This has not been beta'd (as is the case for most things I write), and it took me a while to get the motivation to write this. Meh.

Warnings: Same.

Disclaimer: I still do not own the Naruto characters.

"Naruto, we have to get back home with these groceries."

The blonde in question was still looking through various things in shops in hopes to find something for the youngest white tiger. Not to mention that hauling all of the groceries was not his idea of fun; Kyuubi could handle that.

"Kyuubi, can't you just go back without me? I still haven't found anything for Sasuke."

"You're just trying to get out of taking the groceries back, aren't you?" Kyuubi sighed. "Fine, but make sure you're back before dark, or mom will have your hide."

Naruto just waved off his brother as he tried to figure out what to get the Uchiha that he called a friend. Sadly, the fennec found plenty of things for his other friends, and he made a mental note to go back and get them another time, but he just could not find anything for Sasuke. Of course the bastard was difficult to shop for, seeing as he seemed to make it his goal in life to make everything more difficult then it needed to be.

"There's nothing good here."

The glare that the shopkeeper threw him, made Naruto flatten his ears at the realization of what he said. He didn't mean that the things they were selling weren't good; he just meant that there was nothing 'good' for Sasuke, but it's not like he could say that either since so many adored the Uchiha family, even the stoic, youngest one.

Deciding that it would be wise to leave before the shopkeeper decided to skin him, Naruto made his escape and wandered into another shop.

~*~*~*~

Kyuubi frowned at the worried look on his mother's face. Naruto wasn't back yet, and the sun had set about an hour ago; not to mention that a storm was expected to come sooner or later.

"I'm going to call Mikoto to see if she, or Sasuke, has heard from him," Kushina finally stated.

Kyuubi agreed, and he could tell his father did as well, with his mother's decision, but he doubted that the white tigress would know where Naruto was since she normally made his younger brother call home so their mother wouldn't worry. Since they hadn't heard anything from the Uchiha house, Kyuubi doubted that anyone knew where Naruto was.

Pulling on a thick coat—and other things to fight off the cold—Kyuubi could hear his mother talking on the phone with Mikoto. He knew that the conversation was likely to end with a cormation of a search party for his little brother. Normally, they would let Naruto come home on his own, but with the temperature being so low, and with the oncoming storm…they couldn't risk it. Kyuubi just hoped that it wouldn't turn out like the last time.

~*~*~*~

"Sasuke? Have you heard from Naruto lately?"

Glancing at his mother, Sauske shook his head while his eyes reflected his confusion.

"I haven't seen him since Kyuubi came over to take him shopping for groceries earlier today. Why?"

Sasuke could tell that his mother seemed hesitant to tell him, and he was annoyed when she looked away from him and continued her conversation over the phone.

"Sasuke hasn't heard from him either."

What was going on?

"Of course we'll help!"

What did Naruto get himself into this time?

"You and Kyuubi can come over and we'll come up with something while Minato stays home to wait for him; he's no use with the cold as it is. Fennec foxes really aren't made for this weather."

Sauske watched as his mother finished her conversation and hung up the phone, and as he stared at her, Sasuke silently demanded an explanation.

"Naruto hasn't come home, and a storm is expected to hit. On top of that, no one knows where he is."

It took a moment for the situation to sink in, but once it did, Sasuke didn't get the chance to question his mother since there was a knock on the front door. It was most likely Kushina and Kyuubi, and his guess was confirmed when the red foxes, bundled up in coats, scarves, and thick gloves, made their way into the room.

"Sasuke, go get your brother," him mother told him.

"Itachi, get your sorry ass down here!"

"Sasuke! If I wanted you to yell, I would have done it myself! And watch your language!" Mikoto huffed.

Sasuke merely shrugged. They didn't have to wait long for Itachi to grace them with his presence; though, the youngest Uchiha did notice Kyuubi purposefully ignoring Itachi.

"What do you want, Sasuke?"

"I told him to get you, and he deemed it necessary to yell for you instead. Anyway, Naruto is missing and we're going to look for him. Itachi, go tell your father the situation, and that he is going to be coming along with Kushina and me to check through town. After that you're done with delivering the message, you and Kyuubi will go search the park and the woods nearby. Sasuke…you'll stay here."

"What?" Sasuke hissed.

He did not like the idea of sitting around waiting while everyone else searched for his friend. He could understand Kushina and Kyuubi searching, but his mother, father, and Itachi going while he was left to watch the house was absurd.

"You have to wait here just in case if Naruto comes back while we're out looking. Minato is staying at their house for the same reason," his mother informed him.

"But that's because Minato is a fennec like Naruto; he can't deal with the cold, but I can. Why can't I go look while someone else stays here?"

"Sasuke, please don't be difficult," his mother pleaded. "The more time we spend arguing, the less time we have to find Naruto before the storm comes in, so just stay here."

Before Sasuke could say another word, he found himself alone in the house. Sure, he could hear some chatter outside of the front door, but Sasuke was aware that his involvement in the conversation was over.

Flattening his ears, and his tail bristling, Sasuke couldn't help the growl that escaped.

"This is just like last time! Why can't I ever help?!"

Sasuke then stormed off to his room.

~*~*~*~

"We'll meet back here in an hour to see if one group found him, or if he came back. If Naruto hasn't returned, then we'll come up with another plan and go from there."

Itachi watched as his parents left with Kushina on their search, while he was left with Kyuubi. While he knew the other was not pleased with him, their argument would have to be temporarily forgotten…for Naruto's sake.

"Come on, let's check the park first."

"Fine."

Well, at least Kyuubi was talking to him…sort of. However, after minutes passed in silence, Itachi began to wonder if it must be a new record for the red fox to be quiet for so long. Sure, he wasn't as energetic as Naruto, but Kyuubi was quite active regardless.

"Damn it all! If I had just told him to forget about getting Sasuke some stupid gift, then he wouldn't be in this mess."

Knowing that Kyuubi needed this time to vent, Itachi decided to silently listen.

"It's a wonder why I didn't demand that he help me carry the damn bags back home, like I usually do. See, this is what happens when I try being a 'nice' older brother and let him out of a chore, and it's all my damn—"

"It's not your fault," Itachi stated, figuring that it was time to stop Kyuubi's ranting. "Naruto can take care of himself, despite the cold. He's probably taking cover somewhere, or he went back to one of the houses, so get a grip on yourself. He's not seven anymore."

Itachi knew that he alluded to an event some years ago, much like the one they were in now. Naruto had gotten lost in a storm, and the similarities between the events were rather startling; however, Itachi wasn't going to let Kyuubi start blaming himself for something he couldn't control.

"You're right," Kyuubi sighed. "Thanks."

Without any indication that he heard the red fox hybrid, Itachi continued the search for the smaller fennec. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with Kyuubi freaking out again since reassuring others really wasn't his strong point.

"Oh, remind me that I have to show you something when all this is over," Itachi mentioned.

Ignoring the questioning gaze that Kyuubi directed toward him, the white tiger pretended that he hadn't said anything.

~*~*~*~

Pacing around his bedroom, Sasuke knew that he was on edge. The slightest sound made him freeze and wait to see if Naruto, or the others, had come back; however, every time he was disappointed that his mind was simply playing tricks on him.

At one point, Sasuke paused, but not because of a noise; he noticed the shiny rock placed carefully among his other things on his dresser. The 'rock' was actually blue tiger's eye, a gift from his blonde friend some years ago. In fact, it had been that year that they finally accepted each other as friends, while remaining rivals as well. The circumstances led to there being no other option, especially when Naruto had been in the situation all for the stone.

Sasuke silently admitted that he didn't remember too much about the incident, since he was seven, but he did remember the important details. The young tiger remembered Kushina coming over in a panic when she realized that Naruto had snuck out of the house for some unknown reason, and there was a rather violent storm going on at the time. This led to the adults going to look for the child, and while Sasuke had asked to go, he had been denied and forced to stay with Itachi while Kyuubi and Minato stayed at their own house.

Then there was a large span of time where he couldn't exactly remember what happened, only that he had been bothering Itachi to pass the time. However, Sasuke was aware when the phone rang, later learning that Naruto was back at his house, along with a doctor.

He had demanded to be allowed to go and see Naruto. When he arrived, he pushed his way through to Naruto's room—knowing where it was because they would often visit each other, despite their protests to actually being 'friends'—and saw, what he guessed was the doctor, but then focused on the still body on the bed.

It was in that moment that Sasuke feared that the blonde was dead. At seven, Sasuke knew enough that death took away people forever, and people were cold, quiet, and slept forever when they were dead. Rushing over to the bed, Sasuke stared, wide-eyed, at the boy who was unconscious to the world. Ignoring everyone else around him, the seven-year-old, white tiger hybrid climbed onto the bed and yelled at Naruto to wake up.

Later Sasuke learned—from his teasing brother—that he had cried that night, and he even ended up clinging to Naruto and fell asleep that way. Though, Sasuke didn't really remember much after yelling at the motionless fennec hybrid, but apparently no one minded Sasuke clinging to Naruto since the transfer of body heat was one of the safest and easiest ways to warm up the freezing blonde.

Some days later, Sasuke had learned why Naruto had been out in the storm. It was because the blonde had lost the gift that he was going to give him. When he first saw it, Sasuke was rather pissed because Naruto had almost died over a stupid rock, but the fennec explained that it wasn't just a rock, it was a blue tiger's eye. The smooth stone was such a dark blue that it was almost black, which Naruto said reminded him of Sasuke's eyes, seeing that white tigers normally have bright blue eyes, but the Uchiha family had eyes that bordered black. The blonde also spouted out stuff about the stone supposedly being good against sadness and also finding one's way to something or another, but Sasuke wasn't really paying attention at that point because the gift, that actually had a lot of thought put into it, from Naruto meant more to him than he, as a seven-year-old, would ever admit to a rival of two years.

Looking back on the whole thing, Sasuke knew that the price that could have been paid for the gift that he treasured was not worth it. The cost of Naruto's life was not worth any gift.

Sasuke let out another low growl when he realized that there was still nothing telling him where Naruto, or anyone else, was. The whole ordeal was rather frustrating and, not to mention, nerve-wracking. Then again, he had always known that Naruto was a beacon to trouble; it never stopped following him around.

"You better be okay, you idiot."