The Orphaned Son
Summary: I kiss his lips, but I know he's to weak to kiss back. I pull away, feeling his last heartbeats fade away slowly, every second that went by pulled along a little piece of Sasuke with it, and then it stops. Why did it have to end here? NARUSASU ONESHOT
Warnings: Yaoi, character death, language, sexual hints.
I hold Sasuke in my arms, sobbing all I am worth out of my eyes. "It's going to be okay, Sasuke. Oh, god, let it be okay…" I sob out, rubbing my face into those raven locks I had learned to love so much. He's holding his hand on his wound, my hand on top of his.
"I've avoided so much, Naruto… I avoided my time. Thanks," Sasuke coughs, "to you. Thank you for a wonderful life, Naruto."
"Sasuke, you're life isn't over! It's going to be okay!" I choke out to him, though I'm lying to myself. I know he's going to die, but… why? Why now?
~Long ass flashback (It's practically the whole story XP (He's five at this point))~
I held her hand, her guiding me back to the village of our poor clan. I stopped in my tracks, looking off into the shadows of a tree. Standing there, he was there. He was standing in the shadow of the tree, the slight breeze blowing his black cloak ever so slightly. Why didn't anybody else see the young boy?
I mostly saw his eyes, his entire face cloaked in the shadows of his cloak hood, his body also in the cloak. He just stood there, observing me. What was he thinking? Did he think I looked as weird and out-of-place as I thought he was? Or… did he wish he fit in as much as me?
Only I had a good guess at it.
Kiba's mother tugged on my arm, trying to get me out of my spot. "Naruto, what in the world has gotten into you? It'll be dark soon and if we're not by the fire we'll surely freeze! You know we can't make clothes for the cold!" She scolded me, tugging me out of my place, out of my fascination. I was the only one who could understand what it was like for him. Or, guess at it…
After all, we both lost our families, right?
~Age back~
I screamed… it was all I could do. I heard the hurried footsteps; I could even tell where they were in the village. The fireplace, the playing grounds, the tent circle… my mother hushed me. "Naruto, you're a big boy now. You're already three! I can't believe how big you are! Now, mommy and daddy love you very much. I need you to hide, though. You can't say anything; you can't even make a peep. Remember, it's all a game. Don't come out until the cloaked people are gone and someone comes to look around. Okay, hunny?" Mommy asked me. I nodded, hiding in the best hiding place in the whole tent. The tent was fairly big; we were the only ones in the clan, so we didn't need multiple tents. I hid in a hole at the very back, there was a bed covering it, so it was a pretty good hiding place. I crouched down, listening so hard that my ears began to ring.
"I love you." I heard daddy say.
"I love you too." Mommy replied. The next sounds I heard were unimaginable; I wouldn't ever be able to describe it. I didn't scream, though; I just stayed quiet, to make mommy proud.
The sounds stopped, and then the voices began.
"I thought they had a kid?" I heard a girl say.
"They must've sent it off. Check around the tent just to make sure." A man's voice said. I heard footsteps come closer, drawing nearer and nearer, until I knew they were almost right on top of me. Whoever it was, they turned around and walked off.
"No one here." The girl said.
"Then, disperse." The man said, and a number of sets of footsteps left the village.
It was days later when someone came looking for me, days later when I found out my parents' fate. I had heard of the Uchihas, but…
…why were they so mean?
~Age skip~
Everyone cheered, everyone in the center of the village, all bundled up near the camp fire. News of the Uchiha family's death was heart warming to everyone. No one had to worry about the feared sorcerers' magical powers anymore. The clan's head master, 'father', as I called him, shushed the crowd.
"They still have a son somewhere. We don't know how young, but he's still a threat." The crowd boo-ed. "So, we will make sure that the whole entire clan knows how to rid of the Uchiha when an encounter occurs." Father went on and on. I was only five at the time, so I didn't really listen easily, I had the attention span of a squirrel.
"I hope I get to kill him. I'll march back to the village, that Uchiha draped over my shoulder, and I'd be a hero just like that." Kiba snapped for emphasis.
"Not if I get to him first." I challenged my best friend, who was eight at the time.
"You're on." And the race had begun.
~Age skip~
"Naruto! I found this sweet log! Come look!" Kiba exclaimed, guiding me along to the lake in the forest.
"Where?" I asked, looking around until my eyes fell onto the log. My eyes grew wide at the log. It had fallen so that it was over the river, like the things called bridges more privileged clans could make. I stared at it in awe; it wasn't too wide, though it wasn't too narrow, either.
It was just right.
Kiba looked at me, and I looked at him. "Race ya to the other side." Kiba said, racing for the start of the log.
"Cheater!" I yelled back at him, running up behind him, balancing precariously on the log.
"Don't fall, mother would be mad." Kiba reminded me.
"And I would be pissed at you. None of us should fall, whether mother gets mad or not. Our clothes can't handle the cold." I reminded Kiba.
Our clothes were poorly sewn clothes, being brown with patches on some of the holes. Our collars, the ends of our pant legs, and the ends of our sleeves were all torn and worn out from the years of use. I was well grown out of my clothes, I had gotten them two years ago, but, nevertheless, I had to wait another year to get more clothes.
"Yeah, but mother is PMSing." Kiba told me over his shoulder.
"She's what?" I asked. I was only 9 at the time, Kiba being 12, so I had no hope to even guess at what he was talking about.
"Oh, never mind. Just make sure you don't piss her off." Kiba warned me.
"I'll keep that in mind." I said, stepping on the ground of the bank of the river. "I'm glad we didn't fall in it."
"Yeah, I just realized that this is our drinking water." Kiba confessed to me.
"Great. How are we supposed to get back?" I said, turning to him. I was angry with him now.
"Do you know where we are?" Kiba asked me, whispering.
"You death scene?" I asked. I was going to so kill him!
"Uchiha territory." Those two words, two simple words scared me out of my skin.
"U-Uchiha territory?" I asked shakily. I went over and smacked him over the head. "Look what you got us into!" I yelled at him.
"Aw, come on, it's just a scary story the elders tell us to keep us in the village." Kiba said, rolling his eyes.
"You think they could really come up with that?" I asked him, he may have seemed stupid before, but he was drop dead retarded if he even dared to question the existence of the Uchihas.
"Did you know that one time another clan came over here… you know the Yamanaka clan, don't you?" Kiba asked me.
"Well, yeah. Ino and them." I replied.
"Well, they caught the biggest fish on this earth. It was… a rainbow fish. It was as big as all of the tents in our village combined!" Kiba stretched his arms out to show how big the fish was, "They were all flabbergasted."
"What does flabbergasted mean?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.
"Never mind. They were amazed with the size of the fish. They asked the fish, 'Are you really a fish? Fish can't be this big.' And the fish replied, 'No. I am in fact a god. I will grant you three wishes.'" Kiba said, "And so they wished three wishes and were happy." Kiba concluded.
"Um… what were the three wishes?" I asked my best friend excitedly.
"Do you believe the story?" Kiba asked me. "Because the clouds in the sky wrote the word 'gullible.'" I looked up at the clouds. "Remember, gullible is spelled with one l." Kiba reminded me.
"So it's g-u-l-i-b-l-e?" I asked my friend.
"Oh my god, our whole clan is gullible! First, gullible has two l's, second, the clouds didn't write gullible, and the fish story was fake." Kiba spit out on me.
"Oh… so, why did you say all that?" I asked Kiba.
"…never mind, Naruto, never mind." He said, patting my back. What was up with him?
"Naruto! Kiba!" I heard mother calling us back.
"Coming, mom!" Kiba replied. I didn't call her mom or mommy like I had my birth mother; I knew they weren't my parents, so I refused to call them by the same titles.
"Where were you?" Mother asked us, placing her hands on her hips.
"No where." Kiba was quick to reply. Mother pursed her lips, looking at Kiba.
Uh-oh.
She was giving the older boy the, 'I-know-you're-lying-so-stop-it-now' look!
"We have a new hiding place, as if we're going to tell you where it is. That takes out the fun of it!" Kiba said to mother, covering his slip up.
"Right." Mother replied, rolling her eyes at us, "get back to the village. It's nearly lunch time, you could've starved!" Mother looked around the area we were standing in. "And you shouldn't stray over here, the Uchiha's territory is just on the other side of the river." She warned us, looking around the forest we were in once again, grabbing our wrists and leading us away.
She kept looking over her shoulder all the way to the village.
~Age skip~
I walked over to the river to get a drink of water. Well, walked isn't the right word… it was more of a struggle to not fall down and lose consciousness right then and there.
I was 15 now, so I had to hunt with some of the elders. Kiba, being 18, had been hunting 3 years longer than me, and had bonded by this time.
You can probably guess the meaning of 'bonded'.
The hunt had been a tough one, almost everything had gotten away, save two rabbits that I had caught and a deer that Kiba wrestled in a death match. 'See my kill? It's bigger!' Kiba had boasted to me earlier. At least I didn't have to wrestle to get mine, though.
But, I did have to catch the rabbits.
I settled onto my knees, leaning down to bring my cupped hands into the running water of the river. I brought my hands to my face quickly, to make sure the water didn't flow through my fingers freely. I drank the water almost greedily, guzzling down water until I had had my fill of water. I stood up and turned around to go back…
…both of us were startled when I turned around.
He stared at me, wide-eyed, like the deer probably looked at Kiba as he began to run towards it. I could barely see his eyes, and anybody that wasn't in Konoha (The region my clan was settled in) wouldn't have been able to identify the person from the covered face, hair, and body.
It was covered by a cloak.
Had I really caught the last Uchiha?
I grabbed my hunting knife out of its sheath, handling it in my hand. I remember what Father had told us about killing the final Uchiha son. He had instructed us to un-hood (I couldn't remember exactly what he had said) him, for un-hooding an Uchiha took their pride away. Kill him quickly, even if you want him to suffer through the worst pain, remember, he is still a sorcerer.
I pulled the hood off of his head, awaiting for my eyes to set on the ugly face of the Uchiha. But they never did meet the eyes of an ugly Uchiha.
They met the eyes of a fairly beautiful Uchiha.
His hair, silk raven locks, contrasted with his pale skin. His eyes, big obsidian orbs, looking into my own blue ones with fear.
He was scared of me. Why? Couldn't he use magic on me or something? And why was he in our territory? Why was he prettier than everyone thought him out to be?
I raised my knife over my head, intending to pierce it through his heart, but, instead, it hit the tree behind him with a 'ka-thunk'. His eyes were clamped closed, probably waiting his final breaths, but his eyes fluttered open when he probably realized that I had missed him. He looked from the knife in the tree that I still had an iron grip on to my eyes.
Why did I miss? I knew the answer, I just wasn't that cold hearted. Why kill another human being?
Besides, he was kind of like me. My parents were killed by his clan when I was only 3, and then my clan came and killed his clan, and I couldn't even guess at how young he was, but he did look to be 13 at that moment in time.
What was I doing, considering all of this? What was he doing, shuddering and doing his best to hide away from me? He was cringing in fear, from me! It should've been the opposite! He was like a rabbit in a trap, him being the rabbit and my arms being the trap. He just stared at me, paralyzed with fear.
"D-don't kill me, please." I just had to fall for the boy's voice. It was a gentle one, and it was much smoother than I had imagined. Was this really the Uchiha?
"State your name." I was surprised at how superior I sounded.
"W-what-"
"State you name and your business here!" I yelled at him. He didn't use any magic at all, with how Father had described an encounter; no, this boy only started to cry. Not sobbing, really, but the tears surely made their way down his gorgeous face and dripped off of his chin.
"I-I'm Sasuke… U-" He sniffled, "Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke stopped talking.
"Well? Didn't I ask you to state your business?" I yelled at him. He just burst out into tears; it made me question the last Uchiha's powers. Was he really all that he was said to be?
"I-I was j-just hun-hungry, that-that's all!" Sasuke sobbed out.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, don't cry." I consoled him. Why was I consoling him? Shouldn't I have killed him, or the other way around? Why did I feel sorry for the kid? His clan did kill my parents.
Because it wasn't him directly. That was why.
His clan might have killed mommy and dad, but still, it wasn't this poor boy that was over-whelmed with fear. All the kid wanted was a bite to eat, for goodness sakes! I did feel sorry for him.
"Why didn't you hunt in your territory?" I asked him. The Uchiha territory was pretty big for just one person, there ought to be plenty of game there for him.
"I hurt m-my leg… I coul-couldn't move well… I saw a r-rabbit…" Sasuke said, looking behind him. "B-but it got away…" I looked at the kid, trying to take him seriously, but, for some odd reason it was hard for me.
This was really the last Uchiha?
"Let me see your leg." I instructed Sasuke. He nodded subtly, lifting his pant leg off of his leg, but he stopped in the process. "What?" I asked him, stopping my process of admiring how high quality his pants and cloak were.
"I-it hurts…" Sasuke said to the ground. I lifted up his pant leg, ignoring his protests. He soon quieted down and backed down to biting his lip and inhaling sharply. I gaped at his leg.
"How the hell did you do that?"I asked him. I was, well, I was flabbergasted. He had a big gash stretching from his knee to his ankle; it was both deep and large in size. Now I could see why he was both hungry and not able to catch game. But… did an injured leg prevent magic?
"Aren't you supposed to use magic on me?" I asked him. All I got in reply was an innocent look from Sasuke.
"I don't know if I should tell you…" Sasuke trailed off.
"I won't hurt you." I promised, "Promise." And broken promises were punished by death in my clan. Sasuke looked from my face to his hands, to his injured leg, to my clothes and back to my face.
"I was too young when they died. I was too young to learn any magic at all." Sasuke confessed. I gawked. So he couldn't use magic? Then how was he a threat? Why would I kill him? I couldn't just kill him, that would be just plain wrong! He was just a defenseless boy who never got any sympathy, whose parents were killed at the time when he probably could remember, and no one was there to take him in.
Sure, my parents died to, but my clan took me in. I was actually taken care of as a young boy. But Sasuke? Sadly, it's a whole different story. His parents were killed and no one came to him. Everyone feared the Uchihas, so why wouldn't they fear Sasuke? They were fearing nothing all this time, just a beautiful boy who was probably lost mentally and scared.
"Let me help you with that." I mumbled, tearing the bottom of my let pant leg. Mother would be so mad; it would be another year before I got another outfit. I wrapped the cloth around his leg; I would rip more cloth off of my pant legs until his wound was covered in a make-shift bandage.
"W-why?" Sasuke didn't need to finish, I knew what he meant. Why help an Uchiha? That was punishable by exile, torture, death, being set on fire, or any other punishment they could care to think up of when they were bored.
"Because you're probably lost and scared and think I'm going to go bipolar or something and go hacking you into little tiny pieces." Sasuke did not look reassured. "I was joking; I'm not going to do that."
"I know you're not… going to do that, that is." Sasuke hesitated before adding the last part. I burst out laughing, Sasuke looking at me like I was some sort of maniac.
"Sorry, sorry," I said, getting the laughter out of me, "I don't know what came over me." I shook my head, still laughing at whatever I was laughing about. "I guess I can't really believe that you, you're the last Uchiha!" I exclaimed, laughing again.
"What do you mean by that?" Sasuke asked, a hurt look crossing over his face.
"I mean that everyone talked about you like you were some sort of ugly demon that danced with the devil! But you're not! You're just… pretty, and… not demonic, and… well, you don't even know magic. Why should I kill you?" I asked him.
"Because my time was up long ago." Sasuke told me.
"No it wasn't." I denied his reasoning, "How old are you, anyways? 16, 15…?"
"I'm 13." Sasuke said bluntly.
"Oh. Well, see, you're time isn't up! Damn, 13?" I asked him.
"Yes, I'm 13."
"I always thought you were some really old and ancient fart or something." I confessed my truly odd childhood thoughts.
"What?" Sasuke asked me.
"I just mean, that's how people made you sound!" I said, trying to make it not sound as harsh.
"…right…" Sasuke said, but he froze when a single voice ringed out in the forest.
"Naruto?" Mother called. Crap, that was way too long for me to be getting a drink of water. I settled on telling her I was trying to catch some game. She would ask me why I was so crazy, but she would take it. "Just… try not to be seen." I told Sasuke, "I'll try and make sure she doesn't find you." Sasuke nodded at me as I walked off. I smiled over my shoulder at him, turning forward before Mother caught me looking back, she would get suspicious.
And that was how I met the Uchiha.
"So, Naruto, where ya going?" Kiba asked me.
"No where. I mean somewhere. None of your business." I replied to Kiba. I didn't want any 'tag-alongs'.
"Aww, I've been you're best friend for how long?" The reply that Kiba earned was silence from me. "12 years, that's what I thought."
"I never said that you were always my best friend."
"But you never said I wasn't." Kiba had gotten me there, a solid point right down to the tip. I frowned.
"I have to do this alone."
"Why?" I cringed at the word.
"Maybe because we're growing apart." I had to come up with some excuse; I couldn't let him come with me.
"Are you- you know what, maybe you're right. Go on without me." Kiba replied to me. I didn't get the hint in his voice that he was lying. When had he gotten good at acting? I still ponder this today.
I silently thanked whatever god had heard my non-existent pray. I walked through the forest of twisting trees and winded paths that anyone could get lost in them if they didn't know them heart.
"Sasuke?" I asked to the forest. That was where I saw him, right? "Sasuke?" I ventured to ask again, walking into the tangle of brush that separated the place my fate changed the other month. I came up to Sasuke's sleeping form and a smile brushed my features, lighting up my face.
His eyes fluttered open, closing once again and groaning. "Hmm?" He asked.
"I brought some food with me." I said, handing him the basket in my hands.
"Really?" He said groggily, though I could hear the gratefulness in it. He sat up, taking in my form. He panicked a little before relaxing visibly.
"I brought you some deer and rabbit." I pursed my lips. "The rabbit was my catch, and the deer was-"
"-my catch." Kiba cut me off. I turned to look at him, and I'm still pretty sure that I wasn't the only one scared out of my skin. I heard Sasuke gasp, holding his breath.
"So, this is what you've been up to?" Kiba asked me directly. Did he not notice who it was? At that point he should've run back and told the whole village of Sasuke's existence, and I should've been executed on the spot.
"What?" I asked, though I knew it was hopeless as soon as he took in the cloak on Sasuke. Kiba's eyes grew wide; he looked at me with those wide eyes. Was that fear or surprise?
"Is that…" Kiba didn't finish the question, the rest unspoken, but we knew what he had asked. The question lingered in the air for a few minutes, the tension and fear in the air so thick that you could cut it with a spoon.
I felt Sasuke stand up, he grabbed me for support. He kind of hid behind me, thought I didn't blame him. After all, he wasn't the only one scared in this scene.
"It can't be…" Kiba breathed out.
"So, what if it is?" I asked him. Wrong thing to say, I knew it, but what was he thinking? Was he going to tell?
"He's prettier than I thought." Kiba concluded, relaxing. Sasuke and I hesitated in our places.
"Is that… it?" I asked, earning a nod from Kiba.
"So… this is him?" Kiba asked me, pointing at Sasuke.
"He can talk, you know." I reminded my best friend.
"Right… so, what's your name?" Kiba asked Sasuke. Sasuke remained silent, still hiding behind me.
"He's still a little shocked. Sasuke, he can be trusted." I whispered to Sasuke. Sasuke looked up at me with those big obsidian orbs that he just so claimed as his eyes, and then he nodded slightly. I smiled at him; he was still clutching fistfuls of my shirt in his hands which told me that he was still nervous.
"I…" Sasuke trailed off. Kiba gapped at him.
"Way more feminine then I thought!" Kiba exclaimed, surprised. I gave him a 'shut-up-or-you'll-have-an-uprooted-tree-shoved-up-your-ass-pretty-soon' look. He shut up.
"I'm Sasuke…" Sasuke said quietly.
"Sasuke?" Kiba asked. "So… Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke only nodded in reply. The ice began to grow more (A/N: If you've ever heard the saying 'break the ice', then you should get this. It's just one of my favorite sayings and I use it in all of my stories pretty much. It's just so fun!).
"This is Sasuke, yes." I said, breaking the ice that grew really thick.
"You're already on a first name basis? Cute." Kiba said, being as sarcastic and laid back as ever.
"You aren't going to tell the others… are you?" I asked.
"Well, if it gets out of hand, then sure, but it seems pretty stable at the moment." He commented, putting his hands on his hips. I gulped. Both he and I knew it.
He had the utmost control of this situation.
Oh, shit.
~Age skip (*Insert random singing here*)~
I went again to where Sasuke and I meet. Yes, his leg was better by that time, but he always met me. Every day. Almost everyone thought it was weird, I left about the same time everyday, being absent for longer periods of time every time I had left. How could I have helped myself?
I just knew everything was going to go downhill from where it was. People would get suspicious, and that's the last thing I needed at that moment. I had a scrambled up head, worried about any move that I made. They would find me out, I was sure of it. Part of the reason why that was the day before that day I had been gone especially long, which would rise up rumors from the villagers. I just hoped that Kiba didn't find out, I knew he would tell if he found out. After all, he did say if it 'got out of hand'.
Was bonding with Sasuke 'out of hand'?
I walked into our meeting place, a smile on my face and my spirits high. I loved seeing Sasuke, and I was sure that no one knew of us. Well, mostly of Sasuke, but… I had bonded with him. That's punishable by death and torture. How could I have helped myself? I was, now, a 16 year old boy with growing needs. Sasuke, at that time, was 14.
Maybe he was a little young when we bonded… he was 13 and all…
~Flashback! (Within a flashback, LOL.)~
"Naruto, you're never going to leave me, right?" Sasuke asked me as we lay on our backs, staring up at the stars. I had snuck out of the village that night; I was restless and couldn't get Sasuke off my mind. I looked at Sasuke as if he had grown a second head in a fraction of a second.
"Why would I leave you?" I asked Sasuke incredulously.
"Aren't I the enemy?" Sasuke asked me, silencing both parties.
"Sasuke, I love you. Don't you ever forget that." I said seriously. He looked at me, sadness in his eyes.
"We can't be together forever." Sasuke told me. I sat up on my elbow.
"Well, I know a way that we could be together…" I said slowly after much deep consideration. We both looked the other in the eyes. Sasuke had disbelief somewhere in those obsidian eyes. "…forever…"
"I don't think it's a good idea Naruto… I mean… isn't it punishable in your village?" Sasuke asked me with worried eyes.
"By torture or death." I completed. "It doesn't matter, Sasuke. It's my problem with the village, not yours." I smiled. "I don't care what happens, I love you. I always will, Sasuke. So… make me happy? Before the torture?" I asked, smiling and laughing. Sasuke didn't seem to take it lightly.
"Naruto, if we do this… and something happens to you… I'm going to kill myself."
"Why?"
"Because… I wouldn't be able to live without you…" Sasuke said, looking down at the grass covered ground of the clearing. I admired how the moonlight reflected off of his skin, making it glow.
"Sasuke… nothing will happen, I promise. Let's… I just… I think that we're ready."
"It's not a matter of being ready, I know that we are!" Sasuke said, looking me in the eye again. "But…"
"I know, it's the consequences." I finished for him. "Let's do it. Bonding is… I think that if I could bond with anyone in this world-"
"You can bond with anyone in this world." Sasuke pointed out.
"-I would bond with you." I said with a smile.
Was bonding with Sasuke a mistake?
~End flashback baby!~
I came to our meeting place, but Kiba had beet me. Why was he there? He didn't want anything to do with us, so why…
…why was Sasuke crying?
"What the HELL is going on?" I screamed at Kiba, who turned to look at me in response.
"I can't let this go on." Kiba said.
"What do you mean?" I asked my best friend, the only one who had my complete trust for most of my life.
"I-I didn't… h-he-he… I'm s-s-sorry!" Sasuke apologized, holding his face in his hands.
"What do you mean?" If I wasn't panicked before, I was now.
"Naruto, I know what's going on, I can't let you guys continue. I said if it got out of hand…" I tuned him out, my fear drowning everything around me out.
"Bonding…" I said under my breath as he said it out loud. Kiba looked at me.
"Yes, exactly. Why the hell would you BOND with HIM?" For one of the first times in my life, I couldn't tell Kiba.
"Oh g-god, p-please don't!" Sasuke yelled at Kiba's retreating figure. My eyes grew wide, I started to chase him, but he was faster than me, and by the rate we were running, we would be at the village in a few minutes. I leaped out at him, grabbing him by the arm and taking him to the ground with me.
"What the he-" I covered his mouth with my hand, muffling anything he said.
"Kibs, Kibs, calm down." I said, "Kiba, don't get the village. I… I don't want to betray anyone there. Especially you."
"Ooahreayeeheerayee." Kiba said into my hand. I lifted it off of his mouth, cringing at his next words.
"You already betrayed me." Kiba said as a shadow fell upon us. I looked up, meeting a look that said, 'what-are-you-two-boys-doing?' I smiled a foolish smile, the kind I smiled to get out of trouble when we were kids.
"Hey mother." I greeted mother, who had her hands on her hips, pursing her lips at the helpless situation.
"I'm not falling for that smile, not after all these years. What's up, you two? You aren't children anymore." Mother scolded us.
"Naruto bonded wi-" I covered his mouth again. I couldn't let them kill Sasuke, I just couldn't!
"You bonded? And you didn't get our permission?" Mother looked at me with wide eyes, pulling me off of Kiba by my shirt. "Hello, mister, you're going to be on cleaning duty for a wee-"
"That wasn't the catch." Kiba said to Mother, cutting her off.
"Excuse me, I was talking." Mother said, giving Kiba a stern look.
"He bonded with…" Kiba hesitated, looked at me, I was shaking my head, he sent me a glare, hate filled eyes turned towards my way. I continued to shake my head.
"Continue." Mother said, also glaring at me.
"He bonded wi-"
"IT WAS MY FAULT!" My eyes grew wide at the voice. No, no…
"Who was-"
"SASUKE GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HERE!" I yelled, tears coming to my eyes. If Mother saw Sasuke…
"Watch your mouth, and who's Sasu-" Mother's eyes turned towards Sasuke, who had his hood up, and her hand released me. "Sasuke…" She breathed out, eyes wide with fear.
And she ran for help.
I ran towards Sasuke, grabbing him into a hug. "My god, Sasuke, I don't want you to get hurt, I love you, why the hell did you do that, I fucking love you, god damn it, I love you so much…" I continued to whisper into his hair, nuzzling my face into those raven locks I had learned to love so very much, tears slipping from my eyes.
I couldn't lose my Sasuke.
"Today, we are gathered here to lift our spirits, to take away painful memories and heavy grudges, to take away pain, and to take away a life not needed. To take away a life that is necessary to take away. As you know, we have located and captured the last Uchiha, and today we will hang him." The crowd cheered, throwing their hands in the air, blocking my way. I pushed through the crowd further, getting closer and closer to the raised wooden ground Father was on.
"Bring the prisoner forward." A big buff man brought my precious Sasuke up next to Father. Father turned to look at Sasuke, examining his cloak and all, Sasuke's hood was still on. I froze, panic sinking into my stomach, tying it up in knots. Was I going to save him, or just witness his death, just seconds before I could reach him? "Sasuke…" I breathed out, starting my push to the front once more.
"What's wrong? What happened to your magic, you infamy, your… bravado?" Father asked him harshly, the crowd cheering once again, throwing insults up at the Uchiha on the stage, the only person who didn't deserve all this shit. Sasuke remained silent, the buff guy pushing him forward harshly. "Boss asked you a question."
"So, why aren't you using magic, to afraid?" The crowd laughed at Father's comment, while I climbed up onto the stage, various people trying to pull me down. I fought against them, standing up on the stage.
"Father." I said aloud, getting his attention.
"Naruto." Father replied, turning to me. "Get down and watch from the crowd, I know you're excited."
"How could you say that?" I asked, tears coming from my eyes.
"He killed your parents." Father reminded me of the lie everyone was lead to believe.
"No he didn't. He was only a baby at the time. It was his clan, not him." I tried to reason with father, but father would have none of it.
"Naruto, stop this nonsense. Get down into the crowd, that's an order." He pointed to the crowd, his glare set towards me. I could see the disappointment in his eyes. I ran up and grabbed Sasuke, pulling him away from the two. Father and the guy stood there, looking at me in disbelief.
"You can't kill him." I said, trying to sound strong, but despite my efforts my voice cracked and tears rolled down my eyes.
"Naruto, don't." Sasuke whispered in my ear, wrapping his arms around me.
"I can't lose you, not now, and not ever." I whispered back.
"And why can't I kill him? He can use magic, he can get away." Father scolded me.
"But he can't." The crowd gasped at my response. Father looked at me with stern eyes.
"You know very well of the Uchiha's powers."
"Yes, I knew of the Uchiha's powers. But Sasuke is different!" I pleaded. The odds of me winning this didn't look likely, but I wouldn't give Sasuke up without a fight.
"Bring him here." Father commanded.
"He doesn't know magic!" The crowd gasped again, but I just cried. I was desperate, I needed to save him.
"Why are you defying me, boy? I was so proud of you, you had turned out well." Father said, disappointment in his voice.
"I don't fucking care." I cried out. "What would you say if I tried to kill your bonded?" I asked.
"I would save her, kill you myself. You know how protective men are of their bonded. But that has nothing to do with this."
"Please sympathize with me, then." I pleaded, quieting the crowd completely, a shocked expression on Father's face.
Sasuke pulled off his hood, revealing his face. "He means it." Sasuke spoke, and the crowd, including dad and that guy, gasped.
"That can't be the last Uchiha." The guy said, gesturing towards Sasuke.
"What in the…" Father said, shocked still.
"I'm Sasuke… Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke said, squeezing my hand. I knew he was scared, but hey, the hero is only brave for five minutes longer, right? "And I… I don't know magic." The crowd gasped, and I made a weird face. Hadn't I said that before? "You see, when you all killed my family, I was much too little to learn magic, so I wasn't taught. I hunt and build and do everything you guys do." Sasuke explained, mostly to Father.
"But you're killers!" Someone from the crowd yelled at him, the crowd going into an uproar.
"That's what they told you?" Sasuke asked after the crowd settled down. Where was this going? "You see, we all lived in peace, once upon a time, mind you." Some people in the crowd chuckled, and I smiled. "We were all peacefully living together, in… in harmony, I guess. My clan, the Uchihas, we hunted with magic. We only used it on animals and to help us build and all, but another clan's chief was frightened, probably thinking that we would turn and use our magic on your people to get your land and resources.
But we weren't going to do that-" "But you did!" Someone shouted from the crowd.
"Not right away." Sasuke said, "But, you see, your people attacked us out of fear. It was an honest mistake, so we didn't defend ourselves well or fight back. No, we let it slide, until they attacked us again, with more force and newly invented weapons. Now that's when we used our magic against your people, that's when we started to kill, afraid for our own lives, just as you were of yours."
"You're lying." Father said to Sasuke.
"No, you're just afraid that after all these years, your people can't take the truth." Father was silenced. I was stunned. That's what had happened?
"The boy… speaks of the truth…" The village elder said, hobbling onto the stage with his walking stick.
"No he-"
"Yes he does." The village Elder said.
"Then why didn't you say anything earlier?" I said to the village elder.
"It takes much courage to speak the truth. Anyone who's been a child before should know that." Elder said, smiling. He patted Sasuke on the shoulder, telling him that he was courageous for speaking the truth.
"We're still hanging him, though." Father said. He was determined, like monster glue. Which we didn't have, mind you.
"No, we're not." I spoke in unison with the village elder.
And that's how I helped save Sasuke.
~Age skip~
"Did ya hear? The Yamanaka clan is coming!" Kiba exclaimed to me, and, of course, Sasuke. Sasuke stayed with our clan, living now with me, which I would never get over.
"Yamanaka clan?" The younger boy who was leaning on me asked, looking at me for an explanation.
"Ino and them."
"Oh." Sasuke said, sitting up. "Them."
"Oh, them? That's it?" Kiba asked Sasuke in disbelief.
"Well… what did you want me to say? 'Hooray, the Yamanakas are coming?' Sasuke asked Kiba.
"With a little more emotion." Kiba said, showing with his fingers exactly how much a little was.
"When?" I asked.
"They're actually here." Kiba said, opening up the tent flap.
"Really?" I asked, standing up with Sasuke's hand in mine.
"I'm releasing the hounds!" Kiba yelled to Mother, who only yelled back a simple rely of 'okay'.
Sasuke and I walked out, but Sasuke dragged his feet.
"What's wrong?" I asked Sasuke, whispering.
"They don't know about me yet, that's what's wrong." Sasuke whispered back, clutching my hand in his. I smiled.
"It's okay, Sasuke." I reassured him as we came up to the Yamanakas. Ino just stared at Sasuke.
"That… Oh god, that isn't who I think it is…" Ino said.
"Don't worry," I said, looking at Sasuke. I flipped his hood down and looked at him with pursed lips. I hated it when he wore it on his head. "It's only Sasuke."
"That's what I was afraid to hear."
"He's not going to bite." I said, smiling.
"I don't know magic." Sasuke mumbled. He knew that helped when people tried to get used to him.
"Oh… whew." Ino said, wiping pretend sweat off of her brow. "That's a relief."
"I know, right?" Kiba asked, wrapping his arm around Ino's shoulders.
"We just have to make sure no one hurts him. And no one will." I said, squeezing Sasuke's hand to show him that I was sure.
Had I really jinxed myself?
I held Sasuke in my arms, sobbing all I was worth out of my eyes. "It's going to be okay, Sasuke. Oh, god, let it be okay…" I sobbed out, rubbing my face into those raven locks I had learned to love so much. He was holding his hand on his wound, my hand was on top of his.
"I've avoided so much, Naruto… I avoided my time. Thanks," Sasuke coughed, "to you. Thank you for a wonderful life, Naruto."
"Sasuke, you're life isn't over! It's going to be okay!" I choked out to him, though I was lying to myself. I knew he was going to die, but… why? Why now?
~End flashback, beeotch!~
I continued to cry, ignoring anything anyone said. I hold his wrist, feeling his heartbeats continue, until the falter a little. I hold my breath until they regulate again, or so I think. They're really going slower than before. Everyone crowds around me, and just to add that dramatic effect it's raining. I wipe his hair out of his face, whispering a simple 'I love you' into his ear. I kiss his lips, but I know he's to weak to kiss back. I pull away, feeling his last heartbeats fade away slowly, every second that went by pulled along a little piece of Sasuke with it, and then it stops.
His heart stops beating and he stops breathing, and I only cry harder.
Why did it have to end here?
A/N: ONE SHOT PEOPLE! 40 PAGES BEEOTCHS! This was only a one shot (A pretty fucking long one, mind you.) If you're wondering what I've been working on, hello, here it is! Now, if this was the first one you read out of the two, go read the Assassin's Son. Same thing, but in Sasuke's point of view.
TH-TH-TH-THAT'S ALL, FOLKS!
Reviews?