A gentle nudge slowly roused him from his sleep; dark orbs opened and for a moment he was completely dazed, not knowing where he was his muscles tensed. Then the events that had transpired that day came rushing back to him in a hurry and his first thought was for the blonde male who was currently beside him. Blinking to erase the sleep still present in his eyes, he swiftly glanced up to the person who had awoken him. Feeling calm circulate through his body and the tension dissipate as familiar black eyes stared back at him in, barely concealed, concern; the hand had not moved from his shoulder and he felt it give a gentle squeeze before Itachi pulled it back and offered the hand to help Sasuke up.

"Itachi." Sasuke greeted quietly, his voice taking on the normal monotonous edge that comforted him so. Inside, however, his emotions were not quite as controlled as he would have liked them to be.

Giving his brother a slight nod in greeting as he pulled Sasuke to his feet, both Uchiha's looked upon the trembling form of the blonde boy, propped up against a desk. Sweat was rolling from his forehead and his teeth appeared to be clenched. Coupled with the furrowing of his golden brows and the constant shaking, he looked absolutely ghastly and Sasuke could not help the worry that bubbled to the surface.

"I'm not sure what happened, Aniki. One moment he was fine and asking for my notes, the next he was on the floor, barely moving." Sasuke said evenly, his expression quite neutral, however his eyes conveyed to his brother the worry he felt inside.

Gracefully lowering his form to the floor, so he was propped up on his knees and directly in front of Naruto, Itachi felt his forehead. The long-haired male could quite clearly see the state of Sasuke's emotions and even though the younger tried desperately to conceal it, he knew he was concerned for the blonde. Itachi had to stay calm for both his brother and Naruto in order to decide what the best course of action would be. Now was not the time to panic. The blonde's condition could quite well be incredibly serious. Bringing his hand up, he placed it upon Naruto's forehead, almost jerking his arm back at the heat he felt rolling from it.

Naruto shifted slightly and the crease between his brows only deepened, almost as if it was painful for him to have Itachi's hand on his forehead. A small frown marred the elder Uchiha's features as he turned to Sasuke from the position he was currently situated in.

"He has an extremely high temperature Sasuke, and I'd go as far as to say that he needs immediate medical attention. I doubt the fever will break without it." Itachi said calmly, yet the frown on his face pulled the left side of his lip down in worry for his brother's friend.

Pulling his eyes from Itachi's own, he sneaked a final glance at Naruto and forced his features to remain stoic as he came to a decision. "We need to get him to a hospital, Itachi. As soon as possible." Sasuke asserted and he made his way over to the blonde's side after a small nod of confirmation from his elder brother. The raven gently pulled Naruto up by his hand and steadied him when he was on his feet. Taking one of his tanned arms and placed it around his shoulders to support the boy's weight on his left side; he wrapped his free arm around the blonde's waist for added support. As Itachi went to help Sasuke in carrying Naruto, the younger Uchiha calmly shook his head.

"No, I'll take him to the car and get him strapped in. You go inform the school about where we're going; it will be quicker that way." Sasuke said evenly, grateful, nonetheless that his brother was here to help. They could finally get Naruto some, much needed medical care.

Calmly regarding the raven for a few moments, in order to judge if Sasuke could manage the blonde's weight, Itachi gave a calm nod in affirmation; his eyes warming slightly in pride at his brothers handling of the situation. Swiftly, Itachi made his way out of the room and toward the school reception; the long haired male glanced back only once, to check if his brother was okay in carrying the blonde. What he saw quelled his slight worry as he gracefully turned to continue walking.

After hauling the blonde through the school halls toward the vehicle parked outside the dark green gates, he finally reached the car. Sasuke placed him inside onto the back seat as carefully as he could and quickly strapped his seat belt on.

Regarding Naruto thoughtfully for a moment, he brought his hand up to his friends face and gingerly traced his tanned cheek. The blonde furrowed his brows once more and a small moan of agony left his parted lips as Sasuke's hand paused on the marred area of Naruto's skin. Confusion swept the ravens features as he felt small dips in what appeared to be smooth skin, however on further inspection Sasuke could clearly see small scars indented into the side of his face. A small frown tugged at his lips in concern yet he forced it towards the back of his mind, reminding himself that he could always ask about them when the blonde regained consciousness. Retracting his hand, he ran his palm through his raven locks as the, now familiar, feeling of helplessness washed over him once again.

"Idiot. You'd better wake up soon." The raven growled lowly, his words carrying no heat behind them, only the slight distress of not being able to eradicate the pain Naruto was currently experiencing.

Gently closing the back door, Sasuke gave an almost inaudible sigh as he slowly got into the passenger side of the car; he caught a glimpse of his brother out of the corner of his vision, exiting the school and allowed his shoulders to relax into the seat, knowing they would be driving soon.

As Itachi entered the driver's side of the car, not a word was spoken between the brothers and a strained silence enveloped the interior. Both Uchiha's, worried for Naruto's wellbeing, were pulled into their own thoughts about what could have possibly happened to the blonde haired boy and as Itachi started to drive toward their designated destination, Sasuke could clearly see Naruto's scrunched up face and tense features in the car mirror. Every few seconds the blonde would jerk before his eyebrows furrowed and more cold sweat rolled down his face. Balling his hands into small fists and clenching his teeth in agitation, Sasuke only hoped that the blonde moron would pull through.

Laughing…Giggling…Running…

"Daddy!" the blonde child glomped his father, finally content now that his family was complete; his daddy was home.

Chuckling at his son's antics, the blonde haired man embraced the 6 year old, forgetting how hard his day had been at work and relived that he was finally able to relax and be with his family. "Hey, kiddo. How've you been?" a big hand ruffled the blonde locks and in response the innocent pouted.

"Good, Daddy! Mommy's making Ramen! Come on!" Naruto said enthusiastically, a huge grin plastered on his young face. He finally released his father from the crushing embrace and took hold of his hand to guide him to the kitchen.

Smiling lightly and allowing his son to guide him through their house, Minato entered the kitchen behind Naruto and a multitude of delicious smells assaulted him. Breathing in the mouth-watering aroma, his stomach growled and he directed his gaze at the woman standing in front of the stove. Her red hair only illuminated the loving grin she wore.

Walking over to her husband, Kushina kissed him on the cheek as Naruto released his father's hand and grinned up innocently at them. "Welcome home, love." She whispered before turning her gaze to Naruto and picking him up; the smile never left her features and Minato's only increased ten-fold.

Adoration, devotion and pure love flowed through the small blonde in an endless stream. This was his family. This was what he lived for; seeing his most precious people all together. He was content. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Shouting… Screaming …Burning…

Flames roasted the house. Searing and destroying anything within their path. Nothing was safe. A small blonde, 6 year old boy glanced up at the house that was once his home, with shimmering tears dripping down his tanned cheeks.

All he could hear was constant shouts for 'More Water!' Gasps of horror from passer-by's and individuals who had once been his neighbour's assaulted his ears. It was deafening.

All he could do was stand and watch in absolute terror as his sanctuary burned to the ground, his eyes burned from the sobs that ripped through his body and the tears that accompanied them; the smoke only increased the burning sensation.

His body felt weak and yet, he could not halt the rapid stream of tears that flowed down his face.

The blanket wrapped around the blondes trembling form did nothing to quell the devastation and absolute heartbreak that ate at him from the inside out. He felt helpless and weak and useless.

Bawling from the agony, the 7 year old could not stop the convulsive gasps that racked his frame. He clenched his eyes shut trying to will away the feeling of complete emptiness that consumed him. He felt hollow.

There was no one left. His parents where dead. He was utterly alone.

Authors Note:

Okay, just to clear some bits up if anyone's confused, the writing in italics is Naruto's dream and it's a memory from before the orphanage about his family and how they passed away.

I feel so bad for putting Naruto through all this but I promise it will turn out okay, besides his such a strong character that I just love to play on that :P

I hope everyone's in character let me know if they aren't or if there's anything you'd like me to change. Naruto will awaken next chapter : )

Reviews are always welcome and I hope you enjoyed it!