Day number three. I'm in much higher spirits, despite the popping of my joints as I wake up. Turns out Sasuke not only moved his tent closer, but also on the complete other side of me, putting me between him and Sakura. Maybe he really doesn't like her after all? As I brood on this, I open my lid and stretch my limbs out, earning me a fair bit of pain and some very loud cracking noises. At least my bruises healed within a few hours; I would've been dead by now if I still had them. All right, nature! Let's see what you can throw at me today!

"YEEK!"

Holy- I can't believe that came from my mouth. Above me, slowly lowering itself from my tent roof, is the biggest freaking spider I've ever seen in my whole life! I quickly flip the lid back over myself, terrified. I know I'm afraid of spiders a little bit, but that thing is HUGE!

"Help!"

I call desperately. Oh, god, please help me...

"Naruto...? Holy-!"

'That's what I said!' "Help?"

Sasuke, who now has the giant spider in his hand, opens my suitcase. I peek up at him, horrified, and reclose the lid. Well, I did call for gods help, I just didn't expect it to be my god on earth.

"I've got it Naruto, I swear! It's just a wolf spider!"

"Get it out!"

Just a wolf spider? I hear him sigh, and leave my tent. Spiders. For some reason that reminds me of Kakashi... Oh yeah, it's the eyes. They don't look like they're there, but they see all. Freaky. Kakashi's freaky, and I'm creepy. What does that make Sakura and Sasuke? Weepy and sleepy?

"You're safe from the invading spiders. How did it get in?"

"Forgot to zip the tent." I lie.

Knowing this piece of crap tent, the wind probably blew a hole in it. Either that or it just doesn't zip all the way down. Cheap bastards; I should sue. Sasuke knows I'm lying about the zipper. I can tell by his look as he glares down at me, suitcase door/lid thing in hand. Well, he was the first person to open it this morning. (The zipper, not my suitcase.) I smile brightly and wave as I had the first time he pulled me from my safe haven.

"You need to get out there and face the music."

"If that's what you call music, I've got two options. One: I hate music with a passion, or two: I buy you a radio for your next birthday. Either way, I'm not exactly thrilled about leaving my tent."

He frowns, and I sigh in defeat.

"Fine... I'm coming."

He leaves, and I force myself out of my rectangle shaped, fluffy 'feather bed'. I grumble and mutter darkly to myself before remembering I'd been in a good mood before the spider came along. Right! Forget the spider, it never happened! There's nothing I can't handle after yesterday! I almost skip out of my tent, and into unfamiliar cold. Cold? What's that stupid white thing melting on my nose? ... Oh no. Snow. It's starting to snow. I really and truly expect my death trap of a tent to either burst into flames, or disintegrate into dust, so I go in to get my bag before it burns or something equally as bad.

Shortly after, I decide to attempt making a fire because I'm cold. Just my luck that the one match I can find, burns me, and then falls into a puddle of melted snow. It's getting wet quickly, and I'm stuck with a ripped jacket. I know it's futile, but I sit down and begin to rub two sticks together anyway. I am slowly going insane, and I'm feeling rather free to blame it on this whole stupid trip.

"Dude, you look awful. Worse than usual."

I don't even have the heart to tell him to shut up. I just sit there, rubbing the sticks together weakly, looking like a homeless person. Eventually I just drop them where they are and stare at the pile of now soaked twigs, water dripping off my bangs. Sasuke notices my lack of... Well, anything really, and sits beside me in his waterproof windbreaker. Makes me wish I had one of those instead of my sponge-like orange jacket.

"Trip starting to get to you?"

Come on, Naruto. Just keep your chin up!

"Naw, I'm okay! It's just a bit of cold water!"

"It's kinda obvious you're not having fun."

Oh no! It is!

"No, I am! I'm just having some trouble starting a fire!"

"Can you even call yourself a ninja when you can't make a fire?"

I glare at him, but don't answer. Ninja? I don't suppose I can. At least there's still the hot spring. Hot springs are best enjoyed when surrounded by snow, I always say! I'm not going to let this get me down! Geez, my emotions are like a yo-yo today... Let's get this show on the road!

"So! Where're we going today!"

I ask with my nicest smile. Sakura is glaring at me so hard, I think she expects (or wants) me to be poisoned; to die on the spot or a slow suffering death. What did I ever do to her! Kakashi sensei's reading make out paradise; A Christmas carol. Dirty old man. Sasuke is Sasuke; just sitting here looking cool. Nobody's answering me. And then there's me, the pathetic looking one trying to blow on the smallest spark I've ever made in my life. Big surprise when I blow it out by accident. I sigh, and try again.

Sasuke has come back with his own twigs, and lights a fire faster than I can down a bowl of ramen. The show off; just because he makes fireballs with his chakra. When he's distracted by something, I reach over and steal a small twig from his fire. I stick it in mine, but it doesn't seem to want to light the rest on fire, and goes out. I sigh in defeat, and turn to face Sasuke's. He's giving me that same look I've never seen before, and I think he noticed that I'd taken the twig. I just cross my arms and pout. Still dripping I might add.

"Naruto, you're just sad! Don't mooch off Sasuke! Make your own!"

Burn in hell, Sakura!

"I mean what's the point of a camping trip if you can't even take care of yourself!"

"You b-"

"Sakura."

We both turn to him.

"I allowed Naruto to sit at my fire because it's too wet to make another one. Do I have to extend a formal invitation to him to make you stop bothering us?"

"Oh, No! I'm sorry!"

She smiles at Sasuke, but still shoots me a glare as she leaves to her own fire. I'm a bit shocked by what just happened.

"... Thanks!"

I say, truly grateful to him for not kicking me from the circle of his fire. He just shrugs and doesn't say anything. Even though I'm soaked to the bone, I still smile as I hug my knees for warmth. I'm most likely going to get very sick for this.

"Is this what you'd call 'slushing'?"

"What?"

"It's not snowing, but it's not raining, therefore it must be 'slushing', right?"

"I guess..."

He must be wondering what the hell is wrong with me, because I sure am. Am I really that desperate for a conversation to forget the cold I can feel developing as I sit? I sneeze. Yup, I've got a cold already. Naruto! Bad! Think good, happy thoughts! Let's call it 'The Glad Game'! Rules are simple: Find something good about the situation no matter how hard it gets!

"Boy, am I glad it's not hailing! I mean, imagine getting hit on the head by a million balls of ice!"

"Use an umbrella."

"What umbrella?"

He sighs. Oops, I'm doing it again. Okay, what's good about not having an umbrella? You get to enjoy nature's raw power? I'd know all about that.

"Forget umbrellas! That's no fun at all!"

"You just don't have one."

"Shut up, Sasuke!"

I'm back to my usual self already! Joy!

"Um, when are we going on our usual walk? I just know there's more places we haven't been!"

"..."

"Hey! Don't ignore me!"

"You told me to shut up."

"... Yah, but I didn't actually expect you to."

"When Kakashi finishes his book, I guess."

Like, three days from now. I'm tired. I don't sleep well when I'm jammed in a suitcase, sneezing on feathers every so often.

"Do you wanna go without him?"

I honestly don't know where that came from. I must be such a gluten for punishment.

"Do you?"

"I was thinking about it, but I might get lost. Wanna come with me?"

He's staring at the fire in what I hope to be thoughtfulness, unlike my own thoughtlessness. He shrugs and nods. Oh, okay. Maybe next t- wait! He nodded! Cool! I grin and hop up energetically, leading the way into the forest. He goes and tells Sakura we're leaving, and then follows quickly before she has the chance to tell Kakashi so she can come with us. So we put as much distance as is necessary so she won't find us, then just walk. To my surprise, no trees or skunks showed up, and I was careful not to put my hand on any more rocks.

We didn't really talk, so it was pretty silent. We must've been pretty lost in our thoughts (Mine were of Sasuke...), because suddenly we're face to face with a cougar. Just my luck; Mother Nature had been holding off for this one moment, I just know it. Wait a minute! It's looking to Sasuke, not me! Oh no!

"SASUKE!"

I shout, putting myself between them at the last moment as the cougar jumps. I feel a searing pain in my lower arm, then the rest of me as it's huge body collides with mine. Luckily, I manage to swing it's weight so we completely miss Sasuke, and go over the cliff. I say luckily because we missed Sasuke, not that I just flew over a cliff with a cougar. I look up at Sasuke who's shouting something to me, but I can't hear anything through my pounding heartbeat in my ears. I push the cougar away from me quickly, trying to find a handhold in the smooth cliff. Eventually I finally snag a rock jutting out, and cry out in pain as it goes through my hand.

I hang there in shock, fearing when the pain will finally set in. This is the first time I've almost died on a short walk, well, at least it's the first time when I'm not on a mission.

"NARUTO!"

I finally hear Sasuke. He sounds pretty stressed out...

"I'm Fine! Go get Kakashi or something before my hand rips!"

"What do you mean, rips!"

"I've kinda got a rock going through my hand, so hurry up and go!"

"What if you fall!"

"Then I'll deal! Go! What's wrong with you! You're supposed to be telling me to hold on because you'll be right back!"

The pain was starting to pull through my shock.

"Oh, god... GO!"

I shout as loud as I can at him, and then scream in pain, even though I tried to hold it back. I should stop moving as much as I am; it's still slushing.

"Fine! Don't you dare fall!"

I hear Sasuke, but I can no longer see him. The blood running down my arms is kinda grossing me out. That stupid cougar managed to slash all down the side of my leg to my foot too when I pushed it off me. I can't believe I didn't notice at the time. I must be a real mess. Why is it I keep thinking the day is the worst it can get, then wake up the next day with even worse luck! I'm leaking bodily fluids, and it's very uncomfortable. I didn't, and have no intention of, peeing myself, but I'm bleeding and crying, and my nose is running. Probably sweating too, but I'm sure you don't care about that.

Crap, I think I just bit my lip. Another hole in my poor body. Where is Sasuke! It feels like I've been hanging here forever! I'm starting to get dizzy, and it's all I can do to just keep my grip with one hand, the other dangling at my side painfully. I know, I'll distract myself by imagining Sasuke naked; me armed with Whipped cream and strawberries. If I keep this up, I'll have another fluid to add to my list: Drool. I sure hope that's where it ends, because I still need to be saved.

Oh, no... I think I'm losing it. Not my mind; that's already gone. Not... that; I still need that! I mean my consciousness; everything's starting to fade away into darkness. It's going rather slowly, but I'm fighting it as best I can. I don't want to die! I haven't killed Sakura yet! Maybe if I just concentrate on my pain...