Note: Ello loves! All in favor of a slightly thrilling chapter say aye.

Disclaimer: HE'S NOT MINE!

Credits: Sooo! If some of you recall I said a while back that I'd try to incorporate what you the viewers want in this fic. That being said, I know it's long over due but this "long" chapter was asked for by Neko-NightLover and is therefore dedicated to said viewer. I hope it lives up to your expectations! (May I just add that I love reading your comments because you always ask for more chapters? I swear, you're my most interested viewer/commentator Neko chan."

...

Chapter 13

It was now Monday, March twenty fourth. Two weeks. That's how long Sasuke had suffered for. For two weeks he'd been dragging his feet along the ground as he walked. He'd been in constant fear that his father would change his mind and kill him in his sleep. But it would all be over in a few hours. He'd be able to return to the dorms, though not actually until he'd recovered from the procedure, and his mother would have undergone the transplant successfully. Still, Sasuke had this gut feeling that his father was staring him down, probably because he'd been watching him tentatively throughout his stay.

Sasuke sighed as he stood up from the table and made his way to the kitchen. He washed his dishes and, without saying a word to his father, picked up his bag and headed out the giant house. Surprisingly, Itachi was outside when the younger raven exited the place he'd once called home. The man was leaning against his car, a smile spread across his face.

"Good morning." Itachi beckoned Sasuke to move towards him.

"Morning." Sasuke replied monotone.

Itachi opened the passenger door. "Get in."

Sasuke nodded and did as his elder commanded.

"I'm picking you up at ten thirty since the transplant is at eleven a.m."

"Hn."

Itachi shook his head in discontent over his brother's indifferent attitude. "Sasuke..."

"I'm fine. He practically ignored my existence and observed me like a lab rat."

"I worry, okay?" Itachi turned to the teen as he said this.

"You worry?" Sasuke responded skeptically. "If that were true then this wouldn't be the first time I've seen you in the past two weeks. You haven't called, sent a text, or even dropped in Itachi! I know you're busy at work, but you've always made time to check in on me at least once a week. How am I-" Sasuke stopped talking before he finished the last statement. He could feel his chest tightening, and his eyes watering. He could feel the lack of sleep and stress from staying in that god forsaken place for the past two weeks start to nip at him. But worse than all of that, he could feel Itachi's eyes pinned on him as though he were a sniper looking at his target. Sasuke knew that he'd just admitted the one thing he'd sworn never to let Itachi know. He'd just told Itachi how much he relied on him. He'd just told Itachi that even though he always protested when he dropped in on him, Sasuke actually wanted to see him. Sasuke told his brother he cared.

Itachi smiled and ruffled Sasuke's hair. "Fool. If that's how you really felt then you should have just called me. You're always so cold when I visit that it makes a guy feel like he's not wanted. Sometimes I feel as though I failed at being your big brother." A sad smile spread across Itachi's visage.

"That's not true." Sasuke mumbled under his breath. "You're the only person I care about besides mom."

Itachi's eyes widened with shock. Has Sasuke really just made such a confession? Was the young Uchiha truly capable of feeling emotions? He sighed and continued to drive down a couple of streets until they were at Konoha's gates. "I think Naruto would be a little upset if he heard that."

Sasuke looked at his brother questioningly. "Why?"

Itachi laughed. "You're friends right? At least, that's what Naruto feels."

"Yeah," Sasuke smiled, "I guess we are."

...

"Sasuke, are you even paying attention?"

Said raven looked up at the gray haired man beside him. "No Kakashi, I was simply wondering how things were with you and your boyfriend."

Kakashi glared at the teen. "Mind your manners Uchiha." The teacher leaned closer to him and whispered in Sasuke's ear. "Inside this school you and I are merely teacher and student; I am not a family friend, so be careful what you say."

Sasuke smiled at the man. "I make no promises."

Kakashi straightened himself and returned his voice to it's original level. "Anyway, you're being released from class Sasuke. Get your stuff and go."

The raven nodded and picked up his things.

Kakashi stopped him before he left his seat. "Good luck with your mother."

"Thanks. I should say the same for you and Iruka." The teen grinned.

...

Naruto sat in his and Sasuke's room staring up at the ceiling. It'd been a good thing that Sasuke hadn't been around the dorms because it gave Naruto some time to think. However, that didn't change the fact that the blond slowly began to feel lonely without his bastard of a roommate. Although Sasuke sent him two texts a day reminding him to take his meds, the two hadn't talked much. It seemed that being back in his old house had Sasuke more anti social than usual. The raven wouldn't even talk to Gaara. He said nothing at lunch, and only spoke in class if he was called on. It was like the world around him was dead.

Naruto sighed shook his head. As much as he cared about Sasuke, and as much as he wanted to see the raven acting how he normally did, Naruto didn't want to see Sasuke just yet. He knew that in a few hours the older teen could be walking through the door, and that terrified the blond because he was still confused. That night, when he'd nearly been kissed, was stuck in his head. Kurama had become the least of his problems. Or at least that's how the boy felt.

A bell rang, and Naruto realized that his lunch period was over. He picked up his things, and headed out of the room.

...

"Alright sirs. If you'd follow me now we can begin the procedure shortly." A man said as he directed the pair of ravens to a room where their unconscious mother lay on a bed. "Whichever one of you is the donor will be staying here with me. If the other could please stay outside the doors?"

Itachi nodded. He pat Sasuke on the back, and left quietly.

Sasuke allowed the man to lead him into the room. The man told him to change into a hospital gown, and promptly exited the room. After Sasuke had unclothed and clothed himself, the man came back into the room with another man in scrubs. The second man walked over to Sasuke and smiled.

"Mister Uchiha I presume?"

Sasuke nodded.

"I'm doctor Shinra. I'll be the lead doctor in today's blood and marrow stem cell transplant." The man said as he outstretched his hand.

Sasuke took the hand and shook it. "I'll leave my mother in your hands."

Doctor Shinra nodded. "Due to the severity of your mothers aplastic anemia, we've opted to use different method to extract the stem cells than we'd normally have our patients undergo. We call this method 'bone marrow harvest'. You'll be under general anesthesia and we will extract the bone marrow from the pelvis. The stem cells will be transferred into your mothers body through a tube placed in a vein in her chest. The stem cells will then travel to the bone marrow and begin making new blood cells. Any concerns?"

Sasuke replied to the question tentatively. "Are there any risks?"

Shinra nodded. "Your mothers immune system will be weak, and this could make it easier for her to get infections. There is also the possibility of her having cataracts, new cancers, and damage to the liver, kidneys, lungs, or heart."

Sasuke nodded. He gripped his fists slightly, now knowing that this could go one of three ways. In the best case scenario, the transplant would go off without a hitch and Mikoto wouldn't fall victim to any of the possible repercussions and would steadily grow stronger. The second best possibility would include his mother's life being prolonged but she'd gain a new but not as sever illness. In the worst case scenario, there would be a complication with transplant and Mikoto would lose her life, or gain an illness just as bad as her anemia.

"Ready to do this?" Shinra asked.

Sasuke nodded once more. "She's the reason I was able to be born, what kind of a son would I be if I weren't?"

"There aren't many people out there with that kind of mindset mister Uchiha. Your mother must be proud to have a son as selfless as you."

Sasuke shook his head. "No, I'm lucky to have a mother like her."

Shinra then had Sasuke lay on one of the hospital beds and pulled out a needle. He prepared the sedative and inserted it into the ravens arm. The very last thing Sasuke could remember the man saying was "Let's move them into the surgical room now". He must have been talking to the man who'd directed the raven to the room in the first place. And just like that, Sasuke had fallen into the darkness called his mind.

...

"Sasuke?"

Said raven heard the voice call out to him, though he couldn't recognize to whom it belonged. He did't know anyone with such a feeble tone. Still, the person persisted after Sasuke's eyes fluttered open for a slit second.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke opened his eyes once more and stared at his brother groggily. "Ita...chi?"

Itachi smiled at him and rest his forehead on the younger's. "The doctor said that everything went well. Mom should be fine."

Sasuke could feel a tear free fall from his brother's eyes and onto his cheek. "Thank goodness."

Itachi laughed. "Dad came by a while ago. He seemed relieved to hear the news."

Sasuke felt a tug in his chest. Was his father just glad about his mother, or was he also glad that Sasuke had done what he'd done? No matter, as long as his mother was going to pull through, Sasuke hadn't a care in the world for what his father was thinking. Suddenly, a thought popped into the raven's head.

"Naruto!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"What?" Itachi asked.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, "he doesn't know that I underwent a procedure instead of a blood transplant. He's probably expecting me to come back tonight, but by the looks of it that wont be happening for at least two weeks."

Itachi nodded his head. "Okay, I'll call him and tell him to bring you school work and such."

"Thanks..." Sasuke didn't sound gratified at all. Mainly because the reason Naruto had popped into his mind was because he wanted to see the blond. It had nothing to do with school work, or even the worry of Kurama. No, it had to do with Sasuke needing to see the blond. Not that it mattered all too much considering he'd still have a reason to see the teen.

Itachi picked up his little brother's phone and searched through the contacts. After he found Naruto, he hit dial and waited as the phone rang. It didn't take long for the boy to pick up.

"Sasuke?!" The moron's voice sounded on the other end of the line.

"Wrong." Itachi replied. "It's his brother. It looks like Sasuke will be stuck in the hospital for a couple of weeks, so could you bring his class work to him after school until he's released?"

"Sure thing!" Naruto's optimistic voice rang. "Just text me a list of his classes and where the hospital is located."

"Okay, thanks."

"No problem."

Itachi hung the phone up and turned to Sasuke. "I'm going to go home, will you be fine?"

Sasuke nodded.

Itachi smiled and kissed his brother's forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow. Night."

"Stupid doting brother!" Sasuke growled under his breath as the elder Uchiha walked away.

...

Gaara was not the kind of person to act without thinking, or at least that was the case excluding when his friends are concerned. So it was no surprise when he'd rushed into Sasuke's hospital room panting. Of course he'd heard from Naruto, who wasn't too far behind the red, and made it a point to to tag along with the blond when he came to give the raven his work. Though Gaara was panting, his face held no expression other than rapid opening and closing of his mouth. Sasuke just sat upright in his bed trying to process what had just happened, and why it had interrupted his reading.

Sasuke, amused by this, could feel his lips curl upwards and into a smile. "Don't die before I get out of here."

Gaara walked over to his friend and glared. "Haha, very funny Uchiha."

"Right? I'm the best comedian around." Sasuke replied sarcastically. "How'd you know where to find me?"

"Naruto."

Sasuke nodded in understanding. "Did you come alone?"

"No!" A voice called from the doorway. "The bastard ditched me in the lobby and ran to you." It was Naruto. He walked over to where both of his friends were, and placed Sasuke's backpack on a chair near his bed. "Your work, just as your brother asked."

Sasuke nodded in thanks. "Hn."

Gaara spoke softly. "Your mother...she's...?"

"Fine." Sasuke replied. "They said that she should be regaining her health little by little."

Gaara sighed in relief. "That's good. And you?"

"I'll be here for two weeks minimum."

Gaara pulled another chair from along the wall and collapsed in it. "I can rest in peace now." Again, his expression was unchanged and he looked as calm at ever.

Naruto made his way to the door. "Well," he said, "I'll be going now. I've already done what I came here to do."

"Naruto!" Sasuke called instinctively as he watched the blond turn away.

Naruto looked at him. "Hm?"

"Ah...Can you, maybe stay?" Sasuke found himself struggling to come up with the words. "Just for a bit."

"Sure?" Naruto shrugged, but questioned the statement all the same.

Gaara looked at them and gathered that he should leave the two alone. "I'll see you tomorrow Uchiha."

Sasuke nodded and mouthed the word 'thanks' to his friend, who nodded as he exited the room.

Naruto stood beside the raven awkwardly. "So..."

"Ah...Have you been able to manage Kurama without me?"

Naruto smiled and gave a small laugh. "Thanks to your reminder texts I've been able to keep it up. Don't know how things will pan out though since you can't use your cell in here."

"I can always call you from the hospital phone you know."

"I guess."

The silence that followed was...strange. Sasuke had no idea why he'd asked Naruto to stay, but he did know that he'd wanted to see the blond and hear his voice all day. Same went for the blond. Naruto was glad Sasuke had wanted to be with him a bit longer, but wasn't quite sure how to keep the conversation going. Besides that, it was three in the afternoon and, for once, the blond had completed all of his homework during lunch so he had nothing to do.

Sasuke put down the book that had still been in his hand, moved over a bit, and tapped the side of the bed closer to Naruto. "You don't have to stand you know."

"Right." Naruto moved to sit in the chair Gaara had vacated, but Sasuke swiftly grasped him by the wrist and pulled him onto the bed. "Ah-! What-?!"

"Why else would I have shifted over? Moron." Sasuke flicked Naruto on the forehead.

"Asshole!" Naruto exclaimed.

A hint of blush appeared on the blonds cheeks, which amused Sasuke more than Gaara's 'panicked' face from earlier. "Hn?"

"Aren't there supposed to be other people staying in this room?" Naruto asked as he looked around the room embarrassed.

"Just one." Sasuke responded coolly. "He was here last night, but he left around lunch."

"Did he leave the hospital?"

"Idiot, he's still here. I think he went to the rehabilitation center. His leg was injured really bad in an accident."

"Oh?" Naruto got the feeling that Sasuke had spent all night listening to his new 'roommate' talk. Probably because Naruto had done something of the sort when he'd first met the raven. "Did you ask his name?"

"Deidara."

As though on cue, said roommate walked into the room on crutches. "I see I've been mentioned in a conversation. I trust I'm being portrayed in the best light?"

Sasuke chuckled. "Of course."

Naruto looked at the man who was evidently this 'Deidara' person. He wasn't much taller than Naruto, and looked to be around Itachi's age. The man had long, blond hair, half of which was tied up in a high pony tail. He wouldn't have seemed so bad, that is, if only it weren't for the tattoo's on the palm of both of his hands. They were the image of a tongue licking the outside of lips. One could say that it looked as though the man's hands had mouths on them, which was rather creepy by the blonds standards.

Deidara looked at the boy and smiled. "You must be Sasuke's adorable roomie!"

Naruto cocked his head. "What?"

Sasuke shook his head and sighed. "Naruto, Deidara. Deidara, Naruto."

The teen continued to stare at the man. "Nice to meet you..."

"Likewise." Deidara smiled. "What brings you here?"

"Sasuke's homework."

"Really?" Deidara questioned. "I'd have sworn you were here to flirt by the looks of it." Deidara said, eyeing the two.

The realization then hit Naruto that he was still laying next to Sasuke, and he blushed. "I-it's not what it looks like!"

The man laughed. "Don't worry. I may not look it, but I'm the same as Sasu." Deidara made his way over to his own bed and sat on it.

"He's not like us." Sasuke mumbled.

Deidara looked at him in wonder. "He will be when you're through with him." The man retorted.

Naruto was confused. "I'm sorry, but what are you two talking about?"

"I'm talking about Sasuke here being queer." Deidara said simply.

"How would you know that?" Naruto asked, slightly alarmed. He wasn't going to let anyone judge Sasuke.

"Don't be so feisty." Deidara said, sensing the oncoming hostility in Naruto. "It takes one to know one, right? I knew he was the same as me the moment I walked in with the nurse last night and saw him laying in the spare bed."

"And you had the nerve to make that the first thing out of your mouth." Sasuke spat.

The elder blond laughed. "Touché."

Naruto was even more puzzled, but he didn't try to understand any further. He might as well enjoy his time with Sasuke while he had the chance.

Sasuke looked at the clock on the wall, then turned to Naruto. "Kurama."

Naruto's eyes widened as he looked for his backpack, which was laying on the ground near the chair in which Sasuke's bag was. "Thanks, you saved me."

"Hn." Sasuke shrugged.

Naruto pulled out a bottle of water and his pill. He swallowed them both quickly, and then threw his bag back onto the ground. "Is Itachi coming?"

Sasuke shook his head. "He's working overtime tonight since he didn't work yesterday. He came by around lunch to check on my mother and I though, and said he'd definitely come by tomorrow."

"I see."

Sasuke pulled Naruto back down onto the bed so that the blond's head was resting on his chest. "You have time. Rest a bit."

"Won't it hurt?" Naruto asked.

"Have you forgotten?" Sasuke laughed. "I can't feel a thing, not to mention the pain killers they've got me on."

Naruto lay his head back down on the raven's chest and sighed. "Okay, just don't complain to me when you can't wake me up." He closed his eyes and slowly drifted away into a deep slumber.

Deidara peered over from his side of the room. "You damned flirts."

"You're just jealous." Sasuke snickered.

"Don't get too cocky kid. You two are just friends. You aren't dating."

...

"Umm, sir? Visiting hours are over. You have to go home now." A nurse said as she shook Naruto awake.

"Hmm?" Naruto opened his eyes groggily and looked at the time. "Shit!" He exclaimed as the nurse left the room. "I've gotta get back to the dorms before Tsunade drops in!" He carefully removed himself from atop Sasuke's body, and smiled to himself at what he saw. Sasuke had fallen asleep too, and was currently in the cutest state the blond had ever seen him in. His calm expression was almost too good to be true, and he had his arms on his stomach now that Naruto had wormed his way out from under them. It seemed that the Uchiha had done so as security so that Naruto hadn't fallen off the tiny bed in his sleep.

It was just then that Deidara burst out in laughter. "You're too funny."

"W-what?!" Naruto suddenly remembered that Sasuke had a 'roommate' here too.

"Nothing. Just, that face you're making while looking at his sleeping face, it's gotta be criminal." Deidara continued to laugh as Naruto's face began to turn bright red.

...

Naruto woke up to a text from Sasuke's older brother. It seemed that Itachi had gotten his number off of Sasuke's phone, at Sasuke's request of course, and sent him a reminder to take his pill. The blond did as commanded by the device, and then slowly made his way over to the bathroom. His first order of business was to squeeze out some toothpaste on his toothbrush. And so began his morning.

It wasn't long after the blond had awoken that he was sitting at his usual table with a bowl of ramen. Gaara was running a bit late, which was odd, so the blond sat at the table alone. Luckily, Shikamaru was passing by and saw him. He walked over to Naruto and sat beside him.

"Hey." Shikamaru said. "You alone?"

Naruto nodded. "Gaara's late, and Sasuke's in the hospital."

The other teen nodded in understanding. "What happened?" Shikamaru asked, though he seemed completely uninterested in the matter, which was most likely untrue considering the fact that he, like Sasuke and Gaara, always wore a poker face.

It was then that Kiba passed by. He noticed his two friends and sat down with them. "Morning Naruto!'

"Morning." The blond replied monotone.

Kiba frowned. "Wow, the first time I've been able to get a word out of you outside of Biology, and you say it with such boredom."

Naruto shrugged. "It's not like I see you guys often since we only have Bio twice a week."

Kiba looked at Shikamaru exasperated, but Shikamaru hadn't a care in the world. He turned back to Naruto. "What's got you so pissy?"

"That would be the fact that Sasuke wont be back here for at least two weeks and Naruto has to play errand boy in the mean time." Gaara said from behind them.

"Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed. "You're here."

Gaara sat in his usual spot. "Who're your friends?"

"Shikamaru and Kiba." Naruto said as he pointed to them.

...

Note: So, I know this wasn't as long as some may have hoped, but it is longer than my usual chapters which are short but not always so sweet! XD I do hope it was enough to tide you all over for a few weeks...Is it just me, or is my use of language starting to sound more sophisticated? LOLZ Also! I know that there are a few "time gaps" in here, but I've done that to focus on the main parts of the plot. Some of them will never be explained, so it's up to you to make a conjecture about what happened during that missing time frame. I'd also like to mention that this is where things will start getting more heated, so don't expect too much euphoria oozing out from the text after chapter 15 (Yes, I'm hinting to the future nosebleeds and drama that you will hate me for.) As usual, please leave a comment below and so on and so forth. I honestly do love the feedback. Until next time my dears!

Naruto: You really need to be more consistent with your updates.

Me: The great Itami sama doesn't heed such words from a mere figment of a mortals imagination.

Naruto: ...Sasuke, what do any of those words mean?

Sasuke: *smacks his face with his hand* I have no words for how incompetent you are.

Me: Same.

Naruto: Bastards!