Н‘¾Ð‘¯Ð‘¬Ð‘Μ Ð‘»Ð‘¯Ð‘¬ Н‘¾Ð‘°Ð‘Μ𝑫 Н‘©Ð‘³Ð‘¶Ð‘¾Ð‘º €¢Ð’Ƒ𝒙Н’Ƒ• The choices we make

He quickly wiped the expressions from his face. “So… that leaves only Jiraiya”. Kakashi slowly nodded and watched as the boy removed the leaves from his hair. “Contact him as soon as possible, I want to get this over with”. Akashi said and looked off to the side. Kakashi followed his gaze and stopped at the arena where the boy was previously fighting. He looked torn between going back there or running away as far as possible.

Kakashi couldn’t blame him after what happened. The fox is a horrible creature, one filled with a thirst for blood, for destruction, one that wouldn’t spare anyone… As he watched the boy, the innocent little boy who never wanted part in any of this, his heart throbbed in pain inside his chest. The fox wouldn’t try to spare him, it would completely and utterly obliterate every last bit of humanity he had.

“Akashi, are you thinking of going back there?” He found himself asking. The boy’s head snapped in his direction with speed so great, Kakashi wondered how his head was still on his shoulders. There was a wary look in his eyes, one which showed he wasn’t completely sure as to what he should do. “I don’t know… I want to go to where Naruto is, but at the same time…”. His fist quietly clenched at his side, the dried blood cracking along his skin.

Kakashi couldn’t stop the feeling of pity that filled him up in that moment. He wanted to, but he couldn’t. “Then… you should go to him”. He didn’t know if he was doing the right choice. Would it be better for Akashi to be alone or for him to be with his closest kin? He knew which one he would choose, but the boy wasn’t like him. Not at all. “Maybe you’re right”. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the boy speak.

“I just need to…”. He trailed off and glanced at his hand. “… clean this up”. Another painful throb drummed inside Kakashi’s chest. Who would have thought he would have a student like this? One which was forced to kill for their own life the first time they left the village. One which suffered so much in such a short period of time. One which was forced to realize it’s kill or be killed.

And as Akashi’s hair was ruffled in the wind, Kakashi’s mind was filled with a memory of long red hair. One which caused a painful spark to go off inside his heart. Same hair, same eyes, same explosive temper, but that’s where the similarities stopped. His actions were different, his behavior was different. He was a total opposite of Naruto, who had his father’s looks and his mother’s personality.

He had the same kind of protective nature as Minato did. He had the same fierceness while protecting his friends and family. Kakashi felt his eye sting. He blinked and looked away. “Is something wrong, sensei?” Akashi had stepped closer to him, head tilted to the side, a worried look on his face. Akashi had the same kind of look in his eyes as Minato did. Forcing a smile on his face, Kakashi nonchalantly shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong”. He internally winced at how suspicious he sounded.

Even as he looked as if he knew he was lying, Akashi smiled a small, sad smile. He noticed Kakashi’s Chakra had shifted, which meant something was troubling him, but he didn’t wish to force him, so he dropped the subject. “Thank you for earlier, sensei”. The boy thanked him again, a genuine smile on his face. Kakashi was momentarily stunned at the warmth radiating from Akashi’s eyes.

The pure trust he put into him. Kakashi swallowed a lump in his throat and shifted on his feet. “It’s no problem”. He barely got the words out, but it seemed Akashi didn’t notice that detail. Raising his non-bloodied hand, Akashi sent him a wave and turned around. His figure got further and further away, until it disappeared around a corner. It was only then, that Kakashi felt like he could finally breathe. A shaky breath left his lips and he felt his knees shake.

He harshly clenched his fists, nails digging into the rough skin which was hardened by years and years of missions. His jaw flexed as his teeth grit together, scraping against one another. His one visible eye was narrowed, glaring daggers into the ground beneath his feet. That warm look that Akashi had for a split second was stuck inside Kakashi’s mind. He looked at him the same way Minato did.

With kindness and trust, and it hurt. It hurt so much to be reminded of those eyes.

_

Akashi washed his hands in a small, nearby, creek. As the water rippled under his finger tips, he watched his reflection do the same. The dried blood on his hands quickly dissolved into the water, mixing with the clear liquid, staining it a pale red. It soon flowed away and disappeared, leaving nothing but clean, wet, hands, but he knew. He knew there was no way of removing the blood from his hands. He will always remember it.

He’ll remember it clear as day. The moment he gained consciousness, the momentary confusion as to what happened, and the realization of the deed he had done. The feeling of the blade being shoved inside the boy, the blood dripping down his own fingers, staining them a violent red. A red which will leave a stain on his soul, and not on his body.

Splashing the cold water on his face, he stood up and climbed atop a tree. He climbed and climbed until he reached the very top of it. The breeze felt cold on his face because of the water dripping down from it. He looked around and his eyes stopped at the arena. “I have to do this”. Exhaling a breath and closing his eyes, he released his hold on the tree and let himself fall. As he descended down, the air doing nothing to slow his fall, he extended his hand and grabbed onto a branch which was sticking out.

He breathed in and let himself fall the remaining couple of feet. Effortlessly cloaking his legs with Chakra, he made no sound as his feet met the ground. Straightening up, he resumed his way towards the arena. He quietly went up the steps and stopped at the entrance. There was cheering coming from inside. Slowly entering, he stopped in his tracks. Naruto was scratching the back of his head while standing in front of a blushing Hinata.

He seemed to be holding a small ointment pack in his other hand. Then, as if sensing him, Naruto turned towards the entrance. His eyes widened and the ointment dropped from his hand. It hit the ground with a loud clank, making the others look towards them. It’s now or never. Akashi though as he started walking to Naruto. He stopped a few feet away from him and looked at him. “Can I speak with you?” He asked, internally praying that he was going to accept.

Naruto furrowed his brows and nodded. “Follow me”. Akashi told him, and before he turned around, he met eyes with Kakashi. The man gave him a small smile. After that, Akashi and Naruto left the room and entered the hallway. As Akashi walked in front of him, he wondered how he would explain himself. Does he tell the truth? That seemed like the best option, since he wasn’t a very good liar.

Naruto followed him and, not paying much attention, he didn’t notice Akashi had stopped. His forehead hit the back of Akashi’s head. With a wince, he stumbled back and grabbed at it. The other boy whipped his body around, a worried look on his face. “Are you alright? I’m sorry for stopping so suddenly”. Naruto blinked and raised his head to look at him. There it was, that look in his eyes. The same look filled with worry and affection. The same look his brother usually shot at him.

His eyes were completely different from before. From… that moment. In an instant, something clicked in Naruto’s mind. This was his brother. A brother who was always at his side. The two of them were inseparable. There was no way he was going to push him away, not after all they went through. There must be an explanation for what happened, and he wanted to hear it directly from his older brother.

“I’m okay, nii-chan”. He reassured him, waving his arms in front of himself. Akashi let out a sigh, and wiped at his forehead. “You probably want an explanation as to what happened, right?” Akashi went straight to the point, and Naruto nodded at the question. He really did. “You remember what Mizuki said about foxes being inside of us, right?” At Naruto’s nod of confirmation, he continued. “Well… it seems my seal is weaker than yours, which means that the fox can have contact with me”.

Despite being seen as an idiot, Naruto realized where this was heading. “I… met the fox two times, the first was when the snake guy attacked us and the second time was… when I was dying”. He explained, before taking a deep breath and resuming the explanation. “It manipulated me, making me do things I never wanted to…”. He choked up and placed a hand over his mouth, to hide the trembling of his lips.

Naruto’s eyes softened and he stepped closer to him. “It wasn’t your fault, it’s the fox’s”. He gently said and placed a hand on Akashi’s shoulder. His throat closed up when he felt how much his brother was shaking. For as long as he could remember, Akashi never hurt anyone. Well, there was the occasional fight happening when someone insulted Naruto too much, but that was it. He never spilt blood, or did anything bad because he wanted to.

He also didn’t really show his emotions to anyone except Naruto, but that was to be expected, he was his only family, his only friend. His best friend to be exact. But, there was one thing he never did do in front of Naruto… cry. He never cried or showed that he was hurting. No matter what happened, he stayed strong, and Naruto knew why. Because he had a little brother to take care off. He didn’t want to look weak in front of him, and he continued putting up a front.

But, seeing him now, Naruto realized he really was hurting. And it all led to this moment, the moment it all overflowed. Without a second thought, Naruto pulled him forward and wrapped his arms around him. A surprised gasp left Akashi’s lips as Naruto’s arms wrapped around him. This was different. They were close, as close as family can be, but they never hugged. He wondered why they never did it.

“It wasn’t your fault”. Naruto repeated with conviction, but it didn’t ease Akashi’s mind. “You’re wrong… it is my fault”. His arms were useless at his sides, itching to hug his brother, but he held the urge back. “No! What…?!” Naruto was interrupted when Akashi dislodged his arms and stepped away. “I need to tell you the truth…”. Akashi’s eyes stung with tears which were threatening to fall any moment now.

“The fox wasn’t the only one at fault, I was also”. Naruto furrowed his brows in confusion. “What are you talking about?” He asked, worry seeping into his words, making them come out more quietly than he wanted, but Akashi managed to hear them. “The fox told me I was going to die, and it offered me a choice. To decline him and die… or…”. He trailed off and looked off to the side for a moment, before returning his gaze to Naruto.

“… to accept and see you again… I promised, didn’t I? Till the end of the line, right?”. Naruto’s chest throbbed at his words. Instant warmth filled his whole being. “In that moment, I decided it wasn’t the end of the line, it was just the beginning”. Not being able to hold them back anymore, Akashi let the tears drop. They slid down his cheeks, before slipping from his jaw and falling onto the ground with a quiet splat.

“You’re my baby brother, how could I leave you all alone?”. He sniffed and shifted on his feet. Naruto’s eyes were wide open. How lucky he was. To have an older brother like this. One who cared so much for him. “I love you, otouto”. At that moment, something wet went down Naruto’s cheeks, and he already knew what it was. The two of them were standing in the hallway, alone, crying.

They didn’t need anything else. Having each other was enough. “I love you too, nii-chan”. Akashi swallowed the lump in his throat and grinned, white teeth on display. Naruto grinned back and then jumped at him, knocking them both to the ground. Akashi winced, prepared to lecture him, but stopped once he felt Naruto’s body quiver. Soon, sobs erupted from him. A small, sad smile, climbed on Akashi’s face and he placed a hand on Naruto’s head, running his fingers through his hair.

He leaned back, with a lap full of Naruto, and closed his eyes.

This was enough, right?

The two of them together.

They had no need for other things.

_

Deep within him, at the farthest parts of his very own being, the fox laid still.

Its crimson eyes glaring through the darkness.

With each second passing, the hunger to swallow the world grew ever so slightly.