Dancing with the Angels

Chapter 10

Sasuke returned to his family compound to find both Itachi and Sakura sitting on the porch, Sakura clearly waiting on him as she was nervously wringing her hands. She jumped to her feet when she saw him coming.

"How is he doing?" Sakura asked as soon as Sasuke was close enough to the porch. Sasuke swallowed hard and looked down at the ground, he couldn't find the words to tell her that their teammate was no longer with them. Sakura seemed to sense that as tears welled in her eyes and she covered her mouth.

"He's gone." Itachi stated for him and Sasuke nodded.

"He didn't last much longer after you left." Sasuke told Sakura, he placed his hand on his stomach, still feeling the burning sensation from the seal. He now carried the same secret that Naruto had and only time would tell if Sasuke would come to the same end that Naruto had.

"The poor child is no longer suffering." Mikoto said softly, having overheard the conversation as she had stepped outside on the porch. Her heart hurt for her youngest son, she had always known somehow that Sasuke had had feelings for Naruto that had gone beyond that of friendship. It hurt her even more that Sasuke had thought that he was doing what was best for himself by burying those said feelings and getting married to his female teammate. She wished that Sasuke felt that he could have come out to them and maybe things would have had a happier ending. Maybe Sasuke could have been happier if he had been with the one that could have made him truly happy. Knowing that that was no longer an option made her heart hurt more for her son.

"I'm sorry." Mikoto said gently, as Sasuke came to her, reminding her that despite his marital status, Sasuke was still very much a child. She grabbed Sasuke and pulled him towards her in a tight hug.

"If he's gone." Fugaku stated "I wonder what happened to the fox."

"I became the new Jinchuuriki." Sasuke stated.

"Are you fucking serious?" Fugaku asked, turning his cold stare on Sasuke. "You got that beast sealed within you."

"It was the only way I could think to keep Naruto's memory alive." Sasuke stated quietly.

"Get the fuck out of my house and don't come back" Fugaku demanded. "I won't have a monster living underneath my roof."

"Fugaku." Mikoto said. "Don't you think that's a little harsh. He just lost his best friend and his wife is pregnant, they don't have anywhere else to go."

"The little faggot can burn in hell for all I care." Fugaku stated. "And his little whore can go with him. I don't care if they must live in the streets, it's about what he's worth, and anyone that's in love with their best friend and not his actual wife. Anyone who could so willingly allow that monster to live inside of him, is no son of mine."

Sasuke couldn't stop the tears at his father's harsh words. How long had his father known about him? Was he really serious about kicking him out?

"I meant what I said." Fugaku said, not bothered by Sasuke's tears. "Your no son of mine, in fact it would be better if you were dead."

"Fugaku." Mikoto protested her own eyes filling with tears, how could her husband be this cruel. When Sasuke had lost everything that he had cared about.

"If that's how's going to be Father." Itachi spoke up. "Sasuke and Sakura can live with me. You won't have to worry about me coming here until you take a good long look at your heart." Standing, he wrapped an arm around Sakura's shoulders, and went over and grabbed Sasuke and done the same with him.

"I think his choice to become the next Jinchuuriki makes him pretty damn brave. The fact that he remained silent about how he felt about Naruto, even on Naruto's deathbed, says a lot about Sasuke wanting to please you. Though I can't imagine why anyone would. You're a shitty person. And as far as I am concerned you are dead to me!" Itachi glared at his father. Itachi hadn't thought it was possible for him to hate someone so much, but that fact that his father could so easily say those things about Sasuke, especially right Naruto had died, make him sick to his stomach. It only told him what his father had really thought of Naruto, and it made him even sicker knowing, that the blonde boy had lived his life knowing that people so easily hated him for something he didn't have any control over. How could anyone hate an innocent child so much? It astounded Itachi that anyone could be like that, much less his own father.

"Don't worry Sasuke, you and Sakura will always have a home with me." Itachi said. "Your child will not be homeless ever!"

"And neither will he or she be exposed to such blatant homophobia." Sakura said, as she walked out from under Itachi's arm and walked over to Sasuke's other side and grabbing his hand. "I don't care that you were in love with Naruto, I know the reasons why you did what you did. I'm okay with it."

"You're not a whore." Sasuke said. "And I don't know why he would say that about you, when you didn't do anything. You didn't deserve to be treated like that."

"You don't have to worry about it." Itachi said from the doorway. "I'll kick his ass if he comes anywhere near you guys. He's just being a prick because he can't control the situation. He'll eventually learn that he can't control everything and everyone. By the way, I think it's a brave thing taking on being the Jinchuuriki considering how much they are hated."

"I didn't do it for our father." Sasuke said. "It's the one way that I know I can keep Naruto's memory alive. I will do whatever I have to make that happen."

"Naruto won't ever leave our hearts or memories." Sakura murmured. "Considering how big a part of our lives he was and will always be. Our son or daughter will always know the legend that was Naruto Uzumaki."

"Was." Sasuke murmured. "It doesn't feel normal talking about him in past tense."

"That's probably going to take a while to get used to." Itachi replied. "But you will get used to it."

"I dread tomorrow." Sasuke murmured. "Tsunade wants him to be buried as soon as possible and I don't know that I can handle it."

"He deserves a proper goodbye." Sakura murmured. "We can at least give him that."

The day of Naruto's funeral arrived before anyone was ready for it, each friend and those that considered Naruto family got up with a heaviness in their hearts. It didn't seem possible that today would be the last time they would get to see their blonde friend.

"Come on, Sasuke." Sakura murmured. "We should get going."

"I don't want to." Sasuke said dully. "Going means that I have to accept that he is really gone. I don't want to do that."

"I don't either." Sakura admitted. "But Naruto deserves a good send off, no matter how we feel right now."

"I guess you're right." Sasuke murmured as he pushed himself to his feet and headed towards his closet. He hated funeral's, but he hated this one more than anything. Even as he was getting dressed, he wondered how things would be able to get better from here. How was he supposed to find happiness without Naruto being there?

Sighing, Sasuke finished dressing and exited out of the bedroom and found Sakura and Itachi waiting by the door. They turned when they saw him coming down the hall.

"Let's just get this over with." Sasuke said, he just wanted to put everything behind him. Get back on the road to trying to be happy, if it was at all possible. At this point though he wasn't entirely sure it could be done, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't try.

"I know it's going to be tough." Sakura murmured. "Let's just try to remember that Naruto is in a better place now. He's finally with his family."

"He should be with us." Sasuke replied. "There is no better place than that."

"He's with the family that he never got to know." Itachi replied. "I'm pretty sure that means he is in a better place. He won't get treated the way he was, where he is now."

"Whatever." Sasuke murmured staring down at the ground. He couldn't help but feel guilty about everything that had happened between the two of them before they knew that he was dying. And if he was being honest with himself, he even felt guilty about fucking him while he was dying. Naruto had deserved so much better than that, he had deserved more than just a few hours in a hospital bed. Naruto had deserved months and years of being loved like that, and if Sasuke hadn't been such a coward he would have been able to give it to him. Why was it that a person could always think of the things they could have done better after a loved passed away? Why couldn't Sasuke have chosen to be what Naruto had needed while he was still alive? Sasuke didn't have the answers to those questions, only guilt for the things that had been done. He supposed he would have to find a way to live with that guilt, because no matter how bad Sasuke felt, Naruto wouldn't be coming back.

"Whatever you are thinking about, don't." Sakura said softly. "Naruto would only want you to reflect on the good things."

"I can't when I feel so damn guilty." Sasuke said as the trio entered the building where Naruto's funeral was to be held. "I regret not being good enough for him, I regret treating him so badly, and most of all I regret sleeping with him the way I did."

"You made his deepest desire come true." Sakura said softly. "That's nothing to be ashamed about. He deserved to get what he wanted for a change, considering how much of himself that he gave away."

"I don't know." Sasuke said as he glanced up to see Naruto lying lifeless in the coffin that he was to be buried in. Sasuke swallowed hard as pain threatened to overtake his heart. Seeing Naruto like this was even harder than he had imagined that it would be. It wasn't fair, Naruto had only been fifteen years old, he hadn't gotten to lead much of a life, hadn't gotten to see many of his dreams come true. How could anyone live with the truth that their best friend/lover's life had ended really before it had even begun. It wasn't right, and it made Sasuke feel even more miserable in that moment. He wanted nothing more than to be able to go back and change the way things had happened. Since he couldn't Sasuke supposed he would have to find a way to live with the guilt that he was sure would plaque him for the rest of his life.

"How are we supposed to do this?" Sasuke asked, his grief heard clearly in his voice. "How are we supposed to bury our teammate?"

"I don't know." Sakura responded. "But he deserves a good send off, and we deserve to be able to say goodbye, no matter how hard that goodbye is."

"I don't know why they call it goodbye." Sasuke muttered. "There is nothing good about it."

"You're right." Sakura said. "But it will bring us closure, which we both need. Iruka and Kakashi and the rest of Naruto's friends need it."

"Still, it doesn't feel right." Sasuke murmured. "I don't want to get used to thinking of Naruto not being around anymore. It's not right, and it's not fair."

"No, it's not. His death probably won't make sense for a long time." Itachi said. "But you'll eventually get accustomed to it."

"The problem is that I shouldn't have too." Sasuke said. "Someone should have realized that something was wrong with him before it had come down to this."

"How could they have known about Naruto, if they had no clue about what could happen with the chakra?" Itachi asked. "They only recently learned about what the chakra does to the host's body."

"I don't know." Sasuke said, feeling numb. "but his death somehow should have been prevented."

"I think one day, you will understand this situation." Itachi said. "You'll get that nothing could have prevented this."

Sasuke saw Iruka and Kakashi standing beside Naruto's coffin and he quickly approached his team leader and former Sensei's.

"He shouldn't be here." Sasuke said softly, staring down at Naruto's face. He wanted nothing more than to be able to reach down and to somehow rub Naruto's life back into him. It was unnatural to see the blonde boy so pale and so still, in life Naruto had been bursting full of energy and excitement.

"No, he shouldn't be." Iruka said softly, "Nothing is going to be right without him, but he would want us to move on and live our lives."

"How can we do that?" Sasuke asked. "I don't know how to get through the next few moments."

"We do the best we can." Iruka said. "We try to be as happy as we can because he would want us to be. You especially have to work hard to take care of your family."

"He should have been a part of it." Sasuke said, as he reached down and touched Naruto's cheek. It was cool and stiff and lacked the energy that had made Naruto.

"Kami apparently had other plans for him." Iruka replied, even as he had to swallow his own tears. "For whatever reason he was needed more in heaven than he was here."

"That's not true." Sasuke protested weakly. "Sakura and I both need him, he's our teammate we won't ever not need him."

"Like all of us, you will eventually get used to not having him around." Iruka said softly. "It's going to take some time, but you will no longer miss him as much as you do now."

"We're going to miss you." Iruka told the body knowing that Naruto couldn't hear him, but still he felt the need to say something.

"Who can miss that freak." Someone hissed behind Sasuke. Itachi, Iruka and Sasuke spun around to see Fugaku Uchiha standing behind them, holding something in his hand. Without warning Fugaku reached over and dumped the contents over Naruto, starting with his face and then working his way down. When the smell of urine reached their noses, Sasuke turned and slammed his fist into his father's face. Sasuke didn't think there could have been a more disrespectful thing that his father could have done.

"He didn't deserve that!" Sasuke yelled, as Iruka and Itachi pulled him away from his father. "He deserves more than that, he saved this damn village from destruction, which is more than I can say for you?"

"Do I hear my dead, worthless son speaking?" Fugaku asked. "It almost sounds like the demon is defending that faggot."

"Get out of here." Itachi demanded. "He deserves a respectful sendoff, the likes of you aren't good enough to be here."

"Why are you wasting your time with your worthless brother." Fugaku said. "His gayness will be rubbing off on you before you know it."

"Remove yourself from the premises." A harsh voice stated beside Itachi, who was still holding an angry Sasuke. "You don't have the right to come in here and act like this. You might not have cared for him, but everyone else here does. You will not disrespect their mourning." Tsunade hissed, grimacing at the smell of urine. She couldn't believe the man had the nerve to be so disrespectful towards someone who deserves more respect than that. Naruto had given his life for this village, she was going to make sure that he was given the respect he deserved.

"He's nothing but a whore." Fugaku hissed. "He deserves to burn in hell and be raped by the demons." Sasuke growled and strained against Itachi's hold. He wanted nothing more than to kill his own father.

"Get him out of here." Tsunade ordered the Anbu agents that had appeared at her side. She didn't want things to end this way, but since it was already time for Naruto's funeral there wasn't anything she could do. She was only grateful that Naruto wasn't there to feel that last bit of disrespect.

Once Fugaku had been removed from the service, Sasuke, Itachi and Sakura sat down in the front row. Tears were already streaming down Iruka's face, and the more that Sasuke watched them the more his own heart hurt, he hated that they were getting ready to lay Naruto to rest. He couldn't get over the fact that his own father had dumped his own piss on Naruto. What had made the man do such a thing? He was only glad that Naruto couldn't feel or hear anything that had been said or done to him.

Still it angered Sasuke that Naruto would have to buried in urine covered clothes, to him that was the most disrespect that could be shown to a person. It truly hurt Sasuke that someone could continue to be so cruel to someone who had known that to save the village he would end up dying, yet he had done so anyways, and now here he lay, and his own douche bag father was trying to disrespect him.

"We are gathered here today, to celebrate the life and mourn the passing of one of Konoha's finest Ninja." Tsunade began. "He gave his life so that we would be able to survive the threat of another attack. He lived as a hero and he died as a hero. From this moment on, the legend of Naruto Uzumaki will be remembered. We will not let his sacrifice be forgotten, he will live in our hearts and our memories, and his will of fire will continue in us all. His life might have come to an end, but the flame will not be extinguished if we do not allow it to be."

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Sasuke whispered. "you didn't deserve that." Sakura reached over and grabbed Sasuke's hand, tears freely streamed down her face as Tsunade got the service started. Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off the body of his best friend/brief lover. It didn't sit right with Sasuke that they were doing this, but since they were Sasuke supposed he would have to find a way to live with the things that he couldn't change. He would have to somehow make the best out of the life he had, to not do so would be waste of a second chance that they had all been given when Naruto had sacrificed his life. Sasuke was determined to somehow make his life be worthy of Naruto's sacrifice no matter what. He would one day get to see Naruto again.

THE END Thanks for reading and reviewing! Liz (by the way if it takes me forever to post anymore, it's not because of the harrassment that I am dealing with that fanfiction won't do anything about. It's because I am working 40+ hours a week and attending college as well.)