AN: main pairing NaruSasu. Don't read if don't like. Other pairings are up in the air atm. open to suggestions.
Warning: Language, Yaoi is coming Oh and I have no Beta, don't flame for grammar and spelling.
Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it... This can be either a blessing or a powerful curse. Sometimes it is both.
It had been 7 days since Sasuke Uchiha had been brought broken and bleeding to the very office of the 5th Hokage, Tsunade-sama.
Today that same Hokage planned to remove the sleeping Jitsu she had him under and allow him to wake up on his own. The next stage of his healing included him taking in much needed fluids, then working up to solid foods and weaning him off the strong medications he had been receiving thru his IV. Plus she was running out of things for Naruto to do, though she had to admit the Village Hidden in the Leaves was looking exceptionally good these days. Taking care of the Uchiha Heir, trying to get him to drink enough water, force feeding him broth getting him up and walking eventually would be a good change of pace for the young man and honestly this is what he'd really been wanting to do all along. As an added bonus it would keep the blond kitsune vessel out of her hair.
Oddly when Tsunade had asked Sakura if she was going to join her teammates this day she had declined. Stating she had work to do and would check in on them later, that Naruto had more right than she did to be present. Interesting. The girl had grown up far more than even Tsunade had given her credit for. Kakashi was already there waiting for her with Naruto as she neared the door of the deep sleeping Nin. After a brief nod to the two men they all entered the room, the males off to one side as the 5th Hokage did one last check on the sleeping Uchiha, then looking straight into the bright blue eyes of Naruto she spoke.
"Okay Naruto, I'm going to release the sleeping jitsu. Remember what I told you, it may take only a few minutes or it could take as long as a few hours, but let him wake up on his own. If you try waking him up too soon or too fast, he'll be very disorientated and may hurt himself even more by doing something rash."
"Gotcha Grandma, I remember. Is that why Kakashi's here in case the jerk does something stupid?" Kakashi grinned under his mask.
"Naruto, You are both still my students. Of course I'd be here, for the both of you." Naruto smirked at his Sensei who happened to also be holding Make Out Paradise volume 12.
"Yeah right Kakashi-Sensei, Your just looking for a place to read. Why are all my Sensei's perverts?!"
""He-he, Busted" Truthfully though Kakashi was there in case Sasuke did do something stupid and also because he really and truly did care about these two. He would have watched over them regardless, whether Jiraiya had asked him too or not.
It took but a moment for Tsunade to break the sleeping Jitsu, a soft sigh escaped the raven haired teen and he fell into a normal REM pattern sleep as he moved up from the deeper sleep of the Jitsu. Tsunade motioned the 2 males to the far side of the room.
"It won't be long, his mind is already active and moving up and out of deep sleep into REM and up towards wakefulness. About 30 minutes if I don't miss my guess. I need to get back to my office for a while, I'll check back in about an hour if I don't hear from you first. I'll have a nurse bring water, broth and pain meds for when he wakes up. Ice chips first, then sips of water and so forth got it Naruto."
"Yeah Yeah I got it Granny, you've told me this about a thousand times already. Beside I don't want the Asshole puking on me or anything, I got it okay." Tsunade sighed as she left the room shaking her head. Kakashi was sitting in corner with his nose in his book while Naruto pulled a chair up next to the bed Sasuke was on and took one of the dark haired boys hands in his as he waited for his Best Friend, His Rival, His everything to wake up. Best friend? Tsunade wondered was that all the Uchiha Heir was to the Brat.
Naruto was holding the hand that had not been attached to the IV while the dark haired Nin had slept. Slowly tracing random patterns on the back with his thumbs while he waited for Sasuke to wake up. The hand was longer and stronger than he remembered, more calloused, it was his sword hand, he noticed as he turned it over looking at the telltale calluses on the palm. His fingertips ghosting over the roughed areas. Sasuke's fingers twitched at the contact and Naruto turned the hand back over and resumed tracing random circles on the back.
It was to this feeling that Sasuke slowly woke up to. A warm hand holding his, light calming and soothing touches. As his slowly eyes opened a figure came into focus.
"N-Naruto?" Sasuke croaked out. Instantly Naruto was up and alert.
"Sasuke! Thank God your awake. No, don't talk. Let me get you some ice first. Hold on. Easy. Easy. Here let me lift your head a bit. Here just suck on this bit of ice for a minute." Naruto helped his ex-teammate sit up a little, careful of others numerous wounds. He fluffed the pillows so he wasn't laying flat and so that Naruto could sit facing him and they could look at each other better. Sasuke was so thirsty, that little bit of ice was barely making a dent.
"More, so thirsty.."
"I know you're thirsty Sasuke, Sorry. But the Old Hag said to just let you suck on ice chips at first, otherwise you'd just throw it all back up and that would make things even worse."
"Hn"
For the next 15 mins or so Sasuke let Naruto feed him ice as he came more awake, his thirst slowly diminished and he was able to take in his surroundings. Despite being hooked up to an IV and several monitors. It didn't appear that he was restrained in anyway although all things considered it wasn't like he was going anywhere anytime soon. Everything literally HURT, even his eyelids and fingernails seemed to hurt, how the hell do fingernails hurt? Damn he was in bad shape. His Chakra channels were currently toast. He suspected that if it hadn't been for Naruto he may have immediately followed Itachi into the afterlife, and he wasn't ready to die yet. His eyes followed the lithe blonde as he moved around the room, finally noticing the silver haired Kakashi in the corner.
"Kakashi-sensei."
"Sasuke-kun." That was all, in fact that was all either needed to say. Just that and everything was alright with them. Kakashi stood and closed his book with a snap and with a swirl of air was gone. Leaving the two young men alone while he went to let the 5th Hokage know that her patient was finally awake. Alone for the first time in nearly 4 years. The dark obsidian eyes gazed into the bright blue eyes of the one who had saved him. He remembered, soon after Itachi had died Naruto had been there picking him up, gathering him close.
"Naruto?"
"Eh? You shouldn't talk too much you know. You've been out of it for a week, I think Grandma Tsunade only woke you up so I'd stop pestering her. You look like hell by the way" Naruto gave Sasuke one of his vulpine grins.
"Dobe."
At that Naruto actually started laughing, laughing so hard tears streamed from his eyes. When he could finally get his breath back still chuckling, wiping his eyes, he told a rather miffed looking Sasuke.
"Oh,...Oh lord the look on your face...I'm sorry Sasuke.. chuckle..But Gods above it is so, damn, well, You... Fuck I sure have missed you, you asshole." Naruto blushed slightly at his confession. But then he had been chasing Sasuke off and on for over 3 years ever since he'd left the Hidden Leaf Village and had been trying to bring him home. What surprised Naruto was the blush gracing the pale cheeks of the avenger. With a small smile Sasuke replied.
"I bet you have"
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean! Look you Jer.." Just when things were about to get interesting the door swung open the admitting none other than the 5th Hokage, Tsunade-sama herself, followed by the copycat Ninja.
"I see Kakashi was right your awake. Naruto! What did I tell you about stirring him up! I'll set you to sweeping the entire forest if you keep agitating him."
"Aw come on Grandma, he started it." Sighing heavily the 5th looked over at the now smirking Uchiha Heir and realized he wasn't agitated at all, if anything his dark eyes had a certain sparkle as he watched the blonde idiot.
"Fine, I'll let it go this time. Just try not to kill each other before he's actually fully healed. I don't want all my hard work to go to waste. That goes for you to, you Uchiha Brat. You know how Naruto is, stop teasing him." That got Sasuke's attention all right. Tsunade was already going about the work of of removing the IV in his hand and the other instruments.
"What, Who are you...?!"
"I am your HOKAGE, that's who, and you're a ninja of the Hidden Leaf in case you forgot. We never officially listed you as a Missing Nin. On paper your were regarded as 'Kidnapped' by Orochimaru."
"Yeah, Granny took care of everything. You're a fucking Hero, asshole. Killed 2 S-class Criminals, secret undercover mission or some kind of BS. Hell even I benefited, seeing as I saved your ass, so I'm a Hero too. Go figure." Sasuke just stared at the two stunned, Hero? Him? Naruto sure, but him? He wasn't going to be tried and punished? He believed ever since he left that his days as a shinobi were over, but now... Sasuke's mouth actually fell open as he stared at the pair. Tsunade saw the stunned look, inner Tsunade laughed her ass off. Apparently Sakura was rubbing off on her Mentor.
"Don't get me wrong Sasuke Uchiha. Just because the Villagers don't know the whole truth of the matter, doesn't mean you won't have to work hard to make it up to me, to the village and to your teammates. (especially Naruto) That said, as of this moment both you, and Naruto are now Chuunin. This is NOT a reward. If you two were to enter the exams at this point it would be a complete circus, and I just don't need that headache. Kakashi and Yamato will be your immediate supervisors, once you Sasuke are healed enough to begin training and working with a Team."
"Hai" "Sure thing Granny" With a thud, Tsunade bopped the whiskered teenager on the head
"Naruto! Stop calling me that! I am nowhere near old enough to be your Grandmother. Truth of the matter is, Sasuke's mother Mikoto and I went to the Academy together." Tsunade's amber colored eyes went soft and distant. "She was my very best friend, sure I had my teammates. but she was always my best friend. When she fell in love with an Uchiha I was there at her wedding, as her maid of Honor. When I left here, after Da... to travel, I looked forward to her letters and wrote her often." Looking at into Sasuke's eyes, the 5th Hokage of the Hidden leaf village let him see some of the enormous pain hidden in her own soul, so similar to his. "So many precious people lost over the years, the pain fades but never really goes away does it Sasuke-kun"
"Hai Hokage-Sama" Sasuke respect for this 5th Hokage grew immeasurably, so much strength and yet so caring. Naruto watched the exchange with some relief, if what Tsunade said was true and Sasuke's mother had been her best friend... Mind working... Mouth moving...
"So then that means Sasuke's like your nephew then. Can I call you Auntie Tsunade instead?" The blonde grinned cheekily. Amber met Black, then they both looked back at the grinning Idiot."
(sigh) "Auntie Really Naruto. Besides it's not quite accurate I'm his God mother"
"God Mother!" Both Teens said at the same time.
"Hai, Maybe I should have told you when I first got here, but there was so much going on. With Rock Lees injuries. With taking over as the Hokage... and then you were gone before I had a chance. I blame myself in part for your leaving. Perhaps if I had told you..."
"After that first fight with Itachi I'm not sure anything anyone said to me would have worked. I was blinded by my rage. Ask this Baka, he knows, I nearly killed him. But I refused to be like Itachi and kill the person most precious to me. So if your my God Mother then who.."
"He died, a long time ago." Naruto gave Sasuke a look that said I know who it must be, I'll tell you later.
Sasuke just rolled his eyes, seeing as that was the only thing he could move that didn't hurt. Well too much. Naruto snickered at the pained look on Sasuke's face. Tsunade shook her head, these two would be the death of her yet, she was sure of it. Retrieving a scroll from her ample bosom she handed it to Naruto.
"Okay eww, how long has that been in there." Tsunade clasped a hand over her eyes and counted to 10, slowly.
"Naruto, these are instructions I want you to follow to help with Sasuke's recovery and physical therapy. If you're going to be in here, you might as well help him get better."
While Tsunade 5th Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves went over what she wanted the living vessel of the nine tailed fox to do over the next couple of days, the raven haired Avenger quietly fell back to sleep. His body could only stay awake for so long at this point. But eventually he was going to have to face all these changes in his life, in the village and in his feelings. In the far corner of the room pretending to read was Kakashi, watching over them, for now a silent guardian angel.