The scent gets weaker with every step I take, even though I'm positive of where I'm going. The fucking rain washed most of it away before I even get there. But I know where he went. Back to the Uchiha compound. The house he hadn't gone to since he had left.

Reaching the steps, I shake my head like a dog and the stray drops of rain plummet downward, pooling at my feet. It's when I open the door when I hear the cries…

"Sasuke, no Sasuke! Wake up, oh please wake up! Oh no, no, NO!!" I heard someone shout. Who was that? Growling, I ran to where I had heard the shouts. What I found was almost more than I was able to handle.

Itachi, lying amidst a pool of crimson, holding Sasuke to his chest. It took me a moment to realize that the pools on the floor were human blood. Blood that had come from two deep gashes on the sides of my boy's arms. Itachi turned to look up at me when I skidded to a stop in the doorway.

I sigh in relief as I see the sincerity and sorrow in Itachi's eyes in. He means it. He hadn't come to finish off his brother. Thank whatever god that listens to me. Sasuke's barely conscious when I reach him and I brush his damp hair out of his face and look into his eyes. I don't think he's aware that I'm here.

Itachi hasn't said anything, but moves his hands towards that gashes on Sasuke's wrists. I know what he's thinking. We need to stop the bleeding, but Sasuke's in no condition to walk. Before I can say anything, Itachi has him in his arms and is carrying him out of the room.

"He's not doing very well." He's right. He'll die unless we do something... I nod and he shifts his grip slightly so that Sasuke's head isn't lolling around quite so much as before. Sasuke's eyes keep drifting shut and I'm trying to get him to stay conscious. "Take him. I'll go and get the first aid ready." And before I know it, he's gone and I'm left here holding Sasuke and trying to figure out how to keep him awake.

"Sasuke?" I'm whispering in case his head hurts. I can't believe this is happening. I can't help but feeling that this is all my fault. "Sasuke? Come on now, you have to stay awake for me." I get is a strangled whimper in reply. I guess he's not up to waking up just yet. "Please?" Maybe, just maybe he'll listen...

No, he hasn't made any attempt to wake up. It's no good. I gently change the positions of my hands. Soon I've shifted Sasuke so his head is resting on my shoulder and I'm walking in the direction Itachi went. He's so much lighter than before. There's barely anything on him. He's all skin and bones. What's happened to him?

It feels like I'm carrying a corpse. I need him to wake up and tell me what's happened to him. Not just about tonight but since before then. He's skinny and lost a lot of weight and that doesn't happen in a few days. That takes time. Sasuke's moaning against my chest and I shake him slightly to keep him in the barely conscious state he's in. He needs to stay awake.

"It's okay Sasuke. I've got you." I whisper quietly to him. He's shaking again and he's soaked as well. So am I. I'll have to let him borrow some of my clothes again to warm him up. He's moaning and making small nearly sobbing sounds from his mouth. My poor boy. What's happened to you? "I need you to stay awake for me." I whisper "Can you do that?" He whimpers and I can feel him draining out again. "It's okay precious. I've got you."

By the time I find Itachi, he's just able to keep his eyes open but can no longer make any noise. It doesn't matter as long as he's awake. I don't want him going into a coma. He seems like he was ready to do that when I got there.

He's no longer fidgeting, but is lying still in my arms. His hazy grey eyes are going in and out of focus and I'm trying to keep him aware of what's happening. Before I know it, I'm in his kitchen. Itachi is bustling round the place with assorted medical equipment.

As soon as I'm in the door, Itachi's by my side and helping me lower my him onto the couch in the other room. Sasuke doesn't make a sound but he's trying to keep his eyes on me at all times. What the hell has done this to him? I need to know. Sasuke's shaking and before I know it I'm on my knees beside him stroking his hair and muttering into his ear.

Itachi's doing the right thing and checking him over while I stroke his hair and the hand I've picked up in my own. My thumb is moving over the too prominent knuckles and massaging them gently in an overly reassuring way. I'm sure it hasn't gone unnoticed by Itachi but I don't care.

Itachi's giving me wary looks whilst wrapping Sasuke's wrists tightly in gauze and bandages and paying rapt attention to his dilated pupils. And me? I'm resting my head next to Sasuke's and letting him get lost in the familiar scents to stop him shaking and keep him calm.

"I don't think it's just the loss of nourishment and blood loss that's made him like this." I say, and I find that I can't tear my eyes away from the clouded over ones of Sasuke. But I hear Itachi perfectly "It played a part on him staying down after loosing so much blood. His pupils are dilated more than usual and there's a slow reaction to when light conditions are changed." ...What?

"So some food should make him better right?" I ask. "It should help…" he tells me, standing up. He returns a few minutes later with a mug of warm soup and hands it to me. Guess I'm on feeding duty. I place the mug on the side and go to sit and rest Sasuke against me. He can't sit up and he'll need a lot of help right now. I manage to prop him against me and keep him there with one arm, whilst bringing to mug to his lips with the other. He's not responding.

His eyes are practically shut aside from the small slits of gray I can see still trying to watch me. "It's okay. It's me. It's Naruto, you have to eat now." His eyes can't quite focus and he's having trouble keeping his eyes open. He needs this now! "Sasuke come on now. Drink..." Itachi coaxes, running a hand against Sasuke's face. I let the soup brush against his lips and he doesn't even try to lick it off. I swear inwardly and put the mug down.

Carefully I set the mug down. His eyes don't even flicker. I need him to respond. I need him to hear me. I look up and see his eyes are fully closed again. All right this isn't working. Itachi says something but I can't hear him. Sasuke's shaking with the cold and he's slowly starving to madness. I can't let that happen!

Within a few seconds he's in my arms again and I'm storming up the stairs back to his room. Itachi followed but stands hesitantly at the doorway. He doesn't understand. He can never understand. Sasuke needs me. If I can just get him to swallow a few drops then that'll be enough to pull him through to tomorrow. I lay him on my bed and he's still shaking with the cold. Soon I get his socks and shirt off. I only leave on the jeans because I think Sasuke would murder me if I stripped him in front of his brother. I wrap him gently in my duvet and sit behind him. I have to let him eat.

I look up and find him looking questioningly at me. I think he's worried. I nod towards the door. He takes the hint, sets the mug of soup on the bedside table and stepped outside.

It's been over a year since I've touched Sasuke with anything other than force (earlier on not included). I wanted to let him know what he meant to me earlier this evening but he left before I could. But if this is the only way I can get him to feed then so be it.

I gently lower my lips to his and stroke my tongue along his lower lip. He doesn't as much as move so I do it again with a little more force. Please Sasuke react for me... Licking further I move onto his top lip and suck. I feel the tiniest twitch of movement so I slowly repeat the actions again. He's in a state of unconsciousness still and he's not aware of what he's doing, but he's moving his lips slightly to move against mine. Thank god.

I move a hand to caress his face and carry on massaging his lips with mine. I can feel the blood between my lips and I know that he will be able to manage now. Dragging my fingers across his smooth cheekbones I slowly move down his jaw and slip my tongue inside to awaken the rest of his mouth. Rubbing my tongue slowly up and down his I can feel the muscle react to push against mine. Before I know it, Spike is suckling on my lip whilst I make sure the rest of his mouth is in a fit state to continue.

Pulling away slightly I feel his mouth continue to try and find mine to cling to. Finally his body is reacting the way I need it to. Slowly pulling back further I let Sasuke's mouth continue working away. Without a moment's hesitation, I pull away completely and take a small mouthful of soup from the mug before fastening my lips back to those of Sasuke's. His lips suck on mine and I work my tongue into his mouth so he can collect more of the nourishment he needs.

Happy that he's got some soup in his mouth I pull back again and take another gulp of soup. I repeat the action again and again, trying to get as much nourishment into him as possible. As he continues to swallow slowly, I move my lips to his neck and begin massaging it gently. If Spike is unconscious and hasn't fed for a while, it is likely he'll need some help with swallowing. Slowly he accepts that my lips aren't coming back and finishes moving the food down his throat. I feel him swallow and I lap at his neck to help the muscles there work as well, before going back and refilling his mouth.

He responds as well as I can hope him to and is soon is swallowing full mouthfuls of soup into his parched system. Three mouthfuls, four, then a fifth and he's still going strong. I sigh and continue to stroke his face with my fingers and his neck with my tongue as he feeds. After the tenth gulp I help him swallow the last few drops as he chokes on them. He's not awake yet and he needs his rest. So pull away and quickly pull off the duvet before redressing him in another pair of my sweats and not in his jeans.

Before long, the duvet is wrapped round his fragile body and he's stopped shaking finally. I sigh and Itachi steps back into the room. He glances at me before walking over to his brother and presses a gentle kiss to Sasuke's forehead after wiping away the traces of soup. He looks so small, but I know I can't stay with him just now. Itachi deserve some explanation and I should give it to him. I carefully move his arm and make sure his searching lips are plugged with his left thumb before leaving him to get some rest.