"I hate the cold."
He was freezing. It felt as though his insides were churning with each futile attempt to keep his body moving and alive. With his numb arms wrapped around himself he trudged on, stumbling occasionally on hidden objects beneath the snow.
He plunged into the dark forest dreaming inside about warmth and blue skies.
NUMBING COLD-
Naruto dashed around him trying to snatch his briefcase from his hands. "Sasuke! What about that trip we had planned? Huh? The one we've been saving for ?"
Sasuke glared heatedly at him. Yes, that trip this weekend that he had specifically requested time off for and that had been guaranteed for him. He was always working, enough that the two of them rarely had time for themselves.
"I thought Itachi told you it would be fine if we went!" Naruto bellowed hoarsely, jerking on the metal case with little effort. He was too angry to cry.
Setting the case down on the floor, Sasuke pulled Naruto into a gentle hug, squeezing tightly as he began to struggle. "He needs my help Naruto. The meeting was scheduled without his knowing and both of us representatives have to be there to confirm the deal." He glanced down at the mop of blond hair. "You know that."
"Whatever," Naruto whispered.
Standing with a sigh, Sasuke opened the door and made to leave. He paused in the entryway.
"Life isn't always fair, Naruto." And then he left, leaving Naruto standing in the kitchen, staring at blurry images of his bare feet.
Sasuke cursed heavily when he looked down to his right and failed to see his briefcase with all of the files on the new deal contained within it. Of course he had to leave it back at the apartment with Naruto. The one thing he had never forgotten to take with him and he had to leave it behind.
"Knowing that idiot he'll probably be too busy shredding it to pieces," He muttered to himself.
He debated momentarily about continuing on to the city without it. His glare hardened. Itachi had shown trust in him by letting him keep hold of the files. He wouldn't be upstaged by his brother, as the asshole would be likely to have a backup copy already with him. He had heard the mocking, "foolish little brother" line too often in his life. He wouldn't be hearing it again.
Determined to prove his worth to Itachi, he turned in the midst of the bare highway. The blizzard of snow made his perfect vision waver for a mere second. And that moment was all it took.
A large deer jumped out blindly into the road and as Sasuke saw it highlighted eyes blare in front of his car, he swerved violently to avoid it. The vehicle crashed into the ditch and remained wedged between two pine trees.
Sasuke's eyes slowly closed as he felt warm trails trek down his temple.
He awoke sometime later to find that he couldn't feel his toes, or his fingers for that matter. His head was crunched into his window and small shards of glass were embedded into his temple.
Sasuke tried gingerly to move away from the open window and seated himself back into his driver seat, resting his head back on the headrest.
He knew it wouldn't work as he turned the ignition key and dully heard that rattling of a dead engine. The smashed front end of the car that was merged into a tree could have told him that. He cursed his bad luck (and stupidity) and hoped that his cell was still intact in his pocket.
Reaching inside his jacket he pulled out the device and sighed with relief when the on screen came on. The low battery indicator flashed red.
He had a feeling he knew what possessed him to think of calling Naruto.
Sasuke's fingers pressed the speed dial and he waited for the still outraged voice of Naruto to answer.
"Hello?"
Sasuke frowned at the watery voice and immediately felt the need to act as though nothing was wrong.
"Hello, idiot."
The tone immediately changed as fire flared in the voice and he heard Naruto hiss his name. "What do you want bastard?"
"I…" Sasuke hesitated in what to say. He didn't want Naruto to worry needlessly. "Naruto, in case anything happens…"
"Sasuke?" Naruto questioned uncertainly, his anger apparently forgotten.
Sasuke hardened his resolve, "If something happens, I want you to know that I love you. And we're still going on that trip."
Naruto laughed uneasily, "Sure."
A smile graced Sasuke's face at the reply. "Trust Naruto to chicken out," He thought and was just about to voice as much as the line cut off and his phone died.
Sasuke entered the store intent on picking up a couch according to the tastes of his apartment.
Naruto trailed grumpily after him as they passed through rows of furniture.
"What is it now?" Sasuke sighed.
"Why do you get to pick out everything when I'm living with you?" Naruto pouted as they stopped at a black leather couch. He kicked the leg when he saw Sasuke eye it.
"Exactly. You moved in with me Naruto. If it were the other way around, then you would be picking out something that you wanted," Sasuke explained. "Why would I want to be stuck with some hideous thing that reminds me of you once you leave?" He muttered to himself.
"Like I'd leave bastard. I think it would be the opposite," Naruto scoffed.
Sasuke hid a smile and agreed, "Fine Naruto. Pick something out."
Naruto grinned and chose a bright orange plush couch.
Irritated beyond belief he glared at his phone and couldn't believe that it would choose now to die. Why couldn't it have waited the extra minute it would have taken to call the police?
Despite the fact that he was the one who forgot to charge the battery.
He felt no remorse for calling Naruto first though.
And after two hours of waiting in the freezing car, his body moved on its own and he opened the door, exiting the car. The logic he knew telling him to wait in the car flew out of his bloodied head and his thoughts were consumed with ones of getting back to Naruto.
They were arguing again. Not the playful banter that held up most of their relationship, but a serious debate, with each hurting the other purposefully.
"You still can't say it?" Sasuke demanded.
Naruto lowered his head and shook it slowly. He climbed up the bed on his hands and knees, pressing himself against Sasuke. "Just because I can't say it, doesn't mean that I don't feel it," He whispered.
He saw the pained look Sasuke's face was overtook with when he couldn't reciprocate the words. It stabbed him like a hot knife each time.
Sasuke pushed Naruto away from him harshly. His long bangs hid his expression as he sneered, "You need to learn to be alone."
He didn't know how long he had been wandering in the snow. His tracks were easily covered by the blowing wind. So when he turned back around he couldn't distinguish which way he had come and the way he was supposed to be going in. Innately he had an excellent sense of direction. He guessed that his head wound had a hand in dealing with that problem.
Sasuke trudged forward and tripped over a snow covered log, falling stiffly into the snow.
He let out a surprised gurgle when his lips submerged in water and he realized that he had landed in a hidden pool of water, once frozen over with ice, and easily broken by his fall.
He groaned and pulled himself out, shivering harder as the blowing wind assaulted his wet front, ice chips forming on his clothes and hair. Wearily he stood and continued moving forward.
He was in a long tunnel that was dark and cold and it seemed as if he would never escape it. But he had to keep going.
All he knew was that Naruto was on the other side.
Naruto curled up on the couch that they had bought, Sasuke's briefcase tucked underneath him. It was sporting a few goods dents on the outside after he had hurled it into the wall once Sasuke left.
Tears fell down his face as he pulled the object that screamed "sasuke" closer to him.
Sasuke fell to the ground in exhaustion. He couldn't feel anything that he was moving. His body ached for warmth and he pleaded with his slowing thoughts to stay awake. Logically he knew that if he fell asleep he would die. But wouldn't that be nice? To be sitting on a beach watching Naruto building a sandcastle on a hot sunny day with a gentle breeze blowing?
He blinked tiredly. What was he thinking?
A slow pool of crimson liquid surrounded his head, similar to a hallow. He shifted to the side and brought his cell phone up to his face. Numb fingers red with pain opened the lid and he nearly jolted as a blue screen appeared and light flooded his face.
With a practiced ease he hit the speed dial and shakily held the phone.
Naruto heard his phone ring. He didn't know how he knew, but he took little time to ponder it as he dashed across the apartment and grabbed the device.
"Sasuke?" He questioned in an urgent whisper.
His heart stopped when he heard shallow breathing and he opened his mouth to say something.
However, as the words moved past his dry throat, the line cut off.
Itachi sat in his car looking out of his window into the calm winter air.
Sasuke's car sat nearly covered entirely with snow, stuck in a row of trees.
He didn't need to get out to know that Sasuke wasn't inside.
Even his monotone personality had been worried when his brother had failed to show up to the meeting. He has entrusted Sasuke enough to hand the files over to him and refuse to let himself bring a second copy. So after stalling the deal for nearly two hours of endless apologizing and appeasing to a committee of delegates, Itachi began to worry.
He left the building, ignoring the calls behind him about how much he would lose if he went through with this.
He drove out of the city to look in search for Sasuke.
And now he knew that he had found him, or at least what had happened to him. Itachi was an intelligent man, rivalling a genius title and he knew Sasuke well enough to know what he would do in this situation.
"Foolish little brother," He whispered with an ache and proceeded to phone the police.
"I'm sure he's fine, Naruto," Iruka reassured. "Sasuke is smart. He wouldn't do anything rash."
Naruto stirred depressingly at the floating noodles in his bowl. He was too tired and stressed to argue with that statement.
"Besides, how do you know that he was the one who called?"
"I just do!" Naruto sat down wearily after springing up so suddenly and startling his guardian.
Iruka frowned momentarily at the face Naruto was making, seeming to decide whether it would be better to agree or reassure the young man. He settled for neither.
"Either way, I came over because Sasuke asked me to keep you company until he got back. So I want you to wipe that depression right off your face, Naruto."
Naruto grinned weakly and was startled when his phone rang again.
"Hello?" He questioned oddly, too embarrassed to cry out Sasuke's name again in front of Iruka, lest he be teased.
"I didn't think you would answer," The quiet drawl of Sasuke's guardian reached his ears. However, it sounded too off for his ears and he was tempted to question if it really was Kakashi calling him.
"Why wouldn't I answer?" He joked with a strained laugh. The other man's silence was adding onto his nerves and he felt so uncomfortable that his breathing ached with each inhale.
Kakashi took a moment to reply. "Either way, I called you to ask for your help with the funeral plans. I know Sasuke wasn't big on religion, but-"
Naruto cut him off with a shout as he fell gracelessly onto his knees. "W-What do you mean?" He trembled as he felt tears onslaught him.
His hands shook as he tried to hear the answer, hoping against everything that he had heard wrong.
"I thought you knew Naruto," Kakashi whispered, his voice laced with remorse. "They found Sasuke two hours ago. He froze to death."
Iruka went immediately to inquire and calm Naruto down as soon as his face drained of color. Kakashi was still talking and asking questions. But Naruto didn't hear or feel anything above his own screaming.
Naruto had spent all of his school life chasing Sasuke from the first time they had met in elementary school. The fierce desire to prove to Sasuke how good he was and the urge to be better than him finally made sense to him now with each dull beat of his heart.
He had finally found what Sasuke knew all along and understood why it hurt so much for him when Naruto couldn't answer him.
He understood. And somehow he wished that he didn't.
"What if I don't want to be alone?" Naruto retorted staring up defiantly. His eyes glared fiercely as if he dared Sasuke to question his will.
A sad smile spread on Sasuke's lowered face. He said nothing and left the subject alone.
Pulling his arms in around himself, Naruto withheld a shudder, tried to still his lips from trembling and let out a heavy sigh, unable to keep the shaking at bay.
"I don't want to be alone… Sasuke."
But he was.
Because sometimes, life just isn't fair.