Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 2: A New Goal

Drip. Drip. Drip. It was agonizing. The sound of medical equipment tinkering away. The steady hum of the air conditioner. The needles shoved in his veins.

Sasuke knew he was in a hospital even before opening his eyes. From the pain it caused whenever he took a breath, he knew he was there for good reason too.

Dark eyes gazed unseeingly. Naruto had done it. He'd brought him back to Konoha. Despite the ache in his joints and the labor required to breathe, Sasuke felt…okay. He was almost…content.

Naruto, the single constant in his life, the only recurring presence that anchored Sasuke to the living realm, had done it. He succeeded. They both succeeded. Sasuke let himself bask in this glory for a moment. His clan had finally been avenged. Now he could finally pick up where he left off…

No. He couldn't.

The good feelings melted away leaving the Uchiha shivering. He couldn't pick up where he left off. He couldn't just live peacefully in the only place where he had forged bonds He wouldn't be accepted. He was a traitor.

Sasuke cringed at the images of a bloody and beaten Naruto fighting at the Valley of the End, staggering and clutching at the gaping wound in his chest.

Sasuke was a monster.

His head hurt and his eyes stung. Not since the massacre had he felt so helpless. This time, however, he could only blame himself. He was entirely at fault. Sasuke knew that as soon as he would be dismissed from the hospital he would be looking at a lifelong sentence in the deepest confines of Konoha's prison. That's where traitors go. That's where he will go.

He deserved it. Sasuke was almost looking forward to it. He would do anything to ease the guilt eating his heart. Not only had he betrayed the village, he betrayed Naruto.

Sasuke berated himself and his breaths became shallow. He couldn't fix it. So badly he wished he could go back and change his actions. Sasuke wished he had listened to Naruto, but he couldn't change the past. Now he could only wait for a dark solitary cell where he'd never even see the blond again.

A soft click alerted Sasuke to the presence opening the door and he soon found himself looking into the apprehensive eyes of his former teammate.

Sakura.

It wasn't the teammate he was so desperate to see, but it was a promising start. A tense silence engulfed the two as they sized each other up.

Sasuke was the first to speak.

"Sakura," he rasped.

With a start, the kunoichi stepped back before realizing the door was still open. It shut with a dull 'thunk' and Sakura moved closer to the medical bed he was resting on.

"Sasuke-kun," her voice hesitated, "you're awake." Despite her uncertainty, she sounded relieved offering a kind smile to the normally stoic Uchiha.

Sasuke knew he didn't deserve her kindness. Just lock him up and throw away the key already. He deserved nothing more than a slow painful death

"Sasuke-kun, are you feeling well?"

There was a pause. "Yes."

The girl nodded and smiled again.

"Where is Naruto?" Sasuke added. He couldn't help but be fixated on the blonde's absence.

Sakura's smile faltered and seemed to be searching for the right words, "Naruto isn't here, right now."

'Well obviously,' Sasuke thought, trying to understand what she was getting at.

"He left the village," Sakura continued, "He needed a vacation."

A vacation? That wasn't what he expected. Naruto had never shirked from his shinobi duty before. Or at least, not from what Sasuke could surmise. Why would Naruto need a vacation? Was he ok? Had Naruto given up? There was no way. Naruto was the strongest person Sasuke knew. He would never give up or back down….Right?

These questions bombarded the Uchiha.

How would he apologize?

Sasuke knew that when he would be forced to face his sentence, any contact with the dobe would be shot out the window. His only chance was seeing him during his stay at the hospital and now that won't even happen.

Apologizing to Naruto meant more to Sasuke than life itself. Well, to be quite frank, Sasuke didn't value his life all that much anymore. All that he cared about was making amends. How could he do that if he and Naruto were to never meet again? Sasuke's thoughts halted.

He didn't care about his life…And he didn't give a single damn about the law…He could just go after Naruto. That's what the dobe would have done for him.

Sure, it would be illegal, but Sasuke couldn't find it in himself to care.

With determination coursing through him, Sasuke knew his next goal. He'd find Naruto and apologize, or die trying.

AN: I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are greatly appreciated :) Flamers can suck my dingle-berries :P