Naruto: The Seraph Project

Chapter 24: Lightning or Wind?

I hear the chirping of the birds which pull me little by little from my slumber. The rays of the sun come to illuminate my room and thereby dazzle me for a moment. My mind is still numb and it's taking me a while to process everything. I'm surprised I slept so soundly and nothing woke me up. Moreover, I feel suffocated as if I had been tied up in my blankets; it's only when I try to move that I understand why.

I notice Naruto—without his forehead protector—in my bed snoozing ... but Naruto is dangerously glued to me, using my chest like a pillow as he's hugging me. His legs intertwined with mine and his tail is wrapped several turns around one of them. That's when I see that he's drooling profusely on me and that he's about to snore. His body too close to mine starts a frantic race in my rib cage and makes me blush with embarrassment. I don't know how he managed to slip into my bed and hug me like this without waking me up, but it almost sends shivers down my spine.

Was I that tired?

At least my arms are free from his unwanted embrace and when I move them they cause hundreds of tingles that make me jump. The veil of static electricity has returned and it not only encompasses Naruto, it does with me as well; the prolonged contact with my pupil completely covered me with it. This is confirmed when I run a hand through my silver hair and can feel nothing but those painless shocks. In addition, the air is heavy and filled with electrical energy. For my greatest misfortune, he is reproducing the same phenomenon here as in his cage... However, something is not right. Why is it so intense all of a sudden? It had taken a few days for the atmosphere to change, though. Is his fury to blame? Does he release lightning chakra voluntarily or not?

All these questions give me a headache. I regret the time when he was hotter than the norm, even boiling hot. He has a normal temperature now, but touching him or being touched is frustrating ... not to mention his thick porcupine hair that seems to be carried along by a non-existent wind that makes them look excruciatingly shaggy. I sigh heavily.

For now, I either go back to sleep or free myself from his troublesome grip. Although I'm still tired from my perpetually devoured limited chakra, the urge to push the sapphire-eyed boy away takes over. Cautiously, I first try to get out of his arms, being careful not to wake him. To my surprise, he's sleeping soundly since he offers me no resistance. Nevertheless, he begins to mumble incomprehensible sounds while wincing; I recognize there the typical behaviours before his amnesia. After freeing myself completely from him, I cover him with my blanket to his shoulders. According to his internal clock, he shouldn't wake up before noon.

Wearily, I inspect my room in case Naruto has been digging around or making a mess. At first glance, there is nothing abnormal, except that he put his headband near mine. Since the teenager used to sleep with it during his incarceration, I presume that he imitated me when he saw me doing it... If he really tends to imitate me, I will have to show caution. At the same time, I notice that it is around ten o'clock in the morning and that the light in my entrance is closed; either the light bulb burst, or Naruto turned it off on his own. By activating the switch, I confirm that he turned it off during my sleep. I grab clean clothes before showering in order to chase away the static electricity that tickles me and presses my already tight clothes more against my suffocating skin, not to mention my mane which stings my face.

I don't have time to enter my bathroom when someone knocks on my door. I put my stuff on the counter before opening the door. I recognize Shikamaru who is about to greet me, but he remains silent—rather, he stares at me.

"What's the matter..?" I sigh.

He barely suppresses a laugh.

"Your hair... I have to say, you wear your name beautifully..."