Chapter Thirty-Six

I reached behind my back and yanked up the zipper on my black, thigh-length sundress, turning my eyes to the floor as I concentrated all of my sense on the tactile. My vision caught sight of my graduation gown that was hanging up on my closet door. Today was the day that I get to wear it, along with the rest of my class. The moment we throw our caps up into the air, we will no longer be high school students. We will be adults, living in the real world and experiencing real problems.

I still didn't know what I was going to do after high school. I hoped that the bookstore would hire me full-time, and maybe Naruto would do the same. However, if he wanted to go to college, there would be no way that I would stop him. He had the right to achieve his dream, or at least attempt to. I had no doubt that he could do anything he put his mind to.

I allowed my arms to fall back at my side, and my cast brushed against my dress. It was pretty unfortunate that I had to wear a cast for my graduation day, however it could be worse. I could be in Sakura's situation. She would be in my mind the entire time, I knew, because a lot of Sasuke's speech was on mistakes. Underlying those words was the idea that he had make a huge mistake, and it was now risking the lives of two beings that he loved.

I sighed, slipping on the same Mary Janes that I had worn to prom. This was it...

I grabbed the top of the hanger that held my gown, and I tore it down off of my closet door, bending down to grab my cap as it plummeted to the floor. Taking a deep breath, I took a quick glance in the mirror and flipped my hair over my shoulder, despite the fact that it would fall back to the front soon enough. I made my way to my closed bedroom door and unlocked it before opening it to reveal the hallway. My shoes clicked on the hardwood floor with every step that I took, so people knew I was coming.

When I made it to the main room - the couch and television to my right, the kitchen to my left - all eyes were upon me.

Neji was dressed in a nice white suit for the occasion. The black undershirt was open from the top three buttons, exposing his clavicles. A necklace that I remember very clearly hung around his neck, the short chain stopping just before the two ends of the black shirt met at the fourth button. The dogtag was Neji's father's - my uncle Hizashi's - necklace. I remember, he wore it every day. I wondered if Uncle Hizashi gave Neji the necklace, or if Neji inherited it when he passed away. On the dogtag, the Hyuga name was inscribed in a fancy cursive script, and on the back was the family crest of a curling cloud. His hair was loose, flowing freely down his back. I was almost jealous of his long and luscious locks.

Tenten, much to no surprise, was not wearing a dress. Instead, she wore dress pants and a fancy tank top that tied behind her neck. Her hair was down, which was a plus, and I never really realized how long her own tresses were. Of course, they didn't surpass mine or Neji's but the strands were longer than I could have expected; pin straight, they reached down to her shoulders in a straight-across cut. Her fringe, of course, was the shortest part of her hair.

Minato sat at the island in a dark blue blazer that was completely open in the front, exposing a pure white button down shirt. His, like Neji's, was unbuttoned at the top, giving his body room to breathe in the late spring air. The pants that hung from his slim waist were of the same shade of navy, and they covered the tops of his shiny black dress shoes. His spiky, blonde hair was styled no differently than normal.

Kushina looked pulchritudinous. Her hair was curled into perfect little coils that fell around her face beautifully, her bangs clipped back by a blue barrette. I could have stolen her dress; form fitting, it was a teal color, further towards the blue side, with minute black polka dots peppering the material. The sweetheart shape of the top really accented her breasts - but not to the point where it was overwhelming. She was definitely going to be the trophy wife in the graduation audience.

Naruto wore the same black suit that he wore to prom, but he had a different tie. This one, instead of being royal purple to match the dress of his prom date, was orange, and it stuck out against its solid black base. His hair, like his father's, was pointing everywhere, just like any other day. To be honest, I wouldn't want it any other way. He was beautiful to me.

"Hey." Naruto grinned as he approached me, placing one hand on my hip and leaning forward to peck a kiss on my lips. I blushed, because I knew that everyone in the room had just seen that. I half-expected Neji to say something, but he remained silent. My eyes locked with Naruto's sapphire irises, falling victim to his unintended charm. A smile formed on my face as I ran my hands down the chest of his suit.

"You clean up nice, Naruto," I complimented him, and he bit his lip, looking away shyly. He was stealing my role; I was supposed to be the reserved person in this relationship. My fingers wrapped around his tie, toying with it like a kitten and a ball of yarn. "You should wear a suit more often."

"I'd rather not." He returned his gaze to my face, and we looked at one another with such admiration. "Unless, of course, we're going on some sort of date. Then, of course, I'll look my best."

I laughed a little bit, but my attention was soon after caught by the scraping of one of the stools on the hard floor by the island. Minato had stood up, and he fished his keys out of his pants' pocket.

"You two ready to graduate?" he asked us, holding the key to his SUV between the tips of his index finger and thumb. Naruto and I nodded in unison, completely ready to get out of high school. These past few months seemed to drag on and on perpetually, and this day couldn't have arrived quickly enough.

"Yes, we probably should get going," Neji said, fetching his keys off of the rack in the kitchen. Tenten and Kushina both retrieved their handbags, Kushina's being much more feminine. Tenten's almost reminded me of a leather business bag.

Naruto interlaced his fingers with mine, tying our hands together as my family and his began exiting the apartment and filing into the hallway. Normally, Naruto and I would have waited at the base of the steps for Tenten, who turned around to lock the door, but instead, the two of us broke from the pack and began stepping down every stair. On top of his left arm, Naruto held both of our caps and gowns, hanging them high enough to where they wouldn't drag on the ground. We had descended half a flight of stairs before the others began making their way down behind us.

"What are you going to do after graduation?" I asked Naruto, and he turned beautiful eyes to me and smiled a bit.

"I'll probably pick up more hours at the bookstore," he said, knowing that the same was my plan. "I've been saving up most of my money so I could buy a place of my own." He winked at me. "Maybe you could come live with me."

I giggled at him lightly. "Maybe I will." That would be nice. Naruto and I would finally get to fall asleep in one another's arms again, like we used to before Tenten took Neji and me in. We would share the same bed, snuggle in the same sheets, kiss one another with such a heated passion that our bodies would act with a mind of their own. I blushed as my thoughts began racing uncontrollably. "I'd like that," I said.

"Me too." Naruto squeezed my hand. "Then, life would be perfect."

"How so?" I turned my gray eyes to his profile, watching as a shy smile snaked up the sides of his cheeks.

"I'd have everything I'd ever want."

OoO

Naruto and I met up with the rest of our friends in the gymnasium, and everybody was hugging me. Naruto shook hands with all of our guy friends, or received what guys called a "bro hug." I didn't know how it was different from a regular hug, but I didn't ask. I let them have their little codenames.

Ino and Sai came up to Naruto and me, and she embraced me tightly, giddy, due to the event of the day.

"Can you believe we're graduating?" she asked me with an ear-to-ear grin on her face. Her hair was tied back, like always, high on top of her head. I didn't know how she planned to fit her graduation cap over it, but if she could, more power to her.

"Absolutely not." I shook my head and exchanged a nod with Sai. Shikamaru and Choji approached us, nonchalant as always, and Kiba followed them. He, of course, was energetic, but he made no snide comments that would anger Naruto. He still hugged me, though, which I knew wasn't a very good gesture for Naruto's temper. The bandages that had coated the bridge of his nose were no longer there, and there wasn't a lot of bruising.

"What happened to your broken nose?" Ino asked him.

"Oh, it's still there," Kiba grunted. "But you wouldn't believe how much makeup my sister had to apply to my face to help fade out the bruising." He leaned on me, using my shoulder as a stand for his elbow. "Never, ever mess with Hinata. She'll break your face."

"Okay, guys!" Coach Tsunade shouted at the graduating seniors, who all turned and faced her. She was wearing a gown that was identical to ours, and her long blonde locks hung loose around the sides of her face. "We're going to start lining you guys up in alphabetical order!"

This was the moment where they were going to split Naruto and me up, and we thought we had more time than we did; Tsunade was moving quickly, placing people in order by the first few letters of their last name. She got to me quickly, and placed me behind a boy that I didn't know. I had seen him in the hallway a few times, but I didn't know he was a part of my class. Behind me was Kiba, which I was thankful for; I didn't want to be completely surrounded by people I didn't know.

"Hey, where's Sasuke?" he asked me, and my eyes widened. I hadn't seen him yet since we got here, and immediately my eyes began scanning the room, searching all of the faces. He wouldn't really skip graduation, would he? I mean, we spent all that time writing his speech and making it perfect. I know he was having a situation, but he wouldn't skip out of his obligations, would he? If he didn't show up, then Shikamaru would have to give the speech, and I knew that the first words out of his mouth would tell everybody what a drag this was.

My eyes caught sight of my charcoal-haired friend, who had just stepped into the gymnasium with his cap atop his head and his gown streaming down his deltoids. I didn't realize it immediately, but a deep breath that I had been holding inside my lungs was suddenly released in a long sigh. His being here meant that Sakura and Senri were still okay.

The line in front of me started marching forward, startling me at first, and I ended up stumbling my first few steps.

"Don't trip, Hinata," Kiba muttered from behind me. "I might not be able to catch you if you do." I blushed, clearly embarrassed by my lack of footwork back there. But I had to shake it off and keep going. I pressed my shoulders backwards and held my chin high, just like I've seen Sakura do whenever she would walk through the hallways of the school, looking rather confident in herself. I had to do the same. I wanted to make Sakura proud of me.

Our line of students marched down the vacant hallways of Konoha High, almost like an army of seniors. We kept in our order, and nobody really said much of anything. I think we were all too nervous and too excited to really think of saying anything. At least, that's how I felt. I couldn't really speak for the rest of my classmates.

When we stepped outside on the front lawn of the school campus, the beating sunlight blinded me momentarily, and I squinted to protect my eyes. I almost stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the crowd of people that had gathered here for our graduation ceremony. I could feel what little confidence I had suck back into the core of my body, where it would never shine out. Now, I didn't care about looking confident; I just wanted to make it through without blushing or stumbling.

Everybody was turned around, searching our line for their friend or family member with proud eyes and a camera ready. I spotted Naruto's and my party, and Kushina was clicking away on a digital camera. I couldn't help but to smile at her when she put the lense in my direction.

When we were all seated in our respectable seats, Mr. Hatake stepped up to the podium and repositioned the microphone, adjusting to the height of his mouth.

"Good evening, friends, family, staff, and graduates," he began proudly. "We are all here because we want to embark on this great step in life together. Today, the students you see before you will be completing the final steps to their high school education. I know they all can't wait for me to stop talking so they can get out of here." There was a chuckle from the crowd as Mr. Hatake cracked a little joke. "With that in mind, I will only speak briefly.

"These students have been a great chapter of Konoha High's novel, and, as their educator, I can only hope that they take everything that they have learned in the past four years and run with it. They should not do what they think will please those around them; rather, they should strive to achieve the things that will make their own hearts happy. Most of all, as a teacher, we want to see our pupils' dreams come true.

"As I promised, I only had a few words," Mr. Hatake finished rather quickly, much to my surprise. "I'd like to turn the microphone over to our valedictorian: Sasuke Uchiha."

I sighed as I heard a chair behind me groan the moment it was relieved of Sasuke's weight. His footsteps clicked on the risers, and the sound migrated east from me. My eyes flickered over to my friend, who stood at the podium, repositioning the microphone.

"Family, friends, teachers," he started, and I took in a deep breath as he began unraveling the speech that we wrote together. "Today is the day that we leave our comfort zone. No longer will we have to wake up at six in the morning in order to be on time for school. We have no alarm clock now. It seems like a blessing, however we'll quickly find that things aren't going to be the way they used to.

"As high school narrowed down to its final days, I often heard the phrase 'oh, there's no way I'll lose touch with this friend, or that friend.' However, we'll sleep through that promise, because there is no clock to wake us up. Sadly enough, friendships will pass, but that is a part of life. We'll make friends, and we'll lose friends, and then we'll make new friends. It almost seems like an endless cycle. Sometimes, we often have to wonder, what mistakes do we keep making to have to lose our friends over and over?

"Mistakes are a part of life. We're all human, so there is guarantee that we will continue again and again to make mistakes. Some have far greater consequences than others, and each will have their own unique lesson. When we throw our caps in the air and become members of society, we'll have to take responsibility for these mistakes. There is no way arou-"

Sasuke stopped speaking, and my eyebrows pulled together as I watched him reach into his graduation gown and retrieve his cell phone. His eyes glanced at the screen and held it for a moment that felt like many minutes. With a dropping expression, he turned his attention back to the crowd before him, and then to our graduating class.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, turning away from the microphone. "I have to go." And with those words, he removed himself from the podium and began walking briskly to the parking lot. His pace increased tenfold and he broke out in a full sprint to his car, leaving the rest of us sitting here and staring after him.

My heart stopped, and I turned around in my seat and glanced at Naruto, whose eyes met mine. We were both thinking the exact same thing, I knew. In unison, Naruto and I stood up and began exiting the risers, jumping down and landing the grass. I slipped off my heels and held them in my left hand, while Naruto held my casted right hand in his, our fingers entwining as much as they could. The two of us took off running in the direction of the hospital, knowing full well that something was happening with Sakura.

Please, I begged. Let them live.

As if we were running for our own lives, Naruto and I raced through the grass and jumping out into the middle of the street dodging what little traffic there was. The asphalt was rough against the bottoms of my fragile feet, but I didn't care; all I could think about was Sakura and Senri.

I never knew that my feet could move so fast; it was almost as if I was gliding through the air, being pulled along by my dear love. Both of us were breathing heavy in anxiety, our concern for the health of our friend and her son.

I wanted them to make it; I prayed that they would.

Neji and Tenten slowed down in Neji's old little car. The two of them had abandoned the graduation ceremony, too. It was probably less frowned upon, since they were not a part of it.

"Get in!" Tenten told us, and I tugged Naruto's arm in the direction of the car. Both of us jumped in, and Neji was speeding off before we had even slammed the back door shut. Naruto and I didn't bother putting our seatbelts on; instead, we locked our arms around one another, fear creeping into our bodies and minds. While I knew we were both hoping for the best, but I was also aware that we knew how badly Senri's odds were.

I tucked my head under Naruto's chin and curled my legs up under my own body, sitting on my calves. Naruto's arms constricted so tightly around me, it was as if he was trying to hold both of us together so that we wouldn't break.

Neji sped like a demon through the streets, so we made it to the hospital in no time. I had slipped on my shoes in the car as we pulled into the parking lot, and Neji allowed Naruto and me to get out before he found a parking space. We both had shrugged out of our graduation caps and gowns before exiting the vehicle.

The two of us, in each other's hands, rushed into the hospital doors and made our way to the maternity ward with extreme haste. My hair fluttered behind me as we moved along quickly. Through the halls we sprinted, weaving around every corner very ungracefully, but never once did we let our fingers slip apart.

When we reached the main lobby of the maternity ward, we came face-to-face with Sakura's parents, who stared at us with sorrowful eyes. Immediately, Naruto and I stopped dead in our tracks, huffing and puffing. My eyes began to tear up as I jumped to conclusions, based on the masks that Misaki and Aoi wore.

"Mrs. Haruno..." I listened to my voice crack as I stepped forward, coming closer to my best friend's mother.

"Senri started struggling," Misaki told me, and I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks as I listened to her voice of woe. "They had to induce labor on Sakura immediately, in order to save Senri. The doctors say the situation looks grave."

"It's not over yet," Naruto said boldly, squeezing my left hand in his. "Senri is still alive. He's going to live." I could tell that there was a massive amount of uncertainty in his voice, despite his strong words.

Sasuke's family ran into the lobby, followed by Naruto's parents and Neji and Tenten. Misaki explained to them what she had just told Naruto and me, but we didn't listen the second time. Instead, we stood there, smothered in one another's embrace. I rested my head on his chest, and I couldn't help myself from crying the excruciating tears that came with the butchering of my heart.

One of the lights above us began flickering, and my attention was caught by it. That light turned off and on so fast, it was almost like a strobe light. My eyebrows furrowed as I continued to watch it.

"Guys," I said aloud, and everybody turned to look at me. I removed my ear from Naruto's firm and muscular chest, and I took a few steps in the direction of the four families that crowded the ward's lobby. My body was trembling as I held Naruto's hand tightly, leading him over to the small mass of people. With my casted and broken hand, I grasped the hand of Itachi, who looked down at me curiously. "We need to stand together. We all need to combine our undying wish for the safety of Senri and Sakura. Let's...create a circle of unity."

The four families exchanged glances with one another before interlocking fingers and joining the circle that I had started. Itachi held his father's hand, who held held his wife's hand, who grasped the hand of Sakura's mother, who clung to the hand of her husband, who laced fingers with Kushina, who embraced the hand of Minato, who held Tenten's hand, who locked fingers with Neji; Neji, who completed the circle by joining hands with Naruto. We were no longer four separate families with the same wish; we were a single entity, hoping and praying together for the safety of our dear Sakura and her son.

I dropped my head as I wept silently, knowing that this was the moment of truth. Sakura had been in the hospital for three weeks, suffering as she attempted to salvage her unborn son's life. All of us had had her in our thoughts the entire time. For some of us, she consumed our minds, and she was all we could think about. Her safety, her well-being. We all wanted it more than anything.

So many hours passed by, and our circle had broken up physically - mentally, we were all still together - and we had taken our seats in the waiting room. The light above our heads continued to flicker, making an obnoxious buzzing noise.

As we had done in the car coming over to the hospital, Naruto and I held each other together, embracing one another so tightly. Every so often, a wave of pain and sorrow washed over me, causing me to cry bitter tears. Like Naruto had said: it wasn't over. However, the logical side of my brain begged to differ. It continued to fill my mind with thoughts of a realist, using the information I knew to turn the current situation for the worst. My body quivered under Naruto's touch, and he constricted himself tighter and tighter around me. In all honesty, we held each other tightly enough to the point where I felt we could break one another in half. But the pain of physical contact felt good. It made me remember that I was not alone. That feeling, surely, had to be transferred to Sasuke and Sakura. They had so many wonderful people out here waiting for them.

I took in a sharp breath as the excruciation in my heart continued to rip through my core. I feared that the outcome of this night would not be the one we wanted it to be. My gut twisted as I thought of what would happen to Sasuke and Sakura, if Senri didn't make it. They would spend many nights remembering their child, and with that, they would always recall the anguish that came with his final weeks.

The room around me was silent; nobody breathed a word. Instead, we all waited in complete and utter silence, our patience wearing thin. I didn't know how much longer I could take of this. Between the mental agony of the war between the emotional side of my brain and the logical side, and adding the buzzing coming from the broken light above us, I was drained.

Please... I groveled at the foot of anybody who cared. Please, please, please, I beg of you, please. Let them live.

I could feel the air come out of Naruto's nostrils as he exhaled a deep sigh, clearly experiencing the same stress that I was. In an attempt to comfort both him and myself, I pressed my forehead to his cheek, my eyelashes fluttering shut as I mimicked his deep breath.

Every second that ticked by felt like an eternity that we were drowning in. It was as if we were trapped within a parallel universe, where time was distorted drastically. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes seemed like hours, and hours acted like days.

No matter how much time passed, Naruto and I never once let go of one another. We were in this together, for better or for worse. We, as one entity, were here for our friends, because they needed us. I was well aware that we would never leave, so long as we were needed.

Sasuke...if things didn't turn out in his favor, then he was going to need so much tender love to help mend his broken heart. I was willing to give him everything I had, and I was almost positive that Naruto was with me on this. He had to be. We were one.

"Please," Sakura's voice rang inside my head again, and I knew what she was going to say. I didn't want to hear her say it, because I didn't know how in the world I was going to be able to relay the message to Sasuke. "Tell Sasuke that I've cherished every moment we've spent together."

I clung to Naruto's body even tighter, and, despite the pressure at which my eyelids exerted on each other, the warm and salty tears still managed to slip through the barrier and glide down my cheeks. I sniffed once, constricting my fingers on Naruto's suit jacket.

Don't give up, Sakura! I screamed inside my head, wondering if, just maybe, she would hear the pleas coming from the bottom of my heart. Please, don't make me have to tell Sasuke that!

Naruto's hand moved to the nape of my neck, and he brushed away my tears with the pad of his thumb.

Please...

There were footsteps coming from the hallway that led to many rooms, one of which was Sakura's room. All at once, every head in the room snapped in the direction of the clicking heels, and we listened as the sound came closer. For some reason, those footsteps still couldn't drown out the sound of the flickering light that hung over my head. The feet continued to move towards us, however we still did not see their owner. It took many moments before a woman with her hair tied back in a bun appeared in the lobby.

As if all of our bodies were connected and we really were one, all eleven of us sprang up out of our seats and gave the nurse our full and undivided attention. She did not carry a clipboard with her, as I had seen them typically do. Rather, her hands were empty, and she carried nothing with her.

I couldn't tell if that was a good sign or a bad omen, and so my emotions flooded my brain, taking over completely. I hushed them, having to use all of my energy to do so.

The nurse opened her mouth to speak to us, and we all waited in anticipation for the news. It was too nerve-wracking. A part of me didn't want to know.

Please...

Naruto and I grasped one another's hands in both hope and in despair. This was the moment of truth. Every second, we came closer to knowing.

Please...

"Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga," she called out our names, and the blood immediately stopped flowing through my veins. My entire body trembled as I tried so desperately to keep the tears behind my eyes.

Please...

The flickering light above our heads finally died.

"Sasuke Uchiha is asking for you."