With You

Disclaimer: I don’t own the anime, I don’t own the song, but I do own my car

Warning: If you haven’t seen up through the battle with Haku and Zabuza, this will have spoilers. Also there is mild shonen ai for anyone looking for it (don’t blink), so if you are offended very easily (and I mean Very easily), than go elsewhere and good luck finding something to read.

Author’s notes: Don’t kill me, please. I know I haven’t finished Soul Unsheathed, but I was listening to music and just got inspired. Please listen to “I’m With You,” by Avril Lavigne prior to or even during reading. Very good song!

Translation tips for the needy:

Kusou-expletive (please insert your own)

Dobe-dead last

With You

Author: Haruka Hana

As the twilight descended, the mist rolled back in to enshroud the unfinished bridge. The night came silently, a strange dichotomy to the violence that had occurred there in the early morning hours. The heavy veil of fog parted as a small figure walked slowly to the edge of the bridge.

Naruto stared off into the darkness. He was exhausted, emotionally and physically, but somehow he had been unable to fall asleep. He strained his ears for the sound of anyone following him. The night remained undisturbed. I’m kidding myself. No one would follow me here. Besides everyone was asleep when I left.

One of the reasons Naruto had left the house that evening was because he had been unable to fall asleep with Sasuke there. Sasuke had been sleeping so peacefully, lying there so quietly. Naruto couldn’t keep the memories from haunting him.

Alone on the bridge, Naruto let his emotions come out into the cold night air.

“Why? I just don’t understand why.”

Why did he do it?

He and his team mates had come to this village to protect the architect of the bridge he was standing on. This morning had seen the end of the need for that protection. They had fought against the rebel ninja Zabuza and his masked team mate. Fought and won.

“But I didn’t think victory would come like that.”

The masked ninja had turned out to be the quiet boy he had met in the forest. In the shade of the trees, they had talked about what it meant to be a ninja. Naruto remembered how he had said he was training so that he could be stronger and make everyone acknowledge him. Especially him.

The gentle boy had responded by telling him that a person only truly becomes strong when he has something precious to protect. Naruto hadn’t known at the time exactly what the strange boy had meant.

Not until that morning, when Sasuke…

“I was so mad. It felt like there was a wild animal struggling to get out. I think that’s when I finally understood.”

Naruto had almost killed the masked ninja. He had effortlessly broken through his ice mirrors and landed punch after punch on the ninja shattering the mask with the same ease as the mirrors. He had been ready to kill him, but was stopped cold when the broken mask fell away. Those same gentle eyes stared into his.

“I didn’t know it was you behind the mask. How could someone so gentle have fought so viciously.”

He had listened to Haku tell him about his past. And about how he had found that special someone that he would give everything for. Naruto had stood there and watched as Haku gave everything to protect his precious person, as he gave his own life.

A soft, gentle rain started to fall like tears. Naruto remained standing alone in the dark., absorbed by his thoughts.

“You were just like me. No one wanted you. No, more than that, they hated you just for being you. But you found someone. Maybe you were the lucky one, you at least had someone with you.”

His small frame started to shiver as the cold rain penetrated through his jumpsuit. He moved closer to the edge, sitting down with his feet over it. His arms wrapped around his body to try to keep the warmth in.

“Kusou. I don’t have anyone with me. I don’t even have what you could call a home.”

But maybe…

Naruto remembered fighting with Sasuke against Haku. Remembered how he felt when he opened his bleary eyes and saw Sasuke standing over him. He had known immediately that Sasuke had won. The masked ninja’s body lay crumpled in front of one of his own mirrors.

“But you didn’t win. I didn’t think anyone could defeat you, yet I saw you standing impaled by all those needles, your blood falling right in front of me.”

Why? Why did you protect me?

It was already too late when Naruto woke up. He had watched as Sasuke’s clear black eyes lost their light. He had caught Sasuke’s limp body as he fell. There was nothing he could do but hold onto him.

“you…don’t die”

At that moment, Naruto understood that Sasuke was dying. What was even worse for him was the understanding that Sasuke knew it too. He had held Sasuke’s strangely light body close, listening and feeling the heart beat fade to nothingness and felt something break inside.

“I couldn’t protect you. All I could do was avenge you.”

Naruto remembered Sasuke saying something about living for revenge, and for a moment felt a connection to his ever distant team mate. Is that how you always feel.

In the cold, dark night, Naruto wrapped his arms more tightly about himself. He let the feeling of relief wash over him as he remembered seeing Sasuke standing next to Sakura after Zabuza was killed. The tears he had felt at that moment burning in his eyes had quenched the fire that had been started by his tears over Sasuke’s death.

I was so happy to find out you were alive. That’s all I want.

“I don’t care if I’m alone.”

“Dobe, you’re not alone”

Naruto was so surprised at this sudden comment intruding on his musings that he almost fell off the edge. He turned quickly to see a dark form emerge from the shadows. Black hair heavy with the rain and hung wetly in front of black eyes.

A pale hand reached out towards him.

“I’m with you.”

--owari

Hope you liked my ramblings.

Please, please, please read and review. I want to know what you think. I know Naruto is a bit out-of-character, but we all have our quiet moments. This was his (I’m sure he had at least one in his life).

Thanks again for reading.

I included the lyrics to “I’m With You” if anyone is interested. I didn’t want to put them in the story, I thought it would be distracting.

I’m standing on the bridge
I’m waiting in the dark
I thought that you'd be here by now
There's nothing but the rain
No footsteps on the ground
I’m listening but there's no sound

Isn’t anyone trying to find me
Wont somebody come take me home

Chorus:
It’s a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won’t you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don’t know who you are but I
I'm with you

I’m looking for a place
I’m searching for a face
Is anybody here I know
Cause nothings going right
And everything’s a mess
And no one likes to be alone

Isn’t anyone trying to find me
Won’t someone come take me home

Chorus

I’m with you

Why is everything so confusing
Maybe I’m just outta my mind
yeah yeah...

Chorus