Part 2: Dark Before the Storm
The wind was howling outside the windows, Sasuke walked around the room impatiently, he didn't know what was to be expected. He couldn't eat, in fact he didn't want to. He wandered to the hospital and looked around the nursery. He was looking for a baby, he sat down gazing around the room feeling like he was half dead.
A nurse walked in and jumped in surprise at him sitting inside a waiting area now looking around. "When I came here with Naruto-kun, a small boy was with me, he was about three years..."
She gazed at him and then whispered, "He's in the emergency room," she walked away and looked at him seriously. "I would not try and see him until he's well enough to be held."
What? Sasuke ran through the halls and went to the emergency area, he saw Sakura walking out of her assigned area and shut the door. "Is...is there a three year..."
"Go home," she walked and looked at him angrily. "Just go home!"
He backed away and went into the hall again, he was shaking his head, then decided to sneak in. He knew he could do it, it was easy enough, he walked into a small room. He saw a boy with black hair lying in a crib, he had IVs on him, sitting down silently, he reached his hand through the bars and gazed at the small child. "Hello," he whispered to the child. "I'm sorry, I promised come." He looked at the monitors and then around the room. "I never even know your name."
He looked up when he saw Tsunade-sama walking in, she gazed at him in surprise. "I guess I should ask you why you are here?" She knelt down checking the child. "Appears he is taking to the treatment, but you shouldn't be here, Sasuke."
"I can't just lie in my room not knowing," he whispered staring into the crib. "This is my fault."
"This is your brother's fault!" Tsunade corrected and shook her head again.
****
Sasuke remembered finding the child lying on the floor of the Uchiha hiding place, what he saw was a rather sad gaze from the child. The child's face was almost like his, but there was clearly a strange gaze, the eyes were not black, but cobalt blue. The child was dressed in a simple black shirt and black shorts, the Uchiha fan was sewn onto the shirt. This is Aniki's child? Sasuke turned to gaze at the body of his brother lying on the ground.
A small piece of paper was folded up in the child's hands. Reaching down, the child's eyes were still gazing at him gently. He put no resistence about being picked up, in fact the child was light.
"Take him," Sasuke saw his brother trying to get up, Itachi's face was almost different now, almost scared. "Take him far from here, far from HER!"
"Her?"
"His mother!" Itachi's voice was still dark, but something in that voice was a mix of a memory. "Please, just take my son away, please!"
Suddenly Sasuke heard a cry, the boy was screaming, he was whimpering. "She hurt him," the voice was almost pushing, coaxing Sasuke away from Itachi's gaze.
Hurt him? When Karin examined the child, he was shocked with the discovery of the little boy. "What's wrong with him?"
"He's got broken bones," Karin put the child on the ground and shook her head. "This kid needs to get to a medical center and quick, if you don't he'll die."
Sasuke dashed through the trees, he knew that the only medical center he knew of was in Konohagure. He made it to a field hospital though, it was one of those small places that regardless of who ninja were, they were not turned away. He walked through the doors, he left the child in the arms of a nurse. "Please, he broke some bones, I found him!" Sasuke explained it and then left. "I will return for him."
He did return, but found out that the little boy was transferred to Konohagure due to the injuries. At the time, he did not know that he was transferred there too, he was injured as well, so was Naruto. He had been unconscous and had to sleeping.
****
Sitting still by the crib, Sasuke gazed into it, he watched the child who squirmed a little when his eyes opened. He smiled as the child's small hand squieezed his index finger. "You're awake?" His voice was gentle, his eyes closing, thinking about what was going to happen, that was when he saw the child starting to seize. "NO!" He saw Sakura rushing in taking the child's crib out of the room.
She ignored him utterly as she went to work on the child. "Take him to surgery nine!" she rushed away, but just as Sasuke started to dash along the halls with the child, she pushed him away. "You are going home."
"I'm not!" he finally whispered. "Let me..."
"Why do you care?" She stopped in the hall, she knew that Tsunade-sama and Shizune were already up in the surgery. "Why would you care about him?"
"He's my nephew, please, I just..." Sasuke stood in the hall and just stared at her, he couldn't figure out the right words to tell her how he felt about the boy. "I just want..."
"Go away! You're in the way," she yelled and ran off.
I'm in the way, he walked home, he looked aorund the village, he saw Naruto was sitting with Hinata, but he was not going to come near. "Sasuke-kun!" Naruto was waving at him, asking him to come up. "Hey, come here!"
Walking toward the Ramen house, he sat down on one of the stools next to Naruto. "So you finally came out of the house?"
"Oh...yeah," Sasuke whispered and saw a bowl of ramen being put in front of him. "I tried to see the child who came with us, but..."
"Look, that kid is pretty bad off, he's been going in and out of surgery for two days," Naruto explained. "Sakura-chan was really worried, and she's been stressed, if she snaps at you, just back off and let her do her work." His eyes were down on his food and gave a soft sigh. "I can't believe some mother would do that to her own child. Do you know who that child's mother is?"
"How should I know," Sasuke shook his head and looked sad. "He's just oni-san's son. I don't even know who he married, or if she came willingly to him. All I know was when I picked up the little boy, he started to scream."
"You mean that Itachi-kun married?"
****
Sasuke returned to the hospital again, this time he was able to visit the small child, he walked into a nursery and sat down next to the crib. "Hello again," he whispered softly gazing into it at the small 3 year old child. He touched the boy's face and tried to look pleasant. "I'm your Uncle Sasuke."
The boy gazed at him and tried to smile, but a tube in his mouth made that impossible, he just lay there looking sad. "Don't worry, I won't let you be alone."
He looked up when the door opened, he saw Sakura standing at the door. "Please don't make me leave," he whispered to her. "I have to take care of him."
"Who is going to let you?" she whispered and leaned on the door, she sighed and shook her head. "Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry, but that child may not make it. He may respond to your touch, he may seem like he can understand you..."
"You're giving up on him?" he finally asked her.
Sakura shook her head. "No, but it seems like he is always going to be in pain."
"I'm not going to give up on him!"
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