Birth of an Angel
Authors Note: This is my first story on this site, and I wish to extend my thanks for taking the time to read this story. I'll try and keep this story on a regular schedule, but I hold no promises. Any and all reviews of this story I welcome with open arms both praises and critiques. Now I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Thanks for your time: SagoiusMan95~
My life into this world was painful. For the first few months' hell years even, there was nothing but a steady stream of pain and torture. I couldn't fight back as much as my more mature mind tried to tell me. My limbs seemed too small for the task, and I could not articulate my pain into words, so the logical thing I did, was scream.
I screamed at the top of my lungs hoping, pleading for the pain to go away, to stop, to diminish even, anything. But my torturers just ignored my pleas and continued with their work.
Maybe I should rewind a little. Before I 'Came' here, I was a twenty one year old woman with a good understanding in animation and artistry that I held a steady job. A family of two parents and two younger siblings, no girlfriend, but I was comfortable with my life.
Then this happened.
One moment I'm sleeping in my bed the next I'm in some sort of underground facility and my hellish existence began. Before the pain began I noticed that everything seemed way too big, and my body felt like it was nothing but rubber that flopped when I wanted it to move.
My hearing and sight were worse then I remembered as I could only hear my own voice, and the only thing that showed were blocks of white and black as there was no such thing as color in the 'Pit'.
The only way I could tell time was when a tube was stuffed down my throat and this mushy crap would be pumped into my stomach, obviously that was used to feed me. It was daily thing that happened only once for several hours so it was obvious I was fed once a day, or at least I hoped it was that. I was just guessing and for all I know they could have been feeding me every once a week.
And since I was never really thirsty until the 'crap' was pumped into me, I guess that was how they kept me from dehydration as well, so that blew apart my theory of weekly or monthly meals.
After three hundred or so 'meals', I had gotten bigger, my body responding more to me, but I still couldn't really move, but that was when they really went all out on me.
Needles filled with God only knows what were pricked into me, the contents freezing my body as it went in, then less than a minute of the unknown liquid entering my body it burned as if molten liquid was pumped into my veins, boiling my blood and burning organs to a crisp. During that time blood was taken from me, paper was stuck to me as I writhed on the table crying out in pain.
Rough hands would hold my body down when I thrashed too much for the papers to stay on, and they would inject me again and replace the papers that were torn off and the process would repeat in a vicious cycle
But after around four hundred 'meals' that was when all the pains so far paled in comparison to what happened next.
They did the normal routine, taking my blood, placing the odd papers onto different places of my body, but instead of the usual dozen syringes pumping me full of unknown chemicals, they placed one syringe directly over my heart, injected its contents into me, then they waited.
They didn't have to wait long, because as soon as the liquid entered my body, it screamed bloody murder against this newest intruder. It was different than the others, instead of just molten lava burning everything in its path blindly; this…this thing had a mind of its own.
It attacked anything it thought was a threat burning whatever got in its way. Which meant my whole body was fair game. My body fought against it, and got burned to a crisp for its trouble, but as the 'Fire Snake' as I called it afterwards, finished one fight and went to attack some different part of my body it replaced the dead part of my body with something else. What it was I have no idea, but it didn't cause me pain so I forgot about it as the Snake burned my body from the inside out.
I think I died almost three times as the Snake did its work, my tormentors scrambling madly to keep my body alive, working with furious fervor. If I didn't know that they were the reason I was in this mess in the first place I would have felt thankful.
Finally after an incalculable time, the Snake curled its body inside, just below my stomach and went to sleep. Not dead but merely hibernating in my body, making a new home for itself in me.
After that they let me rest for about seven meals, doing nothing but try to have me recover from the Snakes burning touch. But after that respite, they got nastier. Not as bad as the Snake, that will be the most painful thing in my life and I doubt anything could overcome that. The tests they did after my break were more painful than the ones before the Snake, and more numerous as well.
Syringes went deep into my arms biting into bone, with needles also piercing my lungs and other organs I did not now could be touched by syringes.
The worst, that was almost as bad as the Snake was when my back started to tear and rip apart. I don't know if it was the Snake's fault, or if it was the chemical from before that were just now kicking in, but it started to tear apart on its own without the aid of my tormentors.
It's hard to describe, my back was both being torn apart, but also something out of my back. I thrashed in my tormenters grips as they had me pinned to the table to keep me on my stomach as the pain increased. They made sure I stayed that way until it was over, which was hours maybe even days later. After that I was always on my stomach so I couldn't see what happened to my back, but ignored it as the more regular tests started to take my thoughts away from that.
After a total count of nearly thirteen hundred 'meals', they stopped. All the syringes, the papers, blood samples, everything just stopped. For how long I stayed in there I don't know, without my daily meals it could have been hours or years as far as I knew. Then a single man comes in, unchains me from my table, and in a surprisingly gentle fashion carries me away.
I'm carried somewhere with bright light, but I was too weak to cover my eyes so I just squinted to try and keep my eyes from stinging from the light I hadn't seen in what seemed forever. My neck was too rubbery to try and look at my savior, but I hoped that everything was over that all the pain I had endured would come to an end.
After a few minutes of walking, I was placed (again surprisingly) gently onto a soft bed, and after years of just a stone bed this was heaven. I passed out before my head even hit the pillow.
I awoke to find myself no longer on that stone bench I was chained to for what apparently was years. I stood, but nearly toppled as legs as my legs were weak from never being used. After a few more tries though, I was able to stand with my own two feet but my legs buckled precariously.
I shakily did a 360 of my new abode. It was Spartan, with bare cement walls. A single wooden door was my exit. The contents of my new room, was a futon, desk, chair and a single candle fixed to the wall as my source of light.
Next I took stock of myself, after nearly three years of not being able to see myself, I wanted to see how badly I was hurt. But what I saw made me nearly fainted in shock.
Instead of the battered body of a tanned, body of a pretty looking twenty-one year old, I found myself looking at the body of a battered, bloody, and pale skinny body of what looked to be a three or four year old. My hair was just above my waist, still my fiery red color I remember it being. I was thankful that was still the same, have to take the small blessings.
Then I hear a rustling that wasn't the rubbing of the rags I was currently wearing, and I just noticed the heavy weight I had on my back and now I finally had a chance to see what it was. I looked over my shoulder, and almost fainted again.
On my back was a pair of rusty red, two and a half meter long wings! They were about as big as I was tall, and I knew that if I stretched out my wings I could touch the wall on either side of me easily. I reached around, and felt the dirty red feathers, letting them slip through my hands like silk.
Without a thought I had them wrapped around my body so I could get a better feel. It felt odd really to have body parts outside of your arms and legs to control, but it was instinctive and I doubt I would need long to acquaint myself with them.
"Good morning child." A soft voice said behind me. I whirled facing the door, and there standing in the doorways was the man who saved me. He was tall, nearly two meters tall easily dwarfing my half meter frame. He was pale, literally the color of snow, his body covered by a baggy white shirt that covered his hands and arms completely. Tying the shirt on his waist was a purple rope like belt. His pants also baggy and white were tapped at the ankles giving a sort of balloon effect, with black open toed sandals finish off the ensemble.
His face was thin and aristocratic, golden eyes with the skin around them painted purple with tattoos. Long black hair went into a straight bee line to his waist, longer than mine.
Behind him stood a girl about twelve years old, wearing a brown version of his clothing, with what looked like mesh underneath, and shorts instead of long pants with a tan cloth tying the shirt to her waist. Her hair was framed with two blue bangs with the rest of her hair in a spiked ponytail.
But something about the man, I'm not sure he just had that aura of a powerful man. Like a lawyer who knew everything about everybody, and used all of his influence to get what he wanted and if you pissed him off your life was ruined. But unlike a lawyer, if you pissed this guy off, you died. This man was a predator among men, his stance assured, and steady. His eyes cold despite the warm smile he wore, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
I shivered a little, and not from the cold. But I swallowed my fear and asked, "Who are you?"
My voice was nothing but a whisper, I barely heard it myself and I doubt if anyone wasn't trying to listen they would have mistaken it for the wind.
And it felt like I gargled glass then chewed on salt rocks afterwards. My tormentors were not nice with the tube. His smile still in place even as his eyes regarded me coldly, he said in a semi-comforting tone, "My name is Orochimaru, child. You are safe now."
I nodded despite not liking this man he still stopped my tormentors from doing anything else to me. Plus his name rang a dusty bell that for the life of me could not remember.
After a second of consideration, I asked hoarsly "Where am I?"
"Safe." Was the one word answer, then he elaborated, "You are in one of my bases, so no one will be able to find and hurt you again."
So no one will hear you scream, was my first thought to his uninformative answer. But I shook it off mentally.
"What happened to my family? My parents, brother, sister?" My voice growing more frantic with panic, despite its dried state, as my mind conjured horrible things happening to my family.
Orochimaru though gave me a confused frown, his brows furrowing slightly in his confusion, "I thought you were an only child Hotaru-chan?"
I froze, my mind coming to a complete stand still, "What?" I croaked out in disbelief.
He nodded solemnly, his golden eyes analyzing me, "You were the only child of two Konoha chunnin who died tragically while on separate missions. You were placed in an orphanage before I found you and left you with my subordinates." He spat out the word, as if reliving something that angered him greatly.
My eyes went wide with the realization, "You! You left me in that, 'Pit'?" My voice incredulous as I scrambled to get away from this thing, almost instinctive to get away from the man who caused me nearly more than three years worth of pain.
He approached me cautiously, like you would a hurt and rabid dog holding his hands up in the universal signal of peace, "I did not know of the horrible atrocities my men would do to you. If I did, I would never have placed in their care. I wouldn't have let you go near a thousand meters if I knew what was about to happen to you."
His face became remorseful, and he kneeled in front of me holding out his hand hoping for me to take it, "Could you forgive this man's fallibility?"
Two sides were warring within my mind, one side, the child part of me wanted to trust this man. He stopped the pain and that gave him some credit. It was a mistake, a big one for sure but a mistake nonetheless and he deserved forgiveness. He even gave me a room without restraints and if he wanted to hurt us he would have already.
But the larger more mature part of me didn't trust an iota of this man. He placed us in that Pit of Hell and left us there for years. He was the reason the Snake was still curled in my stomach hibernating, the reason why my wings hurt so much when I got them. All the pain, all the suffering, I had to go through was on his hands.
My conflict seemed to show on my face as Orochimaru sighed and stood with a disappointed look on his face, "I see. I hope you change your mind soon, Hotaru-chan." Turning around he made to leave the room, but stopped just short and looked behind him, "Food and water will be given to you during your stay. And I hope you will change your mind about me. I will not hurt you child like my men did."
With that he turned and left. The girl stood there staring at me for some reason, before Orochimaru's voice sounded out, "Guren-chan come along!" She scampered out of the room, closing the door behind her as she did.
After they left I sat heavily in the only chair, cradling my head in my hands as my mind whirled with the information Orochimaru had given me. Konoha, chunnin, missions? What was he talking about? My mum was a groomer, and my dad a chef. I know I had a younger brother and sister. And Hotaru-chan? That was my name? Maybe he got his information wrong and thought I was somebody else, but then that dusty rang again in my mind this time louder.
Wait…Orochimaru…Konoha…Is this guy talking about Konohagakure no Sato? The Village Hidden in the Leaves? I thought that was only in an anime show? Either this guy is pulling some sick joke, or he is a sick demented man in his own twisted world and dragged me into it…or maybe I came to the Naruto verse. Then that means I just talked to Orochimaru of the Sanin, The Snake Sanin, one of the most hated traitors in Konoha's history.
That revelation opened a bunch more questions, like, Why? Why was I sent here? Why in a kids body? Wouldn't it been better to send me as an adult? And sending me to Orocichimaru? Now I knew I couldn't trust the bastard, but…
My head was spinning and I knew I wouldn't stay awake with all the excitement that occurred over the last half hour, so I flopped onto the futon, and as soon as I hit the pillow I was out like a light.