A/N Woohoo! First Naruto fanfic, and obviously enough, it's inspired by the latest chapter, I know, not very original, but the idea wouldn't let me go. I hope you enjoy!

The sword slid out of his chest like a needle through fabric as he fell to the ground haphazardly, clutching at the throbbing wound in panic. Cackling, Madara wiped the sticky blood from his blade with the remnants of his shirt and sneered crudely at the fallen Uchiha. "That makes two boy."

Annoyed by the black-haired boy's unreadable eyes, the Uchiha patriarch kicked him roughly at his head, sending Sasuke flying through the rubble, his back arching in agony as his wound ripped open at the sides.

Glancing at him almost pityingly, Madara's lips stretched into a hint of a smile. "You still haven't realized it have you?" Turning his back to the gasping boy, Madara threw his arms in an all-encompassing gesture, "This world," he continued, "This world is officially mine. With the kyuubi extracted, it's only a matter of time before the eight-tails is taken and-" a shuddering cough halted his speech as he turned around curiously.

Gasping to his knees, Sasuke's body quivered as he struggled to stand up, his body swaying from the lack of blood. Coughing once more, blood splattered at the ground next to his feet as he attempted to glare hatefully at the man in front of him. "What…what did you say?" he snarled, denial firm in his cold eyes.

Madara smirked. "Your precious jinchuuriki is dead. And by the looks of it, you might as well be."

Sasuke stepped back as though he had walked in a pit of burning bodies. His shoulders quivered as he shook his head adamantly. "Mind games won't work on me you bastard."

Cocking his head to the side, Madara's form slowly started to disappear as he pointed his finger at a scene far behind him. Unable to walk away from temptation, Sasuke nearly collapsed to his knees again as he saw the half-lidded expression on the blonde boy's face as Gaara carried him like a dead man over to an empty field.

Heart battering painfully against his ribcage, Sasuke wondered why it was suddenly so much harder to breathe. He had always intended to kill Naruto in the end. It was always going to come down to a fight to the death with the boy his heart could never seem to let go of. Naruto was ultimately going to die in the end so why, why was there a panicked feeling of horror and terror and why did the wound in his chest suddenly disappear and why was there adrenaline pounding in his veins and why was he running, running with all he had towards the one person he couldn't live without.

And as he was running, he wondered if it was always going to turn out like this. That maybe he really did think he would kill Naruto…but only if he killed Sasuke back. Because this world was corrupt, it was decayed and damaged and diseased and there was nothing more this dirty, dirty ninja world deserved than to be slaughtered along with the sacrifices they made in the past in order to protect their God forsaken villages.

This world was disgusting, but Naruto was…Naruto was it's light. He brought hope, he brought faith, he changed something in the village, and he changed something in Sasuke too. And maybe, maybe Sasuke couldn't live without that. Maybe Sasuke didn't think this world was worth living in if the one person who could have saved it was gone.

So he ran.

He ran tripping and stumbling over rocks and fallen bodies and the blood continued to gush from the hole in his chest but somehow, Sasuke thought that the hole in his skin could never be as painful as the hole that was slowly growing in his heart.

Sasuke was always alone. But with Naruto…

Maybe they could understand each other in the next world.

But Naruto's eyes were fluttering and Gaara was shaking him, wake up, wake up, but Naruto laid still and suddenly, Sasuke was screaming. "NARUTOOO!"

Falling to his hands, Sasuke felt the tears build up behind his eyes and cursed this life and this war and every goddamn thing that ever happened to them because why? Why did the village have to sacrifice his family for "peace?" Why did Naruto have to be abandoned by the very same village his body was cursed to protect. Why did things end this way?

"NARUTO!" coughing more blood, Sasuke roared in pain as he soared back to his feet and continued his race against time.

Blinking, Naruto's blue eyes came into focus as he struggled to understand the chaos around him. "Sasu…ke?"

Groaning, the blonde boy tried to sit up, but Gaara's firm grip pushed him down, "Stop it Naruto, you need to rest, you can't-"

"Naruto!" Sasuke's desperate voice screamed in the air.

Lightening eyes bursting in recognition, Naruto burst from his position on the floor, pushing the kazekage's hands away from him. "I'm sorry Gaara, but I…I have to go to him."

Eyes wide with fury, the red haired boy swiped his hands in the air angrily. "Why? Why would you go so far for…for someone like him." He whispered.

Smiling gently, the tiredness of being alive only through willpower seeping into his eyes, Naruto's words carried like the softest breeze. "Because in the end, we were always just chasing each other."

Giving Gaara one last saddened look, Naruto took off down the field, gasping in a final breath of air before shouting for all the world to hear, "SASUKE!"

Nearly toppling over from the effort, Naruto continuing pounding his feet in a steady rhythm against the ground, trying desperately to reach the one thing he had been striving for all his life.

Together, the both of them running, both of them pushing themselves to the limits of their dying bodies, they both knew they couldn't live like this anymore. Because he had been lonely and he had seen murder right before his eyes.

He had been an outcast. He had been adored.

Neither had friends, neither had family, neither had anyone but the small smiles they'd give each other when the sun set and they didn't need their masks anymore.

Maybe all that sadness, maybe all that pain and heartbreak and betrayal and agony would be worth it. Maybe their miserable lives would be worth every tear and every broken bone if they could have each other just this last time. If they could die together, they could be happy.

But life never met their standards. And this was no exception.

Almost simultaneously, their fingers reached out to grasp the others' before their bodies gave out and they fell, a tragic end to a tragic tale.

One metre. One metre was all that separated them and in the end, the tears ran down freely from Sasuke and Naruto's faces as they cursed their luck and their fates.

I wanted to reach him.

I wanted to know him.

I wanted to cure his loneliness…I wanted….

I always wanted to be with you

And then they shut their eyes and their world was enveloped in white and tears as Sakura's screams rang bloody in their ears.

"Narutooo! Naruto…NARUTO! If I have to say your name one more time I'll-"

Confused baby blue eyes looked around, dazed, at the bubbly orange painted room and line up of photographs against the wall. Groaning, Naruto rubbed his tiny fists against his eyes before startling out of bed and shrieking. "What is this! What's-?!" panicking, the little six year old never noticed his mother creeping up behind him and knocking her fist into his tiny skull.

"Naruto! Calm down! It's too early in the morning for this!" whining petulantly, Kushina smiled kindly at her son before putting on a concerned look. "Naruto, is something wrong?"

Blinking, Naruto glanced around, his eyes catching those of the people staring back at him in the photographs that lined the wall.

There was him and his father, a family portrait, him and his friends at his birthday party, him and Sasuke…Sasuke!

"Mama, I have to…I have to go!"

Quirking a brow, Kushina stared at her son curiously, "Naruto?"

Clutching a fist to his chest, Naruto frowned, "Somehow…somehow my heart hurts when I think of him, I…"

Smiling gently, Kushina hugged her son to her chest comfortingly, "I understand, knowing Sasuke, he's probably out with his brother."

Blue eyes bursting in surprise, Naruto cocked his head to the side, "How did you-"

Hands on her hips and a confident grin, Kushina's hair fell across her shoulders as she quirked her head. "A mother always knows these things…besides, Sasuke's your best friend right?"

A smile like the sun burned brilliantly on the blonde boy's face, "Yeah!" He was out the door just a second later.

Dashing through the streets and under banners and merchant stalls, it was really only pure luck that he stumbled upon the tall and talented Uchiha Itachi as we was browsing a selection of ripened tomatoes.

Smiling gently, Itachi ruffled Naruto's hair affectionately as he rang the merchant over to bag up a pound of produce. "How have you been Naruto?"

Pouting at his mussed up hair, Naruto's fists fell at his sides as his face scrunched up like only an adamant child's could. "Sasuke! Where's Sasuke!"

A startled expression met the young boy's as Itachi cocked his head to the side teasingly, "Well…"

"Itachi-nii-chan!"

Smiling, Itachi reached out to grasp Naruto's shoulders and turn him around gently. And as blue and black eyes locked, both boys forgot to breathe.

There was a shuddering in their chests and suddenly, a lifetime of memories rushed into their heads and their knees trembled. What was…why did…emotions tumbled over them and they thought they might hyperventilate but as suddenly as the memories arrived, they vanished and all the was left was this unquenchable need to reach other because all that was left in their hearts was that awful feeling of falling short of each other's grasps and suddenly, their fingers reached out and they pulled together like magnets. And with that hug, everything that once tied them to that time vanished. As though it had never existed.

Naruto grinned in delight as his arms wrapped automatically around Sasuke's waist and shrieked in laughter.

"Naruto! You were late for shruiken practice!" Sasuke admonished, knocking him on the head.

Pouting, Naruto shoved the black haired boy a few steps over before starting to walk down the road, expecting Sasuke to follow. And sure enough, with a quick wave goodbye, Sasuke bounded over to the blonde and matched his steps with his, trotting along despite not really knowing where they were going. But Sasuke trusted Naruto, so it didn't really matter.

Sometimes, Sasuke thought he would follow Naruto to the afterlife and back.

Shyly, Naruto reached out to grasp two of Sasuke's fingers and coiled his around them. Blushing furiously, Sasuke tightened his grip around his best friend's fingers while stubbornly looking away, trying his best to pretend that Naruto's sweet laughter wasn't doing weird things to his heart.

And so together they walked, down the streets with colourful wares and friendly merchants. They walked down the road with the cobblestones and the faded patches of green grass. They walked down the way, fingers intertwined, together, together. Always together. As it should be.

Because maybe they couldn't have their happy ending in their previous life. But as they say, there's always hope for happiness when it comes to second chances. And this time, they'd be sure to do it right.