Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the Naruto anime/manga series. I do not own the song "White Flag" It belongs to one of my favorite singer, DIDO
A Moment is an Eternity
Chapter 11 - Breaking Up
What strange about Sasuke was that no matter how long he sat in the sun or how strong it was, his skin would never turn into a tan color. It must have been genetic or something. Naruto was curious as he leaned in and sniffed the boy's neck for some kind of scent or sun block lotion, but all Naruto could smell was the intoxicating smell of strawberry and sweet soft fresh rain. The fragrance made Naruto wanted to attack that neck right there.
'It has been a week now since that doctor told me that I am dying. I haven't tell Sasuke yet, I don't think I can tell him. It had hurt my family enough, I can't bare to watch Sasuke suffer.'
Naruto sighs. He was scared, he really didn't want to see anyone suffer, he wanted them all to be happy. However, death is an inevitable thing, it will come soon or later. It had chosen soon for Naruto. He had accepted it, he knew he didn't have much time left. He tried to make the best out of its. His heart was breaking as the days went by, but the ever oblivious Sasuke still didn't know.
'Maybe I should…Maybe…That's the only way…'
The blond boy leaned in and kissed Sasuke on the neck, caused the sleeping boy to wake up from his nap.
"Hey dead-last, what are you doing?" Sasuke smirked amusingly.
"Bastard! I told you to stop calling me that!"
"And if I don't?"
"Hmph." Naruto thought for a minute. "No sex for you."
Those words always gave Naruto the upper hand ever since their first copulation. Sasuke dreaded those words. As usual, he took his boyfriend's tan hand into his moonlight skin. He gave it a gentle kiss then smiled at the bright blue eyes.
"Stupid." Naruto stuck his tongue out at the boy.
"Stupid." Sasuke repeated him. This was a usual thing for them. However, today Sasuke was going to make the best use out of this silly repetition.
"Stupid."
"Stupid."
"Stupid."
"I love you."
"Stup….what?"
"Naruto," Sasuke held on to the teen's hand tightly. "We need to talk about something."
"What is it?"
"We have been going out more than a year right?"
"Yep."
"You know that you are very special to me, don't you Naruto?"
"Sasuke…"
"I've fallen in love with you Naruto…"
'No, no, no, NO, NO, NO! This cannot be. FUCK!!'
"Sasuke…"
"Shh, I am not finish. The bottom line is this Naruto. I love you." Sasuke wrapped his hands around those round cheek, brought his lips closer to Naruto. The blond pushed his boyfriend away gently.
"No Sasuke, I don't think I can…love you." With that, he got up and dashed away from Sasuke's sight, leaving the raven-haired teen behind, dazed, confused, and hurt.
Naruto had avoided Sasuke for over a week. He ignored the phone call, the note passing, he ignored those hurtful look from the his lover's eyes. It was hurting him so much, but he won't let Sasuke know his true feelings, because it might hurt them both when Naruto die. The prankster cried softly at night in his bed, wishing there was an easy way out of this mess. Out of this shit that life have handed to him, a blessing and a curse. A love an a fatal illness.
'Time to stop. Stop thinking about yourself Naruto. Cut those bonds, free them. Let them be happy. They don't deserve to suffer watching you die. Free them.'
Sasuke's heart was breaking away as his angel had been ignoring him. What have he done to deserve this fate?
'Maybe I've move too fast. Maybe it is me after all. I'm sorry Naruto, please don't hate me. Naruto?'
Naruto found Sasuke up in their favorite spot. The boy was sulking, his face lit up when he saw Naruto, his eyes shone a mix of happiness and hurt.
"Sasuke…we need to talk."
"Naruto…I know…I know I've been moving too fast, I am sorry. We'll do this slow, we'll do this at your pace. I know I'm selfish but please give me a chance."
'You've got it all wrong Sasuke.' Naruto could feel his heart breaking at any moment. 'Oh God, this is the hardest thing I have to do in my life.'
"I want to talk about something else Sasuke…"
Sasuke pulled Naruto closer, hugged him tightly, he didn't want to let Naruto go at all.
"Sasuke…" Naruto spoke in a low tone that it was almost a whisper, but he knew Sasuke could hear him. "I think we should see other people…"
Pushing him away gently, Sasuke tried to look at Naruto's eyes, but they were looking at the floor.
"What are you saying Naruto?"
"We should see other people Sasuke."
"Is this about me saying 'I love you' too soon? I promise you I won't say it again, please don't do this…"
"Sasuke, I think you should find someone else that can love you, someone that can return the same feeling that you had for me. I am sorry but I am not that person. Our personalities just…clashing each other. We just cannot work."
"What the hell is this Naruto, if this is some kind of a prank or joke, stop this now." Sasuke shook Naruto, the raven-haired just couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"It isn't a joke Sasuke…We should just find some other people, you should get yourself a nice girl, have a family with her in future…"
"FUCK the future, I only want you don't you understand, I cannot give anyone else the same feeling I have for you. If you are sick I think you should get some rest Naruto. This isn't even funny anymore." Sasuke was mad now, his heart was slowly shattered away by the painful words.
"No Sasuke, I am not sick. I am thinking very clearly, and this is my choice. I am sorry, you deserve someone that could love you Sasuke. My heart wasn't in this."
"So this is just a fucking fling for you?"
'No Sasuke. Please forgive me.'
"Yes."
"Look at the me in the eyes Naruto." Sasuke gritted his teeth. "You look at me in the eyes and tell me that you don't want me anymore."
Naruto slowly looked deep into those obsidian orbs, tears were forming into small bubbles in them.
'It hurts now Sasuke, but you will find relief and happiness later on.'
"Please Sasuke, forget about me."
"FUCK!!" Sasuke screamed, he tore himself away from Naruto. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" He screamed as he punched his pale hand into the wall over and over. Blood was gushing out into the porcelain skin, soon his skin tore apart, revealed his white knuckle bones. Tears in his eyes stung and blinded him. Naruto wrapped the boy's blood hand with his arms.
"Sasuke, stop it! Please! I am not worth it."
"FUCK YOU! Why do you even care?!" With that Sasuke pulled his hand away from Naruto, he walked slowly away from the blond, the heartbroken sound of the Uchiha crying was echoing in Naruto's ears. When Sasuke was out of his sight. Naruto broke down on the floor clutching his heart. The tears that he held back now flowed out like torrent.
"SASUKE!!! Please forgive me, I must do this…sniff…sniff…so that you don't…have to suffer…later on…when I die…Please forgive me…"
Two hearts died that day. Things could not be the same again for the two teens. Their happiness shattered away, flowed along the river of pain. The followed week could never ever be the same again. Sasuke got his hand treated, but his heart was still broken. It hurt him so bad when he saw the blond in class, in the hallway, when he walked home. His eyes showed a sign of fatigue, he hasn't been sleeping lately. The blond boy images always popped into his head. The memories of the two of them together played through his brain like an endless track tape. It was over and over, he wished it could move on, but atlas it couldn't because reality hit him. Naruto was no longer his. Naruto had broke himself away from Sasuke's grip on his free will. Naruto had gone…
Things weren't good for the blond either. He kept on crying at night, his eyes turn red and puffy. He lacked the will to eat any food. His body was in pain from the Kyuubi's Fever while his heart broken. He cherished the thought that Sasuke will be happy without him, without knowing that he will soon be dead.
'He will thanks me someday. Sasuke…My heart will always be yours. I am sorry I cannot be with you forever in this life. Perhaps we will be more fortunate in the next.'
Soft crying sound was made in his room again, it broke that silence, that darkness was glooming everywhere.
In the morning, Naruto's head was pounding, his body was on fire. He knew it was the fever symptom. It even hurt for him to breathe. He called out weakly for Tsunade. He tried to reach out to the door, but to his dismay, he was blackout and slumped down heavily on the floor. The woman walked by and heard a heavy thumping sound from Naruto's room. She knocked on it gently. No answer. A second time. No answer. When she opened the door, she gasped as she saw the boy passed out on the floor. She quickly called out to the two men.
"Iruka! Kakashi! Help me!"
After ten minutes later, they had the boy on his bed. Soon the boy opened his eyes slowly, he saw the woman checking for his heart with her stethoscope.
"Hey kiddo, you're up." She spoke sadly, looking at the at tired boy.
"Have I…"
"Passed out? Yes you did. You gave us quite a scare."
"I'm sorry." Tears were running down his cheeks then he looked away.
"Shh." She wiped away his tears as the tears of her own trickled down. "You take some rest Naruto." She leaned down and kissed his forehead.
A minute later, his phone rang. He struggled to get it, finally got his hand on it, he flipped it open.
'Please don't let it Sasuke, I don't think I can talk to him without crying myself out.'
It was Ino's number.
"Naruto?" The female on the other line asked.
"Yeah…" Naruto said weakly, then clear his throat. "Eh hem. It's me. What sup Ino.?"
"How are you feeling Naruto?"
"I'm tired, I've got fever again."
"Yeah. Mr. Umino told us. But listen. Do me a favor will you?"
"I'll try."
"Turn on your radio station."
"Hmm?"
"Just do it please. Bye." Ino hung up the phone line.
Naruto sighed as he turned his radio on. The T's Goddess Lounge played the same ambient music as usual. After their song was over. The soft radiant voice of the hostess was on the air.
"This is T's Goddess Lounge. How may I be of aid today?"
"I'd like to request a song please."
'Sasuke's voice.' How he missed and longed to hear that cold, but deep down gentle and caring, voice again.
"May I ask who is the song for?"
"It's for my lover…Well, ex-boyfriend." A tone of hurt was in his voice.
"Awww, I am so sorry honey. Is there a particular song in your mind or would you like me to pick one out for you?"
"Could you please pick one out for me?"
"Sure no problem. Cheer up honey, if you really love him, don't ever let him go."
"Thank you miss."
"You're welcome."
The string and percussion started playing, soon a heavenly voice of the female singer could be heard. It was Dido, the song was White Flag. One on Naruto's favorite songs.
I
know you think that I shouldn't still love you,
Or tell you
that.
But if I didn't say it, well I'd still have felt it
where's
the sense in that?
I promise I'm not trying to make your life
harder
Or return to where we were
I know I left too much
mess and
destruction to come back again
And I caused nothing
but trouble
I understand if you can't talk to me again
And if
you live by the rules of "it's over"
then I'm sure that
that makes sense
And when we meet
Which I'm sure we will
All that was there
Will be there still
I'll let it pass
And hold my tongue
And you will think
That I've moved
on...
Naruto's tears were flowing down his whisker-marked cheeks as the message of the song got to him. When the singer got the chorus lines. He started to sing along.
"I will go down with this ship. And I won't put my hands up and surrender. There will be no white flag above my door, I'm in love and always will be."
He heard the doorbell downstairs. Tsunade answered the door. Naruto was too tired to try to hear who was it down there. Tsunade walked up to Naruto's room, she put her head into the boy's room. She had to leave the door opened this time, that way Naruto can call out for her.
"Naruto…You've got a visitor." The blond woman said softly to the boy. "I'll leave you two alone."
"Thank you Dr. Tsunade." The same male voice on the radio.
"Sasuke…" Naruto turned around quickly, looking at the pale boy stood at his bed.
"Hey you…" Sasuke leaned down and kissed Naruto on his forehead. He rubbed the boy's forehead, his eyes looked lovingly into blue ones. The black eyes were stoic but pain was visible in them.
"Damn it Sasuke…why..the hell...are you here..." The sick boy couldn't hold his tears in any longer. He let out a loud sobbing noise. He didn't care anymore. He'd missed Sasuke too much. It was so painful. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and pulled him into a fierce embrace.
"I missed you too Naruto…sniff…sniff…" Sasuke was crying now too. His shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. The two lovers let out all their tears on each other. Sasuke kissed Naruto's neck gently, then moved to his cheek, he licked away those salty tears as his own mingled with Naruto's. He kissed Naruto on his pouted lips in a the most soft and tender way he knew.
"Sasuke…you won't give…sniff… up on me do you…"
"Never my angel…I told you…sniff…it would take you forever…sniff…to get rid of me…"
"Naruto…" Sasuke buried his face into Naruto's pillow, whispered softly into the blond's ear. "I don't care if you love me or not…Please don't ever leave me alone…I don't know what I would do without you…Just let me be with you please."
Naruto's tears flowed down as these loving words were next to his ear. "I don't know…sniff…what I would do…without you either…"
"Naruto…?" Sasuke asked softly.
"Sniff…yeah?"
"Tell me the truth Naruto." Sasuke wiped the tears away from his eyes. " Tell me the real reason why you wanted to leave me. I can tell you were lying when you said you don't want me anymore. You are not a very good liar Naruto."
Naruto stared deeply into Sasuke's eyes. He knew he couldn't deny his lover the truth any longer. He knew how stubborn Sasuke can be. Even if Sasuke won't find the truth from his lips, he would find it from his guardians.
"Sasuke..sniff…"
"I'm listening Naruto…" The boy above Naruto gave him a sad smile.
"I am very ill. Sniff…I'm dying" Sasuke put his finger on Naruto's lips. He leaned down and kissed the boy. Tears trickled down on the tan cheeks, mixed with Naruto's tears. "Please…Sasuke…sniff…don't cry…it isn't…you."
"I'm a human…Naruto…I'm only human." Sasuke buried his head onto Naruto's chest. The blond stroke those dark locks gently.
"If being with you is just a short moment
I would gladly accept, because…" Sasuke spoke softly.
"Being close to you my dear, my sweet
A moment is just an Eternity." Naruto replied back.