I Will Love You Forever: Elegy

I hereby declare that I claim no rights to NARUTO © 1999 by Kishimoto Masashi/SHUEISHA Inc. and recieve no monetary benefit for any narrative I publish hereafter based on this manga or any of its other media adaptations.

Warnings are in place for manga spoilers

-Xtase

I would like to graciously thank all the people who took the time and made the effort to review my work. You'd be surprised at how even a little bit of feedback can mean so much. And now, without further ado, the finale.

I don't know what to do.

Standing inside this dank cave with only Kabuto and a corpse for company. Trying to come to terms with your shocking absence.

"I'm..."

I'm... lost.

I followed you to get answers and only ended up with even more questions. Nothing has really changed, but it feels like my world has been tipped upside down. By you. Always by you. Do you know what you do to me, how you make me feel?

That dreadful excitement that siezed my heart when I saw you dashing through the trees overhead. The unbearable pride I felt swelling in my chest when you finally let me stand beside you. And fight with you. The horror that gripped me when Kabuto sliced you in half. The joy of knowing that you were here, you were back beside me, where you belong. Do you know about all these emotions?

And you have the audacity to press your forehead against mine. Do you want to make my chest explode? Do you want me to go insane from the savage delight your touch brings me? Do you have to tell me the words I've yearned to hear from you, even when I hated you, so gently, so lovingly? All I've done is cause you grief.

I'm speechless.

Watching your spirit ascend from that body, all I could do was marvel at your beauty. You looked like an angel, absolutely exquisite. My perfect aniki. And I so desperately wanted to cling to you. I wanted to be with you. Why can we never be together?

But we both know there is one way I can join you truly. And it is so very tempting right now. All I have to do is run through myself with my sword. Slit my throat with a kunai. It won't take long for me to die.

For a while I don't care about my promise, I don't care if it's the coward's way out. I just don't give a damn. I just want to go where you are, even if you end up in hell. I don't care, it doesn't matter, as long as you're with me. Why do you always leave me behind? Everytime you leave my life takes a turn for the worse. Why, despite all the power I've gained, why are you still too far away to reach?

I'm furious.

How can you sacrifice yourself for the sake of that worthless village again? What have they ever done for you? They stole everything from you, from the both of us. A whole clan was butchered, and they dare to think they can sweep it under the mat and get away with it?

And before long that boiling hatred resurfaces. Konoha is corrupt and rotten to its core if that is they way it needs to function. They must pay back what they owe and recieve their proper punishment. If I have to deal it out myself so be it.

How dare they, how dare those ninja pose as heroes when they're nothing but weak, ignorant trash? When the real hero is scorned and rebuked as a criminal, dying in obscurity once again. Just the thought of them laughing in their sunny little village brings up bile to my throat.

They must pay, with their worthless lives. Every single one of them. Danzou ordered the same thing; every man, woman and child. I'll slaughter them, no, eradicate them. And if anyone gets in my way, I'll slay them and everyone they ever cared about. I swear it on our clan's graves. I will crush Konoha.

I'm alone.

But this is what I wanted isn't it? I've left everyone behind, chasing after something I could never attain. But I can't hate you anymore. In fact, I can't stop loving you. And I guess I know there's only one thing left for me to do now.

All I have is my memories. I have long since shut my eyes and only see the past. This is the thing I do best. And I guess it's fitting because only the best is good enough for you. So I will do this one thing for you.

And forever remember you, Niisan.