Chapter Ten

A/N: Okay so this chapter is a tiny bit confusing, I'm apologizing in advance. If you have any questions, let me know! I'll do my best to answer them :)

It had been nearly twenty minutes since Sakura had first started healing Naruto. Just as she thought, he was not physically injured. Most of what he was suffering was chakra exhaustion. Speaking of which...

"Huff, huff, huff..." The rosette was quickly becoming tired. Her own chakra flowing much slower than it should, a fail-safe mechanism to keep her from passing out. But she pushes past it. Naruto needed it much more than she did...even if it wasn't helping him nearly enough. Eventually, though, her hands stop glowing and the world starts to spin, slowly. She sighs, defeated and leans down. Doubling over with her face resting on Naruto's chest. "Naruto..." She closes her eyes. "Please...stay with me..."

Beneath her ear, the blonde's heart was slowing down. His breathing becoming more and more shallow by the second.

"Please..." She whispers again. "Don't do this...do give up."

B-thump...b-thump...b-thump...

"Naruto..."

B-thump...b-thump...b-thump...

"It's Sakura. I know you can hear me."

B-thump...b-thump...

Tears sting her eyes. "Why...?" Why am I still no use at all! Naruto I'm so sorry!

B-thum-

Her breath catches. Why was...everything suddenly so quiet? She sits up, staring down into Naruto's empty, lifeless eyes. Suddenly, a droplet of water drips down onto his face. Is it...raining? She wonders. Another drop. No...I'm crying. She realizes as her breath hitches again. Why? Becuase Naruto is dead!

"NARUTO!" Sakura collapses onto his chest, her body shaking as she sobs, helplessly into the icy-cold skin of best friend's corpse.

The coal black eyes of her companions watch in the scene with matching expressions of grief. Naruto was dead. Even Sai, the boy with no emotion, couldn't look at the lifeless body without his eye tightening in sadness.

Naruto was the single ray of sunshine that kept all of them hopeful. Without him...nothing seemed right. The gloom of the forest was suddenly to deep, to dense. All consuming. Like the sun had been extinguished for the remaining members Team 7.

-xXx-

"NARUTO!"

He jolts back to reality at the sound of the horrified shriek. Even as his eyes open, there is nothing but blackess. "Are my eyes really open?" He wonders. There's a weight on his chest that he doesn't understand. "Ah...can't...breathe..."

"Naruto..."

"Huh?" He looks around. Where was that voice coming from?

"Naruto..."

"Who's...Naruto?" He asks. "Oh wait..." The fog in his mind began to clear. "What's wrong with me? I'm Naruto." He tells himself. "...right?"

"Naruto...I'm so sorry..."

"What? Why?" He turns around, trying to see who was talking to him through the darkness that surrounded him. "Why are you apologizing?"

"I'm so sorry...I'm soooo sorry..."

Naruto remains silent as the strange voice apologizes again and again. Each time, the voice sounded sadder and sadder. More and more hopeless. "Sakura..." He breathes, suddenly feeling distant. "Wait." He catches himself. "Who's Sakura?"

"Naruto...why did you...?"

"Oh, you're Sakura." He realizes, grinning sheepishly. "Hmm...why does that name sound so firmiliar?"

I'm sorry I'm so useless...

"What?" A spike of pain goes through his chest. "Sakura, you're not-" He frowns. "Oh yeah, Sakura is my teammate."

I'm sorry I didn't get to you in time...

"In time...? Oh." Naruto closes his eyes, sighing when he remembers being captured. He felt weirdly tired and it was relaxing to close his eyes.

Please...please wake up...

"Huh?" He opens his eyes again.

I know...I know you can hear me. Please wake up!

Sakura, he's already-

No! He's not...

"What's going on? Sakura, why are you arguing?" Just then, he felt something gripping his shoulders. He couldn't move...

-xXx-

"Naruto! Snap out of it, please! I know you can hear me!" Sakura demands.

"Sakura-" Kakashi mutters, worry was plastered across his face.

She was holding Naruto close, the boy's body was cradled in her arms. "Sensei, I know what I felt. He's alive...you have to trust me!"

"Sakura, his heart stopped beating. He hasn't taken a single breath in over five minutes. He isn't going to-"

"SHUT UP!"

-xXx-

"Naruto..."

"Ughh..." Why did he hurt so much all of a sudden?

"Naruto, please wake up."

"But I'm-"

"Come on, we're all waiting for you..."

"But, Sakura...I'm so..."

"Please."

He sighs. "Fine...I'll try." He agrees, wearily.

-xXx-

"Naruto..." Sakura ignores her companions as they relentlessly tell her Naruto is dead and gone. They've given up on him. But she would never do that. Sakura wasn't the type to give up on the people she loved. She was a fighter when it came to the people she wanted to protect. "Naruto, pleas-"

"Nnn.."

A collective gasp from the members of Team 7.

Sakura grins, knowingly and leans down. Pressing her ear to Naruto's chest, she can't help but laugh, hysterically. Because there it was...

B-thump, b-thump, b-thump.

"He's alive." She says, for the hundredth time. "He's gonna be okay."

"Uhhh..." Naruto's head lulls to the head as his eyes squeeze shut.

"Naruto?" Sakura whispers, close to his ear.

"S..." He groans.

That was good enough for her. "Captain Yamato! We need to get him home immediately. He'll be okay until then. But we have to go NOW!"

"Right." Yamato carefully scoops Naruto into his arms.

"Sa...k..."

Sakura smiles but gently caresses his cheek. "It's okay, you can rest for now."

He nods, weakly. "O...k..."