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The first thought Naruto had when he woke up this morning was ‘ouch’. His head was pounding and his throat was sore and despite the warmth of the day he was absolutely freezing. Naruto had been vaguely aware of these feelings for the past several hours but had been too out of it to come to the realization that he was sick until now.
The second thought he had was that he was completely and utterly alone in this. Naruto shivered and curled into a ball trying to conserve heat. If he were one of the other kids in his class, he’d have a mother who would hug him until he was warm again. She would bring him hot tea and soup and maybe sing or read to him.
But he wasn’t one of the other kids in his class. He was Naruto Uzumaki and that meant that no one cared if he was sick. A glance at the clock near his bed showed that he was already too late to go to school. Just as well, since he didn’t want to go anyway.
But he didn’t want to lay around here by himself either. Naruto sniffed which turned out to be a bad idea since the mucus went straight to his throat and started a nasty coughing fit. He groaned when it ended and shoved his face into his pillow. This was so unfair! Nobody should have to suffer alone like this. Not a single person in this village would notice if he never left this apartment again. They probably wouldn’t care if he died. If he stayed here all week no one would show up. He’d be alone. Naruto hated being alone.
With that thought, he rolled out of bed and put on three layers of clothing in a vain attempt to warm up. He wasn’t going to sit around here and let everyone ignore him. Wiping his nose on his sleeve and dropping to the floor next to his bed, he stuck an arm underneath and fished around until he pulled out… an empty ramen cup. After finding ten more of those, he finally pulled out a set of paints.
This time he wasn’t going to settle for a little prank that would just get a couple eye rolls. He was going big this time. Shoving the paints in his pockets, he headed out the door and in the direction of hokage rock.
What he hadn’t counted on was being exhausted. The sun was too bright and the streets were too loud and the monument had never seemed so far from his apartment. He almost gave up at one point, but by then he was mostly there and it would take him longer to get back then it would to get to his destination. Walking with his head down and eyes barely open, plagued with occasional coughing and sniffling, he wondered why no one thought to ask him what was wrong. He supposed they just didn’t care.
By the time he arrived, his first layer of clothing was soaked in sweat and stuck irritatingly to his hot skin. He still felt cold though.
Naruto sank down against the rock and pulled up his knees, dropping his head down low to block out the light. Luckily, everyone would be at school for a while so he had plenty of time. After a few minutes of rest, he wiped his nose on his sleeve and determinedly got started.
For about 5 minutes, he was able to hop around and streak his paint all over, but then he heard yelling below him and knew it was time to get going. Even in this state, Naruto was fast and he knew all the best hiding places in the village. The two ninja chasing him didn’t stand a chance and he quickly lost them by hiding in a crack in a wall behind a trash bin. He grinned at his success until suddenly he felt a tickle in his throat. His coughing gave him away.
Now entirely out of breath, Naruto sprinted away again and just managed to camouflage himself against a wooden fence with a blanket sporting the same pattern. Once his assailants passed him, he dropped the cloth and laughed. People would be talking about him all month now.
“That was too easy!” He said, pleased with himself.
“Oh yeah Naruto?” Yelled a voice right behind him. Naruto jumped and spun around so fast he got dizzy and fell on his butt.
“Where’d you come from Iruka-sensei? What are you doing here?” He asked as if he didn’t know that Iruka had probably been called away from his class to track down Naruto.
“No, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in class.” Iruka reminded him crossly.
A few minutes later, the two of them stood in front of the newly decorated hokage rock. Naruto was handed a bucket of soapy water and a rag. Iruka jumped up to sit on top of the carving and supervise.
Staring up at the damage, Naruto swallowed hard and winced at the pain it caused. He had never regretted anything more in his life. Why had he even gotten out of bed this morning? Any energy or anger he’d possessed had been wiped by all that running. The only thing he wanted right now was to go to bed. Even if there was no one there with him.
“Iruka-sensei?” He asked hesitantly.
“Yes, Naruto?”
“Uh, can I do this tomorrow?”
At first Iruka-sensei was enraged and Naruto cowered under his glare, but then the teacher sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Why? Do you have plans more important than the dignity of our entire village?”
“No, I don’t have any plans!” Naruto retorted, angry at his teacher’s sarcasm. Then he sobered. “It’s just that I don’t feel good today and I think maybe tomorrow I’ll feel better.” Iruka didn’t even look down to reply.
“Nice try. You’re not going home til you’ve cleaned off every single drop of paint.”
Another reminder that no one cared about him, not even Iruka-sensei. “So what?” Naruto huffed. “It’s not like there’s anyone waiting at home for me!” He said angrily as he began scrubbing hard.
The energy from his anger only lasted thirty seconds before his hand slowed down. This was going to take way longer than he could endure but there was no way out of it. Maybe if he died while cleaning Iruka-sensei would feel bad. It didn’t seem like all that far-fetched an idea. He coughed a few times, but got no reaction from above. The teacher must have thought he was faking.
An overwhelming thirst soon set in, but he knew it was too early to ask for a water break. It was tempting to drink the soap water but he knew that would only make him feel worse.
Naruto kept at it, working his way around the rocks and trying to ignore all the signals his body was trying to send him. The hot sun made his headache escalate until it was almost unbearable. He didn’t notice he was crying until he went to wipe his nose and his sleeve came away with multiple wet spots.
Leaning his forehead against the rock and closing his eyes, Naruto finally gave in. It felt like he’d been doing this for days; he couldn’t even see straight at this point. He didn’t care what happened anymore but he wasn’t going to finish this job right now. The ground right under him seemed like a good enough place to sleep. Before that though, he really needed something to drink.
“Sensei?” He called in a voice much quieter than he was usually capable of.
“Yes, Naruto?” Iruka glanced down.
“Can I have some water?”
Digging through his bag, Iruka dug out his canteen and hopped down to Naruto’s level. It was at that moment that he knew, he’d messed up.
The 12 year old was standing with his forehead against the rock looking completely drained. There were tears running down his bright red cheeks. His eyes were closed and the lack of life was so unlike Naruto… it was undeniable that something was very wrong.
Iruka walked over and put a hand on Naruto’s shoulder, pulling him away from the rock and handing him the canteen. Naruto blinked at it for a moment before processing what had happened and unscrewing the cap on the water.
“Sit down for a minute,” Iruka said, guiding Naruto to sit against the rock and kneeling next to him.
Once seated, Naruto gulped down the water, coughed a little, took a deep breath, and leaned his head back, closing his eyes again. Iruka reached over and removed the goggles on Naruto’s forehead, putting his hand in their place. A spike of guilt ran through him when he felt the immense amount of heat radiating from the kid.
“Naruto…” He should have checked earlier when Naruto first complained. Or at least paid enough attention over the last hour to notice how sick he was. Working in the hot sun with a fever this high must have been miserable. Naruto looked up at his sensei pleadingly.
“Can I go home now? Please?”
Iruka slid his hand up into Naruto’s hair and pulled the kid into his chest. “I’m sorry Naruto. I should have listened to you. We’ll finish this another day.”
Getting to his feet with Naruto still in his arms, Iruka set off for Naruto’s apartment. Alarmingly, Naruto didn’t object to being carried and instead buried his face in his teacher’s vest, only removing it when he needed to cough. Every time he did Iruka’s guilt doubled.
It was a short journey. Iruka walked inside and sat on the bed still holding Naruto. It looked like the kid was asleep, but the tight grip he had on the collar of Iruka’s shirt gave him away. Iruka pulled him away and waited for him to stop coughing before removing his jacket. The sleeves were disturbingly wet and crusty. Iruka chose not to think about it. Naruto collapsed back against his chest before he could remove the second jacket his student had apparently needed. At least this one was dry.
Gently, Iruka slid off the bed and laid Naruto on it. However, Naruto kept a tight grip on his shirt, keeping him at the bedside.
“Naruto,” Iruka tried to pry his fingers open. “I’m not leaving, I’m just going to get you some water.” Naruto kept his eyes shut and stubbornly tightened his grip. Iruka sighed. “Or I suppose you could come with me. Ten steps into the kitchen.” No response.
Seeing no other option, Iruka picked Naruto back up and walked to the kitchen sink. Luckily, the first cabinet he opened held a couple glasses. He grabbed one and filled it before sitting back down on the bed.
“Hey, Naruto. Wake up for a minute.” He shook him a little. Naruto cracked open his eyes and Iruka brough the glass to his lips. Taking it in one hand, the other still firmly latched to Iruka’s shirt, Naruto drank about half of it before holding it out for his teacher to take.
“I’ve got to go out and get a couple things,” Iruka explained, setting the glass on the nightstand. “You stay here and get some sleep, okay?” That got Naruto’s attention. He sat up straight and grabbed onto the jounin’s vest.
“Don’t leave me alone again,” he begged, near tears.
“Okay, okay, I won’t. Don’t worry.” Iruka assured him, confused by the uncharacteristic vulnerability. He pet Naruto’s sweaty blond hair. “Relax Naruto.” Naruto’s hands fell back to his lap.
Just then the front door slammed open and an angry voice shouted “NARUTO!” Seconds later the hokage entered the bedroom. He had a whole lecture planned but the words died on his lips when he saw the culprit curled up in Iruka’s arms.
“Lord Third!” Iruka said in shock. He glanced down at Naruto who had once again decided to hide his face in his teacher’s shirt.
“Iruka. What’s going on here?” He asked in confusion.
“Naruto isn’t feeling well. I told him he could finish cleaning up another day.”
“Not feeling well huh?” The hokage mused, walking over to the two. He was right to be skeptical, but as he got closer it was immediately obvious that in this case his skepticism was unwarranted.
Naruto’s breathing was loud and even from the back it was easy to see the child was flushed and sweaty. Not to mention he was hiding his face and had a death grip on Iruka’s clothing which was very out of character for the rambunctious little rebel.
The hokage gave a displeased sigh. “I suppose I’ll save the lecture for when he can remember it.”
“I think that’s wise. By the way, could you have someone bring over some basic supplies for the next few days? There’s nothing here but milk and ramen.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
An hour or so later, Konohamaru bounded in pulling a wagon of supplies. Aside from fever and cough medicine, there were tissues, some fruits, juice, tea, soup, and a specially made bowl of ramen from Ichiraku with all sorts of healthy stuff in it.
“Hey Naruto!” He called, struggling to get the wagon through the door. (AN: I know they aren’t acquainted in episode 1 but I’m pretending they are).
Drowsily, Naruto raised his head from where it had been laying on Iruka’s arm and looked around. He didn’t remember getting in this position but somehow he was in his bed with his teacher sitting on the floor next to him resting his arm on the bed. Naruto had wrapped both his arms and legs around said arm.
Iruka pulled his arm away to go help Konohamaru and Naruto dropped his head onto his pillow, closing his eyes. He felt kinda floaty and hot. Achy too.
“Can I wake him up?” Konohamaru whisper-yelled.
“Go ahead, but don’t be too loud. He might have a headache.“
“Hey Naruto!” Konohamaru said at an average volume.
Naruto opened his eyes to see his friend standing at his bedside proudly holding a bowl of Ichiraku ramen. The smell of it woke him up significantly more.
“Woah Ichiraku?! How’d you buy this?” He asked, mouth already full.
“I didn’t! Mr. Ichiraku saw me shopping and gave it to me when I said the stuff was for you.”
“He must be the nicest guy in the world,” Naruto said in awe. Iruka rolled his eyes and handed him a tissue.
“Your nose is running.”
Putting the ramen down, Naruto blew his nose and dropped the tissue into the wastebasket by his bed before coughing a few times. The steam from the ramen was starting to get to him. Quickly polishing it off, Naruto put the bowl on the floor and picked up another tissue since the box was now on his bed.
“Why don’t you get going Konohamaru? I think Naruto could use some more rest.”
“Okay,” Konohamaru agreed, hopping up from his place on the floor. “See you later Naruto, feel better!”
Naruto tried to say thanks, but no sound came out. He grabbed at his throat and looked at Iruka in a slight panic.
“What’s the matter?” Iruka asked when he looked over.
Naruto focused hard. He mouthed a few words before coughing. A cup of water found its way into his hand and he guzzled it before looking up miserably and whispering. “I can’t talk.”
Iruka smiled sympathetically and pat him on the head. “Don’t worry too much about it, I’m sure it’ll come back soon. I’ll make you some tea to help, okay?” Naruto just nodded sullenly and blew his nose. He was really hot after eating the ramen so he kicked off his blanket and tried to get comfortable, keeping his ears open for the sounds coming from the kitchen.
He knew Iruka wasn’t going to leave right now since he’d said he would bring him tea but he needed to hear him anyway. After delivering the tea with some medicine, Iruka went about putting away the newly procured items and tidying up a bit. The medication must have been the drowsy kind because Naruto fell asleep immediately after finishing his tea
When he woke up, it was dark. He was desperate for a drink of water. Getting up was apparently not a good idea though. As soon as he was vertical, dizziness took over and Naruto went crashing to the ground, whimpering as his head hit. Not a moment later he saw the light of a candle and heard the frantic voice of his teacher.
“Naruto, are you okay? Can you hear me? What happened?”
Maybe it was the fever, or the exhaustion, the disorientation, the pain in his head, or his age showing, but when Naruto realized he hadn’t been left alone he broke down crying. Iruka put the candle down and pulled him into his lap.
“Shhh it’s okay.”
Naruto pressed himself as close as he could get to his teacher, trying to claim as much comfort and body heat as he could since he was feeling cold again. Iruka rubbed a steady hand up and down his back while Naruto tried to calm his stuttering breaths. After a minute, Iruka put a hand on his forehead.
“You’re still pretty warm. Let’s get you some water okay?” At that Naruto nearly cried again because he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to ask. Standing up and carrying Naruto, Iruka made his way to the kitchen and filled a glass of water. He also wet a rag and grabbed more medicine before going back and sitting on Naruto’s bed with the boy in his lap. Naruto took the glass and the medicine and downed it.
“Do you want more?”
He shook his head before laying it against Iruka’s chest. Now that the need was met, he was already half asleep. The crying had been tiring as well.
“I’m gonna put the candle out, okay?”
Naruto nodded and let Iruka out from under him. The room went dark and then Naruto felt his teacher return to the bed, placing the cold, wet rag on his hot forehead. He sighed in contentment, then opened his eyes in surprise as he felt his teacher sit on the bed, leaning back against the headrest. Naruto smiled slightly. It was now much easier for him to make sure Iruka didn’t leave. Meanwhile, Iruka didn’t have to worry about Naruto hurting himself again or his fever getting worse since the kid’s forehead was currently pressed against his leg.
The next afternoon found Naruto in exactly the same spot, but fever free. Luckily, it wasn’t a school day so sleeping till noon was perfectly acceptable. Iruka was warming up soup and slicing an apple in the kitchen for a late lunch while Naruto played around with his new deep voice.
Despite the abuse his body had endured the day before, Naruto bounced back fast. At the end of the day, he was even willing to let Iruka-sensei go home. It was his only chance of escaping early enough the next morning to avoid more rock scrubbing.