Constant Shadow
Summary: Something goes wrong on a mission, Itachi is injured badly, and he ends up in a coma. His only living relative Sasuke, who's only 8-year old is left alone, what happens if Itachi wakes up after five years? Read if you want to know!
Disclaimer:I don't own Naruto, nor the characters in it.
Chapter 1
„Deep breaths, deep breaths *pant* deep *pant* breea—th… *sniff* *sniff* no, I don't want this! Please, don't leave me alone, I can't take it, I can't… I just… no."
Everyone was silent in the dark, groomy hospital room except for a young boy. He was a sad sight. His eyes were already red and puffy from all the crying and he couldn't stop the tears from coming out. He can't do anything for the person he loves more than anyone. Why had this happened? He wants his brother back. No matter what.
„Is there nothing we can do?" – a nurse asked the doctor.
„I'm afraid not."
The boy frowned. Life was so unfair. His brother promised he would be there for him this year on his birthday so he wouldn't spend it alone like every other year. He promised something special. This was supposed to be it!
„Boy, I'm sorry… but he'll probably never wake up again, and even if he does, he sustained permanent brain damage, he will never be able to be his old self again!" – The doctor explained to the child.
Sasuke ran to his brother who was laying still on the hospital bed, and started to pound on his older sibling's chest with his small fists, screaming: You can't do this to me, ITACHI! WAKE Up, Wake Up, wake up… wake… *sniff* *sniff* up, Please Nii-san, ple *hiccup*-please"
An 8 years old boy shouldn't have to suffer like that.
Five years later…
The beeping noise, that's the only god damn thing in this hellhole of a room that gives out a sound. How Sasuke hates that sound. It is the proof that Itachi lives, yet he doesn't because he's just lying on a bed all day, motionless. And that is hardly called life. He didn't deserve this.
Sasuke comes into the hospital to visit his sick older brother almost every day. He always talks to the other, hoping that some day he will hear an answer. He can't accept the fact, that there is absolutely no chance that after five years of NOTHING, Itachi will wake up today or tomorrow… or any other day for that matter.
The teen sits on the chair and starts a one-sided conversation… again.
„Hey big bro, it's been a while, hasn't it? - … - What is it like lying here? - … - I know it can't be good, but please try to bear with this a bit longer… you know what, if you wake up you can leave this room. I promise… please wake up." – He feels so helpless and useless. The boy doesn't even know if his brother hears what he says all the time.
„Sasuke-kun, you have 5 minutes left. Visiting hours are ending." – Itachi's nurse informs the young Uchiha.
„…" – Sasuke grabs Itachi's hand and holds it in his own. His brother has slightly grown over the years, but not by much. Without the proper lifestyle, it's normal. Then why does Sasuke feel his heart stung at the thought?
He lets go of the thin hand and it drops down on the bed. He stands up, sadness obvious on his face. He steps next to his brother and leans down to kiss his sibling's cheek. The cheek his lips touch is so pale and cold. When he raises he notices a few waterdrops on the calm face. Perfect, now he's being a crybaby. If Itachi could see this, he would definitely tell him to stop it. He leaves the ward wet streaks adorning his face.
Maybe tomorrow…
…Or the day after tomorrow…
Sasuke wakes up. It's early. The sun hasn't risen yet. He doesn't have a mission today. Kakashi-sensei told Team 7 yesterday. Naruto and Sakura were way too happy. But in Sasuke's case, it's just a day he spends alone at home. He tries to go back to sleep. He closes his eyes, and eventually falls asleep again.
A small house by a lake. That's where he finds himself. Everything seems so real. The sky and the lake the same blue color, the sun shining brightly, the grass is green and there are birds chirping.
He steps out of the house and walks to the lake. He sits down at the edge. His feet are bare and they just touch the surface of the water. He lays down on the ground and uses his arms as a pillow for his head. He's gazing at the sky and watches the clouds swim by.
He 's comletely at ease till he hears a weak sound. A scream maybe, but it's hard to tell. It comes from the forest behind the house. It's getting louder and somehow this scream is familiar.
He sits up and turns his head towards the sound. Sasuke doesn't see anybody, but he is curious so he stands up and starts to walk in the direction of the forest. But as he hears the scream louder he recognises his brother's voice in it. He speeds up his steps and eventually he's running as fast as he can.
The forest is like a labirynth. Trees are everywhere. Again… his brother…*screaming*
„Itachi, where're you, Itachi?" *pant*… *pant* Exhausted from running and shouting Sasuke was on the verge of fainting. He could see a clearing. As he arrived there he noticed his brother on the ground. He wanted to run there to check up on the older boy but somehow his pace slowed. He walked slowly, although in his mind, he screamed the command: „Run!" Finally he reached Itachi and knelt down beside him. Itachi's eyes were closed. He was sleeping, maybe. Or was he? Sasuke touched him and he was colder than a normal human, like he was dead. But he was breathing, his chest slowly fell and rose in a rythm.
Then the settings changed around the boys and they were back to the hospital, Itachi lying in his bed and Sasuke standing next to him. Itachi's brows furrowed and slowly his eyes opened.
„Otouto, what're you doing here?" – he looks around the room – „Is this the hospital? Why are we here, what happened Sasuke?" The older boy seemed worried and curious, and also somehow scared… at least in his brother's eyes. The younger knows he has to explain that his brother was in a coma for five years and doesn't know how to say it. So he stays silent, obviously thinking about a proper way to tell it to Itachi, but the weak teen starts to panic seeing the uneasiness in his always cheerful otouto's black orbs.
„what-what's wrong with me, am I going to… die? – the end of the sentence only came out as a whisper. Sasuke had to calm the other down before he died from the worry.
„No, no not at all nii-san, it's not like that!" – „Then why are you like that?" – „I-I just… Nii-san, what is the last thing you remember before waking up?"
„Um, well… I was on a mission not far away from our village with my ANBU team but I don't remember what happened there, strange. Maybe I hit my head." – Itachi was confused. Sasuke looked down sadly. 'I have to tell him now!'
„Yeah, yeah maybe. Ano Itachi-oniisan, that mission you mentioned, it happened long ago, five years to be exact. You've been in a coma till now." – Itachi's eyes widened in disbelief. He looked down at his body that was tucked under the white blanket. He lifted them off slowly. The brothers gasped in unison at what they saw. Itachi's legs were thin, as thin as if he was a child but they were longer than a child's legs. Just bones and skin… „Sasuke…" - Itachi whispered his brother's name. As Sasuke looked at his older brother's face he saw how frightened he was. It was unseen till now. The fear in his strong brother's eyes. When Itachi talked his voice was shallow and weak: „They're not moving. I-I can't use them… anymore."- Tears ran down Itachi's face never seen before by Sasuke himself. Then the watery eyes focused on him. They were sad and… angry?
„Why did you keep me alive, otouto? I don't want to live… like THIS!" – Sasuke felt his own tears flow down steadily. He didn't how to respond to this. He never thought about Itachi's condition, just that he wanted the other to wake up.
„I'm sorry Itachi, please forgive me, I will help you from now on I'm sure I can…" – „STOP, SHUT UP! Don't be so foolish! You can't sacrifice your life taking care of me!"
„I will, I promise!"
„But I don't want you to…" - he trailed off, then leaned back down on the bed and put his arm over his wet eyes covering them. – „Just…let me die, let me die, let me DIE" – „No, never" – „Let Me Die!" – he repeated it again and again. Sasuke shut his eyes and shook his head.
„ah… never Itachi… ah"- He woke with a start sitting upright in his bed. Cold sweat was making his body sticky. ' It was just a dream, but it felt so real' – Must be his Sharingan. But what does this mean? He never thought about how his brother would react if he ever woke up.
He was worried the whole day afterwards, remembering his dreadful dream… a bad nightmare indeed!
This nightmare came back the next time he dreamt, and he was having difficulty going to sleep after a week. He hasn't visited his brother in the hospital since he had the first one a week ago. He couldn't stay away any longer.
Creepy white walls and a smell, resembling death all over the place. And there it is. The room where his only „living" relative resides. He hesitantly turns the doorknob and steps into the ward. The first thing he sees though is something new to him.
Yes, it's still Itachi lying in the bed, but something's off. Not normal. Why are there so many people in there?
„Ah, finally Uchiha-san, we thought you would never come back!"
„What happened, doctor?" – he asked, confusion obvious on his face.
„It's your brother, Itachi. He woke up! Even though it was only his eyes being opened for about 1 or 2 minutes, it's a miracle!"
„W-what did you… say?" – The young raven's eyes were wider than ever.
„Do you understand? He came out of a five-year long coma!" - Sasuke was still frozen, standing motionless at the door. He couldn't believe what he heard. 'Is this a dream?'- he thought bitterly. Yet the new information has already started to sink into his mind. His lips curled slightly upwards. It was a rare sight. He wasn't smiling too often. In fact he almost never did so.
He stared ahead where his beloved older brother slept. Nurses were everywhere in the small ward. Many of them near Itachi. They were checking his condition.
The doctor led the teen outside and started to explain to him what happens when a patient that was in a coma for this long wakes up. He told Sasuke that Itachi's memories are from the past, and there's a chance that he won't recognize him, when he sees his younger brother. Sasuke concentrated on every word this man said to him. What worried him the most was that the doctor said that Itachi may have a serious mental damage, that could hinder him for the rest of his life.
The young shinobi knew he had to be strong for the sake of his brother. He waited another two days before Itachi woke up again. This time he was visiting, and was in the room, right next to the older Uchiha when the other opened his eyes halfway and looked at him. Sasuke didn't notice it till Itachi tried to speak:
„Wh-o… a-re you?" – he uttered slowly. It was easy to see that it was really hard for the older boy to talk. His brother's voice seemed so strange. Sasuke didn't remember it like this. Too weak and hoarse. Sasuke looked up and faced Itachi. He saw the confusion and slight fear in those pitch black eyes and it pained him to no end. So his own brother didn't recognize him. He can't even blame Itachi. The last time he saw Sasuke was when he was a little 8-year old closed his eyes and sighed, tears threatening to spill from under the lids. Then he opened them and smiled at his bed-ridden brother.
„It's me Sasuke, your brother! I missed you so much Itachi!" – With that said he hugged his brother carefully, not wanting to hurt the weakened body. Itachi was so thin…
To be continued
I hope you enjoyed yourself!
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Till next time! Bye!
