Irretrievable

Hello everybody! This is my first fanfic on this site, and it was almost spontaneous. I was working on another story when this popped into my head. I apologise now for any spelling or grammar mistakes, lol.

A.N. Just as another warning, this story does contain yaoi, violence and it's sad. Oh, and italics means that's someone's thoughts.

Sunlight streamed into the into the small bedroom, falling upon the covers of the bed tucked away in one of the corners. Tossing his head from side to side, the blonde, twenty-three year old Hokage tried to wake from his nightmare. His forehead was wrinkled and a bead of sweat ran down his face. Suddenly he woke with a start, breathing heavy, his muscles all tightened up painfully. Naruto sighed as he realised where he was and settled back down. He had another one of his nightmares. The strange thing was, they felt so real. They were a flurry of images, sounds and feelings, never resting on one long enough for Naruto to make out what they truly meant. He saw the night sky alight with a blazing red fire. He heard screams of people as pain rippled through him. But he knew for a fact that every time he had these dreams, he always felt as if someone had stabbed in through the heart.

Naruto had only told one person about these nightmares, and he was glad he did. Whenever he woke after one of his episodes all he had to do was look to the person lying next to him, the picture of their face being enough to calm his nerves and forget the visions. They would hold him until he thought of only the two of them being together.

Naruto looked over to the sleeping form of the black haired shinobi, his face peaceful and calm, his pale, bare chest slowly rising and falling. He couldn't help but smile at his lover as he studied his face like he did every morning before he got up. It was amazing to think they had been together for over two years; it seemed like a dream. A good one at that. It had all started just before he became the Hokage, and he didn't care what others thought of them. Because he loved the stubborn teme with all his heart.

Naruto carefully sat up and lifted the covers so as not to wake Sasuke. As he swung his legs out he felt a warm hand slip around his waist and pull him back. A soft kiss was planted on the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine. He leaned back into the body behind him as the arm wrapped around him tightened its grip tenderly.

"And where do you think you're going?" Sasuke said quietly, kissing his neck again.

Naruto smiled and turned to face him, looking into the deep obsidian eyes that he adored so much. "Just because you don't have work today doesn't mean that I don't either."

Sasuke let his lips brush against Naruto's. "Couldn't you take a day off?" he asked suggestively.

Naruto smiled and pulled his lover into a kiss, running his hand through the locks of black hair. When he pulled back he took a few breaths before speaking. "I'm sorry, not today. There's a big meeting I have to attend to. I am the Hokage after all." He quickly kissed Sasuke's forehead and swept out of the bed before the other could object.

Sasuke watched his naked lover turn into the bathroom and lock the door, and heard the shower being turned on. He sighed and got up, pulling on a pair of grey sweat pants. He might as well make him breakfast before he went to work. Making his way into the kitchen, Sasuke put water in the teapot and set it over the stove before taking out the food he was going to cook. By the time Naruto had finished washing, Sasuke had the meal on the table as the blonde walked into the room, wearing his customary black trousers and short sleeved t-shirt. He placed his white cloak over the back of the chair and Sasuke pulled him into his arms before he could sit down. Naruto laughed and snuggled into the taller man's chest, inhaling his scent.

"You're awfully clingly today," Naruto smiled as Sasuke released him, turning and passed him his tea.

"Sit down and eat your food," the Uchiha replied, pretending to ignore the comment. There's nothing wrong with being clingly, he thought to himself, smirking inwardly as he left the room to get the daily newspaper. But before he could even reach the front door, there was a shattering sound from behind and Sasuke whirled, and rushed back into the kitchen. He found Naruto standing exactly where he had left him, his eyes blank and a little wide. The tea cup he had been holding lay in pieces on the floor, the dark liquid flowing out over the white tiles. Carefully avoiding stepping of any sharp pieces, Sasuke went to Naruto and shook his shoulders lightly, bringing the azure eyes to his own.

"Are you okay? What's happened?" he asked.

Naruto blinked and put a hand to his forehead. "I'm not sure, I just suddenly got dizzy all of a sudden."

Concern filled Sasuke's features and he studied the other's face. "Maybe you shouldn't go in to work today if you're not feeling good."

Naruto waved him off and bent to pick up the shards on the floor. "Don't be silly, I'm fine," he smiled up at Sasuke who stood with his arms on his hips, not entirely believing what he said. He squinted his dark eyes at Naruto as he tipped the debris into the bin and turned back to him. "Really, I'm fine Sasuke," he repeated. The Uchiha grunted and picked up a cloth to wipe up the warm liquid on the floor, and for a second time put the tea pot on the stove.

Naruto continued to eat his meal and sip his tea after it was served to him. He watched as Sasuke held the paper in front of his face on the opposite side of the table, his hand occasionally coming around to lift his own cup. Naruto ate silently, trying to forget what had happened before. Right after Sasuke had left the room, the surface of his tea seemed to swirl and the cup heated up. Naruto could swear it looked as if he could sea fire in the depths of the cup, just like in his dream. For some reason, Naruto didn't want to tell Sasuke about the recurring nightmare he had that morning.

He finished his breakfast and left the dishes next to the sink. Sasuke had come up behind him and wrapped his arms around him before nuzzling into the back of the blondes hair. "Promise me if you don't feel well you'll come home?" he asked softly.

Naruto turned in his embrace and linked his arms around his slim waist. "I promise."

Sasuke smirked and kissed the blonde passionately, pushing him back against the counter and pressing his body against the other's. One hand traced up and down the small of Naruto's back while the other swept into his thick hair, pulling him in deeper to the kiss. A small moan escaped the blonde and Sasuke smiled inwardly. He bit down gently on Naruto's bottom lip, who opened his mouth and let the other's tongue enter. Sasuke explored his mouth eagerly, occasionally Naruto's tongue brushing against his own. Stopping for the need of air, Sasuke rested his forehead against his lover's, a smirk over his lips.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to stay?" he breathed out. He watched as Naruto opened his bright blue eyes and looked at him with a smile.

"I'm sure you could, but as much as I want to stay... I'll make it up to you later," he said before he disappeared with a poof of smoke, and Sasuke almost fell into the counter. He turned to see the grinning blonde at the door, his cloak around his broad shoulders and swaying around his ankles. "Cya!" he called as he blew Sasuke a kiss and disappeared from behind the door.

Sasuke shook his head as he smirked. No matter how long they had been together, he still found it annoying when Naruto managed to slip past him. But he did say he'd make it up to me later. The smirk grew larger as Sasuke leaned back and folded his arms. No matter how annoying the dobe was, he would always love him.

It had grown dark by the time Sasuke had laid the dinner out on the table, the aroma filling the air and making his mouth water. He knew Naruto would be home any minute, and settled down into his seat and waited patiently. It wasn't often Sasuke cooked for Naruto, but strangely he had taken an interest in it and occasionally made him something special. He had spent the day finishing an ANBU report before heading into town to buy food, and spent the last hour preparing the meal that now sat teasingly in front of him. Lifting his glass to his lips, he took a small sip and looked up to the clock. It wasn't like Naruto to be this late, and he would usually send a message if he was going to be working late.

A heavy knock came from the front door. Who could that be? The knock came again more impatiently this time as Sasuke stood and made his way over. "I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered, and pulled open the door. "Sakura?" he asked, surprise coming over his face. The pink haired sinobi stood in her full ANBU outfit, and was slightly out of breath.

"Sasuke-kun, hurry and get dressed, we're needed at the north gate. The village is under attack," she said in a rush, and Sasuke immediately turned and dashed into his room, throwing off his casual clothes and donning his own ANBU outfit.

"What about Naruto?" he called out to his friend as he buckled on his armour.

"He went ahead with another group of ANBU. This army of shinobi appeared out of no where and started pounding out walls. Some of them even got in and started a fire before being killed," Sakura informed him solemnly.

Grabbing his katana, Sasuke returned to the front door, following Saukra outside and closing the door behind him. They set out at a full run, heading for the north gate, jumping from building to building. Sasuke glance at the people below to see them returning to their homes hurriedly, forgetting about what ever they were supposed to be doing. His thoughts went to that of this shinobi army. Who could they be? And why are they attacking us? His mind went to Naruto, and prayed for his safety, even though he knew he could take care of himself, especially since he had the power of the kyubi to back him up. He knew Naruto wouldn't let anything happen to the village he cared for so much, but his determination worried Sasuke. What if they're more than he can handle?

Passing the Hokage's tower, Sasuke spotted a jounin coming from the direction they were heading. He skidded to a halt and shouted to the man, "What's the status on the battlefield?"

The man stopped and looked to him imploringly. "Our forces are being pushed back at an alarming rate, we need more men out there."

Sasuke took a step towards him, his eyes flashing. "What about the Hokage? What about Naruto?"

"I-I'm not sure, he was with the first squad that went in-"

That was all Sasuke needed to hear. He sent chakra to his feet, not minding to save his energy and bolted in the direction of the fight, Sakura not far behind him. He kept telling himself Naruto was fine, he was the strongest of them all. The darkened sky made it hard to see clearly, but he trusted his instincts. He soon passed the section of the city that had been set alight, and started to her screams. An eternity seemed to pass when he finally made it to the north wall, and looked out into the field. It was full of carnage. Blood covered the ground and bodies and fallen weapons lay littered about. The smell of death hung in the air as weapons rang out as they came into contact with another. His eyes widened as he looked out over the horizon, to the massive army that was slowly gaining ground. There were hundreds of them. No wonder why their forces were being pushed back. Even with all the ANBU taking part, Sasuke doubted they could push back the invading army's numbers. His obsidian eyes started the search for Naruto, watching out for his figure among the masses. He had already scanned the dead, and he didn't think he was there.

And then he saw him. Naruto stood with his own katana raised, blocking an overhead blow. His other hand came round and slammed a Rasengan into the enemy, blasting him back and killing the group behind him with the force of the technique. A small smile traced Sasuke's lips at seeing his lover alive, but it quickly faded as he watched as the army swarmed around him, over-running the other shinobi who stood in their way. They charged at the wall that protected the village, their bloody cries ringing through the air. He started to draw his katana when a bright red light burst out from the centre of the army, just where Naruto had been standing. Waves of chakra washed over him, almost making his knees buckle, running shivers all over his body. He knew the chakra was Naruto's mixed in with the Fox's, but he had never felt its full force. But he did now, and the pit of his stomach dropped. Nothing good could come from Naruto using his full power.

The red light started to slowly expand, crackling with energy as it sped up, creating a dome shape over the battle. The barrier came to a stop just in front of the wall, where the enemy hadn't reached yet. Sasuke could still see through the shield-like light, and saw that the enemy couldn't push past the barrier. And then they all started screaming. Their voices were filled with an agonising pain, and Sasuke watched as they convulsed and collapsed, withering on the ground like a fish out of water. And then everything went silent; not a sound could be heard in any direction.

A shock thundered through Sasuke's body as the red light imploded and an explosion pounded through the air and the earth, filled with the deadly chakra. Sasuke had to cover his ears at the deafening sound and fell to his knees as the ground shook, Sakura doing the same as she scrunched her eyes closed. Vibrations rolled through the two shinobi as they waited for the explosion to subside.

When it did, they carefully stood and looked out over the wall. Sakura gasped and Sasuke's eyes widened. It had all been destroyed. It was as if a hurricane had hit and left nothing in its wake. The destruction was beyond description; the bodies of all the soldiers lay disfigured on the blood-soaked ground, a million injuries covering their skin. It was hard to tell they had once been human. Panicked, Sasuke searched around, looking for that one person. His eyes double back when he spotted him, and relief washed through him to see the figure still standing.

Then he froze.

He watched with horror as the blonde slowly toppled back, his cloak falling around him as he fell. Sasuke heard himself cry out, but didn't realise he was doing it. He found himself jumping down from the wall, landing with a heavy thud, and rushing to the fallen body. He constantly tripped as he tried to get past the bodies, and reach the blonde. He heard voices call out behind him, but he didn't care; he just needed to get to him. He finally skidded onto his knees beside his lover, carefully lifting his head into his lap. Tears streamed down his face as he hastily checked Naruto's pulse, and felt it beating incredibly slow. The blonde started to cough as he came around and inhaled sharply as pain racketed his body. Sasuke looked over him to evaluate his wounds and was mortified. His clothes were ripped to shreds, and a thousand cuts covered his body, blood seeping out of them to soak Sasuke's own clothes. He winced when he saw the deep wound right over Naruto's heart.

"No... No... Naruto, hold on, help's coming..." Sasuke whispered as he held Naruto against him, rocking him gently.

The blonde opened his eyes and a single tear fell down his tanned cheek. "S-Sasuke..."

"Sshhh, save your strength," the Uchiha murmured softly, stroking the blonde's hair back. He was confused. Why wasn't the Fox healing him. He had always done that when Naruto was in danger.

"Naruto!" came the shout from behind him as Sakura finally caught up. She sank to her knees beside the couple and immediately started looking over the wounds, and grimaced at their extent.

"Can you heal him?" Sasuke almost pleaded, his eyes full of emotion. The pink haired shinobi looked up to him, and he knew that while Sakura was one of the most skilled medical shinobi, there were still some things that even she couldn't do.

She nodded and lifted her hands out over Naruto, only to have him grab her arm. She looked down at him with surprise. "You can't-" he started, but was caught with another fit of coughing.

"Naruto, you have to let her heal you. Please, let her heal you," Sasuke told him, tightening his hold on his lover.

Surprisingly, Naruto smiled. "I can't let you... If you heal me it would release the kyubi... the seal's too weak."

"But - but, Naruto-" Sakuru stammered, her eyes watering at what her friend was saying to her.

"I can't let what happened all those years ago happen again... the village will be destroyed," the blonde said slowly, but his voice was commanding.

"Naruto, stop-" Sasuke was interrupted as Naruto lifted a hand to his cheek, making him look him in the eye. His smile returned, full of reassurance. How can he be smiling? Sasuke thought.

Naruto's eyes were full of warmth as he looked at the Uchiha, and when he spoke his voice was full of emotion. "I love you...don't forget that teme."

Sasuke was physically shaking, his tears falling down his even paler skin. Pulling Naruto into his chest he rested his head over the blonde's. "I love you too dobe," he almost choked out.

He didn't know how long he sat there, holding his lover in his arms, rocking him softly. He didn't notice the people that had gathered around them; their hushed wispers or their quiet crying. Only when he felt the body he held relax did he open his eyes and look down. Naruto was still, his only movement was the light breeze brushing against his hair. Sasuke couldn't breath. His chest tightened and his heart felt as if it had stopped. He gently shook the prone form as if to wake him up, but there was no response. He shook him a little harder and called out his name, but still nothing changed. He felt a hand grip his arm and he tore his eyes away from Naruto's calm face.

"He's gone Sasuke... there was nothing we could do," Sakura said sadly.

He didn't believe her. He couldn't be dead. He was Naruto Uzumaki; the greatest Hokage there ever was. He couldn't be dead.

But he was.

He no longer took a breath to fill his lungs with air. He no longer smiled at him and told him everything was going to be alright. He no longer kissed him and told him he loved him. He no longer held him as they lay together, talking about everyday things.

He was gone.

The funeral was held shortly after, the whole village had come to pay their respects. They stood, clad in black, and listened to people's memories of the bright, bubbly boy that had given his life to save them all. They lay flowers at his coffin as they said their last goodbyes.

Sasuke stood numbly next to Sakura and Kakashi, staring blankly at the photo placed on the stand before them. He wasn't crying. All his tears had been dried up. He felt like a chunk of himself had been torn away, and he couldn't function without it. His movements were rigid, and he barely spoke. He blocked everything out as he tried to think of every waking minute he had with the blonde. He didn't want to forget him. He still felt as if he would walk around the corner with that grin on his face, or he would roll over in bed and be met with the sight of him. It didn't feel like he was gone.

Sasuke allowed himself to be taken home, and he stood still inside the dark hallway after whoever had brought him had left. He expected the blonde to come bounding out and give him a hug. But he didn't.

Sasuke wandered into the kitchen, and froze when he saw the table. Vaguely he thought, the dinner must be cold.

Well, I hope you liked that, so please leave a review! It would be much appreciated! Thanks!

KCT