Hey Everyone! So, I've hit a wall with all the other stories I currently have in progress, so instead of hitting my head against those walls, I decided to take my creativity to a new story!

Don't worry, I will eventually get back to those. I'm hoping this will give me a much-needed ax for that writer's block.

I hope you enjoy!

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Fool

Chapter 1

~Flash Forward~

"What… what's wrong with you?" Sasuke asked, his face full of confusion.

Naruto smiled weakly, "I guess those eyes of yours don't see everything do they teme?"

The Uchiha thought his mind was tricking him, that somehow, he'd been put under genjutsu. He quickly tried to release whatever terrible nightmare he'd been thrown into but to no avail. "This… this can't be real…" he stuttered out.

"Heh, looks like you got what you wanted after all" Naruto continued, leaning back against the tree he'd sat beneath.

"No, it's not dobe! You know that!" the Uchiha shouted, his Sharingan flaring in anger. He reached out and yanked the resting boy's collar, trying to shake the blonde out of his stupor.

"Please… don't… Sasuke… that hurts me, ya know?" Naruto spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. The boy's eyes were dull, more so than the elder had ever thought possible.

"No!" Sasuke continued, pulling him up more so their faces were inches from each other. "I won't fall for this. You're lying!"

Again, Naruto gave him a weak, sad smile. "I guess, now at the end I wish… I wish that I would have told you sooner. Nothing would have changed of course… you've always been just as stubborn as me. But you know something? I've always loved you…" As he finished his sentence, the youngers blank eyes began to close, his head falling.

The Raven caught his jaw in one of his pale hands and lifted the scared face back up to his own, pressing his lips against Naruto's firmly. Tears began falling down his cheeks when he realized that the boy wasn't returning his first real display of affection.

"Naruto… Please… I've been such a fool…I love you too…" he whispered against the cooling skin of the boy he'd denied for so long.

~Current Day~

Naruto sat in his bed quietly, having just come back from the hospital. He stared at the picture on his nightstand, wishing that he could have pushed himself just a little harder to bring Sasuke back.

The blonde coughed loudly, his eyes blandly looking at the blood that had spattered on his fingers. It was all he could do to keep his illness hidden from those closest to him, especially after taking such beatings. The hospital staff always wanted him to tell Kakashi or Jiraiya… to quit being a ninja, but he'd never do that. All his dreams would be over if anyone found out… if he gave up.

More than anything though, he couldn't bear the thought of losing to the teme. He needed the boy to acknowledge him for his strength certainly, but even more than that… Naruto wanted Sasuke to acknowledge their bond as more than just a weakness, but as what they meant to each other.

The clock ticked on the wall loudly, reminding him that time was always passing by. He smiled sadly as he ran his finger over the Uchiha's face in the picture. "You better hurry up and snap out of it Sasuke… if I don't get you back soon I won't ever be worthy of the title Hokage… and I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be able to hold out.

He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, wondering what the Uchiha must be up to. Probably healing just like him. Tsunade had said he was lucky to have Kyuubi inside him, anyone else would have died from the Chidori hitting them in the chest like that.

Naruto thought about her comment. Kyuubi was indeed helpful, but not even the Fox could save him now. He hated reading, but he'd looked into his illness himself and no one, not the Nine-Tails, Tsunade or another would be able to heal him.

And now, not even Sasuke was around. His sad smile faded away, "of all people… why did you have to leave me…"

Another cough threatened to rip through his broken ribs. He started counting in his head, "one kunai, two kunai, three kunai…" until the urge subsided. His mind traveled back to his once happy team.

Then another wave of suffering hit him, this time in the form of a certain pink haired kunoichi. He'd done his best to bring the Raven back, and he knew he should have been able to. After all, wind beats lightning, so his Rasengan should have beat the Chidori. But at the last minute, his heart had spasmed terribly, and his entire chakra network short-circuited, causing the jutsu to lose power, and Sasuke's to overtake him.

Naruto wondered if things would be different if he'd come clean about his condition… if he'd let someone know. If he'd just had one more person there then they could have finished the job he'd started with Sasuke being so weak after their battle.

But he knew in his heart that wasn't true. There wasn't anyone else that could have gone and stood a chance, and if he'd said anything then he himself wouldn't have been allowed to go.

"I wonder if he was able to finish severing his bonds with me after that last attack" his mind continued. The blonde rolled to his side, holding himself from both the physical and mental pain he was enduring.

Apparently, the Uchiha wanted nothing to do with him anymore. He'd said that their bond was the strongest… and that in order for him to shed his weakness he'd have to sever the last tie to the past. That was the last thing Naruto wanted.

Tears formed in his blue eyes as doubt tore away at his usually confident demeanor. Sasuke would only get stronger, possibly leading to the same ending. Or even worse, his body would give out before he could save the boy he loved so much.

"NO! I've got to keep going… I… I'm going to bring you back no matter what! I'm going to become Hokage… then I guess after that… I can finally…."

His weary mind passed into darkness, giving him a slight reprieve from the suffering of being awake. But if he had finished his thought, it would have only been one word.

Die.

***Time Skip: Training with Jiraiya***

Naruto gave a weak cough as he attempted yet again to fight against genjutsu. It had been nearly a year since Sasuke had run off and he'd only made slight progress in this particular area. In truth, even if he was absolutely healthy it wouldn't make much of a difference. He simply wasn't gifted or even average when it came to fighting this technique.

"What's the matter, kid? You feeling alright?" Jiraiya asked through his irritation. He had noticed that the blonde seemed to have a persistent cough, but it hadn't really bothered him until recently.

"Yeah, I think it means someone is talking about me" Naruto lied, giving his best fake smile.

"You idiot…" Jiraiya scolded "that's only when you're sneezing!"

The younger continued to pretend that nothing was wrong though, insisting that there must be a rational -but untrue- reason for his cough. He gave a variety of excuses: a cold, allergies, ghosts. Anything to get his sensei off the scent.

Eventually, the Sannin gave up on pressuring the kid because, other than an occasional cough, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. He almost convinced himself that it was possible for even someone like Naruto to get sick occasionally, even if it was just allergies. But his eyes stared intently at the younger, making it clear he wasn't giving up permanently.

The blonde sighed to himself as the pervert backed off. Hiding his condition had been difficult enough on month-long missions, but doing so while spending almost every waking minute with the old man was damn near impossible.

The guilt he felt for lying to his father figure was immense and constantly growing. But he couldn't tell his sensei… it would mean the end of his training for sure. He'd be stuck in the hospital with the Hokage leaning over him, her hands full of syringes and test tubes. No, he'd much rather suffer through this than that.

"You're so stubborn, kid… You've got absolutely zero talent as a shinobi. In fact, the only thing you've got going for you is that ridiculous determination and gustiness!" Jiraiya said smiling, shaking his head again as he thought about teaching such a dunce.

Naruto looked thoughtfully at the colorful clouds before giving a genuine smile, "I guess I just can't give up on my dreams. Look at it like this Pervy Sage, I don't care what anyone else says! I'm going to be Hokage no matter what! And more importantly, I've got to save Sasuke or I won't be worthy of being such a leader."

Frustration overtook the Sannin momentarily and he snapped. "Why are you so obsessed with that Uchiha brat? He tried to kill you and I've told you before. I know the type he is and there is nothing you can do to save him."

"You don't understand! I love him!" Naruto shouted back. He quickly clamped a hand over his mouth once he realized what he'd said, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

The sage looked at him with shock before understanding. "So that's it huh? The truth finally comes out?"

"I… uhh…"

"Don't bother kid, I get it. Nothing can outweigh the heaviness a heart can feel, or hold it down when it's filled with happiness. If saving Sasuke is what you have to do in order for you to achieve your dreams then I guess I'll have to help you…" Jiraiya spoke, his voice sounding confident.

Naruto happily looked back out at the vast sky, the pain in his chest almost leaving with the relief he felt coming from someone so close to him.

Sasuke glared at his new sensei, his breath coming in heavy pants. He was working hard to polish he skills with the katana, every slice of the blade bringing him closer to beating Itachi. But even still, his progress wasn't fast enough… it never was.

"My, my, Sasuke… still in a mood I see? Tell me, child… who are you thinking about? That magnificent specimen of a brother? Or maybe someone a little more pitiful? Naruto perhaps?" the snake asked, a sneer evident on his sickly pale skin.

The Uchiha snarled viciously, attacking the targets with a newfound veracity. He had been thinking about both of the two in question. Part of him was stuck on killing his vile elder brother, but an increasing piece of his mind was wondering what the idiot blonde was doing.

He'd almost been able to kill the boy, but at the last minute, he decided he didn't want to be like Itachi… and he probably couldn't have if he'd tried. He hated that he loved the boy so much, but every time the dobe smiled it was like he could feel part of his heart thaw.

Seeing him lying there on his back, the rain wetting that golden hair and slipping down his honey tan skin was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. He'd come so close to kissing him then, leaning over his body and draping his face just over the blondes.

But he couldn't force himself to do it, just like he couldn't take his life. He knew he'd be strong enough to do one or the other someday… Which one it would be he didn't yet know.

All signs pointed to Naruto being straight, seeing as he had a major crush on Sakura, but they'd kissed before -twice- so maybe… just maybe… he could get away with one more. Still, his hatred fought back, reminding him that to gain the power he needed, loving the younger may have to end.

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I hope that was okay! I'm procrastinating studying for finals so, part of my own angst, worry and lack of hope might be flowing into this piece.

Please Review and Follow and Favorite! I really need encouragement at the moment!

Thanks for reading!