Sasuke Uchiha groaned at the blaring sound coming from his alarm clock. Sitting up, Sasuke groaned again, he had gone to bed at an early hour but he still felt like he hadn't gotten any rest. In fact he felt downright awful, like he had the flu and couldn't get over it.
Sighing, Sasuke pushed himself to his feet. He walked over to his dresser and pulled out his usual black t-shirt and jeans. He had just finished getting dressed when he heard a knock on his door.
"I'm up" Sasuke called out knowing his brother wouldn't go away until he answered.
"Just making sure. I know you don't like being late for school." Itachi said through the door. Sasuke shook his head. He had never cared whether he was late for school or not and Itachi knew it. Sasuke wondered briefly if their parents had already left for their out of town meeting. Because normally his mother always stuck her head in his room to make sure he was up and moving.
After making sure that his hair was styled in the way that he liked. Sasuke made his way out of his room and down the hall towards the kitchen. He found his older brother standing at the sink staring out the window.
"Something bothering you?" Sasuke asked as he walked over to the counter where the cereal sat, grabbing a box Sasuke proceeded to pour him some food.
"Not really" Itachi answered, turning to look at his little brother. He frowned taking in Sasuke's zombie like appearance.
"Are you feeling okay? You look like you haven't slept in a month." Itachi asked forgetting about his worries. Sasuke sighed as he finished pouring his cereal.
"I feel like I haven't slept in a year despite the fact that I have gone to bed early every day for two weeks." In fact Sasuke felt like he could fall asleep any second now. Itachi watched his brother, the younger Uchiha really did look exhausted and that worried him. He wondered if he should take Sasuke to the doctor. There was the possibility that it could be something very bad.
"Do you think you need to go to the doctor?" Itachi asked catching his brother's attention. Sasuke raised his eyes and shook his head.
"I'm sure it's a virus or something." Sasuke said glancing at his watch before standing up and taking his bowl to the sink.
"Just let me know if you change your mind." Itachi said as he walked out of the room. He still had to get ready for work, Madara wouldn't like it if he was late.
"I'm okay" Sasuke muttered before turning to exit the room. Before Sasuke even made it to the doorway, Sasuke's eyes rolled back in his head and he crumpled to the floor, his head slamming hard into the floor.
Hearing a loud thump, Itachi made his way back to the kitchen where he found his little brother lying unconscious on the floor. Fear filled Itachi's heart and he dropped to his knees beside Sasuke. Grabbing his phone, Itachi dialed 911. Sasuke opened his eyes a few minutes later moaning at the pain in his head.
"Tachi" Sasuke moaned, catching his older brother's attention.
"Stay still, I think you have a concussion" Itachi said "The ambulance is on the way."
"I guess that sky diving trip this weekend is off now." Sasuke muttered. Every weekend when their parents were out of town, they found some kind of reckless adventure to go on. Sasuke never felt more alive than he did on these trips. He lived for the adrenaline.
"We can always go again once we get you fixed up." Itachi said. He loved those trips just as much as Sasuke did.
Sasuke groaned he didn't want to have to reschedule their trip, but he supposed it would be nice to to figure out the reasoning behind his exhaustion.
"Where did these bruises come from?" Itachi asked seeing the dark discoloration on his brother's back when Sasuke shifted his position and ended up pulling up his shirt.
"I don't know" Sasuke mumbled "but I know I don't feel well." Itachi wished he could make things better for Sasuke but he felt completely helpless.
A few minutes later, a disoriented Sasuke was loaded onto a gurney and placed in the back of an ambulance. Itachi followed behind in his car, growing more and more nervous for his little brother. Itachi didn't know what was going on with his little brother, but he knew that it couldn't be good.
Once at Konoha General Hospital, Sasuke was taken straight into the emergency room, leaving Itachi in the waiting room. With no idea of what was happening with Sasuke.
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Itachi figured he should let his parents know what was going on. He was sure his parents would come right home. Which would be fine with Itachi who had never felt more helpless in his life. He was absolutely certain that Mikoto and Fugaku would know what to do.
Dialing his mother's cell phone number, praying that she would pick up. When she didn't, Itachi left a message saying that Sasuke had been rushed to the hospital and that they didn't know what was going on.
"Please come home as soon as possible because Sasuke is scared and I don't know what to do to help him." Hanging up Itachi stared down at his hands, hearing a beep on his phone, he looked at the screen. It was text from his friend and workmate Toby.
Where are you dude? Did you forget about the meeting today at work? Technically Itachi hadn't forgotten about it, he just had more important things to worry about.
Sorry I won't be there Itachi texted back Emergency with Sasuke.
What's going on with Baby Uchiha? Toby asked.
Not sure yet Itachi replied He collapsed this morning after breakfast. Let Deidara and Kisame know will you. I won't be there at all today.
Will do Toby replied I hope everything is okay with Baby Uchiha
You and me both Itachi muttered under his breath. Itachi's friends knew how close Itachi and Sasuke were. They also knew how much Itachi hated to see Sasuke suffer. Deidara would be angry at Itachi missing the meeting but Sasuke's health was more important.
Tired of sitting and staring at the tiled floor. Itachi stood and began pacing. His worry only growing worse the longer time went by without hearing any kind of news. The signs had been there that something was wrong and Itachi hadn't even noticed.
Biting his lip, Itachi continued pacing. He sincerely hoped that whatever was going on could be easily fixed. Itachi didn't know what he would do if it was something serious.
"Family of Sasuke Uchiha" a voice called out making Itachi turn toward them. A blond haired woman came towards him.
"Is there any other family?" She asked noting how young the young man looked. Itachi shook his head.
"I called my parents but they are both out of town for work. So I don't think they will get the message until late." Itachi explained "Do you know what's going on with my brother?"
"Well, first off. I'm Dr. Tsunade and I am working on your brother's case. I notice he has a mild concussion, I assume that was from the fall this morning?" she asked and Itachi nodded.
"Has your brother been sick for long?" She asked him.
"He's been exhausted for the last couple weeks or so." Itachi said "I just figured it was normal for a teen going through high school to be wore out." Tsunade frowned.
"We drew some blood and tests indicate that his white cell count is much higher than it should be. That could either mean he has an infection of some kind or it could mean that Sasuke has cancer."
Horror crossed Itachi's face. He had never thought that cancer could even be a possibility. Cancer meant that Sasuke would have to fight for his life. It meant that no matter how hard Sasuke fought he could still die. Closing his eyes Itachi bent over gasping for air, struggling to make sense of what he had just been told. He would accept any diagnosis except for cancer for his little brother. This can't be happening Itachi felt at any moment that he would be sick.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Itachi looked up into the concerned eyes of Deidara and Toby. Taking a deep breath Itachi sat up.
"What are you guys doing here?" Itachi asked.
"Toby told me about what happened with Sasuke. We figured you could use a little support right now." Deidara replied. Itachi turned back to Tsunade.
"We won't know for sure if it's cancer until we do a bone marrow aspiration." Tsunade informed the small group. "Once he's settled in we will be running a few more tests. But right now it's not looking good for it not being cancer."
"Can we see him?" Itachi asked hating that Sasuke had to spend all this time alone. He couldn't imagine how scared Sasuke must have been. Guilt ate at Itachi's heart, knowing that he somehow should have known what had been going on. No one had flu like symptoms for as long as Sasuke did without there being something wrong.
"You can't let the guilt eat at you." Deidara whispered as Tsunade led them towards Sasuke's room. "This is just a part of the uncontrollable aspects of life." Itachi knew that his friends meant well but it didn't bring him much comfort. He still felt responsible for his little brother's well being.
Once the small group reached Sasuke's room, Itachi stood in the doorway for a moment watching his red eyed little brother.
"I want my brother." Sasuke told the nurse who was in the process of drawing more blood. "why can't I see my brother."
"Because he would only be in the way!" The nurse snapped so harshly that Sasuke cringed away from her.
"I don't want to go through this alone." Sasuke said in a soft tone that broke Itachi's heart.
"You don't have to" Itachi said glaring daggers at the nurse from his spot at the door. "you, lady, need a better bedside manner." Itachi snarled as he crossed the room to Sasuke's bedside. Deidara and Toby glanced at each other. Itachi was in protective older brother mode which didn't bode well for the nurse.
"You can't be in here." The nurse told Itachi haughtily. Itachi glared at her again, Sasuke was upset and scared, Itachi wasn't about to leave his side now.
"I have permission to be here." Itachi told her before turning towards his little brother. Sasuke practically threw himself out of the bed and into Itachi's arms. Itachi caught him and wrapped him into a protective embrace.
"That child needs to be back in bed and he needs to sit still!" The nurse glared at Itachi.
"What he needs is his big brother to keep him safe from witches like you!" Itachi snarled at the nurse as he sat down on the bed with Sasuke still attached to him. The nurse glared at him and then stormed past Deidara and Toby to exit the room.
Itachi turned his attention back to the boy shivering in his arms. He hated that Sasuke was so scared and having a nurse like that didn't help matters.
"I'm scared Tachi" Sasuke said "they wouldn't be drawing so much blood if there wasn't something wrong." Itachi tightened his arms around Sasuke, he didn't want to think about the possibility of Sasuke having cancer.
"It's just standard procedure" Itachi said softly "When they don't know what's going on with you." a few minutes later Sasuke released Itachi and lay back on his bed.
"Do they know what's going on with me?" Sasuke asked feeling even more exhausted after that emotional display.
"No, they are going to be running a few more tests."
"Which means I won't be leaving here until they know what's going on. Which means I will be missing school." Sasuke frowned, he didn't want to get too far behind his classmates.
"I'll have Sakura get your homework for you." Itachi said mentioning Sasuke's girlfriend. Sasuke groaned he hadn't even thought about her.
"What am I going to tell her?" Sasuke wondered. He wasn't sure she could handle what was going on.
"The truth" Itachi told him "she deserves to know what's going on." Sasuke nodded not telling Itachi that he was afraid that she would break up with him. Looking over Itachi's shoulder, Sasuke noticed Deidara and Toby standing in the doorway. Deidara flashed him a quick smile.
"What are you guys doing here?" Sasuke asked.
"Itachi told us how you decided to take a nap in the kitchen floor, and seeing how not normal that was. We decided to come and give Itachi some support." Deidara replied not mentioning what he had overheard about Sasuke possibly having cancer.
"Itachi won't admit it but he has been stressing out over not being with you while this has been going on." Deidara laughed at the scowl that Itachi directed towards him. "Big brother has been worried."
"I have been" Itachi admitted looking at Sasuke and taking in the dark circles under his eyes. "I know you don't like hospitals and having nurse wretched didn't help."
"Do mom and dad know what's going on?" Sasuke asked, turning his eyes back on his brother.
"I called them but I haven't heard back from them yet." Itachi replied "I figure they will get the message after their meetings."
"I hope they check their phones soon. I need them" Sasuke said quietly.
"I'm sure they will" Itachi said wishing that he could make Sasuke's pain disappear. He would do anything to make things easier. If he could trade places with Sasuke he would have.
"Why don't you get some rest." Itachi suggested "I will let you know if I hear anything." Sasuke nodded and lay back against his pillows, closing his eyes.
After Sasuke drifted off to sleep, Itachi stood, he hoped that whatever tests would be done would come back clean of any kind of disease.
"You didn't tell me he looked like a zombie." Deidara said as soon as Itachi had exited the room. "Are they sure it's not some kind of sleep disorder?"
"Whatever is wrong with him it's got to do with his white cell count." Itachi replied.
"So the doctor thinks that it could be cancer?" Deidara asked hating what the Uchiha's would be going if that was what was wrong with Sasuke.
"I'm hoping it's some kind of infection and not cancer." Itachi said leaning back against the wall.
"When will you know for you?" Deidara asked and Itachi shrugged before replying.
"They are supposed to do a bone marrow aspiration in the morning. Other than that I'm not sure."
"You won't be at work tomorrow either then?" Toby asked and Itachi shook his head.
"Not while Sasuke is in the hospital." Itachi said "I'm not sure when our parents will be here. I don't want to leave him alone."
"Madara won't like it." Toby said mentioning the head boss of their marketing firm.
"He's going to have to understand." Itachi replied, he would quit his job before he left Sasuke to go through this alone.
"You know we will do our best to keep him your back." Deidara said "he's not so much of a monster that he won't understand your situation." Itachi looked in the room at his sleeping brother. His heart breaking all over again for what Sasuke was going through.
"I can't even begin to imagine the hell Sasuke will have to go through if it does turn out to be cancer." Itachi said "It will kill me to watch him suffer and not be able to do anything about it."
"You're not there yet." Deidara replied "Don't borrow trouble unless you have to."
"I"m trying not to" Itachi muttered as he continued to watch his brother.
A few minutes later he heard a familiar voice asking where their son was. Finally their parents were here, maybe they could see some sense in this situation. Lord, knows that he couldn't.
Upon seeing Itachi standing in the hall, Both Mikoto and Fugaku saw him and started walking in his direction. Worried expressions on their faces.
"What happened?" Mikoto asked "It was one of your reckless stunts wasn't it?" Itachi shook his head no.
"He collapsed this morning after breakfast. The doctors have ran some tests on his blood. His white cell count is abnormally high." Itachi informed them.
"What does that mean?" Mikoto asked.
"It means Sasuke either has an infection or he has cancer." Itachi said. Tears formed in his mother's eyes. He saw the same fear in her eyes that he knew was in his.
"He's my baby, he can't be sick." Mikoto said turning towards her husband.
"When will we know for sure?" Fugaku asked and Itachi shrugged.
"They need to do a bone marrow aspiration but other than that I am not sure. Sasuke probably won't be able to leave the hospital for the time being."
"He'll stay until they prove he doesn't have cancer." Fugaku said. He couldn't stand the thought of his youngest son battling something life threatening. Itachi sighed and turned back towards his little brother's bed. Sasuke was still sleeping soundly, unaware that his parents were now with him. Itachi was grateful that Sasuke could sleep so peacefully. Sasuke needed the rest, he had been looking so exhausted lately that it was hard to believe that Itachi had missed the signs that something was wrong. While Sasuke had never been hyperactive, he usually had more energy than what he'd had these last few weeks.
As Itachi watched his father walk away to find a doctor, Itachi turned towards his mother.
"I have a bad feeling about the tests that they are running." Itachi told her. "I'm so scared for him. I don't want him to have to go through this."
"The only thing we can do for Sasuke right now is to be there for him" Mikoto said "we have to be strong for him."
"I don't know if I can." Itachi said. "I just about lost it with that nurse that was being too rough with him."
"I know that this situation is going to be hard on you as well. You have always been protective over Sasuke. This time you can't help him, you can only watch him suffer. That is going to be the hardest thing you have ever done, but I believe we will all come out stronger for having gone through this." Mikoto told Itachi, unsure of whether it was good advice or not. She knew how much Itachi loved his brother, and it pained her deeply that both her boys would be going through this nightmare.
As the two Uchiha's stood in the hallway, keeping on eye on their beloved brother and son, they watched another gurney enter the room, carrying a blond boy with bandages wrapped around his throat. The boy only stared blankly up at the ceiling making Itachi wonder what had happened to the boy.
"Do you think it's a good idea to put him in there with Sasuke" Mikoto asked the nurse as they entered the room.
"We don't have any choice." The nurse replied "He needed a room, and Tsunade thought that him being on the floor with kids his age would help."
"I hope so." Mikoto muttered. She wasn't sure how Sasuke would take it. He was very particular about the people he hung out with. He didn't like meeting new people, he would rather stick around the same people. She could only hope that things would turn out well for both kids.
This will be YAOI! IF YOU DON"T LIKE, DON"T READ. For those that do Thanks for reading!