Kabuto shivered as he stared at the mark. How could this have happened?! He was certain this wasn't here before he had first found Orochimaru, or even when he brought him back. It was not until Orochimaru had shown any indication he was in pain that the brand had surfaced. Kabuto exhaled slowly, pushing Orochimaru's sleeve back down his arm and taking deep breaths.

"Orochimaru-sama, we need to go back at Akatsuki," he said softly. "There's no other solution."

Orochimaru shivered and collapsed against Kabuto's shoulder, simply trying to control his breathing and keep calm. Kabuto was holding him, stroking his hair, whispering soothing words to him…but it wasn't enough. Orochimaru was slipping into shock, and Kabuto knew it.

"There's nothing I can do," the snake finally whispered, still shaking violently. "I have to give up…I can't do this anymore, I just can't…"

Kabuto exhaled slowly, turning Orochimaru's words over in his mind. "Very well," he said after a long pause, "I respect your decision. Get some sleep, and we'll go back to Akatsuki tomorrow."

Orochimaru nodded and promptly slipped into a deep, restless sleep.

OOOOOOOOO

"Are you crazy?! How could you even let him think for a moment that you would let him-!"

"He'll get there, we get them off his back, and everything comes out alright. Trust me, Sakon."

"Kabuto, I just don't know…are you sure this is going to work?"

Kabuto nodded, but Sakon still wasn't convinced. The two were standing outside Orochimaru's room; Sakon didn't want to waste any time before confronting Kabuto. "Kabuto, I don't know…"

"Trust me," the medic repeated. "I know Orochimaru-sama like I know myself. I know how I can make him tick and have him turn their own game against them."

Sakon sighed. "Fine," he said. "But I'm coming!"

"No," Kabuto said, almost immediately. "You can't. The less people, the better."

"Are you trying to scare him into action?"

No answer. Sakon sighed. "I still don't trust your judgment."

Kabuto shrugged. "You don't have to. Just don't interfere."

Sakon sighed. Kabuto was going to be the death of them all…

OOOOOOOO

Orochimaru picked at his food all day.

Kabuto had offered him something to eat, something to drink, but he hardly took anything. A few bites of ramen and several swallows of water were the most Kabuto could persuade him to take, and even that was a struggle. Sighing, Kabuto put the leftovers in the fridge and cleaned up. Orochimaru vanished into his room for hours at a time, and when he came out again it was only to go to the bathroom or to get something else to do.

Finally, Kabuto had had enough.

"Orochimaru-sama!"

He reached out and caught the sannin's wrist, spinning him around to face him. Orochimaru seemed startled for a moment; then he just glanced down.

"What?"

Kabuto gently slid his hands under Orochimaru's chin, tipping his head up to face him in the eye. "Get ready to go," he said. "We're leaving for Akatsuki in an hour."

OOOOOOOOO

Itachi had just pulled his hair back into a ponytail when a knock sounded on the bathroom door.

"What?" he asked, opening the door. He was wearing his normal half-fishnet shirt, gray pants, and bandages around his lower legs. His figure, which was girly to the point that it was ridiculous, was clearly visible. Kisame stood in front of him, staring at his stomach. Suddenly shaking his head, the shark-man continued, "Somebody came back after last night's little episode."

Itachi's face broke into a smile, and he walked out of the bathroom, grabbing his Akatsuki cloak from his room as he went. "Let's go, then," he said, still smiling as he pulled on the red-and-black cloak. "We have to give him a proper greeting, after all."

Kisame nodded and the two walked out, heading for the main entrance of the lair. As they went, the two noticed all the other members of the Akatsuki gathered I the main entrance.

"Wow, news travels fast, huh?" Itachi asked. Hidan nodded.

"We really want this to go well…"

"Everyone does," Kakuza said shortly. "But there are no guarantees on anything, really."Pein suddenly appeared in their midst.

"They're here."

The rock rolled aside, revealing none other than Orochimaru, standing there as if he always had. Behind him was Kabuto, but it appeared that he was otherwise alone.

"What's this?" Orochimaru's quiet voice seemed to ring out twice as much as it should have in the silent chamber. His air was confident, but his voice betrayed him. It was quiet and shaken, nervous and broken. Itachi was rather proud of himself. Orochimaru began slowly walking into the Akatsuki's lair, head held high and hair cascading down his back, almost covering a red cloud.

A ripple went through the Akatsuki as everyone realized Orochimaru's nerve. He was wearing his old Akatsuki cloak. Even so, the Akatsuki parted into two rows; one on either side of Orochimaru. The snake sannin walked between them, headed straight for the one figure at the end of the line who refused to move aside.

And who didn't need to.

Orochimaru stopped in front of Pein, giving a respectful bow and letting his hair fall forward onto his shoulders. Pein remained standing straight, receiving Orochimaru as an authority instead of an equal. Orochimaru ignored the obvious disrespect and straightened again, shaking his hair off his shoulders.

"Leader-sama."

The murmured words were so soft that even Pein, who was standing right next to Orochimaru, could hardly hear them. Even so, he made a response. "What do you want, slave?"

"I am not your slave."

Orochimaru was suddenly very confident, and his voice carried for real this time. A gasp ran down the line at the sudden defiance, and Itachi glared.

Pein's eyebrows came up, though it wasn't visible with the lighting. For a moment, there was nothing except a staring contest between the two.

Pein snapped first.

"Disrespectful little-!"

Orochimaru caught the fist thrown at him, but made no other move. "Please, I did not come here to fight," he said slowly, watching for any sign of movement from Pein. "I came here to see if we could not come to a midpoint."

Pein withdrew slowly, just as slowly as Orochimaru. "Interesting proposition," he said. "But what makes you think we will accept you back?"Orochimaru wordlessly held up his hand, the ring on his finger.

"I still have this-and Sora."Pein's eyes narrowed. "And how do I know this isn't a trick?"

Orochimaru's head dipped for a moment, but when it came back up, his opposite arm was raised as well. "Did I choose this?" he asked slowly. His sleeve had slipped down to reveal the Uchiha fan branded into his flesh. "Even if I did, I cannot be free anymore. I recognize that now, and I will no longer fight you-so long as I am respected as well."

Pein sighed. "Itachi, how good is your hold on him?"

Itachi snorted. "How bad is the burn?"

Pein studied the mark for a moment, then replied: "Very bad."

"Then my hold on him is excellent."

Pein nodded. "I will consider it. For the time being, go with Itachi."

Orochimaru suddenly balked. "I-Itachi?" he repeated. "Oh, could it be anyone else? Anyone but Itachi?"

"No."

Orochimaru sighed and lowered his head. "Very well," he murmured, bowing slightly again. Then he wordlessly turned around and walked back to Itachi.

But for Itachi, he refused to bow.

Itachi suddenly seized the sannin's hair and forced him to his knees, also using the burn on his arm for discipline. Orochimaru whimpered in pain, clutching at his arm where the mark was. The entire time, Kabuto had remained oddly silent: now, he stepped forward, ready to protest.

"Don't go there, Yakushi," was the warning issued from Sasori. "I'm not in the mood to put up with you."

Kabuto glared. "Let him go. Or at least respect him."

Sasori snorted. "You shouldn't be bitching to me, then," he said, trying not to laugh. "Or, you could bitch to me and I can laugh at your stupidity!"

Kabuto sighed and turned to Itachi. "Itachi-sama, please, release him," he said softly. "What has he done to deserve this?""If he can't respect me, he can deal with the consequences," Itachi snarled, kicking Orochimaru in the ribs. "Now get up and come with me." Orochimaru hesitantly rose, all his confidence seeming to melt away before their very eyes. Kabuto took a step to follow them, but Itachi's glare stopped him dead.

"Not you!"

Kabuto looked like he was about to protest again: then, he slowly closed his mouth and stepped back. He shot Orochimaru an apologetic look as the snake was led away, and then he turned to Pein.

"Pein-sama-"

"Don't bother," Pein said immediately. "I won't let him go now that I have him back."

"Will he be allowed member status again?"

Pein exhaled slowly. "I have delegated that judgment to Itachi," he said finally. "If you truly want your master back, you must appeal to his better nature. And I warn you-Itachi will show no mercy as to Orochimaru's betrayal and flight from Akatsuki. If Orochimaru has a fear, he will exploit it. And if he doesn't have one, Itachi will create one. That's how he works. Orochimaru must be strong in order to resist Itachi, otherwise he'll never be worthy of us again."Kabuto sighed and began walking away.

"That's what I was afraid of."

OOOOOOOOO

Orochimaru found himself face down on the floor the second he walked into Itachi's apartment.

"Now, here's how this is going to work," Itachi hissed, bending over to grab a handful of Orochimaru's silken hair. "You obey me, but show some spirit still left in you at the same time, and you'll be allowed back into Akatsuki. If you can't keep yourself from crying, forget it."

Orochimaru shuddered and pushed himself to his knees, only to be brutally shoved back to the floor. "Stay there until I tell you otherwise."

Orochimaru pushed his arms underneath him, lifting his face from the floor, and pushed himself up again. He remained on his knees, though, trying to regain some dignity and still show submission to Itachi. A smirk overcame the Uchiha's face.

"Well, it seems my message has gotten through to you," he said slowly. "Keep that up." He began walking away, gesturing Orochimaru after him. The sannin climbed to his feet, not bothering to rush, and trailed after Itachi.

He was suddenly pinned to the wall by his neck.

Itachi's other hand was on his shoulder, pushing the Akatsuki cloak away from his figure and letting it fall to the floor. Itachi then pulled Orochimaru into the middle of the floor, using his slender wrist for leverage, and began circling him like a viper.

"You lost a lot of weight."

Orochimaru folded his arms across his chest, but said nothing. Itachi promptly smacked them back to his sides.

"I want a look at you," he said, eyes raking Orochimaru's fishnetted torso appreciatively. "You got prettier…your figure is more girly. It's cute."

Orochimaru remained silent, just staring at Itachi.

Itachi smiled, tracing the lines in Orochimaru's long, pale neck. "You've still got the same shape and figure, but this is more pronounced…" he mused, hand traveling up to meet Orochimaru's strong jaw. Orochimaru almost obediently lifted his chin, showing off how slender and streamlined his body was in the process. Itachi ran his hand up the side of Orochimaru's face, finally reaching his hairline and brushing part of his bangs back. "Nice eyes…that never changed, not in the least. Exactly as I remember those eyes…except…" Itachi suddenly frowned. "There's a look in you eye…Orochimaru, did I truly break you? Was it that easy?"

Orochimaru's mask finally crumbled. He lowered his head, nodding slowly and letting his bangs hide his eyes. Itachi knew he wasn't ever going to be the same: almost, but never the same. He sighed and took Orochimaru's face into his hands, raising him to himself for a gentle kiss.

"I always loved you."

A/N: Cliffy!!