A/N: Hi there!
So… Here I am with yet another fic (my second Naruto-one). My intention DEFINITELY wasn't to start a new one (especially since I've been meaning to retire), but this idea's been stuck in my head for several days now. I needed to get it typed before I would've lost the last of my sanity. I have no idea of what's about to become out of this, so I'm asking you to tell me whether I should continue or not.
Okay, as you guys would probably love to just get to the actual story, I'm leaving this fic's fate into your hands. I hope this prologue/piece of text turned out okay! (I'm really fluish right now, so pardon the tons of typing- and grammar-errors!)
SPOILER ALERT TO THE MANGA: If you're not familiar with the newest manga-chapters, this possible beginning of a fic may include spoilers. So beware!
Echoes of words long ago ceased could still be heard in the walls of the Uchiha's hideout as three hearts thumped in different rhythms. One practically stopped, the second steadily ceasing, and the third racing beyond any limitations, frantically trying to work for two.
/ " I see you. Dead." /
" Please…"
/ " It's time to end this, Itachi." /
" Don't…"
/ " SASUKE!" /
" You can't do this to me!"
/ " Naruto, get the hell out of here!" /
A surge of desperate relief flared through when the other made a tiny frown. " That's right, just stay with me, 'k? Don't you dare slip away, you bastard! Open your eyes and stay with me!"
But all hope disappeared when the other started to grow limp again.
/ " So, it appears he was even weaker than I thought." /
" Stay awake, damnit!" The voice was filled with utter terror. Both bodies were shivering violently by then, though for very different reasons. " Don't even think about falling asleep again, do you hear me? I'm not letting you die because of me!"
Weakly, a pair of eyes opened an inch – catching one glimpse of the other's face, almost like memorising – then closed again. A soul tear (one of pain, they both told themselves) forced its way out. " S'rry…", came a weakest of whispers. Gosh, there was so much to apologize for, and only that one breath left…
One pair of eyes widened dramatically when beginning to understand the other one would never open again. " NO! No, no, no!" The tattered body fell hopelessly, mercilessly still and lifeless when it was pulled tightly to the other one that was brisling feverishly with life.
After that, time simply disappeared. Nothing but the still body made sense to the male rocking it back and forth, tears refusing to stop running once they were released. " Just keep breathing, 'k?" Heartbreaking sobs echoed in the walls like thunder. " Just… just breathe, please… Please… Breathe, and everything's gonna be okay…" But the bitter truth was that by then, the silent one hadn't been breathing for the past fifteen minutes. " Just stay, please… Don't you dare leave me, damnit… Don't leave me again…"
But no matter how long passed, there was no response whatsoever. And the sobs only grew harder.
" Don't leave me…"
His eyes flying open, Sasuke sucked in a hungry, desperate gasp, felt pleasure flow through when air finally filled his lungs.
Gosh, it felt like he hadn't been breathing in years!
Trying to clear his head that felt extremely fuzzy for whatever the reason, he looked around. Chills immediately travelled down his spine. All he could see was an endlessness of depressingly grey, wall-thick fog.
Where the heck was he?
" Uchiha Sasuke, so you're finally awake."
He frowned and rapidly looked around, prepared to defend himself. But there was no one else inside the greyness. His frown deepened – he hated being unable to see the source of that voice. " Who the hell are you?"
" You can call me Guardian, if that name pleases you. And as for where you are… Many call this 'the other side'. Personally, I find that name quite amusing."
The… other side? He blinked rapidly, pieces clicking. His mouth went dry, and it was very cold all of a sudden. " Am I… dead?"
" Yes", came a blunt reply.
With bitter certainty, he realized that he was happy with that fact.
Itachi was dead (by Naruto's hand, but still). What would there have been left for him anymore? Besides, he'd already lived for far longer than he'd expected. Death was a relief – right?
" So you've forgotten?" Gosh, never had he faced such disappointment he heard in that voice! " All those people who care about you… You're willingly leaving them behind?"
A wry, perhaps even sad, smirk came to his lips as he shook his head. " I lost them all years ago. This… will be a relief to them – now, they'll finally be able to stop hanging on to futile hope and past. It'll be easier now – for all of us."
The voice was now a bit softer. " What if I told you you're wrong?"
Naruto's heart-wrenching sobs sounded louder than roars when they suddenly boomed inside his head, and no matter how much he hated such weakness, he felt pressure building up behind his eyes.
/ " Just keep breathing, 'k?" /
He squeezed his eyes tightly shut. " I'm sorry, dobe", he whispered, oblivious to how unnaturally soft his voice was.
/ " Don't leave me!" /
Unable to bear those pained cries anymore, he grit his teeth so tightly it hurt, then screeched. " Alright, I'm getting the picture – my death hurt Naruto, I know that now! Just…" He detested the way his voice wavered an inch. " Just take those screams away, will you? I don't want to hear his annoying voice anymore."
" Your death did much more than hurt Naruto. He may not know it yet, but losing you… It's killing him, little by little – just like leaving him behind killed a part of you", the voice stated, his last two sentences ignored. " You were one of the first people who accepted him. And even after everything you did, he devoted years of his life to get you back. For the past years, you've been the reason he exists. No matter how strong he is, he needs you." Those words – though he hated having to admit it – sent a dagger-sharp stab of guilt through his heart. "After everything he's done for you, all you've put him through… Is that how little he means to you? Do you really not care at all that he's about to follow you into dark? Because that's what he'll do."
Sasuke felt his eyes widen. Was he really that important to Naruto? " I don't believe you."
" Why on earth would I lie to you?"
/ " You can't do this to me!" /
His eyes narrowing again, he grit his teeth even more tightly than before.
He… had no reason to live, not anymore. Heck, he would've been better off dead. But Naruto… If that voice was right – if he really was the power that kept the knucklehead going…
Damnit!
He emitted a deep sigh, eyes flashing. He wasn't aware of the tears that rolled. " I…" A glimpse of Naruto's face flashed before his eyes. " I want to go back, I have to. So, if you can, please…" He swallowed heavily, the plea tasting sore and foreign, wrong, in his mouth.
" Is that a selfless request I hear?"
He blinked, confused and surprised. Was he really doing something just for somebody else's sake, ignoring his own wishes and desires? He gulped a bit before nodding slowly. " Yes." His voice was strong and free of all doubt. " I want to go back, for that damn idiot. To make sure…" Words disappeared as he wondered just what it was that he would've wanted to say.
There was a longest silence. When the voice spoke again, the words stunned him. " Very well, then." The voice was soft, carried something that could've been detected as mischief. " Uchiha Sasuke, for Naruto's sake, I'm giving you one more year to make things right. Be sure to use that time well – if you come back with regrets again, I won't be giving you a third chance."
He frowned, dissatisfied although he shouldn't have been. " One year?" It sounded so pathetically little, and then, he'd have to leave Naruto again… (Why was his mind all over Naruto?)
The voice sounded venomous. " Yes. One year – no more, no less. With giving you this time, I'm already breaking dozens of rules and laws, so be grateful you get even this."
His eyes narrowed as he balled his fists. No matter how annoyed and disappointed he still was, he understood. Even this was far more than he deserved. And that's why he whispered certain words for a fist time since he'd betrayed Konoha. " Thank you."
" Sounds much better. Now…" The mirth he heard couldn't possibly mean anything good. " I happen to know that there is another ambition your heart desires, although you've nearly forgotten it. That's why I'm sending you back with some… changes so you'll be able to achieve that goal during this year."
He frowned, but before he could ask a thing, the voice spoke again. " Good luck, Uchiha Sasuke. You'll be needing it. See you in one year."
And then, everything exploded to white.
TBC?
A/N: So there it was. What do you say – did this seem worthy of taking the risk of inhumanly long gaps of updating and this fic possibly going to hiatus one day? You tell me, because I don't have a clue! (In case you're wondering how long this'd be (in case you'll wish me to continue), this'd have twelve more chapters, plus an epilogue. I can't promise you miracles when it comes to updating – as school is keeping me EXTREMELY busy, and I have one other fic going on as well – but I promise that if you want to see this continuing, I'll work my hardest to keep new chapters coming and to get this fic completed.)
Okay, it's time to tune off for now. Thanks for reading, and PLEASE let me hear from you!
Laters! Oh yeah, and...
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!!