*SPOILER ALERT FOR THE END OF NARUTO, EVERYTHING PAST THIS POINT INCLUDES SPOILERS, IF YOU DONT LIKE SPOILERS THEN DONT READ*
Finally I managed to finish an ItaSasu fanfiction. This has to be my favorite ship of all times.
But this is my version of the Naruto ending (kinda).
I dont know about you guys but since this is labeled ITASASU I am pretty sure that a lot of the people who read this will agree with me that this is a way better ending that what the actual ending was.
I mean seriously... Sakura? He tried to kill her and yet still they chose Sakura... I dont like NaruSasu and yet I would so prefer that to SasuSaku...
But on with the show, enjoy everyone~
HAVE A BOX OF TISSUES READY
A gentle sigh escaped Sasuke's lips as he stopped in front of his childhood home.
The once bright, perfectly kept house was now dark and worn down, branches laying strewn around the house, the red umbrella that used to greet Sasuke and Itachi now laying ripped and tattered on the ground before him.
He slowly moved through the entrance to the yard and looked around.
Blue roof tiles lay scattered around the yard, the stone walkway beneath his feet was worn down, the rocks beginning to split, the front door sprawled across the walkway in front of him.
The once full, clean pond now dwindling and polluted, the Koi Fish laying dead in the contaminated water.
The boy stepped over the broken down door and walked into the house, taking off his shoes at the door like he always had when he was little.
He walked up the few steps at the entrance then slowly walked to his parents room, pulling the doors open and stopping there, staring at the large blot of blood that had soaked into the wooden floor.
That single blot of blood served as a reminder of the cruelty of this society, of this village that he had returned to for really, no apparent reason.
He could still see them both laying there, his father laying dead over top his mother.
He could still remember everything from that night with disturbing clarity.
The darkness of the compound, the eerie feeling of being watched, the sight of his dead clan mates, the sight of his dead parents, Itachi's cruelty and the pained look on his big brothers face as he left, as he abandoned his beloved little brother.
He closed the doors quietly, as if his parents still lay asleep in the room together, as if he were scared of waking them.
He walked away from their room and to the kitchen, stopping in the entrance way.
He could still remember his mother moving around the kitchen quickly, humming off key as she cooked.
He could still remember sitting at the table with his family laughing at each others jokes as they ate dinner together.
But the kitchen he saw before him now was nothing like the old kitchen.
The kitchen table lay sprawled on the floor, the legs broken off one of the chairs, the other three chairs scattered across the room.
The once clean counters were covered in dirt and leaves that had blown in through the broken window that sat above the sink.
The final Uchiha continued to move amongst the house, ignoring his own room and heading straight to his big brother's room.
He quietly slid the doors to Itachi's room open like he had when he used to sneak into his brother's room in the middle of the night, too afraid of the "monster" hiding under his bed to be able to sleep soundly on his own.
He walked into the quiet room, sliding the door shut behind him and looking around.
Itachi's room was the only room in the whole house that was seemingly unaffected.
Everything remained the same as Sasuke remembered, the perfectly made bed, the picture of him and his big brother that sat on the night table, the desk that was cluttered with Itachi's weapons and scrolls, the bookshelf packed to the breaking point with books and photo albums.
He slid open the closet door and saw that nothing was out of place, everything was still organized perfectly the way that Itachi liked it.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed when his brother's anbu came into sight and he grabbed it, smashing it on the floor and stomping on it until it lay in tiny pieces.
At last the tears began to well up in his eyes and he dropped to his knees, sobbing as all of the memories flooded back.
Itachi poking his forehead, Itachi giving him a piggy back home when he hurt his knee, Itachi pushing him on the swing, Itachi taking him to the summer festival, Itachi happily allowing him to sneak into his bed, Itachi fretting over Sasuke when he broke his arm, Itachi bundling him up in the winter, Itachi making him remove those extra layers in the summer, Itachi waiting for him outside the school, a book in hand as he leaned against that same shady tree, Itachi smiling and waving when Sasuke finally exited that building at the end of the day.
Everything had revolved around Itachi.
His life in general had revolved around Itachi, around his big brother whom he had loved more than anyone else on the planet.
Itachi had meant everything to him and now he was gone, for good this time.
Itachi had put up with him when he was angry, sad, hyper, tired and every other mood under the sun.
He had more than just put up with it, Itachi had treasured all of those times, no matter how annoying and persistent Sasuke had been he had treasured those moments more than anything else in the world.
Itachi had given everything to protect Sasuke, his happiness, his family, his life and soul.
And yet Sasuke had spent his whole life hating Itachi, wanting to kill him.
Itachi had given everything for Sasuke and in the end he had gotten nothing in return.
Yet Itachi hadnt seemed to mind, it hadnt seemed to matter to him in the least.
Not the first time he died, nor the second.
Sasuke remembered the way Itachi's arm had wrapped around him, tangling into his hair and holding him closer than Itachi himself had ever allowed before.
Itachi had finally stopped pushing him away with a poke to the forehead as he asked his little brother to forgive him, he had actually let Sasuke get closer.
He still remembered the words his brother had spoken as he stared straight into Sasuke's eyes, no longer hiding away from his younger brother out of embarrassment, out of self loathing.
'You don't have to forgive me. No matter what you decide to do from now on I will always love you.'
Sasuke's tears rolled down his cheeks and he watched as they splattered onto the shattered remnants of his brother's mask.
He sobbed and buried his face in his hands in an attempt to hide away from the world, as if when he removed his hands he would be anywhere but here, but in the end when he removed his hands all that his teary eyes saw was the familiar furniture that decorated Itachi's room.
He rubbed his eyes, refusing to allow anymore tears to fall and he began to clean up the mess of broken glass that lay scattered on his brother's floor.
Sasuke cursed slightly under his breath when he cut his finger on a sharp fragment of glass and he remembered Itachi again.
He remembered Itachi kissing his finger better when he had cut it, putting a Band-Aid on it and telling him that if he just toughed it out he would take Sasuke to get lots of fresh tomatoes.
He threw away all of the broken glass before closing the door to his brothers room quietly, collapsing outside the door, resting back against it as he looked around at the familiar and sorrowful surroundings.
Why had things turned out this way?
Why had his once happy life turned into this?
Why did things have to be this way?
Why did life have to be so retched?
There was nothing left.
Everything had crumbled many years ago there was nothing, no one, not a wisp of smoke that caught in the wind from the ashes of his life.
Everything, every memory was soaked in the blood of his family, blood that had been shed to "save" this village.
But how could that be right? How could killing hundreds of people be the RIGHT thing to do? How could killing hundreds of people be the FAIR thing to do?
How could letting his brother suffer for years be a good thing?
How could letting HIM suffer for years be a good thing?
It was their fault, it was the fault of this filthy, corrupt village.
They had killed Sasuke's clan, they had killed Sasuke's brother and yet here he was, standing in this village and trying to help save them again.
That wasn't their fault that was just his own stupidity talking.
Still he didn't see what Itachi saw in this place.
Still he didn't understand why Itachi gave his life and his happiness to save this place.
Sasuke felt that he never would understand it, but the facts were that he had and if he tried to get revenge against it now he would be destroying everything that my brother had worked so hard to protect.
If he tried to destroy Konoha now then Itachi would have given his life for nothing, he would have died for nothing, he would have died in vain.
Itachi's smiling face flashed into Sasuke mind and his head dropped onto his knees.
He couldn't let Itachi's death be for nothing.
If he destroyed Konoha, if anyone did, then it would have been for nothing and Sasuke couldn't stand such a thought.
Itachi had died for him and for Konoha so he had to protect this village and he had to try to be happy.
Even if he could never truly be happy without his big brother he had to try, he had to attempt to do it.
If not for himself then he had to try to be happy for Itachi, because it is what Itachi would have wanted.
He wouldn't kid himself, things would never be okay without his big brother, his life would never be complete without Itachi but maybe he could get close.
Maybe he could be happy.
Sasuke tried so hard to be happy but in the end it didn't work, in the end he just could never be that happy, even when he held his daughter in his arms, even when she spoke her first words or when she walked for the first time, nothing was right without Itachi.
Everything was wrong, this wasn't the life Sasuke wanted to be living, this wasn't the person he wanted to be.
He wasn't this person, he wasn't the good dad with the pretty wife and the white picket fence, that just wasn't him.
No matter how hard Sasuke tried to truly love Sakura and their child it didn't work.
He couldn't bring himself to do it.
Everything was plain and boring.
He simply could never find that same happiness that he found when he was with Itachi.
The more time passed the more he realized just how much he hated this life.
The more time passed the more he realized just how much he wanted Itachi back.
The more time passed the more he realized just how miserable he felt without Itachi.
He couldn't do it.
He couldn't be happy like Itachi wanted him to be.
He didn't feel happy like he was supposed to, from the very bottom of his soul Sasuke felt hollow.
He felt like there was nothing left but sorrow, as if he were slowly being dragged down into that ocean of sorrow by the memories he shared with his beloved brother.
He didn't feel at peace like he should have, he felt restless and scared and lonely.
Sasuke slowly walked to the top of the cliff and looked down into the raging waters below him, the same waters that Shisui had jumped into all those years ago, the same waters that Shisui and countless other Uchiha's had died in over the years.
He felt at peace while he stood here, as if the spirits of the other Uchiha's were trying to calm his restless soul.
He felt as if Shisui was trying to calm him, the mess of emotions that also happened to be his best friends little brother.
He felt as if Shisui was standing right beside him, telling him that it was all going to be okay.
The man stared down into the waters while memories of his family continued to repeat through his head the same way they had been for years.
He had come here numerous times a month every month since he returned to Konoha and slowly the idea of just letting himself fall into that raging water became more and more welcoming.
If he just let himself die then he was sure he would see them all, his mother, his father, Shisui, Itachi.
If he just let go and jumped then he could be with them again, he could be happy again like he had all those years ago.
Over the years the idea became more and more inviting and at this point he was ready to do it.
He was ready to join them, to end this eternal suffering, this eternal sorrow.
Tears welled in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, dropping down the cliff and hitting the waters below, his tears melding into the water.
"I cant do this any longer Itachi, I am so sorry. You gave so much for me, so that I could be happy," more tears rolled down his cheeks as he continued "but I cant, I cant do it. I cant be happy without you, because you are the one thing that I cant live without. I have gone on for so long pretending that everything is okay but it's not okay Itachi, It's not. I cant do this on my own anymore. I cant do this without you anymore."
He concluded with a final apology before wiping his tears and taking a final deep breath, stepping over the cliff and allowing himself to fall.
"SASUKE!"
He gasped and looked up as Itachi ran to the edge of the cliff, diving down after him.
Itachi reached for him then managed to grab Sasuke's hand tightly, pulling the man close and wrapping his arms around him tightly, sheltering Sasuke's head as they continued to fall, the blood pounding in Sasuke's ears.
More tears rolled down Sasuke's cheeks and he smiled gently, resting a hand against Itachi's cheek as they fell.
"You finally came for me Itachi," he stated gently, his heart pounding against his ribs.
"Foolish little brother," Itachi retorted as he kissed Sasuke deeply right as they hit the water together.
They both surfaced and detached their lips from one another's, bringing in deep, gasping, breaths.
Itachi wrapped his arms around Sasuke's hips, pulling his younger brother closer with a gentle smile.
Sasuke wrapped his legs around Itachi's hips and grabbed his big brother's shoulders tightly as he leaned up for another kiss, Itachi happily kissing back.
They soon emerged from the water and the cloudy day suddenly turned sunny, the sun shining down on both of the Uchiha's
They both stood and Sasuke blinked in surprise when he realized that he was shorter than he was used to.
He looked into the water and saw his sixteen year old face staring back at him, Orochimaru outfit, duckbutt hair and all.
He turned around to see all of the other Uchiha's waiting for him.
His mother, his father, Shisui and everyone else from the clan, they were all here.
This had to be heaven, if there even was such a thing.
"We all missed you Sasuke-Chan~" Shisui said in a teasing voice as he walked over "But you know if you hadnt jumped off that cliff you could have lived for at least another thirty years," he informed the dark haired boy.
"But it would have been another thirty years without my family, without my brother, another thirty years of sorrow is another thirty years I would rather not live," Sasuke snapped.
Itachi wrapped an arm around Sasuke's hips, tangling the other hand into his little brother's hair.
"It's alright Sasuke, none of us are judging you for your decision if being here with us is what will make you truly happy then that is what we want you to do, I would never want you to be living an unhappy life simply because you thought it is what I would have wanted, because you deserve more than that," Itachi stated gently and Sasuke teared up for what felt like the millionth time that day.
He buried his face into Itachi's shoulder and sobbed, his hands knotting into his brothers shirt.
Itachi gently stroked Sasuke's hair as he cried.
"It's alright Sasuke, im here and we will never be separated again. I'll always be here with you, for the rest of eternity, I swear it on my soul," Itachi promised as he held the boy close.
Sasuke looked up at Itachi with teary eyes.
"I love you Itachi, please don't leave. I don't know what im supposed to do without you here, I cant go on without you, I cant do it again," he cried as he clung to his brother.
"Forgive me Sasuke, for putting you through this much pain and thank you for trying to be happy for me but in the end this is where we both belong, right here with each other, no matter what anybody else says this is the place where we belong," Itachi said as he rested a hand on his younger brother's cheek, gently wiping away his tears. "This is where you belong Sasuke, right here with everyone. You belong right here with me my beloved little brother, and you always will."
Everything in Sasuke's life had gone wrong but amongst the hatred and the sorrow he had found something good, something that felt right.
Amongst everything Sasuke had found the person that he felt truly happy around and that was the one thing that truly mattered.
At long last he felt at peace with the people around him, the world around him and above all else he felt at peace with himself.
Every moment that Sasuke and Itachi spent together felt like the first all over again and every time that they looked into each other's eyes they found themselves falling in love with each other all over again.
In the end all that truly mattered to Itachi and Sasuke was that no matter what happened they got to stay with each other, because in the end Itachi and Sasuke were the most important things to each other, they were both the one thing that the other could not live without.
Sasuke let Itachi lead him as he closed his eyes tightly and when Itachi finally stopped him he opened his eyes and they went wide when he saw the familiar, calming sight of his home.
Not in tatters like it had been when he had returned to Konoha that day.
The same serene, perfectly kept house that he remembered from his past was what stood before him.
A gentle smile formed on Sasuke's lips as they stood in front of his childhood home.
The house was brightly lit by rays of golden sun light that shone down upon it, the Japanese Maple's swayed gently in the wind and that lovely red umbrella greeted Sasuke and Itachi before they entered the yard.
They slowly moved through the entrance to the yard and looked around.
Every blue roof tile was perfectly in place a top the house, the stone walkway beneath his feet looked the same as he remembered, the rocks shining ever so slightly, the front door standing happily in it's spot in the doorframe.
The water of the pond sparkled beneath the bright sunlight, the Koi Fish gliding gracefully through the pure water.
Sasuke slid the front door open and entered the house with Itachi, both boy's taking off their shoes like they did when they were little.
They walked up the few steps at the entrance then slowly walked to their parents room, pulling the doors open and stopping there, both boys glancing at their father who sat with the windows open, reading the paper.
He closed the doors quietly, as to not disturb their father.
They walked away from their parents room and to the kitchen, stopping in the entrance way.
The scent of breakfast hit his nose as his mom moved around the kitchen quickly and with ease, humming off tune as she cooked.
The kitchen looked the same as always.
The kitchen table stood proudly in the center of the kitchen, the four chairs doing the same, all perfectly kept.
The counters were so clean that they sparkled and sun poured in through the open window above the sink.
Itachi and Sasuke continued to move about the house and they ignored Sasuke's room heading straight to Itachi's.
Despite the fact that Itachi stood right beside him Sasuke quietly slid the doors to Itachi's room open like he had when he used to sneak into his brother's room in the middle of the night, too afraid of the "monster" hiding under his bed to be able to sleep soundly on his own.
They both walked into the quiet room, Sasuke sliding the door shut behind them and looking around.
Itachi's room, like the rest of the house, was the same as always.
Everything remained the same as Sasuke remembered, the perfectly made bed, the picture of him and his big brother that sat on the night table, the desk that was cluttered with Itachi's weapons and scrolls, the bookshelf packed to the breaking point with books and photo albums.
He slid open the closet door and saw that nothing was out of place, everything was still organized perfectly the way that Itachi liked it.
However this time Sasuke noticed one thing, the mask that he had found sitting in Itachi's closet back then was no longer there and instead was replaced with a picture of Sasuke.
"It's much nicer than that mask, isn't it?" Itachi asked from behind him and Sasuke smiled gently, nodding his head.
"Yeah, I like it much more," he replied as Itachi wrapped his arms around his waist, kissing his temple gently.
"Welcome home Sasuke, I missed you," Itachi stated gently into his ear.
"It's good to be home Itachi, I missed you two," he replied as he leaned his head back, kissing Itachi gently, a ray of sunlight surrounding them both from the open window.
Even if they knew it wasn't truly real what mattered to them is that they got to stay together because that was what they both wanted, what they both needed.
As long as they had each other they would always be happy and as long as they resided in that house they would always feel at peace, with themselves, with their love and with everything that had happened.
Because that saying was right, home was where the heart was, but not only that.
Home was where the memories resided for Sasuke and Itachi, the memories of a better, happier life than what they had lived while apart.
That house held the memories of a life time of happiness, the memories that neither of them could ever forget, the memories that not only Itachi, but Sasuke as well, would always treasure above all else with one exception.
That exception being each other.