Yo, everyone! Welcome to the forth chapter of my story. -Grins- You lot seriously inspired me to write this one up so quickly. I've been quite busy, and it's just gone 1am here! But, I know I won't have time to post this tomorrow, so I'm being super nice and posting it for you now. Don't you just love me? Of course - wait... what the...?
-Watches Orochimaru stumble in and collapse on the ground-
Holy... what did you lot do to him?! Wait, don't answer... I do not want to know.
Anyway... on with the next wonderful chapter.
Disclaimer: Just give me a bit more time... I shall own him one day... just not today, 'kay?
Heavy eyelids fluttered open, slowly and painfully. Naruto heard something scrambling nearby him, followed by a deep voice. His mind ached as thoughts of what happened to him swarmed around inside him, and everything suddenly felt blurry and unreal. The voice got a bit louder, but Naruto couldn't focus. His eyes remained fixed on the ceiling, 'till the owner of the deep voice suddenly placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders, giving him a gentle shake.
As gentle as it was, it made Naruto flare up in a state of shock and panic. He screamed and pulled away from the hands, crying, "No more! No more!"
"Naruto!" the voice called desperately, clutching onto his shoulders again, and gripping tighter. "Naruto, it's me! It's Sasuke!"
Naruto's eyes went as wide as possible, and he slowly turned his head to the side, taking in the pale complexion, the dark coal eyes and sleek black hair. "S-Sasuke?"
Sasuke sighed in slight relief. "Yes, Naruto… it's me. Are you okay?"
Everything seemed to become a bit clearer. The fog in his mind swept away as he realised he was safe, alive, with Sasuke. "You…" he was about to say 'you saved me', but something inside him made him stop dead in his sentence.
"He complains about you. He wonders why he even stays with you, why he let you move your lazy ass into his home. You're a nobody, and he's finally realised it. He'll be glad you're gone…"
"Why…?" he croaked out as tears welled up in his eyes.
"Why…? Why what, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, gripping Naruto a little tighter by the shoulders as the distraught blonde turned his head away, trying to hide the obvious tears.
"Why did you come for me?"
Sasuke stood dumbfounded. Had Naruto really just asked him that…?
"Naruto… what do you mean? I had to come for you…"
"Why? When I'm so unimportant to you…"
Sasuke didn't know how to reply to such a statement. Naruto was important to him, of course he was. Sasuke wondered what could have caused Naruto to think in such a way.
Naruto's mind started to hurt again. He couldn't tell whether or not it was worse than the pain he could feel coursing through his whole body, but he knew for sure it was nothing compared to the agony he felt in his heart. Though, yes, Sasuke had come to his rescue, didn't he simply do it out of obligation? He was, after all, a sort of possession of the proud Uchiha's, and if there was one thing to be known of an Uchiha, they don't let their possessions go so easily.
'I really am a nobody…' he thought to himself. Sasuke's work had always been far more important, and lying injured in a hospital, having been saved by Sasuke… somehow just made him feel worse than when he was in the rapist's torturous grasp.
'I'm so confused… why, why is Sasuke bothering with me? Could he still… love me? If I am now just a mere possession to him, then I guess all of this makes sense… but then, why am I here, alive, if Sasuke truly told Orochimaru that he'd be glad I'm gone? I don't know what to think anymore…'
"Wh-where is… Oro... Oroch…" he couldn't even speak the name. He bit his lip in frustration with himself, but stopped when he felt Sasuke's hand stroking his cheek.
"It's okay," he said, almost soothingly, "Orochimaru won't be hurting you again. He's currently being held in custody. You know, there's been a huge uproar at work about why both me and Orochimaru have suddenly disappeared."
Naruto quickly turned his gaze away from Sasuke, slightly hurt that he could start talking about work like that as if Naruto had simply stumbled and cut his knee, as if all of this wasn't worth the hassle.
Before Sasuke could say anymore, his mobile phone started ringing. He glanced at Naruto, who visibly narrowed his eyes, but answered the call anyway.
"Yes…? I have already told you, I can't come in." He paused. "That is none of your concern." Obviously, it was Sasuke's work. "Of course it's nothing," Sasuke continued. Naruto told himself that Sasuke was just saying that to get people off of his back, but nonetheless, it hurt. "Look, I don't care. What? Oh very well! Yes. Yes, I'll be there in half an hour."
Naruto gasped and turned his head back around to gaze at his so called lover. Was he seriously going to leave him, now? In this state? Sasuke hung up the phone, and then caught the look on Naruto's face.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. This is important business. I promise I'll be back as soon as possible." Without another word, he left the hospital room.
"That proves it then…" Naruto muttered to himself. "I really am unimportant to him. He may have saved my ass, but not out of love. I mean... absolutely nothing to him."
A horrible, sickening thought came to Naruto as he pondered over everything for a little while longer.
"Could it be…" he spoke quietly, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, "he only saved me… to keep his reputation in tact? How bad would it look for him… if his partner was found guilty, murdering his boyfriend? How much face would the oh-so-reputable company lose through such a thing…? Sasuke would be ruined. I'm alive, and for all I know… Sasuke lied to me about Orochimaru being in custody. But… would he really go so far for his company, as to allow the man who raped me to get away with it…?"
Everything became too much for Naruto. He started crying loudly, muffling his screams by clamping a pillow to his face. Through the pain-filled sobs came some quiet screams, 'till eventually all Naruto could do was scream his heart out into the pillow.
"Why…?" he sobbed into the soaked pillow, "Why me? Have I not sacrificed enough for him? I gave up my dreams for him! Why?!"
Naruto woke to the morning light falling upon his face. He groaned slightly, still feeling an odd throbbing pain in his lower back.
"Ah, you're up," a friendly female voice spoke calmly to him. It was a nurse, who had been changing the wilted flowers on his bedside table.
Naruto smiled innocently. "Are those… from Sasuke?" he asked quietly. The nurse looked a little uneasy, and Naruto instantly understood what that look meant. Of course they weren't from Sasuke. The plain flowers were placed there out of common courtesy from the hospital.
"Never mind," Naruto muttered, trying to pull a happy smile, and failing miserably. "Has Sasuke been around?"
"Hm. I've not seen Mr. Uchiha for a good few days now. I remember he did pop by for a little visit. You were asleep at the time."
"Oh… well, did he stay long when he last visited?"
"Well, it was pretty much near the end of visiting hours. We allowed Mr. Uchiha a little longer. He stayed for about ten minutes. I believe he had a long and rather hard day at work."
"Oh…" Naruto looked absolutely crestfallen.
"But don't worry, Mr. Uzumaki! You're free to go today, seeing as you're doing so much better. Mr. Uchiha will be coming by to pick you up in about an hour."
"An hour…? Shouldn't he be at work today?"
"Yes, he did mention that to us… but, unfortunately we require this room now for other patients, so it was quite essential for him to come as soon as possible."
Naruto wouldn't have thought it possible, but at those words, he could distinctly feel his heart breaking even more. Sasuke was leaving work to come pick him up, because he was being forced to by the hospital.
"Sakura!"
"Y-yes, Mr. Uchiha?"
"I'm leaving now. If anybody phones, if I'm needed at all for any reason, take a message, but don't call me within the next hour. I must go and pick up Naruto now."
"I-I see. Mr. Uchiha…?"
"Hn?"
"How is Naruto doing…?" Sakura wondered if she should have even dared to ask such a thing. She knew it was a touchy subject, especially with Orochimaru suddenly disappearing without a word, or trace.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure, Sakura. Work has been so very hectic, as you well know. I've barely had a chance to see him."
Sakura looked sadly up at her superior, feeling a little sorry for him. She knew well the trouble he was currently going through thanks to Orochimaru. It wasn't fair for so much pressure and work to be placed upon one man.
"I hope everything goes well, Sir," she said sincerely.
Sasuke sighed in a defeated manner, something very unlike him. "So do I," he admitted, "I fear for him. I want to be there for him, but things are too difficult at the moment… too complicated."
Sakura nodded, and at that moment the phone on her desk started to ring. She quickly dashed over to answer it.
"Hello, Mr. Uchiha's office, how may I help…? I'm afraid Mr. Uchiha isn't able to take any calls at the moment," she said in a professional tone, watching as Sasuke quickly made his way out of the large multi-storey building. "May I take a message?"
Sasuke made his way towards Naruto's room, having made it to the hospital in less than 25 minutes thanks to good traffic for once. He had already filled out and signed all of Naruto's release forms. All he needed to do was drive him home, and then get back to work as quickly as possible.
Entering the hospital room where Naruto was currently residing, Sasuke was glad to see Naruto sat up in bed, already fully clothed, staring out the window.
"Hey there," he said happily, approaching his boyfriend, but Naruto didn't respond. "Naruto?"
"Huh?" Naruto turned and gazed at Sasuke like he hadn't seen him in years. He was a little unsure about how he should be feeling. He was happy, yet at the same time… miserable and angry. "Sasuke…" he muttered, "oh, right… let's go then." He slowly got off of the bed, wincing slightly, and made his way over to Sasuke, letting the older man place his arm around his waist as they walked.
They got into the car in absolute silence. Naruto, still unsure of his feelings, and Sasuke only too aware of Naruto's inner battling… he didn't know what to say. He figured he was still trying to comprehend everything that had happened.
Feeling a little suffocated by the silence, Sasuke turned the radio on.
How did we ever go this far?
You touch my hand and start the car
And for the first time in my life
I'm crying
Are we in space, do we belong
Someplace where no one calls us wrong?
And like the stars, we've burned away
The miles
Sasuke drove off slowly, looking sideways at Naruto every now and then, only to find the same pained expression on his face. His guilt started to grow. After a while, he couldn't take it anymore, and had to start a conversation. He had to know what Naruto was thinking.
"Come on," he said, trying to mask his concern, "out with it. What's bothering you?"
Naruto looked at Sasuke in surprise, and then resorted to staring out the passenger window. He snorted, and then replied, "What do you care?"
Sasuke blinked and frowned. "I care about you. Tell me what's wrong."
Naruto shook his head, resisting the urge to cry.
How did we ever get this far?
It shouldn't have to be this hard
Now for the first time in my life
I'm flying
Are we in love? Do we deserve
To bear the shame of this whole world?
And like the night we camouflage
Denial
Sasuke suddenly stopped the car, pulling quickly into a bus-stop. Naruto turned his head to look at him, giving him a quizzical look. "You know you aren't supposed to stop here…" he said.
"I don't care," Sasuke snapped so harshly, it made Naruto flinch. "There is something bothering you. The fact that you won't tell me just makes it worse. It's something about me, isn't it? Something I've done or said, right?"
Naruto stiffened a little, and once again resorted to staring out the window.
"Damn it, Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, grabbing Naruto by the shoulders and forcing him round so they faced one another. Naruto gasped and gave Sasuke a pleading look.
"Please, let's just go home…"
"… Fine."
How did we ever go this far?
You touch my hand and start the car
And for the first time in my life
I'm crying
Are we in love? Do we deserve
To bear the shame of this whole world?
And like the night we camouflage
Denial
Sasuke pulled onto the driveway of their home, but didn't stop the engine of the car. Naruto cocked an eyebrow, and was about to ask Sasuke if he had upset him, but Sasuke cut him off, handing him the key to the front door.
"Here. I have to get back to work."
"Oh… already?" Naruto asked sadly.
"Yes. It's very important," Sasuke replied automatically.
"Ah, yes, of course," Naruto muttered bitterly. At this, Sasuke really couldn't stand it anymore. He cut off the engine and snatched the key back from Naruto. "Get inside. I'm fed up with all of this. I'm going to stay for a while longer, and you are going to tell me what the hell has come over you, understood?"
"But, Sasu-"
"No, Naruto! Get your ass in that house now!"
Naruto hesitated for a moment, but quickly got out of the car and limped his way into the house as quickly as he could, due to the menacing glare Sasuke had given him.
"Well?" Sasuke asked as he entered the living room, following Naruto.
"Haven't you thought that perhaps I'm just acting like this because I got raped?!" Naruto snapped. Though that wasn't the main reason he was acting so peculiar, he still felt annoyed that Sasuke seemed to be ignoring the rape as much as possible.
"Of course I've considered that. This seems to go a lot deeper though. Naruto, I don't understand you sometimes."
"Heh…" Naruto pulled a rather twisted smile. "You don't understand anything, Sasuke."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Damn you…" Naruto whispered at first, before turning on the Uchiha and shouting in his face, "Damn you Sasuke, you selfish bastard! All I've ever done is make sacrifices for you! And yet…! And yet… the only thing that matters to you is that stupid company! What? Do I mean so little to you now?! While I was in the hospital, you came to visit for a measly ten fucking minutes! I was asleep, and the only reason I knew you came at all was thanks to the damn nurse! You bastard… you stupid, selfish bastard!"
Sasuke's eyes went as wide as they possibly could. He was shocked. Naruto had never lost control so badly; he had never gone off on a storming rant like this before.
"Naruto… I-"
"I don't want to hear it, Sasuke. Just go… go to your damn precious work!"
Sasuke reached a hand out towards Naruto's retreating back, watching sadly as his blonde lover walked away from him. His heart clenched painfully. He had no idea he had been so… stupid, so ignorant. He cursed himself, clenching his fist, but then the thought of the company came to his mind. He was practically the owner of a world dominant business. How could Naruto not understand how important something like that was?
A glint of rage flickered through Sasuke's eyes as he too turned on his heel and stormed out of the house. As he slammed the door shut, he didn't hear the pain-filled sobs echoing from the upstairs bedroom.
Kasia: -Glances at Sasuke-
Sasuke: What...?
Kasia: I think you should be the one running right now...
Sasuke: -Watches pack of wild fans running at him with baseball bats, frying pans, chainsaws and axes- ... Oh crap...
Kasia: Oh crap indeed... -Grins-
Sasuke: -Glares at Kasia-
Kasia: Whoa, whoa, whoa... don't you go pulling that Uchiha death glare crap on me, dude, it's not my fault.
Sasuke: Yes it is! You're the Author!
Kasia: ... Oh yeah.
Sasuke: -Runs-
Naruto: ... Bye Sasuke!
Kasia: Muaha!
