AN: I hate this chapter and the last. It was like pulling teeth and doesn't have as much atmosphere as I'd like. I think the problem is it's too rushed in places, but I don't know how or have the patience to fix it. Better something than nothing though, right? :)

Chapter 40: A Hell of a Night

"The bad news is nothing lasts forever. The good news is nothing lasts forever."

~J. Cole

"How are you feeling?" asked a gentle voice.

A cup of warm tea was pushed into his hands.

"You should drink this."

Sasuke stared down blankly at the liquid. The surface rippled in the flimsy paper cup. He took a sip. Muscles he didn't even know were tight relaxed slightly as the warm liquid trickled down his throat.

He put the cup down on the nightstand next to him. He was in a small room with a single bed, a silent security guard stood by the door, eyes locked on Sasuke.

Sasuke shook his head and turned to the nurse.

"That was-…Before when I-…" He started in a quiet voice, then sighed, rubbing his face. "I didn't mean to freak out."

"It's ok." said the nurse. "I can see you've been through a lot. You'll need to stay here for now though, ok?"

Sasuke nodded, and the nurse stood up.

"Your friend is refusing to leave your side. He's right outside." She said in a low voice. "You're lucky to have someone here with you, but if you want my advice, you'll encourage him to get some treatment. You both look like you need it."

She glanced pointedly at Sasuke's hand, before standing up and leaving the room followed by the security guard. She closed the door softly behind her.

It opened again soon after as Naruto entered the room.

"Hey."

Sasuke looked him over. Naruto's left eye was a bloodshot mess. The right was so swollen he couldn't even keep it open anymore.

"You look terrible." he said.

Naruto lifted his lips in a crooked smile. "You don't look so hot yourself."

Sasuke let out a small huff of laughter. "Yeah, I guess."

There was silence between them for a moment.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry…about Itachi."

Sasuke shook his head. "No, I…I don't even know why I got so rattled."

Naruto sat down next to him. "He's your brother."

Sasuke frowned. "But I hated him. I've always hated him. Killing him, getting my revenge, that was my whole life."

He stared at the floor. "I always planned to be the one to kill him. Every step I ever took was towards that goal. Now he's finally dead, and I just feel…empty."

Naruto said nothing, but reached out a hand and squeezed Sasuke's undamaged one gently.

"He was telling the truth, wasn't he?" said Sasuke. "About Konoha Special Corps, about my parents."

Naruto sighed. "I think so. He saved us."

Sasuke shook his head. "All this time I've been wanting nothing more than to murder him, and all this time he was protecting me."

"It's not your fault, Sasuke." said Naruto, "It's the path he chose. The path he led you on."

Sasuke pulled his hand away. "He shouldn't have made that choice for me."

"No, he shouldn't have."

"But I was the one too dumb and blind to see the truth."

Naruto grabbed his arm, forcing Sasuke to face him. "You believed what he wanted you to believe, for your own protection."

Sasuke smiled sadly, "Even now I hate him. I hate him so much. He's always had control over my life. And I hate myself for that too."

A tear streaked down his cheek before he could stop it, and he turned his head away quickly.

"Why did he leave me, Naruto?" he said, his voice cracking. "Why did he leave me again?"

Naruto said nothing, pulling Sasuke towards him and enveloping him in his arms, and Sasuke closed his eyes, trying unsuccessfully to stem the flow of tears.

"You're not alone, Sasuke." said Naruto. "Not anymore."

Sasuke gripped Naruto's shirt, trembling as grief overtook his body. And Sasuke sobbed, letting the sadness take him across the river of pain. Eventually, the tears, the anger, the hate melted away only to be replaced by an intense, hollow sadness.

It seemed like so long and yet no time at all before Sasuke pulled away and wiped his eyes. His body felt empty yet somehow refreshed. It was an odd sensation.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Nothing to apologize for." replied Naruto, awkwardly smoothing his rumpled shirt.

He smiled. "We should uh, probably let the hospital staff know we're not a danger to anyone anymore though."

Sasuke reached out, taking Naruto's hand again. He turned it over, palm down and examined the bloodied fingertips and ragged nails on several of the fingers.

He swallowed. "Yeah, and get you seen to."

Naruto pulled his hand away. "I'm fine."

Sasuke fixed him with a penetrating stare. "You're not. Don't pretend like you are."

Naruto stood up from the bed and flashed him a fake smile.

"What say we get ourselves looked at by some sexy nurses then?"

Sasuke didn't return the smile.

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't turn it into a joke. You always do that when you're uncomfortable."

Naruto shrugged. "Well, what do you want me to do?"

Sasuke sighed. "I just want you to talk to me. I want you to stop shutting me out every time I mention..."

"Mention what?" challenged Naruto. His voice remained calm, but there was an edge to his tone.

Naruto's gaze bore into him, daring him to continue. Sasuke steeled himself.

"Every time I mention Orochimaru." He said finally.

Naruto flinched, but quickly settled his expression into one of nonchalance.

"What is there to talk about? He was a shit stain as per usual, we escaped, and if God has any sense of justice, he's dead in a ditch by now."

"You know what I mean, Naruto. I saw how it was…how he was. I heard-"

Naruto cut him off.

"Nothing happened." he said quickly. "Whatever you heard, whatever you're thinking. It didn't happen."

He made a move towards the door.

Sasuke shot up, grabbing his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"I said I'm fine, Sasuke." said Naruto, shaking him off.

Sasuke allowed him to pull away.

"You can't avoid this forever." he said softly.

Naruto paused at the door, fingers resting on the handle.

"I know. Just…not now, ok?"

The next few hours passed by in a blur of exhausting activity. Both Naruto and Sasuke were officially admitted. Sasuke had a possible mild concussion and a graze from the bullet that had whipped past his arm, as well as various bumps, bruises and the abrasions. The concussion explained his splitting headache. He fingered the bandage on his hand. He had been lucky, or so he was told. The gunshot to his hand had passed through the flap of skin between the thumb and index finger, leaving his bones and ligaments undamaged. Nothing a few stitches and some antibiotics wouldn't fix. They had tried to keep him in a bed, but soon realized it was a useless enterprise.

As for Naruto, he had been taken in for x-rays on apparent fractured or broken ribs as well as a myriad of other injuries. Nothing life-threatening thankfully.

Sasuke sat outside the small ward. He rubbed at tired eyes, forcing his drooping lids to stay open. A nurse exited the ward and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"You look like you could use some rest. There are some free bench-style seats on the 2nd floor you could lie out on if you want."

Sasuke shook his head. "Just let me know when they're done."

The nurse nodded. "He's just getting some stitches done now, and we're still waiting on the x-ray results."

She hesitated. "We, um, we can't let anyone be alone with him until the police have investigated. I hope you understand."

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, I figured."

The nurse gave him a brief, searching look before pasting her face with the automated clinical smile. "Well, if you need any food or drink, you can get them at the vending machines on the 1st floor or the cafeteria on the 5th. The coffees aren't great, but every caffeine injection helps, right?"

Sasuke nodded again, too tired to return a semblance of a smile. He watched her bustle off down the hallway, papers in hand.

Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh and dropped his head into his hands. He hated being treated like a suspect. He knew it was protocol and all, but he could at least be in the room while they treated him.

He didn't want you there, came the invasive thought.

Sasuke shook it off.

It's fair. It makes sense. He thought to himself. I wouldn't want someone there.

It made sense. Of course it did. But somehow it didn't hurt any less to be cut off from that part of Naruto once again.

"Not alone anymore, huh?" he whispered to himself bitterly.

"Sasuke Uchiha, is it?"

Sasuke lifted his head and looked up at the welcome interruption to his vain attempts at sleep. So far, he had had zero success. Every time he closed his eyes, it was only to be greeted by the image of his dead brother's still face.

A police officer stood before him, gentle brown eyes belying a laser-like focus, and lips curved into a tight smile of greeting.

"I apologize for disturbing you, sir. I just need to ask you a few questions if that's all right."

His voice was kind but officious from practice.

"Mind if I sit?"

Sasuke nodded his assent.

The officer sighed as he relaxed into the seat next to Sasuke, his round stomach strained slightly against the buttons of his shirt.

"Thanks. It's been a long night. I can see you've had quite the night yourself." He said, gesturing to Sasuke's bandaged hand and arms.

Sasuke made no motion to reply.

"Well, I'll get to the point, shall I?" said the officer, "Chief Nara sent me here personally once he heard you were both admitted. I've just been talking with your friend back there."

Sasuke looked at him, interest piqued.

"According to his statement, you and he were at the center of the shootout down at Dunwick Farm, is that right?"

"I guess you could say that."

"It's been one hell of a night for the Konoha City Police Department, I'll tell you that."

He pulled out a small notebook and pen.

"I just want to get your side of the story here. Maybe you can help me fill in some of the blanks. If you could just tell me everything you can remember. I realize some of it might be tough to talk about, but even the smallest details could help."

Sasuke nodded. He hadn't exactly been looking forward to this part, but he squared his shoulders and proceeded to tell the officer everything he could remember from the moment Orochimaru and Kabuto had broken into the safe house, though he couldn't prevent himself from leaving out some detail on the less...savory parts.

The officer asked questions now and then, but for the most part simply listened and took notes.

"And then we got here." finished Sasuke. "They tried to help us, but...it was too late for Itachi."

"I'm sorry about your brother." said the officer quietly. "What you've been through is an ordeal no one should have to suffer."

He closed his notebook, and tucked his pen into his shirt.

"I realize it might be little comfort at this time, but your brother's brave actions, as well as your friend's and your own, have helped us to apprehend the Akatsuki finally. You've made Konoha a safer place for everyone, and by the sounds of it, saved a lot of lives."

Sasuke stared down at his hands.

"And Orochimaru?"

The officer frowned and tapped the notebook absentmindedly in his hand.

"Unfortunately, Orochimaru and his accomplice are not in custody yet, but with their lack of resources it's only a matter of time. Like rats in a maze, they only have so many places left to run."

He laid a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"In the meantime, we'll be giving you and Naruto some protective detail. I would ask that you don't leave this hospital or go anywhere without checking with the officers first, ok?"

"All right." Sasuke said with a sigh. "And Naruto…is he ok? They haven't told me much about his…condition."

The officer took his hand away, and Sasuke looked up to be greeted by an expression of concern.

"From what the doctors told me, he's going to be fine. He's uh, a bit tight-lipped about certain details. You probably know that there are signs of physical and sexual assault. It goes along with your statement, and parts of his."

Sasuke nodded, eyes dull as he stared blankly ahead at the floor. His leg was jiggling and he willed it to a stop as he asked the question that had been burning in his mind all night.

"Is he…was he…" He cleared his throat. "Did Orochimaru…?"

His voice trailed off.

The officer sent the boy a sympathetic smile.

"Naruto allowed a forensic examination. There was assault, but no signs of penetration."

Sasuke nodded, his shoulders tense. "Ok."

It wasn't the answer he'd been expecting. He thought he'd feel so much better to hear it, and yes, there was a tiny sliver of relief, yet it didn't change anything. While he had been sitting alone in this empty hallway, his mind had played for him the torturous highlights of the past few days. Naruto's bright, sparkling eyes turned dull and lifeless in the presence of that man, the screams he had heard as Orochimaru assaulted him, the ringing gunshots that had torn through his brother, the lifeless face of that same hated brother smiling up at him. With all that, he saw it now. Just exactly how everything had turned to shit. How there wasn't any going back from this.

"There's something else you should know." said the officer in a gentle voice.

Sasuke looked up at him. He really didn't care what he had to say. The hollow pit inside him had long since nullified any curiosity or expectancy. There was nothing this man could say now that could affect him.

The officer cleared his throat.

"The man you mentioned, who was shot. Iruka, was it?" he said, "He survived, and is recovering in this hospital. I can take you to him if you like."