Gone Forever?

Disclaimer: I don't own him...

Author Notes: I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY that I haven't updated for like forever.(So sorry) I hope that you guys still want to know where this story is going(I still want to know least) I would give some lame excuse but I really don't have one. I just haven't written. I'm a huge procrastinator, even for things I want to do. =( Again, sorry.

But! From now on I'm going to try and update (hopefully) every other week. I'm probably not going to keep that promise, but I'll try. And reviews always help me want to write!

Also, I'm sorry if Sakura sounds OOC, but someone close to her DID just die... that changes people. And for Naruto, he doesn't remember anything so he has an excuse to be OOC. Please enjoy.

Chapter 2

News of Naruto spread like wildfire through the streets of Konoha. People everywhere were saying how they heard from a friend, who heard from someone that they had seen a very injured Naruto being carried by the Hokage-sama. But of course, he wasn't dead, just severely injured.

There was also talk of Uchiha Sasuke having returned, but no one really seemed to believe it. Or rather, they chose not to believe, their voices turning to ice at the mention of the traitor's name. There was a time when they all wanted Sasuke back- desperately so, but not anymore. Sasuke deserved to rot in hell according to the villagers.

There was one more rumor buzzing around the streets. It was actually more of a connection between the two. If Sasuke returned to the village conveniently at what seemed to be the same time that Naruto came back from his mission injured, was it Sasuke that hurt Naruto?

These were all fairly new rumors and although most commoners had already heard them, it wasn't unusual that a busy ninja to have not caught wind of them yet. A ninja such as Sakura, that is. The pink haired kunoichi was currently walking with a bag of groceries for her parents when she passed some women gossiping. She couldn't help but over hear what they said, and what she did hear, she couldn't help but be intrigued. She stopped walking in favor of eavesdropping.

"You guys don't really believe that he returned, right?" a woman, close to her thirties said to her companions. "I mean, after all those years of running away from the village, why would he just suddenly decide to return? Think about it."

Who returned? Who are they talking about? Sakura wondered.

"Well yeah, but..." another woman said, her voice nervous, wanting to argue and make them believe but her friend had a very good point. Sakura could hear her take a deep breath. "My other friend says she saw it with her own two eyes. She says it was definitely Uchiha Sasuke-"

Sasuke! Sakura exclaimed in her own mind, tuning out. She almost began to run away so she could see for herself but stayed as she heard:

"The hokage-sama was leading him herself to jail and he didn't once try to resist." It was the same woman talking as before.

"Then it couldn't have been Sasuke," the first woman argued. "He's much to prideful to be led to prison. And it still doesn't make any sense."

Sakura began to doubt the second woman. She's right. Sasuke couldn't have come back. Her heart must have fell ten feet with that realization because as much as she hated it, she was still in love with Sasuke.

The second woman was shaking her head. "No. he's to prideful to fight once he's caught."

And just like that, Sakura perked up again. Hopeful.

"You guys don't get it!" the third woman finally jumped in, her voice filled with exasperation. "It can't just be a coincidence that Sasuke returned the same day that Naruto comes back from his mission hurt! I mean, I saw Naruto myself being carried by Tsunade-sama. He looked almost dead-"

That's when Sakaru's hearing failed her.

Naruto-? Her hands began to shake and her mouth dropped open. 'Naruto looked almost dead'

Her breaths started to come in little gasps. No... No, that couldn't be true. Naruto... he couldn't be possibly be dead...but... but Sasuke... what if he... No, he couldn't have. Naruto wouldn't have let himself be killed...

Why was it so hard to breathe? She just couldn't seem to find the air. Her whole body was shaking now.

A few people stopped and stared at her for a few seconds before continuing on their way. One person actually stopped and asked if she was okay, but when she didn't get a response, she left. All these people though, were like some distant dream. It didn't seem like they were really there.

She had to know if he was ok. Had to make sure he was still alive. She could help him. She could heal every wound he had.

So she fled, dropping her forgotten bag of groceries on the ground. She ran towards the hospital, thinking somewhere in her mind that that would be the place Naruto would be if he was hurt. She ran at top-speed, practically flying. Her heart raced as adrenaline pumped through her.

This was silly.

Somewhere deep down inside her, she knew this was stupid. But still... she had to know.. She couldn't ignore the bad feeling in her gut.

After what seemed like forever, she slammed through the hospital doors and was at the front desk panting.

The woman at the desk stared at her in shock. "Sakura... are you alright?" she asked in worry. She had had never seen the young girl so worked up before.

"Naruto..." she asked in between her heavy breathing. "Has... (pant)... Naruto...come.. through here... yet?" Sakura looked at the woman hopefully. She decided briefly that it was someone she recognized but couldn't place a name on her.

"No," the woman said. "Has he even returned from his mission yet?"

Sakura felt terror squeeze her insides. "I-" she began to answer but stopped when she didn't know what to say. She turned around slowly, feeling horrible. With small steps, she staggered to sit down in the waiting center, not listening as the woman called out her name and asked if she need anything. She plopped down into a seat and stared blankly ahead.

He's not here because there's no reason to admit a dead person to the hospital.

She tried to convince herself otherwise, that the woman on the street were only gossiping, not talking actual facts. Naruto hadn't really returned from his mission yet. He wasn't really almost dead.

As much as she tried, though, she couldn't shake away her bad feeling about this. Somewhere deep inside her, she knew. She knew that he was dead.

She buried her head in her heads, her elbows on her knees as she blocked out the world. She wanted to cry but her body was still in too much shock to let tears loose.

Its not true... He's not dead. Can't be. It's not true, not true... He's alive. He has to be.

She repeated similar things in her head from what seemed like hours. And that's when she realized it.

She loved Naruto.

She truly loved him, even more than she supposedly loved Sasuke. And the worst part was, she was never going to get the chance to tell him.

"Sakura?" A distant voice asked. It seemed familiar. A hand was gently placed on her shoulder. Sakura jumped slightly , surprised.

She slowly looked up, her eyes meeting Shizune's. Her eyes were filled with so much pity.

So it was true... this was answer enough for Sakura. Naruto was in fact dead.

"Tsunade-sama wishes to see you," Shizune spoke softly, though her words rang loudly in Sakura's ears.

"Tsunade...sama?" Sakura asked, her eyes blank as of she weren't comprehending. But she knew... she understood all too well, she just didn't want to.

Shizune nodded in answer.

Sakura stood, her knees wobbling underneath of her. She really didn't want to go, a picture of a dead Naruto was already haunting her. His whole body was all bloody and torn and his blue eyes were so lifeless. She didn't want to see that, she'd rather pretend he was still alive and on his mission. But she knew she had to go.

Shizune kept close to her side as they left the hospital and headed through the streets of Konoha towards the Hokage's building. Sakura could feel each of her worried glances burning her skin.

Somewhere deep inside her, there was a swirl of dark emotions waiting to pounce on her and consume her. But for now, she felt mostly numb. She was still in shock. And as she walked through the village, she didn't see or hear anyone or anything else. She relied completely on Shizune to lead her in the right direction.

It seemed to take forever, but it was still too soon for Sakura, before they reached the Hokage's building. As they began to climb the stairs to where the office was, Sakura started to dread the moment they would walk through those doors and into the office. She desperately wanted to turn and run. Naruto wasn't in that room... He was still on his mission and a few days from now, he would walk into the village and greet her with that huge smile of his.

Yes, that had to be it.

Sakura took a deep breathe, squared her shoulders and reigned in her childish fear. She told herself she was overreacting. That this could just be to assign a mission or something, a harmless meeting.

Of course, she didn't really believe that.

Soon, the doors to the office were in sight. The two usual guards were there along with Kakashi-sensei who was obviously waiting for them.

This must be the first time he's on time, Sakura laughed nervously in her head, trying to lighten her mood and failing.

Kakashi turned to look at them, his face filled with pain. He suspected too.

The guards' face's were grim as they opened the doors and let them through.

Naurto's body was the only thing that Sakura saw as she entered, laying on the hokage's desk, motionless. She didn't register the other people in the room (Tsunade and Kakashi), nor the click of the door shutting.

Her eyes took in everything. How is skin was so pale and stretched across his bones. His clothes hung about him in bloodied rags. She saw every dry droplet of blood on skin.

Tears began to silently creep out of her eyes to make their way down her cheeks to fall on the ground. The one thing her eyes kept running back to, though, the one thing that clearly said he was dead above everything else was the gaping hole in his chest, right where his heart should be. The flesh around it was black, as though burnt, and it hung tattered into the hole. Dried blood dotted the black flesh.

There was only one thing that could've made a whole like that. Chidori. And as far as Sakura knew, there were only two people who knew that jutsu. And if it wasn't Kakashi who had done it, then it must've been Sasuke who killed Naruto.

Suddenly, Sakura's defenses about herself dropped and all of her emotions came rushing forth. All the sadness and anger and every other feeling she had balled up deep inside ever since Sasuke left came hurling itself at her.

Her legs gave out under her and Sakura collapsed to the ground, sobbing in her hands. A minute later she had gotten up and was running to Naruto's side, her hands already glowing green. She pressed her hands to his chest desperately, wailing. She shook her head, eyes closing, sending tears to fly.

"Naruto," she choked out. The glowing around her hands faltered before intensifying. She pressed her hands harder against his chest.

He wasn't dead... He couldn't be.

No... No, no, no, no. "No!" She screamed. Why wasn't anything happening? She pressed her hands even harder. Why. Wasn't he. Waking. Up?

"Naruto..." she sobbed. She began to chant his name. "Naruto.. why Naruto?... why? Naruto... please." Her hands slowly let up on the pressure and stopped glowing and her screams turned to soft murmurs. Soon, even her wails stopped. She was quiet for a moment, staring at Naruto, before she began to sniffle and rub at her bleary eyes and running nose.

A hand was placed on her shoulder comfortingly. Sakura turned her head to look at Tsunade, stilling her movements.

"Sakura," Tsunade said, her voice filled with pain but still trying to comfort.

Sakura's bottom lip began to tremble as she tried her best not to cry again. She failed and she quickly buried her head into Tsunade's big chest and wrapped her hands around her sensei's waist.

Tsunade paused for a second before beginning to rub her student's back and pat her head comfortably as Sakura cried for another minute or so.

Sakura soon got control over herself and pulled away. She took a few breathes and again, she wiped at her puffy red eyes. She took a few calming breaths before looking around the room, pointedly ignoring Naruto's body. She took a long time just studying the walls, trying to keep her mind from thoughts of Naruto.

When her eyes reached Kakashi-sensei, still standing by the door, she wanted to cry again for she felt so selfish that she had not thought of the others in the room when she began her outburst. Kakashi was looking away and by what she could tell, trying to hold back tears of his own. She grimaced before tearing her eyes away.

She took a few more steps away from Tsunade as if to distance herself from the guilt she know felt. Her eyes were down-cast and she waited for the Hokage to speak.

Tsunade didn't mention Naruto right off the bat though, surprising Sakura and yet left her almost grateful for not mentioning yet. "Sasuke's in jail."

Sakura nodded somberly. Only part of her mind was truly listening.

Tsunade sighed sadly as she crossed behind her desk and stared out the window, absentmindedly watching the world outside. Her arms were crossed under her chest and she was half slumped over as she leaned back against her desk. Finally, she continued, "He came back carrying Naruto's dead body." She again paused, and looked back at Sakura and Kakashi. Tears were now evident in her eyes and one had already left a glistening trail on her cheek. Slowly, to make sure this information really sank in, she said, "Sasuke was the one who killed him."

Sakura's chin began to shake as she desperately tried to hold a new set of tears back. She had already expected as much but it was still hard to hear.

The only thing Sakura could hear from Kakashi was a short intake of breath. For a second, she thought badly towards him that he wasn't reacting more.

Doesn't he care that his own student was killed!

She then berated herself for the thought.

Of course he cares! He's just trying to hold it in so I don't see him cry.

But it was so easy to turn sadness into hate and it felt so good as well. She began to hate both Kakashi and Tsunade for all of this, thinking of things that if they had done differently then Naruto would still be alive. Try as she might, she couldn't completely shake the anger off herself. She knew it was mostly directed at herself and Sasuke but one could usually never actually blame themselves and Sasuke wasn't there at the moment too be mad at.

"The Elders will be holding a trail for Sasuke in five days time," Sakura heard Tsunade say, taking her away from her thoughts. "I have no doubt he will be sentenced to death."

Everything was quite for a little after that before Kakashi choked out, "And what of Naruto?"

Tsunade turned fully towards them, chewing her lip. A single tear slipped from her eyes but she was quick to wipe it away. "We'll be holding a funeral for him in about three days. I do not look forward to sharing this awful news with the village, I only told you two because I think you deserve the right to know when your comrade dies. And also... I was hoping you would help me plan the funeral. I-" she took a shaky breathe. "-I don't think I could do it by my- by myself."

Tsunade looked at Sakura directly, her eyes begging for help before they moved to silently ask Kakashi.

"I'd understand if you said no," Tsunade told them, though her tone said she hoped they wouldn't.

As much as Sakura wanted to, she couldn't refuse. Not just because it was the hokage who was asking but because she knew she would regret it if she didn't plan the last thing that could ever be planned for Uzumaki Naruto. And so, she gave a brisk nod for an answer.

"Thankyou," Tsunade said gratefully, though her voice hoarse. "T-that is all, you two may.. leave now."

Kakashi left without a word but Sakura hesitated. Her hands reached out for Tsunade, wanting to comfort before dropping back to hers sides. Then she too, turned and left.

Right before the door clicked shut, Sakura could hear the sound of sobbing begin.

She gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists as she walked away stiffly. She was going to get Sasuke for this. How dare he cause them all so much grief! He was gong to pay, and Sakura would make sure of it.

He was surrounded by darkness. He felt like his whole body being poke with cold needles. To him, it was as if he floating in an icy river so cold it burned. He felt the water flowing quickly around him, but he did not move with the current. For a second, he imagined the water heading towards a mighty waterfall, the center of his pain.

Yes, his sub-conscious decided. He was feeling numbness all over his body, the center being around his chest. It came from some pain he could feel in the distance, being the waterfall.

He continued to float, barely aware of anything except his numbness and how he was gently being pulled back and forth by the water but barely moving.

Eventually, something bumped into him, or rather his conscious. Confused, he began to search for that 'something.' Again, he felt it touch him. It was... another creature's conscious.

/How..?/ fleeted across his mind before returning to darkness.

With his mind's eye, he reached out and ran his fingers over it blindly. He did not touch it completely, he knew. Something was there, like a thin veil he could not break through, making it impossible to submerge himself completely into this other mind.

Still, he could feel life pulsing under his fingers. He gasped as a rush of thought, feelings and pictures passed through the veil from the other mind and into his.

The other creature was hurt but it was worried... for him, it seemed. He saw himself, or at least he assumed it was himself because he felt some sort of connection to the sleeping boy with blonde hair and a toned body.

WAKE UP!

With that, he jolted to consciousness. Still only seeing darkness, it took him awhile to figure out what muscles he had to strain in order to open his eyes. He began to blink, a white and black blob in front of him. Finally, his vision cleared. He was staring at a white ceiling.

He began to wonder where he was, and so he turned his head sideways to have a look around him. He saw a blue curtain hanging down from the ceiling, cutting off his vision from the rest of the room. He turned his head the other way, and had to squint because of the light. When he was used to it, he saw that the light came from a window. Unfortunately, leaves from a tree took up the majority of the window, so he couldn't see what else lay outside.

He craned his neck a little, his head pounding and giving himself black dots to see down the length of his body. He would've jumped if he had had the strength at what he saw. At his feet, he gazed into the red eyes of a fox. The fox was curled up in a ball, lifting his head and blinking.

He suddenly felt a connection to the animal and he slowly realized that this fox was the owner to that other mind he had felt earlier. He knew instinctively to trust this animal and so he dropped his head back to his pillow, relaxing. With focusing, he could sense the fox there and still feel it's conscious pressing against his own. He could feel the fox's pain, not as distinct as his own, but it was there.

He laid there peacefully for awhile, before realizing that he still didn't know where he was. He thought about it for awhile before concluding that with how his body ached and the type of bed he was laying on, that he must be in a hospital.

/What happened..?/ he thought. His brows furrowed and his head began to pound as he tried his best to remember what had happened. He couldn't remember even the slightest details though. He traveled back in his mind, but as soon as he reached waking up a few minutes ago, there was absolutely nothing. He had no memories. He didn't even know where he came from.. or anything!

His confusion traveled to the fox and the animal shifted. He began to feel the fox trying to comfort him through the link of their minds. He was still distantly bothered, but for now, he would let it be.

A few minutes later, he heard a door creak open. He turned his head sideways as the curtain was pulled back to reveal young girl, maybe 15 years of age. She was very pretty with brown hair that traveled a little past her shoulders and piercing green eyes. She was slightly tanned and it complemented her well. Their eyes met, and he could visibly see her face light up in pleasant surprise. The next second she was by his side, a huge smile splitting her face. She peered into his eyes as her hands left feather touches on his face and chest.

She was asking a series of questions, each one cutting into the next so he couldn't really understand what she was saying. It seemed though, that she was asking if he was ok. He opened his mouth, planning to answer, but she had already turned around to disappear.

He blinked, surprised. He looked down at the fox to see it sleeping. He sighed, waiting patiently for the girl to return as he listened to the even breathing of the fox.

He didn't have to wait much longer before the girl returned with an older woman. The older woman must have been the girls mother for they looked much alike. The mother rushed to his side and put a hand to his forehead, probably feeling for a fever or something. Her touch was cold. She withdrew a few seconds later and he looked curiously up at her.

"Are you ok?" she asked quietly.

It took him a little while to reply, trying to work his mouth."I-I think so." he cringed at the sound of his own voice, it sounded dry and raspy. He tried to push himself up, but struggled until the girl's mother helped him and left him to lean against the wall behind him.

"Do you feel any pain?" she inquired shortly after.

"My body feels weak, but nothing serious," he said, before coughing.

"Can you tell me what happened?" she asked him seriously.

Again, he tried to remember anything at all, but his attempt was futile as he came up blank once more. He shook his head. "I don't remember anything."

She nodded understandingly and in a soothing voice said, "That's ok. Can you at least give me your name?"

His name... his name... oh fuck. Could he not even remember that? He suddenly felt desperately lost and his eyes began to water with tears. He shook his head, tears flying. "No," he said, his voice cracking. "I-I can't remember anything." He looked into her eyes, seeking for refuge. There was a mother's comfort present in her light green eyes and it did strengthen him a little.

The fox had lifted its head once again and had started to whine. It probably felt his discomfort.

"It's ok, it's ok," she whispered softly. She then turned away to fetch something out of a cabinet on the far wall. He looked at the other girl, her eyes were filled with hope as she watched him, a few tears gathering at the corner of her eyes

When the mother returned, she had a tan pouch in her hands. She held it before him, and he looked at it curiously.

"We found this by you, does it spark any recognition?" she asked.

He looked it over, straining to try and remember it. He felt like he was letting them down when he once more shook his head.

She flipped it open and bent a bit of fabric down so he could see a bit of writing that was on the inside. The word 'Naruto' was written there. Was that supposed to be his name? He asked so.

The woman nodded. "We believe so, but we're not sure."

Even in the depressing situation he was in, he couldn't help but laugh. "Naruto?" he chuckled. "But doesn't that mean like fish cake or something, a food you find in ramen?"

The woman smiled at him, pleased that that he could still laugh. "Yes it does, but if its alright with you, I think we will go ahead and call you that."

He thought about it for awhile. The name Naruto sounded so foreign to him, he felt no attachment to it but yet he knew that he would feel the same for any other name they picked. Naruto was probably the closest they would ever get. "I don't know what kind of parent would name their kid Naruto, but alright, I guess that can be my name," he said, adding, "for now," as an afterthought.

"Well, Naruto," the woman said. "you've been asleep for six days."

"S-six days?" he gasped. "What happened to me?"

"We're not sure, but my daughter, Amane, found you passed out in a clearing with the fox by your side. You didn't have any major wounds but by the looks of the clearing, it seemed you had been in a battle of some sort. The clearing was torn to pieces."

Naruto nodded, trying to wrap his head around the idea. "Am I ninja, then?"

"That's what we thought," the woman said. She opened the pouch further and gestured to what was inside. Kunai knives and scrolls and other various weapons lay inside. "Like I said before, we found this by you, and it's probably yours."

"I don't even know if I can fight," Naruto said exasperated.

The woman smiled. "We'll have to find out later, but for now, you need your rest. Amane will bring in some food in a bit."

She turned to leave but Naruto called out. "You forgot to tell me your name," he said.

The woman chuckled. "I'm sorry, I'm Reina. Murakami Reina, Amane's mother. Its nice to meet you Naruto." With that she left, bringing her daughter with her.

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. This was all so weird. His name was so... odd. and he couldn't remember anything about being a ninja. Why? He tried to relax, not wanting to fret about it. But it really bothered him that he couldn't remember anything at all.

True to her word, the door opened again a little later. Naruto's mouth began to water as he smelt delicious food. Amane appeared carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of noodles and a glass of water on it. Naruto's eyes lightened up and his stomach growled as she set the try down gently on his lap.

Naruto weakly reached for the chopsticks on the tray and picked up some noodles. They looked so good. He brought them towards his mouth but his hand faltered and lost hold of the chopsticks. They fell onto his chest, leaving a stain on his light blue hospital gown. He stared dumbfounded at it.

Amane chuckled. "Do you need help?" she asked teasingly. She pulled up a chair from the corner of the room and without waiting for his answer began to feed him.

Naruto would have resisted if the food didn't taste so darn good. He chewed slowly but wished she would just shovel the food down his throat.

Halfway through his meal, he reached for the glass of water and Amane helped him bring it to his lips. The cold water ran down his throat refreshingly. He downed all of it.

"So, you're a ninja," Amane said, striking up conversation.

Naruto shrugged. "I guess so. But for all I know, I was the worst ninja alive." He chuckled.

Amane joined him in his soft laughter. "I've always wanted to be a ninja," she told him. "But my mother thinks it's too dangerous. And maybe she's right. I know being a ninja carries its risks, your a great example for that, but still..."

Naruto nodded. "I can't say I know the feeling of wanting something but not being able to get it."

Amane smiled softly. "Yeah, I know. I don't know why I'm confiding in a total stranger but I feel like I can trust you for some reason." She laughed.

The fox was suddenly standing by his tray of food. He looked Naruto in the eyes before bending his head and eating what was left in the bowl. Naruto let him.

He reached out a hand and petted the furry creature. "Why is it that you guys let a fox inside a hospital?" he asked.

"He seemed very... protective of you when I found you, and he followed me all the way here," Amane said truthfully. "I figured he must be a trained ninja fox or something so I convinced my mom to let him in. Does he not belong to you?"

"I think he does," Naruto answered. "I can't distinctively remember him, but I feel some sort of connection with him which must mean something."

Amane nodded. "I guess he needs a name though."

"Hmmm," Naruto thought out loud. "We could just name him Kitsune."

"That's a really simple name, but I guess it works," Amane agreed.

"Yeah, I guess it does," he smiled. "So, uh, do you mind telling me where exactly I am?"

""This is Koishi, It's a very small town in the Earth Country." She paused before asking, "Do you know about the countries...?"

"Uh..." Naruto had to think about it before saying. "Yeah, I think I do. There are five main countries, right? Land of Earth, Fire, Wind, Water and uh... Lightning?"

Amane nodded. "Correct."

"I wonder what country I come from," Naruto said.

"Probably Earth," Amane answered. "But I suppose we would have to travel to Iwagakure. That's the main village where ninjas are trained. Are Tsuchikage also live there."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. For some reason, he doubted that he was from this country, but he had no way to know for sure. He wished he had his memories.

Amane picked the tray up for his lap and stood. "My mother says that once you've rested, you may come and stay at our house to hopefully get your memory back. Our hospital is too busy to keep anyone here unless its necessary. So, rest up."

Naruto watched her leave before laying down again and trying to fall asleep. His thoughts were haunting him though and keeping him from sleep. He wondered what he had done before in his life. Was he a bad person?

What if he found out he was? What would he do then?

Author Notes: Please review, it will help me get the next chapter up sooner. (: