The Soul Cages

In remembrance for my Nan, Alice, we all miss you dearly. Also for my Uncle, John, we will stand by you to the end.

Disclaimer: I don't own, nor will likely to own Naruto. The plot line though is my own, though it was heavily influenced by Rakina's Lupin/Snape fic You Can't Erase The Poet's Fate. A fic that has truly helped me to come to terms with my uncles decline with Pancreatic Cancer and his upcoming death, and even my Nan's death a few years prior.

You can find her fics on , so please do go and check out her writings; she is truly amazing!!

Warning: Contains character death, cursing, highly emotional scenes,

Please take note when reading this, this fic is highly personal for me and I felt the need to put it to words. I thank you for taking the time reading this; but I would appreciate that though I would love the comments and suggestions in making this fic better, I would ask you not to flame. Thank-you.

Please enjoy...

Life is a curse.

Sleep is the remission.

Death is the cure.

-Unknown-

Naruto leaned heavily against the tree, the rough bark scratching into the palm of his right hand, as he coughed up blood on the other. It was not good. He could feel his strength leaving him, his joints were feeling heavy and sore. Slumping down further with weariness, he fumbled with his hold on the tree, not noticing the small trails of blood trickling from the gouges – his eyesight blurring.

Hearing rustling to his left, he slumped with his back against the tree and holds a shaking arm in front of himself – his eyes wide with fright. The kunai slipped from his hand as he saw Sakura step out of the path; approaching him wearily.

Sakura rushed forward to catch him as Naruto fell forward; in another coughing fit. She looked down, worried, at the weak, shaking body in her arms. A trail of blood trickled from his slightly parted lips as he pants to catch his breath – his eyes closed in exhaustion.

"Oh, Naruto," Sakura whispered as she checked him over and found no visible injuries on his person,

"What have you done to yourself?"

Looking up, she noticed the sky darkening as dusk slowly took over day, to fade into night. She sighed softly and picked the blond man up into her arms; frowning at how light he was. Shaking her head, she started the slow, careful track back into town; watching out for any roots underfoot that could trip her.

Entering town, she clutched Naruto tighter to her as she took in his unconscious state and his ragged breathing. He was sweating slightly and his eyes were pinched at the corners; as if in pain. Panicked, she hurried to the nearest hospital.

Sakura sat in the waiting room, wringing her hands together as she waited for some news. Any news. She wasn't used to being the one stuck in the waiting room, looking up hopefully at every doctor exiting the door into the intensive care ward. After three hours of nervous waiting, she had gained an all new respect for those left in the waiting room; and just how difficult their position was.

Sighing, she hung her head; letting the fine strands of pale pink hair that had escaped her bun fall to cover her face, as another doctor in a long, white jacket walked out of the big, white doors and pass her without glancing in her direction. She closed tired, green eyes.

'Please be alright, Naruto.'

Sakura woke, startled, at the cold white hand that gently shock her shoulder. She could feel the coldness of the hand through the layers of her clothing and jacket.

'When had she fallen asleep?'

Looking up, she took in the tired, worn eyes of the man that stood before her – doctor; she noted as she saw the white jacket. He was medium height, with short cropped brown hair that was greying at the sides, with streaks of grey hair littered throughout the brown. His face was lined with worry and lack of sleep, tired, dark bags underneath his warm, brown eyes. He only looked to be at least mid-thirties if she looked past the tiredness.

While Sakura took in the man standing before her, he too was taking in the tired girl before him. Sakura was slumped down in the standard white plastic chairs, that didn't look at all comfortable. She had dark circles under her swollen, red eyes; as if she had been crying. Her entire posture seemed tired and worried, and her clothes were wrinkled from her wait.

Sighing, he pulled up the strength to do one of the hardest jobs in a doctors life.

"Haruko-san, you were the one to bring in Uzumaki-san right?," he asked the tired girl, and at her nod he continued,

"I'm Yanagita, Uzumaki's doctor. I understand that you are also his team-mate, so I guess considering his circumstances you will do for this conversation."

He looked tired as he rubbed a hand over his eyes. Looking back down, he motioned the girl to stand and follow him to a more private corner. Sakura followed the doctor as he led her to a quite area and sat down at his request.

"Now, you must understand that we will do everything we can to make it easier," the doctor started.

Sakura could feel the cold coil of dread in her gut at those words.

"What is wrong? What has happened? Is he going to be alright? Please tell me he is going to-" Sakura was cut off by a gentle hand firmly pushing her back into her seat, calming as he quietly hushed.

"Now Haruko-san, please clam down. You can't help him when you are panicked this way. Uzumaki-san is-"

Sakura sat silently through the doctors explanation.

'No, it couldn't be. It's Naruto, number one loud mouth of the Village Hidden In The Leaves. He couldn't.'

The words just would not compute, the basics just barely got through the hazy panic in her mind;

...cancer...

...dying...

...a few months at most...

...no cure...

...too late for kemo...

...Just be there for him...

Yanagita sighed as he watched the girl sit there brokenly, tears streaming silently down her face as her shell-shocked eyes stared past him. He really hated this part of his job, as evil as it sounds he would much rather sit down and tell a family that the patient did not make it through the operation than sit down and explain that there was no hope, the patient was going to die.

Uzumaki's was a sad case, ninja did not usually get cancer, their chakra helped stay away disease and growths of the kind. However with the warring chakra of Uzumaki and the Kyuubi for dominance, Uzumaki's body ended up declining. From what he could tell, the boy knew his fate for awhile now.

It was too far gone, Kyuubi could not heal the cancer now, and though medics have come a long way since the founding of the hidden villages; there was no cure for cancer this late in the growth.

The kid was going to die, and he was not even eighteen years old yet.

Sighing, he softly guided the grieving girl to the room and seat next to her broken and dying team mate. Giving the girl one last reassuring squeeze on the shoulder and a sad smile, he left to inform the Hokage and the rest of the boy's team.

Sakura just sat there looking lost, tears streaming quietly down her face – surprisingly it wasn't an ugly look. The grieving weight of her friend-team mate's upcoming death matured her heart shaped face and the tears highlighted her pale green eye's paler than normal, giving her a mourning beauty.

"It's all my fault," she whispered to her dying, blond team-mate,

"If I hadn't forced you to make that promise....

"If I hadn't forced you to work so hard at getting him back...." Sakura stuttered up with a sobbing choke. She buried her face into her hands and clenched her eyes shut.

"Don't you think that is a bit conceded of you Sakura-chan?" Kakashi's quite, somber voice startled the pink haired girl.

She looked up at her sensei with startled eyes, her right hand clutching her chest above her heart.

"Kakashi-sensei....

"What do you mean?" she asked, a little confused.

She was responsible for this; she was the one to push him to get Sasuke back. She was the one who pushed him to train hard to achieve this, and the one to insist that what they were doing just wasn't enough. Just so she could get Sasuke back. Back to her – who she now knew didn't want her. She wasn't stupid; she had matured enough that Sasuke probably didn't like her and her insistent attention had probably pushed him away more. But, she just could not make herself to give up completely.

Kakashi gave his only female student a knowing look, before looking back down at his other student; feeling his own sense of guilt and regret washing over him.

"It wasn't you Naruto really tried so hard to get Sasuke back for," Kakashi whispered, his voice carrying heavily through the silence of the room.

Sakura looked momentarily confused at her sensei's words, before her eyes lightened in knowledge – widening as everything began to make sense; everything from way back when they were kids. A sob escaped her throat as she tears began to stream down her face anew.

What a fool she had been. Why hadn't she seen it?

She looked down sadly at her team-mate and cried for the fool she had been and the hopelessness of Naruto's situation.

"Oh Naruto," she whispered as her shaking hand gently stroked a few wisps of blond hair from her friend's cheek.

This time, the bigger fool was Sasuke – for letting go of something so precious.

Burying her head into the pillow next to Naruto's face and cried, desperately clutching at his hospital gown. Kakashi sighed and sat down on Naruto's other side, silent tears falling shortly to be soaked in his mask. He looked up and gave the Hokage a sad smile as she stood in the doorway shaking her head in denile.

Iruka ran up and looked at Naruto, before falling to his knees beside the bed and clutching at Naruto's hand. His face bent over the hand he was clutching as sobs wracked his body. The Godaime sank into the chair next to Kakashi and stared blankly at the boy who made her remember life was worth living. The boy who light up a room with a smile and his loud, cheerful voice. The boy who gained not only the respect from the Rookie Nine, but many of the older ninja and anbu of this village and even the Sabakku no Gaara and his siblings and many more.

The boy who now lay unconscious in a blinding white hospital room.

The boy who was dying; and there was nothing they could do but watch.

Tsunade gave a moan of despair as she clutched her chest and began sobbing.

Naruto...

Thank-you for everyone's patience in me updating something and I hope to be able to write some other things now. I don't think this is truely finished just yet, but I can't seem to write anything more final as of yet.

Thanks for all your patience and I hope you liked this.

Please review.