Sometimes it is better to live in a fantasy. At least a happily ever after could be achieved.

Depression

By: Takuma

All he knew was gone. Pain completely consumed him. His life was in shambles. His body ached yet his mind was numb. Glancing down to the right, he saw his comrade in arms lying in a pool of blood. His pale skin was caked in grime. His dark eyes were lifeless, and his body remained unmoving. His once shining blade was carelessly tossed to the side broken, stained…defeated.

There would never be another like Sai.

Reaching his hand out, Naruto carefully closed the cold eyelids of his friend. Tears streamed down his face. "Rest in peace," he gently whispered. The voice only spoke to deaf ears.

The jinchuuriki glanced to his left. His heart began to ache, and his eyes exposed his inner most feelings. It was so hard taking in the destruction of such a beautiful soul, his first love, and his teammate.

"Sakura…" his lips whispered. His voice cracked.

Her body lay crumpled beside him, her arms outstretched from when she healed his body for the last time. She was there by his side, her eyes bold and unwavering. Her determination and encouragement helped her teammate win. It was such a high cost she paid.

Her lips carried a smile; such a peaceful smile graced her lips. She deemed it honorable to die for the cause of Konoha. Her soft pink hair was easily tossed in the wind. "Oh… Sakura," the sole survivor of team seven whispered reaching out his left hand to tuck a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. "You always look peaceful when you sleep." But this time, she wouldn't open her brilliant green eyes. Not ever again.

His breathing became shallow.

Leaning back once more against a crumpled rock wall, the son of the 4th Hokage stared straight ahead. His goal of bringing back his best friend was achieved. The two rested in the walls of their birth village. One was barely alive, the other absolutely dead. Naruto placed a hand over the seal on his stomach—blood continued oozing from the horrific wound at a deathly pace. There was no way the jinchuuriki would see another sunrise… unless there happened to be a miracle. Naruto was always the miracle worker.

His eyes peered over the stone cold body of the last Uchiha. Before the final battle, Madara was brutally massacred by the Kyuubi leaving behind one sharingan-wielding kin. Sasuke was too far-gone mentally. He never realized what damage he left to his fellow ninja.

The tears fell.

Now, Sasuke could rest in pieces. His body lay in shreds. Ribbons of his flesh were littered everywhere in the rubble and destruction of Konoha. There was nothing left, only his dead eyes crying blood as the body oozed of plasma and water, his humanity and life.

Naruto felt his breath becoming shallower. It was harder to take in precious air on this clear summer day.

There was very little time left. Soon he would die, and the world would forget about the horrors and the heroic acts of a single man who carried a demon in his belly. Nineteen years of hardship went down the drain as he closed his eyes. He rested and let darkness consume him. Hopefully, hopefully in another life he would live better and bring a life full of hope for others.

Maybe then that world would not be corrupted with evil and darkness…

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He heard a sound.

Beep.

Beep.

It was the steady sound from the heart monitor behind him.

His body relaxed.

He took in a deep breath.

The air smelt sterile. He was in a hospital.

Beep.

Beep.

Slowly Naruto opened his heavy eyes and glanced around. He saw the walls to the Konohagakure Hospital. He tried to refocus them to take in his surroundings. He felt no threat, but it was very uncomely for a ninja to be vulnerable and down for the count. Trying to swallow, he felt the dryness in his mouth.

'How long have I been sleeping?'

A bright red color instantly drew him in. His focus changed. The red color was actually hair! He studied the features of the person who slept heavily beside his bed.

Naruto gasped in surprise.

How could he NOT recognize her? He'd seen her picture plenty of times! Making little effort to sit up, he stared long and hard at the woman who rested peacefully at his bedside.

This woman was his mother, Uzumaki Kushina!

But she died at childbirth! There was no way she should be sleeping here in the Konohagakure hospital, by his side, alive and well!

Sitting there amazed, Naruto couldn't stop staring at his long lost mother. There was so much he wanted to tell her! All the stories he had about becoming a ninja! He wanted to hug her, tell her how much he loved her. He wanted to rest in her arms like a young child—he wanted to know what a mother's embrace was like. He wanted to feel the simple comfort.

He heard glass break.

Naruto lifted his eyes. They widened at the sight of the Hyuga heiress, Hinata. She was alive and well? Maybe she hid in one of the war bunkers. He noticed no bruises or cuts. She was completely unharmed. His saw her lilac eyes: emotions. They were filled with unshed tears. Instantly she ran to his bedside, and she wrapped her arms around his gown-covered chest.

The jinchuuriki's breath hitched.

Glancing down to the sobbing girl, he hesitated. For the first time in Naruto's life, he witnessed the young woman's boldness. Not a timid bone was in sight. Her violent cries caused her whole body to shake. Naruto didn't like that. Hesitant at first, he carefully wrapped his arms around her. He tried to give her comfort. This was foreign territory to him. Not once in his life had a woman willingly flung herself at him—nonetheless in a fit of hysteria.

As he sat there frozen, his eye caught some movement. He glanced over and saw his mother's green eyes.

Her eyes were also filled with tears.

"Oh my baby!!!"

Naruto's eyes widened yet again. "M-mom?"

His voice brought a new level of hysterics to the older woman. She leaped from her chair and embraced both her son and Hinata. Naruto could only sit and stare in confusion.

He sat still.

What was going on? And how could he help to change the situation? In his nineteen years of life, he could think of no logical explanation to this phenomenon. He was stumped.

'Well… crap,' he mentally uttered. 'What am I supposed to do now?'

Just wait it out.

Naruto inwardly smiled. At least some things did not change, or confuse him beyond all means. 'Kyuubi!'

What a surprise Kit. You woke up.

Naruto frowned, 'What's that supposed to mean?'

You will find out soon enough, the voice echoed in his mind, take my advice and play along with what the silly humans say. It will make your adjustment easier.

'What do you mean by that Kyuubi?'

Silence.

'Kyuubi?'

"Naruto?"

The blond snapped out of his trance. "Huh?" Not the most intelligent thing to say, but to say he was surprised would be an understatement.

His mother smiled, "Welcome back to the land of the living."

Naruto stared at his mother for a moment. There was no way she could be alive and well. This all had to be a dream, a very vivid dream or a genjitsu. He would opt for the dream. At least then he knew he might wake up in a place away from harm.

"You were talking to the Kyuubi, weren't you Naruto?" asked his mother cautiously. She had long since removed her arms from around his and Hinata's body. Instead, she pushed the chair close to the side of her son's bed. The blond instantly felt self-conscious. He looked down in embarrassment.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Naruto. Remember? Your father and I know that you have control over the Kyuubi so—"

"F-father?"

His stuttering voice instantly stopped Kushina in midsentence. She saw her son's eyes. Nothing could describe the horror etched in them. Kushina instantly knew something was wrong. "Hinata." Her voice was even, but her movements spoke otherwise, "I am going to call in the doctor and the Hokage. Please stay in here with my son."

It took Naruto a few seconds to realize Hinata held him tightly. It wasn't that he felt violated or anything, it was just a surprise someone so kind and shy would latch onto him like a life source. Her tears were long gone. Instead, a hesitant smile crossed her lips, "How are you feeling Naruto-kun?"

Naruto gave her a small smile. "Like a hundred million ryu! I've never felt so alive in my life!"

Which was a lie she didn't have to know. He was actually frightened, frightened beyond believe that not only was everything relatively 'normal', his mother was back from the dead. And said woman was about to get the Hokage. Naruto had a suspicion Kushina was not talking Tsunade-baachan.

This could get ugly.

It wasn't even two seconds later that Naruto felt a strong presence. He looked up… and saw a yellow flash.

Oh hell no.

There was no way this could be real!

His heart began racing and time stood still.

Before Naruto stood the Yondaime Hokage, his father with joyful eyes and a wide smile—the same smile his son inherited.

Kushina ran back into the room and stood by the Hokage. The man gave her a smile before sitting beside his son. Hinata released Naruto from the death grip to let the father sit beside his son. Blue met blue, and the father smile to his son. Naruto felt his heart beating faster and faster, much like it had when the eighth tail of the Kyuubi was released. Seeing his dad again could not put words into Naruto's mouth. For the man to be alive and well before him said something. The blond was not going to waste this chance with a live, breathing, and smiling Namikaze Minato.

Using his newly acquired energy, Naruto instantly launched himself at his father, and he tightly embraced the man.

No one could explain this phenomenon, but no words could express what was going through the minds of the observers.

"Hokage-sama," bowed a familiar figure walking into the room.

Naruto looked over his father's shoulder. He felt his heart clench and fall through his stomach. There was no way…

"Sakura-chan," he whispered, his eyes widening.

The medic-nin smiled as she carried in a clipboard. She carefully slipped the information in a plastic holder before walking over to her teammate. She had a bright smile on her lips.

Her lips carried a smile; such a peaceful smile graced her lips, over her cold dead lips…

"Naruto," uttered Hinata to the side, "Why are you so pale?"

The jinchuuriki felt his arms bring removed from around his father. His vision filled with the Yondaime's face. His concerned features looked over his son. His eyes were very analytical. He backed away as the young medic neared her life-long friend, "Naruto-kun. I need for you to do a few simple things to make sure everything is functioning—"

"…but you're dead."

She stared at him strangely. Yet that was not what caught her off guard. It was the chill in his voice that screamed for attention. The Hokage did not miss this statement either. Sakura shook off a shiver that traveled down her spine.

She gave him a bright smile. "Well, you can see that I am alive and well. Please state your full name."

The Kyuubi's voice echoed in his head. Play along with their games.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

The room stilled.

Sakura nodded her head. "Can you tell me what year it is?"

"19 AK." (1)

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"What are the names of your parents?"

"Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina."

Naruto felt another chill fill the room. He had another gut retching feeling that he should have said something else. The jinchuuriki noticed his teammate perform a few hand symbols before touching his shoulder. A cold rush covered him: it was a lie detecting ninjitsu. 'Crap. Now there's no avoiding her questions.'

"Who is the current Hokage?"

Naruto gave her hesitant look. Her eyes were searching his before he turned to the blond man. Naruto heard Sakura call his father Hokage-sama, but would that be considered a lie? Maybe if he joked it off? Everyone's eye was on him.

Crap.

"Tsunade-baachan."

Naruto saw his father take a step forward. His mother halted the current Hokage's movements. She seemed just as alarmed as the others in the room. This was not good.

Sakura continued asking questions as she began to examine his physical appearances, "Who was your sensei after the academy?"

"Which one?" asked Naruto trying to be careful with his reply.

"Your sensei after the academy," stated the medic after a moment of hesitation.

"Hatake Kakashi."

"Your other sensei's name?" Sakura clarified.

"Jiraiya, Sannin and Toad Sage."

There was another chill in the room. Naruto forced himself to keep his eyes from closing in frustration, 'Crap…' She may have been referring to Iruka. Maybe it was a good thing he did not mention Yamato's name.

"Any other teachers?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, 'Spoke too soon…' "Iruka-sensei from the academy I guess." He released a mental sigh when she nodded her head.

"What are your teammate's names?"

"Obviously you, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura paused, "Do you have any other teammates or just those two?"

Naruto looked into her vivid green eyes. He scratched the back of his head. Why did she have to put that lie detector on him? "Well, later on Sai joined the group."

She nodded and asked one final question, "I have one more question to ask you, and then I will let you rest for a little while."

Naruto nodded his head in seriousness. He hoped he answered correctly.

"What is your current ninja ranking?"

"Jounin."

Glancing around the room, he saw saddened eyes. His parents were beyond words. His mother was on the verge of tears, and his father remained still and silent. Hinata watched him silently with sympathy as she reached for his hand. He glanced to the Hyuga as she smiled softly to him, "It's alright Naruto-kun."

He glanced back to Sakura as she grabbed the clipboard. She began to scribble down notes furiously. The blond started feeling his heart sink. He knew something was dreadfully wrong. He wasn't quite sure what it was though.

As he watched the medic-nin furiously scribble notes his memory began to flash before his eyes.

She lay there, peacefully, broken, dead…

Again and again he watched her die before his eyes. He saw her become weaker and weaker with each passing moment.

Her hands glowed as she healed his wounds and restored his chakra. He saw her fade before his eyes.

He saw her haunting smile as she breathed her last—

"I'll be back in about an hour," announced his very alive teammate. She gave him a comforting smile as she used her left hand to push back a few stray bangs. "If you're hungry please let us know. We'll make sure to bring a meal up to you immediately."

The glint of her diamond ring on the ring finger was clear as daylight—so was the Uchiha fan embroidered on the back of her doctor's coat.

Naruto instantly felt sick.

"There's no way," he whispered. His mouth became dry.

That traitor Uchiha was back in the village?

"I…" Naruto paused as he looked back to the hospital bed, "I think I'd be best for me to lie down." Carefully shifting back into his bed, Naruto leaned into his pillow and pulled some of the sheets over his body. He noted how Hinata carefully rearrange the blankets. He felt a comfort overflow in his emotionally drained body.

Naruto welcomed it.

He watched silently as she let her hand linger by his face. He refrained from breathing for the next 30 seconds. Her touch was so close. He forced a blush from staining his cheeks. His eyes easily avoided hers as she carefully watched him. And to his comfort, he heard her sigh. She gently tucked the blankets over his shoulders. His eyes were refraining from the other people in the room. His drifting gaze made a dead stop on her hand. Naruto saw the ring; it was simple showing off a single diamond incrusted in the gold band.

He turned back to her pale eyes; adoration and sadness was evident. He didn't like seeing it. Maybe… maybe here he was something more than just friends. Maybe…

His eyes did not waver in nervousness any more. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Hinata-chan; everything will be okay."

Her tears spilled as she leaned down and tried hugging him through the covers. "I'm so sorry Naruto-kun! I'm so sorry!"

The young man's eyes widened. He felt her warmth. He felt her comfort. He felt… her love. It suddenly made sense. It still flustered Naruto—she was so close. Still, he embraced the truth and tossed aside any doubt or excuses. She stood there completely his.

Naruto failed to notice his parents leaving the room. In moments like these Minato and Kushina gave space to their son and his wife-to-be.

Her warmth comforted him. His senses became fuzzy. He closed his eyes and felt a coveted peace in her arms. It soothed his soul—his war torn and aching soul. His lips moved on their own accord; the Kyuubi container had no recollection of the words he spoke, but her response came in a single action. Their lips met in a gentle kiss, a kiss that said so much and began healing his broken spirit.

He never wanted to return to reality.

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(1) 19 years after the the Kyuubi

I'm looking for a beta reader. Anyone interested?