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The light was too bright, seeping through Sasuke’s eyelids. He opened his eyes slowly, feeling a strange lightness in his body.
Sasuke felt confused because... why was there no pain?
"What...?"
"Sasuke!"
That voice...
Sasuke frowned. He would recognize that voice anywhere. That raspy tone that had pursued him for years was etched into his memory, his body, his soul, and his heart. But...
Sasuke bolted upright. Naruto was in the same position to his left. Sasuke was about to sigh in relief seeing that Naruto was okay, but instead, his eyes widened at the same time Naruto’s expression mirrored his own. Sasuke didn't understand why; he only understood his own shock because, behind Naruto, a pair of wings unfolded: pure, clean white, like snow after a storm, virgin and untouched.
"Naruto..." Sasuke began.
"Sasuke...!" Naruto began at the same time.
"Don't panic, but there's a pair of huge wings moving on your back," they both said simultaneously, though Naruto’s tone was so frantic it didn't match his "don't panic" at all.
Wait! Did Naruto say...?
Sasuke reached a trembling hand to his back, praying there might be a mirror behind him and Naruto was simply seeing his own reflection… but there was no reason for Naruto to have wings either!
Sasuke was still trying to calm his panic when his fingers touched, indeed, feathers. He pulled his hand away as if the touch had burned him.
No. No. No.
Sasuke looked at Naruto, who also seemed terrified.
"You are dead." A serene voice startled them both, and Sasuke realized there was no time to be scared; he had to find a way to get Naruto out of there.
Sasuke looked around, but there was only light and more light. What the hell? Sasuke’s frown deepened. What an idiot, he thought, he got too distracted and now the enemy had caught up to them. Sasuke took a defensive stance, stepping in front of Naruto; whatever it was, he couldn't let them hurt him.
"Sasuke..." Naruto whispered behind him.
"Stay alert," he ordered.
A figure appeared before them. A man with wings even larger than Naruto’s, and probably larger than his own, though Sasuke couldn't tell for sure since he hadn't seen them yet, but he assumed they were the same size as Naruto’s.
Sasuke searched for his Kusanagi sword but, damn it! It was nowhere to be found. He had to settle for his fists. His Taijutsu wasn't bad; together with Naruto, they could put up a good fight. Having weapons would be an advantage, but they’d be fine without them.
Sasuke decided to wait for the enemy to make the first move to calculate his strength and devise a strategy.
The man raised his hands in a gesture of innocence, but Sasuke wasn't buying it.
"Calm down," the man said, his voice carrying a hint of humor that irritated Sasuke.
"Who are you?" Sasuke growled menacingly. "What is this place, and why can't I feel Genjutsu?"
"You are dead," the man repeated calmly. "As for this place," he continued, extending a hand to point at their surroundings, though Sasuke saw nothing but white. "This is a place of service. You work in pairs here. You two, naturally, have been assigned as partners and will be guiding souls."
Sasuke wanted to mock those nonsensical words, but a gasp behind him interrupted him before he could start.
"Sasuke, are we... are we dead?"
"Easy," Sasuke tried. "He’s lying, don't believe his words."
"You are dead. You both fought one last battle against each other, and the result was the death of both."
Sasuke froze. Memories flooded his mind in a blurred torrent that cleared as it passed. Naruto, along with the other ninja nations, was fighting a war against, initially, Uchiha Madara. Sasuke joined to help alongside the former Hokages with the help of (Sasuke admitted it grudgingly) Orochimaru. The war was a mountain of nonsense, and in the end, they won thanks to him and Naruto.
After the war, Sasuke wanted to fight Naruto, and that was how they ended up here. Did they both die? But they had both lost an arm, and now, both had their two arms back.
Sasuke turned sharply to face Naruto. His eyes were red, as if he wanted to cry, and Sasuke felt an overwhelming wave of guilt. Naruto had died. Naruto had died because of him.
"Sasuke... Sasuke, forgive me!" Naruto spoke with a choked gasp, and Sasuke didn't understand what he was saying. "Sasuke, I should have been stronger, I couldn't save you..."
Sasuke didn't know what to say, so he simply scolded him. "You’re dead too, idiot."
"I said we’d die together, but I didn't want you to actually die, you know?" Naruto said with a pout.
Sasuke scoffed at the absurdity of it all.
"I guess we’ll have to work together here from now on."
"Together," Naruto said, and he smiled radiantly as if he hadn't just died.
𖦹
The following months were spent adapting to this new, unknown ethereal realm. Naruto, as always, made new friends in a couple of days. Sasuke might have been jealous of Naruto’s attention, or maybe not. It was a complicated subject.
Together they learned to fly. Sasuke discovered that his wings were slightly larger than Naruto’s and couldn't help the smug expression that formed on his face; after all, he always had that competitive instinct when it came to Naruto. Naruto had complained a lot, but there was nothing to do about it, and he just had to settle.
"Hey, bastard! We have to go to the Library of Lives. Jin left our soul memories in our section; we have to go get them, the soul won't be long in arriving." Naruto appeared to pull him from his rest.
Sasuke stood up and shot a fleeting glance toward Naruto. His fellow soul-guide was wearing a knee-length tunic that matched his wings. The tunic left one honey-colored shoulder bare, and Sasuke couldn't help his eyes lingering there for a few seconds. A dangling earring brushed that shoulder with every movement of the blonde head. Naruto’s hair had grown over time; two long strands like sunlight framed his bright face, while the rest was pulled into two small braids at the back of his head, leaving the rest loose. Naruto looked, to say the least, splendid. Every now and then, Sasuke would find himself breathless when Naruto appeared before him.
They both walked to the Library of Lives. Sasuke listened to Naruto’s constant chatter and nodded when necessary.
"...And then Dian said I look like a girl and that he wouldn't mind dating me even though I'm a man. What's wrong with him? He’s an asshole, you know?" Naruto complained.
"Loser. Just tell him you don't want to," Sasuke said, though there was a slight discomfort in his chest.
"I told him!" Naruto shouted, gesturing with his arms.
"Yeah? Then there shouldn't be a problem." Sasuke had to suppress a sigh of relief, which scared him a little, but he didn't want to think about the reason.
"Mm," Naruto murmured, suddenly becoming dejected.
Sasuke watched him walk ahead absentmindedly; Naruto was worried about something, Sasuke noticed.
"What’s wrong?" he finally asked. If something worried his partner, it concerned him as well.
"Eh? Uh, nothing, you know?" Naruto replied with a hollow smile.
"Why did you suddenly get so down?" Sasuke stepped beside him and looked at him.
Naruto tried to avoid his gaze, but Sasuke was faster and squeezed his face with one hand, kneading those round cheeks with his fingers.
"Ugh, Sasuke," Naruto groaned.
Sasuke chuckled.
"Then tell me what's wrong."
Naruto looked down, but Sasuke squeezed his face tighter between his fingers, and Naruto could only glare at him.
"I’m... I’m worried about Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, and the others..."
Sasuke felt a chill run through his body. He let go of Naruto and took a step back. He had thought about it too, but of course Naruto would be much more worried about the others than he was; after all, he was the one who loved them most.
"They’ll be fine, they're strong," he forced himself to say anyway.
"I know, but..." Naruto stopped suddenly.
But Naruto had died because of Sasuke, and of course Naruto didn't want to die the day he turned seventeen.
"But you’re right, Sasuke. They are very strong, they’ll be okay." Naruto smiled sweetly; Sasuke felt he didn't deserve it. "It doesn't matter, we’re together now. Come on, we have work to do," he finished before grabbing Sasuke’s arm and pulling him along.
Sasuke didn't resist, but he still felt very conflicted. Why didn't Naruto hate him when he had snatched away his future?
𖦹
After returning from the Library of Lives, they both headed to the Port of Arrival, where new souls arrived one by one.
They waited a few minutes before a tall man with long blonde hair appeared in a small boat.
Upon reaching the shore, he hopped out and stood a few meters away from the two angels waiting for him.
"Achilles," Naruto said his name aloud.
They had done this many times before; by now, they could be called experts. They were fully aware of what they had to do.
The man nodded calmly, looking around in confusion.
"You are dead," Sasuke told him.
The man looked at him with a frown for a while.
"Patroclus," he said suddenly.
Sasuke shot a look at Naruto. According to what they saw in Achilles' memories, Patroclus had been Achilles' lover in life.
Achilles felt guilty for Patroclus’s death; he hated himself for allowing Patroclus to go in his place to help others while he selfishly refused, and selfishly, fate snatched away the person he loved. Achilles went mad, seeking revenge. The gods prophesied that once Achilles killed Hector, Achilles would be the next to die. He always thought it wouldn't happen, that he would be the first hero to be happy, but their ending was tragic.
Sasuke, in a way, understood. In a way, he recognized that pain. He also knew what it was to lose, or in his case, be separated from, his most important person. To live with that void, having to fight even when you know half of you is very far away.
"Patroclus!" Achilles shouted. "Where is he? I must find him."
Sasuke took a step closer.
"I know," he said simply. Naruto looked at him in surprise.
"You know what?" Achilles asked, his eyes looking at Sasuke with disdain.
Sasuke swallowed hard, avoiding looking at Naruto as he spoke.
"I... I know what it’s like to lose half of your soul and have to keep breathing."
Naruto gasped behind him, but Sasuke couldn't look at him, not when he was confessing that Naruto was the half of his soul and how painful it was to abandon him back then.
Achilles, in contrast, stopped looking at Sasuke with disdain.
"Then," he said through gritted teeth, "you know I cannot rest without him."
"You don't have to," Naruto finally intervened, his voice raspy. "We didn't receive him, but we can help you find him."
Achilles, like a man saved, looked at Naruto with shining eyes.
"Can you really do that?"
"We will," Naruto promised.
𖦹
"How is it possible that I'm only now realizing we can travel, Sasuke?" Naruto groaned.
They were in the Star Garden drinking nectar. It wasn't that they had forgotten Achilles, but they couldn't do anything for the moment to help him. They soon discovered that the couple who guided Patroclus was away on a trip.
"The older ones can travel; we can't."
Naruto glared at him.
"Well, it doesn't matter. Achilles is suffering, you know?" Naruto drank his nectar in frustration. "Besides, we said we’d help him and we’re just here drinking nectar," he finished with a huff.
Sasuke took a moment to observe how the light from the floating stars reflected on Naruto’s skin.
Idiot. Always so worried about others, even after dying.
"We will," he said with a sigh, looking away. "Jin said that that couple would return in a couple of days. We’ll wait."
Naruto sighed and lay back in the luminescent space beneath him, spreading his wings on either side.
"Hey, Sasuke..." Naruto murmured after a comfortable silence. Sasuke looked at him. "What you said before... about losing half of your soul and all that..."
Sasuke tensed. He knew this conversation would come eventually, but he wasn't sure he was entirely ready.
"Were you talking about...?" Naruto didn't finish the question, but his eyes of infinite blue looked at him expectantly.
Sasuke shifted his gaze to the stars between them, sighed deeply, and then moved closer to Naruto until his hands could touch him. He reached out and squeezed Naruto’s round cheek hard until it turned red and Naruto wrinkled his nose.
"It was always you, usuratonkachi." Sasuke’s voice was soft. "Ever since we were kids, always you. You’re the only person who made me feel alive." Sasuke felt the heat rising to his face, but he’d already started; might as well finish. "And when I left you, it was like tearing out my heart and continuing the path without it."
Naruto’s hand flew to Sasuke’s wrist. Sasuke watched those blue eyes as they grew damp, becoming brighter and more melancholic.
"Then, why...?"
"Because I was a coward," Sasuke interrupted him. "I was a complete coward and I was terrified to discover what it meant to need you so much. Because you were my weakness and I wanted to be strong, but," Sasuke let out a dry laugh, "I was a fool. I didn't know that it’s because of you that I am so strong."
Naruto’s lips trembled.
"Idiot," he whispered, and Sasuke wanted to laugh, but he couldn't because suddenly they were very close. His hand was pulled away from Naruto’s cheek, and Naruto’s hands were on Sasuke’s face. "Me too... it was always you, Sasuke. Even when we fought and you hated me, it was always you."
Sasuke felt a bitterness in his chest, something breaking. His heart?
"I didn't hate you," he whispered. "I never hated you. I hated myself for being weak and a coward."
"You’re very brave, bastard."
Sasuke was going to smile, but... Naruto kissed him. A soft collision of warm lips tinged with the slightly sweet taste of nectar. So soft that Sasuke wanted to melt right then and there, something so different from all their previous battles and violent collisions.
Sasuke’s hands traveled down Naruto’s back; the skin was warm and soft. Sasuke felt the urge to bite.
When they pulled apart, Naruto smiled against his lips.
"Here, we can be ourselves."
"Just us," Sasuke nodded, feeling completely at peace.
𖦹
Two days later, they received notification that the couple had returned. Sasuke and Naruto went directly to find Achilles, who had been waiting on a cloud.
"Achilles," Naruto called. "We can find Patroclus now."
The warrior stood up immediately, his face unable to hide his happiness.
The three walked together toward the western sector of the realm, where souls that arrived centuries ago resided.
The couple who had guided Patroclus, two young-looking angels, awaited them in a clearing surrounded by flowers.
"He is in the Garden of the Reunited," one of them explained kindly. "He has been waiting."
"Waiting?" Achilles asked in a raspy voice.
"Souls that die knowing they will see a loved one again wait in that garden," the guide said. "He never stopped waiting for you."
Sasuke watched as Achilles’ hands shook. He knew that feeling: the fear and the desire to meet again the person you thought was lost.
Naruto took Sasuke’s hand and squeezed it.
They walked the short path to reach Patroclus alongside Achilles. Sasuke and Naruto stopped a few paces back and saw the exact moment Patroclus looked up and met Achilles’ eyes.
"Achilles?"
"Patroclus," Achilles whispered.
Slowly, Patroclus stood up. Achilles was in front of Patroclus at last.
Achilles wrapped his arms around his lover, and Patroclus returned the embrace with strength. They held each other as if they wanted to merge into one another.
Sasuke watched them share whispers, both their eyes filled with tears that spilled over, and Sasuke felt a lump in his throat. Naruto was crying openly beside him. Sasuke turned him and wiped away his tears.
"They are together and happy," he told to comfort him, kissing his tears.
Naruto hugged him for a few minutes before pulling away as he felt Achilles’ presence beside them.
"Thank you," he said. Then he looked at Sasuke directly. "You found the half of your soul too, didn't you?"
Sasuke didn't answer, but his eyes did, looking at Naruto with extreme softness.
Achilles smiled genuinely.
"This time, don't let him go either."
"I won't," Sasuke promised.
𖦹
That night, Sasuke and Naruto returned to their shared space. They sat together on a floating structure overlooking an ocean of stars.
"They were beautiful together," Naruto said in a low voice.
"They were," he agreed, knowing exactly who he meant.
"I wish they’d had more time in life."
Sasuke looked at him with a complicated expression.
"We didn't have much time either," he pointed out. "But now we have eternity."
Naruto turned to look at him with bright eyes under the stars.
"Eternity with you?"
"If you can stand me for that long."
Naruto laughed.
"It’ll be very hard, you know?" he said, still laughing. "But I’ll stand you forever, bastard."
Sasuke slid his hand down until it found Naruto’s, intertwining their fingers.
"In life, I was your rival, your enemy, your friend," Sasuke said slowly. "Here, in this place, I want to be simply yours. If you’ll have me."
"You’ve always been mine," Naruto said reflectively. "And I’ve always been yours."
Sasuke smiled at him genuinely.
Yes, they had always belonged to each other, from many lifetimes ago.
"Then I guess dying wasn't so bad after all."
Somewhere in the Garden of the Reunited, Achilles and Patroclus began their eternity together. And here, before a starry ocean, Sasuke and Naruto began theirs.
Together, as it always should have been.