[ Voice ]

[ramenkage]

 [ There is silence for a long, long time--He'd died, on that trip. He should be dead. Yet...here he was, a-ok. Breathing. Alive

The hell... ]

Hey...is everyone who went on that exploration trip okay? I--[ I died. I should be dead. ]--wanted to make sure those skin stealing bastards didn't get their hands on [ sakura ] anyone else, yeah? Just...let me know everything turned out okay. 






Heh...they couldn't keep me down for long, huh? Yeah yeah, I'm too cool to be gone for good. [ He tries to sound boastful. Obnoxious.  Like himself. It sounds forced, though. He's too worried about Sakura and the others.




If they had died...would they come back, too? ]

Comments

done. sorry for barfing emotion all up in here.

[ramenkage]

Sakura. I...[ He can't find words for what he wants to express. He can't think of anything.

He wants to hold her close and apologize. To promise to make it up to her. But he'd failed her. He'd gone and gotten himself skinned--and it used that to hurt her.


He didn't want to see her crumble again. To see how much this had hurt her--Not when he was supposed to be the one making everything okay. So he just stands there dumbly, trying to grasp at something to say.


But he can't.












What is there to say? To do? How could he ever hope to make up for this? ]

the barfing of emotionsis acceptable, aslo 1/?

[sthenic]

Yeah, it's.. fine....

Re: done. sorry for barfing emotion all up in here.

[sthenic]

((But she slows her words to watch Naruto's expressions change and evolve into something she feared. She stared a time, seeing him pale and his fists clench. Yeah, she did know him well... and yea, she kind of figured out what each little movement meant, even if sometimes she didn't understand everything.

Even if he was... if he had figured it out, she couldn't say anything. She would still lie and deny all the things that had happened. Recalling killing him--or rather, the fake--was hard enough as it was. Nor.. seeing as Naruto returned, could she admit how glad she was to have her revenge. She'd killed the fake and got the one person back who'd ever cared about her so strongly.

The last few weeks.. they seemed to finally shape exactly how much Nrauto meant to her. As it would nag her in the future? Sasuke's point of view can only become more apparent.))

3/3 oh what a lovely short spam

[sthenic]

No, you don't look well at all. Let's lay you down to rest and I'll make you something hot, alright? That'll help.

((She starts right back in with denial. She wasn't going to call Naruto out when he was just the same trying to hide his feelings as she muted her own.))

[ramenkage]

[ He shakes his head. ]

No, I'm fine. [ He's not fine. Actually, he kind of feels like he's going to heave. ] I don't need anything, okay? I'll be...I'll be fine.

[sthenic]

Naruto, please. ((It's quick: maybe a little desperate; her hand reaches out and pulls at the cuff of his shirt.)) You don't look fine, and that's enough. Just lay down, alright?

[ramenkage]

No, I'm--[ 'Fine'. He pulls away from her touch, a strange look on his face. It wasn't fear, but...something vaguely similar--He used my skin to hurt you.



Remember when I said he felt like heaving? Yeah, he's just going to turn and make a mad-dash for the bathroom brb. ]

[sthenic]

((Sakura's outstretched hand seems to follow him as he rushes passed, but her feet are rooted. She can only watch as he speeds away.

A pause and she listens. Her hands reach around her body and she rubs her own arms as if to comfort herself. He probably already knew; it was too hard to hide it from him after how hard it struck her.

The pause seems to last until she can't hear anything any more. She brings her feet to motion, leaving behind imprints on the old, worn out carpet as she moves towards his bedroom. Something was amiss there, she...))

[ramenkage]

[ He stays in there a while, breathing. Breaking. He slumps against the wall, running a hand through his hair. Shit shit shit, pull yourself together--The hell is wrong with you?

A short while later, he puts on a neutral face, and goes back to the entryway. She's not there, though--So he shuffles from room to room, searching until he reaches his own. ]

...Sakura?

[sthenic]

((Sakura turns, holding something plainly under her arm. She seemed like she didn't realize, at least for a moment, it was a mite strange what she was doing))

Oh, sorry. I just forgot something in here earlier...

[ramenkage]

You forgot something?

[ Did she...stay in here, while he was gone? He frowns, watching her sadly from the doorway. ]

[sthenic]

Yeah, it's nothing. ((She smiles and shows him the little item, then approaches to slide out of the room. Looks like she'd taken the time to straighten the sheets on Naruto's bed too.))

1/2

[ramenkage]

[ ...


It takes everything he's got to stop himself from gathering her into another hug. ]

Sakura...

[ramenkage]

Want some ramen?


[ Noodles: The solution to everything. ]

[sthenic]

Ha--?

((A pause; she smiles, almost laughing.)) Yeah, sure, why not? Just give me a second, alright?

[ramenkage]

Yeah, no problem. I've gotta heat up some water, anyway. [ He somehow manages a more normal, goofy-looking grin. ]

[sthenic]

((Sakura's quick to slip by. She sets the forgotten item, her headband, on her dresser and looks at herself in the mirror quick. She always looked a bit like a mess since arriving in Discedo, but leaning into the mirror slightly saw that her eyes were still red from crying on him. How embarrassing... A quick tissue, she tries to make herself at least feel like she hadn't bawled every day the last week...

She comes out again, taking her seat at the little counter they ate at. A pause as she watches, sort of smiling. It's amazing to her what she had to be grateful for.))

[ramenkage]

[ Once she leaves he quietly goes to heat some water, staring at it absently until he hears her coming down the hall--Replacing the blank expression with something more cheerful. Well, an attempt at cheerful, though the thought of Ramen is enough to lift his spirits somewhat.

Once the water's heated, he pops open the tops of the Ramen cups and pours the water in, closing the tops to let them sit for a few minutes--turning he grins, setting her Ramen on the counter in front of her. ]

Ta-Da!

[sthenic]

((A smile.))

Thanks, Naruto...



Are you... feeling any better?

1/3

[ramenkage]

Yeah, I'll be okay.

[ A smile to prove his point, before he sits down to enjoy his ramen-- ]

[ramenkage]

[ Only as he opens the top, the ramen tips over, spilling it's delicious, noodle-y insides all over the counter. ]

[ramenkage]

SHIT!

1/2

[sthenic]

Ah--((She jumps away, not wanting to her clothes covered in noodles. A pause..))

[sthenic]

((And she starts to laugh.))

Geeze, Naruto, you're as clumsy as ever. Here, just have mine and I'll clean up.

[ramenkage]

No, no. That's yours. [ And as much as he'd like to, he's not gonna take it from her. ]