Dark hallways echoed in fearful past cries of inhabitants that had been put out of their misery. Roaming the hallways was no great thing in this place. How he hated these bleak veins of the cold heart buried under the dirt of the living.

He imagined there was never a worse way to grow up, he knew little of the world above but that much the boy was sure. From the tales of those in the dark, from people that came from outside, he had the idea of a better standard of living. Tales of the sun haunted the little experiment raised in the everlasting night of the underground, and it persisted in his waking hours even more so. Dreaming of a light so warm, it reached your insides was something he would sacrifice the little he had for the chance to see.

Here was the room that the man slept, the great snake that he feared above all else- yet the same man that caused his existence. Curiosity was tearing at him, the boy had heard that the Snake was transitioning between bodies. This meant he was weakened, unable to even care for himself from the rumors.

In the light of a single candle, a shape was outlined in the large bed. The small face lined by one who knew pain looked out into the dim light, no one was around. Kabuto was nowhere, he must have left the candle and to his frightened mind meant the good doctor might return at any moment.

The temptation to run was immense, but not enough to overwhelm his fatalistic need to see the man revered and feared as a god down here brought down to the terms of those he experimented on.

Quick, quiet, quivering, he crept into the room. Slowly letting the door fall back into its nearly closed position behind himself, the young boy approached the malignant presence laying in the center of the room.

A thin whine made him freeze, heart thumping awfully in the small cavity of his chest. One of the instruments connected to the man was the source. He had no knowledge of these things, but a small tube lay on the floor. A few drips of thin liquid dripped from the end.

It was one of those things that went in your arm, he remembered it from a few of the times he had been unconscious for a while. From what Kabuto had said, it was meant to keep you alive when you could neither eat or drink for yourself.

The great snake lay there, helpless as that liquid dripped a little onto the floor. Dead, this man would never hurt him again. The thought horrified him, even his torturer was just a man with terrible ideas- that was what Ai-san had said earlier that day anyway.

A man lay, for all intents and purposes, dying in front of him. The snake that had sliced into him, injected various serums and other things, and had never shown him kindness that was not laced with malice. He had never fallen under that hero's spell that some seem to keep of him. Then again he had never spent time above ground to know how it was to form an opinion other than one who caused himself pain.

The only question was, where was Kabuto? Shouldn't he come to that noise? It seemed pretty important. There was no second thoughts as he raced from the room, the little boy had no clue how to replace the tubing but he knew someone who did.

In his quiet murmuring of his shy voice, having never sought out the doctor before, he told of the problem. There was a little bit of surprise on his face as Kabuto started at a fast clip down the hallway.