A/N: This was inspired by the last Naruto chapter (693), since I was pretty moved by it on so many levels. I was thinking about it yesterday, and somehow, I think I sort of dreamt about something like this, and it wouldn't leave me, so… I would go crazy if I didn't let it off my chest and typed it.

So this is supposed to be a dream Naruto might've had at some point, and he remembers it when he's up there at the top of Hashirama's head at the VotE.

Sasuke's attitude in Naruto's dream is symbolism of his own need to make sure Naruto will always be there for him (as well as Naruto's own deep belief that Sasuke needs him/his help).

Also, Naruto sees Sasuke as a kid because it's that Sasuke that he wants to have back, personality-wise I suppose.

I'm done being emotional now. I have to move on from this chapter.

Also, it was brought to my attention that Drabble 1 was in fact the same as Drabble 3, but everything's fixed now! Sorry about the inconvenience!

Not betaed.

Drabble Six

Your Core

The seemingly never ending landscape was oddly familiar to him, and yet, he was sure he had never been there before. The green grass underneath his naked feet was healthy and oddly fresh, stretching out farther than the eye could see, and here and there, he could see various flowerbeds with all sorts of bright, colorful flowers that filled the light breeze with soothing spring scents.

He looked up at the sky, squinting his eyes at the breathtaking blue in it, adorned by the occasional fluffy pure white cloud. The sun was warm, but it wasn't particularly hot out there.

'Is this what heaven looks like?' Naruto thought, closing his eyes and breathing in the clear air. 'It's so beautiful it's actually peaceful.'

"Oi, Naruto," a voice he recognized called out behind him. "Are you just going to stand there and gawk?"

Surprised that he wasn't the only person there, he turned around to find a boy sitting down on the grass, his legs stretched out in front of him and both his hands supporting his weight behind him. There was a slightly annoyed look on his face as he frowned at him, dark bluish bangs blowing gently in the breeze.

Naruto's eyebrows shot upwards. "Sasuke?"

Indeed it was him. Only this Sasuke looked a lot like the thirteen year old that had been his teammate back then. Dressed in a plain black t-shirt and light grey shorts, his feet were also devoid of sandals, and he looked peculiarly relaxed, his guard completely down. It was quite a refreshing sight for Naruto's eager eyes.

"Who else?" younger Sasuke asked, making a face. "You complete moron."

Naruto looked down at his hands – the calloused hands of a seventeen year old – and noticed that he, too, was wearing similar garments, but his t-shirt was orange, and his shorts were white.

He looked around at the garden around him. Now he remembered – this is where he and Sasuke used to spar when they were kids. They would spar or train together for hours, only stopping to eat or take care of other basic needs, and by the end of the day, they would lie down on the grass, side by side, utterly exhausted, and they would both fall asleep until one of them woke up and reminded the other they had to go home.

Those days… they were the happiest of Naruto's life, because in days like those, he felt like he belonged somewhere and his motivation was as high as it could ever get. He remembered the feeling of going one on one with Sasuke, no weapons. He remembered the thrill of feeling Sasuke's attacks, the anger at Sasuke's mocking words, or the joy when Sasuke indulged him with a cockish 'not bad, loser.'

Why was he here, now? And why did Sasuke look like his younger self?

Looking back at his friend, Naruto felt his eyes sting, if from happiness of helplessness, he didn't know.

Sasuke's bottomless eyes lost a bit of their displeased expression and he made a small pout. Those eyes, Naruto noticed, were so… alive. They still looked like they belonged to someone much older, but the haunted, cold look didn't live there yet.

It made Naruto's heart beat faster with longing. That Sasuke… that was the Sasuke that he wanted – that confident, arrogant, yet gentle person he always concealed but sometimes let loose.

Only then did Naruto notice just how beautiful those eyes had been. In fact, even as a kid, Sasuke had been terrifyingly handsome, albeit disregardful of the fact. While before, this would have annoyed him, now he thought of it with fondness.

"Come on," Sasuke pressed on, gesturing for Naruto to go to him. "I'm tired."

Swallowing around the lump in his throat, Naruto slowly made his way to the boy, Sasuke's attentive eyes following his movements as he sat down on the grass beside him, close enough so he could feel the heat of the other's smaller body, but not close enough to actually be in contact.

"You're looking at me funny," Sasuke pointed out, narrowing his eyes at him. "What's going on in that idiot brain of yours?"

Hearing his friend talk to him like that almost made him laugh. Sasuke would always throw meaningless insults his way whenever he could, and even though, at the time, Naruto had been mad and insulted him back, deep down, he had known that neither of them truly meant it – it was nothing more but the way they worked.

"Nothing," Naruto said, smiling a bit even though his voice threatened to crack. "I was just thinking that it would be nice if you could always be this way."

"What way?" Sasuke inquired, with a frown.

Naruto shrugged, feeling suddenly embarrassed. "I don't know. Peaceful. That's kind of… my dream when it comes to you."

Sasuke contemplated his features for a while, somehow not looking particularly surprised. "That's a stupid thing to wish for," he said.

Naruto did laugh a bit this time. "Is it?"

"No one can remain unchanged," Sasuke proceeded, looking away from him and at the vast setting in front of him. "Life, experiences, feelings… in one second a person's ideals can change completely." He bit on his lower lip, hard. "But a person's core… does that really change that much? Isn't that what an individual is all about? About who they truly are underneath everything else that changes about them?"

He looked back at Naruto for confirmation, but for a few seconds, the current eldest of the two could only press his lips together.

"Well," he said, after a while. "At least… that's what I believe in, too."

Sasuke huffed. "Is that what you see when you look at me?" he inquired, almost challengingly. "You look for my core?"

And at this, Naruto felt no hesitation. "No matter what you look like, or how many things change about you… I will always look for this you, Sasuke."

"This me?" Sasuke muttered, sounding a little disgruntled.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, smiling. "This you that I wanted back then. This you that I will always want to look for, no matter what. Because I always want to see you, Sasuke. I will always look for you."

The boy blinked a few times at him, his chin falling slightly. Then, a small blush painted his pale cheeks and he frowned, angry at himself, punching Naruto's arm rather painfully. "You're so damn stupid!" he hissed, looking away and sounding mad, but Naruto knew he was just embarrassed. "Don't say stupid things like that, it's weird."

Naruto chuckled, rubbing his arm. "Sorry."

The boy moved so he was lying on his side, back stubbornly facing Naruto. "I'm going to sleep," he informed, almost as if daring Naruto to contradict him.

"Aright," Naruto said, still smiling down at the boy's back. He could see Sasuke's profile from his sitting position. "I'll be right here."

"Who cares," Sasuke mumbled, closing his eyes.

"You're the one who asked me to come sit with you," Naruto reminded him, teasingly, causing the other to become rigid with self-awareness.

"Shut up."

Sighing, Naruto watched Sasuke's features for a while, feeling rather emotional all of a sudden. Sasuke's body was tense, so he tentatively dragged himself more towards him, so the side of his hip was in contact with the younger boy's back. He could hear Sasuke taking a rather sharp breath before his muscles began relaxing.

Carefully, Naruto placed a hand on top of Sasuke's head, lightly caressing strands of spiky hair that felt soft to the touch.

"I'll be right here," he repeated, in a whisper. "I'm not going anywhere. Just sleep."

And surely enough, as if automatically lulled into a slumber by Naruto's proximity, Sasuke's breathing evened out, and he drifted off to sleep.

oOo

Naruto looked down at his right hand, where the symbol of the sun (his yang nature) was still showing. He vaguely wondered if it would ever fade or if, like a tattoo, it would stay with him until the day he died, reminding him exactly of what he and Sasuke were – what bound them together in ways that even transcended their humanity.

Sasuke's soul was linked to his. They were brothers, family, two halves of the same whole that opposed as well and complemented each other. Sasuke surely had to know it, deep down. No matter what he said, no matter what he did… he just had to know.

Why else would they be here, at the Valley of the End, where they had once fought and confessed their true feelings for each other?

Naruto hadn't forgotten it, and apparently, neither had Sasuke.

Looking up at his friend, who stood in front of him at the top of Madara's imposing statue, he realized that there wasn't even pride in his stance, just determination, and the relaxed arrogance of someone who saw nothing but their goals ahead. Nothing unexpected there.

Naruto closed his eyes.

Still… Sasuke was looking at him right now, talking to him, and even though this Sasuke wasn't the same as the one from back then… it was still the Sasuke he wanted, and the one he had to save, no matter the price. And he had been ready for it, so he wasn't scared – he had waited, eagerly so, for this day to come.

Closing his fist, he released a small 'huff' smirking. Then, he looked back at his friend – his best friend, his family, he reminded himself – and straightened his back.

"Alright," he said easily, nodding once. "I'm listening, Sasuke."

The End

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