Names may be sucky but deal with it. I'm just making them up here.

One shot?

'blah': thoughts

"blah": speaking

blah: flashback

Love blooms even at the battlefield.

Ugh! I wrote something so cheesy it's killing me.

I don't own Naruto.

Of Love and war:

?POV:

Dust and debris flew everywhere at each blast. I try to cover my eyes to prevent blinding myself.

FWOOM! FWOOM! Screams are heard each corner. Screams laced with blood. 'My team! Where is my team!' I try to run; stepping over several dead bodies in the process. "Captain!" "Captain!" they call for my name and try to reach for me. I could hear them but I couldn't stop. I have to find them! "Keisuke! Tayuya! Kaze! Where are you guys?" I yelled almost incomprehensible against all the cries of agony of the people who paved the street. My knees buckled and I fell. My body battered, bleeding generously. Bones broken, a miracle desperation and panic made for me to even breathe. 'Kaisuke, Tayuya, Kaze, where are you? Why can't I find you!' I smashed my fist to the ground in frustration. "No. I…I can't die yet. I have to see them at least to say goodbye." I gritted my teeth and try to stand up. My knees shaking badly, my breathing hard and shallow, I continued to walk when I saw them.

Tayuya and Kaze blackened and scorched at the ground. My breath hitched and I looked away but I cannot banish the disturbing image from my head so I forced myself to look back. The way they died looks like they were hit at the far ends of a bomb, Kaze apparently tried to protect Tayuya by shielding her from the blast but by the looks of it, it helped little since she looks just as horribly bad as the other. I fell to my knees once more but I didn't try to stand up anymore. My mind blank and numb trapped at the distant memories of the past.

Tayuya with her short pink hair and grass green eyes her short temper and sisterly love; Kaze and his perverseness, his lazy nature, weird humor and carefree attitude. Vaguely I could make out blasts going off near me. But I didn't care. A sharp metal from the explosion flew off straight towards me. I remained unmoving. 'So this is the end huh?' I closed my eyes and submit to fate, waiting for the metal projectile to take hit.

"NARU!" My eyes flew open and I whipped my head to the side where the voice came from. Suddenly I feel like falling. "ugh!" A weight as heavy as I am lay atop of me. I looked down at the face lying on my chest. My eyes grew wide. "Kei…Keisuke?" Yes. It is Keisuke. Despite all the blood, burns and wounds I still could make out his raven black hair, his pale skin and his ebony colored eyes then I noticed the metal piece lodged to his side.

"KEISUKE!" My hands trembled as it rest upon him. 'He took the hit for me? Why!' He coughed out blood and kept on lying on my chest. "Not so loud moron and quit moving. It hurts." "B…but!" I kept on staring at the metal. "You dumb dope. Why didn't you try to move away? Too afraid to budge? Scaredy cat." He smirked. My jaw dropped. Hearing those words made me remember.

Keisuke and I have met each other at high school. During an all gang fight, it was just me against ten and I was already tired when he came. Jumping out of nowhere he attacked and took them all down. I stood there still gaping in shock. Seishiro Keisuke, the genius prodigy, school's most illegible bachelor and heartthrob, student council president and ice king; He is still holding up one gang member by the collar when he turned around and looked straight towards me. "Too afraid to budge? Scaredy cat." I closed my mouth and glared My eyes burning in cold fire. "Bastard!" I muttered. "I didn't need your help."

It's just like before but somehow different. I felt anger swell in my chest and also the feeling of guilt. "I shook him hard before letting go of him while he groaned. "What was that for you dumb-ass! If you are too stupid to notice I'm hurt here baka!" My hands itched to hit him in the head but I refrained and contented myself in just glaring him to a pile of goop. " Because bastard! I didn't need your help! That was a very stupid thing to do and now you're dying because of it. And for that you deserve whatever pain I'm gonna give you." I sat up making him fall to my lap and crossed my arms still glaring at him. His eyes wide in shock then after a few seconds there was a snicker. Then it grew to a full-blown laughter while I look at him, amazed, baffled and most assuredly surprised. Keisuke never laughed. The prick never did and at the most oddest moment he laughed, not a smirk, not a smile, not a short chuckle but a loud long laughter tinged with amusement.

He positioned himself comfortably at my lap and I let my hand fall on his forehead. His laughter died down and he looked at me amused. "It's just like before ne?" I sighed and started stroking his hair, tangling my fingers to his brunette head and removing the knots. "Bastard." I whispered, my eyes softening. I don't know why I do what I do, doing this to the ice prick. 'Maybe it's hormones? I do have the tendency to give in to impulses but to him? Nah. Impossible.'

Maybe it was his smile. Smiling so contentedly and freely and as long as I knew him he never smiled. I mused this out a bit not stopping my ministrations. A few minutes passed in comfortable silence. Me thinking and sorting my feelings out. Him just laying there relaxed and content as my fingers played with his hair. I finally opened my mouth, uttering one word.

"Why?" I asked. "Why did you do that?" He sighed and looked at the darkened skies. 'It's gonna rain. Come to think of it, it was raining then too.'

(Keisuke Pov)

The boy was hunched over, his raincoat blocking off the water falling from the sky. He was gripping his mug of warm broth tightly in his hands. Naru shivered at the cold. His breath evoking mists as he exhaled, he tries to get whatever heat he could muster from the cup.

There were footsteps behind him. He didn't bother to turn around. He only took a sip from the cup and sneezed. "Moron." I said softly and stood before him. "You're already catching a cold. Get inside the tent. I'll finish your shift." He rubbed his nose and looked at me surprised. "Really?" then his surprise tuned to suspicion. I rolled my eyes. "Well? Decide now dope before I change my mind."

His face brightened and grinned at me. "Honto ni Keisuke-teme? Uwaah! You're the best!" He jumped to his feet and cheered. I smirked. At that split second he sneezed and slipped forward. He closed his eyes and waits for the impact. The cup fell to the ground and spilled its contents merging itself to the puddles of water.

He opened his eyes warily, and felt warmth enveloping his body. "You absolute moron." I said to him as I held him at my chest and steadied him. He blinked a few times before looking annoyed. "Stop calling me that bastard!" He removed himself from my support, crossing his arms he humphed and looked away, pouting like a child. I sighed and massaged my temples. 'Is he for real? He such a child.'

His gaze fell to the cup lying at the ground and its spilled contents. His eyes widened. "Noo!" He wailed and fell to his knees and started tearing up. I bonked his head. "Honestly! Is this the way a soldier born in war should act? Grow up Naru! You're already twenty five for kami's sake!" He looked at me pouting, his eyes big and teary and his bottom lip trembling. "Bu…But I'm hungry teme!" It was followed by a loud growl of his stomach. I inwardly groaned. Gods! If only he knew how much power he had over me with that face. I put my hand inside my raincoat and unstrapped a particular item.

"You're such a drama queen." I said. He looked up to me and saw a thermos held to him at my hand and also my frown. "What?" I just sighed and knelt beside him. Picking his cup, I opened up the thermos and poured its contents inside and held it to him. He looked at the cup disbelieving then at me. "Is that soup!" I merely stared at him blankly and still held the cup to him waiting. The rain continues to fall.

His jaw dropped then slowly but surely he smiled, turning wider each second. He glomps me and I try to steady myself to prevent spilling the contents of the cup. "Ooh! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Keisuke you're a life saver." He happily took the cup from my hands and stood up missing the pink tinge that colored my cheeks for a moment. I covered the thermos and stood up quietly and cleared my throat and brought back my composure. "Naru, go back to tent already." He smiled at me. Gentle and sincere, the first ever true smile he showed to anyone alive. "Thank you Keisuke. I'll pay you back someday." I merely snorted and turned away watching him at the corner of my eyes. He shook his head, amused. He picked up and shouldered his riffle and sneezed before turning and walking away. As soon as he left, the corners of my mouth twitched upwards and I returned my focus at guarding the camp.

((End of Keisuke Pov: Back to Naru's Pov:))

He sighed. "How should I know moron? For some reason my body moved that way." He answered and I frowned and stop moving my hand. "Answer me." I hissed and he looked away.

Lightning crackled. "I hated you, you know." Is this it? He is dying and he knew that and only then did he have the courage to say what he wanted to say for so long. He licked his parched lips and began once more while I waited impatiently for him to continue. "I hated you. You're annoying, you're loud, you're kind, you're determined, you're strong, you're childish, you're so innocent, so naïve, you're clumsy, you're everything that I'm not. And for that I hated you. I hated you for making me admire you. You turned me into a queer Naru. You made me want you." At that point my eyes have widened and were staring at him dumbly. He smiled and strokes my cheek gently with his thumb.

"Keisuke…"

"I hated you so much that the lines of hate and love grew thinner each second I'm with you. You made me feel once more. You destroyed my walls and I grew tired of denying myself. I have to accept the fact Naru or it would have pushed me out of sanity. I love you. I love your beautiful blue eyes that drown me every time I look at them, I love your golden hair, your tan skin, your bursting energy, I love everything about you Naru. You are my sun, my light and you saved me from the darkness of my soul."

He slowly rose himself; wincing when the pain grew and grew but still he continued to lift himself up until he is leveled to my face. Cloudless blue meets unending twin pools of ebony; our face apart by only mere inches that I could feel his warm breath. "Keisu…" I never got to finish as he crushed his lips with my own, begging, asking for the answer that only I could give. I hesitantly complied back growing bolder at each second. He smirked and nipped the bottom of my lip softly making me gasp in surprise. He quickly and eagerly took advantage of the situation and inserted his tongue. Tasting. Exploring.

We parted, each breathing a lungful of air. "Oxygen. Sweet oxygen." I wheezed. He gave me a tired smile and rested his forehead against mine, gazing deeply at my twin orbs. He strokes my cheek and licked my ear. He nipped the flesh and whispered. "A Pity. We never had the chance. I love you so much Naru-koi." His hands fell and his body shuddered before it slumped unto me. His head resting at the crook of my shoulder. I tensed and stiffened.

"Kei-chan?" I asked hoping, praying that it wasn't what I thought would be. He was silent. 'No! No! It can't be! Not now.' I shook him violently. "Kei-chan? Keisuke? Oi! Don't start joking at the time like this. It's not funny. Hey! Open up your eyes bastard!" He still remains unmercifully silent and lifeless. "You Bastard! Why now? Why after you said those words to me you stupid ass! Why do you always make me suffer!" I held him tightly against my chest, liquid crystals streaming down to my face. "Why?" I whispered. "Keisuke you're such a bastard." I embraced him for so long that it could be forever.

A blast at my right brought me back to the real world. My ear bled permanently making me deaf. My face grew grim and I kissed my dead lover's forehead one last time before laying him gently to the ground and closing his eyes. "Just wait for me Kei-chan. I would meet you again. I promise." I removed his dog tag and wore it as my own. I picked up the M-16 A1 that is so conveniently lying at the ground. Our dogtags glinting brightly to my chest, it started to rain.

'I could see them kei-chan. The enemies that took you, Tayuya and Kaze away from me.' I grinned a bloodthirsty grin. My bloodlust running high; I laughed in finality. I laughed in the face of death as I charged towards them with a barrage of bullets. 'And you know what Kei-chan? All those who are dying and wounded joined me as well with equal emotion.'

We screamed death, we sang its lullaby. "FOR DEATH!" We charged as bullets pierced our skin.

"For keisuke…"

A bomb fell in front of me and I flew a way with a grin at my face uttering a single and final word before the dark angel took me.

"Boom."

The enemy base camp flashed then was followed by a destructive and earth shattering explosion. A huge mushroom cloud rose to the skies as the camp laid to waste. For Matsuhide Naru blew up the armory making a series of explosions ultimately destroying the enemy and its base.

Year 2006, April 14, Thursday.

"…And that's how Matsuhide Naru died. He was proclaimed Japan's legendary hero by the year 1930." He bowed. There was and applause. His teacher smiled at him. "Very good. Take your seat Uchiha-san." He nodded, his face blank but silently appreciating the praise. "Hai."

He sat down at the back of the room. 'Matsuhide Naru….' Ever since he took up the subject of history and heard this story he felt drawn to this character the most.

There was just something about the legendary figure that made him, Uchiha Sasuke admire.

The bell rang and he walked away towards the park. A haven away from his fangirls. The only place where he could get some peace and quiet.

He breathed a sigh of relief and stretched his arms when he saw something that made his eyes widen. Sitting alone in a bench was a thing of beauty. A boy by his age with golden blond hair and tan skin. Two dogtags on the boy's neck glinted.

He walked towards the boy. The blond raised his head. Cerulean orbs meets ebony. His breath hitched. "Hello" The boy smiled wide. "Can I help you?"

He licked his dry lips. There is something about this boy, something familiar and warm that melts his icy heart immediately. He smiled, for the first time after a long past he smiled. "Hi. My name is Uchiha Sasuke." He held out his hand and the boy grasped it firmly, smiling. "Nice to meet you, my name is Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." And at that moment everything in this world suddenly felt right as they clasp hands.