Fallen Angel
Authors' Note: Thanks for the reviews. We hope that you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 21
It took about half an hour for Madara to have Sasuke's body released, and Shizune even agreed to spare a body bag so that they could take him home with some semblance of dignity. It wasn't particularly difficult, after all no one wanted to deal with an autopsy when religious objections were cited. Too much hassle.
Shisui got into the passenger's seat of Madara's hummer. It was the old man's utility vehicle when one of his other cars wouldn't fit the bill. He would have driven himself home, but he handed his own keys off to Fugaku and Mikoto, knowing that neither he, nor Itachi were in any shape to drive right now. As the only psychics in the room who could pick up on emotions like that, he knew that Itachi had to be as much, if not even more of a wreck than he was.
He glances into the back seat where Itachi sits crouched next to the shiny black bag containing Sasuke's body. Very rarely did he see Itachi cry over anything, but today had been a hard day for all of them, especially his cousins. But, he could offer some solace, at least. "He should have a pulse again in about five and a half hours, but he shouldn't wake up until tomorrow morning, so we'll have a buffer period to get ready for that." And Shisui wasn't going to think about what might happen on the microscopic chance that this didn't work. Because it was going to, there was no other option.
Itachi merely nods. He didn't really trust himself to speak at the moment. The younger Uchiha sighs as he gazes down at the 'dead' Uchiha.
Sasuke's face was as pale as moonlight, his skin cool, but not cold, his features relaxed as if he was merely sleeping. All that was missing was the steady beating of his heart and the rise and fall of his chest. He looked peaceful, but Itachi only found that even more disturbing. Death shouldn't look that natural on him.
Madara sighs. He didn't enjoy this plan either, but it was the plan that had the most 'realistic' chance of success. "Shisui, I would refrain from giving him time estimates." The Uchiha patriarch knew his son and knew that would only make him more anxious. Itachi was likely counting down the seconds and even milliseconds at this point, if such a thing was possible. "This will work, Itachi. We've gotten through the hardest part."
"That's right." Shisui glances back at his anxious cousin. "He's safe now and out of the clutches of those assholes. So focus on what you're going to say to him when he wakes up." Because Sasuke was going to need an anchor, and Shisui knew that only one person had the right to be that for their little cousin.
"I know." Itachi sighs, not daring to look away from Sasuke. "Believe me, I know." He brushes a soft lock of hair from his beloved's face, watching the play of light and shadows over Sasuke's skin.
He was beautiful.
The four hour drive back to the family's main estate Felt longer with the anxiety thick in the air, but as soon as Madara's vehicle was parked in front of the main steps, Shisui was bolting out of his seat and whirling around to open the door for Itachi. "Let's go." The sooner they made Sasuke comfortable, the better.
Itachi gently picks Sasuke up and carries him towards the door. "Open it, please." It was a fairly long walk to the door of the house, but he had closed the distance almost unbelievably quickly even when the ginger way he carried his beloved was taken into account.
"Alright." Shisui pushes open the door, entering first and clearing the path inside as he holds the door open. Sasuke's head lolls agains Itachi's shoulder, a tiny sound escaping as a soft gasp is exhaled across Itachi's skin. A fact that Shisui doesn't miss, but can hardly believe. It was too soon. "Itachi..."
"I know." He nods as he carries Sasuke swiftly inside and up the stairs to the second floor. "We've planned for this." Perhaps not as swiftly as it was happening, but still. He at least knew where to take his soulmate for recovery.
Shisui follows Itachi to one of the guest bedrooms, already prepared by the anxious mother bustling about. A bowl of cool water lay on the small table by the bed. Along with clean cloths and a change of clothes. A small pot of medicinal tea sits next to a couple of bottles of distilled water and one bottle of mineral water. The mixture that Sasuke had inhaled would have to be sweated out, so Shisui had anticipated the fever and prepared accordingly. He pulls a number of blankets from the closet and sets them out at the foot of the bed.
Itachi gently lays Sasuke down and uncaps the water quickly. When Sasuke fully woke up, that was going to be the first thing he wanted, once the panic subsided slightly anyway. "We're as prepared as we can be." He sighs as he reaches for the medicine tea and clothes.
While Itachi works his way around the supplies, Shisui changes Sasuke into warm pyjamas and tucks his little cousin into bed, then dips a cloth in the bowl of water to lay on Sasuke's forehead. His cheeks were starting to flush slightly, which meant that his temperature would spike soon. But there was still one thing that Shisui could do for Sasuke that could make this situation better. After all, there was no need for Sasuke to relive the memories of this morning...ever. "Itachi, don't stop me." He sits next to the pillow and places his hands on either side of Sasuke's head. "It's better this way."
Itachi's eyes narrow. "If you remove the memory, how are you going to explain all this?" What exactly was Shisui planning. "That he isn't going to be punished for his crimes and why we've gotten him a new identity and everything else? The case will be all the tv, internet, and everything else. We can't pretend it never happened." Sasuke wasn't blind, deaf, and dumb. He'd realize what had happened sooner or later.
Gentle hands glow with a soft light, turning Sasuke's raven locks a dark blue. "I'm going to replace it with another. He'll know that the execution went through, he'll remember that he 'died'." Shisui did know what he was doing, after all. "But he'll remember being calm as he died. He'll remember peace, and none of the terror." None of the loneliness...and none of the darkness.
It was a tempting thought. Though it didn't entirely sit right with Itachi. Shisui was meddling with things that probably shouldn't be meddled with. How did they really know Shisui wouldn't accidentally harm Sasuke in the process? "Is that even safe?" He raises an eyebrow. "For the both of you?"
Shisui smiles ruefully. "It's perfectly safe for him. And it's not the first time I've done this, so I know how to make it as non-invasive as possible." He began reaching into the freshest memories Sasuke had, facilitated by Sasuke's unconscious state. He could feel it, touch it, pull on it and twist it so that it no longer caused Sasuke pain.
Itachi's eyes further narrow at the thought. "Dare I even ask how many times you've done this?" The thought that Shisui might have done it to him without his knowledge was a disturbing one. "In any case do it before he wakes up."
Shisui nods slightly, the glow intensifying a little as he seeks out Sasuke's memories and slowly begins to pull out parts and weave together others. "...I work for the CIA, Itachi...and sometimes that means that I see people suffering under weight that no one can bear. Usually, all it takes is a little tweak, just pull something out and push something else back in its place, and someone who was being crushed could finally start to move on. Sometimes just a feeling, or a memory of something seen just out of the corner of the eye. The devil is in the details...so sometimes I have to dance with the devil."
Itachi says nothing. The answer was apparently a lot or at least fairly regularly then. It was disturbing, but Shisui was doing it out of mercy. He couldn't wait to quit his job and humiliate all of them who deserved it. Those prosecutors. The people who had helped Sasuke be put to death and all those people who been exposed in Sasuke's books.
The glow around Shisui's hands begins to fade, long with all remaining colour in Shisui's face. He breathes out a laboured sigh, trying to hold in his nausea, then lets his hands fall away. "...It's done. Sasuke should be safe now." He stands unsteadily, the waves of emotion still coursing through him as he tried to purge them from his own mind. "I'm going to go call in sick for a few days, then go to bed." But first, he was going to get well-acquainted with the porcelain throne.
"Probably a good idea." Itachi casts a sympathetic look at his cousin before looking at Sasuke. "I already informally turned in my resignation anyway."
"Right." Shisui nods, but it only made the urge to vomit a little worse. "I'll...see you two later." He stumbles slightly on his way to the door, glancing back just once to check on Sasuke one more time, before disappearing through the doorway and sealing the room behind him.
Itachi couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. This hadn't been easy for Shisui either, but at least his mental block had held. Otherwise, he was quite certain his beloved cousin would have ended up in the hospital. True the other man had developed a habit of saying the wrong thing lately, but that was partially Itachi's fault. He'd never closed off to him to this extent before. "It's going to be alright, Sasuke." Itachi smiles at him. "You're safe now."
Sasuke shifts slightly under the covers, his cheeks flushed a rosy pink as little drops of sweat run down from his temples, mixed with cool drops of water from the damp cloth. "...'Tachi..." He breathes deeply, his pulse fluttering in his throat.
"It's alright, Sasuke." He smiles at him. "You're safe now. It's all over." He was repeating himself, but Itachi didn't really know how much of his words Sasuke could hear.
Pale fingers twitch atop the blanket as Sasuke's breathing quickens for a moment, before slowing down once more. "Nngh."
"Take it easy." Itachi sighs as he gets him some water. "I'm going to give you a drink. It should help." He didn't want to risk choking the other man by not warning him.
Onyx eyes flutter open for a moment, passing over Itachi's face before closing again, pale lips parting slightly in a soft pant. Sasuke's head tilts towards Itachi, still seeking out comfort in a minimally conscious, fever-hazed delirium.
He holds the water bottle to his lips and gently pours a small portion into his mouth. Sasuke's fever would be no laughing matter, especially when he sweated out the potion. Hydration was critical.
With a little difficulty, Sasuke obediently drinks, only coughing twice as the cool water runs down his throat. A small trickle runs out the side of his mouth, dripping down flushed, heated skin as it trails down his neck.
"There." He smiles. "Take it easy. You don't need to talk until you're ready."
Not that he could have spoken if he wanted to. Sasuke's eyes flicker open once more, a haze clouding has gaze, then they close once more as he drifts back into unconsciousness. He was fighting so hard, but biology had won out. Itachi shakes his head and decides to let Sasuke rest. He certainly deserved it.
The next eighteen hours were spent with Sasuke drifting in and out of consciousness, never coherently, but enough that he could be kept hydrated and given medicine. Shisui hadn't been seen since retreating to bed. And the atmosphere of the house had grown...not dark, but certainly tense.
Fugaku strode into the bedroom where Itachi continued to sit by Sasuke's bedside, too stubborn to take a room for himself and get some sleep. So he places another cup of coffee down beside Itachi and takes the empty one. "He will wake soon, Itachi. Sasuke is strong." As was made apparent when he began early recovering far ahead of schedule, a feat befitting a proud Uchiha.
"He has woken up." Itachi looks at the father, who must be feeling the very same things Itachi was. "Several times, but never for long or with much coherency. I know that's normal for a situation like this as much as normal can exist right now, but I'd be lying, if I said I wasn't worried. Mikoto must be beside herself as well." Actually, the other Uchiha male in the room was taking this almost disturbingly well. "How are you remaining so...calm?"
"I am calm because I have faith that he will be fine." Fugaku lets his gaze drift from Itachi to Sasuke, a faint smile playing at his lips. "I may not have had the chance to see him grow up, but he is my son, and I know that he will not allow himself to be beaten this time." It would be hard, but Sasuke's spirit would return.
His faith was admirable, but Itachi wouldn't allow himself to believe it until he saw it. So he gives the other man a nod of approval.
Fugaku takes that as his cue to leave. Which was just as well. Someone had to check on Shisui, and Mikoto was cooking up a storm in the kitchen in her desire to deal with her anxiety. If it weren't for his and Madara's ability to keep their heads, there would likely be no sanity left in this house. And Madara's was certainly debate able at times.
As the door closes, Sasuke begins to stir again, squirming slightly under the blankets. The warmed cloth slides off of his forehead and his eyelashes flutter as his eyes squeeze tightly shut against the droplets threatening to spill into them.
Itachi adjusts the wash cloth as he prepares to get him a new one. "I hope he's right." Fugaku's faith was surprisingly unshakable for a man who had been in his position.
But when the elder turns around to place the cloth back on Sasuke's forehead, alert onyx eyes greet him, watching warily, and with a slight edge of confusion as he blinks the sleep from his eyes. "...Itachi?"
"It's me." Itachi smiles at him. "Try not to overexert yourself. You've been through a lot."
Through a lot was...putting it kind of mildly, wasn't it? "I'm...supposed to be dead, aren't I?" Unless Itachi was dead too in which case Sasuke was going to kick his ass for this. "What...happened?"
"It's a very long story." Itachi rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Though to put your mind at ease, we faked your death and got you out of there before your body stayed dead. As far as they're all concerned Sasuke Uchiha is dead." He smiles at him. "We've already crafted a new identity for you."
"You...what?" Sasuke blinks sure that he misheard something somewhere. "Did you just say that you...faked my death?"
"Yes, that's what I said." He kisses his forehead. "We can explain the details later. I don't want to overwhelm you."
Sasuke didn't know how to make heads or tails of this situation. It was all just so...unbelievable, like something that would happen in a movie. But if Itachi was so willing to shower him with easy attention, he could indulge for a little while. He sighs and leans against Itachi's shoulder. "Considering that I just came back from the dead I think I'm a bit past overwhelmed."
Itachi runs his fingers through his hair. It was a lot to take in and he wouldn't force Sasuke to adjust that quickly. Besides, Sasuke had always liked having his hair played with. "I know." He smiles at him. "I just don't want to overwhelm you anymore than you already are."
"Hn." Sasuke closes his eyes, a hint of a smile playing about his lips. "I think you just want to get out of explaining things." But if Itachi insisted, then he could wait. Not for too long, though, he wasn't very patient. Still, he sighs and leans into the touch, enjoying the gentle fingers in his hair as the sigh becomes a soft purr.
"I'm not quite as exhausted as you, but I won't entirely deny that charge." He chuckles as he continues his administrations.
"Mm..." Sasuke nods slightly, pressing his hands to the bed and sitting himself up slowly to lean against Itachi's chest. "...I should probably yell at you for breaking the law and basically kidnapping me, but...I can't really find any fucks to give right now." Not when Itachi was treating him so sweetly.
"Oh don't worry." He laughs at that as he holds Sasuke. "I'm sure you'll have many fucks to give once you're recovered."
Sasuke chuckles quietly. "Yeah, I can always yell at you for this later." If he cared enough to. Then he grows quiet, his brain still very much working on the problem. "Itachi...how long have you been planning to save me?" This couldn't have been a spur of the moment thing, not if the relative lack of Feds breaking down the door was any indication.
He looks away in an effort to hide at least some of his guilt. "Awhile, but we couldn't tell you because of all the cameras." Itachi doubted it worked, but it was something. Right?
"...That's why you wanted me to forgive you...for what you were going to do." Now a few things Itachi had said to him over the last few months were clicking into place. Though overwhelmed mostly by relief, Sasuke felt the slightest pang of resentment, mostly over what Itachi had said when he'd come to tell him of the verdict. It had hurt so much... "Because...you were going to let me believe I was going to die."
"Yes, that's why." Itachi sighs as he looks at him. "I didn't want to tell you that we were going to save you, if there was a chance it wouldn't work either..."
"...I see." Sasuke exhales a deep breath. "...I understand why you did it. And in your position, I might have done the same thing. So I forgive you." If only things we're really that simple... "It's just going to take some time to stop hurting."
"Good. I largely feel the same way." Itachi shakes his head. "I'll never understand turning yourself in though, but it's over now. We can eventually move past it."
Maybe Itachi would never understand it, but it didn't really matter now, since Sasuke could hardly do it again. And after the last few months, he really didn't feel like reliving any of that. "Yeah, okay." But that still left things up in the air. "So what now? You've kissed me awake, and now we ride off to a castle on a white horse?"
"I'm afraid I don't actually have a castle or a horse, but something like that." Itachi chuckles softly.
Sasuke smiles and tilts his head up to press a kiss to Itachi's cheek. Then he notes that he felt on the hot and sweaty side. "What happened to me, anyway? I remember...weird flashes of people... You, Mom, Dad, Shisui..."
"We were all at your 'execution' so that's not unexpected." He sighs as he holds him closely. "We used a spell and tinkered with the chemical they used to do it."
Right, Sasuke remembered that part fairly clearly, how he'd just laid down and let them do it. But after that was where it got fuzzy. "So then...I'm all hot and sweaty because...?"
"Your body is burning off the negative effects in the form of a fever." He shakes his head. "We had to fake your death and couldn't negate all the unpleasant effects. You'll be fine though in the long-term, but for all practical purposes you have a bad case of the flu now."
Ah, that explained a lot. "So flu-like symptoms, but I'm not contagious." Sasuke wasn't sure whether to be happy or annoyed by that. On the one hand, it was good not to be contagious, and likely already on the mend. But on the other hand, if he was going to be suffering the effects of the flu, then his pride would rather that he just be battling the flu and not some weird substance they gassed him with. "So does this mean I could take shower soon?" Preferably a five hour one so that he could scrub off all the traces of that prison left on him.
"Yes, you can shower if you like." Itachi smiles slyly at him. "I'll help you."
Flushed cheeks darken suddenly and Sasuke presses his face back down into Itachi's neck as he tries to conceal his heated expression. "I think...maybe I should go alone." He didn't think that having Itachi try to frisk him in the shower was a good idea. Not until he was comfortable with...everything.
"Sasuke, I'm not an animal." Itachi shakes his head in amusement. "I know that you're not in any condition for the fun kind of shower, but you're likely unsteady on your feet. So allow me to escort you to the bathroom."
Sasuke swallows nervously, but the nervousness ebbs away, softening in Itachi's gentle gaze. "...Okay, I guess you're right." Itachi was fine, Itachi was safe. Safe wasn't a word that Sasuke was used to indulging in, but for Itachi, he would.
Itachi nods, pleased that Sasuke had surrendered relatively easily, and helps his beloved to the bathroom. Besides, he could always frisk Sasuke in the shower when he was better.
As Sasuke half walks, half stumbles to the bathroom with Itachi's help, he notes the soft pyjamas that he'd been changed into, the button-up top already soaked through with sweat. And maybe it was an exercise in masochism, but Sasuke couldn't help himself as he starts to work apart the slightly slippery buttons. "Do you often offer to lend a hand when someone needs a shower?"
"Occasionally." Itachi smirks at him as he places a feather light kiss to the back of Sasuke's neck. "Though you'll be the only one that I'll make such an offer to from now on."
Sasuke shivers as Itachi's lips brush the sensitive place at the nape of his neck. "I see." His fingers pop several of the buttons, letting the soft material slip down his shoulders inch by inch. It wasn't that he doubted Itachi's loyalty, but keeping Itachi's attention would be...probably not as hard as Sasuke's anxiety made it out to be, but still...
"I'll be outside if you need me." He smiles. "I know you probably want some privacy right now."
A weight lifts from Sasuke's shoulders and he smiles. "Sure. Thanks." He could manage this much on his own. "And if I end up slipping, I'll just phase through the floor." He could keep himself from getting hurt easily enough.
"Didn't realize you could do that." He tilts his head. "Though I guess that makes sense."
Sasuke smirks as he reaches out to dim the lights to his preference, casting soft shadows all around the bathroom. "If there's a shadow, I can disappear. The trick is making sure that no one sees me." The shirt swings from his arms, so he slips his hands out and folds the damp fabric over. "Realistically, I would be more likely to fall into the floor and out of a curtain."
Well, that was good to know. Though Itachi knew what the limits of his self-control were and he was probably going to reach them if Sasuke stripped completely."I'll leave you to it." He smiles as he saunters out of the bathroom.
A soft smile crosses Sasuke's face, and he puts the clothes in a pile on the counter before stepping unsteadily into the shower and bracing himself against the wall as he fiddles with the control panel. The first faceful of bubbles was a surprise, but he would get the hang of things soon enough.
After finding a fresh pair of pyjamas to change into waiting just outside of the door, Sasuke carefully limps back to the bed in the guest room to find the sheets freshly changed and Itachi nowhere in sight. He frowns, but approaches the bed anyway and sits down on the new, dark blue covers. The royal blue was nice, it made him feel calm.
He didn't really like sitting around in bed much, but he knew he'd have to stomach it for a little while longer. So, Sasuke folds back the covers and slides himself back into bed, propping up the pillows behind him to make sitting more comfortable. Just because he was IN bed, it didn't necessarily mean that he had to do nothing but sleep.
Itachi had waited awhile and gotten another tray of food before coming back. "Hey." Sasuke already seemed to be doing so much better than before. The transformation was quite stunning really. "You hungry?"
Now that Itachi mentioned it, Sasuke's gas tank did feel a little on the empty side. "I could eat. I don't know what the side-effects of whatever you roofied me with are, but I don't feel like throwing up, at least."
Itachi tries not to bristle at that description. It was so... evil. What he had done wasn't evil. He had saved Sasuke's life. "That carries such a negative connotation." He sits on the bed with Sasuke. "I don't like that we had to deceive you, but it did save your life."
Maybe, but that didn't mean that Sasuke wouldn't make Itachi squirm a little. Or twitch. Whatever worked. "Are you here to give me food or a play by play of the last twenty-four hours?"
"I suppose you're feeling better if your sarcasm has been fully restored." Itachi offers him the food.
"Yeah, my sarcasm is usually the first thing to recover." Sasuke glances at the tray of food, raising an eyebrow at the large bowl of creamy tomato soup. He licks his lips, pupils dilating slightly as the scent reaches his nose.
He shakes his head in amusement as he spoonfeeds Sasuke. "I see. Well hopefully, your appetite is the second thing." Itachi knew how much he loved tomato soup. So that's why he had gotten it.
Really? Itachi was going to feed him? A hint of pink blooms across Sasuke's cheeks as he closes his lips around the offered spoon, using his tongue to suck down the soup gently, easing it down his throat. "...I don't think my appetite is going to be a problem."
"Good." Itachi smiles at him. "I'm glad."
Alright, maybe Sasuke was willing to be a good boy if Itachi was going to bring him tomato soup. "So, how long do you think it'll be before I can walk around without problems again?"
"I'm not sure. I'd have to ask Shisui." Itachi sighs as he helps Sasuke eat some more. "He knows more about that sort of thing than I do."
"Oh." Sasuke swallows a few more spoonfuls of soup, letting a warmth coil in his stomach. "Where's Shisui?"
"He's probably downstairs." Itachi pulls his cell phone out of his pocket. "I'll call him." Then proceeds to do exactly that. "Shisui, how long do you think it will be until Sasuke can walk around freely?"
A soft groan drifts from the phone. "...Probably by tomorrow, but two or three more days before all of the symptoms are gone and the last traces..." The connection muffles a bit, before clearing back up with the sound of a flushing toilet. "The last traces should be out of his system by then."
Right. Shisui wasn't having a good day either, but at least it was all over. Things would get better now. "Good." He pauses. "Hopefully, you'll be better before then. Did you take anything?"
There's a pause as Shisui takes a few deep breaths. "Three different types of nausea medication. Still waiting for them to kick in..."
"Alright." He sighs. "You'll feel better soon. You've already taken medication and he's safe." Itachi smiles as he searches for the right words to say. "I don't know how that's possible, but you pulled off a miracle."
"Yeah, great...I'm just...going to go back to bed. Later 'Tachi." The call cuts out, but not before one last unpleasant sound of vomiting can be heard over the line.
Sasuke cringes at the sound of his cousin''s sickness. "What...happened to Shisui?
"It's just the stress and adrenaline crash got to him." Itachi kisses Sasuke's forehead in an effort to reassure him. "None of us have had an easy time of it recently, but he's an Uchiha. He'll be fine. Eventually."
"Okay." It didn't make Sasuke feel much better, though. Because one way or another, all the stress everyone had been under was because of him. And that made Shisui's sickness his fault. Which meant he was screwing up again.