Chains of Fate (Sequel to Silver Bells)
by Kaline Reine
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters/settings. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. This is just a fanfiction story.
This story is written for RukarioHadou and Sakura Uchiha belongs to her. c; (She also wrote a lot of this chapter for her OC's backstory and most of the backstory is taken directly from her, so I claim no credit for that.)
***WARNINGS: This story contains graphic adult content, including violence, torture, possible rape, abuse of various kinds, incest, and explicit sex scenes. If you can't handle my sick and twisted mind then you, my friend, are reading the wrong story. It also may contain slight spoilers if you aren't completely caught up.
Chapter 2:
A very sleepy medical ninja wandered into the kitchen... The smell of food being cooked had lured him in. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, as he stood in the doorway.
"Morning beautiful," he told his lovely fiancé.
"Good morning, my love." Sakura waltzed over and kissed him sweetly on the cheek. "I couldn't sleep, so... I made breakfast." She flashed a smile at him, warm and contented.
Kabuto sat down to a nice breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. She was a really great cook. She portioned everything out and didn't seem to make any mistakes. Their kitchen was pretty nice, but it was a little small and cramped. Especially with the large kitchen table and chairs that were in the middle of the room. Not to mention the boxes they still hadn't finished unpacking. She'd managed to work around all of it and do just fine though.
"This is delicious," He remarked, through a mouthful of food. "You're a really wonderful cook."
"Thank you." She blushed, also enjoying hers.
"I hope you're feeling better after last night."
Sakura thought about it for a minute. "I sort of am. I mean, it helped to get it off my chest. Thanks for listening and being there for me."
"No need to thank me. I do it because I care. If you feel up to it, I'd love to hear the rest of your story. I'm sure that's not all that happened, right?"
"It isn't, but..." She hesitated. "It'll have to wait until later. I'm supposed to meet with my father today. He requested to see you too. I just got word by messenger hawk this morning."
"Oh I see. Maybe it's about a mission...?"
Sakura nodded.
The two enjoyed the rest of their meal, before getting dressed in their usual attire. Sakura was still quite fond of the yukata that Kabuto had bought for her so long ago, when he was still with Orochimaru. That name alone brought back so many bitter memories... They were best left alone for now.
Once they were both dressed in their usual outfits, the couple was ready to go.
"Ready?" Kabuto asked her.
"Mhm." Nodding, she took his hand, and the two stepped outside.
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, birds were chirping... Once they entered the main part of town on their way to the Hokage's office, they were met with the usual hustle and bustle of people making their way through the crowded street. They were used to getting odd looks from Konoha's residents since they'd come back. But the attention seemed to have died own, and everyone was getting used to their presence.
Once they reached the office, they were ushered into the building by an ANBU member. She had long purple hair and a cat mask. The woman tilted her masked head to one side, indicating a question, though she did not speak.
"We're here to see the Hokage... He asked to see us?" Kabuto answered her unspoken question.
The masked woman nodded, and motioned for them to follow. She took them straight into the Hokage's office and closed the door behind them, while she waited outside. It seemed they'd stepped up security a lot lately...
"Hello father," Sakura bowed her head to him briefly, and he returned the gesture. "I've brought Kabuto with me like you asked."
"I see." He stated, with all seriousness, before becoming more laid back in the presence of the only girl he'd ever seen as a daughter.
"Is there a specific reason you wanted to see us, or...?"
"I wish to extend my congratulations to you both, on your engagement."
"Thank you." Kabuto bowed deeply to him, in an expression of gratitude. He had a feeling the Hokage wouldn't have congratulated him if he didn't approve of their union.
"Oh!" She giggled delightedly. "We thought maybe you had a mission for us or bad news or something."
"There is one thing..." A worried expression came across Sarutobi's face.
"Name it." Kabuto knelt down on one knee, in a gracious bowing gesture. "And it will be done."
"My, my... In a hurry, aren't you?" The old man joked. "You don't have to kneel. Stand up."
"I prefer to stay in your good graces, and I feel I've already done a terrible disservice to Konoha." He explained, now standing next to Sakura. "I want to redeem myself properly."
"I still haven't finished planning the wedding!" The cat girl interjected. "It's in a few days and we still have so much to do... There are lots of preparations to be made."
"Don't worry. This mission won't take place until after your special day. I'm sure we have time. I'll give you a few weeks to get settled in... And then there is something very important I need you to do."
"That's very kind of you, father. Thank you."
"I'll get right to the point. It is tragic what happened with Orochimaru... You did an amazing job overcoming the unexpected kidnapping, Sakura. You proved yourself to be both strong and wise... Despite how it would have appeared to him."
"I hated acting the way I did," she confessed, "It was embarrassing but I had to do it to protect myself. Who knows what Orochimaru would have done if he saw what I am really like... And what my true power is."
Kabuto gave her a curious glance. "Your true power? What is that?"
"Go on. You should probably tell him about all of it." The Hokage urged her.
"Alright... Well I learned a lot of the basic jutsu I know from the Uchiha clan, mostly from my family. For a while, after my clan was... eliminated... I trained with Gai. He taught me Taijutsu and helped me learn to control my physical strength better. Then I trained with Kakashi for a while. He taught me Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, along with the Chidori technique. He also helped me control my chakra and control the urge to release the two tail's power when I was very angry."
"Sounds like you had some very good teachers." Her fiancé remarked.
"Yes, however... Eventually, my power became too much for them to handle..."
"Thank goodness for the toad Sage..." The Hokage chuckled a bit.
Sakura nodded, continuing to explain all of it. "Yep. Jiraiya helped me with all of this when it became too difficult for them to control my inner power. He taught me Rasengan and other useful techniques. Eventually... There came a time when even he could not handle me. I was partially afraid of my inner power too, but not nearly as much as they seemed to be."
"And rightfully so." The third Hokage smiled to himself, as he listened to her story. "So many memories..."
"That sounds absolutely awful..." Kabuto looked down sadly. "Did you ever find anyone who could train you and keep it under control?"
"Yes," She went on. "However... That is when Orochimaru took over and became my sensei. I was like a beast; truly wild... Because of all the abuse I went through, I couldn't let go of the anger in her heart, or the sadness. Not completely."
"I'm so sorry."
"At one point, I even transformed into the full two tailed cat beast, out of anger and sadness. Orochimaru was the only person who was able to get through to me and get me to revert back. On that day... We formed a bond and fell in love. I became... involved with Orochimaru."
Her words were like daggers in Kabuto's heart. He'd never known about her and Orochimaru. They were a couple? It was somewhat strange, considering all he thought he'd known about the two of them. He knew about what happened between them when she was kidnapped, but that was different. It had been forced on her... Hadn't it?
"Oh..." Was all he could bring himself to say. He was still listening to her story.
"I was around nineteen at that point. I should have been younger than Sasuke at the time, but for some reason the excess chakra from the two tails caused me to age faster than normal, until I got used to it.
"He was the only one who could break through my shell of anger. I kept it hidden deep inside, locked away... I never felt I could express myself in any other way. I just didn't know how. That's all I was ever taught."
"I can relate to that more than you know," Kabuto assured her, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"When I was younger," The cat girl continued, despite the fact that her ears lay flat against her head now, indicating her sadness and anxiety at remembering the more difficult parts of her past. "Orochimaru gave me some of his DNA... He bit my neck. It hurt like hell, but he did it to protect me."
"Is that what you really think?" Kabuto knew his former sensei better than that. "I know him. He'd never do something like that. He is the type who loves inflicting pain on others."
"You're wrong!" She took an unsteady breath to calm herself. "I mean... That's incorrect. As a result of the bite and shared DNA, I became able to bite and poison my enemies. He did it so I would have a better chance of protecting myself in the long run."
The look on his face was skeptical, but Kabuto still seemed to accept her story as fact. He knew she wouldn't lie to him... And she had been through so much. It was the least he could do to listen to her until she was finished. Maybe there was more he didn't yet know.
"And, as painful as it may be for you to hear this, he did all of this to help me because he loved me and wanted to make me strong." It was the hardest thing for her to say. "He gave me the choice before he did it, and I chose to endure the pain. He bit me... Just like a vampire... At first it was pleasurable, but due to the venom, it became painful and hurt like hell in only a few short seconds."
"That must have been so awful!" He shuddered just thinking about it. The snake Sannin had never bitten him, at least.
"But I didn't mind the pain at all. I was finally able to really feel something pure, something real for once in my life... You have no idea how freeing that is. Orochimaru was... He wasn't what people think. He was the only one who was ever able to get through to me. Later, he asked for my hand in marriage, and I accepted. We were very close and had an unbreakable bond. And then one day..."
He held her, as she began to shiver from telling the story. "It's going to be okay. Just take your time. I'm not going to judge you."
"Thank you," She smiled at him. "I admit, it is hard to talk about sometimes."
"There's just one thing that bugs me..." Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "If it was so wonderful, why didn't the two of you go through with it? What stopped you?"
"I'm getting to that. One day, something took him over and turned him into the monster that he is now. I was powerless to stop it. The true Orochimaru is still alive within the beast. Orochimaru's demon controlled him and made him do all those awful things. The torture, the fighting, the experiments, the forbidden jutsu... He wasn't really the one who kidnapped me, either. The demon also did that. We have proof of all this. But..." Amber eyes fell downcast, the shadow of her bangs barely hiding the upper half of her face. "I'm not sure if there's any way to save him."
The medic nin thought about it for a moment. It didn't sound too terribly complicated, to separate someone from a demon that took them over. "Stranger things have happened. I'm sure there is a way."
"You think so? Well, even if we did manage to help him... His crimes are too great to be ignored."
"You forget, my daughter..." The Hokage finally spoke. He hadn't wanted to interrupt them. "You were born with the will of fire. Nothing is ever impossible. Where there is a will, there is always a way."
Sakura's eyes lit up with hope. Hope that hadn't been there for a long time. Even if they did get rid of the demon which plagued him so, she knew that she could never bring herself to be with Orochimaru. She loved Kabuto way too much. He meant everything to her.
"I hope you aren't upset with me for not telling you about this before. It wasn't exactly safe... The reason why I covered up what I'm really like was to protect myself and those around me. If no one knew, then no one would attempt to use me to the extent of destroying innocent lives. Even though I would absolutely refuse, there is always a way to force someone to do something."
"I know. I do understand."
It made Sakura feel better, that he was being so understanding and accepting of all of this. She needed to know she couldn't drive him away. "I love you..."
"I love you too. What you went through... It was a terrible ordeal. And something that you never deserved to have to go through." She felt the warmth of her fiancé's strong arms surrounding her. "I'll never let you suffer through something like that again."
"Yes. It's been quite an ordeal for all of us." The Hokage nodded. "But she is my daughter. Despite the fact that she is the vessel for the two tailed beast... She still deserves a happy life."
"Thank you both..." She pried herself away from him long enough to hug the man she knew as her father for a moment, before pulling away.
"That is actually what I called you here to speak with you about," Sarutobi took on a serious tone. "I need to send you on a special mission... Your objective is to get rid of Orochimaru. I don't care how you do it. I'll give you all the details later. I know it may be painful for you, but... The truth is, we just don't have anyone else among our ranks who is capable of such a thing. I don't have a squad to send with you, but you may recruit whomever you wish. Though I've no doubt you're more than capable of handling it on your own."
"And what of Kabuto?" Sakura asked.
"Kabuto can't be trusted on a mission just yet, just in case of any remnants of treachery that may still linger. No offense."
"None taken," Kabuto bowed graciously to him once more. "I understand why this is something she needs to do without me. Just... Be careful, my love."
"I will." She remarked, solemnly. "And I accept this mission."
"I'm glad to hear it," He directed the comment at both of the young Shinobi in his office. "In the meantime, Sakura, you will be teaching some students at the academy and talking to them about what it means to be a true Leaf Shinobi. They look up to you, and they've missed you dearly. Kabuto, you will be assigned to take some shifts at the hospital, as a medic. It seems you're well-suited for that. And when Sakura gets back from her newly assigned mission, she will join you as a nurse at the hospital."
"I will redeem myself in any way that I can. That sounds agreeable to me." Kabuto smiled, standing next to his fiancé.
"That works for me too." Sakura added.
"Very well..." The Hokage shuffled some papers around on his massive desk. "You may go now. I'll see you both at the wedding, if not before then. The assassination mission won't take place until a few weeks after your wedding."
Her yellow eyes flashed brightly at the sudden mention of revenge. "I can't wait."
