A/N: I am back people! Twenty days of pure labor with lack of food and sleep can do things to you T.T Above that, when I returned back to my state, there was this sudden declaration that there wasn't going to be power for three days. Three fucking days! Yup, it felt like living in the times when Edison wasn't born yet. We had to use candles and hand fans for three frickin' days! Anywho, I shall update regularly once again *hoorayyy!* And a big hug to all my reviewers, followers and favoritors, whom without I would not have found the motivation to continue this story when I returned. Peace to all of you big hearted peoples.

Chapter 6

"What are you talking about, Neji?", Naruto questioned with narrowed eyes as he looked at the brunette.

"Probably saying that my uncle is Hyuuga Hiashi should explain it all", Neji answered.

Both boys were now sitting on the bed, Naruto not caring that he was still naked as the new piece of information registered in his brain and his eyes widened.

"Hiashi? You don't mean…..? But you said you weren't with the mafia!" Naruto's shock was crystal clear through his voice and Neji smirked.

"What, am I not allowed to lie? I thought you would be frightened off if I told you about my background first hand", the Hyuuga teen replied smugly.

Naruto paused, not able to digest what the brunette was telling him.

"The Hyuugas are not in particularly good terms with the Uchihas. Their rivalry dates a long way back", Neji said without any prompting on Naruto's part. "My clan wants to put an end to the Uchihas and they have targeted Sasuke first."

"You can't be serious", for the blonde it was only one shock after the other.

"They have it all planned out for tomorrow. They have put Sasuke under observation for quite a while now."

"No, tell me this isn't true!" Naruto's blue eyes were wide with horror. "I won't stand by and watch! I'll inform someone and…"

"Naruto", Neji's voice became stern. "Even someone like you must know what the mafia is capable of. Some 911 phone call isn't going to stop a clan that has even the police pissing in their pants. It's over for your little Uchiha lover."

"You're wrong! I'll save him even if it costs me my life", Naruto said frantically.

Anger flashed in Neji's eyes. "If they miss him tomorrow, there is always another time. How long will do you think you can become his personal bodyguard? There are a million chances to kill him."

"I'll warn him."

"I won't let you. I can't let information leak to Itachi. If he knows about this, my clan will be in danger."

"Neji!"

"It's over for him."

"You think I won't tell Itachi?" Naruto challenged the Hyuuga.

"That man is nearly impossible to contact, even for my uncle. He changes places every hour and he uses numerous phone numbers. By the time you do get to tell him, Sasuke will be long gone", Neji replied with a smirk.

Naruto clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in anger and hopelessness. He bit his lip in thought and after a minute of silence, he took a deep breath.

"If you save him", Naruto spoke and the next part was said forcefully, "I will submit myself to you."

Neji blinked. Did Naruto just make a bargain with him? And if he did, it was a rather tempting one too. But he didn't want simple submission. He wanted something more, but it could always be taken later. This was the first step in making the blonde his.

"Are you willing to do whatever it is that I wish?"

"Yes", Naruto agreed with no hesitation. This was for Sasuke after all.

"Then we have a deal."

"You have to promise that you won't let Sasuke die, not now or ever", Naruto's blue eyed gaze was fierce.

Neji knew that what the blonde was asking would inevitably put his own life in danger, but it was worth taking the risk. On the other hand, he would be more than occupied from now on.

"I will try my best. And no babbling on your part", Neji said as he lowered his eyes to the blonde's lips as he took a hold of his chin.

Naruto gave a small nod and knew that he had just sealed his fate as the Hyuuga captured his lips possessively to claim his prize.

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Naruto waited in the school's parking lot anxiously. Neji had told him to go to school as always to make things seem normal to Sasuke. If Sasuke did anything out of the ordinary that day, everything could be messed up.

"He won't be attacked till he comes out of school. Don't get in the same car as he does when school is over", Neji had told him.

Neji knew that even if it would be just easier to stop Sasuke from going to school that day, it might rouse suspicion among the Hyuugas to why the Uchiha, who was a rare absentee, would miss school right on the day he was to be assassinated and even the slightest amount of doubt could be dangerous. He had gathered information on the plan to kill Sasuke by the bits and pieces he managed to overhear from the council room and by sneaking into his uncle's room in his absence to take a quick copy of the file that held the details. Though it seemed to be quite simple to write out, to execute the plan was a highly complicated task that was to be done by professionals.

They had plotted to make it seem like a simple road traffic accident and just as it sounded, the plan itself was put together in a rather unsophisticated manner. He guessed that if it was too elaborate, Itachi would catch on to them easily. It was to take place on the route that Sasuke used to get to school every day. The road had four lanes, two lanes each moving in opposite directions with no divider in between. The overall plan was to get Sasuke to drive his car off of the lane to the opposite side where there will be a truck that will be approaching at the same time to hit his car. As easy as it sounded, the timing was crucial. The four cars had to get Sasuke to drive into the opposite lane before the truck passed them. The place decided for the 'accident' to happen was about ten yards away from the four road junction.

Neji planned on getting a new car and blending in with the traffic and keep Sasuke from going into the opposite side of the road. For now, he had no idea how to do that. He was just going to have to go according to the flow. At the moment, he needed to decide on what car to take. It shouldn't look too outstanding or too shabby, for his own personal comfort purposes.

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Naruto nearly jumped on Sasuke the moment he got down from his now orange Cadillac, shocking the teen for a second.

"What's got you so clingy today?" Sasuke asked with a small smile as he wrapped one arm around the boy hugging him and the other hand placed tenderly on his head.

Sasuke frowned when Naruto only buried his head further into the raven's taller form in response.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke was now concerned. Naruto never behaved this way before.

Naruto mustered up the best convincing smile he could and pried himself away.

"Can't I be clingy once in a while?" he asked with a bright grin. "It felt like ages since I've seen you with you not tutoring me anymore."

Sasuke raised a brow, not buying the all too happy act immediately but said, "I can make that up to you." He gave a smirk.

"You'd better", the blonde replied and returned the kiss Sasuke placed on his lips. The raven's touch brought a bit of ease into Naruto's tormented mind, but he was still anxious about what was going to happen after school. If Neji failed to keep his promise, then nothing in this world would matter to him anymore. The black haired beauty standing before him was what gave him a meaning to his empty life.

"Come on, we'll be late to class", the Uchiha said once he parted the kiss.

With a nod, Naruto took his hand and they walked together towards the school building.

Sasuke noticed the change in Naruto's behavior. During class he seemed to stare off into space, thinking deeply about something. Usually he would pester him every chance he got, but today, he was frighteningly quiet. Even the others noticed this.

"Yo, dumbass, you on earth?" Kiba whispered as Iruka went on and on about something that not even a soul in class was interested in. When he wasn't answered, the dog boy whacked him on the back of his head while Iruka was turned towards the board.

"What the-!" Naruto was jerked back into the classroom, his hand at the place where Kiba hit him.

"What's up with you? You're acting like all the ramen disappeared from the world", Kiba said once he gained the blonde's attention.

"It's nothing", Naruto looked away. "I'm just feeling a bit sick."

"Sick? Do you need to visit the nurse's office?"

Sasuke too, who was listening in on what they were talking about, gave a sideways glance towards his lover upon hearing that he was sick.

"Concern doesn't suit you, baka. Mind your own damn business", Naruto said with a playful grin.

"So much for courtesy, bastard", Kiba scoffed but was glad that the teen gave a normal response. "Where's Neji by the way?"

Naruto flinched upon hearing the name, but was barely visible. "No clue", he replied. It was true after all. He had no idea what the Hyuuga teen was doing or where he was at the moment.

But besides that, the ramen lover didn't say much during the rest of the day. Even in the cafeteria, he only smiled when Kiba cracked a joke or gave a nod when he was asked something. It got everyone else a bit confused and concerned as well, but when asked, Naruto only said that he wasn't feeling very well because he drank expired milk yet again. They bought the explanation reluctantly. They knew that something more than just expired milk could put their precious blonde into such a melancholy mood.

"What did you call me out here for?" Naruto was with his raven alone near the hallway where his locker was. As usual, it was eerily quiet.

"Tell me what's going on, dobe", the Uchiha said. "You are not acting like yourself at all and don't give me the expired milk shit."

"I told you it was nothing, didn't I?"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

Naruto saw the determination in the coal eyes that held their gaze on his face. "I….I'm just scared."

"Scared? Did someone do something to you? Who was it?" Sasuke's tone immediately turned angry.

"No", Naruto lied. "I don't know why I'm scared. I just am." I'm scared of what will happen to you today.

Sasuke took Naruto into his arms and held him tightly, not caring that the bell signaling that lunch period was over just rang.

"Usuratonkachi."

Naruto couldn't hold back the strong feeling of dread he had been feeling since yesterday, since he heard about the plot to kill Sasuke. He held onto the ravens shirt, wishing that time would stop itself so that Sasuke wouldn't have to face the danger that awaited him.

When the bell to dismiss school finally rang, Naruto felt as if his heart was going to rip out of his chest with the pace it was beating at.

"Get in, I'll drop you off", Sasuke said as students began to leave the classroom.

"I have some tests to catch up on. I'll see you later", Naruto replied.

"I can wait."

"No. It's fine. There's a lot to do."

"See you in the evening then."

Evening? Naruto's eyes widened. He had forgotten that today was the day that Sasuke performed at Ichiraku. The blonde grabbed a hold of Sasuke's arm as he was leaving and the raven cast him a curious look.

"I will be there to see you perform tonight", he said in almost a determined manner.

Sasuke quirked a brow. With what appeared to be an amused expression, he left. Naruto immediately took out his cell phone as he looked out of the window that showed the parking lot. The raven was getting into his now orange Cadillac. The blonde teen dialed a number and waited for the other person to pick up, his heart beating all the while.

"Is he starting?" came a familiar voice from the other end.

"Yes, Neji."

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Neji was already waiting for Sasuke to come in his newly bought Honda Civic. The windows were tinted to the point where he was practically invisible to anyone outside. He had his eyes on the other four cars that were parked in various places along the road. He decided to move when the cars did. It took a bit of waiting and as much as he hated to admit it, he felt a bit of fear. Not because he might be found or something, it was because the chances of saving Sasuke were running on a mere spider's thread. If he didn't make Sasuke stay within the lanes till the four road junction came, it would be all over.

Neji's senses were alerted when one of the four cars he had been keeping a watch on started to move. It had him confused. What is going on? I didn't see a black Cadillac come out yet. Nevertheless, Neji decided to move too. The other cars began to follow the first car as well. There went the first part of his plan already. Neji wanted to go ahead of Sasuke and slow him down so that the timing would be thrown off for the truck to hit him, but it seemed like he needed to go for plan B: tailing Sasuke and keeping him on the right side of the road no matter what, which would be a hell of a more difficult task. But what he was wondering at the moment was why the cars took off and why he hadn't spotted Sasuke's car yet.

It took more time than necessary for Neji to notice that they were following an orange car and he strained to see the number plate. It wasn't until then that he mentally smacked himself. He was so intent on finding a black Cadillac that he didn't bother about the number plates and why the fuck did Sasuke suddenly decide to paint his car orange?! Neji gave a frustrated growl as he saw the four cars starting to form a fortress of death around Sasuke's car. One car was in front of Sasuke's car, one at his side and two at the rear to prevent any traffic from interfering from behind. One nudge from the car beside Sasuke's was enough to make him go into the opposite side of the road. The only way for Neji to interfere was to take a drastic step, but that would make him stand out too much and it would definitely arouse suspicion. But there was no other way. The four road junction was approaching fast.

The brunette took a deep breath as he saw that the point where the accident was to take place was nearing and he swerved to the left onto the opposite lane and cut into the small space that was between Sasuke's car and the two cars at the rear. The drivers must surely have been alarmed because he sensed the two cars slowing down. Now for the car on the right side. That car was slowly edging Sasuke onto the wrong side of the road. Neji spotted the truck and knew that he had to take action fast. The car on Sasuke's right was about to nudge him a little to the left when Neji interfered. Instead, he nudged the car roughly from behind; throwing the car off balance and making it swerve to the right. The truck driver must have noticed that the plan was disrupted and decided to take things into his own hands. Neji thought that the danger had passed but realized that was too early in thinking that it was okay now.

Sasuke, who was distracted with the commotion from his right side, was unaware of a speeding truck that was racing a bit too close to his side of the road. When he averted his eyes back from the collision that just took place between the two cars in the lane beside him, he noticed the massive vehicle raging his way. Sasuke spun his steering wheel to the right and got the front part of his car out of the way for the most part but the truck grazed the side of his car and at the speed it was going, it was enough to send Sasuke's car spinning. Half of the door to the driver's seat was torn off and sent flying and the windshield was shattered. The front of the car was smashed considerably, reducing the engine to a compressed mess. Neji missed Sasuke's spinning car by mere inches and the other cars had already fled from the scene. The brunette too moved away from the site, but parked his car at the side of the road where he could still see what was happening. Within minutes, police cars and ambulances arrived at the scene. Officers were all over the place and paramedics were ready with a stretcher. Anyone who saw the state of the car would've thought that the driver was a goner for sure.

Neji saw the police and medics drag out the body of an unconscious teen drenched in blood with much difficulty and strap him up onto the stretcher. The ambulance drove off with the sirens ringing frantically. Well, at least he was alive for now.

XOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Naruto paced outside of Ichiraku's with panic. He had come directly to the restaurant after Sasuke had left and he still wasn't here. Sasuke came at least two hours before hand for the performance and there was still an hour left. Suigetsu and the others were getting impatient.

"Hey, Suigetsu, come here quick! Look at this!" Juugo was practically screaming as he looked at the tv inside Ichiraku's.

Naruto raced inside to see that everyone was watching with horror at the news channel and when he too turned his attention to the television screen, his heart stilled within his chest and he could've sworn he went deaf with mortification. On the channel, they were showing paramedics rushing a blood covered body towards the emergency room. Though the face was partially covered by an oxygen mask, it was unmistakable.

"Seventeen year old Uchiha Sasuke, brother of the great business magnet Uchiha Itachi, met with a gruesome accident today at four o' clock", the reporter spoke as if she was stating that the president had just died. "Reporter Mike will give us the live feed from the hospital. Mike."

"The doctors have stated that the condition of the younger Uchiha brother is critical and that nothing can be said at this time", the male stated. "As you can see, the entire hospital is in a rush and is not allowing anyone beyond the emergency room door. There is still no sign of Uchiha Itachi."

Naruto had seen and heard enough. He raced outside, ignoring suigetsu and the others that called after him. He hailed a taxi, practically jumping before the cab to stop it and told the driver to drive as fast as he could to the hospital. Tears were already sliding down his whiskered cheeks as waited for what seemed like hours till he finally reached his destination. Without even sparing a moment for change, Naruto handed over the taxi driver a bill and raced towards the emergency room. The entrance itself was crowded with news reporters and cameramen. The doors were locked and the security outside was shooing away whoever tried to enter unless it was an emergency.

"Please, you have to let me inside. I need to see him", Naruto tried to plead with one of the security guards.

"Sorry pal, but we've been given strict orders", the officer replied indifferently.

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Pain. Blinding and crushing pain. That was all that Sasuke could feel. He couldn't open his eyes, nor did he know what was going on or what just happened. He felt like he needed all the energy in the world just to breathe. Why was it so fucking hard to breathe?! He could make out some faint voices. They sounded rushed. Someone was holding his arms and legs down and some other was pressing something to his head. He tasted something metallic on his tongue. Was that blood? Everything seemed too noisy and his mind was a blur. He suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his chest and screamed out, his back arching.

"Get the IV line running!" one of the doctors yelled at the nurses. "You there, get more gauze! I need three syringes loaded with diazepam! Where the hell are the blood packets?!"

Everyone was running off in different directions as the doctor passed on the orders with lightening speed. It was sure that Sasuke being Uchiha Itachi's brother made things a lot more hectic and frightening for the doctors and that the said Uchiha Itachi standing just outside the ICU room made matters that much more terrifying. If anything happened to his precious little brother, they knew that Itachi would have their necks and they would most probably spend the rest of their lives spanging on the streets of LA.

Itachi speculated the events through the glass door, his ever so impassive face still impassive as ever. He had never allowed so much as an expression to mar his beautifully carved face that was framed by bangs of long midnight black hair tied neatly into a loose ponytail. His entire being was a symbol of elegance and grace, whether it was the way he carried himself or by the way he dressed.

The moment Itachi had heard that Sasuke had gotten himself into an accident; he boarded his fastest jet from China, leaving all his business affairs behind. It wasn't as if they were important or anything. The company chairmen wouldn't dare to step away from him anyway. To escape the media, he had entered the back door of the hospital, one which was used only by staff. Once he reached the ICU, he wasn't met with a pretty sight. His little brother, who was supposed to be guarded like a prince, was lying unconscious on the hospital bed dripping with blood. He could see that the wounds were nasty. His head and chest were the most affected and the doctors were working like crazy to stop the bleeding. He felt anger surge through his entire body.

"I want whoever it is that is responsible for this", when he spoke to his men, Itachi's voice sounded calm and even, but the Uchiha's personal servants knew better. To interpret the raven's words correctly, he wanted whoever it was dead.

"Yes, sir", came a unified reply.

Itachi's crimson look hardened when he saw Sasuke struggle and scream in pain as if he was on the verge of death. One of the nurses had to hold the oxygen mask to prevent it from coming off and the others held the teen's arms and legs down. His body tossed and turned, making it hard for the doctors to stop the bleeding and even the anesthetic administered seemed to have little effect.

"We need to shift him to the operation theater immediately", one of the doctors said.

"But we haven't stabilized his condition yet. It's too risky", the other one spoke.

"We have no choice."

Itachi watched his otouto being wheeled away to the surgical theater and one of the doctors stopped to inform him of Sasuke's condition.

"He has an injury to the head, I'm not sure if the skull is fractured or not", the medical officer spoke shakily; ready to fall apart beneath the sharp red gaze of the feared man. "The glass shards have pierced his chest and we believe he may have some fractured ribs so we won't be able to tell his condition for another 48 hours."

"I expect to hear a good report", was all Itachi had to say and the doctor knew that if Sasuke didn't live through this, he was going to have to dig a grave for himself as well.

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Naruto sank to the ground outside of the hospital. He felt the fear take a hold of his heart, wondering what was going on inside of that building. He wanted so desperately to see Sasuke.

"Naruto."

The said teen looked up upon hearing the familiar voice and his face contorted in anger as he stood up.

"You promised, you bastard!" he screamed as he grabbed the brunette's collar roughly. "Why did you let this happen?"

"I promised I wouldn't let him die", Neji replied. "And as I see it, he hasn't died yet."

"You are despicable!" Naruto shoved the Hyuuga away with fury. "I will kill you myself if he doesn't make it through this!"

"Hey, Naruto!"

The blonde looked to see Juugo running towards him, followed by Suigetsu and Karin and almost all of the people present at Ichiraku for the performance that night.

"Did you get to go in?" Karin asked, looking anxious. "Is he alright?"

"There isn't any information yet", Naruto replied. "All that is known so far is that his condition is still critical."

"Don't worry. He'll pull through", Suigetsu reassured. "He isn't the one to go down without a fight."

But Naruto was far from reassured and he balled his hands into fists as he tried to stop the fresh tears from flowing forward.

"Let's go home. There is nothing we can do here", Neji said and was immediately greeted by a dark blue glare.

"Get the fuck out of here", he spat.

"Naruto, do not forget what you have told me yesterday night. If Sasuke doesn't make it, then I will leave my fate to you", the last part was said in a whisper and Naruto clenched his teeth. The others cast confused glances at the two but said nothing.

"I can't…yet", the blonde replied firmly.

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It took five painful hours for the doctors to stitch up Sasuke. He had suffered a fracture to the skull and severe chest injuries that were dangerously close to his heart. Luckily none of the fractured ribs perforated either of his lungs. His condition was still rendered unstable and he was kept on a ventilation machine. When he was returned to the ICU room, all Itachi could see was a mass of bandages and wires. The heart monitor was the only thing that declared the younger Uchiha alive. Apart from that, he was completely unconscious and was told that it could take some time for him to wake up as he was in an extremely delicate position. But now it was Itachi's demand that startled the medical staff.

"I want him shifted to the mansion", he said as if he were telling them to sit down.

"B-But, Itachi-sama, the hospital is a safer place. Shifting him now could deteriorate his condition, much worse even kill him", one of the senior doctors declared with a horror stricken voice.

"I do not repeat my words", Itachi replied simply and headed away.

A/N: it's 4 a.m. and I'm too tired to even request a review, so review pretty please! ^^