Stitching the Gaps

Growing Boy

Years Later

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I remember the time at the hospital like it was yesterday. Well, it was yesterday. I went for a check up. The doctors observed the heart in my chest in different x-ray pictures. She pointed out that the heart I was born with had a hole at the lower side of my heart.

Soon as my doctor told my parents about that, they didn't make a big deal about it. To them, I had a healthy lifestyle. Pretty sure that they didn't want me to think to hard about it. I didn't understand at the time when I was young.

Years ago, when the temperature dropped, I felt sick for a week. But it wasn't as bad as it seems. The outside of my body didn't show any signs that I had caught a fever. Until a few days later, I couldn't take as much air as I needed. Then I went through fatigue stage that my parents called in the visiting physician service. One doctor came in suggesting that I need more rest. Mom didn't like the sound of that. After the doctor took off, my mother kept me up on my feet.

So that very week, I have been running around playing. Enjoying my youth. I mostly tried to fit in my second grade year. Like I mentioned before, it was hard to befriend with other kids in second grade. I was home schooled as a preschooler to first grade. Itachi persuaded our parents that it was time for me to attend school at age seven. Mother regretted that year because I was too antisocial and OCD.

Not my fault I was under influence of a clean freak. Itachi and our mother. Every recess break, this kid would run to the back where it's green to catch bugs and collect them in one single jar. Each creepy crawly straws of legs climbing up his wrist to the tip of his fingers were disgusting.

Ugh. Gives me shivers just by imagining it.

Anyway, a group of kids asked me to play cops and robbers. Of course, at the time, I didn't want to play but they kept on begging. I'm like, why not. It won't hurt to fit in. So I played.

I ran to have fun. I ran to smile with others. I ran for experience. I ran to understand the meaning why a lot different people around me. I ran for my life.

I collapsed when I was chase. My own heart that I was born with failed me. All because I was excite. I was being a kid. I ran too fast that my own heart couldn't keep up with me. My poor heart. I saw darkness at first. When I opened my eyes, I saw a blur of flashing red and blue lights. My could barely hear anything but people's voices. Screaming to wake up my limped body was scary. Yes, I questioned, talked, even cried for my body to do anything. To wake up.

The boat of death settled beside me. My time was due.

The surgery was successful. The heart donor's heart gave me life. Days flew by and I was taken to the ICU. Attached to three tubes in my chest, IV plugged in my veins, and a machine kept the heart monitored.

Lifeless isn't what I thought would feel so relaxing. Because when I woken up, I thought I was a new person.

That was years ago. While being hospitalized, I missed six months of second grade in KonohaElementary. After discharging from the hospital, my mom's last request was for me to go back to home school before going back to school. She was paranoid. I didn't decline. I rather stay home with her. And I sure did. I thought I would play with Itachi more often but he had school. He had friends. He had homework. A job. His own life to handle. When home schooling got boring and I felt dull, I sulked in my mother's arms saying I want to go back to school.

I took an academic test in school. I passed and made it to fourth grade. That year breezed like my fifth grade year. That same year, my father grew sick. He secretly had mini strokes in the office and sent to the hospital as soon as possible. He threaten the doctors to never mention this to mother. They promised but she had her way getting information before anyone could.

One day, she visit him in the hospital on his death-bed. A sheet covered his face. The doctors couldn't control her rage and fragile heart ache. Her first best friend for life, love, and husband had passed on her. I knew she felt alone. I tried my very best to comfort her. Also onii san.

Itachi and I took care of her. We cooked. We cleaned. We went to school. We joked. We asked how was her day. We talked about high school to college. We tried to make her smile. Almost everyday after the funeral.

Years turned like a page.

Itachi lives in college as planned. He's twenty-one years old, a junior in college for business. He comes home when he have breaks. He's doing well. Making mother proud. Especially father.

Its pretty lonely now since it's just her and I in the house. I still care for the lonely woman. She's only forty-three years old. Still young and beautiful to me. Seventh grade, I somehow bonded with thisclingy, loud, obnoxious blonde kid. He really thrilled the Uchiha household that once was quiet. My mom adored him. I didn't like it at first but I grew to accept his weird self.

Eighth grade, we graduated. The blonde kid, Naruto Namikaze, and I attended to the nears school. One of the top academies in this town.

Freshman year, I attracted the whole population of girls in the school. Naruto didn't like that. All because I stole his 'Sakura chan'. I didn't know who in the world was that. But I found out at some party that Naruto's buddy, Kiba, had. She was a party freak. Naruto got drunk. I stayed sober. I know my mother would kill me if she smell alcohol in my breath.

Anyway, this Sakura chick mashed her lips on top of mine. She pulled away to scrunch her face in disappointment. Her hand brushed her bottom lip to see red. Hey, she wanted to kiss a guy with braces. I got braces. And that's what she gets for kissing me.

So glad no one was around for that. Especially Namikaze. After the party, I called a cab for Naruto. I would go with him but I was not going to deal with a drunk air head. The least I did was paid for the cab.

By the time I called for my own cab, a moving truck came by. It parked itself in a driveway. The house was a duplicate like the rest in the neighborhood. The house was next door to Kiba's house. Then a car followed behind. By the time the people in the car opened the doors, my cab came.

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A/N: 

What do you think about the characters? This chapter.

Self Note: 

Sasuke and gang are Freshmen

Age-15, Itachi is 20 in college as a freshman.

Thanks for reading. I appreciated it.