Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, but you all know that

Warnings: Character Death

Tonight I'll Take What I Can Get

A gentle tear ran down Kakashi's face as he looked upon his fallen comrade, 'bear', yet another ANBU was lying lifeless on the ground approximately 10 meters away from him, but as he moved closer to the figure he could tell the male was still breathing, luckily.

They'd been a three man team sent out on a mission, this was the result. The mission was completed, but at what cost, a life? Two? Kakashi knew that the shinobi were merely tools, trained to obey orders and fulfill missions, but he couldn't help wondering if there might be something better out there, something that would allow one to live a happy life of no killing and no losses, but of course he knew that lives like that were saved for fairy tales.

Carefully he approached the wounded ANBU, kneeling beside the newly added member of his team, the young man had taken the place of 'fox' who had recently gotten retired, as he broke the only rule that still counted, gently placing his hands on the sides of the mask, slowly lifting it to reveal the face behind.

He was stunned, shocked, paralyzed, for there, behind the cold bloody porcelain were a pair of highly familiar cerulean eyes, heavy eyelids threatening to drop closed any moment, but the boy managing to stay conscious through some abnormal strength not even he knew where he got.

As he regained his bodily functions Kakashi realized just who was lying on the ground before him. He knew Naruto had made ANBU a short while back, but he'd never guessed that the teen was the new addition to his team, praying to gods he didn't believe in for him to be ok as he began to check the boy, who was now almost redheaded from all the blood staining his usually blonde hair, finding no damage on his front side except for the blood spilling out his mouth that probably came from the rough beating he'd gotten, not understanding why the blonde seemed half dead if nothing was wrong. He knew there had to be something, some injury that caused the blonde's state, but as he carefully turned the boy to lay on his stomach nothing could have prepared him for what he saw; at the base of Naruto's spine where there should usually be mussels covered by a layer of skin was now nothing but remains of his backbone, blood pooling beneath him and quickly flowing from the wound. He didn't understand how the boy managed not to scream in pain, but assumed he'd already lost feeling in his back and legs, slowly turning the boy back, looking into the clear blue eyes, the boy tiredly, painfully returning his gaze.

"Naruto, hold on just a little while longer, the med-nins will be here soon." They'd been close to home when they were assaulted by a team of four strong sound-nin; they'd been in sound to retrieve a scroll that was stolen mere weeks ago, somehow managing to fight them off, but at a high cost. Once the nin's were all dead and also bound to a tree Kakashi had sent up and emergency flare, knowing that if he didn't there was definitely no chance his teammates would make it, if they tried moving Naruto would surely die and he would have less of a chance for survival, having a quite deep gash in his stomach from an enemy kunai and other wounds all over his body. "You'll make it":

"No, 'Kashi… there's no… use, I'm dying." Naruto's voice was not filled with anger or sadness, nor fear like one might expect from a boy facing his death, it was completely calm, some strange aura of serenity seeming to surround the teen as he spoke in between heavy pants.

Kakashi refused to face that also his other teammate would die, that Naruto would die, but his mind had long since accepted it, already painfully aware of what was happening. "No, you'll make it, Naruto, you always do." His voice was desperate, Naruto responding in the same, peaceful tone as before.

"No, this time it's… over, I can feel it. I… I wish I could stay to… fulfill my dream… I really do, but… I'm dying Kakashi, I'll… I'll be dead within… minutes if I'm lucky, you have…. no idea the pain that I'm in…" A grimace passed the young teen's features as he spoke as if to show that what he was saying was true, his voice fading as a cramp racked his body, his unfeeling legs lying still as the rest of his body shook violently.

Not wanting to face what was happening, Kakashi grabbed the boy's shoulders, holding him close, so close he could hear his heart beating weakly and feel the blood from his wound drenching his ANBU uniform, but he couldn't care less, he wouldn't loose the boy.

"Kakashi…" Naruto's voice was now heavily weakened, barely reaching Kakashi's ears.

"Yes, Naruto"

"Kiss me?" the question hit Kakashi like a brick had just fell on his head from nowhere, had he heard correctly? Had the blonde just asked him to… kiss Him?

"Are you sure, Naruto?" He looked at the blonde carefully, searching his eyes for something he didn't know.

"Yes, I'm sure." The blonde smiled a melancholy smile before another wave of pain shot through the still feeling parts of his body making the teen grit his teeth not to scream. "I… I've never actually… kissed someone, and… and I want to experience… at least that… before I go…"

Kakashi wanted to cry, but he felt some sort of need to seem strong for the boy now in his last moments, smiling gently instead, putting his arms beneath the quickly paling boy and lifting his upper body until he could stay sitting by leaning against his knee. The jounin then carried on to pull down his mask, and had it not been for Naruto's mind being clouded with pain he would have gasped or let his jaw drop, the man was beautiful.

Naruto lifted a hand to the elder's cheek, smiling weakly as he traced the scars that seemed to make the face all the more perfect, letting his hand fall back down when the last of his strength was used up.

Kakashi bent down until his head was level with the boy's gently placing his lips on the blonde's, kissing him lovingly, passionately, wanting the boy to feel everything good about a kiss. The blonde's lips were soft, but cold, the heat and blood that should have been there rather going to his vital organs as a natural function to try and keep him alive.

As the kiss came to an end Naruto closed his eyes, his heart-rate slowing as a this time content smile reached his lips, the boy looking like an angel to Kakashi, the only thing missing; a halo.

"Thank… You…" The boy was now struggling even more for his breath, his skin which had at least had a hint of warmth before feeling icy against Kakashi's own as the male shuddered slightly at realizing how cold the boy had become.

"Shh, try to save your energy, Naruto, they're almost here, I can feel their chakra now." Kakashi was desperately hoping for the med-nin's to arrive, and it was true that he felt them close, they should be there shortly.

"No… let me… speak…" The boy's voice had weakened so much now that it was barely audible, the jounin with him stilling, encouraging the boy with a nod. "I… I want… you to know… how much you… mean to me." Kakashi looked questioningly at the blonde, had the teen lost his mind completely? The jounin knew how unfairly he'd treated the boy in the past, always ignoring him or telling him 'later' which would never come, only in the last few month had he started to actually notice the blonde for who he was, slowly building a friendship with the him.

"How much I… mean to you?"

"You're the… reason… I am who… I am, and… I really… want to thank… you for that." Clear blue eyes met mismatched charcoal and red as Naruto lifted his gaze to meet Kakashi's. "After Iruka, baa-chan... and Jiraiya you're… the only one… who's actually made… me feel like I mattered." It took so much for the blonde to talk that he was getting exhausted, but he wouldn't let that stop him from speaking, he needed to say this before he died.

"Will you… tell Iruka I'm… I'm sorry that I… Didn't come home, and… that I couldn't become Hokage… and also that I… I love him like my… only family… and Jiraiya that… I'm sorry… I wasn't stronger and… thank you for… all he's done… for me and for… being there...Tsunade… Tsunade baa-chan I'm… sorry for leaving her?" Kakashi nodded, smiling down at his former student, wanting the last thing the boy saw in this world to be something good.

"Yes, Naruto, I will do that for you" as he spoke his free hand had entangled itself in Naruto's bloody hair, combing through the sticky strands as gently as possible.

"And 'Kashi…" The blonde started to cough, blood coming from his mouth, one droplet landing on Kakashi's cheek, the man not bothering to remove it. "I'm sorry… I didn't kiss… you earlier, you…" Before the teen could say any more his eyes slid shut, heart stilling never to beat again and more tears fell from Kakashi's eyes, tears he thought he'd never be able to cry.

As he realized what had happened, the reality of the blonde actually dying sinking in to his mind, he slowly put the boy down, stroking his fingers over the whisker-marks on his cheeks gently with his fingertips. Just as he pulled his hand back he heard something behind him in the woods, turning his head to see what the disturbance might be, his tears stopping as he saw it was the medic nin's that had arrived just too late.

"What's their…" The young med-nin didn't even get to finish his sentence before Kakashi replied, knowing the routine all to well.

"Dead, both. I've got a deep cut, it's bleeding quite a lot… Ngh…" As two of the three med-nin's approached him he felt himself collapsing on the ground, his hands reaching to the wound on his abdomen, all his body had been through finally taking it's toll on him as his eyes, too, fell shut when he let the welcoming darkness take him in.

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Random Rabbling: Sorry for not updating "Behind Closed Doors" yet, for those of you who read that, I've been busy and I've also got my English oral exam Tuesday, so I've gotta prepare for it – basically just read some stuff, but I have to do it… I'll hopefully get it up soon though

Also, I know this is bad and all, but I just had to write something, this evil, horrible and terribly written thing the only thing I could produce, but I like it for some reason, so I figured I'd just post it :) Even though it's not too good I hope that you enjoyed it…

Reviews, please!! They make me happy and motivate me, so come on

Oh yeah, and if you're wondering weather or not Kakashi's dead, that's up to you to decide :)

Quotes that 'inspired' this thingy:

"It's easy to cry when you realize everyone you love will reject you or die." - Chuck Palahniuk

"Sad are only those who understand" – Arab proverb

"Tears are words the heart can't express" – Unknown

"For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these; It might have been…" – John Greenleaf Whittier