What Sarah Said

Gaara didn't feel like a Kazekage now. He felt hollow and empty and so, so sad and lost. And so many other things that were tearing him up inside. This was one of the few times Gaara had been around so many people without wanting to kill them all. But in truth, he hadn't felt that way for so long… not since Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke was someone in which he could respect, who was unearthly beautiful, who was alone just like him. And Naruto…Naruto had saved him, had saved both of them. What would his world be like without Naruto? What kind of world could he have, even with Sasuke, if their Sun was gone?

And it came to me then that every plan is a tiny prayer to father time
As I stared at my shoes in the ICU that reeked of piss and 409
And I rationed my breathes as I said to myself that I'd already taken too much today
As each descending peak of the LCD took you a little farther away from me
Away from me

Gaara tried to control his breathing, he felt he might hyperventilate. But this was torture. He squeezed Sasuke's hand, and they sat there, waiting.

"He…he'll be ok…" Gaara looked up at Sasuke. Even now the raven was beautiful, but it was tragic. Everything about this damn hospital was tragic. Everything about this whole world was tragic. How could ha finally fill complete, how could he finally feel like someone worthwhile and alive, and then have a part of his heart ripped out like that? Sasuke was looking at him now, not as composed as Gaara knew he would want to be.

"He won't leave us just yet," Sasuke said, but even as the words were surer, his voice wasn't. Gaara wanted to cry, but he didn't know how. His eyes were burning. So was his heart.

"How do you know?" The red head asked quietly. Sasuke smiled, pulling him just a little closer, and Gaara let him. Both acts were uncharacteristic of them, but things change when you fall in love.

"I just do." Gaara nodded, wanting to trust him, wanting to hold onto something that wouldn't leave him. He feared more than anything to be alone again.

Amongst the vending machines and year-old magazines in a place where we only say goodbye
It stung like a violent wind that our memories depend on a faulty camera in our minds
But I knew that you were a truth I would rather lose than to have never lain beside at all
And I looked around at all the eyes on the ground as the TV entertained itself

He hated hospitals, he always had. He hated how clean and sterile everything was, how removed from humanity everything seemed to be. It didn't suit Naruto. Naruto was wild and free and this place was too constricting for him, or for any of them, when he had just begun to feel life flowing through him, when he had finally see Sasuke smile that beautiful smile. This place was too much. He wanted to think about good things, better things, surrounded by the two he loved so much, but he couldn't bring himself to do that here. Not like this. Not with one of them in a cold room, hurt and maybe dying.

Sasuke kissed his forehead, and Gaara moved so that their arms were around each other's shoulders in comfort, hands still connected. He was hurting too, and it made this harder. His loves weren't supposed to hurt, but here he was, unable to do anything. Was this the price of loving too much?

'Cause there's no comfort in the waiting room

He was watching Sakura pace up and down the room now, she knew how bad off he really was. But it was unnerving, watching her pace up and down up and down. He wanted this waiting to end, he couldn't stand it.

Just nervous pacers bracing for bad news

Sasuke was rubbing his thumb over Gaara's hand now, because no matter how emotionless he looked, he was still trembling. No one knew better than Sasuke what kind of hell it was to bee to afraid to let your feelings out. Gaara just leaned in to rest his head on his shoulder. He still wanted to cry, but still didn't know how.

And then the nurse comes round and everyone will lift their heads

Tsunade walked in, and even her authoritative air was dimmed with worry and exhaustion. She looked around the crowd of faces, of these people who all loved the blonde idiot too much to just hope for the best. And so here they all were. Her gaze fell on the two thirds of a person, knowing that they were incomplete without Naruto with them. They looked so bleak. But now everyone was looking at her, expecting. Gaara thought if she didn't say something, anything, soon, he would-

"He'll live," Gaara couldn't even begin to describe the cold wash of relief flowing through him and Sasuke; he was sure everyone must have felt as if a waterfall had washed over them and the haze of uncertainty was gone. And even though Tsunade wanted to smile at this reaction, she hadn't finished yet. She hated the words she was about to say…

"But, there may not be a next time. His body is…" How could she finish? He was a ninja, and they all knew that even if he was sure to die in the next battle, if he was still the best fighter he would be sent out. She just settled for looking down. She didn't stop Sasuke and Gaara from moving past her to see him. She probably couldn't have even if she had tried.

But I'm thinking of what Sarah said that "Love is watching someone die"

Naruto didn't seem like the rebel angel he always did. The skin they could see was bruised and torn or simply not there at all. Blood was clotting; his face was distorted and odd places swollen. He seemed to not be quite so brilliant with his eyes squeezed shut in pain like that. Sasuke and Gaara each gently took a hand. Naruto opened his eyes, tears sliding down softly. But he still smiled. A beautiful, broken angel.

"Sorry that you guys have to see me like this. I must look like shit," his smile did it. Sasuke was crying, his head bowed over Naruto's hand, and Gaara finally felt the tears fall. He let them go, not wanting to look away, afraid he might really lose him this time.

So who's going to watch you die?

Gaara hurt so bad, was this love? But he held onto Naruto's hand and found Sasuke's, never wanting to let go of them. Even if he knew that this idiot would give everything away and he couldn't change that, he couldn't even want to, he knew also that he could never let go. He would rather be alive for awhile, be strong with Naruto and Sasuke for awhile, than live in the hell he had been condemned to forever, never knowing this. It hurt so badly, but Gaara wanted to hold on forever, to watch him die if that was what love was, just so he could be there. A look from Sasuke told him that he felt the same.

"We'll stay here forever Naruto," Gaara said firmly.

"Because we love you too much not to," Sasuke finished. Sasuke kissed the top of Naruto's head lovingly, Gaara placed a soft kiss to his cheek, and they stayed into the long hours of the night. They never let go of one another's hands.