A/N: This is a reincarnation fic :D In which Sasuke and Naruto go through the course of many different lives but never have a happy ending - until the very last life. Essentially. (or basically a fic where I wanted to write them in different settings but without the weight of a multichap lol)

SasuNaru. Yes you know this. Rated M for language, some sexual situations, etc. Minor angst? Bittersweetness? LOVEEE.

Okay. I'll let you read xD

EDIT: I forgot something. There are spoilers in here for the manga - if you don't know who Kurama is and the true identity of Tobi, I suggest you don't read the end unless you want yourself spoiled. :)

Life

Their path is one that cannot be broken. Sometimes they split and separate for a little, yes, but in the end they always fuse back together.

Their dance is eternal. It is like the rotation of the moon around the Earth, the Earth around the sun. The planets and the stars, forever entwined as one.

Their lives, their futures, their fates are the same. One is black, one is white; one is blue, one is orange; one is red, one is gold. It does not matter. They are the same person—two sides of the same mirror.

They are Naruto and Sasuke.

Sasuke died on a cold day, but he feels only the utter warmth of Naruto's eyes, radiantly blue and brilliantly sad, staring at him. At the very last moment before he takes his last, heaving breath, he smiles and whispers, "I'm glad I met you."

In that moment, he gives himself to Naruto and says the words he could not say his entire life.

He misses Naruto's tears and sobs and pleas, already ascending to the next world—the next destiny, where they will meet again.

Neither remember their first life together as ninja, but that's okay. They don't need to, because they meet again every lifetime.

The next time they meet is a mere flash.

It means nothing to either of them, because they don't know what they've missed. Naruto hands his items to Sasuke, the cashier, and they smile and chit-chat a little about nothing before Naruto walks out of the store, and consequently, walks out of Sasuke's life.

They're two when they meet in the next lifetime. It's at a daycare, where they spend two glorious years together. Naruto hates Sasuke on arrival, despite the fact that he (logically) doesn't even know the boy. But Sasuke, with his fluffy soft raven hair and his black piercing eyes (too old for his age) strikes a chord in Naruto, and they can't help but mesh.

Then two years later, they're withdrawn from the daycare, and Sasuke is entered in a private school while Naruto grows up in a public school. Neither remembers each other.

They are thrown into college. Sasuke is Naruto's roommate and he absolutely can't stand the loud, bubbly, pervasive blond. He's crowding into the space that Sasuke has so carefully crafted and tearing down the walls that Sasuke has built brick by brick.

He finds that he laughs more when Naruto's around, that he feels more when Naruto's around, that he generally comes to life when Naruto's around.

He hates it, but he can't draw away.

They graduate, and move apart.

Naruto is a girl in one of their lifetimes. It only happens once, as if the universe has realized what a cosmic mistake it's made and swears never to do it again.

Naruko and Sasuke are best friends. They've been best friends ever since middle school, when Sasuke stood up for her in a classroom full of bullies. Naruko has no family. Sasuke is the heir to the Uchiha corporation.

They fall in love, against all the odds. People accept Naruko because of Sasuke, but both could care less what others thought. They smile at each other – love is eternal.

Then Sasuke's father intervenes, stern and cold and forbidding, echoing of old traditions and arranged marriages. He reminds Sasuke that he has a duty to fulfill, just like Itachi, and that he cannot under any circumstances be marrying a ragged poor unknown girl such as Naruko. Think of the reputation, he says, think of the future. And then he leans in close and whispers in Sasuke's ear, if you don't do it, then I'll just have to use other methods and get rid of her myself.

Fugaku isn't above killing. Unfortunately, Sasuke knows that.

He breaks up with Naruko the next day, over text, coldly and harshly. At first she texts back, disbelieving (is this a fucking joke, Uchiha). Then the calls start, and it takes Sasuke's whole soul not to answer. He listens to the voicemails against his better judgment, and his heart sinks further and further into the hole his father has dug for him as she starts off angry and screaming, then accusatory, then slowly and steadily dripping into bittersweet sorrow and agony. Sasuke can list the times he's heard Naruko cry on one hand, and the sound of her muffled sobs through the receiver is more than he can bear. Sasuke breaks and cries too, feeling as if he has no heart left (and maybe he doesn't).

She knows better than to come to his door, though, because she knows that Fugaku doesn't like her. Sasuke prays that she doesn't put together the pieces that Fugaku has arranged this, otherwise drastic things may happen that would surely result in Naruko's death. He doesn't want her dead. He loves her.

Fugaku introduces him to his arranged wife the next day—pretty, prim, neat Sakura. She's done nothing wrong, and she blushes whenever he looks at her, obviously infatuated with his looks. She's done nothing wrong, but he can't help but be cold to her whenever she speaks to him, and after a while she too draws away. She's done nothing wrong, but she isn't Naruko.

He still sees her in their college classes, because they had chosen to attend the same school by the time he broke up with her, and it's too late to change that. Sakura has been wheedled into their classes as well, and for the sake of his goddamn reputation, he has to pretend to love her. Kiss the lips that weren't Naruko's, look into green eyes that should've been blue, touch the petal smooth skin instead of caressing Naruko's warm, scarred cheeks, thread his fingers through short pink hair and not long, luxurious blond strands.

I miss her so much.

He sees the hurt in Naruko's eyes every time he sits next to Sakura and ignores her. He sees the anguish and the unspoken question of 'what did I do wrong?'. He sees her try to ignore him, but he also sees her dying on the inside.

I'm so sorry.

He marries Sakura in a year, and that year Naruko disappears from the college. Sasuke worries silently, futilely searching for her underneath his father's nose, but to no avail.

It's many years later, walking in the street with Sakura and his two children, that he sees her again. It's only the back, but he can tell Naruko anywhere.

She's walking with a man, tall and black-haired just like Sasuke, wrapped with paper-white skin to top it off. The only difference is his hair, smooth and flat where Sasuke's sticks up. Her hand is entwined with his, and she's leaning against him.

Sasuke's heart finally falls to pieces, and after that day, he chooses to forget about Naruko.

And he does.

There is another strange encounter of theirs – the crow and the fox.

For some odd reason or another, they are reincarnated as animals, with animalistic instincts. The fox has led an ordinary foxy life—born, weaned off his mother, finding his own territory, catching prey, and attempting to find a mate—and the crow an ordinary birdy life—hatched, fed, taught to fly and pushed from the nest, building his own nest and attempting to find a mate.

They meet by chance. The fox's den has just been flooded, and he's in search of a new place to call his home. Every territory is taken already, and it's with a heavy heart he realizes he might have to sleep in the cold that night. No animal is willing to share; not even fellow foxes.

He's wandering sadly through the darkening forest when a loud cawing interrupts his daze. Looking up, startled, he sees a large black crow swooping down on him. Yelping, the fox turns, ready to run from what was no doubt another attack—instead, a rabbit is dropped in front of him. Glancing up, confused (did he accidentally let go?) there's no sign of the crow. Hesitantly, he picks up the rabbit and devours it, all the while keeping an eye out for the crow.

Later, he's ambling again, and another rabbit is dropped in front of him. He glances around wildly again, and this time he spots the crow sitting in the tree in front of him, sharp black eyes staring at him intently. He prods the rabbit cautiously, eyes locked on the crow. When the bird doesn't respond, he picks up the rabbit and dips his head to the crow, thanking him. He doesn't know why the crow has done it, but it has saved him.

He moves on the next day and leaves the crow behind, but he will never forget the kindness of another animal.

A blond man walks along the street, herding his children in front of him, his blue-haired wife giggling shyly next to him.

Across the road is a black-haired man, walking with his brother. They attract all the attention and don't give the family across the street a second glance.

They pass.

The sixth time they meet, it's a one night stand.

Sasuke buys Naruto a drink in the club. They're both tired and horny and all they want is a quick fuck and a night of nothingness.

Sasuke finds Naruto's voice delicious as he thrusts inside him, and Naruto can't get enough of Sasuke's body. They writhe together and hold onto each other as they plummet over each climax, almost as if they were long-time lovers and not just people meeting once… Never to see each other again.

Morning comes.

Naruto stares up at the ceiling of his white hospital room. The tiles are cracked and in obvious need of some repair, but he knows Tsunade baa-chan doesn't have enough money to fix it. It's okay. When he dies (and he can hear them whispering, he knows it's soon) his organs will be sold, and they can have all the money they need.

He was diagnosed with a rare case of lung cancer, warped and unseen before, at the tender age of seven. Doctors were fascinated by him and the strange reddish-blue color of his eyes—a result of melanin, or something, they say. Naruto doesn't really care. All he knows is that he doesn't have much time left to live, but that's okay. He doesn't have anyone left, anyway.

The door opens to his room, and he turns his head, expecting to see another nurse (like he has for the past nine years). This time, though—it's different. It's someone supporting a sickly pale man. The man is deposited on the bed next to Naruto's, and goes promptly to sleep.

Naruto can't help but examine him, interested. He hasn't seen many people, ever since he was confined to the hospital. This man is certainly what they would call 'beautiful'. Despite the dark circles under his hollow eyes and the thin bones threatening to break through his fragile-looking skin, he is still beautiful. An angel.

Naruto asks for his name the next day, and all he gets is a hollow stare in return.

He tries again the day after that. Again, the same answer.

Seeing that he isn't getting anywhere, Naruto begins telling stories. He discovers his mysterious roommate doesn't like being stared at, but he will willingly stare at Naruto while he tells his stories.

"I wanted to be a writer," Naruto says, eyes trained on the tiles in the ceiling. "Before I was diagnosed with cancer, of course. Since I haven't seen a lot of the world, I make up my own stories in my head. It's enough to keep me from my nightmares on stormy nights."

The man has nightmares. That much Naruto knows. He tried to comfort him the first night of the nightmare, but is pushed rudely away. He tries again every night, just as he asks for his name every day.

Then one day, just as Naruto is telling the story of how his parents died when he was two (but he's always felt them watching over him) he feels a sudden jerk in his chest…and promptly everything fades to black in one dizzying swirl of color.

The last thing he hears is his name.

He wakes slowly with a pounding headache, blinking blearily at Tsunade. Her expression is sad, and she slowly shakes her head. "One day," she says, and that's it.

Naruto turns his head to the other side of the bed, and is surprised to find his roommate sitting in the chair next to his bed. "Heh, I guess you know then," he laughs weakly, trying to comfort the obviously distraught looking man. There's no fear inside him. He knows that this day has been coming for a while now. Tomorrow he will die, and there is no hesitance.

"Why didn't you tell me?" the man asks lowly, eyes shadowed. "Naruto."

"I didn't think you would care," Naruto answers, genuinely surprised. The man never seemed to care. He just listened, and Naruto was happy to share his warmth.

"I do. I do," the man says, and his mouth is on Naruto's in the next second, searing and ice all at once.

They hold each other in the aftermath (even though Naruto's side throbs painfully, he doesn't comment) and don't speak. The night passes almost uneventfully, but to Naruto's horror, he's starting to feel something breaking inside him. It's not his body shutting down; it's his heart slowly crumbling.

I think I hate you…for making me feel this way when I don't even know your name.

The man is pulled from his arms the next day (how does it pass so soon) when doctors pour into his room, ready to help Naruto move onto the next stage of his life—only Naruto doesn't want to move on anymore. He wants to stay, for the first time, and it kills him.

His eyes plead to the man's. Don't let them take me.

The darkness is threatening to creep into his vision again, and he can't stop it.

(this time, it's final)

Someone's holding his hand now, so warm, and he smiles, even as his eyes close. And then he hears it—almost like an exhale of air, but warm as honey.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke's hand tightens around his. Sasuke's tears land on his cheek. Sasuke Sasuke Sasuke Sasuke Sasuke. Naruto smiles. He finally has a name, and his fingers tighten once around Sasuke's.

"Thank you," he mouths, and then… Naruto is gone.

It is the year 2991, and the world is on its way to destruction.

Naruto is a drone, inhuman with implanted feelings. He is programmed to kill—but programmed to feel as well.

(is this their idea of irony)

He doesn't like his job. There are countless others who do the same task as him—drones—but they have no real importance besides to march forward on the battlefield, slaying all that are in his path. He doesn't feel pain. He doesn't die.

There is nothing for him to live for.

That is, until Sasuke.

Sasuke is a Master. He doesn't kill—he commands. It's rumored that the Masters are vicious and coldblooded, and certainly, they take drones at random to rape and mutilate to their heart's content, because they enjoy the bloodthirstiness of the struggle…all because they implanted feelings into the drone. It's a sick game, and Naruto hates it.

Sasuke is different though. He meets him at one of their monthly soirees, where all drones are required to attend. The Masters stride through the masked drones, picking those that suit their fancy—four, one for each week. Each drone does their best not to get noticed, because the drones that get picked don't return.

Naruto typically hides in the corner behind a pillar. He's enveloped safely from the outer world, and he escapes to his corner as usual—only to see someone already in his spot. Panicking, he turns swiftly and pretends to walk away, but it is too late. The Master calls out to him, and he cannot disobey.

"Stop."

"Y-yes, Master?" he asks hesitantly, turning. Don't pick me don't pick me.

The Master is heart-stopping, gifted with the natural beauty only true humans can have. Of course, drones are genetically engineered to appear attractive, but there is always some sort of disfigurement on their face to mark their status as drone. Some, if they're lucky, have a certain hair color or eyes. Others have scars, like Naruto—three parallel on each cheek, and he's been told on multiple occasions by other drones that they make him look foxy. Sexy. That is the main reason Naruto has hid every soiree, but now, apparently, he's been found.

Naruto bows quickly, cursing the fact that he had not chosen the mask that covered his scars. Hopefully the Master had not gotten a good look at his face, but that was unlikely. Still, he prayed.

"What is your name, drone?"

"Naruto, Master." Naruto remains bowed, back visibly tense.

"Stop bowing." Instantly, he straightens like a board, as much as he would've wished to continue bowing. "That's better. Have you been taken yet?"

This was not going well, Naruto could see that. Soon he would be taken, and he dreaded the thought. Yet he cannot lie, not to a Master.

"N…No, Master."

"I see." The Master walks forward, so close that Naruto can see the shadow his long eyelashes cast on his alabaster cheek. His hair is ebony black and looks so soft - must be an Uchiha, then. They are the few pure humans left in the tarnished world; not many have such beauty naturally. "Shall I take you?"

"Do what you wish, Master." His voice is monotone, but inside he's screaming nonononono.

"Do you think I will hurt you, Naruto? Speak the truth."

Naruto hesitates for as long as he can, but he must always obey. "Yes, Master."

"Call me Sasuke, not Master. I am nothing like those filthy bastards." For a second, the Mas—Sasuke's eyes glow red. Definitely an Uchiha, and a strange one at that. Naruto doesn't believe his words right away, because the Masters have been known to lie on more than one occasion.

"Yes, Sasuke."

"I won't hurt you if you come with me willingly and promise to help me put an end to this war." Sasuke stares into Naruto's eyes. "You have something special. I can sense it."

For some reason, a strange glowing feeling warms Naruto, and he nods breathlessly. "I—I will. I'll protect you."

"Very well." Sasuke smiles, and Naruto's nonexistent heart stops beating. "Come with me."

They become a legend. The only Master to have ever taken only one drone—they truly love each other, the people whisper. It's taboo. The drone's fighting skills were extraordinary, and the Master outsmarted all his opponents. Any attempts to take his life were thwarted by the drone.

It seemed they would truly succeed in their goal of freeing the world (this cursed world) when the pair invented it.

The drone-killer.

It was a device that short-circuited the drone's system upon touch. It spread quickly throughout the world, till any Master that was Master had a sufficient supply of the weapon. Drones were exterminated throughout the world, almost thoughtlessly, until only hundreds were left. Armies were dwindling, and the war was closer than ever to being finished.

The last Master, besides Sasuke, was killed June 19, 3001. Sasuke stared coldly down at the collapsing body, and his drone stood next to him.

Then the unbelievable happened—Sasuke turned, Naruto smiled, and he embraced Sasuke. Seconds later, Naruto's body convulsed, and collapsed on the floor, lifeless.

If there is no one around to see his tears, did they really fall?

The final Master took his own life beside his faithful drone. They had promised this, promised to kill themselves when their goal was achieved, because their presence would only spark more war. They were the last ones, and the Master had sworn to the drone to kill him first, to spare the drone the task of killing his Master.

They died together, and they rose again.

Naruto drops his wallet. Sasuke picks it up, hands it to Naruto without a word, and steps off the subway.

The train departs.

Sasuke is homeless and tired and starving. He has no family, and he doesn't care. All he's waiting for is the chance to end his life.

His head is bowed, his arms clasped around his knees, and footsteps echo around him. He's used to this. He doesn't care.

Then, a pair of feet stops in front of him.

Slowly, he raises his head, empty eyes disbelieving. Was someone actually stupid enough to stop in front of him? Him, homeless and dirty and sinful?

Blue eyes shine at him, and he's handed a chunk of bread. Wordlessly, he accepts it, and the man moves on, whistling.

Sasuke stares at the bread for a little before taking a small bite. (it's warm, like his eyes)

For the first time in a month, he feels full.

They are friends online and nothing more. Neither know the other's true identity, but that is the point of a virtual reality MMORPG.

They don't really hang out with the same friends online, and they only meet up once in the blue moon to go on the arbitrary quest or conquer a castle. Their relationship is casual and fickle, and they don't ask for more.

They are not always human.

Sometimes, they are otherworldly.

Naruto has been a vampire once, feeding only on the abandoned and thriving blood for survival. He hated himself, because it was the ultimate weakness—the ultimate abomination. He roamed the streets at night in silence; the same silence that has muffled his ears for the past thousand years. Every day surviving is another thoughtless second, ticking by and flowing past him.

He doesn't care.

Then Sasuke enters his life, like a ray of light. He is a vampire slayer, and they chance upon each other when Naruto stops a group of thugs that are trying to rape an innocent girl. Naruto is turning away from the good deed (he does them to try and save his inhuman soul) when he sees someone blocking the way, pale skin illuminated in the moonlight and red eyes glowing from the shadows.

"My name is Sasuke," the figure says. "Why do you not kill?"

They begin a truce together. Naruto gives up others' blood for Sasuke's, and soon he finds that he only craves the pale-skinned man's blood. It's divine. It's unlike anything he has ever tasted.

He thinks he loves him.

One day, they are ambushed by a ravenous horde of vampires. Both knew the risks of entering such vampire-dominated territory, yet it was where most of the civilians had been taken recently. The vampires hiss and claw at the pair, but are reluctant to get any closer because of Naruto, who snarls back, red eyes flaming. "Why do you do this, brother," they growl, crawling around the two with hunched backs and thin limbs. "Why do you protect this human?"

He gives the same answer he gave Sasuke that day. "Because I want to protect my humanity."

The vampires eventually give in to their thirst and attack, regardless of Naruto. Sasuke doesn't have enough ammunition in his gun to kill them all, and Naruto doesn't have enough endurance to destroy the rest. He pushes himself, though, and pushes himself past his limit, unleashing reserves of demonic power he has saved up over the centuries. The vampires in the town are incinerated at once, and he collapses, burnt out. Sasuke cradles his head in his lap, looking confused and torn.

"What are you, Naruto?" he whispers. "Why did you save me?"

Naruto smiles softly, seeing the sun begin to rise on the dark horizon. "I am an Ancestor. I was tired of living, but I couldn't be killed by normal vampires. I had to give myself up for someone I truly loved in order to die, because we are not supposed to feel."

"You loved me?" There is shock in Sasuke's eyes, but Naruto isn't surprised. He hid his feelings well. Sasuke shouldn't have known.

"Of a sort. You are special, Sasuke." Naruto lifts a hand and gently touches Sasuke's cheek. "My time is up now. Live and change the world."

His hand drops, and Naruto dissolves into dust in Sasuke's arms as the sun breaches the sky.

They continue to miss each other, just barely—neither realize that the stranger that gives them an extra quarter, the librarian who hands them a book, the teacher who they adore, the taxi driver, the gardener, the singer, the neighbor—that they're the piece that they've been missing.

Naruto waits in the afterlife, desperate to catch a glimpse of Sasuke before he is thrown back in the cycle and is rewashed again. Time holds no meaning in the golden glow of the afterlife, where souls flicker in and out like lights. He can feel it though… His time here is drawing to a close, and if Sasuke doesn't appear soon, he will have no chance before he's reborn.

A bright light spreads through the afterlife, and for a second, every soul pauses as they wait for the brilliance to fade. Naruto grins. Here is his Sasuke.

"We missed each other again?" Sasuke frowns, making his way toward Naruto. It is only here that they can remember each lifetime—each mistake, each sorrow, and each love.

"It seems like it." Naruto winds his hand around Sasuke's, breathing in his scent. He doesn't know what to call their relationship: it isn't quite love, it isn't friendship, it isn't family. They are bound by something much more than all three.

"They seem to like toying with us. Is it too much for one happy ending?" Sasuke glares up (or maybe he's glaring down; direction is meaningless here as well).

Naruto regretfully untangles his fingers with Sasuke's. "We just have to keep waiting, I suppose. They have to give us our happy ending sometime."

"True." Sasuke sighs as he watches Naruto's figure begin to shimmer. "Time to leave?"

"Yeah." Naruto smiles. "See you soon."

Five more lifetimes pass before they receive their happy ending.

The first life is uneventful. Naruto believes in smiles and Sasuke doesn't like people. They spot each other across the crowded market; Naruto smiles, and Sasuke doesn't know why—but he smiles back.

The second life is slightly more entertaining. Naruto is a photographer for weddings, and he's been asked by a demure soon-to-be bride (Hinata Hyuuga) to photograph her and Sasuke's wedding. ("You make a wonderful couple, Mr. Uchiha." "Thank you, Mr. Uzumaki.")

The third life is full of shouts and anger. Naruto has been abused since birth, without a family, and Sasuke was disowned from the Uchiha clan at seven. They attend school together, and it's always hateful, spat words and glares promising death. Neither knows the other, and they keep it that way.

The fourth life is another mere brush. Naruto is on an elevator, ascending to the ninth floor. Sasuke gets on at the third floor. Naruto asks politely which floor Sasuke is heading; the seventh, he replies; Naruto presses the button. Four floors pass soundlessly. Sasuke steps off. The elevator closes.

The fifth life nearly destroys both of them in the afterlife. Sasuke weeps for the first time, clutching Naruto like there is no tomorrow (and maybe there isn't), whispering sorry sorry sorry over and over again. I didn't mean to. Naruto holds Sasuke softly and forgives him, because that is the only thing he can do. He doesn't pretend to lie and say that it didn't hurt, because it did. Sasuke hasn't tried to kill him in a lifetime, not since the first.

In the fifth life, Naruto is an undercover detective, as his father and mother were. He was on the footsteps of a massive serial killer, who was only identified by his pitch black hair and matching eyes. There was supposedly a tattoo on his shoulder as well, but that was of little help to Naruto. For weeks the search had been progressing futilely, and he would grit his teeth as more and more reports trickled in of dead girls and boys—the killer didn't discriminate. Frustrated that lives were literally slipping out of his fingers, Naruto went to extreme measures. He donned a hat that shadowed his face, slipped on oversized clothes, and smudged ashes across his skin, camouflaging his telltale whiskers. Victims, homeless but beautiful, were the type that the killer usually went after. He had only informed his colleagues of his dangerous mission once he was on the road, hunched against the wind as he listened to Sakura's screaming voice in his ear. (don't go Naruto don't hang up on me we're coming you can't go alone—) And then he hung up, tossing the phone into a trash can. This way, they would know where to find him and the killer.

Naruto didn't plan on making it out alive.

The killer usually killed at night, in the darker parts of the glistening city. Naruto picked an adequate spot behind a bar, settled down, and waited.

It didn't take long.

One second, everything was quiet, and the next thing he knew, he was pinned against the side of the building with a hand around his throat. He could see nothing of his attacker—the light flickering above his head only served to cast the killer's face into shadow under the heavy brim of his cloak-hood.

"What might your name be, pretty?" the killer purred, his free hand armed with a gleaming silver knife. Naruto swallowed. He had to stall—Sakura must've figured out by now that he had implanted a tracker into his clothes, so they had to be on their way. They had to.

"Naruto… and who are you?" he answered boldly, grasping the hand that was clenched around his neck. There was no pressure in the grasp.

"You can call me Sasuke, not that it matters. Funny. You aren't afraid," Sasuke muttered, lifting his head up. The light illuminated his face for one split second, and Naruto caught a glimpse of pale, pale skin and shadow hair. "Why?"

"I'm going to die anyway. We all are." Naruto stared fearlessly at Sasuke, whose face is shadowed once more. "Why do you kill?"

"Do you know who I am?" Sasuke sounds interested. "Oh, perhaps you are the sneaky little mouse that has been on my trail recently. Are you?"

"If I was, what would you do?"

"Kill you, of course. What else?" Sasuke shrugged.

"Why?" Naruto pressed onward. Stall.

"I desire blood. I want the beauty tarnished. Does it matter?"

"Tell me."

"You're strange."

"As are you."

"Perhaps, odd detective, we are quite similar. Few have been able to keep up with me, and you are rather persistent."

"Are you saying we could've been friends in a different lifetime?"

"Maybe I am."

"Criminals and detectives do think alike, after all, don't they say?"

Sasuke smiles, and all he sees are pale lips. His eyes are still shadowed. Naruto knows his time is drawing to an end, and really, he could care less about why Sasuke killed. As long as he was put away and not killing anyone else, that was fine by him. Naruto lived for justice.

"Do you really want to know why I kill, Naruto?" His name falls from Sasuke's lips in a sinful hiss. "Truly?"

Naruto hears sirens, distant and away. But it's enough. "I do."

The blade is mysteriously absent from Sasuke's free hand as he reaches up and tugs Naruto's hat off. "Your hair is so beautiful. Has anyone ever said that? What about your eyes? Their blue is unmatched." His hand rubs on Naruto's cheek, smearing the soot. "Soft skin." His thumb brushes Naruto's lower lip, but doesn't enter his mouth. "Delicate lips." Sasuke presses his forehead against Naruto's and breathes. "What would it have been like if we knew each other, do you think?"

Naruto barely gasps as a steel blade slides smoothly into his stomach. His threshold for pain has always been high, but this is pushing it. Blood bubbles in the corner of his mouth and drips down his chin, and he doesn't answer.

"Who knows." Sasuke draws back, and pushes off the hood on his head. His features are cast into a brilliant light, and Naruto inhales slightly. This man is gorgeous, almost unearthly in his beauty. How could someone who looks so angelic have such a demonic heart?

Naruto closes his eyes as Sasuke leans in close, settling his face beside his. "I do this, Naruto, because I want innocence. As a child, I had none, but isn't that how all horror stories begin? No murderer or rapist is born with a comforting childhood. How would they turn so evil? I kill those I find beautiful, but without a childhood, like me. There have been none with your beauty, though. You are the first." His hand drops from Naruto's throat and threads into his hair. Naruto exhales. How can he feel so calm with this man? "I have no intention of living, let me assure you, Naruto. I've only wanted to find that innocence, and kill myself along with it. So that someone else like me has been born into this world."

"But I'm not innocent," Naruto interrupts, eyes still shut. "None of us are."

"Innocent enough for me," Sasuke whispers, and pierces Naruto's chest with his knife. Naruto coughs once, twice, then slumps forward.

"That's a first," he whispers. "Perhaps in another lifetime, then."

"Perhaps." And the detective and killer held each other, as flashing spotlights descended on them, sirens wailing and the world weeping. Shots echoed, but the killer put up no resistance.

And so they perished.

"One more time." Naruto holds Sasuke's hand, and both of them face the harsh light that begins to engulf them. "One more life."

They step forward.

Naruto has been shunned as a child, ever since he was born. He doesn't know why, but none of the villagers seem to like him.

Sasuke was loved from the moment he was born. Cherished, cooed over. He loves his brother more than anything in the world, and tries the hardest to please his father.

Neither of them know of the other's existence.

Then one day, Sasuke's world is extinguished in a flash of metal and an arc of blood. Everything he knows crumbles around him, drenched in bittersweet vermillion. He is the only one left in his clan, and he swears vengeance on Itachi. His personality utterly shifts—his eyes grow cold where warmth once was, and his mind is set on one thing. Revenge.

Naruto doesn't know Sasuke. All he knows is an impervious, coldhearted boy who excels at everything in the class. He hates him for that, because he is the class clown and is dead last in everything he does. He hears of the Uchiha massacre, but does nothing, because he doesn't know Sasuke.

Maybe deep down he admits to himself that he just really wants to be Sasuke. He doesn't want anything else. He wants the popularity, he wants the brains, he wants to be loved. Accepted by all, and especially by Sasuke, who lets no one into his heart. So he trains and trains, knowing only one thing: they both share loneliness. (What an ironic phrase, because loneliness is solitary. So how can they share it?)

Naruto barely scrapes by in the graduation exam, and is absolutely horrified when he's put on a team with Sasuke. How is he supposed to function with Sakura and Sasuke so close? He wants to impress both of them, but for entirely different reasons. Sakura is less than impressed as well, and Sasuke is blank.

He has to admit that Kakashi-sensei is pretty cool, though his attention on Sasuke is not. They handle missions together with Naruto as the distraction, Sakura as the glue, and Sasuke as the sword. Kakashi is the handle that guides them. Naruto learns more about Sasuke slowly, and he hates him all the more for his inability to anything less than perfect.

Then they are handed the Wave mission, and for the first time, Naruto gets to show off.

He and Sasuke work together smoothly like a well-oiled machine, despite the fact that both are rivals. They goad each other on in training, and Naruto finds himself thinking, Could we have been friends?

Naruto stares in horror as Sasuke falls in front of him, needles sticking out of his neck. "Why did you save me?" he whispers, eyes stricken. Sasuke cannot die. Something is screaming inside him at the thought—if he dies, what will Naruto do? How will he live? Horrible déjà vu is gnawing away at him, and he curls around Sasuke's still body. Rage washes through him and everything goes blissfully blank. Later, when Haku and Zabuza are both dead, Naruto is bewildered at the sudden rush of relief that floods his body as Sasuke sits up, evidently alive. Thank god, he thinks, but why?

He doesn't have an answer. They return to Konoha, and are swept up in the busy village's excitements once more. Kakashi has entered them in the chunin exam, and there is much to prepare for. They meet all sorts of new people, and Naruto improves on his ninja skills drastically—so much so, in fact, that Sasuke is beginning to worry. Then Team Seven forgets everything as Sasuke and Naruto are attacked by a strange, long-necked man. Naruto escapes mostly unscathed, but Sasuke exits the forest with a dark secret and a painful seal on his shoulder.

Kakashi trains Sasuke and Naruto is passed (eventually) to Jiraiya. He learns to summon toads and to control his demonic chakra. Sasuke learns the Chidori, and it is in that moment that things being to spiral downward once more.

Naruto cheers when he beats Neji, but is at a loss when Sasuke still isn't there. It doesn't feel right without Sasuke. Almost like Sasuke is the only thing he has left to live for, but that isn't true. He has all his friends, Konoha, and his teachers. (So why does Sasuke feel more important?)

Sasuke arrives in a flash of leaves, dressed in black and looking so utterly cool that Naruto feels a twinge in his heart. He mistakenly interprets it as envy and throws the feeling away in the chaos that follows Gaara, as the Leaf is attacked brutally by Orochimaru and the Sand. Naruto hunts down Gaara, defeats him, and once again, Sasuke is worried.

After the attack, Jiraiya coaxes Naruto along in a journey to find Tsunade. They chance upon Itachi, and confusion ensues as Sasuke suddenly shows up. Naruto doesn't know why, but he knows that there is more than hatred going on between him and his brother. Time doesn't erode bonds. However, if Sasuke is so willing to hate Itachi, Naruto will too—because nobody puts Sasuke into a coma and gets away with it. That's Naruto's job. Even more determined, they set off in their journey to find Tsunade again. Jiraiya teaches him the Rasengan along the way, and Naruto wins the heart of another. He finally sees Orochimaru (the man who will take everything away from him) and manages to drive them away and save the next Hokage of Konoha.

Everything happens very fast after that. It's a blur of screaming and hospital rooftops, of fighting and the patter of feet on asphalt, of arrogant voices and the hurt bubbling inside him. Sasuke is jealous, very jealous, but Naruto doesn't know why. They're rivals and equals, at last, and this is how it should've been.

He makes a promise to Sakura—I'll bring him home—and sets off. But what can you do to an unwilling friend? Drag them home? Naruto pleads, he screams, he cries, he fights, but he cannot beat Sasuke. I'll protect my bonds, and I'll protect you, Naruto thinks.

I need to kill Itachi, Sasuke thinks.

In the end Sasuke is simply stronger. He collapses over Naruto, eyes staring at the person who would always be his best friend, and remorse washes through him. Once, just once, he would let himself regret. Afterwards, he hardens his will and leaves Konoha without a backwards glance.

…

Naruto trains three long, long years without Sasuke. It's lonely, and he hurts more than he would ever admit. There's a gaping hole in him, and every second without his rival and best friend, the hole is ripped apart a little more. Soon, there's going to be nothing left.

He dreams during the years without Sasuke. Some are of this life—or what's supposed to be this life. There are flashes of blood and a never-ending war; there are dead comrades and an alliance with the Kyuubi; there is a golden coat covering his skin and he fights against Obito and Madara. When he wakes, he cannot remember who those two possibly could be, but in his dreams, he knows.

He also dreams of other things, other places that could not possibly exist in the ninja world.

(a grocery store; a daycare; a college; Naruko and Sasuke; a crow and a fox; two separate families walking along two separate roads; heated passion for only one brief night; cold, cold illness for so long until someone unnamed managed to brighten it; a future world of drones and Masters; a train; giving bread to someone homeless; a virtual reality MMORPG; vampires and slayers; a smile, a wedding, irrational anger, an elevator; and finally, flashes of dark nights and cold blades and the strange warmth that wasn't blood)

Somehow, in his dreams, he knows this is the last time.

…

Naruto comes home, older, more handsome, and more mature. (For the most part.)

His friends and acquaintances have grown as well, and Sakura-chan looks more beautiful than ever. He's launched on a mission nearly the minute he's come home—rescue Gaara.

He flies instantly to his fellow jinchuuriki's side. For a few weeks, he forgets about Sasuke as he desperately fends off the Akatsuki that wants his blood and against all the odds, brings Gaara back to life. He is sorry Chiyo had to sacrifice her life for the Kazekage, but such is the way of the world.

Then they receive the hint about Orochimaru's location, and like a hound to a scent, Naruto's off chasing Sasuke again.

Naruto isn't so sure about this Sai replacement, so he's hostile at first. Later, when he's accepted Sai, he wonders why he hasn't done it sooner. Sai is harmless. Perhaps jokes around a little too much, but harmless. Orochimaru provokes Naruto into releasing his four-tails state—no one talks about Sasuke like that. (Sasuke is his.) His den is a mass of twisting corridors and stumbling betrayals, one after another. The light shines too brightly and blinds him when he exits the corridor, and he has to squint to see Sasuke's figure.

He's grown as well, Naruto thinks, almost with a sense of pride.

Then they're back in the familiar repetitive motions of fighting, back and forth, blade across blade. Sasuke represses the Kyuubi; Naruto can't save him. Again, Sasuke shows his strength. Again, he disappears.

Why won't you just kill me then?

Naruto trains and trains and trains again, developing endless techniques (despite the fact that he cannot use it without hurting himself, he is not deterred; he'll do anything to bring Sasuke home) and defeating Kakuzu and Hidan.

News trickle in not days after they've come home—Sasuke's killed Orochimaru, and for a split second, Naruto is hopeful. Surely he can come home now. There is no need for him to search for power anymore, is there? He must've found the power he wanted, and now he can come home to Naruto. But that isn't the case, because he's forgotten about Itachi, the man Sasuke loves and hates more than anything. They are blood kin, and Naruto knows Sasuke was speaking the truth when he said Naruto will never know the pain of losing your blood-relatives. But Naruto knows the pain of losing your friends (your most important person) and he thinks, that's close enough.

Sasuke is on the move again, hunting out a new team, while an eight-man squad departs from Konoha to search for Itachi. Naruto briefly—so briefly—encounters Sasuke, but that is brushed aside by the strange masked man. They stare, disbelieving, as Zetsu rises from the ground and whispers in Tobi's ear (he's killed Itachi!).

Now, right? Now Sasuke can come home?

He's distracted again as Jiraiya is pronounced dead, and Sasuke swears vengeance on Konoha for ordering the destruction of his clan. Killer Bee narrowly escapes capture, and Pein launches an attack on Konoha that nearly levels it, if not for Naruto. Sasuke is pushed once again from his mind as he focuses on protecting his beloved village; at last, he's seen as a hero.

The five countries unite as one to protect themselves from the Akatsuki. Sasuke emerges from the woodwork once more, intent on destroying Danzo, and by the time Naruto arrives, he barely manages to save Sakura from Sasuke's deadly clutches. It hurts to know that he doesn't love Sakura anymore, that something has shifted. It hurts to see Sasuke try to kill his friends.

(Why do you go so far for me? Because you're my friend.)

It is with a heavy heart and the ever present sense of déjà vu that Naruto solemnly declares his personal war on Sasuke, and Sasuke returns the declaration with dying eyes and a maniacal smile. The Sasuke he knew is long gone now, but he will always love Sasuke, because there is no one else left to love him.

On the outside, another war is on the brink of raging. TobiMadaraObito has declared his own war, and the villages are thrown into preparation. Naruto trains with Killer Bee and masters Kurama; he rejoins the war with determined eyes and a flaming coat. (Vaguely, in the back of his mind, he is reminded of the dreams he had where fire is covering every inch of his skin.)

Unknown to him, in a desolate cave Sasuke and Itachi have defeated Kabuto, and the edo tensai disappears. If even Itachi was unable to change Sasuke's heart, how can Naruto possibly do so? Yet, he tries.

Many of his comrades die in the seemingly never-ending battle. It takes many sacrifices before Obito is finally vanquished, and Naruto is almost sad to see him go. He could've turned out so different. If only, if only, if only.

He faces Sasuke with the sun pouring down on them, a lake stretched between them. Will you come home, he asks. I cannot, Sasuke replies.

Naruto's limbs move slower than usual as he faces Sasuke. It isn't from overusing his chakra. He doesn't want to hurt Sasuke, and the thought rings dully in the back of his head: this is our last chance. They clash, but not a single word is exchanged. Naruto feels Sasuke, senses his hesitation as well. There is something keeping both of them back, and if only he could stop to read Sasuke's eyes; but then again, these are Itachi's eyes now. They don't reflect Sasuke's soul. (If only they could reflect Itachi's wishes.)

They are both panting and exhausted when the final blow comes. Naruto charges up his Rasengan and Sasuke his Chidori. There is a beat of silence. Two. Three. Then they are up and running fastfastfaster toward each other.

Time seems to slow down for Naruto. He still sees Sasuke running toward him, so graceful and strong and utterly dangerous, but he sees something else too. He sees a dying, pale Sasuke lying in the dirt, eyes peaceful at last. He sees a two-year-old Sasuke, slamming his teddy bear angrily on the ground. He sees a Sasuke their age, but dressed in strange tight clothes with an indifferent expression on his face. He sees a Sasuke in sleek futuristic clothing, a Sasuke whose eyes are filled with the pain of loss, even a strange crow. He sees a Sasuke curled up and ragged, a Sasuke with a smile, a Sasuke kind but cold. He sees a Sasuke that's screaming, a Sasuke flushed with passion, and a Sasuke with piercing eyes and a knife in his hand.

And then, realization hits Naruto with a spine-tingling flash.

His Rasengan flutters out of his hand before he can react, and his eyes widen even as his legs carry him forward. His heart skips a beat as memories pour into his head, over and over, swirling until it seems his head will explode because there is no more room.

He has known Sasuke for much longer than this lifetime. He has known Sasuke forever, and if they die now…this is their last life.

With horrified eyes, he turns to Sasuke. Don't is already on the edge of his lips when he sees Sasuke's hands are empty as well. Confused, he turns to stare at his (what is he) soul mate—and they collide, arms and legs tangling. Naruto lands on the bottom with Sasuke above him, breath harshly knocked out of his lungs. His hands grasp at Sasuke's back and tears rise to his eyes. "You're—"

"I know." Sasuke silences him with two words, and his own face is muffled in Naruto's neck.

They lie there, stunned by the revelation that the other has been their soul mate for who knows how long. Eternity, if need be. But now that they've found each other—there is no letting them go. Naruto will not let Sasuke be stolen by revenge again. He will kill them both if he has to.

Luckily, there is no need for him to go that far. Sasuke lifts his head from Naruto's neck and smiles softly, a smile that has always stopped Naruto's heart and always would.

"What is it?" he whispers, tracing Sasuke's face. He is so beautiful—so full of life.

(is this our happy ending)

"I'm home, Naruto. I'm home."

END.

A/N: So...yeah :D It came in a full circle! I love stories like those. And reincarnation stories, where they almost meet each other in different lives but don't. There aren't enough of those, in my opinion...if any of you know any good ones, please tell me! :)

If you don't understand - the first death was what would be the end of the current Naruto series. The very last one would be the Naruto series repeated, with a different ending. Hopefully you all know where the last life diverges from the Naruto manga xD Interestingly enough, this was written purely on a whim. I wanted to write reincarnation fics, and behold, this 8000 oneshot came out. Fantastix.

I would be delighted if you reviewed! :D So please leave a comment or critique or whatever. x) Thanks for reading!

~Demon's Requiem