Naruto: The Seraph Project

Chapter 51: I Watch Over You

Condemned to my bed with nothing better to do than to immerse myself in my thoughts, I waited for an eternity for Naruto to deign to release me. I cannot move my tightly tied legs that are dying to stretch. My arms and hands, meanwhile, are crushed under my own weight and squeezed in this vice of flesh in which they are choking in agony. They quickly lost all sensation and they are stiff; briefly touching my surrounding skin with my fingertips, I no longer feel anything.

To add to my ordeal, I have a strong urge to urinate which accentuates my discomfort; at this, Naruto began to drool profusely in my neck, which is also the victim of a disturbing numbness. Like my upper limbs, my skin flooded with filthy drool is asleep. I no longer perceive the temperature nor the saliva.

When Naruto started snoring, his hold on my person relaxed. Not without flinching in pain, I hurriedly freed my hands and arms, which were badly sore and stiff from inaction. I had a hard time bringing them in front of me in order to stretch them, closing and shaking my palms. I couldn't quite close them completely. My blood took forever to travel back through my somewhat atrophied veins.

I was able to contemplate the many bright red claw marks and bruises around my wrists. Naruto brutalized me unceremoniously that night by omitting his teeth marks. I haven't looked at my dial since I was taken hostage, but according to the lights outside, it's been over an hour.

With my almost normal arms, I gently pushed Naruto away from me and luckily, he's sleeping soundly; he didn't make the slightest complaint either. I then released my legs by unrolling his tail from them. By the time my legs stretched, I sat on the edge of the bed while covering the feral boy with the blanket.

I take this opportunity to wipe off the excess of vile saliva by removing my tank top... However, something is wrong. As I run a gentle hand over my neck, I realize that the area—although dried—is devoid of sensation, as if my skin had been anaesthetized. Plus, it's cold to the touch. Unlike my arms, the feelings don't return, even if I massage it or do stretches.

Worried, I hurry to the bathroom to look at myself in the mirror. On the surface, my skin looks normal. I have no trouble moving or working the muscles of my neck and my right shoulder, which is also affected, although it's less intense. If I pinch or scratch my skin, I don't feel any pain—rather, I don't feel anything at all. I'm willing to bet I wouldn't feel the tip of a kunai slice through my skin and release my blood.

What does that mean? Could it be that Naruto mixed his venom with his saliva and caused this? I doubt; his toxin engenders fiery sufferings and not the other way around. Also, it's not the first time he's slobbered on me, although this time it's intense enough to go through the fabric. If I remember my stained face that had a vile drop of drool slither down my temple the other day, I'm even more confused than I was to begin with... Nevertheless, if I focus on my hand who wiped Naruto's salivary puke, it's very subtle, but my sensory perceptions aren't the same.

Does his saliva act as an analgesic?

In addition to having spent the worst night of my life, I find myself bombarded with questions and torments that I didn't need. I'm too tired to care more than that right now...

I'll look into that later.

My bladder relieved, I took a hot, almost boiling shower to wash away the veil of static electricity while massaging my insensitive skin. The recent scratches, including those on my face and the bite marks on my arms, sting me once underwater. However, no matter how much time I devote to regaining feeling, my skin affected by this strange phenomenon remains horribly frozen and deeply asleep. To say I'm anxious would be an understatement.

I let Naruto sleep this morning. With everything that has happened, I prefer to fiercely avoid him. I was not able to recover my chakra... I mean, not as much as I would have liked; I'm too weak and my brain is idling. I will attempt to take a nap once the teenager is awake and far, far away from my bed. My appetite absent, I eat with difficulty; I don't finish my meal to which I only took a few meagre bites.