"GAARA!"
Someone yelled my name from across the battle field, and I could hear muffled footsteps running towards me.
I was lying on my front, with blood was soaking through my clothes and running down my face. There was a sharp, choking pain searing through my back, and I could feel something stuck in the gaping hole I knew was there. Breathing was becoming hard, and everywhere seemed to pound in response to the pain.
"GAARA! HEY, GAARA CAN YOU HEAR ME!"
The person yelled at me again, this time a lot closer than before. From this distance I could recognise the voice.
"…N …a-ah …" I tried to speak, but it came out as nothing but a whisper as the rest of the word died in my throat.
Naruto doesn't know that.
The person came to a sudden halt beside me, kneeling down next to me and placing one of their hands gingerly on my right shoulder.
"GAARA, Oh my god, Gaara talk to me!"
I could tell from the way his voice wavered in pitch that he was panicking. It hurt to see him panic, him of all people.
I managed to crack my right eye open and looked up at him. His eyes were watering and he jumped slightly once he noticed my open eye.
"Gaara! Hold on for me, ok? J-just hold on, I'll get you out of here 'ttebayo!"
He stood up and limped a little closer to me. I felt him place his hands on something and the pain in my back burned a little more.
"Gaara, this is gonna hurt a little bit, but try to bear with it for me, ok?"
He was going to pull out whatever was stuck in my back, and it WAS going to hurt. But I soon decided that having it taken out was better than lying on my front waiting for it to be taken out.
He gave me a few seconds, and when I didn't object to his decision he gripped the thing a little tighter and began to pull it out. I clenched my teeth together as the pain seared through my body, biting my tongue to keep myself from screaming. With a final swift tug, he removed the intrusion from my back and threw it off to one side of the field.
"Gaara, are you ok?"
He dropped to his knees again and lightly rolled me over onto one side. He then hooked one of his arms behind my neck and the other under my knees before gently lifting me up and placing me in his lap. I looked up at him from my new position and saw that the unshed tears pricking his eyes were now running down his face. They looked so odd on him.
"Hey, Gaara," He said softly as he waved his hand in front of my eyes, watching me with a worried panic still painting his features "Can you hear me? C-can you still see me?"
I wanted to answer him, but my voice wouldn't work. I had things I wanted to tell him before anything too bad happened to one of us. I wanted to tell him everything.
Naruto doesn't know that.
"I-it's me, Naruto. I came to save you 'ttebayo!"
He brushed a few of my bangs out of my eyes, trailing his fingers down the left side of my face, wiping away some of the blood still streaming down it. My breaths were now coming out is short, laboured gasps, and he pulled me closer to him, resting my head on his right shoulder; his right arm hugging me to him while his left one still lingered around my face. I felt the pain begin to dull, and my eyes began to droop behind my eyelids; I was having trouble focusing on him and my vision began wavering between him and somewhere in the distant background.
"GAARA! Oh god, Gaara, stay awake! Y-you gotta stay awake 'ttebayo!"
Tears ran off the edge of his face, dripping onto my cheek, running languidly down its surface. I blinked a few times, refocusing my vision before I looked into his own bright blue irises.
I thought tears would make him look sad, but the added moisture just seemed to make his pupils shine, like they were glowing.
"N… Na-Naru… t-to…" I struggled to say his name, as he grasped one of my hands within one of his own.
"No, Gaara don't talk, ok? Everything's going to be fine." He said reassuringly, gripping a little tighter at my hand. I didn't wince, despite the slight pain the action caused. I didn't want to cause him any more unnecessary panic. I still hate keeping things from him.
Naruto doesn't know that.
"… Ru …t-to … I… I-I …" I tried to say what I wanted, but my voice wouldn't last much longer than a few seconds. Although, it was a slight improvement from how it had been earlier. I gripped his hand back as the pain dulled again. 'I don't want to die again, not now.'
"Please Gaara, don't talk any more. Talk to me when we get out of here, when you get a little better, ok 'ttebayo?" He began to play with a fee stray bangs that had fallen into my eyes again, fumbling with them and tucking them to one side of my face. His grip on me tightened slightly and he tried to pick me up; he wanted to get me some help no doubt.
"…Aaahh!" The pressure on my body increased to a point where I could no longer keep in my pain, and I yelped as a result. I don't know which was better, having the pain here or having it disappear. I felt blood collect in the back of my throat; Naruto's movement must have aggravated some internal damage I hadn't been aware of. I made a strange, strangled gurgling sound as I tried to swallow the blood back down my throat. Naruto's eyes widened and he quickly sat back down, pulling up one of his sleeves and wiping some of the blood off my face. He then gently placed two of his fingers under my chin and tilted it backwards slightly. It made breathing so much easier, and the blood just seemed to drain away. My vision swam for a few moments, before it hazed and disappeared. I blinked a few times, trying to gain it back, but it didn't help. I could feel my energy leaking from my body with my blood, as if the two things were tied together with invisible thread. I was getting tired; that's a funny thing to think when you're an insomniac. I felt my body go numb, the pain drifting into non-existence, and I relaxed a little in Naruto's hold.
"Gaara! Oh my god, no! Gaara! Look at me, LOOK AT ME! H-HEY!" His grip tightened yet again, and I was brought up into a sitting position. My breathing was very slow now, and it hitched quite frequently. I was struggling against what was coming, and we both knew that.
"… R-ruto… " I wanted to say something but I wasn't exactly sure what it was any more.
"Gaara! Don't speak, what did I tell you 'ttebayo? Wait until-"
"I n-need… t-to s… say this… b-befo… ore…" 'Before I go... Please let me say this, Naruto-kun. Please…'
He grew quiet and looked at me, the sadness in his eyes worse than I had ever seen before; sadness that spilled over his eyelashes as cool tears. 'I never knew I caused you so much pain…'
I swallowed shallowly and blinked; my vision cleared slightly but it was still very blurry.
"Thanks…" My voice came out as more of a sigh than anything else. "F-for… everyt-thing…"
"… 'm g-glad… t-that you're… here…" He griped onto my hand as I let go. I didn't want to let go…
Naruto doesn't know that.
"Gaara! Gaara… ey Gaa… an you h… me…!" His voice was no longer loud and thee were letters missing. I couldn't make out what he was saying. I knew he was still screaming my name; that much I could make out. I willingly let go of my defences at that point. I let myself cry.
Naruto noticed, and brought up his hand to wipe away the tears running down my face.
"… I-itai… Itai…" I breathed out. I wasn't in any physical pain any more, but the liquid pain dripping from both out faces was enough to make up for it. I began shivering lightly, and one of Naruto's arms gently rubbed up and down my back.
"Hey, it's gonna b-be ok 'ttebayo. I promise." A small smile graced my bloodied lips, and I knew that for the first time in ages, it was genuine.
"… 'k-kay… " I whispered, almost inaudibly.
We sat like that for about a minute. It was nice, not having to get up and fight like I normally did.
"… Hey, R-ruto… y-you're… m-my," I swallowed.
"… my b-best… friend. D-don't… forget… that…" I let go of the breath I didn't realise I was holding and went limp in his arms.
You already knew that, though. Didn't you?