Alright, sorry for the wait but chap 4 of Home is finally up. And there might be a couple more chapters in it for ya'll, I'm leavin town and it's gonna be a LONG drive. So thnx for the reviews, especially SasukeUchihasGuardian. So there ya go.

~Angelique 3

Chapter 4:

Heart to Heart

Naruto had always run. He'd run to get away from angry shop owners, he'd run from the kids he'd play with. Naruto ran from his past. Naruto ran to get somewhere, to save some one, to get something, to finish a mission... Naruto was always running.

He ran now, nothing left in him, and he ran with all he could at Sasuke. The blond charged at his opponent. The hole in his chest wasn't what made Naruto not whole, it was the years of pain, the years of loneliness, the years of taunts that made him inhuman. It broke him. In perhaps the last sane part of his absent mind, Naruto thought This is what Gaara felt like. I never understood. In his right hand swirled the end to this battle, Fūton: Rasenshuriken.

Sasuke was terrified. He felt the tension in the air change; he saw a vague outline of something, which he assumed to be Naruto, approaching with an upturned hand very rapidly. Sasuke saw no details, but he heard the wind spinning violently around the young fox's palm. He heard the growl of an enraged animal that seemed not in the least human, primal at best. Naruto neared him and Sasuke cringed.

The light haired boy, now gone mad with revenge and rage launched the attack on his former team member. The clear blades of the Rasenshuriken bit into the pale teen's chest, Sasuke cried out. Naruto did not heed Sasuke's yelp and pushed his claw further into his enemy's chest, and Sasuke looked Naruto in the eyes. All he saw was grievance, pain, torture, and a glint of insanity. Sasuke's heart tightened.

He saw it now. He saw what his leaving had done to Naruto. Yes, Sasuke was the one planning revenge on his home town of Konoha,and Sasuke had hatred. But did that mean Naruto did not? The boy had been left alone as a child, orphaned by the 4th hokage, when he sealed a demon into his son, thus killing Naruto's mother in the process. The village considered it taboo to talk to or play with the demon fox child. Naruto had the right to have as much hatred for the people of the Hidden Leaf as Sasuke did. And who would Naruto have to harbor his trust and hatred in?

The pain was red hot in Sasuke's chest, his solar plexus had completely shattered. He couldn't say anything, he took the pain. Sasuke's knees collapsed, but his body didn't crumple; Naruto was holding him up by the hand he had in Sasuke's chest cavity.

And yet… Here he was, in the graveyard of their bodies, fighting to the death to avenge them, even after all the things they had done to him. He stood here, on the brink of death, not even consciously aware of what he was doing, more than likely, fighting. Fighting to protect, fighting to release all of the villagers' ill will on him, fighting to save Sasuke from himself. That was Naruto. He never thought about himself, but instead going out and doing things for people who despised him. He never let the thought register, or had never shown it had taken root.

Sasuke coughed. A crimson fluid flowed between his pale lips and he doubled over onto Naruto's arm. The attack had long since dissolved, but his had stayed in place. How ironic Sasuke pondered absently, he's still holding me up, but killing me at the same time. Sasuke coughed again and more blood flowed.

All these years and Sasuke was amazed at how much of a mask Naruto could portray. Naruto had his own problems, and here came along Sasuke, angst and mad at the world. He gave all his pain to Naruto, who he figured was just another smiling idiot, and was always below him. Naruto had so much to bear on those tiny, thin shoulders. Why? Why would Naruto hold Sasuke's rage and anger, only to be looked down upon and pushed aside from the get-go?

Naruto released the Uchiha heir and he crumpled. The blood flowed freely from the 5 in wound. It was next to impossible to talk, but Sasuke tried anyway.

"Wh-... why?" The raven met the fox's gaze "Why Naruto?"

The blond stumbled back, blood winding down his arm to his palm and dripping slowly. "Wh-what? Sasuke?" Naruto was obviously surprised to see his arch-rival and best friend at his feet, bloody and broken. Naruto dropped to his knees, beside his fallen comrade. "What ha- did I… No…. No!" Naruto screamed for no one to hear.

"Naruto," Sasuke snapped him out of his delusion. "Why were- you my friend? I-I was n-never goo-d to you… W-why?" He faltered.

Naruto was dumbstruck, and Sasuke couldn't tell if it was because of what he said or if the other teen really had lost his mind.

"Because. You were my first friend. My only friend. I couldn't give that u-up so easily" Azure met ebony. Both boys had holes in their chest, both physical and emotional. Naruto never had any one to look after him, while Sasuke had his ripped away. What a pair they were.

The beautiful light that always shown in Naruto's eyes had faded, Sasuke could see that much. The light of the world was slowly dimming for Sasuke. Naruto couldn't hold out much longer either. All battles ended as Naruto pitched forward and landed face down.

Both Naruto and Sasuke wished neither lay like they did now. Both were sorry.

SO. That was rather depressing. But it's still not over, perhaps 14 reviews would be pushing it but I'm gonna go for it anyway. Lol the title makes me laugh, because ya know, holes in chest. Whatever, anyway" Thnx for reading :D

~Angelique 3