A/N: I do not own Naruto or its characters. I'm simply borrowing them.
Without a glance at his quiet lab partner, the raven haired Uchiha packed up his things. Finally, he turned his attention to the stoic redhead, his voice monotone as he spoke. "Forgive me, but I'll be gone for the next few days."
At his words, honey eyes glanced up at the young prodigy. "Are you ever going to tell me where it is you disappear to all the time?" He asked with a hint of curiosity.
"Probably not." The onyx eyed boy stated bluntly, throwing his bag over his shoulder.
"Very well." The redhead relented easily. "None of my business anyway. I think I can handle a fluffy little kitty all on my own, so worry not."
The normally emotionless raven actually chuckled quietly at that, for the cat they were forced to dissect together was neither fluffy nor little. "Good to know Mr. Fluffyface will be in good hands while I'm gone."
Where normally there was silence between the two isolated boy, the teens actually shared in a quiet, somewhat reserved laugh.
"Hey Itachi?" Crossing the room to the door with his partner by his side, the Uchiha gave him a curious look, silently promoting him to speak his mind. "I don't know why you keep disappearing, but I hope everything turns out alright." The expression in the older teens eyes was oddly soft and sincere, catching the raven off guard.
Normally cold, dark eyes softened as the raven haired teen smiled softly. "It's just another surgery. Don't be concerned."
"Another?" The redhead raised an eyebrow, hardly able to conceal his curiosity or concern.
"I need to get going." The Uchiha quickly diverted the topic. "I should be back by Monday."
"No sooner, you got it, Uchiha?" At another questioning glance from the younger teen, Sasori quickly added, "I don't feel like having you pass out during class or something." A silent nod of acknowledgment came from the raven, onyx eyes suspicious, but not enough to push the subject much further before he turned to walk away without another word. "Damn Uchiha. Dropping a bomb like that then just walking away." The artist mumbled to himself, stuffing his hands in his pocket with a frown as he started the journey to meet up with his only friend.
How had he even ended up having a stupid lab partner to begin with? He, much like the raven haired teen, had always been more of a loner than anything. So why had the Uchiha made the choice he had?
"Akasuna, Uchiha. You two are the only ones left without a partner." The redhead looked up at the teacher, not having been paying attention until he had heard his name. Then his eyes flickered across the room to the stoic teen whose mouth was hidden by his folded hands. Dark eyes met his for a brief moment before returning to the front. "You can work together or separate. It's up to you."
That was when the bell to end class and free the bored students from the classroom rang. A blank-faced raven was at his side nearly instantly. "We should work together." He suggested, though his monotone voice sounded like he couldn't care less.
"Why?" The artist challenged suspiciously, honey eyes narrowed slightly.
"Because we both know you won't do a darn thing if you're working alone." The prodigy explained bluntly, a hint of impatience entering his tone. It wasn't a total lie on the Uchiha's part, though it was only part of the reason. The second part of that being that his chronic absences would make working alone a nightmare. "So? Partners?"
"Hn." He redhead grunted dismissively, knowing there was not arguing with the younger male. "Fine." He started for the door with that, the raven trailing close behind.
The two boys had been in the same class since elementary school, but that had been the first time they had actually spoken.
And what in the world was with that conversation just a minute ago?! The teen demanded of him self, growling in frustration under his breath. Could he have been any more obvious? Or was he just being paranoid? He pinched the bridge of his nose as he walked into the only class he actually liked- art- trying to push the beautiful raven out of his head without much success. "Damn Uchiha..." He muttered to himself.
XxXxXx
True to his word, the Uchiha was back in class on Monday, throwing himself back into the work as if he had never left. He came to class to discover that his loyal partner had already gotten everything set up.
Honey eyes narrowed at the hairless cat on the table, a small frown on Sasori's lips. "I hate this..." He muttered, mostly to himself.
"You like art, don't you?" The younger male asked what seemed like out of the blue.
"I do." The redhead responded wearily, eying the Uchiha as if it was a trick question or something.
"Have you ever done sculpting?" Another seemingly random question.
"That's more Deidara's thing, but I've tried it a few times." His eyes clearly displayed his suspicion.
"Mr. Fluffyface here is kind of like a sculpture." The raven explained, trying to link the dissection to something the older teen actually enjoyed. "So cut carefully." He concluded, returning to his work.
Just another day in biology, so it seemed at least. That was until the raven placed the scalpel down on the counter, his hands pressed against the surface as he closed his eyes for a moment. At the peculiar action, Sasori looked up from his work, brows furrowed. "Are you alright, Itachi?" His words are met with hollow dark eyes, normally pale skin seeming paper white. "Shit-" was all the redhead had time to utter before the younger teen collapsed to the ground.
Gasps could be heard from around the room, but the artist didn't hesitate. He quickly gathered the raven in his arms, carrying the unconscious boy bridal style toward the door. "I'm taking him to the hospital." He stated on his way past the teacher, who looked like she was about to try and stop him.
The fifteen minute drive to the er seemed like an eternity. No one was driving quick enough. A soothing hand stroked raven locks of the unconscious form in the passenger's seat, the action meant to calm the redhead more than anything. Weaving in and out of traffic, bearily dodging red lights, Sasori raced to the destination, not even locking the car as he threw open the doors, pulling the younger back into his arms.
Two nurses greeted him at the door, one of them commanding, "Quickly, bring Mr. Uchiha this way." The artist's face was in a careful mask as he obeyed all their orders. Lay him here, stand out of the way, explain what happened. Honey eyes constantly watched the frail looking Uchiha as three nurses scrambled to make sure he was stable.
A pair of scissors did away with his shirt, revealing a scarred chest that actually shocked the older teen. The prodigy had really gone through that many surgeries? One nurse hooked up the heart monitor, a second the IV, a third an oxygen mask. The redhead stood out of the way, feeling otherwise helpless.
"Call Uchiha Itachi's father now!" One of the nurses barked to someone at the counter, who had almost been on the phone before she had said it.
A doctor entered the room at last, a deadly serious look on his face as he took in the pale, fragile form laying on the bed. "This isn't good. I need a CT scan immediately." He ordered.
"Sir, his father is on his way from the station. Should I call his mother as well?"
"Yes, we may need her to sign off on a few things before we can do anything. Who are you?" He demanded of the silent teen in the corner.
"Sasori Akasuna, his lab partner." The redhead answered in a voice of forced calm, though some fear could be detected. "What the hell is going on?"
"Itachi has a serious illness." The doctor explained, simultaneously checking monitors and papers. "I fear that his body is rejecting the tissue from his most recent surgery."
"And if that happens?" Sasori prompted through a clenched jaw.
Serious dark eyes met his, not bothering to beat around the bush. "There's a high chance he could die." Then the confident man's focus was back on the raven. "Get him to the scanning room immediately, we don't have a moment to waste." With that, he fast walked out of the room, not too long after did two nurses wheel the bed out and Sasori was told to stay put.
The redhead sat anxiously, tapping his fingers against his thigh in rhythm with his foot as he waited. Honey eyes snapped up as the door opened, a frantic woman with dark hair and eyes who must have been Itachi's mother entered, followed by a boy who was like a mini version of Itachi, Sasuke.
"He's getting a CT scan." the teen explained, introductions quickly following as the three waited in agony. Painfully long minutes ticked by before the ill teen was brought back, followed by a doctor who explained everything.
"It's worse than I feared I'm afraid." The man admitted calmly. "We need to get your son into surgery as quickly as possible, but there's a problem." Everyone in the room was on edge. At seeing the tears welling up in the mini raven's eyes, Sasori pulled the boy to his lap protectively. "I'm afraid we don't have enough O- blood to preform the operation with."
Honey eyes grew wide. "O-?" the redhead repeated, making sure he had heard right. A solemn nod answered the question. "I'm O-, just take as much as you need." a determined mask was on the teen's face, and a heavy relief could be felt in the room.
Hurriedly, the artist was lead to a room down the hall where two pints of blood were taken. From there, the blood was sent to the operation room, and the frail child was put under the knife yet again.
During the agonizing wait, the raven's father had shown up, and the Uchiha family plus their son's savior went to the cafeteria to eat and wait, though, because of the loss of blood, Sasori was the only one who actually ate. No one else had the appetite.
One hour, two hours, three hours ticked by before a nurse approached the party. Sasuke, who had fallen asleep on his mother's lap, instantly awoke as the nurse appeared. Three sets of onyx eyes and one light brown one focused solely on the nurse as she explained that, as far as they could tell, the operation had been a success.
"For the time being, his condition is stable. We've replaced the rejected tissue in hopes that he can recover properly this time." She spoke in a calm and confident manor, respectful and authoritative. "He should remain asleep for a few days, and only when he wakes will we know if this was truly a success or not, but we're remaining cautiously optimistic."
Heavy signs of relief were heard from all present before the youngest raven spoke up, his voice still sounding small and afraid. "When can I see my brother again?"
The redhead thought he saw a crack in the nurse's faultless facade at the heart wrenching demand before she answered. "Let us get him set up in his new room before you all visit, okay?" The tired boy nodded, rubbing his sleepy eyes as the nurse took the opportunity to leave, explaining that's she'd be back to get them later.
Silence ensued the group, finally broken by Itachi's father, speaking to the one they all agreed had saved their son. "Thank you for everything you've done, Akasuna, but it's getting late. You're parents must be worried."
"Actually, my parents passed away. I live with my grandmother, but she's out of town currently." The teen explained, not meeting anyone's eyes. "With all due respect, I'd like to stay here and see this through." A silent nod came from the stoic man, giving the redhead permission to stay.
Another precious half hour ticked by before the group was brought to the ICU section of the hospital. Upon arriving at the room, the redhead couldn't help but bite his bottom lip as he took on the weak, frail body of his post-op lab partner. The small hand in the teen's trembled at the sight of his ill brother. The redhead, who had a secret soft spot for children, gave the boy's hand a reassuring squeeze and a soft smile.
"Go give your brother a good night hug." The matriarch instructed. "It's late, I'll be taking you home soon."
"I need to get back to the office." The raven's father stated in a monotone voice. "Will you come back here after you bring Sasuke home? I don't want Itachi to be alone."
"I'll stay." the redhead offered, speaking up for the first time in a while. "Sasuke probably shouldn't be alone either." He pointed out at the questioning glances he received.
Sasuke found his way over to Itachi's bed, remorse in his eyes as he leaned down and hugged his brother carefully. "Please get better soon, brother." He plead quietly, then went to go wait near the door while his mother placed a gentle kiss to the oldest son's forehead.
A strong hand was placed on the older teen's shoulder accompanied by a silent nod before the raven's father followed the rest of the Uchiha family out.
Cautiously, the artist walked over to the raven's bedside, his emotionless facade falling apart because there were no more witnesses to its shattering. Experimentally, he lightly brushed the tips of his fingers over the back of the pale hand. Hesitantly, he took the smaller, frailer hand in his own.
"You know, Uchiha, you had all of us pretty worried." He whispered quietly to the sleeping raven. "I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life." He continued, gently running his thumb over smooth, pale skin. "It's odd... but, I think I like you." He admitted quietly, a brief and bitter chuckle leaving him. "And maybe one of these days I'll have the guts to tell you that when you're not... unconscious." A slight frown crossed his lips at the last word. "Get better quickly, Uchiha, before I have a chance to chicken out."
With a quick glance around the room, the teen pulled up a chair next to his ill partner's bed, keeping a protective and loyal watch over the frail teen the entire night. Even as he himself managed to doze off for a couple of hours, he was always alert. There were two people in that world who meant anything to him, and one of them was in dire need of his protection. He refused to let Itachi down.