Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me. And no bashing, because it only makes me laugh. I'm serious. 8D
Lost Soul
Finally. It had been ten long, torturous years, but he was back. Sort of.
Uchiha Sasuke wasn't with Orochimaru – he was dead. Naruto remembers hearing this, because when the news reached Jiraiya, the sannin had silently left Tsunade's office to drink. After that, Jiraiya wasn't seen for weeks.
But... Sasuke didn't come back then, seven years ago. Instead, he had gone and joined Akatsuki in order to "get closer to Itachi." The blond hated how his former-best friend had phrased it. Sasuke said that was the only reason he joined, but seven years had passed and the homicidal Uchiha was still alive.
Sasuke said the only reason he returned to Konoha was for a mission. He wasn't home for good. The Uchiha had disguised himself so he wouldn't be recognized by appearance. He had borrowed Tobi's mask for the occasion.
In the end, the mission was a failure. Sasuke had been careless. He was caught by both Tsunade and Shizune, and both the window and door was blocked. It was only then did the brunette make himself a make-shift exit in the wall, being the only way to escape ―
Except that didn't work either. A returning ANBU – Naruto, no less. He was the only blond shinobi in the entire country – had him pinned, trapped against a wall in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, the rogue ninja had made a decision that had cost him his life in the end. He had decided to play along, to let them believe that they had caught him. Sasuke decided that humoring the blond was more important than his life – not to mention giving Naruto that false hope...
It wasn't until both he and Naruto were alone did he decide to speak. The simple sound of his voice – the low timbre that belonged to no one BUT him – had stirred something in the depths of Naruto's mind.
And before he knew it, they were fighting. Naruto himself says that he doesn't remember much after the first attacks had been exchanged. He figured that his anger got the best of him and Kyuubi had taken over.
But, what scared him the most – what devastated him the most – is what he say when his mind was given back control.
Sasuke was bleeding. Actually, both of them were, except that Sasuke's last attack was not as accurate and precise as Naruto's. Naruto's hand had gone through half of Sasuke's heart, and that bastard... he was smiling! Dead and smiling!
Those, however, weren't Naruto's exact thoughts. He was literally panicking. He dismissed that fact that he was coughing up blood and didn't care that Sasuke, once again, decided to spare his life on a whim. No, Naruto was crying. He was crying because he had just killed his best friend. He was crying because he failed in his promise to Sakura to bring him back.
There was now a void in his heart, a void that Sasuke had once filed by simply staying alive. Over the years, Sasuke became a part of Naruto's being, and now that the Uchiha was gone... a part of Naruto's soul was just stolen from him.
A part of himself that countless ramen bowls wouldn't be able to cure. Naruto's broken soul will never be whole again. It was irreplaceable.
A/N: That... well, it was odd, I think. ponder Wrote it after a RP, and this came to me as I was trying to sleep.
I hope that it at least makes some sense? o.o If not... I'm sorry.