Naruto One-Shots *Closed to Requests*

I Remember... [Sasuke Uchiha] for kyoslover1993

I can remember a lot of things. The smell of the grass. The way the water feels against my skin after a long day of training. The way the leaves danced in the wind. The warmth of the sun after a rainy day. The way my friends would laugh at something funny. The smiles from loved ones. The hot touch of fire when it burns your skin. The sting of a blade. The pain of a punch. The gift of a heart.

Yet now, as I lay here, I cannot feel any of that. Senses or emotions. Slowly, my memories are just that, fading into the distance. I feel cold, lifeless, no warmth or comfort. Just the cold, hard ground beneath my body and the icy rain hit my numb body. Who would remember me? Since the years at the Academy, I had lost many friends due to the fact that I stood by one person. I didn't believe they were gone. I kept hoping, praying they would come back to me. It was my best friend after all.

Many believed I was blind, thinking false hopes. That slowly I had fallen for my dear childhood friend, which I couldn't look past their crimes. Was it wrong to believe or hope they could change? I didn't think so. Many didn't though and I slowly lost everything, even though I remained in the Village. Outcast, loner, yet still a ninja none-the-less.

The Hokage stopped sending me out on missions. But now that I was told to stay home, I went anyway. I followed them whenever they got word, tracking in the shadows. I only fought when I had to, to protect them; my once friends. They were still ninjas as well, ones I had fought beside for years, ones that had lost hope in me. Though I thought my friend could change, what didn't was the fact that I was from the Leaf Village and I could never betray my comrades. Even if it hurt to fight against the enemy.

I was eighteen when I couldn't do it anymore, feel the heartbreak. Yes, they had been right. I had come to love my rival, my best friend. That was why I never could give up. Enough was enough. I went to battle, not telling anyone of my absence, or my leave. Another party was going out before me and I followed in the shadows once more.

We were forced to fight against one another, even though we did not want to. Even I had not realized it, but my friend had fallen for me as well other the years. We didn't want to harm each other, but it was necessary. Neither of us could survive when the fact was that we were enemies.

I lost, my guard slipping up. That was when the blow came to my side, slicing it open. I don't think they meant to do it because as I fell a shocked look came over their face. Everything around us stopped for but a moment, realizing what had just happened. There was an instance when I couldn't hear anything except for a loud ringing noise in my ears. Once my side slammed into the ground though everything came back and all hell broke loose. Those who had once been close to me lashed out with so much rage and hatred towards those who had done this. Those who had change my life so drastically that everything had been stripped away were beat into the ground.

I was rolled onto my back so I could look up at the darkened sky, the rain stinging my already cold, numbing skin. A face came into my view, one filled with pain, regret, sadness, hate, and love. I saw love in there and it made my heart hurt. I wanted to say I was sorry. I wanted to say a lot of things. We said nothing but words of hate when we fought in battle because they masked our true feelings, ones that could never be expressed.

"Rei..." their voice called out. I couldn't speak, even though I wanted to. My breath had been taken from me. All I could do was look up at them, hoping my eyes showed enough bring across what I really had wanted to say in the last few years of our lives.

I wasn't angry, maybe saddened. However, I was happy that it had been my life that would leave this world and pass on. Any more of this fighting and I would've not been able to take it anymore. I would've gone mad.

I knew those eyes that looked at me were sorry, sorrier than they could've ever imagined. I could not comfort them, only attempt to grip their hand that was next to mine. This wasn't going to be okay. Everyone knew I was dying.

"You can't die!" a loud voice yelled out. Naruto.

It didn't matter, because that was what was going to happen.

"Please..." the person in front of me begged. "Please don't leave me..."

I'm sorry...

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I remember when I used to laugh with everyone and at everything. I remember going to the Ramen shop every Friday with Naruto when we weren't on missions. I remember going shopping with Ino and Sakura and having to listen to their bickering. I remember playing Shogi with Shikamaru. I remember training with Kiba and Akamaru. I remember watching Choji eat himself senseless. I remember Shino's intelligent conversations. I remember Rock Lee's positive attitude. I remember Hinata's kind shyness. I remember Neji's wisdom. I remember Tenten's smile. I remember hoping, believing that my best friend would return to me.

I was remembering a lot of things when I shouldn't have been. Warmth, feeling, memories. I was dead, so how was I experiencing any of this? My eyes could open and I saw myself looking up at a white ceiling. Where was I? Was this Heaven? I should be in Hell for loving the enemy.

A face came into view, making my eyes widen. They smiled down at me, something I had not seen in a while. "Rei..."

A smile graced my lips as I looked into their eyes. I had been taken away from everything, my friend giving up everything, leaving it behind. People had once told me not to hope or believe. I had proved them wrong.

I remembered seeing the look on his face when we were finally able to show how much we truly cared for each other since everything had happened...

I remember the first time his lips touched mine...

"Sasuke..."