Kabuto spent the next several weeks locked in his lab, trying to coax growth from the cells he had grafted onto the snakes. Half of the snakes had perished, but the remaining few were showing promise. Or so he says. I've started bringing our meals to his lab, eating with him so I could be sure that he wasn't letting it sit until it was cold.

It's the least I can do, since he brought me mine when I was still in my cell.

I spent the rest of my time wandering unaccompanied, cleaning some of the abandoned rooms, and lounging around with my snaklings. They were growing up strong and healthy under my doting attention. Number 19, in particular, was getting bigger by leaps and bounds. She wrapped around my wrist and down my arm when I held her now, no longer able to curl up in my palm. I adjusted to seeing Kabuto mostly at night, when he finally fell exhausted into bed beside me.

At least he got rid of the cot in his lab. I wasn't sure where I'd hide it if he didn't do it himself…

I fell asleep alone last night, nestled tightly into the blankets. I awoke groggily at around four in the morning, with him laying behind me.

"You're awake! Great! Listen, I've made an important breakthrough with my cultures. See, I had been implanting the cells directly, when I should have been…"

I drifted off. He shook me gently to wake me back up. I responded without opening my eyes.

"I'm up, I'm definitely awake…"

"Melo, do you know what this means? We're closer than ever to achieving successful results."

"Great job, baby. You should tell me all about it tomorrow."

"There's no way I can sleep right now, this is so exciting~!"

"Mmmhmmm, exciting…"

I was already almost completely back asleep. I felt him catch my hand in his and rub it over his crotch, tracing the shape of his erect hemipenes with my fingers. His voice was husky and low.

"I really can't relax enough to sleep like this."

"Do what you want. I'm gonna…good night…"

He ground himself against my hand, murmuring from behind me.

"That's permission to do *whatever* I want to, right?"

"Anything except asking me to keep talking, yeah."

I felt him roll me onto my stomach, and I slipped into a state of semi-consciousness. Behind me, he slipped one of his fingers into his mouth, wetting it, then rubbed it between my legs. It pushed into me slowly, gently stretching my entrance. After a few slow rubs, he added a second finger. He stared down at me, waiting for a reaction. I offered none. He pushed my legs further apart, adding a third finger. The fingers stretched me open, working slowly in and out of me. I let out a quiet sigh, and nothing more. I felt like I was already asleep. The hazy half thoughts I had access to were nonsensical and dream-like. The slickness on his fingers became, in my mind, the water of an infinite ocean that I was swimming though. In my dream, I didn't need any sort of suit to breathe under the water, I just floated towards whatever I was interested in without effort or intention.

I heard him shudder, then he shuffled around behind me. I felt the head of one of his hemipenes line up against me, slowly working its way in. The motion was so gentle, so careful, that I wasn't sure when he was actually fully inside me.

The ocean in my dreams was calm, empty. Ominous.

He started pushing the second head in beside the first, barely breathing as I readjusted. Whole minutes passed as he pressed into me, using his spit to lube the few inches that couldn't be slipped in on their own.

The ocean began growing darker, things stirred in its depths just beyond my view.

He managed to work the second one in, groaning quietly as he pushed until the skin of his pelvis rested against my ass. He slowly fucked in and out of me, barely moving, stopping every time I let out an especially deep breath or loud sigh. His body grew tense with concentration as he rolled against me, grinding his hips back and forth.

The ocean was crowded now, and I felt eyes on me from every direction. A tentacle reached out from beneath, wrapping around my leg and pulling me downwards. Another rose up to meet it, holding the other leg. Several more raised around me, creeping up my body.

My face contorted.

"I didn't want to do this but…sleep, dear. Just rest."

Kabuto made a sign, then placed his palm against my forehead. I relaxed against it, then fell more deeply into slumber. He started moving inside of me again, markedly less gently than before.

The creatures in my dream were swarming me now, settling onto every part of me. A dozen squids wrapped around me, squeezing me tightly. The creatures on my legs worked their way up me, forcing their tentacles into me. They moved without regard for myself or each other, pumping their tentacles in and out of me with abandon.

My body was thrust forward as Kabuto fucked into me over and over again, sweat dripping down from him and landing on my back. He groaned, digging his nails into my shoulders and raking them down my back.

The squids that had swarmed me started to bite, sharp beaks nipping at my shoulders.

My face rolled into the pillow, making it difficult to breathe.

One of the creatures settled onto my face, smothering me.

Kabuto's hand pulled my face up, and I inhaled deeply again.

The squid on my face faded into nothing.

Kabuto was being actively rough now, confident in the idea that his jutsu would keep me asleep until he was finished. He grabbed my ass cheeks in both hands, his nails pressing hard enough against me to break skin. He pulled me down onto him, grunting with each impact. He started to move erratically, groaning as he stiffened inside of me.

The squids in my dream bit and tore at every exposed inch of skin. My blood floated up around me in the water, turning the ocean red. Their tentacles pressed too far into me, and I felt like I was going to pass out.

But…if I fall asleep in a dream, where will I go?

Wait, I'm dreaming…

Kabuto let out a loud "Ahhah~!" as he pulled out of me, pumping himself with his hand over top of me. He came all over my back, covering me in spurts of sticky, hot liquid, not stopping until he was completely drained. He collapsed beside me, breathing loudly.

The tentacles tore through me, then withdrew. I floated listlessly in the water, relaxing slowly. Bubbles escaped from my lips, floating up to break on the surface of the water. Light glistened off of them for a minute, then they burst. I sank down into the black depths.

After a few moments, Kabuto stood and walked to the bathroom, then returned and wiped my back with a few tissues. He leaned in close to me.

"I'll clean that up better tomorrow, Melo. I promise."

He kissed my face, then laid beside me, pulling me onto him as he fell asleep.