Yes, I know, I'm evil. I'm sorry I ruined your day more, And here comes the chocobunny, but that's just how I am. I enjoy torturing the characters I write for, and the way I gauge a successful story is by how many times I can make myself cry – either by laughing or by actually crying. But at least take comfort in the fact that you correctly guessed the Naruto Abridged reference!

The reference from last chapter was when Madara was replaced by a log when they all thought that Naruto's Rasen-Shuriken had gotten him, and Sasuke said "Dammit!". Yes, quite subtle compared to others I could have put in...that sorta just wrote itself, though. I didn't even realize it until I was typing it up, and I went "Oh hey, that's kinda a Naruto Abridged thing! Tee hee!"

So anyway, here is the epilogue. I must say, I'm kind of disappointed in it, but maybe that's because I feel I could've written something better. Ah well. I'm too lazy to go back and rewrite it, though I may add something extra to the end. One more thing: for those who don't know or just don't remember, "Sandaime Hokage" is the Third Hokage. Yes, that is relevant, as he's referenced in this. Well, here goes!

Epilogue

"Has anyone seen Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked. It was the next night, and all of Naruto's friends were gathering for his funeral.

"He hasn't come out of his room since yesterday afternoon," Juugo replied. Sakura looked down at her feet, trembling and trying to hold herself together with her arms.

"It's all my fault," she half-whispered. "Sasuke-kun was right, it's my fault Naruto's gone. If I hadn't shown up...if I hadn't distracted him...if I hadn't been in his way..." She started to sob, and Lee wrapped his arms around her and held her close. It was a mark of how upset she was that she didn't push him away.

"You went looking for them because I told you to," Shikamaru said. "It's as much my fault as it is yours."

"Look, we could stand here for hours playing the blame game, or we could grab Sasuke and go to the funeral," Kiba said. "I don't know about you guys, but I like the second option better."

"What do we do if Sasuke-kun doesn't want to come along?" Lee asked, still holding Sakura.

"He's already beating himself up over letting Naruto-kun die," Juugo said quietly, "he'd never forgive himself if he missed the funeral. I'm sure he'll come."

"Juugo, why don't you go get him?" Shikamaru suggested. "I'm willing to bet you'll have a better chance of not getting ignored than the rest of us would."

Juugo nodded. "I'll be back," he said, then headed back towards Sasuke's house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke was a mess. He lay on his bed, flat on his back and staring at the ceiling. Tears, both new and old, covered his face as he lay there, blaming himself. I should've realized that the sword would have to be pulled out slowly, he berated himself silently. Of all the people who did something to contribute to his death, I was the worst, I did the most. There was a knock on the door. Sasuke didn't answer.

"Sasuke-kun?" Juugo's voice called hesitantly. "May I come in?" Once again, Sasuke remained silent, so Juugo took that as a yes and walked in. He went right to Sasuke's bed and sat down on the edge of it. Both of them were silent for a while. "Are you coming?" Juugo asked finally.

"No," Sasuke replied, sounding just as broken as he looked. "Why bother? He's gone, and nothing's going to change that. Nothing can make it better."

"It would mean a lot to Naruto-kun if you were there," Juugo pointed out. Sasuke turned his head to look at the older teen.

"He probably doesn't care. I'm sure he's found his parents by now, and they'll be catching up, having a good time." Sasuke paused. "Juugo? What do you think will happen to us?"

Juugo didn't have to ask for clarification to know Sasuke was referring to whether the two of them would be allowed to live now that Naruto was no longer there to keep an eye on them. "I'd assume that somebody else will be called in to make sure we stay out of trouble, just like when Naruto-kun went away."

"I'm not so sure about that," Sasuke said quietly. "I think the only reason that happened was because they knew the dobe would be pissed if he came home and found us not here. But now...He was the only thing keeping us alive. They've got no reason not to kill us anymore."

"Sasuke-kun...are you really okay with that? You're trying to pretend you are, but does it really not bother you that we may be killed?"

Sasuke gave a humourless laugh. "There's nothing left for me here, Juugo. I don't even want to destroy Konoha anymore. I'd rather die, to be completely honest, and after everything I've done, I deserve it. Besides, I might get to see him again."

Juugo was silent again. "You haven't said Naruto-kun's name since he died," he said after a while. "I understand that you're upset, and you have every right to be, but-"

"Do you really understand, though?" Sasuke asked, his tone indicating that he didn't think this was true. "How can you? I screwed up so badly, wasting the time we had together, making it so we couldn't truly be together, all because I wouldn't swallow my damn pride and apologize to him." Fresh tears made their way down his cheeks, but he didn't care. "I never even told him...that I love him. He said it so many times to me, but could I say it back? No. Even though it's completely true."

Juugo was at a loss for words, then he sighed. "If you want to stay here and wallow in self-pity, then be my guest. But I still think you should come to Naruto-kun's funeral. It would be a good opportunity to tell him how you feel."

Sasuke shook his head in response, and Juugo sighed again before leaving. He returned to the group of Naruto's friends, who looked at him expectantly.

"Well?" Shikamaru prompted, and Juugo shook his head.

"I can't convince him to come. He'd rather mope in his room, because he figures there's no point in attending the funeral."

"Idiot," Kiba muttered. "Well, let's get going, then. We don't want to be late."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto's funeral was a large affair. The entire village showed up to pay their respects to their hero.

"Kinda reminds you of when Sandaime Hokage died, doesn't it?" Kiba remarked. "All these people..."

"Don't say things like that," Sakura said softly. "Besides, there's one big difference. At that funeral, both Naruto and Sasuke-kun were standing with us." Nobody said anything after that.

The very next day, Sasuke and Juugo were called to the Hokage's office. Tsunade sat in silence for a while before taking a deep breath. "I know it's not fair of me to do this so soon after the both of you lost a good friend, but it needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later. I'm sure you're well aware of what I'm talking about."

"Just get to the point," Sasuke said. "How are you going to have us killed, when will it happen, and how long will it take?"

Tsunade hesitated. "There are many ways we could have you killed, each of them more inhumane than the last, however...since Naruto thought so highly of you, Sasuke, I have prepared a special pill for each of you. It should kill you instantly, and there shouldn't be too much pain or suffering. Of course, this is all purely hypothetical, as you two will be the first to test this pill."

"I don't care whether it's painless," Sasuke said in a monotone voice. "In fact, I think I'd almost rather it be painful. It's what I deserve."

"Well, as for the question of when it will happen," Tsunade continued, "That's sort of up to you. You can take the pills any time between now and this time tomorrow."

Sasuke held out his hand. "Give me the pill, I'll take it now."

Tsunade didn't question his eagerness, just handed the pill over as requested. Sasuke ate it, and seconds later he lay on the floor, no longer breathing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was pacing the room, waiting impatiently. There was a flash of light, and suddenly Sasuke was standing there in front of him. Naruto waited while Sasuke looked around, getting his bearings. Then the Uchiha saw who else was there. His eyes widened, then narrowed.

"You idiot!" he exclaimed. "Didn't I tell you not to leave me? I was practically begging you!"

Naruto blinked in surprise. This was not what he'd been expecting. "I...Sasuke, there was nothing I could do," he replied. Then he narrowed his eyes as well. "And why weren't you there with the others at my funeral? I watched the whole thing, and I was looking for you, but you weren't there!"

"Don't change the subject!" Sasuke snapped. "Do you have any idea what it was like, knowing you were gone and that it was my fault?"

Naruto faltered. "It wasn't your fault," he said. "The only person at fault was Madara." He paused. "Did I actually manage to kill him?"

Sasuke nodded, then smiled in spite of himself. He gave a watery chuckle, and to his surprise, he was crying. Naruto was surprised as well, but pulled the Uchiha into his arms and held him close. Sasuke held onto Naruto, fighting to control himself. "I'm sorry, Sasuke," Naruto whispered. "I'm sorry that all this happened. But there's nothing we can do about it now...we have to face the fact that we're both dead."

Sasuke took a deep breath and pulled away from the embrace. He looked straight at Naruto. A million different thoughts were racing through his head, but the one that actually made it to lips was, "I love you, Naruto."

Naruto smiled widely and kissed Sasuke with as much passion as he could muster, holding him as close as possible. He pulled away after a few minutes. "That's what I've been waiting to hear," he said softly, still smiling.

"And..." Sasuke hesitated. "I'm sorry about-" Naruto cut him off with another kiss.

"None of that matters any more," he said simply. "I always knew you didn't mean it, once I'd calmed down enough, that is. The only reason I wanted you to say it was because I'm stubborn like that." Naruto's expression changed in an instant to a mischievous one.

"What's that look for?" Sasuke asked warily.

"Well..." Naruto began. "If we're together again now, then I think it's about time you met my parents."

End

Apparently, my mind just won't let me write a sad, depressing ending. It's got no problem with putting incredibly sad things into my fanfics, but ending time? Nope, gotta leave it on a happy note. Ah well...I hope you guys consider that better than I did. I thought it was a very weak ending, but let me know your thoughts.