The nurse hooks me up to an IV and I groan. The whole needle in my vein thing really doesn't do it for me. She tells me the usual; don't move, stay here for an hour, I'll be back once it's over. When she exits I grab my phone and text Gaara to come over here with Matsuri. Ten minutes later, Gaara is leaning on the wall and Matsuri is hovering over my bed asking me why I called them here.

"So, why exactly do you need me here?" She puts a hand on her hip and raises a brow.

"Well, Sakura and I planned to have a small get together this Thursday night. I have a teacher's workshop Friday so no school…you guys wanna come?" Gaara's eyes immediately light up.

"Yes. I will be there. Anything to get away from this place." He stares at Matsuri. "But, why does she have to come?"

"Well, she's friends with Sakura, and I don't want Sakura to be alone without a friend." I try to reason with Gaara.

"I'm her friend." He states.

He's like a two year old I swear.

"I'm coming." We all look over at Matsuri.

"No you're not." Gaara shoots back. She turns around and meets his eyes.

"Naruto invited me too, so I'm going to come." She says it like she's explaining it to a two year old… A two year old with a murderer's aurora.

"Can't get enough of me, eh?"

"It's my job. And it would be nice to just take a break from this job and have some fun for once." Gaara opens his mouth to say something, but Matsuri beats him to it." And no, taking care of you is everything but fun." Gaara's head falls in defeat. "I'm loads of fun." He mutters and Matsuri's left eye twitches. Before someone gets hurt, I decide to intervene.

"Okay awesome! So I'll give you guys the time and address once I ask my parents."

"So this isn't even official?" Gaara mutters from the corner of the room.

"It will be! My parents will definitely agree." I say trying to defend myself.

"Text me the deets." Gaara says and heads out the door.

Matsuri follows, trying not to lose sight of him.

I can hear them arguing in the hallways.

"STOP FOLLOWING ME! I'M GOING TO THE BATHROOM. HA CAN'T FOLLOW ME THERE! I WIN THIS ROUND."

I laugh. Oh, they're hopeless.

My mom sets the food down on the table. She cooked roast beef, with shining gold potatoes, and oozing gravy. Looks delicious and I can't wait to dig in. My dad says a small grace and we begin to eat. I take small bites hoping that my stomach will be okay with it. I feel kind of queasy after chemo so hopefully I won't have a night time date with the toilet tonight.

"I have a question to ask you guys." I say in between bites.

"Don't eat with your mouth full Naruto." My mom scolds pointing her fork at me. I chew before speaking again.

"Sorry. But, I want to know if tomorrow I can have a few friends over?" I say wiping my mouth with a napkin, proving to my mom that I have manners. The room goes quiet and my mother sighs.

"Naruto, I understand you want to have friends over…but we're busy tomorrow." She says quickly obviously lying at being busy. I groan.

"Mom, we aren't busy tomorrow and we all know it." I say matter of factly and take a nibble of my roast beef.

"No is no, Naruto." My mom says firmly and resumes eating her dinner.

"But, why not?" I whine. My dad takes in a breath and glares daggers at me.

"Naruto please look at yourself! You barely managed to make it down the stairs today, you've been limping for quite a while now and yes I know for you it's walking, but it's obviously painful. You throw up every meal you eat, you nibble at your food and say your full, and whenever you come home from school you collapse on the couch and don't move until I carry you upstairs. I understand that you want to continue living your life like you used to, but I think you've gone too far. Naruto you're sick, and not just with a flu, but you have cancer. I know for a fact that you have been overdoing it, I got a call from your soccer coach the other day. I wanted to drop the topic and not bother with it, but you seriously need a wakeup call! How could you participate in soccer knowing that you have bone cancer?! Naruto no wonder your state has weakened! You need to start taking better care of yourself, unless you're asking for death." He practically yells and my mouth drops open.

He found out that I did soccer?! I start to nervously look at my father and mother. My mother nods in agreement with my dad. My dad then pushes his chair back and proceeds to clean his dishes. I push my chair back as well, and wobble to the stairs. I'm halfway up the stairs when my knees give out on me and I grip the railing for dear life.

"Naruto, you okay?" My mother shouts worriedly from the kitchen.

"Never better!" I yell sarcastically and pull myself to my feet. The bitter pain in my sore knees is making the walk up the stairs agonizing. I stumble to my room and I collapse on the bed, panting and sweaty. As I lay there staring up at my white ceiling I take into thought what my dad said, he is right. My bones have started to ache more, and soccer definitely did not help my condition. What was I thinking? I guess I wanted to fit in, and deny the fact that I have cancer. I think I did soccer because I wanted to force myself to believe that cancer couldn't get in my way. I forced myself to plaster a smile on my face and hide my pain so that I could continue living a normal life. That's why I went on mall a trip, that's why I forced myself to try out for soccer, that's why, well the list is endless. But, I guess cancer is really getting the best of me.

I curl up into a ball on my bed, and lay there for a good while letting my thoughts get the best of me. I hear someone come into my room and my bed shakes slightly as someone sits down. Warm hands pat my back.

"Naruto, why don't you get ready for bed?" My mother says sweetly. I nod my head into my bed sheets and struggle up. A sigh of relief escapes my lips once I've managed to sit up and not fall over from exhaustion.

"I can manage myself mom. Goodnight." I say and give her a nod. She doesn't budge and places my left arm over her shoulder.

"Come on, I'll help you to the bathroom."

As we walk to the bathroom, my knees crunch and crack. The bitter pain of bending them is excruciating and I put most of my support on my mom's lean shoulders. We both head into the bathroom where I brush my teeth and get ready for bed. She helps me into bed and I relax once the warm sheets sink into my figure. My mom kisses my forehead and heads out the door. She's a lifesaver. Once she's gone I reach for my phone and text Gaara, Matsuri, and Sakura.

N: Hey you guys, it's Naruto. I have to cancel tomorrow's plans, sorry. I'm not feeling too well.

M&S: Feel better Naruto!

S: JINX MATSURI!

M: JINX SAKURA!

N: haha thanks you guys

G: Lies Uzumaki.

N: …

G: Three dots?

N: umm

G: I'm being sarcastic.

N: Why am I not surprised

G: I'll see you at chemo Friday. Get better.

M: Oh no you won't you're staying in your room.

G: I swear my nurse treats me like a caged animal.

N: Well goodnight you guys!

I click my phone off before an argument begins and roll over in my bed. Hopefully I can get a goodnight's rest.

It's around 4:30 am that I wake up feeling bile rise up in my throat. I throw off my covers and force my aching feet to race to the toilet. I'm doubled over, vomiting up my previous meals. I hear the door to my bathroom open, and the lights flicker on. Long strands of red hair come into vision and there is a hand on my back. She yells to my dad to get a cold towel and keeps rubbing circles on my very sweaty back. Once I'm done vomiting she cleans up my mouth and tells me to rinse with mouthwash. I do as she instructs and my mom leads me to the bed. She takes off my sweaty shirt and pulls a new one over my head. I don't argue and in the next 30 seconds I'm wearing new pajamas and there is a cold towel on my head. I hear questions being asked, but am way too tired to respond. I just mumble an, "I'm fine." And I feel lips press against my forehead. My dad just pats my leg gently and they're off to their room. I fall asleep, knowing I have to get up in about two hours and get ready for school. Ugh.

Thursday, second period.

I'm sitting in one of the stalls in the boy's bathroom trying to keep myself from punching a hole in the wall. I can't take it anymore. During my first period class, the minute I walked in people fell silent and just stared at me. It was a pretty uncomfortable situation. I heard whispers saying, "He has cancer right?" or "I thought he was dying…why is he in school?" So I just sat at my desk trying not to make eye contact with anyone. I saw Suigetstu steal some nervous glances at me, but when I looked over, he immediately looked away. Guess he felt bad for ridiculing me. Karin on the other hand, sat as far away as possible from me. It's like she thinks I'm contagious. When I walked by her desk she froze and I heard her hold her breath. What an idiot. And to top it all off, Kiba won't even talk to me like he used to. I guess it's hard to be friends with someone who's supposed to die any minute. The only real appreciation I get from him is small chat and those eyes beaming with pity. He can't even keep a solid conversation without zoning out or making sure he's not too close to me. Come to think of it, I see those eyes everywhere I go and I despise it. I'm not dead, so they shouldn't treat me like I'm a walking ghost.

So, that's why I'm sitting on the toilet lid trying to keep myself calm. I am literally such an idiot. Why did I even bother to tell anyone that I have cancer…I was doing so well too. Keeping it a secret and all. I run a hand through my rough hair and notice that it's getting a lot shorter. Come to think of it, I haven't been paying much attention to my appearance now a days, so maybe I really am going bald. That's just what I need. I slouch over and bang my fists on my thighs. Why did I have to get cancer? Sure they don't know the cause, but why me? I lived a pretty good life. I'm always nice to people, I didn't really cause any problems, my grades are decent, and…and…I…I don't deserve this. I don't freaking deserve this. I dig my finger nails into my thighs and clench my teeth. I feel the skin on my thighs begin to tear and my finger nails are bent. This is ridiculous, what am I doing? I shoot up and slam the stall door open. I don't need to pity myself, whatever.

I head to the sink and splash cold water on my face. I don't even bother to look into the mirror, I probably look ugly as heck. I walk out of the bathroom and head out the school doors. I can't go back to school, not after what happened today. I hear a teacher yell at me, but I ignore him and limp through the school parking lot. Once I'm in my car I check the time. 10:30 am. Gosh, I just want nighttime to come already. I start the engine and head somewhere where I can find company.

The door jingles when I limp in.

"Hello, Welcome to McDonald's may I…Naruto?"

She's confused to see me here and blows away a strand of hair that's crept its way onto her slim face. I walk towards her and dig both of my hands into my pockets. She puts a hand on her hip.

"Are you skipping school?" She practically hisses. "You can't do that!" A finger is waved in front of my face and I pretend to bite it. She pulls away and gives me an annoyed glare.

"I'm not skipping school…well maybe." I give her a sly smile and she whacks me with a handkerchief. I move out of the way and she pouts. "But, I just don't think I'll be going to school anymore…" My eyes trail the counter, making sure I don't meet her eyes.

"Is it the…cancer?" She asks afraid to say the word. I stop shifting my weight from one foot to the other and it's as if my world freezes. It's all because of the cancer. I thought I had a good survival rate…I thought things were getting better and not until now I realize that things are just getting worst. I've lost a huge amount of weight, I'm unable to exercise, I can't even eat a proper meal without vomiting. For goodness's sakes, I'm really dying. I signed up for soccer, which reduced my survival chances even more. I am such an idiot I literally hate myself.

I grab the counter with both hands and take raspy breaths. The thought of death rings in my head and I feel my legs numb. I stare at my hands with widened eyes and try to push the thought away. Will I die? Will I freaking die at the age of sixteen? No. I want to live longer, and Granny hasn't told me it's all over yet. Or is she hiding it from me? All these thoughts distract me from noticing when Sakura grabs my hand and rubs small circles with her thumb. Her soft skin feels foreign against my rough hands. I feel hot tears rolling down my face. Was I crying? I quickly wipe away my tears that I hadn't even noticed were spilling. I take in a deep breath and look up at Sakura who has a worried expression on her face.

"Naruto, I'm so sorry." She apologizes and her voice seems to somehow sooth me. I calm down and realize I must be holding up the line. I pull my hand away from hers and move to the side. She blinks at the sudden movement and realizes why I had done it. Quickly, she takes off her apron and tells someone she's going on a quick break. The girl next to her looks me up and down and nods to Sakura. She thanks her and rushes over to me. Taking my hand she leads me to a booth and we both sit down. The relief of letting my legs rest feels amazing, and I lean my head back.

"Thank you Sakura." I say taking a deep breath and closing my eyes. "I kind of panicked back there. But I feel much better now." I add so that she won't have to worry too much. I notice her posture relax.

"I didn't mean to bring that up…I wasn't really thinking." She apologizes and looks at her own hands.

"It's not your fault, I just…realized that I actually might be-" I barely choke out the word."Dying." I run a hand through my hair nervously and let out a breath. The air between us becomes tense and I feel bad for dragging Sakura into my depression like state.

"Naruto…" She tries to look for something to say, but nothing comes.

"It's okay, I shouldn't think like that. Don't worry Granny is a great doctor!" I say putting on my million dollar grin. "I don't know what's gotten into me." I say a little quieter. Sakura pushes her hair out of her face and grabs my hand tightly.

"You're going to be okay Naruto. I know it." She says sternly, and her grip on my hand intensifies. Her eyes are serious; she really means what she's saying. "Okay?" She loosens her grip and her hands lay, almost like feathers, in my hands. I'm shocked at the sudden concern and genuine care.

"Okay." I say confidently and she relaxes smiling. I can't help but smile back. Her smile is just, contagious. We sit there for a little while just enjoying each other's company and trying to believe the words that were just exchanged. And for some reason I feel like maybe, just maybe, everything will be okay.

8:30 pm.

I've been standing shirtless, looking into my bathroom mirror for a good thirty minutes now. I can't even recognize myself. My skin is snow pale. So white, you could roll it up and make a snowman out of me. It looks translucent, like glass. My eyes are baggy and it looks like I haven't slept for days, which is partially true. My ribs poke out of my dying skin. My arms look like sticks and the skin around my elbows kind of just sags a bit. The six pack I worked so hard to achieve looks foreign along my boney stomach. The glistening glow my flesh used to have is now pale and looks sick. I feel like a skeleton. My jaw bones are prominent and I feel disgusting. And on top of that my hair is a ton shorter than it used to be. How could someone possibly like me, if I look like this? I put on some bronzing lotion, which actually helps give my skin back the glow it used to have, and I race to my mom's bathroom to look for some concealer. I am well aware that I am a boy, but with baggy purple eyes like these I couldn't possibly show myself. Actually it's been awhile since I looked into a mirror…did I look like this all the time? I shove the concealer on and rub it in until it looks somewhat natural. I'm not even going anywhere tonight, but I want to look good for my own satisfaction. I move over to my dresser and throw on my comfiest pajamas. It is the first week of October, so fuzzy socks feel appropriate.

I stand before the mirror examining myself. I look pretty decent. The bronze lotion definitely did the trick and the concealer…could be better but not too bad. Oh who am I kidding? I look like a corpse. I fix my pajama shirt a bit and head downstairs. My parents are sitting on the couch watching a movie and I sit down on the smaller sofa to the left of them. Halfway into the movie I get a text from…Hinata. My heart flutters as her name pops up on my screen. Okay, I know I told Sasuke I'm over her, but some part of me still kind of likes her. I mean, if you like someone since birth, it is pretty hard to just let them go. I open the text and read.

H: Hey Naruto. I know we don't talk much, but how are you?

I can't help, but get giddy. My eyes light up and I smile a bit.

N: I'm good, how are you?

H: Doing well. I'm so sorry to hear about your cancer. :(

N: Oh that? Don't even worry about it, I'm doing much better!

Okay, maybe not much better, but I want to have a solid conversation. I've heard enough about my cancer.

H: That's good news! I'm really sorry about the way Sasuke treated you…it must have been hard on you.

N: It's okay.

This conversation is becoming some kind of pity talk. I shift my weight in my chair and begin to feel kind of annoyed. Can't she just talk to me about something else?

H: Yeah, so I know this might sound kind of blunt, but Sasuke told me that you used to like me and we're kind of in an argument now. Do you maybe want to hang out?

My eyes widen at the text as I read it carefully about ten times. She just wants to hang out with me because her and Sasuke are in an argument…and because she feels bad about my cancer. I'm now really annoyed. This is the girl I've been crushing on for the longest time now, and when I'm about to die she uses me as a rebound. Maybe Hinata Hyuga isn't the shy, sweet, little girl I fell for.

N: Is this some kind of joke?

H: Of course not! Why would you think that?

I punch in my next text, my anger rising.

N: Because you've never once reached out to me, and I'm sure I wouldn't be your next pick for a rebound. Are you only doing this out of pity? Did Sasuke make you do this?

The little iMessage bubble pops up a few times and then disappears. I put my phone down and wait for a reply that doesn't come. It was obviously set up, Hinata would never just reach out to me by choice. She's been avoiding me ever since Sasuke started dating her. To be completely honest why do I even try with Hinata anymore? She's obviously not into me, what's even the point of trying to chase after her. I don't need a girlfriend, I should be more focused on getting better than getting a girl.

I get up from my chair and almost fall over. The pain in my knees is really becoming unbearable these days. My dad shoots up from the couch and races over to catch my limp body.

"I'll help you up the stairs." I climb onto his back and he carries me up the stairs. He sets me down on the bed and I realize that I'm still wearing all of the lotion and concealer. My dad sits down on my desk chair and examines my face.

"Are you wearing your mother's makeup?" He asks raising an eyebrow. A small smile creeps up and forms on his lips. I flush in embarrassment.

"Well, I mean I've been looking like a dead corpse these days, so I thought maybe I could try and hide my flaws." I say feeling the redness in my cheeks fade. My dad blinks a few times in surprise at my response.

"I'm going to go wash this off." I say struggling to stand on my feet. He's about to help me, but I swat his hand away and make way to the bathroom door. Once I'm in the bathroom I lean my hands on the sink and take deep breaths. Okay, this whole walking thing is really becoming difficult. I splash cold water on my face and rub the makeup so that it comes off. It's a lot harder than I thought and I end up destroying one of my towels. It's plastered in brown concealer and bronzer lotion. I toss the towel in the waste bin. No one will know. When I'm finished I head back into my room and fall into my bed. The pain in my knees eases and I immediately relax.

I have a difficult time falling asleep that night. I can't help, but think about what just happened earlier today. I mean, Hinata texted me. Hinata Hyuga. I thought I'd be all happy and excited after finishing our conversation, but I feel disappointed, a bit crushed actually. I always thought that she would be sweet and caring, that after hearing about my cancer she'd be the one to hold my hand, to visit me, to aid me, to just be there. But, she just pities me like everyone else and doesn't look at me as a person, but at the cancer that's eating at me. When I went to school today, everyone was afraid. Afraid that at any given moment I could burst and the ambulance would have to come and stick tubes in me so that I wouldn't die, even my best friend was afraid to get near me. And Hinata didn't even look me in the eyes today at school. She just pretended that I wasn't there. I've been chasing a girl that's been avoiding me and doesn't have the slightest interest in me. Why did I not realize this sooner?

I push Hinata out of my mind. I don't like her, I won't like her. She doesn't care about me; if she cared she would reach out to me before I had cancer.

I fall asleep, hoping that Hinata scoots her way out of my mind.

Author's Note: Hey fellow readers! So hopefully y'all like this chapter. I read through some of the reviews and revised my story. Thanks for the tips, really helped me set my story straight and helped smooth out some rough edges. I know I made Hinata sound like a jerk, but Sasuke is desparate to make Naruto happy (I mean come on he's been being so mean to him, he's like trying to make it up to him by letting him become close with Hinata). It's like the least Sasuke can do since he thinks Naruto's gonna die. So that's why Hinata is asking him to hang out and stuff, and obviously was forced into it by her boyfriend. And that also was the reason Naruto decided to just end his love for Hinata. Like he wasn't really into her too much but this event just put all that to an end. Like omg we can finally get some narusaku love going! xD Also, sorry that this chapter is so short. School has started and I'm more busy than ever...so no more freakishly long chapters. Probably when I'm on break I'll write more and this weekend is a long weekend so I might have another chapter up before Tuesday. Well that's all I have to say for now. Once again, this is my FIRST STORY, so please don't be too harsh in the comments. I'm trying to improve with each chapter (which hopefully is somewhat noticeable) so like tips are good but don't be rude. It honestly ruins my mood so if you have critism or something be polite, please. And if you don't like this story, I totally respect that, just read it hate it and move on. Okay, now I'm off. Until next chapter, toodles~