Fandom: Naruto

Title: Too Late

Author: Ero-Chibi-Chan

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Oh yeah, it's totally mine… not

Summary: Sasuke pretended to be so indifferent to Neji...until he returned from a mission half-dead/dying.

Neji had left for the mission as he always did, silently and impassively. Sasuke had pretended to not notice his departure. He even told himself that his heart wasn't clenching in worry that he might not return alive this time, if at all. He had to lie to himself, or he would get attached to Neji, and when he disappeared, he would be left to pick up the pieces.

Three weeks later, he continued to deny that his feeling antsy had anything to do with Neji. So he had been due back a week earlier. So what? Even if he knew Neji shouldn't have gone on that mission alone, he was a grown man capable of making his own decisions.

The knock at his door came as a surprise to him, especially since no one came to visit and Neji had his own key. He opened the door to see Hinata standing there, looking nervous. She stopped being shy a long time ago, but she was still a quiet person by nature. To see her this nervous meant that something had happened.

"Sasuke-kun…" She cut herself off before looking down and seeming to resign herself to something. "Neji-nii-san is back. Tsunade-sama got worries, so she sent Naruto look for him." Sasuke kept up an indifferent expression, knowing Hinata was telling him because he and Neji were roommates with benefits and wasn't implying any kind of feeling on his part. "His wounds were extensive; Tsunade is not sure if he will pull through."

Sasuke felt like he had been punched in the gut as his breath felt forced out of him. Hinata remained quiet, completely aware of the extent of his and her cousin's relationship.

"I just thought you might like to know," she said before turning and leaving. Sasuke stood in the doorway a while longer, still in shock, and then slowly closed the door and leaned back against it. He slid down until he was sitting, his knees up and his hands up to cover his face.

His heart was clenching, and he felt nothing but dread.

He stood, resisting the urge to pace, as he tried to figure out what it was that he was feeling. Before he realized what was going on, he found himself pulling on a pair of shoes and heading out the door. It was as if he couldn't control his own body and the hospital continued to get closer and closer. He slowed his walk when he reached the hallway leading to the different hospital and operation rooms.

Lee was holding Tenten with a pained expression on his normally happy face while she buried her face in his chest. Kakashi was watching Guy with a worried expression as the spandex-clad man had an unusually stone-faced expression. Naruto was pacing with Sakura trying to calm him down, and Hinata was sitting quietly with a worried expression on her face. Sasuke reached the group as Tsunade walked out of what he assumed was Neji's room. She took one look at everyone before sighing.

"I've done everything I could. Several organs were punctured or cut open and he had already lost a lot of blood. He will most likely survive if he makes it past tonight, but I don't know if he'll last that long. All we can do now is hope he makes it to tomorrow."

Varying expressions of horror and grief appeared on everyone's faces at her statement. Except for Sasuke. He retreated into himself and wiped all expression from his face. While everyone else walked into Neji's hospital room, Sasuke moved to one of the stiff-backed chairs and sat. Something in him was keeping him from going into that room, especially with everyone else in there.

All he heard from the room was silence. For the next few hours it was silence. It was silence up through when everyone silently filed out of the room and headed out of the hospital. He continued to sit there until he realized with disdain that he was afraid. He was afraid of what his reaction would be to Neji's condition. He wouldn't admit to fear, even to himself.

However, even he couldn't deny that he froze once he saw the condition Neji was in. There was an oxygen mask over his deathly pale face and his breathing was ragged. Needles attached to tubes speared thin arms in veins far too visible. His hair lay in an inky mass on the pillow and his pale eyes were closed. He was completely still aside from the subtle rise and fall of his chest. Then it hit him.

It was too late; he was attached.

He moved to the chair by the bed. Hesitantly, he reached out to grab one of Neji's limp hands in his own. He rubbed a calloused thumb over a miraculously smooth hand. He could feel his eyelids drooping and realized when he looked out the window and saw that it was pitch black outside, but he fought it. As much as he hated to admit it, he was afraid this would be the last time he saw Neji. Eventually, sleep overcame him, the day's stresses weighing down on him heavily.

He woke up the next morning with his head on the mattress and a hand stroking gently through his hair. Sasuke looked up to see a sleepy looking Neji smiling fondly at him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Where else would I be?"

Neji looked surprised for a minute before a small smile made his lips twitch upwards again.

"You were wearing an oxygen mask yesterday."

"Tsunade came in earlier. She said I'm doing fine so far and I could do without the mask."

"I didn't hear her come in."

"You were sleeping pretty deeply for once; we decided not to wake you." He yawned when he finished speaking and his eyes were drooping closed again.

"Go to sleep. I'll be here."

Neji nodded and fell back asleep. Once he was sure the Hyuuga was out cold, he leaned forward and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Love you."