Author's Notes:
Hi, everyone. Glad you're still here and reading :D. This chapter is a bit emotional, so bear with it, and I advise you to read it with the sound of rain at the background (that's what I did when I wrote it lol) and you'll enjoy yourselves, I guarantee it! So, thanks to my wonderful Beta, XxDreaming of RealityXX, for making this chapter amazing and mistakes-free as best as she could, and I'll leave you now to the story, enjoy~
Naruto closed the umbrella he was holding and placed it in his locker. He cracked his neck; feeling the tiredness of the morning drain away from his aching body. A yawn escaped his mouth as he started collecting the books he needed for the day. Putting them all inside his backpack, he swiftly spared a backward glance, searching for the raven that most probably would have already left to his own classroom. Naruto sighed and lazily started climbing up the stairs.
The rain that had broken down on the second day of his so-called abduction hadn't stopped until now, and even though the weather reports said that it would most likely let out by the end of their current week, Naruto had his doubts. He walked towards his classroom and swung the door open, glad that his home teacher seemed to be running a bit late.
As soon as he was inside, a flash of pink blinded his vision as he was pushed heavily towards the door with a crying girl glued to his neck. Naruto blinked the sudden dizziness away and focused on the nice aroma that he came to know so well, he gently wrapped his arms around her body, hoping to calm the shaking a bit.
"N-Naruto! I'm so sorry! It's all my fault! If I hadn't left you there all alone, thinking only about myself, none of this would have happened!"
Naruto smiled and soothed her back, knowing exactly how she must've spent the days he was away in beating herself up and taking all the guilt into her fragile body. "No, Sakura-chan, I was the one who followed him on my own free will, if there's someone who should be apologizing, then that person is me. I should have said something before I went."
Sakura held the other tightly in her arms, ignoring the whistles that flashed from their classmates and some childish comments on how they wanted to see a kiss initiate between the two lovebirds. "No! If I had told Sasuke-kun the truth in the first place and didn't agree to go alone…you…you wouldn't have been kidnapped!"
Naruto pushed the girl gently away from him to be able to see her face. He was a bit surprised at the puffy red eyes and the running nose, but his smile returned in a moment when a new set of tears were threatening to run down her swollen rosy cheeks.
"Sakura, I'll tell it how many times you need so you can get it straight to your book-loving brain, I was the one who convinced you not to tell Sasuke and I was the one who ran behind my kidnapper, it's not your fault. It's mine. I was the stupid one. So, please, it hurts me to see you like this."
"But…but…" Sakura hiccupped, unable to hold in her tears.
"No buts, Sakura, it's my fault and I'm solely responsible for what happened. Besides, I'm not really injured, just bruised, they haven't done anything serious to me, Sasuke made it in time."
Sakura steadied her voice from another round of welling and wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks with her hands. Ruffling through his jeans' pocket, Naruto got out a soft tissue; he dried the water from Sakura's face and placed it on her nose.
"Blow."
The girl did as told, and Naruto threw the dirty tissue to the trashcan beside the door.
"A-Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yep. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here, as you know, I'm not so big on studying as you are, and if I were ill, I'd take the opportunity without a second thought," He winked at her, earning himself a smile finally. "Come on now, class is about to begin."
Sakura nodded finally feeling her heart relief from all the worrying and stressing out it has been doing for the past days and the two walked to their distinctive seats. Naruto put the bag he was carrying on its rightful loop and opened the window beside his seat to a tee. Rain was still coming down, but it had turned to be more of drizzle than a heavy storm. He sighed.
"Naruto?"
Switching his view to the pink haired girl beside him, he answered with a smile. "Yeah?"
"I want to thank Sasuke-kun for saving you. So, could you please take me to see him later this day?"
And Naruto's smile turned into a wide grin. It would be the most joyous day of his life when his two favourite people in the whole world came to enjoy each other's company and liked each other, well, like each other enough not to slaughter the other's throat when he left them alone.
"You don't even have to ask! I'm sure he would be happy to hear it!"
Sakura gave a little bright smile of her own and nodded. To see that expression on her dear Naruto's face, trying to get along with the raven and giving him a second chance was totally worth it.
Naruto sneezed as he walked towards his club court; he tugged the ball protectively inside his arm and frowned when he saw the image of his teammates standing beside the closed door. He walked towards his red haired friend and stood in question.
"What's going on here?"
"The door's locked." Gaara stated the obvious with a nonchalant voice.
Kiba rolled his eyes at the tall redhead and butted into the conversation. "He can see that just fine, moron! Well, Naruto…seems like school has banned practice for the week."
"Banned? What do you mean banned?" A still processing-the-news-Naruto asked.
"Banned as in stopped, forbade, refused to allow us to do it." Gaara provided meanings.
Naruto contained himself not to punch his friend to the other world. "I know what banned means. But why? They can't do that! Our semi-finals are two weeks away! And we have been resting for three weeks now! We need practice!"
A flying paper came resting down on the back of his head, hitting him right in the centre. Turning with teary eyes behind him, Naruto glared at the bun-haired female dressed in white jersey, but his glare came mostly as a quiet whimper.
"Enough shouting in the morning!"
"It's technically not morning, it's the afternoon, but since the weather is like this, we can't see the sun," A harsh glare was given to Shino and he eeped, closing his correcting trap. "Morning it is, Ma'am!"
"Good! Any smartass comments from anyone?" Feelings satisfied that none of her boys dared to raise a voice or a tone at her, Tenten continued. "I expected so. Now, the school has banned us practicing this week because they need to renew the stadium. Seems like the storm a few days back had achieved more damage than we did to the ceiling."
"Does that mean we won't be practicing anymore?"
"Of course you will! There is no time left to waste! We have two weeks to shape your asses and polish them for the semi-finals!"
"But how can we do that when we don't even have a court to play in?" Kiba questioned.
"And we won't be able to perform on the old court since it doesn't have any ceiling and the world is raining." Backed Shino.
"Beavis and Butt-head, none asked for you to speak! If you interrupt me again, I'd expect seventy five push-ups to be done in a mere fifteen minutes!"
And with her eyes glinting that way, it was not just a threat. The two boys snoozed with a shiver.
"Won't happen again!"
"Understood, Ma'am!"
Tenten smiled and started walking, pulling her umbrella open as to not wet her newly bought outfit. "Alright, follow me. I'll take you to your new playground, boys."
The thought of telling her that they were walking right into the rain without any protection whatsoever flashed momentarily into the team's mind but descended to the ground with the falling rain the next minute with the knowledge that she wouldn't give a damn about it. Groaning, they started following her out of the school gates and into the open rain; all the while praying to reach their destination before one of them got pneumonia.
Finally, the four boys had to stop beside a black huge SUV. Blinking, they waited to see who was inside. The window rolled down and the grinning face of their senpai flashed to assure them.
"Come on, guys, hop in!" Kankuro chirped to the frightened kittens.
Tenten folded her umbrella and took the front seat, signalling for her players to take the seat they wished. They happily obliged to escape the cold, assured that since their senpai was here, their evil manger would not be sending them to their doom. Once inside, the brown haired senpai started driving.
"Umm…Senpai, where are we going?" Naruto asked with a confused tone. Out of all their senpais, Kankuro was always the one that emitted the loving-older-brother vibe, and so all the new players felt that they could speak to him about anything and not get scared of having said subject be blown on their faces.
"That's a surprise, Naruto!"
"But, shouldn't we wait for the other players to come?" Shino asked.
"There is no need; they have already gone ahead of us. You were the last ones, so late every time…" Tenten answered with a sigh.
"It's not our fault! We have more subjects than either of you, so, we stay longer in class!" Kiba retorted hiding a snort.
"Well, I know. That's why I always wait for your stinky asses!" Tenten barked at him, using the only language that Kiba understood.
Calming the dog beside him as not to flare their manger and have a certain punishment await them, Shino asked, "But this new court seems far. I can't go to it everyday from school, I don't have the car to do it."
"Yeah, and taking public transportation would take forever and if we did, when we reach the place you're taking us to, we'll be too tired to move a muscle let alone practice!" Naruto continued.
"Not to worry, boys! It's my duty to drive you to and from the new court." Kankuro explained. "Besides, it would only be for two weeks, 'till they fix our stadium."
"But the semi-finals are in two weeks, and we'll have to go to whatever city it's being held at, that means we won't be able to play in our stadium 'till we get back."
Tenten shook her head at Naruto's words. "The semi-finals place has been altered. It will be held here, in our own city."
"What? When did this happen?" Shino asked.
"Last week, all team managers have been noted."
"Hooray! That means my family would be able to watch me play! And Hinata-chan, too! Yay!"
Naruto directed puzzled eyes to Kiba. "Who is Hinata-chan?"
Grinning like the dog he was, Kiba chirruped. "My girlfriend. Oh yes, you've never met her before, right Naruto?"
"Can't say that I have. Is she a student in our school?"
"Nope. She goes to an all-girls private high school, for rich girls, too."
"Then, how did you meet her?"
"Believe it or not, they met at a supermarket, he was working part-time there and she had sneaked away from her servants to get a taste of the 'ordinary life'. Such a corny story. He helped her when some thugs wanted to harm her and then she was doomed to him."
"Hey! What do you mean doomed to him! We fell in love!"
Shino rolled his eyes. "You fell in love, she fell in the trashcan."
Kiba puffed his cheeks and stuck his tongue at his best pal. "Whatever, you're just jealous because you couldn't score a hot babe like mine! Eat your heart out!"
"Yeah, real mature, Kiba, real mature."
Before the brunet could pounce over Shino and show him what mature was, Naruto held him back, attempting to calm the atmosphere.
"Alright, alright, there is no need to fight, I'm sure Hinata-chan has fallen for you too Kiba, and Shino, please, stop baiting for a fight, because he will take it!"
Shino 'hmph'ed and returned to his silent stare out the window. When seeing the boy in his arms calm down, Naruto released his hold on him, and Kiba returned to the opposite window, watching the other scenery play in quietness. Naruto sighed and addressed the redhead that was plugging his ears with his big headphones, oblivious to the near fight that would have occurred.
"Gaara. Oi!" Feeling helpless at not being heard, Naruto removed one headphone. "Gaara."
A fine invisible brow was raised at him; the redhead killed his music and removed his headphones, "Yes? Was there something you needed?"
Naruto smiled and shook his head. "Nothing really, just felt like chatting with you. It's been a while since we'd last seen each other. Aren't…aren't you wondering where I've been?"
Gaara looked the fidgeting blond hard in the eyes. "No."
"Oh." Naruto felt his self crush a bit at the flat out reply. Sure he knew that Gaara didn't care a lot about people, but he, he didn't think of himself as people, but as a close friend. A friend that Gaara should feel worried about if he went missing for a whole week!
"Because I already know." Gaara continued upon seeing the disheartened look appear on Naruto's face.
Naruto felt his eyes widen and he swallowed the lump. "You know?"
"Yes. That night when you were brought to Neji's, I was there."
"Really? I…I didn't notice."
"That's because I left before you could see me, I wanted you to have the comfort you needed and not feel any pressure, knowing that I already know about the things you were hiding."
Before Naruto's brain could come up with a reply to Gaara's words, the car stopped moving and their lovely manger squeaked.
"Boys, we have arrived!"
Looking at the huge mansion and the big gates protecting it, both Naruto and Gaara stood in surprise. For this was the place both of them were speaking about.
"Huh? Sasuke isn't here?"
Neji nodded with his right hand stretched across his face checking his watch. "Yes. I informed him earlier of the changes that have taken place and emphasized on the time we start. He is awfully late!"
"Maybe something had him run late."
"Yes, which makes me more uneasy, Naruto, Sasuke is never late. I tried to phone him, but his cell is switched off. I don't want to think too hard about this, but this just ain't sitting right with me. I feel trouble coming."
Naruto brought the clean towel he was carrying close to his face and wiped the dripping sweat there off, shaking his head after trying to get rid of his tiredness and to think clearly. A frown swiftly appeared on his tired features when he processed the words being spoken to him.
"Why not call Itachi-onii-chan; I'm sure he knows where Sasuke is."
Neji waved his hands off, dismissing the idea altogether. "Nah, It's true I'm feeling a bit uneasy, but not that uneasy as to go off calling the head of the Uchiha family just because his baby brother missed a mere practice that he most probably doesn't even need."
"But…."
The raven released a sigh when he saw Naruto's face squeeze with worry that he'd unintentionally planted there. Almost groaning to himself, Neji ordered. "Just get back to practice before Tenten finds out you're here. And I'm sure I'm just reading too much into this, Sasuke is probably lazing off in a ditch somewhere, we have nothing to worry about."
Naruto nodded with his eyes relaxing a bit but with worry still defining their margins, Neji tried to muster his best encouraging smiles at him and called before the blond leaves his line of sight. "And Naruto,"
"Yes?"
"Watch your back."
Confused by the sudden words, Naruto had no time to question them before his raven senpai left the little break room he had followed a trying-to-escape-practice-Naruto into. Knotting his brows with additional worry, the blond made his way towards the court that was so generously given to them. It was one of Neji's special courts, and with open arms, he'd offered it to his teammates to use as much as they wanted 'till their own renewed. Getting close to the court, Naruto felt the mouse play inside his head.
Now that he thought about it, he hadn't spoken much to Sasuke since this day had begun. They had parted ways the previous night when Sasuke had left Kakashi's house apparently heading home and this morning, he'd seen him by the school gates but since the raven was rushing towards his class, Naruto didn't chat with him long. His brows knotted, and he switched his destination to the place where their stuff had been transported into.
Opening the door to the foreign room, Naruto locked eyes with his school bag. Walking with hurried steps towards it, he unzipped his front pocket and pulled out his cell, so soon his hands worked on the second number on his speed dial list. Sasuke's. His eyes became more concerned when the woman on the other hand told him how this number he was calling was out of service. Thinking swiftly, he browsed his contact list for the new name that he'd inserted a few days back.
One, two, three and the phone was hooked.
"Hello, how are you Itachi-onii-chan?" Smiling into the line, Naruto heard the calm voice reply to him. "That's good to hear. Umm…I'm sorry if I'm calling at a bad time but there is something I wanted to ask you about. Oh yes, yes…no, he's fine. Well, that depends actually…huh? No, Kakashi was wrong, I can make it this Sunday, no problem…no, it's not trouble at all; I'm free anyways…oh yeah! I wanted to ask you about Sasuke, I haven't seen him today, and Neji was saying how he'd missed practice, yes, our semi-finals are close, that's why he wanted Sasuke not to skip. Ooh, he's with you…won't be able…to come? Right, I understand…I'll tell him."
Before closing the phone, Naruto felt his heart jump a little at the way Itachi's voice seemed to get heavier by the end of their conversation and something warned red inside his brain. So, with gritted teeth and heart at the tip of his tongue, he asked.
"Itachi-onii-chan, I just have one more thing to ask you, is…is Sasuke alright?" There was a pregnant pause on the line, and Naruto felt the earth under him turn into a dark pit. The cell in his hands shook with his body and he forced his voice to work as to answer the man he was phoning. "…Ita-nii, can you please take me to where Sasuke is? I'll…be waiting."
Calmly, Naruto closed the line and took a deep breath into his lungs. Sasuke was alright. He was alright. His right hand was brought to hold his throbbing chest, and he bit his lower lip. Sasuke was going to be alright!
Naruto kept his mouth shut and his heart strong as he was escorted into the inside of the big private hospital. Guards were stationed at every door and he avoided the wondering gazes they were giving him. Holding tightly to his right arm, he listened attentively to the story that was being recited for him.
"It had happened today at one in the afternoon. Sasuke-sama was leaving the school parameters, we believe towards Mr. Hyuuga's household. And that's when he was shot." Sasori said as they made another turn, heading towards the elevators.
Naruto told his heart not to sink at the words and calmed his thoughts to focus on what's important. "D-Did you catch him? The person who s-shot Sasuke, I mean."
There was a pause as Sasori pressed the number to the private suite Sasuke was in, and Naruto had to wait until they exited the elevator for the professional eyes to focus on him.
"Yes, we have. He is in our custody. I'm ashamed to say this, but he is the same person who has abducted you, Deidara."
"Wait! You mean you weren't able to catch him the first time around!?"
"No. that has been done. But he broke out loose last night. We still have no solid idea as to why he has done such a foolish thing, but we won't save any power into finding out. The penalty for harming a future leader is very heavy in the family, and if Sasuke-sama is to die…"
Naruto bit his lips not wanting to hear the words or the continuation to that sentence.
"This way, Naruto-sama." Sasori guided them into a door that was made into the wall, Naruto was fascinated by the architecture's work and the hidden security that sure backed it up, but his fascination didn't last long as his heart began beating yet again when the door began to open. "You should know one thing before we enter,"
Looking with frightened eyes at the set of calm brown orbs, Naruto released from his mouth, "What?"
"Sasuke-sama's condition isn't very stable right now. Thankfully, Deidara is a poor shooter and so the bullet grazed close to his right eye, it resident itself in the space between the eye and the ear. We were able to take out the bullet before it caused him any more damage, but in order for us to do that, we had to insert Sasuke-sama into a medical-initiated-coma."
Naruto puckered his brows together. "What do you mean a medical-initiated-coma?"
"Exactly what it says. We shot down his senses and body functions. Of course, not entirely. You could say we reduced them to a minimum, a minimum that allows Sasuke-sama to live. But that came with a price, too. Sasuke-sama's body has fought back against our intrusion, but by doing so, it was fighting his life's chances, which rendered us in this unimaginable situation we are in now."
"And which situation you mean?"
"The life and death one. Sasuke-sama's life is hanged by a thread right now. And a very fine one at that."
Naruto stopped controlling his nerves and threw his calmness away. With pleasing eyes and trembling hands, he plugged himself on the older man's arm, wishing for answers that will relieve his mind. "But he is still alive, right?!"
"Technically, yes. But if he doesn't wake up by this Wednesday, I'm afraid it would be a lost battle."
At the hidden words, Naruto backed away with a terrified look on his face, feeling his whole body shake to oblivion. "That's…t-that can't be."
Sasori put both his hands on Naruto's upper arms, steadying him and tightened his hold as he looked at the lost blue orbs through his elegant glasses.
"Naruto-sama, you can't be weak right now! He needs you to be strong, for both of your sakes! You have to be strong enough to call him back! He still has stuff to do in this world, he can't go, yet! And I'm afraid if he were to pass away, the souls that would be crushed wouldn't just be his own! So, please, be strong!"
Naruto really did want to cry, shout and act like a madman, just like when his father has done so after losing his mother. But…Sasori was showing his desperation and he felt the light of courage being lit inside his soul. Sasuke…if he wanted to bring Sasuke back, he couldn't act like a child. He had to be a man. A man able to hold both of them from falling when one wasn't able to.
Forcing his fears to hide deep inside his heart, Naruto nodded to him.
"I will, Sasori-san. Thank you."
Sasori gave a nod and removed his hands from Naruto's arms to fix his glasses. "You don't have to; I've said it for my own selfish reasons, 'cause if Sasuke-Sama were to die, I'd lose the person who is keeping me alive 'till now. And that's something I cannot accept."
Naruto blinked at him and at the meaning those words held. But not wanting to be questioned, Sasori clicked the door they were walking to open fully providing Naruto with a deep look as to what lay inside.
A tired looking Itachi was sitting beside a wide bed with a bandaged looking raven sprayed on it. Naruto made his way slowly inside, afraid that if he were to run towards Sasuke right now, the raven would vanish from his sight. The only sound that echoed was that of the medical devices placed to help Sasuke stay alive. Sasori bowed to his master and closed the door after walking out, allowing the three some privacy.
Itachi stood from the place he was sitting on and offered a small welcoming smile to the fidgeting blond; stretching a kind hand to Naruto which he took without a second thought, Naruto was guided closer.
"He…He looks like he's sleeping."
Itachi allowed Naruto to replace him on the chair beside Sasuke. "That's because he is."
Sasuke's body was covered by a white blanket and a white hospital gown was finely hugging his skin, Naruto noted how his skin colour looked totally off. It made his paleness paler than usual and he didn't like it. To portray the divine being that lit up his life with happiness as a dying man, he didn't like that one bit. A sole bandage was placed on Sasuke's head, tightly wrapped to help the wound inside heal without any complications; Naruto couldn't see right, but from what he could make out, Sasuke's beautiful silky hair had all been shaved.
A sting at not being able to pet the smooth darkness once again stabbed his heart. Naruto had to stretch his hand and grasp Sasuke's, jolting so unnoticeably at how cold it was.
"Even though he is still alive, why is his hand so cold?"
Itachi ruffled the golden locks and answered with his eyes appearing more tired than ever. "Because his blood is circulating close to the heart and only a little goes to the tips, his hands and feet would turn cold. But, we can always warm them up."
Naruto nodded and sat staring at the lifeless body before him. "Itachi-onii-chan, can I have a minute alone with Sasuke?"
Itachi nodded and began walking towards the door. "Sure thing. If you need anything or anything new was to update in his condition, feel free to call or press that button over there, the nurses will rush over in a second."
Naruto gave the long haired raven a swift smile and watched him stride out. As soon as he felt alone with his other half, Naruto leaned forward and gave the cold lips a chaste kiss. A sad smile planted on his lips.
"Your lips have never been so cold, Sasuke."
The blond felt his heart squeeze in pain, and so slowly, he removed his sneakers and got inside the warm covers, putting a soft arm around Sasuke's waist, Naruto placed his head beside the unconscious one and in a soft whimper said.
"Just this once…let me be weak just this once, I promise, tomorrow…I'll be strong…so, just this once, pretend that you don't see me, Sasuke."
And silent crystal tears slid down the rosy flushed cheeks.
Naruto threw the towel to the bench and got back into the heated fight. It was their first semi-final game and true to their expectations, the guys playing in the semi-finals were nothing like the small fries they have fought off against earlier on. But he wasn't planning on losing anytime soon, either. At the signal, he passed the ball to Shikamaru, who calculated the situation in his mind, then threw the ball to the carefree Gaara so he could score them a three pointer.
A successful ball brought them their energy back and they had to prepare for their defence now. The guy marking Naruto kept on giving him nasty comments to dishearten him and make him increase the amount of fouls that he had accumulated already, but biting his lips, Naruto was determined not to make them get to him and to successfully break free from his hold.
But breaking free wasn't that easy, he has already made up three fouls; every time he tried to set a basket in, he was being blocked severely by the iron wall that was marking him. Naruto felt himself slowly being smothered by the perfect defence.
He cursed when he heard his number being exchanged for Lee and, with an angry scowl, headed towards the woman who robbed him of his joy.
"Why did you bench me?!"
Tenten sighed and slapped him straight on the face with a cold towel. "Learn how to focus properly on the game then demand your position back, you wild animal!"
Naruto's scowl deepened but he sat down and glared at the world, this was so unfair, they were already in crucial time, and they needed him the most now with Sasuke gone, he had to fill the void, benching him now was like declaring their loss with a white flag!
Thin long fingers came to raise his bended head and open his eyes wide to what was really going on around him. Tenten's voice resonated inside his ear.
"Look carefully at the game, Naruto. Notice the one who was marking you very well. And focus on his movement. You will not do us any good if you keep on trying to break through without understanding your opponent's techniques."
Reluctant to what she said, Naruto stubbornly tried to obey. He started with letting go of his frustration first and then putting a one hundred percent focus into the other player's movement. As he did so, his eyes slowly grew wider as a sudden revolution came to him having now witnessed the game in a different perspective than the one he used to witness with.
With the shock still in his system, Naruto exclaimed. "Those…those are my moves!"
"Technically, no. They are the reverse of your moves. Seems like he studied you well, and constructed a perfect plan as to block your entire movement."
"But how?! I haven't participated in any games this season!"
"Yes, but you have in former years, since you were in Middle School. He got your information from old archives. Naruto, your strong point is that you rely on your basics a lot and you were able to enter into our team with it. But, you still haven't developed, yet. And your game stands still, unfortunately, standing still won't help you with any future opponents, you need to improve."
Naruto clenched his hands. "But I have been practicing none stop! He can't just beat me with my old moves!"
Tenten released her hold on his right shoulder and smiled down at her player. "And I think so, too. You have a hidden talent in you. Right now, when you get back into the court, stop thinking about winning, think of how you can beat him. 'Cause right now, he represents your old self. And if you were unable to beat that, to top that, then I'm afraid there will be no room for you to improve. And your hidden talent will remain hidden."
Naruto knotted his brows, calculating what could happen if he failed this fight with his old self. "But if I lost and we wound up not winning this gam-"
"We will!" Filled with a burst of enthusiasm, Tenten slapped him on the back as she signalled the referee an exchange. "Have faith in your teammates, Naruto!"
Walking away, Naruto gave her a small nod and started fixing the patch in his hand. Hitting his cheeks to clear up all his confusion and doubt, he flared with fighting spirit on the face of the man representing his past. It was time to prove his foothold in High School Basketball, and to let the other teams know just who Uzumaki Naruto was.
The team members bid each other goodbye as they packed their stuff into their places, each heading in their own directions. They'd won the game –with some difficulty since their Ace was not on board–and their next would be in three days' time. Gaara parted away from Neji when the raven's limousine parked to take him home, and ran to catch the disappearing form of Naruto before he could step on the bus ride home.
"Yo," Gaara greeted with a smack to Naruto's back. "That was a good game over there."
Smiling at his dear friend, Naruto nodded feeling a bit proud to be able to beat his old self's ass. "Yeah, I think so, too."
"So? Care to tell me what that personal feud you had with number eleven was all about?"
"Nothing really, I was just given a chance to open my eyes to a new world, and I took it."
Gaara nodded to Naruto's words and let them bask in the light of winning for a few more minutes before he asked the only thing that was on his mind these days.
"Naruto, are you alright?"
The blue orbs widened for a bit then Naruto looked with a faraway smile to the sky. "I'm not sure how to answer to that yet, Gaara. I eat, exercise, go to class, and practice basketball. Medically, I couldn't be better. But somehow, I feel more like a walking dead than alive."
"Is it because of Sasuke?"
Naruto's eyes drained from any life and his voice grew a bit hallow. "I believe in him. I know he will wake up one day. Even though they said he'd die if he didn't wake up by that Wednesday, he didn't, he continued to live. That's why I trust that – against their words, he'll wake up for me, I believe in Sasuke."
A soft hand ruffled his golden locks and Naruto gave a tired smile to the teen beside him.
"It's alright to be tired, don't try to force yourself to play if you don't want to, we all will understand and no one will blame you."
"That may be true, but if I don't have something to distract my mind with, I'll keep on thinking about Sasuke's condition all day long, and I'm just not that strong to."
Gaara grabbed Naruto's wrist and looked him straight in the eyes with a heat that the blond hadn't seen lit inside his friend for as long as he'd known him. "Naruto, if there was a way to save Sasuke, and I'm not guarantying it to work, but if there is a chance it would, and there was a way, to save him…are you prepared to take it? No matter what the consequences may be?"
Naruto's heart fluttered at the words, and he felt the tips of his fingers freeze. "W-What kind of way?"
"Let's say it's a medication, close to conventional medicine. Would you take it? Ignoring all the consequence that may arise?"
"Consequences? Will these consequences make him worse than he is now?"
"I don't know. But it's dangerous. I myself will not try it except in desperate situations. And I'm not advising you to, but, it's my duty as a friend to list you all of your options and sadly, this is the only way I can be of any use to you."
The way Gaara's face twitched into a self-loathing grimace made Naruto plant a gentle smile on his face. And just then did the realization of how worried his red haired friend was over him come to light. Telling himself to think right about this and not to make any hasty decisions, Naruto clearly said.
"I will need a few more days to think about this, Gaara. I have to see it with Itachi-onii-chan too and see what he thinks about it. But I'll give you a reply as soon as I can."
Gaara released a breath of air he didn't know he was holding and let go of Naruto's wrist, relieved that he could at least provide his friend a solution that will stop that helpless look inside his blue eyes. "Alright, and on my part, I'll speak to that person, too."
"That person?"
"The doctor who can help Sasuke, I still haven't spoken with her and I need to know she is willing to help out if you and Sasuke's brother agree to her assistance."
"Oh."
They started walking again and soon, they came to stand beside the bus stop. They didn't have to wait long for the bus that always took Naruto home to arrive. Before getting on it and bidding his friend goodbye, Naruto gave the redhead a tight hug in which a soft 'thank you for worrying about me' was whispered into Gaara's right ear.
Gaara waved the blond away with a tiny smile of his own and returned his hands to their rightful position on the inside of his pants' pockets as a black limousine pulled over in front of him. The back door automatically opened and a grinning Neji held his hands to invite his boyfriend inside. Relying on instinct, Gaara took hold of the cold hand and spared the door behind him a glance as it closed automatically. Neji joyfully signalled his chuffer to continue on driving.
"Your place or mine?"
"Mine," Neji breathed. "We can't play in your place. Too many people."
"I'm not in the mood for playing right now, Neji."
"Sure you are! We've won! It's our celebration night, I'm sure you're not thinking of wasting it."
Directing sincerely tired jade orb at the raven, Gaara hoped his love saw just how worn out he was. Neji was taken aback by the sudden weariness he was seeing and his lilac orbs widened slightly alongside the flutter that left his heart without his permission.
"I'm truly tired, Neji. Just…"
Before he could come to request it, protective arms circled around his pale neck drawing him closer to the soft heat. Gaara let himself be comforted for once and relaxed into the wonderful aroma of his love.
"I told him, about her…about Tsunade."
Not letting the name threaten him like it had always done, Neji replied. "It was meant to happen sooner or later, if they seriously want to get Sasuke out of his own hell, they need her."
"But she is very dangerous, what if her treatment does more harm than good? Naruto would never forgive me if that was to happen."
Neji planted a soft kiss on his boyfriend's head, trying to ease his worries. "That's why it's their decision to make, not ours."
The face he was cradling rose so slowly into his vision and pleading eyes faced him, Neji's heart throbbed once more.
"What if…what if you were the one lying on that bed instead of Sasuke, what would I do?"
Neji cupped those cheeks he loved so much and his mouth spread into a comforting smile. "That's something you should never think about; I'm here and will never go anywhere. I'll always be beside you, I promised you this since we were three, didn't I? That the only way you are to get rid of me is if I am to die. And even after, I'll keep watching over you."
"I…I wouldn't bear it if you died and left me behind, I'm sure I'd follow you without hesitation. That's why; I'll be the one to die before you."
Neji stopped resisting his desires and closed his mouth on Gaara's in a hard clash of lips. He pulled away only after he made sure that any further business would make him unable to get through the night without some sexual intercourse.
"I'm flattered, babe. But if you were to go before me, I would make sure to bring you back; I'd sacrifice everything I have for that purpose. This body, no, this soul is worthless if I'm not with you."
"Neji…"
"Besides, if you were ever placed into Sasuke's condition and there was a way, even a one in a million chance that you'd to be saved, I'd take it, no matter what money I need to pay, what status I'd have to throw, I'd take it. And even if you were given to me with only one leg or one arm. I'd be happy."
Suddenly Neji was thrown into the soft leather of his own limousine seat, with a flushed looking Gaara straddling him. The long haired beauty smirked at the bulge that was rubbing against his thigh.
"Sorry, Neji. But forget about my former words, I need you right now!"
Grinning like a kid in a candy shop, Neji opened up himself for the later and took out the hard member of his boyfriend for air, with a luscious smile, he let go of his self-control and welcomed the pleasurable heat that he lusted over since he saw Gaara' amazing performance earlier in the game.
Naruto felt a warm hand shake him to wake up; startled, he lifted his exhausted head from the hard wood and gazed with huge eyes at the man before him.
"What time is it!?" He hoarsely asked.
"It's four. And no," Iruka held his son's hand before the blond could dash from his seat on the living room table, "you don't have to rush into practice; I told them you won't be able to come today."
Naruto's eyes pleaded to his father. "But why? I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be attending the practice."
"I do, you need to stay home today and rest."
"That I can't do, I can't skip on this practice, Iruka, tomorrow we'll be having our second semi-final game, you know how important that is!"
"And I know how important your health is! Naruto, just take a look at yourself, you hardly sleep, hardly touch your food, you practice day and night and even though I'm very happy that you're paying attention to your school work, I don't want to see you doing it this way. You're killing yourself!"
Naruto flinched at his guardian's words. He wanted to argue that he wasn't all that tired but the yawn that left his mouth and the way his fingers chose to rub at his sleepy eyes to remove the dizziness away and have him able to hold a decent conversation with Iruka, had him shrug that idea away.
A sigh echoed from Iruka's lips and he pushed a cup of hot coffee into Naruto's hands. "Here, drink this. You need it."
"Coffee?" Naruto wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I hate coffee."
"I know, but it's the best thing for you right now. Just drink it, you won't die."
Nodding with a sigh, Naruto started pouring the hot beverage inside his throat. "Yuck."
"You'll get used to the taste. Now, Naruto," A warm hand found its way to his right hand. "I know you're worried and want to keep yourself busy as not to think of Sasuke-kun's situation, but the way you're going on about this will kill you. You two have been good friends for a while now, but do you think he'll be happy to see you waste away like this because of him?"
Naruto put the cup of coffee down and glanced at it. "It's the only thing I can do, I can't help him medically, can't pay for any pills he needs or the devices that help him survive, so the best thing I can do is to at least bring the championship title to him."
"But it's not right to practice all the time, your body will crumble."
"No, it won't. I've maintained a degree of stamina, nothing will happen to me."
Iruka rolled his eyes. "And the proof is that you've been sleeping here since yesterday night. A whole day and a half, sleeping with your head on hard wood and your legs on the carpet, in a very uncomfortable position."
Naruto shrugged. "It wasn't that uncomfortable."
Iruka ignored his son's stubbornness. "It's extremely uncomfortable, but since your body was awfully tired, you didn't notice."
"That's…" Thinking of an excuse but failing miserably, Naruto let his sentence remain unfinished.
Iruka sighed again moving closer to his son and addressing him in a soft voice. "Naruto, I'm not telling you not to play basketball altogether, but, just be moderate and think of your health first. I know Sasuke-kun's condition is hell for you to think about, but if anything bad were to happen to you, I don't know if I can survive it, so please, I'm begging you son, take care of yourself."
Naruto felt his eyes release the hidden frustration he was penning for two weeks and a half when he saw those compassionate eyes, the ones you can only get from a dear family member, filled with understanding and absolute love no matter what, look back at him. He placed the mug of coffee on the wooden table and threw himself on Iruka, giving the man a well-deserved hug.
"I'm sorry, Iruka. I'll try not to do it again."
Iruka hugged back smiling that his son has finally understood that driving his body to its death wasn't the best way to help his sick friend. "That's all I'm asking, and for now, just go back to your own room and try to get a good rest."
Naruto nodded and let go of the warmth. "I will."
Kissing his son on the forehead, Iruka stood up, taking the half-finished mug of coffee alongside his to the kitchen and watched as Naruto picked up his ringing cell before he headed up the stairs to his room. The brunette turned his head back to the cups; he washed, rinsed, and put them into the cupboard. Drying his hands on the towel he used. Iruka heard the sound of something hitting the ground.
Running to see what has happened, he found Naruto standing with a frozen form shaking from his head to his toe. Iruka came to get a hold of the blond and asked him with freaking out eyes.
"Naruto! What happened!?"
Dead eyes face him and muffled tears rolled down from the frozen orbs.
Iruka shook the already shaken teen to his senses. "What's wrong!? Who was that call from!? Naruto!"
They were only two little words, but they nailed Iruka to the ground with absolute shock.
"Sasuke…died."
Naruto's body gave up on him and he fell hitting the ground hard, forcing Iruka to awake from his own shock and help his fainted boy up.
"Hello, Naruto-sama, are you there…? Naruto-sama…hey!" A mechanical voice echoed from the forgotten cell.
Iruka's attention was brought to the cell and he picked up the line gently to his ears. "Yes, I'm not Naruto, I'm his father. I'm afraid Naruto cannot continue with the conversation right now…is it true that Sasuke-kun has died?"
A sigh came from the other line and then the calm voice replied. "Yes, for a moment there we'd lost him, but I was informed that the doctors were able to successfully bring him back, this time around. But there are no guarantees for next time…"
Iruka felt like a weight has been taken off of his heart, he smiled into the line and looked with sad eyes at the passed out teen.
"Thank you for telling me. I'd be sure to inform him as soon as he wakes up. Yes, goodbye."
The line went dead with that and Iruka put one hand under Naruto's head while the other was under the jeans-ed legs then so smoothly, carried the blond up to his bed, hoping that Naruto's conscious wasn't too ruffled with the false alarm to allow him some peace and a much needed rest.
Naruto placed his lips on top of Sasuke's cold ones and gave him a deep emotional kiss, releasing all emotions into it and hoping for it to reach Sasuke's current darkness. His hands brushed momentarily on the fuzz of hair that was growing on Sasuke's head and then descended softly to grasp the cold hands.
"Sasuke, I have news to tell you, today, we're taking you to try a different treatment, I'm not sure if it will work or not, but I'm putting my faith into it, and wishing for the best. I know it's selfish of me to force my wishes on you and force you to wake up when you obviously don't want to, but…parting from you is just too hard for me to bear. So hold tight, okay? And come back to me."
Naruto planted another kiss on Sasuke's forehead and drew back when he heard the door to the room he was in crack open.
"Naruto-sama, it is time." Sasori resounded from behind him.
Smiling at the intruder, Naruto nodded with a faint smile. "I told you to stop with the 'sama' we are all equals here."
"And I said I cannot. You have a high position inside the family, and it won't do to address you as anything less. Anyhow, we are running out of time. Please move aside so they can transport Sasuke-sama to his place of treatment."
Scowling at not being able to lessen the distance between him and Sasori, Naruto moved indicating his approval with a final kiss to the cold hands in his grasp. Men clothed in white soon came inside the room, it all happened in a flash; forcing Naruto to stop his eyes from dizzying and focus on Sasuke's body. In a few minutes, the raven was placed inside a container with devices hooked to it. Frowning at where his friend was being positioned, Naruto made a notion to object in which Sasori had stopped him before.
"I know it's unbefitting, but it's the best mean to transport him in his current condition. Please, don't interfere."
Naruto's fighting spirit disappeared slowly and he nodded obediently. "Will we be able to see him?"
"As Neji-san has clarified, our contact will be with Tsunade-sensei. She will explain everything that will happen to Sasuke-sama."
"Wait, you mean no one discussed Sasuke's condition with her and you'd just let her have him?!"
Sasori fixed the glasses on his face and started walking, indicating for the blond to follow him. "Of course that's impossible, Itachi-sama had done so, he wouldn't have given his precious little brother to someone he has doubts about. And since he agreed, it really must be the best option there is for Sasuke-sama right now. You should be glad to enlighten that option for us to see."
"Hum…if it's so assuring, why do I feel like throwing up then?"
"That's because you, Naruto-sama, have no solid comprehension as to what will be done to Sasuke-sama, nor the consequences that are awaiting him."
"But we are going right now to where she is, right? I mean you're taking me back to Sasuke, aren't you?"
Sasori bowed apologetically as they exited the grand hospital into a black car. "I'm afraid I won't be able to escort you further, you see today the family will have to decide on what shall be done to Deidara, and I have to attend."
"Huh? Deidara…the one who shot Sasuke?"
"Yes, that's why I have to be present or I believe he will get a poor defence."
Naruto frowned not liking what he is hearing. "But you said they wouldn't hurt him if Sasuke is safe."
"That was the plan, but when Sasuke-sama's condition deteriorated a few days back, he was given the death penalty, it was removed as Sasuke-sama was brought back to life though. Yet now, they think it will not do to link his situation to Sasuke-sama's since," Sasori sent a compassionate smile to the blond. "They think that Sasuke-sama's condition may extend for years without him waking up, so today they will decide on Deidara's fate."
Naruto bit his lips and released his frustration onto the car beside him. "That's no good! They can't kill him since he didn't kill Sasuke!"
"I feel the same way, and I know I'm asking a lot of you by saying this, but please, try to forgive him, Deidara isn't a bad person, he just has an awfully bad luck, and that bad luck has stuck with him ever since he was little letting him give his loyalty to the bad crowd. If possible, I don't want him to lose his life over the bad decisions that he's made; there are other ways for redemption."
The golden teen let the words sink in for a bit and then he took the refined gloved hands into his own, speaking with an understanding tone. "Sasori-san, is he your friend?"
Sasori was startled for a bit but nodded with a small smile. "Something like that."
"Is he the person you wanted to save?"
Nodding, the small smile widened a fraction. "Deidara has a bad habit of doing stupid things when he gets scared, 'm sure him following after Danzo, your kidnapping, and this incident with Sasuke-sama were just done because he was too scared to think, allowing bad people to influence his right judgment and place him as their scapegoat. I can't forgive that. To sully him like that and make him go against his nature, I can't let it go like that."
"But, Itachi-onii-chan has already gotten rid of the bad people, the ones who are left are the good guys, do you plan to fight them, too?"
Sasori removed Naruto's hands from his own and pushed the blond's body into the car. "Right now, you shouldn't think about that. Sasuke-sama is waiting for you. Go to him, go and see for your eyes what will be done to him. And please don't mind yourself with what may happen to me or not. I'll do what I need to do, and you do what you need to do, that's all."
With eyes filled with silent farewell, Naruto was sent away. As the car began rolling, the only thing that kept on repeating inside Naruto's head was his wish for whatever Sasori had in mind to succeed, and for that lonely heart-breaking look that always hunted his cloudy brown eyes to simply disappear without a trace.
He bit hard on his lower lips 'till he could taste blood seeping into his mouth and his hands hurt from hitting the thick glass, but Naruto knew that whatever pain he was withstanding, it couldn't compare to Sasuke's right now. Another jolt of electricity mixed with the glowing green substance was shot into Sasuke's brain and nerves system, and like the prior four times, his body arched again causing the blond to claw at his own hands.
This was his price, the price he needed to pay in order to bring Sasuke back. He had to watch as life was shot into Sasuke over and over again, until the body before him started to wrench with pain. As he watched the torture play in front of him, Naruto wished to replace his own body with Sasuke's and not let his other half undergo such a pain filled treatment. But he couldn't and he stood helplessly watching as another jolt ran through Sasuke's body, making Sasuke's legs move frantically.
"This is inhuman! You're torturing him!" Naruto shouted at the blond haired woman.
She flipped her pigtails at him and raised the degree for the treatment. "No, I'm not. I'm fixing him. You brought him here for that reason."
"But look at him! He is in pain!"
"Pain is good, means that he is responding."
"You're killing him! He can't take all that pain!"
The woman put a leg over the other and smirked at Naruto. "Nice to see you have faith in your friend's willpower."
Naruto bit his bleeding lip again, and the small river he'd cut was slowly turning into a sea; he hit the glass separating them once more.
"Isn't there another way to help him?"
"No. His body is alright, heartbeats are normal and, theoretically, he should be up and kicking, yet he isn't, he is hanging between life and death, and no treatment is helping him, was it because of the coma those idiotic doctors have placed him in?" She rhetorically asked as her hands worked with the big computer she was handling. "Perhaps, but he should emerge from it by now. Yet, he isn't, he is still sinking further into a non-existent illness. Then the problem is clear, if the body is well, then the problem is with the conscious, and thus the brain."
Naruto closed his eyes as the green light emitting from the device lit the room. "Then…you're treating his brain right now?"
"Hmmm…I doubt a normal teen would understand the complexity of the process I'm doing even if I took years out of my busy life to explain it, but to simplify it to you, no, I'm not fixing his brain, since it's not broken. I'm simply putting the lost pieces of the puzzle together, 'm helping his brain re-operate."
"Re-operate? Then he will wake up?"
"Chances for that are seventy five to twenty five, in favour of him not waking up, of course."
His eyes went wild at her words. "You mean you're making him taste hell for a small chance like that!?"
"His brother seemed to think of it as a very big chance, though."
"This is ridiculous!"
"But your last resort, nonetheless."
Naruto felt the blood inside his mouth pile up so much that he had to spit it into the trashcan provided on the protected room. He felt the anger he was harbouring evaporate into self-hatred. It was all his fault; if he hadn't followed after Deidara, if he didn't force Sasuke to save him and act against his family, then Sasuke wouldn't have been shot and they wouldn't be put under a test this hard.
He started the bad habit of biting his lower lip and it began bleeding again.
"I advise you to stop that before you wake up one day and find out that you've chewed your lower lip and it's gone."
"Shut it, old hag," He mumbled under his breath. "And mind your own business."
"Should you be speaking this way to the one holding the hand over your precious friend's body?"
Naruto felt a bit hesitant and when Sasuke's body started arching again, he knew that he'd have to lose the attitude.
"I understand! Stop tormenting him already!"
And Sasuke's body returned back to the bed he was being placed in.
"You should know that I'm not a bad woman, I just appreciate respect, and remember, it wasn't I who came asking you to let me treat him, it was you who came asking for my help. So, be respectful and keep watch."
Her words were sharp and absolute; Naruto had nothing to do but nod at them, for after all, she was the one holding Sasuke's life by the skin of his neck.
"C-Can't I go over there to him? Just to hold his hands?"
The thick glass shined to remind him of the barrier separating them. Tsunade shook her head in an obvious refusal.
"The radiation over there mixed with hydroelectric energy is very dangerous. Your body will fall ill to it right away. You have to stay in here if you want to watch."
"But doesn't that mean that Sasuke also will be in danger?"
"No, I've injected his body with a medication that will help him withstand the pressure, but I'll have to renew the dosage every five hours." Tsunade scratched her head, apparently not welcoming the extended work hours. "Such a bother."
Naruto closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as Sasuke's hands started arching alongside his back. And he prayed, for whatever god was hearing him up there, to save Sasuke's life and not let him get sucked into the afterlife in such a pitiful way.
"I'm tough, so stop worrying about me, Sakura. Today will be the last day for Sasuke's therapy; yes…she said that his body can't take any more pressure than this. And if he does any more therapy, he'll break…I told you, I'm fine," Naruto smiled into the line as the car he was in made another turn. "Yeah, I may not come to school tomorrow so could you like write my notes for me? Thanks Sakura, you're the best! Yeah, I'm keeping a strong heart, after all, it won't do if I were to start weeping on the spot…hahaha…yes, yes, love you, too, bye."
Naruto closed his cell with that and the driver signalled him to step down, since they had arrived. Getting out of the car, Naruto walked inside the magnificent laboratory with hopeful eyes. This was his sixth visit by now, and according to Tsunade-sensei, this would be the last one. He made the familiar turns that his body came to memorize by heart and with each step he took, he felt his breath hitch and his heart throb.
He'd worn his best outfit for meeting Sasuke today and yes, he hated to admit it, but he was dancing on clouds. Tsunade did tell him not to get his hopes high, but how could he not?! On their third therapy session, Sasuke's hands clasped onto his! They'd moved on their own and clasped his! Wasn't that like a magnificent performance?!
Naruto calmed his breath since he was sure he looked like an excited fool to anyone that would walk by and clicked the door to the room he came to love open, a tired looking scientist glared at him.
"What are you so happy and grinning about? It's disgusting!"
"Sasuke will wake up today, I can feel it!"
The doctor sighed and returned to her work, clicking away on her compute. "Wow, the world would be a very boring and simple place if everyone were to have your optimism."
"Hehehe…so, how is he doing?"
Tsunade snapped back into her seat and cracked her fingers. "We're just about to see, pay attention Naruto that today is his last session. If it didn't help, then I have no idea what he has and it would be best to let him just die." She shrugged, uninterested.
Even though dread came crawling at his back threatening to kill his happiness and snatch it away, Naruto refused to let it do so and continued grinning with heat-filled eyes at her.
"He won't! He'll wake up today! I know it!"
"Hn, we'll see."
She let the electricity run through Sasuke's body and Naruto winced at the violent shake the other was withstanding. It took them one hour in after Tsunade had shut everything that was connected to Sasuke and placed him in a cleansing room for three more hours. Naruto sat waiting in the grand room that was prepared for Sasuke when he finishes his treatment, with excited eyes.
The door to the luxurious room was opened and three men rolled a still unconscious Sasuke inside, Naruto smiled and let them place his friend on the bed. He nodded at them as they started heading out closing the door behind them.
"Hi there," He softly called the sleeping raven and took hold of Sasuke's right hand planting a soft kiss on it. "I missed you dearly."
No answer came from the body resting in front of him, but Naruto refused to let it bother him and started massaging Sasuke's cheeks gently.
"I believe in you, and I know you'll wake up today, so honour my words, Uchiha, and open those beautiful eyes I have longed to see for a while now."
There was no further moment and before Naruto's spirit could hit the ground, the door cracked open revealing a refreshed looking Tsunade. The woman marched inside with the fresh smell of soup all over her.
"Still hasn't awakened?"
"No, but he will."
"Hmmm…if my calculations are correct, he should have been awake for a while now. You realize that I can't do anything more to him if he doesn't wake?"
"Yes, you've made that perfectly clear over these few days!" Naruto barked at her.
The big-boobed woman smirked at him. "So, you were listening…and here I thought you were nothing but an annoying optimistic brat."
"Who is a brat, you damn hag!"
"You, boy. And stop shouting so early in the morning, it's too girly." She said as she started hooking another device to monitor Sasuke's heartbeats and the blood circulation inside his systems.
Naruto had a retort ready but when he saw how keen she was at handling Sasuke's body, he decided to let her off the hook for now at least. Tsunade finished up the work she came to do and with a nasty remark towards Naruto's choice of clothes, she left the room going to inform the man paying her of his brother's condition as she had said.
The blond returned his hands into engulfing Sasuke's and sat beside him with a sweet smile on his lips.
"Sasuke, there's something good I gotta to tell you, we've successfully qualified into the finals. The semi-finals were hard battles, but we managed through. Now everyone just wants you to come back and enter the finals together with us."
The cold hands holding his didn't even twitch at the news, Naruto felt his smile flutter for a moment but he buckled up his courage again.
"I…I miss you, Sasuke, very much. I miss your voice, your nasty cold attitude, your passionate kisses and the way you'd always hold me so tightly," Naruto brushed a hand over Sasuke's lips, hoping for them to part and lick his fingers as they'd done so many times before. "I tried my hardest these past weeks to go on without you, and even though I was tired, I didn't give up. But Sasuke, I'm at the end of my rope here, I can't muster any more courage, I don't even think I have any left. So please, open your eyes and look at me."
Softly, his eyes released the warm water and it so tenderly rolled down his rounded cheeks, hitting Sasuke's face in a quiet twinkle. Naruto shook his head and started wiping his tears, kicking himself mentally for releasing them in the first place; he shouldn't have been acting like this. Sasuke was still fighting, and he couldn't give up on him. Two lives were hanging by a thread linked to Sasuke and he wasn't about to just let them die.
Naruto closed his eyes as the flood of tears became a bit too much, he let go of Sasuke's hand and started ruffling the nearby drawer for tissues to wipe the tears that made their way into Sasuke's face with. Happy to find a box, Naruto got it out and turned back to his raven friend just in time to have his heart skip a beat.
"W…water."
Throwing the box in his hands, Naruto ran towards the bottles of water beside Sasuke's bed, he forced his hands to stop shaking and for his heart to function again and circulate blood enough to his brain to work. Slowly he tried pouring the water steadily into the clean glass for Sasuke to drink.
Naruto helped the black eyed teen into a sitting position and placed the water glass on his lips. "Here, drink."
Sasuke was only able to drink a little then pushed the glass away from his face. "Thanks, that's enough."
The blond nodded and put the glass back on the table, he swallowed hard and took a good look at the man sitting with blank eyes looking ahead of him. His heart told him that there was something wrong, but before he could question and start on digging further another problem, his body acted on its own and threw himself at Sasuke.
A startled noise left Sasuke's mouth in which Naruto was too busy burying his tears into Sasuke's chest to notice.
"Sasuke! Sasuke! Oh, Sasuke!"
Sasuke remained silent for a moment and then he put both his hands on Naruto's hands and felt his way towards the other's lips. A sincere smile left his mouth when sensing a watery liquid coming in touch with his fingers.
"Naruto."
Slowly, he was taken into a soft kiss; Naruto kissed back and tried not to force his emotions on the still recovering raven. So, he moved back after a little kissing with a bright smile on his lips. "Welcome back, Sasuke."
"I'm back."
Naruto pushed himself away and wiped his tears, he signalled to the door by his hands. "I…I need to go tell them you're awake!"
And the delight in his voice didn't go undetected. But a pale hand stopped him; Naruto knotted his brows into a question for the reason why he was stopped and the reason Sasuke's eyes seemed to still look ahead of him, never linking with his own heated gaze. The small doubt that something wrong was coming, started cracking the happy shell Naruto engulfed himself in.
"Naruto, I'm about to tell you something, but you have to be cool and keep your calm."
His eyes started on widening and his heart quickened, preparing him. "What?"
A pale hand came to rest on one blank eye and Sasuke released in a stern pained tone.
"I can't see."
Suddenly, Naruto felt his happiness shatter completely and the sound of cruel fate snicker evilly at him as his ground turned pitch black. Just like Sasuke's vision.
So? What do you think? I honestly, like this chapter the best so far! :D I like how everything has turned out, and I know some of you might be confused as hell, but you just have to wait for the next chapter to un-confuse yourselves xD. Thanks for reading; I'll be waiting for your reviews!
