What Dreams May Come.

Warning Yaoi (boy x boy) don’t read if you don’t like.



AN: Kind of a boring chapter. Nothing really big happening. More like the calm after the storm type of chapter. A little more insight into Itachi, whom I have grown to love above all others. Thank you to everyone that reviewed and I’m so glad you are happy that the story will continue. Enjoy.



What Dreams May Come



Chapter Nineteen



A pained whimper from the bed drew Naruto from his light doze. Standing from his slouched position in the uncomfortable chair, Naruto stretched, hearing his stiff joints pop, and made his way over to where his lover was laying. A sheen of sweat covered Sasuke‘s body and face. The muscles in his arms clenched and quivered as pain throbbed through the young body.



“Sasuke, you need to hit your PCA. It will help the pain. If you keep this up your will tear open the wounds from your surgery.” murmured Naruto as he threaded his fingers through the sweat slicked locks.



Sasuke shook his head and bit his lip to contain the whimper. “I’m not going to…turn into…some junkie.” panted Sasuke.



“You dumb ass.” Naruto growled and hit the button to the PCA pump. Instantly, morphine was released into Sasuke’s system. Sasuke shot Naruto a pissed off look before his body relaxed as the drug eased the pain that had been nonstop since he awoke in ICU. Sasuke’s eyes shuttered and breathed out a sigh of relief.



“And you call me an idiot.” sighed Naruto.



Sasuke had been moved from the intensive care unit into a private room. His hips and legs were in traction until his surgery the next day, which would attempt to repair the damaged bones. Itachi had one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Fire Country brought in and despite that, there was a substantial chance that Sasuke would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.



Laying his head on the bed, Naruto felt the beginning of tears shimmering in his eyes. The crystalline drops tracked down his face and dampened the white sheet at Sasuke’s hip. Seeing his beloved suffer such excruciating pain tore at Naruto’s very core. Kissing Sasuke’s hand, which was cradled between his own, Naruto felt a deep longing for the Kyuubi. He missed the comforting presence of the fox. Where had he gone? When Naruto released him, had he simply left?



“Naruto-kun?”



“Itachi-kun, what are you doing here?” Naruto lifted his head and wiped at the drying tears.



“Can’t I visit my brother?” smirked Itachi.



“I didn’t mean it that way.” Naruto lifted his hands in a placating motion. Itachi laughed and offered Naruto a bag of food that he’d picked up on his way to the hospital.



“How is he?”



“He’s still refusing to use the pump. Dumb ass is scared of becoming addicted to the morphine.” sighed Naruto.



Opening the brown bag, Naruto picked at the sandwich that Itachi had brought him. He wasn’t really hungry, not with worrying about Sasuke. He would love the raven no matter what but he was afraid how Sasuke would deal if he was unable to retain use of his legs.



“Foolish otouto.” muttered Itachi. “You look tired, Naruto. Go home and rest. I’ll stay here with the ‘dumb ass’, as you call him.” Naruto shook his head.



“I’m not leaving him.”



“I think you are just as much a dumb ass as he is. Naruto go home. I’ll make sure Sasuke is so doped up he won’t even miss you. His first surgery is tomorrow. You will want to be fresh for that.” ordered Itachi.



Naruto looked at Itachi before glancing at the sleeping Sasuke. Biting his lip, Naruto decided that he wouldn’t do Sasuke any good if he had to be put in a bed beside him, after collapsing from exhaustion.



“You’ll call me if something happens?”



“You number is on my speed dial. Go home.” Itachi glared at the blonde.



Naruto grabbed his bag and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Sasuke’s lips. The man shifted slightly in his sleep and leaned in to the delicate brushing of lips. Naruto smiled. Even in sleep, Sasuke belonged to him. Sasuke murmured Naruto’s name before drifting deeper into a much needed, healing sleep.



“I’ll be back in a few hours.”



“Naruto, I will kick your ass if I see you anywhere near this hospital without at least eight hours rest.” Naruto pouted but nodded to Itachi.



Naruto was in the lobby when he realized that he didn’t have a car. Pulling out his cell and calling a cab, the blonde sat in one of the soft chairs in the lobby to wait. Why couldn’t they have these chairs in the rooms? They were defiantly soft enough to sleep on.



When he saw his cab pull up, Naruto climbed in and gave the driver his address. Closing his eyes, he felt the strain of the last few days pulling at him hard. It had been a long time since he was this emotionally and physically drained. The absence of Kyuubi was likely an underlying cause of his exhaustion. Without the additional chakra reserves of the fox, Naruto tired at a much faster rate than before. His body had become very dependant on the presence of that extra chakra to the point that it didn’t know how to prioritize the use of its own energy.



The cab pulled to the end of his driveway and Naruto tossed a few bills to the man before making his way into the house. Blinking his eyes, Naruto focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Glancing at the couch, he debated whether he wanted to walk the extra fifteen feet to his bedroom or simply crash on the couch.



Opting for the closer, Naruto collapsed on the soft leather. Sleep pulled at him hard. His body nearly shut down in exhaustion. Grabbing the knit throw from the back of the couch, Naruto wrapped up in the warm material and in mere moments was asleep.



Ring. Ring. Ring. Naruto grunted and felt on the floor for the source of that noise. Finding the location of the object of his annoyance, Naruto pressed the cell to his ear and mumbled a greeting.



“Naruto-kun? Are you still sleeping? It’s five a.m., Sasuke is going to be taken down to surgery at six, and I thought you might want to see him off.” Itachi voice cleared the remaining fog from Naruto’s brain.



“Fuck! I slept for twelve hours.” Naruto lunged to his feet and rushed to the bathroom.



“You need to hurry Naruto-kun. They will come take him down in an hour.”



“I’m on my way.” Naruto grabbed his toothbrush and stepped into the shower, brushing his teeth while the icy water slowly heated. Ten minutes later he was in his SUV and heading for the hospital.



Pushing open the door, Naruto walked in the room just in time to see a nurse taking Sasuke’s vital signs. Walking to the bed, Naruto brushed Sasuke’s mussed hair from his eyes and leaned down to kiss him.



“Are you nervous?” asked Naruto as he settled gently on the edge of the bed.



“I’m fine.” answered Sasuke but the tight drawn look of his lips was a telling sign that he didn’t feel as confidant as he acted.



Naruto linked their fingers and pulled the pale hand to his lips. He wanted to comfort Sasuke. His worry was beating at Naruto. Naruto refused to let Sasuke see the worries he had.



“You’ll be fine, Sasuke.” Naruto smiled and continued to sift his fingers through the midnight colored locks. Sasuke seemed to relax under the touch and soon he was dozing under Naruto gentle care. Naruto was afraid to stop touching him. If he stopped something might happen and he wouldn’t get to touch him again.



“Uchiha-san, we’re here to take you down to the O.R.” Naruto turned and saw two nurses dressed in green scrubs.



Stiffening, Naruto stood from the bed but was reluctant to release the hand that now clutched at his own.



“Naruto…” whispered Sasuke, the nails of his fingers digging into Naruto’s skin. The fear that had been just under the surface crept into Sasuke’s voice.



“We will be here waiting on you, otouto.” Trust Itachi to be the voice of comfort.



“I promise to be here when you wake up.” said Naruto and leaned down to press one quick kiss to the trembling lips before the two nurses wheeled his bed from the room.



Naruto slumped in the chair beside Itachi and buried his face in his hands. Worry ate away at his insides like a burning demon. A comforting touch on his shoulder drew his eyes. Itachi said nothing but patted Naruto shoulder with brotherly affection. In the last few days since the accident, Itachi had been a rock of strength for Naruto. He was uncertain if the strain of the past few days would have been as manageable if not for Itachi’s presence.



“I withdrew Sasuke from his classes. He‘s not going to be able to attend them for a while anyway.” said Itachi.



“After this quarter, I’m going to take a sabbatical; I want to be there to help him through this.” It wasn’t like Naruto needed money anyway. A thousand years left a lot of time to horde away wealth.



“His apartment isn’t appropriate for his needs. I think I’ll have him come back home with me. I know he hates that house but it’s spacious enough that he won’t stumble or trip and has plenty of room for a wheelchair.” Itachi commented.



“He can stay with me. Other than a few alterations, I think my house would be spacious enough.” Naruto was willing to fight Itachi on this. He and Sasuke would stay together.



“I don’t know…”Itachi deliberated internally. He loved his brother and the thought of turning over his care to someone else didn’t sit well with him even if it was his brother’s lover.



“I’m going to fight you on this, Itachi.” growled Naruto.



“Don’t get worked up. Lets get him out of the hospital, and then we can worry about where he is going to live.” sighed Itachi. It was a minor truce, though the issue remained in the thoughts of both. Itachi partly blamed himself for Sasuke’s injuries. He was the one that wanted his brother to go out with him. He was the one that wanted to go to that club. His brain knew that there was nothing he could have done but that didn’t stop the guilt from flooding his mind with its poison.



The room fell silent once more. Neither was able to relax under the worry that plagued both. Every few minutes Naruto would stand and pace the small room before sitting once again. He growled low at the seeming unaffected Itachi, working calmly on his laptop. Little did Naruto know, Itachi was just as worried about Sasuke, he was simply more experienced at hiding his emotions.



Itachi rubbed the bridge of his nose. He knew it was pointless to continue to attempt work. He had read the same sentence three times and had yet to comprehend the meaning. His heart simply wasn’t into doing work. He watched Naruto pace and wished it was in his nature to wear his emotions on his sleeves. The obvious worry radiated from every pore of the blonde. He wanted to comfort the man and tell him that everything would be alright but how could he say the words when he was also worried about the outcome of the surgery.



A knock sounded on the door and Tsunade and Jiraiya stepped in. Naruto rushed the buxom blonde woman and she drew him into her arms. Itachi watched the interaction closely with the eyes of someone experienced in reading body language. He wasn’t sure the relationship of the three but it was obvious that the older couple cared for Naruto.



They were closed lipped about the blonde, though. Itachi had attempted to get the white haired man to talk the night of the accident but to no avail. If Itachi didn’t know any better, he would almost think that Sannin Jiraiya didn’t like him. His words were always curt and held an underlying disdain that Itachi couldn’t understand. To the best of his knowledge, he had never met the man.



“Baa-chan, is Sasuke going to be alright?” whispered Naruto into Tsunade’s soft chest.



“I don’t know, gaki. But I know that the doctor working on him now is one of the best in his field.” comforted Tsunade. “Come on, let’s go for a walk. It’s a little stuffy in here.”



They walked through the halls before reaching a quiet area with a few cushioned benches. Tsunade crossed her arms under her bosom and leaned against the wall. She was dressed in grey slacks and a sleeveless silk blouse. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun with pale tendrils curling down her neck. She looked so different from when she bossed him around in his youth. She seemed less bossy and more maternal.



“So…no word from the fox?” She began to swing her foot in a circle.



“No…it’s lonely without him. He was my companion for so long and now it feels empty, like I’m missing a part of me.”



“Hmm.”



“Do you think he’s alright?”



Tsunade tilted her head and considered the question. The fox had been tied to Naruto for over a thousand years. He was bound to be suffering from lessened chakra reserves, similar to what Naruto was obviously suffering from. It wouldn’t be noticeable to a normal person but Tsunade wasn’t a normal person. Her medic nin trained senses missed nothing when it came to chakra.



A thousand years had done nothing to dim her senses. She could feel faint thrum of chakra through Naruto’s pathways and could also tell that it was significantly less that what was normal for him. Naruto had always had a massive amount of his own chakra. Couple that with the chakra of Kyuubi and it was no wonder that the boy looks tired. His body is processing half the amount of chakra that it’s used to.



Chakra depletion usually took several days to recover from and Naruto was showing obvious signs of it though he seemed to recovering. His body was going to have to adjust to being without the fur ball.



“I would imagine that he’s fine. He’s probably going through withdrawal, just like you are.” she answered.



“I’m not going through withdrawal.” Naruto pouted but he knew it was true. He seemed so tired lately as if his body wasn’t used to supporting itself without the fox.



“Your body is just going to have to adjust to being without him. It will probably take a couple of weeks before you are able to adjust.” Tsunade explained.



“I might be leaving town when Sasuke is released. If Itachi won’t let him stay with me then I’m moving in. I hope he’s ready to deal with Uzumaki Naruto.” said Naruto.



“I doubt anyone is ready to deal with Uzumaki Naruto.” smirked Tsunade.



“Hey…” Naruto frowned at the comment. He wasn’t that bad to deal with. Kyuubi dealt with him for over a thousand years just fine. The thought had just registered in his mind when a wave of sorrow swept through him. He really did miss the fur ball.



“I never in my life would have thought things would have turned out like this.” mused Tsunade. When Naruto and Sasuke got together they caused quite the stir in Konoha. Sasuke’s fan girls moaned the loss of their idol and council moaned the loss of the Sharingan. Tsunade was just happy to see her little brother happy even if she didn’t fully trust the Uchiha boy. In her mind, Sasuke was a time bomb waiting to happen and she knew it would kill Naruto if Sasuke continued on his destructive path.



Never say nothing surprises you because just as soon as you do, the unthinkable happens. She would be the first one to admit when she was wrong about someone and did so to Jiraiya on many occasions when discussion about Naruto and Sasuke came up. The last of the Uchiha was the second person to completely surprise her, the first being Naruto. She had fully expected Sasuke to be unreachable but Naruto did the unexpected and pulled the boy from his depression and back into life.



Naruto had always been like a force of nature. To see him broken had been the most painful sight she had yet to witness in her very long life and broken he was. It wasn’t a blade or jutsu that broke him but the loss of Sasuke. She never wanted to see that look of utter defeat on his face again.



When the Akatsuki attacked and Sasuke was struck down, she died a little inside at the utter defeat of her gaki. In her mind, the events that followed the loss of Sasuke were as crystal clear as if they had only happened yesterday. The unthinkable had happened and it had been the first rock in the avalanche of events that would signal the end of the shinobi way of life.



Sighing, she knew without a doubt that Naruto would waste no time joining the little bastard, should he die on the operating table. There was no longer a Kyuubi to hold him back.



“He’ll be fine, Naruto. The little shit loves you too much to ever leave you alone for too long.” said Tsunade.



Naruto perked up and smiled that beautiful smile. It warmed her heart to see it. Naruto warmed the hearts of so many but none other than Sasuke could warm his own. Tsunade stretched and began walking back towards the room, Naruto soon followed.



The hours seemed to drag on. Tsunade and Jiraiya left several hours ago. Naruto took to dozing in the chair; his head twisted at what Itachi thought was the most uncomfortable angle possible. He must be comfortable if he’s sleeping so hard that he’s drooling.



A knock on the door woke Naruto in an instant and he looked expectantly as the surgeon walked into the room and shook Itachi’s hand.



“Uchiha-san came the through the surgery quite well. We pinned together several of his bones, focusing mostly on his hips and the large bones in his thighs. He will still need at least two more surgeries once these bones heal as well as months of physical therapy. His chances of walking are good but he will always carry a limp and probably need to use a cane for any extended time on his feet. Considering that it could have been much worse, I think he should make a good recovery provided he puts in the effort in physical therapy.” Naruto collapsed in the chair with a sigh of relief at the words.



“Pfft, you don’t know Sasuke very well. He’ll put so much effort into walking again that we will probably have to strap him to the bed.” snorted Naruto, the joy on his face evident at the news.



“When can we see him?” asked Itachi.



“He’s in recover but should be brought back here within the hour.” answered the doctor before excusing himself.



Itachi sat and pressed fingers into the lids of his eyes in order to stem off the tears that threatened to materialize. He refused to cry. He hadn’t cried when he thought Sasuke lay dying and he wasn’t about to cry now that he heard Sasuke’s surgery went well. He would not cry!



A tiny trickle of moisture dampened the skin of his hand. Itachi jumped at the feeling and was startled to see that the moisture came from his eyes. Bowing his head, Itachi quickly swiped at the clear droplets before standing quickly and leaving Naruto alone in the room.



Not stopping until he reached the smoking area outside of the hospital, Itachi pulled the packet of unopened cigarettes from his jacket pocket. Itachi hadn’t smoked in years but had picked up a pack yesterday. He knew that if something happened to Sasuke he would probably go through the whole pack and then some.



Pushing the filtered end between his lips, Itachi felt in his pockets for a lighter. Fuck! He had bought the cigarettes but not a lighter. Just his luck. A flash of fire blinked before him and Itachi raised his eyes to see a grinning Kisame.



Leaning in, Itachi lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply of the nicotine saturated smoke. He felt his body relax as the drug entered his bloodstream.



“Where did you come from?” asked Itachi as he blew thick grey smoke from his lips.



Kisame lit his own cigarette and inhaled before answering. “Was coming to see how you and your brother are doing. Saw you storm out of the front doors so I decided to come offer my condolences on your loss.”



“My what?”



“Your bro died didn’t he?” Itachi burst into laughter at the words. Shaking his head while attempting to keep grey ashes from falling on his clothes, Itachi laughed so hard his sides ached.



“No…he’s fine…god I needed that laugh.” panted Itachi, his voice thick with laughter.



“Hey… how was I supposed to know? Usually people are happy with good news. You looked like you just lost your best friend.” Kisame explained, his voice tinted with indignity.



“It was just the release of strain. The last few days have been exhausting.” Itachi slumped against the bench and drew in a deeper drag of the tobacco.



“So what happens now?” asked Kisame.



“He’ll need a couple more surgeries but the doctor says he has high expectations for Sasuke.”



“Well…then why are you sitting out here? Shouldn’t you be with your little brother?” Itachi’s black eyes shot up to meet smirking grey. Nodding, Itachi stood and began the walk back into the hospital.



Naruto paced the room after Itachi stormed out. ‘What bee flew up his ass?’ thought the blonde as he continued to gaze at the door, waiting to see Sasuke wheeled into the room.



After several minutes of pacing, the room doors were pushed open and Sasuke’s bed was wheeled into the room. Several nurses went about setting up his IV, PCA pump and took his vitals. Sasuke was so groggy that he didn’t care what was going on.



When the nurses finally left them alone, Naruto pulled his chair closer to Sasuke and leaned on the railing gazing at his lover. Even injured and broken, Sasuke was probably one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. The black smudges under his eyes did nothing to take away from the sheer elegance of his face.



“Hey, teme, looks like it won’t be long before I get to kick your ass again in the sparring dojo.” whispered Naruto.



Sasuke felt as if he was swimming in a sea of nothing. He heard the quiet talk of the nurses as they hooked him up to the tubes and wires but he couldn’t find the energy to care. It wasn’t until he heard Naruto’s voice that he was drawn from the darkness. Slowly opening his eyes, Sasuke swallowed at the loving eyes that gazed at him with complete devotion.



They say when you are put under anesthesia that you just go to sleep and then wake up. That wasn’t the case with Sasuke. He dreamed.



Sasuke found himself lying in a clearing surrounded by trees so tall, they appeared like giants in his eyes. It was comforting to lay here. The cool breeze ruffled his hair and tickled his skin.



“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Sasuke glanced up and saw a man step from the shadows. His red hair was pulled into several links and fell past his hips. Crimson eyes locked with Sasuke’s. The stranger moved with the grace of a dancer and Sasuke was enthralled from the moment he laid his eyes on him.



“Who are you?” asked Sasuke.



The man seemed to ignore the question and settled himself next to Sasuke on the soft earth. His hands, tipped by sharp black claws, plucked at the grass almost absently. The sad look in the man’s eyes tore at Sasuke’s heart.



“Who are you?” asked Sasuke again, this time more firmly.



Kyuubi sighed and shot Sasuke an annoyed look. “You always were an impatient, bastard. Didn’t want to wait for things to develop on their own. Just like when you ran off to Orochimaru. You probably would have developed your skills on your own under the tutelage of Kakashi but no you wanted power right now.”



Sasuke scowled, he shouldn’t have been able to follow that rant so easily but here things were clear. His past and his present bled into one being. He was both Sasuke’s. His eyes widened. He knew who this was.



“Kyuubi.” he breathed out.



“This clearing is where I played as a child and where I came to rest as an adult. Only good memories are here for me. That’s why I brought you here. I want you to take a message to Naruto for me. I want you to tell him that I cherish his friendship and that I hope he cherishes this second chance with you. Tell him that I’m sorry but that I made things right.”



“Why don’t you tell him yourself?” asked Sasuke.



“I don’t have the energy. My soul was cooped up inside Naruto for too long. But you are at the state where I can speak to you without having to exert myself. You’ll tell him for me?” Kyuubi turned pleading eyes on Sasuke.



“Yes.”



A bright smile lit his face that was very reminiscent of Naruto. It seemed like Naruto wasn’t the only one to receive traits of the other.



“You have a long recovery ahead of you, Uchiha. Make sure you lean on Naruto. I think he would be more than happy to be your pillar.” The words carried on the breeze as the dream began to fade and Sasuke was once again floating in nothing until he opened his eyes to gaze into loving blue.



“Naruto…Kyuubi…He’s sorry and made things right.” murmured Sasuke.



Naruto’s eyes widened. He wanted to ask more, demand more, but Sasuke’s eyes drifted shut once more and he was enveloped by the demands of his body.



For a long time, Naruto turned over the words in his mind. Kyuubi talked to Sasuke? What exactly did he say? Was he ever going to talk to him? Naruto smiled. At least the fur ball was alright and right now, that was all that mattered.