A/N: I know it's been a while, and then I come bringing this depressing story...and I apologize. But I've been in one weird mood lately, and my Sims are freaking me out (which is a whole other story all on its own) and...I just feel like crawling under my covers and sleeping for 1000 years. But, enough about my weird mood swings. Forget about me and my problems, enjoy the story!
One-Shot #67
Wake Up
It wasn't often Naruto felt like giving up. But standing in front of two Akatsuki members, no chakra left, and no friends to help him out, and he was slowly breaking down, losing his determination. He'd been fighting to so long, so hard he was tired of it. He was tired of running, tired of fighting, tired of being optimistic and determined. Naruto was just plain tired of living.
He considered, for a brief moment, allowing that evil and sadistic group to take him. Sure, it would be painful, he could only imagine what having a demon ripped from your body could feel like, but the pain would eventually end. Then he could rest. Then, maybe, he could feel like he's accomplished something instead of letting everyone – letting Sakura – down all the time.
The members were gaining on him. The leader who nearly destroyed Jiraiya was there, along with some woman he'd never seen, and they were closing in around him. She could manipulate her body into paper, he could summon anything, but Naruto couldn't begin to feel worried. Hell, Naruto was finding it difficult to feel anything. He was numb.
Then everything went black.
Naruto came to in a large circular room – perhaps a cave? – with people chanting something. He risked a glance around, seeing several men standing in a circle around him, hands in a seal, and they were all wearing black cloaks with red clouds on them. The Akatsuki got what they wanted; they were attempting to remove the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox from his body, and killing him in the process. But still, Naruto was numb, void of emotion or feeling.
One member, with an oddly familiar voice, asked whether they should be concerned because he's not in pain, Leader-sama but they all ignored him. Perhaps he should have felt something, perhaps he should be screaming in agony, but he just couldn't bring himself to. He wondered if anyone would miss him. He wondered if Sakura would cry, if Tsunade would be angry. He wondered if Sasuke would even care. But all of that seemed distant, seemed to lack in importance. Some part of him, an inner voice, was screaming in his mind. It started out real low, but was gaining in volume.
Move, idiot! You can get out of this! Move!
A muscle in his arm twitched, but nothing more.
Are you trying to get yourself killed? You have to save Sasuke!
Why, Naruto thought. He doesn't want to come home. He doesn't care.
Another twitch to his arm, his hand jumped slightly. Then he felt a bubble of chakra lift him up, hovering him a few feet off the ground. It made a gurgling sound, similar to the sound ramen made when boiling in hot water on his stove. Then the pain started. His teeth were gritted together now, so tight he was drawing blood from his gums. It was excruciating, and was unavoidable. His body jerked and twitched before his brain finally shut down. It couldn't handle the pain, it didn't know what else to do but take his conscious mind out of the equation.
It was pure white where he was. Everything seemed far, far away, seemed disconnected. He brought his hand up in front of him and stared at it for a few seconds, then let it drop…somewhere. To his side, maybe? He couldn't tell.
He heard a voice, very vague, very far away, and tilted his head toward it.
…uto!
He turned his head to his left, blinking through the white. There was a figure, a light gray silhouette against the stark white.
…ruto!
The silhouette turned a deeper shade of gray the closer it got. The sides got a bit less blurry and he could barely make out the spiky hair jutting up. Something like an arm reached out toward him.
…up, Naruto!
Naruto quirked an eyebrow and turned his entire body toward the silhouette, which was nearly the shade of gunmetal. A few more steps and the figure's spiky hair took the shape of a duck's behind. The skin became pale and contrasted with the black of the hair.
Wake up, Naruto!
"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, not feeling his mouth move with his words. It was unmistakable the closer the figure stepped to Naruto. It was Sasuke, closing in on him with an outstretched hand.
Come with me, Naruto. Before it's too late!
Sasuke's hand grasped Naruto's arm, dragging him forcefully forward. The white went away, only to be replaced with the dark, dank brown and black of the cave. Naruto blinked at the sudden color change, opening his eyes slowly until everything lost the fuzzy effect. His eyes focused on black one's staring intensely at him. One cheek spattered in blood, some stray drops matted in his black hair, Sasuke looked like he'd been through a war. Naruto said as much, getting a smirk and a grunt in response.
Sasuke pulled the blonde into a sitting position, holding to him tightly until Naruto's head stopped spinning. It was then Naruto realized what had happened.
Bodies littered the floor, all Akatsuki members mixed with a few Leaf shinobi and three people he'd never seen before. Circling around him slowly were his friends, the Konoha Eleven, and several chuunin and jounin. His friends were smiling, patting each other on the back, and the girls were trying not to cry.
Sakura and Hinata didn't fare so well at that attempt.
In an instant Sasuke was pushed away as Sakura clung to his neck.
"We thought you were dead, Naruto!" She buried her head into his shoulder. "God, I was so scared I'd lost you!"
She pulled back, tried to smile as she wiped away her tears, and apologized to Sasuke for pushing him. Kiba and Shikamaru pulled Naruto to his feet before Sakura attacked him again. The kunoichi reached past him to grab a hold of Sasuke's shirt, pulling that teenager into the bone-crushing hug as well.
"You two," She said between sobs, "are going to start getting along now, you hear me? No more fighting and no more running, do you understand?"
Naruto turned his head slightly to catch Sasuke's face, which was actually trying to smile. "Yes, Sakura."
It wasn't until they began their long trek home that Naruto found time to ask Sasuke anything, especially how he was in that white place.
"Because," Sasuke began, looking up at the stars in the sky, "I couldn't let you be killed, Naruto."
"But…why?"
Sasuke's eyes met his for a moment before the black orbs drifted to looking at the ground. "You are important to me."
"Does that mean you're coming back with me?"
"I…I don't know, Naruto." Sasuke sounded sad as he spoke.
Naruto tried to get Sasuke to meet his eyes. "Well…I could make that decision for you." He tried to smile, but Sasuke just snorted.
"You could try, dobe."
It wasn't often Naruto felt like giving up…and this sure as hell wasn't one of them.
God that sucked. But, hell, at least it's something. lol
