Calea~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I explored the west wing I found things and people who interested me: a bunch of captives, medical labs and the herb garden. I never thought I would find myself interested in herbs or anything medical, but I guess it grew on me when I wasn't paying attention. Perhaps it's the appeal of healing and fixing things that I couldn't normally fix.
I'll have to hunt down Kabuto and convince him to teach me or something.
Orochimaru found out about my west wing exploration yet doesn't seem bothered by it and I can't think of why he would.
The captives are nice to talk to every once in a while. I tell them some of my adventures outside and they listen with the occasional comment.
Before we got to speaking terms they all either cursed me for working with the lord, pleaded to be released or threatened me. But as time went on and the experiments continued they understood I couldn't help them out even if I wanted to. Gradually, they warmed up to me and I would share some funny tales of meeting interesting people or destroying items of interest by accident. We would laugh together and I bid them farewell, promising to visit later.
So here I am, walking to the herb garden. Orochimaru planted a new flower that was said to possess an intriguing look, bestowing beautiful scents upon those it favors. And, I want to see it! Is it pink? Or blue, I like blue flowers.
"Calea." My name… Oh! Here comes a servant.
"Yes?" My fingers are feeling the new fabric from my fashioned dress I was given. Its red, like my short hair, with a white sash tied around my petite waist to my back. I give the servant girl my best smile of feign interest.
"The captives are asking for you . . . there is another experiment scheduled later."
"Oh. Ok. I'll go see them then." I wanted to see the flower . . . but I guess it can wait.
Together we skip up the halls, me skipping, the servant briskly walking. It's deep in the west wing where the prisoners are located, as far away from the exit as possible, which makes sense. After multiple twists and turns for around five minutes we come to a different tunnel, one that lowers deeper beneath the earth. The floor isn't there, only dirt that crunches as we traverse to its destination. I shiver as I always do, my skips ceasing to a trot until the end comes into view.
Iron doors blocking entrance, but are unlocked with a key of the same element, sweep open for me to enter.
It's cold here. Jars of creepy things line the walls on shelves, and each is grotesque or somehow disturbing. I plaster my smile into place and continue along the orange floors to another door (wooden this time). Voices plotting escape seep as whispers to my ears and I shake my head, turning the handle to open the door. The voices stop.
"Hey, I came to visit." Not a big smile, but one that held enough happiness to seem ignorant of everything.
"You've returned!?" Few remaining survivors remain, each a person of different background, but as means to live they came to a truce. From their surprised faces I can gather that they thought I would abandon them, but why would I do that?
"Of course, silly!" I try my hardest to become a radiant sun, shining warmth with my powers of merriment.
"I wanted to see a new flower but I figured I see you first, Poor flower must miss me…"
One man with sandy blond hair and deep green eyes smiles, "I bet the flower was a beauty." I smile back at him. He's younger, barely only a teenager, while the others are middle-aged.
"I don't know, but I bet it is! It's gonna be amazing!" I spread my arms to engulf the full power of my flower friend… that I don't yet know.
They exchange a glance of minor skepticism and amusement, all four remaining, before turning back to me.
"Is that a new dress? It suits you." The teenage blond remarks as he gestures to me. Twirling and whirling I spin, and they watch with weak happiness from behind bars.
A coffee skinned guy sighs, "You remind me of the good old days, I wish we could get them back."
I let the smile slip, tilting my head to look at him, I understand his words, however in my heart I hope those days never return.
"Keep strong and they'll return. I'm sure they will!" I say softly.
"How can you be so sure of this?"
"Well, because things just will, you're smart guys, I'm sure you can escape this by surviving." They all share an expression of doubt that they all try to hide. Ignorance is bliss.
"Well what were your good days like?" It's the sandy guy again who speaks.
How should I answer this? Stuck in someone's cellar since everyone was too afraid for us to leave again, the village I had was torched? No, before the crisis, when I still loved my village, that's it.
"I have a sister, but she's not here"
Not the answer they expected but I continued with my tale, a half lie; a white lie.
"She had long red hair like mine, and is older than me. She is older than me and prettier. Back home in the village square, we would have festivals for dancing. Lots of colors and dancing would fill the square. We would join hands and dance in circles, spinning round and round. It was great. In the center she would dance alone, the star of us all."
I found myself reenacting the star dance, twirls, twists, spins. Lost in the memory I gave a happy laugh and the captives chuckled with me.
"Then, what?" Sandy guy spoke again with hidden interest that I knew was there.
"I would sneak into the center and we would sing a chant for good fortune,"
"Sing us the chant." A statement, to recall the past I had shoved away. For them though, I guess I can sing just once.
My young voice took on a mysterious tone as I softly sung the words.
"Under the gaze of our moon
The flowers will bloom
The water pure and flowing
Our spirits will rise"
I felt my voice rise and fall with each word for the short chant, inspiring a tear I allowed from these suppressed memories. Even at the young age I was at, I didn't normally let the tears flow, but my past was something I didn't want to remember most times. Especially since the good times vanished with the virus…and everything went dark.
My blue eyes fell upon the bowed heads of the guys, lifting they gave me a warm smile each and thanked me for the hope.
A small nod, a brief smile, and a wave, though the experiment might fail, perhaps they would live. I hope they do.
My sandals traverse back up the tunnel to my original place, journeying to the flower I wanted to see so badly. A soft tapping across the orange stone to the garden alerts me to yet another presence. Stepping from the shadows walks Kabuto.
"Let's go see the flower, Kabuto" Ignorance is bliss, so my small fingers clasp his and I acted as though my past actions hadn't occurred. I tilt my head to watch his silver hair, I wish mine was similar. Since he's here, doesn't that mean he's going for the experiments? Or is it to tend to his selection of plants as I do to mine.
"Are you gonna go to the garden?" I ask. A confused look adorns his face as he looks down on me.
"I… yes, for now."
"Ok, is the flower pretty?"
"Very."
"Then let's go!" I scramble forward, happily dragging him with me.
Vines grew wild, herbs and spices remain manageable, and a miniature flowerbed waits to be watered all under the crystal domelike structure above the garden. Large natural boulders cover any view outward but the gleaming sun and it clouds could be seen in all their glory. Unlike the sandstone in the hideout tunnels, these rocks were various shades of grey, silver and black with intriguing shadows.
During my time here, I grew accustomed to this room, me and flowers are one in the same, oh there's the flower! It's this wondrous shade of blue, a stunning turquoise with a dark outer rim to the petals. Four petals spread with a yellow center and a long winding stem. Simply enchanting!
No sweet scent is emitted from it and I feel my face fall into a pout.
"Give it some time." Kabuto stands behind me, hands in his pockets, eyes intent on the magnificent flower.
"Ok." I can't think of another response in my slight disappointment. Maybe I was hoping it would love me and I would be able to smell its sweet scent. Too bad.
Kabuto relocates to examine his poisonous developments, while my fingers brush over the petals of several roses. Through the clear crystal I water my flowers through a pail, sun rays warming my skin from the cold earlier. Without noticing I find myself humming a forgotten melody, peaceful and content as it is. Kabuto stops moving to listen, his closest ear turned to me.
I'm so lost in the moment, clipping dead flowers from the roses then watering them that I hardly noticed Kabuto smile, collect his samples and leave. But things turn out like that sometimes.
For the next hour, I continue my ritual of plant tending and humming, happily moving along until finished. Sometimes this is the way things ought to be.
"Kabuto?" I whisper as I realize the silence. I shrug. "Hmm I guess he left . . . I forgot to ask him about the medical stuff . . . darn." I pout staring at the now vacant room. Might as well work on the flower beds then . . . hm hm hm hm da da dum da da dum . . .
Kimimaru~~~~~~~~~`
There is this girl here. She's been here just as long as I have although I have yet to actually see her. From what I gather she's quite a sight to see; deep blue eyes, short red hair, and an outgoing nature. I want to run into her at some point but I figure that can happen later. Right now, I just want to see some flowers.
Ever since being found I've been trained by whom-ever had the time to, occasionally it would be Orochimaru, but usually it's just me. I could talk to the others who are by the lord's side but I don't converse with them well. They just are competing for his appreciation just as I have and I don't want to risk what I have.
There are multiple reasons to try and gain his praise since I am happier than before and the fact that he chose to save me from the prison was kept in. I hope to repay him someday for this and fulfill my place I his eyes. Until then I'll continue along this winding path I'm on.
The orange stone is cold as I walk up the inclining tunnel to the garden, though it seems to get warmer with each passing step. Torches flickering as I walk past shed light on my feet and the direction I want to go. For a few moments this continues, yet a sweet tune greets my ears as I reach my long awaited destination.
I wait, listening through the door to this voice that's young and girly. Should I enter? Yes, I wanted to see the flowers.
Sensing the lack of threat form this girl, I ease open the wooden door that my ear had been pressed to stopping to observe what was before me.
Calea~~~~~~~~~~
There's a guy watching me? White hair, pale skin two dots on his forehead, a curious face . . . watching me . . . he's adorable!
"Hey, why are you staring?" I ask, turning to face him completely from the end of the petite garden.
A pink tint becomes apparent on this boy's face as he turns to look away from me. I give a small sigh.
"Never mind that um . . . Hi, my name is Calea!" I don't understand the look of shock that crosses his features but it's so cute. Without realizing it my lips pull into a full blow grin.
"Kimimaru's mine, hi Calea." Such a soft voice, I wonder if he'll be my friend.
"Do you wanna be friends Kimimaru?" His pint tint returns and I resist the urge to hug him. To my relief he nods and I beckon him over to my favorite flower; the newest edition to the garden.
"It's pretty!" Maybe I should hug him! But not now . . . hopefully later though.
"Yay! It is my favorite! Is it your favorite?" He smiles and nods at me . . . for whatever reason his timid nature causes me to squeal and embrace him. So my resisting urge failed but he's so adorable?, I may have surprised him and it seems as though everyone is taller than me.
"Let's play a game! How about tag?" I hope he agrees. His brows furrow.
"I don't know this game." He says, tilting his head to the side.
"You're silly," I retort. "You have to catch me! Then if you do, I have to catch you! Do you understand?" I cross my arms and pull my head back.
He nods.
"So, do you want to play?" My voice is softer this time as I give him my best puppy eyes.
Kimimaru widens his own eyes and quickly nods.
"Yeah! Tag you're it!" I take off, sprinting in my dress thing out the door and into the tunnels with the boy hot on my heels.
~~~Kimimaru
I'm not sure why I agreed to play or be friends but the hideout can get lonely by your-self. Wait she's running away, this is called tag? That must mean I've got to chase her … she's so fast?!
My feet carry me down the halls following close behind the girl yet I can't seem to speed up enough to tag her back. She's turning, now's my chance! Got her!
Calea's giggling at me and now she's chasing me? Got to run away but she's so quick. This way, that way, how long have I been running? Uh oh, I've been tagged and she's running away … more chasing.
How was this chapter? Please tell me what you think and such: comments, praise, hatred, and pairings, whatever you want to write.
Any feedback would be nice so I would love you forever if you responded to this. Thanks!
