A/N: Oh man – I seriously can't believe that this is the last one already! (starts weeping like a kid) I wouldn't want to let this one go, but I guess no story can go on forever, ne? (sniffs)
BUT, before letting you know how this ends… My GOSH, thank you from the bottom of my heart for those absolutely fantastic reviews you've sent – just take a look at that unbelievable amount! (beams, and glomps) You guys are absolutely amazing – THANK YOU! (hugs again) As always, responses to anonymous reviews can be found from underneath the chappy.
Awkay, because those cliffies I left you on the last time were HORRIBLE, let's get on with the story before you guys start throwing those sharp and heavy things. (sweardrops) I really, REALLY hope that this ending meets all your expectations!
CHAPTER 11: Epilogue – The Departure
The hospital's emergency department was in a complete chaos when Kiba barged in, his bloodshot eyes wide with terror. Everywhere around him members of staff all but ran around, working as fast as they could and barking brisk commands and information to each other. Nothing that was being said really registered to him.
All of a sudden a female-nurse was standing before him, examining him with her gaze. "Are you injured?"
He blinked twice – not really understanding – then shook his head. "No. No, I just…" He turned his gaze to see how the staff struggled to save a badly bloodied patient who's face he couldn't see. A wave of nausea washed through him, making his stomach flip upside down. "My… friend Naruto was brought here. I…" He trailed off, not knowing what to say.
The nurse seemed to bite back something before talking. "I know you're worried, but you'll only be in the way if you stay here. Go and wait outside." Seeing his just about exploding storm of objections, she went on. "We'll let you know as soon as the situation clears out, but right now you're in the way."
His eyes flashed and he opened his mouth to argue, but just then the nurse took off. Turning his gaze, he realized that she was running towards the patient he'd noticed earlier. Seconds seemed to move unnaturally slowly while one of the people hovering above the patient – a doctor – shook his head with a grim expression and the unfortunate soul was pronounced dead.
At that moment Kiba felt like throwing up.
Even with the best of wills he couldn't tell if someone escorted him out of the department or if he found his way out by himself. But nonetheless the next thing he realized was that he stood before Sai, Sakura and Neji. For the first time since Neji and Naruto's breakup those three were sitting close to each other, almost huddled together. Sakura's hand seemed to shake a little as it squeezed Sai's tightly. It took several moments before they noticed him and greeted him with absentminded nods.
They looked like a bunch of scared five-year-olds, and in some other situation it might've amused him.
He opened his mouth, but for the first time in his life he was speechless. And so he slumped to the chair that'd miraculously found its way behind him, letting his head fall in defeat.
The silence in the room was suffocating while they sat helplessly, waiting.
The sounds he heard seemed to come from some other world, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't really make himself focus. That's why he managed to catch only glimpses of the talking around him.
"… just had another casualty."
His blood turned into ice although he couldn't understand why. What was wrong?
There was something that sounded like a hiss. "Shit…"
Someone touched him. "Hey, kid, can you hear me?" Was that cursing he just heard…? "He's too pale, and his vitals are crashing. He's bleeding internally. We need to get him to the OR, now."
Those words made no sense to him, and suddenly he realized that he was terrified out of his mind. A wave of pain attacked the area nearby his stomach and he moaned loudly, not managing to speak or open his eyes although he tried desperately.
"Kid?"
Were they… talking to him? It was all getting so blurry…
"Kid, you need a surgery, but you'll be just fine, okay? So don't you dare give up on us just yet."
Lots of orders he couldn't make any sense to were shouted, and he realized quite faintly that he was moving. And then it became dark.
And then his eyes flew open, so easily that it scared him a little. He sucked in a frightened breath, and felt his heartbeat jump frantic upon realizing that there was something in his throat. Something started to bleep so sharply his ears hurt.
What the…?!
Just then Tsunade was hovering above him. The woman tried to smile a little, but her worn expression gave away chillingly clearly that something horrible had just happened. "It's okay, Naruto. It's okay – that thing in your throat is an intubation tube, nothing more. It'll be taken away as soon as you remember how to breathe properly." After giving him a few seconds the blonde went on. "You were just in a surgery – you were bleeding pretty badly on the inside. But the doctors treating you sound pretty optimistic. You just need a lot of rest." Even with the best of wills, he couldn't tell if the woman was lying or not.
His heart didn't calm down the slightest, and he would've given almost anything if he could've spoken. His hands moved helplessly.
Sasuke, Iruka… Where are they? What the hell happened?! What about Itachi?
Tsunade looked at his most likely exasperated face for a moment, then said something he couldn't make out to someone who was supposedly standing nearby. In a matter of moments a rather young-looking male nurse was stood beside his bed with a needle in his hand. "I'm going to give you something that will help you calm down, okay? This isn't going to hurt, so don't worry."
He tried his hardest to show his objections.
He didn't want to be drugged, he didn't want to fall asleep – not when…!
But it was already too late, for the needle had pierced his skin. And soon enough he was lingering in the confusing world of restless dreams.
Extremely early in the next morning – after spending one of the longest nights in his entire life in the hospital – Neji finally sauntered towards his home, his legs weighing a ton each. His steps came to an abrupt halt when he realized that there was a police-vehicle parked right outside the rather shabby building. His eyes widened a fraction as he started to realize.
Could it be…?
And then two police-officers he'd never seen before escorted a handcuffed Hiashi Hyuuga through the house's doors, the man's eyes flashing with uncontrollable rage. He couldn't do anything but stand there paralyzed, barely managing to believe the surreal sight.
Was it… really over?
Just before he was pushed into the car, Hiashi's eyes found his. Just one glimpse of those cold, hatred-filled eyes was enough to make him shiver a little. And then, the very next second, the man was gone like a bad dream of some sort.
Cool wind blew as he lifted his gaze towards the horizon, feeling more confused than ever in his life. For the shortest of moments, he could've sworn he saw Hanabi standing there in the light of a rising sun, smiling at him.
-
Neji tried to sleep but in the end realized that he couldn't. And before he knew it he was stood by the doorway of Hinata's room in Tengoku. She was painting, he discovered – and what she was creating made his stomach turn a little.
It was photograph-sharp picture of their family, back when it'd still been whole – back when their smiles had been genuine. A million memories he'd fought so very hard to suffocate came flooding back, forming a lump to his throat. Memories from those days when he'd had all that love around him.
And suddenly he missed his parents more than ever before.
It took a while before Hinata noticed his presence, and when she did her eyes widened as she anticipated the worst of reactions.
Perhaps it was guilt that struck him motionless for a moment, but in the end he nodded slowly, then walked up to her.
Without saying a word, they started to finish the painting together.
-
About half an hour later Gaara happened to pass by the room, and noticed the cousins still lost into the world of their painting. The two were standing close, no signs of discomfort between them.
At that moment Gaara did something he hadn't done since his early childhood.
He smiled.
The next time Naruto opened his eyes, it hurt – hurt so much that he released a cry that made someone close to him move.
"Hey." That voice… It was Tsunade's, wasn't it? "Are you finally waking up?"
Very slowly he opened his eyes to meet Tsunade's blurry figure. He frowned, not liking the situation at hand at all. "What…?" His voice was scratchy and weak, but at least he could somewhat talk – so they'd finally taken that tube from his throat.
When his vision cleared a little, Tsunade's expression was solemn. "You… were shot – you've been kept mostly drugged for the past four days. You gave us quite a scare, brat."
That didn't make him even halfway satisfied. He frowned, struggling desperately to get more words out. "Sasuke… Iruka… Itachi… What…?" He wasn't sure if he even wanted to know, but for the sake of his sanity…
The memories – if they even were such – were much too hazy.
/ Naruto had moved about two steps before Orochimaru made his decision.
All he and Sasuke could do was watch as the man swung his gun at the blind raven, hitting his head and affectively knocking him out.
His eyes widened a little. "Itachi?" The older Uchiha remained unmoving.
A loud, dangerous growl crawled through Sasuke's throat as the raven glared at Orochimaru. "You fucking asshole…"
Orochimaru lifted his gun once more as though not hearing. "Now… It's time to finish the job."
Naruto didn't think, didn't reason. All he could do was move. /
Tsunade seemed to sigh a little. "Itachi's fine. All he got was a little bump to the head."
He nodded slowly, the memory starting to clear. "Good… That's good…" He then looked back towards her, his chest cold. "Sasuke…?"
/ Naruto didn't hear the gunshot, or even see the bullet, while he moved towards Orochimaru. He didn't see anything but the man, really, until there was Sasuke, stood directly before him. The raven's onyx eyes carried the strangest expression for a millisecond until the boy suddenly slumped forward into his arms. And it wasn't until then noticed the blood running from the wound on the boy's neck like a river.
His eyes widened, and his whole being filled with such terror that can't couldn't possibly be human. "SASUKE!"
But the raven was completely still in his arms.
Not knowing what else to do, he kept holding on to Sasuke as though trying to protect the boy from the whole world and lifted his gaze although he could barely see. At that very moment Orochimaru lifted his gun towards him.
He remembered shouting and feeling sharp, searing pain. And then he fell. /
Tsunade's expression didn't promise anything good. "Sasuke's going to be fine, eventually – to at least some extend. He's out of the ICU now, but it was a touch and go for a while. He lost a significant amount of blood and his heart stopped twice – he's still on a heart-monitor. It doesn't make treating him any easier that he's extremely resistant." Her eyes darkened and she sighed heavily. "Sasuke's throat… was badly damaged by a bullet – it scratched so badly that the bleeding almost killed him. He's also had some difficulties with breathing, but those have been taken care of. With a couple of surgeries he'll most likely be able to eat normally, but…" She seemed to bite back a bitter sigh. "They don't think he'll ever be able to speak again."
Those words struck him harder than a pile of bricks, sending him breathless and making his eyes sting.
He looked towards Tsunade after a long moment – and felt his stomach ball painfully when realizing that she wasn't through just yet. "What else?" he all but whispered. When her mouth opened he cut her short. "I know you're still hiding something. What is it?"
Tsunade swallowed thickly and looked at him for a long moment, obviously trying to decide if he was ready to hear what she had to say. In the end she looked away while talking in a uncharacteristically quiet tone. "Look, Naruto… Orochimaru attacked Sasuke very, very viciously." She took a deep breath, still not quite managing to look at him. "He needs you very, very much right now."
The nausea that attacked Naruto as those words sunk in made him gag dryly.
Sasuke would never talk again, would never be the same again – all because of…
His eyes narrowed with such hatred he'd never before, and he balled his fists as tightly as he could. "Orochimaru… What…?"
He couldn't read Tsunade's expression. "He's dead. Itachi shot him. But…" She looked away once more, her eyes darkening. "It happened a little too late."
/ Naruto lost track of time as he lay on the floor, holding Sasuke's limp, continuously bleeding form in his arms while he fought to stay awake, struggled to cling to the reality.
And then, all of a sudden, the house's front-door opened, and he heard Kakashi's voice. "Hey – you don't mind me using my own keys, do you? I forgot my shirt. Why are you up this late, anyway?"
Naruto felt hot tears rolling down his cheeks while he tried to scream, fought to give any sort of a warning. Then it was already much too late – Kakashi was stood only steps away. The man's face paled and his eyes widened a fraction as the sight sunk in. "What the…?!"
Naruto wasn't sure if he imagined hearing some sort of commotion outside the house, nor did he care. All he could see was Kakashi, and the gun turning towards the silveret. His gaze blurred a little and a wheezing sound erupted through his throat.
At that moment Orochimaru stopped hesitating. Kakashi managed to take one step before two sharp gunshots echoed through the house. And then – with Naruto being able to do nothing but watch – two much too vivid wounds appeared to Kakashi's body; one to his stomach, and the other to his head. And he hoped from the bottom of his heart that he could've screamed as the man fell down and lay unnaturally still.
His gaze blurred even further, so he wasn't entirely sure what happened next. But he was sure he saw Itachi start to move again, noticed that the older Uchiha's hand was sneaking towards the gun he'd been holding.
Orochimaru snorted, his eyes on Kakashi. "Pathetic."
A second later there was a third gunshot. And Naruto's world started to swim the second he saw Orochimaru sway with a surprised expression. /
Naruto felt his eyes blur and sting. "Kakashi…"
Tsunade nodded grimly, appearing sadder than he remembered ever seeing her.
He took a deep breath, his wounds hurting like hell all of a sudden, and looked away. "And… Iruka? How is he?"
Tsunade took much too long before responding. "Orochimaru shot him, and pushed him down the basement's stairs, causing him several broken bones. He… lost a lot of blood and got very banged up, and it doesn't make things any easier that he also has cancer. He's still in the ICU."
It felt like cold water had been pumped through his veins. The pain escalated once more, making him want to wince. "He'll be okay… Right?"
Tsunade took her time before speaking. "The doctors… are trying their best, okay?"
He felt sick to his stomach and gagged once more, which did no good to the pain. His eyes felt moist and his voice sounded off as he spoke. "I wan to see him."
"I'm afraid he's not allowed visitors just yet." Just then Tsunade's pager snapped to life. She looked at it and cussed half aloud, then moved her gaze to him. "I have to go. Just… Try not to worry too much, okay?" She tried to smile. "Everything's going to work out."
He nodded, and looked away. He barely noticed how she left.
Naruto didn't know how long he remained utterly still, his thoughts spinning around in a mad flood, until his body started to move on its own. Already knowing that it was probably a very stupid thing to do he fought his way out of the bed and, ignoring dizziness and pain, started to make his way towards an unknown destination.
He didn't know how many hallways and turns he took until he found himself stood behind a certain door. Feeling very determined all of a sudden, he pushed the door open and made himself enter.
The room was eerily quiet when he sneaked in to find a sight that was just about enough to break apart his heart.
Sasuke lay on his bed, obviously wide awake and curled up so that it looked like the boy had been trying to shield himself against the rest of the world. If he looked carefully, he could see how badly the teen was shaking even through the rather thick blanket.
He swallowed thickly, not having the slightest clue of what to do for a long moment, then moved, first slowly, then determinedly.
It hurt him badly how Sasuke flinched when he touched the boy, and along came something close to rage.
He didn't even want to know what Orochimaru had done to Sasuke. Because if he had known…
He took a deep breath, although it didn't make him feel the slightest bit better. "Hey, it's… it's just me, okay? Calm down."
It took several moments, but in the end Sasuke did seem to calm down at least a little. Apart from shivering the raven became still under his touch, although refused to meet his gaze.
Encouraged by this change, he wrapped his arms rather cautiously around Sasuke and pulled the raven close. Tears stung in his eyes, but he paid no mind to them. "It's okay", he whispered again, his voice shaking a little. "Everything's gonna work out, I promise."
They remained that way for the longest time – he holding Sasuke the best as he could and the raven not quite daring to trust enough to lean against him – until the Uchiha's eyes started to droop.
He smiled a little, not entirely sure why he did so. "Are you tired?"
It took a while before Sasuke nodded, barely enough for it to be seen.
Very gently, almost cautiously, he guided them both to lay down. He really wished Sasuke would've dared to be closer to him, but he knew better than to hope for miracles – it was most likely a huge step for the boy to let him even this close. "Then go to sleep." Feeling a sudden, unexpected urge to kiss the other boy he leaned his head against the raven's back. The Uchiha's spine stiffened instantly. "He's… He's never gonna hurt you again, okay? So go to sleep."
Sasuke fought sleep miraculously long, but in the end the boy's body relaxed, and the somewhat erratic breathing calmed down.
He was almost falling asleep himself when the room's door opened. Turning his gaze with some startle, he found a very young female nurse.
She arched a half-amused eyebrow. "You do know that he's not allowed visitors, right? And I think you should be resting as well."
He grinned sheepishly. "'Sorry."
The nurse just smiled, then moved and started to change the bag of fluids that was being dropped to Sasuke's veins through a IV. "There are some friends waiting for you, by the way. I think they'll go out of control soon if they don't see you."
Leaving Sasuke was the last thing he wanted to do, but he didn't really have a choice. In the spur of the moment he kissed the sleeping raven's cheek lightly, then turned to leave. He didn't dare to look back in fear of what it'd do to him.
When he made it to his room, he found himself grinning despite all the worry weighing his shoulders when he found some familiar faces.
Kiba grinned radiantly when seeing him. "Well how about this – he is still alive!"
Sakura's eyes narrowed, but tremendous relief still showed through. "Not for long. Do you have any idea how badly you scared us?!"
He scratched his hair, feeling like a five-year-old all of a sudden. "Ugm… Sorry."
"Neji… figured that it'd be the best if he didn't come and see you just yet", Sai said after a moment. "He sent his greetings, though."
Naruto nodded. And finally he felt fully comfortable with hearing his ex-boyfriend's name. "Tell him thanks, will you?" He then frowned, having a very dark feeling in the pit of his stomach all of a sudden when noticing that something – or rather someone – was missing. "Guys… Where's Shikamaru?" His eyes narrowed when he saw the others' expressions. "He's my friend, too! I've got the damn right to know."
The three looked at each other for a while, clearly not wanting to tell him something and appearing so sad and anxious that it scared him. In the end Sai looked at him with eyes he'd never seen before. "I… think you should sit down."
Some hours later, Sasuke stirred from his more or less drugged half-sleep when sensing someone in the room. Turning his gaze, he felt his heart skip a couple of beats when realizing that it was none other than Itachi sitting in the chair next to his bed.
For the longest time he could only stare. And the only coherent thought he got was that Itachi had grown up a lot from when they'd last met.
The silence wasn't cut until Itachi spoke in that tone he remembered so well it hurt. "Sasuke? Are you awake?"
Their gazes met – Itachi's not seeing – and at that moment he wished he could've spoken so badly that it hurt. There was a ton of things he would've desperately wanted to say.
It, however, appeared that Itachi was equally speechless. For after sitting absolutely still for several long moments his older brother got up, and before he realized what was happening he'd been pulled into a warm, tight embrace. He could've sworn he heard a whisper. "I'm so sorry."
All he could do was lean his forehead against his brother's chest as his body kept shivering. And for some reason it felt like that was enough.
Four Months Later
When approaching Sasuke's room in Tengoku, Tsunade wasn't surprised to find Itachi stood by its doorway. She couldn't help smiling a little although he wasn't able to see it. "So… Today's the big day."
Itachi nodded, his expression soft. "I know he's far from fine, but… I think he'll get there eventually."
During the past months Sasuke had come a long way, most definitely thanks to his brother and Naruto. The boy still had nightmares and he barely let even Naruto touch him, but he hadn't had any episodes for over two months. And he was starting to eat normally, little by little, and although his clothes still looked too big on him he didn't seem sickly thin anymore.
Sasuke's scars – mental and physical – would never heal and he would need a lot therapy and some medication for a long time, maybe for the rest of his life. But…
She looked inside the room, where Naruto was babbling constantly, helping Sasuke get ready for moving out of Tengoku to the blond and Iruka's new house. Despite faked irritation the younger Uchiha appeared… happy, almost. And she noticed with great joy that the raven didn't flinch away when Naruto's hand brushed him seemingly carelessly.
Tsunade couldn't help agreeing with Itachi at the moment.
She smiled when Naruto leaned down and whispered something she couldn't make out to Sasuke, and the raven's eyes softened secretly.
Giving the two some privacy, she turned towards Itachi. "So… How are things progressing with the orphanage?"
The blind raven smiled faintly. "Extremely well. I'll be able to take it over in a couple of weeks or so."
She quirked an eyebrow. "This soon?"
Itachi grinned a little. "The officials were quite willing to be flexible when I threatened to report how poorly they kept an eye on what Orochimaru was doing."
She smiled again, then looked back at Sasuke and Naruto. The two seemed to be lost into a world of their own.
She'd never believed in miracles, and this wasn't enough to change her mind. But at least now, there was hope. That was enough.
Comfortable silence lingered between them as she and Itachi kept watching over the boys in the room.
Later that evening, Naruto was already dozing off in his own bed when he heard movement from the room next to his. Feeling curious, he crawled out of the comfortably warm bed and tiptoed to the other room's door, knocking. "Sasuke? What's up?"
After waiting for a moment he pushed the door open to find Sasuke sitting on a windowsill, staring at the sky.
Even just weeks earlier, that sight might've scared him out of his mind. But at the moment he trusted Sasuke's mental condition enough to approach calmly, careful not to startle the boy. "Hey. Why aren't you in bed?"
It took a long moment before the raven seemed to become aware of him, and wrote him a note.
'I'm not used to it being this quiet.'
He nodded, understanding. It wasn't until then he realized just how long the Uchiha had spent in a mental institution. He smiled faintly, although the thought saddened him, and stood as close to Sasuke as he dared to without breaking any invisible lines. He lifted his gaze towards the sky, where stars were shining stunningly brightly. "Iruka used to try to teach me constellations, but I was hopeless."
To his surprise, Sasuke handed him another note.
'My mother taught me all of them before she died. I still remember some.'
He all but stared at Sasuke for a long moment, and didn't wake from his stupor until the raven quirked an eyebrow at him. "No, no, you didn't write anything funny. It's just… That was the first time you've ever talked about your parents." He smiled. "It feels good, that you trust me enough to do that." He wished he would've been allowed to touch, but instead he settled with placing his hand right next to the Uchiha's. He searched the boy's face as the raven seemingly focused on the sky once more. "Look… I know it'll take time, but… I'm glad you trust me, a little. And it's damn good to have you here."
Most might've missed the sudden and brief change, but his eyes caught in in an instant and savored it.
For this blink-like fleeting moment, Sasuke came close to smiling.
-
About a couple of hours later Naruto went downstairs to get a glass of water, only to notice that Iruka was in the living room, working on something.
He blinked twice, approaching. "Hey. What are you doing?"
Iruka shivered a little, obviously not having seen him approaching, then looked at him with eyes that revealed the man had cried not long ago. "You've got school tomorrow. Shouldn't you be in bed?"
He shrugged. "And you've got that early doctor's appointment. You should be in bed, too."
Iruka wouldn't look at him anymore, instead focused on what he'd been doing. It hurt him to see all the tightly held back pain in the man's warm brown eyes. "I'm… trying to go through Kakashi's stuff – I should've done it weeks ago, but…" The brunet's voice broke, and the man cleared his throat while picking an envelope and showing it to him. "He actually left me a letter. He never writes."
Not sure if he should speak at all, he kept his tone quiet. "What did he say?"
Iruka shook his head, the pain momentarily giving room for something fond before returning tenfold. "I'm… I can't read it yet, but… I will, soon."
He nodded, definitely nod needing any further explanations. After hesitating a moment he took a step closer to the tiny mountain of stuff – photographs of Kakashi and Iruka in some orphanage, some clothes, books and tiny gifts. "Do you need help?" When the man looked at him he shrugged. "I can't sleep, anyway."
Iruka gave him a smile of apparent gratitude and nodded.
Nothing further was needed as they started to work in silence.
Eight Years Later
It was a surprisingly sunny yet chilly day of October while Naruto made his way towards home, his thoughts spinning around wildly.
Years had passed quickly. The road hadn't been easy, but now he was finally perfectly happy. He'd studied to become a psychologist, and now he was about to graduate and get the job of his dreams with mentally disturbed children – a job that was quite a lot like the one he'd had in Tengoku. Some days, like today, the pressure of finishing his studies was hard, but he wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world. And things at home…
He opened the door of his house and looked around. "Hey, Sasuke, are you home?"
Knowing to follow his instincts, he made his way through the house and entered one of its biggest rooms, which had been turned into Sasuke's gallery. Just as he'd expected, the Uchiha was there, working on some painting so intently that the raven most likely hadn't noticed him entering. For a moment he stood by the doorway, watching.
It'd taken three years before Sasuke had allowed him to kiss, and sex was still a very touchy subject with them. But the Uchiha was trying to cope, furiously, and although there was still a mountain of mental issues to deal with he couldn't have been happier.
He then looked towards Sasuke's painting, and smiled a bit.
Apparently this was one of those paintings that would not be introduced to the public. For slowly imprinting to the canvas was a picture of him, naked and staring out the window with his back turned towards whoever was looking at the painting. In the beginning Sasuke's paintings of him had made him utterly embarrassed and he still blushed every time. But now he was much more surprised, even stunned, by the way the Uchiha saw him. Those fine, delicate lines, the shape of him, the way the light caressed him… He could barely recognize himself, and sometimes it was hard to believe the image he was looking at was really Sasuke's conception of him. It felt unbelievable that someone thought he was that beautiful.
If he ever doubted the way Sasuke felt about him, all he had to do was look at one of these paintings and he knew.
Grinning somewhat slyly, he walked closer and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's slim waistline, then kissed the raven's neck. The man shivered with some startle and pleasure. "Hey. You've been working all day long again, haven't you?" It was a statement, not a question; when Sasuke started to paint something, the Uchiha could keep working on it until the point of collapsing out of exhaustion. Naruto found this dedication unnerving, but couldn't really do anything about it.
Sasuke turned, giving him a 'Stop fussing' -look.
He snorted. "Well someone's gotta try and take care of you when you're doing such poor job yourself." He then grinned, kissing the man's nose. "What do you say… if we go and have a little afternoon nap? I had a shitty day, and you obviously haven't been sleeping enough."
Instead of responding, Sasuke gave him a kiss that made him feel warm all over. When it was over, he noticed something on the raven's face.
"You've… got some paint." He kissed the blue spot on Sasuke's cheek gently, making the raven shiver a little. "Right there."
He waited for a moment how Sasuke would react to the situation at hand. Yet again the raven managed to surprise him.
Before he realized what was happening, a pair of warm lips was pressed against his and familiar arms wrapped around him. Having no intention to deny the request, he let his own arms move and pull the raven close, then deepened the kiss until they both felt breathless.
When they broke apart, he leaned his forehead against Sasuke's, enjoying how the other's soft skin felt against his. "So…" He licked his lips, still tasting the Uchiha. "How about that nap? I mean… You haven't slept for almost a full day, and I know I'm exhausted." He probably should've made sure the raven ate first, but at the moment they were both too tired for that.
To his surprise Sasuke shook his head with an expression that couldn't be read. Before he could do more than frown and open his mouth a note was given to him.
'There somewhere we need to go.'
He quirked an eyebrow, trying to read his boyfriend's eyes. "Where?"
Sasuke gave him a look that clearly said 'Just shut up and obey, will you?'.
Huffing with mocked hurt feelings, he folded his arms. "Fine. But this better be something good."
The walk took longer than it should've in Naruto's opinion. When they stopped, he blinked twice when realizing that they were stood before his favorite ramen-restaurant.
"This… has got to be one sign of the world ending", he managed in the end, looking slowly towards Sasuke. "You're actually taking me here, willingly?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, then pulled him inside rather roughly. And the second they entered chaos started.
"Happy birthday, Naruto!"
It was around them he became aware of all the familiar faces, and a huge grin spread across his face.
Sai stood not too far away, his arms wrapped around Sakura's heavily pregnant waistline. Ino, Hinata and Tsunade were stood almost directly next to them, smiling at him. Iruka stood nearby them, also smiling, and he still couldn't help wondering how different the man looked with short hair. Behind the rest of the crowd stood Gaara and Juugo, leaning against the wall in almost identical poses.
Grinning stunningly brightly, Kiba marched forth and wrapped a pair of arms around him. "So… Did we manage to surprise you?"
He chuckled, scratching his head with embarrasment. "I can't believe I forgot my own birthday!"
Sakura snorted, rolling her eyes. "We can."
His eyes turning soft and slightly moist, he smiled at all those dear people gathered around him. Suddenly he felt very warm inside. "You guys… Thanks." He would've said more, but started to feel choked.
Kiba rubbed his hands together, cutting the silence. "Mah, let's cut the mushy stuff and jump on the cake!"
Everyone agreed.
Much later Gaara, who'd been approaching his car, stopped when hearing Juugo's familiar voice. "Are you going to see Neji?"
He turned with a nod to meet the other man's somewhat exasperated face. "Yeah. Why?"
Juugo seemed to swallow thickly. "Can I… go with you?"
He nodded, not needing any further explanations. They hopped into his car in silence.
Almost as soon as she and Sai got into their car, Sakura spoke. "Sai… I think you need to take me to the hospital."
He frowned, somewhat confused. "What do you mean?" And then he lowered his gaze, seeing the wet substance all over the car's floor.
Sakura's water… had broken. It was finally time.
Needing no further coaxing, he exhilarated the car.
Not much later Ino stood before the door of a much too familiar house she hadn't seen in years, fighting with her all to do something as simple as knock.
All those years ago she'd left Konoha because she'd thought Shikamaru would never accept his responsibilities, and she couldn't stand the thought of raising her child in front of a father who didn't give a damn. Hearing what'd really happened to Shikamaru had hurt, so much that before this she'd only come back for the boy's funeral, never telling anyone but her family and closest friends about the new life growing inside her. But now… Now, it was time to do what she probably should've years ago.
"Mom?" There was a frown on Shio's face when she looked at her son, met his dark eyes that were painfully familiar. "Why are we here?"
She swallowed thickly, vaguely wondering why talking was such a hard task all of a sudden. She was ready for this, wasn't she? Trying to smile, she ruffled his brown hair. "There's…" She cleared her throat. "There's someone I want you to meet."
Shio appeared confused, but before he got the chance to ask the house's door was opened. And as she turned slowly, she was face to face with Shikamaru's mother.
It took the longest time before she managed to speak at all. "Hey."
The woman frowned at first, quite clearly not remembering her, then gasped. "Ino – my goodness…!" And then the older woman had already wrapped a pair of much too tight arms around her. "Gosh, I haven't met any of Shikamaru's friends since…!" She cleared her throat, obviously not bearing to say 'the funeral'. "Where have you been? What brings you here now?"
She took a deep breath, steeling herself. "There's… someone I want you to meet." She laid her hand to Shio's shoulder. "This… is my son, Shio. Shio Nara."
At first the older woman could only stare. Then, so suddenly that it surprised all of them, she threw her arms around Shio and pulled the boy close. Some tears trickled down her smiling face.
All the emotions he was holding back made Gaara's experssion grim as he stood before a headstone, looking at the name engraved to it.
'Neji Hyuuga'
It'd taken almost two years before they'd started to be more or less officially together. They'd gotten two more years, and then… It was all wiped away.
A drunk-driver was all it took to steal away the one thing he'd ever truly…
His eyes stung and narrowed as he balled his fists, fighting to find the courage to speak and failing miserably.
All he could do was hope that Neji knew anyway.
Painfully swallowing down something that almost turned out to be too big, he knelt down to clear off some already dead flowers from the grave. Neji deserved to have something living around him, deserved…
Emitting a strange, choked sound, he closed his eyes. The words came before he could process them. "I miss you."
For a moment he actually waited for a response, although all his reason told that there couldn't possibly be such. In the end he couldn't bear the silence anymore so he got up much too fast and headed where he knew Juugo to be.
He found Juugo turning away from a tombstone that had a name 'Kimimaro' engraved to it. Their eyes met.
No words were needed. They both knew how they felt already.
Silently, their heads hung in defeat, they started to make their way through the cemetary towards the screeching gates.
Neither could bear the thought of looking back just yet.
The evening was already dark when a lone figure made his way through the graveyard, eventually stopping to a grave someone obviously worked hard to keep clean.
Iruka's eyes darkened for a moment when he read Kakashi's name from the stone, then softened once more. His fingers were gentle as they caressed the letters, still remembering how the actual skin had felt. "Hey. I… know I said I wouldn't be able to visit today, but… I thought I should come and tell you." He swallowed thickly and lifted his gaze towards the sky. It'd rain soon. "The doctor called", he stated bluntly, so calmly that it surprised him. "The cancer's back, and it's spread pretty far this time. He said he needs to do some tests to know further, but… I already know." His eyes softened once more while they moved back to the stone. Naruto was all grown up and happy – now, it was finally time… "I'll see you soon, 'Kashi. So… I hope you've been waiting for me."
His legs pathetically weak, he got up the best as he could and turned somewhat reluctantly, forced to abandon Kakashi once more. Just before starting to walk away completely, he spoke once more. "You know… I still haven't read that letter of yours. And… I don't think I'm going to, because I want to hear you say all those things when we meet." He opened his mouth, but then decided that he'd need much more time than he had to speak out all he wanted.
As he started to walk away once more, he was almost sure he felt a hand brush his cheek. And for the first time in years his smile didn't carry sadness.
Sasuke was almost drifting into sleep when the bed dipped, and Naruto's familiar, warm body lay down next to him. Feeling somewhat groggy, he cracked his eyes open to meet the other's familiar blue ones.
The blond kissed his nose. "Oh no, shhh, go back to sleep. I'm sorry – I didn't mean to wake you up."
With a huge struggle managing to make a strange, gruff sound, he let go of all his pride and buried his face into the crook of Naruto's neck.
To hell with pride. This felt too damn good.
Naruto chuckled, pulling him close. "Affectionate today, are we?"
Suddenly he wished from the bottom of his heart that he could've spoken, that he would've been able to say…
But then again, maybe he didn't have to. Words had always been Naruto's department, anyway.
And so, feeling calm once more, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift into a sleep. He had no nightmares that night.
Five Days Later
Naruto let out a deep breath when packing a box to his car. "That was the last one", he muttered to himself.
The moving-truck they'd packed up with their friends had left ten minutes earlier. Now it was time for them to go as well, just like their friends had left Konoha one by one over the past eight years.
This leap was something they needed to do.
When going back inside, he found Sasuke and Itachi from the empty living-room. Once again he found himself grinning at the silent interaction between the brothers.
Not having noticed him, Itachi whispered something he couldn't quite make out to Sasuke's ear, and the younger brother responded with drawing letters to the back of the older one's hand. Whatever it was Sasuke said, Itachi responded with a nod and a smile.
Suddenly he felt a tiny twinge of guilt. It wasn't easy for him to leave Iruka behind, and he could imagine that leaving Itachi wasn't any easier for Sasuke, especially with all the years that'd been stolen from the brothers.
But then again, Itachi had his orphanage, and the brothers would meet quite often because Sasuke would keep visiting Tsunade for therapy. Besides, it wasn't like they would've been moving to the other side of the world or anything.
With that thought soothing him, he cleared his throat and took some steps forth. "So… Are you ready to go?"
Sasuke nodded. And there was no hesitation in those onyx pools.
-
About an hour later they were driving towards their new hometown, with Naruto sitting behind the wheel. Realizing that Sasuke had been still for a long time, he glanced towards the Uchiha to realize that the raven had fallen asleep. The man's head was leaning comfortably on the window and one hand while the other hand had fallen to rest only inches from his, like wanting to hold on. And it wasn't until then he realized what'd looked so different about Sasuke since that morning.
They'd made a deal not to make any commitments before they were both fully ready, but he hadn't been able to make himself wait any longer, especially when he'd seen a breathtakingly beautiful yet simple white-gold ring on a tiny jewelry store's window. And so he'd bought the ring and hidden it with care, awaiting with dread for the possible response it'd arouse. But now…
The ring was on Sasuke's finger, shining brightly in the sunlight as the sign of a new path they'd soon take – as a sign of a promise that'd never be broken.
Naruto smiled, focusing on the road.
If this was the closest to heaven he was going to get… Then he was more than happy with it.
Owari.
A/N: So… (gulps) What's your judgement – was that a worthy ending, or a total pancake? Please, do let me know – it'd mean a lot even if the story's already over!
(sniffs) I'm so sad to think that this is over now! This has been an amazing ride, and I've enjoyed writing each and every chapter. I'm seriously going to miss this!
You guys, thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this such a great ride – I honestly don't know how to thank you enough for all those listings and absolutely unbelievable reviews you've sent for this one! (huggles, beams, and showers you with all kinds of special gifts) You guys are incredible – thank you for joining the ride!
Awkay, I've really gotta start tuning out now.
Until next time, I hope – with whichever story that may be! THANK YOU!
Take care!
cogasha: (chuckles) Quite a rollercoaster, ne? (gulps) Let's hope that it'll get a happy ending!
Tons of thank yous for the review!
'Hope ya'll stay tuned for the epilogue.
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Naruto: Those poor people sure have gone through quite a spin, ne? (winces) We'll see how it'll all end in the epilogue.
Huge thank yous for the review!
Until next time, I hope.
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ZakuKura: Awww! (hugs) Finishing this story will suck, because I'll miss this. (pouts) But it makes things a bit better to hear that I'm not the only one who'll miss this – and you've loved the story, too…! (beams)
Let's hope the ending won't be depressing – it'd be too unfair! (gulps)
Super-sized thank yous for the review!
I really hope ya'll enjoy the epilogue as well.
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Shades of Grey: Things really don't seem too great right now, ne? (winces) But let's hope that those poor people get their happy ending, anyway, because anything else would be total injustice! (sniffs)
Colossal thank yous for the review – I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the chapter!
'Hope I'll c ua around the epilogue.