*NOTE: Yep it took me long enough. Everything as I said has been fixed and most of the chapters have some different info, not a lot but there are changes.*

Sasuke's POV

I glared at him, "What did you do?" I asked feeling my chest tighten as I felt fear grasping me. He started to speak when his facial expression froze and he fell forward. Ino stood behind him. She stared down at him then looked up at me. "Why did you do that?" I asked her angry.

"Sasuke, you have to go to your ship!" She exclaimed walking on top of the passed out Kabuto. She ran to me, "He's been standing outside that door since you came in. I heard him talking to three other men and he told them to go to your ship and take care of things. I don't know what that means, but you need to get over there." She said and turned looking at Kabuto's body.

I looked back Kakashi, "Kakashi, can you get rid of this guy?" I asked. Kakashi walked over to Kabuto and pushed on his arm with his foot. "Yeah I suppose." He muttered. "Ino come with me." I told her and took off running out the door and she quickly followed behind me.

What was he getting at? What is Orochimaru planning? I pushed through the crowd of people. Why are so many damn people? I looked at Ino. Judging by the grimace on her face, she seemed to be thinking the same thing. We both had to slow down as we came closer to the port. There were men and women flocking the vendors. There were people shouting over the prices of the merchandises.

I heard the familiar shrill call of my raven. I stopped looking up and saw him flying overhead. I looked at Ino, "I thought this was where I left him." I said. She looked at me then up at him, she smiled, "Yeah and you better believe you owe him an apology later. There are more important things right now." She replied. We continued pushing through the crowd toward the docks.

We came to the docks and I looked around for my ship, but did not see it. "Where the hell is my ship?" I shouted. Ino grabbed my shoulder tightly. I looked at her and saw her other arm rise and pointing out into the water. I looked out into the water and cursed when I saw my ship. It was far from the coast with a small dark cloud rising from the center of it, as well as several of the portholes. I could not waste time question why or how it got that far from the coast.

I looked for my crewmembers and only saw Shikamaru. He stood over three men. He yawned as I ran over to him panic driving my feet. "Shikamaru, what happened?" I asked panting. He shrugged, "I was napping when these guys ambushed me. Kiba saw it and attacked them. When we dragged them off the ship, the rope to the anchor caught fire and the ship quickly started drifting out to sea." He said and crossed his arms baffled.

"Where's Gaara?" I asked. He looked up sighing, "Uh yeah, probably on the ship." He said and put his hands on his hips, "I'll go get a boat and we can-" "No it'll take too long for that." I told him. Orochimaru better hope Gaara is okay…shit…he's going to try to kill Gaara. I do not think it has been long enough for the ship to completely be engulfed with flames, but considering Orochimaru is in control of the fire, he may have already…

I called up to Aoda. He flew down and grew three times the size of the average person. I got onto him. "Get Kiba and both of you go to Kakashi's bar. I'll meet you there." I told them. Aoda took off immediately and soared towards my ship. The closer we came the more I became unsure about Gaara's wellbeing.

Gaara's POV

Gaara's dream-

Snuggling up to the long pillow, he slept comfortably. His legs bent and the pillow between them. He sighed quietly in his sleep. A small, long rise under the covers came up the side of the bed and rose up onto the bed. It moved precariously as to not wake the sleeping boy.

It came towards the boy's upper body. It stopped and changed course knowingly moving towards the legs of the boy. The creature gently moved over the boy's top leg. It came out from under the bundle of covers. The small snake rose up and moved closer to the sleeping body.

The body moved and a pale leg revealed itself. The snake leaned back seizing the perfect opportunity, one granted to it by the master's cunning and control. Instantly it sprung forward piercing the flesh with both its fangs, injecting its victim with two lethal doses of its venom.

*Reality*

I quickly jumped up and moved away from where the snake in my dream was. I fell off the bed, but quickly rose to my feet. I winced and shouted in anguish when I put weight on my left leg. I refused to fall and shifted my weight to my other leg. I grabbed the blade Sasuke keeps on his side of the bed and held it in front of me as I had been trained to do.

I saw the same small snake from my dream. It rose again as if it were ready to strike again. I pulled the blade back. The snake hissed and struck at me. I swung the blade cutting the snake in half. It fell to the floor. I let out a deep sigh still holding the blade.

I looked around and saw smoke rising from the floorboards. I could not smell the familiar fire odor. I started to leave, but once my bare feet left the bundle of covers they had been standing on I felt immense heat burning them. I started to go back to them, when I heard a loud cracking sound.

Suddenly the floor slanted and caused me to fall to the floor. I felt my arms and hands begin burning with heat. I quickly stood up and fumbled to the bed climbing on top of it. I turned stared at the door. I looked around for my sandals, but did not see them. But I did see small flames coming up from the cracks of the floorboards in a strange erratic manner.

I felt my heart pounding quickly with the thought of impending death. I turned around to the small windows that were above Sasuke's bed. If anything I could break them and attempt to jump from the ship. I swung the sword towards the glass. The impact knocked me back onto the bed. I stared up at the undamaged window baffled. Suddenly I heard a loud smashing sound. I got up and turned around fearing that more of the fire would cause the ship to collapse on itself.

A huge amount of relief came over me as Sasuke came running up to me. He quickly lifted me up over his shoulder and carried me out of the room. "Sasuke…" I muttered feeling my head begin to get fuzzy. I felt as if my head had something gnawing at it and my energy was draining. I looked up and saw huge deep purple and red flames coming from below deck.

Sasuke ran up to forecastle. He started to put me on my feet, but as soon as my feet touched the floor the heat cause me to yelp in pain, "Sasuke, no…my feet hurt and my leg was bit. I can't walk." I told him.

He lifted me up onto his shoulder, "Stay calm, I won't let go of you." He said and held his arm up and let out strange noise, almost mimicking a crow or…a raven. Suddenly a huge shadow came over us. An enormous black bird took hold of his arm and lifted both of us up. I felt Sasuke's grip on me tighten. I turned slightly and stared at the immense wings as they soared.

We came to a rooftop. The bird released Sasuke's arm and he fell on top of the roof, but he did not collapse to his knees at the impact, instead he held his ground. Immediately Sasuke quickly placed me down on the ground. The bird took off in some random direction.

Sasuke began grabbing both my legs. I pointed to my left leg and he switched sides. He tore my pant leg and lifted my leg where he could see the puncture wounds. "I'm going push on your leg tell me where you feel pain." He said and began pushing close to the wound and slowly moved further away. When he got to my knee, I winced at a sharp pain. He noticed me and sighed muttering some words.

"Okay look at me." He ordered and I did. He pulled out his small blade. He met my gaze, "Do not look down keep your eyes on my face." He instructed. I nodded and continued to stare at him. I felt his grip tighten where I felt the sharp pain. Then I felt the blade cut my skin and I looked down.

There was a long white worm or something squirming. My eyes got wide, and my heart began pounding. Utter fear kept me from moving. Sasuke quickly grabbed it, intertwining it between his fingers of both hands and pulled it apart. I jumped. Instead of blood coming out of it, it simply disappeared. He took my leg in his hands again and began pushing against my leg. I yelped when I felt another sharp pain close to my hip.

"Damn it's pretty far up there. Once again stare up here at me." He instructed. At first I stared at him, but my eyes lowered to my hip where the pain is. I watched as Sasuke slid the knife across my pale skin. As a long opening appeared, so did another white worm. He grabbed it and pulled it. I winced at the pain.

This one is so much longer than the last one. He intertwined it between his fingers and pulled it apart. He looked at me with immense relief, "I am glad we were able to get them out before they got too far." He said sighing with relief. He looked down at my leg and lifted it up again.

He slowly licked the blood that trailed down from both the wounds. I felt a fever growing in my cheeks and the sight of his tongue moving against my skin. I bit my bottom lip and laid my head back. I felt his tongue again press against one of the wounds. My head stopped hurting, yet now it felt immensely light.

He took his mouth from my leg and looked at my hip. He leaned over to it and licked along the cut. I winced at a stinging feeling I had. He leaned up and I could hear him tearing something. I felt him wrapping cloth around my leg where the wound was, then press cloth against my hip. I felt him begin to try to wrap a cloth around my waist.

I could feel him tying the cloth and checking it to make sure it covered the area of concern. I closed my eyes feeling safe now. The fear of death no longer an issue…yet the question plagued my mind. Why would Orochimaru try to kill me so soon?

"I am relieved that you are safe." I heard Sasuke mutter. I slowly sat up and stared at the raven-haired pirate. He had his legs crossed, his elbows on his knees and his head covered by his hands. Was he worried about me?

I reached my hand to him and gently touched his shoulder. He slowly turned his head. I felt my chest tighten with the look in his eyes. I pulled on his shirt as if hypnotized. He didn't resist my will. He moved closer to me until his face is only an inch away.

I felt my heart driving me at this point. My eyes are erratically moving from his onyx eyes to his lips. They stopped focusing on his eyes and I could see they were moving just as erratically. My heart began beating faster for a much different reason.

I felt all of the warnings in my head keeping me from crossing this line. Then I felt his hands touch my chest and slowly move up to my neck, then it happened. Our lips crashed together. Our kiss is messy as both of us seemed to be expressing our own repressed emotions in the spur of a moment after a close encounter with death.

I felt his hands holding my head, not allowing me to pull away…as if I would. One of my most sought after dreams is coming true. I am kissing Sasuke. My hands made their way to his back and pulled him closer to me as if we were not already close enough…then again we weren't . I would beg the gods to allow us to be even closer in on of the most intimate experiences.

I slowly began drifting to sleep as our kiss continued. His hands moved from my head to my side and then around my body. Sasuke moved away from me slowly, ending our kiss. "Just go to sleep and rest." He whispered. I did.

Sasuke's POV

I placed Gaara's sleeping body on Kakashi's bed. I gently placed my hand on his forehead. I smiled and rubbed my thumb over the mark on his forehead. A mark he had told me of while we walked to my ship. I had inquired about it, to pass time, thinking it to be a simple tattoo of rebellion. Yet, he told me he had had it since his birth, at least to his knowledge.

My eyes lowered to his lips. The lips that kissed mine expressing repressed emotions that I could easily feel when our lips touched. I scoffed taking my hand away from him. Emotions brought on by his intense shock at the thought of death being but a shadow away. I had not expected him to remain as calm as he had been. All the other victims of the bite would panic giving the venom snakes an opportunity to make it to their brain. Then they would begin to infect them with Orochimaru's toxins, they would beg me to save them.

I stood up quickly and walked to the door. I looked back at Gaara sleeping. He should be okay like that. I turned to leave and ran into Ino. I grabbed her and kept her from falling back. She groaned and looked up at me, "So after I helped you, you see it fit to knock me out with your chest." She said and put her hands on my chest. She slowly moved them up to my shoulders and grinned.

"If I wanted to knock you out, it would be more fitting to do so against your bed post." I replied. She scoffed and looked around me into Kakashi's bedroom, "I see that you do not have your tail between your legs anymore." She said. She looked up at me, "Especially since your precious cargo has fallen asleep." She said.

I sighed, "I do not cower because of him." I told her. She scoffed, "As if, you are Sasuke, a man who does not allow anyone to take up residence in your cabin, and yet you allow a sniveling prince to do so?" She asked. I rolled my eyes, "Ino I am in no mood to deal with your jealous accusations." I told her. I closed the bedroom door and began walking towards the back door.

Ino caught up to me and pushed my arm, "Do not turn your back to me as if I am someone you should ignore." She said. I stopped and turned around to her. "Ino, please just leave me alone." I replied glaring at her. She stared up at me surprised. I shook my head and left the house.

Gaara's POV

I slowly opened my eyes. I stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. I started to sit up, but my arm began to hurt. "Why the hell did he shut the door?" I heard someone ask. I leaned up and saw a tall man come into the room with Ino behind him. She stayed at the door. "He is up." She muttered with so much hatred in the three words she spoke. She shook her head and left the room closing the door behind her.

"Well I guess everyone has sand up their ass today." The man muttered. He set down the tray he is carrying and lifted me up some, positioning me up where I am sitting up. He smiled, "I brought you some food." He said. I looked around for Sasuke, but he wasn't around.

"Sorry, Sasuke stepped out to blow off some steam." He said pulling a chair up to the bedside. I nodded and sighed, "Is he okay?" I asked. He shrugged, "I don't know, he lost his ship, almost lost his precious cargo, and now the only crew members he can find are the two idiots." He muttered.

His eye met mine and he smiled, "Sorry it has been a rough day. Had to throw a body into a river, only for the person to not be dead…it is such a pity." He said grinning. I smiled uncomfortably, "Um who are you?" I asked. He reached his hand out, "I'm Kakashi."