This was supposed to be out Christmas, but I couldn't reach a computer in time. Instead, I give you this a day later, to keep the spirit of Christmas alive. Have a wonderful holiday everyone.

Steady Monotony

Even before the fire Sasuke's life was just a steady monotony. But on Christmas eve he is graced with the presence of the one person who just might be able to break the spell. Is it too good to be true?

A steady beep, metallic and constant. A steady breath, ever present- the vision of life. Steady brown eyes watching an equally steady white wall.

All of this blended into a calming rhythm that would calm any babe into a restful sleep, but the room's only occupant was no brainless child.

Quite the contrary. Sasuke Uchiha, age nineteen, gazed at the wall with nothing short of intense contempt. Finding the wall unresponsive, he turned his head and let his eyes squeeze shut. He brought a bandaged hand to his head with a low groan. He let his hand slide up into his hair, ruffling his bangs, showing how tired and worn of his surroundings he was.

Sasuke had been in the hospital for the past few weeks, recovering from a rather nasty house fire. He'd gotten second-degree burns all up his legs and arms from where he'd been crawling beneath the smoke to escape.

He couldn't walk, and had been given the choice to recover at the hospital or at a relative's, since his home was partly burnt down. Because he had no living relatives left, save his brothers, he had chosen to stay at the hospital. Goodness knows how much he loathed his sibling.

Needless to say, he now regretted his choice. He could not decide which was worse- the lonely monotony of his home, or the slowly-drive-you-insane monotony of the hospital. Not to say the hospital wasn't a lonesome place too- but there were nurses that came in regularly to bother him.

Speak of the devil. "Hello Mr. Uchiha. It's eight o' clock: time to change your bandages!" The overly-perky, in-your-face you-know-you-love-me Sakura Haruno: his personal nurse.

Sasuke often found himself wondering how many gods he had angered in the past. When Nurse Sakura gave him an expectant look he glanced away; he didn't find it crucial to reply to the pink-haired nurse.

Nurse Sakura kept up a firm one-sided conversation as she worked, with Sasuke's only replies being suppressed winces of pain.

When she had finished, she gave him a once-over, whether to check for any mistakes or just to check, Sasuke didn't know. She looked up with a sweet smile. "Have a nice Christmas eve, Mr. Uchiha."

Sasuke blinked, puzzled as she left. "Christmas eve?" he echoed to the empty room.

'Just something to put salt in your wounds, Sasuke.' He mocked himself. 'Tomorrow's Christmas, and you know what? The only visitors will be drooling doctors and nurses.'

When Sasuke awoke, it was to a new roommate. Crammed into the small hospital room was another bed, machines cramped right up next to it. The occupant appeared to be sleeping peacefully, and Sasuke wished he could get up to have a better look. All he could see of his new roommate from the marshmallow-ish forms of their pillows was a few golden spikes of hair. He could tell, as his eyes flowed down, that his roommate was male and on the rather short side. His feet didn't even touch the end of the bed.

Sasuke turned his gaze to the one thing that broke the true trend of monotony in his life- the window. The outside world was a massive blanket of light blue graced only with fluffed clouds that looked like they had been whipped up by the gods. How many hours he had been asleep he couldn't tell, for a clock had not graced his room.

He turned a curious eye on the blond again, but found no new developments had occurred.

'You'd be more interesting if you would move.' Sasuke thought as he turned his head to look at the unremarkable ceiling. 'Hell, you'd be more interesting if you snored.'

An obnoxiously loud snore resounded throughout the hospital room, and Sasuke felt his eye twitch.

'Maybe not…'

The next time Sasuke awoke, it was to a cold finger poking his cheek. With an irate insult on his lips he opened his eyes to yell at Nurse Sakura, but the curse died on his lips when he saw who it really was.

Two big baby blue eyes gazed down at him, reminding him of a curious deer. Golden spikes obscured the blue, making for a just-got-out-of-bed image, and Sasuke finally realized who it was.

The blond raised a tan hand. "Hi! I'm your new roommate, Naruto Uzumaki." The bright grin on his face could've outshone the sun. Naruto's head tilted, and Sasuke now found he looked like a curious puppy rather than a deer. "What's your name?"

Sasuke had to swallow several times before he could reply. "Sasuke."

Naruto moved around Sasuke's bed and began fiddling with one of the various tubes stuck in his body. "Hey!" Sasuke yelped. Later he would deny ever making such an undignified sound. Naruto instantly dropped the tube to look at his blushing roommate.

Instead of acting discomfited like he should have, he smiled. "Got a last name?"

Sasuke would reprimand himself later for hesitating. "…Uchiha." He hated the gasp of recognition and empathy he undoubtedly would receive when he revealed his surname; it always happened.

He was indefinitely surprised when he only got a blank nod. Unmindful of Sasuke's disbelieving look, Naruto ran a fingertip along his arm. Sasuke scowled and moved the appendage away. At Naruto's puzzled look, he growled, "Do you have no respect for anyone's personal space?"

Sasuke had to wonder if Naruto's was doing it to annoy him, or simply because he was stupid when Naruto nodded vigorously in response. Sasuke just sighed.

"House fire?" Naruto asked after a moment.

Sasuke blinked. "Yeah." he muttered. 'Lucky guess.' he thought.

Naruto nodded in understanding. A sudden grin etched across his face and he pointed to the door leading out of the room. "I was in a big fire. It was in the Haltone building downtown. The doctors said I was lucky to only get burns on my back- that's why I'm rooming with you. A lot of people got carted here after and they're short of room."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as Naruto shrugged his long arms out of his blue hospital gown and scrunched it down to reveal a chest covered with bandages wound around his torso. Naruto's wince turned into a full-blown proud grin and he pointed a thumb at himself. "I got blown out of a window!"

Incredulity morphed Sasuke's face. 'Just my luck… My roommate just has to be an idiot. Who in their right mind would think getting thrown through a window was cool?'

Naruto's grin faded just a bit, but he forced it back on and raised both hands. For the first time Sasuke noticed that Naruto's left hand and arm just past the elbow was encased in white bandages. His right had long, red and brown scabs all over it, right up to the elbow. A black and purple mark was on the underside of his elbow from where he had apparently taken out the tube in it. Naruto hitched up the gown over his shoulders again and elaborated. "I was running to grab the fire extinguisher, but there was some kind of chemical leak and… BOOM!" Naruto jumped with his hands spread out.

Sasuke nearly let a laugh burst from his throat when Naruto landed with a loud yowl of pain. Apparently that burst of energy had not been good for his burns. The blond hobbled back to sit on the edge of his own bed, curses falling from his mouth like water from a cliff.

It was several minutes before Naruto found enough control to finish his story. "I go flying through the window and I go at least… Ten feet, land on my arm." He raised his right arm for examination once more. "Tore a hell of a lot of skin off. The thing helped me avoid the glass."

Sasuke felt that Naruto was unnaturally fond of his right arm.

When Naruto stared at him, obviously expecting him to form a response, Sasuke repressed the urge to roll his eyes and intoned, "Cool."

Naruto nodded vigorously, not noticing the dry sarcasm of Sasuke's tone. "I know! It's the most fun I've ever had." Here he nodded, as if to assure himself.

Sasuke was a little disturbed that the most fun Naruto had ever had was a near-death experience. The emotions must have relayed a little into his facial expression, for Naruto laughed. "Oh come on, Sasuke! I mean, it's like… When you bungee jump: at the time you're terrified, but at the end you're like, 'Woo! Let's go again!'"

When Sasuke turned his head and closed his eyes in response, Naruto glared. "Hey! Don't fall asleep on me! This place is boring enough without someone to talk to! Hey!" When Sasuke didn't deign it important enough to move, Naruto got off of his bed with annoyingly minimal difficulty and went to his side.

When Naruto began to poke his cheek again, a thought occurred to him and he turned his head so suddenly he had to flinch to avoid receiving Naruto's finger in his eye.

Naruto stepped back and observed Sasuke's puzzled expression. "What?"

"Why are your hands so cold?" Sasuke reached a bandaged hand up, and Naruto stepped away. Sasuke took hold of Naruto's hospital gown and yanked the blond toward him. This time Naruto held still when he touched two long fingertips to a scarred cheek. "Why are you so cold?" he murmured.

Naruto felt his other cheek as Sasuke let his hand fall away. His tan face adopted a puzzled frown identical to Sasuke's as his fingers ghosted absentmindedly over the whisker scars. "Hmmm… I dunno." He shrugged with a bright smile that, to Sasuke, made him seem rather blank.

Sasuke knew the only time he had spoken this much was when he had been a child. "And… What's with the scars?"

Naruto's hands went up to distractedly rub at the scars once again, and his face gained a strangely dazed look- almost like a woman would look after her wedding night.

"I don't know." He repeated. He seemed to be lost in a dream as he said it.

"Do you know anything?" Sasuke's agitation had gotten the best of him, and he realized it a second too late.

Naruto immediately snapped out of the strange trance and went on the defensive. He directed a severe glare at his roommate. "Are you implying that I'm stupid?"

Sasuke simply smirked, letting the expression reap what he had sown. Naruto's glare intensified before he turned on his heel and marched to his bed to lie down. He turned away from Sasuke, flashing firm buttocks before the bed sheets were pulled over his shoulders.

Sasuke glanced out the window at the sky. The sun had barely graced the tops of the tallest trees. His eyes swept over Naruto's form again, noting the obvious sulky mood. Several minutes passed, and neither made a move.

'Stubborn, are we? I can play that game too.' And with that, Sasuke settled down for a long wait.

Almost forty-five minutes later Sasuke's mind was in turmoil. He felt like Naruto had disappeared and he was back to being the sole occupant of the hospital room of steady, monotonous beeping and breathing and staring. He found himself glancing at Naruto every now and then just to reassure himself it hadn't all been a dream. His stubbornness was warring with his sense of acute aloneness.

He never would've though it possible, but within the hour or so that Naruto had invaded his hospital room he had grown to like him. Goodness forbid he grow attached to the dumb blond!

But what could he do? He couldn't remember ever apologizing in his life- regardless, though; did he really want to apologize? When Naruto's wounds were healed, he'd simply walk right out of his life without a backwards wave. What did it matter?

Something surfaced in his mind and took shape- a shape that eventually morphed into a broad, black-haired, kind-faced man: his father. His father bent down to look into the big eyes of a young child, a child that had adopted the same face- Sasuke himself. "Sasuke…" Little Sasuke turned his wandering attention on his father. "Let me tell you something… Don't let the happy moments pass you by just to contemplate the bad things." Little Sasuke looked up at the man with unconcealed admiration as the image faded to black dismalness.

The older version of the youngest Uchiha glanced at Naruto from under his bangs, eyes hooded. The blond certainly had been a welcome distraction from the life he currently led.

"Naruto?" No response was forthcoming. Sasuke sighed. Obviously he was just continuing to be stubborn. He moved so he could sit up comfortably. "Naruto!"

A minute ticked by and Sasuke was growing steadily more irate. With a huff Sasuke snatched up a flower from the vase near his bed and threw it at the motionless blond.

"Sasuke?" Sasuke looked around so swiftly he feared whip-lash. Nurse Sakura stood at the door, green eyes bewildered. She abruptly shook her head, flushed. "Uh-uh… I mean, Mr. Uchiha." She smiled a bit unsteadily, as if she believed Sasuke would jump up and slap her. She cleared her throat. "Mr. Uchiha, what are you doing? Those flowers are from the nursing staff." The nurse began to cross the room to Naruto's side to pick up the sweet-smelling flower, but she froze when Sasuke spoke.

"You shut up."

Sakura turned to him, surprised. She turned away from Naruto's bed where the blond was smirking sleepily. She gave him a once-over reminiscent of the one she had performed that morning. Her eyes widened and she strode to his side and put a firm hand to his forehead. Sasuke's eyes were trained on his roommate as she assessed his temperature.

Sakura was frowning deeply when she drew her hand away. "You're running a high fever. We'll have to give you some medicine as well as a cold bath. We'll be monitoring you until you're better." She t'sked firmly and left in a hurry. Sasuke glowed after her.

Naruto was grinning almost insanely. "Oh dear, honey-bun, sponge bath!" Before Sasuke could reply, Naruto continued in a sugary sweet tone. "So… Were you going to apologize to me, or can I just go back to sleep?"

Sasuke suddenly felt awkward. How to start? What to say? Would Naruto believe him? Sasuke mentally slapped himself: he was an Uchiha! No hesitance- he could do anything.

But then did he really want to? He wanted to do this on his own terms, if at all, and he didn't want to do it because Naruto had told him to. Not because he feared the sentiment would be lost, but because he would feel like he was following Naruto's orders. Like he was some kind of dog.

When Naruto turned away with a disappointed expression, Sasuke's heart skipped. Did he really want to throw away the only chance at some sort of distraction- of companionship- for the chance to revel in the fact that he had come out on top? In his head it just sounded petty. A split-second later he opened his mouth. "Naruto!" Even to him it sounded desperate.

Naruto turned onto his other side, arms crossed, a coolly expectant stare donning his facial features. To Sasuke he looked like an angered wife.

"I-I'm…" Sasuke mentally cursed himself for sounding so uncertain. He licked his lips firmly and tried again. "Naruto… I'm sorry for… Implying that you were… stupid."

Naruto looked as if he was about to say something, but thought better of it and gave a small smile that made Sasuke feel like a child and yet better at the same time. "I'm sorry too, Sasuke." Naruto looked down at his lap, suddenly bashful. "I just… I can't remember things. It's weird. My memories jumble and I just… Don't know."

"Have you-" Sasuke was cut off when Nurse Sakura practically bowled through the door, cradling an assortment of things in her pale arms. She went to him with an almost excited energy to her step. "Alright, Mr. Uchiha, let's try to get that fever down."

She set the items in her arms down by the flowers and picked one of them up. She turned to prepare it, and scant seconds later she was holding an electric thermometer in his ear. A few more seconds and a beep later, she was once again frowning deeply. "Oh my… One o' four."

She turned away again and measured out a thick, brownish liquid in a small plastic cup. She handed it to him and with a restrained grimace he downed it in one gulp. Nurse Sakura snatched the cup away a split second later and let him drink from a cup of water she provided. She seemed thoroughly elated about something, and Sasuke dreaded learning what.

When Nurse Sakura started tugging at his hospital gown, Sasuke jerked away. "What are you doing!?" He demanded, a blush beginning to make it's red-hot way across his pale cheeks.

She gave him another of her infuriatingly steady looks. "I'm getting you ready for a cold sponge bath, Mr. Uchiha." Sasuke wondered how she could keep a straight face while saying that.

Sasuke saved himself at the last second from giving her a fearful look. Sakura paid him no more heed and removed the gown quickly and efficiently.

As Nurse Sakura set about cleaning him (with water Sasuke was convinced had been special ordered from Antarctica), Naruto howled his appreciation as he watched. Fortunately Sasuke's dignity was still partially intact, as Sakura had covered his more important bits with his sheet.

Sasuke's cheeks were burning with embarrassment by the time Nurse Sakura had finished. Naruto's laughter was reduced to sporadic giggles by then, and Sasuke was reduced to shivers.

The pink-haired nurse checked his temperature once more with another disapproving click of her tongue. She dressed him in the thin hospital garment again and put a wet rag on his forehead before taking her hasty leave.

Drowsiness overtook him, and as he fell into a listless sleep, a troubling thought occurred to him.

Why had Nurse Sakura not even looked at Naruto once?

"You know, that nurse girl is a real bitch."

Sasuke frowned and moved to roll over, but a stinging tug at the crook of his arm kept him in place with a dull warning. He opened his eyes and realized, with a flood of resignation, that he was in the hospital. He ran a finger along the crook of his arm, knowing better than to touch the needle embedded there. He felt a large wet spot on his pillow and assumed it was from the rag that was now lying next to the vase of flowers.

Like a truck being bowled over by a speeding train, he recognized that somebody had spoken to him. He turned his head to the source of the high-pitched voice and found smirking blue eyes looking right back.

"Don't ya think?" The blue eyes asked.

Naruto. Blue eyes is Naruto. "What?" He croaked. His head ached like no tomorrow.

Naruto graced him with a concerned look before clarifying. "That nurse that took care of you. She didn't even look at me- isn't that nice? Who wouldn't want to look at this handsome mug?" Naruto put a palm on the underside of his chin and gave Sasuke a sultry look- altogether it was a strange view, for he was lying down on his bed.

"You'd be surprised." Sasuke muttered.

Naruto gave him a strange look. "I don't know what to take that as." He confessed.

Sasuke let out a long, tired sigh. "Then don't take it."

Naruto flashed another concerned look his way. "You okay?"

"Of course I am." Sarcasm coated his tone like snow on a field.

"Lovely attitude, prick." Nevertheless, Naruto stood carefully and went to Sasuke's side, giving little gasps of pain on the way. Naruto's ice cold hand found its way to Sasuke's forehead. Normally the temperature of Naruto's hand would make Sasuke flinch, but it felt wonderful against his heated skin. He leaned into it just as Naruto pulled back.

"Jeez, man! You're burning up! Ya feel like I could roast marshmallows over you!" Naruto exclaimed. "Nurse!" he hollered, so loud Sasuke squeezed his hands over his small ears. "Yo, nurse!" After a moment he seemed to grow irritated and he pointed a finger at Sasuke and began to yell at the door as if a malicious nurse actually stood just outside, chuckling at their expense. "Hey, hey! Would'ja morons get in here!? Someone needs your help! Jeez!"

With no pink- or any other- haired nurse rushing through the doors, Naruto huffed, hands on his wide hips, looking much like an annoyed mother hen.

Sasuke let a rare amused smile pass over his lips. "I can use the call button, idiot."

Naruto whirled around with a hot glare. "Don't call me that!" He screeched, now shaking a finger at Sasuke.

Sasuke only gave him an annoyed look before pulling out a remote attached to a cord that led to the bed. He pressed the large red button in the middle.

In scant seconds, it seemed, Nurse Sakura ran through the white double doors, frantic eyes searching the raven-haired boy out immediately.

Naruto muttered a, "Weirdo," just as Sakura gasped out, "Sasuke! What's wrong?!"

Sasuke found it strange that Sakura didn't react to Naruto's insult, or even very presence. He was aggravated that these strange things danced mockingly before him, and yet he couldn't piece the puzzle together for a gratifying answer.

"I…" Sasuke wasn't given a chance to finish as Nurse Sakura was ignoring him to check him over. Her hand went to his forehead, but instead of leaning into it he flinched away. Her warm hand felt horrid compared to Naruto's cool one.

"Oh dear…" And Sakura ran out, t'sking again.

Naruto snorted. "Didn't sound very good, did it?"

Sasuke's eyes were trained on the swinging doors. "No."

Naruto leaned over as best he could, wincing. His face was mere inches from Sasuke's; baby blue's looking into deep browns. "Are you worried?" He asked with a shrewd grin.

Sasuke focused on Naruto's eyes, and glanced away just as quickly, frowning. "No I'm not."

Naruto smiled anyway. "Don't worry! I won't let you die or anything."

Sasuke tried to retort with a nasty remark, but Naruto's completely selfless, reassuring smile made him hesitate. He looked so sincere, Sasuke almost believed him. "Whatever." He muttered, averting his eyes once more.

Nurse Sakura swooped back in, holding the same items she had been mere hours ago. "Alright, let's see how hot you are." She paused for a giggle before sticking the electric thermometer in his left ear.

Sasuke grimaced and Naruto laughed his unique laugh from where he had resettled himself on his bed.

It beeped and Nurse Sakura looked at it, brushing pink strands of hair from her forehead at the same time. Her eyes widened and she set about pouring the medicine into a cup.

Though Sasuke wouldn't admit it, Sakura's reaction to the numbers on the thermometer had gotten him just a bit nervous. He snatched the plastic cup from Nurse Sakura before she could try to feed it to him herself. It tasted like rotten cherries mixed with the vilest liquid any person could find.

"That medicine is stronger." Nurse Sakura murmured distractedly as she started tugging the gown off of his thin frame. Sasuke resigned himself to another half hour of humiliation.

He had to wonder how he could be so unlucky as to have Naruto as a roommate. Naruto was finding it hard to breathe, he was laughing so hard.

Nurse Sakura helped Sasuke tug his hospital gown back on afterwards. With careful hands she unwrapped and re-wrapped his burns and placed a bitter cold rag upon his forehead. Sasuke found it almost as good as Naruto's palm.

Drowsiness was settling over him again, but he couldn't help but want to stay awake. Somehow he felt that something important was happening.

"Naruto?" He slurred.

Naruto looked at him from the depths of his pillow. "Yeah, Sasuke?"

"Will you promise me you'll… You'll not leave me 'lone?" To Sasuke's mind, at that moment, he felt that he wouldn't wake. That he'd go to sleep and not wake up. He hurt everywhere; if Naruto would at least stay with him, the one person whose company he liked, that would make everything seem less painful.

Naruto, using all of the bull-headedness he had, once again rose from his bed and crossed the room to his roommates' side. This time Naruto did not wince even once.

The darkness was closing in, all around Sasuke, and as his eyes shut to welcome sleep, all he saw was Naruto's soft smile and baby-blue eyes.

"Mr. Uchiha, how do you feel?"

Sasuke could only give a groan. His very bones ached. He opened his eyes, and his vision was filled with a bright pink haze. His eyes focused and he found it was a veil of pink hair. "Nurse Sakura…?" he whispered. His throat felt as if he had been yelling for hours.

The veil was swept away be a pale hand and Nurse Sakura smiled at him. "Yes, Mr. Uchiha. Now: how do you feel?"

Sasuke took a moment to assess himself. "…Better."

Nurse Sakura nodded. "Your fever broke during the night. You'll still be hurting a little, but that will pass." She grabbed a familiar plastic cup and held it to Sasuke's lips. Sasuke let her and drank the foul-tasting liquid.

When Sakura moved aside he immediately sought out his blond friend. All he found was an empty floor and window shining with new morning light.

"Sakura!" He yelled- and immediately regretted it, for it grated on his already raw throat. Sakura turned to him with a violent start. "Where's Naruto?" Where was his friend?

Sakura gave him a strange look. "Naruto?"

"Yes, Naruto." Sasuke countered her look with an incredulous one. Sakura only blinked at him. Sasuke suddenly grew infuriated. "Naruto! The stupid blond with the scars on his cheeks and the loud voice and the cold hands to match his blue eyes!"

Sakura's eyes rapidly grew sympathetic. "Oh. You were delirious." She tilted her head with a sad smile. "Don't worry; you're better now." She gathered the few items she had brought and made her way to the door. "I'll check on you later!" She called as the double doors swung shut behind her.

Sasuke glanced once more at the bare floor that, in his eyes, had previously held Naruto's bed.

He shook his head and looked away to resolutely stare at the white wall. The steady white wall.

It couldn't have all been fake. Naruto couldn't have been born out of delirium. He couldn't have made friends with an illusion- could he?

The last time he had seen Naruto came to his mind's eye. That smile filled his senses and he was filled with a bitter happiness. He glanced once more at the empty floor beside his bed and gave a small smile.

He had made friends with a dream. Just a beautiful, lonely dream.

The End.