Name: Impressionism

Name: Impressionism

Summary: They were doomed to death. The last surviving jinnchuuriki had no where to run; but death. After entering eternal slumber, they both are reborn into a new world; and to find each other again. GaaraNaruto

IMPORTANT! I HAVE ALTERNED SOME THINGS. NO ONE DIES IN THE SHIPUUDEN BUT THE AKATSUKI. MY STORY WILL COVER THE SHIPPUDEN, BECAUSE IT SUX. OH YEAH! GAARA HAS EYEBROWS, BECAUSE THEY ARE NEEDED LATER ON.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Prologue

'Sweet Suicide'

'Huff, huff '

Heavy breathing could be heard. Two bodies were bent low, gasping for breath. The sound of a nearby waterfall echoes through the forest. Birds sang their song - their song of death.

Not a whisper escaped from tired lips. The two beings have been running for countless hours away from them. They could not let them get them. There would be no survival.

One of the beings- Uzumaki Naruto- glanced with fatigue at his surroundings. The blur of green trees, as if someone splattered paint to create the image sloppily. A deafening crashing of water could be heard. The place haunted his thoughts: This was an easy place to find.

Uzumaki's cerulean eyes glimpsed at the one next to him, who had accompanied him in their race for survival not too long ago. Said person- Sabaku no Gaara- fleetingly looked at him as well, and for the first time, with fear.

They were not being chased by the Akatsuki- no; the Akatsuki had wanted to seal the Bijuu back to the spiritual world to keep them away from greedy hands. Their new enemy was ruthless- uncaring and cruel, and had no mercy at all. They were known as the Chiikotsu- a group of soulless shinobi who dedicated their lives to exterminating the jiinchuuriki. They would destroy the Demon; soul and all. The container would endure a thousand years of endless wandering between this world and the next, before being reborn into the worst lifestyle of the era. They have taken all of the demons and containers- except for two.

Gaara ruffled his hair and blinked slowly a few times, trying to calm himself down. But he has never been cornered into such a situation before. To die with your own blood staining your hands or to have a slim chance of escape- to run away for the rest of your life, in an attempt to get away from the Chiikotsu? There was no other way.

Naruto plopped on to the forest ground. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. This may be the last time he will ever smell this sweet, grass scent.

"What are we to do?" asked Naruto. He stared up at the Kazekage, who was still standing.

"Only one way left…. Even Shukaku agrees on this option"

"I guess… You're right. Kyuubi agrees on it too"

"…"

"Life finally gets peaceful and then a new problem erupts. Karma, what kind of sick mind do you have?" wailed Naruto, who suddenly grabbed his hair, frustrated at the current scenario.

"Sasuke killed the snake bastard, the Akatsuki is no more, Konoha is once again peaceful, and Sasuke is going out with Sakura, making them both happy! Everyone is happy, but us. Is everyone really against us?" yelled out Naruto in agony. Gaara stood there in silence, not knowing how to respond the blonde. There really was nothing left for them to do. The song birds chirped louder, in a non-stop chirping song. Each chirp sounded a lot like a continuous chant of 'die, die, die'.

"We must die" concluded Gaara. Even with a stern and cold voice, the ends of Gaara's eyes dropped slightly into a sad look, but only slightly. Naruto sighed in dismay.

"It's the only thing, ne?" whispered Naruto softly, staring at an ant that was struggling to bring a rather large piece of leaf back to its colony.

Gaara sat down beside Naruto gently. He nudged Naruto gently, getting the blonde's attention.

"We should do it now"

"Yeah…."

Naruto looked up to watch Gaara's face. The last face he will see. The person he will die with, the only one that understood him. They were never close friends. Actually, they haven't seen each other since the chuunin exams. But they met up to run away together, to run away from the enemy.

Now, they will run no more, nor surrender. They will halt from the problem. They will disappear.

"How will we do this?" asked Naruto, hauling his backpack over to himself.

"Why don't we…. Cut our wrists? It's the simplest way to die"

"I guess so"

Naruto reached into his bag and pulled out two kunais. He handed one to Gaara. Naruto eyed the instrument with a gloomy gaze. Gaara was staring at his too.

"I've wanted to die for so long….. Now I don't want to. But Shukaku is letting the sand be away from me when I make the incision"

"I have never once thought of myself as a coward. Now, look at us. We're spilling our own blood after many hard years of keeping it within us. Well, I guess on the count of three".

Gaara nodded, and waited for Naruto to begin.

Three….. Two…. One….

Slicing could be heard. Blood splatters on what was once green grass. The red substance staining every surface it lands on. Wounds ooze out blood in a slow, caterpillar like manner. Naruto and Gaara leaned on the fallen tree behind them. They waited for death to overtake them.

Naruto sighed in pain and regret. So many things left undone, yet he is leaving this life so abruptly. He felt guilty, yet relieved. Then it suddenly hit him.

"I have this song I am supposed to sing at the Sakura no Hana festival next week. Pity that no one will ever hear it" sighed Naruto.

"We have time before the eternal sleep. Sing it to me now, as death overcomes us".

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes. He summons the rapidly parting lifeforce within him to begin the first note.

Kanashimi no mukou kishi ni
Hohoemi ga aru toiu yo

(It's said that there is a smile
On the opposite side of sadness)

Naruto puts his hand into Gaara's. Gaara looked at Naruto and Naruto gave a smile that says 'We're going to get through this'. Even in these circumstances, they will always be friends until the end, even if it is brief.

Kanashimi no mukou kishi ni
Hohoemi ga aru to iu yo
Tadori tsuku sono saki ni wa
Nani ga bokura wo matteru?

(It's said that there is a smile
On the opposite side of sadness
Up ahead from where I'm going to arrive at
Just what is it that's waiting for me?)

Gaara slowly began to feel his life slipping away from him. He was a bit drowsy, but still awake. He was glad that Naruto was singing them to death, because his voice was nice. He did not want to die in silence, so he was grateful for Naruto's singing.

Nigeru tame ja naku yume ou tame ni
Tabi ni deta hazusa tooi natsu no ano hi

(I should have set off, not to run away
But to chase my dreams, back on that far off summer day)

Naruto was beginning to feel drowsy, but his will to finish the song was strong. Gaara fell gently on to Naruto's lap. Naruto looked down at Gaara's peaceful face. Gaara opened his eyes to assure him that he was still alive. Naruto smiled, knowing that he was giving him the warmth that he had experienced long ago, when his mother wrapped his arms around him and sang for him before he accidentally killed her.

Ashita sae mieta nara tame iki mo nai kedo
Nagare ni sakarau fune no you ni
Ima wa mae he susume

(If I could have even seen what tomorrow would be like, I wouldn't have been able to breathe
So now I move forward
In order to go against the current, like a boat)

Kurushimi no tsukita basho ni
Shiawase ga matsu toiu yo
Boku wa mada sagashite iru
Kisetsu hazure no himawari

(It's said that happiness waits
In places that have been consumed by sadness
I'm still searching for
A sunflower at the end of the season)

Gaara knew that he was being very unlike himself. He trusts the blonde, lying on him too. But his body could support him no more, and he had to lie there in order to stay awake. Naruto's singing was reaching his ears in a beautiful melody. The sound was starting to get an echo-like sound, which made it even more pleasant to hear.

Kobushi nigirishime asahi wo mateba
Akai tsume ato ni namida kirari ochiru

(If I clench my fists, and wait for the morning sun to come
After my finger nails became bloody, my tears would fall)

Kodoku ni mo nareta nara
Tsuki akari tayori ni
Hane naki tsubasa de tobi tatou
Motto mae he susume

(If I've grown used to being lonely
By the moonlight
I'll fly away with my featherless wings
I'll move further on ahead)

Both of them were lying on the floor now, side by side. Naruto's mouth was near Gaara's ear, so he could hear the song while entering the dark abyss of death. He felt himself slipping away also.

Amagumo ga kireta nara
Nureta michi kagayaku
Yami dake ga oshiete kureru
Tsuyoi tsuyoi hikari
Tsuyoku mae he susume

(If a rain cloud bursts
Then the wet road will sparkle
That's what the darkness tells me
The strong, strong light
I'll move forward, and be strong)

(To hear song, go to AN at the bottom)

And in unison, they both closed their eyes, never to open them again in this life.

Author's Note: Hey, I hope you enjoyed that. Reviews are loved, and I will get the next chapter out ASAP. To listen to the song, here it is: www- youtube- com/watch?vsfh646pRwU