DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS USED IN THIS STORY
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS USED IN THIS STORY!
I'd like to give a big thanks to two certain people. I'd like to thank moodiful819 who helped me with the description for the first two chunks of this story. I don't think it would have turned out quite as good without this person's awesome additions. I'd also like to thank frumpyrox for helping me with technical things, also making this story a whole lot better. This person also gave me some great pointers, which I appreciate very much. THANK YOU!!
Hope that you all enjoy!
Naruto stood in the morgue, looking down at the body lying on the metal table before him as tears streamed down his suddenly pale, white cheeks. His breathing was shaky and uneven; his stomach was doing somersaults and he felt as if he were going to be sick at any moment. His legs quivered, as if they were going to collapse beneath him at any moment. It was like gravity was against him, trying to pull him to the ground so that he could never get back up again. He didn't want to see this, but he didn't want to look away either. He couldn't have if he tried. It was his best friend, after all.
Sasuke was lying on the table, the thick stench of blood surrounding his body. His arms were in an awkward position, lying twisted in angles that were not supposed to be humanly possibly. Blood covered his entire body and chunks of flesh were missing in places, revealing bones and blood vessels. There was a gaping hole in his chest; the crimson red splattered over him a shocking contrast to the sickly complexion of his skin. Dried blood painted the corners of his mouth and bruises marred his fair face. Even as beat-up as Sasuke was, the faint smile gave him an air of peace. He looked as if he died with satisfaction. It was almost like he died without suffering.
Naruto turned his head slightly so that he was looking at a different body. A new feeling started coming over him and he balled his hands up into fists, his fingernails digging into his palms as his body began to shake with frustration and anger. Tears fell from his face, splattering into even smaller droplets as they hit the floor. Chewing on his bottom lip, he tried to fight back the tears and emotions welling up inside him before biting the white knuckles of his fist, doing whatever he could to keep from losing control. If it were possible, he would kill the man all over again. He hated this man with as much loathing as one could possibly hold inside of their body, but hatred would not bring Sasuke back. Nothing would.
The person he was currently looking at was none other than Itachi Uchiha. Itachi looked just as bad, if not worse than Sasuke. His body was charred; ends of his hair brittle and standing up in a way that he would've found funny if the circumstances were different. It was almost a pity he was electrocuted. He deserved worse than that.
Like his brother, his body was a ghostly white. There was a hole near his shoulder, singed muscle staring at him from the edges of the wound as the bitter-sweet smell of charred flesh reached his nose. There were streaks of blood under his eyes, as well as his mouth. One of his arms looked as if it had been shattered, little fragments of bone piercing through Itachi's skin. Naruto tightened his fist. Even his bones seemed to mock him in his death.
He looked back at Sasuke's body, regaining the nauseous feeling in his stomach as he stared at his fallen friend. The room began spinning and he put a hand to his head to keep himself from passing out before falling to his knees and throwing up on the floor. His body shook uncontrollably and it was starting to get harder for him to breathe as his lungs grasped for oxygen through empty breaths. Everything around him began to spin faster, making him feel sicker still as the room began to spiral into a sea of greys and greens. In the madness, he barely heard the sound of the door slamming open as someone ran into the room.
"Naruto!" Tsunade barked. "You aren't supposed to—Oh God!" she screamed, her words sounding muffled in his ear. He barely recognized that she was there. He felt her hands latch onto his shoulders and vaguely realized that she was talking at him. He didn't understand what she was saying—he didn't even bother to look at her as sweet darkness beckoned to him with promises of removing his pain. Closing his eyes, he let go, surrendering to the darkness with a small smile as it slowly consumed him. He was out cold.
Tsunade grabbed a hold of Naruto before he could fall over. She looked at him, seeing the pain despite the serene smile on his face. His cheeks were dirty from having cried so much. If he were awake, he would have waved them off as just crying over a broken arm, but they both knew he would never cry over something as insignificant as a flesh wound. She felt her heart reach for the broken one lying in his chest, as if to grieve in place of him.
Sighing in frustration, she scooped Naruto up and started to carry him away from the cause of all his distress with a frown set deep in her features. She was angry, but she wasn't really angry at Naruto. She was angrier about the fact that he had seen his best friend in such a condition. She was also secretly angry at Itachi and Sasuke for having to drag Naruto into the mess. What had the blonde boy done to deserve this?
By the time she had gotten to Naruto's apartment, her anger had long since dissipated, leaving her weary and wishing for a bottle of sake to wash it away. Grabbing the doorknob, she opened Naruto's door, finding it unlocked. Carrying Naruto into his room, she gently laid him down on his bed and looked at the boy with worry in her eyes. She knew that it was going to take a long time for Naruto to heal from this sort of wound. Even then, she couldn't help but wonder if he would ever be able to heal from this. Even so, what would happen then? Would he be able to keep being a ninja?
Abruptly, Tsunade shook her head, furious that she would even think about something like that. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about such things. She knew that Naruto wasn't the only one who was going to be affected by Sasuke's demise. Sakura would be crushed as well when she found out. She could only hope that Naruto would be able to bounce back quickly; not only for his sake, but for Sakura's as well.
It had been a week since Naruto snuck into the morgue. It had also been a week since Naruto had left his apartment or spoke to anyone. His friends were worried about him and would often stop by to check up on him. They would knock on his door, asking for him to open up so that they could talk. The only one who hadn't stopped by his apartment at least once was Sakura, but it was understandable. She was probably still grieving the loss of the raven-haired boy.
Naruto sat in the corner of his dim-lit room, his knees drawn to his chest. The curtains were drawn and the only light in the room was from the errant beams of sunlight that managed to slip under the curtain fabric. Letting his chin rest on his knees, he drew them closer to himself. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen and it hurt to open his eyes.
A knock was heard at the door, but he didn't move a muscle. He didn't care. They would leave after awhile, just like all the others had. At least, that was what he wanted to happen.
"Naruto, it's Neji!" Naruto stared blankly at the floor. He didn't care who it was.
"Naruto, this is really important! I'd like to talk to you privately, but I'll let the whole village know about it if need be!"
That got his attention. As depressed at Naruto was, his curiosity was aroused. Still, he refused to get up. He wasn't going to give in yet.
"Naruto, something just came in for you! I also have some news that might cheer you up! Just open the door!"
It was like that for 10 minutes, Neji standing outside his door, taunting him and egging him on. Growling to himself, Naruto got up and moped over to his front door. Angrily unlocking the door, he swung it open. Neji looked at him with slight shock.
"I didn't think you were going to give in," Neji admitted softly.
"W-What do you want, Neji?" Naruto growled, obviously pissed off. Neji frowned and held up a manila envelope. "That's it? You made me get up just for an envelope?"
"If you will just give me five minutes of your time, I can explain. Please Naruto, I know you want to be alone and I respect that greatly; I honestly wouldn't be bothering you if I didn't think it was important. Just five minutes, and I will leave you in peace."
Naruto took in a shaky breath and slowly let it out. "Five minutes," he whispered. Neji nodded. That was all the time he needed.
The Hyuuga entered the apartment and Naruto slammed the door shut behind him. Dragging his feet along behind him, he led Neji over to the living room and plopped down on the couch. Neji sat down on the other end, quickly running through everything in his mind before saying it out loud to Naruto. Meanwhile, the blonde haired boy waited impatiently for Neji to say something. He didn't even want the Hyuuga boy to be there in the first place.
"I should probably start with how we got the envelope," he began. Naruto merely sighed and, taking hold of a pillow, hugged it against his chest.
"Long story short, it was given to us by one of Orochimaru's escapees. He claimed that it was given to him by Sasuke."
At this, Naruto tightened his grip around the pillow, fighting back the tears that were forming in his eyes. Whether they were of joy or frustration, he didn't know, but it didn't stop him from rubbing away at them furiously. He hated that he was crying so easily nowadays, but…this was the first he'd heard of Sasuke in a while. He listened attentively.
"He said that Sasuke gave it to him, leaving instructions saying that if he were killed, the man was to give this envelope to a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village and direct them to give it to you."
"H-Has anyone r-read it yet?" he asked, eyes pointed to the ground as his body trembled slightly. Neji shook his head.
"No, not that I know of; Tsunade said that it was for you and you alone."
Naruto nodded slightly biting down on his bottom lip. "Was that the news?" he asked.
Neji's eyes widened. "Oh, I almost forgot! Gaara is supposed to be coming to the village soon to meet with the Hokage about something." Naruto's eyes widened slightly. If it were under normal circumstances, Naruto would be ecstatic. Even now, he was happy that his friend was coming to Konoha, but he didn't want Gaara to see him like this. He knew that Gaara wouldn't care, but he still didn't want everyone he was familiar with to know that he was a wreck.
"My five minutes are probably up," Neji said softly. "Before I go, do you need anything?" he asked.
"I don't need anything," Naruto said tersely.
Neji cocked his head to the side. "Just so we're clear, are you almost out of anything?"
Naruto relaxed a little and looked down at the ground with a solemn, slightly embarrassed look on his face. "Food and tissues," Naruto mumbled. Neji smiled slightly.
"Ramen?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Naruto forced a tiny smile to his face and nodded. Neji could tell that he was trying. He knew that it was going to take some time before he would be completely return to a sense of normalcy.
Getting up slowly, he set the letter down on the couch next to Naruto.
"I'll stop by later today and drop the groceries off," he told him. "If you find that you're running low on anything else throughout the week, just write it down on a piece of paper and stick it in the doorway."
Naruto nodded. "Thank you, Neji."
The Hyuuga boy nodded and silently showed himself out.
Naruto stared at the envelope with blank eyes. A part of him wanted to open it up and read it. Another part of him told him that he had been through enough pain and should just leave it. He didn't know what to do, so he just sat there and stared at it.
After about an hour, Naruto slowly reached out and picked up the manila envelope. It wasn't nearly as heavy as he thought it would be. For the next few minutes, he just held the envelope in his hands.
Finally, he slowly opened the envelope and took out the two letters that were inside. On the top of one of the letters, the words "READ THIS FIRST" were in bold print. Taking in a deep breath, he began to read.
OOOOOOOOO
Naruto,
I'm writing this letter for many reasons, but I'm not actually sure if I'll ever be able to send it out. I just wanted to put this down on paper before completely cutting myself off from what I used to know, including you. You are still my best friend and I appreciate everything that you have done for me. You need to stop now. You have done everything that you could do; I wish to live on my own accord now.
You tried to save me Naruto, but I'm beyond saving. I've already tried saving myself, and I failed miserably. I tried to live my life in Konoha, but no matter what I did, he just wouldn't leave me alone. I can't erase what happened between my brother and me. I can't forget about it either. I'm sorry Naruto. I know you're hardheaded and don't like going back on your word, but try to understand where I am coming from. I was already lost beyond saving.
Get stronger Naruto. Forget about me and live your dream. I'm only holding you back. Maybe someday, we will cross paths again with both of our goals accomplished. Work towards that goal and save someone who is worth saving. I'm not worth it Naruto. Why can't you see that by now? Anything that happened between us is done now. It's time to move on.
Sasuke Uchiha
OOOOOOOOOOO
Naruto's hands were shaking furiously. His breathing was short and uneven. Tears were slowly rolling down his cheeks. He quickly set the letter down and buried his face in his hands. He took in a deep breath, trying to regain control of himself. It didn't help that all the words Sasuke had written down were still running through his mind. Sasuke's words hurt. They hurt far more than any wound he had ever gotten.
After a few minutes of controlling his breathing, Naruto had calmed down a little bit. He wiped the tears away from his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt. He wanted to read the other letter, but at the same time he didn't. All this was doing was causing him more agony, so why should he keep reading? Why should he have to go through all of this?
Naruto sighed and shook all the negative thoughts from his head. He didn't care anymore. He needed to know what Sasuke had sent him.
Naruto picked up the second letter, and through teary eyes, he began to read.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Naruto,
If you are reading this letter, then I am most likely dead and I have most likely failed. If by some slim chance I didn't fail, then I didn't die in vain. You're probably crying right now, right? You've always been such a cry baby. Stop your crying and get on with life. I know that I have mentioned that before. Are you Hokage yet? If you are, have you destroyed the village yet? I'm just kidding. I know you're better than that.
I know I don't deserve to ask you for any favors, but I'm going to anyway. Just think of these as my last dying wishes.
Become Hokage. Become the best Hokage to ever rein over the village. I know you can do it, if you would just focus. Now that I'm gone, maybe you can actually concentrate on the important things.
Second, if Itachi is still alive, leave him. I don't need you to avenge my death. I was bound to die sooner or later. However, you'll probably come across him someday anyway, since he is a part of Akatsuki.
Third, I haven't forgotten about Sakura. She is probably going to be upset about this. If she hasn't learned about my death already, break it to her gently. I'm not able to care for Sakura, and I was never meant to. She has always said that she loved me, but I just couldn't return it. Please take care of her for me. I'm sure she can fend for herself, but comfort her. You are the only other one who is able to even remotely understand the pain she feels. Help her out.
I'm sorry about all the trouble I must have caused you, but I never asked for you to come after me. I hate to say this, but you brought this on yourself.
Until we meet again in the afterlife,
Sasuke Uchiha
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Tears were streaming down Naruto's face again. He didn't know what to make of all this. He picked the letters up and went back into his room. He slammed them down on his dresser and threw himself down on his bed. He buried his face into his pillow and just let himself break down. Naruto eventually ended up crying himself to sleep.
XOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOX
Naruto's Dream
Naruto was sitting in the corner of his dark, cold room. The only sound in the room was the soft sound of Naruto's sniffling.
"You're still crying?" asked a familiar voice. Naruto looked up and his jaw dropped.
"S-S-Sasuke!" he stammered. "I-I thought…."
"I am baka." Naruto rubbed his eyes with his balled up hands, attempting to wipe away the tears. He looked closer and saw that Sasuke's figure was a light, luminescent blue color and practically see through. The color from Naruto's face instantly disappeared. He watched with tearful eyes as Sasuke took a seat on the floor in front of him.
"Did you get my letters?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded.
"I wish that I hadn't," he whispered. Sasuke stared at him with an emotionless expression written on his face.
"I guess I can't blame you," Sasuke sighed.
"You didn't die in vain." Sasuke gave him a questioning look.
"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, looking at the blonde in confusion.
"In the letter, you said that if you killed Itachi, you wouldn't die in vain." Sasuke looked at him in surprise.
"I killed him?" Naruto nodded, biting down on his bottom lip. "That's good to know, but that's not why I'm here."
"Then why are you here?!" Naruto asked bitterly. "Haven't I suffered enough yet?!" Sasuke scooted in a little closer.
"I wasn't being entirely honest in those letters." Naruto softened his glare at his deceased friend. "I can't rest in peace until I complete one last thing on my own."
"What do you still have left to do? You've gotten your revenge, what else is there?"
"Well, for starters, I need to make sure that you stop your pathetic blubbering." Naruto was slightly shocked to hear those words from Sasuke.
"So, you still care?" Sasuke looked into Naruto's hopeful eyes and nodded slightly.
"How's Sakura?" he asked, changing the subject slightly.
"I'm not sure," Naruto sighed. "I'm guessing that she's pretty upset." Sasuke nodded. "She really did love you."
"I know she did, but I would have never been able to love her the way she wanted me to."
"Why not?! You could have at least tried!" Naruto was a bit steamed at him.
"Naruto, it's very simple." Naruto glared at him.
"How so?" Sasuke smirked.
"I'm gay Naruto." Naruto's eyes widened with shock and he gawked at what he had just heard. Naruto's body tensed up as Sasuke came dangerously close. He shuddered as Sasuke brought a hand to his cheek. It was icy cold to the touch and it sent chills down his spine.
"One last thing before I go," Sasuke told him softly. Naruto held his breath as Sasuke pressed his lips against his own. Naruto slowly relaxed and kissed Sasuke back, giving his friend something before passing on and leaving forever. Sasuke slowly pulled away. Naruto could've sworn that he saw a small blush painted across the Uchiha's face. After a few moments of silence, Sasuke finally spoke.
"Thank you Naruto," he said softly. "I can rest peacefully now. Take care of Sakura for me. I know you care about her." Naruto smiled and nodded. He watched as Sasuke's figure slowly disappeared.
XOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOX
Naruto slowly opened his eyes, letting his eyes adjust to his dark surroundings. He lye there, thinking everything over to himself.
"Was it just a dream?" he asked himself, looking up at the ceiling. He smiled to himself and let out a light sigh. "Even if it was just a dream, it still helped."
Naruto rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He shut the door and turned on the hot water to the shower. He let it run for a few seconds, letting it warm up and setting it to the right temperature. He stripped himself of his clothes and got it. He sighed in relief and closed his eyes as the warm water relaxed his body. He hadn't had a shower in close to a week, so he was very glad to be taking one now. He felt as if he were washing most of his troubles away, letting them go down the drain. Sure, he was still sad about Sasuke being gone, but he wasn't going to let it control him anymore.
When he finished his shower, he got dressed into some clean clothes and decided to make something to eat. He smiled to himself when he found to paper grocery bags beside his front door. They were filled with the things that he had told Neji he was running low on, plus a few things extra.
He picked the grocery bags up and took them into the kitchen. He slowly put everything away, but left out some ramen for him to make. Once he had finished cooking his meal, he sat down at the table and sluggishly ate his soup. As he ate, he ran through the dream he had had the night before. He went over it time and time again.
"Did Sasuke really visit me last night?" Naruto wondered to himself.
The blonde wasn't really sure, but he liked to believe that Sasuke had really visited him. Just that small thought gave him some comfort.
XOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOX
Gaara knocked on the door of Naruto's apartment, glancing behind him to make sure that no one was following him. It had taken a long time to convince the shinobi that had come along to protect him to take a break. From what he had heard from Tsunade and Neji Hyuuga, Naruto was in a fragile condition due to Sasuke Uchiha's death. He didn't need anyone else to come along with him for something like this. They would only make matters worse. Besides, Naruto was his friend he so he needed to handle these matters on his own.
Upon hearing the news about Naruto, Gaara was kind of unsure of whether he would be the best person to talk to him. He had never liked the Uchiha anyway. He disliked the Uchiha even more now, knowing that the blond was suffering because of him. Although he didn't like the Uchiha, Naruto was his friend and was suffering. He had saved him numerous times. Now it was his turn to somewhat return the favor.
From what Neji had told him, it had taken him well over 10 minutes before Naruto had allowed him to enter. Not only that, but the Hyuuga boy had been the only one that had seen him at all since he had locked himself away in his apartment. Gaara was kind of hoping that Naruto wasn't going to take as long with him. Plus, unlike Neji, he didn't have as much patience and wasn't afraid to break down his door. He was concerned for his friend's health, especially since no one had heard anything since Neji had last seen him. The Hyuuga had said that Naruto wasn't in good shape when he saw him, so he was fearful about the condition that his friend was in now. Nobody had read the letters that were given to him, so there was no way for anyone to know how he would handle them. The Kazekage wanted to believe that Naruto would be alright on his own, but something in his gut told him otherwise.
Gaara waited for a few minutes, but Naruto didn't answer the door. He sighed to himself and banged on the door again. He waited a few more minutes and still got no answer. He raised his hand to pound on the door one last time, but stopped when he heard the sound of the door being unlocked. He watched as the door opened up just a crack and saw the blonde haired boy peak out. Gaara looked at him with concern in his eyes, not really remembering him ever being a very cautious or reserved person. He was usually the first person to jump in, not even giving the matter much thought.
The door opened wider, revealing a very tired looking Naruto. He stared at the red-head, a hint of surprise evident in the blonde's eyes.
"I didn't know you would be coming to visit," Naruto told him. Gaara nodded.
"I wasn't really planning on meeting this way either, but I was hoping to see you again," he explained, keeping his voice at a soft tone.
"Do you want to come in?" Naruto asked, his voice soft and raspy. Gaara figured that it was a result of having cried for so long and from not talking to anyone.
Gaara nodded and stepped inside his friend's apartment. He looked around, surprised that the place was still in good shape. He could smell ramen cooking, which wasn't a surprise.
"I was just in the middle of making lunch. Would you like some?" Gaara looked into Naruto's hopeful eyes and nodded. The blond smiled and headed for the kitchen. Gaara walked into the dining room and sat at the table. Naruto came back a few minutes later with two bowls of ramen. He set a bowl down in front of the young Kazekage and sat down across the table from him.
The two teens slowly ate, an awkward silence surrounding them. The two of them stayed like that for awhile until Naruto finally broke the silence.
"So, did Granny Tsunade send you?" Naruto asked, looking down at the ground with sad eyes. Gaara shook his head.
"She just told me about what happened, and I chose to come and check on you. I know that you would have done that for me." Naruto smiled slightly and nodded. "How have you been recently?" he asked, knowing that it was kind of a stupid question. He needed to ask it anyway.
"I'm slowly getting better," Naruto answered softly, looking away from the red-head. Gaara looked at the blonde with sympathetic eyes. Gaara just sat there, staring at his friend. He didn't really know what else to say. He didn't really think that there was anything else to say.
"Gaara," Naruto began, "Can I show you something?" Gaara tilted his head to the side.
"What?" Naruto slowly got up and left the room. Gaara just sat there, wondering if he should follow the blonde.
A few minute later, Naruto came back and set down two pieces of paper in front of him. Gaara looked them with slight confusion. After a couple moments, he picked on of the pieces of paper up and noticed that it was a letter from Sasuke.
"Please read them," told him, his voice growing even softer.
"Are you sure?" Gaara asked. Naruto nodded.
"I need somebody else to see this. I would rather it be you." Gaara stared into his friend's eyes a few moments longer before nodding.
Gaara looked down at the letter and began reading it. His eyes quickly shifted back and forth as he absorbed all the words. When he finished the first letter, he put it down and began reading the next one.
He was finished a few minutes later. He set the letter down and looked back up at his friend. Naruto was now sitting on the table, looking down at the ground with sad eyes.
"What do I do now?" Naruto asked. Gaara thought for a moment, thinking back to what the letter said.
"Move on," Gaara answered simply. Naruto looked at him, a little bit of frustration evident in his eyes.
"I know that much," he sighed.
"What about Sakura?" Gaara asked. "Have you even talked to her yet?" Naruto shook his head. "Then maybe that should be the first thing that you do. From what Lady Tsunade said, Sakura is taking it pretty hard as well. I really think that you should go and talk to her." Naruto nodded.
"I guess I'll go see her tomorrow. I want a day to get everything together, since I'm not really sure what I'm going to say."
"Don't say anything." Naruto gave him a confused look. "Words probably won't do much of anything. All she really needs is someone to be there with her. She just needs someone to keep her company and keep her from suffering alone." Naruto nodded.
"I'm still going to wait until tomorrow." Gaara nodded in understanding. He knew that Naruto hadn't fully recovered, but he was definitely showing signs of improvement. With a little more time, Naruto would be fine. Gaara knew that Naruto was too strong to let things like that take control over him.
Sakura was lying on her bed, sobbing into her pillow. She had found out about Sasuke a few days prior and hadn't stopped crying since. Her mother had made several attempts to comfort her and even Ino stopped by to make sure that she was okay. Still, the pink-haired girl wouldn't see or speak to anyone. She just wanted to be alone to drown in her misery.
There was a pain deep inside her heart. Even after studying under the best medical ninja ever to live, she possessed a wound that she just couldn't heal. She wanted the pain to stop, but didn't know how to. She thought that seeing Sasuke would make her feel better, but she wasn't even allowed to see him. Tsunade had banned her from going anywhere near the morgue.
The pink haired girl clenched her hands into fists upon hearing someone knocking on her door. She expected that it was her mother, and she had hoped that she would just leave her be. She heard the knocking sound again and growled to herself.
"Go away damnit!" she snapped.
"Sakura, its Naruto," a male said from outside her room. Sakura looked up towards her door and stared at it through tear-filled eyes. "I-is it okay if I come in?" She noticed that there was something different about the tone of his voice.
The pink-haired girl slowly got up and walked towards her door. She unlocked and opened it only a crack at first, but opened it the rest of the way. Her body began to tremble upon seeing her blond friend.
Naruto looked away from his friend's emerald green eyes, looking down at his feet. He didn't want to have to see her eyes, knowing that they were going to be filled nothing but sadness. He stepped into Sakura's room and quietly shut the door behind him. Still looking down at the ground, he mustered up enough strength to speak.
"I-I hope this isn't a bad time," he told her, his voice shaking slightly. Sakura noticed him shuffling his feet uncomfortably and noticed how he was trying to avoid contact with her. This made her a little bit more upset. Her body began shaking even more furiously. She bit down on her bottom lip, doing her best to keep herself from breaking down into another sobbing fit.
Naruto heard her sharp intakes of breath and looked up. Tears began to form in his eyes when he looked at her face. She was a complete mess, nonetheless.
"I'm sorry Sakura," he apologized, his voice cracking. "Maybe I came a little bit too early. I guess I should leave." He was about to turn around to leave, but stopped abruptly.
"D-Don't leave!" Sakura begged, falling to her knees. Naruto spun around and saw that she was sobbing into her hands. He felt like his breathing was constricting. His vision was blurry and tears were starting to trickle down his cheeks. He took a few steps towards his friend and fell to his knees right in front of her. He wrapped his arms around the distressed pink-haired girl and pulled her close to him. Sakura clutched onto him and buried her face into his shirt, letting his clothing soak up her tears. Naruto laid his head on Sakura's shoulder and cried along with his friend.
"I-It's a-a-alright S-Sakura," he choked in-between sobs. "W-We c-c-can get through th-this." The girl buried her face in even deeper and Naruto hugged her even tighter.
It seemed as if they stayed that way for hours on end, but in actuality, they hadn't even been like that for an hour. Around that time, Sakura had stopped her sobbing but tears were still flowing from her eyes. Naruto had stopped crying and had calmed himself down. All he was concerned about now was the old teammate that was in his arms.
Sakura felt Naruto pull his arms away and felt him getting up. She sat upright and looked at the blond with shock and hurt in her eyes. She didn't want him to leave. Not yet.
The blond haired boy looked around the room, then back down at Sakura. He walked over to one side of the room and sat down against the wall. He looked over at his close friend and motioned for her to sit and sit next to him. She got to her feet and sat down next to him. She looked into his eyes, seeing that he was a lot calmer. There was still some sadness that was eminent, but he was doing his best to hide it. Seeing him this way gave her a bit of comfort.
"I would have come to check on you earlier," Naruto told her, his voice soft and calm. "But I was still trying to get myself together as well." He gave her a small smile and chuckled nervously.
"You're here now, aren't you?" she asked him, wiping the tears away from her face. "You made good timing." He nodded. Naruto slowly inched an arm over her shoulders, watching her face for a reaction or something that would tell him to stop. Instead of getting a negative response, Sakura leaned against him and rested her head in the crook of his neck.
"Tsunade wouldn't let me see him," she sighed, her body shuddering. He rubbed her shoulder and nodded.
"She's doing that for a good reason," he told her in a hushed voice. Sakura looked up at him with wide eyes.
"Y-You saw him?" Naruto closed his eyes and took in a deep, shaky breath.
"I saw him," he told her in a shaky voice, "and I threw up before passing out."
"It was that bad, huh?" He nodded and opened his eyes to look at the girl beside him. Sakura was no longer looking up at him. Instead, she was staring out into space with a blank look on her face. Naruto stared at one of the walls for a few moments, remembering the dream he had had about him and Sasuke. He shook that thought away a few minutes later and looked down at Sakura again. He was surprised to find that the she had fallen asleep against him. He smiled to himself and got a little more comfortable. Naruto closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief.
It was going to take some time before he was completely healed, and Sakura was going to be the same way. Still, he was happy that he would have Sakura there with him. It was just a good feeling to know that he wouldn't have to mourn alone. The thing that comforted him the most, though, was the fact that he would be able to be there for Sakura.
"I promise Sasuke," he whispered to himself. "I'll take good care of her."
Please let me know what you all thought by reviewing! I would really like to hear from you all.
I had originally posted this on the account that my friend had made, but the two of us had agreed to put it on my accout. I'd like to also thank my friend Mina, who had helped me with some of the ideas and who helped me write the ending. I'd also like to thank all the people that I had mentioned before. They helped make this story so much better.
REVIEW!!