Hey all. Sorry I haven't posted in what seems like a year. I've been swamped with classes but hopefully I'll be able to update sooner because the school years almost over. Yay! So here's to all those who are rejoicing in the fact that summer is almost here.

WARNING: yaoi, if you don't know what that means, you may be in the wrong place. Also there is violence and other such things a story just cannot be without.

Disclaimer: No Naruto but that's alright. All I need is be able to write using them wonderful characters. ;-)

Saving You

Ch. 7: Unnerving Realizations for Unnerved People

Slamming a pot down on the stove and sliding a plate up onto the counter, Naruto hollered out, "Order up!" He quickly turning to another pan, and flipping the contents before lowering the flame to a simmer. Suddenly a loud beeping filled the kitchen and he hustled across the room to a gigantic oven and pulled it open, a wave of heat breaking over his skin as he reached in and began to pull out various pans and sheets. Turning away, he placed them on the counter, grabbing other items that were waiting to be put in, and then kicked the oven closed with his foot.

Snatching up a spatula, he began to dole out the food onto plates, and placing them on the counter and calling in a waiter to take them out. He continued to do this for the next hour and a half before the orders slowed down and he was able to breathe a bit easier. Throwing a glance at the clock, he saw that there was only a half hour left before the shop closed, so he threw on a pair of rubber gloves and dove into the pile of dishes that was larger than he was.

As he scrubbed at a crusted on chunk of cheese, thoughts he had been able to push away while working busily came rushing back. He had no idea what would happen when he attempted to go back to Sasuke's and he was still trying to decide if he wanted to or not. The other boy had thrown him out, with tears in his eyes, and screamed to get out. That wasn't really something he wanted to put the tiny raven through once again.

In the almost two weeks since he had been living with Sasuke, they had been getting closer and he had thought things were going really well, until the closet incident. He had gone upstairs and taken a shower while Sasuke cooked, because, after one, ONE, mishap, he had come to the conclusion that Naruto couldn't cook anything. There was just a big difference between the kitchen appliances here and the unnaturally high tech ones at Sasuke's place. So after his shower, he had gone into the closet to find some clothes, but no matter how hard he looked he couldn't find anything in his size. So he had gone to the back of the closet and rifled through the stuff there, finally finding something that would fit him, and it was there that he had also found the box of older clothes.

Naturally he had been curious as to what all was there, so he had pulled all the stuff out until he had reached the bottom of the box. At the bottom, underneath all of the clothes, was a photo album and he saw that on the front, in expensive cursive text was written, 'Family Memories'.

Staring down at the dress in his hands, he had realized that it must have belonged to Sasuke's mom. But why was it in his closet? Looking around at all the other stuff, he realized it must be his parent's clothing. The only thing that had stuck out in his mind was, where were the boy's parents and why didn't they need these clothes there? And it was at that point that Sasuke had appeared in the door and found him in the midst of all the clothing.

With a sigh he finished up the last of the dishes, cleaned up the kitchen, and finished seeing the rest of the staff off. Looking back at the clock, he slowly made his way through the restaurant, making sure that everything was as it should be, before arriving at the back office.

Opening the door, he stepped inside and called out. "Pervy? You in here?" Glancing among the piles of papers and books that were heaped up in teetering towers around the room; he managed to spot a spot of bushy white hair. Smiling to himself he stepped inside the room and maneuvered his way around the piles, until he reached the smothered desk.

Looking down at the slumbering old man, he smiled fondly before reaching out and taking the sake bottles from the desk and throwing them in the trash. Shaking his head, he squatted down and shook his godfather awake. Bleary old eyes stared up at him before a spark of recognition lit them.

"Naruto! How are you m'boy?" he asked drunkenly.

"I'm fine Jii-san. But you need to be going home to granny. She's going to be worried about you."

"Ah…the fair lady that won my heart. Can't have her worrying now can we? She already does enough of that between me and you. Though you're doing better I hear! Sleeping through the night, and at other people's houses no less. And no recent attacks, good god, you'll beat this thing yet."

When silence was the only response to his ramblings he continued to speak to himself, his godsons' silence going unnoticed. "Alright then, let me just see everyone off and I'll be on my way."

Naruto helped his guardian up out of his seat, allowing him to lean heavily on his shoulder. "That's alright, I've already done it. You go on home and I'll lock everything up, okay?"

"What would I do without you Naruto? Sometimes I swear you were sent to save us, not the other way around. How are you doing? Still got enough of the meds?"

"…yes." Naruto muttered slumping in on himself, momentarily subdued once more, before he shook it off. "Come on' old man. Let's get you home to your wife."

After a few more minutes of Jiraiya's drunken rambling Naruto managed to get him into his coat and out of the door. He watched from the restaurants' front door, as the man stumbled his way down the street and into his driveway, where the lights lit up a house as soon as he stepped foot on the steps. Smirking at the thought of the tongue lashing the old man was going to get, Naruto stepped back inside. Walking around once more to check all the doors were locked and the equipment shut off, he grabbed his hoodie and stepped outside.

Shivering at the chill that seemed to be a requirement at four in the morning, he hunched his shoulders before setting off at a leisurely stroll. This was the only time that he had to himself and he relished it. The silence that usually drove him mad seemed less intimidating at this time, and he found he could think his clearest. This alone time in the middle of the night allowed for time to figure out any problems that were nagging him, those that posed a particular threat to his health specifically.

The biggest one right now was Sasuke. He hadn't meant to harm the other boy or piss him off. Those two traits seemed to have vanished during the time they had spent together. Yes, he still loved to annoy Sasuke but he no longer did it to seriously piss the other off, it was just to see the fire it brought out in him. It was nearly the only time the other showed an emotion. So when Sasuke had shoved him out, his face blotchy with tears, he had never felt worse. He couldn't figure out what to do next. Telling Tsunade seemed like the only option but he didn't want her to worry. In the back of his mind, the little voice there also whispered that it was because he didn't want to leave Sasuke, but he didn't want to face that. He didn't want to face any of what had just happened. He just wanted to go back to how things were a day ago.

But he couldn't do that. Now he had no place to sleep because going back to his own place would mean face Tsunade and he wouldn't allow that to happen. He obviously couldn't go back to Sasuke's place, not that he would want to after seeing the other so messed up. There was no doubt about it, he had screwed up royally. Just thinking about it made his head pound and his chest start to hurt. Rubbing his chest in an attempt to ease the pain, he exhaled heavily, watching as the fog it created dissipated. The more he thought about it, the more he could see the similarities between himself and the foggy mist he created.

He had only ever been important to people for fleeting moments, those few moments that he was a new commodity in their lives. Once that moment was past they forgot him and moved on to better things. His friends had always been fleeting, in nearly every neighborhood he had been to, only staying long enough to prove that he wasn't enough for them to stay. It was one of the reasons why he tried so hard at all the sports and relationships he kept. He was always on the edge, waiting for Kiba and all his other current friends to be fed up and just leave if he did anything wrong. He was afraid of being waved away in annoyance because he had become nothing more than a view blocker. The constant shifting in his life related so well to that of the fog when it faded that his hearts' aching increased.

As his misery increased, along with his depressing thoughts, Naruto stumbled, coming to a stop in his steps. Clutching the cloth of his shirt above his heart in his fist, he looked to the right and saw an old, dilapidated playground that had long since been appreciated. Laughing morosely at the irony, he dragged his feet across the ground, their scuffing the only sound in the silence. As his thoughts began to spiral towards the dark, vicious pit he tried so hard to stay away from he climbed the steps on the jungle gym to the top. Once there, he clambered into the yellow tube that spanned the space between the two sets, just as tears began to slip pass his firmly controlled façade.

Curling up into a ball, he wrapped his arms around himself, holding tightly the way he wished someone would hold him. Love and security: the two things he yearned for beyond almost anything else. Soon, his silent tears progressed to heaving, hiccupping sobs. Suddenly his breath caught and his self-imposed hug turned into a frantic scramble on the skin above his heart.

Pressing his palm tightly to his chest, he felt for his heartbeat.

Thud...thud….thud-thud-thud-Thud-THUD-THUD...THUDTHUD THUD-THUD-THUD!

Feeling the frantic skipping and sudden racing of his heart, his eyes widened and his breath began to come with more difficulty. He reached down with shaking fingers and attempted to grab the pill bottle that he always kept on him. Struggling to control the tremors that wracked his body, he tugged the bottle out of his pocket only to find that it was empty. His mind flashed back to a couple days ago when he had felt his heart skipping and took the last of them. Usually he got them replaced right away but he had been feeling so good it had slipped his mind. Dropping the bottle, he reached back down and shoved his hand in his pocket to grab his phone. Pulling it out, he managed to flip it open with great difficulty. As he punched in numbers he began to fumble, his vision blacking out as a high pitched ringing filled his ears.

Gasping for breath he tried to brace himself against the wall but slid down as his vision went completely for a moment scaring him without a doubt. His phone fell from his hands, clattering against the hard plastic of the tube as he fell limp. His eyes stared frantically at the phone, just beyond his fingers that wouldn't respond no matter how hard he willed them to. The last thing he saw was the light of his phone illuminating the screen that showed he had only one button left to push to complete the call. Then, he was gone.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Sasuke bolted upright, panting for air, as sweat shone on his brow. Reaching up he wiped it away with the sleeve of his shirt before glancing at his surroundings. Deep, warm red walls surrounded him, edged with dark cherry wood trimmings and several picture frames decorating them. Light, flowing drapes streamed from the windowsill, billowing out slightly in the wind. As if he needed further confirmation as to whose room he was in, the door clicked as it swung shut, prompting him to look over and see his brother standing there.

He opened his mouth to speak his brothers' name but found he could only utter the harshest of sounds. He expected Itachi to smirk and mock him for the off noises he was uttering, as he usually did, but it did not come. Instead of the smirk he got a small frown and a glass of water being placed beside the bed. That freaked him out almost as much as his brother being nice. Usually he was so wrapped up in his gang business that he just completely ignored Sasuke and any needs he had. So by the age of twelve, Sasuke had learned to become completely independent.

"Drink."

Glaring up at his brother, Sasuke reached over and grabbed the glass, sipping it softly before attempting to speak again.

"Wh-why am I in here?" he managed, coughing only once.

Itachi rolled his eyes before speaking. "Because you were passed out on the floor by the front door…with tear stains on your face. As history had proved, this is the only way to get you to talk seeing as now you owe me. So talk. What the hell happened? I thought that blonde boy was supposed to be staying here? Naruto wasn't it? Where is he?"

Itachi stared down at Sasuke who refused to meet his gaze.

"Sasuke."

"No."

"Sasuke! I'm not asking you! As your guardian I demand that you tell me. Tell me what the fuck happened or so help me- I'll go to the old lady and have her put you back in freaking kindergarten! You and the blonde idiot were doing well and now you've reverted to your selfish emo bastard. Is this what our parents would have wanted? Huh? That boy in the one thing that has changed in your life since they died! Your sickness, perpetual attitude, the rabid antisocialism, all of it! It disappears when-"

As he ranted, he watched Sasuke slowly leaned forwards, bowing in to himself. He was nearly folded in half before he finally spoke in a mutter, "…hefoundmomsdress…"

"..What?" Itachi asked, "Sasuke if you're going to be a prick then-"

Sasuke bolted upright and swung himself up out of the bed, "I said- "He found moms' dress! What the hell was I supposed to do? Leave him to frolic in their things? Tell him what happened? Let him into our past, MY life? NO! So I sent him away. I won't let him ruin my life! Not ever!"

Itachi froze, listening to his brother raise his voice for the first time in years. Finally the words sunk through his shock and he registered what his brother was saying.

"Her dress? ….Sasuke, you haven't taken their things out of those boxes have you?"

When Sasuke avoided his gaze, he knew he had his answer.

"Jesus Sasuke. It's been year! We can't keep going through this." Shaking his head, he moved on to the more pressing matter. "What the hell do you mean you sent him away?"

"Exactly that," Sasuke replied snottily. "He messed up so I kicked him out. I hope he dies somewhere. I never want him to come back. I don't care if I have to repeat this grade again. I will not put up with him." He muttered less than convincing as his eyes shifted away from his brother.

"Well that's too damn bad. He's the first person to tear an emotion out of your icy asshole in years, so no matter what you want he. Is. STAYING." Itachi growled out, before walking towards the door. Just before he disappeared through the doorway, he paused and his parting words floated over his shoulder. "You may not know it now but that boy is going to be a huge part of your life. And whether you want to admit it or not, you like him and you need him. Go find him and bring him home Little Brother…"

Sasuke stared out the door, a stunned look on his face as he sank to sit on the edge of the bed. Never before had Itachi sounded so sincere about any advice he had given him. The thing that shocked him the most was the endearment he had placed at the end of his sentence. 'Little Brother'. Itachi hadn't called him that with such kindness since the day their parents had died. The things Itachi had said, even though he wasn't able to face him when he said them, were as honest as he ever got. And that was what made him get up off the bed and head out to find the dobe.

However, as he left the house he knew his brother must have experienced some kind of possession by a demon, because he followed him all the way to the mailbox poking fun at how 'Sasuke llloooovvveees Naruto'. And honestly, Sasuke thought he might be right. Why else would he go searching for the other boy at four in the morning?

XxXxXxXxXxX

The sharp chatter of stone on stone filled the air as Sasuke watched the rock he had just kicked skip down the deserted street. He had been out searching for the dobe for nearly an hour and a half and had yet to find a trace of him. He had searched the route the blonde usually took to work but had found nothing. He had done a mile radius of the area around the others' work but again came up nothing. He was walking down a side street, about five miles away from his house and was at the end of his rather extensive rope. If he didn't find any clue as to where Naruto was within the next two minutes he was going to have to call Tsunade and let her know what had happened.

Letting out a heaving sigh, he turned, running a hand through his hair as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Reluctantly punching in a number that he had been forced to memorize, he gazed over at a run down playground that was overgrown with vines. Scoffing at the ugly sight in front of him, he couldn't wait to see it torn down and replaced with the new mall that was supposed to go up in a couple weeks. As he listened to the ringtone fill his ear, he ran his eyes over the eyesore. Suddenly his breath caught in his throat and he ran towards the jungle gym, dropping his phone. Sprinting up the stairs, he skipped to a stop and dropped to his knees beside a pair of neon orange Converse shoes. Leaning down to look into the tube that stretched across the playground, his heart began to pound.

"Naruto!" When the older boy did not respond, Sasuke crawled clumsily into the tube, gracefully falling in a heap near the other boys head.

Peering down into the others face, he saw it was covered in sweat and he was barely breathing. "Naruto!" Tapping him lightly on the cheek, the other still didn't respond. Fear made his heart race so hard it nearly hurt. It couldn't happen like this! He had just found him and he couldn't, wouldn't, let him go. Pressing his hand to the others' chest, he found an arrhythmic beat there and it terrified him.

Leaning forwards, he attempted to push the blonde out of the tube, into fresher air, in an attempt to do anything, but the others' body wouldn't move. Putting all of his weight and strength into his pushes, he tried again only to have Naruto move slightly. Crying out in frustration, he continued to try, nudging the other little by little out of the confined space. By the time the other was half in and half out, he was panting and exhausted. He felt absolutely pathetic. He couldn't even move a boy who was knocked out two feet.

As tears of frustration filled his eyes he clambered out of the tube and raced back to get his cell phone. Snatching it off the floor, he punched his speed dial and ran back to Naruto. Hearing it ring and ring and ring he nearly shouted in his brothers' ear when he did finally pick up the phone.

"ITA-! Ita…ITa!..." He tried to say but his breath kept leaving him.

"Sasuke?" Came his brothers' sleepy voice, becoming more alert when he noticed the inability of his brother to form a single word. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Sasuke gulped down air, desperate to form any word that would clue his brother in on his location. "Naru…found-someth…wrong. Need help…come- 250th Street. Now."

With that said he flipped the phone shut and turned all his attention to the boy still in the tube. Tears slipped down his cheeks as he thought of how little he was able to do for the other boy. He knew that he owed the other boy his life for what he had done in the office and no that he had a chance to pay it back he couldn't. Unhindered a memory suddenly broke through the misery that was clouding his mind.

Naruto had been excited to get something to eat and was frustrated with the youngest Uchiha, who was walking ridiculously slow by his standards. Little did he know that the other was doing it simply to annoy him and see the flush of irritation hit his cheeks. So eager to get food and hurry along the raven, Naruto had reached back and grabbed Sasuke's hand within his own. The tan fingers smoothly twined with pale, the motion seemingly utterly natural.

Sasuke remembered being so shocked by the touch that all he had done was stare down and the hand clinging to his. He had been so out of it that he allowed the other to tug him forwards at a pace that was way faster than he had wanted to move. Yet he didn't resist, instead, he clung tighter to the hand holding his so as not to be torn away.

Now, as the other lay ill in the middle of some creepy park, Sasuke realized something. He would do whatever he needed to make the boy laying there, near death, better. Sucking in a breath, he reached down and managed to tug the other out of the tube. Quickly catching his head before it hit the ground, Sasuke maneuvered so that Naruto was laying with his head on his thighs. Leaning forward he pressed his hand against the others chest, quickly shrugging away thoughts that wanted him to notice how firm it was, to feel the heartbeat.

His eyes widened, as a car screeched to a stop at the curb and his brother jolted out from the darkness.

"Naruto! No! No! No!NO! Itachi!" His brother jumped up the steps and after taking a quick moment to feel the blonde's heartbeat, scooped him up and carried him to the car.

Sasuke stumbled after them, his own heart pounding furiously, as if it could make up for the lack of a beat on the blonde's part. He fell into the car, allowing Itachi to place the blonde in the same position as before, before he dove into the driver's seat and peeled rubber to get to the hospital. Sasuke looked down at the other in his lap, and reached over and took his hand, tightly lacing their fingers together. At the lack of response on the others part, he simply gripped tighter, and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "You will not die. Do you hear me? You won't. I won't let you. You need me…and…I need you…" Resting his forehead against the others' he let his free hand fall against Naruto's chest, waiting…waiting to feel that wonderful heart beat again…

Ta.