"Does anyone know?"

"No."

"Not even Neji?"

"No."

"Hinata!" Naruto's voice was inaudible as he continued to cry. He sat on the bed next to her and cried on her shoulder, "Hinata, you're dying and you told no one?!"

"Naruto, it was that point in my life, I didn't want anyone to care about me." Hinata explained as she ran her fingers through his hair, "but whether I wanted anyone to or not, you came into my life and gave loving someone a whole different meaning. You were the best thing that ever happened to me, Naruto Uzumaki, and I love you so much. But what I have now... I can't go back. I've been going through treatment after treatment, they never worked. It's been a few months now, and this is just an omen for me, Naruto. I'm so sorry, I should've told you." Hinata cried, "I'm so sorry."

"I wanted..." Naruto shook his head, "I wanted to be able to start a family with you, get married, and prove Shikamaru wrong." Naruto chuckled, "he bet I couldn't get married in my life. Hinata, you're my world. I don't know what I'd do without you..."

Hinata smiled sadly as she kissed his sun-kissed hair, "you really are too much for me, Naruto Uzumaki."

"Hinata..." Naruto whispered, "I wish..."

"We all wish, Naruto."

"I wish that..." His voice cracked softly, "I wish I'd loved you sooner."

Hinata chuckled softly as she hugged his head into her chest, "I guess we won't be playing frisbee for a long while now. They expect me to stay here for a while."

"And I'll stay right here the whole way." Naruto cried, "you don't have long, do you?"

"Naruto, go, I'll be fine." Hinata sighed.

"I'm bringing Sasuke and Sakura, too. Hinata, we don't ever want to leave your side, now."

"Maybe it's for the best." Hinata sighed, "after everything that happened with Hidan, maybe it's the final thing that needs to be done before he's finally out of our life. Even that video. Everyone still thinks that's my fault."

"Hinata, these are your last days. We don't want you to feel like you're rejected. You've got all your past friends before Hidan. All of whom love you."

"No need to make a big deal for me." Hinata gripped his hand, "I want you to go out there and live your life like it's your last."

"But Hinata. It is your last." Naruto shook his head, then started to get up, "you know what? Stay here. I'm gonna go find Sasuke and Sakura and bring them here. They shouldn't be too far since we were just at your house a few hours ago."

"Okay." Hinata watched as Naruto jumped up off the hospital bed and ran out the door. She smiled as a tear fell from her eye and fell onto her lap. He never came back after that night. But she didn't really expect him to. She was fine the way it was now. She shut her eyes but didn't want to sleep. She knew the end was close, but now she was scared. Before this, she wanted to die. But Naruto completely changed everything. She didn't want to leave now. She wanted to be with him forever. But now...

Does this really have to end?

________________

"Hinata Hyuga?"

"Yes?"

The nurse poked her head into Hinata's room the next morning, "you have a handful of visitors. Would you like me to let them in?"

"Uh..." Hinata was speechless. A handful?

"Hinata!" Naruto shouted from outside her hospital room, "it's me!"

"Yes." Hinata sat up straighter, "you can let them in."

"Hinata!"

She just stared in shock as, following Naruto into her room, was everyone. Sakura, Sasuke, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Tenten, Lee, Shino, Kiba, and Neji, "Naruto, what did you..."

"We all heard." Ino smiled sadly.

Neji sat down next to her on the bed, "there's no way you can tell us to leave now, Hinata."

"What..." Hinata stared at them as tears filled her eyes, "you're making this so much harder for me, guys."

"That's okay." Sakura crossed her arms and tried to smile, "we like making things harder for you." Then she just couldn't hold back anymore. She wiped her eyes and cried, "damn, I told myself I wouldn't cry." She leaned down and hugged Hinata, "we finally got the old Hinata back, and then you have to leave us all over again. It's just not fair, life's not fair!"

Sasuke put his hand on her shoulder and sighed, "Sakura, you said you wouldn't..."

"Sorry, Sasuke." Sakura sighed and wiped her eyes as she stepped back, "I really couldn't help myself."

Hinata grinned a little and wiped her own eyes.

"Hey, Hinata."

She looked up at Sasuke and bit her lip as he held out the same frisbee the four of them always played with. She laughed a little as he tossed the frisbee to her and she caught it.

"You won, Hinata." Sasuke smiled, "you and Naruto."

"You're my girl, Hinata." Naruto grinned, "now..."

"Huh?"

Shikamaru chuckled as he pulled out what looked like a Bible, "did you know you can become an ordained minister by taking an online quiz thing? I did it in ten minutes."

"Okay, you can stop showing off, Shikamaru..." Kiba coughed.

"As your legal guardian." Neji added, "I've given him my permission."

Hinata looked around so confused, "What?"

"Here. It doesn't seem right unless I'm next to you." Naruto moved over so he was standing next to her hospital bed, then he grabbed both her hands.

Hinata laughed weakly between coughs, "just tell me what's going on."

"Naruto Uzumaki." Shikamaru cleared his throat, "do you take Hinata Hyuga as your lawfully wedded wife?"

The blonde idiot grinned a bright smile and nodded, "yup!"

"So are you, Hinata Hyuga, absolutely certain you'd like to take this moron as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Yes!" Hinata cried, "I am!"

"Sorry I couldn't find anything nicer. It was really last minute, but..." Naruto chuckled as he slid a diamond ring onto Hinata's ring finger.

"It's beautiful." Hinata wiped her eyes and looked at it, "Naruto, I love you!"

"I love you too, Hinata."

Shikamaru stepped aside, "yeah, I don't really need to tell you. Go ahead."

They all laughed as Naruto and Hinata came together and kissed, sealing their love and their somewhat unofficial marriage.

It was all way too good to be true. I got to marry the man I love. I got to toss a bouquet that Ino brought me from her family's flower shop. Of course, it wasn't a coincidence that Sakura caught the bouquet. She and Sasuke couldn't be happier. Who knew? I also got to catch the frisbee for the last time. I cried the entire day. We shared a small wedding cake made for ten growing teenagers plus Choji and Naruto, and the rest of the day, as weak as I was already feeling, I spent every final minute with all of them. Even as I felt my chest getting heavier and heavier with each breath, even as I heard the monitor going crazy. I told them not to get any doctors. I told them not to help me. I'd fulfilled my lifelong wishes. I reached my hand out to Naruto for the last time, catching a glimpse of the barcode still tattooed to my wrist, permanently marking my fate, but he still held it tight. Then Neji grabbed a hold of it, refusing to ever let go. Followed by Sakura, Sasuke, and everyone else, until they were all standing around me, holding my hand, as I slipped away. What made me happier more than ever isn't just this feeling of being loved, but the sight of seeing Naruto's reassuring smile that told me I'm going to be fine. That I'm... going... To be...

Fine...

...

Ha.

You were right,

Naruto.

I really wish...

I'd loved you sooner.

________________________

"Excuse me, are you Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yes."

"Well, you see..." The doctor held up a clipboard, "are you aware that a few hours ago, your..."

"Wife."

The doctor looked at him strangely, "your wife... Passed away?"

"Yes." Naruto looked away silently, "you haven't gotten rid of the body?"

"Well, we can't."

Naruto tilted his head, "why not? You don't need to dissect her, she had cancer. It's not--"

"Has she not told you?"

"About the cancer? No I didn't find out until yesterday."

"Oh, she must've never told you. I wonder if she even knew." The doctor slipped the clipboard under his arm. Then the three words that slipped out was like a blow to Naruto's stomach.

"I'm sorry... I don't think I heard you right."

"I meant what I said. We thought it was a strange tumor, but, nope. And if we buried her like this, they'd die."

"'They'?!"

"Oh, yeah, there are two." The doctor chuckled.

"A-Are you sure they're mine?! I mean, I did... Sleep with her once, but... She was raped by another guy about a month back, and..."

"Well, if it were that long ago, I think she would've found out by now." The doctor shrugged, "and they're still alive. If we don't do anything about it now, they might die. So if you'd like us to--"

"Yes! Please! Can you save them?"

"Yes, if we act now." The doctor nodded, "we'll go have them extracted right away." Then he hurried off, leaving Naruto in the hallway of the hospital, astonished.

She... She was... Naruto's throat was dry.

She was pregnant... All this time...

Naruto smiled as fresh tears ran down his cheeks.