I will always BELIEVE IT!

Gone

"Now that you have your lipstick..."

"Shut up, it's cool!" (Obvious NTAS reference) I say, "So how's Nasaki?" I wiggle my eyebrows.

"She's...um....fine." he replies, going slightly pink.

"Oh? So what about Sanko and Tsuki?"

"They're good, we all missed you though."

"Awww, that's cute. I missed you too." I say, giving him a hug. Kiba looks livid. 

Shino interrupts our awkward hug by squashing our faces together so we look like fish, a lot of Kankuro's face paint getting on my cheek.

"What the fuck, Shino!?" I say, except it sounds more like, "Whph a feh Fhio!?"

"I've been meaning to ask, are you two....together?"

I pry his hands off my head.

"What? No! No way. You're obviously misunderstanding this. I grew up with him, we're not like that. I'm basically an older sister to my adorable little Kuro-kun."

I take off his hat, mess up his hair, and put it back on.

"Hey! Wait, I thought you called me-"

"I can't call you that anymore, you're all grown up, and you're not stupid. I'm going back to what I called you a long time ago."

"Thanks. Oh, by the way, that Hokage lady with huge boobs?"

"Kankuro!"

"Well she does! Huge hills of squishy-"

"Shhh! he might hear you!"

"She told me to tell you to go get Neji Hyuuga, and set a flare off by the body of Choji Aka-something."

"It's Choji Akimichi, and what flare?"

"This one."

Kankuro takes off his shoes, and a pink smoke bomb comes tumbling out of the left one."

"You had that in your shoe?"

What is with ninjas and keeping things in their shoes? First Sakon, now Kuro-kun?

"Where else do I keep it, I have no pockets!"

"Up a sleeve or something?"

"Oh yeah..."

"Okay. Bye!"

I run off towards the direction we last saw Neji.

~*~

Neji's body looks seriously dead. There's two holes in his torso, he has scratches all over, and even his hair tie seems to be missing.

I drop to my knees and take off his shirt, careful not to hurt him. I try to use Medical Ninjutsu, but I can't, and it fails. Salty tears flow down my dirt-streaked and slightly purple face.

When Medical Ninjutsu doesn't work, I do more hand signs.

"THIRD GATE! GATE OF LIFE! OPEN!"

Ironic, the Gate of Life giving me power when Neji's the one dying next to me.

My body is encased in swirling blue chakra once again, and my tears vaporize.

Again, I try to use Medical Ninjutsu, but I know I can't. It's not meant for me.

"If you die..." I sob, "I'll kill you."

I resort to unwrapping my everyday ankle bandages to tie them around Neji's wounds instead.

I put his shirt back on, and carry him off slowly, not that I have any idea where I'm headed, thanks to the tears that once more fill my eyes.

~*~

Choji doesn't look as bad as Neji, but I can tell he needs extensive medical attention immediately.

He's slumped against the tree where we wrote messages for him...just yesterday. It feels like an eternity since we left him and Neji to fight.

Still carrying Neji, I stomp on the little pink smoke bomb, and instead of exploding outwards in all directions, the pink smoke curls upward in a tendril of distress.

He'll be okay until they come and get him. I just hope Naruto's going to be alright fighting Sasuke. If Naruto can restrain him from escaping, I can contain him until we get to Konoha.

~*~

I carry Neji all the way back through all the trees for hours on end, occasionally stopping to put more bandages on his wounds.

I get a strange feeling, like impending death or a foreboding shadow looming overhead as I approach the spot where Naruto and Sasuke's chakras had exploded a short while ago.

Well, they're both alive, though I can't guarantee for how much longer.

The first thing I see is the stone figure of Madara Uchiha. Then a waterfall. Then Hashirama Senju.

The two statues flank the giant waterfall. This is where Naruto and Sasuke fought.

The sun, which was high in the sky minutes ago, is now hidden by an array of dark clouds, unlike the ones Shikamaru watches.

Naruto is sprawled on the ground, his face dotted with scratches and water droplets.

Sasuke is gone.

Gone, over the border by now, handing himself over to Orochimaru and the Sound in exchange for power. Gone, never to return to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, or at least not for a very long time. Gone, beyond anyone's help now. Not even Naruto can save him. Gone, forever corrupted by the darkness in his past, slowly consuming him.

Sasuke is gone, a rogue ninja of the Leaf, enemy to our shinobi for a long time to come. Gone, the last essence of his youth burning in Naruto Uzumaki's memory for an eternity. Gone, a bad memory to be forgotten, though it isn't easy to forget a friend. Gone, leaving behind only a photograph.

Sasuke Uchiha is gone, and he's not coming back.