~A Promise of Rain~

I ~ Delirium

He was going to die. He was convinced of it. The more he tried to breathe, the harder it became, making his chest feel heavier and heavier every time he exhaled. It felt like there were iron balls around his ankles, preventing him from walking any faster in search of help. Dirt and sweat pressed against his skin in thick coats, making his clothes cling to him almost painfully. The air was still and stagnant, no breeze of fresh air to relieve him from his stupor. Yes, he was sure he was going to die out here, in this never-ending forest of shadows and suffering. The air was just too suffocating. It was so…damn… Hot!

"Godamnit!" Naruto shouted to the heavens, tearing off his jacket and dramatically gasping for air. "When is it going to rain? I mean, for God's sake!"

When Tsunade had sent him on this mission to deliver an important package to a far away town, Naruto had, quite literally, jumped up and danced at the chance to get out of Konoha. For nearly two weeks, a brutal heat wave had taken the village by the throat. The temperature had become so unbearable and the atmosphere so dry that the Hokage had actually declared a state of emergency. Nearly all missions and all S-Ranked priorities were abruptly put on hold until the heat wave passed. No human being could function properly enough to think, let alone fight. However, the system of going on missions to provide income couldn't come to a complete standstill so, Tsunade issued easy, non-strenuous and harmless tasks like deliveries and body guarding to anyone that hadn't yet been hospitalized by heat exhaustion. Naruto was one of those lucky ones.

He bolted out of Konoha the second she put the package in his hands. His reasoning for wanting to get the hell out of there was knowing that the weather wasn't the same all across the planet and she was sending him far enough away that there had to be a chance he'd hit a cool patch. Sure enough, the further he got from the village, the stronger the scent of distant rain became. His spirits had lifted in the first time since he couldn't even remember before the heat wave at the thought of standing in a cool stream of endless showers to cleanse him of the cage of sweat he'd been living in for weeks. However, the promise of rain came attached with a preceding bank of weighted humidity. He wasn't sure which was worse: the parching, desert heat that hit Konoha or this tropical mugginess.

He hadn't minded at first, thinking he could suffer through this if it meant he would be reunited with the sweet, blast of summer rain if he just kept going forward. But then, he hadn't expected to get lost on his way to town. He had to cut through a dense, dark forest to reach it and, in combination with the heat, the amount of same-looking trees, massive amounts of bushes, and all other manner of twisting, tangling things, Naruto became so disoriented, he could hardly tell his left from his right. Now, he was lost before he'd even reached his destination and he was going to die because God hated him and wouldn't send a thundercloud his way.

With another exhausted groan, Naruto untied his headband where the sweat was collecting the most against his forehead. The damp air against it brought little relief and even the metal plate didn't retain any coolness in the heat. Whimpering tragically, Naruto dragged the oily moisture dripping into his eyes back into his mop of yellow hair. The likelihood of him actually dying in the forest was actually extremely slim as he had a full canteen of water bumping against his hip and he was bound to hit some sort of civilization if he kept walking straight. In the back of his mind, he was confident he'd find his way out of the stifling woods sooner rather than later, but he still couldn't help howling his frustration to the sky, begging for a drop of precipitation.

"Christ, it's hot," he mumbled, taking a conservative slug of water to satiate his dry throat. "This is ridiculous."

The sky was covered in a sheet of opaque clouds between the drooping, emerald foliage canopied above him. Tossing up prayers that they would open up and pour already, Naruto trumped onward, his jacket and headband clutched in one hand, dragging along beside him. Every cell of his skin was thirsting for him to take the water he had and pour it over his head. He did everything he could to distract himself from doing just that but, there was little to draw his attention. He couldn't hear a single bird or animal of any sort rustling in the underbrush. It was too hot even for them. He wished he had that built in instinct that animals had to always know where the right place to go for relief was. Absently, he wondered about the mountain toads he trained with and how they had complained about beating the heat the last time he'd summoned them. He remembered them saying something about burrowing into the mud. He wondered if he had the energy to do something like that – dig himself a nice, refrigerated little hole in the ground.

He paused in his trek, quite seriously considering it. Hell, he could just use his Rasengan to blow a hole in the dirt rather than get sweatier digging one up. Yeah, that was the way to do it. A bed of cool, refreshing, muddy earth…The vision was so tantalizing that Naruto was just about to drop all his things and summon up the chakra needed to accomplish the task.

However, a sudden, unexpected sound nearby in the brush brought his movements to an abrupt halt. He started from his sticky, half-delirious state and turned in search of the noise's source. Slow shuffling and heavy breathing graced his ears from a couple feet off to his right. He smiled in relief, too weary to even consider that it was anything other than human. Civilization at last!

"Hey!" he called out, spurring his sluggish legs forward and into the wall of weeds and ivy. "Wait up a second! Maybe you can help me!"

A cluster of thorns attempted to bar him from reaching the stranger but, he tore through, practically desperate for the company of another human being. He cursed at the effort nature was forcing out of him when he was already so avoidant towards any physical exertion. He continued to call out to the person, sure there was no way he hadn't gotten their attention but, his loud, rambling greetings quickly shifted to concern when he heard a hard thud ahead through the bushes. Startled by the distressing sound, Naruto hurried through the remaining tangle of branches.

"Hey! Are you alright? I…"

Naruto's voice failed him as he burst free of the verdant net and faced the body on the other side. For a moment, the blond was convinced that the heat had finally worked a hallucinogenic haze over his eyes. He blinked the grogginess from his vision and tried to shake his head clear of any dreamy illusions but, the man collapsed on the ground in front of him remained just as solid. He couldn't deny he was really there.

The unmistakable crest that constantly haunted his dreams glared up at him from the high-collared white T-shirt, drenched with sweat to the point of looking gray. Long fronds of ink black hair plastered against his forehead and the familiar organization of spiky tufts sagged, pitifully, beneath the moisture in the air. Pale skin was slick with a sheen of sweat and grime, and a series of small, darkening bruises decorated the rim of his left eye. Cracked, bleeding lips…unconscious, massively labored breathing…painfully closed eyes…

His chest aflame with clashing and disordered emotions, Naruto leapt forward onto his knees beside him, his mind suddenly sharpening from the heated tiredness. A list of survival necessities ran through his head as he ripped the water from his belt-loop. He may have deluded himself into thinking he was dying but, if he didn't get water into him fast, Sasuke really would.


A/N: Hello, Naruto fandom! :D There's just a couple things I wanted to run by you guys in case this short first chapter may have interested you into following for updates. Fair warning: my track record with updating is impressively negative. My last multi-chapter Naruto fic is just about to see a revival after a long hiatus sometime this summer. Additionally, I have another fic I've been dedicating a lot of time to for another fandom that as of right now has the majority of my attention. I wasn't going to upload this until I had actually written out a few more chapters but, it's Sasuke's birthday and since I started revisiting the Naruto series after a long absence, my NaruSasu feels have been through the roof and I have to vent them out before they destroy me. Rest assured, my intent is not to just start another story and then leave it to limbo. I am eager to start dedicating some love to this pairing. This story is hardly the most original idea to probably have graced the fandom but, as a product of my hatred for the unbearable heat I've lived in for the past few weeks, this fic started happening.

Now, if I haven't scared you with my A/N yet, please, drop me a review if you have the time/patience. Let me know if you'd even like to see the story continue at all or if I should just quite while I'm ahead. Your honesty and whatever criticisms you may have are greatly appreciated. :)