BTW: Happy Late New Year

RECAP: Stuff

Naruto and Sakura had so much blood on their clothes it was hardening and they both needed a shower. While Kankuro watched Sasuke, Sakura took Naruto to the hospital staff shower. Before they got in she sat on the benches outside and stared. Naruto did the same.

"What'll we do? What if they die?"

"...I have no idea and I don't want to think about it."

"You're right, Naruto when they wake up we can't look like this. Get up."

Naruto did.

"Alright...you're chest looks alright but you should get cleaned off before I stitch it."

"OK, but what do we change into once we're clean?"

"Hmm...how bout scrubs?"

"OK cool."

"Alright go get in."

"Mmkay."

"Alright I can't help you shower so you need to guide the water so it doesn't go directly into your wound, not until you've gotten all the dirt of you OK?"

"OK."

Naruto got in the shower. He started to wash the blood and dirt off of him and guided the water just like Sakura had said. Sakura was sitting on the benches outside. Staring into space, thinking about Sasuke. A few minutes later Naruto came out of the shower in a towel which got her mind off of Sasuke just in time.

"OK, what do I change into?"

"Scrubs, they're in my locker."

"Girl scrubs?"

"There's no difference. If they're too small just find a guy's name on a locker and take his."

"...OK whatever."

Sakura got in the shower while Naruto went searching for scrubs knowing Sakura's wouldn't fit. Not even her maternity scrubs. Despite what she said Naruto knew her scrubs were fitted for a woman. He found a manly sounding name and took the scrubs out. Sakura got out and went in her locked for a complete change of clothes. Her scrubs were clearly for a woman. Sakura and Naruto then went to stitch their wounds up. She didn't want anyone but herself stitching up Naruto so she made him wait in the dressing room while she got herself stitched up but they both still got some blood on their new clothes.

Sakura went and got herself stitched up by a nurse that she later yelled at. She then went back to stitch up Naruto who went back and sat with Gaara. Sakura went an sat with Sasuke and Kankuro.

"You've got blood on your back."

"I did my best."

"Well your arms are still covered in blood."

"Yeah, it wouldn't come out."

"That sucks."

"I've gotta go and stitch up Gaara. Wanna join me?"

"...I suppose."

"Alright let's go."

Sakura wheeled Kankuro into Gaara's room and started taking out staples. Naruto watched as did Kankuro both amazed by her medical skills.

"Sakura, Tsunade said she had to patch up the hole in his diaphragm before she did all of this."

"Oh, that's easy if you have enough chakra."

Sakura sterilized her hand and then shoved it into Gaara's chest and used her chakra to patch up the hole in his diaphragm. Again Kankuro and Naruto were in awe. She took her hand out of him fixing all of the other bleeding areas on the way and cleaned her arms off again. She then started stitching him up. A few minutes after she'd finished Naruto panicked.

"SAKURA HE'S CHOKING!"

"OH THANK GOD!"

"WHAT?"

"It means he doesn't need the tube."

Sakura started taking the breathing tube out and told Gaara to cough to move it along. Naruto kissed him once she had finished.

"Naruto...I feel awful..."

"Well duh."

"Ha..."

Sakura smiled and disposed of the breathing tube. Kankuro sighed in relief. Naruto couldn't stop smiling but Gaara was in a daze.

"I'm sorry Naruto...that mist...it was so thick...I couldn't get out of it..."

"Don't apologize for dying Gaara."

"Ha...Naruto...I went to...a much better place...it was incredible..."

"So you really truly died?"

"I did...um I don't know if it was just the way things are up there but I saw a ton of people...it was so peaceful..."

"Gaara I love you, and sorry you got a taste of the good life and now you're back here."

"Well I get to touch you again...it was weird, I could see you and hear you but I couldn't let you know I was there..."

"...So who did you see?"

"We'll talk about that later...whoo I'm winded...anyway how's everyone else?"

"Well Kankuro got a ton of stitches but thanks to Sakura he's fine. Same as me and Matsuri is just a little tired from giving you CPR but no injuries. Sasuke is a little worse off than you...he got four vitals hit by a high rank ninja and he's got a slow, weak heartbeat and can't breathe on his own but he's alive."

"Could he be brain dead...?"

"Well yeah but Granny Tsunade hasn't checked that out yet."

"Oh..."

"Tired?"

"A little."

"I'll let you sleep."

Sakura took Kankuro out of the room and Naruto followed. Gaara fell asleep. Naruto wheeled Kankuro around the hospital a little and got into all of the supplies while Sakura went and sat with Sasuke. After about twenty minutes of sitting with him Tsunade came back with restored chakra.

"OK! I'm ready."

"Alright check him out."

Tsunade started examining his brain for activity. She wasn't finding anything.

"Sakura..."

"Wait! When someone is in this bad of a condition only a few parts of of the brain are in use if any."

"Alright but you know that there should be some activity over all."

"Just check!"

Tsunade started examine the certain areas of the brain Sakura had requested. Still nothing.

"I'll try and repair it but Sakura, there's no activity..."

"...That's not possible, it's Sasuke. He's an Uchiha...Uchiha live they don't die..."

"Sakura-"

"NO! Save him."

Sakura was on the verge of tears so she stormed out. Tsunade started talking to Sasuke.

"You're dead, that means you can see me but I can't see you. So you don't have to worry about her. She'll be fine...it'd be ideal if you tried to come back but...I know you don't want to leave where you are so I'll get her through this..."

Sakura only let out a few tears before she composed herself. She had no where to go so she walked into Gaara's room. He's was back up and hungry. A nurse had brought him food but he'd always been picky about his food. Sakura sat next to him and replaced an IV.

"Sakura is something wrong?"

"No. I uh I've gotta go home and get Sasuke's stuff. He'll probably be here for a while so I wanna make it as homey as possible."

"OK so what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing's wrong."

"Alright fine, will you ask the nursing staff to get real food please."

"Sure and on my way out I'm going to send Temari and Matsuri in here."

"No...not while I'm like this...I can barely breathe..."

"Alright when I come back I'll check on you again."

"OK."

Sakura walked back to her and Sasuke's apartment. She unlocked the door and shut it behind her. As soon as she did she started crying uncontrollably, it wasn't loud but she just couldn't stop. She put her back against the door and slid down it until she was sitting. She put her knees to her chest, put her arms around them and put her head down. She just couldn't stop crying. She'd done her best to not cry at the hospital but their apartment was filled with things that reminded her of Sasuke.

MEANWHILE

Neji was still babysitting Naru. Shizune had given him very few details as to why but it was what he was told to do so he took care of her. He fed her, changed her and put her to bed. He wasn't real good at talking to her but he'd done his best. Just when he was checking on the sleeping Naru he heard the front door open and close. There was no movement as far as he could tell but he was still cautious when he walked out of the room. He soon dropped his guard when he saw Sakura curled up into a ball and crying. He wasn't cut out for social situations like this but he had to do something. She didn't even notice him until he was sitting next to her. He put his arm around her and she lifted her head and laid it on him.

"Neji, why are you here?"

"Babysitting, remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Sakura what's wrong?"

"That mission we went on. Sasuke got hurt and I don't think he's alive."

Sakura started crying harder and buried her face in Neji's chest. He out his other arm around her and started calming her down to no avail.

"Sakura, you should go back to the hospital. You should be with him."

"...I can't Neji...what if he's dead...how can I raise Naru...how can I...how...I can't do it without him..."

"Yes you can. Are you even sure you'll have to?"

"...I'm pretty sure...we never even got married..."

"Sakura, you need to go back. You'll regret it if you don't."

"Can we just sit for a second just don't talk, just sit."

"Yeah, sure."

Sakura sat there with Neji rocking her for a while.

MEANWHILE

Naruto and Kankuro had messed around the hospital long enough for someone to noticed and they were given a warning. They took Kankuro back to his room so Naruto went to see Gaara.

"Hey Naruto."

"Hey, how're ya feeling?"

"As good as can be expected."

"So how was death? Was it scary?"

"No, it was so calm...it was great. I saw my mom."

"What'd she say?"

"She told me she loved me and that she likes you. I think everyone up there knew I wasn't staying dead."

"Who else did you see?"

"Everyone up there said I was going back in a little bit so they were saying their goodbye's. I wonder how they knew."

"So who'd you see? Was it family or like everyone you knew who died?"

"Oh, right. Um has Sasuke come back yet?"

"I'm not sure, why?"

"Well...I saw him. He must've gone before me cause he was already there. He told me he had a stash of extra money hidden in his apartment and he told Sakura to stop giving herself hope with that heartbeat...he said he wasn't going back but didn't Tsunade bring him back to life?"

"...He's dead?"

"Well I was too but look at me."

"Well did you see the people he was meeting?"

"I don't think it works like that. There are people I needed to see and people Sasuke needed to see. Sasuke was one of the people I needed to see."

"...We're people saying goodbye's to him. Did your mom say goodbye to him?"

"I can't be sure...I'm hoping they were."

"...Oh my God what if he's dead."

"He told me to tell you he loves you and Sakura. He told me to tell you to remember what he said, he said you'll be together before you know it."

"No...no..."

Naruto put his face on Gaara's bed and started crying. Gaara put his hand on Naruto's head.

MEANWHILE

Neji had convinced Sakura to go back down to the hospital. When she got there there was a nurse in Sasuke's room who informed Sakura that Tsunade was going to perform another scan for Sasuke so they'd be taking him soon. She nodded while still holding back tears. The nurse left and Sakura laid down in the bed next to Sasuke and cuddled up next to him and cried.

BOTTOM NOTE: Hey everyone. Sorry I like never talk to you anymore I just I had no comments because I'm pretty sure if I try and comment on my own stuff I'll either sound full of myself or give something away in the plot and these particular chapters have been re written at least five times each. And I was not looking forward to writing in a battle but anyway that's why these chapters take years to do because I have to rewrite them tons BOTTOM NOTE OVER AND OUT