Sorry it took so long! I didn't actually know what Sasuke and Itachi were going to talk about until this morning! (That, and I had other stories in serious need of updating!) With that being said, I hope you enjoy it!
The sight of Sasuke at the door of his hospital room simultaneously released a heavy weight from his shoulders and a burden from his heart, causing tears that had nothing to do with nausea escape from the corners of his eyes as he embraced his brother. But in the back of his mind, he knew that this encounter wasn't going to be sunshine and rainbows as there were things he needed to discuss with Sasuke that his brother probably didn't want to hear.
"Itachi, I'm so sorry." Sasuke said, pulling away from the embrace. "You called me when I was at work, so I didn't get the message until later, and then I thought that you were just trying to toy with me and ignored it because I was tired and didn't want to be bothered with it."
A small smile played at the corners of Itachi's mouth as his brother confessed to thinking that Itachi was "toying with him." He always thought everyone was out to get him, even since they were kids. "It's fine, Sasuke; I understand."
"No, it's not fine!" Sasuke yelled and brought a hand up to the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I was acting like an immature brat thinking that you were just calling to nag me about my life choices or whatever. I never thought that you were in the hospital."
"But you received my message and that's all that matters at the moment. I'm just glad that you're here now." Itachi said.
Sasuke shook his head. "Yeah. I got your message. A fucking week later. And that was only because my boss called while I was in the shower this morning and left a message that I decided to listen to yours first." Sasuke huffed. "Even then I had to call around to every hospital in the God damned area to figure out where you were being treated! I mean, what kind of sibling isn't there for the brother who practically raised him after his parents died when he gets admitted to the hospital for cancer for God's sake!"
Itachi's gaze softened in response to Sasuke's tirade. "Sasuke, it's fine. Don't be so hard on yourself." He soothed.
"No! It's not fine, Itachi! If I wasn't so busy being such a dick, I could've been there for you when you needed me most!" He sighed and shook his head in self-loathing. "How long are you even going to be in here for?" He pulled up a chair to sit by Itachi's bedside.
"A month." Itachi replied, fully aware that Sasuke wasn't going to be happy with the answer.
And just as quickly as he had taken his seat, Sasuke was back on his feet, knocking the chair backwards in the process. "Wait? A month!? What the hell?! Why do you have to be here for a fucking month?!"
"Please watch your language." Itachi admonished, but Sasuke was livid.
"Shut up, Itachi! How do you expect me to watch my fucking language when you've been in the hospital for a fucking week and I didn't know it, and now you're telling me that you have to stay here for a fucking month!? What the hell, Itachi?! Why do you have to stay here for a month!?"
If Itachi didn't feel tired before, he certainly felt tired now in the face of his little brother's anger. "Sasuke, I have leukemia which is cancer of the bone marrow. It's not the same as any other type of cancer where I can come in to receive radiation therapy and go home that same day or schedule surgery to remove a cancerous tumor; the cancer I have is wide spread and takes time to eliminate. In addition to that, I'm at risk for infection in my immunocompromised state, meaning I can't afford to leave the sterilized environment of the hospital."
"And this process takes a month?" Sasuke asked and picked up his chair to take a seat once more.
Itachi nodded and wondered how long Sasuke would stay in it this time. "The first week is dedicated to a round of chemotherapy which targets and eliminates the cancerous cells. The following three weeks are dedicated to monitoring wherein the doctors will see if the chemotherapy has done its job or not." He sighed. "And if it doesn't, I might need a bone marrow transplant."
"And if it comes to that?"
"I need to find a donor." Itachi answered.
Sasuke regarded him carefully and replied. "I'll be your donor."
Itachi averted his gaze to the window on his right. "It's not that easy, I'm afraid. While siblings are usually the closest match, that isn't always the case."
"And if I'm not a match?"
"Then the doctors will have to find one through the national bone marrow registry and then we'll wait and see how it goes from there." He sighed. "But I hope it doesn't come down to that."
Sasuke nodded in understanding. "So you're going to be here for at least a month, correct?"
"Correct. Which means I won't be out in time to celebrate your birthday next week." Itachi smiled sadly.
"I don't care about that." Sasuke said. "I feel like shit for not being by your side through this, and I don't want to miss a thing ever again."
Itachi furrowed his brow. "Sasuke, I hope you're not going to quit your job because of this, you need the money to—"
"You don't think I know that, Itachi?!" Sasuke yelled and took a deep breath to regain his composure. "I'm not quitting my job, alright? But I am going to stay back at your place while you're being treated for this."
"Right." Itachi replied with uncertainty. He had a feeling that the conversation would take this turn, thus bringing forth the issues they had temporarily put to rest just a few minutes ago. "If that's what you plan on doing, I'm afraid you'll have to sleep in my bedroom instead of yours."
"And why is that, exactly?"
Ooh, things are starting to heat up, aren't they?
Unfortunately, I don't know when I am going to get around to updating the next chapter (soon, hopefully!), but I do know that it will be a Kisame chapter!
****To AbsoluteAnarchy: Sorry! Sasuke (in my opinion), ended up being the total ass you were hoping he wouldn't be! *shrug* Little brothers, right?
****To The Secret Sal: Are you satisfied now? ;)
Until next time!
~Sasori33-001