Chapter 7: How to Slow Down a Mission

The once peaceful, serene silence of the forest was shattered by a harsh, labored breathing. Four pairs of eyes exchanged nervous glances. Not a single member of the Sound Four wanted to be the one to tell Kimimaro to give up his desperate search and rest a while.

The Dream Container was plainly exhausted. His face, though it would seem impossible, had become even paler. What had begun as mere shortness of breath was now poorly disguised gasps for air.

Kidomaru slowed his pace a bit, signaling with a slight jerk of his head for the others to do the same. When there was enough of a distance between their leader and the other three, he spoke.

"Somebody should stop him. He'll die if this goes on."

"Yes, but if he dies, he won't be ordering us around and acting like the ruler of the world." Jirobou countered. An unpleasant gleam came into his small, cruel eyes.

"Idiot!" Tayuya hissed angrily. "If he dies, who the hell do you think Orochimaru-sama will blame for it? Kimimaro's death spells the end for us, too!"

"She's right." Sakon muttered, his tone sounding rather disappointed. "Someone should stop him."

"Why don't you?" Kidomaru suggested with a scowl. "Go do it yourself."

"No way in hell am I going to do that!" Sakon spat back. "He'll kill me for even suggesting it. Tayuya, you do it. Your death might be less painful."

"Fuck no."

Their argument was abruptly brought to an end as Kimimaro's weakened body finally gave out, and he fell limply onto a large branch several feet below.

A variety of rather vulgar exclamations once again punctured the forest's peace as the Four scrambled down to check on their fallen leader. They crowded around his body, hoping for some small life sign.

Sakon knelt down beside the other boy and gingerly pressed two fingers to his wrist .

"Well….." He piped up after a rather long silence, "At least he has a pulse. That's one good thing…"

The other three let out simultaneous sighs of relief. However, relaxing was not a luxury they allowed themselves. Just because Kimimaro was still clinging to life did not mean he would continue to do so for much longer.

"He's not going to last long without medication." Kidomaru said, stating the obvious. "If we can find a halfway decent shelter, one of us could go back for the pills while the others keep him alive."

"By the time you fools got back to the village, Kimimaro-kun would be dead."

The four teenagers jerked their heads around to the origin of what they recognized as Kabuto's voice. Scowling, the medic leapt down gracefully from a higher branch. Though he would never admit it, his already racing heart nearly stopped when he saw the Four crowded around what he had assumed to be Kimimaro's corpse.

Kabuto shoved Jirobou and Tayuya aside, making room to work, and earning an angry remark from the latter. He knelt down as he dug the small bottle of pills out from his supply pouch. After unscrewing the lid and removing two, he barked an order to any of the others to prop his patient up. Kidomaru ended up as the unwilling assistant, and hesitantly lifted his leader's head and shoulders from the ground, moving him into a near-sitting position. Kabuto then lightly squeezed Kimimaro's jaw between his thumb and index finger, forcing it open and placing the pills in his mouth. Though unconscious, the teen swallowed, as if by reflex.

"Go ahead and lay him back down." Kabuto ordered the other ninja as he formed the seals for a healing jutsu. The familiar, green glow appeared around his hands, and he placed them lightly upon various parts of Kimimaro's body. Though he was unable to actually heal the other ninja, and such techniques were completely useless in the grand scheme of things, it did help lessen the discomfort temporarily.

Kimimaro's face softened a bit. His look of pain melted into one of mere mild discomfort.

His five caretakers all let out breaths they hadn't realized they were holding. Though none cared much about him as a person, they valued his life because they valued their own.

"Awwww, he would look so cute in this!" Sakura squealed, holding up a pajama set.

"Sakura!" Tenten said in exasperation. "For the last time, we're not here to expand his wardrobe!"

"Y-yeah…he needs a chew toy…" Hinata agreed, wincing as Orochimaru bit down on her shoulder.

"Hinata! When it's for a baby, they call it a teether." Ino corrected, frowning in disapproval. "Chew toys are for animals."

"And he's not an animal!" Sakura snapped, glaring pointedly at Tenten, who sighed irritably for what would not be the last time. The pink-haired girl's expression softened to one of adoration of the baby as she added, "He's a widdle angel!"

Hinata, who was now fairly sure she was bleeding, had to disagree. Still, for the sake of her sanity and Tenten's, the heiress said nothing.

The weapons-specialist noticed her distress, and made an offer Hinata wouldn't dream of refusing. "Want me to take him for a while? You look like you could use a break."

The heiress brightened instantly and nodded. Slowly and carefully, Tenten began to lift Orochimaru away from her. The silence was quickly shattered, however, when he realized what was happening. A loud shriek erupted from his tiny lungs, and Tenten thrust him back into Hinata's arms. As if by magic, he closed his mouth immediately, satisfying himself by merely pouting.

"Uh, sorry, but….it looks like you're stuck with him for a while."

A wide grin spead across Anko's face as she sprawled across the couch. She sighed happily, saying, "There's nothing better right now than peace and quiet. I've earned this." The jonin looked over at her roommate. "You know, Iruka-san, I don't know how you can stand teaching. One is bad enough. How can you handle twenty little brats in one room at the same time?"

"Well, it can be trying at times," The chunin replied thoughtfully, sitting down in the chair across from her, "but I love my job. And even if they're frustrating at times, I'm proud to know I'm training up the next generation of heroes. Besides," he added with a grin as he plucked a book off the end table next to him, "You just can't help but like them."

"Yes I can." Anko disagreed flatly. "Though that brat is probably ten times worse than any of your students." Though she would never admit it, the jonin was still bitter about what had happened to her jacket in the store. The kunoichi shook her head and flung an arm over her face lazily. "You have unbelievable patience………..wanna keep that baby?" She grinned at him hopefully, but her smile turned to a petulant scowl once more as the teacher promptly turned her down.

"Not a chance. He's your responsibility, Anko-san. I'm just here to keep you from killing him." Without further argument, the chunin turned his attention to the book in his hands.

"Good luck." Anko muttered, her mood sinking once more. Of all the people he could've been forced on, of all the other ninja in the village, she was the one bearing this burden. There were plenty of happy, oblivious couples that would've been overjoyed at the thought of caring for a 'poor, innocent orphan'.

'He has to have some plan for all of this.' The kunoichi thought, as her mind turned to their leader. 'Lord Hokage knows how infuriating it is to even think of that bastard…he wouldn't have forced Orochimaru on me without reason….would he?' She shook her head vigorously, startling Iruka, who sent a curious look her way.

'No.' She thought firmly, her expression subconsciously changing to match her inner thoughts. 'Lord Hokage is a loyal, kind leader. He would never give anyone such a burden without having a damn good reason for it.'

"You know…you're pretty entertaining to watch."

Iruka's voice startled Anko out of her thoughts. She looked over to see that he had long since abandoned reading, and was plainly—and poorly—trying to hold back his laughter.

"Really. You make some pretty interesting faces when you're thinking." He chuckled. The chunin, distracted by his own amusement, did not manage to dodge—much less notice—the couch cushion sailing toward him.

It hit him squarely in the face, effectively cutting off his laughter. His shocked and startled expression was every bit as satisfying as Anko hoped it would be, and she smiled smugly at him.

The cushion was sent flying back at her, but she dodged easily—only to get hit with a small pillow that had been sitting decoratively on Iruka's chair. The chunin grinned triumphantly.

The kunoichi was incredibly competitive, and the thought of starting a small war in the apartment was quite appealing. However, her maturity won out against the pillow-fight idea, and she raised her hands in surrender.

"All right, all right, truce!" She grinned, earning a cheerful smile from the chunin, who agreed.

"We'll rest here for now." Kabuto informed the others, taking charge at once. "I don't want to risk moving him, and I doubt you do either."

Truthfully, if they thought they could get away with it unharmed, each member of the Sound Four would've moved Kimimaro around until he died.

"Kidomaro, I want you to set up a warning system for us in case anyone is traveling this way. It should be easy; just use your webs." The medic began barking out orders. "Jirobou, focus on making some sort of shelter for Kimimaro-kun. Sakon, give me whatever bedding you all packed. My patient needs it more. And Tayuya, don't give me that look."

The kunoichi, who had been glaring daggers at him, muttered something inaudible, but surely quite rude, under her breath as her peers set to work on their new duties. Within half an hour, a network of webs surrounded them. Kimimaro was buried in a few thin blankets, and lay next to a bonfire Tayuya had started for him. Though she had insisted it was 'just to keep him warm', the flames were uncomfortably close to her leader.

The sky was already rapidly darkening and the temperature falling as the ninja gathered around the fire.

"That was too close." Kidomaro piped up after a long silence.

"No shit, dumbass. But it's his own fault for being so fucking stubborn." Tayuya chimed in.

"Just put him in his place. Don't let him forget that if he dies, he's useless to Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto said simply. The Four stared at him in surprise, as if he had just divulged the greatest secret of the earth.

"He doesn't listen to us…" Jirobou attempted weakly.

"Idiot!" Kabuto snapped, shaking his head in disgust. "This is Kimimaro-kun we're talking about. He knows the importance of his life to Orochimaru-sama. He's stubborn, not stupid. Now, all of you shut up and go to sleep." The medic scooted away from the crackling fire and curled up on the ground facing away from the others.

The four ninja glared at their superior with an intensity that could rival the sun, but reluctantly obeyed nonetheless.

Late in the night, the Dream Container shifted in his sleep and brushed against the rough bark of a tree. Sleepy green eyes blinked open slowly as the ninja tried to sit up. His head felt heavy and his body weak, but he was vaguely aware of the situation. As he looked around, things clicked into place, and he quickly grasped what had happened. Ignoring his body's protests, Kimimaro struggled slowly to his feet. Being careful not to alert the others, he silently crept away from the campsite, driven solely by the thought of his master.

To be continued...

Disclaimer: I'm obviously not Masashi Kishimoto, and I don't own Naruto.

Author's Notes: Once again, I'm sorry it took so long. The chapter is a bit shorter than I intended, too. But...review anyway, ok:)

I'm currently looking for someone to proofread chapters for me (I believe they're called betas?), as the person who has been doing it is getting too busy. If anyone's interested, let me know!