Alright! Chapter 2, here we go! Hopefully this chapter will be a little longer.
I'd like thank those who reviewed positively and also those who have fav'd the story. =) You guys are awesome.
I'm kind of just writing this as I go and it hasn't been beta'd so bare with me. If there are any mistakes, I'm sorry. ^^;
Anyway…to the story!
In The End
Chapter 2: The Fated Meeting
*(Naruto POV)*
"Naruto," Sasuke drawled out, his voice void of emotion. It was more of a mere statement than any sort of acknowledgement and held no semblance to a greeting.
I stared at him wide-eyed. I almost couldn't believe that he was standing here not but 5 feet from me. So long…it'd been so long since I'd last seen him. He'd definitely grown some, as had I. He stood before me in a high collared snow white shirt bearing the trademark Uchiha symbol upon its back. His navy blue pants came up over his shirt, tied with that ridiculous purple rope he'd picked up at some point in his time with Orochimaru. His eyes were cold and dark, but they were set to the same onyx color I'd always remembered. Those same eyes haunted my memories. Either he didn't perceive me as a threat, or he was just waiting for the right moment to activate his eyes. His face bore no emotion and it almost seemed as if he was bored with my presence.
I clambered for words to form in my mouth; to say something, but no words would come out. It was as if I was frozen in his gaze, caught like a deer in a bright light. My fists trembled slightly at my sides. If my fingers pressed any harder, I think my nails would cut into my hand. I finally mustered up enough composure to say something.
"Why haven't you come back?" I spat out. Oh great Naruto. Real smooth. Like the answer to that is going to have changed since our last meeting. I thought angrily to myself.
He stared at me, devoid of emotion. "Dobe," was all he uttered. It was quiet and I almost didn't hear it. It was almost surreal hearing that name come from his mouth again. His pet name for me had always irritated me in the past but now, it almost seemed like a term of endearment.
I took a tentative step towards him. "You know…you don't have to do this…to be this way. You accomplished your goal. Why can't you come back now? Why have you let your hatred consume you!? I thought you were better than that Teme! I sure as hell thought you were smarter than that! You're supposed to be a god damn genius! But no! You run off like some crazed madman, pursuing god knows what and it just seems so silly now!" My words had started off quiet, but by the time I had finished, I was ranting loudly.
He just stared at me, blinking once as if everything I'd said was insignificant. I'm definitely going to wipe that damn look off his face. He thinks he's so much better than everyone else. Well his arrogance will be his downfall today.
"DAMN IT! I've had enough of this! It's like talking to a brick wall!" I growled out in anger, raising my fists level with my hips.
He scoffed, a small devious grin playing upon his lips. "Tch…you're one to talk Dobe."
That's it…I'm going to break every bone in his body and beat him into a bloody pulp before dragging him by his hair back to Konoha. He needed some god damn sense knocked into him. I should have realized long ago that my words would never reach him. I flew forward in a sudden burst, closing the gap in between us quickly. My fist was raised up, poised for attack. If it'd been anybody else, it would have connected with their face. But this was Sasuke and he'd always been one step ahead of me. He fluidly dodged my punch before throwing one of his own. Granted, Sasuke was quick but the years I'd trained had made me quick too. I veered off to the left of him and his fist hit only air.
He stopped and looked over at me, bringing himself up to stand straight again. It seemed like a small smile threatened to grace his lips. I think he was enjoying this. The thought only frustrated me more. Though I suppose of all the people Sasuke had ever fought, I was the only one who could rival him. The only one who was ever a challenge for him. Perhaps that's why he'd deemed me as his rival. No one else ever came close to him. That's why I knew this was my fight and no one else's. In the end, it had to be me.
"I see that this is going to take more effort," he said slowly, his eyes flashing to that of the Mangekyou Sharingan.
He was challenging me, I know it. Alright then, challenge accepted. I suddenly lost my earlier frustration to the lure of a challenge. A spark of our old rivalry seemed to reignite between us. I grinned my trademark grin and flared up my chakra going into Bijuu mode. I looked at him with a smug look on my face, "You're not the only one who's improved."
Kurama seemed to stir restlessly inside me. I think the thought of extinguishing an Uchiha excited his bloodlust. I heard his low snarl vibrate through my mind in anticipation of the battle. Sasuke seemed taken aback for an infinitesimal amount of time, his expression only breaking enough for someone who knew him like I do to notice. It was fleeting and was then replaced with a haughty smirk while he unsheathed his sword before raising it up. Rays of sunlight danced off of the cold steel as he turned himself into a battle ready stance.
"Come," was all he said.
Needing no further invitation, I sprung into action. I disappeared from sight and reappeared behind him landing a hard punch into the back of his head causing him to stagger forward. He was shocked, but only for a moment. He regained his composure and turned to face me, throwing his own punch. A flare of chakra sprouted up from behind me, catching his punch and snaking around his wrist gripping him and then launching him off towards the trees.
The raven haired ninja smashed into the trees some 50 yards away a cloud of dirt and leaves rising up in the wake of his impact.
"I see you have improved. I'd be impressed if it weren't you I was fighting," he said smirking at me, trying to goad me into thinking irrationally. That would have worked years ago, but I've grown up a lot since then.
I smirked at him. "Prod all you want Sasuke. I'm not the irrational loud mouth ninja I used to be." His expression seemed to falter for a second before his hands flew into a multitude of signs.
"Susanoo!" As his hand signs finished, a giant skeletal creature covered in a purple chakra aura sprung up behind Sasuke. Its giant hand came crashing down over where I was standing. Lucky for me, I was quicker than it. I bounded out of the way as its force caused it to gouge into the earth bellow it, leaving a skeletal hand print in the ground. The surrounding area lit up in a fire and burned up all the grass in the immediate vicinity. Sasuke growled in frustration.
"It's going to take more than that to get rid of me Sasuke!" I yelled at him from across the field. His eyes flared up in hatred as he commanded Susanoo to launch both arms at me as he traveled forward, the giant creature landing punch after punch into the ground beneath it. Time and time again he missed me. I decided to attack and in a burst of chakra, my nine tails whipped around to grab at Sasuke.
Quickly seeing this, he started jumping back away from them, having Susanoo bat them away when it could. The gap between us was closing and soon enough, my chakra enveloped him grasping a firm hold on him. I sent out a massive wave, the force of it so great it caused Susanoo to disperse. Sasuke stayed pinned within my chakra and I closed the distance between us. I stopped when I was only about a foot away from Sasuke.
"Are you still so confident that you can win Sasuke? Still so sure that you're better than me?" I growled out, my face contorted into a mixture of hate and cockiness. I knew I had to win this and the only way to do so was to beat it into his head.
He glared at me before sending out a burst of his own chakra. It was enough to allow him to worm his way free. He launched himself at me, tackling me and we both fell down to the ground. He was straddling my hips and he had his hands fisted in my shirt, raising me up a little. He had this angry deranged look on his face.
"WHY!" he screamed. "Why do you always have to chase me?! I can't get away from you! Do you know how frustrating that is?! I tried to kill you and you still chase after me! What is it going to take to get you to hate me!? I tried to sever the bond we had and yet it wasn't enough!" He shook me a little as he spoke.
I looked up at him, my expression calm and a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. "I can never hate you Sasuke. It wouldn't matter what you did. You and I are intertwined you know? I understand you. This path of hatred and revenge that you've stupidly set yourself on is ludicrous."
His expression flared up and he head-butted me. My head snapped backwards and lolled a bit before I shook it slightly, regaining my composure. "I don't give a damn what you think! I've only ever wanted power! Why is that not clear to you?! Nothing else matters but power. I got tired of being helpless all the time. Nothing was going to stand in the way of my goal!"
"Yeah yeah…your goal for revenge. But you know what? That's done with now. Are you really going to destroy what Itachi tried to preserve?" This seemed to strike a nerve in Sasuke because before I knew what hit me, his fist connected with my face.
"What the hell do you know about Itachi?!" the raven spat in my face as he screamed in rage at me.
I winced turning my head back to him. "I knew enough about him to know that he wouldn't want his little brother living like this. Something he said to me once clued me in on that. He only wanted you to be happy and to protect you from the path of revenge that you set yourself upon. But turns out his efforts were in vain." Ok, now I've successfully pissed him off. He swiftly threw three more punches onto my face. I was beginning to wonder why I wasn't blocking them.
"Shut up! I hate that damn village! They made Itachi what he was! I'll never go back there!" With this, he drew his sword back out and made to slit my throat with it. Ok, time to get serious again. Before his sword could reach me, I bucked up knocking him off balance before grabbing his shoulders and throwing him roughly to the left of me. I reversed our positions and he didn't seem too happy about that.
"It's going to take more than that to kill me Teme," I ground out as my fist connected with his jaw, snapping his head to the side. In turn, he threw a punch up at me. It clipped my chin knocking me backwards off of him. He jumped up and put some distance in between us before sparking up a jutsu I'd never seen him use before. A roaring phoenix came to life in the flames sprouting from his mouth and it came barreling towards me, the heat so intense that if it weren't for Kurama's chakra I'd certainly be burned to a crisp.
As quickly as the attack came, a shield of chakra encased me as the attack hit and then fizzled out around me. I came rapidly out of the smoke and fire and saw a look of mild surprise on his face. I guess he hadn't expected me to be unscathed. We locked ourselves into a battle of fists, dancing across the field in a deadly ballet of moves. My chakra reached out again to grab him but he was wiser this time and quickly avoided it. I growled; the sound almost feral as I followed him across the field.
"Damn it Sasuke! This could all end if you'd just come to your senses! Don't you want to be happy!?" I yelled after him. My chakra tail managed to connect with him, sending him tumbling along the ground. I was on top of him again before he had a chance to recover. This time, I straddled him, pinning his legs in between mine and pinning his wrist to the ground with my hands to immobilize his movement. "What is it going to take to get through to you?"
He looked up at me, an irritated expression on his face. "You still haven't answered MY question Naruto. Why can't you let me go? Why haven't you given up on me?" Sasuke stared up at me, his eyes questioning mine, boring into my very being looking for an answer in them.
My expression softened as I looked down at him. "Sasuke…you were…you were all I really had. The only thing I had that was even close to having a family. I thought so many times that being around you must have been what it was like to have a brother…"
He looked up at me, his brow furrowing slightly trying to understand my words. "You thought of me as…a brother?" It seemed as if he couldn't seem to believe that I had thought of him that way.
"Yes moron…geez…and I'm supposed to be the dense one." He growled at me. "But you've gotta realize by now that I just don't give up on people. Sasuke…you mean a lot to me. I want you back in my life again. To be honest, I don't know really understand it myself. I'm not sure why I have such a strong attachment to you. All I know is that you run deep within me and I don't feel whole without you around…"
I saw something in Sasuke's eyes as he looked up at me. A feeling that ran deep within him that I don't think he himself understood. Of course I was just as lost as he was. I realized something then. Only I could get a rise out of Sasuke. It'd always been that way. I seemed to be the only one he spared more than two or three words to, even if most of the time it was just to insult me. Somehow, bits of his emotions seeped through his icy exterior when he was around me. I wondered what that was about. Maybe it meant he was still human in there and that he never truly could sever his bond with me.
"Dobe…don't go around saying stuff like that," he albeit whispered. His face wore an expression that showed he was trying to work through what I'd said in his head and that he was trying to figure out how he felt about it.
I leaned down and rested my forehead on his, staring into his eyes. "I just feel close to you. I don't know why. Plus, you're never going to be able to get rid of me…baka…" I chuckled lightly at the last part of my statement.
Sasuke seemed a little uncomfortable at our closeness, but he made no effort to move. "I see…you know…sometimes…I feel like you're a parasite that's burrowed itself deep down and won't let go. At times, I find that I don't particularly mind that you're there. It's only when my goals are jeopardized that it becomes an annoyance."
I stared at Sasuke in confusion. Did he really just confess some sort of feelings about me but at the same time insult me? Geez…only Sasuke could accomplish that. The man was a real piece of work.
"I just can't leave you alone Teme. I'll chase you to the ends of the earth if I have to. You just mean that much to me."
"Dobe," was the only thing that escaped his lips. "But nothing has changed…I refuse to go back. You've given me no good reason to." With this he started struggling under my grip, bucking around wildly and damn near throwing me off. He managed to get one hand free as I was forced to brace myself. He grabbed at my throat with his free hand and we end up wrestling around on the ground each fighting for dominance over the other.
I was beginning to wonder why it was always like this with us. There were always heated conversations, flying punches and numerous justus thrown between us. We could be fighting one minute and talking the next and then we'd revert back to trying to kill each other before yet again, end up talking. It was a strange game we seemed to play. I guess that was just the nature of our relationship. It took more than words to get our points across. With anyone else, Sasuke would have ended the fight as quickly as he could, but he never seemed to be able to do that with me. It gave me a small hope that I might actually be able to change his mind. I really hoped I could.
As we wrestled around, we became covered in dirt, sweat, and grass. Both of our sets of clothes had rips in them and our hair was a mess. Neither of us seemed to care about using justus anymore and I'd long since dropped out of Bijuu mode as Sasuke had also relinquished his Sharingan.
"Damn it Sasuke!" Getting fed up and tired, I forcefully grabbed Sasuke and pinned him again. Only this time, I seemed to be straddling him in a more provocative position. This fact wasn't lost to him. There was a slight tint of pink daring to come up on his face. I looked down on him and just now noticed his looks. I guess I hadn't got a really good look at Sasuke since he'd left. He was damn near beautiful. His pale porcelain skin was a stark contrast to his black hair and eyes. His body was cut and smooth and definitely considered desirable to many. I guess I could kind of see why he had so many women pining after him. Not that any of them would be able to get close to him. Only I could get close to him like this. Not that I'd want anyone else to try. That's when it hit me like a ton of bricks in the face. All those years of chasing him… of feeling possessive of him, and never wanting to give up on him? I loved the bastard. I almost couldn't believe it. I guess fate had a way of twisting things, but it made sense. It was the only explanation for why I just couldn't let him go. I wouldn't have fought like this for anyone else. Hell…have I loved him all along?
"Oy…Dobe…why are you staring at me like that?" He was looking up at me quizzically.
"Why? Ah hell…fuck it!" I blurted out in a frustrated manner before crashing my lips down over his. He gasped out in shock and was frozen in place. I couldn't help but remember the time we first kissed on accident. It seems Sasuke was always my first in everything. My first kiss, my first friend, my first best friend, my first rival and last but not least…my first love. Though I had a funny feeling he'd also be my last.
I pulled away and stayed hovering only a few inches above his face. His cheeks were stained with a light pink hue and his eyes were wide. There was something swimming in those eyes.
"N-Naruto…w-what the hell was that?!" he managed to choke out. Apparently I had more affect on the ice-queen than I thought. I chuckled to myself in my head at that silly nickname for him. I returned my attention to him
"I don't know. It just felt like it was the right thing to do," I stated in a matter of fact way.
"Baka…only you could explain something like that that way…" His expression seemed to soften as he looked at me. "I should kill you, you know…" The words had no threat behind them. It was almost as if he was accepting my feelings and in some weir d strange Sasuke-way, returning them.
"Pssh…as if you could kill me," I said in mirth a grin adorning my face.
He growled at me. "I could, but it seems fate doesn't want me to because every time I try…I seem to fail miserably."
I was a little taken aback at his statement. He's right. He has tried. Why would today be any different? Of course he was going to try to kill me or run if I let him go. I guess I was diluting myself into thinking there might be a chance he'd come back with me. "You're going to run if I let you go aren't you?" It wasn't really a question.
He stared at me for a moment before saying, "It's highly likely. I also might try to kill you again."
"I don't want you to go and I'm not letting you get away this time Sasuke. I mean it." My expression turned back to that of a serious one. Like hell I was going to let him get away again. He's escaped me far too many times now.
"You're a fool Naruto. I can't go back there. I'm a missing-nin. They hate me. I'll more than likely be thrown in prison. Is that what you want? Me locked up?" he spat out a look of irritation on his face.
"No, I don't want you in prison. I'm sure Obaa-chan could pull some strings and I'll stand up in your defense. There's gotta be a way to play to the council's old ways." I stared determinedly at him.
Suddenly, a fist connected with my face. I then realized that somewhere in our conversation, my grip on his wrists had slackened. Another fist crashed into my face, this one sending me flying off of him.
"I won't go back there Naruto. You're going to have to either knock me out or kill me. I won't go willingly." His voice was icy and devoid of any emotion that it'd held a few moments ago. He glared at me and turned to run. Damn him.
I got up and ran after him. We were running at break-neck speed and we passed into the forest leaving the battle-scarred field behind. Jumping from tree to tree he kept picking up speed which I matched. I was trying to gain on him but every time I got close, he'd burst into a quicker speed that I didn't think was even possible. Occasionally he'd turn back and throw a jutsu at me which I'd dodge, the action slowing me down momentarily. I guess he reached his limit though because the last time I started to catch up, he didn't seem to be able to go any faster.
I smirked to myself. Guess you're not faster than me anymore Teme. I managed to tackle him from behind. We both came crashing down from the tree limbs landing hard on the ground bellow. He cursed at me under his breath and began swinging away at me. I think he may have snapped a little because his movements weren't as calculated as they usually were. I took this temporary lack of clarity as my opportunity to act. I phased out from in front of him and appeared behind him. I had managed to grab his sword from him in the confusion.
"Not this time…" and I jutted the hilt of his sword into the back of his neck hard. He fell limp to the ground, knocked out cold from my blow. I guess I was just going to have to drag his ass back to Konoha, but at least this time…I actually could.
Woot! There's another chapter. I hope you guys like it. Leave me a review of what you think. =) Again, flamers will be ignored.
