Hello!
Before I start writing, I'd like to inform you how awfully grateful I am for you to choose this fanfiction! –bows down- thank you! I tried my hardest with the summary, and this chapter as well... reviews and support is appreciated!
This isn't supposed to be a long-fic, my main project (currently) is Wolf & Hunter, this story is written for the sole purpose of having fun. Even though it is quite a mature genre of story, I sincerely hope you will enjoy it, despite me not being native.
Gore and Mature scenes warning, if you are either offended or uncomfortable with it, then please reconsider reading.
Little Message: Also, looking for a skilled artist to do a cover art for me please ^^ Anyone interested is free to send a PM in which I'll gladly reply and request the art, of course; he/she will get all the credit!
Enjoy.
Blooming Abyss.
I do not own the characters or the Naruto series... however; the story is purely the fruit of my imagination.
The sky, as dark as grey, remains the same for abnormally one whole century. The unpleasant smell of foul and burnt plastic continuously floated in the polluted oxygen for so long that the inhabitants didn't even pay attention to it anymore; the heavy and complex machinery that filled their surroundings as well as the dark tall buildings was enough to blind them from a certain reality. Thinking that before, this dark dark city used to be called 'the village hidden in the leaves' makes it hard not to wonder what occurred for it to change so drastically.
Crime wasn't something unordinary in such a city, in fact; accidents and murder happened so often that even the law itself was considered useless. The one who is strong enough to protect himself is strong enough to harm others as well, the weak get's killed by the strong, because even if he showed mercy, the weak would have no place in such a cruel world.
Aside from the endless dark grey color of the inexistent sky, the surrounding black of the buildings and rusted ground; the city was incredibly colourful and bright at night, when the sky just gets darker than usual. The adult's-only red light's district, the casinos and shops from every kind of category tried to be as flashy and as noticeable for the not-so amazed costumers.
The pedestrians all had one single goal; go to work then go home, never get involved in what-so kind of situation, no matter who the person in danger is, or how much help he/she needs. Because in such a city, where law is just a meaningless word, where the weak have no place to stay, no right to live, a single warm light of hope is born. Weak yet beautiful, comforting yet reassuring; this single light is slowly blooming into something majestically fascinating, a charm that will perhaps resurrect the late 'village hidden in the leaves.'
The sound of drops from an unknown liquid echoed in the basement where humidity made its law, the rusted metallic walls made it nearly impossible for someone to penetrate uninvitingly in. Unidentified brownish-red stains lied on the ground followed by an unpleasant smell was enough to drive any living being insane, these suspicious stains were on numerous tools and weapons hanged on the wall, possibly used for some sick type of torture.
In the deepest part of the basement, two shadows were standing in front of a young 19 year old boy who had his wrists tied tightly by a rope and hanged on the badly-made ceiling. He was panting heavily and injured from nearly everywhere on his well-built body. The young man stared blankly at the ground, onyx black eyes fixing whatever without any emotion showing into the endless blacks. The two men both had fierce and merciless look's engraved on their faces, practically glaring at the shirtless boy with so much hate that it was almost as if they enjoyed his torture, no... they actually did enjoy it, in fact; they loved it.
But even though this sort of situation was meant for him to either beg or plead for forgiveness, spit the beans and admit that what he did was wrong, he did not. He just remained quiet, staring at the ground which was stained by his blood, and was now becoming dry from three hours straight of torture. His body was filled with scratches, wounds and bruises that were just too painful to look at. Some of them were small yet deep, others were just severe yet not quite.
Both of the men were starting to get tired as well, they've been at it for three hours, and the guy still didn't give up, no... he was way too stubborn, so stubborn that he didn't even let out a single word since he got caught. They both took it as some sort of mockery coming from him, like they both weren't even good enough to do their job, that the pain was nothing or that they simply weren't worth begging his life for. It was as if he spit on their faces or just simply kicked them in the nuts shamelessly.
With that in mind, one of them marched forward him and punched him violently, making him spit out blood as soon as he received the strong impact. Nevertheless, he did not flinch.
"Dirt!" he hissed while making a disgusted face, "A mindless puppet like you needs further punishment!" He finished as he clenched his fist, ready to throw a series of other punches at him, until his shorter friend stopped him. The irritated taller middle-aged man tilted his head towards his comrade's direction, having a curious yet disappointed look on his face, "Why are you stopping me?"
"It's useless, he won't talk."
The taller man raised an eyebrow while scratching his head confusingly. He nearly whined, but it didn't matter because this wasn't about pleasure but about work, and his shorter friend was too professional t let his personal fun get over his job. With that, he simply took out his pocket knife and aimed it at the young boy's throat, letting out a menacing vibe in which his taller friend found quite interesting.
"If pain won't make him talk, then perhaps having his life in danger would."
With a triumphant and devilish smirk, his comrade approached their victim and pulled his hair roughly backwards for him to see his face which was previously covered by his bangs. The onyx black were still as blank and as emotionless as before, now staring at the dirty ceiling without giving a damn about whatsoever. They were both starting to get seriously irritated by his behaviour; this was not fun at all.
Feeling like it was best to get the whole 'torturing' into a higher degree, the shortest of the two started cutting the creamy flesh on his neck slowly with his small blade, thin yet beautiful blood dripped down as he did so, eyes looking with fascination as the red liquid fell from his neck to his strong chest. But even with that, he still didn't move, not a single twitch, nor a frown, pain didn't even scare him, losing his life and meeting the sweet and everlasting death as well.
Perhaps did he know that they weren't allowed to kill him?
Again, he decided to slightly tear open the skin on his cheek, making again; blood come out with its delightful and addicting color. No reaction coming from him still, his patience reached its limit and so he continuously threw cuts at numerous parts of his upper body, bruising him more. That again, did not make him flinch in the slightest, but only irritated the two more.
"You little—"
Lifting his short blade up his head in an attempt to stab him in the gut, he was abruptly stopped by a strong grip holding his wrists. Cold skin sent him a chill down his spine, tilting his head; he noticed his fearsome boss, the one whom he owed and devoted his life to, Orochimaru.
Golden snake eyes were glaring angrily at them, the look that meant that they were overdoing it and it absolutely did not please him one bit.
He tightened the grip on his wrist, making him tremble under his menacing stare and presence, bowing slightly, he gave half a nod and let both his men go, finally leaving him and the young boy alone. In a swift movement, he cut the rope in which he was tied to and connected with the ceiling, letting him land on the dry blood on the floor. The snake-man's glare intensified, slowly shaking his head disapprovingly.
"How long will this continue, Sasuke?" He said in a cold and irritated tone, looking down at the (supposed) pitiful living being beneath him.
The answer he received was a rather loud snort.
... In which he replied with a violent kick in the gut.
The boy named Sasuke choked as soon as he received the rough kick, again, spitting out blood and dirtying the snake-man's previously well-cleaned shoes, which weren't as clean right now. But it wasn't important, what mattered was the young Uchiha, who yet again disobeyed on his orders, disrespecting his boss as well.
He cleared his throat and repeated himself, "Tell me, Sasuke..." He continuously kicked him in the same spot, fast and violently; "How...long...will...this...continue?!"
Stopping for a moment and letting the Uchiha regain his breath, he looked at his pitiful from lying weakly on the ground, his face covered with his dark-blue bangs didn't show a hint of emotion, something Orochimaru had to admit was; pretty much his most impressive point. He had to compliment him for keeping such a poker-face when his men tortured him severely, even if it wasn't his men but others', he still wouldn't say a word, no matter what they would do to him, a proof of loyalty and great qualities. He had to thank him, because if any other ordinary man from his side were to get caught, then he would have definitely spit the beans.
Sighing, he began to walk slowly in a circular manner, with him in the middle. His arms crossed, he looked at his weak body.
"You know Sasuke, even after betraying me continuously for all these years, I still cherish you dearly, have you got any idea why?"
No answer.
"That's because I need you, Sasuke."
With that, he stopped walking and squatted next to him, his hand caressing his hair in a gentle yet rough manner, "You cannot escape me, no matter how much you try... I'll always get you, you hear? We are both the same... you and I, we share something in common that no other living being in this planet have."
He then suddenly grabbed his hair and pulled it up, forcefully making him look at him straight in the eyes, "Which is why, I can't permit you to leave. Such a rare existence like yours shan't escape my hands, because this time... I'll make sure you'll stay put," he whispered in his ear as he pulled out of his pocket a syringe with an unknown red liquid inside. Noticing the object in his hands, Sasuke's eyes widened and he head-bumped him violently as he backed away from the snake-man.
"Don't you dare..." he threatened angrily, "... Give me such filth again! I have enough!" He yelled hysterically while breaking free from the rope that tied his wrists by using his strength. Orochimaru, who remained on the ground; touched his red front and looked up at the irritated and anxious Sasuke in front of him, a smirk curved into his pale face as he stood up slowly.
"When we torture you, you don't bat an eye, yet when I pull this little toy out; you start to panic- why is that so, Sasuke? Do you hate sharing his blood with me that much?"
"Shut your darned mouth," he hissed, "I never wanted to receive such dirt in the first place, it's because of it that I am to stay trapped here." Wiping off the blood from the corner of his lips, he marched towards the metallic door in the furthest part of the long and humid hallway, Orochimaru still following him with his eyes. His smirk did not leave his pale face, knowing well that no matter what; there was no escape for the Uchiha. As soon as someone gets his blood, it is too late.
He was about to leave, until Orochimaru called out his name. He tilted his head slightly, "What is it this time?"
"Once you're done resting, there is something I wish to show you, something very important."
The only answer he gave him was a small and inaudible 'hn,' and left the room; slamming the metallic door loudly and making his way towards the exit. Leaving the snake-man with his own mischievous thoughts, scratching his chin; his evil smirk widened to an extent where human beings would think is impossible to go any further. If someone would try to decipher what's inside his genius brain then he'd be sure to burn his own before achieving his goal, Orochimaru's plans were all so sophisticated that no one would ever think of them being 'possible'. In other words; if the young 'Uchiha' was in his plan... well, let's just say its better not to think about it.
The one named 'Uchiha Sasuke' is the last of his clan; he is alone in this grey meaningless world, without a soul to talk to or a gentle hand to reach out to him.
As he walked up the ridiculously long stairs that led to the upper floor; Orochimaru's men started at him rather doubtfully. How many times did the Uchiha attempt to escape their boss's grasp? He betrayed him so often that it was completely unbelievable to think that such a cruel and diabolical man could forgive so much. Their jealousy was rather obvious though; he was always the one Orochimaru favoured, the one who gets all the attention, the best salary, the pretty girls, the toughest and the most rewarding 'jobs'. They tried to cast him aside, humiliate him but it was all pointless effort, because Sasuke; being a genius as well, is currently labelled as 'invincible' near any normal human. And now, to think after 3 hours of rough torture, he'd still walk so freely without anyone minding him, again...
The Uchiha grabbed his black hood and wore it, cursing lightly when the thought of cleaning the blood stains on the cloth once more, which was; a bother.
Before opening the door that led to the outside world; one of them grabbed his wrist and practically glared at the Uchiha. Biting his lip in an effort to gather courage; he began to say really loudly; "You should stop abusing of our leader's kindness and trust! You despicable beast!"
Not bothering to even look at him, Sasuke snorted and curved his lips into a smirk.
The startled man was about to blurt out an 'What the heck—' until the Uchiha violently punched him in the gut, making the guy practically fly to the furthest side of the room, with all the other witnesses looking at the scene wide-eyed in pure simple fear. Sasuke left quietly, as if nothing strange happened... As if he wasn't even tortured to begin with, absolutely no pain to bear.
Looking at the now dark sky, the young Uchiha wore his black hood in an attempt to cover his bruised face from the many pedestrians, which wasn't really necessary; since despite that, many took the opportunity to throw curious and interested glances at him, women mostly. He got used to it for a while now, there was no denying his popularity with women, and it wasn't something to be ashamed about. At his loneliest days, his stunning looks and dangerously feisty body were often used as bait for a companion. He is after all, a man; a young man who has needs.
He did not deny how pleasant it was to wake up in a morning with extra-warmth under his sheets; the whole bodily contact and the voice of a woman sometimes helped him forget about his worries. Yet even... he never bought a girl home, or allowed her in his bed, the jumpy acts were all done in either a hotel or his companion's house.
Was there a reason for that? He didn't know, all he knew was that it was somehow disgusting for him to stain his perfectly clean environment with a girl whom he barely knew. He wasn't the one to blame for having such thoughts, since the people around him were already all quite despicable and dirty; taking example at Orochimaru and a few others.
Even now, while his face was dirty and injured, a girl purposely bumped into him, her face flushed red and the strong smell of alcohol reeked on her skinny looking body. She grabbed his arm and gave him a seductive look, batting her eyelashes rapidly in a half-attempt to charm him. He was not dumb; it was quite obvious that there was a reason for her getting drunk, a reason for her to choose him, a tall slightly muscular boy on his late teen years with stunning good looks and dominating aura. In his mind; he pretty much figured out that that girl was either dumped by her ex-boyfriend/fiancé/husband... or just plain lonely.
The 30-ish year old looking woman licked her lip and smiled, "Hey there, handsome."
He did not move a muscle, but only blinked once, then twice. His onyx eyes were fixed on her wild blues. With that, he pushed her arm away in an indifferent manner and simply continued his way towards his house. The woman did, however; not give up. She pouted and stubbornly followed him, shouting a 'hey!' while sprinting towards his tall figure and grabbing his shirt.
"What happened to ya? That smeck-see face of yours looks in pretty bad shape. Did your girlfriend's ex caught you in the act and busted the living shit out of you? Because that's what it looks like to me!" She playfully teased, tracing circles on his chest with her rather long and red nails. Not paying any attention, he just continued walking without a care in the world, since she already got it all wrong in the first place; she better not put him in the same boat as her. He did not need a girlfriend, and he never will. What's the point in having the same face follow you all the time, ask you where you go and get jealous as (excuse my language) fuck, there is no time to even breathe and it sounded so awfully tiring that the young Uchiha had in, by all means; absolutely not the intention to even start a goddamn relationship yet. All these negative thoughts of having a girlfriend were because of a certain stalker of his; in which he did not want to think about right now. The red-head simply haunted him day and night without considering how tired he was, it was awfully sickening.
But his irritating thoughts were all interrupted when the woman stubbornly stopped and pulled his shirt along, making him stop as well. He did not turn.
"Hey..." she began to say, her look softening, "love is tough, it's so annoying... no one needs it anyway, say... you've been dumped too, right? Why don't we both try to forget and become friendly in a totally platonic way."
He did not believe her for a single instant; if she was trying to cover up her suspicious actions then it was pretty pathetic. Considering that that person is drunk. He wasn't desperate enough to take this one and accept her generous offer and her honesty, but there was no time to screw around, when you're dirty and injured from everywhere, the first thing you want to do is get in a shower, tend your wounds and rest for a good moment.
With that, he again pushed her hand away and tilted his head towards her direction, "Get lost," was his simple reply.
Noticing his menacing look, she backed away and respected his choice of rejecting her. Because really... she was rejected her whole life.
Later, if he had known she was going to commit suicide, would he have used a different choice of words?
Did the life of others really matter to him?
Walking slowly while admiring the manly colourful lights of the many shops he already passed by, a breeze of nostalgia hit him in that very moment. A sudden warm feeling invaded his heart; it was so pleasant and peaceful.
But the lights were getting fewer step by step as he walked towards a darker neighbourhood. The sound of the cars stuck in a traffic stopped, the many conversations of the pedestrians weren't heard anymore, the sound of the casinos, the laughter of the drunk adults and the ring of the businessmen's telephones. It all stopped at once, and he was back in his own private loop of never-ending darkness.
Entering a rather narrow path, Sasuke took out of his pockets a few keys and entered his apartment complex, pressing the elevator button up to the 4th floor, he sighed in frustration and waited impatiently for him finally taking a warm shower and getting this whole 'I need you,' business with Orochimaru.
The loud 'cling!' from the elevator signalized his arrival at the 4th floor, releasing a sigh of relief; he walked a rather small hallway and opened the furthest door; room no.34 and was about to insert the key until he noticed to his great annoyance that it was already open. Only one person could have penetrated his private area using the double; and that person was none other than that darned water-element Suigetsu.
He opened the door in a swift movement and almost immediately noticed his lazy figure on the sofa playing on the retro gaming console. He sighed in frustration, making him notice his presence. Barley moving from his spot, the water-freak didn't bother pausing the game and waved his hand amusingly, "What's up, sweetheart? Been busy at work?" he teased. The Uchiha did not find it funny, and so he grumpily closed the door and sat on the couch next to him, "Ha ha," he mumbled sarcastically. Suigetsu was pretty much the joker whenever he was around; teasing the young Uchiha almost every second and provoking him without shame, it was his strong point and he used it as an advantage whenever he felt like his buddy was becoming too emotional. They would play video games or watch some random rented movies most of the time or just talk when they weren't on their duty days. When Suigetsu was 'created' by Orochimaru, he had pretty much nowhere to go, no place to stay and no privacy, it was by pity that Sasuke accepted to let him live with him as nothing more but a fighting partner. Nevertheless, even if it was only one who was thinking it; they were friends... of some sort. At least Suigetsu saw it that way.
However, as he was about to plug the second gamepad on the console and start a two player match, he noticed under his bangs and black hood a few stains of blood and injuries on his face, his expression took 180 degree turn.
"How was it?" He finally asked, concerned about his roommate. Sasuke gave half a shrug and stood up, "The usual," he answered while taking off his black hood; revealing the many wounds his body took from the 3 hour torturing session. Suigetsu let his tongue out in disgust, imagining the pain inflicted upon his own body; how did he manage to even walk back home?! An ordinary young man like him would have probably given up after five or six steps of hard effort, but Sasuke, being nothing from the ordinary, showed absolutely no signs of being in pain or suffering, to Suigetsu's great worry. Right now his friend was taking a shower without thinking for a moment how the consequences would affect his bruised body. Hot water on injuries? It can't be any more painful.
The water-element was quite stubborn at times, and the young Uchiha had trouble to keep up with him; because what kind of a sick-minded freak would tolerate living with him? An anti-social revenge-obsessed last remaining member of a forgotten clan and user of the Sharingan, really; who would want to? Well, only Suigetsu probably... The sharp toothed teen looked like some sort of humanoid shark while his sophisticated yet quite simple personality was pretty much uncommon nowadays, you could compare him to some sort of mutant if it weren't actually the truth.
Normal people wouldn't want to meddle in other's affairs, but what did Suigetsu do? The exact opposite; if something was interesting or quite feisty-looking, then trust and believe he'd jump straight at it and start doing his very own observation about the thing involved, whatever it is. To say that he didn't like girls was probably the biggest lie in the whole universe. He'd follow a mini-skirt without caring if the one who wore it was worth the take or not, age? Who needs to know about the age as long as its body is nice round and firm!
To put it simply, he is just one horny bastard.
After 15 minutes of showering, Sasuke felt as good as new and nearly ready to take on any possible task given by the delirious snake-man. Putting on a towel to cover his lower body; he headed towards the living room where Suigetsu was still playing his silly games, that is until he noticed the flashing red light on the phone.
Some messages... who could have called?
Pressing on the button, the voice started after the beep, You have twelve new messages.
He sighed and rested his shoulder on the wall, crossing his arms will listening to the answering machine,
message one, 11:48 AM.
"Hey Sasuke! It's me, Karin! Listen, I know it's super sudden and stuff but I sort of wanna' go out and see you today, I mean... I can't forget about... you know, right? I've been thinking about it all day and I just want to see your face once more! Please, if you get this message then reply!"
message two, 1:23 PM.
"Sasuke? Sorry for calling you again and probably bothering you, but I didn't receive your call and I'm starting to get worried, please do NOT ignore me! I have a lot of stuff to tell you and seriously consider calling me back!"
message three, 1:59 PM.
"Okay, it's nearly two PM, I know... but hey! You can't be working now, right? I heard you're supposed to rest because of your previous 'job'. Okay... I'm aware about it and I know just a few details so don't get mad! I know that such an injury is nothing for you and I assume you are already up on your godly feet, so move your ass off that bed or couch or whatever and ANSWER ME, DAMN IT!"
message four, 3:11 PM.
"Suigetsu? I know you're there! If Sasuke's not in the house then you must be there! Please answer me and tell my why the fuck Sasuke didn't call me back, because darn... I'm worried! Also... take this seriously you jerk!"
message five, 3:15 PM.
"You didn't call... what the fuck, Suigetsu?! Is this some sort of revenge against me?! You got to be here! You got to! Answer!"
message six, 3:58 PM.
"I'm in your apartment, Suigetsu. And guess what? YOU AREN'T THERE! Then where are you? At Sasuke's house! And what are you doing? LISTENING TO MY MESSAGE! SO GET UP AND ANSWER ME! I HAVE SOME SERIOUS TALKING HERE!"
Sasuke tilted his head towards the now giggling Suigetsu and sighed.
message seven, 4:23 PM.
"Sasuke? You're home right? Please ignore the previous messages about Suigetsu, and call me back... I'm so worried right now and I wish you'd be kind enough to answer, well... wherever you were... so in case you hear my message, meet me at the cafe near that Motel at five, I'll be waiting..."
message eight, 4:46 PM.
"Hey, Sasuke? Just in case you haven't forgotten, um... I'm heading at the cafe, you're coming right? I mean, I'll be waiting and like I said on my previous messages... I have something to tell you so can you come? Please?"
message nine, 5:21 PM.
"Okay, Sasuke I've been waiting for twenty minutes and calling you a thousand times by now and you still don't show up. I'm still waiting and I hope you won't be stupid enough to ignore this because it's not only about my feelings but also about business!"
message ten, 6:32 PM.
"... You didn't show up... I hate you..."
message eleven, 6:43 PM.
"Alright, look... this isn't for me, nor is it
about me, it's about Orochimaru... something weird is going on and the guy has been completely focused on some sort of project, I dunno' what's it about but I think I heard him talk about cherry blossoms or something, the cherry blossom project? Or the blooming project? Whatever! I don't care anymore, all I know is that I've been hearing him talk about you, seems like you are involved in that weird project, I have no idea what you're supposed to do though... I could have given you more details if you actually showed up! You jerk!"
For a second, Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He was involved in some sort of project? Orochimaru's no less!
He scratched his chin and started thinking, he did tell him to come back later because he had something to say... perhaps was he talking about that particular project? But then again, mentioning 'cherry blossoms' and 'blooming' isn't really his type. It's pretty late already, so it must be something of extreme importance, not that he was tired or anything...
message twelve, 11:08 PM.
Oh, that message was saved right when he was showering now wasn't it? Why didn't Suigetsu answer? Again, glancing at the indifferent water-element, the Uchiha figured that it was just his nature not to bother with anything that sounded/seemed futile and not worth the effort. A mere shrug was given to him as if he felt his stare behind his back, "Don't look at me," he said as he pressed rapidly the buttons on his gamepad, fully concentrating on the videogame, "I'm too busy here."
Sasuke sighed and moved his gaze elsewhere.
"Oh my god Sasuke, I just went to the laboratory and heard you got tortured for three hours straight! I'm so sorry I had no idea how hard and painful it could have been for you! If I had known I... anyway! Orochimaru's looking for you, he said you better not rest yet because the project I've been telling you about earlier is about to finish, seems like he wants you to assist it. So please come back and check it out!"
... End of the messages.
Suigetsu paused the game and jumped off the sofa, approaching the Uchiha with a serious look on his face, "Oi, that actually sounds serious..." he said calmly, "Maybe we should really go?"
Without further thought, Sasuke nodded and entered his room; opening his closet which contained a few clothes in which he rarely used. His main outfit consisted of a sleeveless black shirt and black pants followed by a comfortable pair of dark converse shoes he'd walk freely with. Most of the time he'd wear his black rider leather Jacket and dark gloves when it came to professional and discrete tasks. Wearing it, he looked at Suigetsu who nodded as well, getting ready too. The two had to assist in this so called 'important project completion', since it did involve them in some way.
After getting ready, both Sasuke and Suigetsu took out of the garage nearby the apartment complex their motorcycles and started the engine, ready to ride towards Orochimaru's research lab (and secret base) as well. When you think that such a famous scientist can be an insane genius with a series of schemes going on in his head you'd probably want to back away; however, when that person is filthy rich then it's a whole different story. He had something in mind, something big, and for accomplishing that something he needed men, a lot of them— and he needed Sasuke.
If it weren't for many people getting in his way, then he probably wouldn't need him. Who could do such a magnificent job at killing so skilfully and so neatly without leaving a trace? Sasuke. Who could get away at anything anytime without difficulty? Sasuke. The one who can fight for hours and resist the most serious injuries? Sasuke. Hide his emotions and keep his poker face even in the tightest situations? Sasuke, Sasuke again and Sasuke always. No wonder he's his favourite.
But then again, there's also another reason for him to favour the Uchiha, but that's a secret... for now.
Finally arriving at the Laboratory, the two young men jumped off their motorcycles after parking them and went inside, both guards looked at them for a second and finally allowed them in. Inside the reception room they walked towards the elevator and pulled out of their pockets their ID cards, then swapped them near the elevator coding, which unlocked a hidden button under the GF (ground floor) button, Sauske pressed it and the elevator took them down. The rectangular window allowed them to look at the many machinery and mutations Orochimaru was working at throughout the floors, Suigetsu suddenly felt quite uncomfortable and Sasuke noticed it far too well. Without saying a word, he gently patted him on the shoulder, making the water-element tilt his head towards his direction, the Uchiha wasn't facing him, but it didn't matter; because even such a small and insignificant act was able to slightly cheer him up. His concern was gladly appreciated, and Suigetsu smiled warmly.
A while later, the elevator finally stopped on the lowest floor and allowed them out, as soon as they stepped out of it they noticed Orochimaru standing right in front of them with the creepiest smile engraved on his pale face. He opened his arms wide, presenting his work with great enthusiasm, "Admire..." he began, "my beautiful work!"
Behind him lied one of his biggest machines, it apparently worked using nanotechnology, which did cost quite the fortune. Behind the huge glass full of water appeared to be some sort of feminine silhouette, the thought of it being another one of his experiments made Suigetsu shiver. Sasuke, who felt indifferent, approached the snake-man and looked at him seriously, "Let's get this over with," he finally blurted out. Orochimaru nodded and walked towards his soon-to-be completed experiment.
Karin, who was sitting near the central computer; was typing some sort of coding before noticing the Uchiha's arrival, she waved her hand meaning for him to notice her; but in vain. Not giving up, she started shouting rather loudly, "Sasuke! Yoohoo! Over here!"
He ignored her and focused his attention at the boss.
Orochimaru cleared his throat and caressed the glass barrier with the unknown being inside, "As you can see... I've been doing my all on this magnificent project." He began to say, eyes shining with fascination for his own talent, Sasuke crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow.
The snake-man walked in circles, finger tracing a straight line on the glass as he did so, "I think you both know how much our planet suffers from the constant pollution and forest crisis, am I right?"
They both remained silent, listening carefully at his speech.
"Well... quite frankly, I don't care! Well, I didn't care... not until now," he showed his tongue in a mischievous manner, Sasuke was about to scoff at his rather childish ways, but held it back. He continued; "So many illnesses appearing out of nowhere! So many problematic and strange paranormal occurrences frequenting themselves in our daily lives as well as biodiversity makes it so hard for a normal civilian to bear!" he waved his hand dismissively, "They start going like; 'Oh! I wish things were like back then! When everything was just normal, forests still existed and where nature reigned!'" he scoffed. Sasuke was trying to see where he was heading at.
A smirk appeared, that smirk, he started laughing; "Funny... even the world's greatest leaders started thinking this way, pretty ridiculous,no?"
"Your point," the Uchiha said, starting to become impatient. Orochimaru sighed and nodded, lifting his hand for him to relax, "I get you, but please bear with me for a while, Sasuke."
The Uchiha started tapping his foot, waiting for the explication and the meaning of him being here, because if it was all about such a stupid speech then why the heck was he called out anyway? He had to make it quick or else god knows what'll happen.
Orochimaru's eyes started widening, "I had this idea... this... brilliant idea."
Again, the shiver.
"I thought that if I saved their planet, if by any chance I became their prestigious hero and would make things go back like it was 'back then', gain their gratitude and respect; my image to the world was bound to make an 180 degree turn!" he pointed at the silhouette behind the glass, "This— my friends, is the weapon I'll use to bring this world back at my own feet, this is the weapon I'll use to wake him back!" He declared proudly, Sasuke's eyes widened.
Wake him?! He is not serious...
"She'll bring everything back to life, literally... yet her blissful skill shall only be part of my exquisite plan, her existence shall be the essence that will revive him back, her sole purpose for living will be only used as a decoy for further completion of my plan- the world shall notice soon enough how important machinery is, only then..." he paused to inhale a huge amount of oxygen, and breathed out quietly, "they'll finally realize that the world he created wasn't made in vain... she'll bring everything back, and then... I'll just destroy it once more."
With that, he pressed on a button behind him. The glass wall opened letting all the water fall on the floor and wetting everyone's feet, the humanoid looking female body fell on the floor suddenly, right in front of Sasuke's eyes.
The first thing he noticed was pink... bright pink long hair and pale naked skin. There was no denying it, it was a woman.
Orochimaru finally exhaled, "... the cherry blossoms, she'll make the flowers bloom again."
Lifting up her small body, she rested on her knees and tilted her head up, the Uchiha noticed almost immediately her bright apple green eyes that absorbed his dark onyx's.
"Project 'Sakura'." He finished.
And while both having direct eye-contact, the young Uchiha saw almost everything in those apple green's: the forest, nature, leaves and life. Everything made sense, everything sparkled and everything seemed to be clear for him. She meant life.
"Sasuke," Orochimaru began, "Your job... is to protect this rare existence, this brilliant masterpiece, for she is life itself."
And thus was the start of an incredible journey.
Blooming Abyss.
To be continued.
Review? I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! I'm sorry if Orochimaru's plan didn't seem clear... I'll make sure to make it more understandable in the later chapters! Please, if you did enjoy, support! Review! I love reading them!