No…no, no, no!
Her body tossed and turned beneath the sheets. For more than a week now, she had found it impossible to get any meaningful rest. Every night had been the same: occupied by anxiety, fear, and uncertainty. Sakura couldn't wake up, no matter how desperately she wanted to. Chill air braised her exposed legs, moonlight shining through the sheer curtains, causing her skin to prickle. Every couple of seconds the bed would squeak as she rumbled along the mattress.
I absolutely will not let you die!
Tiny groans and grunts were caught in her throat. Her brow flickered and tensed in distress, and her head lilted in either direction. But this night was not like any before; it was getting worse. Thankfully Naruto had always been a heavy sleeper, and he continued to snooze soundly despite her growing restlessness.
It had been at least ten minutes since she first observed his heart had stopped. Yet, with fingers tightly clasped between the sweat and blood, she continued to pump on his chest with all her strength. She counted the numbers in her head, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, careful not to miss a single beat. It was little consolation for the situation at hand, but the rhythm calmed her enough to focus. CPR hadn't worked. Manually pumping his heart hadn't worked. Mouth to mouth hadn't worked. There was little else to be tried, but she wasn't prepared to give up. Her knuckles went white as her hands tensed with strength, the veins in her wrists pressed tightly against her skin. Panic pulsed through her own heart, and she could feel her face reddening as her breath tapered off with anxiety. Naruto…after everything else…this can't be the end. It can't!
The luminous glow of her hands was beginning to vanish as she felt her body overcome with exhaustion and fatigue. Every bit of her ached as she thought of the first obligation taught to her as a medic: No medical ninja shall ever stop medical treatment until the lives of their party members have come to an end. In her heart, she must have known. The warmth of his skin began to fade. The faintest bits of tension in his eyelids had disappeared. The pinkish gleam of his skin had settled into an engulfing, pale dullness. Mouth agape, she apprehensively pulled her hands away. They trembled, dried blood crackling between the lines in her skin, as her eyes darted up and down his entire body. The light of the moon gently glinted off of his scarred face. It was a rare moment where Naruto was motionless, but never like this. There was no vibrancy in his presence. There was only stillness.
She felt an overwhelming dread radiate through every limb and settling itself in her muscles and bones and blood. He's really…he's really dead. Grains of sand decayed and dissipated around them. A warm, numbing sensation ran up and down her throat, not knowing what else to do but hold back the urge to scream. The noise that surrounded her—the curling leaves in the trees, the whistling wind that whipped through her hair, the hitching of her own breath—it all became white noise. He's dead…and I killed him! Oh my god, I killed him!
Finally able to break free from her sleep, Sakura bolted upright in bed. Pitiful squeaks and gasps rushed past her lips as she struggled to catch her breath, holding her own head in her hand. Each intake of air was never enough. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes and she ferociously wiped them away with the palm of her hand as she shuddered and shook. Remembering the nightmare in vivid detail, her eyes quickly fell on Naruto, still beside her as he continued to sleep. He laid on his back with limbs sprawled in all directions. A strand of his hair fell from to his nose, flying into the air each time he softly exhaled. In the dead of night, he looked as ghoulishly peaceful as he had in her dream.
She slowly lowered her head and gently twisted in bed, using an immense amount of care as not to disturb the sheets he so happily clung to. Even as she just towered over him she could feel the heat coming from his body. It didn't change that she had to be sure; if not for his sake, then for her own. Her ear hung just above his rising chest, her hair spiraling onto him, and she pressed it as delicately as she could to his bare skin. Each slow thumping of his heart was once more a reassurance that he was alive. But she continued to stay. The strong beat in his chest was the most serene sound in the world, more than any hymn or lyrical tune. Her fingers faintly outlined the creases of his chest and the skin between his ribs. Rising and falling. Rising and falling.
She jolted at Naruto's touch as he pressed a hand to her head. His fingers delicately caressed her scalp. "I'm here, Sakura," he muttered drowsily, not completely awake. "I'm here." As she continued to listen to his heart beat, the tears rolled from her cheeks to his chest. A mixture of relief and sadness pulsated in her heart. "I had that dream again," she sobbed. Shivers ran up and down her body as she relived every horrid ounce of panic. Slightly arching his head, he watched as she struggled to stifle her oncoming weeping. "The…the thought being unable to save you is just—"
"Shh, shh, shh…it's okay."
He gingerly rubbed her back, dragging his fingers across the folds of her shirt. It tugged halfway up her waist, and he rested his hand on the curve of her hip. He exuded warmth from every inch of his skin. She relaxed on top of him, ear still pressed to his chest, and rested her watery eyes. "I'm here," he whispered. "I'm here."