I'd known. Ever since I'd betrayed him, I'd known. I known I would die this way. I was always weak... that's why I always insisted I was the best.
Shock and pain... that's all I saw...
All he felt...
"I'm so sorry..."
Sorry? You shouldn't be sorry...
"Come on—no no no; you promised, we all promised-- I...I PROMISED!"
I guess I should be apologizing...
Oh look... you're picking me up... holding me... after so... long...
"Come on—t-the, the hospital; we need to get to the hospital!"
Hospital? But I don't want to go there... too much white... and that stupid doctor...
"Move it! I'm carrying a wounded comrade! MOVE IT NOW!"
Please stop screaming... Comrade? Ha... you were the one to hurt me so badly...
"What's going—Oh, gods! What happened!"
Mmm, nothing, nothing... Someone just getting his revenge... keeping his word...
"No time to explain; he needs medical attention!!!"
Come now, moving so fast hurts...
"Hang on... Oh god; please, please don't do this to me... not you too..."
Me, too? I wasn't so important...
"We're losing him!!"
"No—NO!"
"I—I'm sorry... he..."
"No—no... he...no...can't...NO! HE ISN'T DEAD! HE PROMISED ME!"
"Stop it! He's dead; stop it!" Even while the tears were shed... The doctor... tried to hold you back...
Name: Uchiha Sasuke
Time of Death: 9:02 pm.
Cause of Death: Failure of organs/loss of blood.
"Sasuke..."
Naruto...
...So...sor...ry...
Uchiha Sasuke
Beloved Father, Comrade, and Lover
"Nothing lasts forever. But... we will."
"Sasuke... I'll never say goodbye."
.-.-.-.-.
"Daddy? Is that... my other daddy?"
"Yes... it is... You were very young when he died."
"How did he die?"
"...He was killed in battle, honey."
"By who?"
"..."
"Daddy? Da—daddy, who's that?"
"Hmm? Wh—w-who are you!"
A smile.
"No—no--WHO ARE YOU! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"
Don't you recognize me? Has it been so long already? Is that our baby? How she's grown...
"Stay away from us!!!"
Naruto... She'll be a heart breaker; raise her well...
A hand held out... beckoning...
"W-what? No—No, I, s-she, I can't...!"
Another hand...
"Daddy? He feels familiar..."
"Wha—no—no, don't!"
Why not?
"Please... don't do this to me..."
A sob.
Don't cry, Naruto. A smile looks so much better... makes everyone feel happy...
"Please, just go—just go away, please, please..."
Sadness. Uncertainty.
"Please..."
...Why...
"Please."
Why don't you...
"Daddy? Who is it?"
Why don't you... want me?
"...Please..."
A head bows. A body starts to move. Single drop hits the ground.
I said it before, Naruto... I'll never leave you.
.-.-.-.-.-.
"You're what?"
"Don't worry, Sakura. I'm not suicidal... but just in case, watch her? Love her, as a mother or close friend would. Try, at least, for me... And him."
"Naruto...Don't speak like this."
"I'm just taking precautions."
"No. You're not planning on coming back alive. This mission--"
"Was meant for the Hokage, Sakura. You seem to forget who I am."
"I--...
Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Thank you."
"Naruto..."
.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Bodies.
"Neji, to me! Ino-Shika-Cho, go! Lee, keep watch of those blasted students of yours, dammit!"
Blood.
"Dammit Sasuke, why couldn't you have waited to die?!
Well, since you asked so nicely...
"Rasengan!"
Maybe I could, just this once...
"Sai, get your dumb ass over here now!"
Help you out.
"Naruto! Check the fields; someone's using Chidori!"
"WHAT?! Dammit Kakashi, I said not to--"
"Naruto... it isn't Kakashi."
"Huh? B-but, the only other person is—is--"
Chakra spins wildly. The sound of a thousand birds.
"Naruto--! It's--!"
Hey there, Naruto.
"THE HELL KIND OF JUTSU IS THIS?!"
Miss me?
"It isn't a jutsu—"
"The hell is going on?!"
"How is it POSSIBLE?!"
"It isn't!"
I thought you knew, I liked doing as you did?
"It can't possibly--!!!"
You know.
"Naruto, thank him later! He needs you!"
The impossible.
"Papa behind you!"
She's already old enough to fight? She takes after us.
"Watch your teammates, not me!"
"Dammit, I'll do what I want! I've already lost one dad!"
Didn't you ever tell her?
Eyes meeting. Bodies still in a crouch. Shock.
"S-Sasuke?!"
"Papa? Is that--"
"It can't be... you?"
I guess you didn't.
"Sasuke... you... SASUKE!"
Heads turning. Sorrow. Pity. Sympathy.
"You're here—how?!? What's going on, I, I SAW YOU DIE!"
True. That you did. Held me in your arms, even.
"Sasuke... you..."
A smile. Tears raining down.
"Someone had to watch your back, Naruto."
.-.-.-.-.-.
"Thank you, Sasuke. For somehow doing that, in the battle. We needed you..."
"Was that him, Papa? Was that my other daddy?"
"Yes... it was... I don't know what happened, but...Somehow, I don't quite care."
"He was... amazing."
Awe.
"Yes, he was... is."
Would you, now?
Body approaches. Stills. Questioning. Seeking.
"P-Papa!! There—he--!!!"
"...Sasuke..."
A smile. Content.
You're at peace with it, aren't you, Naruto. You understand now.
"Sasuke..."
"Papa... he wants you, still... doesn't he."
"Yeah... he always was a greedy bastard. Can't even let me be in death."
Heh. True.
"Papa... you should go with him."
"W-what?! But there's you, and the village!"
"Don't worry about us so much. We'll figure something out... you've gotten us through the hard part, papa. You miss him. I know you do."
"B-but..."
"That's why you didn't go before, right? When I was a little girl?"
"You remember?"
"It's because you had to look after me, right? You didn't want me growing up alone, like you two did. Go to him, Papa. You've raised me well. I know I'm never alone."
A smile. Disbelief. Hesitating joy.
Hmm? Smart girl, smart girl. She really takes after you more, you know. So loving. Caring. Although she got the smart from me, thank you very much.
Arms outstretched, as though waiting to be embraced. Welcoming. Loving.
"..."
"Go to him, Papa. I love you two."
"..Thank you."
I love you too, little one. You can't hear me, but I do. With all my heart.
A smile. A grin. Running.
Even if you never told her...
"Sasuke... let's go home."
Light. Darkness.
That you were the one...
"I love you."
Bodies—live and dead—fading.
To kill me.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Author's Note: Uhm. Yeah. Well, last night I was really upset, and I just started writing. originally only the first part—and the last part—them being reunited—was supposed to happen. But... well... I just kept writing. ; I like making a story out of something. Naruto killed Sasuke because he had to, not because he wanted to. He honestly didn't want to, or completely mean to. Sasuke knows that... and doesn't begrudge him it. Any questions? Feel free to ask. :D
