Chapter 6 - The Not so Great Escape
A/N: I do not own Naruto!
I do however own Mari Kaede and any other OCs mentioned!
Please ask permission before using them!
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 rewritten Chapter 6!
Enjoy!
'Focus...Keep your mind clear and let the Chakra flow through you...'
Kaede stood there, hands pressed firmly together with her eyes closed as a blue swirl of Chakra rippled beneath her feet in a neat circle. Her breathing was calm and even and her gown fluttered under the power her energy created.
Today was the day she would escape. She had been training non-stop since her last attempt over three months ago and she vowed not to fail again.
Right now the 'village' known as Otogakure remained silent as many of the members were out recruiting new shinobi or were training outside to prepare for missions. Kabuto was currently sitting at his desk a few feet diagonal from her cell and the only noise in the room was the 'swoosh' of the Chakra and the scratching of his pen.
Kabuto had long since gotten used to Kaede's constant attempts at escaping, he'd stopped caring after so long. Not many could break through shinobi proof glass, only the strongest fire could melt it, and the heaviest fist could shatter it.
She possessed neither of those.
With a hum, Kabuto looked up as the door of his laboratory was pushed open and two Oto shinobi entered the room. "Hey, Kabuto-san, we need-" One of them started, only to be interrupted by a certain red-haired experiment.
With a roar of might, Kaede's Chakra flowed back into her and she made the signs necessary for her jutsu. "Katon: Kasai Suīpu!" She called out, inhaling deeply and exhaling a large torrent of fire onto the glass, holding it as the strength of the blaze increased rapidly. The Ninjutsu Expert narrowed her eyes in anticipation as she watched the clear material begin to fog up under the strong heat.
The three shinobi watched as the flames died down and Kaede stepped back, only to kick off in a run towards the transparent wall. With all the strength she could muster, the weak Taijutsu novice slammed her shoulder into the material keeping her captive, only to curse as she bounced off it and held her arm as pain washed through her entire left side.
It still wasn't strong enough. Though she had felt a small instability in the glass when she made impact, it wasn't enough to shatter it and allow her freedom. She needed more power, more training, more time! It was always about time, why didn't she have the strength to leave already?
Kaede had lost count of the years, but assuming by fact that she could no longer have children due to her age, she estimated it had been over a decade at least. A decade of her life she'd never be able to get back, so much time wasted and nothing done with it.
What a pitiful existence she had.
The sound of arrogant laughter filled her ears and brought her back to her senses, glancing down at the two shinobi who had just watched her fail miserably. "What a pathetic jutsu! This is the 'strong fire expert' I've heard about?" One of them sneered, only his green eyes visible through his ninja mask. His taunts caused a small flicker of irritation to lick at her mood, they could talk, she'd seen stronger looking flees on Ninken.
With a soft huff of air to remove her irritation, Kaede began to roll her injured shoulder, trying to work out the pain so she could go back to her training. The longer she spent here, the older she'll get and the more likely she'd never see her family again. "She'd last three seconds in front of an Uchiha, Orochimaru-sama would've been better off capturin' one of 'em instead!" The other shinobi, with blue eyes, continued.
Kaede paused, looking at the two men with a sharper gleam in her already sharp brown eyes. Seeing a reaction, the two men smirked, amusing themselves by torturing her. "That fired ya up, didn't it?" Blue Eyes taunted, stepping forward. "After havin' so many experiments happen, you're nothin' more than a freak, aren't ya?"
Anger began to burn under Kaede's tanned skin, where there were flickers of irritation, there were now flames of anger, licking at her, making her want to rip their heads off. Kabuto could see the rage seeping into the woman's expression and chose to stay out of it, looking down at his work. What the others chose to do in their free time did not affect him, they weren't causing her harm, so he had nothing to do with it.
Their words replayed again and again in Kaede's head and her teeth ground together gently, her skin taking on a soft glow. "Ha, look at this!" Green Eyes jeered, pointing at her. "She's a walking nightlight too! What will she accomplish with that?!"
"Heh, she'll probably power the entire hideout's lightin' at this rate!"
"Yeah!" They both glared at her tense figure with cruel grins. "Heh, that's a better job than being a wanted criminal, I s'pose!"
Every nerve in her body ached with the desire to make them eat their words, force them to apologize and cry for mercy as she beat them within an inch of their lives. However, that damn wall stood in her path, the one thing stopping her from kicking the crap out of them.
"At least here she'd get food and shelter! They wouldn't even give her a cardboard box if she asked back there! After all, they're not exactly jumping at the chance to rescue her, are they?"
"Y'better SHUT THE HELL UP!" It was this dangerous roar that silenced the entire room, even causing Kabuto, who had sworn to mind his own business, to look up. The sight that met the three of them made their eyes widen in surprise. Kaede was stood there, grinding her teeth hard, taking in deep breaths as she tried to remain calm. Her skin was almost bright orange with sparks crackling off it into the air, like the bright particles that come from hitting two rocks off one another over a fire pit.
Kaede could see these odd symptoms for herself as the sparks flew into her line of sight before fading, only to be replaced by more. However she was too far gone to care, it was probably another messed up side-effect of the most recent major experiment.
Kabuto slowly stood up as the men scoffed, not alarmed by her sudden ability to crackle like a firework. "See what I mean by 'freak?' If ya hadn't have been born, maybe that guy, Kiyoshi...?" Blue Eyes looked to the other, who nodded. "Yeah, Kiyoshi! Maybe that guy Kiyoshi would still be alive!"
It was with that last statement that Kaede snapped, every single cell in her body burned with unimaginable anger, feeling her body tense, she tried to breathe, but found the task impossible. Even the sparks that had covered her body threatened to envelop her in light, some of them becoming flames in the air before fading away.
She couldn't hold it back, the pain, the rage, it was boiling, burning, aching to be vented and she would do just that. In less than a second, she raised her hands into her hair and gripped the fiery strands. Arching her back she let out a mighty roar of anger as the sparks surrounding her engulfing her body at once.
Suddenly there was a bright flash of light and everyone had to look away before the sound of harsh fire crackling in the air was heard. Kaede couldn't contain her cries as flames surrounded her whole body, enveloping her in a burning heat that scorched her skin and began to melt her clothes into her flesh.
The strong temperatures of the flames began to warp the glass before it bubbled and slowly turned to liquid, creating holes in the cell. Kabuto couldn't believe his eyes as he watched the walls holding the woman back for ten years fall so easily at her powerful flames. Even the two shinobi who had caused this new development stumbled back against the laboratory wall in fear at the heat.
The Ninjutsu Expert staggered back and forth in pain, holding her hair as she continued to wail, the agony of her burning flesh was making her unaware of her surroundings. Kabuto decided that this would be the best time to find Orochimaru, with her current instability, none of them could take her down alone. With a look of determination, the medical specialist ran from the room in search of his lord, the two shinobi following behind to escape the woman's wrath.
"I-It hurts!" Kaede cried out, dropping to her knees, her tears sizzling away the moment they left her eyes, it was so hot, so painful, how was she even alive?! "Why am I-?" Kaede began, only to stop mid-sentence when she was able to open an eye and saw that the glass of her cell had melted.
At that moment she was unaware of the searing heat as her heart filled with confusion, joy, and hope. This was her chance! She could finally escape!
Gritting her teeth hard, the kunoichi stood and ran towards the wall, vaulting over the hot material before kicking off into a fast sprint into the hallway. While she ran she hissed and cursed mentally, her burning feet slapping off the cold stone, leaving bloody footprints behind as her skin peeled away.
'I have t'hurry!' She thought, increasing her speed, tripping over herself once or twice with the unfamiliar sensation that came with not being able to run for over ten years. 'I don't know how long I can last with this pain! If I die now, it's all over!'
Skidding around a corner, Kaede let out a noise of pain and stumbled, collecting her footing as she saw the double doors of the entrance before her. Her clothes had melted into her flesh a fair deal and the burns that covered her body became more severe by the minute, blood leaking from her lip as her grin split the dry, hot flesh.
'I'm almost there!'
Of course, it wasn't that easy. In a split second, a figure rose from the ground before her, blocking her exit, was Orochimaru. His arms were crossed and his lips curved down into a contemplating frown. 'Crap!' Kaede cursed mentally, her eyes narrowing as she kept up a good pace towards him.
She wouldn't stop, she couldn't afford to stop!
"Out of the way, Orochimaru!"
"I'd stay right where you are if you know what's good for you..." The Snake Shinobi warned her, uncrossing his arms and straightening his posture, prepared to stop her if necessary. "If you attempt to take another step towards this door, you'll die. Be it by my hand or the flames slowly eating away at your weak flesh."
Kaede laughed, squinting as the world began to lose focus around her, her flames overflowing from every nook and cranny of her fragile human body. She'd have to be quick, even fighting would be foolish with her current condition. "I don't care!" She called out to him, preparing to form seals, her footsteps were becoming sloppy, she caught herself tripping more often than not. It was now or never, she either broke through or died trying! "I'm getting out of here, just like I swore I would all those years ago!"
Orochimaru, though irritated by her defiance, found her strong will rather admirable, if used in the right way, she could become a valuable pawn in his future plans. Chuckling darkly, the Sannin lowered his head slightly and met her gaze with cold, dangerous yellow eyes. "Then I challenge that vow! I doubt you will easily pass me!" As if he was goading her, he raised his arms and waited for her to strike.
Kaede's anger was fueled further by his words, the flames around her intensifying as she formed her seals, only eight, maybe nine feet away from him by now. "Ka-" She started, however, her mind went blank for a moment, the pain clouding her senses and caused her vision to blacken around the edges. The entire world tilted and faded away as the burning heat made her numb to every other sensation and she could no longer focus on anything else.
Orochimaru watched as her hands separated weakly and her eyes slipped shut. Lowering his arms when she tripped over her own feet and landing face first, only a foot away from him, unconscious as the flames surrounding her died down and left nothing but a burnt, bloody mess.
He could see that she was still alive by the occasional twitch of her fingers or limbs. His experiments had lead to failure after all, her fatal genetic side-effect proved this. What use would she be to him in her state?
If she could learn to control the flames, perhaps her purpose would still stand. If she had escaped, that must mean she had melted the Ninjutsu Proof Glass with her newfound 'power.' Therefore her fire Ninjutsu must have also increased in strength as well.
Letting his irritated frown curl into a malicious grin, he chuckled darkly as he licked his lips. The thought of her newfound power alone made excitement rise in his chest.
If all went according to plan, her Ninjutsu's strength would have surpassed the Uchiha Clan's. Of course, the first priority was to get her healed.
...Right now.
~BHBL~
Two Days had passed since that spectacle, and Kaede had not regained consciousness. Kabuto had performed emergency surgery to remove the clothes that had melted into her flesh and to repair her severely damaged skin and feet so that she would not lose the ability to move freely.
Once all the damage had been taken care of and the inert woman was checked for any signs of permanent head, internal or chakra based damage, she was wrapped in bandages from the neck down and placed in one of the spare rooms to rest. There was even a bandage strewn across the bridge of her nose, two burns on either cheek concealed beneath them.
Kabuto stood by the woman's bedside, preparing the medicine for when she awoke, knowing the pain was going to be excruciating. He was surprised that Orochimaru had chosen to keep her alive, even after finding out about her obvious flaw. Yes, she had taken out Ninjutsu Proof Glass, however, her attitude had to be considered here.
'Just what are you hoping for, Orochimaru-sama?' The teen asked silently, glancing over to the woman, who's covered fingers twitched and her eyelids flickered before fluttering open. "You're finally awake, it seems..." Kabuto told her, plastering a smirk on his lips as he continued his work, the clinking of different vials and glasses the only other noise covering the thick silence of the room.
Kaede blinked, unable to process where she was, due to the lack of familiarity in the room. "Uhm..." She slurred, shifting her fingers slightly, only to flinch and wake up a little more from the ache that caused her entire hand to throb, the sensation slowly creeping around the rest of her body.
She hurt all over.
The medical shinobi didn't say anything else as she got her bearing and poured the powder into a glass for her to drink. She was disorientated, only natural after such an extraordinary day.
"Oh yeah..." Kaede finally mumbled after a silent moment, remembering the event clearly. If she was still here, and Kabuto was stood next to her, that meant she hadn't managed to escape. "Terrific..."
Kabuto chuckled at the obvious irritation that seeped into her strained voice and quickly turned his head towards her when he heard movement and saw she was trying to sit up. "If I were you, I'd remain still, Kaede-chan." He told her simply, watching as she glanced up at him, distrust in her eyes. "There is no reason to aim such looks at me, if I had been instructed to kill you, you wouldn't have even opened your eyes to begin with."
Though those words sent a shot of discomfort straight to her stomach, twisting it, she knew he spoke nothing but the painfully honest truth. Just like his superior. "A chip off the psychotic, sadistic block, aren't you?" She sneered as she slowly rested herself back onto the bed. How tightly her skin pulled when she sat up proved that it was still in the process of healing, so movement was a very bad idea.
Kabuto smirked as he continued with his work, finding slight amusement in her words. It seems she did have a sense of dark humor, after all. However Kaede didn't find anything funny about this, in fact, she was angry and confused.
Of course, the woman never got a chance to dwell on these thoughts when she heard the door open and in came the man she wished she could just throw off the nearest bridge. "Well, it seems our little fire-breather has regained consciousness..." Orochimaru said, his tone showing just how little sympathy he had for her as he closed the door. "How are your wounds?"
"Oh I never knew y'cared," Kaede said, her words just oozing with sarcasm. This only caused the Sannin to laugh softly, his subordinate's shoulders shaking with a chuckle of his own. "Why the hell am I alive? I burst into flames for God's sake! Shouldn't I be completely useless by now?!"
Hell she still had hair, shouldn't that have all singed away?!
"Your flames are a mental instability where your harshest emotions cause an imbalance of Chakra that overflows and overtakes the human body in a way that is fatal to the user..." Kabuto started, glancing at Orochimaru, who allowed him to explain. "This chakra is native to your own body, therefore like Katon users themselves, you are the least affected by your own embers. That's why your body is still mostly intact, the effects of these flames differ from external infernos."
"How d'you know this?"
"You have been unconscious for two days, this gave us plenty of time to extract some tissue damage and perform genetic scans to find the source."
"So getting angry makes me into a walking fireball?" Kaede watched Kabuto laugh and nod at her rather blunt, and strange way of absorbing this information. "But I'm still a fire hazard that can burst into flames at any moment! So why am I still here? I thought y'would've disposed of me by now."
Orochimaru's smirk only curled his lips further, his eyes filled with amusement and a little glee. He got a kick out of her confusion and misery, that bastard! "That may be the case, however even a failed experiment has its uses..." He explained, pulling no punches, he rarely lied when it came to things he had no reason to hide. "You were once a Kunoichi with an elite status in your own village, known for her strong Ninjutsu abilities. Therefore I plan to take advantage of that to bring forth my ambitions..."
Kaede wanted to argue, wanted to refuse every little thing he said, but ground her teeth as she forced it back. It was a good idea to build up her trust with the man so he'd lower his guard around her, but the thought alone made her want to rip out her hair. She just had to accept that she'd have to bear with his company a little while longer, until she could end his miserable life.
She drew strength from the idea of enacting her revenge.
Of course, before she could achieve all that, she had to escape and go to her village. No matter what Orochimaru told her, she refused to believe that her village had written her off as a Rogue Kunoichi. Her parents and friends would defend her.
After all the years she'd assisted that village and all the hell she'd been through, what else would she cling to but the one place she could call home. No one there would abandon her for such a foolish reason.
It had been so many years, she just had to let her family know she was alive and well. Her heart swelled in her chest at the thought of seeing them again.
Hopefully, it would be a heartwarming reunion.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, all your reviews will help me grow as a writer!
Japanese = English
Katon: Kasai Suīpu! = Fire Release! Fire Sweep!
