A/N: Don't own. If I did… this is obvious what would be different. Once again, yo: My Hidden Seals series talks place during or after the time jump. Fit it in.

Hidden Seals Series 03

Title: Blood and Dreams

Blood was everywhere. On his arms and on his face, slipping slowly down his neck, hot and sticky to bother his shoulders and back. His skin itched all over as it dried, and the fingers of his right hand twitched as he tried to lift it. A loud groan and a few curses later, he confirmed that it was broken. With a sigh, he lay on the cold stone ground, feeling like his very life was being bled out of him, leaving only this cold, empty darkness. He closed his eyes, but he didn't like the visions that came with it.

Blood was everywhere again, on his face and hands, on the floor, the walls, and in the streets. The blood was as red as the eyes that stared at him, like two glistening rubies in the dark. They swirled with those black pinwheels; inviting death and chaos everywhere they turned their gaze. Hunting, killing, cursing, ruining, bloody sword in hand… Everything was all the same—but then it wasn't. His parents lying there, one wasn't supposed to have blonde hair… Letting go of the sword, he stared at his own blood-soaked hands. Daring to look up again, those wicked eyes of his brother were no more. His own reflection was there instead, and he could do nothing more than scream.

Something warm and soft brushed his forehead, his bangs tickling as they slid to the side. Those fingers came again, and he tried to open his eyes. Vaguely he could recall his mother sitting by his side whenever he was sick… His mother, with her kind eyes and kinder smile. She'd loved her sons, both of them… not like their father…

Opening his eyes with a start, Sasuke found himself staring up at the same gray ceiling that he had been seeing much to much of lately. The light was dim, and for a moment he thought he must still be lying on the training room floor… but this was much too soft for the floor. Turning his head to the side, he spotted a head of familiar silver hair buried in a book. As if sensing his gaze, the medic put the book down and gave him a smile. "The prince awakens." he said, much too cheerily for Sasuke's taste. Giving Kabuto a glare, the other only smiled more.

"Did you… did you touch my head?" He asked as he looked back to the ceiling.

"What? Oh, I hade to heal it. There was a nice gash on the back of your head, and you were bleeding all over the place."

"Well you were late, asshole."

"….You usually hate me coming to heal you so fast. You say it makes you spoiled and weak." Countered the medic. The Uchiha teen huffed, then winced. "…Well, if you're awake…" Sasuke's head swam, small lights dancing before his eyes. He clenched his teeth, jaw tense as he closed his eyes. He hated his own reflection, because of what it made him see. He fought the edges of the dark as they came in. He didn't want to see him again, didn't want to feel the pain over and over as if he were trapped in that hellish nightmare that his brother could produce. "I'll just let you rest." Kabuto's voice overrode some of it, and he latched onto that as much as he could, but instead fell into another memory…

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Sasuke jumped back as the kunai slashed for his throat, hitting a wall with his back. The deadly point stopped just a fraction away from splitting his neck wide open, and wavered a little. "Oh…" a familiar voice spoke, and the blood covered arm lowered to reveal a blood-splattered face, red-tinted glasses catching the light. "Sorry, I must have woken you…"

"What is..?"

"A mission," said the medic, pushing up his glasses. "I'm still a little wound up right now… please sleep well, Sasuke-kun." He passed him in the hall, and Sasuke wiped the blood from his neck. Blood…? Not his blood… The kunai the silver-haired one held was still dripping with blood, leaving a trail as he went. Frowning, the Uchiha watched the silhouette of his fellow Sound fade into the blackness of an unlit hall. Faded away, just like his brother's dark silhouette had. Blood from the sword, from the kunai, leaving a trail back to him, whose hands were also red and dripping…

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Reaching out, he grabbed a hold of Kabuto's white sash, holding it firmly. "No." he barely breathed. Kabuto leaned down, though he had been caught completely off guard by the grab. Easing Sasuke's fingers from his sash proved harder than loosening steel.

"Sasuke-kun… do you want me to stay?" The medic asked softly, and Sasuke's cheek brushed his, he was so close. The hand came lose at last, and the teen swallowed hard. He kissed Kabuto's tender neck, puzzling the medic more.

"You can leave…" He said quietly, closing his eyes again. If he had known the expression that Kabuto wore, he might haven opened them again just to see it. Confusion, interest, and annoyance all read on that mask of a face. Giving a sigh, Kabuto stood up slowly.

"I'll bring you something to drink later. You can't eat yet, because the medicine will make you sick. Your right arm is broken, so don't try to use it for a while. I healed what I could but the rest is up to time. Orochimaru-sama is pleased with your progress…and you should be too. If you need anything while you're healing, come and see me in my lab." He said, adjusting his glasses as he headed for the door.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

It took a few days for Sasuke to come to him. All but his arm had healed, and that was wrapped tightly in bandages and hung securely in a splint by his side. It had started to throb again, and so he had gone there to fetch some medicine. That was all.

But those dry, warm lips had felt so good against his. Tongues sliding slickly against one another's, each enough to taste the other ninja well. But it wasn't enough. The medic tasted fresh and clean, just like how he smelled. His whole lab smelled sterile and unreal, not a trace of human life around. Sasuke on the other hand tasted of blood, and he smelled very, very human. Wandering hands—only one of Sasuke's—searched each other's clothed skin, exploring and mapping uncharted territory. Kabuto's hands in particular seemed to carefully and skillfully find exactly just what places made his patient squirm or groan the most. Sasuke didn't mind. He'd already decided to let the medic do as he pleased.

It hadn't been an easy decision to come to, or a quickly made one. These past few days had been spent in deep thought. He'd been torn in two by the overlaying images of himself and his brother, and where in the world Kabuto fit into all of this. In the end it all came down to Sasuke. He wanted to see himself in the mirror, and not his brother. He did not want to see Kabuto as his brother, either. The older boy who healed all of his wounds, and gave him the time of day that his brother never did. It was like a triangle of blood-soaked pasts, one he sought to be the one to break.

/"To continue to live together…even if we hate each other."/

His brother had said it once. It wasn't about being a brother at all… for his brother had left, despite that promise. But to hate someone you live with, work with, train with, kill with, perhaps even die with… That was what it meant to be strong. A rival made you strong. A rival who you hated, but you spent each day with. You measure up, you judge yourself. And in the meantime…

Half of his open kimono pushed aside, Sasuke found his chest being explored more fully by Kabuto's now wandering lips, teeth, and tongue. "Uhhnn…" he groaned, his face flushing with heat. Kabuto was Kabuto; betrayer of Konoha, spy for the Sound, right hand man of the Sannin Orochimaru, unethical doctor, and from the looks of it a scientist as well, and who knew what else. He was Sasuke's comrade, who healed him endlessly and spoke to him in honeyed, silver-coated words to please him just as he did his master. He chuckled suddenly, and one silver eyebrow rose as Kabuto glanced upwards in inquiry. "Who's the lonely one?" the Uchiha asked quietly. Kabuto smiled,

"Why not both of us?" he asked, tilting his head. Sasuke gave a bittersweet smile. He had to agree. Sasuke who was running from a past that haunted him endlessly, driving him to give his very body up to end it, and Kabuto who was rebelling a little against his ultimate master in order to get the attention he desired. They didn't want each other. They wanted comfort, a temporary escape in each other's arms. There was really nothing to it… Only that Sasuke had never done this before, where as the medic seemed to be a veteran. He placed a hand on Kabuto's shoulder to still him.

"Not here…" He said firmly, and the older ninja stood up, a wry smile on his lips. "…My room?" At the expression he got, Sasuke flushed in anger. "It's clean. I kept it clean." Kabuto laughed in apology,

"Alright, alright. Your room it is…"

Clothing littered the floor as soon as the door was closed. Weapons, sashes, shirts, shoes—Sasuke had lost them before he realized it. Lips met again on the bed, Sasuke's back to the mattress and the medic above him, kissing him so hard that it almost hurt; but then it was his nails that were digging into the other's shoulders and holding him tightly. It wasn't as if he could help it, what with Kabuto's hands seeking out spots he'd already memorized to make him arch against the medic's slim and toned body, groaning into the kiss for more. When the kiss did break, Sasuke covered his eyes with his good forearm, gritting his teeth. Kabuto's kisses continued lower, just like before. He knew what to expect this time, but it didn't mean he was prepared to feel those long fingers on his length, followed by that slick, wet tongue. He gasped, clenching he sheets with his one good hand as it teased him, taunted him. Like the medic's words it was sweet and deadly. Kabuto's tongue ran slowly along the sensitive underside of his length, then trailed back up slowly, flicking off the tip. When he felt the enveloping wet heat cover him as he was taken into the medic's mouth, Sasuke bit his lower lip, too hard. "Aghnn!" Back arching, the hand moved from the sheets to tangle in that head of silver hair, mussing that lose pony-tail that seemed almost pointless.

It wasn't fair for him to be so new at this. He felt like a fool for every sound he made, and biting his lip didn't help. Like some kind of twisted jutsu cast on him, he felt unable to control his reactions, and the control freak Uchiha felt venerable and embarrassed. As if sensing his patient's distress in the tensing of his body, Kabuto stopped what he was doing and moved up to kiss the boy's neck. "It isn't free this time…" he said in the other's ear, nibbling on the earlobe lightly. Sasuke frowned, but Kabuto took his left hand in his, directing it to his hip. "I'll need some attention, too…" He explained, and Sasuke merely smiled a little. His calloused fingers explored the masculine hip and ran up along his side, feeling every ridge of muscle and bone. It was odd to feel it, so different from the soft contours of a woman—not that Sasuke was experienced with women, just that Sakura and Ino had pressed their unwanted attentions on him enough times for him to know that a woman's body was soft and smooth—not angular and hard like a man's. Journeying back downwards, his fingers graced the medic's length, and the sudden gasp of breath on his neck told him its effect.

Smiling, he turned his face to kiss the other's neck as he stroked his fingers slowly along Kabuto's member, mimicking what the older man had done earlier. The once-spy didn't seem to have any qualms about expressing his pleasure, and it gave Sasuke a bit more confidence. Though perhaps sounding a little practiced, Kabuto's breathy moans, so close to his ear that he felt each one, succeeded in arousing the Uchiha even farther. It didn't go unnoticed, for the medic's hand stilled his soon enough, and they met for another slow kiss, bodies now slick with sweat pressing against one another tightly. Each groaned now, muffled as it was by the kiss, and the younger one arched up into the lean, hard body. Always careful, Kabuto had moved Sasuke's arm aside, and the teen noticed the warm flow of energy that kept it from becoming painful. "How sweet." He said with a smirk, and Kabuto returned it.

"A small favor. Now, do you want this?" he asked, hips moving to evict a groan through clenched teeth from the younger ninja. Oh, Sasuke wanted it…. He just didn't know exactly what it was. In response, he snatched the medic's glasses away, tossing them onto the floor. "Oh come on, I left those last time you know…"

"Idiot medic." Sasuke smirked, taking out the hair tie as well. Kabuto's eyebrow rose again, but he laughed as he reached up to the table beside the bed, where he'd laid his white pouch.

"I could think of a few things to call you…" he responded, grabbing something from it while he stared into the younger ninja's equally dark eyes. "But I'm rather fond of what we're doing right now, so I'd rather not ruin it." He finished cryptically, opening the small bottle he held.

"What is that?" Sasuke asked, his nose winkling at the sweet smell.

"Nothing really, a simple salve. But it will work." He kissed Sasuke's neck, sucking at the tender skin as he coated his fingers in the slippery substance. Lifting his hips to sit up on his knees, Kabuto smiled as he spread the teen's pale thighs just enough. The Uchiha jumped a little when he felt the cold, wet fingers brush his thigh. He barely had time to protest before one slick digit was pressed into his body, sucking in a quick breath as he arched his back.

"C-cold..!" he breathed, his arm moving to wrap around Kabuto's neck, nails digging in for a grip.

"Shhh.." Kabuto whispered, licking the mark he'd made on the boy's neck, opposite the Seal. "it'll warm soon…" he said with a smile, moving making room for the second digit which he added soon after the first. The teen arched again, wincing as his broken arm tried to move as well. "Careful," the medic said, as if he had to tell him, "if you hurt it we'll have to reset it.." whispered casually, as if this was nothing al all.

"Shut the…hell up." Sasuke growled, his breathing fast and his pulse racing. He didn't care about reactions anymore, his pleasure and frustration showing clearly on his red-tinged face. Kabuto chuckled, but he stayed quiet as his fingers searched for—and finally found the spot he was looking for. Sasuke felt his body give an involuntary shudder, and he gasped, eyes fluttering closed. "Ohh…ooohh…" he breathed, barely a whisper, hot breath falling over the silver-haired ninja's ear. Smiling, Kabuto repeated the process and used the next shudder as cover to introduce the third finger, and Sasuke didn't complain this time.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Kabuto knew that he was going too far. He'd come to that line way back when, and merely spared it a glance as he passed it. This was beyond insolence, beyond betrayal. With his master's future body… This was a death wish. But that hot, tight heat around his fingers and gasping, quiet moans made all reason pushed back in favor of much more current troubles, like the one currently straining to replace the said fingers. Perhaps this was the single most foolish thing he had ever done in his life.

When he removed his fingers, the Uchiha teen whimpered in protest, nails digging into Kabuto's shoulder. The medic winced, smiling, "Impatient… don't worry, I'm not going to stop…" Moving his hips up between the teen's thighs, he saw the flash of uncertainty in Sasuke's dark eyes. He gave the boy a warm smile, every bit the calming and soothing brotherly smile that made the younger ninja want to stab him for such falseness… but it was somehow comforting at the moment. More of that sweet scent filled the room as Kabuto spread the slippery substance over his own painfully hard length while distracting the Uchiha teen with a deep, lingering kiss.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Sasuke arched his back, and he would have bitten Kabuto's tongue had not the older man removed it just a second before, as he felt the medic's length push into him. Nails drew blood across the pale smooth shoulders as Sasuke whined, teeth shut tight and jaw tensed. "Nnah…it, s-stop..!" He gasped at last, closing his eyes to the tears that threatened to spill over the corners of them. It hurt like hell, and it was nothing like he had been expecting. But Kabuto didn't stop; in fact, with one swift jerk of his hips, he fully impaled the younger boy on his hard member. Just before he screamed in pain, he felt a warm and soothing wave pass over him. Soft lips kissed his neck as Kabuto's thumb rubbed along the underside of his arousal, which had been threatening to be lost in pain. His groans of protest and pain melded into heavy pants and breathy moans. When he was ready, he gave the medic a smirk, "What an… interesting use… of medical jutsu…"

Kabuto replied with a small laugh, one hand beside Sasuke's head as he pulled back. "That's nothing…" The halls were hallow and stone, both of those attributes working against their secrecy. Every sound they made was amplified, rebounded off the walls and threatened to tell the whole village of their liaison. Sasuke pressed his face into Kabuto's shoulder, sometimes biting it to keep his voice down. The silver-haired medic on the other hand was practiced in keeping silent, and heavy breath was the only sound that came from his side.

These feelings, physical above all, were brilliant to the inexperienced Uchiha. Heights of ecstasy and satisfaction that could override any clinging memories and lift the burden of depression for a short while. It didn't even matter who it was, and if he just closed his eyes, it could be anyone. He kept his mind from straying down that path just yet, and he kept his mind blissfully clear as he let his body ride out the feelings that overruled. Hot, solid, and sweat-slicked flesh sliding and grinding against one another in an emotionless yet pleasure-filled copulation. All the while, the medic kept his hand steady with the rhythm of his pace, stroking Sasuke's once again straining length. Both ninja became tense with the oncoming of release, and Sasuke's sounds became progressively louder with it. Though he loved to hear them, professions that he was doing something right, he felt compelled do end it sooner rather than later for the sake of not being caught.

The Uchiha teen found his breath stolen as his body tensed like a thousand cords were suddenly pulled tight around him, then gave way at once to shuddering, mind-blowing pleasure. Kabuto sealed his lips over Sasuke's, catching most of the scream that erupted from the boy's youthful lungs, his own groan following when he felt the teen's already tight body suddenly become almost unbearable.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

They lay together in the aftermath for quite some time, both gasping and neither one fit to move just yet. The air suddenly felt cool against their skin as sweat evaporated from still-hot skin, and Sasuke gave an involuntary shiver when Kabuto made the first move to get up. Curling on his side, he watched the medic snatch his sash from the floor and begin to wipe himself down, starting with his face and chest before moving on. His eyes ghosted over the older ninja's pale flesh, drawn to the rather deep cuts he'd left along the other's back with his good arm. He had to blink before he realized that they were actually disappearing, and that it wasn't just his imagination.

"Tch…that's like cheating." He said with a smirk, and Kabuto shot him a return one over his shoulder.

"You want Orochimaru-sama to find out about us?" He asked calmly, and Sasuke's smile fell. He didn't know what the Sannin would think of him treating his own body so carelessly, when it was going to be given to him later, and he didn't quite want to know… Sighing, the Uchiha moved to sit up, but he hissed and laid back down quickly, causing Kabuto to turn to him again. The medic smiled as he replaced his glasses.

"You'd better do something about my hips then… because they fucking hurt…" He said, giving the smiling one a glare.

"Yes, yes." Green chakara lined his hands, and Kabuto gently touched the other's slender hips, leaning closer as one of them moved around behind him. Sasuke closed his eyes and bit his lower lip, feeling the soothing waves come over him again. When the hands were gone, he sat up and grabbed the sheet they had been laying on, cleaning himself off as much as he could as Kabuto dressed. When the medic was finished, only his trademark sash missing, he tossed the sheet to him, smirking.

"Wash that, will you?" He quipped, laying back down and covering himself with the sheet underneath. Kabuto huffed, merely folding up the sheet in his hands as he made a few choice remarks about Sasuke's questionable heritage.

"Please, sleep well, Sasuke-kun." The medic remarked bitterly, and he left the Uchiha with a sudden chill down his spine, alone in the dark again.

The reprieve was only temporary, after all.