Heart of the Matter
Chapter 7
"Give him my heart!" Sasuke demanded.
"Sasuke, I can't do that" Tsunade spoke softly, hating the heartbreak that she saw in Naruto's teammates eyes. "Most importantly Naruto wouldn't want you to do that, he would want you to live to best of your ability, while not forgetting about the sacrifice he made for the village."
"I don't care, it's not like he's conscious enough to stop me" Sasuke snarled, angry beyond words. He didn't want his only friend to die, there had to be a way to save him, if they just tried.
"Sasuke, sacrificing yourself is not the way to go, suppose he pulls through because you gave him your heart. What do you think Naruto is going to feel? I don't think he would be very happy to know that you gave your life for his." Kakashi pointed out, though he wanted to do the same as Sasuke and donate his own heart so that his student could live. He would do anything if it meant that Naruto would continue breathing.
"He doesn't deserve to be in here" Sasuke yelled as tears filled his eyes "He doesn't deserve to be a test animal for some other village's poison. He's too good to have to fight for his life like this!"
"Yes, he is" Tsunade agreed, wishing she could do as Sasuke asked and give Naruto his heart, but even that wouldn't guarantee that Naruto would live. "But he is here nonetheless, and there isn't much we can do about it. We can be there for him, and support him as he leaves this life. He deserves to have his friends beside him during his final moments."
Sasuke turned away, feeling exhausted from the emotional day. He wasn't leaving Naruto's side regardless of what Tsunade wanted. He could tell from looking at Sakura that she didn't plan on leaving him either. Team 7 would come together to honor their loudmouthed friend, whether it was for the last time or not.
"Sasuke, I know this is hard, nobody wants to let him go, but he's in pain with no end in sight. If we can't find a cure in the next few hours, it would be best to let go so he doesn't have to suffer anymore." Kakashi said softly.
"That's all he's ever done is suffer" Sasuke said as he turned to face them again. "He knows how to survive through the suffering, fair or not, I don't want to let him go!
"That's pretty selfish don't you think?" Sakura asked "He's in agony from the poison and you don't want him to find any relief from it? It's not fair, it's going to hurt to let him go, but maybe that's for the best. He can be with his family again."
"He is my family" Sasuke glared at Sakura "He's more of a brother than Itachi ever was! I didn't think I would survive when Itachi left, but it feels a thousand times worse with Naruto dying. I know that if he dies, I won't ever be able to get to see him or spar with him again, and I can't stand that thought." Sasuke looked down at the floor. He'd considered Naruto to be his brother for a long while now, he didn't want to imagine a world without Naruto in it. His own teammates were trying to force him to see the world like that and it hurt more than Sasuke had ever imagined it would.
"I know how you feel, Sasuke" Sakura said lowering her voice to a soft tone as she reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I love Naruto and it's killing me to see him like this, more than you would ever know, but he deserves to be free, he's suffered the effects of the poison alone for a long time, it's time to ease that pain. We can do for him what he would do for us, if it was one of us instead of him."
"He would keep fighting for us" Sasuke shrugged Sakura's hand off his shoulder. "Don't fool yourself into thinking he would ever do to us what you want to do to him. He would keep fighting even if there were no other options!"
"Which there is not" Sakura said, knowing that Sasuke was only being like this because he was hurting.
"How do you know there isn't anything anyone can do? Has anyone bothered to look?" Sasuke snarled as he whirled around to face the window, feeling desperate. He didn't want to let Naruto go, he wanted his best friend to still be alive.
"I still have medic nin's looking for some kind of cure" Tsunade spoke up "so, yes, we are still looking. Just know that the answer might not come in time."
"Naruto won't quit until the answer is found, he never has." Sasuke replied, a quiver in his voice. Sakura knew without the words being said that the emotionless Uchiha was crying. That fact hurt Sakura even more, she had once cared for Sasuke like she cared for Naruto now, and knowing that he was hurting so much that he had finally released the tight hold he had on his emotions hurt her even more.
"None of us want him to die Sasuke, we all want him to live more than anything. He doesn't deserve to be in pain anymore." Sakura said, knowing that she was starting to get through to him.
"I can't stand saying goodbye" Sasuke said from between clenched teeth, the thought of saying goodbye to Naruto, didn't feel right. He should be the one dying by his brother's hand before Naruto.
"No one does" Sakura said "Besides it's not forever, we will get to see him one day again."
"Probably not any time soon" Sasuke muttered as he turned to look at his friend lying on the bed. Naruto's breathing had somehow managed to get worse in the last several minutes and he knew that the end wasn't too far off.
"I don't you want you to die Naruto" Sasuke said quietly "and yes, I realize how selfish that is, because I don't think you ever knew how much I needed you. You're just like a brother, I need you more than I need anyone else. So how can anyone just expect me to say goodbye, when it feels like our bond should last forever? I wish you had come to me when you started feeling strange, maybe we could have caught this in time and you wouldn't be here now. You're my best friend, Naruto, you're closer to me than Itachi ever was, losing you is going to be hell, but I want you to be happy, I don't you to suffer anymore. So if death comes to take you, I hope you find your family and you can be happy again. Don't worry about me, I will go back to plotting my revenge on Itachi, I know that revenge in the grand scheme of things doesn't matter. But what rivalry will I have to focus on when you're gone? Yours is the only one that mattered. So rest in peace, brother, be happy and free from pain." Sasuke turned and walked out in the hall, the tears streaming down his face, breaking Sakura's heart. Walking up to Naruto's side, she reached out and grabbed his hand.
"I'm sorry it got this bad, Naruto, I would do anything I could to change it. I would even pull a Sasuke and demand that Lady Tsunade take my heart and give it to you if I knew that would work." Sakura paused as a tear fell from her eye and onto Naruto's face. Taking a deep breath, she sighed.
"I wanted to let you know that I love you, and I am so sorry that I waited so long to tell you. It wasn't fair to you that I held that back and I knew all along how you felt for me. I am sorry I denied you the love that you deserved. I hope wherever you go from here, you'll find your parent's and experience the love that you were never given." Sakura closed her eyes as the tears came. Leaning forward, she gently pressed her lips to his.
"Rest in Peace, Naruto, wait for me and one day, I will see you again." Sakura closed her eyes and followed Sasuke out the door. She wouldn't go far, she didn't want Naruto to be alone, but she knew the adults wanted some alone time with Naruto. '
entering the waiting room, she found Shikamaru, Choji, Lee, and Neji and TenTen and Hinata waiting. Knowing she wouldn't be able to give them the news without breaking down, she headed over to the window to stare out at the pouring rain. Sakura's heart felt like it had been shattered and Naruto wasn't even gone yet, she wished she had been a better friend, been a better person for Naruto. That kid had a heart of gold and losing him would be harder than hell. She didn't think she would ever love anyone the way she loved Naruto again, she didn't want to. If Naruto couldn't in the world to feel her love, then no one else would feel it either. Her heart belonged to Naruto for all of eternity, even if death separated them, she would only love Naruto.
I might point out that this story is not a deathfic! Just stay with me! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
