one_long_mission | [open] a way to beat the cold

"If you require me to move, I may need you to look out for him, yes." after all, he could try a generic remedy.
"...time of war, has he? Poor boy..." he shook his head, running his fingers through those short dark spikes of hair. "We have never known war here. He is... in good hands."

As soon as Renji was off to fetch something to help with nausea and an appropriate, small meal, Madara whimpered and clung to the nearest source of body heat.

Something was better than nothing, and Itachi knew he had to eat to keep his strength up.

So he moved a chair close to Madara's bed and sat down, letting the boy find temporary security in his arm. It was the least he could do, and he would gladly do it too.

By the time Renji came back, though, Itachi was slumped over the edge of the bed, sound asleep. It was a perfect portrait of a kind and gentle older brother, too sick and weak to be everything he wanted to be for those kids, but having his heart in the right place. He was a man worth saving.

There was a light, but sad smile at the medic's lip, and he left the medecine and food on the small table nearby. These three did look like a family, in a way, with Itachi being that older, sick but still loving and caring brother.

He claimed a deep breath and sat down on another chair, determined to wait for the other's waking. After all, he did have to see how this food would pass.

Unfortunately, it was going to be a long wait. There were days where Itachi would be up, out and about. But there were also days where he barely woke up at all, and if he did, he didn't have the energy to get out of bed. Such was life.

He didn't stir again until dawn broke through the window and Madara freed himself from his arm.

"Guess... I... fell asleep there..." he admitted with a little embarrassment as he rubbed the sand from his eyes. Had they finished running tests before that? Itachi wasn't sure.

Madara gave a light hum, seemingly disoriented as he inquired which day it was, muttering something about seeing that doctor in a dream, then thinking he looked way too familiar.
Once the day was revealed, however, he gave a near-screeched. "I'm gonna be late for those classes!" and he found that he just would have to use the clothes he wore yesterday. He called out to Sasuke before leaving that he could take the day off if he liked, and that he would cover for him.

Renji meanwhile approached Itachi, having ran a few more tests, gotten results and made at least one medication he thought could be a successful even if microscopic improvement.

Itachi sat up with a stretch and a groan. He was pretty sure Madara hopped right over his head, but was already out the door before he could decide for sure.

There was still food on the little table, and a few pills. Itachi was wary of new medication, tough. It had nothing to do with the skill of the doctor. He'd just had enough bad reactions to various powders and poisons, that he was always skeptical.

"That's... to settle my stomach?"

Food was rarely an appealing sight in the morning. Even though he'd hardly eaten anything the day before, this was no exception.

"These will take a few minutes to settle, yes... if you wish to have them, that is." he would not force people to take anything. They were masters of their own choices, after all. He had only lost one patient this way, but it was their choice to let themselves waste away. The treatment was there, but they never took it.

Guilt would forever fester within him, but then... it would perhaps have consumed him even more had the treatment been forced and the man continuously berated him.

"I did prepare something else... once your body has energy. Even with the current treatments, I believe that there is no way a body can heal without having the energy to."

That certainly was true. At one point, Itachi would have been satisfied to let himself waste away like that - an escape from the pain, the guilt and the never-ending side effects. It almost happened too. Had it not been for the crow and its genjutsu... And Sasuke, of course. Sasuke was that tiny sun in a vast sky of dark, suffocating clouds. But Itachi couldn't even find hope in that until the kotoamatsukami had been cast.

Since then, Itachi's recovery had been slow. He was happier, at least. He found pleasures in simple things, in loving family and in new friends. Physically, there were strides as well as setbacks. But his body never seemed to have enough energy to go around, and Itachi honestly couldn't keep up with that kind of demand.

"All right..." he swallowed the pills with a little water. "Perhaps it would be... a good idea to come back with us. So you can get a better idea... of the treatments I do have."

With luck, he'd manage to eat a little something before they left.

"I have no appointments until later in the afternoon. I will be glad to assess what your set-up had been." he gave a slow nod. "I believe the most important progress that can be made would be to be able for you to ingest and process more food... while getting rid of the need for help not to reject it."

And if this was possible, he vowed he would achieve it.
If it could be done...

That was certainly the ultimate struggle.

The horrible nausea, the vomiting and the overall lack of appetite were all side effects of the medicine used to keep his condition under control. What Sasori had originally given him wasn't as bad, he explained. But everything since then had been much, much worse. Sakumo had at least taken the time to find something to take the edge off. Kabuto couldn't have cared less.

"When I stopped treatment the last time... I was actually hungry. I could keep food down." he admitted, along with the tradeoff. "I almost died, though..."

He also described a period of about twelve hours when a Hyuuga did something to his chakra network, blocking a lot of the signals that caused the effects of nausea. Unfortunately, even a trained shinobi couldn't replicate what this one Hyuuga girl could do, and she disappeared from the world as quickly as she came.

Renji took a few notes, a thoughtful expression upon his features. "You are the one that stopped the treatment, however. This is important to note. I am hoping to find the best compromise I can, here." he assured him.
He explained that first he hoped to find a way to stabilize the side-effects enough that his condition would allow him to at least eat. From then on, things could fall in place more smoothly.

He had a few choices of drinkable supplements that were entirely natural. He seemed to not use any chemicals unless he really did need to.

"I stopped it... because I couldn't stand it any longer." he added. That spoke volumes of how terrible the side effects (and the sadistic medic) had been. "Another medic created another treatment... that was better, at least..."

Relatively speaking, of course.

"He said if I stopped this one... I... I would die for sure..."

There was a quick glance in Sasuke's direction. He didn't want to leave his little brother, that much was obvious.

"I don't want to die..."

Renji stretched out a hand, running his fingers through black spikes of hair, the boy laughing lightly. "I saw niisan come back from death once. Nothing can take niisan away if he doesn't wanna!" he stated.

The medic gave a smile, but it turned to a frown as he looked back to Itachi. "I doubt death would happen. There would be much deterioration for certain if treatment was cut, but blowing it out of proportion and making threats is quite bad taste. I can certainly adapt this treatment to suit my needs... and yours."

A pause and he bowed his head. "That is, if you will alkow me, Itachi-san."

Itachi was really starting to like this medic.

He had a few bites of the rice porridge before they left the clinic. It wasn't much, but by the look on his face, it probably was all that he could stomach before making himself sick. The medicine may have done a little, but it still didn't take the edge off completely.

They went by the onsen only to reclaim the wheelchair, Renji content to let Sasuke push his brother through the streets.
On the way, Renji expanded more upon his on approach, which he had developed while caring for different patients of all ages and many illnesses. He explained his plan of action once more, Ssauke seemingly slightly confused all the while, and finally asking him why chakra wasn't in his plans, to which he answered that chakra was only something he meant to use if any imbalances needed quick restoration that could not be done slowly with nutrients.

He felt using chakra, as helpful as it was, was detrimental to one's body and prevented it from doing healing work on its own.

Itachi understood a better than Sasuke did. He also knew that, for healing, chakra could be a godsend, but at the same time, any part of him that had been healed by chakra had eventually reverted back to its diseased state. Chakra could heal the damage, but it couldn't prevent it from happening again.

All the shinobi medics said nothing could.

But this man was offering a different approach that just hadn't been tried. And Itachi was open to that.

Renji promised he would do his absolute best.
He and this disease,m after all, had an history of old rivals. He knew it was preposterous to think of a cure, but if he could at least improve the quality of life and aid the body in gaining back what he lost, somehow... it would be just one good stride forward.

He could tell moving may not be the best option. "You most likely wish to remain in this home, so I could most likely visit as often as you wish for me to." he knew there was no way that this little brother would let him go, either.

Itachi would never leave his little brother. He couldn't, just as he knew Sasuke would never want to leave him. But when Renji mentioned moving, Itachi didn't seem entirely opposed to the idea.

"I don't have... anywhere else I could go, really..." He earned a small amount of money by doing odd jobs at the temple, but that was hardly enough to live off of. Here, he explained, he at least had a place to stay. There were medics who generally stayed here too, for better or worse. "Though this house... being as far away as it is, does make going into the village... difficult."

He used a lot of energy simply getting up and out, far less enjoying himself.

"Maybe... maybe we should think about... something new."

Maybe there was a room at the temple he could rent instead of earning money. Maybe there was a smaller place closer to the east side of the village - nearer to the onsen, the clinic, the Academy where Sasuke attended classes...

"Together." He added, if the boy even once thought differently. "Of course... Together."

Sasuke gave a hum. "You know... you're right. Being here means we are far away from a lot of places that'd be better being closer." a light frown as he pondered. "We have Sakumo-san here though. We've got the wheelchair, but.. what would be.. new?"

"You do not have to give an answer right away." the medic reminded Itachi. "Pressure is often not a good counselor, after all.. so do take the time you need." he gave a light, reassuring smile.

"But niisan said together! That means you, too!"
"Ah.. is that so?" he actually found himself blushing ever so lightly. He rarely felt so welcome, and these two... well the two brothers were certainly endearing to watch.

"It may take time... but perhaps we could find a small place for ourselves... that's closer to what we need." he pondered thoughtfully. "But whether I have the means to do it..."

Mikoto, then Kabuto, then later Sakumo, and to some extent even Rock Lee had been home caregivers at some point. Even little Sasuke helped with some of Itachi's daily tasks. He knew that living alone would be impossible. Supporting a household, even moreso.

Some cities had assisted living complexes that you never found in shinobi villages - places where the elderly could live somewhat independently, but still have nurses and other caregivers around for daily assistance. In shinobi villages, clans often took care of their own (or killed their own), but this was closer to a civilian city than a shinobi village.

Perhaps there were other options.

"Maybe it's time... to look at things from a civilian point of view, hm?"

"I wish I had some comparison points, but I was far too young when my father passed away, and I have only heard of my grandfather's troubles." Renji gave a light sigh. One could say Itachi was going to be the first live specimen of the disease he would have the opportunity to study and work on. "I am unable to provide a reference point to how they dealt with their own trouble." he gave a light sigh.

"It's okay, Renji-niisan." Sasuke assured with a big smile. "We can find somethin for sure!"
"I know old civilians here have children and grandchildren taking care of them... but this is hardly an option we have..." he gave a light hum.
"I wanna take care of niisan too." Sasuke pouted.
"You are already doing enough, little one." Renji assured him with a smile.

It wasn't long before they reached the house. Rather than let Sasuke go fetch the makeshift ramp, he insisted that he could make it from there. Renji still helped him up the steps, though, with Sasuke following behind with a folded wheelchair.

"This is my room..." he ushered their guest inside.

He knew the doctor was taking it all in, getting a better picture of what life with this condition was like. Itachi sat on the bed, where he spent quite a bit of his time. (The drawing above it was too cute, though. Far too cute.)

The side-table was stacked with various jars of medicine - a cocktail of medicines Sakumo created to treat the disease and ease the various side effects each of them produced. There was an IV pole in the other corner, but it seemed the pills had replaced intravenous medicines in most cases. Most of his belongings were medical supplies, though he had a few scrolls, weapons, an assortment of new clothes, a dinosaur plushie in a nurse's outfit, etc.

"There's a chair by the window... if you'd like to sit down."

All Renji could picture were the last fragments of dim memories he had of his father. He bit his lip and forced these into the back of his mind, because this was completely and utterly unprofessional behavior, to let his emotions take him over.
He did take the offer to sit, feeling his legs weakened, and extended a hand to study each of the medecine bottles, taking notes of their compositions, penning them all down.

Ssauke, meanwhile, had climbed on the bed to hug his brother. "You know, niisan, if we need money, I'm sure I can help out at shops after school!"
Renji gave a light smile at that, continuing his collection of notes. That boy made him wish he had a little brother of his own...

"When have you last been given an IV drip, or had any change in prescribed medecine?" he inquired, turning to another page of the small notebook he had brought.

Itachi gathered the boy into his arms, telling him they'd be just fine. Sasuke was the best brother anyone could possibly get. Itachi hated to see him worry.

"Aside from last year's... flame fever outbreak..." because he was going downhill so fast nothing but an IV was going to stop that infection from wreaking havoc. "it's been... almost a year, I think."

The last time Sakumo had a drip in him was before the Kotoamatsukami jutsu. And he yanked it out himself when he sent the IV pole itself through the window. (But he didn't like dwelling on that incident...)

"There have been a few modifications... to the pills... to find something that could make it so I could eat something. Whatever anyone makes... it makes me feel sick."

He still had a few samples of some of the older medication, from Kabuto, Orochimaru, the village apothecary, even one last vial from Sasori that he'd been saving all this time. He'd been on a real mess of things, and could point out by feel which ones worked, which ones did nothing and which ones all but defined his fear of medic nin.

"This..." he found the old familiar vial. It was an intravenous solution. "This was what everyone tried to replicate... No one has been able to, or they... just refuse to. An old teammate of mine was an unrivaled expert in poisons. I rationed it... once he was killed, but it could keep me going for a couple weeks, usually, before the symptoms started coming back."

Maybe it was because he was healthier then (or just plain sicker now...) but he didn't remember it being as debilitating as any of the solutions Kabuto made or the pills Sakumo started him on. He was never a big eater, but at least, back then, he wasn't constantly throwing it back up. Back them he could still stand toe to toe with the rest of the Akatsuki.

"It's the last dose I have left..." he handed it over to the medic, a true sign of trust if ever there was one.

"I see... and along with with these other few, then, it seemed to be the one that had worked the best.." he carefully claimed the vial and seeked out padding he kept at all times available in his satchel, perusing the tiny inscriptions. "Some things are simply noy available here, or... at least not in this village. I can see the reluctance people had in making this, but..." he claimed a deep breath and nodded. "I will give it my best."

"I got an idea!" Sasuke piped up. "You say some stuff isn't available in this village, but what if others have it?" he all but threw himself off the bed, biting into his thumb as he went, summoning his trusty crow as he landed. "Maybe he can go look!"
"..a messenger? People may be wary of its form. These are scavengers, after --ow!"
"Don't say bad things about him, or he'll yank your hair. Don't even think bad things!" Sasuke pouted and gave a light whistle, the crow landing upon his head and settling there, although still glaring.
"He's not sorry, Renji-san. You should apologize first, else he's not even going to deliver anything you'll even write."

After an apology and some planning, Renji wrote to ask if the village closer to them had any of what he seeked, or anything that could replicate its intended effect.
"It's going to work for sure! You'll see, nissan!" that was true teamwork.

[open] a way to beat the cold

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