Naruto woke up groaning loudly. His head felt like it had been split in two and he sat up in bed slowly, hoping he wasn't going to be sick everywhere. 'How did I get here?' Naruto's mind wandered back to where he was drinking himself stupid. Thinking he must have got into bed during the night without remembering, he walked into the bathroom holding his head. Opening the door he stared at the scene, it was where he went if he wasn't passed out somewhere random in the house or drinking. The bathroom was covered in glass shards where he angrily punched the mirror about three months ago and he hadn't be bothered to clean it up. The mirror smashed, cutting his hand in several places. The cuts, surprisingly, took Naruto's mind momentarily off the painful memories that plagued him. Since that incident, Naruto resorted to cutting his wrist to dull the pain. Naruto slumped down the wall and chose his favourite glass shard and slowly dragged it across his wrist. As a crimson stream flowed down Naruto's arm he sighed contentedly. A knock on his door brought him back to reality. Swearing, he jumped up and locked the bathroom door. Sakura had called Kakashi three times this month, scared that Naruto had done something stupid. Each time the jounin would break into the house, tell Naruto to eat something, stop drinking and get outside for a bit and then leave. Naruto felt like kissing the person who invented doors with locks; it had saved him from getting caught cutting himself by Kakashi several times. Another knock at the door told Naruto the person was still there. 'Go away! He mentally screamed as he pulled the glass across his tanned skin again. Naruto relaxed as he felt the warm liquid drizzle down his arm. Naruto didn't hear a click of the front door opening and he didn't hear the person looking around the house. He only knew he wasn't alone when he heard a knock on the bathroom door. Naruto grabbed some bandages, and wrapped them around his arm quickly. Kicking the piece of glass to the side, he opened the door a crack expecting to see an angry Kakashi telling him he was worrying sakura. Sasuke pushed the door open fully and stepped into the bathroom. "I'm back, dobe." He said. Naruto gaped at him, wondering how he should feel. Sasuke looked at the bandage on Naruto's arm and the blood drops that covered the floor and his clothes; it didn't take a genius to work out what Naruto had been doing. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled off the bandage and looked at the blondes arm. Two deep cuts confirmed Sasuke's suspicion. Naruto snatched his arm back. "Why now, after all this time?" he asked. Naruto's voice sounded cracked, liked he hadn't talked much for a while. Sasuke blushed. "It doesn't matter. What matters now is…I'm here…for you." Sasuke said. Naruto stared at him.
"But…. you hate me." Naruto croaked.
"I've never hated you…"
"What? You tried to kill me and then left! Two years, Sasuke! Two fucking years and you never even came back to tell me you were alive! Do you know how hard it was for me to not know if you were coming back or not? That I might never see you again?" Naruto screamed. Sasuke looked away from him guiltily.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I never meant to… I was blinded by hate, hate for my brother. But I'm back now!"
"Yeah, but for how long?" Naruto snorted bitterly. "It doesn't matter, just get out of here teme." Sasuke shook his head.
"I left you once, I'm not going to make the same mistake twice."
"What do you want from me Sasuke?" Naruto asked wearily.
"I was hoping we could… be friends. Can you forgive me for leaving?"
"Sasuke… just go… things aren't they way they were before." Naruto said quietly. Sasuke looked at Naruto, staring into his blue orbs, hoping to pry an answer from the blonde. "Naruto, what does that mean?" getting no answer, Sasuke decided to tend to a different problem. He stepped into the bathroom and reached in the cupboard, pulling out a bottle of disinfectant. He poured some over Naruto's cuts, causing the blonde to wince slightly, and wrapped his arm properly and quickly. Naruto jumped away from Sasuke. "This isn't right! You have no idea Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. Sasuke stepped up to Naruto, trying to calm him but this did the opposite. "Sasuke, don't! just leave! I can't go through losing you again! I loved you Sasuke, I loved you so much and you left me! Just-just go…" realising what he had blurted out Naruto backed away from Sasuke into the bathroom, his eyes spilling with tears. "you… loved me?" Sasuke asked. Naruto ignored him and stepped back slightly more. Sasuke walked over to the blonde and lifted his chin up softly so Naruto was forced to look at him. "Do you mean that Naruto?"
"Yes." Sasuke stared at Naruto. Sasuke sadly understood why Naruto was so desperate to stop him from going to Orochimaru, why he was drinking vodka and self-harming. All this time he had been blind to how Naruto was feeling and the situation all became clear at that moment. He had come back for Naruto because this is exactly what he was hoping Naruto would say. "I love you too." Sasuke said. The blonde looked up, his eyes telling Sasuke everything. 'Do you really mean that Sasuke? Are you going to leave me again?' Sasuke leaned in and kissed Naruto deeply. Sasuke's action told a different story. 'I mean it, and I'm never going anywhere without you again because I love you' "I love you Naruto and I always have." Sasuke held Naruto close, showing him he meant every word he said. Naruto smiled. "Thank you Sasuke. I always knew you would come back." Sasuke let out a rare laugh. "Yeah, I'm back for a dobe."