CHAPTER 1-

Never too late

Disclaimer: Don't own, but when i become mega rich and famous...how i do not know...i shall buy them all and then yaoi will rule the world...cause i feel like it...

A/N- Rated M for later on, possibly in chapter 2, give me reviews and i give you smex

-bold- Kyuubi speaking to Naruto.

The attack had come literally out of nowhere. A group of ninja, maybe ten of them, all jounin level had been waiting for them with an ambush. When the fight had started, he had tried to figure out what village they were from, however none of them wore the standard forehead protectors.

He hadn't been strong enough, was still only a chunnin and as soon as the fight had begun, he and Sakura had both been hit by some foreign jutsu that not only did not allow them to use their chakra, but seemed to suppress the Kyuubi's chakra and healing capabilities as well. They were screwed, not that it stopped him.

Naruto lay on the hard forest floor, broken and bleeding as the enemy nin searched their packs and vests. He knew they wouldn't find what they were looking for, the scroll for the Village of ice had been the only thing of importance they had been carrying and the two teens had managed to deliver it approximately a day before hand.

A twisted, scarred face loomed above him, dull grey eyes glaring down at him.

"Where is it?" The man hissed, gripping the collar of his jacket and pulling so he was almost sitting. Naruto grimaced at the pain the movement sent through him.

"Sorry, you're just a little late." He ground out, smirking around a blood caked mouth.

"Why you little-" A hand hit the side of his head, his ears ringing, eye sight blacking out for a moment.

"Son of a bitch!" He cried out; as he was dumped unceremoniously back onto the hard ground. His limbs felt like lead weights, weighing him down. Pink hair caught his eye as he spotted Sakura laying a few feet away, bleeding from several wounds, unconscious. Even together, there had been too many of them, he hadn't been beaten this badly in a long time.

He knew they needed to get back to Konoha or at least to the nearest medic-nin. Sakura had been training the past few years under the Hokage, but she was in no position to heal anyone. Naruto could feel the shifting of the two broken ribs he had and the throbbing in his left arm and leg from where he had impacted a large solid tree. Both were probably broken with his luck.

"We don't need these two, kill them." The voice, low and gravely, floated down to him, registering sluggishly in his mind.

"NO!" he pushed himself to his feet, biting his lip at the pain that shot through him. Staggering, he swung his fist at the nearest figure, only to have it blocked, before he was knocked back down, this time landing on his front, white-hot pain lancing through him as a senbon was imbedded in his shoulder. "Argh!"

They needed help; he was in no position to help Sakura or himself like this. He couldn't move, could barely breath, and it appeared as though the senbon had been poisoned as his thoughts turned sluggish. The present pain doubled as a foot connected with his side. He needed a plan, but none could come to mind. The Kyuubi was being blocked by something; some jutsu and he didn't know how to break it. For the first time, the fear of death crept into his mind.

Would he die here? Without saving Sakura or finally getting Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei together or becoming Hokage or, or even bringing Sasuke back.

Sasuke…he grunted as the foot connected with his side again, but this time he pushed the pain aside, wrapping his hand around the ankle and pulling sending the man off balance.

"I'm not that easy to get rid of." He grinned, climbing to his knees, then unsteadily to his feet. Without Kyuubi, he didn't have long with the poison, but at least he could save Sakura.

'You'll kill us both.' A deep, familiar voice echoed through his mind. He shook his head, grimacing. 'If I do nothing we'll both die anyways.' He replied, reaching into his weapons holster for whatever he had left. A single kunai and three shurriken were all it contained.

'Break their jutsu and we can kill them all.' He chose to ignore the last part. He had no idea how to break this jutsu, Sakura hadn't even been sure. He would have to make do. If Lee could fight without the use of chakra then he could too!

"You bastards should've never messed with Uzumaki Naruto!" He moved quickly, ignoring the pain shooting through him. What he wouldn't give for Sakura's brute strength right now. Luck was on his side, as the five remaining members of the group seemed as worn out as he was and appeared injured, making it less difficult then it could have been.

His kunai took care of a tall, deathly pale woman, the shurriken injuring two others before he was knocked onto his side, sliding a few feet in the dirt. The pain he had been ignoring came back, flaring through him, reminding him of his injuries.

The poison had spread through him quickly, the fight allowing it to flow through his veins freely and now he could feel it taking hold of him. The burst of energy from before disappeared, draining him, so all he could do was lay there, eyes drooping and eye sight graying. Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the next attack, but it never came.

Shouting and the sounds of metal hitting metal filled the clearing, followed by the 'thud' of something landing on the forest floor.

Fighting the weariness, he opened his eyes, tilting his head enough, so he could see without causing too much pain.

The enemy nin lay scattered around the clearing, eyes staring blankly up at the sky. Green grass lay underneath them, stained with crimson. Naruto's vision graying around the edges, he tried to pull himself up, but only managed to flop onto his back painfully, the darkening sky bearing down on him.

He was pulled up suddenly, someone leaning him back against something warm. Too tired and sore to fight, he leaned into the warmth, a familiar scent tickling his nose. Dark obsidian eyes stared down at him, worried. Jet-black hair, lining a pale face.

"Why didn't you use your chakra?!" Through the haze in his mind, he registered the voice, slowly processing the question. What right did he have to be angry? He wasn't the one in pain!

"Jutsu. Wha-?" What are you doing here? He rasped, pretty sure the second part was only in his head, raising a shaking hand, trying to touch the pale skin that couldn't be there, had to be a figment of his imagination brought on by the effects of the poison. He had left. He couldn't be back.

The anger faded from the dark eyes, replaced by the worry from before. But since when did he worry about anyone?

"I'll get you two back to Konoha. Just rest." A hand grasped his tightly, fingers threading with his. Soft lips pressed against his blood caked ones briefly, too briefly, before the other teen pulled back, running a hand through the blond locks soothingly. What had happened to the cold bastard he had known, the one that didn't care for anyone? "Baka. You're always getting into trouble when I'm not around." Apparently the teme was still there. He grunted in response as he was suddenly shifted up and onto a shoulder, the movement jarring his injuries. He hissed in pain; before he was suddenly shifted onto the raven-haired teen's back, head resting against the crook in the pale neck. Holding on tight, he felt him stoop to pick up Sakura, then preparing to get up into the trees.

"Tsunade will be able to break the jutsu." Naruto nodded silently, his eyes closing against his will.

"You better be there when I wake up teme." He mumbled. Then, only because he probably wouldn't remember this when he woke up and could blame it on his injuries, added, "missed you, Sasuke." Before closing his eyes, feeling strangely safe.

Reviews and feedback welcome! The first of probably 3 chapters, cause until Sasuke returns, I'm gonna amuse myself like this. Reviews help me write faster!