Don't Give Up

by fuelled by ramen

When you finally find that one person who makes everything click the last thing you need is for them to give up. NARUSASU. One-shot.

I realise most of you must think I am dead! It's been ages! :)

Well I have come back with a massive contribution to the Yaoi world! :D Enjoy!

Warning: Depressing theme, medical theme (that isn't going to be 100% correct but I tried!). There is a shock at the end ... I'm not going to say what and spoil the ending though!

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement meant.

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Don't Give Up.

As Naruto drove up the long drive towards the household where he would be employed from now on the only words that left his lips were 'fuck me.' After turning into the large estate and trundling along the tree lined driveway in his beat up Chevy the blond felt almost intimidated by the offensive display of wealth and grandeur. Glancing across at the letter of acceptance sitting on his passenger seat though he couldn't help but feel that this new job would certainly have him earning some cold and easy cash. The house he eventually arrived at was massive beyond belief. Craning his neck Naruto observed there were at least four stories to the historical looking abode, criss-crossed steel windows with matching slate grey shutters complete with marble decorations adorned the outside. There were at least six chimneys that he could see from this side, none apparently in use on the chilly fall morning. Closing his car door with a slam Naruto turned his attention to the grand front entrance and saw an elderly gentleman waiting for him. Giving a wave Naruto quickly grabbed his rucksack from the backseat and jogged over.

"Mornin'!" he greeted loudly. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I'm here to se-"

"Mr. Uchiha is waiting in the study," the butler interrupted. He gestured with a hand to the front door. "If the young gentleman would kindly follow me."

Without waiting for Naruto's response the man re-entered the house. Naruto quickly jumped up the few steps and followed him inside.

"Fuck me," he said softly as he paused in the threshold. Inside was a display like nothing he'd seen before. Mahogany walls and wooden floorboards, expensive art on the walls, beautiful Persian rugs on the floors and various vases, statues and plants adorned the hallway. "Like workin' here?" he asked the butler who had remained beside the door until Naruto would move.

"Yes," came the short response. "Please take a step forward young sir and I will close the door and take you to Mr. Uchiha. You're already ten minutes late and he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Oh, sure thing," Naruto said, stepping forward. Swinging back on the balls of his feet Naruto couldn't help but think that he was going to like working here. The house itself seemed to radiate a certain sense of coldness but Naruto attributed that to the lack of people living there.

He followed the butler in silence down the hallway and to a large double staircase that wound up to the second floor. When they reached the second floor Naruto was taken down another corridor before finally being stopped in front of two closed doors. Glancing behind him the blond saw all doors were kept closed so what lay beyond them was a mystery. The butler knocked politely and Naruto heard the summon to enter called out from behind the wood. Turning his attention back to the butler Naruto smiled widely, he received a pointed look as his response.

Stepping into the study Naruto was again amazed at the opulence. He had studied art in college as a minor and he swore that painting on the left wall was an original Pollock. The man sitting behind the desk on the far side of the room rose gracefully, drawing Naruto's eye straight to him. He was tall, taller than himself and had glossy black hair that was tied tightly at the base of his neck. His grey suit was tailored perfectly and the twinkle at his wrists made Naruto wonder if he was wearing diamond cufflinks.

"Mr. Uzumaki, for a moment I thought you got lost," he said in the stern and impassive voice Naruto remembered from the phone interview.

"For a moment I thought I was!" Naruto joked. He moved further into the room and extended his hand. "I'm glad to meet you in person!"

The brunet accepted the handshake before gesturing for Naruto to sit down. "As I told you on the phone my name is Itachi Uchiha and I have been impressed with your current work history and references. I am glad you decided to accept the job I have offered you."

"No worries, Itachi. I've always been told that my personality and happiness is contagious so hopefully it will work in this situation too."

Itachi's mouth twitched slightly. "Yes, well. You can address me as Mr. Uchiha, as head of this family it's only fitting. My brother, on the other hand, feel free to call Sir. if Mr. Uchiha sounds too confusing for you."

Naruto quickly squashed the retort that was building in his throat. Mr. Uchiha? Seriously? Who did he think Naruto was? Hired help? He forced himself to smile and nod. "Of course, Mr. Uchiha."

"Good. Now I'll delve more into the situation with my younger brother. As I told you over the phone he only recently underwent some eye surgery so he's been quite depressed about the whole situation. Sasuke is never the type of person to be outwardly happy though I have noticed a rather dark and drastic change in his demeanour. As you yourself pointed out your references all had glowing opinions on your service and your affect on others. I suppose they miss you now that you've left the hospital?"

Naruto shrugged lopsidedly. "I suppose. I worked with a great lot of people but because the intake at the hospital was so high sometimes it was hard to really develop a bond with someone to get them through a difficult time. The frustrating thing was when you were trying to build a connection and try raise their spirits and then suddenly you're assigned another case because that person has been discharged too early."

Itachi nodded. "Naturally of course you realise this position is automatically terminated after six weeks?"

"Six weeks?" Naruto protested. "What do you expect me to accomplish in six weeks?"

Clasping his hands in front of him Itachi surveyed Naruto with a distant expression. "As much as you can. Sasuke needs a person like you to get him back on his feet again before someone else can come in and assist in his progress."

Naruto frowned. "He's not going to make progress if you rip out the person helping him half way through."

"We've done it this way for years now and it's been fine," Itachi said harshly. "These are the terms of the job, Mr. Uzumaki. Did you not read the full job description?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I thought I did but obviously I've misunderstood some of it." That wasn't entirely true. Naruto had taken interest only in the prospect of working one on one with a patient and the outrageous hourly rate. He'd clicked 'apply' and that was the extent of his research. He could see Itachi assessing him scornfully so he shrugged good-heartedly. "Well then! When can I meet Sasuke?"

"It's only eight in the morning so my brother is probably still resting. I'd rather not disturb him. I will however go over some of the basic requirements you will need to manage on a day to day basis." Rising from his chair Itachi moved over to a wooden filing cabinet. Withdrawing a file he closed the cabinet softly behind him before taking a seat. "Here is a summary of Sasuke's previous medical charts, a summary of current medication and when he takes it as well as his current prognosis to date."

Naruto took the file gladly and started to flick through. His eyes glanced over the words and medical terms before raising them to meet Itachi's. "He doesn't walk anymore?"

"He hasn't walked for the last few months."

"Is there a medical reason for this?" Naruto flicked through some of the charts before returning his attention to the brother. "I see he suffers from a slight degenerative disease but surely a specialist would have told you that allowing the muscles to go to waste would only exacerbate the condition?"

Itachi leaned back in his chair. "I think the important thing for you to be aware of Mr. Uzumaki is that Sasuke is dying. He knows he is dying. He has lost the will to live and there's nothing you nor I can do about it. I am not putting him through painful surgeries and extended rehabilitation when at the end of the day he knows it's all for nothing."

"How can you think like that?" Naruto demanded, throwing the file shut. "About your own brother? You should be encouraging him to keep his muscles active! You should have someone here every day making him walk, making him utilize his body before it's too late!"

"It's already too late!" Itachi snapped. "He knows that, I know that. When you meet him you'll also realise that. I suppose this might be a more difficult job than you first thought."

"I don't care about the difficulty," Naruto snapped. "I care about my patient and if his own brother has already told me it's a lost cause then I can't help but feel disgusted!" Shaking his head angrily he re-opened the file. "Why bother with the eye surgery? It says here Sasuke's eyesight was deteriorating rapidly so you undertook some potentially dangerous and radical surgery to fix that?"

"Sasuke likes to listen to, and before his eyesight got too bad, read a lot of medical propaganda. Somehow he heard about the surgery and demanded to have it done. I couldn't say no. It was only 750,000 US dollars."

"What?" Naruto screeched. "You paid that much for a trial surgery?"

"Money is no object to me," Itachi said simply. "And if Sasuke wants something I ensure he gets it."

"And never walking again is something Sasuke wants?" Naruto challenged.

Itachi didn't respond for a moment. With fluid grace he stood up. "I think it's time you meet your patient, Mr. Uzumaki." He moved from the other side of the desk. "Please follow me, you can leave the file on the desk."

With a slight huff Naruto placed the file where he was told and followed the man out. Itachi had a gliding walk and it made Naruto wonder what Sasuke used to walk like. If he had any of the elegance his brother had Naruto couldn't understand why he'd allow his body to fall into disrepair. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to give up the ability to walk.

"Tell me," Itachi said over his shoulder. "Why did you decide to become a nurse and not a doctor? From my research you certainly had the skill and knowledge to advance your career in that direction."

Naruto rolled his eyes. He hated that question. "I wanted to actually get to know the people I was helping. So what if I'm not the one operating and experiencing the thrill of replacing a valve or doing a transplant but I get to see the joy on people's faces when they realise they're going home, that they've worked so hard for something and finally realise they are going to get it."

"And what about the people when you know there's no happy ending?"

"Then I make sure that no matter the outcome they find some happiness in it," Naruto responded with a cold tone. "Because even the smallest victory along the way is something to be celebrated."

Itachi didn't respond and instead stopped them both at a clear door. Peering inside Naruto observed it was similar to what the prep room looked like in an O.R. Itachi held open the door and Naruto walked in. He was right. A sink lined the wall across from him with a window above it. The window looked into what appeared to be an overly sized bedroom. Moving closer Naruto realised that in the centre of the room sat a monstrous sized bed and in the middle of that lay a dark haired man.

"This is Sasuke's room. As you can see my brother is currently resting." Naruto didn't respond and instead surveyed the room. There was natural light coming in from the windows on one side of the room so at least the man wasn't being kept in the dark. For a moment he thought his life was progressing creepily like that in the story The Secret Garden. Thick rugs sat on the floorboards and various armchairs and bookshelves dotted the room. "Each day you are to come in here and use the sink to wash your hands and arms. Because of Sasuke's condition the environment inside his room is kept at a stable temperature the whole time. His immune system has been affected by the disease and the risk of germs making him worse is a real threat. After you've washed you've hands you will change into medically approved clothing. There are fresh scrubs in the cupboard on the side. You are not permitted to wear any jewellery around my brother. Everything can be kept in the pigeon hole over there. When, and only when, you are correctly attired you may enter the room and begin the day. I will come by periodically to check up on you." At this Naruto turned to face the older Uchiha. "From Sasuke's side of the room this window looks like a large mirror so you will not know when I am watching you but be assured that I will. If at any stage I think you are mistreating my brother or not doing the best by him I will fire you and you will walk away from here with nothing. Your room is just down the hall, I will show you it first and then we can wake Sasuke."

"Wait, my room?" Naruto asked dumbly.

"For the next six weeks you will live here. This is a twenty-four-seven job, Mr. Uzumaki. Are you sure you read the proposal correctly?"

"Another thing I obviously missed," Naruto admitted, quailing inside. He didn't realise he would actually have to live here. It made sense, he supposed, considering the high level of care Sasuke obviously needed. "Am I allowed to leave here at any time?"

"Naturally. If at any time you wish to leave you will need to seek my permission first so I can ensure Sasuke is taken care of while you are gone. Overnight excursions however will not be permitted nor are guests. This is our family home and not some 'digs' for you and your friends to party in."

"I wouldn't dream of even going there," Naruto told him darkly.

"Good. Follow me."

Once more Naruto followed Itachi down the hallway though the journey was considerably shorter. He was taken into a much smaller room than the one last one. "This is my room, then?" Naruto asked, looking around.

It looked cosy enough. The bed was a single with a large bedside table beside it. An antique telephone and lamp were the only things sitting on the surface. A cupboard stood to one side for his clothes and a small living room area had been set up in the corner with an armchair, a lounge and a T.V.

"Yes. Sasuke has an intercom he can use to wake you during the night should he need your help. He is normally a solid sleeper so nocturnal interruptions are rare. This wall is the same wall that Sasuke's bed head rests against so please keep the noises down else you will wake him. Now, it's almost nine and far time for him to be up."

They walked back to the prep room and Itachi instructed Naruto to change while he woke his brother. Waiting until the door was closed Naruto swore lightly. These six weeks were going to be a nightmare, he could tell. Slipping out of his jeans and sweater he pulled on the grey scrubs. Looking down at the colour Naruto sighed softly. Composing himself he looked out to see Itachi helping his brother into a sitting position. A large white bandage was wrapped around Sasuke's head. From what Naruto had read the operation was a week ago so the younger Uchiha still had another three weeks to wait before the bandages could be safely removed. Quickly cleaning off his hands Naruto took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Sasuke's head immediately turned towards him. "This is him, then." The voice was dark and sounded highly unimpressed.

"Yes, Naruto Uzumaki at your service!" Naruto said brightly. "It's nice to finally meet you, Sasuke."

Identical frowns tilted both brothers' lips down. "Did Itachi not tell you how to correctly address me?" Sasuke demanded.

Naruto felt the smile on his face falter. "Oh, he did. I'm sorry, Sir."

"Better." Sasuke had been sitting up lightly but now he reclined into the large pillows behind him. "Itachi tells me you've come with some good references."

"I like to think so," Naruto told him.

"Well, I'm not like your normal patients so I expect you to impress me as well as you've obviously impressed my brother."

Naruto allowed his eyes to flicker hesitantly at Itachi. At one stage he thought the man was going to tell him to leave, not tell his brother he was impressed. "I hope so to," he responded, looking back at Sasuke.

He was thin, too thin for Naruto's liking. Beneath the loose white shirt he wore Naruto could only guess that his body had once been muscled and firm. Now from the look of his arms Sasuke had allowed the muscles to waste into nothing. Biting the side of his lip angrily Naruto stopped himself from climbing over the bed and shaking both men silly. The outline of his legs beneath the thick comforter did little to ease Naruto's mind either. No doubt they were as bedraggled as his arms.

"Itachi," Sasuke said sharply, turning his head towards his brother. "Stop hovering. He's not going to kill me the moment you leave the room."

Itachi simply nodded. "Of course, little brother. I will see you this evening for your report, Mr. Uzumaki. The schedule for the day is over on the counter. Please acquaint yourself with it and ask myself or Sasuke if there's something you don't understand."

"Okay," Naruto acknowledged. He moved to the counter and picked up the planner. It was pretty basic. Moving back towards the bed Naruto grabbed Sasuke's file and ran over the results from the last nurse. "Did you get along with Hinata?" he asked, seeing the name of the last employee written at the top of the sheets.

"Who?" Sasuke asked rudely.

"The last nurse? You don't remember her?"

"You expect me to remember something as trivial as a name?" the brunet scoffed.

"You spent six weeks together," Naruto pointed out.

Sasuke sneered. "Six weeks of torturous hell. It was a blessing when my eyes got covered so I didn't have to watch her making an absolute fool out of herself. Incompetent woman."

"That's not called for," Naruto said angrily. He saw Sasuke's shoulders tighten in irritation at the reprimand. "She took six weeks out of her life to care for you, help you and try make you feel better and you can't even recall her name?" Closing his eyes in disgust Naruto blew air out of his lips. "I have a feeling if you can't even master basic human compassion then we are not going to get along very well."

"I knew from the moment you opened your big mouth that we weren't going to get along very well," Sasuke said smoothly. Before Naruto could respond he continued. "I know why Itachi hired you, he thinks I'm depressed and ready to die. Well I have news for you, I am not ready to die but I am at the point where I just don't care anymore. My body betrayed me, my eyes betrayed me and I know that when my heart finally gives way that my instinct to survive will betray me by struggling to stay alive when all I want is to finally stop the pain. If you think you're here to 'fix' me then you might as well leave now. I don't want someone to cheer me up, I don't want a friend. I want you to do your job, say as little as possible and get the next six weeks over as soon as possible so that I am that much closer to departing this sorry ass excuse of an existence."

"You say you are ready to die but in your words I hear nothing more than the desire to live," Naruto told him. "I hear your frustration that you've allowed your body to go to waste and that your eyesight has been temporarily damaged. And I want to help, Sasuke. And by the end of these six weeks whether you like it or not you're attitude is going to change."

Sasuke crossed his arms. "Don't call me Sasuke."

Naruto groaned. "Oh for the love of God!"

The rest of the day passed in a furious blur. Naruto developed a keen distaste for Sasuke and at the same time the begrudging recognition that Sasuke was quite, for lack of better words, pretty. He'd noticed during lunch when he was helping spoon rice into the man's mouth. His nose had that delicate aristocratic touch to it, the planes of his face were smooth and perfect and his lips, though they hid his scathing tongue, were the perfect cupid bow shape. When he eventually got to bed that night all Naruto could think of was Sasuke. He supposed it was normal considering his entire day had been Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. Rolling onto his side Naruto idly traced patterns into the coverlet below him. He wondered if Itachi would fire him if he knew he was gay? He didn't think it was a legal reason to fire someone but at the same time Naruto wondered if it would be a problem. Sasuke was quite good looking and once the bandages that covered half his face were gone he could only imagine him looking even better. Rolling onto his back Naruto checked his watch. Eleven thirty. According to his schedule he was to get up at eight to prepare for waking Sasuke at nine. With heavy lids Naruto gazed at the ceiling until his body pulled him into slumber.

xxx

"What are you doing?"

The harsh question came from behind him but Naruto ignored it. It felt so stuffy in Sasuke's room all the time and he wanted fresh air. The windows out onto the grounds in the estate were quite large and the age of them had more than likely rusted them close.

"I'm trying to get a breeze in here," Naruto finally responded with a grunt. "Don't you get sick of the manufactured air? It's not good for you."

"Air conditioning is fine, stop it," Sasuke told him.

"No, it's not. It's probably one of the most unhealthy things around! Besides, it looks like such a nice day outside!"

"I don't care what type of day it is, I don't want the windows open!'

Naruto turned around, "you don't want to feel the fresh air on your face?"

"No," Sasuke said.

"Why not? You never get to go outside, wouldn't you want to experience it just a few times a day?"

"I don't go outside because I don't want to go outside," Sasuke told him with a tone on finality.

"So it has nothing to do with the fact your brother has told you if you go outside your condition will get worse?"

As the words left his mouth Naruto saw Sasuke's entire body stiffen. "Are you saying my brother is a liar?"

"I'm saying that fresh air never killed anyone," Naruto told him. "You sure you don't want to give it a try?"

"No. Now, I believe you were reading the newspaper out to me before your miniscule attention span got the better of you."

"Finances are so boring though," Naruto whinged.

"Last time I checked you were the nurse and I was the blind patient."

"Fine," Naruto sighed dramatically. He picked up the paper and started rattling off the news. Halfway through he began to add a hint of Irish brogue and further in he turned Cockney. He could see the frustration on Sasuke's face as he continued to talk in more ridiculous accents until finally Sasuke sat straight up in the bed and threw a pillow right at Naruto's face.

The pillow hit him and bounced onto the floor. With a laugh Naruto threw it back, something that surprised Sasuke beyond belief. For a moment the pale man sat there with his chest heaving in anger before finally the slightest smile broke onto his lips. It was fleeting and before Naruto knew it the smile was gone and replaced with a stern line. Sensing playtime was over Naruto settled back into his chair and continued to read in his normal speaking tone. They'd just taken one step forward and Naruto couldn't prevent that smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth.

xxx

"Sasuke, I want to try something today," Naruto said after lunch was over.

"What have I told you about calling me Sasuke?" Sasuke demanded in annoyance. "It's not proper."

"I'm not calling you 'Sir' and I am certainly not going to call you 'Mr. Uchiha'," Naruto told him simply. "So either deal with it or shut up."

"What is it you want to try then?" Sasuke demanded.

"I know this is only my third day but you've not been out of your bed once and I just thought th-"

"Last I checked I couldn't piss in my bed," Sasuke snapped in irritation. "Or was that someone else fumbling with my cock?"

Naruto was glad Sasuke couldn't see otherwise he would have seen the blush that just encompassed all of Naruto's face. "Well, uh, um –"

"Spit it out," Sasuke said. "I don't want to listen to you muttering away like a fool."

Naruto frowned. "I was thinking we should take you outside."

"Out of the question," Sasuke said without hesitation. "I hate going outside."

"And I hate being indoors."

"I don't care."

"I can take you if I feel like it, you know."

"No, you can't."

"Can to."

"Can not."

"Can to."

"Can not."

"Fine!" Naruto declared. He stormed over to the side of the room where Sasuke's wheelchair was kept and pushed it over. He then moved to Sasuke's bed and ripped aside the covers.

"What are you doing, you moron? Get away from me!" Sasuke ordered, his legs curling towards his body.

"We're doing this whether you like it or not!" Naruto told him. He reached to place his arm around Sasuke's waist to help him into the chair but Sasuke battered it away with a weak arm.

"Don't. I do not want to get out of bed."

"Sasuke, this isn't about you. This is about me today and I want to go outside," Naruto told him trying once more to reach around.

Sasuke once more battered the hand away so with as gentle a strength that he could muster Naruto pushed against the arms and slung Sasuke bridal style into his arms. The Uchiha was writhing and started swearing at him like a sailor. As quick and gentle as he could Naruto dumped him into the chair.

"Put me back in bed right now!" Sasuke spat.

"No, we are going to spend at least thirty minutes a day outside and I don't care if you enjoy it but we're doing it."

"Naruto, stop!"

"What is going on here?"

The force and anger behind the voice froze Naruto on the spot. His hands were currently placed on Sasuke's shoulders so he released them slowly. Turning he saw Itachi glaring at him with a look that almost made him wet his pants.

"Itac-I mean, Mr. Uchiha. Good afternoon."

"What do you think you're doing?" Itachi demanded, striding over. He pushed Naruto aside and leant over to his brother. "Sasuke, are you okay? Did he hurt you? I saw you struggling."

A slight blush had risen over Sasuke's cheeks. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Itachi said. Turning to Naruto he pointed to the door. "You, get out! Go to my office and do not touch a thing."

Without a word Naruto obeyed, slamming shut the door behind him as he left the bedroom. The wait in Itachi's office was mercifully short because sooner than he expected the tall heir had entered the room and the torrent of abuse was unleashed.

"How dare you touch my brother in such an inappropriate manner! He told you to stop and you kept going! His safety and well being is the primary concern at all times! You should know had you even looked at his charts that he is not well enough to go outside! Why you even bother putting the notion in his head is beyond me! I had already informed you his condition is too fragile for unexpected trips outside! Do you think I've just made that up for my own sick pleasure? Those were a doctor's orders and last time I checked you were only a nurse! This is your last chance to receive a warning from me! If anything like this happens again consider your pay and employment terminated!"

Naruto did nothing other than stare at the carpet and nod. He'd only tried to help and for a moment there he thought Sasuke was actually interested in listening to what Naruto had to say. After Itachi was done he apologised quietly and returned to Sasuke's room. The brunet was back in his bed and sitting up against his pillows.

"Itachi?" he asked when he heard the door close.

"No, Naruto."

"Oh."

Naruto moved past Sasuke and to the bookshelf he had lining one side of the room. Scanning the titles Naruto searched until he found what he was looking for. Pulling the book from its spot he returned to Sasuke's bedside and took a seat.

"I'm going to read you something, though you may have read it before," Naruto told him.

"I doubt the books I normally read would be of any interest to you," Sasuke sneered.

"Well it was on your bookshelf," Naruto retorted quickly. "I'm going to read to you The Secret Garden."

"That's a children's book."

"Yeah, well seeing as you're acting like such a child I thought it would be perfect," Naruto shot back. Sasuke didn't respond to the taunt so Naruto opened to the first page and started reading.

xxx

"It's a stupid story."

"What?" Naruto asked with a laugh. "You loved it."

"It was stupid. How convenient at the end that Colin was able to run into the arms of his father. Happy stories make me sick," Sasuke spat.

"You're just sour because you can't do it," Naruto said simply.

"What?"

"You've given up wanting to walk so the fact that Colin was able to makes you angry," Naruto surmised. "How awful it must be to know a fictional character has more back bone than you." Sasuke's mouth grew tight before he threw the covers off. Swinging his body to the edge of the bed he moved himself towards it. Naruto quickly rushed to his side, pleased to see his ruse had worked. "I'm here, Sasuke," he said softly, hovering nearby as Sasuke's pale feet touched the ground.

Slowly Sasuke allowed his weight to be transferred from the bed to his feet. The first time he tried to stand up he couldn't. He tried again and Naruto could see the frustration written across his features.

"Naruto," Sasuke said quietly.

He didn't need to say anymore. Naruto wrapped an arm underneath Sasuke's armpits and gently guided him to his feet. "Sasuke, you're out of bed and standing," Naruto told him gently. He could feel Sasuke's body shaking with trepidation. He moved his hold and a hand came up and clasped Naruto's shoulder.

"Don't let me go," he asked desperately, the hand squeezing tightly.

"I won't, I'm here for you."

They stood together as Sasuke tried getting used to being on his feet. The effort had brought a blush and light sheen of sweat against his forehead. Little by little he tried putting more weight on his feet than on Naruto. There were a few moments where Naruto thought he'd fall but Sasuke quickly held on again. He was beautiful, Naruto realised with a jolt. Looking down at the man's face he could see the determination and it made the blond's heart flutter. Sasuke wanted this; he just needed someone to give him a push. After a couple of minutes Sasuke drew in an audibly deep breath.

"Let me go."

"What?"

"Let me go," Sasuke repeated. "I want to try standing on my own. I can do it, I know I can."

Naruto wasn't too sure but he didn't want to argue. The months of not using his legs were not going to be solved in a day. It would take time and effort. He thought about discouraging the motion but the grim set to Sasuke's jaw changed his mind. Slowly he disengaged his arm and Sasuke concentrated on standing on his own. He had only loosened the grip a little when Sasuke's legs gave way and had Naruto not been close by he would have crumpled to the ground. Naruto made sure he was there though and caught Sasuke in the fall. At first the contact between their two bodies was to give Sasuke support but when the raven pulled himself up to lean against Naruto the blond felt a moments panic. He didn't know how Sasuke was sexually inclined but he knew one thing, that if he felt a hard on sticking into his thigh Sasuke was not going to be amused.

"You know," Sasuke said softly. "I don't know what you look like yet."

"Oh," Naruto responded awkwardly. Sasuke's mouth was in line with his chin and the exertion from trying to stand had Sasuke breathing heavily against Naruto's neck. "Um, blond? Tall ... people tell me I have tan skin. I look pretty brown compared to you."

"Can ... can I feel your face?" Sasuke asked. His hands were clutching Naruto's biceps and one slowly started to move upwards.

"Oh, I guess so?" Naruto told him. He swallowed as the hand trailed up over the scrubs and to his neck. "Why?"

"So I can try picture what you look like," Sasuke said as his fingers found Naruto's jaw.

"Your bandages come off in two weeks though," Naruto said. As he spoke Sasuke dragged his fingers against Naruto's lips. They stopped for a moment before going to his nose and then lightly touching his eyes.

"What colour eyes do you have?" Sasuke asked him, trailing his fingers now against Naruto's hairline.

"Blue," Naruto said softly.

"Mine are dark, almost black though before the operation they'd faded to a dull grey," Sasuke told him. "I hope I can see again when the bandages come off."

"I'm sure you will, Sasuke."

"What if I don't?" Naruto sensed the panic in the question and started guiding him back to the bed. "I couldn't even stand on my own for two seconds let alone regain my eyesight."

"Sasuke," Naruto said gently. "Everything takes time. We can try again tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow. And the next day and the next day and then the next day. And every day until you can do it on your own."

"But then after a while you'll leave, everybody leaves." The pure distress in Sasuke's voice was genuine and it affected Naruto a lot more than he thought possible.

"If you want me to stay, I'll stay."

Sasuke didn't reply to this. Instead Naruto helped him back into a more comfortable position before excusing himself. Going into the adjoining bathroom he clenched his fists together tightly and tried to prevent the scream that was rising in his throat. The whole situation with Sasuke was getting too intense. He'd only been there a week and already he felt more than a patient-nurse bond with him. He was beginning to crave him, thinking about him at night and as soon as he got up in the morning. Biting his lower lip Naruto splashed some water on his face. He had to get a grip. He still had another five weeks to go. As he returned to the room and saw the small smile Sasuke sent his way Naruto realised that in five weeks time he wouldn't want to leave at all.

xxx

The weather outside was nothing short of miserable. Rain was lashing against the windows of the house and lighting flashed in the background. Looking back from the window and to Sasuke's face Naruto couldn't help but feel that it was the perfect day. They'd started a little on testing Sasuke's strength and the raven was determined to make some form of progress. Without the help of a proper specialist though Naruto knew it was going to be impossible to regain enough strength to have him walking again. He had mentioned as such to Itachi and the man had shot down the idea completely. He didn't know how to bring it up with Sasuke, maybe if the young Uchiha asked then Itachi wouldn't be such of a hard-ass.

"Why are you staring at me?" Sasuke's voice asked, pulling Naruto from his thoughts.

Shaking his head Naruto cocked it to the side and frowned. "Are you sure you're blind?"

Sasuke smirked. "I'm sure. These bandages are so thick anyway that even if I could see my vision would be obscured."

"You shouldn't have that keen a sense this early into your eyesight being temporarily gone," Naruto reminded him.

"You forget I was almost blind for a few weeks before the operation. I came to rely heavily on other senses. Now I can just feel the confused look on your face."

"Che, you wish," Naruto joked. He was sitting on Sasuke's bed near his feet. They'd been going through exercises where Sasuke put a foot into the palm of Naruto's hand and tried pushing against it. "Come on, we still have at least twenty more reps to go on your left and right legs."

Sasuke didn't move for a moment and instead brought his hands together so that his fingers could interlock. "Do you think it's worth it? At the end of the day is it really helping?"

Naruto sighed softly. He expected the question to come. It had been three days since Sasuke had tried standing, three days when Naruto got to experience Sasuke's hand mapping out his face and during those three days Sasuke had taken the suggested exercises Naruto brought to him without question.

"It's restoring your confidence, isn't it? It's restoring your belief in yourself," Naruto replied, knowing he'd avoided the question entirely.

"That doesn't give me an answer," Sasuke said, clearly picking up on the avoidance technique. "Naruto, will I walk again?"

Naruto looked down. Sasuke had deliciously long legs. Legs that he could only imagine mastered running, horse riding, karate or some form of athletic sport. Legs that were now skinny and muscles that were bedraggled. They were bound in the special socks that kept his circulation running, the material a stark white against even his pale skin. "It won't be easy," he said seriously. "You will need to work hard and realise that it will take months. Your brother needs to be made to understand we need to try."

"Itachi wants me to sit in this bed all day and do nothing," Sasuke said bitterly.

"He wants what is best for you," Naruto reprimanded softly. "I admit, your brother is a bit of an asshole but he would do anything to help you. Anything. He ensures someone is here twenty-four hours a day so you are looked after, he gets the best medical advice and treatment for you. He might not show it but he is only doing what he thinks is best."

"Sometimes I don't even think he cares," Sasuke said simply. "For so long it was just Itachi and I and when I got sick it's like he gave up on me." Turning his head to the side as if to avoid Naruto to see him crying Sasuke let out a depressed sigh. "I would give up on me too."

"Hey," Naruto chided, crawling up the bed to sit on Sasuke's left. Taking a seat against the pillows Naruto gently grabbed Sasuke's chin and turned his head to face him. "Don't say that. Itachi and I are here to help you get back on your feet but we need you to be strong."

"No pun intended," Sasuke said smugly.

"No pun intended," Naruto repeated with a smile in his tone. "It's hard for him too, you know."

This made Sasuke's face harden. "Hard? Hard? What's hard for him? He gets to walk in here for ten minutes of his day, make small talk and then get on with his life! What have I got? Nothing! I've got nothing except the boring company of some nurse who only gives a fuck about their pay check at the end of the week!"

The savage response shocked Naruto and he dropped his hand away from the pale chin on his patient. "Sasuke, you know I am not like that. I'm only her-"

"I don't know you at all!" Sasuke snapped at him. "Don't fool yourself into thinking that at the end of the day you've made any difference because at the end of the day Naruto you're going to leave and it's back to just Itachi and I." Crossing his arms across his chest Sasuke jerked his chin up haughtily. "You can go."

"What? Sasuke, lunch will be here in five minutes and –"

"I said you can go," Sasuke said scathingly. "Get out of my sight."

"Fine," Naruto said angrily. He pulled himself off the bed and stormed out of the room. As he passed through the prep room he grabbed his clothes and returned to his temporary bedroom. Changing quickly and grabbing his keys and wallet Naruto quickly fled the building.

Well, he tried to at least. As first he blamed his anger for getting him lost but Naruto realised that even though he'd been living under the Uchiha roof for almost two weeks now that the only part of the house he'd really seen was his bedroom, Sasuke's bedroom and Itachi's office. He had no idea where anything else in the house was. Meals were delivered; clothing was washed and returned to him. He had only left the house once after he started and that was to grab some things from home. Both times the butler had quickly guided him through the house and to his destination. Stopping Naruto looked up and down the hallway. He hadn't gone up any stairs so it was safe to say he was still on the second floor. Turning slowly he tried to retrace his steps. When he eventually came to a door he thought he recognized as Itachi's he knocked softly. When nobody answered Naruto quickly turned the knob and called out.

"Hello?" he asked.

The room was dark and despite his brain telling him to leave Naruto couldn't help but search for the light switch. The lights flickered on to reveal another bedroom, this one looking more used than the rest of the house. Stepping into the room Naruto's eyes roved around the walls. Painting and photo's hung neatly in ordered lines. The large four poster bed at the back of the room had deep blue covers, a dozen or so coloured pillows scattered across the surface. A computer desk sat on one side and moving over Naruto saw a photo frame on top. Picking it up Naruto felt a jump in his heart as he recognized both of the people in the photo. One was obviously Itachi and the other, Sasuke. Drinking in his looks Naruto felt himself drawn into the black eyes of his patient. They were so dark and yet so full of emotion that Naruto felt himself swallowing in anticipation of when he could see them for himself. The photo was a few years old but Sasuke's looks hadn't changed much, only the physical state of his body. In the photo both were wearing the white uniforms with a black belt each tight against their waist. Whatever they both studied Naruto was determined to get Sasuke back into it again.

"Are you lost?"

Naruto dropped the frame in shock, glass shattering as it hit the corner of the desk. The Uchiha's butler was standing in the door, a quizzical look on his face.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. I thought I was headed in the right direction."

"Of?"

"The front door."

"As you can see Mr. Uzumaki this is obviously not the front door," the butler said. "Leave the frame," he ordered as Naruto leant down to clean it up. "I'll ensure it's taken care of before the young masters realise. If you'll follow me please I can show you to the front door."

Nodding Naruto followed the man out and down to the front entrance. "I'll only be gone for a while," he told him before getting in his car.

As he drove down the drive he couldn't help but glance back up at the large house. Did Sasuke wonder where he'd gone? A wave of anger washed over him and Naruto frowned. Sasuke wasn't in charge of him, well, technically he was, but he was the one who told Naruto to get out. He'd give him the afternoon to calm down and then get back in time to feed him dinner. Hopefully by then his anger would have petered out.

xxx

It was past midnight by the time Naruto finally made it back to the Uchiha mansion. He'd thought about going back earlier but his pride and anger got the better of him. The butler was still awake and let him in, quietly showing Naruto back to his room and leaving without so much as a goodnight. Shrugging it off Naruto had a quick shower and then jumped into his bed. He was laying there for about five minutes when a sound intruded upon his hearing. Sitting up in his bed Naruto listened carefully. Thump, thump, thump. It sounded as if someone was hitting a wall. Frowning in concentration Naruto listened again. The sound had stopped. Falling back against the bed he rolled onto his side and tried to get back to sleep. After another five or so minutes the sound started again. Thump, thump, thump.

"What the hell," Naruto groaned, turning on the light and standing up. He knew the house was old and prone to make different noises in the night but this was the first time he'd heard something like this. It almost sounded as if someone was banging on the wall. With a gasp Naruto made the connection that he and Sasuke shared a wall and ran from the room.

Running down the corridor and through the prep room Naruto completely forgot to cleanse himself like Itachi had ordered. He wasn't even in his scrubs, just the pair of pyjama pants he'd worn to bed and nothing else.

"Sasuke?" he called, throwing on the light switch and illuminating the dark room. Sasuke's bed was empty, the sheets and blankets pulled down on one side. "Sasuke?" Naruto called again.

"I'm here," a soft voice replied.

Running round to the opposite side of Sasuke's bed Naruto found him. He was lying on the cold floor, one fist clenched and resting against the wall that they both shared.

"What happened?" Naruto asked, rushing to his side and kneeling beside him.

He glanced over Sasuke to make sure he'd not hurt himself. His bed shirt had ridden up and showed off his flat stomach. Swallowing Naruto shook his head. He had showered Sasuke almost a dozen times now, why did the sight of his stomach now send the blood rushing to his crotch?

"I fell out of bed," Sasuke told him in a voice that shouldn't have left room for discussion.

"What? How? Were you trying to get out of bed yourself?" Naruto asked. He gently placed a hand on Sasuke's elbow. "I'll help you back into bed."

Sasuke allowed himself to be picked up and Naruto returned him to the safety of the large king bed. "I foolishly thought I'd be able to walk."

"Walk? Where? The bathroom?"

"No, you idiot. To your room."

"My room?" Naruto asked in genuine surprise. "Why?"

"Because you abandoned me!" Sasuke accused. He pushed Naruto away from him, his head hung in shame. "You ran out of here and didn't come back! I tried calling your phone a thousand times and you didn't answer! Where did you go?"

"My cell phone?" Naruto asked. "I didn't even take it."

"No! Your intercom! Itachi purposefully installs the intercom so I can call you when I need you! I called and you didn't answer."

"Oh," Naruto whispered. "Well, where is your brother?"

"He came in for a moment this afternoon to tell me he was going out on business for the night. He'll be back tomorrow afternoon," Sasuke said sourly. "So I've been all alone since he left."

"Sasuke, I'm sorry," Naruto said. "But you told me to leave so I went out for a drive."

Naruto saw Sasuke's hand clench in anger and perhaps even in jealously. "It must be so easy for you knowing you can leave here whenever you want. Unlike me who is stuck in this bed until I die!" He finished his rant and sat there taking in ragged breaths.

Without saying a word Naruto took a seat on the side of the bed and grabbed one of Sasuke's hands between his own. "Sasuke," he said softly.

Before he could even take another breath Sasuke had pushed himself forward and was kissing the side of Naruto's face. Naruto turned to protest and instead their lips met. The spark of fire that was ignited sent Naruto's train of thought way off progress. Instead all he could think of was running his arms against Sasuke's small frame and of allowing the curious lips of his patient to nip and caress against his own. With a groan he pushed Sasuke back towards the pillows and traced his tongue along the seam of Sasuke's lips. His mouth opened readily and their tongues ground and writhed against each other as they both tried to taste and savour everything about the other person.

Moving a hand up to Sasuke's face Naruto gently grazed against the bandages before wrapping his fingers within the glossy locks on the brunets head. Sasuke moaned at the touch and tried to pull himself even closer to the blond. Moving his hand back down to Sasuke's waist Naruto clung to it desperately, his skin and thoughts driving him wild as Sasuke's smooth fingers traced patterns against his chest.

"Naruto," Sasuke breathed as he pulled away.

The split second of no contact made Naruto realise what they'd just done. As he saw Sasuke lean back in he pulled away.

"Sasuke," he said in a strained voice. "We can't. You're my patient."

Sasuke scoffed against his lips. "Why should that stop us?"

"It's not professional," Naruto told him weakly. "As much as I want to I just feel like its taking advantage."

"I'm the one who kissed you," Sasuke reminded him.

"The medical board won't care when they revoke my permission to nurse," Naruto said.

Sasuke was silent for a moment while he considered the answer. "You're just saying that because you're not interested." He didn't sound angry, just heavily depressed.

"Sasuke, no," Naruto whispered. He brought two hands up to cup Sasuke's cheeks. "You know it's not that." When Sasuke didn't reply he withdrew his hands. "I should get back to bed. Did you want a sleep in tomorrow seeing as it's almost one in the morning and you're still up?" When Sasuke didn't reply Naruto cocked his head. "Sasuke?"

"Can you stay here?"

Naruto double took at the suggestion. "What?"

"Can you stay here tonight?" Sasuke bit his lip, it made him look painfully gorgeous. "I've never fallen asleep beside another person who cared about me. I don't know if it'll ever happen either ... just this once?"

"Sasuke, if we get caught..." Naruto argued before trailing off.

"Itachi won't be home until tomorrow," Sasuke reminded him. "Just this once?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment before smiling in defeat. "Okay, just this once."

Crawling up to the head of the bed he pushed his way under the covers. Sasuke had already turned on his side and Naruto pulled him against his chest softly. The feel of Sasuke beside him was too good to be true. Wrapping an arm around his waist he watched as Sasuke fiddled with the dial beside his bed. The lights above them suddenly went off and they were alone in the darkness. One of the windows down the end still had the curtains open and the light of the moon created a pattern of shadows across the floor.

"Thank you," Sasuke whispered into the darkness.

"It's my pleasure," Naruto responded, giving him a firm squeeze of appreciation.

As he listened to Sasuke's breathing eventually get more even Naruto couldn't help but allow a feeling of depression to take hold of him. This couldn't happen again. He couldn't kiss Sasuke again. If not to prevent Sasuke from getting hurt but also himself. If he fell any harder for the raven if and when the time came to say goodbye Naruto didn't know if he'd be able to handle it. Taking in a deep breath and savouring the sweet smell that was Sasuke Naruto realised that even at this point in time he wouldn't be able to handle it.

xxx

As Naruto made his daily report to Itachi on Sasuke's progress he couldn't help but snicker at the word. Progress. What progress? Itachi wasn't letting Sasuke do anything. How could he sit there and ask for progress when the only progress Sasuke was really doing was the type that took him closer to death. As Itachi stared into one of the paintings on the wall Naruto couldn't help but wonder if at the end of the day that's all he really wanted to know. A stab of anger penetrated Naruto's heart and he couldn't help but voice his opinion.

"I'm not going to let him die, you know," he said.

Itachi pulled his gaze from the painting, his expression showing only the slightest bit of interest. "Pardon me?"

"Sasuke. I'm not going to let him die," Naruto repeated firmly. "I know it must be hard, dealing with it but it's not your choice to decide it's too hard for him to get himself moving every day. It's not your decision that walking again is not the best option. It's not your decision that his life is too hard and he should just give up and wait for the day when he dies."

"And what is it you're saying? That it's your decision?"

"What? No! Of course not." Naruto shook his head in exasperation. "He wants to get better so badly. I can feel how badly he wants to walk. How desperately he wants to be able go and do something as simple as look out the window on his own!" He hadn't told Itachi about Sasuke's fall from bed a few nights ago, nor how he had spent the night with him and woken up the happiest in his entire life. He forced aside the memory. He'd been unfailing professional since then. He'd even stopped calling him Sasuke and addressed him as 'sir' if there was no other way he could get his attention. Sasuke had noticed and his attitude had certainly cooled.

"You think it's easy? Living with the fact that it was my brother and not I that contracted the disease? In case you didn't notice it's not like Sasuke has a choice about never walking again. The disease attached his muscles in his legs and everything went downhill from there."

"I realise this isn't a case about Sasuke just waking up and deciding he didn't want to walk again," Naruto replied. "I just think in my professional opinion had you al-"

"Professional opinion? Excuse me nurse but I employ a doctor to see Sasuke on a monthly basis and it is his professional opinion I will seek if I want the answers to Sasuke's problems."

"Then when you ask me about Sasuke's 'progress' you truly do mean how long it's going to take for him to die?" Naruto demanded.

Itachi stared unblinking into his blue eyes before turning back to the painting. "Sometimes knowing the end is closer than you think is better than thinking you've got more time than you really do." He turned his head to face Naruto. "Don't you agree?"

Naruto couldn't respond. Instead he excused himself and returned to Sasuke's room. The raven was listening to an episode of Law and Order though his face turned when Naruto closed the door behind him.

"I've watched this episode before, can you change it?" he asked.

Naruto moved over to where the TV screen hung from the wall and watched a part of the scene. "I don't think I have seen this one. Is this the episode where Goren absolutely loses it?"

"Yes," Sasuke responded sharply. "So we've both seen it. You can switch the TV off."

Naruto did as he was asked before approaching Sasuke's bed cautiously. "Sasuke, about the other ni-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Sasuke said quickly. "It was nothing. A mere misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Naruto repeated dumbly.

"Of course. How could I stupidly think someone like you would be interested in someone like me?" Sasuke laughed in a sharp tone. "Besides, you're probably ugly despite having a good feeling body."

"Well," Naruto scoffed. "You're just going to have to wait and see when those bandages come off to prove that, aren't you?"

Sasuke didn't respond and instead settled himself further into his blankets, Naruto knew even if he didn't like it the conversation was over.

xxx

The days went by quicker than Naruto imagined physically possible. His relationship with Sasuke had transcended anything he would have possibly imagined upon accepting the job. There weren't words to describe what was between them. Ever since the day of trying to talk to Sasuke about their 'sleep over' he had felt a gently simmering anger towards him. He tried to ignore it but deep down it was stinging him more than he thought it would. He realised that he'd been with Sasuke for just on three weeks now and soon he'd be packing up his meagre belongings and returning to his one bedroom flat back in the bad neighbourhood in the city. The thought that he wouldn't be spending 12 hour plus days with Sasuke was almost incomprehensible. He felt as if they'd been doing this for years.

He'd gone back to his room for something and was surprised to see all the curtains drawn when he returned to Sasuke. For a split second he thought of ghosts and then spotted Itachi and another gentleman standing by Sasuke's bed. Frowning lightly Naruto approached. He'd noticed that Itachi never changed clothes when he entered the room though the second man had the same coloured pair of scrubs on that he had.

"Mr. Uzumaki, you're here," Itachi greeted. "This is Dr. Hyuuga. He is a specialist in eyes and is here to remove Sasuke's bandages."

Naruto smiled and shook the doctor's hand. "Doctor," he greeted. "I hope you're going to give us good news."

"Yes well we've drawn the blinds to provide as little shock as possible to Sasuke's retinas. He'll need to be given as little amount of light as possible over the next few days to give his eyes time to adjust." The doctor flicked aside a piece of long brown hair that had fallen loose of his hair tie. It made Naruto wonder if Sasuke would see him first and thought him the most attractive person in the room.

Naruto bit his lip as the doctor sat on the edge of Sasuke's bed and started running through the different possible outcomes they could expect to achieve. After he was done he began to unwind the bandage. Slowly and ever so slowly the bandages were gently wound off Sasuke's head, revealing just centimetres at a time of more and more pale skin. When the bandages were finally gone Sasuke was left only with two patches covering both eyes.

"Keep your eyes closed, Mr. Uchiha until we have removed both patches," Dr. Hyuuga warned.

Sasuke nodded his agreement. With baited breath Naruto watched as he gently peeled off one patch and then the other, leaving behind perfect looking closed eyelids and thick lashes of glossy black. Moving closer to the bed Naruto clenched his fists together tightly. He had to be able to see! If he couldn't Naruto could only imagine the suffering Sasuke would go through. It had been the only thing on the raven's mind the past few days.

"Sasuke, can you open your eyes?" Itachi asked, confused his brother hadn't done so already.

"I ... I can't," Sasuke managed to say.

"What? Why not?" the doctor asked. "Are they stuck shut?"

"No, no. I – I ju-"

"Sasuke, you can do it," Naruto said softly. He ignored the looks he received from both Itachi and Hyuuga. "Do it for me."

"Naruto? Can – can you hold my hand?"

Without hesitation Naruto crawled onto Sasuke's bed and clasped a hand tightly within his. "I'm here, Sasuke."

A slight frowned marred his beautiful forehead and Naruto couldn't suppress the smile he felt growing across his face. Lightly Sasuke's eyelids flickered. They flickered open wider and closed. Biting his lip Naruto kept the grin on his face as they flickered open wider and then suddenly he was falling into endless pools of liquid onyx. It took a few moments to register but then a small smiled graced the corners of Sasuke's mouth.

"Naruto," he greeted in a tone that made Naruto want to melt into a puddle of the floor. "We meet at last."

xxx

"I can see you staring at me, you know," Sasuke said loudly.

Naruto had been updating charts when he realised the raven was right, and he had been staring at him. "Oh," he said lightly. "I dozed off for a second."

Sasuke smirked. "Honestly? Well, if that's the best you can do."

Naruto smiled and resumed his charting. Itachi was gone over the weekend for a conference out of state and had left specific instructions for everything to be perfect for his return Sunday evening. So it was just Naruto and Sasuke for the entire weekend not including the household staff. It had been a few days since Sasuke got his bandages removed and the doctor had allowed him to view natural light. The happiness on Sasuke's face as he got to view the sunlight with his own eyes was amazing. For someone to have gone from almost complete blindness to being able to see almost perfectly again Naruto could hardly fault him.

"Did you ever get lost in here?" Naruto asked suddenly, realising he'd not asked it before.

"In the bedroom?" Sasuke asked quizzically.

"No, in the house itself. It's so large I don't see how anyone couldn't get lost."

Sasuke shrugged. "I grew up here so I just got used to it, I guess. Why?"

"I got lost the other day. I ended up in your bedroom of all places."

"On the fourth floor?"

"What? How many bedrooms do you have?" Naruto asked, surprised.

Sasuke shrugged. "All the family bedrooms are on the top floor. When I got sick Itachi moved me to a bedroom on the second floor in case I needed him. Then when I got worse they moved me in here." Sasuke looked around the long room. "I hate it in here. It used to be my father's office. We were never allowed in here as children and being in here has always felt wrong." Turning his face to Naruto's Sasuke tilted his head to one side. "I miss having my own room that has always been mine. But it's stupid holding sentiments to something you cannot change."

Naruto pondered this for a moment before getting up. "Want to take me on a tour around the house? You can show me your old bedroom!"

Sasuke's eyes widened lightly. "Naruto, I'm not supposed to leave the room. If Ita-"

"What Itachi doesn't know won't kill him," Naruto told him. "Besides, you are not that sick that if you breathe natural air you're going to die." Grabbing the wheelchair and pushing it over Naruto smiled invitingly. "Or are you too scared?"

Sasuke scowled at him. "You're a moron."

Naruto couldn't help but laugh and helped Sasuke into a thick dressing gown. Once he was dressed warmly enough he hoisted him into the wheelchair and wheeled him to the door. "Ready?" he asked. Sasuke nodded so carefully Naruto pushed open the first door.

When they entered the prep room Naruto noticed the way Sasuke's shoulders tighten. He opened his mouth to ask if anything was wrong but thought better of it. This was a massive step they were taking after all, he didn't want to push it. When they emerged into the hallway Naruto stopped the chair and let Sasuke take it all in. The brunet was gazing down the hallway to Itachi's office.

"I haven't been out here in ... you know, I can't recall the last time I was out here."

"What about for your eye operation?"

Sasuke shook his head, his soft hair rustling. "Itachi had me take medication to knock me out. He said the experience would shock me too much. I fell asleep in my bed and woke up in bed with the blindfold on."

Naruto moved to crouch down beside Sasuke. Their eyes met and Naruto couldn't help but smile. "We don't have to do this."

"I want to," Sasuke said firmly. He nodded towards the right hand side. "If you push me that way we'll find the elevator."

Naruto's eyes went wide. "No. Way! You have an elevator?"

Sasuke chuckled. "Of course, moron."

Naruto cuffed him lightly over the head before pushing him in the direction he wanted. It was a relief knowing Itachi wasn't going to pop out from around the corner and as the hours progressed and Sasuke took Naruto to different areas of the house they didn't run into another living soul.

They had stopped on the third floor in an open room set into the corner of the building. It was equipped with a fireplace and beautiful stuffed arm chairs and lounges. Naruto had pushed Sasuke over to the bay window and they'd both taken a seat to look out over the grounds. The trees were a mass of golden yellows, oranges and reds as the season slowly turned colder and colder. It would probably snow within the next eight weeks.

"I used to sit here and do my homework," Sasuke said softly. He placed a pale hand to rest against the glass. "Back then my biggest worry was if my work was going to be as good as Itachi's." Looking down at his legs he chuckled humourlessly. "How things change."

"Life changes all the time," Naruto told him. He'd crossed his arms and could see his own reflection in the cool glass. "Life isn't fair."

"You're telling me that life isn't fair?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm not telling you anything."

Sasuke regarded him for a moment. "What is it between us?" At Naruto's look he continued without breaking eye contact. "You're the first human being, asides from my brother, who I haven't loathed. In actual fact I admit part of me does hate you but a bigger part wants nothing more than to be with you and not let you out of my sight." Turning away Sasuke whistled through his lips. "Now that sounded gay."

Naruto laughed softly and leant over to him. "Sasuke, you're a special person. To your brother. To me. Don't forget that."

"I won't." Glancing over at his wheelchair Sasuke stretched his arms. "Want to take a look upstairs?"

They made their way upstairs and Sasuke showed him round. They bypassed a large set of doors which Sasuke said firmly belonged to his parents. Naruto didn't question. He'd not seen any recent photos of Sasuke's parents and from what he'd gathered both had died a long time ago. They eventually came to one room which Sasuke insisted they open. Doing as he was asked Naruto swung open the door to reveal a spacious and well lit room, very unlike what he thought he would see.

"This is your room?" he asked Sasuke as he wheeled him in.

"Yeah, before I got too sick."

One common trend he noticed with Sasuke was the constant display of books. Inbuilt bookshelves made up an entire wall. A large desk with an unused computer sat near one of the windows where another set of couches looked out over the estate. Moving to the window Naruto whistled in appreciation.

"Nice view."

"I know."

Turning to look at the Uchiha Naruto realised he'd been looking at him when he'd replied. Blushing lightly Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. That would have distracted me when I was trying to do homework," he laughed.

The room felt as if it had shrunk and the only things that mattered were Naruto and Sasuke.

"I'm tired, can I lay down for a while?" Sasuke asked, tilting his head.

"Sure, I can go find us some lun-"

"Here, not downstairs," Sasuke corrected. He looked over at his bed. "I haven't slept in that bed for years."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest but as he saw the longing in Sasuke's look he smiled and nodded. What harm could letting him lay down do? Moving him over and getting him settled Naruto looked around in surprise.

"If this room hasn't been used it certainly doesn't feel dusty."

"We have maids who clean all the rooms no matter how frequently they are visited," Sasuke told him, shuffling himself on the pillows to get more comfortable.

"That so?" Naruto said out loud, his eyes roving across the different aspects of the room. "Hey, Sasuke did you ev-"

Whatever question it was that he intended to ask fled from his mind the moment Sasuke's lips met his. Eyelids immediately fluttering closed Naruto couldn't help but lean into Sasuke's body and allow the feel of each others chests to press up against each other. They hadn't kissed again since that night in Sasuke's bedroom when he'd fallen out of bed. The same exhilarating feeling shook his entire frame as their lips moved and caressed against each other. Moving his hands down to Sasuke's hips Naruto slowly pushed him back deeper into the bed. Since starting Naruto had noticed a slight increase of strength in Sasuke's arms and the brunet was able to firmly grasp his neck to harden their kiss.

Pulling his lips away Naruto moved down to the pale column of Sasuke's throat. Sasuke writhed into the kiss, a whimper feeling from his lips. Smiling Naruto couldn't help but raise his head.

"Sasuke," he said hoarsely. He waited until onyx eyes were on his before continuing. "You're so beautiful."

A tinge of red graced Sasuke's cheeks and he quickly averted his gaze. "Yes, well I'm glad you approve."

Laughing Naruto caught his lips in a bruising kiss. "I very much approve," he panted as he pulled away.

Sasuke clasped the side of Naruto's face gently. "Good, because I want this to go further."

"Further?" Naruto asked. His heart jumped. Further as in how much further? Feeling a twinge in his pants he realised it wasn't only his heart that just jumped and inflated.

"As in I don't want to stop at kissing," Sasuke whispered. His hand trailed itself down to Naruto's pants and cupped the bulge there firmly. "I don't think you do either."

Naruto groaned and rolled into the hand. "Sasuke," he said hoarsely. "Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke." He tried to pull himself away but Sasuke had started to knead his length through the thin scrubs he was wearing. His own hand moved from Sasuke's hip to between Sasuke's own legs and found a very similar situation.

"Naruto, I want this more than I've wanted anything in my entire life," Sasuke said. He gasped lightly as Naruto pushed his hands past the pants and underwear beneath to wrap around Sasuke's length. "I want it now before it's too late."

Naruto had closed his eyes but he opened them and gazed into Sasuke's. "You need to want this for the right reasons," he told him.

"I know what reason I want this," Sasuke replied. "Whether you think it's right or not is none of your business."

"It's not just your feelings that can get damaged," Naruto said sadly.

Sasuke seemed to stare at him for ages after the words left Naruto's lips, so long that he began to regret saying it. Before he could open his mouth again Sasuke was kissing him passionately. As their tongues ground together and their bodies thrust against each to find that delicious friction Naruto couldn't help but wonder what reasons Sasuke had meant. He had come to care for Sasuke immensely in the last few weeks. In actual fact a part of Naruto deep down knew that he'd fallen for the man after just one day in his company. They rolled over so Sasuke was on top, Naruto careful to avoid hurting his legs.

Pale hands clasped Naruto's cheeks as they continued to rub against each other. Groaning in bliss Naruto threw his head back, eyes closed from the pleasure that was assaulting his body. Moving to force Sasuke onto his back Naruto quickly pulled off his shirt. Helping Sasuke with his own Naruto grazed his fingers lovingly against the smooth skin.

"Take my pants off," Sasuke commanded, his breath tickling the skin below Naruto's ear.

"You're the boss," Naruto laughed softly as he slowly dragged the clothes off of Sasuke's legs.

Sasuke's cock had hardened to its full extent, the thick length bobbing against his stomach. Leaning down Naruto planted a light kiss at the base.

"Naruto," Sasuke pleaded, a hand moving to grasp Naruto's hair.

Without waiting further instructions Naruto took the tip and flicked his tongue over it. Smiling at Sasuke's reaction he swirled the pink muscle around the tip before plunging it deep into his mouth. The shout of delight from Sasuke's lips did nothing but spur Naruto on. It was funny how when he had helped Sasuke change or bathe that he'd almost switched off and not noticed how gorgeous the man was. Yet now when he wasn't acting like a nurse the very sight of pale skin was enough to set his body on fire. Wrapping his fingers around the base of Sasuke's length Naruto began to work as best he could at getting Sasuke to a shuddering climax. It didn't take long before a particularly deep thrust made Sasuke moan gutteraly and cum in thick spurts.

Naruto waited until he was finished before moving back and taking off his own pants. Sasuke's dark eyes immediately took in his own size. Spitting on his hand with some of the cum that was still in his mouth Naruto lathered himself up. Moving back on the bed again he brought a finger to Sasuke's mouth and played with his bottom lip.

"Is this your first time?" he asked.

"No," Sasuke admitted. "But it's been a while."

Naruto didn't know what to think about that. Of course Sasuke wasn't his first either but it had felt as if they'd known each other for such a long time that the very thought that they'd been with someone else was so wrong.

"It'll hurt," he said before Sasuke opened his mouth to accept the probing finger.

Waiting until there was enough spit on the digit Naruto withdrew the finger and placed it lightly against Sasuke's entrance.

"I know," the raven said simply.

Naruto lightly pushed the finger in, the ring of muscles protesting against the entrance. He watched Sasuke's face closely to make sure the backward and forward movements weren't causing him unnecessary pain. When the muscles were more relaxed he entered a second finger before finally adding a third and starting a more fluid movement. Sasuke was panting lightly against the intrusion, his face graced with blush across his cheeks and nose.

"I don't know how much longer I can wait, Sasuke," Naruto admitted, glancing down to watch his fingers disappear and reappear.

"Quickly, go," Sasuke told him, fingers clutching tightly to the bed sheets below them.

Removing his fingers and replacing with his cock Naruto leant down to catch Sasuke's lips in a quick kiss before pushing himself in completely.

"Oh boy," he moaned, trying to not thrust himself into oblivion.

He started off slowly, rocking his hips gently against Sasuke's as the brunet adjusted to the bigger intrusion. Soon Sasuke was demanding more so Naruto was going harder. Watching himself pound the skinny form below him was doing a number on his brain. He'd never felt anything more wonderful than right now. Sasuke was so hot and pushing his cock in and out of him was like heaven. Closing his eyes he grabbed Sasuke's own dick and started pumping in time with his thrusts. Moans and whimpers filled the air as they both came closer and closer to the edge. Sasuke came first, his back arching in delight as he came hard onto their stomachs. The increased tightness around him sent Naruto tumbling after, his body wracked with white fireworks and unimaginable pleasure.

Collapsing on his side he pulled Sasuke tightly to him. Sasuke turned to give him a kiss against his cheek.

"Naruto?" he said softly.

"Sasuke?" Naruto replied, smiling sleepily.

Sasuke didn't say anything. Instead he just smiled and brushed aside a lock of blond hair from Naruto's forehead.

xxx

Waking up the next day was a whirlpool of emotion. As Naruto stared at the ceiling he'd realised he'd probably just committed career suicide while another part, the greater part, said it wouldn't matter providing Sasuke was by his side. Glancing down at the glossy head of hair resting in the crook of his arm Naruto couldn't help but feel a crushing moment of depression. He knew Sasuke wasn't healthy and that whatever they had wasn't going to last long. He selfishly said to himself he didn't care, he just wanted Sasuke and as much of him as possible while they still had time left. He lay there with his own thoughts until Sasuke woke up and they gradually made their way back down to Sasuke's current room. It wasn't until they were eating lunch that Naruto wondered if he'd been more selfish than he'd originally thought.

"I think we should be able to get a wing of our own you know," Sasuke said, putting down his fork. He'd been feeding himself for a good three weeks now and was proving to Naruto he could get stronger. "Itachi and I had always planned to do that once we settled down."

Naruto bit his lip. He was stuck in a moment where he didn't know what to do. If he entertained Sasuke's dreams it might lead to a more depressing situation when the final moment came or it could improve his chances by force of will alone.

"A wing would be so much room," Naruto told him. "I'd be happy for a bedroom or two."

Sasuke smiled as the blond indulged him. "Maybe a library for me and an arcade for yourself."

"Definitely an arcade," Naruto told him.

Sasuke smiled lightly before the smile wore off. "It's not going to happen, is it?"

"Of course it will, if you want it to," Naruto argued.

"Naruto, I'm not an idiot. I can tell by your expression when you update my charts that it isn't good. I can tell by the doctors expression when he comes in. I can tell with just one look at you and Itachi that you're keeping something from me. What is it?"

"Sasuke, it's nothing," Naruto assured. "We're just worried about you and before we met you were so focused on giving up that we are trying our best to keep this attitude."

Sasuke's expression soured. "Attitude? It's not like my attitude has anything to do with me dying or not."

"You'd be surprised," Naruto said. "Plenty of case studies have been brought forward where the patient had no hope of living and turned it around by keeping up beat and optimistic."

"No hope?" Sasuke repeated venomously. "No hope? Are you telling me I've got no chance of living through this?"

The sudden change in demeanour shocked Naruto into silence. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to reply, as a nurse or as a friend and lover. "I don't know what you want me to say," Naruto started. "But I-"

"I don't want to hear anything more from you," Sasuke said sharply. He put down his fork and pushed himself away from the table. "I want you to call my doctor and I want to speak with him privately."

"Sasuke, please don't get mad," Naruto pleaded.

"Naruto, I need to do this," Sasuke told him. "I want to talk to the doctor without you or Itachi there. I want to ask my own questions and get private answers."

The blond couldn't argue with that so he found a phone and set up an appointment for the doctor to come see Sasuke the following afternoon. Itachi would be home by then so hopefully the impromptu visit didn't spark any anger towards either him or Sasuke. He had a right to know, Naruto knew that. And he knew that right now he was beyond the point where he could confidently say "Sasuke, you are going to die."

xxx

"I can't believe he doesn't want us in there," Itachi fumed, tapping a finger against the sink.

Naruto looked at him sheepishly. "Sasuke wants to know his progress."

They were in the prep room watching as Sasuke and the doctor spoke. The doctor was going through the charts with Sasuke at one of the tables. Watching the blank expression on Sasuke's face Naruto couldn't help but feel he was betraying Sasuke's wishes of a private conversation.

"He asked me for a physio to start coming out," Itachi said. "He said he wanted to walk again."

"Well that's good," Naruto told him. "If he wants to get better he'll need to get stronger."

"It's not possible," Itachi said. "Each month the doctor's opinion gets worse and worse. Each month the estimated life expectancy gets shorter. Each month I have to come to terms with the knowledge that this time next year Sasuke might not be with me."

Naruto clenched his hands into fists. It wasn't fair. Concentrating on Sasuke's expression Naruto couldn't figure out how he was handling the news. And what exactly the news was. Naruto didn't know what the doctor was telling Sasuke and how truthful he was being. Suddenly Sasuke pushed himself to face away from the doctor. The man stood, gesturing with his hands but Sasuke ignored him. Itachi moved closer to the door to await the doctor as he returned to the prep room.

"Well?" Naruto asked as he came in. "How'd it go?"

The man surveyed Naruto for a moment before turning to Itachi. "He's not happy. I think he expected the results to not be as severe." Turning to Naruto the man nodded towards Sasuke. "He asked for you."

"Me?" Naruto asked, pointing to himself. At the man's nod he returned the gesture and entered Sasuke's room. "Sasuke?" he said softly. Approaching the wheelchair he saw Sasuke's shoulders were lightly shaking.

"You knew, didn't you?"

"Knew what?"

"Knew that I'm dying and that it's going to happen soon."

"Sasuke," Naruto sighed. He moved and crouched so that he could see Sasuke's face. "I knew that you were sick and I wanted nothing more than to change that."

"You made me believe that you were always going to be there with me," Sasuke said angrily. He glared at Naruto, tears turning into his eyes into swirling pools of emotions. "Made me believe that everything was going to be okay!"

"I never wanted to give you false hope of the future," Naruto told him. "Only hope for the time you had left."

"Yeah? Well I wished you had have specified that before you fucked me! If I had have known I was a pity screw I wouldn't have been interested!"

Naruto stood up in shock. How could Sasuke think that was what he wanted? That them sleeping together was because he pitied him? Just when he thought the day couldn't get any worse Naruto looked up and saw Itachi standing a few feet away. The expression on his face was murderous.

'My office, now,' he mouthed before turning and striding towards the door.

Without anything left to do Naruto followed and closed the office door behind him. "Itachi, bef-"

"Shut up!" Itachi snapped. He ripped open a drawer and pulled something out. Grabbing a pen he quickly scribbled something and handed it to Naruto.

"What's this?" Naruto asked, eyeing the piece of paper off.

"A cheque."

"A cheque? For what? You've been paying my wage weekly into my account."

"Yes, well this is a cheque to get you the fuck out of our lives," Itachi informed him darkly. "Twenty thousand dollars should be enough to get you out of Sasuke's life."

"I'm not going to take that," Naruto challenged.

"Take it or leave it. Either way you're fired."

"What? You can't fire me! I haven't done anything wrong!"

"That twenty thousand also comes with my silence," Itachi snapped. "You go quietly and I say nothing to the board of how your gross medical misconduct has caused my brother maximum emotional harm. You'll also get glowing references of your service."

"But, I ne-"

"Naruto, you've done enough damage. Don't you think?"

Naruto opened his mouth but no words would come. "Keep the cheque," he said before walking out the door.

He grabbed his things and found his own way out to where his car was still parked in the front drive. Getting in and slamming shut the door behind him he let out a frustrated sob. What had he done? Resting his arms against the steering wheel he buried his head against them and swallowed down the anger, betrayal and immense hurt that threatened to overcome him. What had he done?

xxx

Naruto smiled at the little girl as he placed the bandaid across her knee.

"You be more careful, next time!" he said, pulling a pig tail. He looked over and smiled at the mother who was the real patient and gave a little wave. Grabbing his clipboard and moving over to the nurse's desk he glanced around. "Hey, where's Sakura?" he asked one of the girls on the computer.

The blonde looked up and rolled her eyes. "Didn't you hear? She quit. Got offered this great new job babysitting some cripple."

Naruto's eye widened to the size of saucers. "What?"

"Yeah, it's stupid amounts of money to look after some sick guy all day. Lucky bitch, I wish I had have been asked." Flicking her blonde hair she stood up and wandered off.

Naruto felt himself frozen to the spot. Surely it wasn't Sasuke. The coincidence was too large. Shaking his head he looked around. It had been three weeks since he left the Uchiha household. The day after he'd been fired the Chief of Medicine of a local hospital had called saying he'd been highly recommended and did he want a job? Naruto wasn't going to kick a gift horse in the mouth so accepted the job and started the following day. The hospital was at least an hour drive away from his place but he didn't mind. As two nurses walked past Naruto couldn't help but hear their conversation.

"Yeah, apparently she lives there and everything! Such a lucky girl."

"I applied for that job too, sucks I didn't get it."

Naruto gazed after them in surprise. No way. No fucking way. Gritting his teeth his anger Naruto tried to calm himself down. He couldn't get emotional about this. It wasn't Sakura's fault she was offered a job.

"Have you even moved?" Naruto looked up to see the blonde nurse had returned to the computer. "You look like you're constipated. Maybe we'll need to get Sakura back to look after your ass and not the retarded one she is currently."

"His name is Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, throwing down his clipboard. Everyone in the vicinity of hearing froze and stared at him. "I quit!"

Tearing off down the ward Naruto ran to the parking lot to get into his car. All he'd been doing the past few weeks was think about Sasuke and knowing the Sakura was now taking care of him deepened the wound so much more than he thought possible. As he swung out from the parking lot to the road Naruto could feel the excitement and trepidation building up within him. He felt almost possessed as he drove like a maniac from the hospital to the large gates of the Uchiha mansion. They were open so he sped up the driveway, parked his car haphazardly and ran to the front door. Not bothering to knock he tried the handle and was pleased to see it open straight away.

Pushing through the door he ran down the corridor, up the stairs and down towards Sasuke's room. It felt unreal what he was doing but he didn't want to stop. He needed Sasuke to know how much he loved him. Running through the prep room completely unprepared he swung open the door and was met with dead silence.

Sakura was sitting with her back to him and Sasuke... Naruto felt his heart stop in his throat. Sasuke was lying on bed, a mask forcing air into his lungs and a heart monitor beeping slowly beside him. At the sound of Naruto's entrance Sakura turned in shock. When she saw him her brows furrowed.

"Naruto?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

Jogging over to Sasuke's bed Naruto looked down at his sleeping face. "What's wrong with him?" he demanded. He gently grabbed one of Sasuke's hands. He felt so cold. "Sakura? What's wrong with him?"

Sakura's confused frown remained. "How do you know Sasuke? Oh, you need to change! If his brother sees you he will be so angry!"

"You haven't answered my question," Naruto said angrily, turning and facing her. "What is wrong with Sasuke?"

Sakura opened her mouth in shock, obviously unsure of what to do. A weak voice stopped her from having to respond.

"Naruto?"

Naruto whirled in surprise. Sasuke was looking right at him, his eyes heavy lidded with fatigue. "Sasuke!" he cried, moving closer to him. "Are you okay?"

Sasuke's arm moved to remove the mask from his face but Naruto grabbed the hand gently. "Don't take it off. It's helping."

Sasuke struggled against the hold but his strength was so lax that Naruto didn't have to exert any pressure at all. The rapid decline in Sasuke's health sent a knot of worry straight to his gut. He shouldn't be this sick.

"Where did you go?" Sasuke asked, his breath sending puffs of condensation against the mask.

Naruto smiled sadly. "I'm sorry I wasn't here."

Sasuke frowned lightly. "Why did you leave me?"

Naruto looked down to their hands and moved so they could interlock their fingers. Bringing Sasuke's hand to his lips he pressed a quick kiss against it. "I didn't want to."

"Naruto! What's going on?" Sakura asked. "You need to leave!"

Before Naruto could respond the door to Sasuke's room flew open and Itachi stormed down towards him like a bull to a red flag.

"What do you think you're doing here?" he demanded angrily.

Naruto carefully put Sasuke's hand down before turning to face the elder Uchiha. "Because I want to see Sasuke."

"You have no right to be here!" Itachi snapped at him. "Get out before I call the police."

"I don't care! I wanted to see how Sasuke was and you can't stop me!"

Sakura moved off to the side, her face contorted with confusion.

"Get out. Now. Or else you can expect to find a restraining order and breaking and entering charges on your doorstep."

Naruto clenched his hands into fists. "I can't believe you just fired me! All because I fell in love with your brother?" he shouted.

"It was inappropriate and disgusting! He is not well enough for dealing with something like this!" Itachi said angrily. "You had no right to enter his life and make him believe he had anything worth living for! You know his life expectancy is short at best!"

"How can you say that? How can you even think it?" Naruto demanded, tears of rage starting to spill onto his cheeks. "You and Sasuke may have had it all figured out but you were the one who hired me! You were the one who allowed me into his life and if that's the way it is then I am going to fight until Sasuke realises that I love him more than anything!"

"You've ruined everything! Sasuke knew he was going to die and accepted it. Now you've given him false hope and instilled fear into him!"

"He should be scared! Wanting to die is a terrible thing! I'm glad I came along when I did because otherwise he would have died a lonely and miserable person!"

"Better that than –"

Naruto didn't hear the rest of Itachi's response because it was at that second that he realised a terrible sound was playing in the background. It was something he dreaded hearing and it was something he never wanted to hear when it concerned Sasuke. Turning to the bed he saw Sakura had been watching him and Itachi with a fearful expression, Sasuke's latest chart pushed up hard against her chest. But Naruto's eyes went beyond her and to the unconscious man laying in the bed.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked in a broken whisper. The continuous beep coming from the heart monitor seemed to cut through Naruto like a knife. "Sasuke!" he screamed, running over and jumping onto the bed.

Crawling over Sasuke's limp form he quickly began chest compressions, his heart sitting in his throat as he leant down and tried to breathe life into Sasuke's mouth. In the background he heard Itachi screaming at Sakura to call an ambulance, he even felt angry hands trying to pull him off. Pulling back a fist Naruto swung it at Itachi's face. He watched the pale man's body swing to one side and fall to the ground. The impact sent shudders through Naruto's arm but he didn't care, he needed to focus on getting Sasuke's heart back up and running. If he could get it to beat again until the ambulance came then it would be a whole lot easier.

"Sasuke, come on," he pleaded, breathing more air into the open mouth. Again and again he pushed down on Sasuke's chest. Again and again he pressed his lips against Sasuke's cold ones and forced air into his lungs.

He didn't know how long he was sitting on top of Sasuke before but eventually paramedics pulled him off the lifeless form and restrained him. Kicking and thrashing Naruto tried to break free, pleading with them to let him try again. Eventually police came and escorted the historical blond back to his home. He had caught sight of Itachi as he was being led out. His hair was mess, strands hanging down around his face like limp pieces of string. The shocked look on his face did nothing to appease the hatred in Naruto's heart.

"Mr. Uchiha isn't pressing charges," the officer said as Naruto climbed out of the squad car. "So long as you do not bother him or his family again."

"Yeah, what family?" Naruto asked. Sasuke was gone. He had died and Naruto had been too busy shouting to even hear the monitor flat line.

xxx

Naruto knew as soon as he entered the graveyard that Itachi had seen him. Luckily though the brunet said nothing and left Naruto be to listen to the service and watch as Sasuke's gleaming black coffin was lowered into the ground. As the people who had gathered threw their roses into the hole Naruto couldn't help but seek Itachi out. He was standing away from everyone else, his face impassive as one by one red roses were given in offering to his younger brother. His eye was an angry mess from where Naruto had hit but the blond felt not one ounce of regret, if anything he wished he'd been able to hit him harder.

"Thank you for letting me stay," Naruto said softly as he took a place beside him.

"Thank you for coming," Itachi replied. They stood together in silence, each dealing with the waves of grief that filled their bodies. "He loved you, you know." Naruto looked up at Itachi in surprise, shocked to hear the revelation. "He told me after I fired you that he loved you. I got so angry with you both, so angry that Sasuke had to come to terms with the fact that he'd finally fallen in love and yet at best he would have less than a year to experience it."

"A year would have been better than nothing," Naruto said weakly.

"His doctor said the disease had finally caught up to his heart," Itachi continued. "It had progressed a lot quicker and more aggressively than we thought it would in such a short period of time. There was nothing you could have done."

"I could have saved him, I should have heard the monitor as soon as it flat lined," Naruto argued weakly.

"It wouldn't have done any good," was the response. "The doctor said even if he had have been there there was nothing we could do."

Naruto felt fresh tears flow down his cheeks so he turned his head away so as to avoid Itachi seeing. "I just wish I had have had more time with him."

"You made the last five weeks of his life the happiest he had ever had," Itachi said dully. "It was a lot better than I had done in the last twenty-five years. You gave him the feeling of being loved, of being someone's most important person. You touched Sasuke's heart in a way I never could."

Unable to hear anymore Naruto moved towards the grave. By now everyone had gone or were waiting in the parking lot to offer their condolences to Itachi. Moving to the edge and looking down at the coffin Naruto fought against the sobs building in his chest. Sasuke, his Sasuke. Gone forever. Crouching down Naruto held out the white rose he'd bought for the occasion.

"Sasuke," he whispered. "Heaven better be like Secret Garden because if you're not waiting there to run into my arms when I walk through the gate then I'm going to be one annoyed bastard." With a small smile he threw the rose on top of the others, the white stark against the red. Crouching down Naruto bit his lip in an effort to distract himself from the pain in his heart. "Sasuke."

---

Soooo... hope it was okay! Thanks :)