The next few hours are a blur of panic for the two. Time stands still, until they both come to the realization that time goes by far too fast. A minute could mean the difference between life and death, and both Naruto and Sakura know that. He wants to scream when he sees Sasuke go limp, because mere seconds ago he was okay. Okay, and alive. He wants to hold Sasuke longer and shut his eyes, and maybe then everything would be alright. There wouldn't be blood soaking through his jacket, and Sakura wouldn't be crying her eyes out. However, he can't do that. They don't have time.

Sakura wipes her eyes, and begrudgingly hoists the raven into her arms. She struggles a little under his weight, but still manages to run towards the clinic where she'd been hiding before. Naruto hears her sniffle, trying to hold back the tears that are just dying to spill out. Right now isn't the time for crying though, and she's smart enough not to. The two go as fast as they can, and Sakura says things he doesn't understand. Medical terms, things she learned from Tsunadae before. The only thing he understands is that it's worse than they thought. Still, she doesn't give up, and works faster than anything he's ever seen.

The only thing he can do is kneel by the makeshift bed they set up on the floor and hold Sasuke's hand. Running his own hand over the ghastly pale skin probably won't help a thing, but it brings him a little comfort. It's so much paler than he remembered, and so so cold. He doesn't like watching Sakura try to compress and bandage the wound; it's too bloody and messy, so he keeps his eyes on the floor instead. Her hands and skirt are already soaked crimson after only a couple minutes. He can't even look at her without his stomach tying in knots.

"You two are the same blood type, aren't you?" She hisses, her fingers pressing into the thick gauze once more, noticeably wincing when it stains with blood. "Please, I need you.. He needs you.." Sakura's voice is so desperate. She's scared. Naruto only nods, and she hurriedly starts getting ready. The needle stings like salt in a wound when it pierces the skin, and losing so much blood leaves him feeling even more nauseous and light headed. No matter how much it hurts, it won't hurt as much as losing Sasuke. Time seems to pause once more, as the three sit in the darkened room. All they can do is wait, and Naruto has always hated waiting.

The atmosphere is tense; and fitting. The curtains were shut tight and Sakura had kicked a chair in front of the door to bolt it when they'd entered, leaving the room darkened and thick shadows glaring off the smothering walls. No matter how dark it is, he can still see Sakura's wide eyed glance as she hastily tries to work. The sight of Sasuke can't seem to leave his mind either. When Zabuza attacked him, he looked almost.. peaceful.

"He's stable, for now." Sakura's voice has never sounded so good, and he almost wants to reach over and hug her, when the shock wears off. Unfortunately, the blood transfusion leaves Naruto as a dizzy mess, and everything in his vision blurs into one big blob. He can't tell the furniture apart from the girl anymore. She steadies him and helps him sit up against the wall, making sure that she never separates the two boy's hands.

"Easy now. There's a bed in the other room, and you need to rest. I'll watch him, don't worry. Doctors orders." She reassures him. It doesn't really help, but he manages not to let out a groan.

"Nah, don't wanna leave.. 'suke." His comment makes her smile. The stress has made itself apparent in her features, and the dirt and blood smudged on her cheeks is less than appealing, but seeing his friend smile- even if it's weary, means a lot.

"You really love him, don't you?" Sakura says softly, starting to bandage his arm. Naruto fidgets a little in discomfort, letting his gaze drift back down to the wooden floor as anxiety takes over him once more. Anything is better than facing her. She knows his secret, his dirty, disgusting secret. His illegal secret. "I know how it feels, to love someone when you aren't supposed to. I know it isn't wrong though, it shouldn't be wrong. You know what..Sasuke really loves you too. Girls know these things." She adds, giving the bandage one last tug to tighten it before standing up.

Her last sentence makes his heart ache painfully. Sasuke will never love him back, it's selfish right down to the very core. Naruto wants Sasuke so bad he can't stand it, he wants to make him happy and see him smile again, but is that what Sasuke wants? After Itachi died, he seemed to go back to his state of self loathing and misery. He doesn't want to simply fix him, that's near impossible. Sasuke is so broken, he's practically incapable of ever being fixed. He just wants to make his life a little more bearable, and give him the love he lacks. Yet, they're both boys. Destined not to be together from the very start.

"You didn't tell me ya had a boyfriend, Sakura." He mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. She looks anxious for a split second, but her composure quickly returns and she turns back to Sasuke.

"Moron, I'm trying to give you advice here. This isn't about me. Worry about yourself and Sasuke, not me." The two go back to a lapse of silence, until rain starts to gently tap against the windows. Sakura stands and tears off a piece of her sleeve, then goes to the window and slightly cracks it, letting the cloth get soaked with rain. The calming smell of mist and the heavy rain drifts into the room, earning a sigh from the two. Having something nice out here seems so foreign.

"Okay, okay. I won't pry into your love life any more. I'm obviously not meant to know about your mysterious boyfriend." She shoots him a glare for that, but it's only teasing. In all the years he's known Sakura, he's learned to expect something worse than glares.

"It's funny." She speaks up, running a hand through her tangled mess of bubblegum pink hair to smooth it out, perhaps out of self consciousness. "Back when we were kids, you used to be crazy about me, and I used to be crazy about Sasuke. Things have changed." Her voice is light and airy, full of painful nostalgia. It was true, he'd loved Sakura for a long time as a kid. Not the kind of love he felt for Sasuke- puppy love was a better description. He'd spend his days in elementary school chasing her around, only to get hit or yelled at while she swooned over his best friend. When they'd got older, her teasing turned into disgust, until she learned of his past.

Sakura didn't make fun of Naruto for being an orphan anymore.

"You should tell him how you feel, before it's too late." She steps away from the window, looking straight into his azure eyes. Sakura's lips are pursed into a concerned frown, and if doesn't take a genius to realize what her words mean. Sasuke was already hanging by a thread. Even with Sakura's vast medical knowledge, he could easily get an infection and die if left untreated. Not to mention the looming threat of their classmates. They weren't safe here, but neither of them would admit it.

"Nah. He wouldn't love a killer like me. I'm just like that Zabuza.." Naruto bites his lip, turning his head to look at Sasuke's sleeping form. He feels the need to watch him, just to make sure he's still alive. Who knows, when Sasuke wakes up he could be angry. Naruto wouldn't blame him for being disgusted. Hell, he killed a man in cold blood. He just can't shake Zabuza's glazed expression as he stabs him, and he probably won't forget the image fort he rest of his life. Which is why, he busies himself with thoughts of his selfish feelings for Sasuke to numb some of the guilt that's consumed him. He silently wonders if Sakura feels the same.

"Don't say that. You did what you had to do, we all did. It was self defense, isn't that obvious?" She lets out a soft 'tsk', before kneeling down to Sasuke and draping the soaking cloth across his forehead. "Both of them would have killed us first. Don't be stupid. I'm just glad that Zabuza was careless, cause he came really close to piercing an organ and finishing us there. I doubt he did it on purpose, he was just dumb. Anyhow, I'm just saying, you should tell Sasuke soon, before relationships are the least of your worries."

"I guess." He replies gently, not wanting to push the subject further. "Is Sasuke still doing okay?" Despite his mental conflict, his mind always wonders to the raven and his wellbeing.

"Geez, you're really worried about him." Sakura replies solemnly. "Like I said, he's stable for now. No fever yet, so the painkillers I found in those cabinets must be working." The two fall back into their lapse of silence, save for the rain. It relaxes him enough to let him doze off for awhile, even if the floor is cold and hard and the wall is hardly a pillow.


He wakes up to a thin blanket draped across his lap, and the sound of Sakura's gentle voice mixed with the constant thud of the rain. The hand clasped in his own gives a little twitch, and that's enough for him to quickly open his eyes and gaze down at the mess of blankets that's covering Sasuke. Happiness overcomes him when he realizes Sasuke is awake. He's really alive, and awake. Sure, he looks upset, but he's okay. Broken, but still living.

"-you should be thankful to that idiot over there, Naruto saved your life. Anyway, I'm just glad you're alright." She's grinning, leaning over Sasuke and ignoring his wide eyed gaze. "Try not to move too much, or you'll feel really awful, and will probably end up yanking your iv out. Tell me if anything hurts."

"Of course everything hurts, dumbass." He groaned, rolling on his side to get away from her. Sakura clearly didn't get the message and started checking his bandages; much to Sasuke's disdain. Once she's satisfied, she stands up and smiles nervously.

"Well.. I uh, I'm going to go make sure the door's locked, and get you some more medicine." She quickly darts out of the room, noisily shutting the door behind her. Sasuke winces at the noise, and tries to get comfortable again, since he's free of her poking and prodding. He's surely noticed that Naruto is holding his hand, but makes no effort to pull away.

"What was that all about?" He mummers, dark eyes darting across the room to stare at Naruto. The blonde only rubs the back of his neck nervously with his free hand and gives a slight shrug of his shoulders.

"So.. How ya feelin'?" He asks, although his usual cheery tone seems forced. Seeing Sasuke so pale and fragile doesn't seem right, especially covered with those thick bandages. Something isn't right, his eyes are much too dull. It's as if the life was sucked right out of him. The sight sends a slight shiver down Naruto's spine, but he manages to grin and crawl over by Sasuke's bedside. No use in being sad. He's here to help, after all, and being sad won't help the other heal and recover.

"Absolute shit. Probably worse." Sasuke hisses. "I wish he would have finished what he started." Hearing something like that hurts Naruto worse than anything else, and he gives Sasuke's hand a squeeze. In a rare show of weakness, the Uchiha's cheeks flush scarlet, and he quickly jerks his hand away.

"Sasuke. I'm not gonna hide it, ya know. I wanna know why you did that." Naruto mutters, looking the other straight in the eye. Of course, Sasuke manages to avert his gaze and bury his face in the blankets. He doesn't want to have this conversation, it's clear as day.

"Why do you need to know? I did it because I wanted to. You don't have to know my reasons, and I don't see why it's any of your business."

"Of course I do!" Naruto finally loses it, letting his emotions take over him. He frowns angrily, and grabs Sasuke by the back of his head, just hard enough to make him look the other in the face instead of running from confrontation. "You're my friend, I care about you! Don't you know how much it hurts me to see you throw your life away like that?! Don't you know how much it hurts Sakura?! She's trying her best to keep you alive, and you don't even care!"

"Why should I care about her?" Sasuke snarls, yanking Naruto's grip from his hair and promptly spitting in his face. Naruto is stunned, and only sits there and takes Sasuke's yelling. "Sakura means nothing to me, and I don't see why you 'care' so much me either."

Naruto braces himself for the worst, before uttering his next words. "Because, you're important to me. You were my first friend, and even though you ignored me in the orphanage, I always wanted to be close to you. I've seen how much pain you're in, and I don't want you to cause yourself any more. We're in a shitty situation, and I know that. You don't have to sacrifice yourself for me, even if we are. If I die here, so be it. I just want you to be happy. You don't need to die here, you need to die when you're an old man! You need to keep living."

Sasuke looks angry, and he raises a fist. Naruto flinches, knowing what's coming. Sasuke is going to hit him. Hard. He squeezes his eyes shut, but the fist never comes flying into his face like he expects. "Stop wasting your time on me. You need to win. Forget about me. You have plenty of time; to graduate, to find a good job, a family.." He hesitates at the word family, and it only makes those painful feeling resurface that make Naruto's head spin.

"I don't want that! Who cares if I win? I'll lose you, and everyone else. I can't live with myself if I let that happen." Naruto protests. "You just don't understand.." Sasuke backs off, and sinks back down into his pillow.

"You're right. I don't understand. I don't understand why you're so moronic. You don't understand the pain of loss, and you don't understand why I want to die." Naruto tries to argue further, but hears a soft bang against the door, signaling Sakura was listening in the entire time.

"I know how you feel! I lost so much too, but no matter what I say, you aren't going to listen. Whatever." He grumbles, and turns his head to watch the dark clouds outside. Even in his current state, Sasuke had to be so stubborn. Sakura reemerges seconds later, sheepishly carrying a roll of bandages, a handful of pills, and a glass of water.

"Sorry about that. I'll redress your bandages as soon as you feel like getting up." She watched the two cautiously, before sitting the glass by Sasuke's side. As expected, he ignores it.

"What am I going to do with you two.." She sighs, and sits down on the floor beside the two boys. Sakura is uncomfortable, made even more obvious by the fact that she's sitting upright and actually folded her hands in her lap for a change. "You two slept through the announcements. Besides Zabuza and Haku, several girls died this morning. Hinata was one of them. I'm sorry Naruto, I know you were friends." She had attempted to change the somber mood, yet had made it worse. Naruto only turns from her and leans against the wall, his stomach twisting into a million knots and starting the inevitable dull feeling of shock.

"Kiba... I hope Kiba didn't have to see it." He says half heartedly. It's unreal, someone as sweet and kind as Hinata being killed like a hunters prey. Naruto knows he's going to thats to harden his heart for the next couple days, or he'll mever make it. Still it doesn't ease any of his sadness. Sasuke's methods were useless.

"Try not to think about it too much. There's nothing we can do." She sighs. "Thinking about Ino only made me worse, and I can't sit out here moping about it." Sakura was right, if they let grief condone them, they'd only end up getting killed or becoming like Sasuke. All that motivates him is saving the rest of his classmates, although he has the sinking feeling that he can't.

"Shut up. I'm trying to sleep." Sasuke hisses at the two, causing Sakura to flinch slightly.

This was going to be a long night.


Death was something Sasuke was all too familiar with. Not a single soul around town didn't know about the Uchiha incident, or more specifically, the man they suspected of causing it. Sasuke was barely 8 when it happened, when his life was yanked right out of his hands. A simple house fire, they'd called it. Itachi and Sasuke were the only survivors, his parents weren't so lucky. Many people suspected Itachi of being the one to set their home ablaze, despite it being reported as an accident. Sasuke never believed those rumors, even as a small child. His brother would never do that.

Still, that didn't stop people from talking. When they'd go into town together, hushed whispers would come from passerby. All insults slung towards Itachi, like he was some kind of criminal. He was barely a teenager, but had to try and raise both himself and Sasuke. Truth be told, he didn't know what he was doing. He could barely hold a job, due to the rumors people started about him that had quickly spread across the large city, and he still had to attend school like any other kid. When his baby brother cried at night from his nightmares, he didn't know how to comfort him like his mother did.

The times when he had to leave Sasuke were the worst, for both of them. When Itachi turned 14, he could finally get a job instead of living off their savings. However, this meant he had to give Sasuke up to the local orphanage. It hurt to give his brother away, but he had to if they were eventually going to have a normal life. Even with his busy life, Itachi came by to see his brother often. He knew Sasuke didn't do well with other children, especially the noisy and rowdy crowd at the orphanage. One weekend though, Itachi didn't come like he promised, and the only time Sasuke saw him was in a news broadcast. Sasuke had to see even more things he shouldn't have, and Itachi only blamed himself.

Due to his injuries, Itachi had a decision to make. His mind was still reeling from the hell he'd been in the past few days, and he doubted he would ever be completely sane again. He'd had to kill his best friend Shisui, and the boy haunted him every night. He'd often wake up, hearing that airy voice asking why he killed him. Which was why Itachi called up an old family friend. Kakashi had never married, and didn't have kids of his own, so he knew there was room for Sasuke. He just couldn't bear to leave his brother alone again, and he'd rather swallow his pride and ask for help rather than putting little Sasuke back in that orphanage.

Kakashi and Sasuke didn't do well, at first. They argued and fought often, but Kakashi took it. He was no stranger to loss, so he could take Sasuke's harsh words better than anyone else. Pain was something Kakashi had experienced his share of, and he knew how the young boy felt. Eventually, Sasuke started to warm up to him, when he realized they were more alike than he thought. When Itachi came back from the hospital, he saw Sasuke curled up on the couch with one of Kakashi's dogs. For the first time in a long time, the eldest Uchiha felt happy.

Time passed, and slowly he could tell his brother was starting to recover from the mental anguish he'd been living in for so long. He talked more, smiled more, and would even come home from school in a good mood. No longer were the days when Itachi would awake in the middle of the night to his brother's screams, and spend his nights cradling the other in his arms until he calmed down. Kakashi visited the two often, and Sasuke was always happy to see him. The two teased each other, and joked around. Something very odd and out of place for Sasuke, but a good change nonetheless.

Itachi started to slip into the routine of a comfortable life. He'd wake up, go to work, come home to his brother, and they'd have dinner and share stories of their day with one another. It wasn't the most exciting sort of life, and he still had plenty of issues, but he cherished every moment of it.

All that was taken from him when the sickness came.

It came from out of nowhere, and turned both their lives upside down. The doctors couldn't do a thing for him, except prolong his suffering. Itachi tried everything he could think of. It was no use though, he would eventually die from his illness. Sasuke didn't smile anymore. He didn't eat, and barely slept. He didn't laugh with his brother or make jokes anymore, he only stayed silent. In his final months, Itachi could no longer work. He had to do things the dirty way, and join a group of yakuza that called themselves the Akatasuki. Was he proud of himself for doing something like that? Of course not.

Yet he sacrificed his health and morality for the sake of his beloved younger brother.

Kakashi has gotten a job as a high school teacher, and had promised to keep tabs on Sasuke since he'd ended up in one of his classes. According to Kakashi, Sasuke had ended up with a bad crowd. It seemed like Itachi's plan was falling apart, faster than he could have realized. The only light in the darkness was that not all of Sasuke's friends were bad. There was Naruto. Itachi wasn't foolish enough to buy into the rumors about that boy, and he was convinced that he had something about him that could save his brother. Itachi wouldn't live long enough to fix that damage he'd caused, so he took matters into his own hands.

At night when he came home from the slums after an Akatsuki job, he'd stop by the orphanage. It was depressing that the boy had been there for so long, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Naruto was bright enough to be eager to talk to him, and he'd been worried about Sasuke as well. The two had been close ever since Itachi had been in the program, so he knew he wasn't blind when he put his faith in this boy.

"I will not live to see another month, will you promise to look after him when I'm gone? I trust you, Naruto. Your heart is in the right place, and I truly believe you can help him. Please, respect my wish as a brother."

"I promise, you can believe me. I'll make sure Sasuke isn't alone anymore. I lost my mom and dad when I was just a baby, so I know how it feels to be lonely, and I don't ever want him to have to feel that way. I'll protect Sasuke."

That night was the last time he ever saw Naruto. Over the next few days, his condition worsened. His eyesight had already been terrible, but Itachi was now on the verge of being blind. Sasuke had to do everything for him. He could sense how much this hurt Sasuke. It was in the way his hands would fumble every so often, and he seemed to get frustrated at the drop of a hat. Sasuke had to guide his older brother through the house, and had seemingly quit going to school to take care of him. Itachi could no longer do simple everyday tasks. He grew fatigued extremely easy, and his bones ached to the point where he could hardly walk.

The final days were anything but easy. Itachi was bedridden, meaning he could do nothing but lie and suffer in the darkness until he died. Kakashi stayed with the two, but gave them privacy when Itachi was at death's door. Sasuke stayed by his side the entire time, never leaving unless it was absolutely necessary. He was trying hard not to cry as he clasped his brother's hand. Every time Itachi would cough or even move, the younger was alert, ready to do anything for him. In his last hours, Itachi could take it no longer.

"Sasuke, you're a gentle boy. You need to move on when I am gone. Please, forget about me. It's what mother and father would have wanted." He smiles, running his fingers over his brother's slender hand.

"No. You're all I have.. I'm not going to forget about you." His voice comes out in a harsh whisper. "I love you, Itachi."

"I love you as well, do not forget that. Move on from me, but don't forget the good things we had, alright? You are a fighter, and I want you to fight to live. Do not let my death be a burden on you. Find something to live for, and fight to live." Itachi has to fight to keep his eyes open, staying conscious to deliver his final words is a struggle.

"I'll never forget you." He continues to smile at Sasuke as his brother speaks. In his final moments, he wants to go out with a smile. He is finally free of life's chains.

"I'm proud of you Sasuke. I will love you, always." With that, Itachi is gone.

Sasuke spends the rest of his night sobbing, while Kakashi watches and offers gentle sympathies. It doesn't help. Sasuke knows the only thing that will ease his grief is to ruin the people who have ruined his brother.

He's going to avenge him, starting with those yakuza.


31 students remaining


Author's note: I got my first hate comment on this story, isn't that great? I don't think they realize that I'm a gay guy, so being called a fag doesn't really bother me. But real talk, I hate canon Sakura, so I'm trying to make her a little like able. She isn't good in combat, but I think she would be a really good and useful medic in an irl situation.