Let Me In

Thank you, reviewers!
Reviews are very much appreciated.
This is my first time writing fanfiction, and I'd like to know how I can make this or future stories better.
=)


Kakashi watched helplessly as he watched Naruto gather his things shakily. To anyone else, Naruto would appear to be his usual self, but as a person who has known Naruto personally for many years, he could tell there was something wrong. His mind kept telling him to do something, say something, but what could he say? Kakashi had never been good with words of comfort, and there were really none he could offer to the blonde. Kakashi sighed and closed his book. "Get some rest, Naruto. Another long day awaits us tomorrow." With a puff of smoke, he was gone.

--

'At last, we've arrived.' But something wasn't right. Sasuke hesitated as she lifted the curtain of Ichiraku. In a matter of moments, Sasuke was clutching his neck, a look of intense discomfort crossing his features. The curse seal was a glowing red in color and threatening to take over the entire left side of his body. He groaned loudly just before his head lolled to the side and his vision went black.

"Sasuke-kun!!" Sakura sat on the side of the road clutching Sasuke desperately. She didn't know what to do. Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes as she held him close to her chest. 'Naruto, where are you...Sasuke needs you...' But Naruto was no where to be found. "HELP!! Please...somebody...anybody..." Sakura was at a loss for what to do - she couldn't carry him by herself, yet she couldn't very well just sit there, for Sasuke needed medical attention. Attention that she knew not how to give, this job was for someone more experienced than herself.

And again, Sakura felt she couldn't protect her teammate.

It took a few minutes for anyone to come to their aid. A nearby shopkeeper hurriedly ran out of his shop to help Sakura get Sasuke to the Konoha hospital.

--

You will come to me, Sasuke. Even in death we will be together...



His cursed seal gave one violent pulse before he could feel the pain dissipate. His body had jumped from the shock of it, effectively waking him up. Sasuke took one slight look around, only vaguely caring as to why he was in the hospital. What he was more interested in was the mass of orange and black in a chair by the door. Naruto had his head leaning against the door frame with his eyes closed. Sasuke was thankful for this, for he did not want to face the boy. 'If I stay here I'm going to have to face him sometime.'



With this in mind, Sasuke silently crawled out from under the covers and headed towards the window. He reached an arm out to the latch, but something caught his hand. Out of surprise, he jerked his hand away, only to have the back of it collide with something solid.

A violent smack echoed in the white room.

Reluctantly, Sasuke turned and was face to face with his former best friend. But this wasn't the same boy he used to know. Naruto's eyes were empty as he reached a hand up to his face to where Sasuke had hit him. His right eye was tearing slightly from the force of the blow, but his eyes gave away nothing as to what he was thinking. All Sasuke wanted to do was bolt - but it was quite obvious he couldn't do that now.

"I'm supposed to look over you."



Sasuke remained silent, but his gaze never left Naruto's. The emptiness he saw unnerved him. This was Naruto. Sasuke wanted to reach up and wipe away the tear under Naruto's eye, but he couldn't. His body wouldn't move. It was then that he also realized how intimate the moment felt. Naruto was only a few inches away from himself, and the intensity of the situation was beginning to take its toll on Sasuke. He backed up a couple steps while relocating his gaze.

"Are you that disgusted of me?"

'No,' Sasuke wanted to say. But again, he couldn't. He watched soundlessly as Naruto's hands curled up into fists. He was looking at the ground now.

"Kakashi-sensei is away on a mission right now. He'll be back in a couple days. He told me to look after you while he was gone, since he doesn't want you leaving until he can come back and check your seal. He also says to get some sleep, since the seal most likely used up most of your chakra." With that, he turned around and sat down on a vacant hospital bed across from the one Sasuke woke up in. He laid down on his side, his back towards the unresponsive Uchiha. There was a pause before he spoke again.

"I missed you, Sasuke-teme."

The statement was said in hardly a whisper, but Sasuke heard every word. The vice on his heart tightened harshly at the confession and he found himself sliding down the wall to come to rest with his head on his knees. What was he to say? What could he say that wouldn't leave him vulnerable and open to any rejection or pain? Honestly, he missed the blonde dobe as well. The date he almost had to endure with Sakura was only to fill the hole that used to be Naruto. He couldn't be any more than a teammate to the boy. Somehow Naruto had wormed his way into Sasuke's heart in a way that frightened him enough to need to pull away. Sasuke can't afford to care for someone - everyone he has ever cared for has been violently torn away from him in the end, and he can't possibly let someone else in.

Sasuke wanted to scream, to sob, to crawl away from the mess he was in, but he would never let himself cry in front of another. The silence of the room was unbearable, and all he could do was watch the gentle breathing of the blonde.

Fix me.