FADING

PART I

"Stay away for me!" Naruto screamed desperately backing up before falling to his knees. He knelt before team seven, his baby blue eyes pleading for the relief from pain and strangely proud. He knew that he had sacrificed himself and now there was no turning back.

Sasuke and Sakura screamed trying desperately to reach him as Kakashi restrained them, tears trailing down Kakashi's face.

Naruto's body seemed to fade. He lifted his hands into the bright morning sky with a smile born from pain and pride. And he watched as the wind blew his disintegrating body into so many red petals. He laughed and as the petals drifted away leaving no trace of Naruto in that bloody pit. The sky turned suddenly cloud and a light rain began to fall. It was as if the world mourned him.

Well, at least for Sasuke it felt as the world had been cracked open and thrown askew. He hadn't realized Naruto meant so much to him… and now he was gone. He has left him behind.

Sasuke woke with a start as some one knocked roughly on the door. Quickly Sasuke dried his still wet cheeks and straightened the clothes he had slept in. He had worked himself into a frenzy last night, destroying his house. Before sinking to his knees crying out the dobe's name.

Yesterday had been the fourth anniversary of Naruto's sacrifice, his death to protect the god damned village. The child's stupid ideals had killed him. Fresh tears threatened to spill from Sasuke's eyes, but he rubbed them away and opened the door.

A red eyed Sakura and strangely remote Kakashi stood at his door. Kakashi held up a scroll. "A god damned mission today. The day after Naruto died? This must be some fucking joke!" Sasuke screamed angrily. He punched the wall leaving a small dent and making his knuckles throb. Sasuke ignored the pain.

Sakura and Kakashi started at him with large eyes and Sasuke took a couple deep breaths to stop himself from lashing out.

Hesitantly Sakura put her hand on Sasuke's shoulder and squeezed it, "At least we got a day." Sasuke glaring at her, shrugged off her hand and looked up at Kakashi questioningly.

"The mission is a B rank in which we will escort a Sand Village messenger back to his village." Kakashi said in low monotone voice.

"Alright, I'll go pack." Sasuke said frustrated and slipped back the dark hallway without bothering to ask Sakura and Kakashi in. They stood awkwardly at the door and watched as his back recede into the darkness. And they could some what discern broken furniture and pottery.

"He's the worst off-" Sakura mumbled. "I don't know why, but he took Naruto's death the hardest. He hasn't been the same since… it's like Naruto's death is slowly killing him."

MEANWHILE

The sand seemed to skitter away, frightened by the strange tall young man with pale blond hair. He stunk of drink and there was a murderous gleam in his bright blue eyes. The pink setting sun sunk behind the endless sand as if it were hiding from this man's dark shadow.

The young man staggered, bleary eyed and definitely dead drunk into the quiet village.

The village was growing cultural hub and people gathered in small parties chatting and dancing. They tasted fine food and drank their aged wine, commenting on their refinery. As the drunk passed, people shied away. Some who stood in his path pushed people away in order to let him pass. It was if a deep long forgotten animalistic urge born of terror drove them from all reason and made them flee.

Thankfully the young man went to the darker places of this village, the darker more dangerous places. The kid entered the nearest bar. It was dark and filthy. The patrons all bore weapons and deep scars. The eyed the young man silently. These men of violence knew a predator had just entered their collective home.

The young man stumbled over to counter and raised to fingers "2 cups of Sake here." The bartender looked up at the obviously under aged drunk.

"Hey kid, I have no idea, where the fuck you got alcohol, but you aint getting it here."

The young man pulled a dangerously worn knife from inside his large patched and stained brown coat and tapped it on the counter.

"How about now?" The bar tender chuckled.

"Damn kid you make me laugh. If I didn't own some fire power in here I'd be either dead or broke." Frowning the man said," So don't mess with me you little punk or I'll--"

The bartender choked off his words as he felt a cold knife tickled the tender skin of his throat. The space where the kid had been movements ago was now empty. He hadn't even seen the kid move, let alone vault the bar.

"Now you've made me mad, you really shouldn't make me mad." The young man said in a cold voice. The other patrons froze with terror, until the young man glanced at them.

Nervously the bartender reached behind him and proffered a large bottle of sake to the stranger. The young man stared at it entranced and then reached out and took it from the man. He took a big gulp and walked out from behind the bar.

The young man looked like a starving baby, suckling on a bottle of Sake. It was a strange sight. Large beautiful blew eyes partially closed and his long neck and Adam's apple constricting with a the effort to get it all down at once.

"So you got a name kid?" The man asked uncomfortably.

The little punk had just scared the shit out of him and there weren't many who could. Even fucking scared, he had thought of the profits, fuck it man, the profits. He could use a kid like this around. Drunk as piss, but hell, he was deadlier than a fuckin ninja.

"Don't know it, don't care to know, don't want to know it." The kid casting a cautious look at the man, eyeing him up and down. The bartender blushed. To top it all of this boy was beautiful. No he surpassed beauty and was, perhaps, god like. If he ever felt the need for a man this would be that man, the bartender thought to himself . He shuddered, from what, he didn't know and didn't care to find out.

The boy was oblivious to all that was going through the man's mind and he continued to chug down the sake. He slammed the bottle down with a sigh. "Yep, that hit the spot." He said.

"So you've got some sort of memory problem or something?"

"Ya, but what the fuck, it don't matter. Nothing is like livin in the moment." The young man smiled squeezing the older man's shoulder. The young man didn't register the look of pain on the man's face.

"Hey Kid-" the man asked after the young man released him, "how about working for me… free drinks!" The bartender, tempting the blond by waving a partially full bottle of Sake in front of the his eyes. The kid's eyes crossed as if he was hypnotized by the liquid. He shook his head to clear it, but his eyes returned to the bottle.

"Got no where to go. If ya give some where to sleep and fill me up with enough, I'll do about anything." The boy said. He glance around. "Don't seem to bad here." Could get used to it."

"Okay," the bartender said, "then it's a deal?"

"Sure." The blond said before passing out. Guess he had a little too much the bartender thought to himself and sighed. Id better watch out for that. The bartender grabbed both of the young man's ankles and not caring if the boy woke up all bruised tomorrow, he dragged the kid upstairs into a spare room and shut the door. He'd call the kid, Dobe, for the fucker didn't seem all that bright. 'Fitting' the man thought to himself.