Omigosh, I am sooooo sorry everyone! I would have updated a lot sooner but I got sick. X.x I'm still sick right now, but I remembered I needed to update. So I thank you all for being patient with me, and here's the next chapter.
Miah-Chan disclaimes any Naruto characters.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sasuke's POV—Naruto's Apartment (Small Recap)
Tsunade shook her head and looked at Naruto. "I did everything I could, everything in my power to convince them otherwise. I'm sorry Naruto. Sasuke has got to die." Naruto's jaw dropped and I grimaced, remaining silent. "No…" Naruto whispered.
"I'm sorry." She said quietly, standing and taking my arm. I stood and walked towards the door with her. Naruto stared into space, dumbfounded. As Tsunade opened the door I turned and looked back at him. Slowly he raised his gaze to us. "W-when are you going to…?" he swallowed hard and closed his eyes. I felt something in my chest tighten and I had to look away from him. Tsunade stopped and said, "Tomorrow morning." We both gasped and looked at her. "Tomorrow…morning?" Naruto rasped. Tsunade didn't look at us. "Yes. I want you there Naruto."
"Hold on a minuet!" I snarled. Tsunade looked at me. "Don't make him come to my execution! He doesn't need to see that!" Tsunade studied me for a few seconds then said, "He's coming. It's an order. But he won't see you die. I'm not that heartless. I want him there to talk to him." I breathed in relief. If I was going to die the last thing I wanted was for him to watch. "What time tomorrow morning?" Naruto asked. "The execution will be at sunrise. I want you there at six thirty in the latest." She replied, not looking at him. I glanced back at him. He was standing now, staring at the floor.
"Come on Sasuke." Tsunade said quietly, pulling me out the door and closing it softly. I looked at the apartment one last time then walked silently back to the Tower.
Naruto's POV—Next Day—5:30a.m.
I hugged my pillow closer to my chest and set my chin on my knees. Slowly I pulled the blanket closer on my shoulders, fighting off the chill. Doppel lay beside me, watching me sadly, knowing I was unhappy. We were on the roof of my apartment, looking out towards the Hokage's Tower. It was almost sunrise.
"Why didn't I think about this Doppel?" I sighed hearing my voice crack. "Why didn't I think? I knew his punishment if he was ever caught would be death! Yet I was so fixed on bringing him back for my own selfish reasons I never thought about his consequences. I'm such a fool!" I buried my head into the pillow and took a deep, shuttering breath. Doppel laid her head on my arm and whined, nudging me. I looked at her and remembered the argument Sasuke and I had had about keeping her. My eyes burned and I squeezed them shut.
Doppel whined again and nudged me. I placed my hand on her head and she stopped. I looked up, towards the Tower again and set my jaw. "If this is the end," I muttered, standing up. "Then there's no way they're taking him away from me without my being able to say good-bye. About five minuets to sunrise. I can make it." I put Doppel back inside with my things and shut the window, running towards the Tower on the rooftops.
Sasuke's POV—Hokage's Tower
I looked around the white room as I walked inside. This would be the last thing I saw? Pure whiteness? Great. Then absolute pitch black. Perfect. I sighed and looked at the table in the middle of the room, then all the medical tools. And here I'd had the vision of my death being bloody. How foolish of me.
"On the table." Tsunade ordered quietly, walking across the room to do something. I looked at her then the table and walked slowly towards it. I sighed as I sat on it then lay down, staring at the ceiling. There wasn't much she'd do. Probably some type of sleeping medicine then a jutsu to stop my heart. Painless. Almost. The only painful thing about this was that I had left without saying good-bye. I regretted that. I'd regret that even in death.
Tsunade sighed and walked over, a mask over her nose and mouth and her hair back in a tight ponytail. Her lab coat was white as well. I looked away from her eyes. "It will all be over quickly." She said softly. "I'll give you a sleeping medicine first." "I know." "I'm…sorry." I snorted. "The only reason you're sorry is because you couldn't win for Naruto. You're not sorry you have to kill me. You're only sorry you couldn't make Naruto happy. Don't try to make it seem like what it's not." Tsunade set her jaw and said, "You're right, I'm not sorry about killing you. But I do wish that I could keep you alive only for Naruto." I clenched my fists. "Get it over with and kill me already." "Good idea." She snapped back, setting the medicine on the table beside my head.
I stared at the ceiling a few minuets as the smell filled my senses. It didn't smell bad but I couldn't say it really had an actual smell. Then the ceiling started getting blurry and my eyes started to droop. A few seconds later, I was asleep. I wasn't in a deep sleep yet as I could still hear Tsunade's footsteps as she walked around waiting for the medicine to make me fall into a deep sleep. But after a few more seconds I could no longer hear her. I couldn't sense anything. But I did dream.
Dream (Sasuke's POV still)
I laughed as Naruto fell into the water. "You idiot." "Brrr!" he shivered. "It's c-c-cold!" "I guess so it's turning into fall you dumb idiot. Get out of there before you catch a cold." I chided, offering my hand. He grinned and went to take it but I pulled back. "I should've thought. If I help you out you'll only pull me in. Get out yourself." I smirked as he whined and sat back down beside the fire. The sun was setting. We were at the waterfall, camping out and just trying to get away from the village for a while. He climbed out of the water and shook off like a dog. I growled warningly. "I just got this fire started. Don't put it out now." "Sorry." He smiled, taking off his jacket and shirt and sitting down in front of the fire. I smiled and watched the flames dance as the sun went down and the stars came out with the full moon. He scooted over beside me and sighed. We'd eaten already and he'd gotten his bath for the day I guess. I smirked at the image of him tripping over his own feet and hitting the water face first as he'd rushed back to the fire after setting up the tent. "What?" he asked, stifling a yawn. "Nothing. Just imaging you tripping." "Hey!" I laughed and looked at him. His eyes shinned with the fire's reflection in them and he yawned again. "Tired?" "A little." "Let's go to sleep then. We need to go back tomorrow." "Okay." We put out the fire and just sat there a while in the dark, looking at the stars. I lay down and crossed my arms behind my head. Naruto laid down and laid his head on my chest, eyes drooping sleepily as he watched the sky. Before I knew it he was asleep. I smiled a little and picked him up, putting him in the tent then laying beside him and going to sleep myself, kissing him on the forehead.
End DreamI grimaced in my sleep. I didn't need this! I didn't need these memories! And yet came another.
Dream
"Oof!" Naruto giggled and grinned as he looked down at me. "What are you doing?" I asked, quirking a brow. He'd just ran into me and shoved me on the ground and now he didn't want to get off. We were on the hill to watch the fireworks for the Sakura Festival so we could get away from talking to the other's for a while. He shrugged. "Well then get off of me, you're practically crushing my lungs." He smiled. "Aw, poor baby. Maybe this'll help." He kissed me and I smirked mentally. We broke off for air and he asked, "So?" "A little." He laughed lightly and kissed me again, just as the fireworks started.
End DreamI grimaced again. No! I didn't want to remember this right now! I felt my eyes burn, even as I slept and faintly felt something cool run down my cheek. If anything, I wished Tsunade would hurry up and finish it. I couldn't take many more memories.
Then, though it sounded very far off, I heard something crash into something else. Then I think there was yelling. My name. I know I heard someone call my name. Then it was kind of the sound of a struggle. What was going on? I had to wake up. I tried to open my eyes but they felt heavy as steel. Still I had to try. I tried again and it came a little easier. My hearing sharpened and I heard Tsunade cry, "Secure him! I don't need him waking him up! Get him out of here." There were more sounds of a struggle and a voice shouted, "Sasuke! Sasuke wake up! Sasuke!" I groaned and tried to open my eyes again. "Shut up! I've been waiting almost an hour, it's not going to make it any easier if he wakes up!" Tsunade growled and shouted, "Restrain him!"
"No! I need to—I have to—Sasuke! Wake up! Please!" I heard the desperation in the voice as well as oncoming tears. But I couldn't open my eyes. They were too heavy. I tried to stir to wake myself up but I couldn't move either. The voices started getting farther and farther away again. It was getting harder to breathe too. My senses were shutting down altogether. It was getting cold. I tried to open my eyes again but couldn't. Then everything became silent.
Naruto's POV
"No! Sasuke!" I cried, fighting against the guards that pinned my arms behind my back and me to the wall. I strained again and shouted, "Sasuke!" Tsunade sighed and dropped her hands from his chest, her back still facing me. "No!" "Naruto. I'm sorry. I didn't want you to see that but you gave me no other choice." "Choice?! If you had for one second listened to me you would've known I wasn't trying to do anything to stop you! I only wanted to—to—" I choked as a tear rolled down my cheek. Tsunade turned to look at me, astonished. "I only wanted to say good-bye!" I cried, trying to glare at her. The guards grip faltered and I tore away from them, running across the room to Sasuke. Tsunade stepped back in shock.
I took her place at his side and stared at him. She'd really done it. I wiped my sleeve across my eyes and whispered, "I want some time alone." Tsunade slightly nodded and said quietly, "I'm sorry Naruto. I should've listened. I didn't—" "Forget your excuses. Go." I snapped in a whisper. She sighed and they left the room, closing the door behind them. I put a hand on his and touched his cheek. It was still warm but growing cold. I shakily put a hand to his un-rising chest and found no heartbeat. I choked back a sob. "No. No, come on, you can't die. You can't die!" I shook him a little. "Wake up. Wake up!" I shook him again, waiting for him to stir, to snap his eyes open and grab my wrist, squeezing it and tell me to knock it off. I waited but it didn't happen.
"Wake up! You can't die! Please Sasuke, wake up!" I cried, tears rolling off my cheeks now. I didn't care. He couldn't die. I had to tell him good-bye! He couldn't die without my saying something to him! I sniffed and brushed his bangs away from his eyes. "You arrogant, inconsiderate Teme. If you hadn't left this wouldn't be happening." I squeezed my eyes closed and blew out a breath. "No, it's not fair to blame it all on you." I touched his cheek again and slowly opened my eyes. "I just wish I could have talked to you first."
I hesitated and looked at the door. No one was there watching me. The room had no cameras. I looked back to Sasuke and whispered, "If anything…let me have…one last…" I bent down and kissed him then stood straight again and looked at him. "I'm sorry. I never…never should've brought you back." I slowly took my hand away and turned to leave, wiping the tears off my cheeks, then walked towards the door.
Opening it I found Tsunade and the guards waiting on the other side of the hall. Tsunade looked up as I opened the door. I didn't look at her. "Excuse me." She said in a near whisper, going to walk inside. I clutched the doorframe and fought back from crying.
"Naru…to…" My eyes widened and I whirled around. Sasuke winced and slowly sat up, holding a hand to his head. He slowly opened his eyes and grimaced, looking at me. I opened my mouth to say something but it got caught in my throat. "Sasuke." I whispered, running to him and hugging him, burring my face into his chest. He grunted and slowly put a hand to my head, stroking my hair. I let my tears go and sobbed.