Unsolicited

Chapter One

-Casualty-

Fuck.

That was really the only word he could think of to sum up the situation that he and his friends were in right now. His hair continuously slapped the sides of his face as he felt his body falling down what seemed like an endless drop. And he didn't even have the strength to open his eyes and see where it was he would land.

Fuck.

It was just supposed to be a simple recon mission, nothing more, nothing less. The Hokage had said they would be back in three day's time. No big deal. A piece of cake for three ninjas with their experience.

And yet it hadn't been that simple. They had been set up by the inn keeper, their location given away to the enemy ninjas. On top of that, retrieving the information they had been sent to get was a lot more difficult than presumed, the entire base filled with traps and secret passages, not to mention the amount of ninjas that were patrolling the place.

Normally that wouldn't be too bad for him, but with Naruto and Sakura as his team mates, silence was next to impossible. Not that Sakura couldn't be quiet when the moment called for it, but it was a foreign concept to the loudmouthed blonde. He was quiet at first, but then the idiot just had to see something shiny and cool, get distracted, stub his toe, and then fall down a flight of stairs. Though, he had to give him credit, Naruto didn't really make that much noise during the entire thing, only a startled gasp, a yelp as he rolled down the stairs, and a groan when he hit the floor.

But of course, Sakura then opened her big mouth and yelled at him, hitting him over the head when she reached the bottom of the stairs and explaining to him that they needed to be absolutely quiet for this mission. That was when he had decided to intervene and tell them both that silence was of no use now, because he could sense the enemy on their way.

It had been hell to get out of there, but they made it. After years of training together as a team, it was second nature for them to be able to sense one another's movements and techniques. The way they fought together was like clockwork, despite the fact that he had been gone for three years, and five years after his return Sakura had gone off to Suna to marry Gaara, the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand.

He was glad that she had finally found the happiness she deserved in the redhead. He and Gaara had been distantly polite to each other in the beginning, but eventually found that they weren't so different, and had quickly formed a friendship that rivaled both of their bonds with Naruto. For even though the blonde had helped both of them through their darkness to become better men, he didn't fully understand what it was that they had gone through growing up. But they understood each other. Like Gaara had said at the Chuunin Exams all those years ago, they had the same eyes.

His thoughts were brought back to the present when a searing pain went through his entire body as he hit the ground. He couldn't move. He could barely even breathe. And based on the amount of blood that he had lost, he was certain about one thing. He, Uchiha Sasuke, was going to die.

"Fuck." He cursed aloud.

The sound of Sakura's shrill cry of his name was enough to cause him to open his eyes, though it didn't do him much good. Everything was blurry and unfocused, probably because of the blow he had taken to the back of his head. Suddenly Sakura's face came into view, and he could feel her warm, soothing healing chakra beginning to enter his skull. His vision slowly began to clear, until he could distinctly make out the worry and concern on the pink haired medic's face. It was then that he knew with even more certainty that he was going to die. Because no matter how badly Sakura tried to hide the truth from him, he could clearly read her thoughts through her expressive emerald eyes.

"Sakura, stop. Save your chakra." He ordered, his voice hoarse from the blood that had flowed down his throat.

"No!" she said, tears coming to her eyes. "I'm not just going to let you die Sasuke! Not after everything we've been through!" she said, moving her glowing hands to the lacerations on his chest. It was useless though, because half of his internal organs were just hanging out for all the world to see. He could actually feel the pieces of dirt that had gotten on his intestines.

With a speed he didn't really feel, he reached up and grabbed both of her hands in his bloodied ones, pulling them away from him. "Don't waste what little chakra you have left saving someone who isn't meant to be saved. You will need it for the journey home." He whispered.

"But, Sasuke-"

"No." he said sternly. She sniffed and nodded, signaling that she would do as he wished. Carefully, so as not to jostle him too much, she moved his head into her lap in order to make him more comfortable.

"Where…is Naruto?" he asked.

"He's using the Kyuubi's power to kill the rest of them. When he saw you falling, he snapped, and told me to come help you. Even though I was already on my way." She explained.

Now that she mentioned it, he could hear a bunch of commotion happening a ways off, and knew that it was all being caused by his blonde brother. What a show off. He looked straight up, taking in the detail of Sakura's face, as well as the trees of the forest they were in. "I'm going to die." Sasuke commented.

"Don't say that." Sakura ordered, looking down at him sternly. "You'll be fine. When Naruto is done we'll take you to Tsunade-shishou, and she'll fix you right up. I promise."

"You shouldn't lie." The corner of his mouth tilted up slightly. "Not to a dying man."

"Sasuke!" she exclaimed, smacking him lightly on the shoulder, one of the few places that wasn't bleeding or broken. He chuckled, but then stopped as his body was wracked with coughs. Sakura tried to prop him up a bit, so that he wouldn't choke on the blood that was flying from his mouth, and then laid him back down when he was done.

They sat there in silence after that, Sakura looking around and keeping most of her attention in the direction of Naruto's battle, and Sasuke just staring off into space. He could feel his energy leaving him, and as his breathing began to get more labored, he knew he didn't have much time left.

"S-Sakura." He murmured, getting her attention.

"What is it Sasuke?"

"I…need you to do something for me…once I'm gone."

She took his hand and held it between both of hers. She wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, but she could tell that he wouldn't make the journey home. Even though she could tell that Naruto had just about wrapped everything up. "Anything."

"Please…take my son with you to Suna, and raise him as if he were your own. Gaara…is the only one," Sasuke winced as pain lanced through his midsection once more, "who can…keep him from the darkness that…attracts all Uchihas. He will…be able to understand Akito…better than anyone else."

"Sasuke…" she breathed out, one of her tears falling and landing on his cheek before sliding off and hitting the ground.

"And…I want you to love him. You are the only one I know who will be able to love my son no matter what he does, because that is your gift. You love unconditionally." He began to cough once more, though it was strained, and when he was finished his breathing sounded wheezy.

"He will resent me." Sasuke told her. "He will be upset with my decision, but…it must be done. Tell me you'll do that…for me."

Her grip around his hand tightened. "I promise."

"Thank you." He smiled, visibly relaxing, despite the extreme amount of pain he was in. "I know…that living with your family…will be good…for him."

Another of Sakura's tears hit his cheek then. "Don't speak Sasuke. You need to save your energy." She looked up then when Naruto was suddenly on the other side of the wounded Uchiha.

"Sasuke-teme! What the hell are you doing, dying on me?" he asked, tears already formed in the blonde's eyes.

"Dobe." Sasuke scoffed, coughing slightly. "Death is the only way to get away from you." He began to cough again. Sakura elevated him a bit more, so that he wouldn't choke on his own saliva.

When his coughs died down he was taking shallow breaths, and Sakura knew that it would be soon. Naruto smiled slightly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You're not just gonna die after everything. I won't let you."

The corner of the ebony haired man's lip tilted up a bit, but he didn't have the strength to hold his smile. "Stupid." He took another few breaths before continuing, not wanting to cough again, because it was painful.

He looked up then, so that he could see both of his teammate's faces. "I…am glad…that my last moments were with you two." He said. "You…will always be…my best friends…and my family…"

Both were crying now, tears streaming down their faces as they listened to what they knew were the last words of Uchiha Sasuke. He trained his dark gaze on Sakura, who was still holding his hand, and trying to indiscreetly check his pulse, which was so weak that she could barely feel it.

"Please tell…Akito…that…I love him…and…that I couldn't…have asked…for a better…son." He said, the pauses between his words being labored breaths.

"I promise." She whispered.

His eyelids began to droop, and his head rolled to the side. Naruto shot forward a bit, reaching out to hold up Sasuke's head. "Sasuke…"

"Hey." The ebony haired man tried to smile. "I'll see you guys again…I promise. Just…don't be too annoying…brother." He teased the blonde.

"You know how I am." Naruto sniffed, rubbing a finger beneath his nose.

Sasuke chuckled, which was a mistake, because he knew what would come. The coughs. They seemed to last forever, not only to him, but to Naruto and Sakura as well. And this time, when they died down, the Uchiha's eyes closed, and his breathing stopped.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked, moving her hands to check his pulse. Then she moved them to his neck and checked once more. "Sasuke!" she yelled when she didn't feel a thing.

"Damnit!" Naruto shouted, hitting the ground with his fists. Then he grabbed onto the Uchiha's shirt and began to shake him. "Quit fooling around Sasuke! It's not funny!" he continued to shake him.

Sakura sniffed and placed her hand on his arm. "Naruto…it's too late. There's nothing we can do." She said softly.

The blonde set Sasuke's body back on the ground, and began to cry, his shoulders shaking with sobs. Sakura was crying as well, and for a while they both just sat there, crying over their dead teammate until they couldn't cry any more.

"Sakura-chan…what…did he say to you…while I was fighting?" Naruto asked softly, looking up at her. He wouldn't lie, he was a little jealous of the pink haired medic for getting the chance to spend more time with Sasuke in the end than he did, but he quickly reminded himself that while she was off in Suna, visiting every few years, he was in Konoha with Sasuke. Knowing this, his jealousy disappeared.

"He…wants me to take Akito to Suna to live with me and Gaara. And our kids. He said that Gaara was the only one who would be able to raise Akito to be a good man, and that I was the only one who could love someone else's child as if it were my own." She said, her gaze on Sasuke's face, which was peaceful for once.

"I guess that makes sense. Akito would just go crazy if he lived with me." Naruto smiled slightly. Sakura nodded in agreement, and for a while longer, they sat there, each sorting their jumbled thoughts, until eventually, they stood.

Silently, they took out their blankets and wrapped the body in them, so that it would be concealed and protected from the elements on the way back to Konoha. Naruto lifted him over his shoulder before beginning the journey home.

Sakura just sighed to herself, knowing that the entire village would be shocked by The Avenger's sudden death. Actually, the entire ninja world would be shocked, especially Konoha's closest ally, Suna. The pink haired woman felt a tear slide down her cheek, but it had nothing to do with her own sadness. It was for Gaara. Because when he found out, he would be devastated. He had so little friends, and Sasuke was actually one of his closest ones.

Those thoughts in mind, she began to work out in her head exactly what she would say to Gaara in the letter she'd send him. Hopefully he would get to Konoha soon, because she didn't know how long she'd be able to stay strong for Naruto, or for the deceased Uchiha's only child.