-1 Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Hey guys. I decided that I wanted to work on something on the side, and this is something I typed up as I've been working on sentinel Kakashi, which you have all given a lot of wonderful support. I thank all my readers and followers and appreciate all the views and reviews you have given me. I hope you all enjoy this. It's a small story which will only have two parts to it..

Chapter 1: If You Die…

The lighting rippled, flashing and dancing across the grey skies, it's thunderous partner following behind by only a couple steps. The lightning went unnoticed, and the thunder unheard. All I could see was my destination. The only chance I had of saving him. All I could hear was the heavy pounding of my heart. It felt like a drum, beating against my ribcage. I wasn't sure if it was from exhaustion, or from fear, or maybe a combination of them both. I wouldn't stop though. I couldn't. I had to keep going, or… or.

"No. No."

I refused to think about that prospect. I didn't even want to consider it a possibility. To tell the truth, I didn't even want to acknowledge what had just happened. I didn't want to acknowledge the memory as real. I didn't want to acknowledge the fact that I had him wrapped in my arms, clinging to life. But the fact was, that it was all too real. I had no choice but to accept it as I felt the crimson warmth rolling over my skin and drip off my arms. The very sensation made me cringe, only because it was his blood, and not my own or those who did this to him. The crimson was soaking into my vest and the sleeves of my uniform. Soon it covered most of my front. Anybody may have though it my own, but hardly one drop of it belong to me. Knowing this made me angry at those who inflicted this pain, and most of all, myself. I had gotten out of there the lucky one, with only a few cuts, only a couple of them deep enough to need anything more than a couple stitches. I was fine, and I cursed my life with every fiber of my being for that. I cursed myself for not being the one in pain. Instead, my comrade laid nearly lifeless in my arms as I rushed to make it back to Konoha.

Comrade. No, even on a mission where my personal relationships weren't suppose to affect my thinking. Even on a mission, I couldn't just look at him as a comrade. I had to admit to myself that he was much more. He was my student. He still feels like my student anyway, even though he became a jounin himself a year ago, at only the age of 16. He was talented indeed. But all the talent in the world can't always save you, especially when you have teammates on the line.

Still, there was more than a student-sensei bond, there was a friendship. I remembered when I had first met him. He was arrogant, and oh so stubborn. But he was always a sweet kid deep down, even if he didn't like to show it. He reminded me a lot of myself as a kid. Even with the age difference, we're a lot alike in some ways. Somewhere along the way, we must have really connected because of that. We've been through a lot together. The trouble the kid has put me through. The trouble, I've gotten him in. I chuckled at all the reckless adventures we had been on, which was funny only because the both of us were very careful people. Trouble seemed to follow us around though.

My mind changed gears again, and I was soon thinking again about the relationship I shared with this particular student. Now more than ever, I can acknowledge still an even greater relationship than that of a freindship. One I was not fully aware of until this moment. I had never thought I could become so attached to anyone, but somehow, I had. The poor battered boy in my arms was no longer just my comrade, my student, or my friend. He was like a son to me. And now… now he… he might…

I shook my head as if trying to shake the very idea away. I couldn't let him die.

"Sasuke… Please. Hang on. Just a little farther."

The raven-haired boy was unaware of my pleads. He was loosing consciousness, and his eyes were now open but a sliver, revealing dull black orbs. They were like voids, devoid of life. They looked almost as lifeless and cold as his pale skin. It was horrifying to see the crimson of his wounds contrasting with such snow-white features. If not for his heavy breathing, I would have thought him dead.

"Sasuke…Sasuke! C'mon. Wake up. Please. Don't close you eyes on me." I was trying to keeo him awake and conscious. Sasuke, upon just barely hearing my voice, opened his eyes a little wider. I was of course happy by this.

"Ka-kashi…" The response sounded so broken. I could hardly hear him.

"Shhh. Save your energy."

Sasuke started coughing violently, making his body shake uncontrollably. I worried this would make his injuries worst, but what could I do.

"Shh. Calm down. We're almost there. Shhh." I said the words as soothingly as possible. It was the best knew. Sasuke couldn't stop for several more seconds though, and now his breathing was even worse. He seemed so tired. He laid his head against my chest, happy to find some warmth. I held him tighter to me instinctively.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let you get hurt. " I whispered to the boy. My voiced cracked as I said it, thinking back on the mission.

We had encountered the rogue ninja we had been after for two days already. Things were going well until his backup arrived. There were a couple dozen of them, all S-ranked, and only the two of us. It was careless of me to take him into that battle zone to begin with. I never would have imagined we'd be in such a mess.

It was a tough battle, but somehow we were managing. Left and right, we were taking them out one by one. Sasuke nearly took out half alone. He really was talented. Perhaps I had become overconfident or just plain careless. I allowed myself to fall for the trap. As the trip wire wrapped around my leg, I lost my footing, with no way to dodge or counter the incoming attack. I should have been the one hurt, but…but he was there in an instant, standing between me and the incoming attack. Everything was happening so fast, but at that instant, it was slow motion. Before I knew it, Sasuke was on the ground grasping for air, clutching his body, screaming and howling in utter pain. I was at his side instantly and the enemy took his chance to escape. I couldn't care less though. The only thing that mattered was Sasuke, who was shaking in excruciating pain.

I waned my troubled memories again. I was the reason Sasuke was injured. He saved my life. The rain was falling heavily now. I hadn't even noticed. It was like even the heavens were crying. The sky roared angrily as lighting wrath across the sky. It fit into the situation well. Right now the whole world might as well be falling apart to me.

Sasuke was still shaking, and he looked paler than ever. He was grasping to my vest trying to find some warmth, but we were both soaked in the downpour. Even I felt the affects of the cold that enveloped us. It made Sasuke all the more worse though. To my horror, he began in another fit of violent coughing.

Blood started to pour from his mouth, as he continued to cough. They shook his weak frame horribly and I couldn't calm him down as easily. He started spitting up more blood, most of it soaking into my vest. After a few minutes of coughing, Sasuke was finally able to calm down again, but he was looking drained. He had already lost so much blood, and his body couldn't spare much more.

"Ka-ka-shi." I heard him murmur weakly.

"Shhh. We're almost there." I wanted him to preserve the little strength he had left. He had been staring up at me for some time, but now he was starting to feel the affect of his injuries again. He was loosing consciousness again. I noticed his eyes began to shut on me. I kept shaking him awake, trying to keep him aware, but it was becoming harder by the second.

"C'mon Sasuke! Don't give up. Be strong…for me? Please?"

"I… I'm sor-ry Kaka-shi."

"No! Don't say that. You're not going to give up. I won't let you give up." I know I was getting desperate. Sasuke seemed so tired. I kept saying to myself that Sasuke wasn't going to die, but I was having a hard time believing it myself. I struggled to hold back tears as I said to him, "You're going to be okay. I promise."

He just continued to look up blurrily at me, as I raced through the trees, rain blowing over me wildly, The celestial tears rolled over my face, and became one with my own. I knew that I had not been able to hold back the sorrow any longer. The flood gates of my eyes had already broken wide open. The rain must have so conveniently hidden my tears in the tempest veil that was slipping off my body as smoothly as silk. If only the pain feeding away so mercilessly in my soul could so easily be washed away.

My emotions were making this all the more a bad situation. I had to stay focused, for the both of us. Getting back to Konoha was my only goal, and that's what I was going to do. It felt like I had been going forever, like I was getting no closer to my destination. It felt like I was just running and running into emptiness. But what else could I do but continue to run, and so that what I did. It was all I could do. I rushed through the forest, greens and browns all blurring into one another. Everything looked the same. I felt like I was jumping through the same 8 dozen trees every minute. I know I was getting closer, but God, it felt like an eternity. Every minute, no… every second counted right now, and I had nothing to spare, but so much to lose.

Finally, the density of the trees began to diminish. Dull light enveloped my body, as I broke from within the confines of the trees, and I was no longer in the wilderness. Shrouded in mist and rain, Konoha's gate could be seen from a distance. I still didn't slow down, not for a second. I kept running, going as fast as my tired body could handle. When I reached the gates to Konoha, I knew it wasn't much further. It only took me another minute or two to finally reached the hospital, rushing through it's entrance seeking whatever help I could instantly receive. I was too out of breath to say a word, but nothing needed to be said. The nearly lifeless figure in my arms, and the deep crimson that continued to soak through my clothes told everything that was necessary.

Of course it wasn't the first time injured shinobi had been brought through the entrance in such a fashion as I had spectacled. Without nothing more than the desperation in my face, the receptionist already knew what procedures to follow. Before I knew it, nurses and doctors were already there. I felt like everything was going so fast. They tried to take Sasuke from me, but I was just frozen, and by instinct, I held on tighter. I didn't want to let him go. I felt as though if I did, I would never be able to have him back, like they were taking him forever.

"No…" The word was muttered out of my own mouth. For a moment, I didn't even know I was the one whom had spoken it. It just came out, sounding like a broken whisper, yet, so pathetically desperate and hopeless, all at the same time. The trained medical shinobi that were starting to gather around me, like crows to a corpse, were prying my student from my arms.

"No… please d-don't… Don't take him from me…" I couldn't understand where these broken words were coming from. They just came without me even thinking about them. For the last, who knows how long, I'd been begging to make it to Konoha, so I could get help. But now, I couldn't stand the thought of them taking him. Suddenly I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.

"Kakashi." The voice was firm, and was one that I recognized. I couldn't turn my head toward her though. I just couldn't allow my eyes to be taken off of Sasuke as they finally pried him from my grip and rushed him off.

"Kakashi. Look at me." The blond haired Hokage forced my head around, so she could look me in the face while I answered her coming question. "What the hell happened out there?" She still sound very stern, but I hardly could take in what she was saying.

"Kakashi" She said again, maybe a little softer than before as she looked into my broken expression. I couldn't continue to look at her. My head dropped, noticing recent blood that wasn't mine still clinging to the torso of my vest, and soaking through my sleeves to my arms. It still felt warm. The blond looked at me sadly, and decided that she wouldn't get any answers from me.

"Nurse, get this man some medical attention as well."

"Yes Tsunade-Sama." The nurse that lingered in the hallway came up to me, and led me away. Without a word, I followed her, though still looking behind, in the direction they had taken Sasuke.

-End

-Amaterasu333

There's a second part to this. I'll have it out as soon as possible. I hope you all enjoyed this. Thank you for reading. Please review if you get the chance.