Title: Never Too Late (SasuxNaru)

Pairings: SasuNaru LeeSaku, NejiGaar, KanTen, ShikaTema, KibaHina, ShinoSai, ChoIno

Summery: Sasuke's finally returned to Konoha and Naruto's finding himself with feelings he never knew he could have for the raven haired boy. But Naruto's got some new problems of his own. Naruto's slowly losing his handle on life. Yaoi

"Settle down class, the bell hasn't rang yet," the teacher said to the class who were obviously ready to pounce out of their seats at the first sound of the bell. Kakashi sighed as he watched his class losing focus. He didn't really mind though it meant he could catch up on reading. The last bell sounded and Naruto was the first to bolt out the door followed by the rest of his class mates.

The halls were busy as Naruto shoved his way to his locker; Sasuke and Sakura not far behind the blonde. They both stopped next to his open locker, their's on either side of his.

"Kakashi-sensei said training is canceled for the evening," Sakura informed him. "Do want to come get something to eat with us, Naruto?"

Naruto looked over at the pinkette. Since Sasuke's return she had been spending a lot of time with both her team mates. They had been enrolled into this new high school program that Iruka-sensei had suggested to help further their education on new ninja techniques and other things that were coming up in the ninja and outside worlds. Naruto didn't mind at all. It helped keep him busy when he wasn't training or on a mission. Sakura was trying hard to get him out of his apartment more often and he knew it.

"Sure Sakura, where we going?" he asked in excitement.

"Ichiraku's most likely," Sasuke answered. Naruto nodded.

They walked out of the school together and headed to the ramen bar Naruto spent most of his extra money at. As they walked through the village, Naruto couldn't help but notice all the usual dirty looks and glares directed at him by the villagers. He lowered his gaze not wanting to draw more attention to himself. No one said anything to him since he wasn't alone like he normally was. Even though most of the Konoha ninja had accepted him the villagers still had not. The sins of the nine-tail fox had been too great for them to forget, even though Naruto could not help what had been placed inside of him. They wouldn't see it that way. He was a demon no matter what the circumstances.

Before he knew it Naruto was entering Ichiraku's with his team mates. Taking a seat he let his normal demeanor return to him now that he was no longer under the scornful eyes of his village.

"Hey Naruto!" said Teuchi. "What'll it be today?" Naruto beamed. Here was one villager who had never rejected him.

"Miso ramen with BBQ pork and an egg on top!" he said too loudly with his famous Naruto grin.

"Coming up!" he said leaving Ayame to take the other orders.

Soon their orders were done and they dug in. They talked about school for a bit then training. They talked a little of missions they had done recently while Naruto started on his 12th bowl of ramen. Sasuke and Sakura finished there 1st bowls and paid. Naruto finished his last bowl and paid for his as well wishing that Iruka-sensei had been there to take care of the bill but didn't sweat it too much.

Once they reached Naruto's house that was the closest, they went there separate ways. Naruto unlocked the door to his apartment and went into the empty place that constantly reminded him that he was alone. Dropping his school bag on the floor he walked into his small living space and flicked on the radio on his way to the shower. A song he didn't know well was finishing and soon another one he did know quite well came on. It was 'It's Not Over,' by Secondhand Serenade, one of the blonde's favorite bands. With the sounds of the sick depression that he was trying so hard to repress ringing in his ears he went into his small bathroom leaving the door open so he could still hear the music. Naruto quickly undressed and stepped under the steaming spray of the shower. He let the hot water wash all his pain away as he stood there leaning against the shower walls; no strength to stand on his own anymore. Invisible tears slid down his naturally tanned face as he let all the hurt be washed away. This was the only place Naruto would let himself be weak. He would never show this weakness that dwelled inside him to others, not even his closest friends. Naruto quickly lathered himself up before rinsing himself and shampooing his hair. Tilting his face up he vaguely wondered if he could drown himself like this, end all his pain and suffering right then and there. No one would notice until he didn't show up for school the next day and they came looking for him. 'If they did,' Naruto couldn't stop himself from thinking bitterly. 'No, I can't do that. I won't show them how weak I am inside!' he thought with determination. Turning off the shower he stepped out and wrapped a large orange towel around his waist. He wiped the steam from the mirror. He looked at the sad excuse of a reflection staring back at him. There was nothing special about him he thought as he looked at himself, scanning over this spiky blonde locks that were flattened from the water to his azure eyes to the whiskers that made him known as the nine-tailed fox's host. He let out a soft sigh. 'I'm so ugly,' he thought believing it was the truth. Secretly Naruto was thinking of someone he believed much prettier then himself. A raven haired someone whose eyes were as dark as night and always managed to capture his attention. Only a year ago had he realized he wasn't in love with Sakura like he thought he was. Someone had caught his interest, a certain raven haired boy who he had always considered his best friend. Although Naruto would never make his feelings known to others like he had with Sakura. He knew that Sasuke would never feel the same about Naruto as Naruto felt about him. Shoving the idea aside Naruto ran his hand through his messy hair not bothering to comb it and dried himself off before changing into an orange tee-shirt and black shorts.

Barely aware of what he was doing still absorbed in his depression, he sat himself at his table with his school bag and took his homework out. There hadn't been much of it. Only a few things like a short essay on things going on with their allied nations for his current events class and a short answer sheet for his ninja history class. He had to study for a few tests as well but he was too tired mentally for that. Naruto started on the short answers first and took out his history text book. They were studying the Great Ninja Wars in class. They had been studying them for a week now. Naruto breezed through it, then started on his short essay which only needed to be a paragraph summarizing current events of Suna and other allied nations. Taking out his notes Naruto let his mind wander to what Gaara might be doing now. He knew that Suna had also adopted the idea of a high school. Finishing his home work Naruto felt his eyes drooping and was too tired to move. Before he knew it he had fallen asleep at the table.

It was already 7 AM and Naruto hadn't showed up to meet Sasuke and Sakura at their usual morning spot. Sakura was looking worried and the raven held his normal calm expressionless face on the outside but on the inside he was also worried about the blonde who was always the first to show up.

"Head to class, Sakura." He told the pinkette. She gave him a questioning glance. "I'll go get Naruto and catch up. I'm sure he only slept in, he did look tired last night" he assured her before walking off. She gave a slight nod knowing he could see it and headed off to school without her two best friends.

Sasuke headed to the blonde's home at a quick pace. When he arrived at Naruto's apartment he casually walked up to the door and knocked. There was no answer, after 2 minutes Sasuke tried the door knob. It was unlocked so he let himself in, a little worried that Naruto had left his door unlocked all night. When he walked into the small apartment the first thing he noticed was the radio was on playing 'Never too late,' by Three Days Grace. The second thing was that Naruto's home work was spread out on the table. The third was that Naruto was sleeping on the floor next to the table. The last thing he noticed was the blonde was shaking and covered in a cold sweat. Sasuke walked over to the boy concern flickering in his eyes. As if on cue the blonde's azure eyes snapped open as he bolted up right holding his chest trying to calm his fast beating heart. That's when the raven noticed something else that was more out of the ordinary than the rest. Naruto's eyes were red and puffy and his cheeks were tear stained. The boy who he viewed as strong willed and cheerful had been crying.

Naruto stared around the room darkness evident in every corner of his mind. Confusion wrapped itself around the boy's brain as he walked through the dark haziness. Things became clear as he saw himself younger sitting on a swing in the Konoha playground. The other kids' parents dragging them away while giving him death glares as they left him to his loneliness. Then the image was gone and he was sitting on a swing outside of the academy watching all the others who had graduated while he had failed again. He could hear their whispers although then he didn't know what they meant. Then another image of Mizuki telling him he was a demon and everyone hated him and wished him dead. That's when he had first leaned of the horrible thing that lay dormant inside of him. Then again in the Hokage's office when Ebisu had given him that same cold stare that spoke volumes of hate and resentment. The dream continued like that showing him all the pain he had went through. The last image was the worst. Him and Sasuke having it out in the final valley. That was the first and only time he had showed weakness to the raven haired boy that he admired so much. The creaking of his old floor snapped him back to reality.

Naruto sat bolt upright shaking and in a cold sweat, hand gripping his chest in an attempt to stop his heavy beating heart but working to no avail. That's when he sensed another presence. Searching the room didn't take long. The Uchiha stood only a foot away from him. Naruto didn't know what to say, he wondered how long the boy had been there and hoped he hadn't talked in his sleep.

"What are you doing here, Sasuke?" he finally asked. The boy sneered like normal.

"You were late dobe," he answered. Naruto merely nodded while getting up, too tired for a retort.

Naruto walked silently to his room and grabbed a black tee-shirt and usual orange pants along with clean boxers from his dresser and went into the bathroom to get dressed leaving Sasuke in his kitchen confused.

In the bathroom Naruto looked at himself in mirror and noticed that he must have cried in his sleep. Panic struck him for a moment as he realized that Sasuke had witnessed another one of Naruto's moments of weakness. Deciding to play dumb if the raven boy asks, he splashed some water on his face after and dried it before changing his clothes. When he returned to his kitchen the radio was already off and his school things had already been packed. Sasuke stood at his door waiting for him. The blonde walked over and grabbed his bag before heading out the door with Sasuke.

"Thanks, teme." he said softly but the other boy heard him.

They headed to school late and in silence. Sasuke wondering what Naruto had been dreaming about. 'I've only seen him like that once; I wonder what was so bad about his dream to make him like that?' He wondered. He watched the blonde with concern even thought it wasn't evident in his eyes. They made it to the school and walked through the doors into the office.

"Why are you boys late?" the secretary asked.

"I over slept," Naruto answered. "Sasuke came to get me up."

The woman nodded and handed each late slips. Before heading to class Sasuke saw the woman give Naruto a look that he didn't like. Without realizing it he let a low growl pass his lips and the woman looked taken back and averted her eyes from Naruto who had not noticed or was ignoring it. They headed to class and gave their first period teacher Iruka-sensei their slips. He looked at Naruto with concern before handing them back the slips. Before Naruto could take his seat Iruka stopped him.

"Can I have a word with you Naruto? In my office." Iruka asked. Naruto nodded and followed the young teacher into the office that connected to the class room. Sasuke wondered what he needed to talk about with the blonde.

Back in Iruka sensei's office Naruto wondered what was on the man's mind.

"Are you feeling well Naruto?" his teacher and father figure asked.

"I'm fine Iruka-sensei, didn't sleep well last night is all." Naruto told him truthfully.

"That dream again?" Iruka asked knowing of Naruto's dreams and in-securities. Naruto merely nodded. The brunette sighed heavily

"Naruto, it doesn't matter what others think. What matters is that you keep your head up and prove them wrong."

"I can't help it sensei! How can I show my face when everyone wants to rip it off!" Naruto shouted. He could hear a commotion in the classroom. He knew his mistake in an instant; he had been too loud and everyone had heard. They would question him all day now. Iruka look defeated.

"Do you want to go home for the day? I'll turn your home work in for you." Iruka offered. Deciding it was probably best Naruto nodded before digging into his bag and handing Iruka his homework before leaving the office and the room entirely without a backwards glance even though he knew they were expecting an explanation.

He walked home quickly as he could with out all out running. Along the way he received the usual glares and insults. Some of the braver started throwing rocks at him. He was too depressed to bother dodging them and they didn't have very accurate aim anyways. He just silently made his was home. Just as he was at his door step someone got him in the face with a good size rock while he was distracted with his key. Tears welled up in the back of Naruto's eyes but he refused to let them spill over until he was in the comfort of his home. Once the door unlocked he ran in slamming it shut behind him. Laying his back against the wall he slid to the floor and let his bitter tears spill over and mix with the fresh blood on his cheek from the rock. They didn't have long to fall before there was a knock on his door.

"Who is it?" he yelled in the strongest voice he could manage.

"It's me dobe!" he heard from the other side. He began to panic.

"Just a minute, Teme." he yelled trying furiously to stop his tears. Once he had stopped them well enough he wiped his face and opened the door.

"What do you want, Sasuke?" the blonde inquired a little annoyed.

"To see what's going on with you." Sasuke said casually. But all his normal Uchiha nature faltered when he saw a big purple bruise smeared with blood on Naruto's face. "What happened to your face!" It only took a moment for Naruto to register what he meant.

"I... tripped coming up the stairs..." Naruto lied badly.

"Don't lie to me dobe," he said with annoyance.

"It's none of your business teme!" Naruto yelled feeling the tears trying to resurface. Having seen enough Sasuke pushed past the blond and let himself in.

"It is my business if one of my team mates is getting hurt," Sasuke persisted.

'Why does he suddenly care?' Naruto wondered.

When Naruto had stormed out of the class with out a backwards glance Sasuke truly began to worry about the blonde. He didn't like what he had heard from Iruka's office. Who had it in for Naruto? Once Iruka had returned to the classroom, Sasuke asked to be excused as well. Iruka only nodded knowing that he wanted to check on Naruto. When he made it to Naruto's apartment there were several rocks sitting on his door step and that puzzled the raven. He knocked on Naruto's door regardless though. The blonde's "who is it?" came out sounding frantic. Something Naruto had never been, at least not in front of Sasuke.

"It's me dobe!" the raven had said calmly. There was another frantic sentence and about 3 minutes before Naruto opened the door. After Naruto demanding what the raven wanted there was a small exchange of words before Sasuke noticed the brand new bloody and purple bruise on Naruto's cheek. He demanded to know what had happened but the normally hyperactive blonde lied. Sasuke couldn't help but get annoyed that someone had hurt Naruto, his Naruto and have the blonde try to cover it up. How could someone hurt the boy? He was kind and gentle and had a determination like no other. Who would do such a thing? Sasuke looked his teammate over. His blonde locks were a little flat and his eyes red and puffy again. They didn't hold there usual shine. He could see the boy holding back the tears that threatened to spill over but refused to in anothers presence. And the bruise that was what off set it making the blonde look like a fallen angel. It was then that Sasuke remembered a poem he had heard a long time ago. 'A fallen again, destined to fly, broken and crazy, but too strong to cry.'

"Fine, I can see now is a bad time. I'll come back later ok?" His blonde angel nodded. "Just don't do anything stupid."

Naruto hung his head in silent understanding of what the raven was talking about. The other boy nodded before leaving Naruto to his misery again. Naruto walked into his bathroom and changed into the clothes he had been wearing to sleep the night before. A cold hard depression hitting him, he didn't want to do anything but lay on his bed. Hot tears poured down Naruto's face. He didn't know how long he had silently cried before they stopped and he just laid there in a foggy state. Sure they had always glared and sometimes said insults but never before had they hurt him physically. The blonde fox was truly scared of what might be to come. He loved his village and knew he wouldn't have the will power to fight them off if push came to shove. On the outside lay a sad boy unmoving but on the inside was a boy slowly losing a battle with himself. Depressing ideas winning over calm rationalizations. He hurt and his inner self wanted to make it go away. Naruto didn't know if it was his depression clouding his mind or the desperate need to suppress the mental pain that made him have those dark thoughts. Before he could comprehend what was going on he was sitting upright on his bed pressing a kunai to his wrist. He didn't remember sitting up or even picking up the sharp ninja tool. What he did know was that the white hot pain that came after dragging the sleek blade across his own wrist was mind numbing which was exactly what he had been hoping for. The bleeding didn't last long however. The wretched demon inside of him was already healing his self inflicted wounds. The pain however remained for a few minutes before subsiding into a dull ache. Tears once again flowed from the hazy azure eyes of a boy who didn't know any better way to deal with his pain. He would not burden his friends with such things as his problems. He couldn't even expect Iruka to understand. The only person who could understand his pain was 3 days away in Suna and even then Naruto would not go to the Kazekage who looked up to him so much for being able to deal with the exact pain that he was letting get to him.

Lost in his own thoughts the banging on his door was only a background noise that seemed almost to not be there. Without a conscious thought the fallen angel once again made to drag the cold metal across his wrist but was met with resistance. Snapping back to reality Naruto felt like he was observing from someone else's point of view. Here he sat on his bed holding a sharp kunai to his wrist, a small white scar already there. Holding his arm stopping him from making the slice was Sasuke; hurt, worry, and anger plastered on his face all at the same time. Naruto not being able to face his friend and secret love hung his head in shame.

Sasuke stared at his best friend trying to cut himself. Anger raged inside of him along with worry and confusion. 'Why would he do this?' he asked himself.

"What are you doing Naruto? I told you not to do anything stupid didn't I?" the Uchiha yelled. The blonde boy's eyes were glazed over with fresh tears he realized, hoping that he didn't just make the situation worse. Before the raven knew it he was being pushed away as Naruto bolted into his bathroom and shut the door behind him. Sasuke stood there for a moment in shock before going to the bathroom door.

Naruto paced the small area in a panic. His thoughts were chaos and his head was pounding from a headache. He hadn't heard the dark haired boy come in; his mind had been too clouded with darker thoughts. He feared that he would tell their other friends or worse yet not want to be his friend anymore. He probably thought him a freak or something. Fresh tears cascaded down the blonde fox's face. The door creaked open and Sasuke came into the already cramped space cornering him.

"What were you thinking dobe! You could have died!" The Uchiha yelled in his face. Naruto turned his head away from his friend unable to look him in the eye. "Look at me Naruto!" Sasuke demanded. Naruto timidly turned his head towards him. "What were you thinking?" Naruto knew the tears were still falling down his face. A sudden aggravation boiled inside of Naruto. Why was Sasuke so concerned? Why now of all times did he have to act like he cared? These questions kept running through Naruto's head until he couldn't take it any longer.

"What do you care, teme! It's not like anyone would give a damn if I had died anyways!" Naruto shouted knowing it wasn't entirely true but he didn't want to think sensibly right now. "Everyone in this village would be better off without me!" Sasuke slammed the blonde fox against the wall.

"You know that's not true, dobe" Sasuke shouted back his Uchiha calm completely gone.

"Well this bruise on my face says different!" Naruto retorted. "All the villagers hate me and no one really cares about me except a select few like Sakura, Sai, Shino, Hinata, Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Tenten, Lee, Pervy sage, Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei and Grandma Tsunade. But that's so few people in this big village."

"What about me?" Sasuke asked. "Don't you think I'm your friend too?"

"Well I..." Naruto trailed off hanging his head not wanting to reveal his feelings to the raven.

"I care about you too Naruto!" The raven yelled in his face. Naruto fidgeted nervously. "Look Naruto, we're best friends and I care a great deal about you. I don't like seeing you hurting like this." The tears only flowed harder from Naruto's eyes. He didn't understand what Sasuke was saying. He had always assumed that the raven didn't really care much for him due to his cold attitude. The next thing that happened was even more unexpected.

The tears that flowed from the young fox's azure eyes caused something to tighten in Sasuke's chest and before he knew what he was doing he pulled the fallen angel to him and wrapped his arms around his smaller frame. Naruto stiffened for a moment before relaxing and crying into the raven's chest for what seemed like hours. After a considerable amount of time Sasuke noticed that the little blonde angel's breathing had slowed to a steady pace and he had fallen asleep. The raven picked the other boy up effortlessly and carried him to his bed. Not wanting to leave him alone in his state afraid he would try to hurt himself again Sasuke tried to lay the boy down but he had a death grip on Sasuke's shirt. Sasuke gave up trying to get himself free not wanting to wake the blonde so he just lay next to him holding him close to his chest as he spent the night worrying about the blonde angel in his arms.　

Naruto woke up feeling extremely safe and warm. He wasn't sure why but he wasn't in the mood to question it either. Still feeling tired the blonde snuggled closer to the heat source and fell comfortably back to sleep.

Sasuke could feel the blonde snuggling farther into his chest. He smiled down at the smaller boy knowing he was going to have to get up before Naruto woke again not wanting to cause an awkward feeling. After about 10 minutes when he was sure that Naruto had fallen back to sleep Sasuke quickly maneuvered himself out of the young fox's grasp. Naruto only stirred for a moment before settling back down. Sasuke noted the look of fear and discomfort on the blonde's face. The raven didn't know why but it was displeasing to see Naruto with such a look on his angelic face. Brushing it off Sasuke decided he would cook the blonde some breakfast before waking him.

Naruto's cabinets and refrigerator was pretty close to empty. Nothing suitable for a meal was to be found. Not wanting to leave Naruto by himself he decided to call Sakura to bring some food for them. Maybe they could figure out what to do about Naruto together. He took out his cell phone and dialed her number.

"Hey Sakura?" he said.

"Sasuke? What you need? she said unsure.

"I'm at Naruto's. I'll explain later but do you think you could pick up some things for breakfast and come over?" The raven asked unsure if she would cut school for this.

"Sure thing I'll be right there, Sasuke." she said without hesitation. "One more thing though."

"Yeah?" he said unsure.

"Should I be worried?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said solemnly.

"Be right there," she said before hanging up.

Sasuke sat at Naruto's table waiting. It didn't take the pinkette long to get there with a bag of groceries. Sasuke followed Sakura into the blonde's small kitchen area and set out to cook the food the pinkette had brought.

"Ok, now tell me what's going on? Where's Naruto?" She asked a little franticly.

"He's sleeping," Sasuke told her. "I came over last night and he was trying to cut himself."

"WHAT!" Sakura yelled. Sasuke quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

"Shh!" Sakura nodded under the raven's hand and he let her go.

"He's been acting depressed. He said no one cares about him except for us and our friends. He didn't even include me..." Sasuke told the pink haired girl.

"Wow, that's crazy Naruto looks up to you the most." she mused.

"Yea, I told him I cared too and he started crying of all things," the Uchiha explained.

"What's making him like this?" Sakura asked.

"The villagers are starting to make there dislike for him more known," Sakura looked puzzled. "You know of the nine-tails, the villagers have always been uneasy around him. Yesterday they threw rocks at him on his way home. He has a huge bruise on his face."

He could see the flames flicker in Sakura's eyes when she heard this. If it wasn't for the sake of keeping quiet so the blonde could sleep in peace she would have exploded.

"So you spent the night here?" she asked changing the subject.

"Yeah," He decided to tell the pinkette the secret he had been harboring since his return to Konoha. "Sakura, I have something to tell you."

Sasuke spent all of 30 minutes explaining to Sakura about his feelings for Naruto and what had happened the night before while making them all bacon, hash browns, eggs and toast. Sasuke went to wake the still sleeping blonde while Sakura set the table and set out the food.

Naruto woke up to the feeling of someone shaking him gently; groggily the blonde opened his azure eyes. Blinking a few times he realized someone was shaking him awake. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust and recognize the raven haired Uchiha standing over him.

"Sasuke?" he asked unsure if he was dreaming.

"Yea dobe," Sasuke answered. "Do you remember last night?"

"Yeah, I remember," the blonde said hanging his head.

"I told Sakura, I thought she should know since she's part of our team and all."

The blonde only nodded. That was what he had feared the most: Sasuke telling people.

"Don't worry Naruto, we won't tell anyone else." Sakura said standing in his door way. "But you should let us talk to Lady Tsunade. You know she would want to help you." Naruto nodded again absently and before he knew it Sakura had crossed the room and was pulling himself and Sasuke into a group hug which made Naruto smile.

They headed into Naruto's small dining room where they sat at his table together and ate the food that Sasuke had cooked.

"Wow, this is good!" Naruto said his normal demeanor returning to him. "Who cooked it?"

"Sasuke did," Sakura said happy that her friend was becoming his old self again.

"Really? I didn't know you could cook teme," he said looking at the Uchiha.

"Hn, there's a lot you don't know dobe," his sneer also returning now that his best friend's life wasn't in immediate danger.

"Whatever Teme!" Naruto yelled in the raven's face.

"Naruto cut it out and sit down!" Sakura yelled at the blonde who made a face before sliding back into his seat.

They finished the meal in silence. Two hours and a lot of convincing later team 7 was on their way to see the Hokage about Naruto. The blonde didn't know what to expect when he got there and they told the old woman what had happened and what he had done to himself. He knew she was going to be pissed though. They entered Tsunade's office; she was sitting behind her desk looking bored.

"Look Naruto I don't have any missions right now," she told him annoyed.

"This isn't about missions Mi'lady," Sakura assured her.

"Then what is this about?" She asked still sounding rather annoyed. "And what happened to your face Naruto? Have you and Sasuke been fighting?"

"No, Grandma Tsunade," Naruto said still not looking her in the eye. "I got hit in the face with a rock… yesterday when I was headed home people started throwing rocks at me…"

"What! What people did this, tell me!" she demanded. Naruto only lowered his head farther before answering in a low almost inaudible voice.

"Everyone…" he said. Tsunade looked furious.

"That's not all Mi'lady," Sakura said in a quite concerned voice. "Last night Sasuke found Naruto trying to hurt himself. He was really depressed…"

Tsunade looked troubled and furious at the same time. She couldn't understand why the happy go lucky boy in front of her was falling into a depression but she had a feeling it had to do with a certain nine tailed fox.

"Naruto why would you?" Tsunade started to ask but stopped when she saw the blonde shaking. He looked up then and she could see tears threatening to fall.

"Alright here's what I'm going to do," She stated. "Naruto you are suspended from missions for a month, if you don't get better within that time it could be extended."

The tears finally spilled over and he couldn't stop from showing more weakness. He was furious with himself. This was his second time showing his weakness to the raven he admired the most. How could he face Sasuke now?

"Sakura, please go inform Kakashi that Naruto will not be going on missions for a while. You may tell him the truth but only him and make sure he knows there will be consequences if this gets spread around the village," Tsunade explained. "That's the last thing Naruto need right now."

"Hai!" Sakura said before leaving the office to find her former sensei. Naruto felt beyond ashamed of himself knowing that this many people knew. At least he wouldn't have to face anyone for a month he thought.

"Sasuke!"

"Yes ma'am," the raven said turning to the Hokage and straightening his posture.

"I have a mission for you," she said. "I want Naruto to live with you until he's better. I want him under your care and observation,"

"But grandma Tsunade! I can take care of myself!" Naruto protested. He didn't want to be around Sasuke of all people. He knew the boy would see this as an opportunity to indulge in his pain.

"Obviously you can't, Naruto!" Tsunade yelled at him. "If you could this wouldn't have happened."

"You wouldn't understand…" Naruto said quietly hanging his head once again.

"Maybe not but we're all willing to try," she said more kindly. Naruto shook his head. "Fine, Sasuke Uchiha!"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Do you accept this mission?" she asked.

"Hai!" he said.

"Thank you; take Naruto to his house to collect his things. I want him to rest today and tomorrow I want him at the hospital for an examination first thing in the morning."

"Yes, ma'am." Sasuke said before turning and leaving with a defeated Naruto in tow.

Naruto walked silently to his apartment with the raven at his side. They reached his home and went inside where Naruto proceeded to pack some of his clothes and favorite orange blanket that Jiraiya had gotten him for his birthday. He grabbed his school bag since he didn't know if he was to return to school or not. He gave his apartment one last glance before locking it up and leaving with Sasuke.

It didn't take them long to walk to Sasuke's house on the Uchiha compound. It was a big house but it didn't surprise Naruto. He knew Sasuke had inherited a lot since he was the sole member of his clan. The raven lead him into the house and up the stairs.

"This is where you'll sleep, my rooms right across the hall." Sasuke said as he led Naruto into the room. It was large as was to be expected. Naruto just nodded absent mindedly. "Are you going to be ok, Naruto?" the raven asked with concern.

"You don't have to act nice to me Sasuke, I've been through worse and I've always bounced back." Naruto said. "This is no different." Sasuke nodded not really convinced.

"I'll let you unpack then," he said before swiftly leaving the room.

Once the dark haired Uchiha was out of sight Naruto felt himself slip to the floor landing with a soft thud. He was so scared of what was happening to him he was shaking. Nothing had prepared him for this time in his life. He had always pulled off the happy goof ball with not a care in the world. Iruka-sensei was the only one that knew of Naruto's true suffering but even the teacher didn't know the full extent of it. Gathering his strength Naruto picked himself off the floor and unpacked his things and laid his blanket on the bed. After a while Naruto ended up curling up on the big bed and fell asleep.

Sasuke ran to answer the door. Someone was pounding on it pretty hard and the Uchiha had a pretty good guess of who it was. He yanked the door open with a pissed off look on his face. One the other side stood an very pissed and concerned Kakashi-sensei.

"Where is he?" the copy ninja asked letting himself in.

"He's in his room right now," Sasuke answered a little annoyed that he didn't wait to be let in. None the less he led his concerned Sensei to Naruto's room.

Sasuke knocked lightly on the door but there was no answer so he cracked the door open and peeked inside. He looked around till he saw Naruto's small figure curled up into a ball on the bed.

"He's sleeping," Sasuke whispered to Kakashi so he wouldn't wake the blonde. Kakashi nodded but pushed past the raven none the less and entered the room.

Kakashi stood over Naruto looking down at the sleeping boy with concern in his eyes. He couldn't even begin to think of what the blond must have gone through to make him hurt this bad. Naruto didn't look his normal happy self and his skin had taken on a paler shade probably due to blood loss.

"Why would you do this Naruto?" Kakashi asked the sleeping kitsune in a hushed tone. His eyes widened when heard the sleepy reply.

"I guess I did it to make the mental pain stop..." Naruto answered sleepily. "So much pain... I couldn't take it anymore... I just wanted it to end..." silent tears slipped down the blonde's face. Naruto's tears weren't the only ones present however. Sasuke stood at the door with tears streaming down his pale face. Kakashi sighed and sat on the bed with his favorite knucklehead ninja and pulled him into a tight hug.

"We're all here for you Naruto, if you need to release some pain... you need to come to us; your friends, your team and your family." Kakashi told the sobbing blonde in his arms.

"I'm sorry... Kakashi-sensei, I didn't mean to cause so much trouble." Naruto said.

"Your no trouble at all dobe," the raven answered before his sensei got the chance. In a moment he was across the room holding on to the blonde along with their sensei.

"Sasuke's right Naruto," said a voice from the door way. Naruto looked to the voice with blurry eyes. There stood all his friends. It was Sakura who spoke of course. Naruto whimpered at the knowledge of some many knowing.

"I thought Tsunade wasn't going to tell!" Naruto shouted angry.

"She didn't, some villagers who heard the commotion last night started spreading rumors." Kiba said apologetically. Naruto hung his head in defeat.

One by one his friends filed into the room to comfort their friend. Naruto hugged them all in turn. Eventually they ended up in Sasuke's living room. Naruto clung to the raven most of the time but he didn't care, he needed the comfort of his best friend. After Naruto had told them what was going on and about his cutting they comforted him best they could. No one could blame Naruto for his actions. They made it clear to the blonde that they weren't mad and they didn't think of him as a freak. He was still their same Naruto, a hyper little knucklehead. After the emotional moment was over they decided on spending the day with their friend at the Uchiha mansion except Kakashi who left to inform Iruka of the situation with Naruto's permission.

Choji, Sai, Ino, Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata went to the kitchen to make some dinner for everyone. While Naruto, Sasuke, Lee, Neji, Shikamaru, Shino and Kiba hung back in the living room talking more about the things their blonde friend was going through and about the Kyuubi no Kitsune that was locked inside of Naruto.

"So all these years none of us knew huh?" Kiba said in amazement. The others nodded.

"Hard to believe huh?" Naruto said lightly.

"Yeah, but your still the same Naruto, man" Kiba assured him. Agreements rang through them.

"We should all go out, you know relax, dance, release some of this youthful tension!" Lee suggested. "I wish to dance with my lovely Sakura!"

"Oh yeah, she finally said yes to you didn't she?," Naruto mused.

"Yes, she has made me the happiest man on earth!" Lee said with hearts in his eyes. Naruto and the others chuckled at the boy.

"It sounds like fun though. I can take Hinata," Kiba said with a smile.

"Lucky you, my girl's in Suna still, what a drag..." Shikamaru said lazily.

"Still dating Temari then huh?" Shino asked.

"Yea, what about you? Didn't you and Sai get together recently?" Shikamaru asked Shino who nodded.

"Don't feel too bad Shikamaru. My boyfriend is in Suna as well. I should have to write Gaara soon about his next visit though," Neji said thoughtfully.

"I'm glad you two finally got together, you're perfect together." Naruto said.

"Yea, looks like you and Sasuke are the only ones who haven't found someone." Neji mused. Sasuke raised a brow in question.

"Tenten's with Kankuro now and Choji and Ino finally got together," Shikamaru explained. Naruto chuckled weakly.

"Well I'm happy for them," Naruto said with a genuine smile. He let out a sigh and leaned back farther into Sasuke, whose lap he had been sitting on. He was so tired from all the events in the last few days and the blood loss that he wasn't even trying to hide his feelings for Sasuke from the raven or anyone else. Sasuke didn't seem to mind though, he just smirked and wrapped his arms tightly around the dobe's waist. Soon Naruto was drifting off to sleep.

"You two look like you could be happy together," Shino commented. Sasuke sighed. Of course he would be happy with the dobe, but would the dobe be happy with him? Sasuke looked down lovingly at the blonde bundle in his arms.

"He's in love with you too, you know." Shikamaru said. The Uchiha raised a brow at the lazy shirker. "You'd have to be blind not to see it Uchiha."

"Shikamaru is right. Everyone can tell that you two are in love with each other. Neither of you want to make the first move fearing the other won't feel the same thus ruining your friendship," Neji said. The Hyuuga sure new how to put things bluntly.

Before Sasuke could reply the girls and Sai and Choji came in with food. They had made some sushi and ramen for Naruto. Sasuke smiled at this. He gently shook his blonde awake and told him it was time to eat. Naruto yawned and thanked them for cooking before wolfing down his food.

"So we were thinking of going out tomorrow night or something," Kiba told the others.

"Oh, that sounds like fun. And I heard from Tsunade that Gaara, Temari and Kankuro are going to be arriving from Suna in the morning." Sakura informed excitedly.

"That's awesome. I've missed Kankuro so much," Tenten mused. Shikamaru and Neji agreed the same thing about Temari and Gaara.

They spent the rest of the night talking. Naruto had almost forgotten why they were really there. He was happy for once. Not long after everyone started leaving Naruto feel asleep once again in Sasuke's arms. The raven picked up the smaller boy and brought him to his room and laid him on his bed and left after covering Naruto with his orange blanket.

"Night dobe," He whispered.

"Night… teme…" was the whispered response before he heard Naruto's breathing even out again.

The next couple of days were hectic for the blonde kitsune. He had seen Tsunade-baa-chan for his check up. She concluded that he was healing just fine physically and mentally. Sasuke had stood outside the Konoha hospital examination room the whole time. He was worried but as usual he hid it well. Gaara had arrived that same day and he had spent the majority of the day with Naruto talking about everything in Naruto's room. The raven would have been jealous if he hadn't already known the Sand Kage was in a serious relationship with Neji. After a long time Gaara finally left after the blonde nin fell asleep. He gave Sasuke a reassuring nod before leaving to the Hyuuga compound.

After taking a couple much needed days off from the social scene they decided it was time to get Naruto out of the house once more. The rookies and team Gai's plan to go dancing had been postponed with all of Naruto's hospital visits. Sasuke had also been helping Naruto keep up with school even thought he wasn't attending. While Sasuke didn't leave the blonde alone to attend himself, Sakura was kind enough to pass along assignments from Iruka and the other senseis' completely understanding Sasuke's mission and Naruto's reason for not attending. Tonight however they had decided that it was time for Naruto to get back around people. They were going to Club Shuriken which was an all shinobi club so there wouldn't be anyone who hated the kitsune there.

"Are you sure about this Sasuke?" Naruto asked from the bathroom where he was changing into the clothes the raven had given him.

"Yes dobe, you'll look fine." Sasuke assured him. An audible sigh could be heard from the other side of the bathroom door causing the raven to smirk. Naruto came out of the bathroom slowly and Sasuke felt his breath catch in his throat upon seeing the blonde. Naruto was wearing a tight form fitting plain white tee shirt and a pair of slightly loose back jeans that hung naturally on his waist with a black belt that was unlooped through the jeans. His shirt rose up enough to show a hint of Naruto's curvy hips. A pale purple unzipped hoodie fell loosely off his shoulders giving him a hint of innocence. Around his neck sat a necklace with seven long crystals hanging from it. His spiky blonde hair fell all the more untamed around his angelic face without his ninja headband on. Finally noticing the raven's reaction Naruto felt all the more unsure of himself.

"Does it look bad?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Bad? Oh no quite the opposite dobe," Sasuke assured. Naruto smiled and the action took Sasuke's breath away once again.

"You don't look so bad yourself teme," Naruto said as his eyes looked the raven over. The raven was wearing a white long sleeve dress shirt that only had the one middle bottom done up to show off his well toned chest and black jeans that has one red and white outlined strip going a few inches down the front. Sasuke's red boxers hung partially out of the top of his jeans but not enough for it to look bad.

"Let's get going," Sasuke said. "They're going to meet us there I guess." Naruto nodded and followed the raven out the door.

Club Shuriken was booming with a loud mixture of music, talking and laughter. Sasuke and Naruto made there way to a large semi-circle booth towards the back of the club where the rest of their friends were seated. Everyone pushed over allowing room for the boys to sit in the now cramped booth.

"I'm glad you finally decided to come Naruto!" Sakura cheered. Everyone nodded and commented in agreement.

"Tsunade says your doing a lot better now," Kiba commented. Naruto nodded giving a small smile.

"Well come on guys lets get to dancing!" Ino shouted over the music. Sakura and Temari stood up with her.

"I think I'll sit this one out, I want to get a drink." Shikamaru said lazy as ever. In the end it was Sakura, Lee, Ino, Temari, Gaara, Neji and Naruto who made their way to the dance floor while the rest of group stayed behind and ordered them all drinks. 'Just A Little Faster' by There for Tomorrow came on as they reached the middle of the dance floor. They stayed close together for the most part. Naruto danced with Ino and Temari swaying his hips in rhythm to the music,. Shikamaru and Choji soon came to take over for him which Naruto didn't mind. That's how he ended up in the middle of Gaara and Neji. Naruto was too caught up in the music to care they were grinding against him from both sides while giving each other knowing looks and glancing over to a very pissed looking Uchiha.

Sasuke sent his best Uchiha death glare to Gaara and Neji who both seemed unaffected by it. He watched as the pair grinded with his blonde, who was obliviously swaying his hips to the beat in a sexual manner. His blonde hair bouncing with his fluid body movements. Sasuke couldn't take it anymore, he stood and stalked over to the dance floor as the song ended and the next one started up. He recognized the song as 'Burn it to the Ground' by Nickel Back. It was a perfect beat for him to release his pent up tension.

Seeing the raven approaching Gaara and Neji backed away from Naruto who looked confused until he saw Sasuke. 'Is he going to dance with me?' Naruto wondered to himself. His thoughts were answered when the Uchiha pulled Naruto to him and whispered into the blonde's ear.

"Dance with me?" he asked gently hoping the blonde wouldn't refuse but knowing he wouldn't force him to. His worries were unfounded however when the kitsune nodded as a small pink blush covered the bridge of his nose which caused the raven to smirk.

Naruto swayed his hips to the beat until Sasuke grabbed them and pulled the blonde closer to him. The two started to grind their hips together to the beat. Sasuke turned Naruto around so that he was grinding into the smaller boys ass. Naruto didn't seem to mind so Sasuke rested his head on Naruto's shoulder and nuzzled his neck earning a giggle from the kitsune. They stayed like that for the rest of the song. Neither one saw the knowing looks on their comrades' faces as they smiled at the two boys. When the song ended they reluctantly broke apart.

"Thanks Sasuke," Naruto said in a breathy voice.

"For what?" Sasuke asked a little confused.

"For making me feel loved," Naruto said simply. Sasuke smiled warmly at the blonde before him.

"Dobe, you are loved," Sasuke said. Naruto cocked his head to the side. "By me," the raven clarified. Sasuke was happy to see the famous Uzumaki smile finally return to his blondes face.

"I love you too, teme." Naruto said in low voice. Sasuke smiled and wasted no time pulling Naruto into a kiss. It started out slow and gentle but became deeper and more passionate when Naruto put his arms around the raven's neck causing Sasuke to grab the kitsune's hips and pull him closer. They stayed like that, lost in each other for a minute before their burning lungs made them pull apart. They stood there in the middle of the dance floor panting for air.

"Want to go back home?" Sasuke asked once he caught his breath. Naruto nodded fiercely still unable to speak.

When the two teens were back at the Uchiha compound Naruto kicked his shoes off and shimmied out of his hoodie. He pulled his arms over his head stretching. He could still see the thin white scars on his wrist that Kyuubi refused to heal so they could serve as a reminder to the young kitsune. Sasuke noticed Naruto looking at the scars and wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist from behind.

"I really hate having them, you know." Naruto said quietly.

"At the risk of quoting a song, 'Scars remind us that the past is real.'" Sasuke told him. Naruto nodded understanding what Sasuke meant.

"What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger right?" Naruto said with a laugh.

"Hn," Sasuke said before turning Naruto around and pulling him into another deep passionate kiss. Sasuke ran his hand down Naruto's ass to the back of his thighs before pulling them upward making the blonde wrap them around his waist. The raven then carried the smaller boy to his bed room.

When they finally broke the kiss Sasuke was laying Naruto on his bed before he crawled on top of his blonde fox. Naruto looked up at the raven with excitement and a little bit of fear in his eyes.

"I'm going to make love to you, Naruto." Sasuke whispered lovingly into his ear. A shiver ran down Naruto's spine at the raven's words. Sasuke started by kissing Naruto's forehead and working his way down the blonde's face to his chin. From there he kissed a trail to the boy's neck where he stopped to nip and suck on it giving Naruto a hickie and marking the kitsune as his. Sasuke ran his hands up Naruto's shirt stopping to pay special attention to the boy's nipples. He flicked one with his thumb causing the smaller boy to shiver in pleasure and let out a light moan.

"Sas… Sasuke!" Naruto moaned as the raven further abused his nipples. Sasuke stopped long enough to lift the shirt over Naruto's head and toss it to the floor. Sasuke kissed down Naruto's chest kissing, licking and sucking each of the blonde's nipples in turn. Naruto arched into Sasuke at the pleasure the raven was giving him. Sasuke moved to kiss each of Naruto's wrists laying tender kisses on his scars causing the blonde's eyes to water at how loving Sasuke was being towards him.

Sasuke moved on to remove Naruto's belt and jeans. He slid them down Naruto's lean thighs and tossed them to the side like he had done the shirt. Naruto lay underneath the raven in just his orange boxers. Sasuke took in every inch of Naruto before giving a breathy sigh.

"Beautiful," he whispered as if anything louder would shatter the moment. A small blush made its way to Naruto's cheeks and he turned his head to the side in an effort to hide it from the raven. Sasuke grabbed his face gently and made Naruto face him. Naruto looked up into onyx eyes unsure of what to do but leaned upwards and caught Sasuke's lips in chaste kiss which the raven deepened before removing his own clothes so that he too was only wearing his red boxers.

Sasuke slipped his lovers boxers down to reveal his impressive length. Sasuke was a little surprised and couldn't help but ask.

"Why does Sai call you dickless?" Sasuke asked feeling no shame as Naruto's face flared red.

"How should I know?" Naruto yelled in distress causing Sasuke to chuckle. Sasuke let it go not wanting to upset the mood further but made a mental note to correct Sai of his assumptions later.

Sasuke flicked his tongue over the tip of Naruto's manhood causing the blonde to moan out loudly. Sasuke smirked before taking the length into his mouth.

"Gaahh! Sasu… oh Kami…" Naruto moaned as the raven licked and sucked on Naruto's cock. Naruto had never felt so much pleasure in his life as he was easily overwhelmed by it. His hands found the raven's hair and held tight to the black locks as Sasuke drove him insane with his mouth. "Kami! Sasuke I'm going to--" Naruto came into the raven's mouth before he could finish his sentence. Sasuke happily drank every drop before pulling away giving the tip one last lick.

He pulled Naruto into a deep kiss while reaching into his nightstand for a small bottle of lube. Sasuke coated three fingers before snapping the cap shut and turning his attention back to his blonde. Naruto squirmed when he felt one of Sasuke's cold lube covered fingers at his entrance.

"This is going to hurt a little, but it will get better I promise," the raven assured him. Naruto nodded his consent before Sasuke's finger entered him. Naruto squirmed at the discomfort.

"Are you ok?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded. Sasuke moved his finger around to loosen the tight ring of muscle. Once he felt Naruto was ready he inserted a second finger. Naruto hissed in pain and Sasuke could see his eyes watering. Sasuke kissed them away and whispered reassuring words into the blonde's ear in an effort to calm him. He scissored his fingers working out the tension in Naruto's muscles. He inserted the third finger and repeated his soothing actions while massaging the kitsune and searching for his sweet spot. Finally after a few minutes of searching Naruto cried out.

"AHHHHH!" he screamed seeing white. "THERE! Hit it again teme!" Sasuke happily obliged and continued to abuse Naruto's prostate till Naruto was on the edge before he pulled away. Naruto moaned at the loss. Sasuke smirked as he positioned himself between the kitsune's legs. He took the lube bottle once more and coated himself with a generous amount. He snapped the cap shut and discarded the bottle. Sasuke placed his hands behind his blonde's thighs and lifted them to give himself better access to the blonde's entrance.

"You ready?" Sasuke asked. Naruto took a deep breath before nodding. "I'm going to push it in fast; if I go slowly it will only hurt more ok."

"Ok," Naruto said. With that Sasuke drove his entire length into Naruto who screamed out in pain, tears streamed down his face. Sasuke stayed as still as he could to let Naruto adjust while kissing him and whispering comforting words once more. After what seemed like forever for the raven Naruto wiggled beneath him letting him know that he was ready.

Sasuke pulled out of Naruto slowly before ramming back into him hitting his prostate dead on.

"AHHHHH!" Naruto cried out arching his back forward. Sasuke hit the spot dead on every time. Sasuke quickened his pace slamming into the blonde's tight ass over and over again. Naruto was withering in pleasure underneath the raven and meeting his every thrust.

"Kami, Naruto you're so tight!" Sasuke moaned causing Naruto's face to flush further. Sasuke knew he wasn't going to last much longer so he wrapped his hand around Naruto's once again hard cock and pumped it in time with his own thrusts causing the blonde to see white once again.

"AAAHHHH! SASU….SASUKE!" Naruto screamed before covering himself and Sasuke with his hot cum. Sasuke soon followed pouring his hot seed into Naruto's tight ass. After catching their breath Sasuke pulled out of the blond and collapsed beside him. The raven pulled Naruto into his arms and held him close putting kisses in his dobe's hair.

"I love you Naruto," Sasuke whispered into Naruto's hair.

"I love you too Sasuke," Naruto said with a yawn.

Naruto nuzzled the raven's neck contently. Sasuke smiled sleepily at the action and pulled the blonde tighter to him. After a few moments Sasuke pulled the covers over them and they fell asleep in each others arms knowing that everything was going to be alright, even if only for a moment.

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