CHAPTER 37: Make It Right

A/N: Hello everyone!I'm back with another chapter, which sadly took me quite a lot of time to edit because I wanted to make it really impact full. (Though I don't know if I succeeded or not 😅)Y'all will let me know in the end if I did succeed, ok? Anyway, enjoy!~

"I chose a void heaven..."

The sentence escaped Naruto's lips in a trembling whisper while his hands were clutching Sasuke's diary, shaking with a plethora of emotions of an intensity the blond never knew he could feel. His heart was aching with every beat, and he felt suffocated as the reality of the raven's situation slowly began to set in.

His vision was becoming clouded due to the tears that were building in his eyes, and yet, he could see the truth laid out before him clearer than ever.

Those words so eloquently written in black ink were not used to compose a beautiful prose, but to present the residues of a gore tale Sasuke had been living every day.

Naruto was finding it hard to believe that for so long, Sasuke had managed to hide behind the mask of pretend aloofness. All this while, he had merely been shielding himself from what was supposed to be any person's worst nightmare... and yet... the raven had managed to fall in love.

He had managed to give hope a final chance.

"And... it was me... he gave himself a chance through me.... and... I broke his hopes again... tsk."

Naruto muttered while letting out a shaky breath as he let his guilt reign over those tears that now slid down his face, bearing a precious burden he'd never choose to forget.

'I... want to make it right. I will make it right, dattebayo...'

He closed the diary with strained movements, his grip not loosening even a slightest bit. He raised his head and the sight of Sasuke lying before him tugged at his soul.

His mind was connecting the dots and replaying the scene he had encountered when he had entered the Uchiha's mansion. The sight of a battered Sasuke in Fugaku's grip only served to make his blood run cold. The horrifying possibilities of what all could have happened had he not reached there on time...

The blond sighed and rubbed his temples for a moment, clearly distressed by just the thought itself. He then placed the diary on Sasuke's bedside table and silently dragged his chair near to the sleeping boy. His eyes lingered on the pale boy lying peacefully under the white hospital covers. He couldn't help but let his eyes wander over Sasuke's body, slowly trailing down to the hand that lay uncovered by his side. The blond's tan hand slowly reached out for the raven's pale one, but he stopped himself midair.

'Am I... even allowed to touch him?'

He thought while a small tremor ran through his hand, which still hung in the air.

'No... Not after what I did to you...'

Feeling defeated, he was about to retract his hand when he caught the glimpse of Sasuke's diary from the corner of his eye. He remembered how Sasuke had described him in that diary as the light that had brought him out of the darkness that he had practically accepted as a part of life.

'That's right... I'm supposed to be his light... his sun, dattebayo.'

Naruto's heart skipped a beat as he once again reached out his large hand to hold Sasuke's smaller one. His calloused fingers twitched as soon as they made contact with the raven's smooth skin.

'So soft...'

His eyes darted to Sasuke's face for any kind of sign of him waking up, but the raven was nowhere near his waking point. A little sigh of relief was followed by a small smile that made its way to Naruto's lips. He decided to take this opportunity and be a little bolder, and he began carefully caressing the skin on the back of Sasuke's hand.

The blond's touch was light as a feather, taking every bit of precaution as it glided along the raven's skin, as if he were made of the finest porcelain, of the most delicate kind that Naruto feared would crack were his touch any stronger.

There was a feeling that was bugging him from the inside of his core, and he knew it was Sai again. His trauma was trying its best to resurface and make its presence known, but this time, Naruto had the upper hand.

This time, the blond had a reason to overcome his past and become someone better, someone worthy of Sasuke. He gulped before slowly entwining his fingers with the raven's, extracting strength from that electrifying touch to suppress his dark past.

'I have you, and you'll accept me, give me another chance, right?'

He questioned, subconsciously tightening his hold on Sasuke's hand. His heart pounded with uncertainty when he remembered how the raven had chosen to leave Naruto behind and live in a void heaven.

However, instead of lowering his morale like usual, remembering that sentence caused his mind to fill with a desperate need, the need to hold onto the raven.

And this time, it was his turn to take that step.

'This time, I'll hold onto you, dattebayo.'

His cerulean orbs shined with determination as he promised himself never to let go of the man he loved again. He would announce it to the world if he could right now that he loved Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto gently detangled his fingers from Sasuke's hand and quietly tip-toed out of the room. Once out of there, he ran to the front desk to borrow a pen before rushing back to Sasuke's side.

He sat and grabbed Sasuke's diary, opening the latest entry of it. He messily scribbled something at the end in a writing that was a stark contrast to Sasuke's own. Satisfied with his work, he grinned as soon as he finished and left the pen between the pages of the journal, finally keeping it aside once again.

His gaze softened when it landed back on Sasuke's face, and he once again took Sasuke's hand in his, this time with much more confidence. His thumb gently rubbed circles on the back of the pale hand of the very man he was ready to accept.

"Wake up soon, teme."

Naruto muttered softly. He wanted to be close to the raven and protect him in his warm embrace, but the blond also knew that he had a long way to go before he would actually be able to hold Sasuke as close to him as he'd like.

But he was ready to wait and struggle as much as it would take to keep the raven because, in the end, he knew that it would all be worth it.

*TIME SKIP* HALF AN HOUR LATER~

"Mmh..."

The small groan echoed in the silent room, alerting Naruto, who was preoccupied with admiring the blemished hand in his hold. The sapphire eyes of the whiskered man darted towards Sasuke's face, who was evidently stirring awake.

"Sasuke? Are you awake?"

Naruto managed to ask in a voice that was stable despite his heart thumping loudly with both anticipation and nervousness. There was so much he wanted to confess to Sasuke, but he knew he had to be a little more patient. Just a little more.

The blonde kept holding the raven's hand in a firm but gentle grip while watching those beautiful ebony eyes flutter open. He was dying to look into them again.

"Hm... where am I...?"

Sasuke mumbled in an extremely hoarse voice, which was the result of Fugaku's death grip on his neck. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the light shining directly above him and blinked multiple times before finally being able to open them properly.

The raven's body was sore to the point that he didn't have the courage to even lift a finger, fearing the pain that would follow. He proceeded to pan his head around but stopped as soon as the pain shot up in his neck.

"Ack!"

"Oi oi, don't move around... You're at the hospital... and your neck is in pretty bad shape, dattebayo."

'The hospital... oh- wait.'

The words weren't as surprising as the voice, which, when registered in Sasuke's brain, made the raven forget all about the pain in his neck as his head snapped in the direction that voice came from, causing him to just stare silently at the sight.

There he was: Uzumaki Naruto, sitting by his side while holding his hand in a way that made Sasuke's heart flutter. He could feel the warmth radiate from the blond's hands, and it was addicting.

'Why are you here...? Just how much more am I supposed to resist you, dammit...?'

Sasuke quickly averted his gaze from the blond, with a small frown settling on his face. The question frustrated the raven. He had been doing his best to keep the blond away, but it just wasn't happening. It was equally maddening to keep away from Naruto as it was to stay stuck in the cycle of unrequited love for him.

'This is it.'

Sasuke sighed heavily and mustered up the courage to finally look at the blond in the eye and tell him off, but his resolve shattered immediately when he watched Naruto's pupils dilate as soon as those ocean eyes met his own starry skies.

"Naruto..."

Naruto felt hypnotized by the ebony spells of Sasuke's orbs, like he so desperately wanted to, but hearing the raven say his name with such raw emotions after what happened made the blond's heart melt. Only he knew how much he was trying to hold himself back from capturing the raven in his arms.

"Yeah... it's me."

Naruto almost choked as he tried to keep up his calm demeanor. Old doubts faded as new questions about their current relationship continued to erupt in the blond's mind. Looking at Sasuke had strengthened his resolve but weakened his confidence.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was slowly catching up with the last set of his memories. His eyes widened in realization, causing his body to tremble at the mere memory.

His breaths were becoming ragged as he remembered every moment in great detail, and Naruto, not missing out on the change in his breathing pattern, grew increasingly concerned.

"S-Sasuke, what's wrong? Does it hurt somewhere? Should I go call the nurse?"

"No."

Sasuke responded almost immediately. Naruto, who felt very tempted to go and call the nurse, reluctantly stayed there, not letting go of the raven's hand, providing whatever support he could, even if he knew it was hardly helping the pale boy.

Fugaku had almost ended Sasuke's life the last time he was awake, and the fear that had run through the raven when he was living that moment was proving hard for him to forget. But because Sasuke had always been prepared for whatever his father hurled at him, it wasn't all that shocking to him.

However, what disturbed him more was the fact that Naruto had seen him in that state.

'He saw me like that... shit.'

The raven, who had always hated being exposed, was now loathing himself for how he let the blond see the most hidden part of him. Naruto was the last person before whom he wanted to seem weak, but now, it was as if his nightmare had just turned into a very vivid reality.

This realization only fueled his breathing rate, which in turn was causing his chest to move in a painfully fast manner. He tried not to wince and closed his eyes to calm himself down.

He didn't want Naruto to see his vulnerability anymore. The blond had seen way too much already.

Hence, the raven worked to get his breathing under control successfully, ignoring the worried look he knew the blond was giving him. He slowly reopened his eyes and looked back into Naruto's with a gaze more stern.

Once again, the mask of aloofness settled on his face before he tried to speak in a demanding tone, but there was a subtle hint of gentleness in it he just couldn't omit.

"Why are you still here...?"

Naruto, who had been watching the change of expressions taking place on Sasuke's face, knew exactly what the raven was trying to do. He knew how the raven thought well enough by now.

He was aware that Sasuke was trying to close off again... and he was determined not to let that happen again.

"Why won't I be here? I had to make sure you're OK, you know."

Naruto's voice came out soft and raspy as he observed the raven, unknowingly tightening his grip around Sasuke's hand, trying to convey to him the million promises Naruto had vowed to keep for him.

"Hn."

Sasuke could only say so much without having his breath hitch. The blond's words were simple and sincere, but they always had a way to make the Uchiha's heart race.

Naruto, who had chosen to observe the raven, was biting back a smile that was threatening to form on his face because of the way Sasuke was trying so hard to hide his flustered state, but his now pink cheeks were betraying him.

'Heh, nice try, teme.'

However, Naruto didn't point that out since he didn't wish to make the raven uncomfortable. He silently watched the raven, who was slowly coming back to his normal state, which was followed by a silence that settled between the two.

The tranquility lingered in the air for a while before Sasuke surprisingly chose to break the silence by saying something even more surprising.

"Thanks... for helping me."

He mumbled under his breath with a voice so soft that Naruto almost didn't catch it. However, as soon as the words fell on his ears, his lips tugged into a small and genuine smile.

"Don't thank me... I had to come."

Naruto knew that Sasuke would never admit out loud that the blond had practically saved him. It would be too big a blow to his pride. But he would settle for it since he never wanted thanks from the raven anyway.

What he truly wanted was another chance. And he was doing all he could to be worthy of asking for it.

However, Sasuke had a different set of emotions to navigate through. His frustration from mismanaging his psyche was increasing inside him. He was trying hard not to break under Naruto's comforting words and give in to his desire for Naruto.

He had promised himself to move on from the blond so that his feelings were a burden to neither, but here he was, not even pulling his hand away from the blond's grip. Sasuke's heart was beating at a maddening pace, which only angered him more.

He was growing tired of holding himself together despite the chaotic mess his emotions were in. And so, he needed to be away from Naruto, especially.

"Hn. Then, till when will you be here?"

The raven's voice was stricter and more demanding this time. He just had to get Naruto away from him, even if it meant being a rude asshole to him. It wasn't the first time he would be using this strategy anyway.

However, what he didn't know was that the blond could clearly look past his act. Naruto was prepared for such questions.

"Till you're feeling OK."

The Uzumaki answered with a firm tone, only giving a firm push to the raven's desire to desperately try to make him leave.

"Hn. Well, I'm fine now. So leave."

"No, you aren't."

"I am. Leave."

"Teme-"

"Naruto. Get out."

The slightly trembling voice of Sasuke was stern yet pleading with the blond to leave him alone, making Naruto's gaze soften some more. Those words definitely stung, and the blond could have argued some more, but the way Sasuke's eyes looked at him was enough to make him listen to the raven.

"Ok, ok... I'll leave."

The words were followed by a small, sad smile that Naruto now wore on his whiskered face. His hands slowly loosened their hold on Sasuke's, but immediately stopped when he felt the raven's hand tighten around his this time.

Naruto's heart beat frantically as he felt this happen, and his eyes widened slightly. He looked down at his hands, and the sight of Sasuke's fingers clinging onto his hand was enough to fill his eyes with tears.

'Sasuke... you lying bastard.'

Naruto scoffed lightly as he, once again, tightened his grip on Sasuke's hand. He looked up into those ebony orbs and simply smiled. He let the tears flow down his cheeks, and he could feel Sasuke clutch him harder with every tear that fell.

Sasuke watched as Naruto leaned forward and touched his forehead to the Uchiha's hand. The blond's breaths were warm and hit the pale skin on Sasuke's arm, making his skin tingle. He could hear the little sniffles from the blond and could occasionally feel the warm tears land on his fingers.

Seeing the light of his life in such a vulnerable state caused a pang of guilt to hit him in the heart. He hated how he was the reason Naruto was crying, and he wanted to do something for the blond.

Sasuke almost grunted out loud while trying to turn to his side, but he eventually managed to do so. Sensing the shuffling, Naruto lifted his head only to see a change in Sasuke's eyes.

His expressions didn't give away much. They were neutral as always. However, the gaze of those obsidian eyes that were watching him was screaming out to the blond how much the raven craved him.

"Sasuke-"

"Shh..."

The young Uchiha gradually lifted his other hand, occasionally hissing in between. Naruto was about to question the raven before he felt the said man's fingers gently tangle among the golden strands of his hair, causing the blond's breath to hitch.

"Dobe, this might be me talking due to the medicines, but I'm sorry... I don't think I can unlove you. I... don't want to."

Sasuke's confession caused Naruto's cheeks to glow a beautiful pink under the white light of the room. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Even after everything the blond did to push the raven away, the Uchiha was unable to let go of his feelings for Naruto.

Sasuke slowly brought his hand out of Naruto's hair and back to his side. For the first time, he was at peace with himself over this aspect of his life. He didn't need an immediate answer from the blond. He just wanted to establish the fact that he still loved Uzumaki Naruto, and that was a truth which not even time, could change. The feeling of relief finally washed over him in waves, making his body less tense and eventually causing him to close his eyes.

Sasuke still had a lot to sort out about his life, but this time, he willingly wished to give in to his tiredness. He could finally sleep a little more peacefully. However, right before he let the serene slumber absorb him, he heard the familiar faint, raspy voice mutter something.

The blond, who was left stunned by the suddenness of Sasuke's action, had eventually managed to regain his composure before replying to the raven's confession.

"Teme, I'll never let you unlove me, dattebayo."

A/N:...So...? I hope you liked it? You liked it, right? (Even if you didn't just say you did. It'll boost my confidence a lot, thank you.)('∀｀;)d Hehe, just kidding. I can't explain... I was so nervous to post this one.😅 But I hope you all are liking where this is going!Anyway, see you all in the next chapter!Author sound out~✌🏻