Disclaimer: Don't. Even. Ask.

Thanks to PervertAnimeOtaku, YukiKitsune95, Freedom its 2l8, and Love8Peace (my four loyal reviewers) for reviewing. Also thanks to sweetsmilez, AnimeLover5125, and cleareyes25 for favoriting.

Sorry! I had writer's block and TAKS (a STUPID state required test for schools in Texas), so all my creativity went out the window. By the way, I hope ya'll love this chapter... I couldn't help but torture poor Shisui a little... plus a little fluff on Tora's part :]

Days passed in a haze. I hardly received any sleep, with the hectic state the hospital was in and Tenshi crying at odd hours of the night, I was lucky to get three hours of sleep. I sometimes felt as if the night of the Chunnin Attack had made reappearance.

It was my lunch break, but I was too tired to move from the bench where I had sat down outside the emergency wing. Since Reiko was my brother, Shizune had added taking care of him as well as the rest of my unit. He still hardly talked to me, but I knew he talked to Ino regularly, about 'shinobi matters' he told me. That irked me in the beginning, I had known him for years and he turned to a girl his age for comfort, now I was too tired to care. He treated me like he would any nurse, aloof and nonchalant.

Forgoing my break I decided to visit Shisui, who had been wounded during his mission. I wasn't surprised to see Itachi there; since Sasuke was still unconscious and unlikely to wake at the moment, I found the dark haired Uchiha heir in his cousin's room often. Shisui gave me a pained grin when I walked in and I felt ashamed that I was being moody when he was injured. I forced a smile, but he knew me too well. He frowned, "What's the matter?" He asked, a little slurred. Itachi looked at me, his face blank, but I somehow knew he was wondering the same thing. I shrugged, "I'm just tired." To prove my point, I yawned long enough that tears formed at my eyes. I blinked to clear them away.

Shisui still didn't look convinced, but he knew that I wouldn't tell him what was really bothering me. He moved on to a safer subject, a wide grin gracing his features, "So, Lady Tsunade thinks that I'm either very foolish or very reckless. What do you two think?" Both Itachi and I answered at the same time, "Both." Shisui laughed loudly and I frowned. He normally wasn't so... obnoxious. Could it be that I was just testy, or was it something else? I checked his diagnosis chart and nearly laughed. Shisui was high on pain killer. I discreetly showed Itachi and he smirked a little. I had a feeling that he was going to get revenge on everything his older cousin had ever done.

Since it was against the rules for visitors to deliberately make the patients feel uncomfortable, and we medics were supposed to stop it before things go ugly, I slipped out the door, telling Itachi I as going to find Shizune to lower the dosage of painkiller. I also warned him with a very stern face that it might take me at least an hour to find her. He nodded; he understood what I was trying to tell him. I walked down the hall, feeling better than I had ever since Reiko had woken up.

I was leaving for the day when I ran into Shizune. She smiled brightly at me, "Oh good, I'm glad I found you! I need you to find someone to stay overnight in the recovery unit. Our night nurse is on maternity leave as of today now." I stared at her for a brief minute, my mind too tired to even register her words. Finally I sighed and rubbed my tired eyes, "I could stay." Shizune gave me a look that told me she didn't seem quite sure I could stay awake all night. I gave her a smile trying to reassure her, but I was a horrible liar when I was exhausted. "Well, I can't force you to go home. You can, but only if you promise me that you will replace yourself if you start falling asleep." I promised and she continued, "Well, with Sasuke in danger from Orochimaru, we have an ANBU guarding him, but Fugaku-sama has requested that a nurse be on hand in case he wakes. Can you handle that?" I nodded and the dark haired woman left. Turning I trudged back to the emergency unit where I would be spending the night.

On the way, I passed Shisui's room just as Itachi left. I gave my somewhat friend a brief smile, and he nodded in return. I expected him to head the way I came, but instead he fell in step with me. I shot him a frown, confused, but he didn't pay any attention. His dark eyes stared straight ahead, pointed chin raised high to show that he was not submissive of anything. I couldn't help but notice that his long eyelashes seemed prone to tangle with his dark hair, or that the shirt he wore did little to hide his lean muscular arms. The more I looked, the more I realized why girls seemed to fall for him so easily. That was a disturbing thought. His dark eyes shifted towards mine, catching me staring at him like a love-sick fan girl. I was glad that my scars hid some of my blush. Looking down at me feet I asked, "Aren't you going home?" "No." He stated, not unkindly as he would a normal fan girl. Finally my sleep fogged mind connected the dots, "You're watching Sasuke, aren't you?" He nodded and didn't say anything.

Spending the night with Itachi was every fan girl's dream, even if it was in a hospital watching over his younger brother. I soon realized how wrong they were. We hardly ever spoke, and when we did it was to tell the other that we were leaving to go somewhere. I sat sprawling in the chair beside Sasuke's bed while Itachi propped himself up on the windowsill, his gaze fixed on the night sky. The dim moonlight casts as bluish tint in the room, making everything appear ghostly. Nothing happened, except for the rare times that Sasuke would groan in his sleep. I found myself wiping the sweat from the kid's brow, since there was nothing better to do.

It was close to midnight and still nothing happened. I had given up trying to stay alert, like Itachi was doing so effortlessly, in favor of dozing off. My hand rested on Sasuke's bed so I would wake if he shifted during the night, but he had stilled hours ago. Suddenly the relaxed air in the room became tense. I pulled myself back out of my light doze, aware that something had changed. I glanced first at Sasuke, but he was still sleeping peacefully. I couldn't help but notice that he looked younger in his sleep and I wondered if Itachi looked the same. Shaking my head to clear my mind of those frustrating thoughts I turned to Itachi. He was standing, his back turned to me.

I slowly got to my feet, scared that any suddenly movement would startle Itachi into attacking. I shuffled forward until I was standing beside him. The Uchiha spared me a brief glance of acknowledgment before turning his blank gaze back outside. "Is something wrong?" I asked, expecting him not to answer. To my surprise he said softly, "The night is too quiet." I looked out and indeed he was right, nothing, not even the wind, made a sound. It was like the whole world was holding it's breath in anticipation for... something. Sasuke moaned from his bed, and I turned my attention to my charge, and couldn't help but gasp at the dark eyes gleaming back at me. Dumbfounded I actually smacked Itachi to get his attention; he glared at me then followed my gaze to his younger brother.

Sasuke twitched then winced in pain, "A-Aniki?" He croaked and Itachi was by his bedside in a flash. I stayed where I was by the window, this was between them. I turned away to stare out the window, remembering the last time I was in the room alone with the Uchiha brothers. I smiled, then I had told Itachi that he did care, even if he didn't show it. He proved me right once again.

A shadow fell across me and I glanced up to see a night owl gliding in the still air. It hooted softly and with that sound the nocturnal life came alive once again. Whatever had silenced the night had passed and no harm had come to anyone, at least I hoped.

^o^

Okay, this chapter is short because otherwise it would be too long. So there's going to be two more chapters instead of one... maybe.

Flame friendly! (I can't believe I forgot to say that in the last two chapters!)