AN: Alright, next chapter is coming up. Lol! Sick Sasuke-kun yaaaay! Oh? Did I just share what's coming up? Anyways, I'm sorry if Naruto is a little OOC. I mean, come on. I like to see the dobe be a bit grown up and all. Much more interesting. LOLOL. Anyways, I apologize if him being all angry and crap is annoying y'all. He'll warm up sooner or later. Do not fret! Also, I am starting to realize how many horrible spelling mistakes I've been making. Then and than have always messed with my head, including affect and effect. I would adore it if someone could clarrify when to use all of those, since obviously this chik is LOST. LOL. Back to business, I am still trying to figure out who to make Sasuke stay with when he returns to Konoha. I mean, that's is where the story is going, and I sadly am COMPLETELY lost. I ADORE fatherly Kakashi, and I am obsessed with brotherly Naruto. Such a hard decision... Maybe.. You guys have opinions? (:

I don't own naruto, or any of it's frigin' awsome characters.

Chapter Ten (OMG ALREADY?)

Naruto opened his eyes slowly, being awakened by grunts and whimpers. The blond lifted his head to look around the room quietly. Kakashi was kneeled next to Sasuke, rubbing his shoulder and whispering things softly. The Uchiha twitched visibly and let out a small cry.

"It's alright, Sasuke..." Naruto's teacher hushed the pale teen. The blond watched in wonder, admiring his sensei as he calmed his teammate.

"O-Orochimaru... Ah!" The boy squeaked and rubbed his curse mark. Naruto presumed he was having a nightmare, and a bad one at that. The tan ninja crawled towards them as it seemed to get worse.

Sasuke stood before his sensei, breathing heavily as blood leaked out of the wounds on his chest. Orochimaru towered over his shivering form with blazing golden eyes.

"How dare you leave without my permission. How dare you disobey me once again!" Another gash appeared on his hurt body and he screamed weakly.

"You think that just because you're my next body I won't hurt you. That I won't punish you as much as you need to be. If that's what you think, than you're wrong," the knife dragged across his stomach, going deeper than the others, "Horribly wrong, Sasuke. After such a long time you still choose to disobey me. This time, you won't be receiving any mercy from me." Sasuke's eyes widened as his teammates appeared behind the sannin, snakes coiled around their limp bodies. Kakashi grunted as the snakes bit into him and tightened, one circling his neck slowly. The Uchiha struggled to reach him, feeling the chains around him pull back and force him against the wall. One crossed his forehead and pulled the boy's head up. Orochimaru walked towards Kakashi, dragging the kunai across his neck and spilling blood onto the floor. Sasuke watched, feeling his stomach churn as the metallic scent filled his lungs and nausea began to take over. His sensei fell to the floor as the snakes began to consume him slowly. The chained boy tried to close his eyes. He found that he couldn't, nor could he look away as blood spilled from the grey haired man. Naruto cried out for a second as a snake constricted around his neck, coughing and fighting for air.

"N-Naruto!" Sasuke finally yelled, flinching as Sakura screamed painfully. The two fell at his feet, crimson fluid leaking out of their eyes a mouths to pool underneath them. A small river formed and it flowed towards Sasuke, staining his pale skin. The Uchiha flinched as the door across from him, which had appeared out of no where, began to spew blood from its cracks. It collapsed and the room was drenched in red, along with Sasuke. The boy trembled and stared at his hands, chains having vanished, watching the blood drip down his pale skin. The next moment his team's screams filled his head and he shut his black eyes, finally beginning to cry.

Naruto watched the boy flail and scream, pulling his hair as tears dripped down his face. Kakashi grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him crazily, protective instinct taking over. The Uchiha's eyes snapped open and immediately he thrashed against the hold.

"No! Let me go!" The boy ordered and tore away from the man, falling onto his back and gulping in air. Sakura watched, having woken up after the boy's nightmare had caused pained cries to erupt from the thin teen's throat. Naruto stared sadly, wondering what exactly the boy had dreamt to cause him to cry.

"Sasuke... It's alright now. It was just a dream." His sensei whispered, leaning back and giving him some space. Sasuke covered his eyes and rolled over, face burning with shame as he realized he was crying. He shook and whimpered softly, small parts of his dream haunting him. He hadn't had such a horrible dream for quite some time. Lately he'd dreamt of nothing. He would usually find himself standing in a field, everything he saw painted in shades of grey. Then, a storm would come and the surroundings would melt away into simple pools of color. It confused him, but he never dwelt on it for long. This nightmare made him scared, worrying it would come true. Orochimaru would surely try and hunt him down. He shuddered again at the thought of his sensei's yellow eyes piercing him furiously. Sasuke jumped as he felt a hand rub his back in an attempt to calm him down. He turned, sharingan blazing dangerously.

He paused as he met Naruto's blue eyes, his tan face covered in the shadows of the hotel room. The Uchiha's glare became a surprised, yet thankful, look and his red orbs faded to dark grey. The blond didn't slow his touches, forgetting his anger towards his former teammate and replacing it with compassion. Obviously the boy had dreamed something about Orochimaru, and it didn't sound like anything good. He realized that Sasuke was, in fact, broken. When they'd found him, he had no doubt he was. Up until the point where he refused to return to Konoha he had thought that. Anger had consumed him. The boy was so fucking selfish. They'd risked their lives, and a year of their time, to rescue him from the twisted snake. Yet he still didn't let them help. He just pushed them away. It burned him up and he had decided not to speak with him until Sasuke got himself back on track. The blond couldn't stand him any other way. But after seeing this, he couldn't help himself. He noticed that his friend didn't push him away. Instead, the boy turned, as if ignoring him. Naruto knew he was, in some way, accepting his soothing touch, just like he had done when Sakura rubbed his watched Sakura crawl out of the bed, bending down so that she crouched like a frog near her three male teammates. She raised her hand and trailed it over Sasuke's neck, sending calming chakra into his tense muscles. He jumped at the touch and grabbed her wrist tightly, looking up at her with wide, scared eyes. Kakashi yanked him off as the pink haired girl winced and inhaled slightly, wrist aching. Sasuke ripped his arm out of his teacher's grasp, wiping his face quickly and trying to keep his nose from running. Naruto stopped his rubbing, watching Sakura worriedly.

"Sasuke-"

"He acted on instincts, Naruto. Don't blame him, blame Orochimaru." Sasuke tensed at the name, giving the jounin a hard stare.

"The only negative thing Orochimaru did was train me slowly..." He snarled, making the female to his left look away in worry. He still wanted to go back, but that shouldn't surprise her. Sasuke had always been stubborn. Also, the pink haired girl had studied up on his clan's history and felt a little more understanding towards the Uchiha. Kakashi sighed at his student's words, deciding to be a bit firmer.

"And that's why you just had a nightmare about him?" The boy flinched at this, eyes activating once again. He fucking hated it when the man acted like a know-it-all. Naruto glared at him, knowing he couldn't talk himself out of this. The Uchiha was silent for a while, deciding to just pin his sensei with his burning red eyes. The man stared back lazily, patiently waiting for the child to react and accept his words.

"You don't know what I dream of. Don't act like I'm still your student, Kakashi."

"You said his name in your sleep, stubborn bastard. Why don't you just admit that you need help!" Naruto snapped and leaned forward more. Sasuke twitched and shrugged away from the blond, still on his back looking up at them all. He grabbed his grey shorts and held the waistband, shakily getting to his feet and stumbling away from them. Sakura watched him lean against the wall, holding his gut painfully. She stood, slowly walking to his side.

"Sasuke-kun, what hurts?" The girl asked sternly, green eyes full of concern. The thin boy opened one eye to look at her weakly. The minute he had stood up a wave of nausea had hit him like a freight train. The Uchiha jerked a little and covered his mouth, letting his shorts expose his bony hips. Sakura blinked and put an arm around him, seeing him grow a shade lighter. Kakashi got up and walked Sasuke to the bathroom, where the teen vomited sickly into the toilet. He spit afterwards, beginning to sweat. He felt horribly weak. His sensei rubbed his hot back, turning away and giving the boy some dignity. The Uchiha gagged once more, emptying his stomach and panting into the bowl. Naruto squinted his eyes at his friends retching, but staying put on the floor. Sasuke flushed the toilet and leaned back against the wall, still feeling dizzy. The jounin placed a hand on his forehead, touching the boy's burning skin. He picked Sasuke up and carried him back into the bedroom, the boy struggling against him. He was set on the bed, where he felt his stomach flip again. He fell back onto the springy mattress, holding his head and grunting slightly.

"I think he has a fever. Do you think he's sick with something?" Sakura crawled up towards Sasuke's head, looking him over and also feeling his forehead. The Uchiha groaned and rubbed his gut.

"Your stomach hurts?" The girl asked, seeing his hand trail over his middle and clutch it. Sasuke gave a quick nod, angry that he felt so sick. More specifically, his stomach felt like an empty canyon, and it ate away at his strength. The Uchiha flinched as Sakura's glowing green hand hovered above his stomach, feeling yet another nausea spell fall over him. The pink haired ninja took her hand back and sighed.

"His body is just fighting off a small bug. His immune system seems to be weakened by something. Maybe his curse mark?"

"Maybe so. Tsuande-sama will be able to tell once we reach Konoha." Sasuke growled at this sentence, slamming a fist onto the bed quickly in an act of refusal. Naruto gave him a quick stare, then returned to looking at his sensei expectingly.

"Do you know what he is sick with? Can you heal him?"

"No," Sakura sighed regretfully, "I'm sorry, but I don't. It doesn't seem to be threatening, though. If we watch him he'll be fine." She diagnosed with a small smile, looking over the boy. He shivered, suddenly feeling cold. He didn't understand. He never got sick. He'd only gotten the flu once when he was six and he'd became extremely sick. His mother had been so scared. The boy let his mid dwell on her, remembering every night she lied in bed with him and brushed her fingers through his hair. She would sing to him, something she enjoyed to do while cleaning the house.

Sasuke rolled onto his side and retched, spitting up on the mattress and groaning shakily. Sakura crawled next to him and rubbed his back, hand lowing green once again. Naruto watched carefully, feeling tired. He turned and walked back to his sleeping bag. His sensei watched him go, the. Advised Sakura to get some sleep. She nodded and got comfortable on the floor next to Naruto's area. Kakashi sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Sasuke when the boy coughed. The Uchiha was looking at him angrily.

"F-For the last fucking time...," he paused and gritted his teeth, "I'm not going... back with you idiots.."

"Hush and get some sleep, Sasuke. And I don't want to hear you talk like that again. You are going back with us, so stop saying you aren't." Kakashi snarled, finally through with Sasuke's bratty attitude. The Uchiha grunted and flinched, shutting his mouth and glaring at him. His sensei sighed, collecting himself. He usually didn't explode like that. Most of the time the jounin would let his black haired student's complaints roll right off of him, but this was enough. He wasn't going to listen to that all the way back. Sasuke whined and shivered, feeling very cold now. His sensei noticed, remembering that it was fairly cold in their room. Of course, it was Fall. The temperature was beginning to grow lower and lower, and tonight he guessed it was reaching a new low. The man also realized that the air conditioner was on, blowing directly onto the springy bed.

He gently scooped up the boy and held him against his chest, closing his visible eye. Sasuke grunted and struggled slightly, giving up a second later as his stomach flipped. Kakashi felt the boy give in and he sighed heavily, rubbing his shoulder. He'd missed the boy terribly. He'd never had a son before, nor a daughter for that matter. Marriage and children had never been big for him, growing up in a dysfunctional home. He hated his father and worried he would turn out that way. He had almost rejoiced when the Hokage had informed him that Sasuke would be his student. The boy was like the kid he never wanted, but always dreamed of having. It was his chance to try out the father role he had been so scared of. He felt Sasuke lean into him, having fallen asleep against him. His sensei looked down and opened his eye, smiling a little. He decided to get some rest himself, closing his eyes and nodding off.

Sakura sat up and rubbed her eyes, feeling gross. She stood up and walked towards the bathroom, tank top clinging to her thin frame. She smiled at her sensei, seeing Sasuke sleeping against him peacefully. The female made sure not to wake the boy up as she headed towards the bathroom. Her body craved a bath. Sasuke cracked his eyes open as she shut the bathroom door, having become a light sleeper while living with Orochimaru and Kabuto. He didn't move, hearing the shower turn on and Sakura begin to hum. He listened quietly, enjoying his teammates soft, muffled singing. Once again, his mother came to mind and his chest felt tight. He closed his eyes and relaxed, clearing his mind forcefully. The water shut off about fifteen minutes later and the humming stopped. Sakura appeared with a towel clutched around her, making Sasuke's heart beat uneasily for a few seconds. The Uchiha cracked his eyes open and watched her, thankful that the room was too dark to see his face become a bit red. The pink haired girl looked around the room, making sure her team was asleep still, then crouching and looking quietly through her backpack. Sasuke gulped silently as she stood and walked back out of sight, cursing a little.

The boy paused. He was talking about Sakura here. What in the world was wrong with him? He'd never found the girl very attractive. Yes, she was pretty, but her clingy attitude was a turn off for Sasuke. He'd noticed, though, that she along with everyone else had matured. Sakura wasn't his little fangirl anymore. She was older and more grown-up looking. He'd realized this the minute he'd seen her again. The girl reappeared, wearing a pink shirt with white shorts. Sasuke watched her rummage around a few more seconds and pull out a book, crossing the room and exiting his line of sight. He heard her sigh and a couple of shuffling noises, presuming she was settling in once again. Sasuke sighed and decided to wait for the others to wake up, unable to sleep again. The Uchiha noticed that his stomach didn't feel quite as aggravated, though it was empty. Hours passed and the room slowly became brighter, sun rising and beaming through the grimy windows. He soon felt Kakashi move around and he pushed off of him, refusing to meet the man's eyes. He was still angry he'd slept in his arms like a scared child.

"Sasuke, you feeling any better? You slept very well." He asked the younger male, who gave a quick and simple nod in reply. The man smiled and got off the bed, walking towards Naruto and nudging his side. The blond looked up with half lidded eyes, grunting a few inaudible words.

"Come on, we're leaving. Get ready."

"Fine, fine... I'm up." The tan ninja grumbled and started rolling up his sleeping bag and changing into better clothes. Kakashi asked him if he had anymore clothes for Sasuke, but shook his head no.

"All I have is my pajama shirt, but that's big on me. It's gonna' be huge on Sasuke." The Uchiha sent him a sharp glare at the comment, pulling his shorts up and trying to make his stomach hang out more. He failed miserably. Kakashi took the shirt from him and walked to the pale boy, pulling the shirt over his head since the boy's arm was still hurting him. Naruto was right, the white shirt swallowed him. Sasuke lifted his arm a little, seeing the sleeves fall all the way down to his elbows. He grimaced and glared at Kakashi.

"Sorry, Sasuke. We don't have anymore money on us. This will have to do until we reach Konoha."

"I don't have any shoes. What am I supposed to walk in?" Sasuke pointed out, glare intensifying. He wouldn't be caught dead wearing such ugly clothes. Then again, he'd worn Orochimaru's disgusting uniform for almost a year without saying a single word.

"Can you walk at all is the question." Kakashi said and stepped back, waiting for Sasuke to rise to his feet.

"Of course I can walk!..." The Uchiha snapped and pushed up with his left arm, wincing and swaying a little. It was true. He still felt extremely weak. His sensei watched him struggle for a few minutes, then gently pushed him back onto the bed. The boy rubbed his mark and glared at the floor, embarrassed.

"I'll get him, sensei. Don't worry." Naruto said in an annoyed voice. Walking over and crouching in front of Sasuke. The Uchiha turned his nose up at the helpful action and glared at the blond's back. The other boy turned to give him a bored look.

"Get on my back, Sasuke. Is that too complicated for you? Do you need me to put it in simpler words?" He pestered his friend, who snarled and inched his way onto Naruto's back. He tightened his grip around his neck as he stood up easily.

"Sakura? I'm sorry, but can you get my bag for me?"

"Of course I can. It's no problem at all, don't be sorry." The female said pleasantly and picked up his backpack. Kakashi walked out and held the door open for his three students, closing it behind them and heading out after returning the key to the front desk. Sasuke glared over Naruto's shoulder, angry with the small team he was bound to. He cursed and shuffled a little, feeling the blond's hands begin to grip under his legs uncomfortably. His carrier pushed him up, making Sasuke grunt in surprise and clutch him. The tan boy chuckled at his reaction and did it again.

"Cut it out, dobe..."

"Don't get on my bad side, teme. You're the one helpless here. You wanna' sit on the road till someone decides to help you?"

"Hush up you two. I'm not going to listen to you fight this entire trip." Kakashi ordered firmly, making the two boys growl and shut their mouths. Sasuke felt the boy bounce him again, and he tightened his grip around his throat.

"Gah! Teme! Stop choking me, dammit!"

"Stop jerking me around then!" The teens yelled at each other, making Sakura and Kakashi drop their heads in annoyance. This was going to be a long trip.

AN: Alright! There you have it. I am SO happy I've reached 30,000 words. x3 Idk, it's just exciting for me! Tee hee! So, I've begun to think up yet ANOTHER story, but I cannot part with Revelations just yet. In a similar topic, I have no clue when this story will come to an official end. The main plot is how I wished Naruto (the show) had ended up. Though, I have been neglecting the manga for quite some time, now, so I'm not sure exactly what new characters are evil and such. The last thing I remember is seeing Naruto looking like a Pikachu LOLOLOL. And so, I do not know what is correct in the series now. I was thinking of adding some big action, such as a death, kidnapping, tragic turn of events, and so on. But, I do not want to mess with the flow of things. YES, many questions. I know, you're all like, "YOU'RE THE AUTHOR! STEWPID!" Lol. Yes, I understand you're aggravation, but please do forgive me. I am really trying to do my best with this story. (:

Reviews are ADORED!

-Nat