The Demilitarized Zone

Chapter 6

Unconsciousness came knocking entirely too early in Naruto's opinion. The first things to register were that his wrist hurt and he might never be able to move his neck again.

"Oh dear god… Oooooouch!" Naruto moaned softy against the overly starched sheets. Where the hell am I? he wondered.

"Good Morning, Dobe."

Naruto turned his head, never lifting it from the sheets until he was facing the amused voice, one blue eye winching at the stiffness in his muscles.

"Teme."

Sasuke smirked down at the blonde and tried to tell himself that the dobe looked stupid, not adorable. Yesterday's bump to the head was obviously much more serious than the doctor had said and he would need to schedule an MRI at his earliest conv…

"I said, HOW ARE YOU FEELING?" Naruto sat up, concern overshadowing the inability to move his stiff neck, "Can you even hear me? Do you know who I am? Oh my god… DOCTOR?!"

A pale hand shot out and slapped against Naruto's mouth so hard that tears came to his wide blue eyes.

"Fuck, dobe. Yes, I can hear you. Yes, I know who you are. I don't go around calling everyone 'dobe'. There's only one 'dobe' in my life… the biggest dobe of them all."

Naruto nodded, Sasuke's hand still on his mouth. He reached up and gently pulled Sasuke's fingers from his face. Blue eyes shifted conspiratorially back and forth before landing on midnight black, "Does Itachi know you think that way about him?"

"Dobe!"

"Ah! My youthful companions! You are awake and once again relishing in your springtime youthfulness with one another." Gai clutched his green covered heart, "Beautiful… so beautiful!"

Sasuke couldn't help noticing that as Gai neared the bed, the dobe leaned further into his side. What could the 'Green Beast' possibly have done to the blonde?

"Well, I was just coming to wake you because I received a phone call from Itachi Uchiha this morning. He requested that you both be available for an emergency conference call with him and your teams in one hour."

"Emergency? Both of us?" Naruto asked pulling away from Sasuke to stand up. No, he did NOT feel colder.

"Apparently so and only your youthful influence will remedy the situation. Broody One, you have been released from the infirmary. Both of you will use my office. See you in an hour."

Naruto nodded and turned to Sasuke. "I wonder what this is about."

Sasuke moved until his legs hung over the side of the bed. He was still in his workout clothes from yesterday and he wasn't sure if he was happy not to be naked or disgusted he'd been in these clothes all night.

"Hn."

Naruto rolled his eyes and followed the wrinkled older man out of the room, "Teme, do you think it's possible to smell Armageddon coming? You know, like the first snow?"

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"What's this?" Itachi said strolling confidently into the room and taking a seat at the end of the long conference table. His long hair was pulled lazily into a low pony tail and his dress shirt was unbuttoned three buttons down, the pristine white sleeves rolled up to his elbows. "My minions' little duckies are speechless? Be still my beating heart."

The Uchiha smirk made Hinata whimper.

"Now, now… I only want to help. You see, I can smell a conspiracy a thousand miles away." Itachi gently turned his chair back and forth while tapping long fingers against the arm rest waiting to be filled in. "Especially when it deals with my two favorite boys."