Something's wrong…
Kai woke up with a start. Her body trembled and sweat dripped off her face. She felt like throwing with this overwhelming feeling. She looked at the spot next to her. He was missing. Red alarms went off in her head as she got up and threw on clothes. He was supposed to be back by now. He said…
"I'll be back late tonight, I promise." Kabuto said, kissing Kai on the forehead. She pulled him into a hug.
"Just be careful…" She breathed, taking in his scent and listening to his heartbeat. He patted her on the head and took off the opposite direction.
Kai grabbed her jacket and took off out of the room. The hideout was quiet. She weaved through the hallways, trying to pick up any sense of his chakra. She checked the lab, the kitchen, and any other place she could think of. At this point she couldn't properly function, and was tripping as she ran.
Without thinking, she burst into Orochimaru's bedroom. This alone was a huge no-no and she knew there would be consequences if nothing was really wrong.
"Otou-san-" She stopped. He was already sitting on the bed, looking at his hands in thought. She bowed slightly, as much as her body would allow without her falling. "S-something's wrong."
"I know." Orochimaru said. He stood up, already dressed. She stepped back into the hallway as he stepped towards her. "Stay here."
"But-"
"Stay. Here." He snapped. She whimpered. He looked at her for a moment before taking off. "I swear Kabuto, if you went and died and left me here with her I'm going to bring you back and kill you again." Orochimaru thought as he weaved through the hideout and went out into the woods.
Kai paced the halls. She found new rooms she never knew existed. She found old rooms she wished she forgot. She went back to Kabuto's room, and took in the scenery. She sat on his side of the bed and stroked the pillow. "Oh Kabuto… please be okay…" She said, a few tears falling on her face. He nor Orochimaru would tell her what the mission entailed, but she knew it was dangerous. Anxiety started throwing 'what if?' thoughts into her brain and she shook her head to try and get them out.
It seemed like ages later when she heard footsteps. She stood, and opened the door. Orochimaru stopped where he was in the hallway. Kai bit her lip. He let his posture go, he was soaked, and there was this awful look on his face.
"Kai…" He said slowly. Kai choked on a sob. Orochimaru turned to her, and took a deep breath. "He's gone."
"No…" Kai said. She stepped back into the room. "No, no he's not." She held her head, trying to snap out of this awful dream she was having. Orochimaru sighed, and stepped back and leaned against the wall.
"He's gone Kai, it's as simple as that." The words were colder than they were in his head. Kai was sobbing in front of him. This wasn't his job, to deal with a heartbroken Kai. No.
It was Kabuto's.
Orochimaru watched Kai fall to her knees, holding herself. Her whole world felt like it was crashing down. She felt like death itself was wrapping around her. Her chest was on fire, her head was spinning, and her body wasn't supporting itself. He turned to walk away.
"H-how?" She asked. Her looked back at her. She was looking at him, with this look that made his day even worse than it already was. He thought back, to what he saw.
Kabuto was flying through the trees at a steady pace. He was ready to get home, and take a nice shower before sleeping the next ten hours. He stopped to take a breather. That's when they ambushed him. At least ten of them. He was pushed off the tree, and fell to the ground. He glared at the attackers. Their faces were covered. Great. Getting up, he realized he couldn't call for help.
It was less than an hour later when he was pinned to the ground for the final time. The leader of this group snickered as he held a kunai above Kabuto. Kabuto looked at him, afraid, knowing this was it. He closed his eyes for a moment, to think of Kai. He felt awful, leaving her behind. He had promised…
Pain, then darkness.
Orochimaru told Kai slowly what had happened. She was pale, and at this point was out of tears. He sniffles were the only things he heard as he spoke. She cried a little more when he told her how Kabuto had died. She pulled herself onto the bed and pulled the pillow Kabuto slept on to her. She buried her head in it, taking in the feeling of him. His scent, his humor, his everything.
"I'm sorry." Orochimaru said. Kai looked up. Orochimaru was turned away. "It's my fault. I should have sent back up." Kai just looked away for a moment before getting up and launching herself at Orochimaru. He had been in the process of turning back towards her and was embraced by a crying teenager. Startled, his first instinct was to push her away. She sobbed onto his shirt and he silently cursed. Slowly walking to the bed, he pushed her off so she laid down, and he turned and left.
The next morning, Kai woke up and grabbed her head. She felt awful. Sitting up, she saw the empty bed next to her. It all hit her again and she cried. He was gone. Truly gone. She would never see him again. She looked at the time. It was almost noon. At this point, she wasn't exactly surprised Orochimaru let her sleep so long. By the clock was a bottle of water, a pair of glasses, and a sound headband. She grabbed the glasses and headband, sniffling as she stroked the music note. The glasses were cracked, and the headband had hints of blood stains on it.
It was a whole month of crying at random points during the day. Every night she cried herself to sleep. Nothing was bringing her Kabu-nii back and it tortured her. Orochimaru finally sent her back to the Leaf Village, where she was put under lock and key until almost half a year later. She quit her ninja life and settled in as a farmer. Everything she lived for, was over.
