Disclaimer- I don't own any of the characters in Naruto.

A/N- Naruto dies on a mission. His girlfriend Sakura is the main character in this story. Then naru-kun. I personally don't support this pair, but Sakura is easy to make dramatic. Finally, this is only part one and i wont post part two unles s you all think its worth it . thanxx for reading it btw.

GHOSTS

-Darkshadowhand

Part I…

"W-what do y-you mean… dead?" The pink haired girl stuttered, tears welling up in the corners of her horror-struck eyes. It was around five, and the woman had never expected a guest, much less the news he brought. The guest was none other than Shikamaru, who had accompanied Naruto, her love, on his last mission. His own sadness showed clearly, dark eyes averted as he spoke.

"It was an ambush. He stayed behind to buy us escape time. He managed to catch back up to us, but I could tell he was a goner. Naruto died in his sleep." The man explained. Sakura was in such a state of shock that she had to hold on to the doorframe just to stand.

"… He… He's gone…? Shikamaru… Please tell me your kidding… Please!" She begged, sinking to her knees. She wouldn't, couldn't accept the fact that Naruto wasn't coming back. The boy above her was pained by the loss too, but knew he could never really feel what she felt right now. Helping her quivering body up, he decided to make an offer to help. It wasn't much, but he hoped it would make her feel better about it.

"Sakura… His body is still at the hospital. The funeral isn't 'til tomorrow so there's still a chance to say goodbye… If you want, I can go with you." With a grieving frown and a half nod, the pair began walking toward the hospital.

Sakura gasped in shock. Though it was only his face uncovered, it was still horrible. Long slashes lined his cheeks and neck. Shorter cuts slashed across one of his eyes, another down through his white lips. Shikamaru was having regrets about bringing her here now. He had thought the doctors would've had the decency to patch him up a bit, but it was too late for that. The pink haired girl was more than torn now; she was devastated. A pang of guilt wrenched in his heart, threatening to tear him open. That Naruto… sacrificing himself like that… then again, the others seemed happy to leave him, not a moment of hesitation from any of them. Tch… Jounin… He looked back to Sakura, whose sobs had slowed to just sniffles as her finger began to trace the terrifying wounds marring her darlings face. She then moved her other hand towards his, which dangled lifelessly from the bed he currently occupied. A humorless smile split across her face as she spoke.

"This is for real, isn't it? I'll never see him again…" She paused, stroking his blonde hair gently with her free hand before muttering, "He's so…so cold… but he's still beautiful," Sakura instantly felt disgusted with her words as she spoke. How could she find beauty in her mutilated darling like this? She continued slower, more of a whisper "I want him to find peace… but I just can't let him go. I just wish… that his death would not be for nothing. Those people he saved had better live their lives to the fullest! Oh, Shikamaru… I don't think I can take this much longer…" Her sobs increased once more, but she managed to whisper out an "I love you, Naruto…" Before she collapsed, shaking in agony. Shikamaru stared into Naruto's scarred pallid face. Live his life to the fullest… He would do it… For his friend. A nurse stepped in moments later, seeming slightly surprised that there were people already there. She then bowed and spoke.

"Excuse me, we need to take Uzumaki N-" She started before a shaken voice stopped her. "No!" Both Shikamaru and the nurse were shocked. "Please… Not yet. Don't take him yet… I need to be with him a while longer." She begged. Shikamaru looked at the girl curled on the floor, then nodded to the woman, who frown but agreed. Turning back to the kunoichi, he bowed forward respectfully.

"Sakura, you take your time." He smiled sympathetically as she mouthed a thank you in return. The nurse left too, allowing only ten minutes more. Sakura nodded, pulling herself up. She gripped Naruto's hand once more, feeling no reassuring squeeze from him in return. ' Of course not. He's dead…' She thought dully. The room was a drab white, one door, one window, a table with supplies, a bed that held her dearly deceased, and her. 'Alone…' her mind then whispered. 'All alone…' It hit her hard, like she couldn't breathe, like she was suffocating. Sakura swallowed hard and tried to think of what Naruto might say here.

"C'mon Sakura! Seriously! It's not like my life was wasted, 'tebayo." It sounded so real.

She could almost feel his words pang against her eardrums. The sweet voice continued, "Sakura, please stop crying. I hate when you're sad…" Wait… the voice was behind her… but… She turned her head all the way around and almost fainted again when she saw her Naruto standing there, not a scratch on him. He hesitantly smiled at her, and then waved a second before the remainder of Sakura's tears began to pour out.

"Naruto! Naru… I can't believe it… this can't be real…" She put a hand to her forehead, and then looked back up at her love, who was looking down at her with the same sad smile.

"Sakura, I'm sorry…" He half whispered, like he was about to choke on his own words.

"Naruto… you're dead…" Sakura breathed, walking closer to him. She grimaced as she swiped a hand easily through his chest, feeling only a cooler spot of air where he should've been. A hallucination… she whimpered in disappointment. But no use wasting her feelings. She felt every ounce of emotion begin to overflow from her heart.

"I should be the sorry one…" She mumbled, "all I'm doing is crying. You died for the sake of others. You died honorably and all I can do is wish you hadn't taken that risk… like the selfish, horrible person I am!" She shouted as her fist slammed on the table beside her. It cracked under her hand before creaking heavily in half at her feet.

"I don't think you're selfish at all." Naruto grinned, despite the situation, "I don't think you're horrible either. I was actually given permission to be with you for a little while longer. So you don't have to be sad… like I said, I don't like to see my cherry blossom cry. It makes me sad too." She so badly wanted him to tell her they could be together forever, for him to take her in his arms and whisper to her that it would all be better tomorrow, but she couldn't even touch him, much less have her darling wish her false hope. He seemed to sense her unease, so he turned toward the body behind Sakura.

"Wow, I got freaking mauled… I mean seriously, dying looking that pathetic?!" He grinned toward his friend, who smiled despite the fact that it wasn't really funny. But she knew he was trying to cheer her up. She was still trying to wrap her head around the idea of a ghost grinning back at her. Maybe she was dreaming. Maybe she'd wake up soon…

"All of your dreams… our dreams…and now…"She looked back toward the silent corpse a final time before turning to the ghostly image of her Naruto. It was too real. No dream.

"Hey, uh… Sakura? Can we go somewhere else? I don't wanna be here anymore. It's creepy being so close to… dead me." He shivered as a sign to his point, gaining a nod from Sakura, who bent over her deceased love's corpse and kissed him farewell. Sighing, the pair stepped out the door. The nurse from before sat at the reception desk, smiling as Sakura walked toward the exit. Sakura had already figured that no one else would be able to see the ghost of Naruto carelessly striding beside her with a wide grin. But still, it was nice to have his image at least. It was weird though… him being there as if nothing had changed, as if he hadn't been killed. She hesitated to ask but…

"How are you… here?" she looked up at him when he stopped, "I mean, your dead, right? Are you really a ghost?" she peeked up at him tentatively, a gentle hand moving toward his face, well aware that it was a pointless gesture. He averted his gaze as his once cheerful face twisted into regret. A pang of guilt thumped in Sakura's chest as he answered, "Yeah. It's weird though… I never would've guessed I would be able to see you again. You know this isn't a permanent visit… they'll come to get me if I try to stay too long. And another thing, I can hear your thoughts, so you don't have to talk out loud and make people stare at you." He grinned once more, turning his azure eyes toward the awkward gazes of bystanders. The pink-haired felt the heat rise into her cheeks as she continued to walk toward home. 'You mentioned them earlier too… permission? I don't understand.' She thought as she turned down her street. He put his finger thoughtfully to his lip as he replied, "Yeah, I don't know who exactly they are either. One second I was dying, and the next, everything's so bright that I can barely see. After a few minutes of stumbling around, I met this weird girl who offered me a chance to come see you for a while. Of course I accepted, and now I'm here. I guess that's all there is to my story." He looked as if he was struggling to remember an important detail, but gave up as Sakura unlocked her front door. Thinking through what he said, she was beginning to wonder.

"So Sakura, besides my death, anything new happen?" the blonde asked, interrupting her thoughts. She shook her head no, then let her eyes wander across the boy once more. He had no shadow she immediately noticed… why would he? His body didn't feel solid, but from a distance, he looked like he always did. Same crooked grin, same glittering eyes, same everything. It seemed almost too good to be true, but if weren't for the fact that she had indeed felt a presence when she swiped her hand through him the first time, she'd have marked herself crazy on the spot. A laugh of self- pity passed through her lips.

"I must be crazy. I mean, ghosts? How psycho can you get?" she sneered to herself.

"Your not crazy or a psycho. I don't want you to believe that. I came to tell you how much I care about you, not make you think you should be locked up in a mental hospital!" he snapped at her, stomping forward. His brows were bent in disappointment toward her. It was definitely his spirit. She could never imitate the real thing so perfectly.

"You're right, and I'm sorry. I just don't want to lose you again. I wish you could stay with me forever… not even that… if you could stay for even another minute, I'd be overjoyed." She whispered at him, sitting on the couch behind her. He grinned back.

"Well then, your in luck. I can stay until one hour after my funeral ends. Great deal huh?" he gave a quick thumbs up, but there was a hint of worry in his expression. She frown.

"…You're hiding something…" she observed. He looked momentarily stunned before shaking his head once in protest. She stood and walked steadily across the room to him.

"Please tell me, Naruto… if you did something you'll regret, I want to know. Please…"

"I wont regret it later, Sakura. I swear. It's nothing." He said as her pleading eyes widened. Her voice turned to pure concern as she said, "So you did do something… tell me the truth, the whole story from the beginning." She seemed to notice his hesitation, her frown deepening. Grimacing, he answered dully, "The only thing I'll regret is not being able to spend more time with you…dying in the first place. A careless mistake."

"But that's not the whole story," she sighed back. "What really happened after you died?"

"Nothing gets past my Sakura," he grinned, "But I have nothing to tell." She stepped back and gazed at Naruto's expression a second more. Then she walked toward the stairs, beckoning him to follow. The bedroom was there, so familiar to the boy, yet so different in this atmosphere. His mouth curved up only slightly as he traced the familiar objects with his eyes, leaving no item unobserved. Sakura flopped backward onto her white blankets, ruffling the once picture perfect neatness of it immediately. That didn't matter though. The girl looked up at him expectantly, wishing for more of his voice to flow into her mind. A smirk split across his face as he shifted closer to where she was resting.

"Are you gonna stay the night?" She asked hopefully. He thought for a moment as if deciding something that could change the world itself before replying, "Sure, why not?"

"Good. I have so much to a-" she was stopped by his quick 'Ssh' before she could finish.

"Sakura, you can't get too used to my being here. I don't want you to be upset when I have to leave. I think it's probably best if we don't get too-" he was cut off in return.

"It's rude to interrupt. I already know not to get too hopeful and close only to be even more heartbroken when you have to leave, so chill out. I was gonna ask why you look so depressed. Even your smiling has a hint of sadness to it." she pointed at him, more so his face than anything else. He lifted a tentative hand toward his cheek and patted it gently.

"Is it that obvious?" he muttered with a halfhearted smile. Sakura nodded as his hand dropped back to his side, "well, I guess I don't want this to end either. But right now, you should sleep instead of talk to me. It's been a long day." He sounded worried, in a way, as he, to no effect (obviously), tried to make her lie down. Her arms quickly crossed in protest. He immediately laughed at the familiar stubbornness, followed by a sulky glare.

"I'll only sleep if you stay with me." She pouted childishly. He gave her a curious look before nodding and sighing. She curled deep into the blankets and watched Naruto sit himself down at the foot of her bed. After about five minutes of silence Sakura sat up. The lights were still on; upstairs and downstairs were both illuminated. trotting down the stairs, she began clicking off all the switches she had forgotten about. It was as she was locking her front door that she realized Naruto hadn't followed her. Returning upstairs, she saw he was still at the foot of the bed, back against the wall, eyes blank, brows crooked downward in concentration. He seemed in a serious mood, so she let him be, clicking off the bedroom light and returning to bed. Looking at him again, she noted that the darkness gave his body a slightly eerie glow. Well, she had nothing more to do… her eyes drooped with the sudden feeling of exhaustion. Naruto had been right. Today had been tiring. She let the darkness swallow her, allowing it to leave her dreaming.

"Sakura… Wake up. Sakura!" it wasn't part of her dream, and it wasn't who she was dreaming about. It was her former teacher, Iruka, holding her alarm toward her. 7: 34. Sakura stole a quick peek at the ghost watching from the end of the bed, jealousy in his eyes. So there were people he missed besides her. She wasn't very surprised at that.

"What?" She asked rubbing her eyes as she sat up. Iruka looked at her in total shock.

"Sakura, how can you forget? Naruto's funeral starts in an hour. We have to get up." He finally stated.

"Why?" she questioned tiredly. He was really confused now, until she added, "Why are you in my house I mean." He nodded and replied simply, "You seemed to take the news about this yesterday real hard, so I came to check on you." His smile was so filled with sympathy that she had to turn away. From the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto stand.

"Well Sakura, I hope you put on a good act. Iruka doesn't fall for the cheesy stuff. Anyways, I'll be downstairs. Later!" he strode toward the stairs, but stopped behind Iruka, a mischievous grin splitting across his face, "but first…" he curled his hand into a fist and shoved it straight through the teacher. At the time, he had been explaining what a loss Naruto's death had been before the boys' entire arm shot right through him, halting his speech. Iruka shivered as the ghost waved his limb around. Sakura was in utter shock.

"Look at this! I can probably possess him or something too." He then turned back toward the stairs, resuming his departure. Turning back toward the confused victim of the boys game, she asked him kindly, "Iruka, are you okay? You just kind of… stopped talking."

"… Weird… it got real cold for a second there… do you feel a draft or something?" he asked, regaining his senses. Sakura frown and tilted her head slightly. Naruto… jerk… She thought before leading him in the direction Naruto left. He can only stay for an hour after the funeral ends. Not much time…she almost tripped on the last step in her thinking.

"Be more careful Sakura." Iruka had snatched her by the collar before she fully toppled. In the corner, Naruto seemed on the verge of exploding with laughter. Sakura shot him a heated glare before thanking the chunin. She put on her most depressed frown and turned.

"I'm sorry Iruka…" It's just that I miss him so m-much and…" a few forced tears rolled down her rosy cheeks. Iruka immediately took pity and wrapped his arms around her.

"Its okay. I understand. I miss him too. It's gonna seem a lot quieter without him around."

The dress was tight, short and very black. It was sunny out. People who had bothered to show up; all of his old friends- Hinata, Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, Tenten, Lee, Ino, Chouji.

His past teachers- Iruka, Kakashi, Jiraiya. Ichiraku shop owner and his daughter Ayame. The lady Hokage, Tsunade, showed up with Shizune. Not much of a crowd. Naruto stood beside Sakura, disconnected from the current events. He only responded when she smiled toward him. He looked at her and smiled in return, shifting closer to her in reply.

"Y'know, I'd never considered going to my own funeral before yesterday. Its weird." He grinned, "But then again, having you here makes it seem less freaky. Heh-heh…" his arms crossed behind his head as he watched his friends whisper their prayers to his corpse. He followed Sakura when it was her turn, slightly bemused as she refused to let him hear. He could always read her mind, but as curious as he was, it would've been rude. He could do it to anyone else without a problem though. He had hovered near his soon to be grave and listened to what the others had to say. Most of what was said by his former classmates was praise for his hard work and sacrifice, or how they were terribly sad that he didn't achieve his dream of Hokage before he died. The older attendants had more to say. Kakashi and Iruka mentioned how much they had enjoyed teaching him and watching him grow into a wonderful shinobi, and how things wouldn't be as cheerful without his reassuring voice or obnoxious smile. Jiraiya and Tsunade both seemed at a loss for words, apparently never believing it would ever come to this, while Shizune prayed for his happiness in the next life. And lastly, Ayame and her father placed a coupon for a free ramen into his coffin and claimed him their favorite customer. There were a few words said and he was lowered in his inexpensive coffin to the bottom of his gravesite.

After he was buried, the group separated out more, friends coming and going past Sakura with words of apology. What she really wanted was to relocate Naruto (He vanished into the crowd) and spend the last of her time with him. The voices just didn't seem to end and, being polite, she responded to each one. The group began to thin a bit as time slipped by painfully slow. The moment everyone had their back turned, she shot through the cemetery and took refuge behind the biggest tombstone she could find. Damn it. She really should have stayed up and talked to him last night. Sighing, she called out.

"Naruto… Come out. I need to see you." She hissed as loud as she dared. Even though the group was far away, she was afraid to get pounced on again. Gaining no response she tried again a little louder. For a moment, she thought she saw him, but it faded so fast.

"Don't tell me you've left me already!" She pleaded desperately with panicked breaths.

"Why would I do that, Sakura?" she heard behind her. The speed she turned hurt her neck but she dove to hug him anyway, only slightly shocked when she hit dirt instead. A small gasp was all she heard as she sat up. She had split her lip and skinned her knee but she was fine otherwise. She quickly disregarded her injuries and looked back at Naruto.

"You alright?" He asked offering a useless ghostly hand with a grin. She playfully swiped at it and responded, "Half hour left. No time to worry about me. She shoved herself up and instantly took off in a sprint toward town before remembering the sympathy party currently being held in that general direction. She skidded much to Naruto's surprise, and pulled an awkward U-turn, never once losing her momentum.

"S-Sakura! Slow down! I cant run that fast…! Sakura!" He called, charging after the quickly vanishing dust-trailed speck that was Sakura.

"We're here. Finally. In only five minutes no less." Sakura beamed in delight as she looked around. A field of cherry blossom trees as far as she could see. Naruto, who had discovered the power of teleportation and cheated to catch up, smiled as well. Beautiful.

"C'mon, lets walk. Maybe relaxing will slow down the time limit for us." The kunoichi suggested. The blonde complied without a hint of hesitation, joining in the peaceful trot.

"So… What's it like being… like that?" Sakura started in attempt to lighten the mood.

"Well…" Naruto muttered thoughtfully, "It's…frustrating. Kind of like how I'm not allowed to touch anything. Or how I can't be seen or heard by anyone else. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I can have you see and hear me, but its kind of a tight leash don't you think?" he finished with a deep sigh before asking the time. She peeked at her watch.

"Funeral was about an hour right? So then we have 'til about ten-thirty then. I've set my alarm. Right now it's about ten-oh five. That gives us around twenty-five minutes. I should've ditched the crowd sooner." She muttered the last part, kind of pissed. Naruto laughed lightly and sped up slightly before smiling, " Sakura, at my apartment, my room, bureaus top drawer, there's something I meant to give to you. For future reference? But…" he watched her expression pull into a grin as her cheeks tinted. His did too. This was …maybe she…I…GAH! Don't make this difficult now! Jeez! He thought furiously.

"Sakura." He muttered firmly, trying to force back his own blush, "remember…don't get too attached. I'm begging you." He seemed deeply concerned as she frowned in protest. He stepped back and his frown deepened. Sakura really felt shocked now. What was wrong with blushing at the idea of gifts? She hesitantly asked, "Naruto…it's not wrong with being happy for presents. Lighten up… please… your worrying me." She let the last part out with a slight quiver in her words causing the blonde to protest quickly, "Sakura! I'm sorry that I worry you but you'd be worried too if you were a semi-transparent being on a very short time limit! I just don't want you to do something reckless or stupid the moment I have to leave!" he took a breath before adding, "…sorry for shouting, Sakura…" his averted gaze said it all; he was afraid he'd upset her and seemed almost too worried to make up right. She knew he was just concerned for her safety after he left her.

"Your right, and I'm sorry, Naruto." She said reluctantly. She knew he would always worry for her, and she could just barely guess how it felt to not be able to physically do anything. She watched him smile in response as he turned to continue their walking.

"Don't feel sorry for me. I kinda overreacted. I just don't want you to get all depressed and stuff when I have to leave. By the way, what time-" Naruto's voice was cut off by Sakura, who answered before he could finish, "It's ten-thirteen. Not much time left. Quick! What can we talk about in fifteen minutes?" She frantically began talking about her feelings of the current situation, leaving Naruto to only listen to her. Having had experience, he knew it futile to get even a word in unless asked a question. But he was satisfied anyway. He could listen to her forever and not feel any need to cut in.

"What do you think? I mean about the whole time limit thing? Do you think its fair?" she finally asked. He sighed before replying, "Well… no, and yes. Its kind of hard to explain, but if I spent forever with you like this, I'd have to always feel regret about not being able to help you… then again, I always want to be by your side and had never expected to die like that in the first place." He took a pause long enough to let Sakura counter him.

"But what about the fox spirit? Why didn't he help you?" she remarked thoughtfully.

"Don't know. In fact, I couldn't even sense his presence. It was kinda disappointing. I even asked for his help. I never thought he'd let himself die so easy. I always saw Kyuubi as the stubborn kind." He scowled, obviously trying to solve the question before he sat down in irritated defeat. He still acts the same. I wouldn't have gotten over the fact that I was dead so easily. Sakura thought with a smile before a shadow flashed between the pair. Before either could process what had happened, Naruto was seized from behind, apparently unable to phase through his hold. As if on cue, Sakura's alarm went off on her watch, telling that they had run out of time.

"No! Naruto!" Sakura cried, looking at her friends' captor. It was a woman no older than twenty, garbed in a long black dress that matched her hair and glittering obsidian eyes. But that wasn't all. Two huge white wings flowed on either side behind her, just barely touching the ground in their current folded state. Naruto looked at her and frown in anger.

"Hey! We just checked the clock! Not even five minutes ago there was fifteen minutes left on my time limit! You promised lady!" he flailed in a useless attempt to break free.

"Her alarm went off, so you must've been talking longer than you thought." She smirked back simply, "And you have to fulfill your end of the bargain, Naruto." Sakura looked back and fourth between Naruto and the woman before stuttering, "W-wait! Naruto said you offered it to him! He said that was the whole story! What bargain? What's going on! Who are you?!" she was angry now. This left an interested expression on the woman's face before she replied, "Well, I'm Sarasha and I believe you've been lied to. I-" Sarasha started before being cut off by Naruto, who fought forward as Sakura's emotion changed.

"Sakura! I'm sorry! I didn't want to keep it from you, but whatever you do, don't acce-mmfh!" his words were silenced by a firm hand across his mouth. Sakura growled.

"Now, now pretty girl. You wanted to know? Before I was rudely interrupted, I was about to tell you that your moron of a boyfriend sold his soul to me just for the opportunity to see you one last time. Touching isn't it? Fools of love are always blind. How willingly he accepted my offer! Appearing at the border, like many others before finding peace. As a guardian, my job is to guide them all to the gates of paradise… but he was a special case. Demons cannot go up. That's the other part of my job. Save pure souls that have been corrupted. As I waited for his time to come, I saw an opportunity like no other. A soul as strong as his can rid me of my miserable post! But when I saw how his squad so willingly let him die, even wishing deep in their hearts that he'd just kill over, I felt sorry for him. I easily did my job and destroyed that demon inside him before inviting him to me. It was then that I offered him a chance to see you. The last part of my plan will soon be in action because of his love for you. Consider yourself lucky to have had one so faithful." She sneered as she returned her attention back to Naruto, who looked down guiltily. Sakura's fists clenched and unclenched as she watched his face.

"You… you USED him…? Naruto isn't just a tool for your personal gain! Get the hell away from him!" she launched herself at them only to pass through like nothing. She wildly launched her fists at the pair, to no avail. When she stopped, Sarasha grinned.

"So you care that much for him do you? Then lets make a deal." The moment those words passed her lips, Naruto's head snapped up and he viciously began shaking it from side to side. Though he was still unable to speak, Sakura could see that Sarasha had something wicked up her sleeve. Whatever you do, don't acce- …the last words Naruto had screamed at her. 'Do not accept' is what she guessed he had warned. His eyes agreed.

"Sit still you brat." Sarasha growled, slamming him in the side of the face hard enough to knock him unconscious. He slumped forward, much to Sakura's terror, while Sarasha's skinny arm still firmly held him close. Sighing, the woman continued her previously interrupted offer, "You see, love makes a strong soul. You two are nice together, but usually when stuff like this happens, the one left behind commits suicide to be with their loved ones. By the way, don't do that. It doesn't work. Suicide is a one-way ticket to hell. But if you do want to be with him for eternity, I can do it… for a price." Sakura watched her current enemy's eyes flicker venomously. This was going to get difficult.

"I want you to give your soul to me as well. It can be a gift from me to you, see? I ease your suffering ahead of time and you give me your soul. Do we have a deal?" Sarasha held out her free hand to the girl glaring back at her.

"I might've agreed if Naruto were to be spared, but no way! What makes you think-" Sakura yelled, thrusting a finger toward the woman before breaking off in growls.

"His fate is sealed. He took my offer. He has to pay me back. But you can be with him." Sarasha tilted her head in boredom as Sakura pondered. Before she could say anything else, a groan rumbled from the blondes' chest as he muttered almost inaudibly, "… don't…" Sakura gave him a brief glance before smiling toward the angel viciously.

"There's your answer. But your not taking Naruto either. Not while I'm around!" her voice sounded confident, though her mind was screaming that she was crazy. How was she going to defeat the dead? She couldn't even touch her. It was as hopeless as fighting her own shadow. To make matters worse, she spotted Tenten coming from the corner of her eye. Damnit, this was no time to get interrupted. Sarasha noticed too and grinned.

"Sakura! There you are!" the brunette skidded to a halt beside her as she continued to glare at the dark angel. Tenten frown with the lack of response and shook Sakura's arm.

"Hey… What're you staring at? Sakura!" She demanded. Sakura growled and, without shifting her vision, said, "Tenten, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you. Now go away. And keep the others away. I don't want to talk to anyone right now." The other kunoichi seemed shocked but nodded before leaving, replying with a quick, "You know he's probably watching over you," before shooting through the trees. Yea, and look where that got him. His watching over landed him in quite the mess. She thought. When she was sure Tenten was gone, she growled, "Give me one week. And don't take his soul until you see what I want to do. I promise I'll have an answer by then." She prayed that her idea would work, watching the expression of the others face for any signs of giving in.

"Three days." She finally replied. That probably wasn't enough time, but she had no choice and nodded, glaring daggers as Sarasha smirked. It was settled, but…

"Wait. I want Naruto to stay with me." Sakura demanded. The angel smiled and answered, "Of course you do. You can have him, but he'll be asleep the whole time. We can't have him getting more than we traded for. Also, please make this interesting. He will be at your house when you get there. I'll be back at noon on the third day." With that (And a smirk) Sarasha was gone.

Sakura exhaled the breath she'd been holding. That was scary… Sakura didn't hesitate to take off in a frenzied sprint home, where her promised Naruto supposedly awaited. She disregarded the shocked looks of all the villagers, or any of the things she toppled looking for shortcuts, too concerned with whether or not she'd been gypped into leaving Sarasha to her business, and as she burst through the front door, her shred of hope evaporated at the emptiness of her lower floor. She slowly climbed the stairs, upset, when she remembered the possibility of her bed. She slammed the door open and sure enough, her Naruto was there, as if carelessly dropped. She cried when she saw him, so badly wanting him to wake up and tell her how everything would be all right.

"I don't know what to do…Naruto, how can I save you? I cant… I cant…" she whispered, "Not on my own…" As expected, there was no response. He was as lifeless as his corpse had been. As if he was sleeping without breathing. Strangely enough, the bruise on his cheek from where Sarasha had slammed him was there. She really wished she were a ghost so she could give that bitch one to match. And another bonus- from this observation she realized ghosts could touch one another. Suicide is a one-way ticket to hell. She remembered that twist and instantly came up with an idea. A retarded idea, but it was something to start. She glanced back down at her sleeping love and apologized.

"Sorry Naruto, but if I don't come up with anything else, then…" She sighed, "you'll probably never forgive me but at least you'll be saved." Standing, she marched down the stairs and out the front door.

"Tenten! I know your home! Let me in! We need to talk!" Sakura had banged at the door until it was cracked before her friend finally answered and invited her inside.

"Hey. What's up? You realize that normal people are in bed at eleven at night?" The girl frowned. Sakura frown right back and answered irritably, "I was gonna come by this afternoon but I needed to think things through a little better. Halfway out the door and I realize that I'm officially insane. Thinking takes a while you know." She sat on the couch as Tenten looked at her for translation. Sakura sighed.

"Look, I told you earlier that you wouldn't believe be but whatever. I can see Naruto's ghost, but the problem is that he traded his soul to a psychopath angel so he could spend a little more time with me, but- don't even think about cutting in! Shut your mouth! –But now that I know what's really going on, I was given three days to come up with a plan so I could save him. I'm kinda feeling rushed so the only thing I could come up with was dying myself and kicking the shiznatt out of that bitch, but suicide means straight to hell, so I want you to kill me. (Sighs) I'm begging…" Tenten was utterly speechless. Her jaw had hit the floor and her eyes were staring straight at the kunoichi. After a long pause, Tenten stood, took Sakura by the arm, and led her outside. Her grip tightened as she dragged her into town. Sakura was confused before she realized how close the hospital was getting. She frantically yanked her arm to no effect. Tenten's grip was iron.

"Tenten, stop! I'm not lying! Let me go!" She screamed. Their walk slowed as they entered the building. Tenten stopped at the main desk and apologized quickly to Sakura.

"Sorry, but this is all I can do for you…" Then to the nurse, "I'm here to sign in my friend. She's suffering hallucinations and thoughts of suicide."

"Name please?" The lady asked.

"Tenten! I'm not lying! Listen to me!"

"Haruno Sakura."

"Stop!"

"Right this way."

"Listen…" Sakura let her tears run free as she spoke, "He told me… top drawer of his bureau, a gift he meant to give to me…" She lowered her head when Tenten showed no signs of listening. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I failed to help you again…" she didn't even put up a fight anymore. They gave her a room much like the one Naruto had been in. Room 117 in fact. As the door closed behind her, she felt as if her hopes had been locked away as well. Sakura felt terribly lonely in the dark room. It was so quiet that her soft sobs seemed loud. Sitting herself on the lone bed, she cried until the tears ran out. Her exhausted body refused to let her remain conscious. After a halfhearted battle, she let it swallow her.

"I'm so sorry… Naruto…"

Tenten, curious, went toward the apartment building that Naruto had lived in. Sakura had never lied to her before, and strange things had been happening to her pink haired friend; glaring at nothing, talking as though someone were there, not visiting etc. Sakura's story fit the strange happenings, but killing herself to save a dead friend?! Something was definitely wrong with that. But Sakura really seemed willing to prove her story, and her begging hurt Tenten's heart. She couldn't just ignore it, could she? Tenten had been at Naruto's only once before, and that was to pick up Sakura. She knew his door was unlocked, so she let herself in. it was dark and creepy but she had brought a flashlight for that. His bedroom door was open, second door to the right of the entrance. Of course the place was a mess, but that wasn't a problem. The goal in sight, she ignored everything else. Opening the drawer was no problem either. Sure enough, there was a small package wrapped in silver paper snuggled between tee shirts and boxers. She grabbed it and bolted. Breaking into abandoned apartments was a crime after all, not to mention stealing from them. Outside, she flipped the gift over and saw Naruto's bad handwriting scrawling out 'I love you'. So then… Sakura was… Tenten charged back to the hospital at high speed. It was almost midnight now. She prayed they let her in. The brunette burst through the door, almost slamming into the main desk while demanding to see Sakura. The lady seemed shocked before pointing to the visiting hours sheet next to her. Tenten slammed her fists onto the desk. She had to get there now!

"This is an emergency!" She yelled, "Please let me in!" reluctantly, she was pointed toward Sakura's room. Running toward her destination, her grip tightened on the small box. Room 117. She opened the door to see her friend curled tightly in a ball, sleeping. Her face was red from crying and her brows were slanted in agony. Feeling guilty, she shook her gently before whispering, "Sakura… It's me. Wake up." The response was unexpected. Sakura sat up slowly after a minute, looked at Tenten and frowned. Then, without the slightest hesitation, she backhanded the brunette and demanded her out.

"First you have them lock me up, now you want me to forgive you? Naruto is going to lose his soul because of you! What kind of friend--" she stopped when she saw the box.

"Here. And don't hit me again. Anyone would've tossed you in here if they heard what was coming out of your mouth back there. So now that I believe you, I'm telling you that we need a better plan." Sakura disregarded her as she began delicately unwrapping the silver paper from the gift. The box was blue, and the cover felt velvety. Sakura opened it and gasped, fresh tears rolling down her still rosy cheeks. They were sad, Tenten could tell. Whatever was in that box was wonderful. The fact that he died before he could hand deliver it was what made her cry. Now Tenten was really curious.

"What is it?" she asked, leaning over to look. When she saw, she gasped too. In the little box was an engagement ring. Naruto had planned to marry her. Sakura put the golden diamond ring on her finger and admired it desolately. She would've loved to say yes.

"Sakura, there's a note in there too." Tenten observed. Sakura pulled out the slip of paper and read out loud.

"To Sakura- if I don't deliver this to you myself, don't take it the wrong way. You have no idea how long I debated asking, plus it felt awkward, tebayo. But I really do love you and I never want to lose you and I'm glad you didn't just hold on to Sasuke. I hated seeing you sad like that. Anyways, I hope you love me as much as I do you. No matter what happens, I can never not love you. Dattebayo.

PS- I'm not much of a writer.

PPS- I owe two months rent cuz I didn't wanna buy you a crappy ring. Now you have to say yes, Sakura-Chan!" Sakura put the letter down and smiled. He really knows how to convince people. She looked to Tenten, who smiled back.

"See? He'll love you forever. That's why you can't do retarded stuff… like asking your best friend to kill you." The brunette gave a smile before switching to serious-best-friends-lecture-mode, "Why don't you slow down? You've got time so relax and think logically. How about challenging her in a contest?" Sakura took the idea into consideration. How could she work that to her advantage? A contest… Well, Sarasha did seem to enjoy bargaining… And she was mean. That's all Sakura had on the angel. What kind of challenge could she come up with that would make Sarasha lose a contest? She shared her thoughts with Tenten, who replied thoughtfully, "How about a set of challenges based on your skills? Rig it to your advantage, you know? Then again… ghosts have some ups of their own." Sakura probably couldn't get away with cheating, but if she did, there was always the possibility of her challenger being better anyway… She needed a skill only she was good at. Something a ghost could never do…

"Hey Tenten… Can ghosts swim?" Sakura asked. Tenten shook her head and frown.

"I don't know. I've never been presented with stuff as complicated as this. What about Naruto? You said you could see him, so where is he?" Sakura fiddled with her new piece of jewelry as she proceeded to explain the story in depth.

"Well, when you ran into me, I was actually glaring at Sarasha, the bitch that tricked Naruto. A little after you left, we came to the agreement I mentioned and that was that. She didn't want him getting more than they traded for, so he's unconscious at my house. You better sign me out of here and explain it was a mistake. I don't want her to take him while I'm stuck here."

"You can't see him. Put your hand here- there. You feel him, right?" Sakura guided Tenten's hand over Naruto's chest. The brunette gasped and nodded slowly, fingers floating delicately through the cool presence. It was inconceivable… a ghost…

"Mn…" Naruto's face twisted in either pain or surprise. Sakura's head snapped toward him in astonishment, then stopped her friends' hand before cautiously asking, "Naruto?"

A low snort came from above, followed by a "You wish." Sakura placed the voice instantly and growled, meeting the stone cold gaze of Sarasha.

"Did you forget? You gave me three days." Sakura finally sneered. Tenten remained silent, regardless of the pounding questions in her mind.

"I didn't forget. Just thought I'd warn you. If you keep messing with his soul like that," Sarasha nodded to Tenten's hand still in the kunoichi's grip above Naruto, "You'll destroy him before you can save him. Or did you simply ignore the pain you caused him a moment ago?" the angel grinned harshly down at Sakura in mocking victory.

"Thanks for the tip, bitch. And… I'm honestly curious to why you even gave me this opportunity." She was, and almost laughed at the shock painting her enemy's face.

"For kicks of course! I love watching humans suffer!" She shrieked with malicious laughter, even holding her sides as if it hurt to be so happy. "It would be so boring otherwise!" Sakura expected a response like that, therefore wasn't surprised in the least.

"Well. I've decided how I want to challenge you then. Please continue to keep your word while I prepare." The medic then nodded to the window Sarasha hovered near. Snorting, the angel complied. The breath Sakura had held was released and Tenten's hand was put neatly away from Naruto before she was attacked by a barrage of questions from the brunette, beginning with, "Is she gone?"

Part one concluded. Submit reviews and any ideas if you like it. kthnx.