Only you in his mind

Sasuke stands on the high ground, looking down upon the devastated land. Everything in sight is covered in ash, rubble. Piles of dead bodies are gathering, as people morn their losses and try to make sense of it all. The Forth Ninja War is over. Yet, Sasuke still feels something boiling on the inside. Something eating him slowly. Is it that desire to fight? To prove himself one more time to Naruto? To see, who is more worthy to become the leader of the village? Or is it something else? Something that is resurfacing after a long time. Sasuke puts his hand on his chest and squeezes it tightly. He notices himself short of breath. His legs weak. Uchiha looks up at the sky. It's almost filly dark, with some light escaping through. He feels water drops falling on his face. It's raining. How fitting. Rain comes to stop the fire. To ease the people, the land that they stand on. Yet, Sasuke doesn't feel the relief. He only feels his chest getting even tighter. It's hard to breathe, to move. He coughs. No blood, but spit. Sasuke falls on his knees, sitting down and trying not to loose consciousness. He hears someone running. Breathing heavily, as they approach. — Sasuke? Hey, you alright? Naruto. Sasuke finally recognizes the person, looking up and blinking slowly. His hazy view finally clears enough. Sasuke blinks slowly, seeing Naruto's face close to his. Stretching his arm, Sasuke doesn't expect to actually feel it. He thinks that it's either a hallucination, or that his depth perception is off. But, feeling Naruto's cheek and soft skin, he suddenly flinches and puts his hand away. Naruto puts a few strands of dark hair off of Sasuke's face. He sees Tsunade leaning over. — Good. He's awake. Naruto, keep his head a bit higher. Sasuke feels Naruto pressing on the back of his head with his fingers. Tsunade checks his eye reaction. Sasuke tries to follow her finger when she says to. Uchiha blinks and yawns. — Yes. Just as I thought. Exhaustion. — Me and Sasuke fought at the same rate. Why is that, that I'm not so tired? — Sasuke doesn't seem to have a stable sleep schedule. He also doesn't have a back up of chakra. Your link with Ninetails supplies you with it in small amounts even now. You definitely should get some rest still. I recommend for you both to go ahead with it. — Sasuke, can you get up? Uchiha sighs and turns his head to the side, closing his eyes. Naruto looks at him with concern. — Alright then. We have to go the other way, I suppose. Naruto goes to Sasuke's side, grabbing onto his legs. Uchiha feels himself being lifted from the ground. He doesn't have any strength left to go against it. Uchiha, feeling his head getting heavy, puts it on Uzumaki's shoulder. Naruto holds Sasuke in his arms, carefully stepping onto the soft ground in front of him. Tsunade opens the tent for him. Naruto leans a bit, looks forward and sees Sakura attending to other wounded. Tsunade shows him to an empty bed, while going to the other side, talking to Haruno along the way. Sasuke feels Naruto pulling off some of his clothes. He covers Sasuke with a blanket, tucking it under his sides. — It's okay now. You can rest. Naruto sits near, drifting into a bit of a slumber himself. He wakes when someone calls his name. Kurama enters the tent in his small form, running towards his jinchuuriki. Naruto catches him in his arms, cuddling a small fox with a smile. — Kurama! So nice to see you, buddy. — Stop squeezing me so much! I'm glad to see you too, Naruto. Kyūbi sits in his handlers arms, looking at Sasuke. — He's in rough shape. — Tsunade said he just needs some sleep. — You need sleep too, dumbass. — I know, I know. Naruto huffs and lays his head on the pillow near Sasuke's head. For some reason, his presence is calming and quiet. * * * Sasuke opens his eyes much later. His muscles ache, but mind is clear. He raises his arm, looking at it and moving his fingers. Naruto yawns, pulling the attention towards himself. — Good morning, Sasuke. Good to see you. Uchiha puts his hand on Naruto's head. — Usuratonkachi... — Love you too. Naruto laughs, while Sasuke looks at him with an annoyed grin. Uzumaki smiles, putting his face close to Sasuke's. — How are you feeling? — Better. But, my eyes still hurt, — Sasuke rubs his eye lids, feeling a bit of an itch. Naruto stretches out his arm and puts away some of the forelock. He stops his hand for a but, checking Sasuke for signs of fever. — Hm. Warm enough. He lays his hand across brunette's eyes. Sasuke doesn't panic, but he grabs onto Naruto's limb. — Breathe. It's okay. Naruto concentrates. Sasuke feels a flow of warm chakra reaching his head. Uchiha takes a deep breath and frees his grip. He lays his arms on his own chest. Jinchuuriki rests his hand on Uchiha's forehead when he's finished. He puts his chin on Sasuke's chest. — Better? — Yes. They make eye contact. Naruto seems relaxed. At ease. He smiles, continuing to touch Sasuke's head, face, hair. Sasuke feels like he's being handled like a baby. And it works too. His breathing slows, he closes his eyes and drifts away yet again. Naruto, hoping that Sasuke won't kill him when he wakes up, lays down near him, covering them both with the blanket. * * * — You sure it's okay to wake them up? — I still need to run a check up. Sasuke hears Sakura's voice, opening his eyes. He feels quite warm even after pulling the blanket off. Seeing Naruto's head on his chest, he freezes, opening his eyes wider. — Seems like you won't have to Tsunade points at him. Sakura turns, sitting down on a chair nearly. — Sorry if we woke you up. — You two looked so cute together! Kiba disappears before Sasuke can answer. He feels a blush touching his face, before he pulls Naruto off and drops him on the floor. — Ouch! — Naruto rubs his back, standing up. — Careful, teme! — Don't use me like a body pillow if you don't want to kiss the floor, dobe! They clash their foreheads. Sakura can't help but laugh. — You two didn't change a bit for one another, did you? Sasuke huffs and turns away, raising his nose. Naruto squints and shows his tongue. — Like children, — Tsunade nods hear head from side to side and leans against a pile of boxes. — Naruto, come to me. You're up first. Uzumaki goes towards medical nin, pulling off his shirt. He's bruised all over. A seal on his belly seems less prominent. Tsunade goes over his body, feeling with her fingers. Naruto bites his lips and tries to not disturb other residents of the medical camp. — A few cracks in the ribs, bruises and cuts. But most of the injuries are healed. You should be good to go in a few days, with the help of your tailed beast. Sasuke watches as Naruto sits back down. He slowly puts his weight on his legs. Sakura holds his hand as he steps closer. — Hm. I don't see any cracked bones, but muscles are overworked and sore. Your chakra levels are also off, — Tsunade gently holds his face in her arms, pulling it closer. — I don't like the flow in your eyes. Is your vision blurry? — Now, that you point it out. Yes, it's a bit worse than usual. — Some of the eye vessels are popped. Seems like what I suspected. Tsunade pulls out a balm. She spreads it across the eye lids, rubbing it into the skin under the eyes too. Closing the lid, hokage unravels a clean bandage and wraps it around Sasuke's head. — Don't hold your eyes open, or it will sting. — It's already helping though, — Sasuke puts his hair behind his ear. — I don't feel any itchiness anymore. — Give them some rest. Constant bleeding and technique usage can put a strain on the eyes. A day of rest should set them straight. Sakura guides Sasuke back to bed. Naruto holds him from the other side. — I'm not an invalid, I can do it myself. — We're just caring for you. Sakura fluffs up his pillow and lays Uchiha on the bed. Sasuke sighs in relief, flipping on his side. Feeling Naruto getting on the other part of the bed, he turns a bit and huffs. — Don't even try to get to my side of the bed, teme. — Okay, okay, mister grumpy ass... Naruto goes to sleep quite quickly, while Sasuke stays up for a bit longer. He faces a curtain which separates beds. He hears someone moan in pain. Sakura talking. Other people going through the tent, opening boxes and mixing medicines. Sakura comes around 1 a.m. She puts up another cover, granting her team mates some privacy. She holds it open, noticing that Sasuke is still awake, moving and breathing loudly. — Can't sleep? — A long living problem of mine. Don't sweat it. It's okay. I'll rest in the morning. — That's not right. Try to...you know, think less? Perhaps, imagine something positive? — I'll try. Thanks. Sasuke puts up a bit of a smile. Sakura takes a step back and closes the curtain, going down the corridor. Naruto wakes up twenty minutes later. He tries to be as quiet as possible. Going towards the kitchen, he pours himself a glass of water. Chugging it down, Naruto doesn't feel satisfied, so he drinks a few more and let's out a quick moan. — Shit, that's good. Naruto licks his lips and turns to the corridor. Giving it a thought, Uzumaki turns back, pours another glass and goes back. — Sasuke, I know you're awake. So, here. I brought you some water. Sasuke sits up, licking his dry lips. His throat is starting to get sore. He swallows and stretches out his arm. Naruto puts the glass in his fingers, but Sasuke almost instantly losses his grip. Uzumaki definitely holds up the title of Yellow Lightning Junior. His reaction is swift. Only some water pours down on the floor. — Okay, let me help you. Sasuke feels Naruto sitting down on his side of the bed. He holds the back of Sasuke's head, putting the glass near his lips. — Here. Slowly now. Brunette feels water getting into his mouth. He swallows quickly. His throat feels softer. Turning his head towards the place he thinks Naruto is at, Sasuke let's out a big sigh. — Seems like you needed it. — Hm. Thank you, Naruto. — Since when did you become so generous for gratitude? — Usuratonkachi. Sasuke tries to puts his hand on Naruto's shoulder, but instead puts it near his face. Feeling his lips with his index finger, Sasuke tries to pull away, but feels Naruto grabbing onto his hand. — Naruto- — Shh...You don't want others to hear, right? Naruto goes closer, Sasuke feels him breathing into his face. His fingers tremble. Uchiha, not being able to see, still wants to invision Naruto's face. Those blue, bright eyes of his. Uzumaki presses on Sasuke's chest. When they both lay down, Naruto puts his head on Sasuke's shoulder, burying his nose on brunette's neck. — I'm here. You can rest. Sasuke feels his childhood friend breathing into his skin. His heart is ready to pounce out of his chest. But, at the same time, his eyes get heavy. When 2 a.m hits, they both sleep in each other's arms. * * * Kurama lays his head on his paws. His closed eyes open from time to time, observing. Just when his eyelid of about to close, he catches something with his side vision. — Sasuke. What a surprise. — Kyūbi. Or, shall i address you by the name?... — It's not necessary. I know how most of you feel about me still, even after a war that i fought in. — I still remember how chaotic your chakra feels. Can't comprehend how Naruto is able to use it. — Considering many of his abilities, including a large pool of chakra, increased durability and a nature of the seal that i was put behind, it significantly reduced the chance of Naruto gaining a lethal amount of injuries to his body, — tail beast blinks slowly, breathing out a cloud of warm air. — Although, he still has many scars from our encounters. — I've never seen it in person, but...— Sasuke turns his head, unknowingly looking in a giant vertical pupil of the bijū. — But, Orochimaru mentioned encountering Naruto in his demon fox form. He said that he was burned so badly he couldn't move. — It's a price you pay for such use of our powers, — Kurama waves some of his fingers, tapping at the earth with his long nails. — When it's only powered by anger, and this was not Naruto's alone, the chakra becomes poisonous enough to burn and peel the skin off. Gyūki has been a lot more success with his jinchūriki. This form requires self control and a stable mind, since the destructive potential is immeasurable. — Like Sharingan. — Pretty similar, yes. Especially a normal Mangekyō, which, as i came to understand, makes the user blind with time. — Mangekyō does put a strain on ones body. After a certain time and amount of used chakra, especially while the user goes past their limit, fatigue overcomes, and vision starts to get blurry. Until you go completely blind from it. — Even Eternal mangekyō shouldn't be overused, considering your current condition. — Kurama stretches out his paw, putting a tip of his finger on Sasuke's head. — Even if i have a bad history with Uchiha's and your eyes, particularly with Madara, i'm yet to experience something with you. So, don't mess up, and we might just be courteous with each other. Especially for Naruto's sake. As Kurama puts away his fingers, Naruto comes out of the tent. He raises his head, seeing his tailed beast. Uzumaki yawns, going towards the nine tailed fox. Naruto rests his head in the orange fur. — Good morning, ttebayo... — Look who's getting his normal self back. — I've been myself for the past few days, if you didn't notice. — Considering how you handled Sasuke for the past few days, I'm not so sure about it. Naruto huffs and hides in the orange fur. Kurama smirks, while Sasuke comes closer. He lets the fur run through his fingers when he puts his hand on it. It feels soft, yet packed. There is a lot of hair sticking out, making it almost impossible to see the skin underneath. Naruto eventually starts to climb up, jumping on fox's head. Sasuke hears, looking up at him, while he disappears behind a giant ear. Giving it a thought, he makes a small leap, landing on Kurama's forehead. He almost steps on Naruto, who's completely covered in orange hairy mess. Sasuke sits down, hearing nature around them. It's quite peaceful. — It's kinda sad, — Naruto puts his hands under his head. — Konoha had been destroyed...yet again. I can't even count how many times it had been decimated to the ground like this. When Pain attacked it, the war... — I destroyed it once too...Funny enough, it's been exactly 17 years since that happened. — Don't worry, Kurama. I've forgiven you a long time ago. Sasuke listens, as Naruto buries his nose behind fox's ear. Kyūbi hums. Sasuke hears a bit of quilt in that voice. Itachi sounded similar when he spoke to Sasuke after killing their parents. Now they're even. In being the strongest shinobi in their generation. In having no blood relation to people left to walk this earth. Uchiha breathes out, turns around and stretches his arm out. Naruto, looking at it, reaches back. Their fingertips touch. — Isn't it about time to take this thing off of you? — Perhaps. Naruto pulls himself close. — Shouldn't we get a permission from Tsunade? — I don't think so. Naruto giggles as he takes off the bandage. Sasuke, getting used to the light, blinks a few times. A face infront of him seems clearer and clearer. Sasuke rubs his eyes a bit, finally shaking off that weird feeling. He looks into a pair of blue eyes. Naruto tilts his head to the side a bit, looking into a familiar pair of black pools. Sasuke blinks. Uzumaki thinks about ink that covers the paper. Sasuke's eyes definitley look like a small piece of art, when an artist starts his drawing from one single droplet. Yet again, Naruto touches his hair. Sasuke feels his face getting red. How many times have they done this? Not enough, perhaps, since this all is still new. Naruto leans closer, ther lips almost touching. Uchiha, not wanting to hesitate this time, finishes the movement. The kiss is slow. Like a two blind men touching each other for the first time. They explore, twitch from an unknown feeling rising in their chests. Naruto puts his hand on the back of Sasuke's head, making him lean a bit more. They're out of breath in a minute, but it's enough to make their first experience quite special. — I don't think we've had an intentional kiss before. — No. No, we didn't. — And yet you still stole my first one. — I'll probably be your last, teme. — I hope so, dobe. Naruto giggles again, Sasuke smiles, pulling him closer. He gives Naruto a quick kiss on his cheek. Uzumaki wraps his hand around him. They think about kissing again, but are interrupted by a cough. Looking down, they see Tsunade, looking up at them with crossed arms. — I was going to remind you about taking your bandage off, Sasuke, but that seems well taken care of. Kurama smiles, while Naruto laughs into Sasuke's neck, giving Uchiha an opportunity to hide his face in a blonde head of hair.