Chapter 6

Plans and Mistakes

The members of the Akatsuki were gathered within the Leader's office. The tension was thick and cloying, and Itachi watched Pein's reaction carefully while Kisame informed him of the results of their search for Kakashi.

"What do you mean you can't find him?" Pein's eyes narrowed, and the wave of killing intent was strong enough to make each and every one of them take a step back. "How can you possibly misplace a grown man?"

Kisame looked down at his feet. "We didn't misplace him...we just couldn't find him."

Itachi stepped forward in an attempt to keep his partner from being skinned by their leader. "We tracked him to the north stream. There was evidence of fire damage."

Pein turned his attention to Itachi. "What's unusual about that? You and Kakashi have both been known to practice your jutsu in that area."

"True enough, Pein...but we have not practiced together in over a month. The damage there was fresh – and there were signs that multiple fire jutsu went off in opposing directions."

Pein scowled. "Perhaps he was using clones to train. He's done it in the past."

Itachi shook his head. "Zetsu found evidence of electrical damage as well."

"Again – from Kakashi this should come as no surprise." Pein was frowning deeply. "What has you convinced this was anything more than Kakashi burning off some pent-up frustration?"

Zetsu stepped forward and opened his mantle wide. His light side shrugged. "Because we saw him while we were foraging nearby."

Itachi released a held breath when Pein's anger shifted to the plant-man. "And?!"

The darker half took over the conversation. "And he was being carried away by Kabuto Yakushi and Sasuke Uchiha."

Pein's attention returned to Itachi. "Perhaps you'd like to explain how your brother would know where to find us, Itachi?"

Itachi did his best to ignore the implied meaning of Pein's words. "I have not seen my brother since he left Konoha. This is the first I'd heard of his alliance with Orochimaru's lot. He did not learn of our whereabouts from me, Leader."

Pein's white and black eyes narrowed and Itachi thought they were looking straight into his soul. He resisted the urge to move so much as a muscle throughout the young man's scrutiny, and eventually he was released from the gaze.

Pein moved his attention back to Zetsu. "Return to where you last saw them and find the trail that will lead us back to our Ninth. I will not accept failure in this." Pein's eyes moved to the scrolls scattered across his table. "He is crucial to the next stages in our plan, and I will not accept that Orochimaru might keep us from our goals."

Zetsu bowed toward Pein. "We will do our best to find our missing brother."

Itachi frowned. "Is Kakashi's presence so important?"

Pein focused a gaze at him that answered the question even before the words left the young man's mouth. "If we do not manage to bring Kakashi Hatake back into our fold soon, Itachi, we will never reach our end goal...and the world as we have imagined it will never come to pass."

Kakashi woke with the telltale headache that always followed being knocked out from pressure points. Full awareness was slow in coming, but it wasn't hard for him to realize he was being held upright against a stone wall. He cracked his right eye open a hair and immediately shut it again when the bright, unforgiving light tried to force its way in. Slower this time, understanding the harshness of the light awaiting him, Kakashi opened his eye once more. The light was still as severe, and it made his headache a bit more intense, but he allowed his focus to adjust and was able to make out his surroundings. As he'd expected, he was in what looked to be a lab. There were machines and cold steel tables lining the far side of the room, while chains and rope bindings – some empty – some holding other unfortunate captives, took up the adjacent walls. Apart from the constant hum of the machines and the occasional moans of the other prisoners, Kakashi sensed no one else within the room. A quick glance at where the walls met the ceiling showed cameras watching over them, and so it came as no surprise to him when Kabuto and Orochimaru walked into the room moments after he had started moving around.

Kakashi noted his Akatsuki cloak had been removed, but other than that, he was still clothed, unlike some of the others within the room. He had solid manacles attached to his wrists, and a chain ran across his torso to keep him firmly in place against the wall. His legs were also held in place with manacles, making his range of motion limited at best. He tried to maintain his normal lazy attitude when Orochimaru and Kabuto moved in front of him, a feat made all the more difficult when his captor spoke.

"I was pleasantly surprised when my pets returned so quickly from their assigned task...with you in such prime shape as well." The Snake Sannin ran his tongue over his lips while scanning Kakashi from head to toe. "After all, I thoroughly expected it to be far harder to acquire someone who managed to be sealed to the Akatsuki with not one, but two characters. I thought perhaps Kabuto had gotten it wrong."

Kakashi noticed Kabuto's frown at the words even as he watched Orochimaru reach over to the hand on which the porcelain ring was. He felt Orochimaru's cold fingers close around his wrist and twist the hand until the ring's characters were in view.

"But look at that...there's no denying that you bear two characters after all."

Kakashi bit back a curse while Orochimaru's fingers tightened painfully around his wrist, doubtlessly bruising him in the process.

"That leaves me with a most intriguing puzzle, Kakashi. Why would someone who has the skill-set to acquire two characters on the signet ring allow themselves to be so easily subdued by my pets, hmmm?"

Kakashi met the Sannin's eyes with his mismatched, half-lidded gaze, trying to remain calm. "Does it really matter?"

The hand around his wrist released and grabbed his unmasked chin instead, forcing Kakashi's head back until it hit the wall. Orochimaru's yellow, snake-like eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't mistake me for one of my pets, Copy-ninja. Why did you allow yourself to be caught?"

Kakashi let a slight smile cross his lips as he shrugged within the confines of his chains. "I was bored."

Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly and he released Kakashi's chin. A moment later, a smile lit his face and he laughed, causing the other bound prisoners to cringe at the sound.

"You were bored?" He laughed again.

Kakashi forced himself to yawn. "Is that so hard to believe?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "For anyone else, I suppose it might be...but for you? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

Kakashi made it a point to glance around the room before settling his gaze back onto the Sannin's face. "If I'd known this would be the reception I'd receive, I would have thought twice before coming to visit."

There was a strange glimmer in Orochimaru's eyes at that statement, then he reached out and stroked Kakashi's bare cheek with the palm of one hand. The man's serpentine tongue slipped through his lips and followed in the hand's path. It took all of Kakashi's will power to keep from reacting to the Sannin's touch. The smile that crept onto Orochimaru's face once that tongue returned to his mouth did nothing to relieve his growing doubts of the wisdom of his being there.

"I'm sure I will be able to come up with something to alleviate your boredom, Kakashi Hatake. After all, it's rare for me to receive so handsome a guest in my lair." The hand caressed his cheek once more, causing Kakashi to narrow his eyes. "Until then, I'll leave you in Kabuto's skilled hands. He just needs to obtain a few samples before the fun can begin."

Orochimaru tipped his head toward the white-haired boy. "Try not to leave too may scars this time, hmmm?"

Kabuto's lips pulled into a farce of a smile, and the boy pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up his nose. "I'll do my best, Lord Orochimaru."

The Sannin frowned, likely from the sarcastic tone of Kabuto's words. "See that you do, Kabuto."

The smile left Kabuto's face. "Yes, my Lord."

Kakashi shifted in his chains. "I wouldn't want to be a bother. Perhaps I should stop by another time?"

Orochimaru leaned in close to his ear, the hot breath against Kakashi's skin smelling of strong tea and something sweet that he couldn't quite place. "Don't be silly, Kakashi. I wouldn't dream of letting you leave now. No. Not when you've gone out of your way to visit."

The Sannin leaned in closer still and Kakashi couldn't suppress a slight shiver. "But tell me, Copy-ninja, won't you be missed by your brethren from the Akatsuki? Or was it always your plan to lead them here?"

Kakashi frowned. "I doubt they'll even notice I've left."

Orochimaru stepped back and smiled at him. "So, the Golden Boy has lost favor so soon? How unfortunate for you...and fortuitous for me!"

The Sannin shifted his gaze to his henchman. "Be quick about it, Kabuto. I want to begin with him this evening."

Kakashi saw a slight tremor run through the young man as he bowed low to his master. He found himself seriously wishing he hadn't allowed them to capture him after all.