Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Feelings
Sasuke walked down the streets of Kanoha towards Ichiraku's where he is to meet Naruto. It was the unwritten tradition of their fight with Haku. They had been closer since that day and they were to spend the day together. Sasuke frowned as he remembered that day. "Seeing Naruto lying on the ground, unconscious with needles sticking in him stirred something in me. I don't know, no, I know exactly why I stepped in front of the needles that Haku threw. I was protecting my precious person. The one I had hated for his annoying loud mouth attitude. The one that became my rival and somehow replaced the brotherly love I had for Itachi." He smiled. "My loud mouth little brother whom I love to tease but I won't tell him that. It makes me happy to see him smile because of our rivalry." He arrived at Ichiraku's and looked for Naruto but didn't see him. He waited for an hour then went to Naruto's house, thinking he slept in.
Naruto woke up and looked at his clock. "Crap I'm late!" Naruto rushed out of his bed, tripping in the tangled covers around his legs. "Of all days to be late! He'll yell at me for sure!" He shouted as he hurried into his cloths. This was the day that he and Sasuke take the time to spend the day together. This marked the day that they fought Haku and became closer. A tear rolled down his face as he thought about the feeling he felt as he held Sasuke in his arms. "Then and there I thought Haku took my precious person." He wiped the tear from his cheek and smiled. "But I felt happy to see that he was still alive. It was like I got back a member of my family. Not that I'd tell him that." He chuckled as he stepped out of his room. He didn't see the man as he threw a sack over his head and carried him, struggling out the door and into the woods.
Sasuke arrived to find Naruto's door open. "Hey dobe, You here?" No answer. He looked through the house but Naruto was nowhere to be seen. "Maybe the dobe left the door open in his rush to meet me at Ichiraku's." He thought as he closed the door. He arrived back at Ichiraku's but Naruto wasn't there. "I'll give him thirty minutes." He thought as he tapped his fingers on the counter.
The man looked down on a tied up blond haired boy with tears in his eyes. He slapped him hard across the face then grabbed his troat, squeezing as he lifted him up in the air. The man laughed as he struggled for breath. He slammed him against a tree. "Because of the hokage's rule demon, I can't get my revenge." He sneered. "I'm not allowed to touch you because of her liking for you. "I and the village lost loved ones because of you. Arashi-sama lost his life because of you." Tears burned from Naruto's eyes at the mention of Arashi, his father, the greatest hokage of all time. "Tears won't help you know filth! I'm leaving you here to die!" The man growled as he slammed him to the ground. He beat Naruto till he was satisfied he was a quivering mass of flesh. Naruto could hear the evil laughter of the man who beat him within an inch of his life. He curled up and cried himself to sleep.
Sasuke was looking for Naruto. He was angry. He waited at Ichiraku's and Naruto hadn't showed up. He searched the whole village with no sign of him. He shoved his hands deeper in his pockets as the wind picked up. He was about to go check his house again when he heard someone say that the demon was gone for good. He questioned the person and found that a man had taken Naruto into the woods and left him tied and beaten half to death. Sasuke rushed into the woods, hoping he's find Naruto still alive.
The wind whipped through the trees in a howling fury as Sasuke searched for Naruto's chakra. "Naruto! Where are you! Please answer me!" He called out. He was exceedingly worried. He jumped into a tree, scanning for Naruto's chakra. He felt it coming from his left. His heart dropped when he realized it was weak. "Oh kami, please let me make it in time." He prayed as he kicked his feet in full gear.
Naruto woke up in pain. He inhaled sharply with the pain in his gut and cursed as his stomach growled from hunger. He curled his body into a small ball as best he could, trying to gain some warmth. It was getting colder and the ropes wasn't helping his situation much. He wasn't feeling as sore as he was earlier because the Kyuubi was slowly healing the bouses and broken bones the man had inflicted on him. "No ones gonna find me. I won't die from the beating but from starvation. Sorry teme. You can fuss at me when you get to where ever I am." He thought as he silently cried himself to sleep.
Sasuke searched for the familiar orange jacket that Naruto always wear. He stopped in a tree when he heard a whimper catch his shonobi ears. He scanned the area. His eyes landed on the huddled body of his friend. "Naruto!." He shouted as he dropped down beside him. The tied up figure before him made his breath hitch. He cut the ropes away from Naruto and gently inspected him for broken bones. He felt the chakra flow through his fingers and knew that Kyuubi was healing him. He gently felt Naruto's bruised cheek. His skin felt cold. "S-Sasuke." Naruto whispered in his sleepy voice. "Shhhh Naruto, I'm here." Sasuke said as he took his shirt off and laid it on Naruto to warm him up then gently set him in a sitting position. "S-sorry for today. I-I wanted to be there." Naruto said as he winced from the pain in his muscles and chest. "Don't worry about it. We'll make up for it when you get better." Sasuke said as he did his best to lift Naruto without hurting him. Naruto started to struggle weakly. "L-leave me here and l-let me die! The v-village is better off w-without me!" He shouted as tears fell freely down his bruised cheeks. Sasuke tightened his hold on Naruto as tears began to fall from his eyes. "Why should I let you die here baka. I came out here looking for you." Naruto kept up his struggles. "W-why would you c-come out here f-for me! I-I'm nothing b-but a demon!" He shouted in between hiccups. Sasuke grit his teeth as he held on tighter. He glared at his struggling bundle and shouted. "Stop your struggling dobe! I swear, if I didn't consider you my brother, I'd leave you here!" Naruto stopped struggling and looked into the black eyes of his rival. He saw the same look that Iruka always gave him. That same look that made him feel wanted. "Really?" He asked. "Yeah dobe, now shut up and go to sleep so Kyuubi can heal you faster. Sasuke said with a smirk on his face. Naruto rested his head in the crock of Sasuke's neck. Sasuke felt him relax and whispered. "Me too teme, me too." Sasuke's smirk turned into a smile as he carried the one he called brother.
Tsunade sat in a bar as she sipped on a cup of sake. She went over the events of the past hour. Sasuke had carried a bruised and battered Naruto to her office. She was glade to see that Kyuubi had healed most of his injuries and that he was sleeping like a baby. She used her chakra to help in the healing. Sasuke told her that after he heard about Naruto, he searched and found him tied and beaten in the woods but he didn't find who done the deed. "How dare the dunce lay a hand on my brat." She thought as fire danced behind her eyes. She downed two more cups and set the money on the counter. She was heading towards the door when she heard a drunken voice say. "Yeah, took the demon out of his own house." She looked around for the voice. "He couldn't get out of the rope I tied him in." She walked through the crowd as she zeroed in on the voice. "Some demon he turned out to be, left him in a bloody pulp. I think I broke some of his ribs." She was getting close. "Yeah boys, you should thank me for getting rid of that demon." "Got him." She thought as her eyes landed on the source of the voice. Sitting in a chair was a burly man, chugging down a tankard of beer. She walked up to him as she cracked her knuckles. A wicked grin spread across her face when she saw the terror in his eyes.
In the Uchiha mansion, Sasuke was trying to get some sleep but a hyperactive blond won't let him. "Naruto, get some sleep. You still got bruises ya know." He said as he watched the blond jump on his bed. "Come on teme, lets have some fun." Naruto said with his foxy grin on his face. "No, I want to sleep." Sasuke said. "I know, I know. Lets play hide and seek." Naruto shouted. "You hide, I'll sleep." Sasuke said as he pulled the covers over his head. He felt Naruto get off of the bed. A few seconds later, the pillow was pulled from his head. Naru-aaaacccckkk." He was interrupted from his screaming when Naruto threw the pillow in his face. "What you do that for dobe! Can't you see I'm trying to get some sleep and might I add that you should be too!" He shouted as he glared at his friend. Naruto took a deep breath. "Just trying to make up time." He pouted. "Told you dobe, we'll spend all day together tomorrow." Sasuke said as he laid back on the bed. "Not talking about that teme." Naruto said. Sasuke arched and eye brow. "Then what are you talking about?" Naruto balanced on the balls of his heels as he said. "I'm talking about making up for the times I didn't have a brother Biiiigggg brother!" He then pulled the covers off of Sasuke and ran out the door. Sasuke ran after him. "You get back here Naruto!" He shouted as he searched for his chakra. "When I find you dobe, I'm gonna tickle you to death!" He shouted. "Don't call me dobe, teme!" Naruto shouted then squeaked when Sasuke pounced on him. "No fare, no fare, you cheated!" Naruto shouted between laughs. "As Big brother, it's my right to call you dobe, Little brother!" Sasuke smirked as he tickled Naruto.