"Up."
Ariha groaned, scolding herself for not reinforcing her door before she'd come back the night prior from the village and one exhausting night with a certain vampiric noble pain in the ass. Now, another, less noble and certainly not royal pain in the ass stood in her room, watching her lay there while demanding she greet the day. At 11:32. Not gonna happen.
"I told you noon," Ariha replied, words muffled by her blanket cocoon.
She heard a soft chuckle.
"I know. And now the balls in my court."
She ignored his words, cuddling in deeper, growling in surprise when a cold hand seized her exposed thigh, yanking her out of her safe haven and dragging her across the bed. Caleb's smug face greeted hers as her last blanket peeled away.
"Up, you snob little bitch before I do something we both regret. Well, you would regret."
Ariha matched his smugness with her own.
"Like what?" she demanded.
Caleb grinned, the expression freezing her.
"Oh, like give the prisoners a heads up about who your daddy is. I personally know Orochimaru's schedule and when he and Kabuto leave. Learned it when I was rotting in a cell. And trust me, lot of them in that pit, don't like your daddy."
Ariha tried not to show her surprise, keeping up her smug face.
"Orochimaru? My father? Your insane."
"I heard it straight from your pretty little mouth when you met with your friend. I followed you, spied on you and got exactly what I wanted. A collar to put on you."
He released her thigh, enjoying the purple bruises left behind from his grip.
"Now then, get up and get dressed. Training time. And don't think I'll be getting you up at 11:32 every morning. This was me just being nice."
With that, he left, leaving Ariha glaring after him.
Kabuto cringed a bit at the sound of retching but braced himself, knowing that this was part of his job. He just didn't know why a prisoner was in his private clinic. This one was reserved for Lord Orochimaru. And Ariha, as of late. It was Ariha who he found, leaning heavily against the counter as she threw up in the sink. Without a word, Kabuto went to her side, gathering her hair and holding it out of the way.
"Ugh, kill me," she groaned, voice sounding raspy as she did.
Kabuto pulled her up a bit, enough to get a good look at her face. His eyes widened at the bruises he saw, though the glimpse was brief because she went back to throwing up.
"What kind of training did you two do today?" he asked.
"Training?" Ariha repeated.
She gave a dry laugh.
"If you call making me stand in one place while beating the shit out me training," she snarled.
Ariha seemed done dry heaving and withdrew from the sink, sliding to the floor. Kabuto released her hair, kneeling in front of her.
"Why didn't you move?" he asked.
Ariha smirked, flinching at the gesture which no doubt hurt her swollen bloody lip.
"Because he knows my dirty little secret," Ariha replied. "And I can't let anyone find out. Lord Orochimaru's orders."
Kabuto felt his curiosity rise but hid the fact that he wanted to know this secret. Leave it to Caleb to discover such a secret. Despite his jealousy, Kabuto rose, reaching for Ariha's arm gently and pulling her up as well.
"Let's patch you up," he suggested. "Then to bed."
"Where's Lord Orochimaru?" Ariha asked as Kabuto lifted her onto the examination table.
She was grateful for the gesture, her earlier suspicions of a broken leg confirmed as she felt her body mending itself, slowly but surely.
"He went out," Kabuto replied.
His thoughts were dark as he prepared the morphine. No way would Caleb have done so much damage if Orochimaru was on the premises. Caleb was like a teen, acting out when his parents were away and he was left unsupervised. And it would only get worse, Kabuto realized. He and Orochimaru were scheduled for a reconnaissance mission soon, one that would take them about a month to return from. Without Kabuto to fix her, how would Ariha survive?
"Kabuto," Ariha said as soon as he turned back to give her the shot.
She met his eyes.
"Don't tell him about this."
Her eyes were already closing as she began to fall asleep. Being Ariha, she couldn't help but try to get one last word in.
"Please."
"Where is Ariha?"
Kabuto turned from the broth he was stirring, his eyes on Orochimaru who tried to pass himself off as calm. His fingers were twitching too much for him to hide. Somehow, he'd heard about Ariha's current condition.
"She's in her room," Kabuto replied. "I gave her some morphine and she's been asleep since. I was just about to bring her some broth."
Orochimaru pushed himself off the wall.
"Don't bother," he ordered. "I'll do it."
Kabuto knew better than to speak against that, though his lord had plenty of other things to do. Instead, he handed the tray he'd prepared, plus one bowl of hot broth, to Orochimaru who breezed out. Kabuto leaned against the counter, watching, wondering at the same time what it is his lord sought to keep him from knowing.
Orochimaru slid into the dark room, his eyes adjusting instantly. Still, he turned on the small lamp, the warm glow lighting the room just enough that he could fully see his daughter. When Kabuto had mentioned morphine, he'd expected much worse but she looked perfectly fine. He placed the tray on the small table and peeled back the covers, revealing her legs. Kabuto must have changed her before putting her to bed. Though he knew Kabuto was not interested in Ariha in THAT way, he was still uncomfortable with anyone seeing his daughter in that state, especially when she was so vulnerable. With gentle fingers, Orochimaru studied what skin he could see, looking for evidence of bruises. With even greater care, he lifted her a bit, checking her back. What he found was not a bruises but a tattoo. More directly, it was a sealing mark. Eyes wide, Orochimaru traced the design, his mind drifting back to the Jinchuuriki, Naruto. The marks were similar but different. Orochimaru withdrew his hand, settling Ariha back down. He drew the blankets back into place, stroking her hair from her face.
"What," he asked. "Did your mother do to you?"
Ariha groaned in answer, her face scrunching up as she opened her eyes. Orochimaru watched her yawn, before she finally noticed his presence, turning to look at him.
"Lord…Orochimaru," she murmured.
Orochimaru hid his discovery, smiling at her gently.
"Kabuto made you broth," he informed her.
Ariha pushed herself up, her movements somewhat forced and stiff, and eyed the tray on the night table. With speed that surprised Orochimaru, her hand whipped out, seizing the bowl and swallowing the broth in record speed. She flinched though, as she set the bowl down.
'That's what you get," Orochimaru said, a classic case of tough love.
Ariha glowered at him but she wasn't gaining his sympathy. Especially not over a burnt tongue that was her own fault.
"How is your training going?" he asked.
Her face instantly darkened.
"Wonderful," she growled.
Orochimaru smiled. He expected the resentment, well aware how his daughter felt when she didn't master something in a day. Or less.
"He's an Uchiha boy, you know."
Ariha's eyes widened as she turned to him.
"An Uchiha?"
Orochimaru nodded, his eyes flashing. This was their shared excitement. It had been since Ariha had met Madara years ago and rushed to tell him all about the man with strange eyes. He rested a finger against his lips, indicating that his next words were a secret.
"Indeed. He was a candidate for my new body," Orochimaru explained.
He knew his words confused her but he'd explain everything later.
"But I have found something so much better. An Uchiha boy in Konoha with much promise."
Ariha's face contorted again, in disgust this time.
"You mean Sasuke Uchiha, don't you?" she asked.
Orochimaru gave her a dark smile.
"Who else?"
"I have neglected one thing about my father," Ariha wrote.
She was nestled in a tree branch, diary in hand as she watched the morning sun rise. The beautiful sight seemed wrong partnered with her dark thoughts.
"He began a descent into madness years ago," she went on. "He's in a dark place and I doubt he wishes me to retrieve him from it."
She recalled her deal with Karasu and knew that he was right about Orochimaru. But she could look into his gold eyes and see a father's love. He could not fake that. He loved her. He cared. He was just a wee bit mad. Ariha looked back at her diary, reading her words.
"If you cannot beat them, join them," she wrote.
Then she closed her diary and tucked it safely into her bag, leaping from the tree to collect the herbs she needed.
Caleb glared at the empty bed he faced, trying to bite back his list of colorful words. How dare she? Did she run away? He could not accept that! Turning, he stormed for Kabuto's lab, knowing that the four eyed rat would know if she'd run away or not. He seemed to know her every move. When he burst into Kabuto's lab though, he was surprised to find his student there with said rat. She glanced over her shoulder at him before returning to what looked like really thin sheets of yellowed paper.
"The formula can't be all wrong," she went on. "It worked on the rats."
"Your reasoning is flawed. Just because it worked on rats means nothing," Kabuto argued. "Besides, the notes themselves are flawed as he didn't keep the test rats separated from the rest. For all we know, the ones he reported as coming back to life were just new rats."
"Are you saying that man doesn't know his own rats?" Ariha asked, sounding like she was about to laugh.
"I'm saying we don't know if this works or not," Kabuto retorted.
"What's going on?" Caleb demanded, annoyed.
Ariha turned to face him.
"If you must know, I'm starting my own experiment today and Kabuto is forcing his doubt upon me," she declared.
"You asked for my input, you delusional squirrel," Kabuto grumbled.
"Did you just call me a squirrel?" Ariha demanded.
"Consider it a term of endearment," Kabuto instructed, tone flat.
"Why again did I ask for your input?" Ariha asked, pouting a bit.
"Why did you decide to play Lord Orochimaru?" Caleb growled. "You have training!"
"Science is fruit for the mind," Ariha replied. "Mental training is just as important as physical training."
"Which is why Ariha here will be joining Lord Orochimaru and I on our reconnaissance assignment," Kabuto put in.
Caleb's eyes narrowed at the smile he saw on Kabuto's lips but held back any scathing words as Kabuto turned to face him.
"Looks like you have a few days off," he remarked.
"All the more reason for us to squeeze in as much training as possible," Caleb argued.
Kabuto glanced Ariha's way. Her expression was darkened a bit but she nodded at him.
"He's right of course," she agreed.
Kabuto accepted the papers she offered him, watching her as she trudged past Caleb. He wasn't at all surprised to find himself the target of Caleb's murderous gaze.
"Problem, Caleb?" Kabuto taunted.
"None whatsoever," Caleb replied.
He followed Ariha out, slamming the door in the process. Kabuto adjusted his glasses with a smile still in place. One day, Ariha wouldn't be his to control and maybe he'd start to understand why they restricted her powers more so than his.
Out in the yard, Ariha braced herself, turning to face Caleb.
"Alright, let's get to it," she said.
Glaring at her, Caleb adjusted his sleeves, not liking the way Ariha was studying him, as if he was some fascinating creature. Well, given her face, it was more like some disgusting maggot she'd found on her sleeve. For once, she held eye contact with him, rather than averting her gaze. It was almost like she was searching for something.
"What?" Caleb demanded.
"Nothing of importance," Ariha replied.
She smirked.
"So, where should I stand today? Or maybe I can sit? If I'm going to be as bored as I was yesterday, being closer to the ground is preferable," she quipped.
In a flash, Caleb had sent her sprawling to the ground, a small smile of his own in place.
"Close enough for you?" he asked.
Ariha got up, spitting blood over her shoulder. Like the day prior, she had murder in her eyes but did nothing. Just as Caleb had instructed. His smile turned into a grin.
"Good girl," he praised.
He added a bit more speed, driving his fist into her stomach this time. Ariha bit back a cry of pain, much to Caleb's annoyance, and hit the dirt again. She was up again in a few seconds, still glaring at him. Unlike the day before, her lips trembled as if she too wanted to say something. She probably wanted to curse him. Caleb welcomed it, actually.
"Go ahead," he challenged her. "Say it."
Ariha did not need any prompting.
"How does it feel to be part of a dying clan?" she asked.
Caleb paused.
"What?"
He was suspicious. Was she genuinely interested or was this a trap?
"You're an Uchiha," Ariha went on. "More of a Leaf Village dog than I am. And your entire clan gets wiped out and they do nothing. They must not love their pets as much as you think."
She grinned, blood staining her teeth.
"Or maybe, you weren't much of a dog in the first place. I'd believe that more," she declared. "You're proving you're not much of a man."
Caleb lashed out with savagery. Ariha braced but found the attack intercepted. Standing between her and Caleb was Karasu, one arm raised to wield off Caleb's strike. His black eyes were narrowed but his lips were touched with a cold smile.
"Attack me," he urged. "Make my day."
"Karasu!" Ariha objected.
He looked back at her.
"I smelled blood. The attraction should speak for itself."
Ariha punched his arm.
"Get out of here!" she ordered. "This violates our deal!"
"I'm aware," Karasu replied. "And I won't interfere again. So long as you don't mind me breaking his arms."
He zeroed in on Caleb, his hand lashing out to sieze hold of Caleb's wrist.
"It'll be as easy as 1."
Caleb felt a slight pressure in his wrist, eyes widening as he realized that the man before him was doing this to him. And so effortlessly as well, like ripping wet paper.
"2."
With one hand.
"3."
Caleb cried out as his wrist snapped and he tried pulling it away but Karasu held tight, eyes empty of any emotion though a sick glee danced in his eyes.
"There," Ariha said, resting her hand on arm. "You broke his wrist. Be done, please. And go."
Karasu sighed, dropping Caleb's wrist and pointing a finger in Ariha's face. He spoke in that language Caleb had heard Ariha use during her address to Lord Orochimaru. And then, he was gone.
She had a protector. Caleb could not have been more angered but the pain in his wrist kept him from expressing it.
"Get me to Kabuto," he grunted.
She looked at him before holding out her hands.
"Let me see," she requested.
Caleb took a wary step back, cradling his wrist. She was a fighter, not a healer. What could she do? Ariha sighed, looking up at the sky as if asking some divine creature for help. Then, she reached out, taking his wrist. He howled in pain and rage until he felt it. Her power seemed to stream into him, crushing his wrist with surprising weight. That didn't hurt though. Almost as fast as it had come, the power retreated, leaving lingering trails that made him yearn for more. Ariha released his wrist, smirking.
"There," she said. "You should be fine now."
Caleb flexed his wrist.
"I don't think your friend will like this," he remarked.
"He knew I'd heal you. That's why he broke your wrist in the first place," she explained.
Caleb continued flexing his wrist, his body still yearning for another go at that power. He met Ariha's gold eyes.
"Thank you," he said, the words bitter in his mouth though he managed to fake gratitude with his eyes.
Ariha's smirk turned into a smile.
"Don't worry about it, Caleb."