Emulation of Apathy

Chapter XIII

"Kabuto's Day – Part I"

…

"Sasuke-kun!"

Well, it was official. He hated them.

"Sasuke-kun!"

What was it they had against sleep, anyway?

"Wake up, Sasuke-kun!"

"Agh!"

Sasuke shot up with a start, holding his hand to his side, before slamming his free arm against the moron's leg, causing him to completely lose his balance and topple over. It took a moment for Kabuto to regain his footing, at which time he cleared his throat and looked down upon the boy with a self-satisfied smile.

"Good, you're up," the imbecile remarked.

"What did Orochimaru tell you about kicking me?" the Uchiha drawled, narrowing his eyes into a glare.

"That's beside the point," the Genin waved it off with a nonchalant brush of his hand. "More importantly, today is about me."

Sasuke stared up at the man blankly.

Frowning at the lack of response, Kabuto tsked the boy, and informed him, "It's my birthday, Sasuke-kun."

"Your birthday?" the younger shinobi furrowed his brow. "What day is it?"

"My birthday is February 29th," the Genin stated. "However, since there is no February 29th this year, Orochimaru and I have decided that we shall be celebrating my birthday on both February 28th and March 1st as compensation. As such, feel free to give me a present on both days."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, turning over in bed and burying his face in his pillow. Like hell he was going to give him a present. Kabuto could claim it was his birthday all he wanted, that did not mean the Uchiha was required, by any means, to give the idiot any fuller attention than usual or even take part in whatever ludicrous festivities they undoubtedly had planned.

Within a matter of seconds, however, he felt another jab in his side, and he clenched his fist with a scowl.

"Kabuto," he said, in a low, deadly tone, "touch me one more time, and see what happens."

A brief silence ensued, during which time Kabuto, clearly, called to mind the scolding from his dear Orochimaru-sama and proceeded to simply say, "Ahem…yes, well, get up."

"Why?" Sasuke asked dryly, not budging an inch.

"Because, it's my birthday, and I said so," the medic replied.

At this, the Uchiha lifted his head to award Kabuto an incredulous look. Because he said so? Really? That was his answer?

"Kabuto," the boy asked slowly, "how old are you turning?"

Because he was acting like he was 5.

"Why, thank you for asking, Sasuke-kun," the moron smiled pleasantly. "As a matter of fact, I'm turning 21 this year."

"21," Sasuke repeated. After a moment, he only smirked, before setting his head back on his pillow and closing his eyes. "How nice for you."

"Sasuke-kun, you need to get up!" Kabuto demanded. "I have quite a lot planned for today, and we must get started at once. We cannot delay, not even a moment, otherwise we will be placed considerably behind schedule."

He had devised a schedule for his own birthday? Good lord, what the hell was the matter with this guy?

"Isn't someone else supposed to organize your birthday?" the Uchiha drawled.

"Oh, don't be absurd, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto released an amused laugh. "There is not a single person better equipped for handling such matters than myself. Why, just ask Orochimaru-sama. The last party I hosted was a smashing success! But then, I wouldn't expect you to understand such matters. After all, you've only been with us a short while, and you're still getting used to everything."

Sasuke rolled his eyes beneath his closed lids, but offered no response.

"But, enough about that!" the Genin exclaimed. "Come, Sasuke-kun! I've prepared a marvelous breakfast for us all!"

He had prepared his own breakfast for his own birthday? He really did have a problem. But then, Kabuto was something of a perfectionist when it came to such frivolous matters. Frivolous matters, in general, actually. Oh well. It was not his problem, Kabuto could be hindered by his own ridiculous mindset to his heart's content. Sasuke could honestly not care less.

"Get up!"

Releasing a quiet sigh, the boy lifted his head and focused his annoyed gaze on the Genin in front of him. "You're not going to stop until I get up, are you?" he reasoned in a dry tone.

"Heh," Kabuto lifted his hand and pushed his glasses up the brim of his nose, and Sasuke again noticed the man was using his middle finger. "I can't presume to know what you're referring to, Sasuke-kun."

Lilac.

The entire kitchen was drenched in that ridiculous color. Streamers fell between rafters in the ceiling and over the doorway and windows. A tablecloth of the same color had been thrown over the table, and the usual dishes were replaced with plastic, lilac ones. Food coloring had been used to dye the milk a light purple, and it had been mixed in with the pancakes Kabuto had prepared.

To be honest, it was one of the ugliest sights he had ever seen.

It was not that there was necessarily anything wrong with the color lilac. But when it jumped out at you from every direction, and when it was the only color you could see, and when you had grown accustomed to associating the color with a certain annoying presence, it really did make the whole scene that much more displeasing to the eye. And obnoxious.

"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru's jagged teeth protrude from his mouth as his lips turned in a grin. "How did you sleep?"

"Terribly," the Uchiha drawled.

"Oh?" Kabuto took his place at Orochimaru's side with a pleasant smile, first grabbing a plate for himself and then handing one to his master. As he began piling purple pancakes onto his stupid lilac plate, he asked, "Why was that, Sasuke-kun?"

"Some four-eyed dumbass decided to start kicking me at 6 in the morning," Sasuke replied dryly.

"Kabuto," the Sannin focused his snake eyes on his medic, "I do believe we've discussed the matter of kicking my dear Sasuke-kun."

His Sasuke-kun? Who the hell did Orochimaru think he was?

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto nodded his head, purposefully keeping his gaze fixed on the knife in hand as he buttered his pancakes. "I suppose I was just filled with such excitement for today that I couldn't help myself. I will remember in the future."

Bullshit.

"Dear Kabuto," the Snake Master chuckled softly. "You are always such an excitable person. It never ceases to amuse."

The Genin joined in his master's chuckling, passing the breakfast tray to Orochimaru and then proceeding to drench his meal in syrup, as always. As they began Kabuto's birthday breakfast, Sasuke let his dark eyes wander the hideous kitchen, in search of something edible. He was not entirely certain if it was intentional or simply pure coincidence, but everything at the table was something he hated. Except the milk, of course, but the mere color made it distasteful. No matter, this was Kabuto's damn birthday, so the idiot was clearly free to do whatever the hell he wanted. Orochimaru did not seem inclined to question anything today.

Sasuke opened the fridge and rummaged through it a moment, before leaning against the door and forcing back the sigh. They were out of apples. He would need to put that on the list, the next time their medic finally decided to venture to the store again. Shutting the refrigerator, the Uchiha pulled open the nearest cabinet, but he stared into its contents with a scowl. Out of bread, too, apparently.

Whatever. He did not have much of an appetite, as it was.

The boy proceeded to walk back to the table and take a seat, as far removed from those two as possible, before folding his arms in front of him and staring blankly at the purple milk.

"When shall we expect everyone?" Orochimaru was currently asking his subordinate.

"That will be tomorrow," Kabuto replied. "Today, it will just be us, so I laid out a few plans. Here, take a look." At this, the Genin retrieved a small notebook from his side-pouch and handed it to Orochimaru, who accepted it with a slight inclination of his head.

The Sannin opened it to the marked page, before pouring over the words inscribed. "Kabuto," he lifted his head, a distinct glint in the corner of his eye, "this is superb."

As usual, the idiot accepted his praise with a self-satisfied smile, and then began to divulge, "Of course, I left the actual means of transmutation open. I know that's your favorite part."

"Kabuto," Orochimaru's fond smile returned, "you know me so well."

"I make it my business to know everything," Kabuto pointed out.

Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction, and he could not contain the laughter forming in his throat. When the two imbeciles turned their dumbfounded gazes on the shinobi, he forced it back and gave a slight wave of his hand.

"By all means," he assured them, "continue."

"Something amusing, Sasuke-kun?" the medic-nin arched a single brow.

The Uchiha emulated his usual impassive demeanor, before offering a shake of his head. "Not particularly."

At first, Kabuto continued to stare at him suspiciously, but the Sannin pulled his attention back to whatever the hell he had written in that absurd book of his, and they continued their discussion. Sasuke took it upon himself to try to tone them out, but it was proving a rather difficult task. Why was it that his mind always wandered when he didn't want it to, yet now, when it might actually come in handy, he couldn't seem to get away from the present?

But then, perhaps it was not such a bad thing. It really was debatable which was worse: listening to these two, or listening to his own thoughts.

"Perhaps we could try a shark this time, Orochimaru-sama," the Genin was currently suggesting, though what about, the young Uchiha really had no idea.

"Ahh, truly a splendid suggestion, Kabuto," Orochimaru nodded in approval. "And which test subject do you suggest?"

"Well, I did notice a certain quality about Xi'lba that might suggest he's compatible," Kabuto informed his master, and the Sannin smiled again.

"Kabuto," he marveled, "you truly will never fail me, will you?"

"Orochimaru."

The two glanced over at the sound of that dull tone, one with a look of annoyance, and the other with a look of pure fascination, and Sasuke had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at their predictable reactions.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?" the Snake Master asked.

Focusing his onyx gaze on the Sannin, Sasuke questioned, "Is our training canceled the next two days?"

"Now that you mention it," Kabuto began, lifting his book in hand and perusing the page with his eyes, "I don't believe it happened to fit anywhere in the schedule I prepared. That shouldn't be a problem, though, I'm sure. Consider it an opportunity to relax."

"I didn't come here to relax," Sasuke snapped at the idiot.

"No need for worry, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru assured him with a low, throaty chuckle. "We will commence your training on the 2nd. When it comes time for your birthday, I assure you, we will do exactly as you wish. But, as it is, these two days have been specifically set aside for dear Kabuto."

"Thank you, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto grinned in response as he fixed his glasses.

"Of course, Kabuto," the Sannin gave a slight inclination of his head, and the chuckle continued.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the pair of them, before returning his focus to the table. Well, that was just fine. If Orochimaru refused to train him, he would just train on his own for the time being. Perhaps this would be advantageous, in the long run, as he would have to get used to it at some point. Considering.

"Why, Sasuke-kun!" the Genin claimed his attention with that obnoxious voice of his. "Are you not planning to eat?"

"No," the Uchiha responded dryly. "I hate sweets."

"Oh, that's right," Kabuto released a light laugh, but Sasuke noticed the vindictive smile the medic was awarding him. "It must have slipped my mind."

Within his folded arms, Sasuke clenched his concealed hand in a fist. Annoying little piece of shit.

He leaned his back against the wall, waiting irritably for the stupid panting to subside. He tightened his grip on the kunai in either hand and pressed his eyes shut, before immediately forcing them open and pushing away from the wall. He gathered chakra in his soles, launched himself in the air and had sent the first few kunai at their respective targets in a matter of a split-second. He had the next set ready, threw them in the appropriate directions, before taking the last two and sending them through the air.

Damnit.

He had messed up. He had thrown them wrong, he could tell. At the last second, he had released one too soon. It clashed against its mark at the wrong angle, and neither hit their intended targets. Of the other six, four had landed directly in the middle of the targets, but the last two were slightly off-center.

Sasuke landed on his feet, his hands clenched in fists at either side, as he scowled down at the ground. This was the tenth time, and he had made no progress from the first. In fact, the third time he had managed to launch six of them dead-center. Which meant this was not improvement. It was not even consistency. It was just a matter of luck, not skill.

He clasped his hands together, drew a sharp intake of breath, and then released it as he rushed through the hand seals.

Too slow.

He formed the seals again, but it was still not fast enough. He tried again, and again. Finally, when he was satisfied, he took a deep inhale and then let it out.

"Katon, Housenka no Jutsu!"

He focused his chakra, directing each flame. They leapt through the air under his command, crashing against their targets, and Sasuke lowered his hands to inspect the damage. With a slight smirk, he noted that each had hit the center of their intended targets. Good.

In one swift movement, the Uchiha drew his blade and again focused his chakra at his soles, leaping through the air and slashing the nearest target. He pushed against the pillar, launching himself toward the next one. He repeated the process, concentrating on speed, until he had cut away each of the targets and landed, once more, in the center of the training room.

The boy lowered his sword into its sheath, and then leaned forward, resting his palms against his knees as he paused to catch his breath. His chakra supply was low. He had been training nonstop for the past few hours, had already released the customary number of Chidori, had practiced using the cursed seal in different increments, and had even gone through the usual sets of push-ups Orochimaru insisted he go through at the onset of almost every session.

That was enough.

At least, for the moment. He would take a break, and then come back. As it was, the lack of breakfast was starting to catch up with him, and it was already several hours past noon. Giving a decisive nod of his head, the young Uchiha straightened himself and then turned to exit the training room. As he shut the doors behind him, however, an idea occurred to him, and, rather than heading for the kitchen, he instead made his way down the hall in the opposite direction.

This hideout, for all its ridiculous shortcomings, did have one perk: there was a particularly extensive library. No doubt, it contained a number of volumes on jutsu, and, most likely, a few of those would include lightning-based jutsu. It would be advantageous for him to study on his own, to learn and develop different techniques out of Orochimaru's knowledge. And today was an excellent opportunity.

With a distant smirk, Sasuke thought to himself, 'I can even do it over a bowl of ramen.'

When he reached the library door, he thrust it open, but he regretted it a moment too late. He had known they were experimenting, Kabuto's sadistic face was easy to ready, but what possible train of thought would have led him to assume they were conducting them in the library? Then again, what was the point in even trying to question their logic? They had no logic.

Several bodies lined the floor. A select few had been decapitated, another had missing limbs, but each and every one of them had been ripped open, and key organs had been removed. Currently, the two were standing on either side of a table, atop which another body lay. It was quite obvious, however, that this particular specimen was still alive, not only from the lack of torn innards, but from the blood-curdling cry he was emitting, which echoed off the walls of the open room.

As for the source of the man's distress…well, that was obvious, too.

There was a sharp, rotating buzz-saw in Orochimaru's hands, which he was pressing down against the victim's shoulder. Kabuto, who was standing opposite him, only looked on with that sickly pleasant smile. Blood splattered through the air, and a sudden crunch sounded, a sound which Sasuke could only assume meant that the Sannin had cut through bone. When the arm was completely severed, the saw was lowered, lowered to the victim's pelvis, and the screams began anew. The blood was drenching the tormenters, but they did not seem the least bit affected by it. Rather, it urged them to continue in the process, feeding their atrocious appetites.

And, as Sasuke turned and fled from the scene, he could feel his own appetite dissolve. In its place, a sick, nauseated feeling formed in his gut, one he could feel taking hold of him, but he fought that retching sensation. That is, at least until he stumbled into his bathroom and made a dash for the toilet.

As he gagged over what little substance was left in his stomach, the Uchiha pressed his eyes shut.

Those bastards. Those sick, insane, stupid, pitiless, sadistic bastards. What the hell could they possibly gain from putting so many lives through so much torture? And how could they possibly find pleasure in that whole, disturbing practice? It took someone who was truly heartless to find pleasure in the pain of others. In that sense, they were no different than Itachi.

Sasuke lifted his head, his brow furrowed in disgust and his arms wrapped around his abdomen, as he leaned against the wall. He was out of breath, and though the taste in his mouth was vile, he could not seem to force himself to his feet. Had he known what he would encounter, he would not have depleted himself of chakra beforehand.

Bastards. The lot of them. They took what they wanted, with no regard for human life. None whatsoever. As long as they got what they wanted…

…

The child fought to exert strength in his small hand, trying to grasp something, anything. He extended it, reaching toward his brother.

"Why…?" he asked, his voice quiet, broken, his vision hazy. This didn't make sense. None of it made sense. "Why, Nii-san?"

"To measure the height of my capacity," the older Uchiha's voice was cold, abrupt. Completely absent of feeling.

"I don't understand…," the small boy muttered, his mind in a state of disorientation. "Just for that…," he was choking over his words, "…just for that, you killed everyone?"

And his older brother gave his detached response, "It was necessary."

…

Necessary!

Sasuke's jaw locked, and he gritted his teeth.

Necessary…

Was that why Kabuto and Orochimaru were experimenting on countless, innocent victims? Because it was necessary in obtaining the end they desired, in reaching the height of their capacity? In this instance, as much knowledge as possible about whatever suited their fancy?

It was despicable. Completely despicable. They were worthless, pathetic excuses for human beings.

The Uchiha bowed his head, clenching his hands in fists, and he decided that, no matter what, he had to become stronger than Orochimaru. He would reach a point at which the contemptible Snake Master had nothing further to teach him, nothing he could teach him. Sasuke would exhaust his knowledge, perfect every technique, and, when the time came, surpass the Legendary Sannin. And then, then, when Orochimaru believed it was time to take his body, when he was sitting securely upon his damnable plans, his inaccessible future vessel would kill him. Him, and his idiot medic.

Sasuke took a moment to compose himself, pressing his eyes shut and shaking his head of that gruesome image, before forcing his feet to support him. He flushed the mess he had left in the toilet, and then walked to the sink, where he turned the knob and drenched his rancid mouth in the cold water.

Well, one meal was better than no meal at all.

The shinobi tossed his bowl in the sink, paying no heed to where it landed, or if it took any damage, and not bothering to wash it. Kabuto could take care of that. It was the least Sasuke could do for that moron. He was supposed to give him a present today, right?

He pushed the kitchen door open and then dragged his feet down the hall. It was not long before he reached his room, where he immediately slammed the door shut behind him and then fell into bed. It may be early evening, and there may be more he could accomplish, but the events of the day had left him lethargic. In all honesty, he was exhausted.

And he knew the following day would be equally, if not even more exhausting.

The Uchiha released a quiet sigh, turning his head and burying his face in his pillow. Of course Kabuto's birthday had to be February 29th. And of course he and Orochimaru had to arrange to celebrate it for two days. Two full days, dedicated to whatever sick fantasies Kabuto decided he wanted to indulge. As if this place was not unstable enough!

At breakfast, they had mentioned something about expecting everyone tomorrow. Who exactly were they expecting?

With a slight shake of his head, Sasuke decided he did not particularly care. Since it was Kabuto, it would be impossible to guess. He only hoped it was not some new shipment of specimens for the sadistic coward to dig his scalpel into to his heart's content. Though, truth be told, it would not be all that surprising.

Sasuke pulled the blanket over himself, bringing it up to his neck and then snuggling within it, in attempt to find the most comfortable position. However, it did not take long before he gave up on the fruitless effort, settling for his previous position, and he released an exasperated breath in his pillow. This whole place was stupid. Those two were complete idiots. They did not even know how to properly design a bed. They should spend less time focusing on that stupid forbidden jutsu of theirs and instead pay attention to things around them. It was no wonder they were so damn stupid!

His last thought lingering on the blood-spattered victim from that afternoon, Sasuke drifted out of consciousness.

Chapter XIII

"Kabuto's Day – Part II"

…

The Uchiha lifted his eyes, which had already shifted to crimson at the sound of that obnoxiously familiar voice calling his name, and he turned them on the smiling face of the idiot Genin. The man lifted his hand and extended his middle finger. He delayed a moment, before lifting his index finger as well. At first, the boy thought it might be a sign of victory. But then, realization struck, and so did the immediate repulsion.

"Day two, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto stated.

Sasuke stared up at him blankly a moment, slowly letting his Sharingan dissipate into the usual blackness, before narrowing his eyes into a glare. "I hate you."

"My, my," Kabuto shook his head with a tsk. "It looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"I always sleep on this side," Sasuke remarked tonelessly.

"Well," the medic-nin's smile widened, and he looked the boy up and down, "that explains it, doesn't it?"

"What's your favorite animal, Orochimaru-sama?"

They were again sitting around this stupid lilac table for the first meal. Kabuto was still preparing breakfast, and, as he cooked, he had taken it upon himself to question his master, firing several questions as he flipped the omelet in the air and then caught it in the frying pan.

"Surely," the Sannin awarded his medic a bemused look, "you know the answer."

"Well, I didn't want to make any false assumptions," Kabuto replied with a slight chuckle.

"Kabuto," Orochimaru awarded him a smile. "You always do consider all possibilities, don't you? In that case, my favorite animal is, in fact, the white-scaled snake."

"Of course," the Genin nodded his head.

"And what of yours?" his master returned.

"Mine?" Kabuto glanced over his shoulder to award Orochimaru a curious look. "I'm a little torn. You see, I have always had a certain fondness for dolphins, but, at the same time, I do believe I prefer mice."

"Mice," the Sannin mused, slowly, deliberately. "And why is that?"

"Well, they're really quite intelligent creatures, and," here, the sadistic idiot allowed a grin to overtake his countenance, "they're much easier to experiment on."

"Practical, as always, Kabuto," Orochimaru remarked, his tone flattering. As the customary self-satisfied look formed on Kabuto's face, the Snake Master averted his glowing, yellow eyes to the boy at the table beside him. "And you, Sasuke-kun? What is your animal of preference?"

Sasuke gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders in response.

"Now, now," Kabuto awarded him a stern expression. "Don't act like that. You did the same thing when we asked about your favorite color, and it turned out you had one of those, too. So, Sasuke-kun…answer Orochimaru-sama. What's your favorite animal?"

"I have no reason to tell either one of you," the boy drawled.

"Well," the Genin lifted his eyes to the ceiling in thought, "look at it this way, Sasuke-kun. Orochimaru-sama is your teacher. As such, he need to know as much about you as possible, thereby to properly train you. Also, I'd say you owe him a fair bit, considering he is, after all, training you. What if he were to stop?"

"If he stopped, I would leave," Sasuke replied shortly. "Since the only reason I'm here is to train under him, there really would be no further purpose if it ended."

"Always so ungrateful," Kabuto shook his head with an irritated tsk, before turning his attention back to the stove.

Orochimaru's raspy voice continued, as if there had been no interruption, "Well, Sasuke-kun…do you have a favorite?"

The Uchiha could feel his hands curling into fists, and he averted his dark gaze from the pair of them, focusing instead on the door, as he stated, "That's none of your concern."

"Is it not?" the Sannin licked his lips with his elongated tongue.

"No," Sasuke shot back. "It's not."

"Oh, dear!"

The young shinobi had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at Kabuto's obvious attempt at bringing attention back to himself. Honestly, could he be any more obvious? Nevertheless, both the Snake Master and his pupil turned their attention to the medic by the stove, only to find the man was currently rummaging through the fridge.

"We're out of milk," the Genin informed them.

"Drink something else," Sasuke instructed, his tone bored.

"I don't think you understand, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto released a heavy sigh. "I wanted cereal. I can't have cereal without milk." His eyes widening suddenly, a smile found its way to the medic-nin's face, and he turned his gaze to rest on the Uchiha at the table. "Sasuke-kun," he began, his tone light, pleasant, conversational, "how would you like to make a run to the store?"

"No," the boy replied immediately.

"But, I want cereal, I have this craving, and it's my birthday," the Genin pointed out, closing the fridge door and crossing his arms in front of him.

"I don't give a damn about any of that," Sasuke stated. "Go to the store yourself."

"Sasuke-kun! I can't possibly go to the store myself!" Kabuto looked aghast. "It's my birthday. No, no. Someone else will have to go. So…go to the store and pick up some milk."

"No," Sasuke repeated.

It did not matter how many times the idiot asked, he was not going to the store for him. And he certainly was not going to give into a request given him by Kabuto.

The man released a melodramatic sigh, leaning his back against the counter, as he lowered his dismal stare to the omelet in the frying pan. "You know that feeling you get," he said, his voice sounding hollow, "when you really want something, and, because of that, you're not in the mood for anything else? Nothing else even looks appealing, even though it would under normal circumstances. And nothing else will satisfy. You can't even get that yearning desire out of your head…"

"Kabuto," the Uchiha narrowed his eyes in a glare, "I really don't give a damn about anything you have to say. I don't feel sorry for you at all."

"No, I suppose you wouldn't," Kabuto heaved another sigh, before scooping the omelet onto a plate and walking across the kitchen to hand it to Orochimaru. "Here you are, Orochimaru-sama."

"Thank you, Kabuto," the Sannin gave a slight nod of his head, his entire focus centered on the breakfast in front of him. Within seconds, he was digging into the meal with his tongue, covering every inch of egg in his saliva, and Sasuke, again, found himself staring at the older man in disgust.

"That's how I would like to feel," the imbecilic Genin remarked, as he crossed the room back to the fridge. "If only someone would go to the store."

This time, Sasuke did not even afford the idiot a response. He had said quite enough on the matter, and he was tired of listening to Kabuto's attempted guilt-trips.

"I suppose no one cares about me," Kabuto continued, as he scooped himself a plateful of fried eggs. "I guess I'll just have to eat this. The store isn't even very far away. If only everyone in this place wasn't so selfish. Except you, of course, Orochimaru-sama. You're perfectly magnanimous. I was referring to…other people."

Kabuto sat himself beside his master at the table, at first playing listlessly with his food, poking his fork into it on occasion. But finally, after several moments, the moron finally began his meal. However, it was a little louder than necessary. It was as if he was taking extra care to enhance the sound of every bite, a means to further extend the guilt-trip.

"This is good," the medic mused between bites, nodding his head vigorously. His eyes were locked on Sasuke, and there was an obvious vindictiveness underlying his words. "I would still like some milk with it. That'd be nice."

The young Uchiha rolled his eyes at his passive-aggressive remark, turning his attention instead to Orochimaru, but he was a little surprised at what he beheld. The Sannin was glancing back and forth between both Sasuke and Kabuto, his own expression one of excessive amusement, and he was clearly fighting a laugh.

Sasuke simply rolled his eyes again.

Well, as it turned out, the other people Orochimaru and Kabuto had been expecting were not experiments, after all. Quite the contrary. They were jailers from various hideouts. They had arrived late afternoon, and, when Sasuke had been dragged along and forced to greet them, he noticed the banner stretched across the hideout entrance:

"Happy Birthday, Kabuto!"

And, of course, the banner was lilac, and the words themselves were written in dark purple. He was so sick of looking at that damn color.

Currently, everyone was sitting around the large dining area—an area the three shinobi rarely made us of, mainly for the simple convenience of the kitchen—and Kabuto was lounging comfortably in the chair at the head of the table. The young Uchiha had placed himself as far from that moron as he could manage, and he was currently sitting with his arms crossed his in front of him as he scowled at the opposite wall. He had not bothered to pay attention to anyone's names. After all, what did these people matter? They were all Orochimaru's pawns.

Therefore, he had no idea who the person was when a young man, a little older than him, approached and claimed the seat to his right.

"Hey," he greeted.

Sasuke simply turned his dull stare to rest on the man beside him, to show he had heard him.

"Uchiha Sasuke, isn't it?" the man asked, a friendly smile in place.

Still, Sasuke afford this nameless pawn no answer.

"You must feel very honored," he continued, his eyes wandering to the ceiling in obvious admiration. "Orochimaru-sama chose you, out of everyone. You were hand-picked. What's more, he took upon himself to train you. That's something he's never done before, not with anyone." A brief silence fell between them, until, finally, the man brought his gaze to rest on the Uchiha once more. At first, he simply stared at him in fascination, tilting his head to one side, before remarking, "You must be something very special, indeed."

Special.

Sasuke almost scoffed at the word. If having your body coveted by some snake bastard qualified as special, then yes. Yes, he was special. He knew that was what this pawn was referring to—the fact that Orochimaru wanted him, wanted his powers. Why were all of these people so obsessed with that creep, anyway?

"Sasuke-kun!"

The Uchiha held back the sigh at that raspy voice, instead averting his dull stare to rest on the Sannin standing behind him, and he arched a single questioning brow in response.

"Will you move to sit with as at the head?" Orochimaru asked, gesturing at said area.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. Right, because he was about to move any closer to Kabuto. Or Orochimaru, for that matter. No. No, he was the perfect distance where he was, and he was not about to move. He proceeded to drawl, "I think I prefer this spot."

The Sannin proceeded to run his tongue along the surface of his lips, and Sasuke had to resist the urge to cringe. Was it just his imagination, or did Orochimaru actually seem even more desirous of him when he stood against the man? As if, the older ninja thought he was that much more appealing when he was in a state of insurgence? Either way, it was unnerving.

"Very well, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru leaned forward to whisper in his ear, and, at this sudden change, Sasuke could no longer fight the look of disgust. "I leave you here, then." After extending his tongue once more, almost touching the boy with it as he did so, the Snake Master then retracted it with a spray of saliva and returned to the head of the table, where an eager Kabuto awaited him.

Well, there really was no point in denying the truth. Orochimaru creeped the hell out of him sometimes.

"Very special," he heard the man beside him remark, and the Uchiha found himself resisting the urge to roll his eyes. What the hell was with this guy, anyway?

"It's time to bring out the cake!" someone further down the table exclaimed.

A loud cheer of consensus rang out amongst the pawns, and the lights in the room were immediately shut off. From the open doorway, a dim illumination began to emerge, someone carrying the customary birthday cake, and the crowd began to divulge in singing.

A slight pause followed, afterwhich the candles were blown out, the lights were flicked back on, and a loud applause filled the room. Slices of the cake were passed down the table. Everyone looked quite pleased with themselves.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in annoyance. Morons. The lot of them.

He was so preoccupied with staring at the wall and ignoring everything around him that he was completely unprepared for the distinct kick to the back of his leg. Rounding his glare on the idiot medic, he found the man staring down at him with that stupid self-satisfied expression.

"I apologize, but I just had to get your attention," the Genin stated, as if it was obvious. "But, enough of that. Did you want some of my birthday cake, Sasuke-kun?"

"No," the young Uchiha clenched his hand at his side. This damn bastard. "I hate sweets."

"Oh, that's right," Kabuto grinned, before lifting his middle finger to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I must have forgotten."

Sasuke felt his eye twitch.