It was raining.
Why is it always raining?
I hate the rain. I hate it.
Make it stop.
"Please," I say, "make it stop."
The rain continued on, ignoring me, and God did not reach out his hand to brush away the steel-wool clouds covering the sky.
I lay there, feeling the mud against the back of my neck, not caring anymore, knowing I was going to die as surely as the day I was born.
Beside me, Sasuke slumped against the boulder, a hole through his shoulder, as beaten as I was. His eyes were closed, but I knew he was alive by the slight movement of his chest and the grimace of pain on his face.
I had failed for the last time, but at least, at least, I had the rain to clean me one last time. Even if it made my body colder than it was already growing. Rain has that effect.
"See you, Sasuke." I said.
Bastard that he is, he didn't answer.
A raven landed on my chest, beady black eyes watching my blue ones keenly, with an intelligence that startled me.
Not dead yet.
I'm not dead yet.
I couldn't feel anything anymore. I didn't know whether it was from the icy rain plopping onto my face, or the fact that I'd lost enough blood to summon an army of Gamabuntas and Gamakichis. I guessed it was a combination of the two.
"I guess, this is the last time, eh?" I said, keeping an eye on the scavenger on my chest. You'd better wait until I'm dead, bird.
Still no answer. Not that I'd expected one. His great Uchiha pride probably did not permit him to speak to the man who had as good as killed him, even if that man was dying himself.
I wished Sakura was there to heal us, but changed my mind.
She would only cry harder for the two of us, and I was tired of making her cry.
Sakura deserved happiness, not more misery, which was why I had left on my own to find Sasuke, even though I'd known that this would be the result. I didn't mind though. If we both died, at least this way there was no winner and no loser. A tie. We could both live with that.
The blackness, which had been hovering at the edge of my vision for the past hour closed in a little more.
"At least... At least we got..." When had speaking become so difficult? "to meet each other... one more time." I said, grinning. I hoped I didn't look like a fish. The bird flapped its wings, knocked slightly off-balance by my wheezing gasps, and resumed watching me.
Was that the Sharingan I saw in its eye? No. I turned to look at Sasuke, to see if he'd noticed the bird, which had not made a sound as of yet.
"Dobe..." Sasuke said, his eyes still closed. "Shut... up... we'll see each other again... in our next lives..."
"Is that a promise, teme?" I asked, closing my eyes and making the darkness complete.
"Hn."
I slipped into the void with a sigh, no longer able to maintain my hold on this plane.
Nevermore.
A/N: I know, I know, I should be working on Sleeping Beauty. Shhhhhhhhh. I had no choice, rabid plot tigers held me hostage until I finished writing this.
R&R please!