A/N: The events in this fic are set in the actual Naruto manga universe up to vol. 15. Other than that, all I can say is enjoy the fic!
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The wind blew through his dark tresses of hair. He smirked, remembering just how he and the blonde tormented each other in their youth. Especially during the exams.
"Looking good,," he chuckled despite the fact that he didn't want to. Things just hadn't been the same since they finally had their match. The power of the nine-tailed fox versus that of the sharingan. "How've you been?"
He waited for the response, his lips curling upward. The stone was cold to the touch. Why couldn't anything be as it should? Team Seven was supposed to survive: Naruto would be Hokage, Sakura would be a great Lady in the Village, and he would have his vengeance. He was an Avenger after all.
The wind whispered the words in his hear, telling the Uchiha not to blame himself. How was he to know the effect of copying Naruto's powers? How was he to know that only the nine-tailed fox itself could control its abilities?
Even though they had all survived Orochimaru and Gaara…
"It was my fault, wasn't? I'm the reason you died. You shouldn't have been so stupid," he lectured the granite marker. "You should have just stayed out of my way."
It was like yesterday to him whenever he remembered it. Naruto with his thousands of doppelgangers, Sakura unsure of whom she should cheer. Then Naruto got that insane look in his eyes, the one he got whenever he drew upon the power of the nine-tailed fox. With a grin, the sharingan was turned to that power, and they both attacked…
He refused to cry, punching the ground. He couldn't even remember how long it had been since he'd last been to this spot to visit his friend, even if he wouldn't have used the word then.
His mentor, his sensei… Kakashi had tried to stop it, but was too late. The meeting of the chakra, the very will of their existence, it had simply been too much.
"Sasuke…" the voice said lowly as a hand was placed gently on his shoulder. How long had the other member other Team Seven been there? His friend, now his lover, the only one able to understand his pain because of the camaraderie they had shared.
The Uchiha reveled in that hand, the strength it gave him to carry on from day to day. The disinterest he had once shown its owner was now a laughable memory.
"It wasn't your fault…"
He wanted to laugh, but had to fight back tears. Of course it was his fault. Wasn't that what Naruto always said before? Before… it? Before he finally became the murder he had always wanted to be?
Itachi. His brother. He had once dedicated his life to killing his brother. But to know what it really meant to take a life. Only the most vile of beings were capable of such a thing. Naruto hadn't believed that, though. He had once thought that Gaara could be saved. That Orochimaru could be saved. Or, at least, that was the impression Sasuke got from his blonde companion. Sasuke knew better, though. He knew what an abomination he was. Everyday, he reminded himself. Remembered just what he had done.
"I know what you're thinking." The hand on his shoulder tightened slightly in support. "You can't blame yourself. Nobody could have known what had happened. You didn't know about the nine-tailed fox, yet."
"How could I not? Everyone knew the legend of the fox demon. And those powers…"
The first hand made it's way around to his chest, where it met with a second as he was pulled back into a warm embrace. He could feel his lover's hot tears on the back of his neck.
"I hate it when you torture yourself like this. This isn't what…"
"What is expected of me?" the brunette finished the question as he leaned back into the protection those arms offered. "Everyone expects nothing but a pillar of strength when they imagine the Hokage and his family, right?"
"Would you quit being so unfair? That's not what I meant and you know it!" those arms tightened, pulled him even closer. He felt the warmth beating from the heart pressed against his back. "Come on, Sasuke, let's go home."
"Fine." He touched the stone again and whispered his departure.
"So, what do you want for dinner? I was thinking ramen…"
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A/N: Wow, incredibly short and angsty with just enough hope to keep it from being a complete downer. I hope you enjoyed this!