Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, just borrowing them.

Warnings: No beta, so the grammatical errors are mine. This chapter has some cussing, nothing serious, but cussing none the less.

Reviews: Thank you guys for the sweet and very encouraging reviews. They mean a lot to me and give me the push I need to keep writing, and I am very much in debt to you for that. Much love!

Summary: When Naruto falls deathly ill, a dark stranger visits him in the dark of night in an attempt to save him.

Heavily lidded eyes slowly worked open, fluttering open only to see through blurred irises. A sigh escaped him and he took a shaky breath before pouring all of his strength into lifting his trembling hands to his eyes, and then rubbing away the blurriness that hindered his ability to see his surroundings.

It was then that he noticed something heavy, wet, and warm lying against his forehead. He dazedly guessed it was a cloth to help bring down his raging fever. It smelled sweet and he wondered what herbs it had been dipped in to aid in his fight against the illness. Perhaps Iruka, Kakashi, and Sakura had made it back already. The fevered young man felt the cloth slip but did not bother to stop its descent; his arms were already too tired from their small journey to his eyes.

His thoughts wandered to the bizarre dream he'd had, one that had undoubtedly sent some unpleasant memories bubbling to the forefront of his mind. It played like a movie inside his head and made his heart twinge in grief.

"It was just a dream," he muttered to himself as he rubbed harshly at his eyes, ignoring the wetness that had shown up there. He rubbed hastily, dropping his hands limply by his sides once the haziness dissipated.

Blue eyes widened in sudden realization once his eyes took in the room before him. His eyes were like a slingshot around the space, his eyes darting everywhere like a scared animal. This small, dimly lit room was not one he recognized and with a small squeak or horror he realized all at once that seeing his once-best-friend, was not a dream at all.

A quick examining of the room revealed very little about his actual location. The room was furnished with elegant, but incredibly simple furniture. There was a dark red oak nightstand to his left and beside it was a rocking chair in the exact same shade. On the opposite side of the room stood a bookshelf that was littered with many transcripts, and next to that was a large window. Naruto wished he could see what lay beyond the curtains, but he was too weak to get up and investigate. He doubted his legs would be able to carry him that far.

The walls were painted a tree bark brown that blended perfectly with the few furnishings. Finally, a fireplace sat across the room from him, the bright orange light dancing and the burning wood crackled in delight.

Naruto couldn't drown out his shock, so he gaped openly. He would have jumped to his feet, demanding what was going on if his body would have permitted it. Even with the peak in interest he could feel the exhaustion of his body, his mind following suit.

"Tch. Dobe," the deep voice sounded beside the fireplace. A familiar figure stood in the open doorway Naruto hadn't noticed until now. "If you don't stop gaping like a fish your face might get stuck that way."

Azure eyes bore into coal ones, and Naruto didn't try to stop the sneer that erupted from his mouth. "What am I doing here Teme? And where the hell is 'here'?" Naruto demanded, trying to appear stronger that he was with the illness that rushed through his veins.

Sasuke's face remained impassive as he moved deeper into the room until he was standing next to the bed Naruto occupied. He gracefully took a seat in the rocking chair and picked up the damp cloth lying next to Naruto's head before dipping it into the onyx wash bowl sitting upon the nightstand.

Naruto wasn't surprised when Sasuke dropped the wet fabric onto his forehead, making a splat noise as it connected with his damp skin. The blond knew it was just an attempt to raise his ire, and not too long ago he would have rose to the challenge, but not with weary swept so deeply into his bones, he couldn't find the energy to care. "Bastard…" was the only insult he could muster.

The lack of venom didn't go unnoticed by the last Uchiha; a nearly nonexistent frown marred the pale skin that was usually impassive. "Pathetic."

The sick blond rolled his eyes. What did he expect anyway? He was on his deathbed. Getting upset and violent would only be counterproductive to what he was trying to do. "What Sasuke, not the reaction you were hoping for?"

A glare was his answer and Naruto shot him a bored look. "If it makes you feel any better, if I had the energy I would get up and kick your miserable ass."

This time a snort answered him. "As if, dobe. Even in perfect health you wouldn't be able to make a mark."

"Whatever," Naruto replied, brushing off the insult and sinking deeper into the blankets and pillows he was swathed in. He wasn't going to be bated by the insult, he was too tired and he didn't care anymore. He just wanted to go home and die peacefully within the confines of Konoha. "Take me home teme."

"No," Sasuke replied, a dark edge tingeing his voice. "Not until you start fighting so that the damn medicine can start working, dobe."

Naruto wasn't sure if it was out of desperation or plain weariness at this situation, but his anger flooded to the surface as tears sprung to his eyes. He didn't want to die in some foreign place with someone who was trying to save him purely out of guilt. "Why? Why do you care so much? You never have before. So what if I want to die? I am doing you a favor; I am doing everyone a favor."

Apparently Sasuke had reached his limit as well. His face, so usually impassive became a mask of anger, and he was standing before he could get a hold of himself. "You're a coward Naruto!" he shouted angrily. He gracefully dodged the wet rag that came flying at his head, hearing it splat as it collided with something behind him. "You missed," he ridiculed lowly.

"I am not the one who ran away Sasuke." Naruto didn't know where the sudden burst of strength came from, but he managed to slide off the bed and climb to his feet to stand chest to chest with Sasuke. "You ran away from everything! From people who care about you, from people who wanted to see you do great things with your life. To watch you help the people of Konoha, protect them. But you ran away."

"Those people had a hand in destroying my family," Sasuke yelled back, venom entwining itself in his voice as the words flew from his lips.

Naruto's eyes widened a bit before dipping into tiny slits. He could feel his cheeks burning with fever, anger, and if he thought about it, probably embarrassment. "Yeah? Well they have tried destroying me too teme."

The blonde watched as the words sunk into Sasuke's brain, watched the realization float over his eyes.

They were on even ground. Both had been irreparably damaged by the place, the people that they cared for and fought to protect. It was a betrayal that cut like a sharp knife; the knowledge was a deafening blow.

"Then why do you care so much about them?" Sasuke asked, his voice returning to its normal octave.

"Because not all of them are bad Sasuke. In fact, most of them are good people who just don't understand. Fear is something that paralyzes people; the thing inside of me is a great motivator for that. I have seen the possibility of great things in our village, and I can't ignore that. It's something that needs to be protected."

Naruto watched Sasuke for a moment, trying to place any emotions that may flicker across his dark eyes. He hated how the Uchiha was so good at hiding himself from everyone. He was incredibly hard to read.

"Why then?"

Naruto knew exactly what Sasuke was referring to but couldn't help but to ask, "Why what?"

"Why don't you fight? You obviously have something to protect, so why not fight to protect it? What about Iruka, Sakura, or Kakashi? What about Gaara, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. You're just going to leave them behind too?"

The blond shook his head, his soul reminding him why he couldn't, or wouldn't fight for his life anymore. "I have fought for them for a long time Sasuke, since Kyuubi was sealed inside me. I am tired Sasuke and I can't do it anymore. I am ready to let go."

Pale hands wrapped themselves in Naruto's collar, pulling him until his nose was nearly touching the Uchiha's. "Fight it," Sasuke hissed at him before abruptly letting go.

Naruto managed to stay standing even though his weak legs trembled. "No. Don't you see that I can't?"

"Fight it damn you. You spent all of your life trying to be better than me, then fight again, fight now and show me damn it!" The flare of anger was back in Sasuke's eyes and Naruto couldn't look away as the fire glinted in them and made him seem even more intimidating.

"I don't want to," Naruto whispered. All the fight was draining out of him and his body felt like lead all of the sudden. He was exhausted, and he just wanted to lie down and sleep.

Looking into Naruto's red rimmed eyes elicited an emotion he refused to decipher. He didn't understand why the moron refused to fight now, especially when he'd been doing it his entire life. He knew the idiot had it in him; he just needed to unbury it and bring it to the surface. Sasuke just had to keep him alive long enough for the medicine…

Sasuke felt something in the air shift, and glanced down to see Naruto's eyes roll into the back of his head. With a silent sigh of frustration and practiced ease, he swept Naruto up into his arms as the blonds legs crumpled. "That went well," he muttered to himself.

The dark haired man gently placed Naruto on the bed, pulling the blankets up and covering the unconscious ninja with them. He placed his palm on the tan forehead and unconsciously winced at the heat emanating from there. "Moron," he uttered under his breath.

His eyes quickly scanned the small room, quickly landing on the wet rag that had been tossed at him. Sasuke picked it up and once again took his seat beside the bed, dipping the cloth into a combination of elder flowers, yarrow flowers, peppermint leaves, and hyssop leaf infused water in an attempt to bring down the raging fever.

Since bringing Naruto here hours before, Sasuke had fallen into a routine with him. He would sit in the rocking chair, dipping the cloth once it got too warm, stoking the fire and adding more wood. It would become too cramped and he would excuse himself into the other regions of the home where he would pace and wonder what the hell he was doing with his rival there.

Thinking about it had given him a headache, and then he had found Naruto awake. It was an unpleasant fight, one that undoubtedly would have ended in a physical fight had Naruto not been so weak and craving death as his only release. It had always been easier to exchange physical blows than words that dealt a more painful blow, but nothing had stopped them this time.

Sasuke was pulled from his reverie when Naruto's hand twitched. The dark haired man studied Naruto, took note at the dots of perspiration that dotted the tan neck and the pale cracked lips. He would have to make him drink the fever tea again soon before his body became too dehydrated.

"You are making this far more difficult than it has to be," Sasuke said aloud, nobody but him and the walls hearing the words before they floated off into night. He couldn't deny he was annoyed; it seemed to happen a lot when he was around the blond. How bothersome.

The air in the room changed again, and Sasuke knew Naruto had woken again.

"Sleep dobe, save your strength, I don't need you fainting like a woman again."

Naruto coughed and glared over at the man beside the bed. He felt truly awful and he knew the fever wasn't the only reason his cheeks were rosy, it was embarrassing that he had passed out during their argument.

The blond was beyond desperation now, he knew his time was running out, could feel it in his bones and terrified him that this place in unfamiliar territory would be his last memory.

"Sasuke, please take me home. I don't want to die here," he whispered brokenly. Tears dripped down his face, tickling his chin before dropping off. He wanted to go peacefully with his friends surrounding him, it wouldn't be so terrifying then.

The Uchiha merely raised an eyebrow, taking the cloth from Naruto's forehead and dipping it again before replacing hit. "You don't have to if you don't want to dobe; all you have to do is fight."

A grief filled sob erupted from Naruto's throat and he shook his head. "I am running out of time."

Sasuke nodded in agreement, "Then I suggest you fight so you can see Konoha and its people again."

"Damn it teme! Get out!"

The dark coal eyes met his again in challenge. "Make me."

Naruto struggled to sit up, but his arms were too weak to hold him up. He really was pathetic.

"Calm down Naruto, or you really will faint again. Besides, you are going to need that strength to get better," Sasuke scolded him like a mother would her disobeying child. "There is nothing you can do right now Naruto, so just lay back and rest maybe you'll be up for 'kicking my miserable ass' in the morning."

Naruto huffed but didn't say a word.

Sasuke leaned back, quite aware of blue eyes that tracked him. He picked up a worn book that rested beside the water basin, opening it in the middle.

Naruto's eyes opened wide as he read the title, 'The Savior of Dreams'. "You stole that!"

A smirk graced Sasuke's lips. "You aren't going to tell on me, are you?"

"Why would you steal that? Gorou was reading that to me."

Sasuke's shrug was almost invisible, but Naruto still caught the slight shift in his shoulders. "I am going read it out loud, and since you are here, you can listen to it until you fall asleep."

Naruto was too tried to argue, realizing that doing anything besides sleeping right now would be impossible. He huffed again and settled back; closing his eyes and listening to Sasuke's deep voice read line after line until it sounded like it was underwater and he felt himself slipping into a peaceful sleep.

He let the familiar voice chase him there.

TBC... Until next time, thank you for reading. Reviews are always a welcome treat, and I appreciate them. Thanks. ^_^