Chapter 16: Please Forgive Me

"Sempai! Sempai!"

Kabuto turned around. "Mitsuki?"

The thirteen year old girl threw her arms around him. "Sempai, you're back!"

He smiled. "Yep!"

"How did it go?"

"Everything went the way it was supposed to."

"That's wonderful! I'm sure Lord Orochimaru will be pleased!"

"Yeah, but that damn Kakashi kept interfering!"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"That's good. If anything happened to you sempai, I would be sure to avenge you."

"Aahaha, I'm too good. Come on, I'll take you out, my treat."

Mitsuki blushed. "O-Okay!" They walked arm in arm. "Oh, I almost forgot!"

"What is it?"

"Last year, Lord Orochimaru made me second in command to you."

"What? That's wonderful! Mitsuki, you truly are amazing. You've honed your skills to the point where you might be able to beat me."

She blushed again. "No, that would never happen."

"Why not?"

"Because you're so strong."

"Sometimes strength means nothing."

"Really?"

He smiled. "Tell you what, when you're sixteen like me, I want you to call me 'Kabuto'."

"But that's-"

"I have no problem with that. We're close friends, so that's fine. You don't even have to call me sempai now."

"But you've taught me so much, sempai."

"Try it out."

"Try what out?"

"Kabuto. Call me that."

"I-If you say so sem--I mean…Kabuto."

"Yeah, see, that works too!"

"But when I'm sixteen, I'll call you…Kabuto."

"I know."

"…Sempai, you're the best! Thank you for teaching me!"

X-X-X-X

Mitsuki, you're the one who taught me. You taught me… how to love. Kabuto headed down to the prison without anyone knowing. "Where would Orochimaru keep her?" At the end of the dark hall was a door. "Oh, there." He ran over to the door and turned the knob. "Locked huh…" He pulled out a lock pick from his pouch. "This should do the trick." After a few minutes, the door unlocked with a faint click. …Mitsuki… He closed the door behind him once he was inside. "M-Mitsuki?" There she was, hanging upside down from the ceiling with a small pool of blood under her. "What!" There was also a bloody bed of spikes on the other side of the room. "No! Mitsuki!" Kabuto grabbed some shuriken from his pouch and threw them at the rope, cutting Mitsuki down. He dove under her and caught her. "Dammit!" She was so pale and so cold. "Please, please don't be dead!" He shook her gently. "Hey, Mitsuki?" No response. "…No…" He slipped a blood pill into her mouth. Mitsuki, you can't die on me!

"…Ughn…"

"Mitsuki?"

Mitsuki's eyes shot open as she sat up with a gasp. "Wh-What!"

"You're alive!" Kabuto wrapped his arms around her. "Thank God you're-" Something painful was forced through his stomach. "Urm?" He looked into her eyes. Her eyes!

Her eyes were cold and burned with hate. "I want you to die!" She withdrew her kunai knife from his stomach and kicked him in the chest.

"ACK!" He flew backwards and hit the ground hard. He shakily stood up. "M-Mitsuki, wh-what're you doing?"

"You…" She pointed her finger at him. "You son of a bitch! You lied to me! You lied! After you swore that you wouldn't tell…after I trusted you with my life…you lied! I believed in you Kabuto! You were everything to me and I loved you! I trusted your every word and I forced myself to think that you would never tell! Kabuto I loved you and you betrayed me! You betrayed my trust! You betrayed…You betrayed my love!"

"Mitsuki, I-"

"And now the only thing I can do…" she closed her eyes, "…The only option left for me…" she opened her eyes and looked back at him, "…Is to kill you!"

"But you don't under-"

"Kabuto, I'm not a little girl anymore! Prepare to die!" She charged forward, tears wetting her lashes.

"Mitsuki!" He jumped out of the way when he delivered a powerful kick. "Please, stop this and hear me out!"

"I'm tired of your lies!" She punched him, but he blocked it.

"Mit--AGH!" He clutched his bloody stomach.

"Kabuto! I am a Jonin Sound Ninja, don't forget that!"

"KRMPH!" He turned his head and vomited.

She kicked him in the back. I…I can't allow him to live! Not after what he's done to me! She brought her elbow down hard on his back. Even if I somehow manage to kill him, Orochimaru will just do away with me anyways… "If I have to die, I'm taking you with me!" She punched him in the jaw and knocked off his glasses. "DIE!"

"Mitsuki!" He punched her in the chest.

"UMPH!" She held her chest. "Is that all? I thought--!" Blood began to drip from the sides of her mouth. Damn, he's a Sound Ninja too!

"I'm going to get my point across to you, even if I have to…have to hurt you!" It can't be helped!

"So be it!" She pulled out her kunai knife again and swung it.

He blocked the hit with his own kunai knife. "Listen Mitsuki!" He delivered a sweep kick to her feet, but she moved. "I know that I deceived you--" He jumped out of the way. "--but it was for Orochimaru!" He cut her arm. "I just deiced to play dumb--" He fell to the ground when she threw shuriken at his legs. "--b-but, ack, it was hard for me!" He jumped to his feet and blocked another hit. "It was hard for me to lie to you--" He hit her in her back. "--because we were so close to each other!" He grabbed her and held her down. "I was so stupid. I put Orochimaru before our friendship. I was so blind the whole time to my own feelings for you. I never wanted to do what I did! You meant so much to me and your trust in me was the only thing that really matter! But I crushed it! I hurt you so bad and for that…I'm sorry! Please forgive me Mitsuki!"

She blinked in shock. …Wh-What did he just say? She shook her head. "Lies!" She kicked him off. "You betrayed me once before, so why should I listen to you now!" She put her foot on his chest. "I cannot forgive you after what you've done!"

Why is she so strong all of a sudden! Why isn't she tired like me! He couldn't breathe with her foot pressing down on his chest. Has she really gotten to the point where not even I can beat her! "Mitsuki, don't do this! I know that deep down inside, you have unbearable pain because you're doing this!"

"You know nothing about me! Nothing!"

"I know that you loved me!" He blinked back tears. Don't cry!

"Grr, st-stop talking!" She began to do hand seals. "Deafening Silence!"

"AAHHH!" He covered his bleeding ears. "St-Stop!"

It hurts so much! I don't…I don't want to kill him but…! "I won't become your victim again!" He was my best friend and in all honesty I loved him… "DIE!" She brought her kunai knife down on him. With his death, my love will truly die. His death shall come swiftly from my own hand.

"NO!" He rolled out of the way with such speed. I love her too much to die now! He jumped behind her and grabbed her arms. He spun her around and forced his lips on hers.

"MMPH?" What…What is he doing!

"Mitsuki, I love you!" Kabuto cried between the kiss.

K-Kabuto…? "St-Stop it…" she whispered, "I…I have to kill you…" Time seemed so have completely stopped.

"No…no you don't…"

"Kabuto…I…I hate you…"

"That's not true." He pulled his lips away.

"What do you know about truth?"

"If you hated me, you would have killed me a long time ago. You stalled during the fight."

Mitsuki found herself crying. "Kabuto, why? Why did you hurt me like that?"

"I don't know. I was such a fool and I was stupid."

"I trusted you."

"I know and I'm sorry. Please forgive me Mitsuki. I love you so much and it hurts."

"I know that feeling, but now all I feel is pain and suffering. I don't feel the joyous pain of love anymore."

"I'm so sorry Mitsuki."

"Kabuto…Why did you lie?"

"…It's what I do best and I hate myself for that."

"You broke my trust…and my heart."

"Forgive me. You mean the world to me. You're my angle and my savior. You saved me from a huge mistake. Let me repent my sins, then take me back." She didn't say anything. "Why don't you say anything?"

"…How can I love you again?"

His heart shattered at the words. "M-Mitsuki?"

"My love will never be the same for you…ever. And I still can't forgive."

He looked down. "…Mitsuki…"