We're back baby! This is the final chapter of 'My Hero' minus the Epilogue. Thank you everyone who took the time to read and to those of you who reviewed. You are amazing!
A General FYI. I will be moving in about a month. I plan to have this story finished before then so you're not left hanging and hating me. This is just to make sure you know I'm not leaving my other stories to rot. I will come back and finish and hopefully have a few more story ideas to christen my return.
Here you are. Enjoy!
Chapter_25: Beautiful Day
The first part of the plan was simple.
They surrounded Hokage tower. Seven figures stood, black against the background painted grey with predawn. One pair of crimson eyes traced over them all.
Naruto could see everything from where he stood from the roof nearby. For the moment he was standing guard, searching for movement; any indication of a trap. He would stay here until the second phase began.
The short-wave radio in his ear buzzed and Shikamaru's calm voice said. "This is Leader. Everyone sound off."
One by one, the resistance called in their affirmatives. Kakashi and Karin to the North; Asuma to the East, Yamato and Juugo at the South end. Finally, Suigetsu reported in. He was hunkered down at the foot of Naruto's building on the West side of Hokage Tower. It was also Naruto's job to make sure the gunman didn't run in early.
Shikamaru wasn't thrilled with the number of pieces he had to maneuver around the board, even with the addition of Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu. Two teams of one wasn't ideal for storming fortified buildings. But the Nara wasn't going to lead them into a slaughter, not if he didn't think that they didn't stand some chance.
Naruto had known Shikamaru for years. He trusted in the brunette's inherent mental prowess. The blond was still, however, a little nervous about his ability to execute his part of the plan. So much depended on him…
"Alright, that's everyone." Shikamaru said. "How does it look from your end, Kyuubi?"
"It looks clear from here." Naruto checked again. Nothing moved besides the restless shifting of his teammates. He could detect no foreign presence. "You're good to go."
The silence thrummed with energized anticipation and then the brunette spoke. He only said one word. "Begin." The one word was the key to chaos.
The next instant, the front door of Hokage tower exploded. Suigetsu's dry laughter could be heard over the interlinked radios. The man swore in elation and yelled something that might have been a battle cry before sprinting for the demolished entrance.
From his perch, Naruto saw the man's thin form disappear into the thick cloud of debris and dirt. As he looked on, six more figures appeared and started towards the tower. It was only the matter of a few seconds and then he was alone outside. Stage One: complete.
For long minutes he waited, listening to the dust settle. He couldn't start his part of the plan until he knew his comrades had engaged the Akatsuki. The quiet was killing him. All he had to concentrate on was the constant dry crackling of the radio tucked neatly into his ear. As soon as the noise began, he was going to start losing friends.
The quiet was blissfully long and mercifully short.
Gunshots sounded over the static in his ear. Kakashi called over the radio. "We have engaged the enemy. Repeat, we have multiple hostiles."
"Go Kyuubi," Shikamaru yelled over the pounding of gunfire. "Now, go now."
It was all the prompting Naruto needed. It was his turn.
The blond hop/stepped backwards to the far edge of the rooftop. He lined himself up and took a single calming breath. He had only had one shot at this. Failure wasn't an option.
He ran. His boots beat against new concrete, digging in, pushing him forward. He pulled in oxygen in slow deep breaths as he stretched farther. Fast, faster…
His feet planted firmly against the lip and Naruto sprung. Every muscle in his newly healed knee strained.
For a moment he hung suspended in air; moving neither forward nor down. And then he was doing both. Inertia and gravity asserted themselves with stomach churning ferocity. Both tugged at his body, forcing him into a wide diagonal plunge. Wind whipped his hair back from his face as he rushed towards tower and ground.
His hands stretched out, reaching, ready to grab hold of a sill or weather pane. But he didn't have the chance to grip of either. It took him a second to realize he had miscalculated. Gravity had pulled him too far down. He was going to go through the window.
A second later he hit.
.:xXXx:.
They tossed him back inside his cell which, now that he had time to inspect it, wasn't much more than a dimly lit office. His hands were still tied. But they'd kept his feet free, useful.
Sasuke explored the narrow confines of his prison. A handful of desks were pressed up against the far windowless wall. Save that, the room held nothing. Even the desk drawers were empty.
That didn't mean they were worthless.
The raven extracted one and tossed it to the floor. The drawer itself wasn't what he was after anyway. He leaned over to inspect the opening he'd exposed. By what little light was available, Sasuke could see the guide rails fitted to either side of the drawer slot. The edges weren't extremely sharp, but they would do.
It took some maneuvering, but the raven eased his bound wrists into the aperture. The angle was bad and once or twice the raven had to stop and wait for footsteps to wonder away again. But he kept doggedly on. He didn't have time to waste.
.:xXXx:.
Naruto groaned and spat out a mouthful of broken glass. He could feel the gap in his cheek, where the smashed window had torn it open. That was probably where the fragments had come from.
He lay sprawled out, his body surrounded by shards of glittering crystal. He was inside what looked like a small conference room.
The blond eased himself upright. He couldn't hear anything beyond the crunch of glass underfoot. His mask was holed in several places, but it was still holding and so was the rest of him. Beyond that cusury overview of his injuries he seemed fine. He couldn't waste time with a more thorough search. Reaching Sasuke was priority.
The hall was wide, wooden and empty. Naruto started searching for the stairs. He wasn't sure how far he'd fallen. This was going to throw a definite kink in Shikamaru's plan. He was supposed to start his search at the top and work downwards.
The superhero spared a glance at his watch. He had a little over an hour before dawn. Would that be enough time to run to the top floor and then start his search downwards?
"Kill him, let them see." The voice caught him completely by surprise.
Naruto had enough time to duck back into the doorway and the Akatsuki strode past. It was the mad blond one, he remembered from the meeting. The arsonist. The man continued to stride banefully down the corridor. He hadn't seen Naruto. The superhero stole silently into the hall behind his quarry; he could hear the man's continued mumbles.
"Fetch the Uchiha, bring him to me so I can kill him. Yes, Pain, yes master, yes sir." Naruto immediately fell in step with the insane man. This was his ticket to Sasuke.
As the man lead Naruto through a twisting maze of halls and back-rooms the Uzumaki began to realize how well hidden the raven really was.
He heard it. It was there, just at the edge of his senses. Someone was breathing. The steady pulls and exhales lit the target like a beacon when Naruto stopped to listen. He ran, silently, along the corridor, careful to keep the Akatsuki within earshot. The source of that breathing was coming closer, he was almost to it.
He saw the door.
The blond Akatsuki reached out, still grumbling. His hand never reached the knob.
A second later, the man's body hit the floor.
Naruto tore the door open.
Sasuke stared back at him from his seat atop the lone desk inside. The man looked…
The raven stood and began to casually stride over to Naruto. The man even had the gall to look smug. Okay, so his face hadn't changed from its' typical incomprehensibility. It was the eyes. They were bursting with emotion. Naruto wondered if he had suddenly developed empathic telepathy; or if love just did weird things like that.
"You took long enough." Sasuke stopped right in front of him. The man's unbound hands hung at his sides. It took Naruto a second to register that detail.
"You freed yourself?" The blond grabbed Sasuke's wrist to examine it. "Why didn't you just escape?"
The raven made no move to extract his hand from Naruto's grasp. He raised an eyebrow. "Roaming around an enemy's headquarters, injured and without a weapon is, of course, a plan you would come up with, usuratonkachi."
"Okay, okay," Naruto dropped the raven's pale wrist. He gloried in the return of that blasted nickname. "I get it. But why did you just sit around? Were you going to wait for them to kill you?"
"You came."
The blond fought down the pride swelling his chest. Sasuke had been waiting for him. If that wasn't a colossal ego boost…
"But what if I hadn't?" Naruto questioned as the raven walked past him and into the hall. "What would you have done if I couldn't make it to you?"
"You came." Sasuke repeated. The man had his back to Naruto. His voice revealed nothing. But his words, if not the tone, held all the confidence in the world.
They stood in amicable silence for a moment. It was the first breath of fresh air for them both.
"I have to get you out of here." Naruto said at last. He didn't want to spoil the mood, but he had a plan. "Come on."
The raven didn't answer at first. But when Naruto reached out to touch his shoulder, Sasuke moved away. "Pain's office is two floors up."
"That's great." Naruto was lost. "But the window I just came through is on this floor."
"I'm not leaving. If you want a shot at Pain come now."
Without another word, the raven made his way out of his former cell. Naruto watched him as he gingerly stepped over the body of the Akatsuki. Sasuke was 'not limping' on purpose. He had a good handful of injuries Naruto couldn't see just in case the ones he could weren't enough. But the Uchiha wouldn't allow himself be hurt. Stupid pride.
Naruto moved to follow after the raven and saw it. He heard the clatter of metal against wood. The echo of it sounded weird, unreal. The grenade rolled to a halt at Sasuke's feet.
.:xXXx:.
He was lucky, lucky.
His torn neck and shoulders didn't feel lucky. But at least he was still alive.
Another minute and their valuable prisoner would have flown the coop. Pain was, however, just a little bit smart. Well, if he'd been smarter, he wouldn't have sent Deidra to check on Sasuke. There wouldn't be much left of their detainee once the blond had finished 'recapturing' him.
After he took off raven's legs, well the Uchiha wouldn't run away. He chuckled at his private joke and waited for the grenade to detonate. It was too bad he couldn't watch at this at close range.
He loved a good explosion.
.:xXXx:.
It never came.
Naruto crouched with Sasuke behind a couch. The sound of silence rung madly in his ears, begging for anything to fill it. The seconds ticked by and still there was nothing.
He heard the curse and then the indignant shout. "A dud! I can't believe it; a fluke has ruined my art."
The blond glanced over to see if Sasuke was alright. It was then he saw the grenade. Sasuke was clutching the device tightly in his hands: why it hadn't gone off.
The voice stopped. "Alright Uchiha." When it sounded once again it was much closer; too close for Naruto. They had to find a new hiding place.
He tapped Sasuke's shoulder with his fist. When the raven made eye contact, Naruto tried his best to explain what he was going to do. He wasn't sure how successful he was, but when he lay down onto his back, Sasuke didn't comment.
Naruto breathed and lined up. He drew both legs back, placing them either side of the desk's wide leg-space. A second breath…and then he pushed with all he had. The thick wood slid across the floor with the ease of a figure skater on ice, a three hundred pound figure skater.
The blond flung himself to his feet. He was just in time to watch the Akatsuki leap atop the large projectile, walked casually across it and drop to the ground.
Naruto, without a second thought, slowly paced until he was between his foe and Sasuke. He heard the raven snort behind him, but ignored it. If he looked now, he would just see Sasuke's look, the one that said 'I'm not a woman, usuratonkachi.' Naruto was very well acquainted with the proof of Sasuke's masculinity…very. But it was obvious that the raven wasn't in the best shape. His job was to get Sasuke out of here in one piece. He wasn't going to fail.
The Akatsuki with long blond hair laughed. He reached into a pack slung over his shoulder and pulled out another package. It was a mess of duct tape, wire, detonation clay.
The man cackled and sent it flying towards Sasuke.
.XX.
The couch Shikamaru had chosen as refuge from the maelstrom was really nothing more than a mass of stuffing and framework anymore. The steady rain of bullets, however, was not thinning in the slightest. The minor advantage they'd held through surprise was fading quickly. Shikamaru figured that they had half an hour on the outside. Then their ammunition would run out. It wasn't a happy thought.
He glanced at his watch. Ten minutes since they'd stormed the building. Kyuubi was past due to check in.
The brunette tapped his earpiece and was rewarded with a sharp buzz of static.
"Kyuubi, come in. What is your status?"
The answering explosion nearly deafened him.
.XX.
"Sasuke."
The raven 'hn'-ed in response. They were both alive and, for the most part, uninjured. From where they crouched inside Sasuke's cell, Naruto could hear the Akatsuki walking around. The blond sighed and sent silent thanks to his reflexes. They were the only thing that had saved them from becoming smears on the wall.
But they weren't safe. This was far from over.
He should have checked that the Akatsuki was dead. He'd been so excited, so impatient to save Sasuke that he'd gotten careless. Now he and Sasuke were paying the price.
Sasuke perched on the other side of the doorframe. His face was blank, but the eyes were alive, searching, analyzing something. What that something was, Naruto didn't know. He still had a hold of the grenade. How he had managed to keep his grip Naruto didn't know, but was very grateful.
"Did I get him?" The blond outside their hiding place muttered to himself. A second later he answered his own question. "Of course I did. Nothing can escape my beautiful
art."
'Sasuke.' Naruto mouthed the raven's name. The man didn't move.
"We have to get out of here."
Black eyes flicked to his face and just as quickly dismissed him.
"But I don't see them. My art could not have destroyed them so completely. Where are they?"
Naruto frowned. "Sasuke. He's going to find us if we stay here."
The raven held up a finger; a signal for silence.
"I have to get you out of here."
The other man's stance didn't change.
Naruto growled. This wasn't how he had envisioned the rescue of Uchiha Sasuke.
"Found you."
Something rolled between them. Naruto looked down in time to see white metallic casing and then the flash grenade went off.
Over the years and through the many instances in Naruto's life, there had been times when his keen senses had gotten him into trouble. This was one of those times. While the flash and bang of the detonation was designed to disorient a human, with Naruto's expanded hearing and eyesight… He caught the brunt of both sound and light full in the face.
It was all the blond could do to crawl away. He couldn't distinguish objects beyond a thin grey outline overshadowed by white. The ringing in his head overpowered his own screams.
"Sasuke," He blinked furiously. "Sasuke, where are you? Are you okay?"
His only answer was the high tone in his ears. "Sasuke." He stumbled towards the door; or so he thought. He pitched headlong into a wall. He slid down to the carpet, scrabbling against the smooth barrier. "Sasuke. Sasuke."
He had no idea where he was. The fall had stolen what little sense of direction he's retained after the explosion. But the Akatsuki was still out there. And so was Sasuke.
.XX.
He knew what the device was. He'd seen plenty in his lifetime. He knew their purpose; knew enough to cover his head and close his eyes a split second before the device detonated. There was no chance to warn Naruto. The idiot had stared at the grenade like it was the ninth wonder. There was no chance to do it now. The blond was at that moment sliding down the far wall. He would be no help in his current condition. Now, Sasuke was fighting for both their lives.
The Akatsuki he identified as 'Deidra' charged deep into the room, cackling madly. The man gripped an explosive device; one in each hand. One visible blue eye rolled around in search of his prey. It settled on Naruto's shaky, uncoordinated movements.
Sasuke was not a man given to cursing. But in that split second, four letters arranged themselves into a word that would have his mother rolling in her grave. And then there was no time for superfluous thought or feeling. There was only action.
The missile erupted from the Akatsuki's hand. Sasuke recognized the design. It was an impact detonator.
He acted.
The grenade made a sticky prickly sound as it left his palm, like tearing Velcro. It didn't have far to travel.
The two explosive devices collided in midair right in front of Deidra.
Sasuke had enough time to cover his face before his world was engulfed in heat and light.
.XX.
He was still calling out his lover's name. He didn't know how long. He only knew two things: that his throat hurt and he wasn't going to stop until the raven answered.
His hearing was coming back and so was his sight. He had always been a fast healer. But this time, the seconds seemed to drag on, their own separate eternity. The world around him had darkened somewhat. At least he could distinguish between the wall and the carpet now.
Naruto blinked rapidly. It didn't help, but it was all he could do, well that and call out for Sasuke.
"-sur-hi…"
"What?" The blond rolled to his uninjured side. He searched the room with bleary, unfocused eyes. He saw two lumps on floor. Any distinguishing features were lost in the white wash that was his vision.
"Sasuke." He tried. "Sasuke."
One of the two forms moved. It was propped up against the far wall next to what looked like a doorway.
"-us…era..on…hi…"
"Sasuke? Is it you? Are you okay?"
He was by the figures' side. His hearing was mainly recovered. The ringing had retreated to a moderately dull tone at the back of his head. He was close enough to hear the Uchiha's words.
"Stop yelling, usuratonkachi, or another will come."
Naruto was so happy he could have wept for the joy. "Are you…" He pulled down the mask and said. "Are you okay?"
The answer was a long time in coming. And when it did, it punched Naruto hard in the stomach.
"No."
He wanted to deny it, but slowly, ever so slowly, he was beginning to see it. The image came into focus, his vision clearing like dirt settling in water. He almost wished it hadn't.
Sasuke lay in a pool of blood which still flowed from dozens of cuts all over his body. His clothing was being sluggishly saturated. The only part of him that still looked alive were his eyes. They stared back at Naruto with unerring focus.
The blond moved to embrace Sasuke. The raven pushed his hands away. As if summoning the last of his strength and pride, the Uchiha moved Naruto away from himself. He wouldn't allow himself to be injured. The man's pride was too great to let him be weak, even in front of Naruto; especially in front of Naruto.
Naruto knelt beside the man. He tried to reach for the raven again. Once more he was pushed away. "Sasuke."
"Leave me."
The blond shook his head. "I have to get you out of here. They'll come for you and execute you if I don't get out of the building now."
Sasuke was trying to staunch one of his larger cuts with a torn portion of his shirt. It wasn't doing much. "Your friends downstairs are distraction enough for the moment."
Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but Sasuke turned to stare unwaveringly at him. His voice caught. Instead, he choked out. "I…can't just leave you here…I…can't…"
"Go, find Pain. End this."
Naruto said nothing for long moments. The war was silent. But at last, he nodded. "I'll come back for you. I promise I'll come back and rescue you." He stood to leave.
"Naruto,"
The blond turned. Sasuke was staring at him, but it was different. Naruto had never seen that look in the raven's eyes. A pale hand reached out and Naruto's joined it, lacing fingers together, sweetly, unconsciously.
"I have two boons to collect."
Naruto didn't know what to say. Torn between laughing at the absolute absurdity of the statement and weeping at its' incredible sweetness; he shook his head at last, showering golden spikes across scarred cheeks. "Now isn't the time-"
"Anything that I want, anytime that I want it, no complaints..." Sasuke interrupted smoothly. He sounded like his normal self. If Naruto closed his eyes, he could almost forget the bloody, torn man that was his lover now.
"Okay, okay, I get it, fine." The blond man huffed. It was better than crying. "What do you what, bastard?"
The Uchiha's other hand lifted to his chin and before Naruto realized it, he was being drawn down into a kiss. Softness, elegance, sweetness. The wonder of such tenderness was more than Naruto's body could contain. He trembled and the Sasuke pulled back until raven locks were resting against the walls cold surface.
The man looked at Naruto for a moment, his eyes containing more than the blond could ever have hoped for. And then he spoke, and the words were even more.
"Come back."
Naruto thought his heart would explode. It wasn't a confession. It was Sasuke saying that he was worried about Naruto. It was Sasuke saying he wanted Naruto to come back. It was Sasuke saying that he wanted to make a way beyond their horrible past when this was over.
It wasn't 'I love you.' It was so much more.
The blond breathed deep. His voice was shaky. "What about the second?"
Sasuke's eyes were unreadable, unknowable. This too was an expression Naruto had never seen.
The fingers on his chin dropped, resting on the bloodied cloth covering the raven's thigh.
"Sasuke..."
"Forgive me."
Naruto didn't cry. He felt the tears lodge in his throat. This would never happen again, this venerability, and he treasured it. He loved this man with all his heart.
"I'll be back." He managed. "I'll come for you."
He leaned in again to claim the raven's lips. He didn't know exactly what was exchanged in that moment, but it was large and beautiful and terrifying. It was bigger than the kiss they had shared in Sasuke's car. It was exponentially more immense and intimidating than their lovemaking. It was everything he had and knew and felt. It was a promise. It was his own 'I love you'.
He poured himself into this embrace, into Sasuke, the man he loved.
When they broke apart Sasuke chuckled. Naruto felt a palm against his forehead. He glanced at the raven, but Sasuke was staring at the wall.
"Idiot," The raven said. "This isn't goodbye."
That was how Konan found them.
"Hero."
Naruto jerked. His first instinct was to protect Sasuke, but as he moved to shield the wounded man, the famous Akatsuki shook her head once.
"Come with me."
The blond growled at Konan, his teeth bared. The woman seemed unconcerned. She glanced from his face to the Uchiha's still form and back to Naruto.
"Leave him. He has served his purpose. We have no further designs against that one."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. "You used Sasuke to lure us here? Was it a trap all along?"
Konan didn't answer for long moments. She seemed to be considering something. "Pain is waiting." She turned and walked away.
Naruto glanced one last time at Sasuke. The raven didn't look back.
Naruto followed.
.XX.
Konan lead him up stairs, through corridors, past endless rows of rooms. Higher and higher they climbed until Naruto wondered how he had fallen so far from the top. They emerged at last; the narrow hall broadening outwards into a wide, vast chamber. The blond thought it might utilize the entire circumference of Hokage tower. This was where, under normal circumstances, the Hokage would reign. These were not normal circumstances.
Pain stood in the center, a lone pillar in the otherwise empty expanse. The red-haired man made no move to acknowledge either Konan or Naruto. His eyes, however, warped and purple, trained unwaveringly upon his guest.
The blond stared back.
Suddenly, he was remembering every Captain Kakashi comic he had ever read. It was always like this. The hero always got a final confrontation with the big boss villain. And it was always then that the villain explained his evil motives. That was obviously what was happening now.
"Why?" His voice echoed back to him as he spoke. "Why do you want Konoha? Why did you do this?"
But the other man didn't answer. He didn't speak.
He just attacked.
Only Naruto's reflexes saved him. He leapt back and felt the whip of the man's fist as it brushed past his nose and down to the floor. The wood underfoot splintered and buckled with impact.
The blond backpedaled quickly, but Pain was up and after him, a lightning strike. Blow after blow rained down with such speed and ferocity, it was all Naruto could do not to become a splatter on the wall.
Thankfully, Konan had elected to remain ringside, or he would have no chance.
If he could only find some way to get Pain to stumble, just for a second; then he might be able to turn the tables in his favor.
His foot caught on the shattered oak flooring.
The blond fell.
He hit the floor. Splinters gouged painfully for the fraction of a second before Naruto thrust his legs back over his head. He somersaulted backwards and felt the scrape of the knifeblade whisper along the back of his neck. Skin broke. The sharp scent of iron rushed to his nostrils.
He stumbled to his feet. Pain hadn't followed him. The man stood mercifully far away from him, a newly drawn blade shining crimsoned in his fingers.
Naruto gulped down air in an effort to steady his pounding heart. The curve of his neck along his spine stung. He could feel blood trickling down his back. One hand rose to wipe at it.
Pain rushed in again.
The man gave no time to think this time. There was instinct and there was death. Naruto had heard and felt the hot breath of bullets whip past him, heard their sweet melody as they rocketed past his body. But in the redhead's hands, the knife was singing a bullet's death song with each pass and strike.
On they danced; their deadly steps and flourishes.
Pain had drawn first blood, but Naruto wasn't finished; not by a long shot.
The blond backed up, skipping just out of the knife's range again and again. His heel struck the wall behind him and Naruto leapt.
Pain lunged just as the Naruto's feet connected with the wall's unyielding surface. The blond pushed with all his might and rushed forward with all the force of a jet rocket.
Hero and villain collided, the crash titanic. Naruto struck out at the man's unprotected face and torso; once, twice, thrice. He hit over and over, the body under him jerking under the impact.
He heard the shot. Agony bit deeply into his ribs and he gasped in surprised horror.
Pain kicked out at Naruto's chest. The force of it had the blond sliding across the room, a bloody trail marking his way.
Naruto stood, his legs trembling. Where Pain had retrieved the gun he didn't know. There were too many pockets in the man's coat to be certain. But really, the where wasn't important. He had been shot. He could feel the hot lead sinking into his guts, scorching a painful path through his innards. Pain had not gone unscathed. The other man's face and neck were riddled with quickly forming bruises and cuts. A trickle of crimson dribbled down the man's chin as he swayed lightly back and forth on his feet.
"Why?" Naruto asked again. "Why are you doing this? What do you want?"
There was no reason for Pain to answer, no president set to expect the man would. But now was different. Perhaps pain had loosened the man's tongue, encouraged some form of generosity from him.
Only the man's lips moved when he answered. It was only one word.
"Justice."
Naruto shook his head and pressed a hand to his side. Warmth continued to seep through his fingers. "That's…not right. It's, this isn't justice."
The man regarded him with something like dispassionate mockery. "Is what you are justice, Kyuubi? We both kill, we both destroy; each in the name of something we believe must be. But there is a difference between you and I. I build up again. I tear down the corruption, cut out the cancer and establish order in its place. Konoha was a dying city begging for the end. I gave them hope, a purpose. What are you?"
Pain took at slow step forward and was suddenly standing before Naruto.
Naruto didn't even have time to gasp in surprise before the gun was pressed into his ribs.
"You are a child, with childish ideas."
Naruto felt the heat and concussion split his side open. He screamed and tried to pull away. But Pain held him close.
"You think that because you dream that nothing can stand in your way."
The next shot tore apart Naruto's shoulder as it exited his body.
"You think that because you mean well, that makes everything you've done right. What about all the men you've killed? Do your pretences make them any less dead?"
Naruto didn't even feel the bullet when it passed through him. His head swam. If not for Pains' arm wrapped around his waist he would have fallen, irony.
"No…" He breathed. "That's not…true, it's…not."
"Your play world is dying." Pain murmured against his ear. "It's time you died with it."
Was it true? Was Pain right? Was the only difference between them…pretence? Was justice really what he fought for, could justice make what he'd done right? No.
The muzzle pressed into what remained of his ribs. His fingers curled around it, pushing the heated metal away. Resolute eyes stared up at the redheaded Akatsuki.
"You're wrong."
His fist connected sharply with the man's torso, jerking him back a step. It was all the breathing room Naruto needed. The gun was torn from Pain's hand, spinning off uselessly.
The Akatsuki leader leapt backwards, avoiding Naruto's powerful kick by a hairs-breath. The blond didn't pursue him, but stood and spoke.
"We're only human," He said. "You and I. We're not gods' or angels. We can only do the best we can with what we've got." His brows furrowed slightly. "Maybe what I did was wrong. Maybe I deserve to die for my actions. Maybe you're the one who's going to do it. But I know that before I do, I will at least take you with me."
Pain nodded. There were no more words to be said. Only battle remained.
They clashed, tore and ripped. It was no more the testing and toying from before. It was death.
Naruto's claws carved out a handful of flesh from Pain's shoulder, spurting blood across the floor. Pain's foot smashed into Naruto's head, showering his vision in sparks and stars.
Teeth and knifeblade flashed. The floor dripped crimson. Clothing and flesh both torn asunder. Lips cracked, swollen from blows, limbs weary. Still they fought. Breaths came in ragged gasps, uneven pulls for oxygen, muddied by coagulating blood from broken noses and pools of icor dried in scored throats.
In this battle neither had the upper hand. Pain had dealt Naruto great damage, but the blond had done his own in turn.
They grappled together at last, each gripping the other to avoid further punishment. Red met warped purple and Naruto panted angrily into Pain's expressionless face.
"What will happen when you kill me hero?" The man asked. "Do you believe that Konoha will ever be the same? They have tasted freedom and justice. They will never willingly accept a substitute."
Naruto growled and shook his head. But the seeds of doubt had been planted. His mind fed it and it flowered into fear. What if everything he had done, all he'd sacrificed, wasn't enough? Would Konoha really follow this mad man even unto death?
Pain's words sent cold through his bones. "And in the end, what will you and your friends be but murderers? You will be hunted down one by one. Would you expect anything less from those who love me?"
"If that's love," Naruto spat. "Then I think Konoha is better off without it!"
He dropped to the floor. Pain overbalanced and followed. His body didn't hit the floor. Naruto kicked out with all his strength.
The Akatsuki crashed through the roof with a shower of plaster and debris. Naruto leapt up a second later.
They were on top of Hokage tower now. The sun was threatening to peek over the far mountains.
He spotted Pain on the far side, staring down at the ground thirty stories down.
"Look at them." The man murmured, almost too quietly for Naruto to hear. "They are still ants. They scurry and gather together in useless unity. Even as one they are weak and simpleminded."
Pain's next words were shouted. They echoed loudly to the crowds far below, gathered to witness the exsecution of Uchiha Sasuke.
"Come here Hero, Come and see the children you believe are worth saving."
Cautiously, Naruto walked to the side. He gazed down at the multitudes below his feet.
"Is it time for retribution Konoha?" Pain called.
The people screamed.
"Is it time for your revenge on those who oppressed and terrorized you?"
They cheered.
"Have you come to see a man die?"
Konoha's cries only grew louder.
"These are the fools you think you can save." Pain said to Naruto. "They call for another's blood. What are you that you can drag them from this pit they have sunk themselves in?"
Naruto's fists clenched, his head hung. "It's not me." He said. "It's them. I have to have faith in them, because if I didn't believe that they had the power to see the truth, then I might as well have given up eight years ago." He stared sadly at the people. "And even if they won't fight for themselves, that's why I'm here. That's the reason I was born. That's why I was given these gifts. I will give everything that I am because I…"
The blond smiled at Pain.
"…because if I wouldn't die for them, what kind of a superhero would I be?"
Pain stared back, unblinking, unreadable. Naruto shifted uneasily and braced himself for another attack.
But the man turned instead.
"People of Konoha." He shouted. "I have lied and used you."
The cheering ceased. Utter silence reigned.
"You are nothing but pawns in this vast chess board, easily manipulated and disposable. I think you all pathetic for believing I offer you anything but a pretty cage."
Shouts of outrage could be heard from below as the full impact of Pain's sunk in. But the man was not finished.
"I have delivered you from what petty gangs and criminals you feared into the hands of a force greater and more malevolent then you can understand. Know this and shiver when you try to sleep. Close your eyes and know that the lives you knew are coming to an end."
He spoke to Naruto once more. The cries of outrage could be heard clearly despite the distance down. "You have bought your precious city a short time. That is all. The end is coming for them and there is nothing you can do to stop it."
It happened so slowly Naruto didn't realize until Pain had tipped off the side.
"No!"
He sprang to the edge. But all he could do was watch as the man with red hair struck the pavement far below.
Naruto heaved, the contents of his stomach upending themselves onto the concrete. The sounds of his repeated wrenching mingled with the crowds angry shouts until nothing was left for him to give to the ground.
It was over.
He just had one thing left to do.
.XX.
Iruka ran to Kakashi, throwing his arms around the man's neck and squeezing as hard as he could. His boyfriend chuckled softly and returned the embrace.
"Hi," Iruka's voice was calm. His death grip around Kakashi's body betrayed his false self-control.
"Hi yourself." Kakashi whispered back, rubbing circles on his lover's back.
"We did it."
"We did it."
"We survived."
"Yeah."
"Pain's gone for good."
"For good."
"Did, did everyone make it?"
The blond man nodded and then stopped. His hand paused mid-stroke. He pulled back to look into Iruka's warm brown eyes.
"Kakashi…" The brunette's voice was shaky. "Where's Naruto?"
A cry rose up from the crowd, mingled cheering, gasping and dismay.
Both men turned and Iruka's gasp joined the rest.
Naruto stumbled from the entrance, holding a limp figure to his chest. As a hundred thousand eyes watched the blond collapsed on the sidewalk, flecking the pavement with crimson. But the body he carried was lowered gently, lovingly to the ground. The man's head rested placidly against Naruto's chest, his body cradled between Naruto's legs, almost as if the two were watching the sun rise together.
Iruka looked at his foster child and his heart sank even as Kakashi pushed his way towards the pair.
Tears slid silently down scared cheeks, gleaming in the warm glow of pre-dawn as quivering sobs shook the man's body.
Naruto smiled as the first rays of the sun kissed his face. Slowly he rocked the man in his arms, back and forth, back and forth.
"Look Sasuke." He whispered. "It's going to be a beautiful day."
A/N: 'Speaks from cover' I'm sorry. I'll get the epilodue to you in one week. Cross my heart and hope to die. Thank you all for sticking with me. You've been wonderful and supportive.
Please review. I will write a giftfic for the 200th reviewer.
Until next time.