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~OxO~

In a sick sort of way, he looked beautiful.

The look on his face was peaceful, serene. Like all the pain of his past had somehow left him.

He seemed more mature than the boy who's image always surfaced in my mind when I thought of his name. That boy was…warm, but annoying. Someone to let go of.

This young man in front of me was haunting, knowing, passionate, powerful. He was so sure of himself, so sure of me.

"Because we are friends." he had said. What a crock.

"I'm not your friend."

I'm a monster.

I waited for a moment, half expecting some oddly wise reply, or a stupid comment about me not knowing what I was talking about, but none came.

Even in silence, he seemed to be laughing, trying to tell me that it would be all right. But I knew now that nothing would ever be 'all right' again. Not so long as his chest did not rise and fall, not so long as his eyes remained closed. Not so long as the blood kept welling up around that sword. My sword.

Dear God, what have I done?

I finally noticed that I had somehow ended up on my knees. I couldn't recall how that had happened. I couldn't recall much of the fight at all, really. Just that horrible last blow.

I remembered thinking that he looked like a true warrior. Like the hero he had always wanted to be. Which had only served to make me angrier. He had everything. He had been such a looser; he shouldn't have amounted to anything more than a sideshow. Where did he go right?

Where did I go wrong?

He had been trying to convince me that what I was doing was the wrong path, that we weren't enemies. I had known he was right, but I couldn't respond to him. My brother's memory wouldn't allow it. This was how it was supposed to end.

And so it did. He had refused to strike a killing blow, and my soul had been buried so deep within the darkness that I couldn't dig up enough emotion to care.

In the blade had gone. His flesh had seemed so soft and pliable under the sharpened steel. Thanks to the Sharingan, I could see. I could see the moment it had pierced his heart. I could see the sword's tip curving around, severing all the arteries, efficiently cutting off his heart from the rest of his body. I could see the blood. So much blood, more than should have been possible to store within one person.

And his eyes. Eyes that bore no hatred toward me, eyes that did not blame me. All I could see in the deep blue orbs was love, hope for me and my future. Eyes that said "It's ok. You'll be ok, because we are friends. I'll always support you." Eyes that held a fire strong enough to light up the whole world.

I could see the moment in which that fire went out.

As he had fallen backward, seemingly in slow motion, as those terrible, wonderful eyes had slipped shut, I had felt a shift within myself. Away from bloodlust, and into detachment. I had let my sword go, let it fall, still within his chest.

And there, in front of me he lay, so still, so perfect, that it stirred something within me. I could now feel…something. The darkness withing me was moving, making room for something more powerful. It was coming to the surface of my soul swiftly, a bottled up emotion speeding toward release faster than I could grab hold of it.

And then the screaming started. It wasn't until I felt the sensation of tears rolling over my eyelids and down my face that I realized that I was the one screaming.

Oh God...he's gone...

Anguish. Grief. Sorrow. Pain in it's purest form rolled through me in waves.

"No!"

Denial poured from my lips, loud and shaky, like a newborn's first cries.

Before, whenever loss or tragedy had befallen me, there was always something else. Some goal to pursue, some revenge to extract, some plot to weave, something to keep me going. But something about this whirlwind of a boy blowing into my life, turning all my expectations upside down, flowering into a full grown man, and a fearsome foe before my eyes had changed something in me. Something about him had seated itself so deep within my soul that it now felt as if I had no soul at all. Nothing left to try for.

So this is what the end feels like. I didn't expect it hurt this much.

Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I could hear Madara laughing at me for second-guessing myself, and I could hear my brother quietly sighing over my stupidity. Somehow, those things didn't seem to matter quite as much as they used to.

There was another voice in my head, a voice that rang louder than the others.

"Dattebayo!"

With that one word I realized that I just couldn't. I couldn't go on this way. A plant could not survive without the sun, and so I could not survive without that whiskered face smiling at me. Life was not worth living without him.

I knew what I had to do. The horrible, blood chilling screams suddenly lodged in my chest, refusing to make themselves heard. That was okay with me. This task was better performed in silence anyway.

I crawled over to the spot where the sun had died. With a sickening slurping sound, I drew my sword from his chest. I leaned over, no longer caring about anything else and pressed my lips to his, now gone stiff and cold. I lifted my arm up behind me, over my back, bringing my bloodstained sword with it and pointing it right above the place where my heart was still beating, not at all caring about the awkwardness of this new position. After all, he had died by my hand.

So, I should too.

We would begin a new chapter in the next life. I myself seriously doubted that I would end up in the same place as him, but he had always believed that we would end up together. So, I put my faith in him, just as he had placed faith in me.

And there, locked in an everlasting kiss, I plunged the sword down, down through the darkness and into the light of eternity.

Thank you. I'll see you again soon, Naruto.

~OxO~

This was something a little different from me…I wanted to try my hand at writing something dark. Did I do well? Please, please, review. I am unsure on this one, and I really want to know what you guys think!

BTW; for those of you that are keeping track of Love-The Impossible Science, I have started on chapter 11, so hopefully it will be up somewhat soon-ish.