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!