I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who reviewed and read although I didn't manage to get around to do individual thank you mainly because I wanted to post this as soon as o hope you'll forgive me, but I still love you all xD

P.S. read the A/N at the bottom it's very important

Disclaimer don't own Naruto and co.

Chapter Eleven

Goodbye

Later that evening Naruto returned to the living room Sasuke had not moved from where he had sat. Settling himself on the sofa he leaned against Sasuke. A warm arm wrapped itself around his waist squeezing him bringing him closer. Naruto just sighed wanting this moment to last forever. But like all good things it had to come to an end. But this time it was by Sasuke

"Nothings changed"

"Everything has changed Sasuke" Naruto whispered keeping to the softness of the atmosphere, he could feel Sasuke tense beside him but the man just continued to hold him.

"What's different?"

Naruto sighed sadly. He had spent all his time in his room coming to his decision. It was difficult and it took everything Naruto had not to simply break down in tears but he knew he couldn't he had to do this for Sasuke's and his sake.

"Why can you give up everything for me but I can't for you?" Sasuke asked him

"Because you still have people waiting for you. I only had you"

"You can still have me"

"I can't it won't be fair"

"It wasn't fair on you when you thought I was the..."

"I know Sasuke but you're not I am and you were here to help me move on. Beside Sasuke you and I know I'll disappear soon. I'll only return for two months and by that time I probably won't remember you."

"Then I'll make you remember"

"Sasuke" the other didn't say anything ending their conversation.

Both men just sat there enjoying each others company wanting to put of the inevitable that they knew was waiting to happen but wanting to hold off for as long as possible.

They watched the golden flame flickered in the hearth warming the room and them. Yet at the same time acting as a painful reminder.

Hours must have passed by before Sasuke opened his mouth again.

"Naruto, why did you...?"

Naruto looked up at him but Sasuke's gaze was determinedly being held by the fire. Casting his eyes elsewhere Naruto snuggled into the warmth before he began to retell his tale.

"I was tired" he began breathing softly he tried collecting his thoughts so he could explain to Sasuke. "it wasn't so much I set myself out to" he made a hand gesture unable to bring himself to say it "but I couldn't bring myself to move when the fire had started or try to put it out." He paused as a faraway look entered his eyes as he began to recount his story. "The day before the fire I met Jiraiya" he didn't bother pausing to explain to Sasuke who Jiraiya was having a feeling he already knew "he had managed to get a hold of my number some how, I'm not sure, and called me asking if we could meet. We set up a meeting place so we could talk. He said he wanted to explain everything to me about Minato" Naruto paused swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat "about my father and their agreement. And he did.

Minato was paying him to care for me but it only happened after mom died. They didn't meet before and he wasn't being paid when he helped me with my writing in middle school." Running his fingers through his hair "Jiraiya had wanted to adopt me but on the money he made he couldn't, so when Minato offered money in order to make sure that I was his son never came out to the tabloids, Jiraiya agreed. He didn't want to hurt me; he wanted me to be happy and this was the only way." Sasuke knew there had to be more to the story than that, surely that should've made Naruto happy to know Jiraiya loved him and didn't just take him in for the money.

"I don't know, but after I heard that I just became exhausted. I was just so tired of it all.

Or so long I've held hatred and anger but then, nothing. I was just so tired of all this Sasuke. Because my father though he was every thing to this world he couldn't keep it in his pants and never thought of the consequences.

I was born, and my mother suffered being scorned and branded a whore." Stopping Naruto took a couple of breaths it was difficult dragging himself back in to his past, a past he would sooner forget.

"When I was a child no one would play with me. Their parents wouldn't let them because I was the child of a mistress, although they didn't know who the father was they didn't care. As long as my mother ha that title on her it didn't matter who the father was or the fact that he had equal participation n my conception, the only important fact was that he was rich and mom wasn't so she was the one who endured hell for it. He didn't. Instead he gallivanted on T.V. everyone admiring how wonderful and noble like he was." Naruto snorted "Noble, was it noble to abandon a pregnant and then pay his guardian to keep him quiet about revealing his existence." Naruto stopped talking letting everything he said be digested by Sasuke.

"Did you know I was pulled out of Keito Academy. Even though I worked hard to get that scholarship, but Jiraiya convinced me to leave after we got a house in another town. He signed me up for another good high school though." Naruto laughed bitterly "turns out it was him. He learned of my talents and didn't want to risk people finding out about my true parentage by getting noticed for my writing skill. And then after that when I tried to get my first book published, all the places I went to loved my novels an said it would sell. But as soon as I said my name they reject me immediately.

That was him too.

I only got my novel published through the use of a pen name. Jiraiya was the one who suggested it, but thinking about it now he probably figured out the truth.

He paid my mother as well for her silence. The man who was supposed to be my father done everything he could to make sure to erase my existence from society."

"Why didn't you fight back go to the media and cause a scandal?" Sasuke asked softly

"I couldn't be bothered to. I never wanted to be his son I just wanted to make a life for myself doing what I loved and if I went to the media I would become recognized as his son. But I couldn't, he wouldn't let me."

They sat there in silence the clock ticking by; it was well past midnight but neither cared.

"The fire started in my room." Pausing to think about it "most likely. I had latten some candles and put them around my bedroom they were scented. And supposed to make you feel relaxed." Sasuke smiled at how girlish it was

"I had papers every where and opened the window just a crack in case the scent ended up becoming too strong when I went back into my room. Downstairs I had made a couple of sandwiches. I put it on the table and went to grab a book on top of the mantle piece when I felt fatigued. I ended up collapsing beside the fireplace on the rug. I just lay there on the floor. I'm not sure for how long nothing registered, not even the smell of smoke. I just wanted to sleep." Naruto trailed off not needing to explain the rest. They both sat there in that position even when the sun came up.

...

Sighing Naruto sat up facing Sasuke "so what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't you going to do an exorcism on me or something" he grinned remembering the last exorcism to have been performed in this house, and from the smile on Sasuke's face he also recalled. But nothing could take away the pain he saw in onyx eyes.

"Naruto" Naruto could see the uncertainty in Sasuke's eyes; holding back the tears that threatened to fall from his own.

For Naruto it was so much easier. If Sasuke was the one that had died, he had no one he would've been more than happy to die and join Sasuke in the after life. But Naruto was the ghost and Sasuke; he had a family who would miss him. Who wanted him to return to them. Naruto couldn't, didn't expect Sasuke to do as Naruto had planned when he thought their roles were reversed.

"Naruto"

Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke holding on to him tightly until he said the last words he'd ever say to the one man he had ever truly loved.

"Goodbye Sasuke"

The last thing Naruto could ever feel in the realm of the living was a small wetness on his shoulder before everything went white.

...

And it's finished. Nooooooooooooo Naruto went to the after life leaving Sasu-chan all alone. *duck as objects comes flying at her* eh heh heh I guess that wasn't the ending you all wanted then *smiles sheepishly* well on the plus side there is going to be a semi-sequel like thing well not really a sequel basically it will be a recount of event told in Sasuke's point of view or something like that. So all the missing info and stuff and unanswered questions will be answered there. An the best thing I've posted the first chapter straight after this one so I hope you all enjoy

Ja ne x