Hey there, back again! :) I would have uploaded this sooner, but I wanted to let the last one stew a bit... (and I got distracted by movies... shh, don't tell anyone ^^) Anyways, as I told you, it's gonna get kind of more serious, so be prepared, but I encourage you to continue reading! Also, these chapters are going to be shorter than the previous ones... Believe me, in the future, you'll thank me :) Oh, and I'd like to thank all that have read and reviewed and added this story to their favorites. Thanks for all the support and all da love ^o^ Anyways,
Enjoy!
The group all met outside the hospital, most of them with flowers in hand. Hinata clutched onto Naruto's arm, both for moving and to keep from calm. They were all silent as they walked inside the hospital. It had taken a lot of convincing from Sakura, but finally it was Ino who convinced the people working at the hospital to let Naruto in with the others to see her. Sakura met them by the front desk. Everyone but Hinata could see she hadn't gotten much sleep; there were deep bags under her eyes, and they were red and puffy from crying. Her hair also didn't look like she had brushed it in a few days, and she barely had any makeup on. Sasuke approached her first, taking her hand comfortingly. She nodded and attempted to give a small smile, but it came out more like a grimace.
"I'll show you to her room," she said in a shaky, weak, and just plain tired voice. Hinata couldn't see Sakura, but she could guess at her appearance by her voice, and her heart dropped.
"C'mon, Hinata," Naruto murmured in her ear, carefully pulling her to follow the others. Hinata could hear the worry and sadness in his voice, but remained silent, instead choosing to nod and allow him to lead her. They walked in solemn silence, and Kiba glanced around the group. They all, even Lee, didn't make a sound or attempt at making a joke to lighten the mood. Not that he could blame any of them; he hadn't known any of the group for long, but already for some reason he didn't feel like leaving them, even if this was a lot to handle already. Shino had seemed to come to the same, quiet conclusion.
The group reached a room at the end of the hallway, Room 109. The door was open, but Sakura knocked on the door frame anyway.
"Come in." The voice was cheerful, but everyone could tell it held hidden pain. They all entered timidly, and their hearts broke at the sight of Ino. Her head was wrapped in a bright blue bandana, which seemed to match her still bright but tired eyes, giving her a more mature look than should belong to a teenager, and she wore a white hospital gown, which matched everything white and sterile in the room. Everyone gathered around hesitantly, Sakura immediately going to her side and taking her hand, Sasuke right beside her. Ino smiled when she saw Naruto hesitate, shifting uncomfortably.
"Come here, Naruto, Hinata," she said, tapping the other side of the bed. Naruto looked uncertain for a moment before walking to her side, pulling Hinata close beside him. Ino smiled up at him before turning to the others.
"Thanks for coming, guys," she said, "It means a lot to me, it really does." Everyone could tell she was sincere, and if they looked close enough, they could spot the small gathering of tears at the bottom of her eyes. This made almost everyone else tear up, and Sasuke squeezed Sakura's hand comfortingly. Ino smiled sadly, forcing her tears back and taking a deep breath.
"I guess you guys wanna know the story, huh?" No one said anything, but no one had to. Ino nodded and looked down at her hands, which picked at the bed sheets covering the lower half of her body.
"I had cancer about five years ago. I went through chemo, battled it, and it went away. But then… it started to come back. I battled it again, and it went away for a little. But then it came back, worse. I now have terminal cancer. I'm not going to go into the details, of course, sense I know you've got the gist of it. This time, though, I will not be doing chemo." Sakura shook her head and shut her eyes tight, though a few tears escaped down her face. Ino looked sadly at her and rubbed the back of her hand with her thumb.
"Why not?" Naruto snapped, and though he sounded angry, sorrow was easily detected in his voice. Hinata fought her tears back and clutched Naruto's hand. Ino sighed.
"I know it may seem like I'm giving up," she said, picking at the covers again before looking Naruto straight in the eye, "But I'm not. I am choosing my own destiny. I don't want to spend the rest of my life on chemo. This isn't going to go away. It's going to keep coming back, and back, and back, until finally it's had enough. But I'm not going to put my body, or the people I love, through that. You have to make hard decisions sometime in your life, and this is one of mine."
Naruto stared at the determination in Ino's eyes before looking away. Ino smiled and reached out her free hand to him. He grabbed it with the hand that wasn't holding Hinata's and looked at Ino again.
"You're one of the most amazing people I've ever met, Naruto," she stated, smiling sincerely at him, "But one thing you have to remember is that your past is not what defines you. It's what you build yourself in the present and for your future is what makes you who you really are. You have such a sweet disposition and want to help others even though what you've been through. That makes you the most courageous person I've ever met. I believe you're going to do great things, and be a greater person even that you are now, and so does everyone here."
Naruto looked down, and Ino raised her hand to tilt his chin up, and everyone saw tears streaming down from his watery blue eyes. Ino smiled at him and turned to Hinata. She reached out and touched the girl's hand, and Hinata jumped a little.
"Hinata," Ino said, giggling a little, "Another amazing person. You've changed so many people without even knowing it. I mean, you may not have realized it, but everyone came together because of you, and partly because of Naruto's ability to never back off of people even when they get as annoyed as Sasuke." Everyone laughed at this, and Hinata giggled. Ino smiled again.
"You have a large heart," she said, "One of the largest I've found in a while. Alone you were able to unlock every person's secrets here, and let them trust in you and each other. A little love goes a long way, Hina. It's your choice whether or not you want to pass it on." Hinata sniffled and took her hands away from both Naruto and Ino to raise them and slip her glasses off. Naruto immediately grasped them, and she let him take them.
"I-I wish I could see y-you," Hinata whispered, her gray, glassy orbs flowing with tears. Ino smiled.
"You don't know how much you can truly see without your eyes, Hina," she replied. Hinata sniffled again, and Ino smiled before turning to Sakura. Ino rubbed her hand comfortingly, and Sakura raised her watery eyes to meet Ino's gaze.
"You're my best friend, Sakura," she told her, "You've been with me through everything. You were there for me when I thought no one else was. You were my base, my crutch that I used to hold on to real life. You gave and still give me hope, Sakura. And I thank you for that. You're a fantastic person, and don't ever let yourself believe any different. I love you, you know that, right?" Sakura wiped her eyes and smiled, nodding. She reached down and wrapped her arms around Ino, who hugged her back with a smile. They let go and Ino looked over at Sasuke with a small smile.
"Your also an amazing person," she said, "Being able to hold that huge burden on your shoulders. But you have friends now, so you can all share the burden. Appreciate it, because it's not every day that you'll find people who can and are willing to help such heavy burdens together. Just don't ever channel it into anger, all right? There's always a better solution." Ino's smile turned mischievous for a moment.
"And you take care of my Sakura, you hear? No making her sad!" Everyone laughed and Sasuke smiled and nodded while Sakura blushed and wiped her eyes. Ino smiled at her friend and took her hand once again.
"There's the Sakura I missed," she murmured, her smile growing, "The sweet, happy-go-lucky girl that would still protect her friends no matter what." Sakura smiled back at her friend, and Ino turned to the others.
"You're all amazing in your own way," she stated, before laughing, "I hope I haven't used that word so much that it's lost its value! But all of you, please, remember that you have each other, and never let each other go for petty things. Remember what's important in life. Remember each other. Alright? I'm making you all promise me right now! C'mon, cross your hearts! Do it!" Everyone crossed their hearts and promised, most smiling at Ino's antics. She smiled and lay back against the bed frame, for once looking even more tired than she had when they came in.
"We should go," Sasuke murmured in Sakura's ear. She sighed and nodded, turning to her friend.
"We'll see you later, I," she said, smiling half-heartedly. Ino returned the smile and nodded.
"I'll see you all later." They all exchanged their good-byes and exited. Hinata felt cool air reach her face as they stepped outside and stopped. Naruto, who was still holding her hand, looked back at her with a frown.
"Something wrong, Hinata?" She paused a moment.
"D-Don't you w-want to see I-Iruka?" Naruto glanced back at the building and rubbed the back of his head.
"I don't…. think it would help at the moment," he said cautiously. Hinata was silent for a second before nodding, walking to his side and once again letting him lead her away.
There we goesssssss. :) I hope you liked it! Oh btw, I wasn't really pleased with the title of the last chapter, so if you have any suggestions, let me know! I was just SOOO excited to get it uploaded and updated that I didn't spend long on the name :P Anyways, again I hope you liked it, and again, thanks for reviewing and things! See ya!