A/N: I was supposed to send this out in to the world AGES ago, but then my computer crashed (winces) LUCKILY (?) it didn't take this along. (beams)

Happy delayed birthday, teme!

WARNINGS: YAOI, oddness… Eh, I'm afraid I can't say the rest – it'd spoil the surprise. (grins apologetically)

DISCLAIMER: The day I own Naruto you'll see cows and pigs flying. Period.

Awkay, I'm almost out of time, so… (gulps nervously) I hope ya'll enjoy.

Stay With Me?

A nineteen-years-old Naruto Uzumaki hated hospitals almost more than he disliked anything in the entire world. That would've been completely alright if he hadn't been forced to spend his days locked up into one. It didn't make things any better that apart from Shizune and other medics no one visited him anymore. It felt like pretty much all his friends had abandoned him, and it hurt almost more than he could take although – as he told himself – he should've grown used to being abandoned already.

But at least he wasn't completely lonely.

A wide grin appeared to his face when he woke up from a drug-induced half-sleep to find a familiar person sitting on his bedside.

There was an unimpressed look on Sasuke's face while the raven examined the tray full of food that'd been ditched to a tiny table beside his bed. "That looks disgusting", the Uchiha stated.

He chuckled. "Trust me, it tastes even worse." He then swatted the back of the Uchiha's head almost playfully. "You're late."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're even more annoying than usual when you whine."

He shrugged carelessly, glancing towards the food and deciding that he wouldn't touch it even if his life depended on it. "So you keep telling me."

A few peaceful moments passed with them both drifting in their thoughts. Without them noticing it their hands approached, until they were a millimetre from touching.

In the end – as always – it was he who broke the silence, glancing towards Sasuke's thoughtful face. "You're quiet today." As an afterthought he added. "Quieter than usual."

Sasuke looked at him directly to eyes, as though attempting to find something. "So are you."

At first he thought about denying everything, for the sake of his dignity. In the end, however, his lips moved free of his will. "It's the drugs, making a mess of my head. And…" He swallowed thickly. "It's lonely here, sometimes. I have too much time to think." He brought one arm to his chest while his other hand grabbed Sasuke's. "You know… You're the only one who dares to visit me anymore." His tone was uncharacteristically bitter and sad, but he didn't care; with what the two of them had been through, honesty was allowed. He hung his head, watching how shadows danced on the floor before him. "Sakura-chan used to come, but… I haven't seen her for months now." He shrugged, wondering if it was medication wiping away the emotions that'd almost pushed their way to the surface. "But… I don't know, maybe that's a good thing. She cried every time she left for the last weeks. I couldn't take it any longer." He glanced towards Sasuke, explored the exhausted onyx orbs. And suddenly chills came, along with whispered words. "I've heard the medics. I'm… I'm not getting better, am I?"

Sasuke remained unresponsive for a mighty while, until the raven spoke slowly. "No, you're not." The voice carried a little bit too much emotion to sound right.

He looked away, towards the room's tiny, barred window, and let out a shaky sigh. It was very cold all of a sudden. It took a long moment before he managed to speak. "You… won't stop coming, right? No matter how bad it gets." Suddenly he felt almost scared, which was something he wasn't used to. He looked towards his best friend – his rival, his brother, his whole damn world – and felt how a huge lump rose to his throat when the other wouldn't meet his gaze. "Please tell me you won't leave me alone."

Sasuke's eyes were unreadable when they met his. "No, I won't dump you." The raven examined him with his gaze for a moment. "Now eat your lunch and go to sleep, dobe. You look like hell."

-

From behind a mirror glass, Shizune's sad eyes observed the sight unfolding in Naruto's room. With a deep sigh she started making notes.

She was too deep in thought to react to the sound of a door opening behind her. Even without looking, she sensed how the arrival stood beside her. It was unbearably silent for the longest moment. "So… There's been no progress?" Sakura all but whispered in a voice she didn't manage to read.

After hesitating for a mighty while she shook her head slowly. She opened her mouth, but in the end decided that no words would soothe what was twirling inside the other female.

In utter, heavy silence they watched how Naruto – who was quite clearly all alone in the room – chuckled while swatting what was nothing but thin air. "Shut it, teme."

The moves were so abrupt that she shivered a little when Sakura spun around and started to dash away. The door was slammed closed loudly as the pinkette went.

In the room, Naruto's hand caressed the air in front of him before the Uzumaki leaned forward and whispered something. It was easy to read four of the words the blond's lips formed.

'I love you, too.'

-

Sakura kept moving – running, hurrying desperately – until she finally reached her destination and fell to the ground as though strings had been cut. She was panting from exhaustion and her breathing wheezed painfully from lack of air. Even with all the years passed her eyes blurred when she lifted her gaze valiantly to face the stone and the words engraved to it.

"Please…!" Her voice wasn't such she would've recognized. "It's been three years! Why can't you… Why can't you just leave us alone already?! Why can't you stop haunting us?" Her gaze, which she'd lifted so determinedly, fell as a storm of tears erupted, flooding over both of her pale cheeks. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, but it didn't stop the tideway. "You're gone, and it still hurts, it hurts too much even without you…!" She drew in a sharp, breathless inhale and tried to grab the grass underneath her so hard her knuckles turned white. "I… I know he killed you, and he's already suffered for it. So please… Please, let us move on already! Please, Sasuke…!"

Nothing but the wind answered her. Bringing a hand to her face, she broke down, no longer managing to speak although there was a ton of things she would've wanted to say.

Wind blew some leaves past the tombstone and the sullen, plain words engraved to it.

Sasuke Uchiha

Owari.

To those wondering: Yup, Sasuke was indeed killed by Naruto. (sniffs loudly) Poor things! Let's hope the manga doesn't end that way. (winces)

A/N: So… Was it any good – at all? Or pure rubbish stuff? PLEASE, leave a note to let me know – it'd seriously mean the world to me! (gives huge puppy's eyes)

(winces) Gah, I really have to get going now. Thank you so much for reading! I hope I'll see you guys later!

Take care!