As the Years Go By Chapter 3: We Care About You, a naruto fanfic

Hey Everyone! Thank you for those who reviewed my story and added it to his/her favorites.

This is a slightly dramatic chapter and I advice you to listen to a certain song while reading it. The lyrics are included in this chapter (the ones in Italics). The song is called 'Catch Your Fall' by Gavin Mikhail. I believe is fits perfectly.

Same Disclaimer.

They were nine years of age when Sasuke needed them.

"Be careful Naruto! Setsuni is still so fragile! Hold him carefully!" Sakura lectured as he tried his best to make her four months old brother comfortable is his arms. Sakura gave him a brilliant smile when her baby brother grabbed Naruto's shirt, yawned, and went to sleep while he sucked his thumb. Naruto was pleased and looked at his Black-haired rival with a smug face.

"At least he didn't start screaming and crying when I held him. Can't say the same thing about Sasuke-bastard though" Naruto snickered quietly when he saw Sasuke twitch before he resumed drinking his tea.

"It's okay Sasuke-kun! Setsu-chan will get used to you in no time…just smile a bit. I think you scared him with your glare back then." Sakura stated and drank her tea, trying to stifle her laughter as she sat face to face with Sasuke and right beside Naruto.

It's been almost six months now and ever since then, Sasuke started spending time with the two idiots more often, having nothing else to do while waiting for his brother in the afternoon, at least that's what he told himself. He seemed to enjoy eating the tomatoes Sakura never failed to bring him during their lunch break. Also, Sakura knows a great deal of information and answers every question Sasuke and Naruto ask her about Ninja history, chakra, jutsus, and so on. Sasuke decided that they weren't very annoying and useless after all. Naruto may be stupid at times, but he proved to be a good challenge every now and then. Today, Naruto and he stayed at Sakura's place to babysit her brother and to offer her some company while her parents were away for business.

The Harunos were aware of their daughter's mature and sharp brain, so they trusted her fully with their newborn son, pleasing Sakura greatly. They already knew of her friendship with the Kyuubi and the young Uchiha. At first, her mother didn't approve of Naruto as her friend for a reason Sakura didn't know, but after a whole lot of persuasion from Sakura's part, both her parents allowed the friendship to go on, hating to upset their only daughter. Unlike the rest of the villagers, they had an open mind and knew deep down that it was never Naruto's fault for the Kyuubi incident.

Back to the present…

Sasuke was excited, Itachi should be here any second now in order to take him and help him train with Kunais. Just as he thought, he heard the doorbell and quietly stood up so as not to disturb the baby, silently letting Sakura and Naruto know that he will answer the door. His two friends nodded, already having understood most of his movements and facial expressions in just six months of being together. Sakura poured tea for the new visitor and took Setsuni from Naruto, thanking him with a smile, which he gladly gave back. Sakura turned around when she heard the door of the room open and smiled when she saw Sasuke's older brother.

"Good afternoon Itachi-san." Sakura said quietly and motioned for him to take a seat and drink some tea, but he shook his head apologetically. "I've been given a mission and I will be gone for a couple of days. I just came by to inform Sasuke"

That explained the look of frustration on Sasuke's face, Sakura thought with a sweat drop "Sasuke, can you go home by yourself? I'm already late for the meeting place" Itachi mentioned, slightly worried how his brother would be able go home when it is so dark. He blamed his overprotective side, which wanted to ensure that Sasuke stayed out of danger, even after the clan…

"Hey! I have an idea!" Sakura exclaimed, raising her voice just a little bit, unable to conceal her growing excitement. The three boys all stared at her, waiting. "Itachi-san! Can Sasuke-kun sleep in my house today? It's late anyway and Naruto will also be staying. My parents won't be here until tomorrow night and I always feel better when I know there is someone in the house other than me." Sakura's logical explanation made Itachi directly approve, "Very well Sakura. I shall send a message to our parents to inform them. I'm sure they won't mind" Itachi's sarcastic tone was not missed by the pink-haired girl but she dismissed it and looked at Sasuke, silently begging him to accept her invitation.

Sasuke was stuck; his female friend was looking at him with those huge emerald eyes that made it impossible for him to say no. He cursed the fact that she can affect him this much. Oh well, it's better than staying at home without his brother all day. It may actually be a little fun to spend the night here. Huffing, he nodded and glared at his brother who was the source of all of this. Itachi smiled and kneeled down to his height, ruffling his hair with affection. "Take care of yourself, Sasuke." Sasuke was so surprised by his brother's almost…sad smile that he couldn't help but nod and assure him that he will be okay without him. It was all what Itachi wanted and he left the Haruno household with determined, cold eyes. Yet, he had to mask his facial expression when he heard light footsteps running towards him. Turning around, he was rather surprised to see Sakura standing in front of him and staring at him.

"Itachi-san. I…Naruto and I are going to take care of Sasuke-kun. It's a promise of a lifetime!" she heard Itachi give a small intake of breath, surprised as to why she would say that. This girl was so unexpected, always saying things that made him wonder if she really were just a nine year old.

"Sorry…" Sakura exclaimed sheepishly after a while "It's just that…Itachi-san has a very sad and guilty look on his face. I felt that I had to say this. You're a very sad person, Itachi-san" Itachi kneeled down to her high, noting that she was just as tall as Sasuke. Her eyes travelled hesitantly to his, silently apologizing for her nonsense. The young ANBU gave her a small smile and ruffled her hair in the same manner he does to Sasuke. What warmed him was that she was worried about him. His brother would be just fine with her. That gave him enough resolve to go on with his last mission, a mission that will surely break Sasuke's heart and throw him towards the dark abyss. "Thank you" Itachi whispered in her ear before disappearing from her view. Sasuke would be just fine.

Two Days Later

Sakura never ran so much in her life. Minutes ago, Naruto ran to her house with terrified eyes, which convinced Sakura straight away that something horrible has just happened. She quickly wore her raincoat and ran outside without even informing her parents, she would deal with them later. She followed Naruto to Konoha Hospital and turned towards him, confused.

"I heard from some jounins that Sasuke's clan was entirely wiped out. They said Sasuke was the only one who was kept alive. Itachi was the killer Sakura-chan" Naruto whispered to her, staring at the hospital door. Sakura gasped and without waiting for him, ran towards the hospital reception, demanding to be taken to Sasuke's room.

It's that time
To sink or swim I try
To be stronger inside
And rise above myself
I know for you
It must be painful to
Carry the way you do
Though I can't be you
I see through
Your silence, feigned indifference gets you by
And, though I'm trying, I can't tell you when we'll fly
Just know...

The nurse was bewildered, but kept her face façade as she repeated "Uchiha Sasuke does not take visitors at this hour." Sakura did not have time for this, she glared at the nurse with so much venom "Listen, we are the closest people he has now, we need to see him. Please!" the nurse hesitated; visiting hours were already over, she would not allow children to break the protocol. She looked down at the girl and was about to repeat what she said earlier when a voice broke through the silence.

"Let them through young lady. It's better if the young Uchiha is visited by his friends. He needs them right now" The Hokage said just when he came through the door. Sakura and Naruto were hopeful as they stared back the nurse. The said nurse quickly nodded and told them the room the last Uchiha was residing in. Without wasting any more time, the two nine-year-olds darted towards the room. When they reached, they opened the door quietly and peeked in to find that no one was inside, surprising them greatly.

"Oh, it seems like Uchiha Sasuke has left the hospital" The third Hokage stated. Sakura looked at him and held his robe "Hokage-sama! Do you know where he is?" The Hokage stared at her with sad, old eyes and patted her head "You should give him some time to grasp what just happened to him. However,If you insist on seeing him, I'm sure you now where he is."

I care I'll lift you up to
See where I will always
Be there any time you call
And I will take us back
Into a life of more than we've
Been through, beyond the lengths that we
Went to to be here after all
And though we sometimes stumble and you're scared
I'm always there to catch your fall...

Sakura wiped the tears that were threatening to fall down her face and ran outside, following her pure instincts. Naruto was a few steps behind her, also worried about his friend and rival. When they stumbled across the Uchiha compound, Naruto gathered all his courage, held Sakura's hand, and went inside the abandoned place. Sakura's hand gripped her friend's tightly, frightened how the compound became so quiet and dark. Once they rounded up the corner, they finally found the person they were desperately looking for, standing in front of his house in the rain.

"Sasuke-kun, why did you leave the hospital?" she winced, the first word should have been a condolence or something, she just had to blurt out this. There was no reaction from the Uchiha so Sakura walked around him in order to see his face.

She wished she hadn't.

It's hard, I know
So much we can't control
You watch, wonder, and hope
For all the best
For us
I know for you
It must be painful to
Carry us still but you
Always carry through
When I need you
Your silence, feigned indifference gets you by
And though I'm trying I can't tell you when we'll fly
Just know...

"Sasuke…kun" she stuttered as lightning and thunder resounded all around them. She never saw anyone look so… defeated, so lost. She covered her mouth, tears spilling down her face. Unable to bear it, she let out a loud sob as she started crying her hearts out. Never has she ever seen such a broken face before and it broke her heart to just look at him. His beautiful, beautiful onyx eyes were now turned into dull shades of dark grey. There was no longer any sparkle of passion for knowledge or any arrogance in his eyes. Another sob spilled out from her now hoarse throat, becoming loud wails when Sasuke didn't even seem to notice her at all.

Naruto stood in front of both his precious people, his blue eyes slowly losing its color when he saw just how much pain both of them were in. It seemed that for the first time, he had to make the first step in this.

Sakura felt so miserable, trying to stop her tears from flowing down her face. Just then, a warm, wet hand gently held her wrist and pulled. She stumbled, but quickly regained her balance, looking up at Naruto who held both her and Sasuke's hand. She trusted him completely and went back to closing her eyes and crying in place of the black-haired Uchiha beside her. It wasn't until they stopped that she quieted down in order to look at where they were, Naruto's house. Silently, he opened his door and pulled them inside his warm and dry apartment. The rain was just getting worse and it was better they stayed at his house instead of Sasuke's.

Sakura's wails softened to quiet sobs and sniffles as she caught up to Naruto's plan. She took off her raincoat and walked towards Naruto's room, grabbing dry towels, a random shirt and pair of pants. Naruto was already boiling the water by the time she arrived to the living room where Sasuke still stood, unmoving. She gulped and led him towards a chair to sit on. Once he did, she took off his soaking shirt and started drying him up to his hair. Sasuke wasn't even staring at anything in particular, but he found the ground more interesting than anything else. Gently, she continued drying his hair until he was dry enough. She grabbed the grey shirt she picked up from Naruto's closet and gave it to him to wear it. Sasuke's lifeless eyes stared at the shirt displayed for him and slowly, he took it and wore it himself. When Naruto arrived, Sakura nodded and went to the kitchen to allow her broken friend some privacy. Naruto would take care of the rest. Some hot chocolate would be good to warm them all up, since its nearing winter and the weather wasn't getting any warmer.

By the time she was done, she brought the three mugs to the living room and placed them on the table. Sasuke has already changed and was completely dry, but he was still staring at the ground while he saw on the wooden chair. Sighing, she gave one of the warm mugs to Naruto who sat on the other side of the room. He thanked her silently and took a sip of the warm, hot chocolate.

"Sasuke…you have to drink to warm up a bit" Sakura's voice cut into the tense silence, the other mug spread towards him to take it, but he made no move to do so…instead…

Sakura let out a small gasp when he leaned his head to rest on her stomach ever so slowly, as if searching for a source of warmth. She turned towards Naruto for some help, but he nodded his head, encouraging her to continue. It was Sakura's job to do the comforting, it always was.

Still counting down the days
to when we'll finally arrive
But I am here now, you are safe now,
we're O.K. now, we'll survive
And I will hold you when you cry...

Making up her mind, she placed the mug on the table and slowly, wrapped her arms around Sasuke's shoulders.

That caused a reaction as Sakura swallowed down a cry of grief when Sasuke started shaking, and she was sure it had nothing to do with the cold. She tightened her grip on his shoulders as she felt him grab her shirt tightly. She couldn't take it anymore, crying was just too tempting. Sobs started forcing its way out of her when he felt her shirt getting wet with salty tears. She made sure that her sobs and wails were loud enough to give her broken friend a chance to cry and sob lightly without anyone of them hearing it.

Sasuke pushed his face deep into Sakura's shirt to hide the tears that already started falling and was so thankful when she started crying loudly, allowing him to cry out softly without them hearing it. Trust Sakura to give him that chance.

Oh I care I'll lift you up to
See where I will always
Be there any time you call
And I will take us back
Into a life of more than we've
Been through, beyond the lengths that we
Went to to be here after all
And though we sometimes stumble and you're scared
I'm always there to catch your fall...

Naruto smiled as he spread the blanket over his friends. Sakura has guided Sasuke to a nearby couch and after several minutes, they were both asleep with Sasuke's head on her stomach and a hand still gripping her shirt. Naruto's eyes softened and decided to join them after closing the lights.

They would deal with this tomorrow, he though as he rested his head on the other edge of the couch.

At break of dawn, Sasuke woke up instantly and quickly looked around him. Before he could get up, he felt a body beside him shift a bit. It took him a moment before he remembered that he was in Naruto's house and another moment to notice that he was gripping Sakura's shirt like she was the last thing on earth. Blushing, he got up from the couch and stared at the people he started getting closer to. They stayed with him all night and took care of him. It turned out that he would need them after all. His muscles wouldn't twitch to show the infamous smirk or smile he usually lets out whenever he thought of the two idiots. The incident yesterday still replayed in his head and he held his head in pain. Why would his brother kill everyone? Why would he do that?

"Sasuke-bastard?" he heard Naruto call his name. Sasuke didn't let him finish, he has made up his mind "Naruto, take care of Sakura. I'm leaving. It's better if we go our separate paths now." It was quiet for some time and secretly, Sasuke wanted a reason, just a small reason to stay here. Shaking that thought out of his head, he started making his way towards the door until Naruto stopped him "Sasuke-bastard, you can't handle this alone. Trust me! No one can go through this alone! You need us!" Sasuke clenched his fist, his heart screaming for him to turn back to them, but his mind blocked out his needs. Before he could take another step, he heard her voice, that voice that would definitely change his stubborn mind.

"Sasuke-kun, please. Please don't leave us." Sakura begged, her voice shaking with grief and sorrow. "Please, don't leave. We will take care of each other, we will heal each other. Please, stay with us" Sasuke gritted his teeth, his resolve slowly disappearing. "Sakura, I'm going to avenge my family's death. I must become stronger. You two are just going to waste my time" This was his last excuse; he was even trying to convince himself that. He heard nothing from both of them and gave sad smile, so this was it.

Sakura and Naruto didn't let him move another step towards the door. In a flash, Naruto appeared right between him and the door while Sakura was hugging his back with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. "Bastard! Listen to us before you do anything stupid! We will all train together and become stronger together! We will STAY together and there is nothing you can do about it. Once you became our friend, you lost the ability to leave us without us saying so!" Naruto burst out. Sasuke was supposed to be the logical person in the group. Why wasn't he thinking straight!

"Sasuke-kun. We're here for you. We may not know how painful this must be to you, so we are not going to tell you that you are going to be fine. The only thing we can say now is that we are here for you. You are not alone." Sakura exclaimed, but got no response from her friend.

Though her line of vision, she saw Naruto's expression turn from anger to surprise as she felt Sasuke start trembling. She stood in front of him to get a better view of his face, but she didn't get the chance to do so as Sasuke dipped his head on her warm shoulder and let out a long, tired sigh. That's it, his resolve has now been completely shattered and he was thankful for that.

But I am here now, you are safe now,
we're O.K. now, we'll survive
And I will hold you when you cry...

Sakura cried for him again as she slowly stroked his hair with one arm while the other hugged his shoulders. "We care about you Sasuke" Sakura whispered in his ear, which made him grip her tighter.

And though we sometimes stumble and you're scared
I'm always there to catch your fall...

Within the shadows, a figure was hiding in a tree a few feet away from Naruto's window. Once he saw what just occurred, he gave a small, sad smile and disappeared. Sasuke will be just fine.

This is it. I hope you liked this chapter :) please review! Also, Forgive me for any grammatical mistakes. I am only human.