Forget Me Not
By The Ambitious Blank
Disclaimer- Naruto, for the last and final time in this fic, is not mine.
Comments- Theoretically, I should be working on "Linked" at the moment. Key word there being "should". n.n; But I am not.. I wanted to finish this one up.. all questions should be answered in this chapter, I hope. It's done to translated lyrics of "Open Up Your Mind", by Mirai, from Gensoumaden Saiyuki. Translation was taken from the version on animelyrics.com. It's also slightly shortened.
Gah, there were so many good flowers I could use for this chapter! x.X; Oh, and yes, I know a tiny bit about Kakashi's Uchiha friend.. but I really didn't want to use him as an example, 'cause I don't think it would have worked as well. So I made someone up. x.x; Oh, and because FF.net is retarded and is still not letting me use my chapter seperators anymore, or the little symbols for when the voice speaks to Naruto.. I have to replace them with dashes. Forgive me, please. Xx;
Sorry for the delay.. I've been rushing around trying to prepare my female!Sasuke costume for FanimeCon in San Jose, California. If any of you are already going, try and find me! I'm in a group with a female Naruto (who is LittleDarkOne.. I'm sure a lot of you know her..), a Gaara (who is The Carpet Shampoo.. again, I'm sure a lot of you know her, too.), and a Sheik and Link from the Zelda games. Hope to see some of you there!
---Chapter 6- Yarrow, "Healing"
Even when it seems that nothing can go right
and you want to just give up,
if you close your eyes,
you can see the world from your heart.
-----
Naruto awoke and stretched, looking around the still slightly-unfamiliar surroundings of Sasuke's room. He still had that strange feeling of safety and comfort within him whenever he was in this room, which he deemed as Sasuke's chakra's doing. Everything in here was so familiar. It was like a continuing sense of deja-vu.. he knew where almost everything was without having to think too hard about it. He even "recognized" things, and knew vague things about them.
For example, that small stuffed dragon in the corner used to be Sasuke's when he was a little kid. His mother had given it to him, and for a long time, he wouldn't part with it, except maybe to take a bath or something. Then, Itachi told him to grow up one day, and he'd put it on his shelf. But "Ryuu-chan", as the stuffed toy was so called, always held that special place in Sasuke's heart. If the Uchiha ever came home from a hard day, disheartened from a mission or some such thing, he would go to sleep, clutching Ryuu-chain tightly in his arms. Even after Sasuke had seemingly lost his heart, gilded it with ice as hard as diamonds, nearly unbreakable, Ryuu-chan was a source of comfort.
Sighing, Naruto reached up and stroked the dragon's slightly matted fur. It was worn with age, but still managed a cheerful sparkle in it's eyes.
--I miss Ryuu-chan..--
Naruto froze and looked around.
"Who is it?! Who's there?! Dammit, answer me!" He shouted, his eyes shifting quickly about the room.
--Shut up, stupid.-- The voice spoke teasingly, almost. --If anyone comes in they're bound to think you're crazy.--
"..wh.. what the hell..?" Naruto put a hand to his forehead, feeling strangely dizzy. He looked to a mirror in the corner of the room. Only his reflection stared back at him, equally confused. He flinched then, seeing a strange, sort of smoky shape behind him. He turned, and there was nothing.. he quickly looked back toward the mirror. The shape was taking form.
--Technically, I'm a figment of your imagination, but we'll just ignore that for now.--
Dark hair, dark eyes, and a sort of arrogant smirk plastered over his face.. there was no mistaking it.
-------
In this world when life can be so tough,You must be strong.
Just believe in yourself and don't you fear.
So open up your mind and close your eyes,
Take another look from the other side...
------
"Sasuke..?" Naruto asked, slowly, afraid to believe it. He stood up and moved closer to the mirror. Sasuke nodded solemnly.--Yeah, in a way.. it's kinda hard to explain. Half of what you're seeing is your own imagination. But, my chakra allows me to speak to you as a dead ghost, sort of.--
"So.. you can talk to me because I have your chakra and because I can imagine you so well?" Naruto asked, somewhat confused. Sasuke just sighed and shook his head.
--Pretty much. I won't bother going into details, it gets pretty damn complicated. Your thick head wouldn't be able to understand.-- Again, that gentle, teasing tone. Naruto stared.
"It's not like you to be so.. so.. uppity." He said, blinking. Sasuke snickered.
--Well, y'know.. a ton of weight gets lifted when you die, right? Provided you were a generally good person. So I guess I feel.. better, if you wanna put it that way.-- He smiled and reached over, resting a hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto felt nothing.
"I.. well.. then.. why is it I have your Sharingan? That one night, I.. I know I heard you, and then I looked in the mirror and.. I thought it was an illusion."
--Really, are you getting dumber? The boy asked with a snort. Apparently, the kekkei genkai isn't really a bloodline limit.. so much as it is a chakra genkai. I guess since the genetics for what chakra and what abilities you have are coded in your blood, that's what they mean by a bloodline limit.--
Naruto stared. His head hurt a little. Sasuke sighed and shook his head.
--Nevermind, then.--
"So.. why have you been talking to me like this..?" Naruto asked. "Don't you have like.. some afterlife to be getting to, or something?" He watched the reflection. Sasuke's face grew considerably more somber.
--That's just the thing, Naruto. I can't.. not until you let me go.--
"What..?" Naruto blinked, confused.
--You have to accept the fact that I'm gone. You and everyone else. Otherwise, I'm trapped here.. eventually, I'll fade, and there'll be nothing left of me, except what's inside you.-- Sasuke's arms wrapped around Naruto's shoulders, his hand brushing over Naruto's heart. Still, Naruto felt nothing there.
--Memories are nice, but they're not enough. I haven't asked you for much in my life, Naruto.. at least, I hope I haven't. But I need you to do this one favor for me.. I promise, we can see each other again, but.. you have to get them to let me go.. and you have to, too. I need to pass on, I can't stay here.-- He said, softly. --Forgive me.-- His eyes lowered. Naruto stared for a few long moments, and then spoke.
"I guess.. I understand. And when I die I can see you again, right?" He asked, hopefully. Sasuke gave a half-smile and nodded.
--I wouldn't be thinking about that just yet. But.. Sakura needs your help, especially.. Ino's coping alright, so is everyone else.. but it's mainly her. So.. help her, you know? See what you can do.--
"Alright." Naruto nodded, and Sasuke flashed him a smile before vanishing. Naruto laid back onto the covers and fell back into a more peaceful sleep, despite the persisting sense of loneliness that had suddenly filled the room.
---------
Even on a lonely night, when you wander afraid,
you may be alone now, but
your feet can take you however far you want to go, so...
Just hold on tight, because if you close your eyes,
look inside yourself, there's a shining light there.
Yes, I want you to believe in everything.
You can take another look from the other side...
------
When the Uzumaki next awoke, sunlight was streaming in through Sasuke's window-- the first sun they'd seen for a few days now. It brought a faint smile to his face. Today would be a good day for training, and he'd be one step closer to the goals he'd set for himself. A fist clenched in determination, and he jumped off the bed, throwing on his clothes and heading out into the bright light of the sunrise.
Okay.. I'll train for a few hours, then I'll go and start helping Sasuke! It seemed like a perfectly good plan. He raced through the silent village, the sunlight staining all the buildings orange and red. Naruto kept running. Something drove him through and past the training grounds, through the forest. He kept running.. something guided him, through the trees, until Naruto stopped dead in his tracks.
--This is where I used to come when I wanted to be alone.--
A huge field of flowers. Thousands of them, it seemed. Everytime there was even the slightest breeze, petals rose up from all over, swirling around Naruto as he stepped into the field. It was exactly like his dream.. and as he looked around, he gasped. The red sunlight streaming over the flowers colored them all the deep shade of blood. Suppressing a wave of dizziness, he looked for the tree in the middle of the field. Once he'd spotted it, he struggled towards it, trying not to fall over. Eventually, he broke into a run, finally collapsing at the base of the tree. The bloodied world swirled around him, and when he was just about to pass out, he felt a pair of warm, strong arms wrap around him. They vanished almost as quickly as they had appeared, but the dizziness faded, the feeling of nausea receded. He glanced about him.. the sun was up a little further now, and the flowers were colored more of an orange-yellow than the blood red they'd been before. Naruto sighed.
"..Naruto? What are you doing out here..?"
Sakura?? The Uzumaki's eyes shot up. Everything suddenly became much clearer and easier to focus on, Sakura gasped, backing away.
"The.. the Sharingan.." She choked out. Naruto blinked.
Crap.. must've been some reaction to my panicking or something.. He thought, and calmed himself. The Sharingan vanished, and Sakura could only stare at him, speechless. Finally, she sighed, shoulders slumping.
"It makes sense. I guess.. I guess I didn't want to believe it, you know?" She sat down next to Naruto, who blinked. She gave him a weak smile, then continued.
"..I didn't want to believe Sasuke-kun was a part of you. I didn't want to see him in you. I.. I used to hate you, Naruto. But.. after everything we've been through, I've grown to like you a little. I mean.. not like I liked Sasuke-kun, of course, but.. I got to know you a little better. It's just that I've always loved Sasuke since I was a little kid, and even though I like you as a friend and all that, it just wasn't the same. I didn't want to believe that the one I loved gave up his life for someone he barely seemed to care about. I.. uh.. I guess I was wrong, huh?" She smiled weakly, pulling her knees up to her chest. Naruto stared at her, lowering his own eyes.
"I.. I'm sorry, Sakura-chan.. I didn't mean to--"
"I know, stop. I'm not blaming this on you.. I thought I could, but I can't." She shook her head, reaching over and giving his shoulder a light squeeze. She looked around, taking in the scenery. The sun was rising even higher now, and everything was starting to turn it's normal color. She smiled. "This was Sasuke-kun's favorite spot.. I remember, Ino and I managed to follow him here once." Pausing at the puzzled look on Naruto's face, she sighed.
"I'm sorry.. for everything I said before. I was so angry.. I didn't mean any of it. I just.. I guess I wanted someone to take my anger out on.. and you just happened to step in the way." She smiled again. "..but.. I am glad that Sasuke-kun gave his life to someone he loved. I think.. I think I might be able to get over it now.. Ino's been helping me through all of it. Naruto, I hope you can forgive me for what I did to you, and that we can be friends again.. and thanks, for hearing me out." She reached over and hugged him, then stood up.
"I'd.. better go now. I promised Ino I'd help her open up the flower shop." She said, smiling. Naruto, still somewhat stunned by all he'd just been told, broke out of his reverie and nodded, smiling and waving to her. She turned and walked away through the flowers. Naruto smiled and sighed, leaning back against the tree.
"..well, Sasuke.. I think that's everyone. We've all managed to let you go.. so I hope you went on in peace. I'll see you soon."
There was no answer except a flutter of flower petals as a warm breeze washed over them.
-------
The stars may live for a long time,
but that doesn't mean that the same days
will repeat over and over forever.
No one can see into tomorrow.
---------
Naruto smiled, watching the birds flutter past the window. One of them turned around and perched upon the windowsill, chirping at him merrily. Naruto grinned and stroked it's head, blinking and turning as the door behind him opened.
"I'm back, Hokage-sama!" Naruto rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you, Hinata.. you don't have to call me Hokage-sama. I'm your husband!" He smiled at her. She blushed brightly.
"Sorry, I just.. umm.. well, it's habit. Anyway, I brought Sasuke back." She gently nudged in a small boy. His eyes were bright blue, his long, ebony bangs falling to either side of his face, a shy look on his face. Naruto grinned.
"Hey, Sasuke!" He said, kneeling down before his son, ruffling his hair and earning a miffed look from the small boy. "..how was school?" Immediately, the boy lost his shyness and broke into a huge grin.
"Iruka-sensei told me I was the smartest kid EVER!" He said, beaming. "He said.. he said I was even smarter than umm.. Uchiha Sasuke! Yeah, that guy I was named after!" He cried, obviously extremely proud of himself. Hinata smiled nervously.
"C'mon, Sasuke, we're gonna go get you a change of clothes so you can go play."
"Okay!" The boy cried cheerfully, running over and hugging Naruto tightly. "Bye, Daddy!"
"See you later, Sasuke." Naruto said, smiling as he watched his son dash for the door. Hinata gave him a shy smile and then followed after the child. Naruto looked back out the window, a smile breaking over his face again.
Someday, I'll tell him all about you, Sasuke.
--------
Just hold on tight, even if your heart is breaking.
Reach into your soul, even if you can't see tomorrow.
Yes, there's another world out there.
You can take another look from the other side,
until you find all that is love...
----Fin.
So..? How was it? Good, I hope.. and I hope all your questions were answered. Sorry for the NaruHina at the end.. I wanted Naruto to have a kid. n.n;;; Anyway, I hope I can see and meet some of you at Fanime. Until then, see you later! Hope you enjoyed the fic.
--TAB