Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything in the Naruto universe, nor am I making any profit from this story.

Warning: This is a boyxboy. If you do not wish to read, please do not do so.

AN: I know the exact pilot lingo is probably off just a bit, but I didn't feel like explaining to my brother-in-law (who is an airline pilot) why I wanted to know how to call in a May Day, lol.

This will probably end up being 3-4 chapters. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 1

"May day, May day, May day! This is flight #1148 out of Dallas/Ft. Worth. Mayday! We're experiencing engine problems. Last known location," Naruto checked his flight instruments as he struggled with the controls before rattling off a string of numbers. The plane shimmied and shook in mid air, sputtering like an old church lady in front of a porn shop.

Dammit, he had told that bastard that they should've delayed the flight.

Speak of the devil…

A dark-haired man in an expensive wool business suit staggered into the cockpit area, grabbing onto the ceiling for support. His pale skin was whiter than usual as the plane dipped and veered, reminding him of a roller coaster ride from hell.

"Can't you control this thing any better?" he demanded angrily as his stomach lurched upwards once more. "Where the hell did you get your license?"

"Sit down and strap in," Naruto half yelled, not wanting to waste precious time on the stubborn prick that had refused to postpone his damn business meeting four states away just because of a "little rain."

Lightning illuminated the night sky, blinding them temporarily with its brilliance. Something sparked and fizzled on the consol.

"Fuck!" Naruto exclaimed as the plane gave a last, long shudder.

"What was that? What the hell is going on?" the other man demanded in a tone that indicated he was used to being answered promptly, not ignored.

"Sit the fuck down and strap in!" Naruto yelled once again.

The strained tone convinced the man not to argue but to do as he was told. He practically fell into the copilot's chair as the plane lurched and began to buckle in, dismissing the scowl that was thrown his way. Just as he was about to insist once again that the blond pilot report their status, he was interrupted.

"May day, May day, May day! This is flight #1148. We are going down. I repeat we are going down!"

Dark eyes widened, riveting on the man in the pilot's seat. Naruto reached over and slammed the heel of his hand a few times against the screen of an instrument that flickered on to show a strange picture of greens of varying heights and shades. He checked another instrument before giving a small grunt.

"That'll work," he muttered to himself. He reached up and flipped a few switches causing all the lights to go out inside of the plane leaving only the glow of the instrument panels to see by. They were enshrouded in a darkness which was only pierced by the weak beams mounted on the outside of the plane and the wild lightning dancing through the sky.

The other man felt his calm returning when the pilot confidently guided them through the air. Everything was going to be okay; it had just been some turbulence. They really weren't going to go down. It was just his pilot overreacting again; something that the young man had a tendency to do. He had just never seen him do it when he was in the pilot's seat before. That was when he felt that strange sensation of almost being in freefall which usually denoted they were coming down for a landing.

He swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat. "We aren't really going down are we?" he asked, his voice controlled enough that he didn't sound too far off of his normal stoic tones.

"Yes," came the short, distracted answer.

"Oh."

There was another brilliant flare outside of the plane which was followed by more sparks inside the plane. The consol seemed to flicker a moment before everything went pitch black.

"Shit," a voice deadpanned from beside him.

A chill sensation seized his chest but he fought not to show his reaction. Sasuke Uchiha was the CEO of a world renowned company. He was a hard assed prick who was unphased by either pathetically adorable, kicked puppies or psychotic hired killers.

He refused to let a little thing like a plane crash shake him up. He could handle this.

"So what do we do?" he demanded. All crises had to have a plan of action. It was something that he lived and breathed day in and day out. He didn't feel he was too far out of his element.

"You shut the hell up and let me land the plane," came the short, growled answer.

Sasuke scowled over at his employee. How dare the measly little six-figure-earning imbecile talk to him like that!

He was so fired when they got back to civilization.

Sasuke was jerked out of his thoughts of smugly handing Uzumaki his walking papers when the subject of said thoughts barked out a loud, "Hold on!"

Sasuke's eyes focused before him and felt his heart leap into his throat when he saw the glimmer of water rushing up at them at an alarming speed. What confused him was that there seemed to be trees growing up out of the large river-like flow.

Naruto aimed between what looked like two dense rows of trees amidst the water. He knew that it was most likely a wide but normally shallow creek that moved through the valley that he had steered them towards. He would probably lose a wing at least but it was better than slamming into the midst of the light woods to either side which currently looked flooded with the torrential rainfall.

He was sure they would hit bottom, but only hoped that they took minimal damage. He glanced over to his boss and was reluctantly impressed to see the intense, but cool expression on his face. Of course he had to snicker to himself when he glanced down and saw the death grip that the dark-haired man had on either side of the seat cushion.

His attention was forcibly returned to their landing as they started to brush treetop level. Luckily the valley was long enough that he thought they would make touchdown before they ran out of flat ground and hit foothills once more. However, not wanting to stake everything on it, he nudged the plane lower.

They had no engines, read-outs nor communications so he was stuck flying blind and trusting to his own sense of depth perception to guide them safely without slamming them into the ground. Their path was illuminated by the almost constant lightning above them, allowing Naruto to glide the plan into the best situation that he could. He only hoped that the stream didn't take any abrupt turns.

The sound of limbs screeching over metal was loud in the cockpit as they lowered down. A particularly long outgrowth slammed into the windshield, effectively shattering it and spraying them in glass and wooden chunks and splinters. Naruto felt fire spread across his face as he instinctively lifted an arm to protect his eyes.

As he dropped his hand back down to the controls, he could feel the warmth of blood flowing down his face but had no means to attend to it with their current situation. He had other matters to worry about such as their imminent survival. His face could wait.

Sasuke glanced at the pilot worriedly as the man continued his mantra of "Fuck, fuck, fuck" over and over again but Uzumaki didn't seem to notice what he was saying as he continued to guide them lower into the narrow lane provided by the creek. Indeed, in the brief flashes of light, he maintained a look of concentration and control throughout the whole process, giving Sasuke the much needed confidence that they would get through this intact.

Water started to splash upwards onto the windows as they were low enough that their passage caused a wake to form around them. As soon as they touched the creek below however, the plane dragged, skewing is slightly and bumping them closer to the tree line.

'Yep, there goes that wing,' Naruto thought absently as he endeavored fruitlessly to straighten them back out. He could only hope for the best now as there was no way in hell he had any control left.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the screaming of metal that filled his ears as the wing of the plane crumpled and then ripped from the body of the craft.

The plane skidded sideways as Naruto was no longer able to maintain control over the crippled vehicle. The tail immediately caught onto the trees and they were flung back around facing forward again even as the rear end disintegrated under the impact. There went the remained of their controls.

They slowed down just enough so that the weight of the remaining wing pulled them down and dug into the bank of the creek, slinging the plane around the other way and slamming it into the shore.

Both men were snapped forward and then back into their seats as the plane came to an abrupt halt.

Naruto took a brief moment to make sure that he could feel everything in his body and that everything seemed to be working correctly. He glanced over at his boss to see the man panting and pale, but otherwise keeping himself under control.

"You okay?" he asked as he started unbuckling himself.

Mr. Uchiha blinked a few times before starting to nod. He winced at the motion and put a hand to his neck. Uzumaki immediately started pulling his restraints open. A warm hand supported his neck as fingers felt gently over the vertebrae at the base of his neck.

"Can you feel everything?" he was asked urgently.

He pushed the hand aside even though he just wanted to rest back into it for a moment. "I'm fine, idiot," he snapped instead. "Can't you even fly a damned plane? Isn't that what I pay you for?"

"Berate me later, asshole. We have to get out of here now," Naruto snapped back, irritated that the ungrateful bastard didn't realize that he had just saved their lives.

"What in the hell is the big hurry?" Sasuke demanded. "We're safe enough here, I don't think the water is deep enough for the plane to sink in."

Naruto ignored the other's sarcastic tone and started pulling out his emergency pack. He checked the flashlight and then began to shove what little food and drink they carried into it next to a first aid kit and the stupid little pieces of cloth that airlines called blankets. He then glanced out the window back up stream.

"We lost a wing which means that the fuel it contained is in the water all around us. It would only take a small spark to start a fire and possibly set off the remaining fuel we're carrying in the other wing. We need to get away from the plane until the water has safely washed away the fuel and it's stopped lightning," Naruto explained impatiently as he zipped up the now bulging bag.

"Shit," Sasuke cursed under his breath as he pushed his way past Naruto and into the back.

He could see where the rising water was already inside and he figured that if it kept raining like this that there would probably be more. Giving the water a glare, he grabbed at his overnight bag which was still lodged under his seat. He then gave a quick look around, trying to spot where his briefcase had went in the darkness. It had important papers inside and he couldn't afford to lose them.

A flash of lightning illuminated the attaché that was about to slip out of the back and into the swiftly moving current. He made a lunge for it, splashing down into the deeper water in his haste. However, he misjudged and the wave he created by the sudden movement was all that was needed to push the briefcase out of the rear end of the plane.

Letting out a rather uncharacteristic expletive, he rushed to the door of the plane and threw it open, intent on jumping in after his papers. A large hand caught the back of his suit jacket and withheld his impending leap.

"Let go!" he ordered sharply. "I need those!"

"You have all that shit backed up on computers at the office, don't you?" Naruto pointed out with minimal patience.

That wasn't the point, naturally, but the blond idiot couldn't possibly understand. That was his control floating away. That was a vital piece of his world. A thing that contained all of his business notes, his schedules, his personal contacts; it held within it the order to which his life followed.

"Come on, we have to move," Naruto said, jostling Sasuke out of his lingering gaze at the dark waters. His words were emphasized by a particularly loud crack of lightning that couldn't have been too far away.

Naruto tugged his pilot's hat more firmly over blond locks, trying to keep the worst of the downpour out of his eyes before he carefully lowered himself onto the remnants of the busted wing. The metal groaned slightly but held under his weight.

He slid down until the water was around his thighs, tugging and pulling at him, threatening to cause him to lose his footing. He put the strap of the bag across his chest and turned to help Mr. Uchiha down as well. He got a face full of overnight baggage for his trouble, once more reminding him of the fiery sensation in his cheeks. Scowling up at the other man that was easing himself out of the plane, he slung the other bag over his opposite shoulder.

To his severe disappointment, his boss made it down without incident and probably more gracefully than he had if truth be known. Of course he had been carrying something, he justified to himself.

Carrying the two bags he led the way around the front of the plane where the bank of the wide creek lay. Moving hand over hand and grabbing onto whatever part of the plane that he could to remain on his feet against the harsh pull of the water, he almost slipped when he stepped into a low spot.

"Watch yourself, moron," a cold voice warned from behind him. "If I can't go after my briefcase, I'm sure as hell not going after you."

"Fuck you, bastard," Naruto muttered.

"What was that?" Sasuke asked sharply.

"I said we must move faster," Naruto lied in a louder voice over the rain and thunder. Fuck this. When they got back he was going to quit. No amount of money was worth putting up with this prick's bullshit. Mr. Uchiha was the poster child for the phrase "Beauty is only skin deep" and no matter how attractive he found the man he was tired of being disregarded and held in contempt by the other male.

His boss constantly heckled him, picked on every little flaw he had whether it was his crooked tie, his admittedly rough sense of humor or his untamable blond hair. He was never on time enough to suit Mr. Uchiha even though he usually showed up a few minutes early and, even though he scored in the top five percent on his testing as a pilot, he could never do a good enough job. His landings were too rough, his take offs too rough, his flying too rough. Sometimes he wondered if the man bitched just to hear himself.

None of the other pilots on the Uchiha Corps payroll seemed to be on the receiving end of the CEO's sharp tongue. It seemed as if the bastard had it out for just one Naruto Uzumaki.

His foot bumped the muddy bank and he stepped carefully up onto it. With open wounds on his face the last thing he needed to do was to fall into the filthy water.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke asked demandingly from behind him.

"To hell, if you don't shut up," Naruto mumbled under his breath.

"What?"

"Well, we need to go up," Naruto said louder. "Get someplace dry."

"Where in the hell are we going to find someplace dry?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"There's hills all around us. Surely we can find some kind of rocky outcropping or something that will give us some kind of shelter," Naruto said vaguely, looking at the dark outline of the hilltops against the flickering lightning in the sky.

Sasuke snorted in disgust but kept trudging after the pilot in front of him. His foot sank a little deeper into the muck and when he tugged to pull it back out, it came up with a deep squelching noise. Minus his shoe.

Naruto looked back at the sudden stream of colorful language behind him. His eyebrow lifted when he realized that some of those words he had made up himself when he had been particularly upset a time or two. When had his boss had a chance to hear them and who in the hell was he calling a "cock gobbling douche bag?"

Sasuke seemed to notice the shocked regard of his pilot and cleared his throat. "What?" he asked in an obviously strained mild tone.

"Something wrong?" Naruto drawled slowly.

Sasuke cleared his throat again. "I lost my shoe."

"I see."

"It was an expensive shoe," he said defensively. "And comfortable."

Naruto sighed and turned around completely. "Put your hands on my shoulders and feel around for it."

Sasuke's dark eyes widened slightly. "What?" he asked, his pitch a little rougher.

"You'll need it to walk around in. Otherwise you are going to keep poking your feet on shit," Naruto explained. "And I sure as hell don't need to carry around anymore baggage," he added in a mutter.

"I heard that," Sasuke said in a growl from right in front of him.

"Find your shoe," Naruto said with a frown, "or go barefoot. I don't give a damn which."

Glaring up at the man in front of him, and he always hated it that he had to glare up even if it was only an inch or two, Sasuke placed his hands on the broad, uniformed shoulders in front of him and felt around for his missing footwear.

He finally located it, almost missing it for the sludge that was slowly filling it, jammed his foot in and jerked up. He promptly lost his balance when the mud refused to yield it right away and would have fallen had it not been for a pair of warm hands grabbing onto his waist.

He almost froze in place as the intimate hold registered with his hormones without consulting his brain first. Lightning flashed and he saw the fresh blood still covering the blond's cheeks. Now wasn't the time or place; not that it ever would be.

He twisted his foot around slightly and then pulled his shoe-clad foot out.

"Good, let's go," Naruto said before cautiously turning around.

Once they were up on solid ground, he pulled the flashlight back out and turned it on, illuminating a small area around them. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing. Luckily the valley wasn't really wide and it wouldn't take too long to get closer to the hills.

He felt a nudge at his shoulder and glanced back to see his boss holding out a soaked, but clean looking handkerchief. He took it with a hesitant nod and carefully wiped at his cheeks. He hissed as he felt the shards of glass and wood move but knew there was no way to try to pull them out yet. They needed shelter and a fire. Then perhaps they would have enough light to tend to his wounds.

Thirty minutes later found them climbing over the rock at the base of the hills, working their way higher to dry ground. As soon as Naruto found a niche in the rock that put them out of the immediate rain, he dropped the bags and sank to the chilly ground. His head was pounding, his face had gone numb and he felt exhausted.

He watched with mild curiosity as Sasuke took the flashlight away from him and began digging through the bag that Naruto had packed. He pulled out the first aid kit and popped it open, scanning the contents. Frowning, the pale-skinned man dragged his own bag over and quickly pulled out his shaving kit. He unzipped the pouch and rolled it out, quickly finding the tweezers.

Seeming quite pleased with himself, he scooted over to Naruto, tilting the light up into the man's bloody face. Naruto winced at the brightness but held still as instructed when his boss leaned over him with the tweezers. Dark brows furrowed in concentration, Sasuke began to carefully clean out the lacerations.

"You're still bleeding," he said quietly as he diligently pulled out another small shard of glass. "You need stitches."

"Sure, let me just hike to the nearest hospital. I'll get right on it," Naruto said grumpily. He hissed as the tweezers dug in a little sharper. "Be careful, jerk!"

"Shut up and hold still," Sasuke retorted, glaring down into the pain-filled blue eyes. "And take off that damn hat."

Naruto removed his pilot's hat, allowing his blond hair to fall artlessly over his face before he shoved it back out of the way.

Dark eyes lingered a moment over the golden strands before lowering to his cheeks once more.

After a few moments, Sasuke moved away and back to the first aid kit. Naruto took in the cramped area before speaking. "We need to find something better than this if we can. Maybe just a little deeper to get out of the wind. Somewhere to start a fire."

"Hn," was his response. "We're out of the rain. This will work if it has to."

"If it has to," Naruto agreed although his tone was showing the edge of his frustration at the other man not conceding the point. "But if we can find something else, then it will be even better."

"There isn't enough gauze to go around your fat head, but there are a few large bandages in here. Those will have to do for now," Sasuke replied, ignoring the other man's statement.

"I'll give you a 'fat head' up your ass," Naruto muttered under his breath as the other male bent over the first aid kit.

"What was that?" Sasuke asked suspiciously as he straightened up.

"I said I don't have a fat head, you ass," Naruto said louder.

His boss gave a snort of condescending amusement as he moved closer with a brown bottle and a handful of wrapped bandages. His scent came to Naruto's nose with a small gust of wind and he couldn't help but close his eyes as the musky sweet aroma invaded his senses. He unconsciously breathed in more.

There was a pause. "Are you sniffing me?" came the slightly offended, slightly confused question.

"Are you kidding? I'd choke on the fumes from all the hair gel you use," Naruto growled self-consciously.

"It's better than smelling like a wet dog," Sasuke snapped in retaliation.

Naruto opened his mouth on a retort when Sasuke upended the bottle of peroxide, pouring the icy liquid that seemed to scorch the wounds. Naruto let out a strangled noise as the liquid popped and fizzed in his flesh, cleaning out the cuts. His eyes slammed shut as Sasuke held the bloodied handkerchief against them so that the chemical wouldn't get into the blue orbs.

"Don't be such a baby," Sasuke scolded him.

Whatever noise Naruto was making turned indignant at that particular statement and he had a lovely vision of head-butting the smart ass right in his pretty face.

Sasuke went still above him and he opened his eyes to see that his boss had a contemplative look on his face as he stared past Naruto's head and further into the crevice. "Hey, idiot, make some more noise."

"What?! Fuck you, I am not here for your entertainment, ass-"

"That'll do," Sasuke said, cutting him off. Dropping the still wrapped bandages into Naruto's hand, he stood up and swept the flashlight over the back of their little niche.

"What're you doing?" Naruto asked curiously, his earlier anger already forgotten.

"I heard echoes," Sasuke replied absently as he stepped further back.

He leaned against the back wall and turned slightly, moving the flashlight with him. Naruto looked puzzled when the light seemed to disappear.

"There's a wall here," his boss said quietly, "and the rock opens up behind it." He looked back at Naruto. "Here's your cave."

Feeling thankful that something had finally gone right, Naruto grabbed up the bags and squeezed back behind the rock wall, following his boss.

TBC