Disclaimer: You know what… if you haven't read the last nine, then you won't read this one. But guess what everyone? I don't own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke and Naruto would be getting together soon… and it would be an NC-17 manga… besides. I can't draw that good.
Warnings: same as the disclaimer
Pairings: SasuNaruSasu, duh
Summary: Two boys, both artistic, meet, have fun, almost get killed and try to stay alive throughout the entire ordeal. Yeap, I'm too lazy to write the actual summary, so I'm improvising. ((giggles))
I Bleed Black
Chapter 10
Kyubi left soon after he delivered the news to Naruto. The blonde boy was still in a state of shock. He had to get out of here… he had to run – he had to escape, fly far away, and leave behind…
Everything. Everything that was important.
The blonde closed his eyes, allowing those important to him to flash on the backs of his eyelids.
Kitsune Kyubi. Spiky red hair, narrowed golden eyes behind thin-framed glasses with an arrogant smirk on his face, yet also a brotherly love in that weird expression.
Uchiha Sasuke. Spiky black hair, caring black eyes. Pale skin that could rival the moon's glow. Standing in front of Naruto with a simple smile on his face, and yet that smile meant the world to Naruto.
Umino Iruka. A good teacher. Brown hair in a ponytail, strange scar across his nose, caring brown eyes. Someone who believe Naruto was worth something.
Hatake Kakashi. Silver hair combed over his left eye, while the other smiled. Wearing a strange scarf that seemed to make him like the ninjas in the comic books, he was always encouraging Naruto to succeed in his own special way.
Jiraiya. Old pervert, kinda weird, and wrote strange books, but always knowing how Naruto felt – always able to lend help if he thought the blonde needed it.
Tsunade. She was able to fix up anything that Naruto had and never asked questions as to where he got his injuries. He sometimes helped her with the other students because he had nothing better to do. She was a good companion to talk to.
Naruto hated the fact that he had to leave these people behind. He hated the fact that he had to disappear and maybe never see them again. Looking down at the warmth on his side, he chewed on his lip, feeling tears in his eyes. There was Sasuke.
Sasuke was probably the one person he cared for the most. Not even as the person who might've stolen his heart, but as someone like himself. Someone who was alone in a room full of people, just like Naruto.
But above all, someone he could call a friend.
Slowly detangling himself from the raven-haired boy, he tucked the boy into the bed. Smiling at him, Naruto, without even realizing it, leaned forward and gently kissed Sasuke on the forehead.
"Goodbye, Sasuke-chan," he whispered, choking back sobs. He wrote a small note to the boy in order to explain his absence and then… he left.
Soon after Naruto had left the room, Sasuke woke up. He looked around, wondering where the blonde was before noticing the boy's open sketchbook in front of him. Pulling it closer, he noticed something that was scrawled on one of the pages in the back.
Sasuke –
Remember what I told you about my parents being part of a mafia group? Well, there's one thing I conveniently forgot to mention. Ever since I was a young child, I've had people try to kill me. Apparently, Akatsuki can't afford a free Uzumaki on their hands, afraid of what I could do. I don't understand it, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that they've found me once again. I'm leaving. I won't tell you where, because frankly… I don't know. All I know is that I have to get out of here before the assassins come and try to take my life. Please tell Iruka, Kakashi, Jiraiya and Tsunade "thank you" for me. I would do it myself, but there isn't enough time. Kyubi just informed me of what Akatsuki's doing. Yes, I know, why would Kyubi know? Unlike me, Kyubi is an active member of that group, though his missions have slowed down in the past few years. Don't blame him for all the crimes he's had to commit. He didn't want to, but he kind of had to – else he'd be dead. And if I didn't meet Kyubi… I don't know if I would be able to last this far.
Anyway, please, Sasuke, don't come looking for me. If the Akatsuki catch you – you'd die in an instant, especially since your name is famous. For some reason, they despise any famous person. Just take care of yourself and everybody else. I'm sorry that I was such an ass to you when we first met… I just wasn't used to the idea of having a friend, I suppose. I still may not be used to it… but it hurts to say goodbye. And that's what I'm doing. I don't know how long I will live for, so I might never see you again. I'm really sorry, especially since I promised I would always be there for you because nobody deserves to be alone.
But right now, I have to be alone in order to keep everyone else safe. I'm really sorry, Sasuke. I hope that one day you might be able to forgive me just leaving you like this. Oh yeah, and Thank you for helping me out whenever I got caught by Orochimaru's gang. You saved my life a few times there. Guess I'll repay the favor one day. For now, take care of yourself, okay?
Naruto
Sasuke stared at the sketchbook, with its page opened to Naruto's goodbye note. His hands shook as he held the book. He didn't want to believe this to be true. This had to be one of Naruto's practical jokes. The boy he had come to depend on to always be there, smiling and laughing despite the past that the blonde had, wasn't there anymore.
That couldn't be right!
That couldn't be true.
This had to be some type of practical joke.
It just had to be.
Sasuke hugged the sketchbook to his chest, feeling the tears well up in his eyes. This can't be goodbye, he thought as he stared at nothing. This just can't be.
He remembered when the originally met – finally casting off the titles of Popular and Outcast. He remembered where he had originally talked to Naruto as though he was on par with Sasuke.
"What are you reading?"
"The Prince and the Pauper, if you have to know."
"The Prince and the Pauper, eh?"
"Yes, if you must know!"
"What part are you up to?"
"I'm just at the part where Edward Tudor is meeting Sir Myle."
"Sir Myles is one of my favorite characters!"
"Really? I've always liked Tom Canty best, but Sir Myles was a close second."
"Why do you like Tom, because he's the victim?"
"No… it's more because he's a lot like me."
"Don't tell me you have an abusive father…"
"No, nothing like that. It's because no matter what life throws his way – Tom never loses sight of himself. He doesn't want to be King; he just wants to be acknowledged by someone. Yeah… something like that."
I was never able to give him that damn book, Sasuke thought, remembering that he had promised to lend Naruto The Adventures of Tom Sawyer soon after that conversation about The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. I completely forgot about it. Before he could stop them, memories of the times the two had together flashed in the boy's mind.
"Can you say that without being in pain?"
"YOU ASSHOLE!" Naruto screamed, launching himself at Sasuke. He managed to punch the Uchiha in the face before the boy had him pinned on the ground, knee digging into his back.
Naruto glared upwards, struggling to move. He found that he couldn't and that only made him angrier. His cheek was smashed against the floorboards as he tried to move. Sasuke had him pinned down perfectly, and Naruto was immobile.
"Now, be nice, Naruto-kun," Sasuke murmured in his ear before letting the blonde go.
Sasuke nearly laughed at the memory. That was one of the first times he had met the boy, actually gotten to know him a little bit more. He remembered the time that Naruto had tried to suicide and what had come out of it.
"NARUTO!"
"Sasuke… what are you doing here? I was on my way to the kitchens because I'm starving. Where were you off to?"
"I was finding you!"
"What the hell do you have there, Sasuke?"
"Your fucking poem!"
The tears fell harder. No, Naruto couldn't be gone. He was just hiding… he was just pulling a prank. He had to be! He had to!
"Orochimaru rubbed dirt into my eyes. I can't see anything. Help me up."
Instead of helping him up and letting him walk on his own (and probably fall again), Sasuke scooped Naruto up in his arms, making his way back to the blonde's dorm.
Sasuke had faith in the fact that Kyubi would know what to do… at least, he hoped the redhead would. If Kyubi didn't know what to do, than the black-haired boy was at loss.
"Why are you carrying me, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "I can walk fine by myself."
"I seriously doubt that," was all Sasuke said as they arrived at the dorm room.
Sasuke couldn't help the tears from falling. He couldn't help the weakness that seemed to overtake him. There was a knocking at the door of the hospital room. Gripping the sketchbook to his chest as if his life depended on it, Sasuke called for the person to enter.
The person was none other than Kyubi-sama.
Looking around the room and at Sasuke's tear-stained cheeks, he heaved a sigh. "I see… Naru-chan left already?" he asked in a soft voice.
Sasuke just nodded. He didn't want someone to confirm that his best friend was gone.
According to Naruto's letter – there was a good chance he might be killed.
Sasuke might never see the blonde again.
Never see the sun-kissed golden hair that spiked unnaturally above the boy's head.
Never see the sea-blue eyes that barely showed any pain, but were always happy.
Never see the smile that graced his best friend's face through good times and bad.
Never see the way that Naruto was always being a klutz, but in a cute way.
Never see the boy get mock angry again.
Never be able to hug him and tell him that its okay to be sad.
Never be able to call him "dobe" or "idiot" ever again.
Never be able to sit on the school roof or dorm roof and watch the shooting stars that only came once every ten years or so.
Never be able to help him realize that going after Orochimaru was stupid.
Never be able to see how cute the boy was when he slept.
Never able to talk about how some books were better than others.
Never be able to learn more about the blonde.
Never be able to say how much Naruto meant to him.
Never be able to say "goodbye."
The tears wouldn't stop. Kyubi came over to Sasuke and gathered the sobbing boy into his arms. Even though he was only a year older than the Uchiha, he had had to grow up much younger than Sasuke did so his mental level was around seventeen or eighteen. Sasuke cried into Kyubi's shoulder, remembering how this was how Itachi used to comfort him when he was little.
The memory of Itachi – the only other person he thought had cared about him only made his wails louder.
Now Uchiha Sasuke had lost two people due to family names. Due to heritage. Due to stupidity, in other words.
The fact that now two of his most important people he would never see again was almost too much for the boy.
Even as he hugged Kyubi, one arm kept a firm hold on the sketchbook. He was going to treasure this thing for the rest of his life. He was going to definitely read everything in here a thousand times until the pages were wrinkled and yellow with age.
Pulling back from Kyubi, Sasuke opened the book to a random page. To his surprise, he saw a picture of Naruto and him together. Naruto had drawn the two of them on that night when they had watched the meteor shower. He had even colored it.
It looked so real. The shading was perfect, creating shadows, whilst the two smiled up at the penciled heavens. Shooting stars wandered about and Naruto had his arm slung about Sasuke's shoulders. Both were grinning carelessly at the wonders above them. A poem accompanied this picture, as it had with many of the others. The title was called "Falling Star." Sasuke read it, feeling even sadder as he did so:
When you were there for me
To catch me when I fell
I only hoped to return the favor
But I never got the chance
To catch you, catch you falling
To catch me, as I fly
Is to catch a falling star
As she shoots through heaven
To catch her, she runs away
To catch me, I only ask you to find me
I want you to let me go
Let me leave and let me die
Don't mourn for me too long
I'm already gone from your heart
And I will never come home again
Life without you
Will never be the same
But through all the days
I'll always be your
Falling star
I'm a falling star
Coming home to you
Holding me tightly
In the days that are flying
You know I'm a falling star
The darkness that surrounds me
Blocks off your loving light
As I fall from the skies
I see no one there
And I realize, I'm just me
I'm a shining star
A shining, bright little star
Yet you never loved the star
You loved the Me inside
Of the little fallen star
A falling star
That dims so slowly
A falling star
With no one there
To catch her
A little wish, I wish for you
A little hope, I save for you
A best friend, I see in you
So come catch me
Come catch a falling star
Sasuke, as he finished reading it, finally smiled. It was a soft smile, sad in a way. But he had his reasons for smiling right now. This poem – it described them so well, in a strange way. It described the two boys who were too alike for coincidence. Somehow, Sasuke felt strength as he read the last stanza.
A little wish, I wish for you
A little hope, I hope for you
A best friend, I see in you
So come catch me
Come catch a falling star
It's almost like he's asking me to always be there for him, Sasuke thought idly. Even now.
"Kyubi," Sasuke said, turning to the boy. He stared directly at the boy, gaining hold of himself once more.
"What?" Kyubi asked.
"Where do you think that Naruto would go?" Sasuke asked, staring directly at the redhead. Kyubi shifted uncomfortably.
"Why do you want to know that?" he asked.
"Because I'm going to find him!" Sasuke swore.
Kyuubi-chan's Corner:
Yeah, I know, it's overly sappy. I don't know why I did this. I just felt that Sasuke would feel something like this in this fic. I mean, come on. He has only one true friend and that friend leaves him – and he knows that the friend is in danger. But besides that, I just feel as though this chapter kind of does him justice.
Anyways, if any of you have read my Card Captor Sakura fics... especially the extra long one called The Search for the Cherry Blossom Tree (not sure if its still up, but whatever) then you'd recognize this song/poem. It was originally written for that fic, but I felt like adding it in here too. I love that song. I'm very proud of it, so nyah!
It shows that even Uchiha Sasuke has a heart. And a spirit: one determined enough to find his friend and bring him home. The only question is… will he succeed?