Love Conquers All

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. In this chapter, there will be more about Itachi's recovery and of course Sasuke/Hinata's engagement. Please enjoy.

Chapter Notation: I did some Googling. There are some different theories about what the heck was wrong with Itachi. But I went with…Hemoptysis. :P This is my attempt at sounding medical and I am not sure how accurate any of this would be. So if I happen to have any medically inclined readers that know is "wrong", lol please just try to go with it for the sake of the plot.

Chapter 11

If Saskue had ever doubted Itachi was sick, walking into that hospital room would have changed his mind. That man lying on the bed, couldn't possibly be his brother. He was white as a sheet, whiter than Orochimaru. His smoky black hair was plastered against his flesh like he had just run for days. Itachi's breathing was shallow, were it not for the slight rise and fall of the blankets over his chest, Sasuke would have wondered if his brother was dead.

"His illness had advanced quite far. He is going to need more than just one treatment. But for now, while very weak…I have stabilized him." Shizune informs him.

Shizune wasn't sure if she had done the right thing. The medic still wasn't convinced that Sasuke hadn't somehow been brainwashed by his cunning elder brother. Itachi was a master of Genjutsu. He could have made the boy, well young man see anything he wanted to.

"I see. How long will it take until he makes a full recovery?" Sasuke asks.

"If he survives…" She begins to say only to have that train of thought silenced by Sasuke's Deathglare that could have made even Madara Uchiha proud.

"He WILL survive. Go on." Sasuke says.

"I'd say at least a year. The first half of which, he'd most likely be confined almost exclusively to the hospital." She says.

"Thank you." Sasuke says and heads to Itachi's bedside.

Sasuke wasn't entirely sure if he was asleep or not at first. He saw Itachi's eyes were closed. But that didn't mean anything. He vaguely contemplates waking his elder brother up. He decides against it though. He'd need his rest.

"Do you want to sit with him for awhile?" Hinata asks.

Sasuke nods. He reaches over and touches his fiancee's cheek gratefully. He didn't even have to say what was on his mind, she just knew.

"There is no way that we will be able to keep his being here a secret for a year." Kakashi warns Sasuke gently.

"I know. But give him a few days to get over the first treatment. Then I let the village know the truth. It should be a novel experience for everyone." He says bitterly and narrows his eyes in determination.

"Sasuke." Hinata says.

"I'm not taking it back. It's accurate." Sasuke tells her.

Hinata sighs and kisses Sasuke's cheek. Well at least he hadn't flown off the handle, yet. So there was still hope that this could all be solved peacefully.

"What is wrong with him?" Sasuke demands to know.

"Hemoptysis. It's the result of alveolar hemorrhage. In alveolar hemorrhaging there is Hemoptysis, falling hematocrit, diffuse pulmonary infiltrates and respiratory failure. For your brother, he has Hemoptysis. This means his lungs were impacted. He is experiencing cardiac arrest. Likely the inflammation of his Sharingan sent his natural antibodies into overdrive and ended up making him ill after fighting a different inflammation previously. Thankfully for you, it's not thought to be genetic." She finishes.

"Oh. But you can fix it?" He asks.

"There are lots of options. The first is interjecting something into his bloodstream to stop the bleeding. I already did that. The tissue that is causing the condition can be removed, which I already did as well. I'm also going to give im Bronchoscopic laser therapy. That means I'll use lasers during a brochoscopy to remove the tumors, lesions, and widen his airways." She finishes.

"So that explains his bleeding eyes, the cardiac arrest, trouble breathing, and everything else." Sasuke mutters.

"Yes. It can be cured or at least managed." She adds.

"Good." Sasuke says.

Later on, Itachi wakes. He smiles when he sees his foolish little brother laying at his bedside. He couldn't resist. The elder Uchiha summoned up most of his energy to poke him in the forehead.

"Why do you always do that?" Sasuke mutters and rubs his forehead.

"It annoys you and shows I care." Itachi replies.

"Uh huh. How are you feeling?" Sasuke asks in a voice laced with concern.

"Weak. But…breathing is somewhat easier now. That medic you kidnapped is quite skilled. Where is your little Princess?" He asks curiously.

"She went to get us some food. You've been here for awhile." Sasuke says.

"Ah sorry to have kept you waiting." He says dryly.

"Shizune says it will likely take a year of treatments and the first six months you are probably going to be mostly confined to the hospital. But it can be managed or even cured." Sasuke informs his older brother.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. That sounds about right." Itachi mutters.

"If you knew that, why didn't you seek out treatment earlier?!" Sasuke thunders at him.

"Because I wanted you to kill me. Becoming weaker through the illness just made that more likely. The medication prolonged my life long enough to suit my purposes. That and I deserved to suffer for what I had done. Killing your family, no matter the reason for it…is not something that should go unpunished. One small way to begin the nearly impossible task of atoning for my many sins." The older man replies.

"You didn't do it because you wanted to. Itachi you probably prevented the next Great Ninja War. You are a hero, not the villain." He says.

"I suppose one could look at it that way. But your love for me, makes you biased. I'm not certain the world would ever be able to handle that much gray. People prefer things to be black and white. Good and evil. It's simple, easy to understand, and comforting. If they knew what really went on behind the scenes…they would not take well to the harsh reality of the world." He mutters.

"And Konan?" Sasuke questions.

"She's existed in a sea of gray almost since birth. Konan knows what this world is really like." He answers.

"Do you want me to try to contact her somehow?" Sasuke says.

"There is no need." Itachi replies.

"But she thinks you are dying." His younger brother says.

"I know her. She will find out on her own what has happened. She will come. Despite how risky it is, she'll come. Possibly Kisame as well." He adds as an afterthought.

"The one with the blue skin?" Sasuke asks.

"Yes, that's the one. He was my partner. In all honesty, I'm just happy that I was not assigned with Deidara or Hidan." Itachi admits.

"The art is a bang freak and the religious freak. The Akatsuki sure knows how to pick them." Sasuke points out.

"They were all chosen for their abilities, not their mental stability." His elder brother counters.

"I know. They chose you, didn't they?" Sasuke says with a smirk.

"Well played, foolish little brother. I did deserve that one." Itachi says.

"Yes, yes you did." His younger brother agrees.

Meanwhile Hinata grabs some food. Itachi would probably be hungry when she woke up and honestly, Sasuke should probably eat something. She doubted he'd had anything after their picnic.

Speaking of which, she couldn't help but glance down at her ring finger. She still couldn't believe that he had actually proposed. She bites her lower lip and tries to imagine what her father's reaction as going to be. Hinata wasn't sure what concerned her more, the fate of the village or her father's reaction when he learned of Sasuke's marriage proposal.

"Sasuke?" She calls out gently, as she walks back into the room.

"Ah there is your little Princess." Itachi says, coughing a bit.

"Pr-incess?" She asks.

"You are the heir to the Hyuga Clan, are you not?" The elder Uchiha questions her.

"I am." She says.

"Then the nickname fits. " The man decrees.

"I guess so." She mumbles.

"She's shy. But I do like her." Itachi says to Sasuke.

"I had the same opinion." Sasuke says and pulls Hinata into his arms.

Elsewhere in the hospital, Naruto and Kakashi were talking. The blonde was demanding to know what Kakashi was going to do about this? They couldn't just leave Itachi in the hospital for a year and hoped no one would notice. Someone was bound to notice eventually. And then what would they do?!

"Sasuke has decided he is going to tell the village the truth. I am not certain what the fallout from this will be. Thus, I am going to start organizing the ANBUS and Jonins. I'll let them know that an important announcement will soon be made. One that could cause disruptions." The silver haired man assures Naruto.

"I guess that's something. I can't believe this is happening." The blue eyed ninja states.

"Me neither. But life does have a tendency to throw us curveballs. It is how we react to them that matters." His guardian replies.

"Yeah, I guess so." Naruto agrees.

Konan smiles, watching from that tree again. Itachi was talking to Sasuke and a girl she didn't recognize. But she knew those eyes. Hyuga eyes. How interesting.

The woman frowns. Itachi looked so weak. It was a miracle that he survived what Shizune had done to him. But he was alive. That was what mattered most.

"He seems to have reconciled with Sasuke as well." She says to herself.

She smiles at this. Konan knew that would make Itachi happy. She was well aware how close he had been to his baby brother before the world got in the way. Maybe this could be different.

"I'd best not start expecting a fairytale ending." She says to herself.

Those types of notions were dangerous. It was not wise to start giving yourself false hope. When it was dashed, it was hard to recover form such a thing. She knew this from personal experience.

A few days later, Kakashi braces himself. This could very well end in disaster. He knew that he was courting it. But there was no talking Sasuke out of it. Itachi was…stable enough to watch the fireworks from the safety of the hospital anyway.

A large crowd had gathered in the Leaf's Village Square. The hospital was nearby. Itachi could watch from his room's window. Kakashi takes a deep breath and prepares for what could likely result in a riot.

"Attention, everyone. I have asked you all here because I believe that certain truths should come to light. This is going to be difficult for everyone to hear. But it is important that you do. I ask that everyone remain calm." Their Hoakge says.

Everyone looks at Kakashi. Almost instantly, the light hearted mood of the crowd changed. It was now one of tension. They all waited with baited breath to see what could possibly rattle their normally cheerful leader.

"Sasuke, perhaps you would like to be the one to explain?" Kakashi offers kindly, handing the younger Uchiha the microphone.

Sasuke nods. He looks at the crowd. Most of them he knew, were oblivious. They had no idea what happened that night. How many would believe him? Even if they did, would they care? His family had been planning a coup. It wouldn't be surprising if the citizens of the Leaf viewed Itachi's actions as having been the only logical ones.

"Years ago, my brother killed our family. I thought he did it only to test his strength. That he had betrayed all of us. I was wrong." Sasuke says.

Hinata walks over to Sasuke. The bluenette places her hand on his shoulder in a comforting fashion. Sasuke smiles at her and takes his hand in his owner, drawing reassurance from his soon to be wife.

"He was ordered to do it. My family was isolated for years. Isolation breeds mistrust. Mistrust breeds fear. Fear leads to hatred. Hatred leads to death. They decided to mount a coup, before the Leaf decided they were too dangerous. Somehow, the Leaf found out about it. They sent Itachi to spy. Eventually, my brother had to decide between his clan and the village." He continues.

Everyone was watching Sasuke now. There were some startled gasps. People began whispering to each other. He tried to gauge the crowd's reaction and found he couldn't. So he decides to go on with his explanation.

"If he sided with his family, there would be a Civil War within the village. In some ways, it didn't matter who would have won this. It would have made the Leaf weak. Other villages would have exploited this opportunity. It could have spawned the next Great Ninja war." Sasuke says.

The crowd was now eerily silent. It was if the weight of his words was being processed. Sasuke was vaguely aware of seeing Itachi peek his head into the window of his hospital room briefly. The fact that Itachi was depending on him, gave him the strength to continue.

"So he killed them. He killed them for you. And in return for his sacrifice. He was branded a traitor. He lied to me. Pretended to be something he wasn't, a cold blooded murderer. I want you all to realize how much blood this village is built on. How many Itachis have there been that we will never know about?" Sasuke hisses and Hinata squeezes his hand, to calm him.

"This village tried to take everything from me. It took my family. It took hid the truth. It very nearly took my brother's life. But I have a new family now and have reconciled with my brother. I won't allow what happened then to happen ever again." He continues with conviction in his voice.

The audience was still silent. It seemed no one knew what to say. There were some looks of denial. It was clear some didn't want to believe it. Still there were others who looked horrified. Perhaps they couldn't deny the truth. Others looked angry. Whether they were angry at him for the accusations or at him, he didn't know. Then there were those who looked sad. The ones that made him angriest though, were those that dared to look at him with pity!

"I've brought him back with the blessing of the Hokage. If anyone has an issue with this they will have to face me. Do not be cowards and fight me. I'll only say this once. My brother is going to have the life he deserves this time." He says.

That snapped everyone out of their daze. Some were outraged. How could the Hokage allow an S Class Criminal into the village? Even if what Sasuke said was true, if he could kill his family…he was capable of anything. Why had Kakashi not discussed this with anyone?!

Some of the ninjas rushed at Sasuke. Hinata was in no mood though. She swiftly blocks the chakra of one man who got closer than she would have liked. The Hyuga Princess was no match for Sasuke's Deathglares. But she gave a rather…effective one. Probably because no one ever expected the sweet tempered woman to look so positively furious.

"Don't you dare." She warns him.

Kakashi sighs. It looks like a riot was going to break out. Yes, the village was split. There were those that wanted Itachi back. There were those who didn't. And still others who might be agreeable with having Itachi back, but were outraged that he hadn't consulted anyone before deciding on this. The fighting was brutal. It resembled a drunken bar room brawl more than that of skilled ninjas.

"STOP IT! ALL OF YOU. If you continue fighting, I will have you thrown in jail. My word is final." Kakashi bellows.

That stopped the fighting. One did not argue with the absolute authority in Kakashi's voice. Well one didn't argue if they wanted to live. Although he was known for his easygoing nature, Kakashi was truly a lethal ninja when he wanted to be.

"That's better. Well now you know the truth. I will further add any attacks on Itachi will be treated as a crime. You'll be lucky if it only gets you thrown in jail. Sasuke is quite protective of his older brother now that he knows what really happened." The Hokage continues.

There was some mute nodding. No one really knew how to react to all of this. Their entire world had shifted on its axis. If they didn't know about this, what else had the Leaf hid from them?

"Sasuke, is there anything else you would like to say?" His guardian asks.

"One more thing. Hinata and I are getting married." He says.

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" Hiashi says.

"We are getting married father. He proposed to me a few days ago. But with everything that was going on, we thought it best to wait awhile before telling you." Hinata says softly.

"UCHIHA, I SWEAR TO GOD SHE HAD BETTER NOT BE PREGNANT!" Hiashi thunders.

"She isn't. Don't you dare raise your voice to me like I'm some child." Sasuke snarls at him.

"YOU ARE A CHILD. YOU'VE NOT EVEN HIT YOUR 20TH BIRTHDAY." Hiashi reminds him.

"This child is more than capable of feeding you to his Snake Summon if you don't shut up." Sasuke says twitching.

"How dare you threaten me like that?! Hinata, did you not hear what this insufferable brat just said to me?" Hiashi demands.

"I heard him. We've already talked about this, Sasuke." She reminds him.

"I'm sorry. But he just pisses me off." Sasuke mutters and crosses his arms.

"You proposed to my daughter without asking for my blessing, first! This is an outrage!" Hiashi continues.

"The only thing that is an outrage is you. Shut up. You are annoying. I love her. She loves me. We are getting married whether you like it or not." Sasuke finishes.

"Did you even get her a ring?" He demands.

"Of course I got her a ring!" Sasuke snaps.

The crowd blinks. They had gone from the Uchiha Massacre being discussed to this. It was such a sudden shift. Frankly, they were getting whiplash. They didn't know how to process all this.

Still it was funny. Someone was finally telling Hiashi off. Many Leaf Village Ninjas had wanted to do the same for years. Hiashi face was also turning purple with rage. It was impressive really.

"Master Sasuke, do you require assistance?" A giant snake that literally seemed to appear out of nowhere asks.

"I don't require it. But it is appreciated." Sasuke says with a nod.

"Of course, Master Sasuke." Aoda says and smacks Hiashi with his tail, sending him flying back a few feet.

"Thank you, Aoda." Sasuke says.

"Master Sasuke and Lady Hinata are going to mate. It is not wise to try disrupt nature. Your hatchling is no longer hatchling. It is time for her to have children of her own. She is happy with Master Sasuke. You want he to be happy, yessss?" He asks and his S's were drawn out in such a way that only a snake could manage.

"I can't believe a snake is trying to give me parental advice." Hiashi scoffs.

"You speciest!" Aoda cries out in outrage.

"Trust me, that's probably one of his least offensive qualities." Sasuke mutters.

"I really dislike your father, Lady Hinata. He is not like you." Aoda bristles in outrage.

"…He is a good man. He's just a stubborn man." Hinata offers.

"I see. I see." Aoda muses.

The crowd decided to disperse. No one wanted to get caught up in the middle of this family squabble. Besides, look at the size of that snake! Yes, yes it was better to leave and mind their own business, they decided.

"You had better treat her right, Uchiha." Hiashi snarls at him.

"I've never treated her any other way. You are the one who was cruel and neglectful." Sasuke hisses.

"I was not!" Hiashi argues.

"Aoda, just knock his ass out. I can't deal with him." Sasuke mutters and Aoda gladly gives Hiashi a good smack.

"FATHER!" Hinata says and rushes over to him.

"He's alright. He'll wake up soon. You said I couldn't have him be snake food. You didn't say I had to listen to his stupidity." Sasuke points out.

"Sasuke, I love you but you really have to work on your temper." Hinata says.

"I love you too. That is why you are the angel and I'm not. You are more forgiving than I am." Sasuke says.

While everyone was distracted, Konan enters the hospital. She knew it was a risk. But she had to see him. She uses a Genjutsu to make herself look like one of the nurses.

"I knew you would come." Itachi says and offers her a small smile.

"How could I not?" She asks and is instantly at his bedside.

"Do you know how risky it is for you to be here? You are a Criminal Ninja. Your face is in the Bingo book. Sasuke might be able get me a pardon, but you…" He trails off.

"I never would ask for one. I just had to make sure you were alright. Your little brother, he is quite the dramatic one, isn't he?" She says in amusement as she looks out the window.

"Yes, he is. Never a dull moment with him." Itachi muses.

"Or with you. And now we shall have many more moments together." She says and laces her fingers with his.

"Yes, many more moments." He agrees with a smile.