While in-between chapters for my main Naruto story, I thought I would something somewhat original. As always, it's NaruSaku, maybe with a little SasuSaku thrown in to give it some depth.

(Oh, and for a real NaruSaku moment…watch Naruto Shippuden episode 43/44.)

"Normal"

'Thought'

"Demon/inner people"

Thunder roared and the wind billowed throughout the large village of Konohagakure no Sato. It was the middle of the night when a storm suddenly built up and unleashed its fury upon it. Everyone was mostly asleep at the time, except those who had jobs at the time. More specifically, Konoha hospital, where the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade, worked part time. It was an uneventful night so she decided to take a break with a bottle of sake, her usual drink during her breaks. It always seemed to get her mind off of her job as Hokage, the corrupt council, and her job at the hospital. She started to slip in and out of consciousness as the sake took control of her senses and she fell asleep at the table in the break room.

The rain poured against the boy's straining face as he came closer to the gates of his beloved home. The home he swore to protect from the evils of the world. He was carrying an unconscious form on his back while swaying back and forth trying to stay awake long enough to get to the hospital. The boy, Uzumaki Naruto, gained a few meters into the village and collapsed from exhaustion.

'Wha…where am I?' he thought as he awoke from a deep sleep. He noticed a nurse at his left side taking readouts from a monitor at the side of his bed. His eyes were open somewhat and the light from the window started to burn his pupils. Every muscle in his body felt like they were on fire and he groaned as he tried to sit up.

"Naruto-kun! Please don't move, you'll only make it worse!" said the nurse.

Naruto paid no heed as he sat up anyway, ignoring the blinding pain coursing throughout his body.

"Ugh…how long have I been out?"

"Only for about 14 hours now. I'm surprised you're even awake as it is! The injuries you've sustained should have kept you bed-ridden for at least a week or two."

Naruto could only smirk. "Yeah, well you can thank the bloody Kyuubi for that."

The nurse, Mei only smiled. Mei was the one nurse who took care of Naruto ever since he was born. Almost every week she would see him in the hospital since he was a toddler as he was constantly attacked and threatened nonstop by the villagers. She grew to like him and she didn't care if he was the jailor of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. For that, he was grateful to her from the start.

"Um…Naruto-kun, I really hope you don't mind me asking but, what happened to you for you to arrive in this state?"

"Hm, that's a good question Mei-chan." Naruto tried to think with his strained mind about what happened to him.

Flashback

"Heh, you won't be able to win dobe! I've still yet to kill my brother! What makes you think I would go to that pathetic village again? Nothing is there for me. The only way to true power is to follow my own path!" the raven-haired Uchiha stood there battle worn facing an even more battle worn Naruto.

"Sasuke! Don't you understand yet? True power lies in the will to protect your precious people! The village wants you back teme. Sakura-chan needs you.Ineed you." Naruto gazed at the ground before him trying to get Sasuke to come back to his senses.

"Tch, I have no precious people in my life Uzumaki! I am an avenger. I live my life only to enact revenge for my clans death!" the Uchiha again charged Naruto.

Their fight has lasted for hours on end. Rasengan and Chidori marks were littered across the battlefield. Naruto had been assigned a solo mission from Tsunade a few weeks ago to go out, find Sasuke, and bring him back if not alive, then dead.

Naruto had been depleted of his chakra long ago and was using his fifth tail form to fight Sasuke. He would use all of the power he possessed to bring Sakura happiness and he'd be damned if he lost to the Uchiha traitor. Thankful to Yamato and Jiraiya, he'd been able to unlock eight tails of the Kyuubi's chakra.

The forest that had been their battlefield was completely decimated. The only things remaining were craters and burnt wood from their titanic collisions. They both knew that this was their last move. Whoever had more power behind their next attack would be the victor. The blonde Jinchuuriki charged yet another Rasengan into his hand, applying his wind chakra to it to create his ultimate yet forbidden jutsu: theFuuton: Rasengan. The Uchiha had also started to charge his own version of Hatake Kakashi'sRaikiriinto his left hand while activating his Mangekyo Sharingan.

"This is your last chance dobe! If you don't give, I'll be forced to kill you. I will not be dragged to that pathetic village of yours. Especially by the dead last shinobi of it." Sasuke smirked as his jutsu was nearly finished charging.

"Teme…I will not give up you. I do this for Sakura-chan to make her happy. I do this for your own good, my brother." Naruto's Rasengan was finished at last.

"The Kyuubi won't save you this time Naruto! In case you haven't figured out yet, my Sharingan can control any bijuu!"

"I know Sasuke. But neither I nor the Kyuubi will give into it."

Both of their jutsu were fully charged and killer intent poured off of their bodies.

'Ero-sennin, I am only capable of this because of you. Thank you.' Naruto formed a warm smile on his face before it went back to his viscous phase.

"Come on dobe! Let's see who is truly the most powerful of us my rival! Prepare yourself!" And with his final words, Sasuke charged toward the Jinchuuriki.

"I do this for you, Sakura-chan. I hope he can make succeed in making you happy where I have failed." He muttered to himself and charged towards his eternal rival, and brother. The Rasengan and Raikiri collided, resulting in a massive burst of light and wind.

Naruto carried the unconscious Uchiha on his back after having won the power struggle, which rendered him completely out of both his and the Kyuubi's chakra, and created the massive crater he walked out of earlier. He never stopped to take a break even though days had passed by since the battle ended. He needed to get the Uchiha back to Konoha, and to Sakura. Nightfall had arrived on the middle of the second week the blonde had been walking with the still unconscious Sasuke on his back when a thunderstorm started to brew over his head. He still had an hour to go, he figured, before he reached the gates to the village. Finally at the gates, he took a couple more steps before he to, like his brother and comrade, fell unconscious. Fortunately for him, Kakashi was on his nightly watch of the gates and stumbled upon the sleeping duo at the north gate.

'Well, well. Looks like you were able to pull it off Naruto. I'm proud of you.' Kakashi gave a slight smile under his mask, hoisted the two sleeping shinobi onto his shoulers, and jumped from rooftop to rooftop towards the hospital.

Flashback End

"So that's who that boy was downstairs in restricted room! I thought he looked familiar for a second. Uchiha Sasuke…who would've thought." Mei said after Naruto told her the story.

"Is he alive Mei-chan? I couldn't forgive myself if I killed him." Naruto frowned.

"Well…unfortunately, that attack you used on him completely destroyed his chakra coils. In time, his system will be devoid of chakra, killing him in the process."

"No…you can't be serious! You mean he won't recover from this?" His eyes widened at Mei, looking for a reassuring answer.

"I'm afraid so Naruto-kun. While he broke most of the bones in your body, you rendered his chakra system to the point that the cells that generate chakra have been completely destroyed. It's a miracle you walked as far as you did with your injuries!"

'Sasuke…' Naruto could only grieve for his teammate as he came to the realization that he just killed his friend, his comrade, his brother.

"Ah it seems you have a visitor Naruto-kun." Mei stopped checking his statistics on her clipboard as none other than Haruno Sakura burst into the room.

"Naruto! I haven't seen you in weeks! Where have you been all this time? You said we were going to train the next day but you were gone for 3 whole weeks! Wha…" she started to trail off having seen Naruto wrapped up in bandages.

"It's nice to see you again Sakura-chan." Naruto gave her the best smile he could give her. But with him being so tired, it only appeared as a slight grin.

"Na…Naruto, what happened to you?" she cried and rushed to his bedside. Sakura started to check all of his injuries.

"I'll leave you two alone ok?" Mei said.

"Hai, thanks again Mei-chan." She walked out of the room but not before giving Naruto a wink, which caused him to blush. Mei knew about his deep affections for Sakura after Naruto bragging about her so many times.

'I hope you both will find peace after this…' she then walked off to check on her other patients.

"Naruto?" Sakura look concerned.

"Oh, sorry Sakura-chan. I spaced out for a second."

"It's ok Naruto. So do you want to tell me where you've been for the past 3 weeks? As your team-mate and best friend I think I have the right to know!"

Naruto gazed at the foot of his bed. He didn't feel like telling her who else was in the hospital as well.

'Sasuke…'

"It was a solo S-rank mission given to me by Tsunade-baa-chan right after we had lunch together. Ever since being promoted to Chunin, she's been wanting me to send me out on this one for a while."

"Was it…Akatsuki?" Sakura now looked more worried than ever. Since she learned about the 9 Jinchuurikis, she now worried about Naruto more than she ever had anyone else. Even her child-hood crush, Sasuke.

"No. Not this time. It was about…Sasuke." Once the blonde said his name, he couldn't bear to look Sakura in the eye. It would bring him too much pain.

"Sas…Sasuke-kun? What about him Naruto? Did he do this to you? Did you manage to bring him home? What happened out there!" She fired off her questions while Naruto summoned the courage to tell her everything that happened.

After a few minutes he finished his story but still couldn't look at her.

"He's downstairs if you want to see him. He's still unconscious from what I've heard. But he is here."

Sakura started to leave his bedside and immediately head towards the Uchiha's room, but halted when she heard Naruto speak up again.

"Sakura-chan. Wait, please! I need to tell you one more thing." Naruto tried to sit up even further, but succumbed to the searing pain in his neck and back. Sakura walked back to Naruto's bed and helped him get comfortable. He was finally able to lie down without any pain.

"What is it Naruto?"

"Sakura-chan. You need to know. There's something about Sasuke that I need to tell you."

Sakura remained silent.

"I…I used the Fuuton: Rasengan against him. But please, you have to understand! I couldn't defeat him without having to use it!"

The rosette could only gasp as she knew the effects the Fuuton: Rasengan had on an individual. The jutsu destroyed almost anything it touches on a cellular level. The jutsu is dangerous both to the victim and even the user as it touches the user as well.

"His cells were damaged by the attack. They were so far damaged that they wreaked havoc on his chakra network, destroying his cells, and is slowly killing him. I'm so sorry Sakura-chan. I did everything I could!"

Sakura gazed upon her hands resting in her lap. She couldn't process all the information at once.

"I see." Was her stoic reply. She started walking towards the exit of his room.

"Sakura-chan. Please, don't do this to me! It's hard enough I have to watch my own brother die! If I lose you, I don't know if I'd be able to go on! Please, don't hate me." Naruto begged.

"Naruto…" he looked up at her with tears starting to form in his eyes. "Naruto, I could never, ever hate you. You matter too much to me. I, just have to sort out my feelings for a bit. I'm so confused I don't even know what to feel right now."

"Thank you Sakura-chan. You have no idea how much that means to me."

The rosette gave him a small smile before closing the door to his room leaving it open only a crack. She started to walk away before she heard Naruto's voice through the door.

The Jinchuuriki said to himself, "Sakura-chan. You really don't know how much you mean to me. Hated by everyone as far back as I can remember. Yet you show me kindness and compassion even when I kill the man you love. I don't know how I'll ever repay you Sakura-chan. But, I don't ever want to see you hurt again. I love you too much. I wish I could say this directly to you, but I'm afraid that it'll ruin our friendship." Naruto fell asleep as he uttered his last sentence not knowing Sakura was still at his door listening.

"Naruto…I've wanted to tell you how I've really felt about you. For two years now, I've been holding in my feelings for you. But now that Sasuke-kun's…well, I don't know if now is the right time. Please Naruto-kun, hang in just a little longer…"

Welp that's it! 1st chappy done. So RxR and tell me how it is so far!

Dedicated to Gaara of the Funk! Unch unch unch unch Gaaraaaa of the FUNK!

Roxas33