"Dobe…" Sasuke squeezed the blonde's hand and he felt Naruto squeeze back. He wasn't a complete fool, he was wise enough to fear for his life. To Sasuke it felt like hours by the time he heard a punch through Naruto's door and saw a pink flash come into the room. She immediately pushed Sasuke out of the way and started CPR on Naruto. If Sasuke hadn't been completely focused on Naruto he would have noticed that Sakura had a ring on her finger and that his chest was now hot with jealousy that Sakura could take better care of his blonde than he. Still he didn't let go of the blonde's hand. Sakura cursed and snapped him to attention.

"SASUKE!" She yelled. He hadn't heard her the first four times. "Use sharingan, go to the seal!" At first he was completely bewildered but he wasn't called genius for nothing. Silently he pushed her out of the way and stared with his sharingan straight into the intoxicating blue orbs. Not before long he was in front of the seal. It was hot, the walls seemed to be painted with fire. He looked around for Naruto, he was sure he had gone under when his sharingan had achieved his motive. He stood in front of him clutching his torso. The fire seemed concentrated around him. He was swiftly at his side. At his touch the fire removed itself. Naruto looked up and tried to stand on shaky legs. Sasuke caught him and held him up. Sasuke was staring into the cage. An evil grin that usually accompanied his time in Naruto's mind was no where to be seen.

"Naruto where is the Kyuubi?" He asked eyes scanning all around them. Naruto seemed unable to respond, an orange film around his eyes. He couldn't realize his surroundings Sasuke noted.

"Sasuke? I can breathe now it's okay." Naruto seemed to pull at him. He smiled an eerie smile and was swaying. "C'mon Sasuke I'm okay…" His voice shook and for a moment his eyes shone blue and a scared look passed through them. The orange film was quickly back though and Naruto started to cry blood. It was then a mournful screech came from the cage. Sharingan spinning Sasuke stared into it. He saw the eyes of the fox also crying blood.

"You! The young heir of the Uchiha name!"

"Why are you doing this? If Naruto dies you will too!" Sasuke was supporting a collapsing blonde as kyuubi cackled.

"Have you never felt the effects of Mangekyo child? Have you never seen your predecessor use it? Has he ever bled from his eyes as we do?" The kyuubi's voice faded back into the cage.

"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed as the fire consumed him again. Sasuke quickly let go as the fire diminished as quickly as it had came and all was peace in the boy's head.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura touched his shoulder when she saw his eyes return to normal.

"I know what happened to Naruto." He practically growled.

"Wha…what hap…" She was interrupted when Kakashi came in through the window carrying the oxygen for Naruto. Sasuke grabbed it and following the instructions hooked Naruto to it.

"He'll need it to sleep." He half asked Sakura who nodded.

"Sasuke..."

"Madara. He was attacked by Madara who reactivated the Mangekyo Sharingan he had put on the kyuubi." His voice had become ice. Kakashi stiffened at the name and Sakura burst into tears. The nine tails was on the rampage again except now all there was to destroy was Naruto.

Naruto could hear voices somewhere, not nearby but almost a room away it seemed. One voice was definitely Sakura's worried tone. Another was the gruff teasing of Kakashi-sensei. When had they shown up? He couldn't remember anything. All he remembered was sitting and talking with Sasuke like things had never changed between them. He heard a door close and the shuffling of feet. He blinked his eyes and saw Sasuke nearing the bed he was in. He wasn't at his apartment. The sheets over him had the Uchiha crest on them. He was at Sasuke's he thought. On his face was an oxygen mask. Through it he sighed audibly.

"Naruto?" Sasuke sat next to him on the bed. He put his hand on Naruto's forehead. "Your fever's gone down." A small smile graced the raven's lips. The small smile he used to live for before he got deathly ill, before he was a father, before his world crashed down, before he lost the nerve to tell Sasuke he loved him. At this Naruto scrunched up his eyes. Tears flowed forth and he couldn't keep them at bay no matter how he fought. He was too exhausted anymore.

Sasuke saw the look in his blonde's eyes. He gently reached down and pulled Naruto to him. He held him tight as his lithe frame shook with uncontrollable sobs. He didn't know what had set off the blonde but he didn't need to. He was happy to simply be there again, to be able to hold him, and love him once more.

Naruto felt his breathing lax and his tears stop falling. Still though he didn't want to be let go by Sasuke. He hadn't even been home more than a day and Naruto was already addicted, so close to breaking he thought you can't leave me again.

"Sasuke…" Naruto's voice was harsh and ragged.

"Naruto?..." He looked up staring into the dark orbs that had captivated him so.

"Thank you……..for coming home." Sasuke shook and buried his head in Naruto's shoulder.

"You shouldn't be thanking me, you should be so, so furious with me. Naruto I abandoned you, the village, everything!" Sasuke's brow was furrowed and his voice held sorrow and angst so deep and hurtful it made Naruto's own heart ache.

"Well if you're going to be so masochistic how about you make it up to me?" Naruto smiled teasingly. Sasuke always, always messed up but there was nothing he was better at than making it up. Sasuke blinked and cocked an eyebrow.

"How?..." He asked scared of what the blonde could come up with remembering one day a long time ago when they had been training and Sasuke had accidentally cut open his neck. He had made Sasuke carry him home piggyback. Although when he looked back he hadn't minded too much and Naruto had fallen asleep so he must have been really worn out. He always seemed beat after going to the hospital. He guessed they made him nervous.

"Give me…" Sasuke was sure he'd say ramen, but was surprised to hear, "a chance." Naruto hadn't been sure from the moment the words formed in his mind. He knew though that he couldn't stand not knowing if Sasuke felt the same. Naruto knew he'd fallen in love.

"A chance at what Naruto?" Sasuke lent in close causing a blush to cover Naruto's cheeks.

"At having you all for myself….At loving you…" The words were whispered and shaky. Naruto looked into the dark orbs that held him safe and lent forward. They couldn't have been more than a centimeter away. Naruto stopped deciding Sasuke's answer would have to come first. And it did. Sasuke closed the space and kissed Naruto lightly on the lips. It wasn't much, both wanted more, but Naruto couldn't handle it. His hands were already shaky and soon he was reaching for his oxygen mask that he had removed when crying. Sasuke grabbed it adjusted it on his face. Naruto took a few shaky breaths while Sasuke saw the same chakra clot as before. He summoned a snake to report to Sakura how long Naruto could seem to go without his mask. Hopefully by the end of the week they'd have a treatment for the clot and then one more week until another chakra drain.

"S'uke…." Came the breathy voice. "You've seen it right, the fire….the blood keeps me from seeing it all and then there is fire everywhere and I am so tired…" Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand.

"Madara reactivated the jutsu he had put on kyuubi. Tsunade, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei and I are collaborating to find a cure."

"…and in the meanwhile?" The loss of hope seemed so foreign in the blonde's eyes.

"We should be able to remove the chakra clot in your chest within the week but in the long run every 2 weeks we'll perform a chakra drain."

"…and Koichi?" Sasuke kissed both of Naruto's cheeks.

"You'll both be here and I will help you with everything. You're not alone anymore Naruto. I promise."