We Becomes Us

Chapter 8

"Aplastic anemia?" Tsunade quirked a blonde eyebrow up at Naruto.

He gave her a determined nod, keeping her eyes locked on her own.

Tsunade let out a long sigh. "I don't know. Seems kinda farfetched."

Naruto gave her a frown before turning quickly, looking up at the giant bookshelf that stood before him. Carefully but swiftly, he scanned the titles as fast as he could until he found what he was looking for. He reached up and grabbed a book from the middle shelf.

Without saying anything, he flipped through the pages frantically until he found what he was looking for. He placed the book down in front of her and crossed his arms over his chest. "Read."

"Don't tell me what to do, brat." She scowled at him before looking down at the book in front of her. With some hesitation, she grabbed the book and brought it closer to herself.

She frowned as she looked over the page. "Naruto, it could be anything. Not necessarily this. It's very rare."

"And it could also be fatal if left untreated." Naruto pushed back, glaring at her. "We can at least do more tests to rule it out. Nothing else was just adding up."

Tsunade let out a sigh. "Alright. Fine."

Naruto gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"We'll start with a simple blood test. If his red and white blood cell levels are low along with his platelet levels, I'll go ahead and do a bone marrow biopsy."

Naruto nodded. "I'll let Sasuke know."

"You're not going to be his nurse, Naruto." Tsunade frowned. "I appreciate you bringing this into consideration but from here on out, you are not to be involved with his diagnosis or treatment. You are simply his husband. Understood?"

Naruto grumbled under his breath, once again crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, yeah." He turned to leave her office. Before he was fully out the door, he quickly turned back to her, mouth open to ask a question.

"First thing in the morning, Naruto. I need to get some rest." Tsunade answered before he could get a word out.

Naruto smiled brightly at her. "You know me so well!" He laughed before heading back to Sasuke's room.

He felt lighter as he walked down the familiar corridors. It was also bittersweet and he felt his smile turn sad as he realized what this meant for Sasuke; pain, and a lot of it.

He turned the corner and ran a hand through his blonde locks as he let out a sigh. He stopped in front of the door where Sasuke was lying behind it.

With a determined look, he nodded once at the door before opening it and stepping inside.

When Sasuke awoke again, there was light shining in the room. He squinted as his eyes tried to adjust to the brightness.

When he finally got his vision back, he looked around the room. He saw Naruto propped up in the armchair that was placed near the head of his bed. He smiled warmly at his husband and slowly reached out to him. He placed a hand on tan cheeks and held it there, relishing in the soft skin.

The blonde had to have been exhausted. Usually even a gentle touch was enough to stir him from sleep, if only for a second or two. Sasuke sighed as he placed his hand back to his side. He looked up to the ceiling, unsure of what to feel.

"Good morning, Sasuke."

He slowly glanced over to see Naruto's boss, Tsunade standing in the doorway. He gave her a nod. "Morning." His voice came out raspy and he tried to clear it, only to find his mouth and throat felt terribly dry. "Water?"