A/N: Thanks to you guys for reviewing. I have enabled the "Anonymous review" part, so if you're not feeling like logging in or just dont' have an account, you can still review. Thanks Das Leech, for letting me know about that. I was totally oblivious, as I am with most things that involve technology.

Legal stuffiness: I don't own Naruto, even though it would be nice if I did. The original characters not found in the manga/anime are mine, though, and you can't have them!

Review, Please. If you don't like what I'm doing, go ahead and flame me. I've got my asbestos suit handy, and it might just tickle a little. Any input is better than none, as long as it's constructive. And now, on with the show.

Five: Don't Hold Back

The next day, she asked Kabuto if it would be alright if she sparred with him. She felt so cramped and annoyed with being in her room all of the time, she was sure that she would waste away. Amaya borrowed a set of training clothes from Sasuke, and Kabuto took her up a couple of levels to a room that he liked to train in. The prospect of physical activity was momentarily outweighed by the fact that there was a window in this room. She ran over to it, and let the light bathe her face. It was not exactly warm, but it was bright and wonderful. There was still snow on the ground, but it looked as if it were melting. "How long have I been here?" He told her that she had been there for two months.

She put the thought aside. "Rules?"

"No kunai, no shiruiken. No ninjutsu, no genjutsu. Taijutsu only." He positioned himself in the eastern part of the room. "Come, Amaya-sama." She walked casually over to him and began a series of attacks, none of which landed. His taijutsu was not perfect, but it was sufficient to ward of any non-serious attacks that she might come up with. He smiled. "Are you going to get serious any time soon? You seem almost bored."

A slight smile crossed her lips. After nearly landing a punch to his kidney, she dropped low to the ground and delivered a sweeping kick to the backs of his knees. He fell to the ground instantly. She sprang onto him, pinning him to the floor. Bending low, she kissed him lightly. "That was fun. Again?" He smiled. Before she could stand, he extricated himself from her grip and quickly reversed their positions. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You let me win, didn't you, Kabuto?" That made her angry. She didn't want him to go easy on her.

"I didn't, I swear." The smile on his face said otherwise, however.

"Don't play with me, Kabuto. You know how much I hate it. If we're going to spar, don't go easy on me, and don't let me win. I'll be very angry with you, and you'll be sorry later." He looked at her with surprise. She was the one pinned to the floor, him holding her hands above her head, and sitting on her hips, yet, she was telling him what to do. It was not a concept he understood, apparently. She had not told him yet, but she knew that there was always an opening, no matter what.

Bringing her feet around his body, she began pushing with her legs, and slowly, he was being forced to stand. He was halfway to his feet when Sasuke's voice drifted in from the corridor. "Kabuto-kun, what are you doing? Can't you handle her better than that?" Sasuke strolled in from the hall, and leaned on the wall to watch. With a burst of strength, she sent Kabuto flying across the room. Sasuke laughed. "Well, I guess not."

The medic-nin stood, rubbing his head, on which he had landed. "Itai!" He complained that he would have a lump there, and he'd have to heal it later. "If you think you can do better, Sasuke-kun, why don't you try?" The younger shinobi smiled and walked toward the middle of the room. Kabuto explained the rules to him. "And Sasuke-kun, if you go easy on her, you'll have hell to pay."

The dark haired young man nodded. Kabuto seated himself in the corner and settled in to watch Sasuke and Amaya square off. For a moment or two, they circled each other. He was much more tense about it than she was. Of course, he was Sasuke. Because of this lack of control, he attacked first, trying for his Shishi Rendan, which she countered easily on its first strike, since his movements were not as fast as she had hoped they would be. "Are you going easy on me, Sasuke-chan?" She asked after she had caught his leg and thrown it aside. He panted for a moment, shaking his head to indicate that he was not. "Well, then, come at me with something more than borrowed taijutsu."

He tried attacking her several more times, and she dodged all of these attempts as well. She yawned, covering her mouth politely. "Is it my turn yet?" He stood about ten feet away from her, catching his breath. When she began to move, his eyes widened. In three steps, she was next to him, catching his left arm in a hooking motion and pulling him off of his feet. He twisted in mid-air, and aimed a kick at the back of her neck. She caught his foot and then blocked a punch aimed at her stomach. She saw him smile, thinking that she was defenseless. Holding his fist, Amaya used not only gravity, but her own strength to pull him down while bringing her knee up into the side of his head.

He flew and rolled across the floor violently. Kabuto rose to examine him. He chuckled. "You knocked him out cold." She smiled. With a simple jutsu, Sasuke was awake in moments. Kabuto shook his head at him. "What did you do to her? You must have pissed her off, Sasuke-kun."

"That was for your comment about Kabuto yesterday." She snorted as he scowled up at her. He was not happy about losing. That was hereditary, as Naruto had told her.

"I'm flattered that you're defending my honor, Amaya-sama, but isn't that my job?" He smiled at her in a kind way. Sasuke rolled his eyes. She walked over and flicked the young Uchiha's ear.

"Ack!" He clapped a hand over his ear. "You really do remind me of my mother." He scowled, once again like a little boy. She laughed for a few minutes at him, and Kabuto joined in. Eventually, Sasuke's mood lightened. "What did Orochimaru-sama want with you yesterday?" Amaya stopped laughing suddenly.

"You remember what I told you about your eyes burning out of your skull?"

His eyes grew wide.

"Well, it didn't quite get that far, I was able to break his genjutsu. I am a specialist at that, you know. Only, I can't quite figure his out. There's a trick; I know there is. I just can't seem to find it!" She flopped down next to Sasuke and leaned against him. The young man stiffened, then relaxed. "I'm really getting tired of him, you know?" Sasuke nodded, lost in thought. She smacked him on the back of his head.

"What was that for?" He rubbed the back of his head.

"What the hell are you spacing out for?" She was just playing with him, but he didn't seem to get it. He jumped on her and wrestled her to the ground. She giggled. He looked confused. "You're so easy, Sasuke-chan." He stood up and walked away, apparently disgusted. From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw him flip his middle finger at her. Amaya shook her head. Before he left, he turned back and looked at Amaya and Kabuto.

"I'll be late tomorrow, Amaya-sama. I have some things to take care of." He slouched off down the hall, and left them alone again.

She eyed the young shinobi standing next to her. He returned the appraising glance, and then moved to attack. This time, he did not go easy on her. In the end, both had bumps and bruises, but she was much happier that way, and so was he.

After they had finished with the third match of the day, Kabuto said he had enough. She knew he was lying. "Are you still worried about my heart, Kabuto?" He hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. She smiled. "Don't be. This operation you were talking about…what do you think my chances are?"

He looked at her, worry creasing his forehead. "Your chance of survival is about seventy percent." She brightened up. "But Amaya-sama, I don't know…there's that other thirty percent that I don't know about. I would have to do a thorough medical workup on you, and that takes time."

She frowned. Time. That is something that we all have too little of in this case. "Kabuto, I need to ask you a favor."

Kabuto had reluctantly agreed to the plan that Sasuke had come up with, and they began to put everything in order as soon as they could. Amaya was examined every day for at least two weeks by Kabuto, while he did his medical research on her for the operation, and Sasuke would come after his training to visit with her. After he would tell her about his day, they would get down to business. When there was only a month left to go, she asked him, "Have you had any luck?"

"Actually, yes. Contact has been made, but I'm still worried. Will they help us?" Sasuke's face was drawn and weary. During his training hours, he had been trying to find a way to contact his friends in Konoha. For several weeks, he had had no luck. Now, it seemed that he had succeeded in contacting them. "The decision has to be made by the Godaime, Tsunade-sama. I'm sure she's not happy with me right now." Rolling her eyes, she smacked him. "What did you do that for?" He always had to ask…

She was getting tired of the defeatist attitude that he had developed over the past month. He was always down on himself. He had said repeatedly that no one would want anything to do with him since he abandoned his village, and tried to kill his best friend. "Oh, shut up, Sasuke-chan. I've already told you…they all want you back at Konoha. It may take some getting used to, but once you're back, things will get better. You'll find that once you have friends, and something to lose, you'll fight that much harder to keep them. That's how you become stronger, not by hating people. Itachi-san's anger and hatred will only get him so far. Hatred has boundaries. Friendship and love do not." He stared at her. She didn't often go off on subjects like this, so he blinked in surprise. In his stunned state, he could do nothing when she took hold of his head and gave him a noogie.

"Amaya-sama," he said once she had let him go, "There are times when you remind me more of my brother than you do my mother." He rubbed the top of his head, and smoothed his hair. When it had been replaced to its former arrangement, he leaned back on his hands. "You know, I wonder if they really will accept me back. Will I have to go to jail? Will they want to kill me? It scares me, sometimes."

She reached out and took his hand. Squeezing it, Amaya said, "Even if you have to go to jail, which I doubt you will, the sentence shouldn't be too long. I really doubt that you'll have to serve a sentence. However, that nice sensei of yours will most likely want to beat you to a pulp. That goes double for Naruto-kun. And you may have to deal with Kiba, Akamaru, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Neiji, as well. All of them other than Shikamaru were seriously injured when they went after you. Kiba had to attempt seppuku just to get away from those body-melding ninjas. As long as they come at you one at a time, you'll be fine." He looked doubtful. "Sasuke-chan, they're not the types to hold a grudge. Especially not Shikamaru. It's just too much effort." That made him chuckle, which was what she had been hoping for.

"Kiba…seppuku?" He was mystified. She still had not told him the extent of the injuries that the others had incurred. Since all of the Sound Five had been killed, there was no one to report back to Orochimaru about it. She explained to him as Tsunade-sama had explained it to her on her visit. He was surprised by the courage shown by all involved, especially by Chouji, who had formerly not been very high in his esteem. "I guess I misjudged them. All of them." Sasuke was getting depressed again.

"Sasuke-chan, even if I have to break a few of your bones, I'll break you of this self-pity crap. Just get over it. Everything will be fine."

"How can you be so calm, anyway?" he asked. His brow was creased, and his posture was as tense as a bow-string. "Kabuto-kun will be performing your operation tonight, and you aren't even preparing for it. You could die, Amaya-sama!" He slumped against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked like he was pouting.

"I'm not sure how to explain this to you. Basically, if I die, I die, and I don't have anything else to worry about. I'm more worried about you and Kabuto than myself. If I die, what will happen to you? The plan takes all three of us. So, I'm prepared for myself, but there's no preparing for the two of you. I can't do that. The only way I know how to deal with the pressure of everything riding on my survival is to try to help you." She hugged him again, but no noogie this time.

He was like the bratty little brother she never had, and when all was said and done, she would miss him when she went home. Then again, he had invited her to live in the Uchiha compound with him, in his aunt's house. She said she would think about it. School would most likely be out of the question when they all finally got the hell out of this dismal place, so she was actually considering going to live in Konoha.

Sasuke had been spending more and more time alone in the past week, brooding. His face always looked tired, and she kept telling him to get some rest. He would tell her that he had to find a way to contact Konoha, and how was he going to do that if he was sitting on his ass talking to her? He really was a hard-ass. When he wasn't being totally uptight about the plan, he was being insecure about whether the people of Konoha would accept him again, especially Sakura and Naruto. Every time he said anything about that, she smacked him and yelled at him, saying that those two were the ones who wanted him back the most. Naruto really wanted to kick the shit out of him, but she figured after he had done that, or at least given it a decent try, he would be ok with Sasuke.

His worst fears were over Sakura. It was amazing that it had taken him this long to realize his feelings, and she laughed every time she thought about it. He had stopped talking about Sakura around her, since it earned him two smacks for every "Sakura must hate me," type of comment. Some people only really learn with good old-fashioned negative reinforcement. Apparently Sasuke was one of those people.

Now, with only one month to go until the transfer and the culmination of all their plans, Sasuke was a bundle of nerves. He had made contact with ANBU, and they had only to wait for Tsunade-sama's response, then the plan could go into action. If everything worked out, Orochimaru could be taken care of, Sasuke could be saved, and Kabuto could get a suspended sentence, she hoped. There was no getting off scot-free for him. He had killed numerous ANBU, and participated in the invasion of Konoha two years earlier, and attempted to kill Sasuke. She had been concerned that he might not want to go through with the plan if he would have to face jail time. However, he was perfectly willing.

It made her happy to think that once he was out of prison, he could start his life over again, and he was happy about it, too. Now, this close to her operation, knowing that Kabuto would be performing it gave her a great amount of comfort. The only other more qualified medic-nin was Tsunade-sama, and she was sadly unavailable. Kabuto's tests and medical workup on her brought Amaya's chances of survival and full recovery up to around ninety-five percent. He really was good at research.

Sasuke left her soon after this conversation so that she could get some rest before the operation, and shortly after, Kabuto came in. "Are you ready, Amaya-sama?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Are you still worried?" He shook his head. He was lying again. She didn't mind. She was worried now, too. The plan depended on her living, and hence, it depended on Kabuto's skill. She reached out to him. He came to sit next to her on the bed. "If anything does happen, and I don't survive the operation—"

"Don't talk like that, Amaya-sama…"

"Stop calling me that, Kabuto."

"Amaya…"

"That's better." She placed her head on his chest, and his arm encircled her shoulders. She sighed. "This is nice." She felt him nod, and mumble that it was nice. Amaya turned her head, seeing the worry open on his face. "It's alright, Kabuto. I'm scared, too." Wrapping her arms around him, she placed her head on his chest. From his pocket, he produced a small clock. He set it next to the bed, and pressed a button on the top of it. They lay down together, and fell asleep in each others' arms.

The next thing she knew, her chest hurt like a sonovabitch, and Kabuto sat on the edge of the bed, swaying. She looked down at herself, and saw that she was bandaged. He had not woken her up before performing the operation. In a way, she supposed that it was better that way. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. He put his finger over her lips, shaking his head. Sasuke came in, and saw her in the bed, bandaged and hurting, but alive. "Good to see you're still alive and kicking, Amaya-sama." Just then, Kabuto's eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell off of the bed.

"Kabuto!" Amaya screamed, and then she gasped, when the pain in her chest spread through her entire body, as if a thousand white-hot needles had been driven through her veins at the speed of light.

Sasuke ran over to check on Kabuto. After a moment, he stood. "He's ok, Amaya-sama. He's just used a lot of chakra. Probably more than he should have. Kabuto-kun just wanted to get the operation over with quickly." He arranged blankets on the floor as he talked, and rolled Kabuto onto them. He left the silver-haired shinobi lying on this pallet for a while, and checked on Amaya. "Are you alright, really?"

She nodded, afraid to speak. "Good," he said. "I was hoping you'd be ok. I'm going to go and get some medicine for Kabuto-kun, and then I can ask him what to do about something for your pain. I'm not sure what would react badly with the healing jutsus he's been using." He left quickly, and after twenty minutes of her staring at Kabuto's unconscious form on the floor, Sasuke returned with a large bottle. "Kabuto-kun gave some of this stuff to me once when my chakra was low. It helped right away. It tastes terrible, though."

Since she was not allowed above ground under any circumstances, she could not accompany Sasuke on his meeting with ANBU. Apparently, they had sent two ANBU, as well as Nara Shikamaru, and his ever-present friend, Akimichi Chouji. As Sasuke told Amaya about how Shikamaru shook his hand, he was dazed. He still couldn't understand that they all wanted him back. Chouji told Sasuke that he owed him a really big dinner. Sasuke had laughed. A real laugh, and his smile reached his eyes, too.

It was amazing how much he had changed in the months that she had known him. Lately, he had taken to calling her 'Amaya-onehsan, and she didn't mind at all. When they got to Konoha, he said, he was going to make her part of the Uchiha clan, as his sister. She felt the same way about him, but still called him 'Sasuke-chan.' After he finished telling her about the meeting, he asked how she was, and how Kabuto had been treating her. "Oh, I'm fine, Sasuke-chan. I'm nearly back to normal. In fact, in two of the four matches yesterday, Kabuto got knocked out." She smiled. It was so fun to beat up on him. He was really a softie when you weren't his enemy.

"Just don't overdo it, onehsan. We only have a week left."

"Sasuke-chan, you have got to relax."

"How?"

"Want me to beat up on you some?" She smiled at him, hoping he'd say yes. Training always seemed to make him feel better. Maybe it was going through the motions of a kata, or the fact that everything melted away from him when he was trying not to get his skull cracked by her, but it really did seem to help. He declined, and Amaya pretended to pout.

"You're really too old to be making faces like that, onehsan." He poked her in the middle of her forehead. That Naruto-like smile had appeared again. Oh, you're just asking for it, aren't you? Just as she was reaching over to grab a handful of his hair so that he couldn't get away when she hit him, a knock came on the door.

She straightened, regaining some composure, and Sasuke's smile persisted, this time looking even more like Naruto. "Come in," she said in a slightly perturbed voice. She had been expecting Kabuto, but it was Orochimaru. Her gaze turned frosty, and she stood. "How nice to grace me with your presence, Orochimaru. It's been a very long time. What is it now? Three months?" The Sannin's eyes flicked toward Sasuke, who had stopped smiling the instant the door slid open. He rose to leave. Orochimaru ignored him completely.

When the door had closed behind the dark-haired shinobi, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "What was Uchiha doing in here?"

She rolled her eyes. "Orochimaru, are you jealous?" His hand twitched, wishing to strike her, knowing she wouldn't let him. "There's no need to worry your pretty head about Sasuke. He's not really my type. Also, He's ten years younger than me. It will be a little different once it's you, though." His right eyebrow flicked upward, indicating at least a slight interest in this comment. "The person I'll dealing with once you're in Uchiha Sasuke's body will be you. You're more than twice my age, as I understand it, so I don't see much wrong with that. I know that it's a double-standard, but I can't help it." She crossed her arms under her breasts and let her face take on an almost sulky appearance.

"If that's how you feel, then why are you making me wait?" His voice had taken on a tone that was dangerously close to whining. Now, that's not something you hear every day. She was…amused. She walked around him, trailing a hand over his shoulders, running her fingers through his hair. After making this circuit, she came to a stop in front of him. She pressed herself against him, and stood on tiptoe.

Whispering in his ear, Amaya said, "You don't need to ask Kabuto anything. I'm well worth the wait, Orochimaru." As she lowered herself down to her heels, her lips brushed against his neck. A very slight shiver passed through him, which is a lot, considering the source. His hands quivered, reaching for her. "Ah, you're just going to have to wait…" Standing on tiptoe again, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You can wait just a little more, can't you?" She closed her eyes, and kissed him. Internally, she relished the administering of her favorite form of torture. It was not just his hands that were shaking. His entire body was following suit.

"It's been almost a year, Amaya-san. Why do I have to wait?"

She bit his lower lip lightly. "Don't whine, Orochimaru. It really doesn't suit you." That was the only true part of this business. He really sounded wrong when he whined. For a moment, he lost control, and pushed her roughly against the wall, pulling at her clothes, and pressing himself against her. His kiss was long and deep, full of a need that frightened her. When he paused for breath, she held him back by his shoulders. Her kimono hung off of her right shoulder, exposing most of her breast. His eyes flicked from this bit of exposed skin to her face. His breathing was ragged. If this was what he was like now, what would happen if the plan didn't work, and she was forced to be the mother of the new Uchiha-Orochimaru line?

"Please, Orochimaru. It is only a week, isn't it?"

"Two, actually." Kabuto's voice came from the doorway. He had not knocked. Stepping inside, he said, "Orochimaru-sama needs a week to recover his strength from the immortality transfer jutsu." She hurriedly straightened her clothing, and Orochimaru moved to leave. He shot Kabuto a look that said he would pay for his interruption. When the Sannin's footfalls faded, and they were both sure that he was gone, Kabuto asked her if she was alright. "You seem flustered. What did he do?"

"The usual. His seduction art needs a little bit of work." She sat on the bed.

"He doesn't generally need to seduce women. He's a Legendary Sannin. There's usually at least four or five women at any given time who would gladly give themselves to him." Kabuto spoke from years of experience dealing with Orochimaru, but it was still a little hard for Amaya to believe. After a pause, he asked, "How does he compare to me?" The young shinobi looked at her with a curious expression on his face that bordered on mischief, though she thought she could see through it.

She smiled. This was the only insecurity that Kabuto had. He was competing against his master, a Legendary Sannin. But in this contest, jutsu did not count for much. The only way she could answer the question was honestly. "I like you much better. I can beat you up, and you don't mind. And frankly, he's nowhere near as handsome." He did not seem convinced. Amaya moved closer to him. "How can I persuade you?" She shrugged slightly, and her kimono fell off of her shoulder again.

"I'm sure I can think of something…" The now-familiar leer had come over his face. She laughed, and he tackled her.

So, am I doing ok? I know some of you are all for Amaya and Orochimaru to end up together, and then there are those of you who are rooting for her to get with Kabuto. Heheehehehe! I love messing with you guys about this stuff. Well, tune in next time for "Countdown," which is far from the end, but is looking really good.

Ja ne!