It didn't make sense…he couldn't have dreamt… he knew what was real… right? He rubbed his head, where he could feel the faint ache. "You were dead, though." He insisted, a hint of panic in voice.

Naruto sighed, one hand toying with his mask. There wasn't a hint of impatience in the sound, just a feeling that he had heard this many times before and this was just another time. His words confirmed it. "What was the last thing you remembered in your dream, Sasuke?" He asked carefully.

Sasuke blinked and tried to remember. Everything was so fuzzy—he remembered Naruto was dead and the place was empty…but beyond that…well, the place is empty now. He told himself firmly. It is just you and Naruto and the occasional visitor. Naruto waited patiently, and Sasuke gave a triumphant look.

"I…it was at the…waterfall place…" The name slipped his mind—part of the way his mind was fuzzy, but he could see it so clearly. "It was raining…" He murmured. "And.. and you were…" He frowned and shook his head again. "I made sure that you hadn't died then…" The Valley of the End… it was only a dream…

Naruto sighed and grabbed Sasuke's hand, interlacing their fingers together. "I'd try and beat you up, but I think that'd set you back even more." He said with a faint smile. "But I can reassure you that I'm real this way, too. You didn't kill me then, Sasuke. You couldn't." His voice was firm and confident as he held Sasuke's hand tighter.

Sasuke looked considerably startled at Naruto's sudden display of affection, shaking his head weakly. "But it was too real to be a dream." He insisted. "This is the dream." He had never had such a real one before, minus the one of.. of Itachi. He grimaced at the thought of his older brother. Dreams like that one were meant to be forgotten.

Naruto gave him a weary look as he moved his hand away. "Dreams are just dreams, Sasuke. They can't hurt you, and they're not real. I'm not going to die, I promise." He rectified that. "Well, at least not that easily." His gaze was fierce and some part of Sasuke couldn't help but be reassured by it. "I promised you, didn't I?"

Sasuke remembered the promise… he had made it right after Naruto had brought him back to Konoha, when he was still half out of mind with the curse seal eating away at him, with the pain and fear…

~

Sasuke could hear the rain dripping, the sound muffled by the many leaves and the dense covering of pine on the forest floor. It was dark and dreary and he supposed it was cold, but everything but the pain and the fever that ate away at him was dull and pushed far away. He barely felt the restraining hands of the ANBU guard that had captured him, and he lifted hazy eyes to stare up at the captain, his face hidden by a mask.

"Uchiha Sasuke." It wasn't so much his name as a statement of what he was before, what he became. The voice was serious and mature all at once, cold and imposing and completely unlike the person he connected the charka with. "You are under arrest by the 2^nd ANBU Unit of Konohagakure, for crimes against your former village and alliance with the traitor Orochimaru. You will be brought to the Godaime for further questioning and your fate will be then decided." There was no pity in that cold voice, no friendly attitude. If Sasuke hadn't memorized the feel of Naruto, he would say that it was someone doing a crappy job of a Henge.

"Being… serious.. doesn't suit you, idiot." He coughed, his entire body convulsing from the action. He didn't know how effective his words were, because his eyes wouldn't focus and he couldn't see Naruto's face behind the ANBU mask, but it was unmistakably him. After so long, he was seeing him again. After so many years, Naruto was keeping his promise about bringing Sasuke back to Konoha. And while it wasn't quite in pieces, his body felt like it was about to break apart.

He wondered vaguely if they were going to kill him here, or wait until they got back. He almost hoped they'd do it now and get it over with. It hurt too damn much to even focus on simple things like breathing, and Naruto's image kept on wavering in and out of his vision like he was a ghost. A ghost…NO!

He immediately panicked, thrashing in the grip of the other ANBU members that held him, reaching out for Naruto. He was unaware of the curse seal flaring—the pain was absolute anyhow—he didn't know his Sharingan had focused completely on Naruto. "You're dead…" He rasped… "Why…why did you die?" He hated Naruto, wanted to kill him—but he wasn't supposed to be dead. The ANBU Naruto took on the image of the twelve year old Naruto, red eyes glaring at him as he struggled to keep his friend beside him.

He couldn't be dead…he made sure he hadn't died… he made sure of it! He didn't realize he was crying as he reached out for Naruto, to reassure him. His hands seemed to pass through him though and he let his arms fall limp before they were restrained by the ANBU members.

Naruto's stance didn't give him away, there was nothing in his voice to betray his emotions but a gruffness. "I promise I won't die, Sasuke." He murmured, one warm hand resting on his forehead, much as a parent would do to a child to reassure them. "I'm going to take care of you. It's my turn to help you."

Sasuke grimaced and shut his eyes, but Naruto's words relaxed some part of his mind and he nodded in acquiescence. The darkness overtook him, but the pain remained, even in his sleep. The nightmares followed soon after.

~

"Yeah, you did.." He said absently. "But it's not like you can predict stuff like that." He tried to lever himself up again. Walking around shouldn't do that much damage to him—he was a shinobi and a little exercise was supposed to strengthen him, not completely exhaust him. He couldn't have gone as far as he did—he dreamt he went to the Valley of the End again—but he had to have gone further than his own front yard.

His friend just growled at him, virtually pinning him to the bed with his gaze. "I promised Sakura-chan that I would bring you back, I promised Tsunade-baba that I could do the Rasengan, I promised myself that I wasn't going to give up." One hand clenched into a fist as Naruto tried to hide his shaking. "And I promise that I won't die when you need me, Sasuke. I'll be here for you. I told you that when I dragged your ass back from Orochimaru."

Sasuke felt a lump in his throat and he looked away, his own hand clenching on the blankets. "I never asked you to bring me back." He murmured, voice low as he tried to hide the response he wanted to give to Naruto. "Didn't I tell you that at the start of my leaving?" His eyes were cold as he looked at Naruto, who only rolled his eyes at his act.

"Yeah, yeah—" Naruto waved it off, either not impressed or not falling for it this time. "You hated my guts, you tried to kill me and now you resent the fact that I dragged your dying ass back home." His eyes didn't reflect the bright grin he wore. "Look—you're obviously exhausted today and I have to report to the Godaime—so you'll have to deal with Sakura-chan''s company for the next few hours."

Sasuke blinked at that, momentarily confused. "Aren't you the Rokudaime…?" He questioned. He seemed to remember that, going to the Hokage's chambers and spotting Naruto's picture hanging on the wall above the desk, Naruto's distinctive whisker-marked faced carved into the mountainside. His brain felt fuzzy as Naruto's sudden laughed startled him and he looked up, annoyed. "What?" He demanded. "I wouldn't think that you being the Hokage would be so funny." He smirked. "At least not to you."

"I'm not the Rokudaime until that old hag thinks I'm worthy of the position." He shook his head. "She promised me the title years ago, but she doesn't think that I can handle it yet. She says that I need more training first." He winked at Sasuke. "And the fact that I'm watching over your ungrateful self is another part of it. Once you get all healed up and they think you can wander around town without scaring little kids or tripping over your own feet, they'll elevate my position."

Sasuke snorted at the implication that he was keeping Naruto back for once. "I highly doubt that." He said dryly. He dropped the emotionless attitude since Naruto just ignored it. He smirked at Naruto. "She probably regretting ever wanting to make a dobe like you Hokage. I'm certain that she had nightmares every time she thought about handing over the fate of the village to you."

At Naruto's outraged look, Sasuke couldn't help but dig a little further. This was where he felt the most normal, in teasing Naruto and seeing him react with actual emotion instead of the stupid blank smiles he was giving Sasuke of latte. "And making you an ANBU? I fear for Konoha. I'm surprise you haven't impaled yourself on your sword or missed an appointment …" He made a tsking sound. "And captain…was nobody else available on that day or did the paperwork get misplaced?"

Naruto snorted and poked him hard in the chest. "I do a damn good job, Sasuke-teme." He glared at him as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Even Ero-sennin is proud of me for how much I've improved." His eyes slid away for a moment and he seemed to get more quiet. "He said I acted like the Yondaime…" At Sasuke's raised eyebrow, he continued hastily. "And it was a compliment this time!"

"Now that's something new…" He chuckled lowly. "From what you told me of that pervert teacher of yours, he wasn't one to hand out compliments easily." He paused for a moment, looking uncertain as if he should continue and voice his thoughts. "If he said it, you probably deserve it." And since he was Sasuke and this was Naruto, he couldn't help teasing him again. "Or you used the Oiroke no Jutsu on him again."

"Why… you…" Naruto was about to tackle him, outrage written all over his face. He was already on the bed and trying to throttle a chuckling Sasuke when a not-so-discreet coughing caught his attention. A young woman with light pink hair glowered at him, hands full of some type of food. "Sakura-chan!" He relieved her of her items and gave her a genuine smile.

"Naruto! You know that Sasuke-kun is sick." She tapped on foot on the floor, her annoyance plain for both of them to see. "No beating up on him until he's better." She paused and eyed the two of them and the smirk that Naruto wore. "Or anything else that I don't want to know about for that matter!" She added hastily. She sat in the unoccupied chair by Sasuke's side, shooing Naruto out of the way.

"Oh, you know that's the only way he'd ever beat me." Sasuke smirked. "By hitting me when I'm down and can't fight back." He stopped and considered. "No, I'd probably still beat him." Naruto casually hit him upside the head. "And I don't know what you mean about anything else." He raised an eyebrow. "We're not that close." He and Naruto reassured each other that they were real—touching hands, interlacing fingers—was as much as they could touch each other—but their friendship was still slowly being rebuilt, much less have anything else occur.

She giggled behind her hand and thwaped him lightly on the head after Naruto. "Now, you should be nice to Naruto." She tried to say, but her eyes were bright with her laughter. "He might actually survive Tsunade-sama's training to become Hokage one day and then what would you do?" She was examining him closely with her charka as she spoke to him, trying to focus on his energy levels, health and the status of the curse seal. "I mean… we might actually have to respect him or something."

Sasuke snorted at that and made himself more comfortable on the pillows. "The day that I have to bow down to Naruto will be a day for the records. I know what he was like growing up. The number one loudmouth ninja of Konoha becoming the Hokage… Sakura—the Godaime hasn't completely lost her mind, has she?"

Sakura muffled more laughter at that, eyes sparkling. It was rare that Sasuke was in a good enough mood to joke and converse with her. The last time she came he snarled and wouldn't let her touch him until she performed a jutsu to put him under while she did a basic examination. "Sasuke-kun—he's gotten much better, really—people respect him in the village now." She grinned faintly. "Even if we never do."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Speaking of the Hokage, that old hag will kill me if I don't get there in time for my diplomacy lessons. She seems to think it's the part of the job I'd have the hardest time with—aside from all that inane paperwork." He pulled his mask over his face and arranged his clothing. He really was supposed to keep on his mask while guarding Sasuke, but as he pointed out to Tsunade, it would be stupid and pointless since Sasuke knew who he was and he wasn't going to emulate Kakashi-sensei and hide his face.

Sakura looked up from her ministrations for a moment, face serious again. "Please tell Shizune-san that I will be by once you are finished with the Hokage." She pulled out a sharp looking tool, making Naruto blanch slightly. He was suddenly grateful for kyuubi and his ability to heal most wounds. "And good luck, Naruto. I know that dealing with her is tiring." She had apprenticed under the Godaime for almost three years and while she felt nothing but respect for the woman, she was still terrified of the power she wielded sometimes and avoided getting on her bad side. Naruto always seemed to annoy her.

With one more nod and a concerned look for Sasuke, Naruto hurried out of the apartment, leaving Sakura and Sasuke alone with each other. He knew that they would be fine and his worried were unfounded, but he was still scared that Sasuke was going to vanish without warning. Just as Sasuke dreamt of Naruto dying at the Valley of the End, Naruto dreamt that he carried Sasuke's body home—and only his body.

It was testimony to Naruto's faith in Sasuke that he did leave him alone with just Sakura to watch him—she could disable him quicker than he could hurt her—she had access to his charka and the makeup of his body, and could essentially destroy him with a few, well-placed seals. It wasn't like he was going to try and escape—well, at least not anymore—but Naruto knew that Sakura would do anything to keep Sasuke where he belonged. Even if she didn't hold the same infatuation for him anymore, she still cared for him as a teammate, and that bond was special in itself.. It was hard to extend the camaraderie beyond that, considering all that had happened in the past few years. Nobody, except Naruto it seemed, could look at Uchiha Sasuke the same way anymore.

"You know that Naruto is wearing himself out worrying over you." He blinked at the suddenness of her words and turned to look at her, eyes narrowing. She ignored it and steadily went about doing her job while continuing her conversation. "He's supposed to be your guard, not the other way around, Sasuke-kun."

He snorted at that. "Yeah—like the dobe could be a good bodyguard for me." He smirked and then winched when she jabbed him particularly hard. "I mean…" His gaze softened for a moment. "Well, he's not that bad—" He allowed. "He's grown up a lot. Maybe he really did earn the ANBU rank. But… the only missions he seems to be doing is guarding me and this estate." He was nicer and more prone to give compliments when Naruto wasn't around to hear them.

"That's because he is in training to become Hokage, Sasuke-kun." Her eyes met his and it seemed that she was completely serious. She hadn't given him such intense attention since before he left, but this was a different kind. "He values your friendship above anything, Sasuke-kun—but he knows that his duty as the potential Rokudaime should take higher priority. Don't make this any more difficult for him than it already is." Her fingers ran over the edge of his comforter. "He wants to do everything…"

Sasuke's look was decidedly cool. "I did not tell him to guard me, I didn't tell him to still be my friend. It's all his fault for whatever he does—or doesn’t do. He's more of a moron than I thought, though if he thinks that taking care of me is more important than duty to his village." Naruto's village—Sakura's village—but no longer his. He was an outsider now, the only thing he had to connect him as a Konoha shinobi was the scratched headband that Naruto gave back to him. "You are simply doing your duty by checking up on me." His expression didn't give away anything, he had perfected the emotionless look a long time ago. "There's a difference that I can see."

Sakura glared at him and hit him heard upside the head. "You're such an idiot, Sasuke." She didn't include the –kun this time and he knew she was annoyed. Not that he cared if she address him familiarly or not, but the difference sent a little prick through his being. "Just because I'm not falling all over you, just because I was never as close to you as Naruto was, doesn’t mean that I still don't care. It's not just duty, you moron. Don't you know that you're not even supposed to have medical care? I'm doing this because we were once teammates, and possibly even friends."

Sighing, she sat back and gave him a tired smile. "You know that it probably won't be long until you are part of this village again. Once Naruto is Hokage, he'll probably be able to make some change to bring you back. We need you back, Sasuke-kun. Not all of us hate you for what happened."

Naruto talked about him getting around town again—but he never lied and said that he would be a Konoha shinobi again. Others said that he was too dangerous, too unstable to be let loose with his skills as a ninja. They couldn't erase what he learned, but they could block the flow of his charka so that he couldn't do anything beyond taijutsu. As much as he knew he needed to do what he did—he regretted it now. He was scared that he would die helpless—

~

"Uchiha Sasuke, for your betrayal against your home village of Konohagakure and your conscious decision to go to the enemy village of Sound, and apprenticing to the former Sannin Orochimaru, also betrayer to Konohagakure, we have determined you should be interred at the Uchiha estate under constant guard for an indefinite time."

It was actually one of Sasuke's better days, health wise, and he stared at the council and the Hokage impassively. Naruto was on Tsunade's right side, his own face the mirror of Sasuke's own, except for the slight pain in the back of his eyes. As the potential Hokage, he was present at meetings like this, to get the feel of the position to know what he would be facing in his new role. The mundane and the serious.

"Uzumaki Naruto, in preparation for his role as Hokage, will be your main guard." She gestured to the young man on her right, as if he didn't know who he was, as if he hadn't been on his team when they were both graduates from the Academy. "He will still continue to do many of his duties as ANBU captain, but his mission for now will be watching over you." She paused and looked down at a scroll for a moment, before meeting his eyes again. "Per discretion of Naruto, a medic-nin will also be assigned to you to monitor your health and progress of the curse seal, until a way can be found to erase it completely."

Sasuke nodded again, one hand tensing at his side as he resisted the urge to touch the place where the curse seal was temporarily repressed. He knew that the curse seal was the main cause for the way his body ached, for why he felt so weak and then had flashes of anger. He was fighting the effects now, but he didn't know how much longer he could last. He didn't say anything, though, not even to the though of Naruto being his guard. He would rather have him than anyone else.

Naruto didn't argue either, didn't give any expression away as he bowed slightly to Tsunade. "I will do my best, Hokage-sama." There was no hint of the teasing in his voice like when he usually dealt with her, at least that's how Sasuke remembered it. Maybe he finally learned how to treat someone with the proper respect—at least in public.

Sasuke wondered what other things about his friend had changed. The way Naruto held himself when they captured him in the forest, the way he held in his emotions now. The Naruto he knew couldn't do that—he was always too loud, too full of himself. He supposed he would find out what was different about him. They were going to be together for a long time.

~

Sakura said something that he didn't quite catch, and he forced his wandering thoughts back on the present. "Well, Sasuke-kun—your energy levels are up quite a lot from the last examination." Her voice was cheerful and she patted his hand. "And the curse seal is quite…silent." Her voice turned soft. "I think that if Naruto gets permission for you to start training again, you'll get better that much faster." He nodded absently, one hand going to where the mark of the curse seal still was. It never faded after Orochimaru was killed, and it still hurt him terribly at times, as if wanting to prepare his body for a person that was no longer there.

He was about to say something more to that, when she changed the subject entirely. "What do you think about Naruto becoming the next Hokage?" She may have finished her ministrations, but still acted the part of a guard. "He always wanted it—wanted to be acknowledged by everybody." Her eyes turned back to him and he was surprised at the sudden seriousness in him. She, like Naruto, had grown up a lot in the years he'd been away.

"You're talking like he died or something." He sat up in bed, stretching out his limbs and satisfied when they responded to him this time. Talk like that reminded him of his dream, where people talked about the great things that the Rokudaime did during his short interim in that position. Naruto was alive and well—he felt the warmth of his hands not that long ago—and he didn't want the images of a lonely, ghostly Naruto to linger in the back of his mind.

Sakura grew still for a moment at the mention of Naruto dying, then shook off the gloomy thoughts. "He grew up a great deal after you left. Everything in him was driven towards protecting those he cared about—he studied and controlled his charka, learned more about Kyuubi and…" Her eyes slid away. Sasuke was never told about what would happen if Kyuubi was ever taken from Naruto. "He's learned what it means to be the Hokage, now—unlike his boasting from before."

"It wasn't boasting—at least not all the way." Sasuke understood better than anyone Naruto's words, why he acted the way he did when they were younger. If you shouted,, people would notice you. Even if it was for annoyance for stupid acts—they saw you and separated you from an image they had originally conceived. "It was his fondest wish at the time, to be seen."

He doubted the Sakura could ever really understand the meaning of those words. She could learn more about Naruto, more about why he acted the way he did, but never empathize with what he went through growing up. Even Sasuke couldn't fully comprehend.

He thought she would leave him alone—or as alone as he could get after that, but to his surprise she nodded as she gathered the food that Naruto had set down, scooping out the rice and steamed fish and setting it a tray. "I know—because of the kyuubi." She said softly. "Tsunade-sama told me about it, and later on—Naruto told me. We learned more after we went to save Gaara." A tear streaked down her face and he wondered what would make her cry like that. She never cried because of Naruto before.

She put the food in front of him. "You need to eat something besides whatever Naruto fixes for you." She explained simply. "Even if that moron feels he can live off ramen and bread and milk all the time—" She gave a small laugh. "The rest of us are different."

Sasuke eyed the food with surprise as he picked up the offered chopsticks. "He hardly eats ramen here." He said softly. "He eats a lot healthier than I would ever give him credit for. I think the only reason why he ate ramen so much was because it was cheap and easy to make." Sasuke had thought about a similar meal at times when he was younger, but he couldn't imagine lowering himself to eat something so… so basic like the cup of ramen that Naruto favored.

Sakura gave him a disbelieving look at that. "He must be showing off for you, Sasuke-kun." She said with a slight grin as she patted his hand. "He ate nothing but that crap when we were off on missions."

"Maybe he was just used to portraying a certain image to everybody." Sasuke watched her over his meal of rice and fish. "He is used to showing people a certain face and it would be hard to take off that mask."

Giving an uncertain nod, Sakura resumed her spot and watched him. "Maybe so, Sasuke-kun. Personally, I think he's hiding his true self more than ever now. Especially the pain." No more words were said after that, Sasuke finishing up his meal and Sakura doing her job of guarding him until Naruto came back.

They didn't talk much anymore—there really wasn't a lot to talk about anymore. Sasuke didn't want to hear mindless chatter about what was going on in the village. He made a choice a long time ago that he didn't belong there anymore—he never really did. And to hear Sakura and her fake happy attitude, it grated on his nerves and made him want to hide his head under a pillow. He got enough of fake-happy from Naruto.

He felt his eyes slipping closed again, but he fought it. He hated feeling weak like this. Hands clenched in the blankets as he shoved them off, and Sakura's startled gaze met his own. "I'm going out to train." He said firmly. "I won't get any better just laying around in bed."

"Sasuke-kun… you…you're not really allowed…" She bit her lip. She hated seeing Sasuke like this—it wasn't him when he wasn't training or fighting with Naruto, it wasn't him to be so still and so unfocused. His eyes wandered far more than they ever had, and she could feel him slipping away more and more as the weeks went by. It was only a matter of time now.

"What could it hurt?" She asked finally, extending a hand to him to steady him as she led him out to the training grounds. Naruto would kill her later for doing this, but it wasn't as if Sasuke was going to try and kill her—he just needed something to feel like himself again.

He just grunted a reply, his other hand touching the curse seal lightly and pleased when it didn't flare up at all. The sunlight shocked his senses for a moment, but he adjusted quickly. It felt so good to be outside again, and he just took several deep breaths, trying to steady himself.

Looking at the target, he was aware of Sakura to the side of him, one hand on her weapons pouch. It irked him that she was so direct about her distrust, but then he realized she was handing him several shuriken and a kunai. "You don't have any of your own." She explained softly.

He gave her a surprised look and took the weapons carefully, eyes focused on the target in front of him,. He was about to throw the kunai when he heard Naruto's voice next to him, amusement and worry warring together.

"You really suck at this, Sasuke.:" Sasuke snarled and looked around, wondering if Naruto had come back early and was just watching them now. He didn't sense him, though and he tried to ready himself again, a little unnerved.

"I used to train everyday since I got my first weapon… Sasuke did, too. Most of the kids in the village that showed an inclination towards shinobi skills trained."

Sasuke's hands trembled. He was hearing Naruto, but it didn’t sound like Naruto—not quite. His voice seemed more hollow, a false cheer that hid pain. He could almost see Naruto, wavering in front of his vision, standing in front of the target—wearing Hokage robes and looking sad.

"Wake up, Sasuke… you … " He could hear Sakura vaguely, but Naruto's voice was more clear at the moment. He backed away, shaking hands letting go of the weapons as he covered his ears with his hands. It was like the dreams, only now it was waking dreams that he couldn't escape.

~

"How is he doing, Naruto?" Tsunade gave her student a measuring look, seeing the strain he tried to hide. He was trying so hard, doing too much. She admired his dedication to both his friend and as his duty to his potential Hokage position, but he was going to burn himself out if he kept it up.

"He seems to be getting better." He said softly. "Although he's having those dreams again. Dreaming of the Valley of the End again—where he thought he killed me." His eyes were unhappy as he looked up at his mentor. "Tsunade-baba—I can't help but think this is the calm before the storm."

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, debating with herself if she should tell him or not, if she should bring more pain and worry and secrets to heap upon his shoulders. He had to know, though—she couldn't put either he or Sasuke through the risk. "He's…he's at a difficult point, Naruto." She said finally. "The curse seal can never be completely erased from him. It's infused itself with his charka, draining him and causing all sorts of problems with his general health. If he never uses its power again, or most of his charka at all, he'll be fine, but if a situation occurs where he uses it again, he'll die."

~