G. I. Joe 1. Chapter 1

Summary: Storm Shadow sneaks into G.I. joe HQ in search for Snake Eyes

Pairing: Storm ShadowxSnake Eyes

* * *

The G.I. joe premises lay covered in darkness, requiring more security than on daytime, but that didnt stop certain uninvited guests from sneaking around the most heavily guarded buildings. Having located a trapdoor on the roof of what seemed to be the main building, a mysterious whiteclad man opened it carefully and dropped down inside, landing smoothly on the hard floor. He pressed himself up against the wall behind, letting his eyes travel up and down the corridor in search for any lifesigns of some sort, but found none. Could this be the wrong building? The thought had crossed his mind earlier, but he pushed it away and sneaked down the dark hallway, hoping to find a clue to where the person he was looking for could be located at. A couple of security guards appeared behind the corner, blocking his way. Not that it was a problem for a skilled ninja, but the man still proceeded with care, not wanting to arouse any suspicion. He watched the two men shortly, and then jumped, using the ceiling to get past the guards.

In a big room, serving as some kind of livingroom hall for the men who were occupying the building, there was still some lights on. Storm Shadow peeked inside, hidden in the darkness of the corridor. Four joes were seated around one of the tables, happily discussing something that he couldnt overhear. Playing- cards lay scattered all over the place and an empty beercan was rolling around on the floor. The ninja observed the scene in front of him one more second, before deciding to keep going, heading deeper into the building.

---------

In one of the many private rooms that belonged to the G.I. joe soldiers, Snake Eyes was sleeping peacefully in his bed. He was sharing a room with Beach Head- one of the rangers of the team, but that didnt stop Storm Shadow from breaking into the room. Escape routes were part of the roof on each and every room in the building, as a safety measure if an emergency would occur and the doors would happen to be jammed.

Landing quietly on the soft surface of Snake Eyes' bed, without touching him or waking him up, Storm Shadow gazed at the door for a number of seconds, listening for movement on the other side of the door. Deciding that no one seemed to be around, he turned his head, throwing a glance at the appearently sleeping ranger in the opposite bed, before turning back to look at Snake Eyes. Careful not to disturb the other ninja's sleep, he leaned forward, towering over him, studying him curiously. The blackclad ninja had not changed from his outfit before going to bed. 'Must've been too tired to change his clothes' the white ninja thought to himself. What surprised and fascinated him though was the fact that the visor had been removed. The skin around the eyes wasnt damaged alot. A few scars here and there, and the eyes seemed fine too. It had been so long since he'd seen his friend without that mask.... A sudden movement underneath caused him to stiffen momentarily, and he watched as Snake Eyes shifted in his sleep, letting out a heavy breath before going back to being completely still. Storm Shadow released a breath he hadnt realize he'd been holding and relaxed again. 'Snake Eyes truly is beautiful', he thought, which reminded him of why he was there in the first place.

Very carefully, he reached out, gently cupping the other ninja's cheek in his right hand, stroking at the soft fabric with his thumb. Snake Eyes' facial expression changed slightly at this and he opened his eyes slowly, before widening them in surprise and shock. He made an attempt at hitting the man before him, but the attack was blocked quickly and the intruder held him down calmly. The black ninja swallowed, readying himself for another try at getting rid of the man in his bed when his eyes suddenly became accustomed to the darkness and he realized that it was:

"Storm Shadow", came a dark voice from the other side of the room. "Cobra's pet ninja, is it?" both ninjas turned their heads at this. Beach Head was getting out of his bed, aiming his gun at Storm Shadow, but the ninja didnt seem to care.

"I do not work for Cobra", was his simple reply. The ranger approached them slowly.

"Oh no?" Snake Eyes pushed himself up into a sitting position and gesticulated for Beach Head to back down. The said man stopped, lowering his gun, looking slightly confused. He didnt trust someone who'd been working for Cobra, whether they were still doing it or not, but he did trust his friend, trusting that he knew what he was doing. The white ninja glared at the man before turning back to Snake.

"Snake Eyes....", Storm Shadow locked eyes with the ninja under him. "I came here to......it's been so long.....", the room fell silent and the blackclad ninja blinked tiredly, nodding hesitatingly. What the white ninja said next surprised him.

"Come with me..." Snake Eyes stared at him, surprised, and then let his eyes travel to where Beach Head was still standing. He then turned back to Storm Shadow, giving him an apologizing, sad look. The whiteclad ninja immediatly understood and pulled back a little, tearing his eyes away from the other man. Without a word, Storm Shadow removed himself from the bed, giving Snake Eyes a disappointed but undertanding look, before disappearing up through the escape route in the ceiling. The two remaining men hardly had the time to exchange glances, before the white ninja came back down again, closing the door to the roof.

"Too many guards...", he sneaked over to the door instead and unlocked it quietly, peeking out into the dark corridor outside. There wouldnt be a problem for him to get out of the building this way, it was just extremely annoying that he couldnt go back the way he came. Light tapping footsteps made him turn around halfway down the corridor, to discover that Snake Eyes was following him.

"I thought you wouldnt come..", Snake Eyes shoke his head, still determinded to stay at the HQ. He walked passed Storm Shadow and down to the corner of the hallway, checking so that no one was nearby, before waving at his friend to come over. The white ninja sighed and allowed himself to be guided through the premises, which Snake Eyes knew like the back of his hand anyway. They continued down several corridors and rooms and when Storm Shadow began to wonder if they'd reach some kind of exit anytime soon, an alarm set off suddenly, making both ninjas freeze in their spots. Light spread out all around them as all the lamps were activated, probably automatically to make it harder for any possible burglars to escape the facilities. Snake Eyes and Storm shadow locked eyes for a second, both wondering who set off the alarm, cause they sure as hell didnt. However, they didnt have the time to ponder further on the matter, but rushed down the hallway, trying to find some kind of escape route for Storm Shadow.

Moments later, when they neared the 'livingroom' area, they met Scarlett and Flint. All four of them stopped dead in their tracks, just in time for Beach Head to catch up with the ninjas.

"Snake Eyes..?" Scarlett panted and both her and Flint fixed their suspiscious eyes on Storm Shadow. The blackclad ninja gesticulated that there was no time to explain. Soon, Hawk, Duke, Stalker, and some other joes joined them, all of them hesitating about aiming their guns at the ex-Cobra soldier, since Snake Eyes was standing in their way, and clearly protecting the other ninja.

"What is going on here?" Hawk wanted to know, comming to stand between Flint and Scarlett, with a sharp eye watching Storm Shadow. "Did he set off the alarm?" this question seemed directed mostly to Snake Eyes, but before the ninja had the chance to shake his head, Storm Shadow opened his mouth.

"I did not set it off", he growled and some of the joes raised their weapons, pointing them at him.

"Well..someone obviously did", Hawk narrowed his eyes, not really trusting the man. "What are you doing here?" he added, sounding slightly more angry than before.

"I simply came to visit my friend....", the ninja replied calmly, letting his eyes travel sideways to where Snake Eyes was standing.

"Friend, huh?" Hawk said and Snake Eyes narrowed his eyes behind the visor, not liking the tone that his boss used when he said this. A sudden beeping sound broke the silence and Hawk fiddled with something on his wrist. A clattering- sounding voice came through to them.

"_General Hawk. We've got something down here...", _panting followed before the young man continued to talk. _"We're currently chasing down a Cobra spy. I repeat- We've found a Cobra spy!" _

"I'm on my way", the general replied and looked up, his eyes focusing on Storm Shadow. "Flint, Road Block, Beach Head, Scarlett, you come with me. And you-" he nodded at Snake Eyes and the few soldiers left. "Watch that Cobra ninja", and with this, they took off down the corridor.

"I do not work for Cobra", Storm Shadow insisted, sounding very annoyed. Snake Eyes turned his head and looked at his friend. Their eyes met for a short moment before the white ninja turned to the other joes, watching them carefully. They were armed to the teeth and their big, heavy guns were all pointing at his head. In the blink of an eye, Storm Shadow had three of the men down on the floor, knocked out cold and then rushed back down the corridor they came from. Snake Eyes did nothing to help the remaining joes to chase him down. He just couldnt.

"Snake Eyes!" he took a step forward as Storm Shadow called his name. "If you change your mind, you know where you can find me!" the blackclad ninja hesitated and took another step, before stopping.

---------

_~Next morning~_

"I understand that you have some sort of friendly connection to this man, Snake Eyes, but we cant have Cobras running around our facilities." Hawk walked back and forth in front of his desk, and the ninja watched him from where he was standing, straight, with his arms behind his back. Snake Eyes gesticulated something and Hawk stopped, watched and then snorted.

"It doesnt matter if he doesnt work for Cobra anymore. He still was.." he stopped again and leaned against the wooden desk behind him. "We cant trust him. He may have been here to see you, but there were also Cobra spies here. Strange coincidence..dont you think?" he gave the ninja a meaning look and Snake Eyes bowed his head.

"Anyway", Hawk started again when he didnt get any respons. "The thing is...we dont want any contact with the enemy in this way. They might be luring us into some sort of trap." Snake Eyes watched him intensivly, not showing any emotions of some sort. "That's why I want you to cut your connection to Storm Shadow." The ninja stiffened and stared at his commander, shocked by the words he had spoken. Hawk noticed the sudden change in Snake Eyes position and sighed. "Is that clear?" he asked with a serious voice, looking deep into his eyes. The ninja bowed his head and then looked up again with a nod. Silence occurred.

"Good...you may leave." Snake Eyes nodded and turned on his heels, leaving the room quickly. He then hurried down the hallway, heading for his room. Lots of thoughts were running through his mind and he struggled to sort them out. He felt a sting in his heart as he rounded the corner, something he didnt think he'd feel when he was given the order, but realization slowly sneaked its way into head. He would never see Storm Shadow again. He brought his hand up, clutching at the fabric covering his chest. It hurt him...for some reason, it hurt him so much. When he'd met Storm Shadow last night, it had been a friendly visit and Snake Eyes had realized how much he'd missed his him. When he reached the room he shared with Beach Head, he entered and made sure that the door was properly closed before sitting down on his bed, letting out a sigh.

"_If you change your mind, you know where you can find me" _those words were still echoing in his head. He was pretty sure that he knew where Storm Shadow had his hideout but pushed the thought away. He couldnt go there. He just couldnt. It would mean that he'd go against Hawk's orders...Lying down, he pulled the covers over his head and tried to ignore the world around him for a while.

---------

In an abandoned construction site building, a small sliver of light could be seen under a staircase. A small bonfire lightened up the small room. Two suspended katanas glimmered in the light of the flames and lots of stuff lay scattered over the floor, but in a controlled, tidy kind of way, as well as a mattress. A small, red lantern was also resting on top of a big wooden box in the corner. Light footsteps approached the abandoned room and in came Storm Shadow, holding a porcelain bowl in his arms. He put it down on the floor, close to the fire, before seating himself on the mattress, staring into the flames tiredly. His thoughts wandered off to Snake Eyes. Wondering where he was now, what he was doing...wondering if he was at least thinking the offer over...probably not. He pushed that bad thought away and snorted, gazing outside where the rain was starting to fall softly. He got up on his feet again and walked to the part of the building where a wall was missing and stepped out on the wet street, letting the raindrops fall on his face.

--------

_~the same afternoon at G.I. joe HQ~_

The joes were enjoying their dinner, chatting, laughing, like they did most of the time during the evenings. A nice tune was playing on the radio in the bar, causing several of the men to hum along to the music. Everyone seemed to be in a pretty good mood. Except for Snake Eyes then. The ninja had hardly been eating anything. Most of the time had gone to poking the food around on the plate. Scarlett had even tried to make him eat some, trying to figure out what was wrong but Snake Eyes wasnt interested. He practically dissed anyone who tried to talk him, which wasnt like him at all but he just couldnt force himself to be nice to anyone right now. With the sudden decision to leave, he stood up and grabbed his plate, which he left on the way out of the room. He felt people staring at his back as he walked down the corridor slowly, but decided not to care. All he could care about at the moment was that he was never going to see Storm Shadow again.

It also happened to be thursday. The day on which their weekly evening training was sheduled. It wasnt that Snake Eyes was sloppy soldier. There was no time for that in the army, but this night he was so exhausted he could hardly get out of bed again after having decided to take a nap. His whole body felt numb and cold and, like it didnt want to respond to his tries at moving. Still, he forced himself up into a sitting position and got ready. He'd come to a conclusion.

--------

The rain was practically pouring down on the soldiers where they stood, lined up outside the base. Everything looked so beautiful in the rays of the evening sun. Snake Eyes watched them carefully from a distance away, sheltered from the water. A sigh escaped his mouth and he leaned his forehead against a pillar, watching as Duke, who was in charge of it all, walked back and forth in front of the men, lecturing them. The ninja let his eyes travel down to the ground for a moment. He should have been there by now, standing in line, listening to the sergeant. He took a hesitating step backwards, his gaze focused on Duke's back, before retreating back into the building. There was no turning back now...he'd already made up his mind, no matter how many times his brain was trying to tell him that it was a bad decision, that it was the wrong way to go, his heart had already won this arguement a long time ago. Picking up a small, black bag from the floor by his feet, Snake Eyes left the premises, not knowing when he'd ever return.

* * *

Yummy, cliffhanger x)


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks alot for the reviews guys! Maybe I should've made clear in which version this takes place, but I havent really thought about it, but I like the marvel comics, so.. xD anyway...  


* * *

The rain had increased, pouring down like if someone had turned a big bucket upside down, and darkness was falling fast but that wasnt a problem for Snake Eyes. Darkness was his friend. Darkness kept him hidden at times when he wanted to escape unwanted attention. This evening however, he didnt need to hide from anyone. He was just a normal citizen, walking down a lonely street. As normal as you could be, wearing a ninja suit. His outfit was already soaked with cold water even though he was wearing a coat over it, and he shuddered, trying to cover himself from the rain but pretty much failed. He looked at the display- windows of the closed stores that he passed by, wishing that at least one of them would be open so that he could warm himself up a bit before continuing on his little trip. Storm Shadow's hideout wasnt really that far away though, but then again, Snake Eyes wasnt 100% sure if it was the right place or not. It should be the right place....Along the way, he met a few lonely people walking the other way, and he wondered what they were doing out in this shitty weather, so late at night. A couple appeared from a by-pass, crossing his way. Both of them were wearing dark raincoats with seemingly too big hoods, covering most of their bowed down heads. Snake Eyes stopped momentarily, looking around the dark, gloomy alley. Mostly because he was unsure of where to go from there but also to study a lone lady and her dog, which at the moment, was busy with marking its territory on a rusty lamppost. The ninja let his eyes travel further up as the lamp flickered shortly and then the whole street drowned in darkness. At least the moon provided him with some light. He didnt know how the people around him had reacted to the sudden darkness but he didnt really care either. Instead, he continued down the street, hurrying towards his destination.

-------------

**G.I. joe HQ**

"I cant believe he just left...without even telling me", Scarlett muttered, obviously the one most upset about it all.

"At least he left a note", Beach Head waved it in front of her nose where they sat at a table in the corner of the dining room.

"I dont think he'd go if it wasnt important", Stalker pointed out and then drowned the last of his water. Scarlett's eyes pierced him and she snorted, before going back to staring at the table.

"But it's not like him..skipping training and all..." she fiddled with her hands while Beach Head raised from the table, holding the note in a firm grip.

"Well...since Snakes wants this handed to Hawk, I better make sure he gets it" the man said and nodded to his friends before leaving the room. As he walked down the corridor to the general's office, Beach Head re-read a particular line on Snake Eyes' note.

(_I'm going away to say farewell to Storm Shadow...._)

-------------------------

Lightning struck again but Storm Shadow didnt react. He just kept stirring the liquid in his bowl on the floor, listening to the falling rain outside. He added some herbs and watched as swirls formed in the mixture.

"Hmm..", letting out a frustrated sigh, he realized that something was missing. An important ingredient. While tapping his fingers thoughtfully on his chin, he looked around for the seemingly missing object. "Not again...", he muttered and got up on his feet.

---------

Snake Eyes' heart skipped a beat as he spotted the old construction site building. He was finally there. He couldnt deny the fact that he was a bit nervous about meeting the other ninja. They had, after all, only met a couple of times since Storm Shadow left Cobra. Before that, it had been such a long time.....Not thinking of it any further, he hurried over to the building instead, wanting to escape the rain. He took the liberty to push open a random door, expecting his friend to notice his presence and show up....it didnt happen. Well inside, he shivered, holding his arms around himself in a try to warm up. The place seemed totally abandoned and it was slightly darker than the streets outside. He wandered through the different rooms, avoiding puddles of water where it had leaked in through the ceiling. The walls were all in horrible shape. A grey/brown-ish color was covering them and the wallpaper had fallen off at several spots. Making his was into the next room, Snake Eyes noticed a weak light coming from somewhere down the hallway to his right. Turning very carefully, he walked on, following the small sliver of light. A much bigger room appeared at the end of the corridor and he peeked into it, suspisiously surveying his surroundings. The light was coming from a small lantern in the corner and a lot of stuff was spread out all over the place, revealing that someone was obviously living there. Maybe for the moment, maybe always. He couldnt really tell. A sword was hanging on the far wall. A sword with the Arashikage clan sign on it. Snake Eyes stared at it for a minute before disappointment struck and he realized that Storm Shadow was not there. Figuring that his friend would return sooner or later since he'd left all his stuff here, Snake Eyes removed his coat and dropped the bag on the floor next to the burnt out bonfire. That mattress looked more and more inviting for every step he took towards it and he allowed himself to sit down, eventually letting his body fall to the soft, warm surface. He closed his eyes and shuddered, still cold from the rain, but tried to relax. It wouldnt hurt to rest for a minute...right?

----------

He awoke to the sparkling sound of fire and was shocked to realize that he'd fallen asleep. So he quickly sat up and stiffened as he noticed that a whiteclad man seated by the now lit bonfire. But his back was turned to him. With new found strength, Snake Eyes started to get up carefully, not taking his eyes of Storm Shadow. On unsteady feet, he approached and rounded the other ninja, coming to a stop on the other side of the fire. The man looked up at him calmly and smiled under the mask.

"Snake Eyes..", he said simply. "You came...", he then returned to stare at the fire, looking like he was deep in thoughts. A moment of silence passed by, but Snake Eyes didnt move and Storm Shadow's eyes focused on him again.

"I'm sorry I couldnt be here to greet you", he said and threw a small stick into the fire. "I had to get a very important ingredient", with another smile, he showed his friend the chocolate bar that had been lying behind him, together with the strange bowl. Snake Eyes stared at his friend and couldnt help but smile, but it soon faded as he remembered why he was there in the first place. He took the liberty to sit down next to the other ninja and let out a sigh, shuddering slightly as the warmth from the flames reached his cold and wet body. Storm Shadow turned to look at him.

"You're wet", he pointed out the obvious and then looked outside. A low rumbling could be heard in the distance and the rain seemed subdue slowly. He threw another stick into the fire.

"You should take those clothes off", he commented and Snake Eyes turned to look at him, before shaking his head no. He had no other clothes to change to. He lifted his cold, stiff arms and gesticulated something to his friend. Storm Shadow looked confused for a moment before opening his mouth.

"You...came to say goodbye?" he didnt try to hide his disappointment but kept calm. "I dont understand", he got up and grabbed his bowl, heading to another part of the room where he proceeded with putting some unidentifiable stuff into the bowl. Snake Eyes hesitated before actually getting up on his feet again. He went over to his friend and watched as he stirred the mixture with a wooden spoon. Even though Storm Shadow seemed like he rather wanted to ignore the other ninja at the moment, he still payed attention to him when he started gesticulating again. Storm Shadow's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Why does he want us to stop seeing each other?" the white ninja wanted to know, a hint of anger showing in his voice as he walked away from Snake Eyes again, and back to the fire. After having placed the bowl in front of it, he wandered away and the black ninja followed. "I do not work for Cobra anymore....I never really was....", he then stopped and turned to face his friend, looking just as frustrated as Snake Eyes felt. Thunder struck outside again and lit up the whole room shortly.

[_I know_] Snake Eyes gesticulated. He then shuddered and yawned, wrapping his arms around himself. Storm Shadow watched in concern.

"I hope you didnt catch a cold." He then walked over to the mattress and pushed it further into the corner. "Come here, you need to rest." He straightened up again and went over to something that could be called a working bench. Bottles and other similar stuff were neatly lined up along the wall. Snake Eyes watched the other man hesitatingly as he walked over to sit on the mattress.

[_Where are you going to sleep?_] he gesticulated, once Storm Shadow turned to him again. The whiteclad ninja blinked. He hadnt thought of that.

"I dont know." He started unwrapping the bandages on his arms. "I've slept on floors before." Snake Eyes frowned and got up again, crossing his arms over his chest and Storm Shadow watched him with a questioning look on his face. Even though you couldnt see the black ninja's face, Storm Shadow still got the impression that Snake Eyes didnt like his answer.

[_It's YOUR bed] _the man gesticulated.

"Cant let my guests sleep on the floor", the white ninja replied simply and dropped the bandages on the floor, before going over to the mattress. "Besides...", he looked his friend up and down once. "You look like you could need some well needed rest.." Snake Eyes shook his head slowly.

[_I'm fine_] he tried to convince the other ninja. [_You take the bed_] but before he had the chance to even move, Storm Shadow grabbed his arm.

"No. I wont", he then pulled Snake Eyes back and gave him a push in the direction of the bed and the blackclad ninja stumbled, stunned at the sudden action. But after having recovered, Snake Eyes pushed Storm shadow back, in a childish way and was slightly surprised when the white ninja threw himself at him, pinning him down on the mattress.

"Why so stubborn?", Storm Shadow asked, using the weight of his body to hold the struggling man down, though, he had a hard time controlling him since Snake Eyes' clothes were wet and slippery and he soon found himself kicked off. He let out a grunt as the black ninja slammed him down on the mattress and he struggled, beginning to wonder why this fight had started in the first place. As he felt the grip on him suddenly loosing up, he took the chance and pushed Snake Eyes off and pinned him down on his back again. However, this time he didnt need to hold the other man down, but he didnt let him go either. Time seemed to stop momentarily.

---------

**G.I. joe HQ**

Hawk crumbled the note in his hand, not liking the message he'd received from Snake Eyes. He had asked the man to cut his connection to the cobra ninja, but he hadnt really expected it to happen this way. Rounding his working desk, Hawk pondered on the problem, coming to the conclusion that maybe it didnt matter in which way it happened, as long as the connection was cut. He was fully aware of that Snake Eyes didnt want to do this, still, it had to be done. Sitting down in his comfortable chair, he grabbed his cup and took a sip of the now cold coffee.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Snake Eyes", he said to no one in particular and stared out the dark, rainy window.

--------

** the Construction site**

Panting a little, they stared at each other for a long time, in silence, before Storm Shadow looked away and rolled off his friend, turning on his back beside him. The two ninjas both stared at the ceiling, listening to the rain outside.

"I guess.....", Storm Shadow swallowed and glanced at Snake Eyes. "we can both use the bed." The blackclad man nodded and silence filled the room again. After a while, they both fell asleep eventually.

--------

Snake Eyes awoke and he blinked a few times, before realizing that the pitch black darkness that surrounded him was caused simply by the fact that it was still night-time. He was still lying on his back, the same position as when he'd fell asleep, some unknown time ago. The thought of G.I. joe HQ and his friends made him stiffen. He wondered what their reactions could have been and if someone was mad at him. He hoped not. Turning slowly, carefully, as if afraid to wake Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes moved to lie on his side instead, facing his friend. Sadness overwhelmed him and he closed his eyes hard, feeling so miserable and helpless. Even though Storm Shadow was so close right now, he was still so far away. When this night was over, they were never going to see each other again...

--------

The next morning, a few rays of the sun forced their way into the abandoned construction site building, lightening up the place a bit. Snake Eyes awoke again and sat up slowly, stretching his stiff body, while yawning. Why did the morning have to come so quickly? Not that he and Storm Shadow had had a very good time, since they'd been sleeping most of the time, but still. Snake Eyes didnt want to leave, simply because it would mean farewell. Letting out a heavy sigh, he made an attempt to pull himself up but a firm grip on his arm stopped him.

"Going already?" came a soft voice from behind him. Snake Eyes turned his head slighly to look at the drowsy man. He nodded hesitatingly and pulled his arm free, getting up on his feet.

[_I need to go_] he gesticulated. [_I've already been gone for too long_] he bowed his head at this, not wanting to meet Storm Shadow's eyes. The whiteclad ninja got up slowly and picked up his friend's bag, handing it to him and Snake Eyes took it after having put his coat back on.

[_So. I guess this is farewell_] the black ninja gesticulated.

"That depends on you", the other ninja replied, locking eyes with him. "I am here if you need me.." with that said, the horrible decision was once again resting on poor Snake Eyes. Not that it had ever been anyone else's decision, but right now, the matter felt more present than ever. Snake Eyes reached his hand out slowly and Storm Shadow lowered his eyes, focusing them on the hand. Not all too willingly, he too, reached out and they grabbed each others hands carefully, but they didnt really shake them. Instead, they stared at each other, both of them hiding an undeniable, emotional pain. Sooner or later, Storm Shadow released the grip on his friend's hand and pulled back, deciding that it was time to let the other man go and Snake Eyes took a step back before turning his back to the other ninja and walked away.

"I will miss you...'brother'", was the last words that Storm Shadow uttered before Snake Eyes disappeared out of sight.

* * *

Phew. Finally got this chapter done. So, what do you think?


	3. Chapter 3

DevilChile: Goodie ^^ I'm glad you're willing to give this pairing a chance. And thanks for the review!

JasonLeeScottFan: Yea :/ it's a bit hard for Snake Eyes, but rules are rules after all. Hopefully, the other joes will realize that Storm Shadow isnt a bad guy. Anyway, thanks for reviewing ^^

Frankizzle: Thank you! Hopefully everything will work out for the two of them

Karisma: definitely xD thanks!

Jillian: There arent many Stormshadow/Snakeeyes fics out there :/ too bad. Anyway, I'm glad you like the story ^^ thank you!

Silver Spider: wow, thanks alot! ^^ I'm trying my best at keeping everyone in character, which can be hard when it comes to slash x)

* * *

Storm Shadow lingered in the doorway of the room, listening to the faint echoes of footsteps that were slowly fading away. He lowered his eyes to the floor and let out of sigh. It was painful, yet relieving. Now that his friend was gone, he could finally leave this behind him and...He lifted his head slowly, letting his eyes travel over the floor while listening. As he looked outside, he couldnt spot anything unusual, but still.....he suddenly got a bad feeling.

He sneaked out the same way that Snake Eyes had gone and hid as best as he could in the few shadows he was provided with in this bright morning light. The sound of a soft thud reached his ears and he stiffened, pushing his back against a pillar, waiting. Even though he couldnt see anyone, he could feel the presence of other people. After having decided that the coast was clear, Storm Shadow came out of his hiding place, stepping outside the building carefully and he was shocked at the scene further down on the small, narrow street.

"Snake Eyes!" he froze and watched the two cobra soldiers that were standing over his friend's lifeless body. The two men moved their arms slowly, reaching for something behind their backs. Assuming that they were weapons, Storm Shadow quickly reached for the throwing stars he always carried with him, searching in the depths of his back pocket. However, before he'd been able to bring them out, a small, sharp object embedded itself into his back and he hissed at the pain. An unexpected dizziness hit him suddenly and he stumbled forward, forced to drop the weapons back into the pocket.

"..Poison...darts..", he groaned and tried to keep his eyes open as he sunk to his knees, trying to resist whatever it was that was running through his veins. He lost consciousness before he hit the ground.

-------------------------

Snake Eyes shuddered and rolled over on his back with much effort, too weak to get up. His body felt numb and everything hurt and he seemed to have a slight problem with forming a thought in his head. A groan from somewhere to his right forced him to turn his aching head, discovering that Storm Shadow was there as well. The white clad ninja groaned again and tried to shuffle closer to Snake Eyes, but without much success. Their eyes met and Snake Eyes' hand twitched in a try to move.

"..Ar...are you..alright?" Storm Shadow wheezed and panted, reaching for the other ninja in a try to check on him, but Snake Eyes was too weak to give any sort of reply. He was still feeling dizzy and the whole room seemed to be spinning more as he looked around. They were obviously locked up in some kind of prison cell, judging from the look of the dark walls and the barred window. The touch of a hand on his arm made him turn his head again, watching as his friend struggled to sit up.

"Heey..look who're waking up", came a mocking voice and both ninjas turned their heads to see a couple of guards outside the bars of the cell. The cobras both gave them scornful smiles and one of them whispered something to the other. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow watched cautiously as the guard to the left started unlocking the cell door, and the white clad ninja shuffled back a little, trying to stay focused. When the guards entered the room, they closed the door behind them, sneering at the drugged men on the floor.

"Well, well...", the guard to the right approached Storm Shadow slowly, putting his big gun aside, letting it rest against the wall.

"Hey..you shouldnt..", the other guard started but was quickly cut off by his comrade.

"Relax", he said with a cocky grin and glanced at the other man. "What can they possibly do? They're totally out of it." He demonstrated by grabbing Storm Shadow's jaw, forcing the ninja to look up at him, but with all the strength he could gather, the white ninja freed himself from the man's grip and grunted angrily. The sudden move had made him dizzy again and he struggled to be able to sit up straight.

"Hmph..", the guard snorted, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You're lucky that I'm not allowed to hit prisoners."

"Take a look at this guy", came the other guard's voice from over by Snake Eyes body and Storm Shadow turned slowly, feeling his heart pounding faster by the second. What were the guards doing in their prison cell? What did they want from them? It worried him, but he could hardly sit up straight, so there was no idea in even trying to move.

"I wonder why he's hiding his eyes", the first guard continued with a curious, yet cunning voice, crouching down over the ninja. Snake Eyes made an attempt to move away from them but couldnt seem to find the strength.

"Heh...I dont know", the other guard replied, suddenly very curious too. "Let's see your eyes, pal..", he reached down and was about to grab the visor when Snake Eyes turned his head away, still struggling to get away from them.

"..Leave him alone..", Storm Shadow growled from further back in the room and shuffled forward a little.

"A little shy, arent you?" the first guard mocked and managed to pull the visor up. However, Snake Eyes kept his eyes shut, turning away again, refusing to let the men see his eyes.

"Hey, what's the matter? We just want to see your eyes. That's all", the second guard grabbed the black ninja's throat carefully. "We're not going to hurt you." A sneer followed and the man let his hand travel further down over Snake Eyes' body, hungrily caressing him.

"Dont..touch him!" Storm Shadow grunted, a dangerous tone in his voice as he glared daggers at the guards' backs. Even though his whole world was currently spinning, he pulled himself closer, ignoring the pain that was slowly spreading throughout his weak body. Both guards turned back to look at the white clad ninja, their sneers slowly fading, and turning into annoyed expressions instead.

"Do that...again..and it will be...", Storm Shadow started and closed his eyes hard, breathing heavily "..the last thing..you'll ever do...", he hissed and forced one eye open to glare at the men, feeling that everything seemed to stop spinning for a while. Snake Eyes managed to turn over on stomach, lifting himself up a little on trembling arms. Everyone's attention was suddenly drawn to the sound of approaching footsteps. They seemed to belong to a woman. Not many guys they knew were wearing high heels. The guards got up on their feet quickly, grabbing their guns and dashed out of the cell, locking the door after them. They went back to their guarding positions just in time to see the Baroness appearing from behind the corner of the hallway, heading their way with confident steps. She eyed them suspiciously as she passed by, but they remained still and quiet, like if nothing had really happened. When she reached the cell, she grabbed the bars that separated her from the two ninjas and sneered at them, watching with satisfaction as they struggled to sit up right. The Baroness could sense the sudden stiffening in their bodies as she entered the cell and Storm Shadow shuffled away, coming to a stop in front of Snake Eyes, as if protecting his friend.

"How cute", she commented with a bitter voice and walked closer, narrowing her dark eyes. "Welcome back, Storm Shadow.....we missed you." a snort followed, as if she hindered herself from laughing. The white clad ninja glared at her and Snake Eyes remained passive behind him.

"The commander wants to see you", Baroness informed then and turned on her heels, walking out of the room again. "You two", she pointed at the guards. "Help me escort the prisoners to the commander's office." The armed men glanced at each other and then entered the cell again. One of them grabbed Storm Shadow roughly and pulled him up, while the other one did the same with Snake Eyes. Both ninjas stumbled and wobbled, their legs almost giving away under the weight of their bodies. Unwillingly, they leaned on the guards as they were lead out of the cell and down the hallway, following the Baroness. Halfway down the corridor, Storm Shadow stumbled but the guard quickly pulled him up straight again, giving him an unnecessarily hard push forward. Snake Eyes watched his friend with concern, wishing that he could give these guards a good beating. A few minutes later, when none of the ninjas felt that they could walk any longer, they arrived to Cobra Commander's room. The baroness knocked hard on the door and only seconds later, they were allowed in.

"Ahh, finally my guests have arrived", the commander raised from his chair, gathering a few papers that were scattered over his desk. As the two ninjas looked around, they realized how big the room really was. It was more of a hall actually. White sterile walls and hardly any furnishing.

"Guests?" Storm Shadow spit, glaring daggers at the man. Cobra commander didnt answer. Instead he approached the two prisoners slowly and stopped only a few feet from them, studying them closely.

"Hmm...", he scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I think it would be enough with one.." Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow glanced at each other and then at the commander, worrying slightly, but tried not to show it.

"Which one, commander?" Baroness asked calmly, but you could still hear the impatience in her voice.

"I hate joes..", he replied and looked over to Snake Eyes shortly before his eyes moved to Storm Shadow. "but...this man has betrayed me", he growled and took some steps back. "We'll take him." the guard that was in charge of the white clad ninja pushed him forward not all too gently and Snake Eyes stiffened, feeling his heart beating faster. He hadnt felt this fear in a long time, but now he feared for his friend's life and there was nothing he could do in his current condition. Even so, he struggled a little, watching as another man, in some sort of white coat came walking over to them.

"Doctor", Cobra commander said simply and made a gesture towards Storm Shadow, as if showing that he was the subject. "Have you prepared the syringe?"

"I have, sir." The man in the coat said and both he and Cobra commander turned their heads to look at Storm Shadow.

"Now, be still. This wont hurt...much", the commander purred and the two guards grabbed the ninja, holding him still. Since the drug effects were starting to wear off, Storm Shadow had gained some new strength and used it to try and fight the guards. They didnt seem to care, but held him still, pushing him to the floor, where they pinned him down. Snake Eyes panicked and made an attempt to free his friend.

"I dont think so", the Baroness' poisonous voice came from behind and she grabbed him, putting her gun to his throat. The black clad ninja immediately stopped struggling. He was shaking with frustration and anger, watching as Storm Shadow struggled in the floor. One of the guards ripped a hole in the white clad ninja's shirt, revealing the skin of his upper arm and Storm Shadow growled, trying to fight them off, but to no avail. He hissed in pain as the man in the coat injected him with something and Snake Eyes watched, horrified by the scene before him.

"Good", Cobra commander said, satisfied and gestured for the guards to pull the ninja up on his feet again. "Put them in the testing room." A small part of the room was isolated from the rest of the hall, with transparent glass walls.

"Get in!" one of the guards ordered and pushed the ninjas inside, locking them up. Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes surveyed their surroundings before cautiously turning to look at the people on the other side of the glass. An uncomfortable silence spread throughout the room, as all they did was staring at each other. Snake Eyes saw a sudden movement in the corner of his eye and turned to his friend, realizing that he was bending over, clutching his stomach. He panicked and wanted to ask what was wrong, but he couldnt. Instead, he grabbed Storm Shadow's upper arms, completely confused about what he should do. The other man just grunted in pain and seemed like he was trying to back away. Suddenly, without warning, Storm Shadow pushed Snake Eyes hard, knocking him to the floor. The black clad ninja gasped and tried to get up but didnt really have any time to recover before Storm Shadow attacked him again with some strange newfound strength. He cornered Snake Eyes and began throwing his fists at him, which the other ninja tried to block but he was so tired and weak that he hardly had a chance of defending himself. Even if he had had the strength to fight back, he wouldnt have wanted to hurt his friend.

When the white clad ninja had given him a good beating, he grabbed him, pulled him up and shoved him into the wall. Snake Eyes grunted in pain when his back hit the hard glass and he fell to the floor, coughing. When he'd finally managed to get up on his hands and knees, Storm Shadow's boot connected with his head, blinding him with pain and he was once again thrown to the floor. The taste of blood in his mouth increased as he coughed more, not even trying to get up again. On the other side of the glass, Cobra Commander, Baroness and the doctor watched, fascinated by what was taking place on the other side of the glass.

"Not to point out any faults in your plan...sir", the woman began and tore her eyes away from the ninjas to look at her boss. "but...we better keep Snake Eyes alive if we want those 'special items' from the joes." She almost sounded hesitant.

"Dont worry, my dear Baroness", the commander hissed, not taking his eyes off the fight. "If this is working properly, he wont hurt him too much." Baroness winced when Storm Shadow grabbed the fabric around Snake Eyes' shoulder and dragged him across the room, pulling him up and pinned him against the wall, while snorting and breathing heavily in his face. He then proceeded by grabbing his victim's throat. Snake Eyes panicked when his air supply was cut off and he gasped for air, grabbing the hand that was strangling him. Storm Shadow's eyes pierced his and he could see hate in them. There was something about that look that sent chills down his spine. As it got harder to breathe by the second, Snake Eyes felt more and more of his consciousness slipping away and he knew there was no idea to try to break free. With the little strength he had left, he moved one of his arms from Storm Shadow's wrist and towards his face. The white clad man didnt react, but concentrated only on strangling him. Snake Eyes reached Storm Shadow's cheek, cupping it with his hand.

"Sir?" the Baroness turned to Cobra commander. "We have to interrupt this or Snake Eyes will suffocate." The commander opened his mouth to order the guards to separate the two men, but stopped himself when he saw that the white clad ninja's aggression was beginning to subdue.

"Wait...", he said and they all went back to watching the men in the glass room. Storm Shadow relaxed slightly when he felt Snake Eyes' thumb moving over his cheek and blinked a few times. His face expression turned from angry to confused and he loosened his grip around the other ninja's throat, taking in deep, shuddering breaths. As if he suddenly realized what he was doing, he let go of Snake Eyes and stepped back as the man fell to the floor. He then fell to his knees and grabbed his head, letting out painful groans.

"Interesting...", Cobra commander scratched his chin. "Something made him snap out of it.."

"Should I analyze this, sir?" the man in the white coat asked calmly and the commander turned to him slowly, looking like he was deep in thoughts.

"Please do, doctor....In the meantime- guards, get them back to the cell!"

--------------

A few minutes later, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow were thrown back into their prison cell. The effects of whatever was running through the white ninja's veins was finally beginning to wear off and he became more aware of what had happened during his temporarily trance.

"S..Snake...", he was surprised by how weak and hoarse his voice sounded. "Snake..?" he crawled over to his beaten friend, who was busy with getting up from the floor. He tried to help him but Snake Eyes just hissed in pain when he touched him.

"I'm so sorry...I dont know...what got into me...", Snake Eyes just shook his head slowly and shuffled a little, leaning his back against the cold stone wall. He was too weak to be able to gesticulate anything, so he simply sat there, trying to ignore the pounding pain throughout his whole body. Storm Shadow watched with concern as his friend took in deep shuddery breaths, clutching at the right side of his chest.

"..Dont touch that...", Storm Shadow gently removed the hand from the sore area. "You'll only make it hurt more." Snake Eyes grunted and leaned against his friend, closing his eyes hard. The white clad ninja was stunned momentarily but then embraced his friend, pulling him closer. He was suddenly overwhelmed by a strange, warming feeling and his cheeks heated up slightly as Snake Eyes snuggled up against him, clutching his shirt.

"..Just...try to rest....", Storm Shadow said quietly, closing his own eyes.

----------

"Miss Baroness?" Cobra Commander's voice echoed in the big room. "I thought you had something important to run to." He tapped his fingertips together where he sat in his chair. The woman turned to him at the sound of her name, her face expression blank.

"I was just checking the monitors, commander", she sounded absent as she said this and took a few steps away from them, picking up her bag from a nearby chair.

"Is there a problem?" Cobra commander raised and walked over to her, obviously suspicious to her deviant behavior.

"No, sir.", she avoided eye contact and threw the bag over her left shoulder, moving it around a bit to make it more comfortable. The commander on the other hand, walked over to the monitors and studied them for a short moment.

"Those two look too comfortable...." he watched them for another moment. "Separate them..", his voice was bitter and he turned back to Baroness, who widened her eyes at him but quickly put on a calm facade.

"..Yes, commander.." she hurried out of the room.

------------

The tapping sound of shoes forced its way into Storm Shadow's dull head and he opened one blurry eye. The room was now a lot darker than it had been when he fell asleep. Wait a minute.... He stiffened when he realized that he had dropped his guard. However, there was no time to dwell on it any further since there was someone coming their way. He would've thought it to be an exchange of guards but since he suspected that none of them were wearing high heels, he pushed that thought out of his mind. The Baroness was nearing their cell fast and she had a guard with her. They both stopped by the bars and woman's eyes locked with Storm Shadow. He held Snake Eyes protectively when Baroness and the guard entered the cell and the Baroness watched them with pity before opening her mouth to speak.

"..Get him..", she demanded with a soft voice and watched as the guard walked over to the ninjas. Snake Eyes was awakened by a rough hand grabbing his arm hard, pulling at him and Storm Shadow protested, trying to fight the guard off.

"What are you doing?!" he wheezed, desperately trying to hang onto Snake Eyes when the guard dragged him away from him

"Sorry..", the Baroness said with a monotone voice. "Cobra Commander's orders."

The black clad ninja had a hard time standing up, so the guard ended up half dragging the man out of the cell.

"Noo!...What are you going to do to him?" Storm Shadow demanded to know, his voice getting more hoarse for every word he spoke.

"He just wanted to put you in separate cells. That's all...", she turned her back to the heartbroken man and quickly made her way out of the cell where the guard was waiting with Snake Eyes. The black clad man grabbed the bars in a try to resist as he was dragged away but it was no use. Storm Shadow cursed and went back to sit by the wall, trying to calm down.

* * *

Sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long. I've been a bit busy lately but I've been writing whenever I've had the time. I hope I'm not rushing their relationship. I try to take it slow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again guys! I'm really glad that you follow my story. It's much appreciated!

* * *

**

"_I said: Do we have a deal?" _Cobra commander's hoarse voice came through the phone and Hawk bit his lower lip, trying hard to find another way out of this. Giving Cobra some of their greatest weapons and battle plans werent something they gladly did. This was definitely serious business.

"Snake Eyes looks good with two arms", Cobra commander purred on the other end of the phone. "Dont you think, general Hawk?"

"Is that a threat?" he growled, but immediatly regretted asking such a stupid question.

"I could dispose of him", Cobra commander continued. "How much is he worth anyway?"

"Hey!... What makes you think I'm going to abandon one of my soldiers?.....I'm not like you." Silence followed before a snort could be heard on Cobra's end of the phone.

"Well..", he replied with a smug voice. "Feel free to pick him up whenever you want...I'll be waiting....and Hawk?" the general narrowed his eyes and listened carefully. "Dont forget to bring those...itemsss...." Hawk quickly put the phone back into its holdster and glared angrily at it, as if it was responsible for the kidnapping of Snake Eyes.

"Damn..", he breathed and pulled a hand over his eyes, trying to sort out all the thoughts that were currently running through his head. "Damn..", he repeated. "I knew that Storm Shadow couldnt be trusted...", with this said, he hurried out of his office to alert the other joes.

---------

Snake Eyes was lying in the corner of the new prison cell he'd been alotted. It was freezing in there and he did his best to keep warm, but it wasnt easy when all that he was surrounded by, was cold cement walls. When he and Storm Shadow had shared a cell, he'd been fairly warm at least. He'd been warm and safe in the white ninja's arms....Snake Eyes blushed at the thought, feeling embarrassed over how he'd been clinging to Storm Shadow like that. He swallowed a lump in his throat and rolled over on his other side, pulling his legs up, wrapping his arms around himself. He was cold and hurt but he had a plan....he just hoped that he'd be strong enough to try it out. Whenever he'd get the chance.

-----------

Storm Shadow sat with his back to the wall, unable to rest. He had tried meditating. He had tried everything he could think of, to calm down, but he just couldnt. All he could feel at the moment was anger and frustration. They had taken Snake Eyes from him and he didnt even know where he was or if he was ok. His hate for Cobra had increased immensely in the last hour or so, but they were going to pay. His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden presence of a cobra guard. Storm Shadow watched his every move and realized that, on closer inspection, he didnt seem to be a guard. His uniform was different. Still, he was a cobra. The man entered the cell and he had a tray with him, which he placed on the empty bed. Not once during his time in the cell, did he look at Storm Shadow, but the ninja on the other hand was watching him intensively. Even though this man didnt seem to have any intention of hurting him, you could never be too careful. The cobra left the cell eventually and Storm Shadow relaxed slightly, but were following him with his eyes until he disappeared out of sight. The ninja then gazed at the tray on the bed and realized that he actually was pretty hungry. His stomach rumbled once.

------------

Time passed by slowly and Snake Eyes had no idea what time it was or even how long they'd been at Cobra HQ. All he knew was that he was getting more tired by the minute. A heavy sigh escaped his mouth and he blinked tiredly but stiffened suddenly as he heard something outside the door. He lifted his head a little and focused his blurry eyes on it. Judging by the sound that followed, it was now unlocked and with a creaking noise, it was pushed open slowly. Snake Eyes dropped his head back to rest on the floor and remained still, pretending that he was sleeping, or that he was too weak to move.

The same man that had visited Storm Shadow's cell, entered and this time he had a new tray with him. Snake Eyes peeked at him from behind his visor. The man looked extremely bored and didnt seem to be on his guard at all. He placed the tray on the floor and started fiddling with his keys as he turned around to exit the cell, and Snake Eyes moved, pushing himself up from the floor quietly. He wobbled a little when he stood up and took a deep breath, trying to stay focused. The man in front of him was slowly leaving the cell and Snake Eyes forced his aching body forward and quickly threw his arms around the man's neck, cutting off his air supply. He had a hard time holding the struggling cobra and his strength was beginning to fade but he couldnt give up and let this chance slip away. The man in his arms finally gave in and fell limp. Snake Eyes dropped him to the floor and put a hand on the wall, leaning towards it for support as a nauseous feeling overwhelmed him. For a moment, the whole room seemed to be spinning, but he tried to pull himself together and crouched down next to the unconscious man.

A desperate search for keys kept him busy for another minute before he realized that the stupid cobra was lying on them. To not to cause too much noise, he carefully rolled him over on his back and pulled the keys out, getting up again. No guards could be seen as he peeked out into the dark corridors outside, so he took the chance and sneaked out, closing the door to the cell, locking the cobra up. He quietly started backtracking towards the old cell with the keys in a firm grip in his hand, cautiously listening for sounds of possibly returning guards. Every cell that he passed by was dark and empty...or maybe he just couldnt see what was hiding in there. Shuddering, he limped on down the hallway as fast as he could, using the walls for support. He felt like his legs wanted to give away under him any second and the constant pain in his chest was beginning to worry him.

When he finally reached Storm Shadow's cell, Snake Eyes thought he'd come to the wrong one at first. Either that or his friend had been moved to another cell. He weakly limped forward and grabbed the cold bars, gazing into the pitch dark room. Something could be seen moving far back in the cell.

"Snake Eyes?" came a surprised whisper and he focused on the approaching form of Storm Shadow. "How did you...?" the white ninja's hoarse voice echoed in the cell and he sauntered towards his black clad friend, reaching weakly for the bars. Snake Eyes responded by showing him the keys.

"Ahh", Storm Shadow smiled. "That's my Snakes." the said ninja limped over to the door and proceeded with trying to unlock it. He choosed a small, rusty key and pushed it into the lock and turned. It didnt work. It was quickly pulled out again and was replaced by another key. Storm Shadow watched impatiently as his friend tried out different keys, but none of them seemed to fit. He listened carefully while Snake Eyes was working, scanning the area outside the cell. If anyone decided to pass by now, they were pretty much screwed. A clicking sound made him look up and their eyes met for a short moment, before the door slowly opened, allowing Storm Shadow to leave the cell.

"We must hurry", he said and took a couple of steps towards Snake Eyes. The black clad ninja nodded in response and then groaned, dropping the keys on the ground. He brought the hand up to his head, holding the side of it.

"Snake?" Storm Shadow's eyes widened slightly and he worringly approached his friend, placing his own hand over Snake Eyes'. The black clad ninja groaned in pain and stumbled forward, right into Storm Shadow, who caught him quickly, holding him upright.

"Snake Eyes...?" hints of fear could be heard in the white clad ninja's voice and he held his friend close, while looking around carefully, worried that the guards would come back. It had been unusually quiet here the last few hours. Storm Shadow turned his attention back to the man in his arms and closed his eyes as Snake Eyes wrapped his arms hard around him, leaning his weak body against him.

"You're going to be alright..", Storm Shadow whispered and stroked the man's back in a comforting manner. Snake Eyes shuddered and closed his eyes in pleasure, forgetting the situation they were in, for the moment. He was too affected by pain to be able to think clearly.

"Snake....", Storm Shadow moaned and opened his eyes slowly. "We need to....", he reluctantly removed the black clad ninja's arms from his body. "We need to go...." their eyes met shortly before Snake Eyes looked away and took a step back, wobbling a little where he stood.

"Can you walk..?" Storm Shadow asked, holding his friend's arm in a firm grip, afraid that he'd collapse, but Snake Eyes turned his head back to look at him and nodded. "Good..", the white clad ninja let go of his arm and lead the way down the dark hallway. The ninjas sneaked down several abandoned corridors before reaching an exit. At the end of the hallway they currently found themselves in, a broad door was lightened up by an exit sign. Storm Shadow stopped suddenly, looking around suspiciously, but Snake Eyes sauntered on, passing him by.

"Snake..." he took a step forward but stiffened and stumbled back as metal bars came out of the ceiling and shot down into the floor, separating the two ninjas. Snake Eyes spun around at the sudden sound and they just stared at each other for a second before realizing what had happened. They had walked right into a trap. They both started looking for a way to open the gate but found none. The keys were also worthless here.

"Damn....", Storm Shadow looked behind him and then turned back to Snake Eyes who grabbed the bars, obviously distressed by the situation. The white clad ninja looked behind him again.

"They know...", he breathed and turned back. "They'll be here any minute." Snake Eyes shook the bars once but gave up, knowing that it wouldnt work. Storm Shadow watched him, feeling his friend's frustration and fear and he opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself when Snake Eyes slipped his arm through the bars and reached for him. He felt like if his heart stopped beating for a second and his face expression changed into a pitiful one when watching the other ninja desperately reaching for him.

"You need to go...", his throat felt dry and he swallowed a couple of times. "I'll find another way out." Snake Eyes knew that they didnt have much time, but he still pressed himself against the bars, with his arm stretched out as far as possible. He refused to leave Storm Shadow just like that. If he didnt make it out...if they were never going to see each other again.

"Snake.....", the white clad ninja sighed, torn between running and staying with his friend, but he knew that there was only one option. He would have to find another way out, before the cobras found them. He grabbed Snake Eyes' hand and squeezed it a little, and the black clad ninja relaxed slightly. "Dont worry about me....I'll find another way.." then he did something that surprised himself almost as much as it surprised the other man. He brought Snake Eyes' hand to his mouth slowly and kissed it. Without meeting his eyes, he turned and ran back down the hallway. The black clad ninja blushed heavily and pulled his hand back slowly. He then sighed and banged his head against the bars softly in frustration, before taking off towards the exit.

---------------

A big military truck could be seen making its way down a small, muddy road. Full of waterfilled holes, it caused the car to bump every now and then. Its occupants sat in silence, waiting patiently.

"I cant believe we're doing this", Scarlett muttered and leaned her back against the wall, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"For the fifth time-me neither", Flint replied with a small smile. "How many times are you going to repeat that?" he asked, turning to gaze out the window. The dark, stormy weather outside sure caused a lot of noise. Scarlett allowed herself to smile.

"It's just....I knew we shouldnt have trusted Storm Shadow.....", her face expression changed into a bitter one. "He lured Snake Eyes into trap.........When I get him, he's going to wish that he never-"

"Hey", Beach Head interrupted her. "Take it easy..I'm sure Snake Eyes is fine. We wouldnt be giving all this stuff to Cobra if Snake Eyes was dead." The woman narrowed her eyes and they all eyed the goods on the floor. The truck bumped into another hole in the ground and made the whole car jolt.

"Are you guys alright back there?" came Lady Jaye's gentle voice from the passenger seat. "I'm sorry that Duke isnt a very good driver", she then giggled and the others could only imagine the murderous glare that their sergeant must've given her.

--------------

Snake Eyes sauntered down the dark corridor as fast as he could manage, hissing at the pain that was constantly making itself reminded. The distance between the door and himself seemed longer than he had thought, but he finally reached it and pushed it open carefully. He was met with darkness and a strong gust of wind made him shiver as he stepped outside, closing the door behind. He stood still for a moment, looking around the yard between the buildings. Something strange that he noticed when he made his way forward, looking around cautiously, was that there were no guards anywhere. It made him suspicious, but all he could do was to keep going. He spotted the forest further up the road and limped on faster, feeling a little bit of hope, but his heart skipped a beat and he stopped, seeing something moving. The dark silhouettes of two men appeared on the road. They must've been positioned somewhere on the side of the road, hidden in the dark. A crunching sound reached Snake Eyes ears as the two cobra guards started walking down the path towards him, approaching him quickly. The ninja gasped and took a step backwards, grabbing his sore chest, while trying to walk upright. As the guards caught up with him, they raised their guns, pointing them at Snake Eyes but the poor ninja didnt even try to defend himself. Instead, he took another step backwards and fell on his bum, yelping at the pain it caused him. The guards glanced at each other and then at Snake Eyes.

"Hey...it's a joe! Where do you think you're going?" one of them said and stepped closer, about to bend down when Snake Eyes started moving backwards, trying to pull himself away from them. An alarm startled all three of them and the two guards looked up and stared at the building further down the road.

"It's the prisoner alert!" the other man exclaimed and they looked back down at Snake Eyes, but didnt have a chance to do anything else before the ninja kicked them both in the groin and pulled himself up, panting, shivering. The cobras groaned angrily and one of them forced his hand into a fist, hitting Snake Eyes hard across the face. The black clad man stumbled and almost fell, but managed to keep his balance. The sound of the alarm made his head hurt and he closed his eyes hard, trying to focus on the guards in front of him, but received another punch, this time making him fall to the ground again. When he opened his eyes, the two men were towering over him, both with the same angry, malicious expressions on their faces.

"Thought you could get away?" the one on the left slurred and a gun was pressed against his cheek. Their heavy breathing was the only thing that could be heard for the following seconds.

"Lets get this piece of shit back to the-" the other man was thrown back by a head shot, and blood splattered everywhere as he fell to the ground, unmoving. The other guard looked up just in time to be treated the same way, and he as well, fell limp to the ground. Snake Eyes widened his eyes and pulled himself into a sitting position, struggling to turn around to face whoever it was who had killed the guards. Both relief and happiness washed over him as Storm Shadow trudged up the road towards him, holding a big gun in his right hand. The white clad ninja was all out of breath as he sunk to his knees by his friend, panting heavily.

"Snake Eyes....", he breathed and touched the other ninja's face gently, letting the hand travel down to the chest, as if ensuring himself that his friend was alright. "We need to get out of here...", he got up on weak legs and pulled at Snake Eyes, helping him up from the ground. The alarm was cut off suddenly and they looked at each other, before turning their heads towards the building they had just left. It was quiet, except for a low ringing in their ears and the absent sound of crickets.

"Lets go..", Storm Shadow was about to turn away again when the door that Snake Eyes had used to escape, was thrown open and a number of about five guards came charging at them. Both ninjas stiffened and fell into battle stances.

"Stay here", Storm Shadow ordered, but Snake Eyes shook his head. "You're hurt", he insisted but the black clad ninja shook his head again.

[ _So are you._] Storm Shadow gave him a blank look, as if he didnt know what to say, but then snapped out of it and turned back to the group of cobras further down the road. Raising the gun, he shot one of them and then aimed it at the one behind and pulled the trigger but nothing happened. Clicking sounds erupted from the weapon and he realized that it was empty. Letting it drop to the ground, he charged at the group of cobras, disarming them one by one, but they were too many for him in his weakened state. Storm Shadow cried out as his back was hit by the butt of a gun and a fist connected with his face, making him stumble back slightly. He felt too weak to be able to punch the guard back, but at least moved away when they tried to attack him again. He could fight decently without weapons but in this case, he really wished he had his katanas.

It took him a second to figure out why two of the cobras suddenly decided to leave the fight and run up the road behind him. His eyes widened as he turned around.

"Leave him alone!" he warned, but they didnt listen and he was too weak to be able to stop them in time. He gave the three guards behind him a punch or two, making them all stumble back a few steps, even making one of them fall, before heading for Snake Eyes. The black clad ninja had a hard time standing his ground but managed to dodge the cobras' attacks pretty well, kicking one of them off the road, breaking the man's ribs in the process. Storm Shadow wrapped his arms around the neck of the remaining guard and twisted it, then dropping him to the ground. Both ninjas turned to look at the two guards that were left. They seemed to hesitate for a moment, having just watched one of their comrades getting killed. However, their hesitation soon passed and they charged at the ninjas, who quickly moved to defend themselves, but the pain and lack of strength caused them to lose their advantage of fighting skills. Having received more punches than they managed to throw at the cobras, they were now in a pretty weak state. Storm Shadow watched, terrified as one of the guards got hold of one of the dropped guns on the ground, and before he could act, the man used it to hit Snake Eyes across the face. A horrible cracking sound followed and the black clad ninja fell to the ground, not moving anymore. There was silence for two seconds before the white clad ninja let out a cry of grief and rage, somehow finding a little bit more strength in his pain. The cobra men were surprised by Storm Shadow's sudden outburst and backed down, but it didnt really help them much when the ninja went berserk on them, fighting for all he was worth. A minute later, they were both knocked out on the ground, close to Snake Eyes body. Storm Shadow's face expression changed into a disgusted one as he looked down at the mess and used his foot to kick their bodies away from his friend. Letting out a shuddery breath, he crouched down and hissed at the pain that was now spreading throughout his whole body.

"Snake....", it scared him to see Snake Eyes' lifeless body before him and nothing happened when he touched him. "Snake..?" he moved his trembling hand to his friend's throat and felt around for a pulse. A silent moment passed by where the only thing he could hear was the increased throbbing of his own heart. No pulse....Storm Shadow's eyes widened and he desperately searched around for it, moving his hand further up. This time however, he could feel a weak movement under his fingers and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief, and with a groan of pain, he pulled Snake Eyes up in his arms, getting up on unsteady legs. He started his stumbling way off the road and away from both the forest and Cobra HQ. He couldnt see anything in the darkness and he didnt know where to go, the only thing that mattered was to get his beloved Snake Eyes to safety. It was all that mattered. He stopped and gasped, almost dropping his friend as something was stabbed into his back and his eyes widened. Behind him, a wounded cobra guard sneered, before falling to the ground again, not moving anymore. Storm Shadow stumbled forward and his mouth opened in a silent scream. A light somewhere far away made him narrow his eyes slightly and took another step forward to keep himself from falling. As the light came closer, he noticed that it was coming from an approaching truck and he stopped, blinded by the headlights. The car stopped as well and Storm Shadow wobbled, groaning as he fought to stay conscious.

Duke and Lady Jaye quickly made their way out of the car, and they both stared Storm Shadow, seemingly a little caught off guard.

".......Storm Shadow...?" Duke approached him cautiously and in the background, Scarlett, Flint and Beach Head could be seen, leaving the truck from the backside. The white clad ninja widened his eyes again and let out a moan of pain as he forced himself to walk to Duke.

"......Oh.....God....", the sergeant breathed and grabbed Snake Eyes' limp body as Storm Shadow offered it to him, and then the white ninja sunk to his knees with another groan, falling facedown to the ground.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! :D this chapter took me so long to finish. It's longer than the other chapters and I've been away for a few days where I couldnt write anything. I hope you enjoyed reading it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks again everyone. I think this is the final chapter

* * *

**

"I know..I dont like it either but we must give him a chance to explain..", the voice belonged to Duke and since no one answered, it appeared at first, that he was talking to himself, but another voice soon replied.

"Yes...of course", it said. "We shouldnt jump to any conclusions before we know what really happened..." a long moment of silence passed by. "Have everyone gather in the briefing room. I need to inform them of our current situation."

"Yes, General Hawk!" and with this said, the two men split up. As Duke wandered down the hallway, thoughts of the previous night entered his mind. It had been a very unpleasant situation. They had been confused. They didnt know what had happened, and they still didnt know...the only thing they knew was that they had to get the two men back to HQ ASAP. They never thought twice before carrying Storm Shadow's limp body into the truck, taking care of his stab wound. They would get an explanation later, the only thing that mattered at the time was to keep the ninja alive. Duke rounded a corner on his way to the medical center and shuddered when he thought of Snake Eyes' cold, lifeless body in his arms.

* * *

Snake Eyes opened his eyes slowly and was blinded shortly by the dim light in the room. He closed them again and let out a grunt before opening them once more. His whole body was aching and even the weak light made his eyes sting. After having blinked a few times to clear the blurry vision, he noticed the form of Scarlett by his side and it wasnt until now that he realized that he was lying down. She looked at him with worried, tired eyes, still, you could see the calm in them.

"Snake..?" her soft voice said and she leaned a little bit closer, as if trying to see if he really was awake or if it was just her imagination. Snake Eyes opened his eyes wider and tried to look around him, without having to move his body too much. Where was he? Somewhere in the back of his mind, the white sterile walls reminded him of something, but he just couldnt seem to remember where he'd seen them before.

"Snake?....Can you hear me?" Scarlett's voice interrupted his thoughts and his eyes moved to look at her. Scarlett? What was she doing here? He let his eyes travel to the white wall again. Could this be the hospital wing of the G.I. joe HQ? A sudden pounding headache made him hiss and he closed his eyes hard with the hope that it would go away again. The sound of approaching footsteps made him stiffen a little before remembering that he was at a safe place, and no longer at the Cobra HQ.

"Scarlett?" Snake Eyes forced his eyes open again to see who the voice belonged to. "Information in the briefing room."

"Ok, Duke", the woman answered and got up from the chair. "Snake...I need to go for a while. I'll be back as soon as I can, ok?" she stared at him, expecting some sort of reaction, but Snake Eyes didnt listen. His mind was currently occupied with the memories of last night. It had come back to him. Slowly. However, he was momentarily distracted by a hand on his shoulder and then the red headed woman left the room. Snake Eyes turned his head carefully to the right, seeing nothing but a few hospital beds and another white wall. He then turned to the left and his eyes widened slightly at the sight in front of him. Two beds away, he could spot Storm Shadow's body. He watched it for a minute or two, all the time hoping that he would see it move, but it didnt. Ignoring the increasing pain as he moved, Snake Eyes pulled himself closer to the edge of the bed and managed to slip one leg off it, finding the floor easily. He groaned in pain as he put all his weight on the foot and quickly forced his other leg down, wobbling where he stood at the side of the bed, using it for support. He could feel his heart beating faster as he shuffled forward, closer to the bed where Storm Shadow was resting. His leg was still hurting so much, and it forced him to limp slightly. When he finally reached the bed, Snake Eyes looked down at his friend, shocked at the bruises all over his body. His bare chest was covered in bandages and dried up blood and Snake Eyes swallowed, touching Storm Shadow's cold arm with a trembling hand. It scared him that they had been so close to death. That they hardly managed to get away from there alive. He stroked his friend's arm absentmindedly as he realized that he couldnt remember how the hell they managed to get away. The last thing he remembered was their fight with the guards.....In the corner of the eye, Snake Eyes spotted a couple of chairs and turned his head slowly as if afraid that it would hurt if he turned it too quickly. With much effort, he managed to drag one of them to the bedside and sat down, sighing in relief. It had been a pain just to stand up. His eyes filled with tears as he moved his hand over Storm Shadow's wounded body, thinking back to the events at Cobra HQ. It hurt him so much that his friend was hurt. Holding back the tears, Snake Eyes let his hand travel back to Storm Shadow's arm and then to his hand. It was ice cold. The black clad ninja then put his head on the bed, next to the arm and closed his eyes hard.

"T..", he struggled to get words out of his mouth. "T..Tommy...", he sobbed.

----------------

Storm Shadow let out a low moan as he forced his eyes open, staring up at the....ceiling? He frowned, a little confused, and scanned his surroundings with his eyes. They widened suddenly and he sat up quickly but cried out as a intensive pain spread through his lower back. Realizing that he had shut his eyes closed in the process, he opened them again and panted, trying to calm down. Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned his head quickly to the right.

"Snake..", Storm Shadow's eyes widened and he pulled his hand out of the other ninja's grip. Feeling his heartbeat slowing down a bit, he looked around the big room, not completely sure of where he was or what was going on. He looked down at his apparently sleeping friend and his features softened slightly at the sight. The memories began to come back to him and a feeling of relief washed over him as he figured that they were probably in a safe place. 'Must be the joes' hospital', he thought to himself as he looked around one more time, wondering where everyone was. His eyes found their way back to Snake Eyes. It was hard to try to resist looking at him. He seemed alright...or else he wouldnt sit by his bedside..right? Storm Shadow allowed himself to smile as he stroked the other ninja's head before moving his hand to the shoulder, caressing the arm. At this moment, a strong wave of emotions filled him and he couldnt remember ever having felt like this before. A light color of red appeared on his cheeks and he was so lost in his own thoughts and feelings that he hardly noticed the sound of approaching footsteps. However, when he finally snapped out of the trance, he withdrew his hand quickly and listened carefully, readying in himself for a possible threat. Only seconds later, a man appeared in the doorway and they stared at each other, both with suspicious, vigilant eyes. Then the man looked over to the sleeping Snake Eyes.

"...I see that you are both up and.....", he looked back to Storm Shadow again. "running." The white clad ninja hesitated, still feeling a hostile atmosphere in the room, but then nodded carefully.

"I suggest that you lie down and rest..", the man said and went over to Snake Eyes, checking on him. Storm Shadow watched from the corner of his eye, but did not lie down again.

"..Who are you...?" he demanded to know, watching with badly concealed excitement as the black clad ninja was beginning to wake up.

"They call me Doc", the man looked up shortly and their eyes met before he went back to pay full attention to Snake Eyes. "I'm the joes' medical officer."

"I could tell", the ninja replied with emphasis and his chest grew all warm as he watched Snake Eyes open his eyes slowly, blinking a few times before noticing the presence of the other two men. He widened his eyes a little when looking up at his white clad friend, but didnt have any time to do anything, before Doc pulled him up to stand, carefully. Without a word, the doctor helped the slightly confused ninja back to his bed.

"Now dont go anywhere. There is something I need to fix. Alright? So I will come back and check on you in a while." Snake Eyes just stared at him from where he was lying and Doc took the silence as that he was ok with it. His eyes then traveled two beds away where Storm Shadow was still sitting, watching him. Doc started making his way towards the door.

"I thought I told you to lie down." The white clad ninja's eyes narrowed but he didnt move a muscle.

"No one tells me what to do...", he made clear with a defensive tone in his voice. He wasnt all too comfortable with the situation. He was in a building full of joes who were all probably pretty hostile to his presence due to his work with Cobra, and on top of that, he was badly hurt. Things could only go down from here. Doc narrowed his eyes as well but said nothing. Instead, he exited the room and the sound of his footsteps slowly faded away. Finally left alone, the two ninjas turned and looked at each other. A minute or so passed by before Storm Shadow decided to get off his bed but the pain in his back made itself reminded and he hissed, freezing in a painful looking position. Snake Eyes realized that his friend wouldnt be able to come over to him so he made an attempt to get off the bed again. His feet came in contact with the cold floor and he shuddered, but ignored the unpleasant feeling and kept going, shuffling back towards Storm Shadow's bed. The white clad ninja pulled his legs back up on the bed again, annoyed that he couldnt seem to get off it, though, his facial features softened when he saw his friend limping up to his bed and he smiled.

"Snake..", his smile grew wider as Snake Eyes stopped in front of him. The black clad ninja's eyes were radiating longing. Longing for Storm Shadow to touch him, to hold him, to....tell him that everything was alright. The white clad ninja moved, once again trying to get off the bed but Snake Eyes stopped him, placing his hands on the man's chest.

"I'm fine..", he insisted but hissed as he slipped his legs off the bed and placed his feet on the cold floor. Snake Eyes took a couple of steps back, making room for his friend and Storm Shadow closed his eyes hard as he put all his weight on his feet, trying to ignore the pain in his back. He hated to feel weak and the last thing he wanted was help. He could do this. All by himself. Panting a little, he opened his eyes and looked over to Snake Eyes, while letting go of the bed completely, wobbling once before regaining control of his body again. He took a step towards the other ninja, waiting a couple of seconds before he took another one.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a low tone and hesitatingly grabbed the other man's arm. Snake Eyes blushed but nodded, glad that he was wearing his mask. "...I cant believe we made it..", Storm Shadow smiled and moved his hands to the man's waist with slightly trembling hands and Snake Eyes shuddered, feeling his cheeks turning to a deeper shade of red as he brought his own hands up, moving them over Storm Shadow's bandaged chest. The white clad ninja stood still, watching eagerly as Snake Eyes explored his body. The hands moved further down, stroking at the waist and this time, the white clad ninja blushed, squeezing at the waist in his hands. The black clad ninja stumbled a little as he was forced backwards carefully, but before he had the chance to figure out what was going on, his back was pressed against the wall. He felt his heart racing and closed his eyes, letting out a shuddering breath as Storm Shadow pressed his body against him. The white clad ninja brushed his nose against the side of Snake Eyes' and the black clad ninja could feel the warm breath on the side of his mouth. In the small space between their bodies, Snake Eyes managed to free his arms, wrapping them around the other man's neck.

"Mm...Snake..", Storm Shadow moaned and moved to nibble at the fabric on the other ninja's collar bone, while pushing him harder against the wall. Snake Eyes opened his eyes wide and gasped, clutching at the back of Storm Shadow's shirt, but the white clad ninja moved back a little. He was still holding onto Snake Eyes waist, though,letting his right hand move further down, impatiently tugging at the fabric by the belt and managed to slip his hand in under the shirt. Snake Eyes bit his lower lip to keep himself from gasping when the hand traveled further up on his stomach. He started breathing heavily and grabbed Storm Shadow's left upper arm for support, feeling like his knees wanted to give away under him. The white clad ninja watched with desire as his friend squirmed in grip, loving the reaction he got from caressing him. He swallowed and licked his dry lips, feeling aroused by the feel of Snake Eyes' body under his hands and he let out a low moan as he felt his erection growing painfully hard. Unwillingly, Storm Shadow removed his hand from under the shirt and they locked eyes, just staring at each other for a while. Snake Eyes then brought his hand up hesitatingly, touching the other ninja's face mask. He then pulled at it but he was having a hard time removing it because his hand was trembling so much. In the meantime, Storm Shadow took the liberty to tear Snake Eyes' mask off and the black clad ninja bowed his head a little, ashamed of his scarred face. But when Storm Shadow let his hand brush over the scars, carefully, he relaxed a bit and pulled at the white fabric again, managing to remove it. The white clad ninja's mouth curved into a smile at his friend's sudden timid behavior and he leaned forward slowly, letting his mouth open slightly and Snake Eyes blushed, closing his eyes, waiting for what he had been longing to do for such a long time now. The sound of a gasp reached his ears and he opened his eyes quickly, just in time to see Storm Shadow spin around. Both ninjas stiffened at the sight of Scarlett in the doorway. Her eyes were widened and they could see tears building up in them, but before they could say or do anything, the woman ran off, disappearing down the corridor and out of sight. Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes looked at each other, both with slightly widened eyes.

--------------

**~Later the same day~ **

"So......that's what happened..?" Hawk asked.

"..Yes...." the general turned away from Storm Shadow to look at Snake Eyes, who was now back in his hospital bed, but the black clad ninja hadnt made any attempts to add something to the conversation so far and it seemed that he didnt have anything to 'say' either. He had simply been listening to his friend telling Hawk about the kidnapping and how they escaped, but the part with the experiment had been left out, and Snake Eyes could understand why. He was just worried that whatever they had injected into his friend would take control of him again...

Hawk turned back to Storm Shadow, who remained still in his bed, not the least intimidated by the man's sharp stare. He was still refusing to lie down, even though both Doc and Hawk had been trying to convince him rest.

"Why did you leave Cobra?" the general proceeded by asking and Snake Eyes strained his ears at this, listening carefully. Not even he knew the reason. There was silence for a moment before Storm Shadow decided on an answer.

"I dont need them anymore." Was the simply reply. Hawk looked like he was pondering on something and he scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Why..?" the white clad ninja's eyes narrowed slightly.

"That's none of your business..." Hawk leaned back a little in the chair.

"No...of course not..", he said and Storm Shadow watched, deeply suspicious as the general raised to stand.

"Is this interrogation over?" the ninja wanted to know, following Hawk with his eyes as the man moved around the room slowly, obviously deep in thoughts. "Because I have nothing more to tell you.." the tone in his voice made clear that he wasnt happy with situation.

"Yes...", the general looked up at him and stopped. "I'm done.."

"Good..", Storm Shadow replied and scratched his sore arm. "How long are you going to keep me here?" his eyes narrowed again as Hawk locked eyes with him.

"No one is forcing you to stay", the tone in the general's voice changed to a more bitter one and he crossed his arms. "You are free to go whenever you like."

"Very well...", the white clad ninja proceeded by slipping off his bed, wrapping his opened shirt a little tighter around himself. Snake Eyes stiffened a little and then realized what was going on. "Thank you for your kindness......I wont forget it.." he then glanced at Snake Eyes before taking a determined but wobbling step towards the door.

"I suggest that you stay until you're fully recovered", Hawk insisted, a little shocked at the ninja's sudden decision and he stepped closer to him as if he wanted to stop him from going but knew that he really couldnt. Snake Eyes followed his friend's example and slipped off his own bed, desperately limping towards the two men.

"No...I can take care of myself, thank you", Storm Shadow said with emphasis and was about continue on his way out when Snake Eyes grabbed his arm hard, and he stopped. The black clad ninja's eyes were widened and he held onto the arm as if his life depended on it. Storm Shadow relaxed slightly as he looked at his friend, trying to ignore the feeling of frustration and heartache.

"Snake....I.." the grip was really starting to hurt. "I should go.." the black clad ninja shook his head and the look of despair in his eyes made Storm Shadow feel extremely guilty.

"They dont want me here.", he said with a low voice, but knew that Hawk was perfectly able to hear him. Snake Eyes loosened his grip a little and glanced at his boss. He then grabbed Storm Shadow's hand and pulled at him, leading him out of the room and down the corridor quickly.

"Snake?" the white clad ninja tried to slow down a little but Snake Eyes insisted that they should hurry. "What's the rush?"

Hawk remained in the hospital wing, slightly confused and Doc appeared from his office, seconds later, coming to stand beside the man.

"Letting Storm Shadow loose in the premises?" Hawk turned to look at the doctor, before going back to staring down the corridor.

"I trust Snake Eyes."

-----------------

A moment later, the ninjas arrived to Snake Eyes' room and the black clad man stopped finally, opening the door carefully, just in case there would be someone in there. When he was done checking, he strolled into the slightly dark room and then waited for his friend to enter before he closed the door behind them. Then, without warning, he threw his arms around Storm Shadow's neck, burying his face in the man's shoulder.

"Snake?...", the white clad ninja stumbled a little but quickly regained his balance and he waited a few seconds, expecting the other man to pull back, but he didnt. Hesitating a little, he brought his arms up and wrapped them around Snake Eyes' waist, pressing his body to him. He then closed his eyes and shuddered, burying his nose in the side of the other ninja's neck, inhaling his sweet scent. Snake Eyes shuddered as well and let his left hand move down over Storm Shadow's upper back, stroking it carefully. He then slipped out of the hug and locked eyes with his confused friend, smiling behind the mask. Taking a step forward, he shoved the white clad ninja hard in the chest, making him stumble back and onto the bed behind. He then climbed up on it and crawled on top of him and Storm Shadow hissed at the pain in his back but couldnt help but grin.

"What makes you think I'm going to let you be on top?" he said with a smug voice and turned them around so that Snake Eyes ended up under him and he placed his lower body between the black clad ninja's legs, forcing them apart slightly. Snake Eyes inhaled quickly and blushed, trying to ignore the warm, tingling feeling between his legs. He watched as Storm Shadow leaned down over him and he closed his eyes as the white clad ninja tugged at his mask, pulling it down. His heart started beating faster as he felt warm breath on his face and he stiffened, waiting impatiently. When Storm Shadow's wet lips touched his, he clutched at the bed covers under his palms, feeling his cheeks turning red. The white clad ninja moaned and then forced his tongue into Snake Eyes' mouth and the black clad man grunted, kissing him back eagerly. Strong arms wrapped around Snake Eyes' body and he relaxed, loosening the grip on the bedsheets a little, enjoying the rough movements of the warm tongue in his mouth. He wanted to moan, wanting to show the other man how much he loved the way he touched him, but he couldnt. His throat hurt too much. Instead, he pulled his legs up a little and wrapped one around Storm Shadow's lower back and the white clad ninja responded by grinding his hips against Snake Eyes' once, making him gasp. A minute later, Storm Shadow broke the kiss and smiled, kissing his lover's cheek gently and Snake Eyes opened his eyes slowly, blushing slightly as they met the other's.

"I might consider staying after all", Storm shadow said with a cunning voice and grinned as Snake Eyes wrapped his arms around his shoulder, placing a kiss on his nose.

* * *

**It's finished!! Da end! I'm actually thinking of making a sequel, or I'll make a new story. Anyway, thanks all of you for reading!**


End file.
