Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters.
A/N:
The second and concluding chapter! Thank you to those who followed and/or favorited!
Hope you enjoy this chapter, and leave a review if you'd like :)
"Tears do not wash away the pain of yesterday, but drive the anger of tomorrow."
15 February, Tuesday, 10.13 pm., Sasuke's ward
Words failed to form in Sasuke's mouth when the nurse asked him if he was done with using the washroom. He was too busy staring at himself in the mirror.
Gingerly touching the corner of his eye, his eyes riveted to the image of himself in the mirror, Sasuke gulped repeatedly. He could see! Finally he could see!
But that wasn't the reason behind his behaviour.
Sasuke's fear slowly crept out from the depths of his heart and started to wrap itself around him in a death-grip.
Why… Why did his eyes seem so… familiar?
Sasuke took a deep breath. With that, he widened his eyes and instantaneously activated the Sharingan pattern, which all Sharingan-afflicted people had, on his eyes.
He choked on nothing but air, or maybe it was the dread that had now enveloped him.
Weren't these patterns… These eyes…
…His brother's?
15 February, Tuesday, 10.16pm., Ward B
"Something's wrong! Doctor!" Nurse Ayami held back her shriek.
The doctor's eyes flashed with urgency as he quickly scanned the equipment—and he found out what had gone wrong.
"Prepare for emergency measures!" He commanded calmly. Then, turning to Nurse Ayami, "Take the letter. You know where to go." He produced the envelope from his pocket and handed it to her.
Nurse Ayami quaked violently on the inside. She gripped the letter with trembling fingers and immediately, headed off on her mission. The other nurse attending to Itachi whipped out all the necessary equipment in a flash, while another nurse drew the curtains around Uchiha Itachi's bed.
"His heart rate is slowing down very drastically," commented the anxious nurse in charge of monitoring his statistics.
The doctor began making preparations hastily.
It wasn't fair for such a nice individual to leave like this…
The beeping of the instrument was replaced by a monotonous tone.
15 February, Tuesday, 10.16 pm., Sasuke's ward
There was a clattering sound that startled the nurse outside the door.
"Sasuke, are you okay?"
"Hn."
He hadn't meant to knock his cup off the sink. Grouching as usual, he bent down to pick it up, only to find that there was a crack.
He scowled violently. The issue with the eyes was confusing enough already, and now this? Just how much nonsense was he supposed to put up with?
But he halted when the crack split further and shards of plastic snapped off, one of them even cutting Sasuke's forearm.
If the cup cracking was a bad omen, then this ought to be the epitome of a disaster.
15 February, Tuesday, 10.18pm., Corridor
Darned receptionist. Taking her own sweet time to give him an answer.
Sasuke was a mix of anger and fear and… dare he say it? Worry. He felt so very, very uncomfortable as he pounded down the corridor, only a minute after he'd managed to find out Itachi's ward from that slowpoke receptionist.
Ward B.
Ward B.
Ward B.
These were the only words that revolved in Sasuke's mind as he took turn after turn, and sped down corridors with alarming speed for a child who'd just gone for an operation on the same day.
Ward B. It's just around the corner here—
He landed smack on his bottom and was about to curse when the person who had crashed into him headfirst, the nurse, to be exact, got up first and thrust a yellow envelope into his hands.
She seemed to be at a loss for words, but Sasuke could see the look in her eyes. They were pleading him, beseeching him to open the envelope.
And open the envelope Sasuke did.
He practically tore it open and snatched the letter from inside, unfolding the crinkled paper.
He started to read it.
15 February, Tuesday, 10.33pm., Ward B
Too late.
Sasuke made it just in time to see the doctor cover Itachi's face with a sheet of white.
The sole survivor of the Uchiha clan collapsed into one of the chairs outside the ward. It wasn't possible. It wasn't true. It wasn't supposed to end like this.
The letter was clenched tightly in his fist.
Sasuke sat, and waited for someone—anyone—to just walk out and say it was a lie, that he was hallucinating, or that maybe it was a nightmare that he would wake up from when the nurse woke him up in the morning.
But no.
Salvation never arrived.
Still Sasuke waited.
The hospital reeked of antiseptic and Sasuke felt like vomiting. Vomitting out his grief, his despair…
His guilt.
After reading the letter, Sasuke had reached a conclusion.
Itachi really did love him after all.
But it was too late then, wasn't it.
Tears pooled in Sasuke's eyes. He realized they were Itachi's eyes too. How could he make his brother cry? It was a sign of disrespect to his brother, the same brother who had sacrificed everything, even his own life, for Sasuke.
No. He wouldn't cry.
Abruptly, he stood up, releasing the paper from his grip.
Itachi had intended for his eyes to be the light for Sasuke, to brighten up the path ahead of him.
Except that, when the life in Itachi had faded, so had the light in those eyes.
Darkness now seeped in, clouding Sasuke's eyesight to the point where he became blind. Blind with rage. Blind with despondence. Blind with vengeance.
A single teardrop trickled down the contour of his face.
Konoha was going to pay.
EPILOGUE:
The letter fluttered to the ground. Though thoroughly crumpled, the last line was still visible.
It read:" I will always love you, my little brother."
