Note from the Author: This is different from how I usually write my Learn to Crawl one-shots – and this is also going to be a two-shot. It's darker than usual. But I hope you like it anyway!

LoversPastForgotten: That was the best review I've gotten in a while! Thank you.

Daemonfamiliar: Thank you! And yes, there will be more!

Ravensbff: Ah, yes. Fluff and the OOC shovel go hand-in-hand, don't they?

Inuyashanaruto: Thank you!

SylvanDreamer: I'm glad I brightened your day a little – and I'm sorry about your test! Exams are horrid, aren't they?

CaveDwellers: Thanks, honey! Your reviews always make me smile.

-im sooo lost.again-: Thanks, honey!

I'm down on my knees.

His knees hit the mud. Hard. Gasping, he clutched his side, wondering where the pain had come from. Feet splashed resolutely into the puddles, wetting his exposed arms, and someone crouched before him. His head felt like a weight too heavy to lift, the rain pouring through his dark hair, making it impossible to look up.

Luckily, cool hands gently lifted his face, and his eyes focused on that impossible blue that he recognized so clearly. "Sasuke, I'm here. You'll be fine." A kunai whizzed by, and Naruto ducked, pressing his head protectively to his chest. "I have to find a med nin." He murmured more to himself than to his companion. "Come on, Sasuke."

His breath caught as he was pulled to his feet, the movement tugging at his wound. The liquid on his hand was warm, telling him that it was blood, not rain, with which it was soaked. He let himself be picked up, and rested his cheek against Naruto's wet back, wrapping his arms around his chest.

They were at war. Unlike missions, ninja battlefields were head-on, bloodier than one-on-one fights, which consisted more of stealth and quick, clean deaths. Sasuke found himself angry that he had let his guard down. He hadn't expected his enemies to actually sneak up behind them, thinking they were going to attack directly. Now he was injured.

What's worse was Naruto was rescuing him. He was letting Naruto see his weakness. He was supposed to be the one taking care of Naruto, not the other way around.

His vision was blurring now, and the trees whose branches they were running through smeared together like wet paint. "Naruto," his tongue felt thick, awkward. "Naruto, it was poisoned."

The boy carrying him cursed, dropped to the ground, leaning him against a tree. "Hang on, Sasuke." He murmured, pressing the button on his headset. "Sakura-chan, where are you?"

Her high-pitched voice rang out, declaring her location. It echoed uncomfortably around Sasuke's head, and for a moment, he hoped he'd die so he wouldn't have to hear her anymore.

Naruto relayed their coordinates. "We need a medic nin." He turned to Sasuke after telling her this, frowning. "Can I see it?"

The dark head bobbed in a nod, and he lifted his shirt. "I'm sorry, Naruto, " he whispered.

The blonde hair sagged around his face, seeming strangely tired as Naruto rummaged in his medical kit, cleaning the wound. He forced a grin. "What – sorry you didn't die?"

Sasuke shuddered, gritting his teeth at the feeling of peroxide in the wound. "I'm sorry I'm not strong enough."

Naruto smiled gently. "Sasuke, if you were any stronger, I'd be no match for you." He shifted to sit next to him, pressing bandages to the gouge in his side with his right hand, wrapping his left arm around him and drawing him close.

He rested his head on his shoulder, shivering. The air was cold and, through the thick foliage of the tree under which they rested protected them from the rain, they were drenched; their cold, heavy clothing clinging to their bodies. The thought of hypothermia flitted through his mind, but it flew away when Naruto wrapped him tightly in an embrace, trembling as he pressed their lips together. Far off in his mind, he could hear branches creaking, Sakura on her way.

"You're not allowed to die." He whispered. "No matter how weak you are, I love you."