be mine?

After returning from the twisted battle in the Village of the Mist that culminated in the deaths of Haku and the Swordsman Zabuza Momochi, Kakashi had given Team 7 a break to replenish their energy and in Sasuke's case, heal their injuries.

Sasuke felt the soothing hum of green chakra under his skin as the medical ninjas probed his injuries in Konoha's hospital. His minor injuries were completely healed through their skilled hands, but the holes in his chest Haku's nails had left would take a longer time to heal indeed.

The medical ninjas left the ward, a forlorn Sasuke lay on the bare, white sheets and stared at the bare, white walls. The lights from the ceiling were dim but still managed to burn a part of his brain somehow.

Sasuke liked silence. He liked bare walls with no hint of colour. That's how he kept his house anyway— empty and cold after his clan was reduced to nothing but blood on the wooden floors and cobblestone paths of the Uchiha neighbourhood.

Tonight, however, his heart ached for a splash of colour, the bright warm hues of yellow and orange he had grown very used to over the past few weeks. A persistent, almost annoying reminder in the corner of his mind that someone looked out for him. Someone who truly wanted the best for him.

There was a knock on the door. Tap-tap-tap.

Naruto.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice echoed through the hospital halls, with hints of impatience and excitement.

"Come in, you-" Sasuke bit back the usual insults that would roll off his tongue while addressing Naruto. He didn't want to think about the reason why.

Naruto grinned at him as he swung the door open.

He approached Sasuke tentatively, without the usual confidence in his gait. Sasuke had noticed this side of him during their first days as Team 7, when Naruto would look towards Sakura with pink dusting his cheeks. The thought itself made Sasuke feel a pang of jealousy in his chest. No. It's not like that, Sasuke attempted to debate the maelstrom of emotions in his head. The ocean-eyed boy sitting on the corner of his bed was the reason for his internal turmoil. His mind couldn't accept that, though his heart banged at his ribcage whenever he glanced at Naruto.

"Sasuke?" Naruto gazed into his eyes with genuine concern. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, my head just hurts a little." It hurts because of you, usuratonkachi.

"And what's this?" Naruto lifted Sasuke's heavily bandaged hand, not noticing how Sasuke's breath suddenly hitched when Naruto's skin met his bare fingertips.

A part of Sasuke wanted to tell Naruto to shut up, get the hell of his hospital room and never show his face to Sasuke again.

The other half, however-

The other half wanted to kiss him.

"You know, Sasuke…" Naruto trailed off.

"Hm? What is it?" Sasuke's voice came out softer than he expected.

Naruto took a deep breath. "I feel like you've given me a new life, ya know? You know that I've always wanted to be Hokage and stuff, but I didn't really know how to go about it. But then I got teamed with you!" Naruto smiled, and Sasuke felt his eyes rake over him, taking Sasuke all in.

"Now I know how I'm gonna become Hokage. I just have to keep on surpassing you!"

Sasuke genuinely smiled, for what felt like the first time in years. "Heh…let's see you try."

Naruto stood up to leave the hospital wing. The sky outside the window had grown completely dark by then. As waved and said goodbye to Sasuke, something tumbled out of his orange pocket.

"What's that?" Sasuke couldn't see from where he was lying on the bed.

"Um—uh…it's nothing, nothing at all! Goodnight Sasuke! Don't let the bed bugs bite!" Naruto turned to leave but didn't move towards the door.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He could rarely ever tell what was going on in the boy's head.

"On second thought.." Naruto walked back towards his bed and told Sasuke to close his eyes and open his palm. Within the span of five seconds, Naruto had placed something in his hand and had rushed out through the door of his hospital wing.

Sasuke carefully unwrapped the paper around his unexpected gift and found a heart-shaped candy in his hand. On the other side of the paper, written in red ink was a special message.