Vale, Amico.

Rated K+. Genre: Tragedy, Hurt/Comfort

Warnings: Character death. OOC Sasuke.

A/N: I came up with this after finishing a random doodle/sketch of Sakura, her face horrified and heartbroken, streaked with tears. So, yah.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

I would never bring myself to forget that horrified, heartbroken look she had on her face. There she was, waiting for me—for us—in the gates. It was nearly midnight, and rain had just stopped pouring. She was wearing nothing but a sleeveless white dress. She was barefooted, and she held her hands in fists close to her chest, hoping that I would finally be back with him. With them.

As she came into clearing, her hopeful, worried face turned into that soul-twisting expression filled with horror, disbelief, and total despair. She stared at me first, and then at the limp, lifeless body I held in my arms.

"Oh—" her voice sounded so frail and so broken "Oh, no. Please, no."

There was so much desperation in her voice.

"I couldn't," I said, my voice tired and low, "bring him back."

Her chest started heaving. One hand covered her mouth, one clenched at the cloth over her heart. She staggered forward, almost falling. "Naruto." She said breathlessly. I was only a few feet away from her when she ran to me and cupped my best friend's cheeks in her hands.

"I…" I said, surprised at how cracked my voice came out. "I tried to bring him back, Sakura. I couldn't." I'm so sorry.

And a sob broke through the night.

The guards rushed to Sakura and got Naruto—they took him to the ER, although I knew in my heart that this ray of sunshine was gone. Forever.

I wanted to run after them, but I couldn't. My chakra was utterly depleted, and I was unimaginably tired. Instead, I collapsed to my knees. Sakura stared at me. Her eyes were wide and accusing. Dark bags under her eyes showed signs of no sleep. Her mouth was closed tightly. Her whole body was trembling.

"Why?" was her unspoken question.

We held our gazes.

"It was the final blow." I said silently. "The usual Chidori-Rasengan. Before I could pull back, he uttered three words that changed my heart and my mind."

"What?" Her voice was as soft as a feather.

"I…" My voice cracked and my cheeks got wet. Sakura stared at me, partially in disbelief. "I love you."

After that, I fell forward, and Sakura caught me. "Oh, Sasuke-kun." I was soaking her skirt with my tears. Her hands were wrapped around me, as if she was hugging me.

"I killed Naruto, Sakura." I cried. "I killed my own best friend."

I got no reply from Sakura. I only felt her go stiff and cry harder.

"I tried to heal him. I did." I continued. "He stopped me. He smiled. He told me not to."

Sakura was sobbing now, her moans ringing through my ears.

"I insisted, then he hugged me, completely surprising me. You know what he said?"

I heard Sakura say a muffled "what?"

"Welcome home, Sasuke."

After that, I fell into a pool of darkness.

The next time I opened my eyes, I saw white. I tried blinking. Once, twice, three times before realizing that my vision's blurred and I couldn't make out anything. I tried moving my body, but it hurt too much. I heard a slow, steady-paced beeping sound. My vision cleared, and I looked around to see that I was inside a white-washed room. A hospital room. I was dressed in a thin, blue-green hospital gown. I was covered waist-down in a white blanket. I looked a bit to the right to find a mass of pink hair beside my covered hip. A small, white hand was loosely gripping mine.

Sakura.

I mustered up enough strength to weave my fingers through her hair. She suddenly got up and looked at me with surprised eyes. The shadows under her eyes were darker. Her face was completely pale. Her lips were dry and cracked. Her cheeks were streaked with dry tears.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun. You're awake." Her voice cracked, too.

"How… long?" I managed to say.

"Two days." She smiled weakly, her eyes distant.

"I'm sorry, Sakura." I said, gripping her hand. "I know no one would forgive me, but I am sorry."

She sighed and looked at me. She looked exhausted. Her eyes were glassy. She was obviously holding back her tears.

"I… I don't want to forgive you, Sasuke-kun." Her lip quivered when she spoke. "But I can't bring myself to not forgive you, you know? And… Naruto… He would be mad at me for not forgiving you. This is what he trained his whole life for, anyway. You were his goal, Sasuke-kun. And he's accomplished it."

"He's…" I said, my voice soft and low, "a hero."

"I know." She turned to look away from me, but from the way her shoulders were tensed up and shaking, I knew she was crying. She inhaled loudly and wiped her tears before looking at me. "His death wasn't only because of your Chidori, or your battle, Sasuke." She said. "Tsunade and the rest looked into it. Your Chidori really wasn't that—no offense—effective since you were probably chakra-depleted as well, although it delivered a big blow that contributed to his early death." She exhaled a breath I didn't notice she was holding in. "His battle with Tobi… it took too much out of him. If it weren't for the Nine Tails, he would've been… dead before he faced you."

Sakura had a sad smile on her face and she was gazing out of the window, as if she were in a dream.

"What's my punishment?" I asked. She looked at me slowly.

"Tsunade and the rest are still discussing it. As of now, reparation of Konoha is still top priority. You're free to roam around, provided that I'm always with you." She said. "You stay with me first, since your previous apartment had been burned down."

I let out a weary sigh and looked at my hand still placed on top of hers. She wasn't pulling away, but she wasn't holding my hand back, either.

"I told Tsunade how sorry you were." She suddenly, quietly, said. "She said that, as much as everybody would want to—or not want to—forgive you, you would have to go through punishment since you were allied with Akatsuki and you have committed some crimes while you were at it."

"I know." I said. "And I killed Naruto." My voice sounded heavy and distant. Guilt welled up in my chest, making my lungs suffocate.

"You contributed to killing Naruto. It's not entirely your fault." She sighed, her eyes not meeting mine. "If that makes you feel any better." She added lamely.

But if I didn't use Chidori on him… I wanted to say, but no words left my mouth. If I didn't be such a stubborn, selfish jackass he wouldn't have died! I killed him. Don't you see, Sakura? I tried healing him, but I stopped. I could have… I could have done something!

My mind was screaming. My body swirled in pain. I gasp sharply and grip the bedsheets on my sides.

"Sasuke-kun? Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's voice was full of alarm. I felt tears sting the back of my eyes, but no tears came. The last thing I saw before being swallowed up by the darkness was pink hair and worried, green eyes.

x-x-x

I stare at myself at the mirror with self-loathing and disgust. I was clad in black—a black shirt, black pants and black ninja shoes. I had just been discharged from the hospital this morning to attend Naruto's funeral. I see Sakura come up behind me and put a reassuring hand around mine.

"I don't deserve to be there." I say. Sakura shakes her head.

"Naruto would kill you if you don't go." She says, a sad, half-smile gracing her lips.

I wish he just did, I think, but not say. I cast a glance at Sakura, wearing black, too—black blouse, black skirt and black sandals. Her short, pink hair is tied up into a half-pony. She has no make-up on.

"Let's go, Sasuke-kun." She whispers, slightly tugging at my hand. We head for the door. She locks it, and holds my hand again. We get out of the apartment and join the crowd, since everyone is heading for the same destination. All the villagers are clad in black. It's a cloudy day, and sunlight barely seeped through. Some villagers cast me spare me an angry glance. Some accusing, some sad, some pitiful. I know Sakura heard me suck in a breath, since her grip on my hand tightened.

"Sasuke-kun, don't mind them." She says. She interlaces her fingers with mine and we walk silently to the base of the Hokage mountain. As we arrive, I see many familiar faces seated in front of the black coffin. I feel heated gazes and glares on my back as Sakura and I quietly walk to the front. I suck in a breath as I look down upon my dear friend's peaceful face. Even if he's dead, I could still feel life radiating from him. If his heart still beat and he is just simply asleep, I would smile.

But I won't. Because he's not just asleep, and his heart is not beating. All because of me, I think. I feel tears slide down my cheeks. All because of me.

"I know what you are thinking." Sakura's voice is soft and cracked. "Please, Sasuke-kun. Don't take all the blame. Naruto, he… He would forgive you. He is happy you are back. He…" Her voice disappears, a whimper taking its place. I wrap my arm around her and embrace her—obviously surprising her—and silently cry on her shoulder, not for the purpose of comforting her, but for the purpose of having someone for me to hold on to.

"S-sasuke-kun…" Her voice was small, but surprised. She let herself relax a bit then she wraps her arms around me, rubbing my back. "It's okay… Naruto will forgive you, I know it. I just do."

But I can't…

I imagine his grinning face before I slammed my Chidori into his chest. I remember how peaceful he looked when he told me to stop healing him. I remember all the times we've hung out, all the times we've fought, and finally think that, yes, Naruto would forgive me.

But I couldn't forgive myself.

Sakura lets go and we walk to the two vacant chairs in the front row. She's seated beside Ino, while I am beside Kakashi.

"Kakashi." I say quietly. He looks as indifferent as ever, someone who doesn't know him would think. But I was his student. I can see the dark shadows under his eyes. I know that he's hurting inside. "I…"

"I know, Sasuke." He says, his voice tired. His hand was on my shoulder. "Don't blame yourself. Naruto is a ninja. Ninjas aren't assured safety or a long life. This is who we are, and this is what we do. Naruto's death is… inevitable."

"But Kakashi—"

"Let me tell you something, Sasuke." His hand is already on my shoulder. "I'll be honest that I still blame myself because of this. I shouldn't have let him go so easily, knowing that his fight with Tobi drained his energy. But that is what he wanted. To fight you, and to bring you home."

Tsunade walks up and starts to say her parting words. Hinata, who is behind me, is sobbing, Neji comforting her. My eyes travel to the side where I see Kiba biting his lip so hard it's starting to bleed. Sakura is crying on Ino's shoulder; the blonde, also albeit quietly, sobbing. To my right, Iruka's glassy eyes say that he is trying his best not to cry. Sai, a boy whose emotions have been drained, is holding a wistful expression on his face. Rock Lee is on the verge of tears. I look back at Tsunade, who has obviously been crying, as she delivers her speech. I look at the pictures on Naruto's coffin. There is a picture of himself, a picture of him and Iruka during his genin days, a picture of the Konoha eleven, a picture of the new Team Seven and a picture of the old Team Seven. Tsunade calls up Naruto's friends one by one to give their last words. I'm surprised to see his friends from the other village come up and say their goodbyes to Naruto. Gaara, Idate… Even Inari. People say their teary speeches. Sakura just finished. I'm next.

I stand up in front of the crowd. No one is crying anymore. I take a deep breath and look at Sakura, and begin to speak.

"Naruto… Dobe. I know you would forgive me." My voice is softer than expected. I notice some people look at me in surprise—Sasuke Uchiha can actually show emotions?—but I shrug it off. "But I hope that I would be able to forgive myself for your sake. I… You're my best friend, and I… I would do the same for you." I look at his coffin and force myself to smile a little. For Naruto. "I love you too, buddy. Thank you for bringing me home." I walk back to my seat feeling empty and drained inside. Sakura holds my hand and gives a small, reassuring smile. I try to smile back, but I fail. Slowly, people start to line up to give their final prayers and flowers for Naruto. Sakura and I give him each a pink rose since it symbolized friendship. I place my rose on top of the other colorful flowers and stare at his calm face.

"Thank you, Naruto Uzumaki."

Sakura and I stay until Naruto's coffin is buried. A lot of the people leave after that. Naruto's closest friends—the Kazekage, Konohamaru and Iruka, Konoha Eleven, Tsunade and Team Seven—remain. They chat among themselves. Sakura and I just sit quietly.

"Hey, Saks." Kiba went in front of us. "Hey, Uchiha."

"Kiba." Sakura manages a small smile. "Hinata." I turn to look at the pale-eyed Hyuuga beside Kiba. Little by little, Konoha Eleven were gathered around us.

"Sasuke-san good to have you back!" Lee says, almost as if nothing happened. "I am looking forward to that unfinished match of ours!"

"Maybe some other time, Lee." I give him a tired smirk.

"Sasuke-kun, it's… good you're back." Ino smiled. I nod at her. Pretty soon, all of us, including Sai, of course, are chatting about memories with Naruto with half smiles on our faces. I am about to apologize but Sakura held my hand and shook her head, a small smile on her lips. I decide to follow her and continue to listen to their stories. I will not bring up my wrongdoings to ruin this moment of remembering Naruto. Most of us are teary-eyed, but we are happy that Naruto can rest, after all he's done to us.

I watch as one by one they leave, saying goodbye to Sakura and, to my surprise, me. I would give them a little nod and the occasional, almost not visible smile. Sakura and I walk back to the apartment. There are still wistful glances, but it isn't as bad as before.

"Say, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asks as she removes her shoes.

"Hn?" I tilt my head slightly.

"I haven't told you this, but…" She looks at me and, for the first time since I have arrived, smiled. Her arms are outstretched, as if motioning me to hug her. I awkwardly step forward and let her wrap her arms around my body.

"What?" I ask quietly. I feel her smile against my shoulder.

"Welcome home."

Well, based on Google Translate, Vale, amico means "Farewell, dear friend." IDK why I used Latin. I just felt compelled to do so.

And you're wondering the time setting there. It was after the war. Sasuke and Naruto fought for days, that's why Sakura was already back at Konoha. There :) And the original drawing that I randomly drew/visualized was Sakura crying, waiting in the gates of Konoha, wearing a white dress. So Yah.

AND Naruto and Sasuke's "I love you" exchange has no yaoi intent, okay? It's as manly bffs, okay? It's not yaoi, dammit!

Haha.

R&R, please :)

KiiroIka