Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. All I own is the main character Sonki and the original story board.
Naruto
Chapter 23: Nowhere
Saga: Death and Rebirth
Dammit! Sonki gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowing as she slid across the cement sidewalk, hands and legs outspread. He's blocking everything I throw at him! Her frown deepened. And he hasn't' even unlocked his curse seal yet! He's barely lifting a finger! Am I this weak!
"What, giving up?" Sasuke asked bored. "And you're the one who wanted to fight me so bad… To say…" He look up at the sky, as though going into a deep thought. He smiled down at her weak figure. "Punish me because I'm a… horrible person?" He laughed. "It's never been any of your business as to what I do… As to what side I choose to go too… What does it matter! You're not even supposed to be here!"
"Who ever said you had to be such an asshole!" Sonki roared at him standing back to her feet. She wiped the back of her head across her mouth, smearing the fresh blood. "What do you think gives you the right to set yourself against the village that supported you! They never turned their backs on the Uchiha family! What do you hope to accomplish by setting yourself against us!"
"Us?" he hissed out, glaring. "What do you mean by us? You were never really a part of that village! You don't even belong in this World! What makes you think you belong to Konohagakure!"
She grinned. "If I didn't than I'd be thinking along the same stupid lines as you wouldn't I? Chasing after some man that I don't even know? Orochimaru?" She laughed. "Honestly Sasuke! One look at him and you know he's just like a snake… He'll betray you after he's had his fun… You won't make it far…"
He sucked in a hallow breath. "What gives you the right to assume you know what I'm thinking."
"You're doing this because of your stupid brother! I don't blame you for wanting revenge! But what makes you think that you need to go against the village you've lived in for your whole life? That you would betray us just to get your revenge!" Her hands turned into fists at her sides. "Have you ever even thought about asking for help? That maybe, just maybe me, Naruto and the others would help you! That you're not alone in this world!"
"Shut-up! I didn't come here so you could lecture me!" He screamed. He charged at her, his fist poisoned.
She caught his fist in her own hand, shaking as she tried to match her strength against his. "You… wouldn't be getting… this stupid lecture, if you'd…" She swung her leg up, knocking him away from her. "If you'd just asked for help!"
"I DON'T WANT YOUR GOD DAMN FUCKING HELP!"
He was on top of her in a blink of an eye, holding a kunai at her throat. Their faces inches apart, his breath coming out in hallow gasps.
"Just… Shut-up… And start fighting me… Act as though you want to kill me!" He slammed the kunai in the ground beside her head, his free hand forming a fist, slamming itself into her face. "Fight back god dammit!"
Her nose broke, blood spilling down her face as she gasped out from the pain.
She grabbed his hair, jerking him off of her body. He fell, inches away, slightly surprised at her lewd set of actions against him.
She stood to her feet, the palm of her hand running down her face, blood still gushing out.
"Damn… that hurts…" she gasped out, a weak smile playing on her face. "Don't think I've… ever broken my nose before…"
He glared at her, his eyes trailing the ground to where his kunai lay, still sticking into the surface of the cement at her feet.
She spit the blood in her mouth at her feet, reaching down to pick up the kunai he had been eyeing. "This isn't going to help you much…"
She stretched her arm up, her wrist facing the sky.
"What are you…" He narrowed his eyes, a smile now sliding into his features. "Finally I'm going to witness the feared Dragon's, am I?"
She drug the kunai down her wrist, stopping at her elbow, allowing the blood to ooze out. She dropped the kunai, her bleeding arm falling to her side as she let the blood collect into a puddle at her left side.
Sasuke continued to smile.
Sonki fell to her knee's as the ground begun to shake. Shit… Her eyes begun to drop, only to open again as she caught the reality outside of her mind. I'm loosing to much blood… I dug in too deep… She blinked, looking at the mammoth size whole forming in front of her, the blood running towards it. I wonder who will come this time…
"Am I supposed to be afraid?" he asked, unsure of the situation opening in front of him. "A hole of all things is supposed to frighten me?"
A black scale claw of a hand reached up, grabbing the side of the crater that had been formed. Slowly the Dragon rose, his black scaled head moving around, blood red eyes surveying the scenery. The dragon pulled itself out of the hole, standing on all fours, nearly ten stories high.
"Who…" She blinked, her vision sliding out of focus. "What…"
Sasuke steeped back, shook his head and glared up at the massive Dragon. "Is this the best you can do Sonki! Your blood must be weak!"
The dragon moved towards him, hot air rolling out of its throat, scorching the sidewalk as it moved closer to the boy.
"Pathetic!" He whipped his hand in front of him, sending a haze of kunai flying. They dropped to the ground as they knocked against the dragon's scales, no marks shown an attempt of an attack.
He clamped his mouth shut in frustration, his eyes hardening as plans flashed through his head, leaving little remains.
"Not so… not so tough… now…" Her body fell forward, her hands catching her torso from hitting the ground as blood spilled out of her mouth, flowing across the ground and into the hole that still stood before her. "Shit…"
"Speak for yourself! You're going to die and you didn't even lay a finger on me!" He laughed, content at the image of her lifeless body.
The dragon lunged its arm forward, missing as Sasuke stepped to the side, confused at the dragon's blunt actions. It's tail curved around, impacting with his back, causing him to stumble forward into the dragon's outstretched claw of a hand.
Sonki spat out more blood, gasping for air. She turned his head up, seeing Sasuke in the dragon's claw like hands. "Sa…su…"
He screamed, the pressure increasing. His eyes clamped shut, in fear that they would burst out.
"Sasu…ke… No…" Her own eyes fell shut, blood spilling between her tightly shut lips. Her mouth burst open, the blood falling to the ground, rolling into the hole.
Don't tell me you actually have sympathy for this boy! You wanted him dead!
Not like this… Not like this…
What does it matter how he dies! He betrayed your village! He deserves to burn in the deepest pits of Hell! Don't show him mercy now!
If I don't stop this… If this continues…
He'll die! That's what you want! He tried to kill you! He tried to kill your team mates! He's turned himself against your village and now is in league with Orochimaru! Hate him! Kill him! Wrath is still trying to take over you, accept him! Don't push him away! Let him into your soul! Let Nidhogg tear this boy into a thousand pieces! Let him feast upon his flesh! His blood spilling to the ground, this is what you want!
NO! He still has time! He can turn his back on Orochimaru! He could turn his back on the World and yet he will still have a second chance! If he's going to die… I want to kill him myself!
You won't have the chance…
Sasuke's screams cut through the air.
"Dammit…" she hissed out, her vision finally fading. "I can't do this… I can't…"
She fell forward.
"Finally…" the voice hissed from her throat.
Sonki stood back on her feet, claws and fangs extended, her eyes a vivid red.
Garou flung Sonki's body forward, aiming for the arm Nidhogg had extended.
Her claws dug into Nidhogg's arm, causing Sasuke to drop to the ground, setting off a deafening 'thud', as he made impact. A smile curved into her features as she saw blood running down the dragon's arm, her claws tearing apart the flesh.
Nidhogg roared in pain as Sonki drug her clawed hands down his arm, digging deeper into the flesh and opening up a deeper blood flow.
Stop it!
Sonki dropped to the ground, landing on all fours. Her grin widened as she saw the black scaled tail come flying around at her. Catching it with her hands she bit down into the scales, ripping open another wound, nearly tearing it in half.
Stop it! Stop it now!
Nidhogg screamed once more.
Sonki spat the dragon's blood out of her mouth, glaring up at the black scaled giant in front of her.
"How does it feel to be defeated by a little girl?" Sonki asked laughing. "A immortal Dragon such as yourself Nidhogg! The eater beneath the tree!"
The Dragon flinched, stepping back, getting closer to the hole he had come from.
Let him go! Don't destroy him Garou! I summoned him to defeat Sasuke! Not for you to tear him apart!
"SHUT-UP!" the voice screamed from her throat. "I didn't manage to come out because you wanted to lecture me!"
The Dragon backed into the hole, slowly lowering himself inside, cautiously watching the demon in front of him.
LET ME OUT! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TAKING CONTROL OF MY BODY!
"I had to right to be trapped inside of you! You a mortal holding me!" The deep voice laughed from her throat.
LET ME OUT!
"You have no right to come back!"
LET ME OUT!
Sonki's body hunched over, her hands clamped onto her head.
"STOP IT! DON'T FORCE YOURSELF BACK INTO EXISTENCE! I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO SITTING AND WATCHING YOUR LUCID ACTIONS!"
Hands clamped around her neck, causing Garou to cry out.
"Let her out," a voice hissed in her ear.
A wicked smile curved into her features, red eyes gleaming.
Sonki swerved her leg back, aiming for his stomach.
Gaara side steeped out of the way, removing his grasp from around her neck.
"Idiot… You can't force me to let her come back… Not now, not now of all times…" She erupted into laughter once more in the Wolf's voice.
Gaara frowned, glowering over him, his hands fists at his side. I can't… I can't do anything!
"Sonki…" Gaara begun, almost pleadingly. "Sonki…"
Gaara…
"SHUT-UP!"
"Sonki… Come back. Don't let him take over your body. You're stronger than this… Don't fall to your knee's before him. Sonki, come back."
Gaara!
Sonki fell to her knee's the Wolf demon crying out in frustration as his soul was pushed out of control.
She looked up at the boy with hair the color of dried blood, a pitiful smile on her face.
"Gaa…ra…" She fell over, dead to the world.
Her body bolted upright, a confused expression on her face.
"Took you long enough," Gaara said, his voice echoing in the room.
She turned to look at him, her face completely blank.
He had his arms crossed on the back of the chair, his head rested between them as he stared at her, unblinkingly.
"How long was I out?"
"Two days…"
She frowned.
"You should lay back down, you're beginning to bleed again…"
She looked down at her stomach, blood seeped through her white shirt. She winced, laying herself back down. "When did I get that…" She frowned, confused. "Garou?"
"They're starting to eat through your body…" Gaara begun, his voice ceasing to be amused. "The Dragon's… You tried to destroy one of them, now this is payment."
"So I'm going to die than?" She laughed coldly. "They're going to eat through my body!"
"I don't know… You've made it this far with a demon in your body and a pack with the Dragons… You'll probably live…"
"No… I won't…" She narrowed her eyes, staring up at the ceiling, her arms going numb at her side. "I want you to take me back to Konoha."
"I won't." He stood up, the chair scratching across the floor. "If we moved you now you'd die! You won't make it further past the door in this room! I'm not going to let you kill yourself!"
"No! I have to go to Konoha!" She screamed at him, her body sitting back up.
She gasped out, nausea taking over her body as she rocked forward, trying to get the room to stay still.
"Lay back down before you injure yourself more!" He rushed towards her side, his hands on the red sheets at her side. "Lay down!"
Her mouth opened, spilling blood into her lap. Gasping for air she looked up at him, the outside of her mouth stained red, her eyes wide in fear.
"Lay down…" He pushed her back, running his thumb around her lips. He gave her a weak smile as he stepped back, his thumb now in his mouth. "I'll be back latter to see how your doing, otherwise get some rest…"
She gasped out as she nearly fell of the bed, her hand catching the railing as she reached out for Gaara's figure, closing the door behind him.
"Dammit…" She lay back down, the room spinning once more.
"She's moving!" an excited voice called out.
"Shut-up!" the female voice retorted. "You're going to give her a headache and she's going to end up sending us away!"
"You're the one with the loud voice!" he screamed back.
Sonki opened her eyes, staring blankly at the room filled with people.
"Sonki!" Naruto screamed out, his blond head flashing into view, his eyes bright. "How are you feeling!"
"What do you think…?" she asked pushing herself up. Her hand caressed her forehead, her eyes squinting from the pain. She looked down at the white sheets covering her blankly, they had been changed. "Besides…" She looked up at everyone. "What'd you do? Bring the whole village or something?"
Shikamaru gave her a wry smile, his arms crossed over her chest. "Would you have rather we brought no one? Given up on any hopes that you'd wake up some time soon?"
"What are you talking about?" she asked yawning. Her face welled up as pain singed through her stomach. She crossed her arms over her stomach, the sheets now sticking to her arm. Damn… I was hoping it would have stopped… At least for now… So they won't worry…
"Sonki?" Sakura asked looking at her worried. "Do you need me to call the nurse?"
She shook her head violently, forcing a smile on to her face. "No! I'm fine! Don't worry about it! Besides if you did that I'm sure she'd send you all away!"
"Right," Naruto answered nodding his head, unsure.
"Why are they here anyway?" Sonki asked, nodding her head in Kiba's, Chouji's, and Shino's direction. "I didn't know I was that good of friends with them…"
"Are you honestly going to start complaining about who comes to visit you, you idiot!" Kiba growled at her. "The three of us went out to save your sorry ass! We could have just ignored Naruto's request! But no! He had to go off and leave us to do his dirty work!"
"And didn't I already thank you for saving me!" she shot back at him, narrowing her eyes. "I wasn't complaining either! I Just didn't think either of you liked me!"
"I've never even talked to you… So what does it matter if I hate you or not?" Chouji asked frowning. "Besides, it's not as though it's going to matter much anymore, right?"
"Yeah, I guess that's true…" She frowned, the room becoming quiet.
"You're not really…" Hinata begun, her voice trembling, eyes lining with tears. "You can't be…"
"Gaara says I'm going to make it…" A smile formed. "But when it really comes down to it… I'm going to die. As I've said before, two soul's can't inhabit one body. It just doesn't work… The chemistry just gets all messed up or something… Besides, if he ever took full control of my body…" She narrowed her eyes. "If he ever took full control of my body again I don't know what would happen… He could kill everyone I held dear without a second thought… I don't want to see that happen, so maybe it is better if I die now…"
"Don't say things like that!" Kakashi snapped at her, his fingers digging into the palms of his hands. "Just because the odds are against you doesn't mean that you're going to fail!"
"Where's Sasuke?" she asked quietly. "Is he still… alive?"
"He's down the hallway," Sakura answered just as quiet. "He made it through… He's still alive… He's woken up too… But he just…"
"Just what?" She frowned, confused.
"He just lays there, staring at the ceiling. He wouldn't even look at me when I came in the room and started to talk to him… He won't talk to anyone, he just lays there… As though he's dead…" She sucked in a sharp breath, as though stopping tears.
"I don't think I would be satisfied if he turned tides and starting acting like everything was as it was before…" She frowned, her hands clutching the white sheets as a new wave of pain sprung forward. "I'd get up and try and kill him again if he did that…"
Naruto laughed weakly, his face turned up in worry. "You're starting to act like your old self again… You sound better already…"
She frowned, pulling her arms away from the blood ridden sheet she was trying to cover. "No. I don't sound better."
All eyes were on the stained sheets.
"Sonki…" Shikamaru said, his eyes slowly moving up to her face. "What…"
"They're trying to dig their way through me. I made a pack with them and now they're getting their revenge. I tried to destroy one of them, Nidhogg… They're going to tear right through my body, or at least if I can manage…" She smiled. "I'll hold out long enough just to bleed to death, to never experience the true pain of betrayal."
"There's got to be a way…" Naruto begun, only to cut himself short, realizing his own answer.
"You know…" She frowned, her eyes focusing hard on the blood spreading down the sheets in her lap. "You know I actually sided with Orochimaru… I actually helped him when he needed someone the most… When Kabuto could do nothing more for him…"
"Sonki…" Kakashi begun, his body leaning away from the wall.
"I gave him arms," Sonki said, cutting Kakashi off before he could utter more words. "I allowed him to take Akito's arms after I'd killed him… After I'd stabbed him to death, stood over him in the rain… Watching the blood run down the drains…"
She flung her head up at them, tears streaming down her face.
"I betrayed Konohagakure after all!"
Naruto raised his eyes from the floor, looking over at the falling sun that was hitting Sonki's body through the window, rays the color of a blood red. He moved around in his chair uncomfortably.
"What about the Akatsuki?" he finally asked.
"What about them?" Sonki asked mournfully. "There not going to get the three of us while we're under such heavy guard… You've got nothing to worry about at the moment…"
"I'm not talking about that!" Naruto shouted, his voice serious. "You know what I mean!"
She frowned, silence over taking her.
"What am I going to do without you! Who's going to help me fight against them when they try to capture the ten of us! I can't do this alone! I need you Sonki!"
"You mean the nine of you…" Her frown softened. "I'm not going to be hear much longer."
Her sheets and gown had been changed again.
"Don't say that…" he whispered. "Stop talking like you're already dead."
"It doesn't matter… You can handle the Akatsuki yourself… That's how it should have been… I should never of come here… I don't know why I was so desperate to get out of my own world! I should have just stayed there to rot! I shouldn't have come here and screwed up everything so bad! I never belonged here to begin with! I should have never existed!"
Naruto gripped the chair, biting down on his lip so he wouldn't scream at her.
"Besides… That's how it should have been… Just you, Gaara, and the seven others against the Akatsuki… Not me and the nine of us…"
So you're just going to let yourself die than? You're not going to fight back against them? You can't lead me on to believe that you have nothing left in you…
She stared out the window, the sun already set, the dark sky lit up by the moon.
I won't fight back against them… I'm tired… I just want to go to sleep… I'm tiered of it all… everything… I don't like being in a World I don't fit into… I should have never left my own…
Maybe you shouldn't have… Maybe you should have never come to this World! But what does it matter now! I'm stuck inside this pile of shit you call a body and you won't set me free! I'm not going to pay for your mistakes and wishes! You can't expect me to die with you!
You don't have a choice…
She rolled on to her side, letting the blood spill out of her mouth and onto the floor.
I've been bleeding so much lately… I'm almost dry… Just a husk… Nothing left to hold me together…
I won't let you kill me.
Just try to fight back against me…
She smiled, happy for the first time.
"Just try and stop me from killing you…"
She stood to her feet, nearly falling over as gravity came down upon her.
What are you doing?
"I realized…" she gasped out. "That I'm never going to see him again…"
Who?
"Gaara and…" She gasped again, reaching for the door handle. "And… Naruto… If I die tonight than… Than I wouldn't have said good-bye to them… Besides…" She pulled the door open, blood dripping from the hem of her dress where it had collected. "I forgot to tell them that I wanted my stupid name carved on that memorial…"
She smiled, stepping out into the hallway, begging her journey towards the Kazekage's office.
"The day could come… when one of you may be taken hostage, and you're forced to make such a choice." Kakashi begun, lifting his body up off of Sasuke's back, the kunai backed away from his neck. "When you are on a mission your lives will always be on the line."
He walked over to a marker, the stone Naruto had claimed to be a 'boulder'.
"Look at the marker… All the names carved in the stone. Heroes of our village. Shinobi." His expression became grave, his students eyes glued to his figure.
"That's it! I just made up my mind" Naruto screamed out.
Sonki looked up at him dully, her ears still ringing from his scream.
"There's where I want my name to go! I'm not gonna throw my life away! I want to be like them—a hero!"
Kakashi coughed, annoyed. "…But the one's listed there aren't just any heroes…"
Sonki flinched, turning her attention back to Kakashi, a chill running up her spine.
"Really? What kind of heroes are they?" Naruto replied, his voice running high in anticipation.
"Don't tell…" Sonki cut herself short, Naruto's voice booming once more.
"COME ON! COME ON!"
"The dead kind. They died in the line of duty."
The smile vanished from his face.
"This is a memorial… It includes the names of my best friends…" Kakashi drew himself away from the memorial, turning to look at his students, his face grave.
"Now pay attention…"
Sonki stood in front of the Kazekage's office, her face bent up in frustration, her eyebrows nearly becoming one as she screwed her face up in pain, another wave was sent rushing over her body.
A trail of blood followed behind her, leaving her clueless as to why no one had managed to see it and follow her to this point. She had been moving slow enough, even a slug could have caught her.
She turned the door handle, nearly losing her grip as she used all of her strength to open the door. It creaked open, Gaara standing in front of her looking surprised.
"Heya sunshine, can you get that look off your face? Doesn't really suit you…" she grinned at him, ignoring the horrified look on his face.
"Sonki!" he screamed out, his hands clamping on to her shoulders as he drug her into the office. He bent down on his knee's in front of her as soon as he had seated her in a chair. "What are you doing your moron! How did you even manage…" He frowned, not daring to continue.
"I've got something to tell you…" She lowered her eyes, still smiling.
"What…?" he snapped, then frowned. "No… You shouldn't even be here… I need to take you back to the hospital. What ever you have to say can wait until tomorrow… I don't need to listen now…"
He moved forward to pick her up, only to be pushed back by an angered face.
"No! You're going to listen to me right now!" she snarled, her anger pent up to long. "I'm tired of everyone being so worried over the state I'm in! Get over it! I'm going to die and you know it! You can smell it can't you! That disgusting odor of Death that is trying to claim me! Just listen to what I have to say!"
He shrunk back, afraid of her for once in his life.
"I want you to take my body back to Konoha…" She frowned. "But I want you to remove me head and leave it here."
He looked at her, his face turning into revolt.
"And tell Naruto I want my name on that stupid memorial wall." Her smile widened. "Deal?"
"No… Sonki…" He stood to his feet.
"Do it now." She stood to her feet, clutching her gut in her fingers, blood staining her hands. She then laughed, fully in taking his expression. "I know this sounds a bit morbid… Maybe even a bit out of character but…" She smiled at him warmly. "I want you to kill me. I want you to remove my head and send my body to Konoha."
"I…"
"The sooner you do it… The less I have to suffer. I'd rather die by your hands than by these Dragon's tearing me apart inside out. That way… At least I know I died for a reason, not because of something…" She continued to smile. "I love you Gaara. I guess I do become a sickly romantic when I ask you to kill me."
He shook his head. "I can't… I don't want too."
"You don't have a choice." Her voice became stiff as she frowned. "If you don't I can always have someone else do it… There are loads of people who would love to kill me. I'm sure I could even provoke Sasuke to do the nice deed."
He sighed, running his hands down his confused face, his face twisting up in pain. "You honestly…" He stopped himself, knowing the answer she was going to say.
"Why would I want to kill you?" He finally settled upon.
"Because you said you loved me. Love is just a form of dedication Gaara… You've dedicated yourself to me and I have to you… So if you could… Just make it quick and painless… I'd rather not keep on living."
He shook his head once more. "No."
"Do it Gaara. I will ask Sasuke."
"No."
"Gaara." Her voice flared in anger.
He reached down at his side, opening his kunai pouch, pulling one out between his index and middle finger.
"You can't honestly be asking me too…" His face squeezed up, his aqua eyes beginning to shine. "You don't…"
"If anyone were to kill me…" She took his hand in hers. "I'd want it to be you." She pulled his hand up to her throat, the kunai pressed against it.
"I never truly did belong here. I never belong anywhere."
She flashed him a quick smile before the kunai dug into her throat.
Falling to her knee's she gasped for air, pain surging through her body, it took every once of strength she had not to scream out. Her eyes glazed over and finally she fell to the floor in a puddle of her own blood.
Eyes closed and gone forever.
Gaara stood over her body, tears running down his face, the bloody kunai still in his hand. He dropped to his knee's in front of her, barely able to breath himself. Stabbing the kunai into the floor at his side he reached out, pulling her dead body into her lap, staring down at her expressionless face, the wide slit in her throat.
"I hate you…" he whispered, no one to hear. "I hate you so much…"
Naruto stood at Gaara's side, a grave expression on his face.
"Are you going to be…" He fell short, unsure on how to finish his sentence. Of course he's not going to be alright… He just lost the girl he loved… He even had too… He gulped. "Do you want us to stay here for a couple of days?"
Gaara looked over at him, his face blank.
"You know… Just in case… Shikamaru and the others wouldn't mind staying… Just in case the Akatsuki show up… I just…"
Gaara nodded his head, not even able to give him a weak smile.
"Do what you want," he croaked, his voice sounding like he'd aged twenty years. "Do what you feel necessary…"
Naruto nodded his head. "She was a really great person…"
He nodded his head.
"I don't think there's one person who's not going to miss her…" He looked over at the crying pink haired girl, her face buried in her hands. The purple haired gril at her side, trying her best not to cry.
"She… She wants her name on that memorial… She came to me… Asking me to tell you that…" He laughed dryly. "And tell Naruto I want my name on that stupid memorial wall."
Naruto cracked a smile. "She's herself till the end."
Gaara looked down at the grave at his feet, bearing the legend: "Never Truly Anywhere."
Four Years Later
The rain pelted down as the two shadowed, soaked figures stood in front of a solitary grave. Weak smiles on their faces.
"She liked the rain…" the man with the hair of dried blood said. "She always said that was when she was truly at peace… That she didn't have to think anything when the rain came down upon her. It was her serenity."
The blond haired man nodded his head. "Than I'm guessing you succeeded too than?"
He nodded his head. "Four years… It took me four years to track down that sadistic bastard… Now she doesn't have anything holding her back… I've killed the man who caused her so much pain… In both world's."
"I'm glade. It took me just as long to find the Akatsuki and destroy them all…" He smiled grimly. "Sasuke finally did get his revenge… Though he never did go to Orochimaru for power… The Curse Seal has already faded away… She changed him…"
"She changed everyone." He frowned. "There wasn't a single soul that hadn't met her who didn't get some sort of feeling when around her." He bit his lower lip. "She did belong someone. She belonged here, with us."
The blond nodded his head.
"She saved me… Because she was here the Akatsuki never got a hold of me… They never got the chance to drag the demon out of me. She saved me… There's not a day that goes by that I don't regret it."
The blond turned, looking at him confused.
"She would have never died if she hadn't come to me. If we'd never have met than she wouldn't be laying here below the ground before us."
"She loved you. That's what you do when you're in love. You make crazy decisions. The one you love the most is the only thing that ever comes into your mind. She loved you until she died."
Gaara nodded his head. "I know."
The man with hair as dark as the night sky stood leaning against a tree. His arms crossed over his chest, eyes shut as the rain plopped against the fading green leaves. He pushed himself away from the tree, following the blond haired man that walked past him.
"I'm sorry I never took the time to find out who you really were…" he muttered, his eyes downcast at his feet. "I'm sorry we always fought and never became friends… That I realized to late that what you were really trying to do was save me from a for sure death…"
"Sasuke?" Naruto asked looking over his shoulder confused.
Sasuke smiled at the man. He hurried to his side, hands deep in the pockets of his navy blue pants. "So how does it feel to be the Hokage?"
Naruto shrugged, grinning ear to ear. "I can't believe the old woman actually gave me the position."
A/N: It's the end I'm sorry to say. This chapter was long to me and I apologize if it wasn't for you. I'm not going to make a sequel to this story, I had trouble enough ending it, and I won't bring back the dead, they're dead, and that's how they are staying. Otherwise I hope everyone had as much fun as I did with this story. I will eventually within the next year go through the story once more and correct all the errors I made and fix all my nice double negatives, along with adding a couple of scenes that I left out and I knew I shouldn't have. That's all you can expect from the future activity with this story. But yes to the main point. Thank you for making this story such a big hit (at least to me it was)! I appreciate all of your commits and suggestions! I will be writing other stories for but I won't update so frequently, if you're a fan of my writing please tune in to my other stories. Thank you again.