I don't know what in the hell motivated me to write this, it was just a depressing plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone. And its the first one that goes past my usual Sasuke/Naruto friendship fics by a little. Takes place in the Valley of the End, but is an alternate ending. I was a little hesitant about posting this, since the English version of the Valley of the End recently aired already, and make it seem so cliche', but I was already writing this before they aired it anyway.

Warning: Vague spoilers for those who haven't seen the Naruto vs. Sasuke fight yet. Character deaths.

I don't own Naruto.

Endless Rain

There is nothing but the sound of endless rain.

Shake.

"Dobe, get up."

He doesn't move and the rain only amplifies the silence.

Another shake.

"Dobe!"

The other boy reaches over and shakes him harder. He keeps calling, but the boy on the ground won't wake.

"...Dobe..."

A finger traces the boy's tanned neck, searching for a pulse. When he doesn't find one, the fingers tightened their grip on the collar of his orange jacket. He's pleading now, just to hear one "teme!" to escape his lips.

"Dobe...please..."

Both their clothes are soaked in blood and sweat, the rain mixing them together on their bodies and on the ground. He realizes that they've both been in this spot for two days...fighting each other...the last thing he could remember at the moment was suddenly waking up on the ground, the rain at first lightly hitting him on the face enough to wake him up, but then starting to turn into a downpour.

The fingers from earlier go to the boys blond hair, absentmindedly running through his surprisingly silk-like hair. Blood from the other's face drips down and hits the blond boy's headband.

"...What have I done? I...I never..."

The other one is shaking now, one hand running through the blonde's hair, the other grasping his own headband that had come off during the fight, the metal practically cutting into the palm of his hand. He's biting his lower lip to stop himself from screaming.

A choked sob comes from his throat and he's doing all he can not to lose it completely. After a few minutes, he's able to control the pathetic noise that had come out, but he can't stop the tears.

He leans over, looking at the blonde's closed eyes, and, if not for the first time, wishing for them to open to reveal their usual deep blue. His own eyes are red, but not from his Sharingan, now they are red from crying.

He's thinking back now, back to when this all started. In his own foolishness, he had run away forcing the blond to come after him. He would never admit out loud that he had been shocked, but secretly happy, that the blond had come all this way to bring him back home, but he was blind, blinded by power and darkness. Even though he had spoken such harsh words, somewhere deep in the back of his mind he was telling himself that it was just the damn curse-mark talking. And so, they fought it out in the Valley of the End, each of them connecting with one final attack. Quite fitting, he thought bitterly, for everything to "end" here. And after listening to his speech about how he saw Sasuke like a brother, he had a strange thought. Would it have made him no better than his own brother, to kill his "brother", as the blond had put it? (although, he had a strange leaping feeling in the pit of his stomach that he thought of him like a brother and not like...)

He had also been angry at the blond too. Didn't he understand how important this was to him? To kill his brother by any means necessary? But he knew deep down that even if it had been the only way, to kill the only person that had ever meant anything to him, he wouldn't, no, couldn't have done it. It would have only made his bastard brother happy. But...somehow...he had succeeded...but he had never meant for this to happen...

When the attack connected, the blond, instead of going for a more fatal attack, had instead simply reached up and scratched his headband. In his own surprise at this action, it had caused his hand to go further into the blonde's chest, as he had thought of moving his hand to hit a different, less fatal spot. And, because of his hand moving further in, he thought he had heard the blond gasp before the hand that had simply scratched his headband suddenly shot outward and impaled him in the chest. He tried not to think about the claws breaking through to the other side, but the pain definitely hurt like hell. It hurt worse than the cursed wings that were protruding out of his back moments ago.

And the part that really sucked about this was that, when waking up, he had shakily laughed, waiting for the power that was promised to him, the reward for killing his best friend. But nothing had happened. His brother had lied. Killing your best friend wasn't enough. He had done it for nothing.

The Uchiha boy's hand suddenly leaves the blonde's hair, grabbing his chest, gasping and choking in pain. His heart feels like it's on fire. Blood spills between his lips, droplets hitting the back of his hands.

He realizes that he is dying too. Whether from internal injury or heartbreak, he doesn't know. He leans back over his best friend, the rain as unrelenting as before, and yet it doesn't wash away his blood or tears.

He remembers the very beginning. He remembers the idiot jumping on his desk, the two of them glaring daggers. He remembers the boy suddenly lurching forward without warning and kissing him.

Admittedly, he was shocked and outraged, but then...why did it take so long for them to break apart?

When they finally did, they had stared at each other for the longest moment, like as if no time was passing by. Maybe to the others, it was just an accident or the others own clumsiness, but something had passed between each others eyes. Of course, he knew they both had to save face and spout curses and death threats at each other, but whether they really knew it or not, it marked one of the biggest points of their friendship.

Ever since then, the Uchiha was filled with strange plaguing thoughts and dreams-training and hanging out with him, being alone with him, hands casually connecting, of kissing him and being closer to him. But he kept telling himself every time the cursed feelings came that it was just the dobe tricking him or confusing him with some hex or jutsu.

And many times before, when they had both been at deaths door before...like in the Land of Waves, which was one instance he always couldn't get out of his mind. Why had he moved in front of him, to protect him? Why did he tell him, as he lay in his arms, about the need to kill his brother? Had he been afraid that he was going to die before accomplishing that goal? Or was it that he wanted to make sure that someone could do it for him if he couldn't? Or, an even crazier idea, that he wanted the blond to lean in closer just like before in school?

Maybe that had been the real beginning of it all. A kiss.

Maybe it could be the ending too.

The boy now leans down, his bloody lips brushing against the others cold blue lips.

But then he pulls away. It wouldn't be right to kiss his dead friend.

His heart lurches again, faster and faster, but he doesn't gasp in pain. He simply lays his head down on his blonde's chest, his headband slipping from his grip, now laying where his hand was holding the band part while the other half was brushing against his blonde's hand. His breath is coming out in spasms, eyes dulling as his other hand places itself over his blonde's heart, as if trying to feel for the blonde's non-existent heartbeat, while his own is speeding and practically ringing in his ears. In some cruel irony, he watches as his own blood mixes with the blonde's beneath them.

He wants to yell and curse at the blond for dying on him; he want to apologize over and over again and confess his true feelings, but only one word is spoken.

"Naruto..."

His imagination begins to play tricks on him, as he sees a flickering image of Naruto's lips moving as well, smiling and whispering...

"Sasuke..."

Sasuke sheds one last tear before closing his eyes, a smile on his lips and they move ever so slightly as if he is trying to say 'I love you' before...

His heart stops.

There is nothing but the sound of endless rain once more.