Author's note: Thank you Shi and Sammy-chan for reviewing! I know I haven't posted up my stuff in a while, so I hope this chapter will help!
Breathe… just breathe…
Where am I…? What is happening?
What is going on…? Breathe…
I'm sorry… Kazuo…
Dad… Mom… where are you…?
A barely conscious Kazuo was now in a giant test tube brimming with water and needles stuck through him. He could barely breathe into the black tube covering his mouth giving him air. He was entirely nude… and his eyes were barely opened… outside of the test tube… Kazuo could barely see a thing… he looked as hard as he could and could make out mechanical machines… nothing that he had ever seen before… he looked around even more and could make out two figures… the man who was holding him in his arm… and the shorter one who impaled his father… Impaled his father!? That's when it hit him… His parents were dead… he looked down and started crying into the test tube… at first it was just a small sniffle… then came the sobbing… and finally the screams… he screamed out of confusion, anger, but most of all sadness. He would never get the chance to get closer to his father! He would never learn the truth of his clan! He was all alone! And his mother! Oh, his beautiful mother! The woman who was always there with a smile and a hug! Who could always calm him down no matter how upset he was! She died apologizing to him! And what did he do!? He just watched! He tried as hard as he could but to no avail! He had lost the only two people that meant anything to him! Now... he turned towards the both of them after he stopped crying and his eyes sharpened as he forced his arms to move… that's when he realized that his arms were engulfed by two giant black machines that didn't allow him to move… as he struggled to break free, he could hear an evil chuckling from outside the test tube, Kazuo sharpened his eyes at the sight of the man who caused all this to him, wearing the same black cloak with red clouds and then he heard him speak.
"I see that now you are aware of your current situation, Kiriyama Kazuo…" Kazuo still struggled to break free from the black machines holding his arms as Orochimaru continued
"Keep doing that and you'll be electrocuted…" Kazuo stopped immediately… he couldn't break free at all! He was so angry! Orochimaru then slithered his way with a flash step all the way to Kazuo was and faced him face to face… Kazuo would never forget that hideous smile… the smile of the man who murdered his mother.
"Your life is now under my control… you will work only for me as my test subject… and any attempts to resist will result in an excruciating injury if I'm in a good mood… otherwise… you'll be dead, just like those idiotic parents of yours…" Kazuo screamed in anger at him as he said that, and tried even harder to break free… a quick whirring noise would be heard as a surge of electricity coursed through Kazuo, shocking him all over his body, he screamed and panted as the shocks ended. Sasori grunted as he saw this
"Stop screwing around, Orochimaru… are you sure one hair is all you need?" Orochimaru then slithered away from the test tube and walked over to Sasori and Orochimaru responded
"Normally, a skin graft is preferred from the donor… but as I said, this boy is special… I think he'll be able to master the Satetsu without a problem… and if I'm wrong…" Orochimaru smiled revealing his sharp fangs, "Then he dies…" Kazuo's eyes widened as he heard that… but he really did think about it for a second there… what would happen if he lived? He would work for the man who murdered his mother for the rest of his life… and standing alongside the same man who murdered his father… death seemed like a better alternative… he looked down and shut his eyes… trying not to think about all this… it seemed to be the better alternative… he then remembered something…
Kazuo! Come down here! We have someone that wants to talk to you!
Who is it, Dad?
Come here! This is someone who'll be very important to your future!
Ahhh! One of the scorpions got in the house! Dad! What are you doing!?
Relax, Kazuo! This is Leviathan; she's the daughter of the elder scorpion, Sharasa. She isn't going to hurt you, but she can be a bit loud-mouthed though…
Shut it, Sousuke! That's gonna cost you extra!
Yes, yes, I know… I know… Kazuo, come over and say hi…
Umm… Hi… Leviathan, right…?
Well hello there, Little Kazuo… I was wondering if you would be so kind as to do me a favor…
What is it…?
Well, I just recently had my babies, and I would like to know if I can entrust my youngest one to you…
Sure… I'll take care of umm… is it a boy or a girl?
It's a girl… her name is Sasara… and she would like it if you gave her a nickname to go by…
How about Sasa-chan?
That sounds nice! I'll be back to pick up the cash, Sousuke! Thank you, Kazuo!
He remembered that situation… he couldn't have said no to a scorpion… not while he was still scared shitless of them… he saw Orochimaru and Sasori going off and on about who knows what… he honestly didn't care… he shed another tear… Mom…
Kazuo… what's wrong, honey…?
Why is dad always so mean with me…? What did I do…?
Kazuo… your father isn't a bad man… he's actually very worried about you… and he wants you to be stronger…
But why can't he teach me another way…? Why does he always have to push me…?
Because the world pushes harder… there are a lot of people out there much worse than your father… he actually loves you very dearly… and I do, too… Kazuo…
I know that much, mom… you always talk to me and make me feel better about everything…
I'm glad I do that, Kazuo… you really are a sweet, gentle, boy… and your father doesn't want that to change, either… he just wants you to be able to protect yourself… just please promise me you'll forgive him… it doesn't have to be today… or tomorrow… or even ten years from now… just please try to forgive your father…
I'll do my best, mom…
I know you will and I'll always be proud of you…
I love you, mom…
I love you, too, my sweet Kazuo…
He shut his eyes… he didn't care about anything anymore… his home was gone… he lost all meaning… all hope… was lost to him.
-2 years later-
What is it that makes you so strong…?
It's terrible… isn't it…? The feeling of being alone… I've been there… in that dark, lonely, place… where it feels as though no one cares about you, or just completely ignores you… but I was saved… I found people who acknowledged who I was… and showed me the true kindness that everyone deserves…
It still makes no sense… why would you do this for anyone but yourself?
Because… the people I care about are my friends… and I won't let anyone hurt them… Even if that means I have to kill you, I will protect my friends!
Love… is that… what makes him so strong…?
Kazuo felt the water exist his surroundings… he then noticed his nude body finally felt the touch of air again… he lost all track of time… what was around…? He searched his surroundings and saw… machines… many machines… shut off… He then looked at his arms and legs and tried moving them again… he got up from the leaning position he was in… he hadn't moved in two years… but he had enough strength to break through the glass with one hit. He felt something in his system like a shock. Worse than any electrocution he had ever felt. He tried focusing his chakra in his hands… and found small black particles in them… he shook them off his hands, realizing that they were probably from the machine, but upon focusing his chakra again, the black particles returned… Kazuo then realized they were remarkable dry… and with enough concentration… he could make shapes… he focused for a moment… and made… a small knife… no bigger than a kunai… how was this possible…?
This boy is special… He'll be able to master the satetsu…
Satetsu? Was this the satetsu that creep spoke about…? But it was nothing more than a whole bunch of black grains put together to make shapes! Was this all he could do!? Was this all he was captured for!? His eyes went blood red as he shook with rage
"You bastards… YOU FUCKING BASTARDS! YOU KILLED MY PARENTS, KIDNAPPED ME FROM MY HOME, LOCKED ME AWAY IN SOME GODDAMN TEST TUBE AND THEN LEFT ME HERE TO DIE FOR BLACK GRAINS!?" Kazuo went furious, he screamed out of anger and made as many knives as he could, throwing them everywhere, some punctured the machinery, others were dull and as a result, not punctured so deep into the machinery… he kept going for about two hours screaming like a monster in the dark, abandoned laboratory… he stopped after all his chakra was exhausted and then looked up to the ceiling… he knew he was going to die… he might as well have waited for it… so he shut his eyes…
"Kazuo! Hey! Hey! You're Kazuo, Ain'tcha!?" He felt as though he were having a bad dream as a small female voice called out to him… he then opened his eyes and screamed out of fear, a scorpion was on his face, this female scorpion gave out a scream of her own and said
"Kazuo! Don't do thaaat! You scared meeee!" This small little scorpion talked like a small child and Kazuo yelled at her,
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" The small scorpion asked
"Why are you asking me to do that!? You're only gonna die if you stay here, y'know!"
"That's better than being in the company of a murderous insect!" The scorpion sharpened her eyes and yelled out
"Now look here, mister! You may be the last one left in your clan, but that gives you no right to get mad at me! That and we scorpions ain't insects, we're arachnids! Get it right! Besides, my mommy said you're supposed to be my friend!" Kazuo's eyes widened and he asked
"Leviathan…? She's your mother…? Then… you must be…" The scorpion nodded, however possible that was
"My name is Sasara of the scorpions! But you gave me the nickname of Sasa-chan!" Kazuo's eyes widened as he remembered that event… it was very clear in his mind… how long had it been since he'd seen a scorpion… he then asked her
"How long have I been down here…?" Sasa-chan responded
"Well, all the other tracker scorpions who were here said you were here for about two years…" Kazuo became enraged again
"Two years!? You kept track of me for two years while they used me as an experiment and didn't try to break me free!?" Sasara yelled out
"Hey! My mommy was there with your mommy when they tried saving you! And my mommy is the most powerful scorpion we have! There was no way she could've gotten you out of here, or any other scorpions, for that matter!" Kazuo grunted some at the logic being shown at him… what good would the Hidden sand care about him, anyway…? He knew the Kazekage was some jerk… no way in hell help would've come for him… Kazuo asked
"So… what do I do now…? Sasa-chan?" Sasara responded
"No matter what happens, we're supposed to be friends, Kazuo… I'll take care of you no matter what happens… you want some food? I bet it's been a while since you've eaten anything…" Kazuo thought about it… he really hadn't eaten anything decent in two years… Orochimaru and Sasori kept him alive with nutritional pills, but nothing that would have kept him satisfied.
"All right… bring me some food… I'll have some fruit… I don't know how to cook meat and neither do you… so I guess I'll eat some fruits…" Sasara nodded
"Gotcha!" She then turned around and yelled out "Hey guys! Kazuo is our friend now! Go find him some fruits! He's hungry!" With that, thousands of scorpions emerged from the darkness and left through small holes created from the searching of him, now being used as escape holes, they managed to open the big door that led to the outside, Sasara asked Kazuo while the other scorpions were hunting for him
"Why don'tcha wanna leave?" Kazuo responded
"The Kazekage is an asshole… and I'm considered a missing-nin… going back to the hidden sand now… will only result in my execution… so I want to stay here…" Sasara nodded and kept talking to Kazuo, she was the one who stopped his fear of scorpions in its tracks, and he became quite attacked to her… once again… Kazuo had a family…
-1 year later-
When the person you love is insulted… you become angry… you're the same as he was… the same as Uzumaki Naruto… perhaps being in the company of someone evil… truly is preferable to loneliness…
Hidden in the shadows, a black figure saw him… no expression… no sign of existence was there… it was clear that was a female… but she said nothing and did not make her presence known…
"Found you…" She spoke so softly not even a scorpion could hear her… she dissipated into the darkness… and moved with the shadows to see him… on top of the Mansion with the wind symbol, a red-haired youth staring into the night sky…
"Gaara…" She spoke loud enough for him to hear, he turned and saw a woman who seemed to be in her late 20's wearing all black and a scythe wrapped around her back. She was heavily hooded, but her figure made it clear that it was a woman… Gaara responded softly
"Who are you…?"
Author's note: Finally done! Next chapter is gonna kick some major ass! Keep an eye out for Romeo x Juliet loyal readers!