I cursed at myself as I opened the door to the research labs.
"I really have to learn to leave earlier in the morning. Now I have to skip breakfast." I pouted to myself as I went to my usual desk. I threw down my purse and stretched out the last kinks in my body.
"Good morning Ms. Hunter." I heard behind me. I turned to face my mentor. He was an elderly man, not taller than 5 ft. His hair had faded into a dusty white color and his eyes a dull blue. He was one of the smartest men in all the 5 nations. Why he picked me as his successor, I have no clue.
A sharp pain in my lower leg quickly awoke me from my thoughts.
"OW!" I yelled grabbing my calf.
"I said Good morning. Jeeze whats with you youngins'. Just because I'm close to death doesn't mean I'm dead already." He continued to mumble to himself. I ignored him and grabbed my clip board. For an old man, he can sure hit pretty hard with that damn cane of his!
"Moushiwake arimasen . Dr. Izuko. Good morning and it will not happen again." I said trailing behind him getting my notes in order.
"Nozomi-san, please drop the formal phases. I've been your mentor for, lets see, 6 years now!" Dr. Izuko stated swing around to give me a stern look. I simple nodded my head and gave a nervous smile.
"Of course Dr. Izuko." He simply shook his head and continued walking. I sighed and followed behind him.
"Now, Nozomi-san. Lady Tsunada will be by sometime this afternoon to take a look at the shinobi serum. I expect everything to be in order before she gets here." He said opening the door to his office.
"Of course Dr. Izuko. Who will we be using as a test subject so that I may.."
"Why who better than the creator, you." He said interrupting me. I gave him a double take.
"What do you mean me." He chuckled before heading into his office. I hesitated a minute before running in after him.
"I'm sorry Dr. Izuko but I really don't think..." He silence me my slamming his cane down on his desk and sitting in his seat.
"I choose you for obvious reasons. Besides, I didn't hire you to think, well at least not yet." He said leaning back into his chair. I scratched my forehead and took a seat in front of him.
"Now the reasons I choose you are simple. One, You know the serum better than anyone else because you invented it. Two, you have no need for greater power. Your life as a shinobi ended years ago." This made me look up from the floor and into his eyes. "Besides, I don't trust anyone else. I choose you as my successor for a reason, and don't think its just because your good looking." I shook my head and laughed at him. "I choose you because you had a real passion for this. Not only that, you were genuine, Not like those other stuck up morons."
I gave him a soft smile and nodded at him.
"Thank you Dr. Izuko." I said standing up out of my chair.
"Now get the hell out of my office, I have work to do!" I sweat dropped and quickly turned and walked out the door.
"What a strange old man." I said quietly to myself as I made my way to my work station.
It was nearly 1 and Lady Tsunada hadn't made an appearance yet. Both Dr. Izuko and I were getting annoyed. He was pacing the lab, while I was trying to keep myself busy.
"Maybe you should give her a call..." I said pushing up my glasses.
"CALL! WHY SHOULD I BE CALLING HER SHE SAID! URGH, nevermind" Dr. Izuko yelled throwing his cane in any direction. I shuddered at the loud sound of breaking glasses. Dr. Izuko simply sighed and went to get a broom.
I leaned back into my chair and started to stretch. It was turning out to be a one long day. I head a crash come from the utility closet. I sighed and pushed my chair back to see what Dr. Izuko had done to himself now.
Just as I turned the corner I saw two figures that shouldn't be there. They were both wearing black robed that had red clouds on them and big straw hats. One of them had Dr. Izuko by the throat, the other was holding a kunai to his neck.
I quickly pressed my back against the wall and took a deep breath in. Many thoughts started to flooded my mind. "Why were they here"
"Who were they"
"Why us?"
"Give us the serum old man" A husky voice sounded from down the hall. They serum! Of course.
"Ha. Over my dead body fish sticks!" I heard Dr. Izuko shout back. I heard a growl from down the hall and the slicing of a knife to skin. I covered my mouth with my hands to stop me from yelling. There was a loud drop and another man started to speak.
"You need to control that temper of yours." The mans voice sounded cold and stern.
"What use was that stubborn old fuck anyway. We already know he has the serum in the lab somewhere."
"Hn. Well go find it." I heard another growl.
My eyes widened as I heard footsteps approach me. I started to panic. I made my way as fast I could to my work station. I grabbed the syrum off the counter and shoved it down my shirt. I curled up underneath my desk and started to rock myself. I had to calm down somehow.
"Hey Itachi-kun! It looks like there is someone else here with us." I heard the man deeply intake the air. "I can smell her perfume" He said with a spine chilling chuckle.
I had no time to register what was going on as I was torn from my hideaway. My breaths started to become ragged as I grabbed the arm that was holding me up by my shirt.
"Hm." The man said closing the space between us. He sniffed at my neck and I whimpered. "You reek of fear." He said giving another spine curdling laugh. The other man made he way over and eyed me up and down.
"Hn. Its the late doctor's apprentice. Nozomi Hunter, I presume." I let out a shaky breath as a replied.
"N..no. I..I am just a lap assistant. I cou..couldn't tell you were Nozomi is." I said keeping my eyes to the floor. Just then I was slammed to my desk. I could feel the glass of the beakers shatter underneath me. I let out a painful cry.
"You shouldn't lie girlie. It might get you hurt one day." I eyed the blue man with nervous eyes. He was leaning over me with his body pressed against mine. The closeness was suffocating.
"Now where would that lovely serum of yours be, and I am not asking twice." I took a couple of breaths inward, just to regain what little composure I could.
"Its...Its in the vault." I said lifting my arm toward the clean room. He snickered as he picked me up and planted me to my feet. His chest planted itself to my back as he reached around and shoved a kunai to my throat. He put his head to my ear and whispered.
"Lead the way gorgeous." His breath on my neck made me shiver with disgust. I slowly walked my way to the clean room and fumbled with the code to enter the door. With an encouraging pushing of the kunai, I quickly opened the door. The other man didn't follow us into the room. He just stood "watch" or thats what I presumed. Fish boy had finally released his hold on me spoke.
"Open that vault and get me the serum. You try anything and I will slit that pretty little neck of yours" He said grabbing me by the throat. He took one last inhale before letting me tumble to the floor. I got up and started to walk toward the vault. With that walk of shame, several thoughts were running through my head. But the one that seemed most evident was to fight back. Now I know how crazy of a thought that was, especially with the little training I had as a shinobi. But letting these monster have this serum was just out of the question.
With that in mind I had reached the vault. My eyes drifted from the floor to the control panel. I slowly began to type in the code. My breaths started to become raged again and my thoughts less and less clear. I closed my eyes and centered my thoughts. Just then a beep was heard and the vault opened.
"Good girl" I heard from the other side of the room. Thats when all hell broke loose. I started to do hand signs when a kunai hit my side. I grunted in pain and fell back into the vault.
"You stupid girl!" I heard as I finished my hand signs and yelled,
"Wind Release: Reverse Hair Wind!" A blast of wind engulfed the room and knocked the man back a few feet. Before he could reach me, the door to the vault slammed shut, plaguing me with darkness. I sat there for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of banging a cursing outside the door. Thats when pain started to tear itself threw me. I cried out in pain and started to cry. It was becoming harder and harder for me to breath.
"I'm never going to get out of this alive." I wimpered quietly to myself.
Authors Note
Moushiwake arimasen is the most formal way to say I'm sorry in Japanese.