Just tell me you love me By Timberwolf

 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I do not make any money from this fan fiction. I do this just for fun.

  

Just tell me you love me by Timberwolf

The battle between Naruto and Sasuke had been raging for hours within the enclosed chakra barrier that had been created by Naruto’s clones and maintained by them just hours before their confrontation.

 Once he had received accurate news of his old friends whereabouts and movements from one of the dozens of shadow clones he had sent out in search of Sasuke, Naruto had set out on his own leaving a shadow clone behind to mask his movements from his Bachan and close friends. He would leave a prankster clone wrecking havoc on the village for old time’s sake in order to cover his true intentions and whereabouts.

He would meet Sasuke alone and without any interference. Then he would beat the living daylights out of him if that’s what it took to drag him back to the leaf village. If Sasuke was headed back towards the Leaf Village then Naruto had to acknowledge to himself that he had only one thing on his mind and that was the total and utter destruction of the Leaf Village.

With this realization in mind, Naruto took with him four of his shadow clones he had kept out and ready, building chakra in order to face Sasuke alone and in a safe environment to protect the village and all their old friends from the battle that would result from their confrontation.

 He had done all the research needed to build the chakra barrier that had allowed Orochimaru and the Third Hokage to battle uninterrupted and unassisted.

 Naruto didn’t want any help in his fight with Sasuke and knew Sasuke would feel the same. This was the long awaited battle that had been brewing between them since they were Genin, though in his heart he wished it didn’t have to be under these circumstances. He would have preferred a battle with his cherished friend that didn’t come with the intention of them killing each other in the process.

Naruto struggled with the knowledge that Sasuke would indeed come at him with the full intention of killing him. He knew when they fought he would be fighting a battle with himself as well as the fight he would have with Sasuke. He couldn’t get his mind wrapped around the idea or find the mind set that would allow him to fight with the intent to kill his best friend. His entire mind, body and spirit fought against the very notion with ever fiber of his being down to the cellular level.

The only way left for him to fight was to fight with all the knowledge and training he had to keep himself alive and somehow wear out the Uchiha till he could render him unconscious or inflict enough injuries that would prevent the Uchiha from continuing the battle yet keep his cherished friend alive in the process. He knew within his heart he could never deliver a killing blow to his past team mate. There were just some things he could never do. No matter what the cost to him was. Any injures he had to suffer in order to bring Sasuke back with him was worth the price he was willing to pay if it brought Sasuke back home.

***

Sasuke was headed to the Leaf Village when he felt a familiar chakra presence between him and the village.

“Somehow you know I’m coming Naruto,” Sasuke smirked. “Are you so ready to die? Do your dreams mean so little to you? Whatever your intention is it still won’t change the fact that I’m going to kill you. Nothing will change the fact that today will see the total destruction of the Leaf Village by my hands alone.” Sasuke increased his speed and no longer tried to hide his chakra presence. Instead he made it more obvious who he was and from what direction he was approaching his old time friend and team mate.

Naruto just waited and tried to recall each and every moment he had ever spent in the raven’s presence. He remembered every training session and every mission they had together. He smiled over the many memories of them alone together where he caught glimpses of the Uchiha letting his guard down and the many smiles he had received during those times of innocence. He missed those days and couldn’t help the feeling of regret creeping into his heart over the loss of those pleasant days and memories. They could have and should have had so many more such days together. They would have had them if not for Orochimaru and his stupid curse mark.

The rage Naruto felt and the pure killing intent he felt for the snake man would never disappear even with the knowledge that Sasuke had killed the man and he was no longer a threat to the Uchiha anymore. Naruto would very happily dance all over the mans grave if he had one or at the very least take the opportunity to piss on it to show him just how much he despised him. This notion caused Naruto to chuckle and smile.

Too soon a familiar chakra presence could be felt and Naruto cleared his mind and set his sapphire eyes forward to the battle ahead. It didn’t matter how much his heart was mixed up in this. He couldn’t think about the pain squeezing his heart at what he was about to face or the things he was about to do.

In a clearing on the way to the village stood two shinobi, one struggling to keep the tears out of his eyes from the very sight of a cherished friend and the other smirking in absolute confidence of the outcome to this long awaited day.

“Dobe”

“Teme”

A blinding smile was directed Sasuke’s way resulting in a frown on the pale raven’s face at the gesture. “Get serious. If you treat this as a game you’ll find yourself dead.”

“I am seriously going to kick your ass Uchiha but I can’t help but feel happy to see you again. I couldn’t keep it in even if I had wanted to.”

Sasuke scowled in annoyance. “Fine then, let’s see if you’ll still be smiling when this is over”

“Alright Bastard, show me what you’ve got.”

With that both increased their speed and connected in the middle of the clearing throwing punches and kicks rapidly in succession. The movements where at such speeds that if anyone had been near enough to watch they wouldn’t have been able to keep up with them visually. The movements were blurred in how fast they moved attacking and defending, pushing each other in a way that reminded them both strongly of past days. Sasuke and Naruto were both feeling the familiar déjà vu over the motions.

This irritated Sasuke who wanted to forget the past and not be reminded of happier times that always brought a smile to his face and warmth to his heart. His heart was dead as far as he was concerned and nothing was going to change that.

The sound of chirping filled the air as blue chakra filled a pale hand.

Immediately a tan fist filled with a blue globe of spinning raw power.

They lunged at each other time and time again with each attack growing in power and inflicting more damage to already cut and bleeding bodies. The injuries were mostly ignored and the pain went unacknowledged by either party. Too intent on watching the others moves and planning the next move to spare much thought to the damage they were receiving and how a precious amount of blood was flowing from torn and battered bodies heaving with exertion and strain.

The clones used large amounts of chakra to keep the barriers up in order to protect the village from the confrontation raging between two life long best friends, rivals and exceptionally powerful shinobi.

Both inflicted serious wounds on the other and were drawing on what little chakra they had left. With weapons drawn they clashed again and again, spinning and twisting their bodies, grasping hands and fists, repeatedly impacting soundly. Naruto’s heart was breaking over the crimson blood flowing from each wound he inflicted. Each new wound was a new stab at his own bleeding heart. Tears sprung into his eyes, his throat constricted and his vision blurred momentarily.

Sasuke immediately noticed the tears and instinctively knew the dobe was fighting a mental battle with him as well as fighting him physically with everything he had in his intensity to bring Sasuke home with him.

Sasuke smirked. He saw the blond before him as weak and pathetic, fighting for a lost cause, for he never planned to return to the village as a Leaf Shinobi. No. He planned on destroying it and everything it stood for- the lies and betrayal over his brother’s sacrifice and pain. The village’s destruction couldn’t even compare to the pain he felt at the loss of his beloved brother and family.

Things he could never forgive nor forget for the rest of his life. His attacks were armed with the full intent to kill Naruto, while Naruto’s attacks obviously were designed to inflict enough damage to force the Uchiha into submission or unconsciousness whichever came first while also avoiding as much damage to his personal self as he could manage.

The opportunity was there so Sasuke took it.

With a lunge his sword penetrated and slid into the warm heaving body before him.

Momentarily blinded by the tears, Naruto didn’t see the blade that penetrated his tired body. He only felt the sharp searing pain as it sliced into his chest and the electric charge running along the blade shocked his entire body.

Kyuubi felt the hold Naruto had on him weakened and realizing the threat to them both he reacted in rage against the Uchiha. Without Naruto’s control or knowledge the Nine-Tailed Demon sent his chakra out and clawed the Uchiha’s chest open in a huge gash, ripping flesh and breaking bones in the process.

Sasuke gasped in shock and in pain. He had made an error and had forgotten the Nine-Tailed Demon that resided inside the tan body before him.

Each hung on the other and slowly sank down to the ground on their knees, remaining clasped together in combined shock and pain. Blue sapphires glittered with a sheen of tears as large drops fell down whiskered scared cheeks. Dark eyes widened at what they read in their expressive depths.

Overshadowing the pain, sadness, and grief was warmth that radiated pure love in its most beautiful form. Open and completely honest. Sasuke was used to the love and devotion of screaming girls that stalked him everywhere he went. But this was different. This was pure emotion displayed and obviously felt only for him. This love he saw accepted him as he was and for everything he had or hadn’t done completely without reservation.

Why hadn’t he seen it before? Why hadn’t he bothered to pay more attention to the high strung tension he had always felt in the presence of his life long friend? Why did he have to see it now as his life bled away with each beat of his heat?

“Naruto?”

Dark eyes lost the look of an Avenger and took on once again the concerned look of a cherished friend. Thick tan fingers that had grasped onto pale skin slick with blood, clenched slightly as blue widened and searched a pale face for confirmation of a returned beloved friend.



White teeth flashed as a smile nearly split Naruto’s face in half. He was overjoyed and a warmth he hadn’t felt in a long time washed over his body.



Sasuke returned the smile. Shocking the blond man so much he tried to pull back. Sasuke immediately grabbed onto a strong waist and held Naruto in place.

“Idiot. Don’t move. You move and the sword will do more damage than it already has done. If you pull back now you’ll bleed to death.”

“Teme” Naruto rested his head on Sasuke’s shoulder. “Please… pull the blade out”

“No”

“Pull the blade out, Sasuke”

“No, take down the barrier. Your friends are waiting just outside and they can heal you.”

“No”

Sasuke finally pulled the blade out of Naruto’s body and immediately blood started to flow freely down his back and chest.

“Why isn’t Kyuubi healing you?”

“I’ve blocked his chakra so he won’t hurt you anymore.”

“Why?”

“I finally have you with me. I can’t have him doing anything else and he just won’t listen to me right now.”

“Then take the barrier down and let your friends heal you.”

“No”

“Why?”

“I have you here with me right now and I don’t want to lose you. But you won’t stay will you?”

“…….. You know I can’t. You’re the only one who can forgive me for everything I have ever done. No one else is going to feel the way you do about me.” Sadly Sasuke shook his head. His mind was getting dizzy from his own blood loss. “Let them in Naruto.”

“I can’t”

“Why?”

“I love you! Of course I can forgive you. It hurt too much not to.”

Hearing those words tore at Sasuke’s heart and made it bleed.

He had thought his heart had died with his brother Itachi and couldn’t feel pain anymore. He was wrong.

“Naruto” Sasuke crushed the trembling body to his ripped and bleeding chest.

“I’m tired” Sasuke told Naruto and was surprised at how true the words really were. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m so tired Naruto!”

“I know… I know.” Gently Naruto ran his hands up Sasuke’s back and tangled his strong fingers in the back of his spiked up hair.

“Naruto?”

“Hmm?”

“I….”  Blue eyes widened at the pause and his heart sped up.

“I love you.” Strong arms pulled the trembling blond tighter as a sob escaped the broken body and tore at his bleeding heart.

Words the blond had never heard from anyone before filled him with a painful joy that squeezed his heart tightly with emotion.

Blue eyes looked up only to close once again as warm demanding lips descended onto his trembling ones. Teeth clicked as the two inexperienced young men explored each others mouths with seeking tongues that continued to stroke and dive around each other wetly. Dizziness assailed them both and gently they dropped to the ground fully while still locked in their intimate embrace. They finally pulled away for much needed air.

“Naruto… release the clones.”

“No.”

“Why?” An irritated ebony brow arched up in annoyance as a scowl crossed a pale face. “What are you afraid of?”

“They’ll take you away from me.”

Sasuke knew that he meant the others would kill him the first chance they got.

“I can’t fight anymore and I can’t protect you from them.”

This caused a wave of guilt to wash over the blonds face and the pain tore at Sasuke’s insides. “Naruto…it’s ok.”

“No.”

“Naruto… I want to go…I want to see my brother again. I want to see my mother… my father again. Let me go dobe. But you must live… live for me. Please? You said you loved me…..so live for me a long life and be happy Naruto!”

“Happy?” The word is hardly a whisper it’s so chocked with pain and filled with grief. “Without you? How can I be happy, you bastard!? It’s ok Sasuke. I’ll be going with you. Sasuke people fear Kyuubi…..they fear me. I’m tired too. My body is done and so is yours……I can feel it.”

“We go as one?”

Sasuke dropped his forehead onto Naruto’s and breathed in a deep shuddering breath….too choked for words.

They continued to hold each other tightly and whispered “I love you” to each other as their strength slipped away with the flow of their very life’s blood.

When the walls of the chakra barrier fell down and the shinobi rushed in to assist their friend, what they found broke their hearts and crippled them in their grief. The anguish could be felt as tears fell all around from the still forms of the shinobi surrounding and gazing on the sight before them. The two friends were in a tight embrace, eyes forever closed and heads tilted together with gentle smiles frozen for all eternity.