Chapter Text
The explosion of two equally strong forces colliding could be heard beyond these rock walls, but that was not what mattered. In that moment the world had changed; the fighting had stopped and the only thing that remained was the lingering pain. It came in waves, and the two who had caused such an explosion were thrown on their backs, the breath knocked out of them by the unkind impact. Though the bruising from the impact hardly mattered when it came down to a more serious note; past pains that still lingered, both physical and emotional wounds had been reopened in this fight. Two different forces driven by passion and hatred, feelings that often intertwined and mingled with each other, the line hardly keeping the two apart. These two different forces were meant to have the same end; forever together, for better or for worse. The thought seemed to draw one close and push the other farther away, causing a never-ending pattern between the two, both too stubborn to see the importance of the other to themselves.
These feelings and more refused to be ignored, and they began to prop at the dark-haired man laying on the hard rock surface. The sweet embrace kept alluding him, even after the painful impact. The same could not be the same for his counterpart, only what appeared to be a foot away from him. His breath caught in his throat when he took him in with tired eyes. Golden hair was tangled, bedhead mixed with debris from gods knew where, and what looked like matted blood from past and present injuries. Sasuke looked at his hand—he only has one hand now. He feels like this needs to be a bigger issue to him than it is. The pain, he knows, will hit him later, but right now he is busy trying to categized what he can feel. He knew from past experiences that his rips are both bruised and broke, he only can pray that he can move carefully enough to not puncher a lung. He could feel his fingers, but he knew that the majority of them were broken, and he’s worried about the mobility of his hand. He’s lucky his clavicle isn’t broken, but he knows that there will be an ugly bruise there later, hopefully the bone structure is fine, he’d rather not deal with that healing process.
He shifts his legs and feels the pain hit him all at once. His vision flashes white for a moment, and he feels himself bite into his lip, another injury, to prevent the scream from ripping out of him. Sasuke doesn’t move for a while, and instead of focusing himself he beings to focus on the next future events. How does he escape from this situation, and how can he retrieve medical help before any of his injuries become perinate? Does he feel like he should help bring everyone back? Why should he, when most of them don’t deserve to live? The anger that had always been with him felt like the familiar burn, and he could feel himself beginning his decent into it before the pain brings him back. It takes a moment for the reality of the situation to crash into him, and he has to take a breath to steady his racing thoughts. Sasuke realizes how stupid he’s been about everything; losing an arm, losing his brother, losing all his emotional ties due to the drive of wanting to become stronger. He had been willing to cast aside the most important people in his life all for the sake of power, and for what? Petty revenge that wouldn’t solve anything? To possibly prove a point to the dead, to appease their lingering spirits?
Sasuke sighed and turned his head toward the golden locks that rested not too far from him. He had really gone out during this last fight, hoping that he would end up dying with the person who mattered the most. How dumb could he have been, thinking this would deserved to live without such a bright hope? How foolish, to believe his wants and desires surpassed everyone else. Sasuke studies the rise and fall of his companion’s chest, the only thing that indicated life resided within that beaten and bruised vessel. Luckily the spirit inside is a fighter; both spirits are, Sasuke musses. Of course, Naruto, stupid, stupid, stupid Naruto was the vessel for the Nine Tailed Beast, which he was able to befriend. If Naruto was able to do that, which Sasuke knew it must have been difficult, he knew that Naruto would pull through this, as he had pulled through everything life had thrown his way. There was no way that this fight would be the one to do him in. Sasuke would not believe that after everything he personally has thrown at the blond. The last time Sasuke saw her, Sakura was still alive.
She would be here any moment to find them, and hopefully Naruto would be awake to deal with her. He wasn’t sure what to say to her, after all this time and what had happened between them. The girl that Sasuke knew had become an incredible woman that intimidated him, to the point that he would admit using Naruto as a buffer without shame. He’d seen her throw some powerful punches, and when she’s in battle-mode she does not pull them. She could heal and stabilize them, and then what? Would Sasuke be healed only for him to be placed on the execution block? He would rather be assassinated by the first person who found him than rather go through that process. But then the thought of someone doing that to Naruto, helpless Naruto right next to him, sent something fierce to his heart. No, as long as he lived, Naruto would have a peaceful life. Or, Sasuke should amend, a relatively peaceful life; as wherever Naruto goes chaos follows.
As if sensing his thoughts, Naruto beings to shift from where he lay, and the movement caught Sasuke’s eye to the missing appendage. Naruto is missing his dominate arm, his right arm, the arm closest to him. Sasuke now realizes that how they’ve been thrown, he can’t reach out to touch him because his dominate arm, his left arm, is also missing. The thought alone sends something close to fear and desperation, his urge to make sure Naruto is still breathing. Suddenly the silence up until now has been suffocating and he wants to hear that cheerful voice fill it. Finally, when Naruto rolls his head, although slowly, Sasuke feels relief sink into his bones. Of course, stupid Naruto has that stupid grin on his face, his one eye swollen shut with a long gash on his brow. But of course, he’s smiling at Sasuke, as if seeing his companion was something worth all those bruises. There’s blood dribbling from his nose, which looks to be broken and Sasuke wonders when that happened.
“So, you’re still here then?” Naruto asks, almost like he hopes the answer will be positive, but he seems to be preparing himself for a negative response. Sasuke is taken aback by how that question—that statement seemed to hurt…? It wasn’t uncalled for; he’s left Naruto in worse situations before. All Sasuke could do was nod stiffly, and found his eyes were seemingly glued on Naruto’s face. He was able to see the surprise that flashes across Naruto’s face, his face going an interesting shade of red, and Sasuke realizes he’s trying to hold back tears.
“Goddamit, I really had hoped to bring you back differently, you know? No loss arms necessary in my grand plan.” Naruto laughs, the cough that follows is wet and Sasuke does not like the rattling noise he hears in it. Naruto grimaces, but does not address the noise, nor the blood now painting his lips. “I don’t think that would be possible, knowing how we are. There was always bound to be blood whenever we finished this.” Sasuke said, and the stunned look that Naruto shows him only serves to confuse Sasuke more. He seems to be processing what Sasuke said in complete silence, which had allowed Sasuke’s anxiety to rise again. Finally Naruto spoke, his words were soft whispers that Sasuke could swear he felt brush against his face.
“So… then you really are staying then?” Naruto asks, and Sasuke could again only nod, his words suddenly not wanted to work. He quickly clears his throat and tries his best to accept his fate. He finds some silence in the blue eyes that seemed to hold him in place. He felt some hesitance leave him, looking at those unwavering eyes.
“Until they decide what they will do with me, I’ll stay with—I’ll stay in Kohona. I surrender.” Those last words are bitter rolling off his tongue even if Naruto looks ecstatic.
“I won’t let them touch you, Sasuke, you have my word. You won’t be touched by any of them, you’ll be welcomed back into the village. I know you will! I believe you will! I’ll make sure of it!” Naruto says, and the declaration seeps into Sasuke’s very being, and it feels like his soul is shaking with the intensity of the promise that again words seem to allude him. Finally, a soft “okay” slips out, vulnerable and hesitant from the weary man's lips. Naruto’s beaming grin, his eyes shutting but his bruised face is still turned towards his equally battered friend laying next to him. However, those shut eyes did not stop tears of slipping out, nor the stuttering breath from leaving his lips. Sasuke didn’t know when, but soon they were both crying; it was a silent cry filled with emotions they dare not speak. Naruto’s smile wavered, but never fell from his face, even if Sasuke had to turn away from such a sight. It felt too pure to look at, and Sasuke found himself undeserving of Naruto’s forgiveness. The silence that followed afterward was no longer suffocating, and the two were silently waiting for whatever happened next.
The future came in the form of Sakura calling out for both of them, which surprised Sasuke. Her voice increased with the continued silence, desperation and concern clearly coating her voice. Naruto was able to gather enough volume in his voice to call out to her. The increase of volume as her footsteps gained speed and suddenly, she was there before them. Sasuke felt his throat seize up in emotions that he didn’t have the energy to process and all he can do is stare at her. Her battered form, leagues better than their own; cuts littered every inch of exposed skin, a nasty gash on her forehead that had stopped bleeding a while ago, and a slit lip that looked like it needed proper care. But she didn’t seem worried about her own injuries, as her critical eyes took in the sight before them. He winces as the pain of his absent arm reminds him of the irreversible damage he’s inflected on both of them. Naruto, surprisingly, manages a wet laugh and rolls his head toward his newly arrived friend.
“Hey Sakura, please be gentle with us. I promise to take the beating later, but right now can we—” Naruto doesn’t get to finish his half-hearted beg as Sakura was suddenly at eye level, pulling them both into her chest which caught Sasuke off guard. It seemed to have caught Naruto off guard too by the noise he made, which only served to encourage the embrace they were both captured in. She’s holding back tears of her own, Sasuke can feel it in the way she’s holding herself together. She’s trying to be strong for them, putting on a brave face for the moment, and for some reason Sasuke feels guilty for it. He has no reason to but seeing how she’s crushing Naruto close to her shows how worried she’d been for his safety that he had personally put at risk. Him and his dumb, selfish need to know who was stronger.
“You idiots,” Sakura says, momentarily cutting off Sasuke’s self-deprecative monologue, “if you two ever put me through what you did today, so help me gods I will not hesitate to beat the stupidity out of both of you. I will force you to get along you stupid, stupid, stupid--!” Her rant is caught off when she can’t contain her emotions as the tears began to roll down her face. Sasuke was unable to speak, shocked by the raw emotion of her former teammate—teammates, Naruto now has joined Sakura with his own tears. He noticed Naruto gripping onto her and that he was the only one not crying. He feels like he should, but for some reason he’s numb to this, and he hates himself for it. He hates himself even more since he can’t grab onto Naruto from this angle. There was an odd urge to comfort him, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to think about it in that moment. He wasn’t sure he wanted to think about it right in this moment when the two closest people in his life, who he worked with before leaving them alone—
A sharp inhale of breath and suddenly they’re both being dropped quickly on the ground and Naruto is struggling to breathe and suddenly this situation has gone from bittersweet to horrifying. Sasuke is able to find his voice and fights to use it to put it to use.
“What happened?” He asked, and Sakura looks at him like she’s just seen him for the first time and is processing what it means for him to be here and asking a question about Naruto’s well-being. He knows it’s a stupid question, he knows how Naruto got hurt and about the injuries prior to their fight. He knows he’s been an asshole this entire time but, in this moment,, he wants to make sure the person who dragged his ass from the darkness is going to survive to see tomorrow. She seems to snap out of it quickly and is at Naruto’s side in an instant.
“He’ll live, but we’re going to have to move him. I’ll do what I can and heal him here, but we’re going to have to get him to Lady Tsunade as soon as possible. Think you can walk? I could probably carry both of you if you can’t.” She’s speaking out, and her hands are already alight with the calming hue of healing charka, Naruto’s wet breathing getting less intense. When he’s no longer wheezing, Sakura grabs his face carefully and examines the damage their, her eyes moving as if reading a particularly gruesome novel. Sasuke can’t help but feel useless and pathetic laying next to them and only able to observe.
“He’ll live, he’s had worse but not by much. Thanks to Kumura, he’ll stabilize, but he does need a hospital. Alright, up you go.” She says, and she hoists Naruto under one of her arms, and makes her way to Sasuke. She offers a hand and he tries to push himself off the hard rock but his legs don’t want to comply and he’s useless the way he is. Sasuke tries not to think about how Sakura repeats the phrase "he'll live", as if saying it enough will make it so. Instead Sasuke focuses on his old teammate's face, her face struggling to remain at ease with this current situation. It was something that he couldn't help but admire in her, and he could tell without much experience of seeing her in action, it made her a brilliant medic nin. It took Sakura snapping her fingers in front of his face to refocus.
“Looks like Naruto gave as good as he got,” Sakura said with a small smile on her face and is that… fondness? “you both really don’t know how to hold back on each other.” She said, and Sasuke can’t help but give her a weak smile and a half-hearted shrug. “When have we ever known to give it anyone but our all?” Sasuke asks, now realizing this is the first thing he’s said to Sakura without malicious intent. She looks surprised at his joke and in retaliation she harshly grabs his arm and pulls him on his feet, to then throw him over her shoulder. Normally something like this would have caused him to feel embarrassed, now he just felt tired and allowed Sakura to manhandle him.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, I said I could carry you both if need be. Just relax and enjoy the ride.” She said and Sasuke can’t help but sigh and fight to keep a smile off his face. Something about this new chance at life he could see before him, beaten and bloodied as he was, brought him nothing but an inner peace he hadn’t felt in years. He let the motion of Sakura jumping from the previous fighting grounds, rock destroyed into peddles that were now embedded in his skin. His eyes drifted slowly shut, his own heartbeat a comforting noise soothing him into a much-needed sleep. He found himself trusting Sakura to get both him and Naruto to safety, and found that whatever came after didn't matter that much.