A/N: (grins) Guess who's back again, folks? You know, this chappy was a bit of a 'difficult child' (unlucky number thirteen, obviously…), and I've also had huge troubles with getting to spend time on a computer, so you can't even imagine how happy I am there wasn't a oversized gap of updates. (beams)

First off, thank you from the deepest bottoms of my heart for all those amazing reviews! (glomps) You've not only made my day, but ya also helped A LOT with plotting together this chappy. So thank you!

Awkay, because I'm in a HUGE hurry, I really should rush on. I REALLY hope ya'll enjoy your stay with the chappy!

CHAPTER 13: July

By the time the summer vacation was about to start in a couple of days, Sasuke had already been released from the hospital. It'd been a taunting task to catch up everyone else to make sure he graduated with them, especially because the harsh medication he was still on made him tired, but with Sakura as his tutor he managed in the end. His body was healing slowly yet surely, apart from some scars that'd never fade, and he wasn't… feeling funny anymore, which was how a psychiatrist had managed to force him to describe his feelings not long after his father had been arrested.

Now all there was left to do was to sort out his mess with Naruto – and honestly, he had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to do that.

He… cared about the Na… Uzumaki (as he quickly corrected himself) very, very much; he didn't feel like living in the land of illusions and denial anymore. And a part of him would've wanted to just forget about everything, to keep going from to where they'd once crash-landed. But this tiny, annoyingly stubborn reasonable part of his brain reminded him that they'd have to talk, and sadly they both seemed to be very bad at that. His new, scarred face, as well as the whispers and weird looks of people he could take, but the standstill between him and Naruto was driving him insane.

They'd managed to make a whole list of rules to define their new relationship, but that was pretty much it. Sure enough, they were able to chat; it looked like every single teacher had wanted to pair them up during the past few days, and they'd done an ungodly amount of projects together. But other times… Gosh, all those painfully awkward attempts of making a conversation and other occasions when neither of them knew how to be around the other…! He didn't understand how it was possible to want someone gone and to want them much closer at the same time like he did. Sometimes he felt like slamming his head to a brick wall to keep his brain from exploding.

"You're making even my head hurt, you know?"

He gave Sakura a dry look. "Stop analyzing me", he grunted, perhaps more harshly than he'd been supposed to.

The pinkette rolled her eyes, then sighed heavily. "Sasuke… I know you're afraid that he'll hurt you again – you don't even have to admit it out loud. But you should know that he's also scared to death, of losing you, because you mean to him more than anything. I think he might even love you – or actually, I know he does." Her eyes flashed. "I want you to keep that in mind."

He frowned and opened his mouth, but just then the bell rang for their second class, wiping away all his thoughts. "Hn", was what he produced in the end.

Sakura's smile revealed she understood what he'd been supposed to say better than he did. She got up, starting to leave. "Just go to your class, will you? And don't you dare forget what I just said."

Already so far, before the lunchtime, the last school day had been atypically quiet for the familiar group; even Kiba, their loudmouth, had said barely a word all day.

After this they'd all take separate paths. Of course they'd still remain in contact, but that was hardly the same thing as meeting face to face every day. Things were about to change dramatically, and all they could do was hope for the best.

"So…", Naruto finally started, glancing towards Sakura, who was sitting beside him with a far away look on her face. "When did your flight take off again?" The blond's expression and tone suggested he'd been seeing his newly appointed therapist too much during the past few weeks.

The schools wouldn't start again for a while, but she – having been accepted to study to become a doctor – was already leaving. After all, as she'd put it, she had nothing left to stay for.

She most likely barely heard him, but managed to respond anyhow. "I'm… leaving straight after school." Judging by her expression it was still very hard for her to accept those facts.

"We'll miss you." Almost shocked, everyone turned their gaze towards Shino, who'd said those words. The sunglass-eyed boy snorted. "What? So I'm not allowed to say something nice every once in a while?"

Kiba shook his head after a moment's shock. "You, are a weird guy."

Naruto had to fight back a chuckle, which had been very rare as of lately and felt very good. Perhaps the therapy was working after all, although he still had his doubts.

Just then Shikamaru winced when noticing someone, and got up amazingly abruptly. "I'm taking a hike." So saying the brunette was off.

Only seconds later Ino – Shikamaru's ex, Naruto remembered only then – was stood by them, giving the blond a somewhat weird look before focusing firmly on the others. "So… There's this party in the school this evening. Are you going to join in?"

Shino shook his head in an instant, whereas Kiba snorted. "Thanks, but no thanks."

Seeming annoyed, Ino turned towards Sakura. "What about you?"

Sakura seemed to swallow thickly, not looking at the blonde. "I… don't think so." All of a sudden the pinkette was in a huge hurry to leave. "I've gotta go." In fact, the girl was going already.

After watching Sakura's distancing back for a couple of seconds Ino left as well, muttering something incoherent.

Naruto wasn't sure why his stomach felt as funny as it did when he realized that he hadn't been invited, and probably never would be.

He jumped when feeling a hand on his shoulder. Kiba's grin was a supportive one. "Hey, chin up. Who cares about that bitch, anyway?"

He couldn't help smiling. Just then he noticed something that made his stomach flip around and his heart race. Sasuke entered the huge room, and after some moments their eyes met.

Things were still very unsteady, and he couldn't help wondering…

Very cautiously, knowing that the only way to know was to try, he lifted his hand for a seemingly casual greeting. At first everything was painfully still, but in the end the Sasuke responded with a nod before carrying on his way. For the first time in a while there was no tension between them.

His smile from before widened still.

Perhaps there was some hope left in the world, after all.

"That can be considered progress, I suppose", Shino mused out loud beside him.

"Yup." His eyes then moved towards Neji, who was sitting nearby and whom Sakura had been practically staring at before leaving. And he knew he'd need to do something to repay everything she'd done for him. "Guys, I've gotta go. See you later."

After rather absentminded responses he moved. Neji gave him a mildly surprised look when he stood before the boy. "We need to talk."

Neji's nod was stiff. "Yes?"

He took a deep breath before starting. "Look… I know you've got a lot on your mind, but…" All words came to a halt, and he winced inwardly at his limited talking skills. "I know she did wrong, but she really loves you, and you're tearing her to pieces, okay? She's also leaving today, so… Pretty soon it's too late to sort things out." He took a deep breath. "Think about that, before you let her go." With that he walked away, hoping with his all that his rambling hadn't fallen on deaf ears.

Itachi had been through a fair share of funerals, including the one of his mother's. That's why the ceremony itself was no mystery to him. But that didn't make enduring that day any easier.

It was the day Hinata's sister was buried, after all investigations had finally been laid to rest. The death of such a young, gifted person had shocked the entire village, but none of the people crowding the small chapel cried as hard as the practically shattered being in his arms.

Itachi's unseeing eyes were even darker than usual while he simply held her while she cried hysterically. All the while he was much too aware of the fact that it might be the last time he was allowed to touch her.

Straight after the ceremony Hinata and her father would leave for a trip around Europe; Hiashi claimed it was necessary for his daughter's recovery, but Itachi had strong suspicions that it was only because of the man and his guilt. He, on the other hand, was going to Tokyo, which was something he hadn't told the girl about yet; a few days ago he'd received a phone call from a doctor who claimed it might be possible to get his sight back. He knew it was farfetched, and much too expensive, but he just couldn't let such an opportunity pass.

Now all he wished was to get to see Hinata's face, for even once.

He jerked a little when realizing that the ceremony was in fact over, and everyone was leaving. Suppressing a sigh, he placed his arms even more tightly around Hinata to pull her close. Only a couple of minutes left together… "Let's go." His voice was far softer than the usual, almost frail. "It's over now. Everything's okay."

After only a little bit hesitation Hinata followed him, snuggled as close to him as humanly possible and filled him with her familiar scent and essence that made his eyes sting. If only…

"Come on, Hinata." Hiashi's voice sounded harsh and gruff. "We need to go."

He could feel the girl's eyes on him. "But…" She trailed off.

It took his all to fake on the frailest of smiles. "It's alright", he murmured, holding her hand without hesitation although he felt her father looking. Gosh, how he would've wanted to see her face, for just this one time…! "We already found each other once, didn't we? We'll do it again."

Hinata was still and soundless for so long that he started worrying, then did the about last thing he'd expected. He gasped faintly when her lips found his, sealing him into the most passionate kiss he'd ever received. Straight after that her hand slipped from his, and it felt like she'd disappeared from him already. "I'm so sorry." He hoped he would've managed to read her tone. With that her steps started to distance, and after a couple of moments he heard the doors of a car closing.

It wasn't until what must've been at least half an hour later he managed to turn around and start his lonely walk away. Moving had never hurt him as much as it did then.

That day, Naruto's eyes widened with surprise before he broke into an enormous grin when Hayate entered the break room he'd disappeared into to sort out his head. "Hey!" He then tried to read the other's eyes. "How… are the twins?"

To his enormous relief the man gave a smile that finally reached his eyes. "They're doing very well right now. Aika will still need her surgery, but otherwise we're hopeful. But now…" The man pulled out an envelope while coughing. "I… came to bring you this."

Frowning a little, he accepted the envelope, starting to open it as soon as he got it. "What…?" All words got stuck in his throat when he met the contents.

It was… an acceptance letter, to an excellent university nearby Konoha. An invitation to study literature.

"I took the liberty to send a teacher I know very well some of your writings. He called me as soon as he'd read them." He could feel Hayate looking at him while the man coughed. "You don't have to accept the position, of course, but…"

The man didn't get to say anything more, because at that moment he finally reacted. He heard a gasp and two coughs when he enclosed the brunette into a bear hug, tears of immense happiness rolling. "Thank you", was absolutely all he could say. "Thank you so much!"

All of a sudden his future – something he'd for a long time thought he didn't even have – looked very, very bright.

-

Hayate smiled while hugging the teen back.

He didn't think he'd ever met anyone who would've deserved a new beginning this much. He could only hope this new chance would be more merciful on the poor blond…

Sakura felt extremely cold while approaching her seat in the plain, her thoughts spinning around madly.

So… this was it. She was leaving Konoha behind after having dreamed about it for so many years. She was leaving behind a whole life, all her friends, so many memories. She was finally starting the process of growing up.

So why didn't she feel ecstatic, or even good?

The answer was almost pathetically easy to figure out, she finally came to realize.

The picture of Neji's face still slashed deeply when entering her mind, and she was forced to grit her teeth.

To hell with him, she finally managed to tell herself oh so valiantly. If he judged her like that because of a secret, then perhaps…

She didn't even know what anymore. She was sick of thinking.

Just then she reached her seat – and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she saw a familiar person occupying the seat next to hers.

Sure, he looked far more tired than usual, but was very much recognizable nonetheless.

Her voice was nothing but a wheeze. "Neji…?" What the hell was going on?

She wished she could've read the boy's expression when he looked at her after a moment. "I hope you don't mind, but I figured I could take the same flight."

At that moment she did something that'd been a struggle for a while. She smiled, truly and genuinely. "No, I don't mind."

Naruto's stomach was hurting for some reason while he made his way through the school's hallways, painfully aware of the fact that now he was as far from invisible as it got.

It was amusing in a bitter way that it was something he'd wanted once.

Just then a rather large sized guy he'd never even met before was stood directly before him, giving him a look that made him want to shrink into a tiny ball. The teen's arms were folded, and nose wrinkled. "What – are you actually planning on showing up in the party?" There was a dirty snort. "Dream on, freak."

He grit his teeth, determined not to show any hurt. "I'm only returning some books and papers, okay? So leave me alone."

The boy snorted. "Oh, like you left your parents alone, freak?" Tiny pig's eyes flashed hazardously while a fist was lifted against him. "I knew you were no good news since you arrived. Now it's time to teach you a little lesson…"

Just then an extremely harsh voice stopped the huge teen, a mere second before the fist would've met his face. "Leave him the fuck alone."

His heart jumped – that voice he recognized very, very well. Turning around slowly, afraid he wouldn't find the one he wanted to, he had to fight back a huge grin when seeing Sasuke there with smouldering onyx eyes.

So he did still matter something to the Uchiha, after all.

For just a moment the teen threatening him opened his mouth and balled his fists again – as though preparing to continue the fight – but in the end emitted what sound like a bark that included words 'fucking scar face' and 'faggot', then turned sharply and walked away.

As soon as the teen had disappeared – muttering something incoherent under his breath – Sasuke walked up to him, something he almost wished to be worry on his face. "Are you okay?"

He opened his mouth, only to discover that no words came. The situation was just too surreal.

He shivered faintly with what can only be called pleasure when Sasuke took his hand. "Come on." The boy's eyes were unreadable. "Let's get the hell out of here, okay?"

He was more than willing to follow the Uchiha.

They held hands all the way to Sasuke's house.

A sensation of threat woke up Kimimaro, who'd once again been spending time in Gaara's room, that evening long before he even heard the tone that made his blood turn cold. "Hello there." His eyes widening slightly with fear he lifted his gaze to meet the speaker, an old man he'd never met before. "You were a bit hard to find, although I probably should've known to look for you from your pathetic friend."

He moved so that he was shielding Gaara, which only made the unfamiliar man laugh in a way that chilled him even further. "There's no need for that – he's already harmless, there's no point in doing anything to him. You, on the other hand…" The man's eyes gleamed while the older male pulled out a needle and walked up to him faster than he could react. "… are a dangerous witness. You need to be dealt with."

He wished dearly his reflexes and strength had been enough, but he'd spent such a long time not eating and moving that he could barely even walk. That's why he had no chance of stopping the man before the needle had already pierced his skin.

The man sneered. "Don't worry – this may be painful, but it won't take long before all your pain and sorrow will be swept away. Just go to sleep."

Most likely reacting to the nearly animalistic scream he'd given before the needle's content had even been pushed into him, a female nurse he'd never seen before burst in. Her eyes flashed when she noticed the man, and what was going on. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

A hellish searing sensation traveled through him, along with fright making him scream again – in a choked manner this time – when the man's eyes gleamed, and the older male was already dashing towards the unsuspecting nurse. "I'm leaving."

Before the poor nurse could even react she was flying, and a sickening sound erupted when she hit the floor, then remained there, completely still.

The man gave him a one more, strange look that seemed to hold a lot more than it was probably supposed to. "You should've just obeyed, kid. It would've never come to this." With that the man left without looking back.

He didn't remember ever feeling as scared as he did when the medication swept him from his feet only a couple of seconds later, and he stumbled to the floor right next to the nurse, his head spinning and everything starting to turn blurry, surreal. In that moment of despair he lifted his gaze, and a burst of something barely human filled him when he looked at Gaara's face. And against all odds he started to move, although every single motion brought unimaginable pain.

It took far more strength than he should've had and a lot more time than would've been wise to waste, but eventually he'd made – crawled – his way all the way to the redhead's bed, climbed next to the one person he remembered ever caring about. He had no idea where such a burst of strength came from, but he just managed to wheeze out a name. "Gaara…"

The sleeping boy, of course, didn't react, couldn't hear him from whatever the fog the teen had gotten lost into. And suddenly he felt more alone than ever before. (He might've felt a little less lonely and hopeless if he'd been able to lift his gaze and noticed how on a screen Gaara's vitals speeded up rapidly.)

He would've closed his eyes if he'd dared to. Breathing hurt, moving hurt, everything hurt so much that he would've desperately wanted to scream.

He looked towards Gaara's face once more, so much fear and sorrow in his barely seeing eyes that it would've been painful for anyone to watch. "I…" Even if he'd still had his voice, he wouldn't have known what to say so he merely wheezed, his eyes blurring with the medication and something else. It was at that moment even the last of his strength slipped away.

Giving a rather loud, desperate moan he snuggled closer to the redhead's warmth, trying to hold the boy's hand although he knew he wouldn't be able to do so anymore.

I'm sorry.

All of a sudden his body was cold and heavy, and he was so tired that his eyes just wouldn't stay open anymore. His cheeks grew warm with something moist.

I'm so sorry…

His last coherent thought was that he felt his heart stop before everything exploded into a majestic white.

-

It was heartbreaking, really, that the same moment his eyes closed Gaara's eyes opened to meet a world that would never be the way he'd dreamt it to be anymore.

-

In the hallway Danzou froze for the smallest of seconds when hearing a wounded, nearly animalistic scream, but then went on as though nothing had ever happened.

Once outside he met Orochimaru, who had a look he considered dangerous on his face. "Well?"

He felt disgusted all of a sudden. "It's done", he snarled through grit teeth. "So you can stop pestering me already."

Orochimaru's eyes flashed devilishly in the light of a car passing by. "Very good." He was already walking away, thinking he was safe, when the man went on. "We'll talk about the rest of the payment arrangements soon enough."

When he finally got to his car he couldn't hold it down any longer. He leaned against the vehicle and threw up loudly, not even noticing the looks people passing by gave him.

Zaku had never been as furious as he was that day, while he stood on the side of Konoha's biggest road – the one leading out of the town he now officially labeled as the worst place he'd ever been in.

It wasn't enough that Kakashi had made him apologize to Naruto, and Sasuke as well, in front of everyone, and that he'd almost been arrested for stealing those stupid police documents. Now, it'd also been decided that he was basically kicked out of the town, and school; he'd been informed that morning that because of his grades he wouldn't graduate, and he'd complete the final year in his old hometown, where everyone hated him for what he'd done to Sasuke.

So, to put it short, his life was about to become living hell. And for the first time he wondered if it'd all been worth the price.

"You look lost."

The smooth voice caught him so off guard that he jumped before turning his gaze. He wondered when the rather old, black car had showed up right before him, carrying a man with long, black hair and the most chilling eyes he'd ever met.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Who the heck are you?"

The man shrugged, giving a smile that would've caused anyone but him creeps. "A friend. Call me Orochimaru." The man opened a car's door for him. "Do you need a ride?"

He had to fight against smiling.

Now how about this; perhaps luck hadn't turned its back on him, after all.

He shrugged and got in without any further hesitation. "I'm Zaku, by the way."

It was fortunate, perhaps, that he was too busy with his musings to notice the man's expression. "How very nice to meet you."

In the meantime Naruto and Sasuke had made their way into the raven's bedroom. A sensation of déjà vu crossed the blond while they sat to the raven's bed, just like they'd once been able to do without any discomfort.

To think how simple life had once been…

"I just… wanted to thank you, I guess", he started, working his hardest to set his word right. "For getting me away from that freak"

Sasuke shrugged, seeming somewhat thoughtful. "He was just getting on my nerves, too."

The situation – Sasuke so close and finally relaxed around him – felt so good that it took his all not to hug the raven. It took a while before his mouth agreed to work. "I just… I was wondering…" He licked his lips. "Do you want to go to that new café tomorrow? As friends, of course. It's no big deal, just…" He finally realized he was rambling, and forced his lips tightly together to keep more from coming.

Something that sounded like a groan erupted through Sasuke's throat. "We can't."

He was somewhat surprised by the fact that the refusal actually hurt physically. He could barely not bite his lip when looking towards the other. "Why not?"

Sasuke sighed heavily and looked away from him; obviously this was something the raven wouldn't have wanted to talk about. "Because I'm leaving, tomorrow morning."

And suddenly the world felt much colder than before. "What?"

"I'm leaving." This time, at very least, the boy looked at him with eyes he couldn't read. "Itachi… is going to get an operation in Tokyo, and he needs me. I'm going to start studying there."

Somehow, it felt like something had died just a little inside him, and his stomach twisted to knots. His eyes also felt uncomfortable.

He swallowed thickly, not sure what to think and feel. "But… Everything's gonna work out, right?" It was a hard task to meet Sasuke's eyes before he went on. "It's not like studies would take forever. We'll see each other soon."

Sasuke seemed to struggle between laughing and crying. "Dobe." Then – without a warning or any hesitation – the raven gave his lips a short kiss he could feel in every single part of his body. He wasn't sure what the look he met meant. "Don't look like that. The whole world won't end in a few years."

The sound that came from him was wet, which surprised him because he hadn't realized he was about to cry. He wrapped his arms tightly around the Uchiha, with that single motion trying to make sure the other knew letting go was the last thing he wanted to do. "I'll miss you", he murmured, hoping from the bottom of his heart the other believed him despite everything that had happened, despite the lies he'd told.

Sasuke seemed to debate for a moment, but in the end something seemed to soften in the boy's whole body. "Hn." In some other state of mind he might've heard the hidden 'I'll miss you, too'.

He felt something inside him shift uncomfortably. Was that really all he'd get, the final words of parting?

"Are you okay?"

So surprised he was by the question, that he didn't manage to react for a few moments. When he did he sounded like a five-year-old, even hiccupped. "No."

Did Sasuke actually dare to almost chuckle at him? The hand brushing his cheek rather cautiously made him forget easily, though. "Dobe." The raven sighed heavily, laying himself down to the bed. "You know… I'm not all that excited about meeting all those idiots at the party today, either." Coming from the Uchiha's mouth that was as good as an invitation to stay.

Restraining a grin that would've made him look like a total moron he lay down as well, careful not to touch Sasuke as he did so; that would've crossed every line they'd made for this new structure of a relationship.

If this was their final night together for several years, then he was dead set to make the best of it, to enjoy every moment of it, damn it.

It didn't take more than a few seconds before they'd fallen asleep, losing themselves into the sweet land of dreams.

(If Naruto hadn't put his cell phone to a silent mode, he might've woken up when it snapped to life late that night, marking the number as Deidara's.)

The next morning he woke up almost painfully alone and much too cold, and he wasn't sure why he wasn't more surprised than he was once discovering that Sasuke had disappeared. The only thing left behind was a necklace – a strange, silvery pendant that had tiny skates engraved to an oval-shaped background.

Through bitter tears he managed to smile just a little while wrapping his hand around the treasure.

(In his emotional turmoil he forgot to call Deidara back.)

Morning's mist had barely faded while Sasuke and Itachi approached the airport's gates that morning. To anyone who knew them the brothers were unusually quiet while making their journey; it was as though they would've been approaching the worst of all horrors.

"Are you sure that was the right way to leave things?" Itachi's voice managed to sound stern and soft at the same time. "He'll miss you, you know?"

"Hn." Truthfully, Sasuke had been feeling this strange ball in his stomach ever since he'd given Naruto a more glance and a light kiss before leaving the boy sleeping. Sensing Itachi's look he almost groaned. "I know what I'm doing, okay? So stop worrying."

Did his brother just sigh? "I really hope so, because I don't want you to live in remorse for the rest of your life."

He was so deep in thought that he barely heard his brother. He lifted his gaze towards the sky he could see through a window, watched how a plane rose high into the blue and white.

In this town, he was much too close to every single one of his painful memories to be able to think, to make decisions. So he'd leave now, for the sake of his barely intact sanity. He didn't know if he'd ever get better from the scars he'd received without Naruto, what'd happen next or even what he was really heading towards. But he did know that he had to go. If destiny would lead him to the Uzumaki again… Then perhaps he wouldn't fight it that time around.

For the first time in his life he was leaving everything into the unsteady hands of fate.

TBC, for an epilogue.

A/N: (sniffs) Awww, man – poor Kimi-kun! And now those two are separated again! (sniffles some more) Some cruelty, ne?

Awkay, as said I'm in a hurry (heh, after the way I left this chappy I'm almost glad I am…), so I've gotta start tuning out. PLEASE, do leave review to let me know ya've visited, yeah? (glances with adorable puppy's eyes)

Until next time – and the FINAL chappy! (starts bawling) Man, I can't believe it's actually coming to an end!

Take care, un!