Hayashi Kiki Mizuka couldn't remember, meaning whatever happened was something bad. That much was obvious, especially since pain coursed throughout her entire body and the coppery taste of blood stained her mouth. Stupidly attempting to at least sit up, she fell over cringing in at the stinging sensation. Taking sharp breaths, she focused her eyes and looked around the best she could. It was a dungeon with a cold floor and moist walls. People were obviously dying: they were coughing up blood or just plain weezing like they were just about to fall over any second. She cringed again but not in pain. Death always bothered her whether it wasa friend, family, or enemy in which case was why she became a medical koinichi.

Death... That word brought back a sudden rush of memories.

There were screams. She almost didn't notice since she was lost in her own world centered around her own personal dillema: her arranged marriage. She was adopted into a clan that arranged marriages. She was already in a beautiful wedding kimono - purple lined with green, swirls of flowers sewed in gold threading from the bottom growing to the top. Her hair was combed out. Her sandals were somewhat high and uncomfortable. They dressed her up like a plastic barbie. She personally hated the outfit but everyone said it looked beautiful on her so it stayed as is.

She had black hair and glittering black eyes. She had a well sized bust and a perfect figure. She had dainty feet with long slender arms and legs. And secretly she had black dog ears which she kept secret for obvious reasons. Usually she hid them under hats, bows, and ribbons. This was because she was a hanyou (yes like inuyasha). Right now it was her cycle to be a human which was perfect since nothing was covering her head. The ceremony had already started but she didn't cared. She wanted to skip the whole damn thing.

They told her she had a calm and philisophical (actually they told her she over thought things) personality. Sometimes she could even look into a person's soul and automatically know them as if they were friends from birth. That ability made it easier to get along with which made her a desirable women. Which is why she was being treated like a prostitute. Sold off to the highest bidder. (Ones who could raise my family's prestige.)

Upon hearing the screaming, she woke up from her thoughts and ran outside hoping to help, thinking somebody just cut themselves and those annoyingly foolish women were just reacting to the blood, but no. It was an invasion. People were being relentlessly cut down and murdered. Begging from whimpering townsfolk blanketed the area. Both kinds: begging to be spared and begging to have their misery ended. Her eyes widened as Sound shinobi circled her. No weapons. No jutsus that wouldn't cause fatal wounds especially with her chakra. Either kill or be killed. A few handsigns and she summoned Inugami, a demon hellhound. He gave a crooked smile, licked his lips,"Heh, heh. It's been awhile since you last fed me..." Jumping into action he tore apart the ninja, devouring them. Alive. Screaming erupted from the sadstic shinobi. Ironic to own such a beast yet hate the blood and death. An amused snicker sounded behind her and it went dark.

Slowly she composed herself and began to heal her wounds. Scraping metal on the stone floor echoed loudly. Murmuring drunken slurrs were barely within hearing range, but the constant pleads to be helped or released made it harder to hear. She made out something like,"We have new toys to play with" or "Which one?" and "Hey, pretty babe!". The pitter-patter of footsteps fell a foot short from her.

"Heya looka 'er she 'eems funnn and shez hurled herself sooooooo nones gottsa notissss"

I was revolted. The one perk to being captured was getting out of that Kami-sama forsaken marriage. I don't, didn't, and never will care for that damned family or husband. I won't say I hated my village. The Village Hidden by Wolves was a wonderful, peaceful, serene, friendly place. As my head jerked up due to the hand entangled in my hair I stared trying to use my ability to know the person. Staring at him with dull eyes I casually asked,"Do you still have nightmares of your drunk step-father forcing you under him? Is that where you learned to treat prisoners?"

I honestly did expect for me to get smashed into the wall. "Reap what you sow. Your sins will drown you one day. Why, now how can you give people the hell you experienced so long ago?" I looked up at him with pitying eyes.

A sober voice called out,"What the fuck are you doing? These prisoners are to be interragated before harmed or mentally damaged any more than they are." Walking forward he grabbed the drunk and then me "Drunky gets punished while prisoner gets interragated." After finishing his baby talk, he gave a malicous smirk.

Trailing down a twisting maze of corridors "drunky" was tossed in a room drenched with the scent of blood. For 13 more minutes I walked silently as he dragged me to a room at the end of the hall. "Here you go," he huffed, pushing me through the door. Falling indignantly flat on my face, I groaned.

"My, my. For someone who heals themsevles, they are quite weak in the legs." I stared at the face, reconizing the voice as the one who knocked me unconcious. Oh crap... Ebony mixed with ivory and golden snake-like eyes. Snakes... I hate/fear/have a horrible phobia of snakes. Once when I was little I fell into a snake's den and almost died 'cause of the venom. He motioned to the chair and I stared trying not to crawl into the corner and screech for help."Well? Can you speak? I know you can walk otherwise you wouldn't have gotten here."His voice dripped with patronizing annoyance.

I stood up, never moving my eyes mind you, and sat on the chair. I finally made the choice to close my eyes and pretend to be talking with my brother Kouga (yeah like inuyasha).

"What's your name?" His voice was nothing like Kouga's.

"Hayashi."

"Funny. Unless my ears decieved me, I heard them call you Kiki."

"Kiki is a nickname. For the kanji "ki". Two "ki's" put together is pronounced Hayashi. Call me Hayashi." Damn, I was too nervous.

"I am aware of my own language's properties." He didn't snap at me. I would have thought he would be more . . . testy. "Why are your eyes closed?"

"Your appearance scares me. Snakes aren't exactly my favorite animals."

This made him smirk."Open your eyes and keep them open."

"Hai." I opened my eyes but looked down, my fists clenching my torn,ragged kimono.

"Try looking up."

"Iie." I shook my head in case he misheard me.

Sneering, he kicked me in the gut hard."You shouldn't be so insolent. That will certainly get you killed."

"Does it really matter? I will most likely die soon anyway. Why go down a whimpering, mindless slave? I might as well preserve what dignity I have left."

He smiled a sadistic grin. He had fangs. "Do you have any abilties or should I say what do you specialize in?"

"Medicine."

"Hmmm. . . Then you have use therefore there's no reason to kill you."

"Do you have any Kekkei Genkai?"

". . .Iie"

"Why so hesitant?"

2 hours til' the cycle finished. . . "Gomenasai. I didn't mean to be."

His eyes narrowed but not in anger or annoyance. It felt like he was studying me. He swept his eyes across my body. He snickered, trying to taunt me and get a rise out. "I'm sorry. It seems I may have ruined your special day. Tell me was that shoulder-lengthed, brown-haired man with the black satin yukata your husband?"

"Probably." What did he look like again?

"Probably? Well he's dead now but I doubt you care that much."

". . .It was arranged. I had no say in the matter"

"Poor you. . ." He crooned softly, taking her face in his hand. When he began caressing, her face she jerked away. "You seem so firey and defiant. I'll have to fix that immediately."

I remember my head being bashed against the wall and then I woke up in the hospital. When he decided to visit me, I could tell he was utterly amused. He traced his hand around my bandages. I flinched, but it was barely noticeable. My gut said he saw.

"Ki-"

"Hayashi."

"Ahh. Don't you like me? That hurts."

"No, it doesn't. You're a sadistic, heartless bastard."

"Hmm. . .Well you do have a point, but not the current point. I have a small mission for you to do later. Til' then you can just go rest up and relax in my library."

I blinked. "I am not loyal to you, nor do I plan to work for you."

"Why do you have a death wish?"

"I am merely stating the truth."

"Well I have means to convince you. . ."

"I don't really respond to torture."

"Does the name Iro Mizuka sound at all familiar?"

She didn't like where this was going. Iro was an orphan she found and raised as her son. He had black hair that partially covered his left side of the face. His hair dropped down to his chin. The exposed portion of his face showed somewhat pale skin and dark green eyes. He usually wore black. "Doushite, hito-san?"

Swiftly he back handed her. "I am to be addressed as Orochimaru-sama and currently we have him under our wing safe and not harmed at all, but that can easily change."

"Let me see him."

"You shouldn't demand."

"Let me see him. I can't trust a snake."

"Heh, heh. I suppose I could bring him here. . ."

"If what you say is true, then I will follow you, on the condition that Iro stays me."

"You have no say in this matter. You shouldn't keep making demands."

"Like I said, I can't trust you. And even if I was disloyal you would probably take pleasure of killing him in front of me."

"All to true. . ."

Orochimaru's POV:

Orochimaru was having fun. It had been a while since someone stood up to him or even bothered to talk back. But she wouldn't ever look at him, which annoyed him to no end. But that was one of the many things they would have to work on. He had never met anyone so calm and straightfoward. He automatically knew she wasn't lying when she spoke, but that hollow voice of hers was the second thing on the Annoying List. That monotonous voice and those empty eyes. . . They should be either be drowning in fear or hold some respect and acknowledgement as to where her place was.

Staring at a clock, he noted it was already 8:45 pm. He should go check on Kiki, oh wait, Hayashi-kun. He began walking down the corridor when he heard a beautiful voice singing a song he couldn't recognize:

To get my happiness I have done everything

but have done nothing to be blamed or accused of

The sounds of footsteps became louder every day

then I noticed the fact there was no time

I want a believer in life to be myself always

and was asking whether I will be alive

Give me a reason why or why not to adopt in this way

or judge me to be guilty of so many incurable sins

Tell me why or why not complaining way too much

maybe I overlooked something fatal for me

He stood outside the door as the music stopped. Pushing the door open, he asked mockingly,"Why stop singing? Please don't tell me it was on my account."

She stared at him and he felt it as it bore through him. "Yes. Somewhat. I don't want to sing to or around you. Besides I have no reason to sing anymore." His eyes drifted alongside hers to a bundle buried in her lap. Iro was sleeping soundly.

"How cute. . . Too bad the mission starts now. You are assigned to the patient Kimimaro Kaguya. You start immediately so I will lead you there."

Kiki's POV:

It smelled of decay and death while a lively corpse lay in bed coughing and convulsing. I stared for a second, fiddling a rectangular red stone (kinda like FMA philosophers stones) that I wore around my neck and jumped into action without a given order. I quickly stablized him and analyzed his lungs for the problem: A rare type of tuberculosis ate away at his lungs by killing white blood cells and leaving it succeptable to bacteria and infection. It was easy for me to figure out because of an outbreak that had occurred in my village a few years back. It was supposed to be contageous, but the previous medic actually did some good. The overall analysis: This was treatable. Kimimaro, my first mission in Otokagure, would be live longer.

3 hours later

It didn't seem fair. Reluctant or not I shouldn't have to keep wearing this wedding kimono. It's caked with blood, mud, and practically in shreds (not to mention the memories it held). Orochimaru could afford to give me the luxury clothes. Not for my sake, but for Kimimaro's. All kinds of bacteria and germs on my tattered clothes could rub off and worsen him especially since his immune system wasn't in tip-top shape yet. Kimimaro, though getting better, kept coughing up blood every once in a while (which of course splattered on me). He was unconcious and only barely woke up every so often too groggy to know what was going on. He was completely stable and even though that was good, it meant I helped Orochimaru. I wished I at least was given proper working conditions. It would make me feel less like a prisoner. Ignorance is the ultimate bliss.

I stared at Kimimaro, something seemed odd. I wasn't told much except his medical history. But he had a weird aura about him which made me somewhat nervous. I heard footsteps closing in on the door and I realized something: my ears. The cycle was finished and now I wore dog ears. I ripped my kimono towards the bottom and made a hairband and quickly wrapped it around my head. As I finished, I heard the door open but I already knew who it was I could smell that discusting scent of blood, puss, decay, and Kami-sama knows what else that sickening scents were.

"The patient is fine now but I'm concerned the medical history might be incomplete."

"It has everything that is necessary for you to know." Orochimaru stated emptily. I looked down. I hate how I can't read him by his expression or voice! And then there's the lack of concern about the patient. Though usually I'm calm and collected, Orochimaru and his sadistic ways pissed me off. I could use my ability but I really don't want to see what goes on in his head.

"You know, I probably could more effeiciently help Kayuga-san if I had proper attire."

"What's wrong with what you have on?"

"It's covered with so much germs and bacteria. I wouldn't want my patient to get sick again on my account."

"Don't you mean you don't like those filthy clothes contaminated by blood?" he stated mockingly.

I stared angrily. I hate all violence but I have no trouble inflicting pain and did he ever need a good punch in the face. He would probably do this often: patronize me, try to make me feel as worthless as possible til' I was broke down into another one of his mindless drones. Iro would probably die after that so it won't happen anytime soon. "Well now that you mention it something clean and not seeming like it came from a war would be nice."

"I'll consider it." He turned to walk away and I lost it. He was brushing me off like an insect not worth the trouble. I never acted like this before and it surprised me now that he could get to me like this right now. It was probably the lack of food, water, and sleep for the past 25 hours. I picked up a metal container and crushed it into a ball and threw it as hard as I could against his head.

As it made contact with his head, a trickle of blood streamed down his neck, as did mine. A sharp spear-like bone was held against my neck. Even breathing was heard as the room went silent. Kimimaro was up and about with eyes like a sociopath, like what he was do was fine or didn't bother him. I stared forward as Orochimaru suddenly started bleeding heavily. The blood started turning a darker color til' it became brown and then Orochimaru himself, began to turn brown and melt. Earth substitution method.

"Ganbatte Hayashi-kun. I hope you do well as a doctor for your remainder here. I will assign sound ninja to accompany you around til' I know for sure you can be trusted and to familiarize you with the base." An echoing voice stated amused.

Kimimaro slowly withdrew the blade and stared with child-like, innocent eyes and studied me. Finally, he spoke quizzically after 3 minutes, "You are. . . my new doctor?" Still studying me, he patiently waited for a response.

"Yes. I'm your doctor." I completely calm now stared and studied him. He was a teenager, somewhat tall and slender, he was pale also but I think thats his natural skin tone. "You may call me Isha-san (Mr. Doctor!). I hope you are feeling better Kayuga-san."

"Don't call me by my clan's name. I am Kimimaro. I am feeling better. When is Orochimaru planning to return?"

"Gomenasai. That's good. I don't know, but I'm sure he doesn't care." I spoke slowly, answering each question at once and watched him to see how he would react to my statements. I must have hit a nerve with my last sentence because he glared angrily at me and coldly stated,"If you ever speak or address Orochimaru-sama with disrespect or try to direct harm his way I will not hesitate to kill you even if I end up getting sick again."

"Gomen. Wakarimasu. So how are your lungs doing? Is it any easier to breath?" I asked, hoping to change the topic. I looked at his soul when I noticed he woke up. He had a horrible childhood filled with loneliness, blood, war and hate. To him Orochimaru saved him from that life. I understand why Orochimaru is so important to him, but is he too blinded by faith to see how Orochimaru is no better then his clan, locking up prisoners until he felt like using them?

"I can breath fine."

I put on a fake smile though I don't know why. I suppose to reassure him. "Then I'm sure you will heal easily and go back to . . . serve . . .under your lord. I'll pray for you"

Kimimaro stared at me for a while and then calmly stated,"There is no God. It's just fake worthless folklore to keep people in order and give them false hope. They do not realize that they are only making reality more painful."

"God cannot save everyone and make everyone hopelessly dependent on him. We must live on own lives and learn with our experiences and keep faith in him until our trials are done. If we cannot find peace in our lives we can find it in our after lives when we journey to heaven."

Kimimaro stared at me as if he was considering what I was saying but wasn't going to believe it. I finally decided to break the silence again,"We are who we are. I not trying to force my beliefs on you. It's your own choice."

I turned to walk away when Kimimaro suddenly began to speak again,"How would he expect us to keep believing in him if he forces us to suffer and feel pain which we don't deserve or can't help or escape?"

"God asked Abraham to sacrafice his son to him. Though it pained him to do so Abraham brought his son to the top of the mountain and tried to kill him. At the last second, an angel messenger stopped him and said that it was a test that instead he should sacrifice the lamb caught in the thicket. It's all a question of faith. . ."

After my work with Kimimaro was done, I left the hospital ward and, as promised, I was accompanied with the appointed sound shinobi, but found they were completely useless. They followed my every movement, but didn't show me around much. I decided if I was going to live here, I should lose them and investigate this place for myself. It seemed like simple enough:

Plan 1: Summon Inugami to carry me. He should scare half of them of with his size and bloodlust glinting in his eyes.

Plan 2: Look in their souls for a simple phobia.

Plan 3: Desperate measures. (Only use in emergencies)

"I am tired of walking so I will summon my animal to help by carrying me around. Is that okay?" I asked calmly. As they shrugged, I quickly summoned him, hoping he wouldn't just automatically eat them all. In a cloud of smoke, a purple aura appeared and killing intent rained down on each one of us. 3 of the 5 shinobi ran then before they even saw his form. Inugami stood in front of us and another ninja fainted.

"Hey wake up" the guard yelled.

"Can I eat him?" Inugami inquired, tongue hanging out and cackling lowly.

"NO" I said firmly.

"YES," sneered the guard, "We have no reason for pathetic weaklings. Besides if you don't, Orochimaru will to this fucker and the dumb fucks who made a run for it. Especially since it was given as a direct first priority order.

"Shut up," Both of us said at once. Then I asked curiously,"Why is it first priority?"

"Probably because if you wander alone you might free the rest of the prisoners, escape, tell our location, and start a battle that would endanger Orochimaru-sama's plans."

"Probably, you don't know?"

"Where to now?" he asked with a hint of anger, avoiding my question.

"I plan go where ever Inugami wants to."

"I smell food up ahead. . .I'll be going there."

"There isn't any mess halls or kitchens near here. What do-" The guard was cut off as Inugami broke into a run, leaving the guard in a confused daze. Twisting from each corridor, he stopped towards a wing in the south. But this scent wasn't food, this scent made me hold my breath so I wouldn't gag because of my over-sensitive nose. This scent was blood and bodies of the dead.

Suddenly, I could hear it. The agonizing screams. The painful, begging cries coming from each room. Men, women, children, and oh God even infants! I couldn't move. I was afraid to breathe. In a swirl of panic, memories that were buried deep in my mind, surfaced. But I don't want to remember what happened on the bridge or why pain was shooting through my bloodied arm or why my ribs were jutting out of my right side, at least not now. Forcing the memories down, I hobbled, clutching my head with one hand, to the door closest to me as the memories settled and opened it.

Smeared with blood, a restrained man lay on a table, needles beside him in a tray. I walked towards him, my thoughts completely under my control now, and he stared back up at me, eyes wild like a trapped animal. Examining him more closely I saw who he was. Golden eyes, neck-long sandy-brown scruffy hair; he was my fiance. Large gashes were covering his body (where his chakra points were, I noted), and left unattended he could die. Looking around, I saw thread and a needle on a counter. I walked over and picked them up. This would do. I sewed him up and he screamed louder in pain. I stared at his eyes. They were looking at me but they weren't seeing me. I shrugged it off, thinking that it was probably because of whatever Orochimaru had in those needles.

I heard the door open, but I didn't even look up or stop my work. I saw no need since I knew who it was and could already tell he was highly amused with my efforts. "I'm sorry you saw this," Orochimaru stated to mock me once again. Standing at the door he began advancing towards me,"Oh, and I let your cute little dog into the experimentation cells for a quick snack since he seemed so. . .ravenous. I hope you don't mind."

"Even if I did, I doubt it would have affected your decision. What exactly kind of fruit were you hoping to produce with this experiment?" It's funny how I kept my same low, bored tone even though I was somewhat concerned with his well-being. Then a thought hit me fast and hard, though I made sure it didn't show: I never knew his name or at least never bothered to memorize it.

"That doesn't concern you. What does, however, is the fact that you aren't allowed in here. Where are the guards that were supposed to be on duty?"

"3 ran away as quickly as possible, 1 fainted 5 seconds afterwards, and the last one couldn't keep up with our speed or actions. They weren't the strongest of ninja. How many of my villagers have you brought here to use as lab rats for your experiments, may I ask?"

He smiled a dark, demented smirk and said, trying to hold back a laugh,"Half of them that survived the village massacre."

"And the other half?"

"Tortured to tell me where certain scrolls are and secret jutsus that your village created and only knows how to perform, candidates for my next body, new recruits for my village, new toys for the guards, and things like that."

I tilted my head up and closed my eyes and wondered what would happen with my friends, family, and any others. What kind of pointless tortures and experiments would befall them. Mercy here is probably just considered a swift death or opportunity to become a follower. I hated violence. I hated to think about what was going to happen and half in thought I spoke words I knew formed a no turning back zone, "In the village I was considered the most skilled shinobi, which is why I was arranged to marry into this man's family, a family of the most powerful ninja and feudal lords. I knew every jutsu from that vllage inside and out and even created some myself. I could show you, if you're willing to strike a deal with me."

"What kind of deal would it be? I won't grant your's or Iro's freedom."

"I realize this, but my demands are similiar. All the left over citizen and shinobi from the Village Hidden by the Wolves and the children are to be released."

"My, my so demanding aren't we? What age range would you consider as children?"

"New born to 14." I answered, wondering I probably could have added on a few more years and still have sounded reasonable.

"How will I know they won't say anything about their visit here?"

"I developed a technique that can alter memories."

"Fine. I'll let your villagers go. But as for the children, I'll only release the ones I have right now. I don't plan to release everyone that comes into my possession. Understood?"

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama" He smirked at me and pinned me against the wall with one arm. When I felt cold metal against my back, I suddenly realized that as he advanced towards me I subconciously kept backing up. I tried to move but on the right side of me I was held in place by a medical supply cabinet.

Orochimaru leaned in uncomfortably close to me and crooned," Oh, my! Have my ears deceived me or did you just address me with respect?" I stayed silent and he continued to break the boundaries of personal space. With his free hand he lifted up my chin so my eyes locked into a deep gaze with his snake-like eyes. Those greedy, hungry eyes. For some reason I wasn't scared of him anymore but something in my mind told me something was akward. "Do it again."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama."

Smiling, he moved away. Heading back to the door with his hands on top of his head. He stopped and asked, "Are you coming or do you prefer to stay here?"

"What about him?" I pointed to the nearly forgotten patient.

"What about him? He going to die. I did an experiment that no one could possibly survive through. He'll be dead in an hour."

"Why him?"

Orochimaru had stopped and was staying silent. "Let's go," He finally answered, "There was no particular reason. I just randomly chose him. And I hope you can erase more than one person's memories at a time or else you'll be working for a very long time."

"Hai, I can alter as many people's mind as I have to at a time."

Out in the hallway, I heard something clattering on the floor. I looked down and noticed my wedding ring laying there. The blood covering my hands must have made it slip off. Since it fell near Orochimaru's foot, he kneeled to pick it up. Orochimaru down on one knee, handing me a wedding ring, and saying, "Kiki, would-" was what that fat ass guard from before saw when he ran forward yelling, "I finally found you, sneaky bitch!"

The next second, his head was on the on the ground. "I don't need pathetic weaklings who can't even handle simple orders to serve me." Orochimaru stated, "Now for the rest..."

"Chotto matte! The dungeons first!" I pulled Orochimaru away to distract him. I want to help anyway possible to stop him from killing since it started because of me.

Okaasan... see the blood. see it run but I don't care anymore, I thought quietly to myself.

A/N: Hi! I want to explain a few things. First DISCLAIMER: I DONT OWN ANY NARUTO, INUYASHA, FMA, or any shows mentioned in this fanfic! Second that song in the chapter was Why or Why Not. It's the ending to Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry). I also don't own it.