Chapter 8- "The Wilting Rose"

Two months had gone by. Two painful months for everyone, everyone knew Naruto was sick eventhough he still looked perfectly healthy. The signs began showing when he practiced, Kakashi noticed his weak chakra drive whenever he tried to do any of his justu's. Hinata watched by a tree as she saw Naruto trying over and over to make it work, it just wasn't happening. He growled in frustration and sat down.

"Naruto, you are to take it easy..." advised Kakashi, he hated to tell Naruto to slow down. "Your body can't produce as much chakra as it can right now..."

"I know..." Naruto replied sadly as he looked at the trees. "I'm sorry, Kakashi-Sensei...I just want to do everything and I can't."

Hinata walked over as Naruto got up to greet her, she looked much better to him than she did two months ago. "Hi, Naruto...How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine somedays and sick somedays..." He began. "I guess you could say that I'm not too bad and not too good."

"Well, I came to tell you...T-that I'm not sad about you dying anymore..." she smiled and looked up at Naruto who grinned. "I just want you to be happy..."

"Thanks Hinata, I mean you come by my house everyday...I respect that..." Hinata hugged him tightly as she looked at him. "So, how are things at home?"

"Things are better these days...My father couldn't be more happy to have me home..." It warmed Hinata heart to be home and not trapped on the island.

Naruto smiled and went back to working his chakra. Hinata noticed that Kakashi was right, he couldn't produce much and stopped. Naruto now realized that this was how his body was going to be until something else happened to him. He tried focusing more to strengthen it, Kakashi had to almost stop him from doing anymore.

'I can't just stop him but he can't use so much at once...' thought Kakashi, he gently touched Naruto as he stopped focusing.

"Sorry, Kakashi-Sensei...You'll have to fight with me from now on to stop me..."

"I know that Naruto, I just don't want you to mess up your condition..."

"Yeah, Granny Tsunade told me to lower chakra use..." Naruto looked back. "I want to do exams, they start in another month..."

Kakashi bit his tongue. He didn't want to say that Naruto was going to be sicker by then but it was possible. Naruto never took it easy, this was a hard thing to have patience for when you're usually hyperactive and all over the place. He sat down again and put his arm around Hinata as she blushed, she hugged him tightly everytime he got close so she wouldn't lose him.

Sakura had arrived as she walked near Naruto and Hinata. "I knew the two of you would make a cute couple..." She smiled and giggled. "Hey Naruto, where's Sasuke?"

"I think he went to train in the mountains or somethin', I'm not sure.."

"Well, I was going to look for him but...If there's anything you need, just call me..." Sakura had changed since Naruto told what was going on, she put her lust for Sasuke on hold and made sure Naruto came first with most things. "Well, I'll be at the shop..."

Sakura began walking down the road as she turned the corner. Naruto walked back inside his apartment and went to go sit down and read. She watched Hinata from the window as she quietly began to flower press, he read a few more pages before he put the book down.

Something didn't seem right to Naruto, he didn't feel good.

'I don't feel so good...I wasn't even using so much chakra...What's going on?'

He felt really hot, he felt his head and called Hinata for help. She knew something was wrong, Naruto's call was faint. She quickly ran upstairs and felt Naruto's forehead as she panicked, she put a thermometer in his mouth and waited to see how bad his fever was. She took it out and read it. It was 103 degrees, he needed medicine right away.

"Hinata, get Tsunade..." Naruto began to close his eyes, he was near to fainting. "I feel like I'm going to throw or somethin'"

Hinata ran out of the house as quickly as she could to go get Tsunade, Kakashi knew something was wrong seeing Hinata dash out of the house like that. He jumped to the top of the window and saw Naruto on the bed breathing heavily and sweating, he needed medicine as Kakashi sat on his bed and waited for help to arrive.

'He doesn't deserve this...Every few days he's ill, he might be bedridden if this keeps up' Kakashi put Naruto's head on his knee as he patted him gently, they sat waiting for help to arrive.

X X X

Tsunade came later in the evening, this was her fourth time checking to make sure Naruto was ok. She felt Naruto's head and put another icepack on it as he rested, Hinata held his hand close to her heart as she watched him sleep. The infection was getting worse, he was feeling the more moderate dose now. It was all unexpected and hard to figure out.

"I want him to be on bedrest but I know he would disagee..." Tsunade replied. "There isn't much I can do for this disease, It's just too complex.."

Kakashi sighed but smiled. "Losing this one here, it would be a loss to us all..."

Tsunade's eyes trailed Naruto, she took his pulse again. "He's alright for now...When he wakes up, give him more water and mecidine..."

"Tsunade, will Naruto have to be on bedrest?" asked Sakura, she looked at Naruto. "...This is just so...hard..."

Tsunade looked back at Naruto. "I might give him a choice but I think he should be incase he gets weaker...He might have a fever again.."

Naruto barely spoke. "No...I want...to-to train...I said...I would do it...no matter...what!"

Hinata grasped Naruto hand tighter. "Naruto! You're in no condition to keep going at training...You have to slow down!"

Naruto's eyes filled with tears. "Why am I...Getting weaker?!?! I don't want to be weak!"

Seeing Naruto cry made Hinata cry, she began to cry as she hugged Naruto. Tsunade sighed sadly and gave Naruto herbal medicine as he drank more water. He refused to drink anymore after having the herbal medicine, this worried Tsunade. He hadn't been drinking enough.

Hinata begged him to drink something, he refused. Tsunade had to give him another choice, it was either drink it by mouth or take it through IV fluids. She was leaning toward IV fluids if Naruto continued to not drink and refuse, she waited for his answer.

"What?!?! I don't want an IV!" Naruto growled, he was in bad mood. "I'm don't want to drink anything, I'm fine!"

"Naruto, you will get dehydrated if you don't drink enough water...Especially for someone in your condition...It can happen easily..." Tsunade explained, Naruto looked at her.

Naruto realized that he was getting too weak to do feed or care for himself and realized that he needed another way to get fluids. He sighed. "I want to do the second option..."

Tsunade nodded her head and left to go get the IV. As they waited Naruto played a game and watched Hinata the whole time to see how she was acting, she was right she had grown stronger from the first time she heard about Naruto's condition. It was great for him, he felt like he could get through this peacefully. He began to cough as Hinata gave him more mecidine.

"Hinata, you've stayed so strong these past months...I'm proud of you..." Hinata blushed, that was what she wanted Naruto say. "I've seen you change so much, I see more confidence.."

"Oh, Naruto..." She smiled as she hugged him tighter. "I love you so...much..."

"You're my first love, Hinata. I never really paid attention to how you blushed when you saw me...I must've been really stupid then!" Hinata laughed along with Naruto. "Now I see why..."

"I would always faint or hide from you..." Naruto laughed as he remembered when he was cooking in the kitchen with Hinata and she did it when he accidently put his arm around her. "It's so funny to look back on now."

Naruto continued laughing as Hinata smiled. "So, what have you been doing with your time?"

"Writing a book about...you..." Naruto eye's changed, he looked at Hinata. "I want to dedicate it to you...Naruto, you may not know it...But you inspire others..."

"Hinata...You've shown real respect to me...You're writing a book in my honor? " Naruto's eyes began glowing. "Thank you, Hinata...You are my true love..."

Hinata almost died, Naruto said that she was his true love and she was. "Oh Naruto, I know I am..."

"The thing is...Those people that the demon fox had wrecked their lives...They aren't going to miss me..." Naruto closed his eyes and sighed. "I forgive them, it's not my fault it happened.."

It warmed Hinata's heart to hear that Naruto had put all the demons he had to deal with behind him. She had told him even though he was slowly dying that he would lead a wonderful life in his trip to the afterlife. Naruto wasn't excited about dying but the thought of the afterlife seemed intresting to him and he wanted know what he'd do if he went there.

"I wonder if...I'll be the guardian of Konohamaru? That would be cool or I could be sent on missions..." Naruto contiuned listing what he would do. "...I wonder what it looks like?"

Hinata and Naruto continued talking like nothing was going wrong and had a few more laughs as Tsunade came back to take care of Naruto. When she finished, she put more herbal medicine on the table and patted Naruto's head as she left. Naruto smiled as Hinata looked out the window.

Time was of the essance, The rose had already lost five petals. It was begining to wilt.

That's Chapter 8, Please R&R.