Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the fanfic SelfReliance. The lyrics at the end come from HYDE's Shallow Sleep, so I don't own those either.
Fan-story to Imbrium Iridum's ( Theninjakitty)SelfReliance. IrihixKiyoshi, if you look.
The Last Christmas
XXX
I hadn't snowed for five years, and Irihi was beginning to wonder if the world was starting to hate him.
Understatement. It already did. It was just set to remind him of his pain.
The world hadn't given him much and everything it did, it was determined to take away just as quickly. The best example of this, he thought, had been the Uzumaki-Uchiha boy.
XXX
It had been an afternoon like this, cloudy and heavy snowfall, when everything came crashing down. The heat in Irihi's apartment had failed, yet again, and he had decided to take a walk to try and warm himself up. Or at least that's what he kept telling himself. It wasn't the fact that Kiyoshi was due back from his mission at any moment. No, not at all. But the minutes kept ticking by and there was still no sign of the dark haired boy.
It was getting colder and darker, until Irihi couldn't stand it anymore and decided to head back for his apartment to try and go to sleep. As he had turned to leave, he heard yelling from the gates ahead, and quickly turned around to see what all the clatter was about.
What he saw made his heart stop. It was Kiyoshi, but not as his normal jovial self, but rather a curled up ball in the arms of someone Irihi didn't even recognize. On further inspection he could see horrible cuts and bruises covering the boy's beautiful pale skin. He also guessed, if the amount of blood on his clothes were any indication, that there had to be another, deeper gash he couldn't see.
It took awhile before any train of thought was recognizable as he stood there and just stared. A second later, he was running, faster than even he thought was possible. Upon reaching the spot he struggled to see his friend, as other, higher ranking ninja, had been alerted to the state of the boy. There were to many screams, and Irihi couldn't remember much about it, even to this day. All he could remember was the sight of Kiyoshi's blood stained face and hair.
X
The Hyuuga boy waited outside the hospital doors, just waiting seeing as the doctors refused to let him in. A few moments later he could hear the frantic movement of someone running down a hall, and looked up to see none other than Uzumaki Naruto, the Rokudaime Hokage. His robes were billowing behind him, closely followed by Sasuke, Sakura (jr.), and Mikoto.
Irihi was ignored as Naruto hastily shoved the door open and entered the room that contained his injured son. The only one that spared him a glance was Sasuke, before he too quickly disappeared behind the door and left Irihi alone again. He heard frantic voices behind the door and knew it'd be awhile before he got his chance to step inside. He settled himself against the wall, and closed his eyes, reading himself for the wait.
It was sometime before Irihi awoke, and when he did, he found himself engulfed by darkness. He raised his head to look around and found himself surrounded by medical equipment and the small beeps the machines emitted.
'How' He thought to himself once he fully recognized where he was. A flash of onyx eyes played across his mind, and he figured who had moved him. There was no other way the doctors would have let him stay as long as he did otherwise.
He stood up from his spot on the floor and walked over to the window, not yet able to face the boy lying in the bed. The snow was still falling as hard as it had been before Kiyoshi's return, and the gentle movements triggered some forgotten memory in Irihi's mind.
XX
'What are you doing?' The silver haired Hyuuga boy asked, a look of questioning foolishness on his face.
'Hu-h?' Was Uzumaki-Uchiha's response. He still had his face titlted up towards the sky, with his tongue sticking out of his mouth as if he was trying to lick the sky.
'Oh, I was catching snowflakes.' Kiyoshi admitted, somewhat embarrassedly as a faint blush crept across his pale cheeks.
'Hn.' Countered Ihiri. No matter how he looked at it, it was still an undignified stance.
"Come on Ihiri, try it!" Kiyoshi joked, turning his face to meet the pastel eyes of the Hyuuga.
"No way." And it was left at that.
"Scrooge." Muttered Kiyoshi as he tilted his head back up to the sky, obviously over his embarrassment.
"Scrooge?" Irihi repeated, not missing the mutter, and lifting his eyebrow in puzzlement while staring down the boy across from him.
"Ya Scrooge, you know, 'Ba Humbug'?" Kiyoshi explained as Irihi stood there and watched him as if he had grown an extra head.
"Man, have I got a lot to teach you." Kiyoshi smiled as he walked over to Irihi and draped his arm over the boy's shoulder.
XX
Irihi had scoffed at the touch then, turning his head away, secretly enjoying the warmth the other boy provided.
But now, as he walked over to the bed, he wished he had not ignored that touch. He brought himself in front of the familiar face, and just looked down, but then he realized he wasn't the only one watching.
"Irihi…" Kiyoshi's voice came out small and forced, and he adjusted his head better to see his friend.
"How…"He tried, but his voice died before he could voice his question.
The Uzumaki-Uchiha boy smiled, despite the discomfort it seemed to bring him, understanding what his friend was trying to say.
"They say I'll be fine, don't worry." His face was smiling, but something in his eyes made Irihi question the certainty of that statement.
He just stared at the boy in front of him, before Kiyoshi spoke again, "It's ok Irihi, you don't have tosay anything, I understand."
Irihi smiled, and unfamiliar feeling on his face. His hand reached out for his friend's, enclosing Kiyoshi's small, cold hand in his warm one. He felt a small squeeze from the other boy, who was grateful for the rare affection. They stood there in silence as the minutes ticked by, neither brave enough to say anything more.
It was over before he was able to appreciate the feeling, and the firm hand Irihi had enclosed in his died and became limp. The Hyuuga boy quickly panicked, looking to his friends face, which was deathly pale and eyes closed as in a peaceful sleep. It was another second yet before the machines registered this, and when they did a loud, long beep filled the air, echoing in the depths of Irihi's mind.
The only thing he could remember after that, was how the snow had stopped falling.
X
Like all other deaths, for Kiyoshi's was no exception, the funeral came all too quickly. It had been a cloudy day, much like the day of the boy's death. The weather had called for snow, but the sky refused to drop any. No matter how cold it decided to get.
For the people of Konoha, it had been a day of sadness and tears.
To the Uzumaki-Uchiha family, an indescribable tragedy, that no amount of comforting words could lessen.
To Irihi, it had been the last hope that had faded away with all the rest. And as he remembered the snow falling and the silly promise Kiyoshi had secretly made, it was also the last Christmas.
X
Now, as Irihi stood above his friend's grave watching, for the first time in five years, as a light snowfall fell peacefully onto the ground.
This had been the first time in all those years that Irihi had brought himself to visit the grave. And now, after working up the courage to do so, he felt self- conscience again. He did the only thing he could think of, and tilted his head up to the sky, opening his mouth and catching the first snowflake he could. Kiyoshi, if he was watching up there, would surely get a kick out of seeing the up-tight Hyuuga act like a five-year old.
A feeling of being watched was nagging at him, and he turned around to find, not Kiyoshi, but Sasuke. The man looked at him, and for the first time, Irihi thought, he looked old. But maybe he had always looked that way since the boy's death. Irihi had made a point as to avoid him since Kiyoshi's passing, so maybe he never really noticed it before.Something in those onyx eyes seemed faded, but Irihi didn't have the time to think about it now. Sasuke walked over to him, and stood silently next to him.
After what seemed like eternity, the Uchiha finally decided to turn back. It wasn't long before Irihi turned to follow, before a memory of Kiyoshi appeared.
XX
"Presents? Why should I go around giving people I don't even like presents?" The Hyuuga had demanded from Kiyoshi.
"It's part of the tradition. Giving presents to family and friends; loved ones." Kiyoshi paused before he added, "Come on, there has to be someone you love; care for."
"Hn."
XX
Irihi stood from his spot by the grave where he had been kneeling. He turned to walk away, fully intending never to turn back.
A pair of sky-blue eyes looked on from the shadows, and smiled as he watched the snow fall gently onto the tiny, brightly wrapped, box sitting upon Kiyoshi's grave.
I gently held out my hand
And in that perfect moment
You disappeared - I lost you over again