It started with an end.
The final battle between friends and rivals. The perfect romantic ending with blood and tears of regret. Friends weeping on the sidelines. Teachers wondering how it had come to this.
Two strong ninjas dying in each others arms after having battled each other to death.
The final confession of love and then a promise to meet each other again, no matter how long it took. A promise that next time, they would make things right.
A thousand and a couple of more years later, Naruto remembered none of it. He was just a mere eighteen-year-old commoner living in the more modern age.
Actually, to tell you the truth, he did remember something. He remembered Sasuke.
Although he didn't know why he loved him or where the said person currently even was, he just knew.
It started with the feeling he was supposed to find a person, a very important person. Even as a child Naruto had felt that way. Just some person, he didn't have a name or a face to begin his search with. Not to mention the lack of reason. He just needed to find a person.
Then, in one of his history classes, the name of a great ninja named Sarutobi Sasuke came up. Even though Naruto had an itch that the name Sarutobi sounded somewhat familiar, he ignored it completely and focused on the name Sasuke instead.
Sasuke, Sasuke. Of course it was Sasuke! The name of the person he felt like looking for.
The name now in his mind, Naruto started to have dreams of a dark eyed boy and a promise to meet again. And dear God, Naruto was in love with the boy in his dreams. But he was sure, so very sure that Sasuke existed. Was breathing and existing and was waiting for Naruto to find him and searching for Naruto while waiting.
Naruto wasn't crazy, he was not. Naruto just had been regenerated to meet with his lover again.
Only problem was, the world was a big place and Naruto was so very small. How was he supposed to find Sasuke from among every living thing on earth? But somehow Naruto had a feeling that this Sasuke had a habit of making himself noticeable by doing things like rescuing prisoners and then by making them spread the word about his good deed.
But Naruto hadn't heard of any Sasuke who'd have done something like that recently. He should know, Naruto kept up with the news, after all.
Other thing was that Naruto was beginning to get worried about Sasuke's regeneration. Surely the said lover wouldn't have gone and betrayed him by actually staying dead like he was supposed to. Because Naruto had been searching for good eight years now and had come across no right Sasukes. Maybe the boy really was unstable like Naruto imagined him to be, and went and regenerated as a tree or something.
And it would be very hard to love a tree. People would surely look at him like he had something wrong in the head. Even though everyone knew that tree-huggers actually existed.
What if this Sasuke was now a bulldog instead of a hunky human male? Then Naruto'd have a pet which he'd love more that a master should. Because Naruto had a feeling he'd love Sasuke eve if he was a flea.
But he'd rather not, so his searching for Sasuke was reduced only to humans.
It was when Naruto was still eighteen and fine, that he found Sasuke. Or rather, when Sasuke found him. And the said boy had the same eyes, just like Naruto had dreamed them to be.
The same gravity-disobeying hair that struck from his head like a bird's ass. The same somehow familiar mocking gaze.
Naruto was so happy, but couldn't move from the bench he was sitting on at the moment. Sasuke was right there, in the park that was only a walk away from his school. And Sasuke was staring at him, without a doubt knowing and feeling the same as Naruto. But Naruto didn't move. He couldn't move.
And so, Sasuke moved instead, making his way over to the frozen Naruto, placing his small hands on the boy's knees and still looking right into Naruto's eyes.
"Naruto."
And Naruto gaped, wanting nothing more than to crush Sasuke into a hug. But he couldn't, because he knew he shouldn't. Sasuke wasn't like him, it wouldn't okay.
So Naruto pretty much just sat there, staring at Sasuke while the boy stared right back. Even when a woman came from behind him and lifted Sasuke, carrying him now and apologized for his interruption, then leaving with Sasuke still in her arms.
And they were still staring at each other, only, Sasuke was looking at him with slight amusement, as if challenging Naruto. Clearly saying 'so what are you gonna do about this?'
And Naruto sighed, scratching the back of his head after Sasuke had vanished from his sight. He couldn't help but smile a little. Sasuke hadn't broken his promise, no. Sasuke just happened to be reborn a bit later than Naruto. Seemingly about thirteen years later than Naruto.
Sure, Sasuke was cute as a toddler, but 'pedophile' was such an ugly word.