Title: Walk On Water

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They stood facing one another.

Rain poured endlessly from the sky and resound all around the silent lake as it hit the rock. Blood spattered from fresh wounds, then became dissolved and washed away as fallen water swept it up in its journey.

Ridgley they stood facing one another, waiting. Just waiting.

Pale flesh contrasted obscenely with eyes pooled with the color of heart's blood and were punctuated deeply with the ebony toma's. Swirling, round and round in a hypnotic motion. Tense, his body stood facing another.

The Lake between them.

The Valley of the End.

Tan skin stretched tight over a clenched jaw-line. Silted ruby eyes glared, flashing dangerously from an extreme crimson, to deep sea blue. A shaggy dirty fringe hung dripping with sweat, blood, and now rain.

"Come home Teme," growled a deep resonating voice.

A frown and wrinkled brow of disgust.

"Why?" The answer to the order.

"…" A struggle for words and a frustration to grasp an order to the swirl of emotion within. "Because, you mean so much…" A trailed off a sentence and a world left unsaid.

"No!" Screamed, the boy who thought of himself of a man. Pale flesh rippled and moved. "No I will not go back there! Never. I will not return to the pitying glances, to the lingering leers. Sizing me up and judging me. Whispering in street corners, is he good enough, will he hold up the Uchiha name? No Naruto, my Baka, I will not return to that Konoha." Another deeper, more emotional frown filled the curve of his lips. "No Naruto, I will not return…"

Caught in the turmoil of his thoughts, the pale one forgot himself. Falling to bruised knees he stopped and wrapped his arms around his shaking frame. Memories replayed over and over in his mind.

That time when he saw his brother, as just that, a brother. Innocent.

When those needles pierced him, as he stood in front of his Sun. Innocent.

Another and the first time when he saw him as a betrayer. Guilty...

…and now Naruto stood before him. Bloodied, and tired, but still willing to fight…still willing to give it all. And expect almost nothing in return. Almost.

But what he was expecting was too much to give.

Friendship, something that others could give willingly in an instant. Too Much, but he had to make sure…

"Naruto…what do you want from me?" The question rebounded off the high peeked stone walls surrounding them. The two seemly opposite, yet similar figures locked eyes.

One crumpled on the ground, another standing, and fighting to stay so.

Shock in now crystalline blue eyes was chased into fear. Fear, that the wrong words would scare his Teme away.

"All I want…." The silence stretched on. "…is for you to walk on water." He smiled, and knew that the memories of charka walking on trees in the Water Country flitted across both his and Sasuke's mind. "That's all Sasuke, just walk on water."

Lifting his hands he held them palms up…waiting.

The symbolism wasn't missed.

Walk on water and return to me…return to me and our Home…Please.

A small smile upturned his face.

"…I knew it." He muttered. Standing carefully he released the will of the seal on his curse. Standing, his skin darkened, releasing the pale inner gleam of his flesh.

…and just like that he walked away.

Another memory to join the pile in his head. Another memory of those betrayed, and of the betrayer. And a word echoed across his mind.

Guilty…