Itama slowly came to a halt in front of the intimidating double wooden gates with a giant uchiwa painted on it, smiling nervously at the guards he sees watching him at their post on the watchtower. He avoids directly looking into their dazzling Sharingan orbs, knowing better than to hold their sharp gaze.
Exhaling a shaky breath, he parts his lips while revealing a crumpled letter in his hands, "I am Senju Itama. Uchiha Ryouta-sa...-ma invited me over."
The guards whispered to each other, their lips barely moving before one of them jumps down and strides confidently towards him.
'The guards sure are pretty' he couldn't help but take notice, all pale skin, delicate features, and lithe figures, the opposite of many Senju who were olive-toned, sharp-featured, and broad-shouldered. Not as good looking as his shishou, obviously, but definitely above average. It increased their intimidation factor. Beautiful people do that, he reckons. Roses have their thorns.
When the guard stopped just two steps away, Itama politely nods at the shorter man and hands him the letter. While the guard scans the contents with his intimidating kekkei genkai, Itama inwardly whines about how Dara-shishou would have his skin for acting so timidly.
But he couldn't help it.
Their clans have been warring for centuries. Other than Dara-shishou, other Uchiha shinobi scare the living crap out of him, having never personally met any of them outside the frontlines, where bloodlust and killing intent dominated the entire field.
Itama was a field medic, never once has he attended his clan's council meetings. Although he was the head of his department, he was often too busy and left it to his assistant. Hence, he has no prior experience in any diplomatic settings. Even now, he was clueless about what to do after having handed the letter over.
Should he say something else?
Thankfully, before he could do something that would make Dara-shishou dropkick him out of sheer embarrassment for having a dunce for a disciple, the guard made a hand signal and the giant wooden gates part.
"I'll guide you to where Ryouta-sama is. Stay close, Senju. Do anything and..." The guard made a cutthroat gesture to emphasize his warning. Itama swallows nervously with a nod, Adam's apple bobbing. Seeing such a delicate, pretty man do something so vicious, in a way, was scary. With Uchihas, one can never trust their outer appearance.
Dara-shishou and this guard were such examples.
As they were walking through the compound, he discreetly observes the people in their surroundings. There didn't seem to be many children out and about, but he reckons it has something to do with his clan's presence intruding upon their home. As for the ones who were, all of them seemed trained, even if it was slightly, and within an adult's reach.
They were cute little tykes, too. With big, innocent eyes and chubby cheeks. Super adorable!
Tobi-nii and Hashi-nii would have loved to play with them. Kawa-nii, though, dislikes children younger than fifteen (despite being 16), thinking them too immature and bratty. Itama could only sigh at that, seeing that Kawa-nii was an immature brat himself. He loves his third older brother, but sometimes, the urge to clothesline him to high heavens was high, especially as of late. There was just something... wrong about Kawa-nii. Puberty, maybe?
"Ryouta-sama is waiting inside." The voice of his pretty guard guide snaps him out of his musing.
Itama turns to smile at the Uchiha, bowing politely. "Thank you, Uchiha-san."
"Hn," was the gruff response before the man gestured impatiently for him to get a move on.
Itama enters the two-story building and, on habit, switches his sandals for an indoor guest slipper, which, cutely enough, has a smiling crocodile design. He laughs at that.
"Madara-ani was the one who made them. Comfortable, aren't they?"
Itama starts, unaware that another person had been observing him.
He bows quickly to whom he presumes to be Ryouta, Dara-shishou's second younger brother. When he straightens his back, he simultaneously did a quick sweep of the interior and his host, who was wearing a beige haori atop a plain black yukata and a pair of smiling lion slippers (was that an Uchiha thing? To wear cute animal slippers indoors?).
Uchiha Ryouta was short for a 16-year-old boy, standing only at 5ft 3inches. Itama himself was a year younger but a foot taller. Or perhaps he shouldn't compare an Uchiha to a Senju. From what he has witnessed while walking through the compound thus far, the majority of the men weren't taller than 5ft 7inches, which was considered short for a Senju man. Even Touka-chan was taller!
Ryouta had his ebony long hair tied up in a high ponytail, the ends sweeping his lower back and bangs falling over his forehead. And whereas Dara-shishou has sharp almond-shaped eyes, Ryouta's corners were more circular, his thick eyelashes and straight eyebrows making him appear gentle. Add in his dimples and round, plump lips, Uchiha Ryouta could be depicted as an angel.
If Itama didn't know any better, he wouldn't have believed the person standing in front of him was older than him - or a shinobi!
"Do you fancy a drawing? It'll last longer," Ryouta says, his tone gentle and expression soft. Yet, Itama could feel chills running down his spine. He shudders.
Rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish gesture, Itama inwardly jots a 'DANGEROUS' next to Ryouta's name. Despite the angelic aura Ryouta was full-on emitting, Itama knows that he would need to watch his back with this one. Actually, didn't Dara-shishou say something about Ryouta being in charge of T&I?
Again, Itama shudders.
"S-sorry," he meeps while wiping the sweat from his forehead, hoping to log that his staring had not angered the Uchiha. "I'm Itama, Senju Itama."
"Uchiha Ryouta. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance. I've heard a lot about you, Senju-sensei. You are quite the healer from what I've gathered."
"Hahaha... I'm still learning. And please, call me Itama."
"Modest too, I see. Not a bad quality for a medic to have, Itama-sensei." Ryouta's voice turned so sugar-sweet that it gave him chills, especially when the Uchiha purred out his name like that.
"U-uh, thank you?" Deciding that he should really avoid being alone with Ryouta any longer, he immediately goes straight to the point. "In the letter, you said something about Tobirama-nii asking for me?"
"Indeed. If you would follow me, I'll guide you to Tobirama-san. He is with Izuna-nii right now, so it would be wise if we do not dally."
With that, Ryouta turns on his heels and moves deeper into the house, all grace and confidence. Itama quickly catches up, his longer strides doing him a huge favor.
They arrive shortly outside a bedroom on the second floor.
Ryouta slides the door open and strides in with Itama following just a step behind. What greets him was a group of people surrounding Dara-shishou, who was tucked into a futon, his cheeks flushed from what seems to be a high fever and a wet rag folded on his forehead.
Tobi-nii was seated at Dara-shishou's left (where's Kawa-nii?), while Izuna (who looked mighty irritated yet worried) and two younger Uchiha twins (Takumi and Yakumi, was it?) were at his right. Behind Izuna was a Moses baby basket with a sleeping infant inside. Regretfully, Itama didn't get a good look at the tiny thing since he was swiftly ushered towards Dara-shishou by his guide. Idly, he wonders if Izuna had just become a father.
Seeing Dara-shishou up close, however, made him forget all about those idle thoughts, immediately turning serious. He took over Tobi-nii's seat, with his brother now leaning against the wall behind him and Ryouta behind the twins.
Frowning, he asks, "What happened?" Itama places a tentative hand on Dara-shishou's clammy neck, eyebrows furrowing deeper at the high temperature he feels. The hand moves lower to rest on his mentor's chest, glowing green as he performs a diagnostic sign jutsu.
Itama narrows his eyes warning at Izuna when he saw how his action has caused the Uchiha to tense in preparation to pounce on him.
Despite how meek he had been just moments ago with Ryouta, he wouldn't hesitate to break Izuna's legs if he became a hindrance to healing Dara-shishou. When it comes to his patients (his loved ones especially), he has no mercy towards those who interrupt his work.
It was Tobirama who responds to his query, breaking the stilted silence that had appeared after his glare, "I found him outside the main tent, dazed and incoherent. He collapsed soon after without proper cause."
"So you keep fucking saying," Izuna growls. "Who knows if you were the cause of this."
"Stop antagonizing him, Izuna-nii. One more dumb word from you and I won't remain courteous," Ryouta rebukes sharply, smile long gone as he gazes coldly at his second older brother.
Izuna's expression turned ugly at the reprimand. Itama was expecting him to blow up from being scolded by someone younger than him, but unexpectedly, he didn't. The second Uchiha brother only drew in a deep breath before loudly exhaling, shoulders loosening.
The twins, young little things they were, huddle deeper into their big brother's side, their faces pale from worry. Izuna hugs their shoulders in return, physically composing himself to comfort them. Itama approves. That was how a big brother should act - prioritizing their younger siblings' well-being.
"My supplies are stored inside a storage scroll in my pouch. Will all of you remain where you are when I pull it out, or will we have a problem?" Itama asks seriously, knowing how paranoid and jumpy shinobi could be.
Ryouta waves a hand, completely relaxed. "It is of no issue. Do what you must, Itama-sensei. My brothers will cause you no trouble." Izuna nods, albeit jerkily, and the twins followed his example.
Seeing that Ryouta has his brothers handled, Itama didn't hesitate to retrieve his storage scroll and poofed his supplies into existence.
He prepares his equipment while simplifying his findings.
"Da- Madara-sama has a temperature of 42°C, a blood pressure of 148/95mmHg, a heart rate of 120 beats per minute, and a respiration rate of 25 breaths per minute. First, we'll need to lower his temperature. If it goes any higher than 42.4°C, it can cause long-lasting adverse effects. By lowering his fever, his BP, HR, and RR will hopefully return back to normal. Excuse me, but can I ask one of you to grab a thinner blanket, a jug of cool water, glass and straw, as well as a basin of warm water?"
While Itama went ahead to remove the blanket that was covering Dara-shishou, rolls up his left sleeve, and ties a tourniquet around his bicep (it felt wrong how unresponsive Dara-shishou was), it was the twins that hurried off to retrieve the requested items.
When the two 10-year-olds returned, Itama has already set up an IV stand which holds a bag of normal saline infused with a calculated dose of acetaminophen. All that was left was to insert an IV cannula into Dara-shishou's dorsal arch vein.
"Thank you," he smiles kindly at them. One of the boys returned his smile while the other ducked behind Ryouta. They were cute.
After making sure that the site and his hands were cleaned, he performs the procedure with professional and steady hands.
"We'll leave the drip going for 15 minutes and check to see if he needs another dose in four hours. For now, we need to keep him hydrated and fed. Ryouta-san, can I ask you to prepare a nutritional broth for him?"
"Will chicken broth suffice?"
"Yes."
"Very well."
Ryouta left with the baby basket in hand and one of the twins chasing after him.
"Izuna-san-"
Itama was cut off by a fierce scowl before he could request anything, "I'm not leaving."
"Very well," Itama didn't bother to argue, knowing how protective a family member can be towards their sick relative. "Then, may I ask your younger brother..." he trails off, looking cooly at Izuna to fill in the blank.
It took a moment, but Izuna finally gritted out stubbornly, "... Takumi."
"... Takumi-kun to bring some towels, a basin of tepid water, and a change of clothes - something thin?"
"Why?" Izuna glares, eyes full of suspicion.
"I'll need to give Madara-sama a sponge bath-"
"No."
"Izuna-sa-"
"No."
"This needs to-"
"NO!"
Itama bites his lower lip, fists bunching the fabric of his pants in a way that would help him resist the urge to punch Izuna's face in. Damn it. He made the wrong choice. He should've asked Izuna to prepare the broth, not Ryouta. Should he knock Izuna out?
"Pathetic, Izuna. Can you be anymore petulant? Did Ryouta-san not tell you to stop being obstructive?" Tobi-nii drawled.
Izuna immediately snaps his glare towards Tobi-nii, a spike of KI radiating from the Uchiha. "You want to repeat that, eh, fuckweed?"
"You are being obstructive. Madara-"
"Don't speak his name with that rotten mouth of yours, Senju! The fuck you think you are?! Coming into MY house, acting like yoU'RE ALL THAT, HUH?! I'LL FUCKIN-"
"IZUNA-NII!" Unexpectedly, it was Takumi who shouted over Izuna's loud voice. The youngest in the room was tugging at his brother's sleeve, teary-eyed. "L-Listen to the nice healer, please, nii-san. Ani-ue needs to get better. He needs to. Okay, nii-san? Please? For ani-ue?"
Izuna's expression did a 180, KI dissipating in an instant. His onyx eyes softened as he gazes at his younger brother, tone gentle and apologetic, "Sorry, Takumi. I didn't mean to frighten you. Were you scared?"
It was obvious that the boy was scared, but he still shook his head and responded with a quavery, "N-no, I wasn't scared. I just want ani-ue to get better." The second eldest Uchiha brother was nodding along with his words, hands smoothening over the younger boy's trembling arms.
"He'll get better. Aniki is strong. A mere fever won't keep him down for long. Do you want to go grab the things the nice healer requested?"
"... Okay. But will nii-san behave?" The cute boy looks up warily at his brother.
"Of course," Izuna laughs. "Now, go get them. I'll be here to keep an eye on aniki."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
With that, Takumi quickly rushes to get the items.
Itama, on the other hand, was sending his own brother disapproving stares, before turning to Izuna to try and explain why it was important that they give Dara-shishou a sponge bath. It took a bit of convincing (he was so very tempted to punch him), but Izuna finally agreed after a while, though he insisted on staying in the room just in case.
Seeing that everything was finally settled, he breathes out a sigh of relief.
Izuna's too darn overprotective.
When Takumi returned, he places all the items next to Itama before running off. Tobi-nii excuses himself then, knowing that Itama would have shooed him out to retain his patient's privacy, anyway. Mumbling a soft 'excuse me', Itama starts to undress his mentor.
His hands remained thoroughly professional as he baths his patient, easily ignoring Izuna's eyes that never left his person.
As Itama sips his tea, he couldn't help but wonder out loud, "Why didn't you ask a healer from your clan to look at Madara-sama?" Tobi-nii was currently sparring with Izuna right now while the twins were nursing Dara-shishou, so only the two of them (plus the baby) remained in the dining area.
Ryouta only smiles mysteriously, his tone gentle when he responds, "Being anija's student, should you not know that he loathes strangers invading his personal space?"
Itama did a spit-take, spraying tea all over the table, "E-eh? H-how?!" Suddenly, as if just realizing that he has just admitted to a huge secret, he quickly tries to say otherwise, "I-I mean, noooooo... What are you talking about? Hahaha...ha..."
"Silly. You should find better ways to hide that seal on your forehead. Simply hiding it behind your hair isn't enough."
Ryouta stretches out a hand to poke him on the forehead. His cheeks flush a bright red as he quickly wipes his chin, embarrassed about his reaction and apologizing softly for the spill. He hopes that Ryouta couldn't hear the intense beating of his heart - that would make him wish for the tatami mats to open up and swallow him whole.
"This could've been a tattoo, not a seal..." He mumbles dejectedly.
"You need to work on your poker face, Itama-sensei," Ryouta laughs, a sound that was like chiming bells. it made his ears feel hot.
"Y-Yeah."
"If you ever need help," Ryouta suddenly leans forward, plump lips whispering words into his reddish ears. "You can always come to me. I only bite when requested."
Itama squeaks at the feeling of a wet something glide over the shell of his ear.
His face burned as he stutters some kind of excuse he couldn't remember and ran out of the dining area as if his ass was on fire. All the while, he could hear Ryouta's angelic laugh echoing in his mind. He touches his ear, shivering at the remembrance of the sensation.
Definitely a dangerous person.
A/N:
Happy new year, guys! It's 2020~! What a beautiful number (*ﾟ∀ﾟ*).
Okay... So... How's the chapter (*´∀`*)? I hope you guys enjoyed it! I'm sorry for the late update. What are your thoughts on Ryouta (super S) and Itama (trembling M)? Should that ship sink, or should it sail?
See you next chapter!