*A/N Uh...er...um... yea, I really don't have excuses. Even though I'm back in school and have drumline and recently got a job. Not a lot of extra time. But! I have a chappie for you right here! Hope I haven't lost too many readers. This is a bit longer than I'm used to, but I do want to write longer chapters. Also, the lyrics are the song Gravity of Love by Enigma. I do not own. But I'm in love with it! Had it looped on repeat while I wrote. Extremely lovely song. I don't think I've ever mentioned that none of my stories are beta'd so any mistakes are from me not having caught them after I revise. Sorry about that. And sorry for ranting! Gah!! Go on and enjoy now! ^_^*

Sasuke was sitting at his desk, a particular song set on replay on his Ipod. The lyrics resonated through his head, along with the swimming image of a certain blond.

"O Fortuna velut Luna" ["O Fortune like the Moon"]

Turn around and smell what you don't see
Close your eyes ... it is so clear
Here's the mirror, behind there is a screen
On both ways you can get in.
Don't think twice before you listen to your heart,
Follow the trace for a new start.
What you need and everything you'll feel
Is just a question of the deal.
In the eye of storm you'll see a lonely dove
The experience of survival is the key
To the gravity of love.

"O Fortuna velut Luna"

The path of excess leads to the tower of Wisdom

The path of excess leads to the tower of Wisdom

Try to think about it...
That's the chance to live your life and discover
What it is, what's the gravity of love

"O Fortuna velut Luna"

Look around just people, can you hear their voice
Find the one who'll guide you to the limits of your choice.
But if you're in the eye of storm
Just think of the lonely dove
The experience of survival is the key
To the gravity of love.

"O Fortuna velut Luna"
"O Fortuna velut Luna"

As the song began to repeat again, a sudden throbbing came over Sasuke's head. He glared down at the scholarship essay he was writing before realizing the throbbing was actually the door of his room being pounded on. He paused the song and turned his glare to the door. "What?" he snapped loudly.

"Sasuke, something horrible happened! Naruto's in the hospital!" came his mother's worried and high-pitched voice. Sasuke froze, his face turning almost deathly pale. A softer knock followed by a quieter voice saying, "Sasuke?" Sasuke tore out of his chair and practically ripped the door from the hinges. "What the hell do you mean he's in the hospital?!"

Sasuke broke nearly every traffic rule in his attempt to get to the hospital in as little time as possible. It was a blessing it was such a lazy Friday afternoon and no cops were around. He pulled into the parking lot of the emergency entrance of the hospital. Barely making sure his car was locked down, Sasuke dashed into the hospital. He quickly went to the receptionist's desk and almost scowled when he saw Ino behind it. He hoped she wouldn't start squealing. When she turned toward him and smiled brightly, Sasuke was sure his fears would be realized.

"Oh Sasuke! I'm flattered you came all the way here just to see me!" Ino squealed, batting her eyelashes and pushing her long blond ponytail over her shoulder. Sasuke groaned and clipped, "No. I'm here for Naruto." Ino looked slightly taken aback until what he said registered fully in her mind. "Wait, Naruto? He doesn't work here… Oh me gawsh! That blond hair was so familiar! I'll look up his room. Just a sec, Sasuke."

Sasuke was relieved she understood the urgency of the situation, even if she only believed for the concern of a good friend. A few keystrokes later and Ino turned back to him, a small smile on her face and a shine in her eyes that made Sasuke a bit uneasy. "Well, he's not having any visitors just yet, but I can get the doctor for you." Sasuke nodded and thanked her before almost robotically moving away toward the waiting room near the entrance.

Once seated in one of the less than comfortable chairs, Sasuke wondered if he should contact Naruto's father. He was sure Minato would want to know about his son immediately. Slowly, he pulled out his cell phone and made the call.

Minato came bursting through the hospital door ten minutes later. The doctor who'd worked on Naruto, Dr. Shizune, was just beginning to tell Sasuke about Naruto's condition. When Minato spotted them, he hurried over. Dr. Shizune turned to him and smiled, putting her hand out to shake. "I'll assume you're the boy's father. I'm Dr. Shizune." Minato could only nod and shake the hand offered. Then he scratched the back of his head, not unlike Naruto, and asked, "How is he?"

Dr. Shizune smiled warmly and said, "As I was just about to tell this fervent young man here, Naruto will be fine. He's resting right now. He has a minor concussion. He'd lost quite a bit of blood before anyone found him. Head wounds are nasty. But he's all patched up now. Let me go do another once-over and if he's up to it, I'll let you see him." With that, she bowed and went back down the hall.

Minato let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding before sinking down onto a chair. Sasuke could do nothing but sigh in relief and sit down as well. After a few minutes of silence, Minato looked over at Sasuke and said quietly, "Thank you for calling, and coming here." Sasuke shrugged and gave the older Uzumaki a small smile. "He's my best friend. I'd do anything for him." Minato raised an eyebrow, never having heard such words from the rather stoic Uchiha. "Well, I'm glad to hear it!" Minato exclaimed, patting Sasuke rather roughly on the back, causing the unsuspecting Uchiha to pitch forward abruptly. So much like the blond he loved; terribly energetic and unconcerned with personal boundaries.

Naruto awoke with a horrible head ache. He groaned and attempted to sit up, but the world wouldn't stop spinning. With a grunt, he was able to turn his head enough to see who had opened the door when he heard it click. A woman with short black hair and kind eyes stepped in. "I see you're awake! How are you feeling?" she said with a smile. Naruto really wanted to ask why doctors always ask that question to their patience. Obviously, since I'm in a hospital, I can't be all too great. But he refrained from voicing his thoughts and just went with, "Head hurts, but I think I'm alright."

Dr. Shizune then introduced herself and helped the blond sit up. Then she asked him some questions and checked him over before telling him that there were people waiting outside to see him. With one last look at her clipboard, Dr. Shizune left Naruto alone. A few minutes passed before the door opened again to admit his father and Sasuke. The older Uzumaki smiled brightly at his son.

"Naruto, you cause me far too much stress! You'll make me old before my time," Minato chastised gently before going over and hugging Naruto. Naruto laughed as he returned his father's hug. "I'm sorry Dad. Promise to be more careful next time. I really would rather not experience such an awful headache ever again!" Sasuke snorted at that and that was when Naruto turned to finally see that the Uchiha was in the room.

Sasuke walked over and smirked at the blond. "Now, how exactly did you wind up in the hospital again, dobe?" Naruto blushed, remembering exactly he'd found his way into a hospital bed. Now that he thought about it, it was pretty careless and a bit pathetic. Sasuke thought he looked cute all embarrassed like that, but of course he wasn't going to say that out loud. Naruto refused to say anything, but Sasuke let it go. He'd find out one way or another.

Naruto stayed in the hospital through the weekend so that he could be monitored closely, in case there were any slow working side-effects or anything from his head injury. He was permitted to go home near midday on Monday. Sasuke had volunteered to pick him up, since Minato had to work and also because they had tutoring. They stopped by Subway to get two $5 sandwiches.

Back at Naruto's house, the boys sat at the table and Sasuke pulled out Naruto's homework for the week while Naruto himself sank his teeth into his sandwich. Sauce slid from the corner of his mouth. Sasuke, without a second thought, swiped it off and stuck his finger in his mouth. Naruto's cheeks grew a pink tint as he watched Sasuke slowly slide his finger back out of his mouth, a thoughtful look on the dark-haired teen's face. Naruto wondered if Sasuke knew just how freaking sexy that was. His cheeks darkened at the thought of something replacing that finger. Said something happily agreed and Naruto bit harshly into his sandwich.

"Hm, I'll have to order your sandwich next time for myself. The sauce is really good. Ok, so for your homework this week…" Naruto hardly registered a word of what Sasuke was saying. His eyes just focused on the moving lips, imagining them moving over his own skin, moaning and calling his name. Naruto stood up suddenly. Sasuke stopped talking abruptly and looked up at the blond with a raised eyebrow. Naruto muttered "Bathroom" before quickly leaving the kitchen.

A few hours later, Naruto waved good bye to Sasuke as the ebony haired male went on his way home. Sasuke got into his car and started the engine. His eyebrows furrowed together in deep thought. After Naruto got back from the bathroom, which he had seemed to be in for quite some time, he'd acted strangely. Well, stranger than normal anyway. He'd been extra loud and talkative, hardly giving Sasuke the chance to speak even when the tutor was trying to explain something to the thickheaded summer school student. It sort of irk him, but he didn't mind too mach. He liked Naruto's voice. Still, it was strange behavior.

Upon arriving home, Sasuke noticed three things. One was the smell of dinner cooking and the other was an extra pair of shoes where there should only have been his mother's by the door. The third thing was that the window that had previously been broken due to a rock crashing through it had been repaired. With a look of slight confusion, Sasuke placed his shoes at the entrance and went through the house to the kitchen. He got two of three answers as he stepped into the room. Mikoto was at the stove, stirring what looked like curry. Beside her, at the counter, was Itachi, cutting vegetables. At the sound of halting footsteps, the older two Uchiha turned to the kitchen doorway to find Sasuke staring at them.

Mikoto smiled and said, "Welcome home Sasuke." "I'm home," he replied and stepped further into the kitchen. He looked at Itachi, who caught his eye and gave him a playful smirk. "Where have you been, otouto?" Itachi said in a slightly teasing voice. Sasuke had to fight the urge to scowl at the tone as he said, "I was tutoring a friend. What are you doing here?" The playful smirk almost seemed to grow larger. "What? Can't I come around for dinner every once in a while? I don't think that was ever a crime." A little frown tugged at Sasuke's lips, but he just shrugged and left the room, saying that he wanted to put his stuff in his room.

Upstairs and in his bedroom, Sasuke tossed his bag near his desk and flopped onto the bed. That stupid Itachi always irked him for some reason. It's like his older brother lived to tease him and rile him up! So as not to think of his brother, Sasuke thought of the broken-but-now-fixed window downstairs. He had only noticed it now, but he was sure that either his mother or father should have brought it up some time ago. It was very strange. Honest as he was, he really didn't want to ask about it if it didn't seem big enough of a deal to bring up with him. So he cast the window out of his mind and replaced it with a teen with sun blond hair and ocean blue eyes.

There was a banging sound resonating through Sasuke's skull. Thinking that he must have dozed off, Sasuke groaned and rubbed his eyes as he got up from the bed. "Sasuke, dinner's ready, come on down!" Mikoto called through the door before she walked away. Sasuke stretched a bit ran his fingers through his hair before heading to the door. However, he stopped at the sight of an envelope taped to it. Looking around, Sasuke tore the envelope from his door and opened it. Inside were another photo and another note. The photo was one of Naruto sleeping in the hospital. His golden hair lay like a halo on the pillow and his face was relaxed and peaceful. Strong, tan arms lay on the crisp whit sheets, an IV tube in one of them. It was such a simple photo but Sasuke blushed nonetheless. He loved Naruto's sleeping face. It was practically the only time the blond looked so at ease.

With a small smile, Sasuke placed the photo in his desk drawer, next to the one with a shirtless Naruto, and began to read the note:

I'm glad our little blond friend was unharmed. How sweet of you to show such concern, running right to him when you heard the news. You're getting quite bold, Sasuke. Play nice with Naruto, lest he finds himself in a much worse situation.

Sasuke growled. Who the hell was toying with him? With him and Naruto? This game was seriously beginning to get on his nerves. Sasuke scrunched up the letter and threw it in the waste bin before opening his bedroom door and going downstairs for dinner. Little did he know that the game was just about to get even better.

*Squee! Aren't I the best? No, no I'm not. But, I'd like to think I don't totally suck. Just something I'd like to mention is that I'm mixing Japanese culture with American culture. Yea, I know I'm weird. They live in Japan and have an almost American lifestyle. Wtf? You'll read more of this culture clash as the story progresses. Not sure how long this will be but I hope not to exceed 20 chapters. Hope, but I tend to write more than I mean. Gah! I'm ranting again! Sorry. Well, R&R please! Trust me, it does give me inspiration and motivation. Besides, it's almost my birthday! 3/8 Until next time, ja ne! ^_^*