Disclaimer: Nope, obviously Naruto is not mine.

Rated: T, for language only

Notes: OK, so I'm finishing because I really hate to just leave things unfinished. But this took longer than I expected because I realized I actually changed quite a bit from when I wrote this and when I wrote Ch. 8. Ah, well.

Warning: major sap ahead and . . . stuff. Sorry! (author buries head and cowers in corner)

And susakuru - you make me blush(!) and . . . well . . .um . . .

Blessed Be Those Who Mourn

Coming Home

Naruto was annoyed.

Just before they had gathered for the attack on Orochimaru and his Sound shinobi, Sakura had cornered him, forcing him to make a deal and chastising him for what happened the last time they saw Sasuke. Since it was essentially their job to rescue him, she'd said she wanted no more slip-ups.

Like he needed to be told.

He knew he'd made a mistake, allowed himself to get pulled in once again to Sasuke's little trauma. He knew that he'd allowed the bastard to distract him from the real problem, lured him into a pointless fight in order to avoid his deeper issues. Naruto wasn't stupid, and he didn't like the way Sakura had basically treated him like he was.

He'd already cursed for letting himself get into that fight, he didn't need the kunoichi to remind him. Besides, it was really Sasuke's fault. He was the one in denial, the one who was confused. That idiot was the one who couldn't accept his own reality.

The problem was that Naruto found it all too easy to let his own emotions take over when Sasuke got like that. His old friend could manipulate him so effortlessly, turning something simple into something horrible in an instant.

And so Naruto was angry. The worst part of it was that it was mostly at himself. He'd gotten lost somewhere along the way, forgetting his goal and doing the wrong things time and time again. He hated it. Hated even more that he was the one to blame.

He wasn't going to let it happen again this time.

Because that last little bit of hesitation he'd glimpsed in his friend told him all he needed to know. In the weeks that had passed since then, a lot of things finally made themselves clear in his mind.

Sasuke was resistant, but he was changing. More to the point, he was returning, reverting back to his old self, and maybe better. He was beginning to realize that there was more than one way, that there were people who really did care about him. That he did have a home he could return to. Naruto could tell from that last look in his eyes.

On some hidden level, the idiot finally knew.

They just needed to get him to accept it.

It was time to make good on that three year old promise.

The blonde genin stood panting, inhaling way too much of the dust floating around in the battle area. He coughed a little and wiped the sweat from his brow. He didn't think he'd ever been more irritated and frustrated than he was at this moment. Each time he tried to get close to Orochimaru, tried to land a hit, some crazy giant snake would get in his way. And no matter how many of the black serpents he dispatched, there was always another one just waiting to take its place.

He scowled friecely at the serpentine sennin that stood staring at him from behind his living wall of reptiles with barely hidden amusement. The bastard seemed perfectly fine while Naruto had already spent a great deal of his personal chakra and stamina in a futile effort. Orochimaru was only messing with him for his own sick enjoyment. The blonde thought that it would be better to have just been beaten to a bloody pulp by his enemy than to look like a fool, wasting his energy with no real results. HIs hatred boiled with him, ready to consume his very being.

"You're not faring too well, kid."

The blonde flashed his eyes down to the little frog that had spoken, sitting safely to the side atop a large piece of rubble. He screwed his face into a disgusted sneer.

"This is your fault." Naruto spat out, needing something to blame. "Why is it every time I try to summon, you answer?"

"Just lucky, I guess."

"Tch! I sure could use some help here." He looked to Sasuke who leaned heavily on the wall, eyes closed, barely able to even to keep breathing and clearly would be no help at all Jerk. Then he thought of Sakura, who was somewhere, trapped behind a pile of rocks and by what little he could tell, she was still likely unconcscious. He was all by himself. This had been a bad plan to start with, and was getting worse by the minute. "I need someone. . . bigger. Like Gamabunta or something."

"He's busy right now."

"Well, go get him then!" Naruto shouted a little more angrily than he'd intended. But he was in tight spot and niceties would just have to fall by the wayside.

"OK!" The frog chirped almost cheerily before poofing away in a puff of smoke. The genin suspected that the frog had only used that as an excuse to be somewhere other than here. He wished he could join him, but with Sasuke barely standing and Sakura essentially out of commision, that really wasn't an option.

Then that snake bastard laughed that sickening laugh of his. "Well, looks like you're left all alone again. Your little friend has left you, such as he was." He titled his head in a distinct reptilian manner. "Of course, you might be able to escape yourself. If you'd just leave your friends behind."

"I'm not gonna do that!" Naruto nearly seetehed at that suggestion. That was something he absolutely, positively would never do.

"No? Well, good. I'd really rather just kill you here anyway. After all, that's why I let you come this far."

What? Naruto shook his head in an attempt to clear it. Orochimaru had let them in? As much as he hated to admit it, that would go to explaining a lot. How they'd entered so easily, met little resistance, and had seemingly just been able to walk out with Sasuke in tow. It was all a trap to begin with, but he didn't care. It didn't really matter. All he knew is he sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight.

Naruto stared down Orochimaru with as much of his own hate and venom as he could muster, which was quite a lot. That asshole had put them through so much, so much pain, so much suffering, so much of things he didn't need any more of. His anger swelled within him as he crouched down, Kyuubi's chakra swirling around him. Whatever was to happen next was out of his control, and he didn't much care anymore.

But then he felt a pressure around his wrist, a hand gripping it tightly and glanced over to see Sasuke, though obviously weak and barely conscious, reaching out to him with all he had. The black-eyed gaze was angry and pleading, conveying all he meant to say without words. And somehow Naruto understood. Their deal had been struck. Apparently if he was to bring his friend home, he was going to have to get them out of here without the use of the fox. It was a terrible bargain, he knew, but leave it to Sasuke to make things more difficult than they needed to be. Even so, Naruto let the red chakra settle down. He watched as Sasuke fell back to his place against the wall, looking to have spent all his meager energy The blonde furrowed his brow in concern. There was no way that boy would be helping him, and all he could think was that he wished Sakura would wake up soon. He glanced over to where she should be.

And did the one thing he'd promised not to do.

He got distracted.

It all happened too fast to fully register what was going on until it was already done. Orochimaru had essentially vomited up a sword and headed straight for the blonde, ready to strike. Naruto felt the sudden sharp jolt when it hit, jarring his body, nearly knocking the breath from his lungs it was so powerful. And he could only imagine how it would have felt if it had really hit him since his experience was only secondhand.

In dazed shock he saw an all-too-familiar sight as Sasuke, his best friend, had somehow managed to jump in the way, taking the attack meant for him. The raven-haired boy was facing him, head-lowered, his hands holding tightly to Naruto's shoulders, as he struggled for air. Naruto's mouth opened and closed in shock, trying to say somethng, but only making confused, pointless noises.

This couldn't be happening. Not again. Not after everything. This was just a bad dream. Or a genjutsu. Yeah, that was it, he was never very good at genjutsu, so he'd missed one being cast again. That was definitely it. It had to be.

But the frustrated howl he heard emanate from the snake sennin proved him wrong.

Naruto watched as Orochimaru whipped his blade out and to the side, sending a wide spray of blood to cast itself on the ground. The sennin then clenched his teeth and began to back away, almost calmly. "If this how you insist on having it, so be it."

But Naruto wasn't really listening. His hands came up to hold Sasuke's arms in a desperate attempt to keep them both steady. He felt himself shaking, losing his balance, losing his footing on the solid stone. And he sensed more than saw when Orochimaru summoned his giant snake, intent on taking his revenge for his own mistake. The black serpent leaned back, ready to attack, or pull Sasuke away, or try to swallow them both, Naruto didn't know and for the moment, he was too stunned to think straight. Everything was happening too damn fast.

He had to stop this horrible play, had to do something before Orochimaru killed them all. He knew this, he did, and yet he couldn't make his body obey. Silently, he prayed for a miracle.

And for once, his prayers were answered.

This side wall came suddenly crashing down beside them, the debris narrowly missing the two Leaf shinobi in the hall as Jaraiya made his appearance riding atop Gamabunta. Naruto payed little attention to his teacher and his massive frog, and they didn't seem to notice him either. Oddly and for no logical reason, Naruto realized that that stupid frog had actually done what he had asked. And for the moment at least, they were saved. Then the ero-sennin fully attacked his old teammate, pushing their enemy away until Naruto and Sasuke remained in the hall alone, lost in a sea of rock and stone.

For a while, the two stood there, as the noise gradually receeded and all that was left was the distant sound of battle and the hiss of their breathing. And Naruto was so afraid to move, so afraid to do anything, that he just stayed there, letting his confused mind run wild.

He should be doing something, but the horrible, sinking feeling took him over, leaving him with nothing but unwanted thoughts. And somehow he seemed to forget what it was he needed to do. Instead, he felt himself starting a conversation that was both pointless and vital.

"Why would you do that?" The blonde finally choked out.

Sasuke replied, surprising Naruto with his candor. "Because I had to." Then the raven-haired teen shook his head. "Because I wanted to."

That was a stupid answer! And one that worried Naruto more than he would willingly admit. The blonde noticed the war now being waged between another set of old friends only at the very perimeter of his mind. Vaguely, he noted that he was simply standing in the hall with Sasuke, rather than doing anything productive, and yet still he remained there, struck motionless.

Then Sasuke's head slowly leaned forward to rest his forehead almost gently on the blonde's shoulder. His whole body seemed to collapse inward, sagging like a deflated balloon, and Naruto panicked.

Grabbing his friend's shoulders, he shook with as much force as was safe until he finally felt life and awareness return to him. Naruto couldn't let the other boy fall asleep, that much he knew, he had to keep him conscious and talking until Sakura came to help. Besides, he needed an answer to his question, better than 'because'. It was important, it was really important. It was idiotic to be asking questions like this now, but Naruto refused to accept why.

"That's not an answer, you bastard! I already told you I didn't need your help. Why did you do it?"

Naruto could feel Sasuke's smirk against his shoulder. "Haven't we had this conversation before? I hate having to repeat myself."

"You didn't have to do anything, you idiot!" Naruto spoke sharply, yet hiccuping. They had had this conversation before and the whole situation was way too reminiscent. "I could've healed myself, you know."

His hands on the blonde's shoulders, Sasuke gripped fiercely one minute more. "I guess I forgot." He clung on with what seemed like desperation, and the genin hoped this was an indication of Sasuke's will to live. "But I just couldn't sit there and watch."

"Sakura!" With hope in his mind, Naruto tried to drag his barely conscious friend to where Sakura should be, but the boy stubbornly resisted moving, acting as a weight that tied them both to the spot. Sasuke, for whatever reason, was refusing to budge and Naruto chose to stay with him, not wanting to aggravate his wounds any more than was necessary. All he could do was keep the conversation going as long as possible until Sakura arrived.

"Don't you fall asleep on me. Not after all this, I'm not letting you take a nap. " The blonde laughed nervously, shaking the other boy gently. "You've been napping almost this whole time. Do you realize how much Sakura and I had to go through because of you, you jerk?"

Sasuke rasped out his next words. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

Naruto anxiously bit his lip, he didn't know what to do. Sasuke was acting way too compliant and that only bode ill. He once more shouted Sakura's name, but was still met with nothing. A tense silence surrounded the boys and Naruto frantically went over the options in his mind. Should he try harder to drag Sasuke over to Sakura, or was it better not to move him? Maybe he should lay him down to try and dig the medic-nin out, but that would leave Sasuke wholly unprotected. He wasn't a medic, dammit! He was desperately trying to stay calm in a situation completely out of his control.

"What's the matter?" The raven-haired boy surprisingly wheezed out. "Why so quiet, dobe?"

Naruto's body tensed at the gentle use of the old insult. What was he supposed to say, what was he supposed to do? His confusion and shock froze him, effectively sealing their fate.

"I-I've got lots to say," He started brokenly. "I'm just having a hard time deciding which thing to say first."

He felt Sasuke's body shudder slightly as he let out a harsh laugh. But it quickly turned to wracking spasms as the black-haired teen choked, spattering Naruto's chest with a generous amount of blood.

Too much blood.

The blonde's eyes grew wide as his breath caught and his legs finally gave way, causing the two boys to tumble gracelessly to the floor.

Sasuke now lay uncerimoniously in his lap, blood still trickling from his open mouth, his eyes looking up to the blonde half-lidded and dazed. Dread gripped Naruto, clenching painfully in his chest as he saw the gaping hole in his old friend's abdomen. Quickly, he pressed his hands over the wound, feeling large amounts of blood seep lazily through his fingers. It was worse than he'd thought, the boy shouldn't be conscious, he shouldn't even be alive!

The violet eyes darted from one friend to where the other should be frantically. He needed Sakura. NOW.

"Sakura! Sakura!" He shouted with every thing he had, his voice growing hoarse.

"Don't worry, Naruto." Sasuke whispered and the blonde looked down into his blank face. "There's no point in fighting it now." He slowly closed his eyes. "I'm sick of fighting."

"Don't you say that! Don't you dare say that!" Naruto clamped his hands down further, waging a war against a losing battle. "You'd better fight, you fucking bastard! You can't do this to us again."

Sasuke managed a weak smirk. "You can't tell me what to do."

"Yes I can!" Naruto snapped. He could feel the boy's heartbeat slowing, his breathing become less and less. Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod... What else could he do? He was losing him! He couldn't lose him, not now, not like this. Bravely, he fought back his tears, fought back the sobs in his chest and plastered a silly smile to his face.

"See, you can't die here. You said so yourself. You can't die until you kill Itachi."

"Doesn't matter anymore." Doesn't matter! This was bad, this was very bad. It was a struggle for him to continue, the blonde could see it clearly, and yet he still did, fighting for every word. "After everything I sacrificed, everything I went through, I'm still this weak. Maybe this is how it's supposed to be."
"How can you say that? You're under a seal, it doesn't count!"

"Doesn't matter." He was giving up! The bastard was giving up!

Naruto called out to Sakura even louder, he couldn't let this happen! Finally, he could feel a change in her chakra. It seemed she was awake. He took this as a hopeful sign and tried to pry Sasuke from his listlessness. "And what about restoring your clan, huh? You can't do that if you're dead."
"Didn't I already give that up?" The genin couldn't believe what he was hearing. Everything was so wrong. It was like he'd been transported to some cruel mirror world of his own. Sasuke was so quiet that Naruto had to strain to hear what he said next.

"Besides, all that's left of the Uchiha is a murderer and a traitor." The benighted boy almost smiled. "Are you sure that's a clan that even deserves to be restored?"

None of this could be right. This was not the way things were supposed to be. The whole situation was both terrifying and infuriating Naruto.

"Of course it does! You're not acting like yourself. Stop being such a damn coward!" Unable to keep control any longer, the blonde collapsed, his head leaning on Sasuke's chest as he held him carefully. He could feel his face and hair begin to stain red with the flow of Sasuke's blood. He almost winced when the other boy slowly raised his hand to rest on the back of his blonde head.

Naruto yelled again, this time right into Sasuke's chest. "SAKURA!" He knew it was in vain, there was nothing she could do now. But she should be there when he died.

Because that's all they were doing, the two of them, sitting in the middle of a distant battle, waiting for him to die.

"I used to be a coward, maybe." Sasuke then whispered close to Naruto's ear. "But I don't think so anymore."

"Yes you are!" Naruto said, clutching his friend tightly as if he could will the world right. "You're just doing this so you don't have to go home and face whatever's waiting there! I thought Uchiha Sasuke never backs down! You big chicken!"

Sasuke let out a short laugh that was filled with blood. Almost tenderly, Naruto looked over and wiped away a trail of the red liquid that leaked from the dying boy's mouth. "Y-you shouldn't do that." He murmured.

"It's your fault."

It was said teasingly, but the truth of it hit home. And all the guilt Naruto had pushed to the sidelines came flooding back with a vengeance. It was his fault. If he'd just been a better friend, if he'd just looked closer, if he'd just been stronger, if he just wasn't so selfish to see his best friend needed him! "Sa-sasuke, I'm sorry. I should have . . ."

"Naruto?" At last he heard a response from the girl, and he could hear her as she tumbled her way to them, tripping over the rubble in the corridor. He was about to call out to her when something stopped him.

There was a desperate need in the sudden grip of fingers in his hair, and the blonde turned his head to look into Sasuke's dark, clouded eyes. There were tiny tears there, slowly trickling out when he spoke. "It was my choice. All of it was always my choice." Violet eyes opened wide as he looked down into the mysterious black ones. "You understand what I'm saying?" And Naruto nodded because he somehow did understand. They both needed their forgiveness now.

"I'm . . ." Naruto tried to speak, but Sasuke's hand on the nape of his neck clutched him even tighter, preventing him from finishing.

HIs voice was barely a whisper, forced through a throat filled with blood. "Tell Sakura?"

Naruto agreed wordlessly and the shadowed eyes gently closed as Naruto sat up, still fighting the tears that held themselves just barely in check. And in the few moments it took Sakura to reach them, he felt it. The last breath came and Sasuke stilled. Naruto kept one hand on the wound that no longer bled, using the other to brush away some stray strands of black hair that had fallen over the boy's face. He looked down at his silent friend, and at last the tears came.

Sakura had almost reached them when Naruto looked over to her with a gentle smile, the tears streaming over his whisker cheeks. "It's OK, Sakura."

Hope and confusion flickered across her face as she walked up to meet them. But it didn't last for long.

It took only a moment for her to see the truth. Losing all strength, she fell to the ground, broken by the scene laid out before her. She placed her hands on Sasuke's inert chest, infusing them with chakra, futilely trying to feed it to the motionless boy. She kept trying and trying, over and over, as if she somehow could perform the jutsu that would save him. But nothing changed.

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, unable to watch her anymore. So he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook sharply, trying to rouse her from her crazed denial. "Sakura! Stop it! Stop!"

She ignored him. So finally he took hold of her wrists, ripping her hands up and holding them to either side of her head, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Sakura . . ." Was all he could bring himself to say. He watched in bleak horror as she noticed the blood now dripping from the palms of her hands.

Once again her gaze returned to the boy laying down before her, and she now could not deny it anymore.

There was nothing she could do. Sasuke was gone.

Wrenching free of Naruto's grasp and throwing herself onto the still teen, little caring for the blood that stained them all, she sobbed wantonly, letting her many tears seep into his clothes. Naruto gently placed his hand on the back of her head, stroking the pink hair soothingly as weeping wracked her body.

"It's OK, Sakura." He said, letting his own tears stream down his face, still petting her head in a strange form of comfort.

"How can you say that! It's not OK! Nothing is OK!" She screamed every word through a veil of sobs, viciously clinging to the motionless body underneath her. "What is wrong with you! Sasuke is . . ." But she couldn't make the next words come out.

"Don't cry like that, Sakura." Naruto said gently, cradling her face in his hands and turned it up to face him. "Don't you see?"

She lifted her watery green eyes up to him in sad confusion, but he just smiled down sweetly at her. Then he gestured with his own eyes for her to look to Sasuke's face. Through her grief, though now puzzled too, the young girl turned her eyes in that direction. And she saw what Naruto had already known was there. Devoid of hate or anger, confusion or sadness, the boy's expression held not a smirk or sneer, instead showing the barest hint of a genuine smile. The first he'd worn since he was a little child. And like a child, and despite the blood that stained him, he looked as though he were simply sleeping, peaceful and sweet.

Sakura returned her gaze to Naruto and wiped a tear from her eye. She was crying still, but her sobs were mixed with a gentle nervous laughter as she looked back into the blonde's tear-stained smiling face. Naruto nodded again and then reached out to take her in his arms and and hug her tightly. The two held each other quietly over their long-lost friend, his blood coloring their skin and clothes. And they allowed themselves to cry for what had been lost, but also for what had been gained.

And somewhere else, what seemed like far away, a battle raged.

But the members of Team Seven sat silenty, reunited at last, bathed in red as the world crumbled down around them.

Because they now knew it was over at last.

Long ago, Naruto had promised to bring Sasuke home.

And finally, he had.

Heh-heh. Ahem. And because we can't just leave it like that . . .Chapter 10.