Neko-chan: Okay, this was actually supposed to be the prologue to a story I was planning on making, but then it got way off track and turned into the one-shot before you. So, please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!
Two years.
Rain poured onto the ground. The sun wasn't shining. It hasn't for quite some time now. The villagers seemed pretty gloomy. They went back and forth doing their business, but there was no happy conversations, no peaceful exchanges of hellos. Like the sun, that has been gone for a while as well.
Since you left us.
Genin were training under their Jounin teachers, but they lost the will to actually do much. Mostly a small boy with goggles, who was sitting on a stone with a forlorn look on his face. Small murmurs of 'onii-chan' escaped his lips.
The sun will never shine again.
Somewhere in the middle of the village streets, a man walked. His hair was slightly spiked, not affected by the rain in the least. Onyx eyes were downcast as the water flowed like rivers down his face. If one didn't know him well, then one would think he was crying. But then they would shake off the thought. After all, no matter how close he was to the sun that left them, Uchiha Sasuke did not cry.
You were a fool.
His green vest, part of the required uniform for a Jounin, was drenched. The rain made it very heavy, but he was a ninja. A rain soaked vest was barely noticeable compared to the weights he carried either as part of his mission, or to train himself. It did remind him, however, of a weight he had to carry on his back often, when his teammate nearly died because of some idiotic reason.
Why did you do it?
He walked towards a hill in the distance, never once looking up to verify if he was going the correct direction. He didn't have to. This was a worn path that he has walked every day for two years. Even if he lost his sight, he could always follow this path. Many, mostly women, wanted to go up and talk to him, but one look at that face and they knew that they shouldn't even try. He was on a grassy path now, leading up to the top of the hill he was walking towards.
I didn't ask for your help.
He could still remember that day two years ago. The mission, the fighting...the blood. Most of all he could remember the blood. Not the blood on the battlefield, but the blood below it. On the rocks. In the river. He could remember that blood because he was the first one to see it, and the last one to see the body that spilled it. The body that sacrificed itself for his worthless one.
Now you're gone.
Sasuke walked to the top where he saw three stumps. Also a large stone could be seen. He remembered when Kakashi had told them that this was for the ninjas that were K.I.A. He remembered that there was many who didn't want the name put on this stone, saying that he didn't deserve to be recognized as a ninja, even if they were forced to give him the title. That was quickly shot down by many death glares.
They all thought that you were useless.
Sasuke sat there. Rain continued to pour around him, but he didn't seem to care. He was used to sitting out here in the rain. He came here every day unless he was on a mission, but the Hokage knew better than to give him too many missions. If he was on too many missions, he got agitated, and it wasn't smart to send an agitated ninja on a mission.
They were wrong.
"Sasuke..." The raven-haired boy looked behind him and saw his old team leader. The masked shinobi didn't great him with his usual popping-out-of-nowhere followed by a 'Yo'. He knew better than to do that when Sasuke was here. Sasuke turned back to the stone, his knees propped up and his arms were resting on them as he continued to just stare at the stone.
You were better than them.
The rain stopped over Sasuke, although he heard and saw the rain continuing around him. Kakashi stood above him with an umbrella in hand. He was also looking at the stone with depressed eyes.
"If you're going to sit out here in the rain, at least bring an umbrella. He wouldn't want you to catch pneumonia."
You were stronger than them.
"Tch, we don't know what he would want." Sasuke said sourly, but didn't reject the cover.
"We know he cared about you." He tensed slightly. Kakashi didn't regret saying it. It hurts Sasuke every time someone tells him the reason that the boy did what he did. They may have been rivals, but they were friends, best friends.
You were even stronger...than me...
"It's been two years. Everyone else is beginning to accept what happened. When are you?" The Uchiha didn't answer. It wasn't that he didn't hear what the Jounin said. Even with the loud rain and the crashing thunder, he could hear it, he just chose not to answer it. After all the answer should be painfully obvious.
So why did you do it?
"You're going to make yourself ill."
Why did you save me?
"So?"
Was it because you felt that you owed me?
"Dying won't solve anything."
I didn't die when I saved you!
"Neither will living."
I could have survived that attack.
"You know, he's probably looking at us now, and laughing his head off at how you're acting."
I didn't ask for your help!
"Well, he can laugh all he wants."
Why did you leave us?
"Sasuke, we're worried. Everyone is worried. You're killing yourself like this. You've barely eaten, slept, you're here in all weather. This isn't the way to go about this, no matter how much you miss him."
Why did you leave...me?
"Will you get off my back?"
I miss you.
"When you stop doing this to yourself."
I need you.
"Fine! If it'll get you off my back, then I'll go home!"
You're such an idiot!
"That's all I ask. And don't think about coming back here in the rain. I'll be watching you." Kakashi gave him the umbrella and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
You didn't have to leave.
Sasuke sneered, but he took the umbrella. He got up, gave the stone one last look before heading home. He only started noticing how cold it was getting. The soaked vest was doing nothing to warm him up, but then he felt slight warmth. He looked up and saw a ray of light piercing the clouds, and it landed directly one him.
Are you watching, Naruto?
Neko-chan: And there it is! I hope you liked it!