Backslide-Blackkat

Chapter 1

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He slides through the darkness of gnarled trees and jutting rocks, barely half a shadow in the gloom. There is no moon—there hasn't been in a very long time—but shinobi eyes are more than capable of using the cold light of the stars. By their glow, it's simple enough to pick his way around and over the well-hidden traps scattered throughout the clearing's edge. They're deadly, all of them, because they lost the luxury of mercy years ago.

"The amplification seals are in place," he says, slipping over a jagged boulder and landing lightly in front of his partner. "With your genjutsu, that should be enough to hold them off for at least a day, probably more."

Sasuke coughs, deep and wracking, but nods.

 "Surroundings?" he rasps, and his voice is rough and his breathing labored from a recent fit. 

Naruto closes his eyes, not so much to shut out the fact that Sasuke is dying, but to strangle the despair that's rising up inside him. They're the last of the Konoha shinobi, maybe the last living souls in the Land of Fire. Madara's been thorough. 

"Clear," is all he says, though, taking a seat beside the Uchiha and watching him pull himself upright with worried eyes. "You're—?"

"Fine," Sasuke finishes, because after so many years they're all but sharing brainwaves. 

Not that the question is so hard to guess, given their situation. He leans back against the boulder behind them, clearly exhausted, but reaches out to wrap a hand around the back of Naruto's neck and drag him closer. Naruto goes with it, not about to resist, and he lets himself fall all but boneless against Sasuke's strong chest, pressing his forehead into the other man's shoulder. Slim, deft fingers thread through his long hair, tugging lightly, and then still.

"It's almost time," Sasuke says, and for once his voice is nearly gentle.

Naruto keeps his eyes closed and doesn't move. He knows, he's known for weeks now, but that doesn't make it any easier to accept. This is a one-way ticket for only one person, and as much as Naruto would like to argue that Sasuke should be the one to go, he knows better. That kind of foolish, heroic naivety was what got Sakura killed.

Apparently fed up with his silence—and isn't that irony, the bastard—Sasuke yanks on his hair, making him yelp. "I said—"

"I heard you, teme," Naruto hisses, jerking back to glare at his best friend. He almost loses a chunk of scalp in the process, but Sasuke doesn't relinquish his grip and Naruto doesn't move far enough away to make him. His expression settles, anger fading, and he lowers his eyes. "And...I know it is. But I still think—"

"Hn. Dobe." But Sasuke's red-and-black eyes are warm in a way they only rarely are. "I thought I warned you about that and how it overtaxes your brain."

Naruto makes a face at him, because end of the world or no, childishness is pretty much always satisfying. "Oh, funny. But..." He trails off, not meeting Sasuke's gaze, and then says softly, "I just... Is this really our best option?"

"Yes," Sasuke answers instantly.

 He reaches out again, pulling Naruto closer, until their foreheads are resting together and their breath mingles, warm in the cooling night air.

 "We've already gone over this, Naruto. You know it is. What is this about?"

Naruto hesitates, because he knows Sasuke will call him a moron for this, and while that's hardly a new thing, right now he doesn't want to hear it. "I..." He looks up, meets Sasuke's level eyes, and tries for a smile even though he knows it falls very far short. A sweep of his hand takes in the small clearing, the two of them pressed so close they might as well be sharing a heartbeat.