White Grains: Let's Go Home, Sasuke.

[Note: The Italized words are thoughts.]

Sandals skidded across stone, steps gaining speed. The turns seemed endless and the walls looked identical.

"Where are you?"

He wanted to scream, to tighten his fists until his palms bled, but he didn't.

He would never give up.

"Please be here!"

The heavy breathing of his two teammates echoed behind him, their footsteps stumbling occasionally. Slowing down was not an option, not when he was so close.

This time Sasuke will be coming home.

Naruto panted, his heart felt like it would burst out of his chest. Finally the last door came into view. They had just spent several hours checking Orochimaru's lair for familiar chakra, keeping in mind that Sasuke might be nearby. They went through every room, broke the doors down, tore into walls and hidden entrances, but there was no sign of the missing Uchiha.

Until now.

A sudden flare of chakra made the trio skid into a stop. The last door on the right looked like any other door they have seen in the lair, except the hidden traps and jutsu they sensed around it.

Sai made several seals and broke the first barrier.

A slow shuffling sound could be heard behind the door, the sound of bed sheets slowly hitting the floor. Naruto sucked in a deep breath and held it, his hand reaching out to touch the handle.

"Naruto, wait a minute I'm almost done with the last barrier" Sai warmed.

Naruto's eyes hardened "I've waited enough!" his body quivered with anticipation, he pulled his arm back then brought it to the door in a hard shove, instantly his sleeves burst into flames to the elbows. His expression was of agony but he didn't stop.

"Naruto stop it!" Sakura pulled at his shoulders. "No Sakura this is it!" with one more burst of chakra the door turned to ashes. The fire jutsu that was used to keep intruders out helped them in. that was strange in it-self, how can Sasuke be so careless?

Naruto felt heavy, as if his feet couldn't carry him. The Kyuubi was already healing the burnt flesh on his now exposed foearms, red chakra engulfed his arms as thin smoke ascended from his mending wounds, Sakura's hand remained on his shoulder as they stepped in cautiously, leaving Sai behind in the hallway preparing a signal justu that would summon the remaining leaf shinobi.

"The raid is a success" Sai scribbled down in his scroll, the strokes of his brush painted the words with swirls of dark ink. "Back-up may be needed, the Uchiha is located." With a poof the scroll was gone in smoke.

The sound of bed sheets being pulled alerted the blonde shinobi, his tense shoulders giving a jolt. "Sasuke…" he squinted into the darkness, not bearing the thought of his estranged best friend spending two years of his life in a windowless room alone.

Such a sorrowful room.

A soft grunt sounded as a silhouette approached. Walking with a stagger, a raven-haired young man came closer, his face encased in darkness. Naruto's shoulder hurt like hell and he realized that Sakura was putting insane pressure on it, she couldn't conceal her anxiety anymore. The open doorway at their backs allowed the torches in the hallway to illuminate some area around them, a few paces in front of them started a dark curtain of black.

The darkness is unbearable….

"Sasuke, how can you live like this?"

The words escaped his lips before he even thought about it. Sasuke stilled, his form swaying slightly. "Naruto, Sasuke-kun doesn't seem well, let's hurry up" her breath tickled his ear but he didn't even notice. There was something strange before him.

Sasuke walked into the light. A pale chest came into view, his head an inch or two above theirs, his right hand clutching the edge of a white bed sheet, while the other rested on Naruto's shoulder softly, seemingly to help the Uchiha balance himself.

Sakura's horrified gasp echoed in the empty expanse as she got a view of extremely pale skin and dull eyes circled with gray, the once mesmerizing smirk turned into an absent smile.

It was Naruto's turn to slap his palm over his gaping mouth.

The uchiha's eyes squinted as the corner of his lips tugged upwards.

Sasuke suddenly burst into insane laughter.