"Foolish Hearts"

'Chapter Thirty-One'

Consciousness slowly started to ebb at his tired mind.

He felt so heavy.

It took a moment before the Uchiha pinched his dark eyes open, hissing back from the blinding light of the room.

It was so bright outside; it reflected off the white walls basking everything in an almost ethereal glow.

…where..?

Then it dawned on him; the night with Orochimaru, the battle, the blood…

Naruto!

Sasuke tried to sit up, realization flooding before his body caught up that he was in a hospital and Naruto would ultimately be fine then.

He tiredly ran his hand through his hair, feeling the grit on the strands, noticing the IV that was hooked up to his hand.

…how long had he been asleep?

What day was it?

…what time was it?

Sasuke was all alone in the room; confused and disorientated as he forced himself to lean back on the pleasantly soft pillows.

--

Naruto was down in the cafeteria with Sakura, his fingers absently running over the stitches in his face, almost mimicking Iruka. He had bandages around his chest, a gauze patch on his side, and a wrap around his arm, but the hospital robe hide most of the bandages.

He sighed gently, trying to remember the past three days.

Getting Sasuke to that hospital had been one of the hardest things Naruto ever had to do. The adrenaline from the fight wore off not long after he threw himself into the trees, and the pain of the wounds slowly started to creep up on him soon after that and by the time he got to Konoha he felt dizzy almost delusional.

He had barely managed to call for help when he felt his knees start to buckle, but someone had caught him and Sasuke, before everything went black.

Naruto had awoken hours later, his body put back together, and painkillers running through him once more. The kyuubi plushie had been set next to him, and he hadn't let it go, he had to give it back to Sasuke.

Almost a day had passed before he could even see his lover – child, he had no idea which Sasuke he had with him, and he had spent every moment he could next to him, wishing he would wake up. The doctors were optimistic about his recovery, but still, he hadn't woken up yet.

Sighing again, Naruto's nails started to pick at the forming scab across his nose. He wanted to see Sasuke, but Sakura was determined to get food in him.

"Don't pick." Sakura chided, watching Naruto from across the table.

It wouldn't matter either way really.

Naruto's body magically didn't scar.

Sakura was only picking at her food, her green eyes worried as they focused on the blonde. He hadn't eaten anything since three days ago, or longer for all she knew.

Naruto sighed heavily, his hand dropping to the table, ignoring the ramen in front of him. His legs were stretched out into another chair, the plushie doll resting on his bandaged stomach. He looked over at the woman, his eyes almost dead looking, before he glanced away. He gazed back at the doll, his fingers brushing against the clean fabric.

"Will he…wake up?"

Sakura frowned a little, "Of course he will."

The doctors said Sasuke had a good chance.

"The transfusion went well." She murmured, "They were able to stitch the wound, no infection." Sakura pushed the bowl of ramen closer to Naruto, "Just eat something, Sasuke is going to be just fine, but you won't be there to greet him if you starve yourself."

The blonde didn't glance at the ramen, "I'm not hungry." He didn't feel tired, he didn't feel exhausted, he just wanted to see those black eyes again.

He couldn't sleep because all he saw was when Orochimaru ran Sasuke through with his blade.

He couldn't eat because all the memories made him feel nauseous.

"I'm going back to the room." Letting his feet drop from the other chair, the fox stood up, tucking the doll into the yukata, its head hanging out, before he started back through the hospital, and back to Sasuke's room.

No one disturbed him; everyone stepped out of his way.

Resting his hand on the door he slowly slide it open, "I'm back." He murmured to himself, as he closed the door behind himself.

Sasuke's dark black eyes focused on the blonde as he came into the room, noticing his slumped posture as his back remained to him as he closed the door. "Naruto..?" His voice was thick with sleep; unused for three days, not to mention the nice stream of drugs still circulating in his system.

Naruto blinked slowly, his mind trying to catch up to the sound he just heard.

Did…did he just hear..?

Turning he looked over his shoulder to the single bed in the room, to Sasuke's prone body. Dark, hazy orbs gazed back at him.

"Sasuke…" He breathed out, a smile starting to break out over his lips, "Y-your awake!" He started back to the bed, and carefully sat on its edge, his hands reaching up for the man's face, "You woke up."

Sasuke leaned into Naruto's hands as the man cupped his face, lifting one of his own hands to cover the top of Naruto's.

Gods…

Naruto was here…

He was with him…

Sasuke's eyes closed, taking in the feel of those calloused warm hands; savoring it. It felt like he had been gone forever, trapped in a dark room. "Are you okay?" Sasuke asked in that smooth lethargic tone of his, black eyes peeking up at the blonde from under thick lashes.

"You were the one who almost died." The fox shook his head; he felt warmth and relief run through him, his eyes started to mist, but he couldn't help it. "Are you okay? Do you need anything? Do you want me to get a nurse?" Naruto was babbling, he was excited and nervous all at the same time.

Sasuke looked to the blonde, leaning back just a little as he raised his free hand to the blonde's face, feeling the whiskered grooves. His thumb brushed tenderly under his eye, "No crying." He said, a slight smirk on his lips.

...it felt so strange.

Like he had come back from the dead.

Sasuke just kept staring into those bright blue eyes, unable to look away from them, feeling so much safer as he gazed at the blonde.

Naruto always made him forget everything.

Like they were the only two people in the whole world.

Naruto let out a choked sob and let his head drop to Sasuke's shoulders. "It's really you..." He felt his shoulders shaking.

His Sasuke was back.

"You came back…" He felt tears start to slide down his cheeks, soaking into Sasuke's yukata.

Sasuke gently pulled Naruto against him; uncaring to the slight pain it caused in his chest. He didn't care; he wanted Naruto as close as possible.

...he wanted to forget what happened.

Wanted to forget the feeling of Orochimaru possessing him.

Sasuke held the blonde firm, his eyes shut as he kissed the Hokage's temple, letting the man cry onto his shoulder, feeling the hot wet tears melt through the thin fabric. "Shh..." Sasuke murmured in a soothing tone, his fingers threading through Naruto's soft hair.

Naruto didn't know how long he cried out his relief, it could have been minutes, it could have been hours. All he could feel was Sasuke underneath him, the strong heartbeat echoing in his ears. Slowly sitting up, he rubbed his eyes against his shoulder, "W-What do you remember?" He asked. "After they took you to the tower-" Naruto paused trying not to remember that day.

Sasuke's dark black eyes were on the blonde, still cradling him to his chest though now the Uchiha had lain out on the bed -- Naruto pulled half-atop him. Sasuke frowned slightly in thought, "I just remember the council and that one man I hadn't seen before." The Uchiha murmured, "…with gold eyes." Sasuke continued to run his fingers across Naruto's scalp as if to calm himself, "Shikamaru tried to strike a deal, and the gold-eyed man ended up leaving." Sasuke hadn't known the man's name at the time, and his childish memories were too jumbled for him to piece through to find it. "...nothing else really. They took me to this room, and then, I fell asleep." Or, well, something like that. The original Sasuke was cast into a slumber; the childish Sasuke had woken and took his place.

Naruto didn't know why, but the news upset him ever so slightly.

All the sweet memories, Sasuke's innocence.

The fox smiled for a brief moment before it was gone, and he reached for the plushie in his robe. "I-…brought this..." Naruto held it out to the man, a small blush on his cheeks, "You...well, you never went anywhere without...it...when...after..." He let out a long sigh and just stared at Sasuke as he set the doll on the man's chest. "...it's yours."

Sasuke looked to the tattered little doll, looking at it a long moment.

...he remembered it.

It was a little orange blur in his conscious; along with pieces of Naruto's smiling face and sad blue eyes.

He tilted his head back on the pillow, obsidian eyes sweeping to the blonde; noticing the silly blush on his cheeks. His lips twitched into a lazy smirk before he placed a simple kiss on the blonde's brow.

Naruto blinked, and just stared back at Sasuke.

...He...he hadn't expected that.

But he had missed it.

Smiling gently, the fox reached up to Sasuke's un-bandaged cheek and gently brushed his knuckles down the pale cheek. "I missed you."

Sasuke looked down to the fox, the drugs thick in his system, his black eyes having a slight sheen to them. He continued to run his fingers over Naruto's scalp, just observing him as if seeing him for the first time.

"That's good..." Sasuke said softly, his lips twitching into a playful smirk.

He had missed Naruto too.

It felt like he hadn't been near the fox in forever; and yet his memories told him otherwise. But, well, that other conscious wasn't his conscious now.

It was kind of confusing, hard to comprehend.

Sasuke didn't feel like thinking about the technicalities.

Naruto leaned into the touches, his eyes closing as he hand came up to cradle Sasuke's wrist. He turned the palm so he could press his lips against it, gazing into the glazed eyes he smiled gently, "You should sleep."

Sasuke still wasn't out of the clear yet, his body still recovering from the blood loss, despite the transfusion.

Sasuke let his eyes slip shut, feeling Naruto at his side, the warmth against his hand as the kitsune remained at his side.

Sleep seemed like a good idea…

Sasuke tilted his head back, body relaxing, "...you'll be here?" His voice was thick with sleep, "...when...I wake up?"

Naruto guided Sasuke's hand back down to the bed, but his fingers never left Sasuke's skin. Leaning forwards, he pressed his lips against the Uchiha's forehead. "Always." He breathed out gently.

Sasuke's lips twitched into a fragile smile as he felt Naruto's lips against his forehead, hearing the tender words. The Uchiha let sleep take him; the darkness welcomed.

--

A/N:

I know, short chapter, why I posted it with the other one. Please leave a review if you want to see what happens next!

Everything is getting so warm and fuzzy, what could possibly happen now? Haha.

Leave a review to find out!