Story Start

Naruto wrapped his hand tighter around Sasuke's throat, not intending to kill him but at least get him unconscious. Anger was boiling in his stomach, so maybe he was holding to tight, but it didn't matter.

The red eyed thirteen year old glared at h im deeply as Naruto's screamed words from the deepest of his heart.

"I'LL BREAK ALL YOUR FUCKING BONES AND DRAG YOU BACK TO HOME IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES!"

Sasuke slowly blinked, slightly dazed. Then, as his senses came back to him, hatred began to stir inside him.

"Just shut up...Your we're on your own from the very beginning! What do you know about me, if you had no siblings or parents? What do you know about me if you were alone from the start?! Huh?! I suffer because of the bonds I once had! You don't know what it's like to lose all that!"

Naruto stared at the panting black hair pre-teen in shock. Sasuke stared back, his teeth gritting together.

Naruto's grip on Sasuke loosened, and his arms fell to his sides. His head bowed, and his blond hair covered his eyes, for his headband had flown off his forehead a while back.

Naruto began to tremble, his voice caught in his suddenly parched throat.

Sasuke gazed at Naruto, his anger riding down. He looked at his best friend—now ex—weeping silently from his(sasuke's) own harsh words.

Sasuke carefully placed his hands on the chest of the blonde, noticing the flinch he gave. He slowly slid his hand under Naruto's shirt, causing it to much up to reveal half of the seal on Naruto's stomach. Sasuke wasn't interested in that seal as much as he should've been, though.

His hands traveled up Naruto's well worked waist till he reached Naruto's chest.

Naruto's skin was death cold, due to the fact he had been thrown into icy water many times, and his clothes were soaked. Naruto's shuddered against the warmness of Sasuke's hand, tears streaming out his eyes.

Sasuke's hand placed itself over Naruto's left chest plate, right over his heart. If it was even possible, he felt a burn-like heat radiating right over it. Sasuke could feel the pulse, and it was going erratically quick.

"Please kill me."

Sasuke froze at Naruto's words; he tilted his head up, looking at Naruto's face instead of gazing at his chest.

Naruto's face was brought into light, and it made Sasuke's heart surge.

A small, sad, pitiful smile was on Naruto's face, nothing i like that of the norm. Narutoo's cheeks were bright pink from the coldness, and his eyes were slightly puffy from the tears that continued to flow out of them. His eyes are what made Sasuke actually think why he was there.

Sasuke stared into the hopeless—meaning there was no hope inside them—fully depressed eyes.

A kunai appeared in Naruto's hand out of nowhere. Naruto cautiously slid both of his hand up his shirt, until he met with Sasuke's.

Naruto grabbed Sasuke hand, lifting it only inches away from his skin, and then Sasuke felt a cold metal hit against hi skin. Naruto pushed Sasuke's finger around it, closing his hand. The kunai lay in Sasuke's palm.

With both his hands, Naruto pushed Sasuke's hand with the kunai inside it against his chest.

Sasuke stared at him in shock—and horror.

What was happening to Naruto? Why was he asking to be killed? Why did he care so much?

"Why...?," Sasuke murmured. Tears stung his eyes, but he couldn't wipe them away—he wasn't paying much attention to them anyway. "Why Naruto? Why do you care so much about me? I've done nothing but despise you. I've hurt you in every way possible, yet you still would try to save me. Your ready to give your life up to someone who hates you."

It was a statement, not a question. Naruto was ready to end his life for Sasuke, and Sasuke couldn't even contemplate why.

"I don't know, teme,"Naruto said, half joking with the 'teme' part. But there was nothing about his tone. 'Teme' might as well not even said. "I don't know why I'm ready to die for you. But without you..."

Naruto's voice caught in his throat. He quickly squeezed his eyes shut, snapping his head the other way so Sasuke couldn't see his face, though the raven already knew what it looked like. Naruto squeezed Sasuke's hand tighter, pressed the blade deeper into his skin, though it was far from cutting into it.

Sasuke felt Naruto's skin stretch with tightness and then contract many times as Naruto tried to get himself under control again.

Finally, Naruto choked out, "W-with-without you....I-I....I can't l-live...Without you...I'm better off d-dead..."

'No,' Sasuke thought desperately. 'Naruto don't...'

"They all hated me! They despised me for what i was...what i am....But you...you didn't hate me because of what was inside me...you didn't even hate me...You looked past the monster inside of me, and saw me! Without you...I'm just an empty shell always being deceived."

Sasuke couldn't find any words to say—for once, he was actually speechless. He knew something was inside of naruto, but he didn't know it had taken such a toll on naruto.

'I can't live without you.'

Sasuke shuddered at those words. Did naruto...did he...

"You love me," Sasuke said breathlessly, and Naruto nodded.

"You made this bond...so tight...and now...Oh Kami, Naru. Why?"

"I don't know, Sasuke," Naruto says, letting his head go back around to face sasuke. "I'm a dobe...But if you leave me...I don't know what would happen to me. I'm a hopeless case. I need you, more then i need my life. So..."

Naruto suddenly grabbed Sasuke wrist, pulled it back, and then he thrust it forward, jamming the tip of the kunai strait into his skin.

"Naruto!," Sasuke cried.

Naruto took the dagged back out, letting Sasuke have a relieved sigh, but then, he jabbed his chest again.

"I know you wont—cough—stay here. So kill me, Sasuke."

Naruto continued to stab himself until Sasuke was able to come out of his shock and pulled his hand out of Naruto's grip. He thrust the bloody kunai somewhere beside him, and stared at Naruto.

"Kill me," Naruto begged. "I'll fight—with all i got, too. But you have to promise to kill me in the end. Your have to swear."

"Naruto why—"

Naruto put a finger to Sasuke's mouth. "Let's break these bonds."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and Naruto gulped—most likely trying to keep in the blood.

He fisted the front of Sasuke's shirt, pulling them up. Then, he fell back, pulling Sasuke with him.

The two fell, Sasuke on the upside of Naruto, who then plashed deep into the water.

Staring at the bubbles that floated atop the rippling water, Sasuke knew what he had to do.

He would kill Naruto.

-

Naruto laid in bed, most of his body wrapped in gauze. He wasn't dead; Sasuke...Sasuke hadn't been able to kill him.

Naruto stared at the ceiling with emotionless eyes, like he had been for the past few weeks. He had unfortunately been saved—even if Sasuke hadn't been able to do the final blow after his chidori, he would've died from eternal causes. But, Hatake Kakashi had saved him.

He had analogized to Naruto the second he had awoken on the grey-haired man's back.

Naruto would've tried to get away, but he was too weak at that moment. Naruto's power was slowly, but surely coming back to him.

He had gone all out for Sasuke, but in the end, he still couldn't bring him back(like he knew he couldn't) and he still didn't die.

If there was one wish Naruto could make, it would be to die. Their bonds w ere severed, and the life that had been in them was now dead. They central bond lay, strewn across the floor. It was long, yet now, it had been split strait through the middle. The bond was now crippled on the floor. That bond used to be floating, tightly strewn, growing larger and larger. But now, it was no more. The small bonds that had been connected to it shared the same fate.

Naruto felt empty inside.

The door creaked open, and Naruto slowly tilted his head too look at who had entered. It was Hatake.

The gray haired nin came in with a bowl of something steaming, and if Naruto's nose senses had reguvinated enough, it was pork ramen.

"Hello, Naruto," he greeted. "I brought ramen."

Naruto stared at him for a moment, and then turned his away, denying the food strait out.

He stared at the window in his hospital room. Through it, he saw that the sky was a mixture of pink and purple hues. The sun was already retreating, and Naruto could see the crescent moon.

"Hatake," he asked, not bothering with formalities. "Was this what you felt like...when you couldn't save Obito?"

Naruto heard Kakashi's breath hitched in surprise. He knew his sensei was stunned by the sudden, personal question.

Naruto shook his head barely, then leaned back into the covers, closing his eyes. "Nevermind."

-

It was Naruto's second month in the hospital, and he was still yet to be released. He would be released soon—according to what Sakura had said. But what the planned released date meant nothing to Naruto.

It was so easy to leave the hospital undetected, and at night, it was the same for the village. There were so many way to escape to Konoha, anyway. You didn't even have to desguise yourself, or run.

Not if they expected you to leave anyway.

Even though Naruto was the kyuubi container, not many people looked after him. No one would suspect Naruto to leave, because Naruto kept 'promises.'

Naruto couldn't even keep his own bonds.

Naruto wasn't going to kill himself—he could never bring himself to do it. But he definitely would leave.

That is why Naruto was right now in his room, packing.

Naruto wasn't packing much; nothing was that important. His room was full of stupid nicknacks he had bought just to bring him entertainment.

They would slow him down, anyway.

The only thing Naruto had placed in his knapsack was two pairs of clothing, and a few things to eat.

He was gone; he didn't know where too, but he would end up somewhere. He might end up dead.

Naruto was about to leave; his hand was on the door handle, and it was turned.

But....

Naruto sighed heavily, and he turned and walked back into his room. He grabbed the picture frame that was resting atop his dresser, and stared at the picture within.

He was there; the whole team 7, at that. Sasuke was on the left, scowling. He was glaring somewhere besides the picture. Sakura was in the middle, smiling happily, two joyfully fisted hands in front of her. She was blushing—because of Sasuke, of course. Naruto was glaring at Sasuke angrily, and Kakashi was smiling with his hands in Sasuke's and Naruto's hair.

Naruto had to admit, that was the worst picture he had ever taken. Even so, Naruto always kept it on his dresser, never putting it down.

But that time had come to an end. Naruto grabbed the top of the wooden frame, and then placed the picture face down onto the dresser.

He stared at that sight for awhile, before he turned and walked out his room, leaving the village and everyone that had been once in it, behind him.

The End