Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of its associated characters!
Summary: COMPLETE. Sometimes, noticing your true feelings takes time. Sometimes it takes a jutsu to the face. SNS, Canonverse, Oneshot.
A/N: I have a master's thesis to finish by the end of the month. Naturally, I'm writing fanfiction instead. Save me?
Oh, and this is canonverse - but just with Sasuke coming back to Konoha shortly after Orochimaru. A bit of simplified canon :)
Unnoticed
Naruto's eyes sprung open—he sucked in a breath, flinging himself forward. Where had he—what was he—
Sasuke.
The jutsu had been just about to hit him when Naruto had begun to move—he hadn't even stopped to think, he had no idea if he had made it in time—
He spun around, eyes wide—
He sagged in relief. Thank god. Sasuke was okay—just kneeling right behind him, leaning over his body…
His…body…
"He isn't waking," Sasuke's hand moved along Naruto's neck—his unconscious body's neck, "he's alive, but—"
"Something isn't right with his chakra." Sakura barely touched the body before shaking her head. "Feel it. We should—we need to get him back to Konoha—to the hospital—"
"Guys?" Naruto waved a hand. "I'm—I'm right here—"
Sasuke stood, Naruto's body sagging in his arms.
"Hey, teme!" Naruto stood, reaching out to grab at Sasuke—
His hand passed through him.
Naruto froze.
"What the fuck," he breathed, staring at his wrist—he couldn't see his fucking hand, it was just gone, embedded in Sasuke's body, "what the fuck—what the—"
"Let's go."
Sasuke began to run and Naruto felt himself lurch—as if an invisible force pulled him forward—he had no choice to run alongside them—
He stared down at himself—watching his feet move. He passed through the grass—the trees—harmlessly—he couldn't feel his feet hit the ground, he couldn't feel the wind as he ran—
Was he even running? Did it even count as that?
It was—
It was as if he was a ghost.
A ghost—floating alongside his real body, unnoticed by everyone, unable to feel anything—
He swallowed, looking back ahead.
It was too early to panic, now—and baa-chan would definitely know what to do. She would.
She had to.
"He's not in any danger—for now, at least. Kurama's chakra is still present, and that will keep his body alive, but…"
Tsunade frowned.
"It's as if his chakra doesn't exist," Sakura finished for her, quietly.
Sasuke crossed his arms, leaning against the wall at the foot of Naruto's bed. Naruto glanced at him, eyebrows furrowed.
"But—Kurama—in theory, its chakra is keeping Naruto alive. If that was the case, his body should be showing the usual physical changes associated with it—but it isn't."
"You're right." Sakura frowned, moving her hands to look at Naruto's hands—scanning his face—pulling his eyes open—they stared up, unseeing—that was so fucking freaky—
"Which makes me think his physical energy is still intact."
"So his spiritual energy isn't?" Sakura leaned back.
Tsunade looked back down at Naruto's body.
"It's only a guess, but—"
"It's better than nothing," Sasuke interrupted. "Would the energy be broken? Lost? Still in the area in which we fought?"
"Right here?" Naruto muttered at him, moving forwards. If his body was missing the energy—then maybe…
Tsunade let out a breath.
"It's possible—I'll have to look into it—"
Naruto crouched over his body, recoiling at the way he just…slipped through himself…
"I'll go." Sasuke lifted himself up off the wall. Naruto's head snapped up.
"No—asshole, don't leave—!" He scrambled off the bed—or out of it, anyways—
"There's no point." Sakura stopped him, shaking her head. "We have no way of sensing spiritual energy. Even if it was there—"
"I'm going." Sasuke's voice brooked no argument.
"Sas—" Sakura started—Naruto tried to grab at him, but he just kept walking, completely unfazed—
"There's nothing there, you stupid bastard," Naruto's blow passed through Sasuke's shoulders, "I'm right he—argh!"
As if something grabbed him—twisting right in his chest—Naruto felt himself be yanked backwards, away from Sasuke—
"Shit," he breathed, staring at Sasuke's back.
He tried to move forward again—he couldn't even make it through the door. He had come in that way—what the hell?
"Let him go," Tsunade said. "There's always a chance—no matter how slim."
Sakura sighed, staring down at his body.
There was a pause.
"What do we do now, Tsunade-shisho…?"
Tsunade stood.
"We start studying."
And then they were gone—walking right through Naruto—leaving him with nothing but his own lifeless body to keep him company.
Well, shit.
"I'm here." Ino seemed out of breath—and a little frazzled.
"Thanks, Ino." Sakura, who didn't look much better off, swept her hair out of her eyes. "Can you—"
"I'm on it."
She moved swiftly to the bedside—Naruto following her—before pressing her fingers against his temples.
He grimaced—it hadn't done anything before, but he could try again…
He moved over his own body—it was still so unnerving, looking down at his motionless figure—rolling over and closing his eyes. Maybe if he focused on like…merging his energies? He didn't even know how to start, but he could try…
Ino sighed.
"I'm not getting anything."
Naruto started rolling around, swimming on the spot.
"Is this helping?"
Ino moved her hands away.
Naruto let out a frustrated breath.
"I figured," Sakura said quietly, "but—thank you—"
"Don't thank me." Ino flicked her hair back. "Don't thank me until I do something to help. Is Sasuke back yet?"
"No, not yet." Sakura sighed.
"…Do you think he'll find anything?"
Sakura looked away, softly shaking her head. Naruto felt his body get a little heavier.
"Hm," Ino stood, placing her hand on the bedpost, "that explains why he's been gone for so long."
Naruto frowned. Had it been that long? He couldn't tell…all the days—and the nights—were starting to blur together. It wasn't as if he could sleep or anything to separate them properly…
Sakura only sighed again.
"Relax, Sakura," Ino moved forwards—towards her, "he'll pull through. He always does."
Sakura nodded, but Naruto could see the way the corners of her mouth were starting to quiver—Naruto felt the guilt flood through him—
"I know—I just—"
"Hey," Ino was at her side in an instant, "none of that. Sakura—"
"No—Ino," Sakura bit her lip, blinking furiously, "you don't—"
She paused, swallowing.
"Naruto took that hit for Sasuke. And now—Naruto's…"
She gestured to the bed.
"Kurama is keeping Naruto alive, but—if Naruto hadn't—if Sasuke—"
Naruto's eyes grew wide.
"You think Sasuke would have died," Ino finished quietly.
Sakura gave a short, shaky nod. Naruto stumbled backwards, grasping behind him—there was nothing to hold onto—nothing he could hold onto—
"He didn't, though," Ino pointed out quietly.
"But—"
"And it's not as if Naruto lost his chakra—he's not dead. Hokage-sama explained it to me, too; I think Naruto's body would be alive with or without the nine tails. Which means that Sasuke would have been, too."
Sakura swallowed.
"You don't know that."
"No," Ino admitted, "but you don't know either."
Naruto closed his eyes. Sasuke…
"Ino," Sakura's voice cracked a little, "when am I going to stop being so useless?"
Naruto's eyes snapped open—just in time to see Ino round on Sakura.
"Sakura, you—"
"Listen to me," Sakura met Ino's eyes with a gaze just as fierce, "I can do nothing here. Nothing. And if that jutsu had hit Sasuke—"
"Our own Hokage can't do anything! This isn't—"
"It's not just this! Naruto took the hit for Sasuke—Sasuke killed the missing-nin when Naruto went down—I did nothing! As always! I'm still—"
"What the fuck, Sakura-chan," Naruto yelled over her, "that's not true—you know that's not—"
Ino clapped a hand over Sakura's mouth with such force that she stumbled back. Naruto's voice stilled in his throat.
"You listen to me," she hissed. "I understand that you're worried and stressed about Naruto—I get that—but if I ever—ever—hear you say something like that about yourself again, I will break your fucking nose. You did nothing? Really? Naruto's alive, Sakura! Sasuke is too! How many times have they damn near killed themselves? How many times have you brought them back?"
Sakura swallowed, eyes wide. Ino took a step back, removing her hand so she could cross her arms.
"I—" Sakura started, but nothing followed. Naruto stared between them, the feeling that he was intruding on something very private growing stronger with each passing second.
"You?" Ino prompted.
Sakura's mouth closed, and she turned away, shaking her head as she wiped at her eyes.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I'm just—a mess right now—"
"I know." Ino slung an arm around her shoulders. "When was the last time you ate?"
Sakura blinked.
"Um…"
"Yeah—we're getting food. Come on."
"But—"
"No buts. Let's go."
"…Okay."
Naruto frowned at his body as they left.
"This is your fault," he told it.
It didn't reply.
Naruto's head sprung up as the door opened. The hospital was closed and Sakura had gone to bed long ago—there was no reason for anyone to be here this late—
Oh. Sasuke was back.
"Hey, teme," he greeted, as if Sasuke would hear him. The Uchiha still wore his travel cloak—his hair was greasy and Naruto could see the dirt on his hands…he must have come straight here.
Sasuke stood in the doorway, watching Naruto's body for a moment.
"You should probably go shower," Naruto said, watching him. He could get awfully close to Sasuke right now—and his emotions were always the easiest to find in his eyes, but…it kind of felt like cheating.
Sasuke—finally—took a step forwards—and then another, as if his feet were being pulled down by some invisible force…maybe it was the same force that was keeping Naruto trapped in this stupid room—
"I didn't find anything," Sasuke said quietly. "I…thought you should know."
Naruto looked down at his feet. He had kind of gotten used to the half-stuck-in-the-floor look—and the guilt that seared through him every damn time someone spoke.
"This is your fault," Sasuke continued, his voice getting steely.
"My fault!" Naruto's head snapped up. "I saved your ass, bastard!"
"If you hadn't—I had—"
Sasuke cut himself off, swallowing—the look on his face stilled the words in Naruto's throat.
He sagged, in place, as if a weight pulled him down by the chest—Naruto saw his shoulders drop—
"…This was my fault." Sasuke's voice was barely a whisper.
Naruto's eyes went wide.
"I was—distracted," Sasuke's head snapped up, his mouth set in a firm line, "it was your fault I was distracted—you—usuratonkachi—"
But there was no anger in his voice—and he cut himself off in a harsh hiss of breath. Naruto was familiar enough with the sound to know what Sasuke's pain sounded like.
"Sasuke…" Naruto let out a breath, feeling something sharp start to twist in his chest—why was it that he could feel this when all other sensations were gone—
Sasuke's mouth opened and closed, and then he seemed to shake himself—spinning around and striding out of the room.
Naruto watched him go, sighing.
He was getting real fucking sick of the view of Sasuke walking away from him.
"Sasuke has that copy," Sakura said, "but I've taken notes on it already."
"And?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
Sakura shook her head. Tsunade only nodded, her eyes flickering to Naruto's body.
Naruto crossed his legs, pretending to sit on the bed—in between Tsunade and Sakura, as if he was part of the conversation. There wasn't much else he could do right now.
"Is Sasuke on his way?" Sakura looked up at Tsunade.
She shook her head.
"He said he would let us know if he found anything, but that he preferred to work on his own."
Sakura frowned.
Naruto distinctly saw Tsunade pause.
"Does that upset you?"
"No, I—"
Tsunade gave her a look. Naruto smiled a little—he could recognize her "stop bullshitting" look anywhere.
Sakura sagged a little.
"I just—he hasn't come to see Naruto. Not once, since we brought him."
Naruto frowned—that wasn't true at all. Sasuke had been here every night since he had come back, although he never really said anything. Not since…
"Can you blame him?"
Sakura scowled.
"Well—yes, I—"
"It's his fault Naruto's in this condition—"
Naruto straightened, eyebrows furrowing. "Hey—no, that's not fair, baa-chan—"
"—and the guilt must be bad enough without having to physically face the results of his actions. Or lack thereof."
"That's—really harsh." Naruto shook his head, staring at her. "That's not—I don't thi—"
"I guess that's true," Sakura said quietly.
"No, it's not! Argh!" Naruto threw himself back onto the bed. This was so frustrating!
"Let's compare notes on the next one," Tsunade changed the topic, "I thought one of the passages showed some promise—"
Naruto tuned them out, looking at the doorway.
He hoped Sasuke would come back tonight.
"Teme!" Naruto smiled as Sasuke finally—finally—came to visit. He had been starting to think he wasn't gonna come tonight. It was so much better than when he had to sit, alone, through the whole night—he got so bored…
That said, Sasuke didn't really do much to entertain him. He was nice to stare at, though—and the fact that Sasuke wouldn't catch him in the act was a big plus.
He did miss having Sasuke's eyes focused on him, though.
Sasuke moved to stand beside the bed, and Naruto automatically sat up on his knees to brush some hair out of his eyes. His hand passed right through—as usual.
It was weird. He kept forgetting that he wasn't…really here.
"Sakura-chan's mad at you for not visiting," he told him. "You should tell her. And stop breaking in unofficially, asshole."
He grinned.
Sasuke's face didn't change.
Naruto's grin slowly fell off his face, and he sighed.
"It's weird that I can talk and stuff," Naruto stared down at his hand, "and I can like…feel myself breathe."
He blew out air at Sasuke to prove his point. Sasuke didn't move.
"It's not like I'm see-through, either," he held out his hand in front of him, "'cept when I do this…"
He poked Sasuke in the nose—and then giggled.
"Hey—hey, teme," he wiggled it around, "I'm picking your nose!"
His laugh echoed around the room, as if reminding him how hollow it really was. He let out a sigh, sagging back down. There was only so much he could do to distract himself.
"…I miss you," he said quietly, scanning the Uchiha's face. Sasuke really was such a pretty boy—even with this stupid sad look on his face, he really…
Naruto looked away. This felt a bit creepy—to be staring at Sasuke like this, without him knowing. He was sure Sasuke would have decked him to the ground if he got this close in person.
Then again, that meant he probably wouldn't get this chance again…
"Hey, Sasuke," he started, staring at the wall. "Remember when you came back? To Konoha?"
He turned back to Sasuke.
"I woke up before you did," he told him, smiling a little, "in the hospital. I thought I dreamed the whole thing up until I rolled over and saw you in the next bed over."
He had never been so fucking happy in his life. He felt giddy at the mere thought of it.
"And then Sakura-chan made me scared you'd leave again, once you woke up," he laughed a little, "but you didn't. You stayed."
Naruto swallowed, reaching out for Sasuke's hand and watching his own pass through it.
"I haven't gotten to thank you for that, yet. So stop looking so sad," he crossed his arms, "I still have shit to do."
He'd be back.
Soon.
Naruto sighed. He'd been standing here for forever—and all baa-chan was doing to entertain him was flipping pages. He had tried reading over her shoulder, but she read so much faster than he did—
Not to mention Sasuke hadn't come to visit him in like a week. Was it a week? He didn't know…it was really hard to keep track of time…
The door opened.
"Hey Sakura-chan," he mumbled at her. He could see the flash of pink from behind the towering stack of documents—
"Sasuke-san reported back," Tsunade said as Sakura entered the room—Naruto immediately sat up straighter. "Kazekage-sama has given us access to Suna's library. Sasuke-san has been searching the techniques for several days, now."
"Gaara's the best," Naruto sighed happily. He took a moment to miss Gaara properly—it was a nice change from constantly missing Sasuke…Sasuke, who was with Gaara, doing everything he could to find a way to get Naruto back to normal…
…Damn it. Now he just missed both of them.
"And?" Sakura let out a breath as she set everything down.
"Nothing yet, but there's no harm in trying," Tsunade said—Naruto nodded along with her, "but at any rate—now that you're here to monitor him, I'll take my leave."
"Alright."
Naruto frowned. Sakura looked so pale…
He looked away, wishing he could lean on something. He missed being able to stuff his face in a pillow, or wrap himself up in blankets, or—
Oh, shit—his plants!
He groaned—they were totally all going to die, now. Maybe Iruka-sensei would remember them…had anyone bothered grabbing his keys? He had no way of knowing…they had taken his clothes out of the room when they put his body in the hospital gown, and Naruto had no idea what had happened to them since.
His keys were probably still in his pocket.
Ugh.
"O-oh, Sakura—"
"Hinata!" Sakura stood, smiling—it was the first smile he'd seen from her in a while.
"I—ah," Hinata's eyes flickered to the ground for a moment, "I was just coming to check on Naruto-kun."
Sakura's eyes softened a little.
"I'll leave you two alone then." She stood, smiling kindly. "Let me know when you're done."
"T-thank you," Hinata responded quietly.
Naruto watched her, stifling the urge to sigh. He could feel it—this was gonna be another one of those really intense, private moments he wasn't actually supposed to be here for…
The door closed, and Hinata moved up to his bedside. Naruto stayed, leaning against the wall—or, pretending to, anyways—
"Hi, Naruto-kun," she said softly.
"Hi, Hinata-chan," he didn't bother with a smile.
"I'm sorry I haven't come sooner."
"That's okay. Don't feel bad."
"I," she sighed, "I keep expecting to hear that you're awake…but it's been a month and a half…"
Naruto looked up. It had been that long? He hadn't…
"Naruto-kun," Hinata's voice broke his thoughts, "please wake up soon. I have things I need to say to you."
Naruto stared at her.
"I need to tell you that I love you."
"I—wh—"
She loved him? How did she—what did she—
"You barely even talk to me!"
Love—that was—he had never—
"I—" she cut herself off, shaking her head, "I just need to tell you, Naruto-kun—even if you don't return my feelings."
Return her feelings? He—he didn't even—could he—
"So please wake up soon."
And she was gone—blissfully oblivious to the whirlwind of thoughts she had left Naruto in.
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled as Sasuke entered the room—in the darkness, once again. "Thank god you're home!"
Sasuke gently closed the door behind him.
"It's been so weird, Sasuke! Everybody is so sad and I think Sakura-chan's still mad at you and Hinata-chan said that she—"
He swallowed his words as Sasuke began to move forward—Naruto automatically moved alongside him.
"Like that's not—that can't be true, right? Why would she—lo—"
He stumbled over the word again.
"Fuck," he heaved out a breath, "I'm—this is gonna be so bad."
He laughed—it cracked right in the middle. Sasuke just stood, staring down at the body in the bed.
"I'm so bad with this stuff, y'know?" He laughed again—this one even thicker than the last. "I don't know anything about it. How am I supposed to tell if I can return someone's feelings?"
Sasuke didn't reply. Naruto stared at him, swallowing.
"People talk about it so—weird," he sighed, "like it's this—big whole thing," he gestured with his hands, "this huge thing that you'll know when you feel it, but…"
He stepped back, into the bed, so he could stare at Sasuke's face properly.
"Come on, pretty boy," he muttered. "Enough people have confessed to you before. You gotta have somethin'…"
He had never expected someone to confess to him, though. The only people that he was that close to were Sasuke and Sakura—and the ship with Sakura had definitely sailed.
He laughed a little.
"But I guess the people that confessed to you weren't really people who knew you…those were never…it wasn't—"
It wasn't love.
Love was supposed to be that thing that was all-encompassing—a person somewhere that…made you feel whole. That you would do anything—go anywhere—for.
Someone you would die for.
Naruto swallowed, staring at Sasuke's face.
He opened his mouth to test the words—
"I love you."
There was no stutter—no block from him saying the word. The words flowed freely, effortlessly, undeniably—
"Oh, fuck," he threw himself backwards, away from Sasuke, "motherfucking shit! Fuck—fuck, fuck—argh!"
He turned—his hand slapping into the invisible barrier again—he didn't feel the pain, but he felt himself be thrown backwards—
He landed back, beside Sasuke.
"Shit," he put his head in his hands, "I'm so fucking stupid—oh my god, I'm so—"
He opened his eyes, glaring at Sasuke. So he cared—deeply—about Sasuke. Maybe he loved him—okay, probably, definitely, yes, but—
That didn't mean he—that he was attracted to him or anything—Sasuke was just—he was just a good looking guy. A pretty boy—everybody knew that. Right? So he had admired Sasuke's face a little—surely other people did that. Surely—because Sasuke was just…an attractive guy. A guy that Naruto found attractive. A guy that—
"Fuck," he groaned—wishing desperately he had the physical form to slap at something—anything—even himself—or, at least, put his face in his hands—
But there was nothing he could do to shield himself from the sight of Sasuke—now. Sasuke who still stood, silently staring down at his body—and Naruto still had that stupid urge to brush his bangs back so he could see his eyes—
"Oh my god—" How could he feel the attraction when he couldn't even feel fatigue? This stupid jutsu made no sense.
Once he had his body back—then he could—actually figure stuff out. That would help. Maybe. Hopefully.
And then he would have to decide what to tell Hinata.
Shit.
And Sasuke.
Shit.
"Good morning, Naruto," Sakura greeted quietly.
"Hi, Sakura-chan!" Naruto spun around, arms wide. "Guess what I found out last night!"
She didn't reply. Naruto spun around again.
"I'm a fucking idiot!"
She sat down, sighing quietly.
"Punch me in the face, Sakura-chan! I deserve it!" He laughed—it cracked halfway through.
He stopped spinning, stumbling to the side a little.
"I—fuck," he sighed, "Sasuke's gonna kick my ass."
He stared at the floor for a second.
"I'm gonna kick my own ass. Ugh!"
He groaned, throwing himself backwards. He wished he could roll around the ground properly—or punch something, or spar—fuck, he missed sparring…with Sasuke…
"Fuck!"
He threw himself back onto his feet, starting to pace around.
Okay—well, really, when he thought about it, it wasn't that surprising. Sasuke had...they had always had that bond between them—the connection that had only seemed to grow stronger with time, no matter how far away Sasuke had been or how hard he tried to break it—the way Sasuke was important to him on a level that no one else ever came close to—
That really did sound like love, didn't it?
He was surprised Sakura hadn't confronted him about it.
He paused, squinting at her.
"Do you know?" He glared at her, as if it would make her spill all of her secrets. "You know—don't you? I bet you've known all along."
He straightened.
"I bet Kakashi-sensei has known all along—that fucker."
Kakashi's visits had been much like Sasuke's—silent and sad. He hadn't been in that much though. Sasuke had been in more than anyone else—other than Sakura, at any rate.
He suddenly really, really hoped they wouldn't find a fix for this for at least a few more days. He could—just—come to terms with this a little more…
In his current state, Naruto wasn't sure if he'd even be able to meet Sasuke's eye.
Then again, he really missed Sasuke looking at him…
"Oh my god," he groaned, "I'm so lame…"
Naruto's head sprung up as the door opened. He didn't even have a heart right now, but he swore he could feel it pounding—
Sasuke looked even more tired than usual, as he moved to Naruto's bedside. Maybe he just hadn't noticed before, or maybe it was just the light, but he was even paler than Sakura—and his eyes…they almost looked…
"Wake up, usuratonkachi."
His voice was quiet—but it shook with emotion. Naruto stared at him, uneasy.
"I mean it, Naruto," Sasuke leaned down, shoving his body, "enough. Wake up."
"I'm trying!" Naruto couldn't help but respond. "Damn it, teme—"
Naruto's voice cut off as Sasuke fell to his knees—clutching at Naruto's hand as he buried his face in his forearms.
Naruto watched, eyes wide, as Sasuke's shoulders began to shake.
"N-no," he moved closer, waving his arms, "Sasuke—Sasuke, I'm here! I'm—"
He reached out, trying to grab Sasuke's shoulder—his arm—anything—his hand only passed through his body. Damn it all—
"Sasuke!" He couldn't cry, he knew, but he could feel the sting in his eyes building all the same. "Sasuke—listen—you stupid bastard—"
He fell forwards—crying out in frustration when his torso just phased through Sasuke too—fuck this, he was so sick of this—
He stood back up—kicking at Sasuke, the bed, his body—he grabbed at the covers, crawling up onto the mattress so he could get a better angle at his stupid fucking body—his fist passed straight through his nose—straight through his head—Naruto screamed in frustration—
He froze.
He could feel…something? It was familiar—what—
Sasuke's head rose, eyes wide and red-rimmed, staring down at the hand he was holding.
Naruto sucked in a breath.
Sasuke's chakra.
He could feel Sasuke's chakra.
"Sasuke—can you—"
Sasuke bolted out of the room.
Fuck.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but there's just no way—"
"It was his chakra! I felt it!" Sasuke was nearly yelling—and Naruto was right there with him.
"He felt it! I felt it too! Listen to him! Listen!"
"His condition hasn't changed—his chakra is still unbalanced. It's late, Sasuke, are you sure—"
Sakura's gaze turned to Sasuke.
Sasuke's nostrils flared, his eyes wide with anger—
"I didn't imagine it."
"Of course he didn't!" Naruto yelled.
"Sasuke," Sakura said quietly.
"I didn't!"
"There's no other explanation!" Sakura's voice started to rise, and she bit her lip, looking away. "Listen—Sasuke, I want to believe you. I really, really do. But I—I can't."
Sasuke's hands curled into fists.
"Fine," he ground out.
Naruto stared at him in horror.
"No—teme—don't give up like that! Don't—"
"Let me know if his condition—"
"No—fuck you, Sasuke!" Naruto tried to block his path—Sasuke body moved through him—
"—changes."
"I will."
"No! Sasuke! Sakura! Somebody!"
But Sakura was turning away, and Sasuke was leaving—
Naruto launched himself at Sasuke's back—crying out as he flew right through him—right into that stupid invisible barrier—
"Don't leave," he called after Sasuke's back, "don't leave—Sasuke—please—"
The pain filled his chest and he doubled over, clutching at it—as if there was anything to clutch—he could feel his eyes burn and yet he knew he couldn't cry—
Sasuke couldn't give up on him—he couldn't—
Sasuke—
"Sasuke!" Naruto sprung to his feet as Sasuke quietly—stealthily—entered the room. It had been three nights, but he came back—fuck—he came back—Naruto felt the relief flood through him as if it was his own blood—
Sasuke was still just as slow—just as hesitant—to move up to Naruto's side. His hand paused over Naruto's, as if he was afraid to touch him.
"Just—Sasuke—try it," Naruto waited—fist in his own face, staring at Sasuke, "just—"
Sasuke knelt down, fingers softly grasping Naruto's hand.
And there it was again.
Naruto let out a breathy, wet laugh. Sasuke's chakra—god it felt so good—so good to be able to feel something again—and Sasuke was so familiar—he felt like home—
Sasuke was staring down at his hand, eyes wide.
Naruto swallowed.
He wondered if—if he could—
Slowly, he turned his body, keeping a hand embedded in himself—he leaned down until his shoulders were aligned, stretching his arm out—if he could—if he could just channel something—anything—through his hand, into Sasuke's—
Sharing chakra with Sasuke was like second nature.
He could do this.
He closed his eyes, focusing on Sasuke—reaching out to Sasuke, through his hand—he could feel Sasuke's chakra—he could almost feel Sasuke's touch—
In fact, he could.
His fingers twitched against Sasuke's hand—
And once again, Sasuke ran.
"Sasuke—alright, I've asked Hinata to come, but—"
She let out a frustrated, sad sigh. Naruto crossed his arms.
"You give up too easily," he muttered at her face, jerking a thumb back at Sasuke, "this asshole never gave up on me."
Sasuke didn't reply—he only moved to Naruto's side. Naruto quickly floated over, laying over his body. He would prove it to them—he had to prove Sasuke right.
He had to.
"I'm here." Hinata sounded out of breath—and she looked more nervous than usual.
Naruto couldn't really blame her.
"Activate your byakugan," Sasuke said quietly, kneeling. Naruto laid back, making sure his arm aligned with his body's as Sasuke reached for his hand.
Hinata sucked in a breath, stumbling backwards.
"Yes—it's there—I see it—his chakra is moving towards Sasuke-kun—!"
"Wh—" Sakura spun towards them, eyes wide, "Sasuke—stay there. Don't move. We're going to run—we're going to do everything again—don't move—!"
She sprinted out of the room.
Naruto smiled.
"Way to go, teme."
There were like a million people around, now—it was all Naruto could do to focus on Sasuke—
"I'll go around," he heard Ino say—his eyes flickered open for a moment before he closed them again, it was easier to focus—
"I think we have a grip on it now." Sakura's voice sounded strange. "Sasuke, you can try—"
Sasuke's touch began to leave his hand—his chakra grew fainter—oh hell no—
"No, no—no—Sasuke—" He lashed out, grabbing at Sasuke—shit, he had pulled his arm out of where it was supposed to be—
"No, move back," Tsunade's voice was stern, but calm, "that proves it—Sasuke is grounding him. He needs to stay. In fact, Ino—"
Sasuke gripped Naruto's hand again and Naruto felt himself relax into it—he closed his eyes, getting lost in the feeling of Sasuke's touch…Sasuke's chakra…
"…open the…wider," Tsunade's voice filtered through his mind, "if—Sasuke…spiritual energy...his mind…where you come in, Ino—"
He could almost hear Sasuke's voice, calling to him—getting louder, echoing all around him—and his chakra, growing stronger—
"Sasuke?" His eyes wouldn't open, now—he didn't know if he was speaking out loud, or in his mind—
"Usuratonkachi," the word burned through him—he didn't know if it was Sasuke's voice or his chakra that was lighting him aflame—but he was so—so hot—
All at once, the heat burst, and Naruto's senses were flooded—overwhelmed with worry—a wild, uncontrollable, mind-numbing worry—mixed only with guilt—ah—and despair—it was awful—ah—it hurt—Naruto gasped for air—
And then, it changed.
Relief—unlike any he had ever felt—engulfed him, and then—oh—happiness—
Naruto's eyes sprung open.
The light stung his eyes—it burned them—and he could hear voices and shouts all around him, but he was still—he could still feel Sasuke so clearly—the emotions flooded through him—he could feel it—he could feel him—he could—
"Teme," his throat felt dry and scratchy after not being used for so long, but—fuck, it felt so good to have those eyes back on him—
And then Sasuke was suddenly gone—the connection disappeared—those eyes flickered away from him and Sasuke pulled back—he hadn't realized how close they had been until he just that moment—and then there was another moment where he saw everyone—everyone, with wide eyes, mouths moving, staring down at him, and then—
Naruto's world went dark.
It was the same overwhelming brightness—the same sting on his eyes—that Naruto awoke to. He sucked in a breath, blinking rapidly—
"Naruto!" He heard a shout—and then a shuffle—he grinned as Sakura came into view—
"Sakura-chan," his voice came out hoarse—his throat felt dry, and his mouth tasted awful—
"Have some water." Sakura passed him a glass—Naruto blinked a couple more times as his eyes finally adjusted enough for him to see—
"Thanks," he whispered—he felt so…weird. He could feel his breath again—feel as his chest expanded when he sucked in air—and he could feel the air, too, rushing in…he could feel the blankets—they felt so heavy, now...and the glass felt cool in his hand—the water soothed the burning in his throat—he could feel his stomach start to churn—
"How long was I out?"
Sakura gave him a soft smile—eyes looking suspiciously bright.
"Almost two months. You—"
"Oh—not that. I knew that part—how long was I out after I woke up?"
Sakura blinked at him, eyebrows furrowed.
"…A week." She took the empty glass back from him. "What do you mean you knew?"
"I mean I was here." He pushed himself up, looking around the room properly. "I've been here the whole time."
She stared at him.
"I mean—I was like—like a ghost," he pressed his fingers together, smiling as they didn't phase through each other—smiling as he could feel the pressure—feel the warmth of his own skin, "I couldn't feel anything. Well—no," he frowned, thinking, "I guess I could feel—like—emotions and stuff. But I couldn't…step on the ground or feel the bed or anything…I couldn't leave the room, either. It was weird."
"Oh," Sakura leaned back, some sort of realization dawning in her eyes, "your spiritual energy…"
"Was here, I think, yeah," Naruto finished for her, shuffling further up the bed. Now that he could leave, he felt like he was itching to get out of this room. "Sorry I didn't figure out I could reach Sasuke sooner."
"N-no, don't—we should have tried—I should have tried—"
She shook her head, biting her lip as she cut herself off.
"For what it's worth," Naruto looked down at his hands, feeling a bit nervous, "I think it only worked with Sasuke. I was kinda like…there—like touching my body when other people were there, but…I only felt it with him. Maybe I wasn't paying attention enough with other people, I dunno."
He felt the blood rush up to his face as he spoke—it was weird, being able to feel this…warm again. He couldn't even manage to hold onto the embarrassment properly—even as he saw the flicker of Sakura's smile out of the corner of his eye—
"Well, it's not like you two aren't compatible."
Naruto's head snapped up.
"Your chakras, I mean," Sakura smiled—but there was amusement in her eyes and Naruto stared at her, suddenly knowing—knowing—without a doubt, that Sakura knew—she knew—
"You know," he breathed. "Fucking hell, Sakura, why didn't you tell me?!"
"I—wha—"
"Why didn't you tell me that I—that I—" He swallowed the words, suddenly realizing just how loud his voice was—how far it could carry—
She laughed a little.
"I'm not going to tell you how you feel," she sat down on the bed, nudging his leg over, "it took you long enough to figure it out, though."
"Shit," he breathed out, "yeah—I—it wasn't even me—"
Ah, fuck—he had to—
"I have to talk to Hinata-chan." He frowned at his hands. "Ugh…can't I go back to sleep for a couple more days?"
"Don't joke about it, Naruto," Sakura immediately snapped. "It was awful. You have no idea—"
"I do, though," he interrupted her softly. "I was here, remember?"
The anger seemed to drain out of her.
Naruto smiled a little.
"C'mere," he spread his arms out—knowing that the tearful hug was coming—he could feel the sting in his own eyes, too—
"You—stupid—"
Naruto gave a soft, wet laugh.
"Missed you too," he squeezed her tighter, "and…y'know—you know you're not useless, right?"
Sakura pulled back—her face a bright red.
"You—ah—heard that…?"
He grinned at her.
"I'm supposed to be the idiot, Sakura-chan."
"Ino already yelled at me," she laughed a little, wiping at her eyes, "I've learned my lesson."
"I know. I was yelling, too," he leaned back, laughing with her, "but I guess, to be fair, I was yelling most of the time at you guys. 'specially at Sasuke."
She snorted softly, shaking her head.
"Where—um—where is he…?" Some small part of him had—somehow—expected Sasuke to be here, when he woke—
"We kicked him out." She gave him a wane smile. "I think he was trying to wait for you to wake up, but he was acting…well, he was going to collapse if he was here any longer, and we have enough hospital beds occupied without him adding to it. We sent him home to rest."
Naruto nodded. It made sense—it wasn't as if Sasuke had exactly been sleeping, standing here, watching over Naruto's body…
"I should—" Naruto started, already getting out of the bed—
"What you are going to do," she shoved him back down, "is stay here for a final check up, get something to eat, shower and brush your teeth."
"But—I—"
"And if you try to leave, I will send Tsunade-shisho to drag you back," she stood, giving him a look, "as violently as possible. Is that understood?"
He let out a sigh, unable to fight the smile completely—
"Yes, ma'am."
Naruto breathed in, running a hand through his hair as he finally stepped out of the hospital. It was still wet, but at least it was relatively back to normal now. It had been so greasy and clumped, before—it reminded him of the first time Sasuke had returned, still half covered in mud—
He let out a breath.
Okay—first, Sasuke. Then he could deal with everyone else and see if his plants had survived the wait—but considering Sasuke had wanted to be there when he woke—
"N-Naruto-kun!"
Naruto jerked back into reality, eyes wide.
"Oh—ah, Hinata-chan—hi—um, hi, hello." He gave her the brightest grin he could, as if he wasn't anticipating a million different ways to get out of this conversation—he wasn't ready for this yet—he wasn't ready for this yet—
"I'm glad to see you're awake." She gave him a kind smile.
"Y-yeah," he grinned a little, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm sorry for worrying everyone."
There was a pause.
"Ah—"
"Um—"
"Sorry, you go first," Naruto said quickly, ducking his head.
There was another pause—Naruto watched, warily, as Hinata seemed to draw herself up, as if the air would give her the confidence she needed—Naruto felt his own confidence crawl further away from him—
"Naruto-kun," Hinata's voice was steady, "do you have a moment to talk?"
Well, shit.
"I—" he started, "I—do—but, ah," he stuck his hands in his pockets, trying to stop himself from fidgeting more, "Hinata-chan, you should know—that I could hear you."
He swallowed nervously as her eyes widened.
"I was…kinda—there. Kinda. I," he shifted awkwardly, "and I—I'm sorry, but—"
"I understand, Naruto-kun," Hinata stopped him, "but—please—give me a moment. I've held this inside myself for a long time—let me tell you properly, at least."
Her lips quivered—he could see them shake, right in the corners—but her voice didn't waver. Naruto, on the other hand—
"O-okay."
—felt somewhere between collapsing and running. Definitely not his bravest moment, but, to be fair, he still hadn't eaten yet—
"Naruto-kun," she started, sucking in a breath, "I've watched you from afar for a very long time. I've always admired you. You've always been so…determined. So ready to face reality—so ready to fight against it. I—admired that very much. There was so much I saw in you that I wanted to see in myself," she paused, fiddling with her fingers, "but I didn't have that…courage that you did. That you do. I should have talked to you—I know. Watching you from afar didn't do you any good. But I...didn't believe I had anything to say worth hearing. Perhaps I still don't."
She gave a soft laugh, turning back to him. It wasn't a happy sound—
"I know my feelings aren't returned. I know that. My words are useless to your ears, but they mean a lot to me—so thank you for hearing them out."
Naruto blinked—once, and then again—he didn't even know where to begin to respond, other than—
"They're not useless."
"…P-pardon?"
"Your words—they—" Naruto swallowed, "helped me. A lot. They helped me figure something out—that I, um—something that I should have known a long time ago, I think."
Something flickered in Hinata's eyes—something that made them grow softer.
"Do you love someone, Naruto-kun?"
Oh.
Naruto swallowed.
"I—I do." His voice came out much stronger than he felt.
"Then you should tell him." Hinata smiled kindly. "Your words might help him, too."
And then she turned, walking past him into the hospital—leaving Naruto standing still, his mind desperately trying to pick an emotion to focus on—a thought to focus on—
"Wait—him?!"
Naruto barely saw anything in front of him on his walk home. This was—fuck. Hinata had obviously known. She had known right away—and hell, Sakura had probably known for ages, and at this rate, Sasuke was going to know the second he looked at him—hell, maybe Sasuke already knew—
Naruto stopped in his tracks.
Oh, shit. What if Sasuke already knew?
He could—he could read Naruto better than anyone. Better than anyone—and if Sakura had known—if Hinata had known—
"...Shit," he whispered to himself, forcing himself to keep moving. Change of plans—he needed to go home, first. He needed to stop, and think and figure all this out—and then maybe, by the time he actually came face to face with Sasuke, his head would be fucking screwed on straight again—
He stopped, standing in front of his door.
He didn't have his keys.
Naruto let out a breath, giving the ceiling a pained, angry look.
"Well, aren't I a fucking genius," he muttered, trying the doorknob just in case—
Nope, it was locked. And his plants were definitely dead.
Fantastic.
He sighed, twisting on his heel—
The door burst open.
"...Sasuke?" Naruto blinked. Why was Sasuke here? In his apartment? Looking—well, his red and puffy eyes were likely due to him just waking up, but they also looked an awful lot like the memory of Sasuke, shaking, collapsed at his bedside and Naruto couldn't quite manage to get that thought out of his head—
His arms were around Sasuke before he even had another thought.
It was something between exhilaration and relief—some mix of exhaustion and desperate, desperate affection—that had Naruto clutching at Sasuke as if it was the day he had come back to Konoha. Finally—finally—he was back, Sasuke was here, Sasuke could see him and feel him and he was finally back—
Sasuke's arms wrapped around him.
"Sasuke—"
"You are an idiot."
He breathed out a soft, shuddering laugh.
"I know." Sasuke had been so worried—Naruto could barely breathe just remembering the despair he had felt in Sasuke's heart—
"You are an idiot." Sasuke's grip tightened with the hiss of his words—
"I know. I know." Sasuke had been hurting, and scared, and something close to desperate—and the apology was on the tip of Naruto's tongue but it would be a lie, because Naruto knew, in his heart, if there was ever a hit meant for Sasuke that he could take then nothing in the world would stop him from taking it—
And he knew why, now.
Naruto sucked in a breath.
"Sasuke," he started, feeling as if his heart might burst out of his chest any second now, "I—I have to tell you something."
He didn't move away. He didn't want to look at Sasuke—didn't want to pull back to see his face, because Naruto was sure he would lose his nerve—
But instead of tensing, Sasuke's body relaxed.
"...Figured it out, have you?"
Naruto froze.
"What?" The word escaped his mouth as Sasuke pulled back, but it was barely a second before he pressed forward again—
Oh.
Oh.
Sasuke's lips were soft—softer than Naruto had expected—and gentle—and—not hesitant, but new—experimental, as if just testing the waters—
Sasuke pulled back, and Naruto's eyes fluttered open.
He swallowed.
So that's what that felt like.
"I love you."
So that's what this felt like.
"I love you," he said again—he looked up, suddenly overwhelmed with the need to tell him, to make him know, "Sasuke, I—"
Sasuke grabbed him and pulled him back—Naruto stumbled through the doorway as their lips met again—he wrapped his arms around Sasuke—
The door slammed shut behind them.
A/N: So, uh, this fic was originally supposed to be posted for Halloween. Of last year. And I actually had it "done" in time, except I was so unhappy with it that I scrapped the whole thing and rewrote it all instead. I hope the wait was worth it? Let me know!
'Til next time,
- Kinomi