I feel kinda bad about making you wait so long and giving you such a short chapter. BLAME SCHOOL! NOT ME! I hate having so much homework…

Oh, also, the thing about Gaara sleeping…this is an AU fic, so I made him sleep—he could use it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"G-GAARA!" Sasuke shouts, but he's too late, he can only take one step forward before the truck collides with Gaara. "GAARA!" Sasuke shouts once more as Itachi walks out of the store. Itachi watches as Sasuke runs over to Gaara, who is lying in the middle of the road.

'Why is he in the road, I didn't think he was so ignora…OMIGOD! IS THAT BLOOD!' Itachi sees a growing red pool seeping outwards, away from Gaara's lifeless, body. Itachi runs up to his younger brother and his brother's friend. Sasuke is already on the phone, probably 9-1-1. Sasuke's expression is frantic, fearful, and furious. 'Furious? Probably because that damned truck-driver didn't stop, even after he obviously saw what he did.'

An ambulance and police car approach the scene and two men lift Gaara's bloodied and unconscious form onto the gurney. "Gaara…" Sasuke says quietly. The head doctor in the ambulance looks over at Sasuke.

"I'm sorry about your boyfriend, young man," the man says, his voice laced with concern.

Sasuke's head snaps up at the man. "What! He's not my boyfriend! He's just a friend! I was trying to help him win over his crush! And I'm NOT gay!"

The man blinks. "Oh, you don't have to deny it, I won't judge you…I wouldn't judge anyone who might lose their love."

"But I don't love hi—did you just say 'lose'? ARE YOU SAYING HE'S GONNA DIE!"

"Sasuke, calm down," Itachi says quietly as he puts his hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Calm down?" Sasuke asks, "YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN WHEN MY BEST FRIEND MIGHT BE DYING! No. I'm not that kind of person, Nii-san!" Sasuke turns to the head doctor. "And I certainly am NOT gay, either!"

The man looks at Itachi questioningly, as if to ask, 'Is he telling the truth about not being gay?' Itachi nods and the man looks taken-aback. "Well, sorry about jumping to conclusions." He looks back at the ambulance and another man gives him a thumbs up, saying that they were ready to leave. The man nods and looks back at Sasuke and Itachi. "We're taking him to the Konoha Hospital. If all goes well, you should be able to visit him in two days." With that, he turns and gets into the ambulance, starts it, and drives off with his siren.

A sudden realization occurs to Sasuke. 'What the hell am I gonna say to Hinata?'

Sasuke and Itachi walk in their front door and close it behind them. Itachi turns to his little brother and says, "Go get some sleep, you'll need it." Sasuke nods and goes to his room to catch up on some much needed sleep. Sadly, for two hours, he finds that he can only lay awake in anticipation. Finally, after Itachi gives him some sleeping medicine, he drifts off into a dreamless sleep.

Sasuke wakes up at eleven that same morning so he can grudgingly tell Hinata what happened to Gaara. Sasuke is clean, fed, and out the door within an hour and he starts the long trek to Café Hyuuga. Sasuke is able to make it there within 15 minutes, but stops and stares at the door of the building. 'Maybe I should walk around the park first…you know…give them some time to get ready for the day.' With that, he turns and walks to the park next door.

Right as he rounds the corner, he literally bumps into Hinata. "S-sorry, Sasuke-san," Hinata says with a shy smile. "We-were you heading to the c-café? B-because if you a-are, I c-can let you in e-e-early…" She shyly wrings her hands together.

"No, there's something I wanted to tell you. You should probably sit down for this," Sasuke says, looking away, causing Hinata to start to worry.

'Why would I need to sit down?' "Um…o-okay." She leads him up to the Café door and opens it. She then walks into the back and they sit down in the employee lounge. "Okay, s-say what you w-wanted to, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke takes a deep breath. "Well…Gaara's in the hospital. He got hit by a car. I don't know his condition, but yesterday, the ambulance doctor let it slip that he might…die…" Sasuke hesitantly looks up at Hinata, not wanting to see her expression. Instead of what he was expecting, he sees nothing in Hinata's expression. It's unreadable. "Hinata-chan…are you okay?"

Hinata smiles sadly and says, "Yes." Two seconds later, tears start falling from her eyes. She looks down slowly, laughing quietly. She shakes her head and holds it in her hands. "No. I'm not okay…" Sasuke puts his arm around her and sighs. "G-Gaara-kun…" She sobs loudly and leans into Sasuke's chest for support. "W-w-why…? Why h-h-him?"

Sasuke holds her tighter. "I don't know, Hinata-chan. I don't know." He sets his chin on her head as he lets her cry. "I just don't know." He sighs sadly and closes his eyes.

Man…that was sad. =( Poor Sasuke, his best friend's on his death bed.