The Last Leaf

This is my present for Valentine's Day, I'm sorry but this won't be a happy one, grab your tissues if you'll read it *tries to smile*

*blows her nose* I was crying so hard when I wrote this.I hope your Valentine won't be like this one mentioned here *cries harder* Happy Valentine's Day, minna-san!

Don't forget to review!
Summary:

"Twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight..." Naruto kept on counting backwards and Sasuke couldn't understand why. "There are only five leaves on the vine now. The last leaf will fall soon and then I shall die."

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Darkness. The bells of a church are ringing in the distance, somewhere in the night, they get lost into nothing but their song of death echoes in the world. In the small room illuminated only by black candles, bloody ones, two souls are laying.

One of them is a young pale man with dark hair as ebony and with very sharp characteristics of the face. He has a straight glare, an empty one without emotion, without life while his black eyes are searching in the darkness, in the unknown. On his face can be read suffering, a suffering caused by the soul who sits next to him.

A huge sound echoed between the walls of that small room. It sounded like a deep cough. Sasuke got up from the chair in which he was staying and went quickly at the bed which was two meters away from him. Silver rays of the full moon, which could easily enter the room between the curtains, fell directly on the bed and on the person which was resting there. The rays reflected the blonde hair, the blue eyes which didn't hold the beauty of the sky anymore, the ones which were looking for an escape from that situation, from the darkness as the person tried to breathe air.

Sasuke went quickly to the blonde and grabbed his hand while the other one tried to maintain his coughs. The coughs, the pain of hearing those sounds of agony and loss of air screeched his mind continuously. But he felt more miserable because he couldn't do anything to make them stop and to help his best friend.

Naruto coughed harder and harder, his grip around Sasuke's hand tightened with each second which passed. It hurt, but the raven didn't show it, Naruto's health was more important. Hearing him like that, was even more painful.

After a while, the coughs ceased and the blonde fell on his back, trying to regain his breath. The two best friends exchanged looks. There was no need for talk, the gazes were enough to say a lot. Sasuke studied each feature from the blonde's face. The circles around the eyes deepened so much in the last few days, the eyes didn't hold anymore the joy of life which they would usually hold. The hair lost its shine, the face was pale as of a dead man and the lips, the pink shade disappeared leaving them blankly and shaking from time to time.

"Sasuke... I-I'm so-rry." Naruto stuttered in a hoarse voice. It was so deep, so hard that for Sasuke it didn't seem that the voice was Naruto's. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's left hand with his and stared in the eyes while he was shaking his head continuously.

"It's not your fault. Don't ever say that again." He said and planted his head on the bed near Naruto while shaking uncontrollably. "It's not your fault." He repeated.

Naruto didn't say anything else and in exchange he moved his gaze at the window and stared through it into the night. Everything felt so... so wrong. It felt wrong how it began and how it was about to end.


It was the 1890's. At that time many artists lived in the village of Konohagakure, in the Land of Fire. Naruto and Sasuke were one of those artists.

They first met in a restaurant called Ichiraku's in a beautiful day of May. At the beginning they were rivals always fighting for who was the best but in time they found out that they were very much alike and that they had great dreams for the future. Naruto had blonde hair and a very bright smile. He always cared more about others than himself. He loved art and his biggest dream was to become the greatest artist the world has ever seen.

On the other hand, Sasuke was the one with anti-social character, he always strived for solace and emptiness, always running from relationships with people not showing who he really was. His only passion was art, it was the only thing that would make him forget about his problems and feel at least for a few seconds freedom and that day at the restaurant... his first bond has been created.

Of course, he believed at first that Naruto was annoying with all his hyper activeness, with all his continuous talking about how he will become a great artist or how he was about to surpass everyone. But all in all, he accepted the blonde, he was his first friend, scratch that, he was his closest best friend.

Soon after their meeting, Naruto and Sasuke moved in a studio apartment together as they saw that they had so many in common and that they were studying at the same university. Their rooms were at the top of an old brick house from the village. The building was destined for all the young students in art, it was like a refugee for all of them.

But as months passed, December finally came with its blast and coldness covering the whole village with it. Snow fell and there was ice on the ground. Storms, devastating ones and power out's took place all the time. Many people from the village became ill and the illness was called pneumonia. The doctors tried to help the sick people, but the medical force back in those days was weak, it wasn't instructed very well to counter the illness. And with that unfortunate thing, many of the sick people died.

That month, Naruto had pneumonia. Sasuke could remember very well how the blonde became ill. It was because Naruto always wanted to go outside in the strong storm to take the lessons or to paint at the university. Sasuke, himself tried to stop the blonde but he was too stubborn and always won. And because of that, he got pneumonia.

He was very ill. He stood in his bed and did not move. Sasuke lay beside him everyday, always taking care of him, always watching him closely and always being there when a cough attack would start. He watched how Naruto became sicker and sicker by day which passed. He witnessed how every hint of life was leaving the blonde's body. It seemed as if the joy, the happiness which vibrated inside Naruto didn't even exist before. All Sasuke could do was to lay there and call all the doctors he knew. Even one of the best doctors in town, doctor Tsunade visited him everyday. But despite her visits, Naruto was not getting better.

The next morning after the heavy cough night-attack, Tsunade spoke quietly to Sasuke outside Naruto's room.

"I can't help him, gaki." she said. "He is very sad. He doesn't want to live. None of my medicines worked on him. I believe that someone or something must make him happy again. What is he interested in?"

"He's an artist. He wants to paint a great picture of something which reflects the true self of someone."

"Painting!" Tsunade exclaimed half-yelling giving Sasuke a look in disbelief. But seeing that he didn't say anything else, other than painting, she tried to calm herself. "This won't help him! With that idea, he won't even catch the middle of February!" she said and left the apartment.

Before closing the door she said that she would not return very soon as she couldn't do anything to help Naruto. 'Only pray would probably help him now. To make his death without pain.' These were her last words.

Sasuke tried to put the blame on her, but he could see that it wasn't her fault that Naruto's health was getting weaker. The middle of February? That meant that Naruto had only a few days to live. From that day on, Sasuke lost his every piece of hope.

After the doctor's departure, Sasuke went to his own room and tried to restrain himself from all the anger which gathered inside him. He felt like he was going to rip in half because of the whole happenings. Why couldn't he stop Naruto from going outside? It was only his fault. He paced along the room, many emotions and thoughts crossed his mind, not leaving him at peace. He shed some tears for a few minutes but enough to wipe them quickly as he couldn't let anyone see him like that.

Especially Naruto.

Then, he did the only thing which he thought that would help: he picked up his drawing-board and some pencils in order to draw. He started to sing a happy song which wasn't very convincing and walked again into Naruto's room.

Naruto lay silently in his bed. His white face looked so thin at the light of the day and it was directed towards the window.

'He must be asleep.' Sasuke thought.

He stopped singing and then he took a sit down, this time in a far corner of the room. Sending one last look towards the bed he started to draw a picture for a magazine to participate at a contest. He tried to recreate the best image for the drawing but suddenly he heard a quiet sound. Sasuke went quickly to the side of the bed and noticed that Naruto's eyes were wide open and he was looking out of the window while speaking quietly.

"Twelve." Naruto said. A little later, he said 'eleven'. Then he said 'ten'. Then 'nine'. And then he said 'eight'and 'seven' almost together. He was counting backwards.

What was Naruto looking at? What was he counting? Confused than ever, Sasuke looked out of the window.

Outside the window, Sasuke saw the red brick wall of the next house. An old vine grew against the wall. There, on the single vine, were very few leaves on its branches.

'Six.' Naruto said quietly. "They're falling faster. Three days ago, there were almost a hundred. Ah there goes another. There are only five now."

"Five? What are you talking about, dobe?" Sasuke asked. "Tell me."

"There are only five leaves on the vine now." Naruto said. "The last leaf will fall soon and then I shall die. Didn't the doctor tell you about the leaves?"

Sasuke widened his eyes at the incredulous statement of the blonde.

"What's wrong with you? You're not going to die." Sasuke said. "You'll get better, doctor Tsunade said that this morning, too. Now lay down while I'll go get you some soup and finish the draw for the contest."

Naruto averted his gaze at the window again, and with that, at the vine.

"There are only four leaves now." he said. "I don't want soup because the last leaf will fall soon."

"Dobe, stop saying such nonsense." Sasuke said. "Close your eyes and go to sleep. You need rest. And I don't want you to look at those leaves anymore."

Naruto closed his eyes.

"But I want to watch the last leaf." he said again. "It will fall soon. They are tired and so am I. I want to die."

"You really lost your mind. Try to sleep." Sasuke repeated. "I'll go and talk to Hinata for a minute. I need her as a model for my drawing."

Hinata Hyuuga lived downstairs, under their apartment. She was also an artist, but she had never painted a good picture and this was saddening her very much. She got the same dream from Naruto, to paint a masterpiece but like the blonde, she never did paint a good one. Sasuke sighed all along the way on the stairs towards her apartment. It was difficult to manage with another person which was like Naruto in his usual way.

Sasuke knocked at the door and found the young woman in her dark room. The small rays of light which escaped the curtains lighted only her white eyes. They seemed so strange for a person to have, also in a way, they were very beautiful, as if you could feel the glare which they were giving it to you. But they held innocence and tranquility and Hinata was also a nice girl, not to mention beautiful. Sasuke always felt right around her, like when he was with Naruto.

Sasuke told her about Naruto and the vine leaves. He watched how her eyes went from happiness to surprise in just a second. She blinked a few times and got out of the shadows revealing her body and face completely.

"Oh my, where did he get that idea from?" she said looking through the window. "An old vine can't kill people!"

"But the vein is killing him." Sasuke said and entered more inside the room. "He wants to die too, because he sees the vine dying."

Hinata turned around quickly and looked at Sasuke deep in his eyes. He could tell that Hinata was a little angry with the news of hearing these things. She turned fully towards him and started to walk in his direction. When she got there, their eye contact never being broken, she caught his right hand into hers winning surprise look from him.

"Naruto is a very special person for all of us. He changed easily the heart of the people around him making them love him and idolatrize him. Everyone from this building wants to become like him, even if at the beginning he was only an outcast." She said with a small smile. Sasuke tried to smile too but he couldn't, only thinking at Naruto or talking about him and his situation, would sadden him very much.

"With all of that, why won't he get well?" Sasuke asked. Hinata let out a deep sigh, but her smile never left her face.

"Because... he thinks that he will never accomplish his dream of having a masterpiece." she said. Sasuke frowned at her smiling face and retrieved his hand from hers.

"If that's so, then I'll paint a masterpiece for him so he won't think at that ever again." Sasuke said, anger could be read in his voice.

Hinata stared at him with surprise, her smile disappeared and only concern took over her right now. Closing her eyes for a few seconds she took a sit in her chair which was next to the window.

"I'm ready." She said and Sasuke nodded, also taking a sit in a chair in front of her.

Both of them looked out of the window and stared at the vine. Cold rain started to fall. 'Soon there will be snow.' Sasuke thought and started to draw a picture of the young lady which was in front of him.

'Sasuke, you love him that much, don't you? You're the only one who can help him and you didn't even realize what I tried to tell you.' Hinata thought and put on a bright smile for the portrait.


That night, a big storm started. The rain fell heavily and the wind was very strong. Naruto was still staring outside the window and Sasuke was sitting next to him, tipping his foot anxiously and in all his nervousness. Through the dark glass, Naruto could see one more leaf on the vine.

"That's the last leaf." Naruto said. "It will fall also, and I'll die at the same time."

Sasuke got up from his chair and put his face close to his friend's own face.

"Don't ever say that, Naruto!" he said almost yelling. "I don't want you to die!"

Naruto gave him a look of pity but he didn't say anything. 'You'll see that I will die soon enough.' it was his only thought.

Sasuke stared at him with eyes wide open. He couldn't believe how the great man, the ambitious one disappeared and only this white shell which was laying in this bed was all that left from him. It made him more angry because Naruto only sad how he would die in anytime. Couldn't he understand how much he was needed, or wanted here? Couldn't Naruto understand how much he adored him?

Sasuke threw his thoughts away and in quick moves he got up, covered the window with the curtains, and left the room almost slamming the door behind him. Naruto stared for a few minutes at the door but he turned at the window again and slowly, he dozed off to sleep. In his sleep, he could still hear the wind and continuous fall of the raindrops.

The next morning, Naruto woke up early. He looked around and for his surprise, Sasuke wasn't there. That was odd, Sasuke left him not even once since he was ill.

"Sasuke?" he called weakly.

A few seconds passed with no answer, but the door opened slowly and a tall man entered the room. It was Sasuke. Naruto made a small smile but Sasuke didn't return it. Naruto could even notice that the other male was paler than usual and... his clothes were wet?

"Sasu-"

"You called?" he said in a deep voice which almost frightened Naruto. His dark eyes blocked on his and Naruto sensed that something was wrong but seeing that the other one seemjed fine or at least tried to be, he stopped from asking.

"Pull up the shade." He said.

Sasuke nodded and in slow steps, he reached at the window and pulled up the shade. There was still one leaf on the vine! The leaf was dark green and yellow and it hung from a branch twenty feet above the ground. Naruto lay in bed and looked at the vine for a very long time. How could this possibly be? The leaf should have fallen last night with that entire storm. Then, he turned to Sasuke.

"I've been very foolish, Sasuke." He said. "I wanted to die because I told myself stupid things which weren't true." He made a smile, a bright one like the ones from before. "But the last leaf has stayed on the vine and it taught me a lesson. I can eat now." He said.

Sasuke listened for a few moments to all the words and nodding, he went at the door. But then, Naruto spoke again.

"Sasuke, one day I will become one of the greatest artist the world has ever seen!" he chirped happily. Sasuke made a small nod and without letting Naruto see him, he smirked to himself and restrained himself from coughing.

Doctor Tsunade visited the young man in the afternoon. She looked at Naruto carefully and she held his thin hand.

"You'll be ok, gaki. Your friend took a very good care of you." She said smiling. Naruto smiled too but his smile broke immediately.

"Speaking of Sasuke, I haven't see him after I told him to bring me something to eat. Hinata brought me the soup and since that, Sasuke never returned." Naruto frowned.

Tsunade shrugged and left the room then went downstairs where it had been told that another case of pneumonia was there.


The next day, the doctor visited Naruto again and this time she spoke to Hinata as Sasuke wasn't there.

"Your friend will soon be well." She said. Then she told her some other news.

That afternoon, after the doctor's departure, Hinata went upstairs to Naruto's room and took a sit next to Naruto which was surprised to see her instead of Sasuke.

"Where is Sasuke? I haven't seen him lately." He said with a small frown. Hinata caught Naruto"s hand and started to spoke quietly.

"This morning of 14th of February, Sasuke died." She said. "He came to me two days ago and he was very ill. His shoes and clothes were cold and wet so I sent for the doctor. Later, a neighbor told me that he found a ladder outside in the yard with a lamp was next to it. And there were brushes and some yellow and green paint."

"And Naruto, look out of the window." She said and pinted at the said thing. "Look at the last leaf on the vine. It's still there. It has never moved in the wind. Didn't that surprise you? It's Sasuke's masterpiece, and his gift for you. He painted it in the night of the storm to show his true self. The true self who loves and adores you very much." She said. "He didn't know it but he was already your masterpiece, you changed him and made him happy only with your existence."