...DISCLAIMER... you should know this by now...

ihave a feeling this chapter is going to get me into a lot of trouble. Im sorry its so long...i tried to cut it down, but it just didnt work! its also a little disjointed...ill probably go back and fix it up at a later date, but its been so long since i updated i felt i just HAD to get it up now! it hasnt even been betaed! sorry!

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...chapter 10:Animal farm

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It was deep in the middle of the night in Konoha, the kind of night when the sky looked like a sheet of velvet; fat, rolling, coal-black storm clouds obliterating the moon and stars. Deep roars of thunder rumbled through the darkness, but the residents of Konoha slept peacefully on, undisturbed by the racket outside.

Well, except for one resident...

Kakashi sat hunched on his bed, fingers pressed against his temples, face set in a grimace. He turned his head slowly to the right, as though scared of what he might see, to look at the time on the digital clock at his bedside. The red numbers screamed "4:30AM" into the darkness. Kakashi let out a long, low groan and slumped onto his side, burying his head in a pillow and ramming another over his ears in an attempt to drown out the noise, or perhaps suffocate himself. It really was hard to tell.

"One more hour...just ONE more damn hour!" he grumbled into the pillow, gnawing on the squashy soft furnishing in sheer frustration. He'd been trying to get to sleep for hours, but insomnia was his only bedpartner these days, and now with only an hour to go before he had to be up for work, sleep had evaded him yet again. He threw a pillow across the room and rolled onto his back, staring up at his now extremely familiar ceiling. Another peal of thunder echoed around the room, earning itself another curse from the ailing jounin.

I wish someone would switch off the damn weather...

But Kakashi knew it wasn't just the thunder that was keeping him awake. 2 months had passed since the last time he had spoken to Iruka, and his mind had been fixated on the Chuunin ever since. He had sought distraction in a number of things, finally convincing the Hokage that he was worthy of working as a Jounin again and regaining his teaching post, although for the moment he still wasn't allowed to participate in A-rank missions. He also spent as much time with Sasuke as possible, finding it easier to help the boy through his problems than to tackle his own. Lord knew the boy needed a friend after the revelation that had left most of the teenage female population of Konoha bed-bound with shock while the ones that got over it a little quicker had decided they were going to make every moment of Naruto's life a living hell!

But all these things only bought him a temporary reprieve, and it was when he lay alone in his bed that he couldn't stop the onslaught of memories that forced his eyes open every time he drifted off. His eyes closed together tightly as he recalled Irukas final words to him...

"You broke my heart, Kakashi. Come anywhere near me again and I'll break every bone in your body..."

Kakashi shook his head hard to dislodge the thought, angrily wiping away a tear that had gathered in the corner of his eye and was threatening to trickle down his cheek. Stop it, Kakashi! he berated himself mentally. Crying will NOT bring him back! Face it, it's STILL your fault you lost him, and all the tears in the world can't and wont change that!

He turned angrily onto his left side, almost screaming out loud when he saw the figure crouched outside his closed window. When his breathing had slowed down a fraction and his heart had retreated back down his throat to his chest, he collected himself enough to strain into the darkness, trying to make out the shapes in the night. He finally managed to pick out a tattered dark-blue cloak that fluttered in the strong wind, but the person had their hood pulled up high so it sat low around their face with their back to the gale, their identity staying obscured by the heavy fabric. A white hand suddenly appeared from the folds of the cloak, making Kakashi jump, and rapped twice on the window pane before lying flat on the wet glass surface, smearing the raindrops.

Kakashi pushed himself up from the bed, and slowly eased himself off it, away from the visitor, with slow and silent footsteps. He backed up until he felt the wooden edge of his dresser, and felt around for a kunai or something to use as a weapon. He knew it was best not to startle the person hunched on the windowsill, as he had no idea if they were friend or foe. His brows furrowed with confusion as he inched forward again, wondering who it could possibly be. Smaller than him, hard to tell their build because the many folds of cloak implied they were wearing lots of layers. The hand on the window was white as snow, but that could easily be because of the cold weather outdoors. He knew his own skin became almost translucent if he didn't wrap up when the water turned to ice. The wrist connected to the hand was thin though, so that easily ruled out a few people he could think of that might want to drop in on him when he was asleep...

The hand tapped the window again just as a sheet of lighting burst across the sky, illuminating for a second the smirking face of the ninja on the sill.

Oh god no...oh please, no...

Kakashis eyes widened and his heart and stomach lurched as the light caught the facets of Kabutos glasses.

He pushed his hood back, the weak light from the waning moon, now exposed behind thin frayed clouds, glinting off his wet hair, which was flying around in the air like silver fire. He smiled wider as he rapped again, this time calling softly through the glass.

"Kakashiiiiiiiiiiiiii...open up, I know you're in there!" Kakashi balled his hands into fists as Kabuto chuckled. The laugh brought back memories of the last time he had encountered the medical ninja - the belt, the jutsu, the promise he made... Open the window? Forget it! You can stay out there until you freeze and your balls fall off for all I care! He stuck his nose in the air and turned away from the window.

He hadn't gone 3 steps before he was covered in a shower of broken glass. He winced as icicle-like fragments embedded themselves in his bare shoulders, back, and arms, but still did not turn around as he heard the boy step softly, if a little damply, into the room. Instead he spoke to the intruder in a bored, annoyed voice.

"Kabuto." he intoned simply. It was a statement, not a question.

"Kakashi." the younger shinobi replied, a faint hint of humour in his voice. "I bet you can guess why I'm here." Kakashi feigned ignorance, cocking his head from side to side in mock thought. As if he could ever forget that. "Hmmm...nope, sorry. I honestly can't think." He felt Kabutos chakra pulse stronger for a second, as though he was annoyed, and permitted himself a small smile. His body stiffened, though, when he felt footsteps coming closer to him, only a few feet away as far as he could tell. He could feel his own chakra bubbling inside him as he longed to wheel round and punch the teenager as hard as he could in the face. Kabuto must have sensed the change in Kakashis energy, as his own built again. Now Kakashi felt as though he was being stabbed in the back with an invisible finger. The energy made the muscles around the bottom of his back tingle and his skin crawl. Kabutos voice had a slightly petulant, wheedling edge to it now when he spoke, as though he hadn't expected to be met with any resistance. The chakra pulsed harder now, and Kakashi felt as though he'd actually be able to see it if he stared hard enough. The air around the two ninjas became uncomfortably warm despite the low temperature in the rest of the frigid room. Kakashi could even feel the droplets of sweat begin to trickle down his back. The prickling in his muscles flared as Kabuto stepped forward.

"Awww, Kakashi...I didn't think I was THAT forgettable! And here I thought I'd satisfied you. You've upset me now..." Kakashi felt a thin arm slide around his waist and pulled away sharply, furiously spinning round to face the smaller shinobi.

"Don't you DARE touch me, you disgusting little brat! I know fine well why you're here, but I'm NOT going to pander to your sick little fantasies! You know whatever plan you're hatching is going to fail so why don't you just quit now!" Kakashi spat, watching with a certain amount of vicious glee as Kabuto flinched when tiny flecks of spit hit him on the face. The happiness soon turned to revulsion when Kabuto reached up one thin white finger, collected the droplets of saliva, and slid the wet digit into his mouth, staring up at Kakashi lasciviously while he sucked. Kakashi stared, dumbstruck, while the ninja licked his finger clean and smiled lazily. "I've wanted to taste that for so long, Kakashi-kun...you taste so good. Ever since that night, I've been aching to taste you again, properly this time..." Kakashi opened his mouth to protest, but no sound came out. His lips flapped open and shut like a fish, but he just couldn't put how horrified he was into words.

But the worst thing was, a strange feeling was taking over his mind, like a fluffy grey cloud that obscured his thought process. The heat around the two was becoming stifling, and he couldn't concentrate. The tingle in his back had travelled up his spine and down his legs, every part of him aching. He KNEW he hated Kabuto, that he would do everything he could to stop him from completing whatever devious little plot his vile mind was hatching, but somehow, he felt completely powerless and unable to do anything yet stare numbly into his ebony eyes, into deep black pools that seemed to suck him irresistibly under his spell. Kabuto's voice seemed so very very far away when he spoke.

"You're growing weak, Kakashi. Toxins are flowing through your veins... soon you'll fall asleep and wont remember much about this. I'm surprised you're not already under, though. That was a very powerful sedative I administered! I'll bet you didn't even notice." He smiled a soft smile and stepped closer to the unprotesting ninja and slid a chilly hand down his back. Kakashi was aware of a dull nip in his flesh before Kabutos hand came around, clutching a minuscule syringe. "Glass, needles... one sharp pain is the same as another, isn't it, when you really think about it." But Kakashi wasn't thinking about it. He couldn't. All thought stopped as he quietly slipped away...

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The midday sun shone brightly upon the village, glinting off pools of rainwater left behind by the raging storm. Now the air was still and fragrant, smelling fresh and clean. The sun was not warm, but gave a warm glow to the faces of the people walking through the streets. It spilled through the tattered white curtains of Kakashis bedroom, where it illuminated the white shape lying prostrate on the floor. Kakashi moaned slightly as he opened his eyes slightly, multicoloured circles dancing in his blurry vision as he focused. His head felt heavy and full, as though stuffed with cotton wool. He shook his head muzzily to clear some of the cobwebs and stood up on unsteady legs. Stumbling, the reached for a nearby chair, crying out as his grip slipped and he landed heavily on the floor. Groaning, he looked at his hand. It was slick and shiny red. He frowned as he regarded the sight.

Blood? But... what was I doing? Why would I have blood on my hand?

He looked at the chair he had grabbed and noticed the sheen on the polished wooden surface. It was a dull reddish-brown which travelled the length of the backrest of the chair. It also coated the sides and, Kakashi noticed with horror, completely soaked the soft once-cream chair cushion and dripped into puddles on the wooden floor. Agog with horror, Kakashi stood and surveyed the rest of the room.

Reality swam. There was barely a floor to be seen. Blood thickly coated every visible surface. The bed, the table, chair, clothes, everything. The walls were smeared with the paint-like substance. Words and letters were picked out here and there where it had been wiped off, but they were indecipherable. The stench rose thick and cloying, now attacking Kakashis nostrils with renewed fervour. He retched and made his way to the bathroom, landing on his knees as his bare feet lost purchase on the soaked floor. He threw the bathroom door open then promptly turned and threw up into a convenient trash bin by his bedside table. Once he was sure nothing else was going to come up, he turned and, through narrowed, grimacing eyes, viewed the scene with repugnance and horror.

It was like the world had thrown up. Bath, shower stall, sink, even the toilet, stuffed full of dead animals. Birds, dogs, cats, even tiny things like mice and rate, all staring at him through... nothing. Each eye socket stared unseeingly back at the sickened shinobi. He could see without moving from the doorway that each and every animal was slit from throat to stomach, eyes removed, blood drained and now clotting stickily to matted grey and brown fur and feathers, innards glistening pinkly in the bright overhead light like strands of satin ribbon. All around him was the pervasive aroma of death. Kakashi stared numbly at the assorted viscera around him. He couldn't think. It was all just too much. His breathing quickened and white lights flashed behind his eyes as he looked around. He recognised some of these animals. Some were just wild creatures that roamed the forest land surrounding Konoha, others pets of his neighbours. He could even see little Konohamarus pet rabbit, Mr Kakihara, wedged into the toilet bowl between a large mangy-looking dog and some wild birds. His eyes travelled to the mirror over the sink, catching something written in the fluid of some poor defenceless animal.

"THIS IS JUST A WARNING. YOU WILL SEE EVEN IF THEY DON'T"

A warning? A warning... of what? If who didn't see? He walked closer to the mirror, feeling lengths of intestines and organs squishing between his toes and popping damply. First step. Second step. Third step. Stop. He reached out to the mirror, and took hold of the edge, something telling him to open the cabinet it was attached to.

Mistake.

Kakashi fell to the floor as the black tidal wave cascaded over him, bouncing off the bloody heads and rolling around the crimson tiles on the floor. Some exploded as they landed, others bounced before rolling to a stop. Hundreds of tiny dark globes, all different sizes, all staring crazily in different directions. Kakashis own eyes almost fell out his head as he gazed at the eyeballs around him. Some brown, some black, some quite large, some so tiny they barely existed. All belonging to one of the corpses decomposing around him. He stifled a scream as he slid himself backwards along the floor towards the door, feeling his hands crush the orbs, the liquid inside oozing over his fingers, and hearing the tiny pop and hiss they made as they burst. Inarticulate yelps and moans leapt from his throat as he finally turned and crawled on his hands and feet back into the bedroom, stumbling as he slid on bodily matter and effusions in his bid to gain purchase on the seeping surfaces. Finally he slammed the door behind him and curled up against it, rocking back and forth, whimpering madly. His hands tore at his hair and scratched down his face, leaving red and white trails punctuated by tiny flecks of brown and black flesh. "You will see". A sob burst out of Kakashis chest and suddenly he was hysterical, eyes wide and manic as he ripped his blood-soaked clothes and flung the liquid dripping from his limbs to the floor. Lightheaded and nauseous and terrified, he threw himself out the window and sprinted across the rooftops, a red and white blur against the orange and blue sky. No one saw him run, no one saw him dive head-first into the lake, no one heard his tormented scream, the shriek of pure insanity that gushed into the air. No one saw the pink-tainted tears that fell into the cool grey water, the ripples that spread out endlessly around his naked body. No one saw him stagger to shore and vanish, head bowed and shoulders slumped, with a puff of grey smoke.

Well, almost no one.

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