What is my purpose?
I feel like it's null.
Day in, day out,
My life is so dull.
At one point
I think I had a goal.
Too bad.
If I had a soul,
It's gone.

Kimimaro was dying. He had been plagued by a rather unknown illness for a long time. Although he wasn't dead yet, Orochimaru wasn't quite lying when he told Jūgo the man was dead. He was comatose and had been for a couple weeks. Large machinery cluttered the room, hooked up to a cloth with a seal over Kimimaros face. Kabuto had always ignored the drab surroundings of the cave-like layer. When in the presence of a man taking his final breaths, Kabuto finally noticed how bleak the interior was. It made him pretty depressed.

"Kabuto-san," he was surprised to hear Kimimaro talk. It had been weeks since he had done anything besides lay there.

"What is it, Kimimaro?"

"May I talk to Jūgo? One last time?"

Kabuto lowered his head. Orochimaru had forcefully kept this man in custody his whole life, under the guise that he would be of great help. He had let him down so much. He wasn't able to heal his body, care for him properly, and the man couldn't even be granted his final wish. How bleak. "I'm afraid Jūgo is no longer here."

"I see. Well, if you see him, could you give him a message?"

Kabuto never really tried to do anything for anyone besides Orochimaru. If someone asked him to do something, he usually just said something snarky, "I suppose. What is it?"

"Can you tell him that he will always be a friend to me."

Kabuto nodded, "I'll try my best, Kimimaro." Kabuto had no one like that. Orochimaru wasn't his friend. He had killed the woman he considered his mother, and he doubted that any of the children were still in the orphanage. He didn't have anyone to go back to. No one who thought of him as Kimimaro did Jūgo. That's why he had been here for so long. Sometimes, when Orochimaru didn't need him, he would just walk aimlessly through whatever lair he was in. He forgot how horrible it smelled. After a long time, he had just learned how to block out the smell. He was feeling hungry. Not too much anymore. He let out a sigh and began to walk towards his quarters.

He sat down on his bed and grabbed the book he was reading. There wasn't many ways to pass the time in an underground human experimentation lab. Kabuto has taken up reading. He found a copy of The Tale of an Utterly Gutsy Shinobi in a bookstore in Iwa. He was surprised that those rockheads even had literature. He opened to his bookmark when his door opened.

"Kabuto," it was Orochimaru, "how is Kimimaro?"

Kabuto pushes his glasses up, "Grim, Orochimaru-sama. There isn't much we can do right now."

"Hm. Well we'll have to find a new vessel, and fast. Any ideas?"

Kabuto thought for a moment, "We could test the southern hideout. Aren't there plenty of caged up there?"

"Hmmm I suppose. Real shame about Kimimaro. Would have been nice to have his skill set."

"Orochimaru-sama, may I ask what this is all for?"

"Why is that Kabuto? You seem uncharacteristically interested."

"I've just been thinking about purpose a lot lately," he pushed his glasses up got up and followed Orochimaru.

He followed the man into a large chamber. They both walked until they reached a narrow hallway that led to a small kitchen. Kabuto retrieved several fresh fruits, cutting them into edible, bite sized pieces. He tossed them into two bowls, handing one to Orochimaru and keeping one for himself. He grabbed two forks as well and sat down. The two began to eat, and Orochimaru tosses something from his bowl, "Kabuto, I don't like strawberries."

"Sorry, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru sighed, "No big deal. It's gone now."

The two ate in silence for a while. When they were both almost done, Kabuto spoke up, "Orochimaru-sama, may I ask you something?"

"My, you're rather inquisitive today. May I ask what the occasion is?"

"It's nothing specific. I think maybe Kimimaros situation has me thinking a lot. May I ask?" Orochimaru nodded, "Would you have considered, at the time of you being together, Jiraiya and Tsunade your friends?"

"I guess so."

"Why?"

"Well we just spent most of our time together. They would invite me to partake in activities with them. Jiraiya in particular would tell me a lot about himself."

Kabuto nodded, "And you wouldn't consider them your friends still?"

"No. I don't believe they care much for me these days."

"And do you care for them?"

"More than most people. I would less rather kill them than someone like Naruto." He paused and skewered a slice of banana, "May I ask you a question?"

"It's only fair."

"What was Nonō to you?"

Kabuto put his fork down, "She was my only family. She gave me everything that's part of my identity."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, she gave me my name. And these glasses were hers."

"But I thought you met her when you were older."

"I did. Something had happened to make me forget who I was. Mother- Nonō named me."

Orochimaru nodded, "I see."

The two finished their meal. They never usually talked while they ate. There was never really anything they wanted to talk about, "I enjoyed this chat, Kabuto." Orochimaru got up and placed his bowl in the sink, rinsing it using water jutsu. "I'm sorry for what happened to Nonō, but I'm glad to have met you." Kabuto was a little confused. Orochimaru never usually showed compassion, even to him.

"Thank you, Orochimaru-sama. I enjoyed the talk as well." Kabuto got up and walked towards the sink.

"Here, I can get that," Orochimaru reached for the bowl. Kabuto handed it over and grabbed some soap and a rag. Orochimaru finished rinsing the bowls and handed them to Kabuto, who washed them with the soap before rinsing them off again. It might have not seemed like much, but the slight display of camaraderie between him and Orochimaru was the closest thing he had to friendship in 10 or so years.

"I'm going to bed. Tomorrow is the day. Goodnight, Kabuto."

"Goodnight, Orochimaru-sama."