Forget Me Not
By The Ambitious Blank

Disclaimer- Naruto isn't mine. ^^
Comments- Lalala.. next chapter.. death in this one. Um.. duh. x.x; Lots of cursing on Naruto's part.

..um, yeah, in the last chapter, Sasuke was kinda soft. x.o; I apologize for that. I was kinda trying to avoid it.. but, whatever. He's about to die, so I figure he'd be a little nicer. ^_^;

~*~Chapter 3- Cyclamen, "Goodbye"

"SASUKE! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Naruto began to charge forward, only to be pulled back. He yelled and struggled against the hands that held him, looking up to see Kakashi and Iruka standing there. Iruka avoided his eyes, Kakashi stared at him calmly.

"Hold still, Naruto." He said quietly, turning to watch Sasuke, who glanced to them wordlessly.

That bastard! What the FUCK does he think he's doing?! This is some kind of sick joke, isn't it?!

"This isn't funny.. this isn't funny anymore, Sasuke!" Naruto stared at the dark-haired boy, desperate for the laughter he was sure would be ringing out any second now. "Ha, we got you good, Naruto." They would say. Any second now. Right? RIGHT?!

Sasuke averted his gaze from his. Naruto felt his heart pound once, hard, against his ribcage.

No. NO!!

"I won't let you! You can't! Sasuke, you idiot!!" He struggled against Kakashi and Iruka's grip. "Lemme go! You can't let him do this! You can't!!"

"Be quiet, Naruto." Tsunade spoke up, stepping forward and glaring at him. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be." She looked to Sasuke. "You're sure about this, aren't you?"

"Too late to turn back now." Sasuke answered softly, looking to Naruto, who stared at him helplessly. He'd given up struggling, knowing it was hopeless. But what does one say, looking into the eyes of a friend about to die for you? He was speechless, and Sasuke turned to face Tsunade, who sighed, biting her lip as she stepped back and raised her hands. Kakashi reached down and unzipped Naruto's jacket, removing it and his shirt, and the hands returned to his shoulders, holding him more tightly now.

Sasuke.. Sasuke.. this has to be some sort of dream..

Tsunade raised her hands, which had begun to glow with a faint blue. The light flowed from her fingers to the markings on the floor, spreading across them towards Sasuke, who watched them. As the light began to cover him, he turned to Naruto.

"Goodbye, Naruto." He murmured softly. Naruto's eyes widened, and suddenly he found his voice.

"SASUKE!" He screamed, struggling. Kakashi held him tightly. Sasuke was now enveloped in light, his chakra, colored a dark blue, flowed from his shoulderblades, and for a brief moment, it looked as though he had wings to fly. The chakra continued to drain, flowing into a symbol drawn on Tsunade's palm, and eventually Sasuke's eyes drooped.

I feel so tired.

He glanced to Naruto, who he could see was still yelling, but strangely, couldn't hear him. He could barely keep his eyes open.

Naruto.. I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you how I felt for you.

"Sasuke.." Naruto had given up struggling again, falling forward in Kakashi and Iruka's grip, tears streaming down his face.

Isn't it wierd, Naruto? I used to hate you so much..

Sasuke smiled faintly. Was this what death felt like? The feeling of getting progressively more and more tired.. it certainly wasn't anything unpleasant, like most thought it would be.

I never realized..

"I hate you, Sasuke. I'll hate you forever for this.."

..how much one person could mean to me.

Sasuke felt his eyes finally closing.

Forgive me, Naruto. This.. this is finally goodbye.

~*~

Naruto watched disbelievingly as Sasuke finally fell to the ground and lay still. Sasuke. His rival. His teammate. His companion.

..my friend.

"SASUKE!!" He shrieked, throwing himself against Iruka and Kakashi's grip, breaking from it forcefully.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called, reaching out to grab him again. Naruto jumped out of the way and ran to the fallen form, falling to his knees in front of it. There was a long period of silence, where no one dared to move. Naruto could feel tears streaming down his face, and finally, he let loose.

"I hate you, Sasuke! I hate you!! You never told me you'd be doing this!! You bastard.. we never got to settle that fight! You just wanted to die while you were ahead, didn't you?! You fucking BASTARD!!" He raised a fist and slammed it down into the ground just near Sasuke's face, making a dent in the stone floor. Everyone in the room flinched, but still didn't say anything. Iruka bit his lip and looked off to the side. Tsunade turned away, sighing heavily.

"Naruto, it's time for you to go."

"I'll never forgive you. I swear I'll never forgive you.." Naruto whispered as he was dragged away from Sasuke's prone form. Tsunade mumured a few words, her palm beginning to glow brightly with the power of Sasuke's chakra. Naruto felt incredible pain as her hand met with the spiral seal on his stomach. He heard a shriek of terror from the fox sealed within him, and then everything went black.

~*~

"Naruto. Wake up, Naruto."

"Huh? Sasuke? I thought you were.." Naruto opened his eyes and sat up, looking around the white hospital room.

No one.

"..dead." Naruto finished sadly. He lay still, staring at the ceiling.

"Damn you, Sasuke. I hope you burn in Hell for this, you ass! You were always such a cocky bastard, weren't you?!" He growled out, rolling onto his side. "You just wanted to best me, huh? Dying for the village like you're some damn hero!" He rolled over again, images of Sasuke's small smile towards him as the ceremony began flooding his mind. He rolled onto his stomach, beating the pillow with a fist.

I hate you, Sasuke. I hate you! You always have to win in the end, don't you? Naruto's eyes filled with tears, but it didn't matter, they just spilled directly into the pillow.

I hate you.. you were always better than me, weren't you? That never would have changed. You refused to acknowledge me as a ninja.. so why the hell did you do this? I don't understand you. Why do you have to be such a fucking hard puzzle to figure out??

There was a soft knock on the door, and Kakashi and Iruka stepped into the room, both looking solemn. Kakashi remained calm as always, Iruka looked nervous and fidgety, but he spoke first.

"N.. Naruto, how are you feeling?" He frowned, his parental instinct he held for the young blonde taking over. He walked over, pulling up a chair and sitting down in it. Kakashi moved over and stood next to him. Iruka sighed.

"Look, Naruto, I'm sorry we didn't tell you about this." He said, chewing on his lip nervously. Naruto didn't move, his face still buried in the pillow. Iruka looked perplexed, and glanced up to Kakashi for advice. Kakashi shrugged and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Naruto." He spoke softly. Naruto mumbled something into the pillow. Iruka raised an eyebrow.

"What'd you say, Naruto? We couldn't hear you."

Naruto slowly rolled over, eyes red and puffy from crying, but he sent an almost murderous glare in Kakashi's direction.

"What happened to your stupid philosophy, huh, Kakashi-sensei?!" He demanded. Kakashi stared at him, his one visible eye widening a bit. Naruto continued, his eyes narrowed, his voice cruelly mocking.

"'I never let my comrades die.' What kind of bullshit have you been feeding us, huh?!" He sat up, glaring. Kakashi turned away. Iruka sighed.

"Don't be so foolish, Naruto. Sasuke decided to do this on his own. No one asked him to. He surprised us all."

"I don't CARE! Why didn't someone fucking STOP HIM?! Couldn't you all see him DYING?!"

"NARUTO!" Kakashi said sharply, and immediately both Iruka and Naruto shut their mouths and looked at him. Kakashi sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. He was beginning to see how Shikamaru could think the whole world was troublesome.

"Naruto, Sasuke died to save this village. Had we waited any longer to do anything about the Kyuubi, it would have taken you over, and many lives would have been needlessly lost, just like last time. Sasuke died to protect his village, and you. You felt guilty after you attacked those few doctors that one day, imagine how you would have felt if you slaughtered the entire village."

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, before the weight of Kakashi's words sank in. He faltered, then sighed, shoulders slumping as he stared at the floor. Iruka let out his breath in a quiet whoosh, then reached up and patted Naruto's shoulder.

"The doctors say you can leave later today. I'll see you later, Naruto. How about we get some ramen later?"

"Sure, Iruka-sensei." Naruto responded in a monotone, which disturbed the Chuunin somewhat. The two teachers left, leaving Naruto alone in this blank, sterile room, with only his thoughts to accompany him.

~*~The Next Day...

Naruto wandered the streets of Konoha, alone as always. People seemed to be nicer to him, offering smiles and waves. It had taken a while, but with Iruka, Kakashi, and even with the other Genins' help, he'd managed to become just another face in the village. Sure, there were some who still shot him dirty looks, but he'd learned to ignore them. Still, it felt so wierd, not having the fox there anymore, spitting curses at him whenever he demanded for help in using his chakra.

But.. now I have Sasuke's chakra to make up for that. He thought, staring down at his reflection in a puddle, noticing that his eyes were just as lonely as when he was a little kid, and he'd only lost one person he thought he hated. Naruto's shoulders slumped.

Sasuke wasn't just some rival, was he..? He was my friend.. I think. He chewed on his lip, perplexed at not being able to tell the difference. The reflection in front of him was suddenly shattered by a foot slamming down into it. His head jerked up, and suddenly he was being shaken violently by hands on his shoulders. He desperately tried to study who it was, and caught a glimpse of familiar pink hair and emerald eyes burning with anger.

"HOW COULD YOU LET SASUKE-KUN DIE?!" She shrieked, obviously hysterical. She stopped shaking him, just holding him there, her grip so tight that Naruto felt as though his shoulders might just cave in. He was struck speechless by how angry she was with him, and looked away.

How could I..?

"ANSWER ME, NARUTO!!" She screamed, shaking him again and then staring at him, tears of fury streaming down her cheeks.

Don't I mean anything to you, Sakura-chan..?

"How.. how could you let.. how could you let him just.. die?! Sasuke-kun.. Sasuke-kun wasn't supposed to die for someone like you.." She sobbed, releasing him. Naruto jerked back as if she'd stricken him.

Someone.. like me..? He thought, feeling old, supressed tears beginning to rise to his eyes. He bowed his head, one of them slipping from his eye, splashing into the shattered puddle before his feet.

"I.. I'm sorry, Sakura-chan." He choked out.

Does one stupid crush really mean the world to you, Sakura-chan? If it does, then I'm sorry.

Mixed emotions rose to the surface, and Naruto clenched his fists. How he hated to feel. He'd always envied Sasuke for being so apathetic about everything. Always keeping his cool.

Damn bastard.

Naruto couldn't explain what he felt. He'd always tried so hard to get Sakura to just acknowledge him as a true shinobi, and that wish had been granted, several times over by now. But her precious Sasuke-kun, who was only a childhood crush, meant so much more than the friend Naruto had tried so desperate to be. He pushed past the sobbing girl, walking onward. Sakura turned to him, those tears still streaming down her face. She screamed after him, falling to her knees in the middle of the street.

"Bring back Sasuke-kun, Naruto! Bring him back!! He wasn't supposed to die for you!"

Naruto broke into a run, putting an arm up to his face to hide his tears.

~*~To Be Continued...

Fwee, yeah. I hope it was depressing enough for you all. ^_^