By My Side

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor do I own the Spice Girls' song 'Goodbye (My Friend)

'Talking/Story'/ 'Lyrics/Song'/ 'Thoughts'/'Author's Notes' /'Flashbacks'A/N: This is the chapter in which Sasuke dies. I kind of found this chapter first. But please read it and review, just don't flame me. I promise the next chapters will be a little less…crazy. The 'Sasuke Death' chapter centers around Sakura. The 'Itachi Death' chapter centers Sasuke and the 'no death' centers both of them. Enjoy!

Chapter 5--

"Dr. Orimoto, the impact caused the glass to break, one of the pieces must have hit him. We've gotten most of the particles out, but there is still some left that are stuck in some veins. He is suffering from internal bleeding. He'll most likely last for half an hour but if we're lucky forty-five minutes." The doctor rubbed his temple. He had to tell the parents that their fifteen year old, turning sixteen in July, was dying. Even though he didn't know the boy, his heartstrings were being pulled at. He'd done this a couple of times before and he was used to the pain, and yet this time was different. Most of the time, they wanted to see their parents, but he had asked for a girl and told the nurses to tell everyone else good-bye and he loved them. "I'll go tell everyone."

XxXxXxX

Sakura walked inside the room slowly, her once cheery green eyes were dull and lifeless. The window in the room didn't give off that much light, so Sakura relied on the lamp's dim glow. "Don't be afraid, pinky. I may end up dying but right now is all that matters." In the dim light she saw him smile sadly, and it hurt her so much more.

Finally reaching his side, she gripped his large hand in her smaller one, and squeezed it tightly. A few tears slipped down her cheeks landing on his lips, "Please don't go, Sasuke. Not now. I need you." Sasuke moved a long, pale finger up to her lips and shook his head, "That doesn't matter right now. I'm still breathing. I'll be okay…" Sakura nodded, taking her hands off of his to wipe away her tears.

Sakura then asked, "What happened. Kabuto is dead, Kakashi is paralyzed, Itachi is unconscious, and Iruka has amnesia." Sasuke acted as though he were thinking about it by tapping his chin with his index finger, "Sasuke, this isn't a time for games. Just tell me, please!" The boy sighed in defeat and explained, "We went out and Kabuto swung by the bar because he didn't want to go back home and see his dad, Orochimaru. He got drunk from trying to wash away his sorrows… or something like that. We all knew that we shouldn't let him drive, but he wouldn't give us the keys. It was pretty stupid of us, huh?" Sakura nodded and did the one thing he'd never expected. She hugged and whispered in his ear, "I'm so glad you're alright."

Sakura pulled away and noticed the blood-stained bandages on his chest, "Sasuke… what happened to you…?" Sasuke watched her eyes grow wide with realization. "Sakura, the window shattered. Pieces of glass were everywhere. One of the larger pieces cut some veins." Sakura stepped back only for Sasuke to pull her closer into an embrace. "Sasuke… you're going to… but you can't! You promised we'd be together forever!" At that moment Sakura let the tears come and she could feel Sasuke crying too. "I know and I am so sorry. I was just so careless. I'm so sorry, so sorry. Please forgive me, Sakura." Sakura buried her face into his clothes and she said, voice cracking and muffled, "I forgive you, Sasuke-kun."

He knew he was dying and fading away. But he could hold on for little while longer. He wouldn't leave just yet, not until he and Sakura talked and said everything from hello to good-bye. "Sasuke, I wanted to tell myself that you'd make it. I wanted to believe that they'll be able to save you. I tried so hard to convince myself that we'd be together. And I reassured myself everything would be alright… but I know it's not going to be okay. All I can say is that I love you with all my heart." Sasuke pulled her face down and kissed her lightly. She placed her forehead on his, memorizing everything about him. She never took the time to see how his obsidian orbs had a hint of crimson in them. Or how he smelt like tomatoes and the way his hair had a touch of blue.

"Sakura, everything will be alright. And I'll always be right here in your heart and in your memory. I love you so much, Sakura. Nothing will change that either." He smiled, brushing her hair out of her eyes, he paled a little more and his breathing grew ragged. "Good…bye… Sa…ku…ra…I…love…you." She watched his eyelids slowly come down over his black eyes, forever remaining shut, never to open back up again. Sakura got up and started screaming, not wanting to believe this, "Sasuke! Wake up! Don't leave me!" Nurses and the doctor she'd seen earlier rushed into the room, shoving her out and trying to get her best friend breathing again. "NO, SASUKE, DON'T GO!" She felt someone wrap their arms around her. "I loved him. Why'd they have to take him away." She sniffed and hiccupped quietly as Ino rocked her back and forth saying, "I know, I know."

XxXxXxX

'Listen little child

There will come a day

When you will be able

Able to say'

Sakura had been home for an hour. After she had come out of Sasuke's room the doctor and nurses had rushed in, trying to give the boy more time. They came out, failure written all over their faces, there was nothing they could do they said. That was when she stormed out of the hospital, making everyone worry. And to prove that point, there were plenty of messages on her answering machine, since she had told her parents not to answer the phone.

'Never mind the pain

Or the aggravation

You know there's a better way

For you and me to be'

Her long legs dangled off of the side of the bed, touching the cold floor with her bare feet. She was so angry at the heavens for taking him away, angry at the doctors for not saving him, angry at her friends for acting as if it hadn't been their friend who was dead, and she was angry at herself for not saying good-bye. Her heart was shattered into tiny fragments, all because her best friend and the boy she'd loved was dead. There was no bright side for this turn of events.

'Look for a rainbow in every storm

Fly like an angel

Heaven sent to me'

So many things ran through her head at that moment. What should she do now? Would she move on? Would she forget Sasuke? Could she somehow replace him? She rolled over onto her side. She didn't ever want to replace Sasuke. He was the sun in her darkest hour, using sarcastic remarks and his blunt retorts. She ran a slim hand threw her silky, pink hair and thought, 'How come he had to be taken? Why not someone else?''Goodbye my friend

I know you're gone, you said you're gone, but I can still feel you here

It's not the end

Got to keep it strong before the pain turns into fear'

She had always made fun of him because she was older. He hadn't shown that he cared, but she could tell he was annoyed by this. She made fun of his hair's shape and how his eyes didn't match those of his father or brother. He had always tried so hard to be like his brother and please his father, but you could see he closer to his mother than anyone. He despised the summer, even though he was born during this season, he preferred winter to anything. She curled into a ball, biting her lip and making it bleed, refusing to cry.

'So glad you made it

Time we'll never change it

No, no, no'

Her answering machine clicked on and played another message: 'Sakura, you aren't the only person who is hurt. Stop being so selfish and come out of your room.' It was Ino. Another person telling her to come out, another person trying to make her forget. She was hurt, more than they could imagine, and she wasn't being selfish. She could see out her window, into his room, and make out his black and navy wallpaper. The lights in his room had been turned off and his door was left ajar. She turned away, back facing the window, she didn't want to see that room for a while.

'Just a little girl

Big imagination

Never letting no one

Take it away'

She closed her eyes tightly, but all she saw was him. Sakura couldn't take it anymore, she raced into the bathroom, grabbed a razor, and was ready to end the pain when something caught her eye. A picture of her and Sasuke, during Halloween, when they were six. She had dressed up as a princess that year and he was a knight. The sixteen year old girl dropped the razor in the sink. Taking the picture of the mirror, she walked slowly back into her room and smiled. She could see that night so clearly.

:Flashback:

"'Kura, c'mon we're gonna miss all the good candy!" The boy said tugging at the small girl's red sleeves. She fumed, turning as red as her dress, "Don't address me by Sakura or 'Kura! It's Princess Sakura!" The black haired kid rolled his obsidian orbs and pulled the girl down the sidewalk. "Looky, Sir Sasuke, it's Ino-pig, Shika, and Choji!" Sakura squealed leaving the boy by himself and ran towards her friends. Ino was apparently a model, Shikamaru had decided to go as himself… and Choji was a potato chip? Shikamaru walked over to the knight and said something along the lines of "Dressing up is troublesome." Sasuke nodded and met up with Naruto, who was a frog, Neji, who had dressed up as a samurai, and Hinata, who was a fairy. The boys walked behind the girls, actually getting a word in every now and then.

After they had met up with ninja Ten-Ten and gotten their buckets filled, the children separated and walked home. "Sir Sasuke, did you get a strawberry lollipop?" The boy nodded in reply. "Can I have it?" She watched him take the lollipop out of his mouth and shove it in hers. "Thank you." He nodded, a smile gracing his features.

'Went into this world

What a revelation

She found there's a better way

For you and me to be'

Sakura dug under her bed, pink hair gathering dust, and pulled out a large shoe box. Breaking the tape around it, Sakura took the top off of the box, and was met with memories that she thought were lost. Putting the picture she was holding on her bed, Sakura pulled another picture out. Ino, Naruto, Sasuke and herself. They were three at the time, and their teacher had snapped the picture and given all four of them a copy. She put it on the bed with a few others. She kept removing pictures until she found Sasuke's hockey jersey. She brought it to her chest, taking in a wonderful scent, his scent.

'Look for a rainbow in every storm

Find out for certain

Love's gonna be there for you

You'll always be someone's baby'

She sat Indian style on her bed, digging through the memories of them. She smiled softly at the picture of the boys in their uniforms. Each played a different sport; Naruto playing basketball, Neji playing football, Shikamaru playing soccer, and Sasuke with hockey. A giggle escaped her lips when she noticed that each boy had signed the picture. She pulled out a white teddy bear with a pink bow tie next. There was a card in it's hands and she opened it up. It read: Happy B-day, 'Kura… you old hag- Sasuke. Maybe being older than him wasn't a good thing after all because he sure loved to call her old.

'Goodbye my friend

I know you're gone, you said you're gone, but I can still feel you here

It's not the end

Got to keep it strong before the pain turns into fear'

Grabbing the jersey and pulling it on over her pink tank top, she escaped through her window and onto the tree. Running her hand on the cool, rough surface of one of the limbs a certain carving caught her eye. It was worn and hardly readable, but she didn't mind. The pink haired girl could still see it when it was first scratched. She hopped out of the tree, landing smoothly on the grass below.

'You know it's time to say goodbye'

She walked up to the door of the Uchiha household. Knocking softly on the polished surface she was greeted by a warm smile from Mrs. Uchiha. The lady noticed the black and blue jersey that read #7 Uchiha she patted her shoulder then led her to the living room. She was surprised to see all of Sasuke's closest friends lounging in the living room bringing up memories. "And do you remember that Puddle of Mud song 'Control'. Sasuke loved that!" TenTen exclaimed, in a hysteric fit as Mr. Uchiha and Itachi raised their eyebrows. Shikamaru smiled smugly as Ino squealed, "That is such a dirty song! What is that one line he would repeat over and over again?" Sakura walked in and calmly replied, smirking, "I like the way you smack my ass." They looked at her. Wearing the Uchiha jersey, smirking the Uchiha smirk, doing what the former fifteen year old Uchiha had done so many times. Naruto gasped dramatically and Neji jokingly, which he rarely did, said, "Instead of moving on to a better place he took over Sakura's body!" Sakura gave a small smile and walked into the living room.

'The times when we would play about

The way we used to scream and shout

We never dreamt you'd go your own sweet way'

Ino scooted over allowing Sakura to sit down next to her, "Glad you made it forehead-girl!" Sakura hugged the blond, smiling. Hinata, without hesitation, spoke up, "He really did love that song. Every time that part came on he always turned the volume up." Naruto nodded and sang, "I like the way you smack my ass. I love the dirty things you do. When I have control of you! Ha!" Sakura smiled slightly at her friends. They had managed to erase some pain but it still hurt, and she was sure that it should.

'Look for a rainbow in every storm

Find out for certain

Love's gonna be there for you

You'll always be someone's baby'

"The idiot was constantly getting in trouble," Shikamaru yawned out stretching his arms. "He got an F in art and was actually happy about it. Well, that was until the teacher slapped him," Neji said calmly, trying to keep his laughter in. Ino was next, "Maybe he got an F because he couldn't paint right. Isn't that correct, Sakura?" The pink haired hit her friend's shoulder playfully. "He couldn't!" Ten-Ten smiled, "But he was kind of serious some times. Like when Sakura faked her death. He was actually willing to give you mouth-to-mouth!" Sakura decided to say something next, "Sasuke, was my best friend. I knew him better than anyone. I know about the 'Playboy' magazines that Itachi put in his room, I know that he loved tomatoes and liked the smell of cinnamon. He was afraid of cows and he hated to be… lonely. Sasuke hid it well, the pain, and was the kind of guy that you'd think was always surrounded by people." Everyone silenced while Sakura spoke. She felt tears coming down her cheeks, but crying was part of the healing process. It'd take time.

'Goodbye my friend

I know you're gone, you said you're gone, but I can still feel you here

It's not the end

Got to keep it strong before the pain turns into fear'

Ino sighed, tears slipping down also, as she hugged her pink haired best friend. Naruto, eyes threatening with tears, raised his fist and yelled, "Sasuke, rest in peace!" Sakura found a glass and raised it, everyone else following suit. Saying goodbye was tough, letting go was tougher, but moving on was the hardest thing to do.

'You know it's time to say goodbye

And don't forget you can rely

You know it's time to say goodbye

And don't forget on me you can rely

I will help you on your way

I will be with you everyday'

XxXxXxX

Sakura looked at the small boy in front of her. She brushed a strand of hair from his face. Everyone used to say he was an ice cube, but he was so warm and gentle. The people in the pews watched the girl lean over and kiss his forehead. The preacher looked and waited patiently for her to take a seat. The audience strained to hear the silent 'I love you' the girl said. She smiled, eyes glossy, as she walked to her seat next to Mrs. Uchiha. One by one people who knew him walked up and told everyone there fondest memory.

Naruto held the microphone n his hand and told about the time when Naruto and Sasuke went to work for this farmer and about Sasuke's struggles with the cows. Shikamaru, without his usual troublesome, stood up and laughed telling about how he and Sasuke were in science and Sasuke wanted to know what the liquids tasted like so he drank them and was sick for the rest of the week. Hinata talked about his Halloween costume when he was eight and how he and Sakura looked cute together with his grim reaper costume and her angel outfit. And Neji had the church laughing with Sasuke's documentary about yellow snow. Ino talked about how he helped her fix her garden and about how he was so gentle with the wounded bird. All funny stories or when he was in the ever-so-rare gentle mode. Ami, a fan girl with lopsided hair, was up next telling everyone that Sasuke and her were best friends and that they promised to lose their virginity to each other.

Sakura rolling her eyes at Ami's 'memory' or rather fantasy and walked up to the podium. Everyone hushed and paid attention to the pink haired angel as she spoke up, "I know most of these stories have made you laugh and that's great, but on the inside Sasuke was a lost child who didn't know where he belonged. He was always lonely, visiting my room at night wanting to be with me. Sasuke was the type to always have people around him but he really wanted to be with people who understood him completely. He used to say that the solitude could never compare to be scolded or things that weren't important. I never understood when we were kids and I probably still don't know. I do know that he wanted to be like his brother and he was crushed when Itachi moved out, and that was when his loneliness got the better of him and he stayed quiet a lot more and he was yelling at Naruto for being obnoxious. Sasuke was good at hiding it and was back to his old self in a matter of days, but he told me that he still felt lonely. He was my best friend and the best memory of him that I have is when we were little, how we promised to be together forever. And I thought he'd broken that promise with his goodbye but he will always be with me in my heart and that is good enough for me." Sakura sat back down on the first pew and caught a few hisses from Ami saying 'bitch' or 'Sasuke would have never given himself to a spoiled pink haired brat' but those things didn't matter as the preacher resumed speaking.

XxXxXxX

Sakura stared at the small monument in front of her. She bent down, not minding the dew of the morning grass. Naruto sat beside her quiet and paying respect to his best friend and rival. "Remember when Neji talked about fate and destiny with Sasuke and Sasuke's response to this all?" Sakura nodded as Naruto spoke quietly. "I remember. He said 'Tell Fate that he can kiss my ass and Destiny that she can get the hell away from my business.'" Sakura hugged Naruto tightly and whispered, "I really loved him and I'm going to miss him so much." Naruto buried his face in her small shoulder and said equally as quiet, "I'll miss him too.

XxXxXxX

(A/N: You're gonna hat me for this next part, but it's the ending I thought of first. If you don't want to read and make up your own ending that is fine, but if you do read don't flame me. Please…)

"The end," the blonde lady read as she wiped her yes and she shut the small, pink book. She felt someone's head resting on top of hers. Smiling softly, rubbing her swollen belly she told the person behind her, "Now the baby will always know who it's Uncle Sasuke and Aunt Sakura are." The brunette nodded as his wife, Ino, turned to peck him on the cheek. "Thank you for writing this, Hinata and Shikamaru. I enjoyed it." The ivory eyed girl smiled at the two. Ino and Shikamaru had been married since they were nineteen, that was two years ago, and now they are expecting a child that May. Hinata smiled as her own husband of a year entered the room with tea for everyone. "Thank you, Naruto," Shikamaru said taking his glass off the tray. "So, Ino, how are Neji and Ten-Ten? They are enjoying their honeymoon I hope." Ino nodded and told the two Uzumakis that they were having a great time. "It's been three years since she died, hasn't it?" Shikamaru nodded at the blond man's question, "And five years since he died."

After Sasuke's death, the sixteen year old Sakura had gone through depression and hadn't ate well. The first few weeks went by well for her and she acted normal but then she started to miss him. She cried herself to sleep, she constantly went to his grave where the police often found her, her grades in school went down and she was growing paler each day. After two months Sakura stopped eating with her family, rarely paid attention to her friends, and her green eyes weren't joyful anymore, smiles were forced and rare, and her shiny pink hair was dull and tangled. She went to rehab for one year and got a little better. But after two years since his death Sakura had died in her sleep, smiling softly.

Since then, Hinata and Shikamaru saw each other day for Sasuke and Sakura's life story entitled 'Winter's Cherry Blossom.' They gave a copy to all their friends and the Harunos and Uchihas. Itachi helped them out by giving them to his college friends.

Ino ran her fingers over the cover. A small and lonely cherry blossom sat on the snowy ground. It was the painting Sasuke actually made an A on in art. Shikamaru, Naruto, and Neji found while they packed up Sasuke's things and the girls packed up Sakura's. Ino kept Sakura's things at her house and went through them almost everyday if she had time, and Naruto was entrusted with Sasuke's stuff ,which he took great care of, and he got the box down on the ground every week so he and Hinata could remember their best friends. Ten-Ten and Neji got copies of the photographs and artwork in a small pink and blue album.

Ino hugged the book to her chest as she said to the others, "We'll never forget our little cherry blossom and Mr. I'm-better-than-you-will-ever-be." And the three others nodded in agreement. Who could forget the girl that beat you down if you made fun of her pink hair or forehead and the boy who made a documentary on yellow snow and drank science chemicals? The wind blew outside as the sun melted some of the January snow. And there an isolated blossom petal lay covered by the white snow around it.

The End

A/N: I know that I shouldn't have killed Sakura but I couldn't think of any other way to end it. I hope you all liked it and since today is Sauk-kun's b-day, you all get a kiss from him. It's sad to post his death ending on his birthday but that'll be okay! Next alternate ending is… ITACHI DEATH CHAPTER! I'll wrap the story up with the third ending. Well, until then! See ya and I love ya. Read and review. No Flames Please!

Sweet Bliss