(Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! Just as a note, the story isn't over yet. If you're reading, please review! Warnings and disclaimers apply to all chapters.)

And the Beat Goes On
Chapter 14: Open Your Eyes

"Sasuke! Wake up!" somebody hissed in his ear, shaking him roughly.

Drowsily, Sasuke opened an eye, then both eyes, watching the room in front of him spin and shake. "Wha?" he asked, his voice still marred with sleep.

Itachi sighed and rolled his eyes. He could always trust Sasuke to be deep in sleep, whilst having what must have been one of the most terrifying nightmares ever. "I could hear you screaming from downstairs," he muttered, glaring at the younger boy.

Sasuke merely sat up, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "What? Screaming? Why was I screaming?"

Itachi felt the urge to smack the sleep-stupefied boy. So he did. "I'd like to know why you were screaming too," he said, watching as Sasuke rubbed the back of his head, as if trying to make the sudden and sharp pain go away.

"That hurt," Sasuke said, glaring at his older sibling. He then proceeded to try and remember who and what he'd been dreaming about.

It had been a particularly pleasant dream. . .no, wait. That wasn't right. It'd been a terribly depressing dream. He racked his brain, trying to remember the dream, but whatever had happened inside his mind while he was sleeping eluded him.

"I don't know why I was screaming," he said at last, with a bit of a shrug.

Itachi sighed. "All right then. Next time, I'll just gag you and hope you choke to death."

Sasuke, who had turned over onto his side and prepared to go back to sleep, sat up bolt-right, the word 'death' ringing in his ears. "Death! Oh, shit! Where's Naruto?"

He leapt out of bed, grabbing Itachi by the forearms, clinging to him like a scared child. "Where's Naruto!" he demanded, feeling tears spring into his eyes.

Itachi peeled his little brother off him. "Get off me," he grumbled. "Naruto's -"

He realized he was talking to the air as Sasuke tore off, dashing down the stairs, yelling at the top of his lungs, like a wounded animal, "Naruto! Oh my gods, Naruto!"
Itachi wondered what kind of drugs Sasuke was on. Confused beyond belief as to why his normally stoic little brother was acting. . .well, non-Sasuke-ish, he padded down the stairs, watching with interest as Sasuke fumbled with the telephone, so frantic was he.

Itachi wondered who Sasuke was calling at one a.m. He also wondered if Sasuke knew it was one a.m. Somehow, he was doubting it.

He knew he was eavesdropping, but oh, was it fun. He grinned and waited to hear Sasuke get blasted for waking whoever it was up at such an ungodly hour.

"Hello, Iruka? Yes, is - No, I didn't know that, but - what? No, I just want - No, nothing like that - I wanted to know if - No, will you stop asking me these questi - Is Naruto there!"

Itachi watched in great amusement as Sasuke screamed into the phone, tired of being lectured and cut off. There was silence for a moment or two, before Sasuke dropped the phone and sank down to his knees, looking utterly devastated.

The phone line had gone dead.

Itachi swept into the room, deciding that Sasuke looked a little too gone to be healthy. He crouched down beside his brother, then shook him, trying to get him to snap out of his daze. "Hey! Hey! What's wrong?"

Sasuke didn't even look at him. He just kept staring at some far away point on the wall, through the wall. "Naruto. . ," he started softly, then bit his lip hard and closed his eyes.

"Naruto what?" Itachi asked, almost impatiently. He didn't have time for his brother's dramatics.

"Naruto. . .he's. . .he's in the hospital," Sasuke finished, choking back a sob and trying to dry his eyes before he could start crying.

He should have been relieved, he should have been thankful. Naruto wasn't dead. At least, he wasn't dead yet, and maybe, maybe he wasn't going to go that route and -

What would they do if they both lived?

What would happen in the future? Sasuke had previous plans. He was going to university, he was going to become something, and by going to university, he was going to move away. He going to go far away, and never come back.

What did Naruto have planned? Did Naruto have something specific he wanted to be? Was he going to go to schoolfor it, or could they go to the same school, or would Naruto just sort of follow him where ever he went, like some sort of dog?
What happened if they went their separate ways? They wouldn't see each other, and how many times had he heard of relationships falling apart because of the distance between people?

He sighed and tried not to think about it. That was if and when they lived through this trauma and that was how he had to take it: one trauma at a time. It was no good worrying about something that might never happen.

- - - - - - - - - -

The darkness swirled about him, the wind howling in the background as its driving force. It whipped by him, its speed enough to knock him to the ground, and began to fall, and fall, and fall -

There was no substance to the darkness, for it was merely shadow, and as quickly as it had come, it stopped moving and the wind fell silent. Then, it changed direction, sending him to tumble in reverse.

Which way was up, which way was down? Directions had no place here, it was merely the darkness and it seemed to swallow all logic and any sense. Any bearing he had was quickly wiped away by the whirling wind.

It coiled about him, like a snake, and squeezed, and squeezed, and squeezed, until he slipped inside its jaws, unable to breathe, unable to think, unable. But he really couldn't tell he was inside it, for the outside was just like in, because places were nothing here. He could only know he was inside it, rather than out, because of the mounting pressure, bearing down, forcing him to crawl along on his stomach, while the ground shoved up and he could feel himself breaking between the two forces of up and down.

And quite suddenly, it fell away and he was falling again, with the cold wind surging up to greet him, making tears freeze in his eyes. He hit something, something shapeless and black, and he passed right through, feeling only the burning sensation of pain it left in him afterwards. Again and again he seemed to smash through whatever it was, and he wondered if he was falling through it a million times over, or if there were hundreds of whatever they were, all lined up in a downward row.

It was getting warmer as he fell and he noticed bright, white dots, like phantom stars, decorating the sky. He dared not scream, for fear the darkness would eat him whole, or at least, somehow swallow his voice.

And, smack! He hit the ground, only to find himself on fire, not only with pain, but with actual leaping flames, which seared his skin back from his bone, pulling and pulling - burning, burning until nothing was left at all, and the blanched bone turned black, then to ash and he was watching his arm disintegrate. He felt the sick creep into his throat and crawl through his body. It reached his mouth and it evaporated instantly, so that when he did retch, nothing came, nothing at all, not even blood or saliva.

He screamed at that point, but his voice was so hoarse and he was so parched, that no sound except a strangled noise, like that of a dying chicken, escaped him. He sprawled out on the burning earth, unable to bear the pain. He closed his eyes. He could smell feathers burning, and he opened his eyes, and looked up from his resting place.

The dark angel stood there, grim and pale as ever. Even the raging inferno couldn't melt the glacier that he was. The white robe he was wearing was burning, burning black. His wings, spread wide, were seared away by the fire, but it was nothing compared to the cold fire burning in his eyes.

Burning! Gods, he was being incinerated under that gaze and he screamed again, but it wasn't a scream, not even a noise this time.

He was sick again, bile choking him up, and blood came with it, although he had no idea where he'd obtain the liquids.

He closed his eyes again. A bird was singing. He opened his eyes and looked blearily at the unfamiliar ceiling.

His head was throbbing. He felt sick. He felt weak. He was cold too, and the itchy blankets that were wrapped so closely about him weren't helping. To make matters even worse, the room was spinning before his aching eyes, intensifying the need to vomit.

He was going to be sick, he needed to be sick, so he was, and it was everywhere, but he was so terribly weak that he couldn't move away from the vile stuff, and instead, lay in it, the putrid stench infiltrating his nose and clinging to him, making him sick again.

His hand felt like it was still on fire, though the inferno seemed to have been left behind and replaced by cooler air. The blood pounded through his veins, and he looked over at a very nervous person. He couldn't exactly make out who it was, merely because of his headache and the dizziness.

He could tell this person was talking to him, but could only make out a few words, making understanding anything near impossible.

". . .worry. . .nurse. . .soon," was what he heard this person say and he tried to identify the voice, only to find thinking made his head hurt worse.

He closed his eyes and settled back against the pillow.

- - - - - - - - -

Sasuke shouldn't have been there, not at that time at least, because school was still in and he was technically skipping his class. But, when he got right down to the bottom of it, he felt that it was more important to be there than in school, learning nothing and worrying incessantly.

He'd been utterly horrified by the sight of Naruto, who was prone on that hospital bed, the I.V. fed into his arm; his skin nearly as white as the walls of the room.

He'd sat down in the uncomfortable chair beside the bed, which he presumed that Iruka had left there, feeling awkward and unsure about why he was even there because it was making him feel worse. He was nervous and he was worried and seeing Naruto, lively, loud Naruto, so pale and quiet perturbed him and forced unpleasant thoughts of death up into his mind.

After a while, he thought that maybe, he'd feel better if he had some contact with the other boy, so he held the blond's hand firmly between his own sweat-slick palms, trying to convince himself that this was for Naruto's benefit and not his own.

And when Naruto was awake for those few moments, he was relieved, but also so much more afraid. The blue eyes seemed so bleary and far-away, when he knew they should have been clear. When the blond threw up, he called the nurse, amazed that Naruto didn't have the sense, nor the strength, to move. While he was waiting for the nurse to come and remove the vile mess, or at least help him, he was holding Naruto's hand and dabbing the vomit off the boy's cheek with a tissue, trying to comfort him, trying to at least convince himself Naruto was okay.

He didn't think Naruto had even registered he was there, what he'd said.

- - - - - - - - -

It started in home room, with a whisper between two people, and then, those two people became four people, which multiplied and became six, and so on and so forth, until it was many, many people whispering amongst themselves.

A rumour was born, and from it, more rumours subsequently followed. At the base of this rumour, there was some truth, and then it was built upon by lies, and the truth and the falsehoods mingled and twisted to become one and you couldn't tell one from the other.

Some of the rumours were believable, while others weren't, and some were right down bizarre.

"Naruto's in the hospital. . ."

"Heard he's real sick.. . ."

"He's got HIV or something, 'cause, you know, him and Sasuke. . ."

"I heard that Sasuke's got him knocked up. . ."

As the day progressed, the rumours became wilder and more far-fetched, until some were even saying things such as Sasuke was a vampire, or that Naruto had been abducted by aliens.

By the end of the day, Gaara was tired of hearing all the stupid rumours. He wanted to knock all of the whisperers' heads together and tell them what was really going on, just so they wouldn't spout absolute bullshit into their ranks.

But he didn't. First off, there was the fact that he had more respect for Naruto's privacy than that, and if they found out the truth, the stupid students would be more likely to alienate him more if and when the blond returned. Second, there was the fact he himself had given Sasuke the disease in the first place, who had, then consequently, passed it to Naruto. Gaara didn't want to be alienated by even the whores who hid amongst the student populace.

So, he stayed quiet, and rolled his eyes whenever he heard another gods-awful rumour being passed about the room. The worst part was, that, no matter how implausible the theory was, the students ate it up like candy.

Honestly, how on earth could they think that Sasuke was some sort of vampire? He obviously defied everything anybody had ever qualified to be "true" about the blood-sucking undead. Or how could they believe that just because Sasuke and Naruto had screwed each other once or twice, Naruto had mystically become impregnated, despite the fact he was a male?

The final bell had rung only a few moments ago, freeing him and the rest of the student body from the torturous prison they called school. Immediately, he started heading for the outdoors, where he could have a smoke, and wash away his frazzled nervousness at the idea of rumours about Naruto and Sasuke and the faint worry that this development might eventually be traced back to him.

He was almost at the door when he was confronted by a cloud of pink. He blinked stupidly, regaining himself from the stupor he'd fallen into. He glanced at the person obscuring his route. Green eyes glared at him, demanding something of him.

He recognized her then. Sakura Haruno was standing in front of him. He'd never really taken much notice of her before, but now, she was so intimidating, even with her small stature, simply by the amount of sheer determination she seemed to possess and the angry energy that seemed to radiate off her.

"What happened?" she demanded, her tone low and dangerous.

Gaara met her gaze, but said nothing.

"What happened?" she demanded again, her eyes narrowing, demanding an answer from him.

"Nothing," he muttered, pushing by her.

Really, nothing had happened. Nothing that some nosey little brat needed to know about, anyway. If Naruto wanted to tell people, that was fine by him, but he'd leave it to Naruto to do. The last thing he wanted to do was get the word out when Naruto didn't want it out. If there was one thing he was good at, it was keeping his mouth shut.

She had followed him outside, and was trailing him, like some sort of pseudo-stalker. He ignored her and stopped, pulling a cigarette out of the package in his pocket, and his lighter out of the other pocket. He lit up.

She was still standing there, hands on hips, demanding to know what had happened, without even saying anything.

Gaara sighed, rolled his eyes and turned about, facing her. "Look," he growled, flicking ashes angrily to the ground. "Nothing happened, and even if something did, it's between Naruto and Sasuke, so I'm not at leave to tell you."

She smirked. "So, something did happen."

Gaara sighed. This was why he hated the female of this race. They were so strong-headed and annoying -

"Answer me this. Is Naruto in the hospital?"

Gaara exhaled, smoke billowing from his open mouth like he was some sort of fire-breathing dragon. "Yes," he sighed, after pausing a moment or two, seeming to contemplate his reply.

Sakura nodded, looking at the ground, as though in deep thought. "Thank you," she said softly, then turned abut abruptly and dashed back into the school building.

Gaara took another drag of his cigarette.

And then he pondered, and something that hadn't occurred to him before came crashing into his mind. He turned back to the door where the pink-haired girl had disappeared, wild-eyed.

'How did she know I would know?'

- - - - - - - - - -

"So, it's true?"

"Yes."

"Naruto's in the hospital?"

"Yes."
"Why? What happened?"

"He wouldn't say."

Ino 'hmph'ed and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Jerk," she muttered. "Why wouldn't he?"

Sakura shrugged. "I suppose he sorta wanted to protect Naruto's privacy. Maybe."

They walked in silence. Their shoes scuffed they pavement, and the wind played lightly in their hair. After a moment or two, and making sure that no one was looking, Ino slipped her hand into Sakura's, giving it a tight, reassuring squeeze.

"Should we go and see him?" Sakura asked, biting her lip in worry.

Ino looked thoughtful for a moment or two. "Yes, we should go see him," she replied at last. "He probably needs all the support he can get," she added, sounding a tad. . .foreboding.

They tightened their grip on each other's hand. "Do. . .you. . .do you think Sasuke will be. . ?" Sakura inquired, unsure as to whether or not she wanted to face her former crush at such a time.

Ino nodded. "He will be, if Naruto and him are. . ."

She waved her hand about, carelessly, as if she knew Sakura knew what she meant, but would rather not state it.

Sakura looked at the ground and kicked a pebble, remaining silent in thought. She looked up when she felt a tug on her arm, and gave Ino a glance as if to say 'what are you doing?'

Ino had stopped and she was smiling brightly, as if she had a brilliant idea. Sakura raised an eyebrow and was tempted to back away. Ino tugged on her arm. "We should go down to the shop," she said, indicating the flower shop her mother owned. "It's always nice to bring a gift to show compassion when someone's in the hospital."

Sakura still looked sceptical. Ino continued, quickly. "And besides, it will make you look like a caring person, and like you care about Naruto too. If Sasuke's there, that's bound to cheer him up, 'cause if you're Naruto's friend, you might as well be his too," she babbled, trying to explain her logic.

"Where we will get the money to cover flowers, Ino? I've barely got anything left my allowance," Sakura complained. "I so need a job."

Ino waved it off and grabbed Sakura by the upper arm. "Never mind! We'll put it on my mom's tab! She rarely uses it anyways."

Sakura was about to mention that there always seemed to be a fresh bouquet of flowers on the Yamanaka kitchen table, but thought better of it and let Ino drag her along down the street, toward the shop.

Sakura being dragged somewhere by Ino was not an unusual sight, as Sakura was usually reluctant to go anywhere, while Ino was terribly bossy and boisterous. The people they passed by barely gave them a second thought, for which Sakura was grateful.

The flower shop was about a fifteen minute walk from the school, and the two girls had to sprint to get there, Ino insisting the shop closed at five o'clock.

When they arrived, huffing and puffing, the sign in the window clearly read, "Open daily 8:00 - 7:00." Sakura gave Ino a menacing glare as she followed the blonde into the shop.

It was a crowded little area with three rows of flowers bouquets, lining either side of the aisles. Bigger arrangements were in the corners of the shop, and along the back wall. There were shelves as well, which housed some smaller, potted plants, and vases and such.

The shop was deserted, except for the odd little old woman here and there. The cashier looked up from behind the counter, then smiled as she recognized her daughter and her friend. "Ino, Sakura! What are you two doing here?"

The two teenagers meandered to the counter. "Hi, Mom," Ino said, and Sakura gave the older woman a little wave in greeting.

"We actually stopped by to get an arrangement," Ino explained. "One of our friends is in the hospital."

Mrs. Yamanaka looked at her daughter gravely. "I'm sorry to hear that, Ino. How will you be paying for the flowers?"

Ino smiled nervously and her eyes darted about the room, belaying her uncertainty about asking her mother. "Well. . .er. . .I was hoping we could put it on your tab -"

"Ino!"

" - and pay you back later! You can take it out of my allowance! And charge interest!" Ino cried, and her mother sighed.

"All right then," the older woman relented. "Just make sure it's not too expensive."

"Right, Mom," Ino said, then dragged Sakura back to the flower bouquets.

Ten minutes later, they were on their way to hospital, with the biggest bouquet they had decided they could afford.
Now, had it been July twenty-third, nobody would have given a second thought to Ino and Sakura carrying a huge bouquet of flowers down the street, as they had been known to give Sasuke flowers for his birthday, as he already seemed to have everything and want nothing. But, as it wasn't, everyone stared, bewildered, at the two girls as they strolled off in the direction of the hospital, suspending the bouquet between them.

- - - - - - - -

Sasuke looked up as someone entered the room, expecting it to be the nurse. He looked back at Naruto, then at the newcomer again, noting this time, that two people had entered the room.

His eyes widened in surprise when he saw who the visitors were. Sakura and Ino both smiled warmly at him, then looked at Naruto.

"Is he awake?" Ino asked.

Sasuke shook his head. Sakura spoke up, her voice small and quiet. "How is he?"

Again, Sasuke shook his head and sighed. Sakura and Ino shared a glance. Ino took a step forward, presenting Sasuke with the bouquet. "We got these for him," she said.

Sasuke took the bouquet hesitantly, as if expecting some sort of trap. "Thank you," he mumbled, quite unsure of what to do.

There was a scuffing noise, and he realized the two girls were pulling up chairs. He groaned mentally, because that meant they intended to stay awhile.

They were silent for a long, long time, before Sakura asked, "What's wrong with him?"

Sasuke bit his lip, deciding whether or not to tell her. "I'd rather not say," he muttered, giving Sakura the impression it was some horrible, deadly disease.

"He'll get better, won't he?" she demanded.

Sasuke shrugged. "He might, he might not."

Sakura made a noise and ground her teeth. Sasuke looked down at his comatose partner dolefully.

They were silent for a while longer.

Sasuke was startled out of his thoughts, and jumped, when a warm hand was placed over his own. He looked up at Ino. Her eyes were full of concern. For a faltering second, he wondered if she still held that childish crush on him.
"We're here for you," she said softly. "Both of you."

He misunderstood her, and then saw that she was holding Sakura's hand in her own, almost painfully tight, and he realized what she meant.

He almost started laughing, despite the predicament. That was how ironic he found the situation. The two girls that had chased him the longest, and the most desperately, had fallen for each other.

He looked away from them, at the door, realizing that two more people had entered the room. Iruka smiled unsurely at him. "I see you found my chair," he commented, pulling up another one. Kakashi draped himself over the back of the chair.

Silence reigned for a little while longer, until the familiar sound of shoes meeting the floor tiles echoed in their ears and they all looked up. Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously at the newcomer, who ignored him and entered the room without a word.

Gaara felt he had as much right to visit Naruto as everyone else in the room. Screw what Sasuke thought of him.

The silence continued, each occupant of the room no longer sure of what to say.

As time passed, a few more people joined the little ensemble, including Hinata. It was only when Shikamaru entered the room, glaring sharply at Ino, that the little group began to come back to reality and think about things like time.

"Ino, I hope you know how troublesome this is. Your mother sent me here because you're late for dinner," Shikamaru grumbled.

Ino glanced at the clock, noting it was well after six o'clock. "Oh, crap," she muttered, hastily getting up out of her chair.

Shikamaru 'hmph'ed and crossed his arms in annoyance. Ino rolled her eyes. "Calm down, pineapple-head! Jeez!"

She stalked out of the room, Shikamaru hot on her heels. Hinata shuffled her feet on the floor. "I-I guess I should be going too," she near-whispered, then turned to leave the room.

She paused at the doorframe, however, then turned back, her face having turned dangerously red. "H-here!" she stammered, handing something off to a bewildered Sasuke. "I-it's for N-naruto!"

And with that, she dashed out of the room. They all stared after her for a moment, before Kakashi inquired, "What did she give you?"
Sasuke glanced down at what he was holding in his hand. It was a little teddy bear, with a felt card held between its paws that read, "Get well soon." Sasuke was hard pressed not to start crying.

Sakura mumbled something about dinner, and got up to leave. Gaara said nothing, but exited the room, right behind the pink-haired girl. Sasuke watched Gaara go, somewhat suspicious. He glanced up, seeing Iruka and Kakashi were the only others left in the room, besides himself.

Iruka caught his gaze and smiled benevolently, letting him know it was okay to break down now, if he felt he needed to. He didn't, but hugged his knees to his chest, wishing that maybe Naruto would just wake up. . .

- - - - - - - -

Itachi unlocked the front door, peering about inside, checking for signs of both his little brother, who had been skipping fourth, or so he was told, and for his "ex".

Seeing that all was clear, he ventured into the house, locking the door behind him swiftly. He made a scope of the living room from the foyer, then ventured into the room, checking the kitchen from that vantage point.

Nothing.

While some might have been relieved by that, Itachi was not. He didn't believe that 'no news was good news', because he was almost certain his ex would turn up in his house, sooner or later. It was just a matter of time.

He ventured upstairs, still peering about corners and down hallways, and such, feeling much like an intruder in his own home.

He opened the door to Sasuke's room, and, upon finding it empty, kept moving. He checked the bathroom, and the hall closet, but passed by the room on the left, which had been locked ever since his parents' death.

He opened the door to his room.

"Surprise, surprise," he mumbled, glaring at Orochimaru, who was sprawled out on his bed in all his (not-so-much) glory, cigarette in his mouth.

"What are you doing in my room?" he asked, his expression deadpan. He wasn't about to give the older boy the satisfaction of a reaction.

Orochimaru, as predicted, pouted. "Really, darling," he drawled. "I would have thought you'd understand the phrase 'kiss and make up'."
Itachi sighed and rolled his eyes. "Get out of my room."

"Mmm. . .no," the older boy replied cheerfully.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Nu-uhn!"

"Get out of my room, you freak!"

"Never!"

At that point, Orochimaru decided he needed to stand up to prove his point, and the sheets that had been wrapped about him decided not to follow.

Itachi screamed bloody murder and dashed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Orochimaru raised a eyebrow, then shrugged. "I win!" he declared, loud enough for Itachi to hear him.

"Pervert!" he heard the younger call back.

In the hall, Itachi had a hand over his eyes and was forcing the door to stay shut with all his might. Yes, it seemed that things were on their way back to normal for he and Orochimaru.

- - - - - - - - -