Kabuto slid through the halls as quietly as he could after putting his master to sleep. He had so much work he needed to get done, and he still had to deal with Kakashi-

BANG!!

"Ack!"

"What the-?!"

"Get back here you little swine-!"

"Hey, whoa, hold it!"

Kabuto bent down and picked up a small girl, only about ten years old, as she smacked into his leg. Sakon was chasing her, looking angry, the rest of the Sounds close on his heels. "What is going on?" he asked, holding the girl against his hip.

"That little runt slammed me!" Sakon yelled. "And then she goes and screams, and takes off, and slams me again!"

"Well, maybe that's because you have two heads, and it's not your head controlling the body," Kabuto said dryly. "Ukon, what did Orochimaru-sama tell you about that? Didn't he say to let Sakon have the final say since it's his body?"

"Yes," Ukon muttered.

"Then why aren't you?"

Ukon muttered something under his breath that Kabuto couldn't catch and the silver-haired teen sighed. "Okay, just forget about it. And you," he said, turning to the girl, "what are you doing running around in this part of town?"

The girl shrugged. "I don't know, but someone brought me here, and I was confused, and they said something about a snake guy and that he would-"

"Say no more," Kabuto cut in. "I know already. And don't you ever let him know I pulled you out of the tar pit, you got that? Blame Jiroubou-the fat guy. He's stupid enough to take the blame and not say anything."

The girl shrugged. "Whatever. But why am I here?"

Kabuto sighed. "Oh, I am gonna need some help on this one…"

"I got nothing," Kidomaru said blankly.

"Don't look at me," Tayuya snapped. "Shithead."

Jiroubou shrugged, eating chips out of a bag. "I got nothing, either."

"Not any way in hell."

Kabuto sighed. "Oi, shit…"

"Still no help."

The girl settled on top of Kabuto's arm. "I'm Akuma. Does that help?"

"Not really," Kabuto said. "Hey, wait a minute! Aren't you that-that kid, the one from that clan…"

Akuma looked at him blankly.

"If I knew what you were saying, I would answer."

Kabuto sighed. "Okay then," he said slowly. "Let's try to see what we have going on here…" he set Akuma down on the floor, letting her stand next to him. "Well, I know you can run, so I'll just-ye-ouch!"

Akuma had just punched him-hard. Where no man should ever be punched.

"I've done this before," the girl said vehemently. "And I'm not doing it again."

"Dare may I ask…?"

"No."

Kabuto sighed. "Okay, let's go."

"What??!!"

"Oh, the four of you, keep your mouths shut, I'm dealing with enough already," Kabuto snapped. "I'm currently dealing with a feisty jounin and this little stray in addition to my daily work, so please, be a bit more appreciative of my efforts to keep this place from falling apart."

Tayuya sneered. "Come on, you little shithead, what is with you? In a bad mood all of a sudden?"

"Tayuya, I have soap."

"So?"

"I have soap."

"And your point is…?"

"Soap!!"

Tayuya sighed. "Kabuto if you dare shove that crap down my throat, you're so dead!"

"No, I'm not," Kabuto said flippantly. "You can't kill what you can't catch!"

Tayuya growled a warning, but let Kabuto walk away without another word.

"Shithead."

OOOOOOOOO

Kabuto set Akuma down on the sofa, making sure first that the door to his bedroom was closed.

"Now, you have to be quiet," he warned. "Orochimaru-sama is sleeping, and trust me, he will not be happy if he's awoken, so again, you have to be quiet."

"But-"

"Shush! Orochimaru-sama will not be happy if he-"

"Orochimaru-sama won't be happy if what?"

Kabuto spun around at the sound of Orochimaru's voice. "O-Orochimaru…sama…?"

"Ew, he's weird!"

"Akuma, shut up!" Kabuto clamped his hand over Akuma's mouth and shoved her back behind him. "Hehe, sorry, Orochimaru-sama, I-"

"I'm not mad."

Kabuto's mouth dropped open in amazement. "Y-You're not…?"

"Put your tongue back in your mouth," Orochimaru said lazily. "You look like Tayuya after I shoved a bar of soap down her throat."

Kabuto's mouth snapped shut and he moved Akuma aside. "Okay, so…"

"Please, Kabuto, I just slept an extra hour," Orochimaru said. "I'm in the best mood I've been in in years."

Kabuto discreetly pushed Akuma aside and picked her up. "So…you'll be…?"

"Oh, I'll probably go deal with that feisty little Hatake brat now," Orochimaru said. He rested his hands on his hips and leaned back, spine rippling and cracking. "And then I'll eat something…I don't know, I'll do what I please."

Kabuto shrugged. "As you wish. And I take it you have something for me to do?"

Orochimaru shook his head and straightened his back again. "Just keep her away from trouble. And your lab. And your experiments. And the infirmary."

Kabuto sighed. "All right. What should I do with Kakashi?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Do you have any strong sedatives on hand?"

Kabuto looked to the row of cabinets over his stove and shrugged. "I know I have sedatives, but I'm not sure about the strength of them. How strong are we looking?"

"Strong enough for the Hatake brat."

"Then you'll need something incredible."

Kabuto set Akuma down again and went to the line of cabinets. He opened the first one and stuck his arm in, apparently searching for something in the way back. "Got it," he said, and pulled out a syringe. "I only have this kind in a syringe, so you'll have to inject it."

"Me?" Orochimaru said with a laugh. "Please, the only thing I know about needles is that they hurt whenever you decide I need them shoved into my flesh." Kabuto smiled.

"All right, but you have to hold him down."

"Agreed," Orochimaru said. "And you-!" He turned to Akuma. "Stay here, and don't touch anything."

"Here," Kabuto said, sighing. He handed Akuma a plate and a pair of chopsticks and directed her to the refrigerator. "Eat something, I don't care what," he said. He pulled a bowl covered with cling wrap out of the back and handed it to her. "Eat this, since I know it's safe."

Akuma nodded and pulled the plastic wrap off. "And Akuma-"

The girl looked up.

"Please don't touch anything," Kabuto warned. "An if you feel any burning, stinging, or itching, please tell me immediately, I don't need you mutating into anything."

The girl's eyes widened and she nodded furiously. Kabuto sighed, walked out, and shut the door behind him, making sure to turn the key in the lock before slipping it into his pocket and checking the syringe. "Okay," he pronounced. "Let's go!"

Kabuto walked three steps behind Orochimaru to show respect as they walked to Orochimaru's rooms. It wasn't a long walk; Orochimaru had purposely located Kabuto's rooms close to his own in case he might ever need the boy in a hurry. Orochimaru slowly turned the knob on the door, and the pair slipped through.

"Whoa."

Kakashi was lying quietly on the couch, curled into a ball and sleeping soundly. Nothing was out of place in the room; Kakashi looked so innocent Kabuto almost wanted to try a genjutsu release. Kakashi had found a blanket somewhere, and it was now covering his bare chest.

Orochimaru walked over to the sleeping male and gently stroked his masked cheeks, taking in every tiny detail of he Copy Ninja's face. Kabuto slipped in next to his master, stretched out Kakashi's arm, and moved the needle towards it.

Kakashi awoke with a start.

He yanked his arm away from Kabuto and scooted backwards across the couch, away from Orochimaru.

"What?" he asked, a look of utmost confusion on his face. "Did I do something?"

Kabuto shook his head. "Come here, this should help you sleep."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me."

Kabuto sighed. "Okay, then; I won't. This is sedative to make sure you don't kill anybody."

Kakashi slid back even further as Orochimaru stretched out a hand to touch him. "But I haven't done anything!" he protested. "All I've been doing is sleeping-"

"We could just leave him," Kabuto said slowly. "He hasn't done anything, and as long as you're going to be in here we may as well save the sedative. And this might be a bit strong, since he's still suffering from chakra depletion and acute exhaustion."

Orochimaru shrugged. "I know nothing about this, so I'm going to trust you."

Kabuto nodded. "Thank you, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru leaned forward and caught one of Kakashi's wrists in his own. The jounin gasped and pulled backwards, against Orochimaru's hold, and whimpered as the sannin drew him close.

"But if I hear one word from you, I swear, you are-"

"Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said softly. Orochimaru abruptly looked up.

"You're scaring him."

Orochimaru released Kakashi and stepped away. "I mean it," he hissed to Kakashi. "One…word…"

"Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru walked to the door and angrily twisted the knob. "Get out. And I still want you tonight."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."

"And get him out of here so we don't have to worry about him later."

Kabuto wordlessly lifted Kakashi's body and carried him out of the room.

OOOOOOOOO

Kakashi was so drained he fell asleep in Kabuto's arms.

Kabuto slowly set the Konoha nin down on his bed, making sure he had several chakra seals on his wrists and ankles to keep him under control. When Kabuto exited the room, he saw Akuma sitting placidly on the couch, eating a small cookie.

"Where did you find that?" Kabuto asked, panicking somewhat. Akuma shrugged.

"In the bottom of the bowl."

Kabuto heaved a sigh of relief. "Okay, then, it's safe."

Akuma shrugged again. "Hey, who did you carry in here just now?"

Kabuto exhaled. "Oh, help again." He sighed heavily and decided just to tell her the truth. "He's a ninja from Konoha that a couple of our ninja found while they were on a mission. They captured him so now he's Orochimaru-sama's prisoner."

"Sucks for him."

"Yes, it does. Listen, Orochimaru-sama wants me to do something tonight, so you're going to have to spend the night in someone else's room. Just for tonight, though, then you can come back in here."

"Okay." Akuma hopped off the couch, finished with her cookie, and walked into the bathroom. "Gotta go."

Kabuto nodded and left the girl to her duties. Right now, he needed to find somewhere for Akuma to sleep…

OOOOOOOOO

A female Otonin finally decided to let Akuma sleep in her room for the night since she owed Kabuto a favor. He had saved her life once after a battle, when she had come back with mortal injuries. Kabuto had healed her and told her to forget about it, but she couldn't, and insisted that she owed him. Kabuto had given in with a sigh, and now the girl was paying him back. Kabuto went to Orochimaru's room, dreading what he knew the snake would do to him.

Kabuto opened the door and stepped into the room.

Orochimaru's room was lit only a by a few candles, casting an eerie orange glow around the room and distorting the shadows. Kabuto hesitantly stepped in, closing the door behind him.

"O-Orochimaru-sama…?"

Orochimaru moved towards Kabuto as silently as Kabuto had entered, startling him as he clamped a hand over his mouth and pinned his arms to his sides.

"Now, let's see if you learn your lesson."

Kabuto fought down a whimper as Orochimaru shoved him down to the bed.

OOOOOOOO

Kabuto woke up sore, bruised, and covered in blood.

He vaguely remembered Orochimaru's punishment, and then he fully came to and his memory returned in full. Kabuto slowly sat up and attempted to stand and get dressed again, but a hand fastened over his wrist. Kabuto slowly sank back and laid back against the pillow. Orochimaru turned the boy onto his side so he was facing away from him and pressed his face to Kabuto's neck, trailing kisses up and across his jawbone.

"You're beautiful," he murmured, wrapping his arms around Kabuto's body. Kabuto found himself being pulled back until he was pressed into a warm body, his hips resting firmly against Orochimaru's. Their bodies fit together like pieces of a puzzle, Kabuto's back against orochimaru's chest, and orochimaru's neck over Kabuto's shoulder. "Stay still," Orochimaru said quietly, and Kabuto obeyed, allowing his master to rest his hands along his hips and nip at his shoulder blades.

"Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked hesitantly. Orochimaru halted, tongue against a fresh wound, and lifted his head.

"What, love?"

"I need to get Akuma and make sure Kakashi-"

"They both know what will happen if they disobey me," he said casually, and sealed his mouth over the wound he had just opened on Kabuto's shoulder blade. Kabuto moaned in pain; it was so much more painful if Orochimaru made him bleed and sucked at it at the same time: it hurt more, even though it barely bled. Orochimaru smiled at his servant's reaction.

"I hope, for your sake, that you did not allow yourself to heal overnight."

"No, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said submissively. Orochimaru released the boy and let him stand.

"Get yourself cleaned up and dressed," he ordered. "No one needs to know how I teach you your lesson. Proceed with whatever you would usually do throughout the day and act like nothing happened but do not heal yourself. If anyone asks, tell them I gave you a lecture and slapped you a couple times."

"Hai."

Kabuto did as he was told and left Orochimaru's room with a large pain in his hips, thighs, and stomach. His stomach itself was upset, and he felt like vomiting and then curling up in his own bed and sleeping. But he knew he couldn't; he had far too much to do.

"Kakashi?" he called weakly. No doubt the jounin was up; it was about noon. Kabuto slipped into his room and saw Kakashi lying peacefully on the bed, just beginning to wake up. When he saw Kabuto, however, he started and skittered backwards. The sheets caught around his waist and slid down, revealing a muscular stomach and softly curving hips. Kakashi blushed furiously and lowered his gaze. Kabuto walked over to Kakashi and sat down, pulling the jounin into a strong embrace.

Kakashi was trembling.

"What?" Kabuto asked, shocked that Kakashi would even show his fear, let alone shake like he had just been used in a sick game of control and using others to your own advantage. Kakashi shook his head and crowded into Kabuto's chest, still shaking.

"What happened?" Kabuto repeated, wrapping his arms around Kakashi. His hand rose to Kakashi's hair and began to run through it in a calming rhythm, and Kakashi couldn't help but feel safe in Kabuto's arms. Kabuto was gentle, and he hadn't hurt Kakashi in the least; Kakashi slowly began to quiet, and Kabuto lifted Kakashi's masked face to his own.

"What?"

Kakashi's shaking resumed, but he managed to force out, "Nightmare."

Kabuto wasn't buying it. "I know that's not it, come on, tell me."

Kakashi sighed. "You know…that the Akatsuki are here, right?"

Kabuto pulled a face. "Noooooo," he said slowly. "But I know they are supposed to be arriving today to sign a treaty and an alliance with Orochimaru-sama."

"Well, they are," Kakashi said. "The first of them arrived this morning."

"And?"

Kakashi shuddered and his arms slipped around Kabuto's waist. "Itachi."

A/N: Aaaargh!!!!! I cracked!!!!! I'm sorry, everyone, but I HAD to do a submissive Kakashi, I just had to!! In every other one of my stories, he's IC, but here…T.T I just had to do a submissive Kakashi!!!! T.T Sorry to all the readers I disappointed!!!