Why Orange?

Hey here I am with the promised update.

Itachi:Hurry your ass up so we can see if Naruto survives.

T.W.:Impatient much?

Sai:I agree with Itachi, hurry your damn ass up!

T.W.:O.O...Sai since when do you use that kind of language?

Sai:Since the last chapter. Now hurry up!

T.W.:I'm tempted to dragg this out to torment Sai for cursing at me, that's the job of Itachi and my muse, but since I know all my readers would kill me, I'll go ahead and get to the chapter.

'thoughts'
coma stuff
"words heard while in coma"

Chapter 24 Coma
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Three weeks. It had been three long, horrible, hellish weeks since the attack on Konoha and for those three weeks Sasuke hadn't left Naruto's bedside. The first week several people had tried to get him to go home and rest but when faced with the Mangekyou Sharingan they'd backed down and given up eventually. He refused to leave the room until Naruto woke up.

Everyday Naruto's friends visited and his room overflowed with flowers, most of which came from the villagers. Since they'd seen Naruto risk his life to save the girl, they'd realized that Naruto wasn't the Kyuubi and they all felt ashamed of their actions towards the cheerful blond. They resolved to begin treating Naruto like the hero he truly was from now on.

Sakura entered the room to see Sasuke reading to Naruto. She still remembered the chilling fear and grief she'd felt when she'd seen Tsunade working to revive Naruto three weeks ago.

FLASHBACK

Sakura rushed to Tsunade's side as the Godaime worked on Naruto, trying to restart his heart.

"Damn it brat. Don't do this. You've beaten the odds once before and you can do it again!"

Sakura began to remove the venom from Naruto's system while Shizune healed the wounds. Sasuke was cradling Naruto's head in his lap and as she worked, Sakura heard him murmering insults and endearments, trying to rouse the blond's fighting spirit. She cleared the last of the venom from Naruto's body and as soon as she finished, a jolt rocked the blond and red chakra enveloped his chest along with Tsunade's healing green chakra.
"That's it! Fight Naruto!"

Tsunade lifted her hands from Naruto's chest, "Normal sinus rhythm restored. Shizune go prepare an operating room and send for a stretcher."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama."

Iruka spoke up from behind Sasuke's shoulder, "What happened?"

"My best guess is that Kyuubi was unable to heal Naruto as usual because he had to focus on the venom. Once Sakura removed the venom, Kyuubi was able to jump start Naruto's heart."

Sasuke ran his fingers through the blond mop of Naruto's hair, "Will he be alright Hokage-san?"

"Only time will tell Sasuke."

END FLASHBACK

"What do you want Sakura?"

Sasuke's voice brought her back to the present. She dropped a bento on his lap, "Your lunch."

"Not hungry."

"Remember your deal with Tsunade-shishou?"

"Hn."

Tsunade had told Sasuke that as long as he ate at least one meal a day, she'd allow him to stay with Naruto 24/7 and wouldn't sedate him for his own good.

Sakura sat nextto Naruto's bed and told the unconscious blond about what was happening in the village, while watching Sasuke eat.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Iruka was supervising the rebuilding of the Academy while Kakashi supervised him. Iruka had been restless and on the edge of depression since Naruto had been in a coma. He blamed himself for not protecting Naruto better and Kakashi was worried about what Iruka would do if the blond didn't wake up soon.

The silver haired joninwalked up behind Iruka and began kneading his shoulders, "You're overworking yourself Ruka."

"This has to be completed soon so that the construction crew can move on to another site."

Kakashi turned Iruka around to face him and studied the deep lines and dark circles under his lover's eyes.

"Enough! I know how you feel but feeling guilty and working yourself into the ground won't change what happened nor will it wake Naruto up. If he could see you like this he'd be out of his mind with worry and would try everything to make you laugh and relax. You have to stop blaming yourself and get some rest!"

Iruka shrugged Kakashi off, "Don't tell me what I have to do Kakashi. You don't understand so just leave me alone!"

Kakashi stepped back like he'd been slapped and before he left he said, "I do understand Iruka. For years I blamed myself for Obito's death. I can't stand seeing you do this to yourself, it hurts."

He turned and began to walk away, only to stop short when Iruka grabbed him from behind and mumbled into his shoulder, "I'm sorry Kashi, I just don't know how else to deal with it all."

Kakashi turned back to Iruka, embraced him, and teleported them to their apartment.

"You haven't cried since it happened. That's what you need to do, let all the pain and fear and guilt out with tears. I'll be right here to wipe them away when you're done."

With those words the iron grip he'd had on his emotions broke and Iruka sobbed into Kakashi's shirt while the jonin stroked his back and whispered comforting nothings.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura left the hospital and went to the south training grounds. As she watched a bird feeding it's chicks, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist.

"Kura-chan?"

She leaned back into her boyfriend's embrace, "I'm worried. There's no change in Naruto's condition and Sasuke's withdrawing more and more. I don't know what to do."

She turned and buried her face in his chest. He stroked her hair and waited for her to calm down enough to listen to him.

"It will be alright. Eventually Naruto will find his way out of the coma and once he wakes up Sasuke will go back to normal. If things get desperate before Naruto wakes up, I'll get everyone together to drag Sasuke away from the room for a little while and we'll all irritate him til he lashes out, isn't that how Naruto always gets him to stop brooding?"

She looked up at him, smiled, tugged his head down, and kissed him.

"You're right. Thank you Choji-kun, that makes me feel a lot better."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sasuke scowled at the heart monitor. It kept making the same steady noise, beep, beep, beep. It never changed, just like Naruto never showed any signs of waking. 'Damn usuratonkachi should have let the snake eat the stupid kid.' Of course Sasuke knew that Naruto would have never been able to do that, it went against everything that made the usuratonkachi who he was. Still Sasuke wished that Naruto would have gone against his nature just once, then he wouldn't be in the damn coma.

For the three weeks that Naruto had been in the coma, Sasuke would read to him everyday and didn't utter a single insult, hoping that his uncharacteristic civility would coax Naruto out of the coma. As Sasuke listened to the continuous beeping of the machines, his temper finally snapped and he let out the frustration, fear, and helplessness in furious words.

"Damn you dobe, it's just like you to lie there on your lazy ass while everyone's working to rebuild and worrying about you. You just had to play the hero didn't you usuratonkachi. You were so pathetic you couldn't protect yourself and now you expect everyone to wait on you to wake up. I should just leave now and never come back. Did you hear me you idiot!"

He hit Naruto's chest and had turned to walk off the frustration when a hand clamped on his wrist. Sasuke spun around and stared into irritated blue eyes.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto was running through a cold, inky, darkness. He had been trying to find his way out for what seemed an eternity but couldn't find anything to guide him. Occasionally he'd hear a soft muffled voice but couldn't pinpoint a direction or person. Suddenly a furious voice cut through the darkness,"Damn...dobe." 'Sasuke!' 'Naruto began to run towards that voice. "lazy ass...everyone's...worrying." 'Even you right teme?' Naruto grinned as a few more insults came his way. "usuratonkachi...pathetic...couldn't protect yourself...expect...to wait on you." The next words, however, made Naruto's blood freeze and had him running at a desperate pace. "I...leave now...never come back...idiot." Something hit his chest and Naruto opened his eyes, grabbed Sasuke's wrist, and once the Uchiha was looking at him, he growled, "Like hell I'm going to let you leave me teme!"

Sasuke stared into those incredible blue eyes and savored the sound of that irritated growl.

"Hn, as if I would usuratonkachi. I just wanted to scare the hell out of you."

Naruto let go of Sasuke's wrist, "Well it worked you ass."

He tried to sit up, "Man I'm stiff. What happened?"

"You were bitten by the snake idiot."

"I know that teme! I meant what happened AFTER!"

Sasuke leaned against the wall, "Your heart stopped but once Sakura got the venom out of your system, Kyuubi and Tsunade managed to get a steady heartbeat. You've been unconscious for three weeks."

"Huh, no wonder I feel like crap. Ne teme?"

"Hn?"

"Could you get Baa-chan? I want to know when I can go home and I could use some ramen if you can swing it?"

Sasuke smiled, "I'll see what I can do."

He leaned down, intending to give Naruto a quick kiss and ended up holding him in a tight, desperate embrace.

"Sasuke?"

"Oh gods. I thought I'd lost you and all I could think was that my life was meaningless without you."

Naruto's arms crept around Sasuke, holding the Uchiha as he shook with relief.

"I'm here, you didn't lose me. I'm alive and well. Now about that ramen?"

Sasuke chuckled and pulled back, "Alright, I'm on it dobe."

And the Uchiha left the room to tell Tsunade that Naruto was awake.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

T.W.:Okay he lived and I woke him up, doesn't that deserve some reviews?

Itachi:You never should have nearly killed him in the first place.

Sai:Mmmmhmmm.

T.W.:Oh hush. It was necessary.

Itachi:How so?

T.W.:I needed something to make the villagers realized that Naruto isn't Kyuubi and them seeing him nearly die to protect their ungrateful asses seemed like the best bet.

Itachi:I'll reiterate what I said last chapter, You're a sadistic bitch.

T.W.:Be glad I'm not turning that sadistic streak towards you. Now reviews are nice if you can and you're welcome to flame me if you want. Ja ne!