I Think I

Chapter 17:Empathy

Naruto sat up in bed, frowning and furrowing her brows. It was quiet in the apartment, so what was it that had roused her? She was normally a heavy sleeper unless she was on missions, and she had gotten used to this relatively new, comfortable bed a quite some time ago, so the bed wasn't the problem.

She scratched her head and yawned as she waited to see if she could detect anything. There weren't other presences in the house, as far as she could sense, so she tried to ignore whatever it was that yanked her from her sleep, and started to lie down again-

And there it was. A slight sound, definitely of human origin.

Naruto blinked sleepily as she forced her fogged brain to work. The only other person in the house was Sasuke. Maybe he just couldn't sleep and decided to make himself a drink in the kitchen-

This time it was a sob. A few, in fact. Half-smothered, but Naruto had made and heard enough sobs herself to identify one easily. Feeling vaguely disturbed – Uchiha Sasuke did not cry – she swung her feet over the sides of the bed and forced herself to stand up. She wobbled a few steps to the door and opened it. As soon as she did, she could hear the sounds more clearly. Mumbled words, sobs, and faint thrashing.

Was he having a nightmare? Naruto had had more than enough of those, and still had a few on occasion. She knew how terrifying they were, all the more if there was no one to reassure you after you woke up; no one to hold you and tell you everything would be alright; that it was just a dream and everyone was still safe and alive.

She bit her lip, the last bit of sleepiness gone as she heard the sounds of Sasuke's nightmare become louder and louder. The nightmare must be getting worse, she thought to herself. She padded noiselessly to the door of his room and reached for the doorknob, then hesitated. She could hear him more clearly now, but her hand hovered over the metal knob. Should she? What could she do? She knew Sasuke would not appreciate her 'interference', especially in this. He would definitely consider a nightmare as a weakness, and having Naruto intrude would definitely not sit well with him and his pride.

A particularly loud, almost-fearful cry rang out. Naruto hardened her resolve and quietly opened the door.

The sight that greeted her wrenched her heart. Sasuke was having a nightmare for sure; he was tangled in the sheets, fighting with them as he thrashed. His expression was what really touched Naruto – it was pathetic and fearful. Gone was the cold indifference and elegant strength; he looked like a defenseless little boy forced to watch a horrifying spectacle.

Naruto wasn't sure what to do. She knew that it wasn't a good idea to wake a shinobi from their nightmares – they tended to get rather violent, especially if the nightmare involved fighting. She certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end of whatever weapon Sasuke might pull out of some crevice, but she couldn't just watch him writhe on the bed.

She swallowed and let instinct take over. Carefully, she put an arm under his shoulders and lifted him up even as he fought her hold. She lifted him and pulled him closer to herself, hoping fervently that the nightmare would go away without him waking up, because she was as good as dead if he caught her this close to him.

"Shh," she whispered comfortingly into his ear. "Everything's alright, Sasuke. Everyone's fine."

Sasuke calmed down fractionally, but his forehead creased as he frowned deeply. "Okaasan! Otousan…" he mumbled. "Don't die…"

Naruto's eyes widened. He was dreaming of his parents? But they died… in the Uchiha Massacre. He was having a nightmare about the night Itachi decided to kill off the clan. She ran hesitant fingers through his hair and continued whispering comforting phrases to him. His midnight-blue hair was wet with sweat, and it wet her t-shirt where his head rested against her stomach.