This is my first attempt at Fanfiction. Hope it's ok! -lizfairy17
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Her breath was labored, and she looked down at her hands, not knowing what to expect next. The long wait on the edge of the exam table had left her feeling tired and numb, but when the doctor finally entered the small room, she felt a pang of anxiety and couldn't bring herself to look up.
"Sakura…ahem, the lab results are back."
She kept her eyes down, but her shoulders tensed as she lowered her head, waiting for the blow of bad news. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the soft whistle of her wheezing.
"I'm so sorry, but your lungs are collapsing. The alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency has not responded to treatment, so we have placed your name on the waiting list for organ donation."
Sakura wasn't surprised, but the gravity of the news pressed against her with an unexpected rawness. She knew the odds were against her surviving this. Most people on the list waited over a year, and she was barely getting through the days.
"Sakura, I promise that we will do everything we can to accelerate the process for you. You're one of us, after all."
Sakura looked up into Tsunade's glistening eyes, and behind the tears she saw a fire of determination burning into her, willing her to hold onto hope.
"You can do this, Sakura." And somehow, she believed she could.
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The casket was closed. Itachi was grateful because the last thing he needed was another horrific image seared into his memory. He had been the first on the scene of his younger brother's accident. The lavish Lexus LFA Nurburgring that his ridiculous parents had presented to Sasuke on his 16th birthday laid shattered and smoking on the highway as Itachi hauled his brother's limp body out of the wreckage. The rest had been a blur as emergency workers crowded around, pulling Sasuke from him and rushing away. But, if he allowed his mind to drift back to that unbearable night, he could see every piercing detail in terrible clarity.
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Sakura knew where she was without opening her eyes, without remembering why she was there. The familiar beep of the monitors and distant conversations of medical staff were sounds that she had heard nearly every day since she began her training at Konoha Hospital. But, something was different… her groggy mind struggled to make sense of why she was laying down and feeling so heavy. "Ah." A thought broke through the fuzz. "The surgery." She attempted to open her eyes and despite bleary vision, she made out the forms of several people near her bedside.
"You were right; she's coming out of it."
"Check her saturation levels."
"Sakura, you're alright. Can you hear me?"
Her eyes fluttered open and she tried to tilt her head toward the nearby voices, but found she couldn't move.
"Sakura, don't try to move. You're on a ventilator in the ICU. Everything went well with the transplant. Just try to rest, ok?"
Sakura allowed her eyelids to close and her relief melted into peaceful sleep.
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As much as he tried not to think about him, Itachi felt haunted by the loss of his little brother. Although Sasuke had changed from sweet kid who idolized his older brother into a sullen, self-centered teen, Itachi had never stopped loving him or trying to look out for him. Their parents were far too self-absorbed to pay much attention to either of them, so it had been left to Itachi to keep Sasuke out of trouble. But, with a flashy set of wheels and rebellious streak, Sasuke felt free to do whatever whenever he wanted. On that rainy night, Itachi had heard Sasuke grab his keys and sighed; it was going to be another night out following his little brother. When Sasuke peeled out of the driveway and sped off, it was nothing new. Itachi was skilled enough to keep up with his brother without being noticed, but there was nothing he could do to stop Sasuke's car from spinning out and crashing into the median wall when it hydroplaned at 90 mph.
Without Sasuke to worry about anymore, Itachi's days felt empty. His parents had left the country the morning after the funeral ostensibly to grieve at a beach resort. Itachi felt vaguely responsible for Sasuke's death, but he knew there was nothing he could have done. He had fought with Sasuke for so long- confiscating his drugs, hiding his keys, scolding and warning him over and over. It seemed that Sasuke had been on a collision course that always would have ended this way. But it was such a waste.
When Itachi thought about that shaggy black-haired seven-year-old kid with his bright eyes and mischievous nature, he gritted his teeth with agony. That kid deserved a different ending than this. Itachi couldn't bear another minute alone with his thoughts. He got up, showered and got out of the house for the first time in days. He had some questions that needed answers.
Tsunade had just decided to knock-off early for the day, when a young man stepped into her office doorway. She recognized him as an Uchiha right away; even from a distance, those dark features were unmistakable. He slowed as he approached her desk, realizing that he was being scrutinized.
"Oh, Itachi. Is that right?" Tsunade asked. She was already puzzling out why he was there.
"Yes" he answered, "I believe we met the night my brother, Sasuke…" he trailed off, not wanting to think back on it. Tsunade had been the one to break the news to his parents.
"Of course. How have you been? Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked kindly.
"Well, actually, I was wondering if his –um- organ donations had been successful. I'm not sure if you can tell me, but I am interested to find out, if possible."
Outwardly, Itachi appeared at ease, but inside he felt intense anxiety at being back at the hospital where Sasuke had been declared deceased. But, in spite of his discomfort, something inside him needed to know the answer. He felt that maybe if Sasuke had been able to do something for someone else, even through death, then his life would have some meaning after all.
Tsunade looked at him sadly before answering, "Unfortunately, your brother's internal injuries were extremely severe. So, we were only able to use one organ for transplant. His lungs were successfully transplanted into a patient here a week ago."
"Oh" Itachi said, disappointed by the sense that Sasuke's death hadn't mattered more.
"But," Tsunade continued, "The patient who received the lungs was saved because of the transplant. She's a doctor here who had a hereditary lung disease that resisted all treatments. Her case was so critical that she could have died anytime. All the hospital staff members, including myself, are very grateful to Sasuke and to your family for saving the life of our colleague and friend. Thank you, Itachi!"
Itachi was shocked and elated to hear such sincere gratitude regarding his brother's death. He felt a longing to know more- to somehow learn how Sasuke's life would go on, in a way. He smiled at Tsunade shyly.
"Thank you for telling me. It means…it means a lot to me."
Tsunade smiled back. "It means a lot to me too."
Itachi felt he had to ask, "Can I see her? The doctor that Sasuke helped? Would I be allowed to?" The words came out in a tumble.
Tsunade thought about it for a moment. "Well, she will be moving from ICU into a private room in the Transplant Unit tomorrow. Visitors aren't permitted in the rooms, but if you stop by, I can point her out to you through the window."
"Thank you," Itachi said with a sign of relief. "I will see you tomorrow then." As he headed down the long corridor, he felt a lightness and joy that he had forgotten existed. "It meant something!" he thought to himself over and over.
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