Disclaimer: Naruto and Co. belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
A/N: Sasuke x Naruto. If you don't like it, don't read. It's that fucking simple.
-----In one moment I felt my heart being pulled by the wind that was sweeping past me. Pulling and grasping, tugging with all its might. The leaves scattered randomly as I walked heavily on the gray pavement. I noted in the back of my mind that it was going to rain.
Finally, I reached my destination. There sitting on a stone was a little boy, who couldn't have been more than seven, with hair as gold as wheat and eyes as clear and bright as a sunny day. He was laughing and saying something with a mischievious glint in his eyes. I smiled and kneeled down on one knee, and patted him affectionately on his cheek.
"Naruto, how are you doing today?"
"Sasuke! Guess what, guess what!" He exclaimed excitedly.
"What?"
"I put a toad in Iruka-sensei's bed this morning!" Convulsing into a fit of giggles as if this was the funniest thing in the world.
"Well Naruto, that wasn't a very nice thing to do," I said seriously, standing up and crossing my arms.
His eyes sombered a little although he still had a grin on his face. Tilting his head a little to the side, he asked, "Why?"
"Because, Iruka-sensei is scared of toads and he would scream like a girl," I explained.
This caused him to start giggling again. "That's the point silly!"
I smiled.
He hopped off the stone and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I'm glad you came to visit me today Sasuke," he said, smiling contently.
"I am too Naruto."
I bent down and picked him up, then sat down leaning against the stone he had been sitting on just a few minutes ago. His small body was curled up in my lap and his head was resting against my chest. At this moment, I was in a total state of peace. It was almost perfect.
I started to stroke his hair. It was at this moment that I felt a raindrop hit my face. I blinked.
"Sasuke..."
And then - everything hit me. The wetness on my face was not from rain, it was from me. My tears. I felt them sliding down my face and neck, one by one, collecting on my shirt collar. I looked down desperately and saw sad blue eyes gazing back into mine. Naruto reached his hands up, wiping away the tears. He shifted so he was looking directly at me, his small hands gently cradling my face.
"Don't cry Sasuke." He nuzzled my cheek and neck, trying to comfort me, as he slid back down onto my lap; his head resting on my chest once again. I could tell he was listening to my heartbeat. He once told me that whenever he was anxious about something, that was his greatest source of comfort. While I was struggling to contain my emotions, he picked my right arm up into his lap, and started to play with my hand.
"Sasuke, you have to go back."
"You don't understand," I tried to explain, frustrated.
He sat up and patted my cheek. "Of course I do silly," he said smiling, "I am the great Uzumaki Naruto. I know all!"
"This isn't funny," I growled.
"I know." He kissed me on the cheek, "I love you Sasuke."
And then, just like that, he left me.
I pulled my knees close to my chest and rested my arms and head on them. The tears slowly sliding down my face and neck once more. It was this day, five years ago, that he left me. It was a regular day, just like today - and nothing was supposed to happen. He had his ramen of choice picked out for that night and was telling me about the choices he had for the rest of the week. But then, we had been attacked. We had been ANBU, Naruto and I, and we were supposed to be ready for anything. However, for some reason, we hadn't been ready for this. Despite the sharingan and despite Naruto's stamina and strength, we were still overwhelmed.
And all in a moment, in a second, time froze.
And when I had recovered, Naruto was laying at my feet, his body prickled with shuriken. He had jumped in at the very last second and saved me - taking my hit - just as I had done for him when we were genin, fighting against Haku. And for some reason the ninja, attacking us, had fled. I don't know why, and I didn't care at that time. The blood had pooled around my feet and I had dropped down beside him. I saw my tears falling onto his face, mixing with the blood flowing from his body. I was angered at the sight of the shuriken. I remember his eyelids had fluttered, and he had tried to grin, even though he was in pain.
"Don't cry Sasuke."
"Why Naruto? Why?" I pleaded desperately.
"You know why, silly." He had said, managing a genuine grin.
"It's. not. funny." I choked out.
"I know. I love you Sasuke." And with that his eyelids had fluttered closed.
There had been a funeral for him. All the ANBU had attended and our close friends. No one else. And that had made me so mad. He had loved this village, his heart so pure and kind. But none of the villagers had bothered to attend the service. After that day, I closed myself off from the world. I found my life comprised of two things. Training and visiting Naruto's grave. The stone.
Then, one day, a little boy had appeared from no where, looking so familiar. He had taken my hand and had led me around the cemetary, pointing at one grave and another, and another, chatting animatedly. Naruto...his spirit...had stayed behind. He had the heart of a child, therefore, he appeared to me in the form of a child. It didn't matter to me. As long as he was with me until the day that I could join him, I was...content. That is why, I visit him everyday - and I always find him sitting on the stone. Waiting for me.
Because that is what he is doing now...waiting.
The End