Work Text:
The toll of the transformations were very apparent on Sabimaru. He couldn't walk on his own. He needed support. He was breathing heavily and didn't seem to be able to catch his breath even after he got to sit down.
There was only one logical place they could even bring him in his current state besides a hospital. The academy. It was a safe spot where no one else would see just what was going on. They didn't need to raise alarm in anyone over Sabimaru's condition.
"It's starting to get dark out..." Rinne was the first to bring up the next issue.
Sabimaru was in no shape to go home. He had been placed onto a makeshift cot and was resting. He had almost promptly passed out once he was laying down. He still looked awful even after being given some different things to try and make him feel better. There was no way he could go home in this shape.
"He'll have to remain here for the night." Minato stated. "I'll watch over him. You all can handle coming up with an excuse as to why he isn't coming home tonight."
"I can probably say that he's having a sleepover with me. That should give us a good excuse." Renge said.
"Good idea!" Hotarou agreed.
"Will he be okay, sensei?" Rinne asked.
Minato glanced over at the suffering kid. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He just needs time to recover from this. How long that will be... I can't say."
"Do you think..." Renge trailed off.
"I don't know if they hurt him." Minato responded, guessing what she was trying to ask. "When he is ready to talk, then we can see what happened."
Minato wasn't sure how easily Sabimaru would want to talk about what had occured. It was hard to tell if he was traumatized by it or if he was doing alright. He had seemed mentally okay for the little they had spoken, but he could've simply been putting on a brave face.
"Take care of him, sensei!"
Before long, the three children left to go to their houses for the night. Minato made a mental note of the fact that Spanner had not come back yet. Perhaps it was better he didn't get involved at this moment.
Minato sighed as he went to take another look at Sabimaru. He wanted to keep a close eye on his vitals for now. He had been close to death if what was said to them all had been true. He didn't like thinking about that. He didn't want to even consider one of these kids dying.
"Sensei..."
Minato was pulled out of his thoughts by a quiet voice. Sabimaru had woken up.
"How are you feeling?" Minato asked, placing a hand on his head. He was running a slight fever still, but it had gone down since he had first arrived here.
"Hurts..."
"I wish there was more I could do. Try and go back to sleep. Rest is probably the best thing you can do."
Sabimaru shakily raised a hand and grabbed one of Minato's. His hand was shaking as he grasped his tightly.
"It's okay... you're safe now..." Minato whispered, giving his hand a slight squeeze. "They can't hurt you now. I won't let them hurt you like this again. I promise."
He had failed once. He wasn't going to fail again. If anyone was going to end up hurt in this battle, he would rather it be him than anyone else.
"I... was so scared..." Sabimaru whispered. There were tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
Minato frowned slightly. "I know... shh. Save your energy. Get some sleep. I'll be right here if you need me."
Sabimaru didn't let go of his hand, but did close his eyes again. Minato stayed at his side until his grip went lax. Only then did he dare to move away.
Minato did a few small things he needed to do, and then set up a bed on the floor next to Sabimaru. He hoped the kid wouldn't wake up from a nightmare, but he didn't want to get too far away if it did happen.
"I promise... I won't let this happen again..."