Chapter Two
Four Weeks Later…
Itachi ran. He ran hard and fast, pushing his body to the limit and then even further. The trees were but a blur even to his sharp eyes as they passed but he continued to press on, never once looking back. He knew Shisui was sure to be on his heels, his cousin always having been remarkably fast even without the use of the infamous flicker technique, and together they raced through the forest, two dark shadows in a sea of green.
A hard breath pressed out of Itachi's lungs as he landed on the next tree branch before springing forward once more. Genma's weight over his shoulders was a hindrance, but he didn't stop to rest; they didn't have time to stop and rest.
His team had been on a strict scouting mission when they had found themselves surrounded by two platoons of enemy nin. They bore no headbands nor did they wear any other identifying symbols on their person, and no conversation had been exchanged before they were attacked. For some time his team had defended themselves admirably while Itachi weighed the pros and cons of finishing the battle or turning tail and retreating. However, his decision had been made for him when Genma took a knee. Pure instinct had told Itachi they needed to return to Konoha immediately and it was fortunate he had listened for it wasn't long before the older male slowed and stumbled as the effects of poison began to surge through his veins.
Even without being a medic himself, Itachi recognized the symptoms and concluded that this was the very same poison that he had come in contact with, and so it was of no surprise when Genma began to mumble incoherently as his eyes flashed wildly behind his mask. As team captain, Itachi made the decision to knock him consciousness to avoid the chance of Genma becoming violent. Shisui hadn't questioned him as Itachi hoisted their teammate over his shoulder before they began their race against the clock back to Konoha.
It was as if time was ticking by too fast and their pace was continuing on too slow, but adrenaline persisted through Itachi's veins and he merely ground his teeth together as the tightness in his chest began to grow more unmistakable. The telltale signs of exhaustion were beginning to stiffen the muscles of his legs and his pace had already begun to falter, and just as he thought he would have to stop to pass their unconscious teammate along to his cousin, the bright, red gates of their village came into view.
Without waiting to check in, the trio sprang through the entrance and took to the rooftops in the direction of the hospital. As expected, Itachi detected the chakra signature of one of the gate guards take off after them, but Itachi ignored him as he dropped to the ground outside the white building of the hospital and rushed through the emergency doors.
His abrupt entrance drew the attention of everyone in the room and he was greeted quickly by a middle aged medic. "What do we have?" she asked.
"An injury to the leg. Perhaps poisoning," he answered immediately. His words came out rough and nearly breathless from his long, hard run but none seemed to notice as all attention focused solely upon their injured teammate.
Two younger nurses were quick to follow with a gurney between them and together they settled Genma against the bed before the more seasoned woman commanded, "Get me the medic on-call. And find me an open OR room."
After receiving their orders, the pair raced off in opposite directions as the medic pulled Genma's ANBU mask from his face and shined a small, hand-held light into his eyes. Itachi would have continued to watch, but his attention turned as the Jounin that had followed them to the hospital made his presence known. "I apologize, but I do need verification of your identity before I can allow you continued freedom within the village."
Behind his mask, Shisui angled his face in Itachi's direction, but he said nothing to his cousin before he removed the porcelain disguise to reveal his face. "Uchiha Itachi, captain of ANBU Team Six and my second-in-command, Uchiha Shisui."
Shisui copied his actions, but remained silent as the Jounin glanced at both of them. Then he bowed respectfully. "Please carry on."
Itachi gave the man no acknowledgement – he understood the need to follow protocol, but his teammate was his main priority – and he turned back to Genma just as the nurse slipped a needle into his arm. A handful of other medics in surgical scrubs joined his bedside, but they appeared to be more focused on getting his vitals than moving him to an OR room.
"Dammit, his heart rate is slowing."
"I have weak breath sounds on the left side," a male nurse said.
Itachi's slowing heart rate began to quicken in anxiety and his gaze never waver from Genma's pale face as Shisui tensed beside him, the pair like silent statues.
"We have to get him to surgery now," the older nurse said.
"We don't even know what we're looking for. We should get in there with chakra first and-."
She shot the younger women that had spoken a sharp look. "If we wait, we risk losing him altogether."
The indecisiveness was causing Itachi's impatience to grow. He had just pushed his body to the limit to get Genma back to the village in time only to find himself stuck with a pair of squabbling nurses. He was just about to order them to make a damn decision when another swept into the entrance room.
Sakura.
"What do we have?" she asked. Her voice was calm and collected, breaking the tension in the room and settling her staff.
"Leg injury. His teammates suspect poison."
"Poison?" she echoed. She cast a glance at him and Shisui, her emerald eyes flitting over the pair for a fraction of a second, before her gaze dropped back to Genma. Her hands moved quickly and efficiently as she easily unstrapped the leg guard around Genma's shin before she cut his pant leg away until she could visibly see the source of his bleeding. "What happened?"
"We were sent out on a scouting mission at the edge of-," Shisui begun.
"Short version, Uchiha."
"We were where I was before," Itachi provided.
If his eyes hadn't been so intently focused on her, he would have missed the sudden stillness of her hands as she briefly froze and met his gaze. But the contact was quickly broken as she hurriedly focused on Genma once more. Green chakra flickered to life in her hands as she pressed her palm flush against the wide wound on the outside of his thigh. A furrow of concentration appeared between her brows as she worked and a moment later, she let out a soft curse. "Dammit, it's already spreading towards his heart." Her gaze landed on the older nurse. "There is a vial in my lab in the first refrigerator. Get it and bring it to me in OR 1 immediately."
"OR 1 is taken, but 3 is available."
"Then bring it to me in 3," Sakura corrected.
The woman nodded obediently before she dashed off. Itachi and Shisui continued to silently watch as Sakura flawlessly ordered her medical staff about. She injected a clear liquid into the IV one of the nurses had slipped into his arm earlier before she turned to another young woman. "Get me another experienced medic. I'm going to need another hand."
"I'll get Shizune-san-."
"You will under no circumstances get Shizune," Sakura snapped, her hard emerald eyes cutting towards the nurse that had spoken. "Genma is her significant other. The last thing I need in my OR is a frantic girlfriend. Get me Migaki."
As soon as the nurse turned away, Sakura was moving as her and her team rushed Genma down the hall. Itachi took a step towards them only to still as he recognized his part in helping his teammate was over. It was up to Sakura and her staff now to ensure he survived.
But as much as he trusted her medical knowledge, his apprehension didn't fade completely. The urgency in which Sakura had ordered her head nurse to retrieve the vial she needed made him wary. Just how serious was Genma's condition? He didn't like the unknown and one glance at Shisui informed him his cousin's thoughts were running parallel to his own.
"We should report to the Hokage," Itachi said eventually.
Shisui made a sound of agreement, but a long minute passed before either of them turned away from where they had last seen their unconscious teammate. Their trek towards the Hokage Tower was slow as the large amount of chakra used from their hard run began to catch up with them; however, neither wanted to make the climb up the stairs to the Hokage's Office and they used what little chakra they had remaining to reach the window that always seemed to be conveniently open. Once Itachi was sure the Hokage was alone, he dropped into the room silently with his cousin as his stealthy shadow.
Lady Tsunade was perched behind her desk with a pen in one hand and her head resting in the other. As always, a bottle of sake sat opened next to her mountainous pile of paperwork, but the amber liquid had barely been touched, if at all. Silence weighed in the room and a brief period of time passed before the blonde woman finally signed the scroll she was reading and passed it off to a secondary pile. "You are back earlier than expected. I am assuming something happened."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Itachi answered. He walked around her desk with Shisui in tow and bowed respectfully.
A frown settled across her face and she leaned back in her chair as her deep hazel eyes provided him her undivided attention. "Explain."
"My team and I returned to the area you had ordered us to scout. We were attempting to determine if an old monk's temple was abandoned or not when we felt chakra moving in from the North. Before we could retreat, two squadrons surrounded us," he described.
Tsunade's brows arched in surprise. "Enemy nin?" she asked, drawing a nod from Itachi. "From where?"
"I cannot say. They did not have any village markings."
She sat forward in her chair as she crossed her arms on her desk, unintentionally bringing attention to her large bust. However, it was the dark look that shadowed her face that drew Itachi's notice. "No association? That's unusual." Her eyes travelled over Shisui slowly before her gaze settled upon Itachi again. "Where's Shiranui?"
At her question, both Itachi and Shisui grew somber. "He was injured during our encounter. Haruno-san has him in surgery now."
"Poison?"
Itachi nodded his affirmation, causing Tsunade to breathe sharply out her nose as her eyebrows furrowed in thought. As the silence stretched on, the pair continued to stand at attention as they waited for their leader to either dismiss or give them orders as she carefully weighed her decision.
It was times like this that reminded Itachi how much older the Hokage was than she appeared to be. Chakra made her face appear decades younger than her mind, but her eyes were bright with intelligence and wisdom. She had proven time over in the attacks led by Akatsuki against the village and the reoccurring issues with the jinchūriki that she was just as capable and trustworthy a leader as her grandfather, Hashirama.
Even in retirement, the Shodai himself had talked the village elders down from starting a civil war with the Uchiha Clan, a fact Itachi had not forgotten to this day. His funeral had been an incredibly personal loss to Itachi, but he had taught his granddaughter well in the art of leading a village and respecting the many clans and their perspectives, and so Itachi waited patiently for her to come to a conclusion.
"I'm issuing a direct order to all shinobi of the Leaf," Tsunade finally said. "No one is to enter that area unless authorized by me personally."
Itachi nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama. I will ensure ANBU gets the word out to the rest of the village."
"Good. We will have to devise a plan to deal with this. I don't want enemy shinobi occupying our lands, but I do not want to mount an attack until we have more detail of who it is and what they're doing," Tsunade said. She paused as she eyed them. "However, we'll discuss this in detail later. For now, go rest. You both look like hell."
Itachi didn't fight the upward curve of his mouth. The Hokage's bluntness had always been a source of amusement to him and he bowed respectfully before both he and Shisui flickered out of the large office. Neither male was in any state to race home across the rooftops so once they reached the ground below, they slowed to a shuffle as they continued in the direction of the Uchiha compound.
The sun had already fallen behind the Hokage's monument, leaving the sky streaked with fiery pinks and oranges as a handful of the brightest stars dotted the inky horizon, but the pair was unable to enjoy the stunning light above them. Concern clouded Itachi's mind as he withdrew into his thought.
"Do you think Genma will recover?" Shisui murmured.
"Yes," Itachi answered without pause. "He is under the care of Haruno-san. She will get him through his surgery."
A curious look briefly replaced the exhaustion etched into his cousin's face. "You seem confident in her abilities."
Itachi met his gaze with a raised brow. "Did she not heal me from what I suspect is the very same poison?"
"I see your point."
His answer seemed to have relaxed the tension out of his cousin's shoulders, but Itachi felt himself unable to mirror his best friend. It had been his decision to not immediately retreat and because of it, one of his own team members had suffered – was suffering. He trusted Haruno Sakura's hands and decisions in her operating room, but he knew he would not rest comfortably until he received an update on his teammate.
The two cousins entered their clan's compound just as the final pastel colors faded into dark blues and purples of the night sky. A few heads turned in their direction and greetings were presented their way, but they merely nodded in acknowledgement, too worn to stop for conversation, before they continued further into the Uchiha grounds until they reached the part in their path.
"See you at the hospital?" Shisui murmured as he stretched his arms above his head. There was a start of a yawn towards the end of his question.
Itachi inclined his head. "I will be there shortly."
Without a further farewell, they parted towards their respective homes. Itachi came upon his quickly, his family home being in the center of the compound, and he pushed the door open silently before slipping inside. However, his mother had become accustom to his quiet nature and it wasn't long before she peeked her head around the corner. "Itachi? You're home early."
The weariness must have shown on his face for a frown settled across her features and she stepped towards the entrance to greet him. Now that she was closer, he could clearly see that she had been in the middle of prepping supper. Flour powdered her apron and she smelled of spices and tea.
"You have blood on your uniform." Her smooth voice held a note of concern.
Itachi removed his boots slowly as the pain in his chest returned and the urge to cough burned in his throat. He waited for the feeling to pass before he dared speak. "The mission did not go as planned."
"Are you alright?" she asked.
She held out her hands, a silent gesture for him to hand his armor to her and Itachi did as he fought the urge to grimace against his strained muscles. "I am uninjured. However, I apologize that I cannot stay for supper. I must return to the hospital."
Mikoto accepted his gear as the different pieces were removed, but she stopped him with a hand to his forearm before he could step passed her and exit the entrance hall. "Shisui?"
Her dark eyes sparkled with concern and Itachi quickly appeased her worry. "He is fine. It is Genma that is injured. He is in surgery and I would like to know his condition the moment he is out."
The small pinch between her brows didn't lessen, but she released him all the same. "Go upstairs and shower. I will pack you and Shisui supper. I pray that Shiranui-san's surgery is successful and quick, but if it is not, I won't allow the two of you to starve while you wait."
A tired but grateful smile pulled at the corner of Itachi's mouth and he murmured an appreciative thanks before he hauled himself upstairs and locked himself within the washroom. Immediately he started the water to warm before he striped himself of his soiled clothing and dropped them onto the floor in a mess of a pile. He then turned his attention to his hair and slid the tie keeping the long, raven locks out of his face out with one easy pull.
Steam slowly began to cloud the air, the fog clinging to the edges of the mirror and sticking to his airway like nails along the soft tissue of his lungs. It started out as nothing more than a small beneath his sternum, but as the thick, wet air swept into his lungs, the fight to keep his cough down became harder and harder until eventually Itachi was no longer unable to fight his body's needs. He coughed hard into his hand, causing blood to splatter through his fingers and onto the counter. He prayed that the rush of water muted the sound as more of the crimson liquid expelled from his mouth and dripped into the porcelain sink below. The sight was gruesome, but nothing Itachi hadn't long since become accustomed to and he continued to muffled his cough as much as he could until the episode passed.
It was some minutes before his lungs finally gave him rest, but there was no relief in its passing. He was breathless and far more exhausted than he had been in weeks. It was merely a stark reminder of how serious his disease had become in recent years. He knew his mother was downstairs in the kitchen and where she lingered, his father was never far away; but where Sasuke was, Itachi didn't know and he could only hope none had heard his attack.
With weak fingers, Itachi cleaned the blood from his hands before he washed the counters, ensuring the last traces of crimson swirled down the drain until all the evidence was gone. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew that this attack was only the first of many that were sure to come again. His hard push to return home had only reawaken the disease that had been temporarily kept at bay by Haruno Sakura's efforts and he would relapse into the condition that he had been before. He was aware it was only a matter of time before it was once again impossible to catch his breath and in the back of his mind, the concept frightened him.
He had been fighting against his body for so long now that he had grown accustomed to his weakness and he hadn't realized how much strain he was under until Sakura had healed the worst of the damage. It felt like a breath of fresh air after too long underwater and he knew he wouldn't be able to stay away from her. Itachi had always been uncomfortable asking for another's assistance, but he knew she was able to help – willing to help – and if her aid meant that he could continue to keep his disease from his family, then perhaps it was time he took her up on her offer.
##
It was the first time since the days had turned hot that Sakura left the hospital before sunset. The evening was still early and the sun-soaked streets of Konoha were still radiating heat. The soles of her boots kicked up dust and she was practically sweating through her red tunic, but she couldn't find it within herself to complain. She hadn't seen much of the sun so far this year and its warmth was welcomed against her pale skin.
Biting back a yawn, Sakura observed the vendors as they began preparing their stalls for the late afternoon rush. With most of the village taking cover during the warmer hours, the shops were just now reopening for the evening foot-traffic. Normally Sakura herself would love to window shop, but the last week had taken its toll on her and all she wanted was to eat dinner and climb into bed with a book.
It had been four days since Shiranui Genma had been brought into the hospital by his teammates, poisoned with the very same toxin their captain had come in contact with a month earlier. It was fortunate it wasn't fast-acting, but the toxic created horrible hallucinations that usually left the victim unable to find help before it eroded holes in their internal organs.
Sakura had learned that in both instances the men had been in the west part of the country and close to the Hidden Grass Village. However, before she could request a trip out there to see if she could find the source of the poison, Tsunade had informed her the area was restricted, even to Black Ops, until further notice. And the discussion was not up for debate.
Normally Sakura would have accepted her master's orders without further argument, but with Genma injured, Shizune had barely left his bedside, leaving Sakura to not only run most of the hospital on her own but also to work on formulating an antidote for a poison she only had traces of. It was fortunate the small vial she and Shizune had created after Itachi's attack was mostly effective, but it wasn't strong enough to completely rid the victim of the poison and Sakura feared that if a larger attack was mounted against, for example, an entire ANBU team, she would be unable to save all of them in time. This apprehension was what kept Sakura working late into the early hours of the morning in the lab until she physically could no longer keep herself awake.
She enjoyed her work thoroughly, but even Sakura needed time away from the hospital, which is why she had been relieved when Shizune found her that afternoon to apologize and let her know she would be more than willing to take Sakura's shift that evening; it would give her plenty of time that night to sit down with Tsunade's old medical journal and see if there was anything she was missing.
Perhaps it wasn't what Shizune meant by giving her the night off, but she honestly was never one to just sit on her hands, especially when there was a medical case that needed solving.
As Sakura passed the main downtown road, the smell of food caught her attention and reminded her that she hadn't eaten since earlier that morning. Following her nose, she wandered to a little barbeque stand and her mouth began to water at their respectable menu. She ordered herself something she could eat and walk with, and waited patiently for it to become ready for her.
"Forehead, where have you been?"
Whirling around, a smile spread over Sakura's face at finding her best friend, Yamanaka Ino, marching up to her, looking every bit the head-turner she was. Her light blonde hair was piled into a ponytail on top of her head, exposing her shoulders and cleavage. Her eyebrow was arched elegantly, but there was a smile pulling at her lips as her blue eyes reflected the evening sun.
"Some of us work for a living, Pig," she retorted, her best friend's nickname easily slipping from her lips.
It was obvious Ino had been out in the sun in recent months; her peachy skin was tan and flawless as always. Sakura was sure she looked like a ghost in comparison.
"Well not all of us are gifted with perfect chakra control," Ino retorted harmlessly. Sakura's smile turned subtly arrogant. "And you need a break from work because we need a girls' night out."
Sakura gave the blonde a look of confusion. "Why?"
"Because I just found out that Shikamaru is seeing Temari from Suna."
Sakura nodded slowly as her expression remained confused. She didn't understand why it was a problem for Ino's teammate to be seeing someone from another village. In fact, it should have been a good thing as it further strengthened the alliance between the two countries. Honestly Sakura was so far behind in village gossip it wasn't even laughable. "Which is a problem because…?"
"Because I've been trying to get into his pants for the past year!" Ino huffed.
Her raised voice turned a few heads, but Sakura was used to the blonde's antics and she merely shot her an amused look. "Well that would explain why you've been unsuccessful."
"Miss, your order is ready."
Sakura turned to the vendor and accepted her meal with thanks before she continued towards her apartment, her childhood friend at her side. "And when exactly were you planning this girls' night out?" She asked, already knowing the answer.
"Tonight."
With her gaze focused on her sandwich, Sakura worked to get the meal out of the to-go bag before she unwrapped the paper halfway so she could hold it without making a mess of her hands. "I don't know, Ino. It's been busy at the hospital and-."
"And you're tired and just want to go home and read a book. Yes yes, I know the drill," she interrupted. "But it's been forever since we've done anything together and I could really use my best girl friend to cheer me up at the moment."
Sakura shot her an unimpressed look. "You're trying to guilt trip me, aren't you?"
"That depends. Is it working?"
"No. And I really can't tonight. I do have some research I need to cover for tomorrow," Sakura said. She finished most of her sandwich just as they reached her house and she wiped her hands on the napkins they had provided her before she replaced her dinner in the bag and reached for her keys.
"What about tomorrow?"
Sighing, Sakura kicked off her boots before she wandered further into her apartment, leaving the door open as a silent invitation for Ino to follow. "Are you really that upset about not getting into Shikamaru's bed?" she called. "You know, it's less complicated as teammates if you don't do that."
"Well I tried sleeping with Sasuke, but he wasn't very amiable to the idea either," Ino retorted.
Sakura snorted as she set her dinner bag on the counter and washed her hands. "You are ridiculous."
"Maybe I should go for someone older," the blonde sighed as she entered the kitchen. She set her elbows on the end of the counter and rested her head in her hands. "More experienced, less reserves. What about Genma?"
"Shizune would poison you slowly."
"Kakashi?"
"That's my teacher!"
"Ex-teacher," Ino amended. "And he wasn't mine."
Sakura just sighed. "You know what? Go for it. I would love to see you try and you really need to get laid."
Ino hummed thoughtfully. Sakura could see her best friend already daydreaming about the possibilities and she shook her head good-naturedly as she pulled a water bottle from her fridge.
Honestly she couldn't really blame the woman for trying. Even as her senior and superior in every way, Sakura could admit that Kakashi turned heads – even with his face mostly covered. It was his laidback personality and easy manner than attracted him so much attention. It would be a lie if Sakura said she hadn't fantasized about the man at least once, but he was her captain and she had been through too much with him to risk damaging the close bond that they had. The same could be said for all of her teammates.
"Well if you're finished fantasizing, I really want to shower."
Ino blinked and straightened, a sly smile crossing her face. "I don't think I'm the only one that needs to get laid."
"Yeah, well find me the time and then we'll talk," she waved casually.
Sakura regretted the words almost immediately as a challenging light entered the blonde's eyes, but she suppressed her sigh and instead made plans for breakfast with Ino for the following morning before she kicked her out of her small apartment.
As she climbed the stairs towards her bedroom, Sakura reached for the zipper on her vest and pulled it down, allowing the cooler air to hit her exposed skin with a sigh of relief. She pushed her door open and flipped the light switch - only to visibly start when she realized she was not alone.
Pulling a kunai from the pouch on her leg, Sakura jumped away only for her back to collide with the wall next to her door hard enough to shake the picture hanging on it. She pointed her weapon at the intruder, her eyes wide and her adrenaline pulsing through her veins.
Itachi was standing in the center of her room, watching her calmly. His expression was a cool mask, but Sakura didn't dare meet his gaze as her mind threatened her with memories of what had happened the last time she had done so. Automatically her eyes fell to his lips and she stilled as she noticed the traces of blood smeared in the corner of his mouth. It was an eerie reminder of the day she had treated him and a cold shiver raced up her spine.
"I apologize for my unannounced arrival."
She didn't move, the tension in her form still apparent. "Dammit, Uchiha! What the hell are you doing in my bedroom?"
The corner of his mouth twitched. "I remember you clearly stating you wished for me to return so you could treat me."
"And you thought now was the best time?" she asked sharply as she finally lowered her weapon and straightened.
Before Itachi could reply, a sudden cough escaped him. He tried to swallow the sound, but the action only irritated his condition and Sakura stood frozen as he clapped a hand to his mouth as a sudden attack overcame him. His shoulders hunched as he fought to control his body, but the more he tried to repress it, the more his lean form shook. The cool and unaffected façade she had seen him hold for so long fractured before her eyes and she watched rooted to the floor as blood stained his pale skin and seeped between his fingers.
The episode lasted less than a minute but it was a moment before Itachi began to regain some of his composure. His breath was ragged and it physically showed on his face how much energy the attack had taken from him, but she still didn't approach him as he wiped the blood from his lips. "Would you like me to return at a more convenient time?" he murmured.
Sakura stared at him wide-eyed a moment more before her eyes narrowed. "Don't get snarky with me, Uchiha," she snapped defensively. The weight of his gaze was making her skin prickle uncomfortably and she slipped her kunai back into her pouch before she quickly re-zipped her shirt as she tried to ignore the fact that he had seen her nearly indecent.
Itachi made her feel vulnerable in her own room and it caused annoyance to flare in her chest. Not only had he appeared unannounced and uninvited, but she was already exhausted and worn down after pulling a shift and a half, and now she had no choice but to treat the Uchiha Heir. Irritation was flushing her already overheated skin hot, but she knew that if she turned him away now, he wouldn't come back. And besides that, her sleep would be interrupted with bouts of fitfulness now that she was aware of how much his condition had already worsened.
Pressing her fingers into her temples, Sakura bit back her sigh as she recognized her plans for the night had just made a drastic change. Forcing herself into her medic persona, she pointed to her bed without meeting Itachi's eye. "Sit down before you pass out."
He glanced at the mess of covers but didn't argue before he lowered himself onto the edge of the mattress, ensuring his blood-stained hands stayed away from her white sheets. Sakura, however, didn't pay his hesitation any mind as she turned away to hurry into her bathroom.
The moment Sakura reached the counter, she grabbed the edge of the sink for support. Even without his heavy gaze on her, she could still feel Itachi's eyes boring down on her and fear wrapped around her heart like an icy fist. This was the same man who had tortured her and all but threatened her when she mentioned his disease those few weeks ago. Fright nearly stole her breath, and her fingers tightened around the porcelain as she forced her racing mind to slow.
Itachi had come to her for help. From what she had gathered from Sasuke over the years, she knew Itachi to be an impressive and self-sufficient shinobi. He never asked for nor required assistance from anyone. It must have taken him a great amount of humility to finally come to her and he deserved her full attention.
But she couldn't give that to him if she continued to cower in her bathroom. If Itachi could swallow his pride, then she knew she could do the same to her fear.
Taking a deep, steadying breath through her nose, Sakura willed her hands to stop shaking before she finally knelt down and retrieved a towel and her spare, medical kit from beneath the sink. Upon reentering her bedroom, she tossed her towel to Itachi before she sat on the edge of her bed with one leg tucked under her and the other dangling off the side as she began rummaging through her bag. She searched through it until she found her old stethoscope and turned back to the older male in front of her.
After he wiped off his hands, she pointed to his shirt. "Take it off."
He said nothing. He merely set the towel aside before he grabbed the back of his collar and smoothly pulled the material over his head. The movement invoked another coughing fit from him and he pressed his palm to his mouth again as more blood expelled from his lungs.
It took longer to pass this time, but she waited patiently until he regained his breathing. She could see the strain the attacks were causing him, but she didn't offer for him to lie down or if he needed a moment, she merely placed the circle of her stethoscope to his back and ordered him to breathe. The sound was horrible.
Even without chakra, she could tell there was fluid in his lungs, undoubtedly blood. The right was worse than the left but both needed attention and she bit her tongue to keep from chastising him that he should have come to her sooner. She could only assume that his condition had accelerated from pushing himself harder in training. A shinobi of his caliber must feel a hundred times faster without the hindrance in his chest.
Removing her stethoscope from her ears, Sakura set it on her bed before she moved to kneel behind him. The span of his back was muscular from years of hard training and and lightly scarred from fighting. It was amazing he didn't have more battle wounds, but then again he was one of the village's best. Even Kakashi had claimed he ranked below the Uchiha heir.
Sakura found herself hesitating to touch him. His strength and power was not lost on her. Just because his penetrating gaze was no longer focused upon her didn't mean that he couldn't have her pinned with a kunai to her throat in the blink of an eye.
"Breathe easy," she instructed. "This might feel a little strange."
He angled his head towards her and nodded once before she rested her palms flat against his back. His skin was warm to her touch, but she focused on pushing her chakra under his skin and through his cells to his lungs where she knew the damage awaited her. Just as she suspected, the inner blood vessels lining the organ had ruptured again.
She could heal the damage just as she had done during his surgery, but she knew the repair was only temporary. She would need to find the cause for a long term – or even hopefully permanent – fix, but at the moment, she didn't have the energy. She would just have to mend what she could now and hope that it would last for the time being.
But first she had to remove the blood from his lungs.
There was too much for her to clearly see how extensive the damage was, even with her chakra. She had removed it before; however, at the time, Itachi had been unconscious and unable to feel the experience. Without him sedated, the procedure would be uncomfortable, if not impossible.
With her mind searching for other options, Sakura withdrew her chakra and eventually her hands from his shoulder blades. She fell back onto her rear before she reached for her medical kit, looking for any sedation medicine only to sigh when she found none. She didn't even have a tube or a needle that she could use, nonetheless one that was sterilized.
A frown settled on her face as she thought. She doubted Itachi would agree to go with her to the hospital when she knew he was so adamant on keeping his condition a secret and in all honesty, she didn't want to move him. He hid his discomfort well, but she had seen the damage herself. He was bordering critical.
"Are you unable to heal the damage?"
Itachi's question broke her out of her musings. She looked up as he adjusted his position to stare at her directly, his dark eyes scrutinizing her face. "I can heal it," she answered. Her reply made the small downward pull in the corner of his mouth relax. "However, I will have to clear the blood in your lungs first."
He seemed to sense her hesitation. "Through what means?"
"Molecular breakdown."
His lips pursed thoughtfully. "That sounds taxing on both our ends. Is there another option?"
"Unless I bring you to the hospital, sedate you and stick a tube down your throat, no." She was too tired to fluff the words up and she ran a tired hand through her hair as she searched through her memory on how to break down blood within the body.
It was something Tsunade had taught her long ago, but not a process she had done many times in the past. As a field medic and trauma doctor, she was used to having to clot or restore blood to a patient, not dissolve it.
Standing from her bed, Sakura wandered to the bookcase overflowing with textbooks and journals. She bent down to finger through the titles on the bottom shelf until she found what she was looking for and plucked the thick book from the ledge. After swiping the dust from the spine, she flitting through the pages until she found what she was looking for.
Itachi watched her as she read, his eyes narrowing in disbelief. "You are researching the procedure now?"
"It isn't something I do that often," she said, shooting him a defensive look over the top of the pages. "I'm refreshing my memory."
He frowned but didn't comment further as her attention to the book. The room was quiet as she read, only occasionally broken up by the turning of a page and Itachi's muffled coughing until eventually she closed the large text.
"Okay, let's get started."
Itachi observed her a moment later before he nodded once. "Would it be best if I lied down?"
"No," she said. Sakura returned to her bed and set her medical kit on her nightstand before she grabbed her comforter and pulled it off, leaving just the sheets over the mattress. "This process will be long and most likely uncomfortable. I fully expect you to have another episode and the blood will only get stuck in your chest if you're on your back."
With her back turned, Sakura missed Itachi's frown. She could only imagine the pain he was feeling as every cough further tore the weak lining of his lungs and caused more blood to fill the space oxygen should be. She did sympathize with him, but she offered no words of comfort. She doubted he would want to hear it anyway.
"How would you prefer me?" he asked after she finished kicking her comforter aside.
After directing the older male to face the foot of her bed, Sakura arranged herself behind him and gently but firmly rested her hands on the curve of his shoulder blades once more. As she worked, she realized that the process itself was simple, but the patience and concentration it took to separate the blood into his original components was taxing on both their parts and just as she suspected, the agitation of the procedure caused Itachi to endure another bout of coughing.
The fit had been stronger than the rest, but Sakura had been unable to ease his discomfort as he braced one hand against the mattress and coughed up blood. It had been mostly plasma at the time, but it was still tinted red and it stained her white sheets. She hardly noticed though, her attention so purely focused on clearing his chest and healing the damage in its wake.
It took more time than she realized to complete the process and by the time she was done, the sun had set long ago and her eyes were threatening to close and refuse to open again until the following morning. Itachi was in no better shape, and when she finally unfolded her legs out from under her and stood, she could see how much strain she had caused his body by forcing his system to reabsorb the blood it had attempted to dispel.
With a trained eyed, Sakura watched Itachi slowly push himself to his feet, but there was a weakness to his knees and she quickly held up her hands to stop him from attempting to leave. "Sit, Uchiha, before you split your head open."
The frown tugging on the corner of his mouth reminded her of Sasuke when he was about to argue.
"You don't have enough energy to make it home and I'm not going to let you ruin my work by pushing yourself too hard so soon," she said. She tried to make her voice come out firm and full of authority, but she was so spent herself, it came out in a soft murmur. "I know you don't want to stay here, but you have no choice."
The frown was still present, but Sakura continued to block his path. At that moment, she didn't care that he was her superior or black ops or the man who frightened her enough that she found her sleep continuously riddled with nightmares. Right then, he was her patient and she was going to treat him as such.
For a tense moment that seemed to stretch on forever, neither of them moved. Itachi's sharp gaze piercing through her, but she didn't back down as she stood before him and kept him from being able to leave. They were both equally aware that even weary and injured Itachi could easily overpower her, but eventually his stiff shoulders relaxed and the downward pull in the corner of his lips faded.
"Very well," he murmured.
His voice was barely above a whisper, but the words flooded her system with relief. She hadn't realized how tightly wound her muscles were until that moment and for a split second she thought her own knees were going to give out on her, but then she stepped away and gave him back his personal space.
Her attention then turned to her sheets and she frowned at the mix of plasma and blood staining the bed a reddish-yellow. She could only imagine what Itachi had endured, but her concerns didn't linger as she turned away. "I'll get some fresh sheets," she muttered before she exited the room.
Sakura shuffled to her hallway closet and sorted through her mess of blankets in search of a clean set of sheets only to sigh when she found two extra comforters, a handful of blankets and a pillow she'd never used. She drummed her fingers lightly against the sliding door as she debated what to do and eventually decided to just grab the extra pillow and another comforter. After her long day, she didn't have the energy to care and she doubted Itachi had enough himself to complain.
With that decided, Sakura returned to her bedroom only to pause in the doorway when she found Itachi very much asleep and very much in the middle of the bed. He was stretched out on his side with his head occupying her pillow and his upper body bare, his shirt left forgotten on the floor. Even from her distance, Sakura could see the easy rise and fall of his chest, but she was unable to study him for too long. Her eyes and mind were heavy with exhaustion.
Silently she padded to the edge of the bed and tossed a light blanket over him to fight off the cooler night air before she laid down beside him, hugging the edge of the bed. At first, she wondered if she'd be able to sleep at all as her senses became hyperaware of the unfamiliar body next to hers, but one moment she was debating getting up and sleeping on the couch, and the next everything was falling away as her body finally forced her into a deep, dreamless slumber.
##
A sharp, demanding knock against wood echoed through Sakura's groggy mind and drew her from her deep sleep. She blinked hard against the light filtering in through her living room window and dropped a hand over her eyes to block it from hitting her square in the face. Her limbs was heavy and her eyelids even heavier, but the persistent sound didn't stop.
"Forehead, I swear if I have to knock this damn door down to drag you out of bed…"
Ahh…She had plans with Ino this morning.
Finally forcing her mind to wake, Sakura pushed herself up and swung her legs over the side of her couch only to pause as she began to stand. A strange sense of disorientation came over her as she suddenly realized this was not the same place she had fallen asleep the night before.
Exhaustion had been clouding her mind and her judgement, but Sakura could clearly remember curling up and falling fast asleep next to one Uchiha Itachi the night before. She hadn't had the energy to drag herself to the couch before sleep encompassed her and yet she found herself waking the very same place she had been debating. With a pillow and blanket no less.
However, before Sakura could attempt to piece together her foggy memory, another series of aggressive knocks sounded against the abused wood of her front door. The violence of it jolted Sakura out of her musings and she hurried to let Ino in before the blonde followed through with her threat and kicked her door down.
"You stayed up late working, didn't you?" Ino asked flatly as the door swung open to reveal the impatient blonde.
Sakura just shrugged, her attitude unrepentant. If only she knew how incredibly accurate she was.
However, Sakura was saved from having to formulate an answer as Ino swept past her and made herself comfortable by walking into her kitchen and dusting off her coffeemaker. "Go shower and then we'll go. I'm not going out with you looking like the walking dead."
"How kind of you to say so," Sakura retorted with a small yawn before she turned and climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She reached for the zipper of her vest and yanked the metal piece down only to still when she flipped the light to her room.
The first, glaringly obvious difference Sakura noticed was that her sheets were missing. The stained, white cotton that had covered her mattress the night before was gone. Not only from her bed but from her room entirely. She didn't find them in her garbage nor her washing machine. It appeared Itachi had taken them, but whether to wash or dispose of she didn't know, causing his actions to only further her confusion. Was he really so desperate to hide his disease from the world that he refused to even leave trace evidence?
She suddenly understood how she had come to be on the couch. She wasn't sure how she felt about Itachi moving her in her sleep when she was most vulnerable, but she wasn't given much time to mull it over as she suddenly heard a shout from Ino across the apartment that she didn't hear the water running. With her attention shifted, she shook her head and smiled affectionately as she finished undressing to finally begin her day.
The morning passed in a blur as Ino dragged her across town to a fancy restaurant that had delicacies and pastries that were far too delicious to possibly be man-made. The two women spoke quickly, barely pausing to breathe, as they hurried to get caught up with one another before their busy lives pulled them away. Surprisingly it was Ino that was summoned first by her teammates and the blonde wished her a farewell and a promise to have a girls' night out soon before she vanished. It wasn't until she disappeared that Sakura realized she had been left with the bill.
After breakfast, Sakura wandered to the excessive library in the Hokage's Tower where she found Shizune pouring over a large stack of books. It was there that Sakura spent the rest of her day, researching and reading as she attempted to find any plant or herb that could create the effects of the poison that both ANBU members had fallen prey to. It had been grueling work and by the time the women called it a night, Sakura's eyes were tired and heavy from the amounts of information she had poured over.
Uchiha Itachi and the events from the previous night were nothing but lost memories as her mind swam with theories and hypotheses she wanted to further explore the next day, which is why when she returned home to find a nondescript package on her doorstep, she eyed it suspiciously. Was Ino leaving her clothes in another attempt to talk her into going out for girls' night? It certainly wouldn't be the first time.
With a soft sigh, Sakura brought the lightweight box inside and set it on her kitchen counter. She swore that if Ino left her a too short, too small dress again, she was going to set her best friend's wardrobe on fire.
However, that thought immediately vanished as she opened the box to find not a pile of scandalous clothing, but rather the softest and most beautiful sheets she had ever held. They were a simple, light grey and cool to the touch, and the perfect fit for her bed. There was no note or signature left, but she didn't need one to know who these were from.
Itachi.
Gratitude warmed her that he was thoughtful enough to replace the sheets he had ruined, but the feeling rapidly faded as she recalled the way he had glared up at her the night before. The last thing she had ever expected was for him to show up unexpectedly in her bedroom and so she wasn't entirely sure how to feel about his gift. Was this a peace-offering or merely a replacement for the sheets he had ruined the previous night? Would he come back again or did he still think he could battle his disease on his own?
She didn't know. She didn't understand Uchiha Itachi at all and that only made her even more wary of him.
to be continued...