When the Book Ends ~ NaruSasu

IV. A Fluttering Heart

Naruto didn't speak for a moment. He looked as though he was also questioning himself — he seemed to be more deep in thought than ever. "I guess.. I just wanted your company?" Naruto mumbled. "What? Why?" I asked which seemed to strike a nerve with him. "I don't know." His eyes deadened as it seemed he was deep in thought forever. "I guess I've just been lonely since you left after the incident."

What exactly happened? I just fell into this world, doing practically nothing but following the person I'd admired for so long, without reasoning of why I was even here in the first place. It seemed to just be a dream running on and on forever until I eventually wake up, only this time without the good ending.

"Can I tell you something?" Naruto asked. He seemed scared — worried. As if what he wanted to say had been told to no one. I nodded. "Go for it."

Naruto looked down at his hands as his train of thought went on. "The people you work with — the ones that want me dead, the people who helped you commit that incident. Jugo and Suigetsu,"

I sighed at the mention of those two. "Yeah. What about them?" Naruto took a deep breath. "They're mad at me for what I did to their parents."

"Eh? Their parents? What do you mean?" I asked, sitting upwards now. "Our town was being attacked by their parents and they didn't seem to stop. In order to rescue everybody, I had to kill them since they weren't listening to reason either." Naruto looked up. "They call me a hero when I'm just as much of a villain as you."

What defines a villain and a hero? Technically, heroes are the bad ones too, right? Everyone does bad things. Does that make everyone a villain? Or are we all heroes in our own heads?

I was silent for a moment as I looked at Naruto's deep blue eyes. "So that's why they want to kill you so bad." I muttered. "But, that's kind of stupid isn't it? It's not like you murdered them without reason. They shouldn't be so angry, they should just accept what happened and move on."

Naruto looked at me with some kind of sadness in his eyes. "Sasuke, it's haunting me the way I killed them — it happened, and now I always feel as though there is blood on my hands. I've never felt like this my entire life. But people calling me a hero hurts more."

I felt even weirder about the whole situation. Not being able to remember anything of the past feels weird. I can't say whether he's right or wrong, but even if he is wrong, I still want to stick by his side. "Then don't define yourself with such terms." I said with a nonchalant look on my face.

"What?" Naruto lifted himself up a bit more. "I mean... we are all heroes and villains, technically," I went on. "It feels dumb to tell ourselves we are either heroes or villains when we are always either making mistakes and hurting someone, or doing the opposite — helping someone." This seemed to work because Naruto was left speechless.

Naruto got up and walked over to me, sitting down beside me this time. The fire crackled as we sat in silence. "You said you wanted to do more for me. Can I ask why you care for me so much? Before you would've killed me."

I froze up. I had just then remembered that I was never supposed to be as I had been currently. He was my born enemy, and yet I'd been showing nothing but affection.

"I'm going to be honest. I don't remember any of the events that happened in this world. None at all." I mumbled, unable to control my words well.

"You don't remember anything? I mean, really nothing?" Naruto seemed incredibly surprised, which would be most people's reaction. "None at all." I said quietly.

Naruto grabbed my hand and held it in front of him, suddenly. He traced his fingers over my pale skin, gently sliding over my bones and fingertips. "Can you forget things now, too?"

"What? What do you mean?" I asked in surprise. Naruto held my hand tightly. And soon he just stopped talking. His eyes shut and there he went, falling asleep with my hand in his.

"Idiot, you never told me what you meant."
And there went my heart — fluttering even given the circumstances. Hopefully he will just forget this between us... but then again, somehow, I don't want him to forget my voice or my touch either.