Bombterfly effect eyyy puns
Dont drive while sleep deprived, her parents always told her not to, and yet she was sleep deprived. A twenty-one-year-old with 5 jobs all at different fast food places being paid approximately five cents an hour. She sleeps negative three hours a day- Okay maybe that’s an exaggeration but sometimes it felt like that. Sometimes it really felt like that. She’s had an ear infection for a week and her ear’s all stuffy, she can't hear a thing out of it, really, she just is having a horrible time.
Her name was Mariposa.
This didn’t matter though because she fell asleep at the wheel, and woke up in confusion to her hands being tangled in a strange round bomb made of layers of some sort of plaster and wires.
It was hissing away, a tag on its side that reminded her of something from Naruto but it was much longer and wrapped around the entire thing…though it was rapidly reaching the end of its wick.
A horrible, creaking voice over her shoulder, the smell of old man and loam hitting her nose, struck her over the head. “Itachi pay attention, you need to defuse this bomb”
Oh no, a stupid dream! He fell asleep at the wheel! NO!
“…Wake up wake up-!” He shouted to himself pushing the bomb away in a panic “WAKE UP YOU HAVE TO-“ he tried to tell himself to wake up and drive but about then the bomb went off.
And that’s how Uchiha Itachi was put into a coma for the next several years, and in the process….
Danzo Shimura died.
By the time Itachi awoke, he was now twenty years old, only a year younger than the woman who inhabited his body, it was early November when things were still cold, the flowers still hadn't yet peeked through the snow, and Sasuke Uchiha was hard at work.
Sasuke was hurrying along in his scrubs, fussing over his last patient of the morning before he could go check on Itachi, he had Sakura by his side, glancing at her in gratitude as she helped him give an elderly patient a sponge bath. She really was amazing at being gentle with patients, but also stronger than him physically, so she effortlessly moved them. She was the only one he let besides himself take care of Itachi for that reason…He wasn’t sure he could trust anyone else.
“Alright, you're all done” Sakura smiled at the patient, they did their last few checks, and cleaned up, and Sakura had to speed off to deal with an unrelated issue, bidding Sasuke a quick “sorry- being paged-“ as her name was called out over the intercom by Orochimaru.
“Sensei always calls you for problems…” Sasuke pouted slightly crossing his arms as if he wasn’t just- okay. He wasn't he wasn’t just as good as her- but-
“Sensei knows you need to take care of Itachi at this time…just go spend some time with your brother, it’s okay, I’ll take care of everything for you, you’ve been on call since like, three am, just…relax and leave everything to me,” she said, and he felt his stubborn jealousy melt away into relief and gratitude.
“…well- thanks then” he glanced away with a faint blush, she didn’t have to do all that for him…why does she push herself so hard for other people's sakes? She’d been on call even longer-
But he couldn’t say no to a chance to see his brother so…he could put away his jealousy and just appreciate it for now.
He took a deep breath and headed down the hall to his brother's room, that number on the plaque had been the same room he’d been stuck in for…
Sasuke wasn’t sure how many years. Sasuke was now the age his older brother was when…it…happened.
He still hesitated every time he entered that room. Every time he did, Itachi looked a little worse. He looked like a bag of bones, barely alive, with beeping machines attached to him, wires and tubes, his body that occasionally woke, but never could stay awake long enough to even muster up a word…
He wondered if he could hear him.
He told himself he could, that’s why he left the radio playing in the room every day- just in case Itachi was bored. He mostly put on radio shows that involved reading books or the news, when he’d graduated, he’d stuffed a walkie-talkie into his shirt so his brother could listen during the ceremony with the other perched beside his bed nestled beside his head.
Asleep or awake, his brother would be a part of his life.
How could he not be? He utterly defined it.
So you can imagine his shock when he walked in to see his brother slowly trying to force himself to sit up in bed, wobbly, weak, and frankly, he shouldn’t be able to, but Orochimaru-sensei had been using some pretty impressive techniques to try to reduce his muscle loss as much as possible. Some damage of course had been done- especially given how he’d gotten knocked out… but to see that it had actually helped was amazing.
A medical breakthrough that would change lives.
“Itachi?” Sasuke blurted out, watching his brother struggle where he sat. He’d sat up a few times, but all his talking had been garbled and incoherent till now.
This time his words were slurred, but clear.
“I need…I need to wake…up..”
Sasuke sped to his side, pulling him into a hug and breaking down into tears.
“It’s okay- it’s okay- you’re still healing- Don’t push yourself too hard..you’re doing fine…you’re awake right now, it’s okay…I’m taking good care of you so- don’t worry. You’re safe.” He promised his brother, but he tried not to get too invested- he knows- he KNOWS he’s going to fall back asleep, he knows it won’t last long. Fleeting consciousness, fleeting waking. It was a temporary relief from the pain.
But it was a sign of hope, and hope was all Sasuke needed today, the ache in his tired limbs, the exhaustion that clung to him, everything evaporated with just the slightest hint of light.
“…oh ..no” Itachi looked around blearily at his hospital room, blinking in confusion at it.
“Oh. Oh no.” He stopped to stare out the window with wide round eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Sasuke asked softly, pulling back slightly when his brother didn’t hug him back, though his brother's hands still clung to his shirt in their anxiety.
“….Where am i-?” Itachi mumbled in fright, visibly starting to shake, turning his head to stare at Sasuke.
“Who are you-?” His voice cracked in fear.
Little did Sasuke know, Itachi was currently having a breakdown on the inside because he was pretty sure he just woke up either completely delusional because clearly, he was either in Konoha or he’d been kidnapped by a Naruto fan because that nurse looks distinctly like Sasuke.
“I’m-“ Sasuke began, but his words caught in his throat, unaware of his brother's panic.
“…Don’t worry about that right now okay? Just know I love you and you’re safe…” Sasuke tried his best to soothe him.
“That doesn't make me feel any better- I don’t know who you are- “ Itachi frowned in distress, rambling a bit in his attempts at spitting out something coherent while his whole body tried to drag him back down into sleep.
“I’ll explain when you’re calmed down some and you’re in a good headspace to hear things…right now you just need a bit more rest…you’ve been in a coma…” Sasuke sighed “It’s been…a really long time and a lot has changed..” Sasuke tried his best to explain “…it’s okay though because - everything’s going to be fine. I promise. Everything's better than ever… you're waking up more often- so… let's stay hopeful, keep fighting okay?” He said trying to reassure his brother, trying to comfort him, but his brother looked increasingly despairing.
“I'll say a lot has changed! It looks like a weeaboo paradise out there. What in the name of all things anime and cringe is this-“ Itachi began to babble nonsense, Sasuke sighed sadly, he probably was about to pass back out, he gently guided his brother’s head back onto his pillow as he grew heavy and tired.
“Besides if I’m in a coma, haven't I slept plenty…I’d like to wake up now…” Itachi pled, distressed and his voice cracked as he tried to stay up.
Sasuke, despite his own distress, found himself chuckling at that, tears filling his eyes. “I know right?…but that’s just how it is okay? I know. It’s unfair, but …don’t worry, we’ll make up for all that lost time soon, okay…just…rest. Is there anything I can get for you?” Sasuke asked gently.
“…yeah…if this is *real* I want you to get Kakashi and tell him to put on the audiobook version of those books Jiraya wrote for me. I need to know what he's so obsessed with…” Itachi grumbled.
Sasuke blinked. Kakashi? Oh right, they were friends back in the Anbu, weren’t they…
Kakashi came to visit pretty often…
“Itachi those books are for like, eighteen years old and up- “ Sasuke began to argue.
“I'm twenty right…? That’s how many birthdays you've celebrated by my side?” Itachi mumbled blearily starting to drift back to sleep.
“…you could hear-?” Sasuke’s eyes widened.
Itachi couldn’t muster up more words, just nodding slowly.
“…okay. Sure. I’ll talk to him…thanks. I’m-…really happy to hear from you finally” Sasuke sighed, shoulders slumping.
Itachi wanted to take the time to thank him, but he drifted back to sleep before he could.
Sasuke broke down, laughing and crying as he fell against the wall of the hospital room sliding down to the floor and putting his head in his knees as he hugged them. He was asleep- AGAIN. But there was hope! But he was asleep! Again! Again! Asleep!
It felt like watching his brother die over and over every time he went back to sleep-
But he finally- finally at least had some proof- *he could hear*
He almost could let himself feel relieved over that. Almost.
Then he remembered how many times he’d gotten angry, overwhelmed, and ranted and raved at his poor unconscious brother for having the audacity to get hurt. How hateful and angry he’d been when he was younger…
“…Im so sorry Nii-san” his voice cracked.
He was an inconsolable mess for a good while, but when he heard the door handle jiggle, he tried to sniffle and wipe his tears, trying to pull himself together.
He felt exhausted, and the world felt too sharp and vivid like he could see every detail, and everything was far too clear, every detail memorized, especially that of his brother sleeping in that bed, quickly followed by the sight of Naruto popping his head in.
“Heyyy! I Brought lunch! AH YOUR EYES ARE RED- SAKURA HELP SASUKES EYES ARE RED IT'S REALLY CREEPY I THINK HES POSSESSED OR SOMETHING-“ he blurted out shouting down the hall immediately exiting the room.
“My eyes are-?” Sasuke said, reaching up in shock to reach up and touch his own face, not that that would give him more information, he rose to his feet in a baffled daze and turned his head to look at his reflection in the turned-off television that was mounted on the wall.
He could see, though it was a bit hard to tell in the reflection…that two brand new crimson sharingan were staring back at him, spinning slowly in his eyes.
What a way to activate your sharingan…He felt like he was going to be sick, Itachi overheard that- Now he’s going to feel all guilty because this is what triggered it- His poor brother- what a nurse he made…
Not that it was really voluntary but uchiha aren’t known for healthy self-reflection. Or anything healthy actually. Uchiha are notorious for being unhealthy in a remarkable number of ways, actually.
That’s part of why Shukaku Nara-sama, the current Hokage, required all active shinobi to go to a therapist and created a lot of programs for training therapists…that and the sheer number of traumatized children that came out of the woodwork of the root once it dissolved…
Sasuke was still in shock over the fact Itachi had been forced to be in something like that…
Sakura arrived in a rush, bursting in to see Sasuke’s face.
“Your sharingan- you activated your Sharingan!?” She blurted out. She of course, knew a lot more about Uchiha than Naruto…in part because Naruto was busy rearranging a sign in front of a cafe trying to sell pancakes to read ‘ I like hot butts’ instead of ‘We like hot butter on ours!’ instead of being in class the day they learned about Kekki-genomics.
“The share-ing- what?” Naruto asked.
“Uh, it’s like, you know how I inherited pink hair from my dad? Sasuke Inherited a special power from his family.” Sakura explained “It lets him do a lot of cool things, but usually only activates under extreme stress” She smiled, happy to explain it to the curious blonde, she’d learned a lot about patiently talking to people who didn't know things as a nurse- and being Naruto’s teammate, plus…she gets to show off in front of Sasuke which is a plus.
Sasuke looked at her gratefully for explaining.
“Stress…? Was it Itachi? Did something bad happen? Or uh- worse?” Naruto asked his eyebrows furrowing “Is he okay-? He didn't die did he-?!” He asked quickly, utterly tactless. But well-intentioned, he nearly sloshed the containers of ramen he had in a plastic bag dangling from his hand in the process of gesturing as he spoke but Sakura instinctively reached out to stop it, she didn’t want a repeat of last time. Naruto was upset with himself all day. Somehow just having those two around was calming Sasuke down slightly... His sharingan deactivated and the world returned to normal. He could get his words together now...
“No- no he’s okay! It’s just he woke up- he freaked out a bit- he-…confirmed he could hear everything, asked me for a specific book- …but he got kind of incoherent, saying some sort of weird made-up language. Something about ‘weeaboos’ and ‘cringe’ “ he explained to the others, visibly deflated and frustrated as he hugged his knees.
“Oh hey I get called that second one, it means like, embarrassing or something.”
“He thinks our village is embarrassing…?” Sasuke blinked in confusion.
“He’s probably just really out of it Sasuke, sometimes people say really weird things when they're half awake…please don’t read too much into it. He probably won’t even remember what he said next time he wakes up “Sakura sighed, kneeling down to hold out her hand to him.
“Cmon…Why don’t we all go sit down and eat the lunch Naruto brought us, huh? We don’t want it to get cold. If you want to talk about it more later we can, but you haven’t eaten all day and I’m worried.”
“I haven't…have I” Sasuke frowned glancing down.
“Yeah you’re gonna turn into a twig if you keep that up, I bet you can't eat more than me-“Naruto smirked.
Sasuke’s sharingan began whirling and he looked up with a heated expression.
“Of course I can, like Sakura said I haven’t eaten all day- not that it matters-“ Sasuke huffed standing up, acting like he totally wasn't a competitive person. Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes. They were going to get themselves sick again, weren’t they…
“Come on you two…” she said, dragging them both by the ear off to a nice eating area outside they’d been using ever since Sasuke and Sakura were taken under Orochimaru’s wing and began their medical training.
It was a comfortable enough picnic table, beneath a shady tree just outside the hospital near the chain link fence.
And as they sat down, Sasuke and Naruto sped to getting into their challenge, Sakura watching as referree, and occasionally warning them to slow down.
Orochimaru arrived shortly after, in a bit of a bitter mood, clutching some files and tossing them down onto the table as he sat down, Kabuto shortly behind looking irritable.
“Look, Orochimaru, we need to contact her-“ He began sitting down.
“You should call me father it's disrespectful-“ Orochimaru began.
“Just because you married my mother does NOT make you my father-“ Kabuto sternly replied squinting “That aside-“ He calmly picked up the thrown-down files. “He’s not going to-“
“Are you talking about Itachi-“ Sasuke stopped eating to look over at them, having noticed they had Itachi’s files.
“Yes…he has a chakra blockage caused by the explosion that's making him unable to regulate chakra properly, it's why he can't fully wake up and stay awake.” Kabuto explained, “Why do you ask?”
“Because he’s my brother and It’s my business” snipped Sasuke, taking down another slurp of his noodles, the rich broth almost soothing him. Almost.
“Fair enough it is. Can you PLEASE tell him to stop being prideful and to go get Tsunade’s help?” Kabuto huffed “he listens to you more than he listens to me-“ Kabuto said leaning back and crossing his arms looking stubborn and irritable. Honestly, he couldn’t believe his adoptive father- he could barely believe he HAD an adoptive father, why did his mother marry this medical anomaly masquerading as a human being. He’s 100% sure he saw him stretch his head all the way from their bedroom to the fridge once and prepare a full three-course breakfast right in front of him when he was getting a 4 am snack once. What did she see in him!?!?! Besides a man who can make them breakfast in bed without leaving the bed and waking them up, I guess.
Frightful.
But he was a good doctor…
Just not good enough to swallow his pride.
“If she wanted to be a help to this village and the people in it she wouldn’t have left.” Orochimaru frowned bitterly.
“Then we’ll bribe her. I’ve been gathering information and she’s several thousand dollars in debt from gambling-“ Kabuto began.
“I've never been less surprised to hear something in my life” Orochimaru sassed back squinting unhappily down at the files in front of him as he tried to imagine her being brought back here- unbearable.
“I have money. If she can help itachi we have to bring her here. The Uchiha family will pay off her debts.” Sasuke frowned.
“If itachi really needs this lady, we’ll take care of it so you don't have to talk to her!” Naruto offered “We’ll drag Kakashi-sensei out and go on a fun adventure and go bring her back home!” Naruto beamed. “Leave it to us!”
“thank you for being so helpful and sensible Naruto-kun, you’re my favorite person at this table, Sasuke is so lucky to have a friend like you “ Kabuto smiled pleasantly immediately seeming to bury his negative mood. That was definitely an underhanded jab directly at Orochimaru though. Kabuto reached over to ruffle Naruto's blonde fluffy head earning a bright happy smile from the boy, like he was a puppy being praised.
“Yay! I'm Kabuto-nii’s favorite! Ya hear that Sasuke! I’m the faaavorite!”
“Yeah, this week” Sasuke scoffed crossing his arms.
Sakura laughed softly as she and Kabuto made brief eye contact and he mouthed “I lied, you’re my favorite, you're the only normal person here with any sense, and you and I both know this”
Sasuke was too busy rolling his eyes and denying Naruto was his friend to notice.
Naruto was too busy being Naruto to notice either.
Orochimaru absolutely noticed and was unfairly offended despite knowing fully well he was the weirdest one at the table.
“So then, we’re going to bring Tsunade home and wake up Itachi fully?” Sakura said.
“Obviously. We’re not leaving him asleep” Sasuke said firmly. Standing up, clutching his stomach from eating too much ramen. Definitely overdid it, he was looking a little green around the gills.
Which is troubling, especially given his nonaquatic lifestyle and his non-viridian lifestyle.
“Then let's go! Right now!”
A few moments later, they'd arrive at Kakashi’s house, all three piled in front of the door knocking on it at the same time, the exhausted man answering it with a troubled sleepy expression.
“…why are you all here looking at me like that….?” Kakashi asked, dreading the answer “It’s my day off…” he trailed off in an exhausted tone, knowing fully well by the looks on their faces that whatever was going on…
There’s no getting out of it.