"Imagine what the poor child's been through..."

"I am an avenger."

"Those who tasted revenge were not satisfied. It ended in tragedy."

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE YOU UNDERSTAND!!"

"Those people I loved most have already been killed."

"I live only to kill that man."

"Both you and I have found precious companions...."

"The Uchiha boy is missing. His hostel manager informed us he did not return to his room the night the academy broke for the holidays. We've had officers out looking, but..."

"We think the disturbance in the south was used strategically as a decoy...There's been murmurs of war."

"Something about Youma..."

"A Northern clan....Foreigners...They're only kids, but they're fucking dangerous. You should see what they'd done to..."

"Eight! Only eight, and they did that much damage.."

"We have confirmed that Uchiha Sasuke is alive, but currently unable to testify. He will remain in SICU under ANBU supervision until further notice. His role as a Konoha Genin, however will be.."

Terminated.

Or at least suspended, if he ever recovers fully.

Kakashi sighed and scratched idly beneath his head protector. The broken sentences buzzed around in his mind like radio static. That's what his brain felt akin to these past few days – a tuner that could only play snow.

And none of the songs he wanted to hear.

He wished he smoked. Perhaps having a horrid-smelling, tobacco-filled paper roll smoldering away between his lips would give him something else to think about. Asuma was rarely seen without one dangling from his mouth - as if he couldn't breathe without it. And along with the accessory came the phlegm-filled coughs, spitting and open-ended promises to quit the very next day.

Just after this last one.

Suddenly discouraged by the idea, Kakashi substituted cigarettes for munching lamely on the end of his well-chewed H/B. He flipped a page in his dog-eared mission journal and began to write...

Victim was found in dug-out cell, east end of enemy camp.

Condition: Critical.

Victim showed signs of torture (burn marks, cuts, broken bones – jaw was wired together with office paperclips, left hand crushed, abuse of sex-....sexua....se-

Fuck!

Kakashi stopped and took a deep breath. His hand was shaking so hard, he almost dropped his pencil.

Stay calm, Hatake. It's just paperwork

...abuse of sexual nature.

Victims curse (acquired 7 weeks previously from S-class criminal Orochimaru) found inactive....

The Jounin stopped again, linked his hands behind his back and gave his shoulders a good stretch.

That was enough, he'd been at his desk all day – his diligence becoming more of a punishment than a duty. Cramped from sitting far too long in an office chair – one that was specially designed to poke you in the spine no matter how you were positioned on it - his body ached to shake out the kinks that had formed. And he really needed to think about something else for a little while. It pained him to remember how he had found Sasuke that day, but the ANBU were ruthless in demanding evidence. They insisted to have the facts before they took action in case a delicate situation arose.

Wasn't beating a twelve-year-old boy to the brink of death cause for a ‘delicate situation'?

He closed his eyes wearily and massaged his temples.

The curse. Oh yes, Orochimarus' curse.

Well, it wasn't quite true that it had been discovered inactive.

It hadn't been discovered at all.

*******************

...He found himself scooping the frail, cold figure against the front of his ripped, dusty flap jacket.

"What did you get yourself into? What did you get yourself into, Sasuke?"

Wishing he knew at least the basics in healing jutsu, Kakashi lowered his head against his students protruding collarbone and sighed sadly as he deepened the hug. He didn't really want to surrender Sasuke to the medics right at this moment. His eye closed.

Then, quite unexpectedly, his jaw touched a rough scab.

It wasn't too old, but it was healed over enough to dry out...

The most disturbing fact however, was that it had a very similar position to where...

Kakashi snapped to attention. He peered over the white shoulder he was leaning on and caught his breath.

The strange triplicate of comma-like icons, Orochimarus sinister black mark, had gone.

It had been removed.

Literally scrubbed away.

My god, he thought with a terrible realization. They knew.

They knew.

***********************

Three days beforehand, the Head Paediatric Nurse of the Konoha Village Hospital has immense trouble keeping the Uzumaki boy inside the premises as he recovered. Now she couldn't keep him out.

Since the day Kakashi had opened the door, Naruto rarely left Sasukes room – content to sit quietly for hours on end in the chair beside the bed; in a manner never associated with him until recently.

Instructions to find him, were he ever needed read as such:

"SICU unit, room 214. If he's not there, just wait a bit. He'll be back alright. Probably on the can."

He wouldn't leave Sasuke. He couldn't leave Sasuke. What if something happened while he was away? What if a bad guy got in and attacked him? What if he just died? Naruto was determined to stay put. Even if it meant parking his bottom in an uncomfortable leatherette chair for longer periods than he'd ever even trained in.

Naruto would stay.

********************

"You idiot! I told you to keep him alive!"

"Don't blame me, s'not my fault the kid's so damn soft!"

"Can't go a week without food? What a fucking sissy!"

"GODDAMMIT you two! Fucking make yourselves useful and chuck us that pipe over there – gonna have to pump it outta him."

"Fine whatever."

"Aww, lets just let him die, Io. The plan's getting boring anyway..."

"Shutup!"

"Gross, there's puke everywhere."

"Shutup! Hey...Hey Uchiha. Hey, are you listening, you bastard?

You can hear me, I know you can.

You stupid shit – look what you did. What a fucking mess.

Tried to get out the easy way, did you? You're barely worth crap as it is, you'll be worth even less if you're dead.

Like I'm gonna let you.

You're our ticket, you are. Our one way ticket.

There's gonna be lots of blood, Uchiha, lots of pain. Put up with your share, kid. Cos everyone's gonna get one.

We just need your little foxy friend. He's not here yet, but he'll come.

He'll come for you.

Now you gotta stay alive. You gotta scream a little louder.

So he can hear you."

******************************

"Cookie?"

"Wha...?" The blond Genin jumped, a pile of scrolls flew from his lap. After finding that sitting in silence staring at nothing really was quite a bore, Naruto had brought his homework with him to the hospital room. He'd been intensely studying the rare art of wedgie no jutsu (Jiraiyas' idea) when a pink square of crackly plastic appeared under his nose.

"Do you want a cookie?" The morning intern smiled at him, her poodle-perm curls bouncing jovially in their ribboned topknot.

"Uhh, no. Thanks." He managed a lame half-grin in return. Cookies weren't really his thing. And he didn't care much for food at the moment, he had a job to do. But if they were making ramen downstairs...well, everyone deserves a lunch break.

"Suit yourself," she replied, brightly, pocketing the biscuit. "It's not like he's going to eat it, eh?"

She waved her hand dismissively in Sasukes' direction.

"Aa," Naruto mumbled, fumbling on the floor for his notes. He wished she'd go away. And take her whistling with her. She was the only intern who tended to make her presence known, the rest just passed by unnoticed as they silently checked off their duties.

Whistling, humming, dancing, singing – you name it. Like an Asian version of Doris Day. The worst was if you spoke to her. Then she didn't shut up for at least half an hour.

"How's you friend doing anyway?" She smoothed the sheets on the bed, clicking her tongue to an unknown tune. Naruto looked annoyed.

"You're the nurse, aren't you supposed to tell me that?" He snapped.

"Oh yes, I know his condition, alright." She looked up, still tugging at the blanket. "But I'm asking you how he's doing."

"Well..." Naruto blinked. What the hell was she on about? "He's umm....He's....."

He glanced over at Sasuke, lost for words. The boy hadn't moved at all. He looked exactly the same as he did 72 hours ago.

"....tired, I guess."

"Mmmhmm," She straightened and walked over to him. "He's been sleeping a long time. He might be scared that if he wakes up, no one will be here..."

You'll be here, Naruto thought, savagely. And he wouldn't like you.

"He won't wake up yet," He said aloud. "The Doctors think he's too sick and it's better if he's resting."

"Do you believe that?"

No, Naruto didn't. Not one bit. He'd been wishing nonstop for his friend to open his eyes. But there was no way he'd tell her.

A sudden snag of emotion caught in his nose and he dropped his gaze, eyes watering.

Not gonna cry, not gonna cry. He's gonna be ok. Not gonna cry!

"Maybe," The intern moved forward and took his hand, gently placing it on Sasukes. "Maybe he just needs to know you're here."

She smiled again, kindly this time, and for once left the room without a sound. Naruto looked over at his team mate. Sasuke hadn't done as much as flinch.

"Are you scared, Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly. "I don't care if you are. I would be too. I kinda am now, and I'm not the one who's sick."

Carefully he gave the icy, frail fingers a squeeze. The room was always at a constant temperature, but no matter how warm it was, Sasuke just seemed to keep the cold inside him. That and a rather blue-tinged countenance.

"Ne, Sasuke...." Naruto tried again.

"Sasuke.."

Hey, Uchiha.

"C'mon, wake up.."

You fucking spoilt brat.

"Wake up.."

This is your last show, Uchiha. Make a good impression, won't you?

"Please...?"

Let them know what we can do. Let them know how much we can make it hurt.

"Sasuke....pleeeeeease?"

They're all gonna go down with you, Uchiha. Just like your brother. They're all gonna go down.

Cos you couldn't save them.

You couldn't do anything, cos you're a useless bastard.

They're going down, Uchiha.

Scream a bit louder.

Naruto heaved a sigh. What a stupid idea - that nurse was crazy. As if talking to someone was going to bring them out of a coma. Sasuke didn't like him anyway, so there wasn't a chance in hell that he would be....He'd be...

Looking at him right now.

Naruto jumped a mile. Again.

"Sasuke!!!!" He exclaimed incredulously, scrambling to his feet. "You're okay!!"

The dark eyes winced a little.

Noise....arrrgh.

Fighting the heavy weights of painkillers to bring his team mates face into focus, Sasuke attempted to ask the "Number One Most Heard Hospital Question"

Where am I?

But he couldn't move his lips. And there was something choking him. Panic rose in his features.

"Oh no, don't try to talk. There's a plastic thingy in your throat. See?" Naruto bent the stiff fingers and gently prodded the airway to prove its existence. "I think they might take it out tomorrow though, since you're awake now."

The blond beamed happily, clutching his friends hand as if it were as precious as a bowl of ramen. Sasuke blinked in surprise. Why was Naruto so happy?

After all, they did try to kill each other about a month ago. The kid had a screw loose.

But even so.

He was alive.

*******************

"You've been watching us for awhile, haven't you? What's your name?"

"Sasuke."

"I'm Io. That's Nae-nae. Aroha over there"

"You're....pretty good. Where did you learn that?"

"Oh you think so? Heh, actually I made it up. Hey, you got any one to train with?"

"Nah..."

"Wanna train with us?"

".....Yeah. Yeah, sure."

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