by - Spoiler:
- INTO THE DARK
"Naruto?"
Hands shaking, Sasuke dropped to his knees. His eyes darting back and
forth, mouth hanging open in horror, he took in the sight laid out
before him.
Naruto was barely clinging to life. Blood dripped from his mouth and
ran freely down his face and neck, and his eyes were dull. They no
longer shone as they normally did, and they were scared.
"Sasuke... don't let... me die alone..."
"Naruto..." Sasuke said through heaving gasps. "What can I...?"
"Sasuke... please don't let me..." Naruto fell, limp, into Sasuke's arms. "I'm..."
"I can't! You're not going to die!" Sasuke's voice was loud in the
silence that had fallen around them. Surrounded by trees and brush,
there was no one to hear them or to come to their rescue. "You're
not..."
"I'm... begging you... die... with..."
His voice faded, and with a heart-stopping cry, Sasuke shook him. "Naruto!"
"Please... Sasuke..."
"Don't..." Sasuke's words choked in his throat as tears began to roll down his face. "Please don't..."
Naruto's eyes were closed. "Please..." His voice was nearly inaudible, no more than a mere breath of a word. "Not... alone..."
"How can I...?" A sob jerked itself from Sasuke's throat, and he buried
his anguished face in the shoulder of the fading blonde. "I'm...
sorry..."
The lips on the tanned skin turned up in a trace of a smile. "Sorry..."
Love of mine
Some day you will die
But I'll be close behind
I'll follow you into the dark
No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white
Just our hands clasped so tight
Waiting for the hint of a spark
Sasuke wept, never letting go, as the life left Uzumaki Naruto.
---
With a scream, Uchiha Sasuke lurched forward in his bed.
He was covered in cold sweat. Taking heavy, shuddering breaths, his
eyes slowly adjusted to the dark. They were fighting back the tears
that threatened to overwhelm him as they always did.
He'd changed. He had become a different person since the night that
Naruto had died. Not only had he lost all will to continue his shinobi
training, he'd begun having nightmares. Nightmares in which a faceless
blonde would attack him, never saying a word but instilling a deep
sense of guilt and regret in Sasuke every time, then explode in a
fountain of blood. And then Sasuke would wake up screaming.
His whole body was shaking, and he hesitantly rose to his feet. He had
taken only a few steps when he felt as though he's just walked through
a wall of freezing, ice-cold water. His room vanished, and he was
suddenly surrounded by a blinding white light.
"Sasuke."
The familiarity of the voice made his heart leap, and he spun around.
His eyes were met with a glare of red and flames as far as he could see.
If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
Naruto wasn't here.
"Naruto!" His voice shattered the illusion around him, and he spun, unsteady on his feet, and fell to the floor of his room.
Naruto wasn't there.
He wasn't anywhere.
Sasuke gripped his bedsheet in terror, feeling himself breaking down as tears forced their way from his eyes.
"Why...?" he thought. "Why did I let him die alone?"
His tears stopped as he lifted his head and understanding filled him. He should have died with Naruto. And... he still could.
If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
He walked slowly to his window. "Naruto?"
"Sasuke." The voice came from behind him, and he glanced over his
shoulder. Pale and glowing faintly, Naruto walked toward him, the same
smile Sasuke had known all his life gleaming brightly on his shining
face.
"I'm sorry..." Sasuke whispered, feeling like an aged man. "I couldn't... I was too weak..."
Naruto shook his head slightly, and his blue eyes fell on a single
kunai lying abandoned on the windowsill. Sasuke's fingers reached and
closed around it slowly.
You and me have seen everything to see
From Bangkok to Calgary
And the soles of your shoes are all worn down
The time for sleep is now
It's nothing to cry about
Cause we'll hold each other soon
The blackest of rooms
"Can I?"
"Sasuke..." Naruto said, and Sasuke pulled him closer. Cold like fire
met him at the embrace, but Naruto was solid in his arms. "You can."
Sasuke drew back, and his legs gave way as he slid to the floor.
"I apologize for the dreams," Naruto said softly, and Sasuke looked up at him. "They were violent."
Naruto kneeled in front of Sasuke, still smiling gently. Sasuke raised
the kunai to his throat and drew it across his skin slowly. As he
winced, Naruto brought a hand to his arm. No longer cold, warmth spread
from the place where his hand touched and the pain dissolved away.
Staring at his own blood pooling around him, Sasuke feebly asked, "Will you wait for me?"
"I've been waiting for you, Sasuke."
If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
Sasuke's eyes opened, and for a moment he looked around at his dim
surroundings. He realized he was on his feet, and stared down at his
bare chest.
"You ready?"
Sasuke's head turned, and he saw Naruto holding a hand out to him, bare-chested as well.
"Where are we going?" he asked, and grasped Naruto's hand. "I'll follow you."
"Into the dark." Naruto smiled, and together they walked into the darkness that enveloped them.
Then I'll follow you into the dark
----
the end
Last edited by Loki on Fri Mar 14 2008, 03:15; edited 4 times in total
