It was finally over.

Sasuke had finally done what he had been living to do since he was seven years old. Finally, his murderous, traitorous brother was dead. By his hand. There should have been some sort of satisfaction that came with that...right...? Well...there probably would have been, if it hadn't been for one person whom Sasuke could have least expected to change his life so drastically.

Naruto.

The blonde had found Sasuke, unconscious, laying next to Itachi Uchiha's cold, dead form with his black eyes staring up at the raining sky, blood trickling down the infamous brothers' faces like tears. Sasuke could barely remember hearing Naruto's voice calling over to two...or three...other people...who were they...? Kakashi? Sakura..? But that was all the Uchiha could recall in the moments after he had fallen parallel to the dead body of his brother.

Sasuke had been taken back to Konoha shortly after. The entire trip back was nothing but a blur to the raven, particularly since he had barely woken for any of the time spent running through trees. Apparently, if memory served, Naruto and Kakashi alternated carrying the Uchiha on their backs. Even after Sakura would heal the worst of his injuries during the short periods of rest the shattered remains of Team 7 took, Sasuke refused to wake.

Sakura had called the symptom something along the lines of "shock"...that Sasuke's mind was too burdened by the thought of finally killing Itachi and that his body had become unresponsive. That was bullshit, the Uchiha had immediately thought. He had been responsive enough to notice their actions, in small increments at least. Most of his time was spent thinking about his battle, his victory...alright, so maybe Sakura had been correct slightly.

Sasuke could remember one instance where the group had been attacked on their way back to Konoha. This instance stood out clear to his clouded mind because it was the first time he had seen Naruto angry. Or heard Naruto angry, whichever. Sasuke had seen, or heard, Naruto upset, happy, distressed, despaired. Every possible human emotion that Sasuke had failed to feel, except anger. Anger was the one thing Sasuke had felt that he had never heard Naruto exhibit.

Except for that day.

Whatever had ambushed them, Sasuke remembered being put down on what seemed to be a tree branch, the bark digging into his back while his left arm curled into his chest while he laid on it. There had been two distinct thunks that hit something solid just above his right ear, and the Uchiha had suspected kunai or shruiken or blades of some sort had been fired in his direction.

There had been the sounds of heavy, labored panting and flesh striking flesh, blades slicing through muscle and occasional grunts of pain. Sasuke remembered wanting to open his eyes, except they had felt so heavy. The noises reaching his ears had almost seemed like he was listening to the battle through water, or some sort of heavy substance. However, the one thing that Sasuke vividly recalled was what broke that muddled barrier on Sasuke's hearing.

There had been two loud thumps, like bodies striking the ground, and two voices...laughing. Then a growl that Sasuke instantly recognized...and unconsciously feared.

"You bastards!"

Whenever Sasuke recalled those two words, shivers would run down his spine at how much fury echoed in them. To this day the Uchiha didn't know what had happened. Only the snapping of muscle and bone had come to prove that whatever had happened, it seemed that Naruto was furious enough to...kill. Sasuke never heard of Naruto Uzumaki killing. Not when he was still in Konoha, not in the three years of training under Orochimaru. Never.

Perhaps that's why it came as such a shock to Sasuke.

Anyways...the rest of Team Seven's (and Sasuke's) journey proceeded relatively uneventful from Sasuke's point of view. He had been brought back to Konoha and stuffed away in the hospital, where apparently Sakura's theory of Sasuke's shock-induced coma or whatever was confirmed. It had annoyed Sasuke how those "doctors" talked about him like he wasn't laying in front of them.

It had irritated him even more how they refused to talk about Team Seven. Particularly one certain member on that team...Reality only then became gradually worse as the weeks following Itachi Uchiha's death came to pass.

Exactly one week passed since Team Seven had brought Sasuke back to Konoha teetering on the edge of death, with only his will and various machines keeping him alive when Sasuke managed to open his eyes for the first time. He remembered the first thing he saw was not grey clouds and the sound of splattering rain, like he last recalled, but a white ceiling and the humming of a heart monitor and the calm, even breathing off to his left.

As much as it had hurt like hell to move his head, Sasuke had managed to find the strength to turn his neck such that his eyes rested on the figure of none other than Tsunade herself, Fifth Hokage of Konoha. The last time Sasuke had seen her...hell, he hadn't been able to remember his last encounter with the former teammate of his "sensei", even though he refused to acknowledge Orochimaru as his proper teacher. There was just a lack for a better term in describing the man, it seemed.

The blonde woman had been sitting facing the Uchiha, arms crossed over her sizable breasts, her fingers clenched into loose fists. Her hazel eyes watched Sasuke with mild curiosity, expression smooth and guarded as she had uncrossed her legs to lean forward and observe the recently awoken boy.

Tsunade had seemed to...analyze Sasuke as her eyes trailed over his form, which as Sasuke had come to find was covered in bandages and various casts. His eyes had stayed locked on Tsunade's while she had continued to judge him before finally parting her red painted lips.

"I don't like you," the blonde had stated bluntly. Sasuke had blinked in slight surprise. He hadn't responded to that, only continued staring at the Hokage while she had watched him in return. "I don't care what Naruto says about you," Tsunade had said, "You've hurt him. You've hurt Sakura, Kakashi, the entirety of this village has been affected by your defection."

Sasuke had continued to remain passive while the Sannin had paused for breath. "Most of us have moved on. Except for Team 7. You, brat, seem to have a knack for turning Naruto from a slightly reasonable teenager to a down-right insane lunatic at the mere mention of your name. I don't like it." Sasuke remembered the woman frowning at him, and in response he simply didn't care at all. Words had ceased affecting him long ago.

"Needless to say, you can't stay in this hospital forever," she had continued, having leaned back in her chair while Sasuke had watched. "In your current state, you need someone to care for you after your initial release from the hospital, and if it weren't for Naruto I would just have you thrown into maximum security to rot away."

Sasuke still had refused to react to that statement, despite slight surprise coming from the fact that Naruto had stopped Tsunade from condemning Sasuke to prison for life. Not that he minded. Solitude always had suited Sasuke best. "As it stands right now, Naruto is willing to take you into his apartment and provide for you," Tsunade had then informed, and Sasuke had felt slightly more shocked from that.

"However, as soon as you are released, a seal will be placed on you that will restrict your chakra flow to almost nothing, including your Sharnigan. A tongue-binding jutsu will also be enforced so you cannot reveal any secrets Naruto is bound to tell you in your time staying with him, as well as to keep you from talking about the...incident from a week ago to anyone but myself and your former teammates, who feel they have a right to know what happened."

Anger had flared in Sasuke's mind. How dare those idiots think they could possibly deserve to hear about what Sasuke had done?! However, whatever Tsunade had seen in Sasuke's face had gone unnoticed in her next sentence. "Also, Naruto will be receiving a seal as well to stop him if you somehow place a genjutsu on him to let you go free. A puppet jutsu, if you will, so he can break it and stop you," she had informed.

Sasuke couldn't have cared less.

After that lovely one-sided conversation, Tsunade had left the room with just eight words leaving her mouth. "I don't like you, Sasuke Uchiha. Remember that."

Two more weeks passed without Sasuke seeing a familiar face. He remembered feeling grateful for that. But then he had been cleared for release. Dressed in nothing more but a black turtleneck and trousers most likely donated by Kakashi, since they had had a small notepad inside of them reminding the previous owner to go to a bookstore and purchase the newest "Come Come Paradise", Sasuke had been shoved into a wheelchair and taken to the lobby of the hospital...where he found himself currently reminiscing the recent experiences of his life.

A soft whoosh of air broke Sasuke's musings, and he somehow knew the person that he was waiting for had arrived.

Having been looking down at his sock-covered feet earlier, Sasuke glanced up to see a shock of bright blonde hair approaching him. Further examination proved that it was Naruto himself; the blonde wore a black tee-shirt with an orange spiral on the front, along with his typical orange sweatpants and standard black shinobi sandals, except his almost appeared to resemble boots of some sort. His typical hitai-ate was also missing, allowing his blonde bangs to fall down over his eyes.

The blonde was staring at the ground as he walked, hands shoved in his pockets as Sasuke unknowingly stared at the moving figure approaching him. However, Naruto apparently noticed Sasuke watching him, since his blue eyes instantly snapping up to meet Sasuke's blank onyx, and what Sasuke saw somewhat shocked him. For a brief second, he could have sworn Naruto's eyes seemed...sad. But that emotion was cast away from Naruto's face when the blonde saw Sasuke, and instead relief and joy came over the Jinchūriki to replace the emotion Sasuke was sure he had imagined.

The blonde glanced over to the doctors standing behind Sasuke and pulled his right hand out of his pocket to wave. "Hi guys," Naruto greeted once he had stopped about three feet in front of Sasuke. "Did Baa-chan already do all that paperwork and crap to get this guy outta here?" Sasuke heard shuffling behind him. "Yes," a male voice replied. "However, we haven't preformed the seals yet..."

Naruto's carefree expression fell into a blank stare. "Oh, heh...yeah," the blonde chuckled, his eyes quickly going to Sasuke, who was staring up at him, before watching the doctors again. "Do we need to go anywhere to do that..?" "No," a female voice replied, one that Sasuke recognized as Sakura Haruno's. Naruto's flat lips curved into a small smile at the rosette's appearance, the kunochi appearing in front of Sasuke by Naruto's right side, her torso covered by a white coat and her hair tied back into a short ponytail.

"Tsunade-sama says it's fine to do the seals at your apartment Naruto," Sakura continued, her eyes looking at Sasuke briefly before returning to Naruto. Sasuke felt a slight twinge of annoyance at how Naruto and Sakura were behaving around him, as if he were nothing but a fly on the wall that wasn't worth their attention. "Sasuke-kun's filled with enough sedatives that he couldn't get out of his chair if he tried," Sakura said.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes ever so slightly at that statement. He was not that weak! Although, now that he thought about it, his limbs did feel very heavy..."Are you sure?" Naruto asked, seemingly concerned while he turned to their- no, Naruto's teammate. Sasuke refused to associate himself with these people any longer.

So why was it he felt excluded while Naruto and Sakura continued to discuss Sasuke's condition as if he wasn't even in the room?

Sakura had apparently explained that it was safe for the seals to be preformed at Naruto's home, since the blonde had nodded and proceeded to walk behind Sasuke's wheelchair, two soft clicks being heard as he apparently unlocked the last Uchiha's wheelchair. Sasuke heard the Jinchūriki thank the doctors before he was then rolled out of the hospital, Sakura walking close to the raven's right while the three exited the building.

Warm sunlight that Sasuke hadn't seen in weeks flooded the Uchiha's eyes, and he fought off the urge to shield his eyes with his palms as the ground under his wheelchair became slightly more uneven and ragged. It appeared it was early morning; just past dawn, if the fog in the air and dew that littered the ground was any indication, along with the completely empty road that stretched out in front of Sasuke like something out of a horror movie. Like they were about to be jumped by some creepy serial killer with a knife. If Sasuke was scared of that kind of stuff, he would have been a little worried at the moment.

As it was, a tense silence came down on the two members of Team 7 and the one former member, who currently felt like the quiet was going to drill holes into his mind. "Um...so, how've you been, Naruto," Sakura asked nervously, apparently clenching her hands tightly. Naruto chuckled, albeit stiffly. "I've been good Sakura-chan," the blonde replied from behind Sasuke. "I've just been cleaning up, training, the usual. Uh, I guess Ero-Sennin is going on another research trip soon..."

Sakura giggled, the sound like the harsh clinking of broken glass on a cement floor to Sasuke. "Yeah, Tsunade-sama was mentioning that the other day," the kunochi replied while she and Naruto rounded a corner. "Apparently if Jiraiya comes back with any more women, she's going to have him banished from Konoha for a month..." Naruto laughed, slightly less tense than before. "It's not like that'll bother him," he said easily. "He'll just go somewhere else and get some more research done."

"Tsunade-sama also said she would neuter him herself," Sakura added. Naruto let out a low whistle. "Heh, Ero-Sennin better be careful then," Naruto said. Sasuke felt something in his mind...something that made his heart ache. He abruptly shoved it aside, refusing to acknowledge the...whatever it was. After the conversation, the rest of the trip went by in slightly less awkward silence until Naruto and Sakura stopped in front of a large metal structure that barely looked fit for humans to inhabit. "So, uh...we still need to get up to my apartment..." Naruto said.

"Yeah, I got it," Sakura replied, and then what little of her Sasuke could actually see vanished from his line of vision. Abruptly, the Uchiha found his chair lifted into the air and being carried up easily four flights of stairs without so much as labored pants of exhaustion coming from the person carrying Sasuke and his chair, presumably Sakura. Only two footsteps echoing lightly in the narrow staircase that led to the very top floor...where Sasuke could almost feel the building swaying in the wind.

His chair was set down once more, and then the raven was being pushed to the very last door at the end of the cream-colored hallway, which only had two working lamps above their heads, one of which was flickering suspiciously as if it were to go out at any second. Finally stopping, Naruto manuevered his way past Sasuke's chair in the tight space and pulled a key from his pants pocket, fumbling with it in his palms for a few moments before roughly pushing it into the lock of the door and swing it inwards.

"Come on in," the blonde said, and Sasuke was then being pushed through the doorway into a dim, seemingly two, or three, roomed apartment. Naruto apparently had turned on the only source of light in the place, a ceiling lamp over a battered wooden table with two chairs at it's edges, with a kitchen in the corner of the room and a queen-sized bed with blue and white sheets on the opposite wall of the door. One door off to Sasuke's right was slightly ajar, and he could see a balcony that was outside of the building in the sliver of space between the door and the doorframe.

An old red couch set in front of a tv that was next to the door that led outside caught Sasuke's attention, and then he glanced back to the other wall. the door to the left was also open, revealing a bathroom that was too dark for Sasuke to discern its contents. "Okay...uh, Sasuke-kun, I'm going to do the seal that blocks your chakra now," Sakura said softly behind the raven, and he blinked slowly, noticing Naruto was staring at him...of Sakura. He couldn't tell which.

A slightly chilled palm pressed against the base of Sasuke's neck, and then what Sasuke could only describe as a heavy blanket descended on his mind. Dullness overcame his senses and the sharpness of his vision seemed to plummet and dim; for a moment, Sasuke believed that he was falling unconscious, until he realized he couldn't feel his chakra anymore.

Closing his eyes, Sasuke clenched his teeth to make sure the slightly agonized groan that threatened to leave his lips didn't make it past his mouth while Sakura walked around his chair and, without looking directly into his eyes which he had then opened, began to form seals unfamiliar to Sasuke in front of her chest. She paused for a moment with her hands in the sign for "Ox", and then slammed three fingers into the center of Sasuke's forehead.

The raven's tongue seemed to curl up into the roof of his mouth and then back, and what felt like warm strips were appearing on the bottom of the organ that he so desperately wanted to rip out because of this awful feeling. Still, he managed to keep his features blank while Sakura focused, and Sasuke managed to see Naruto for a split second as the blonde watched the jutsu take place. There it was again...that sad and worried expression that Sasuke had seen at the hospital. So he hadn't been imagining it...

"Okay, your seals are done...Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke blinked and stared up at Sakura, who smiled at him tensely before quickly turning to Naruto. "Alright, your turn," the rosette said and pointed to a chair by the Jinchūriki's table. "Sit," she ordered, to which Naruto complied instantly. Sakura then put her entire palm over Naruto's head, her fingers sifting through his blonde spikes of hair while she seemed to hold one hand up to her chest, and from Sasuke's point of view he could see her fingers were almost curled into fists, except for her middle and index finger, which were held up straight.

A bright blue symbol was etched under Sakura's palm and onto Naruto's forehead for a brief second, and then it vanished as the kunochi pulled her hand back. "That should be it..." She murmured, and then turned to Sasuke once more. "Sasuke-kun should be able to walk after the sedatives wear off...for now he should just rest and drink a lot of water..." Sasuke tried not to feel that excluded feeling again as she addressed Sasuke like he wasn't there. Naruto nodded.

"I guess that...you...can have the bed, Sasuke."

Naruto had actually talked to him! Sasuke still kept his face blank, staring at the two while they looked at him. Sakura coughed and tried to loosen the collar of her shirt lightly. "Where're you going to sleep then, Naruto?" The rosette asked. Sasuke couldn't care less. Naruto nodded his head over to the couch. "It's actually pretty comfy!" The blonde laughed, and Sasuke watched as Sakura hit Naruto's head roughly before turning.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow then," she said. "Bye Naruto...um, bye Sasuke..." Sakura walked in front of Sasuke's chair and, without looking at him, murmured, "It's good to have you back..." then left without another word. Sasuke turned his eyes over to Naruto, finding that the blonde had been staring at him, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, hands clenched together. The blonde blinked, looking surprised, when Sasuke moved to look at him blankly.

"So, uh, you hungry?" Naruto asked awkwardly, moving to stand. Sasuke didn't respond, despite the fact that the mere mention of food made his stomach growl quietly. "Guess not..." Naruto mumbled. Sasuke glanced over at the bed, and the blonde seemed to follow his gaze, since he moved to behind the raven and unlocked the wheelchair, pushing it across the small space and stopping it just before Sasuke's clothed covered feet touched the frame of the bed.

"How're we gonna get you up here.." Naruto mumbled under his breath. If Sasuke had been the person he was three years ago, he would have rolled his eyes and said some comment about Naruto being an idiot as always. However, Sasuke was not that person. So instead, he began to push himself out the chair himself, ignoring Naruto's surprised exclamation and managing to get his feet pressed onto the wooden floorboards below.

It just went downhill from there.

As soon as Sasuke thought he was stable, his legs wobbled and he fell, face first, onto the mattress with an unflattering thump, his heels kicking up into the underside of the wheelchair and forcing the two, smaller front wheels up into the air. He allowed a quick burst of embarrassment to color his face red before he found himself being turned onto his back and sheets thrown over his chest, Naruto's face hovering above his vision.

The blonde smiled that irritatingly sad smile that Sasuke already hated, his blue irises almost shining in the dim lighting of the room. "If you needed help you could've asked," the blonde said, and then moved away from Sasuke. "I'm gonna make some breakfast...lemme know if you want some, 'kay?" Sasuke refused to reply.

Why was he even here? He was supposed to have died after fighting Itachi...that had been his goal. He had killed his brother. There was no "future" for Sasuke after that. No coming back to Konoha, where he was now, with a blonde idiot he didn't even recognize anymore. Perhaps if he went to sleep, then this would all go away...

Three days later, Sasuke woke up groggily, feeling substantially lighter and his head much clearer than the last time he had been awake. Turning his head to the right, the raven noticed the place he had last seen was still around him, and annoyance caused his expression to briefly twist from the flat mask he was used to. The apartment was dim, and the Uchiha could see that the stove in the kitchen area said the time was two thirty in the morning in bold green print.

Sasuke quickly sat up and instantly regretted the action as a wave of nausea hit his stomach like a charging bull, holding his palm up to his eyes to calm his dizzy head. He then swung his legs over the edge of the mattress, feeling nothing more than slight twinges as his bare feet touched the cool surface of the wooden floor. Pressing his fingers into the soft mattress, Sasuke stood up straight and looked around cautiously, noticing that his wheelchair was missing from the otherwise surprisingly clean space in front of him.

Soft breathing that was coming from the couch alerted Sasuke that he was not alone in the apartment.

Testing to make sure his legs could handle movement, Sasuke slowly shuffled forward and began the trek to the red covered couch, his hands brushing along various shelves or dressers in the dim so he didn't end up running into anything. Once he had reached the back of the couch, Sasuke peered over it to see Naruto laying on his back, feet facing Sasuke with his arms crossed over his chest, which was covered by another black tee shirt, minus the orange swirl.

The blonde was wearing grey sweatpants that were easily too big for him, his toes barely poking out of the ends on the legs. He had no blanket, and appeared to shiver once Sasuke started to stare at him. The raven felt...unsure as he stared at Naruto. This wasn't the Naruto he remembered. That Naruto would have let Sasuke sleep on the couch regardless of his condition and take the bed for himself. That Naruto probably wouldn't even have let Sasuke stay in his home in the first place!

This Naruto was unfamiliar. He was someone Sasuke didn't know, someone who was the same person on the outside, but in the inside...he had matured. And Sasuke didn't know how to feel about that. This Naruto had taken Sasuke into his own home, given Sasuke his bed and his blankets, and resigned to sleeping on the couch in an apartment that was easily close to the freezing point of water. Sasuke instantly decided he hated it. Naruto wasn't supposed to do any of this. Everything was wrong, backwards even.

Sasuke should've killed him when he had the chance.

Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke leaned over the couch so his chest was pressed against the wooden frame of it and reached out to pinch Naruto's cheek experimentally. Grabbing the flesh, Sasuke pulled on it roughly and watched as Naruto reacted with nothing more than a soft sigh and rolled away from Sasuke's hand, back now facing the Uchiha. That was wrong...Naruto was supposed to wake up and start yelling at Sasuke. He couldn't understand why Naruto was acting so strange.

In that moment, Sasuke decided he hated this Naruto for killing off the one that he remembered. This Naruto was an imposter. Perhaps that's how Naruto viewed Sasuke as well...Sasuke pondered that while he turned away from the couch to explore the rest of the apartment in more detail. The Uchiha knew he has changed in the past three years. Anyone with eyes could see that, and a basic understanding of the past and the present. He never expected Naruto to change as well. He could care less about Sakura; the rosette could have sprouted wings and Sasuke wouldn't bat an eyelash.

But Naruto was different.

Wiping his finger across the countertop in front of him, Sasuke's hand came away clean, without dust or any sort of debris that used to be expected of Naruto and his residence. There were no ramen cups littered on the floor, no stupid punching bags with crude depictions on them, just a clean apartment with slightly worn furniture. Looking up then, the raven noticed he was by the bed again and standing by the bedside table, which had two picture frames on it.

Reaching down, Sasuke picked up the one on the left and examined it in the dim light. He recognized Naruto and Sakura instantly; Naruto looked just like he did now, wearing that ridiculous black and orange jacket and holding his arms crossed over his chest, standing on Sasuke's left and looking over to the raven's right with an annoyed expression. Sakura was leaning down in the middle of the shot, smiling nervously and looking up at the person Naruto was glaring at.

Sasuke saw a boy with extremely pale skin smiling at the camera, eyes closed. He wore a stupid half-shirt thing that exposed his stomach, and one sleeve that went all the way down to his left wrist while his right sleeve was cut off just under the shoulder. He remembered meeting the boy at Orochimaru's lair...his name was Sai. Sasuke realized that Sai was his...his...replacement on Team Seven. A glare worked its way to his features without him noticing.

Then the Uchiha looked over to the man standing behind the three of them, one hand on Naruto's and Sai's shoulders, wearing an odd headguard that covered his forehead and parts of his cheeks. Yamato, Sasuke recognized as he remembered the Wood-style user. Apparently this was the new Team Seven. The Team Seven that existed separate of the Team Seven that occupied the picture frame closest to the bed.

Putting down the newer picture, Sasuke reached for the second frame and stared down at the familiar image. Sakura was again in the middle, eyes closed and mouth in an easy smile, while Naruto was now on Sasuke right. His arms were crossed again, this time over the blue, orange, and white jacket he had worn in his younger days, and again glaring at a younger version of Sasuke. The raven saw himself grimacing at a point somewhere beyond the camera, one of Kakashi's gloved hand in each of the boys' hair.

Sasuke felt nostalgia as he stared at the past, despite what he had told himself earlier about no longer having any connection to do with these people whatsoever. As if the frame had burnt his hand, the Uchiha flung the picture back onto the table and sat down on the bed once more, scooting down to the very foot of the surface and staring at the apartment door. Surely, since Naruto was asleep, the blonde wouldn't notice if Sasuke began to leave...

The raven began to stand up when a shadow flitted outside of the window.

Sasuke sighed, knowing it would only be logical that ANBU would have been stationed around Naruto's home in case he tried to do such a thing as escape. Relaxing back down onto the mattress, the raven leaned his back against the wall and dozed off once more, sparing a glance over in Naruto's direction. Perhaps he should get the blonde a blanket. However, Sasuke quickly cast aside the thought in favor of wrapping those very sheets around himself and going back to sleep.

The next time Sasuke woke, the smell of sizzling sausages and pancake batter greeted his nose. Opening his eyes once more, the Uchiha found himself laying on his side watching Naruto's back, the blonde's spikes in even more disarray than usual. Casting aside the blankets, Sasuke sat up and watched Naruto apparently cook in front of him. The raven must have made some sort of noise getting up, as Naruto chose that moment to glance over his shoulder at Sasuke.

And there that smile was again...

"Mornin'!" Naruto greeted cheerfully, despite the heaviness of his gaze, as Sasuke stood up and shuffled to the kitchen table. "You've been out for three days, sleeping off the sedatives or something..." Sasuke felt annoyed at the mention of the painkillers, but kept his face blank as he sunk into one of the kitchen chairs. Naruto glanced down at the table Sasuke sat in front of. "Ah, I guess you would be hungry," Naruto laughed. "Uh...I only made enough for one person though...Sakura-chan said you wouldn't wake up until tomorrow..."

Sasuke cocked his head to the side slightly while he stared at Naruto, watching the blonde's strained smile slowly fall into an uneasy frown. "Well..here," the blonde finally said and turned back to the stove. When he turned next his hands held a plate with two pancakes and three sausages on it, along with a glass of orange juice, a knife, and a fork, placing everything in front of Sasuke. The raven blinked and moved his gaze down to the food, not moving his hands from being folded over his lap.

"I'll get some cereal then," Naruto continued and waved towards the food. "Have as much as you'd like Sasuke.." Sasuke continued to stare at the food, not sure if he really wanted to eat it. Naruto was right, he was hungry. But for some reason, Sasuke felt revolted at the fact that it was Naruto who had prepared this, and it was Naruto who gave it to him despite the blonde planning to eat it originally. The Naruto Sasuke knew would never do that. That Naruto hadn't even been able to cook in the first place.

Anger suddenly rushed Sasuke's mind and clouded his senses as Naruto took a seat in front of him with a chipped glass bowl in hand, Fruit Loops floating in milk in the container. This was so, so wrong. Sasuke didn't want to be here! As always, Naruto was screwing up the plan he had for himself! Why...why was the blonde so fucking determined...

Naruto seemed to have noticed Sasuke glaring at him, his blue eyes flicking up to stare at the raven, who was glowering through his bangs at the Jinchūriki. "Uh, is the food too hot or something?" Naruto asked, seeming to think that Sasuke was upset about the breakfast. The raven quickly stood and scraped his chair harshly on the wooden floor, staring down at Naruto. Then he said, almost spat, seven words he hadn't even meant to say aloud.

"Get the fuck out of my life."

With that statement, Sasuke pushed the plate of food roughly in Naruto's direction and went to the door that he had noticed led to the balcony outside, angrily throwing it open and slamming it behind himself as he went to stand on the edge of the platform. Breathing heavily through his nose, the raven leaned his forearms on the black metal railing and stared down on the expanse of the village in front of him, eyes narrowed to mere slits as he noticed his chakra was out of reach to him. Like a wall had been built between his mind and the power source.

Sasuke wanted to burn something, anything would do. Just to be rid of this angry, vicious feeling in his chest and the sore ache that came with it. Even better than burning something, Sasuke wanted to burn Naruto. The blonde was too alien! He was too inconsistent...Just when Sasuke thought he had the boy figured out, he went and pulled shit like the breakfast or giving Sasuke his bed...

The Uchiha knew that Naruto was just trying to be polite and helpful. There was no harm in that. It was just an abnormality...and that was exactly what his issue with the whole damn situation was. Naruto and polite just should never merge. The two were supposed to be vinegar and water, never touching. But instead Naruto just had to go and be damn useful, wanting to help Sasuke when he didn't even want to receive that "help"!

Lowering his head onto his forearms, Sasuke breathed deeply again and closed his eyes, trying to focus on calming himself down and making sure that when he entered that hellhole of an apartment again, he wouldn't spontaneously burst into flames out of rage. He wasn't sure how long he had been outside, but when the door to his left clicked open, Sasuke forced himself not to glance over at who he knew was standing in the doorway.

"Um..." Naruto mumbled quietly at first, "I'm going to the market...gotta pick up some groceries...I guess there's some ANBU around in case you need anything. So yeah, I'll be back in a few." The door shut softly, and Sasuke was left on his own from there. The raven lifted his head from his arms and found his spine feeling incredibly stiff from standing for so long, and as he stretched out his back he saw Naruto's orange jumpsuit just underneath where he himself currently stood.

Almost against his will, Sasuke's eyes followed Naruto weaving through the morning crowds below, so far down that Sasuke could barely hear them, until the blonde was entirely out of sight. He stood there for a few minutes more, staring at where he had last seen Naruto and feeling almost...guilty...for the way he had treated Naruto earlier.

Almost.

The next few weeks went by quickly, and slowly, at the same time. Quickly, because Sasuke refused any contact with anyone unless it was absolutely required for the situation. Sakura would stop by Naruto's home every other day to check that his injuries were still healing properly, then speak with Naruto about various, miscellaneous things before departing. For the first three or four days after Sasuke's outburst, Naruto had continued to try and talk to the Uchiha as if nothing had happened that first morning after Sasuke had woken up. Soon, though, the blonde got it through his head that Sasuke would not interact with him at all.

After that, Naruto resigned to only saying "Good morning" when the two were both up, making breakfast for himself since Sasuke refused all food he made, and left the apartment to train or go on brief missions. When the blonde returned, usually around five thirty in the evening (it's not like Sasuke kept track or anything) he would say "I'm back!" in some damn annoying happy tone, sometimes with groceries and other times looking like he had just fought an army with his own two hands.

One night, Sasuke had been randomly reading an excerpt from a scroll on Wind-style techniques when the front door nearly slammed inward, but he refused to flinch while he turned from his place at the kitchen table. Naruto was tiredly shuffling through the doorway, his jacket ripped and bloody, the ends of his pants covered in dirt and holes. The blonde had a black eye forming and blood dripping from his chin. He glanced over at Sasuke and still somehow managed to smile. "I'm home!" Naruto said while Sasuke stood up.

The raven walked over to stand in front of Naruto, and it was just then that he noticed the blonde was almost as tall as him, just a hair's breath shorter than himself. Opening his mouth slightly, Sasuke worked his jaw back and forth as he tried to find the right words to say.

"...You look like hell."

Naruto's eyes widened briefly at the comment, and Sasuke too felt surprised, since these were the first words he had said directly to Naruto that didn't involve the raven threatening all sorts of gruesome and painful deaths. Then Naruto grinned, not appearing as tired anymore and the smile nearly reminding Sasuke of the old Naruto. "Yeah, well...I'm gonna be going on a long term mission tomorrow with Sakura-chan and Sai," the blonde murmured and stepped further into the apartment, shutting the front door.

"Gotta track down some bastards that took one of the Forth Hokage's sealing techniques..." Naruto continued and moved past Sasuke to make his way to the bathroom. Sasuke turned and watched with slight concern as Naruto's right leg gave out and the blonde fell forward, clawing at the wall for support. "Just need a good night's sleep and I'll be fine," the blonde called over his shoulder and managed to get into the bathroom door, shutting it behind himself quietly.

Sasuke continued to stare at the door, wondering why it was that he felt worried about Naruto. He couldn't care less about this current one, could he? This wasn't the Naruto that had been his best friend. That one was dead, he had died the moment Sasuke had tried to kill him back at the Valley of the End. He shook his head to clear his mind and returned to the kitchen table, going back to reading until the bathroom door opened again, more shuffling exiting the doorway and going to the dresser by the bed.

Sasuke didn't turn to his left, assuming Naruto was changing into more comfortable clothes, until the blonde spoke up. "I'm gonna go to bed early...I probably won't be here when you wake up," Naruto explained, and then Sasuke glanced over to see the blonde standing in black shorts and a bright blue tee shirt. "Fine," Sasuke replied without looking over. "Okay...so yeah...good night, Sasuke."

The blonde flopped down on the couch, and there was silence between the boys for a few minutes before Sasuke quietly replied, "Good night, Naruto." and put the scroll down. He was unsure if Naruto had heard him or not, but he decided that it was getting late for himself as well, and returned to the bed. As he passed by the couch, he saw Naruto curled with his back facing the raven on the cushions, his right leg held up on a pile of pillows.

For some reason, Sasuke felt pity overcome him, directed at Naruto and, before he knew what he was doing, he was in front of Naruto's bed and grabbing two blankets off of it, returning to fling the covers over Naruto's smaller frame. He stared at Naruto for a few minutes after that, mind completely numb as his eyes trailed Naruto's features, and just like the first night that he had awoken, Sasuke reached out and grabbed Naruto's cheek again.

But this time, instead of pinching the flesh, Sasuke let his palm cup Naruto's face while he stared down, his eyes still blank, at the blonde's sleeping features. Leaning down so his mouth was right down to Naruto's ear, Sasuke could almost feel an old part of himself that had long since lain dormant stir to consciousness as he whispered, "Sleep well...dobe."

The next morning, Sasuke woke to find that Naruto had been true to his word, the blonde absent from the apartment while he stood and stretched. Half of him was expecting to hear the blonde murmur "Good morning" from the kitchen, except there was no blonde boy shuffling about in front of the stove and the refrigerator this time. Fixing himself a bowl of cereal, Sasuke sat down at the table and ate in silence, which was unusual, since his mornings were normally filled by Naruto having a one-sided conversation with him about previous missions or encounters with friends he had had the previous night.

Two more days passed by in a similar fashion, utter silence filling the home, when Sasuke got "the feeling".

He could only describe it as a sharp ache, like he had just lost something close to him, or rather, someone. He had been sitting on the couch and staring at a book that he had bought with Naruto's money earlier that day at the market, since he was now allowed to step outside of the home with a guard of ANBU always close behind him, when the feeling passed through his chest.

He didn't know what it meant, he didn't even know what had happened to trigger the emotion, but Sasuke suddenly felt like just curling into a ball and crying until he had no tears left. As it was, the Uchiha was gasping pitifully for air while sitting down, leaning forward and clutching at his chest while tears clogged his vision. Then, just as soon as it had arrived, the emotion was gone. Sasuke was left leaning forward in utter confusion as to what had happened and with a headache that easily felt like an earthquake was splitting his skull.

Standing up, and stumbling slightly, Sasuke went to the bedside table where Naruto had said he had kept Sasuke's painkillers and flung the top drawer open. He didn't find the yellow colored pill container that he had hoped for...but instead, a faded blue hitai-ate with the Konoha symbol on the metal plate...a long scratch cutting through the swirl in the center. Sasuke held his breath as he stared down at the object. Why had Naruto kept this for so long...?

Eight days then came and went, without Naruto coming home and with Sasuke constantly wondering about that day where the emotion had overtook him, staring out of the one window in the apartment and sitting on the mattress.

It had been around eleven in the morning when someone knocked on the door.

Standing up, Sasuke made his way to the door wearing one of Naruto's tee shirts and some black pants that Kakashi had brought by, opening the door and seeing Sakura standing in front of him. The rosette's right arm was in a sling, and a thick white bandage was wrapped around the right side of her face entirely, covering her eyes and part of her mouth. "Sasuke-kun..." Sakura breathed out.

Sasuke felt slight dread at her appearance. She had gone on that mission with Naruto, hadn't she? Was Naruto okay? What had happened? "Where's Naruto," he demanded, echoing his thoughts while he waited for Sakura to give him a reason for why she was here. Sakura looked towards the ground. "Uh...I think we should go inside, Sasuke-kun," Sakura murmured. Without a word, Sasuke stepped inside and allowed Sakura in, shutting the door and going to sit down at the kitchen table.

Neither person said anything as Sasuke stared at Sakura and Sakura back at Sasuke. The raven tried to keep himself sitting up straight and, again, as impassive as possible. Naruto is fine, he kept assuring himself. He wasn't quite sure why he cared, though. Sakura closed her visible eye and Sasuke saw her fists clench tightly, shaking for a few seconds before she opened her mouth. "...Did Naruto ever tell you about the time me and him went after Orochimaru with Sai and Yamato-sensei?" The rosette began.

She smiled while Sasuke stopped himself from trying to roll his eyes, her own still shut tightly. "He was furious when Orochimaru started talking about you...he promised to bring you back no matter the cost..." Sakura opened her eyes and stared directly at Sasuke. "I guess that now you're here, he's been so much happier, in a way..."

Sasuke allowed his eyes to narrow ever so slightly. "What happened on your mission...Sakura," he said, saying the kunochi's name past his own clenched teeth. She looked slightly surprised when the raven said her name, but sighed again. "Naruto...he told you about what the mission was about, yes?" Sasuke nodded to confirm that. "Well...the scroll the thieves took was specifically the one..." Sakura swallowed nervously.

"It was the scroll used to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto in the first place..."

Sasuke stared at her, not comprehending what she was trying to say. Sakura seemed to notice his growing frustration and quickly swallowed before continuing. "There were three of them...one had really weird purple eyes and sharp teeth, like a piranha and white hair...then there was a tall, ginger man with orange eyes, and a woman with red hair and red eyes..." Sasuke felt his emotionless mask shatter as he instantly knew which three people Sakura was describing.

"...And these people...took the scroll? He asked, his mouth feeling dry with every word. Sakura nodded. "They kept talking about finding someone...and how Akatsuki promised them that if they brought the seal scroll that they would find that person..." Sasuke could guess who Juugo, Suigetsu, and Karin were looking for. Sakura's uneasy smile fell into a frown.

"We chased them down, and when we tried to get the scroll back, the red headed girl...I think she was a sensor, she could tell that Naruto is a..Jinchūriki...and then the other two started going after him..."

Sakura swallowed again. "Sai fought the ginger guy, and the white haired one went after Naruto. He...almost seemed to turn into water, it was crazy. I went after the sensor...she had the scroll, I could see it. And then..." Sakura closed her eyes and she started to cry. Sasuke watched as she slowly sucked in deep breaths to calm herself down. "During the fighting, I saw Sai get punched by the ginger...and I started to back down from my fight to heal him when I saw the guy going after Naruto as well...

"The white haired guy had Zabuza's sword...remember him? He was swinging at Naruto, when the ginger was just about to hit Naruto like he had hit Sai...his arm was all deformed and...grey..." Sasuke could barely keep himself from screaming at Sakura to shut up. Just shut up! Shut up! Shut up! "I stepped in front of Naruto to protect him and I got hit on my face..." Sakura smiled painfully while she pointed at the bandages on her head.

"Then the water guy got my shoulder with his sword...I heard the red-headed woman saying something about capturing Naruto," she continued softly. "I don't know what happened after that. I passed out, but...when I woke up...Naruto and those three were gone. Sai had gotten the scroll somehow, and we had to get back to the village or both of us were going to bleed out...I didn't have enough bandages and my chakra was almost gone.."

Sasuke's blood ran cold at the thought of Team Hebi capturing Naruto, and again he couldn't understand the reason why. He hated Naruto now! "How long ago did this happen?" He asked quietly. Sakura looked up at the Uchiha tearfully. "Over a week ago," she murmured in response. "Almost three days after we left." Sasuke barely had to think to know that was when that weird pain had hit him.

"Tsunade-sama's been sending out search parties for days but...there's been no evidence of Naruto, or that team," Sakura whispered when Sasuke remained quiet, almost feeling like a statue, his stance was so stiff. "Why did you come tell me this," he finally asked. Sakura glanced at him, having been staring at the bed earlier. "Well, because you've been living in Naruto's apartment," she began.

"Also..because apparently Naruto made a will a few days after we brought you back. He asked that in the case of his...death...that you be given his apartment and most of his possessions. He listed who gets what, but you receive the most I guess..." Sasuke's mind was reeling. This was impossible. Naruto wasn't dead. This Naruto wasn't dead. The old Naruto, the one Sasuke had grown up with, he was used to that one being long gone.

He had just been getting comfortable with the new Naruto. And now that one was potentially dead too.

"...Get out," he whispered. Sakura looked at the raven, who had his fists clenched in his lap and his head bent to stare at them. "Sasuke-kun?" She asked worriedly. "Get out!" Sasuke shouted louder and glared at her, baring his teeth like a wild animal would when threatened. Sakura instantly backed off, getting-no, jumping out of her chair and going to the front door, where she paused as she began to open it.

"We're still looking Sasuke-kun," she murmured. "He could...still be alive..." Sasuke didn't say anything as she left the apartment and shut the door quietly. The Uchiha wasn't sure how long he sat there in the dark. It could have been mere seconds, minutes, or even hours...days...all he knew was that Naruto had been attacked by the very people Sasuke had taken with him to kill Itachi. And now they were looking for him, using Akatsuki to do so.

And taking Naruto.

Sasuke really shouldn't have been giving a damn. He told himself long ago to stop caring, stop caring about Naruto and Sakura and Kakashi. Cut off those bonds and focus on his one goal in life. But somehow Naruto had managed to worm his way back into Sasuke's mind, Sasuke's heart and very soul, even if he was totally different from the Naruto Sasuke had known. And it wasn't fair. Nothing that Naruto did was ever...fair.

Countless days passed after that, and Sasuke had stopped going outside for anything. Not groceries, not washing clothes, not even training his taijutsu, which had been the only thing he had been able to practice, just sitting on the bed and staring out of Naruto's- no, his window at the sky. Eventually ANBU would come into the home and bring groceries, probably on orders from Tsunade or someone in power, and Kakashi would stop by to try and talk to Sasuke.

The conversations always went something like this:

Kakashi: "How're you today, Sasuke?"

Sasuke: "..."

Kakashi: "Good weather isn't it? How about going outside?"

Sasuke: "No."

Kakashi: "Naruto wouldn't appreciate you moping around like this, you know."

Sasuke would then try to kick Kakashi out, taking out all of his pent up anger on the Jonin until he collapsed back on the bed in exhaustion only to repeat the cycle the next day.

It had been almost two months since Sakura had come to Naruto's, now Sasuke's, apartment bearing the news of Naruto's disappearance. Sasuke was sitting on the couch, now wearing articles of clothing that were purely Naruto's, when someone knocked on the door. He didn't bother getting up. Instead, the door opened quietly and the light of the hallway filled the apartment instantly. Sasuke had long since stopped turning on the lights so he wouldn't have to look at what Naruto owned.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke was surprised to hear Sakura in the room. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the rosette leaning in the doorframe, the bandages gone from her body while the entire right side of her face had healing pink flesh on it, along with a fading scar running down her eyelids just like the ones that held Kakashi's sharnigan. She wore her medic coat again, and her hair, which was slightly longer, was down past her shoulders. "Mind if I come in?" She asked. Sasuke turned his head back forward.

He refused to admit that he was depressed. Being depressed would mean he genuinely felt the loss of Naruto's presence, which despite his actions he refused to acknowledge. Sakura sat down next to the Uchiha on the couch for a few minutes, both silent as they judged each other.

"We...um...found Naruto yesterday"

Sasuke's head whipped so quickly to stare at Sakura that his neck began to ache. "...What?" He whispered quietly. "...For a moment, I thought you said you found Naruto...but that's impossible! He's dead!" Sasuke began to laugh, his voice devoid of humor and his eyes almost wide. Sakura watched with slight fear, but refused to move from her spot. "Sasuke-kun, we found Naruto," she repeated slowly.

Sasuke gradually stopped laughing and returned to staring blankly at her. "Is he alive?" He asked quietly. Sakura took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, fear filling Sasuke when she didn't answer right away. "...He is," she replied. "He had severe blunt force trauma and several rib fractures, probably from the ginger man punching him...he's stable for now as well. He should be able to come back here in two to three days or so, given his advanced immune system..."

Sakura didn't mention that immune system was thanks to the Kyuubi...

Sasuke felt, for the first time in years, genuinely relieved and...happy. He didn't let it show on his face, however, while Sakura tried to look for a reaction from him. "Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?" She asked softly while Sasuke looked at the wall past her shoulder. "Perfectly fine," he replied.

"...Sakura, would you mind helping me clean this place..."

Three days later and Sasuke's/Naruto's apartment was back to looking as clean as it had been since the blonde had left. Dust no longer covered every available surface and various bags and other objects no longer cluttered up space. It almost seemed ironic to Sasuke that he had been treating Naruto's apartment the way the old Naruto would have. He had taken a shower and shaved, gotten dressed in his own clothes that he had bought the day after Sakura had told him Naruto was alive, and even began to...interact more with his former teammates.

Sakura and Kakashi had stopped by to help clean, and they both knew Sasuke was unsure how to talk to either of them, so they simply told stories of what had happened to them in the past three years, good and bad, while Sasuke simply listened and nodded along. Occasionally he would comment about it, and Sakura could tell the Uchiha wasn't yet ready for a reunion with the Rookie Nine, judging from how quiet he still was around them, unless the subject of Naruto came into play.

Then Sasuke was alert and would pause whatever he was doing to listen.

Currently, the raven was again at the kitchen table reading a book, occasionally looking over at the stove top. The time was currently eleven forty at night. Sasuke tried not to wonder where Naruto was; Sakura had said he was being released from the hospital today, and so he was probably still being examined...or whatever they do at hospitals. Tapping his foot lightly on the wooden floor, Sasuke barely noticed the click of a key entering the lock of the front door.

He refused to look up as the door swung open, four footsteps entering the house, and then the door shutting softly. There was a sigh, and then the person who had entered the apartment stepped in so they could take in the whole room. Only then did Sasuke look up to see an extremely thin and pale Naruto standing by the kitchen counter, staring at Sasuke with a shocked expression.

"...Sasuke," Naruto said, slightly in awe. The Uchiha stood up and gently pushed his chair back against the table and wove his way around the wooden structures to stand in front of Naruto, staring at the still slightly smaller blonde, as if this were a dream and if he blinked he would wake up and it would all be gone. The raven put one hand softly on Naruto's cheek...and pulled on it.

Naruto grimaced and smacked at Sasuke's hand. "Ouch, watch it," the blonde hissed. Sasuke noticed Naruto's eyes light up at the contact, however. Naruto glanced around the apartment and put a hand behind his head, scratching it. "Uh...so yeah...I'm home," the blonde announced and smiled slightly.

Sasuke didn't even think as he leaned forward and embraced Naruto. "Welcome back," he replied.

Holy shit this was long. You have no idea how long this ONESHOT took! xD man I get bored easily.