Chapter Ten:

He hesitated, glanced back at her—on her knees, eyes watering—and to Orochimaru, the choice should have been so easy. But not moving to the Sanin's aid was almost as painful as leaving Rei's side would be. Though somewhere in his heart he knew he could never leave her side.

"So I have," Kabuto didn't give another glance back to the disgusting shinobi retching on the ground.

Rei closed her eyes for a moment, listening. The screams and shouts had stopped, and few blades rang out against each other in the distance. One or two battles were still going strong other than the one before them. "It's slowing down…" She concluded.

"You've improved," Itachi's indifferent voice found her.

All attentions were focused in on him and Sasuke again. The younger was panting, gritting his teeth and scowling at his brother. His eyes wandered only for a second to her and then back to Itachi. The elder Uchiha read more in this split-second action than she possibly could have.

"Rei, leave." He ordered with a backwards glance to her. Something flickered in Sasuke's eyes but again she missed the meaning.

Standing her ground she clenched her fists. "I will not." And she wouldn't.

"Hn," He could have been smirking, but that was unlikely.

Rei was so close to Kabuto that she felt him drawing the chakra to his palms. As Sasuke ran at his brother then veered sharply in her direction, she understood. Do I look like a worm? God Damn it I'm not bait! Kabuto was in front of her ready to fight off Sasuke again, but that was unnecessary as the kunai she brought to her hand was, Itachi had a hold on Sasuke from two sides with Kage Bushin no Jutsu.

His real body stepped forward, looking at Kabuto, and past her, like she wasn't there. "Take her away from here." When he didn't act immediately Itachi looked from him to Sasuke then back, "You do love her don't you? Or would her death not affect you?"

Kabuto didn't answer, she didn't think he could, but still she looked desperately at him, hoping. He took her hand, though she protested and in the second that Sasuke was able to strike out at them they were already gone.

She gritted her teeth from atop the ridge. Both shinobi turned as they heard stumbling footsteps coming toward them from the trees.

"Kabuto-sama…" A sound ninja coughed out as he made his way up to the medic. "It…it was her…" He pointed to Rei as he fell forward, Kabuto catching the man before he could fall. "She led them …here…" His hand dropped and her eyes went wide as she stumbled back shaking her head.

"No…" Her voice caught on the wind. Kabuto's eyes turned on her, and she felt herself wanting to run.

"Is it true?" He asked. There was a scratch on the left lens of his glasses, "Rei? Answer me!"

"I…" She started shaking, thinking back to that day when she was sent out on that mission with Sasuke. "I…didn't…"

"Of course you did, Rei," Akatsuki cloaks swirled around them. Sasori's teasing tone made her heart stop as he danced behind her. Wooden puppet fingers dangled a sharingan pendant tied to a black velvet ribbon, tattered from being worn, "Or do you deny it?"

Her crimson eyes drifted back to see his face, still shaking. Her eyes swiped back over the small circle of S-ranked criminals, Sasori, Deidara, Kukazu, Hidan and oddly enough Zetsu. Kisame was close by as well, even if she couldn't see him she could sense him.

Kabuto wore a disgusted expression on his face as he scanned over them all, including her. I'm sorry…She wanted to tell him.

"Oh, don't worry Rei, we're not here for you," He grabbed her shoulder as a few of the others chuckled at her fearful face. "Not just yet," and with that Sasori sent her flying over the edge of the rift. "No! Kabuto!" She called out as she gripped at the air, reaching for something, anything to stop her speedy descent.

"Rei!" She saw his horrified face for a fraction of a heartbeat before the Akatsuki moved in on him.

Damn it! There was no bracing herself for the impact with the solid earth. Her back hit the ground with a loud crack that anyone would have thought signaled her spine snapping or bones breaking. The air was sucked from her as she was winded and she struggled painfully to breath.

She wasn't sure what the back of her head bounced off of but the stinging pain made everything blurry to her eyes, she saw the sky, the white clouds, then blackness started to grab her. Am I dying?

"Rei, are you ok with this?" His voice was softer than she'd ever heard it, and it sent an odd comfort through her.

"Yes," She sighed again, she wished he'd stop asking that, what did it matter, why did he care? It was only making it more painful, not changing her mind.

His dark eyes met hers and she saw something like regret dance through the irises. He pushed open the door then, letting her step into her new room. Suddenly all her choices weighed heavily on her shoulders, and the bed in the corner looked like the best hiding place in the world.

She sat, biting her lower lip gently. She couldn't cry, she'd known what each choice she made would mean and she was ready for it but…suddenly the feeling of being utterly alone was too much. No matter how much will power she had, the slow tears wouldn't end.

Suddenly she was in a warm embrace, as Kabuto kneeled in front of her, pulling her from her seat into his arms. Her knees met the floor and one of his hands set its self on the small of her back and the other on the back of her head, gently petting her hair.

The flow of tears stopped briefly as she registered being held in someone like Yakushi Kabuto's arms, realizing, it was nice.

"Oh…Kabuto…" She whimpered, still holding back.

I don't want this to be the end!

Her eyes fluttered open, only to wince shut with pain as she found herself rolling to her side. Straining as she tried to get on her knees. She coughed, and watched blood speckle the ground under her, raven strands fell like black rain, curtaining her face from the world.

Stand up, stand up…damn it stand up! She breathed, tasting the tang of blood on her lips, the irony, bittersweet taste.

The rocky rumble bit at her palms and bare knees, the pain in her head over powering the pain of the rocks sticking in her skin. The pounding beat in her ears, her eyes focused, then unfocused. "Get up! Damn it!" She rasped at herself.

"Yes, get up." The snake like voice of Orochimaru nearly paralyzed her. She heard his chuckle break as he began coughing.

Looking up through the veil of hair she grimaced at the laceration that ran from the corner of his eye down to his chin.

His eyes burned with blood lust, pure blood lust. He lashed out at her, taking a handful of her tresses in his fingers, pulling her up, "I said stand!" He hissed.

"Owww…!" She cried as she was drug to her feet. She couldn't stand on her own, her legs felt like they were too weak to support her. Her fingers wrapped around his wrist.

"I should have known you were just a little spy!" He shook her as he spoke.

One of Sasori's puppets fell, crippled from battle, nearly on the Sanin. In the surprise he loosened his grip enough for her to pull away. An angry curse chased her—breathless—toward the wall.

The Akatsuki that were gathered at the top had dispersed and now, in the fray it was hard to tell who was who. All there was, were flowing black cloaks, with faceless shinobi tucked in the folds. Zetsu, who would have been easily spotted, was gone.

As she looked back, she realized that a new wave of Sound nin had filled the space. About ten or fifteen, several taking on one Akatsuki and still managing to get the short end of the stick. It was a bloody mess, kunai flying, jutsu countering jutsu.

She heard the hiss of a fuse, and then another and another as Deidara dropped clay bombs down on them. Some, like the one near her, went off before they hit the ground.

The explosion sent her and another nin that was near her threw they air, she heard the other explosions as she skidded into one of the standing columns. She blinked smoke from her eyes, noticing that all the Akatsuki had left the clearing.

"REI!" Two voices shouted in union. She looked up to late, seeing the shadow of the toppling pillar, heading for her.

It happened so fast, a set of hands pushed her, and she caught a glimpse of Kabuto, battered and bloody on his knees unmoving, she felt another set of hands grab hold of her mid section and suddenly she was staring down at the stones falling and Kabuto looking up at her, safe near Itachi, with a smile, he mouthed something to her that she couldn't read through the tears, but she had a guess as to what he said.

Itachi caught Rei in his arms as she tried to hurl herself to the sound shinobi. "Let go!" She cried, but it was too late, and she knew it.

"KABUTO!" Rei's scream was painful to hear, all the emotion that she let out in just his name, was something better left to loving sweet-nothing whispers in the night, not the chilling cry they all heard. Her heart was somewhere in the bottom of her stomach and in her throat at once. Her body was in pain, aching to go to him, knowing it would do nothing to do so. "Let me go! I have to go to him!" She begged.

"Even a medic with his abilities…won't walk away from that." Kisame should have shut up, he shouldn't have even opened his mouth. Tears caressed her cheeks as she took in the reality that was set before her. It…couldn't be true…

"KABUTO!" Rei shrieked into the silence that followed as she struggled in Itachi's arms. The fighting had stopped everywhere after her first scream, her second almost tore the hearts out of anyone who heard. She felt his hold tighten around her, she slumped hopelessly in Itachi's hold. "I love you!" She cried out not caring who heard, it was true it had always been true. Ishida Rei fell for Yakushi Kabuto long ago, after that first night.

When she first decided to come with him to Orochimaru, if you had told her she would fall in love with him, she would have turned back around without a second thought. Now, she regretted nothing. All those long nights were beautifully engraved in her memories.

"Hush Rei," Itachi's voice was...uncertain, and unhelpful.

"No...no..." Her finger nails dug at his skin, she tried again to escape his arms, "Damn it…Let me go! Damn it, damn it, damn it!" She cried.

"Rei! Stop it."

"You can't order me around anymore Uchiha Itachi!" Her eyes burned with sudden anger that didn't match her tear streaked cheeks. That anger dissipated when she met his eyes, obvious worry showing where it shouldn't. He showed no emotion publicly even for her, but now...concern danced in his crimson irises.

"He's gone..." She whispered the words painfully. Her eyes clouded with tears as she looked out over the rising dust. "Kabuto...don't...leave me," She begged.

Slowly the other Akatsuki gathered on the cliff side. Sasori and Deidara joined the Uchiha-Hoshigaki team, Hidan appeared a few seconds later. The silence between them was painful, for under it all, her last silent pleas faded to soft sobbing, the only thing holding her up being Itachi.

When her sobs stopped and there was nothing left Rei felt so very numb. She saw the last of the Sound nin fleeing, Orochimaru being helped along by Sasuke, but she didn't register it.

Itachi let her go after a moment, after he was certain she wouldn't do anything foolish. "Rei, I'll take you back with me, if you wish." Itachi spoke softly to her, silencing any protests the others might have made with one sharp glance.

She looked blankly back at him, no coherent thought forming to give him and suddenly it all went black, she fainted.

Catching her in her fall Itachi realized how stressed her mind must have been, not even counting the physical strain on her body. What had she been through? Two years...what happened in those two very long years? "Rei..."

End Chapter Ten:

End Part One:

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