Another chapter for you lovely readers!
Chapter 28
A light bulb moment
Day 3
The following day was much like the last for Sachi.
She woke in a strange place to people that took excellent care of her. She politely asked to go home and was rebuffed and she was lead around by the hand like a toddler exactly the way she disliked.
She couldn't figure out what her purpose was in being there. She wasn't an important citizen. Holding her for ransom wouldn't get much and there was no reason to treat a hostage with such care.
Frankly, she was too scared to ask what they wanted. She chose to hold to the adage that ignorance was bliss.
If no one else, her parents must have noticed her absence by now. She held onto the hope that someone would come for her. Perhaps someone was out already. Perhaps they found Kai-chan and she was still alive.
It was these optimistic thoughts that kept her going.
"Sachi-chan, you look as lovely as ever."
Her thoughts were broken by Hiro just after breakfast.
"Thank you," she muttered without conviction.
"Would you like to take a walk with me?"
She didn't think there was really an option to say no. So far this life seemed to just be going along with what they wanted. She stood wordlessly and bit back her temper when Hiro linked their arms and led her away.
It was only the fear of what they might do to her that kept her compliant. That and they hadn't given her any means to find her way around. She sighed and let him pull her along, regaling her with another story about some great-great-grandfather doing something of note.
Hiro made a poor guide. He failed to slow properly at steps or obstacles causing her to jolt to a halt when he would stop suddenly. He didn't think to warn her in any way of steps before she was stumbling or bumping into them.
It made her seem far more helpless than she truly was. If only they would provide her with a cane. She sighed.
"Is something wrong, Sachi-chan?"
"No, it's nothing."
"You can tell me, you know. We are family, here. I want to know you are comfortable. What's bothering you?"
"If I- If you would let me have a cane I could make it around myself."
"I see." Sachi sensed another blind faux pas moment as he paused to recover. "You wish to have a little more freedom. That can be easily arranged. In fact, I have a gift for you that I think will solve your problem. Hold out your hands."
She cupped her hands obligingly, hoping to feel the cool metal of a cane. A buzzing was the only warning before a large six-legged thing was deposited into her hands.
"This is one of the Kamizuru's insects, the killer bee."
She recoiled, wishing it would leave her. She knew how much a bee sting could hurt and she wasn't eager to be stung by one labeled as a 'killer'.
"I know it's new," Hiro said taking her apprehensive shifting as mere unfamiliarity. "But I know this is something you are familiar with. I am giving you this particular insect as a gift. This is so you can find your way around. It's also a gift to show how much I care about you Sachi-chan. You could even name it if you'd like, like Bee-sama."
Sachi immediately thought that name was ridiculous. Of course, she couldn't name it Bee-sama!
The bee flew up and perched itself on her head like the kikai had done before.
"You are very special, Sachi-chan. I wouldn't give this to just anyone."
"Why me then?"
"Because I know you need it. It will help you get around; be your eyes for you."
"I understand that but why am I here? Why can't I go home?" She was quickly losing what little nerve she had and her voice turned to a nearly inaudible whisper. "Do you want to hurt me?"
"Of course not! We don't want to hurt you Sachi-chan! Have we ever given you a reason to think we did? Have we been anything but kind and giving since you arrived?"
"Well, no, but-"
"Exactly. We will take care of you. Don't worry about that. I hope we can put this behind us and never bring up such awful topics again. If you will excuse me I have things to attend to. I will leave you in Bee-sama's care. You should take this time to get to know it."
He left abruptly and in a manner anyone would consider rude.
At this point, Sachi knew several things.
One, whatever they wanted her for they had planned carefully but they didn't want to tell her.
Two, there was no way she was calling this thing 'Bee-sama'. For Hiro to suggest such a thing showed his arrogance. There was no way her kidnapper's insects could garner more respectful honorifics than her beloved Kai-san and Kai-chan.
The last thing she knew was she had to get back home to her family and Shino.
"Sachi-chan would you like to go back to your room?" Kimiko appeared and asked.
She considered her options for a moment and agreed, allowing Kimiko to lead her away.
"Kimiko-chan, please, can you tell me why I'm here?"
"You mean Hiro didn't tell you? The Kamizuru clan only has a few members left. If there is any hope of continuing with the family jutzu they must repopulate. You and I are the first women he chose to help him with this."
"What?" Sachi choked out. "Excuse me? What?" She didn't even know where to begin asking questions. "He thinks it's okay to just kidnap women whenever he likes?"
"No!" Kimiko interrupted quickly. "He's not kidnaping anyone. We have been chosen for this Sachi-chan. Women like you and I can mix well in the Kamizuru clan. The clan needs strong, capable women like us. We hold so much potential, especially you Sachi-chan. Your children will be strong Kamizuru leaders one day."
"The hell they will!" Sachi shouted, wrenching herself from Kimiko's grasp as they entered her room. "I'd rather die than be forced into this plan!"
"Sachi-chan, really, it's alright. You'll understand one day. I didn't think much of it when I first arrived either. But you'll realize what an honor it is."
"Being raped is not an honor!" she shouted.
"It won't be like that! Hiro is really very gentle."
Sachi was immediately taken aback. "You- Already?"
"Yes. I'm already 8 weeks pregnant."
Sachi shivered intensely. Was she really expected to become like Kimiko, a submissive, brainwashed baby factory?
She had wondered why they were treating her so well. Now she knew why. She had been made to take supplements at each meal, only now did she realize they were readying her body for-
She couldn't even think it.
Kimiko left her with more polite assurances.
Sachi breathed fast and hard and began pacing like an animal in a cage, she was little more than one now. She raged, swore and threw herself about the room violently and kicked the frame of her bed. She screamed in rage more than pain as she clutched her foot.
This situation was unacceptable! Being the unwilling mistress of her captor, she would not have it! And she wouldn't be monitored by the insect-spy they had left with her.
Though the so-called Bee-sama might have had the uses they stated, she doubted the insect was loyal to her. She stormed over to the vanity and tapped a fingernail harshly upon the wooden surface.
"Sit!" she commanded, drawing upon every ounce of authority that might have existed between herself and the bee. The bee gave a disgruntled buzz but obliged all the same.
"Stay!" she commanded again.
She stalked over to the bed and flopped down with her arms folded tightly like a petulant child.
The door opened and she knew it was her least favorite person in the world that entered.
"Sachi-chan- wait, where is Bee-sama?"
Sachi stood abruptly and stalked over to Hiro. Now that she knew what she was here for she would not be so nice.
"I don't want it. Take it back. I want to go home to my real home!"
Hiro sighed. "Kimiko-chan said she told you our plans. I was planning to tell you myself later. Perhaps it would be better if I explain. There are seven Kamizuru clan members left in the world. Two are too old for children anymore. The duty of expanding our clan falls to the other five, especially me as I am the strongest. If we don't repopulate our clan soon we will all die. And you, Sachi-chan, your connection with insects is unlike anything we have seen. You attract them to you like a magnet. There can be no doubt that your genes would mix well in our clan. Rather than weakening the bloodline with common, non-clan members, we believe you could strengthen it just as well as the best of us shinobi. I know it doesn't seem like it now but you will understand someday."
"Don't treat me like a child!" she raged. "Like I will understand when I get older. What you want is for me to be a martyr for your damn cause. You act like I'll just magically accept if enough time passes. You are so deluded like you imagine I haven't been kidnapped and held against my will. I won't ever agree to this!" she screamed. "I will not be some baby factory for you or anyone for that matter. I would rather die!"
It seemed Hiro was trying to contain his own outburst and sighed heavily. When he spoke his voice was harsh and cold.
"I've given you everything you could want and you throw it back in my face. Consider this your only warning."
In an instant, her back was pressed against his chest by one strong arm as his other hand covered her mouth. He bit into the flesh of her neck making her scream against his hand. He then licked her neck in the most nauseatingly repelling way she could think of.
"I have been nothing but nice to you," he whispered, his foul breath ghosting over her skin, raising unpleasant goosebumps and making her whimper," just think about what your punishment could be next time you feel like screaming in my face." She could hear his words coming through a smirk. "As long as you behave I'll be nice. And, trust me, when the time comes you will be begging me to take you. Now," he returned to his lighthearted air, "I have to go scout for more women like you. Behave yourself while I'm gone. I'll be back tomorrow to spend more time with you."
He placed one lingering kiss against her neck before disappearing out the door.
She dived under the blankets of her borrowed bed when he left, seeking comfort in their stifling layers. She curled the blankets around her trying to shut out the world like a child afraid of a storm just as sobs began to tear through her.
She didn't want to live this way. Why, she thought, did the world have to be cruel?
She sobbed and shouted, crying out her anguish till her eyes felt puffy and tired.
She wished she was capable of saving herself, running and fighting her way back to Konoha. But she surely couldn't fight and she had no idea where she was.
But, really, what was she capable of, sensing objects a few feet in front of her? That could only get her lost somewhere and with her luck, she would probably end up in the woods far away from anyone that could help her.
If only she could send a message to Shino. He could help her.
Not for the first or last time she lamented the loss of Kai-chan. Shino could have followed the little insect's scent straight to Sachi.
But if she could call insects to her, undetected, she might be able to send a message!
She shot off the bed as soon as the idea formed in her head. She could call countless insects to her just by letting her chakra flow out as it always had.
She knew Shino could use insects to gather information, which meant they must have been capable of understanding human speech or at least relaying what they saw to an insect master.
If she could attract insects to her and send a message out then surely they could find an Aburame to relay the message, right? Maybe she could get lucky and they were near Konoha or Shino was already looking for her.
Before that, first things first.
She quickly upended the wastebasket and trapped the bee underneath, leaving a book overtop for good measure. The unhappy insect threw it's body at the barrier fruitlessly.
Sachi squatted on the floor next to the shoji wall and listened to the guard outside. He still hadn't moved, taking it as a good sign she poked a small hole in the paper with her finger. With that done she released her hold on her chakra, letting it loose the way it always had.
Before she had met Shino her chakra was nothing special to humans or most insects but parasitic ones, that was a different story. She had always had an unnatural attractive quality to any insect that wanted to make a meal out of her and she was counting on that now.
It was just a strange coincidence that hiding her chakra made her less noticeable to paracytic insects that did not feed off of chakra.
It took several minutes before the first mosquito made it to her, using her chakra sense she captured the insect in her hands.
"Hey, you," she whispered, "you may or may not understand me but I've got a deal to make. You go ahead and drink my blood but you have to get a message out. You fly out, find the beetle users, the Aburame and lead them here. Tell them the Kamizuru have me, Sachi Hara, and to hurry. Tell nothing to the bee users. Now, flap your wings once for yes and twice for no. Do you understand?"
She sensed the wings lift once and she sighed in relief.
"Well, then, get on with it."
She released the mosquito letting it use her as a meal before it left. Sachi sat for the rest of the day sending the same message out with each insect that came to dine on her until her arms and legs were riddled with bites.
I'm thinking of doing an epilogue based on what you readers want to see. This will be something extra as a thank you for all of your responses. So please review or PM with ideas of what you would like to read about in Sachi and Shino's life.