Red Lightning Guardian - A Naruto Fan-Fic

Chapter Thirty-Two - Lament & Withdrawal

- Akai's P.O.V -

"Kazue!" I scream agonisingly just as he collapses heavily on the ground face first. I quickly run over to him, dropping onto my knees and gently turning him over.

"No," I murmur disbelievingly, gently pulling his head onto my lap and shaking my head. "No, no, no, no..."

Kazue pries his eyes apart but they only manage to open halfway, the light that was always in his eyes diminishing.

"...Red...?" he whispers, and he coughs out more blood that run down the corner of his mouth.

"I'm here, I'm here." I quickly respond, rocking back and forth as I shake my head repeatedly, my lower lip trembling. "You're gonna be fine. I promise you will. I promise." I quickly cover his chest wound, choking back a sob when I feel how much of the red liquid spills between my fingers. I even feel his blood begin to soak my legs.

Kazue smiles weakly and moves his eyes to me, more blood escaping. "...Red...?" he whispers again, and this time he uses the little strength that remains to him to cover my hand with his own, squeezing slightly.

I freeze, my tears now pouring down from my eyes as he slowly raises his other hand to my face, caressing my cheek. He smiles wider, that familial shine coming back for only a brief moment. That shine that I have come to adore, that shine that uplifts my mood and brings me peace, and happiness.

That shine that is a light in my darkness I shall never see again, never grace upon it again by happenstance or say goodnight to with knowledge that I'll see it again the next day.

"Kazue..." I cry brokenly, letting my sobs escape because the more I look upon that smile, the more I realize that Kazue knows this is the ending of his life. The final chapter.

"Al...always..." Kazue struggles to talk as his life's blood continues to seep out of him, stealing every little bit of strength from his body. But he powers through it by sheer willpower, as indicated by the trembling of the hand on my face.

He closes his eyes and grins, the pain in my chest compressing me because of how much I love that grin. "...smile..."

The facade that I tried to keep up crumbles away and I break down, reiterating over and over again for him to not leave me through my sobs of anguish and shaking my head nonstop. Kazue sends me a final smile – a smile that I will never see again – before the smile slowly falls.

The light in his eyes diminishes completely, yelling at me that he's gone. That my best friend...is gone.

I scream, heartache consuming me like a forest fire. His hand starts to fall from my face but I quickly snatch it and keep it against my skin, wailing my anguish that Kazue has been taken from me, and he took a huge part of me with him as well.

Why? Why did this have to happen? Why did this have to happen to Kazue of all people? Why is life so against me? What have I done?

I can't do this. I can no longer do this. Kazue is gone. He lies dead in my arms, his blood soaking my body. My sobs wreck through my body, shaking me to the core of its severity. He's dead...my best friend is dead...

Another bout of realisation that I'll never see him again has me throwing my head back and bawling to the sky.

"Kazueeeeeeee!" I scream at the top of my lungs, tears streaming down my face with fervour. When my scream comes to a gradual stop, ragged weeping takes its place before I drop my head to the ground weakly.