like crazy.

"Just be quiet," Suigetsu murmurs against his cheek, and Sasuke slaps the hand away, and they follow Karin and Jugo inside.

He might be screaming, but there is a roaring in his ears, and red and gold embers are falling from the sky.

I'm drowning

(in his eyes)

in flames

The first person he thinks of is Naruto, but it's Sakura. She is petite and quiet as always, and her hands are folded in front of her. The room around them is terrifyingly white. Whiter than Itachi's eyes. The hospital, he realized. God, he hates hospitals. She's a nurse, he thinks, what else has happened? He doesn't want to be curious about her and her new life, but it's like waking up into a new world.

(And Naruto is smiling, calling him his best friend and his brother)

"Hi." Sasuke says, because he cannot think of anything else.

"Hi." She says. Her smile holds no emotion, and he notices her lipstick has smeared.

Sakura speaks crisply about his injuries - from what? - and does not look at him. He doesn't want to care, doesn't want to see what is in her emerald eyes. She has grown beautiful, his friend. He finds his eyes glancing upon her figure, and he feels a cold slithering in his stomach. This is Sakura, and he is Sasuke, and he does not think of her like that. But right now, she is a nurse at the hospital, and he doesn't see love in her eyes, but he doesn't see disdain either. Her eyes are empty.

"Sakura?" He asks.

"Yes?" She's scribbling something down.

"Do you have a cigarette?"

He leans against the wall, smoking, and he thinks it's been seventy two days since he has been released, and Suigetsu mumbles about winged swords, and Karin doesn't speak. Jugo cries, silently, and Sasuke smokes and grits his teeth and punches walls.

"Hey."

It's Naruto, smiling nervously.

"Hn."

"Why do you come up here?" Naruto asks, looking up at the stars. They shine against the velvet of the sky.

"We fought here," Sasuke answers absently. "You have another cigarette?"

"Ask Shika," Naruto says. Shikamaru? The man hasn't even looked at him.

Sasuke swats a fly away.

"Why are you up here?"

"You're here." Naruto's smile is so unsure, it slips and slides off his face like water.

Sasuke scoffs and clutches the railing. He hates how the fire left his skin, all dark and cracked and his fingers bend into black claws. He doesn't even want to look at his face in the mirror anymore... How can Naruto even look at him?

"We fought here," He repeats. "You wanna spar again?"

(like old times. Seems so far away now.)

Naruto punches Sasuke lightly on the arm. "Yeah."

Sasuke smiles.

"Sasuke?" Sakura Haruno is standing on his doorstep, mud tracked behind her and her emerald eyes are large and pleading.

"Sakura," He says, trying not to sound too surprised.

"Naruto's in the hospital. He got into a fight." Her eyes are emotionless once more, and her words are clipped. She turns quickly and begins to walk. He sees her shoulders shake with sobs.

"Sas? That you?" Naruto mumbles, his hand, wrapped in white, batting at the air above him. The soft lull of the monitor quickens. "Shut up," Naruto growls.

"Hn." Sasuke takes the bandaged hand almost reluctantly. "What happened, idiot?"

"Got in a fight,

(for you)

and I totally beat the guy. But he was an okay fighter, I guess." Naruto scoffs. "I just got a little bumped up."

Sasuke sighs. "Why?"

"He said some crap. Nothing important." Naruto's liquid smile is back, and his eyes linger on Sasuke's scars.

"Hn." Sasuke gives him a weary half-smile.

"Sas? You know you're my friend, right?" Naruto says slowly.

"No, I never really realized that before. Yes, moron, we're friends." Sasuke scowls. "Don't blame me that you got yourself hurt. I can't watch you all the time."

"I wasn't going to," Naruto whispers.

"Bye." Sasuke knows it's abrupt, but he really must go. The stove might be on.

Naruto thinks Sasuke's rear is kind of cute.

"How'd you find me?" Sasuke finally asks.

"Kiba's sister." Naruto murmurs. "She heard about the fire, and how you were involved... and we brought you home. You're lucky you and your friends didn't do anything serious... What happened, Sasuke?"

"I changed." Sasuke mutters, mumbles, murmurs as quiet as Naruto has lately been.

I wish he could just see.

I wish he wouldn't look at me like that! God, then he'll know I... like... him.

Sakura rapped on Naruto's door. "Open up, it's me."

"Hey, Saku-chan. How're things?"

She takes a deep breath and looks at him dead in the eyes. "Do you still like me? Because I might be in love with you, and I'm going to be very straightforward here, Naruto, and I've seen you looking at Sasuke the way you used to look at me."

He grins awkwardly and rubs the back of his head. "You're smart, Sakura- chan."

"He looks at you the same way. So. You two should be together. I'm here to help." Sakura exhales sharply. "I'm... I'm gonna go now, okay? We're friends, okay?"

"Best friends," He says into her hair.

Hold it in, hold it in, hold it in.

Sasuke greets Naruto with a nod as the blonde boy slumps down next to him.

"Sasuke?" Naruto says after two minutes of whistling and tapping on whatever he can find.

"Hn?"

"I really like you."

"I like you too." Sasuke murmurs and continues scrubbing fiercely at his countertop. Damned thing wasn't clean enough.

"Sasuke, I like you as in I love you." Naruto's gaze is serious, and he takes Sasuke's hands.

"Funny," Sasuke spits.

"I love you," Naruto whispers tenderly. "I love you like crazy. I waited for four years, Sasuke."

Damn.

Naruto smiles as Sasuke pushes him against the wall and kisses him, hard.

end.