Kakashi almost fainted.

Kisame was glowering and seemed unable to even speak for a moment with rage. Itachi held onto Kakashi as tight as he could, unwilling to let his love fall prey to the wrath of an angry shark-man.

"Itachi," Kisame said slowly. "What are you doing?"

Itachi returned the glare with an equal fury. "The question is, what are you doing?" the Uchiha snarled, holding Kakashi to his chest. Kakashi's hands found their way around Itachi's neck, and he could feel Itachi's grip on him tighten.

"I came back because my mission was done," Kisame said, walking into the room. The door slammed shut behind him, and Kisame paced around until he was right in front of Kakashi. "So, I'd like my slave back now. Stop pampering him, he doesn't deserve it. By any standards."

"Some pampering," Itachi snorted. "It's treating him like a human. And he certainly doesn't deserve what you're giving him."

Kisame's hand flashed up, fisting in Kakashi's hair and yanking him back, out of Itachi's arms. Kakashi yelped with pain and fear, cowering as far away from Kisame as the Kiri-nin's grip would allow. He was shaking again, but still, a whispered plea slipped from his trembling lips.

"Itachi-sama…" he gasped, backing away from Kisame as much as he could. "Please, Itachi-sama, help me…"

"Oh, shut up," Kisame muttered, pulling Kakashi back and delivering him a firm kick to the ribs. Kakashi burst into sobs again, begging for Kisame to leave him alone.

"Let him go!" Itachi snarled, leaping up from the bed and facing Kisame. "You have until I count to five-!"

"Itachi, sit."

Itachi spun around at Pein's voice, suddenly even more frustrated than ever. "You seriously expect me to-?!"

"Sit."

"No."

Pein sighed and motioned to Kisame. "Take him away," he said, referring to Kakashi. The jounin's sobs and pleading redoubled, but the begging fell on deaf ears. Pein stood squarely in front of Itachi, preventing him from going after Kakashi, and the Uchiha finally sat down with a sigh. Pein gave a nod of satisfaction and swept out of the room, leaving Itachi with his head in his hands.

OOOOOOOOO

Kisame threw Kakashi to the ground, watching in amusement as the jounin scrambled back into a corner, still crying softly and curling up in a ball in a weak effort to protect himself. Kisame ignored Kakashi for a whole of fifteen minutes, reading a book, before finally closing it and standing up.

"Get over here."

Kakashi slowly stood up, a bit shaky, and wiped the tears off his face. He walked over to Kisame, head down and tears still falling, dropping into a deep bow at Kisame's feet. Kisame ignored the obvious attempt at respect from Kakashi, instead kicking him in the ribs and demanding, "Get up!" Kakashi got to his feet, clutching at his sides and whimpering. Kisame disregarded the signs of pain Kakashi was showing, instead fastening one hand around Kakashi's slender wrist.

"Now, do everything I tell you to and we won't have a problem," Kisame sneered, pulling Kakashi into his body and holding him close. "But, disobey me and…" A sadistic grin broke out over his face. "Well, you can use your imagination. Now, come here…" He pulled Kakashi back again before abruptly slamming him into the wall behind them, crushing his lips to Kakashi's. The jounin gave a startled yelp, which was covered by Kisame's abusive kiss. He struggled against Kisame, which only earned him a stinging slap. He pushed hard against the missing-nin's shoulders before balling up his fists and hammering at Kisame's chest…which only earned him a painful punch to the stomach. Kakashi began to shake, and suddenly went limp in Kisame's arms. Kisame caught the jounin and bit at his collarbone, sharp teeth digging into Kakashi's shoulder. He licked up the blood and kissed Kakashi again, this time nipping Kakashi's lips and tongue. Kakashi struggled throughout the entire affair, simply wanting Kisame away at the moment, but nothing he did even registered in Kisame's mind. He would give Kakashi a firm disciplinary kick or punch, and continue with him as he pleased. But Kakashi was fairly certain that would have happened anyway, so he accepted his punishment with a dry sob and a muffled whimper.

That was all he could do.

OOOOOOOOO

Itachi sat out on the beach, contemplating the situation he was in. He knew he needed to get Kakashi home, and fast. The abuse was getting worse by the day, and Kakashi was breaking even further-if that was even possible. He could usually be seen trailing miserably behind Kisame, beaten, starved, and filthy, forced to follow by the marks on his pale, milky skin. Itachi gave a sigh of frustration and fell backwards onto the sand. It wasn't fair! What had Kakashi ever done to deserve such torture?

A hand on his shoulder startled him.

Itachi sat bolt upright, kunai in hand, and only lowered it when he realized that the person he had almost stabbed was Sasori. He sat up again, Sasori sitting next to him, and Itachi sheathed his kunai.

"Sorry," Sasori said awkwardly. "Thought you realized I was there…"

Itachi shook his head. "It's fine," he said slowly. "Anyway…"

Sasori sighed. "It's about Kakashi…he's so much worse! Every time I see him, he's crying! The poor thing…" Sasori shook his head, staring out on the water. "This sea could be dwarfed by his tears," he murmured. "I'm surprised he has any tears left with which to cry. But still, he can, and no one seems to care…"

Itachi, too, was staring out over the water, and didn't face Sasori when he replied. "When there is pain, there are tears. Tears come from pain, you know."

Sasori nodded. "In a way, I suppose." His gaze lifted to the sky, and he leaned back on his elbows. "Itachi…how far is heaven?"

Itachi glanced over at Sasori, surprised at such a question. "I-I guess it's different for everyone," he said slowly. "I've never really thought about it…probably because I'll never get there."

"If you're truly sorry for your sins, God will forgive you."

Itachi snorted. "No way. Sorry, I can't believe that."

Sasori shrugged. "In a perfect world, you can believe everything you hear."

Itachi smiled. "Uh-huh. And the mentally handicapped will lead the blind."

Sasori would have laughed had the situation not been so somber. "Well, that's what I believe, just like Hidan believes that Jashin will favor him if he commits the whole 'total destruction leave no one alive' thing…I guess it's just what you choose. Who knows, both might be true! There might be a million Gods, one for each person who believes! Or there could be one, one for everyone who has a religion, just in a different way…" he shook his head. "Ah, just rambling."

"I think it's worth it," Itachi said with a shrug. He sighed. "In a perfect world, there would be no pain…no tears…no suffering…no hurt…no…me…"

"No people like what you used to be," Sasori corrected. "You've really changed, Itachi, and it's all because of that jounin."

Itachi sighed. "He shows the moon how to glow," he said slowly. "He's sweet, he's innocent, he's beautiful, he's…he's just perfect."

"He's a flower."

OOOOOOOOO

Kakashi lay quietly for the first time in hours, still breathing a bit from when Kisame had left ten minutes ago. He let out a small whimper and jerked against the ropes that held his hands to the headboard of the bed, trying to free himself from Kisame's bonds. Still, the ropes held, and Kakashi let out a frustrated sob. He hated this! He hated how he was forced to obey, forced to submit, forced to allow dominance in the most sick of ways-! and yet somehow, he put up with it. Kakashi felt another choked sob escape his throat, and another, and then another, until finally he was crying like he was before.

Would the tears ever end? Would this heartbreak ever cease? Kakashi had no idea. This idea of a world was warped and twisted-this was hell. There was no way he was getting out: he was chained to a demon.

The door creaked open.

An sliver of light fell directly onto Kakashi's face, pearly white tears leaving clean tracks down his blood-stained face. He whimpered and closed his eyes: not again, please not again-!

Again.

OOOOOOOOO

Itachi glanced at Sasori. "How do you know-?"

Sasori smiled. "That was Hidan's name for him. Don't you remember?"

Itachi thought for a moment, then remembered when he had first introduced Kakashi to Hidan. When Kakashi had gone to take a nap, he had asked Hidan and Kakuza what they thought of Kakashi.

"He's adorable," Hidan said. "I love him. He's very sweet, as well; like a flower. So small and beautiful, yet so fragile and easy to harm as well. One wrong word could crush him, just as one misstep can crush a flower."

Itachi smiled as the memory dawned on him. "Yeah, I remember now," he said, still staring into the sky. The sun was going down, painting the sky with brilliant hues of orange, pink, and purple. "That was an interesting encounter…but still, it was nice."

"He told me all about it later," Sasori said slowly. "He seemed pretty happy…for once…he really loved Kakashi."

"Everyone did," Itachi said with a shrug. "He's so sweet, what's not to love?"

Sasori sat up again, crossing his legs. "Apparently, Kisame and Pein see something…I'm no sure what, though…"

Itachi shrugged. "Wanna find out?"

Sasori stood up. "Way ahead of you."

OOOOOOOOO

Kakashi awoke to the icy shock of cold water, reeling from a stinging slap.

He had passed out again after Kisame had beaten him-again. He gasped and scampered away from Kisame, only to have the Kiri-nin pick up the end of the rope trailing from both of Kakashi's bound wrists and yanking his forward. Kakashi fell flat on his chest and just lay there, crying and not bothering to get up. Several swift kicks persuaded him otherwise, though, and Kakashi made it halfway to his feet before falling again with the sheer agony of standing.

"Piece of shit," Kisame muttered, sending Kakashi flying back to the floor with a harsh blow. "Just get out of here. No one wants you."

Kakashi knelt for a moment, stunned. Kisame…was actually…telling him to go…? Kakashi's mind spun before realizing that he had been set free, and immediately stood up, trying to run. Kisame's cruel grip on the rope, however, pulled him up short, and Kakashi collapsed again, dark eyes pleading with Kisame, who was laughing maniacally. "Just had to do that," he said and released the rope, firmly kicking Kakashi in his prominent, bloody ribs. "Now get."

Kakashi wasted no time: he bolted from the room, frayed rope falling from his wrists at the tug of a knot. Kakashi stumbled down the hallway, trying his best to run and flee Kisame's room. He knew Kisame was using this as a prank: he would say Kakashi broke out during the night and get Pein to go nuts on him next. But still, Kakashi wanted the comfort of his true lover, and strangely enough, the one that hadn't taken his virginity. Kakashi finally collapsed at Itachi's door, too exhausted to take another step.

Itachi-sama…please…please, please, find me…

OOOOOOOOO

Itachi was just coming back to his room as he heard a thump.

His heart picked up, and he rounded the corner to see Kakashi curled up on the floor in front of his door, crying like there was no tomorrow. Itachi gasped and ran over to Kakashi, sweeping him up into his arms and sitting down against the wall. Sasori was right behind him, jogging at a tamer pace around the corner and stopping next to Kakashi and Itachi. Itachi was whispering calming, sweet nothings to Kakashi, trying to get him to calm down. Kakashi, however, refused to calm, and simply cried, clutching at Itachi for fear of being cast away, thrown out like the trash he had been treated as for the past month.

"Baby," Itachi finally murmured, kissing Kakashi's bruised lips. Kakashi yelped with pain, sobs suddenly redoubled, and buried his face in Itachi's shoulder. "Love, it's alright, I've got you, you're safe…oh, Kakashi…" Itachi held onto Kakashi as tight as he could without causing the jounin further pain, kissing him where he could and using the shaky control he had left over his chakra to heal the livid bruises speckling Kakashi's fair skin. Kakashi leaned into the touches, still crying and just wanting someone to hold him at the time. Itachi's hands drifted over the many bruises and cuts on Kakashi's face and stomach, including the torn skin on his lips, shoulders, and stomach from where Kisame had bit him. The bites were harsh as well, and Itachi felt every ounce of Kakashi's pain as his own.

"Love," he finally murmured, wiping a bit of blood off Kakashi's face, "Come with me, I'm going to clean you up…" Itachi slowly stood, helping Kakashi do the same, and unlocked his room, taking Kakashi inside and allowing Sasori to come in behind them.

"Lock the door, please, and jam it with a chair or something," he said quietly to Sasori. "I want to keep him safe as long as possible."