The Things that Friendship Does
By Kikoru Sijan
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Flash!
Bang!
"SASUKE!"
"SASUKE-KUN!"
Swish!
SSHHHHHHH!
Clink!
"Don't be an idiot!"
"Yamare!"
Blood
Everywhere.
The vermillion liquid sinking into the dirt.
A maniacal laughter that everyone could here.
Flash!
Bang!
The pattering of rain against my skin.
The crystal droplets falling onto pink.
The spherical shapes rolling down tan cheeks.
Flash!
Bang!
"Foolish little brother...You shall never defeat me."
The voice that I dreaded so much.
The voice that was heard throughout the Uchiha compound on the day of the massacre.
Flash!
Bang!
"Face it foolish brother. The Uchiha clan is dead."
All but you, aniki, all but you. I spit out the bitter remark filled with sarcasm.
"Shh, shh, don't speak, Sasuke-kun."
Flash!
The lightening illuminates my 'savior's' face.
She smiles softly at me, so softly I want to see that smile forever.
Yet the quirk of her lips is filled with sorrow.
Pain.
Regret.
All the things that I did.
Flash!
Bang!
"I'll be leaving, foolish little brother. Be glad I left the Kyuubi alone this day."
The body disappears in shadows and smoke, leaving only the pink-haired woman, the blonde, and myself.
But should I be considered as a living person anymore?
Was I ever a living being?
Flash!
Yes, yes I was.
When okaa-san was still here.
When I strived to get tou-san's approval.
When I was with them
With Team Seven.
With Naruto.
With Sakura.
Flash!
Sakura. Sakura. Sakura. Sakura. Sakura.
She was the one with the unfair life.
"Sasuke-kun, don't worry..."
Not me, I just thought so.
"Yea, no worries, teme! Sakura-chan's a great medic!"
For a very long time I did.
"Just calm down."
Flash!
Bang!
She hisses as the cold rain soaks our clothing.
"He's loosing too much blood."
Feh, and here I was hoping to live a little longer.
"Can't we give him ours?!"
Always the generous one, eh, Naruto?
Flash!
That's gonna get you killed.
"Yes...I think so. He's AB+. He can get everything."
Tch, it seems I'm as selfish as my blood type.
How ironic.
"You're A+ and I'm O-. C'mon, Naruto."
And Sakura's even more generous.
Too generous.
Too intent on healing others and their broken bodies.
Too ignorant of her broken heart.
Flash!
Bang!
The irony of the situation.
I was supposed to protect her
Definitely not the other way around.
Flash!
"Naruto, hold still. We're gonna be a little woosy after this."
But I didn't protect her.
"Hai, Sakura-chan. We're gonna do anything to get him back. Like old times."
Naruto protected her.
"Okay, ready?"
Kakashi ((dead, dead, dead, because of you)) protected her.
"Osu, Sakura-chan. Let's go!"
I hurt her.
"Ah, that should be enough."
Flash!
She falls over slightly.
"Sakura-chan! Are you okay?"
Don't do this, I whisper hoarsely.
They both give me small grins.
"We're doing this to save your ass, teme."
I snort, despite my weakness.
I'm going to die anyway.
Flash!
Bang!
"No, you aren't!"
Idiots, I say, coughing out blood.
Despite the situation, she scolds me.
"I told you not to talk!"
But she's unconsciously stroking my hair.
And I know they know that I'm going to die.
I feel a prick and a bag on blood is being drained into my bloodstream.
Flash!
Perhaps I feel a small boost.
But is doesn't take long for me to realize that the rain is no longer dripping onto my face.
Their tears are.
I frown.
You know I'm going to die.
"Don't talk!"
You know it, Sakura.
"Shut up!" she yells, shaking her head furiously, warm tears cascading down her cheeks.
So she finally cracks.
Naruto stays away.
But he's crying too.
Flash!
She starts to heal me again.
It's useless.
"SHUT UP!"
Sakura, don't waste your energy. I'm going to die
"No, no, no, no. Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun."
Miss me already? I add teasingly.
I add a smirk.
Yet she continues to cry and sniffle.
And chant my name like when she was in her 'fangirl' phase.
Flash!
Bang!
And she finally seems to give up.
Or maybe she ran out of chakra.
Either way, she ended up on my chest, sobbing like a mad woman.
"D-don't die..."
She shivers from the coldness of the wind and water against her skin.
And perhaps that's why I hug her closer.
"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you..."
She repeats the same thing over again.
And despite the fact she worked with all that blood,
Her hair's still as sweet as strawberries.
Flash!
I cough again, staining her rosette locks with blood, but she stays where she is.
Sobbing.
Sobbing.
Sobbing.
Flash!
Bang!
In the distance, Naruto sniffles.
"M-maybe we should go, Sakura-chan...The – "
She shakes her head again and lets out a muffled scream of agony.
I stroke her hair softly as I feel myself weakening.
Flash!
Perhaps they really are stronger than me.
Perhaps they were always stronger than me.
Because I am the first to die.
The first to leave this world.
The only to go to hell.
Flash!
"D-don't s-say that, Sasuke-kun..."
Why not? It's the truth, I reply bitterly.
"No, your gonna go to heaven."
And I raise my eyebrow.
How so?
She turns her gaze to my face, though her head is still resting on my chest.
She gives me a small smile. A reassuring one.
"I'll make sure."
"Me, too! Watch me become Hokage, dattebayo! You'll definitely go to heaven."
Dobe.
Annoying.
I call them what I usually call them, and they can't help but grin.
The next few seconds go in sacred silence.
The lightening and thunder tones down after the storm turns into a light drizzle.
The grass smells fresh.
Sakura is watching me with half-lidded eyes.
Naruto does the same.
And perhaps this would be a peaceful event.
A bonding event.
An event of everlasting friendship...
If only I hadn't gotten myself killed, no?
I ruin everything, don't I?
Sakura smiles again.
"No, of course not, Sasuke-kun..."
Her voice is unusually soft.
"Nah, Sasuke-teme. Kakashi beat you to ruining Team Seven. Giving us all the teamwork crap just to die."
I smirk at the truth and bitterness of the fact.
"Who do you think will die next, Sasuke-kun? People can see the future near death..."
I see...they've finally realized it, eh?
My answer is simple.
They'll die on the same mission.
At the same time.
Both of them smile at me.
Sakura – that smile she was giving me the rest of the time.
Naruto – the one that isn't a grin, the one that's actually a smile
I actually smile back.
"I'm glad I saw that in my lifetime," Sakura whispers, still not getting up from my chest.
And I'm still stroking her hair.
But my heartbeat slows down.
And my hand becomes less strong.
As it falls limply to the ground, I feel Sakura's lips softly descend into mine.
And if I was thinking properly, I might have pushed her away...
Or would I kiss her back?
I closed my eyes slowly and gave the last bit of effort into the kiss.
She gets up after she's done, wiping her tears from both my cheeks and hers.
Naruto laughs lightly.
"You did it, ne, Sakura-chan?"
I smirked a little bit.
Yep, she did it.
She clasps one of my hands in both of hers and holds it to her chest.
I feel everything go into a blur.
The last cherished words I hear slip out of my teammates' lips:
"Rest in peace, Uchiha Sasuke. With love, Team Seven."
And I did exactly that.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed that! I'm sorry I made Sasuke die, it's just I like how this came out anyway. Thanks to tennisxdork for reading this in advance.
Send a review for an early birthday present.
Kikoru x3