Forget Me Not
By The Ambitious Blank

Disclaimer- Naruto doesn't belong to me. La la la~
Comments- Whee, chapter 2. ^^ Thank you to my reviewers~

~*~Chapter 2- Purple Hyacinth, "Please Forgive Me"

"I'll do it."

All eyes in the room turned upon Sasuke. His heart was pounding in his chest. Despite being an Uchiha of famous renown throughout all the villages, he wasn't used to the prying eyes that turned upon him, all of them seeming to pierce through his very soul. Tsunade and Kakashi were by far the worst of all. Tsunade spoke first.

"Don't be a fool, Uchiha. You can't possibly be the one to do this." She said, and Sasuke could read the clear apprehension on her face. He could read the thoughts on all their faces.

No one else will volunteer. Everyone has begun to respect Naruto.. but no one's willing to die for him just yet. And those that are willing.. can't. His eyes found the desperate face of Iruka, and though he could see Kakashi was struggling to appear unconcerned, there were clear worry lines in his face.

"So tell me who's left, Tsunade-sama." Sasuke said, eyeing the woman's anxious face. "Kakashi-sensei might do it, but he can't, he still has more teams he has to lead. Iruka-sensei can't, he still has to teach at the Academy. Not many people, if any, in this village are willing to die for Naruto's sake.. surely, Sakura would be a good candidate, if I were the one who needed to be saved. She cares for Naruto, but she doesn't love him that much." Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. "..what other choice do you have?"

The Hokage seemed to deflate like a balloon. Kakashi and Iruka kept their eyes on Sasuke, while everyone else glanced away. It was true. Naruto had risen up several steps on the ladder of respect in the village than where he'd started out from, but he wasn't loved that much yet.

"Then why you, Uchiha?" Tsunade asked. "You still have to pass your bloodline on."

"My bloodline doesn't matter so long as the village is still standing." Sasuke answered swiftly. "If you want some of my blood so bad, take it before I die. See what you can do with it. I really don't give a damn."

"Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama!!" A nurse came running in, her hair mussed, looking extremely stressed. All the eyes in the room turned away from Tsunade and Sasuke, and onto her. Sasuke was relieved, some of the pressure lifting away. Tsunade's brow furrowed even further.

"What is it? What's wrong??"

"It's.. it's Naruto, Hokage-sama! He's gotten worse! The seal's been almost completely thrown off, and he's broken free! We can't get him back down, we need your help!"

Tsunade looked down, contemplating over this for a few moments, a quick few mutterings being emitted under her breath as she walked towards the door. Sasuke heard a few of them as she passed by, and he was quick to follow, along with Kakashi, Iruka, Asuma, and Kurenai. The rest of the Jounins and Chuunins stood, mildly confused.

"..temporary seal should do it.. won't endanger anyone's life.." Tsunade murmured as she hurried after the nurse down the hallway. Sasuke looked at her, having to jog to keep up.

"A temporary seal? You can do that?"

"Yes, but it only lasts 24 hours, and it's not a permanent solution.. the fox will eventually find a way to break that, too." She said, breaking into a run, making Sasuke have to do the same to keep at her side.

The group reached the room, and saw the state of disorder the place was in. Naruto had snapped the leather bonds on the bed that had held him, and was clawing at some of the doctors and nurses trying to catch him and get him back under control. No one had been killed yet, but the fox was advancing upon a nurse who had tripped and fallen sometime during the commotion. Tsunade rolled up her sleeves and and walked inside fearlessly, followed by Kakashi and Iruka.

"Seal no Jutsu!" Tsunade cried, muttering a few other words under her breath afterward. Gold fire appeared around her fingertips, swirling around them as though alive. She ran up to a rather surprised Naruto. Kakashi dashed forward and held him still, earning a slash across his arm, but he managed to pull Naruto's shirt up, the spiral seal, now broken up into pieces, being revealed. The Hokage rushed forward, thrusting her hand forward and slamming it into the mark. Naruto let out a shriek of pain and was thrown backward by the force of the blast, hitting the ground with a sickening thud that made Sasuke wince as he watched from outside.

The Uchiha's hands were pressed against the glass as he watched, his eyes slightly wider than normal. Naruto was lying on the ground, still except for his labored breathing. Tsunade looked exhausted, and had slumped back into the arms of Iruka. As the injured doctors and nurses hurried out to attend to their wounds, Sasuke pushed his way inside.

"Naruto!" He ran over to the fallen boy, kneeling down beside him. Naruto didn't stir. Sasuke looked up to Tsunade, who sighed, managing to stand on her own.

"He'll be fine. But.. Sasuke." She looked at him, her tone dead serious. Sasuke looked up at her, surprised at the honest concern that was written all over her expression.

"You understand the consequences?" She continued. "You will die, Sasuke, there's no other way around it."

Sasuke turned away, staring at the floor off to the side, hands instinctively going to his pockets. Didn't they understand? Didn't they get it? When he'd said he'd do it, he meant every word. He knew what it meant. He knew he wouldn't survive it. But he also knew that there was no other way.

"If.. if it's for Naruto, then I.." He trailed off. Tsunade gave a hopeless sigh.

"I see." She said, saving him from finishing that sentence. "Young love really isn't something you can help, I guess." She laughed, softly, though only traces of humor were in it. "Very well, then. Naruto can stay at your house tonight, then. It'll be up to you whether you want to tell him what you're doing or not.. however, although it's ill-advised to keep something like this from him.. that might be for the better."

"I understand." Sasuke said, nodding. "I won't tell him. He'd try to stop me."

"Be careful. I'm sure that most of the other villagers know of this by now. Please, try to shelter him from it until the time comes. We will perform the ceremony tomorrow, at dawn. Please meet me in my office around five in the morning. Naruto we will retrieve ourselves a little while later." Tsunade said, getting a nod from Sasuke. She then looked to a nurse who had managed to escape without a wound.

"You. Please, wait until Naruto awakens, and tell him he is supposed to stay with Sasuke at the Uchiha manor this evening." She ordered, then left the room to go attend to her other duties. The nurse nodded and sat down in a chair, relieved to be off her feet. Sasuke lifted Naruto into his arms and laid him on the bed, pulling a chair to the bedside and sitting down to wait.

~*~

Naruto stirred, his bright blue eyes cracking open carefully. There was a strange weight on the side of the bed he'd been placed in, and when he rolled over, he was met by a head of spiky, ebony-stranded hair, framing the pale face of a familiar boy. Sasuke looked almost ethereal, like a fallen angel from heaven, his wings clipped, the only thing tying him down. His long eyelashes folded delicately over his cheeks, as though they were afraid to make contact with the smooth skin. Naruto reached out, brushing his fingers over Sasuke's face, his fingertips moving tenderly across the pale flesh of the sleeping boy. He drew away quickly, ashamed of himself, wondering what might have caused him to do such a thing. Boys weren't supposed to like boys. Shinobi in general were not supposed to fall in love.

Damn you, Sasuke. Damn you. I'm supposed to hate you.

"Naruto-san?[1]"

Naruto jerked in surprise, rolling over to face the nurse, who was sitting in a chair across the room. She smiled at him, and Naruto could tell she was exhausted.

"Hokage-sama has ordered that you stay with Sasuke-san at his home tonight. She has temporarily sealed the fox within you for 24 hours." She said, wisely deciding to leave out the details of the chaos Naruto had caused earlier. Naruto frowned, looking down at Sasuke. It must be some special order from Tsunade for Sasuke to watch him. Sasuke would never volunteer for a job like this.

..right?

"You're very lucky, Naruto-san.." The nurse said, smiling kindly at him as she stood up and walked over to the bedside. "..to have such good friends as you do." She patted his head, lightly touching Sasuke's shoulder. Naruto nodded.

"..I know."

The nurse gently shook Sasuke.

"Sasuke-san, Naruto is awake now.. Sasuke-san, wake up.." She murmured gently. Sasuke's eyes fluttered open, his gaze shifting first up to Naruto, then at the nurse. Naruto could see himself reflected in those dark pools, endlessly drifting into Sasuke's very soul, even as the cloudiness of sleep faded away from them. Sasuke blinked slowly, catching his staring, raising an eyebrow.

"Eh? Naruto? You want something?" He asked, frowning. Naruto shook his head.

"No. But.. they say I'm supposed to go with you tonight. To stay at your house overnight so you can watch me or something." He said, looking confused. Sasuke nodded.

"Yeah, I volunteered to watch you for tonight."

He.. volunteered? Naruto wondered, blinking. Sasuke stared at him.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked as he stood up and stretched a little. Naruto shook his head.

"No. Can we get out of here, though? I really don't like this place, it's way too quiet and depressing." Naruto sat up and stretched out his sore limbs. His eyes fell down upon the bed, noticing that the bonds had been pulled at and eventually snapped.

What.. what did I..?

Naruto's eyes began to travel downward so he could look at his hands. Sasuke's hand snapped out, grabbing his before the blonde had a chance to put the pieces together. He didn't want to cause any more pain for the Uzumaki boy.

"Let's go." He said firmly. Naruto nodded and let himself be helped out of bed by Sasuke, noticing how the dark-haired ninja's hands lingered on his a little longer than they needed to. Soon, they were out in the pasty white hallways, heading towards the exit. Naruto couldn't help but notice how some of the doctors and nurses shied out of their path.

"Ne.. Sasuke." Naruto said quietly, pausing to look around. Sasuke didn't answer. Naruto frowned, hurrying to catch up to him, bumping into a nurse by accident.

"Oh! I'm sorry--" He began, reaching out to help her back up. She scurried back, hurriedly picked up the papers she'd dropped, and dashed off. Naruto's shoulders slumped slightly, and Sasuke turned, having seen the whole thing. Naruto looked at him.

"Sasuke, what did I do..?" He asked. His voice made Sasuke's heart wrench violently in his chest. It was so pleading, so full of pain. Sasuke knew that if all this wasn't happening, Naruto would try and block everything out. But the looks everyone was giving to him..

Sasuke turned away, staring at the ground. Without looking back up, he waited until they were alone in the hallway, and then spoke quietly.

"The Kyuubi's seal is starting to break away. You snapped earlier, and it took almost full control of you.. you attacked a few people." He said, eyes lowered. Naruto's eyes widened, and he took a step back.

"I.. I don't believe you.. I couldn't have.." He said, staring at his hands. "..I.. did.. did I kill anyone, Sasuke..?"

That voice. It made Sasuke's chest ache terribly, and he raised a hand, placing it there. This pain was something that couldn't be cured with spells or medicine. This pain was that of sympathy, of heartache. Of not being able to do a damn thing for Naruto except die for him. Sasuke shook his head.

"No. No one's dead. Tsunade put a seal on you that'll last for twenty-four hours. After that.." Sasuke trailed off. No. He couldn't tell Naruto what happened 'after that'. He wouldn't be able to take that tone of voice anymore. Naruto stared at him.

"'After that'..?" He asked, frowning. "Then what..?"

Sasuke stepped forward, putting a hand on Naruto's face. Naruto jerked in surprise, but didn't pull away. The Uchiha boy was staring at him so intently, it was almost unsettling. Then, a faint smile tugged at Sasuke's lips as he turned away and kept walking.

"..after that, I'll make everything all right again."

~*~

Sasuke lay awake, staring up at the ceiling. The Uchiha manor was silent, save for the quiet chirping of crickets and the peaceful babbling of the small brook that ran near the building. Yet, somehow, even that couldn't lull him to sleep. Shadows of cherry blossom petals floated past the window, colored dark purple by the night sky. Sasuke rolled over, looking to Naruto, who, miraculously, wasn't snoring for once. The boy was still, and looked extremely peaceful. Sasuke leaned over him, looking down at his face, ingraining it into his memory.

"Nn.. Sasuke.. knock it off, you bastard.." Naruto muttered, squirming a little. Sasuke smiled faintly.

"So this is the thanks I get for dying for you, Naruto..? Heh. Figures." He reached up, brushing a few bangs out of Naruto's face, daring to do so only because he knew that Naruto slept like a rock. Naruto kept mumbling curses under his breath, and Sasuke watched him for a few moments, his hand resting on Naruto's cheek. He brushed the pad of his thumb over the whisker-marks, frowning slightly.

Why you, Naruto? I couldn't.. be normal, could I? Couldn't fall in love with a girl like Sakura or Ino.. or even some other normal boy, like Shikamaru or something. It had..

Sasuke, without another moment's thought, leaned down and pressed his lips against Naruto's, his eyes sliding shut.

..it had to be you.

Unbeknownst to Sasuke, Naruto's eyes fluttered open during the kiss. His eyes widened faintly, his groggy mind trying desperately to comprehend this. Why was Sasuke kissing him? Why was he just sitting here and letting him?! This was wrong.. this was so wrong. Naruto let out a cry, shoving Sasuke back. Sasuke, caught off-guard, skidded across the slippery floor, stopping himself just before he slammed into the wall. Naruto stared at him, panting, wiping his lips with the back of his hand, disgusted.

I can't believe I ever thought I loved him. I can't believe I actually thought I might actually..

"Is this why you wanted me to stay the night, you bastard?!" He snarled, and Sasuke turned away.

"You don't understand."

"I understand perfectly! You just.. you just wanted to take advantage of me, didn't you?! Didn't you, Uchiha?!" Naruto spat out, his words full of venom. Sasuke took a deep breath, and Naruto jerked in surprise. Those dark eyes glittered, as though Sasuke's eyes were full of tears. But the boy seemed to succeed in holding them back, as not a single droplet slipped and fell from them. Naruto frowned, confused now. Sasuke was right. He didn't understand any of this. Sasuke stood up, moving towards a door.

"I'll sleep in another room, then.. if you're that worried about me." He said softly, with a tone of voice Naruto had never heard him use before. It seemed so.. forlorn. As the moonlight from outside streamed through the window and covered Sasuke's body for a brief moment. It seemed to make his pale skin glow. Naruto wrenched his eyes away. No. That was wrong. He shouldn't feel for Sasuke. Not like that.

Damn Sasuke. Stupid Mr. I-have-to-be-perfect-all-the-damn-time. Damn him for making me feel this way. It's all his fault. Naruto thought bitterly, desperate to shoulder the blame on anyone but himself. He sighed, knowing that trying to decieve himself was useless, and he sat down in the corner of the room, burying his face in his knees and falling silent.

~*~

A few hours passed by, and Naruto found himself unable to get any sleep. This whole thing with the fox was unsettling, especially since he knew the seal would only last for twenty-four hours. Then what? What did Sasuke mean, he'd make everything alright? He didn't understand. This was his problem, why didn't he know what everyone was going to do to fix it? Why wasn't anyone telling him anything?

Naruto's eyes fell upon the clock. Two in the morning. He was so tired, but he couldn't sleep.

I.. might wanna go apologize to Sasuke. After all, he is protecting me.. even if he did kiss me, the bastard..

He rose to his feet, wondering if the Uchiha was still asleep. He opened the door slowly, as quietly as he could, so as to not rouse him. Sure enough, the boy was lying on his side on the hard floor, covered in nothing but a thin blanket. The moonlight streamed in just right through a window, bathing the dark-haired ninja in a ethereal light. His hair was splayed gracefully about on the hardwood flooring. One hand was underneath his head, serving as a pillow, the other just rested in front of him on the ground.

He's.. he's so.. beautiful. Naruto thought, awe-struck by this image before him. Was this really Sasuke? The battle-hardened, tough ninja with a constant scowl? Naruto's shoulders slumped a little. Sasuke had beaten him in yet another contest.

"Nn.." Sasuke murmured something beneath his breath and shivered, his free hand going to pull the blanket closer around him. Naruto bit his lip.

My fault. He thought guiltily, retreating to the other room and getting Sasuke's other blanket, carefully laying it down on him, trying not to wake him. Sasuke snuggled into it, his shivers stilling. Naruto smiled faintly.

Jeez. You'd think he'd be able to take a little bit of a chill. But.. damn, it really is cold in here.. Naruto wrapped his arms around himself, shivering. The fact that he was only in a T-shirt and boxers didn't help much either. Sasuke had begun shivering again, his face almost pitiful. Naruto sighed. He supposed they were to be allowed some points of weakness. After all, despite the fact that they were ninjas, they were still only fifteen.

Well.. I guess I owe you an apology. He thought, carefully climbing under the blankets next to Sasuke, reaching out and pulling the paler boy to him. Sasuke immediately cuddled against the source of warmth, his shivers stopping again. Naruto wrapped his arms around the Uchiha's shoulders, holding him close. It was strange, yet comforting.. having another body this close to him, curled up against him. Naruto sighed and fell into a deep sleep, holding Sasuke against him, their hearts beating together as one.

~*~

Naruto slowly awoke the next morning, frowning as he realized there was something missing. The warm body from the previous night had vanished. Sitting up quickly, Naruto looked around.

"Sasuke..?"

There was a strange feeling rising in his chest as he ran around the manor, searching for the boy.

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Where are you..?"

That feeling of dread was gaining in it's intensity, no matter how many times Naruto told himself Sasuke was probably just off getting food or something. He ran outside, the cherry blossom petals sticking to his bare feet as he looked around outside.

"Sasuke!" He called out again, but there was no response except the chirping birds. Naruto gritted his teeth.

Dammit.. where the hell is he?! He turned and ran back into the house, pulling on his pants and running back outside, beginning to pull his sandals on, when a voice interrupted him. Before him stood Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei! Do you know what.. happened to.. Sasuke.." Naruto's voice slowly faded away as he saw the incredibly grim look on his teacher's face. Iruka avoided his question, turning.

"Come, Naruto, the Hokage is performing the ceremony to remove the fox today." He said, beginning to walk away. Naruto's eyes widened, and quickly he scurried after.

"The ceremony..?" Naruto questioned as he fell into step beside Iruka. Iruka smiled down at him weakly.

"Yeah. Hokage-sama found a way to remove the fox without hurting you." He said. They kept walking for a few minutes, finally coming upon the building where the Hokage resided. Iruka led him through a dark, ominous hallway, until they came upon a large room, lit only by candlelight. Naruto peered into the room. Kakashi was standing off to the side, next to Tsunade. A few ninjas stood in various places around the room. Everyone looked so.. solemn. Tsunade spoke first.

"Iruka, take your place, please. Naruto, please, step forward." She moved toward the middle of the room.

Naruto noticed a circle of candles in the center of the room, with a figure standing in the middle of those. There were spiraled marks drawn all over the ground, leading up onto the figure's slender, pale body, up on his shoulders, over his back and chest, up to his neck, with a spiral drawn on his left cheek.

The figure turned upon their entry, and Naruto's heart almost leapt from his chest. Sasuke gave him a sort of sad smile, and suddenly everything clicked in Naruto's head. What all those strange things Sasuke had said meant. Why everyone was so sad-looking.

He understood now.

"I'll make everything all right again."

~*~To Be Continued...

x.x I'm so tired.. but, I'm proud of this chapter. ^^ Reviews are appreciated, as always.

~TAB