Rating M (Due to the emotional disturbance this might cause)
Pairings: Sasu/Neji, SakuSasu, Kiba/Hinata, Kaka/Iru, GaaNaru, eventually Gaa/Naru/Neji and Saku/Lee
Warnings:Angst, AU/AR, Language, Character Death
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, sadly that means I do not own it and have gained nothing but personal satisfaction for writing this.
A/N: Special thanks to Cutsycat and Drivven for being my betas and taking this emotional roller coaster with me. hugs
Special A/N: I did NOT write this to stir any political thoughts. It had a duel purpose, one for a contest and two as a healing to help me finally let go of a dear friend whom I lost during this time. No I did NOT lose her in the Twin Towers, but the Pentagon. I also did not write this for sympathy, again just for the reasons stated above.It is with great reluctance that I post this, so any political reviews, bashing, ect. will be deleted without question nor comment.
Saying Goodbye:
Naruto sat down at his computer and sighed. He didn't want to write this, he didn't want to relive that horror ever again. Still he had no choice, it had been seven years now and Tsunade insisted that he do it as a way of healing his heart. Not that it would. Nothing would ever mend that gaping hole that would be forever present in his heart. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and started to type what he remembered about that day.
-----Flashback-----
Naruto got up and stretched before glancing at the clock. It was already 8:30 and he was going to be late to work, again. He took a quick shower then went out and turned on the TV so he could listen to the weather before heading out to work. Not really paying full attention to it he went to get him a quick cup of coffee before going back to the couch. 'If I'm going to be late anyway I might as well relax before I go in.' he thought before turning his full attention to the news.
What he saw was not the weather as he had been expecting but a disaster that was happening in America. He dropped his coffee cup and stared in horror at the sight before his eyes. He knew three people who worked in those buildings and was trying to remember who worked where. He had just decided to call his boyfriend and ask him which building his brother worked in when the next disaster struck.
Another plane had crashed into the other building. He needed to call Gaara and get him home quickly so he could tell him the news. He didn't want him to try and drive after finding out the news that he was sure would be on all radios and TV stations. Quickly dialing the number he waited for someone to answer at the other end.
"Suna Corporation, how may I direct your call," the female at the other end said.
"Yes I need to speak with Sabaku no Gaara please… no wait, I need to speak with his boss please."
"Please hold."
It seemed like he was on the phone forever listening to crappy music before he got an answer. He quickly explained what was going on and asked if Gaara could come home. His boss gasped at the news and told him to stop playing pranks. After assuring him that he would never pull a prank like that and begging the man to turn on a radio or something so that he could prove it the man caved in and told him that of course Gaara could come home and no he wouldn't tell him why.
Naruto sat down and cried trying to figure out whom else he should call. He knew he shouldn't be alone, not in his state of mind. His eyes went wide as he realized whom he should call. It wouldn't be a pleasant call at all and he thought that maybe he should have them come over so he could tell them both while he told Gaara. Grabbing the phone again he started to pray that they had not turned on their TV or radio yet while dialing their number.
"Hello." Came a calming voice at the other end.
"Dad, I-I need…" he took a deep breath as tears started to pour from his eyes. "I need you and papa to come over."
"Are you crying? What's wrong Naruto?" Iruka asked in a bit of a panic.
"Yeah dad I'm crying. I can't tell you over the phone just… just please hurry daddy I need you." He choked out.
"We're on our way Hun, just hold tight please, daddy and papa are on their way." Came the reply.
"Thank you so much daddy… I'll see you soon."
He jumped, as there was a loud knock at his door. He got up quickly and answered the door. As soon as it was opened it found himself with an armload of pink that was crying. He hugged her tightly as his own tears fell.
"Na-Naruto," she gasped "Why? Why did this have to happen?"
"I don't know." He answered honestly.
"Do you think any of them were there?"
"All we can do is pray that they weren't," he said calmly, though inside he was breaking down just as much as her. He wanted his fathers and his boyfriend home now so he could have someone to calm him.
"What if…"
"Stop it Sakura, we can't dwell on what ifs." He said sternly. He didn't need this stress on him. After a few moments he moved them both to the couch and asked if she had called anyone.
"Yeah, I told Ino and a few others I was headed here and they said they would come over."
Glancing at the clock he noticed it had been an hour since he had called his boyfriend and dads; he hoped they would arrive very soon. He looked over at the TV and screamed in horror as yet another tragedy occurred; one of the towers were collapsing.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The trio stood at the door, unlocking it, when they heard the blond scream in terror. They all rushed to him and asked what was wrong. Naruto covered his mouth with a trembling hand while pointing in wide-eyed horror at the TV.
"That's why you called us, boy?" Kakashi asked with an exasperated sigh, "I told you not to watch horror films anymore."
"It's real Papa, it's not a movie, oh dear Kami, it's really happening." Naruto choked out before breaking down in his lover's arms.
"I'll call Genma and get the full story." Kakashi said as he pulled out his phone and shook his head. He liked a good prank, but this was going too far, even for Naruto. He stood there tapping his foot while he waited for his friend to pick up at the other end.
"What do you need Kakashi, it's hectic up here and I don't have a lot of time." His friend said tersely.
"Yeah, look my Step-son got a hold of a tape or the News is pulling an Orson Wells and I need you to tell him that none of this is real… I see, yeah I'm fine. I-I really have to go, thanks Genma. Yeah sure, bye," he hung up the phone then sat heavily into the closest chair and put his head in his hands trying not to break down.
"Kashi-koi what did he say? It's… it's all just a joke right?" Iruka asked plaintively.
"It's real Ruka, we need… we need to try and call Sasuke and see if we can't reach him. I think he had the late shift today so he shouldn't have been there. Gaara, you need to see if you can reach your brother. Try his cell phone, home phone, and any place that you know he likes to go to. Naru-chan, I'm sorry for not believing you earlier. Is there anyone else that you know who works there?"
"Ne-Neji works there too, Papa, I don't want to lose any of them. I don't want them to leave me; I don't want them to die. I may have argued with Sasuke a lot, but I love him, he's the only brother I have!" He sobbed out before breaking down again.
It was a grueling though relatively short wait, a lot of his friends had showed up and all of them were trying to contact one of the three men while trying to comfort each other in their moment of worry. More tears came as they watched part of the Pentagon collapse. They didn't know anyone there, still their hearts went out and hoped that there would be no one injured there.
Kankuro was the first to be reached. A loud cheer could be heard when he announced that he had taken a little advice from Shikamaru and decided to relax once in a awhile. That relaxing had saved his life, he was sure of it, and he was sure that he owed his brother-in-law a life debt. The lazy man had, inadvertently, saved his life. He promised to look for the other two men, but if they heard anything first to give him a call.
Their relief, however, was short lived, as they watched in horror as the building that they knew Sasuke and Neji worked in collapsed beside it's twin. Kakashi was the only one who had managed to keep his head long enough to call the US Embassy to seek help. He was asked to give details about Sasuke and any possibly identifying marks in case the worse had happened as well as a number he could be reached at. He gave all the details he could including the tattoo he had scolded his adopted son for getting before he had left to work in the US.
When he went on to ask about the Hyuuga boy however he was informed that a family member had to do it. He winced at that and handed a distraught Hinata the phone so she could give the same information he had just given, he had given her permission to use his phone number, he knew she would not have been able to answer any phone in her current condition. Once she got off of the phone she dissolved into tears in Kiba's arms. The man was at a loss as to what he could do to comfort her other than to hold her and pray for the best outcome.
Hours later the phone rang and a man had asked to speak to the sobbing young Hyuuga. Kakashi silently handed over the phone to her hoping that it was good news. Every one's heart lifted, as she went to her knees repeating "Thank Kami." over and over again. The young man was alive but not unscathed, he had been hit in the head by flying debris causing a severe concussion and a fractured skull. He was in serious but stable condition and was expected to pull through and should be able to return to his homeland in matter of weeks. A few minutes after getting off the phone, Kankuro called to ask about any progress in the search. When he got word of Neji he promised that he would go to the hospital and look after him.
Everyone looked over the last family who was waiting for news of the last unaccounted person. True, most had not liked Sasuke, but they also did not want him dead. More than that however, they didn't want to see this family go through anymore tragedy. They all knew that Naruto had been taken in at birth since his father died in a car crash on his way to the hospital and his mother had passed away shortly after due to complications of the birth, by the young men he gladly called his Daddy and Papa and then at the age of five he had gotten his brother due to the other boy's parents dying in a house fire and the young boy's older brother having mental break down. They had been through so much and they didn't deserve to go through any more.
It wasn't until much later that the guests started to leave. The first ones to go were Hinata and Kiba, they needed to tell her father about what had happened to her elder cousin. Though, she doubted he would care and would just ask her when he would be able to return to work. The Hyuuga Corporation was all her father cared about. As they walked out the door they asked to be called if they got any word about Sasuke and promised to return the next day. Then the rest filtered out with the same request and the same promise.
Days had stretched into weeks for the family. Still they had no word about the missing young man. Everyone had come at least once a day to check on the family often bringing food, since they knew that none of them would feel like cooking. The hardest part was trying to pry their eyes off of the television long enough to make sure that they would eat and sometimes even sleep.
When they finally got a call, the news wasn't good. They had been asked to come to the states to identify a body. There had been no ID on the body, so they were uncertain if it was the missing young man. With heavy hearts they agreed and set up plans to come via ship, since the planes where still grounded and really, none of them felt comfortable about flying just yet.
They departed a few days later with promises of phone calls and to pick up and bring home the other two men. The trip was the longest of their lives. The three day trip made fear grip at their hearts as they got closer to their destination. Once they finally arrived they went through the customs area quickly and were escorted to the area they needed to go to.
With heavy steps they entered the building and after being directed to the right person, Kakashi, being the only one to know English, stated clearly why they were there and handed the waiting man the information that he had been given by the Embassy. With a terse nod and tight voice the man asked them to follow him. They finally stopped at a body bag and the man solemnly unzipped it and stepped back to give them room.
Kakashi finally broke down in tears upon seeing his son's lifeless body laying there on the floor, while an equally tearful Iruka held the distraught young blond, who was now banging his fists against the floor, begging for this to be a joke and for Sasuke to wake up, because it wasn't funny anymore.
Even though the man who had led them to the body knew by their reactions it was indeed the one they had been looking for, he still needed to ask them for confirmation. When he got a positive reply he had dual feelings; he was saddened by their loss, but happy that the young man now had a name and would be able to go back home with his family, to the people who loved him, and to his final resting place.
It took all three of the older men to drag Naruto away from the lifeless form of his brother. It had taken another half hour to convince him that it wasn't a joke, Sasuke, his only brother, really was dead. This of course lead to the young man hugging himself rocking back and forth, while repeatedly, asking why. They led the distraught young blond to the hotel they would be staying at, while the coroner took care of the death certificate and plans for the family to take the body back to his home.
Kakashi gathered his wits and strength and went to retrieve the two other men who would be accompanying them on their return trip home. Leaving his husband to soothe and comfort their younger son. He needed to be alone with his thoughts for just a little while so he could come to terms with losing the boy he was closest to. Where Naruto was always hanging onto Iruka, Sasuke was always with him and, even though he knew he shouldn't have played favorites, was his favorite of the two. With reddened eyes quickly caught a cab and directed the driver to the near by hospital that the Hyuuga boy was in. Once they arrived, he quickly paid the driver, and made his way inside to the front desk. He was glad to hear that the pale boy was to be released today, perhaps if some of his son's friends were by the boy's side then he would be able to bear the loss of his brother a little easier.
It only took a few hours for them to be on their way to suite Kakashi and his family were staying at. As they entered the front door Kakashi could hear his, now, only child and husband crying. He went over and wrapped his arms around them. It took a few minutes to calm his husband down, though the news that Iruka had told him made his heart clutch painfully. They needed to go to Sasuke's apartment and gather his belongings as quickly as possible so that the items could be shipped back with them and the apartment cleared for the next tenant. It all seemed so cold to Naruto, but the older men understood that time went on, no matter how much you wanted it to stop, it wouldn't. Still, their knowing, didn't ease the pain in their hearts.
Kakashi had forgotten that he had brought the two other men, until Kankuro quietly cleared his throat. When he had Kakashi's attention he silently asked what was wrong and where the missing man was.
Kakashi took a deep breath and looked to the ceiling as fresh tears fell down his face. He took a deep breath then in a quiet voice said, "They found his body last week. W-we had to identify his body just a few hours ago."
Naruto snapped out of his, grief induced, stupor when he heard his friend scream no and saw him collapse on the floor. With a tear satined face, he went over to Neji and wrapped his arms around him. He didn't know why his friend was grieving so much over Sasuke, but still, here was someone who shared his broken heart.
There was no sleep to be had that night. Kankuro had decided to stand guard over the other occupants in the room and get them food and such. It wasn't that he was heartless, but he had never got to know the Uchiha, so his heartache was more for Naruto and his family than for the raven. When the sun made itself known the next day he offered to go and box up Sasuke's apartment for them to save them time and grief. The grateful family agreed and asked him to please pack everything but the furniture and bring it back. The furniture they decided could go to some charity, they didn't care which.
He went to the apartment manager, explained what had happened to the previous occupant, and asked for permission to enter and gather the things the family wanted. He was happy that the Uchiha wasn't a pack rat like his brother. There were no pictures on the walls, just a few on the desk, and beside the bed. He skipped taking the bed sheets as the thought of stripping the deceased bed creep-ed him out, and quickly gathered the man's clothes, books, and limited knick-knacks. All in all it only took him 3 hours to gather everything and return to the hotel with boxes in tow.
The sight that greeted him when he entered the room gripped at his heart. Naruto was sitting there staring at nothing while running his fingers through the long hair of the now sleeping Hyuuga. He had never expected to hear that Neji had been 'dating' the Uchiha in hopes to keep their loneliness at bay. They knew that it wasn't love, but it was close enough for the two emotionally stunted men. Where his heart had tightened at the sight, it broke when Naruto finally recognized him and smiled sadly.
"Hey kiddo, where did your parents get to?" He couldn't believe that they had left him alone.
"They had to go and sign some papers and make plans. Daddy is broken up, papa's not much better really." He said while continuing to to stroke the long hair.
"Ah, I see. Are you gong to be all right Kiddo?" he asked while setting down his heavy burden.
"I don't know. H-he's gone Kanky, he's really gone. I always hated it when he called me Dobe, but I would give anything to hear him call me that again." the blond said before completely breaking down again.
The older man went to him and wrapped his arms around the sobbing blond. He knew that there was nothing he could do to ease the pain, only time and love could do that. So he would be there for him in place of his brother. He looked up as he heard the door open with a soft click. It seemed as though Iruka's sorrow and pain finally caught up with him as he saw him passed out in his husband's arms.
'This family doesn't deserve this pain.' he thought to himself as he watched the older man go to a bedroom to lay the other man down. He moved to lay the now sleeping boy on the couch and follow the beckoning Kakashi out the front door.
"We're supposed to leave in a few days. You need to go and gather your things for the return trip. I'm sure your family will be more than happy to see you. Temari won't be satisfied until she sees you in the flesh." The older man said with a hoarse voice.
"Thanks, I'll go in a bit. Do you think I need to gather Neji's as well?"
"Not sure, ask him when he wakes up. If you would though, at the very least go with him. I don't trust him not to do something stupid if left on his own."
Kankuro nodded his understanding and agreement to the older man then went back in to leave the man in peace. He knew that Kakashi was not one to share his grief with anyone outside of his family and needed some time to himself. He sat down and stared over the two men on the couch while thinking of the many changes his life had taken in just the past few weeks. Everything he knew had been turned upside down. Not only had he lost his work place, but several friends he had worked with.
He placed his head in his hands and shook with repressed grief. 'Why? Why this? Why now? Why, why, why?' he thought to himself. 'The people inside that building had only been guilty of working and a bit of greed. Still nothing to warrant death, nor for their families to warrant the pain and anguish that surely had gripped them. There were now children without a parent, parents without their child, wives without their husbands, and husbands without their wives. It was all so senseless and painful. He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep until Iruka came in and shook him awake. He noticed that Neji was also awake and at least nibbling on a piece of fruit. He told the younger man that they would need to go and pack up their apartments for the upcoming trip home. Neji nodded his understanding then stood to leave. Kankuro quickly stood and followed the man. The last thing they needed was for anything to happen to the drained man.
When the family was left with their grief they all just sat and held each other. No words were needed as they understood the pain they were going through. What they needed more than words of comfort was each other, if only to reassure themselves that they were all there and no-one else in the family was lost. They also took the time to call home and confirm to their waiting friends that, yes they had found Sasuke, and yes, he was no longer with them. The one to take the news the hardest amongst their friends was Sakura, she was after all Sasuke's fiancee. They were grateful that Lee would be there to help comfort her in her time of need and grief.
The few days before their return home flew by in a blur as they filled out all the necessary forms and paper work to bring Sasuke home with them. They were slightly surprised and very much touched when they got off of the boat and saw all of their friends there. Though it upset Iruka to no end that only Hinata shown up to greet the still injured Hyuuga. There was more to life than business, really, even the emotionally stunted Gaara had shown up to greet his boyfriend and brother.
As the crew started to come down the path with Sasuke's white casket all heads, even those who did not know who it was, bowed out of respect for the dead. No-one wanted to offend the spirit.
The next several days were grueling and tiresome for the family. The wake was held the next day and much to Sakura's despair the priest had forbidden her from staying with the body as his family was. He reasoned with her that they were family, and while she was betrothed to the deceased, they had yet to take their vows so she was not officially part of the family. So she had left with a last look of longing to the love of her life and his grieving family.
The next day everyone gathered again for the funeral in which Sasuke had been renamed. Everyone present laid a white chrysanthemum on the casket and then waited for him to be carried out to the waiting white hearse. Once he had been placed they all followed in white limos to the crematorium. Everyone waited outside while the family went in to watch this rite that was theirs alone to watch. They had decided to gather Sasuke's remains in two urns so that he would be able to rest with his natural parents, and at a later date his adopted parents.
The grieving family walked past their friends with the urns in tow to lay Sasuke at his final resting places. When they returned home later that day they placed his photo on the family altar and lit the incense and prayed for him to have a safe journey. They kept the incense lit for the accustomed thirty-five days. Then mournfully removed his picture from the shrine, except on special days.
It took Naruto more than a year to stop randomly crying over a song or the mention of his brother's name. Though it helped that he had Gaara and now Neji to help him through his time of grief. During this time, the only time he had showed any emotion was when a distraught Neji had shown up on his and Gaara's doorstep begging for help. It angered him to no end to hear that Neji's uncle had ordered him to board a plane to another of their branch offices. The bastard had not understood his nephew's horror about planes and traveling in general. Neji's refusal to go had left him without a job and without a home since his uncle promptly threw him out on the streets.
The young couple had taken the wayward man into their home and later into their hearts. It was an awkward relationship at first, but now he wouldn't want it any other way.
-------End Flashback--------
Naruto sighed as he saved the document and closed his laptop. It had been a hard thing to write, but he felt a sense of closure now. He looked up and smiled as he felt a pair of arms wrap around him.
"Feeling better koi?" Neji asked as he tightened his arms around the younger blond.
"Yeah, I am. Thanks for making me listen to Baa-chan." he said as he gave his lover a peck on the cheek.
"I'm glad it helped you. Did I ever tell you how much you helped me when we lost him?"
Naruto nodded as he turned his chair around to bury his face into the firm chest. He let a giggle escape him as their fiery red head came in and asked if they had started without him.
Life wasn't perfect and he would always carry some grief over his brother's death with him, but it was better now and that had to count for something.
-Fin-