Disclaimer: I don't own the Naruto universe.

Characters: Sasuke, Naruto, OC
Relationships: Naruto x Sasuke
Rating: T
Summary: Sasuke struggles to keep breathing.
Word Count: 650

When I Come Undone
January 4

Time moved funny. First too fast. Naruto was usually there, saying things that Sasuke couldn't quite understand. Then too slow. Everything hurt and Sasuke was hot and cold in turns. He was unable to think past the effort to keep breathing. And, for long stretches at a time, there was nothing at all. Just a darkness that seemed to swallow him whole.

When he woke in the hospital, Sasuke was alone. A low and constant drumbeat thudded against his skull. Sitting in the dark quiet, his mind filled with that beat, it took several long moments for all the piece to tumble back into place. Then he screamed. Eyes wide, he fell to the floor and scrambled to get away. To tuck himself in the blackest shadows in the corner. The IV ripped free from his arm with the violent jolt. Drops of blood trailed across the floor, bright and red on the white tile. Sasuke couldn't look away. Someone opened the door, turned on the light. He breathed hard, trying not to cry, as Iruka-sensei pulled him close.

A comfortingly cool hand pressed against the side of Sasuke's face. For a split-second Sasuke thought it was Naruto. Almost allowed himself to slip back into darkness. Then, horror and dread crawled through his veins. Naruto was always warm. Even in the dead of winter while Sasuke burned with fever, Naruto was warm to the touch.

This was not Naruto.

It was pure instinct that drove Sasuke's next move. Pain, fresh and raw, surged through Sasuke's arm as he drew chakra through his fingertips. The lightning flickered weakly, the humming muted. But the chidori could still kill a man; it didn't take much. He lashed out.

The fight was over before it even started. Icy water crashed over Sasuke, sweeping his feet out from under him. An involuntary and fleeting shudder ran down his spine. Then, his back hit the stone floor with bruising force as a weight settled on his chest. Sasuke choked back a cry of pain. Suigetsu grinned down at him, all sharp and shining teeth. Two fingers pressed against Sasuke's temple. "Bang. You're dead."

What happened next was something of a blur. All Sasuke knew was that he ended up on the floor, the weight of a knee pressed into his chest. The cool and sharp edge of a blade was pressed to his neck. He coughed wetly. Cautiously, he turned his head as blood and bile rose in the back of his throat. Metal bit into skin.

Suddenly, Naruto was there. He was talking too fast and too loud. The other person—a young man in medic white—was responding, but Sasuke couldn't hear over the dull roar of Naruto's voice. Sasuke could see the medic's fingers flickering through unfamiliar seals, though. And it made him dizzy to watch.

The fuzzy blackness on the edges of his vision was back. Sasuke closed his eyes again. His head throbbed. He focused on breathing deeply, filling his lungs with the stale and stifling air.

"Breathe," the nurse was saying. "Inhale three four five six seven. Exhale. Good. You're doing well, Sasuke." Her voice was strong, soothing. Safe. Sasuke couldn't even remember her name. Maybe it didn't matter, maybe her name wasn't important. He didn't think she cared, after all. The hospital had just assigned her to a random case. There was nothing special about him; he didn't matter to anyone. It was just another job. "Just keep breathing." Why didn't it hurt more?

A hand had replaced the blade on the side of his neck. The comforting warmth of healing chakra spread through his veins. It eased the strain in his lungs and dulled the edge of the pain. However, fresh blood continued to well on his injured shoulder, spilling on to the worn floor of Naruto's apartment. Everything felt heavy. Sasuke let himself fall into the darkness.