Don't Bury Me, I'm Not Dead Yet

Chapter 1
All he wanted was to be alone and drown in his misery like any other normal person would want to do. Was that so wrong? Apparently it was because here was the ghost of Sasuke coming to haunt him!

With a cry, Naruto panicked and scooted as far away as he could. However, he had forgotten he was sitting on a tree branch, fifty feet from the ground. Pure terror lit his face as he felt the air rush through his clothes and hair, his body falling to the ground. He reached out, trying to grab on to anything.

Instinct took over as he gathered chakra to his hands and feet, reaching for the trunk of the tree. He slid down several more feet, coming to a stop and finally stepping onto a sturdy tree limb. Naruto glanced upward, trying to find the ghostly figure. Part of him expected to see Sasuke staring down at him, a smirk on his face and call him ‘dobe.’

But nothing was there. Peering in all directions, Naruto saw nothing but a lone bird flying out of its hiding place. Maybe it really was a ghost, coming to haunt him.

Naruto jumped to the ground, landing gracefully and making his way back to the village. He figured he could at least see if Neji and the others made it back yet. That would take his mind off of what just happened.

Walking through the village, Naruto paused as he felt a familiar chakra getting close. Looking up, he found his first crush walking towards him, her beautiful face now poignant. Her jade eyes glanced at him, and the blond thought she would yell at him or punch him. Instead, she merely hugged him, nearly crushing him.

His dark shirt became soaked from her tears. Slowly, Naruto wrapped his arms around her, not sure what else he should do. He wished she would yell at him like she usually did. He almost wished she would punch him. But this…he didn’t think he could handle this. It was so unlike her.

“Sakura,” Naruto whispered, gently pushing her away. She sniffled some and swiped at her eyes, now red and puffy. She opened her mouth to speak, but Naruto cut her off, “I’m so sorry, Sakura.”

“No, Naruto—”

But Naruto had already disappeared.


Orochimaru’s men were everywhere. No one expected this to happen, not even the team leader, Neji Hyuuga. This was just supposed to be a scouting mission, nothing more. The shock that came over the group of four was logical. The single jounin and three chuunin were no match for the army of shinobi Orochimaru had brought with him.

But to Naruto, the numbers weren’t important. He could easily use his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and have as many as the snake; which is exactly what he did. His clones fought along side his comrades, while the real blond searched for the Sound leader. He knew that if he were to find Orochimaru, then he would also find him.

The sounds of battle surrounded him but he pushed on through the countless ninja to find his rival. He knew that Sasuke was here, he could feel it.

A bruise here, a nick there; the minor wounds were nothing for Naruto—Kyuubi would heal them. The blond had to find him.

“Naruto,” a snake-like voice called out. Said person turned to the owner of the voice, knowing full-well who it was. A pale man with snake eyes and long, brown hair stood several yards from him, a large and twisted grin on his face.

“Where’s Sasuke, you bastard!?” Naruto shouted, pulling a kunai from his weapon pouch on his leg. He could hear the battle going on all around him, but his main focus was the snake user.

Orochimaru grinned cruelly, “Oh, he’s around here somewhere, I suspect. He’s just been…dying to see you.”

Fear arose in Naruto. Could it be that the exchange has already happened?

“Naruto!” Lee called. Naruto glanced at him wearily, watching him take out another opponent. The green-clad shinobi then pointed to his far right. Naruto followed his gaze and nearly smiled.

No, the soul exchange hadn’t been done. Sasuke was still alive.
--
He didn’t know how it happened. Somehow he had engaged in battle with Orochimaru and was winning. Something was wrong. Naruto knew that even though he had been training for the past three years, there was no way he was capable of defeating Orochimaru. Not yet.

But somehow he was winning with barely even a scratch. It wasn’t a genjutsu. The snake bastard must have been playing with him. Letting out a growl, Naruto formed a glowing blue ball of chakra in his right hand. Three years of practice enabled him to form his favorite attack without the help from his clones.

Rasengan.

He had to take the snake out now.

Orochimaru finally became serious, literally choking up a sword and pulling it from his throat. The two charged each other, Naruto with his right arm extended, Orochimaru with his weapon. The length of the sword was longer than Naruto’s arm. It was going right for his heart.

He wasn’t going to make it.

The sword never pierced his heart. Instead, a white-clad figure stood in front of him. The blade of the sword was pierced through the figure’s chest, blood spilling down his front. Blue eyes met black.

“Why?” Naruto choked in shock, Rasengan fading from his hand.

Sasuke’s lips formed that cocky smirk of his as he pulled away from the sword. His hands rested on Naruto’s shoulders for support as the older teen looked down at him with dark, sorrowful eyes. His answer was the same from their last situation similar to this. From their first A-rank mission. “My body just moved on its own.”

The raven-haired male’s voice was soft, barely audible as he continued, “I couldn’t let him kill you; you’re mine…”


Naruto jerked awake. He could feel the tears streaming down his face. His breathing was irregular. Sasuke’s final words to him echoed through his mind like a tattoo, never to be removed.

With a sigh, the blond climbed out of bed and headed to the restroom. There was no way he would be able to go back to sleep now that he was already fully awake. He slowly cleaned up, feeling a little refreshed as he left the bathroom fifteen minutes later. His wounds had already healed, thanks to Kyuubi’s chakra.

His apartment was surprisingly clean. Not even dirty laundry littered the floor. He supposed it had something to do with not being home in so long that he wanted it to look nice.

The blond sat at the small, wooden table eating instant ramen for breakfast. He hadn’t eaten anything the day before; he was too caught up in his emotions. Hell, he still was, but his stomach demanded food.

“You know, it wasn’t nice to run off on me yesterday.”

Naruto nearly choked on the noodles he’d been scarfing down. He looked up to see none other than Sasuke sitting across from him. He looked so different from when they were younger. His face had matured, less feminine than before, but still effeminate. His eyes had a playful hint in them, something that Naruto rarely had seen before. His white robe hung open, revealing a pale, muscled chest. Just by looking at him, the blond could tell he was still shorter than his old teammate.

Had Naruto changed physically? He didn’t think so. But then again, one never realizes how much they change since they see themselves on a daily basis; unlike seeing a friend for the first time in years when you notice differences right away.

“So you really are haunting me then, huh?” Naruto said and went back to eating his breakfast, refusing to meet the intense stare Sasuke was giving him.

“I can’t believe you still eat that stuff,” Sasuke commented. His voice had changed too. It was deeper, huskier, but still Sasuke.

Naruto finished his meal and tossed the garbage into the trash can by the fridge. He still hadn’t look at Sasuke. Guilt was too strong for him and he felt as though he’d break down any second.

Fed up, Sasuke pinned the smaller teen against a wall. He grasped the blond by the chin, forcing Naruto to look at him. “What’s with you, dobe? It’s not like you to sulk.”

Anger welled up inside Naruto. He glared at the person standing in front of him, “What would you know? You haven’t seen me in three years! Did you honestly think I’d be the same, cheerful idiot? And what’s with you, teme?” Naruto spat the once-used nickname. “You’re supposed to be dead!”

Even in his own ears, Naruto realized how harsh his words had been. He looked down at his feet, mumbling a soft apology.

Brushing off Naruto’s words, Sasuke continued, “I’m here for a reason, Naruto. But you have to trust me and what I’m about to tell you.”

Naruto knew that he shouldn’t trust him. For one, this was just some ghost or hallucination his mind made up to make him feel guilty. For another, Sasuke betrayed the village by joining Orochimaru. He betrayed Naruto. That alone should be cause enough for Naruto not to trust the raven-haired teen standing in front of him.

But he found himself nodding his head.


A/N: Wow, I honestly didn't expect even five reviews, so having eight made me really happy. I hope this chapter was okay and I tried to make it longer. Don't worry if you're confused; everything will be explained in the next couple chapters.

Now, once again, should I keep going? Yes, no, maybe so? I'm going to Ohio on Wednesday all the way through Monday, next week. I can try to get the next chapter out by tomorrow evening, but...I'm going to need a little motivation. Yes, demanding, I know. I'm sorry, but aren't we all that way from time to time?