I do not like this chapter. I don't know why. It just doesn't appeal to me for some strange reason, but it had to be typed anyway. Well, things will get more intense in the next chapter! Naruto being in a coma for a long, long time now will stir a lot of things up! But I still say I don't like this chapter.

Once again, I thank Ravenshaelo for beta-ing this chapter. Yay! claps

Hmmm … must go check if "Silent Blade" has been updated! It's a really cool KakaIru fic. I recommend for you guys to read it! I love this fic!

Enjoy!

WHY NOT 23

Iruka had gone home, after some convincing by Tsunade, Ino and Sakura. He did not want to leave Naruto alone, saying that the boy had always been alone and that he had no one to watch over him. The other male rookies left to get some rest and said that they'd come back the next day, in which they did.

Kakashi though, stayed the whole night. He had gone home to change his dirty clothes then came back. He sat next to Naruto's bed, staring at the pale and sleeping form. He was not wearing a shirt and had several wires hooked up to him. His healing mechanism hadn't kicked in yet and he barely made it out of the operation alive.

For the first time in years, a tear made its way out of Kakashi's eye. He dipped his head low and reached out with an ungloved hand for the pale one on the bed. He wondered though why Naruto had jumped to save that child when he could have easily used a clone. Kakashi then realized that if it were a shadow clone it would've disappeared after taking that critical hit and that jutsu that Naruto used would not have been executed in time to save the villagers. It must have been very painful to be pierced by those massive claws.

"Everyone I've loved always end up leaving me." He whispered brokenly and more tears escaped his exposed eye. "Come back, Naruto. Please come back."

The entire village had been eerily quiet. Ever since the attack by the grass-nins, the villagers changed. It would have been a second Yondaime-incident if Naruto had died, but he didn't. It had been very close though. So very close and every villager knew that. Nearly all of them were wallowing in guilt and confusion.

Why would a boy whom they had hated for years come back and protect them? Wasn't there supposed to be anger? Hatred? But in the end, he protected them and he put his life on the line for them. Kakashi's words only made them realize it even more.

It'd been a quiet three months and everyday, Naruto's room was furnished with flowers. Whenever a single one withered away, it would be replaced immediately. His friends came by as much as they could since missions took most of their time, but when they did, they spoke to him in his sleep, telling him of their missions and how they wanted him back. He had become a motivation for several shinobi. Even the ANBU teams came to visit him, as one of their comrades.

Iruka had stopped being an active chuunin and retook his position as an academy teacher. He was too distracted with worry over Naruto to do missions, so he settled for teaching. That also meant he was close to Naruto since the Academy was a short distance to the hospital.

Kakashi however, never left Naruto's side. If anything, his love for him just grew even more.

Autumn was finally ending, and the red and gold leaves that littered the streets of Konoha were soon going to be replaced by white snow. The villagers were beginning to put up colorful lights outside, preparing Konoha for the Christmas season.

But there was something of an empty feeling.

It'd been a grand total of five months since the attack of the grass-nins and Naruto had made no improvement from his coma-state. His injuries had vanished completely, and he was no longer wearing thick white bandages. Instead, he was in a pair of clean blue pajamas, with the first button undone and the logo of Konoha at the back. His body was washed everyday and his clothes changed. This was something Iruka had insisted upon, since he knew Naruto couldn't stand more than two days without a bath and Tsunade herself honored his request. She made it an order to the nurses to make sure Naruto was kept clean and neat and they did so without complaint. They felt that it was the only thing they could do for now since Naruto's brave act of protecting them from death. He was no longer hooked to a respirator, but the heart monitor and IV fluid was there. He wasn't as pale as he used to be and some color had returned to his skin. It was a good sign, but then again nothing was good unless he was awake. Or so Kakashi felt.

Two weeks before Christmas, Iruka came to Naruto's room and set up the whole place with decorations, with a little help from Hinata. Ino and Sakura came by later and replaced all the dried flowers with new ones courtesy of the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Neji came by later and helped Hinata set up the tree since Iruka had to go back to the Academy to teach.

By the time Neji and Hinata were done, the room seemed to glow with more life and for a moment, Naruto did too, only he was still asleep.

Nightfall finally came and Hinata had finished putting the last piece of trash in the box. She stared out the window and smiled. "Neji-nee-san. It's snowing."

Neji set the roll of sticky tape in to a plastic bag and approached Hinata by the window. "It is snowing." He said and watched as the little white cotton-like-puffs drifted down in slow circles. He was about to turn and tell Naruto that it was snowing but saw that he was asleep and felt sad once again. A hand came on his shoulder and Hinata smiled at him.

"Don't worry." She said. "Hokage-sama said he'll be all right. And he will, in time."

Neji nodded. He wanted to contradict Hinata but kept his mouth wisely shut. They silently left the room, taking all the things they used and bid Naruto good night.

Kakashi entered Naruto's room and was awed. His room looked beautiful. The tree glowed in the slightly dim room and beneath the six foot tall tree was presents – lots of them! From nearly everyone – the rookies, the younger generation at the academy, the teachers, chuunins, jounins, ANBU members, nurses and doctors and heck even some of the villagers.

Kakashi felt himself smile. "Looks like Naruto has nearly achieved his dream. The villagers are already beginning to acknowledge him."

He pulled the chair under him and sat next to Naruto, taking his hand in his and placing a light kiss on it. He was still asleep and the IV fluid bag was replaced by a fuller one. He remained sitting there for a few hours before he dozed off to sleep. It was the sound of the door opening and someone entering that woke him from his slumber and without the need to turn his head, he knew it was Sasuke.

"He's still asleep." Sasuke said, and for a moment, his face went blank, and then many emotions mirrored in his eyes for a few seconds.

Kakashi tore his eye from his student and stood up to fix Naruto's covers. Sasuke was on the opposite side of the bed staring at Naruto. "Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, and the boy clenched his fists.

"He's stronger than me." Sasuke said, eyes hardening slowly as he looked at Naruto's sleeping face. "I feel as if I can't reach him anymore, that he's way beyond me."

"Technically he is, and he still getting further away." Kakashi said and folded his arms across his chest. "Even I am going to admit that I wouldn't want to face him in battle. I don't think I'd live."

"How? Why? Why is he stronger? He was the worst student at the academy! He always screwed things up in missions and they were only D-ranked ones! He failed his exams three times and he couldn't even master any proper jutsu without taking ages." Sasuke argued.

"Wrong Sasuke." Kakashi said. "He may have screwed up the D-rank missions, he may have failed his academy tests, but he always found a solution to any difficult and life-threatening missions. Don't forget that he saved you more than once in occasions in which you could have turned into a traitor to the leaf. He was never a dead last to begin with." Sasuke shook with rage. "Did you know that he's developed some sort of protecting jutsu against the Byakugan and Sharingan?"

That did it. Kakashi knew that Sasuke was a master of his emotions, but what he did not expect was for the young man to look up at him with tears in his eyes, face flushed red and just – hurting. "I was stronger than him! I was better than him! Now I'm just –"

"All he ever wanted was your acknowledgment Sasuke. He just wanted you to treat him as his equal. Back then, when you were with Kiba, he was jealous of you, because you could have anyone, while he couldn't. The village hated him and you know why." Kakashi said. "He may not have had an advanced bloodline, but I've only realized it now." Sasuke looked at him and lost eyes greeted him. "He was always stronger than you in everything."

Sasuke felt bitter cold nip at him and all he could do was bury his face on Kakashi's chest and just cry for his defeat – which had been there from the very beginning.

TBC