Well, here it is, another update.

Things really aren't any better for me yet, in fact everything seems to be getting worse, go figure!

Hm... I really don't think I'm the kind who's all for 'constructive criticism' you know? Yeah... I want to point some things out here.

1) Yes, Naruto got raped, but unless you're living in the world of movies and dramatized lives, that doesn't necessarily mean he is going to A) have a difficult time recovering or B) react horrifically to another person's touch. Do not dare to argue with me on this matter, I know what I am talking about.

2) I figured this would be obvious, but I have intentionally made Sasuke appear to be uncaring, and pretty much a jackass, because I want the end to have some satisfying closure between him and Naruto where he finally realises everything he's done wrong, and he makes up for it.

3) The main theme for this story was based around the idea of importance so of course, it isn't going to be terribly focused on Naruto's healing, or anything else other than Sasuke's obsession with work, and Naruto's main suffering - that being how Sasuke has grown distant from him, and finds his work far more important to the point that he would much rather do something to save the company, than to avenge Naruto.

Hence the name of the story... 'Important'. Funny that, eh?

4) This is a FanFic, meaning the characters aren't going to be exactly as they are portrayed in the anime/manga. Now, particularly when it comes to Naruto, I like to explore his more... vulnerable, and weak sides. It makes for interesting writing and reading. As for Neji and Gaara in this story... they aren't major characters. I just included them because I like them.

Do I care if I've made either of them OOC? No.

Hm. This leads me to consider whether or not I put enough warnings in my story. I guess not. So:

WARNINGS: Weak, vulnerable Naruto! Sasuke acting like a bastard! POSSIBLE OOC!!

Good...? Good.

Now, as a final note - Empress Inuyasha, I do realise your review was NOT a flame, and I'm thankful for that, but I am, as you may have noticed, not in the right frame of mind to be criticised on any level.

Disclaimer: Obviously... I do not own Naruto...

Side Warning: Crap chapter ahead.

Naruto's eyes tore themselves away from the TV he was watching, to gaze sadly out of the window. Gaara was sat next to him, unaware of Naruto's movements as he continued to watch TV. In the kitchen, small clanks and bangs could be heard as Neji skilfully prepared their dinner. Tonight he was doing something extra special. Though Neji and Gaara never really ate the stuff, ramen was the main dish on the menu, just for Naruto.

Naruto watched as large, white, fluffy clouds floated lazily in the clear blue sky. It all looked too tranquil and beautiful, too happy for him in his state. He couldn't stand to look at such a gorgeous thing anymore, though the view from Gaara's and Neji's house was purely exquisite, Naruto lowered his gaze to the floor.

Gaara noticed, and shot his head round to look at Naruto, who noticed the sudden movement, but refused to acknowledge that Gaara was looking at him.

"Naruto," Gaara spoke sternly, knowing Naruto was ignoring his fixed gaze. "I think perhaps you should ring him. Your mind can do nothing but think of him. You're going to drive yourself crazy."

Naruto sighed, "I can't ring him, Gaara. I know he doesn't want to talk to me right now…"

"Orochimaru…"

Sasuke hesitated, wanting to take a step back, but remained firm and stood his ground. "I thought you left," he spoke in a low voice.

Orochimaru smirked. "For a while, I did. Sasuke… dear Sasuke, you really should have killed me when you had the chance. Either that, or you should have called the police. You think I'd stay away forever?"

"Hn. I should have known such a thing was too good to be true. You filthy snake. You dare to show your face to me after what you have done?"

"Strong words, to come from you Sasuke. Do try to remember who let justice slip away."

Sasuke had no need to ponder over Orochimaru's words. He knew exactly what he meant. Sasuke tried to keep his eyes locked on Orochimaru's, but found it too hard as the memories of that night flooded back to him…

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and flared with rage as he took in the sight of Naruto's body. "Who are you?!" Sasuke shouted, fists clenched tightly at his sides. The darkness of the room had yet to reveal who the man holding Naruto was.

Orochimaru hissed, almost happily. "Do you not recognise me, Sasuke?" he asked.

"You… you bastard," Sasuke replied. Orochimaru took one small step forwards, allowing the rays from the moonlight to illuminate his smiling face.

Orochimaru started laughing hysterically. Moving quicker than he ever had in his entire life, Sasuke lunged forward, shouting in anger. He threw one powerful fist at Orochimaru's face, causing the shocked man to release Naruto and stumble backwards. Sasuke wanted to rush to Naruto's side and help him as he watched the blonde fall weakly to the floor, but before he could get there, Orochimaru had reached Naruto and grabbed a fistful of his blonde hair.

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror, and he found himself screaming as Orochimaru drove a long blade into Naruto's side. Orochimaru was laughing once again. Sasuke ran at the man and jumped on him, punching him in the face so hard, it made Orochimaru's head smash violently against the floor, knocking him unconscious.

"Naruto! Naruto?" Sasuke half screamed in panic.

"Uh…" Naruto replied, still fading in and out of consciousness. Sasuke gripped Naruto by the shoulders and made him sit up. He then scooped his beloved up in his arms as carefully as he could and cradled him against his chest.

"K-kill me…" Sasuke took in a sharp breath.

"What? Naruto, what?" he asked urgently, hoping he hadn't heard correctly the first time round as he rushed Naruto outside to his car.

"Just… kill me, please." Sasuke screwed his face up in emotional pain as an overwhelming feeling of sadness washed over him. He could feel the sensation of tears forming in his eyes again. Whether it was because he couldn't wipe his eyes, or because he simply didn't care, he was unsure. He let himself cry.

Sasuke looked Naruto over quickly as he placed him in the back of the car. Blood seeped into the expensive material, but that mattered very little to Sasuke. He watched Naruto's eyes flutter closed as the blonde lost consciousness, muttering one last time before the darkness completely devoured him, "Please… kill me."

"No, Naruto," Sasuke whispered, clenching his fists. His eyes flared with rage once more as adrenaline pumped through him, and uncontrollable anger coursed through his veins. He closed the door to the car and swiftly made his way back into the shop. In the back room, Orochimaru had regained consciousness. He smirked at Sasuke and got to his feet, casually wiping some blood from his chin as he did so.

"Bastard," Sasuke seethed before lunging at the man and striking him across the face. Not giving Orochimaru a second to recover, he threw his fist into the older man's stomach, sending him crashing against the desk. Orochimaru gasped as the wind was knocked completely out of him.

Sasuke stood still, panting slightly as he tried to control himself. Orochimaru started laughing as he got to his feet.

"Well well," he said, "isn't this a difficult situation? Hah, imagine the trouble this will cause for the company."

Sasuke's eyes widened. Though Orochimaru was appearing more and more crazy by the second to Sasuke, the damn bastard had a very good point. Sasuke glanced over his shoulder as his thoughts went to Naruto, and the injustice of what he was about to offer to Orochimaru nagged at the back of his mind. It made him feel sick, but the words eventually fell from his mouth…

"Leave. Get the hell away from here, and never return."

Sasuke had expected to get a huge fight from Orochimaru. What he got was quite the opposite.

Orochimaru smirked. "Very well, dear Sasuke," he said smoothly as he walked towards Sasuke and passed by him, leaving the room like nothing at all had just happened. Sasuke's hand twitched. He bit his lip, feeling the urge to run after Orochimaru and beat him till he died, but then that would mean he'd be going to prison. Getting the police involved was also a no-go. The negative publicity involved was too much of a risk to take for the company's sake.

"Naruto never has to know…"

"You betrayed him," Orochimaru hissed pleasantly as Sasuke looked back up at him, snapping out of his flashback. "You betrayed the one you love. You let his abuser go with a few mere bruises and scrapes."

Sasuke didn't utter a single word as he sprung forwards, grabbing Orochimaru and dragging him to the ground. His strong fist collided with Orochimaru's smug face, and satisfaction set in as Sasuke distinctly felt Orochimaru's nose break.

A single scream of pain left Orochimaru's mouth before he fell silent, half glaring up at Sasuke, who remained positioned over him on the floor.

"I have been a fool," Sasuke spat, needing to relieve his terrible guilt, "I know. I was wrong to ever let you get away! And even thereafter, I acted as if the rape had never even happened." Sasuke grabbed Orochimaru by the throat, and started to squeeze. "I assure you, you're not getting away with anything this time!"

Naruto tried his hardest to scowl, but ended up failing miserably as his red-headed friend pushed and shoved him towards the phone in the hallway.

"Gaara!" Naruto yelped as Gaara pushed him a little too hard, causing him to fall against the fairly large table which the phone was neatly placed on. Horrible memories flashed in Naruto's mind as he completely lost his balance and fell onto the table, landing on his stomach. His hands instinctively shot out to grab the edges. It all felt too familiar for his liking. Gaara sighed to himself, not realising what was going through Naruto's mind, and placed his hand on Naruto's lower back.

What happened next took Gaara completely by surprise. Naruto jumped violently from his touch, and swung his fist round in what appeared to be panicked self-defense. Gaara quickly ducked to avoid the blow and grabbed Naruto.

"What are you trying to do, Naru--" He froze. Naruto had started shaking badly, and tears were brimming at the corners of his eyes. Something inside Gaara finally clicked, and he released Naruto. He quickly stepped backwards and lowered his head.

"Naruto, I should have realised. Forgive me."

Naruto took a few long and shaky breaths. He pushed himself away from the table and placed a hand on Gaara's shoulder. The moment Gaara looked up, he found himself being pulled into a rib-cracking hug. He smiled knowingly and wrapped his arms around Naruto's thin form. That was all Naruto had been needing for so long.

"It's okay," Gaara said soothingly.

When they finally parted from each other, Gaara turned his head to gaze at the phone. "My advice," he began, "is to give the Uchiha a call. However, I'm not going to force it, not now. I've not been by your side through all of this, so I don't know the full story. All I know is, you," he pointed a finger at Naruto's chest, "can't stop thinking about him." With that, Gaara turned on his heel and stalked away to the main room.

Naruto sighed as he fingered the telephone like it was a fragile antique. What exactly would he say? Gaara was so right though. As much as Naruto willed it, he couldn't get Sasuke out of his head.

Light beeping tones echoed down the hallway as Naruto dialled his and Sasuke's home number.

Sasuke blinked in shock. One moment he had Orochimaru pinned, and was choking him to death, and before he knew it, he was the one pinned to the ground. Orochimaru hovered above him, licking his lips.

Sasuke clenched his fists and tried frantically to free at least one of his hands from Orochimaru's insanely strong grip.

"It's no use, Sasuke," Orochimaru whispered. A wide smirk slithered its way across his face. Sasuke seethed with anger and frustration.

'A distraction…' he thought to himself. 'That's all I need! Just one-'

His train of thought was cut off as an almost shrill sounding ringing filled the room. Orochimaru snapped his head up and glared at the object causing the sound. Sasuke took this as his one and only chance and quickly pulled his right hand free. He then pulled it down as far as he could and shot it back up, smacking Orochimaru on the chin with the palm of his hand. Orochimaru howled in pain as blood spurted from his mouth. He fell backwards off of Sasuke and clutched his hands to his mouth as more blood streamed out from his bitten tongue.

Before Sasuke could make it to the phone, the answer machine cut in.

Naruto's heart started beating quickly as Sasuke's voice filled his ears, though it was only the recorded message, and he knew it.

"You've reached the Uchiha residence. Leave a message after the tone."

Naruto took a deep breath.

"Hey, Sasuke… it's just me…"

Sasuke's heart almost froze. He had never been so happy to hear Naruto's sweet voice.

'Naruto… my Naruto…'

He scrambled to his feet and ran towards the phone, not paying any attention to Orochimaru, who was no longer howling in pain on the floor.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Sasuke reached towards the phone. He grabbed it and pressed it to his ear, only managing to shout a panicked "Naruto!" before something hit him hard over the head, and he slumped to the ground, heavily dazed.

Naruto's eyes widened, and he found himself gripping the phone a little too tightly. It almost slipped from his grip as sweat from his hands started to coat the phone.

"Sa-Sasuke…?"

A quiet thud, followed by a much louder one was all Naruto heard next. He gulped hard. Beads of sweat started to accumulate on his forehead, and they rolled down his pale cheeks.

Without a second thought, he slammed the phone down and ran down the hallway towards the front door.

"Naruto?!" Gaara shouted when he spotted the sprinting blonde.

"Sasuke needs me!" Naruto shouted as he rushed out the door, slamming it hard behind him.

Neji blinked in a stupefied manner as he entered the room, carrying a large bowl of ramen.

Naruto ran as quickly as he could. His lungs started to burn, and his muscles started screaming at him to stop and rest, but he refused.

'Hold on…' he pleaded with himself.

"Hold on, Sasuke!"

Well... my apologies for the A/N at the beginning of this chapter. I want to make it clear that I'm not having ago at Empress Inuyasha... I just didn't take her review very well. It sounds pathetic of me, I know, like some little kid who only wants people to praise her. Heh. I don't need praise, I don't need pity, but above all, I don't need criticism, especially when I am only writing this as a means of enjoyment for myself, and my readers. I don't want this to become a chore, like everything else in my life, so I'm sorry if my story doesn't hold enough depth for some of you. Don't like it? Don't read.

Oh, and sorry for the blatant obviousness when it came to the 'who's that talking to Sasuke' thing. Of course it was bound to be Orochimaru. I just wanted to put you all in the situation where you know it's him, but at the same time you're wondering about the possibilities of it being someone else! Hah...

Anyway, as you know, I like reviews, but if anyone is stupid enough to criticise me after everything I have said... well... more fool you.

Ah... and I apologise for making you all wait so long.