Chapter 15: Secret From The Blue Sky

"Kabuto?" She paused, waiting for his response. "Kabuto?"

"Uh, huh?" He looked down at her. "Yeah?"

She giggled. "Are you spacing out again?"

"N-No."

She giggled again. "Yeah, right." They walked side by side and she squeezed his hand.

"Did you want to tell me something?"

She stepped in front of him and grinned. "I'll race you back to the base!" She dashed off.

"Hey! That's cheating!" He ran after her.

"You're faster than me, so what difference does it make?"

"I'm right behind you!"

She looked back. "Now you're the one cheating!"

"How!"

"You're too fast!"

"Is that a crime?" He jumped forward and tackled her to the ground. "Got cha!"

"Ow!" She licked her lip. "Ow, I think I bit my lip…"

"Lemme see." She moved her hand and he looked closely. Her lip was bleeding pretty badly. "Ouch, I'm sorry."

She licked her lip again. "No, that's alright."

"Here, this is the least I can do…" He stuck out his tongue and licked the blood away.

"K-Kabuto?" She blushed.

"Hold on…" He pressed his lips against hers and began to suck on her lower lip. "This…This always helps when I…when I cut my lip…"

"Oh…" She found herself easing onto her back and pulling him down with her.

He blinked. "…Alright…Mitsuki…"

X-X-X-X

Kabuto awoke from his dream with a start. He was sticky with sweat and he was breathing hard. "Wh-What?" He ran his hands through his gray locks. "A-Aah, that dream? Why did I dream of…dream of her?" He reached for his glasses and put them on. "What's with me?" He got out of his bed. "I need some air." He stepped out onto the small balcony of his apartment. The sky was a dark blue and the crescent moon was visible. Little stars were scattered about as if a little child had happily sprinkled them everywhere. "Why the fuck would I dream about Mitsuki! That bitch is a traitor!"

"K-Kabuto, can I tell you something?"

"That's her fault! She shouldn't have betrayed Orochimaru in the first place!"

"Please! Swear on your life that you won't tell anyone! Not even…Orochimaru."

He ripped his eyes away from the sky. "Please, did she actually think I wouldn't tell? She knows how loyal I am to him!"

"I don't like lying to you…"

"That honest fool!"

"You're special to me, that's why I can't continue to lie to you like this anymore."

"Me? Special? I can't believe she was so blind!"

"I want my old life back, I just want to be normal."

"She shouldn't have been so naive as a child."

"…I wanted to atone for my sins."

"She'll just have to atone for them through death."

"Are you…keeping your word?"

He leaned against the railing of the balcony. "Sh-She knows how I am!"

"…I trust you. I trust you with my life."

He paused. "…She really did trust me with her life…didn't she?"

"You're a wonderful guy."

"…Am I really?"

"…There are guys who are handsome with glasses as they are without glasses. You're one of those guys, Kabuto."

Kabuto looked up at the sky. "…Damn her…Damn her!" He rubbed his head. "GAH! Now I can't stop thinking about her! Her trust in me was so important to her! She trusted me with her life! Her smile was so fucking beautiful when she was next to me! Her hands were so warm! She was just so damn beautiful and so damn innocent!" He closed his eyes. "What's the answer! What's the answer? You stupid moon, what's the secret?"

"I love you Kabuto."

He froze. "…She…"

"I love you so much…"

"…Love…"

"Sometimes it hurts…"

"…What hurts?"

"My love for you. It's so great that it hurts sometimes."

"…Then why don't you quit loving me!"

"Because I love that feeling of pain. It tells me how much I care for you. Oh Kabuto, don't you see? I love you as the day is long! I'm so passionate about you that it's so painful! But when love is painful like this, it only means that the bond between the two people will only get stronger. Kabuto, I love you. You mean everything to me."

He looked back up at the sky. Tears were slowly making their way down his cheeks. "Th-That f-fool. I meant everything to her. She loved me so much, I could tell. She cared for me so much and before I knew what she was doing…I…I also loved her…truthfully. I cared for her and I loved her! She was more than just a friend, just a partner! She was…the girl I loved." The moon seemed brighter. "S-So this was the secret kept hidden from me for these past weeks. Even though she was a traitor…Even though I had to deceive her for Orochimaru's sake…I still loved her. I thought that my love for her had died when I found out…Her trust in me was everything and I need her beside me now. I…I'm sorry Mitsuki…I wish I could go back and stop this from happening. I wish you could still love me…"

"I hate you!"

"Mitsuki…" He closed his eyes. "I have to get you back!" Lord Orochimaru, please forgive me…