A/N: Inspired by chapter 663. :D
I do not own Naruto. All related content belongs to the amazing Kishi. :)
"Speech"
Thoughts
"Flashbacks/Dreams"
Just Breathe
-O-
"Because you live and breathe,
because you make me believe in myself
when nobody else can help."
- Jesse McCartney, Because You Live
-O-
Breathe!
Dammit, Naruto!
Breathe!
She could feel Gaara's sand hold her waist tightly to prevent her from falling off his sand cloud as the wind hit her fiercely. She gritted her teeth, squeezing Naruto's heart with a firm grasp. She leaned over, placing her mouth over his, breathing into him.
One. Two. Three.
She pulled away, taking in as much air as she could. Once again, she placed her mouth over his, doing everything she could to get his heart started.
If someone was to tell her that she would have had to cut open Naruto's chest and manually pump his heart just to keep him alive, she would have laughed and struck this person all the way to the desert waste land of Sunagakure.
Come on, Naruto.
As a forerunner in the medical campbase, she had seen a lot of injuries, a lot of death. She's had to amputate limbs, rearrange organs, perform excruciating and exhausting surgeries in extreme conditions and limited supplies.
But this, this, was something else entirely.
Breathe.
She's performed open heart surgery. But with the assistance of a medical staff behind her and the proper equipment for any case of emergency, for any turn of the worst.
But this wasn't just another civilian, another ninja.
This was Naruto. This was her teammate. Her best friend. The one person in her life who had never left her. Who never gave up on her. Who always encouraged her to do her best.
To think she would be physically holding his heart in her hand was not something she ever wanted to fathom. To have to rip Naruto open and keep him alive was something that only ever occurred in her worst nightmares.
Stay with me.
"I am not letting you die, dammit!" Her strong voice called out to him, as she went in for another dose of CPR. She pulled away and continued to pump his heart.
One. Two. Three.
His heart was so fragile, so weak. It was so easy to break, so easy to crush. One slip up and she could do more harm to Naruto than good. And not even the Yondaime Hokage or the other half of the Kyuubi's chakra could save him.
Naruto was always so strong, so stubborn. He always seemed so indestructible. He carried the burdens of not only Konoha, Sasuke, his parents, Jiraiya, but the entirety of the shinobi world. He always found the silver lining, filled people with hope, encouraged everyone to keep pushing forward, to never give up.
And holding his heart in the palm of her hand felt so heavy.
"I won't let you die! You hear me, Naruto! You're not dying on me!" She screeched, still pumping his heart. Her hand was growing exhausted, her chakra depleted, her body fatigued.
"I'm going to surpass all my predecessors and become the greatest Hokage!"
"To be Hokage! That is my dream!"
"And my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody. Somebody important!"
"That stupid dream of yours, it's right in front of us!" She propped Naruto's head back with her one hand, pinching the bridge of his nose, breathing into him again. She pumped his heart again, making sure that the blood continued circulating throughout his body to keep him alive long enough to get to where Gaara needed to get him.
"So to hell if you think I'm letting you die!"
Breathe.
Breathe.
Just Breathe!
A/N: So uh yeah. It was really short, but I just felt like writing something for Naruto because I really haven't in a long time. Let me know what you think?! Reviews and criticism are encouraged!
Until next time!
- Dark Waffle