A/N: I've wanted to write this fanfiction for awhile now. This is the one story I've knocked off my list of fourteen stories to write. I'm not making much progress, heh…Anyways; I hope you enjoy it, because although it's short I did enjoy writing it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I never will…unfortunately.
Recurring Nightmare
Uzumaki Naruto hoped that the only time he would again have to see his best friend running from him, out of his reach, would be in his memories.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
For every time the blonde shinobi closed his eyes at night, he was forced to desperately chase after Uchiha Sasuke, but never to reach him. His fingertips were always an inch away from his friend's back. It seemed there was always a barrier, determined to thwart Naruto in his quest to save the Uchiha.
It was the same every time, every nightmare. Naruto never traveled any farther; his fingers remained the same distance away every time…
Trees flashed past Naruto as he leapt from branch to branch, pushing his legs to their ultimate limit. He was so close; he couldn't allow his limbs to fail him now!
Just ahead of him a pale, dark haired boy raced forward like there was no tomorrow, eager to reach his destination.
The red and white fan on Sasuke's back was Naruto's objective. If he could only grasp that symbol, then he could hold fast to his friend and prevent him from going any farther.
He was only a few feet behind the Uchiha now. Sasuke didn't seem to notice him.
The Kyuubi container stretched his arm forward eagerly, his fingertips greedily snatching at the fabric. This was it! He would conquer this time! He felt soft cloth brush his fingertips and thought he finally broke through the invisible barrier.
He attempted to clamp his fingers down on the shirt like a crane snatching a cheap child's toy. However, like cranes usually come back mocking and clutching nothing, Naruto's hand grasped empty air.
It was a trick of the wind inflating Sasuke's shirt, making it seem more accessible. However, the barrier was still there, and as soon as the wind quenched its thirst to tease the blonde boy, the barrier prevented his fingers from coming more than an inch near the navy blue shirt.
Uchiha Sasuke began fading into darkness, and as much as Naruto tried, he couldn't follow his friend into the lightless depths. It seems like the two friends were destined to follow separate paths, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.
The young Uchiha vanished into the darkness, and Naruto could do nothing to stop him.
Would this repetition of hopelessness never end?
Uzumaki Naruto awoke in the same position he did every morning; sitting up twisted in his sheets, drenched in a cold sweat, his arms outstretched, grasping for someone who left years ago.
Was it destiny for him to never reach Sasuke? Was it karma that the two never be reunited? Well, Naruto was never one to believe in fate.
Two and a half years after Uchiha Sasuke left Konoha, and Naruto is still running, charging through his nightmare, chasing his friend through the Land of Dreams. He hopes that someday his nightmare will become reality and his fingers will firmly clutch his friend's shirt instead of desperately grasping at navy cloth, his fingers forever an inch away from the red and white fan.
