WANTED: Itachi Uchiha

San

Hospitals were an occupational hazard for Itachi. ANBU missions weren't exactly known for their safe working environments; and risk assessments were a thing of fiction. He wasn't even sure if he knew what the form looked like. Itachi and his fellow ANBU knew what they were getting themselves into the moment they inked their skin, a dangerous mission was simply just a mission to them. 

And the hospital was more a waiting room than a place to recover. Today was no different. 

With his own wounds cleaned and sutured Itachi was free to go; he had escaped somewhat unscathed. Stray shuriken were nothing compared to a katana embedded in the abdomen; especially if it nicked the abdominal aorta. 

Which in this instance it had. 

Riichi was a good shinobi, if not a little cocky. He certainly had a will of fire as he was tenacious and wild. It was that tenacity that had led him to charge in blindly, the result being the katana in his stomach. And to make matters worse - he had a rare blood type. 

"Do you have any reserves in the hospital? Or in any of the neighboring clinics?" Itachi asked, his eyes not leaving the heart monitor. 

"We've radioed out for any, but with it being so rare, we may not be able to acquire any." The medical-ninja replied, their tone sombre. "It will be a waiting game I'm afraid."

"I see, thank you for your help." The medic excused themselves, leaving Itachi and Riichi alone. 

"That's what I get for being awkward." Riichi croaked from beneath his mask, the plastic fogging and dispersing as he breathed. 

Itachi huffed, patting his hand. "It'll teach you to not get ahead of yourself next time." If there was a next time. The odds were slim, verging on non-existent. Itachi knew that, the medical ninja knew that; and deep down he knew Riichi knew that. "I'll go get you some fresh water. Hang tight."

Itachi would be surprised if Riichi lasted until morning. His face was ghostly, his body working overtime to accommodate the monumental loss of blood. Riichi would be another name on the list of people he had killed, even if it was inadvertently. 

"Itachi-san?" 

Itachi blinked, the cup in his hand over flowing onto the floor. "Gomen, I was elsewhere."

"Are you alright? I heard what happened." Reina asked, leaning against the vending machine. 

"Hai, nothing major, just a few cuts and bruises." Reina nodded, eyeing the bandages beneath the remnants of his uniform. 

"How's Riichi doing?" 

Itachi sat himself down on the bench, running a hand through his hair, it still matted with blood. "He'll be lucky to last the night. The hospital doesn't have any AB negative on reserve and the odds of them acquiring some are slim to none."

Reina perched beside him, hugging her knees to her chest; once again she was dressed in nurse's scrubs, her hair a tangled mess of a bun atop her head. "I might be able to help with that."

Itachi looked up from his water, instantly curious. "I'm AB negative." Reina said, tucking a stray strand that escaped her hairpin. Itachi stared, unsure as to whether he heard her correctly.  "I'm happy to help where I can, as long as I can stay close to Baa-chan whilst they draw the blood."

"I…" Itachi began, sitting up in disbelief. "I don't know what to say." 

"You don't have to say anything at all." Reina offered a minute smile, dusting off her scrubs a medic ninja had been kind enough to lend her. "Just send the medics to room 8a when you're ready. I'm not going anywhere."

°°°

Itachi knocked on the door of room 8a, a phlebotomy kit in hand. The only sound that escaped the room was the beep of Tomo's heart monitor. Her rhythm was slow. Very slow. It wouldn't be long now. 

"Reina-chan?" Itachi whispered, poking his head around the door. 

"Hai, come in. She's sleeping." Reina replied from her place beside Tomo's bed. 

Immediately, Itachi noticed Reina's belongings dotted about the room in neat piles alongside mountains of paperwork. Then he realised: Reina was living in the hospital. The nurse's scrubs suddenly made perfect sense. 

"I'm afraid all available medics were called to an influx in the emergency room so…" Itachi gestured to the phlebotomy tray, jiggling it for emphasis. Reina pursed her lips, swinging her legs from over the arm of the chair. 

"You'll have to bear with me, I've not eaten today so if I go woozy, you might have to catch me." Reina attempted to joke, but Itachi knew she'd probably faint from exhaustion before she fainted from giving blood. 

"Just say if you start to feel faint and we'll stop, ok?" Itachi whispered, despite Tomo being very much unconscious. Reina sat silently as Itachi set up beside her, sterilising his hands and opening a packeted syringe. "May I?" Itachi asked, motioning to her arm. 

"Hai, my left arm is usually more forgiving when it comes to giving blood." Reina replied, leaning her arm on the chair in readiness. Itachi handled her with extreme caution; she looked so frail and delicate as though one false move might injure her. Carefully he tied the elastic tourniquet around her arm, a couple of inches above her elbow and waited for a viable vein to sprout. 

It didn't.