Sasuke stood on the edge of the cliff, the late afternoon sun reflected over the ocean below, its orange glow almost giving way to the moon's pale light.
He looked at the landscape, the way the sky and the ocean seemed to merge as they stretched far beyond what the eye could see was as overwhelming as it was beautiful, but most of all the clear skies and calm waters gave him a sense of peace he hadn't felt in years.
Ever since that day.
He sighed and shook his head, the memories had haunted him for years, they had directed his path through life and made him cause as much pain as he suffered, all for a false cause.
He was determined to throw them away and start anew, but before he could there was one final loose end, one final part of the life he wanted to leave behind, one final bond, and as much as it pained him to admit it he needed closure from it as much as it needed an explanation from him.
He didn't turn around, he didn't have to, they always shared something special and he could feel him coming.
"Naruto" Sasuke said, never taking his eyes from the boundless sight in front of him, no matter how much he wanted to look at his former best friend again.
"Sasuke" Naruto said, the same insufferably friendly tone that had once broken through his walls and forced him into the light after he spent so much time in the darkness.
"How long has it been?" Sasuke asked, more to himself than to Naruto. "It feels like a lifetime ago"
"Too long" Naruto said. "I made a promise I would bring you back"
"And you always keep your promises" Sasuke said with a chuckle, though there was no humor in his voice.
A gust of wind blew past them, Sasuke watched as the sun began to slowly disappear on the horizon.
"Come back" Naruto asked. "Come home to the village, come home to us"
"How are Kakashi and Sakura?" Sasuke asked. "I haven't seen them in so long"
"They miss you" Naruto said. "Sakura-chan is always talking about how she has gotten strong so she can help bring you back, Kakashi-sensei doesn't say it all that often but I know he wants you back too"
"Team 7" Sasuke said, a fond smile for one of the few good memories he still had. "I remember"
"We were more than a team" Naruto said. "We were a family"
"We were, weren't we?" Sasuke said. "I almost miss those days"
"They could have lasted longer" Naruto said.
"But then I left"
Naruto gave a hesitant nod, Sasuke sighed.
"I was so desperate, back then" The Uchiha said. "Desperate to get revenge, desperate to be acknowledged, desperate to be strong"
"You always were strong" Naruto said. "I always saw you as my rival, I wanted to be strong so you wouldn't leave me behind"
"I know" Sasuke said. "And in the process you forced me into a friendship I didn't want and didn't know I needed, you helped me even against my will"
"I couldn't let you stay that way" Naruto said. "You are my friend"
"I let go of all my friendships" Sasuke said. "I let go of all of my bonds, all so I could become strong enough to get my revenge"
"I didn't give up on you"
"Thank you"
"What for?"
"For not giving up on me, for not abandoning me even when you should have"
"I would never abandon my friends"
"I killed him" Sasuke said. "I killed Itachi, I avenged my clan"
"Why didn't you come back then?" Naruto said. "Your goal is fulfilled, you have no more reason not to come back"
"He was under orders" Sasuke said. "When he killed my clan he was under orders of a Konoha official named Danzo"
"I know" Naruto said. "Granny Tsunade told me, she found out and he was executed for it"
"I heard" Sasuke said.
They passed a moment in silence, Sasuke watching as the sun ever so slowly disappeared, it was almost over now.
"Let's go back" Naruto said. "The others are waiting"
"I'm not going back"
"Why not?" Naruto said. "You have no more reason to stay away, everyone you know is there, we are there, it is home"
"I'm done" Sasuke said. "I'm done with the pain and the anger, the hate and the suffering, the bloodshed, everything, I didn't wait for you here to go back with you, I am letting go of everything and starting again, I need peace and I can't have it while still being the same person who suffered and caused all that pain"
"Then why did you wait for me?" Naruto asked. "Why let me find you?"
"Because I needed closure" Sasuke said. "And because you are my friend"
"I promised Sakura-chan that I would bring you back"
"I know" Sasuke said. "And I'm sorry but I'll have to ask you to break that promise"
"Why!? Damnit Sasuke tell me why!? Why won't you come home?"
"Because Konoha isn't my home any longer" Sasuke said. "I told you, I'm done, I want nothing to do with shinobi or the villages"
"So what!?" Naruto said. "That's it? You are just going to run away from everything?"
"I'm not running away" Sasuke said. "I'm running towards something"
"Oh yeah? What?"
"My happiness"
"Why can't you be happy back home!? Why can't you be happy with us!?"
"Because I want peace" Sasuke said. "Shinobi endure, they live lives filled with suffering and death, I don't want that, not anymore, I just want to be happy and I can't be happy while causing pain to others"
"So that's it?"
"You're my friend, right?"
"Always"
"Then in the name of our friendship do something for me, just let me be happy, I know this isn't what you wanted but please, if we were ever really friends just do one thing for me"
He let out a breath, he saw as the sun finally disappeared, the orange skies turning black as the night came, when he spoke it came out as pleading.
"Leave me alone"