Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Soup's On	By : OfFansAndFlames Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1794 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters mentioned. I make no money on this fiction.

Chapter List
- 44
- 45
- 46
It could have been worse, really. Sasuke exhaled deeply as he left the psychiatric ward, walking through several adjacent parking lots towards the rest of the hospital. Juugo seemed to be in good spirits, and the place fell short of the 1960's hellholes portrayed in most movies he'd watched on the topic. Looks like society had come a long way since Girl Interrupted.
Regardless, it was one hell of a lot of information to take in, though it resolved a lot of mysteries. Juugo asked Sasuke to keep his secret, even from Karin and Suigetsu. Sasuke didn't exactly blame him. If he had been in Juugo's situation, he would have kept it from anyone he possibly could. The fact that Juugo volunteered the information to Sasuke willingly told Sasuke where he stood in Juugo's eyes. Still, if not for the cafeteria incident, Sasuke wondered if he would've ever discovered Juugo's secret at all.
There was, however, another unknown. He'd toyed with pursuing it on the bus ride over to the hospital. He now approached the front desk of the main hospital, currently manned by an elderly volunteer.
"I'm here to visit Yakushi Kabuto. What's his room number?"
He didn't even know if Kabuto was still in the hospital, but while he was there anyway, he figured he might as well try. Could there be a safer place to obtain his answers? He wondered where he stood with Kabuto now. Was he grateful that Sasuke had stepped in on his behalf? Or had his pride been too badly injured? After all, he was in this hospital, to begin with, because of Sasuke. Would he seek revenge? After such a humiliating ordeal, would he feel the need to make an example of Sasuke to keep everyone's respect? Image is important for a businessman, which Kabuto certainly was…in his own right.
"342B. Do you need help finding it?"
It was just a floor below Itachi, actually. How ironic that the man that had been causing so much trouble for Sasuke, the man that had supplied him with his "inventory" was sleeping just one story below his greatest role model. He was intensely grateful that neither of them was aware of that fact.
"No thanks, I'm good."
Sasuke was more familiar with this hospital than he'd like to be, in all honesty. He rode the elevator to reach Kabuto's floor, passing the nurse's station along with room 347A. This shouldn't take long. His mind tried to imagine what was awaiting him, but he wiped it back. How severely injured must Kabuto have been for them to keep him here for so long? Internal injuries?
There was a clipboard outside Kabuto's room, with different lines requesting the visitor, the date, and the time. There was only one name, and it belonged to his principal. It was about six in the afternoon the day of the fight. The motive behind this visit was obvious. Was Sasuke Kabuto's first real visitor? Sasuke filled out the second line and knocked on the door. He waited several seconds before entering.
The overhead lights over Kabuto's head were on dim, as dusk was quickly approaching. The room was white and sterile, identical to Itachi's in almost all respects. Sasuke had, however, left magazines, books, food, and all sorts of puzzles for Itachi. He even bought Itachi a "Get Well" balloon, which Sasuke felt very awkward giving him. He sneaked it in from the gift shop while Itachi slept one evening, just before he left. It wasn't exactly their style, thus the clandestine exit. Sasuke couldn't help but think that the room looked too damned depressing and didn't know what else to do about it. Kabuto's room, in contrast, seemed rather barren.
Kabuto was propped up in bed, sketching lazily at a paper, his pencil's eraser resting on his swollen cheek. Grey eyes squinted as the pencil began to move again, the paper held closely to his face. Kabuto's glasses rested on the bed tray swiveled parallel with the bed rail. His non-dominant arm was in a sling, his face covered with a couple nasty bruises which had started to show complimentary hues of green and yellow. His nose was swollen and resting slightly crooked. Kabuto glanced up, sighing impatiently.
"Someone was just in here to change my bandages thirty minutes ago. I'm not due until tomorrow."
Sasuke cast Kabuto a strange look before remembering how near-sighted Kabuto was. He must have mistaken Sasuke for a nurse. Sasuke glanced over at the whiteboard, noting that his nurse for the day was named "Joe," and his most recent bandage change was, indeed, thirty minutes ago. He also noticed a small space of the whiteboard with "Contacts:" scrawled out. However, the space next to it was blank.
"Kabuto…"
Kabuto startled upright, poorly concealing a wince. Broken ribs, Sasuke wondered? The sole of Juugo's foot had certainly not been forgiving to Kabuto's ribcage. Kabuto instinctively reached for his glasses but then regarded them hesitantly before putting them on. Sasuke wondered why Kabuto would be reluctant until the senior actually put them on.
The massive swelling on Kabuto's nose bridge caused them to rest crookedly to the right, the frame dramatically askew. Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek to prevent the corners of his lips from rising in both amusement and satisfaction. He reminded himself that Kabuto could see his facial expressions now and mentally congratulated himself for managing not to smirk.
"Thought I'd see how your ugly mug is holding up."
Kabuto quickly placed his sketchpad down, the marked side facing down on the table to conceal itself from prying eyes. Sasuke hadn't made anything decent out regardless. Perhaps he could do with a pair of glasses (or contacts, rather) as well. Maybe when all this mess blew over.
"The hell are you doing here, Uchiha?"
Sasuke didn't bother pulling up a chair, standing several feet away from Kabuto's bed and leaning against the wall to give him space. Talking did not seem to pain Kabuto.
"Take an educated guess."
Kabuto sneered, glancing over at Sasuke, whom he could now see perfectly.
"So, you're here for answers."
Sasuke nodded. His pride was against feigning concern for Kabuto, and even if he tried it, Kabuto was apt to interpret that as pity or an attempt at manipulation. Besides, someone so ready to manipulate others would be quick to believe other people capable of the same. In the end, it would only serve against him.
"You don't know what I'm capable of, Sasuke," Kabuto stated.
He didn't sound angry when he said this. It was more as though he were stating a fact, or commenting on the weather. A simple reality.
Sasuke nodded in understanding. He wouldn't press Kabuto for specifics, at least not at this stage.
"I don't know how much of the action you caught. Did Sarutobi explain it?"
Kabuto nodded.
"I was already aware of everything that happened, but he told me you got yourself suspended again. And here you are."
Of course, then Kabuto knew how Sasuke got himself suspended. Kabuto knew that Sasuke had put his future at risk to do something that possibly saved his life, regardless of the fact that Sasuke was acting primarily for Juugo. There was no need to go over it again. He could always bring it up later if it seemed helpful, but for now he thought he'd get farther without pressing the fact.
"You don't know what kind of hell I could bring down around you."
"I have some idea. I met Orochimaru, after all."
Yet Kabuto's relationship with Orochimaru seemed strained at best, to the point that Kabuto had brought a gun in with him for a simple transaction. From what Sasuke had observed, their working relationship seemed precarious and superficially civil rather than chummy. Would Kabuto really feel safe asking favors from him? Still, if he was connected to someone like Orochimaru, there were bound to be others dangerous enough to do the damage.
"Here's the thing," Kabuto sighed. "It's a pain in the ass. Takes some effort on my part, and shit, for a little half-grown punk like you…"
Kabuto smirked at Sasuke patronizingly, staring Sasuke up and down.
"Hardly seems worth it."
Sasuke understood that this condescension was Kabuto's way of retreating while keeping his pride intact. Maybe he was bluffing in the past, or maybe he wasn't. Maybe he was grateful to Sasuke for saving him. Still, Sasuke assumed that there was more to Kabuto's decision than this.
What Kabuto said actually seemed pretty probable to Sasuke, rather than just a meaningless copout. On Kabuto's part, there was a lot of effort and a lot of risk. Sasuke had pondered this over the past few days. He knew that to best control the outcome of this feud, he had to understand the pro's and con's from Kabuto's point of view. He came prepared.
Kabuto could come after Sasuke himself, but Sasuke doubted he'd want to get his hands so dirty, especially after their altercation in the cafeteria. If anything happened to Sasuke, several hundred witness testimonies would point to Kabuto as a prime suspect. Kabuto had quite a lot of dirt on Sasuke, but this was nothing compared to what Sasuke knew about Kabuto. Not to mention the fact that Sasuke was fifteen, and Kabuto was twenty-one. If Kabuto made things too dangerous for Sasuke, it might make sense for Sasuke to report the situation to authorities and face the music. Maybe it just wouldn't make sense unless he killed Sasuke, but that was taking things awfully far. The stakes were much higher for Kabuto.
Kabuto could go through someone else, which would be safer in some ways but would still pose many of the same issues. Also, getting someone seriously injured, or maybe even killed, was quite a favor to ask. Kabuto would likely be asked to pay for it one way or another. Sasuke didn't have many doubts that Kabuto could hurt him, probably even kill him. But at what cost?
It wasn't worth it, and while Kabuto's judgment was questionable at times, he wasn't that stupid. The biggest problem was that Kabuto had been humiliated in front of many of his clients. He knew word would travel, and he'd need to reestablish respect. Still, pursuing Sasuke or even Juugo was so dangerous that he'd probably look for another way. Sasuke knew Kabuto was doing the simple logic in his head and coming out with a more rational response. And if Kabuto's emotions and anger or pride had been swaying him, perhaps Sasuke's intervention on Kabuto's behalf appeased these feelings somewhat.
"Do not make me reconsider. Do you understand, Sasuke?"
Sasuke nodded slowly. He wanted to sigh in relief, but he'd hold it in. The drugs, the stealing, the fights… Could he really leave all of this bullshit behind him? Was he free now?
"You're still going ahead with this house business?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"I don't know how many friends you're bringing, but you've currently got one accomplice, and you and I both know he's no brains and all talk. You think he can keep his cool in that situation?"
"You're not trying to…talk me out of it, are you?" Kabuto asked, incredulously staring at Sasuke.
Sasuke was trying more for Suigetsu's behalf than Kabuto's, but… Even after everything, he had to admit that there might've been one particle, one tiny little atom in his body that cared if Kabuto got himself a twenty year prison sentence. At one point, he'd more or less called Kabuto his friend. He was an asshole, and not a very forgivable one at that. Sasuke would never put himself at risk for Kabuto, but… Again, he was speaking for Suigetsu, not Kabuto.
"I'm just stating my opinion. It's a stupid idea."
Kabuto stared at Sasuke for a while before chuckling, then laughing.
"Trying to talk me out of it? God, you're too much."
Sasuke stared at Kabuto impatiently until he stopped laughing.
"This isn't a first for me. Nothing you can say or do will stop me, but it was kind of pathetically amusing watching you try."
Sasuke rolled his eyes, allowing Kabuto to have his jab. Sasuke knew that Kabuto was in a rather humiliating situation. His last threat to Sasuke had landed him in this hospital bed. Sasuke would let Kabuto say what he needed to say to keep his pride intact enough not to lash out. It was obvious who the real victor was here.
"You stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours. Do we have a deal?"
"Deal."
As Sasuke turned, he caught Kabuto eyeing a sandwich that had been put on the opposite side of his hospital room, by the window. Sasuke turned around and walked towards the sandwich.
"I don't need your…" Kabuto protested.
But Sasuke put the sandwich on his bedside tray and left the room before Kabuto could finish, promptly shutting the door behind him.

He ran over to a nearby Chinese takeout restaurant before visiting Itachi, his mind perusing the last hour's activity as he waited in line. Today, or rather the past hour, had certainly been eventful. He was concerned for Juugo, but pleased he could be finally putting this Kabuto business to rest. In the end, the parting had been…not exactly amiable, but not hostile either. Suigetsu was a fool for going through with this nonsense.
He ordered Itachi his favorite: cashew nut chicken. He ordered it extra light on the oil and with only white meat to placate Itachi's stomach. Just the other day, Dr. Sannin told Sasuke that he could start bringing Itachi outside food, as long as it wasn't anything particularly demanding on the stomach. Sasuke took to this immediately, having had to endure a few too many Las Haciendas meals himself.
He made his way up to Itachi's room quickly so that the food would still be warm. He knocked on the door a few times, hearing the TV playing on the other end. His brother was awake. He'd been sleeping a lot less lately – around ten hours a day, Itachi reported, rather than the approximate seventeen hours a day he'd required when admitted.
"Come in."
Sasuke walked into Itachi's room, which now, by contrast to Kabuto's, seemed rather lively and worn in. Itachi was reading a book on malpractice attorneys as the commercials played. Itachi lifted his eyes off of the text, immediately honing in on the bag of Chinese food in Sasuke's hand. Itachi immediately averted his eyes elsewhere as if this would make Sasuke forget he'd caught Itachi staring.
"Yes, it's for you," Sasuke informed Itachi, saving him the tentative enthusiasm Sasuke knew he was trying so hard to subdue.
Itachi slammed his book shut, not even bothering to mark the page. Sasuke snickered. He couldn't blame Itachi. He wondered if this hospital could win some sort of award for having the worst hospital food in the county, or maybe even the state of California. After spending so many weeks confined to only IVs and Las Haciendas food, Sasuke would have been pretty damned elated to see food from the outside world as well.
Still, he almost felt as if their positions had been reversed. As composed and responsible as Itachi generally was, there was a certain childlike enthusiasm in him that was so rarely triggered. Besides their parents, Sasuke was probably the only person to witness this. Itachi looked confused by Sasuke's expression, but realization dawned quickly.
"That had nothing to do with the food," Itachi corrected, as if he found his eagerness unbecoming. "It's rude to read when you have company."
"Of course," Sasuke answered disbelievingly, taking Itachi's encyclopedia-sized book and setting it on the counter by the window. "I hope you're hungry."
Itachi nodded, and Sasuke placed two takeout boxes in front of Itachi. One was filled with white rice, and the other, Itachi's prized cashew nut chicken. He placed a pair of chopsticks by Itachi, and just to prove his point, Itachi waited until Sasuke had seated himself and taken out his own petite box of orange chicken to eat alongside Itachi. It was a couple dollars more than Sasuke would have liked to spend on his lunch, though he'd been sure to buy the smallest size of the cheapest dish. He figured it would be awkward for Itachi to be the only one eating.
When Itachi opened the chicken, a heavy cloud of steam wafted up towards the hospital ceiling, the entire room now smelling a lot less like antiseptic and a lot more like hot, fresh Chinese food. Itachi took a moment, allowing the scent to fully hit him before he smiled softly. Itachi had his chopsticks out soon afterward, diving into the chicken before Sasuke even had time to open his own food. Itachi had gotten far too thin over the past few weeks. He had started to remind Sasuke of what Naruto looked like when he first met him, and it hadn't been a good look on either of them. It seemed so long to Sasuke since he saw his brother really eat, not just get a few bites off of his plate and move the food around.
"Mmmm," Itachi almost purred, savoring the bite as he chewed.
Sasuke pretended not to notice Itachi's exuberance, smiling slightly as he slowly ate his own food. Itachi was completely silent as he plowed through the chicken, and Sasuke realized that even with his smaller portion size, he could safely pick up the pace if Itachi kept his momentum.
"Want some rice?" Itachi asked, offering the other box to Sasuke. Sasuke nodded, placing a small mound onto his own box and mixing it in.
They ignored the Colbert Report when it came on. Itachi didn't even look at the screen. He was much too busy with the chicken in front of him. However, about half of the way through, Itachi began to lose steam. His stomach had shrunk over the past couple months. Generally, he'd start off with a hearty appetite but fill quickly. He screeched to a stop around two thirds through.
"Phew…" Itachi stated, sounding a little exhausted. Eating, or really doing anything that required such an effort was a strain to Itachi. "I can't eat another bite."
Sasuke was almost through with his own serving.
"That food didn't stand a chance."
"Thanks, Sasuke. I wish that Chinese food joint would partner with Haciendas. Maybe the food would be worth half a damn then."
"Maybe."
They watched the last ten minutes of Colbert report together, one occasionally making a snide comment to the other. It seemed to wrap up quickly, and Itachi was regaining the energy he'd lost eating.
"So…" Itachi stated slowly. "How have things been lately?"
"You mean in the twenty hours since I've seen you last?" Sasuke asked flatly, as if it were preposterous to expect anything worth reporting to happen in twenty hours. Of course, it had.
"Yes, in the twenty hours since I've seen you last," Itachi answered with like sarcasm.
"Nothing much. My classes are kind of winding down for winter break."
He'd been partially honest, at least. His classes were "winding down," naturally. He'd been suspended. He certainly hadn't been visiting friends in psychiatric wards or getting out of close calls with criminals. It was strange to have three people to see in a single hospital visit, for completely different reasons. One was physically ill, one was mentally ill, and the other had simply gotten the shit beat out of him.
"Glad to hear it. You look a little better, Sasuke. A little less pale and more rested."
It was so characteristic of his brother to be keeping tabs on such a thing as Sasuke's complexion and the bags under his eyes, even while he was stuck in the hospital. Sasuke would have been thought Itachi would be feeling too shitty to be so observant, but those gears in his head would never stop turning.
"Yeah, you too."
"You know, Sasuke…" Itachi said quietly, changing the channel with his remote as commercials hit. "I've been noticing other differences in you."
"Huh?" Sasuke perked a brow, wondering where Itachi could be going with this.
"I don't know if you're just putting on a front for my behalf, but… You seem a little happier. You've been acting differently, more like how you used to act."
Momentarily, Sasuke appeared surprised. Itachi was, of course, referring to how he used to act before the fire. That went without saying. Sure, he was making different decisions. But was he really acting that differently, even in trivial conversation? Was it really to the extent that his brother, who had no idea what was going on in Sasuke's life, could notice this? Perhaps his decisions were affecting his personality… Or was it the other way around? Maybe it was Naruto's influence that had changed his personality and caused him to make different decisions. Maybe it was both. Sasuke supposed that didn't really matter anyway. Sometimes it's so much easier for other people to notice when you're growing up.
"I don't know what you're prattling on about," Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes.
Before Itachi had time to press the issue, Sasuke cast his eyes over at the walker by Itachi's bed.
"So, old man, are you up for a walk tonight?"
The days until Itachi would be released were dwindling. Dr. Sannin and Sasuke had been there when he left his bed for the first time in almost a month. After being bedbound for so long prior to his surgery for his fever, and then after the surgery for recovery, Itachi's muscles had atrophied. It took a particularly burly nurse to ease him out of bed. Itachi stood, grasping the rail on his bed tightly and beginning to pant. This was the evening after Sasuke had gotten suspended.
"Can you step?" Dr. Sannin asked, firmly but patiently.
His black hair stuck to the back of his head, slightly greasy. Itachi tried to lift his leg, his jaw clenching and knuckles whitening. There was a white film on the crease of his lips. He could barely shift his weight from one leg to another. He was gripping that bed rail so hard. He tried again, his face appearing to pale and strands of hair sticking to his sweat-moistened forehead. He shook his head.
Sasuke had become so accustomed to the sight of Itachi in a hospital bed. It was only now, when he attempted to leave it, that Sasuke realized how weak he had become. Sasuke had been eager when Dr. Sannin told him that she would allow Itachi to get out of his bed that day. Still, he kind of expected him to just…get up, not be lifted up. It was an unrealistic expectation, he now discovered. He knew, logically, that the only reason Itachi was able to stand at all was because he was getting better. Still, it was difficult to watch his brother put all of his energy into just staying upright, unable to move even a single step.
That was three days ago. For Itachi to get out of the hospital, Dr. Sannin required that he must be able to get out of his bed without aid and walk from his room to the south end of the floor, however slowly, without a walker or cane. Itachi had a very long way to go. However, partially thanks to Sasuke, he seemed to improve vastly from day to day.
If not for Sasuke's presence, Itachi would have only gotten one "walk" a day, with the morning nurse. The hospital was horrifically understaffed, and the nurse would only spare him a handful of minutes. However, Dr. Sannin had permitted Sasuke to help exercise Itachi as well. Sasuke visited him nightly, and every night, Itachi could get at least one extra walk out of Sasuke, if not two. Sasuke was patient and would give Itachi all the time he needed to catch his breath, so he could really get the most out of these walks.
"Of course, runt," Itachi answered with a soft grin, moving the bed tray aside and lifting off his blankets. Sasuke moved Itachi's walker so that it was nearby. Itachi was able to move his legs near to the edge of the bed, but Sasuke had to lift them onto the ground so that they didn't drop. Itachi didn't currently have the abdominal strength to let them down easily. He offered Itachi his arm, from the shoulder to the wrist, as Itachi sought to stand, giving Itachi's body a very gentle hoist as Itachi got onto his feet. Sasuke braced Itachi with his hands until he knew Itachi had caught his balance, then moved the walker so that Itachi could grasp it and got out of the way. Itachi was already moving forward, one baby step at a time.
So far, so good. The walker clacked quietly as they moved forward. He was walking towards the door, left foot forward, then the right foot following. Then he'd take a breath and pause. Then the right foot, then the left. A pause. But he was steadily progressing, and his movements were modest but controlled. Sasuke followed closely, prepared to catch his brother in an instant if he were to trip and fall. This wasn't very likely, considering that he was using a walker already, but Sasuke figured one could never be too careful. About a minute had passed when they reached the door.
"I want to go outside," Itachi stated.
"Are you sure?" Sasuke inquired uncertainly.
If Itachi got too tired, it would be quite some distance back to the bed. The only way back other than by foot was by wheelchair, which Sasuke would have to search the floor to find. He'd never left his room before.
"Yeah, I'm sure."
It was against Sasuke's better judgment, perhaps, but he opened the door. Itachi took in all of the activity around them, the nurses quickly answering phones and shuffling around, the hospital volunteers quickly roaming the floors, and a very lucky patient being discharged. For what was his first time in so long, he left his room.
"Ah… The outside world…" he jested.
There was something indescribably uplifting about visiting someone who had been so ill and watching them improve, little by little, each day. Sasuke tried to forget the state he found Itachi in, but it was clearly obvious that he'd entered this hospital with what could have been hours or even minutes to live. Every day, it seemed, Itachi's face looked a little fuller, a little more colorful. Every day, he was able to eat more, walk farther, and sleep less. Sasuke could hardly believe that in three days, Itachi went from hardly being able to stand to leaving his room. But then again, that was his brother for him. Why should he even be surprised?
Itachi's goal of walking to that wall on the other side of the hospital, about forty feet away, with no walker didn't seem so remote anymore. Sasuke was impressed, relieved, and happy with Itachi's quick improvements. However, he couldn't help but feel a small but persistent nagging of anxiety. If Itachi was improving so quickly, how soon would it be until he got home? How soon after that would Naruto be discovered?
He felt like a scumbag for even thinking such thoughts. He shouldn't be having mixed feelings regarding his brother's return home. Why would he be so selfish? Naruto's discovery was inevitable anyway. He could only hope to postpone it. Still, he couldn't get rid of that anxiety, no matter how hard he tried. But as long as he did everything in his power to help his brother recover and get away from that place, Sasuke thought, no one would ever have to know.
"Welcome back to civilization," Sasuke told him.
Itachi was smiling, moving one step, then another…
"You just wait, Sasuke…" Itachi panted. "After I get out of here, I'm gonna get strong…and you won't stand a chance against me."
"Sure," Sasuke conceded. "But then I'm going to finish puberty, and for the rest of your life, you'll be fucked."
It was strange that they were now beginning to sound a lot more like brothers and a lot less like a father and his child. Itachi seemed to be speaking to him differently these days. Perhaps this was because Sasuke was turning into an adult himself.
"Language, Sasuke."
Or maybe Sasuke had assumed too much.
"Really?" Sasuke asked, exasperated.
"But I can say that that statement…" Itachi paused. Exhale. Inhale. "…was the biggest heap of bullshit I've heard in my life."
"You're a hypocrite, Itachi," Sasuke chided, his voice lacking any real venom.
"I said it quietly. It's only a profanity if someone hears you."
So, now he was changing his tune. Before, he hadn't even been allowed to swear before Itachi. Sasuke tucked that sentence away for future use. Should Itachi ever try to scold him for swearing again in their otherwise empty house, Sasuke would be certain to use it in his defense.
"If I don't count as a 'someone,' then neither do you."
"That's…" Itachi's legs froze. Itachi coughed and gritted his teeth tightly as he clung onto his walker. The cough sounded wet rather than dry, Itachi's face contorted in pain. Sasuke tried not to look as concerned as he felt. Coughing was naturally a very painful experience for Itachi these days, after the extensive wounds to his abdominal muscles. Finally, Itachi cleared his throat and plodded on.
"I think we should go back," Sasuke said.
"Please, Sasuke. Some spit just went down the wrong way…when I was taking a breath. I'm fine."
"We're going back. If you're still in shape to go farther once we get to your room, you can overshoot it."
Itachi stopped walking.
"Okay."
His shoulders slumped dejectedly, and Sasuke almost felt guilty. Itachi was probably enjoying these very few minutes where he was outside of his hospital room. It must've been a nice relief to see the wall with his own eyes, to get a good, concrete look at his goal. Sasuke decided that next time he saw Itachi, he'd borrow a wheelchair and take him around, maybe even get him some fresh air if Dr. Sannin would allow it. Itachi was turning around slowly, retracing the five feet that lie between them and Itachi's door.
Sure enough, the steps started to come slower, and his face got paler. Sasuke couldn't blame Itachi for being eager to get out of this place. Who wouldn't be? Knowing his brother as he did, Sasuke knew he was building a list of responsibilities he'd have to tend to once he was discharged. On the top of that list was probably taking care of him, as much as Sasuke hated to admit it.
"There was no need…"
"Don't talk. Just walk."
Itachi nodded. Sasuke held the door open for Itachi when they reached the room, about a minute later, at half the pace Itachi had adopted when they left. Itachi went in wordlessly and without protest. He must've been exhausted. Sasuke lowered the rail and moved the walker away after Itachi sat. He lifted Itachi's legs for him, helped him get situated in the bed, and tucked him in. He tucked the blanket around Itachi's feet as he liked it and made sure it wouldn't become disheveled as he slept. It was almost as if Itachi were his child, which probably did nothing for his brother's sense of pride. Itachi was still panting, his breath slowly returning to normal.
"You know, the worst part about being stuck here is when you're…" Itachi breathed in deeply again, "…healthy enough to know what's going on but…not quite enough to leave."
Itachi so infrequently complained. Sasuke assumed this was the closest he would come to that. He nodded, slowly.
"I know it sucks here. But don't push yourself too hard trying to get out, or you'll get stuck here even longer."
"I'm not pushing myself that hard. I'm just being disciplined."
Sasuke frowned.
"You've never left your room before, and you tried to go way too far. You've gone farther today than you have since you got in."
"You act like it's unusual," Itachi said, smiling smugly, "I go farther than I've gone since I got in every day."
It was true, as every day had seen improvement. Every day he was going farther, doing a bit better.
"I'm gonna make it to the wall in no time. I'll be home by New Year's."
He knew Christmas was out of Itachi's reach, but New Year's… It might be a stretch, but if anyone could do it, Itachi could. New Year's… His family used to watch the ball drop together when he was a kid. Everyone in the Uchiha household was busy; it was a den of chronic overachievers. Even Christmas was sometimes interrupted by work schedules. Yet New Year's, as late at night as it was, was the one time in the year when everyone, without fail, put their life on hold and met together. As the ball dropped, his parents, who so rarely showed signs of affection outside of the privacy of their own bedrooms, would kiss on the lips for just a second, much to the young Sasuke's disgust.
Watching the ball drop without a single family member around would be depressing. It would make him feel like the last one amongst a rather cursed lot. It would be easier on both siblings to just stay in the hospital together, Sasuke surmised. Even then, that was a rather gloomy environment. As glad as he'd be to watch the ball drop with his brother in their own home, the thought occurred to him that Naruto might not be there anymore.
"Yeah, I know."

Author's Note: Well, I'm back and writing. I think I'm in a solid enough state to handle both positive and negative feedback again, so no need to baby me anymore. As always, to everyone who's still with me here at Chapter 43, thanks for sticking with me!
I know y'all must be missing Naruto a little at this point, but trust me, there will be plenty of him next chapter. Don't you know Christmas is coming up?
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Soup's On