Orochimaru sighed at the pounding on his door. He knew that the Akatsuki were here, but he didn't expect them to be this rude…unless it was Tayuya. Then it would explain everything.

"I'm coming, all of you knock it off!"

"Now, Orochimaru! I and my kind have a bone to pick with you!!"

"Of course you do," Orochimaru muttered as he walked to the door. Sighing, he turned the key in the lock and the door swing open.

Uchiha Itachi stood in front of him.

Orochimaru almost visibly started at the sight of the Uchiha. "What, what do you want?" he snapped, pushing his fear aside. Itachi gave a low growl, and Orochimaru stepped back. If the Uchiha needed plenty of room, he wasn't going to be the one to crowd his space!

"We," Itachi corrected. "We came to sign that treaty you offered."

"Oh, yes of course," Orochimaru said hastily. "Come in, I need to find someone, he's in possession of the document…"
Itachi nodded and stepped into Orochimaru's spacious quarters.

"Sit."

Orochimaru walked out of the room, leaving the door open. "Kabuto!! I need you now!!"

There was no answer. Orochimaru sighed and began walking down the hall. "Kabuto, now…Kabuto!!"

"I'm coming!"

A silver-haired teen bolted down the hall, a scroll in his hand. "I'm coming, please have a little patience, Orochimaru-sama!"

Itachi smiled as he heard the argument ensuing just outside the door. This certainly was an interesting group of ninja…

"Well?"

Itachi looked up. "No, Deidara," he said. "Check the bedroom."
The blonde nodded and vanished in a cloud of smoke. Orochimaru walked back in, Kabuto tailing him. He held the scroll in his hand.

"You said 'we' earlier," Orochimaru mused as he unrolled the scroll on the table. "Where are the rest?"
Itachi shrugged. "Somewhere. They probably got lost. Well, I know Kisame did, since he has no sense of direction, but I don't know about the rest of them."
Orochimaru nodded and brushed his hair back over his shoulder. The pair leaned over the scroll as one, and for a moment, both ebony locks tangled and blurred, deep and black as a night sky. Kabuto started as he realized the similarities between his master and the Akatsuki member. The long black hair, the eyes that could see easily be deadly, the paper white skin that barely differed in shading, the long white fingers that trailed over the surface of the scroll-

"What?"
Kabuto shook himself as he realized that the Uchiha was staring at him. "N-Nothing," he stammered.

The bloody Sharingan, staring into his own, reading every thought, every feeling, every emotion…

The red, watery substance, spilled over his hands…

A crying child, left out in a snow pass to die after a gruesome battle in which both his parents were killed…

Kabuto gasped and stepped back, panting, trying to break Itachi's spell. He found himself shaking, trembling…

Just like that day…the day that never should have happened…

"Pity, you," sneered Itachi. "I could have killed you just now."

"Itachi, please," Orochimaru said warningly. "I thought this was a treaty, not an opportunity to kill."
Itachi shrugged and turned back to the scroll. "He's cute. He was going just as I was coming. Cute little thing, trembling and scared. Reminded me of a little kitten. So frightened and naïve…still is."

Kabuto stood there, heart racing, as Itachi taunted him. How could he have crumbled so easily…so quickly…?

"Kabuto."

"Huh?"

Kabuto looked up to see his master beckoning him over. Kabuto slipped into Orochimaru's embrace so willingly Orochimaru was afraid Itachi had broken the boy. But then he felt Kabuto's body still against his own, and realized that the boy was scared, but not as much as he was letting Itachi see. He was exaggerating to make himself seem weaker.

"Go," Orochimaru said softly. "You don't need to be here."

"Hai."

Kabuto turned and walked out the door, heading for his bedroom.

"And…Itachi?" He asked shyly.

Itachi's head swung towards Kabuto. "What, little brat?"

"Kakashi tells me you…met up with him, should I say…earlier…"

A demonic grin spread across Itachi's face. "As a matter of fact, we did. He was delighted to see me again," the Uchiha purred. Kabuto nodded and turned.

"That's not what he tells me."

Itachi chuckled and straightened, separating himself from Orochimaru. "Well, then, he needs to be taught a lesson."

"Oh, please don't wake him up," Kabuto whined. "I barely got him to sleep, he was so scared…"
Itachi's grin only spread. "Oh, good. It'll be easy, then."

Kabuto sighed. "I'll go tell him you're coming."

Itachi nodded. "Do me a favor?"

Kabuto turned. "What?"

"Tie him down."

Kabuto nodded and walked away. He knew he had to do something…but what? If he helped Kakashi, everyone would know it was him, and he would be dead within the hour. If he didn't help Kakashi, the jounin would probably die, and if he didn't he'd be wrecked for life. And if Itachi did what Kabuto suspected he would do, he would be scarred for life as well. So what could he do…?

Kabuto pushed open the door to his apartment and saw Akuma, sleeping peacefully on the couch. She didn't stir when Kabuto opened the door to Kakashi's room, nor did she wake when he softly closed the door behind him. Kakashi was on the bed, sitting up and looking slightly frightened.

"Well?" he asked. His voice wavered with fear; he must have known…

Kabuto made a hard decision fast.

"Itachi's coming for you," Kabuto said. He began throwing Kakashi's clothes at him. "Get dressed and hurry, I'm getting you out of here."
Kakashi's shock was evident on his face. "What?"

"Hurry!" Kabuto hissed. "He'll be here in a few minutes, and we have to take the long way out. Come on, get dressed!"

Kakashi grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head. "But what if we get caught?"

"We can cross that bridge when we come to it," Kabuto said quickly. "But you're wasting time questioning me, and that leaves us less time to get out of here, now hurry!"

Kakashi wound the bandages around his lower legs in record time and pulled on his jounin vest. Kabuto handed him a cloak, and Kakashi draped it over his shoulders. "What's-?"

"It's cold outside," Kabuto said. Kakashi nodded and stepped into his shoes on the way to the door. Kabuto stopped him and handed him a headband.

"Where did you get this…?" Kakashi asked slowly, but he tied it across his Sharingan. Kabuto looked at the Leaf symbol in the center and sighed. "Don't ask." He tugged the headband back up, revealing Kakashi's Sharingan. "You have to tell me if you see anything, and if we fight someone, it's better to leave it out until you get far away from here."

Kakashi nodded, and Kabuto was about to turn the knob on the door when he heard a voice.

"Oi, crap!" he exclaimed. "Hide!" He shoved Kakashi into the bathroom just as a knock sounded on the door. "Just a second!" he called. His heartbeat sped up; would they make it, or-?

"Kabuto, open the door right now!"

"Just a minute, please, Orochimaru-sama!" Kabuto called back. "The vent," he hissed to Kakashi. "Pull it out of the ceiling and climb through. Keep going straight until you come to a four-way intersection. Wait for me there."

Kakashi nodded and climbed onto the edge of the bathtub and yanked the vent cover off the ceiling. Kabuto caught it and Kakashi wormed his way into the narrow vent. He turned around, took the cover from Kabuto, and pulled it snug against the ceiling.

"Go!" Kabuto whispered. He waited until he couldn't see Kakashi, then turned around and flushed the toilet. Kakashi heard water running as he retreated, and realized Kabuto was trying to fake going to the bathroom. Then, he got farther and farther away, and the last thing he heard was Kabuto exiting the room.

OOOOOOOOO

Kabuto's heart was pounding as he ran the water over his hands, then rushed out to unlock the door.

"I'm so sorry, Orochimaru-sama, you caught me at a bad time," Kabuto gushed, trying to lay it on a little too thick. Orochimaru snorted, then brushed past him into the main room. Itachi followed.

"Where is he?"

"Th-The last door on the left," Kabuto stammered. He didn't have to pretend for this one; he was already scared to death. But Orochimaru thought he was pretending so he was safe…for the time being. Itachi nodded and swept past him, turning the handle on the door and walking in, closing it behind him. Kabuto picked up Akuma, who was miraculously still sleeping, and carried her into the second bedroom.

A screech of rage sounded through the air.

Akuma woke up immediately, startled by the noise. "What was that, Kabuto-sensei?"

Kabuto pasted a bewildered look onto his face. "I don't know-"

"Yakushi Kabuto!!!!"
Kabuto sighed. "But I have the feeling I'm about to find out."

Kabuto stepped over to the door, his footsteps making no sound at all. "Akuma, I want you to stay here," he said slowly. "There are a couple very dangerous people out there, and you don't need to get tangled up in their business."

"…Hai…"

Akuma sat down on the bed and curled up. "Sleep time."

Kabuto took a deep breath and opened the door. "What is it?" he asked, trying to sound surprised.

"That little mutt," Itachi growled. "Is missing!"

"Who?" Kabuto asked innocently. "Do you mean Kakashi? Because I had him-"

"Apparently you didn't," Itachi continued, seething, "Because wherever he was supposed to be, he's not anymore!"

"Itachi-sama, I don't know what you mean," Kabuto said. He was trying to sound confused now, and he thought he was doing pretty well considering Itachi had just about branded "murder" into his forehead.

"Don't you give me that 'Itachi-sama' crap!" Itachi yelled. "I want to know where he is!"

"But I don't know!" Kabuto's voice was rising with panic, and he was only half faking at this point.

"Itachi," Orochimaru said smoothly. "Where could he possibly have gone, if he did manage to free himself from his bonds? There are no ventilation systems in that room, and the door was locked. Kakashi was suffering from extreme trauma, acute exhaustion, and chakra depletion. The odds are very low that he was able to even get out of whatever bonds Kabuto had him in to begin with. Furthermore, Kabuto was only gone for a maximum of ten minutes, and in that time with his injuries, Kakashi could not possibly have gotten past the doorway in which you are standing. Kabuto tells me he shouldn't be able to walk for another few days, so even if he did get out of the room, he couldn't have made it out of the apartment itself in the time he was given."
Itachi barely looked ready to reconsider. "Genjutsu-"

"Chakra depletion," Orochimaru reminded him.

"He may have had help."

"No one was here."

Itachi sighed. "I'll find him eventually. And when I figure out the fool who set him loose…they're dead!"

Kabuto whole-heartedly believed him.

Orochimaru turned to Kabuto, one eyebrow raised. Kabuto shook his head, and Orochimaru glared. Kabuto could hear his master in his mind, just from the eye contact.

You're lying.

Kabuto responded, trying desperately to cover his tracks. Orochimaru-sama, I don't know what you're talking about! And I would never lie to you, you know that!

Orochimaru paused, and Kabuto felt his breath catch in his throat. A fine sweat broke out over his face and trickled down his back, and Kabuto watched his master intently, waiting for a response.

Finally, he got one. Very well. I trust you, Kabuto. Don't betray me.

Kabuto released his pent-up breath and energy. Thank you, Orochimaru-sama!

Orochimaru beckoned to Itachi. "Come, Itachi-san," he said smoothly. "We still have to settle that treaty."

Itachi broke away from Kabuto with a snarl and swept out of the room. "Oh, and Orochimaru," he hissed. "After we settle that, may I borrow Kabuto for an hour or so?"

"What for?" Orochimaru asked.

"Just to show me around. I'm curious about whether or not you are making good use of your time here. The Akatsuki is considering taking you back."

"But…I left of my own free will," Orochimaru said slowly. "Why would they bother asking me to come back?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying you are against us and our cause?"

"Since you put it that way, not at all," Orochimaru replied. "But I want to know why the Akatsuki would want me back at all, considering I left."

Itachi smiled. "We're short a member, since Deidara is now without an arm. The wound began to fester, and soon it was infected. He died."

Orochimaru didn't bother hiding a smile. "Well then," he said brightly. "I accept your offer."

Kabuto took a step back. "B-But Orochimaru-sama!" he protested. "You'll be turning your back on the village you worked so hard to build-!"

Orochimaru spun around, startling the genin. "Am I?" he hissed venomously. "I never intended to go this far," he hissed, advancing on Kabuto. "Just act like you have no idea what happened to me. I left for no reason you know of, and you didn't even see me go. I won't have to go to the trouble of destroying the whole place, I won't be around, and no one will be the wiser. And you'll be coming with me."

Kabuto swallowed hard. "What about-?"

"Never mind," Orochimaru spat. "You can come, you can stay, but whatever you choose I am in control of. You only make the decision whether to come of stay. Got that?"

Kabuto gulped again and nodded. Orochimaru turned back to Itachi. "When am I expected?"

"Kakuza is expecting you to return with me. So whenever I come back, he wants you to come as well."

Orochimaru nodded. "Understood. I will finish the treaty with you, and then I suppose I will gather my belongings."

"You won't need to just yet," Itachi said. "First, you have to go through the entire process, and that takes a while. We will request your presence several times, about five, over a one-month period of time, so you can submit your application and go through the tests and all. It's simple, really, just to figure out where you stand in the rankings of intellect and power. You'll probably second to me."
Orochimaru nodded. "Very well. Now, for that treaty…"

Kabuto stepped forward. "Orochimaru-sama…?"

"Stay here," Orochimaru said. "I should be back within the hour. If anyone comes seeking me out, tell him or her I'm busy and tell him or her to either come back some other time or make him or her wait with you. If you need me, wait until I get back unless someone is dying or the place is on fire."

Kabuto nodded, and Orochimaru turned and walked away. Kabuto closed the door behind him and Itachi, and exhaled heavily. He dreaded what would come of this affair.

A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed, I hope you liked the chapter! Tell me what you think; I could use some positive feedback. If you have any ideas you could tell me, and I might use them. Thanks in advance for everyone who reviews and does not flame!!!