Hurt and Healing

By: moonlightstar12

Summary: Sasuke is an orphan. So is Naruto. Both orphans are hurting but one doesn't know how to express it. What happens when the two meet and choose to stay together but one sees how the other expresses their pain and chooses to help?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! Sasuke would try to kill me if I did!

"Hide what?" asked Sasuke in a voice mixed with confusion and sadness.

"The pain." replied Naruto in his hurt way.

Sasuke's confusion and sadness was blinded out for a minute when he heard that word.

Pain.

Sasuke's emotions quickly came back to him in waves. This time sadness and despair came back most of all.

"I d-don't h-hide p-p-p-pain..." said Sasuke more to himself than Naruto.

Naruto just grew more concerned. "Yes you do." replied Naruto.

"N-no I don't" said Sasuke as if he was trying to convince himself more than Naruto.

"Yes you do. You hide the pain because you're afraid of it. I can see it in your eyes. When you told your story it was easy to tell that hurt you more than what you show. You hurt because of your parent's death as well as your Clan and because it was your brother that killed them all. And because he almost killed you. Why are you afraid?" said Naruto in the most caring way he could.

"...I'm...not...afraid..." said Sasuke as he looked down at the ground.

"Yes you are. Its okay to be afraid. Its okay to hurt. Those things are natural. You shouldn't hide your pain. That will make it hurt worse. You should let it out."

"...How?" whispered Sasuke as he slightly lifted his head.

"Cry." said Naruto in a soothing voice.

"No. I won't cry. Not again. Crying almost got me killed. Never again. I will never cry again." replied Sasuke as he looked down at the blond boy sitting in next to him.

"...If you don't all the emotions that are released when you cry will build up inside you. Then when you finally do release those emotions they all will come out at once making it hurt more then it should." said Naruto.

"No...I...won't...cry..." said Sasuke as he lowered his head again.

"You have to!" urged Naruto.

"No!" yelled Sasuke.

Naruto just looked at him with eyes full of hurt and confusion.

"...Why is it so hard for you to cry?"

"I told you. Because I almost died from crying."

"That was then. This is now. No one will kill you if you cried."

"That doesn't matter. If I cry I'll be vulnerable again and I don't ever want to be vulnerable again."

"...Thats true. Crying makes you vulnerable but there is a time an place to cry. I do it a lot. I cry when ever something bad happens to me or I remember something that was upsetting. But I only cry when I'm alone. Its been a long time since I've had someone to cry with since I've been alone since...that...day...but I still meet some people sometimes. You want to know something Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked up from the ground to look the blond boy in the eye.

"What?"

"You're the first person I've ever cried in front of since my parents disappearance. And I'm glad I did. You tried to comfort me when I cried. It worked but I sorta fell asleep when you held me. You want to know why?"

"...Why?"

"Because when you held me you reminded me of when my...mom...used to comfort me when I cried."

"I...did?"

Naruto smiled. "Yea. Thank you."

Sasuke smiled back. "You're welcome."

Naruto's look turned into a pleading one. "Now please Sasuke! Please cry!" begged Naruto.

Sasuke's smile disappeared. "Why do you want me to cry so much?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto looked down at the ground and said in a whisper "Because I wanted to help you."

Sasuke became confused. "Help me? How would making me cry help me?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto looked up. "Because if you cried you wouldn't be so unhappy anymore, you wouldn't hurt anymore, and...it would make me happy if I could comfort you like you did me..." Naruto said but his voice turned into a whisper at the last part.

Why did I say that!? I'm so stupid! He's gonna think I'm weird now. Thought Naruto as he subconsciously closed his eyes and waited to hear the boy next to him reject him.

But that never came.

Instead of what Naruto had suspected Sasuke would say the raven boy said exactly the opposite.

"...Alright..."

Naruto opened his eyes to stare wide eyed at the Uchiha boy who had his head down and was turning the other way.

He does remember what I did to comfort him, right? Thought a madly blushing Sasuke who was staring away from Naruto as to hide his blush from him.

Naruto smiled when Sasuke finally turned back so he could look at him. Sasuke smiled as well.

"...So...You'll cry...for...me?" asked Naruto as he suddenly realized why Sasuke had turned his head away. He turned because he was blushing. And now so was Naruto.

"...Alright...as long as you comfort me...please...I don't want to cry but...if you want me to...I-" Sasuke stopped and covered his mouth as he realized what he just said. His face heated up and he was blushing again.

Naruto caught why Sasuke stopped and he started to blush even more than he already was.

I really need to stop doing that! Thought Sasuke.

He sounds like he really wants to try to cry. He said it was because...of...me... thought Naruto.

"...Um...Sasuke...C-can y-you finish w-what you w-were saying, p-please." stuttered Naruto. For some reason he wanted to hear it.

Sasuke blinked in surprise. "Al-Alright. I was g-going to say that I'd cry a-as long as you c-comforted me because I-I didn't want t-to cry but i-if you wanted m-me to I w-would." stuttered Sasuke as he blushed madly again.

Naruto blushed again but he said "Okay. Pl-please start c-crying." said Naruto as he was trying to keep his blush down.

Sasuke looked over at Naruto. "...How?"

Naruto grew a bit more serious. "Think about something sad. Really sad. Think about the pain you've been through and the loneliness you feel. When you are about to cry your eyes should burn slightly." said Naruto in a way to get Sasuke to cry.

Sasuke nodded his head and focused on his memories. He remembered all the bad memories he had and all the loneliness he felt when he sat alone in his alley home but most of all he felt pain. The pain of remembering all this was unbearable and he soon felt something stinging his closed eyes.

"Do you feel it Sasuke?" asked Naruto when he saw Sasuke starting to shake.

Sasuke nodded slowly.

"Now open your eyes and let all the tears flow." instructed Naruto in his kindest voice.

Sasuke nodded again and he opened his eyes. As soon as his eyes opened tears started to flow down his face. Sasuke cried for the first time in years. It felt good to cry but he didn't want to cry for very long. It was too painful to cry.

When Naruto saw Sasuke crying he tried to do the same thing Sasuke did to comfort him.

He reached out to Sasuke and he hugged him in the most gentle and kind way he could and he ran his fingers through Sasuke's night sky black hair and tried to whisper the same things Sasuke whispered into his ear to comfort him. While he did that he did the best he could to rock himself and Sasuke back and forth.

Sasuke slowly started to stop crying when Naruto hugged him like that. He liked the feeling of Naruto hugging him so kindly and gently. It felt so good. Like he could do anything if this person keep on hugging him. He didn't want him to let go.

Sasuke subconsciously fell asleep in Naruto's arms as Naruto continued to try and calm the crying boy down.

Naruto soon realized that Sasuke had fallen asleep.

"I guess both of us can do that." said Naruto to himself as he looked down at the sleeping boy in his arms. He looks so peaceful like this. I wish I could always see him like this.

Naruto released Sasuke and tried to put him on the bed but the sleeping boy woke up as soon as Naruto tried to lay him on the bed.

"So? Did you like it?" asked Naruto as he looked up at Sasuke.

Sasuke blinked a couple of times as he tried to figure put what the blond was talking about. He then realized he was talking about crying.

"No. I had to remember all those hurtful things and make my eyes burn. If I was alone I would have never stopped crying. Your comfort worked." said Sasuke.

"Your welcome. But did it feel god to let out all your emotions?" asked Naruto.

"Yes."

"Good. Thats what I was hoping you'd say."

"Why?"

"Just in case I need you to cry again."

"...Will you be there to help me?"

"...Yea..."

They smiled at each other.

"Um...Sasuke...Why did you fall asleep when I hugged you?" asked an embarrassed Naruto.

"Well...um...You promise not to get weirded out or anything if I tell you?" asked Sasuke.

"...Alright. I won't."

"...Because...I...liked...it...when...you...hugged...me..." said Sasuke as his voice got softer and softer by each word.

But Naruto heard him.

"Y-y-you did!?" asked a surprised Naruto.

Sasuke thought he was mad at him. "...Y-yea...I'm sorry."

Naruto titled his head to the side in confusion. "Sorry? Why are you sorry? I was just surprised." Naruto continued in a soft whisper. "I thought no one liked anything I did."

"Why would no one like anything you did?"

Naruto's mood turned totally miserable. "I don't know. Most of the villagers on my side of town all hate me. I had a few people who'd come and visit me but they stopped coming after a while. So I lived completely and totally alone."

"..."

Naruto brightened up. "But now I won't have to worry about them anymore! 'Cause I can stay here! Right?" asked Naruto.

"...Alright." said a slightly surprised Sasuke.

Naruto jumped up from the bed and he jumped around the room happily.

Sasuke chuckled at the hyper behavior of his new alley mate.

And then something finally dawned on him.

If Naruto stays here where is he going to sleep?


LOL Sasuke just realized that.

I want to thank hidden.a.z.n. for being the only one who actually reviewed! Thank you! Sometimes when I don't get many reviews it makes me think no one is actually reading my stories. T-T

Please R&R!