He was not blind.
He saw every glance. He noted every word that was uttered a little closer to the ear than was necessary. He wondered at every slip that brushed a hand down further than normal, and every finger that lingered just a moment too long. His eyes narrowed at every shudder caused by a stray breath caressing an unwilling neck.
Sasuke was not blind. And frankly, Kabuto puzzled him.
How could he smile?
The dark-haired boy leaned against the drab, cold walls of the Otogakure medical center. His arms were folded and his eyes closed to slits: a perfect depiction of utter boredom. In truth, nothing in the room escaped his notice. One couple in particular, had his rapt attention.
Orochimaru leaned forward to get a better look at whatever interesting point Kabuto found on the latest test subject. One hand rested on his shoulder. Chest pressed lightly against the medic's back, Orochimaru chuckled darkly at whatever it was Kabuto had just said. The snake sannin didn't notice the muscle that tightened in the boy's neck; all he could see was the smile he wore. The smile that only Sasuke seemed to notice was forced.
"Bored Sasuke-kun?" Came the silky voice that struck terror into even the bravest hearts. Sasuke merely grunted in response. "Oh, don't worry. We'll be training in just a moment. Kabuto, alert me if there are any changes."
"Yes Orochimaru-sama. Sasuke-kun... you should be careful. I don't have time to piece you back together today."
"...hn." His voice was joking, but there was a glint in his eye that told Sasuke he was completely serious. Damn. Orochimaru was in one of those moods ...this was going to hurt.
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"Crap..." Sasuke spat up blood for the second time in less than twenty minutes. All common sense told him to the sick bay first. His arm was definitely broken, and waiting would only make it worse. Plus he had no idea what the hell was wrong with him internally but it couldn't be good. Yet some part of him could just imagine Kabuto's face if he came in looking like this. Last time he was wounded, Kabuto attacked him with a scalpel for getting blood all over the just-cleaned floor. That was the way the crazy medic worked: wound the patient first, clean up later. Sasuke was NOT in the mood to put up with that boy's annoying chittering about cleanliness. So to keep the peace, the Uchiha took a shower first... and was now fully regretting it. Childishly he scrubbed mercilessly at the back of his neck.
The warm water was comforting, and it wasn't long before he was drifting off into the memory of earlier that day.
flashback
Sasuke rolled over when he heard footsteps approaching, hoping to subliminally discourage his sensei. He was allowed half an hour of rest during their training, and he didn't want to waste it on discussion, which inevitably the snake sannin wanted. Kami-sama, what he wouldn't give for the silent 'fight 'til you drop' days! Orochimaru was either completely oblivious, or ignored the hint altogether. He dropped next to the boy. A second later Sasuke tensed, feeling cold fingers touch his neck. Damn him. How the hell did Kabuto put up with this? And worse, pretend to like it? He tried to shrug off the hand in vain. His efforts were rewarded with a scratch, probably accidental, but with Orochimaru it was hard to tell. A tiny trickle of blood slid down his neck and he stilled. Inside rage boiled.
"So tell me Sasuke-kun, what do you see when you look at him?"
"What?"
"Kabuto, when you look at him, I want to know what you see." Orochimaru practically hissed. "I saw you watching him earlier. Let's just say I'm curious. What do you see?"
"... I wasn't watching him."
"So, you were watching me then?" He chuckled. "Don't try to fool me boy. Men have died for less than that."
Several moments passed and the silence stretched. "...a question."
"You see a question? Is that all?"
"...yes."
"And just what question would that be?"
"You said you'd show me a new jutsu today."
"It's that important that you would sacrifice ten minutes of your precious rest time so you do not have to answer? Suit yourself, but you may very well regret it."
end flashback
Regret? This was way past regret.
The light in the medical center was much brighter than out in the hall. Kabuto kept it that way on purpose. The common thought was that it was for optimum visibility, but Kabuto had confessed one day that the split second in which the intruder was blinded was more than enough time to kill him should he prove a threat. Since then, that second of blindness made Sasuke more than slightly uneasy.
"Can I help you?" He ignored the cheerful chirp and surveyed the room. "Uchiha-san?"
"Where's Kabuto?" More of a demand than a question.
"He's preparing for his mission. I am his assistant. If you need medical attention…"
"No." Sasuke turned to leave.
"Um… the brown-haired assistant nervously adjusted his glasses. "Should I tell him you stopped by to see him?" He seemed to whither under the boy's glare. "I'm guessing that's a 'no'."
Sasuke stormed out. Che…pathetic. Kabuto would never cringe like some weakling…
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I'm going to kill him. I don't care who it is. If it's the time of morning I think it is, then the bastard outside my door is going to die slowly in incredible pain.
Sasuke pushed himself up with a stifled groan and flung open the door.
"…You look horrible."
He snarled, Sharingan activated. "Is there some reason why you're waking me up at Kami-knows what hour? Or do I really need to use you as target practice…"
Kabuto shoved him aside and came in. "Just got back. You should have let Hideki-san look at you. Let me see your arm." Kabuto clucked disapprovingly for no other reason than to aggravate the younger boy. "You fixed it yourself…again…better this time, but still a poor job. My newest trainee could have done better. Hold still…"
Sasuke's closed eyes were the only outward sign of pain. He could hear the snap of bone as Kabuto deftly broke his arm and then re-set it. "You could save yourself a lot of pain if you'd just be co-operative. How many times to I have to tell you to let a medic fix you?" Kabuto's hands glowed as he passed them over the rest of Sasuke's body.
"Are you finished?"
"The medical work? Yes. The lecture, not even close."
Sasuke plopped down on the bed and rolled over to face the wall. "Then wake me up when you're finished."
"Ha, Ha, very funny, you ungrateful brat." The silver-haired boy stared at him for a few moments before continuing quietly. "You're going to kill yourself before you can avenge your clan you know. I heard you even came down there today and Hideki offered to heal you. Why didn't you let him?"
"I don't trust him."
"You don't trust anybody. Give me a better reason."
"…He was annoying."
"You say I'm annoying too, but you let me heal you."
"…he's not you."
For just a moment, Kabuto was speechless. Slowly understanding dawned on him. "And they say I'm spoiled… alright Sasuke-kun, have it your way. I'll personally see to all of your medical needs... wait a minute, what the..." He yanked down Sasuke's collar. "What's this?" Just below the seal the skin was swelling. "Snake venom?"
"I've already taken out the poison. It's fine."
"Sasuke." Sasuke turned to look at him, surprised by the anger in his voice. "Did Orochimaru touch you?"
"...what?"
"'Accidents' like these only happen with his slu...never mind that. I want to know, did Orochimaru touch you?"
"...does it matter? He touches you all the time."
Kabuto snarled, and with strength he didn't know he had, he hauled the Uchiha up and slammed him against the wall. "TELL ME, dammit!"
"What would you do about it? Kill Orochimaru?"
Kabuto sighed, and slowly his fingers loosened, allowing Sasuke to slip to the floor. "Of course, you're right. I lost myself for a moment." He turned and walked to the door.
"Why?" Kabuto paused. "Why do you smile if it bothers you so much? Why do you let him touch you and not do anything about it?" Sasuke refused to look up at him. He sat on the edge of the bed.
"You said it yourself, what can I do? At first it made me extremely angry, then it became more annoying. I never got used to it. In fact, if truth be told, I utterly resent it, now more than ever. After a while I guess you just have to learn to smile and bear it. I am loyal to Orochimaru-sama, and would never betray him. Sometimes I just... forget about it. Get some rest. And Sasuke-kun, I still want you to tell me if anything happens." Skilled fingers circles the swelling, directing chakra inwards. Almost immediately the pain disappeared, the gentle touch soothing the skin. "I guess in a freakish sort of way, I do care what happens to you."
"...pervert."
"You know exactly what I mean Sasuke."
"...I still think you're a pervert."
"Back to that again brat?" Kabuto smirked at the half-hearted grunt. He stayed there, hand resting lightly on Sasuke's back until his breathing became even. "Don't worry..." Kabuto whispered to the sleeping boy. "I won't let anyone hurt you." I can't. I can't let someone take my little brother away from me again...
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"You told me to treat it like a real battle! In real combat he'd be dead!" Orochimaru ignored the boy's outburst.
"I told you to treat it like a real battle. You need to kill instantly. In real combat that would have hit slightly below your mark. Your opponent would die, but not before having enough time to aim a final blow. What good is a dead opponent if you are dead yourself?" Sasuke scowled. "You want to earn the Kusanagi, do you not? Do it again."
Without another word of protest, Sasuke fell into formation, rapidly forming ten seals in sucession. Chakra flowed into his katana. He rushed at the target, bringing the sword down at the last moment. Blinding electricity surged from the sword, destroying the target and decimating half the training area. Orochimaru sighed.
"This is why we don't train indoors. But yes, you have the idea; let your anger fuel you." Sasuke sank to the floor, completely drained of all energy and struggling to catch his breath. "You need to have better control, wasting all your energy on a single blast will not help you in battle. You will need to learn to conserve. Focus on accuracy, not utter annihilation. Your problem is you still don't think, you act."
Orochimaru's shadow loomed almost threateningly over him. The snake sannin knelt so they were at eye level. "Why do you think I made you practice that attack for sixteen hours?"
"To improve my control over my chakra. To show that brute strength won't win battles."
"Good..." he hissed. "You are learning..." Sasuke stiffened when he felt Orochimaru's hand on his face. Exhaustion was setting in, and his muscles had taken this very moment to go on strike.
"What the hell?"
"You've got lovely eyes, Sasuke-koi..." Sasuke tried to pull away, but found his shoulder firmly grasped in the sannin's hand. "It was your eyes I first noticed: the fire in them, the anger..."
"Let me go!" The hand slipped down his face and over his neck.
"The next thing I saw was your body... you were strong, yet your body seemed so delicate..."
"Sasuke-kun! What the hell is wrong with you? Are you TRYING to catch Meningitis! This is a small area and it spreads easily! I told you! Quarantine for at LEAST twenty four hours!" An enraged Kabuto barged into the practice room, but skidded to a stop when he saw his sempai. "Orochimaru-sama, my apologies. I didn't realize you were here."
"What is this about Kabuto?"
"Sir, that boy breaks bones almost daily, but still tries to hide from a tiny injection! I gave him the vaccine today and told him he'd need the next shot. When I went back, he was gone. He keeps doing this. Please Orochimaru-sama, if you order him, he has to obey." Orochimaru glanced down at the glaring boy.
"Sasuke-kun, stop aggravating Kabuto. Go get your shot."
"Thank you sir." Kabuto bowed, then grabbed the boy and literally dragged him out of the training area.
The moment they were out of earshot Sasuke jerked away. "Kabuto...?"
"Wait." At his door, Kabuto turned to leave. "You have a day to yourself. Do whatever you want, just don't leave your room. I'll bring your food later."
"Why are you doing this?"
Kabuto smiled and walked away. "Just because I smile and bear it, doesn't mean you should have to."
Sasuke watched him go in more than a little puzzlement. Kabuto was definitely a question, and he wasn't sure if anyone would really have the answer.
A/n: here it is people, the second oneshot. Lot's of people have emailed me to continue, and I kind of liked the idea. I have no clue when the next is coming...I plan to update ADDetective next.
