Opaque
summershine
Warnings: Main character death, yaoi (boyxboy love)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Sasuke threw back the small saucer of sake with impatience and hissed as it burned its way down his throat. His hair, sodden from the rain, and illuminated by the few, sputtering candles nesting on the nearby shelf, cleaved to his pale neck and roughly-textured indigo shirt. His gaze was unsteady, and it seemed he had no desire other than to down the contents of the green bottle in front of him.
The man on his right, however, observed his drunken state unwaveringly, and silently handed him a second bottle when the first had been emptied. Naruto's eyes were fixated on the many gashes, weals, and sores that adorned Sasuke's figure and merrily spilled blood onto his floor. They all gouged critical points, and the young man knew his companion would slump soon, too little life left in him to hold his figure upright.
Sasuke's breathing had become erratic and labored, his eyes heady with bewilderment and untamed excitement. His left hand was clenched, covering marking that was etched deep into his skin; marking that spelled out the word dame (1). It was a token of his battle, a battle that had consisted of two men, one left lying on a field of muddy roots and gnarled shrubbery, unmarked and quite clearly dead.
"I don't understand," he muttered rather piteously. "What... what do I do? What do I do now?" He turned to his companion, his hair dark and curtaining his eyes, which were feverish with the consumption of sake, and collapsed. Naruto caught him, his tanned, lean arms cradling the mess of limbs and pooling blood. His blue eyes were wide, pupils fixed on the man now dying in his arms.
Sasuke gave a hacking cough, and droplets of blood rained down upon Naruto. Naruto's arms tightened subconsciously, and he felt tears gliding down his cheeks like ghosts. It was Sasuke - really Sasuke - who had come knocking on his door and stumbled into his apartment, vindicated at last. The only problem was that Sasuke's life purpose was to destroy his brother - and now that his brother lay dead, he had nothing to live for. Nothing, Naruto realized with a dull ache, would be able to cure Sasuke now. Now - now, he would watch the man he loved die.
Sasuke's heart was jumping, straining for the blood that was no longer circulating throughout his body, but rather draining from him in copious amounts. His eyes, locked onto Naruto's, held an emotion that Naruto had never identified in his face before - love. And it was with his final breath that Sasuke gave a choked, "Ai- aishiteru (2)," and became limp.
The rain had slowed to a light mist, golden rays of sun striking the shingled rooftops of Konoha, and still Naruto sat, hunched over the cold body in his lap, his heart cursing the opaqueness of Sasuke's future and the opportunities it had inevitably suppressed.
(1) Dame - Japanese for "useless"
(2) Aishiteru - Japanese, the most intimate way to say "I love you"
Well, this was my first Naruto fanfic, and I feel rather horrible having killed Sasuke. But, it is my belief that Sasuke's only reason for living is to kill his brother, and once this has happened, he will no longer have a purpose strong enough to live for - I don't think Sasuke will ever be able to fully act on love. Hope you enjoyed it, and leave me feedback, I'll very much appreciate it!!