A/N: Hello everyone! I was going through my many documents and found this adn realized I'd never finished it. I started it like 5 months ago, but now it's finished. I warn you now, this may be slightly confusing and Sasuke could possibly be slightly ooc.
Dis-of-the-claiming: If I owned Naruto half the population of male fans would stop watching and it would be a yaoi fangirls dream come true.
Departing Words
When I said I loved you I swear I didn't mean it. I lied.
When I said I needed you, it was all a big joke. I don't need you, I never did.
When I promised you I'd stay forever, did you see through my lie?
His limp body lay in my arms. His hair stuck to his face in odd angles, soaked by the cold wet rain pouring from the sky above us. I willed my body to run faster, but I had already exceeded my limit. But I needed to get toKonoha faster. It was all my fault.
At first when the blonde boy had been pierced by the kunai I thought he was fine. He'd just smiled and told me that we had to go on with the mission. That he was fine. But I saw through his lie. By now I was well aware of Kyuubi, the nine tailed fox demon him and it's extrodinary healing abilities. So I thought for once I'd agree with the loud mouth idiot and maybe he really would be fine. The bleeding had already stopped so surely he'd live.
The kunai had been dipped in poison. The first signs were barely visible. I noticed him slowing down. He seemed to be having a hard time keeping up with me. I chose to ignore it. That is till he stopped completely. I turned around ready to tell him to hurry the hell up if he ever wanted to complete the mission when I saw him vomiting all over the forest floor. I frowned. A wound like the one he had recieved shouldn't be causing him to vomit.
I turned around and jumped down to him, where he stood behind what appeared to be a pile of half digested ramen. He wiped his mouth and attempted to grin up at me though his pain was obvious. "Must have ate some bad ramen this morning."
I snorted. "Naruto..." I began, trying to keep calm and not let the panic overwhelm me. Though it was steadily growing worse as I noticed the look of deep pain inthe other boy's eyes. "You don't happen to remember what those kunai that wounded you looked like do you?"
"Mmmm, yeah Sasuke I do. I have one right here." He pulled one out of his pouch and carefully handed it to me. "I kept one just in case it's I dunno... important or something."
I examined it closely. My face whitened as the horrifying fact dawned on me. Naruto must have noticed my reaction, for his face plaed too. "Sasuke, is something wrong?"
I bit my lip. I didn't reconize the poison that had been used. I had no idea of whether it was fatal or not. "Naruto." I felt like I was condeming someone to death. "The kunai it was dipped in poison."
A look of panic came across his face as he was over come but another wave of nausea. When he was finished all was silent except for his deep breathing. Then in a voice so unlike his own he whispered, "Sasuke, am I gonna die?"
The question rang unanswered in the air for at least a minute before I finally replied, "We should get back to Konoha and go see Tsunade. She'll know what to do."
"Right," he said.
Now he lay in my arms barely concious. His breathing was deep and heavy and he could no longer move his body. It was clear to me that he was going to die and I was powerless to stop it. I felt my anger rising. How could I just stand here and watch my best friend die. I knew I'd never make it back to Konoha in time to save him. Never before in my life had I ever felt so weak and powerless to stop somehting. I wanted so desperetly to be able to do something, anything.
In my arms Naruto groaned. His head lolled to the side and his clear blue eyes stared up at me. "Sasuke," his voice was raspy and strained, "everything's going all fuzzy."
"You're loosing your vision Naruto."
"But I don't wanna be blind," he whined. "How am I supposed to be Hokage if I can't even see?"
I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. How was I supposed to tell my best friend that he was going to die? That his dream to become Hokage was shattered because he wouldn't be living past his sixteenth birthday? "I think that's the least of our worries at the moment. Now stop talking, you're wasting your energy."
He nodded and closed his eyes again. I couldn't even look at him anymore. I wanted so badly to tell him that I was sorry. That we should have stopped the moment he got hurt and headed back to the village, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
"Sasuke?"
"What?" I gulped.
"Do you hate me?"
I almost dropped the boy right there. Hate him? How could I hate him? I... what did I feel about him? Best friend? Rival? But no, he's more then that. "No, of course not Naruto," I whispered.
"Oh, okay."
It was silent for awhile again, but I couldn't stand it. Every once in a awhile his breathing would pause and I was sure he was finally dead. I had to hear his voice, to make sure he was still alive. Maybe if I kept him talking he would live. "Naruto, why would you possibly think I hate you?" I couldn't help it the question really bothered me.
Naruto actually smiled. The grin I was used to always seeing, untill he was again over come with a wave of pain. "I dunno Sasuke.. you've always just seemed rather... cold towards me."
I hated myself then and there. Here I was holding my best friend, my rival, the person I just realized I needed most, in my arms dying and the last thought running through his head was that I hated him. Damnit, I did not hate him. 'I think I might even love him.'
"Sasuke," Naruto croaked. "I really want to tell you something."
"Then tell me, dobe."
Naruto bit his lip, he was obviously thinking hard. "But I'm scared you'll get mad."
I couldn't believe the kid. "Mad! Mad! How the hell could I be mad at someone who's dying and it's all my fault!' I felt like screaming at him. "I won't get mad idiot. Just tell me."
"Fine," he muttered. "Sasuke... I think-"
He whimpered and I had to stop and pull myself together. This was it, he was going to die. I wasn't going to make it back in time. Dead. Gone forever. I couldn't let this happen to Naruto, he was to good for it. People like him weren't supposed to die. It wasn't fair. "Maybe you should stop talking Naruto, it's making you worse."
He bit his lip. "No, it's important. Sasuke I think I love you."
He said it so fast I could have sworn I heard it wrong. Maybe I was just hearing things I wanted so despretely to hear. Is that what I had wanted to hear all this time. All those confusing thoughts and feelings. Did it mean I loved him? Had that been what I was feeling this entire time? I knew at that moment that it had to be true. But at the same time I realized it didn't even matter. He was going to die. He was going to be torn away from me just like every other person I had ever loved. I had to tell him though. Before he died I had to make him understand that I felt the same way. Even though it had taken me so long to realize that I really did love him. I suddenly felt a deep surge of regret. Regret that I hadn't been able to tell him sooner.
I looked down at him. His eyes were no longer opened and seemed to be barely breathing. "Naruto," I whispered. I wasn't even sure if he could actually hear me any more, but it seemed so important to tell him how I felt. "Please don't die. I love you, I love you so much. I need you more then anything." It sounded cheesy even to me, but I didn't care. He just had to understand, I needed him to know.
Naruto smiled. He must have heard me. "I... knew... it," he managed to choke out. I knew it was the last thing he would ever say.
I layed Naruto down on the grass by a tree. As I stared down at his body it took me a moment to realize I was crying. I bent down and kissed Naruto's lips, wishing so much that he was still alive to feel it. He was already so cold. I felt so pitiful and weak. I brushed the hair out of Naruto's eyes and kissed him one last time before standing up. I took a deep breath and was surprised when I heard laughter behind me. I shot around, anger instantly surging through my body. I reconised the voice, there was no way I would ever forget it.
"Well well Sasuke, how do you feel now that I've finally removed the one thing standing between you and me?"
"You!?" I screamed, glaring at the man standing before me. The tears were still falling down my face, but they quickly stopped. I wipped them away, vowing to never let anyone see my tears again.
He laughed again, his snake like voice making me wince. "Yes me Sasuke. It really was a shame that I had to kill him though. He could have been quite useful some time in the future. But it had to be done. He was the only thing left that was keeping you from returning to me."
I wanted to kill the man standing before me so bad. I tensed, ready to attack him.
"Now now Sasuke." Orochimaru grinned. "I only did it foryour own good. The thought of hurting your precious Naruto was the only thing that kept you from me. I'm right, am I not?"
Red hot anger flared through me. The stupid sadistic bastard had ruined me last chance of happiness. He had killed the only person that I felt anything for. "I'll kill you. I swear!"
Orochimaru sighed, still grinning. "I thought you might be angry." He laughed. "But now there's nothing standing in your way from killing Itachi. You still want to do that right?"
I didn't want to admit anything to the bastard. The same thoughts flashed through his head over and over again. 'Orochimaru had been the one to poison Naruto. It's my fault. Orochimaru only killed him because I cared for him. It's my fault. It's my fault...'
"I thought as much," Orochimaru said. "Think about it Sasuke. What's stopping you now? Everything you've ever cared about or desired is gone. Now there's nothing stopping you from reaching your main goal. To kill Itachi. I just want to help you Sasuke."
I clenched my fist, my nails digging into my flesh. What Orochimaru was saying was true. What else was there to do but concentrate on killing Itachi? There was no longer any use going back to Konoha. I glared at Orochimaru, trying to find some way to avoid the the truth in the words the man was speaking. I glanced at Naruto who was still lying dead at the foot of the tree. I felt empty and full of rage and regret. I looked back at Orochimaru and I was fully aware that he could read me like an open book.
"What will it be Sasuke?" he hissed.
I looked at Naruto and once again I was filled with sorrow. I hated it. "I really did love you," I whispered into the wind, not caring if Orochimaru heard me or not. I turned around and walked towrds Orochimaru. He grinned sadisticly, knowing he had won.
I will kill Itachi, I vowed. And one day, after I was done doing that. I would kill Orochimaru and avenge Naruto's death.
When I said I loved you I swear I didn't mean it. I lied.
When I said I needed you, it was all a big joke. I don't need you, I never did.
When I promised you I'd stay forever, did you see through my lie?
The end
A/N: sorry if there are alot of mistakes, but I was in a huge rush to finish it. Well Merry Christmas everyone! Please review, it'll make me super happy.
