Author Note: Hi everyone. Here's the new chapter, and Dark Iasha have kindly offered her services and help me with my poor grammar and she's done miracles already. When I wrote this chapter I wanted mostly to portray Sasuke in a different light, one where he can't go on. The harsh reality will always come and bite you to wake you up. The other thing that I thought about... well, you will see it when you come to the end. Look forward to it. A big thank you to all readers and reviewers. To finish this note I just want to tease you a little about the next chapter so you will have something to look forward to; The truth about Yue. Get ready for a big surprise.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Pairings: Sasuke x Naruto. Itachi x Yue.

Warning: This is mainly a shounen-ai story. Boy loves boy.

Music In My Heart
By Monkan and beta-ed by Dark Iasha

Part 19

Sasuke walked down the long white hall of the hospital. The air smelled of disinfection and clinical substances. Yue walked ahead of him. The numerous rooms they passed were unknown to him and he didn't even have any idea of which room they where heading to. Some women came out from a room; all dressed in green cloths with name tags, a tray of medicine and were chatting among themselves. Sasuke barely gave them a passing glance.

They took a sudden turn and walked down another hall that looked mostly the same. He peered into one of the open rooms and saw one woman lying there with her leg up on some kind of slide. In another room there were some people talking in low voices.

Then they stopped. In front of a door that held only a number. There were some chairs around that offered some use.

Yue turned around and looked at Sasuke with sad eyes. "You don't have to do this," she said in a whisper.

Sasuke just ignored the comment. "I'm all right. Let me see them."

Yue turned back to the door and bit her lower lip before she slowly placed her hand on the handle and pushed it down. Opening the door to the room that held Sasuke's parents.

Inside sat Itachi in a chair by the side of one of the two beds. Machines beeped and the clinical smell was even more evident in here. The room was just as bright as the halls had been, and just as clean. Just as sickening.

Itachi turned around in the chair and when he saw Yue he held out one of his hands to his lover. She took it. She squeezed his hand comfortingly and gave him a small smile. He returned it before he faced his little brother. The indifferent face made him almost cringe but he too held the same expression, only with a hint of sadness in his dark eyes. He had no idea what was going through his little brother's mind... or heart. What he was feeling, how he was reacting to seeing their parents like this. He could read nothing.

Sasuke stared with blank eyes at his father. Or was it his father? Could this beaten, bruised and bandaged man really be his father? Did this shallow face belong to his father? And his mother, was this his once beautiful mother he remembered from childhood? Somehow he couldn't make the connection in his mind.

He didn't seem to feel anything from seeing them like this. He couldn't feel any of the so called shock that people got when they saw their family in situations like these.

Had he left Naruto just to come and watch this scene?

His parents hadn't really cared for him when he was young. He barely knew them anymore so why did he have to be here?

Sasuke kept staring on their faces and one thought ran through his mind. Why didn't he feel anything?

Itachi had watched Sasuke carefully. "Sasuke," the elder brother said to get his attention. Sasuke turned to him upon hearing the call but he said nothing. "It's ok to sit down. Don't force yourself," Itachi said in the most caring voice he had ever used to his brother in years. It was almost lovingly.

Sasuke shook his head. "It's ok. Can I go now?" he asked in an indifferent voice. Nothing reflected from his face.

Itachi looked him over once more. He really didn't want his brother to leave but forcing him to stay would only mean trouble, since they were both just as stubborn. "All right," Itachi said. "I'll call if anything changes."

Sasuke just nodded once, bid Yue good bye and left the room. He walked down the same hall to get out, followed down the same halls and turns, only backwards. He still couldn't feel anything.

Back inside the room Itachi looked at the door for long moments before turning back to their parents. Yue placed her free hand on his shoulder and hugged him, in a manner of speaking.

"Shouldn't he know what the doctors said?" Yue whispered.

Itachi shook his head. "No," he mumbled in a low voice. "It's better if he doesn't know right now."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He walked down the road, it was now covered by a layer of ice but he didn't pay it much mind. He turned a corner and stared at the house across the frozen lawn. He looked up at Naruto's window but he couldn't see the blond teen. He stood there for a few minutes before he walked to the front door.

For a change, one that he didn't understand, he knocked and waited instead of entering after knocking. He stood there and in his heart he felt nothing change.

Iruka opened the door, his hair in his usual pony-tail.

"Come in," the older man said as he stepped away from the door to let Sasuke inside. He closed the door behind them to prevent more of the heat inside from leaving the house.

"Are you...?" Iruka started to say but was interrupted.

"I'm fine," Sasuke said. "Where is Naruto?" It was more of an afterthought than a question.

Iruka looked at him square in the eyes before pointing with his finger up the stairs.

"He's in his room."

Sasuke walked past him without waiting and Iruka thought he heard a faint "thanks" but wasn't sure if it was real or not.

With light but slow steps Sasuke climbed the stairs and not before long he stood outside the same door leading to Naruto's room. The same door that he had opened and entered so many times before.

Inside, he found Naruto lying curled up in bed. For a moment he thought the blond boy looked cute and before he knew it he took a step closer to his lover. Soon he was standing next to the bed and looked down on its occupant.

When he sat down the bed dipped a little and the movements seemed to rouse Naruto from his sleep. Tired eyes blinked once before shutting again. He mumbled something unintelligent and went back to a somewhat half-awake sleep.

Sasuke looked at him for a long time before he lay down behind Naruto on the bed. He rested his head against Naruto's waist and his arms wrapped around the blonds thighs.

Subconsciously, Naruto placed one of his hands on Sasuke's but otherwise remained in his sleep.

He didn't know how long he laid there, not thinking about anything. His mind a total blank. He couldn't force thoughts to appear and at the same time he didn't want to. He didn't want to disturb this peaceful silence that surrounded him, that kept out all noise.

The only thing he could hear right now was his own heart beat and feel the hot blood running through Naruto's legs, warming him up.

He wasn't aware of it until warm tears fell down his face, making him gasp in surprise. His hands started to tremble and then his arms. Before he knew it his whole body was shaking along with fresh and hot tears ran down from his eyes, soaking everything they reached.

And somewhere in it all Naruto had turned around so that he could hug his important one close as he tried in his own silent way to comfort.

Naruto didn't know what to do, and it left him confused, so he did the thing he knew best. He didn't say anything and just held Sasuke as he felt the trembles run through his body. What he wouldn't give to be able to see the image before him instead of the hazy blur.

He couldn't see Sasuke's crying face but he could feel them. He couldn't see how distraught Sasuke really was, only feel it. He couldn't see Sasuke's face, now probably white as snow from the shock he felt originating from his body.

And he did feel it with all his heart. The pain, the shock of what it must have had been to Sasuke. It all had been suppressed until he couldn't keep it inside anymore.

Naruto ran one of his hands up and down Sasuke's arm while the dark haired boy's head pressed against his stomach. Sasuke's lips were opened in gasping breaths now and they trembled even more.

How could he not care? They had always been there; he had just been too blind to see it anymore. He loved them. He really loved them no matter how much of strangers they became. How could he have been so blind?

Slowly he closed his lips before shaky words could be spoken.

"I can't lose them," Sasuke's pathetic and trembling voice said in a whisper. "I can't."

"You're not going to lose them." said Naruto, to what end he didn't know for he didn't know if they were true or not.

"I-I--I'm..." Sasuke gulped. "I'm... not... ok."

"I know," whispered Naruto.

"Please... don't ever leave me."

For a moment Naruto was struck into silence before a soft smile appeared on his lips.

"I will always be with you. You don't have to ask me for that."

Sasuke's tears felt warm against his skin as they now had soaked their way through his shirt, and after a moment of nothing happening. The dark haired nustled his face closed, tightened his grip around the others hips and pressed as close as he could get.

That night, Sasuke didn't leave Naruto's home.

And Naruto learned as he held onto the other that he truly loved Sasuke with all of his heart.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Dr. Tsunade let out a heavy sigh as she threw down a heave map onto her desk. Sometimes she wondered why she ever chose this work. The working hours were insane. Everyone wanted a piece of her skills and the pay... God did it need improvement.

Thankfully she was done for today and she could go home, go to sleep and hopefully get some order on her desk. All the paper work that needed sorting and going through.

A file caught her attention, the one on her next patient and she picked it up. She gave it a moment's glance before flipping it down onto the desk in front of her. The name on it didn't mean a thing to her but then again neither did a lot of names she encountered in her work, although many of them seemed to know her. So this was a new patient.

She tapped her finger twice on the map, just below the name. "Uzumaki Naruto," she read.

Well, she would go over the details tomorrow after a good night rest. God knows she needed it.

To Be Continued.