I don't work here, I just sneak in after hours and pretend I do.
The Afterlife
Naruto held Sasuke's head very gently and pushed his dark hair away from his face. Sasuke's eyes fluttered open right into Naruto's. The blonde smiled and wiped the blood away from his friend's eyes. Sasuke looked up at Naruto and there was no malice or hatred in his eyes. That angry pride, sadness, contempt, was all gone. He looked at his friend with sincerity and a satisfied exhaustion. He didn't quite smile, but Naruto could hear it in his voice.
"Somehow I always knew you'd be here. You wouldn't leave me alone." Tears welled up in the blonde's eyes, behind his smile. Sakura wasn't coming, no one was coming. There wasn't anything he could do for him, and they both knew it. Sasuke's voice was weak and thin, blood leaked slowly but steadily from one corner of his mouth.
Naruto wiped the blood away with his sleeve and stroked Sasuke's cheek.
"Someone has to take care of you Sasuke, I can't trust you to do it."
"It's done now Naruto, it's done." Naruto nodded and began stroking his friend's hair and forehead.
"That's right, it's over, there isn't anything more to worry about." The dark-haired boy sighed weakly.
"I'm glad."
"Good." Sasuke raised a weak, shaking hand and touched his friend's head-band.
"You have mine." The blonde nodded and pulled it out. He very carefully tied it around his friend's neck. "Thank you."
"You don't have to go Sasuke. Why don't you stay with me?" The dark-eyed boy shook his head and gasped slightly in pain.
"You can take care of yourself without me. You'll be alright."
"I want you to stay."
"I know." Naruto shifted slightly to lay beside Sasuke in order to hold him a little closer.
"You can't go, you're like my brother Sasuke; nothing will be the same without you." Sasuke swallowed painfully.
"It's more than that. Brothers have to be brothers; this is different." Naruto continued to stroke his friend's face and hair. He wiped Sasuke's blood away again, and tears fell steadily over his cheeks, as he smiled at his dearest friend.
Sasuke's breath became progressively weaker, he wheezed slightly. The light was slowly seeping from his eyes, every moment of life was a struggle as he fought to remain in his friend's arms just a while longer.
"Naruto? Do you know what I would hope the afterlife is like? I hope I'll just wake up; eight years old, fallen asleep after school. I'll just go home, and when I get there, everything will still be alright. And I'll never have know any of this. I'll just… go home." Naruto nodded
"That's right Sasuke. You'll just go home and see your mother. Maybe one day I'll be there too."
"Promise."
"I promise." Sasuke coughed up blood and torn pieces of his lungs. Naruto leaned in close and kissed his forehead quickly. He hugged him tightly. He wouldn't ever leave him, but he couldn't see. He couldn't watch the light leave his eyes, couldn't watch them dull as he died.
"Goodbye Sasuke." He held him until he felt Sasuke still; his body growing heavy and cold.
"Naruto stood and took his friend into his arms. He'd carry him home and bury him next to his mother and father.
Uchiha Sasuke woke suddenly to daylight streaming in through the window. His mother smiled at him brightly from the curtains. Without even a knock Itachi opened the door and leaned in with a wave.
"You fell asleep again Little Brother. I had to go get you and carry you home." Sasuke stared at his brother in a sort of foggy shock. His mother sat on the bed next to him.
"Are you alright Son?" Sasuke shook his head.
"Yeah, just had a really weird nightmare I think."
