Temari sat quietly in the small hotel room she and her brothers had rented for the week. Kankuro and Gaara had gone off to train, leaving Temari to feed the retards.
A knock sounded on the door.
Temari looked up from her fan, which she was cleaning with a rag. Who was it? She hadn't ordered anything, and Kankuro and Gaara couldn't be back so early…
Temari set her fan aside and walked to the door. She carefully unlocked the door and stepped aside.
Shikamaru stood in front of her.
"Shikamaru!"
"Temari."
Shikamaru stepped into the room, slinging an arm around Temari's shoulders as he went. Temari kicked the door shut behind her and leaned into Shikamaru's shoulder.
"It's been too long," she murmured, and Shikamaru pulled her down to the couch.
"Word," he replied, and gently kissed her. "I've missed you so much."
Temari picked up her fan again and handed Shikamaru a spare rag. "Start scrubbing," she said. "Sand is embedded in it."
Shikamaru sighed. "Must I?"
Temari smiled. "Your other option is to fuck me."
Shikamaru groaned. "I'll clean the fan…"
OOOOOOOOO
Tsunade knew it was today.
She had gone to Shizune when she thought her water broke and, sure enough, this was it. Kakashi had come over and offered to help, and Tsunade had told him she and Shizune were fine. Now, Kakashi was reading his favorite orange book on the couch downstairs, and Shizune had taken Tsunade to her room.
"This is going to take a while," Shizune had told him. "You can go if you want."
Kakashi shook his head. "No. I'll stay. Thank you, though."
Shizune shrugged. "Suit yourself."
OOOOOOOOOO
Itachi signed the contract and set it aside. "It begins," he said quietly. "And now we just wait."
Orochimaru signed his own name and Kabuto picked up the scroll, neatly rolling it up and turning to Itachi.
"The sun."
Itachi looked up, though the stained glass windows around the upper walls of the stone room.
"It's sunset," he said.
"Hai. And the sky is red," Yasu observed. Kabuto nodded.
"It will rain tomorrow," he said. "These clouds are dark, and the sky is red."
"Red…" Orochimaru murmured. "Blood."
OOOOOOOOO
"Misao."
Kakashi nodded as he looked at his new baby girl. "It's a good name for her."
Tsunade fell back against the pillows Shizune had stacked behind her for support, sighing. "Oh, the lives that will change…"
Kakashi sat down next to Tsunade and put an arm around her shoulders. Flashes of red danced across the baby's eyes; signs of the Sharingan.
"You can pass it on," Tsunade said softly. "I didn't know."
"Neither did I," Kakashi confessed. "And now I can…if Itachi ever finds out, he'll be furious with me. He can't find out until the child is safe."
"She's never safe," Tsunade said bitterly. "She's he daughter of the Godaime and the Copy Ninja."
Kakashi sighed. "You're right. We'll wait until she's thirteen or so, and then we'll see what happens."
Tsunade nodded. "All right, she's hungry."
"Right. Call me if you need me."
Tsunade nodded, and Kakashi stepped out to let Misao nurse. He couldn't have been happier at the moment, but the fact remained that Misao-and Tsunade-were in danger. And he, as the father, was responsible for both his child and the mother. And he had to make the decision.
"Well?" Shizune stood in the hallway, grinning ear to ear.
"She's a beautiful baby," Kakashi replied. "She certainly inherited her father's good looks."
"And her mother's," Shizune said, smiling. "She's blonde."
Kakashi nodded. "She's a blonde, all right."
"I'm going in to help her. It's tricky, first time around."
"All right. I'm going to go now."
Shizune nodded. "You can come back any time."
"Of course," Kakashi said. "Thank you."
As he walked down the road to his apartment, he gazed up at the sun. The sunset was red, almost like…
"Blood."
OOOOOOOOO
Sasuke heard the door handle twist.
"Unless you're Orochimaru or Kabuto, go away," he called. "Flying kunai."
Orochimaru sighed and slowly opened the door. "Can you stop for a minute?"
"Only for you," Sasuke spat, and dropped the kunai he was holding. "What?"
"One, you're a brat," Orochimaru said dryly. "Two, in the morning I expect you for a mission."
"Where?" Sasuke asked, sounding bored.
"Go with Kabuto to test a drop point just outside of Leaf. We're setting up for one final stab." Orochimaru explained. "Itachi and Yasu will be joining us."
"Itachi?!"
Sasuke immediately seemed interested and paying attention. "Itachi will be there?"
Orochimaru nodded. "We have agreed to a peace treaty. Yasu is waiting for her new baby to turn thirteen, so we will be waiting a while. But in the meantime, Sasuke-no killing him. You've waited this long, you can wait a little longer. I promise you, I will not take your body until you have had your revenge. We need Itachi for the time being, but after that, I don't care if it's the second the battle ends, you can disintegrate him."
Sasuke sighed and picked up a kunai. "Hai," he grunted. The kunai whizzed past Orochimaru's face, clipping a hair and carrying it with the kunai to slam into Sasuke's target board.
"Split end."
"You could have asked!" Orochimaru sputtered, jumping up. "You almost took my face off!"
"It's not even your face."
Orochimaru sighed. "Feel free to cut my hair any time, I'm too lazy and Kabuto usually cuts off the split ends while I sleep. But ask first please?!"
Sasuke pulled another kunai from the pouch lying at the far end of his bed. "Move your ass or lose it."
Orochimaru smacked Sasuke across the face, snatched the kunai, and fisted his other hand in Sasuke's hair.
"One more crack like that and I will handcuff you to Kabuto for a week," the sannin hissed, pressing the kunai to Sasuke's neck. Sasuke shrugged.
"Whatever."
Orochimaru's hand moved so fast even the Sharingan could not track it. The kunai was suddenly embedded deep in the target board and Orochimaru was slamming the door. Sasuke grinned and sat up.
"Snakes."
The door creaked open again, and this time Kabuto walked through.
"Sasuke-kun, I have bad news."
"You always do, Kabuto," Sasuke grunted, "but what?"
Kabuto sighed and sat down on the bed next to Sasuke. "Your brother…Itachi, is now our ally."
"…I know, Kabuto-san."
A smile twitched at the corners of Kabuto's lips. "You respect me now?"
Sasuke sighed. "Orochimaru threatened to handcuff me to you for a week unless I shut up about his tiny little ass."
Kabuto thrust down a giggle. "Sasuke-kun, please don't tease him. Besides, he has a gorgeous ass."
Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes. "Go strip each other of your barely intact virginity in that dark corner."
"What virginity?"
Sasuke's eyes widened. "I'm going to pretend we never had that little discussion. It's fun teasing Orochimaru, and he can't, or won't, rather, hurt me because he wants my body. The pervert."
"He's not perverted, Sasuke, he just…" Kabuto paused and sighed. "He just…oh, how can I say this nicely…? He just…he has a twisted dream, that's all. And I support him, no matter what happens. I am his; by will, free choice. I am not bound by any means. I can leave any time I want to. But I don't. And I don't think you know why.
"Look over my entire body, even with the Sharingan, and you will find no seal of any kind. The reason I stay here is because I love him. I will defend him with my life. I have no reason to betray him, and even if there was I never would. So please, Sasuke, do not go against him. Do not crush him now. When he can take it…"
Sasuke sighed. "Fine. Now get lost."
Kabuto stood up and bowed to Sasuke. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke exhaled and flopped back against his pillow. What had he just promised?
A/N: …YOU SCOTCHED MY SNAKE YOU TURNTURTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!