First off, I'd like to say that I know this chapter is kind of stupid… It's just another transition to better things, so I hope you can live through it… Sorry it's a bit late, but thanks for your support XD
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As if I'd just leave him with a few scars… Fucking prick… Kabuto was busily attending to the Uchiha's wounds, being sure to erase any chance of permanent damage. I won't let him gain any more ground than he already has with all his idiotic curse seals… Admittedly, Orochimaru's marks would only show up when the original curse seal was activated, but that power alone was plenty to go to the snake's head. He just places so much emphasis on possessing Sasuke's body that he doesn't seem able to comprehend the hate in his mind.
The raven stirred, a dry groan announcing that he was awake. Where the hell am I now? An underground torture chamber? Shit… I wouldn't be surprised… He opened his eyes somewhat reluctantly, giving a near-audible sigh of relief as he recognized the medic nin's room. Thank god… Is it really over, then?
"Sasuke-kun!" Kabuto rushed over, relief flooding his gaze. I wasn't sure that he would ever wake up… But, then again, I always fear the mental damage that he must endure to be too great. "How do you feel?" He just keeps surprising me with his limits… The Sound nin sighed in relief as the other attempted to rise from his current supine position, only to be held down. "Don't… You'll disturb the wounds."
"… How long have I been out?" He groaned weakly, it feels like days… But, damnit, I've got to get back to Akatsuki… The blood ran freely from the deep cuts as he tried to turn and sit up again.
"Stay down. And it's only been a few hours… You're up much earlier than expected, especially after your… Punishment." Kabuto cringed as the words left his lips; there had to be a better phrase for such a beating.
The Uchiha only gave a chuckled grimace, "Punishment? That implies I deserved it… Which, I suppose, is rather accurate considering that I was stupid enough to come back for the damn ring…" Why the hell did I do that again, anyway? It can't be that important…
"No, Sasuke, I didn't mean that at all…" He cleared his throat awkwardly as he straightened his glasses. "Anyway, I healed the deeper layers of your skin that were damaged, so now most of the bleeding is just coming from the surface cuts; there shouldn't be any scarring." Though he has lost a lot of blood…
"Great. Thanks a lot, Kabuto… I'll be going now…" He was held down again, and angrily began to build enough chakra to throw the other back.
"I don't want to keep you here, but Orochimaru said that you still have to discuss your long term arrangements…" The raven snickered in response. So he really doesn't want it that way… That's all I needed to be sure of. "So just let me bandage you up and you can go."
"But I thought you said-" Sasuke gave a small smile in response to Kabuto's own, "Thanks… I wish-"
"Don't mention it." The medic began rolling long strips of fabric around his torso, adding a few pieces on his thighs and arms for the worse places. "There. I hope the Akatsuki lair isn't that far from here… And they better have a good medic… Oh, was your three day limit absolute?"
The Uchiha sat up, tenderly letting his body adjust to the throbbing pain that would be accompanying him for a while. "Not really… And, don't worry; I think there's a member that can stitch me up." Damn good thing I didn't give any longer, though… I'm sure he already forced me to stay extra.
Instantly knowing who Sasuke meant, Kabuto almost laughed, "In any other circumstance, that would be hilarious." He sobered quickly to continue, "Anyway, you've been here for two extra days… I didn't know he could snap like that." But obviously he can… He fetched the Akatsuki cloak, shirt, and pants from the other side of the room and continued his commentary, "I'm sure you're the only one who could ever pull something like that off."
Hn. Unfortunately he's probably right… "What can I say; it's just a talent I have for pissing the hell out of people who can kick my ass." The raven lifted his arms slowly to allow the net shirt to be slipped over his head, then stood to get into the pants.
"The only reason they ever hurt you is because you hurt them first." And you're the only one that can anymore, it seems… Ah, Sasuke, your curse is the ability to make others feel for you while you retain the incapacity to feel for them. Kabuto helped to throw the cloak around the boy's shoulders, then stepped back to survey his balance.
What the hell does he expect me to say to that? I think I'll just ignore it. "… Thanks." Sasuke turned to stare into the eyes behind the rounded spectacles, "I truly appreciate you doing this… I don't want to get you in trouble for helping…"
The medic nin gave a feeble smile, "If you don't leave now you may never get to… We both know that the only reason he let you go was because he was completely spent. Now leave… I hope I never see you again, for your own sake." But not remotely for my own… God, I'll miss him… I always do.
"For what it's worth, I hope we meet again someday…" The Uchiha leaned forward to graze the other's lips with his own. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you…" His eyes were unsteady as he pulled back, preparing to exit through a rare window.
"I'm not. I've enjoyed every minute of it." Kabuto looked away, not trusting his composure to watch Sasuke leave. "You may have to do a few of the jutsu that I taught you on your way… And be careful; I hate to say it, but if you meet any foreign ninja, you won't survive." The raven nodded and was gone. God help them if anyone gives him trouble… And Itachi better take damn good care of him; Sasuke moaning his name in his sleep was enough for me to know his true reason for returning so quickly.
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The Uchiha increased his pace experimentally, only to feel a couple more wounds reopen. Shit… But, I may as well keep going at this speed now… He was starting to get a bit delirious again; the cold rain pounding against his skull was becoming less and less evident as he flirted with unconsciousness for what seemed like the fourth time that hour. Time for another blood replacement jutsu… He quickly executed the hand signs and felt more of the crimson liquid flowing through his veins, at least I was paying attention when he taught me that one…
He lapsed into the trance of pattern, and unwittingly arrived at the Akatsuki hideout in what seemed like no time, but was, in reality, a few hours. That went by a hell of a lot quicker than expected… Holy shit I can hardly walk…
"Princess!" The voice of Hidan greeted him happily as he stumbled through the door and nearly collapsed against him. "Hey… Well, damn, I'm happy to see you too…" His smile faded steadily as he took a closer look at the raven; he was paler than usual and shaking uncontrollably. "You okay?"
"…I…" Sasuke's breathing was getting more ragged; the adrenaline that gave him strength was dissipating. Fuck… The world's spinning again…
The Akatsuki member patted his back to try and get his attention, but gasped audibly as his hand came away drenched in blood. "Shit! Come on, princess…" He led them hurriedly down the hall to his room and began pounding on the closed door next to his own, "KAKUZU! Goddamnit, get out here and bring your sewing shit!"
The door opened slowly as Hidan entered his room to attend to Sasuke, who had collapsed on his bed murmuring for Itachi. "He's not here now… He'll be back soon, though… And don't worry; we'll fix you up…"
"What is it this time, Hidan? Did you "accidentally" decapitate yourself again-" he paused at the stench of blood and entered the room to see his partner peeling away layers of clothing to find the source. "Wait… What's going on? Who is he?"
"Just hurry! This is Itachi's kid brother, and he's practically bleeding to death, so you're going to help me help him! Got it?" His silver hair was in complete disarray as he got the cloak off and began cutting through the shirt and bandages on his chest.
The other Akatsuki moved to the bedside to study the boy more closely. "Fine…" Is he the one that went to get the last ring? Apparently so… Orochimaru must've been pretty pissed at him, too, by the looks of it. The Uchiha's eyelids were fluttering slightly as his gasping slowed; he was finally calming down now that the bandages had been removed and he could breathe again.
"Holy shit… What did that fucking snake-bastard do to him?!" Kakuzu remained calmer than Hidan and began to examine the lacerations, making Sasuke wince. "Stop it! You're hurting him!"
"… I have to see the wounds." They're actually not that deep… Ah, so it was a quick-fix… He wanted to leave… But, damn, some of these must have been clear to the bone. "Most of them aren't too serious now; the main concern is blood loss." The masked Akatsuki withdrew a thin ream of thread from his pocket. "Turn him over; the worst are on his back."
Hidan obeyed readily and watched in awe at the precision of the stitches that soon laced over the cuts, connecting the flesh perfectly. Okay… So I won't be making fun of his "special sewing skills" for a while… "The bleeding is stopping, too…"
"I'm using a clotting jutsu." He's doing well, considering. I doubt much of the pain was numbed by the rain…
The raven was now breathing regularly, his eyes finally opening to rest on the ceiling as the rest of the lacerations were repaired. "… Thanks…" Kakuzu finished the last few stitches before nodding quickly and turning to depart.
The silver haired Akatsuki sighed, drawing the boy's attention. "Holy fuck, you're okay, princess… You scared the shit out of me; Itachi would castrate me and so forth if I let you die… I mean, it'd be different if you were immortal like me, but…" He brightened momentarily, "I think I'll look into getting you a contract with Jashin, actually…"
"I don't…" Sasuke shook his head and sat up. "Never mind." Finally… I can feel my limbs again… "Sorry about that… I didn't think I'd be so, uh, light-headed; the blood loss and replacement finally caught up, I guess." He took a couple of deep breaths to clear his head, and blinked slowly at his surroundings. "When will Itachi be back?"
Hidan hesitated for a moment, wishing that Itachi would go off and die, but couldn't help responding to the innocent look of slightest fear in the other's eyes, "Soon, I think… He went off to look for you, princess, and that was a few days ago." He's always so pretty… Even when half dead, and that's really saying something… Such perfection really should last forever. He sighed silently to himself as a nagging thought came back to him; his beauty could last forever…
"I see…" I hope he won't be too pissed when he finds me here… Well, it's not like I can do anything about it anyway. Silence fell between the pair as each pondered his predicament. Sasuke spoke first, "Would it be at all possible for me to use your shower?"
The silver haired nin snapped back to reality, "Only if I can use it with you." His reply was reflexive, and instantly regarded with a raised eyebrow. "… No? Fine… But, next time, okay?"
"Yeah, right… Next time for sure…" The raven chuckled and stood, glancing back at the bed to see a substantial amount of blood and fluid. "Sorry about your bed… You can sleep with me on the couch tonight if Itachi isn't back…" What can that hurt? I doubt he'd try anything considering that I'm injured…
"Deal! And don't you dare try to back out, princess…" Hidan grinned and led him to the bathroom, sneaking in an ass grab as he shut the door behind him with a wink.
Sasuke shook his head at the raw nerve. He's certainly unique… But I can't deny that I really do like him…
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A/N
Okay! The next chapter shall be quite lovely… Well, I like it. But, really, the plot certainly begins advancing for the better…
Not to be pissy, but I haven't really been getting much input lately. I'd like to know if you are still reading this… What do I need to do better? I'll continue the story if even just one person wants to know what happens, but I'd really like a little more support or I'll just put it on hiatus (though I would undoubtedly continue it for myself; it's too much of an obsession now to just discard).
Oh, by the way, I posted a lovely KakaSasu oneshot known as 'Wonderland'… There may be a sequel, but it remains complete for now. So please R I'm still not sure if I should even continue posting my work.
Thanks for your reviews, favorites, and alerts so far; I really hope you'll continue reading and reviewing XD
PLEASE READ: Please make sure you have read both chapters 16 and 17; I know I got them out of order originally, but they are fixed now. So sorry for the mix up :3
Much Love,
VI