I know I'm not the only one to compare these two characters, but I wanted to explore for myself how the mentality of one might lie behind the remarks and behavior of the other. IF YOU'RE READING FOR A PAIRING OF HIEI AND SASUKE, TURN BACK. YOU WILL NOT FIND THAT HERE. Nor will you find any other pairings, at least for now, except a few possibilities mentioned in the prologue. Crushes, yes, pairings, no.

Other Warnings: possible spoilers through current Fourth Shinobi War Arc (as of New Years eve 2012), including everything involving Uchiha. also possible divergence from this point and a bit further back. DO NOT GIVE ME REVIEWS SAYING I"M INCORRECT ABOUT CANNON THIS IS FANFICTION FOR A REASON.

Disclaimer – I do not own anything of Naruto or YuYu Hakusho. The poem 'Fire and Ice' is, of course, the work of Robert Frost. Any other poets or quotations will be given their due credit if used.

At this point, this is intended as a one-shot with the possibility of a continuation. or sequels. it depends. For now, enjoy as is- Fire and Ice.

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

'Fire and Ice' by Robert Frost

Fire And Ice

Chapter One: Life in Death

By the time it all ends in a swirl of blood and fire, he can barely remember what things used to look like, the childish worldview of white and black, skewed into different squares of gray and attempts at tinting in blue and yellow and green and bloodredredbloodredredbloodb led Cursed-Sharingan scarlet and swirled Mangekyo black darkness. The fires are gone and the ashes of revenge are so cold they burn.

How does it end for such a man-or such a monster, depending on who you ask-how does such a being die?

Some say he killed all those directly responsible before stepping in the way of his once-best-friend's fiancé's sword-of all the rookies, all the original, still-loyal Konoha Twelve, only the traitor and the weapons mistress have taken to the sword; the former ROOT's tanto doesn't count. None of the Teams survive unscathed-the once passed-over heiress can only run field missions now with her insides so scarred and twisted, the prodigy cousin and the once-favored-spare are killed fighting back to back, the flower turned healing herb oversteps herself trying to heal everyone and scars her own Chakra Network for life, the viridian taijutsu virtuoso loses too much blood defending his longtime crush, the faithful hound permanently lames his left forepaw dragging his master out of a minefield, the mistress of mental infiltration lies comotose, the genius who reacted too late to a stray kunai is blind… but why go on? They're all dead or out of commission or permanently broken in some way or another. Those left over marry, or somehow cling to each other in other ways and try to tell themselves there will be no more leaving.

Some say he and the never-crowned Hokage kill each other in a double suicide, Naruto only surviving thanks to his tenant, a cruel parody of the battle at the Valley of the End. After that, Naruto claims he can't stomach the job-it has too many memories attached to it. Instead he forces himself into what was once Danzo's role, ensuring that the Uchiha tragedy will not replay itself, nor will ROOT. No one is more surprised than Hinata when Naruto recommends her husband for the Hat, with the exception of perhaps the artist himself. The photographs of his shocked, fish-face impression reaction are blackmail good for years-while he's gotten much better at body language, displaying the correct facial expression still poses a challenge for Sai. Sakura remains a doctor and head of the hospital, and though it takes ten years for Shino to agree to her proposal, they do eventually marry-after teaming up to stomp all the bee-honey-flower jokes.

And while the monster boy who never had a chance to fully become a man is buried with a thousand corpses, his memory will not fade, even if his name does. Naruto makes certain of it, just as he makes certain to burn every Uchiha eye and trace of blood. Unlike the phoenix, this pyre will not birth a new being.

Or will it?

No. At least…

Not in this world.

Not in this race.

Not in this birth order.

For reincarnation and karma must balance. Where one once had everything, then lost what he valued most and ended by throwing the rest away, now one must start with nothing, despised from the start, and work to gain all. And yet enough of the challenges must be the same for him to be judged properly by them. So very complicated, the selection of a new life, let alone for such a-a soul, perhaps, is most fitting now, or better yet, spirit-as this one. Even when the memories are wiped, you cannot always wash away the impressions they have left behind, like a glacier's slow but unmistakable footprint in the land.

What will become of his world?

Who knows? The old one, the Land of Fire, he has left burning merrily. There will never be peace there again, only ceasefires in a never-ending war of secrecy and lies and truth torn open at the guts.

And the new world, which names as its ender before even existence sparks, is, perhaps fittingly, a land of snow and ice.

A land where he is condemned not for deeds, but gender and existence.

In one world, Uchiha Sasuke's death rattle is gasped out to an empty sky, eyes wide and flat and open as the empty husk settles into rigor mortis.

In another world, Hiei opens his eyes, and stares at the mother he does not yet realize he is about to lose.

Author's note: In case you didn't understand the character references

the weapons mistress (Tenten)

the once passed-over heiress (Hinata)

the prodigy cousin (Neji) and the once-favored-spare (Hanabi)

the flower turned healing herb (Sakura)

the viridian taijutsu virtuoso (LEE)

the faithful hound (Akamaru) and his master (Kiba)

the mistress of mental infiltration (Ino)

the genius (Shikamaru)

the artist (Sai)

Also-even if I didn't mention them, IF I DIDN'T OUTRIGHT SAY HE OR SHE WAS DEAD, ASSUME ALIVE. Not that it matters much, as we probably won't be coming back to them. But yes, Chouji, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Sakura, Naruto, Tenten…they're alive. I probably missed some others and I didn't think all that much about the other generations. We won't be returning here, so it doesn't really matter now.