It was Kabuto who stared down at her this time. She stared back, focusing on his mouth, unable to bring herself to look him in the eyes. She watched as his lips curled up into a smile.

"Are you hungry, Mayuri-chan?"

She didn't respond. She didn't want to speak with this monster, because if she did, he would hear the way her voice broke and he would know that she had been crying again. She didn't want him to have the satisfaction. He hummed thoughtfully in response to her silence.

"I'd imagine you are. How about we get something to eat?" he paused, leaving her room to speak. When she didn't, he continued, "No? Perhaps there's something else you need?"

Mayuri frowned, wondering what he was playing at. He had to know exactly what she needed. She was hungry and she felt filthy and she was terrified to the depths of her soul on top of being mere moments away from peeing herself. Did he want her to admit that? Say she was scared and hungry? Did he want her to ask for his permission to use the bathroom? It was probably some sort of power play, but the joke was on him because she was already well aware of just how powerless she was, considering someone had been holding her hand on the way to the bathroom ever since she'd run blindly into a wall three days before. On top of that, the only reason they were holding her hand instead of carrying her was because the first time someone had tried she had thrown a temper tantrum and none of the medics wanted to deal with that again. Well, all except Emi, who still tried to carry her sometimes, much to Mayuri's displeasure.

The only real question here was; was she stubborn enough to refuse his offer or not? After all, if she did end up pissing herself, it wasn't like it wouldn't dry, and she'd get used to the smell pretty quickly, she was certain. It wouldn't be fun, of course. In fact, it would be humiliating and uncomfortable. But if it felt like a victory, no matter how small, against Kabuto and Orochimaru, she was pretty sure she could swallow her pride and deal with it.

Kabuto must have seen something of her thoughts of her face, because that was when he said, "I can take you to your sister if you behave," and of course that was enough to get her attention. It was frustrating and frightening, knowing just how easily swayed she was and how easily that could be turned against her. She took a deep breath and finally met his eyes.

"Fine."

There was no gleam of triumph in his eyes, no twisting of his smile, and that was perhaps the most surprising thing. She had expected his plots to be apparent, cheesy ominous music and all. Instead, Kabuto simply began undoing the restraints on her hands and across her chest without a sound. She turned away as he did so, staring blankly into the seemingly endless expanse of darkness that stretched above her.

When she was free, she pushed herself up and let her legs dangle from the edge of the cot. The floor seemed stupidly far away. For a second, she wondered what he would do if she raised her arms to him and asked to be picked up. She pushed the thought away with disgust, acknowledging that it was the desire of a little girl who was dead and gone, just an impulse left over from the brain inside her skull. It was a disturbing thought, but more than that, she just didn't want Kabuto to touch her. So she pushed herself off the edge and landed with a quiet thump.

Kabuto was still watching her. Looking up at him, Mayuri realized he was only a head and a half taller than she was. She frowned, considering what that might mean. Was he just really short? Was she tall? She wasn't sure, and that bothered her. Of course, there were more pressing things in her life than her curiosity.

"Where is the bathroom?"

Kabuto gestured for her to follow him as he turned away. Much to her surprise, there was no blind placed over her eyes. Mayuri had to pause when they entered the hallway, squinting against the blinding light of the torches as her eyes adjusted. When she was able to see again, she was a little surprised to find that Kabuto was still waiting patiently for her. He turned and strode away, his long legs carrying him down the hall so quickly that Mayuri had to run to keep up, silently cursing her short legs the whole way.

"Here we are. You can go ahead and bathe while you're in there. I'll be back for you in a little while," he told her as they stopped in front of an unmarked door. Mayuri smiled and thanked him out of habit as she went in. If he was surprised by it, Kabuto didn't show it.

As soon as the door closed, her smile slid away. It was a different bathroom than she was used to, larger than the one she had been using. Like the one before it, there was no sign of a mirror anywhere in the room.

She sighed heavily, scanned the room for any sign of cameras, and then dashed to take care of her business. She had never been so happy to see a toilet before, and the sight of the large bathtub was a welcome one as well. There was no soap laid out, so a soak would have to be enough.

As she sunk into the warm water, steam filling the room, Mayuri was reminded of how much she appreciated indoor plumbing. At least this place had that.

"Little joys. Take them where you can," she whispered, letting out another sigh as she rubbed at her skin viciously, trying to wash away the awful feeling of grime and sickness that seemed to cling to her. Then, she ducked under the water.

Under the surface, the only sound she could hear was the thudding of her own heart. Her hair swished around her head, longer than she had ever had it Before. It tickled against her back, moving with the slight currents of the water. She wished that she could just stay under there for forever. She wondered, if this body were to die again, what they would do.

When she resurfaced and rubbed the water out of her eyes, she was shocked to find Kabuto in the room with her. She shrieked, sinking back down immediately until only her eyes peeked out over the top of the water so she could glare at him.

"I knocked," he told her simply, a towel and what looked to be a change of clothes thrown over his arm. Mayuri's glare didn't ease up, but she reluctantly raised herself halfway out of the water, arm outstretched for the towel. He surrendered it easily.

"Could you leave so I can dry off and, you know, get dressed?" she asked, turning away from him as she draped the towel over her shoulders, the bottom soaking up the bathwater since she still hadn't climbed out of the tub. She wished she sounded angry or defiant, but knew her tiny voice just came out sounding petulant and whiny.

"I am a medic, you know," he said, sounding earnestly amused. "Believe me when I say that you've got nothing I haven't seen before."

"That still doesn't mean I want you watching me while I get dressed. Can you just put the clothes down and leave?"

He shrugged, but conceded. Once the door was firmly shut behind him, Mayuri climbed out of the tub. A puddle was forming rapidly at her feet. Steam still hung heavy in the air and she watched as it swirled in the dim light, reminded of the mist that hung over the compound. She felt a sudden pang of homesickness at the thought.

She scowled, trying to ignore it. The people there had literally killed her and Hiroko. Her mother was dead, and if the fog of pain-filled, horror driven memories were correct, her grandmother had been killed by the villagers while trying to defend her and Hiroko. The thought had filled her with guilt when she had first realized it, but now she faced it with a resigned sort of grief. Nothing was left for them with their clan. There was no going back. Not that she had any choice in the matter, anyways.

Besides, it wasn't really the only home she could remember.

Mayuri's scowl deepened as she examined the clothes left behind for her. They were simple enough—a white, long-sleeved tunic and black leggings to wear underneath it. But the stupid purple rope was a crime against humanity. There was no way she would wear it. Orochimaru had already killed her mother and kidnapped her and her sister, and it had already been made clear that he wanted them alive, at least for now. What could he do to her at this point if she refused to wear a stupid, ugly belt?

When she padded into the hall, barefoot and with her damp hair soaking the back of her too-big tunic, conspicuously belt-less, Kabuto made no comment. She sort of hoped that that was a sign that no one actually cared about the silly rope-belt, because no matter what she tried to tell herself, she knew that things could get worse. If Orochimaru or anyone else told her to use the belt, she would break immediately and put it on, no matter how much she hated it.

Still, she had to take the little victories in life, she reminded herself again. If she could get away with it, refusing to wear the silly uniform belt would be one of them. She wasn't ready to hand herself over to Orochimaru, and in her mind, agreeing to wear the belt was like a physical symbol of him owning her. After all, if she was remembering correctly, all of his experimental subjects and minions had worn it, even Sasuke.

She shoved the thought away quickly, reminding herself to focus on what was happening to her. She needed to find Hiroko and she needed to figure out how to get them out of here before anything bad could happen to either of them. The first step would be, of course, to find her sister. So she followed Kabuto obediently as he led her through a maze of identical hallways.

As she walked behind him, her bare feet slapping noisily at the stone ground, she marveled at how quiet he was. Even when she walked on her tiptoes there was still a slight sound. Kabuto, on the other hand, never seemed to make a single sound. She wondered if that was something that could be learned, or if it was just some weird innate ability the people of this world had.

"Kabuto-san?"

"What is it?"

"Can you teach me how to do that?"

At this, his steps seemed to falter, and immediately Mayuri wanted to take the words back, cursing her apparent lack of a brain-to-mouth filter. He glanced back at her over his shoulder, and she wished desperately that she could see his face clearly. Maybe then she would be able to guess what he was thinking.

"What would you like to learn, exactly?"

Mayuri shook her head quickly, fingers finding the hem of her tunic and twisting it nervously. Her mind was working overtime, going through as many possibilities and ways that she could work this to her advantage as well as all the way things could go wrong. Was what she had said suspicious somehow? She didn't want any unnecessary attention on either her or Hiroko. She watched the ground as they walked, unwilling to look at him as she said, "Nevermind. It's nothing."

"You know, Mayuri-chan, if you want to be taught something all you have to do is ask. Orochimaru-sama has already offered to help you to become stronger. Learning new techniques and trusting in him are the only ways to do that. He wants to help you to become strong and to achieve your dreams."

That was utter bullshit, of course. But he sounded so earnest, so painfully sincere, that if she hadn't known any better, Mayuri suspected she would have definitely been taken in like every other strangely devoted follower of Orochimaru. Which...actually gave her an idea.

"Do you really mean it?" she asked, widening her eyes even though he wouldn't be able to see them. "Do you and Orochimaru-sama really think that I can be strong some day?"

Kabuto stopped walking. He turned towards her, kneeling down so that he was on her level, so close that when Mayuri raised her eyes from the floor, she could see his face clearly. She stared, wide eyed with shock, because at last she could see just how young he was. He wasn't just short, he was a literal child, no older than twelve. When he reached out and took hold of her hand, she didn't pull away.

"I mean it. With his help, you will one day become a great kunoichi and a powerful and important tool. But you must do as you are told. Do you understand, Mayuri-chan?" His eyes were intense, glinting steel behind his large glasses, and Mayuri couldn't seem to look away. He sounded so devoted, so convincing in his sincerity, that she was suddenly unsure whether he was lying or not. She bit her lip, and the twinge of pain was enough to ground her once again. She reminded herself that she had the advantage here. She knew his game and she knew how good he was at it.

So she would just have to play it better.

She would have to become just as devoted to Orochimaru's cause as Kabuto seemed to be, and as any of his more loyal followers were. She would have to be sure that they all trusted her, believed that she was just as taken in by his promises as all the others. Only then would she have freedom of movement, and only then would she and Hiroko be able to escape.

She nodded, smiling at the boy kneeling before her. He smiled back, and it was the first one she had seen from him that seemed like it might be real. Go figure.

When he straightened up and offered her a hand to hold, she took it without hesitating. His skin was strangely cold and his hand felt rough in her own. She couldn't take her eyes away from the sight of her hand in his as they walked, her head spinning as she stared at the tiny, chubby appendage. Was it really hers? Her brain said yes, but her mind said no. It was a strange dissonance and it made her feel ridiculously uncomfortable.

She forced herself to look away, trying to hide her sudden shudder. Her hand shook despite her best efforts, and Kabuto squeezed it gently before pulling away. Mayuri took a deep breath, reminded herself that she had a better chance of surviving if Kabuto liked her, and tugged on the hem of his shirt. When he looked down, she reached out for his hand again, hoping the way she looked away made her appear shy instead of uncomfortable. He laughed softly and took her hand again. She smiled back, hoping that after so many years of working customer service, her forced cheeriness looked real.

"Where are we going now, Kabuto-san? When will I get to see my sister?"

"We're going to get you something to eat. I can take you to Hiroko-chan afterwards."

Mayuri nodded, mumbling a quiet word of thanks. Her hands were starting to feel clammy, but Kabuto's was still the same as when she had first slipped her hand into his, cool and dry. It made her feel strangely human in comparison, and somehow lesser for it.

They walked in silence after that, and she listened to the way her steps and breaths echoed. She was still trying to wrap her mind around how it was possible for Kabuto to be so quiet and decided that that would be the first thing she would ask to be taught when the chance arose.

Soon enough they reached a large open entryway where the sounds of many voices were spilling out into the hallway. Mayuri's brow furrowed and she looked up at Kabuto, her face full of confusion. He smiled, dropped her hand, and gestured for her to enter before him. She was quite certain the expression on her face was one of horror at his betrayal, but he didn't seem at all bothered by it.

Mayuri straightened her back and clenched her hands into fists at her side, fighting through her uncertainty. Then she marched forwards, holding her head high. The sight that greeted her stopped her short, though. The room was more of a cavern than an actual room, with high ceilings and rocky walls, and within it were a few dozen people. It looked like some kind of a cafeteria, more than any kind of secret lab or torture chamber.

It made sense, of course. In a compound this large they would have to have somewhere to go to eat, since she doubted many of the rooms had built-in kitchens. The sight of so many people clustered together, eating and talking and laughing, was what really what gave her pause. It was yet another odd reminder that all of Orochimaru's minions were, in fact, human.

The girl nearly jumped out of her skin as a hand fell to rest on her shoulder. Kabuto ushered her forward, saying, "I'll show you where to get your food. After that, choose a table and you can eat."

It felt suspiciously like she was back in school as they got in line. She grabbed a tray only to find, further down the line, that she wasn't tall enough to see the food being offered. She grabbed the edge of the platform and did her best to hoist herself up. Once, she would have been able to support her whole weight on extended arms. In this body, though, she couldn't do it. Frustrated tears prickled at her eyes as she found that she could only keep herself upright for a split second before her elbows gave and she fell, barely avoiding slamming her chin into the edge.

And she still hadn't been able to see what was being offered for people to eat. She blinked rapidly in an attempt to stop the angry tears from spilling over, forcing them back before she swallowed her pride and turned to Kabuto for help.

When she had finally gotten out of the line, tray piled with rice and nothing more at Kabuto's insistence, she froze. She knew that she was expected to find somewhere to sit and eat, but every table had people at it. She felt eyes on her, assessing her as she assessed the rest of the room. After a moment, she took a few hesitant steps forwards, heading for a nearly-empty table situated in a corner. Most of the tables near the center of the room were scarcely populated as well, but she didn't like the idea of the vulnerability that sitting with people on all sides brought.

She stopped awkwardly in front of the table, her fingers clenched hard around the edges of the tray. As far as she could tell, not one of the table's occupants had noticed her yet. Or if they had, they were doing a very good job of pretending they hadn't. Steeling herself, she forced a smile and said, "Hello. Can I sit with you?"

One of the people glanced down at her, bored gaze taking in her too-big clothes and bare feet. He shrugged and then went back to his conversation. Mayuri figured that was probably the best she was going to get. She looked over her shoulder to gauge Kabuto's reaction only to find that he was gone. Her eyes narrowed, but after a second of contemplation, she accepted that she would be stuck sitting at the table until he deemed it time to come back and get her. After all, there was no way she would be able to find Hiroko all on her own with only her nonexistent knowledge of the base to guide her.

Mayuri settled down at the far end of the table and picked at her food absently, subtlely listening in on the few conversations she could hear. There was nothing of any importance, as far as she could tell. The group at the other end of her table were comparing scars, laughing and jeering at one another. A girl at the table across from her was recounting her latest hookup on her last mission to a few other women who listened intently.

A man a table over yelled out a snide, "How long did it take 'em to bleed out once you finished?" and the woman called back, "Longer than it takes you to finish, Shiro!" and the whole cafeteria booed.

Mayuri caught herself smiling, just a little, and quickly stuffed more rice in her mouth to hide it. She was three. She wasn't supposed to find this sort of stuff funny!

"Hey, kid," someone called out. Raising her head, cheeks still bulging with rice, she searched for the owner of the voice. Her eyes zeroed in on a boy just a few years older than she was. He was grinning at her, his smile missing more than a few teeth. She swallowed her half-chewed food painfully before smiling back timidly. She pointed at her own chest to make sure he was really talking to her. The boy nodded, curly brown hair bouncing with the movement, then slid into the seat opposite of her. "Yeah, you. What're you in for? You're younger'n most of the brats the big man recruits. You someone's kid?"

"You're a kid, too," she pointed out, pouting a little. When the boy just laughed in response, she continued. "Um, I don't know why I'm here, actually. I think they're going to tell me after I finish eating."

The boy's smile fell, his expression morphing into something far more somber. His expression seemed to say, "I'm looking at a dead man walking."

Mayuri looked away quickly, her throat tightening. She already knew that whatever they had planned for her wasn't going to be pleasant. She didn't need the reminder that apparently, everyone else did, too. She shoveled more rice into her mouth.

"You'll be fine, kid," he said, reaching across the table to pat her shoulder. She stiffened under his touch and he withdrew his hand. When she looked up at him again, he was smiling at her, soft and sad. She did her best to return his smile.

He opened his mouth, a half-formed word upon his lips, when suddenly he froze, eyes going wide. His gaze was focused somewhere over her shoulder and Mayuri twisted in her seat to find a figure looming over her. She smiled.

"Hello, Kabuto-san."

He smiled back and said, "Are you ready to go?"

Mayuri nodded quickly, standing up and brushing off the front of her tunic. Glancing over towards the boy again, she tried to reassure him with a smile. He stared back at her, face grey and eyes wide, making a point of not shifting his gaze towards Kabuto again. Kabuto didn't spare a glance towards him, his glasses reflecting the light. Despite his apparent obliviousness to the boy's discomfort, Mayuri could swear she saw his smile turn menacing for a second as his eyes slanted towards the group at the other end of the table. Mayuri tugged childishly at the hem of his shirt, pouting.

"Let's go, please. I wanna see my sister."

As they walked together from the room, Mayuri could feel the eyes that watched her go. She knew, without turning back, that they would all hold the same resignation that the boy's had.


"I should warn you that Hiroko hasn't been very responsive for the better part of the week."

Mayuri turned to look at Kabuto with eyes bright and wide with worry. She stumbled over her own feet and had to catch herself before she could respond. Kabuto didn't spare her a look, his steps slow and leisurely as he led her to her sister. She hurried to keep up, gaze still trained on him.

"What do you mean?" she demanded, voice sharp and high. Kabuto tilted his head to look at her with narrowed eyes and an expression she couldn't quite decipher.

"You sister has been following the orders given to her by the medics attending her, but other than that, she has been unresponsive and has refused to speak. I want you to know going in that she might not respond to you. She might not even recognize you."

Mayuri felt her heart sink and had to swallow around the lump in her throat several times before she could speak. Her voice came out as barely even a whisper as she asked, "Do you know what's...what's wrong with her? Will she get better?"

"I don't know yet. I've seen this happen before with other children that Orochimaru-sama revived. She seems to be doing better than those that came before the two of you, but she is nowhere near the level of comprehensive capabilities that you have been exhibiting."

Something bitter and angry churned in her stomach as she listened to him. She felt cold all over and her mind was whirling with possibilities and uncertainties, and dread joined the medley of dark feelings within her. She didn't know what she would do if Hiroko wasn't okay, but something told her it wasn't going to be pretty.

By the time Kabuto stopped in front of a door that looked just the same as every other one they had passed, Mayuri's hands were shaking and her heart was thumping loudly within her chest. Kabuto paused, his hand resting on the handle. He turned to look at her, that same strange expression on his face, like he was studying some sort of particularly interesting insect and wanted to see what it would do next. Mayuri met his grey eyes, careful to keep her face neutral for fear that if she didn't, her fear and anger would be painfully apparent. When she gave him a firm nod that didn't match with the uncertainty she felt, Kabuto opened the door.


Hey, next chapter we finally get to actually meet Hiroko! I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you are, too!

Just so everyone knows, I recently started a full-time job with some weird hours, so I might not be able to update every week for a little while like I had originally planned. That's still my goal, but until I adjust to the different hours, my update schedule will likely be a little bit wonky.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed, and please let me know your thoughts.