Hello my loyal readers! I have come to torture you some more ❤️ Speaking of which tw: snakes and torture. Also domestic abuse
These chapters take extra time to write because hurting my babies hurts me 😭
Thank you once again to katydid001 ❤️ for helping me to keep my plot bunnies in line! You're the best!
The cool wind stung Katsumi's cheeks as her captor accidentally jostled her awake. The drug in her system made her limbs feel weak, but she managed to pry open her heavy eyelids. Familiar scenery rushed past her as her assailant leapt up onto the rooftops. In her drowsy state she hatched a plan.
As the unknown rogue ninja landed on the roof tiles, he felt his captive wiggle. Suddenly, an elbow whacked him in the side of the head causing him to lose grip on her for a second.
Katsumi threw her weight to the side in an attempt to break free. She fell unceremoniously onto the hard surface of the roof with a thud. In her daze, she turned her head to get a good look at her attacker before she felt a sharp pain in her neck. This drug was much more potent, her vision began to blur immediately as it worked through her system. She fought to keep herself coherent as she let herself collapse. She slammed her fist down on the roof to try and draw attention to herself.
A foot smashed into her head causing her to roll to the edge of the roof. As she lay there the last of her strength faded, she peeked out from under her eyelashes and she managed to catch a glimpse of her enemy. Orochimaru? her thoughts were quickly silenced as the snake summoner tossed her limp form back over his shoulder.
Katsumi flexed her fingers, the hard metal of her pendant remained mercifully clutched in her tight fist. She cracked her eyes open with a glazed look of heartbreak as she opened her hand. Orochimaru launched himself across onto another set of rooftops as her fuzzy vision lingered on the necklace as it swiftly dropped onto the dirt below.
Kakashi… Obito… help… was her last thought as she lost her fight with the darkness.
"You both could have been KILLED! Then what good would you have been to Katsumi-chan?!" Kushina bellowed at the two sullen looking boys. Her vermillion hair floated around her in angry tendrils.
Kakashi sat on the hospital bed with Obito to his right. Both young men kept their gazes trained to the floor. Every word felt like salt in a fresh wound. They were acutely aware of how close they had both come to death and how empty the room felt without Katsumi.
Rin worked her green chakra over Obito's minor burns, her focus zeroed in on her work. She was upset that the boys had tried to rescue Katsumi without telling anyone, but it didn't surprise her. The brunette kunoichi was also feeling the heavy anxiety that came with Katsumi's abduction, but she knew better than to throw herself into danger. Her male teammates though, they always jumped into the fight.
Kushina paced up and down the room with her fists clenched in her crimson locks. "Why didn't you come straight to Minato?! Sending your ninken with a message does not count either, Kakashi! Why are you both so reckless?!"
Minato watched with a frown plastered on his face. He didn't speak, instead letting Kushina do the screaming for both of them.
"I couldn't just let her go…" Kakashi mumbled under his breath.
"And to top it all off..." Kushina's livid voice trailed off before she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
Finally, Minato decided to break his silence, "If you had come to us first, we could have prevented the explosion. Not only did you both almost die, but most of the evidence in the hideout was destroyed. We all feel the absence of Katsumi-chan. But what do you think she would say about you both going in blind?" his tone was firm as he came to stand beside the red-haired kunoichi.
Kakashi covered his face with a bandaged hand and squeezed his eyes shut. Obito opened his mouth to answer when a knock sounded at the door.
"Lord Fourth, may I speak to you for a moment?" An unfamiliar leaf shinobi poked his head through the entrance before disappearing once more.
"I will be back." Minato cast a comforting look to his lover. He sucked in a deep breath before he followed the messenger out into the hallway.
"Katsumi is in danger! We don't even know who took her!" Obito snapped as he glared daggers at his hands folded in his lap. He lifted his eyes to look at the silver shinobi beside him. Never before had the sight of Kakashi brought the Uchiha teen pain, but right now it amplified his torment.
Kushina hissed and crossed her arms, her mind temporarily distracted. "We have a good hunch, but we are waiting for more evidence before we can be sure..."
"WHAT? WHO?" both males shouted in unison.
Rin also turned to stare at Kushina in shock. She pulled back her hands as Obito jerked forward in his sudden anticipation.
"I said it's a hunch! We don't have all the information yet." The long-haired kunoichi tapped her foot in exasperation and refused to give anything away. "I want to find Katsumi-chan too, but we can only do this once and we have to do it right. If it is who I think it is, we may only get one shot," her voice was laced with a morbid undertone that sent shivers up all three of the teenagers' spines.
The hospital room door opened again and Minato quickly stepped inside. He shut the door and came over to whisper in Kushina's ear.
"Shit…" Kushina cursed as she stormed over to the window before wrenching it open to get some air.
Minato watched her walk away with a sigh. As he turned to face his team it was clear that the news he had been given was far from happy. "We have reason to believe Katsumi was kidnapped by a rogue shinobi. From the looks of what was collected from the hideout, the rogue ninja was experimenting on civilians and shinobi alike."
The thought of Katsumi being in the hands of a psychopathic criminal almost made Rin physically sick. She gasped at Minato's words before placing a hand over her mouth in shock.
All of the colour drained from Kakashi's face as his sensei's words sunk in. Katsumi is in the hands of a monster? His body began to quake as he forced the thought away, his chest heaved with a shuddering gasp.
Obito felt icy fingers curl around his heart. He shoved a hand into his pocket with a hard swallow, his fist clenched around Katsumi's necklace. "Who is the rogue shinobi, Sensei?" his voice came out in a laboured whisper.
Minato's blue eyes scrunched closed in an attempt to compose himself. As he opened them again his gaze locked with Obito's black orbs before he answered, "Orochimaru…"
Agony shot through Katsumi's body as she took a trembling breath. Her heterochromatic eyes fluttered open and she took in everything she could in the low light. She tried to move only to realise she was bound tightly to the seat beneath her. An empty wooden desk stood in front of her, torches cast flickering light around the cold stone room. A shiver wracked her tiny frame as her mind flashed with hazy memories. The young woman hung her head in shame as reality sunk in.
Kidnapped in my own home? Some ANBU operative I am, she chidded herself. As she wiggled her arms, the ropes chafed against her pale skin.
"You're awake. Good. I think it's time that you answer some questions for me, Hatake-san," a familiar serpentine voice hissed from the darkness.
She bared her fangs and narrowed her eyes at the shinobi in front of him; her black mask still bunched at her clavicle. Katsumi felt paralysing fear seep through her bones. Never before had she felt murderous intent so powerful coming from a shinobi. Despite her terror, anger still sung through her veins.
"You have a strong will. That will not last long, I assure you." Orochimaru gestured to the darkness behind him with two fingers.
Out of the shadows stepped a short, grey-haired shinobi, his round-rimmed glasses reflected the glow of the flames. He looked to be only slightly younger than Katsumi, but his age did nothing to quell her fear.
"Hatake-san, meet my subordinate, Kabuto." The snake sannin turned his beady eyes to the younger shinobi beside him. "I trust you will have Hatake-san talking by the time I come back. Do not disappoint me."
Kabuto adjusted the bridge of the glasses with his middle finger. He grinned menacingly at the terrified kunoichi. "Just leave it to me, Orochimaru-sama."
Orochimaru glanced back at his prisoner with a hollow smirk before he left the room without a word.
Kabuto stalked towards Katsumi as she continued to glare daggers at his approaching figure. "Your records state that you are mute. But the intelligence I have gathered suggests otherwise." He walked around the back of Katsumi's seat, disappearing from her field of vision.
The chair below her jolted as Kabuto kicked the back leg of the chair, resulting in her quiet gasp. A strong hand gripped her bicep as a cool finger grazed across one of the raised scars on her arm. "Should I start by cutting you open? Hm… it looks like you enjoy that too much."
Katsumi turned her head before furiously snapping at her captor. Rage simmered in her mismatched eyes as she snarled in warning. How dare he?! she screamed in her head before a hand slapped across her face with an echoing crack.
The grey-haired ninja grabbed her face, his stiff fingers digging into the soft skin of her cheeks. He wrenched her back to face him and held up a glowing blue hand. "This should get you talking."
He innocuously placed his chakra covered hand against her left shoulder. Katsumi heard a loud internal crack before she let loose a scream of anguish. Her body convulsed with pain as she swung her head in his direction.
Kabuto dodged her attack with a bitter smile.
Katsumi's lip burst as Kabuto sucker-punched her brutally in the jaw.
"You better start talking because the pain only gets a thousand times worse from here." Kabuto shook his head before he lit his hand up with blue chakra once again.
Katsumi let loose a tortured scream as she heard another sickening crunch, immediately her system was rocked with a second wave of excruciating pain.
The next day Kakashi woke with a cry, haunted by the nightmare of his sister's tormented screams. His sheets were soaked with sweat, he cursed in disgust before he launched himself out of bed. The silver-haired shinobi dragged himself over to his drawers, he pulled on his regular attire before he made his way to the kitchen for something to drink.
As he opened the fridge he paused, the sight of the carton of orange juice made him bite his lip in thought. He swallowed thickly before he opted to pour himself a glass of milk instead.
A gentle knock broke Kakashi from his silent brooding. The male twin frowned as he shut the refrigerator with a slam. He slowly wandered to the front door before he cracked it open in curiosity.
There on his porch stood a zombie-like Obito Uchiha.
"What are you doing here, Obito-kun? It's barely five in the morning," Kakashi's voice lacked any sort of emotion, his face a perfect mask of indifference.
"I couldn't sleep, all things considered. Uh, I was actually wondering if I could talk to you… you know man to man." The dark-haired Uchiha rubbed at the back of his neck in a nervous gesture.
Kakashi snorted at his friend before he took a step back and gestured for Obito to enter. The Uchiha teen complied. He swiftly strolled past Kakashi and into the twins' lounge.
"So… spill the beans, Uchiha." The silver-haired twin locked the door before he made his way over to his glass of milk.
"It's about… Katsumi. I know you think I'm a loser and a pervert… but I need you to hear me out." Obito shoved his hands into his pocket, his left hand gripped Katsumi's necklace in longing fingers.
"Hear what? I'm aware of her crush on you. I don't know what you want from me? No one is good enough for my little sister, but that's just my opinion." Kakashi casually sipped at his milk, exasperation written all over his features.
"But that's just it, Kakashi-kun. I want to prove it to you… that I am worthy of Katsumi…" Obito clenched his fist in front of him with a fiery look of determination.
Kakashi let out an exhausted laugh before he rubbed his temple in frustration. "And how on Earth do you plan on doing something like that?" The look in his friend's eyes sent a shock along his skin, goosebumps raised in its wake.
"I'm going to bring her back. You have my word." Obito's obsidian eyes held no room for argument.
Kakashi felt a smile spread across his face, in spite of himself.
Katsumi had lost track of how long she had been awake. Pain invaded every corner of her mind as she stared blankly at the desk in front of her. Blood dripped from her wounds as Kabuto circled her. Puncture wounds were littered all over her body as she gasped for air. Only moments ago Kabuto had dragged her struggling form from a writhing pit of snakes. The feeling of their fangs sinking deep into her flesh and the cool tickle of scales as they slithered across her bare skin still lingered in her mind.
"Now, let's try this again. What is your name?" his voice was cruel as he flashed his blue chakra in front of her glazed eyes.
Katsumi gasped at the sight but bit her tongue despite everything in her screaming for her to give in.
"Twenty-four hours and still no progress Kabuto, what a shame."
Katsumi's body began to tremble as Orochimaru's murderous intent suffocated her.
A tan-coloured snake slithered out from his sleeve as he strolled casually into the room.
Kabuto pushed his glasses back into place with an evil smirk on his face. "I apologise Orochimaru-sama. I believe our prisoner just needs an extra push."
"Good, go fetch the equipment. Hatake-san will be happy to comply when you return," his tone was cold as the serpent wound its way to sit around his shoulders.
The mere sight of the reptile had the young wolf shinobi whimpering in fear. Being forced to stay awake for an entire twenty-four hours while being brutally tortured had finally worn her down.
The creature gave a low hiss that sent a shiver down Katsumi's spine.
"Don't come any closer…" she hissed through clenched teeth.
"So Kabuto was correct. You do speak." Orochimaru's wide mouth curled into a triumphant smile. His eyes flickered from the girls odd coloured orbs and followed her line of sight.
"You like my little friend here? He has a very powerful jaw."
Katsumi shuddered as the sannin took another menacing step forward.
"If you do exactly as I tell you, we won't have any more problems. But if you refuse… I will have to let my friend here have a little fun…" he narrowed his golden eyes at the kunoichi's expression, taking a deep whiff of her fear.
"Whatever you want. Just please… don't…" Katsumi shook her head frantically as Orochimaru leaned a hand on the desk, the snake on his shoulders swayed its head from side to side. The animal flicked its fork tongue as it gave an evil hiss. Katsumi gave a broken scream of panic and tried to turn her head away from the serpent and its master.
"Good girl. Kabuto will give you your assignment. Complete it post-haste, or there will be dire consequences," his low voice echoed off of the dank stone walls.
Hot tears trailed down the kunoichi's cheeks, the salt water stung at her open wounds as she sobbed hopelessly into the empty air.
Katsumi felt a sting of a slap. She gave a shuddering groan as the blow forced her awake once again.
"Orochimaru-sama has a task for you." Kabuto gestured to the old decrepit looking TV screen, a strangely familiar black box sat beside it, various cords connecting the two together. The grey-haired medic placed a stack of four videotapes in faded cardboard sleeves.
Katsumi felt long buried memories stir in the jumbled confines of her mind. She took a deep breath before her eyes flicked back to her torturer.
"Read the script on this." Kabuto plucked a tape from the pile and held the faded title up to her face.
The kunoichi tried to clear her parched throat only to grimace.
"Answer the question and I might get you a drink." The grey-haired male gave the tape a little shake. "Read it."
Katsumi took a deep calming breath before she rasped out the title, "Beauty and the Beast." Her throat was raw as she forced the syllables past her lips.
The words she spoke made Kabuto raise an eyebrow before a grin stretched across his face. "Good now translate it onto the paper in front of you." The grey-haired shinobi pulled a kunai from his pouch and sliced the bonds on her right wrist. He placed a pen in her weak grip and forced her arm to rest on the table.
Katsumi noted that her right arm was suspiciously less painful than the rest of her body. She grit her teeth and slowly but steadily dragged the pen across the paper. Small symbols left in her path.
"Excellent. Now I will play these tapes one by one. Translate every word you see or hear in your foreign language. Do you understand?" Kabuto slipped the black rectangle from its case and slotted it into the machine. The player roared to life as colours began to flash across the screen. The dull light from the television was still enough to sting the kunoichi's dry eyes. Crackly sound came from the device as Kabuto reached over to turn the volume up.
Katsumi stared in wonder at the screen before her eyes glazed over and she fell into a vivid flash back.
The young girl sat quietly in the front room. An old TV flickered away in the corner of the lounge. Her eyes searched the room for any sign of her mother, but she was mercifully absent.
The little red-head crawled over to the screen and knelt in front of it. Bright colours danced across the screen as she focused on the movie. A beautiful brunette in a blue dress twirled happily in a wide open field. The character's mouth was open wide as she sang.
In a moment of pure curiosity she reached up to touch the dusty glass. Her tiny fingers spread wide as she longed to switch places with the girl on the screen. The movie rolled on as the child remained captivated by the adventure unfolding before her. Sound to the young girl was a dull buzz in her ears, so she didn't understand what was going on in the movie, but she loved it all the same.
As the main character opened her mouth to sing once more, the deaf girl also opened her mouth to copy. She stretched her vocal cords and felt vibrations tumble from her lips as she attempted to vocalise.
Suddenly the young girl felt a brutal smack to the side of her head. She fell limply to the floor before rolling over to stare up at her abuser.
Her mother stood before her, a sloppy snarl on her flushed face. In her left hand she clutched a green long necked bottle, the dark liquid sloshing from the top as the woman shook her fists.
Green eyes welled with unshed tears as the young child once again tried to talk. Instantly, her mother's red face morphed into an even nastier expression.
With a large hand she gripped her daughter's ginger curls and dragged her struggling form across the carpet. The child's knees were already covered in friction burns from the regularity of such abuse.
Tears streamed down the freckled girl's cheeks as she grasped at her mother's arm. She flexed her vocal cords in what she hoped was a scream, only for her mother to toss her hard into the kitchen drawers. Without warning her mother gripped her curls once more and slapped a piece of duct tape over her quivering mouth.
The middle-aged woman put a finger over her mouth as she taunted her petrified daughter. All the young child could smell was her mother's foul breath which reeked of cigarettes and alcohol. Despite the tears clouding her vision she could just manage to read her mother's slurring lips.
"Shut your mouth."
The young girl was so used to her mother's vocabulary that she knew exactly what was coming next. Fear shot through her veins as she scrambled to the side in a last ditch effort to get away. A firm hand fisted in her hair wrenching her backwards off of her feet. The child's backside landed hard on the kitchen tiles as fresh tears dripped from her chin. She kicked her legs with every last drop of resistance she had left, but to no avail. Her small body was hurled into a familiar closet, smashing into the stiff wooden handles of the cleaning equipment. The girl collapsed to the floor with pain blooming over every inch of her.
Her mother gave her one last sour look before she slammed and locked the closet door, leaving the trembling girl alone in the darkness.
Katsumi was snapped out of her vision by a bruising backhanded slap.
"You have a job to do. Focus." Kabuto flexed his fingers casually as he rewound the video. Once that was complete he placed a small remote control next to her arm. "This button is to stop the image, this button starts it up again. Understand?"
Katsumi nodded her head slightly despite the pain the movement caused.
"Good, now start translating. I didn't heal your arm for nothing." The grey-haired ninja watched the prisoner like a hawk as she placed a shaking hand over the remote and pressed the play button.
The TV burst to life once more. Katsumi picked up her pen and immediately began to translate the title screen that appeared before her.
"Good, I will be back with more work for you. I want to see progress when I return." The medic shinobi strolled out of the room, casually observing the kunoichi as she obediently scribbled across the paper before her.
Katsumi heard the door click shut and she immediately paused her writing. The music from the movie echoed off of the stone walls. Beautiful melodies and amazing vocals overwhelmed the shaking kunoichi. Her favourite long lost movie played out in front of her. Finally, she could hear what she had been missing out on.
Suddenly, the movie cut to an advertisement. Katsumi frowned as she jotted down all the English she could see and hear. She glanced down at her kanji before a siren blared from the television in front of her.
"This is the Wartime Broadcasting Service. This country has been attacked with nuclear weapons. Communications have been severely disrupted, and the number of casualties and the extent of the damage are not yet known. We shall bring you further information as soon as possible. Meanwhile, stay tuned to this wavelength, stay calm and stay in your own house.
Remember there is nothing to be gained by trying to get away. By leaving your homes you could be exposing yourself to greater danger.
If you leave, you may find yourself without food, without water, without accommodation and without protection. Radioactive fall-out, which follows a nuclear explosion, is many times more dangerous if you are directly exposed to it in the open. Roofs and walls offer substantial protection. The safest place is indoors.
Make sure gas and other fuel supplies are turned off and that all fires are extinguished. If mains water is available, this can be used for fire-fighting. You should also refill all your containers for drinking water after the fires have been put out, because the mains water supply may not be available for very long.
Water must not be used for flushing lavatories: until you are told that lavatories may be used again, other toilet arrangements must be made. Use your water only for essential drinking and cooking purposes. Water means life. Don't waste it.
Make your food stocks last: ration your supply, because it may have to last for 14 days or more. If you have fresh food in the house, use this first to avoid wasting it: food in tins will keep.
If you live in an area where a fall-out warning has been given, stay in your fall-out room until you are told it is safe to come out. When the immediate danger has passed the sirens will sound a steady note. The "all clear" message will also be given on this wavelength. If you leave the fall-out room to go to the lavatory or replenish food or water supplies, do not remain outside the room for a minute longer than is necessary.
Do not, in any circumstances, go outside the house. Radioactive fall-out can kill. You cannot see it or feel it, but it is there. If you go outside, you will bring danger to your family and you may die. Stay in your fall-out room until you are told it is safe to come out or you hear the "all clear" on the sirens.
We shall be on the air every hour, on the hour. Stay tuned to this wavelength, but switch your radios off now to save your batteries. That is the end of this broadcast."
A strange anchorman appeared on the screen, red coloured headlines scrolled along the bottom of the picture. This repeated over and over until the tape whirred to a stop and the picture vanished.
Katsumi gaped in horror at the words she made out on the television. Bombs? A third world war? So many different terrifying scenarios ran through her mind as she jotted down what she had seen. Her hand moved instinctively, despite her wandering mind.
The door to her prison opened with a drawn-out creak. Kabuto strolled across the room and dumped a large stack of documents on the wooden desk. "Good to see you can follow orders. We'll come back to the videotapes after you translate these." The medic shinobi grabbed a manila folder from the top of the pile and slapped it down in front of her. "I want every word accurate, or else I will have to tell Orochimaru-sama that you refuse to cooperate. And we both know you wouldn't want that."
Katsumi shook her head frantically. Pain rattled around in her skull at the rapid movement, but she kept her focus.
"Good girl. Don't slack off because I will be back." He cast her a smirk before he trailed gloved fingers down the kunoichi's beautiful battered face.
Katsumi could feel Kabuto's predatory gaze as he slowly dragged his fingers down her cheek; his eyes lingering near her swollen lips before he pulled his hand away swiftly. She shivered as she watched the creep leave the room. With a dry swallow she turned back to the paper in front of her and opened the file with her good arm.
"Experiment Gamma- Subject 153."
The silver-haired kunoichi's heart sunk into the pit of her stomach as she skimmed over the ink on the first page. This was going to be bad.
I am really really really mean… I hate myself too… See you guys next chapter for some answers….