A/N: So! A new chapter pretty quickly after the last one! I had some inspiration that I didn't want to lose, so you get it earlier than planned. Enjoy!

Slowly, the front door opened. Sasuke hesitated, but took a step inside. It was slightly chilly, but the silent darkness hit him first, making his stomach twist again. He felt slightly sick as he shuffled inside, taking his shoes off and stowing them in the shoe rack by the door.

Naruto seemed oblivious to this, happily coming in and kicking his own shoes off, pausing to correct them neatly on the rack. He shut the door and brushed off his sweater, smiling. "So! What's first?"

"Let's set up in my room," Sasuke replied tiredly, making his way down the hall.

He hadn't needed to use the extra bedding in a while. He paused in front of the hall closet, finding the flashlight on the second shelf and searching through. When he realized that Naruto hadn't followed him, he glanced towards him in annoyance, only to find him texting.

"Naruto," he called.

"Sorry, sorry! I'm almost- okay." He flipped his phone off and pocketed it again, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, I was texting Sakura-chan. Homework, y'know? I wanted to compare notes with her tomorrow."

The boy simply shrugged. "Okay."

Together, they pulled down the extra bedding and carried it to Sasuke's door a few feet away on the opposite side.

Sasuke's cheeks pinkened a bit when he recalled the state his room was in. He mumbled, "Sorry about the mess..."

"Don't worry 'bout it, I'm worse," Naruto chuckled, scratching his neck.

Sasuke picked up the rest of his clothes and put them in his hamper while Naruto set up the bedding. The blond hummed the tune to some song under his breath while he worked, and they fell into an easy silence to combat the disquieting darkness that hung around his room.

Once they were done, Naruto flopped down onto Sasuke's bed and sighed, splaying out his arms. "Your bed is so comfy, dude."

"Watch where you lay down, you'll get my blanket dirty," the Uchiha chastised, swatting him halfheartedly. "You can have first shower. I'll get some pajamas you can borrow."

"Thanks." The blond boy nodded, getting up and stretching. Several joints popped as he yawned. He grinned tiredly and took the offered sweatpants and large tee, padding off to the bathroom.

While he waited for his turn, Sasuke busied himself at his desk, flipping up the laptop lid and browsing around. He first got a fresh Word document before going to Google Chrome and pulling up a fresh tab, typing something into the search bar.

The warm water soothed his hurting muscles and massaged his skin, and Sasuke closed his eyes, tipping his head back so that it could pelt his neck.

So many things had happened this week, it was dizzying to keep track of it all. On top of Izumi, he had Sakura and Naruto to worry about as well. Sakura was already sick with only God knows what, and Naruto... his starry-eyed best friend was better off untangled in his messy affairs. He was already on thin ice with Danzo, and if word ever got out (or, moreso, if Naruto found out), then it would be game over for him.

His eyes briefly opened, and he stared at the tiled wall. Naruto... if he ever got hurt, Sasuke would never forgive himself. He was all he had now, the only confidant he had about Izumi. Now that Sakura was sick, his friend count was down to one, yet again.

He sighed heavily, the sound echoing around the sparse bathroom under the water. He'd taken long enough, and Naruto was probably wondering where he was. He'd probably hear him knocking on the door any minute now, complaining that Sasuke needed to hurry up so he could pee.

As he finished rinsing off, a ghost of a smile spread across his face. He'd do at least one thing right. He'd keep him out of it, come hell or high water. It's the least he owed him.

He stepped out, shivering at the cool air. It was still humid and slightly warmer than usual, and he noted that the steam had fogged up the mirror, but otherwise it was the same temperature as the rest of the house. Cold enough to be mildly uncomfortable.

He toweled off, dressed, and brushed out his hair quickly as he could. He took a glance at the mirror just before opening the door, meeting his reflection. Still a mess, with baggy eyes, pale skin, and a frown.

He went back to his room, dropping off the towel in the hamper. He found Naruto sitting on his bed, preoccupied with his phone. He took a glance at it as he sat down too, musing, "Sakura again?"

"Yeah, she told me to tell you that she wishes she could make it." Naruto smiled softly. "Apparently, Sasori's gonna take her into the doctor tomorrow morning. If she's not contagious, then she'll be back to school on Monday, or something."

"Cool." The black-haired boy nodded, leaning back and folding his arms.

The two sat in silence for a few moments, Sasuke watching Naruto's messages with interest. Sakura sounded the same as she always did - with clean punctuation and full sentences. Nothing to tip someone off that something was wrong.

He looked away and reached for his own phone, checking his messages. Nothing except for a winking-tongue emoji from Sakura. He sighed quietly, plugging it back in and setting it on the nightstand. He honestly didn't know what he was thinking. Of course he'd have no new messages so late at night.

Naruto hummed aloud, catching his attention. The blond put his phone away, shrugging. "So. You tired?"

"Very," Sasuke agreed, stifling another yawn. "Should we just go to bed? It's only eleven."

"Only?" Naruto snorted. "Dude, if you're tired, let's go to bed. You're the smart one."

He barely cracked a smile and slid off the bed, stretching for a moment before exiting the room. Naruto was right behind him, watching as he checked the rooms and locked the front door. Once he was satisfied in his search, he went to the fridge and gestured. "You want a water?"

"Sure."

He picked out two bottles and tossed one to the blond, who caught it seamlessly. The two went back to Sasuke's bedroom and sat down on their respective bedding. Naruto sat down his bottle on Sasuke's chair, and Sasuke set his down on his nightstand before turning off the lamp.

"Good night," Naruto called.

"... Good night," Sasuke softly returned as he lay down.

He heard shuffling from below for a few seconds as Naruto got comfortable. Once he heard the boy sigh, he nestled into his own pillow. His eyelids fluttered for a few moments before they shut completely, and within a few minutes, he was asleep.

Black.

The darkness spread out as far as he could tell, thick and heavy, and he swallowed hard. He looked around, but he could see nothing. Where was this?

Tentatively, he took a step. He could feel a firm ground underneath his feet, but not much of anything else. No texture, no give, no nothing.

"... Hello?" He called. His voice echoed across the space, ringing almost endlessly in all directions.

He received no answer, although he didn't expect to. He simply sighed and tried to walk again. His legs felt as if they were tied down with lead weights, and walking felt like wading through a pool.

He still didn't know where he was, and it scared him. Was he the only one here? Would he be alone here forever...?

Suddenly, he heard it. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he immediately froze, head turning in the echoing voice's direction. "-...!"

"Hello?" He tried again.

"-e...!"

"Where are you? Where are you?" He yelled, turning his whole body to find the voice. He craned his neck, but still he could see nothing. The blackness felt a bit thinner now, as breathing was easier than before.

"-suke...!"

His heart leapt into his throat. "Izumi?!"

"Sasuke! Sasuke!"

"Izumi!" He shouted, trying with all his might to move his legs. He ran in slow motion towards her voice. The darkness thinned with every heavy step until he felt as if his lungs were full to bursting with oxygen. He panted, forcing his body to keep going. "Where are you?! I'm coming your way!"

"Sasuke!" Her voice seemed panicked, and if he blinked, he could swear he could begin to see his hands in front of his face. "Where are you, Sasuke?"

"I'm here! I'm here!" He hollered back, waving his arms. He was beginning to see the skin of his hands, this was good!

As he blinked, he could see a faint outline of a woman come into view. Long hair draping down her back, hands clasped tightly in one another, as if in prayer. With every step, the darkness lifted, and he began to see her face, her beautiful face, tight with worry.

"Sasuke!" She cried again, reaching out for him.

"Izumi!" He repeated, stretching out one arm towards her. "Stay there, I'm coming!"

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach her. She remained far away, only just visible through the black. Her eyes never left his shaking form, her face never changed, her arm never neared.

"Izu... mi!" Sasuke panted, exhaustion suddenly catching up to his body like a train. He struggled to keep his pace. "Please, please wait...!"

"Come here," she uttered, tears filling her eyes.

He suddenly stumbled over something and fell hard to the ground, the air leaving his lungs in a strangled wheeze. His head whipped up to look for Izumi, and she was still standing away, her arm outstretched.

As he watched, she suddenly began to panic, looking about as her hands clasped together again.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, where are you?" She shouted, tears dribbling down her cheeks.

"I'm... here-" he gasped for breath, the darkness suddenly plunging down onto his back and weighing him there, "I'm- here...!"

Just when he thought she heard him, she turned, her back shaking from her quiet sobs. An arm stretched out from further into the darkness, and she took its hand, sniffling.

"Come," his brother's soothing voice made him snap up to attention again. "He must have gotten lost again."

"Wouldn't be the first time," she giggled weakly. She wiped her eyes and glanced back, her eyes seeing nothing.

"Izumi, wait!" Sasuke tried to shout, but the words caught awkwardly in his throat and only came out as a whisper. "Please, wait! Take me with you, don't leave me! I'm here! I'm right here!"

Together, they disappeared further into the black. Sasuke's eyes were full of desperate tears as he tried his best to shout. His throat was getting more and more pained, and talking became impossible.

"Izumi, I'm here!" He cried quietly, struggling to lift his arm again. "Don't leave me! I'm- still here-!"

Sasuke awoke with a sharp gasp, lifting his head off the pillow. His face prickled a little in the cool air, and he slowly realized that he'd been crying.

Taking deep gulping breaths, he wiped at his eyes the best he could and looked around. Although his curtains were drawn, small rays of light peeked through the empty spaces around them, slightly illuminating the room.

Naruto shifted a little in his bed, mumbling in his sleep. Sasuke could cry in relief at the sight of his best friend, but he held his tongue and carefully pulled one curtain back.

The sky was still dark, but he could see a faint watery blue painting the horizon. Drab dark-gray clouds still hovered above, hinting at rain.

He slowly let go of the curtain and took a deep breath. He looked over at the alarm clock, the bright red numbers reading 5:06 AM.

He shivered a little when his blankets shifted and the morning air brushed at his exposed arm. After that nightmare, there was no way in hell that he was getting back to sleep. He shook his head, pulling off the blankets and swinging his legs over the side. He carefully side-stepped Naruto and silently left the room, gently shutting the door on his way.

He decided to have a cup of tea this morning. Bitterly, he recalled that Izumi often made tea for him whenever he came to her after a nightmare. He went to the kitchen, poked around in one of the cabinets, and found the exact box that she always used.

He took a bag and brought out the kettle, filling it with water and setting it on the stove. While he waited for the water to boil, he found his favorite mug, one that Izumi had gotten him at a Fall-Out Boy concert a few years ago. The names signed on one side of the mug tugged at his heart, and he gave a wistful smile.

Soon enough, the kettle began whistling, so he took it off and poured it in. He set it on the table to steep while he rummaged around for some breakfast. Naruto would surely be waking up soon if he heard him around the kitchen, and the boy was going to be hungry.

Sasuke found some leftovers from Wednesday night and sighed heavily, taking some out of the Tupperware and spooning it into a bowl. He saved the majority for Naruto.

He tried not to make too much noise when he put the bowl in the microwave and turned it on. Every loud beep made him cringe, and he hastily shushed it when he pressed the start button.

He massaged his forehead as he walked back to the kitchen table. He stirred the tea before fishing out the bag and setting it aside. Blowing gently on it, he took a sip. It was hot, but still good. The bitter undertones complimented the flowery sweetness perfectly.

He set the cup down and went back for the microwave, stopping it with only a second left. He breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out the bowl, careful not to burn his fingers on the bottom. He set it down on the table, pulled out a fork from the drawer, and sat down, stirring it slowly. He blew on it and carefully put a bite into his mouth, chewing. It was still good, although nothing beat a fresh-cooked bowl.

As he sat there eating, he heard Naruto getting up in his room. He waited until he heard the door open before looking up.

Naruto came lumbering in, blinking blearily and scratching his stomach.

"Hey, g'morning," he rumbled, voice still husky with sleep.

"Morning," Sasuke politely returned. He gestured to the counter, "I saved some leftovers for you."

"Thanks." Naruto smiled sleepily and headed past him into the kitchen, busying himself with getting a bowl of food.

His presence seemed to fill the whole room, from his large yawn to his mumbling, and Sasuke began to feel grateful for letting him stay over. He honestly didn't know what he would've done had he not been here, after that nightmare.

He smiled to himself as Naruto grabbed the milk and poured himself a glass. He drank from it as he approached the table, before he set it down and seated himself shortly after. His hair was still messy and his shirt still rumpled.

"We didn't have a test today, did we...?" Naruto mumbled, turning his tired gaze to his friend.

Sasuke paused to think. Then he replied, "... No, I don't believe so? I dunno if Mr. Sarutobi is gonna do that quiz today. Remember, he said he'd give us an extra day to study?"

"Oh, right, right," the blond nodded. The microwave beeping interrupted them, and he got up with a grunt. "'Scuse me."

A/N: Can you tell how much I adore these two idiots being pals?

Please tell me what you thought of it! See you later.