The Harsh Truth

Chapter 6

The Iv drip was silently dropping doses of painkillers right into the small plastic tube, that went till the needle, that was obviously inserted into the blond boy's arm, an arm that seemed to have been plastered, and held tightly by a white cast.

Anko didn't know what to say. Did she really do what her memories were telling her she did? Did she really say those things to the boy? Her neck wasn't hurting any longer, and that was a plus…especially since it seemed that a cold pack had been applied on her, some sort of body-blanket made of light cool air.

It was in that moment, that Anko dreaded even hearing the voice of the boy in question. Did she really fling him against a wall? Did she really have her snakes bite onto him, repeatedly? Kami be damned, did she really use the poisonous snakes at that? On an eight years old!

"Mitarashi-san," the blond boy, with those never accusing blue eyes, those damn blue eyes that always seemed to be understanding, rather than accusing, was looking at her, and she felt a mess. There he was, looking at her with worry, worry! He should have looked at her with anger, she'd understand it. She basically played little *butcher* on him, had that thing not happened, she'd have probably lopped off his left shoulder and arm!

This was wrong, he should have said something like *Snake whore!* or *How could you!* or things like that…not *Mitarashi-san*.

"Are you alright?" as he asked that, with a gentle tone, the purple-haired Kunoichi couldn't help but avert her gaze, muttering something meekly.

"…fine…" she whispered, barely audible, but the blond boy didn't seem to insist on it, instead, asking something else, again.

"I…I'm sorry," Naruto whispered, "I didn't want to offend you in any way…and…"

"Shut it," Anko growled slightly, "Just…shut it up, and let me speak," as the boy's startled expression took place on his face, the purple haired Kunoichi took a deep breath, before beginning to talk.

"Look…I…I didn't mean it…I might have thought those things, but…I didn't really think them, well, I actually did think them, but I didn't want to say them, it's just…I just…" as Anko was desperate, to find the right words, she let her hands go through her hair, scratching it in an effort to calm down, "I just didn't mean what I said! And I didn't want to do that, I thought about doing that when I was really down, and then it sort of popped up in my mind when you came by, I…I'm sorry, okay? I understand if you no longer want to be friends, and…"

"Anko-chan," Naruto whispered, his eyes sparkling slightly, "we're friends?"

"Oh…well…" why was she blushing? Was it the sparkling eyes filled with hope? Was it the blond boy's barely held in breath? Was it the cute whisker marks? When did it become *cute* whisker marks? She too held her breath for a moment, before slowly finishing her sentence, "If you still want to…"

"Yes, I'd like that, Anko-chan," And then the boy smiled, and to Anko it felt like seeing the gates of the Valhalla open up and reverse upon her worthless mortal face the shining brightness of the Valkyries, clad in their polished steel armors, as that smile that came from the boy simply left her jaw-hanging for a good while.

"Why would you go this far for me, Naruto?" the purple-haired Kunoichi queried, with a feeble voice, "I never was much of a friend to you," as soon as she said that, Naruto's eyes turned slightly watery.

"Anko-chan…I know how it feels to be left alone, to be abandoned…I can't have another suffer my same pain, can I?" as soon as he said that, he turned his gaze to the woman that had just entered, a small awry smile appearing on his face, as the twin-pig-tailed woman with enormous breasts entered, giving an angry stare at Anko.