Disclaimer: READ! I do not own any of the character's, ideas, definitions, names, or symbols from Naruto. I did not copy anyone else's story. Again, this story contains guy x guy relationship thoughts and material. If you can't handle it, don't read it, don't flame it.

EDIT: 7/15/07

Clearing the Wounds

Kisame was leaning against the wall of the cave, just outside of the dungeons, his grey skin blending in with the stone behind him. He had been waiting for Itachi to finish up, using the time to carelessly swing his sword around him in horizontal arcs.

Steps finally echoed out from the prison entrance, revealing the dark form of Itachi. The grey skinned Akatsuki member looked up to him.

"Did you find out anything?" He hesitated, seeing the blood that layered his partner's cloak. "What happen--?" He was stopped in mid sentence by a cold glare.

"He's basically dead in there." Itachi leaned over to pick up a bundle of rags and bandages, tossing them to Kisame, who in return caught them in his hands. "Clean him up." He left without another word, leaving Hoshikagi to mumble in disbelief. He didn't want to wash, let alone have anything to do with that leaf Nin. He pushed his head upwards with repulsion before reluctantly walking into the various cells before him. He didn't want to do this, but Itachi would have his head on a plate if he didn't.

Kakashi jumped with a start as the lock to his door clicked again. Who was it? Itachi again? He quivered. The presence came closer; it wasn't Itachi. Kisame? The missing Mist Nin? Yes, it must be him, the grey pupils and large sword proved it. Sadly his vision was so blurry now; he could only make out blurs of shape and colors. His eyes were clouded with blood that he couldn't wipe off because his hands were bound.

Kisame was carrying a sack of rags and bandages in his arms with a look of utter hatred on his face. Obviously he didn't want to do it. Kakashi didn't care anymore and he let his head hang down. His hair dripped down across his face with blood and sweat.

It was so hot in here. The walls seemed to excrete the warmth from the surface of the sun. Even if it was dark, that didn't seem to matter down here. It was almost as if he was breathing in smoke, the unfiltered and stale air. His lungs labored with great effort. If his arms were held up any longer and his ragged breathing and pain kept up…what would happen? Would his lungs collapse? Would he bleed to death? It was so dark….

Stinging aches, an ice cold stick of metal on a burn. Kakashi flung his shoulder back and the chains that bound him sent cursing echoes into the shadows. He glimpsed angrily over to his left. Kisame had kicked a bucket of freezing water over to him and it had splashed over his cut up flesh. The water seeped into his wounds and scabs. His poor, fair, white skin covered and splattered in crimson. His eyes squeezed together, almost to the point of watering because of the throbbing.

Sloppily, Kisame took up a large rag and started scrubbing vigorously at the hardened blood on his arms with no mercy. The torn rags of his sleeves easily crumbled and flaked away. He scrubbed with an angry beat, not caring if the scabs he was carelessly rubbing off were still healing or not. This coated his skin with fresh, bright patches of red. Kakashi cursed and spat through the mask, yelling at the man.

Angrily, the Mist Nin literally spat in the jounin's face. The clump of saliva anchored itself over Kakashi's sharingan eye, which was fortunately, still closed. Trash, this man was trash…the thought filtered through Kakashi's mind. Surprisingly, the grey eyed man took up the rag again and started washing his skin again. He wasn't doing a good job though; the cream colored rag had already been soaked to its limit with blood. All he was doing now was smearing it around to the few places that it hadn't covered before.

The rag moved its way up to Kakashi's neck, also meaning that Kisame's head was now level with his gaze. Wrong move…. Cracking down, the leaf Nin managed to bang his cranium directly into the bridge of Kisame's nose. This caused the Akatsuki filth to stagger backwards. Kisame yelled some undistinguishable words in Kakashi's direction, his sharp teeth gnawing at the air, while throwing the rag at him. It hit him square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. He shrunk even closer to the ground, if that was possible. He was literally hanging by his arms now. Sadly, his legs had finally given out.

How much longer was his damn body going to last? Its stamina capable capacity was so immense that he wondered if he was going to loose it mentally before his body did give out. His flesh...still intact, his body, alive, but his mind --dead, lying inside himself.

The red juices of the rag splattered all around him, sending blood everywhere like slow moving crimson rain. It flecked his figure with red. But the rag only dropped harmlessly to the ground. When he looked back up, Kisame had already marched out of the cell, huffing in anger, trying to hold himself back from chopping the head clean off of him. Kakashi involuntarily blacked out from the impact of the rag and became limp with sleep.

The Mist Nin stomped down the various hallways, past all the rooms with locked doors. No sounds came from any of them. It was so silent in the lair that you could hear the blood rushing in one's ears, and Kisame's blood was boiling, like a raging river. His cloak fluttered behind him. He needed to kill something.

A hand shot out from behind a corner. It grabbed at the cloth around Kisame's neck, pulling him around ninety degrees so that he was a few inches away from Itachi's face.

"Why aren't you cleaning up Kakashi?" His voice was slightly frustrated, but still a monotone rumble.

"That bastard… don't ask." Kisame's eyes showed his resistant rage. "He knocked heads with me when I was trying to wash his disgusting body." He yanked Itachi's hand from him. "I'm not going to do it, even if it's an order from you. Kakashi makes my blood boil. He should rot in damned Hell." He started walking past the now silent Uchiha. "Excuse me."

Itachi watched as Kisame disappeared behind another corner behind him without protest. Thoughts ran across his mind. Wasn't that it? Kakashi made his own blood boil. Was that it? It was impressive that the leaf nin could be on the edge of consciousness, but still put up a fight. That feeling, pure determination…It did something to him…but Itachi couldn't put it into words…. Was that why…?

A few moments later, Itachi was once again back inside the cell, staring at the unmoving form that was trapped to both the ceiling and the floor. He stepped closer, frantic thoughts trying to push their way into the front of his mind. Itachi's face remained the same. No matter how many times that he had wanted to kill this man, each time something pulled him back, even if it was something unintentional like a dramatic decrease in his chakra.

He had done the same to Sasuke, but that was only because he wasn't worth killing yet. Did he keep Kakashi for the same reason? Maybe Kakashi would be the end of his tortured, power hungry existence? No…even Kakashi couldn't do that. That was why he needed Naruto. The Nine-tails. Kakashi was the link to getting the Nine-tails. But was that the only reason?

Inside, Itachi new that he could handle the jounin, but it had been a great amount of trouble in finally getting him to collapse. He was just too stubborn and determined, but on the other hand, full of weaknesses. Konoha was too soft a village. Itachi was now standing in front of the silver haired man, watching his chest exhale with each weak and shallow breath. It wasn't pity that he felt for him. He was above pity. It was something else. He remembered what Kakashi had said to him.

"The things that make us human, never really change…."

His eyes narrowed into a scowl. He looked down at the bucket at his feet, its scarlet water harmlessly sloshing inside its walls. Carefully, he picked up a fresh rag and gently started scrubbing the crusted blood on his enemy's skin, eyeing all the tender areas in his bruised flesh and avoiding all still healing areas.

Itachi worked for hours, wiping away any trace of dirt or sweat that appeared on Kakashi's white skin. His hands trailed down to his chest, knocking away the remains of his olive green vest and the clothes underneath. Bare skin touched bare skin as he labored. Unknowingly, a few beads of sweat started breaking out along the missing Nin's forehead as he traveled further down to the silver haired man's muscled abdomen.

He tried to push his mind away from what he was doing, watching his purple nails inch closer and closer….he stopped himself. He wanted to…he couldn't believe himself. Why was he feeling this way? It was such a mystery, that Kakashi could make him act like this. He stared up at the sleeping jounin's face. Kakashi's eyes were twitching. What could he be dreaming about in such a state?

He squinted as he saw a smudge on his left eye and quickly moved to wipe it away. He continued to clear away the grime on his face, returning the pale fleshy glow to his skin. Without thinking, he traced a finger along Kakashi's cheek, on the lining of his jaw, down to his neck. His breath was caught in his throat. He hadn't removed his mask yet…. Slowly, he pulled it away, and took in the image once again. Another wave of heat surged through his body. He tensed up but managed to clean the rest of his face before reluctantly lifting it back up into its rightful position. He fought the urge to plant another kiss on his cold lips….

Slowly, almost regretfully, he wiped his forehead and squatted down; his face and neck flushed a slightly red color as he continued to wash his legs. The cloth here also seemed to disintegrate. He gathered the tattered threads into a small pile beside the bucket. He pressed his mind to more pressing matters.

He hardly remembered the details of the fight; he himself had had to spend a day or so recovering. It had only occurred a short three days ago. It seemed like weeks. He must have gone well over his limit. He stared back up at Kakashi's sharingan. How did he manage to complete the Sharingan? The Mangekyou? This guy really was interesting….

He continued to scrub at his ankles and knees, again working his way up. This was out of character for him; he normally wouldn't care for an enemy like this, especially not one as powerful as Kakashi. But then again, he was the only one here that would do it. The rest of the Akatsuki were most likely fooling around in other countries while capturing their assigned Bijuu.

The jounin continued to doze; unaware of anything that was going on around him, lost in the land of unreality.