Author's Notes: Thanks everyone for your reviews. To those who wanted me to revert to my old way of writing, namely with the humor and spunk, I promise I will shortly. The plot, however, has to run its course and this unfortunately means that you'll have to endure a few more depressive scenes. Please, don't be mad!!!

Oh, just to answer a reviewer's question: Naruto's hair has not changed. It's short!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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The // is equivalent to three consecutive periods. In other words, a pause or an interruption.

Slipping Away

Naruto swung his legs over the side of the bed, his eyes automatically falling on the red and white calendar tacked to the wall. The date read October ninth, just two more days before his fourteenth birthday. Maybe he should stay in bed until then. Maybe he should simply let the world pass him by. And, hopefully, by the strike of midnight on the eleventh day the spell would wear off and he, 'Cinderella', could return to being a normal person and, above all else, a normal boy.

Yes, he'll succumb to sleep for now. After all, there was no point in waking, was there? Thinking so, he sank back onto the bed and tugged the blanket over his thin form.

He hadn't eaten anything in the last four days, the pain of seeing and using this body keeping him prone. I don't want to see it. I don't want to rely on it he stubbornly insisted. Maybe if I starve myself I'll wake up to find that it has disappeared and then I can be normal again. But of course this never happened. No matter how many times he lost himself to hunger and awoke trembling, it was always to this body and the painful realization that he was still its prisoner.

Normal was now a very distant prospect in his mind. Then again, normal never really existed for Uzumaki Naruto, did it? He was not deserving of normal. Normal never graced him with its presence. It never visited him in the dark of night, never held him or sung him lullabies, although he often questioned if it had.

He had vague memories of someone, or something hovering over him as he slept, sometimes holding his hands, other times simply watching as he slipped in and out of slumber.

Maybe you have graced me with your presence before he thought numbly. Maybe you come to me in that mysterious form simply to taunt, showing me what I should, but can no longer be. Is that it? Is that why you never let me see your face? Am I only privy to darkness and some fleeting touches, like this desire for being normal that you dangle before my face, but always yank out of my reach?

Damn you! I don't care! I don't care anymore! I won't reach for it anymore. I won't. You can't bait me. I won't wait for you tonight. I'll leave and let's see you taunt me then. Let's see you try and fail. Damn you, Fate! I'll win this time.

Exhausted with his mental exertion, Naruto sank into another restless slumber. Lost within himself he failed to notice the four solemn ninjas entering his room the moment his eyes closed.

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Anchored to Reality

Sakura restrained a sob as she stared down at the frail frame of her dying teammate. Yes, Naruto was dying. He was purposely letting himself waste away. He was leaving them, drowning in his own pit of despair and she had nothing, nothing to hold and anchor him to the real world. Weeping miserably she turned and buried her face in her sensei's stomach.

Kakashi sighed and comfortingly patted the girl's back. He'd never faced this type of situation before. Yes, he had seen death, had watched it slowly drain away life, leaving bodies cold. But never had he seen someone so determined to will it unto himself. Never had he seen someone so dejected to live.

He was responsible for this boy and yet he could not protect him, could not save him from himself. There weren't any comforting words he could say, no touch gentle enough he could offer. After all, what could he possibly do for someone ensnared in his own body?

And even if he could save him, what exactly would Naruto be living for? Would saving him truly 'save' him? Or would it simply plunge him from one misery to the next? In the end, what was life if your love could never be reciprocated, if you always had to look on from the sideline, yearning for the impossible? It seemed that isolation was to be this boy's fate, accompany him through his living years and lingering by his side even at death.

"Naruto come back to us," Iruka pleaded softly as he kneeled before the sleeping boy and ran a hand over his pale face.

He despised Kakashi for keeping this from him for so long, and yet he was also relieved, because the responsibility of saving Naruto had inadvertently shifted to Kakashi. Had he been the one responsible for bringing this boy back to reality, he would have gone mad as well. Although fully aware of the child's misery, Iruka was at a complete lost when it came to removing it. None of them really knew how and that was the terrible agony of it all. Naruto would have to pull himself out of this alone. The realization brought tears to Iruka eyes. Why, Lord? Why this child?

Sasuke drummed his fingers on his arm as he stared down at the Dobe's sleeping face. He didn't know why he felt so unaffected by his deteriorating sight. Perhaps because, unlike the other three, he knew the boy could still feel. He knew he could still cry and, most importantly, he knew Naruto was still capable of feeling anger. And, unfortunately for Naruto a person capable of such emotions could never really beckon death.

Idiot Sasuke cussed inwardly. When will you learn that to defeat this you have to accept it? When will you learn that people can still live happily, even with pain?

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Who are you, Fate?

Some time in the dark of night Naruto's eyes fluttered open at their own volition. He found himself earnestly looking towards the window where the silent figure often entered, half wondering and half expecting the shutters to open. When they didn't, he released a deep sigh and rolled onto his side, turning away from this betraying source of comfort and, thereby, preventing any further disappointment from breaking his already aching heart.

I should leave he urged himself, but automatically replied: In a little while. It won't hurt to wait just a little Alas, the poor boy never managed to wait for the mysterious person's arrival, seemingly lost to a dreamless sleep.

A short while after, the shutters creaked softly opened and a shadow descended into the room, gliding swiftly to where the blonde slumbered. Slowly a hand snaked out and rested an inch above the sleeping face. It stayed still like this for a brief moment before slowly moving upwards in a slow, caressing motion over the sunken cheeks and the pale skin, never once actually making contact and yet touching all the same. The fingers curled slightly at the boy's forehead skimming through air in mocked imitation of gentle strokes.

Then the dark figure sunk slowly to the ground and kneeled beside the sleeping form, content to simply watch the repetitive, but stirring sight of gentle breathing. For ages it sat like this, hunched and quiet, eying the blonde intently.

Shortly, the first sign of morning peaked over the horizon and sent its intrusive rays through the opened window, foretelling the arrival of day. The silent figure rose hurriedly then, and tossed one last glance at his sleeping beauty before dancing away from the pursuing light of dawn.

As the dark shadow slipped out and gently drew the shutters closed, a pair of blue eyes slowly opened and pale, trembling lips whispered: "So Fate's name is Sasuke."

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Key phrase in that above scene: seemingly lost to a dreamless sleep. Tee hee. Sasuke was fooled!

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It Won't Die

They were training in the woods when a small figure appeared from the distance and slowly approached them. Sakura was first to notice his presence and gave out a sharp gasp before covering her face and breaking out into woeful sobs. Immediately the small figure went to her and gently embraced his crying teammate.

"Sshhh, Sakura. I'm sorry I took so long, but I'm here now, so stop crying," he urged as he rubbed her back soothingly.

The silver-haired jounin walked hurriedly to the blonde and placed a comforting hand on his head. He chuckled softly as he ruffled the wild, yellow tresses.

"You got us a little worried there, Naruto. But I'm proud of you. Thanks for coming back to us."

"Thanks for wanting me back," Naruto replied with a slight smile as his hand gently grasped the larger palm and held it firmly. It was the first official handshake teacher and student shared and was surprisingly all that was needed to voice everything left unsaid.

From behind Kakashi a dark-haired gennin cautiously remained still, uncertain as to whether his eyes were playing a trick on him or not. A tentative smile from the blonde, however, reassured him that he wasn't dreaming. The baka hadn't failed him after all. He had suffered, survived and returned just as Sasuke knew he would.

Naruto was now slowly approaching him, fingers nervously twirling a small weed. Once they stood face to face the blonde extended his hand, offering the silent shinobi the green stalk.

"What's this, Dobe?" Sasuke asked inquisitively as he accepted the weed.

"It's a weed, stupid," Naruto replied.

"I know that, Baka. But why did you give it to me?"

"Because it's a weed and I want you to have it," Naruto mumbled. "I know it's not nourishing, and it doesn't have any healing powers like other plants and // and it's definitely not pretty. It's really quite useless in many regards and a lot of people want it out of their gardens. But // it's strong. You can step on it, yank it out by its roots, break it in a million and one different ways, but // it'll survive. I // I just wanted you to know that. This way, you won't have to watch over the weed in your garden // "

"It won't die," Naruto whispered softly before running back to where Sakura and Kakashi stood waiting.

Sasuke involuntarily twirled the small plant in his hand as he watched the retreating back of the blonde. A brief smile flickered on his face momentarily as Naruto's last words replayed in his mind. It won't die. You'd better keep that promise, Dobe. Folding his arms across his chest, Sasuke returned to his training, suddenly very light of heart and spirit.

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Aaahhh! I've finally gotten over all the doom and gloom! Now we can go on to the long awaited sappiness and fluff! (~_*)