It was remarkable how much information one could gather when one has nowhere to go and nothing better to do than lie in a hospital bed all day. Within the past day and a half, Itachi learned that Kisame's father had left his mother when he was five years old, leaving his mother to care for them both on her own. She was the one who nurtured his interest in athletics and instilled in him the notion that he could become a professional football player if he worked hard enough. And based on Kisame's retelling of his life story, he was quite the athlete in his youth. However, rupturing his Achilles tendon during his junior year of high school had not only shattered his dream of a career in professional sports, but any motivation he had to graduate high school and do anything else with his life. It would ultimately be this decision which led his mother to kick him out of the house at the age of eighteen. "You don't wanna get an education or work? Fine. Good luck finding somebody to support you, because I sure as heck won't." She told him before slamming the door in his face.

Frustration was a feeling Itachi knew all too well, especially where money was concerned. More often than not, it was the main source of his stress after their father passed away. If it wasn't the utility bills, it was the rent; if it wasn't gas money, it was car payments; and if it wasn't funeral expenses, it was Sasuke's college tuition. There was a time where Itachi didn't even have a stable job, and yet he somehow managed to balance everything he was dealing with because no matter how hard he worked, his purpose remained unchanged. Sasuke was his only family, and Itachi was going to make certain that they were never separated because they were all each other had left in this world.

But family dynamics differed from household to household and times have changed since Kisame was young, which was why Itachi simply nodded, gesturing for Kisame to continue with his story.

From there, Kisame stayed in motels and survived solely on fast-food before exhausting what little money he had and turning to thievery, a stint that lasted for about a week before he set off in search of employment. The opportunity arose when a man beckoned him to help him fix a problem with his car one day. "Those are some pretty big muscles 'ya got there; what do you do in your spare time?" The man had asked him.

"I work out." Kisame responded back.

The man grunted and replied "Muscles like that would do wonders at my auto-shop. You got a job, son?" And one thing led to another before Kisame was employed at Suikzan's Auto and Repair Shop where he would work at the shop in exchange for a place to stay.

While Itachi didn't much care for long conversations centering around one's past (the past was the past for a reason, he believed), Kisame had appeared at his hospital room the next day stating that he felt bad for leaving on such short notice the day before and thought Itachi could do with some company.

I think you're the one in need of company; not me. Itachi thought bitterly. It wasn't so much his politeness than his need for mental stimulation that he allowed Kisame to stay. That, and the chemotherapy drugs had long since kicked in, leaving him in need of a distraction of some kind to take his mind off the overwhelming nausea he had been battling since the early hours of the morning.

"So, yeah." Kisame concluded. "I guess you can say that my mom's the reason I became a mechanic." He shrugged.

"In a way, I guess you could." Itachi agreed.

The pair sat in silence for a few moments before Kisame spoke again. "Speaking of, do your folks know that you're in here?"

"Both of my parents are dead."

Kisame blinked in shock a few times. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that. How old were they when they died?"

This man's mouth had no filter, it seemed. "My mother was forty-two when she died in a car accident almost ten years ago, and my father died of a heart attack at the age of fifty six years ago." He answered, hoping that the detailed description would give Kisame the hint.

"I see." He bowed his head. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thanks." He said, eyes fixated on the mountains and valleys created by the blanket covering his legs. He inhaled, hoping that by doing so, it would dissolve the ever growing lump at the back of his throat that was making it increasingly difficult to breathe steadily.

"I know you said that you and your brother aren't on good terms right now, but if I were him, I'd put whatever it is that's going on between you aside and at least attempt to visit you." Kisame said.

"Yeah." Itachi choked out as his throat constricted. Oh no, it's happening; get the bowl. He reached over to where a large, plastic bowl sat by the bed in times such as these and hunched over it as his stomach constricted. Kisame's there. He's watching. You're showing weakness in front of him. In a matter of seconds, the bile from his stomach forced itself up his esophagus, out of his mouth, and into the waiting bowl he clutched in his hands. I don't care.

"I should probably go." Kisame said with eyes filled with worry. "You need your rest, after all."

Sure, now you decide to leave. Itachi nodded and coughed into the bowl. "Yeah."

"Rest up." Kisame told him with a small nod, and before Itachi knew it, he was completely alone again in a room that smelled of vomit.

A shaky hand moved to the side of the bed where the "CALL" button was located to signal one of the nurses. Weren't you supposed to feel better upon expelling the waste that made you so ill in the first place, he wondered. But bacteria wasn't the culprit this time. He knew full well that this was chemo-induced nausea and he had four and a half more days of this left to endure.

With a heavy sigh, he leaned his head back against the pillows and let his eyelids drift shut.

"Itachi?"

He opened his eyes at the familiar voice calling his name. Standing at the door in a pair of track pants and a fitted athletic tee was a face Itachi hadn't been expecting to see for a while. "Hey." Itachi breathed, his voice raspy from the stomach acid burning his throat.

"Itachi," Sasuke said, crossing the room in long strides, "I'm so sorry. I should've been here sooner."

Itachi gently set the bowl in his lap onto the bedside table and opened his arms to embrace his younger sibling. "It's okay." He said into his neck. "You're here now, and that's all that matters."


You're all going to kill me, I know, but you should be happy because Sasuke is finally here to support his big brother! Yay! *applause* Plus, if I gave you guys everything you wanted every time, I would get less reviews than I get from dragging it out and who knows, y'all might stop reading once Sasuke shows up! "Whelp! Sasuke showed up and Itachi is happy, therefore, I am happy and can die in peace and quit reading!" Just kidding. I know y'all are gonna stick it out 'til the end, right? That's what I thought... ;)

****To Lookitallthecake: It only took 3 chapters, and 6 days in real-time, but Sasuke has finally appeared! (and in story-time, it took less than a week; this chapter takes place on July 15th!) This chapter was for you, sweetie! *cheers*

****To AbsoluteAnarchy: This chapter met my 1,000 word quota (1,177 words without the author's note at the end ;)

The next chapter is going to be an Itachi chapter (surprise!), but I don't know when I'm going to get around to updating it. Probably not this weekend. Next week, maybe? (I really need to update Things Better Left Unsaid and think about all those other stories I started and didn't plan...*sigh*)

Until next time~

Sasori33-001

PS: In chapter 25, I mentioned that Kisame knew most of Itachi's family was deceased. I realized while typing up this chapter that that was a false statement - Kisame did NOT know that most of Itachi's family (his parents, at least) were deceased until now. I apologize for those of you who may have caught that little tidbit and wanted to know that I have since fixed it. The reason I thought Kisame knew was because in a previous rewrite, when Itachi and Kisame first met, Itachi betrayed more information about himself, his family, and his past and I rewrote it so that he only told Kisame the most relevant details about his life - not his entire life story.