When Sasuke Met Naruto (SasuNaru)

- Chapter 41 -

Naruto sat in Konoha Hospital outside Sasuke's room, staring at his hands in silence. It was late Sunday night, and he was exhausted. When Iruka had arrived at the crash site along with ambulances and police officers, Naruto, Kakashi, and Kabuto had already moved Sasuke and Orochimaru out of the cave. As hard as it had been to see Sasuke in his injured state, and as painful as it had been to watch O fade away, the hardest part of the day had been letting go of his boyfriend. He wanted to stay with Sasuke, to hold his hand, even if he couldn't feel it, but the paramedics wouldn't have it. Thus, with the knowledge that he might never see the Uchiha alive again, Naruto had relinquished his hold on Sasuke and watched as they wheeled him into the ambulance.

And now, there he was, waiting for some sort of news. Good news. Bad news. Any news. He just wanted to be done with the uncertainty.

It wasn't just hard on Naruto, either. Iruka was sitting beside him, bleary-eyed and determined to stick it out, both for his son and for his boyfriend. Speaking of which, Kakashi was probably in the worst condition of them all. Somehow, after O died, the fire inside Kakashi had died with him. Was it because the fear of what might happen to Sasuke was that much closer to being a reality? Was it because Kakashi knew how devastated Sasuke would be when he found out what had happened to O? Or was it because he had been wrong about O all along – that the man that he had suspected of being nothing more than a pedophile ultimately gave his own life to protect Sasuke?

Naruto suspected it was a combination of the three, and the result was emotionally draining. Though Kakashi managed to keep his head up and his eyes open, the glimmer in them had faded. He looked an awful lot like he had that day he walked in soaking wet – when Sasuke had talked to him about Obito.

I can only imagine what I look like... probably not much better...

As if in response to the blond's thoughts, a familiar voice pierced the silence, saying, "You look like hell."

Glancing up, Naruto found Shikamaru watching him from across the hall with a weak smile. Though Kakashi had contacted the Nara immediately after getting into town, Naruto hardly expected him to show up so soon. He felt his spirits lift, albeit slightly. "Shikamaru! You came!"

"What's that supposed to mean? My best friend's in the hospital – of course I'm going to come," Shikamaru responded, taking a seat beside the blond. "So, tell me... any word on his condition?"

"No... all I know is that he's lost a lot of blood. They finished working on him an hour ago – on his wound, I mean – but he's still unconscious. They're afraid that, with the cold and everything, his system is struggling to bounce back," Naruto began, taking deep breaths between each statement in an attempt to calm himself.

It didn't work. After only a few seconds, he burst into tears, at which point Shikamaru patted the blond on the back consolingly. "It's okay, Naruto... it's okay. I've known Sasuke for years – he wouldn't let something like this take him down. He's too stubborn for that. Trust me, he won't die unless he can make a spectacle of himself in the process. He's kind of an ass like that."

Naruto made what sounded like a chuckle mixed with a sob. "You can say that again. Running off on us like that..."

"About that," Shikamaru said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I want you to know that, no matter what happens, this isn't your fault."

"What do you mean...?"

"Look, I know what you must be thinking. He left after the two of you," the Nara began before glancing over at Kakashi and Iruka. He blushed. "Umm... what I mean to say is..."

"It's okay – they know," Naruto said with a sigh.

With a forced cough, Shikamaru continued. "Okay, then – he left after you two had sex – it's only natural that you'd blame yourself. I want you to know that's not the case, though. You had no way of knowing how he'd react. As far as you knew, he was okay with it. I wouldn't be surprised if even Sasuke thought he was okay with it. You can't help it if he panicked a bit once he realized the significance of what he'd done."