(First and only) Disclaimer: Ownership of Naruto is simply a fantasy that probably will never be realized.

Summary: Naruto has always wondered what would happen to Kyuubi when his body finally gave out. Now, a thousand years later, he's still wondering. SasuNaruSasu

Title: Samsara Broken

Author: curtainsfall

Chapter 01 – On the Road Again

"Naruto."

The soft voice accompanied with light taps on his bare shoulder pulled said blond through the last layers of unconsciousness, brushing away the remnants of an already-forgotten dream. Blearily, he opened his eyes to find a dark room. Or maybe that was just Sasuke's head swimming into view.

"Wake up."

Naruto immediately did the opposite and closed his eyes once more as the voice sounded just as tired as he felt. A soft exhaling of breath alerted him to Sasuke's would-be impatience, if not for the fact that the other male also slipped back under the covers. Naruto, still with his eyes closed, sloppily grinned. A grunt near his ear told him the action didn't go unnoticed.

Naruto opened his eyes to slits and surveyed the room; the apartment was sparse and the wallpaper was peeling. The dishes they'd brought with them were cleared and the food they hadn't consumed was thrown out last night. The trash can was empty. Two ramen cups were sitting on the counter, untouched since yesterday afternoon. There was nothing that really made the place feel homey anymore, save for the tousled bed and its occupants. Even the luggage waiting next to the door seemed cold and uninviting.

"Do we have to leave?" Naruto asked softly as he closed his eyes again, wanting desperately for his voice not to have sounded whiny or worse, regretful.

He felt the shifting of the bed as Sasuke's body moved to sit up. Naruto opened his eyes fully and watched the other's profile in the still-dark room. Looking past Sasuke's pale back he tried to focus on the digital clock only to find it wasn't on its usual perch on the table; Naruto realized they'd packed that too.

"It's time we did." Came Sasuke's terse, blunt reply. It was void of emotion, but after all these years, Naruto could pick up on the almost-but-not-quite apologetic tone. Sasuke didn't want to leave almost as much as Naruto did. They were both tired, and more than just in a physical aspect.

Naruto watched Sasuke scoot off of the bed and pad across the carpeted floor, feet barely making any sounds against the rough material. He followed the head of dark hair currently sticking up haphazardly all over the place (but when it wasn't ever, Naruto had to wonder) and the pale skin that stretched over a very lean body. His gaze became riveted to the powerful legs that were moving around the room, semi-content to watch Sasuke gather the rest of their clothing and whatever else they may have dropped due to last night's...activities.

Sasuke turned when he got tired of feeling Naruto's gaze glued to him, facing the unmoving blond with a raised eyebrow and boxer shorts in hand. Naruto dimly noted that the pair in Sasuke's grasp was his own.

What he was more focused on was letting his eyes wander appreciatively over the figure before him as his eyes continued to adjust to the dark and his conscious brain. Sasuke gave a small snort at the obvious leering and folded up the laundry and stuffed them into one of their suitcases. He saw Sasuke's eyes also roam across his figure upon turning around, a small smirk forming when he caught the growing tent in the bedsheets. Naruto grinned. It seemed that they both had a bit of business to take care of before they left.

As Sasuke reached for a random object on the floor near Naruto's side of the bed, his wrist was snagged and tugged. Without a word, he moved to straddle the blond and immediately hissed as their erections met and slid against one another, already hard. Naruto's hands moved to grip Sasuke's shoulders, nails biting into the skin as the other man moved above him. Pale hands gripped tan hips and Sasuke's forehead dipped to rest against Naruto's chest, watching their movements.

If possible, Naruto got even harder.

"Sa...Sasuke..." He panted as hot breath ghosted over his nipple. Sasuke's head snapped up, revealing a spinning Sharingan tinging his normally black eyes. Upon meeting sky blue the wheels slowed their frantic turning and faded, leaving a heady gaze in its wake, but, Naruto had to admit with envy, equally as sexy.

Sasuke's hands moved from Naruto's hips, trailing his fingertips over tan skin, eliciting a breathless gasp from the writhing body. Sasuke resisted the urge to reactivate the Sharingan; even though he wanted every single moan torn from Naruto's lips and every single gyrate of his hips embedded in his mind, he wanted every experience to be like new. He took one last look at their hips rolling against one another and tried to control his breathing; he still had yet to even touch Naruto.

His fingers grasped golden locks and he tugged backwards, exposing Naruto's neck for him to lave. He mouthed the pulse frantically beating at his neck, sucking fiercely and causing Naruto's eyes to flutter shut as another broken version of his name flowed out of his lips. Sasuke didn't stop to admire the newly-formed bruise, instead tilting Naruto's head back down to devour the parted lips.

As their mouths clashed and tongues slid against one another, Naruto's back arched, wanting more contact, more friction, more anything that would stop yet spread the fire already consuming his body. He could feel his chakra flaring unchecked, the inky characters of his seal stark against his tan skin. He removed his hands from Sasuke's shoulders, burying one in his hair and the other on his buttocks, pressing their bodies even closer at the groin.

Sasuke moaned into Naruto's mouth, removing one of his own hands from the mop of hair and slipping it between their bodies. Naruto ripped his mouth away from Sasuke's as the other fisted his arousal, jerking a little too roughly but ohfuck thumbing the leaking slit. Naruto moaned long and loud at that motion, teeth biting into the junction between Sasuke's neck and shoulder, body straining as he came hard in Sasuke's hand.

Even though Sasuke couldn't see Naruto's face, he felt the heat emanating from his body still in the aftershocks of his orgasm, still jerking into his hand and that hand gripping his ass. He could feel those clear blue eyes half lidded and directed his way, coaxing him to also find his release.

"Sasuke..."

That did it. That single, breathless word barely audible was his undoing, and Sasuke loved hearing his name said that way. He gave an almost surprised gasp as he steadied himself and rocked against Naruto, milking his own orgasm and shuddering in release. He panted against sweaty skin as his body stopped trembling and the one beneath him stopped licking at the bite marks on his skin.

Rolling onto the other side of the bed, Sasuke tiredly blinked up at the ceiling, noting with detachment that sunlight was beginning to peek between the curtains and flow into the room. He wondered if Naruto had gone back to sleep but was too lazy at the moment to check.

"Sasuke," came the slightly raspy voice next to his ear. Naruto cleared his throat and judging by the pause, Sasuke figured a faint blush was spreading across Naruto's cheeks. "when are we supposed to leave?"

Sasuke shifted his head a little bit to meet Naruto's gaze. The slight pink dusting Naruto's cheeks proved his assumption correct. "The flight is in three hours."

A pause.

Sasuke grunted as a hard punch was thrown at his shoulder. "Why the hell did we have to wake up so early then?" Was the indignant reply as Naruto half-heartedly glared.

"I took into account anything we'd do before leaving."

The almost nonchalant reply sent another blush creeping up Naruto's cheeks. Sasuke's smugness could be felt permeating the room almost as much as the smell of sex was sinking into the sheets. Before Naruto could come up with a retort, Sasuke stood and headed towards the bathroom, towel and soap in hand.

Even though he knew he should have also gone into the shower to get ready, or at least change the sheets to protect the landlord's eyes, Naruto simply continued to lay down and stare at the ceiling.

Naruto was tired.

-----

As the plane gathered speed and its engines roared to take off, Naruto couldn't help but tense and grip his seat, staring out the window as the world tilted and his ears popped almost painfully. He felt his body being pushed into the cushion as the plane gained altitude. Naruto closed his eyes and tried to block out the sounds and feelings of man-made flight.

A peek at Sasuke made Naruto a little relieved he wasn't the only one to feel anxious about the airplane; pale hands were fisted in a covered lap and his chin was dipped to his chest in meditation. If Naruto strained, he could hear forced, controlled breathing. It seemed that neither of them were used airplanes just yet.

As the plane evened out, Naruto took a few deep breaths and turned to look out his window. The ocean below him was clear and beautiful, but the small plot of land inching further and further from his sight was where Naruto had his eyes riveted. He had only been on a plane twice in his life, and the flight going to Hawaii was much more pleasant than the one leaving it.

"Would you care for a drink, sir?"

The attendant's voice sounded like it was underwater, so Naruto yawned to pop his ears and nodded an affirmative. The pleasant smile stayed on the attendant's face and as a moment of silence stretched, Sasuke snorted. "He's asking for what you want to drink, dumbass." Was the helpful prompt.

After throwing a glare to the man in the next seat, Naruto sent an apologetic smile to the attendant. The nervousness cleared from the young man's face. "Sure, some sprite would be good. And if you have any crackers...?" Naruto requested, trying in futility not to sound as if he was airsick.

A soft snort at his side made Naruto throw a punch and a glare, not at all concerned if the family in the backseat saw them bicker like children. The attendant quickly came back with his order, and Naruto gratefully drank and stuffed his face full of crackers and soda. Halfway through his snack, he saw Sasuke go back into his meditative state, seemingly making a pointed effort to ignore the world and the shifting of the plane beneath their feet.

Figuring that a bitchy, nauseous Sasuke was hardly going to suffice for their trip, Naruto ate one more cracker before lowering Sasuke's food tray and placing the rest of his snack on the plastic surface. Half his soda was still in the cup and there was one more packet of crackers that had escaped the carnage. Yawning again to pop his ears, Naruto stared out the window once more, squinting to find any traces of the small island chain they'd left behind. An endless ocean steadily met his gaze.

-----

Sasuke opened his eyes to slits when he felt Naruto shift around him. He was about to ask what the hell he was doing when he spotted the half cup of soda and packet of wheat crackers on his food tray. The idiot had decided to share.

The tension in his shoulders eased a bit, and Sasuke was grudgingly grateful. The flight was going to be a long one, and Sasuke wanted to spend most of it asleep, not worrying whether the toilet was occupied once his stomach jerked in the wrong direction. With less vigor but equal desire as Naruto, he opened his packet and took a sip of the soda.

He could feel Naruto's smirk radiating from his side, even though he still appeared to be watching the scenery outside the window. Mild annoyance aside, Sasuke continued eating methodically, choosing rather to avoid looking out the window and concentrate on the schedule ahead. Once they arrived in Japan, they probably wouldn't be leaving for another fifty years.

-----

"Ne...Sasuke," Naruto nearly whispered, speaking lowly as the lights dimmed and light snoring could already be heard through the cabin. The sky was already pitch black and Naruto turned from the window to lean over to his companion. There was no response and Sasuke's eyes were closed, but the slight tilt of his head indicated a continuation of Naruto's question. "Do you even remember how to speak Japanese?"

Sasuke slowly lifted an eyelid that seemed to radiate arrogance and amusement. Naruto narrowed his eyes in a silent challenge. He was thousands of feet in the air and grouchy; he'd start a fight if Sasuke said anything remotely condescending.

"Hawaii was full of Asians, Naruto, and many of them were Japanese. Didn't we speak to them on occasion?" Sasuke said smoothly, realigning himself with the comfort of his seat and closing his eyes once more, dismissing the question entirely. Naruto's eye twitched.

Sasuke deftly caught the punch aimed for his already abused shoulder and pulled Naruto forward, pressing their cheeks together and leaning in to his ear. He inhaled slowly, and felt the slight shiver run up the other man's body. Sasuke exhaled hot breath into a tan ear. "Don't worry; we'll be fine."

The words were said with the low timbre of Sasuke's voice, smooth and rich and entirely catching Naruto off guard. While one part of his brain was annoyed that he could still be surprised at Sasuke's actions, another part was wondering if the blood flow currently trickling south was going to stop before embarrassment struck. There were kids in the back!

Naruto could feel a smirk growing on Sasuke's lips, and he nearly jumped when a hot tongue brushed his ear cartilage. The pale hand surrounding his wrist loosened, only to press flat against his abdomen and slowly trail upwards to his chest. A tan hand reached for Sasuke's sweater—whether as a warning or invitation, Naruto wasn't sure.

Naruto let himself be pushed back into the seat, eyes still warily watching his pale friend. Sasuke's smirk softened and Naruto's wariness faded. His smile always had a relaxing effect, and at the moment, it was combined with gentle circles being rubbed into his arms and shoulders. Naruto took a deep breath and sighed contentedly, letting his eyes close and his own hand fall from Sasuke's sleeve to grasp the other, unmoving hand on the seat.

-----

When Sasuke awoke, blond hair was tickling his nose and his arms were tangled up with Naruto's. The picture must've been a sight to behold for the flight attendants who had been walking around, but Sasuke had never been one to care for what others thought. Maybe that woman who kept watching them prior to departing had her fill of eying them up.

Sunlight was softly streaming through the window, highlighting Naruto's hair in gold and what Sasuke could only describe as sparkles, even making his tan skin seemingly glow. The heavy head was resting against his shoulder and although his arms weren't technically wound around Sasuke's, they appeared to have been clutching his hands or shirt for a while at some point, based on the loss of feeling in his hand and his slightly-rumped sweater. Sasuke brought a finger to Naruto's skin and barely touched the scarred cheeks, following the curvature more with his eyes than with physical contact.

The intercom went off above their heads and one of the female attendants alerted the passengers that they'd be landing soon and requesting for them to put up their tray tables and return their seats to the upright position while also turning off their electronics. Sasuke noted his cracker wrapper and empty soda cup had been taken away, so he was able to single-handedly close his tray table without moving the rest of his body that was currently falling asleep due to the dead weight pulling on him.

He could feel the steady rise and fall of Naruto's cloth-covered chest and the puffs of breath escaping from his lips. Sasuke truly wondered whether they had to leave Hawaii so soon; Naruto seemed to enjoy the warm weather and year-around sunlight every morning when they woke up, and the general atmosphere of the entire state helped Naruto fit in incredibly fast and without any problems. Sasuke himself found he could eventually put up with the humid days and mosquitoes preying on every inch of his skin. He was even able to eventually get a tan without burning.

Sasuke sighed. No, it was the right decision to leave; he could see their co-workers beginning to formulate unspoken questions and whisper half-thoughts amongst themselves while casting puzzled expressions their way. Even if Naruto had tried to be oblivious about it, both of them could tell it was time to leave.

Sasuke tensed as the plane began to descend, not hearing the pilot begin their usual speech about landing and the weather they'd be going into. His ears popped for the umpteenth time and Naruto blinked blearily up into his face. Sasuke wasn't sure why they had to go to Japan; they'd have to repeat this experience when they left.

-----

Naruto felt Sasuke tense beneath his head and instinct led him to reach for his kunai before he even fully awoke. He realized there were no weapons strapped to his waist and blinked up at the blob that was currently Sasuke's face, refocusing his tired eyes. Naruto wasn't sure whether he was simply tired or it was the effect of his ears being plugged, but the descending airplane didn't bother him very much. He wordlessly laid his head back against his seat and watched the landmass in his window get larger and larger.

And so it began again.

-----

They'd bought the Nishiazabu apartment a couple years ago in preparation for this day, but nothing completely prepared Naruto for the feeling of stepping out of the cab and gazing up at their new living space. It looked like most of the apartments in the area and when Naruto thought about it, the buildings were a little too close together, but he still found it charming—in that cold, unlived-in, empty kind of way.

Sasuke swung his backpack lightly into the back of Naruto's knee, forcing him forward. He sent a glare behind his back, but nonetheless proceeded through the entrance and up the stairs to the second floor. The paint wasn't peeling and the complex looked like it was obviously well-kept. Naruto began to wonder how different this would be from living in Hawaii.

Sasuke reached to stick the key through the slot, but Naruto's hand stopped the action from consummating. Sasuke sighed and Naruto grinned. He wrapped his hand around Sasuke's and the pale fingers moved a little around the key to accommodate the tan digits. Together, they turned the knob and pushed.

-----

Sasuke groaned as Naruto clenched around his erection, the vice-grip almost sending him over the edge. He stopped and took several deep breaths before pushing in the rest of the way into Naruto's body, all the while hearing his lover's pants and keens in his ear, urging him on. Strong legs wrapped around his waist and heels dug into his back, forcing Sasuke deeper than he'd intended. They both moaned into each other's skin.

"Sasuke...damn...it...move or I'll flip us over," Naruto growled in his ear, arching his back and ripping another groan from Sasuke's throat. He easily complied, pulling out nearly all the way before slamming back into the willing body beneath him. The rhythm was hard and fast, with Naruto writhing in every direction and Sasuke gripping his hips enough to bruise.

While Sasuke lifted the legs higher on his torso and angling his hips, Naruto shifted his body and accepted the new position, immediately releasing a surprised gasp as his prostate was hit dead-on. His nails dug in to Sasuke's hair and pulled the man down for a searing kiss while he squeezed his already tight passage, evoking a none-too-quiet moan from the usually stoic man frantically pounding into him. A pale hand fisted him as lips sucked his neck, jerking him off to the rhythm of his erratic thrusts. Naruto groaned and watched as Sasuke pulled in and out of his body, already straining with the oncoming orgasm.

"Sa...ha...fuck," was all Naruto was able to get out before spilling himself into Sasuke's hand and all over their bodies, nearly screaming into Sasuke's mouth. Sasuke, whose eyes had been kept open to capture every moment of Naruto straining under his ministrations, groaned as the other man clenched impossibly tighter around his burning groin and came hard. He felt as if stars were exploding in his head as he continued thrusting erratically into the body beneath him until he was completely empty and exhausted.

A firm hand stroked his chaotic hair, massaging the scalp and easing Sasuke into what he could've easily fallen asleep in, covered in the evidence of their sex or not. He shifted and they both groaned as he separated their bodies, moving to lie next to Naruto. He mentally snorted when he realized they hadn't even taken off the outer covering on the bed.

The room was quiet save for their breathing. Sasuke felt Naruto's thumb rubbing circles into his hand, further encouraging him to fall asleep. However, that usually meant Naruto had something to say.

"What is it?" He asked quietly, willing himself to open his eyes and look to the side. Naruto's softened expression met his.

"Will we ever be fine?" Came the even quieter response. Sasuke realized Naruto was speaking in relation to what he'd said on the airplane.

Sasuke turned back to stare at the ceiling, seriously considering Naruto's question. He could admit to being gruff and cold to Naruto unknowingly at times, and made it a point to be a bastard to everyone else at most times, but never did Sasuke make it a mission to lie to his long-time friend and lover. Even in comfort and make-up sex, Sasuke hated trying to avoid the truth to spare Naruto's feelings. He considered it beneath both of them and it never worked anyways.

"Yes." Sasuke said simply, turning onto his side and reaching out his hand once more to trace the scars on Naruto's cheeks. This time, he touched each one before cupping the soft face currently at its barest. In those bright, worn eyes he could see indecision and almost-fear swirling as fast as his Sharingan in the heat of battle. He closed his lips around Naruto's, watching as those eyes were covered with lids that hid away what Sasuke hated to see. He closed his own eyes, hoping his affirmation sounded more confident than he actually felt.

-----

Iruka quietly walked through the automatic doors of the hospital and breathed in the sharp night air. He checked his watch to confirm how tired he felt—twelve midnight on the nose. It was early for him tonight, but he didn't feel like sitting around doing nothing until he had to go back to work. Sometimes he just felt like laying around in bed all day and pretending nothing else existed but the warm sheets still faint with the smell of his detergent.

Taking out his untouched pack of cigarettes, he fumbled with the lighter in his pocket and proceeded walking down the sidewalk toward his apartment. He frowned at the stick of poison, wondering what the hell he was doing before lighting up. He immediately had a coughing fit upon inhaling, grumbling to himself while stomping out the offending stick. He'd been crazy to buy them in the first place, thinking they'd do something for his nerves and shut those other guys up at the station.

Quietly, Iruka continued down the road, side-stepping the stray cats and prostitutes along the way. He decided to cut through his usual shortcut in order to avoid the 24-hour coffee and donut shop some of the guys went to after work. Usually they roped him in to stare at the waitresses all night and morning until they all got kicked out. He just wanted to get home and sleep for the rest of his morning. He glanced at his watch. 12:15AM.

There was a whoosh of something and Iruka wasn't sure where it was coming from. His instincts usually served him right, yet nothing usually happened to him on his walk back home. He looked around and reached for his firearm stuffed in the back of his shirt, waiting for someone to materialize out of the darkness.

And then he saw it.

Like a twinkling star in the midnight sky, a head of blond was falling from the top of a building, arms and legs not at all flailing, but relaxed and whatTHEHELL--there was a flare of something red and translucent emanating from his body. It was faint and Iruka rubbed his eyes to determine if he was imagining it or not. The next time he opened his eyes, the falling body was gone and there was a sickening thud on the pavement.

Iruka shoved his gun back underneath his jacket and rushed in the direction of the foreigner who'd fallen (or was he pushed? high on something?) from a three story building. Trees and cars were blocking his view so he couldn't see the entire length of the guy's fall, but there had been something weird about it.

He rushed past the foliage and bushes, jumping over those damn cats and crashing into a parked car that was dark and in Iruka's blind spot. The alarm went off, but all he could see was a lifeless body on the pavement, blood pooling underneath a blond head. Iruka collapsed onto his knees and checked for a pulse.

Weak.

He flipped out his cell phone and quickly dialed for an ambulance, checking the man's neck and body for anything broken. There actually didn't seem to be anything wrong with him, save for the blood still spreading across the pavement. Iruka furrowed his brows. The blond didn't seem older than twenty-five; he could've been another jumper. He quickly sent instructions to the paramedics and hung up his phone, looking around to see if there was anyone who knew the kid. The car in the back was still blaring its alarm, and curious onlookers were peeking through the curtains of their bedroom windows.

Iruka looked up when he saw lights go on in the apartment in front of him, atop which the kid jumped from (whether or not he really jumped, he'd figure that out later). He was startled to find a wide-eyed brunette staring back at him from the second floor. Iruka opened his mouth to yell for help when the blond stirred. Iruka whipped his head back to begin asking questions when the brunette suddenly appeared at his side, scraping his knees against the pavement as he settled down beside the blond.

"Naruto! Naruto, what the hell did you do?!" Was what Iruka caught from the brunette's thick voice, just roused from sleep, apparently.

"Is this your friend?" Iruka tried to ask calmly, hearing the ambulance in the distance as the brunette nodded distractedly. His pale hands were frozen above the blond, as if not knowing what to do. The brunette looked like he was completely in shock. Iruka didn't know what to do, so he stood and signaled to the ambulance.

Sometimes, Iruka really hated his job.

-----

There was a rush of lights and uniforms that swooped in and transported the unconscious blond to the hospital, leaving Iruka rooted to his spot on the sidewalk. The brunette had disappeared with the jumper and the car alarm was finally turned off, but curious onlookers continued to stare at him. All Iruka could concentrate on was the pool of blood still at his feet and the wet stains in his pants, eyes not really seeing but still staring in contemplation. He wasn't sure what to do.

Option one was to follow the ambulance back to the hospital and question the kid (or the brunette, if the kid died). Iruka didn't really want to involve himself in another suicide-attempt case. He'd learned long ago the effects of getting too close to those kinds of people—or at least, people in general.

Option two was to simply try and block out the image of the falling body from his mind and continue on home, at which point he could shower, eat, drink himself to sleep, or all of the above. The option was tempting, but he could already feel the call from the station vibrating in his pocket, probably his supervisor asking him what happened and to investigate.

Iruka sighed and reached into his pocket. Upon flexing his fingers to reach for the vibrating phone, he realized there was blood dried on his hands. Great.

-----

"No broken bones. No internal damage. Barely any external damage. The kid's a miracle on two legs and if it'd been anyone else..." The doctor's voice faded into the back of Iruka's mind as he looked past his shoulder and toward the curtained bed. He could see the faint outline of the brunette's shadow sitting beside the unmoving blob on the starchy sheets, both unmoving.

"Did you get their names? IDs?" Iruka interrupted without thinking, quickly apologizing and urging the doctor to continue.

Papers rustled as the doctor flipped through his folder. "An Uzumaki Naruto. That's what the friend told us his name was. Other than that, he was tight-lipped and otherwise not concentrating on what we were asking him. He still seems very traumatized that his friend possibly jumped from the building."

Or he's more traumatized that Uzumaki survived.

Iruka caught himself as he thought out his cynical conclusion. He was suspicious, yes, but he had yet to even talk to the brunette about what had happened. "Did you get the friend's name?"

"No. He won't even give us an insurance carrier or anything. All he gave us was the kid's name." By the sound of the doctor's voice, he'd been more than a little annoyed at the friend's disinclination to help. It only furthered Iruka's suspicions. "Did you want to talk to him yourself?"

There was more meaning to that question than its face-value.

Iruka looked back sharply to meet the doctor's eyes. It was the same one who had been taking care of the patient from his last case. The case that was still laying in a coma four floors below their feet.

"Asuma wants me to investigate and report back later." Was Iruka's terse reply. He hoped his voice wasn't as shaky has his mind.

The doctor—Iruka only knew his last name to be Lysander and he wanted to keep it that way—cast him one last, dubious glance before exiting. The room was divided for two patients, and the other was staring straight at him. The hairs on his neck stood and he looked away almost uncomfortably, trying instead to focus on the two men behind the curtain. He would've rather gone home and drank himself to sleep, dinner and shower be damned.

-----

Sasuke could hear the murmurs behind him and the feel of the policeman's eyes staring at him through the curtain. He sat, unmoving, watching Naruto's chest rise and fall, feeling confusion and irritation replace his initial shock.

Why is Iruka here? Was the constant question plaguing his mind ever since he'd seen the man kneeling beside Naruto. Something felt wrong, and the sooner Naruto woke up, the faster they could leave and figure this thing out.

Iruka wasn't supposed to be the one to find Naruto.

Sasuke's annoyance also grew as he watched Naruto's wounds heal before his eyes, yet the blond refused to open his eyes. He'd seen the flare of chakra pillow Naruto's fall, and the doctors claimed he'd been miraculously healed. He'd never stayed asleep so long before. Dumbass.

The curtain was drawn and a pregnant silence commenced. Sasuke didn't bother turning to acknowledge Iruka. Rather, his irritation grew.

-----

Iruka sighed as the brunette continued to sit in icy silence. He was difficult to read, as his face was impassive and only gave away a irritated-sort of glare at nothing in particular. Although, Iruka had a feeling it was directed at him.

"Well I'll go ahead and introduce myself. Umino Iruka. I'm a detective down at the Azabu police station, about a block from the apartment where...this incident occurred." Iruka stumbled slightly through the last part, not entirely sure how the brunette felt about the situation. He continued to sit as though he hadn't heard a word.

"I'm sure you're still in shock as to what's happened and how your friend has healed so fast, but I'd like to investigate what exactly went on and would appreciate your cooperation." Iruka continued, hoping the young man would at least acknowledge their conversation. Even if he was still in shock, he could've at least looked up or nodded or something.

Another round of silence ensued and Iruka could feel the other patient's eyes boring a hole through the curtain. He hadn't slept for nearly a day and the stubborn friend was beginning to get on his nerves. He was about to speak when he was cut off.

"I've given the doctors all they need to know."

The voice was much more controlled than the surprised gasps he'd heard a half hour ago, but it sounded strained as well, as if holding in anger or confusion...maybe both. Iruka tried to get a look at his face, but moving around the youth to simply stare at him would've probably made things even worse. Still, he knew something was wrong when a kid falls three stories to survive and appear as if nothing was wrong while his friend wouldn't give any information pertaining to either of them.

"All you've given is your friend's name--"

"--And that's all you need to know."

Iruka felt irritation swell in his gut. He had the distinct urge to punch the brunette and haul him in to the station, but he clenched his fists and tried to calm his voice. "The medical bill won't be affordable without insurance and whether you like it or not, the police will find out the information--"

"--Then find it."

Iruka sighed in both annoyance and in an attempt to calm himself down again. The kid's arrogance was not new to Iruka, but it still got under his skin. "I'm not sure if you understand the situation; your friend may have been pushed off a building and nearly died. I would want someone to investigate this if I had nothing to hide." Iruka hinted at the brunette, trying to at least get him to turn around so he could see his face. Iruka was hoping for some sort of reaction, but his shoulders didn't even tense and he continued to sit motionless, staring at the blond.

There was another stretch of silence. Iruka wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but the brunette gave no indication and his patience was quickly running dry. "Think about it. I'll be back later."

Iruka disappeared behind the curtain again, ignored the other patient's unblinking stare, and walked out of the room. He leaned against the heavy wood, rubbing the bridge of his nose where the faint scar ran across his skin. He'd find out more when the Uzumaki kid woke up. In the meantime, he might as well visit the coma patient since he was at the hospital. It'd be the second time tonight, and as Iruka walked toward the elevator to head downstairs, he considered staying for the rest of the night.

Kakashi might get lonely.

-----

When Naruto awoke, a cold hand was stretched over his mouth and dark eyes were boring into his own. He furrowed his eyebrows and gave a slight nod, indicating he understood the request (more like the demand) to be silent.

Sasuke sat back in his seat beside the bed, crossing his arms and continuing to stare intently at him with as much strength as he could with his hair still messy and thin shirt barely keeping his body warm. Naruto flipped open his bed covers in silent invitation. Sasuke didn't seem to notice and continued to stare at him, eyes barely focusing on blue. Naruto cocked his head to the side, wondering what the other was doing.

His eyes widened when he realized Sasuke was trying to sense chakra.

"What--"

"Did you know?"

Sasuke cut Naruto off and stood, uncrossing his arms and staring through the curtain in the direction (Naruto presumed) of the door. Sasuke's hushed tone barely reached Naruto's ears. "Know about what?"

"That he's here."

Naruto's slightly fuzzy mind ran the uphill battle of trying to process what Sasuke was saying. He could pick up on the hushed urgency of Sasuke's voice and the man was all but on high alert like he was incognito behind enemy lines. Naruto stared at him, trying to figure out what had Sasuke so riled up.

The last thing Naruto remembered before waking up under starchy sheets was the feel of Sasuke's lips pressed tightly to his and a whispered reassurance that Naruto didn't even catch since the wind was blowing in their faces. Then air whistling through his ears and just falling...

"...never thought something like this would happen." Sasuke's voice broke through Naruto's reverie and the newly forming headache between his eyes.

"What was that?" He asked groggily, blinking tiredly as he laid back down onto his pillow. It smelled faintly like bleach and detergent.

"Are you listening?" Sasuke's impatience was beginning to irritate Naruto, and before he could come up with a snide retort, Sasuke cut him off again. "Iruka is here."

Naruto shot up in his seat and instantly regretted it, as his headache became a throbbing mess. He hissed in pain and grabbed his scalp, trying to massage the pain away. It didn't work, but Sasuke's chilly fingers sifted through his head and swatted his own clumsy ones away, gently rubbing circles into his cranium. Sasuke's voice sounded muffled or underwater; either that or Naruto was going to faint. Both scenarios didn't sound good.

"Wait," Naruto interrupted whatever Sasuke was saying and took hold of the hands on his head, halting his soothing remedy and resisting the urge to fall back asleep. "Iruka-sensei is here? In this hospital? In this...time?" Naruto opened his eyes to find Sasuke's face inches from his own. Naruto didn't hear him climb onto the bed and was slightly startled. With their faces so close, he could see every twitch of Sasuke's face as irritation spread across.

"Yes, he is. Now what are we going to do about it?" Sasuke repeated himself, extracting his hands from Naruto's hair and crossing his arms in front of his chest. Naruto noted inappropriately that Sasuke's nipples were slightly erect from the cold.

Naruto shook his head free of the thoughts traveling down that road and instead focused on the words coming out of Sasuke's mouth. Ignoring whatever the other was saying, Naruto withdrew into himself and tried to sense for chakra, something, he mildly noted, he hadn't done in years.

Naruto couldn't remember the last time he was surprised: Iruka's wasn't the only one he felt.

-----

Sasuke was growing both frustrated and pissed off that Naruto wasn't listening to a single word he'd been saying since he woke up. Granted, just waking up from a three-story fall probably left a nasty headache from the concussion, which was the only thing restraining Sasuke from lunging at the other man and beating him to a pulp.

He saw Naruto focus and bring his mind to a calmer state, searching for chakra. Sasuke was prepared for Naruto to be surprised at finding more than one chakra signature, but he wasn't prepared to handle being barreled down and having the wind knocked out of him as he fell off the bed.

The next time he looked up, a mop of blond hair was darting out the door, Sasuke assumed, toward where he thought Iruka would be.

Damnit.

Sasuke wasted no time darting after Naruto, just catching the flash of gold round the corner and down the emergency stairs, bare feet slapping against the cement. Sasuke barley restrained himself from yelling at the man to stop and think about the repercussions of what he was about to do, but Sasuke knew from experience how little the effect in deterring Naruto would be. If Sasuke could get there in time, he might be able to stop Naruto from all but throwing away their carefully laid out plan.

Catching the door Naruto just ran through, Sasuke felt the lingering traces of chakra smeared around the entire area as if Naruto was a genin again and couldn't control his power. Sasuke didn't mind so much, seeing as how he himself hadn't cared too much to mask his presence nowadays, but he could feel the chakra intensity growing with each step. He wondered why Naruto's chakra was flaring so erratically; he could feel the heat almost burning through the floor in Naruto's wake.

Sasuke could finally see Naruto, stopped outside a door and somewhat winded, fingers twitching to turn the knob. He could feel Naruto's chakra flaring all around him in wisps and begging to form the first tail, and upon further inspection he could see beads of sweat forming on Naruto's forehead, not because of exerting himself like Sasuke had originally thought, but because he was trying to control the monster within him.

-----

Naruto couldn't remember the last time he had such poor chakra control. Perhaps it'd been in his much younger genin days, but those memories were fuzzy to him now and all he could think about was how his skin felt aflame and how he was barely resisting the Kyuubi's chakra from consuming his entire body. He could feel Sasuke's own chakra, cool and icy like his demeanor, approaching and trying to force back the fire enveloping Naruto's mind.

He couldn't blink without his eyelids feeling like they were burning off, and any tears that wanted to escape quickly evaporated. People were milling about him, paying neither of the young men any mind as they went about their business. Naruto felt like he was dying, yet he'd never felt more alive. It wasn't a new feeling, but something he hadn't experienced in a very long time.

Naruto felt Sasuke's hand, no longer chilly but hot and searing like the rest of his body, rest on his shoulder as he tried to reign himself in. Naruto panted heavily with exertion, still confused as to why he couldn't control Kyuubi's chakra basically overriding his own and expelling itself. It felt like his skin was going to melt off (not that it hadn't happened before, but Naruto wasn't about to volunteer the experience to relive itself).

Sasuke, always a stable point of reference for Naruto, now couldn't help him as he opened his mouth in a silent scream and gripped his head as another wave of intense energy was expelled out of every pore of his body. His knees gave out and Sasuke barely had time to catch him and clumsily lower him to the floor. Naruto closed his eyes to block out what felt like flames consuming him from the inside out. The next time he opened them, he saw everything tinged red with blood or fire, he couldn't tell which. Whichever case it was, it was painful.

Naruto could only see one thing. He reached for the doorknob, fingernails now claws and scratching the metal and wood, nearly tearing the door off its hinges. It swung open and seemed to be a target for whoever was in the room, spilling itself from Naruto's trembling frame and consuming whatever he saw.

He heard screaming. He couldn't feel anything. He was dimly aware that Sasuke was trying to talk to him while gripping his arms, but Naruto couldn't hear anything over the screams.

-----

Sasuke had no idea what was wrong with Naruto, so trying to help would probably make things worse. One minute the blond was standing, pulling himself together, and the next he was bursting into a hospital room, screaming and releasing so much energy he could've killed everyone in the hospital had it been packed in a rasengan. Sasuke himself felt as if he'd been punched in the gut and winded. He tried to hold Naruto's arms together while calmly speaking into his ear, but the idiot just kept screaming and thrashing wildly outside the room.

Sasuke could feel the explosion of chakra finally weakening, leaving in its wake a collapsed Naruto and a crowd of nurses, curious onlookers, and a couple of doctors. Sasuke scanned the room and locked eyes with Iruka for the second time that night; it was funny how both times centered around Naruto nearly dying--funny in a humorless sort of way.

Medical personal filed in, beginning to check Naruto's vitals and ushering Sasuke to let them take him into emergency care. The onlookers slowly dispersed, leaving a bewildered Iruka in the room. Sasuke turned to look back before closing the door, noting how the room looked wind-blown and Iruka was trying to fix the stray strands of hair that looked as if he'd been in a typhoon. Sasuke took one last look around the room and schooled his expression to give nothing away, even the surprise he felt jumping in his gut when he glanced at the lump in the bed Iruka was sitting at.

Without a word, he exited the room.

-----

Iruka had no idea what had just happened, and he wasn't exactly keen on finding out, but the Uzumaki kid was obviously up and about, looking quite healthy (save for his sanity) for someone who'd just jumped (or was it pushed?) off a building.

Something bothered him though. When the young man burst into the room, there was that flare of something red again, like what he thought he saw when the body was falling. He couldn't feel it then since he was so far away, but he was quite close to the door now and upon bursting in, Iruka felt a heatwave pass over him and a tornado-like wind blow through the entire room. That red flare of whatever it was washed over him and left him feeling heavy and winded, like he was being crushed from the inside out.

It was disorienting and he felt like vomiting, but once he gained his equilibrium again, the brunette was staring at him again, as if assessing what had happened. Iruka recognized the expression as one he and his comrades wore when they investigated a crime scene. It was cool and calculating, with no emotion shown and no judgment passed. It was objective and made Iruka feel less than human. Though he resented it, the young man quickly exited the room without a sound, taking with him the last remnants of whatever that weird energy-thing was. Iruka shook his head as if trying to shake off the lingering remnants.

Something shifted.

Iruka was surprised and thought for a moment that it must've been himself moving about, but something definitely moved again. His hands were tangled in his hair, trying to re-tie it, and his feet were flat on the ground, unmoving.

"Iruka...?" Came a raspy voice under the covers from a barely-moving mouth. Iruka stared into the sheets, hands still fisting his hair and rubber band still poised in mid-motion. His mouth went dry.

Coma Patient Hatake Kakashi was awake.

End Chapter 1

Author's Note: This first chapter was meant to be confusing and mysterious (maybe even boring), even if someone's already figured out the plot. Each piece of information, even if it is boring, may/may not be relevant to the entire development of the fic.