Another Nine-Tails?!

Sound 4

(This takes place about 3 weeks later. Also, Kabuto is wearing the same outfit as the cover image for the chapter)

"Ow..." Akiko curled into herself as pain washed over her. Her hair was down from its usual ponytail which allowed it to cover most of her back.

"Oh good. You're awake. I was beginning to worry." She looked past her bangs, seeing Kabuto walk to her with something in his hand. "This is to help with the pain."

She grabbed whatever he offered while he helped her to sit up. Sniffing the cup, she drank whatever was in it. "Ew."

The boy took the cup, placing it on his bedside table. "Medicine doesn't have to taste good to be effective."

"I got that." She stuck her tongue out, attempting to get rid of the taste.

"What do you remember?"

"Orochimaru wanted to see me, and he wanted to talk to Karma."

"Karma?"

"Hmm? Oh. My beast. It's her name."

"What else do you remember?"

"He told me to rest, and then I saw black."

"You've been asleep for about 3 weeks."

"3 weeks?" She rubbed her forehead. "Jeez. Where is he now?"

"He's working."

"On what?"

"A mission you shouldn't worry about right now. What you should worry about is meeting some of his other followers."

"Why? Who are they?"

"Guards to our master."

"He's your master, not mine."

"Unfortunately, you're wrong. You belong to him now."

"No. No, I don't." She shook her head slowly. "I-I don't..." tears welled up in her eyes. Kabuto suddenly wrapped his arms around the girl, pulling her close to him. The urge to comfort her overtook any thought he had. Which left him confused. For once, he wasn't in control of the situation and he had no idea what to do next. The girl froze, letting her tears fall.

The pair was quiet for a little bit before Akiko pulled away, looking up at the older boy. Tear trails stained her cheeks as she smiled slightly up at him. "Feeling better?"

She looked away, scooting back a little bit. "I- don't know. But thank you." He nodded, offering her his own smile. Kabuto stood up, holding a hand out to her.

"We have places to be, Akiko."

"Yeah, I know." She grabbed his hand. "So, who are the Sound 4? You mentioned they were guards to Orochimaru."

"For starters, the leader, I guess you could call him that, is Sakon. He's hot-headed, but he listens to his older brother."

"What's his brother's name?"

"Ukon. They're twins who share a body."

"Like, a different personality?"

"No. Two separate boy's, but they share a body. It's their Kekkei Genkai. Next would be Kidomaru. He had two extra sets of arms." He paused, letting the information set in her head.

"He what?" She looked up at him, blinking a few times.

"You heard me. He uses his chakra to create threats that are as strong as steel. And he can summon spiders, ranging from small to massive. The last boy in the group is named Jirobo. Because of your large amount of chakra, I would be careful around him. He eats chakra. The only female in the group is Tayuya. She's arrogant and she likes to bad mouth people."

-:-

The pair stopped in front of a gray door, yelling coming from inside. "Wonderful. Tayuya's mad." Sarcasm leaked from his words, a sigh following them. "Come on." He opened the door, introducing Akiko to hell. Jirobo and Kidomaru stood next to each other, away from their fuming teammates.

"I don't care what he told you! Stay the hell out of my shit!! You got it?!" The red-haired girl shouted at the boy across from her, the front of his shirt balled up in her hand.

"Stop it! Right now!!" Kabuto's shout echoed around the room, startling the fighting pair. They had never heard him yell, not even raise his voice. He was always so confident and cocky. "You four are a team, so act like it. Do you understand?" Tayuya glared at him, but Sakon ignored him as his eyes landed on Akiko.

"Who's she? Lord Orochimaru's new plaything?" He walked to her, trying to figure her out with a tilt of his head.

She growled at him, glaring slightly. "I'm not a plaything to anyone."

"This is Akiko, Sakon. She's one of our master's favorites, so show her respect. None of you are allowed to harm her." The boy glared at Kabuto for a moment before moving behind the girl.

"We're Lord Orochimaru's favorites too. We have a Curse Mark, after all. So, shouldn't we all become friends?"

"Friends!?" Tayuya chuckled, the thought alone of him having friends amusing her. "Since when do you have friends?!"

"Shut up!" He threw an arm around Akiko's shoulders, keeping her close. She looked at Kabuto for help. He gestured for her to stay calm and she nodded. "At least I'm not a bitch." He slowly looked at the older boy, a thought growing in his mind. "Hey, has she let you kiss her yet?"

"What!?" The girl shrieked, looking at Sakon. He repeated his question, staring the young medic dead in his eyes.

"That's her question to answer, not mine." The onyx-eyed boy fought to keep his expression neutral, even as his heart tried to leap out of his chest to strangle the younger boy. Both males looked at Akiko, waiting for her response.

The girl looked down, her cheeks tinted pink with embarrassment. "No. I've never kissed anyone." Her voice was a mumble. Kidomaru chuckled, feeling kinda bad for her.

"Ever?"

"No."

Sakon suddenly grinned, looking at Kabuto. "I bet she'll let me kiss her before you."

"That's enough. Let go of her, Sakon."

"Hm, no." He shook her slightly. "I like her. She's fun."

"Let her go." His head snapped to the side, along with everyone else in the room. Orochimaru hid in the shadows, his gold eyes glowing dangerously.

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru." He looked at the ground, letting the red-haired girl go. He didn't want to get on his master's bad side.

Akiko nodded her head at the man, silently thanking him. He returned the gesture. "Kabuto, my dear Akiko, I need to speak with you both." He turned and exited the room. The duo shared a look before following after him.

Kabuto stopped just before he left the room, turning to the Sound 4. "No fighting. Do you understand?" All four nodded without a word or back talking him, knowing Orochimaru might still be within earshot.