Not This Time
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 10
The next day, Sasuke heads to the lab. He hated going there. He hated giving Orochimaru what he wanted, but at the moment there was no other choice.
"I want my chakra pathways measured. That's what this experiment was supposed to be about anyway, wasn't it? It'll give you a good baseline to see what a normal chakra network looks like." Sasuke says.
Kakashi was teaching a class. That meant that his boyfriend wouldn't see what he was about to do. Which was a good thing for Sasuke because he knew that the History Professor would try to talk him out of it.
Not that the Uchiha could blame Kakashi. What he was doing was foolish and reckless, but it was also necessary. He shouldn't be having visions from his past life anymore. The serum should have filtered out of his system by now.
"That's a very good point. Though I am surprised hat you are being so reasonable today. Pleasantly surprised, of course." Orochimaru says as he hooks up the machine that would measure Sasuke's chakra pathways.
"I don't like you. I don't want you meddling with my personal life, but this is bigger than petty differences. This type of research could truly change everything. It potentially could save millions of people's lives. I'm not petty enough to let my personal revulsion towards you stop me from working on this project." The raven haired man retorts.
In reality, Sasuke hadn't wanted to step foot inside this place again. He knew that he had to though. God only knows what Orochimaru had shot Kakashi up with and how long he had been exposed to the serum himself. The med student had to find out what was in that stuff and what the long-term effects were going to be. It was as simple as that.
"You really should be nicer to Dr. Sannin. He has given you an amazing opportunity. As you said yourself, this is groundbreaking research. You could really make a name for yourself, if this is successful. Would it kill you to show a little gratitude?" Kabuto hisses at him.
Sasuke rolls his eyes in response to Orochimaru's lapdog. Why should he show respect to the man who had almost poisoned his boyfriend? Hell would freeze over before the Uchiha would become another good little lapdog for the Medical Research like Four Eyes had.
"He tried to poison Kakashi. He doesn't deserve my respect. You freak. He's lucky that we didn't report him to the police." Sasuke hisses at him.
"Now, now. There is no need for that. Kakashi signed a form that said he wouldn't hold me liable for any unpleasant side effects of the experiment." Orochiamru says with a smirk.
"Does that include death?! Because you could have killed him!" The graduate student rages at him.
He knew that he should keep his temper. Sasuke should be smarter about this, but he just couldn't. Not when it involved Kakashi.
Kakashi had always brought out strong emotions in him. Sasuke hadn't known why at first, but he did know. They were connected in this life and the previous one and he damn sure wasn't going to allow Orochimaru to break that connection!
"I wasn't trying to kill him, Sasuke. Don't be ridiculous. I merely wanted to see what the serum would do when administered in a higher dosage." The other man replies.
Sasuke glares at Dr. Sannin. He wasn't dumb enough to fall for that and Orochimaru damn well knew it. Why he insisted on insulting both of their intelligence, he didn't know.
"Whatever you say, Doctor." He hisses back at him.
The word doctor was dripping with venom. If nothing else, the Uchiha wanted Orochimaru to know just how much he utterly despised him. His little obsession wasn't going to go anywhere.
"You weren't nearly this uncooperative in your past life. Though I suppose you had more motivation back then to be a good boy. Tell me Sasuke, what have you seen in your past life so far?" Orochimaru asks as he glances at the machine that was displaying Sasuke's chakra pathways like an x-ray result.
"It's a blur mostly. Jumbled images. A lot of fighting. I think I was a ninja." Sasuke says.
He had to give Dr. Sannin something. If he wanted to stay part of this experiment, Sasuke knew that he would have to participate to a certain extent. Though he would be damned, if he told the snake anything personal!
"That's normal at first. Well at least in my experience. The same thing happened to me." Kabuto assures him.
"Good to know." Sasuke mutters as he glances at the results.
On one side, there was a picture of a normal chakra system. The pathways were hard to see, even with his keen eyes. On the other side, there was a picture of his chakra system. His pathways were…not as small.
In fact, they were significantly bigger. Sasuke didn't think that it would be an exaggeration to say that they were at least twice of the size of an average person's. The serum must have enlarged them.
"Well it seems that your pathways are growing. That's a good sign. At the moment, I'm uncertain that you can currently use chakra. Though it is certainly a promising start." Orochimaru murmurs thoughtfully.
His chakra pathways were widening. That much was obvious. Though would they continue to do so, even after he was no longer being exposed?
That was the million dollar question and Sasuke didn't have a good answer for it. He shouldn't be getting more memories back without further exposure, but he was. Had a tipping point been reached?
"Yes, I suppose so. Has anyone else had their pathways widened?" Sasuke demands.
"Kabuto's pathways have been widened by about 25%. Though yours are widening at an exceptional pace. I wonder if it has something to do with a test subject's physical fitness. Kabuto has always been more of an academic and you are quite athletic." The medical research ponders out loud.
Sasuke smirks. Orochimaru may not have meant it the way that it came out, but he had essentially admitted that the Uchiha was stronger than his sidekick. There was something rather satisfying about that.
"It could be any number of factors. I don't see why we should jump to that conclusion, so quickly." The bespectacled man retorts.
"That's true. Well Sasuke, would you like an injection?" Orochimaru asks.
Sasuke frowns as he considers it. He should say no. The med student knew that he should, but he knew what would happen if he did.
Orochimaru might decide he wasn't worth the hassle. He didn't really have a choice. Kakashi was so going to kill him.
"I suppose one injection wouldn't hurt." He mutters.
Meanwhile Kakashi was in class. He was in class and having a very difficult time concentrating. That was all thanks to the fact that he had landed himself quite the attractive boyfriend who was apparently rather eager to please.
"Professor Kakashi?" One of his students asks.
He didn't hear it though. The silver haired teacher was far too focused on thinking about what he could do with said boyfriend, now that he was feeling better. He had a lot of fantasies to live out.
"Professor Kakashi?" The student asks again.
Of course, he wasn't complete animal. He did intend to wine and dine the other man. He'd take him out to dinner and things like that.
Kakashi imagined that Sasukse preferred red wine. It seemed like something the other man would like A sensual and sophisticated classic that didn't put on too many airs, but still was slightly smug.
"Professor Kakashi!" The frustrated freshmen yells at him.
"Konohamaru! There is no need to yell like that. What did you want?!" He grumbles in annoyance.
That's when it became rather apparent than Kakashi must have spaced out as the kids said these days. Apparently, Konohmaru had been calling his name for the last five minutes. That was embarrassing.
"I wanted to know, if the bibliography counted towards the four page paper you want us to do." The young man grumbles.
"Oh right. Of course. That does count towards the four pages. Yes." Kakashi says as he waves off the energetic student's question.
Damn. Sasuke was really going to be the death of him. He already couldn't focus on his classes. He really needed to see him as quickly as possible.
When the bell rang, Kakashi sighs and sends a text to Sasuke. He figured that he should at least try to do this the proper way. Dinner at a fancy restaurant seemed like a good start.
Sasuke, where are you and are you free tonight? ~ Kakashi.
He didn't like the way that it took Sasuke awhile to answer him. It felt like an eternity, but in reality it had only been five minutes. The silver haired man knew this by the timestamps.
I'm at the lab. Sorry. I have to keep up appearances. I'm just finishing up here. So yeah. Dinner sounds great. Where should I meet you? ~ Sasuke.
He knew that it wasn't fair, but Sasuke's text did infuriate him. Kakashi knew that Sasuke was only trying to make sure that Orochimaru didn't end up hurting anyone with his sick experiments, but it was still irritating. Mostly because he was concerned for his future lover's safety, but also because it was obvious that Dr. Sannin's feelings for the young man were far from platonic.
I'll head over to the lab. You can just wait there for me. I should be able to pick you up in about five minutes. Think that you can defend your virtue against that cretin for that long? ~ Kakashi.
The fact that Orochimaru's obsession with Sasuke had carried over into his next life was even more troubling though. That meant that it wasn't just a casual attraction. It was a dangerous fixation.
One that made Kakashi want to break every bone in Orochimaru's body or turn him into an eunuch. As much as the History Professor was loathed to admit it, Itachi had come up with a good threat. He was going to have to use that one more in the future.
Are you really jealous of that fossil? ~ Sasuke.
Jealous? He was not jealous! Kakashi was fully aware that Sasuke wasn't even the slightest bit attracted to the much older professor.
Granted, he was older than his boyfriend. He was significantly older, but he hadn't completely veered off into May-December Romance. That just wasn't his style.
I'm not jealous of him. I just want to know, if you can fend him off that long. ~ Kakashi.
You sound pretty jealous to me, but yeah. I'll be fine. I can't wait to see you. I've been thinking about you all day. ~ Sasuke.
That Uchiha didn't play fair. Sasuke definitely didn't play fair. Taunting him about being jealous and then winding him up with that comment. He was fighting dirty and they both knew it.
Same here. I'll be there in a few. ~ Kakashi.
The History Professor didn't think that he had ever traveled halfway across campus so fast before. Sasuke was alone with Orochimaru which was bad. Sasuke was also taunting him in ways that were driving him crazy. That was also bad, but in a good way. Both of those factors contributed heavily to his newfound speed.
Not that he had ever been slow. Kakashi had once been a track star in high school. Still this was a record, even for him. It was quite impressive really. Maybe, he should have tried out for the Olympics.
"Ah Sasuke, it looks like your boyfriend is here." Orochimaru taunts him, a few minutes later as Kakashi walks down the hallway.
"Yes, he is. It's not surprising that you recognize him though. I mean you did almost poison him last time." Sasuke glares at Orochimaru hatefully.
"Sasuke, are you ready to leave Orochimaru's Lab of Horrors?" The silver haired man asks with fake cheerfulness.
Sasuke practically winces at the tone. Oh yeah. His boyfriend was not happy about him still being involved in the experiments, but they were in this together and Kakashi was just going to have to deal with that fact.
"Yeah. Believe me, I'm beyond ready." Sasuke says with a smirk as he heads off with Kakashi.
"This is getting rather irritating." Orochimaru mutters under his breath, but Sasuke hears it.
He knew that it was a childish impulse, but the Uchiha couldn't resist. He flips the other man off. After all, the bastard deserved that and more.
In a decent world, Dr. Sannin would already be in jail for what he'd done. Unfortunately, this wasn't a decent world and so Sasuke had to settle for making a rude gesture at him.
"Sasuke, did you really just flip him off?" Kakashi asks in amusement.
"Maybe. Oh come on. You aren't honestly going to lecture me about that, are you? You have to admit that he deserved it." Sasuke retorts.
Before Sasuke knew what was happening, Kakashi pushes him against a wall and captures his lips with his own. Sasuke gives him a confused look for a moment, but then decides to go with it. Why ask stupid questions like why was Kakashi kissing him, when he could focus on how well the other man was kissing him?
"I'm sorry. It was just adorable. You're adorable when you act like a sulking kitten." The History Professor answers Sasuke's unspoken question.
"I'm not acting like a sulking kitten!" Sasuke hisses at him.
"Yes, you are. You even hiss like one." Kakashi observes with a chuckle and Sasuke twitches with righteous indignation in response.
Was that really how Kakashi saw him? He saw him as a cute kitten that he liked to play with? Fuck that! He was a tiger and Sasuke was so going to prove that to the handsome teacher!
"I am not a kitten. How about we forget the dinner and just go back to your place? I can prove to you how very much unkittenlike I am." Sasuke purrs dangerously into his ear.
"Mmm well how can I resist such a kind invitation like that?" Kakashi asks.
"You can't. That's the point." The Uchiha replies smugly as the two walk back towards Kakashi's home, hand in hand.
Elsewhere Itachi was in the Dean's Office of Sasuke's University. This had gone on quite long enough. He wasn't going to stand for it, anymore.
"Are you aware that Dr. Sannin is conducting experiments on humans with a foreign substance that resulted in my brother getting a seizure?" He demands.
Tsunade's eyes widen. A seizure? Sasuke was a perfectly healthy young man though. Men like Sasuke didn't generally go around and randomly get seizures.
"Are you sure that's what caused it?" She asks.
"I don't have proof, but I know that Orochimaru has been injecting some kind of serum into his test subjects. Shortly after my brother signed up to be his lab assistant, Sasuke got his first seizure in his entire life. Do you think those two things are mere coincidences?" He growls at her.
The busty blonde blinks and Itachi sighs in satisfaction. Good. The woman knew that something was wrong with this picture.
"Well unless Sasuke is willing to release the results of the blood work that he undoubtedly had done after his seizure, we have no proof. I did authorize the experiment, but only to explore the possibility of reopening chakra networks. I never meant for anyone to get hurt." She whispers.
Itachi sighs and nods sympathetically. He believed her. There was a certain sincerity in her voice that was almost impossible to fake. That still didn't answer the most important question of all though.
What were they going to do about this? Ideally, the Dean would yank his funding. Sadly, that seemed unlikely. Orochimaru's project was partially funded by the government. If the University pulled his funding, the government would probably pick up the rest of the tab.
"I understand that. Do I have your permission to speak with Rasengan News? My foolish little brother is friends with the son of Minato Namikaze. If I pulled a few strings, I'm certain that they would send an investigative reporter here." The Uchiha suggests.
"That's brilliant! Orochimaru would probably speak with the reporter willingly. God knows that man has always been hungry for fame." The Dean replies.
Itachi nods in agreement. That much was true. Orochimaru's ambitions truly knew no bounds. It was more than a little frightening, really.
"Good. I'll give the station a call and see, if I can't get them to send someone over." The doctor assures her.
"Wonderful. Please do keep me briefed on the situation." Tsuande pleads with him.
"Don't worry. I most assuredly will." The elder Uchiha Brother assures her and with that, he heads off to call the Rasengan News Station.
Meanwhile Sasuke and Kakashi had made it back to the History Professor's place. The younger Uchiha Brother was getting quite familiar with it. It was starting to feel like a second home.
"You know, it's really not an insult to be called a kitten. Most people would view it as a compliment. There are very few people who don't adore them." Kakashi points out with a chuckle.
"There are worse things to be called. I know that, but I'm still not some cute little furball." Sasuke grumbles as he pushes Kakashi onto the couch and straddles his lap.
The fact that his boyfriend was just giving him an amused look further spurred him on. He was so not some cute little domesticated feline. Once again, he was an Uchiha. He was a tiger. Thank you, very much!
"Mmm I don't know. You are rather cute. Though the little is obviously wrong." The other man concedes in an effort to placate him.
"That's a start. Now, we'll just have to work on the other parts." Sasuke purrs dangerously in his ear.
He knew that he could do this. Sasuke would simply have to prove to Kakashi that he was someone who should be taken seriously. Both inside and outside the bedroom.
"Mmm I look forward to you trying to prove me wrong, but I doubt you will. Then again, you were always so stubborn." Kakashi murmurs as if suddenly in a daze.
Team Seven had only been operational for a few months, but in that time Kakashi had learned a few important facts about his team. As was the natural order of things in the Leaf Village, a love triangle had formed on his squad. Well sorta.
Naruto adored Sakura. Sakura liked Sasuke and well, Sasuke was Sasuke. He didn't appear to like anyone really. Though that was only to be expected. The boy was still suffering from a horrible trauma that the silver haired man wasn't sure that he would ever recover from.
"I can so out eat you, you bastard!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Pft. Dream on, loser." Sasuke thundered right back at him.
The boys were probably on their seventh or was it eighth bowl of rice? At some point, Naruto had challenged Sasuke to an eating contest. Whoever could eat the most food, would win.
What the boys were gambling, Kakashi didn't now. Though he suspected that there wasn't an official prize. It was just a matter of pride.
"Sasuke! Naruto! You're going to make yourselves sick!" Sakura cried out fretfully.
Kakashi couldn't really disagree with that assessment. It already looked like both boys were on the verge of throwing up. Maybe, he should step in.
"Alright. Don't you boys think that you've had enough to eat? Sakura is right. You're both going to make yourselves sick." Kakashi warned them.
"No way! I'm going to beat this bastard!" The blonde protested.
"Whatever. You're still going to lose. You should just take the out that Kakashi offered for you." Sasuke said with a smirk.
Some things would never change, Kakashi thinks to himself in the present. Sasuke was still just as stubborn today as he had been in his previous life. It was amazing.
He couldn't help but wonder, if that was the case for all of a person's lives. Were the core personality traits always the same? How big a role did the circumstances of a person's life play in their personality and how much was just innate?
"Mmm you don't seem to mind my stubbornness all that much. After all, you're my boyfriend now." Sasuke whispers as he kisses him.
Kakashi smiles into the kiss as he returns it. Alright. The Uchiha did raise a good point there. Most of the time, the silver haired man really didn't mind Sasuke's stubbornness.
Though there were times, when it made him want to pull out his hair in frustration. For instance, when it came to Orochimaru. Kakashi would very much like Sasuke to remove himself from Dr. Sannin's twisted little experiments. Unfortunately, that didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon.
"Mmm most of the time, I find it rather endearing." He admits between heated kisses.
Sasuke was an excellent kisser. Kakashi should know. He had a lot of experience with kissing. To him, kissing was something of a fine art.
Some people were naturally gifted at it. Others had to master it over the years. There were some people who were both gifted and mastered it. Oh and there were also completely hopeless cases. (The History Professor suspected Orochimaru fell into that last camp).
"I can live with endearing. Though I was hoping for sexier adjectives." Sauke mutters.
"Mmm. Trust me, you are very sexy. You don't have to worry about that." Kakashi assures him as he caresses his cheek and Sasuke smiles in return.
Had it always been this way? So far, Kakashi had only seen Sasuke as a child in their other lives. Presumably, the other man had reached adulthood at some point though.
Was it possible that his attraction to the Uchiha in his arms had actually spanned two lifetimes or was this a new development? Kakashi didn't know. He wasn't sure that it mattered, but he was curious.
"Mmm good. So does this mean that we can use the hot tub? You seem to be feeling better." Sasuke teases him.
"Well I am feeling better. You know what? Go turn it on. I'll be there in a minute." He says, after pondering the matter for a moment.
"Alright. Don't keep me waiting. You already did that for years and it was not fun." Sasuke mutters as he heads off towards the hot tub.
Oh Kakashi definitely wasn't going to keep the med student waiting anymore. He just wanted to be sure that he had everything that they needed to ensure that their first time together was a pleasurable one. With that in mind, he grabs the necessary items and follows Sasuke to the hot tub.