You And Me

Naruto jumps from branch to branch as fast as he can. Thoughts have been coursing through his mind like a whirlwind ever since he got the news. This may just be his last chance… Naruto feels warm tears stream over his cheeks but makes no effort to wipe them away. He grew used to crying a long time ago; he grew used to loneliness a long time ago.

When the trees in front of him slightly thin out Naruto feels his heart leap into his throat. It should be near here… Finally, the blonde reaches the opening in the woods and he jumps down from the last tree. He feels his muscles tense and his senses are on edge. His eyes scan the environment, but they discover nothing. Cautiously, Naruto takes a few steps forward. He barely dodges the kunai thrown at him from the shaded trees. As he whirls around to face his opponent a spark of hope ignites deep down. Maybe this will all end today… Naruto can vaguely make out a familiar silhouette across the opening.

"Just come out, teme…" he calls out. The silhouette stirrs slightly but does not move. Naruto sighs and his eyes find the floor instinctively. "So this is how things are going to be?" he mutters sadly. He quickly makes several familiar seals. "Kage bunshin no jutsu…" the blonde whispers softly. Clouds of smoke appear around him and the blonde is soon surrounded by several replica's of himself. The clones scatter around the forest and leave Naruto standing in the middle of the opening by himself. The blonde's eyes are still focussed on the grass beneath him, and it isn't until he hears the clattering of metal meeting metal that he looks up. He sees the familiar clouds of smoke come up with every clone that gets destroyed.

"You know you can't defeat me with a weak jutsu like that, dobe…" a cold, icy voice calls out from underneath the trees. Finally the man that has been hiding all along moves away from his safe shelter. Naruto feels something in his chest stirr slightly as his eyes meet with the familiar coal black colour of his ex-lover's eyes. The man has matured, that much is certain, but he still very closely resembles the boy Naruto once stuttered a clumsy confession to. Raven black hair surrounds his face, and the back is slightly shorter and spiked up as usual. Coal black eyes look at the blonde coldly, and he feels himself squirm underneath the intense gaze.

"Sasuke…" Naruto vaguely hears himself breathe out between clenches teeth. Just seeing the raven tears open all the old scars that the blonde had tried to forget about. Tears sting in the corners of his eyes again and this time Naruto brings up the effort to raise his arm and wipe them away. "Sasuke… You did it, right? You killed him." the blonde called out hesitantly. The raven neither acknowledges or denies this; instead, he pulls his sword and takes a step forward. Naruto feels his heart crack, but that little bit of hope still burns bravely. Maybe, just maybe he can convince him…

When the raven moves forward, Naruto pulls his own kunai and barely deflects the long sword. After deflecting another series of attacs he manages to jump back and create some distance between him and Sasuke. He isn't here to fight the raven; he just wants to talk to him.

"You're not serious, Naruto…" the raven calls out to him. "You will die if you don't get serious…" Suddenly, Sasuke is right in front of him and Naruto sees the sword move forward. The blonde knows he can't dodge the attack, but he slightly turns his body anyway. When he feels the metal pierce his shoulder, pain shoots up through his arm like a thousand hot needles. Before the raven can pull back and strike again, Naruto grabs his hand and raises his eyes to meet Sasuke's. The raven looks at him, slightly surprised.

"I don't want to fight you anymore…" the blonde breathes out. The coal black eyes of his ex-lover stay as unreadable as ever. It's true… Naruto can't stand to fight the raven any longer. He has worked long and hard to surpass the Uchiha, but it never seemed to be enough. Whenever the blonde puts a scratch on him, whenever he lands a punch, he feels his resolve crumble more. He cannot stand to hurt the Uchiha. It hurts him more than anything. Nontheless, Naruto lets go of the raven's arm and pushes himself away. After creating some distance again the blonde looks up.

Sasuke is still standing in the exact same spot. His sword is hanging to the ground and crimson red blood drips from its tip. The man's face is unreadable, and Naruto slowly starts gathering the courage to ask the one thing he needs to know. The Uchiha's answer will determine what happens next…

"I know Itachi is dead…" Naruto mutters barely loud enough for Sasuke to hear. The raven slightly raises his head at the statement. "Sasuke… Come home with me." There, he said it. Now everything is up to his ex-lover. Sasuke turns his head to meet the blonde's eyes. His face is still unreadable when he opens his mouth.

"Konoha is no longer my home…"

Naruto feels his heart shatter in his chest. The little flame of hope dies inside of him, and defeat washes over him. The blonde feels his head drop. His mind is wiped clean of thought, his heart is pulsing and bleeding; his body is shaking on his legs. Tears no stream over his cheeks freely, and the blonde has no will left to wipe them away.

"I see…" Naruto takes a few steps towards the Uchiha. "Then there is only one thing left for me to do…" The blonde leaps forward, catching the raven off guard. Sasuke instinctively raises his sword in defense.

A small smile spreads over his face when Naruto feels the sword pierce the soft flesh of his stomach. He vaguely made out the sound of his kunai hitting the floor behind him. With all the strength left in him he wraps his arms around Sasuke's neck and rests his head on the raven's chest. He feels warm tears drop onto his shoulders and his smile only grows a bit wider.

"Don't worry Sasuke… I never stopped loving you." the blonde breathes out. He can taste the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and vaguely notices the warm liquid flow over his lips.

"Why?" Naruto hears the slight quiver in the Uchiha's voice.

"I don't want to fight you anymore, Sasuke. I don't want to fight the loneliness you left behind anymore…" Naruto feels the sword being pulled out of his stomach. When his back hits the ground softly he opens his eyes. His vision is blurry, but he can make out the familiar person bending over him. He feels the raven's tears land on his cheeks, and with a smile he brings up his hand to stroke his lover's face. Sasuke entertwines their fingers, and Naruto can vaguely make out that he is leaning down. When he feels the Uchiha's soft lips connect to his, Naruto feels his broken, bleeding heart mend even the slightest. The blonde feels his body become heavy, and the pain slowly ebbs away.

"I never stopped loving you either, dobe…" He hears the raven whisper softly. Then, the Uchiha's grip on his hand tightens slightly. "I'll come home with you… Just don't give up on me, Naruto!" The blonde wants to smile, but his muscles won't respond to him. It seems like Sasuke finally understands…