So recently, it's come to my attention that there were other websites dedicated to those who love writing fantasy fiction like myself. And no, it's not because I thought FanFiction was the one and only website for such a purpose. It's mainly because I've been on FanFiction for so long and the stories being told here were unimaginable—in a good way—it never really occurred to me that I should look elsewhere. AS of right now, I'm testing those waters by reading stories from other websites/apps such as quotev and wattpad (however the latter's app is way too complicated for me.

Basically, I'm thinking of posting stories on those websites too. But until I can get a second opinion, I won't come to a final decision because this is the least of my priorities. Just let me guys know what you personally think on this note and I'll gladly hear what you guys have to say.

Okay, enough of my blabbering. Story time!

Chapter 24: Truth Uncovered

Hours had passed since my lovely birthday surprise from Kabuto. The thought of how my birthday was celebrated forced a smile on my face; it wasn't a typical birthday, but it also wasn't bad at all. I admired people who thought outside of the box for me because originality and uniqueness from others were my weak spots. I still couldn't imagine just how far he went for me just to celebrate the day I was born, especially when I forgot myself. For as long as I could remember, I never thought nor really cared about my birthday because why celebrate the day you were born when your existence was hated by your own? The only other time I recalled giving the energy to care and celebrate my birthday was my genin friends and mentors back at the Leaf; the amount of love I felt off of them was so overwhelming but heavenly at the same time. That feeling was the exact same feeling I got when Kabuto revealed that our whole "date day" was all a part of my birthday treat. To top it off with a cake and a beautiful present.

Said gift was sitting comfortably on my nightstand next to my bed. I usually held it with my hands just before I went to sleep, aweing at its beauty. Again, it wasn't like any other gift, but it was still beautiful indeed.

Currently, I was walking towards the comfort of my bedroom down the dull hallway. I had just finished assisting Kabuto with an antidote and medical experiments for Orochimaru. He assured that he could do the rest on his own and that I should take a deserving break. Also factoring in that he was close to finishing what needed to be done so there was no point in hanging around. I accepted his offer and left the lab without hesitation.

I walked into my room and briefly eyed at myself in the mirror as I was wearing my normal kunoichi outfit. I was notified by one of the snake's henchmen that I was needed in a mission later today and that I was supposed to head over to him for more details in about a moment. Since I no longer threw an inner fit when Orochimaru wanted, I didn't mind the errands and mission he assigned me to. Mostly because I barely had anything else to do. Since we got back earlier, the medic-nin had a large list of things that must be done since he requested a day off, which was yesterday. Yet another reason why I offered a hand a few moments ago. Because of this, we barely had a normal conversation: just two medics discussing medical drugs and whatnot. It wasn't like I was bored or anything, I simply had nothing else better to do.

I was about to head out until something peculiar caught my eye. I turned to the strange object which I knew full well it hadn't been in my room for too long; probably around earlier today it settled on my nightstand. I slowly slid towards it and blinked blankly at it. A white envelope. I scanned the physical appearance of it in all angles until I noticed a small text written on the back.

'To Katsumi Uchiha…?' I read mentally in question, really confused as to what was in the envelope that was specifically for me and why.

There was obviously one way to find out. Inhaling, I skillfully opened the envelope, only to reveal a card sitting securely in its paper bed. I then exhaled as I pulled out the card out of the envelope and scanned all of the card angles too. It wasn't very simple; nothing special about it. It was colourful still but it came out as dull as it was colored dark blues, purples and black. Whoever this mysterious person was, they knew my style very well. My first guess was Kabuto, but I knew it wasn't possible because it hadn't done anything but work constantly at the experimental lab since we arrived back. I highly doubted Orochimaru was the one responsible for this sudden act of kindness because this was way out of his league unless he wanted something big and wanted to sweeten the deal somehow. Plus, the snake simply had no heart to begin with; why else was he "immortal" to begin with.

So if it wasn't Kabuto and it wasn't Orochimaru… there was only one possibility.

I opened up the card and in it had a memo written on the right side of the card. This supported my suspicion as to who was the giver because the handwriting was awfully familiar. I placed all of my attention on the written as my eyes scanned what was written.

We may not be in the best of terms, but regardless, we're flesh and blood. I hope you still remember what we've been through and how we made each other stronger. Happy Birthday, sis.

-Sasuke

I didn't know what to think or how should react. On one hand, I felt glad that my own brother didn't forget nor dismissed my birthday as he went just as far to give me a birthday card. But on the other hand, the fact that he knew that we weren't in good terms yet he still chose to not face me didn't sit right with me. Not to mention, Sasuke went as far to "remind" me the things we'd been through as if I didn't remember. I want to set the record straight and inform that I hadn't forget any detail where Sasuke and I were going through our ups and downs together. Simply put, he was trying to soften me up by memories instead of accepting what he did and apologize.

Since my feelings were bipolar and cancel out, I sort of felt numb about it.

I then noticed something else that was sitting on my nightstand after I slid the card back into the envelope. Placing the card on the small table, I picked up the small object which was a tiny present merely wrapped with a light blue ribbon. I removed the ribbon and opened the attached lid and stared blankly at the object sitting gracefully inside: a silver locket shaped as our clan's crest. I carefully picked up the necklace and examined it briefly. It was gorgeous, no doubt about it. Plus, it was possibly pricey according to its high quality. The fact that Sasuke purchased something this precious for me made my chest flutter as I felt slightly sensitive to Sasuke's perspective of everything. However, I shouldn't let some gift make me feel bad for being in the right while the other person was in the wrong.

Out of curiosity, I decided to open the locket and see what more surprises the raven had to offer. I gasped in shock to see two pictures that were too memorable to me, it made my heart skip a beat. One was a picture taken when we were seven and five-and-a-half years old. Little Sasuke stood there smiling brightly with his arm resting over my shoulder as little me stood beside with my arms folded across my chest with a confident grin on my face. I smiled thoughtfully at this picture as it brought so much bad memories, but also the rare bright spots of my childhood. I turned over to the second picture on the other inner half of the locket, immediately recognizing the exact moment when I convinced Sasuke to take a picture with me. It was taken around the time when we were thirteen and eleven-and-a-half years old. Sasuke—in his too cool to care stages of his life—stood there with his hands stuffed inside his pockets with a stoic look on his face while I stood close to his side, linking my arm with his as I smiled softly.

Seeing these two pictures brought a small tear to my eye; we were so close and so happy. What happened along the way that resulted this? We don't really talk to each other anymore and I barely saw him either. When would this all be fixed?

Apparently time would only tell.

I huffed to myself as I closed the locket securely. I attached it around my neck and hid it under my top so no one would question about it. Once that was done, I quickly left my room and headed on over to meet with Orochimaru to discuss about my mission. As I made my way to him, I couldn't help but place my hand on my chest where my new locket laid.

Well, things always seemed to come out as surprises for me lately. Long story short, my mission—in which I was riding on solo this time—was a top-secret mission: to retrieve classified, sealed documents from one of Orochimaru's subordinates, Karin who was located in the Southern Hideout. I had known Karin about a month after settling in and she was around the same age as Sasuke. Anyway, we had gotten to know each other a bit and respectfully saw ourselves as mutual friends, basically. So seeing her would probably be the highlight of my day. The reason behind why I was sent on this mission alone was still sort of unclear to me. I shrugged it off since this was my first mission on my own, meaning anything could happen. I was actually curious of what was in store of me.

I halted my footsteps firmly because a pair of arms were wrapped around my waist by someone who stood very close to me. I let out a smirk, already knowing who it was.

"Miss me already?" I presumed playfully, slightly turning my head. "I thought you had your experiments keeping you busy."

"Well, I got bored…" He replied whiningly, slightly pouting. "Plus I heard you're heading out on a mission on your own, so I wanted to see you before you leave…"

My smirked stretched when I heard his excuse. "Well, can't really blame you; your hormones simply can't get enough of me and I can understand that…"

"There you go again, hyping yourself up…" He huffed in fake tiredness as he forcibly moved me towards the hallway wall.

"It's just pure confidence…" I corrected cockily, holding his cheeks with both hands.

Kabuto chuckled lowly to himself as he snaked his arms around my waist, pushing me against the wall and removing any personal space that I once had. I glanced up at his eyes to see nothing but hunger and desire in his dark eyes. I knew by this look… he was craving for me that it caused him to lose his logical sense. It explained why he was acting like this. When he hastily placed his lips on my mine, it confirmed my suspicion of him feeling provocative. His hands ran all over my body and his lips were savouring my taste. Due to being ticklish, I let out a soft giggle when his lips moved down to my neck, creating love bites as he pressed my body with his. Stopping my train of thought, I brought my hands to his shoulders and tried to push him off of me but of course the medic-nin refused to budge as he continued to kiss me inside out.

"Kabuto, seriously stop it!" I demanded hardly as I let out moans from his loving movements on me. "Someone will see us and we'll die because of you!"

Kabuto stopped making out with my neck however kept his nose and lips on the sensitive skin. He responded to my worries by snickering.

"But taking that risk makes it more exciting and hot…" He muttered huskily then continued nibbling my neck.

Men's sex drive were just like electrical motors: once it started, it was close to impossible for it to stop unless they stopped themselves. This was another reason why I couldn't deal with relationships. Yet I was currently in one.

Since there was basically no way for Kabuto to listen to reason, I decided to give in and enjoy the moment with him. He sensed that I finally surrendered to him and immediately went forth to sending me off with this passionate moment. We went on hard for a few moments and we didn't seem to lose our breath and energy. There was no telling how long I would be out on this mission so I wanted to cherish this amazing moment with him as much as possible.

Then, I sensed immediate danger on the radar and it was very close. In fact it was so close, it was right behind Kabuto and it was coming at us—specifically him—with immense chakra. Most likely a jutsu. A jutsu that was too familiar to me that shot my eyes wider than plates. Just before I sent the warning to Kabuto, he swiftly scooped me up in his arms bridal style and jumped a safe distance away from the jutsu that could've killed us both. I gazed over at the user of this symbolic jutsu anxiously as my grey haired partner held me securely in a crouching position. The sounds of birds chirping widely deafened my quickened breaths as the raven from a distance stared lividly at us—particularly at Kabuto. I knew from the beginning that we would get caught if four eyes just listened to me and stop. Because of him, we were now about to face the wrath of my older, protective, revengeful brother.

"Sasuke…" I breathed nervously, shying away and leaning in on Kabuto.

It was evident that Sasuke was enraged by the sight of Kabuto making out with his sister, especially since his Sharingan was blazing in crimson red with hate. I hadn't seen the raven this indignantly resentful since his encounter with Itachi where he completely gone mad—according to Naruto. Though lately he was very skilled in keeping his emotions and hatred intact, there were still boundaries that could cause his intent to kill mercilessly if crossed. Right now, Sasuke's eyes were on Kabuto and with his Chidori and Sharingan activated, the chances of surviving were slim to none. Then I heard a painful grunt coming from said soon-to-be-victim which pulled me out of my fears for a moment. I eyed at Kabuto who was biting his lip, holding back the urge to groan for some reason. It was then I realized something red glazed over his clothes, around his shoulder. I scanned it for a bit and gasped to recognize it as blood being pumped out of him. Not only that, but I noticed there was a deep wound on his shoulder that was very close to revealing his bone. This grew my concern of the male's chances surviving this situation.

"Kabuto, your shoulder…" I informed concernedly.

"Don't worry about me, Katsumi…" He replied quickly in strain, keeping his eyes on the Uchiha male ahead. "I'm alright. Besides, there's nothing I can do about it now…"

I gave him a glossy look in concern as he stared sharply at Sasuke. I then turned my attention to said raven who dismissed his lightning jutsu but still kept his crimson eyes directly on us with fury.

"Bastard…" He seethed deadly. "How dare you lay your filthy hands on her?"

"I can assure you that I have her full consent." Kabuto confirmed solidly.

"I don't care if she gave you permission!" The raven snapped agitatedly, his crimson eyes blazing lividly. "You have no right to lay a finger on her whatsoever."

I shuttered by Sasuke's words as I watched him from afar. I shrunk into Kabuto like a shy child meeting their relative for the first time. Sensing this, he tightened his grip on me in a comforting matter as he stood his ground in front of the enraged raven.

"And you have no right to control her!" Kabuto snapped irritably, causing me to jump by his tone. "She is more than able to make her own decisions and live her life the way she desires!"

By the looks of it, my dear brother wasn't too pleased by Kabuto's words said to him. To say the least, he reminded me of an aggressive bull seeing merely red.

"She's my sister, meaning I decide what's best for her to protect her whether she likes it or not!" The raven seethed venomously. "I don't need to hear the likes of you telling me how to take care of my loved one when you have no one!"

I could see the bits of hurt in the medic-nin's eyes when Sasuke said those words. The fact that he went so low to say senseless things when he knew nothing offended me too, saying that Kabuto had no loved ones when he doesn't know the full story. Plus, he wasn't happy at all when someone mentioned about our clan. I sharpened my glare at the raven despite him not realizing it.

"No matter…" He growled lowly, drawing out his sword as he glared darkly. "You'll die in this very hallway… as a punishment for forcibly touching my sister…"

"Like I just said, I have her consent!" Kabuto scoffed harshly. "So you should remain silent because you're no Sage!"

Sasuke's crimson eyes blazed strongly at his intended victim as he held out his sword in front of him. "As her older brother, it's my duty to protect her from filthy, disgusting, perverted men like you! Especially those who work for a filthy, good-for-nothing snake…!"

"Since when you protected me!?" I interjected incredulously, causing both men to bring their attention to me. "Older brother, my ass! We've barely spoken because you don't have the balls to own up to what you did!"

Kabuto's lips parted slightly in shock by my use of words whereas Sasuke on the other hand had no reaction on his face. But by the look of his eyes, I knew he didn't expect those words from me, his little sister.

"Don't think your slick, 'bro'! I know that you're frustrated with us so you decided to take it out on Kabuto!" I added exasperatedly. "He doesn't deserve your bulls**t because sadly, he's more of a man than you'll ever be!"

Finally, my brother showed the gawked look he kept deep inside of him; offended that I questioned his masculinity. Meanwhile, Kabuto was trying his damn best not to laugh at the look Sasuke had on his face. Seeing as though we were "mocking" him, he masked his embarrassment with a dark glare.

"And for your information, he has a loved one…" I remarked strongly. "He has me… and that's all the love he needs and you don't deserve any of it…"

Okay, so maybe I went a little too far on that because I basically told my older brother that I didn't love him. It wasn't true, but at this point, I would do anything to get my point across his thick, narrow skull.

"You're telling me… that you're in love with him, Katsumi… of all people…" He gritted lowly, trying to commit to this fact but was having a hard time. "You're telling me that… he's more important to you… than me…"

"Think what you want, Sasuke." I offered nonchalantly, unfazed by his glare. "Because I'm sick and tired of reaching my hand out to you, waiting for you to take it."

Sasuke merely blinked a couple of times, waiting for me to say more.

"Kabuto was the only person who took my hand, swearing on his life to stand by me. Despite how badly I treated him, he accepted me and loved me for who I am…" I continued softly, lowering my gaze as I felt said male holding me tighter. "He was there for me anytime I needed him, unlike you. So I'm standing by him too, especially against you…"

The raven 'hmphed' at my words. "He's probably using you for his entertainment. He's only in love with that damn Orochimaru, not you. The fact that you actually believe he even gives a slight damn about you is ludicrous. In comparison with me, I've never used you by any means and I know you better than that fool and anyone else…"

"If you did, then why the f**k not come to me and mend our 'bond'!?" I snapped furiously. "You made it clear that you didn't care because all you give a crap about is your revenge on Itachi! I mean, it's obvious he's more important to you than me!"

There was a slight glint of hurt in the raven's eyes when I said those blunt words. It was as if the more he defended himself, the more offensive I wanted my words for him to be.

"Doesn't matter anymore because Kabuto doesn't have the ignorance to want to waste his life murdering another person." I dismissed coldly.

"Really, now?" He sarcastically venomously.

"All you claims are false no matter what you believe." Kabuto cut in confidently, sharpening his look at him. "I have great adoration for Katsumi and I will protect her and our relationship from anyone, including you… because no matter what you say or do… it will never stop my feelings for her from growing…"

Sasuke's lips suddenly stretched into a very small but evil smirk as he 'hmphed' once again, mocking our words directed towards him. "Well, if that's the case… I want to see how much my sister 'means'to you…"

The tone of his voice grabbed both of our attentions.

"One-on-one, you and me…" Sasuke solidly purposed. "If you—miraculously—beat me, then you've proved your faithfulness to both me and Katsumi…"

"And what if he loses!?" I inquired harshly.

I started getting a bit anxious when my brother's smirk stretched further and darker.

"Then he'll die and you'll finally realize how pathetic he really is." He smugly replied. "Think of it as a punishment for ever defying me… sis…"

"You f**kin' jackass—!"

"Katsumi!" I heard someone demandingly calling my name and turned to the medic-nin.

My jaw dropped when I translated the look he was giving.

"Don't tell me you're—!"

"I have no other choice, it's the only way to prove my feelings for you to Sasuke. Plus, I highly doubt he'll let us slip by without a fight." He interrupted determinedly. "I already told you that I'll gladly die protecting us."

As much as I admired Kabuto's loyal, courageous persona, the feeling of him actually carrying out his goal against my brother—risking his life—was close to being unbearable. He promised me that I would never be alone ever again he was taking the risk in killing himself just to prove himself to the likes of Sasuke. I don't know if I should feel betrayed.

"B-But—"

"I'll be fine, Katsumi." He breathed soothingly, gazing at me kindly. "I'm not as weak as you guys think."

"Kabuto, don't be stupid! I don't want—!" My rant was cut off by Kabuto hastily placing me on the hallway floor and immediately running towards Sasuke with a kunai in hand.

That was it; nothing could change his dense mind. All I could do now was watch my two most important people from a distance battling it out until death. I was aware that Kabuto hadn't fully recovered from his wound Sasuke inflicted earlier which made me even more concerned for him. Not to mention that I was also concerned of my brother getting himself hurt too because as his sister, I couldn't help myself.

As the medic-nin dashed towards the stoic raven, he held his free hand back, attempting to throw a punch. It was easily dodged and Sasuke countered with a strong kick to the head to which Kabuto blocked with his fore arms. There were starting this battle off with taijutsu, simply warming themselves up for what was to come. I knew that Kabuto was a skilled rogue ninja minus his medical ninjutsu and Sasuke was indeed powerful himself; this could go either way. However I hoped by some miracle that Kabuto pulled through as a result because that was the only way we could stay together despite my dear big brother disapproving. I wasn't doubting my partner's strength; it was just that the Uchiha male was someone no one wouldn't or shouldn't mess with, especially when he was pissed off.

After a long moment of the men throwing punches and kicks at each other, Sasuke gave himself some distance away from his opponent and performed a series of hand signs. I gasped in realization when the hand seals translated the activation of our clan's fire jutsu. Despite obtaining numerous jutsu, our fire jutsu was always our go-to. What was baffling though was the fact that the raven was urging to cover the entire hallway we all stood in with hot, burning flames. That was another quality of the great Sasuke Uchiha: he could barely use common sense when his main intention was to kill.

Kabuto was aware of this too and eyed firmly at the flames that were flowing out of the boy's lips. Meanwhile, I remained sitting on the floor in a safe distance away from the fight yet getting a front-row seat of all of it. My eyes widened when the snake's faithful subordinate was engulfed by the flames, doing merely nothing to stop it. However I could still sense his chakra, meaning he was still alive but nowhere to be seen. Once the flames distinguished themselves, all there was left were burnt up walls and floor and ashes where the bookworm once stood. I tried to sense his exact location without using my Sharingan because I didn't want to hint Sasuke in anyway. In the last second, I sensed the missing male underneath said raven and at the same time, he too sensed him and skillfully removed himself from his spot. Simultaneously, Kabuto broke through the tiled floor with his chakra scalpel which he possibly intended to strike Sasuke with it without him noticing. Sadly it didn't work.

"Damn, he saw through my attack…" The medic-nin grumbled in frustration, glaring hardly at the stoic male in front of him with his face unmoved.

"Nothing you do won't work as long as I have my Sharingan." Sasuke disclosed cockily, holding out his sword and dashing towards him.

With his kunai, Kabuto blocked his sword from slicing him into two. Their blades scratched each other hastily, causing sparks to fly from the metal. They pulled their weapons away but were met again in seconds. They continued to do this until one or the other made a scratch. Eventually Sasuke was able to make a minor cut on his opponent's arm whereas he was left untouched. This made me nervous because that was a sign telling me the possible outcome of this match.

For some reason, Kabuto's mind wasn't really in the same place as Sasuke's and my own because said raven was able to land a hard, cold kick in the man's chest which resulted him to skid across the hallways backwards, towards me. I allowed my concern for him to show on my face as he held his bruised chest protectively, panting like he just ran a marathon and in desperate need of water. Meanwhile, Sasuke was walking towards was in bore as he lazily held his sword near his side. His Sharingan eyes were staring daggers at us, thinking of his next plan of attack.

Something didn't sit right for me, oddly enough. Though everything in front of me was easy enough for a child to understand, the two's movements and attacks were a bit off. Not to say that they were holding back because I wasn't too sure if that was the case; I mean, they had no reason to play lightly with each other. So why were they slacking off instead of mercilessly killing each other? The raven was probably dragging this battle long on purpose. Understandable enough. But Kabuto was really acting different. He would normally kill off his enemy completely or he would let them suffer for his own entertainment. Plus, he wasn't a weak shinobi; he was very skilled in his own way and his intelligence was very remarkable. So why the hell was he getting battered by his junior.

I should I say, why was he allowing himself being battered by my brother?

I was immediately cut off from my personal thoughts when Sasuke instantly activated his Chidori Sharp Spear, possibly intending to finish it right away. However, this time it looked as if his attack was aimed towards me. Hell, it was because Kabuto happened to stand in front of me a little as the spear was heading towards my vulnerable side. The fact that my own flesh-and-blood didn't go through so many lengths to put me into danger showed that he simply didn't care for any human being. He didn't care about me. Not anymore. I said some things to him that crossed the line and I wouldn't blame him if he held that against me. But actions spoke louder than words and I got his message clear. The thought of that just froze my entire presence as my body refused to move as thoughts were racing in my mind, telling me to move out of the way before the spear hit. But I didn't; I sat there hopelessly, thinking that the last sight before I was dead was the sight of Sasuke's stoic, blank face.

But I felt no pain. None whatsoever. Did I just died instantly with no pain? Then why was I still in Orochimaru's hideout? Was I even dead? Did Sasuke's jutsu even strike me? If it didn't then why did I saw blood dripping in front of me?

I gawked in shock when I realized that I wasn't the victim of this jutsu. Kabuto was; his body begged for mercy as it shook in pain. The Chidori Spear pierced its way through the middle of the male's chest, resulting it to bleed heavily as blood dripped slowly but surely on the ground in front of me. I watched the medic-nin panting and coughing as blood started flowing out of the sides of his lips. He made no effort to remove himself from the spear due to risking even more damage to his body so he remained in the same position, gluing his feet to the ground. I knew without my eyes open that he was wounded pretty badly according to his external state. I couldn't imagine the internal damage he was likely suffering and could end up getting worst if not checked.

My breaths started getting shorter and shorter just the mere sight of Kabuto hurt so badly, by my own brother. And frankly, he did what he swore he would do: protect me. He protected me using his body as a shield for me. He threw himself in front of me from being hit and possibly killed by my own brother, completely contradicting himself. The raven was right: he was willing to do literally anything to achieve his goal… including getting rid of me.

'Sasuke… are you really my brother…? Because right now… you remind me of father…'

"K-Katsumi…" I heard said partner call me weakly, grabbing my attention. "Are you… okay…?" He asked in between breaths.

"Why ask me when you're the one that's hurt!?" I snapped heartbreakingly, resisting the urge to burst into tears. "Why would you let yourself get hurt!?"

I then heard Kabuto chuckle lowly. "You're always so stubborn, questioning every single thing I do…" He mused as I felt a smirk stretching his lips by the sound of his voice.

"Kabuto…" I breathed heartbreakingly as I gazed up at him.

I snapped a death glare at my brother who remained standing there with a dull, blank look on his face. He wasn't fazed that he almost killed my partner nor regretting in attempting to hurt me in the slightest. It angered me that he didn't give a s**t about what mattered to me, despite him claiming he "cared about me".

"What the f**k are you waiting for, jackass!?" I spat fumingly, earning a raised eyebrow from the boy. "Dispel your jutsu! You've already won so stop making him suffer even more."

After a 'hmph' in return to my retort, he begrudgingly called off his jutsu. Kabuto then dropped hard on his knees with a painful grunt, holding the deep, severe wound on his chest with both hands as blood continued to pump heavily. I moved quickly over to him and held his shoulders to prevent him from hitting hard on his head. He took deep, slow breaths to prevent himself from screaming in pain. He proceeding to cough out more blood, causing more of his blood to spurt out of him. I knew by the looks of it that he was suffering a nicked artery, causing huge amounts of blood to pour out. Not only that, he seemed to also suffer internal bleeding since he was constantly hacking blood. How much pain he was in really made my stomach turn because the sight I was seeing of my partner was sickening.

"Kabuto…" I tried my hardest not to tear up as said liquid welled up at the corner of my eyes.

Kabuto said nothing because he was too busy holding onto consciousness as he started to look like he was getting a bit lightheaded. His breathing started to stagger; his lungs were desperate for air. I was finally able to shake off of the frightening sight and switched my mindset to a professional medic ninja. But just before I was about to tend to the male's injuries, a strong, familiar, intense chakra approached within my radar and it was coming at our direction with such speed. I glanced up and saw nothing but Chidori activated once again as Sasuke ran towards us in high speed.

He was planning on finishing poor Kabuto off before I could heal him.

Subconsciously, I swiftly moved in front of the grey haired male and guarded him protectively like he did earlier for me. I bravely stared at my brother who continued to sprint rapidly towards me with his Chidori ready to kill. The moment I blocked his target, his eyes widened when he realized what I was doing: I was protecting Kabuto by taking the deadly hit for him. It turned out that he wasn't aiming for me and now that I was stubbornly in his way and with the intense speed he was travelling in, he knew just as much as I did that it was too late to turn back. But I didn't care about dying; the bookworm was important to me and I would protect him just as much as he would for me from anyone, including my brother. If Sasuke killed me, the only thing I gained was proving that I indeed cared and secretly loved the male behind me. My spirit fleeing to heaven with the thought of Kabuto was satisfying to me, so I didn't mind one bit.

"K-Katsumi…!" I heard the Yakushi boy gasp for air. "What the… hell are you doing? Get out of the way!"

I shook my head strongly. "If Sasuke wants to finish you off, he has to go through me first!" I declared solidly as I glared darkly at my brother.

Sasuke remained silent as his body pushed forward on the once-intended attack, getting closer and closer as I prepared myself to either feel unimaginable pain or sudden darkness. The look on his face was telling me to get out of the way before it was too late. He knew that he would feel utter regret and guilt if I don't move. But I refused; he deserved to feel guilty, but for hurting something precious, not for my death. Surprisingly, I felt as though because of Kabuto, I would die a happy death and not a miserable one considering how my life played out. He was a game-changer and I couldn't be happier. At my last final moment, a small but passionate smile stretched my lips, signalling my happiness and the excitement to finally have peace in mind as I closed my eyes.

I was ready for the next world.

But nothing happened. Sasuke's Chidori never hit me though I could still hear its obnoxious, loud chirping about an inch away from me. I didn't feel blood pour out of me nor did I feel any pain whatsoever. What happed? It was impossible for my brother to stop his attack because he travelled with intense speed; it would be impossible for him to call it off. So if the raven didn't prevent my death, then who did?

"Must you all make a ruckus in my hideout while I'm experimenting?" A low, amused, familiar voice sighed in fake disappointment. "On top of that, you caused damage to my very lair. I give you too much freedom, I see…"

Merely hearing that voice was enough for me to shot my eyes wide open in surprise when I heard the snake's voice. Instead of feeling disgusted and creeped out, I was relieved. I didn't have to process the fact that it was Orochimaru who stopped Sasuke's jutsu from instantly killing me with his big, disgusted snake jutsu that bounded the male from any further movement. The look on the raven's face showed a bit of the same relief I felt except the discouragement he felt because he was busted by his mentor and that of all people, the Sanin was the one who saved him from feeling guilt and regret. I glanced past my brother to see said Sanin standing not too far behind Sasuke with a rested look on his face; it was unclear what he felt due to his blank-colored face being blank. His arm was lazily stretched out that was current the stem of his white snakes.

If I had to guess, he knew what was really going on and what provoked this result. I wondered where his heart stood in all this… if he had a heart.

"Urgh!" I heard Kabuto yelped in pain as more blood spewed out of his mouth, resulting him to collapse hard on the ground behind me.

Ignoring the men's thoughts in front of me, I spun around quickly and used my strength to position the bloodied Yakushi male to lay on his back as he breathed hardly. I didn't bother examining his injuries and went ahead to use my strongest medical ninjutsu on my patient. I made sure my chakra was focusing solely on the most severe injuries he sustained to better his chances in living. Though I was very focused on Kabuto's wellbeing, I used my multitasking skills to listen to the brief conversation behind me.

"Let me go, Orochimaru…" Sasuke demanded threateningly as he glared over his shoulder at him.

"I'm iffy if I should let you go given the fact you did most of the damage here…" The snake hesitated playfully with his sadistic smile.

"Orochimaru…" The raven hissed demandingly, sharpening his crimson glare.

With a disappointing sigh, Orochimaru eventually granted his wish and dismantled his jutsu that bounded Sasuke.

"I had a feeling that you instigated this fight against Kabuto, knowing how much you despise him." The Sanin commented thoughtfully. "When you figured out that he was in love with your sister, I knew you just had to lay your hands on him…"

Sasuke kept his thoughts to himself as he had a staring contest with the floor while I continued to heal the bookworm.

"I told you to control your behaviour when you're in my lair, didn't I?" The snake gritted displeasingly. "You don't have to befriend Kabuto, but show some respect to your elder, boy. He's my top subordinate and he deserves some manners from brats like you."

"Hmph." It was all my brother had to say to the Sanin, to which said male huffed tiredly.

All feelings aside, Orochimaru made a good point: Sasuke really needed to learn how to respect those who deserved it. The fact that he was an Uchiha gave him a bighead for himself.

"Normally, I would give punishments to those who need discipline…" He then remarked simply. "But because Katsumi is unfortunately stuck in the middle between you and Kabuto, I'll let it slide this time. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be too happy about her 'beloved' big brother getting hurt for being naughty…"

Seeing as though there was no point in listening to the snake and anyone else, Sasuke treaded off down the damaged hallways possibly to his room. At this point, I highly doubted he listened to Orochimaru or even cared that his behaviour was unacceptable; Sasuke does what Sasuke wanted. Doesn't matter; the only thing I cared about was Kabuto's health.

I was focusing repairing his gruesome, deep wounds when I heard footsteps of another heading towards me. I winced when they got louder then suddenly stopped. Whoever this person was—and I had a good idea as in who—they were now standing behind me because their shadow covered me but not completely. This told me that the "stranger" had the decency to give me some personal space. I slowly turned my head only to catch a glimpse of Orochimaru himself looking blankly down at me. Immediately I went to defense mode and swiftly spun around with a kunai in my hand as the other arm was raised along my side, protecting the injured boy behind me.

"Don't be tense, my dear…" He cooed with a smirk. "I have no intention nor interest in playing any tricks right now…"

"How do I know you're not bulls**ting, huh!?" I replied accusingly, glaring hardly at him.

All of a sudden, the snake's smirk disappeared and was replaced with a thin line. I gaped in confusion when the look on his eyes was different from his devious, evil, dark looks he often had.

"We must take Kabuto to a more appropriate setting to tend to his wounds…" He simply suggested and turned his heel, walking off the opposite direction from where Sasuke fled.

Orochimaru easily scooped up Kabuto in his arms and continued walking down the hallway, signalling me to follow him. Without hesitation, I quickly walked to catch up to the Sanin who then stood in front of a wooden door in which I stood there curiously. He briefly glanced at me expectedly, and after mentally calling myself stupid, I opened the door and allowed him to pass. I then carefully closed the door behind me as the snake gently placed his special subordinate on the hospital bed.

"I-I don't get it…" I spoke aloud after a long period of silence.

I was continuing with my healing treatment on Kabuto who now laid there half naked on a comfortable bed, healing every single cut and bruise he sustained until his body was good as new. Meanwhile, Orochimaru was searching for more blood for the blood transfusion for the bookworm since he lost way too much blood and he needed it to literally survive.

"What is it now?" He asked curiously, approaching me with a bag of more blood for the patient.

"Kabuto and I are together secretly from not only Sasuke… but you also." I briefed quickly as I kept my eyes on Kabuto's unconscious face. "Plus, Sasuke attempted to kill your favourite subordinate… yet you don't seem mad at all…"

The snake took a moment to quietly choose the right words in a way that I could understand his viewpoint in everything relating to this topic.

"Your romantic relationship with Kabuto did peek my attention at the very most. Other than that, I didn't really think of it at all…" He responded blankly as he continued to fill the blood supply.

Though physically I looked unfazed by his words, I was both shocked and confused with his response. Kabuto did predicted that the snake wouldn't really take a certain interest on our relationship since it wouldn't really benefit him in any way, which I disagreed because Orochimaru was known to be the type to use people to get what he wanted. The fact that the nerd hypothesis was correct, it showed that he knew more about the Sanin than I originally thought.

But something about the man's response urged me to know one thing.

"How long did you know about us?" I questioned lowly, gritting my teeth in frustration. "Did you know of it this whole time?"

"I had some idea that there was something going on between you two when you guys arrived from your mission. I questioned Kabuto about it and he assured me that nothing of the sort was happening so I took his word for it." He answered willingly as he adjusted the blood supply. "However, I wasn't sure when this all started…"

I remained silent to hear more of Orochimaru's response.

"If I had to guess, I probably found out around the time your relationship first began." He continued nonchalantly as he shrugged his shoulders. "My assumptions were soon solidified when I noticed Kabuto having the strange urge to complete his tasks and missions I give him. Plus, I took into note that he always headed back to his 'bedroom' in a hurry…"

I gritted my teeth, pissed off at four eyes' inability to keep things undercover consistently.

"What are your feelings about us anyway?" I inquired forcefully, narrowing my eyes at him.

Orochimaru eyed at me blankly despite me performing a similar behaviour to my brother's.

"Like I said before, I didn't think that much of it. I did find it amusing when I first found out about it, but I had no interest in using your feelings and/or Kabuto's feelings for my personal gain…" He answered bluntly as he had a look in his eyes that told me he was being truthful. "Why should I? It makes no sense if it doesn't help me reach my goals and you two aren't getting in my way in achieving them, so what's the point?"

"So you don't care that I'm dating your prized sidekick?" I summarized, sounding not really convinced by his words. "Wouldn't that disturb your path to your goals if Kabuto's focus is on me? If that's what you're worried about, I mean…"

Orochimaru shook his head slowly and then he placed a piece of hair around his ear, removing it from his view.

"It hasn't affected Kabuto to the point where he simply wouldn't complete his duties…" He answered. "If anything, you're the motivation that makes him work twice as hard, twice as fast…"

"Really?" I questioned in disbelief, strongly thinking that the snake was just being nice.

Orochimaru nodded. "Apparently he worshipped you as a talented, gifted princess of one of the most prestigious, formidable clans in the Ninja World. It's a possibility that he feels the need to work extra hard to reach to your level of talent and medical skills, so he stays up extra late studying, doing my experiments way ahead of schedule, and creating new antidotes for me just because he wants to prove to you that he's just as good as you are despite coming from nothing…" He clarified thoughtfully as I saw a glimpse of sympathy for said male from deep within.

"How the hell do you know that when you don't give a s**t about him in the first place?" I inquired accusingly, narrowing my onyx eyes at him.

Orochimaru sighed again. "You remind me of your brother: you two seem to believe your assumptions are facts without hearing the truth…" He commented disappointedly.

"Answer my question already!" I ordered coldly, making sure my emotions doesn't affect my focus on my chakra.

"Yes, Kabuto is my subordinate and he is expected to do as I say whenever I please… but that doesn't mean I have no empathy nor sympathy for the boy at all…" He briefly answered, looking down at said male.

I blinked incredulously at him as he continued.

"I figured he already told you how he and I first encountered one another…" He assumed matter-of-factly, to which I responded with a nod. "Though it may not seem like it, I was genuinely concerned for him because he literally had nothing to live for at the time…"

My lips parted at the Sanin's confession; he actually gave a s**t about Kabuto? The f**k!?

"All he ever wanted was to find out who he was… and he needed someone to guide him to his identity." He softly claimed, breaking a few of his walls down in front of me. "I promised him that I would be his father, his brother, his friend… I swore to him that he'll find his identity if he stayed with me as my subordinate…"

"Where do you stand with your promise to him?" I asked curiously.

"I wasn't sure how to find his identity because he never had one to begin with; it was as if he was brought to this world as a nonexistent being… I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting myself into until he was entirely devoted to me… I thought that he saw this as his identity so I thought nothing of it since…" He answered deeply, giving off a soft look from his sharp, golden eyes. "It seems to me he still doesn't know who he is and he's willing to sacrifice anything to find the answer. I wanted to help him but I failed because I was too focused on my experiments and forbidden jutsu to consider Kabuto's feelings…."

'This is surprising, coming from the likes of him…' I thought to myself, looking down on the bed in front of me.

"He loves you…" Orochimaru suddenly spoke aloud, causing me to snap out of my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"For some reason, you mean so much to Kabuto, he literally threw his life on the line to show to Sasuke just how much love he has for you…" He clarified simply then he gazed down at his favourite subordinate. "Your existence is the only thing that makes him truly happy with himself and his life. You might be the reason why he continues so hard to build himself up and become even stronger…"

"Where did you get that logic from?" I questioned suspiciously, weirded out that he knew so much of the male that it made me wonder how much does he know about me.

"Kabuto is unique and different from a lot of people, especially when it comes to his relationships with others. Of course the only real relationships he has is with you and I. He expresses himself in a way where he's the most heartless, egotistical, psychotic human you've ever met to those who meant absolutely nothing to him. There are times where he can be more heartless and evil than myself." The Sanin explained, recalling his experience with the medic-nin. "But to those who are special to him, he immediately becomes the exact opposite: a loyal, selfless, respectful, generous person who will stop at nothing for those he cares about. For as long as I've known him, he's never complained nor hesitated once in doing my bidding while carrying great respect for me."

"So you're basically telling me is that though Kabuto has no identity, he is bipolar with his emotions towards others?" I summarized unsurely, raising my eyebrow.

"Pretty much." Orochimaru nodded dully. "He's the type where you don't know which side of him you'll see like a switch but you don't know if the light will turn on or stay off."

"I'll keep that in mind, I guess…" I shrugged dismissively, calling off my medical ninjutsu and picking up a roll of bandages.

But I could see what the Sanin meant. When I first met the Yakushi male just before the Chunin Exam, the first thing that came up to mind was that he was an arrogant, card-loving, snarky geek who doesn't care about failing in becoming a ninja because academics and intelligence matter the most, not endurance. That Kabuto made me want to punch him in the face because just his demeanor and his cocky face was just too repulsive to me; I just didn't like him at all the moment I saw him. Now… it was as if the guy I met years ago died and was replaced by the present Kabuto. The snake described his soft side accurately. I wouldn't blame my former comrades for not believing me but the fact of the matter was… Kabuto Yakushi had a big heart for his close ones.

"That's another reason why I don't mind your relationship with him…" He remarked lowly, earning my entire attention. "You're the one thing that makes him happy and the one thing left to live for. You're the only thing that makes him feel humane. The last thing I was is to take away his sense of human within himself."

"You have a heart...?" I scoffed sarcastically, grinning to myself.

"People like me aren't as heartless as you think, dear…" He claimed firmly. "We act harshly and perform bad deeds because of how cold-hearted we are. However, our hearts aren't completely frozen nor we are heartless to begin with; we wouldn't be human without the human heart we all carried…"

"But you're taking it too literal, Orochimaru." I interjected in disagreement, to which he silenced himself. "People are called 'heartless' not because they literally don't carry a heart, but because they simply don't think or care for others perception and pain caused by their actions that affected them. They do as they please because they're nothing but selfish, manipulating, devious psychopaths."

Orochimaru lips made a thin line, considering my point of view of this topic.

"Let me put it for you this way…" He offered blankly. "If I really was heartless then I would've simply used you, Sasuke, and even Kabuto for my experiments just because I couldn't care less about you three. I wouldn't have trained Sasuke to become powerful enough to kill Itachi, I would've imprisoned you in a small tiny cell with rounds of experiments on you, and I would've abandoned Kabuto just because I have 'no heart'."

My lips parted a bit when he explained his example. As weird as it sounds, Orochimaru wasn't heartless because in a microscopic way, he was human. He allowed me and Sasuke to roman freely in his lair whenever we wanted and allowed us to make ourselves comfortable as if it were our home. Plus, he does hold Kabuto highly, treated him with decency where he was allowed to have time for himself and he does have some patience for the grey haired male when things were taking a while to complete. Overall, he made a point: a person who was considered 'cold-hearted' doesn't mean they had no human feelings, they were just immune to them by their behalf. People chose how to feel and how to act simply because they wanted to, not because they were immune to emotions, whether they were good or bad. Orochimaru was a good example of this: he was one of the most wanted rogue ninja in the bingo books in every nation however he acted humble towards Sasuke, Kabuto and I in his own habitat, allowing us to make ourselves at home despite the crime he committed. He was cold-hearted, no doubt, but he wasn't completely heartless. He was able to decide to either act cruel or considerate and it all depends on if he chose to be 'cold-hearted' or not.

"I gotta hand it to you, Orochimaru…" I smirked to myself. "Conversing with you like this… it makes me think twice of you…"

Orochimaru returned my smirk with his own. After a moment later of bandaging up Kabuto, the snake respectfully took his leave until he halted his footsteps. I cocked an eyebrow curiously as I watched him rummaging in his pouch, searching for something.

"I almost forgot…" He commented amusingly, pulling out a medium-sized jar then he held it out to me.

"What is it?" I asked in confusion, taking the jar off of his hands.

"Chakra pills. I recently got them done…" He answered proudly. "When consumed, it increases the amount of chakra up to about eighty-five to ninety percent."

My lips parted in awe as I scanned all angles of the pills inside the glass container.

"And you're giving me this batch because…?" I paused, waiting for him to complete my sentence.

"Think of it as a gift." He simply hinted with a smile, earning a surprised look on my face. "If I remembered correctly, your birthday was yesterday but you were out with Kabuto so I wasn't able to grant you a happy birthday. I figured this is a suitable enough gift for someone like you…"

I was very mute after hearing his explanation. I was in disbelief that someone like Orochimaru could act in a way that was… normal as in kind. There were times where he would give credit where credit was due, but he never gave anyone a gift let alone a birthday gift.

"Now that everything is done here, I should be getting back to work now…" He sighed in accomplishment. "Meanwhile, you should be heading out for your mission, Katsumi. I expect you to be back later today…"

"Uh, yeah sure…" I nodded blankly, dismissing what he said since my mind was still wrapping around the fact that the snake gave me a decent present.

Orochimaru was near the doorway of the room when I broke my train of thought to say one last thing before he left.

"Thank you, Orochimaru…" I concluded gratefully, topping it off with a small smile.

Orochimaru gave me his signature smirk, appreciating that I was grateful for his rare kindness. However he said nothing and with that, he exited the room leaving me alone with my thoughts. I sighed in relief, wondering how in the hell I got through what had happened before we entered this room. If it weren't for Orochimaru, either Kabuto or I would've been killed by Sasuke. Apparently, the snake did carry a bit of sanity within him—he just chose when he felt he should show it. I was probably the first person to see this side of him, and after experiencing his nice side, I had gained a bit of new respect for him. Never judge a book by its cover, huh? I should keep that in mind just in case I decided to hate another person for the bad deeds they had done.

What I had also learned from the Sanin was that he genuinely cared for Kabuto. He secretly did wanted to help him find himself and find his purpose in life. The grey haired male gave off the feeling that he enjoyed being a subordinate for someone else was who he was meant to be and Orochimaru thought that made him happy so he thought nothing of it. He gave orders and tasks for the bookworm to do because he thought that was what made him happy, but instead it was something meant to keep him busy. Because of this, he felt as though he failed Kabuto. But now that he had me, the snake strongly believed that I was his only happiness and for the boy's sake, he gave me his blessing to take care and love Kabuto.

I turned my attention over to the male who still laid on the bed unconscious with bandages covering most of his torso. I slid over towards him and gently placed a hand on his warm cheek as I carefully placed the jar of pills inside my weapon pouch. I gazed down at the peaceful sleeping boy with a small smile on my face.

"I'm sorry for putting you through that, Kabuto…" I breathed apologetically, light caressing his cheek. "I know how much you want to prove yourself to Sasuke for me, but I feel that if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have end up like this."

"You've proven yourself more than should, Kabuto. But I've done nothing to do the same…" I continued disappointedly. "That will change. It's my turn to prove my faithfulness to you."

With that, I placed a kiss on his forehead and quietly fleeing the room. I shut the door behind me and escaped to my bedroom to get ready for my mission. Once I came back, the first thing I swore myself to do was to express myself more to the man who went far and beyond for me.

Finally done the chapter. Next chapter it's gonna be good because she'll be crashing with a few people. Let's see if you guys can guess.