"Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me. " ~ Fred Rogers

Chapter 23: A Fascinating Development

Kakashi wandered down the hall, and was just about to reach the herd of doctors when he was roughly brushed aside by Ibiki, who was striding down the hall with serious intent.

"So what did you do to him?" Kakashi called after Ibiki.

Ibiki whirled around. "I didn't do anything. I wasn't on the case."

Kakashi frowned slightly. "Why?"

"Long story." Ibiki said shortly. "I have to report to the Godaime, so if you'll excuse me." He wasn't asking.

Kakashi nodded, and followed him down the hall. Ibiki walked up to Tsunade, who was still bellowing at the doctors. "Hokage," he said, "I have the list of ingredients and the percentage used of each ingredient in the toxin, as well as a general idea of the dosage he was exposed to."

Tsunade stopped shouting for a moment. "That is the first good thing I've heard since I tossed that kid into a bed and got to work."

Ibiki nodded in acknowledgement, handing over a list to Tsunade.

"I expect that Takeshi is still in one piece?" Tsunade prompted.

"I didn't have time to deal with him properly. Permission to strangle him later?" Ibiki said, sounding perfectly serious.

Tsunade paused momentarily, glancing up from the list and actually appearing to consider the request. "We'll talk later," she finally said.

Kakashi felt a bit surprised at this; apparently something had gone horribly wrong in interrogations. "So… could I go in and hang out with him?"

"I wouldn't suggest getting too close; he's not exactly in a good place right now," Tsunade said vaguely. "I'll get started on an antidote for this toxin. Or maybe I'll hand it off to Shizune."

Kakashi wondered what that meant for the poison running through his own system. As long as he didn't get too sick from it, he decided he wouldn't bother worrying about that. Instead, he moved into the room where Kabuto was being held, not really sure what to expect. The dull, lifeless eyes that stared blankly into space and pale, almost waxy features came as a shock. So did the fact that the boy was curled in on himself protectively, and shuddering. Kakashi wondered at the restraints that were pinning his wrists to either side of the bed, but figured it was a necessary precaution.

"Hey, you don't look so good," he told Kabuto, moving forward. Only to halt in his tracks as the heart monitor indicated a sudden leap in Kabuto's heart rate. Kakashi stared down at the boy, who had somehow managed to turn even paler, and was now shaking violently. "Okay, okay, I'll just stay back here in the corner," he said placatingly. "Just calm down." As Kakashi backed away, the heart monitor slowly returned to a less panic-driven rhythm.

He stood awkwardly in the corner for another ten minutes. He heard Ibiki outside, arguing with Tsunade about whether or not he should be allowed into the room. The general consensus was that an interrogations officer had zero bedside manner and was therefore barred from seeing the recovering patient. The next thing that happened was Shizune bustled in with two syringes. One for Kakashi, and one for Kabuto. She stuck Kakashi first, then glanced at him with a slightly worried look. "I hope those restraints hold," she confessed. "The doctors haven't been able to get near Kabuto."

Kakashi shrugged. "He seems docile enough to me."

"Sure, as long as we keep our distance, he's fine," Shizune snarked, obviously believing that Kabuto was far from fine.

Kakshi found himself shrugging yet again. "Well, if you need someone to hold him down, I'm willing to offer my services."

Shizune moved forward slowly. At first, Kabuto just trembled like he had when Kakashi had approached him. As she continued getting closer he began to tug at his restraints, a wild look of terror in his eyes. He didn't say a word, but he didn't have to. The look on his face spoke volumes. Shizune took another step towards him, and Kabuto jerked hard at the restraints. One snapped. Kabuto rolled over, getting better leverage over the other restraint and pulling out of it with a grunt. He scrambled across the floor, knocking Shizune into Kakashi and throwing the door open, running down the hall. Unforutnately for Kabuto, Ibiki had been heading away. Since Tsunade had refused to let him interrogate Kabuto, he was going to get back to his paperwork. Hearing a shout, he turned to see a pale, wide-eyed Kabuto running towards him.

Somehow, he deciphered this was not part of Tsunade's plan. Behind the white-haired kid, Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi and several ANBU were charging after him. They were gaining rather quickly, but Ibiki was closer and decided it might put him in a better light if he were to assist in the wrangling of Kabuto. As the young man tried to run past him, Ibiki half-lunged, half tackled the boy, wrapping his arms around the kid and pinning Kabuto's arms to his sides. Kabuto jerked around, trying to escape the strong arms wrapped around his torso.

"Yakushi, you moron, it's not like you're going anywhere," Ibiki snarled.

Kabuto stiffened, and then relaxed ever-so-slightly, ceasing his struggles. Ibiki was trying to figure out what Kabuto's game was. The kid had be planning something, he wouldn't just stop struggling because he'd been restrained. That obviously hadn't changed the game back in his hospital bed.

"Ibiki!" Tsunade shouted, "hold him there!" the five of them, Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi and two ANBU, started jogging closer. As they approached, Kabuto's breathing grew ragged and he started to struggle again.

"Hold on!" Ibiki shouted back, "stay there."

Tsunade scowled, but complied. Kakashi and Shizune drew up behind her, the ANBU followed their lead. Kabuto was shivering slightly, and Ibiki frowned, deciding to test a hypothesis. He edged away from them slightly, pulling Kabuto with him. The boy calmed almost immediately. How odd. Just then, another doctor exited a room about three feet down from them, brushing past the two and accidentally running the edge of his shoulder into Kabuto. The boy flipped. Screaming wordlessly, Kabuto writhed in Ibiki's grip, trying to pull away. Ibiki realized, to his surprise, that Kabuto was not trying to pull away from him, but instead put Ibiki between himself and the unfoturnate doctor, who plugged his ears and hurried down the hall with a few disconcerted glances.

"Yakushi, Yakushi, just stop," Ibiki told him firmly. Surprisingly, Kabuto complied, though pressing closer to Ibiki than he had been previously. "Okay, it's all right, let's just go back to your room now," Ibiki said soothingly.

Kakashi, Tsunade and Shizune exchanged baffled glances.

"You might want to move back," Ibiki warned them. "I don't think I can convince him to just waltz past all of you on our way back to his lovely room."

The group of five moved back, allowing Ibiki to guide Kabuto back into the small hospital room. Surprisingly, the boy put up no resistance, meekly allowing Ibiki to walk him back into the room and sit him on the bed. However, when Shizune tried to go in with the syringe, Kabuto clutched at Ibiki, quivering in fear. "Don't come any closer!" Ibiki ordered her. He'd finally gotten the kid to calm down and get back into his room, and she thought it would be perfectly acceptable to get him worked up all over again? Sheesh. These medics had no idea how to deal with people. "Just give me the syringe." Ibiki scowled. "How did you get this antidote so quickly?"

"Shizune took a blood sample earlier," Tsunade explained from outside the room, not sure how the situation had reversed, leaving Ibiki the one in control.

"Well, that explains quite a bit," Ibiki growled. "No wonder he doesn't want you near him. He's lost enough blood as is, and probably doesn't like the idea of having you take whatever blood he has left."

"We needed to figure out what drug was in his system," Shizune explained.

"I could have told you if you'd waited ten minutes!" Ibiki shot back. "Medics." He rolled his eyes.

"He needs the antidote," Tsunade snapped.

"Well, give it to me, I'll do it," Ibiki snapped. "I know how to use needles."

"You're not a trained medical technician," Shizune argued.

Ibiki just gave her a longsuffering look. "I know how to use needles," he repated himself.

"For torture, maybe," Shizune shot back.

Ibiki extended a hand and glared at her. Shizune quickly handed over the syringe. Ibiki prepped the needle slightly, flicking the side of the syringe and squeezing out any air bubbles. He turned to Kabuto. "I'm not taking your blood," he assured the grey-haired boy. He watched Kabuto for any adverse response, but the boy just stared back at him with dull eyes.

Ibiki glanced at Shizune. "Shoulder?"

Shizune scowled. "This is what I'm talking about. It needs to go directly to his bloodstream, you need to put it in a vein."

Ibiki scowled. "So complicated."

Kabuto reached for the syringe. Ibiki jerked it away. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded. Kabuto continued to stretch for the syringe, face expressionless. His hand clenched and unclenched as he tried to grab the needle from Ibiki. Ibiki kept pulling the needle away, treating Kabuto to a rather irriated look. "would you stop that?" he growled.

"Maybe he just wants to make sure it's safe," Shizune volunteered.

"Or maybe he's going to give himself the shot," Kakashi joked.

Tsunade sighed. "Just give him the syringe, Ibiki, it seems to make him happy. We have more antidote where that came from."

Ibiki handed the syringe to Kabuto, who, rather than chucking it across the room or dashing it to the floor, once again checked it for air bubbles, flicked it lightly, squeezed the plunger until a small drop appeared at the tip of the needle, and then glanced down at his left arm. He stiffened his arm, clenched his fist, laid the tip of the needle along a vein at the inside of his wrist and quickly pressed the needle in, slowly administering the shot. Ibiki just stared at the kid, not sure what to make of this. "Okay then," he said after a moment. "Maybe you should get some rest now."

Kabuto leaned back onto the bed, slipping under the bedclothes and pulling the blankets up to his chin. He continued watching Ibiki with wide eyes. Ibiki sighed lightly, standing up and moving for the door. Kabuto's heart rate monitor, which had been running at a more normal speed for the first time that day, kicked back into high gear. Ibiki paused. The heart rate dropped slightly. Ibiki started moving for the door again. Kabuto's heart rate spiked yet again. Ibiki scowled, and started to move back towards the bed. Kabuto's heart rate settled back down into a normal rythym. From outside the room, Tsunade looked ready to explode. "Ibiki!" she shouted. "What did you do, hypnotize him? Is this some sort of brainwashing that I was unaware of?"

Ibiki scowled. "Someone get me a chair. And some tea. And my paperwork."

Kakashi headed off to find Ibiki's paperwork. Shizune said she'd get some tea and took off. Tsunade stood there, glaring in at Ibiki. "Why is he so attached to you all of a sudden?"

Ibiki shrugged, but he had a knowing look in his eye. "Just bring me my paperwork," he said. "I have some theorizing to do."

A/N: and I have some apologizing to do! It's been ages since I've updated this fic and I'm truly sorry for the wait. I hope to have more updated at some point, life has been pretty busy and so that's made it more difficult to keep things up-to-date but that's no excuse. Sorry to all the readers out there and I hope you'll stay with me despite the long hiatus.

Stay tuned for the next update, which hopefully will not take an entire year! (but it very well might...)