Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of a man that goes by the initials MK. I choose to believe this stands for Mortal Kombat and that I may engage said owner in a game of such at any point to win the rights. And no. You cannot have some of what I'm having. It's mine, all mine. O.o As are those lawn gnomes.

Summary: In the midst of a war, he made a promise. He kept it. Now, centuries later, thanks to the twisted mind of one Hatake Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke meet once more.

Warnings: Sasu/Naru, spoilers for anyone who hasn't been keeping up with the manga (I will try to keep this to a minimum if it's even noticeable at all), a sleepy authoress plagued by an equally sleepy beta. Oh, and random stabbings. I blame it on being Mexican.
**Update** Anyone joining as of 8/18/2013... you're safe if you've kept up with the anime, no spoilers now. LOL

Prologue

-Wake-

'Shit.'

First, one drop; then, two. Within a few moments, the rain began to pour down, soaking the ground already slick with the blood of the dead and the dying. Scowling as he was drenched, he readjusted his hold and ignored it. Continuing past the next intersection, he glanced about, reaching out with his senses. There were still too many chakra signatures nearby for his liking and he imagined he could hear the clash of weapons as well.

'Shit, shit, shit.'

He needed help. He wasn't a healer by any means, but in this case, the best would be needed if there was to be any chance of survival. Of course, that meant Tsunade or Sakura; neither of which were available options. Tsunade was back the way he just came from, right in the thick of things. There was no way she'd be able to leave the battle right now, not with the entire village still in danger. He couldn't go back either; it was too dangerous. He'd be killed. Strangely, he smiled at the thought; it would probably be Tsunade that killed him for returning rather than an enemy actually getting a hold of him. As for Sakura…

Lightning arced across the sky, illuminating the desolate buildings around them. Slowing down a bit, he realized he'd finally managed to put a fair distance between him and the fighting. In fact, considering the situation, it was rather ironic where he'd ended up. Without even being aware of it, his feet had carried him to the abandoned Uchiha compound of all places.

Nearby, a trash can overturned, startling some poor starving cat who promptly scurried away, leaving the area lifeless once more. It was better that way, though. After all, if the enemy did happen to find them here, no one else would be hurt.

Finally moving through the gate, he trotted over to the nearest building, only vaguely aware of the sign that hung above the door. Shifting the load on his back so as to free a hand, he shivered slightly at the warm breath now fanning across his neck as he slid the door open and stepped inside quickly.

The former shop stood completely empty but for a couple of built in shelves and a counter along the wall to his right. A thick layer of dust covered everything from the years of disuse and the air was terribly stale, making him wrinkle his nose in disgust. Stepping behind the counter, he kneeled down and gently placed the other against the wall, noting the sharp intake of breath as he did so. Turning to face his friend, he shook his head and frowned, anger beginning to boil up inside once more. What more could they do to him, to the both of them? Hadn't they suffered enough? There was so much pain that, at this point, it seemed as if death would be the only release…

A pained groan dragged him from his morbid thoughts and he looked to the body that he had been holding just moments before. Normally so strong, it now seemed so small and fragile in his eyes. Why had he let it come to this? There had been so many ways, so many chances for him to prevent this. He'd been selfish, though. He'd thought he'd had every right to be. Still, he'd known better; known that for him, there could never be anything good. Such things would only be ripped from him or perhaps, destroyed by him himself.

Still, he'd hoped this one time would be different. Certainly, he'd enjoyed himself, but at what cost? It seemed that the price of his happiness was too high. Gingerly brushing the limp hair away from his friend's good eye, he watched as it cracked open slightly, immediately taking in their surroundings before settling on him. "…hey."

"Hey." His friend's eye flickered away from him momentarily as he began attempting to move various limbs, apparently taking stock of his injuries. If the winces and short gasps were anything to go by, the results weren't much better than his own appraisal had been. Watching the rain water drip from his friend's hair and mix freely with the blood still flowing from his wounds, he knew that by the time anyone was able to come, it would be too late. He smiled bleakly, some poetic part of him thinking that perhaps the sudden downpour was the sky crying for him, since he could no longer bring himself to do it. "Need anything?"

"Don't…"

"Don't what?" he prompted, slightly confused.

"Don't do that," his friend told him, his eye drooping slightly and his breathing becoming a bit shallower.

"Do what?" he asked, mildly frustrated by his friend's obtuseness.

"No brooding," he clarified quietly, glaring pointedly before a tired smirk wormed its way onto his face. "That's… my job… dobe."

Naruto laughed then, hard enough to finally bring tears to his eyes, honestly amused despite the situation. "Yeah, well… I don't remember asking for your permission, teme." Sasuke's smirk only grew as he murmured something to himself that Naruto didn't catch, but it seemed to amuse the brunette so it was probably a joke at his expense, knowing Sasuke.

A moment later though, the smirk slipped away. At some point, the other's face had taken on a ashen hue without Naruto noticing and it scared him. Suddenly, Sasuke's hand shot out and clamped down onto Naruto's forearm, startling the blonde. The Uchiha forced his eyes open as he searched for something in Naruto's, poignantly reminding Naruto that his best friend was one of the most strong willed people he knew.

"You have to promise me something, Naruto," he pleaded earnestly, his voice suddenly steady, belying his dying state. Bewildered by Sasuke's sudden request, he simply nodded dumbly in reply. "You mustn't break this promise, no matter what."

Sasuke's grip on Naruto tightened, but he ignored it. A promise was something he understood. He may not know what he was promising yet, but it didn't matter. This was Sasuke asking him, his best friend and the first person to ever truly acknowledge him. Naruto would go to the ends of the earth for Sasuke, had done so before, and would gladly do so again. Even if Sasuke wouldn't be around this time to know it.

"I never go back on a promise, Sasuke. It's my nindo," he reassured his friend. "You should know that better than anyone, after all," he added, grinning slightly. "How many years did I chase you, all for the simple promise of bringing you home?"

Sasuke's grip slackened as a small smile, truly a rarity for the youngest Uchiha, graced his paling lips. "Too many, dobe. Far too many."

His hand had almost completely slipped from Naruto's arm by now, but the blonde grabbed it and held it gently within his own. Those pale fingers felt cold and clammy beneath his own, and Naruto knew his friend didn't have much time left. "I promise, Sasuke. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. I'll keep this promise with you, even if it kills me."

Sasuke's smile seemed to grow a little bigger at that. "Remember your promise…" As his eyes slid shut, shouting suddenly erupted nearby. Naruto was deaf to the outside world, though, as one last word slipped from Sasuke's mouth, barely above a whisper. It didn't matter. Naruto heard it, clear as day, no matter how much he might've wished he hadn't. And once more, Naruto felt the sting of Sasuke's betrayal.

Sasuke was leaving him alone again. Only this time, Naruto couldn't follow him.

Jade: You know what time it is, Pissy?

Pissy: Tool time?

Jade: No. AN time!

Pissy: Ahhhh why do you put me on the spot like this? You're gonna give a girl performance anxiety!

Jade: lol Sucker. And this was the easy part. Damn my inner emo. Mildly short, I know. However, rest assured that Chapter 1 is literally 5 times this size. And chapter titles may or may not make sense, as the actual titles are being taken from the music that most inspired me in the midst of writing. And you people get stuck with ANs being banter between Pissy and I, because I like it that way.

Pissy: Ah well, my banter involves the fact that you write way too slow, your inner monologue is emo, and I still demand chocolate. More than the Dove I stole from your desk...though it was tasty.

Jade: I say again. Damn inner emo. It should just slit its own wrists so I can write more funnies. Like in Chapter 1. With the stabbing. Lol Anyways, I hereby free Pissy of her forced banter for this chapter.

I'm posting this and waiting to see how the reactions to it go, before I post the next chapter. Either way, I'm still going to write, as really, this is for Pissy's and my own amusement. But whether or not I get enough reviews will decide if I bother posting it here. I do live off praise. That and caffeine. So, you all know the drills. :D Review please and I will dance a nerdy little jig for your amusements. Possibly share my cookies. No one touches the chocolate, though. -.o

Wake by Linkin Park, Minutes to Midnight