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Starting Over	By : ladyvaltaya Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1113 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter 5

Sakura shivered in her wet clothes, she�d never been in the Uchiha
complex before, but she could understand why Sasuke hadn�t lived there since
the infamous murders. Even the neighborhood around it seemed unnaturally quiet.
It was cold too, and a number of the lights were burned out, but the thermostat
was running, and the master bedroom had enough light for her to work on healing
her friend.

Naruto helped her ease Sasuke down on the bed on his stomach
but she noticed he still refused to let himself look at the damage. �Would it
help if I went to see if there is some aspirin or something here?�

Sakura nodded even though she knew it would take more than
that to get ahead of this kind of pain and Sasuke would probably be asleep
before he came back with it anyway. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail
and washed her hands before putting on a pair of medical gloves.

She smiled as she looked through the tray of items that
Tsunade had ordered sent here for her to work with. No doubt Shizune had packed
it and delivered it herself. Sasuke�s breathing was becoming deeper and more
even, that made her smile because it meant he was falling asleep.

Naruto burst back into the room, but before he could say
anything, she shushed him. �He can take them later,� she whispered. �Get his
shoes off, please.�

He did and then he sat down on the opposite side of the bed
to watch her. She focused on her task again, forcing herself to block out
everything else. She couldn�t let anything distract her, and Naruto was content
to just watch her- at least for now.

She�d seen battle wounds before, but this was just cruel,
she thought, allowing herself to take in the damage as a whole for the first
time. The pale skin of Sasuke�s back was tattered beyond all recognition, there
was blood everywhere. The scorches were just evil looking and the deep gashes randomly
carved right into his broad, powerful muscles might impair his movement for the
rest of his life. Many of the scorched areas were bad enough that they�d
cauterized themselves like a branding iron immediately but others were still
bleeding.

As a whole, he�d lost a lot of blood and the pain would have
to have been terrible. His dark, untamable spirit and iron will were all that
had kept him alive. After all, this sort of a chakra whip was meant to permanently
damage the body and disrupt the bond between the Ki of the victim�s body and
the spirit�s ability to manipulate it into expendable chakra. Time would tell
if Danzou�s hired torturer had succeeded or not.

She took a small squeeze bottle of sterile water and broke
off the tip, allowing the fluid to run down his back, soothing and cleansing
the area as gently as possible. She smoothed the dangling strips of skin back into
place, while they were wet and tried to keep them as even and flat as possible.
She blotted them dry with gauze 4x4�s as she finished each small area. It was
like putting together a jigsaw puzzle- but one she didn�t find enjoyable.

Most pieces were just plain missing, torn loose and- well,
it was better not to think about that. She wrinkled up her nose in disgust, but
when she was done with that, Sakura took off her gloves and washed her hands
again. She went to her basket of supplies and pulled out a broad, shallow jar
of cream. With a fresh pair of medical gloves, she smeared the cream onto the
skin she�d managed to save, making sure to use enough that the pale ribbons
would not stick to her gloves.

�Naruto? Naruto-kun, could you�� She looked up when he
didn�t answer and smiled when she realized he was asleep, right next to Sasuke.
The situation as a whole wasn�t funny, but she was wishing she had a camera
which made her blush.

Her eyes wandered to the clock nearby and she took a moment
to stretch after removing her gloves and washing her hands. No wonder Naruto
had zonked out. She�d been working on this for almost three hours. She was
tired too; this week had left both of them emotionally exhausted. She still had
a lot to do though.

With a sigh, she found the burn cream Shizune had packed for
her and applied the slimy yellow goop to the worst of the scorches first,
working her way along slowly and gently. This was the most likely step to wake
Sasuke, but he didn�t stir, and most of them were centered in the middle of his
back. The scarring would be the worst there, simply because that was where he
was missing the most skin.

For the damaged muscles that weren�t badly burned, she smoothed
a large amount of clear salve on them. Then she took out a pinch of delicate
special fibers that had always looked to her like pale yellow cotton balls and
tucked them up into the gashes, making sure they stuck to the gooey salve. When
she finished with all of that, Sakura draped a clean sheet over him. Bandages would
have to wait for the next time she had to put the creams and lotions on him. As
long as he was comfortable enough to rest this peacefully, she wanted to let
him.

Then, she went into the bathroom and took a long, hot
shower, scrubbing away all the blood on her felt like heaven. The bottles in
the shower were dusty, but she managed to find some shampoo and conditioner and
washed her hair too. After that, she threw an old robe around herself and came
out to check on her patient.

Naruto had scooted a bit closer, and was lying curled up
with his back up against Sasuke�s arm. Sasuke hadn�t moved though, so she crept
to the closet and pulled out something that wasn�t bloody to wear. The only
thing that caught her eye was a simple, dark dress, but the material was soft
and comfortable, even if it was a little musty. She slipped it on and curled up
into the recliner in the corner; using the bathrobe for a blanket, she was asleep
in minutes.

**

Sasuke growled, as he started to wake up.

What the hell�

The sensation that his chin was lying in something cold and
wet was just gross and that was why he never
slept on his stomach. About that same time, he also felt pain- lots of it- all in his back.

He stirred slowly, unable to figure out why both of his arms
felt like lead weights at his sides and why one was quite a bit warmer than the
other.

The room was near dark, golden light poured in along the
edges of the curtains indicating the sun was setting, but he could see enough
of the furniture to know that it looked a lot like his parent�s room�

A shape stirred in the overstuffed recliner to his left and
he realized this was his parent�s old
bedroom. The small figure curled up in the chair turned out to be Sakura; her
pale hair shone softly in the waning light. She looked like an angel; with the
sun�s glow giving her its warm, ethereal beauty. She was loyal, brave,
determined and beautiful, but he didn�t love her.

No, that isn�t quite
true...

During his absence he�d thought of her often at first-
especially her stunning green eyes when times were hard. But in the end, he
needed a stronger anchor to keep resisting Orochimaru�s cruelty. Sakura was still
a friend, a teammate and a precious person, but when he thought of her now, he
saw the sister he wished he could have had.

Ironically, the bond with Naruto that he�d tried so hard to
break, was the one that kept the embers of hope alive inside him; hope that
someday he would beat the snake at his own game and kill Itachi himself�

Something shifted on his other side and suddenly the edge of
a ridiculous orange sleeve and a tanned hand were dangling awkwardly in front
of his face.

Sasuke growled trying not to flinch when the arm moved again,
lower this time, across his back. �Get off of me, Dobe��

�Dobe? Sasuke?
H-Hey!� Naruto jumped up off of the bed and then
appeared in front of him, holding several small white pills and a glass of
water. �Here, take these! I got them for you!�

Since it still hurt too much to move his arms much less sit
up, Sasuke found it ridiculous that the hyperactive blonde was starting to look
so disappointed.

�S-Sasuke? You�re awake?�

He found himself glaring at Sakura too, who stifled a
giggle. �I guess you weren�t quite ready to wake up yet, huh? Well, too late
now, but you must feel horribly stiff and sore. Your muscles won�t feel as
cramped if you take a bath or a shower before I doctor you up again. Which
would you prefer?�

�A shower.�

Sakura giggled again. �Okay, Naruto can help you with that.
I�ll go make us all something to eat, and then-�

�What?�

Naruto stared at her in disbelief.

�Yes, I�ve already had my shower, and he�ll need your help
to wash his hair because I don�t want him lifting his hands any higher than his
shoulders.�

�Why?� Both boys asked at the same time.

�Because if you move too much I�ll have to spend another hour
or two putting your remaining skin back where it belongs, Sasuke-kun. That and
it will hurt like crazy- so the less you move the better right now. Also, you
were burned pretty badly, so be careful not to get the water too hot- in fact I
think cold showers would be best for now.�

That was an explanation that Sasuke could live with, so he
was a bit surprised when Naruto squawked at her yet again. �What?�

�Honestly Naruto, you�re both guys- he�s seen one before,
you know, and the water will be cold anyway so what are you worried about?�

�But-�

�Just get him in there and help him get cleaned up and wash
his hair and then you can both come out and eat. Just try not to rinse off too
much of the stuff I used on his back.�

�But�� It was more of a whimper than a protest this time,
Sasuke noticed.

�Is this about all those creepy things Sai
said back when we first met him, Naruto?�

�N-No, but I can�t just-�

�What did Sai say anyway?� Judging by the way Sakura had worded her
question Sasuke found his curiosity getting the better of him.

�He said-�

�S-Sakura-chan! Don�t you dare!�
Naruto grabbed his arm and yanked him toward the edge of the bed- without
letting him try to get up first.

�At least try not
to pull his arms out of their sockets,� Sakura growled. �Honestly, you get on
that side of him, I�ll get over here. Sorry, Sasuke, maybe I should have
awakened you to take something for pain, but I knew plain old aspirin wasn�t
going to cut it.�

�Hn,� Was Sasuke�s only reply, he
was actually glad they�d let him sleep for such a long time and aspirin tended
to bother his stomach anyway.

With help from both sides, he found he could sit up, and
while movement of any kind hurt like crazy, at least he wasn�t still stuck to
his pillow. Sakura stayed while he was standing up too, even though he insisted
he wasn�t dizzy.

Once they were in the bathroom though, Sakura headed for the
kitchen, leaving them on their own. �Try not to kill each other!�

�Girls�� Sasuke grunted, they both ginned and he looked at
Naruto. �So, what did Sai say to you?�

�Why do you want to know?�

�It�s obviously bothering you if you won�t tell me. That
isn�t like you.�

�It doesn�t matter, let�s get this over with, I�m starving
and it looks like you are too. Didn�t they feed you while you were locked up?�

�Hn,� Sasuke turned his back on
him and stepped out of his clothes before moving to turn on the shower. �You
really don�t have to do this, you know.�

�Huh?�

�I�ve taken showers all by myself for years, Dobe.�

�Shut up, Teme. If I let you hurt yourself, Sakura will kill me!�

�I doubt it,�

�No really- Granny Tsunade�s been training her and she�s
really changed- she probably could...�

�That�s good to hear, but I can do this myself.�

�Sure you could, if you had to, but� you�re not alone anymore.�

Sasuke smirked at Naruto when he said that. �Well then get
in here, this water is cold.�

�Holy shit! Even my toes are
freezing! How can you just stand there like that?�

�Quit jumping around, how old are we now?�

�Can�t you be nice?� Naruto looked down.

�Look, let�s just get this over with.� That was all he could
say. As much as part of him wanted to, Sasuke couldn�t just kiss him again. He felt
too vulnerable; he was in unending pain, and the only two people in the world
that had ever really cared about him-
not his money, not his name or his power or his birthright- already had more
reason than anyone else, to just leave him like that. He looked down. �Please��

**

Naruto was starting to get mad; he was already flustered and
confused, but Sasuke hadn�t seen him blushing.

�Look, let�s just get
this over with.�

He still couldn�t believe he was standing in a cold shower
with his best friend who�d tried to kill him twice and then given him the
sweetest kiss of his whole life- which was just as random in its own way� Sasuke
turned away, but not fast enough to hide the shame and guilt in his eyes.

Naruto saw that and was startled.

�Please��

Sasuke was stubborn, self confident and cold- he wasn�t
supposed to look like that- ever. He also
wasn�t supposed to sound like that either�

It seemed so strange to see Sasuke looking so uncertain that
he couldn�t react for a moment- instead he just stared at him curiously. His
face was hauntingly beautiful; no wonder he�d never been able to forget him or
any of their arguments. Naruto drank in the sight of him- a little surprised
that he felt like he was looking at him for the first time. The fine, elegant
bone structure, his pale skin was flawless porcelain and his aristocratic
profile was almost as sharp as his dark eyes.

Sasuke turned to look at the bottles on the shelves though
and Naruto snapped out of his trance, grabbed the bottle he chose away from
him. �I�ll do it, Teme.�

The Teme seemed far less than thrilled when Naruto squeezed
the bottle and slopped a big glob of the creamy white soap on his head and
began to push it through the fine, dark strands in every imaginable direction.

�There!� Naruto grinned at him proudly once he thought he
had it all mixed around. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he let it rinse out.

�Wonderful, Dobe. Now can we try it
with shampoo- preferably one that doesn�t
smell like roses and vanilla?�

�Wha-� Naruto grinned sheepishly
when he realized he was holding conditioner. His grin turned mischievous
though. �Oh well, it smells nice, Teme- and your hair is already really soft
and silky.�

�Whatever.� Sasuke turned off the water and grabbed a dry
pair of towels, out of the closet next to the shower.

One of the fresh linens hit Naruto in the face. �Well, I
guess that wasn�t so bad� Uh- hey Teme- I mean Sasuke, I have to ask you
something...�

Sasuke turned toward him immediately, his expression was
guarded- but his eyes held a spark of challenge in them. That was enough to
warn Naruto that the Teme knew exactly
what he was wanted to ask him.

Naruto was startled at the unspoken challenge.

Did he kiss me as a
joke?

Naruto scowled, and blushed uncomfortably. The others hadn�t
arrived yet- they�d still been alone, so why would he choose that moment to get
a rise out of him- especially like that? It didn�t make sense.

He looked down. Is he
still just trying to push me away? He
suddenly felt even more nervous than before. His heart ached because he
wanted that kiss to mean more than just one more way the jerk could mess with
his head.

It took Naruto a few seconds to realize the door was open. �There
wasn�t anything to cook with so I made the ANBU go get us some take out and they
pissed about-�

He and Sasuke were a good two feet apart, but Naruto knew
what Sakura was thinking and he grinned. For a half second, her eyes got big
and then she shut the door. She sounded flustered as she yelled at them. �Will
you two idiots put some clothes on and come to the table?�

�Shh, I�ll tell you later.� Naruto
said quietly, grinning at Sasuke. �Aww come on
Sakura-chan you know you love it. And I won�t even tell Konohamoru
that you were spying on us.�

�Naruto! Don�t you dare tell that
perverted little shrimp anything
unless you want me to throw your supper- your Ramen in the garbage! How was I supposed to know you two were just
standing there staring at each other like idiots wearing bath towels?�

He laughed as he heard her stomp back down the hall fuming.

�Something�s different about her�� Sasuke sounded more
annoyed than intrigued.

That made Naruto laugh even harder. �You have no idea, but I
promise I�ll tell you everything later.� Then he had an idea. How about a little payback for kissing me as
a joke, Sasuke? �So you still don�t like girls?�

�Women in general are fine, Dobe. I prefer to be the one
doing the hunting.� Sasuke shrugged, digging through his father�s side of the enormous
closet.

�That sounds so old fashioned,� He sighed. Even after being
tortured it was still hard to find the cracks in the armor around Sasuke�s
heart.

Naruto noticed Sasuke still hadn�t picked anything out
anything clean to wear yet; he just kept sighing and wrinkling up his nose.

�You�re under house arrest; no one is going to care that you�re
having takeout in a pair of sweats, Teme.�

�I want a button down shirt, that way I can put it on and
take it off without needing to move very much, Dobe.�

Naruto winced at that, Sasuke was handling the pain so well that
he�d forgotten �why they�d had to shower
together in the first place, Sasuke didn�t notice though. He moved to the large
dressers across the room, then to another huge closet that Naruto hadn�t even
noticed before. �There they are.�

�How come they took you so long to find? I mean you grew up
here, right?�

�My father was a very busy man- but he was never too busy to
make up another stupid rule that applied only to me. �Don�t play with the stuff
in Itachi�s room. Sit quietly at the dinner table. Stay out of Mom and Dad�s
room. Don�t catapult vegetables at your brother even if he went back on his
word-��

�Wait! You
actually-�

Sasuke nodded, his expression was wistful as he loosely tucked
in the front of the short sleeved black shirt he�d chosen after buttoning it up
halfway. �I only did it once, believe me. I still remember the look in Itachi�s
eyes when that pod of snow peas dripped off of his forehead and landed on his
plate. Hey, Dead Last, have you learned to eat vegetables that don�t need to be re-hydrated yet?�

�Gross! Why would I want to do that?�

Sasuke smirked as he walked away. �No reason I guess. I�ll
just keep enjoying being taller than you.�

�Shut up, Teme. You�re not that much taller.�

�Why does everything
have to end up a contest between you two rival Dobes?�
Sakura growled at them from the kitchen.

Naruto slumped onto a random cushion at the dining room
table. �It�s because he�s such a Teme.�

�Hn.�
Naruto glanced at the other boy curiously, noticing at once that there was
mischief in the sound and for a second, it was also reflected in Sasuke�s dark
eyes as he looked at her. So that really
means, �You�re the ones who missed me.�

Naruto couldn�t help grinning at the other boy while Sakura
continued her fuming attempts at ignoring their antics, as she passed around
the takeout boxes. She never had been able to read Sasuke like he could; it
made him strangely happy to see that hadn�t really changed.
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Starting Over