. Shikamaru thought he was being stubborn but he wouldn't force it. If Naruto had controlled himself up until now with that room present then he coming would fuck up his established mindset. 

All he could do was prepare for the haunted Naruto that would come out from time to time. "I know I'm not mentally healthy." Shikamaru snorted at that, Naruto smiled. "But know this Shikamaru, I would never hurt anybody in my inner circle. That includes you baby shadow." Shikamaru nodded as he buried his face in Naruto's neck.

'This isn't good, it's like I'm drowning in everything that is you Naruto. You scare me but yet I can't move away from you. I stay and I don't know why. Fuck of course I know. I love you Naruto I really do.' Shikamaru thought as he teared up. Naruto just held him as he cried. He didn't say anything, it's like he knew what he was doing to Shikamaru but refused to push for him to leave him. He couldn't let Shikamaru leave, it wasn't an option anymore.

'I already placed you in my inner circle, your meant to stay forever.' Naruto thought as he combed through his soft hair. He noted that his claws were growing out more. 'Almost time, this is gonna be a pain.'

*********

Konohamaru bounced on his feet as his Ebisu-sensei turned in their mission report. It was boring to be away from home so long. But now he was home and that meant his Nii-chan's cooking for dinner. Moegi and Udon kept giving their friend and leader an amused look. It had been two months since they last saw their Nii-chan and trainer.

"I wonder if he buried himself in work." Udon sniffled. 

"That's just like Nii-chan." Konohamaru chuckled. "He should be excited, his test invention yielded results." He pushed up his sleeve to reveal a prototype of what he deemed to be the Shinobi Gauntlet. 

"I think you'll be surprised." Tsunade said with a knowing smirk. "A new addition to this family has been added." Konohamaru smiled, his Nii-chan found somebody he liked. 

"Who is it?" Moegi asked excitedly. 

"You know him when you see him." She promised, they turned to Ebisu-sensei with teary eyes begging to be released. He sighed knowing it was a lost cause to argue. He gave the go ahead and they ran out of the room and out the building. They raced to Naruto's apartment.

Konohamaru had a key since he lived there with Naruto and opened the door. "Nii-chan I'm home!" He yelled as he toed off his shoes and dropped his traveling pack. He stripped down to his under wear as per usual. It was a rule of this home. His friends followed along except Moegi who kept on her one piece short jumpsuit she usually wore under her clothes.

He could hear two voices talking and hurried into the living room. He rushed in seeing his Nii-chan talking to Shikamaru. "Wait Shikamaru is the new addition?" He said giving the Nara a once over.

"Konohamaru what are you doing here?" Shikamaru asked looking up from a scroll he was reading intently. Naruto was buried deep in the largest scroll. 

"I live here, Naruto's my Nii-chan." He boasted as he launched himself over to the blond who was ready for the impact. He laid Konohamaru over his lap and continued reading.

"So he's the Nii-chan your always saying takes good care of you." Shikamaru said as he remembered back to a time when they were Genin and they tried to take care of a young Konohamaru.

"Yeah, he's the greatest." Konohamaru smiled brightly looking up at the blond. "When I was a baby Nii-chan used to babysit me when my parents went for missions. When they didn't come back from there last one Nii-chan took care of me, Asuma-jiji tried to take me but I would yell and scream. So Naruto adopted me formally."

"Konohamaru was a relief since we both lost our parents around the same span of months." Naruto murmured finally looking up. "Jiji pulled strings so I could adopt him and when I was busy in my training he would look after Konohamaru. I was always happy to come home and hear him tearing off Jiji's ears."

"No cringe I was a toddler." Konohamaru whined. Moegi and Udon laughed from the sofa. Shikamaru looked at them from across and admired the view. Naruto apparently has a good way children, he found it endearing. He smiled which caught Naruto's eye who grinned in response.

The three Genin looked between them and smirked.

"Naruto and Shikamaru," Konohamaru sang.

"Sitting in a office." Udon joined.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G." Moegi finished, they laughed at Shikamaru's red face.

"Welcome home little brother." Naruto said patting his hair.

"Thanks Boss,"