Sorry for the wait! And I just want to point out that in this chapter and in the last couple of chapters after this, some of you may think that Sasuke is being a sap. I'm just saying this before someone feels like they need point it out. Also please try not to make faces while reading. You know who you are. Please enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. *hiding behind bubbles* Don't hit me…
Warning: This chapter may make you cry. In all seriousness, I came dangerously close to crying and my heart aches every time I think about the chapter events. I'm just saying.
Chapter 8: The Truth
One week later
"Naruto…Naruto, wake up," Sasuke said softly, shaking the blonde slightly as he spoke.
The blonde's eyes opened slowly, an exceedingly tired air about his face. On the outside, Sasuke put on a calm, patient expression, but on the inside, he was worried. It had become harder and harder to wake Naruto up in the mornings and he seemed more drained of energy by each passing day.
When he had started to take the new pill, it looked as if Naruto had improved, the lackluster completely gone from his blue eyes due to his newfound hope and his growing relationship with Sasuke. However, after a few days on the medication, his condition grew worse, so worse in fact that there were several occasions where he couldn't even get out of the house, much less the bed.
It had snuck up on them so quickly that neither of them knew what to make of it. They just knew that time was probably running out for them and that the only thing they could do was wait and try to make the most out of what they had left.
But what Sasuke didn't understand was why Naruto had suddenly taken a turn for the worse just when he was starting to get better.
"How are you feeling today?" Sasuke asked when Naruto finally sat up.
"I'd rather be sleeping…" Naruto answered, rubbing his eyes.
"I know, but you need to eat something. You can go back to sleep afterwards."
Another thing that changed was Naruto's appetite. He would hardly eat anything, too exhausted to even think about satisfying his stomach. And as a result, Naruto appeared malnourished, to the point where his rips were starting to show behind the layer of skin on his torso and his body was becoming almost skeletal exterior. If his brain trauma didn't kill him first, starvation would certainly be next in line to take his life.
With a yawn and a stretch, Naruto said, "I'll try."
"Good. But I have to go out for a bit. Will you be okay until I come back?"
"Of course I will."
Sasuke helped the weak boy into the kitchen, where he had already laid some food out for him on the table. And after placing a kiss on top of Naruto's head, the Uchiha left, shutting the door softly behind him.
There were too many questions that he wanted answered and waiting around without knowing wasn't something he was inclined to do. But if all these incidences meant what he thought it meant, he was going to have to be strong, not only for Naruto, but for himself as well.
Later on at the hospital
The medic was silent, whether it was in though or shock Sasuke wasn't sure. He had told the man exactly what had been happening to Naruto and yet he didn't know why he had to hear something he already felt was true. Maybe it was confirmation or curiosity that drove him here, but there was no going back now since he had already brought it up.
The medic sighed and whispered more to himself than to Sasuke, "It seems that time has finally come."
"What?"
"Well, the way I see it, either one of two things happened. Either we didn't give him the medication quickly enough or it just didn't have the right effect."
Sasuke was not a medical ninja by any means, but he knew what the man was getting at. He felt his heart wrench up in his chest and he tried his best to remain calm and unaffected on the outside.
"I can't really say for sure which it was without examining him myself, but it won't do any good at this point. …I'm sorry to say this, but there's nothing more I—or anybody else for that matter—can do for him in that aspect."
Sasuke's dark orbs looked down at the floor. He came here for answers, but in the end, he didn't feel at all relieved at the knowledge he received, but more along the lines of heartbroken. He knew what was going to come to pass when it concerned Naruto, but that didn't keep his eyes from clenching shut as he realized that he did not want to accept this outcome.
The time he had spent with Naruto made him happy and filled him with sadness at the same time. To love someone who was going to die no matter what was a true torture that physical pain couldn't compare to in the slightest. The bleeding would stop and the injuries would eventually heal, but emotional pain wouldn't stop just because of a bandage. If anything, a broken heart would last longer than a cut or a broken limb ever could.
Sasuke found himself being suddenly pushed towards the exit door by the medic.
"What are you--"
"You need to go home. We can't do anymore to help him, but you have to be there for him now. He may not have much time left."
That was all the motivation Sasuke needed for him to run out the double doors of the hospital and head towards Naruto's apartment as fast as he could.
When he did get there, he was vastly out of breath and he almost stumbled on his way through the door, closing it behind him while trying to recover from his clumsiness. Naruto wasn't in the kitchen so Sasuke was hoping he had gone back to his bedroom. With a shaking hand, he opened the bedroom door and almost sighed in relief when he saw the blonde sitting on top the bed.
Naruto looked over at Sasuke before giving him a weary, yet cheery smile and saying, "Welcome back."
Sasuke had to admit that he was still surprised at how Naruto could manage to put on a smile and still appear happy, even though he had to know what was about to take place. He walked over and sat down next to Naruto. Sasuke could see that something was wrong by looking into the boy's eyes and he couldn't help but be curious.
"What's the matter?" Sasuke asked as softly as could.
"I had trouble going back to sleep."
"Why? I thought you were tired."
"I am, but I just couldn't close my eyes."
Sasuke nodded to his answer, not really wanting to rush the blonde in anyway.
"Would you…umm," Naruto started unsurely, looking down at the bed with a blush on his whiskered cheeks.
"Would I what?"
"Would you…lay down next to me? I'd…feel better if you did," Naruto said, his nervousness apparent in his voice.
Sasuke smiled gently at Naruto. At this point, he'd be willing to do anything as long as it would make the boy happy.
"Of course I would."
Naruto snapped his head up in surprise, his face turning an even deeper shade of red.
"O-Okay."
They had never done this before and Naruto's response to it was an understandable reaction. He still looked tense even as they both layed down next to each other, Sasuke's hand taking his in a tender embrace calmed him down greatly. His breathing mellowed out and Sasuke could practically feel how tired he really was.
Sasuke almost could have fallen asleep, the warm of being nestled next to Naruto lulling him into a lethargic trance. But he couldn't let himself drift into slumber now. He tightened his grip on Naruto's hand, if only to keep himself awake longer. He wasn't sure if he could take it if he woke up the in the morning next to a Naruto who couldn't wake.
He wasn't sure when Naruto would slip into a coma, but just the thought of it occuring at any given time made him apprehensive, not to mention afraid.
"Sasuke?" Naruto called out.
"Yes. What is it?"
"…I love you. You know that…right?"
"Of course I do. What's this about all of a sudden?"
"I don't know… Just felt like something I should say…"
"You don't need to say it. I already know it's true."
The two lapped into a short silence, one thinking about what was happening to the person next to him, while the other wasn't really thinking anything at all.
"Sasuke…I'm really tired…"
Sasuke titled his head up to look at Naruto just to be shocked at what he saw. The pupils in the boy's eyes were beginning to change, the blue color becoming faded and indistinct, almost as if the shade were going to disappear entirely.
"No," Sasuke whispered solemnly after Naruto's eyelids had started to drift shut.
Sasuke shook the blonde somewhat, hoping to keep him in a state of consciousness, but to no avail. Naruto did not stir in the slightest, nor would he lift his drooping eyelids to gaze at Sasuke.
"Come on, don't go. Please. You can't leave me now!" Sasuke nearly shouted in sadness, tears welling up heavily in his dark eyes.
Naruto's grip on Sasuke's hand became slack before letting go of the appendage completely, his fingers limb and numb against the sheets. His wondrous cerulean eyes were completely closed, the bright luster of his orbs no longer visible.
Uzumaki Naruto would never wake to new day ever again.
The tears in the Uchiha's eyes ultimately fell down his pale face, the look on his features one of utter despair. He kept his sobs at bay the best he could manage, his heart fit to burst with all of the sorrow that it now contained. And even though he could still hear Naruto's light breathing, he knew that he'd never be able to talk with Naruto again, never see the smile that he had come to cherish above everything else in his life.
Sasuke grasped the blonde's hand that was still underneath his, cupping the palm on his cheek as he cried. Tear after salty tear ran down his face as he trembled, but in the end, tears could not bring the one he loved back from his comatose state. Sasuke leaned up until his forehead rested against Naruto's, the liquid from his eyes falling down to the boy's face with a broken moan of emotional pain to accompany them. The truth had come out and it was too much for Sasuke to bear. He watched the tears fall down onto the boy's face, the saline fluid running down the tan cheeks, almost making it seem as though Naruto was the one crying instead of him.
"I know…it probably doesn't mean much now, but…I love you, too," Sasuke whispered to the sleeping Naruto, placing one last gentle kiss on his lips.
Author's Notes: I realize some of you are upset at this point, but we have something serious to discuss so pay attention. When I started this story, I had absolutely no intention of making a sequel. But now that it's almost over, I'm starting to have those thoughts. My overactive imagination is to blame, but I want your opinion. Now, you do not have to give me your answer right away. You can wait until you submit your review for the last chapter, but if you are really sure about it, you can give me your answer in the review for this chapter. And just to put this out there, if you don't have me on author alert that is, I have published some other SasuNarus. You'll just have to read them to find out. ^^ Please Review!
