Like High School Didn't Suck Enough Already (A Konoha High Fanfic)

Chapter 18

It's bright when I finally come to. Everything around me is blurry and when I go to move a slight pain comes from my arm as it jostles the IV buried in the skin. How did he get me? Where's Orochimaru? What's he going to do to me? Panic over takes me and I start thrashing around, finding it strange that he doesn't have me restrained. It must be some new way of adding to the psychological part of the torture.

I look around furiously for escape, but the only way out is through and open door. It has to be booby trapped. Machines around me begin to go out of control with beeping, matching my heart rate perfectly. Sitting up I wince at the pain shooting through my body, but force myself to bear it and pull the IV's out of my veins.

Black blurs my vision as I stand and I stagger to the left, grabbing at the machines to steady myself, but they fall over in a loud clatter. Voices surround me as people in white scrubs pour into my room. I swing violently at them in my panic. I manage to knock one back onto the bed, but they take a hold of my arms, restraining them behind my back.

I snarl and pull against them, feeling something pop in my shoulder. I can't escape their hold. One of them comes towards me, a syringe in hand. I renew my struggle and free my left arm. I try to hit them, but the moment I move my arm a searing pain rips through my shoulder. The scrubbed man comes forward with a smile. “I'm just going to give you something to relax.” He sticks me in the neck with the needle, with an unnecessary force, and pushes the plunger down.

My vision swims, blurring everything around me. The voices of the people around me start to meld together into one loud, cacophony of noise. I press my good hand to my ear, dropping to my knees. It seems they've deemed me to not be a threat and have released me. I screw my eyes shut, hoping it's a dream and the moment I open my eyes I'll be in my bed. It's no use. I open my eyes to find my field of vision narrowed down to what's directly in front of me, a pair of bright green eyes. The black closes in before dragging me under.

My dreams are haunted by those green eyes. Who do they belong to? Why do they look so familiar? Whenever I see them I feel sad and happy and confused all at the same time.

I drift in and out of consciousness catching snippets of conversation from those around me.

“Suzume... fine... I don't know...”

“...Orochimaru...”

“No... drunk driver... head trauma.”

“Both of them... okay... lucky to be alive...”

Next time I resurface into full consciousness I feel a hand clutching mine and another resting on my leg on the opposite side. I'm instantly calm, there's no way anyone in Orochimaru's lab would hold my hand. My eyes flutter open and I glance down. Naruto is passed out with his arm slung across my leg, a bit of drool coming out of the corner of his mouth. My arm on that side is in a dark red cast that extends from my elbow to my knuckles.

Kakashi is clutching my left hand, staring down at it. He looks awful, like he hasn't slept in a few days and his eyes are tinged in red. His normally gravity defying sliver hair is matted down and not quite as shiney as it usually is. The shirt he's wearing is wrinkled, while his mask is pulled down, revealing the smooth skin of his jaw and full lips.

“You look horrible,” I croak out through cracked lips. His head snaps up at my voice and his multicolored eyes lock onto mine.

“You're awake!” He exclaims and tears begin to gather in his eyes. A slight noise of surprise leaves Naruto's lips and he jolts awake. “We didn't think... I mean the doctor's said you weren't gonna make it.”

“Tora!” Naruto's voice is broken and relieved. He instantly wraps his arms gently around me, resting his head on my shoulder. Something wet gathers on my shirt and I can only assume the blond is crying. “Don't ever scare me like that again.”