DREAMS
405 words
Disclaimer: Seriously. It's fanfiction, right? I'm sure you can all do the entymology yourselves...
Warning: Shounen-ai hints, angst, character death.
Rated T for death themes and basically just in case.
"I've already fulfilled my dream. Now… I want you to fulfill yours."
The words barely registered in Sasuke's mind. All he could see was the dagger pierced through Naruto's chest. All he could hear was his own breath, ragged; and his own heart, pounding.
It wasn't supposed to be this way. Naruto was supposed to have dodged… not stand there smiling while Sasuke openly attacked.
Sasuke withdrew the sharp blade, hands trembling. Naruto fell forward, and the youngest Uchiha caught him, drawing arms tightly around the limp body.
Naruto wasn't supposed to lose.
"Why…"
Naruto… wasn't supposed to die.
"I want you to fulfill your ambition, asshole." Naruto smiled.
Naruto wasn't supposed to sound this soft, this weak… He wasn't supposed to be tranquilly accepting death.
"So that… you can finally go home."
Sasuke hasn't cried in over a decade… hadn't even come remotely close to it… but now…
"Sasuke-yarou…"
The furious torrent was unstoppable.
"Hurry up and go home already."
And this time, there was no rain to mask the tears.
"Usuratonkachi!"
It was hard, Sasuke realized, choking the words beyond the tears.
"You… Why? I…"
I condemned myself. I don't deserve your sacrifice.
"You should have… fought me completely…"
I should be the one dying.
"Baka Naruto…"
His voice sounded pitifully weak even in his own ears.
"…Ne, Sasuke? I … want to tell you something."
Sasuke couldn't help but tighten his hold. Saying such a thing… held such a finality to it.
"Hai?"
Naruto shifted his head so his cheek leaned on the other's, and snuggled warmly into the desperate embrace.
"For me, Sasuke is… most important."
Sasuke preferred death over this gnawing feeling.
"Naruto…"
Sasuke lifted one hand to stroke the blond hair carefully.
"You are also most important to me."
Naruto turned his head toward Sasuke, leaving a brief brush of lips on bitter-stained cheeks.
"Sasuke… conquer your goal and then… go home. I'll wait for you."
Sasuke felt something cold yet warm and definitely wet being pushed into his hand.
"This is yours. Remember, Sasuke. Go home. I will be waiting for you."
Naruto's heavy lidded eyes fluttered shut.
"Always."
Always.
Sasuke no longer bothered to cease, or hide his tears.
The Mangekyou Sharingan can only be acquired by killing not only one's "closest friend", but one's "most important person". For those who have sought and acquired this rare ability, they would always find that it wasn't worth it.
"Most important person" -- This is a sort of strange word play/tweak. I haven't read the original Japanese, but the English translations all say that acquiring the mangekyou requires killing one's closest friend. I'm guessing that, in Japanese, it's be "Taisetsu na tomodachi" Which roughly (aka veeeery literally) translates to most important friend. So here, instead of "Taisetsu na tomodachi", I believe that it requires killing one's "Taisetsu na hito." (hito-person) After all, why stop a friend when someone's more important? It wouldn't really be an ultimate sacrifice then…
"Something cold yet warm and definitely wet" -- This refers to Sasuke's leaf head protector. Naruto kept it, right? Well, he brings it around everywhere. The metal's cold, and the cloth is wet and warm because of the blood. Why isn't the metal warm? I dunno. It sounded better put that way. Let's just say that it wasn't exactly kept anywhere particularly warm.
I hope you enjoyed it... please review!
Dreams reposted because it was accidentally deleted (I deleted the wrong story. Mixed up the titles.)... sorry... (sob)
