…Breathe…
When does life begin? When does life end?
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Is it with the gentle yet persistent beat of a heart when the first breath of air is taken? Is this the start of life?
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Then when silence reigns over body and soul, is this death?
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What is the purpose of life, the continual beat of a human heart? What is the purpose of love?
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What is the purpose of hate? Why must these things coincide hand in hand? Why must we suffer as we do? As I do?
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Kami, is this the only way to learn the answer? Must it end in this way? Why are there so few? There are so few people who care. Was this planned was it fate that brought us here? Neji used to think so. I fought so hard to make my own path, by doing so did I only chase after more pain?
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The pain is fading. The three of them are crying. All because of me. Isn't it sad that after all my years of fighting for my friends my precious people at the end there are only five of them here? Only three that cry over me. Baa-chan, Sakura-chan and Hinata-hime. If only I could tell them that it's okay, even if it isn't, if only I could hide behind my mask and once again hide my pain. I want to tell them that I will win, that it's me and that I never break my promises even though I know that I will break this one.
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Damn that bastard! If only he hadn't left to kill Itachi. I hate this, I can't move, I can hardly breathe, it hurts and… I'm scared. I'm lying in a pool of blood with more than one hole in my chest this time. I couldn't let him hurt them so I did the only thing that I could. I protected them and I defeated him. Orochimaru, the Hebi Sannin, with the Sharingan eyes… I defeated him. Sasuke you Teme how could you let him take your body!
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I'm so tired yet I cannot sleep, not yet. I have to keep fighting. My eyelids flutter open and closed. Hime… she's still crying and it's my fault. You cannot know how painful it is to lift my arm. But I have to reach her, to hold her, to let her know how much I love her. "Hime…" Even this simple word causes my chest to spasm in fresh pain. More blood slides from a wound on my chest, more blood bubbled from my lips, at least one of my lungs must have been punctured.
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I suddenly notice how cold it is. Pain rips through my already torn body. The world was blurred, I could no longer see Ero-Sennin or Kakashi-sensei, Baa-chan's face is blurred and fuzzy so is Sakura's Hina-hime she was fading away too. I'm scared I cannot go into the darkness again not now that I have finally found the courage and friends to turn my back on my past on the pain and darkness from before. I cannot go back, not now that I found Hina-hime
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It's getting even harder to breathe, my body is shaking, and my heart hurts, and so does my head the pain is coming back. The world around me is dark although I know that my eyes are open.
The pressure on my chest is lessening. And the cold is slowly leaching away. Warmth is spreading through my body.
I long for the coldness of before, because I know that this warmth will bring nothing but pain to all of my friends, to my family and to my sweet hime.
As the pain leaves my body anew pain enters my heart and stains me. The tears that before would not come now slide down my face. My body lies broken and I see what I could not before.
They were all there, standing around me, some were crying others were comforting each other. Although in different way's they were all mourning my death. I closed my eyes as they landed on my hime. She was exhausted the battle had been tiring.
Looking away I watched as they gathered around Lee and Gai were for once not speaking of the 'Power of Youth!' Kakashi even had a few tears running down the few centimetres of face that could be seen. Kiba was silent and Akamaru was howling.
Ino was hugging Sakura and trying to comfort her. She had felt useless with all her skill she knew that she would not have been able to help me, even that damn fox had proved useless as he had been sealed away by the Sharingan, I guess I had relied on the Kyuubi's power too much.
Shino stood silently as always I thought I saw a glimmer of tear behind his glasses but it could have just been the light, I watched as he lifted a finger to his lips and whispered to a bug that was perched there, the bug flew and landed on Hinata's hand that rested on my cheek. I silently thanked Shino and I saw the slightest of nods as he glanced in my direction, but maybe I just imagined it.
Tenten was crying into Neji's shoulder as he limply hung onto her blankly staring down at my body. Shikamaru stood in the middle of everyone gazing up at the sky he would have found the irony in the fact that the sky was gazing back at him with no clouds in sight. The sky was the exact shade of blue as my eye's had been.
Jiraiya was in shock, I knew that I was like a son to him; my death would be hard for him to handle. Baa-chan knelt beside my torn body her hands still resting on my chest she was shaking and I wondered if my death would be the final blow. She would never give her necklace away again I could see it in her eyes she blamed herself for my death. I walked over to her from my position at the side of the crowd I heard a muffled gasp from Tsunade as I hugged her and I begged her to forgive me for hurting her, when she had stopped shaking I turned to my Hime.
She was so beautiful even with tears streaming down her face and her eyes going red and puffy. I held her in my arms and wept I whispered to her all of the things that I wished I had told her in life. I felt a hand on my shoulder when I finally arose. Turning I saw the people who for all my life had danced between each of my dreams.
A man and woman stood there. The man was about my height with blonde hair and blue eyes, as we looked at each other I felt the love he held for me and in that instant I forgave him. I forgave the man who had destroyed my life and at the same time had given me the happiest moments that I could remember. I smiled and nodded letting him know my feeling before I allowed my gaze to turn to the woman beside of him.
She was short coming to only my chest she had long red hair and despite her stature she looked strong and formidable. She looked at me in the same fashion as my father and I knew in that instant that I had alway's been loved even when I had stood in the dark.
I turned away from my parents to see the family that I was leaving behind. Looking from my true family to my parent's I knew that whatever happened my family would be with me and at the same time I would be waiting for the rest of my large family to join them. Looking at my family and seeing that they had started to lift my corps I watched them walk slowly away leaping up into the trees in the direction of Konoha I smiled knowing that they would find the messages I had left them in case this happened.
Turning back to my parents I smiled and together the three of us walked out of the clearing away from the blood and death and towards the new world where I would wait for my love and the rest of my family.
--THE END--