Itachi's eyes glared red Mangekyou as Kabuto jumped up onto the cat, avoiding her flames. "Ready, Mizu?"
As ready as ever to flatten this bastard.
Kabuto leaned forward as Mizu charged, burying his face in the cat's fur. Underneath him, he felt armor forming, and a staff appeared in his hand, tipped by a snake winding around the glowing diamond at the top. And this is for you, Singapore. I'd use it well if I were you. If you're lucky, we can use this in combination with your bloodline and my powers, so we can maybe draw some blood before we die by fire…
Kabuto sighed. "I thought you were water!"
…I hope you like steam.
Kabuto whimpered and clutched at his new weapon as Mizu reared, claws protruding from her paws. Claws of Steel! Water flew from her claws, then solidified into metal and sliced at Itachi. The missing-nin bent to the sides, easily avoiding the water claws. Fangs of Blood! Mizu opened her mouth, revealing huge, razor sharp fangs. Swing the staff as if you were to strike Itachi with it!
"What? Why?!"
Just do it!
Kabuto raised the staff, swinging it through the air above Mizu's head. Striking Snake: Hidden Gold! The snake suddenly seemed to come to life, jumping off the end of the staff and fastening its jaws over Itachi's shoulder. Kabuto was stunned; they had landed a hit?! How-? Oh…
Mizu had lunged into Itachi's comfort zone with her poisoned fangs, forcing Itachi to evade that blow instead of the snake's; which, conveniently, he didn't see coming. Itachi looked stunned as the snake bit down hard, then only enraged as it fully registered that he had been hit.
Within seconds, Itachi was on Mizu's back, wrestling Kabuto flat on her back and pinning his wrists down on either side of him. A knee was roughly shoved into Kabuto's gut; another was laid to his side for balance. The staff was knocked from Kabuto's hands and clattered to the floor, rolling a short distance to a few feet away from Kikyou. Mizu yowled at the fight on her back and bucked, trying to throw both males from her back.
"Bastard!" Itachi screamed. "You'll pay for that!"
Kabuto felt the Mangekyou drag him down, and suddenly he was tied to a cross, a katana in his side.
"I will make you beg for mercy until your throat bleeds!" Itachi screamed, stabbing Kabuto again. But apparently Kabuto's healing abilities applied to Tsukiyomi as well…it hurt, it hurt like all hell, but it wasn't as bad because of the regeneration. Kabuto sighed. His bloodline was beginning to tire him out, and Tsukiyomi wasn't exactly helping him with that…was there a way to break out before Itachi completely crushed him?
Rat, wake up!
Mizu jolted him from his nightmare, and Kabuto gasped, sitting bolt upright and bashing his head into Itachi's. "Ow…"
Mizu sighed and bucked again, sending both ninja flying across the room. You retards can't fight somewhere else? Singapore, find that staff!
Kabuto reached over and grabbed the staff. Fortunately, Mizu had thrown him practically on top of the staff, and Itachi had ended up a few feet away…in the wrong direction. Closer to Orochimaru than Kabuto was.
"Kikyou!!" Kabuto screamed. "Protect Orochimaru-sama! He's already been to Tsukiyomi, he's vulnerable!"
Itachi was on his feet in a second, ready to risk the Mangekyou again just to crush Orochimaru's spirit. Orochimaru pulled Kusanji from his stomach and held it before him, aiming to keep Itachi at bay for a little longer. Kabuto pushed himself to his feet, carrying his staff and fully prepared to impale Itachi upon the snake that had returned to the end. Itachi whirled, placing his arm on top of the staff and forcing it down into the ground. Kikyou grit her teeth and drew her katana, charging Itachi as recklessly as possible. Kabuto sighed. Diversion? Well, it helped…
He lifted the staff again, aiming for Itachi's head. Mizu's claws scratched the floor as she galloped towards Kabuto, shouting orders. Call up some chakra and wind it around the staff! The send the chakra forward along the staff! Kabuto had no idea what Mizu had in mind, but he could find out…Kabuto formed his chakra long the staff, spiraling it around the golden metal of the staff, then whipped it forward.
Claws of Fear!
Itachi seemed to be startled at this, but all the same, he bent his body backwards to avoid Kabuto's attack. Using this to her advantage, Kikyou sprang forward and smacked Itachi with the flat of her blade, knocking him off balance. Itachi fell backwards, and Kikyou jumped onto him, pinning him down by the hips and pushing her sword into Itachi's neck with both hands.
"Don't move," she panted, crushing Itachi's hips between her thighs. Itachi made no move at all, simply gazing at her through red Sharingan.
"Wasn't planning on it, sweetheart," he purred. "You've got a pretty face, so I'll let you keep it a little longer. See you around, gorgeous."
Itachi melted into the stone underneath the girl, shocking both her and Kabuto. Kikyou sighed and sheathed her sword, standing up and motioning Mizu back to her. The cat shrunk and scampered up onto Kikyou's shoulder and began grooming herself.
Don't give me that look, snake, it's not my fault.
Orochimaru simply increased his death glare, pushing himself to his feet, only to fall again, gasping. Kabuto ran to his side, gathering Orochimaru into his arms and moving the sannin's arms to check for injury.
"You're hurt!" Kabuto cried, seeing a bleeding spot on Orochimaru's torso. Orochimaru sighed.
"Illusion," he panted. "I couldn't get out…even with the genjutsu reversal…"
Kabuto drew up some healing chakra and closed the wound, trying to relieve Orochimaru of the pain. The sannin exhaled so softly Kabuto couldn't even feel it against his wrist, and a slight whine of complaint escaped. Kabuto hushed Orochimaru and lifted him from the ground, cradling him in his arms. Kikyou raised an eyebrow, and Kabuto shook his head.
Later? Mizu asked. Kabuto nodded.
"I have to put him down to sleep. Itachi will have done back to the rest of the Akatsuki and they will have fled by now…but just in case, I'll stay with him."
Mizu nodded, catching Kabuto's drift, and Kikyou shrugged.
"Whatever," she said, not understanding what had passed between feline and human. Kabuto nodded his thanks and slipped away to let Orochimaru sleep in his own bed.
OOOOOOOOO
Orochimaru actually passed out in Kabuto's arms, and Kabuto was glad. He needed to sleep-a lot. A lot of things probably hurt, as well. Kabuto knew the time it took Orochimaru to recover from something, and it was relatively quick considering most of the trouble he got himself into. But even so, the trauma was piling up, with less and less time to recover from each attack. Kabuto knew he had to put an end to it all, and fast!
"Kabuto…"
Kabuto sighed. "You passed out in my arms while I was carrying you back to your room, which is where you are now. Itachi probably went back to the rest of the Akatsuki and ran away. Kikyou and Mizu are fine, and they're in their room. Mizu is grooming-again-and Kikyou is probably looking for a way to find Itachi and cream his pretty-boy ass. I am trying to keep you in a position that you can't freak out when I tell you that-"
"If you think I'm going to spazz, I should probably stay laying down so I can't fall over and break something."
"Good idea," Kabuto said dryly. "Okay, I know you haven't seen it, and I've probably lied to you about it but…my bloodline is kind of like a curse seal. It has two levels, and the second is so much more powerful than the first. But I have to unlock it, so there's something I need to do…but I don't know what."
"And the astonishing make-me-pass-out-and-possibly-injure-myself-falling-over part of this is…?"
"I think either you and/or Itachi is/are involved."
Orochimaru glared and sat up. "In what way?"
"Blood."
Orochimaru's eyebrows rose. "Oh, really? Interesting, but it still doesn't have that kind of effect to the extent of a slap in the face…"
Kabuto nodded. "The thing is, I need to combine your blood and Itachi's to find this…"
"…Why…?"
"Because you are the two most powerful ninja in the world, and also because…" Kabuto swallowed hard, suddenly afraid. "Because Itachi and I are closer then you think."
Orochimaru's gaze remained steady. "I take it this is the shocker?"
Kabuto nodded. "We're half brothers."
OOOOOOOOO
Itachi felt it the second it came from Kabuto's lips; he had just spilled. The stupid little-! Well, it didn't matter now. Itachi sighed as he bolted through the forest. Well, maybe if he turned back now he could reverse the whole thing…Kabuto wasn't supposed to have lived, but apparently he knew more about medical ninjutsu than Itachi had credited him for at the time. Once Itachi had stabbed him and left him for dead, Kabuto had regenerated. And then he went to the battlefield…and then Sasori…and then the Yakushis…and then Orochimaru…and then…this…
Itachi shook himself. So two had lived…
"Feh," he muttered. "Once they're wiped from the planet, I should kill myself. 'And then there were none…' Oh, can't forget Kakashi. Well, I might make him my slave before I take a hike to hell. It might even be fun, watching him scream in pain…"
Satanic thoughts began to run through Itachi's mind. How to kill Kabuto…how to torture Kakashi…how to ensure the Uchiha legacy died with him…it was hard to accomplish during suicide, but it was not impossible. A nice little note for Kisame, complete with maybe a very accurate illustration if Itachi flipping the bird…or the fish, in this case. Itachi couldn't count the number of times he had given Kisame the middle finger, but it was a very high number, he was sure. Itachi shook his head and stopped on a high branch in the tree he was jumping from. A smile slowly spread across his face as a thought occurred to him.
Mom and Dad were right: I really should be put under seventy-two hour lockdown.
OOOOOOOOOO
Kabuto saw the look on Orochimaru's face force out of its normally bored mask into a genuinely shocked expression. He didn't know what to say at this point, so he simply swallowed the lump in his throat and waited for the shock to sink into Orochimaru.
"Kabuto," Orochimaru whispered. Kabuto looked at Orochimaru, trying to read his face. Shock, betrayal, denial, and anger were written across his features, but it also looked like he didn't know which to put first.
"Kabuto…"
Kabuto shook his head. "It's true," he whispered. "I am Uchiha Itachi's older brother, but only by half blood. He was especially disgusted with me, as I wasn't a true Uchiha, or possesses part of the bloodline. Not even the incredible stamina-nothing."
Orochimaru was trembling now; he seemed so shaken Kabuto wanted to pull him into his lap and hold him forever. Just to kiss him, to feel those soft lips begging for more, to feel his small hands trying to pull out of his restraining grasp, his body being pressed up against-
"Orochimaru-sama-"
"No…no, not…please, Kabuto…tell me…tell me you're lying…"
Kabuto exhaled, reached over, and put his arms around Orochimaru. "I wish I was…"
The sannin settled against Kabuto, edging closer and turning so he was leaning against Kabuto's shoulder. Kabuto lifted Orochimaru into his lap and held him with one hand, the other rising to stroke Orochimaru's black hair back from his perfect face. As he pulled back, Kabuto felt a warm, wet drop of liquid slide down Orochimaru's cheek. Kabuto lowered his head to Orochimaru's, silver hair spilling onto tender skin. Kabuto brushed his lips against the tear, small, pink tongue flickering out to taste the salty sweetness.
"This changes nothing between us," he murmured between heated kisses. "I still love you, and no amount of blood could ever change that…no matter how toxic."
A/N: Fluff by the truckload…review, please.