Ta-da! Chapter Five has arrived.

As always, I do not own Naruto nor any of the mentioned characters. This is only a fan fiction, nothing more. Thank you and please enjoy.

Naruto opened his eyes slowly and let out a soft moan. The pain was gone, but his gut felt tight. He glanced around the room, and was not surprised to find it empty of other people. There was, however, a vase of flowers on the bedside table, with a card that was signed by Sakura. He managed a slight smile at the sight. It meant someone cared, and that someone had been here besides the walking gloom machine.

Taking deep breaths, he forced himself into an upright sitting position. Naruto groaned and weakly adjusted the pillows behind him to support his back. He hated feeling weak, it reminded him too much of the past when he was always too weak...too weak to do anything.

Kit, you aren't weak. You are only recovering. You'll be up and ready to go soon.

You will heal me, right? As always?

About that...Kit, I don't think I can do that this time.

What do you mean? There has never been a time where you couldn't heal my physical injuries!

This isn't physical.

Naruto's eyes widened and he clutched the bed sheets. He shuddered as his stomach started to twist. He took deep breaths and cleared his mind, not wanting to go through the pain again.

"I leave for a moment and I come back to this. Dobe, must you be so dramatic?" Naruto turned to the doorway in surprise to see Sasuke standing there with a smirk and a cup of coffee. The distraction was enough to make the twisting stop, thankfully. Naruto looked away, biting his lip. "Whatever." He mumbled in reply.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Sasuke stood beside the bed. He didn't understand why the other man was here. Their relationship had always been rocky and the lines had been blurry, but this was still out of the ordinary, especially considering that there had been no real relationship of any kind for three years. Nevertheless, Sasuke's presence made Naruto feel a bit happy. It was a fleeting happy that he knew would fade when he told Sasuke a bit of the truth. People either hated him or feared him after they knew the truth. A sigh slipped through his throat and he weakly ran a hand through his hair.

"The Hokage says you can leave today." Naruto turned to Sasuke and smiled faintly. He was pleasantly surprised that Sasuke had convinced Tsunade. "Don't be so surprised, dobe, you've been in the hospital for a week already."

Naruto raised his eyebrows. "A week? I don't remember..."
"Of course you don't, you were asleep. Idiot." Sasuke cut in, rolling his eyes. He stood there for a couple of moments in silence before he spoke again. "Get up." He took a sip of the coffee and stared pointedly at Naruto.

Moving his legs was a chore, but Naruto managed to get out from beneath the blankets and swing his legs over the side of the bed. He slowly inched forward until his feet touched the cool floor. He sucked in a breath as he hesitantly pulled the rest of his body up. At first, he swayed, but he soon regained his balance. His legs felt like lead and it took a great effort to move a few steps. Unsteadily, Naruto walked past Sasuke and towards the door, which seemed a lot further away than he had originally thought. Suddenly, an arm wove its way around his waist and a hand maneuvered Naruto's arm around muscular shoulders.

Yet again surprised, Naruto glanced at the man now supporting him. He did not say anything as Sasuke helped him walk out of the room and to the nurses' desk. The normally rough treatment that he received was not there, instead Sasuke was being almost gentle with him. Even the hand the raven had on his wrist was gentle, for Sasuke, at least. Swallowing hard, Naruto focused on what the nurse was saying. "...I can't allow that, sir. Lady..."
"Tsunade told me this was allowed."

"I am sorry, sir, but this man is a patient here and without direct written consent, I cannot let him go." Naruto looked between the nurse and a slightly annoyed Sasuke. Before he could say anything, the clacking of heels alerted him to the approaching person of interest. Sure enough, Tsunade soon stood behind the desk wearing a stern expression. "Kaoru, let them go. Take my word now."

"But Lady...!" She was hushed by a raised hand.

"Naruto, you may leave on one condition." After a pregnant pause and a serious look, she continued, "You are not allowed to be alone. You must stay with someone until I say otherwise, or you are to stay in the hospital for another week."

Naruto's blue eyes narrowed. He saw what she was doing; making it so he had no plausible choice but to stay with someone. She knew how much he hated hospitals, and for the most part why. Gritting his teeth, he nodded. "I will stay at someone's home. Who do you have in mind?" There was no way she would give him a choice in the matter.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto widened his eyes and he was sure his mouth was gaping open. "Wh-h-hat? Me, stay at his house? Are you insane? Wait...Don't answer that, but still!"

Tsunade crossed her arms and glared at the blond, for once holding back her violent urges. "You will stay with him or stay here." Naruto clenched one of his fists and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Fine. I will stay with Sasuke." He looked at Sasuke and was shocked to see only discomfort hidden behind his eyes. There should have been repulsion or surprise, but neither of those were present. Tsunade nodded and then handed Sasuke a bottle of pills and a pile of clothing. "If he has another attack, give him two of these. Here are his clothes "

Naruto was curious about what the pills would actually do, but knew better than to ask. Whatever they did, he hoped they would do their job. Sasuke led him to the nearest bathroom and a stall. Placing the clothing on the back of the toilet, Sasuke let go of Naruto and stepped out of the stall, closing the door behind him. "Change."

He was weak, but Naruto managed to support himself and slip into his clothing. Pulling the door open slowly, Naruto emerged fully clothed. He stumbled as he moved out of the stall, only to be caught by Sasuke. "Walk much?" Naruto growled, but was thankful for the support nonetheless. As they left the hospital, Naruto started to feel nervous. It had dawned on him that if he was staying with Sasuke, that meant staying at the Uchiha household. There were basic reasons, like bad memories, but what concerned him most was having to be alone with Sasuke in that place. A shiver went down his spine and he hoped that Sasuke didn't notice it.

The Uchiha mansion was a ways from the hospital, so Naruto was pleased to see that the other man had his car. As they approached the sleek black vehicle, Naruto licked his lips, remembering the last time he had been in that particular car. His eyes widened when he realized what he was thinking of and he quickly buried the memory and the thoughts that accompanied it. He noticed Sasuke looking at him strangely from the corner of his eye, but he decided to pay more attention to getting into the car.

Sasuke practically slammed the car door behind him after helping him into his seat. The raven grunted as he got in and started the car, but after that the ride was void of any conversation. Naruto expected this, but had hoped that the broody man would have surprised him again and talk. He glanced at the raven and was saw the normal, blank expression on the pale face. Turning his gaze to the world outside the window, Naruto watched the world go by.

It was mid-afternoon and there were people out and about, laughing and talking. There were children playing in the park and dogs barking as they played with their owners. Parents were grinning as they watched their precious offspring. Yet, there were those who looked sad and lonely, who were not welcomed into the happy circles, who received silent, dark glances. Naruto looked away, understanding what they felt when people looked at them in that way, just because they were different or unknown. The cold, unwavering stares that went straight to the heart, to the soul.

Biting his lip, Naruto stared at his lap where his folded hands rested. Kyuubi had told him that it was human nature to hate was different because different meant dangerous. He had said that humans were a fearful race at heart and only pretended to be brave to hide their weaknesses. Naruto refused to believe it. Him, Naruto Uzumaki, afraid? Nonsense. That was like saying a Uchiha showed all emotion, and held nothing back. Impossible.

Kyuubi told him again and again that he was in denial, but still he refused to believe it. Eventually, the fox stopped talking about the subject and muttered that Naruto was an idiot who would have to learn on his own. A sigh slipped from Naruto's lips as he thought about the conversation. Things were rarely short-winded when it came to the fox.

"Get out, dobe." Naruto's head snapped up at the voice. They had arrived, apparently, as Sasuke was standing in front of him holding the door open with a cool expression on his face. Naruto unbuckled himself and got to his feet, still unsteady, but better on his feet than he had been in the hospital. Sasuke did not support him this time, and Naruto found that he did not need the help. He managed to walk up the mansion steps and into the home.

The inside was different from it had been last time. Surfaces were covered in a thin layer of dust and things were strewn about in a way that made Naruto think that when Sasuke had come home, he had just thrown things on the floor and forgotten about them. There was clothing hanging off the furniture and in piles here and there on the floor. A rumpled blanket was tossed on the couch as if Sasuke had slept there instead of a bed. Odd...Sasuke is never THIS messy, even when he's stressed. At least, he didn't used to be this way. Naruto furrowed his brow as he looked around.

"You may stay in the room across from mine." Naruto nodded in reply to the quiet words. He assumed that Sasuke had been using the same room that he had when he was a kid, so he walked to the nearby hallway, and to the end. Opening the door to the room on the left, Naruto entered a room that was dark, but lighter than he had expected. It was painted a semi-dark blue color and had black curtains covering the window. He opened said curtain and then sat slowly on the bed. Studying the black comforter that lay beneath him, he laid down and traced invisible patterns on the fabric.

His mind was full of questions and he had yet to find or receive answers for any of the inquiries. It felt like he was going a hundred different directions without moving an inch. Letting out a groan, Naruto flipped on his side and wrapped his arms around himself. He had a horrible feeling that if he relaxed, he would see...him. Kyuu, can you bury them again?

For now. It is getting harder to keep them from your conscious mind. You will have to deal with these memories soon before they take hold of you.

I understand. At the moment, I need you to take care of it. Please.

The sensation started to subside, but it lingered, haunting Naruto from the back of his mind. He did not want to think about memories or having to deal with them. Such things were from the past and should stay that way. Another groan slipped past Naruto's lips and he curled into himself, shutting his eyes tightly. He wanted to go to his own home and curl up on his bed in the warmth of his white room. Being alone was the best thing for him in these times, not being in someone else's home, especially a gloomy raven's. The gloom was going to seep into his bones and make everything worse, Naruto could sense it.

It was longer this time, at least! How was it? Please review. :)