A/N: It's Christmas day, so I doubt many of you will check for this chapter – have a fabulous day! Sorry it's late. I also think the length is sub par, but there wasn't much point in going beyond the end of this chapter. Please enjoy, criticism is well appreciated - and Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

Sasuke's right leg gave out from beneath him, and he cursed loudly.

Itachi rushed to him, eyes concerned. Sasuke felt himself beneath the gentle, familiar gaze of his brother from so long ago. Even at the reduced height of kneeling, he wasn't all that much smaller than Itachi. He ignored this reminder, looking into the kind eyes of his brother that he'd desperately tried to erase from his memory in his hatred. They were clear now. Sasuke felt ridiculous for having ever considered that Itachi could have done something so abominable alone, to "test himself". He was stupid. Blind.

"It's done." Itachi's voice was quiet.

Sasuke shut his eyes, chuckling to himself. "It won't be over until I'm dead."

Itachi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Everything. He pisses me off too."

A pause. "You mean that boy?"

Sasuke collapsed forward onto the floor, stomach turning. Despite it, he found himself laughing, a quiet, tired bout of laughter.

The floor felt cold beneath him, and Sasuke felt his stomach dropping. He was scared; scared, terrified of what he was going to do. Fear was pulsating in the pit of his stomach, a cold sweat forming and he couldn't help but feel ashamed. A lump formed in his throat, and the Uchiha found himself struggling for breath.

"Itachi, I... have a favour to ask."

He nodded at Sasuke, feeling the seriousness of the situation – feeling the tense, thick panic in the air, in Sasuke's eyes. The aged, weathered but still naïve eyes of his foolish little brother.

Sasuke breathed deeply, closing his eyes, tightly, tighter-

"I want you to take my eyes."

Itachi felt his heart drop.

"I know you know of it." Sasuke's voice was trembling slightly. "The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. The eyes that never dim. So... before I die, take my eyes."

"Sasuke, you know I could never-"

Sasuke clenched his fists. "Itachi... I am leaving you with the burden of a lifetime. I have changed your future just by existing here. The only thing I have for you is this. Nii-san..." His voice began to crack. "Can I call you that?"

Itachi nodded, his eyes gentle, reassuring, so kind that it made Sasuke hate himself more and more the more he looked into them. "Of course, Otouto."

Sasuke choked back a sob. He didn't need to tell Itachi he was terrified. Shaking with fear. Scared of unending darkness. He was far from fearless. Sasuke was terrified, but Itachi knew. Itachi knew him better than anyone, even now.

He took a deep breath. "But... first, I have to show you everything. So... so you understand." Why I did what I did. Why I felt like I had to do it, why why why-

"It's fine, Sasuke." He put his hands on Sasuke's shoulders. "No more guilt."

Sasuke nodded, and activated his Mangekyo Sharingan for the final time.

Sasuke would have attempted to sense his chakra, if not for the loud, obtrusive hacking noise.

He made his way through the thicket, seeing the remnants of sliced branches and snapped undergrowth that Naruto and Sai had left behind. Itachi was close behind him, and Sasuke felt apprehensive; the blond's coughing sounded horrible; the kind that is so violent and loud that it makes you wince, and Sasuke could already hear him coughing up liquid – presumably blood.

He reached them within seconds, seeing blood mingled with mud and grass with Naruto facing the ground and hacking. Sai was sat beside him, looking entirely unaffected. Sasuke tried to remind himself that it wasn't that he did not care out of choice, he probably didn't know how – nor did he likely know a way to help Naruto anyway. It didn't stop Sasuke being sufficiently angered by Sai's nonchalant expression.

Naruto was thin, so much more thin than he had ever been. His muscles were wasting away so fast – Sasuke felt an aching, cold weight in his stomach. He is going to die before the end of the day.

But Sasuke tried his best to drink in this sight. Naruto, the sky, the bright red blood, the thicket, Itachi- these would be the last things he ever saw. Sasuke would never see these things again, these vibrant colours- all of it, gone. For the last couple of hours of his life, he would be blind. He'd not be able to look at the moon before he died, at his best friend – nothing.

Sasuke didn't feel scared any more, not any more than he felt scared of death itself – which wasn't much – but he felt... apprehensive. The Uchiha couldn't recall a time when he could not see what was before him. Sight had been his gift. The Uchihas were blessed with the most fantastic sight of them all, the most attentive eyes - the ability to see with an enviable clarity.

To be blind was to be stripped of his weapons, clothing and of his knowledge. To be a child, born new to the world. It was slightly terrifying to Sasuke. The idea of being stripped of his greatest tool invoked anxiety, and he felt a slight rush of relief that death would come shortly afterwards.

"He's dying."

"I know," Sasuke snapped back bluntly. Sai didn't flinch at the remark.

Itachi put his hand on his shoulder, a small comfort to Sasuke until he realised the arm was slightly poised upwards. He's still fucking smaller than me. I'm still in the past and my brother is still smaller than me. He tensed.

Sasuke kneeled down, his left knee touching the pool of blood. He hooked his arms beneath Naruto, looking at Sai with distaste before giving a slight nod. Thanks for staying with him.

Sai looked emptily back at Sasuke, but there was another emotion that had not been there before in his eyes. Sasuke really didn't care enough to try and get it out of him.

He felt a tap. Then a pull, and then Sasuke felt someone roughly yanking his collar to catch his attention. He looked at Naruto, eyebrow twitching.

"What?"

Coughing. "Don't just- leave Sai here." Naruto's voice was hoarse.

Sasuke looked at the blond. "What do you suggest I do?"

There was a brief silence.

Naruto turned in Sasuke's arms, the jutting bones of his body digging into Sasuke's flesh, even through his clothes. Though he felt bare and dead in Sasuke's arms, Naruto looked at Sasuke with a bright, sharp defiance that made him feel like Naruto was dissecting him with a gaze alone. It pissed him off that the blond could see so much more than he'd have ever shown anyone, with a mere glance. Naruto was just that kind of person, but Sasuke felt like he was just an annoying insect that kept burrowing beneath his skin. An infestation.

Sasuke found that mindset harder to keep as of late.

"Just... take him to the Hokage, Itachi."

Itachi nodded, and they continued in blissful silence. Itachi saw to Naruto's wounds, having known some slight medical ninjutsu that alleviated the wounds he'd tore in his throat with all the coughing. If Itachi's chakra gave way to any knowledge of the severity of Naruto's sickness, he did not say; but Sasuke read Itachi's grim expression with ease.

Sasuke himself settled for thinking apprehensively about his eye removal. The idea had become more acceptable, normal and rational the more he thought about it.

Itachi's hands stopped glowing as he finished the procedure, and he stood up.

"Thanks."

Itachi nodded at Naruto, a gentle smile gracing his face. Though the smile persisted even as he looked at Sai, despite the child's age Itachi did not offer him a hand or any normal gesture one would give to a young child. He knew that these children were not children any more than he was; they were experienced, cold and callous. True shinobi; but, in Itachi's mind, the worst kind.

He left, and Sai followed the Uchiha. Sasuke felt strange when he saw the stance; the child was not chubby, per se, but had a round face and the body of a child indeed – and with that, Sasuke expected a child-like lack of grace or a child-like demeanor. There was neither.

Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"How did it go?"

"He's dead."

Naruto frowned. "I figured, bastard. Did you get caught?"

The Uchiha shook his head. "What about him?"

"He's called Sai," Naruto bit out with more than a little annoyance. "He was fine. Probably because Danzo's killed his emotions off anyway." The blond shuffled his feet. "It's unnerving."

I didn't show much emotion as a kid either, Sasuke thought, but then he supposed he'd not been completely devoid of emotion; he had been rife with irritation, coldness and hatred. What Sai had shown was none of that. Complete emptiness, like he was hollow. His eyes lacked anything. It really was unnerving, but Sasuke'd never voice that.

"I'm giving my eyes to Itachi."

Naruto whipped his head around. "What?! Your eyes!?"

Sasuke didn't even turn to look at him. "The Mangekyo Sharingan induces blindness, but a blood relative eye transplant gives you the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan." He closed his eyes, head tilted towards the ground. "I'm going to disappear anyway, so I don't need these eyes anymore."

He was trying to reassure himself more than anyone.

Naruto frowned for a moment, before nodding slowly. "I suppose... that's the right thing to do."

Sasuke didn't know why he felt so angry all of a sudden.

It wasn't that he'd wanted Naruto's approval for this stupid, selfish feeling – it was just unbridled hatred, anger that he was stuck with this moron. The fact that he had to do things for this idiot, because he "helped" Sasuke get there. Sudden resentment bubbled in him like an unattended kettle, and he turned his head sharply to the blond.

"I don't need your approval," he spat, eyes alight with fury. "I don't know who you think you are, dead last. You can't even walk without me. You're as good as dead."

Naruto visibly reeled from the outburst. "What the- you asshole! I fucking come here against my will, lose my healing ability because of all the fucking chakra you used – my lifespan is now a day at best, and you- you-" The blond was absolutely fuming with anger, and Sasuke almost regretted it. Almost.

"You couldn't take a single hit from me, moron."

"I'd fucking knock you out in one, you bastard!"

"Are you sure, usuratonkachi?"

Naruto clenched his fists, stood up and lunged.

Sasuke was genuinely surprised at the force in that punch; he'd either underestimated Naruto, or he had well and truly infuriated the boy. The first punch landed on his shoulder, though he'd aimed for Sasuke's jaw until Sasuke had moved.

The raven aimed for Naruto's head with his punch, but Naruto brought up a palm and negated the force well until Sasuke brought his leg around and slammed it into Naruto's knee. He heard a crack but paid it no attention, pulling Naruto's palm downwards and over his shoulder. The blond grabbed his hair hard, pulling – Sasuke couldn't help but cry out – and they both collapsed to the ground. The Uchiha scoffed; he really was the world's most unpredictable ninja, because no respectable shinobi would pull another's hair.

He brought himself up quickly, landing a punch on Naruto's side as he whipped to roll on top of him, looking straight at the spindly blond as he pulled back a punch. Naruto grabbed his wrist, pulling the punch to the grass beside his head as Naruto kicked him in the ribs, hard. The air was pushed out of him and for a moment, Sasuke faltered.

"Bastard," Naruto breathed, sitting up and smirking-

-and Sasuke landed a strong, firm punch to Naruto's temple that made one of his knuckles shatter.

The blond's eyes rolled back in his head, and he crumpled to the ground awkwardly, arms landing awkwardly, head lolling onto the ground almost like it had been snapped from the spine. For a moment, Sasuke felt the heart-stopping fear that came with the sensation of murder. The murder of a loved one, but Sasuke hadn't meant to- this wasn't even for the greater good, like Fugaku or- or- oh shit, I can't have killed him, I can't!

Gingerly, Sasuke sat up, leaning towards the crumpled figure of Naruto, sallow flesh pulled over the sharp vertice of bones like a taut bedspread – eyes closed, cheeks gaunt with sickness – Sasuke could already smell the stench of death, the smell of blood and corpses as they stiffened from the rigor mortis-

A long exhale sounded in the quiet, and Sasuke felt like the floor had been pulled out from under him.

The feeling was both shock and a reluctant relief. Naruto's cheeks puffed slightly with air, a ghostly air passing through his lips slowly, but passing nonetheless.

Sasuke's breath shook with happiness, the laugh that wasn't sounding but shook his diaphragm nonetheless; a subdued smile on his face as he looked at his stupid best friend. Sasuke felt a strange gladness that he hadn't killed Naruto – at least, not over something this stupid.

As Sasuke gazed at the ever naïve blond before him, he shook with the will not to cry.

Itachi had never been a fan of medical ninjutsu.

That wasn't to say he wasn't somewhat proficient in it – he was – but he hated it. It felt invasive, wrong; even though it was life saving, inserting one's chakra into someone else felt wrong. He wasn't a fan of civilian medicine either, perhaps even less so than medical ninjutsu.

Administering sedatives to Sasuke had been easy, but dealing with this was not. The boy was acting beyond out of character, from what he could tell; he was talking openly about his emotions and smiling. Itachi tried to smile and tune it out, but it really wasn't very easy.

He'd severed the pain nerves for the eye first, and Sasuke was relatively lethargic and unbothered about it all, as unprotesting as a ragdoll. He'd have preferred Sasuke to have been entirely unconscious for the whole thing, but he'd needed him awake to tell him if it still hurt slightly. He was very glad that the surgery was just as simple as removal, otherwise Itachi knew he would have had to consult a medical professional – and considering the circumstance, it wouldn't go down well.

"Itachi," he slurred. "Was it easy? To kill our parents?"

That hurt. "Sasuke, I don't know. That wasn't... this me." He didn't even know why he was trying to explain such a complex matter to someone who was having trouble comprehending the simplicities of reality.

"Of course you remember. You ruined my life, remember?" Sasuke's voice was far brighter and child-like than it should have been.

Itachi tried to block it out. "Please stay still, Sasuke."

The boy obeyed, mumbling absentmindedly as Itachi pulled up a liquid into a syringe. He smiled gently. "You're going to go to sleep now, Sasuke."

He inserted the liquid intravenously, and he saw the boys lips silently moving in a counting manner, before stopping at 7 as the boy fell limp into a deep sleep.

Itachi felt like an intruder and criminal as he severed Sasuke's left eye with a scalpel in one clean stroke.

Sasuke awoke, opening his eyes, only to remember that he now had none.

"I'm glad you woke up. You've only an hour left."

He turned to the source of Itachi's voice.

"Sasuke, I'd recommend you use small chakra flares in order to sense your way for this last hour. If you sense the resonation back from your surroundings, you should be able to get a rough guess for where you are."

The first thing Sasuke noticed was that everything felt... stronger. Clearer. Though he couldn't see, the voices were clearer and the clothes that rubbed against his skin were felt in greater detail. It was amplified, everything.

Sasuke tentatively groped to the side of the bed, bringing his legs over the side as he tested them against the floor. He turned to Itachi's chakra. "Where is Naruto?"

He couldn't feel him, couldn't feel his chakra anywhere it all- but then, it appeared; a tiny flicker of chakra to his right, a small flame of what was once an inferno of blue and red. The Kyuubi wasn't even present anymore, Sasuke noted; the chakra they'd sucked from the beast must have extracted it's presence in itself.

The raven walked slowly, carefully avoiding all objects in his way as he walked, and found Naruto. Sasuke could hear his steady breathing, and he picked him up, hooking the boy onto his back. He was light.

"I'll walk you to the door."

Sasuke nodded.

Itachi walked slowly, and Sasuke could only guess they were at an old, disused Uchiha outhouse, or a secret meeting location. But as he reached outside, he recognised the familiar path that lead to the gates of Konoha. Sasuke turned to Itachi, and smiled- it was small, but the effort made Sasuke's face ache.

"Thank you, Nii-san. I'm sorry for this burden."

Itachi shook his head. "I'm honoured to have this chance."

"Don't let that moron cause you any trouble." Sasuke paused. "Do you want to come with me?"

The Uchiha walked over to Sasuke, and Sasuke felt the strangely real shock of Itachi's two fingers tapping his forehead.

"Forgive me, Sasuke. Maybe another time."

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The wind was cold, and Naruto felt himself squinting. His head really, really hurt.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Now that he thought about it, that bastard had socked him in the side of the head! What an asshole; it was something only Sasuke would do, take it too far during a fucking fight and knock him out because of his obese ego.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

That noise was really beginning to piss him off. Soon, Naruto would have to open his eyes, and then he'd turn that goddamn alarm off.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Then again, it was goddamn cold. Why was his bed so goddamn cold?

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

He decided to move his leg, only to feel it pulled into place by a – a hand? What?

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Naruto opened his eyes, and found them watering against a bitter wind. What- I'm outside?

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

He looked down, and saw none other than Sasuke's legs making the stupid noise as he walked. As the boy felt Naruto awakening, he stopped and turned his head to him.

Sasuke's eyes were covered in bandages, and Naruto knew that it must have been done.

"Why are you carrying me, you bastard?" Naruto huffed. He'd fucking knocked him out, and now he had the opportunity to act like he was a damsel in distress again. Relenting immediately, Sasuke dropped Naruto, letting the blond fall on his backside. "Ow, what the fu-"

"You asked."

Naruto couldn't really argue against that.

The blond hauled himself to his feet, unsteady and then he found himself falling-

Sasuke caught him. "Stop being stubborn."

Naruto felt himself biting his lip til he drew blood. He decided this was the worst feeling in the world; the feeling of complete and utter weakness. The inability to even stand up without assistance.

He felt Sasuke pick him up and haul him onto his back, and allowed himself the humiliation. Because he knew that Sasuke was too much of a bastard to say sorry, but he was trying. This was his attempt, the only way Sasuke could communicate a genuine apology.

So Naruto waited, letting Sasuke lead the way. He looked around him, seeing surroundings that eventually became familiar. This was the bridge they had spent so long on, waiting for Kakashi; and Sasuke was leading them to the Training Grounds.

It was a warm feeling, and Naruto felt like laughing, felt like giving Sasuke a hug – because Team 7 was still... still there. Sasuke still remembered, and though Naruto knew he should have known something that stupid, it meant the world to him that Sasuke still remembered those times, those promises, that they hadn't drowned amidst hatred and betrayal-

Sasuke laid him down gently against a training post, before sitting down beside him. They remained in peaceful, content silence for a moment.

"I want to look at the sky."

The subdued sadness in that statement almost tempted Naruto to give Sasuke his own eyes.

"I'll tell you what it's like."

Sasuke paused, but nodded.

Naruto took a deep breath, looking at the sky. The sight made him smile.

"Um, well, there's no clouds. It's really dark, like, nearly black- uh, the sky, I mean."

"You're no good at this."

Naruto folded his arms. "Hmph, well, I'm trying! Anyway, there's like, that belt thingy- Oreos, ori-"

"Orion. Orion's belt."

"Yeah, that! I remember it. Ero-sennin showed me it, and there's the big dipper... and the North Star! It's to my right, towards you, and it's really bright tonight. 'Cause we're here, there's no light to stop us seeing it." Naruto took a moment, humming as he did. "Yeah... and, and! The moon is really high up, and it's full! Like, bright white."

Ah, yeah. The massacre was meant to be tonight, Sasuke recalled.

"There are tons of stars, Sasuke. I couldn't tell you about all of them. But, there's some really bright ones, and then ones that are kind of blinded out by really bright ones that are really dim but if you squint and see them they're just as pretty. There are tons of constellations, but I don't... really know any..."

Sasuke made what could be mistaken for a laugh. "Hn. I didn't expect you to."

"Excuse me!?"

"Well, you don't."

"Hah! I'll have you know I know tons."

"You just told me you don't."

"Well- well-" Naruto pouted and folded his arms, turning away from Sasuke. "Whatever. Bastard."

"Usuratonkachi."

And Naruto began spitting out blood, coughing violently once again and Sasuke felt thick droplets landing on one of his crossed legs as the boy began throwing up blood, the noise wet and slick as the blood hit the grass. The blond leant forward, hacking, more and more blood coming out and Sasuke held Naruto carefully, letting his weight rest on him as he spat out blood. A great deal of it landed on Sasuke's arm, but he didn't care all too much.

Naruto was heaving for breath by the end, the air unable to enter as he'd hacked out litres of liquid. His voice was hoarse.

"Where are we going?"

"We're staying here."

Naruto shook his head, gasping for air. "After that."

Ah. After death.

Sasuke didn't know, but he hadn't thought about it all too much. He didn't really care. Naruto wouldn't want that answer, though.

"Either the afterlife, or emptiness."

Naruto wiped his mouth, sitting up. Sasuke noticed his arms shaking violently. He was weakening by the minute. "What about... if, our souls like, merge with the ones in this world? And we live in these bodies?"

Sasuke shrugged. "We might not even have souls."

"Hmph. I think so."

"I don't care."

Naruto thought for a moment, and leaned all his weight against the training post. He tapped it with one finger. "This is where I got tied up against, isn't it?"

Sasuke hadn't noticed this was the particular one. "Yeah. I suppose so."

"That was so your fault."

The Uchiha's eye twitched. "Don't even pretend you weren't a complete dead last." Ah, he'd phrased that badly; it implied Naruto wasn't a dead last anymore, and he definitely was.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

Pause. "Are you scared?"

"No." Naruto winced at the lack of hesitation.

He opened his mouth, trying to force the words out. They came out in a hoarse whisper. "I am."

"Scaredy cat."

Naruto laughed, pointing at the teen. "I knew you'd say that! Bastard!"

Sasuke didn't say anything, leaning back onto his hands.

"Would you have really killed us, Sasuke?"

"Who?" He knew who.

"Me. Sakura-chan. Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke tilted his head toward the sky. "My revenge entailed it."

"Why?"

"I wanted to destroy Konoha, and you tied me to that hateful village."

Naruto knew better than to probe into that thought process.

"But," Sasuke began suddenly. "But, if there had been another way to become strong... without leaving the village – if I'd have known of one, I'd... maybe I would have stayed." Because maybe I liked Team 7. Maybe I liked those stupid missions that wasted our time. Maybe I liked them, maybe I liked everything about that time, because we were together.

Naruto turned to him, and though Sasuke couldn't see him, he knew the boy was giving him one of those huge grins. "That's good, Sasuke."

The blond coughed, hacking, and he leaned back onto the post. "Sasuke, can you... lie me on the grass?"

Sasuke did so, gently, feeling the jarring motion of laying Naruto's spindly spine against the ground even so. The blond was heaving for breath.

"I hope I've done Itachi right." Sasuke's voice was quiet.

He heard the blond turn to him, quietly laughing. He knew Naruto was smiling.

Naruto clenched his fist and pressed it against Sasuke's, who couldn't help but smile as he remembered that from so long ago – how it must have stuck in Naruto's head, for him to remember at a time like this.

When two high class shinobi clash, they can talk with their fists.

"I'm sure Itachi's proud of you..."

Naruto's voice was quiet, so weak-

"I'm proud of you too, so... let's meet again in another life, Sasuke."

Sasuke felt Naruto's fist unclench, and heard his final breath. He choked back a sob.

"Usuratonkachi."

And as the world ended, all Sasuke could think was that if Naruto had been alive to hear that, he'd have just laughed anyway.

A/N: Why do I do this to myself.

Constructive criticism all the way comrades! Sorry for any Sasuke OOCness. I can't really imagine Sasuke in this situation, so...