Hola! Sorry I was gone so long! I was sick. The good thing was I got outta school for a whole week!... But then I had a heck of a lotta homework to make up... But anyways! Chapter 22. Here ya go guys!
Oh, and since I haven't said it in a while; I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Well, I do own Rumiko, Ryo, and Tomuro. But other than that, nope.
Aishiteru, Hinata-chan
Chapter 22
~*~*~*~
I felt terrible. My head was killing me and my body ached even though I'd only been sitting in a bed for the past 4 days. My eyes felt so heavy with sleep, that I had no doubt that I would fall asleep at any minute.
The only problem was that I was sure I wouldn't be able to wake back up.
The staff at the hospital all knew I was doing badly. I could tell. The way they treated me was different. Even the people that thought I was the Kyuubi were being sincerely nice to me. Wow. All it took was for me to be on my death bed? Why didn't I think of that before?
Tsunade had to know that my time was almost up. Every time she came in to see me, her face would fill with so much sorrow, it would make me feel bad for being about to... But she only let that happen when she thought I wasn't looking. But I always was. I wanted to be able to remember her face when I…
No. I refuse to think that way. I have the utmost confidence that Hinata will come through for me. I just need to be more patient.
~*~*~*~
"Hinata, are you okay?"
I didn't know how to answer Sasuke. I had let all of the time I had to save my most important person slip away without giving it a second thought. I had promised my family a false promise of a home in Konoha. On top of all of that, I hadn't had any sleep in the past 4 days. So, to keep him from worrying, I nodded my head and forced a smile. My problems would have to wait until I got this antidote to Naruto. If I don't…
No. I will not think like that. I must believe that I will make to him in time. He has to make it through this. I have to be able to witness him fulfill his ultimate dream. I have to be able to go on a mission with him again; show him how much I've improved. I have to be able to… tell him how I feel.
That last thought pumped enough adrenaline into my veins to wipe all of my fatigue from my face, leaving only determination in its wake.
~*~*~*~
Naruto had been staring out his window for the past 5 minutes, staring at the street below, completely silent. I was starting to worry about if his condition was affecting his voice. But that suspicion was quickly thrown aside when he spoke to me.
"Kaa-san," he called.
Even though he was close to being lost to me, it still made me smile when he said that. "Yes, Sweetie?"
He turned toward me with such sadness in his eyes that it made me want to cry. "What… What do you think Hinata-chan thinks of me?"
I blinked in surprise. What kind of question was that? "Why do you want me to tell you?"
He shrugged slightly; I could tell it caused him pain. "I … I wanted to know before… Well, you know…"
"Naruto Uzumaki," I said sternly, making look up at me in shock. "You will NOT speak like that."
He blinked. "Demo, Kaa-san-"
"No. No ifs, ands, of buts about it. If you're going to talk like that, wait until I'm not present. I will not listen to you of all people give up like that."
He nodded slowly. I sighed and hugged him gently. He let out a breath of relief and relaxed into my touch.
"Gomenosai, Kaa-san."
~*~*~*~
"Rumiko-nee-chan."
I turned to my half cousin. "Yes, Hinata-chan?"
"Ano, you never told me how to apply the antidote."
I blinked before laughing sheepishly. "Oh, right. Sorry about that." Then I explained to her the different ways to apply the only antidote to my family's poison. "Drinking or pouring over the wound is both the same amount affective. It's better if the wound is fresh. But in your case, drinking would probably be the better solution."
She nodded before jumping ahead to talk to a shinobi with silver hair. As soon as she left, my father appeared next to me.
"Tou-san?"
He glanced at me for a second. But that's all I needed. I saw the nervousness, the hesitance, and the hatred in his eyes. He was really not into going back to Konoha. I understood why he would be nervous to return. I mean, if Hinata had read about my Kaa-san, then why wouldn't it be possible for them to know about us as well? If they thought we were only coming back to "disrupt" their clan again, would they react accordingly?
Those thoughts haunted me. Then, all too soon, I saw the gates that led to Konoha in the near distance.
~*~*~*~
I coughed into my hand. My head started to spin. The last thing I saw was Tsunade's panicked face as I noticed myself falling. Then, I felt that everything was about to go dark. I only had one thought echoing through my head.
'Hinata-chan... Gomenosai...'
OMG! They're at the gates of Konoha! Will Hinata make it in time?
Will Naruto be able to telll her how he feels if she does?
How will Tsunade react to hearing about Rumiko and Ryo?
Will I ever be able to actually ever update on time?!
We'll never know. ...Well, maybe we will know the 1st 3. XD
But until then, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!
ja ne,
-Tsunei-chan