Chapter 5 - Ten Years of Hell


A/N: I do not own Naruto!

I do however own Mari Kaede and any other OCs mentioned in this story!

Warnings: Contains dark themes, such as depression, murder, experimentation, emotional, mental and physical torture and mentions of sexual activities!

Please read responsibly.

Hey guys, here's the rerwritten chapter 5!

Enjoy


Pain.

That was all she could feel in the darkness that enveloped her. Unable to see or hear, this was the only thing she had that proved she was alive. There was a light, a small, flickering light, but she was too tired to reach for it.

As if hearing her struggles, the light grew brighter, forcing her consciousness to reawaken and her eyes to slowly open to a blurry, unfamiliar setting. All she could see was a blue-tinted room with blurry figures in containers some distance away.

"Wh-wha...?" Kaede slurred, slowly sitting up, only to hiss and grip her abdomen in agony, rousing her completely from her dazed thoughts. "Ah crap!" She snarled, gritting her teeth and hugging her wound a little tighter.

It was then that she hummed and moved her arm, noticing that her upper body was covered in nothing but bandages and a strange blue gown was folded neatly a small distance in front of her. "The hell...?" She mumbled, trying to make sense of the situation.

Her eyes widened suddenly when she remembered the events that took place in Sunagakure and with a gasp, the Ninjutsu expert's head snapped up and she looked around with clear vision. She was in a laboratory of sorts, tinted blue with several inhuman experiments in the containment cells around her. Feeling a sense of distress, the woman's eyes widened and she quickly got to her feet to inspect further.

"Where in God's name...?" She questioned out loud as her head jerked from left to right, turning her body a full 360 to see every area around her. She was in a larger containment cell than some of the experiments. There was a toilet, a sink with a mirror situated above it and a mattress settled in the far right-hand corner.

With the way this looked, it was likely that she was nothing more than a prisoner. "Where the hell am I?!" She roared, turning and quickly running towards the door, tugging hard on the handle of the only exit connected to the glass walls of her 'room.' "C'mon y'son of a-" After a growl and a hard tug, she hissed and staggered back, having flexed the muscles of her abdomen too much.

Breathing heavily and hugging the wound she adorned, she wasn't aware, at first, of the familiar laughter that filled the air. Finally hearing it, Kaede's entire body froze and her head snapped up in the direction of the unsettling chuckle. "Is that all you're good at?" She called, her eyes narrowing with disgust as nothing but bite and hatred filled her tone. "Hiding in the shadows?"

Before her, a figure she recognized all too well began to walk forward from the darkness until he was stood right in front of the glass, completely visible, unlike their last encounter. She knew this man, though she couldn't pinpoint where from, his appearance was familiar.

He was a man with long, waist-length black hair and unsettling snake-like yellow eyes adorned with purple markings and a grin that made even the most peace-loving of people hate his sorry ass. The sight of this stranger alone was both sickening and unnerving.

"I have to say, little fire-breather, that your bravery in this situation is quite commendable..." The man said, his hoarse, twisted voice making her grimace while nothing but a grin curled his white lips.

"Where am I?" Kaede repeated once again now that the panic she had felt calmed. Letting go of her stomach and standing in an alert, battle-ready stance, if push comes to shove, she'd kill him right there and then. "Why am I here? I demand y'tell me right now!"

The man lifted his chin and spoke to her as if looking down at her under his nose, his words were almost dripping with glee. "You're currently in the darkest corner of my lovely little hideout..." He chuckled and lowered his head once again. "I have seen your remarkable ability to control both Katon and Futon based Chakra Natures and feel if handled correctly, those skills could be both devasting to some and irreplaceable to the one who commands them...Therefore until I believe I have reached some interesting results, I will perform a series of experiments on you until that wonderful power you hold is unlocked for me to use accordingly."

The hair on the back of Kaede's neck stood on end at the way this man was speaking, she felt like nothing but an object he planned on playing with and it disgusted her. She would not be used to cause misfortune to others, that was not what she wanted, she was a Suna Jounin, she would help her village, not hurt it.

"Sorry t'burst your bubble, asshole..." Kaede started, her brown eyes fixed on his with nothing but suspicion and anger. "But there's no way I'll be used as your little lab rat!" Though she said this, there was a whisper in the back of her mind telling her she had no choice in the matter.

Of course what made this whisper worse was when the dangerous creep before her voiced her uncomfortable thought. "I don't think you have a choice...Either way, your abilities are mine to manipulate..."

With quick, furious movements Kaede's fist connected with the glass, having moved from the middle of the cell to the wall in a matter of seconds. Her rage induced snarl did nothing to intimidate the man who had not even flinched when she punched the glass right where his nose would have been, save for the barrier separating them.

Though she was proving very defiant with her angry motions and strong tones, she looked nothing but pathetic, like a mouse trying to scare off a hungry snake. "Listen t'me, Snake Eyes!" She started, her knuckles white as her fist continued to press against the glass, trying to vent her anger a little. "I don't care what kind of sick, twisted thoughts go through that psychotic mind of your's, I ain't going t'be your personal guinea pig! I'll escape this hellhole, find my village and lead them here to take out your sorry ass, got it?!"

Silence filled the dark air for a moment before Kaede's blood ran cold at the sinister laughter that echoed around the room and the chilling, mind-numbing words left the snake man's mouth. "Oh, I doubt your precious village would even bother to waste their time listening to you~"

Kaede's expression softened into numbing confusion. "What d'you mean?" With a quick hand, she punched the glass again and glared at him with furious hatred. "Tell me!"

Finding nothing but glee and entertainment in her panic, the man spoke without hesitation. "In the desert, not far from your precious little village...Lies the body of a shinobi who tried to save you." Kaede felt like the entire world just stopped around her. "At this moment they will have discovered the fact that you are missing...Your forehead protector, still sitting on the cold bedsheets in your room, along with the blood on your kitchen floor will make you a suspect in the man's murder..."

Kaede's fist slowly fell from the glass wall, her expression blank, unsure how to process his words. "Once the body is found and the evidence is piled together, there is a very high probability that you will be given the title of a Rogue Kunoichi and upon entering your beloved homestead, you will be imprisoned and perhaps even executed for your crimes."

"...Liar..." She breathed, letting out a noise of uncontrolled anger as she struck the transparent wall once again. "Liar, liar, liar!" She continued, repeating the word over and over, hitting the glass each and every time. Eventually, the skin of her knuckles tore away and blood splattered along the clear surface as the strong woman dropped to her knees, slamming her fist against the floor below her and she ground her teeth.

Having had his fun with her, Orochimaru decided to leave, turning and walking towards the door leading to a barely lit hallway. "Just..." He heard his new experiment start, only to trail off, in which he responded to by looking over his shoulder, indicating his focused attention.

Collecting her voice, she spoke with nothing but strangled disgust, anger, hatred, and denial. "Just who d'you think y'are?" She looked at him through her short bangs, a snarl curling at her lips.

Smirking, he wasted no time in answering. "I am Orochimaru...You'll do well to remember it..." Turning once again, the man left her to her thoughts.

Grinding her teeth, Kaede hissed out the name with bile rising in her throat at the mere sound of it. "Orochimaru..." Punching the ground again she recognized the name, he was one of the Legendary Sannin, a man who had almost spotted her platoon hiding in a tree during the Second Shinobi War and someone she had accidentally bumped into on an uneventful day over a year ago.

Cursing her luck that she caught his attention she ran her fingers through her fringe and tried to calm her ragged nerves. All she could do now was make sure he didn't get his way.

Eventually, she would either escape, or her village would find her. She refused to believe what he said was true, surely her family and allies alike knew better than to believe she would be capable of killing a comrade.

~BHBL~

A month had passed since she arrived in this hellhole, well, she thought it was a month, it was hard to tell in this dark, underground hideout. Sitting on the semi-soft bedspread in her Suna Jounin pants and the blue hospital gown covering her torso, she did nothing but count the hours, and search for a weak spot in the glass.

Apparently, according to her captor, until her wounds healed completely, there was no way he could conduct his inhuman experiments without risking her life. Therefore to save her own skin, she had spent the last two days pretending to change bandages and feigned pain whenever she stood up.

Of course, she was aware he probably knew otherwise and was just amusing himself with her attempts at keeping herself safe, but that wouldn't stop her. If he found humour in it, that must mean that he would continue to draw out that entertainment until it lost meaning.

With a heaved sigh, Kaede rested her head on the glass behind her, looking up at the lights on the top of the cell, wishing she could get out of here and go home. She wasn't an idiot, more than once had she attempted to escape using different methods.

Slamming into the glass, pointless.

Cutting the glass up with wind first to weaken it, not a scratch.

Melt the glass with fire, it was hot to touch, but that didn't help at all.

It only took these three things for her to figure out that it was Ninjutsu proof glass and only the most powerful ninja could break free of it. Either that or Taijutsu experts, but just her luck that she failed miserably in that aspect.

"Enjoying a moment of peace, Kaede?"

The woman looked down without so much as a noise of acknowledgement and stared at the man she swore would pay for his atrocious crimes. "What d'you want, Orochimaru..." She asked bitterly as the man chuckled and looked at the clipboard tucked under his arm.

"It seems you've finally recovered from your little wound at long last..." He said, smirking as he met her gaze. "For a kunoichi, your skills at deceit are rather stale."

"Yeah, but y'open that door and my other skills may just burn you a little." Kaede threatened him, not a hint of her usual laidback attitude on her face. The entire time she had been here, her more relaxed side had not shown itself once, the situation was that dire, she didn't feel like smiling.

Orochimaru laughed at her words and lifted his hand, causing her to go on the alert. "Threatening your captor may not be the best idea, Kaede..." He warned her, before snapping his fingers.

Suddenly Kaede gasped and spun as a strong hiss was heard and she looked up to see a blue-tinted gas coming from small nozzles in the corners of the room. "Shi-" She started, before covering her mouth with her arm, keeping the gas that now began to creep over her head from entering her lungs.

She had to escape, now! Even with her level, she was still human, she couldn't hold her breath for very long.

She would have used her jutsu, but with the gas slowly filling the cell, she'd end up blowing not only the entire hideout to smithereens, but kill herself in the process. However, she might be able to keep herself conscious a little while longer if she kept a constant stream of air swirling around her.

Removing her arm from her lips, she created the signs needed for the jutsu, only to stop before she inhaled. 'Oh crap!' Cursing vividly in her head, she covered her mouth with her hand and gripped her chest, feeling the ever so desperate burn for oxygen.

She couldn't use Futon without inhaling, and right now that was dangerous.

Orochimaru watched her with a sick look of pleasure as she struggled to fight his gaseous assault. It was amusing to have a defiant experiment for once. He watched Kaede run towards the door and tug on the handle as hard as she could, but it wouldn't budge, she was trapped and her vision was darkening around the edges.

Her muscles spasmed for air and she couldn't hold it any longer. With a harsh gasp, she inhaled a fair amount of the gas and felt her lungs burn from the intruding fumes. Her mind was going fuzzy and she staggered back with dulling eyes.

"Now perhaps I can work in peace..." Orochimaru said to her as she fell to the ground, losing consciousness upon impact. Laughing darkly, he walked towards the cell door and pulled out the key.

"Your Chakra is my first priority~"

~BHBL~

It was her own groan that made her aware of her surroundings as she slowly came to after hours of unknown experimentation. Slowly opening her eyes, Kaede looked around the glass room with blurred vision. She could feel the mattress below her and knew she was back in that hellhole she wished she could escape from.

All she could remember was being in this cell and inhaling some sort of gas, then her mind went blank. She could feel an intense burn in her chest and groaned again, hugging the area as curled into a ball to avoid the pain.

"Ahhhh, crap!" She cursed, opening an eye and looking down the collar of her hospital robe to see what was going on. Her blood ran cold at the sight that met her.

She was wrapped securely in bandages and had nothing but the robe keeping her decent now. Unsure what to make of this situation, she slowly sat up, holding her chest to keep the pain in check as she looked herself over.

"What the hell...?" She slurred, shaking her head to remove the last of the anesthetic. It took a moment, but she realized what had happened. Orochimaru had sworn to experiment upon her, and that meant she would find new wounds every time she was knocked out.

At that moment, a wave of sickening nausea overpowered her and she covered her mouth, standing and running to the toilet. She barely had enough time to drop to her knees before she threw up into the metal bowl.

Disgust flooded her as she stared down at the contents of the toilet with wide eyes and a shaking gasp in her elevated breathing. She had to get out of here, she couldn't afford to stay much longer. If she remained for too long, she wouldn't be able to call herself human anymore.

If she didn't get out of this trap she had fallen into, he'd continue to dissect and change her as much as he pleased. The thought alone made her stomach furl once again and another wave of bile to escape her system.

"I'm not going t'let y'change me..." She growled, spitting into the bowl before her lips curled into a snarl. "I'd rather die first!"

~BHBL~

Kaede had lost track of the time several days ago, but assumed it to have been about two months since her kidnapping. Now she laid back against her mattress and just lost herself in her thoughts to pass the time.

On her chest, just slightly visible over the collar of her hospital gown, were two tips of a large X shaped scar covering the expanse of her brests and collarbone. Turns out, after the healing had finished, she realized that he had inspected her Chakra System during the first experiment. Now she was stuck with a permanent reminder that she was nothing but a lab rat now.

Nausia filled her at the mere thought, but she was getting better at holding it back. Her second experiment had already taken place over a week ago, and there was a small scar on her lower abdomen to prove it. Even then she'd thrown up, but given time, that would pass and she'd be able to stomach the thought of this torture without losing her lunch.

Unless she managed to escape first.

Hearing a familiar set of footsteps, she pretended to be lost in thought, as she was just a moment ago. Hoping the asshole she wanted dead would just do his business and leave her in peace.

Of course, that didn't happen often, and today was no exception.

Eventually, she looked down her nose to the glass wall facing his lab, and saw him standing there, staring at her, awaiting her to acknowledge him with a sickening smirk on his pale lips. "What're y'so happy about?" She asked, irritation in her tone as she sat up and leaned against the wall, her legs stretched out to avoid him seeing up her gown.

"I have some wonderful news~" He stated, shoulders shaking as a sinister chuckle left his throat. "I believe I know the identity of the shinobi that fell by 'your' hand..."

Kaede felt her stomach sink with disturbing premonition and huffed, looking back up at the ceiling. "Just hurry up and leave...I ain't in the mood for your sadistic crap-"

"Hamada Kiyoshi."

It took less than a second for the name to register to Kaede and for her eyes to widen and heart to stop. She must have heard wrong, Hamada Kiyoshi? It couldn't be, he lived on the other side of the village, what would he be doing near her home on the night she was attacked?

"Liar!" The captive kunoichi snapped, sitting up suddenly and glaring at the dark figure on the other side of the glass. "There's no way in hell Kiyoshi would die by your hand!"

"Oh? Is this Kiyoshi-kun important to you?" He asked, knowing full well that they had been romantically involved. After hearing the name, he had done some digging and found out that she was once his spouse. "I'll have you know, little fire-breather, that I am not lying."

She could hear the amusement and honesty in his voice and her heart clenched, only to tighten into a burn that was akin to strong anger and hatred. With the speed of a vengeful soul, she ran at the glass and slammed her fist into where his face would have been, reminding him gleefully of the day she had awoken in this dark laboratory.

What fueled her anger even more, was the fact that he hadn't even flinched, not then and not now. He knew she couldn't fight back, and that made him arrogant and her helpless.

"You liar!" She roared, punching the glass again, her eyes almost alight with an insane form of fury while her teeth ground together so hard the man himself could hear it, even behind the glass. "You're a monster, a scumbag, a spineless bastard who deserves t'DIE!"

Grinning at the sight of her horrified anger, he turned and left without another word, having wanted a reaction out of her. Meanwhile, the traumatized woman dropped to her knees and gripped the transparent wall with one hand while she clung to her gown with the other.

Soft pattering noises filled the air and Kaede choked out a sob as she sat there, crying over the death of the man who had stolen and broken her heart so long ago. Hamada Kiyoshi may have hurt her in the end, but a first love was never forgotten.

Now she'd never see him again.

~BHBL~

She was pacing with an unsettling look of discomfort on her face. The experienced kunoichi had forgotten how long she'd been there for, but guessed it had been several months, if not a year at best. She was losing the will to fight back now, and had to keep herself moving to avoid her own mind.

Kaede knew the moment she sat down and allowed the weight of her non-stop experiments to get to her, she'd never find the strength to stand again. Sometimes she'd count her scars, or take long naps, even pace or train to keep herself occupied, but the urge to sit down and just let the world pass was beginning to settle into the back of her mind.

Every two weeks to a month she was knocked out in various ways to be experimented on, sometimes it was a drug, sometimes gas and sometimes Orochimaru himself entered the chamber and knocked her out forcefully. When she awoke, there was always new scars, be it one or several and it was making her nervous.

When was her next experiment, how long would she be out for, and what if she died on the table and never awoke again? With a groan, she finally sat down on her bed and closed her eyes, leaning it against the glass wall behind her.

Hell, she'd tried everything to escape, but hadn't trained in so long. She didn't want to please the bastard by increasing her powers under his observation. However whenever she had a moment alone, she'd secretly do Chakra training to increase her powerful Ninjutsu, but it did nothing to weaken the strong walls surrounding her.

'Will I ever get out of here?' She asked herself, opening her exhausted eyes. 'I've forgotten what freedom feels like...'

~BHBL~

It wasn't two months later that Kaede rested lifelessly on her bed, her head hunched forward with a blank, fightless expression covering her once defiant features. She had sat down and since then had thought back to her torturous experiments more and more. Eventually, the darkness that had been covering the back of her mind had taken over the rest of her body, leaving an empty shell.

She didn't have the strength to fight any more, she could only sit there and accept her unending fate. She couldn't escape, she couldn't see her loved ones ever again and she'd die here, as a pathetic lab rat with no future.

Eventually, just like the experiments before her, she'd live out whatever time she had left and die in the container she might as well call home.

What use was fighting any more?

~BHBL~

Orochimaru stared at Kaede, frowning at the less than promising sight before him. She would barely move these days, even with his taunts she refused to respond, as if she had died. The only proof he had that she was still alive was that she'd shuffle around when she needed the toilet, when she ate, and sometimes when she took a decontaimination shower before an experiment.

She'd given up fighting him and sometimes she would just walk out of the cell with him keeping a close eye on her, and allow the tests to take place. Sometimes she was conscious but numbed, but most of the time she was unconscious.

She ate her food, but didn't check for pills any longer and she slept far more than before, but was plagued with many night terrors, leaving her a broken mess. Hell, the only thing that still reminded him that she was Kaede was the fact that she would throw up after most of the experiments out of disgust.

Though she lacked an emotional response even then.

Three years after she had been kidnapped and it was too much for the kunoichi. Her promising powers when he had first seen her were the only reason he had allowed her to live this long.

If she showed any signs of failure in an experiment, he'd dispose of her there and then, until such a time, she was lucky he was even allowing her to live at all.

~BHBL~

Five years into her experimentation and her depression began to mix with other, more powerful feelings. In her mind, she would make up scenarios, a daydream of if she ever escaped. Recently one of her more dominant daydreams involved the death of the snake Sannin currently reading some older reports from her experiments and comparing the results between that and the newer ones.

She was lucky, after five years she had slowly, but steadily increased in her abilities, going by the chakra charts he held, her power had upped enough for her to use her jutsu more effectively, with less strain. However, this was just theoretical, only when she could be of practical use could he test this theory to see if that was the case.

Kaede watched him with a glare that could kill a weaker man as she ate the meal that had been prepared for her ten minutes ago, having found the energy to eat and move around more than she had earlier in the year.

She wanted him dead, and to do that, she needed to refuel and train, even if it meant giving him the results he wanted. If she didn't, she'd end up nothing more than a pawn in his mysterious plans.

Why else would he kidnap and experiment on people? No one did that without a motive, and she would stop his one way or another.

~BHBL~

It was very peaceful in the hideout one night, Kaede hadn't felt this at peace in a long time. She felt like something good was going to happen, and wondered if this would be the night she'd finally escape.

Right now she was on her stomach, doing push-ups to keep herself in decent shape. She barely had time to exercise during her six years here, due to healing and experiments, but when she did, she made sure to keep up her kunoichi build with at least an hour of non-stop training.

The silence surrounding her and the hideout, made her plans to escape easier to formulate and put into action.

Of course, all good things come to an end, and this was no different. Down the corridor, she could hear footsteps and voices. Letting out a groan, Kaede realized that her 'lord and master' had returned from his 'walk.'

"This is my hideout. No one knows about it." Orochimaru's faint voice spoke, sounding as if he was speaking to another. Pausing in her exercise routine, she got to her feet and walked up to the wall facing the laboratory, sitting down against it, as if she were resting. "Which means you're my very first visitor."

Kaede's eyes narrowed, making sure she was looking ahead to avoid suspicion. The new arrival was a volunteer, another experiment, maybe...Or perhaps an apprentice? Orochimaru wasn't against new talent, after all.

Hearing the footsteps come closer, Kaede's head turned as the door opened and she watched Orochimaru enter the room, giving her one glance before allowing the visitor in after him. Before her stood a boy, no older than fifteen with white hair and black eyes. By his garb, she assumed him to be part of Iwagakure. Why would a boy like him be here? he looked confused and very much an innocent, kind person at first sight.

If anything, he looked scared and traumatized, which only made her wonder what had gone on before he arrived.

Orochimaru closed the door and walked over to the faraway chair near his desk, sitting down while the boy looked around and locked eyes with Kaede. Who huffed and looked away.

He too wondered why she was here, but judging by the other creatures and human hybrids in tanks around her's, he realized that she was probably an experiment of some sort. Fearing this, he stepped back and swallowed hard.

Just where the hell was he?

"You can approach me, Kabuto..." Orochimaru told him, chuckling at the confusion the boy named Kabuto adorned on his features. "I won't bite."

Kaede let out a loud laugh to counteract his statement and Orochimaru only smirked in response. She had her old attitude back, so he expected nothing less.

Kabuto hesitated, but stepped forward until he was a small distance from the 'throne' Orochimaru was sat upon. Collecting his thoughts for a moment, a rather prominant question left the scared teen's lips. "Why did you bring me here?" He asked, raising his arms slightly, as if begging for an honest answer. "What are you going to do with me?"

Kaede was surprised to hear that the boy had entered the hideout of his own accord, but knew nothing of what would become of him. Like a mouse walking into the snake's hideaway without knowing it was the reptile's latest meal.

"You are becoming more and more curious..." Orochimaru stated, his tone softer than usual, as if to ease the boy's discomfort. "That's a good thing. People can never escape their curiosity...Which is why you followed me here."

"Then tell me quickly!" Kabuto demanded as he yanked the Iwagakure forehead protector off his head and tossed it aside as if it were poison. "You know what I want to know, don't you?"

Kaede turned her head further, no longer hiding the fact that she was listening. Orochimaru held a lot of information, she understood this, even a sick mind had intelligence. Just what information did this 'Kabuto' want to know?

"To be frank, the Root had decided to dispose of both you and Mother..." Orochimaru began, his expression still holding that unsettling smirk it always had.

Kabuto let out a soft gasp as he processed this, his confusion only strengthening with the vague explaination. "What do you mean?!" He asked, fear and dread sinking deep into his stomach. Somehow, he doubted he wanted to hear the answer.

"You both were too brilliant as spies." Orochimaru said, causing Kabuto's expression to soften and his mouth to fall open a little. There were more questions threatening to leave his lips, but he forced them back to allow the Sannin to explain. "You ended up knowing too much."

"What?" Kabuto breathed softly, looking as if all his strength had been drained away. "We risked our lives for so long, gathering intel for the sake of the village...And this is what we get?"

Kaede felt sorry for the boy, her expression softening as she listened to his saddened words. He was going through a lot right now and she understood what it was like to lose someone, assuming he had lost this 'Mother' to begin with.

"At times, intel becomes even more powerful than the mightiest jutsu or weapon. You are seen as a very dangerous person right now." Orochimaru explained, his tone serious, but a smirk plastered across his lips, showing his lack of empathy. "Well, your fate had been decided from the very beginning...It was in the scenario for you to kill each other in a mutual strike."

The lone woman in her cell grimaced as she listened to every word being said, looking away once again to avoid the man's gaze as he glanced towards her. Intel was surely a dangerous thing, and her disgust for the Sannin who had captured her only increased with each word.

She listened in once again as Orochimaru continued his words, breaking her from her thoughts. "Right after you left the orphanage, Danzo revealed the real reason why you had left. That you sacrificed yourself and joined the Root for money for the orphanage." Kabuto's expression was one of horror as the rogue ninja's words slowly sank in. "Mother wished to liberate you from the Root. As a condition of accepting her wish, Danzo ordered the assasination of a certain person several years ago. Ironically...The target of the assasination...Was you."

The teen's eyes widened as he finally realized why the attack had taken place, but none of Orochimaru's answers brought him peace of mind. Each explaination just gave him more and more questions.

"I thought it was the condition for my release!" Kabuto pointed out, his body tensing as he tried to force back to growing discomfort in the pit of his abdomen. "Why didn't Mother realize it was me?!"

Orochimaru closed his eyes. "I told you...The Root intended for the two of you to take eachother out." He opened his eyes slowly and yellow met black as he continued. "And there was other trickery afoot."

"Trickery?" Kabuto softly repeated, numbed to it all now, he was confused, shocked, scared and traumatized. It was no wonder his emotions had escaped him.

Kaede understood his pain, he had killed someone he loved dearly. Though she had not done the same, she knew the agony of guilt and loss, she had been the reason her platoon had died on a mission so long ago. The poor boy was only a few years younger than she had been, he must be wrung tight with mixed emotions.

The woman turned her head to look at them again when she heard the fluttering sound of scattered papers and saw that Orochimaru had tossed photographs into the air. Which were slowly gliding down to the floor below. Each of them looked a little like Kabuto, but their features had been warped slightly so it was recognizeably a different person all together.

"You and Mother were sent into separate enemy territories so that you would never meet and Mother was kept informed of your well-being and progress through photos." Orochimaru stated as Kabuto looked from one photo to another, surprised and disturbed by the likeness and differences they had with him. "The photos of you were skillfully replaced with those of another without her noticing it. Over time, Mother was made to think that someone else was you."

Kaede was amazed by the thought that went into this process as Orochimaru continued. "Gradual brainwashing. A common practice used by the Root." The boy in the photos looked like Kabuto, but his nose was larger and his eyes held a dull boredom of sorts. "That's the other Kabuto. And so, Nonou tried to kill you, never in her wildest dreams imagining you were Kabuto...She thought you were a double agent who betrayed the village."

The skilled medical shinobi, who had closed his eyes and lowered his head shortly after seeing the photos for the first time, slowly lifted it again with an intake of air, even Kaede was unsettled by the anger in his eyes. "And the Root dispatched you to deal with whoever was left...Is that it?" Even his tone showed how much emotion he was holding back behind restraint.

Tough kid.

"For someone who knows nothing about himself...You're very perceptive."

Of course, Orochimaru barely had time to react as Kabuto quickly made seals and his hands became shrouded with blue chakra forming into a point, like knives. Kaede gasped and stood up as the boy kicked off towards Orochimaru and dove ontop of him, with a flick of his wrist as his hand settled on the pale man's throat, she watched as Orochimaru's blood sprayed through the air.

"I always wanted an explaination about who I was!" Kabuto snapped, eyes alight with insanity as he squeezed his eyes shut. "And I thought I had finally found it! But thanks to you Root bastards, I've lost myself again!"

Without hesitation, Kabuto began to slice into Orochimaru once again, venting out his overwrung anger as he voiced his pain. "These glasses were what linked me to Mother! The name she gave me was mine and mine alone! Mother was supposed to be the parent that didn't forget me, no matter what! But everything's wrong!"

Kaede was a little scared of what this boy was capable of as he cut into the flesh of her captor again and again and again, still stuck in his anguish, still speaking of his suffering. "Then who in the world...am I?!"

It was then that the teenager slowed to a stop and caught his breath, the chakra fading from his bloody hands. Kaede relaxed and walked towards the door as Kabuto gasped and his head snapped up, looking at the mutilated man beneath him.

What had he done? He'd just killed out of cold blood alone, without hesitation, without remorse.

What was he?!

"Hey, kid!" Kaede called, getting the boy's attention, scaring him enough to stagger and fall back. With a quick snap of his head, he met her eyes and she tugged on the door. "D'you mind getting me out of here, I ain't your enemy, I just want t'get home!"

"Wh-what...?" Kabuto whispered, a shake in his voice and fear in his eyes as Kaede groaned and tugged a little harder.

"C'mon! I'm from Sunagakure, I've been trapped here for six years, I just want t'go home, let me out, please!"

Kabuto could hear the desperation in her voice and the begging in her tone and almost plucked up the strength to stand and help her, however, both their eyes shot to the chair as they heard a splattering noise and saw Orochimaru spit up some vile gunk.

"What the hell?!" Kaede called out in horror and shock as she stumbled back until she was against the wall of her cell. Orochimaru slowly slithered out of his own mouth, covered in the same disgusting bile he had upchucked mere seconds ago.

Kaede had never seen something so unnatural, so inhuman in all her life, and she had seen her fair share of horrible sights. How the hell did this man find new ways to prove to her that he lacked any human qualities?!

"You merely lack sufficient intel with which to define yourself." Orochimaru said to the boy who had frozen in fear the moment the man had proved he was alive. "It's just that neither the glasses, nor your name, nor the fact that you're her child were things that denote who you really are."

Orochimaru, who had risen fairly high into the air, still connected to his former skin's mouth, raised his arms and looked down at the shinobi before him. "And that's fine. If you're not satisfied with what you've had so far...Just find other things and add them onto yourself, one by one."

"That's not how someone defines themselves!" Kaede called out, stepping forward with an angry pair of brown eyes. "T'even suggest that proves y'lack morality-"

"I did not ask for your opinion, Kaede..." The way Orochimaru looked at her would have frightened a lesser ninja, but she stood her ground, glaring back without hesitation.

"If you plan on killing me..." Kabuto interrupted, unable to move from his place on the ground. "Why are you telling me all this?"

Orochimaru finally disconnected from his former skin and his legs formed, slowly landing on the ground by his old self's left arm as he answered the scared young man. "I also want to know who, or what, I am and I've been collecting all sorts of things."

A drop of blood falling into a vial beneath it broke through the convesation like a pin dropping in an empty room. It almost made Kabuto jump, but Kaede herself was used to this noise.

"I repeatedly experiment on and inspect these many things I've collected a little at a time...And stored the gained knowledge and abilities within myself." The Sannin slowly started walking towards him. "And then, I undergo rebirth, ever evolving toward a more perfect me. Afterward, I again obtain even more newer items. This time..." A drop of blood interrupted them again as Orochimaru stopped in front of Kabuto. "It's you."

The two of them stared at one another in silence for a moment, the teen unsure if he should trust the man before him. "There's no way you couldn't derive who you are and what you are by gathering all the intel and things that exist in this world."

"Why am I one of those things to you?" Kabuto asked, sitting up, finally able to move once again. Kaede herself listened with curiosity, Orochimaru was insane and this just further proved said point to her already vengeful mind.

Orochimaru let out a weak huff of laughter and raised his head slightly, softer snake-like eyes clearly more visible now that his hair had fallen away from them slightly. Kaede knew not to believe the softeness she saw, he was a monster, a wolf wearing an old woman's clothes. Not to be trusted.

"Because I recognize your talent more than anyone else in this world." The snake shinobi said, raising his hand to emphasize his point. "It would be a waste to kill you. Besides this medical research facility was prepared just for you."

"Bullcrap!" Kaede called out, crossing her arms. "I've been here six years, y'can't tell me that you've been waiting for him for that long!"

"How could you be certain, little fire-breather?" Orochimaru challenged her, his tone all but demanding her to be silent. "My mind is a complex thing, too complex for someone of your level!"

Kaede growled at his obvious insult, she knew for a fact he would not have built this lab purely for this boy, he was just manipulating him into becoming his apprentice. What a dispicable, disgusting, horrible excuse for a human being.

"What are you plotting?" Kabuto asked softly, knowing what Kaede said was true, no one would plan that far ahead, not even the twisted man before him.

"Instead of the Root, which erases individuality...I will create an organization which guides individuality. I will create a village." Orochimaru's grin widened at the thought of his new ambition. "Otogakure...That does not belong to any nation." Kabuto's expression melted into surprise.

"From this moment, you and I will desert Konoha's Root. From this moment, I will be your superior, your brother and your parent. I will protect you from Danzo. From this moment, this will be your new personal history: When you were young, you were found and raised by a Medical Squad Captain following the Battle of Kikyo Pass. After returning to work under Danzo, Yakushi Nonou kept her cover as a captain for the Medical Unit...And you shall be reborn today as her son, Yakushi Kabuto."

Kabuto just stared, unsure what to make of these words as Orochimaru stepped a little closer. "I am Orochimaru. If you want to know who and what you are..." He raised his deathly white hand for Kabuto to take. "Come...Be by my side."

"Don't listen t'him!" Kaede called as Kabuto thought for another moment before slowly standing and stepping towards the Sannin. She even resorted to banging on the glass to get the boy's attention. "Hey, Kabuto, listen t'me! He's a monster, don't listen t'him!"

A single drop of blood cut her off as she realized it was too late, Kabuto had made up his mind, the two men then left the room to find some more suitable garbs for the new Oto shinobi.

"Ah...crap..." Kaede breathed, hitting her head off the glass and resting it there. "Dammit, I was so close too!"

She stood there, like that until the two of them returned, raising her head, despite the red mark she had gained, and listened as Orochimaru gave Kabuto his first order. "There's another organization I want you to look into..."

"Please leave it to me..." Kabuto said, his tone dull, unable to feel anything else after such a stressful couple of hours. "What is this organization?"

"The Akatsuki."

Kaede didn't feel too good about the future that would follow this new development. Maybe she should have just stayed over her friend's house the day she came back from that mission, all those years ago. Maybe then she wouldn't be witnessing such annoying and horrible events take place.

She missed the simple life.

~BHBL~

With a groan of exhaustion, Kaede rolled over in her bed to continue her comfortable rest. She was dreaming that she had just finished another mission for her village and was going out to celebrate with her friends and family.

Of course, that was only a fantasy as the woman opened her eyes slowly, returning to the land of the living as her consciousness slowly awoke to a new 'day.' Hell, she had no idea what time it was, due to the dark laboratory she was in, which lacked windows, she only had her own exhaustion to tell her when it was time to sleep.

It could be midnight for all she knew.

Sitting up, she yawned and stretched, only to hiss when she closed her mouth and felt something cut her lip. "Ow, dammit." She mumbled, touching the soft flesh and bringing her finger away from it, seeing a drop of red liquid on the tip. "Great..." She grumbled, touching it again.

However, she froze when she felt a foreign object digging gently into the skin of her thumbpad. It felt like...A canine, but it was sharper, more lethal than any canine a normal human being possessed.

Realizing something was wrong, Kaede quickly scrambled to her feet and ran to the mirror, almost skidding past it in her slight panic. Grabbing the sink, she prepared herself for what she'd see and lifted her head, inhaling sharply at the sight that met her.

On the left side of her slightly agape mouth, one of her canine had extended further and was noticeably sharper than the other. In the eyes of anyone viewing it, it looked like an out of place fang, as if her body had mutated and she was changing.

Realizing what had caused such a strange disfigurment in her healthy top teeth, she growled and gripped the sink so tight, if she had been a Taijutsu expert, it would have cracked. "Damn you, Orochimaru..."

This was proof that she was changing, becoming something inhuman and disgusting. Something that had been warped by constant experiments and would be seen to society as a freak of nature.

This revelation both disturbed and angered her as she took deep breaths, trying to calm her rising fury. She had finally decided on what her plan of action would be the moment she escaped this vile, disgusting hellhole, first she'd return to her village and regain her title...

Then she'd come back and wipe out the bastard that did this to her. She had wanted him dead yes, but now she desired to be the one to end his life. She would not rest until he was a corpse at her feet.

With a roar fueled by rage, the Ninjutsu Expert swung her fist into the mirror and shattered the glass, cutting her hand to pieces in the process. This caused Kabuto to actually look up from his desk in surprise.

'Mark my words, Orochimaru!' She vowed to herself, glaring at her fragmented reflection. 'One day you'll regret ever considering me as a lab rat!'

~BHBL~

Kaede couldn't be bothered with this anymore, it'd been nine years and she was sick and tired of being drugged and knocked out. She knew her next conscious experiment was going to take place soon, and they had had a terrible emotional impact on her, she didn't like seeing herself cut open at all.

Recently she'd been through a rather large experiment that left her unconscious for several days and had to recover over two months. Apparently, the results from said experiment were so good, that Orochimaru had decided to perform another one. Now she was just waiting until his subordinates dragged her from the cell to be shoved into a decontamination shower.

She missed being able to shower every day without worrying about what was going to happen to her afterwards. After this long, it was just a pleasant memory she'd look upon with longing, just like every other normal daily task she'd taken for granted.

"Kaede-chan."

Kaede hummed and looked up to see Kabuto with two Otogakure Jounin, standing by the door to the cell. "It's time." Was all he needed to say before she grinned and sat up.

"Why should I?" She taunted, standing and dusting off her ass before placing a hand on her hip. "Since I'm able to choose, what makes you think I'll come with you?"

"Well it's either you follow me willingly, or..." Kabuto smirked, reminding her vividly of the Sannin she despised, and almost flinched at the sight of the needle Kabuto lifted into view. "I use more difficult methods to make the task easier~"

"Y'realize you're sounding more and more like that asshole everyday, right?" Kaede asked, knowing that it was just easier to get it over with than let herself be knocked out again. It was already bad enough for her health as it was, she didn't need the stress on top.

At first, the Ninjutsu expert had felt sorry for Kabuto, since he had been through so much, but after he joined Orochimaru she'd began to hate him more and more, to the point of digust, just like his superior. Oh, how she wished her family would find her and finally save her from this dark prision. However, after this long, she no longer assumed she would eventually be rescued.

All she could do was find her own way to escape.

Walking towards the door, it was unlocked and she stepped out, only to be grabbed from behind by one of the Jounin and restrained. "Agh, easy!" She snapped, feeling a tense pain from her arms being tied roughly behind her. "This is the thanks I get for 'willingly' coming with you?!"

"Now we both know that's not the case..." Kabuto told her, chuckling as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "By now you know the routine behind experimentation, correct?"

"Y'have little faith in my intelligence, don't you?" Kaede said sharply, before looking away. "Just hurry up. I only agreed to this because I get t'enjoy a shower."

Kabuto found her irritation and defiance annoying compared to his lord, however as the subordinate he allowed it and she was taken forcefully to the room where the experiments took place. Orochimaru smirked when they entered and flicked the tip of a needle. "Good evening, Kaede..." He welcomed her, earning a huff and a glare as a response. "It's lovely to see you willingly accepting your fate~"

"Bite me, Snake Eyes!" Kaede snapped, the door locked and guarded before Kabuto undid her ropes and she walked into the decontamination shower. She was outnumbered, with the two Jounin guards, Kabuto and Orochimaru, if she tried to escape now, it'd end in her death instead.

No, she needed to plan this, not rush into it.

Tossing her hospital gown out of the shower, she felt the water cascade down onto her flesh from the outside, where Kabuto controlled the temperature. "Hey, could y'turn it up?" She asked, earning an arched brow from the teen behind the shower curtain.

It was rather high as it was, however, he did not question it and raised the heat. Some people enjoyed the pain of a hot shower.

However Kaede herself barely felt it, closing her eyes and relaxing under the heat of the water, she allowed her serious mind to wander and formulate new plans to kill her captor. She could poison him, however with his paranoia, she assumed he'd see right through that, and without him letting his guard down, she couldn't take his life when he was alone.

With a tsk she began to wash her hair, staring at the drain beneath her feet, wondering how someone of his level could be bested. She was indeed a strong kunoichi, but she couldn't underestimate a Sannin. Even someone such as him would have a weakness.

She'd have to think about that later, right now she needed to focus her thoughts and brace herself for the experiment that would be forced upon her once again. However as she lost herself to her thoughts, she was unaware that the water touching her skin began to get colder, until it became a source of discomfort. "Hey, what're y'trying t'pull, the water's freezing in here!" The annoyed kunoichi called out, glaring at the curtain.

What was this a punishment for refusing earlier?

Kabuto glanced to Orochimaru with concern, causing the older man to glance in his direction, approaching when the teen gestured for him to check the thermostate. It was almost hot enough to burn skin! "Kaede-chan, the water is too hot as it is. You should be in pain right now." Kabuto informed her, making her blink several times in confusion.

"Burning up? I'm colder than ice right now!"

Kabuto and Orochimaru shared a look of curiosity and the Sannin smirked, walking back over to the table, checking his equipment. She was either faking this to get out of the experiment, or that desperate for escape that she'd kill herself under the heat. "Don't turn up the thermostate any more, Kabuto...She's delusional, we don't want to injure her skin before our experiment."

"I'm not delusional y'senile old bastard! I'm serious, I'm shaking right now!" Kaede wasn't lying, her entire body was beginning to fall victim to a case of the shivers. Unable to calm them, she hadn't trembled this much in years. The last time she'd been this cold was when she had visited the Country of Iron.

Opening her mouth to ask for the water to stop, Kaede found herself unable to speak, the pain of the biting cold taking over her entire form as she grabbed both her bare arms as a way to keep the heat in. It hurt, her breathing was faltering and she almost felt like she was trapped in ice. Her fingers and toes felt numb and she would have feared frostbite if she wasn't certain this was unnatural.

Slowly that numbing sensation spread through the Ninjutsu Expert's entire body and she had to hold onto the wall of the shower to keep her legs from buckling underneath her. With deep, uneven gasps of air, she felt the world sway around her. This wasn't right, what the hell was going on?

Kabuto, who had went to steralize the scalpels, returned to the shower to turn off the water, when he heard Kaede's uneven breathing. "Kaede-chan, is there a problem?" He asked, awaiting a response.

However the only answer he received startled both himself and Orochimaru, the two of them snapping their heads towards the shower when they heard a heavy thud. "Kaede-chan?!" Kabuto called as the Sannin ran over and yanked the curtain back.

Kaede was sitting against the wall, a little blood on the back from her head making impact with the stone. She was unconscious, her lips turning an unsettling grey and her body wrapped up in tremors. As if she had fallen victim to a severe case of hypothermia.

"Kabuto get some towels!" Orochimaru ordered the boy, who took off without hesitation. "It seems you weren't faking it after all...Kaede."

~BHBL~

It was warm and comfortable.

Kaede hadn't felt this content in the long years she had been stuck here. In fact for the first time in ages, she didn't awake with alert caution. Instead the kunoichi slowly stirred and rolled over, trying to keep herself clinging to the fingers of sleep for just a little longer.

Why was she so comfortable? She was rarely warm in this dark, cold lab, so what was making her feel so content?

Curiosity taking over her mind, she slowly opened her eyes and sat up, letting out a sleepy groan as she stretched her arms over her head and looked down at her legs.

"Eh?" Kaede hummed, blinking away the last of her sleep as she realized she had far more blankets covering her than she had this morning. Even more surprising, was the fact that she lacked a new bandage, hell she was actually naked.

Realizing this, she quickly yanked the blanket over her chest to avoid anyone seeing what lied beneath. Looking around, she saw her gown, freshly washed beside her mattress.

"What the hell?" She mumbled, confused by the current source of warmth she felt, glancing out of the glass container to see Kabuto hunched over his reports. "Hey, kid!"

Kabuto hummed and looked up, smirking when he saw who had addressed him. "Well, well, it seems you finally woke up..."

"What's with the blankets?"

He laughed at how dumbfounded she looked and stood up, walking over to the transparent wall to speak with her more directly. "According to the medical evidence, you had a case of hypothermic shock after spending little under an hour in water..."

Kaede was silent for a moment, unsure what to do with this information. "What does that mean?"

"Well judging by how quickly we had to get you dry and warmed up, we realized that you cannot be directly in water for too long without it becoming fatal to your health...Further examination shows that when it has time to absorb into your skin in a fair amount, that's when the effects take control...At this rate, even drinking water can end your life."

Kaede's eyes widened as he explained the details of her situation, slowly her shock sharpened into anger as she gripped the blanket over her chest tightly. This was it, the proof of what she had feared. With a sickening sensation and a curse, she slammed her fist against the floor.

She was no longer human, no longer seen as a person, but a freak of nature created by a madman with a disgusting curiousity she wished she had never discovered. All she was now was an inhuman lab rat without a purpose.

Anger fueled her brown eyes as she looked up, her pupils mere dots, another side effect to her screwed up genetic make-up. She vowed then, no matter what happened, no matter what she had to do, or who she had to kill...She'd end the man who ruined her life.

She'd wait for him to lower his guard, or become injured, then end him before he could react.

Even if it took the rest of her miserable life!


A/N: Another chapter where I don't have to write out jutsu names!

Please review, all comments will help me become a better writer, so don't be shy!

Thank you for reading!