Kabuto knew he had to get Orochimaru medical attention, quickly; he could feel the sannin's temperature rising rapidly. He had seen Tsukiyomi before; it was horrendous what Itachi did to his victims. And the fever that was the side effect…it was almost 106 at its pitch. Kabuto knew he couldn't let the fever get that high.
But where could he go? It would take far too long to try to get back to Otokagure, and there really was nowhere to go here…and no place close, either. Otoga was close to a day's travel…even for a ninja like Kabuto, it was next to impossible to get there faster than that without damaging yourself or making other sacrifices like that. Kabuto sighed. He would have to find a closet or something where he could stabilize Orochimaru, and then try to get back to Otoga, stopping along the way to heal Orochimaru…unless…
"Kabuto!" The Kiriganin seemed so surprised to see him, Kabuto almost thought he had been forgotten.
"Hello, Hidan," Kabuto greeted. He looked down at Orochimaru. A fine sweat was breaking out over the Otokage's face, and his facial expressions indicated to Kabuto nightmares. Kabuto looked at Hidan again; maybe he could-
"Itachi?"
Kabuto nodded, and Hidan leaned forward and swept Orochimaru into his arms. "I'll take care of him. Come with me; he might be…"
Kabuto nodded and waited while Hidan lifted Orochimaru weight from his arms, then followed the missing-nin to a room around the corner. Hidan went into what Kabuto took to be a spare bedroom and set Orochimaru down.
"Sit with him," he told him. "I'll get some water."
Kabuto nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed, next to Orochimaru. His hands carefully slid underneath Orochimaru's head and shoulders, and lifted him into his lap. Hidan gave a wistful sigh as he watched Kabuto do so, and then he simply walked out to get the water. When he came back with a bowl and several rags, Kabuto was still there, gently stroking Orochimaru's hair.
"Hey…you okay…?"
Kabuto shook his head and wordlessly took the water and rags from Hidan. He dipped one into the water and set it on Orochimaru's forehead.
"Can you…tell me what happened?"
Kabuto sighed. "Itachi…put him into Tsukiyomi and…he raped him."
Hidan's eyes widened at this. "He…He actually did it…?"
Kabuto looked up sharply. "You knew about this?"
"Uh, no," Hidan said quickly. "No, I didn't."
Kabuto glared at him. "Don't lie to me. What is the Akatsuki planning? What do they want with Orochimaru-sama?"
Hidan sighed. "Never you mind. I'll tell you…but for a price."
Kabuto's eyes narrowed. "What kind of price?"
"We want Orochimaru's allegiance."
"This is about that ring, isn't it? Your organization wants that stupid ring. It holds some significance for you…doesn't it? If you don't have all ten, then something…"
Hidan sighed. "Smart one, aren't you?" He muttered, and picked up one of the rags. He dampened it and began wiping blood from Orochimaru's face. Kabuto watched curiously.
"And what attachment do you have to him?"
Hidan sighed. "It's hard to explain…but…I guess you could say we were friends…"
"Were?" Kabuto took a fresh rag from the small pile he had made on the small table next to the bed and dipped it in the basin Hidan had set down next to that. He changed the rag on Orochimaru's forehead, taking his temperature with healing chakra in the middle. "He's burning up…"
Hidan gently worked the robes off Orochimaru's chest and set his hands against him. "I'm not sure how to do this but…" Green chakra began to glow around his hands, and he began to try to heal Orochimaru. Kabuto's eyes widened.
"You know how to heal?"
Hidan nodded. "I'm trying to bring his temperature down…if he is left too long, it'll rise to dangerous heights." But his voice sounded strained, and he was sweating.
"What are you doing, taking the heat into yourself?" Kabuto asked. Hidan shook his head.
"No, this just puts a lot of stress on my systems. I have to convert my normal chakra into healing chakra, and the use it."
Kabuto nodded. "But you know how to bring temps down and I don't, so you're doing it."
"It's easy," Hidan panted. He sat back for a second. "Okay, I'm really stressed. I have to rest, otherwise…bad things will happen."
Kabuto nodded. "Walk me through it."
"Use your healing chakra to find his temp. You can do that, right? Okay, so find it, calculate how much you need to bring it down, and spread your chakra over his entire body. Entire thing, got that? Otherwise he'll spike, and then it's all over. Then use your chakra to control whatever is giving him the fever and bring it down."
Kabuto nodded and placed his hands on Orochimaru's bare chest. His skin was clammy and damp with sweat; Kabuto knew his fever was very high. He focused healing chakra to his hands, and slowly he began to spread it through Orochimaru's bloodstream.
"I can use the bloodstream to spread my chakra, right?" he asked Hidan, completely buried in Orochimaru. Hidan nodded.
"That's actually the best way to do it, because you are almost certain that the chakra will get to every part of his body. You can get directly to the heart in the chest; that's why I stripped him."
Kabuto nodded and felt his chakra going faster and faster; Orochimaru's heartbeat was fast…too fast.
"Hidan…his heart…!"
"Stop, now! If his heart rate goes up, give up, there's no sense in bringing down the fever if you're bringing up his heart! If the fever doesn't kill him, his own heart will!"
Kabuto yanked his hands from Orochimaru's burning chest, watching as the sannin's breathing kicked up.
"Don't touch him!"
Kabuto looked up at Hidan in surprise. "Why not?"
"Chakra residue. This is a very dangerous jutsu, and if his heart takes a single abnormal beat, it's all over. He'll be pushing up lilies and daisies before you know it."
"He could die? It's that serious?" Kabuto was having a bit of trouble believing that Orochimaru could die from a single misbeat of the heart, but he didn't want to take chances.
"Okay, you're safe. I can sense his heart; see why it's good to have a neutral party? They can sense without influencing whatever's going on."
Kabuto sighed and collapsed on Orochimaru's chest. He pressed his face to the cold skin, feeling Orochimaru's heartbeat. It was still strong, thank God, and regular, further more. Kabuto could feel Orochimaru shift underneath him, and had to fight the tears that brimmed in the edges of his sight. Hidan reached over and set a hand on Orochimaru's forehead, still searching for his temperature.
"Still pretty high."
He sighed and changed the cloth again, trying to keep Orochimaru cool. "If his body is this sensitive, we'll have to do this the long way. It'll take a while, but it'll work."
Kabuto nodded. "He's just…" He broke off, unable to continue. Hidan set a hand on his back, gently pulling him back from Orochimaru.
"I won't tell anyone you're here."
"What's the price?"
Hidan shrugged. "Not much…just a certain-"
"You want the ring."
Hidan nodded. "We've got a new member, and guess what she needs?"
"That damn ring."
Hidan sighed. "Well, I'll give you credit for having a brain."
"Oh, we've all got brains," Kabuto said quickly. "It's just a matter of how much or how much we use them."
Hidan shrugged. "Again, points for insight."
Kabuto put his head down on Orochimaru's chest again. "Lungs," he explained. "He seems fine, but you never know…it just looks like a fever, and that's all."
Kabuto sat up, a puzzled look on his face. "Do you know anything at all about this?"
Hidan shook his head. "Take care of him. "We'll negotiate later."
Kabuto nodded. "Will he live?"
Hidan shrugged. "You're better to judge than me. Wait another hour or so, see if he's stable, then try to bring his temp down again."
Kabuto nodded. "I know."
Hidan sighed. "I'll go see if there's any talking to Itachi."
"Thank you."
Hidan left the room silently, leaving Kabuto alone with Orochimaru.
The genin flat out collapsed on his master's chest again and cried.
OOOOOOOOO
Hidan knew the boy knew too much. And so did his master. He also knew exactly what Itachi had tried to do, but failed. He had tried to wipe their memories. And when the first version with Kabuto failed, he tried again with version two: Orochimaru in Tsukiyomi. And when that had failed, he had simply tried to traumatize the sannin to the extent that he lost his mind. And he was planning on doing the same to Kabuto, but when that all went wrong, he just gave up and released Orochimaru a day earlier, casting a second illusion of the third day. And the ring…the fact that the little Yakushi even knew of it was incredible. He must be very close to Orochimaru to be the first person to know of Orochimaru's past and survived past the age of two hours after asking about it. Usually the poison kicked in about then…
"Itachi!!"
The Sharingan user turned to Hidan as he rocketed down the hallways. "What, what is it this time?" he snapped.
Hidan pulled up, gasping from his run. "You need to know some things…"
OOOOOOOOOO
After close to fifteen minutes of crying, Kabuto's hysterical sobs had faded to small gasps. Orochimaru was still unconscious, and Kabuto knew he would be for at least another day. He was just tired of this; whenever Orochimaru was wounded, and he lay there, prone and weak, Kabuto would cry over his body. And then, a week later, Orochimaru would wake up and act as if nothing had happened at all. And Kabuto would cry again, because his master neglected to even thank him. Once. A simple thank you was all he wanted; nothing. And Orochimaru would scold him for falling behind in his work, the like, and Kabuto would simply sigh, tell him why and then submit himself to a spanking or something else like that, and then he would slink away, lick his wounds, and repeat the entire cycle.
"Kabuto…"
Kabuto looked up from Orochimaru's chest. He could have sworn…
"Kabuto…please tell me that's you…"
"Orochimaru…sama…?"
Orochimaru's golden-slitted eyes slowly opened, and he gazed at Kabuto out of pure yellow innocence. "Why are you crying?"
Kabuto didn't answer; he simply took Orochimaru into his arms, holding him to his chest like he would never let go.
Orochimaru knew something was bothering the boy; he had known him long enough to know what was going on in his mind right now, and the only time he ever cried was during extreme turmoil or sorrow. And right now, Orochimaru suspected emotional pain as well.
"Kabuto, what's wrong?" he repeated, and slid an arm across Kabuto's shoulders. Kabuto shook his head and held Orochimaru closer, kissing his forehead with a touch as soft as a whisper.
"N-Nothing, Orochimaru-sama," he said softly, voice shaking. "Please, if you ever do me one favor in this life and the next…just…tell me you're okay…"
Orochimaru exhaled slowly. He was well aware of the boy's pain, but he hesitated to say anything. What could he say?
"Kabuto," he said carefully. "What's wrong?"
Kabuto shook his head again.
Orochimaru sighed, realizing he wouldn't get an answer from him, and shifted in Kabuto's arms. "If you're going to do this, at least do it so I'm comfortable."
Kabuto shifted his grip immediately and let Orochimaru twist his body so he was reclining against Kabuto's chest, head tucked into Kabuto's neck. Kabuto pulled Orochimaru closer and put a hand under his chin, asking him to look up.
The sannin complied.
Kabuto's kiss was soft and gentle, no more than a brush against his skin, but it was still a kiss. And Orochimaru didn't object. He knew now what was wrong, and he wanted to fix it, however possible.
"Kabuto," he murmured, sitting up and touching the boy's face. "I'll be fine. And…I have to tell you something I've been meaning to tell you…for a while now."
Kabuto looked down and held one of Orochimaru's cold hands in his own. "What?"
Orochimaru sighed. "Thank you. For everything. I know I haven't really appreciated everything you've done for me…Tsukiyomi made me realize that. Thank you, Kabuto. I owe you my life…tenfold."
Orochimaru slipped back and off the side of the bed, leaving Kabuto sitting on the bed. His feet found the floor, and he immediately fell to his knees, pressing his forehead to the floor.
"Please, Kabuto…for all the times I've done something wrong…forgive me."
Kabuto was stunned. For a moment, he just sat still, absorbing the shock, and then he shook his head, chasing tears from his eyes. He walked over to Orochimaru and put his hands under the sannin's arms, pulling him up.
"Please…raise your head. I have done nothing more than to deserve a simple thank you. That's all, really. I owe you far more than you could ever owe me."
Orochimaru shook his head and accepted Kabuto's hands, allowing himself to be gently tugged back to his feet, picked up, and put back in the bed he had found himself in when he woke up.
"Kabuto…" he whispered as he fell asleep again. "I'm sorry…"
A/N: Wow, that was probably the most OOC scene I've written in any of my fanfics…T.T Please forgive me. I'll try to do better next time, but I really wanted to stress the relationship between Kabuto and Orochimaru…bleh, whatever. It's late, so I'm going to bed now. I'll probably post this around six tomorrow afternoon anyway…goodnight, people. Enjoy the fluff!