'Underneath the Underneath'

The wind danced softly through the trees, leaves making that calming rustle music. Faintly, just on the edge of hearing, you could hear the rushing of a nearby river. And if you were quiet enough to hear the river, you could hear the faint sounds of the village. The screams and laughter of children, the calls of parents, and calls of storekeepers. Life was moving all around this place, and if you were so quiet... you could hear it move. Hear it passing you by.

"Must you insist on coming out here! You're far to old to be this far from the village!" a miffed young man complained. His footfalls hard and agitated as he plodded up the soft grassy slope.

"..."

"Arg! Why? Why the hell are you coming all the way out here! To just sit under some stupid tree! You're too old for this shit! Now come on! Oka-san will be worried! You aren't supposed to be out and about like this!" the young man yelled at the other.

"...quiet. If you're going to blather on like a bastard leave me alone... I can find my way back. I know every tree in this village.. I'm sure I can manage to find my own house." a gravely old voice replied. The tone cracked and raspy, but still proud and strong.

"...why are you out here oya-jii? It's just a tree. We have those closer home you know." the boy muttered unhappily. The older man continued to climb the slope with a painfully slow hobble. His right leg unable to bear his full weight, the old man should have had a cane, but he was too proud to reduce himself to it. His hair was a soft silver grey ... reminiscent of his own sensei's hair. Wrinkles and bones, all somehow merely made him look old... not ugly or decrepit.

"... ...go home Kakashi. I want to sit awhile without having to listen to your sage advice." the elder finally replied, a dark eyed gaze settling heavily on the young man.

"Fine! Stay out here and die for all I care!" the young man then stopped down the hill. His back hair whipping one the wind. His shoulders tight with tension and anger. The black shirt marred only by the fan symbol on the back. Old eyes felt a soft sigh at a memory very similar.

"... stop laughing you dobe." the man replied to the wind. He then eased himself onto the ground beside the tree. Huffing a bit, his lungs and body needing a rest to catch up with the effort it took to get out here.

"...for his sake... I hope it wont have the same result. It was rather cruel of you to go like that you know." only the sounds naturally heard echo in the area. Sasuke, now much too old to be a shinobi, could enjoy those sounds. He'd been taught by another man how to enjoy them.

"..." Sasuke found there weren't many words to say after that. He merely sat and remembered his old friend. His team that had left to wait on the other side. Sakura and Kakashi had probably stopped waiting by now. Naruto was probably whining at him now, something about no ramen because he had to wait for his skinny pale snake ass.

Sasuke smiled at the thought. Naruto always bitched at him. He was one of the few people that even had had the nerve to. Naruto would have liked to have met Kakashi... his grandson. The two of them would spend the day whining about him. And then Naruto and Sasuke could turn and complain about how Kakashi was being a bastard. Naruto would say it was Sasuke's own fault. He was just so big of a bastard it skipped over into his grandchild.

"...hello again, old friend." Sasuke said quietly as he patted the tree that grew there. It had been Naruto's secret. Only Sasuke knew, mostly because Sakura and Kakashi had long since died by the time it came around. He could remember it as if it was today...

"Oi! Sasuke-teme..." Naruto called from upon the crest of the small hill. Sasuke muttered and grumbled as he climbed up the soft slope. He was too old for this crap.

"What the hell are you doing up here Dobe? It's gonna snow any day now, and here you are sitting on the god damn ground... geeze... are you really that stupid?" Sasuke bitched at the other as he crossed his arms and stood looking at the other.

"...ah stop your bitching bastard. I like it here. You can hear... you can hear everything that was worth becoming a shinobi for from up here." Naruto said this with a glazed look in his eyes. Falling into silence.

Sasuke huffed softly, before joining the other at the base of the tree. The two of them silent as they listened. Sasuke could hear what Naruto was talking about. He understood Naruto better than he let on; Naruto knew him better than he knew himself.

"...I'd want to be here forever." Naruto said softly.

"...you're not going anywhere's Dobe."

"...yeah. You're right of course. Someone has to keep you in line." Naruto replied with a tone more serious than the conversation should have.

"...I wont be in a rush." Sasuke murmured reassuringly. His eyes going glassy. He knew what they were really talking about. He wished Naruto did just mean what he was saying. Not... not what was 'underneath the underneath'.

"...you take forever to get anywhere's bastard." Naruto whispered, leaning back to rest against the tree.

"Fine!...stay out here in the god damn cold and die for all I care!" Sasuke choked out. He tried to make it sound angry, to act upset. Yet he couldn't hide the tears in his voice, or deny the hand that now gave one of Naruto's a last squeeze. He stood up and walked away, hoping his back stood proud. That his clan symbol was displayed with honor. But... mostly... he hoped he had misheard and misunderstood that conversation.

Sasuke wasn't surprised he was right.

Naruto was found dead. His aged body having finally moved past it's living date. A small smile curled on his lips, and looking for all the world... like he had sat down to listen to the world pass him by in the peaceful setting. Sitting under the small Sakura tree.

Sasuke took charge of what was to happen to Naruto's body.

Burnt to ash, and those ashes loving buried and hidden among the dirt and roots of the Sakura tree he died under. Sasuke was the only one who knew where Naruto was buried... what had happened to the ashes. He thought Naruto would like it better that way.

Naruto and him... others had a tendency to not understand them. So they would just go along by themselves. Speaking and understanding what the other was saying... 'underneath the underneath'...

...Sasuke still wondered. About different things really. Yet... they didn't seem as important when he sat under the Sakura tree.

Sasuke wondered, as his drifted off in the lulling warmth of summer rays, if Kakashi could see 'underneath the underneath'... it would be a shame if he couldn't. But... oh well...

And with that passing thought...Sasuke drifted off...

Drace: well... i'll leave you all to your own thoughts on this one. I got the idea from a fanfiction that is on the go... the title of it really. never actually read it. it's titled "hello, old friend"... I kept getting the image of Sasuke or Naruto visiting the other's grave or something. So... ta-da! And yes, Kakashi is the name of the grandkid cause I was trying to imply that Kakashi-sensei never got a chance to get married or have a lover maybe... dunno... I was going to imply that Sasuke's dauther was actually Sakura's child, but after she had died on a mission he had adopted the girl... but decided I wanted to only focus on Naruto and Sasuke and death. So yeah... anyways. tell me what ya think! or just... not.