Hiya guys. Before I kick off the next chapter, I've a few things to say: one, I apologize for the lack of proper spacing. There were a couple areas in my last chapter that I originally spaced more for emphasis, but I wasn't able to keep them there for some reason. Secondly, if you guys have any suggestions as to what should happen in my story, please include them in your reviews and I'll be sure to consider them.

Now I'm going to shut up and write for ya.


Even though Naruto and Sasuke were in the same room, the only sound to be heard was the rain outside pounding on the window. Sasuke sat by it, staring out just like he had earlier. He didn't bother to attempt a conversation.

Naruto sat on Sasuke's bed, occasionally stealing glances at his roommate. He, on the other hand, didn't dare attempt a conversation.

It seemed the only one uncomfortable with the quiet was Naruto. He tried to get the raven to notice numerous times by shifting, sniffling, coughing, sighing, but none of it seemed to get his attention. Or at least, his face didn't show any hint. The blond eventually pressed his back against the headboard and leaned his head up in defeat.

Minutes slowly dragged by and still Sasuke seemed completely untouched by the outside world. Again Naruto found himself feeling like he didn't exist.

Pained blue eyes settled themselves on the boy beside the window. Maybe staring would work, Naruto couldn't even begin to number the times when Sasuke had stared at him for something and the blond had felt it nearly instantly, in the form of a cold shiver traveling up his spine.

All of the whiskered boy's energy focused on the raven, so much so that he was leaning foreward and had he slipped an inch, would be on the floor quicker than he could react.

One second...

Nothing.

Two seconds...

Still nothing.

Three seconds...

Sasuke raised his fist and quietly coughed into it.

Naruto leaped up and pointed accusingly at Sasuke. "You reacted! I saw it, I saw it!"

Those cool dark eyes narrowed, but Naruto didn't freeze in his tracks like he normally would. Instead, he crossed his arms and stood triumphantly.

As much as Sasuke wanted to glare at the kitsune, he felt another cough travel up his throat, followed by another, and shortly after that a fourth one.

Concern for the boy once again overwhelmed anything else Naruto felt. He watched Sasuke cough and crept up to his side, slowly pressing his hand against the raven's forehead. Despite his attempts to swat Naruto's hand away, Sasuke could only keep his own hand firmly clamped around his mouth.

Naruto was alarmed to see that Sasuke's forehead felt boiling hot under his fingertips. He thought a moment, then came up with an idea. Grabbing Sasuke, he gently led him over to his bed. For the second time Sasuke wanted to fight back, but his coughs were too strong for him to retaliate.

"N-Naruto, stop...leave me be..." he rasped weakly.

But the kitsune wouldn't listen. He pulled back the covers on Sasuke's bed and set him on it, quickly wrapping him back up in the blankets. Then in a flash, the blond took off for the kitchen. Over the throbbing in his head, Sasuke heard the faint sound of running water. Moments later Naruto appeared beside him and carefully set a cool and moist washcloth over Sasuke's forehead.

Naruto watched Sasuke's face, trying to decipher whatever messages might be hidden there. Sasuke stared back at him blankly, until he coughed and his face twisted with pain.

The coldest shiver of all bolted up Naruto's spine then. He had never in all his life seen Sasuke this weak and vulnerable before. It scared him more than whatever the raven haired boy might do to him when he was well again.

Determination suddenly flared up in his cobalt eyes, and his fists clenched tightly.

"Stay here, Sasuke. I'm going to go get help for you, whether you like it or not!"

He took one last look at Sasuke's rather shocked expression before turning and bolting down the hallway for the door. The blond practically broke it down as he wrenched it open and hurled himself into the storm.

Sasuke's eyes remained on the doorway where Naruto had been seconds before. A thousand different emotions seemed to swirl within him, a thousand very un-Uchiha like emotions. Finally he released a sigh and let himself rest against the pillow. He watched shadows dance across the ceiling while his thoughts invaded, questions gently curling themselves around his consciousness.

There was no doubt that the dobe was actually concerned for his well-being. You'd have to be an absolute idiot to look into that icy fire he had seen and not feel the intensity of the boy's passion.

A smirk curved Sasuke's lips. So that's what it was, then? Passion? For what exactly? The one who treated him the worst?

His mocking question answered itself. Yes...

Yes, Naruto cared. Cared about the very person who treated him no better than the dirt under his feet.

Sasuke's eyes widened and his breathing came heavier. The realization that someone felt this way towards him was almost too much. For a time, the Uchiha felt a very uncharacteristic eruption of gratitude and wonder. It felt disturbing, but also so good.

Someone cared for him that much...

And he cared back.


"Please Miss, open up!"

Naruto slammed his fists on the doors of the Pharmacy. If he had been pounding any harder, the doors, which were made of glass, would most certainly shatter. The lights were on inside and he could see a middle-aged woman going around locking things up for the night. For the longest time she seemed to not hear the blond's frantic pounding on the doors, but finally his shouting caused her to look up in alarm.

The sight of a young boy standing in the pouring rain and calling out to her made her gasp. She hurried over to the doors and quickly unlocked them. The moment Naruto heard the click he pushed the doors open and hurried past her, thanking her in a breathless shout.

"Young man, what's wrong?" she asked, puzzled as she watched Naruto desperately search the aisles for medicine.

"My friend's sick! He's coughing and feels really hot!"

The woman thought a moment before gently setting her hands on Naruto's shoulders. "I know just what you need. Follow me, hon."

She led him to the Fever and Cold section and browsed a minute or two before tapping a box with her finger and lifting it from the shelf. She held it for Naruto to see. All he recognized on the box was "instant relief" and "comforts symptoms". That was all he needed to know.

"Great! Thanks," he went to take it, but the lady held it out of reach with a rather amused glitter in her eye.

"Wait just a moment. Wouldn't you like to see how to administer it?"

The question quickly got lost in Naruto's currently cluttered brain.

"...administer?" he inquired, confused.

The woman let out a chuckle and beckoned Naruto over to a nearby counter. She began showing him how to give the medicine, with those blue eyes watching ever so carefully, noting every detail.

"Finally, you use this to squeeze two drops on his tongue. That's it!"

Naruto saved everything he had learned in his mental files. Thinking of Sasuke back home made him return to panic mode.

"Thanks a lot, Miss, but I really gotta get back now!" he scooped everything up into his arms. "I'll pay for it all tomorrow!"

He headed for the door, only to be paused by a chuckle from the woman. He looked over his shoulder, a curious look on his face.

"Your friend must be very special to you. He's lucky to have someone who will run through this horrible weather for him. Good luck!"

Despite the circumstances, Naruto gave the woman his big, trademark grin.

"Oh, and you may have that medicine for free. My little gift."

"YEEEEES! THANK YOU THANK YOOOU!"

And with that, the kitsune took off, splashing through the mud and running against the driving rain.

The woman watched him disappear into the rain and smiled gently.

"That boy is certainly one of a kind. I wonder where all the enthusiasm came from," she pondered to herself while she finished locking up the Pharmacy.

'Hang on, Sasuke...I'm almost there...'

Naruto sprinted through the storm, hearing nothing but the rain, occasional rolls of thunder, the howling wind, and his own thoughts.

The usual dirt roads criss-crossing Konoha had turned to thick mud that sucked at Naruto's feet as he ran. He slipped a number of times, actually falling twice.

By the time he reached the apartment, he was caked in the sticky brown mixture of dirt and rain. His breath wheezed from all the effort, and he almost had to drag himself back to Sasuke's room.

There lie his roommate, his usual pale complexion nearly glowing in the moonlight that was now coming in through the window. Outside things were beginning to calm down; the rain fell more gently against the window.

Naruto quietly stepped up to Sasuke's bed, holding the medicine tightly to his chest. Sasuke was asleep, but he stirred and his dark eyes fluttered open as he felt the blond watching him. He almost looked relieved when he saw Naruto standing there, but maybe it was just the light.

The raven looked Naruto over, noticing he was muddy and dripped water from his hair. "Naruto..."

The blond shook his head, unknowingly spraying some rain drops. "Don't. I brought you some medicine, it'll help you."

Sasuke watched curiously as Naruto set everything down and began preparing the various little instruments that came with the kit. He was oddly serious as he worked almost professionally through the steps.

When it came time for the drops, Naruto bit his lip. From his own experience, he knew medicine tended to taste nasty, but he wanted to help Sasuke as much as he could.

"Okay, stick out your tongue..."

Sasuke hesitated, but obeyed Naruto's orders. Drip drip...Naruto waited.

Sasuke's nose scrunched up ever so slightly, but he managed to swallow it with relative ease. Shocked, Naruto stared at him and then at the medicine.

"Wait, isn't this...REALLY gross?"

Before Sasuke could answer or stop him, Naruto stuck out is own tongue and squeezed out two more drops. Istantly he regretted it. It was single-handedly one of the nastiest things he had ever tasted.

"Oh, YUCK! Sasuke, how did you DO that?"

Even though Naruto was making loud noises (which Sasuke usually despised), and was dancing around like an idiot on fire, the raven was quite amused.

"Naruto."

The blond stopped, despite the ickyness in his mouth, and waited for whatever Sasuke wanted to tell him. For some reason, he almost expected harsh words from the boy.

Instead, Sasuke surprised him.

"Why don't you go get cleaned up? You're a mess."

Naruto felt his mouth drop open. For the first time ever, he saw a smile on Sasuke's face. It was still his usual smirk, but this one appeared more affectionate somehow.

"O-okay..."

He unwillingly left Sasuke alone in his room as he grabbed a change of clothes from the living room (that had been converted to his bedroom) and headed to the shower. Once he was all cleaned up, Naruto took the time to wipe up the mud footprints he had left. He was sure Sasuke would appreciate that.

When everything was done, the blond quietly re-entered Sasuke's room. The raven was watching the outside world through his window, but looked over at Naruto when he came back. The whiskered boy was not used to this attention and under the onyx gaze, self-consciously made his way back over to Sasuke's bedside.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, searching anxiously for any signs of discomfort in the raven.

Thankfully, the young Uchiha nodded. Naruto let out a relieved sigh.

They were quiet for the most part, and hours ticked by. Finally Naruto felt his eyelids grow heavy, and he rubbed at them with a tiny yawn.

"Well, I better get to bed. See you in the morning Sas-"

He was startled to feel a smooth hand grip his wrist gently. Sasuke looked up at him, and Naruto could have sworn he saw desperation there on his face.

"Don't...go," he ordered in a low voice.

The initial shock of the two words made the blood rush to Naruto's cheeks. He swallowed a lump of nerves in his throat and took a seat on the other side of Sasuke, leaning his back against the headboard again.

"Hey, Naruto..."

The blond shifted to show he had heard Sasuke.

"...thanks."

Naruto's heart fluttered and his breath caught in his throat. Sasuke was thanking him? He stared at his roommate, who was lying on his side now, facing away.

"...you're welcome," he answered, slumping further into the headboard and after a while, falling asleep.

As he listened to the blond's gentle breathing, Sasuke closed his eyes.

For the first time in a long time, he wore a genuine smile.