𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐨 𝐔𝐳𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢 𝐗 𝐅𝐞𝐦!𝐔𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐡𝐚!𝐎𝐜 ── ❝ 𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 ❞
── Misaki could never have anticipated what awaited her in the years to come-her tumultuous feelings, her fractured famil...
"What happened?" The urgency in his voice shattered the fragile silence huddled between us.
I had frozen, my mind racing with the weight of my secret. I knew I needed to face up and tell Naruto about my illness, but fear gripped me at what might happen later on, how he would react. "Misa?" he asked again, worry etched on his features.
I kept looking down at the ground as I answered him nervously, "That thing I have to tell you. it has something to do with. that," I said very, very slowly. "The pills I'm taking aren't vitamins." I muttered under my breath, hardly audible.
"Tell me, Misa," Naruto persisted, worry lacing his tone.
My throat seemed to swell with a thick lump as my arms folded over each other, hands gripping at my elbows, my breathing suddenly deepening. Then I felt Naruto's hands around the tops of my upper arms, and at his touch, I suddenly relaxed, stepping closer, wordless support.
"I should've died this year," I muttered again as his face paled, feeling my own eyes prick with tears. "The pills Tsunade gives me, they've given me an extra four years. But... I'll be dead soon." It all spilled out, each word heavier than the last.
Naruto's grip on my arms tightened a little as he bored into my eyes, looking for any glimmer of hope. "What do you mean, Misa?" he asked, his voice trembling. "There has to be something we can do. Tsunade, she can find a cure, right? There has to be some way to save you."
I finally shook my head, letting the tears break loose down my cheeks. "She's tried, Naruto. She has tried everything. The pills are just buying me time, but it's not enough and I'm running out of time."
Naruto contorted his face in desperation. "No, there has to be another way. We'll find it, Misa. I promise you, we will find a way to save you. I won't let you die."
That determination in his eyes, though comforting, rubbed in the reality of my situation all that much more. I reached up and laid my hand against his cheek, my thumb brushing away his own tears that had begun to fall. "Naruto, you have to understand. I've accepted this. I don't want to leave you, but. I don't have a choice."
I haven't accepted it.
He shook his head wildly, reaching up to cup my face. "No way, I refuse that. You're not going anywhere, Misa. We will find a way. No matter how long it takes or what we gotta do. I won't lose you."
I leaned into his touch, closing my eyes and trying to garner some of his resolute determination. "Naruto..." I whispered, my voice cracking. "But you have to promise me one thing. Promise me you'll live your life to the fullest even if... even if I am not there."
