A/N: This is a SPOILER ALERT! There is nothing seriously detailed in this fic but there are general depictions of what has happened in the cannon. If you aren't up to, at least, chapter 401 in the manga or episode 141 in the anime, then don't read this because you'll be annoyed at what you've read.

Warning: This fic is only rated T because of some obvious violence and a bit of swearing.


Take Me Home

I try, but I can't help the grimace that crosses my face. I'm clutching my broken ribs and willing the pain to subside. I can't fight like this but I have to. I have no choice. My shirt is bled through and I'm starting to wonder if I'll be able to stay conscious for much longer but I know I must. I must stay awake. I must keep my eyes open, alert, and trained on the blond that I'm sparring with. Naruto has grown too skilled to be underestimated. In early years, I would pretend that he was nothing to me. I pretended that he was worthless, like I could beat him with my eyes closed but I always knew better. Naruto was always strong.

Naruto was strong because he wasn't like me. He was alone, yes, and so was I, but he had something I could never gain. He had spirit. He had life whereas I was always just going through the motions. Naruto never had anyone but his spirit never broke. No hands ever reached out for him but he carried on, regardless, relying on himself. That's strength. Me… I was never strong. Even now, I'm weak. I had hands thrust at me since the day that my clan was killed but I never took them. I pushed them away, convinced I could thrive in solitude. I was wrong. I made it through life. I made it to Orochimaru. I learned from him. I mastered skills. I killed Itachi. Now, I aim to avenge Itachi and I do not fear that I don't have the skill. I fear that I do not have the strength.

Naruto always excelled and it had nothing to do with his skill but everything to do with his heart. No matter how many times he was knocked down, he stood back up. No matter how many fights he lost, he won the ones that mattered. No matter how many injuries he suffered, he protected those who needed protecting. Even when we were children, Naruto was strong and I envied him. I could run circles around him in talent but I stood next to a boy with a bright destiny and I was just a child engulfed darkness. I always knew that I was standing beside someone who would always be better than me. I knew that I would never grow like Naruto. I still haven't grown. I'm still the same frightened, abandoned child seeking refuge. Though I knew Naruto's destiny was brighter than mine, I was eager to stay at his side. I was eager to bathe in his light. I suppose that's how we became friends in the first place.

I always knew that I would meet Naruto here and I always knew that it would be luck that would have me defeat him. He is… he has always been stronger than me. Sure, I've managed to break a few of his ribs in this fight but that's nothing. What matters in this fight is not broken bones or skills or weapons. What matters is this, what's happening right now. What matters is the fight that he still has left inside of him, the fight that I have never had inside of me. Where he found strength, I found hatred. Hatred doesn't breed strong men; it breeds angry men.

Sure, an angry man may have the bigger will to fight but his most important fights are easily lost. A strong man may never falter. He may never fail. He fights and he wins because he is strong and more often than not, he is faced with an angry opponent. I am just an angry man. Sure, I am smarter and more talented than everyone I've fought up until now. Losing fights hasn't gotten me where I am today. However, as I said, the angry man easily loses his most important battles. Everything up until now has meant nothing in the grand scheme of it all. This fight right here is my most important battle and I find that I am pitted against a strong man. I find that I am not strong enough myself to pass him.

No, Naruto is not weak in any sense of the word, so I must not let him slip from my sights for even a moment. I must not let him get to me. I will fight through the pain. I will fight through the exhaustion. I will kill him because I must. It is the only way to do what needs to be done. He foolishly protects what has destroyed my brother's life. He is an obstacle, so he must die. Is that easy to say? Of course not but it must be said, nonetheless. Naruto must die. I regret that I must kill him but it has always been this way, hasn't it? It has always been certain that he would be my biggest obstacle and, perhaps, I would be his.

In a sudden movement, he flashes to the right and advances upon me. I can't remove my hand from my side, so I just move in tandem with him. I turn to keep us facing each other and hope that when he reaches me, I can dodge any fatal blows, although, I'm not sure Naruto has it in him to actually kill me. He comes closer and closer but he's not preparing for an attack and I wonder what the hell he's doing. How do I dodge an attack that's not being launched? I'll bet that a look of confusion flutters across my face, even if I don't want it to. Next thing I know, his hands are clamped around both of my wrists and I'm lying on the ground, him straddling me. I try not to let my face relay the excruciating pain that I feel but that's easy because he shows no sign of pain—although he's, certainly, feeling it too—and I'm eager to match his resolve.

"STOP!" he bellows and I flinch. Though, I don't mean to. The pain is forgotten and I just stare at him for a moment longer before he continues. "I don't want this," he says. His voice is much quieter but his eyes are lit up like a fire. I know he must be hurting and tired too but there is no sign of defeat in his eyes. He'll carry this fight out for the rest of his life if he has to and I can see that. I fear that he can see the defeat in my eyes, so I retort quickly. I am hoping more to get myself in check rather than him, though.

"You don't always get what you want," I say coolly. His eyes narrow and I use this as an opportunity to wriggle out of his clutches but to no avail. He reacts immediately and I'm pinned back down before my wrists even lift a centimeter off of the ground.

"No, Sasuke, I don't," he agrees coldly, staring fiercely into my eyes. "You've been gone for years, so I, clearly, do not always get what I want." I don't know what to say, so I just stare back at him with a blank face. I don't want him to see any of what's going on beneath. He continues on in my silence, "Why—"

"Don't you dare ask me why I left again!" I shout, interrupting him, as a flourish of spontaneous emotion washes through me. I am so goddamn sick of the question. "It's obvious, dobe!" I say angrily.

His eyes light up at the use of the term 'dobe' and I curse myself for saying it. Even if it's a mean word, it's oddly endearing for the two of us and I shouldn't have used it. It gives him hope. Frankly, it gives me hope too but I abandon it immediately. I don't need hope. I need luck to get me through this battle and on to Konoha to avenge Itachi. I need to be lucky enough to kill Naruto or, perhaps, lucky enough to get by without killing him.

"Obvious? What?" he asks. "You just had to go on some stupid search for revenge?" I know that the question is rhetorical because he already knows the answer but he pauses anyway and I just allow it to be met with my silence. "How did it feel when you got it?" he asks, far too calmly. I want to scream and shout at him. He doesn't understand. "I bet nothing like what you imagined, right? I bet it felt horrible and now you're just on another stupid quest for the same unsatisfying thing! When will it end, Sasuke? When?"

"When I've died and gone to hell," I say loudly. I'm not even thinking anymore. I'm just speaking.

"No!" he shouts. "No! I won't let you!"

I sneer. As if he has the power to decide that! He reads my sneer perfectly. "Stop fighting it, Naruto. We were always meant to be enemies," I begin saying.

"No," he interjects.

I keep talking as if he's said nothing. "We were always meant to fight in the end."

"No," he repeats.

I continue. "We're rivals, just as we were always fated to be."

"No!" he shouts.

I ignore him. "So get off of me and fight me like a man!"

"No!" he screams and starts to cry. I don't even want to admit it to myself but it pains me to see him do that. Typical Naruto, getting too involved in things that he shouldn't.

I should be cold and numb but I'm not. I can't be, not to him. I see those tears and it rips me up inside. I want him to stop crying. I don't want to but I have to kill him. If he hadn't gotten in my way, then I wouldn't have to but he did. He got in my way and now I have to suffer the pain of killing my best friend, the only person I've ever loved. I guess I loved Itachi, too, after he told me everything but not as surely as I love Naruto. As much as we butted heads, I love him. He was my best friend. He still is. He's here, putting his life on the line just to save me but, as much as I want to go with him, I have to fight for Itachi.

"We don't have to do exactly what they expect of us, do we?" he asks.

"I'm only doing what I expect of myself," I say. I'm not even sure if I believe it. I'm not sure of anything anymore. If he released me, would I honestly kill him or would I turn and run like a coward from this clearing? I'm surprised when he does release my wrists. He moves off of me and sits on his knees, staring down at the ground. I have a moment of hesitation. Fighting or fleeing, I do need my weapon still, so I stand up and retrieve my katana. I, then, throw all of his kunai to his side. I question my actions for a moment. What will I do? "Fight," I demand.

"No," he whispers so quietly that I almost don't hear. My head is starting to spin, if I don't get this over with, I'll pass out. I've decided to fight, so I'm going to fight goddamnit and he's going to fight back.

"Fight," I command him louder. He shakes his head.

"No," he repeats. I don't have time to argue but I can't kill him unarmed.

"I'll kill you, regardless," I threaten and I feel like I mean it. I have to avenge Itachi.

"Then, kill me," he says quietly. "I'd rather be dead than keep living this life. It's meaningless, Sasuke. It's empty." I'm silently shocked and I just watch him, an ache growing ever larger in my chest. Now, I'm not so sure that I meant it. I want him to live. I want him to grow old and be happy but if he insists on trying to stop me, I can do nothing but kill him, right? If I must kill him, I'd rather he not fill me with these childish emotions that I had thought I left far behind me. I'd rather he stop confusing me. He continues on, though. "You, you're always running, chasing after death. Me, I'm always following, chasing after you. You fight because you think it's your duty—"

"It is," I snap but he continues, unperturbed.

"I chase because I think it's my duty—" he goes on.

"It's not," I interject half-heartedly, feeling stupid affection for this boy who feels so obligated to me but I don't think he hears the weakness in my voice because he just keeps talking.

"But what are our duties, Sasuke?" he asks, still looking down at the ground. "What have they ever been? Were they once to laugh and play as children? That's something neither of us did much of, not as lonely as we were. Were they once to learn and train as ninja? That's something we both did well, I think. Were they, then, to protect those that we love? I think that has always been our duty, Sasuke, just to protect those that we love."

"That's what I'm doing, Naruto," I say flatly. Although, I can't help but think that it's a lie. I'm not protecting Naruto, am I? I can't voice that opinion, though. Hell, I can't even think it. I shouldn't be thinking it.

"No," he says, finally looking up at me. "No, you are not. Can you protect a clan that's dead? No, you cannot. You were a child. It was never your responsibility to protect them and, certainly, never to darken your hands with blood for them. Can you protect a brother that's passed? No, you cannot. You were meant to find peace in his words, Sasuke, not bloody your hands further. None of that was ever your duty but you pursued it, nonetheless."

"And I was never your duty," I retort. Again, my words are weak and free of conviction but I don't think he notices this time either.

"But you were," he argues. "You were my responsibility since the day that we met and I was yours. I like to think that I still am."

"FIGHT ME!" I scream. I'm seeing where this is going and I want it to end before it begins. I'm exhausted emotionally and physically. I don't want to hear anymore. I'm too confused and I said it before, I am weak. I don't want him to go too far and defeat me with his words. I am already at war with my emotions, emotions that I thought I had lost long ago. I cannot fight this verbal battle, too.

He continues on, regardless. "I held a duty to protect you, Sasuke, because I love you. You loved me, too. You still do," he says.

"FIGHT ME!" I scream again. Though, it's feeble. I've lost my ability to stand and buckle down to my knees. My head is spinning into unconsciousness. I can feel it. My body is betraying me.

He still continues to speak. "You cannot escape that, Sasuke. You will always have a duty to me, if to no one else, then always to me. We were never enemies. We were always a pair. Now, if you want to kill me for some fruitless path to misery, then, by all means, kill me but I will not fight you. Up until now, I have been fighting to save you. I can fight no more. I have lost my strength. If you are a decent man, you'll save me the pain and just strike me down. Can you do that?"

He asks me the golden question. Can I do that? Can I kill him? Excuse of not killing an unarmed man aside, can I ever truly kill Naruto? I don't know. I think that the answer is no but it has to be yes. I have to kill him to get by him and if I don't get by him, I'll never be able to right the wrongs done to Itachi. I may love Naruto but what kind of man would I be if I didn't love my brother more? How can I pass up the opportunity to avenge my brother simply because it's hard to kill someone along the way?

I want to scream, to shout, and to argue but it's difficult. I've always known that this was a fruitless path, I think. What has revenge ever gotten me? I knew it would bring me nothing but I followed that path anyway because I was angry and once I had left Konoha, I had no choice. I had set a standard that I had to adhere to just by leaving the village. I was alone. No one could save me. I lost myself the day that I left and I have never been able to meander back. I realize now that all of this time, Naruto has been trying to guide me but I have been blinded by anger, claiming he couldn't understand me but he did. He always understood and he followed close behind me, trying to protect me, despite how wicked I have been. I'm feeling lost, defeated, and afraid, so I feign anger. It's the best thing that I know how to do.

"Fuck you!" I shout but it sounds meek and noncommittal.

He smirks but there's no true mirth in it. "I thought so," he says quietly. I can feel the relief radiating off of him, knowing that I can't kill him. I wonder if he feels the misery leaking off of me. I wonder if he understands the aching war going on in my chest. "You don't have to come back with me," he says quietly. I can't tell if I'm shocked, relieved, or disappointed. "We can go somewhere else," he explains. He crawls over to me quickly and takes my katana from my hand, throwing it away. The look in his eyes is heart wrenching. It's hopeful and they're sparkling but it's exactly how I feel too. "We can go anywhere but back to our lives. We can be new people. We can be happy, together."

I feel myself start to fall sideways and he catches me. I'm losing consciousness fast now. It feels nice to feel his touch and I imagine us living together in the wilderness somewhere. He'll try to catch fish with his hands and he'll be really bad at it but, at least, he'll cause the fish to jump so I can get them with chidori. He'll insist on making it into ramen, too. He'll try every other fishing trip to make it but he'll suck at making ramen and he'll let me cook, in the end. He'll snore really loud and kick me off of the bed most nights but I won't mind because it's funny. He'll always wake up late but I won't mind that, either, cause I like the way his hair tussles when he rolls out of bed. I might let that slip once and he'll never comb his hair purposely just to make me happy. We'd be happy, wouldn't we?

Every day I would feel this touch. Every day I would feel loved. I try to nod in agreement. I want to go, Naruto. Take me. I feel his arms tighten around me and I'm sure he can hear me, even though I'm sure I'm not speaking. Of course he can hear me. It's Naruto. Even after so many years of running away from him, from Konoha, he still reads me like a book. I'm just able to let one last thought slip out.

"You're not weak," I say. "You're strong." I think he smiles but everything is too blurred to really tell.

His warmth is closing in on me and I'm lulled off into a deep sleep. I only hope that I wake up in a deserted cabin somewhere and not in the heart of Konoha. I only hope that he takes me far away from our lives and I can wake to nothing but his big, stupid smile.