The situation was grim any way Kakashi looked at it. Even if Orochimaru wasn't after Sasuke- which the Jounin was grateful for –he was after someone else. And that worried him greatly. Unfortunately, the option of launching right in to attack the snake bastard was not smart at all. Kakashi and Gai would both be killed most likely, and Orochimaru would still win.

A nasty taste liquefied in Kakashi's mouth.

"What's the matter, Kakashi?" Orochimaru caught the Copy Ninja's death glare and a light gleamed in his eyes for a moment, "I haven't even unveiled who my lucky winner is yet."

Kakashi scoffed at the man, not even bothering to respond. He knew that his anger would only make Orochimaru happier to kill him.

"Ooh, what a nasty look," Orochimaru cooed, "… Excellent," He whispered as he put his hands in the sign of the tiger.

Suddenly, a group of vines shot out from the brush and latched onto Gai firmly, pulling him back with unthinkable force and slamming him to a tree, without giving him much time for even a grunt.

"Gai!" Kakashi called out to his friend, turning his head to the right and beginning to move towards the green beast in a motion to cut the vines away.

"?!" Gai jerked his head up just in time to see Orochimaru's neck extend grossly, white fangs glimmering inside of lips curved into a nasty smile, "Kakashi! Look out!!"

As the Copy Ninja started to turn back around to the left, he felt something extremely sharp make contact with his left collarbone. His eyes widened in frozen shock as he realized that Orochimaru was latched onto his shoulder. With a single chuckle, the Sannin pulled back in seconds, his neck now resting comfortably on his body. Cloth from Kakashi's shirt and vest were torn off effortlessly, showcasing the two bite marks now resting on the man's collarbone.

Gai pulled at the vines feverishly in a rush of adrenaline, snapping them in two and dashing over to Kakashi.

BU-BUMP! BU-BUMP!

Kakashi cried out in agony and clutched his neck with his left hand, falling to his knees as he felt the wound pulse through his collar. Gai was at his side in a moment.

"Kakashi!! What's wrong?! What did he-" The Jounin froze as his eyes locked onto his ally's wound. Three sharp lines of black swirled together in a circular pattern, and with a numb sensation in the pit of his throat, Gai knew what Orochimaru had done.

His teeth gnashed together as his ice cold glare met Orochimaru's amused smirk, "A curse mark?! You bastard!!"

Orochimaru shoulders shook slightly with laughter, "It's called the Hell Curse Mark. I made it myself, though I'm not quite sure if I have all the bugs sorted out or not," His eyes locked with Gai's, which sent a shudder down the Jounin's spine, "He has 24 hours. If Kakashi can't survive that, well… I must say I'll be disappointed. However, if- and hopefully when –he wakes up, tell him this: he can't escape. Now that he wears that mark, Kakashi belongs to me."

Gai's eyes widened as Orochimaru finished his morbid statement and then seemed to just disappear in a flurry of leaves, "What does this mean, damn it?!" He thought uneasily, "What do I-"

His thoughts were interrupted abruptly when a cry of agony ripped out of Kakashi's throat. Every muscle in Gai's body tensed when he heard this. It was such a foreign sound. The Copy Ninja NEVER screamed like that! It was the most gut wrenching noise he had ever heard in his life. With a pained realization, Gai found that Kakashi was going to hover on the verge of death. Soon, the man fell limp in Gai's hold like a lifeless doll.

All of the color drained out of his face, "Kakashi!!!"

Without a moment's hesitation, he scooped Kakashi up in his arms and sprinted to the Hospital as fast as he could possibly go. He didn't know if the doctors there could help, but he had to try. He had to do something! His friend's life was on the line. God forbid Kakashi actually died. No. That wouldn't happen. Gai wouldn't let it.

"Just hold on Kakashi…" Gai thought determinedly as he felt the man cringe in pain again in his grasp, "Don't give in to Orochimaru; you're stronger than that!"

Author's Note:

Hey everyone! So sorry for the long wait! But Ch. 3 is up and Ch. 4 is coming soon!

This one also wasn't particularly long, but I wanted it just to focus on the attack.

Please read and review! Hope you're enjoying it so far!