My Lover's Keeper

In Another Time - V-Day Special (Part 1)

The younger Uchiha was walking with his family. Not that he cared, but at least Itachi had time to be there.
Sixteen and in remission for the third time, he wondered how long it would have taken for his cancer to reoccur. But then it didn't matter. He only had a matter of minutes left to live.

He stared at his adoptive parents walking with Itachi, engulfed by his Niisan's accomplishments. Soon, he stayed in the back, unnoticed by both his brother and his so called parents...murderers really.

He wondered why they have never looked at him the same way, never loved him as much or treated him as well? Why did they hate him so much? What did he do to deserve being murdered . He mussed the pain in his chest trying to ignore it as he kept up with the adults, who didn't seem to be bothered by the winter cold.

Itachi forced a smile for the couple as he answered their questions. Keeping a subtle eye on his baby brother, after all, he had cleared that day to celebrate Sasuke's remission, having missed his actual remission day by a few months.

"Itachi, sweetheart, tell me how did that date go the other day? She seemed like a very nice girl." His mother commented which made Itachi blush.

"It was-..." His thoughts were interrupted by a thump behind him.
Itachi turned around to find his unconscious brother on the ground. "Sasuke!"

His heartbeat raised to his throat and the feeling in the pit of his stomach was even worse. His hands trembled as he performed CPR on his unresponsive teenage brother.

Itachi's mind was blank, one moment he was thinking of coming out to his parents, and then the next he was in an ICU looking at Sasuke fight for his life.

He held his little brother's hand earning a soft moan and hearing an odd name.
"Naruto..." Sasuke called out with tears rolling down his closed eyes.

Itachi thought nothing of it at first, perhaps just a dream he was having.

But soon Sasuke woke up in a frenzy calling for Naruto like someone two hairs away from losing their mind.

"Easy, Sasuke, you're just having a bad dream." He sat down on the bed.

"Where's Naruto, Niisan?" Sasuke's broken breathing made his heartache worse.

"Who's Naruto? A friend of yours? You want me to call him?" Itachi asked genuinely. "Just lie down, you suffered cardiac arrest while we were walking this morning, remember?"

Sasuke reached to his head, only then noticing that more than the bracelet Naruto gifted him was missing, the wedding ring too. His memories were fuzzy, he remembered going on a walk. He remembered some of it with his husband and the other with his parents.

The younger raven didn't know what was going on but he didn't have time to think or speak as soon he was given meds to sleep.

Still, the last name on his lips was that of Naruto.

🍜🍙🍜🍙🍜

Uzumaki Naruto, 16 years old, laid down in bed in a feverish haze. He, yet again, saw that raven angel in his dreams.

"Is that his name?" Shikamaru wondered as he looked at his friend. "The guy from your dreams."

"What?"

"You've been calling for a Sasuke," Shikamaru couldn't deny how peculiar that was, considering his friend had always the habit of calling for his parents or his comatose brother.

"I don't know," he muttered as he rolled on his side facing his friend. "It must be, right?"

"Troublesome," the Nara closed his book and looked at his friend. "What happened? That night, Naruto...Last December." He paid attention to what his best friend was about to say.