Hello everyone! I know it's been se long since I started this fic, but things here in Chile have been way hectic, with all the protests and everything regarding education so I've been really busy and with no time at all. I'm sorry if there are any mistakes :D
Anyways here I give to you the second Chapter I hope you guys like it.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.
Whispers To The Heart
Ch. 2: Everything Comes Back To You
[Konoha Hospital, early morning, room 315]
Soft beams of light are cast through the thin curtains that are swaying due to the morning breeze. The whole room is in a state of peace, and in it are heard soft breaths. A woman sleeps peacefully, any person who looked at her would not notice anything strange, but for those who know what is really happening with her health seems an ethereal being ready to start her journey to the plane it's rightful for her; where no harm can hurt her where the creatures that love so much and give only happiness to those around them deserve to be.
Those were the thoughts that invaded Sasuke's mind as he watched her sleep peacefully as if there was not a lurking illness to end her life. He was worried sick about her. His emotions were out of place, he felt helpless for not being able to do anything that can help fight this disease that slowly progresses and threatens to destroy everything that is precious to him - and by everything he means the woman who rests sleeping in hospital bed.
A few days have already passed since Sakura was hospitalized and it has not made any progress. Sakura's condition remains stable but now she has migraine, that is why they must constantly sedate her but these also have receded; the tests that have been performed show no disease yet and Tsunade told them it was possible that this disease was more severe than anticipated and that why other kinds of tests were required.
Naruto visit her everyday even those days where all she does is sleep while Sasuke hasn't leaved the hospital since Sakura was hospitalized. And now everyone knew where to find him: in Konoha Hospital, third floor, room 315, sitting on a chair beside Sakura's bed always holding her hand. In this exact position he was when Naruto and Kakashi made their appearance of the day.
"Is she sleeping?" asked Kakashi.
"Hn. They had to sedate her last night the migraine was to strong" said Sasuke without turning his gaze from Sakura's sleeping face.
"We wanted to say hi before we have to go on our mission" whined Naruto.
"Where are you going?"
"Suna. Gaara needs help from us." said Naruto and then continued in a smaller voice "And we must deliver news of Sakura's current condition. He is worried; Gaara has a soft spot for Sakura-chan you know, ever since she cured him and Kankuro"
"Hn." was the cold reply from Sasuke. The truth was that Gaara's affection for Sakura irked him, the friendly relationship that Sakura and Gaara shared was something that had always made Sasuke jealous, even when he already owned her heart he still felt insecurity everytime a man acted friendly with his Sakura.
"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, is the Teme jealous?" asked Naruto with a sly grin on his face.
"I believe so Naruto" was Kakashi's reply.
"Hn. Just go already" Sasuke said to his comrades.
"Say hi to Sakura-chan when she wakes for me okay" said Naruto as he moves closer to the sleeping medic to place a kiss in her forehead "get well soon Sakura-chan, we miss you".
"Aa."
The days passed and Sakura was nowhere near to get any better. Sasuke was getting very impatient and irritated. And of course it was only natural with his woman being so sick. But at least she was conscious now all the time. Sasuke saw this as a little improvement, because that means the migraine are gone. But in reality the symptoms were about to get much worse than they were.
[Konoha Hospital, Tsunade's office]
Tsunade was looking entranced to the results of the tests that were performed on Sakura. They showed absolutely nothing. And the symptoms weren't evolving so much. Yes the migraines were gone but the blindness was still there. Ophthalmologic tests showed the wear of the cornea, demonstrating blindness. Simple blood test showed nothing unusual regarding the blood pressure and the count of erythrocytes and leukocytes.
Tsunade was really worried for the health of her apprentice. What was this disease? In all her years practicing medicine she had never come across anything remotely like this. And the worse part was that it may be contagious, but so far Sakura was the only infected - in itself that was a point in favor and one against, and on one hand this disease was not spreading in the village and there is no need for quarantine, but on the other hand is at stake the life of one of the best medical ninjas Konoha ever had.
So wrapped up in these thoughts was Tsunade that she didn't felt the erratic knock on the door of her office.
"Tsunade-sama!" when the yell of Shizune registered it was when Tsunade came out of her stupor. That was when she realized what she looked like. Shortness of breath, a slight sheen of sweat covering her face, but the most impressive thing were her eyes, her orbs showed tremendous concern and in turn grief and fear.
Those were the only indications that Tsunade needed to know that something was terrible wrong.
"What is it Shizune?" asked Tsuande. She needed to know what was going on, and as the Hokage - if it was an attack to the village - she had to put a plan already in motion. But what she didn't expected was the answer she received.
"It's Sakura-san." she said hurriedly "She's having a stroke-like episode".
[Konoha Hospital, room 315]
The pain was excruciating. That was the only thing that registered in Sakura's mind. Her head hurt so badly, and it was so sudden.
She was talking quietly with Sasuke, about this disease, about the blindness and the repercussions that it may have in her being a Shinobi and a medic. When all of a sudden an excruciating pain shot through the right side of her head to later spread along the whole her head. And so absorbed in her pain and trying and paying to Kami that it would stop that she didn't notice Sasuke trying to calm her screams - heck she didn't even realized she was screaming like a mad man - and Shizune appearing and asking what was happening with her to only run to call for Tsunade with no hint of what symptom was it this time.
"Sakura. It's going to be okay, I'm with you" was Sasuke poor intent of comforting the suffering pinkette.
"It hurts so bad Sasuke-kun" she said between hard intakes of breath.
"I know. I'm here. Hold my hand" was all he could mutter while taking her little hand in his and squeezing it lovingly.
Truth was that he was desperate. What was going on? What was happening to Sakura? And why her? And most important of all what he could do to make it all go away? Yes. He knew that for the time being none of his questions can be answered and all he had to do was wait. And almost everyone knows that Uchiha Sasuke in no a man of waiting - the proof of that was none other that the hunt of Itachi.
It seemed like an eternity when Tsunade finally enter the room. Sakura's screams haven't die down one little bit and Sasuke was positive that his right hand was broken, having heard a crack a few seconds ago; but the good thing was that her grip was so tight that he felt absolutely nothing and as soon as she is better and this pain she's feeling he was going to get Tsunade to fix him.
"What is going on here? Sakura look at me! Where is the pain located?" asked Tsunade fully in doctor mode now.
"My whole head" was the only reply from the pinkette.
Tsunade check her temperature, her blood pressure, her eyes, those were the only thing that in the moment of the crisis could tell what that sudden pain was doing to her body. Her pupils were completely dilated, her look unfocused. Normally when a person was suffering from a great pain in her head they try to set their look in one thing because the brilliancy and the movement make the pain worse - but with Sakura it was the exact opposite her look was unfocused, her look distant, full of agony. What was worse was that they didn't now what this could to the blindness that she presented will it get worse?
"Can you do something?" was Sasuke's growl.
"No" was the only answer he received.
"It seems lately you all you can do is nothing!" he said infuriated. Some part of him knew that it was disrespectful say such words to the Hokage herself, but at the moment he didn't care if he was being rude or if she hurt her feelings. All he cared about was Sakura and that she get well soon so she could take her home and never see her in this situation again, so ill, so fragile.
Of course he remembered all those times when he called her weak. But after all this years and after he came back - after Naruto dragged his ass back - he saw the changes in every one of his friends and people he knew. But what stunned him the most was the change in her, in the little Kunoichi in Team 7, the one who used to be always so weak, always striving to get stronger, the one who always had to be saved; now was completely changed: stronger - with the ability of breaking walls with her pinky - not only physically but mentally and emotionally too. Beautiful. Mature. Excellent medic nin and many other qualities that make her the woman that she is today. The woman who little by little stole his heart.
"Sasuke-san, please calm down, Tsunade-sama is making her best effort trying to figure out what is wrong with Sakura-san" Shizune tried to calm Sasuke but her words never reached him, he was too busy trying to suppress his anger at the world because by now the whole world was guilty of what was wrong with her.
"Sasuke-kun..." Said Sakura weakly, tired from the mental strain she just suffered. "Don't fight please"
"Sakura!" She was called from the three presents in the room but was Sasuke the one who was by her side in an instant - almost hovering over her.
"How are you feeling? Does still hurt?" He asked.
"A little tired but otherwise okay and no the pain is gone now" she smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes so Sasuke knew in the instant that it was a fake smile the kind of smile she delivers when she is trying to reassure everybody else.
"Okay I need everyone out. Shizune we are going to scan her brain for any side effect and we are going to check that blindness" Ordered calmly Tsunade.
[Konoha Hospital, Cafeteria, Late Afternoon]
Sasuke is staring at his coffee absent mindedly waiting for Shizune to tell him the results of the test. All he knows is that thanks to the Stroke-like episode that Sakura had a few hours ago they now could perform some test and some medical jutsu that works in the brain. But that was in the morning and the clock now is showing 8:38 pm.
But what could he do? Nothing, except waiting. So instead of waiting in the waiting room outside of Sakura's hospital floor he decided to come to the cafeteria in hoping of distracting himself. It kind of worked for a few minutes because the moment he entered the room all the nurses and visitors that were eating had their eyes on him, devouring him and some of them dared to speak to him. But in the end it was all worthless - the distraction - because no woman could hope to win a spark of interest from him and that was why she had all his attention in normal circumstances and the circumstances now were anything bur normal so his every thought revolved around her.
And that's how he spent all his morning and afternoon waiting staring a cup of coffee in from of him, pondering when would all this be over, when she will back to normal health.
At normal sight nobody could tell that was something wrong with him because he seem a tired ninja who's waiting to be examined after a mission, but to the trained eyes that were looking to him - and eyes that have seen so many facets of him- knew that he was stressed, angry and down of all that worried sick about her. After a few seconds of staring at his best friend Naruto took a seat in from of the Uchiha. That was when he saw his look, distant, sorrowful, preoccupied, longing for other eyes, but he could see above al those was the love. The love for her and her alone, the concern of what his world would become without her; and Naruto knew that without her the Teme would be lost it would be worse than when Itachi came back to Konoha looking for the Kyubi.
"Teme" started Naruto, "I was looking for you, I went to Sakura-chan's room but there was no one. Tell me what is going on"
"Dobe." said Sasuke, but there was something wrong in the way he said it. Normally it would have come more detached, more teasing, but now it was tired, sadly even. "When you get back?" Asked Sasuke trying to evade the inevitable a little bit longer.
"A few hours ago. What's going on? Why are you so..." he trailed off not finding the appropriate word to say.
"So what?"
"So Teme" was all he could come up with and when he received a glare he elaborate "Don't look at me like that! You know you look like a lost puppy, like a little boy who's lost in the middle of the market. So tell me already what's going on?"
"Sakura got a crisis. A stroke-like episode" was all he said
"Well explain! What is that? Is she okay? Were is she now?" Now Naruto was more worried than before what if something bad had happened?
"I don't know what it is. They never explain it to me in the first place, yes she is okay for now, and I don't know where they take her. All I know is that they took her to perform some test" was the explanation that Naruto received.
"So how long since they took her?" Asked Naruto maybe they would end up soon.
"Ten hours ago."
"What?" That was too much time. Wait was the Teme waiting alone with only his brooding mind for ten hours. No wondering he was all sappy.
Just when Sasuke was about to reprimand him from screaming Shizune beat him to it "Naruto-kun please quiet some were in a Hospital. Sasuke-san Sakura-san is in her room now you can go see her Tsunade-sama will explain what we found. You can go too Naruto-kun"
"Aa." was Sasuke's normal reply. The moment he heard that Sakura was fine his spirit came back.
"Wait Sasuke-san. Is you hand giving you any troubles has the effect of pain medication gone?" Asked Shizune. When she fixed his hand it was quite a mess with four broken fingers and a few cracks in his wrist it was a miracle that he didn't need more than the healing jutsu for broken bones and a few pain killers.
"No it's fine. Thank you" said Sasuke. In truth his hand was the last of his concerns. It was fixed so he can hold a little pain he wasn't a jounin for nothing.
As they were walking to Sakura's room Naruto asked him what happened to his hand. When Sasuke told him that Sakura broke it he made a few cracks about it until Sasuke said she was holding while she was in pain so he didn't mind that she broke it. That left Naruto quiet, for a while, before starting to ramble about his mission and Gaara's reaction to the news of Sakura being ill. Sasuke knew he was trying to distract him and himself about the inquiry of the results, and he appreciate it - but it wasn't working one bit.
[Konoha Hospital, room 315]
As Naruto and Sasuke walked trough the door they saw Sakura lying on her bed, apparently sleeping, while Tsunade was performing some kind of jutsu on her head.
"What is going on Baa-chan?" Of course it would be the Dobe the one who break the silence.
"Ah. You're here. Good. Take a seat; it's time to tell you what we've found out".
"Hn."
"The scan we perform on Sakura's brain showed that those Stroke-like episodes were originated there. Of course they could occur on every part of the body, but in Sakura's case they occurred on her head and we believed that they are the responsible for her migraines. These stroke-like episodes compromise especially cortical areas, simultaneously or successively injuring more than one vascular territory. In this case it's related to Sakura's blindness. Now these stoke-like episodes can be extended by contiguity, even several days after the initial episode, so what happen this morning it would most certainly repeat itself. That's why I was performing a jutsu on her." Explained Tsunade.
"And what does this jutsu do?" Asked Naruto.
"We provided L-Arginine orally, as a preventive treatment. Also the jutsu allows this L-Arginine to dilate cerebral vessels and the cortical areas. This treatment would also improve headaches crises related to this rare disease."
"What is L-Arginine?" Asked Sasuke. He wanted to know everything that was related to Sakura, from the pain medication to the most invasive procedure.
"Well, how to put it so you could understand; especially you Naruto." Said Tsunade.
"Hey! I take offense on that!" Whined Naruto.
"Shut up Dobe. Let her explain" Sasuke was getting very impatient; he wanted to know what was that thing.
"Okay, stay calm you two. The L-Arginine is an essential chemical block called "amino acid". It is used for diseases of the heart and blood vessels including congestive heart failure. It is an essential amino acid and can boost immune function by increasing the number of leukocytes. Arginine is involved in the synthesis of creatine, polyamines and DNA. Is that clear?"
"Aa."
"Yes baa-chan, but there's something I still don't get" Said Naruto.
"And what is that?" Asked Tsunade
"What the hell is a Stroke-like episode?"
"They are equivalent to focal neurologic deficits, mimicking recurrent ischemic events. They are expressed clinically as hemianopsia and/or cortical blindness episodic. And that is why Sakura is blind now. We didn't expect something like this and that is why it took so long to figure it out.
"But that is all she had right? As soon as this Stroke thing is over she will be okay?" Asked Naruto with a new light in his eyes.
The truth was that he was hoping that this illness will soon be gone and Sakura will be fine again, and after hearing Tsunade said that this Stroke thing could be treated with the Argenine thing all his fears banished. And Sasuke was - deep down - wishing for the same, but that obnoxious voice in his head told him that this was far from over and worse thing were to come. And that kept him glue to the spot, because no matter how irritating and annoying that voice is, it's never wrong.
"No." Said Tsunade with a new seriousness.
"What you mean no Baa-chan?" whined Naruto feeling dejected
"What?" Said Sasuke, and somehow he knew what would be the answer; that stupid voice was right. How he hated it.
"The Stroke-like episodes are always triggered by some other reason. In this case we do not know which is the source of all this. But in a civilian this may manifest differently, because she is a medical ninja and have to have perfect chakra control. The effect of all that is happening in her chakra network is still uncertain, so we have to work with caution, because any mistake when examining her chakra network would be detrimental to Sakura and could leave forever withered her chakra channels ruining her career as medical ninja" explained Tsunade.
"Okay. I get it now." said Naruto
"Anything else you want to know?" said the Hokage, she really needed sake at the moment.
"Is there any sequels?" Asked Sasuke.
"As a matter of fact, there are sequels." Said Tsunade
"Are?" asked Sasuke. He was mortified, he wasn't expecting sequels.
"Yes. She presents speech disorders with disturbances in the nomination, syntax, and limitations in the understanding of language and repetition. But this is intermittent and so as we think that as the Stroke-like episodes progress these alterations will be permanently." Said Tsunade, only to continue saying "Blindness has also increased; Sakura's left eye is completely devoid of vision."
"Kami, is there anything we could do Baa-chan?"
"For the moment no. All you can do is stay with her, after the fulminant Stroke-like episode from this morning she is very unstable." With those final words the Hokage leaved the room in search of a bottle of sake.
Seconds passed as hours for the two friends, all this information it was so much, and so sudden. Sakura was fine - for now, and in any moment she could be worse.
And by the time everything is figured out she could be dead. How could this be happening to her? Why? That was the question that tormented these boys. All the time they had known each other they always had made sure to keep her safe, all member of team 7 and team Kakashi treasured her and treated her like the most priced life. Because she was the only pure one, the only who wasn't tainted from hate, from envy, the only one who's life has been "normal" and they always have wanted to preserve that. But now a stupid disease was threatening to take everything away from them.
So what were they suppose to do? They were no medics, they could defeat any enemy, any threat - human threat - that dear appear in their lives, but what were they suppose to do when the evil was lurking from inside her and they had none weapons to fight it. Of course the answer to that was evading them and it has no intention of showing any time soon.
With all those thoughts in mind they boys move to the bed were Sakura was sleeping peacefully, all they could do now was wait. Wait for her to wake up, for her to speak and see how bad affected her speech and how she will feel about her blindness, and so many other things; but all they wanted was to have her back in full health, because the missed her.
Naruto missed her best friend, the one who no matter how idiotic he could act always had a smile for him, the one who healed him and Sasuke when they took training too far, the one who helped him realized that Hinata loved him, the one who give him courage to ask Hinata out... it was simple he wanted her sister back.
While Sasuke wanted her back, because she was his lifeline, his ground wire, the one who took all his demons and darkness away with the simple brush of her fingers, with only having her around his life is better, and yes he was aware that he broke her heart in the past, but that was one of the things he treasured about her, her capability of forgive all the awful things he had done. Proof of that was when she told him "We are all humans Sasuke-kun, humans make mistakes, humans do wrong. I don't see why you expect to be any different". And little by little he fell for her. And like the proud Uchiha he was it took him a while to admit - to himself - that he loved the pink lady in his team. And it took him a while longer to ask her out, thankfully she understood him better than anyone, and never stop loving him and accepted him with open arms.
So there you have it! Yeah I didn't like the end so much, I feel like it's missing something. So Never mind :D
I'll try to update as soon as possible... but I warn you it may take a while xD