Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

Bring Me To Life

Summary: After Sasuke left, Sakura didn't know what her purpose in life was anymore. Her presence has becoming nothing. When three years pass, Sasuke comes back to Konoha. At his return, Sakura is at a mix of emotions. "Save Me From The Nothing I've Become."

Chapter 11 – Lost Cause

"He's… dead."

The words echoed in her mind, pounded against her eardrums, hanging in the dead silent suddenly cold air.

No… no…

Too worse to be true. No, too impossible to be true. How could it? No, Sakura concluded, this was only a nightmare. Just a nightmare.

…Then, why did the grief feel so painfully real?

Realization had dawned her, and Sakura found she couldn't take it. Her hands rose slowly, weaving themselves in pastel pink tresses, clutching the silky locks as she felt herself began to have a meltdown. A panic attack. Her body couldn't take the reality, her mind couldn't bear the truth, her soul—

Her mouth opened, and she screamed, shrieking at the top of her lungs.

Immediately, the other male members of Team Kakashi heard the terror screech, causing Naruto, Sai, and Kakashi to barge into the hospital O.R. room, immediately on guard as to why the desperate yell had been heard in the first place.

"What the hell's going on here?!" Naruto demanded, blonde hair whisking across his face as he rapidly looked left to right, crouched low in a defensive position. Upon seeing no attacker, feeling no threat, the Kyuubi vessel slowly stood straight, cerulean eyes flickering from Sakura's tear streaked face, Tsunade's disgraced expression, and Sasuke's deathly pale – dear god, unmoving – stiff body.

Sakura-chan's crying… Tsunade-baachan's ashamed…? …Sasuke… teme's…

At the sight of Sakura's face, Naruto felt himself frown. Glancing upon the Godaime's, he felt his panic seem to grow, but forced himself to keep positive thoughts. Upon seeing Sasuke, his feared for the worst. He could feel a sickening feeling at the pit of his stomach, a hand clutching his abdomen at the feel of his gut clenching. He felt his body shaking with insane fury, not wanting to believe what the evidence before him was showing, no, proving to him. But he felt his body freeze, stunned – cobalt eyes expanded to the size of saucers.

Meanwhile, Kakashi had simply taken one look at Sasuke with his only visible coal eye, and immediately seeing the corpse of the boy, he knew what had lead to Sakura's banshee shriek. He shook his head sorrowfully at the sight of his former student. Another close person, gone…

At the sight of the Uchiha's carcass, Sai merely blinked obsidian eyes at the scene, his face remaining passive. He had no ties, no bonds with the raven-haired male, after all. So why would he feel mournful?

A few minutes of stillness passed. No one dared to break it. The air was full of thick tension, so thick you could slice it with a knife.

Finally, Naruto had moved, carrying his legs over to his pink-haired teammate. Without a word, he engulfed her in a tight embrace, one arm latched securely around her waist as the other hand held the back of her head, coaxing it to lean against his broad shoulder.

At this action, Sakura felt herself lose control of her stifling sobs, thick beads of moisture trailing down her cheeks as she allowed herself to weep freely in the embrace of her close friend.

She began mumbling, over and over repetitiously with brief pauses for the hiccups from her sobs, "I – I couldn't save him… I could – couldn't… save… it's because – because of me… all – all because of me…"

Hearing this caused Naruto to tighten his hold on her, crushing her body to his. "It's not your fault, Sakura-chan… Don't you dare ever think that!"

He ran his hand up and down Sakura's back in a soothing manner a few times before releasing his hold on the girl, turning as Naruto walked over to the body of his best friend.

Seeing this, Kakashi silently strolled over to Sakura, who had placed both hands in front of her mouth to further smother her snuffles. He gently placed a soothing hand on her shoulder as he gave the crying girl a comforting squeeze.

Obsidian eyes blinked as Sai continued watching the scenario before him silently. He had read from numerous books when it came to mourning that the polite thing to say is, "I'm sorry" for those who were mourning. But his nature deemed him to remain quiet, his awkward social mannerisms feeling he wasn't in place to speak.

"Teme…! Wake up, Sasuke!" the blonde shouted angrily, gripping the Uchiha's shoulders roughly, who continued to lie on the hospital bed. He proceeded to shaking the raven-haired male vigorously. "Argh, stop it! You're hurting Sakura-chan! Wake up…! Wake up, damn it!" He gave a few more shakes, but he didn't see his best friend stir an inch, let alone shift his eyes. Angry tears began forming at the corner of cerulean eyes, stinging as Naruto refused to let them fall. He snapped his jaw shut, clenching his teeth harshly. He ground the molars, scraping them against one another. "…Damn it, Sasuke! Wake up! Wake up, I said…!"

With a stiff lower lip, Naruto let go of Sasuke's shoulders, placing him down before whisking his body to the side. His arm outstretched suddenly in a flash, punching the stonewall near him as an immediate crack formed. He then pressed his palm against the crack before aligning his body with the concrete side of the room, banging his skull against the hedge vigorously. He stopped after a few moments, letting his forehead rest against the cool steel as eyelids drooped over saddened azure eyes.

"How… did he…?" spoke Naruto quietly, closing his eyes as his palm remained pressed against the wall.

"…His heart stopped," Tsunade answered somberly.

The Uchiha is gone, along with the bloodline trait…

"…His heart?" he whispered in reply after a few moments of stilled silence.

"It was…" he started, slowly walking towards the Uchiha's body, "…his heart?" Once at the side of the raven-haired male, Naruto placed one palm placed over the top of his other hand, placing it against his corpse as he pressed down before easing the pressure, then resumed pushing against his upper torso. His body shook with light tremors as he worked. "You – You do this to get the heart going again, right, Tsunade-baachan?"

"Naruto… there's no—"

"No, don't say that!" he barked. "There is a point! He's not dead! He's alive!" As he said so, his hands continued applying pressure to the Uchiha's chest, pressed against the location of his heart. "Damn it, Sasuke! You're not dead, do you hear me?"

Obsidian eyes slimmed as the painter watched this, smoothly shifting over to the pink-haired kunoichi who watched the Kyuubi vessel desolately.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered miserably, the palm of her hand against her lips, feeling stings of fresh, salty tears well in the corner of large sea green eyes at the pitiful sight.

Kakashi shook his head, his hand still placed calmly on her shoulder as he remained by her side. "No. Leave him be, for now, Sakura."

For the next hour, Naruto had continued pumping the area of the heart against the unmoving Uchiha, his corpse remaining unmoving. Gritting his teeth against one another, the blonde could feel his stamina wearing down, but with determination growing in hoping cerulean eyes, he did not waver from his actions.

Everyone around remained in the O.R. room, Sai with his arms folded across his chest, leaning against the concrete wall with obsidian eyes closed. Kakashi propped himself against the wall as well, on the other side, his only visible coal eye flickering over from Naruto to Sakura, watching his two pupils somberly.

The pink-haired kunoichi had started sobbing, but she forced them to remain quiet which resulted to her hiccupping as moistened emerald eyes blinked, glistening from unshed tears. Her hand remained covering half of her face, fingers over the bridge of her nose and lips.

Taking a few steps forward, Tsunade was soon by Naruto's side.

"…Let it go," the legendary medic nin murmured to him, placing a tender hand on his left shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"No," the blonde replied harshly at her request. "…Not until he's alive again."

The Godaime shook her head somberly, and without another word, turned on her heel and left silently.

Another half an hour passed by as Naruto let his exhaustion be known by trying to withhold the gulps of air he was taking, as to not let it show his fatigue was growing. But it was pointedly obvious he was tired, and yet, the Jinchuuriki refused to give up.

He pressed his hands, one placed on top of the other, harder against Sasuke's chest, using all the strength he had to reawaken the raven-haired ninja's cold heart.

Taking a few steps forward, lowering the hand in front of her mouth, Sakura gently caressed her hand down the side of Sasuke's face, her fingertips smoothly gliding down the chiseled cheekbone, his lifeless body holding no warmth. She frowned at this note.

"…He's not dead, Sakura-chan. He's not."

Emerald eyes rose, sadness evident in the viridian pupils as she glanced upon the blonde boy.

"Naruto…" she spoke softly, her voice velvety, "it's been an hour and a half. If he was alive… by now, he would have—"

He shook his head. "No, he's alive! If you believe he's alive, Sakura-chan…" Another vigorous pump against the Uchiha's chest, "…then, he will be alive!"

Tilting her head lower, pastel pink hair created a curtain around Sakura's face. She moved her jade stare from Sasuke's serene face to Naruto's determination expression.

"Naruto…" she whispered to him, placing her small hand on his arm. She felt her body turn rigid when she saw his cerulean eyes flash to haunting red, that of the Kyuubi she noticed, before glazing back to their original sapphire hue. A sign of his growing fatigue, she concluded, which lead to him to borrow some power of the demon fox sealed inside him.

"…Believe that he's alright, and he will be," Naruto murmured to her, cerulean eyes darting to the left side, Sakura a heart wrenching side glance. At the look, Sakura felt a lodge form in her throat, forcefully swallowing it down audibly. "I promise you…" he continued, sensitively.

"Why, Naruto?" the pink-haired kunoichi asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "How… how can you still believe?"

Why can't I believe just as much as you do?

"If you lose faith, then there's no point," was all he replied.

Emerald eyes averted his face, lowering to the pale corpse of Sasuke's. A brief stillness had taken place for a few minutes until she forced her stiff body to move, rising both hands as she held one palm over the other, placing them above those of Naruto's that were pushed against the raven-haired male's chest. Seeing this, cerulean pupils glanced upon the hands positioned against his own.

"You're right," Sakura murmured quietly. "Sasuke-kun's… Sasuke-kun's not dead."

Immediately understanding, Naruto nodded. "You'll see, Sakura-chan. I'm not lying."

Emerald eyes shut briefly. I hope you're right, Naruto, Sakura silently pleaded. She put pressure down on her hands that were on top of Naruto's, both of their hands on Sasuke's heart.

Pushing his body off the wall, Sai took a few strides forward, stopping once he was beside the Uchiha's motionless body, a few feet away from the blonde and pink-haired girl.

"I do not understand you two at all," mused the painter perplexedly. "Even if you do succeed to bring him back, what good will it bring? Do you think he will suddenly be grateful to you?"

Emerald eyes darkened explicably, multiple emotions flashing simultaneously over her pupils. Keeping her hands hovered over Naruto's, Sakura narrowed her jade orbs.

"Just as long as I have Sasuke-kun's presence, I'll be happy," she spoke wistfully. "I don't care if he ignores me for the rest of my life. As long as he's there… I'll be whole."

Cerulean eyes flickered over to the pink-haired girl, an unconscious flash of sadness flashing across his pupils.

So, you never stopped caring for him all this time, huh, Sakura-chan?

"Therefore, if you died without him ever returning your feelings, you would be fine with that outcome?" Sai interrogated, obsidian eyes blinking slowly, his words inconsiderate.

Sakura took her hands off of Naruto's pumping ones, one of them balling into a fist at Sai's words as she moved the other to be placed on top of Sasuke's forehead, brushing away the raven strands there before placing her palm against the brow.

Upon placing her palm against the temple, apple green orbs broadened allowably.

There's… heat?

Immediately her eyes shifted over to the display monitoring the Uchiha's heart rate.

((SFX: …beep…))

It was barely there, almost inaudible, but she could see there was a pulse. A very slow pulse, but it was a pulse, nevertheless.

"Naruto…!" Sakura exclaimed. "Sasuke-kun—"

– Naruto's face began to brighten –

"—has a pulse," Sai interrupted, finishing for her. "Doesn't mean he's alive. The pulse could be easily lost in a matter of seconds."

Immediately the blonde's face dropped, darkening at the painter's words. "Shut up, you bastard…! That's not true!" the Kyuubi Vessel yelled.

((SFX: …beep…))

Emerald eyes blazed with pain. No… why did what Sai said have to be true?

((SFX: …beep—beeeepppp))

Sakura blinked her eyes at the sound of the flat tone, glimpsing upon the verdant horizontal line monitoring Sasuke's heartbeat. Her lashes lowered over her jade pupils.

There was a pulse, but it was gone in a split second.

"Don't give up just yet, Sakura-chan! If we got a pulse, then all we have to do is keep going and we'll get his heart rate back up, right?" Naruto tried to encourage.

The pink-haired girl gave him a weak, fake smile. Mentally, she hoped his words were right.

More time had passed, and soon without noticing how much time had flown by, four hours had gone by ever since Naruto had began pumping his hands on Sasuke's heart.

Every now and then, the Godaime would grace her presence within the room, peering inside to see if the Jinchuuriki had stopped. Gold eyes widened somewhat upon seeing the blonde still going at it. She felt a small, sad smile cross her features.

The boy's so determined… the blonde sannin woman thought, taking a few more steps further inside the room to observe how the Uchiha was fairing to Naruto's continuous vigorous attempts.

She could see Sasuke's face was still pale, but noted his body regained the tiniest hint of color to his skintone, his corpse looking warmer. Gold eyes rose from the unliving shinobi to her apprentice who stood a few feet beside Naruto. She blinked slowly, watching Sakura stare at Sasuke's face solemnly, the slightest trace of hope on her face. Then her gold gaze shifted over to the black-haired painter, walking over to stand beside him.

"Do you not approve of what they are doing?" Tsunade whispered quietly yet sternly to the artist, quiet enough for only his ears to hear. "They're trying to bring back an important person to them."

"I do not understand their objective," Sai replied pointedly, arms crossed over his lean chest with blank obsidian eyes.

Tsunade remained silent for a few moments before turning her attention to her apprentice. "How is he doing, Sakura?"

"We got a pulse two hours and a half ago," the said girl stated placidly, thick lashes lowering over large sea green eyes at the information.

"His skin's gaining color back," the Godaime chimed cogitatively.

A pained smile spread across the girl's lips. "Yes, that's true, but…" Sakura could feel her eyes begin to water, but forced herself to remain tranquil. "It's just not enough."

((SFX: Poof!))

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, making a few hand seals as other shadow clone Naruto popped up after the puff of smoke from the jutsu cleared. Sending a nod to his doubles, the Naruto clones nodded simultaneously as together, all the Naruto pressed hands on the Uchiha's chest, trying to bring back the lifeless heart.

"He's trying his best, you know," Tsunade spoke somberly, gold eyes flickering over to the pink-haired kunoichi in search of her reaction.

The girl merely bobbed her head in a short nod.

"He's doing most of it for you," she added thoughtfully.

Another nod, absentmindedly it seemed, as the Sakura's face was distant. Then, suddenly, her ears perked up. Large sea green eyes widened massively.

Was that… what I think it was…?! her mind thought frantically, somewhat desperately, as she immediately locked her gaze with the black monitor lined with the green streak monitoring the pulse.

And on the screen, was what she had been hoping, no, praying for—

Pulses.

And more than one.

A/N: Could be what you expect, but remember, there are such things as a plot twist…

Feedback is appreciated!