All the Small Things

Disclaimer: Not ours. Bummer.
Summary: Life in the ER is hectic. Lives hang in the balance, tempers rise and emotions abound. Dr. Uchiha and Dr. Uzumaki deal with the tensions at work every day. And then they go home and deal with their own relationship. SasuNaru
Written by: Phantomsnow and michelerene (ff)/ lexjamandme (aff)

Author’s Pitiful Whine In Which There Is Begging For Forgiveness: Huh, three weeks… and a day. Not that I’m counting or that any of you are, but damn… I am sorry. I could tell you horror stories that involved six year old ballerinas and a whole morning folding paper airplanes. I could talk about friend drama worthy of Desperate Housewives and the feeling you get when you wake up and wish you could go back to bed thirty seconds later.
I could address all of these things but, we have all been there.
Onto the chapter! As always, thank you so much for reading and for reviewing. We both appreciate it and hope you like the new chapter.
Michele

P.S. The editing this chapter is sketchy at best… sorry.

All the Small Things
Chapter 12

There was a cool breeze coming from somewhere, gently moving midnight locks and tickling his pale cheeks. Sasuke open his eyes and stared straight into blue eyes that were smiling down at him with a worried frown. He reached out a hand to cup Naruto’s cheek and released a gentle sigh when the blond leaned into it.

He felt the heat of the sun on his face and let his hand drop in surprise as he took in his surroundings. The gentle whoosh of foamy waves drifted to his ears and the warmth of gritty sand shifted between his toes. They were at a beach and he was lying on a towel with his dobe beside him. The last thing he remembered was being sick… alone… but could he have dreamed that?

He sat up and looked over at Naruto. The blonde had lay back down on the towel, a tan hand hovering over his face as he blocked the sun. Naruto had on his favorite… obnoxious… bright orange shorts and Sasuke would have smirked and commented on them but for the devastating sadness on Naruto’s expressive face.

“I was dreaming…” he began slowly, unsure of what he was going to say. He flinched and looked back into the bright sky. The sun felt overwhelmingly hot.

“Yes, you are,” Naruto answered turning his head to look at him while placing both hands behind his head.

Sasuke blinked in confusion, “No, I mean I was dreaming that I was sick with some sort of virus,” he continued not sure of himself anymore. His hand reached out to grip Naruto’s forearm… he needed to feel him… he needed him to be real.

“You are,” the blond answered in a monotone voice.

“Naru, what’s wrong?” Sasuke asked suddenly afraid but not wanting to scare the dobe. The blond sat up and took Sasuke’s hands in his own. Sasuke noticed right away how cool they felt on his suddenly blistering skin. Was the sun supposed to be this hot? He couldn’t understand why he was feeling so hot, it was like he was burning for the inside out.

“You have to fight, teme. Fight and come back to us,” there was desperation and utter desolation in the dobe’s voice and eyes. Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment to block the pain behind loving blue eyes. This wasn’t… right.

“Naruto?” Sasuke gathered the now crying man into his arms. “Am I dreaming?” He whispered against the soft skin of Naruto’s neck.

“Yes, so wake up. Please, wake up.”

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The sounds of the machines monitoring the six most precious people in Naruto’s life gnawed away at his insides. There was a tiny bit of hopelessness seeping, most unwanted, into his bones but he shook it away. Sasuke and the rest of his friends would live. He would make sure that they would be up and around to harass his fallen angel and make his life stressful again.

“S’uke,” He whispered, “Please, bastard… don’t leave me,” he muttered as he placed a cool cloth on the forehead of the semi-conscious man. Sasuke was soaked with sweat and was moving restlessly on the small hospital bed.

The others were being helped by Fugaku’s own team who he had called into the hospital to help with the search for the cure. Naruto knew he should be doing just that, but the thought of leaving Sasuke while he was so obliviously in distress was heartbreaking. He couldn’t do it. He needed to see his bastard, too make sure that he wasn’t giving up on them, that he would fight against the monster running rampage in his body and come back to him… to them.

“Sasuke, you fight this…” he took Sasuke’s hand in his and gently ran the damp cloth up his arm and down again. The sheets and Sasuke’s hospital gown would need to be changed soon. They were damp with sweat and disheveled from his restless thrashing.

It scared him, almost to death, when Sasuke’s body stopped moving altogether. His breath suspended in his throat, Naruto leaned over the older man to check that he was still breathing despite the reassuring sound of the machines already monitoring him. In that moment, he forgot about his many years as a doctor and instead reacted like any other man whose loved one was in the hospital.

“Sasuke, wake up, bastard. Wake up,” Naruto heard the tears in his own voice before forcing them down as they welled up in his eyes.

“Naruto.” Naruto started when his com link buzzed in his ears.

“What?” Naruto answered curtly still looking down at Sasuke.

“Let them take care of Sasuke for now. You are needed in the lab,” Fugaku’s voice addressed him in cool tones. Naruto bit his tongue to stop his comment on ‘fatherly love’. How could the man who was a part of Sasuke’s conception be so… Naruto clinched his fist in the bulky gloves. He nodded knowing that Fugaku was probably watching him through the monitors. He wanted so badly to lean down and place a kiss on Sasuke’s lips but the biohazard suit made that impossible.

“I have to go play nice with your father now, teme. Don’t you dare give up. Fight and come back to us,” he told the semi-conscious man.

Sasuke frowned in his feverish sleep as an answer.

“Don’t worry, bastard. I won’t give up either,” Naruto stood up, glanced at his five other friends and sent out a small prayer for them all before the telltale vacuuming sound signaled his exit.

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Hinata felt Itachi crawl into bed with her and she turned around to snuggle up to him. He placed a kiss on her forehead and gave her a small, worried smile that didn’t reach his eyes by any stretch of the imagination.

“Good morning,” she said softly so that they wouldn’t wake the children in the other twin bed across from them. They hadn’t wanted to sleep separate from each other on the twin beds that Mikoto had placed in Sasuke’s room.

“How are they?” Itachi asked his dark eyes soaking in the sleeping babies that reminded him of Sasuke so much that his heart… his arms tightened around Hinata and he let his eyes close. He was relieved that he hadn’t found his mother with them. He knew she would look after them, but the twins needed someone they knew loved them.

“They’re scared. Yoshi had a nightmare not too long ago and Yuri, well, she seems to have withdrawn and I’m so afraid of what will happen to them if Sasuke doesn’t…” Hinata buried her face in Itachi’s chest, noticing the smell of the shirt. He hadn’t changed and she lifted her head to really look at him in the light of the morning.

“Itachi?” she hesitated to ask but she had to know. He had dark circles under his eyes and he seemed to have aged overnight. There were two long wrinkles at the corner of each eye that had always been there but now were deeper and more pronounced.

“I’m sorry,” Itachi blinked like he was coming back from somewhere she couldn’t follow and lay a cheek on her hair, “Thanks for staying with them,” he said and tightened his arms around Hinata. “So, how do you like my mother?” he asked his voice monotone but Hinata heard the underlying tension.

“Your mother is nice. She was great with the children but I didn’t feel right with having her sleep with them. They don’t know her,” she said quietly, her lilac eyes very perceptive. “You don’t want them around your mother?” it wasn’t a question as much as a statement and they both knew it.

“More importantly, Naruto and Sasuke don’t want them around her and I agree with them,” Itachi whispered back, looking over her shoulder at the twins, who seemed to be stirring in the bed. “If it weren’t for this… situation… the twins would not be here. She would not have been given this chance…”

Hinata nodded in understanding. Itachi had told her about his parents’ reaction to the adoption of the twins but she couldn’t help but think that their attitudes towards the twins were changing. Maybe Naruto had seen that, too.

“I’m sorry about all this,” Itachi said, his head falling back on the pillow as he looked up at the ceiling.

Hinata kissed his chin. “Don’t worry, Itachi. I understand. I am sorry I can’t help you in any way.”

Itachi sighed, feeling helpless. Something that he would not admit to anyone else and would only allow to show, even minutely, in Hinata’s presence. He opened his mouth to tell her how much he really cared for her but the phone rang. Scrambling out of bed, he headed out of the bedroom with a quick, apologetic glance at Hinata.

“Itachi,” he barked into the phone.

“Itachi, man, I just heard. I’m so sorry. What can I do to help?” Kisame’s rough voice came through the line.

Itachi leaned against the hallway wall and ran a pale hand through his long hair. Taking a deep breath, his lips tipped up into a sad half smile, “There is something you can do for me.”

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Rubbing both hands vigorously in his dampened spikes, Naruto entered the lab. He’d give anything to be back in quarantine, but, since that wasn’t an option, he sure as hell was going to appreciate his time out of the pumpkin suit. Glancing out the lab window at the orange clad workers, Naruto cringed. He might need to rethink his favorite color when this was over.

Fugaku stood in front of the counter on the far wall, test tubes, papers and microscopes surrounding him. Naruto nodded to the several other doctors in the room and noticed they were giving Dr. Uchiha a wide radius. Shaking his head, he walked directly into the man’s space and leaned next to him against the counter. They stayed like that for several minutes before Uchiha sighed and turned to the younger man.

“How is he… are they?” Pale hands gripped the edge of the counter and Naruto forced himself to relax. Fugaku Uchiha was human… regardless of what he might believe about himself.

“The fevers are dangerously high and nothing we do brings them down for long. The vomiting has stopped but I think that has more to do with the fact that there is nothing left for them to vomit over any extraordinary medical treatment on our part. There is still trembling and discoloration in the hands but so far nothing to indicate they have reached symptom five, which Sannin described at several body convulsions.” Naruto explained with the cool efficiency of a seasoned doctor.

Fugaku closed his eyes and nodded, “Now, tell me what you think.”

The blonde head dropped and Naruto crossed his arms in front of him. If Shikamaru were here, he’d have labeled it a defensive stance. “If we don’t find some way to break the fevers I don’t see how they will be able to reach number five. Obito and Kakashi are conscious, but I almost want to put them to sleep… the pain is…” A tan hand ran harshly through blonde spikes before returning once again across his chest, “Konohamaru, Iruka and Sasuke are delirious… we couldn’t get them to wake up, but they aren’t asleep either. Sakura is…”

Black eyes met pained blue, “She slipped into a coma. I don’t think…”

Fugaku turned back to the makeshift lab and his voice became clipped, “So, the virus is manifesting itself at different rates. Perhaps the thirty six hour time frame doesn’t apply across the board. Each patient’s body and immune system before contracting the disease would affect the outcome.”

Part of Naruto wanted to turn the bastard around and punch him until he didn’t move… maybe ever again. But another part, the scared part, embraced the tone. Clinical, confident and with no room for failure. Shaking his head, a small smile slipped onto his face. Damn Uchihas.

“As I was leaving, they were filling the ice tubs… again. There isn’t much else we can do. What have you found?”

“The information my nephews provided has given me step by step instructions about how the virus was created and even a few theories as to its initial ‘failure’ from its original purpose, but I don’t think the snake even attempted to create a cure.” Fugaku pushed several sheets of computer printout toward Naruto who picked them up.

Chuckling, Naruto scanned the papers, “Okay… I might be brilliant, but, my day job is pediatrician. I get that you are attempting to reverse engineer the virus,” Tan fingers shifted to the following page before he set the papers down and looked at Fugaku, “How’s that working out for you?”

The dark haired man mumbled and blue eyes widened, “Dr. Uchiha, forgive me. I was unable to understand just now. Did you say…”

“Shitty? Yes, Uzumaki, I did.” Fugaku bit out.

“And that’s your professional opinion?” Naruto said straight faced but blue eyes twinkled.

“Yes,” Fugaku growled, “We need more…”

Naruto chuckled, the action not quite reaching his eyes and placed a firm hand on the man’s shoulder, “There might be hope for you yet, sir.” Hooking a stool with his foot, Naruto dragged it toward the counter and sat next to Sasuke’s father, “It’s my experience that if things are shitty now, they can only go up, right?”

Fugaku stared emotionlessly as the young man beside him and nodded slowly. Naruto straightened his shoulders and shifted to pick up the papers, “Let’s get this done.”

A black and blonde head bent over the papers… but, both knew that even with a cure, the damage might already be too much.

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Itachi entered the study just as Bin was opening the doors.

“Itachi,” the dark haired man said a smirk on his pale face, “I was just coming to get you. I found it.”

Turning, Bin reentered the study and grabbed the laptop from across the desk, turning it around so that Itachi could see, “I piggybacked on the signal as we discussed last night. It was more difficult than I had first imagined. Whoever Sannin has doing this covered his trail like a professional.” Bin smirked, “He was almost as good as me.”

Itachi nodded, his dark eyes never leaving the bright screen while he tried to decipher the information. Finally, he turned to his cousin, “Congratulations on your technical brilliance,” there was no warmth in those words, “Where is Sannin?”

The sound of the doors opening caught Itachi and Bin’s attention. Turning, they saw Sai and the other four brothers decked in black cargo pants with tight, long sleeved, black shirts. They all had various weapons and radio equipment on their persons and Sai stepped forward, tossing a bag to Itachi. A quick glance revealed his own black outfit and accessories.

“Time to go,” he said flatly, “Bin located Sannin at a hotel three blocks from the hospital. I’ve just received confirmation that he is still in the building.”

Itachi nodded, “I’ll meet you in five.” Six dark heads nodded before leaving Itachi alone in the study. Tossing the bag on the couch, Itachi pulled his white t-shirt up and over his head before throwing it on the couch. His pants soon followed and in less than a minute Itachi was a replica of his cousins. He took a moment to check each of the weapons given to him and stilled. Reaching into his discarded pants he pulled at his black phone and after a moment’s thought moved his long fingers over the buttons before lifting the phone to his ear.

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The vibration nearly sent Naruto tumbling off his stool. He fumbled with his pocket and pulled out his phone. Seeing the caller id, he excused himself into the hallway, fully aware of Fugaku’s eyes on him the entire time.

“Big brother.” He said into the phone.

“Blondie.” Came the reply and Naruto nearly smiled at the nickname.

“Tell me what I need to know, Itachi.”

“We found Sannin. He has been watching the room the whole time. He had someone hack into the hospital’s cameras. He can see everything, in all parts of the hospital.”

Naruto fisted his hands and glanced at the innocent looking black dome above him that housed one of hundreds of security cameras. “I’m sure he’s loving that.”

“He might be, but he won’t be for long. He is three blocks from the hospital. We are on our way now.”

Naruto listened to Itachi breath for a moment before the older man continued, “Sasuke?”

Blue eyes closed and Naruto bit his lower lip, “It’s not good. None of the research your cousins brought us gives any hint to a cure,” Naruto took a shaky breath before whispering, “I don’t think he has one…”

Itachi growled, “Father must be doing something.”

Naruto nodded even though Itachi couldn’t see, “We are reverse engineering with the information we have. There are six symptoms and they are on four. I can’t tell you how h-horrible it is, Itachi…”

“Doctor,” Itachi snapped harshly.

Blue eyes snapped open and Naruto steeled his voice, “Medically, I don’t know how they are going to survive the symptoms long enough to reach the end.”

“The Fearsome Five found videos of past experiments that Sannin conducted. Sai pointed out an interesting similarity that they all had. The bastard did horrible things, but their recovery rates were phenomenal… unheard of.”

Naruto pushed himself off the wall, his heart rate increasing and started back into the lab, “They were healing themselves? You saw it? Are there papers?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my god,” Naruto whispered into the phone, “I need those tapes, big brother.”

“Of course.”

Snapping his phone shut, Naruto neared Fugaku and cleared his throat, “Orochimaru developed a way to expedite the rate of healing in his victims. They healed while Orochimaru was experimenting, allowing for the experiment to continue long after a normal person would have succumbed to the procedure.”

Jotting a note, Fugaku seemed not to hear him but when he turned his eyes were wide, “Do we know how?”

Naruto nodded, “Itachi is on his way with what they have. They also have Sannin located.”

Fugaku nodded absently and tore off a new piece of paper before he started scratching out theories, “If we could develop an anti-virus and enhance it with this advanced healing…”

Naruto nodded as well, “Without it we both know that this was pointless,” Surprised black eyes shifted to blue, “I was in there. Their bodies are dying. Even if we stopped the virus, the damage is already done.”

Fugaku gave a curt nod and Naruto went to greet Itachi.

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Tsunade checked Asuma’s vitals, making sure the Naruto’s beloved uncle was resting comfortably. When the code had come in she had been afraid that he had gone into cardiac arrest but, thank god, the legendary Doctor Sarutobi had been in the room with him.

She was tired and worried and closed her eyes for a moment to collect herself before she turned away from Asuma and walked toward the sleeping old man in the corner chair. He looked tired, very old and there were deep dark circles underneath his eyes. He was worried about his youngest grandson and all the rest of them as well. It’s been a long twenty-four hours.

Jiraiya walked quietly into the room, glancing at Asuma with a raised eyebrow. Tsunade smiled tiredly at the surgeon motioning him out of the room. Once in the hall, Jiraiya waited while Tsunade closed the door quietly behind them.

“What is the CDC saying?” she immediately asked him. Jiraiya rubbed his face with his right hand and gave an aggravated sigh in response.

“You know them… they were closed mouthed but I’m going to see if I can talk to Naruto,” he said quietly, a worrisome frown on his face. Tsunade wanted to hit something in frustration. They were doctors and they were trapped in a quarantined hospital in the vicinity of a virus that was potentially deadly and they didn’t know anything... She was the director of this damn hospital and the situation was inexcusable in her mind.

“Shikamaru has been busy trying to keep everyone calm, but they are near panic,” she told him mentally thinking about what they could do.

“Fugaku is on the case now. I am hoping that the Uchiha famed brilliance can get everyone out of this situation, Tsunade,” Jiraiya started walking down the hall. “Meanwhile, the whole hospital is under quarantine. The monkeys in orange suits are going around checking everyone, every hour, just in case, and all ambulances are being diverted to the next closest hospitals.”

“That’s good but what about our patients? What about the people in the ER? They must be uncomfortable. If they haven’t been infected what is keeping them from sending them home or at least transferring them to a CDC facility where they can be more comfortable and under observation. I seem to recall that being protocol back in the day.”

“I don’t know, Tsunade, but we are going to find out.”

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Gaara moved walked down the hall, mentally making lists of the patients he had seen, needed to see and wished to never see again. The doctors still in the hospital were now doing double duty as not only doctors, but comforters, friends and someone easily yelled at. He didn’t like being yelled at. There were crying, sick children and their parents to look after and he was starting to look like a panda from the lack of sleep… well, more so than normal. Neji had been helping both in the emergency room and in the OB department. Like the rest of them, he looked pale and tired.

All of the doctors and staff were frustrated with the CDC and frustrated with the lack of information about those that where in direct contact with the virus. Gaara smiled down warily at a five year old boy he was checking up on when he heard a commotion out in the hallway. Excusing himself, he headed toward the noise.

Tsunade and Jiraiya were standing in the middle of the ER surrounded by worried and frustrated doctors, nurses, patients and their families. The director held up both hands in a gesture meant to get them to be quiet down but it was no use.

“Quiet everyone,” she tried to say over the crowd’s noise but it wasn’t until three biohazard suit wearing people approached the two senior doctors that the crowd was immediately hushed.

“Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Fugaku Uchiha. I am in charge of the team that is currently working on this case,” the tallest of the three spoke his voice sounding hollow from inside the suit. “As you know, we have run several tests on all the occupants of the ER and the rest of the hospital. We appreciate your cooperation. Due to the observations we have made of those people infected by the virus and the negative results of the blood test we have conducted on those outside the initial quarantine, you will all be evacuated and send to a CDC containment facility for further observation.”

There was a murmured of discontent in the crowd but Tsunade, Jiraiya and several of the hospital staff looked relieved at the news.

“How long are we going to be here?” Someone from the crowd shouted and that was followed by several questions and suddenly the crowd wasn’t stricken with silence and fear. It was growing into a mob and Fugaku was right in the middle of it all. Just as the other two orange suited men stepped forward to initiate ‘crowd control’, there was a big booming voice.

“HEY! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, PEOPLE!” the voice was coming from the intercom system. Gaara smirked and his tired face suddenly lit with amusement having immediately recognized the voice. Naruto had managed to control the crowd, turned panicked mob, without having the armed men in bio suits enter the equation.

Fugaku sighed with relief along with Jiraiya and Tsunade, who looked slightly annoyed at the brat’s annoying voice echoing throughout the halls.

“Leave it to the brat,” she muttered under her breath, happy to see that at least Naruto was holding it together.

Neji walked over to Gaara, smiling tiredly down at the shorter doctor. “Naruto has a surprising way of knocking heads together.”

“And getting them to listen,” Gaara finished. At least some things were still dependable and normal, well, as normal as they can be around Naruto.

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Orochimaru was greatly amused watching those insufferable lab rats round around like chickens with their heads cut off.

“We have a problem” Kabuto hissed as he entered the doctor’s private room. He looked frantically around as he approached the long hair man.

Orochimaru lifted his gaze from the screen with an annoyed look on his face. “What is it Kabuto?” he asked.

“We have to get out of here now!” Kabuto reached for Orochimaru knocking the laptop down on the floor, where the sweaty, feverish images of one Sasuke Uchiha seemed frozen in an eternity of agony.

Orochimaru was surprised but as Kabuto dragged him from of the bedroom and out into the living room area, he noticed how the man he had hired to tap into the hospital’s security system laid dead on the floor, a single gunshot wound between his eyes. He had not even heard the sound of the gun going off. Kabuto must have used a silencer.

The hotel fire alarm went off as they approached the front door. Glancing to the side, Orochimaru saw that Kabuto looked distressed as the lights started blinking on and off. The younger man opened the door and was met with two black hard granite rocks.

“This is the part where you die.”

Those were the last words that Kabuto heard as Sai, followed by a group of men, made his way into the room. The door closed behind the black clad men quietly. Orochimaru stood behind Kabuto who still held his hand tightly when he was sprayed by blood and gray matter.

The sound of the .44 Colt going off was covered by the wailing fire alarms.

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Naruto waved cheekily from the observation room as the once angry mob turned their attention toward him, but all the doctors and nurses who knew him could see that his blue eyes didn’t sparkle and no toothy grin was going to make it better.

“I know that you are all frustrated by this situation and I want to assure you that you are not alone.” Naruto ran a hand through his blonde spikes unconsciously proving his point. “The good news is that you get to leave. That alone should make you all breathe easier. What Dr. Uchiha did not say is that we are ninety nine percent certain that you will all be fine. You’ll go to the CDC holding facility, which I’m told looks much nicer and has better food, and by tomorrow morning you will be home with your families.”

The crowd nodded and spoke happily to each other and then the sound of the open intercom quieted them, all eyes turned once more to the blonde, “Tell them how much you love them. Hold them. Laugh with them…” The smile was back and this time everyone in the room noticed when it didn’t hit haunting, blue eyes, “Now, the line starts at the ER exit. Please keep your hands and feet inside the…”

“Brat!” Tsunade yelled. Naruto looked abashed and closed the intercom while the CDC workers and other hospital employees prepared to evacuate the relieved patients, their families and employees… the lucky ones.

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Kabuto dropped to the floor leaving Orochimaru standing alone staring into seven sets of pitch black eyes. The Uchihas surrounded him as his sinister yellow eyes tried to keep up with their movements. Itachi Uchiha kneeled at his feet and placed two fingers on Kabuto’s neck. Had the other six men not been pointing shining black guns at his face, he might have made a cruel comment about the futility of the action.

“Itachi,” Daisuke said never taking his eyes off of the older man in front of them, “What are you doing?”

Pale fingers wrapped ominously around his gun and Itachi stood up, “My day job.” With that, he walked swiftly to Orochimaru’s side, fisting a handful of his black locks and dragging him toward the couch. “Let’s chat, shall we?”

Sai was behind him in an instant and with a flurry of movement, Orochimaru found himself tied up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Glaring up at his captors, he lips thinned and a dark chuckle escaped his lips, “Tell me, boys, how’s the family?”

Itachi and the Fearsome Five clinched their fists and teeth while anger washed over them but before they could react or respond, Sai moved forward and backhanded Orochimaru across the face, Sai’s own face being the epitome of calm.

“That wasn’t nice. You might have hurt their feelings. You should apologize.”

The snake bastard spit out blood and saliva, soiling the front of Sai’s black shirt. “Go to hell.”

Sai nodded an eyebrow raised in question and a forced smile gracing his lips, “Of course. Isn’t that where we are all going?”

Kinye stepped forward drawing Orochimaru’s attention to himself, “Tell us how to stop the virus.”

The thin, black eyebrow rose accompanied by an indulging smirk, “I don’t feel very inclined to assist you at the moment.”

Seven guns cocked and where raised to his eye level. A light hearted chuckle was heard and the Uchihas and Orochimaru turned toward the noise.

“How about now, Sannin?”

A tall, dark haired man entered the room followed by two of the biggest men any of the room’s occupants had ever seen. The laughing man had dark black eyes and short spiky black hair lightly sprinkled with silver at his temples, obviously another Uchiha but, baring Obito, who had seen such a… giddy… Uchiha?

Orochimaru growled and the new guest nodded toward Itachi, Sai and the Uchiha brothers. All of them lowered their weapon as though following an unspoken command and stepped back, almost demurely from the newcomer.

“Long time no see, Sannin,” The man said and walked forward until he stood right in front of the tied up man. A pale hand reached up and loosened the blood red, silk tie around his neck before shrugging off his tailored jacket and tossing it on a nearby coffee table. Without taking his eyes off of his target, the man opened his mouth once more.

“Sai, take Itachi and the Soprano wannabes into the other room.”

Sai nodded, “Yes, Father.” Without another word Sai glanced at his cousins and each of them nodded, exiting the living room. As the door closed behind them they heard the light hearted voice of Madara Uchiha.

“I can’t begin to tell you how much fun this is going to be, Sannin.”

A muffled thud followed by a crack and yell was heard.

“Obviously, more fun for me than you, of course.”

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When this was over, Naruto swore that he was never drinking coffee again. Tipping the cup back, Naruto winced as the last remains of the beverage slid down his throat. Setting the mug aside, he rubbed his eyes with both palms and then focused once more on the information that Itachi had delivered before heading off to god knows where with Obito’s brothers. Saying a silent prayer to whomever would listen, Naruto pushed Sasuke’s cousins out of his mind and scribbled another formula on the yellow note pad before him.

“Uzumaki, I think…” Fugaku began in a quiet voice. Naruto shifted on his stool and met black eyes, wide with discovery, “I think I might have it…” Once more the older Uchiha turned around and quickly looked over his findings once more while Naruto made his way across the room.

“What do you have?”

Before the black haired man could comment, the doors to the lab burst open and a frantic looking CDC scientist ran panting into the room.

“It’s Hurano. She is crashing.”

Naruto was out of the room before the door had closed behind the scientist. He ran down the hallway, ignoring the yells Fugaku sent his way until he stood before the quarantined room, looking in while Sakura’s body convulsed violently on the bed. The doctors in orange suits scurried around her. Naruto turned to the other observers, “Get me a headset.”

No one moved before Naruto yelled, “Get me a fucking headset right now!” His eyes never left the containment room. Obito and Kakashi were awake, pain etched across their faces as before, but now it was nearly over shadowed by rising panic.

Fugaku sided up to Naruto and shoved the headset into his hands before pulling his own set over his head.

The doctors’ voices crackled in their ears.

“… we need to strap her down, she is going to hurt herself…”
“… oh my god, doctor…”
“Look at her tongue…”

Naruto stepped closer to the window and saw that Sakura’s body had stopped the bone breaking convulsions, her mouth worked to form words that Naruto couldn’t hear, but then green eyes looked passed the doctors and connected with his own. A sweet smile came to her face and Naruto forced himself not to flinch when black saliva oozed out of the corner of her mouth. Her fingers reached out weakly and Naruto placed a hand against the window.

“Sakura,” he whispered and the nurse’s hand fell limply to her side, the sounds of machines flatlining reached his ears through the headset.

“… she is gone, doctors…”

And then there were five…

Naruto looked up to see an orange suited man at the window looking out at him and Fugaku.

The older doctor nodded, “Get her out of there.”

The orange suited doctor hesitated and Naruto felt his stomach drop before he took a breath and addressed the doctor, “Is there something else?”

“Doctors Sarutobi, Umino and Uchiha have slipped into a coma.”

Naruto’s eyes shifted to Sasuke lying peacefully against the far wall and then to Iruka and Konohamaru. The machines next to them beat steadily, showing that they were all alive… for now. Blue eyes slowly closed and Naruto felt his throat constrict painfully, breathing becoming impossible.

“Uzumaki.”

“…”

This was it. It was over. How would they come back from this? Pale lashes lifted and Naruto watched while Kakashi pulled Obito closer to his chest, the dark head shaking slightly while Kakashi’s lips muttered what Naruto could only imagine were words of comfort. Comfort in a hopeless situation… The orange clad doctors fiddled with the two doctors’ IV’s. Gray eyes blinked slowly and Naruto assumed they had been given a sedative. Good… they shouldn’t be awake for this… watching while they all di…

“NARUTO!”

Sounds rushed back into his ears while air flooded his lungs and Naruto felt his knees nearly give out before Fugaku’s hand wrapped around his arm, holding him up and squeezing painfully, demanding his attention.

“Moron,” Blue eyes widened while the older face of Fugaku Uchiha wavered into his younger son’s for the briefest moment and then Naruto was looking at the older Uchiha once more, “We have things to do. Cry on your own time.”

Naruto yanked his arm away, ripping the headset off his head and flinging it on the reception desk.

“Bastard,” he bit out and stalked toward the lab, CDC workers, scientists and doctors moving quickly to the side clearing a path.

Fugaku glanced into the quarantine before taking a deep breath and following the fuming blonde. There was work to do… and they were so close.

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They had found nothing of importance in Orochimaru’s hotel room. Itachi leaned against the desk and knew that Naruto had been right. The snake bastard hadn’t even considered making a cure. Death was the objective and why mess with perfection?

The door opened and Madara Uchiha entered the room. He was wiping his pale fingers on a damp cloth and Itachi noticed the pink smears stark against the bleach white. Itachi raised a dark eyebrow at the blinding smile on the older man’s face before shifting his eyes to look into the living room. The door slammed shut and Madara clucked, “Trust me, boys. There’s nothing in there of interest, I assure you.”

“What did you find out, Father?” Sai said, still looking at the window.

Madara’s black eyes shifted to his son an appraising look flitting across his eyes before the nearly insane sparkle filled the dark recesses, “That I sorely miss the ‘hands on approach’ of my youth.”

Eeichi clinched his fist, “What did you find out about the virus?” He bit out.

Madara slowly turned toward the younger man, humor absent but insanity still prominent, “I was having a conversation with my son. Didn’t your father teach you any manners, boy?”

Sai turned and leaned against the window pane, “Now, now, Father… Eeichi is expressing his feelings of worry for his brother and cousin. Surely you can understand that?”

The father and son shared a creepy smile and Itachi felt the shiver race up his spine. No, neither of them ‘understood’ that.

“There is no cure.” Madara said with a voice devoid of emotion and yet at the same time cheeky. “Apparently, that wasn’t a priority. I can’t be sure, but he might regret that now.”

Itachi ran a hand over his face and stood to stand in front of Madara, “What happens now?” his dark eyes held the older man’s before Madara’s dark eyebrow raised in appreciation at Itachi’s defiance.

“We hope Fugaku and the little blonde whelp know what they are doing.”

With that, Madara turned and took his coat from one of the two waiting goons. “Someone will be in to pick up the… mess. It would be better if you were all gone at that time.” Another creepy, mocking smile covered the older man’s face. “It was a pleasure to see you all. We should do this more often, no?”

Sai nodded his head at the remaining cousins, before following his father, while six sets of midnight eyes stared passively trying to come up with reasons to never attend another Uchiha family reunion…

Ever.

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After entering the lab, Fugaku went directly to his bench and continued researching. Naruto rolled his head, feeling the tension in his shoulders before shuffling to his own stool and sitting down. He knew Uchiha had found something, but apparently the older man needed more time to be sure.

As if time were a luxury they all had.

Suddenly the notes of Beethoven’s Fifth echoed through the silent lab and Fugaku excused himself. Naruto watched him through the window while the older man talked calmly on the phone but Naruto was versed in reading Uchihas and caught the minute dip of broad shoulders and fisting of pale fingers.

Snapping the phone shut, Fugaku entered once again and walked directly to where Naruto stood waiting for him.

“Orochimaru is no longer a problem. He has no cure or ever attempted to make one.”

Naruto nodded and turned to grasp a handful of papers he had been working on, “I know how he enhanced their healing abilities. I am...” Naruto bit his lower lip in silent contemplation before nodding to himself, “I am sure I can recreate it with the help of these other fine gentleman. What do you have?”

Fugaku stared into the blue eyes, blue eyes his youngest son loved so much he was willing to cut off his family to keep. Blue eyes of a man both of his sons treasured, like family. This young doctor was everything Sasuke and Itachi would ever need for family… he was one of their precious people… above their family… above their parents.

“Dr. Uchiha.”

Fugaku blinked, “I made mistakes…”

“With the cure? Are you sure, is it something we can fix because…”

Fugaku held up a hand, “No, with my sons.”

Naruto stepped back almost like he had been struck before his blue eyes narrowed, “No… I won’t let you do this.” His voice dropped to near freezing temperatures and Fugaku was aware that the other doctors and scientists had stilled in their work. “I will not allow you to give up and I will not let you absolve yourself of your guilt before Sasuke dies.”

Fugaku felt his voice catch in his throat but the blonde doctor continued all the warmth, humor and compassion vacant from his blue eyes, “You forced your ideals on Sasuke until he nearly smothered under your expectations. You threw his hard work back into his face. You never supported him in anything ‘he’ wanted to do. The only emotions he understood growing up were failure and perseverance… towards an impossible goal. He offered you the two babies he was willing to give his name too, his love too and you threw them back like so much trash. How dare you! You made ‘mistakes’? No, sir… you nearly destroyed your sons.”

Naruto stepped forward, grabbing the older man’s arm and yanking him toward his work and samples, “If you want redemption… resolution… forgiveness… then you had better find a goddamn cure because you will NEVER get any of those things from me.” Naruto took several deep breaths, “Sasuke needs you now. Be there for him now. Save him and then ask Sasuke and Itachi for forgiveness. They are the only ones who can give it to you.”

Naruto stood back and his head fell forward while his shoulders slumped like he had lost something fundamental in his tirade. “Save him, Dr. Uchiha. Save your son, please.”

Fugaku closed his eyes, no longer able to look at the blonde man before him. He was right. He couldn’t find absolution in Sasuke’s precious person… that could only be found in his son. Dark lashes lifted and black eyes filled with resolve met cautious blue.

“I have what I believe to be a viable cure, Dr. Uzumaki. Combined with the accelerated healing, I think they might have a chance.” The older man watched while Naruto squared his shoulders and became the doctor that he knew the young man to be, “But, there will be no time for trials.”

Naruto nodded, “I understand and expected that.” The younger doctor turned around to begin preparations with his team, “I am willing to put faith in an Uchiha. Hasn’t failed me yet.”

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They were so close. Naruto could taste it. Their idea of a retrovirus that would be used to help Sasuke and the others’ immune systems, by boosting it to its maximum capacity and beyond, was finally coming together.

He was so tired having gone almost forty-eight hours without sleep. Exhaustion made his mind swirl in circles, emotions threatening to overwhelm him at any moment while he forced himself to be logical and clinical. The internal struggle was nearly unbearable. If Sasuke died… No, he shook his head rubbing furiously at his eyes, he wouldn’t think of that possibility, he hadn’t allowed Fugaku to do it and he wasn’t going to indulge in the same dark thought. Sasuke would live, even if he had to force life down his throat, he would open up those dark eyes of his and be his normal emo self again.

Fugaku came up behind and bent over to look at Naruto’s work. “Naruto, we are nearly ready now. I have a couple of lab assistants working on producing the cure but I think you need to rest.”

Naruto shook his head, “I can’t, every time I close my eyes…” he trailed off not wanting to appeared weak in front of the man who knew abhorred weakness.

Fugaku surprised himself when he placed a comforting hand on Naruto’s shoulder and the younger man stiffened at his touch. He remembered the private eye’s report on Naruto’s childhood and slowly, as not to scare Naruto, patted him on his shoulder.

“I know you and I have never seen eye to eye, but rest assured, the most important thing to me is my family.”

Fugaku let his hand drop and walked away. Naruto blinked, turning around on his chair. Back to work… he needed the retrovirus functioning in five hours otherwise it would all be for not.

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It was a frustrated Itachi that arrived back to the Uchiha mansion. Orochimaru was dead and the guilt of having been part of his and Kabuto’s death was nagging at him. The guards were gone, he noticed. Madara must have called them back to their regular work. Flashes of the older man’s smiling face crossed his memory and he silently admitted that his uncle and cousin made his skin crawl.

The Fearsome Five went home to report to their father and Itachi had made his way to his parents’ home to look in on his girlfriend and the twins. He would be taking them home with him. He absent mindedly patted his breast pocket while he thought about how much of a failure going after Orochimaru had been. Yes, the bastard needed to be stopped, but they hadn’t found anything to help Naruto and his father. He was going to lose his brother but he would be damned if he lost the only woman who had ever meant anything to him.

He reached the room where Hinata and twins were staying, knocking softly. It was late, he realized, way passed the children’s bed time. When there was no answer to his knock, he turned the knob gently and walked into the room. The glow of the night light was enough for him to see the twins cuddled together. He walked up to the bed looking down on the sleeping toddlers. There was evidence of tears on their faces. They had their arms wrap tightly around each other in an obvious attempt at comfort. Two slender arms slipped around his waist and he smiled as he felt his lover’s warm body pressing against him. Hinata laid her cheek on Itachi’s back, trying to press herself as tightly as she could against him. Sometimes, she wanted to absorb herself into his body, to become one with him, merge their souls and hearts together for all eternity and this was one of those moments.

“You’re back,” she said against his back. Itachi slowly turned around in her arms. He entwined his fingers into her midnight hair, pressing her face into his chest gently.

“I know it isn’t the time or place, but I can’t wait any longer,” he said tipping her face upwards to look at him.

Her lilac eyes were full of curiously, “Did you find him?” she asked. Itachi closed his eyes tightly, making Hinata squeeze his waist trying to comfort him.

“We found him. He is dead but he didn’t have a cure. I didn’t save Sasuke.” Itachi stifled a sob and instead let the tears that he had not been able to shed in front of his cousins, mother or the twins fall.
“Itachi!” Hinata exclaimed getting on her tippy toes to kiss him, tasting the saltiness of his tears. Itachi was so strong, always hiding his feelings, playing the part of a cold, uncaring man, but she knew better. Itachi cared.

“I wanted to ask you,” Itachi smiled through the tears that were rapidly drying. He pushed her slightly away from him and reached for the small velvet box in his breast pocket.

Hinata gasp, her eyes huge in disbelief. “I wanted to do this in our favorite restaurant with violins playing in the background, you know all the corny stuff,” Hinata laughed at Itachi pained expression.

“Hinata, marry me?” he whispered. He wasn’t going take any chances. Life was too short and if he was going to lose his brother, he needed the person who understood him besides Sasuke by his side… now… forever.

Hinata took a deep breath. She wanted so much to say yes, to shout it but she still needed something. She was waiting for those three little words from Itachi.

Itachi bend down in front of her, opened the black velvet box and held up the princess cut diamond with a circle of tiny, lilac color stones. It was beautiful ring. Hinata stared down at Itachi.

“I know I don’t say it, but I do love you and I want you as my wife,” Itachi took the ring out and placed it on her left hand. It was all Hinata was waiting for and as soon as he slipped the ring on her finger she knelt in from of him, hugging him to her.

“I will. I love you too.”

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Sasuke found himself floating in darkness. He tried hard to open his eyes but he couldn’t. He was dying but that wasn’t what hurt the most. He was leaving his dobe behind and their children, never again to see their beautiful faces.

“You know, Sasuke,” a voice said near him, “I have always loved you.”

He frowned. It wasn’t his dobe’s voice, being too high pitched. There was a whisper of a caress on his forehead as whoever it was swept away the locks of hair over his face.

“Don’t give up. He is working so hard.”

A sob reached his dulled ears but he still couldn’t place the voice. It sounded so far away and trying to concentrate on it gave him a headache, along with his other pains at the moment.

“I wanted so badly to be in his shoes but I never understood your pain and that was the problem.”

Whoever was talking to him was doing it so softly that he could hardly hear them and then the strong scent of Sakura blossoms invaded his senses. He frowned. Sakura?

“Yes, it’s me. I just wanted to say goodbye.”

He felt a slight pressure on his lips and then the voice was gone, the scent along with it. He was left, once again, in void of nothingness all alone and suddenly he wanted that voice that sounded like Sakura back. He wasn’t use to being alone anymore not since Naruto erupted into his life.

He didn’t want to be alone.

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Kakashi was holding Obito as tightly as he could because he didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want to lose his love, his best friend, the man that made life worth living. He had only just gotten the doofus back.

Kakashi took a deep breath, “Obito?”

There was a slight murmur from the feverish form in his arms. He would have smiled if his lips weren’t so dry. He licked his lips, wincing at the sensitivity of his tongue.

“I need to tell you something,” Obito managed to nod slightly in acknowledgement, “I slept with Orochimaru.” He took in a shaky breath and his lungs seemed to burn with the effort.

Obito pinched his back weakly, a sign that he had heard and was waiting for more. “I was so stupid,” Kakashi coughed. The effort to talk was depleting his already weak body.

“I was so stupid and you were gone from my life,” He continued, smiling sadly when Obito snorted into his chest as if saying, whose fault was that?

“I know, it was my fault, but I got drunk and I slept with him,” he finished. He wanted to get that off his conscience before…

He closed eyes and waited.

“I know,” Obito said in a sad voice. Kakashi was surprised but didn’t doubt that one of Obito’s darling brothers had told him.

“I love you,” Kakashi pressed a tired kiss on Obito’s head before going into convulsions.

Obito screamed.

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When Naruto heard the alarms go off, he froze and scrambled off his stool before running toward the observation glass. His mind was a swirl of panic and dread felt heavy in his heart.

“Please, please…” he muttered as he looked into the isolation room unsure what he was asking for, hoping for... The pressure on his heart lifted slightly when he saw that it was Kakashi having convulsions only to be replaced by heavy guilt. He could see that Obito, even in his weak state, was trying to be with his lover.

“I think is now or never, Doctor.”

Naruto started and turned to see Fugaku standing beside him. Five syringes of their cure lay innocently behind him on the counter.

“I agree,” he answered watching as the doctors managed to stabilized Kakashi and once again sedate Obito.

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Naruto and Fugaku decided to ‘test’ the cure on Sasuke. Although he had yet to experience convulsions, after Sakura, he was the first subjected to the virus and his vitals were quickly deteriorating. Naruto brushed away Sasuke’s bangs as he looked down on him fondly. Fugaku was administrating the cure while he was injected the healing retrovirus into Sasuke’s system. The hope was that the retrovirus would work to correct all the damage already done by the virus.

Naruto took Sasuke’s lifeless left arm and tied a tourniquet around it, preparing him for the insertion of the retrovirus while Fugaku finished injecting the cure into his right arm. Everything was done and they both looked at the monitors and held their breath. If the cure and the retrovirus worked, then Sasuke would begin healing in few hours. All they had to do now was wait.

Naruto and Fugaku turn away from him, taking the few steps that would bring them to Naruto’s other precious people, Iruka and Konohamaru.

There was an infinite amount of panic and fear that rushed through Naruto as he heard the alarm of the machine attached to Sasuke’s heart suddenly screech. Fugaku rushed back and immediately ordered the attendants to begin CPR. He was crashing. Naruto felt weak, unable to move. He closed his eyes… please, please, he begged, don’t let him die.

“Get me one cc of …” Fugaku was saying calmly but Naruto couldn’t hear it. He tried to turn toward Sasuke but he couldn’t seem to make his body move. The thought that he might have killed his lover raced through his head. No, please, dear God, NO! he screamed mentally. He took a wavering step toward Sasuke and Fugaku, who was busy giving his son a drug to help jump start Sasuke’s heart.

“He stopped breathing,” he heard someone say. It was echoing in his head, the words swirling around him as he watched them struggle to bring Sasuke back. Fugaku worked desperately to make his son’s heart beat again… how long had he been down?

Naruto’s heart was beating out of control as he watched Sasuke’s complexion pale and tint blue before his eyes. He didn’t know what do? How to handle a dying Sasuke? Because Sasuke was dying and he couldn’t do anything about it. He was losing it, just like Konohamaru lost it with their uncle. He took one more step toward Sasuke and was suddenly shoved out of the way by one of the rushing attendants trying to help Fugaku.

Then he saw Sasuke’s father step back, his arms falling to the side. The older man turned to look at him and Naruto stopped breathing. He could see the devastation in Fugaku’s eyes but worse than that, he saw the resignation in black orbs, and Naruto shook his head in denial.

“No, no, no!” he whispered elated when his body finally heeded his will to move to Sasuke’s side, “This is not over!”

Naruto titled Sasuke’s head upwards. Fugaku gave up too soon. There was still time…

He opened Sasuke’s mouth and pressed the portable air compressor tightly over pale purple lips. Three hard squeezes and then he quickly began compressions.

“Come, come on!” he desperately mumbled as he gave Sasuke CPR. If this didn’t work, he’d rip the fucking suit off and breathe for Sasuke himself…

He knew that Fugaku and the others were looking at him with pity and sadness but Naruto wasn’t giving up, he didn’t fail, he couldn’t fail. Sasuke wouldn’t have let him.

“Breathe, breathe or so help me God, Sasuke, I will beat the shit out of you!” he threatened, tears trailing down his cheeks.

“Please, please, baby…” he whispered, nearly chocking on a sob. He squeezed the pump three more times and then shifted once more to compressions fully aware that he had probably cracked at least two of Sasuke’s ribs.

Fugaku restrained the others who were trying to get Naruto off Sasuke and approached the grieving man. His own heart was breaking because he couldn’t save his youngest son… would never ask for or receive forgiveness…

Naruto suddenly gasped stepping back from Sasuke. Fugaku was immobile for a movement as he watched the slight rise and fall of his son’s chest. The heart monitor started to beep and the blood pressure was rising slowly but steadily. There was rush of movement from the attendants as they called off stats and generally expressed their disbelief. Fugaku only had eyes for Naruto and his son.

Naruto was staring down at Sasuke… Sasuke who was breathing. “Welcome back, Bastard,” he whispered but Fugaku could hear the words inside his suit, “I am still kicking your ass for this.”

Fugaku’s tears finally fell. It was a miracle and now he understood why Sasuke always said that Naruto was his miracle. He had given up on his son but Naruto hadn’t, despite the lapse he had. Naruto hadn’t given up. His son was alive because of Naruto and he would be forever grateful.

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