Hiroko gasped at the sudden feeling of displacement. She felt her stomach leap to her throat as the world tilted and spun around her, and suddenly she was laying on the cold ground, coughing up the glowing blue liquid that had been filling her lungs, heaving as it filled her throat and spilled over her lips. She gasped desperately for breath, choking on the sudden and strange feeling of air filling her lungs and drying out her throat. Getting used to breathing air again was almost worse than the process of breathing in the liquid had been.
Slowly, she pushed herself up. Her arms were shaking so badly she almost wasn't able to get herself into a sitting position, so she decided it was probably the smartest choice to not even attempt to stand. Instead, she clumsily shifted to sit on her knees and looked around the room, blinking blue liquid out of her eyes. It clumped her eyelashes together and lingered on her cheeks, the blue glow catching her gaze and distracting her from the rest of the room for just a second. Her hair hung around her in heavy black clumps, clinging uncomfortably to her bare skin like grasping hands.
As the glow by her eye faded and she took in the sight of the people gathered around her, Hiroko became suddenly very aware of the fact that she wasn't wearing a shirt. Something ugly filled her mind at the realization and she hunched over with the weight of it, unable to bring herself to look at them.
She shook her hair out, pulling it over her shoulders so it would cover her undeveloped chest. In her mind, she knew that her body was that of a child instead of that of a grown woman, but that didn't stop the feeling of indignity and humiliation that welled in her chest at the eyes that stared down at her almost-naked form. Taking another deep, rattling breath, she steeled herself and forced herself to stare the group down with her chin raised, meeting each of their eyes with a haughty, angry gaze in a deliberate show of disrespect.
If any of them took note or took offense, none of them showed it. Instead, a medic stepped forward and kneeled at her side, the knees of his white pants soaking up the liquid that surrounded her. She flinched back, her face set into a scowl, when he moved as if to touch her.
"What do you want?" she hissed between clenched teeth, eyes darting between the man kneeling before her to the handful of others gathered behind him, who were watching her like she was a particularly interesting bug. They looked at her like she wasn't even human. Anger joined the fear inside her, and the heat of it rushed through her veins, filling her with fire. The air around her turned colder in response and the blue sludge surrounding her began to freeze, the loud sounds of cracking ice filling the room and echoing back to her. She watched with fire in her eyes and anger burning in her chest as the man before her looked down at the frost on his legs and felt a surge of cruel satisfaction at the way his expression twisted into something uncertain. When he looked up, there was a spark of fear in his brown eyes.
Behind him, she could see the silver mist of the other men's breaths forming in front of their faces. Their hands were already shaking and their frames were stiff with the sudden drop in temperature. As she watched them shake, the chill in the air not affecting her beyond making each of her breaths visible, Hiroko had the sudden dawning realization that she was the reason for the ice. The men before her were shivering because of her.
They might not have been shaking with fear, but she was still the cause of it. She had a power over them, something that they couldn't control. Drawing in a deep breath, she chased the warmth that had gathered inside her body, pulling it from her fingers and toes to fill her chest instead, a tiny sun centered within herself, burning so hot that it bordered on cold. It seemed to burn away all other sensations, evaporating the chill of fear and the sick feeling of humiliation and helplessness.
She forced herself to stand, willing her legs to stop shaking so badly. She still wasn't any taller than the man kneeling before her, but it made her feel better to be on her feet instead of the ground.
"Don't move!" she snapped when he tried to stand with her. The medic froze immediately as the ice began to climb his pant legs, curling across the fabric and sparkling with the changing lights of the torches. Her eyes darted towards the men watching them with looks that ranged from fascination to vague concern. It struck her that she had no idea where to go from here.
Hiroko wet her lips and swallowed nervously around the tightness in her throat. She had a captive audience and no plan for how to proceed. Their eyes bore into her, stirring the anxiety in her gut, and suddenly it seemed an awful lot harder to hold onto that warmth inside her. She balled her hands into fists at her sides to try to hide the fact that they were trembling. She blinked quickly, fighting the urge to cry. Distantly, it occurred to her that she had use of both of her eyes now. She wondered how long it took for an eye to heal, and how long she had been in that tank.
"I...I want you to let us go. Let me and my sister go," she demanded. She hated how high and afraid her voice was, and the way she couldn't pronounce all the words right, her tongue tripping over every word and leaving her with a noticeable lisp. She hated that she sounded like a child.
"Come now, my dear," a cold voice said, soft and amused. She had heard the voice before. Hiroko went stiff, her eyes growing wide with fear at the sound. She wasn't the only one. Before her, the gathered men were no longer watching her, looking instead at something over her shoulder. "You know that that won't be possible. But...well, I see that your abilities are already surpassing what I could have hoped. You could become a great asset to this village, and to me."
Hiroko forced herself to turn, looking behind her for the first time since she had woken up. The first thing that caught her eye was the tank, filled with glowing green liquid, and the familiar figure inside it. Something inside her twisted with such a strange mix of emotions that she couldn't even begin to name them all.
The second thing that drew her gaze was, of course, the man that stood just past the tank. He was cloaked in shadow, eyes glowing eerily from the darkness. Hiroko felt like prey under the predator's gaze, too afraid to so much as tremble. Beneath her bare feet, the ice began to sharpen and grow, tiny daggers that would do nothing to deter the murderer in front of her. She knew that he had killed her mother, knew that he was the one behind the deaths of so many children and her own torture. Even if he had never personally laid a hand on her or Mayuri, he was the one at fault for everything.
She felt a sudden burst of anger, bright and consuming.
Suddenly, the knives weren't so small anymore. They exploded in all directions and she heard a yell of pain from behind her. Orochimaru didn't even flinch. His smile grew wider, almost feral as it split his face.
"So much power in the hands of such a small thing," he cooed as he moved closer, stepping carelessly around the sharp spikes. Hiroko took a step back, ice crunching under her feet and cutting the soft soles. She winced as her own warm blood squished between her toes but didn't take her eyes off the man.
"Don't come any closer!" she snarled, her voice hoarse and hands shaking. She willed the ice to trap him, to impale him and make sure he could never touch her, but she was already almost spent. The bursts of power and the heat within her had worn her out and used too much energy all at once. She was swaying, the ice that surrounded her already beginning to melt as she lost control of it. The spikes that had been conjured mere seconds before were already beginning to crumble. She was suddenly so horribly tired, almost wishing she could crawl back into her tank and go back to sleep.
"You should be more careful, my dear," he hummed, stopping in the green glow cast by the tank her sister was floating in. He glanced meaningfully towards it, eyes glinting and the ripples moving over his pale skin and dark hair. He looked like some ethereal being, menacing and powerful and not at all human. His figure seemed to morph and distort, growing more snakelike and more horrifying as she watched.
Hiroko dared to pull her eyes away from him, turning her full attention towards Mayuri. What she saw made her freeze, and a cold chill climbed her spine, like the ice all around her had finally been able to burn through the sun that she held inside her chest. A soft, broken sound fell from her lips as she stared at the sight of one of her ice pikes impaling the tank her sister was being held in.
Green liquid trickled down the ice, creating rivets as it slowly melted it away. Hiroko took an uncertain step forwards, close enough to press her hand to the cracked glass, close enough that Orochimaru could reach out and touch her if he so desired. He didn't bother and instead watched her with greedy, curious eyes. Hiroko ignored him in favor of trying to figure out if her sister was still alive or not. Not even his monstrous form was enough to pull her attention back to him.
Surely he wouldn't allow her sister to die. After everything, he wouldn't be so nonchalant about her death, would he? She stood on her toes, peering up into the tank with enormous, horrified eyes. She could already feel the panic creeping up on her, the walls closing in around her, her focus becoming one of pinpoint precision as she tried to tell if her only family left was gone or not, dead by her own hand.
"Mayuri?" she whimpered, and willed the ice to build under her feet despite her exhaustion, hoisting her up inch-by-inch until she was eyelevel with her sister. As she was slowly lifted, she could see the red that had begun to swirl and mix with the green and felt nauseous.
The ice was shoved through her sister's stomach, driving her against the other side of the tank's glass. Her green eyes were open, staring down at herself with confusion, like she couldn't quite comprehend what was going on. Hiroko sobbed softly.
Mayuri's eyes shot up and locked with her own, holding her in place. Hiroko's knees gave out under her and she collapsed, the ice beneath her burning into the soft skin of her legs. As they held one another's gazes, Hiroko could see the exact moment her sister figured out what was happening. Her green eyes grew wide and her whole body convulsed. The blood continued to swirl around her as the liquid from the tank slowly drained.
Hiroko was shaking like a leaf, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched her sister's eyes lose their focus. Her lips formed words, blood dribbling down her chin as the green drained past her shoulders, past her torso, past her hips, until her whole weight was supported by the pike through her stomach, keeping her pinned against the glass. Hiroko couldn't hear what she was saying, but she could see her own name on Mayuri's blood-stained lips. Hiroko whimpered, pressing herself closer to the glass, as close as she could be to her big sister. The blood dripped from her chin and splattered against the ice at her stomach, painting it in bright, pretty colors.
"No," she moaned, fingers curling uselessly against the glass. "Please, please, no. No no no no no!"
She was killing her. She was killing Mayuri, and she didn't know how to fix it. She couldn't save her. She was going to lose her big sister again. She already knew that couldn't live like this without her. She couldn't bear to have her sister back, only to have her violently torn away again. She was going to be forced to watch her die and there was nothing she could do about it.
There was no liquid left and Mayuri was pinned, hands scrabbling uselessly at the ice. Her nails broke against it. There was too much blood, spilling from her stomach and her lips, and her fingers were leaving streaks on the ice like red fingerpaint on a blank canvas. The ice wasn't melting, wasn't letting her free. Why wasn't it melting? It was ice, so surely it should disappear and then her sister could be free and she could be healed and-and-and—
("You know what the perfect murder weapon would be?" Elle asks from her spot on the edge of her bed, a sly grin on her face as she watches her sister write something down in a notebook. Avery glances up at her, one eyebrow arched high in an unimpressed expression that Elle knows for a fact she practices in the mirror. She's sitting on the floor of their shared bedroom, back against the door like her measly weight might actually be enough to keep it shut.
"I don't know. I don't think the weapon matters so much if you dispose of the body where no one would ever find it, and are careful not to leave any evidence behind," she answers in a monotone before turning her attention back to her writing, ink smudged across her hand. Elle frowns and rolls her eyes, annoyed that her sister isn't in the mood to play along today. She kicks her legs, listening to the soft thump of them against the ground, and tries to ignore the sound of their father moving around downstairs, yelling about something. His words are muffled by the closed door, but whenever he bellows, they both go quiet. They listen, and they pray that he is not stumbling his way up the stairs to them.
The room is illuminated by the golden light of the setting sun, broken up by the sheer curtains, turning pink or purple in places. It shines on them both, and Hiroko watches it catch in her sister's hair, making the frizziness of it more apparent. She smoothes a hand over her own hair and plasters her smile back on. She wonders if their mom will be home in time to take her to gymnastics.
"It's an icicle! No evidence, because the weapon melts," she declares, watching the pen still in her sister's hand. Avery glances back up, mouth twisted as she considers that. She opens her mouth, argument already on her lips, but then falls silent. Their father yells again, and Elle is glad that the little kids aren't home this time.)
The sudden memory sprang unbidden into her head, interrupting her thoughts. It had been back when they were so much younger, before life and death had torn their worlds apart. It had been just another mundane day, just a conversation that she had never thought would hold any real bearing on her life. She had apparently become the living embodiment of that stupid middle school rationalization. She was killing her sister with a fucking icicle. She wanted to laugh until she cried because this whole situation was just so fucking ridiculous. It was so fucking tragic it was practically funny. She could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate, breaths coming too fast and catching in her throat, choking her. She sobbed again, a broken little sound, and hit the cracked glass with a tiny fist. The sound echoed and Mayuri convulsed again. Hiroko pulled her hand back, cradling it against her chest as blood dripped from the tiny cuts the glass had left.
"How unfortunate it will be to lose her," Orochimaru hummed, his unconcerned voice strangely melodious as it echoed throughout the room. "It will be difficult to find a replacement, but not impossible. Still, it's a shame it had to turn out this way, isn't it?"
Hiroko could barely hear him over the pounding of her own heart. She couldn't tear her eyes away from her sister's face, watching in horror as it began to lose all its color, her skin going grey as she lost more and more blood. Not again. She couldn't bear to lose her sister yet again.
"You can save her," Hiroko whispered, her breath fogging up the glass in front of her and obscuring Mayuri's form. Hiroko watched as her sister's blurry image stopped struggling, hands falling limp upon the ice that was impaling her. "You can save her!" she repeated, whirling to face him, desperation clear upon her face. "Please, please don't let her die. I'll do anything you want, so just—just don't let her…."
Orochimaru's smile grew wider, sharp fangs showing behind pale lips as he hissed, "Of course, my dear."
Suddenly there was a sharp pain, like a knife straight through her shoulder blade. Hiroko gasped as the pain spread throughout her body, screamed as it replaced the warmth inside of her with nothing but a hollow emptiness, a chill that not even the ice surrounding her could replicate.
Hiroko blinked, and suddenly she was back on the ground, kneeling on a bed of melting blue ice and frost. Orochimaru stood before her, the green ripples distorting his face and his eyes bright with malice, but he looked mostly human. Trembling, she turned again to look at her sister, knowing what she'd find but wishing so desperately that it had all been a dream, like she had been wishing since she had woken up here.
She was shocked to find the tank whole and Mayuri unharmed. Hiroko stared, eyes wide and sight blurred by tears. Beneath her, the ice had begun to melt. She blinked slowly, a bone-deep ache settling into her and exhaustion making her whole body feel horribly heavy.
"Mayuri?" she whispered, her chest tight. She covered her mouth to muffle a sob, but couldn't stop the tears that were flowing freely down her cheeks. The dull aching of her eyes seemed to match the ache that had worked it's way across her skin. When she looked down, she could see strange black characters marching their way over her flesh. The warmth that had been burning beneath her skin had faded, barely noticeable anymore.
She looked from her arms, covered in black markings, then to Orochimaru, and back again. She looked towards Mayuri, floating in the green liquid. Her eyes were open and watching them with a faraway expression. Hiroko wished that her sister was with her, instead of sealed away in a half-conscious state. She wondered if she even knew what was going on, or if she could even see them at all.
"What did you do to us?" she whispered, forcing herself to look at Orochimaru once more. He had moved closer, towering over her. "What did you do to me? Just now, what was that?"
The room was so quiet that she could hear the fabric of his kimono rustle as he leaned forward to rest a long fingered hand on her head. She went stiff immediately, heart rate picking up speed as she stared up at his unreadable expression. He tilted her head this way and that, sharp eyes examining her thoughtfully. She wanted desperately to snarl, to jerk away, but found that she couldn't summon the anger or the energy. His hand was larger than her face, and he was far stronger than she could ever hope to be.
She was beyond terrified.
Finally, he withdrew and crossed his arms, hands tucked into the sleeves of his kimono. She forced herself to maintain her glare despite the way her lower lip trembled and the tears she could feel drying on her cheeks, and it was only the leftover adrenaline coursing through her veins that kept her eyes from drooping sleepily. He met her gaze and smiled.
"That, Hiroko-chan," he said, and she had to wonder how it was that someone with a voice as raspy as his could manage to make his words so smooth. "—was a genjutsu. The markings on your body create a seal, to make sure you're unable to access your chakra or your kekkei genkai until you're deemed to be ready."
"Oh," she thought, with a rush of horror and a hint of excitement, "—so he did manage to give us the curse. That's what this is."
She curled her toes in the cold slush beneath her feet. Even though it left her exhausted, she found herself wishing that she could feel that sun burning within her chest once again. The adrenaline was finally fading away and she could feel herself already starting to drop off against her will. She fought to keep herself awake, focused on Orochimaru's words. She chased the spark of anger within herself, trying to use it to fuel herself.
"If you do not work to control yourself and to become stronger, you will never be able to protect yourself or your sister, Hiroko-chan," he was saying, and the way he said her name made her feel slimy. She shivered and his smile grew.
"What do you want in return?" she asked, and didn't bother to hide her displeasure at the way the words sounded in her tiny, trembling baby voice.
"Nothing you can give me right now, my dear," he said flippantly, but his eyes were hungry. "For now, all I ask of you is that you give your loyalty to me and to this village. I will help you to grow and give you the skills you will need to protect your sister and yourself. When you are older and stronger, when you have become the powerful tool that I know you will be, then you will be of true value to me."
He sounded like a damn genie granting the world's shittiest wish. Hiroko sighed, and if she scowled any more her face would probably just collapse in on itself. So she carefully smoothed her features out, and when she looked him in the eyes once more, she told herself that she was ready to do whatever it would take to keep her sister safe and herself sane.
Sorry that this chapter was a little bit late, everyone! I'll admit that this one gave me a whole lot of trouble. I've been having a bit of trouble with my confidence in my writing recently, I'm afraid. So thank you to those of you who reviewed, followed, and favorited. It makes me smile so much whenever I see those notifications, and every review helps to make sure that the next chapter is released sometime before next year. Haha. You're all amazing! As always, I hope you enjoyed and please let me know your thoughts!
