"Sasuke..." The black-haired shinobi's name fell from the lips of his blond-haired rival. Hands hanging limply at sides clenched once more into fists and attacked again. Another fist, this one pale and unhesitant, slammed into the jinchuuriki's gut. A poorly stifled 'oof' escaped in the impact, and the last Uzumaki went flying. He landed hard, and lay unmoving for awhile, expecting the other boy, one he still considered a friend, to immediately go running off again. When he heard no sign of fleeing, he struggled to sit back up, and saw why the other had not yet left. The Uchiha clan's survivor was gathering his chakra. With trepidation, Naruto recognized the signature 'whistling' streaks of electricity.
"Chidori."
Naruto had no time to block, only had a small chance of survival through redirecting his teammate's attack at the last second from his heart to his stomach. He grimaced at the pain and the smell of burning flesh, his own burning flesh, but struggled to keep his mind as clear as possible, knowing he had unfinished business. Tightly gripping the bony wrist that disguised its own strength, he kept the escapee from immediately running off. With a pang he realized that Sasuke was not even looking at him.
"Sasuke," he croaked again, stopping for a second to turn his head to the side in order to not spray the Uchiha with the blood he coughed up. "Sasuke, what's so important to you that you would leave us? Don't you realize that by dwelling on the past, you're just tearing up your own future? Itachi ruined your life then, that's true, but now, you are the one ruining your own life. Are you so blinded by your hatred that you can't see that? Not even with your almighty Sharingan?"
In normal circumstances, Naruto wouldn't dream of bringing up the bloodline limit of his rival's fallen clan. But this was not a normal situation. And he would go to any extreme to keep his friend within the village.
Even if it meant driving the Uchiha to insanity.
Even if it meant sacrificing all of his chances to be the Hokage, or even a simple genin.
Even if it meant giving his own life.
He hoped it wouldn't come to that.
"Sasuke, come back to the village. We need you there." He paused to cough up another mouthful of the bitter, metallic red liquid.
"They only want me for my Sharingan. They are all holding me back."
"From what, Sasuke?" Naruto spat out. "Are they holding you back from accomplishing the goal your hated brother set for you? From throwing away the life you've barely even started? Or from becoming a traitor, just like Itachi did all those years ago? What are they holding you back from? And if you go, you're holding the rest of us back!"
"Why would I care? I'll be long gone by then." Sasuke seemed to realize that Naruto was holding him in place and immediately started struggling, trying to wrench his wrist free of Naruto's grip.
"Yeah, long gone in your thirst for revenge, so long gone that you won't even realize when Itachi's dead and you're about to launch yourself off a cliff for living when you shouldn't have." Naruto's serious expression flickered for a second, whether in pain or in the memory of a funny event was unclear. "If you leave, you'll never be able to see what's under Kakashi-sensei's mask," he wheedled.
"Idiot. You're still so immature."
"And you're any better? Chasing empty dreams and wisps of fog. Just let it go, Sasuke, let it go. Please. For me."
"Let me go," Sasuke demanded, ignoring Naruto's request.
"I would since you're so damn determined. But if I let you go, I'll bleed out before I get a chance to kick your ass later on and bring you back when you've had a chance to think things through."
"Let go."
"You really want to let the Nine-Tails go? If I die, he'll be released and you'll be here for it to crush."
"Idiot. Like I'll really believe that."
"So I'm the idiot? What do you call all of those times I've used power that I shouldn't have had, all those times you've seen that seal on my stomach? How do you explain - " he coughed another glob of red and clear, spitting it into the water next to them, " - why all those villagers hate me and love you, if we're both orphans? Why?"
"Let. Go." Sasuke forcefully yanked his hand away, forcing himself to avoid those blue eyes that widened with shock and hurt.
" Fuck, Sasuke, thought you were better than that. I guess I thought wrong," Naruto remarked, still without any hatred despite the fact that his life was pouring out into the dirt.
"You'll heal soon enough."
"Idiot. You just damaged the seal. I'm not getting any chakra from him. Anyway, shouldn't you be gone by now? Or do you think you'll enjoy watching me in my death throes?"
Sasuke seemed to find the question unworthy of an answer.
" Bastard . So this is the end then?"
Sasuke still did not reply.
"Funny. I imagined dying, if at all, fighting a massive horde of enemy ninja, taking down a whole ton of them with you fighting right alongside until the end. Never thought it'd be - " he hacked, " - ending from you, my own teammate and best friend, driving your signature move through my stomach."
Sasuke was still focused on something else.
"Look at me, dammit, I'm dying here and if you're just staying for this, shouldn't you be reveling more in me bleeding? Mocking me since I'm trying to convince you to go back even though I know it's futile? Damn it, Sasuke! Answer me!"
In response, Sasuke merely began walking away across the disturbingly glassy surface of the lake.
"So this is it. Well, glad you deemed me a worthy enough cause to stick around for a little longer. Only wished you cared enough to say goodbye at least."
Still there was no other response from the Uchiha.
Unable to help himself, Naruto burst into hysterical laughter. That garnered a reaction from the Sharingan-wielding ninja. Naruto continued to laugh, even as more blood soaked into his already blood-soaked clothing.
"You don't need to say anything, not that you have anyway. I can tell it all from your eyes. No, I'm not insane. I just wondered if I did this to you, how would feel about me turning around and walking away like you are after you did that to me. I think you would probably be royally pissed, with all your 'avenger' stuff and crap. Do you remember that one time you told me I couldn't die because I had to live, to fulfill my dreams? Funny thing that my dream happened like this. My dream never really was to be Hokage. I just wanted people to recognize me as a person, and becoming Hokage seemed like the easiest route."
With cold indifference and a touch of horror, Sasuke noted that Naruto was no longer coughing because the blood from the wound was instead flowing into the ground, rather than up his esophagus.
"But when you finally acknowledged me as worthy enough to be your rival and teammate, I realized I couldn't get much better than having the last Uchiha as a friend. So I guess my dream changed to protecting those around me. As far as I'm concerned, I've protected someone else from being killed by you by giving myself up instead. I'm sure I can find a way to keep the demon fox from escaping. And since I'm dying with my most precious person close to me, I guess that my dream has been accomplished. Even if it happened like this."
Naruto was rambling, trying to distract himself from the fact that he was scared shitless at the prospect of leaving behind his loved ones.
Remembering his purpose, Sasuke turned back around, and prepared to take off.
"WAIT!" Sasuke risked one more look back at his friend, who was trying to get up in his hysterics.
"What?" Sasuke snapped.
"So it speaks again? Anyway, promise me that if any of the others come after you, you won't engage them in combat. Promise you'll give them one of these instead!" Naruto held out a slightly blood-stained envelope.
"Came prepared I see?"
"Promise bastard, or I'll grab onto your neck and I'll die like that, dragging you down into the water. SWEAR IT!" Naruto's sight was going fuzzy around the edges, but he had to make Sasuke promise to do this one last task before he could move on.
"I swear it," Sasuke conceded, snatching the envelope out of the outstretched hand, Naruto's other tan hand other held to the gaping wound in his stomach.
"Good." Naruto shivered, suddenly extremely fatigued.
"Hn." Sasuke took off, for real this time.
He sped across the glassy surface of the water, paying no heed to the fact that no wavelets came up despite the waterfall feeding into the lake.
"...Bye, Sasuke."
Naruto finally began to give in to the darkness pressing in around him. He let his body fall back limply, head hitting the rocky soil. His eyes fluttered closed while he hummed broken strings of lullabies to himself. Straining with the effort, he opened his eyes again to stare up at an opening in the stormy gray clouds. His eyes became glassy, reflecting the bright pinpoints that were stars in the dark blanket of the sky. Closing his eyes once more, he drew one last shuddering breath, then moved no more.
If one looked closely, they could see the mysterious thing rising out of his chest, like a tendril of fog, colored with orange and blue light, flashes of memories of smiles and laughter, pain and tears shining out from within it.
And if one were to know him as well as the pale, dark-haired boy standing on one of the cliffs, looking into a puddle and realizing the red and black pattern in his eyes had changed, they would notice that the former jinchuuriki's features were smoothed out, relaxed.
And unlike the warrior now filled with misgivings as he got back onto the move, reading through every note, each obviously taking much time, effort, thought, and care,
unlike the shinobi who was second guessing himself just as the other had predicted,
unlike the rival who had just realized it was too late, there was no going back, the checkpoint had been passed right over,
unlike the mere boy filled with dread at the realization that his worst fear had come to life at his own doing,
Uzumaki Naruto was now truly at peace.
A/N: So, you think I should continue it? Or should I just keep it as a one-shot?
Review with your answer, please!