Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters.
A/N:
A two-part oneshot featuring Itachi and Sasuke in an AU hospital setting.
Thank you for reading this and I apologize for any mistakes and errors beforehand!
Do leave a review :) and ENJOY
18 January, Monday, 8.09 am.
"Are you sure, Mr. Uchiha?"
Uchiha Itachi wasted no time at all, nodding solemnly.
The receptionist gave a somewhat grim look and proceeded to slide the paper across the counter top to Itachi. Handing the finely dressed man a black ballpoint pen, she said, "Then please sign your name at the bottom of the page."
Said man inked his name onto the document with a flourish and passed it back to the receptionist. "Thank you," he uttered, then stood up and left.
"Mr. Uchiha!"
The raven-haired man halted mid-step but didn't so much as cast a glance at the receptionist behind him.
"The operation will be on the 22nd February, Thursday, at 2pm."
He blinked once, twice, then nodded, and strode out the doors of the hospital.
30 January, Saturday, 3.58 am.
With a flutter, the paper slipped out of Itachi's hands and landed gently on the white floor.
Frankly, the eldest member of the Uchiha family couldn't quite cope with it anymore.
He settled his hand over his brother's tenderly, stroking the smooth skin. Uchiha Sasuke didn't respond. He lay on the pristine hospital bed, in a deep slumber.
Itachi watched the steady rise and fall of his younger brother's chest as the memories flooded back into his mind.
As a senior member of the government's elite troop, he had received his final mission two years ago: Eliminate the entire Uchiha clan. The Konoha country's government had received intelligence that the Uchiha clan was plotting a coup to overthrow the government. And they wanted them out.
Standing at the head of the Uchiha clan was Uchiha Fugaku, Itachi's father.
The fateful day of the assassination arrived sooner than Itachi would have liked. And so he wiped out the whole clan… relatives, friends, and even his own parents… died by his own hands.
Yet there was one person he couldn't kill—his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke.
And just a few months ago, he had been informed of Sasuke's eye condition. The only other survivor of the Uchiha clan suffered from a hereditary illness affecting the eye, known as the Sharingan. Itachi himself was plagued with the illness, but his eyes were still healthy since the illness usually started to set in once the person aged beyond 60 years old. Sasuke's condition was rare, however. The illness had already begun taking away his eyesight at the tender age of fourteen.
… And the doctor had just told Itachi that Sasuke's condition had taken a turn for the worse. The operation would have to be moved forward.
Itachi's gaze softened as he stared at his brother's peaceful sleeping face.
He could only hope for the best.
15 February, Tuesday, 2.00 pm.
The red light outside the operation theatre faded.
Not like there was anyone who was waiting outside for the Uchiha brothers.
After a while, the doctor covered in green emerged, an anxious look on his face.
He could only hope for the best.
15 February, Tuesday, 9.26 pm., Sasuke's ward
Sasuke woke with a start.
He propped himself up on the bed with his elbows, and ran his fingers over the bandage covering his eyes carefully. Had the operation been a success? He wanted to believe so. In his heart, the boy thanked the kind person who had offered to give him his eyes. The doctors had only mentioned that he was a 'nice individual', but had not revealed his name.
"Ah, I see you're up, Sasuke."
The child lost his train of thought as soon as he heard the nurse's voice.
"I'm here to remove the bandages, so if you would please…"
Sasuke waited with bated breath as the nurse lifted the bandage, layer after layer, from his head.
And then finally the last layer was removed…
There was light.
15 February, Tuesday, 9.26 pm., Ward B
Beep… beep… beep
The regular beeping emanated through the ward—the only proof that Itachi was still alive.
"Has he come to yet?"
The doctor on his rounds asked as he performed his regular check on the equipment and the statuses.
With a clipboard tucked in her arm, the young nurse shook her head, afraid. This Itachi man was her first patient… and he was going to die? Was this going to be a black mark on her record?
"Don't worry too much," the doctor spoke with confidence, but the expression on his face betrayed him completely. And when he reached for the side-table's cupboard, the nurse confirmed her belief.
This man was going to die.
15 February, Tuesday, 11.45 am.
Her first impression of him was a stern, cold and aloof man, probably self-centered and uncaring.
Until he had smiled. It was a heart-warming, radiant smile, with enough power to melt the tension between them.
"Good morning," he had greeted, and introduced himself as Uchiha Itachi.
Nurse Ayami could feel herself blushing profusely. It was only her first day as a junior nurse and she couldn't believe now nice this man was. She had hoped all the people she'd meet would be like this.
"Are you in charge of Uchiha Sasuke?"
"Ah! Yes!" She wondered how this man knew one of her patients.
As if he could read her mind, the man answered, " I will be the donor of his eyes."
There was a small awkward silence as Nurse Ayami digested this information. She had been told that the operation for Uchiha Sasuke and his donor was exceptionally dangerous and life-endangering for them…
Unexpectedly Uchiha Itachi calmly produced an envelope from his shirt pocket and slipped it into the side-table 's cupboard, and instructed, "Please pass it to Sasuke…"
The last part was barely a murmur.
"… If I don't make it back out alive."