The Right Way Around: Book One

Chapter Twenty-three

A/N: HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

This is a somewhat shorter chapter again. I had a busy day. I don't really celebrate Thanksgiving. But I was busy doing homework, then went out with my fam for dinner and a movie. Came back, finished the chapter.

This chapter's...more of a fun, light-hearted chapter compared to the others. Everyone kind of wanted to have an easy time and I didn't want my Thanksgiving Day chapter to be SUPER dark and messed up. Granted, this chapter is going up the night of Thanksgiving, and not Thanksgiving DAY, but hey... I'm not perfect. And I got behind one day, cause of last week or whatever.

(Pic ain't mine. No idea who did it. It's very sweet though. And while I pretty much hate Sakura at any stage in the show... I do plan on making her more tolerable and fun in MY eyes. So...hope you all can handle that.)

ON WITH THE SHOW!!!

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Sakura slipped into hospital room 409, sliding the door shut quietly behind her. Tiptoeing her way to Naruto's bedside she sat down in one of the chairs next to his bed. Rubbing her lips together she slowly lifted her gaze to look at the blond. He looked...dead. She swallowed tightly, wringing her hands together.

"Hi, Naruto..." Her voice was quiet. "I had planned...on coming in here and yelling at you." She pursed her lips, then sighed. "But...seeing you like this, I can't...scold you." She tilted her head, looking over the bandaged, bruised boy. "I had this whole lecture planned out in my head." Hesitantly she lifted a hand, her fingertips touching a bandaged arm. "All anyone knows is that you nearly died. Shikamaru, Kiba, Chōji, and Sasuke-kun won't tell me anything."

Light green eyes shifted to the foot of his bed. "I guess...I could just look myself..." She glanced at Naruto, still very much unconscious. She swallowed and stood up, moving to the end of the bed and pulling his file. She glanced at him again, rubbing her lips together nervously. "Sorry for the intrusion..." She whispered before opening the file.

Her eyes widened and Sakura found herself sitting back in the chair as she slowly read over his demographics. Then she turned the page, it was his medical history. "Body underdeveloped due to malnutrition. Originally arrived in hospital with several lesions, abrasions, and ...bite marks... Body showed signs of sexual assault..." She looked up at Naruto. "Oh, Naruto.." She frowned and looked back down. "Internal bruising showed risk for bleeding... Patient was covered in own blood, causes unknown."

Sakura shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not wanting to finish the history and moving on fur his current diagnosis. "Patient brought in from suicide attempt." She gasped. "Patient clawed own arms open to the bone. During surgery it was discovered the patient had gone deep enough to scrap his bones, leaving scores." Teary green eyes looked at Naruto briefly before back down. "Surgeon and nurses discovered rec-...rectal...bleeding..." She swallowed bile back. "Evidence of sexual assault. Required sti-...stitches..."

Sitting back in the chair she stared at Naruto in disbelief. This annoying, idiotic pest was being abused and raped by someone in Konoha? He was only twelve! A lot of Naruto's behavior was beginning to make sense to Sakura. Why he was so desperate for friends. Why he flinched whenever someone moved too fast out of his peripheral. The way he was cautious around anyone bigger than him and male. Why he seemed to cling to Shikamaru and Kiba after he had gotten out of the hospital the first time.

Sakura clenched her jaw. Then he started dating Sasuke...and his behavior changed again. He was quieter, and always with Sasuke, his head always lowered in a submissive way, his body leaning towards Sasuke and moving in a way that also implied submission. Her eyes slowly trailed to the healing bruise on the side of Naruto face. He would flinch when Sasuke touched him gently as if the other being kind and gentle was terrifying.