aurrai

In silence, they were lost. Sasuke was back and he wasn’t the same.

hate you. I don’t hate you. I hate what I let you do to me.

But Naruto could give up to Sasuke. He could, if it mattered so much to him—let Sasuke kill him for the final time if that was what he wanted. Whatever he wanted. Naruto didn’t have to be Hokage if Sasuke didn’t want him to be, if Sasuke didn’t trust him or if he thought Naruto too unworthy or if the jealousy was just too great. It wasn’t the first time Naruto had seriously considered giving up his dreams to Sasuke—giving up everything to Sasuke because when thought about a life without him—without being with him as he had been fighting for since he was twelve and stupid—he didn’t see life at all. Maybe it was his own fault that his vision had narrowed so much, maybe it was and maybe he didn’t care.

I followed you all over this Earth for the past five years—if you go to Sakura-chan’s room, don’t think I won’t follow you there too—

So tell me what to do. Tell me what you want, whatever you want.

What mattered to Sasuke mattered to Naruto and if Sasuke wanted revenge, if he wanted justice, if he wanted power, pride, retribution. If he wanted help. If killing Itachi was what he wanted then Naruto would have helped. He would have given up his dreams even if it meant dying. Even if it meant Sasuke had to kill him completely.

You didn’t have to run away.

You could have told me.

Even though I’d never have listened. Even though I’d never have understood.

“I think Sasuke-kun is lucky you’re alive. You’re alive, Naruto.”

Maybe it was a perverse thing to say, that Sasuke was lucky Naruto didn’t die each time he killed him.

“I’m sure Sasuke-kun knows he’s done nothing to deserve such luck. I’m sure he knows there’s no one else in the world as lucky as he is, to have a best friend like you who, in spite of everything he’s done, never stops believing in him.”

Some old movie was playing that Naruto didn’t recognize, that wasn’t interesting in the slightest, that didn’t take his mind far enough away from reality to stop him from realising—that more than Sasuke trying to kill him, he was afraid that—that maybe Sasuke wasn’t—

“Who are you?”

“Uzumaki Naruto. Who are you?”

Sasuke said, “I don’t know.”

“Silly,” said Naruto. “You’re Sasuke. You’re my favorite person in the world.”