Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Her hands, normally steady even in the thickest of situations, were now trembling through the haze of the healing green chakra. She fumbled clumsily over the gaping wound, cursing herself as she did so, knowing that her being so rattled wasn't helping in the least. But she couldn't help but let the debilitating fear spread throughout her body like a poison – she had never before seen him in such a state, she had never seen him bleed so much, she had never seen such a massive wound.

This isn't happening, she thought feverishly, desperately. Not to Naruto.

Uzumaki Naruto was the absolute last person she had ever expected to be so badly wounded. Granted that his opponent had been Tobi and the immensely powerful and seemingly unstoppable Juubi, but this was Naruto. The strongest ninja. The one who refused to die before he became Hokage, or before he brought Sasuke home. The one who had overcome many impossible situations before and always come out on top, grinning his infectious, wide grin that lit up his surroundings like the brightest sun.

Why won't this wound heal? Why won't he stop bleeding?

"You idiot," she whispered brokenly even as she desperately channelled even more chakra into her hands, "Why did you take that hit for me?"

The final showdown had been a test of everything that the reunited and new Team 7 had, with Kakashi and Sasuke weaving in and out of Juubi's ferocious attacks to strike at critical points, while Yamato restrained it as much as he could with Mokuton. Sai provided aerial cover, while Sakura brought up the back with support and cleared the way for Naruto to move in with his barrage of devastating attacks.

Their teamwork had been flawless, and after a huge battle, Tobi and Juubi were brought down. But just as Tobi slumped to the ground and Juubi collapsed with a guttural roar, the incomplete beast lashed out with its claw, a final attack, aiming directly at Sakura. She had watched, too exhausted from the battle, as the claw flew inexorably towards her, and she had closed her eyes and awaited the end. But moments passed, and nothing happened. There was no impact, no pain.

She opened her eyes, only to gasp in horror as she took in the painful sight of Naruto impaled upon the claw, having used his body to shield hers and ward off Juubi's last strike. She couldn't recall much of what happened next, other than screaming Naruto's name as he slid off the claw and crumpled to the ground.

"Do you… even need to ask?" He grinned at her. That reassuring, comforting, damnable grin that promised that all would be right with the world. "So long as I still breathe, I will always protect you." He grimaced as another spasm of pain wracked his ruined body, and he began coughing up blood, groaning softly as he writhed. Sakura's throat constricted painfully. She had never heard such raw pain in his voice before.

Why won't it heal? She screamed inwardly. But she knew the answer. Naruto had expended every bit of chakra both he and Kurama possessed, and there was nothing left to help him heal himself as he always did. Juubi's chakra, lingering in the wound like a festering poison, was repelling her own as she tried desperately to heal Naruto. Whatever little chakra she could still muster was being nullified.

Please… please heal. Sakura started to beg in her mind, as tears welled at the corner of her eyes and trickled down her face. Please…

"… Don't cry, Sakura-chan…" He said softly, reaching out a hand to gently touch her face. The same rough and calloused hand that had previously held hers so many times before, comforting and guiding her in her times of despair. She had never given it much thought before, but as Naruto slipped away, Sakura realized that he had ever been her pillar of support. Naruto was her best friend, her confidante, her guardian… her sun. And she couldn't bear the thought of having to go on without him by her side.

A distance away, the rest of Team 7 watched silently, despairing at being unable to help.

Sakura pushed herself to the very limits of her body, straining and pulling out all her remaining chakra. But it wasn't enough. The wound wasn't closing, and she felt his body grow colder to the touch. The tears were flowing unabated now, and her chakra flared one last time before it faded completely. She gasped. No! Not now! I still haven't saved him! She fumbled at her pouch, flinging the contents out as fast as she could. Maybe if she still had a soldier pill, Naruto could be saved.

Don't leave me please… Naruto…

She hurled the empty pouch away from her in anger. Who was she kidding? She had exhausted her supply during the fight. With a hoarse, stricken cry, she began to pound the ground.

A hand shot out, grabbing hers and stopping her fist.

"I'll be fine," He smiled again. "Don't worry, okay?" She shook her head.

"It's not working, Naruto," She cried in despair, "Nothing I do is working! Even now I'm as helpless as ever… you saved me again and I still can't do anything to repay you!"

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto frowned at her, and she noted that his voice was weakening, "I don't need you to repay me. Just knowing that you're safe is good enough for me, you know?"

"It's not good enough for me!" She snapped, choking back another sob. She hated this helplessness. "It's not enough! Please… tell me what to do. Help me…" I don't know what to do…

"I'll be fine…" He repeated, reassuring, gently stroking her tear-stained cheek. She closed her eyes in despair, and reached down to hug Naruto close to her. "I just gotta… rest a bit… and I'll be fine."

"No…" She whispered into his chest. "Don't leave me… Naruto, please don't leave me!"

"I'll… be fine…" He said again, softer this time. She could barely hear him now. "Just gotta… rest…" His hand went limp, and started to fall. Sakura gasped weakly, and reached out, trying desperately to catch his hand, a fleeting irrational thought running through her mind that if she could just catch it, somehow Naruto would be okay.

But she missed, fumbling at thin air, and Naruto's hand fell to his side with a soft, final thump as his head slumped to the side.

"Naruto…?" Sakura whispered tremulously. "Hey… answer me. Naruto…"

There was no reply.

"Naruto, this isn't funny," She shook his body, though her own was shaking far worse. "We won, didn't we? We were supposed to go home together, all of us, weren't we?" Her voice rose, taking on a manic, grief-wracked quality. "You promised we would all go home together…"

Above, the skies opened and rain began to fall. The rest of Team 7 lowered their heads in sorrow, and turned away to grief.

"Hey, didn't you say you wouldn't die before you became Hokage? You promised all of us," Her fists clenched tightly, squeezing his tattered clothes together. "Come on, it's over… let's go home."

Even as she rambled, her tears mingled with the rain and his blood, flowing into the muddy ground.

"Wake up!" She wailed hoarsely. "You promised! We won! It's over!" There was a movement next to her, and she lashed out blindly, furiously, screaming.

"Sakura… he's gone." Came the tired voice of her sensei, soft with the sorrow of a man who had seen far too many tragedies in his life. "Naruto's gone."

Her struggles ceased.

Gripping Naruto's body close to hers, Haruno Sakura buried her head in his shoulders, and cried.