Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.

A/N: This story will be a sort of drabble series, with short chapters. It follows the Naruto timeline, seen from Sasuke's point of view. Some events would be canon (with non-canon commentary from Sasuke of course) and some would be completely made up to suit this story. I would try to stay faithful to the Naruto universe as much as I can (I can't help feeling it's an oxymoron somehow, he) though.

Akai Ito means "red string", specifically that of the famous Chinese legend. Now, on to the story!

"There's an invisible thread connecting those who are destined to be together. The thread may come in different forms, each more fragile than the last, but will never break."

00. Stone

His is the last name carved on the stone.

Sasuke couldn't count how many times he has noticed that. Three, four, maybe even a hundred times over, and every time, the urge to just close his eyes and wish to erase it doesn't disappear.

Doesn't wear off.

When he was a kid, the names were nothing more but faceless scribbles. Then his family's names were added and he couldn't bear to even look.

Eventually, his brother too, found his place in the smooth stone, and Sasuke couldn't ignore the tribute any longer.

But he didn't expect he'd have another reason to visit.

Sasuke wishes, not for the first time, that it had been his name etched on to the stone instead. There is no afterlife for the likes of him. At least even in name, he could join his family, finally.

Four seasons have passed since that day. It is now again spring and Sasuke wonders if he has grieved enough. But everyday feels just like the first, the sorrow still as fresh. Perhaps time has abandoned him.

Or perhaps it is his punishment to forever feel this loss and carry it.

Kakashi had come and gone, the two of them sharing nothing but silent nods to each other. Two persons lost in the sense of timelessness provided by a cheap substitute.

But it is not only the two of them, he knows. The sakurasou is proof of that, each one as vibrant as the last. He wonders if she finds solace in a stone too.

They'd never crossed paths in this place, not once since that day. And he is thankful for it. Would her face reflect what he so desperately tries not to see in his? The thought gives him a new appreciation for the mask Kakashi wears.

Sasuke reads the name one last time and closes his eyes. It is still there when he opens them.

As he leaves the memorial, he wonders if there would be a day that he could also leave the sadness behind and wear it only on visits.

Could a slab of rock even hold the weight of combined grief?

He hopes it could because he isn't sure how much more of it he could carry by himself.

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A/N: Chapter 05 is coming soon! Thanks so much to those who reviewed last update, lala's world, FallenRaindrops, imorin, Stride Gum, MissLuppi, michioka, and Mitternacht! I hope you enjoy this 'sort of' update :)