Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Bonding ❯ Why Do You Smile? ( Chapter 2 )

He was not blind.

 

He saw every glance. He noted every word that was uttered a little closer to the ear than was necessary. He wondered at every slip that brushed a hand down further than normal, and every finger that lingered just a moment too long. His eyes narrowed at every shudder caused by a stray breath caressing an unwilling neck.

 

Sasuke was not blind. And frankly, Kabuto puzzled him.

 

How could he smile?

 

The dark-haired boy leaned against the drab, cold walls of the Otogakure medical center. His arms were folded and his eyes closed to slits: a perfect depiction of utter boredom. In actuality, nothing in the room escaped his notice. One couple in particular, had his rapt attention.

 

Kabuto pointed something out and Orochimaru leaned forward to inspect it himself. One thin, bony hand slid up to rest on the boy's shoulder, and an angular chest pressed against his back. The snake master seemed pleased with whatever it was he was looking at. He chuckled, a dark, frightening sound that echoed through the room. Medics silenced their hushed conversations until they were absolutely sure there was no danger. Kabuto alone appeared to remain calm. No one noticed the muscle that tightened in his neck. He smiled up at Orochimaru.

 

And only Sasuke saw the smile was fake.

 

“Bored Sasuke?” Sasuke did not allow himself to jump in surprise, even though he hadn't noticed Orochimaru's approach. He grunted non-commitedly. The man smirked. “You won't be bored for long. Kabuto if anything changes—”

 

“You'll be the first to know sir.” Sasuke turned to follow his sensei out. “Oh, and Sasuke, try not to me too careless in training. I don't have time to piece you back together today.”

 

“...hn.” His lone was light and joking, but Sasuke knew him well enough. The glint in his eye said he was completely serious. Damn. Orochimaru was in one of those moods ...this was going to hurt.

 

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He coughed and the salty taste of blood filled his mouth. The practical thing to do would be to go to the medical center. His arm hung limp at his side; his fingers had long since faded from searing pain to cold numbness. Something was broken, there was no doubt about that. Probably several somethings actually. Plus he wasn't sure what was wrong with him internally, but he knew that it was not good. Yet, as soon as he considered going to the medical center he decided against it. Last time he went in like this and actually dared to bleed on the just-cleaned floor, Kabuto had chucked a scalpel at his head. Then he had to sit through a half-hour lecture on hygiene (again). He had no idea how Kabuto expected him to be pristine after training all day. Right about now Sasuke was not in the mood to endure the medic's annoying chittering. So to keep the peace, he took a shower.

 

Being attacked with a scalpel was starting to look pretty good.

 

A spray of lukewarm water hit the back of his neck and Sasuke swore and jerked away. He reached his good arm up and gingerly prodded the inflamed skin. Stabbing pain shot from the wound directly up to the base of his skull. He hissed through clenched teeth and stood trembling, waiting for the pain to dissipate.

 

*flashback*

 

There was a soft crunch of dirt beneath shoes and Sasuke rolled over, hoping his sensei would get the hint and go away. Inevitably the snake sannin would strike up a conversation and Sasuke did not want to waste his few minutes of rest on talk. Kami-sama, what he wouldn't give for the silent 'fight 'til you drop' days!

 

Orochimaru settled down next to the boy. The seconds ticked away and silence between them stretched for what seemed like eternity. A rare wind ruffled their clothes, and still the sannin said nothing.

 

Sasuke opened his mouth, but immediately the words died in his throat. Long, icy-cold fingers brushed against the back of his neck and circled around. For a heartbeat Sasuke sat frozen. How the hell did Kabuto put up with this? And what's more, pretend to like it? Finally his body caught up with his mind and he jerked away. A thin trickle of blood curled down from where Orochimaru's nails raked across his skin. It had probably been accidental, but with Orochimaru it was hard to tell. Furiously Sasuke glared at him.

 

“Tell me Sasuke, what do you see when you look at him?”

 

Rage momentarily forgotten, Sasuke looked puzzled. “What?”

 

“Kabuto.” He hissed. “When you look at him, I want to know what you see.” Idly his fingers traced the edge of a shuriken. “I saw you watching him earlier. Let's just say I'm curious. What do you see?”

 

“ I wasn't watching him.”

 

“So, you were watching me then?” He chuckled darkly. “Don't try to fool me boy. Men have died for less than that.”

 

Again the silence stretched. Finally, “A question.”

 

“ Is that all?”

 

“Yes.” Orochimaru seemed unsatisfied. His empty eyes regarded the boy thoughtfully, as if suspecting him of hiding something.

 

“Just what question would that be?”

 

“You said you'd show me a new jutsu today.”

 

“It's that important that you would sacrifice your precious rest time so you don't have to answer?” Sasuke defiantly pushed himself to his feet, aware that every moment was being scrutinized. Orochimaru did the same. “Suit yourself, but you may very well regret it.”

 

*end flashback*

 

Regret? This was way past regret.

 

It was slow, painstaking work to wash the blood and grime off. After several failed attempts with a washrag he gave up and just let water run over him until he deemed himself clean enough.

 

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The medical center was much brighter than the hallway leading to it: another one of Kabuto's quirks. Most people didn't give it any thought. After all, it was a medical center and they would prefer if their doctors could at least see what they were doing. But Kabuto had one day confessed to Sasuke: there was another reason he kept it so bright. When someone is coming in from the hall there's a split second where the sudden change of light blinds him. That second was just enough time to kill the person should he turn out to be a threat.

 

These days that second of blindness made Sasuke more than slightly uneasy.

 

“Can I help you?” He ignored the cheerful chirp and surveyed the room. The silver-haired medic was not in sight. “Uchiha-san?”

 

“Where's Kabuto?” It sounded more like a demand than a question.

 

The young man managed to hold his smile in place, a commendable feat given the unfriendly mood the Sharingan user was apparently in. “He's preparing for his mission. I'm Hideki, second in command here so if you need medical attention I'd be glad to—”

 

“No.” Sasuke turned to leave.

 

Hideki glanced meaningfully as Sasuke's arm. “Are you sure Uchiha-san?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Um…” Sasuke turned and gave him a chilling look, comparable to even Orochimaru's. The brown-haired assistant nervously adjusted his glasses. “Should I tell Kabuto-san you stopped by to see him?” He seemed to whither under the boy's glare. “I'm guessing that's a 'no'.”

 

Sasuke stormed out. Che…pathetic. Kabuto would never cringe like some weakling…

 

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I'm going to kill them. I don't care who it is. If it's the time of morning I think it is, then the bastard outside my door is going to die slowly in incredible pain.

 

Sasuke pushed himself up with a stifled groan and flung open the door. There was a beat of silence and then:

 

“You look horrible.”

 

He snarled. “Are you that desperate for me to use you as target practice? Or are you actually here for a reason?”

 

“I heard you came down to torment my assistant today. I suppose you find it fun.” Sasuke slammed his door shut, half-hoping that it would hit the medic. He stormed back over to his bed but didn't reach it before he head his door being unlocked. “Don't worry, I have my own key.”

 

Kabuto shut and locked the door behind him. “I just got back. Went to make sure my clinic was still in one piece and I hear that you came down there with your arm sliced to ribbons and walked out before anyone could heal you.” He plunked his box down on the bed and started pulling supplies out of it. “You should have just let Hideki take a look at it. Give me your arm.” Sasuke reached out his hand. “Ha, very funny. The injured arm please.” Kabuto poked and prodded and clucked disapprovingly for no other reason than to aggravate the younger boy. “You fixed it yourself…again…better this time, but still a poor job. My newest trainee could have done better. Hold still…”

 

Sasuke closed his eyes and a sudden intake of breath was the only outward sign of pain. He heard the sickening snap of bone as Kabuto deftly broke his arm and then re-set it. “How many times to I have to tell you to let a medic fix you? I hope it hurts like hell. Maybe next time you'll listen.” The medic pumped chakra to his hands and passed the blue glow up Sasuke's arm. Quickly he swept down the boy's chest, healing the larger of injuries and removing the (shoddily placed) bandages.

 

Sasuke waited until the older boy's fingers left his skin before he reopened his eyes. “Are you finished?”

 

“Patching you up? Yes. The lecture, not even close.”

 

“Then wake me up when you're done.” Sasuke plopped down on the bed and rolled over to face the wall.

 

“You're just a bunch of laughs today, you ungrateful brat.” Kabuto stared at him for a few moments and sighed. “If you keep this up you're gonna get yourself killed pretty quickly. It's not that hard. You were even down there today. Why didn't you let Hideki heal you?”

 

“I don't trust him.”

 

“You don't trust anybody. Give me a better reason.”

 

“He's annoying.”

 

“You say I'm annoying too, but you let me heal you.” Kabuto took a tongue-depressant from the medical kit and started flipping it idly. Sasuke had noticed this about him: he never seemed able to have his hands still for very long. They always had to be doing something. He watched the medic for a while before he finally replied.

 

“He's not you.”

 

There was another thing Sasuke had noticed. He always seemed to know exactly what to say to make those nimble fingers pause. The little piece of wood froze mid-twirl.

 

Kabuto was momentarily speechless. Soon the breathless moment passed, and his hands resumed their flicking. “And they say I'm spoiled.” He managed to force out a chuckle. “Alright then Sasuke-kun. If you promise to come to me whenever you're injured, I will treat you personally. Fair enough?”

 

Sasuke snorted, and Kabuto rightly took it to be as close to an agreement as he was going to get. Neither one said it but they both knew Sasuke would not go down to the clinic, but would wait until night and go straight to the medic's room. Both seemed to feel their silent agreement was best left that way.

 

A skilled eye caught a glimpse of a familiar purple as Sasuke stretched. “What the…” Kabuto yanked his collar back. The swelling on his neck had gone down a lot but the skin was still tender. The medic knew that mark. He had treated too many of Orochimaru's sluts to not recognize it.

 

“I took the poison out already. It's fine.”

 

“Sasuke.” Kabuto's voice shook with barely suppressed rage and, in surprise, Sasuke's head snapped around to face him. “Sasuke. Did Orochimaru touch you?”

 

“...what?”

 

“Did…” he repeated slowly, emphasizing each word, “Orochimaru touch you?” He took a deep breath and seemed only to get angrier.

 

“Why would you care? He touches you all the time.”

 

Sasuke's hissed in surprise as the medic lunged at him and hauled him up by the front of his shirt. `Damn he's fast!' Kabuto shoved him up against the wall. “TELL ME!” Only once before, during the chuunin exams, had Sasuke ever seen Kabuto's eyes so filled with reddened fury.

 

“What would you do about it Kabuto?” He asked calmly. “Kill Orochimaru?”

 

The red dwindled until it was gone. Slowly Kabuto's fingers loosened and allowed the other boy to slip to the floor. “You're right.” The medic avoided his eyes, Sasuke noticed. He absently rubbed his neck. “Of course, you're right. I don't know what got into me. My apologies.” He turned and quickly strode to the door.

 

“Why?” Kabuto's hand hesitated on the doorknob. “Why do you smile? If it bothers you so much you should do something about it. But you just sit there and take it.”

 

The medic slowly crossed the room and sat on the bed next to the younger boy. “You said it yourself. What can I do?” He clenched his fists in his lap. “I always hated it but I could manage. After a while I stopped getting angry because it doesn't help. But I still resent it. And now you…” Kabuto's voice trailed off. He reached over to Sasuke, noting the flinch when he touched the Sharingan-user's neck. His fingers glowed a pale blue as he directed chakra into the wound. “I will never do anything to betray Orochimaru-sama, we both know that,” he said quietly. “I smile because I understand that he trusts me. But sometimes I wish…” He pulled his hand away and the coolness faded. The pain was gone and the scratch was as if it had never been there. “…forget it.”

 

Sasuke reached an experimental hand up to his neck, silently wondering at the medic. He was much more than he appeared. He didn't thank the medic, but they both knew he meant it… sort of.

 

“Alright then,” Kabuto flashed his trademark infuriating grin. “Try to get some sleep. You need to be up in about three hours.”

 

“Watch your back medic.”

 

“Oh, and Sasuke. I still want to know if anything happens. I guess for some reason or other, I care. In a freakish sort of way.”

 

“Pervert.”

 

“You know exactly what I mean.”

 

“I still think you're a pervert.”

 

“Back to that again brat?” Kabuto smirked at the half-hearted grunt.

 

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“WHAT?”

 

Orochimaru folded his arms and looked determinedly bored. “I said do it again. You want to be stronger don't you? That was pathetically average. Do it again.”

 

Sasuke bit back a snarl and fell into formation, gripping the sword tightly. Rapidly he formed the seals and rushed at the target, bringing the sword down at the last moment. Blinding electricity surged from the blade. The target, the wall behind it and a good chunk of the floor exploded, sending a rain of splinters and dust across the room.

 

The snake sannin sighed and absently rubbed o the side of his head. “This is why we don't usually train indoors.” Exhausted from overexertion, Sasuke sank to the floor. His sensei paced over. “I keep telling you: focus on accuracy, not force. You'll completely wear yourself out in battle if you keep this up.” He heaved another sigh. “Why do you think I made you practice that for the past sixteen hours?”

 

His shadow loomed almost threateningly over the boy. “To show that brute strength alone won't win battles. And to build up my endurance.”

 

“So it's not a matter of you not listening. Get up and do it again.”

 

Sasuke tried shoving himself up. It was easier to ignore the fatigue while he was training; he simply had to force his body to keep moving. But now that he had stopped and sat for a moment, his muscles didn't want to comply with any effort to make them work. His hand slipped but he was able to catch himself before he fell backwards.

 

“Sasuke,” Orochimaru hissed. The boy looked up in time to see a single finger jab him in the forehead, sending him crashing. “I suppose that's your limit then. Tomorrow we'll go longer but,” he knelt beside him, “we may have to find some other way to build up your stamina.”

 

The young Uchiha stiffened and tried to put some distance between them, but Orochimaru's crushing grip on his shoulder wouldn't let him. He glared. “Let me go.”

 

“It was your eyes I first noticed. The fire, the anger; you have lovely eyes Sasuke-koi.” He moved so both knees were planted on either side of the boy. Orochimaru only smirked as Sasuke activated his Sharingan. They both knew the boy was no match for the great snake master. He was going to try anyway. Orochimaru's hold tightened, pinning him to the ground. His free hand brushed across the boy's chest. “Next I noticed your body. You were so strong yet your body remained almost delicate…” Sasuke tensed himself for attack, knowing he was playing right into Orochimaru's hand. He braced one foot against the ground.

 

“SASUKE UCHIHA! When I get my hands you I'm going to slaughter you!” Sasuke and Orochimaru were both startled by the sudden yell. The door to the training room burst open and an enraged Kabuto stormed in, waving around a malicious-looking needle. He caught sight of Orochimaru and skid to a stop. “Orochimaru-sama! My apologies. I was not aware… I'm sorry for interrupting.” He shot a glare at Sasuke. “I'm going to be keeping a watch on your room Sasuke,” he hissed. “And on every hallway. There's nowhere to run.” He started to back out of the room. Orochimaru looked a bit surprised at the murderous look on the medic's face.

 

“What's this about Kabuto?”

 

“Sir this,” he pointed at Sasuke, “boy brought back that strain of flu from a neighboring village he visited. Now he's bound and determined to spread the virus and infect everybody on this base! He break bones every single day and still he uses all manner of genjutsu just to avoid a tiny injection!” He whirled on Sasuke. “I am going to use the biggest needle I can find and jab it all the way in until it touches bone, and then I'm going to twist it for good measure. You've probably passed it on to Orochimaru-sama! Oh, incidentally sir, you should probably be vaccinated too.”

 

Orochimaru did not look quite pleased with the thought of an injection either.

 

“So when you're finished training I'll need to quarantine Sasuke for about 12 hours and vaccinate anyone he's been in contact with for an extended period of time.”

 

Without actually meaning to, Sasuke coughed. He shifted uncomfortably with both pairs of eyes on him.

 

“Sasuke, stop tormenting Kabuto. Go get your shot. And don't infect anyone else.”

 

Kabuto bowed and yanked the boy to his feet. “Thank you sir!” He literally dragged him out of the training area. Out in the hall Sasuke pulled away.

 

“Kabuto, what—”

 

“Wait.” They walked in silence until they got to his door. “Well Sasuke-kun,” he said and grinned, “you've got the rest of the day to yourself. You probably shouldn't leave your room. I'll bring your food later.”

 

“But why?”

 

Kabuto smiled and walked away. “Just because I smile and bear it, doesn't mean you should have to.”

 

Sasuke watched until he turned a corner and was out of sight. He wasn't lying when he told Orochimaru that he saw a Kabuto as a question. He wasn't sure anyone would ever have the answer.