Yeah I know I deserve death. However if you kill me now you won't know the rest of the story. Looks like I barely escaped the noose huh? (promises the next update will NOT be a YEAR later!)

Oh and heres a summary of the last chappie in case (most likely u have) forgotten! Naruto got his chakra drained and is living with sasuke-kun. They go out to visit Kiba and Neji the now not so secret couple and Naruto collapses. Naruto and Sasuke will have to fight to keep Naru alive. Oh no! (now u extra extremely want to kill me right?) Gomenesai!

"Inuzuka. Tell Tsunade we have a storm to wait out." Sasuke lifted Naruto. Kiba mounted Akamaru and was gone.

"Sasuke!" Neji yelled stopping the Uchiha from juggling both the shaking Naruto and baby Koichi. The two's eyes met. Neji picked up Koichi.

"Your house then." He said sternly and disappeared.

"Sasuke." Naruto's eyes blinked open. "I'm tired." Sasuke nodded.

"I shouldn't have taken you out today." Naruto had refused to be held as they walked through Konoha like a bride so now they were making progress with Naruto walking slowly using Sasuke as support.

"I'm fine Sasuke! See I can walk!" The blonde looked absolutely pathetic and he knew it. Sasuke sighed and gave Naruto a sneer.

"C'mon…at least let's go piggy back." Sasuke suggested. No one ever made the Uchiha beg but Naruto came pretty close to it some days.

"Teme! I'm not some girl!"

"Dattebayo! You are sick Naruto! You have a son! You can't be this stupid anymore!" Sasuke regretted it the minute it poured from his mouth. His hand was still on Naruto's waist still holding him upright. Naruto however had gone rigid.

"I'm sorry…." Sasuke clenched his fists. "I don't know what to do Sasuke…I only just got used to having people care about me…I've never had a sibling or any family...Konohamaru has grown and he was the closest…I don't know what I'm doing." Sasuke knew Naruto needed to get back to the complex back into bed. Koichi would have to go live with Kurenai or Sakura. It was too dangerous if the nine-tails chakra leaked again. He could feel Naruto's knees buckling and in a swift motion had him on his back.

"Teme…You know it makes me dizzy." Any amount of chakra used to move Naruto had given him dizzy spells and he'd often get knocked out if they teleported. Sasuke had no choice though and he used chakra to run back to the complex. Naruto buried his head in his back.

"Dobe…" Naruto was already getting a fever by the time they reached the Uchiha compound. Sakura was there waiting with Ino.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto-kun!" Sakura yelled. Sasuke hadn't seen Ino since he came back. She seemed more or less the same; he heard she was dating Choji. Naruto groaned by his ear.

"Ino-chan…" He said weakly.

"Naruto what have you done?" He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. Ino smiled back. "Sasuke." Her greeting was short and bitter. He guessed he deserved that. No one but Sakura and Naruto had really opened to his return. Even Kakashi-sensei was cold to him. Neji appeared from the front door. He was carrying Koichi in a small bundle and had a bag as well.

"Ko…ichi." Naruto tried to reach out his hand.

"Naruto he's going to go stay with Sakura and Kakashi for a while okay?" Sasuke whispered wary of the monstrous headache the dobe must have. The concern on his face didn't fade however.

"Naruto Kurenai-sensei will be there too. It will be fine." Sakura wiped sweat from his brow. He nodded and let his eyes fall closed.

"S'uke." He whispered.

"Hn." He answered.

"It's starting…" as if on cue Naruto started trembling and dug his nails into Sasuke's shoulder. His head was throbbing and he pushed into Sasuke's back. He could feel people moving all around him. Neji teleporting to Sakura's house, Sakura helping Sasuke set him down on Sasuke's couch. The familiar scent of lavender on Sasuke mixing with the vanilla of his home swirled around him. Sasuke was never very far, Naruto could feel his hand in his. Naruto knew he must be squeezing hard enough to break bone. He could feel Sakura trying to heal him, relieve some pain. None of it helped. The fire that had consumed his chakra network was burning him through.

"Sasuke…it burns…make it stop…please Sasuke….Sakura…make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!" He knew he was screaming but he couldn't stop. It hurt soo much, so so much. Then it lessened and he took a shaky breath. The fire still raged but insatiable pain was alleviated for the moment. He opened his eyes. Tsunade was there smiling at him. Sweat was on her brow. She had just performed some jutsu, he could tell.

"Naruto…" Sasuke kissed his forehead and squeezed his hand. "Don't…don't scare me like that…" He put his hand on Naruto's forehead. "Your fever hasn't gone down." He sighed.

"The pain is gone but I'm still burning." He croaked. Tsunade knelt down and unzipped his jacket. The breath of fresh air felt good and he slumped into the couch more. She lifted up his shirt to inspect the seal. He heard Sakura gasp and Sasuke squeezed his hand. Tsunade's face stayed unchanging.

"I had thought as much." She sighed. "The seal is fading, emerging from the center are swirling burns. That's what was hurting you so horribly." Her hand was shaky and clammy. She couldn't do anything again! She couldn't change anything, but she couldn't just… She sighed brushing back stray hairs.

"Naruto what's the extent of your pain now?" Ino asked placing a cool towel on his forehead.

"Everything is on fire still. The pain before was…it's calmed now." At the end he coughed a bit. Sasuke was immediately on his knees by him. Concern laced his eyes uncharacteristically. Damn couldn't the coughing just go away? It didn't wrack his body like before but his eyes still scrunched up in pain. He lay there and took deep even breaths. Tsunade brought her hand to his cheek wiping away sweat. Her eyes looked dark he thought.

"Baa-chan, what did you do?" he asked.

"It's a jutsu my grandfather taught lands that held jinchuruki in them. It stabilizes the seal in times of great stress. I've never used it before and obviously it isn't doing much for your pain." She sighed a half smile stuck on her mouth. Naruto was going to answer when the searing pain came back. It started acutely at his seal this time. He doubled over onto his knees. His vision was swimming again. Voices were muddled and running together. He could hear himself screaming. The pain seemed more acute. It was his seal that was burning but something else was at his chest. It felt like a steal blade turning in circles in his heart. When it hit hard he fell back, he felt immobile and weak.

"Naruto!" Sasuke and Sakura yelled. His eyes rolled back in his head and his body started to shake.

"He's having a seizure!"

"Sakura! Ino! Stabilize his heart!"

"Dammit Uchiha hold him down!"

"His heartbeat is erratic!"

"Cardiac arrest?"

"Sharingan!" Naruto could hear their voices. He wanted to answer but everything had gone white, he could hear the voices drift away slowly.

"It's not his heart that's erratic, its kyuubi's chakra…."

"It needs help. Kyuubi is…having a heart attack…?" Naruto felt himself drift into Kyuubi's cage. The giant fox was lying still. A loud beating sporadically drowned out any noise Naruto could make. Its eye opened staring down at Naruto. Blood immediately starting gushing forth. Naruto could feel his cheeks wet with the crimson tears. A tail came around and gently touched Naruto's forehead. Naruto blinked to find himself standing in the forest, Koichi in his arms crying loudly.

"Shush now, shush now. Good Kit." Naruto purred but it wasn't Naruto it was Kyuubi. This was after he had lost control in the forest. A tail whipped around him and held Koichi.

"No! He'll….burn…." Except Koichi didn't burn at all. He cooed softly and content.

"Quite the little treasure." Madara appeared on a branch standing on the corpses of Koichi's parents. "His father and mother were very special people Naruto-kun." Naruto felt the growl in his chest as it rippled through the forest. "Oh no need to be mad. It was of my own doing after all. I infused your chakra kyuubi into the womb of Kaede and sperm of Hiroshi during a raid. Within twenty four hours she was pregnant with that pup of yours. His chakra is conditioned to be around and detect yours. He would have been the ultimate weapon to help me finally harness your power." The scowl on his face eerily reminded Naruto of a moody Sasuke. "No matter. You won't live for much longer, and right before life tries to fly from you I'll take you and use your power as my own. The boy will die, the baby will be alone, and you kyuubi will be mine!" The mangekyo caused a thrill of pain to ring through Naruto's brain. He blinked and found himself outside the cage.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

"God dammit Gaki wake up!" He could hear himself being pulled back he nodded to kyuubi who curled back out of sight. The first thing to come back was an unbearable cold. It felt like the fire that had been strangling him was now an even more suffocating freeze. He could hear mumbling whispers. He knew there were really desperate cries, shouted orders, people coming and going loudly but to him it was a quiet snow enveloping him disturbed only by a mild breeze. He could stay here he thought, he didn't have to move. He's always liked the snow, it reminded him of…Sasuke. Then he knew he couldn't let it go now, Kyuubi couldn't help him and he knew how to save them, maybe. Until then they'd just have to ride this out. The next thing he felt was the weight of his body. Then he heard the people and then he opened his eyes.

Naruto hadn't moved for a full five minutes. It felt so much longer. Sasuke seemed frozen. His sharingan spinning but then it would fail and Sasuke would wipe away tears he wouldn't let fall. She looked to her teacher, Tsunade stared at the blonde stumped but her hands kept moving fixing whatever she could. She looked down and noticed she was doing the same. Tsunade and her worked in an easy flow of pull and push. Ino stood next to her murmuring she kept trying to find Naruto's mind. It wasn't a waking blonde that brought them from their stupor however. Ino cried out as Shikamaru was suddenly beside her stopping her from doing another jutsu.

"No, I can find him! I can find him!" Shikamaru pulled her to him. They'd always gotten along. Choji was there too and he pulled them both into a hug as Ino sobbed. Soon she felt someone grab her own hands. She stared up into Kakashi's eyes. His sharingan out too, searching. Something else was there too. Tears. Kakashi had never cried. She pulled free her hands and worked on the blonde. He didn't stop her. He watched her, watched Sasuke, and watched the blonde idiot in front of them. Truth be told he was their baby. This whole damn village babied him. Held him to them.

'…but we couldn't stop this…' she thought to herself. Tsunade was pulled away by Yamato and Shizune. She collapsed shaking on the floor. Kakashi sighed and closed his eyes.

Sasuke still held the hand of his dobe. It was freezing. It had slowly lost warmth as the treatment continued. Naruto's words echoed in his mind.

'Don't be scared. I'll be fine! Believe it!' The half smile that told him he only half believed it. Damn dobe, you can't leave, not yet, not now. He looked down through blurred vision at Naruto. He gasped when two gorgeous blue eyes flitted open.

"…hey…stranger…" The blonde croaked out. Sasuke had tears falling down his cheeks. Naruto shivered. The cold hadn't left him that was the price for keeping the seal in tact. No fire, but no warmth at all either. Sasuke slowly fell to his knees beside him. Naruto slowly lifted his unoccupied hand and wiped away tears lingering on the raven's cheeks. With a swift movement Sasuke had scooped him up and was cradling him. Naruto squeezed his eyes shut to stop the spinning.

"Naruto…Naruto." Sasuke had buried his face in Naruto's neck and murmured his name.

"Sasuke. You didn't believe me. I said I'd be fine." A wide smile found it's place on Naruto's face as he petted the dark hair comforting his love. Slowly Sakura came around and knelt by Naruto.

"You…BAKA!" And Sakura hugged them both holding on tightly. Kakashi came over too.

"Kakashi-sensei! You're crying!" Kakashi nodded and ruffled the blonde's hair. The whole room watched the endearing moment. Naruto still shivered in Sasuke's arms but he was okay. Shikamaru sat with a sigh. Ino still being held by Choji gulped down sobs no longer needed. Tsunade squeezed Shizune's hand, the only way she could express her pure bliss.

Sasuke breathed in the scent of Naruto. He couldn't let him go, he couldn't. Each time something like this happened Naruto lost weight, he couldn't be much over a hundred pounds any more. Sakura was holding them both crying. She was always very perceptive, especially after she got over him. Kakashi stayed close a hand around them. Sasuke closed his eyes.

"Sasuke…" Naruto's teeth chattered. "…we look like…the picture." Sasuke knew what picture he meant. The team seven picture on the coffee table, in their bedroom, on the wall in the kitchen. Naruto had only eyes for Sasuke; Sasuke still wouldn't let his scowl drop even holding his love so gently. Sakura always the emotional was smiling through the tears right there with them. Kakashi with his hands on their backs protecting them in this horrific moment. They indeed were like everything that picture represented to their team, to Naruto and him. This was their treasure.

"Naruto…your shivering." Sakura said dumbly.

"I think my body temperature has dropped several degrees." The shock hit and Tsunade was inspecting him.

"Naruto…what…" Shikamaru whispered.

"I know how to release the jutsu, but we have to wait….a long time." Sasuke's ears picked up.

"How?" He asked unbelieving.

"Koichi…Madara infused some of the nine tails chakra from one our battles into the unborn Koichi. He can…resonate…with me. He can reverse the jutsu, he can control the chakra. Madara was going to use him to get to me." He coughed a bit at the end and pulled closer to Sasuke. "The price to keep the seal shut until Koichi grows up is Kyuubi shutting off. I will have no link to his chakra and half of mine will be depleted to help him close the seal, thus my temperature will fluctuate constantly….I'm freezing." He admitted curling closer again to Sasuke. Sasuke held him.

"So there's nothing we can do." Shizune's voice was strained.

"No," Shikamaru spoke up, "We have to make sure Koichi is the safest kid in this village and that he gets the best training as he grows. He's our only chance." He nodded resolutely.

"So…we just wait?" Ino said having calmed down. Kakashi nodded.

"We'll have to help Naruto with the symptoms as best we can but other than that we wait and watch Koichi grow up." Sakura wiped a tear from her face. It would be a long time before Koichi could handle this, she thought. She looked at Naruto, shivering as Sasuke crushed him to his chest.

"I would appreciate it if Naruto and I could be let alone for the night." Sasuke's voice was soft but firm. "He needs to keep earlier hours and if we have to wait fretting while he needs rest won't do anything." Sasuke looked up. Everyone nodded.

"I'll leave medical instructions for emergencies and his aforementioned temperature fluctuations." Tsunade said standing. Naruto and Sasuke nodded. Slowly everyone filed out of the Uchiha compound.

"I'll send for Koichi to come home in the morning alright." Sasuke said reading his blonde's mind. Naruto nodded sleepily curling closer into Sasuke. "I thought….I…thought I'd lost you." Sasuke gulped down a sob, relief flooding his system.

"S'uke…I'll never leave you…I love you." Naruto gazed up at Sasuke who opened his eyes finally letting tears streak his porcelain face.

"I love you too…I love you Naruto." Naruto smiled and wiped away his lover's tears. Sasuke stood still cradling the blonde. He shivered intensely, his teeth clenched against the racking of his body.

"I knew this would happen, but I'm ss..so...c-cold." Naruto's eyes gleamed as he squinted and tightened his death grip on Sasuke's clothes. Naruto watched as Sasuke racked his brain, finding a solution. Naruto knew he could count on his love, knew that they could make it the next decade or so until Koichi would start training to control his gifts.

"Shower. We'll get you in a hot shower!" The relief in Sasuke's voice was evident. Naruto smiled. They walked up the stairs at a hurried pace, straight to the bathroom. Sasuke set him down on the toilet seat and turned the water to scalding in the shower.

"Can you stand yet Naru?" He asked gently. He shook his head weakly, he could barely feel his legs. He knew he couldn't stand. Sasuke knelt and looked into his eyes. The pure torture that swam in them caused Naruto to tear up.

"Shh shh Baby what is it? Does something hurt!" His hands rubbed his shoulders gently trying to help his shivers go away.

"I…I'm sorry. All of this…its not what you should have come home to." Sasuke wiped his face. What could his love mean? Sure he thought that by now they'd be sleeping together and it wouldn't be coughing attacks that woke him at three a.m.

"C'mon it's been a horrible night for us both. Let's shower grab my arm." Naruto reached out a shaky arm and Sasuke lifted them both into the stream of water. To keep Naruto standing Sasuke held him to him calmly stroking his hair.

"I should be your rock. Not the other way around." Naruto whispered. "I should be helping you with returning home….with Itachi." He was practically inaudible. Sasuke stiffened, in truth Itachi hadn't even crossed his mind. Naruto, you idiot. Memories long buried away bubbled to the surface he shook his head slightly clearing his head. It was late, they should go to bed soon.

"Dobe." Naruto chuckled, understanding.

"Teme." Sasuke despite feeling the fatigue from using his sharingan for so long took his time as he carefully washed his blonde angel's hair. The citrus scented shampoo filled the steam coming off his body. Naruto in turn scrubbed Sasuke's back gently. Thye both were quiet for some time. Until Sasuke spoke up.

"Naru?"

"Mmm." Naruto replied gently letting his head dip back to let the shampoo wash out of his golden locks.

"Uzumaki-Uchiha, Koichi…" Naruto's bright eyes brimmed with tears.

"Really?"

"As soon as Neji brings me the papers form Tsunade's office." With that a new life was staring for the duo.