Sasuke tossed and turned in bed. He had a terrible nightmare of living without Naruto. His heart ached at the slightest thought of that possibility. He opened his eges looking at his fiancé. A small tear formed at the corner of the blond's eye and slowly escaped his eye.
Sasuke didn't realize as he was watching, he too was crying sharing the same pain as his beloved. He slowly reached in and wiped it away.
Naruto moaned at the touch and leaned in closer.
"Sasuke," he mumbled.
"Mhm?" He looked at him but received no answer. He smiled to himself. "Goodnight" he kissed his forehead.
Morning arose and Sasuke woke up at the sound of the shower. He rolled in bed too tired, eventually just deciding on five more minutes.
Naruto gotten out drying his hair with a towel. "Baby, you better get up...otherwise your sleeping schedule will be messed up"
"Shhh...sleep now..talk later" he covered his head with the other pillow.
"I'll get you some coffee" the man chuckled and went to the kitchen.
"Hey cutie pie," he kissed Yāra's head. "Is Sora still sleeping?"
"Mhm" she said as she munched on her breakfast.
"Then I guess it'll be just you, Haru and me for the morning walk," he smiled "Sasuke is still sleeping too"
"Oji-san is back?" Her eyes lit up, she had seen him singing on TV and she's been absolutely in love with him.
"Ha, he's in the bedroom. Wanna go say hi?" Naruto wondered as he prepped his soulmate breakfast on a tray. He wanted to get him breakfast in bed. It was the least he could do to thank him for taking a long flight and dress up as a woman.
"Can I?" Her smile was wide and her eyes sparkled.
"Good morning, Usuratonkachi." He sleepily shuffled to the kitchen and kissed his fiancé. Sasuke was definitely not awake yet.
"Yāra-chan and I were about to bring you breakfast in bed." He smiled as he felt Sasuke's arms behind him hugging him tight. The raven rested his chin on Naruto's shoulder, the sweet scent of Naruto's soft skin was something he could never get enough of.
"O-Oji-san," her eyes widen seeing them kiss "are you...are you and papa together?"
"He needs some coffee" Naruto chuckled brewing it for him and serving him. "Here you go"
"Thank you" He yawned finally starting to wake up as the aroma of the bitter coffee hit him. "Oh g'morning Yāra-chan" he smiled at her sipping his coffee.
"G'morning Oji-san" she smiled widely at him. "you and Papa together?"
"Of course. We are getting married" Sasuke showed her his ring.
"So...you're not leaving anymore?" She asked.
"No, I'm staying right here with my family. I did promise to give you so much love haven't I?" He smiled at her and her eyes glistened from happiness.
"I'll go get Haru, we normally go on a walk in the morning" Naruto pecked his man's lips before walking away.
"I'll get ready" Sasuke went with his coffee mug in hand to the bedroom. The young Uchiha wanted to enjoy every little moment he took for granted before; even more after the nightmare he had yesterday, it felt so real.
Naruto wanted to fight harder for the sake of his family. Three years and a half was a long time. But he held on to hope. He was not one to give up easily.
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Following the complications of Sasuke's breech of contract, it took exactly eight months for Sasuke to finally be free from it.
Through the scandal and the trial, Naruto had been by his side for every hearing.
However that morning, the blond was not feeling his best to come for the final verdict.
Naruto was in the back garden with his eight year old daughter, his one year old baby and his almost five year old son. Karin joined him as he watched the kids play in the snow.
"Was it them?" He asked.
"Yeah, you're still in remission." She informed "no sign of infections or anything else that would make them say no." She reassured him
"That's good" He took a deep breath "Karin-..."
"Papa!" The kids called for him and he stood up joining them. He helped them build the snowman. Whatever he was going to tell Karin was immediately pushed to the back of his mind and consequently forgotten.
He loved hearing their laughter. It was music to his ears. They played together for a while before they were interrupted.
"Naruto-sama, dinner is served" the housekeeper bowed to them.
"Okay...let's go inside everyone. Wash your hands" he ordered.
Karin helped Haru, knowing Naruto doesn't have the strength to carry her at all.
She smiled as the kids greeted Sasuke. She knew he wanted to surprise Naruto with the good news.
But Sasuke's smile quickly died, ever so faintly in the back he could hear Kitsune's distinct barks.
"He's in the garden" Karin quickly informed going to get her medical gear.
Sasuke made his way there finding him collapsed on the snow.
"Naruto, stay with me...baby stay with me" he leaned in to see if he is breathing and could hear very faint breaths that stopped.
The wrist monitor flashed as it made one continuous beep. There was no heart rate it could detect.
Sasuke collected his chaotic thoughts, beginning with CPR.
"Karin, he doesn't have a pulse...he's not breathing"
"Don't stop the chest compressions." She ordered as she made a cut in his sweater and the undershirt.
As she ripped it open it slid under Sasuke's hand without his need to stop. He delivered the rescue breaths as she placed the chest plates. She turned the machine and told him to stop.
Silence filled the area as only the sound of the machine scanned, told them a shock was advised. Karin clicked the button delivering the shock and then proceeded to do CPR.
"You and I are gonna keep rotating until his heart is restarted or the ambulance is here" Karin stated and then stopped as the machine started scanning. "Okay get ready" she delivered the shock as advised and Sasuke took control immediately.
With every single time a shock was delivered, Sasuke's eyes flinched with the jolt of Naruto's body.
"Come on....Naruto....don't leave me...please don't leave me..." he cried as eleven minutes in and even with all the shocks delivered, even with the shots Karin administered there was no response.
But neither he nor Karin stopped or lost hope.
Silence.
Deafening silence.
Then his watch started beeping again, numbers going up until they settled. It was confirmed by the AED not advising any shocks. Karin checked his breathing, then for any discoloration of the lips, skin or nails.
She then put him in recovery position. She got her phone out seeing the messages from the EMT team.
"They're running late cause of traffic" she informed. Her fingers dialling the hospital.
"Hi this is Caregiver Uzumaki Karin." She moved Naruto's wrist. I'm with Namikaze Naruto, ID 38920...He just suffered a sudden cardiac arrest...it took us 15 minutes to restart it. The ambulance won't be here for another 25...it'll be faster if we bring him by car...we're five minutes away" Karin nodded as she received the clearance.
Sasuke heard her voice sound so far away despite her being beside him. He held on to the cold hand of the man he loved. He didn't want this to be his last memory of Naruto. She hung up "Okay, they're getting ready to receive us."
"We're taking him by car?" He asked in a trance.
"Our only choice" she kept the AED hooked to him and packed her stuff. "I need you to carry him. Sasuke" she snapped her fingers to snap him out of it "l need you to carry him to the car. I need you to be calm, we don't want to scare the kids"
"Yeah...okay okay" he wiped his tears and carried his feeble fiancé.
Karin went inside clicking the intercom system summoning Tetsuya.
Sasuke rushed through the house to the Garage finding the driver already there.
The raven laid him in the backseat on his left side just like Karin had prior.
When they started moving, Sasuke didn't know. All he was seeing was Naruto in front of him.
T
he cerulean eyes stared at him tiredly as they drove off.
"Hey, baby" he mussed Naruto's hand as he held it. "Karin, he's awake"
The nurse checked on his responses. "He's not conscious...he's looking at us but it's most likely his brain isn't even registering any of this..."
"Is that a bad thing?" His hope filled voice quickly lost its composure.
"Not necessarily." She replied, "Tetsuya, are we almost there?"
"Yes...." The man answered.
"Just pull straight at the entrance okay?" She ordered. "Sasuke, don't stand in the way. I know you're scared and you want to be with him. But don't stand in the way,"
Sasuke's brain was blank, he just kept holding Naruto's hand kissing it and praying in silence. He prayed to whatever deity or higher being was there, that his sunshine would be given a chance to live.
The door opened and Naruto was pulled away. All that was left was the lingering warmth from his lover's touch that did not last half as much as he wanted it to.
Karin had left with them and he remained on the floor of the car.
He wanted to scream but his voice was stuck in his throat. His hands kept moving to the seat where Naruto's body once laid. Then his senses numbed, he couldn't hear anything, couldn't see anything. Even the coldness of the car was nothing.
Then slowly, the deafening silence was overwhelmed by one emotion and one emotion only: pain. That's when he broke down.
Uchiha Sasuke wasn't ready to lose his one and only. He had made so many mistakes that kept him away. He had so much he wanted to do, so many memories to make.
But as he laid on the car floor, all of those dreams, hopes and aspirations were fleeting fast.
🍙🍜🍙🍜🍙
Uzumaki Naruto, 21
Cardiomyopathy, class 4
Blood type: B negative
Intensive Care Unit: on Life Support.
Outlook: ------
Doctor Nohara Rin, sat staring at those information. It felt like losing her husband all over again.
Naruto had the same kind smile and joyful character as her late husband. She had been his doctor since he was fifteen. Too young of an age to be having heart attack. 21 was too young of an age to die.
But her husband died at the same age. Different reasons, the same outcome. Life didn't seem to care for reasons. It was not fair.
Her pager went off and she let go of her patient's hand walking to the waiting area.
She saw the faces she got used to seeing with Naruto, others that occasionally came visit him. These were his friends, his family.
Then her eyes met those of Sasuke.
It was only for a second but she saw exactly how different she was from him. When she knew her Obito was dying, she lived every day with him. She made every moment count. That's why even though she misses him she didn't regret anything. Sasuke's eyes, however, were full of regret.
"There's no easy way to say this. Naruto-kun is on life support. I'm afraid...we'll only be keeping him on it until you say your goodbyes..."
"No...No...you can't do this!" Sasuke broke down.
"I'm sorry, but he made the choice a while ago."
"Just take my heart instead...please don't let him die" he cried out. Kushina held him back.
"You're not a match" the doctor frowned.
"But I am" a sudden voice came from the crowd of people. "And...I...don't want to hear anything about the matter. I made up my mind...."
The tests were redone still to make sure she indeed was a match. Her heart was the right size, healthy.
She changed into the hospital gown and stopped when she saw his fiancé.
"Lighten up...Naruto will be all better in a few hours."
"I know he would have been against it... but...thank you" Sasuke couldn't bear living without Naruto.
"If I knew my son was sick, I'd have given him my heart.. I can't live through another loss. Besides, I lived my life. This would give him more time with you...with the kids..another ten years at least. Consider it an early wedding gift" she patted his head "I'm glad he's with you, Sasuke. Take care of him"
Sasuke had hugged Tsunade for the first time ever. He thanked her again before leaving.
She was allowed a moment with her grandson, she held his hand and kissed it.
"Sorry for being a lousy grandma....I hope you forgive me for everything. I love you" she leaned in and kissed his forehead.
In the operation room she could still see sparks of his blond hair. She wished she could see him grow old but this was the right thing to do.
The blinding light of the operation room dimmed as she counted backwards from 10, falling asleep before she got to 5.
The two teams of surgeons lead by doctor Nohara have coordinated so Naruto would get the heart in pristine condition.
There was only one problem, as soon as they have made the initial incision, someone walked in with a face mask.
The head of the department.
There were about twenty question ready to burst out of Rin's mouth for the comprising move pulled by her boss.
"What's the meaning of this?"
🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥
The surgery was carried, Naruto had a heterotopic heart transplant. A procedure mostly coined as the piggyback transplant. The recipient's heart remains and the donor's heart is then attached to the right side.
The procedure had went smoothly with no complications.
The doctor walked out to the waiting room after scrubbing out.
The smile on her face was all they really needed to know it went well.
"The surgery-..." Rin got hugged by Sasuke and Kushina both thanking her.
But their joy meant the loss of the 'old hag'. However no one expected the next words that came out of the Doctor's mouth.
"Tsunade should awake from anesthesia soon...uhm...we had a donor last second." The doctor saw their confused surprised faces "It really was last second." She reaffirmed. "Naruto is in ICU. We'll wake him up in a couple of days."
With those news, the closest trio to her were taken to her room. She opened her eyes, a general look of confusion on her face.
"If I'm dead this is definitely hell" she said as she looked at Kushina.
"Old hag" the redhead woman stopped herself from crying "you're not dead. There was a donor here last second so they didn't need yours...but... thank you Tsunade,"
"Huh" the blonde's eyes welled up with tears remembering the last thing she had wished for. "So Naruto's okay?"
"Surgery went well. Now we just gotta wait" Jiraiya held her hand. Five hours ago he was a broken man thinking he lost her forever. Even though they have spent their lives together, no amount of time on earth is ever enough with the person you love most.
As the two days passed with Sasuke counting the seconds. He never left the hospital, keeping an eye on Naruto from the window.
That was the worst experience of his life.
The anesthesiologist entered the room with the doctor and slowly administered the drug to wake him up.
Doctor Rin had brought in Sasuke. The man held his lover's hand. Seeing his blue eyes open when once he thought they'd remain closed forever.
"Welcome back, Naruto-kun. If you're feeling sick that's normal. It comes with the anesthesia. It'll wear off." The doctor informed.
Naruto's first word was "Baa-chan" his eyes closed heavily "where is she? I need to tell her...she's not a lousy grandma..." He started mumbling as he drifted back to sleep "I foregave her...and I love her too.. Baa-chan" he did not even looking to his left, not even noticing that Sasuke was by his side.
"Is this normal?" Sasuke wondered.
"Yeah, his body is recovering...getting used to having two hearts. we'll keep monitoring him. And he'll have to go through cardiac rehabilitation. We'll move him from the ICU in a day or two...and then in a few weeks he can go home. It's best you let him rest now"
"Okay" Sasuke kissed his lover's forehead "I love you and I'll be right here when you wake up again" the raven whispered in his lover's ear. he left the room looking one last time towards the bed before closing the door and sitting in front of the window waiting again.
Tsunade had come as soon as her work at the school was done. She found Sasuke there. He had been there the last two days.
"I brought us lunch" she sat down next to him. "I made it myself, let's go outside and eat"
Sasuke walked with her to the hospital garden, she opened the two bento boxes. One had extra tomatoes.
"Naruto told me you love tomatoes and Onigiri Okaka..."
The raven blushed "thanks, you didn't have to bother yourself"
"Nonsense...we're family" she handed him chopsticks and began eating her lunch. Sasuke joined her eating his in silence until she opened the conversation "did they tell you when they are waking Naruto up?"
"They woke him up this morning...he fell back asleep almost right after"
"Did you talk to him?"
"He called for you...you were the first person he asked for" Sasuke still found it odd. Naruto always asked for Sora first thing. "Did you guys have a fight?"
"No, we've been on good terms. Why?" She munched on her food.
"He said he needed to tell you that you're not a lousy grandmother. He mumbled something else and that he loves you...maybe it's just his memory-..." he heard the bento drop on the ground "Tsunade?"
"Sasuke....those were my last words for him. When I thought I was gonna be his donor"
His mind wanted to believe it was just a coincidence but seeing how shaken Tsunade was proved that Naruto had heard her words, even though he was supposed to be unconscious.
When Naruto woke up the following time, he was no longer in ICU, most of the tubes and machines he was hooked to were gone. Only an IV remained and a nasal cannula to keep his oxygen levels up.
He saw his lover smiling at him, hand holding his and the other on his head.
"Hey sleepyhead, you didn't think you could leave me did you?"
"Teme, I just needed some sleep. Don't cry"
"No, I was not worried at all" he chuckled, tears escaping his eyes.
"Of course you weren't. I had surgery, didn't I?" Naruto was familiar with the surgical chest pain.
"Yeah...you did. You got a heart transplant" Sasuke ran a finger on the bright discoloration very gently.
"Nice one...waiting time is three years, teme"
"I'm not joking..."
"Who-...", He tensed up worried it was his mom or grandparents. He knew they took a test a while back.
"Someone from a motorcycle accident...he was brain dead on arrival...you were here in the right time. Because there was no one else who was a match with him that could make it to the hospital in time..." Sasuke kissed his forehead.
"So I got his heart?" Naruto placed his hand on top of Sasuke's on his chest.
"You got two hearts...your heart is still there, Usuratonkachi"
"They did the surgery I proposed?"
"You proposed it?" Sasuke wondered.
"Yeah.....uhm it seems like forever ago. It doesn't matter right now. Have you been looking after yourself?"
"I didn't skip meals but...I haven't been home since you got admitted. The kids have been staying with your mom. I'm sorry but...I just couldn't bring myself to leave your side" he rubbed his fiancé's cheek and Naruto placed his hand on top of it and brought the hand to his lips softly kissing it. Naruto's brain was still not fully able to comprehend it all. It was surreal thinking he finally had the heart he so desperately needed.
Sasuke leaned in and kissed him. He was his to hold and to love without fear of losing him at any moment. But this didn't mean Sasuke was taking it for granted. No, the raven would live many adventures with his blond lover and his kids. He'd make sure every moment would count for the long run and whether he and Naruto grow old together or not, he would cherish every single second.
The small voices of their little angels filled the place and as they held them together, Naruto smiled showing them his scar and talking openly about the whole experience. Even telling them how he now has two hearts so he can give them twice the amount of love.
🍥🍙🍥🍙🍥
On the day of his return home, Naruto went out to find a wedding planned in the backyard. Their friends and family were all present and accounted for. The ground was still dressed in white from fresh snow. It was simple but it still managed to take the blond's breath away. "Sasuke-.."
"I can't wait any longer." He held him closer kissing him "who cares about suits? We got each other that's all that matters"
"Says the guy who likes to plan out everything" Naruto joked and kissed him "I love you."
It was a small unconventional wedding. Unconventional in the sense that everyone was dressed casually for the occasion.
"Your mom freaked out more about seeing you before the ceremony. Bad luck and what not" Sasuke chuckled "but I couldn't let you out of my sight for a second. I'm proud of you, Naruto. You fought a long and hard battle and you won. You won it for us. I can smile and pretend I wasn't worried now but in all honesty, I thought I was going to die there with you. You complete me. You make me feel whole. You make life sweet and purposeful for me. I wouldn't want to be with anyone else. And I can't imagine myself ever enjoying life without you by my side. I want to love you, hold you, cherish you every second of every day from this day and until the end of times." Sasuke wiped the tears off Naruto's face. "Usuratonkachi, you're supposed to say I do and not cry a river" he teased but he too was on the verge of breaking down, not from sadness but he was so happy to finally be with his soulmate. To unite their souls for all of eternity.
"Sorry...." Naruto's voice broke "I do" his hand trembled as Sasuke put the black gold ring on his finger. The raven held that hand to his lips and kissed it but Naruto pulled him closer and kissed him passionately. "I love you. I've loved you since the day I have first seen you and I'd give everything and anything to be with you. I didn't make it by myself. I made it because of you, you were my drive, my reason to keep fighting" he whispered to him as he felt Sasuke's forehead against his, closing his eyes "you still are. You always will be my one and only" he felt Sasuke's lips on his and gave in to the kiss before pulling away to put the ring on Sasuke's finger.
The priest didn't get the opportunity to announce them man and husband as they kept making out too eager to wait. He had officiated so many weddings in his lifetime and he could tell their bond was not to be broken.
The fact that the wedding was unconventional did not make it any less special nor less meaningful. In fact, as Naruto rested his head on Sasuke's chest sharing their first dance as a married couple, he thought of how he wouldn't want to change anything about it at all.
Not the music, not the weather, not the ceremony and specially not the company. He loved that it was simple, the little things like their daughters being flower girls, Sora being one of his best men and Shikamaru's newborn son being the ring bearer were details he absolutely loved.
"What are you thinking of, Usuratonkachi?" Sasuke asked knowing his husband all too well.
"How perfect this is." He replied "holding you, Namikaze Sasuke. If I'm dreaming don't wake me up"
The raven pulled his new husband in for a kiss "it's not a dream" he kissed him passionately.
"Papa! I wanna dance with you!" Yāra chirped. It bursted the happy bubble Sasuke was in.
"Sasuke?" Naruto raised an eyebrow seeing his husband's head hung low.
"You're their favourite" he pouted.
"I think it's all in your head, Teme." Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. He leaned down when Yāra pulled at his pants and listened to her whispers.
"Papa, is it okay if I dance with Chichi?" Yāra didn't want to see Sasuke sad. She loved them both so much.
"Mhm, sure sweetie." He fixed her red hair bows and winked at her walking away.
"Can I have this dance..." She cleared her throat "Chichi"
It was the first time Yāra had ever called him Chichi to his face. It was always when she was talking with someone else and he wasn't there.
"Yes! Yes you can have this dance and the next dance! All of the dances!" Sasuke held her hands dancing with her with the biggest smile on his face.
Naruto just watched them from afar. "Who'd have known Sasuke's a good father" Shikamaru joked.
"You should have seen him the night I told him we were adopting them." He sipped from his drink watching his family before he said "I feel like she and Haru saved me"
"I remember it made you happy" he tousled his friend's hair.
Naruto didn't bother to explain that it wasn't what he meant. He simply kept a soft smile on his face almost looking at them as if knowing exactly how his life would have turned differently had he not found the two girls.
Indeed, all of this wouldn't have happened, if it weren't for that one bowl of ramen that Naruto so inexplicably craved that night on the Hokage mountain.
It lead to finding the two orphaned girls and consequently contracting the strain of bacteria that cured his cancer. The rest of the puzzle pieces fell into place easily after that.
Life had given him that second chance he so secretly wished for and he was not going to waste a moment of it.
"Naruto?" Shikamaru called.
"Thanks Shikamaru, for always being there for me unconditionally. Sasuke may be the love of my life but you are my soul twin." He smiled some more.
"Where's all of this coming from?" The Nara questioned.
"Just me being philosophical as always" the blond chuckled and went to his husband as he called him in for another dance.
Naruto was no longer broken and empty. The sound of his husband's laughter filled his ears as they joked and danced.
This was life. It had its ups and downs. It's not always perfect but a path full of pain and suffering could still lead to a happy ending.
~ FIN ~