A/N:My new one-shot that I thought of while listening to a slow love song by Tracy Chapman ^-^ I hope you all get the reason I've wrote this the way I have so enjoy =3 You should definitely listen to the promise as it may help you get the feel of the song as well as the story ^-^, just a suggestion.
WARNING:Possibly upsetting themes, shonen ai/yaoi whichever you want to call it.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters named or mentioned nor do I own 'Comatose' by Skillet or 'The Promise' by Tracy Chapman.
XXX
Dull blue eyes took in the silent apartment as Naruto walked through the front door. His shoulders sagged with defeat as the blond realised that his lover still hadn't returned to him. One of his hands reached up to his torso and unzipped the light jacket he was wearing. Without bothering to look, he threw it somewhere to the side and shuffled into the cold apartment after taking off his shoes. He made his way over the kitchen, the bags he held in his hand rustling with every movement. His socked feet made little to no noise at all in the eerily silent place. Just as he reached the kitchen and had deposited the bags onto one of the counters, he was expecting his lover to appear to ask him what he'd bought and what they were having for dinner, if his lover was in a good mood that is. However, in the back of his mind, Naruto knew that was never going to happen. Never again. He shook his head, his eyes staying dry having cried all his tears in the past few days. Ignoring the now steady bags, Naruto turned away to go to the bathroom for a much needed shower when his eyes caught sight of a sticky note on the fridge. Biting his lip, the blond man went over to the fluorescent yellow note and picked it up gingerly with his shaking hands.
'Dobe, gone to get breakfast, be back soon.'
It was the same note his lover had left eleven days ago; exactly seven hours, forty-three minutes before that happened. Before he left Naruto forever. Before Naruto was left alone again. With slow movements, Naruto replaced the note on the fridge and exited the kitchen, his dry eyes now burning with the need to cry but with no tears left to use. He unbuttoned his shirt as he walked through the quiet home he had shared for ten years.
In the back of his mind, he heard an insistent 'BEEP', almost like a tick that refused to leave. It had began to happen shortly after that happened but he had learned to ignore it for the best part, at least, he ignored it until his mind wandered and thought back on the day that changed his life. When he was thinking of that day, the beeping noise seemed to be louder as if it wanted him to think of that horrid day. It didn't make any sense to him as to why he had suddenly picked up this noise in his head and it seemed like none of his friends knew either because he never saw them. Since that day, he saw none of his friends or his fathers, yet, he could hear them occasionally. It was like they were there in the room with him but he could neither see or feel them. It was almost like they were ghosts. Every time he tried to phone them, just to hear their voices so he could verify that he wasn't as alone in the world as he seemed, but every time they answered, they all seemed to say the same things, '"Wake up Naruto."', '"We miss you around."', '"Can you hear us?"'. Why would they say things like that when it was obvious he could hear them? And he was obviously awake or he wouldn't have phoned them in the first place, right? They missed him? If anything, he missed them. He hated feeling alone and without his lover and friends, he felt more alone than he ever had in his 32 years of being alive.
He sighed heavily as he finally got to the bathroom, his sense of smell picking up the lingering scent of his lover, it wasn't much, but to Naruto, it was enough to comfort him somewhat. He stripped and stepped into the chilled room, a shiver racking his body as the cold air embraced him like his lover. He quickly turned on the shower and waited impatiently for it to heat up before standing under the warm spray. He stood with his back to the shower head so that the water could caress his tired muscles and help him sleep...hopefully. With sluggish movements, Naruto washed his body with his lover's body wash and his hair with his own shampoo. As soon as he was finished, he wrapped himself up in his orange towel and went into his bedroom. He dressed himself in the large clothes of his lover, breathing in the smell that remained with the clothes despite his lover's smell being overpowered by his own. Tiredly, he went back into the kitchen and packed away the groceries he'd bought before he made himself a hot drink and sat on the couch – it was a comfortable black leather, three-seater couch, one that his lover had insisted they got when they had first moved into the apartment ten years ago. Naruto curled up on the couch with his orange and blue fleece throw as he stared at nothing.
He finished his drink within a few minutes, welcoming the hot liquid as it warmed his insides. Naruto moved his gaze from the blue wall in front of him to a picture that was framed and hung up on the wall directly opposite the couch. His own eyes locked onto an identical pair to his, except those ones were alive with happiness, then his eyes connected with the dark orbs of his lover. His handsome lover was holding him like he always had and Naruto wished he could go back to the day of that picture, back when he was happy and loved. Again his eyes burned with the need to cry but he simply had no tears left. He let his eyes slip shut for a moment but it was then that his body decided to tell him just how exhausted he was. Before he slipped into a deep sleep, he whispered the name of his lover.
'Sasuke.'
XXX
A pink-haired doctor sighed as she looked over the notes in her hand. Her emerald green eyes slipped from the paper to the comatose man in the bed in front of her. He had been unconscious from the moment he had left surgery when he was admitted to Konoha General Hospital days ago. It was a tragedy really. She wasn't on duty when he had been admitted but she had heard there was another person in the car with him but he was dead by the time the paramedics had cut them both from the wreckage. Sakura took a deep breath to try to calm herself down as she took note of the monitors surrounding the sleeping man. It was hard dealing with someone in a coma.
She turned to walk back out the room when she heard the steady beeping noise of the heart monitor grow faster until it was bordering erratic, just as she had spun round to look for the cause of the sudden relapse, the heart monitor gave a long consistent screech signalling the heart had stopped. Immediately, she rushed to the man's side and pressed the panic button as she began to administer CPR. Seconds later, nurses and the head doctor of ICU flooded into the room, the busty blond woman instantly took control of the situation while other nurses retrained the man's friends and family from entering.
It was always upsetting when Sakura had to watch patient's loved ones beg and breakdown out in the hall as they watched their loved ones fit or even die. She never knew what to say to someone especially considering it was always her who spoke to the family members, however, this time it was worse, this time she knew the patient.
XXX
Naruto looked over at his boyfriend and smiled. The radio in the car let soft music drift through the silence that had descended onto the passengers of the car. Sasuke kept one hand on the steering wheel while his other hand held one of the blond's on his thigh. They were going to a restaurant for the first time in months as Sasuke had only just come back from a world tour with his band and he also had to celebrate getting the Konoha No.1 spot in the charts. He was now number one in Japan and America and was number two in the UK. It was a good day for them both as Naruto had also just opened up a chain of shops around the world to do with his father's business of classical music stores. Both of them had a lot to celebrate. Most of all though, they were happy just finally being together after so long without each other, even if Sasuke wasn't one to show emotions round other people.
'Next up is the latest single from Sasuke Uchiha who just recently got the number 1 in the charts. Here it is, Comatose.'
The Radio DJ introduced making the dark haired man blink. He didn't know that this radio station played his music. Just as his own voice echoed back at him through the song, Naruto laughed at his expression and leaned over placing a chaste kiss on his cheek just as they reached a traffic light. Sasuke stopped the car and waited for the light to turn green. He gave the blond a small smile in return and leaned over to kiss him soundly on the lips.
"Love you teme." Naruto muttered against their lips before the taller man moved away.
"Hn." The blond rolled his eyes at the lack of communication but couldn't stop the smile that lit up his face. The light turned green and just as Sasuke pulled out onto the road, Naruto's eyes widened before he screamed,
"SASUKE!"
XXX
Naruto woke up with a start. His eyes wide with fear and his breathing laboured from his vivid dream. No. It wasn't just a dream. It was a memory. A memory of the day that changed his life. He gripped his hair and pulled painfully while he tried to stop the screams that threatened to escape his mouth. Tears he thought had dried up ran down his face, creating tracks over his whiskered cheeks. He clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to block out the waves of pain and loneliness that washed over him again and again like the unforgiving tide during a storm. To block out the vivid images that plagued his mind, Naruto rocked his body back and forth on the edge of the couch while his body shivered. His body stayed in that position for a few minutes that seemed to stretch to hours. He sighed in relief as he finally managed to rebuild the mental walls in his mind that allowed him to go about his day with seeing that day every where he went.
He uncurled his fingers from his hair, wincing as the tender strands sprang back up to their original position. He unclenched his jaw and opened his eyes. He immediately saw the picture he had been staring at hours before he fell asleep and again a wave of sadness went through him. He ran a shaking hand through his hair and stood up. He needed to eat, that was the whole point in buying groceries, but at the thought of eating, Naruto's stomach turned and he let out a groan. He walked over to the kitchen anyway and set about making something simple and easy on his stomach. Unable to stand the silence any longer Naruto turned on the radio and switched it to his favourite radio station, letting the music distract him from the reason of the heavy silence and the constant beeping.
XXX
Sakura fought back tears as she stared at the unmoving figure on the white bed. It had to be the hundredth time the man had relapsed and nearly died since he was admitted. It was almost too much for her to bear. He didn't deserve this, no one did but him especially. Life wasn't fair. She pushed a lock of pink hair back behind her ear as she took in the man's statistics, making sure they stayed regular and that he wasn't about to have another relapse.
"I-is he going to be okay?" Sakura looked beside her and saw one of the strongest people she knew, silently breaking down at the thought of losing the man in front of them.
"I don't know. There doesn't seem to be a reason for him to go into cardiac arrest so many times in such a small amount of time. There's nothing we can do until he wakes up but keep him alive. I'm s-sorry...we...I've tried...but..." She was instantly taken into a strong embrace as she fought with her tears, she had to stay professional on this, she couldn't let her feelings get in the way, that's just not what a doctor does. The tall brunette rocked her gently and cooed at her as he tried his hardest to calm her down as well as himself, his dark eyes staring unblinkingly at the man he considered his son. The other occupants in the room all held similar expressions, their hope and faith were dying. They were beginning to feel like they had lost and they were going to lose the brightest thing in their lives. They were going to lose the person who's heart was bigger than himself. They were going to lose the sunshine in their life, the light that helped them when they were lost in the dark, the loudest joker that made them all crack a smile at his stupidity, the only person they knew who could knock down any emotional, mental or physical walls that each and every one of them built to protect them from the outside world, even if they were 100ft tall and steel re-enforced. The unconscious man probably didn't even know how much of an impact he had had on their lives. And now he was going to leave them all to fend for themselves in the dark, unforgiving place known as life. He was going to leave them all.
Sakura looked over at the group of friends and felt so useless. There was nothing she could do. It was up to the man in the bed on when and if he wanted to wake up. They couldn't force him to wake up because they never forced him to sleep in the first place. She had never felt so useless in all her life. How can she be a doctor for her patient and not be able to do anything to help him? How can she be expected to distance herself from this particular patient as such a crucial time? It was impossible. She would never be able to do it. She shook her head and stepped away from the older man. She gave them all a small smile when they sent questioning looks at her as she made to walk out the room. She got down the hallway towards the nurses station but she stopped and cocked her head slightly, listening to the words that filtered from the station that was barely a few metres away. Although the sound was barely loud enough to be heard in the silent hallway, Sakura heard the words clearly. It was on a specific radio station. This may be her last chance to do something, to possibly help.
Moving quickly, scaring the nurse at the station with her sudden movements, she hurriedly took the small portable radio, asking the nurse for permission but not hanging around to wait for the answer and rushed back to the room she had just left. She turned the radio up loud enough for the room to be filled with sound but not high enough to aggravate other patients. Normally, electrical devices weren't allowed to be used in the same room as patients as it may mess with the equipment, but at the moment, Sakura was willing to gamble if it meant she could make a difference to her comatose friend. Just as she entered the room, the song began.
If you wait for me
Then I'll come for you
Although I've travelled far
I always hold a place for you in my heart
If you think of me
If you miss me once in a while
Then I'll return to you
I'll return and fill that space in your heart
Sakura watched the rise and fall of the chest of the man on the bed, waiting to see his reaction to the song.
Remembering
Your touch
Your kiss
Your warm embrace
I'll find my way back to you
If you'll be waiting
Naruto stared at the radio in shock as he listened to the song. Sasuke had written this for him? When? Why? He loved it when his lover sang but he never thought he'd meant that much to him that he'd actually write a song for him.
If you dream of me
Like I dream of you
In a place that's warm and dark
In a place where I can feel the beating of your heart
To say he had been shocked when the DJ had introduced the song and said it was dedicated to the lover of Sasuke Uchiha would have been an understatement. It was surreal, listening to his lover's deep voice sing a love song to him, for him. It felt as if his lover was in the room with him, it made his heart break and mend itself repeatedly.
Remembering
Your touch
Your kiss
Your warm embrace
I'll find my way back to you
If you'll be waiting
He really wished his lover was here with him now so he could say how much he loved him, how much he missed him. Tears he thought had disappeared cascaded down his cheeks, sliding off his chin and hitting the counter as he listened to the soft song.
I've longed for you
And I have desired
To see your face, your smile
To be with you, wherever you are
He choked back a sob as the song continued. How could his lover not tell him about this song? He was always the first to hear Sasuke's songs. Always. But he had never heard this one before. Why couldn't Sasuke be with him now that he was hearing it?
Remembering
Your touch
Your kiss
Your warm embrace
I'll find my way back to you
If you'll be waiting
Naruto was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice someone enter the apartment until they stood behind him, wrapping their arms round his waist. He jumped at the intrusion, opening his mouth to shout at the intruder but he froze as the smell he had known for so long, loved for so long invaded his senses.
"No. This can't be real. It's a dream. A horrible horrible dream." he shook his head as tears leaked out of his eyes.
"Naru-chan." That same voice, the same one he loved to hear whispered into his ear. If this truly was a dream then it was nasty dream. Closing his eyes, he turned in the embrace but it wasn't until he felt the all too real fingers guide his face up that he finally opened his eyes and gasped.
"Sasuke." He mouthed but no sound came out. He threw his hands round the taller man's neck and buried his face into the pale neck. He let himself breath in the man he loved so much.
Together again
It would feel so good to be
In your arms
Where all my journeys end
"Naruto." At the sound of his name, the blond looked up and saw a small smile on the pale lips. He leaned up and pressed his lips against those that he missed. His heart repaired itself as Sasuke deepened the kiss for a moment before pulling away, resting their foreheads together.
If you can make a promise
If it's one that you can keep
I vow to come for you
If you wait for me
"Love you Sasuke." Naruto whispered, a smile stretching across his face as he stared at his lover.
"Love you too Naruto." Sasuke replied with his own small smile as he tightened his arms round the blond's waist.
And say you'll hold
A place for me
In your heart
Sakura watched in shock as the heart monitor repeated the same high pitched screech as before. She dropped the radio and ran to the man's bedside. Why was this happening again? She pressed the panic button again as she tried to resuscitate the man but his heart remained still.
"Dammit Naruto! You can not leave us!" she all but screamed just as the same nurses as before rushed into the room to help her. Tears leaked from her eyes making her vision blurry but that didn't stop her from trying. She compressed the blond man's chest then let another nurse push air into his lungs yet he still remained silent. Just as Tsunade appeared, Sakura prepared to shock the blond man and yet, he remained still. The blond woman took over as Sakura nearly broke down. After a few more shocks, Tsunade turned sad eyes on the pinkette and called the time of death.
In your heart
A place for me
In your heart
The small group that were in the room stared on in shock as they watched their blond friend die in front of them. All the small fragments of hope that they held on to tightly vanished the moment Sakura stepped away. Their sunshine was gone. Their happiness was gone. Naruto was gone.
A place for me
In your heart
Sakura sobbed as the nurses sent sympathetic and pitying looks her way but she saw none of it. She only saw her best friend lying on a white table. She only felt the cold claws of despair latch into her at the thought of both her best friends leaving her. She could only hope that they had each other again.
A place for me
In your heart
XXX
Please Review! I'd like to know your reactions to this =3