Chapter 17: A Shocking Reward
A/N: I do not own the Naruto Franchise!
I do however own Mari Kaede and any other OCs mentioned.
Warnings: Contains dark themes, such as depression, murder, experimentation, emotional, mental and physical torture, possible attempted suicide and mentions of sexual activities!
Please read responsibly.
Hey guys, here's the newest chapter of my fanfic, oddly the fastest chapter I've ever written in my life. Probably because it wasn't as scary as writing the final battle between Orochimaru and the Third Hokage. I was so scared of getting it wrong, I barely wrote it until I actually forced myself to stop panicking and get it done.
Turns out, it was my most loved chapter (and the longest!)
So anyway, here's a short, surprising, but relaxing chapter for you guys, just to give you a break from the stressful fighting!
Enjoy!
Deep underground within Otogakure territory, in a room fit for an evil lord, deep, ragged breaths echoed off the walls and many decorative jars filled with past experiments and shed snake-skin as Kabuto, weakened from the countless battles during the Chuunin exam, helped the pale shinobi onto the thone at the centre of the room. Orochimaru himself had sustained the most damage from the battles, as his arms were bandaged and useless, and he was beginning to show signs of a fever from the aggressive pain that ravaged his once useable limbs.
"Curse that Sarutobi..." The weakened Sannin hissed out as he glared down at his arms and managed to clench a fist, though the action shot agony up his arm, making him wince.
Kabuto stood before the feverish leader with a blank frown, only tiredness visible in his eyes. "The task was not that easy, after all." He commented, training his gaze on the inflicted arms also. "You fought the person praised as being the strongest of the Five Nations, the Hokage." He smiled, though it lacked energy. "You did very well and you killed two of the five Kage..."
"Don't." The sharp, sinister tone of Lord Orochimaru silenced the Medic as his snake-like eyes, though exhausted, lifted to meet the younger man's black ones, nothing but murderous intent deep in those vicious depths, sending a shiver of fear up his spine. "Don't try to patronize me...I'll kill you!"
Silence passed for a moment as Kabuto collected himself and kept Orochimaru's gaze. "I had no intention of doing so. We could not capture the village...But for this plan's other goal, Uchiha Sasuke..." The frown he had adorned from terror a moment ago warped into a small. twisted smile. "We were able to put a new collar on him."
The cynical, dark laughter that left his lord's throat as he slumped over and closed his eyes was chilling to anyone who knew of his ambitions and desires and respected him for the determination he usually showed towards them. "But I had to sacrifice these arms and all of my jutsu. If I could've gotten hold of Uchiha Itachi to begin with, there would not have been a problem." He opened his eyes, and the cold, silent rage within them turned the chilling air into a blizzard. "But that's an impossible dream now. He is stronger than me!"
He directed his gaze onto a mummified hand on a wooden table further away, where a simple ring with a simple kanji symbol on the back rested on the deceased pinky finger. "That's why...I left that organization."
~BHBL~
Meanwhile, in the large training area of the hideout, Kaede stood in her flame-retardant underclothes, bandaged in areas and burnt in others, but hard at work as she held a kunai between her teeth and dealt blows and kicks to the air before her in an attempt to speed up her attacks, while applying a good level of power. Despite her agony and bleeding injuries, she wouldn't be slowed in her actions and would train until her last breath, as she always had done. The one plus side to all this training was that her attacks seemed to flow with more ease, which would give her an excellent advantage in battle.
Deciding to raise the bar a little, she opened her jaw and dropped the blade between her teeth, before she spun and caught it, using the motion to slash at the air with extreme force and speed. She placed it in her mouth once again and did this several more times, getting it wrong once or twice after, until she finally felt fatigue kick in, then she took the kunai from her jaws and tossed it behind her until she heard the familiar clink of the metal striking the other weapons on the stand.
Since she had set her goal to completing that motion at least once, due to her weakened state, she decided she deserved a fairly relaxing break. Sadly without her book or any other forms of entertainment within the hideout, she knew this meant she'd go back to her room and take a long nap.
Since the battle between Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the first few days of Orochimaru roaring with anger through the halls, he had been fairly quiet and honestly, it disturbed her a little. Orochimaru was never this silent or reserved, he would taunt her, gratingly input his opinion during her private training sessions, and force her to go on supply runs, so not hearing from him for the past few days was really starting to freak her out.
It was still a welcome change though, it meant she had time to come up with a way to kill him during his exhausted state. At the thought of his injuries and agonising cries during the early days, a twisted grin curled her lips and her eyes danced with glee. It was nice to see that creep feel some suffering for a change, to understand what it was like for her when she couldn't change her own fate. It was the one thing that helped keep the guilt she had locked in a chest deep in her mind at bay because if she had assisted Hiruzen in the battle and killed Orochimaru then and there, he wouldn't be tormented now, and the joy she felt would have been taken away.
With a stretch of her arms over her head, she went to leave the room but faltered when the memories of the fight brought an event to mind. Orochimaru's swift attempt to save her life, pulling her out of the path of a tidal wave of deadly water and into the safe circle of air that had been created for him.
With a click of the tongue, she sneered at the thought of having her life saved by that sick bastard and shook her head, finally leaving the training hall to take a long nap, her expression soured by the sudden thought that made its way into her brain.
The man she was trying to kill, saved her own life. How humiliating...
As she strolled down the corridors towards her own room, she paused as Orochimaru trudged his way down towards her, well not her, the door beside her, his bedroom door. Without making eye contact, the furious Sannin shuffled to the door which had been left open due to his inability to use his arms at this moment, and stormed inside, slamming it hard with his foot, blocking her view of his fever-stricken form.
Honestly, that was the most she'd seen of him since the fight, and despite the odd silence, she was relieved, since the mere sight of him made her sick to her stomach, now more than ever. Shaking her head, she continued around a corner and into her own room, wishing she had more to do than train, nap and watch the moon at night.
While she prepared to sleep, Orochimaru leaned back against his large pillows separating his back from the headboard, the pain in his arms increasing as the medication he had been given finally started to wear off. However the proud Sannin wouldn't get another dose, he hated the vile, bitter taste it left in his mouth. Only when the pain became unbearable would he request that horrible concoction for relief.
His mind returned to the fight against Sarutobi, the sight of his arms being severed at the soul, and his flesh turning grey in response. How he'd not only failed to retrieve a new vessel but also failed to destroy the place he grew up in.
Anger flooded his system and he clenched his weak, trembling fists until blood leaked onto the bandages from both his palms and knuckles as the flesh split beneath the white strips. 'Curse you, Sarutobi!' He thought viciously as he glared down at the useless limbs. 'If I could kill you over again, I would, you senile old geezer!'
With a snarl of pure rage, he swung out one of his arms and shattered a large vial on the nightstand used to create his detested medication. The pain forced a hiss from his lips and he hunched forward with his arm curled inwards towards his chest. He took deep, heavy breaths as he waited for the waves of agony to pass, desperately hoping that no one would come into the room to investigate the noise. He wanted to be alone, he was not some weak, sick child who needed constant care!
To his relief, a moment passed and no footsteps moved towards his safe haven, there was no rapping on the door or concerned voices echoing through the wood to see if he was alright, he was by himself, and relishing in it.
With one last exhale of heavy air, he rested against his pillows once again and glared at the door, vowing to make them all pay, to make his ambitions a reality whether he had destroyed Konoha or not.
~BHBL~
A fair amount of time passed since that day and Orochimaru hadn't gotten any better, in fact, it had been two weeks and the pain he experienced had increased tenfold and he was taking out the anger caused by the agony he felt on anyone in his path. He'd already killed several of his followers who had suggested he rest, eat, or anything that made him feel weak.
Kabuto himself had been on the receiving end of his anger more than once, and praised his own healing abilities, as he would probably be dead otherwise. Kaede was the only one who hadn't succumb to his anger firsthand, as she'd avoided his very existence as much as she could, only going to see him when he had a mission for her, which she was reluctant to take on, but did anyway.
As a matter of fact, she had just returned from a weeklong stake-out of Konohagakure, which was now rebuilding and searching for a new Hokage, and the thought that the village hadn't fallen slightly irritated her as she sat outside the hideout, watching the moon in the sky, finding a wonderful sense of freedom at the sight.
With all the hard work she'd put into fighting Konohagakure to gain that irritating Sannin's trust, to find that it was easily rebuilt and that the 'foundation' hadn't toppled, reminded her of her own village and it's sturdy walls, and she hated it. 'Why do villages even exist? All they do is cause wars and alienate their own the moment they disappear for too long...'
She sighed and laid back on the dry grass, arms folded behind her head as a cloud covered the moon, strengthening her frown. Even the large celestial body wasn't completely free and was bound to be called away by the sun at some point.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru was sat on his throne, having demanded to be moved to that location so he wouldn't be seen as fragile any longer, though the length of time he could stay there was very limited now. His mind continued to wander back to the fight, but instead of dwelling on his failures, which had become stale long ago, he was focused on Kaede's performance during the battle.
Though she had been slow to join the fray in the end, due to the jutsu placed on the pair of them, and her irritating comebacks when he demanded she assist him, she had stepped up and landed the final blow on Hiruzen which lead to his death, and stopped the Otokage from being outright killed by his teacher.
He closed his eyes for a moment with a contemplating frown, he had offered to reward her, mid-fight, and despite telling many lies himself, there were some promises he found foolish to ignore or avoid. He opened his snake-like orbs and looked over at Kabuto, who was preparing his usual dose of disgusting pain-relief. "Kabuto..."
The medic hummed and turned his head slightly to look Orochimaru in the eyes. "Yes, Orochimaru-Sama? The medicine isn't ready yet, it'll be another hour before I can be of assistance."
"Tch." He sneered, easily irritated when in such a state. "I have no interest in that so-called 'medicine.' Kaede should have returned from her mission by now...Bring her to me, I want to hear her report."
Kabuto stared at Orochimaru for a moment before he closed his eyes and turned to face the Sannin, bowing his torso. "Yes, sir." Was his simple response before he left the room, the candlelight reflecting on his glasses, hiding his eyes and his expression from view.
He himself found that sending someone to Konoha would only rub salt in the wounds and that they should be solely focused on finding some kind of cure for Orochimaru's ailment.
It took the young medic a full twenty minutes to seek out and find Kaede, he searched her room, the kitchen and the training hall, but she hadn't been there. However, once he stepped outside, she was the one who made her presence known, lying in the grass at the top of the stairs. "What d'you want, Kabuto?" She called down, sitting up to glare at him over her shoulder.
"Orochimaru requests your presence in his study," Kabuto told her, placing a hand on his hip as he met her gaze with little hesitation. He didn't fear her glare as much as he feared Orochimaru's. "It'd do you well not to keep him waiting."
"Heh, tell your 'Lord' that I'll be there when I damn well please!"
The medic sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose, she was testing his patience. Honestly, he didn't understand why the Sannin didn't just dispose of her, she had no further uses. "Though the thought pleases me, he is not in the best of moods and will probably punish you for keeping him waiting. His health is waning and he is lacking patience."
Kaede bit her tongue as the thought 'serves him right' crossed her mind, but since she needed him to trust her, she knew saying such things would drop her about ten steps back, so she held it in. "Fine, tell Orochimaru I'll be there in a minute."
"Good, don't dawdle. His punishment for you will likely involve locking you back in a containment cell.'
And then the medic stepped inside and Kaede clicked her tongue, forcing back a shiver at the thought of being trapped in a glass box again. She glared up at the moon which was now shrouded in clouds, indicating a storm was on its way and exhaled slowly in thought. 'Die in the rain, or talk t'Orochimaru?'
She hummed.
'Tough call.'
~BHBL~
"Heh, you look like crap~"
The redhead stood within the study, before Orochimaru's hunched form sitting on his throne, a glare in his eyes as sweat slid down his even paler skin. "How does it feel t'have all your jutsu sealed away forever?" Though she wanted to gain his trust, she couldn't help the odd jeer, it felt so good to see this man suffering.
Orochimaru however, didn't bite into her taunts, and instead smirked with a twisted sense of amusement and pain. "I'm not too sure, Firecracker, tell me...How does it feel to have killed the Third Hokage?" He grinned arrogantly as her own fell with the comeback and she clicked her tongue, crossing her arms as she glared directly at him.
"Alright, what d'you want? There's a bed with my name on it, and you're taking up my free time."
"Hm, hm, hm, rather impatient, aren't we?" He teased, enjoying venting his frustrations out on her, as she did to him quite often. "Give me your report on Konoha...Have they found a new Hokage yet?"
"No...They still don't have a Hokage, but the village is rebuilding, they're remodeling the damaged houses and the gate we destroyed with your two-headed snake..." She looked away, surprising him as she too seemed irritated at the news. "That's a village for you, they don't care who dies, they've just got t'keep up their status..."
"Hmm, do I sense a little resentment~?"
Kaede clicked her tongue. "I ain't falling for your little digs, Snake-Eyes. I've delivered my report, I'm leaving." She turned to exit the room when his raspy voice stopped her in her tracks.
"I'm not finished."
She looked at him over her shoulder and he stared her dead in the eyes with a serious frown, all teases out the window, which was the only reason she was still listening. "Despite your slow reaction to Sarutobi-sensei's attack, you still managed to deal the final blow and stop him from killing me..." His lip curled up with distaste at the thought of being rescued. "Distasteful as it was, your actions cannot go without a reward."
Her eyes widened and she spun to face him, completely dumbstruck by his words. "I don't want your damn rewards." She told him sternly, her serious nature showing through once again as she got ahold of herself and glared at him. "I didn't do that for you, he just pissed me off with his 'Konoha is a family' speech! I don't need no damn reward!"
Orochimaru chuckled and closed his tired eyes with a wide smirk on his lips. "Oh, but you'll be rather happy with what I have planned." He looked at Kabuto. "Collect the item in my dresser...It'll look out of place among my things."
Kabuto nodded and turned, opening the drawers, his eyes wide with surprise as he spotted something that was indeed out of place. "Orochimaru-sama...Isn't this...?" He asked.
"It isn't mine, hand it to Kaede, she should recognize it..."
The younger medic closed the drawer and took the item over, holding it out to Kaede, whose brown eyes widened to impossible widths as she looked over the very important object she remembered and loved.
It was her copy of Icha-Icha Paradise, with its dog-eared pages and damaged cover caused by overuse. She was silent in shock as Orochimaru nodded to Kabuto, who nodded back and left them to speak in peace. Despite his sour mood and constant pain, he had moments where he wasn't a walking embodiment of anger and fury, and this was one of them.
"You're wondering how this book came into my possession, hm?" He asked, chuckling at the look she gave him, a gobsmacked expression of shock and confusion. "On the night that I took you from Sunagakure, you had this book in your possession, and I knew from the wear and tear inflicted upon its pages that it was a well-loved novel...Though why you'd enjoy that perverted fool's literature is far beyond my understanding." He grimaced in memory of his former teammate, the creator of Icha-Icha Paradise. "I realized that this book would be useful somewhere down the line and took it along with you back to my hideout...Now that you've proven yourself a worthy subordinate it has been returned to your possession."
But that wasn't the end of it, while Kaede processed his words, his eyes sharpened like a snake hunting a weak mouse. "However...If you continue to take your time in coming to my aid, your punishment will be...Severe." He narrowed those slitted eyes. "Is that understood?"
Her thoughts returned to the warning Kabuto gave her, and the images of her former containment cell came to mind, causing a shiver to run down her spine, chilling her from the inside out. With a glare, she met his eyes, less afraid of him than the thought of being trapped, and glared at him while her mind whirred.
Orochimaru wasn't kind, he wasn't decent or understanding...He was cruel, malicious, sadistic and sickening. So why did she feel a sliver of gratitude, a desire to thank him for returning her most precious belonging back to her, despite being the reason she didn't have it in the first place.
Disgust and discomfort filled her form and she huffed, turning to leave with one final sentence. "Whatever...It ain't like you've got enough strength to protect y'self. Just don't expect me to bow down at your feet."
And she left with those lies hanging in the air, she had no intention of protecting him from anything, no matter what gifts he'd given her.
Once she was out of earshot, Orochimaru chuckled with a dark smirk. Her words were irritating, but once again her reactions proved amusing. Her company never seemed to bore him. Though her actions at the Chuunin Exams the night before the final battle still troubled him to some extent. There was no way she would visit his room in the middle of the night just for training, knowing her, she'd rather sneak out and train alone than ask for his assistance, therefore, there was only one other thing she could have been planning.
However, he chose not to dwell on it, only to keep a wary eye on her as he continued towards his ambitions. He had no time or patience to focus on her foolish goals when he had other, more pressing matters to attend to, like healing his pain-stricken arms.
And for that, he needed to find Tsunade.
A/N: Thank you guys for reading, please review, all comments help me towards becoming a better writer!
...I have nothing to translate...Spooky.
