Chapter 2
"The Jinchuuriki, Naruto Uzumaki, has been named an international hero, and is the favourite candidate to become the next Hokage of Konoha."
The dust that rose around Sasuke's sandals got caught by the wind, rising in a small tornado around him as he made his way down the quiet road.
"How can I become Hokage, when I can't even save one friend?"
Far overhead, a hawk circled slowly, sharp eyes scanning the ground for prey. The forest surrounding Konoha was, as it had always been, silent and watchful as the raven-haired Uchiha went by.
"If I die, we both die, Sasuke."
Frowning deeply, Sasuke reached up to run shaking fingers through his hair, studying the ground before his feet. He rounded a corner in the road, glancing up suddenly when colour caught his eye. Before Sasuke could even register what was happening, a tanned fist came careening towards his jaw. The solid hit sent him flying back, though he managed to save himself from an embarrassing sprawl across the ground by sliding to a stop on his knees. He screwed his eyes shut against the pain, spitting out blood as a pair of strong, rough hands found his shirt collar and used it to pull him to his feet.
A loud, familiar voice assaulted his ears. "Where the fuck have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
Sasuke opened his eyes, squinting against the headache that was already forming from the hit. "You're loud, idiot."
He kept his eyes trained towards the ground, examining the space between their sandaled feet. In that moment, Sasuke found that the idea of looking up – of facing those honest blue eyes – was terrifying. The wind danced between them, carrying dust and the scent of leaves warmed by the sun. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Naruto's hands slipped away as smoothly as the name he whispered on an exhaled breath.
"Sasuke."
As if controlled by chakra strings, the dark-haired ninja found his gaze pulled towards that voice. He followed a line of gleaming light from one sharp collar bone to another, to the hollow of Naruto's throat and then upwards, chasing the path of sinew and tendon to find a proud, strongly crafted jaw. He took his time examining the gleam of sunlight in golden hair before sliding his gaze across whisker-like markings. Finally, his eyes came to rest on Naruto's lips, watching as if hypnotized as they began to move.
"Every time I see you, it's somehow like we're meeting for the first time."
A pang of guilt shot up from Sasuke's chest, threatening to close his throat. He clenched his fists so the blond wouldn't notice his fingers shaking as he reached for his defenses, slamming a protective wall between them. He managed a cold smirk, raising one dark eyebrow.
"You're right, Naruto. We might as well be strangers."
"You're a terrible liar." Naruto replied immediately. "I don't think you would have such a hard time looking a stranger in the eye, would you?"
Sasuke's eyes shot up as anger flared within him. But as soon as his gaze rested upon twin pools of depthless sapphire blue, the anger faded faster than it had appeared. Sasuke found himself stepping back, suddenly feeling uneasy with their close proximity. He noticed then, for the first time, that Naruto had gotten taller than him. The Sage stood with his hands in his pockets, the wind ruffling his golden hair and deep red cloak. Behind him, the carved heads of the Hokage's loomed above Konoha, watching haughtily as Sasuke gapped at his childhood friend.
"Do you know how much you throw me off?" Sasuke wondered, watching as Naruto frowned, fighting with whatever emotions were raging within him. "Just being around you messes with my head, you idiot blond."
At that thought, the memory of their encounter during the war flashed across Sasuke's mind, almost a year ago to the day; and yet it seemed so far away that it may as well have occurred in a different world.
Naruto bent over, breathing heavily as sweat dripped from his brow. The landscape around him was utterly destroyed. Huge chunks of earth were broken and overturned, and water was rushing up from the ground. Here and there, the bodies of the former Jinchuuriki lay silently within the rubble. Bee lay on his back panting, mumbling something about being too tired to even rhyme as he gripped a deep cut on his abdomen. As expected, their opponent had disappeared as soon as his Jinchuuriki army had been destroyed.
"Are you alright, Naruto?" Kakashi placed a hand on his ex-students trembling shoulder, his headband already pulled down to hide his sharingan.
"I'll be fine." Naruto replied roughly as he wiped sweat from his brow. "I just need to rest for a few minutes before we head out again."
His old sensei nodded firmly, glancing over to his rival. Gai was visibly pouting, clearly unhappy with being outshone by a boy many years his junior. Kakashi sighed loudly, hoping that this would be over quickly so that he could get some peace and quiet.
"Listen, Naruto." The white-haired ninja said, turning back to his student. "Can you let Gai and me out of here? We'll be fine now."
"More than fine, actually," Kakashi thought, "Not only did Naruto's chakra heal our wounds, but I feel much stronger than I usually do."
The blond nodded and straightened up, rolling his broad shoulders and stretching his tired arms. He then held two fingers before himself, concentrating for a moment. Then suddenly, the massive form of the Nine-Tailed Fox retracted into his body, rushing silently and swiftly like a living, liquid fire.
After being encompassed by that chakra, the air felt surprisingly cold.
Naruto exhaled sharply, folding his hands behind his head and leaning back. He surveyed the wreckage around them with a deep frown. Kakashi continued to observe him, unable to forget the moment when Naruto had appeared before them, saving them from the tailed beasts.
"Sensei, can you see your son from where you are?" Kakashi thought idly. "Forgive me, sensei, but I think he has surpassed you completely."
"KAKASHI!"
Gai's sudden outburst made them both jump. "I think we'd better get Bee to the medical team right away! This wound is pretty bad. And besides, we should really check in with the other units!"
Kakashi nodded before looking back at Naruto warily. The blond read his thoughts, grinning widely. "Don't worry about it Kakashi-sensei. I really am going to rest for a bit. And besides, I can't see the enemy returning here. Not for a while, at least."
After hesitating for a moment, Kakashi nodded, concern flashing over his charcoal black eye. "Don't do anything reckless." He said in the bored, exasperated tone he was so used to using on the Jinchuuriki. The copy-ninja turned and made his way over to Gai, helping him hoist their injured comrade. After a few minutes the massive ninja submitted to their support, though his words of protest echoed around the rocky space as the three slowly made their way in the direction of the closest medical team.
As soon as they had vanished from sight, Naruto lowered himself to the ruined ground, clutching at his chest. His eyes stung hotly as he whispered, "You can sense him too, right Kurama?"
The fox demon frowned, baring his teeth in distaste. "Of course, kid. How could I not notice a chakra so ominous?"
Naruto closed his eyes, retreating to the silence of his inner world. He walked through the water until he was leaning against Kurama's paw. The fox grumbled absently, laying his chin down so that his eye was almost level with Naruto's head. The blond nuzzled tiredly into his fur, inhaling the scent of wood smoke that rose from it.
"What will you do, Naruto?" Kurama asked.
Naruto turned, seeing his own reflection in the red eye behind him. "About Sasuke, you mean?"
He retreated from that steady gaze, folding his arms around the ache in his chest. "His chakra has become so much darker since the last time I saw him, but there's something odd about it that I can't figure out just yet. I feel like he's seriously upset right now."
Silence fell between them for a while as they tracked the progress of that dark chakra, flickering unsteadily like a candle, as it grew steadily closer.
"I have no idea why he seems so unstable, but I doubt that he'll hear anything you say to him, Naruto."
"Yeah," The blond agreed sadly. "I'm prepared to fight him this time, if I have to. As his friend, it's my duty to stop him, no matter what."
He stood suddenly as Kurama's ears perked alertly, both of them focusing on the chakra that was just over the horizon.
"However," Naruto whispered as he opened his eyes to the battle field, "I will never stop hoping that I can save him."
He stood then, turning to face the column of dust that appeared when a blurred figure slid into view. Without pausing, Sasuke began to charge forward to attack. But then he broke free from the clouds of dust, and his steps faltered as his eyes were met by steady blue ones. Without noticing it, Sasuke slowed to a stop, his hands freezing halfway through the hand sign he was forming.
"This is a fascinating game that we're playing, isn't it, Naruto?" Sasuke thought, as conflicting emotions flashed across his eyes. "I wonder, though. Will it continue, as the battle between Madara and the First Hokage did, until we have lost sight of ourselves? Or will your prediction come true, and see us dying here, side by side?"
The raven-haired Uchiha closed his eyes as if in pain, a deep crease forming between his eyebrows. Naruto watched quietly, observing his opponent with the utmost care. A gentle breeze blew through his hair, carrying with it the scent of upturned earth and blood.
"This war," Naruto said, his deep voice rough with emotion, "Will come to an end soon. Madara should realize by now that he can't win. The alliance is too strong. We will overcome the hatred in this ninja world."
"Well, I think I can say, honestly, that I wouldn't mind dying if it was by your hand." Sasuke mused, ignoring Naruto's declaration. "But, I will take you with me. That is the final punishment I'll inflict on those who have hurt and betrayed me: by taking their hope, their hero, with me into death. This bond that I was unable to sever, this bond that made you pursue me relentlessly: it will be this bond that destroys us both."
His lashes lifted to reveal brilliantly crimson Sharingan eyes, honed and perfected by a history of hatred and betrayal. When Sasuke looked at his childhood friend through those eyes, it was easier to make him an enemy. Easier to ignore those depthless orbs, bluer than the Caspian Sea, and transform their gaze into the calculating gaze of an opponent, rather than the concerned scrutiny of a friend.
"Naïve, as usual." Sasuke replied, voice cold and distant. "This world will never be free of hatred. Hatred is power. Without hatred, mankind would be nothing."
The Jinchuuriki smiled sadly. "You sound like the Nine-Tails."
"Tch." Sasuke muttered, scowling. He crouched forward, reaching to grip the hilt of his sword.
Naruto didn't react to his changed stance. Instead he sighed, turning his gaze towards the clouded sky. For a time he simply stood, watching the churning of the grey sea above them. But when he returned his focus to the man before him, Naruto's face had become an unreadable mask.
"Fine. Sasuke, let's finish this."
Sasuke's eyes widened. The words that slipped between Naruto's lips prompted Sasuke to notice the deep circles beneath his eyes, the slump of his broad, proud shoulders, and the looseness of his fingers.
"Why does he seem so exhausted, all of a sudden?" Sasuke wondered.
He barely raised his blade in time to block Naruto's first attack, both his sword and the kunai in the Sage's hand shattering into pieces. They remained in close proximity, exchanging rapid blows, their movements a blur of yellow and white. Sasuke stared intently at his opponent, still transfixed by disbelief.
"He looks like he's on the verge of tears."
Naruto clenched his teeth, eyes yellowing and movements increasing in speed as he entered Sage Mode. Sasuke retreated, summoning chidori into his palm as they raced at each other once more.
A hard kick found Sasuke's ribs, sending him flying back across the rocks. He skidded to a halt, head jolting up as he braced for the follow-up attack. But Naruto remained where he had delivered the blow, eyes turned once more towards the sky as he waited for Sasuke to collect himself. A loud, confident voice echoed in Sasuke's memory as he looked at his childhood friend in confusion.
"When two ninja become strong enough, they can read what's in each other's hearts from a single blow. Did you see it, Sasuke? Did you see what was in my heart?"
"Sadness, exhaustion, resignation, and regret." Sasuke said, stepping forward slowly. "That is what I saw in your heart just now, Naruto. Have you truly become so pathetic and weak?"
"If you have time to criticize me, then maybe you should be trying to sort out your own damn emotions." Naruto cut in sharply, the embers of a fire flashing in his eyes. "Coming at me with chidori? You've got to be joking, Sasuke. If you don't fight me seriously, you'll be forcing me to murder a person I love."
Sasuke stopped dead. He licked his dry lips nervously before whispering: "Love?"
"I've already told you this, but I know all about what happened with Itachi." Naruto continued. "And I understand why you acted the way you did. Your brother gave me the task of stopping you, and to honour his sacrifice, I will. For years now, I've tried desperately to understand. To know what you're feeling, because I couldn't figure out why you left. Why you chose revenge over the people who cared for you. But you never tried to understand me, did you, Sasuke?"
Sasuke stood rooted to the earth, eyes wide in shock, the lightning screaming in his palm completely forgotten.
"It probably never occurred to you that other people suffer too. Especially me, since you never thought of me as anything more than a nuisance. It makes me sad to think that we will die without ever understanding one another."
With that said, Naruto held up two fingers, and a sudden whirlwind rose around him, howling like the demon fox concealed within Naruto's body. For a moment, the blond ninja was concealed by the loose earth caught in the wind. But when he reappeared, Naruto Uzumaki shone like a flame, his golden chakra warmer than the rays of the sun. And his eyes, gleaming gold, looked on with a quiet intensity that truly unnerved Sasuke.
The prodigious Uchiha found himself shaking, every nerve in his body crackling with awareness. Never in his life had he felt a chakra of such potency. It was so vast that he could not comprehend the limit of it, and so terrifying that his instincts were screaming for him to run. But at the same time, that chakra was so warm and familiar, that Sasuke found himself drawn to it.
When he had faced Naruto as he wore the Nine-Tails cloak, it had been incredibly easy to fight him. It was simple to forget that it was Naruto, as the eyes of the demon fox glared at him. But these eyes that watched him so unwaveringly were undoubtedly the eyes of his closest childhood friend. These eyes were wide, steady, and unsettlingly beautiful. They were eyes that, with unfaltering honesty, displayed every emotion that touched Naruto's heart.
It was these eyes which, from time to time, haunted Sasuke's dreams. He would wake in a cold sweat, hardly able to breathe from the weight of the guilt crushing his chest.
But at the moment, those familiar, gleaming blue eyes were as fiercely gold as the crown on a king. For the first time in his life, Sasuke found himself aching to see that blue. He watched shakily as Naruto's gaze swept over him once more, starting from his feet and working upwards. Finally, the blonds gaze traced slowly over his dry lips, his cheekbones, and then settled on his eyes.
Sasuke jolted and took a retreating step, half-turning as the emotion in Naruto's gaze ripped through his core. He wanted to scream. He wanted to run. He wanted to destroy everything until he forgot those terrible, beautiful eyes. But instead he scowled coldly, adjusting his stance and slipping beneath an act of stubborn pride.
His sharingan focused on the fox that was curled comfortably within Naruto. He noticed, for the first time, that it was free of its cage. Sasuke smirked, intruding upon Naruto's inner world to stand before the Nine-Tails, as he had done once before.
"So, you let yourself get tamed by this moron? Shouldn't you have a nice collar now?"
The fox bared his teeth, a low rumbling rising from his chest. "You pathetic child," The Nine-Tails said, his voice booming in the silence, "Get those filthy eyes out of here! And don't you dare speak about Naruto with that damned tongue of yours!"
He lunged forward, his jaws snapping powerfully where Sasuke had been milliseconds before. Sasuke retreated, staring with utter disbelief at the Jinchuuriki. Naruto rubbed his head, laughing uncomfortably.
"Oh wow." He said, "You've seriously pissed Kurama off. He's going on a rampage."
Kurama? Does he mean the Nine-Tails?
"Naruto," Sasuke said, managing to make his voice haughty and condescending, "Did you do all this?" He gestured around at the landscape, his eyes lingering on the ruined mountain over the blonds shoulder; columns of dust rising from it like smoke.
Naruto laughed uncomfortably again, rubbing his stomach as he put half of his concentration into calming the fox still seething within him. "Yeah, Uncle Bee and I were fighting the other Jinchuuriki earlier."
Disbelief drained Sasuke of his will to fight. He stood, limp and lost in thought, while Naruto continued to mumble to Kurama.
It wasn't fair. Sasuke was supposed to be the strong one. It was Sasuke who had abandoned his village, left his home and walked through the darkness to become stronger. He had seen things that someone like Naruto couldn't begin to imagine, and done things that the blond wouldn't be able to fathom. Everything was for the sake of power.
"So then, why?"
Why was Naruto so strong that Sasuke didn't dare make a move against him? Why was it that Naruto, the boy who had been fated to carry a similar burden to his own, could have a life so profoundly different? Why did he walk so proudly forwards in the light, while Sasuke was forced to slither along in the darkness? How was it possible for the blond to shake him up so much, simply by being near him?
Sasuke had never hated as much as he did in that moment. He hated his fate, and his weakness. He hated the boy standing before him. Hated his smile, hated his eyes; hated his dreams and the fact that he was capable of achieving them.
"I hate you. I hate you so much, Naruto. So then, why? Why am I in so much pain right now?"
He turned his back to the blond. Only moments before, he had felt powerful enough to destroy Naruto with his own hands. He had been determined to bring all this to an end, once and for all. And yet, with a single look from Naruto, he was completely defeated.
Naruto's voice drifted from behind him. He was mumbling to the beast inside himself, amusement in his exhausted tone. "No, we're not going to shred anything."
"Naruto."
"Eh? And what would be the point of burning that?"
"Naruto."
"Plunder?" A laugh echoed across the rocks. "What are you, a pirate?"
"Run. I have to get away from here."
Sasuke took a step forward.
"Yes, that's right. Run! Go now!"
"Sasuke," Came Naruto's voice, low and rough, "You can go, if you want. I won't stop you, as long as you promise not to attack anyone from the alliance. I don't really want to fight you. And I truly, truly don't want to hurt you."
When Sasuke didn't respond, Naruto circled around to stand before him, studying his face carefully, absorbing every detail.
"Stop. Please stop."
To Naruto, Sasuke had always seemed like a full moon in the winter: pale and cold and achingly beautiful. Long ago, Naruto had resolved to endure the cold, if it meant he could be closer to that brilliant white moon.
"Sasuke." Naruto said, in a tone gentler than any Sasuke had heard him use before. "It's okay."
It's okay.
Just two words. Two simple words that made Sasuke's heart ache so much, he thought for sure that it would burst. He felt himself grasping desperately for a defense against this illogical pain.
"All I want is to free you from the hatred that's been controlling you."
It was these words which made something in Sasuke snap. He suddenly felt a rush of emotions so intense that goose bumps rose on his arms, and convulsions racked his thin frame.
"Don't take this away from me!" Sasuke screamed. "You, Itachi, you're all telling me that I'm wrong! But what if I don't remember who I am without hatred? Without hatred, I am nothing!"
"That's not true." Naruto said, smiling warmly. "With or without your hatred, you are and always will be Sasuke. The Sasuke I used to know was strong, and never gave up. And even though he was a total jerk sometimes, we had a lot of fun together, and made each other laugh. Sasuke, I'm not trying to tell you that you're wrong and I'm not trying to take anything from you. The reason why I've been chasing after you all these years is because I miss my best friend. I want you back, Sasuke."
"Don't fuck around!" Sasuke yelled, blood falling from his eyes in a cruel mockery of tears as unchecked emotion flashed across his face. "You revealed that you'd given up on your future, your dreams, when you said that we would die together! Why can't you admit that you're tired, that the burden is too much for you? Don't you see that you're being used, just like me? All they care about is our power! We're cursed, Naruto! You and I, our fates were cursed from the beginning!"
Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut, chest heaving against the pain raging within his core. All he needed was the darkness, and the comfort of being the only one capable of existing there. He forgot that the Jinchuuriki should have been responding, and that the silence was too absolute. The more he sank into the darkness, the more his pain shut off his senses.
"Yes, this is the way it should be. You and I both, Naruto, would be better off disappearing forever."
Then suddenly, Naruto was standing scarcely an inch away, and there was light; a light so vivid that it penetrated Sasuke's eyelids and illuminated the darkest corners of his heart. All of his pain, his uncertainty, his suffering, was pulled out into the open; and within that light it seemed less overwhelming than it did within the recesses of his mind. Before he knew it, that light was all that existed, and the warmth of it soothed the ache within his chest.
A voice reached him from somewhere near, soft and deep and painfully familiar.
"You're right, Sasuke. I'm a little tired."
When the dark-haired ninja opened his eyes, he found himself on his knees, his head pressed against a warm, broad chest. Two arms were wrapped tightly around him, one hand slipping into his hair while the other fisted in the loose fabric of his shirt.
"Sasuke, every burden I've taken on, I've done so willingly. For the sake of protecting my dreams, and the dreams that were left behind for me, I will bear any burden. Even if it is hatred. Even if it seems impossible. But out of everything, the one burden that's slowly crushing me is the one you placed on me, Sasuke. You're cruel, you know. Always moving just beyond my reach, yet keeping my hope alive that one day I'll catch up with you."
Naruto's voice broke as he lowered his golden head to lean it against Sasuke's. The golden flames which embodied his power now encompassed them both, shutting away the rest of the world.
"I said I would die with you, if we were ever to fight: if you were to put me in a position where I had no choice but to kill you to protect what's important to me. But one thing that I can say now, with certainty, is that I truly intend to die with you. It's up for you to decide, Sasuke, whether it's now or in a hundred years."
Sasuke held his breath, his mind and body still numb from the overwhelming brightness that continued to rampage within him, purging all the darkness it could find.
"Naruto."
Without making a conscious decision to do so, Sasuke found his arms moving, sliding up Naruto's sturdy back until his hands found a pair of broad shoulders. And then, he was holding on with all his might, his whole body shuddering with tears as he saw exactly, for the first time in his life, all the pain that Naruto had ever been through. Naruto's chakra assaulted his mind, refusing to let him turn away as it exposed a lifetime of suffering as honestly as blood would.
"Even if we are cursed," Naruto said, "then I'm glad to know that we're both cursed – together – Sasuke."
Sasuke lifted his head, so that his eyes were level with Naruto's. As he stared into the golden orbs, he felt as if he were seeing Naruto – truly seeing him – for the first time in his life.
"This stupid, irritating, loud-mouthed blond." He thought with a smile, his eyes slipping shut as Naruto's rough fingers wiped the blood from his cheeks. "Nii-san, is this what you meant, when you said I was being guided by the light without me knowing?"
"Sasuke, everything will be okay." Naruto said, a smile spreading across his face. "It's okay now."
Whether darkness still existed beyond this place, Sasuke could no longer tell. Naruto had dragged him, roughly and rather unceremoniously, out from the comfort of the dark and into the blazing light. But he found himself clinging to the light, its warmth; needing it with a desperation that Sasuke found alarming.
"Don't leave me. Don't you dare throw me back into the darkness now."
"Sasuke. I love you, you know."
Without understanding why he felt the urge to do it, Naruto placed a kiss on Sasuke's forehead with exaggerated caution, as if the pale man before him was something incredibly fragile. He lingered there for a while, and Sasuke clung to his scent as if it was his lifeline.
"It's okay, Sasuke. I'll always be waiting for you. Always."
The blond rose to his feet, his touch slipping away softly. "I need to get back to the fight."
Sasuke was silent, too confused to speak.
"Think about what it is that you truly want, and then come find me. I'll be waiting."
And then he was gone. But his presence lingered, and it burned, and it poured into Sasuke's lungs and stole his breath and made him weak. So Sasuke knelt there, and wept, and hated Naruto for completely destroying everything he thought he was, with one simple look and one gentle touch.
A/N: Edited! Again, thanks for all the lovely reviews and comments!